Maddgoth’s Castle is designed for four 9th-level characters, who should amass enough XP to reach 10th level. The characters can forge tenuous alliances with several of the monsters on this level. Award XP for these creatures as if the characters had defeated them in combat.
The level is named after a miniature, one-twelfth-scale fortress in one of its caverns. This castle serves as the home base of Maddgoth, a serial killer who lures other wizards to his lair to murder them and keep their arcane focuses and spellbooks as trophies. Maddgoth isn’t home when the adventurers first arrive, but he might show up later (see “area Aftermath"). Most creatures are reduced to one-twelfth their normal size as they approach Maddgoth’s castle, enabling them to better fit inside. Either by design or because of some failing, the shrinking magic doesn’t affect all creatures, as adventurers who explore the castle will discover.
The Original Maddgoth’s Castle
Undermountain: Maddgoth’s Castle, written by Steven E. Schend and published in 1996, was the second of three modules in the short-lived “Dungeon Crawl” series of adventures designed for the second edition D&D game. Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage borrows some of the ideas from that earlier adventure while presenting an alternative version of Maddgoth’s Castle scaled for fifth edition and this product.
What Dwells Here?
Maddgoth comes and goes from Undermountain with the aid of a
Stone Giants
Ten years ago, Halaster lured a family of stone giants to Undermountain and stripped them of most of their memories. The giants remember who they are and can recall events that happened within the last 8 hours, but everything that occurred before then is lost in a haze and soon forgotten. All their memories of the surface world and its inhabitants faded long ago.
The stone giants are irritable and self-serving, but not evil. They treat any invasion by humanoids as a vermin infestation, nothing more, and attempts to parley with them fall on deaf ears for the most part. They are unaware of the miniature castle in the heart of their domain because it floats in the middle of a great cavern beyond the range of their
The giants are tormented by the faerie dragon that lairs in Maddgoth’s castle. It emerges while
The oldest stone giants, Gravillok and Speleosa, are mates. They have four adult children: two sons, Qurrok and Rhodos, and two daughters, Obsidia and Xorta.
Otto the Faerie Dragon
A violet faerie dragon named Otto was drawn here by the magic that Halaster wove into these caves. Upon discovering Maddgoth’s castle, Otto decided to move in. The faerie dragon was unaffected by the castle’s shrinking magic and settled comfortably into its new home. It feeds on bats and other vermin it finds in the surrounding cavern.
When it’s bored, the faerie dragon sneaks out invisibly and uses its spells to make illusory modifications to the stone giants' caves, confounding the giants for its own amusement. The giants have no clue who or what is responsible for this magical mischief.
The faerie dragon would like to get rid of Maddgoth’s homunculus, which has become a troublesome reminder of the castle’s true owner. Otto has defeated the homunculus in physical combat more than once, but it keeps coming back. The dragon has concluded that the only way to get rid of the homunculus for good is to forcibly remove it from the castle and trap it elsewhere. If the characters do this for the faerie dragon, Otto allows them to use the castle for rest and relaxation—provided they don’t overstay their welcome or loot the joint.
Modified Statistics
While inside the castle, the faerie dragon is 12 feet long relative to its surroundings, because its size is not altered by the castle’s shrinking magic. It has a challenge rating of 3 (700 XP) and the following statistical changes:
- Otto is Large and has 104 (
16d10 + 16 ) hit points. - It has a Strength score of 18 (+4), and its bite attack deals 11 (
2d6 + 4 ) piercing damage on a hit.
Otto turns
Maddgoth’s Homunculus
Maddgoth’s homunculus awaits its master’s return. The fact that it hasn’t perished suggests that Maddgoth is still alive, but their telepathic bond has been severed, indicating that the two are no longer on the same plane of existence. Whether this separation is of Maddgoth’s choosing is unknown. The wizard could be sequestered in a demiplane, imprisoned in a
The lonely homunculus longs to be reunited with its creator. It also wants to rid Maddgoth’s castle of the faerie dragon that has invaded it. The characters can impress the homunculus and earn its trust by killing the faerie dragon or scaring it away for good. The homunculus can’t leave the castle, by order of its master. If it takes damage that would normally destroy it, it forms anew in Maddgoth’s study (area area 25a). Only the wizard’s death can destroy the homunculus for good.
Modified Statistics
Inside the castle, the homunculus is 12 feet tall relative to its surroundings, because its size is not altered by the castle’s shrinking magic. It has a challenge rating of 2 (450 XP) and the following statistical changes:
- The homunculus is Large and has 55 (
10d10 ) hit points. - It has a Strength score of 15 (+2), and its bite attack deals 9 (
2d6 + 2 ) piercing damage on a hit. - It understands Abyssal, Common, Draconic, and Gnomish, but can’t speak.
If the homunculus is forcibly taken from the castle, its relative size reverts to Tiny, and its statistics become those of a normal homunculus. Whenever the creature’s relative size decreases, any hit points beyond its new hit point maximum are lost. Whenever its relative size increases, any damage that it has taken remains and is subtracted from its new hit point maximum.
The Caverns
Umber hulks bored the tunnels that connect this level of Undermountain to the levels above and below. The stone giants don’t like the damage that the umber hulks cause and scare them off as best they can.
Unless otherwise noted, all chambers on this level are rough-hewn (not naturally formed) and have 30-foot-high ceilings. Wider passages are 20 feet tall—ideal for the 18-foot-tall stone giants that dwell here. Narrower tunnels are 5 feet wide and 8 feet tall—too small for the giants to fit inside. All caves and tunnels are unlit, since the giants rely on
1. Umber Shells
Umber hulks are fond of gathering here, and the cave floor is littered with their molted carapaces.
2. Empty Cavern
The stone giants seldom visit this cavern, which contains nothing of interest.
3. Stone Throne
Throne. To the south, a large protuberance of jagged rock has been carved into the form of a giant-sized throne. Blue quartz crystals grow out of the rock.
Warning Sign. A large X has been carved on the floor of the passage leading to area area 4.
Treasure
Sixty pieces of blue quartz can be broken off the throne. Each piece is worth 10 gp.
