TEXT: Aberrant Echoes | EN World EN5idEr
  A Mini-Adventure Designed for 4 PCs of 5th–8th Level.
  Aberrant 
  Echoes
   
  WRITING Jos van Egmond
   
  COLOR ART Savage Mojo
   
  MAPS Dyson Logos
   
  EDITING Mike Myler
   
  LAYOUT Frank Michienzi
  D
  RAWN BY THE PROMISE 
  of rich gemstone veins, 
  a company of mountain dwarves 
  set up an operation in the 
  cavernous regions deep below the 
  earth. Their digging comes to a 
  halt when they stumble upon an 
  ancient ruin—a group went in to 
  investigate and never emerged, 
  the last sign of them a chilling 
  scream heard from the depths.
  
  Aberrant Echoes | EN World EN5idEr
  Open Game Content | The game rule information in this 
  article is designated Open Game Content. All other material 
  in this article, including maps and illustrations (including 
  illustrations in the public domain), in-character and out-of-
  character narrative and descriptive text, character and place 
  names, trade dress, “EN Publishing,” “EN World,” “EN5ider,” 
  EN Publishing product and article titles, and  
  EN World and EN Publishing logos, are designated 
  Product Identity.
  GM INTRODUCTION
  The dwarves dug too deep and stumbled upon an 
  ancient laboratory that once belonged to a race from 
  the mad realm, used to capture and reshape creatures 
  into suitable servants. The complex was abandoned 
  a millennium ago after some specimens mutated, 
  grew too strong, and broke free. All that remains 
  now is the entity responsible for managing all the 
  laboratory’s experiments, a slumbering psionic brain 
  called Deep Scream.
  BACKGROUND
  Three days ago a group of dwarves found the ancient 
  laboratory and woke the slumbering psionic brain 
  inside. The stout folk were captured and enthralled 
  as servants of Deep Scream, enabling the brain to 
  rapidly reactivate the lab and begin the opening of 
  a portal to the mad realm.
  When the PCs are near the mining site three days 
  later they see mining chief Glorin Moonhammer 
  taking a short break in the fresh air—she recognizes 
  the party as experienced adventurers and asks for 
  their help investigating in exchange for 500 gold.
  OVERVIEW
  After accepting Glorin’s offer the party descends 
  into the ancient laboratory. There they travel through 
  several rooms in which they may encounter a hostile 
  chair, an 800 year old specimen, various clues, 
  alien machinery, and maddening imagery before 
  reaching the central chamber. Within that room the 
  psionic brain Deep Scream is busy creating a portal 
  to the mad realm to contact its masters. The party 
  must kill it to free the enthralled dwarves and close 
  the portal.
  INTO THE DWARVEN MINE
  After introductions Glorin explains the last group 
  of miners reported to have found an artificial struc-
  ture. They went in to investigate three days ago, but 
  the last anyone heard of them was a tortured scream 
  echoing up the tunnels. The dwarven mining chief 
  has 500 gold worth of gemstones for the party 
  should they find the missing miners or discover 
  what happened, and along the way the adventurers 
  are free to take any valuables they find.
  The mineshaft is a large, 2,000-foot deep hole 
  with a wooden elevator suspended above it. A 
  small cavern has been dug out at the bottom 
  revealing various stones of artificial origin. A DC 
  12 Wisdom (Perception) check shows dwarven foot-
  prints leading into a crack in the ground exposing 
  a dungeon room, and a DC 14 Intelligence (Investi-
  gation) check reveals many stones have tiny alien 
  markings. Anyone who can read Deep Speech 
  recognizes the symbols but they are too weathered 
  down to read.
  DARK LABORATORY
  The structure is ancient, revealed to be at least 1,000 
  years old with a DC 12 Intelligence (History) check. 
  The party enters the laboratory at the southern 
  room. A DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals 
  a drawing etched in the floor, hidden under a layer 
  of dirt and dust. It depicts a layout of the laboratory 
  (see the map).
  Two stone doors are sunken into the ground, 
  opening the way into the circular corridor. The 
  party can advance clockwise or counter-clock-
  wise, passing several rooms before reaching the 
  northern chamber. Each door in every room is 
  sunken into the ground. To determine which 
  rooms the party pass, pick the rooms in order. For 
  a more challenging and unpredictable game, roll 
  1d6 to determine the room number.
  
