THE PLANE BELOW Secrets of the Elemental Chaos ROLEPLAYING GAME SUPPLEMENT Ari Marmell • Bruce R. Cordell • luke Johnson
CRED1TS Design Ari Marmell (lead), Bruce R. Cordell, Luke Johnson, Stephen Radney-MacFarland Development Peter Schaefer (lead), Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Chris Sims Editing Jennifer Clarke Wilkes (lead), M. Alexander Jurkat, Jessica Kristine Managing Editing Kim Mohan Director of D&D R&D and Book Publishing Bill Siavicsek D&D Creative Manager Christopher Perkins D&D Design Manager James Wyatt D&D Development and Editing Manager Andy Collins D&D Senior Art Director Jon Schindehette Art Director Mari Kolkowsky Cover Illustration Jesper Ejsing (front), Julie Dillon (back) Graphic Designers Keven Smith, Leon Cortez, Emi Tanji Additional Graphic Design Mari Kolkowsky & Bob Jordan Interior Illustrations Dave Allsop, loltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai, Julie Dillon, Jason A. Engle, Jake Masbruch, Jim Nelson, Franz Vohwinkel, Eva Widermann, Eric L. Williams Cartographer Jason A. Engle Script Design Daniel Reeve Publishing Production Specialist Angelika Lokotz Prepress Manager Jefferson Dunlap Imaging Technician Ashley Brock Production Manager Cynda Callaway Game rules based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS!!) rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the later editions by David "leb" Cook (2nd Edition); Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison (3rd Edition); and IRob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt (4~h Edition). U.S., CANADA, ASIA, PACIFIC, EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS WIZARDS OF THE COAST, BELGIUM 9 87 65 4321 620·24 211000-001 EN & LATIN AMERICA Hasbro UK Ltd Industrialaan 1 First Pri nting: Wizards o f the Coa st LLC Caswell Way 170 2 Groot-Bijgaard e n P.O. Box 707 Newport, Gwe nt NP9 OYH Be lgium Decembe r 20 0 9 Renton WA 98057-0707 GREAT BRITAIN +32 .070. 233.277 ISBN: 978-0-7869 ·5249-6 +1 -800-324-6496 Please keep this address for your records D UNGEO NS & DRAGON.S, 0 &0 , d 20, d20 Syste m, WI ZARDS O F THE COAH, Player's Handbook, Dun8C?o ll Moster's Guide, Monster Manual, F O RGOTTEN REALMS. D&D'nsider, Adventurer's Vault, Arca"e Power, Draconomicon, Keep on the Shadowfell. Manual of the Planes, Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead, PCA_ESCAPE. all othe r Wizards of the Coast product names, and the ir respective logos are trademarks o f Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and othe r countries. All Wiza rds characters and the distinctive likenesses the reof a re property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. This ma te rial is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of Ame rica. Any reproductio n or unautho ri zed use of the mate rial or artwork contained he rein is prohibited without the e xpress written pe rmission of Wizards or the Coast LLC. Any similarity to actual people, orga nizations, places, or events included herein is pure ly coincide ntal. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2009 W izards of the Coast LLC. V1SlT OUR WEBSlTE AT WWW.W1ZARDS.COM/DND
I: CHAOS lNCARNATE . . ........ .. 4 Githzerai. . .. .. ..... . .. ...... ... . . 60 The Plains of Rust ....... . .. .. .. 122 The Grave-Minders .... . ... .. . . . . 39 Epic Tier: MASTERS OF Crystal of Ebon Flame . .. . . ... . . . 44 Demons Galore ..... . . .. . . . . . .. 11 2 Sirrajadt, the Vengeful Storm ..... 1SO The Basic Elements ... ....... . ... .. 6 Slaads .. . ....... .. .......... .. .. . 62 The Spires of Rajzak ... ... .... . . 124 Nature and Size . . . . . ....... . .... . 6 Other Races..... . . ... . .. . ... . .. .. 64 Elemental Realms ... .. .. . ... ... . 6 Dao ...... ......... .. . ... . ... ... 64 5: CREATURES OF CHAOS.....126 Elemental Buoyancy .. . .. ..... . .. . 6 Demons . .......... .. . .... .. .. .. 64 Abomination .. .. ... ... . . . .. ... . . 128 Unstable Mutability .. . .... .... . .. 6 Dwarves . .. .. .... . .. . . .. .. .. .. . 64 Primeval Ooze . . . .... . ... .. .. . . 128 Optional Rule: Very Long Range . . 7 Elementals . . . .. . .. ... ...... . ... 65 Unique Abominations .... ... . .. 128 Traveling the Elemental Chaos .. . . . 8 Humans.. . . .. ...... ........ . . .. 6S Storm That Walks ....... ....... 129 Elemental Collision .. . . ....... .. 8 Phoelarchs ... . .... ... . .... ..... 65 Archon . ...... . . . . . . ..... .. . .... 130 The Chaos Ship: Riding in Style. 10 Primordials . .... . .. . .. . .. ... . ... 65 Iron Archon . . ... . . . ... .. ....... 130 Features of the Plane .. .. .... . . .. .. 11 Mud Archon ... ..... .. .. . ...... 130 Weather and 3: ELEMENTAL LOCALES .. .. ... 66 Demon, Blight-Born . . .... . .. . .. .. 132 Environmental Dangers ........ 11 The Brazen Bazaar . . ...... . ..... .. 68 Dust Demon. .... . .... . . . ... . . . 1 32 Elemental Fantastic Terrain ... ... 12 Canaughlin Bog ....... . . .. .. ... . . 70 Ash-Wrought Soulburner ... ... . 133 Fantastic Terrain from The Choking Palace ............ . .. 72 Consumptive Swarm ....... .... 133 Other Sources.. . . ............. 16 Gloamnull, City of Rain . ....... .... 74 Sibling Rivalry . . ....... ...... . 134 Elemental Hazards ..... . .. .. . . .. 18 Irdoc Morda .. .. . . . .. . ... .. . ..... . 76 Writh ing Crag . . ... . ...... . .. .. 134 Elemental Flexibility . . . ... .. . .. 19 The Moteswarm .... . ... . . ...... . . 78 EiskJaat ........ . . . . . . . ......... 136 Skill Challenges ......... .... . . ... 24 Pandemonium Stone . . .. ....... ... 80 EiskJaat Warrior .. . . . .. .. .. .... 136 Bargaining with an Efreet . . . .. . .. 24 Pillars of Creation.. . .... ... . .. ... . 82 EiskJaat Rimebolter . ... .. ... . .. 136 Reasoning with a Slaad ..... .. ... 2 S The Riverweb .. . ... . .. .. . . . . . .. . . 84 EiskJaat Mauler . ....... .. . . . .. .136 Reasoning with Sanzerathad . . _....... .......... .. 86 Eisk Jaat Mystic ......... . ..... .136 the Unreasonable ... . ...... . . 26 Mind over Matter . . ...... . . . . ... 86 Elemental. . ... . .. . .......... .... 138 Repairing a Lightning Skiff .... ... 26 The Glittering Mine . . .. . . ... .. ... . 88 Scorchwind Phantom..... . . .. .. 138 Sailing the Sea ofFire ........ . . . . 27 Encounter: Over the Edge . ...... . 90 Ashfrost Assassin .. .. .. .. ... .... 138 Campaign Arcs ....... . . .. . ..... .. 28 Encounter: In the Pits .. . .. .. .. .. . 92 Sunsearer ...... .... . . .. . . .. . .. 138 Hidden Elements ...... .. . ....... 28 The Body Luminous . . . ........ .. .. 94 Diamondstorm Reape r . ... .. . .. 139 To Harness the Chaos . . . .. .. ... . 29 Encounter: Upper Vestibule . . . ... 96 Caustic Slayer. .. . ........ . .. ... 139 The Bigger They Are ... ...... .. . . 30 Encounter: Inner Lock ........ .. . 98 Primordial Blot . ....... . . . ... .. 140 Planar Adventurers . . . . .......... 31 The Mountain Builder's Barrow . .. 100 The Mythic Blot . ....... ...... 140 Adventures.... ......... ... . ...... 32 Encounter: The Slopes . .. ... . . . . 1 02 Life, but Not as We Know h . ... 141 Adventure Hooks and Quests . ... 32 Encounter: The Barrow . . . . ..... 104 Slaad .. .. . ....... .. . . ..... . ..... 142 Patrons ...... . . ......... .. . . .... . 3S Chaos Phage Swarm ..... . .. .... 142 Shah Abdul-Azim Abassi .. . . . . . . . 3 S 4: 1NTO THE ABYSS ... . . . . ... ..106 Green Slaad Madjack .. . ...... .. 142 The Stone Council. .. . . ...... . ... 36 The Deepest Depths ..... . ..... . . 108 Blue Slaad Digeste r . . ..... . . . . . 142 Valaphyr .. ...... .. ... . .. .... .. . 36 Infinite Layers . . ... . . . .. ...... . . 108 Gray Slaad Havoc ......... .. .. .143 Zat ........ . ... ..... ........... 37 Traveling the Abyss........... .. 109 Red Slaad Juggernaut. ..... ..... 143 Orders out of Chaos ... . ... ....... 37 Abyssal Campaign Arcs .. ... ...... 110 White Slaad (Chronos Slaad) . .. .143 The Cult of the Paragon Tier: Black Slaad Entropic. . . . . . .. ... .144 Elder Elemental Eye.. .. . . . ... .. 37 The Best-Laid Plans ... .. . ... .. 110 The Speakers of Xaos .. ..... .. ... 40 The Conquering Demon .... . . 111 THE ELEMENTS .. . .. .. .. .. ... . . 