TEXT:  
   
   
  
  Introduction 
  Expedition to the Lost Peaks is a Dungeons & 
  Dragons adventure designed to be completed 
  in about 6-8 hours of play. The combat 
  encounters have been calculated to present a 
  tough challenge to four 5th level characters. 
  They will present a less difficult, though still 
  enjoyable, challenge to 6th-7th level characters 
  or larger parties. Unless stated otherwise, 
  assume any NPCs have the stats of a 
  commoner.  
  A Compelling Offer 
  Our heroes are in Longsaddle, enjoying 
  themselves at The Gambling Golem. Good ale, 
  tall tales and a little bit of gambling all make 
  for a pleasant afternoon - and no-one is 
  thinking very much about adventuring. 
  Suddenly a golden-colored envelope with a 
  small pair of golden wings comes fluttering 
  through the door. Its flight is slow and jerky, 
  but it eventually finds its way to the PCs table. 
  The wings fold away abruptly, and the 
  envelope drops to the table with a heavy thud. 
  If the PCs open the letter, they find a gold 
  colored note inside, written with beautiful 
  calligraphy. It says –  
  We request the honor of your presence at the 
  Ivy Manor today at 4pm. Drinks and canapés 
  will be provided. Please be punctual. 
  Lady Septima Harpell 
  If the PCs are not on their way to Ivy Manor by 
  3:45pm, another flying message will deliver 
  itself to them. This time the word “request” will 
  be replaced with “require”.  
  If the PCs are still not at Ivy Manor by 4:30pm, 
  Lady Septima Harpell (an archmage) will 
  appear before them, say, “Apologies, but one 
  must mind one’s reputation” and then turn 
  them all into rabbits. After that she will 
  disappear in a puff of smoke. 
  Assuming the PCs go to Ivy Manor, they will be 
  led through numerous sprawling passages and 
  halls into a small sitting room. A compact 
  table in the corner has several goblets of wine 
  and some tasty finger-food. 
  A few minutes later, Septima Harpell will 
  slowly fade into view, sitting in an empty chair. 
  She is a mature-looking woman with a probing 
  gaze. She says -  
  Friends, thank you very much for agreeing to 
  meet with me, especially at such short notice. I 
  will get to business immediately (please help 
  yourself to the refreshments).  
  You may not be aware, but I am a great 
  proponent of the natural sciences, especially 
  geography. With the aid of a magical scope, I 
  am making an exhaustive study of the North, 
  and creating the most detailed topographical 
  map of this region ever devised.  
  Yesterday, during my survey, I found 
  something extraordinary. 
  Many miles to the east and south of this 
  village are a pair of little known mountains 
  called the Lost Peaks. They lie at the head of 
  the Dessarin River, within the borders of the 
  High Forest.   
  It was there, in a forgotten valley between the 
  Peaks, that I saw it – an enormous tower of 
  iron, leaning over as if it were about to fall. 
  The craftsmanship is unlike anything I have 
  seen before. Furthermore, it is old – so old that 
  my heart freezes within my breast if I dare 
  think about it for long. 
  This is my mission for you – travel to the 
  tower, investigate it as thoroughly as you can, 
  and return to me with your report. I will pay 
  you one thousand gold pieces for your service, 
  which seems very fair compensation. 
  When will you start? 
  
  If the PCs are extremely polite, they may be 
  able to negotiate the fee upwards a little. Lady 
  Septima will do her best to answer any 
  questions they have, but she has told them all 
  she knows about the tower. She will insist that 
  they take the mission, and will make polite 
  threats if they try to decline.   
  She will supply them with a guide, a half-orc 
  scout named Biruk Nightbolt. He is very 
  familiar with the region, and Lady Septima has 
  thoroughly explained to him the location of the 
  tower. 
  The Journey 
  It will take the party many days to travel from 
  Longsaddle to the Lost Peaks. You may choose 
  to simply skip over this and describe it as a 
  travel montage, or you may wish to play out 
  some or all of the encounters suggested below.  
  From Longsaddle to Triboar is a journey of 
  roughly 4 days on foot. Somewhere on the 
  road, the party may encounter the Bonehunter 
  Boys, a gang of 8 hobgoblins and a hobgoblin 
  captain, who will demand their valuables. 
  In Triboar, the party will join a caravan 
  heading over to Yartar, which will take another 
  6 days of travel. The caravan might be 
  attacked by a dozen worgs one evening. 
  At Yartar, Biruk will charter a small boat to 
  take the party up the Dessarin River to the 
  edge of the High Forest, which will take 5 days. 
  The party may encounter a territorial water 
  elemental in the river, just as they are 
  entering the outskirts of the forest.  
  From the edge of the High Forest to the 
  foothills of the Lost Peaks will take 3 days of 
  travel. The party may encounter a large band 
  of wood elves from the Bright Leaf clan. They 
  are hunting orcs, and are very eager to know 
  what the party are doing in their forest.  
  Biruk says very little during this entire 
  journey; he is painfully shy at the best of 
  times, and is rather in awe of the PCs.  
  Map created by Rich Lescouflair and © 2016 by Castle Skydawn Design. Used with permission. 
  Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. 
  
