Copy of - White Plume Mountain - Reimagined

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<div class='cover-header'>White Plume Mountain: Reimagined</div>

<div class='cover-footer'>Take on one of D&D's most infamous dungeons, with a brand new story and reinvented challenges, puzzles, and monster encounters!</div>

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# Introduction
Enter the laboratory of a mad genius! *White Plume Mountain*, originally published in 1979 for the first edition of D&D, was the story of an evil wizard's dungeon housed within the underlying strata of one of the world's greatest natural wonders - a steam-belching volcanic mountaintop rumored to be haunted by demons, devils, and ghosts. This book turns that story on its head, and reimagines White Plume Mountain as far more than the "bizarre challenge to the world's heroes" of the original.

In this book, White Plume Mountain is located near Mount Hotenow in the Forgotten Realms, and is the home of one Alcedor Kolat, a tinkerer and enchanter, creator of magical wonders, and do-er of crazy, supernatural experiments. White Plume Mountain in his magical laboratory, and everything within it has some impossibly complicated experimental purpose. However, he has recently been kicked out of his mountain laboratory by some unseen usurper, who broke in and bypassed the lab's defenses (possibly with some inside assistance from an apprentice), and sent Alcedor running. Alcedor needs a party of adventurers to brave his lab's defenses, kick out whoever it was the stole the laboratory away from him, and get things back up and running for him.

This version of White Plume Mountain uses some portions of the dungeon exactly as described in the original, simply recontextualized for this new plot. In other portions, the rooms have been rather significantly changed. It may be useful to have the original module, or 2017's republishing of it for 5th Edition in *Tales from the Yawning Portal*, on hand for reference. However, this book does contain everything needed to run the adventure on its own: unique descriptive text, references for all relevant stat blocks, and rules for running each encounter the party may face.

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The original structure of *White Plume Mountain* was a three-pronged dungeon with a magical weapon at the end of each path. In this version, the pathways each have a unique purpose: The central pathway takes the party to a giant underwater bubble, which must be re-inflated in order to restore the geothermal power to the laboratory. Accessing the bubble, however, requires keys which are obtained by going down the right pathway. Either before or after this is done, the party can take the left pathway to get to the main lab, where the villain of the dungeon crawl awaits. **Crucially, this layout is relayed to the party in advance by Alcedor,** thus retaining the choose-your-pathway nature of the original while giving it overarching purpose and narrative glue.

Down each of the pathways, the party will discover a bevy of different ongoing magical experiments, rooms built for creation and destruction, massive structures with mystifying and alien purpose, odds and ends and testing grounds of all manner of devices and creatures. This adventure is intended for characters between 8th and 12th level, with dangers ranging from trivial to deadly, depending on the amount of time given for rests and recovery.
 
 
 > ##### Villain of White Plume Mountain
 > The question of who stole Alcedor's laboratory is left to the Dungeon Master - this book centers on the elements and challenges of the laboratory, so that any recurring villain can be inserted. If no obvious villain fits this description, the dark wizard Manshoon is an ideal candidate. Alternatively, a disgruntled apprentice took over the place, or an experiment gone wrong summoned a monster from another plane who now calls the mountain home. See Area 27 for more details.

<div class='footnote' style='text-align:center'>Created by Jacob Pope | This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.</div>

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## Approaching White Plume Mountain

White Plume Mountain can be located anywhere that a volcanic mountain might reasonably be found; however, if the campaign takes place in the Forgotten Realms, the suggested location is near Mount Hotenow, in the region around Neverwinter. Travel from Neverwinter to White Plume Mountain only takes about a day, but travelling to Neverwinter itself may be a longer journey. Consider using this author's free *Ocean Encounters* guide for those parties who may approach Neverwinter by sea.

There is a small village, Thundertree, about five miles from White Plume Mountain, with approximately 100 human and half-elf inhabitants and led by a human ranger named Ansal Bloodshoulder. He works with the lumberjacks and trappers in the village to ensure a fair harvest of wood and fur takes place without angering the fey of Neverwinter Wood. If asked about White Plume Mountain, he says people and animals generally steer clear of the area, though he knows the wizard who lives there generally isn’t harmful unless disturbed.

The party can leave any mounts in this village for the rate of 1 sp per day per horse. Alternatively, if the party has a favorable interaction with Ansal he may tell them about a small cave about two miles away from White Plume Mountain which can be easily barricaded to keep out monsters, and where the party could tie off their horses if they need to make a quicker escape.

Approaching White Plume Mountain, the party sees an almost perfectly conical volcanic hill formed from an ancient slow lava leakage. It is about 1,000 yards in diameter at the base, and rises about 800 feet above the surrounding land. 
 
 
 > ##### Hiking Up the Mountain
 > Regular text in these boxes are notes for the Dungeon Master. When the text is italicized, as below, it is meant as flavor text to be read out loud to the players:
 > 
 > 
 > *"The white plume that gives the mountain its name and fame is a continuous geyser that spouts from the very summit of the mountain another 300 feet into the air, trailing off to the east under the prevailing winds like a great white feather. The spray is loud, an incessant roar over your heads that you have to tune out as you walk, and the water collects in depressions downslope and merges into a sizable stream a few hundred yards beyond. Steam vents are visible in various spots on the slopes of the mountain as you climb upwards, but none of them are large enough to allow entry."*

The only entrance that Alcedor tells the party about is a cave on the south slope known as the Wizard's Mouth. Alcedor normally has the ability to teleport in and out, but fears the lair has been warded against such magic by its new inhabitant. The cave is about 8 feet in diameter and 40 feet long.

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On the roof at the end of the cave, there is a long, horizontal crevice about a foot wide. The air is sucked in here at great speed, creating a loud whistling noise and snuffing out torches. 
 
 
> ##### Entrance of the Mountain
> *"When you crest the hill, you see this pathway of worn dirt you’re following wind its way a few dozen yards onward into a hole in the side of the mountain. Only a few feet taller than any of you, this gap in the mountainside almost seems to breathe. As you’re approaching, there is a large cloud of steam being exhaled with a high-pitched whistle that you can hear now, over the roaring of the plume above. After about thirty seconds, the steam stops. And you can see air slowly being sucked back into the cave, like a person breathing on a cold day. The steam isn’t hot enough to scald you, but as you approach the mouth of the cave it is very uncomfortable, like a hot sauna bath interrupted by blasts of cool outside air."*

The steam is not hot enough to deal damage, except near the crevice where it is expelled with force, which the party will want to avoid or take 1d6 fire damage. Overall, the ceilings and walls of the cave are slick with the condensed steam that runs down them, and the floor is covered in several inches of fine, silty muck. Probing through this muck, near the back of the cave, reveals a small trap door with a rusted iron ring set inside. Below the trap door is a descending spiral staircase, leading downward 20 feet into the laboratory below.

## Inside the Laboratory

The corridors of the mountain laboratory are carved out of - or in some places seemingly melted through - solid rock. The corridors are approximately 10 feet high in most places, and doors are 8 feet tall and 4 or 8 feet wide.

A foot of murky, lukewarm water covers the ground in Areas 1-14, left there by the initial breaking of the bubble in Area 17. The party cannot see the floor through the water in these areas. In addition, the water makes stealthy movement difficult and invisibility mostly useless.

#### Areas 1-2 - Entryway and Gynosphinx

The floor here is covered in slippery mud, and an unlocked gate at the foot of the stairs leads into a dimly lit hallway.
 
