Twenty Random Ancient Monuments

Here is a list of twenty randomly generated monuments. Bookmark this page to pull some up
during your game next time you want to spice up a battle.

1. Marble unholy tree of undeath: All creatures receive half healing from healing effects.
2. Shattered undead shrine of blessings: All creatures can add +1d4 to all d20 rolls.
3. Decorated shadowy tomb of holy light: The melee and ranged attacks of all living
creatures gain +1d4 radiant damage per 5 CR.
4. Floating feyish barrow of the berserker: All melee attacks gain +5 damage.
5. Obsidian giant fossil of arcane protection: Any spellcaster gains +2 to AC.
6. Glyphed astral battlefield of antimagic: All creatures have disadvantage on magic attack
rolls, and have advantage on saving throws vs. magic.
7. Runed nightmarish stone circle of vengeance: Creatures gain +2 to attack and damage
against creatures within five feet of an ally.
8. Half-buried elven carved rock of empowerment: All magic weapons and armor gain an
additional +1.
9. Spiked elemental fountain of flames: All creatures add 1d4 fire damage to non-magical
melee or ranged attacks per 5 CR.
10.Metallic goblinoid meteorite of screams: All creatures have disadvantage on int, wis, or
cha saving throws.
11.Ornate divine mausoleum of searing beams: Any creature that ends its turn and hasn't
moved 15 feet takes 5 damage per tier.
12.Glowing dwarven monolith of the beast: All creatures have +2 to melee attack rolls but
are -2 to AC.
13.Spined orcish podium of fury: All creatures have advantage on melee attacks.
14.Ivy-covered ethereal fossil of weakness: All creatures have disadvantage on str, dex, or
con saving throws.
15.Ancient gnomish statue of thunderbolts: All creatures add 1d4 lightning damage to non-
magical melee or ranged attacks per 5 CR.
16.Crumbling abyssal archway of sundering: All creatures are -4 to AC.
17.Cracked natural well of enervation: All creatures have disadvantage on melee attacks.
18.Pristine cyclopean cairn of fog: All creatures have disadvantage on ranged attacks.
19.Ruined ghoulish pillar of speed: All creatures have double movement speed and can
take one extra melee attack per turn.
20.Charred aberrant throne of poison: All creatures add 1d4 poison damage to non-magical
melee or ranged attacks per 5 CR.
Ancient Monuments in Your D&D Game
As we discussed in Unhallowed Pillars, we can add interesting magical artifacts to our
standard combat encounters and adventure locations. While we don't want to use them all the
time, these ancient monuments can add spice to our game. Like relics, ancient monuments are
intended to show a glimpse of the power that used to exist in the world, a magic now forgotten.
When randomly selected, they add a bit of flavor to the game that even you, the DM, didn't see
ahead of time. Or you can flavor them specifically to give your players a deeper knowledge of
the world in which they adventure.
Monumental Effects
The effects of the monuments occur zone-wide. If you're reasonably close to the monument,
you're affected by it. Effects are always on.

Monuments can be deactivated or destroyed with two successful skill checks taken as a
standard action. Potential skills include athletics, arcana, or religion. The DC to deactivate a
monument is between 10 and 20, often 15.

Artifacts of Deviltry
The unhallowed pillars are the constructs of devils and their dark priests. They are pillars
infused with unholy energy drawn from terrible sacrilegious rights. The results are pillars that
radiate unholy energy in the chamber of a powerful devil or dark priest. They can even be used
to inject unholy energy into the animated dead of a once holy place.

Mechanics of the Unhallowed Pillars

Each pillar has a particular effect tied to it. Destroying a pillar can be done with a number of
potential actions. Here are the general mechanics:

•Each pillar has a challenge rating (CR) roughly equivalent to 1/2 the PC's level, round
down.
•Each pillar has an AC of 10 and 10 hit points per CR. Inflicting enough damage to a
pillar destroys it.
•Each pillar can also be destroyed with two skill checks, one per round. The DC is 10 +
the pillar's CR. These can be Strength (Athletics), Intelligence (Arcana), or Intelligence
(Religion).
•Each check requires an action. A PC can do so recklessly as a bonus action instead but
the DC increases by two and the PC takes 1d10 per CR on a failure.

