DMDave - Dungeons & Lairs 43 - Vampire Undercroft - Free Version
DMDave - Dungeons & Lairs 43 - Vampire Undercroft - Free Version
VAMPIRE UNDERCROFT
Vampire Undercroft is a Fifth Edition plug-in CREDITS
adventure for four characters with an average The following creators made this adventure
party level (APL) of 8, 11, 14, or 17. This doc- possible:
ument offers details for the 8th-level version. Design and Writing. DMDave and Alexander
For the full adjustments for all level ranges, sign LeFort of Tavern Tales
up for the DMDave Patreon. In the bowels of Cartography. DMDave with Forgotten Adven-
a flying castle, a cursed vampire has made his tures
lair. If the characters want to clear the area of Artwork. Darryl T. Jones, Dean Spencer, Ma-
evil, they must contend not only with him but tias Lazaro, Nacho Lazaro
the other guardians of the undercroft.
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In Tovin’s later years, he grew fiercely paranoid. When Harwick discovered the bodies, he collapsed
He believed that assassins followed him wherever he in grief. A message from his mother told him to find
went. Eventually, Tovin used powerful transmutation a way to escape the castle and that he was still free
magic to lift his castle into the skies above the coun- to live his life. But Harwick only ever knew the cas-
tryside. He secured the flying island with magical tle. Without his mother to guide him, he felt hope-
guardians and tamed wyverns. Even still, these less. So Harwick, too, drank the poison that killed
extreme precautions did not assuage his fears. his parents.
Gertrude and Harwick became weary. They both Despite the death of Tovin and his family, the
wanted to leave the castle and begged Tovin to free castle continued to drift over the Venomous Forest.
them. Tovin refused, believing that their doom lay Decades passed. The castle fell into ruin, but the
on the ground. He threatened to lock them in the magic that kept it aloft stayed strong. Today, the fly-
dungeons below the castle. Knowing that she and ing castle is a point of great interest among adven-
her son were no match for Tovin’s arcane might, turers and thrill-seekers. Rumors persist that great
Gertrude devised a plan. treasures still hide within the castle’s secret vaults.
One night, Gertrude entered the chambers, claim- Of course, Tovin’s magical servants still guard the
ing that she had a change of heart. She told Tovin castle. And the wyverns that were once under the
she was wrong to doubt his powers. Pouring two wizard’s control prowl the skies, fiercely defending it
glasses of wine, she proposed a toast to the family’s from anyone who tries to approach.
continued prosperity within the halls of the flying
castle. Ever paranoid, Tovin refused to drink the Adventure Hooks
wine unless Gertrude drank it first. Reluctantly, she If you don’t have a reason for the characters to in-
did, smiling. Tovin followed suit. Moments later, the vestigate the flying ruins, a table included in the full
two were dead from the poison that Gertrude put in adventure offers some ideas.
their cups.
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Keyed Locations The crates in this room used to hold extra rations
for the castle that long ago rotted away to dust.
The map on page 6 shows the locations of the areas Leandro destroyed some of the crates during one of
detailed below. his drunken rages.
V1. Wine Cellar V3. Interrogation Room
The door to this room is locked. It can be opened
Wine racks, half empty, line the north and with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check using
west walls of this cellar. Several casks are thieves’ tools, a DC 22 Strength (Athletics) check,
stacked atop each other against the south or the key found on Leandro’s person. When the
wall. The floor is littered with broken glass characters enter, read aloud:
and stained with spilled wine.
This room is little bigger than a closet. It is
To Leandro’s luck, much of the contents of the filled with a small circular wooden table and
wine cellar remained untouched after the castle’s two matching chairs. A man sits at the table,
abandonment. He has been consuming its contents his hands manacled to some unseen anchor
one bottle at a time. point below.
Treasure: Rare Vintages. There are approximately
five dozen remaining bottles in the cellar, most of This room was originally used for storage, but
which have a value of only a few gold pieces each. Leandro repurposed it to serve as an interrogation
Three bottles, however, are particularlyrare vintages room.
and would sell to the right buyer for 150 gp each. A Hashar the Captive. The man manacled to the
character who investigates the wine cellar and who table is Hashar, a native of the nearby village of
makes a successful DC 16 Intelligence (Investiga- Darkwell who was captured by Leandro while out on
tion) check can identify the rare bottles. a hunt beyond the borders of the village (LN human
commoner). Hashar has a curly mess of black hair,
V2. Storage
grey-speckled stubble, and a left eye that wanders
The south door to this room is protected by a mag- independently of his right. He is grateful that the
ical ward that was placed by Leandro. A character party might free him and can share with them how
inspecting the door who makes a successful DC he was captured by Leandro as well as the following
20 Wisdom (Perception) check notices the ward. information:
The ward activates when any creature other than
▶ Leandro was going to feast on him but kept him
Leandro touches the door in any way. It functions
alive when he learned that Hashar sometimes per-
similarly to the glyph of warding spell with an explo-
forms manual labor for Sorcha, Isobella’s mother,
sive runes effect. The ward’s DCs and damage are
at her estate on the outskirts of the village.
determined by the level of the adventure, as shown
▶ Leandro asked Hashar if Sorcha ever spoke about
on the table below.
him. Hashar has no awareness of what Leandro
Dispel Dexterity might be talking about and never heard Sorcha
Version Difficulty Save Damage speak of Leandro.