 
> ##### Gynosphinx Assistant
> *"As you advance, the hallway turns left, where you can then see a lightly shimmering wall of force, behind which appears to sit a bedraggled and injured looking gynosphinx atop an elaborate, circular stone altar constructed after the appearance of a bird’s nest. Shimmering specks of crystalline dust coat the altar, moving freely across its surface at a languid pace, and pulsing softly. They give the creature atop the altar a vaguely flickering appearance."*

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This gynosphinx was once Alcedor’s companion, its likeness preserved within Alcedor's devices to guard his lair against intruders - it is effectively a wizard's familiar, but artificially created and bound so that it can only appear at either the nest altar or Alcedor's enchantment table in Area 27. If it disappears, the specks of crystalline dust around the altar cease moving, and go dark - they contain the enchantment that displays the artificial familiar. Alcedor may mention the gynosphinx in advance to the party, speaking of his brilliant, winged assistant and hoping she wasn't *"left out."*

The gynosphinx has a riddle for the party, but warns them they can only answer once. When they answer, the shimmering wall of force will drop. If they answer correctly, the sphinx will not attack, and *“their answer will lie before them,”* but if they answer incorrectly, the sphinx will attack. The ceiling above the gynosphinx's resting place is domed, and approximately 30 feet tall at its highest point, allowing the gynosphinx to maneuver in the otherwise small chamber.
 
 
> ##### Gynosphinx's Riddle
> *"Silver, brass, bronze, gold; 
> Given, bought, stolen, sold; 
> Symbols of wealth, power, or love; 
> Forged like a sword, fits like a glove."*
> 
> 
>Answer: A ring.

The sphinx is adorned with jewelry, of which all but one ring is an illusion. A character who succeeds on a PERCEPTION CHECK (DC 15), or who has a high enough passive perception, can spot the illusion and the one real ring. If the party kills the sphinx, it vanishes, and the illusory jewelry fades. If they answer the riddle correctly, the sphinx and its illusory jewelry vanish with the wall of force, leaving only the real ring laying on the center of the altar. This ring bears, on a large, circular face, an embossed insignia of a dignified looking owl in flight over a calm ocean, with two small towers visible on the horizon. This ring is an important component to re-establishing the protective bubble in Area 17.
 
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Gynosphinx
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Gynosphinx**| MM pg. 282*  | x1 |
**The gynosphinx is injured; it begins combat with 96 hp.*

</div>

#### Area 3 - Oblex Hallway

The path to the right is a seemingly empty hallway - less than 10 feet across and approximately 60 feet long. It, too, is covered by a foot of water, which conceals two oblex monsters and 1d4+1 oblex spawn. When the party enters the hallway, the two oblexes will attempt to defend their territory - they use their impersonation ability to don the appearance of Alcedor Kolat and one of his apprentices, respectively.

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The two oblexes were placed here by the laboratory's new master, who believes the opportunity to continue to feed on Alcedor's brilliant mind will motivate the creatures, should he return. The oblexes will attempt to get their simulacra near enough to the party to assess the nature of their visit, pulling aside the party's most intelligent member for a conversation if they can. Unless the party mentions being here on behalf of the new master, the oblexes attack either when the party starts to grow suspicious of them, or when they have a character surrounded, in which case both oblexes use the *Eat Memories* ability on the surrounded character to begin combat.

A successful INSIGHT CHECK (DC 13) gives a character the knowledge that these are not the real Alcedor; alternatively, a character with a high enough PASSIVE PERCEPTION (DC 15) notices the sulfur smell in the corridor, which may clue them into something being amiss. The oblexes' main bodies are just around the corner that leads to Areas 4 and 5, with the tether to the simulacra running beneath the water. The oblexes are bound by the laboratory's new master to fight to the death, and will not flee.
 
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Oblexes & Spawn
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Adult Oblex**| MTF pg. 218 | x2 |
|**Oblex Spawn**| MTF pg. 217 | x1d4+1 |
</div>

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#### Area 4 - Treasure Room

When the hallway forks, taking the path to the right leads to a 30-foot square room, with a host of softly glowing, gently floating glass baubles of wildly varying sizes - some are as small as an apple, while others are multiple feet in diameter. 
 
 
 > ##### Voice in the Treasure Room
 > Unlike in the original module, the doorway to this area does not shut behind the party. However, as soon as anyone enters the room, read the following:
 > 
 > 
 > *"As you pass through the doorway your vision strains with a sudden rush of input. It's as though you've been dropped in the midst of the heavens themselves - a ceiling of gossamer purples, blues, greens, and yellows twinkles behind floating glass and crystalline baubles whose varying sizes momentarily defy your ability to judge distance or depth. Some appear large but impossibly far away; others smaller but quite close. It takes a moment of focusing on one bauble or the other before the scope of the room - about 30 feet in all directions - settles on your mind. The gently floating orbs intermingle with blinking lights, like ghostly fireflies of so many colors, and the walls of this domed room are laced with reflected light from all around, undulating like the surface of a glassy, iridescent ocean.*
 > 
 > 
 >*"You look down, half expecting to be floating, but your feet are still anchored to the ground, when a voice tolls through each of your minds: "Tell me, my child: What do you desire most? Speak now your Wish, then when you free my genie spirit from its crystal prison, it shall be granted." Then the voice, and its presence in your mind, vanishes."*

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In reality, the voice is fake. There is no genie, but rather an enchantment that allows anyone who enters the room to request the location of an object stored within the baubles. If a character “wishes” to know the location of an object - such as one of the keys to the underwater bubble - the appropriate bauble will present itself to them. Otherwise, they must smash the baubles at random to acquire the key. Some of the baubles contain treasure; others contain monsters.

| d8 | Contents of the Bauble |
|:--:|:--:|
| 1 | A *spell scroll of teleport*, and two diamonds each worth 300gp. |
| 2 | 1d4+2 shadows, which emerge and target the one who broke the bauble. |
| 3 | Four *potions of healing* and four *potions of poison*, in ornately crafted glass vials, which are indistinguishable unless an *identify* spell is cast on them. |
| 4 | A cavalcade of what appear to be platinum pieces. Upon inspection, they are made of lead. The voice cackles. |
| 5 | Two *potions of possibility*, and three *potions of superior healing*. |
| 6 | 1d4+1 ochre jellies, plus 1d3 slithering trackers, which appear as simple puddles on the ground next to the jellies. The jellies attack immediately, while the trackers wait until they can surprise someone. |
| 7 | A key made of deep green adamantium, which opens one of the doors in Area 14, as well as a *potion of flying*. |
| 8 | Gold and platinum pieces that total 3,600 gp, plus two angry air elementals who attack the whole party indiscriminately. If thrown by the air elemental’s *Whirlwind* ability, a player should roll a d10. They strike another bauble if they roll equal to or below the number of unbroken baubles remaining. |
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Bauble Monsters
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Shadow**| MM pg. 269 | x1d4+2 |
|**Ochre Jelly**| MM pg. 243 | x1d4+1 |
|**Slithering Tracker**| VGtM pg. 191 | x1d3 |
|**Air Elemental**| MM pg. 124 | x2 |
</div>

#### Areas 5-6 - Golem Workshop and Hallway

Taking the left path at the fork leads to a small rectangular chamber, with a circular work area in its center, surrounded by a handful of tables and desks of varying sizes, atop which lies dozens of mysterious tools whose purpose is inscrutable - scalpels and chisels, but also large hammers and tongs and scraps of cloth and leather, and inkpots filled with a variety of liquids.

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Around the walls of the chamber are a half-dozen or so humanoid forms, constructed of metal, clay, and wood. One such construction sits in the central, circular work area, a half-finished automaton of burnished copper.

On the far side of the room, there is a 5-foot square pit of sand built into the floor. On the wall behind the pit of sand, an archway is carved into the solid wall, as though there should be a door within it. In front of the pit of sand is a 3-foot tall pedestal, atop which sits a miniature silver crown, only a few inches wide, into which are carved the words: *"Crown the Champion."*

If the crown is removed from the pedestal, the sand pit begins to shift and move. The writhing sand forms a dozen 1-foot tall warriors in a circle, each with weapons drawn and numbered in order, one through twelve, by numbers on their shield. The sand warriors move with a lifelike fluidity, turning in place with arms raised, as though cheering on some invisible crowd. A few moments later, they snap to a fighting position, with warrior #1 facing #2, #3 facing #4, and so on. The party notes that the miniature silver crown is perfectly sized to fit the small sand warriors.
 