146 Xaositects .... . . . . ... . . ... ... .. 41 Abyssal Adventures . . . .... .. . . ... 11 2 Ehkahk . . ... .. .. ...... . . ... . .... 146 Artifacts ...... . .. _..... . . ... . .... 42 ClOSing the Portal .. ... . ........ 112 Smoke Hound . . ............. . . 147 Plastron ofTziphal .. ... .. ....... 42 Streets of Demons Liricosa . .. ... . . . . . . . . . ...... . . . . 148 The Mountain Builder ... . . .. .. . 43 (Paragon or Epic Tier) . .. .. .. .. 112 Liricosa's Disciples . . . . . . . . ... . . 149 Wave . ....... .......... ... _.... 46 The Last Witness..... . . ........ 113 Djinn Cloudstalker . ... .. .. . ... . 151 To Trick the Prince of Beasts . . . . 113 Solkara, the Crushing Wave .. .. .. . 152 2: RACES OF CHAOS .. ... . . . .. . . 48 Skill Challenges in the Abyss . . .. . . 114 Xixecal, the Living Glacier ... .. . . 153 Djinns ....... ...... . ..... ........ 52 Destroying a Demongate ....... 115 Crushing Wave Cultists ........ . 1 S4 Efreets . . . .... . .. ....... . . . . ...... 53 Escaping a Demon Horde .. . .... 116 Ygorl, Lord of Entropy .. . . ... . ... . 1 S6 Archons ... . ... .... . . . ... ........ 50 Abyssal Madness ... . ... ..... . .. 114 Mirmakur, the Raving Priest . .... 154 Mapping Chaos . . . ... . ... ... .. . S4 Navigating the Demonweb. . . . . . 116 Shkiv............. .. .. ....... . . 156 Change in the City of Brass .. . .. 5 S Abyssal Locations ..... .. .. ... . ... 118 Skirnex, Voice of Y gorl. ...... . .. 157 Genasi. . . . . . . . .......... . . ... . . .. S6 Mal Arundak, Acolyte of Entropy ............. 158 The Water Thief .... .... . .. . ... 57 the Bastion of Confusion ..... .118 Giants and Titans ... ... . . .. . . ... . . 58 Molor, the Stinking Realm ....... 120 New Monsters . . ... . . .......... .. 159 The Battle of the Torn Plain ..... 58 Juiblex, the Faceless Lord ...... 120 About the Designers .. . ........ . . 159
CHAPTER 1 A RIOTOUS realm, the Elemental Chaos is incomprehensible to those who have not experienced it firsthand . Here, flame speaks and lightning dreams. iron hates and seas hunger. Islands ofearth, ash, mud, salt, or semisolid smoke and fl ame, some as vast as continents, float amid an endless sky. Rivers ofwater, lava, or liquid air flow from oceans bounded by nothing solid, cross landscapes of broken crystal, and spillover clifffaces made oftangible lightning. Winds of heavy vapor are gUided by currents ofchaos, whipping into enormous storms of burning hail and sharp-edged thunder. As disconcerting as the substance of the Elemental Chaos is, worse still awaits visitors. Direction has no meaning. Locations shift constantly. Even gravity is capricious, exerting its pull differently on living things than on objects. This chapter helps you to comprehend this tumultuous place. Using this material, you can better convey the wonders, terrors, and peculiarities of the realm to your players. It offers tools to let you work the Plane Below into your adventures and campaigns, ensuring that your players experience it as someplace truly alien. It covers the following topics. + The Basic Elements: An overview including game mechanics for travel, direction, and gravity. + Features of the Plane: Descriptions and rules for some of the peculiar environments, terrains, and hazards of the Elemental Chaos. + Skill Challenges: Situations that might arise as adventurers explore the plane. + Campaign Arcs: Illustrative campaign arcs- one for each of the four varieties of planar campaigns discussed in the Manual ofthe Planes supplement. + Adventures: A selection of adventure ideas, including sample hooks. + Patrons: A review of elemental patrons for your adventuring party. + Orders out ofChaos: Organizations that might serve as friend , foe, or both. + Artifacts: Powerful magic items that have ties to the Elemental Chaos or its denizens. C HAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
ELEMENTAL CHAOS TRAITS As first presented in Manual of the Planes, the Ele mental Chaos has the following traits. These qualities are expanded on in the sections that follow. Type: Fu ndamental plane. Size and Shape: Infinite in extent. Gravity: Elemental buoyancy. Mutability: Unstable. NATURE AND S IZE The Elemental Chaos is the source of the material and energy that make up every other realm in the multiverse. Stone and smoke, fire and metal, water and light, ice and lightning, wind and raw magic- all combinations are the substance ofthe Plane Below. Thus the Elemental Chaos is considered one of the two fundamental planes, along with the Astral Sea. These two realms anchor the entire cosmos; without them the world, and most other planes, could not exist. The Elemental Chaos is infinite in size and shape, but each of its known regions and locations is contained within a finite, ifenormous, space. Those who travel beyond the known reaches ofthe Elemental Chaos might make astounding discoveries that outshine the City ofBrass or the Pillars ofCreation, but more likely they'll become utterly lost amid the most alien and hostile environments conceivable. ELEMENTAL REALMS The Elemental Chaos as a whole might be limitless, but the same is not true of the various elemental realms. Ranging from a few yards in diameter to a volume large enough to swallow worlds, these areas are carved from the Elemental Chaos by powerful magic or individuals of inconceivably strong will. In these regions, the environment is relatively stable. Some areas have normal gravity. Others feature elemental buoyancy, similar to that of the Elemental Chaos beyond, but perhaps with a different orientation of up and down. Still other realms have subjective gravity, where each creature decides for itself which is up and down. Most regions lack the unstable mutability of the Elemental Chaos-their substance is locked in place by the power or the mind that created them. Uncountable numbers of elemental realms populate the Plane Below. Among the best known are the City of Brass, various githzerai monasteries, and the dreadful Abyss, which qualifies as both an elemental realm and a plane apart from the Elemental Chaos. ELEMENTAL BUOYANCY The Elemental Chaos has no north or south, no sunrise or sunset. Gravity does pull in a consistent direction to give the otherwise unpredictable plane a definite up and down. Even so, gravity isn't always reliable. Inanimate objects and materials native to the Elemental Chaos are not subject to gravity. Islands of earth or ice (also called earthmotes), rivers flowing without beds, and broad oceans unbounded by shores remain suspended in the skies ofthe Elemental Chaos. Pitch a rock offthe edge of a clifT, and it comes to rest where its forward momentum stops. Lift water in your cupped palms, and it hovers when you drop your hands away. Nonnative objects, however, and living creatures (regardless oforigin) do not benefit from this buoyancy. For them, gravity functions as it docs in the natural realm. Drop your sword, and it hits the ground at your feet. Step off the edge of an earthmote, and you could have a long drop during which to contemplate that error in judgment. 'Vhether native to the realm or not, though, any object does not remain in one place for long-all are propelled by the plane's ceaseless currents of chaos. CURRENTS OF CHAOS Currents ofchaos shape the Plane Below, but no one agrees on what exactly they are. Chaos currents provide an easy explanation for the randomness inherent in the Elemental Chaos. Masses ofland and other elements move constantly, making locations impermanent and often meaningless. An island here yesterday is somewhere else tonlorrow. A route that was once straight now twists back upon itsel( Winds blow unpredictably, storms move in opposition to those airstreams, mountains rise and fall-all in no apparent pattern. Observers \-vrite off such changes as a metaphor for the reality of living in the Elemental Chaos. Nevertheless, chaos is a real force on this plane, no less so than fire or lightning, and it has its own ebb and flow. Elemental vessels such as chaos 8liders latch on to something, and the same energy gUides slaads and other entropic beings on their mysterious paths. Whether the currents of chaos are responsible for the fluctuations attributed to them is unclear, but no better explanation has been devised. UNSTABLE MUTABILITY Islands drift, winds shift, water becomes fire, rivers change their course, and lightning carves tunnels through the lands. Travelers can't count on a specific destination being in the same place from one day to the next, or even on its having the same shape or being made ofthe same substance. Some regions CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