You can choose a number of potential effects a pillar might have. Here are two examples.

•The Unhallowed Pillar of Fear emanates an aura of fear and hopelessness. Each PC that
enters or begins their turn within sight of the pillar must make a charisma saving throw
of 10 + the CR of the pillar. On a failure, the PC has disadvantage on all attacks and
checks. The PC may make this check at the end of each of its turns. Once it succeeds, it
cannot be affected again for 24 hours.

•The Unhallowed Pillar of Dark Resistance emanates an aura of protection for fiends,
aberrations, and undead. Any fiend, aberration, or undead creature within sight of the
pillar has resistance to all damage.
Attunement
Each pillar can be attuned to one particular creature of great power. If that creature fails a
saving throw, it can choose to draw the energy of the pillar to succeed on the saving throw
instead. The attuned creature can likewise disrupt a spell or effect that targets the attuned
creature. Doing either of these things destroys the pillar.

This ability opens up more options for a battle. PCs who cast powerful spells or effects won't
feel their spell is wasted if it destroys one of these nasty pillars. We DMs won't feel screwed
when our big bad devil is targeted with a Banishment and fails the saving throw.

Twenty Random Lost Monuments of Chult

Here is a list of twenty randomly generated monuments. Refresh this page for a new set or
bookmark it to add some texture to the random encounters and hex crawl in Tomb of
Annihilation. Use these random monuments as inspiration to build fantastic monuments in
your own game. Choose and customize random monuments that make sense for the characters
and the story of your shared adventure. Add your own effects or tie secrets and clues to the
monument based on the description to add new spice to the scene.

1. Gore-covered frosty barrow of Dendar the Night Serpent

2. Metallic trapped statue of Papazotl the eblis
3. Sunken poisonous carving of Ubtao
4. Floating antimagical altar of the Taxabi
5. Shattered diseased obelisk of Nangnang the grung
6. Decorated sleep-inducing fountain of the Pterafolk
7. Cracked thunderous cairn of the Batiri
8. Ancient acidic ship of Dendar
9. Excavated oozing pillar of Obo'laka the zorbo
10.Ivy-covered charming tree of Myrkul
11.Obsidian maddening skull of the Pterafolk
12.Desecrated watery tomb of Ras Nsi
13.Ornate fiery shrine of the Yuan-ti
14.Pristine radiant ruin of Kubazan the froghemoth
15.Glyphed dominating throne of Wongo the su-monster
16.Runed psychic stone circle of I'jin the almiraj
17.Crumbling necrotic tower of Ras Nsi
18.Buried arcane rock of the Aarakokra
19.Ruined fearful pool of the Yuan-ti
20.Bloody lightning effigy of Shagambi the kamadan
Keep Your Own List On Hand
The random monuments above were generated from the following list. You can print this table
and use it as a bookmark in your Tomb of Annihilation book, using it whenever you think a
monument might add some fun exploration to the game.

d20
Condition Effect Type Origin
roll
1 Crumbling Necrotic Pillar of Ubtao
2 Sunken Fiery Pool of Dendar
3 Pristine Madening Shrine of Ras Nsi
4 Excavated Watery Tree of Myrkul
5 Ivy-covered Radiant Ruin of the Aarakokra
6 Ruined Arcane Cairn of the Batiri
7 Cracked Poisonous Statue of the Grung
8 Shattered Acidic Barrow of the Taxabi
9 Buried Diseased Effigy of the Pterafolk
Gore-
10 Psychic Altar of the Yuan-ti
covered
11 Bloody Frosty Skull of I'jin the almiraj
12 Glyphed Electrical Fountain of Kubazan the froghemoth
13 Runed Antimagical Obelisk of Moa the jaculi
14 Obsidian Oozing Ship of Nangnang the grung
15 Metallic Charming Tower of Obo'laka the zorbo
16 Ornate Fearful Tomb of Papazotl the eblis
17 Desecrated Dominating Throne of Shagambi the kamadan
Sleep- Stone
18 Ancient of Unkh the flail snail
inducing Circle
19 Decorated Thunderous Carving of Wongo the su-monster
20 Floating Trapped Rock of Acererak