 
 > ##### Josephus' Warrior Puzzle
 > The object of the puzzle is for the party to crown the warrior they think will be left standing. The fighting begins 30 seconds after the crown is removed from the pedestal: warrior #1 immediately rushes warrior #2 and cleaves them in two with a single swing of its sword. Then, warrior #3 lunges at warrior #4 and smashes its sandy skull in using a giant axe. This process continues, winding around the circle, with warrior #1 eventually destroying warrior #3, #5 beating #7, and so on, until only one statue remains. In this first example, with twelve warriors to start, warrior #9 finishes off warrior #1 and cheers, victorious, as the last remaining fighter.
 > 
 > 
 >Since the first warrior always destroys the second, the third always destroys the fourth, and so on, which warrior will win is a function of the number of warriors that begin the battle. After the initial demonstration, roll 2d6+6 to determine how many warriors re-appear. Consider placing a timer on the table to reinforce that the party has 30 seconds from removing the crown from the pedestal to guess a winner. The number of warriors that appear is not shown until after the crown is removed from the pedestal, so it should not be possible to guess in advance of the timer's start. The answers for which warrior wins in each scenario are below.
 > - 8: Warrior #1
 > - 9: Warrior #3
 > - 10: Warrior #5
 > - 11: Warrior #7
 > - 12: Warrior #9
 > - 13: Warrior #11
 > - 14: Warrior #13
 > - 15: Warrior #15
 > - 16: Warrior #1
 > - 17: Warrior #3
 > - 18: Warrior #5
 
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If the party guesses correctly, the crowned warrior is victorious, and the archway on the wall flashes as a doorway appears, opening into the hallway beyond. If the party is incorrect, the crowned warrior will be smashed to pieces, at which point one of the golems on the wall comes to life and attacks the party. Once the golem is destroyed, the crown re-materializes on the pedestal and the process begins again with a new number of warriors. If the party places the crown on something besides one of the warriors' heads, the warriors fight until there is a victor and then a golem attacks the party, as above. If the party guesses incorrectly five times, the door locks itself until the next dawn.
 
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Golems
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Clay Golem**| MM pg. 168* | x2 |
|**Flesh Golem**| MM pg. 169* | x3 |
**The golems get progressively weaker. The first has the stats of a clay golem, but its Slam is +7 to hit and deals 2d8+4 damage. The second has the same stats, but only 103 hit points. The third has the stats of a flesh golem, but its Slam is +6 to hit and deals 2d6+2 damage. The fourth and fifth have the same stats as the third, but with 68 and 43 hit points, respectively.*
</div>

In the areas beyond this puzzle, the floors are dry. A 10-foot square area of tile in this hallway is an illusion - there is a 40-foot deep pit here, coated with a slick coating of some translucent gray material that removes all friction from the surface. At the bottom of the pit, characters slide from wall to wall if they push off anywhere, and the sides of the pit cannot be climbed. The party will have to use some rope or another means to rescue anyone who falls. This trap can be detected by an INVESTIGATION CHECK (DC 16), or if the party is probing the floor ahead of them as they walk.

#### Area 7 - Boiling Mud Reactor Room

As the party turns each corner of the hallway from the golem workshop, they notice the air become warmer and more humid. A brown-orange glow lights up the hallway from the room beyond. 
 
 
 > ##### The Heart of the Reactor
 > *"Looking out beyond the grate, you observe a massive stone chamber that glows with brown-orange light from below, refracting off steam that swirls so thick that seeing the other side is almost impossible. The source of the sweltering heat becomes obvious, as a floor of boiling mud seethes 50 feet below the stone ledge that juts out into the chamber. There are nine huge cylinders in this space, suspended from the ceiling by thick steel chains, which appear to made of some softly glowing metal."*

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> *"As you watch, one of the cylinders suddenly gives way and plunges down into the boiling mud, emerging a few moments later glowing even more brightly, while the mud below seems to cool slightly in that area, going duller and dry. The tops of the cylinders slope gently downward, in an umbrella shape, and they are coated with slick moisture. On your right, embedded in the chamber wall, is a heavy looking lever currently in the raised position."*

The lever built into the wall controls the motion of the cooling rods, preventing them from sinking into the mud. If pulled, the rods stop dropping; however, without the cooling rods the mud soon begins to boil more violently, and geysers shoot into the air. If the party pulls the lever, they have to navigate across the rods while geysers shoot into the air at random intervals; if the party leaves the lever in place, they have to navigate across the rods as they plunge at random into the mud. The lever can be flipped as many times as the party wishes.

Leaping from one rod to the next is trivial, as they are only about 5-8 feet apart, but catching one's self without falling is more difficult. Each character who attempts to cross gets one turn per round to attempt to leap from one rod to the next. Leaping across without slipping or falling requires an ATHLETICS/ACROBATICS CHECK (DC 8), and a character rolls with disadvantage if another creature is on either the rod they're leaping to, or the one they're leaping from.

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At the end of each round, roll a d20. On a 7 or lower, either one rod at random plunges into the mud, or a geyser erupts under one of the rods. Roll a d10 to determine which rod is affected - if a 10, roll twice more, ignoring further 10s.

- **If a geyser erupts (lever pulled):** Each creature within range of the damage makes a DEXTERITY SAVING THROW (DC 15) to halve the damage from the geyser - 3d10 if the geyser is beneath them, 2d10 if it’s one rod away, and 1d10 if it’s two rods away. If a creature takes damage, they have to make a STRENGTH SAVING THROW (DC 14/12/10 - beneath them/one rod away/two rods away) to avoid falling into the mud.

- **If a cylinder drops (lever not pulled):** The rod plunges into the mud, dealing 4d10 fire damage to anyone on top of it. Any creature on that rod must make a STRENGTH SAVING THROW (DC 18) to avoid losing their grip on the chain, or else the rod retracts back towards the ceiling without them, leaving them in the mud.

Creatures can spend a turn climbing the chains or the chamber walls with a successful ATHLETICS CHECK (DC 15), but this consumes their turn. The two ledges in this chamber are 50 feet above the boiling mud; as a result, creatures may have to spend multiple turns, and make multiple checks, to climb back to a ledge, and risk falling in the mud again while they climb. Creatures who start their turn in the mud take 4d10 fire damage, and the mud is considered difficult terrain.

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#### Area 8 - Binding Chamber

This room is subject to a magical *darkness* spell everywhere except the center of the space, which contains an arcanaloth bound in a magical cage, surrounded by sourceless light. The arcanaloth will try to make a deal with the party for its release - it knows that the party is searching for a key, and with its truesight it knows where within the magical darkness the key can be found. The room is delicately tiled in elaborate patterns, emulating magical glyphs, and one false tile hides the key. The party will have to scour the room for this false tile, unless they make a deal. 
 
 
 > ##### Magical Darkness
 > *"The pathway in front of you ends abruptly, blocked by a solid column of darkness so profound that even those of you with darkvision cannot penetrate it. Magical darkness, it seems, suffuses the room in front of you. A rough chuckle meets your ears, and a reedy voice barks 'Come on in...I don't bite.'"*
 > 
 > 
 >Later, once the party enters the center area: *"Your vision returns in an instant, as though stepping beyond a thick curtain, and you find yourself in a spherical cutout within the darkness. A sourceless white light mingles with a dense array of magical ley lines of shimmering gold on the floor. Thick, heavy chains of platinum stretch from anchors in a stone circle on the ground, from which a translucent bubble of frozen light cages a fox-like, bipedal figure in tattered robes."*

The arcanaloth will tell the party that if they pry up too many tiles, it will be released and attack. This is not entirely true. One of the tiles does release the arcanaloth, but it does not compel it to attack the party. The barrier around the arcanaloth can be destroyed by a *dispel magic* spell, cast at 8th level or greater (or cast at a lower level with a DC 18 SPELLCASTING CHECK), or it can be destroyed physically - it has an AC of 20, and 100 hit points.
 
