D&D 5E - The Rise of Tiamat

of a shoebox. Opening the lock requires thieves’ tools
and a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. A failed check
sets off a magic glyph o f warding trap that triggers a
slow spell affecting all creatures in the area except
elementals. Creatures affected by the spell can attempt
the saving throw again at the end of each of their turns.
Otherwise, the effect ends after 1 minute.
The chest contains three scrolls: two scrolls of
protection against fire elementals and one scroll of
protection against earth elementals. Characters who
claim these scrolls can use them to move safely past
the elementals, if they bunch tightly together to keep
everyone inside the effect’s five-foot radius from the
caster. W ith only one scroll o f protection against earth
elementals, characters w ill probably be forced to deal
with the earth elementals at least once.
The writing on the papers and books in the room has
become illegible, and the paper is so brittle from the fire
elementals’ heat that it crumbles at a touch.
16. L a b o r a t o r y
It's obvious at a glance that this area was once a wizard's
workroom. Worktables are covered with notes, alchemical
flasks, beakers, braziers, and other arcane apparatus.
More startling is the whirlwind occupying the center of
This corridor is a relic of Xonthal’s experimentation
with extradimensional space. The path is formed by the
floor of the corridor, which is perfectly solid and secure
despite appearing to extend into the void. Reaching
beyond the edge of the walkway confirms the absence
of walls or ceiling. The atmosphere is thin and cold, but
not uncomfortably so.
At an opportune moment when one or more
characters are moving along the path, a swarm of tiny
meteors shoots past, threatening to knock them off the
walkway. A ll creatures on the path must succeed on a
DC 10 Dexterity saving throw to dodge the meteors.
On a failed save, a creature is struck, takes 9 (2d8)
bludgeoning damage, and is knocked off the walkway.
A creature knocked off the walkway appears to
fall into infinite space. Unless the creature can fly or
teleport back to the walkway, it quickly vanishes from
sight. Roll ld4 + 17; the number rolled is the number of
the room where the character materializes and crashes
to the floor on the following round, taking 14 (4d6)
bludgeoning damage from the fall.
Though having a character fall off the walkway
is dangerous (and potentially exciting), it makes it
less likely that the adventurers can be tricked by the
efreeti in area 22.
18. S tu d y
the room. Ten feet across and stretching from floor to
ceiling, it swirls endlessly, revealing a number o f sparkling
gems within it.
The whirlwind is not a creature, but one of Xonthal’s
experiments. The gemstones swirling inside it are
elemental gems. If a hand or any other material
object is pushed into the whirlwind, it disrupts the
perfect balance of the airflow, causing an elemental
gem to spin out and smash on the floor, summoning
an angry elemental. You can choose the elemental’s
type or determine it randomly. The whirlwind
contains eight gems, two of each elemental type.
Every time the whirlwind is disturbed, another gem is
ejected and breaks.
The equipment here is now useless, and any reagents
or components have long since dried up, decayed, or lost
their potency. A character who spends a day poring over
the notes can attempt a DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana)
check to understand that Xonthal was involved in a
complex attempt to create elementals that fused the best
traits of earth, air, fire, and water.
17. C o s m i c H a l l w a y
Steps descend to a walkway that appears to stretch across
infinite space. Thousands o f stars twinkle in unfamiliar
constellations, and meteors streak through the vastness
above and below the path. Just past the base o f the stairs,
a door framed by nothingness rises from the path. Fifty
feet beyond that, the path meets an intersection, with
another door straight ahead.
This circular room is obviously a library or study, its walls
lined with bookshelves that extend from the floor to the
gently domed ceiling twenty feet overhead. A wheeled
ladder is connected to a rail that runs around the curved
wall, allowing access to the upper shelves. A delicate,
ornate desk stands at the center o f the room, surrounded
by piles o f blank paper. A large map sits on the desk, its
corners held down with stones.
The two secret doors in this area are concealed behind
swinging bookshelves, and can each be found with a
successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check.
The door to the spellbook study (area 20) is opened by
shifting a book at floor level. The door to the observation
room (area 19) is located 10 feet above the floor. It is
opened by positioning the rolling ladder in front of the
door and pushing on the shelf 15 feet above the floor.
If anyone but Xonthal opens either secret door, the
papers piled throughout the room begin to ruffle as
though a breeze blows through the area. Thousands
of sheets of heavy paper then fly into the air in a great
whirlwind, slashing at any creature in the area. One
distinct storm of paper forms around each character
on the first round. Every round after that, two more
cyclones form, to a maximum of three per character.
Treat these paper whirlwinds as swarms of ravens,
but they are constructs instead of beasts, and they have
vulnerability to fire. When the paper swarms form,
they remain on guard in the study for 30 minutes, then
collapse to piles of paper once more. They won’t pursue
characters into the hallway, but w ill chase them into the
two adjoining rooms.