TRIAL OF THE SLIME LORD A level zero gauntlet adventure for 3-5 players BACKGROUND This cursed place serves as a sort of crucible for an ooze-worshiping cult. Those who survive are granted a boon from the Slime Lord. Those who do not, wander the halls as the unquiet dead, doomed to serve the ooze for eternity. The player characters have just been kidnapped from their village and thrown in a pit to face the Trial of the Slime Lord. The adventure begins as the cultists slide a heavy stone lid over an opening in the ceiling of Area 1. With nothing more than their wits and the clothes on their backs, they must escape or die. RUNNING THE ADVENTURE ● I recommend that each player “owns” 2-3 characters, but that in each round they choose only one character to act, including combat rounds. This helps to keep things moving and manage the action economy. ● The primary goal of the players is to escape through the doors in Area 15. The two parts of the incantation needed to open the doors are in Area 8 and Area 11. ● This adventure uses the term “PC-rounds”. A PC-round is the amount of work a PC can do in one round. If a task requires 3 PC-rounds, it could be 1 PC working for 3 rounds or 3 PCs working for 1 round, or any combination thereof. ● Unless otherwise stated, all areas are dark and all doors are unlocked. ● All ooze/slime/mucous/gelatin encountered in this adventure is harmful against organic material only, unless stated otherwise. It does not harm metal or stone. ● Raka Ooku is a necrotic cube. It retreats after engulfing a single PC and will afterwards ignore the rest of PCs unless they attack. Once the characters open the door in Area 15 it will no longer retreat. ● The Collector is a demented halfling that underwent the trial many years ago. He succeeded but was driven mad. Now he walks the halls of the dungeon collecting anything he can find. Years spent underground have adapted him to the darkness. The slimes don’t attack him but he avoids the Slime Eaters, Area 7 and the holy symbol of Madeera found in Area 14. He will snatch up anything left unattended by the players and take it to Area 2. ● All monsters stop pursuing players when they are out of sight. ● A “⇨” symbol indicates that the room key continues on the next page. RANDOM ENCOUNTERS This dungeon is Risky. Roll 1d6 every two rounds. A random encounter occurs on a 1 or 2. Each time you roll on the Random Encounters table after the first, apply a cumulative -1 to the result (treat results below 1 as 1). Reset this count each time an encounter with Raka Ooku occurs. ⇨ 1 1d6 Random Encounters. See Appendix 5 for stats. 1 Raka Ooku, the necromantic gelatinous cube. Attacks immediately. 2 Jellied Skeletons. 1+1 for each PC that has been killed. Attack immediately. 3 The Collector. Roll reaction. Quickly tries to gather any objects lying around. 4 Slime puddle. If the players touch the puddle, roll on the puddle effects table. 5 A group of 1d4 rats scurries past. Catch one with a DC 15 DEX. 6 An NPC villager stumbles out of the darkness. Roll reaction. See Appendix 2. 1d4 Things That Happen When You Lick a Puddle in a Slime Dungeon 1 Green. Highly caustic, take 1d4 damage or destroy an organic object. 2 Blue. Fall asleep, cannot be woken for 1d4 rounds. 3 White. The player or object glows like a torch for 1 hour of real time. 4 Yellow. Heal 1d4 damage. AREA 1: THE PIT A single torch lying on the floor sheds light on the glistening, slime-slick stone walls of this round chamber and on the terrified faces of a dozen of your fellow villagers. The sound of running water echoes faintly through a foreboding dark archway to the south . Words carved into the archway read: “WELCOME TO DISSOLUTION. ESCAPE OR FEED RAKA OOKU.” ● Torch: A mundane torch has been tossed down by the ooze cultists. Start the torch timer when a PC picks it up. ● Floor: One large tile along the western wall makes a faint hollow sound. DC 18 WIS to find if the floor is checked. PCs will need something heavy and strong to smash it (like a hammer) or a crowbar to pry it up. Smashing the tile makes noise - roll 1d3 on the