4226130
4226130
paizo.com #37058101, Piero Credentino <ping_uino@hotmail.it>, Oct 5, 2022
AAW Mini Dungeon #065
The Blight
an Adventureaweek.com mini dungeon by Colin Stricklin
22224610
Introduction
For nearly a thousand years this mighty oak stood as monarch of
the forest, with its dryad as proud steward. When a self-absorbed
druid sought a new home, however, both dryad and tree became
ill. This once-comfortable treetop dwelling now lies at the heart of a
rotting forest. For even the greatest trees can die, going slowly bad
from within.     need blood,” “a broken branch means a broken bone,” etc.).
The Villain
Catinella has been corrupted and turned into a duskthorn dryad.
After years of sickness she has grown twisted and evil, her heart as
rotten as her tree. She ambushes the PCs and vanishes frequently,
though she leaves the PCs alone anywhere near the rotten stair
because she finds the sap demon disturbing.
The Rotten Stair: This 120’ spiral stair is a masterpiece of
woodworking, but a DC 13 Survival check suggests that it is
extremely unhealthy for the tree. In fact, it was this stairwell that first
caused the great oak to weaken. Its sickness is manifested here by
an array of mushrooms and mold. Most of this is harmless, but a very
angry sap demon waits in ambush 20’ from the top.
1A-1D. Spore Clouds: These rotting platforms groan in a fitful
wind. If a creature moves more than 30’ in a single round an entire
quarter of the platform falls 30’ before fetching up in the branches
(DC 14 Dexterity save or 3d6 falling damage). Once one section falls
the other sides become more stable, meaning they are no longer in
danger of collapse.
Even more hazardous, a cascade of fungal spores drifts through
the canopy. Every 1d3 rounds the wind shifts direction, causing
poison spores to fall on a random quarter of the platform. (Treat as
malice poison).
Zombies: Several dead humans hang from the walls of this
22224610
Copyright © 2017 AAW Games LLC.
paizo.com
#37058101, Piero Credentino <ping_uino@hotmail.it>, available
For 5 Characters Level 3
4226130
infested kitchen, pinned there by large, thorny vines. Five of them
are zombies, and tear themselves free one round after hearing any
commotion nearby.
The Vine Trellis: This cozy den is now deserted. Vines grow in
through the window, down through the chimney, and form patterns
on the floor, spelling out unsettling phrases in Sylvan (“growing trees
The secret exit is hidden in plain sight. The vines growing through
the window form a ladder (Perception DC 16) down to Area 7 some
40’ below.
The Flayed Druid: The stench of rotten meat pervades this room,
yet there is no visible source. A DC 13 Perception check reveals
that the smell comes from under the bearskin rug. Once she went
bad, Catinella flayed the druid Felosinney. The elven woman’s skin
is stitched to the underside of the rug. The room is otherwise full
of druidic bric-a-brac, including scattered illustrations of plant life,
spoiled spell reagents, and bird droppings. A DC 13 Survival check
shows that these last are fresh.
Felosinney’s animal companion, a screech owl named Whisper,
refuses to desert his mistress’s remains. He swoops in through a
hole in the roof to attack any who disturb the bearskin rug. Whisper
is remarkably intelligent, and after the initial attack may become the
PCs’ ally with a DC 16 Animal Handling check.
Bedroom: Felosinney’s journal sits half-rotten on a bedside table.
It provides details of the tragic falling out between druid and dryad.
The final entries despair of “finishing the fungicide in time.”
Fungicide: Towards the end of her disastrous remodeling project,
Felosinney finally recognized the harm she was doing to Catinella
and her tree. She sought to cure the blight, but was murdered by
Catinella before she could complete her fungicide. All but one of the
necessary reagents can still be found in this botanical laboratory.
OGL Oct
5, 2022at: http://adventureaweek.com/ogl/ 22224610
 AAW Mini Dungeon #065
The Blight
an Adventureaweek.com mini dungeon by Colin Stricklin
Notes littering the floor describe the missing ingredient as, “The
mycelial threads of a certain wind-borne species. I can only hope my
fungicultural efforts at the crown germinate in time.”
If the PCs can endure the spore clouds and reach the very top of
the rotting oak (a DC 18 Athletics check) they can indeed find the
missing ingredient at the crown of the tree. Applying the resultant
mixture to Catinella or to any part of the tree prevents the her from
using her tree stride ability.
Dryad, Duskthorn (from Tome of Beasts by Kobold
Press, pg. 160)
A duskthorn dryad is a striking woman with obvious fey features and skin
the color of slate, often found in the shade of an ancient tree. Clothed in
vines and leaves, it can be difficult to tell where one leaves off and the
other begins.
Creeper Vine Spirits. Duskthorn dryads are spirits tied to thorn-bearing
creeper vines. They seek out dead trees and use them as a home for
their vines to cling to. They can travel through trees to escape their foes
but must stay near their vines.