4. Silt Pit
The giants avoid this cave, since they know it contains a 40-foot-deep pit of silt, more commonly known to adventurers as quicksand. A character who prods the floor or otherwise searches for traps detects the natural hazard with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (
The characters can avoid the pit by staying within 5 feet of the walls. If a character falls into the pit, resolve the outcome using the
5. Cave of Echoes
Characters who enter this empty cavern hear the humming and chiseling of Gravillok, the stone giant in area area 6a. Two tunnels lead in that direction, and the sounds coming from both are equally loud. If the characters create a ruckus here, Gravillok hears the disturbance, stops working, and investigates.
6. Craft Hall
The walls of these caves are covered with abstract carvings, many of them unfinished.
6a. Stonebones Carving
Gravillok. The stone giant is using a chisel to carve on the wall between the tunnels leading to area area 5.
Carvings. Abstract carvings cover the walls, and chiseled bits of stone lie scattered across the floor.
If the characters catch him by surprise or greet him with hostility, Gravillok retreats to area area 13 while shouting out to his family in Giant, “Invasion! Arm yourselves! We’re under attack!” Gravillok’s deep bellow echoes throughout the level. To the best of his recollection, Gravillok has never seen small folk before. His instinct is to treat them as vermin and smoosh them with his greatclub. If they attempt to parley and he can understand them, he stops attacking long enough to listen to their words, then discounts them, concluding that the interlopers must be responsible for the strange magic bedeviling his family. The characters will have to work hard to change his mind.
In addition to his greatclub, Gravillok carries a favorite chisel, much too large for Medium or smaller characters to use as an effective tool.
A successful DC 15 Intelligence (
6b. Tool Storage
The stone giants store their stone-carving tools in this cave. The tools are too big and unwieldy to be used by anyone not of the giants' size.
7. Silt Pit
Carved into the floor where the northeast tunnel meets this cave is a large X (a warning sign). This cave contains a silt pit like the one in area area 4.
8. Strange Rock Formation
Petrified Basilisk. What at first glance appears to be a spiky rock formation in the middle of the cavern is really a
petrified basilisk.Decor. Jagged spirals are carved into the walls and roof, but the crude artwork is incomplete.
Descending Tunnel. The tunnel to the southeast descends hundreds of feet to level 8.
Hundreds of years ago, before the arrival of the stone giants, an adventurer used a mirror to trick the basilisk into targeting itself with its own petrifying gaze. It has remained a fixture of this cavern ever since. A
Treasure
Inside the belly of the basilisk is a gold ring set with moonstones (250 gp) and a
The wand regains all expended charges daily at dawn. If the wand’s last charge is expended, roll a
9. Stone Cathedral
Decor. This chamber has all the looming hollowness of a cathedral. The walls have been sculpted into exquisite arches, buttresses, and draperies. Carvings of giant whorls and spirals cover the ceiling.
Crystal Formations. Three dramatic crystal formations explode from the floor, each one roughly 10 feet wide and 15 feet tall. Broken shards of crystal litter the floor around them.
The stone giants eat the crystals that grow in this chamber. Ten pounds of crystals provide a giant with the equivalent of a nutritious meal. The crystal formations regrow at a steady pace, thanks to Halaster’s magic. Most humanoids would not consider them edible.
10. Xorta’s Flute
Xorta. The reclusive stone giant lairs here, shunning the rest of her family.
Bats. Ten Giant Bat cling to the cave’s roof, their wings wrapped tightly around their bodies as they sleep.
Rocks. Strewn upon the uneven floor amid mounds of bat guano are loose rocks that Xorta hurls at intruders and others who bother her.
Xorta reclines in the north alcove, partially hidden behind natural columns of rock. She uses her Stone Camouflage trait to blend in with her surroundings.
Xorta has a mind to explore more of Undermountain, but her parents won’t let her stray far. She lacks the courage to defy them and knows they won’t let her leave. She has a 4-foot-long stone flute and likes to play it here because the acoustics are favorable. She’s still learning how to play, though, and often forgets her own lessons. Xorta doesn’t remember who crafted the flute (she did) or how it became magical, but she knows that the giant bats enjoy it.
If Xorta is attacked, she can use an action to play a few notes on her flute and cause the giant bats to swoop down and attack her enemies until she plays the flute again to call them off. The stone flute is too large for Medium or smaller creatures to play, and only Xorta can use its magical power.
11. Disposal Cave
The stench of death fills these caves, which the giants visit infrequently.
11a. Faces of Halaster
Stone Faces. Giant-carved visages of Halaster cover the walls. Each face has a different expression.
Corpses. Dozens of humanoid corpses in varying stages of putrefaction, including a few reduced to moldy bones, lie stacked like cordwood against the walls.
The stone giants have met Halaster several times over the years and carved his visage after many of those occasions. Though the giants' memories of him never last, the faces in this cavern remain.
The giants have begun using the cavern to store the bodies of creatures they’re forced to kill. With the duergar and the drow returning to Undermountain in force and the bullywugs on level 8 becoming more aggressive, such encounters have become commonplace. Again, the giants have no memory of these altercations, and they have no use for the dead creatures' gear.
The corpses include a drow, two quaggoths, five troglodytes, seven hobgoblins, three duergar, six grimlocks, nine bullywugs, and two humans (former members of an adventuring party). The stone giants tossed the creatures' weapons into the nearby silt pit (area area 11b).
Treasure
The drow corpse wears a black breastplate with a platinum spider motif. Manufactured by drow, this +1 breastplate loses its enhancement bonus if exposed to sunlight for 1 hour or more. Further examination of the drow also yields an obsidian scarab bearing the insignia of House Freth (25 gp).
One of the dead humans has a dungeoneer’s pack with spoiled rations and no torches remaining. The other dead human carries a set of thieves' tools.
11b. Silt Pit
Carved into the floor of the narrow tunnel leading to this cave is a large X (a warning sign). This cave contains a silt pit like the one in area area 4.
12. Edible Moss
Heating Vent. A natural vent in the floor keeps this cave warm and humid.
Moss. Growing on the walls is a thick carpet of edible golden moss that the giants and humanoids find tasty and nutritious. The moss is replenished by Halaster’s magic and can be scraped off the walls in slabs.
13. Giants' Living Quarters
This cluster of 30-foot-high caverns serves as the living quarters for the stone giant family.