 
 > ##### Arcanaloth Deal
 > If the party makes a deal with the arcanaloth, it will insist upon its release before revealing the tile that hides the key. Whether or not the party makes a deal, the arcanaloth is being held in this chamber by Alcedor as punishment for trying to find a loophole out of a deal they had made; it passionately despises the wizard, and if let free or allowed to escape, it will warn the laboratory's new master of the intruders and their progress, before vanishing back to Gehenna to plot its revenge.

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Searching the room for the correct tile requires an INVESTIGATION CHECK (DC 30) - the DC goes down by 3 each round the party searches, until the tile is found. At the end of each round of searching, roll a d100 - on a 15 or lower, the tile for the arcanaloth’s prison is triggered instead.

If the party does not make a deal, but the arcanaloth is freed, it wants to escape, not fight. However, it will preemptively strike at anyone who is between it and the doorway with its most powerful spells: *chain lightning*, if multiple targets are in the way, or *finger of death* if just one character is in the way. And the arcanaloth will not hesitate to turn back and kill anyone who annoys it, or whom it thinks is an ally or friend to Alcedor. If engaged, it may try to pull the party back into the mud reactor room, where it can manuever with flight. If killed, the arcanaloth leaves behind a *spell scroll of true polymorph.*
 
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Arcanaloth
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Arcanaloth**| MM pg. 313* | x1 |
**Cannot summon another arcanaloth.*
</div>

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#### Area 9 - Flood Drain

The circular offshoot of the hallway contains a slightly deeper pit, at the bottom of which is a wheel attached to a valve. Turning the wheel requires a STRENGTH CHECK (DC 20), as a great whirlpool of water begins to form around a giant storm drain. Over the course of one hour, water drains out from any flooded hallways - in Area 10, the deeper pool remains but the ledges are no longer covered in water.

#### Area 10 - Kelpie Pool

The deep pool area that the kelpies call home was recently flooded by the initial torrent of water from the collapsed bubble. As such, unless the drain in Area 9 is opened, this entire room is covered in water - it is possible with a close look to see where the ledge is supposed to be, but getting close enough to look permits the kelpies to try to charm the party.

There are two kelpies in the room, and they will attempt to charm whichever two characters enter the room first. If they succeed, they command whomever they have charmed to leap into the deeper water and inhale. Use initiative order to determine if a charmed character leaps before another character can stop them. A character who inhales while underwater is considered suffocating.

If the kelpies fail to charm anyone, they will retreat deeper into the water and attempt their charm on anyone else who enters. They do not attack unless attacked, or unless someone attempts to enter the covered area around the corner.
 
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Kelpies
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Kelpie**| TftYP pg. 238 | x2 |
</div>

If the party dives beneath the water and explores the covered areas of the kelpies’ home, they can find 600 gp and a set of *scale mail +1.*

#### Areas 11-13 - Hallway & Apprentices’ Chambers

The hallway that leads to the apprentices’ chambers is trapped by a moving optical illusion, in the form of floating, curved sheets of metal. These sheets of metal, painted with swirling black and white patterns, span the height of the hallway, and spin and turn rapidly in midair to periodically block access to the hallway.

\columnbreak

Seeing through the illusion to walk safely through the hallway requires a successful INTELLIGENCE CHECK (DC 17) - on a failure, a character is battered by one of the sheets of metal, taking 2d6 bludgeoning damage and falling prone on the other side of the trap. On a failure by 5 or more, the character takes the damage and falls prone on the same side of the trap that they started on.

If anyone in the party is knocked down by the trap, it alerts the apprentice who is within his room. If the character falls prone on the far side of the trap, they will see a slit in the wall, through which a fire bolt is immediately cast at the ground before the slit is quickly closed up. There is a slick of oil on the ground on the far side of the trap - when ignited by the fire bolt, it deals 3d8 fire damage to anyone within the oil, and sets them on fire. After that, it deals 1d4 fire damage per round to anyone who either passes through it or was set on fire and does not take an action to put out the flames. The oil burns for three rounds before fading.

The two apprentices’ chambers are sparsely decorated, but contain fine carpets and bedsheets. One of the apprentices betrayed Alcedor, and remains in the chambers. The other apprentice’s body remains in its chamber in Area 13, a victim of the betrayal.
 
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Wizard Apprentice
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Apprentice**| Evoker - VGtM pg. 214 | x1 |

If the apprentice hears the party coming, either because they trigger the hallway trap or they make significant noise elsewhere nearby, he prepares by casting *mage armor* and *mirror image*, and readies a *wall of ice* spell for whenever someone enters the room.
</div>

The living apprentice will attempt to capture the party by using the *wall of ice* spell to trap the party in a corner, or against a wall, before rushing down the hallway to warn the laboratory's new master of the party's presence. If he succeeds, the apprentice is waiting in the laboratory along with any other dangers still present in that room - if the room has been cleared, he flees the laboratory entirely.

\pagebreakNum

\columnbreak

The living apprentice has an *amulet of proof against detection and location*, which is immediately obvious to anyone who searches his body, and a *wand of magic detection* hidden within the lining of his robes, which requires an INVESTIGATION CHECK (DC 16) to find. Inside the Area 12 chamber is an assortment of fancy paper and ink for transcribing spells, worth approximately 400 gp. Area 13 has been mostly looted, although the body of the betrayed apprentice still bears *elven chain* armor.

#### Area 14 - Flood Doors

The hallway leading to the underwater chamber is barred by two massive metal doors, which slammed down to prevent water from cascading into the rest of the laboratory. These two doors can only be opened by the two adamantine keys, located in Area 4 and Area 8. The doors are resistant against the *knock* spell unless a 5th-level *dispel magic* (or lower-level and a successful SPELLCASTING CHECK (DC 15)) is cast on it first, and require a STRENGTH CHECK (DC 25) to force open. If their magic is dispelled, the doors no longer respond in the event of additional flooding.

When each of the metal doors is opened, a small volume of water pours into the hallway from the area beyond. After the second door, the party sees a third door made of some sort of magical force field - an elastic skin that is soft, resilient, and uncomfortably warm to the touch. Under pressure, it becomes taut, and puncturing it causes scalding water to rush into the corridor from beyond, dealing 1d4 damage per round to anyone in the vicinity of the hole.
 
 
 > ##### Reinflating the Bubble
 > *"Beyond the force field, a massive stone ledge juts out into the boiling lake, holding up a large magical contraption made of stone and ringed overhead by metal arches. The arches pulse slowly with a dull blue light that travels from the stone contraption towards the tunnel. Magical totems and sigils are scattered throughout the ledge, which itself is ringed with oddly colored, extremophilic plant life that thrives despite the obvious heat, which is sweltering even on this side of the barrier."*
 > 
 > 
 >The force field can be re-inflated to encompass the ledge beyond through use of a contraption hanging on the eastern wall of the tunnel - a metal canister with a syringe-like extension out of its bottom and an imprint on its top of the same owl insignia as the gynosphinx's ring from Area 2. When the face of the ring is placed against the imprint, the top of the syringe transforms into a pressure gauge.
> 
> 
> The contraption functions like a handle-less bicycle pump, slowly inflating the force field through invisible means. To do this, at least one character must travel slowly forwards into Area 17 while holding the syringe against the bubble. This process takes approximately 10 minutes, and the gauge alerts the user to how close the bubble is to being fully inflated.

