Caverns of The Spore Lord FINAL Zismpm
Caverns of The Spore Lord FINAL Zismpm
System Reference Document 5.1: This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”)
by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at
https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document
The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
Tales of the Valiant, the Tales of the Valiant logo, and Kobold Press are trademarks of Open Design LLC.
©2023 Open Design LLC. All rights reserved.
www.koboldpress.com
PO Box 2811 | Kirkland, WA 98083
The PCs must overcome the sporeborn that infest the Also, monsters, like owlbears, are presented in bold as are
caverns and convince the insular mycolid residents of NPCs, like druids. Full statistics for them are in Tales of the
Bellgrove to trust them. With support from the mycolids, Valiant Alpha Release. Item values are called out as follows:
they can delve into the cave complex, save the mycolids’ (100 gp), where pp = platinum pieces, gp = gold pieces,
leader, and possibly uncover the cause of the plague. sp = silver pieces, and cp = copper pieces. And ability
scores are truncated to the first three letters: for example,
Charisma = CHA.
USING THIS ADVENTURE
This adventure is not designed to be read as a story. It is Example Ability Check. Purple-spotted mushrooms grow
designed to help you build a story with your players. Every in clusters: DC 10 INT (Nature) to know they are bitter but
effort has been made to make this document easy to use edible. This indicates that a PC’s roll must meet or exceed
in play—without hours of preparation beforehand and 10 on an Intelligence (Nature) check to know the noted
without getting in the way of your preferred style of delivery. information. If there is a consequence for failing an ability
check, beyond not succeeding, the callout for the check will
Text that looks like this is meant to convey the PCs' initial note what it is.
impressions of an area or creature. Feel free to build on
Example Saving Throw. PCs that drink river water risk an
these descriptions.
upset stomach: DC 13 CON save or poisoned for an hour.
This indicates that a PC’s save must meet or exceed 10 in
Text that looks like this is meant to be read aloud to the players. order to prevent becoming poisoned for an hour.
Each hour the PCs spend exploring the village or the area LONGHOUSE
outside the caverns, roll 1d20. On a result of 17–18, roll
1d6 and consult the Random Encounters: Hulgig and Center of town. Twice the size of the other houses. Friendly
Environs table to see what the PCs encounter. On a result blue with navy trim.
of 19–20, roll 1d8 instead.
In the town’s center, there is a longhouse, painted blue and
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS: HULGIG AND ENVIRONS trimmed in navy. Well-trodden paths lead to this place. Once, it
d8 ENCOUNTER was surely vital to this town. Now the windows are shuttered.
1 1d6 feral wolves, with slavering jaws and protruding ribs, Neither light nor voice dwell in this place any longer.
seek an easy meal.
2 1d8 sporeborn skullblooms rush toward the nearest PC
Before the troubles, it served as the settlement’s meeting
to mindlessly batter them.
place, inn, tavern, hospital, and place of worship.
3 A sporeborn bloatblossom shuffles into range.
Getting Inside. The building is large enough to just barely
4 1d4 terrified commoners pass by, dragging an infected house every Hulgig resident for a short time.
commoner (four levels of exhaustion) back to Hulgig.
Doors are wedged shut, and heavy furniture blocks the
5 1d4 giant rats and their offspring (one swarm of rats)
windows:
erupt from a fallen skullbloom, chittering and hissing.
6 An injured owlbear (58 HP) lopes around the corner. It is
• To force doors: DC 20 STR (Athletics) check.
missing patches of fur and feathers and dotted with livid, • To slip in window: DC 15 DEX (Acrobatics) check.
fungus-crusted scabs. It flinches at loud sounds and is
frightened until the end of its next turn if it takes thunder Merwyck (druid), the settlement’s spiritual leader,
damage or if a creature succeeds on a DC 11 CHA is holed up in the longhouse with eight human
(Intimidation) check while yelling or making loud noises. villagers (commoners) and his mastiff Shelby who is
7 A playful, invisible sprite named Moghti ties a PC’s unquestioningly loyal and obedient to Merwyck.
bootlaces together or loosens the straps on saddlebags Villagers. Ansel, Daffid (see sidebar), Dolst, Friedeth,
or some pack. Parleys with PCs if caught. DC 11 CHA Morgul, Penny, Rybeckia, and Wilm. Exhausted and
(Persuasion) check to gain their assistance (advantage on
terrified. Obey Merwyck’s commands. Flee if endangered.
check if PCs offer one of their possessions as a gift). Flees
if injured.
8 Eris Spetz (see sidebar), a fanatic cultist of Qorgeth,
camps outside Hulgig. Ignored by the sporeborn.