The Value of Random Inspiration

Random charts and tables on their own do not build interwoven and interconnected stories. We
DMs, on our own, have a bad tendency to leap to stereotypes and cliches when we need
sudden inspiration for a fantastic features. A mixture of random tables that fuel the inspiration
of us dungeon masters have the potential to come up with wonderully colorful and well-
connected monuments within the stories we share with our group.
The Urgency of the Death Curse
by Mike Shea on 29 May 2018

Note: This article contains spoilers for the D&D adventure Tomb of
Annihilation.

This article is one in a series of artices I wrote for running the D&D
hardcover adventure Tomb of Annihilation. You can find links to all of the
articles below:

• Session Zero of Tomb of Annihilation

• Running Port Nyanzaru in Tomb of Annihilation
• Exploring Chult
• The Urgency of the Death Curse
• Acererak's Prepared Spells
• The Lost Temple of the Eshowdow
• Lost Monuments of Chult
• Running Omu
• Handling Tag-Along NPCs
• Generating Enhanced Tomb Guardians
• The Deadly Shift in Tomb of Annihilation

The Death Curse is the main driver of the story in the Dungeons &
Dragons adventure Tomb of Annihilation. It is the reasons adventurers are
called to Chult to hunt down the location of the Soul Monger and end
Acererak's vile curse.

As written, the Death Curse is a ticking bomb. Anyone previously

resurrected has one hit point drained each day while the curse still exists.
Yet traveling across Chult can eat up many tendays worth of travel even if
the characters go straight there.

The adventure also includes many side treks that can grab the attention of
the characters and send them off into new areas. Some of the NPC guides
even misdirect the characters away from the source of the Death Curse.
How will the players feel if they know the urgency and yet find themselves
duped by an ally, thus losing the souls of potentially thousands?

This is a common complaint about Tomb of Annihilation. For a big

exploration sandbox-style adventure, the story has this heavy handed
driver that pushes the characters to take as little time as possible to go to the
tomb and end the curse.

Luckily, as problems go, this one is easy for us DM's to fix. Today we'll look
at how.
The A-Plot
The death curse, Acererak, and the Soulmonger
Acererak built an artifact called the Soulmonger which captures all souls and prevents resurrection
The Soulmonger feeds an Atropal that Acererak found in his travels
When fully grown, the Atropal will mean the end of the Realms
Jessamine, the merchant prince of plants, poisons, and assassination, is currently succumbing to the death
curse
Ras Nsi is affected by the death curse and acts as a guardian of the Tomb of the Nine Gods
Syndra Silvane as a patron
Per the book, Syndra has hired adventurers previously (and potentially more capable adventures) that failed in
their quest