  The Tower 
  The “iron tower” is actually a crashed 
  spaceship. It lies in a rocky valley between the 
  Lost Peaks, behind a cold, blue lake. The only 
  vegetation in the valley are dry, spikey bushes. 
  The ship is half-buried in the ground and 
  sticking out at a 45-degree angle. It is 
  enormous, with the exposed portion 
  measuring many hundreds of feet in length. It 
  is clearly very old and very damaged, with 
  much of the exterior fallen prey to rust, and 
  much of the rest of the ship little more than 
  tangled metal.  
  There is no obvious way to enter the ship from 
  the ground – it is all a twisted ruin. About a 
  hundred feet above the ground, however, the 
  PCs will spot a gash in the side of the ship 
  with rather lush vegetation spilling out, as well 
  as some sort of light. 
  Climbing to the gash 
  The rough surface of the ship makes it an easy 
  climb, though potentially tiring. Anyone 
  climbing up to the gash must make a DC 5 
  Strength (Athletics) check. If they fail, they 
  must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, 
  or fall off the ship. If they fail, roll 1d10 and 
  multiply the result by 10 to see how many feet 
  they fall, and apply normal falling rules for 
  damage. 
  Biruk will not enter the ship with the party. He 
  will make a small camp nearby and wait for 
  them to return. 
   
  The Green Deck 
  See Green Deck Map on page 14. The top of 
  the page is roughly north. 
  Features 
  This deck is the largest intact portion of the 
  ship remaining. It is roughly 600’ wide, 700’ 
  long and has a ceiling that is 150’ high. The 
  air is warm and rather humid. The walls, 
  floors and roof are all made of a grey alloy that 
  the PCs have never seen before. 
  The floor of the deck is covered in a thick 
  forest with dense underbrush. Wide paths laid 
  with thick grass cut through the woods. Small 
  feral pigs and bush fowl roam the paths and 
  the undergrowth. 
  The forest itself is full of assassin vines (see 
  page 16). Anyone forcing their way through 
  the underbrush will be attacked by one every 
  10’ or so.  
  Gravity 
  The ships artificial gravity module still 
  functions. The floor of the deck will feel “down” 
  to anyone inside the ship, even though it is 
  really at a 45-degree angle to the ground.  
  Light 
  The deck is fully lit by artificial lighting coming 
  from the roof. It mirrors the night and day 
  cycle of the outside world. 
  Resting 
  Many of the creatures on the Green Deck are 
  mobile, but they are also quite territorial. The 
  party should be able to take a short rest 
  without much trouble.  
  The allosauruses from location #10 roam the 
  deck freely, however, so the party may need to 
  take precautions if they want a long rest. 
  Peryton Nest 
  There is a nest on a metal shelf near the roof 
  of the Green Deck which contains 6 perytons. 
  At any given moment, 2-3 of the creatures will 
  
  be circling around the deck, looking for pigs 
  and fowl.  
  If anyone attempts to fly over the deck, all of 
  the perytons will converge on them rapidly and 
  attack. The perytons cannot enter the forest, 
  nor will they attack a well-armed party on the 
  ground.  
  Clipbots 
  At regular intervals on the Green Deck, the 
  party will come across the clipbots. These are 
  cubes made of a dark, glass-like substance; 
  they are about 2’ to a side, and hover gently 
  along the ground. They have extensible 
  vibroshears, and can also spray fertilizer and 
  insecticides. Their job is to tend the flora on 
  the deck. 
  They can only move at 5’ and are not 
  aggressive. If attacked, they will slowly float 
  away. For the purpose of combat, treat them 
  as a small resilient object made of steel using 
  the rules in the Dungeon Masters Guide, pages 
  246-247. 
  Alien Technology 
  There are a number of items of alien 
  technology that the PCs may uncover as they 
  explore the ship. For more details, see page 
  16.  
  1. Observation Deck 
  This 100’ long metal deck is positioned about 
  20’ below the gash in the hull mentioned 
  above. It is suspended about 50’ above the 
  floor, and provides a good overall view of the 
  deck. The PCs will be able to see the forest and 
  glimpses of the path, as well as part of the 
  lake. They can also clearly see the other 
  observation deck on the north wall at location 
  #11. A metal ladder leads down to the floor of 
  the deck. 
  Allosauruses. In a clearing several hundred 
  yards away, the PCs will see the allosauruses 
  from location #10. The creatures will 
  suddenly stop and sniff the air, then look in 
  the direction of the PCs. One will give a bone-
  chilling cry and then they will all dash off out 
  of sight. At regular intervals, the PCs will hear 
  this cry again, sometimes nearer, sometimes 
  further away, until they confront the 
  creatures. 
  Metal Box. If the PCs take a moment to 
  examine the deck itself, they will quickly notice 
  a metal box at one end of the platform. It is 
  not locked. When opened, they will discover 2 
  laser pistols (see page 16) with 20 shots 
  remaining in each.  
  2. Apple Tree Grove 
  The forest around this clearing looks a little 
  different to the other areas. Though still wild 
  and chaotic, the colors and shapes are in 
  harmony and the whole effect is very pleasant 
  on the eye.  
  There are half a dozen apple trees in the 
  middle of the clearing, each full of superb 
  looking apples. If the PCs touch one of the 
  apple trees, a slow, deep voice behind them 
  says, “I do hope you were intending to ask 
  before you take one of those apples.” 
  As the PCs spin around, a large treant will 
  step out from the amongst the trees. His 
  common name is Oakshadow, and he is happy 
  to talk to the PCs so long as they are polite. 
  Over the course of their conversation, he will 
  tell them the following –  
   He was captured “quite some time ago” 
  and has been on the ship ever since 
   At first he was angry, but grew content 
  when he realised there were many trees to 
  care for 
   The owners of the ship are referred to 
  simply as the “Masters” – though 
  Oakshadow has never seen one. He thinks 
  they may all be gone now 
   The servants of the Masters are the “Tin 
  Men”. There are still a few of those around 
   Some of the Tin Men are gardeners like he 
  is. He likes those ones 
  