Random Encounters table. The passageway beneath it leads to Area 17. ● Walls: Searching the walls turns up a torn journal page, rolled up and hidden in a crack. It reads “...told us that not all the slime is bad, and some can be eaten for…” AREA 2: THE COLLECTION The door is slightly ajar. Piles of garbage and detritus are haphazardly heaped against the walls and corners of the otherwise plain room. There appears to be a few useful items mixed in with the trash. Several sticky, humanoid-sized footprints mark the floor. ● The first time the PCs visit this room, The Collector will not be present. On every subsequent visit there is a 3 in 6 chance he will be here, and a 1 in 6 chance he will be asleep. He does not take kindly to thieves. ⇨ THE COLLECTOR AC 13 HP 10 ATK 1 dagger +3 (1d4) MV near STR +0 DEX +3 CON +1 INT -1 WIS +1 CHA -2 AL C LV 2 Stealthy: Once per day The Collector can turn invisible for 3 rounds. 2 The Collector is a wiry, pale-skinned halfling dressed in rags. His large eyes are milky-white and his skin is constantly wet with a foul-smelling mucus. He carries a cruelly serrated dagger and wears a polished piece of hardened gray ooze around his neck. It is one of the keys used in Area 12 to unlock Area 16. If attacked he uses his Stealthy trait to escape, but will defend Area 2 to the death. ● Piles: The first time a PC searches, allow them to roll twice on the Random Gear Table in Appendix 1. For every round they search thereafter, there is a 2 in 6 chance of finding something useful. Roll on the Random Gear Table if successful. ● Footprints: Are of a barefoot human or something with human-sized feet. They appear to be recent. AREA 3: THE STATUES Three lumpy and misshapen statues near the east wall cast ominous shadows. Each one depicts a humanoid figure undergoing some kind of slime-related trauma. The sound of running water echoes from the northeast passage. ● Statues: Made of some kind of chalky, pale green substance. They hint at the ritual to be performed in Area 8. In order of north to south, the statues are: ○ A man half-covered in slime that dissolves the flesh from his bones. His arms are raised in exultation and there is joyous expression on what remains of his face. A plaque on the plinth reads “The first offering is flesh”. ○ The upper half of a skeleton rises from an unidentifiable puddle. Its arms are also raised and its jaw hangs open. A plaque on the plinth reads “The second offering is bone”. ○ A waste-high pile of ooze with three depressions suggesting a face with empty eyes and a gaping mouth. A plaque on the plinth reads “The final offering is all”. Searching around the statues also uncovers the torn page of a journal. It reads: “…sn’t come to that. The first two offerings are bad enough. But I don’t think we could live with ourselves if we made the third offering. Besides, what living things could we find down there?” 3 AREA 4: THE DRAIN Clear, cool, knee-deep water circles around a rusty grate in the floor. Roots dangle from cracks in the sagging stone ceiling. ● Grate: Covers the drain where water flows outside. A few small bones rest on it. Anyone examining the grate will see a tarnished brass key just on the other side, wedged in a rock. The key unlocks the door to Area 13. Removing the grate requires a crowbar or 6 PC-rounds. ● If the characters attempt to escape via the drain, the passageway is small enough that only a halfling or goblin will fit. They must make a DC 18 CON or drown. If they succeed, they emerge in a stream far away from the dungeon and from danger. AREA 5: THE POOL The water in this chamber moves over large bones littering the stone floor in a slow but steady current towards Area 4. The ceiling is low and cramped. ● A translucent ooze lurks in the water. It will attack after one round or when someone tries to leave, seeking the weakest character. It will not leave the water. ⇨ TRANSLUCENT OOZE AC 9 HP 11 ATK 1 pseudopod +1 (1d6) MV near (swim) STR +1 DEX +0 CON +2 INT -4 WIS -3 CHA -4 AL N LV 2 Translucent: Nearly invisible in water - attacks against it have disadvantage. 