The B-Plots
Ras Nsi, the death curse, and Dendar the Night Serpent
Ras Nsi seeks to undo the death curse on himself, and can be turned against Acererak if the PCs convince him
that the Soulmonger caused it
Salida represents herself as a potential guide but is a spy for Ras Nsi
Fenthaza, another Yuan-ti in the fane, seeks to overthrow Ras Nsi
Hopes to raise Dendar the Night Serpent
Seeks the Black Opal Crown to do so
May ally with the PCs to overthrow Ras Nsi, but may turn on them
The Red Wizards are aware of the yuan-ti presence and one of them, Zagmira, has sent a doppelganger,
Ishmakahl, to spy on Ras Nsi
See “the Doppelganger spy” p. 120 for what the doppelganger knows
Artus Cimber and Dragonbait, Mezro, and the Ring of Winter
Artus Cimber seeks the return of the lost city of Mezro and his wife Alisanda
Can appear as a random encounter
Also likely to appear consulting with Saja N’baza at Orolunga, scouting Jahaka Anchorage, or at the end of the
adventure as a potential sacrifice
The Harpers are searching both Port Nyanzaru and Chult for Artus and the Ring of Winter
They do not wish the ring to fall into evil hands
They are willing to help Artus find Mezro in return for the ring, but Artus will not relinquish the ring
Frost Giants
Led by Drufi, searching for Artus and the ring
Roam from the Hvalspyd near Kitcher’s Inlet
Likely to come into contact with the Flaming Fist and Fort Beluarian
Xandala
Potential side quest in Port Nyanzaru
Seeks the Ring of Winter and may ask the PCs to help her find Artus
The Zhentarim
Spies in Port Nyanzaru have learned of the ring’s presence and seek Artus and the ring for their own gain

The C-Plots
The Red Wizards, Valindra Shadowmantle, and the Heart of Ubtao
The Red Wizards were brought to Chult by the Soulmonger, which interferes with their ability to capture souls
They explore the jungle and Omu, seeking the Soulmonger for Szass Tam
Valindra and the Red Wizards may ally with the PCs to procure the Soulmonger
Princess Mwaxanaré, Asharra, and Kir Sabal
Mwaxanaré wants to restore Omu to its former glory
Sees herself as rightful ruler of Chult
Living descendant of the last queen of Omu
Needs the Skull Chalice of Ch’Gakare to claim the throne
Asharra hopes to curry favor for the Aarakocra by sheltering Mwaxanaré
Needs an item from Nangalore
Known by Eku
The Sewn Sisters
Night hags that spend much of their time on the Border Ethereal
Small chance of a random encounter at night in which one steals items from a PC to make a clone
The book assumes that this will happen by the time the PCs reach the end of the campaign
Their knowledge of soulbags utilized by Acererak to build the Soulmonger
They guard the atropal as maternal guardians from with the Tomb of the Nine Gods

The D-Plots
Guide sidequests
Musharib wishes to reclaim Hrakhamar
Albino dwarves in the area, i.e. Sithi Vinecutter, seek to do the same
Alternatively, Musharib wishes to at least recover Moradin’s Gauntlet
Hew Hackinstone wishes to defeat Tinder the dragon in Wyrmheart Mine
This absolute legend will also lead the PCs to Wyrmheart irrespective of their chosen destination
Wyrmheart is connected to Hrakhamar by tunnels
Eku (couatl in disguise) wishes to destroy Nanny Pupu on the way to Mbala
Knows of Orolunga, Kir Sabal, and Nangalore
Azaka Stormfang, weretiger
Wishes to defeat the pterafolk of Firefinger
Seeks to reclaim a family heirloom, the mask of the beast
Liara Portyr, the Lords’ Alliance, and Ft. Beluarian
Ostensibly represents the Sword Coast in Chult
Flaming First patrols shake down the PCs for a charter of exploration
Liara may hire the PCs to slay ghouls, scout Shilku Bay (near Hrakhamar and Wyrmheart Mine), or explore the
Frost Giants
Secretly in league with pirates of Jahaka Anchorage
Pirates
Operate out of Jahaka Anchorage
Avoid attacking ships with Baldur’s Gate flags
Zindar of Port Nyanzaru has a bounty on the pirates (potential side quest)
May have captured important NPCs, faction members, or members of the Society of Stalwart Adventurers
Nangalore
Built for an Omuan queen (Zalkoré)
Can foreshadow Omu
Known by Eku
Order of the Yellow Banner
Found Omu and the Tomb of the Nine Gods, seeking a specific treasure (the Eye of Zaltec)
Ultimately these adventurers perished in their quest
Zalder Faelrond (Tethyrian knight from the Order of the Gauntlet)
Abducted from Camp Vengeance
May appear as the sacrifice at the end of the adventure