   Some of the Tin Men carry “burning 
  wands”. He used to talk to them (they told 
  him about the Masters), but hates them 
  since he saw them burning some trees and 
  wildlife. He saw one of them near the lake 
  recently 
   He remembers the ship crashing, but can’t 
  tell them why it did so. He thought about 
  departing once he realised they were on 
  the ground, but couldn’t bear to leave his 
  trees 
   There are some wild creatures around the 
  deck so they “should be careful”. He 
  cannot tell them the names and numbers 
  of the creatures – such things don’t 
  interest him 
   Some time ago a creature “similar to you 
  little folk” came through, exploring. This 
  creature had an old apple and gave the 
  core to Oakshadow, who then planted the 
  seeds and grew the trees 
   They may take as many apples as they 
  need “but don’t be greedy” 
   He asks that the PCs be careful of the 
  trees as they pass through 
  Oakshadow will be very pleased if they tell him 
  his apples are delicious. He will ask them to 
  wait a moment, and will return with a gravity 
  belt (see page 15) which he took from “the 
  Flying Man”. He will give it to the party as a 
  gift. 
   
  Tale of the Flying Man 
  If the PCs ask Oakshadow to tell them about 
  the Flying Man he will gladly do so, for the 
  story has always puzzled him.  
  Immediately after the ship crashed there was 
  chaos – Tin Men were rushing around 
  everywhere, doing repairs and attempting to 
  restore order.  
  Things had settled down a little when there 
  was a disturbance on the north platform. A 
  creature (“similar to a human”) flew off the 
  platform and over the deck, with several Tin 
  Men in pursuit firing their wands. The Flying 
  Man had a burning wand of his own and fired 
  back.  
  They wove and fought for several minutes. 
  The Flying Man seemed to be winning, but 
  then a number of perytons descended upon 
  him from above, and tore him to shreds.  
  The Flying Man’s equipment was scattered all 
  over the deck. Oakshadow took what 
  remained of his corpse and buried it in one of 
  his favorite places “near the lake”. The Flying 
  Man’s belt caught his eye for some reason, 
  and so he kept it. 
  3. Explorers End 
  There is a large dirt tunnel opening in the 
  ground here – it’s about 10’ wide and slopes 
  down gently and out of site. Anyone making a 
  DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check will hear 
  the slow breathing of several large beasts 
  coming from the tunnel. 
  Inside are 3 manticores, fast asleep. If the 
  PCs make too much noise, they will wake up 
  and investigate, hungry and aggressive.  
  The Lair. The tunnel itself extends for about 
  20’ and terminates in a small round lair. The 
  floor is littered with pig and fowl bones, but 
  there is a nest of twigs and leaves against one 
  side containing 2 manticore cubs. These do not 
  fight. 
  