13a. Obsidia and Rhodos
Two Stone Giant named Obsidia and Rhodos have been tasked with carving abstract designs into the roof of this empty cave. To reach the ceiling, Obsidia rides on her brother’s broad shoulders. She is using a chisel to smooth out some of the rough spots.
Of all the giants in here, Obsidia and Rhodos are the least set in their ways and the most likely to tolerate small folk. Characters who bribe them with at least 500 gp worth of precious metals, gemstones, or art objects can convince the giants to let them pass or to escort the party to the tunnel that leads to level 8.
13b. Giants' Home
Carvings and Loose Rocks. The walls and domed roof display carvings of stone giants. At the foot of each carving is a pile of loose rocks.
Speleosa. Unless she is interrupted, Speleosa the stone giant is sitting in the middle of the cave and using a patch of bat fur to polish amber gemstones.
Otto. Otto the Faerie Dragon (Violet) shows up to create mischief shortly after the characters arrive.
If Speleosa detects intruders in her home, she grabs loose rocks from the piles around the room, instructs Obsidia and Rhodos (see area area 13a) to do the same, and sets out to destroy the invaders. Attempting to reason with Speleosa while she’s hurling rocks is no simple matter, and she isn’t receptive to bribes. If one or more of her children are imperiled, Speleosa becomes calm and begins negotiating for their safe release.
While the characters are dealing with Speleosa, the
Treasure
Speleosa has gathered thirty amber gemstones (100 gp each).
13c. Treasure Alcove
Niches have been carved into the walls of this deep alcove at a height of 15 feet. The stone giants keep their accumulated treasure here.
Treasure
The niches contain a wooden cask filled with 5 gallons of tar, a damaged alabaster troll mask missing its nose (25 gp), a rhinestone sack that holds 250 gp, and an 800-pound, life-size stone statue of Halaster painted blue.
The Halaster statue has an
13d. Cave of Rest
The stone giants come here to rest when they’re tired. The cave is devoid of furnishings and ostentation.
14. Cave Bear Den
These caves smell like an animal den—not surprising, given that Qurrok keeps his cave bears here.
14a. Adult Cave Bears
Two adult cave bears (use the polar bear statistics) rest here. These mates attack anyone they don’t recognize, defending their young in area area 14b. Gnawed bones cover the den’s floor.
14b. Young Cave Bears
Two cave bear cubs (use the black bear statistics) sleep and play here. Qurrok has hollowed out several large rocks for the young bears to run through and climb on.
15. Qurrok’s Den
The stone giants stopped sculpting these caves when they encountered soft sandstone beneath the harder stone. Qurrok has turned this area into a private den.
15a. Unfinished Cave
Natural columns of rock support the cave ceiling, the walls of which depict unfinished carvings of lanky stone giants hurling rocks. The cave is otherwise empty.
15b. Gym
This cave’s walls are bereft of carvings. Resting on the floor at the north end of the cave are stone barbells and stacks of circular stone plates with holes bored through the middle of them. Qurrok (see area area 16a) works out here, using the barbells and boulders as weights.
16. Central Cavern
This 180-foot-diameter spherical cavern has a domed ceiling and a bowl-shaped floor. Along its perimeter are stone ledges (area area 16a) that don’t quite encircle the chamber. Any creature knocked off a ledge goes tumbling down the inward-sloping rock walls to the bottom of the cavern (area area 16b), which is strewn with rocks, bones, and the bodies of two dead umber hulks.
At the center of the cavern, floating 10 feet above a smooth, 80-foot-tall mithral spindle that erupts from the floor, is Maddgoth’s castle. The stone castle is more than 60 feet away from the ledges, putting it outside the range of some creatures'
The castle looks small enough to fit in a 20-foot-cube, and it floats at the center of an
A shrunken creature or object reverts to its normal size once it leaves the sphere, which is generated by the mithral spindle. No saving throw is allowed to resist the shrinking effect, and nothing short of divine intervention can suppress the spindle’s magic. The spindle is impervious to damage, and it generates a magical repulsion field that prevents creatures from approaching any closer to it than 5 feet.
When Halaster created the mithral spindle, he exempted certain creatures and objects from its shrinking effect. The spindle itself is unaffected, as is Maddgoth’s homunculus. Faerie dragons are also immune to the shrinking effect, and there might be other creatures and objects that are unaffected as well, based solely on the Mad Mage’s whims.
16a. Ledges
These ledges are 90 feet above the cavern floor and safe to traverse.
16b. Cavern Floor
Qurrok. If no one has raised an alarm, Qurrok the stone giant is searching the cavern floor for interesting rocks and gem deposits.
Corpses. Amid the rocks on the cavern floor are the rotting corpses of two umber hulks killed by Qurrok in the western caves.
Qurrok’s body is a temple, and he has honed and shaped it to perfection. His extensive physical training gives him advantage on all Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
Every time Qurrok loses his memory, he forgets about his previous excursions to the bottom of this cavern. He lowers himself to the floor, discovers the mithral spindle, and tries to climb it to see what’s at the top. Rebuffed and discouraged by the repulsion field that surrounds the spindle, he starts combing the cavern floor for treasure.
When an alarm sounds in the caverns around this area, Qurrok climbs up to the ledge closest to the disturbance. If doing that puts him anywhere near his pet cave bears in area area 14, he summons them to his side with a booming, bear-like roar.
Qurrok likes physical challenges. He neither shies away from combat nor backs down from a fight unless his mother, Speleosa, commands him to.
Falling from Maddgoth’s Castle
If a creature that is reduced to one-twelfth its normal size falls from the castle, it will travel over 600 relative feet before hitting the cavern floor due to the reducing effect around the castle, which turns every foot of actual distance into 12 feet of relative distance. From its perspective, the creature would seem to fall several hundred feet before suddenly growing twelve times bigger in the final 40 feet before impact. Because the reducing effect creates more relative distance between the creature and the cavern floor, a fall from anywhere on the castle deals
20d6 bludgeoning damage on impact.
The Castle
Halaster constructed this castle to serve as a temporary residence for guests, then abandoned it when he decided he didn’t really want the company. Maddgoth’s claim to the castle has so far gone unchallenged by Halaster, and it’s not clear whether the two wizards have ever crossed paths.