My players are headed to the Valley of Dread soon. ToA leaves it blank, and Return of the Lizard King paints really
broad strokes, so I thought I'd share the map I made for the valley. I adapted bits from Return of the Lizard King,
from I2: Tomb of the Lizard King, and a bunch of older edition references. I've been working on designing the
Valley of Dread since January 2019; my party is 9th/10th level going into this, and I've designed the Valley for
roughly 8th-10th level PCs.
BTW The map territories are color-coded: white = Akabkan, orange = Shazak; blue = Zopchik, red = monster lair,
yellow = sacred lands (disputed).

Here's a snapshot of the locations listed...

Catacombs of the Lizard Kings – (homebrew) Where priests of Semuanya steal away corpses of Lizard Kings
and preserve them, trying to trap the demon spirits within so they can't re-manifest as new Lizard Kings; I made
a map over here using Dungeon Painter Studio
Cave of the Six-Eyed Lizard – (homebrew) Fossilized tarrasque corpse/cave serving as lair for the Zopchik
tribe; I posted my map over here (hand-drawn)
Ch'gakare's Tomb – (homebrew/ToA/Serpent Kingdoms) Where the hero Ch'gakare was buried and where his
revenant re-manifests if killed in the Tomb of the Nine Gods; it was raised on an earthmote during the Spellplague
and serves as the lair for a spirit naga and its pterafolk henchmen
The Creeping Bridge – (homebrew) Dozens upon dozens of intermittently quiescent assassin vines that form a
120 foot long bridge spanning a vast jungle chasm, that slowly creeps along every year
Floating Rocks of Eor – (homebrew/I2 Tomb of the Lizard King) My call out to the "Count of Eor" from I2, the
ruined remnants of a human settlement demolished by the Lizard Kings that were uplifted by small earthmotes;
at one time Ch'gakare was awarded with lordship of these lands
The Great Tookoo – (homebrew/Mystara) Gigantic tree that serves as secret lair for the Chameleon tribe
Greenspires – (homebrew) Basalt spires similar to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, formerly where lizardfolk
offered eggs to be transformed into pterafolk, now inhabited by a behir; I made a map over here using Dungeon
Builder
Kuluth-Mar – (Dungeon #130 supplement) City of Kyuss located in the heart of the eastern jungles known as the
Chultengar; I interpreted it as a forsaken city that drew students of the dark arts / city of the undead which was
uplifted as an earthmote, then crashed down as a sideways city emerging from a basin lake; I posted a map over
here (hand-drawn)
Pyramid of Sess'innek – (homebrew/Return of the Lizard King) While Return of the Lizard King has a version of
this, I found it a bit lacking, so may revise it or adapt a 3rd-party supplement or just make my own
Salamandrin Temple – (homebrew inspired by "Ecology of the Lizardfolk" in Dragon Magazine #335) A temple
to Kecuala, a shadowy intelligence aspect/mate of Semuanya, that was long forgotten
Semuanya's Birthing Stones – (homebrew) Giant stony egg-like spheres, allegedly where Semuanya hatched
into the world
Shazak Cenote – (homebrew) Cenote with pterodactyl-riding lizardfolk, lair of the Shazak tribe
Viper Temple – (Neverwinter Nights: Storm of Zehir) Adapted from the old video game, this yuan-ti temple
serves as a meeting ground, site of transformation rituals, and way for yuan-ti to cross through the mountains
between Chult & Samarach unseen
Zerzura – (blend of mythical city of Zerzura with Intulo myths of the Xhosa and Zulu as well as Warhammer
Lizardfolk aspects) heart of the tyrannical Akabkan confederacy/empire

Sly Flourish