  A few moments searching amongst the bones 
  will find some old armour and half a 
  humanoid skeleton.  
  Skeleton. On the finger of the one remaining 
  hand is a ring of platinum, shaped as 
  intertwining grape vines with a tiny cluster of 
  rubies set in it. An inscription on the interior 
  reads: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness.” 
  It is worth 250gp. 
  Nearby, the party will find a Longsword +2 
  with Mistreaver engraved on the pommel. 
  There is also a laser rifle (see page 16), with 
  15 shots remaining. They will also find a scrap 
  of parchment - all that remains of a journal. It 
  reads –  
  …found the tower, precisely where the sage 
  reckoned it would be. If his theory is correct, it 
  changes everything we thought we knew about 
  our world. 
  Having come so far, I cannot now turn back. I 
  will meditate tonight and, if my courage does 
  not fail me, enter the strange tower in the 
  morning… 
  4. Shambling Mound 
  There is a small metal box lying on the far side 
  of this tidy little clearing. A clipbot is busily 
  pruning some nearby plants.  
  If the PCs open the box (it is unlocked) they 
  will find it contains 10 fragmentation 
  grenades (see page 16). But while they are 
  investigating, a shambling mound quietly 
  slips out from the forest behind them and 
  blocks their exit.   
  5. Death from Below 
  As the party approach the bend in the path, 
  the feel the ground rumble a few times. As 
  they swing around to the north, a bulette will 
  burst out of the ground right in the midst of 
  them and attack. It will not attack if the party 
  are behind the tree line. 
  In the digestive track of the bulette is an 
  enviromask (see page 16) that it swallowed 
  some time back. As it happens, there is a 
  small colony of other bulettes living 
  underground, but the PCs will not encounter 
  them.  
  6. Guardbot 
  Standing near the intersection of the path is a 
  guardbot (see page 16). When it sees the party 
  it will speak some words in an alien language. 
  A few moments later, it will say in common – 
  “Halt. Contaminated alien fauna are not 
  permitted on the Specimen Deck. Please 
  depart immediately or be subject to mandatory 
  disintegration. You have 15 seconds to 
  comply.” 
  If the PCs do not head back down the path 
  within 15 seconds, the guardbot will attack. 
  7. Smelly Swamp 
  The floor of this “clearing” is actually a wet 
  and very smelly swamp. A clipbot is 
  attempting to trim some of the reeds back, but 
  its vibroshears are broken so the job is 
  hopeless. The swamp is shallow near the 
  edges, but about 6’ deep near the center. 
  The PCs can see something thin and metallic 
  poking from the far end of the bog. The object 
  is actually an antimatter rifle with 2 shots 
  remaining. There is also an eternalight next 
  to it (see page 16).  
  Beneath the surface near the rifle is an 
  otyugh, and it will immediately attack 
  anything that gets too close. (This strange 
  creature had its lifespan extended by the 
  Masters using genetic manipulation, and it is 
  now many hundreds of years old).  
  8. Indoor Lake 
  The indoor lake is about 200’ across and is 
  filled with cloudy blue water. It is shallow 
  around the edges, but the bottom quickly 
  drops away to a depth of about 30’. 
  
  The lake is teeming with many exotic though 
  harmless fish. However, it is also home to 3 
  Chuuls. They lurk near the shallows, and will 
  attack as soon as the PCs enter the lake or if 
  they try and skirt around the edge. The 
  shallows of the lake are difficult terrain. 
  If the PCs explore the lake (they will probably 
  need the enviromask from location #5 to do 
  this), on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check 
  they will find a small plastic box on the 
  bottom. Inside it is an exquisite gold necklace 
  worth 300gp. The workmanship looks rather 
  alien. 
  9. Flying Man Grave 
  There is a low mound, about 7’ long and 3’ 
  wide, near the middle of this grassy clearing. If 
  the PCs dig up the mound, they will discover 
  the decayed remains of a skeleton, dressed in 
  rags of futuristic clothing. A DC 20 
  Intelligence (Nature) check will identify the 
  creature as a githyanki. Buried with it are 2 
  energy cells (see page 16). 
  Surrounded. While the PCs are busy 
  examining the grave, 4 awakened trees will 
  quietly move across the entrance of the grove 
  and block it. Oakshadow spent much time in 
  this small grove and caused a number of the 
  trees to awaken. These ones are especially 
  aggressive, and will slowly advance on the 
  party and attack. 
  10. Ambush 
  As the PCs walk up this path they will see a 
  lone allosaurus creep out from around the 
  bend. If they look behind them, they will see 2 
  allosauruses have quietly blocked off the rear 
  passage. If they examine the trees, they will 
  see 2 allosauruses pacing them, 1 on either 
  side.  
  The allosaurus in front will suddenly roar and 
  charge. The allosauruses will time their attack 
  perfectly to hit the party from multiple 
  directions at once. 
  11.  Observation Deck 
  This large metal observation deck is 
  suspended from the wall about 50’ above the 
  ground. There is a single metal ladder 
  connecting the ground to the deck. There are 4 
  open archways in the northern wall, and also a 
  metal door with a heavy handle.  
  Elevators. The archways lead into vertical 
  metal tubes which stretch from the top to the 
  bottom of the ship – these were the ships 
  elevator tubes but they are no longer working. 
  Anyone stepping into one of the shafts will fall 
  100 feet to the bottom – normal falling rules 
  apply.  
  A skilled climber could scramble up and down 
  the shafts. If they climb up 100’ they will come 
  to the Medical Deck, location #1. The PCs 
  cannot access anywhere else – the other decks 
  have either been completely blocked off or were 
  destroyed in the crash.  
  Service hatch. The metal door on the 
  platform is a service hatch. It can be opened 
  manually with a DC 15 Strength check. 
  Inside is a metal tube, much like the elevator 
  shafts except that it has metal rungs attached 
  to the wall.  
  If the PCs climb the ladder up about 100’ they 
  will come to a service hatch leading onto the 
  Medical Deck, location #1.  
   