Characters who approach the castle can examine it for points of entry. The main entrance is a door at the base of the south tower (area area 17). The castle also features an open courtyard (area area 23) with doors leading to areas on the first level. The faerie dragon’s preferred route is through a secret trapdoor on the roof (area area 47). In addition, the corner towers have arrow slits that Small characters can squeeze through, and the central structure has windows fitted with crystal bars as strong as steel that are spaced 6 inches apart.
Maddgoth’s castle is now controlled by Otto the faerie dragon, whose right to ownership is predicated on the argument “I found it and it’s mine and you can’t have it.” The castle is a beautiful structure. Its walls, floors, and 20-foot-high ceilings of smooth gray stone can’t be damaged or magically altered except with
Exterior doors are made of stone with adamantine hinges, and, like the castle walls, are impervious to damage. Interior doors look like fancy stained glass windows with iron hinges on one side. Each one is fitted with panes of colored glass set in an iron framework. The door handles are likewise fashioned from iron. A locked interior door can be forced open with a successful DC 15 Strength (
Characters near the castle and inside it are shrunk to one-twelfth their normal size along with their gear. Almost everything they encounter inside the castle is similarly reduced in size, creating a sense of normalcy. Maddgoth’s homunculus and Otto the faerie dragon are noteworthy exceptions; use their modified statistics for encounters in the castle.
17. Main Entrance
There isn’t a stoop or other surface to stand on outside this castle entrance, but hanging on the front door is a crude wooden sign inscribed with the words “Otto’s Castle” in Draconic. The exterior door is not locked, but opening it triggers a permanent
The room contains the following:
Pedestals. Four white marble pedestals stand near the west and east walls. Atop each pedestal is a corked flask made of opaque green glass.
Servants. Four Living Unseen Servant (see appendix A) are dusting the pedestals and flasks, using dusters made of cockatrice feathers.
Green Flasks
Uncorking or breaking a green flask releases a cloud of
Living Unseen Servants
Attacking a servant, snatching its feather duster, or otherwise disturbing the contents of this room triggers combat. On their first turn after rolling initiative, the living unseen servants knock the green flasks off their pedestals, causing the containers to shatter on the floor and release their poison gas (which has no effect on the unseen servants). The servants have no weapons but can arm themselves with weapons dropped by creatures rendered
The living unseen servants are bound to this room and can’t leave of their own volition.
Otto’s Game
Otto the faerie dragon spends much of its time stalking the castle hallways (areas area 18, area 28, and area 38) and takes regular naps in area area 43a. While awake, the faerie dragon prefers to remain
invisible and likes to play pranks on guests.Otto’s favorite prank is to sneak up on a guest, engulf it in a cloud of euphoria gas, and sneak away while remaining
invisible the whole time. Its second favorite prank is to cast mage hand and use the spectral appendage to tap guests on the shoulder. Any time it performs such a prank, the faerie dragon has a 25 percent chance of betraying its location with a giggle or a snicker. The faerie dragon must then relocate itself on its next turn to keep from being caught.Casting a spell that requires concentration causes the faerie dragon to become visible—after which it can move, cast a spell that doesn’t require concentration (such as color spray or hallucinatory terrain), and use its bonus action to turn
invisible again. Otto is careful about casting spells that require concentration, because it can’t concentrate on the spell and stayinvisible at the same time. It normally casts mirror image before casting a spell that requires concentration, trusting that its images will protect it while it maintains concentration on the spell. If Otto succeeds in incapacitating a guest, it tries to remove the guest’s weapons and gear, then spends the next hour hiding these items throughout the castle.Otto reserves its polymorph spell for a truly dangerous adversary, turning that enemy into a frog before making a hasty escape.
If the characters get rid of Maddgoth’s homunculus, the faerie dragon takes a shine to them and offers to pay them 50 gp for each trinket they deliver to it. Otto collects trinkets and has a secret stash of coins (see area area 43b).
18. Stone Hallways
There is a 50 percent chance that Maddgoth’s homunculus is stalking these halls. The last thing it wants are more invaders in its master’s abode, so it attacks. When killed, it melts away and re-forms in area area 25.
19. Southwest Storeroom
A tiny copper coin has been wedged into the door frame and can be spotted with a DC 15 Wisdom (
The room is stuffed from floor to ceiling with junk. Most of it is worthless, but characters who spend 1 hour sifting through the junk can acquire up to 10 gp worth of mundane equipment from the Adventuring Gear table in the Player’s Handbook.
20. Northwest Storeroom
The door frame has a silver coin wedged into it (see area area 19). The room inside is clean and bare, providing a safe resting space.
21. Northeast Storeroom
The door frame has a gold coin wedged into it (see area area 19). Empty bookshelves line the walls of the room.
22. Southeast Storeroom
The door frame has an electrum coin wedged into it (see area area 19). The room’s features are as follows:
Containers. Hundreds of empty chests and trunks in a variety of sizes form neat stacks with narrow aisles winding between them.
Arch. Embedded in the north wall, hidden behind the chests and trunks, is a stone arch. Inscribed on the wall inside the arch is a riddle in Common.
Arch Gate to Level 9
The arch is one of Halaster’s magic gates (see “area Gates"). Inscribed on its wall is the following riddle in Common: “What appears once in an hour, twice in a blue moon, and never in sunshine?” The answer is “The letter O.” The rules of this gate are as follows:
- If the riddle is answered aloud and correctly by someone within 30 feet of the arch, the gate opens for 1 minute.
- Characters must be 10th level or higher to pass through this gate (see “area Jhesiyra Kestellharp"). The first creature to pass through the gate triggers an elder rune (see “area Elder Runes").
- A creature that passes through the gate appears in area area 42 on level 9, in the closest unoccupied space next to the identical gate located there.
23. Courtyard
Statue. In the center of this open-air courtyard, surrounded by gardens of glittering, pebble-sized crystals, stands a 9-foot-tall statue of a plump human wizard wearing a helmet with blade-like fins and reading from a spellbook. The statue faces southwest, and the pedestal on which it rests is engraved with the word “MADDGOTH.”
Doors. Paths radiating from the statue end in front of four magically locked stone doors (see below).
Windows. Crystal-barred windows look down on the courtyard from the two floors above.