  Aberrant Echoes | EN World EN5idEr
  Servant Rooms
  Several spaces on the map are marked with an ‘S’. 
  These are visible in the floor engraving and indi-
  cate narrow hallways leading into servant rooms 
  and corridors.
  The servant room in the south is littered with 
  remains of food and bones, and even after centuries 
  of decay the stench is still nauseating. A gibbering 
  mouther is hiding under the garbage.
  The four compartments in the northwest contain 
  bunk beds for servants and their blackened skel-
  etons indicate a fire ended their lives. A DC 12 
  Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals one skel-
  eton clutching a molten brass medallion with a 
  ruby worth 25 gold.
  There are two servant rooms in the northeast. 
  One contains a cage with a heap of bugbear bones 
  and a whip. The other is a storage room containing 
  cleaning equipment and two oil canisters.
  All other entrances are clogged with a yellow 
  mucus. Any creature that touches it takes 10 (3d6) 
  psychic damage, and 1d4 ochre jellies crawl out.
  Room 1: Strange Equipment
  You can hear the quiet humming of various machines 
  in this chamber. Blue and green symbols flash on glass 
  panels, the machines and floor are covered in a thick 
  black liquid, and tubes run from all of the contraptions 
  into a device resembling a large oil lamp with a blue 
  crystal glowing inside of it.
  
  Aberrant Echoes | EN World EN5idEr
  2 black puddings hide in the liquid. They attack 
  any creature that enters 10 feet into the room. The 
  crystal is a diamond worth 500 gp. When it is 
  removed from the device, all machines power down 
  and Deep Scream uses Mind Scream in response. 
  Room 2: Specimen Storage
  This room contains three large glass containers. One 
  is empty, one holds a green liquid with bones drifting 
  through it, and one contains a blue liquid. A gray skinned 
  humanoid with bulbous yellow eyes hovers inside.
  The humanoid is a doppelganger that has been 
  in suspended animation for over 800 years. It can 
  be released by breaking the glass, or pressing the 
  button on the back of the vat (which drains the fluid 
  and lowers the glass). When released it is unable to 
  speak and clearly afraid. The doppelganger can be 
  calmed down with a DC 10 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check, but if not it changes 
  its appearance into a bugbear and runs 
  towards the central chamber. The doppel-
  ganger knows the purpose of each room 
  and if befriended it tries to explain with 
  simple gestures. It is scared to enter any 
  of the rooms, and tries to get to the other 
  exit as fast as possible.
  Room 3: The Chair
  Four tables littered with rusted needles, 
  pliers, and drills line the walls of this room, 
  and a large chair stands in the center. Three 
  metal arms extend from the back, each with 
  a different tool: a grappler, a needle, and a 
  very strange torch.
  When the party enters the room the 
  doors close and the experiment chair’s 
  arms spring to life. Each arm can extend 
  in any direction and reach anywhere 
  within the room. The tables offer half 
  cover (+2 to AC and Dexterity saving 
  throws). A DC 10 Intelligence (Investiga-
  tion) check reveals a frost raygun on one table. After 
  the chair is destroyed Deep Scream unleashes a 
  Mind Scream before the door sinks back into the 
  floor. A successful DC 14 Dexterity (Sleight of 
  Hand) check allows the raygun to be removed from 
  the destroyed construct’s arm, but on a failure it 
  explodes and deals 11 (2d10) fire damage to all crea-
  tures and objects in a 10-foot radius.
  RAYGUN
  Weapon (light crossbow), rare
  You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls 
  made with this magic weapon when using it as a 
  crossbow, it automatically reloads itself, and it never 
  runs out of ammunition. While wielding it, you can 
  use your bonus action to change the damage it deals 
  from 1d8 piercing to 2d6 cold, to 2d6 fire, or to switch 
  it back. 
  
  Aberrant Echoes | EN World EN5idEr
  A DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals 
  an incandescent blue sphere stone inside a small 
  iron box: an ioun stone of insight. Anyone averting 
  their eyes makes this check with disadvantage.
  Room 5: Prisons
  This room has four large windows set inside the walls 
  with an empty stone cell behind it. One window has 
  shattered and various humanoid skeletons lay around 
  the chamber.
  A DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check 
  reveals the prisoners once held here were elves. 
  They scratched Elvish messages and images in the 
  walls explaining they were driven to insanity by 
  the experiments Deep Scream conducted on them. 
  A few accidentally mutated, became stronger than 
  intended, and escaped.
  Room 6: Shrine
  A large circular altar in the center of this room hosts 
  a 10-foot tall black monolithic stone. The walls are 
  covered in alien symbols.
  Anyone who can read Deep Speech deciphers 
  that this laboratory was made by a race from an 
  alien realm called ‘The Aberrant’ that came here to 
  test the abilities of lifeforms dwelling on this world. 
  They installed a psionic brain they refer to as ‘Deep 
  Scream’ to oversee all experiments in the laboratory. 
  Whenever a creature touches the monolith it imme-
  diately casts the contact other plane spell (DC 15 
  Intelligence saving throw). On a successful save, the 
  spell contacts a powerful being from the mad realm. 
  It answers five questions in furious madness. After 
  the spell ends, the monolith shatters.
  EXPERIMENT CHAIR
  MEDIUM CONSTRUCT, UNALIGNED
  Armor Class 18 (plate armor)
  Hit Points 95 (10d8+50)
  Speed 0 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
   16 (+3) 
  16 (+3) 
  20 (+5) 
  3 (–4) 
  11 (+0) 
  1 (–5)
  Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing, and 
  Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
  Damage Immunities poison, psychic
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion,  
  frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
  Senses Passive Perception 10
  Languages —
  Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
  Immutable Form. The chair is immune to any spell or 
  effect that would alter its form.
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The chair makes three attacks, one with 
  each arm.
  Needle Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 15 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 8 (2d4+3) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) 
  poison damage, and the target makes a DC 14 Consti-
  tution saving throw. On a failure it is poisoned for 1 
  hour, or until the poison damage is healed.
  Grapple Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 15 
  ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) bludgeoning damage, and 
  the target makes a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or it is 
  grappled (escape DC 14).
  Raygun Arm. Ranged Spell Attack: +6 to hit, range 
  80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) fire damage or 7 (2d6) 
  cold damage..
  Room 4: Mad Mnemonics
  All the walls of this room are completely covered in 
  paintings of black, red, and purple shapes and lines. One 
  table stands in the back of the room containing some 
  paints and papers.
  Any PC that takes their time inspecting the paint-
  ings or investigating the room without averting 
  their eyes must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving 
  throw or gain a short-term madness.
  