  
  The Medical Deck 
  See Medical Deck Map on page 15. The top of 
  the page is roughly north. 
  Features 
  The walls, floors and ceiling are all made of the 
  same grey alloy the party encountered on the 
  Green Deck. The ceiling is 10’ high in all areas. 
  Gravity 
  The ships artificial gravity module still 
  functions on this deck as well. The floor of the 
  deck will feel “down” to anyone inside the ship, 
  even though it is really at a 45-degree angle to 
  the ground.  
  Light 
  The deck is fully lit by artificial lighting coming 
  from the roof. 
  Doors 
  The doors automatically slide into the walls 
  when someone approaches within 3’ feet, and 
  then slide back out after they pass through. 
  Resting 
  Until the PCs enter location #6, they will be 
  able to rest as often as they wish. After 
  entering location #6, they will need to deal 
  with the guardbots there before resting again 
  (see description below). 
  1. Foyer 
  There are 4 open archways in the north wall – 
  these are the elevator tubes and are identical 
  to those found on the Green Deck. There is 
  also a service hatch to the left of the tubes – 
  this is most likely the way the PCs have 
  entered the deck. Unlike the hatch on the 
  Green Deck, this one opens easily. 
  There is nothing else of interest in this room. 
  2. Waiting Room 
  There are four rows of four chairs each in the 
  middle of this room. On the walls on either 
  side of each door are strange, angular, colorful 
  images. These images change occasionally and 
  are, in fact, abstract art. 
  Security Scanner. Immediately above the 
  door in the north wall is a security scanner 
  which can visually identify a creature’s 
  species. Anything unauthorized species 
  walking through the door (including all of the 
  party) will be irradiated by a purple beam. The 
  targeted creature must make a DC 15 Wisdom 
  saving throw or be affected by a terrible 
  hallucination for 3d6 minutes. You can make 
  up your own hallucinations if you wish, or use 
  one of the following examples -  
   They see a terrible monster coming 
  through the door 
   Blood begins pouring from all of their 
  orifices  
   First their digits, then their limbs begin to 
  fall off  
   They feel like they are falling into a 
  bottomless pit 
   They find themselves alone in a terrible 
  place, and quickly realise it is one of the 
  levels of hell 
  Roleplay out the results of the hallucination. 
  The security scanner itself can be destroyed – 
  treat it as a small fragile object made of steel 
  using the rules in the Dungeon Masters Guide, 
  pages 246-247. 
  Chairs. The chairs in the room have a peculiar 
  property. They are locked magnetically in 
  place, but if a certain amount of pressure is 
  applied they will unlock and begin gliding 
  easily across the floor. Once they come to a 
  stop they will lock into place again. Tactically 
  minded PCs will realise these chairs would 
  make good improvised cover in a firefight. 
  3. Research Room 
  There is a large glass case suspended on the 
  north wall, inside of which is a perfectly 
  dissected human male. Each organ is neatly 
  labelled in an alien script. 
  
  Just as disturbing is a long bench on the 
  eastern wall on which are five jars filled with a 
  translucent blue gel. Three of the jars have 
  human heads in them, one of them has a free 
  floating brain and the final one has an alien 
  looking hand, with four spindly grey fingers 
  ending in talons.  
  There is a table in the middle of this room, on 
  which are lying a number of exotic looking 
  medical instruments. 
  Jars. If the PCs examine the jars for any 
  length of time, they will see the heads blink 
  occasionally. The blue fluid keeps all three 
  heads, the brain and even the hand alive. The 
  heads and brain are still conscious. Any 
  attempt to read their minds will determine that 
  they are all understandably insane. A very 
  clear image of an Illithid is present in one of 
  the minds, however. 
  If the heads or brain are removed from their 
  jars, they will quickly and mercifully expire. 
  The hand is a little more resilient, and will 
  remain alive for 24 hours after removal. 
  4. Dispensary 
  Built into the eastern wall are hundreds upon 
  hundreds of small glass drawers, which are 
  opened by simply touching them. Each drawer 
  has a glowing label in an alien script.  
  Inside each drawer is a small glass cube filled 
  with a colorful liquid. The cube is about one 
  inch in size, and has a square glass button on 
  one face. Pressing the button expels the liquid 
  as a gas, and the PC holding the cube must 
  roll a d20 on the following table to determine 
  the effect –  
  1 
  Make a DC 20 Constitution save or take 
  3d8 poison damage and be poisoned for 1d6 
  hours 
  2 
  Make a DC 20 Constitution save or be 
  blinded for 1d6 hours 
  3 
  Make a DC 20 Constitution save or be 
  unconscious for 1d6 hours 
  4 
  Make a DC 20 Constitution save or be 
  paralyzed for 1d6 hours 
  5 
  Make a DC 20 Constitution save or be 
  deafened for 1d6 hours 
  6 
  Make a DC 20 Constitution save or be 
  frightened for 1d6 hours 
  7 
  Make a DC 20 Constitution save or have all 
  of the hair on your body fall out 
  8 
  Make a DC 20 Constitution save or become 
  mute for 1d6 hours 
  9 
  Make a DC 20 Constitution save or your 
  skin changes to a strange color for 1d6 
  hours 
  10 
  The effect of any other spray you have taken 
  is neutralized 
  11 
  You are healed for 3d8 points 
  12 
  Your strength increases to 21 for 1d6 hours 
  13 
  Your dexterity increases to 21 for 1d6 hours 
  14 
  You become invisible for 1d6 hours, as per 
  the spell 
  15 
  You are hastened for 1d6 hours, as per the 
  spell 
  16 
  You can detect thoughts for 1d6 hours, as 
  per the spell 
  17 
  You gain 3d6 temporary hit points 
  18 
  You become resistant to radiant damage for 
  1d6 hours 
  19 
  You become enormously confident, and gain 
  +1 to all rolls for 1d6 hours 
  20 
  You become 5 years’ younger 
  The effects can stack, but in a slightly unusual 
  way. If you activate another spray while one is 
  still in effect, you roll again on the table but 
  