4 ● Water: Knee-deep. Anyone observing the water for a few moments will notice small spots where it seems to move against the flow as the ooze swims around. ● Bones: Appear to be humanoid, completely clean. AREA 6: THE WATERFALL Water cascades out of a sludge-caked pipe in the ceiling and onto the ground. ● Water: Any uncovered torches will be doused when passing through this area and cannot be relit. ● Pipe: Too slick and too steep to climb. AREA 7: THE DRIPPING CAVES Irregular drips fall from dagger-like stalactites and land with a soft hiss. A corpse lies along the southern wall next to a fat backpack. ● Drips: Highly corrosive. DC 12 DEX or take 1d4 damage each round or when moving through the room. ● Corpse: Male dwarf, has been here for several months. Hole bored into the top of his skull. He has a staff in one hand and a polished piece of hardened black ooze in the other. It is one of the keys used in Area 12 to unlock Area 16. ● Backpack: In addition to a Scroll of Burning Hands, and a torch, roll 2d6 twice on the Random Gear Table in Appendix 1 to determine contents. AREA 8: THE OFFERING CHAMBER The center of this room is dominated by a raised pool of viscous green fluid that stews and boils. The scent burns your nostrils and makes your eyes water. Three crude bas-reliefs cover the south wall depicting a man being consumed by ooze. ● Pool: Filled with highly corrosive slime. Three offerings must be made in order to reveal the first part of the incantation needed to open the doors in Area 15: 1) Flesh - any living flesh, must cause at least 1 damage. 2) Bone - any bone. ⇨ 3) All - an entire living thing. Possibilities include a villager, a rat, a slime eater or even a PC. Bugs don’t count. Each offering lowers the level of slime in the pool. When the offerings are complete, the pool drains and the words are revealed on the bottom: “O Slime Lord, open the way before us; Dissolve us in thine glutinous glory”. The door to Area 15 also opens. The pool refills after 1 round. ● Bas reliefs: Scenes resemble the statues in Area 3. 5 AREA 9: THE FETID POOL A dank natural cavern with a low ceiling. The stench of rot wafts off of a pool of fetid water collecting in a shallow depression. The passage to the north is filled with dirt and stone piled nearly to the ceiling. ● Pool: Examining the pool will reveal that it is filled with mud and detritus. Searching for 1 round has a 2 in 6 chance of finding a random piece of gear from Appendix 1. ● Passage: Caved-in. Takes 15 PC-rounds to clear by hand or 10 with a shovel. 1 in 6 chance of another cave-in for each round - DC 12 DEX or 1d4 damage and restarts the effort to clear the passage. This cave-in will only happen once. ● Dirt: Scrap of paper is half-buried but visible. It reads “...f we can’t go back the way we came, someone will have to eat the orange sli…”. 6 AREA 10: THE SLIME EATERS Two human-sized centipedes along the northwest wall suck the slime from a collection of bleached bones. Behind them, a vaguely humanoid form is slumped on the floor. ● Centipedes: These creatures are Slime Eaters - long, multi-limbed monster arthropods that have adapted to the prey found in this dungeon. They ignore non-ooze creatures unless they come into close range. They can also smell any ooze or slime in near range and will follow it. The Slime Eaters retreat through cracks in the cave walls at ½ hp and return when the coast is clear. SLIME EATER AC 12 HP 14 ATK 1 bite +2 (1d8) MV near STR +1 DEX +2 CON +1 INT -3 WIS +1 CHA -3 AL N LV 3 Ooze-proof: Immune to poison and acid. ● Form: The skeleton of an unfortunate human female adventurer. Her pack is mostly dissolved but contains an intact straight peen hammer, a torch and burned scrap of paper that reads “..egendary weapon ...ced on the altar. We have the keys…” She wears a polished piece of hardened yellow ooze on a cord around her neck. It is one of the keys used in Area 12 to unlock Area 16. AREA 11: THE CONSUMPTION CHAMBER Murals carved into the wall depict scenes of ooze cultists gorging themselves on slime that runs out of their overfilled mouths and