Pulling the correct lever in area area 37 unlocks all the doors leading to the courtyard. A
The statue’s eyes betray a hint of madness, and the wizard’s helm is a representation of Maddgoth’s magic helmet (found in area area 25b). Like the castle, the statue can’t be damaged or altered in any way. Carved into the pages of its open spellbook is the
24. Privy and Bath
Vanity. Against the north wall stands a vanity with a built-in mirror, on which are arrayed vials of perfume, combs, brushes, and powder puffs.
Potty. On the west wall sits a fancy wooden chair with a golden chamber pot tucked below it. Four thin books rest on a side table next to the chair (see “Books” below).
Tub. Against the south wall is a marble bathtub with clawed feet. Towels hang on hooks above it.
Books
One book has worn wooden covers and is filled with humorous anecdotes. Another appears to be a diary with a gold-stitched cover of burgundy-dyed leather, its scented pages chronicling the love affairs of a long-dead noblewoman. The third book, which is missing its cover, contains Elvish translations of common Orc phrases and idioms. The last book is bound in stirge hide and contains recipes for pie. These books aren’t valuable.
Treasure
The characters can plunder ten vials of perfumes (5 gp each), a silver comb set with turquoise (25 gp), a matching hairbrush (25 gp), and a gold chamber pot (125 gp).
25. Maddgoth’s Study
Frustrated by the absence of its master, Maddgoth’s oversized homunculus has ravaged these chambers.
25a. Homunculus Lair
Once opulent and full of exotic hardwood cabinets packed with leather-bound tomes, this room now lies in shambles. Ankle-deep rubbish covers the floor, the remains of the room’s former furnishings. The homunculus (see “area Maddgoth’s Homunculus") stands amid the wreckage. (If the characters have already encountered and destroyed the homunculus, it has magically re-formed in this room.)
The arrival of adventurers prompts the homunculus to begin rooting through the detritus on the floor. After a minute of searching, it finds a torn page on which is drawn a smiling dragon with butterfly wings. The homunculus shows it to the characters, tears the page into tiny pieces, throws the scraps into the air like confetti, and gives the party a long stare. If the characters offer to kill the faerie dragon, the homunculus leads them to area area 25b, reaches into the mirror there, pulls out Maddgoth’s helm, and gives it to the nearest character.
25b. Maddgoth’s Study
The stained glass panes of this door have been shattered, creating holes through which characters can see into the room.
Trophies. Embedded in the plaster-covered walls are dozens of wands, staffs, rods, and orbs.
Mirror. Affixed to the east wall is a 5-foot-tall oval mirror with a stone frame, the top of which is carved in the likeness of a yawning homunculus (see “Magic Mirror” below).
Furniture. A desk and a chair formed out of lacquer-covered books stand near the north wall.
Trunk. An iron trunk measuring 2 feet on a side rests atop a dusty circular rug in the middle of the room. An iron key is inserted in the trunk’s lid, which is open. (Maddgoth emptied the trunk before leaving the castle.)
The wands, staffs, rods, and orbs embedded in the walls are trophies taken by Maddgoth from wizards he has killed. They can be pried from the walls easily enough, and each is usable as an arcane focus.
Maddgoth took the spellbooks from scores of dead wizards and used them to construct the desk and chair for himself. Any character who examines the furniture can quickly ascertain that the spellbooks belonged to many different wizards. Some look much older than others. A coating of thick lacquer gives these furnishings a glass-like sheen and prevents the books from being opened. Characters who smash the desk and chair can salvage twelve intact spellbooks, nine from the wreckage of the desk and three from the wreckage of the chair. The remaining books are too damaged to be salvaged or read.
To determine a particular spellbook’s contents, roll a
Magic Mirror
A
The mirror’s reflective surface turns to liquid for 1 minute when touched by either a construct or an object serving as an arcane focus. A creature can reach into the liquid and remove a helm from inside it. The helm belongs to Maddgoth. Fashioned from mithral, it has blade-like fins. If the mirror is smashed while the helm is inside it, the helm is lost forever.
Treasure
Maddgoth’s helm is a very rare magic item to which any humanoid can attune. A creature attuned to the helm and wearing it has immunity to all damage while inside Maddgoth’s castle, on its roof, or in its courtyard. If the helm is taken from the castle, it turns to dust and is destroyed.
26. Clayworks
The scent of dry clay pervades these rooms.
26a. Building Blocks
This room contains piles of tiny interlocking clay bricks that radiate auras of transmutation magic under the scrutiny of a
26b. Old Clay
Oven. A stone oven is built into the south wall.
Blocks and Molds. Dozens of 5-pound blocks of dried clay and several stone molds are stacked on shelves in the middle of the room.
A
27. Dining Room and Kitchen
The outer doors to these rooms have copper coins wedged into their frames (see area area 19).
27a. Dining Room
Ringing Bell. A magic bell rings when one or more humanoids enter the room.
Dining Set. A green marble dining table surrounded by twelve high-backed oak chairs stands in the middle of the room.
Moments after the bell rings, the six Living Unseen Servant from area area 27b enter through the north door and begin setting the table for a feast. Once the table is set, they pull out chairs for guests and begin pouring wine into goblets before serving dinner and dessert.
27b. Kitchen
This room contains tables, stoves, cauldrons, cooking utensils, and food in various states of preparation. All the food is magically created and appears fresh. Packed in cupboards are enameled bowls, plates, goblets, and mugs, as well as silver eating utensils and candlesticks.
Unless they were in encountered in area area 27a, six Living Unseen Servant (see appendix A) staff the kitchen. They try to gently nudge anyone who wanders into the kitchen out the nearest door. Intruders that refuse to leave are attacked. The servants are confined to area area 27 and can’t leave these chambers of their own volition.
27c. Pantry
Grains, dried meats, and other foodstuffs line the shelves here. Thanks to Maddgoth’s magic, the food is perfectly preserved as long as it remains in the castle.
27d. Potent Potables
Jars, decanters, casks, and bottles containing all manner of liquids line the sagging wooden shelves. Beverages from the mundane to the exotic can be retrieved from the shelves, which are replenished thanks to numerous spells laid upon the room. These liquids quickly evaporate if removed from the castle.
28. Well-Appointed Halls
The halls on this level join to form a circuit. Their features are as follows:
Decor. Long purple rugs with gold trim and wood-framed portraits of wizards cover the floors. Where the halls widen, carved oak chairs padded with red velvet are available to weary visitors. At the foot of each chair rests an ottoman.