  Aberrant Echoes | EN World EN5idEr
  THE CENTRAL 
  CHAMBER
  DEEP SCREAM
  The psionic brain controlling this laboratory is 
  named Deep Scream, an unstable entity that has 
  been trying to open a gate to the mad realm ever 
  since the trespassing dwarves disturbed it from its 
  slumber. In the ceiling above Deep Scream a vortex 
  of black and purple energy swirls all around—the 
  gate to the mad realm is not open yet, but it is close.
  Deep Scream immediately attacks the party 
  when they come within sight. If the doppelganger 
  from room 2 is present, it becomes enthralled to 
  the psionic brain. The six chambers around the 
  central chamber each hold 1d4 dwarven thugs 
  also enthralled to service by Deep Scream. These 
  servants are the missing miners (see Deep Scream’s 
  Enthrall action for details).
  DEFEATING DEEP SCREAM
  After Deep Scream is defeated any previously 
  enthralled dwarves that remain break free from the 
  spell, remembering everything as a vivid dream. 
  Upon returning the miners to Glorin, she thanks 
  the party profoundly and throws a sumptuous 
  feast in their honor.
  DEEP SCREAM
  LARGE ABERRATION, CHAOTIC EVIL
  Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 114 (12d8+60)
  Speed 0 ft., fly 20 ft. (hover)
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA
  6 (–2) 
  16 (+3) 
  16 (+3) 
  20 (+5) 
  16 (+3) 
  14 (+2)
  Saving throws Con +6, Wis +6
  Damage Immunities psychic
  Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning
  Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, 
  petrified
  Senses passive Perception 15
  Languages Abyssal, Deep Speech, Undercommon; 
  telepathy 600 ft.
  Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
  Assume Control. Deep Scream can control up to 3 
  enthralled servants on its turn. Unless noted other-
  wise, these servants use the statistics for thugs and 
  they cannot take reactions. An enthralled servant 
  takes only the actions Deep Scream chooses, it does 
  not need to share a language with Deep Scream to 
  understand its directions, and it doesn’t do anything 
  that Deep Scream doesn’t allow it to do. 
  ACTIONS
  Multiaction. Deep Scream uses two of the following 
  actions.
  Enthrall. Deep Scream attempts to enthrall a creature 
  it can see within 30 feet. The target makes a DC 16 
  Wisdom saving throw or it becomes charmed. Deep 
  Scream can immediately use its reaction to use 
  Assume Control on the creature. At the end of each 
  of Deep Scream’s turns, an enthralled servant can 
  make another Wisdom saving throw. If it succeeds, the 
  effect ends. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or 
  the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Deep 
  Scream’s Enthrall for the next hour. 
  Mind Crush. Deep Scream deals a psychic blow to 
  a creature it can sense within 120 feet. The target 
  makes a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or takes 12 
  (2d6+5) psychic damage, or half as much on a 
  successful save.
  Mind Scream (Recharge 5–6). Deep Scream unleashes 
  a telepathic scream in the minds of its enemies. Each 
  creature within 120 feet that is not enthralled by Deep 
  Scream takes 8 (1d6+5) psychic damage.
  Static Slash. Deep Scream discharges an electric jolt 
  to a target it can see within 30 feet. The target makes 
  a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or takes 19 (4d6+5) 
  lightning damage, or half as much on a successful 
  save. e
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 324 - Aberrant-Echoes.pdf