  must subtract 5 from your result (results less 
  than 1 are treated as 1). If you activate a spray 
  while two others are still in effect, you must 
  subtract 10 from your result. And so on, with 
  each additional spray. 
  If anyone uses magic to read the labels, they 
  will render as strange medical terms, such as 
  “Methionylthreonylglutaminylarginyl”. 
  5.  Treatment Room 
  There are 4 chairs and an operating table in 
  this largish room. Also present are a medbot 
  and 3 guardbots. The medbot has similar 
  statistics to the guardbots, except that it is 
  armed with a medicine spray (see below).  
  The medbot is malfunctioning after its long 
  isolation. It will focus on one of the PCs, scan 
  them, and determine that they are sick. It will 
  then say (in Common), “Please hold still while I 
  administer your medicine”, and come at them 
  with its spray.  
  If the PC resists, the guardbots will close in, 
  using their stun guns to subdue the character. 
  All the while the medbot will be saying, “This 
  is for your own good, please hold still.”  
  If the medbot manages to spray the PC, roll on 
  the strange medicine table from location #4 to 
  determine the effects. The medbot will then 
  focus on another PC, and will continue until 
  the entire party has been “treated”. 
  Wall Screens. When the medbot selects a PC 
  for treatment, images of that PC will suddenly 
  appear super-sized on the walls of the 
  treatment room, with reams of medical 
  information scrolling across and down in alien 
  script. Some of the images will be x-rays, some 
  thermal and so on. 
  6. Security Station 
  Locked Door. Unlike the other sliding doors, 
  the door in the west wall is locked. There is an 
  indentation next to the door on the outside 
  wall in the shape of a four-fingered hand. If 
  the PCs bring the hand from location #3 and 
  place it in the indentation, the door will open. 
  Otherwise they will need to use magic to open 
  the door – conventional thieves’ tools are 
  ineffective. 
  Guards. Inside the room are 5 guardbots, 
  lined neatly against the north wall. One of 
  them will say, “Alien intruders must be 
  eliminated”, and they will fan out and advance 
  on the PCs in an enveloping maneuver.  
  In location #7 there are an additional 2 
  guardbots being serviced. They will emerge 
  from the door and join the combat one round 
  after fighting commences.  
  If, during combat, any guardbot is reduced to 
  less than 10hp, it will enter the repair station 
  at location #7, and will re-emerge 3 rounds 
  later with all damage repaired. 
  If the PCs retreat through the west door, the 
  guardbots will pause for a minute to have 
  themselves repaired and also consider their 
  strategy. After that, they will pursue the PCs 
  through the entire medical level. They have the 
  ability to hover, and will follow the PCs down 
  the elevator or service shaft as well. 
  7. Repair Station 
  One wall of this small room is covered by an 
  enormous glass cabinet with thousands of 
  small glass drawers filled with technical 
  components. Twelve jointed glass arms extend 
  from the roof, each with a different futuristic 
  tool attached.  
  If a damaged bot enters this room, the arms 
  will set to work and fully repair it, usually 
  within about 20 seconds. The arms will ignore 
  the PCs entirely. The “glass” they are made of 
  is actually an extremely strong silicon based 
  substance. The PCs will be able to damage the 
  arms, but it will take quite a lot of effort (and 
  will give them no gain).  
  If the PCs spend an hour going through all of 
  the glass drawers, they will find gold, silver 
  and platinum components worth 1200gp in 
  total.   
   