VI Move Object: Standard action. .. DC: The DC is based on the object's size-Tiny or smaller, DC 5; Small or Medium, DC 10; Large, DC 15; Huge, DC 20; Gargantuan, DC 25. .. Success: You move an unattended object. You move the object 1 square, +1 square for every 5 points by which you beat the DC. .. Failure: You can't try to move the same object until after a short rest. Alter Object: Standard action. .. DC: The DC is based on the object's si ze-Tiny or smaller, DC 20; Small or Medium, DC 25; Large, DC 30; Huge, DC 35; Gargantuan, DC 40. .. Success: You change an unattended natural object into a different element or type of energy of the same size. For example, a boulder can be changed into a ball of fire. .. Failure: You can't try to alter the same object until after a short rest. Stabilize Area: 1 minute. .. DC: The DC is 5 + 1 per square affected. .. Success: You lock an area into its current form for 24 hours. Double the area or the duration for every 5 points by which you beat the DC. .. Failure: You can't try to stabi'lize the same area until after an extended rest. Alter Area: 1 minute. .. DC: The DC is 20 + 1 per square affected. Add 10 to the DC if the area has been stabilized (see above). Double the area or the duration for every 5 points by which you beat the DC. .. Success: You change the terrain of an area for 24 hours. For example, a bare rocky plain can be changed into a forest. .. Failure: You can't try to alter the same area until after an extended rest. change constantly, hour by hour or minute by minute. Other places remain steady for hundreds or thousands ofyears, only to be suddenly reshaped in an instant by violent convulsions. Most ofthe changes in the Elemental Chaos are random, but some transformations are driven by the will ofliving beings. So subject to change is the Plane Below that any powerful mind can shape its surroundings without magic, although certain rituals make the task easier. With concentration, a creature can cause an object to move or even change shape and substance: for example, a burning fire might be turned into a sculpture ofice, or a large uncut crystal into sandstone. An especially powerful being can even temporarily alter the nature of an entire area. INFLUENCING THE CHAOS Creatures in the Elemental Chaos can alter their surroundings by spending a certain amount of time in concentration and making a successful Intelligence check (see left). Only unattended objects can be moved or altered. You can use this planar instability to create interesting encounters-terrain that rises and falls, footing that shifts from solid to liquid, pools ofwater that u become naming hazards. « CO MUTABILITY IN COMBAT UJ Creatures strong in mind can attack enemies by J: manipulating f- the Elemental Chaos. This is an at-will basic attack, as described below. This system requires some adjudication by the Dungeon Master as to its effects in combat. For a simpler combat option, see the irif1uence instability power described below. Influence Instability Basic Attack You bend the plane to your will, smashin8 a nearby objecr into your foe or creatin8 ener8Y that does it harm. At-Will" see text Standard Action Ranged 15/30 Target: One creature Attack: Intelligence vs. Reflex Special: If you are trained in Arcana, you can add your implement's enhancement bonus to your attack roll. This power does not become an implement attack. Hit: 2d10 + Intelligence modifier damage. This damage can be acid, cold, fire, lightning, pOison, radiant, thunder, or untyped. level 21: 4d11Q + Intelligence modifier damage. You can adjust the efficacy ofthis attack according to the locale, imposing a penalty to attack rolls in more stable realms or a bonus in easily altered areas. OPT10NAL RUL E: VERY LONG RANGE Weapons that hurl projectiles are usually constructed in the world. so the elemental buoyancy of the Elemental Chaos has no effect on their ammunition. But what happens if a character uses a projectile weapon that was constructed in the Elemental Chaos. or just decides to pick up and hurl a rock? Although such objects are not subject to gravity, they are nonetheless pulled off course by the currents of chaos that invisibly shape the Elemental Chaos, much as gravity acts on a missile in the world. Where the churning chaos of the plane is somewhat quiescent, you might allow a projectile of elemental origin to gain an additional range category. Very long range extends from the limit of long range to twice that limit. Attacks made at very long range take a -5 penalty to attack rolls. Beyond that distance, even if the projectile encounters no other obstacles, hitting a target is impossible barring extraordinary circ*mstances and godlike aim. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
TRAVELING THE ELEMENTAL CHAOS Navigating the Elemental Chaos is difficult. In the world, travelers can rely on landmarks, the sun, the stars, and a compass. Also, much of that realm can be reached by foot or boat. In contrast, the Plane Below features few dependable landmarks, and predictable foot travel is possible only in limited stable regions, such as the City of Brass, Zerthadlun, or the Canaughlin Hog (page 70). Nevertheless, the Elemental Chaos does contain some stretches ofsolid surfaces. Some are composed ofdangerous substances, but many are not inherently harder to traverse than regions ofthe world, except where they are broken by great chasms, impossibly tall peaks, walls oflightning, or rivers of acid. Some of these areas even contain reasonably permanent landmarks. Getting to such a surface, though, might be a greater challenge than traveling across it. RIDING THE CHAOS Visitors to the plane who have no other options can try to "piggyback " on the drifting masses, though only the most desperate or most adventurous travelers practice such travel. A piggyback journey (sometimes called "riding the chaos") requires hopping from one swift-moving body to another, making zigzag progress toward a final destination. Given the constant motion ofthe Elemental Chaos, it is only a matter oftime before a stable mass drifts by in the right direction. In some regions, suitable motes pass through regularly. In others, the masses are visible in the sky but difficult to reach. To make the jump between motes might require chartering a short flight on an airship, performing a teleportation ritual, or raising a floating stairway through sheer willpower. In the last resort, it might be possible for travelers to bribe a titan into hurling them across the gap. Aside from the problem ofreaching the mass, a traveler must determine which passing object is the best conveyance. Without some method of prediction, ELEMENTAL COLL1Sl0N When large masses of elements collide. cataclysm results. One body might shatter the other, creating new, smaller masses in an instant of extreme violence. Sometimes one entity absorbs or encompasses the other, such as when an earth mote plunges into a vast ocean and becomes a sunken continent. The two objects might even transform each other: An earth mote and an enormous ball of fire might create a continent of lava. or a windstorm and an ocean of magma could give rise to a rain of fire. By creating an impending elemental collision, you can set a time limit for characters' heroics or provide an impetus for a dramatic escape. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate riding the chaos is a matter ofpicking a habitable mass moving in the right direction and hoping it continues on that way. A common method of choosing a suitable drifting "vessel" was devised by the efreets, through a divining practice called al-buraj. Securing such assistance, however, always comes at a high price-and dealing with efreets is a perilous proposition. Other creatures might have a more instinctive understanding of the currents of chaos, but their guidance cannot be easily secured regardless ofprice. FLIGHT Flight is available through spells or magiC items, but most ofthose methods grant the ability for too short a time to be ofmuch use in exploration. A character might be able to hop from one mote or vehicle to another, but that's about it. Other sources of flight, such asJlyin8 carpets and mounts created by the Phantom Steed ritual, are limited by altitude restrictions and thus are incapable of flying between widely separated masses. Some rituals and items grant long-distance flight, but even they are not without danger. In the world, when a flight effect wears off, a solid landing surface is often nearby. In the Elemental Chaos, no such guarantee exists. Additionally, some magical flight ends ifthe affected character takes any action other than flying. Getting into a fight while far away from a solid surface could be deadly. Only a few powers, such as the cleric's cloud chariot, are truly effective means oflong-range flight. TELEPORTATION Because travel throughout the plane is so difficult, many settlements ofthe Elemental Chaos make use of teleportation circles. Such transport is common in the City of Brass and can be found in other efreet outposts, genasi and giant communities, githzerai monasteries, and Elemental Chaos-based headquarters of worldly factions and cults. The infamous Choking Palace (page 72) is said to have teleport at ion circles of solid smoke that slowly shift through a predetermined pattern, making them useful only at certain times. Travelers can find teleportation circles at seemingly random points across the various drifting masses of the Elemental Chaos. Some are engraved bands that have known origins, marking the sites ofold communities or strongholds. Others were created by secretive factions to facilitate unseen assemblies for purposes still concealed. Strangest ofall, a few circles seem to have been created by nobody but appear fully formed from random fluctuations ofchaos and magic. One infamous transport point, made of everburning flame, floats in empty space with no solid footing beneath. Of course, teleportation circles are useful only to those familiar with their patterns. Some portal signatures (such as the public circles in the City of
Brass) can be learned through research, but many runic combinations require firsthand observation. As a result, teleportation is better as a way to return to a known location than as a tool for exploration. VEHICLES AND MOUNTS Mounts and vehicles, including magic vessels, are common means of traversing the Elemental Chaos. Some adventuring parties purchase and crew their own, but most hire such conveyances. Vehicles traveling to major trade centers and communities, such as the City ofBrass and Gloamnull (page 74), are relatively easy to find. The farther one travels from the centers ofthe plane's civil izations, though, the scarcer such vessels become. The Brazen Bazaar (page 68) is a caravan of wagons that travels the Elemental Chaos, sometimes stopping in the world or on other planes. Travelers are allowed to accompany it ifthey can afford a modest fee and shoulder their own load. Voyagers who shirk their duties, do not pay enough, or anger the caravan attendant risk becoming just another commodity sold to or by the efreets. ELEMENTAL CHAOS VEHICLES AND MOUNTS Mount or Overland Miles Miles Vehicle Speed per Day per Hour fly 15 180' 7'12 6, swim 6 15,15 3,3 fly 10 fly 12 144' 6 6 30 3 fly 10 50 5 ~ 75 7 fly 15 75 7'/, fly 15 75 7'12 fly 12 60 6 fI~ 100 1200' 50 fly 5 25 n 60' 2'12 fly 15 180' 7Y, u fly 15 75 AV = Adventurer's Vault MM = Monster Manual MP = Manual ofthe Planes 1: This vessel can travel 24 hours per day, rather than 10. 2: This vessel can cross from one plane to another. 3: Lightning skiffs "ride" lightning from place to place. If no storms or other sources of lightning exist in a region, a skiff cannot travel there. 4: Normal planar dromonds are capable of traveling only through water, but many such vessels are enchanted to survive damaging liquids such as magma or acid. A few have outriggers resembling skis that can be lowered for sailing across thick mud, snow, or loose-packed sand or salt; this sort of travel reduces overland speed by half. Many travelers prefer to ride beasts native to the Elemental Chaos, such as rimefire griffons, because such mounts can easily find their way in the wild plane. Natural creatures such as hippogriffs are also common, but more suitable for short-distance transport. In general, mounts are riskier than inanimate vessels-a safe place to set down might not be available when the beast tires. u Vl <:: Some characters strike bargains with great creatures co ofthe Elemental Chaos to transport them safely. Referring to them as mounts is grievously insulting to such intelligent beings, though; they are best treated as companions. The dragon eel is one such creature, as are tempest dragons and pyroclastic dragons (see Draconomicon: Chromatic Draaons), although they require travelers to find a way to endure their damaging auras. VEHICLE AND MOUNT TRAVEL TIMES The Player's Handbook (page 261) gives travel times for basic mounts and vessels. The Adventurer's Vault supplement (page 15) covers a wider variety. The table on this page presents vehicles and mounts common or well suited to the Elemental Chaos. In addition to the terrain modifiers given 011 page 261 ofthe Player's Handbook, use the follOWing modifier for Elemental Chaos travel using creatures that are not native to the plane. ELEMENTAL CHAOS TRAVEL MODIFIER Multiplier Circ*mstance x /; Nonelemental mount Spelyammers and planar dromonds are most commonly associated with the Elemental Chaos, but other vehicles have been developed for travel in the plane. They are described below. Lightning Skiff Gdrgilntudn vehicle HP 250 Space 2 squares by 4 squares Cost 20,000 gp AC 4; Fortitude 20, Reflex 2 Immune lightning Speed fly 100 Pilot The pilot must stand at a control wheel, typically at the rear of the lishtnins skiff. Crew In addition to the pilot, a Iishtnins skiff requires a crew of three, all of whom use a standard action each round to control the vehicle. Reduce the Iishtnins skiff's fly speed by 40 for each missing crew member. At fly speed 0, the 'ishtnins skiff sails out of control. Load Ten Medium creatures; one ton of cargo. Out ofControl An out-of-controllishtnins skiff moves along the lightning at half speed. Ughtnlng Keel A Iishtnins skiffflies along lightning. Lightning that the skiff is riding cannot harm its pilot, crew, or passengers. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
Chaos Glide!" Hu Pt' v('hi( 1(' ,., HP 100 Space 2 squares by 3 squares Cost 13,000 gp AC 4; Fortitude 12, Reflex 4 Speed fly 10 Pilot The pilot must control the chaos slider's wings with both hands. Crew In addition to the pilot, a chaos slider requires a crew of four, all ofwhom use a standard action each round to control the vehicle. Reduce the glider's fly speed by 4 for each missing crew member. At fly speed 0, the chaos slider sails out of control. Load Six Medium creatures; 100 pounds of cargo. Out ofControl An out-of-control chaos slider moves at half speed in a random direction. Chaos Propulsion A chaos slider rides the currents of chaotic energy that ripple through the Elemental Chaos, so it functions only there. Its propulsion is uncertain at best. Passengers on a chaos slider can be becalmed at times, tossed to unknown locations, or hurled to their destination in the blink of an eye. On average, a glider moves at its listed speed. Chaos Ship Colossal vchicl,· HP 2,000 Space 27 squares by 16 squares Cost nfa AC 3; Fortitude 20, Reflex 2 Speed fly 12 (hover), overland flight 15 Pilot The pilot must stand at the wheel, which sits atop the sterncastle deck. The wheel is mounted on a gimbaled lever that controls pitch and altitude. Cables running beneath the deck connect to three anarch sphere cradles. These