\pagebreakNum

#### Areas 15-17 - The Boiling Bubble

When the party steps out onto the ledge, they see that approximately 100 feet below them is bedrock that glows red with heat from the magma below. This entire chamber extends approximately 200 feet in total height, and 100 feet above the party’s heads is a spout that opens upwards - this is the source of the roiling steam that gives White Plume Mountain its name. There are also two small side vents, one to the east and one to the west, from which additional steam is escaping.

Approximately 30 seconds before the ledge is entirely encased in the protective field, a massive crab emerges from behind the magical contraption and attacks. The crab is careful not to bump the protective field, and will save the character maintaining the field for last. However, it does not recognize these intruders and it attacks to kill - its goal is to have the protective field restored, but to kill the usurpers it assumes are trying to steal the laboratory.
 
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Giant Crab Guardian
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Huge Giant Crab**| TftYP pg. 103* | x1 |

**The crab guardian's Claw attack only deals 16 (2d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage. The crab guardian can make two attacks per turn, one of which can be a Fling attack. Fling: One Medium or smaller creature grappled by the crab guardian is thrown up to 60 feet in a random direction and knocked prone, taking 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it was thrown.*
</div>

Fighting while inflating the protective barrier imposes the following complications:

- At the beginning of combat, the character using the pump can make an INTELLIGENCE CHECK (DC 12) to determine that it will take approximately 5 rounds to finish inflating the field. The character using the pump must use their Action to concentrate on this process. The process does not end if concentration is broken; it merely pauses until a character resumes concentration.

- Ranged attacks against the crab that miss by more than 5 fly past it and strike whatever is behind it. If that is the protective field, it punctures and a stream of boiling water begins flowing into the bubble, as above. This adds one additional round to the time required to fully inflate the field.

- When the crab guardian gets below 50 hit points, it attempts to retreat by exiting the protective field. It uses its Action to break through the barrier, and water rushes through the gap it leaves behind, dealing 4d4 fire damage to anyone within 30 feet of the gap. On the crab guardian's next turn, it uses the magical band on its claw to heal the skin before settling further below in the boiling lake, within sight of the ledge.

\columnbreak

> ##### Geothermal Power Restored
 > *"As the protective field finishes inflating, it slows its growth, and begins to acquire a lustrous sheen. A low, gurgling sound reverberates throughout the now-restored bubble, as the metal archways above begin to pulse rapidly and sequentially with bright blue energy. The magical contraption at the end of the ledge slowly comes to life, with electrical energy arcing between components, and other elements spinning and grinding past each other in ways incomprehensible. All around, the scalding water slowly begins to rotate, with the ledge serving as the eye of a massive sideways vortex that slowly begins to obscure your vision of the magma below and sun above, as it grows in speed and intensity and volume, encompassing the entirety of this colossal chamber."*
 
#### Area 18 - Magical Trap

Halfway down the corridor heading northwest from Area 2 is a 10-foot long, 10-foot deep open pit, hidden by and filled with water, unless this area was drained by opening the valve in Area 9. Halfway down the pit is a spell glyph containing the *hold person* spell - any character who falls into the pit and fails a WISDOM SAVING THROW (DC 15) is paralyzed for one minute unless they make their save at the end of a round. The paralysis of the *hold person* spell does not prevent the character from holding their breath.

#### Area 19 - Metal Heating Corridor

Alcedor’s defense against non-magical intruders, this corridor contains what is effectively a magically induced electromagnet. Copper plates line the walls, ceiling, and floors of this 70-foot long corridor, with almost no grooves between them. 
 
 
 > ##### Induction Current
 > *"As you approach the next bend in the hallway, your hair begins to stand on edge. Not from any instinctual recognition of danger, but from the charged air emanating from the hallway beyond. The corridor you turn to see is lined - walls, floor, and ceiling - with hundreds of softly glowing pink and purple metallic plates, each individually inscribed with a series of complicated glyphs. Between the walls, and between the floor and ceiling, thin arcs of electricity occasionally flicker in and out of existence - not large enough to be dangerous, but certainly large enough to give you pause. Your tongue tastes something metallic on the air, and if you get close to the plates your hair forms whacky shapes and floats, seemingly buoyant in the air."*

The further a metal object progresses into the corridor, the hotter it becomes. Characters who pass between plates at various distances down the hallway take damage if they are either wearing metal armor, or carrying a metal weapon.

\pagebreakNum

The hallway's heating effect deals fire damage at the following rates, no matter the speed at which the hallway is traversed:

- **10 ft.:** Metal is lukewarm.
- **20 ft.:** Metal is uncomfortably warm.
- **30 ft.:** Metal is painfully hot - CONSTITUTION SAVING THROW (DC 15) to continue carrying metal objects.
- **40 ft.:** Armor - 1d8 damage; Weapon - No damage.
- **50 ft.:** Armor - 2d8 damage; Weapon - No damage.
- **60 ft.:** Armor - 2d8 damage; Weapon - 1d8 damage.
- **70 ft.:** Armor - 3d8 damage; Weapon - 2d8 damage.

Most non-magical measures, such as tying a rope to metallic equipment or wrapping metal in cloth or leather, fail at the 60 ft mark, leaving the items in a pile on the ground.

Casting spells that deal cold damage into the hallway chills the air, and can mitigate the heating effect somewhat. Roll damage for these spells as normal; for each point of cold damage, reduce the fire damage dealt by the hallway by one point for the next minute. However, each character that passes through the hallway during that minute must roll a d100 - if they roll equal or below the cold damage total, a random piece of non-magical metal equipment they are carrying cracks and becomes useless.

Characters who are proficient in Arcana can make an ARCANA CHECK (DC 18). On a success, they are confident that overloading the hallway with electricity could damage the panels and lessen the heating effect. Regardless of whether or not a successful check occurs, casting spells that deal lightning damage into the hallway also reduces the fire damage dealt by the hallway, but does so permanently as plates begin to melt as their insulation fails due to the increased electrical load. Dealing over 80 lightning damage to the hallway renders it permanently destroyed.

\columnbreak

If any character drops below 20 hit points while inside this area, the 5 undead servants inside Area 20 awaken and move to capture the characters. They have the statistics of mummies, and carry no metal. Their goal is to bring any dead or injured bodies from the metal heating corridor into Area 20, for later interrogation by Alcedor. Their stirring is detectable by anyone with a high enough PASSIVE PERCEPTION (DC 13), and may give away the location of the secret door that leads to Area 20.

#### Areas 20-21 - Secret Room & Stairs

There is a secret door in the southeast corner of the room at the end of Area 19 - if found (INVESTIGATION CHECK (DC 16)), it leads to a control room, which is a mostly ordinary rectangular room with a series of manacles and chains along the eastern wall. On the southern wall are a shambling mess of corpses. If the corpses were not roused already, they arise to try and catch the intruders if anyone enters the room.
 
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Mummies
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Mummy**| MM pg. 228 | x5 |
</div>

On the western wall of this room is a complicated series of magical glyphs, which glow and seem to hover off of the wall by an inch or two. If power has been restored to the laboratory in Area 17, these glyphs can be touched and interacted with, and they control the enchantment in Area 19. If power has not been restored, the glyphs are dull and do not respond to touch. Anyone who succeeds on an ARCANA CHECK (DC 12/17) can determine what the glyphs do; while the higher success is required to actually know how to adjust the glyphs to turn the effect in Area 19 off. Anyone who fails the check entirely takes 2d6 lightning damage as they touch the wrong portion of the glyph, and some magical reverberations shock them.

There is one skeleton still attached to the manacles on the eastern wall, bearing scorched half plate armor worth approximately 400 gp, a finely crafted metal shield - also scorched - worth about 10 gp, and a *greatsword of warning*.

The stairs leading up to Area 22 lead up and out of the water, if it hasn’t been drained by the valve in Area 9.