Create Guardians. Duskthorn dryads use their vines and the plants in
their glades to defend themselves, animating enormously strong vine troll
skeletons as well as ordinary skeletons, children of the briar, and other
horrors. These defenders are linked to the tree and vines that animated
them, are controlled by hearts within the tree. If the hearts are destroyed,
the servants wither or scatter.
Medium fey, chaotic
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 77 (14d8+14)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0)   20 (+5)  13 (+1)  14 (+2)  15 (+2)  24 (+7)
Saving Throws Con +3, Wis +4
Skills Animal Handling +4, Deception +9, Nature +6, Perception +4, Persuasion
+9, Stealth +7
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Elvish, Sylvan, Umbral
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Innate Spellcasting. The dryad’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell
save DC 17). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material
components:
At will: dancing lights, druidcraft
3/day each: charm person, entangle, invisibility, magic missile
1/day each: barkskin, counterspell, dispel magic, fog cloud, shillelagh, suggestion,
wall of thorns
Magic Resistance. The dryad has advantage on saving throws against spells and
other magical effects.
Speak with Beasts and Plants. The dryad can communicate with beasts and
plants as if they shared a language.
Tree Stride. Once on her turn, the dryad can use 10 feet of her movement to step
magically into one dead tree within her reach and emerge from a second dead
tree within 60 feet of the first tree, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet
of the second tree. Both trees must be Large or bigger.
Tree Dependent. The dryad is mystically bonded to her duskthorn vines and
must remain within 300 yards of them or become poisoned. If she remains out
of range of her vines for 24 hours, she suffers 1d6 Constitution damage, and
another 1d6 points of Constitution damage every day that follows—eventually,
this separation kills the dryad. A dryad can bond with new vines by performing
a 24-hour ritual.
Actions
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft.,
one target. Hit: 7 (1d4 + 5) piercing damage.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 9
(1d8 + 5) piercing damage.
Copyright © 2017 AAW Games LLC.
For 5 Characters Level 3
Sap Demon (from Tome of Beasts by Kobold Press, pg.
335)
When a sap demon leaves a tree, its milky amber fluid oozes from an axe
wound on a stout maple’s trunk and shapes itself into a small, vaguely
humanoid form on the forest floor beside the tree. This languid creature
half walks and half flows forward, implacably following the axe wielder’s
path to certain revenge.
Tree Oozes. Sap demons aren’t true demons, but rather are intelligent
oozes that form when an enchanted tree is cut or injured. Though
typically Small, the larger the sap source is, the larger the resulting
creature can be. Over a few hours, they pool into a shape that vaguely
resembles their tree’s attacker: for instance, if the tree cutter wore a hat,
then a hat may be incorporated into the sap demon’s overall shape. The
similarity is faint at best; no one would ever confuse a sap demon for the
creature it hunts, because its shape has no sharp features or color other
than amber.
Called to Vengeance. Sap demons can pummel their prey with partially-
crystallized fists, but they especially enjoy claiming the weapon that
wounded their tree and wielding it to deliver a final blow. Once their prey
is destroyed, most sap demons return to their tree, but not all do. Some
are curious or malevolent enough to explore the world further.
Reckless Possessors. A sap demon can possess another creature
by grappling it and oozing down its throat. Once inside, the sap demon
dominates its host and makes it bleed as the tree bled. Since the sap
demon takes no damage when its host is wounded, it’s free to be
as reckless as it likes. It might wander into a town to cause trouble.
However, no matter how its new body is bandaged or cured, it never
stops bleeding slowly. If the host body is killed, the sap demon oozes out
during the next hour and either returns to its tree or seeks another host.
Small ooze, chaotic evil
Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
Hit Points 67 (15d6+15)
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2)   6 (-2)  12 (+1)  10 (+0)  14 (+2)  10 (+0)
Damage Resistances piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities bludgeoning; acid, lightning
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened,
prone
Senses blindsight 90 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 12
Languages none in its natural form; knows the same languages as a creature it
dominates
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Amorphous. The sap demon can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide
without squeezing.
Season’s Change. If a sap demon (or its host) takes at least 10 fire damage, it also
gains the effect of a haste spell until the end of its next turn. If it takes at least 10
cold damage, it gains the effect of a slow spell until the end of its next turn.
Actions
Multiattack. The sap demon makes two slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2)
bludgeoning damage. If both attacks hit a Medium or smaller target, the target
is grappled (escape DC 12), and the sap demon uses Soul Sap on it as a bonus
action.
Soul Sap. The sap demon slides down the throat of a sleeping, helpless, or
grappled living creature of Medium size or smaller. Once inside, the sap demon
takes control of its host, as per the dominate monster spell (Wisdom DC 12
negates). While dominated, the host gains blindsight 90 feet. The host drips blood
from its ears, nose, eyes, or from a wound that resembles the injury done to the
sap demon’s tree (1 damage/hour). Damage inflicted on the host has no effect on
the sap demon. If the host dies or is reduced to 0 hit points, the sap demon must
leave the body within one hour.
5E Conversion by Chris Harris
OGL available at: http://adventureaweek.com/ogl/