anarch spheres provide motive power and lift_ The ship will hover without a pilot or crew, but forward motion requires both. Crew In addition to the pilot, a chaos ship requires a crew of three for any movement other than hovering. Each must be stationed adjacent to one of the three inset anarch spheres. Each of the crew must spend a standard action each round to help control the vessel once it is under way. Reduce the ship's fly speed by 4 for each missing crew member. If the ship reaches fly speed oon any given round after it is under way, the ship is unable to be steered and flies out of control. Once it is out of control, regaining control requires 3 consecutive rounds with the pilot and three crew members manning their stations. Load 200 Medium creatures; 4,000 tons of cargo. Out ofControl When the ship is out of control, it moves forward at half speed. Each round, roll a d20. On a roll of 1-5, the ship descends. It descends 5 squares per round for the first 10 rounds it's out of control. After 10 rounds, it descends 10 squares per round. If the ship hits a solid mote in the Elemental Chaos or the Abyss after traveling out of control for more than 20 rounds, it is destroyed. Chaos Attunement A chaos ship functions only in the Elemental Chaos and the Abyss. Wheel and Three Anarch Spheres (Navigation Focus) This vehicle is equipped with three anarch spheres, which serve as the navigation focus for the wheel mounted on top of the sterncastle deck. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate FINDING YOUR WAY Up and down are never in doubt in the Plane Below, but cardinal compass points are meaningless. No sun rises or sets to establish direction. Landmasses drift continually. That anyone can find a route through this constantly shifting place is amazing. Travelers who can see their destination are not likely to get lost. Otherwise, navigation is a constant concern. Elemental creatures have an instinctive sense of the flow of chaos in their environment and might guide outsiders who request their services. Some beings, such as efreets, claim to recognize patterns in the plane's seemingly random fluctuations. Natives can use either Arcana or Nature to navigate, as can outsiders who have spent several months within the Elemental Chaos and have grown somewhat acclimatized to its turbulence. Other explorers can use only Arcana. The "Lost in the Wilderness" skill challenge (DunBeon Master's Guide, page 79) and the "Sailing the Sea of Fire" skill challenge on page 27 are good examples of how to handle navigation in the Plane Below. THE CHAOS SH1'P: R1D1NG IN STYLE The most dependable way of traversing the Plane Below is on a chaos ship. Only a few of these enormous vessels exist, and fi nding one or booking passage on it might not be easy, but for many adventurers it's worth the effort. The upper deck of a typical chaos ship is 130 feet from stem to stern. A 5-foot-high railing surrounds the upper deck. The railing holds stanchions every 5 feet, through which hawsers can be tied to secure crew or cargo. One of these vehicles plays a major part in the epic tier adventure Prince of Undeath. The illustration on the facing page depicts a chaos ship's major features. Sterncastle: This two-story structure occupies much of the ship's stern. One set of stairs prOVides access to the first level, and a second set of stairs to the second level. The top level of the sterncastle contains the wheel that steers the craft. Hatches: The three hatches on the main deck lead to the belowdecks areas where cargo is stored. Anarch Spheres: These three crystal spheres sit in cradles. Each contains the bottled essence of chaos, and provides the ship's motive power. Magic Circles: Each of these inscribed circles provides teleportation access to a different, distant location, depending on the ship's current position and the rituals used to create the circles.
- - --.--.--.---.--.~--.-.--.--.~ --._-,--, ----.--.-,-. FEATURES OF THE PLANE A spike ofsolid thunder erupts from a bubbling magma field before dissipating into storm clouds. The clouds spawn torrential rains that solidify the magma. This igneous rock shatters into a swarm of earthmotes, which crash into a sea of acid. The impact creates a tidal wave that spills into volatile lakes ofliquid lightning hugging a rime-covered shore. An explosion melts the icy beach and pushes a river out into the clear skies. That rushing torrent slams into a plain offire. The conOuence ofopposing elements hisses into a steam geyser, a half-mile wide and incredibly high. The elemental steam is so hot that it vaporizes everything nearby. Such chaotic manifestations continually shake the Plane Below. Some sections ofthe plane are hospitable to the primordials alone. Other swaths are inhabited only by creatures spawned from the churning crucible, or those magically protected from its violent extremes. Still, not all areas of the Elemental Chaos are anathema to visitors. In the infinity ofthis fundamental plane, countless areas and paths exist that nonnativcs can travel. Surviving such a journey requires some preparation, a good dose of daring, and a careful step. You can use the following tools to create evocative and interactive encounter environments in the Elemental Chaos and the Abyss. A briefdescription ofstrange weather and environments in the plane is followed by details ofseveral new types of fantastic terrain. Finally, this section presents hazards and skill challenges to spice up elemental encounters. WEATHER AND ENVIRONMENTAL DANGERS The weather found in the world also manifests in the Elemental Chaos, although often more violent. Locales are obscured by fog, blinded by blizzards, and pummeled by rain, tornadoes, sand storms, and gales. Stranger forms ofweather also exist-ice mists, acidic rain, fiery cyclones, and gales of boulders. The Endure Elements ritual is a handy tool for traversing the Elemental Chaos, but it has its limits. The more hospitable sections of the plane feature temperatures between the natural-world extremes of -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, but temperatures in most of the plane's regions extend beyond this range. In addition, the atmosphere can vary significantly in the blink of an eye. In areas of extreme temperatures, CHAP T ER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
creatures without protection expire quickly, and even warded individuals can hold out for only so long. The Endurance skill gauges a character's ability to withstand environmental dangers. For normal dangers found in the world and in the hospitable areas ofthe Elemental Chaos (see DuniJeon Master's Guide, page 159), a character must succeed on an Endurance check every 8 hours or lose a healing surge, unless under the protection ofEndure Elements. Within less hospitable areas, the Endurance check DCs do not increase dramatically, but the frequency ofchecks does. Characters without the protection ofEndure Elements must make a check every 5 minutes or lose a healing surgc. Those protected by the ritual must make a check every 8 hours or lose a healing surge. Extreme conditions in the Elemental Chaos are described below. Although the Endure Elements ritual neutralizes most natural dangers, the environmental threats ofthe Elemental Chaos are more severe. The te rm "primordial" indicates an extreme that requires a character to make Endurance checks evcn when protected by Endure Elements. For such regions, the Endure Primordial Elements ritual provides more reliable protection_ (See the "Greater Danger, Greater Magic" sidebar.) Condition Endurance DC ~~ordlalstorrns 2Q rd al winds 21 Prl~rdlal cold 22 Pri~ rdlal heat 22 Noalr __ • Frigid prl~ordlal cold 26 ~tlfling prl~ordlal he~ ri~ordla l s~oke or ash --==----_-_ 26 26 Mutating prl~ordlal chaos 31 * This check ~ust be ~ade every ~inute, rather than every 5 minutes, and Endure Elements does not lessen the frequency. GREATER DANGER, GREATER MAG1C In many areas of the Elemental Chaos, the Endure Elements ritual reduces but does not eliminate environmental dangers. These extreme situations require a more powerful and much rarer ritual: Endure Primordial Elements. Both rituals turn environmental dangers "on and off." Not until a character reaches the higher paragon tier is he or she able to overcome more intense elements by using the Endure Primordial Elements ritual. Remember that these rituals protect characters from the ambient atmosphere and normal precipitation dangers of the plane. They do not protect characters from elemental attacks originating from terrain, hazards, or the powers of elemental creatures. C HAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate ENDURE PRIMORDIAL ELEMENTS Flames lick you, or liahtnilliJ crackles around you, but you pay these threats no mind. level: 17 Component Cost: 4,300 gp Category: Exploration Market Price: 12,000 gp Time: 10 minutes Key Skill: Arcana (no check) Duration: 24 hours You deSignate up to eight ritual participants, Including yourself, who ignore penalties and Endurance checks associated with the extreme weather and environments of the Elemental Chaos. An affected creature and its equipment ignore ill effects from extreme temperatures and other ambient threats. Creatures' attacks, terrain features, and traps or !h azards are still potential dangers. In areas where you would normally have to make Endurance checks every 8 hours while under the effect of Endure Elements, you need not make any checks while under the effect of Endure Primordial Elements. ELEMENTAL FANTASTIC TERRAIN Compared to even the most bizarre areas ofthe world, the strange terrain ofthe Elemental Chaos is fantastic. Few creatures other than the efreets can swim the Sea of Fire, and only the hardiest of elemental beings can survive the deadly pummeling of an earth storm. Other places are so alive with churning, warping elemental energy that they seem to come alive when creatures venture too near. The follOWing hazards only scratch the surface of the variety offantastic terrain that exists throughout the Plane Below. You can use these selections to create a variety offeatures to add an unexpected twist to encounters, or mix their material and func tions to create new and exciting terrain ofyour own: crawling ice, frozen lightning, or fire mist. Some ofthe hazardous terrain described below is typical ofthe Abyss. Nevertheless, the ever-shifting nature ofthe Elemental Chaos means that such dangers might appear anywhere in the plane. ACIDIC MIRE Any quagmire can be dangerous and debilitating. In the Elemental Chaos, a swampy area filled with caustic liqUid makes the peril far worse. Seas composed of Oesh-dissolving liquids are bordered by shores riddled with moors that churn with acid bubbling up from below. Such confluences ofmuck and acid are deadly to traverse, SQ creatures that crave solitude build bastions amid this inhospitabfe terrain. Effect: A square of acidic mire is difficult terrain for creatures without earth walk. They sink into the mire, muck clinging to Oesh and clothing. In
addition, any creature that starts its turn in a square of acidic bog takes ongoing 5 acid damage per tier and is slowed (save ends both). Usage: Acidic mire requires characters to trudge more slowly through an area. Artillery or controller monsters take advantage ofsuch terrain to hinder melee attackers. BONEPOWDER HAZE In desolate sections of the Abyss, especially the dread region ofThanatos (Manual ofthe Planes, page 82), strange clouds offine, white powder hover in the air and crackle with necrotic energy. This strange haze saps the life force ofcreatures within it, dissipating or corrupting that life force to empower nearby undead. Effect: Fields of bone powder haze are lightly obscured. Any living creature within a square containing this terrain regains only one-half normal hit pOints from healing effects. Furthermore, whenever a living creature receives a healing effect while in bonepowder haze, each undead creature within 3 squares ofit gains a +2 power bonus to attack rolls until the end ofthe undead creature's next turn. Usage: Pairing bonepowder haze with undead is a no-brainer. Even without undead, the haze makes any combat more dangerous by degrading healing. Brutes wade into the haze, knowing that the damage oftheir powerful strikes will persist longer. You can position artillery at the edge of a field of bonepowder haze to obscure the enemy and also hinder ranged counterattacks. CHAOS BREATH An area of chaos breath contains powerful, unpredictable wind gusts that extend high into the atmosphere, equally affecting flying and grounded creatures. The gusts occupy several areas, each 1 to 4 squares across. The currents react to movement and other disturbances, making them appear to be aware. Effect: When a creature enters a square containing chaos breath or starts its turn there, it slides 1d4 squares in a random direction and must make a saving throw to avoid being knocked prone. Creatures that are already allowed a saving throw to avoid being knocked prone gain a +2 bonus to this saving throw. A creature within a square of chaos breath can attempt an easy Athletics or Acrobatics check to reduce the distance ofthe slide by 1 square, plus 1 square for every 5 points by which the check result beats the DC. A creature that does not slide any distance is not knocked prone. Usage: Chaos breath confounds strategic maneuvering by adding unpredictability to movement. Since this terrain is difficult to spot (requiring a hard Perception check), it can catch both sides in a conflict offguard. Because ofthe variability ofthe Elemental Chaos. the effect of chaos breath might not be consistently applied in all cases. In certain areas, the gusts might not be s'trong enough to affect larger creatures. Air creatures might sense an area of chaos breath and avoid it, or can have an innate resistance to its effect at your discretion. To create more disarray-and more complexity-you could have chaos breath potentially affect u.. o ::l the entire encounter area instead ofspecific squares 0::: within it. Each creature has a chance of being caught ~ in a gust at the start ofits turn, perhaps on a roll of 1-4 on a d20. < u.J u.. CRAWLING EARTH The substance of the Elemental Chaos sometimes exhibits a destructive will. especially in the form of elementals. but sentience is not necessary for the semblance ofliving behavior. A prime example is crawling earth. which resembles normal ground but animates when stepped on, then quiets after a few moments. Effect: When any creature ends its movement in a square of crawling earth, it triggers that square and any contiguous squares containing that terrain. The ground rises up and moves 1d4 squares in a random direction, carrying along any creature in that space. The movement is so quick and jarring that a creature in a square of crawling earth must make a saving throw to avoid being knocked prone. A section of crawling earth is usually no larger than 4 squares on a side, but wider areas exist in particularly unstable sections ofthe Elemental Chaos. Usage: The Elemental Chaos contains several fantastic terrain types that create a dynamic environment, but crawling earth does the best job. Such terrain discourages creatures from ending their movement in certain spaces, forcing them to move farther than they otherwise would (which favors melee combatants) or discouraging movement altogether (making them easy prey for ranged attacks). You might also set the crawling earth's movement in a specific direction or toward a given pOint to push the action a certain way or to enhance monsters' control effects. DEMON JAGS These areas ofsharp, rugged stone are formed when demons are trampled by other demons or otherwise violently absorbed into the surrounding surface. Most commonly encountered in the Abyss, demon jags could occur anywhere a demonic horde swarms. Effect: Squares containing demon jags are difficult terrain, but any creature can move through the space normally by taking 5 damage per tier for each square entered. Demons are immune to this effectthe spars yield to their passing or retract into the CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