#### Area 22 - Arcane Weaponry Room

The pathway westward in this large, rectangular chamber is broken by a sizeable gap - approximately 5 feet across, and spanning the width of the room. Anyone who looks down below can see a glint of metal spikes at the bottom of this 10-foot deep pit. Across the pit, the floor is noticeably covered by a silvery-white sheen, similar to the pit trap in Area 6. This material causes the floor to be frictionless, and anyone who leaps across the gap immediately begins sliding along the floor without slowing in the direction that they initially jumped. There are a few ways characters can stop: they can cling to a wall, which requires a STRENGTH CHECK (DC 16), or they can slide into either one of the sets of sandbags or piles of rubble near the walls, which requires no check.

\pagebreakNum

On the western side of this chamber is what appears to be a blank wall, with no obvious doorways or other exits. In reality, the wall is an illusion, and the room extends back another 10 feet - in that area is an arcane ballista; a massive, magical siege weapon that gets tested in this area. There is a door on the north side of this hidden area.

The arcane ballista is set to shoot at any living creature in the frictionless zone. At the end of each round, the ballista chooses a target in the frictionless zone at random and shoots one random attack at the target or the target’s location. Hiding behind the piles of rubble provides a +5 bonus to AC and to all saving throws made against the ballista's attacks. Hiding behind the sandbags on the southeast and northwest corners of the frictionless zone provides a +2 bonus to AC and to all saving throws. Characters that drop prone on the frictionless zone have the equivalent of half-cover, but they cannot stop themselves from bouncing off of walls and obstacles while prone. As the ballista is behind an illusory wall, the characters will generally not see the first attack coming.
 
 
 > ##### Targeting Range
 > *"This next room reeks of death and smoke, and a light haze of dust chokes the air. Just feet from the door, the floor plunges downward 10 feet, and angry looking spikes of gleaming metal loom below. Across the gap, the floor seems to have a semi-translucent grey sheen to it, before the coated floor ends at another gap of similar size. A few dozen sandbags are stacked up in two different locations between the gaps, and piles of rubble also lay beneath significant gashes in the stonework of the walls. Across the room, a blank wall greets you, with torches on the walls and a 10-foot walkway similar to what you see on your side of the room, but no doorway or windows. Streaks of blood, bits of broken and charred bone, and splinters of wood litter the floor of the central area, hinting at some destructive battle or force being unleashed within this chamber."*

\columnbreak

It is possible to affix a rope to the ballista, which can be done lasso-style with a successful SLEIGHT OF HAND CHECK (DC 15) by anyone who tosses a lasso in the proper direction. Magic that augments movement (such as the spells *fly*, *jump*, and *levitate*) work in this room, but only on the caster - attempts to cast such spells on others fail while inside this room. This allows Alcedor or his apprentices to float over the space and manage the construction of structures or release of living creatures as targets in the frictionless zone. 
 
 
> ##### Ballista Attacks
>The ballista has a half-dozen buttons of varying colors arranged across its control panel. The buttons each trigger a different kind of attack. When the ballista attacks a target, roll randomly to determine which attack is used:
> - **Dark Blue - Spray of Cold:** 4d6 cold damage, in a cone reaching to the target. CONSTITUTION SAVE (DC 16) to take half damage.
> - **Light Blue - Lightning Bolt:** 8d6 lightning damage, in a line from the center of the ballista towards the target. DEXTERITY SAVE (DC 16) to take half damage.
> - **Red - Fireball:** 6d6 fire damage, in a 10 ft radius sphere centered on the target. DEXTERITY SAVE (DC 16) to take half damage.
> - **Green - Acid Spray:** 6d6 acid damage and half again at the end of the next turn, in a line from the center of the ballista towards the target. DEXTERITY SAVE (DC 16) to take half damage from the first attack and avoid the damage next turn.
> - **Purple - Poison Mist:** 4d6 poison damage, in a 10 ft radius sphere centered on the target. CONSTITUTION SAVING THROW (DC 16) to take half damage, and avoid being poisoned for one hour.
> - **Black - Magical Blast:** 10d6 force damage, roll to hit (+9), and target is thrown backwards 10 ft, landing prone and sliding if they are in the frictionless zone.

\pagebreakNum

The spikes at the bottom of the pits are coated with a paralytic poison, which requires a successful CONSTITUTION SAVING THROW (DC 16) to resist. On a failure, the character is poisoned for one hour, and paralyzed. A character can repeat the saving throw at the end of each minute to end the paralysis. Landing on the spikes deals 2d12 piercing damage, and the spikes deal 1d6 piercing damage for every 5 feet within the pit a character moves.

Objects pass harmlessly through the illusory wall, and characters who make it to the other side can see out into the targeting range without issue - the illusion is one-sided.

#### Area 23 - Water Accelerator Room

Alcedor's primary fabrication chamber is an ordinary looking workshop filled with smith's tools and tinker's tools; however, there is a stream of water that floats in the air, connecting this area and Area 24. Its circular shape can, with the right prodding, serve as a sort of particle accelerator, creating fantastically light and strong materials for use in Alcedor's experiments.

If power has not yet been restored to the laboratory, in Area 17, this water is murky and slow-moving, and anything placed in the current immediately falls to the floor. If power is restored in Area 17, this water is bright and clear, and a few cave fish are carried lazily along its brisk current, which requires a STRENGTH SAVING THROW (DC 15) to resist if one steps into the water. This stream can carry creatures and items through to Area 24.
 
 
> ##### Fabrication Workshop
>*"This otherwise ordinary looking work chamber is bizarrely bisected by a hemispherical stream of lukewarm water, that floats about two feet off the floor, suspended and flowing in mid-air. It moves from the western wall to the northeast corner, emerging from and re-entering tunnels that burrow through the stonework. Besides that oddity, the room is taken up by mostly normal equipment - a forge and anvil, sketch tables and shelves full of a curious assortment of metallic spheres and bits of semi-precious stone. The large desk in the southeastern corner contains a plethora of softly glowing buttons of different sizes and colors, as well as one prominent and important looking lever."*

There are small kayaks along the western wall, though it is tricky to board them once they are placed in the faster-moving water. If the party wishes to go through the water, and they successfully board the boat, they emerge in Area 24 unharmed. If they get swept off their feet or lose control of the boat, they bang off the cavern walls for 2d6 bludgeoning damage before emerging in Area 24.

The metallic spheres on the shelves are hollow, and float suspended in the water when placed within it, moving with the current. The work desk has a variety of papers and drawings strewn about it, messily constructed in a cypher that requires an INTELLIGENCE CHECK (DC 20) to break - if broken, it discusses the effects of acceleration and high-speed collision upon the component materials.

\columnbreak

If power has been restored to the laboratory, and a metal sphere is placed in the water, then when the large lever is pulled, roll a d100 - if the party touched any of the buttons before pulling the lever, it affects the outcome. The lever causes the current to move impossibly fast, accelerating anything inside to hypersonic speeds (including the poor fish, whose bodies are vaporized). If power has not been restored to the lab, nothing happens when the lever is pulled.
 
| d100 | Buttons Untouched | Buttons Touched |
|:---:|:--:|:--:|
| 1-20 | **Small explosion:** The metal explodes outward violently, dealing 3d10 fire damage to anyone in the room who fails a DEXTERITY SAVING THROW (DC 15). | **Small explosion:** See left. |
| 21-40 | **Metal expelled:** The metal is liquified and thrown out of the current in Area 24, turning the creatures within hostile to anyone who enters. From Area 23, the party only hears a muffled explosion. | **Small explosion:** See above. |
| 41-50 | **Nothing happens:** The metal heats up dramatically, but as it slows it begins to cool and release steam, which fills Area 23. Nothing changes with the metal, except that it is now misshapen and deformed. | **Metal expelled:** See above. |
| 51-66 | **Successful Experiment:** The metal superheats and becomes far tougher - it becomes a lump of metal that, if forged into a weapon, has identical properties to adamantium. | **Nothing happens:** See above. |
| 67-94 | **Successful Experiment:** See above. | **Successful Experiment:** See above. |
| 95-100 | **Successful Experiment:** See above. | **Wildly Successful Experiment:** The metal superheats and its very nature changes - it becomes a lump of metal that, if forged into a weapon, becomes a +1 weapon of the smith’s choosing, with three luck points that can be used to re-roll attack rolls, recharging at dawn. |

\pagebreakNum

Any creatures inside the stream of water when the accelerator is activated take 10d10 force damage, and are thrown violently into either Area 23 or Area 24, at random. Once used, the accelerator room cannot be used again until the next dawn - the stream slows back to its usual, brisk pace, and the glowing buttons on the desk go dim.