onto the floor. A clumpy, pale green statue of a robed figure stands with its back to the west wall. A stone bowl lies at its feet. ● Murals: Contain a series of strange, indecipherable runes. ● Statue: Holds an amphora from which a trickle of orange slime continuously flows into the bowl. ● Bowl: Filled with orange slime. The slime is mostly harmless, but consuming it causes severe hallucinations for 1d4 rounds. The walls seem to melt and flow and other peoples’ flesh turns into translucent jelly. The murals also come alive, and the formerly indecipherable runes form the first part of the incantation needed to open the doors in Area 15: “Consume us that we may consume; And fill us with thine viscous victuals”. Anyone consuming the slime must also make a DC 15 WIS. On failure they cannot maintain and must roll 1d4 on the following table: 1d4 Things That Happen When You’re Tripping Balls on Psychedelic Slime 1 2 3 4 You go berserk and attack the nearest person for 2 rounds. You run screaming out of the room, roll a Random Encounter. You’ll never be right in the head again. Permanent -1 to WIS. The boundary between you and the universe disappears. Permanent +1 to WIS. 7 AREA 12: THE ALTAR Four skeletons covered in a thin, green-tinted jelly stand at attention. They flank a rough-hewn, tri-color altar made of a shiny, semi-translucent substance. The walls are decorated with murals depicting a great battle and there is a metal door in the south wall. ● Skeletons: Attack anyone entering the room. One wields a bastard sword engraved with an onyx in the crossguard worth 25 gp. JELLIED SKELETON AC 11 HP 5 ATK 1 acidic touch +1 (1d4) or 1 bastard sword +1 (1d10) MV near STR +1 DEX +0 CON +1 INT -2 WIS +0 CHA -2 AL C LV 1 Jellied Undead: Immune to morale checks, poison and acid. ● Altar: Made of three, similarly-sized, dried slime cubes - yellow, black and gray. Always hot to the touch. When one of the chunks of hardened ooze found in Area 7, Area 10 or on The Collector is placed on the corresponding part of the altar, it will melt into the block. When all three have been melted, the door to Area 16 will open. ⇨ ● Murals: Various slime creatures prevailing against a human army led by a sinister-looking warrior wielding a large warhammer. ● Door: Locked. The key is in Area 4. Forcing the door requires a DC 18 STR (crowbar grants advantage). For each attempt roll a d3 on the Random Encounter table. AREA 13: THE ARMORY A couple of mostly-empty weapon racks and armor stands in an otherwise plain room. What items remain are dented, corroded and blunted. ● Weapon Racks: 2 usable spears and 1 usable shortsword. Everything else is damaged beyond use. ● Armor Stands: A badly damaged shirt of chainmail that functions as leather armor, and a horned helmet (see Trusty Helm, Appendix 3) that grants advantage to avoid damage from the corrosive drips in Area 7. AREA 14: THE DROP Coming from Area 15, there is a 40’ drop into a small round room. The walls sweat a thick, sticky mucus that runs down onto the floor. A body lies in a broken heap next to a frayed rope. ● Mucus: Inert but gross. Anyone covered in the mucus will not be attacked by Jellied Skeletons but will definitely be attacked by Slime Eaters. This effect lasts 4 rounds. Covering takes 1 round and the player must make a DC 12 CON or spend an additional round vomiting prodigiously. ● Body: Human female adventurer. There is a holy symbol of Madeera (see Slime-Proof Holy Symbol of Madeera, Appendix 3) around her neck and a knobbed mace ⇨ 8 attached to her belt. She wears a backpack - in addition to a healing potion, roll 2d6 twice on the Random Gear Table in Appendix 1 to determine contents. AREA 15: THE DOOR Massive double doors of tarnished bronze are flanked by sconces burning with low, flickering embers. Across the top is written “SPEAK DEVOTION TO THE SLIME LORD AND PASS”. Some worn letters or symbols have been scratched into the stone floor ● Doors: Decorated with reliefs that depict horrific scenes of cultists devouring and being dissolved by ooze. They will open when both parts of the incantation