ground. Furthermore, a demon occupying a square ofdemon jags can use its variable resistance without reducing its limit for the current encounter. Usage: Demon jags serve well as walls and ramparts in demon lairs. Those unusual demons that have any degree of patience use the jags to slow or wear down approaching enemies. DEMON SUCK Dangerous and debilitating, this odd black slime is a common terrain feature throughout the Abyss. It is particularly widespread where large numbers of demons congregate for long periods oftime. Effect: The vile gunk smells foul and makes footing treacherous, creating large areas ofdifficult terrain. Any nondemon creature that ends its turn in a square ofdemon slick takes 5 acid and poison damage per tier. In addition, the oily slick responds to certain attacks by extending and latching onto creatures within it. Any creature that is hit by an acid or pOison attack while in a square ofdemon slick takes ongoing 5 acid and poison damage per tier (save ends). Usage: Demon slick is a natural complement to demons that have acid or poison attacks, such as bebiliths, mezzodemons, and vrocks. Against characters without protection against such types ofdamage, the demons' debilitating attacks are even more effective. EARTHFLOW The world suffers the occasional mud slide or avalanche. In the Elemental Chaos, earth moves con· stantly in rivers of rock, dirt, or mud. Effect: Each area ofearthflow has a direction of current (see "Underwater Terrain," Dun8eon Master's Guide, page 45). Different sections of a single area could flow in different directions, creating a particularly turbulent earthcourse. Earthflow squares are difficult terrain. Each creature within an earthflow area at the start ofits turn slides 3 squares in the direction offlow. Ifthe creature is forced into an area with a different flow direction, it slides the remaining distance in the new direction. The creature must also make an Acrobatics or Athletics check to avoid sinking into the flow and becoming grabbed. (Use the "Skill Check Difficulty Class by Level" table on page 24 to set appropriate DCs and difficulty.) Creatures that have earth walk ignore all earthflow effects. Usage: Earthflow terrain forces the characters in a certain direction or puts them at a disadvantage against creatures that have earth walk. An entire encounter area filled with earthflow can be frustrating, though, so be sure the encounter contains other terrain and rewards clever use ofskills to bypass the earthflow. ELEMENTAL SPOUT Eruptions ofmaterial or elemental energy are a common occurrence in the Plane Below. Any substance can issue forth from solid surfaces, bodies of liquid, raging storms, or empty air. Effect: An elemental spout fills a burst, 1 square per tier, centered on a particular origin square. The spout might erupt at intervals or when a creature moves within 1 square ofthe burst's center. For interval eruptions, the spout rolls initiative at the start of combat or takes effect at a specific time in a round; for an erratic spout, you might roll initiative each round. The effect ofan elemental spout depends on the type of energy or material it disgorges. A summary of common elemental spouts and their effects follows. Exotic spouts also exist that contain more than one substance. Acid: 5 acid damage per tier, and ongoing 5 acid damage per tier (save ends). Frost: 5 cold damage per tier, and the target is slowed (save ends). Li8htnin8: 5 lightning damage per tier, and the target is dazed (save ends). If a target is already dazed, it is instead stunned (save ends). Ma8ma: 5 fire damage per tier, and ongoing 5 fire damage per tier (save ends). Poison Gas: 5 poison damage per tier, and the target is weakened (save ends).
Scaldina Slick: 5 fire damage per tier, and the target is knocked prone. Thunder: 5 thunder damage per tier, and the target is pushed 2 squares from the spout's origin square. Usage: Elemental spouts break up an encounter area and give the characters a reason to move in certain ways, whether to avoid the effects ofthe spouts or to use them in a clever tactical way. Creatures that have resistance or are immune to a spout's effects can take advantage of the spout to block and damage enemies. ENERGY ALTERATION FIELD The air sparkles and the ground buzzes in the area of an energy alteration field. The terrain can be as big as an entire encounter area or as small as a few squares on a side. Effect: When a creature within the field makes an attack that has a damage type, or such an attack targets a creature or a square within the field, the attack's damage type changes. For an attack that has an area of effect, the damage type changes only in the part ofthe area of effect that overlaps the field. Energy alteration fields are inherently chaotic, each one producing a different effect. Use the following table to determine the new damage type, rolling once for each of the attack's damage types. Ifthe new damage type is the same, nothing happens; an attack that has two or more damage types ends up with only one instead. d8 Energy d8 Energy 1 Acid 5 Lightning,___~ 2 Cold 6 Poison 3 Fire 7 Radiant 4 Force 8 Thunder Creatures trained in Arcana can manipulate an energy alteration field as a minor action. Arcana Easy DC: A successful check allows a creature to make one target ignore the effect of the energy alteration field until the end of that target's next turn. Arcana Moderate DC: A successful check allows a creature to change the damage type ofits attacks within the field to any other type that the field allows. This effect lasts until the start ofthe creature's next turn. Arcana Hard DC: A successful check allows a creature to change the damage type of all attacks within the field to any other type that the field allows. This effect lasts until the start ofthe creature's next turn. Usage: An energy alteration field lets characters and monsters alike tinker with their damage types and adds a surprise clement to an encounter. It can be key strategic terrain in a battle, allowing a creature that specializes in limited damage types to diversify or to affect creatures that normally have resistance to such damage. FROZEN FIRE Portions of the Elemental Chaos experience cold so intense that even fire freezes. In other areas, fire and ice mingle in ways that are contradictory to minds that are familiar only with the natural world. This mixing of opposites is highly unstable-the subtlest change in the surroundings can cause a dramatic explosion. Effect: Patches offrozen fire are usually no larger than 6 contigllolls squares, but larger areas can exist. When a creature without the cold keyword enters a square adjacent to frozen fire, or a square of frozen fire is subjected to fire , lightning, or thunder damage, that square explodes. The effect is a close burst 1, centered on the origin square, dealing Id8 cold and fire damage per tier. Usage: An encounter area containing several regions of frozen fire tightly limits safe zones on the battlefield. Such control particularly favors soldiers, forcing characters to make hard tactical choices during combat. ICE MAWS These expanses of permafrost seem tranquil from a distance, but when a creature approaches, the frozen ground seems to come alive with mouthlike openings that snap at the creature's feet. The voracious maws are indiVidually small and slow, but their collective bite is debilitating. Effect: If a creature without ice walk starts and ends its turn in the same ice maws space, it takes 5 cold damage per tier and is immobilized (save ends). The affected creature cannot make a saving throw against this effect until the end ofits next turn. Usage: Large sections of ice maws can encourage characters to pass through an encounter area with haste and discourage ranged attackers from staying in one place. Ice archons are well known for using ice maws to protect their crystalline fortresses. EXOT1C TERRA1N, STANDARD EFFECTS The Elemental Chaos is a place of wild magiC and shifting elements. but not all its terrain requires special rules. You can adjust normal-seeming terrain to have unusual features that bring the Plane Below to life. A seeming lake might be traversed as if it were solid land. Stone might flow like water and use the same rules for combat and movement. Lightning could crawl slowly from the earth to the sky, allowing a creature to climb it as if it were a beanstalk. CHAPTER I I Chaos Incarnate