\columnbreak

#### Area 24 - Underground Garden

In this area, the stream of water floats only a few inches above the ground, and it moves more slowly, allowing anyone to exit as they please. This area is a large, lush garden, with a variety of colorful herbs and fungi that seem entirely unnatural to the Prime Material Plane. 
 
 
> ##### Alcedor's Garden
>*"The stream water moves languidly here, in contrast to its brisk pace in the prior chamber. An herbal, earthy smell hits your nose immediately upon entering, as a chamber of lush, verdant green opens up before you. A waterfall gurgles softly in the corner of the room, seemingly feeding the stream from some underground source, and branches whistle softly in a sourceless wind. The juxtaposition of plants in this space baffles; you can see a cherry blossom in full bloom, and immediately across the river a palm tree. Plants of a variety of sizes and textures abound, all with bizarre, strange colors that seem to bely their existence on this plane."*

In this space is a sleeping froghemoth. If the water accelerator was used, the froghemoth is awake - if the accelerator was used and either *Small Explosion* or *Metal Expelled* occurred, the froghemoth is awake and hostile. Otherwise, it treats anyone who enters the garden as non-hostile until they begin to attempt to harvest the plants. If anyone attempts to harvest anything in this area, whom the froghemoth doesn’t recognize, it attacks.
 
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Froghemoth
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Froghemoth**| VGtM pg. 145 | x1 |
</div>

The froghemoth is a valued ally of Alcedor’s, and a keeper of the garden. It will growl in warning at anyone who approaches the plants in the garden, making clear to them that it wants them to leave. If the froghemoth is killed, Alcedor is upset and will refuse to help the party in the future.

The garden itself contains a variety of potion-making and other alchemical ingredients. One character can make a NATURE/SURVIVAL CHECK (DC 14), on a success, they harvest ingredients equal in value to their check x3d12 (e.g. - someone rolls a 17 nature check, then rolls a 6, 11, and 8 receives 425 gp worth of ingredients). On a failure, they grab a poisonous plant and are left with immediate rashes and welts on their hands that impose disadvantage on all of their attacks for the next hour.

#### Area 25 - Magical Corridor

This magical corridor can only be accessed from Area 24 - the other entryway does not reveal itself unless the person is holding a magical key that Alcedor keeps on his person.

\pagebreakNum

\columnbreak

#### Area 26 - Terraced Aquarium

Alcedor's personal menagerie is a raucous room, full of wailing and bellowing creatures who have not been fed in some time.
 
 
> ##### Magical Menagerie
>*"This magical menagerie is an enormous chamber ringed by terraces that descend towards a central enclosure. A few feet south of the door, water laps at the edge of the stone floor - this is a 10-foot wide ring of water which encircles the entire room, held in by a nearly transparent glass wall. Another similar ring of water lies far below; between these two watery steps is a dry terrace, also enclosed behind a glass wall on its sides. Within each terrace are a host of beasts, with giant crayfish and sea lions occupying the watery levels, and prowling manticores stalking the middle, dry level."*

If power has been restored to the laboratory in Area 17, there is an invisible ramp on the southeastern side of the room that leads over the various enclosures and down towards the central enclosure. It can be detected through a *detect magic* spell, or by a successful PERCEPTION CHECK (DC 17) to notice the aquatic creatures avoiding going above the surface in that area.

If any of the thin glass walls are broken, the creatures within immediately attack whoever broke them; in the case of the watery enclosures, water rushes downward and fills the space below, with a weak *wall of force* appearing at the door in the bottom enclosure, preventing it from breaking inward. It takes an hour for the water to drain from the central enclosure. If the *wall of force* is destroyed, the water pushes the doorway open and rushes down the hallway towards the door to Area 27, which is reinforced with a stronger *wall of force*. From this area, the water takes only about 10 minutes to drain; however, anyone in Area 27 is immediately alerted to the presence of the party.

Whether the party flies, leaps, floats, or walks down to the central enclosure, the creatures inside the terraces have not been fed, and are used to live meat. They will attack anything that enters or passes directly over their enclosures.
 
 
<div class='classTable'>

##### Combat Encounter - Terraced Aquarium
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Giant Crayfish** - Higher water level| TftYP pg. 235 | x4 |
|**Manticore** - Middle dry level| MM pg. 213 | x3 |
|**Sea Lion** - Lower water level| TftYP pg. 242 | x5 |
**The manticores will fire their spikes at anyone floating, leaping, or walking overhead, if they do not recognize them.*
</div>

\pagebreakNum

The pathway to Area 27 is sealed by one door, then a long hallway, then another door. At the moment, the second door is still laying partially off its hinges, having been destroyed by the intruder when they entered the place. It has not yet been repaired, so the party has little difficulty entering the lab.

#### Area 27 - Magical Laboratory

Alcedor’s laboratory contains the latest works of the eccentric wizard, and as such a variety of objects in the space are unfamiliar, alien, or possibly dangerous if disturbed. In order to keep the possible results of the experiment from becoming dangerous, Alcedor has reverse gravity levers built into the four corners of the room, and an arcane sigil built into the ceiling that instantly sends anything it touches into the Astral Sea. That sigil is currently inactive - Alcedor has to activate it, and he is too far away - but the switches still work if power has been restored to the laboratory in Area 17.

In the center of the space is a massive circular enchanting table, with a variety of powerful runes and glowing gems around its edge and along its diameter - in the center are a variety of clamps, straps, and divots for the placing and securing of items for enchantment. On the ceiling above the table, and on four oval-shaped braces to the table, are slowly rotating crystal spheres. If power has been restored to the laboratory, the spheres project an illusion onto the table when touched. These illusion spheres contain Alcedor’s latest designs, and he can use the *Minor Illusion* or *Major Illusion* spells to adjust and then save the design into the sphere.

\columnbreak

> ##### Alcedor's Designs
> When touched, the crystal spheres display Alcedor's latest designs, which include:
>- **Drone:** A mechanical-looking apparatus with four arms in an X shape, with glowing gems of levitation on the end of each arm, and a variety of tools in the space where the four arms meet. The device floats above the table, and emerging from below it one can see a variety of small tools, including a grappling hook, a spike, etc.
>- **Wireless electricity:** Two large spherical gems connect to a metallic lattice on opposite sides of the table. After a few moments, the metal begins to glow and electricity arcs between the two gems. 
>- **Death laser:** A metallic tube lined with glass - on one end there is a space to place a gemstone or glowing object of some kind, whose light is reflected down the length of the tube via the glass. The illusion shows this process a few times, with increasing intensity.
>- **Tablet:** A telescoping, expanding metal rectangle, with a stretchy film that begins to glow with soft light, showing visions of a faraway place.
> 
> 
>The remaining illusions show a network of glyph work and glowing lattices that make no sense to the party. An ARCANA CHECK (DC 15) clues someone into that the glyphs are the basis for some random enchantment - simply rendered through illusion instead of actually drawing the glyphs.

