Friday, July 11, 2014

Endless Night: The Conservatory

ENDLESS NIGHT
A Fantasy Core Adventure
© Jerry Harris 2014
(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)




The Conservatory


Description: There is a grand piano at one end of the room and a dozen chairs facing it.  Six of chairs are occupied with skeletons.  The piano plays by itself.  There are heavy curtains closing off the windows to the outside.  Opening the curtains reveals the naked, insanity-inducing Astral Plane outside.  DC 12 Will Save or driven catatonic for 1 turn.  Those saving are immune to this effect thereafter.

Status: The door to the room is closed, but not locked.  Music can be heard inside. 

Inhabitants: 6 Psi-Skeletons and a lovely melody.

Objective: Retrieve the Music Box inside the piano.  0 XP award.

Carter’s Introduction: “Meow.  Yana Creighton loved to put on a show.  Even in death, she can keep an audience enraptured.  Meow.”


Immediately upon entering the room, the group must make a DC 12 Will Sv against the music.  If they do something creative, like stop up their ears before entering, that will work.  However, this means that they’re still vulnerable to the music in any later hearings.  Those making the save are immune to its effects.  Those failing are effectively stunned.  A DC 18 Will Sv can be tried every rd to break free of it.

The Six Psi-Skeletons will also rise and attack.  They’ll start with their Psi-Blasts.  The Skeletons will embrace anyone failing the save (and anyone already stunned by the music) and proceed to waltz around the room with them helplessly enthralled, along with automatic claw damage. 

Examination of the piano will reveal that it is not actually playing.  The music is coming from the inside from a small, open Music Box.  Simply closing the box, stops the music and the Skeletons de-animate.  If the characters decide to try and destroy the piano to stop the music, just roll damage (use common sense about the weapons used).  At 20 hp of damage, it collapses.  50% chance that that shuts the box and stops the music.  Otherwise, the characters will be digging through the debris (DC 12 Find check).  When the music stops, the grandfather clock chimes, and Yana has departed for the netherworld.   

The Music Box will work once outside of the Conservatory with the same effect.  If it is used at a gathering of creatures, say the Elf or the Goblin party, roll once for every lower level creature (higher level ones get their own save).  If it succeeds, only half of the inhabitants are effected.  If it fails, ¾ are effected.

Psi-Skeleton (6)
HD 1, Hp 4, AC 13 
Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +0
Melee: Claw +1 to hit 1d6

Ranged: Psi-Blast Will Sv DC 12 + telepathic class bonus or stunned 1 turn.  Against a psychic, they are only stunned for 1 rd.

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