Windows. Crystal-barred windows face the courtyard (area area 23).
Unless the characters have already encountered and defeated Otto elsewhere, the
invisible faerie dragon lurks in these halls (see “area Otto’s Game").
29. Southwest Guest Room
The door frame has an electrum coin wedged into it (see area area 19). This room’s features are as follows:
Furnishings. A comfortable bed, a handsome armoire, a three-paneled privacy screen, and an empty chest with clawed feet decorate the room. Fancy rugs cover the floor.
Arch. Embedded in the middle of the north wall is a stone arch.
Arch Gate to Level 11
Carved into the arch’s keystone is a hand clutching a lit torch. The arch is one of Halaster’s magic gates (see “area Gates"), and its rules are as follows:
- If a lit torch is brought within 5 feet of the arch, the gate opens for 1 minute.
- Characters must be 11th level or higher to pass through this gate (see “area Jhesiyra Kestellharp"). The first creature to pass through the gate triggers an elder rune (see “area Elder Runes").
- A creature that passes through the gate appears in area area 16 on level 11, in the closest unoccupied space next to the identical gate located there.
30. Northwest Guest Room
The door frame has a silver coin wedged into it (see area area 19). This room’s features are as follows:
Furnishings. A bed heaped with pillows, a 4-foot-tall armoire, and an empty sea chest decorate the room. Rugs woven with wave-like patterns cover the floor.
Ship in a Bottle. Displayed atop the armoire is a large bottle containing a beautiful model of a longship.
Portrait. Behind the bottle, hanging on the wall, is a large framed portrait of a wild-haired old man (Halaster) gazing down at the boat with a mad gleam in his eyes.
The longship model is 54 inches long by 15 inches wide, contained in a corked glass bottle 5 feet long and 1½ feet wide. The bottle rests on its side in a wooden stand and is portable. A
An
31. Northeast Guest Room
Odor. This room smells faintly of charcoal smoke.
Furnishings. A canopied bed stands against the south wall, its black curtains drawn down. Other furnishings include a coat rack by the door, an empty chest with clawed feet, an empty wardrobe with a slender mirror on the inside of its door, and a writing desk with matching chair.
The odor of charcoal becomes stronger as one approaches the bed. If the characters draw back the shroud covering it, they find the charred skeleton of a human lying on the bed, clad in burned robes and clutching the blackened stub of a wooden wand. The bed is undamaged, though its covers are stained with ash from the skeletal remains. The skeleton is all that remains of Aggorax Darksworn, a wizard snared and killed by Maddgoth long ago.
32. Southeast Guest Room
The door frame has a copper coin wedged into it (see area area 19). All the furniture here is carved from sandstone. The room’s features are as follows:
Furnishings. A brass hookah rests atop a small table next to a cushioned divan in the middle of the room. Two beds stand against the north wall.
Chests. At the foot of each bed sits a stone chest with a pyramidal lid. (The chests are empty.)
Decor. Hanging on the wall between the beds is a 7-foot-diameter sandstone disk carved with a medusa’s glaring visage.
33. Slaad in the Octobass
The door to this room is locked, its key lost.
Windows. Two crystal-barred windows look out over the courtyard (area area 23).
Furnishings. Four overstuffed chairs face each other with a low circular table between them.
Octobass. An octobass, a 12-foot-tall fiddle, leans in the northeast corner, its bow on the floor nearby. Trapped in the octobass is a naked old man (a shapechanged gray slaad).
Maddgoth removed the slaad’s control gem and, for fun, ordered the creature to crawl inside the octobass and remain there.
The old man claims to be Zartem, a wizard whom Maddgoth invited to the castle for dinner. He further claims that Maddgoth stole his spellbook and used magic to trap him inside the octobass. If the characters shatter the fragile instrument, the slaad is no longer bound by Maddgoth’s parting instructions and attacks its liberators. The slaad prefers to fight with its greatsword (which is hidden from view while it’s in the octobass) or catch multiple foes in the area of a
34. Maddgoth’s Suite
The frame of the outermost door has a platinum coin wedged into it (see area area 19). The door has a stained glass “M” worked into its design. Anyone who listens at the door hears deep snoring coming from beyond it.
34a. Master Bedchamber
Maddgoth slept as little as possible and spent almost no time here. The room’s features are as follows:
Decor. The wood-paneled walls are decorated with six framed portraits of a fat, smiling wizard clutching a wand. A thick, brown, wall-to-wall carpet covers the floor.
Game. In the southwest corner, two wooden thrones face an impressive Dragonchess set on a table.
Bed. A large four-poster bed stands against the west wall between two crystal-barred windows. A hefty figure sleeps under the covers, snoring loudly.
The snoring lump under the covers is an illusion. If the covers are pulled back, the snoring stops as it’s revealed that there’s no one in the bed. Casting
A
Magic Missile
The wand shoots a dart of magical force at one creature that it can detect within 60 feet of it. The target takes 3 (
Treasure
The Dragonchess set weighs 30 pounds and has beautifully carved and enameled pieces. A character who succeeds on a DC 25 Intelligence (
34b. Closet
This closet is stuffed with robes, sleeping gowns, shoes, and slippers hanging on racks or stacked neatly on shelves.
35. Cloakroom
Apparel. Coats, cloaks, robes, wizard hats, and other apparel hang from hooks on the walls.
Mind Flayer. Standing north of the door is what appears to be a mind flayer.
Most of the apparel on display was taken from wizards whom Maddgoth killed. Consequently, they come in all sizes and fashions. Many of these items have obvious burn marks, tears, bloodstains, and other defects suggesting how their previous owners met their ends.
Mind Flayer Costume
Closer inspection reveals that the mind flayer is a featureless wooden mannequin dressed in a convincing mind flayer costume, complete with black robe, cowl, and rubber mask. A Medium character who wears the costume can make Charisma (
36. Records
Maddgoth gathers intelligence on wizards across Faerûn, prepares dossiers on several “promising” ones, and stores these records here.
36a. Gathered Intelligence
This room contains rows of wooden cabinets stuffed with disorganized files chronicling the magical exploits of thousands of wizards dating back hundreds of years. Half of the dossiers are so old that they’ve crumbled to dust. Scrawled on most of the remaining ones is the word “DECEASED” in Maddgoth’s hand, while a handful of dossiers bear the word “LICH” instead.