\pagebreakNum

The magical laboratory has a host of interesting treasures:

- Along the east wall are glass cases full of spell components and other supplies, including fancy paper and inkpots, what appear to be a few blank spellbooks, and some specialized tinker’s tools. The cases are magically locked, and anyone who attempts to pick them must succeed on a THIEVES’ TOOLS CHECK (DC 20) or suffer 2d8 fire damage as their tools melt in their hand. Inside, characters can find three blank spellbooks, a set of tinker’s tools, alchemist’s supplies, and jeweler’s tools, and 500 gp worth of paper and ink.

- Along the western wall are shelves of books. Some are locked into the shelf by magical contraptions that cannot be broken, while others are protected by more powerful means and seem to become incorporeal when grabbed for.

- The northern wall contains a desk with a mess of writing that includes one *spell scroll of scrying* if searched by someone who succeeds on an ARCANA CHECK (DC 12), an 8-foot tall cylindrical glass container with an inert clone of Alcedor inside, and an unlocked glass cabinet full of expensive liquors worth up to 300 gp.

- Along the southern wall are a few chests. Opening a chest requires a THIEVES’ TOOLS CHECK (DC 25), otherwise the chest shrinks and vanishes, casting a *word of power: stun* spell as it disappears. Once one chest is opened, the rest vanish without casting a spell, and no matter which chest was opened, it contains three diamonds each worth 300 gp and 500 gp worth of a mysterious green powder that functions as *residuum.* On this wall, as well, is a stone archway that seems to lead nowhere - in truth, this leads to Alcedor’s Magnificent Mansion, when he activates it.

- A broom leans against one corner near a switch. It appears to be a normal broom, but anyone who casts *detect magic* sees that it is a magical *broom of flying.*

- A *paper bird* also sits on the writing desk on the northern wall, already addressed to Alcedor and capable of flying to him at higher than usual speeds.

The new master of the laboratory is in this space when the party arrives. If they have been forewarned by the apprentice from Areas 11-13, the apprentice is there, too, and the villain awaits the party with some spells (*mage armor*, etc.) already cast in preparation. If the party walks in on the villain unannounced, they hear the party coming and are in the middle of making said preparations unless the party succeeds on a GROUP STEALTH CHECK (DC 17), in which case they are mulling over one of Alcedor’s enchantments when the party arrives.

No matter their state of preparation, the villain attempts to monologue about stealing this place away from its former owner, and how grateful they are for the party’s service in removing many of the traps and defenses Alcedor left behind. Now, however, they’ve seen too much and must die.

If no recurring campaign villain is appropriate as the final boss of this dungeon, it is suggested to use Manshoon's simulacrum from the *Waterdeep: Dragon Heist* module, as below:

\columnbreak

##### Combat Encounter - Final Villain
| | | | |
|:-:|:--:|:---:|:----:|
|**Manshoon's Simulacrum**| W:DH pg. 208 | x1 |
Manshoon’s simulacrum sends out sprays of snow when damaged, and melts away when killed. This helps alert the players that this is not the real Manshoon.
</div>

#### Leaving the Mountain

Once the final villain is defeated, the party can return the way they came, or contact Alcedor and be sent back magically by him. The *paper bird* on the writing desk in Area 27 can reach Alcedor within about 8 hours, no matter where he is. He teleports into the laboratory when he receives word that it is clear.

Alcedor allows the party to keep anything they acquired from the apprentices’ rooms - he doesn’t care about their items. He also won’t notice metal taken from Area 23, treasure taken from Areas 4 or 10, or herbs taken from Area 24 - the only treasure he will confront the party over are things taken directly from his laboratory, or major items like if they attempt to walk away with his arcane ballista. He will let the party walk away with minor items from his laboratory if they’ve managed to keep the gynosphinx and froghemoth alive - if they kill either of those, contrary to his wishes, he is upset and demands the return of anything from his laboratory, especially the *broom of flying* and the *residuum.* If both are kept alive, he may take the party to see Area 24, if they missed it, and permit them to take up to 500 gp worth of alchemical or herbalist supplies.

Before the party leaves White Plume Mountain - if Alcedor teleported there - or before Alcedor dismisses the party if they returned to him, he hands them an official deed for a property known as the Kolat Towers, in the South Ward of the city of Waterdeep, as payment for their efforts. Alternatively, substitute whatever other reward is appropriate for the party.

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# MAPS
##### Appendix A
###### Imgur Links Below

</div>

- #### [White Plume Mountain (General Map)](#white-plume-mountain)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/4V5Scf3.jpg "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/iyNcN0D.jpg "title")

- #### [Entryway and Gynosphinx](#gynosphinx)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/xSklxdm.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/WYsiDHm.png "title")

- #### [Treasure Room](#treasure)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/nzBi79O.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/eijIsFO.png "title")

- #### [Golem Workshop and Hallway](#golem)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/mA2HG7l.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/dvvIFta.png "title")

- #### [Boiling Mud Reactor Room](#mud)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/xkPxY1V.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/QBgWnt7.png "title")

- #### [Binding Chamber](#binding)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/6KO6kfw.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/5g5J6wF.png "title")

- #### [Kelpie Pool](#kelpie)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/yJyhQC6.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/7u86oj1.png "title")

- #### [Hallway & Apprentices' Chambers](#apprentice)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/3hFz0MY.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/Txuasmm.png "title")

\columnbreak

- #### [The Boiling Bubble](#bubble)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/Otm0xQE.jpg "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/9k44urV.jpg "title")

- #### [Metal Heating Corridor](#metal)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/mwXB2Dx.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/66MEOQh.png "title")

- #### [Arcane Weaponry Room](#arcane)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/uKxer1z.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/aJPnHqQ.png "title")

- #### [Water Accelerator Room](#accelerator)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/Fs7ChKZ.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/WZ69pnu.png "title")

- #### [Underground Garden](#garden)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/vMs780K.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/lKTIy5d.png "title")

- #### [Terraced Aquarium](#aquarium)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/XRJh9MQ.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/0pvgZ0y.png "title")

- #### [Magical Laboratory](#laboratory)

- - ##### - [Full Map](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/Fp5DFNC.png "title")
- - ##### - [Full Map (No Grid)](https://www.gmbinder.com/images/gJ8ag48.png "title")

</div>

##### If your PDF viewer does not support URLs, you can find full-sized map downloads at:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/
1zZBqD0UUmNEYS1RNNUpQJ7MCqwp5zCpt?usp=sharing

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='white-plume-mountain'></a>

# White Plume Mountain (General Map)

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='gynosphinx'></a>

# Entryway and Gynosphinx

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='treasure'></a>

# Treasure Room

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='golem'></a>

# Golem Workshop and Hallway

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='mud'></a>

# Boiling Mud Reactor Room

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='binding'></a>

# Binding Chamber

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='kelpie'></a>

# Kelpie Pool

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='apprentice'></a>

# Hallway & Apprentices' Chambers

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='bubble'></a>

# The Boiling Bubble

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='metal'></a>

# Metal Heating Corridor

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='arcane'></a>

# Arcane Weaponry Room

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='accelerator'></a>

# Water Accelerator Room

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='garden'></a>

# Underground Garden

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='aquarium'></a>

# Terraced Aquarium

\pagebreakNum

## <a name='laboratory'></a>

# Magical Laboratory

\pagebreakNum
 
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 Many Thanks!
 
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This booklet wouldn't be possible without the assistance of many others:

- Jared Ondricek (/u/flamableconcrete), for the GM Binder watercolor patterns.

- Created in GM Binder. Maps created in Dungeondraft. Additional assets by: 2-Minute Tabletop, AoA, Benthic Botany, Crave Assets, Essendi, KoboldMapSmith, and WTFRhino.

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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.

This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

All other original material in this work is copyright 2021 by Jacob Pope and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
 
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