are spoken aloud in the room (found in Area 8 and Area 11): “O Slime Lord, open the way before us Dissolve us in thine glutinous glory Consume us that we may consume And fill us with thine viscous victuals” See The Door Opens below. ⇨ ● Sconces: Very firmly attached to the wall. Will continue to burn as long as they remain in place, otherwise they burn out in 30 minutes. ● Letters: Someone once scratched the entire incantation in the middle of the floor, but it was hastily removed. Only the first 2 or 3 letters of each line remain. ● There is a secret door to Area 8. Searching the walls next to the X’s on the map will reveal two stones that can be depressed. The door opens if they are pressed simultaneously, and slams closed immediately when one is released. ● The Door Opens: As soon as the incantation is spoken, Raka Ooku will appear in the hallway to the north, just outside the room. Roll initiative immediately - the door takes 3 combat rounds to open wide enough for the PCs to escape. Raka Ooku will not leave the dungeon but will remain in the room after the door has been opened. If the PCs escape, go to The Aftermath. RAKA OOKU - NECROTIC CUBE AC 11 HP 24 ATK 1 touch +4 (1d8 + engulf) MV near STR +3 DEX +1 CON +2 INT -4 WIS +1 CHA -4 AL C LV 5 Engulf DC 12 STR or become trapped inside the cube. Touch attack auto-hits engulfed targets each round. DC 12 STR on turn to escape. Necrotic: A creature who dies while engulfed becomes a Jellied Skeleton. Rubbery: Half damage from stabbing weapons. Skeletons: 1d3 Jellied Skeletons (Area 12) inside. Each round, 1:3 chance one escapes and enters combat. 9 AREA 16: THE HAMMER A warhammer is suspended in a cube of translucent, green-tinted gelatin that rests on a stone table in the middle of the room. Strange runes cover the walls. ● Warhammer: Marasoda, the Sludge Slayer. See Appendix 3. ● Cube: Extremely corrosive. Anyone reaching into it takes 1d6 damage. ● Runes: Anyone with a magical background will recognize that these are harmless but extremely vulgar insults and curses against ooze-fighting hero of legend, Domhnall O’Dunn. 10 AREA 17: THE PASSAGE The tunnel is trapped. A short passage dug through rock and dirt leads to a large cavern. Four wolves gnaw on bones or rest their hoary heads on their paws. Daylight pours through the passage to the west. ● Trapped: A thin wire stretches across the midpoint of the tunnel. If it is tripped, the tunnel collapses and anyone inside takes 1d4 damage and suffocates within 1 round. ● Wolves: Attack anyone passing through. Attempts to sneak past are made at disadvantage due to their keen senses. WOLF AC 12 HP 10 ATK 1 bite +2 (1d6) MV double near STR +2 DEX +2 CON +1 INT -2 WIS +1 CHA +0 AL N LV 2 Pack Hunter: Deals +1 damage while next to an ally. THE AFTERMATH If the PCs escape through the drain in Area 4 or cave in Area 17 they are not pursued and are free to live their lives or perhaps seek revenge on the cult. Most importantly, they gain their first level and become adventurers with a built-in, slime-centric backstory. If the PCs escape through the doors in Area 15. They are greeted by a crowd of two dozen or so ooze cultists, disfigured and grim. Many have melted faces and some have hands or feet that have been dissolved to the bone. All are silent save one, who pronounces the Boon of the Slime Lord (see Appendix 3) on each survivor. The PCs are allowed to leave, and also gain their first level as well as the harrowing tale of how they earned it. THIS ENDS THE TRIAL OF THE SLIME LORD. 11 1 SQUARE= 5 FEET 12 APPENDIX 1: RANDOM GEAR TABLE Any item found on the table has a 1 in 6 chance of breaking when used. Random Gear (Roll 1d20 unless otherwise stated) 1 Bitten by a venomous spider or snake. DC12 CON or die. 2 Metal spoon 3 Empty flask or bottle 4 Flint and steel 5 Lantern 6 Iron spike 7 Torch 8 Rope, 60' 9 Oil flask 10 Pole 11 Grappling hook 12 1d4 arrows 13 1d10 GP 14 1d10 SP 15 Pot lid, barrel top or something similar that can be used as a shield. 