36b. Secure Records
The door to this room is locked and trapped with a
An examination of the door accompanied by a successful DC 19 Intelligence (
The room is empty.
37. Console
The door frame has a platinum coin wedged into it (see area area 19). Bolted to the floor in the middle of the room is an iron console that resembles a pedestal with a slanted top. Protruding from the console are three brass levers arranged side by side, with the outer levers in the up position and the middle lever in the down position. To the right of the levers are five brass buttons situated at the points of a gold pentagram. An inscription appears next to each lever and each button.
A creature can use an action to adjust up to three levers and buttons, in any combination. The console serves several functions:
Leftmost Lever. The inscription under this lever reads “COURTYARD.” Lowering the lever unlocks the four doors that lead into area area 23. Raising the lever locks them again.
Middle Lever. The inscription under this lever reads “LIGHT.” Raising the lever turns on the castle’s interior lights. Lowering the lever turns them off again. (While the interior lights are on, creatures in the surrounding cavern can see the castle.)
Rightmost Lever. The inscription under this lever reads “HEAT.” Lowering the lever shuts off the heat, reducing the interior temperature by 10 degrees each hour until it drops to 30 degrees Fahrenheit (the temperature of the surrounding cavern). Raising the lever causes the temperature to rise 10 degrees each hour until it reaches 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Button 1. The inscription next to this button reads “MUSIC.” Pushing the button fills the castle with ambient orchestral music occasionally punctuated with a singing chorus. Pressing the button again ends the music.
Button 2. The inscription next to this button reads “ROOF.” Pushing the button teleports all creatures in the room to the castle rooftop (area area 43), along with whatever items they’re wearing and carrying.
Button 3. The inscription under this button reads “FOG.” Pushing the button fills the castle hallways (areas area 18, area 28, and area 38) and the stairways connecting them with fog, making these areas heavily obscured. The fog lasts for 1 hour or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it.
Button 4. The inscription next to this button reads “LOCKDOWN.” Pushing the button causes every door in the castle (including the rooftop trapdoor) to lock, as if sealed by an
arcane lock spell. This effect lasts for 1 hour. While locked in this way, the interior doors—most of which are as much iron as glass—also become electrified. Such a door deals 5 (1d10 ) lightning damage to any creature that touches it.Button 5. The inscription next to this button reads “DO NOT PRESS!” Pushing the button causes bolts of lightning to erupt from the console. Every creature in the room must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw, taking 44 (
8d10 ) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature in metal armor has disadvantage on the saving throw.
38. Glittering Hall
The halls on this level join to form a circuit, with crystal-barred windows looking down on the central courtyard (area area 23).
The floor is made of tiny bits of colored glass and crushed gems, polished to a lustrous sheen. Four Living Unseen Servant (see appendix A), each carrying a mop and a bucket of soapy water, stand outside the doors to areas area 39 through area 42, ready to clean up any spills in the hall. The servants defend themselves with their mops (treat as clubs) if attacked but are otherwise harmless.
Stairs to the Roof
The northernmost staircase climbs 20 feet before ending at an 8-foot-square stone trapdoor. When a creature starts to climb the stairs, the trapdoor opens outward, allowing access to the roof (area area 47). The trapdoor closes on its own 1 minute later.
39. Southwest Chamber
The walls, floor, and ceiling of this room are scorched. Strewn about are blackened pieces of furniture, shards of smoky glass, and charred splinters of wood and bone.
A character who examines the room thoroughly and succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (
40. Northwest Chamber
The door frame has a copper coin wedged into it (see area area 19), and the door has a stained glass wolf’s head worked into its design. The room is dusty and empty but for a few cobwebs in the corners.
41. Northeast Chamber
The door frame has a silver coin wedged into it (see area area 19). The room contains the following:
Mirror. Embedded in the middle of the south wall is a rectangular mirror in a stone frame.
Statue. Standing in front of the mirror is an unfinished 8-foot-tall statue of a merfolk blowing a conch shell, its lower body replaced by a misshapen block of chiseled granite. (This statue is a shapechanged roper.)
Tridents. Four tridents hang on the north and east walls between the arrow slits. They fly off the walls and attack if certain conditions are met.
The tridents animate and attack if any of them are disturbed or if the roper dies. They have the statistics of Flying Sword but deal piercing damage instead of slashing damage on a hit.
Mirror Gate to Level 10
Etched into the bottom of the mirror’s stone frame are the letters T-U-O-Y-A-W (a reflection of W-A-Y-O-U-T). The mirror is one of Halaster’s magic gates (see “area Gates"). Its rules are as follows:
- If a creature speaks the words “Way out!” while pointing at the mirror, the gate opens for 1 minute.
- Characters must be 11th level or higher to pass through this gate (see “area Jhesiyra Kestellharp"). The first creature to pass through the gate triggers an elder rune (see “area Elder Runes").
- A creature that passes through the gate appears in area area 14d on level 10, in the closest unoccupied space next to the identical gate located there.
Shapechanged Roper
Halaster melded a roper and a mimic to create this creature with the statistics of a roper and the ability to shape itself into objects like a mimic. While immobile in object form, it is indistinguishable from a normal object. Only when the roper reverts to its true form do its monstrous features become apparent.
The roper has the following additional trait:
Shapechanger
The roper can use its action to polymorph into a stone object or back to its true form. Its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
The roper answers to the name Miguel. It has instructions to attack any creature that enters the room through the mirror gate. It also attacks any creature that threatens to do it harm. Halaster feeds the roper regularly so that it doesn’t have to attack out of hunger. Neither Otto the faerie dragon nor Maddgoth’s homunculus is aware that the statue is really a creature in disguise.
Treasure
If the characters kill and cuts open the roper, they find five misshapen diamonds (100 gp each) in its gizzard.
42. Southeast Chamber
The door to this room is missing its stained glass window panes. Tiny shard of glass stuck in the iron frame suggest that the glass was smashed. (Maddgoth’s unseen servants cleaned up the mess.) The room beyond is dusty and empty but for a few cobwebs in the corners.