8 DC 15 DC 15 27 (5d10) ▶ Leandro is not in his right mind and believes that
lightning Hashar was planted by Sorcha or knows some-
thing about Sorcha that he is keeping from Lean-
11+ Available in the full version dro. He returns to the room every day to interro-
gate Hashar, but Hashar has no more information
When the characters enter the room, read aloud to provide.
the following:
▶ Hashar believes Leandro will kill him soon.
A number of crates, some of which have been Leandro can be freed from his manacles with a
smashed to pieces, line the walls of this room. successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves’
A stone staircase in the northeast corner rises tools, a DC 22 Strength (Athletics) check, or the
to the castle above. A hallway extends to the key found on Leandro’s person. If freed, he asks
north. the characters for their help in escaping the flying
castle.
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crypt’s occupants depends on the level of the ad- V5. Hidden Corridor
venture, as shown in the table below. A secret door connects this corridor to the adjacent
Version Creatures treasury. A ladder at the east end of the corridor
rises to a trap door in the ceiling above.
8 four wights
11+ Available in the full version
V6. Secret Treasury
Treasure: Sarcophagi. Tovin buried each of his Several open and empty chests are scattered
test subjects with a piece of his jewelry as a show about this otherwise bare chamber. Portions
of gratitude for their service. Every sarcophagus of the south and east walls have given way to
contains a single piece of jewelry such as a ring, reveal natural stone tunnels beyond.
necklace, or brooch. There are ten pieces total, each
averaging approximately 50 gp in value. Tovin the Disfigured used this secret treasury to
Secret Passageway. Thecollapsed rubble of the store much of his wealth. The treasury is now emp-
south wall conceals a small tunnel that leads to Le- ty, however, due to a faction of hungry xorn that
andro’s lair. A character who makes a successful DC live in the stone and earth below and surrounding
12 Wisdom (Perception) check notices a suspicious- the castle and its undercroft, who ate through the
ly placed boulder that, when pushed aside, reveals locks on the chests and indulged themselves in the
the chamber beyond. treasure held within them. The stone tunnels that
Secret Doors. A secret door at the north end of connect to this chamber were dug by the wyverns
the crypts connects to a hidden corridor that leads that surround the castle, who were hoping to create
toward the undercroft’s secret treasury. A second a burrowed nest for themselves, but turned back
secret door at the back of one of the alcoves also when they hit the treasury and were scared off by
connects to the secret treasury. the golem(s). The tunnels connect to other areas of
the castle and the surrounding rock.
Encounter: Treasury Guardian. Tovin built a guard-
ian to protect the treasury. The xorn, however,
with their ability to meld through stone, were able
to gradually consume all of the treasure within the
treasury without alerting the guardian(s). The guard-
ian(s) now watches over an empty treasury, un-
aware of the theft. It attacks/they attack any living
creatures that enter. The nature of the guardian(s)
depends on the level of the adventure, as shown on
the table below.
Version Creatures
8 a stone golem
11+ Available in the full version
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Other Dungeons & Lairs Adventures
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #1: Skeleton Tomb ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #22: Haunted Castle
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #2: Kobold Tunnels ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #23: Ethereal Plane
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #3: Archmage Stronghold ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #24: Flesh Golem Laboratory
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #4: Animated Objects ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #25: Pazuzu’s Aerie
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #5: Banshee Tower ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #26: Vampire Church
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #6: Basilisk Canyon ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #27: White Dragon Cavern
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #7: Aboleth Cave ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #28: Ninja Clan Hold
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #8: Crawler Chasm ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #29: Minotaur Maze
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #9: Mummy Lord’s Pyramid ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #30: Owlbear Wood
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #10: Depth Watcher’s Pool ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #31: Mimic Museum
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #11: Dread Knight’s Oubliette ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #32: Oni Palace
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #12: Shadow Cat Gully ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #33: Rust Monster Mine
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #13: Dragon Turtle Shipwreck ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #34: Revenant Ghost Ship
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #14: Fey Dragon Forest ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #35: Sphinx Pyramid
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #15: Fungus Grotto ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #36: Shadow Hotel
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #16: Ophidian Monastery ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #37: Salamander Forge
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #17: Night Hag Gallery ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #38: Treant Grove
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #18: Darkmantle Space Freighter ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #39: Troll Bridge
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #19: Griffon Nest ▶ Dungeons & Lairs #40: Unicorn Island
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #20: Lich Tower
▶ Dungeons & Lairs #21: Werewolf Village ▶ Dark Domains I: Lost Reliquary
▶ Dark Domains II: The Haunted Mine
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