16 Chair leg, spent torch or something similar that can be used as a club 17 Dagger 18 Small shovel 19 Crowbar 20 Shortbow 13 APPENDIX 2: RANDOM VILLAGERS 3d8 Scabrous Yokels Who Are Probably Gonna End Up Dissolved in Some Kind of Slime Name Temperament Occupation 1 Brogan (BRO gawn) Careful Accountant 2 Ana (A na) Deceitful Bowyer 3 Fionn (FYUN) Greedy Fisherman 4 Deirdre (DAIR dreh) Helpful Haberdasher 5 Osgar (US gar) Inquisitive Miner 6 Ide (EE deh) Logical Tailor 7 Ruarc (ROO ark) Protective Sage 8 Teafa (TYEF a) Treacherous Smith APPENDIX 3: MAGIC ITEMS ● Boon of the Slime Lord: When anyone with this boon encounters an ooze or slime-related creature, they may make a reaction roll and add 4 to the result in addition to any other bonuses. On a modified result of 12 or greater, the creature is charmed for 1d4 rounds. ● Marasoda, the Sludge Slayer: This indestructible magic warhammer has a broad head carved with intricate geometric patterns and an ironwood haft. It does triple damage against oozes and slimes. It was wielded by the ooze-fighting hero Domhnall O’Dunn. He was eventually murdered by the cult, who then stole the hammer and hid it away. ● Slime-Proof Holy Symbol of Madeera: This holy symbol is made of brightly polished brass that will never tarnish. It has been specially blessed to repel oozes and slimes in near range. Any lawful character may make a DC 11 WIS spellcasting check to rebuke such creatures, forcing them to flee. Targets must make a CHA check opposed by the spellcasting check or flee from for 5 rounds. On a failed spellcasting check, the symbol cannot be used again until the next day. ● The Trusty Helm: A dented but sound steel spangenhelm with two great, black-tipped aurochs horns. Whenever anyone wearing this helmet is hit with a critical hit, the damage will never take them below 1 hp. 14 APPENDIX 4: HANDOUTS Note found in Area 1: ...told us that not all the slime is bad, and some can be eaten for… Note found in Area 3: …don’t think we could live with ourselves if we made the third offering. Besides, what living things could we find down there? Note found in Area 9: ...if we can’t go back the way we came, someone will have to eat the orange sli… Note found in Area 10: ...egendary weapon ...ced on the altar. We have the keys… 15 APPENDIX 5: Monster & NPC Stats JELLIED SKELETON AC 11 HP 5 ATK 1 acidic touch +1 (1d4) or 1 bastard sword +1 (1d10) MV near STR +1 DEX +0 CON +1 INT -2 WIS +0 CHA -2 AL C LV 1 Jellied Undead: Immune to morale checks, poison and acid. RAKA OOKU - NECROTIC CUBE AC 11 HP 24 ATK 1 touch +4 (1d8 + engulf) MV near STR +3 DEX +1 CON +2 INT -4 WIS +1 CHA -4 AL C LV 5 Engulf DC 12 STR or become trapped inside the cube. Touch attack auto-hits engulfed targets each round. DC 12 STR on turn to escape. Necrotic: A creature who dies while engulfed becomes a Jellied Skeleton. Rubbery: Half damage from stabbing weapons. Skeletons: 1d3 Jellied Skeletons (Area 12) inside. Each round, 1:3 chance one escapes and enters combat. SLIME EATER AC 12 HP 14 ATK 1 bite +2 (1d8) MV near STR +1 DEX +2 CON +1 INT -3 WIS +1 CHA -3 AL N LV 3 Ooze-proof: Immune to poison and acid. THE COLLECTOR AC 13 HP 10 ATK 1 dagger +3 (1d4) MV near STR +0 DEX +3 CON +1 INT -1 WIS +1 CHA -2 AL C LV 2 Stealthy: Once per day The Collector can turn invisible for 3 rounds. TRANSLUCENT OOZE AC 9 HP 11 ATK 1 pseudopod +1 (1d6) MV near (swim) STR +1 DEX +0 CON +2 INT -4 WIS -3 CHA -4 AL N LV 2 Translucent: Nearly invisible in water - attacks against it have disadvantage. VILLAGER AC 10 HP 1 ATK 1 feeble slap +0 (1) MV near STR +0 DEX +0 CON +0 INT +0 WIS +0 CHA +0 AL N LV 0 16 THE LAST PAGE Trial of the Slime Lord, © 2023, 2024 Jordan Rudd Design, writing, map and layout by Jordan Rudd. https://jordanrudd.itch.io/ Art by Jeri Honeywell jerihoneywell@gmail.com Big thanks to the playtesters from the Shadowdark Discord: DefiantDrew, Glorwin, Greywolf, RuRi and Śraddhāpa. Torn paper image on pager 13 by rawpixel.com on Freepik https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/abstract-washi-tape-clipart-colorful-pastel-patt erned-design_20775415.htm Trial of the Slime Lord is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC. 17