43. Otto’s Den
Maddgoth crafted and tested magic items here. The area contains several lingering magical effects that prompted the faerie dragon to turn these chambers into its private den. Whenever Otto leaves to torment the stone giants or wander the castle, Maddgoth’s homunculus sneaks in here to trash the place.
43a. “Homunculi Unwelcome”
The characters hear crashing sounds as they approach this room. Hanging on the handle of each door to this room is a crude wood-and-rope sign bearing the chalk words “HOMUNCULI UNWELCOME” in Draconic. The western door is closed and has a gold coin wedged in its frame (see area area 19).
The eastern door is ajar. A gold coin lies on the floor just inside the room, which contains the following:
Homunculus. Unless it has been encountered and detained elsewhere, Maddgoth’s oversized homunculus is flipping tables, knocking over bookshelves, throwing chairs, kicking chests, and tearing rugs into strips with its teeth.
Junk. Stuff that the faerie dragon has accumulated litters the floor, as well as many items that are broken beyond repair.
Secret Door. A secret door in the north corner of the east wall opens into area area 43b. (The homunculus is unaware of it.)
Maddgoth’s homunculus knows it can’t be killed and attacks the characters unless they withdraw immediately. If it is destroyed, it melts away and re-forms in area area 25a.
Otto’s spoils include candles and candle snuffers, potted mushrooms, mortars and pestles, lamps, belts, pentacle pendants, recipe books, sticks of colored chalk, kettles, cauldrons, spoons, stuffed animals, spools of wire, glass beads, wigs, walking sticks, bars of soap, balls of yarn, cracked mirrors and prisms, quills, smoking pipes, empty scroll tubes, and torn sheaves of parchment. Though some of the collection’s pieces might be useful and many are colorful or whimsical in design, nothing here holds any special value.
43b. Otto’s Secret Stash
Otto’s most prized possessions fill this cluttered space. These treasures are spread across tables that have been stacked atop one another, forming makeshift shelves that scrape the 20-foot-high ceiling and threaten to topple at any moment. Any character who tries to get at a hard-to-reach item has a 50 percent chance of setting into motion a Rube Goldberg-esque cascade of tables and baubles. When everything comes tumbling down, every creature in the room must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (
Treasure
The items gathered here include dozens of porcelain and ceramic dragon statuettes, old storybooks, worthless but shiny costume jewelry, a pair of jade bookends carved to resemble yuan-ti abominations (250 gp for the pair), two random trinkets (roll twice on the
44. Wizard’s Armory
This room is locked, its key lost. Otto punched a hole through one of the door’s glass panes to get a look inside but didn’t see anything of interest. Characters who peer inside see the following:
Bats. Two ordinary Bat flap around the room. Each bat transforms into a nycaloth if it is reduced to 0 hit points or if the door to the room is opened.
Scroll. On the north wall, east of the door, hangs a framed scroll pressed flat behind a sheet of glass. Bolted to the wooden frame is a tiny metal plaque that reads, “Break glass in case of emergency.”
Maddgoth’s idea of an armory is a pair of well-paid nycaloths named Yzig and Gorzog. They can’t leave the room until they’re restored to their true form, and they won’t leave the castle before Maddgoth returns. Their orders are to slay castle invaders. The nycaloths recognize Maddgoth’s homunculus and won’t harm it; all other creatures are attacked on sight.
Without its master around, the homunculus doesn’t trust the nycaloths and thus hasn’t tried to free them.
Treasure
The framed scroll is a
45. Alchemist’s Laboratory
Otto removed anything it considered valuable from this chamber but periodically returns to see if it missed anything. If the faerie dragon hasn’t been encountered and defeated elsewhere, there is a 25 percent chance that it’s here when the characters arrive, in which case the door to the room is open. If Otto is not present, the door is closed and has a silver coin lodged in its frame (see area area 19). The room’s features are as follows:
Tables. Tables stand haphazardly about the room, their surfaces cluttered with alchemical equipment.
Cabinets. Corner cabinets are brimming with skulls, jars of powdered substances, and leather-bound journals filled with Maddgoth’s mad scribblings.
Refuse. The floor is strewn with bits of broken glass, scraps of parchment, and other refuse.
Treasure
The room contains three full sets of alchemist’s supplies, all of which can fit in one backpack.
A
46. Maddgoth’s Throne
The door frame has an electrum coin wedged into it (see area area 19).
A tall throne made of iron and stained glass stands in the southern alcove, facing the door. The throne’s clawed armrests and feet give it a monstrous appearance, but there’s nothing dangerous about it. Laid before the throne is a 15-foot-diameter circular rug with a pattern resembling a large gaping mouth. The rug, too, is harmless.
47. Roof and Battlements
The roof offers little in the way of a view, since the surrounding cavern is all but lost in darkness. The echoes that a single shout can create are astonishing, though. Four-foot-high crenellated battlements enclose the roof.
Hidden Trapdoor
An 8-foot-square trapdoor near the northern battlement hides a stone staircase that leads down to area area 38. This is the route by which Otto the faerie dragon comes and goes from the castle.
The trapdoor blends in with the surrounding stonework, and detecting it requires a successful DC 15 Wisdom (
Knocking twice on the trapdoor causes it to swing open on its own, then close 1 minute later. Otherwise, the trapdoor must be pried open with a crowbar or similar tool. Prying the trapdoor open requires a successful DC 18 Strength (
Aftermath
What happens in the miniature castle has little impact on the stone giants, and vice versa. Killing all the giants saddens Otto the faerie dragon, but its goals don’t change. If the characters help the giants by dealing with the faerie dragon, all is forgotten in a few hours when the giants' memories fade away.
If the slaad in area area 33 succeeds in slaying or driving off the characters, it makes its home in the castle, hoping that Maddgoth will one day return with the slaad’s control gem. In a struggle between the faerie dragon and the slaad for control of the castle, the slaad can win either by killing Otto or forcing the dragon into hiding.
Characters who leave the level and later return discover that the giants don’t recognize them or remember having met them previously. If one or more giants were killed, the surviving ones retain no memory of how their fallen kin died. If all the giants die, Halaster might freeze the caverns and fill them with a tribe of yetis led by a mated pair of abominable yetis, or provide the space to a clan of degenerate fomorians.
After the characters depart, Maddgoth might return to check on things. He’s either a neutral evil archmage who has exceeded his natural life span with
Maddgoth wears a