The mountain wind jingles a cheery bell atop this humble, ABANDONED HOUSES
two‑story shop, painted yellow and trimmed in green. The
Monster-occupied houses are smeared with blood and
windows of this shop are unshuttered, and the porch is swept.
littered with debris. If the PCs enter any of the houses,
roll 1d6. On a result of 5–6 there are 1d4 sporeborn
Kaille (guard) and her husband Stu (commoner) refuse skullblooms inside.
to leave their general store. The store remains open for Searching a house takes 30 minutes. Roll 1d20 and consult
business, despite low stock and roaming sporeborn. Their the Loot: Abandoned House table to determine what they
daughter Hylea (commoner) and a villager, Jurik (cultist), find. Items with an asterisk (*) can only be found once.
are with them. When sporeborn approach, Kaille secures
the door. Kaille and Stu want to survive and profit:
• The water in their barrel is brackish but untainted:
DC 10 WIS (Survival) check.
• They have enough food and water (stored in the back MERWYCK
room) to keep the four people in the building alive for (HE/HIM, SMALLFOLK/GNOME DRUID)
five days. Pale-green eyes and deeply furrowed brow. Balding
• They won’t willingly sell or part with food or water. with long fringe of copper hair. Thin voice. Wears dun
woolen robes covered in dog fur. Sprig of rosemary
pinned to his breast. Carries a staff wrapped in petrified
DAFFID (HE/HIM, CULTIST OF QORGETH) blackberry bramble.
Blue-eyed blonde. Square jaw. Unnaturally white teeth. Personality Traits: Aloof. Cynical. Loves dogs.
Knows both settlements well.
Personality Traits: Resistant to leaving the
longhouse (flees if attacked). Bonds: His dog Shelby. He won’t abandon his people.
Bond: Demon Lord Qorgeth. Jurik (fellow cultist Flaws: Always suspects the worst of outsiders.
located in Lots of Lots). Eris (fellow cultist camped Wants: To make his community safe. The return of
outside Hulgig). the silvered sickle he dropped down the well (buried
Flaws: Gets excited when hearing about or discussing under debris in Area 7).
sporeborn: DC 12 WIS (Insight) check. Only eats and Talking to Merwyck: Waive the Charisma check (if
drinks from his own pack: DC 11 WIS (Perception) one is indicated)— if the PCs return Merwyck’s sickle
check. Visible partial tattoo is symbol of Qorgeth (a to him, escort any rescued villagers to the longhouse, or
demon lord): DC 15 INT (Religion) check. establish a mutual love of dogs. He knows the following:
Wants: Merwyck and the villagers to leave and seek • Allows entry or space to rest in the longhouse: DC
safety elsewhere. To find Jurik and a place of safety. 13 CHA (Persuasion) check.
Talking to Daffid: If discovered and threatened, DC • Has enough food and water for everyone for two
11 CHA (Intimidation) check, he reveals the following: more days (can be expanded to three days if Daffid’s
• Eris is the ringleader of a plot to turn the villagers personal supply is added).
into infectious carriers of virulent spores. She is • Hasn’t had contact with the mycolids of Bellgrove
observing from outside Hulgig. since the troubles started. Doesn’t know if they’re
• He and his partner, Jurik (cultist located in Lots of affected. Suspects they are responsible.
Lots), were separated earlier. His pack has enough • Provides spellcasting services: DC 13 CHA
food and water to sustain both cultists for a week. (Persuasion) check.
• This outbreak is a test run for a bigger one in a more • Villagers started transforming into sporeborn less
heavily populated area. than two days ago.
• Two kinds of sporeborn are present: bloatblossoms Alteration: Merwyck has lesser restoration prepared in
and skullblooms. place of barkskin.
2. Trapped Cavern
Reaching, spear-impaled skullblooms. Corpse reek hangs
heavy in the air.
6. Bellgrove
Desperate mycolids. Giant mushroom homes. Stinking
compost piles.
7. Dumpsite
Festering refuse. Nauseating tang of decay. Thundering river.
SPECIALIZED MUSHROOMS
Water thunders through a lightless passage. The illusory wall shimmers away like the mist from the
cascading cave river. Behind the wall is a hallowed grotto,
The river moves fast, and hollow coves open on either housing a stone coffin flanked by statues of genuflecting gnomes.
side of it:
• Waterborne vehicles pinball from wall to wall: DC 14 A pick-shaped indentation marks the center of the coffin’s
STR (Athletics) or DEX (Acrobatics) check to remain lid. If a war pick or pickaxe is placed in the indentation, it
seated. disappears and is replaced with a diamond (150 gp):
• A foot-wide slick path stretches along the southern • To open the coffin: DC 20 STR (Athletics) check. T he
wall: DC 13 DEX (Acrobatics) check to move 30 feet. warding (see below) effect ends and a pegasus (100 HP)
materializes. It attacks until the PCs leave the chamber.
FROM HERE . . .
Northeast. A slick, foot-wide ledge provides access to
Hero’s Rest (see Area 9), hidden behind an illusion
of tunnel wall:
• To maintain balance: DC 13 DEX (Acrobatics) check.
