As my players pretty much have been avoiding real danger fairly well im going to pull out the rug a bit more. Currently they are about to do lv 4 book keeping - and some carousing rolls. Many henchmen will be considering leaving since the Priest died (an a a horrible undead, his soul destroyed forever).
Our sorceress, overcome by remorse for the LG pries is considering becoming a Lawful Good necromancer instead of an alignment change. The blood druid after bagging the priest has been forced to learn healing spell. So now he wants to lean meditation proficiency so he can abuse various Druid spells (like having 10 batches of healing berries plus new fresh spells at the start of the dungeon.
I going to replace the planned dungeon with a mega dungeon - grabbing a few themes from the adventure but going all out gonzo. I'm also hoping to trap them in the dungeon and see how well they cope without retreating every time they feel slightly at risk. Heavy handed I know but players will enjoy more slaying and less shopping for a bit. Besides its a long weekend.
Special Encounters - Humanoid spell casters
These appear as robed humans at a glance but groups will have uniformity making them seem like members of a cult or order or even kin. The reality is more horrible. They are the forgotten elder races, thought long dead. Of late small groups of 1d4+1 have been seen across the island in the oddest places. They generally 4-6th Lv and have additional abilities. Most do not ever try to communicate.
1 Wizards of Nekhaba - Black robed wizards wear gold masks, covering their blank pallid faces. How they sense the world or communicate as faceless beings is a mystery. They are silent moving in unison and with sinister purpose as in a dance. They may be involved in a sacrifice or questing for some magical component or arcane text. They can fire a 1d6+1 Magic Missile per round at will. When they use magical disguises they can talk as a normal person. When they die they shatter like porcelain. They favor charms and illusions.
2 Hags of Gerbarrak - These robed hags keep their distance but occasional use their natural mask spell to get close for an embrace. Their true form of their face is a single fleshy tentacle that implants eggs inside a victims stomach. If able they will take the victims to their lair and feed them till their giant maggot like spawn burst free (fatal) hatch. Cure disease kills the egg. Their power works like the Mask spell but a sober victim gets a save to realize whats happening and see the truth. When they die they scream and thrash around vomiting and bleeding till -10HP when they explode into a sticky mess. They favor charm, illusion and damaging spells.
3 Mindlords of Zon - Tall gold robed figures seem like normal but at times impossibly lean. They hold ornate jeweled staffs and up close you can see their three sucker finger hands. Their tentacled eyeless faces are a horror. Their staves are +3 hit, damage and on spell dam per dice. When killed they break down into smoking chalky rubble which slowly turns to smoke untill nothing. Any human trying to use their arcane starves are inflicted with a curse and a madness roll. When the new wielder dies he is replaced instantly by a healthy Mindlord. They favor charm, illusion and damaging spells.
4 Worms that Walk - Humanoid colony of maggots, who maintain a human form and lurk in dark places feeding on remnants of wizards. They gain new spells by devouring a wizards brain. They regenerate 1pt per round like a troll and crumble into a mass of worms at 0HP. At -10 most worms have been killed rendering them slain. They are survivors from the age of necromancers. They enjoy necromancy spells.
5 Clockwork Sorcerers - Daemons of Law, constructs from another world or some kind of spell using golem. These sorcerers are a mass of cogs and gears whose magic is intuitive unchanging. They apparently don't age or improve. They often attend places where chaos is unleashed and try to contain it. They see adventurers as disorderly and as a source of interesting loot. Their corpses break into a heap of cogs, wire and scrap brass. They like to summon clockwork versions of animals and monsters.
6 Hells Hags - Hell spawned she devils have been sent to earth to sew ill omens and to kill meddling heroes. Short stunted toothless crones, they may try to act as lame old women, even begging or asking to be carried over a river or some such scheme. An death they explode into a brimstone cloud and a scream as their essence returns to hell be reborn as larvae. This is a 10ft wide stinking cloud. and cast a curse over the whole party if a whole group is killed. They like damaging and elemental spells best.
7 Elder Slugs - Slime covered man slugs who pass as robed wizards from a distance. They normally move slowly and cannot run. They can temporarily adopt more humanoid form and move as a human for a few hours a day if weather is not too dry. Some wear special pressure suits to keep up the effect longer. They dislike salt, a handful inflicts 1d4 damage. A circle of salt may ward them back if unsuited. At death they vomit mucous and foam for 1d10 rounds. Each round they may spit a Melfs acid arrow up to 3x a day. Occasional they carry alien technological relics. They like human flesh and regard men as slaves. They use any spells but are more careful with fire.
8 Serpent Men - Some groups may use shape shifting to seem human. Some have degenerate lizard men as followers or even a dinosaur. A few use relics of their ancient technology like ray weapons. Interested in magic items and simply keeping dumb apes down, they have many variants surviving from different epochs. Possibly an adventurer group from many epochs or civilizations nay band together. They occasionaly are looking to dissect a species to learn about the upstarts. Many magical traditions exist.
9 Scions of Hastur - Silent bulky misshapen figures watch the adventurers from mists, yet avoid direct contact for some time. They will hear haunting whispers: "have you seen the yellow sign?". Eventually the characters find illegal blasphemous books before discovering a maddening sigil in their own home, cursing all the party. Finaly the party will be attacked at home, the figures are lumpy, fungal humanoids who don't react to blows until they are killed. They take 1/2 damage from blunt weapons. Many use priest spells instead.
10 Flayed Masters - Look human up quite close, but a bit inexpressive and awkward. At some point they tear off their shredded human skins and attack, relaying on horror effects. They seem human but have invisible skin, looking like horrendous undead skeletons with muscle and organs inside. They eat human flesh and flay peoples skins to use as disguises. They are utterly insane and only feel peace when killing. They use any magic spells they can find.
11 Children of the Flesh - Passing as comely hedonists who invite party to relax and swap spells. They will use drugs, alcohol and sex appeal to get close to the party. If the party dally long enough the children will begin an orgy. At some point characters must save or fuse together into a lake of laughing flesh. Those fused are lost, the rest may flee or attack. When fused combine all the children's HP. They can redistribute points in the group to heal or use absorbed victims HPs. Once they have fed they will separate and fight any lingering non absorbed party members. They melt into a flesh colored sticky liquid on death that artist say makes the best flesh coloured paint. Charm spells and elemental spells are popular.
12 Scythe Slayers - Appearing as hooded female humanoids with cloaks. When ready to attack they reveal 2 additional arms. The use up to 4 dagger missile or melee attacks and many learn exotic martial abilities. Their sweeping motion of their multiple attacks earned their name. When injured shredded flesh sloughs off them till their ornamental metallic bodies are exposed. At half hits their robes and flesh are totally discarded. A wounded group might pretend to be statues. All are female, believed to be servants of a lost god. They are feared assassins but their target selection is unfathomable. Adventurers and isolated frontier outposts are common targets. At death they explode as a fireball of equal lv. They prefer combat spells, many are sorcerers rather than wizards.