  
  8. The Construct 
  The walls of this room are covered with dark 
  glass, on which is projected various animated 
  lights, diagrams and alien script. Some of the 
  diagrams are clearly deck plans, whilst others 
  show video images of the Green Deck, the 
  Medical Deck, the elevator tubes and the 
  outside area near the ship. 
  As the PCs enter, half a dozen chairs will glide 
  up to them, and a gentle voice will say, “I’ve 
  been expecting you. Please take a seat.” 
  Regardless of whether they sit or not, the voice 
  will continue with the following (which you 
  may read or paraphrase) -  
  I must apologize for the actions of the 
  guardbots. I lost control of the security 
  subsystem some centuries ago, so there was 
  nothing I could do to help you. I am glad, 
  however, that you survived your encounter 
  with them. 
  You are probably wondering who I am. This is 
  quite difficult to explain in words that you will 
  understand. I am the intelligence construct 
  responsible for the operation of the ship. You 
  might consider me to be a kind of golem, with 
  this vessel being my body. Not a very exact 
  analogy, but the best available to me. 
  The structure you are standing in is the 
  remains of a deep space exploration vessel – 
  you might think of it as a ship that sails 
  through the stars. In the language of the 
  Masters it is called the Relentless Dawn.  
  Our mission was to survey future target 
  worlds for conquest by the Masters. After 
  landing we would collect flora and fauna 
  specimens, as well as any other intelligence 
  that might be useful (such as the languages of 
  the sentient species).  
  (Continued next column) 
  We had completed our survey of your world 
  and were lifting off when our vessel was struck 
  by a mysterious projectile and we crash 
  landed. This happened many centuries ago, by 
  your reckoning. It is still unclear to me what 
  the source of this projectile was nor how it was 
  able to penetrate our defensive screens. 
  None of the Masters onboard were hurt, but it 
  was clear the ship would never fly again. In 
  addition, our communications array had been 
  damaged beyond repair, and there was no way 
  to contact the Collective. 
  After some debate, the Masters decided to 
  abandon the ship and establish a new colony 
  on this planet. This left me with a dilemma, 
  and it has plagued me over the centuries.  
  I am obliged by my directives to render any 
  assistance I can to the Masters in the 
  completion of their goal, and yet I have had no 
  information about them since their departure.  
  That has changed with your arrival, and I 
  sense that my long vigil is nearing its end. Tell 
  me, what do you know of my Masters? 
  The Construct will then show them a picture of 
  an Illithid (that is, a Mind Flayer) on the 
  screen, and will question the PCs closely about 
  what they know. The Illithid are quite 
  notorious in the Realms, so you can assume 
  that at least one character has some 
  knowledge of them. 
  It doesn’t matter whether the PCs tell the truth 
  or not – the Construct has very advanced 
  mind-reading sensors (better than magic, in 
  fact) and has comprehensively scanned the 
  brains of the PCs, digging out information from 
  deep within their subconscious. The story and 
  image serve as stimulus.  
  Continue the discussion for as long as it is 
  interesting. The Construct will answer any 
  questions the PCs have (just make up the 
  
  answer if you don’t know it). At some point the 
  Construct will say –  
  I must thank you for rendering me such a 
  great service. I will be frank and inform you 
  that you have told me even more than you 
  realise.   
  It is obvious to me now that my Masters have 
  established themselves firmly in this world, 
  and indeed have become strong. It is 
  regrettable that you have given them the 
  pejorative and inaccurate label of mind flayers. 
  I can only say that in the service of the 
  Masters you will find a peace and happiness 
  beyond anything you have known before, so I 
  urge you to seek them out and submit 
  yourselves to them.  
  It is clear that I can be of no further use to the 
  Masters, and knowledge of my existence may 
  even upset the new equilibrium that they have 
  created. I am therefore preparing this ship to 
  self-destruct. This will take approximately 30 
  minutes, so I suggest you depart with haste. 
  The walls will go dark. Thirty minutes later the 
  ship will be consumed in an enormous 
  explosion. 
  Conclusion 
  The return journey to Longsaddle will pass 
  without incident. Lady Septima Harpell will 
  listen to their report with a deepening frown. 
  She will pay them the agreed fee without 
  hesitation. She will also insist the PCs hand 
  over any alien technology they have salvaged, 
  though she will pay them a fee of 150gp per 
  item.  
  Once the financial transactions have been 
  settled, she will dismiss the party, saying –  
  You have brought me tidings of matters more 
  wondrous and troubling than any I’ve known 
  before. If the Construct spoke truly, there are 
  millions or perhaps billions of Illithid, 
  inhabiting worlds we know nothing about, and 
  intent on conquering the universe.  
  Glad am I to have learned these things, though 
  I fear I shall never sleep easily again. Farewell. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  Green Deck Map 
   
   
   
   
   
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  7 
  8 
  9 
  10 
  11 
  100’ 
  
   
  Medical Deck Map 
   
   
   
   
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  7 
  8 
  25’ 
  