• To pierce illusion: DC 15 INT (Investigation) check
while examining the wall.
Southeast. A gelatinous cube rests in this alcove.
It doesn’t want to share its space:
• A suit of +1 studded leather and 4d6 gp is suspended
within the creature. The items look as though they are
lying on the floor.
Southwest. An empty alcove. Safe for resting.
West. Fungal garden (see Area 10).
UNDERGROUND RIVER
A fast, frigid river runs through the dungeon from east
to west. It can be accessed from Areas 7, 8, and 9. It 12 STR (Athletics) check each round. A PC that fails
terminates in Area 10: three consecutive checks to row the boat gains a
• Swimming: Requires a DC 12 STR (Athletics) check each level of exhaustion.
minute. A PC that fails the check begins drowning. PCs
that attempt to swim east, against the current, make the Travel beyond the river source is beyond the scope of this
check each round. A character that spends more than 5 adventure. If the PCs insist, let them travel a little way past
minutes in the water must make a DC 14 CON save or the mouth of the river to discover a mated pair of young
gain a level of exhaustion. black dragons. Broadcast the danger with fearsome roars
• Boating: If the PCs procure a waterborne vehicle (such echoing down the waterway, ominous scratches in the
as a rowboat from Loot: Abandoned House table or a tunnel walls, and piles of dragon spoor on the narrow banks:
skiffletop mushroom from Area 6), it travels westward DC 13 INT (Arcana) or WIS (Survival) check to identify. The
at 60 feet per round. Rowing upstream requires a DC dragons fight if provoked, but don’t pursue PCs.
FROM HERE . . .
South. Gloomy waterway (see Area 8).
COLLAPSING CEILING
DISEASES & HAZARDS Trap (Mechanical)
The world past those comforting doors is not always on This trap uses a trip wire to collapse supports that keep an
your side. There will be obstacles on your journey, and you unstable 10-foot-by-10-foot section of ceiling in place.
must be prepared.
Trigger: A creature moves through the trap’s space,
APOCALYPTIC FUNGUS tripping the wire.
Disease Effects: When triggered, creatures standing in the trap’s
An infectious disease transmitted via fungal spores. affected area must make a DC 15 DEX save, taking 22
Infected creatures become irritable and sensitive to noise. (4d10) bludgeoning damage on a failure or half as much
In the final stages, fibrous fungal growths sprout from the on a success. Once triggered, the trap’s area is covered in
skin—particularly around the cranium. If left untreated, rubble and is considered difficult terrain.
infected creatures turn into sporeborn skullblooms. Resolution: The trap can be avoided if spotted before it is
Trigger: A humanoid that ingests food or water triggered: DC 10 WIS (Perception) check. The trap can
contaminated with the spores of the apocalyptic fungus, be disarmed before it is triggered: DC 15 DEX check,
breathes in the spores, or is bitten by an infected creature disadvantage if made without thieves’ tools.
must make a DC 12 CON save or become infected.
HANGING NET
Effects: An infected target can’t regain hit points and
when it finishes a long rest must make a DC 15 CON Trap (Mechanical)
save or gain two levels of exhaustion. When the infected This trap uses a trip wire to hoist a 10-foot-by-10-foot net
target reaches the sixth level of exhaustion, it does and any creatures standing atop it into the air.
not die but instead becomes a skullbloom, at which Trigger: A creature moves through the trap’s space,
point no mundane or magical healing can return the tripping the wire.
creature to its former state. If a humanoid infected with
apocalyptic fungal spores is killed, it rises an hour later as Effects: When triggered, creatures standing in the trap’s
a skullbloom. affected area must make a DC 15 DEX save or become
prone and restrained as the net hoists them, dangling 10
Resolution: Pre-transformation, the fungal infection feet in the air. Once triggered, a creature can use their
can only be cured by the lesser restoration spell or action to free themselves or a trapped creature: DC 20
similar magic. STR (Athletics) check to pull net apart, DC 20 DEX
(Acrobatics) to slip out, or 5 slashing or fire damage dealt
to the net (AC 10, 20 HP).
MAGIC ITEMS
Many are the treasures you’ll find along your journeys. Resolution: The trap can be avoided if spotted before it is
Snatch them up and guard them close, for they might triggered: DC 10 WIS (Perception) check. The trap can
someday save your life. be disarmed before it is triggered: DC 15 DEX check,
disadvantage if made without thieves’ tools.
Kylana’s Water Purifier
Wondrous Item, Rare
This device looks like a tiny water barrel made of metal
bands. Fine steel mesh caps one end.
When you place the purifier in a body of water, the water is
rendered free of poisons, diseases, and impurities. It takes
an hour to purify 100 gallons of water.
A creature that drinks water purified by this device for
three consecutive days is cured of any diseases, magical
blindness, or magical deafness it is suffering from.