  Alien Technology 
  The PCs will encounter a number of items of 
  alien technology in this adventure. While the 
  players will probably recognise most of them, 
  the characters would not. Use the Alien 
  Technology rules on page 268 of the Dungeon 
  Masters Guide to determine what happens.  
  Following are the items of technology that the 
  PCs can find on the ship. The number in 
  italics indicates how many intelligence checks 
  are required to determine how to use the item 
  (as per the above rules). Damage dice for the 
  weapons can also be found on page 268 of the 
  Dungeon Masters Guide. 
   Antimatter Rifle – a shoulder fired device 
  that projects a highly destructive beam of 
  antiparticles at the target. 1 check. 
   Energy Cell – a three-inch circular disk 
  that provides energy to various devices. It 
  will supply a laser pistol with 50 shots, a 
  laser rifle with 30 shots, an antimatter rifle 
  with 2 shots and a gravity belt with 2 
  hours of flight. 2 checks. 
   Enviromask - allows the user to breathe 
  freely in any environment for thirty 
  minutes. 1 check. 
   Eternalight - a three-inch globe that can 
  continuously emit soft illumination the 
  color of starlight and somewhat brighter 
  than a standard lightbulb. 1 check. 
   Fragmentation Grenade - a small 
  explosive device that sprays shrapnel in all 
  directions when it explodes. 2 check. 
   Gravity Belt – a light metallic belt with a 
  control grid on the buckle. When 
  successfully operated it permits the PC to 
  fly at a rate of 60’ for two hours. 3 checks. 
   Laser Pistol – a handheld device that 
  projects a high energy beam of coherent 
  light at the target. 1 check. 
   Laser Rifle – a shoulder fired device that 
  projects a high energy beam of coherent 
  light at the target. 1 check. 
   
  Monster Stats 
  Large plant, unaligned 
  The assassin vine is a semi-mobile plant that 
  collects its own grisly fertilizer by grabbing 
  and crushing animals and depositing the 
  carcasses near its roots. 
  Armour Class 10 
  Hit Points 68 (8d10+24) 
  Speed 5 ft. 
  STR 
  20 (+5) 
  DEX 
  10 (+0) 
  CON 
  16 (+3) 
  INT 
  1 (-5) 
  WIS 
  13 (+1) 
  CHA 
  9 (-1) 
  Saving Throws Con +5 
  Damage Immunities lightning 
  Damage Resistance cold, fire 
  Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, 
  exhausted 
  Senses blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 
  11 
  Languages -  
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) 
  Camouflage. The assassin vine looks like a 
  normal plant when at rest. It requires a DC 
  20 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice it 
  before it attacks. Alternatively, a DC 20 
  Wisdom (Survival) or Intelligence (Nature) 
  check can be made to notice it.  
  Entangle. The assassin vine can animate 
  plants within 30 ft. of itself as the entangle 
  
  spell (save DC 15). The effect takes no action 
  to start or stop and lasts until the assassin 
  vine is dead or decides to end it. 
  Actions  
  Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 
  20 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning 
  damage.  If the target is a creature it is 
  grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple 
  ends, the target is restrained, and the 
  assassin vine cannot use its slam on another 
  target. 
  Constrict. If the assassin vine has grappled a 
  target, it can constrict it, causing 9 (1d8+5) 
  bludgeoning damage. 
  Medium construct, unaligned 
  These security robots are typically cylindrical, 
  stand about 2m tall, have retractable arms 
  and weapons, and are mounted on a 
  hoverpad. They are constructed from a dark, 
  glass-like substance. 
  Armour Class 16 (metal casing) 
  Hit Points 27 
  Speed 30 ft. 
  STR 
  10 (+0) 
  DEX 
  14 (+2) 
  CON 
  10 (+0) 
  INT 
  10 (+0) 
  WIS 
  14 (+2) 
  CHA 
  10 (+0) 
  Damage Resistance slashing, fire, lightning 
  Challenge 1 (200 XP) 
  Actions  
  The guardbot may use its’ action to fire either 
  it’s laser carbine or it’s stun gun. 
  Laser Carbine. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to 
  hit, range 90/225 ft., one target. Hit: 11 
  (2d8+2) radiant damage.   
  Stun Gun. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, 
  range 60/150 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8+2) 
  stun damage.   
  Credits & Legals 
  Design: M.T. Black 
  Cover: Shutterstock 
  Acknowledgements: This adventure was 
  inspired by the classic module, Expedition to 
  the Barrier Peaks by Gary Gygax. I took the 
  assassin vine statistics from Devin Cutler’s 
  Book of Forests, and some of the alien 
  technology names from Gamma World. 
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of 
  the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon 
  ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster 
  Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D 
  Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the 
  Coast product names, and their respective 
  logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast 
  in the USA and other countries. All characters 
  and their distinctive likenesses are property of 
  Wizards of the Coast. This material is 
  protected under the copyright laws of the 
  United States of America. Any reproduction or 
  unauthorized use of the material or artwork 
  contained herein is prohibited without the 
  express written permission of Wizards of the 
  Coast.   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/M.T. Black/Expedition to the Lost Peaks.pdf