I FANTAST1C TERRA1N FROM OTHER SOURCES Several other D&D books contain fantastic terrain that can be found in the Elemental Chaos. DUNGEON MASTER'S GUIDE Blood rock (page 67) Choke frost (page 67) ~oadstone (page 68) Mirror crystal (page 68) Slides (page 68) Whirlwind (page 69) DUNGEON MASTER'S GUIDE 2 Blast cloud (page 58) Bolt stone (page 58) Creeping ice (page 58) Elemental windchurn (page 59) Energy node (page 59) Grasping bog (page 60) Jade flame (page 60) Rage stone (page 61) Thunder shards (page 61) MANUAL OF THE PLANES Abyssal wellspring (page 11) Elementall seepage (page 11) Phase rock (page 11) Energy crystals (page 11) INFECTIOUS PALLOR Pockets ofdiseased air drift through the Abyss. These vapors are often invisible, and those that can be seen appear innocuous. Light within an area ofinfectious pallor looks slightly different from that in surround ing areas. Also, creatures within this terrain appear sickly and wan, and any wounds they take seem to ooze with infection. Effect: Each area ofinfectious pallor carries a specific disease (Dungeon Master's Guide, pages 49-50). Any creature that starts and ends its turn in a square of infectious pallor (even ifthey are different squares in the same area) is exposed to that disease. A common plague ofthe Abyss is demon pox, described below. Demon Pox Usage: This terrain works well with undead and elemental creatures, both ofwhich are commonly immune to disease and have no fear of being within the area. The disease you pick determines how scary the pallor is. Try positioning this terrain around areas that you want to be challenging to reach, or in places you want characters to pass through quickly. LIGHTNING MIST These fields ofgray-blue fog that drift slowly through the Elemental Chaos are hazardous to traverse quickly. Lightning mist typically coalesces into an area 5 squares on a side, but masses miles wide and just as deep are not unknown in treacherous territories. Effect: When the particles within the mist are stirred, a charge ofelectricity lashes out. Any creature that enters more than 2 squares oflightning mist during a Single move action takes 5 lightning damage per tier. Squares containing the mist are lightly obscured. Usage: Lightning mist forces creatures to slow down or suffer the consequences. Artillery monsters zero in on slowly moving creatures within the mist, gaining more attacks at a slight cost to accuracy. Elemental creatures that have resistance or are immune to lightning damage thrive in these areas. LIQUID THUNDER After a powerful elemental storm ravages an area of the Elemental Chaos, gray and placid pools are left behind. These innocuous-looking puddles are actually highly volatile liquid coalesced from the force of the storm. Liquid thunder pools are so unstable that they are rarely larger than 1 square. Effect: A pool ofliquid thunder remains calm and mirrorlike until a creature or an object enters it. It then releases the tremendous thunder stored within it, blasting a creature in its square and each creature adjacent to that square. The force ofthe blast hurls the affected creatures 10 feet per tier into the air. Any creature that falls back to the ground takes 1dlO damage per tier; it can make an Acrobatics check as normal to reduce the falling damage. level 5+ Disease Typically delivered by infectious pallors that waft Attack: Encounter level + 3 or demon level + 3 vs. Fortitude throu8" the Abyss, demon pox can also be contracted Endurance improve DC 15 + encounter level or demon level, maintain from the melee attacks ofinfected demons. The tI Initial Effect: The target develops target is a multicolored rash of disgusting cured. pox. Whenever a critical hit is scored against the target, it takes 1d1 0 extra damage and is dazed (save ends). DC 10 + encounter level or demon level, worsen DC 9 + encounter level or demon level or lower tiC The pox begins to ooze and scab over. The target loses a healing surge until it is cured. Whenever a critical hit is scored against the target, it takes 1d10 extra damage and is dazed (save ends). While the target is bloodied, it is also slowed. C HAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnat e C Final State: The target dies and 1 d6 dretches (Monster Manual 2, page 54) tear free from its corpse.
Usage: Liquid thunder is a simple but dangerous obstruction. Creatures that have forced movement powers use it to great effect. PHASE CRYSTAL This translucent, silvery crystal is related to phase rock (Manual ofthe Planes, page 22). It can be induced to discharge its extradimensional energy and shunt a creature out of phase for a short time. Effect: When a creature ends its move in a square of phase crystal, it gains phasing until the end of its next turn. That square cannot affect another creature until the end of the encounter. Usage: Combined with obstacles that restrict a battlefield, phase crystal allows characters or monsters greater mobility. You can restrict the terrain's effect by limiting the number ofsquares it covers. Try not to use phase crystal as the only way to get to a special area or encounter unless the terrain is large enough to affect the entire party at one time. PRIMORDIAL FONT Volatile fountains ofliquid elemental energy can erupt anywhere in the Elemental Chaos, changing those who bathe in them. Effect: A creature that remains in a square containing a primordial font for its entire turn gains a random elemental keyword and an accompanying benefit, as shown in the table below. Alternatively, a creature in the font's square can spend a standard action to splash the liquid over itself, gaining the keyword and the accompanying benefit even ifit does not end its turn in the font. Whenever a creature gains a primordial font effect and is already under the effect of a previous result, the prior effect ends. Otherwise, a creature that is under a primordial font's effect rolls a d20 at the end ofits turn. On a result of9 or lower, the effect ends. Creatures ofthe elemental origin that are affected by a primordial font can make a saving throw to avoid its effect. 2 Fire 3 Ice You gain resist 5 to You dealld6 extra fire damage per tier with melee attacks. Each creature that starts Its turn adjacent to you is slowed until the start of your next turn. 4 Lightning Until the start of your next turn, you don't grant combat advantage or take a -5 penalty to attack rolls when you run. 5 Thunder Each creature that starts Its turn adjacent to you is dazed until the start of your next turn. 6 Water You can shift as a minor action. Usage: Primordial fonts create interesting random interactions for monsters and characters alike. You can place them in an encounter when you want a strange and unpredictable battle. Alternatively, primordial fonts are useful in areas containing portals or other restricted zones that are accessible only to creatures that have a certain elemental keyword. STRANGLING WIND The pressure of this wind is so great, and its blasts so turbulent, that it slows and even suffocates those who push themselves too hard. The winds are strong enough to hinder the accuracy of ranged and area attacks (even magical ones). A jet ofstrangling wind is typically 3 squares wide and 6 to 8 squares long at paragon tier, and 5 squares by 10 squares at epic tier. Effect: A creature that starts its turn in a square ofstrangling wind is slowed until the start of its next turn. A creature that runs or takes a double move in strangling wind is dazed (save ends) at the end of that movement, even ifit is no longer within the wind's area. With each failed saving throw, the target loses a healing surge. Creatures take a -5 penalty to attack rolls with ranged or area attacks launched within or into an area ofstrangling wind. Usage: Strangling wind makes a formidable barrier that penalizes creatures trying to move quickly through the area. Elemental brutes and soldiers, such as rockfire dreadnoughts (Monster Manual, page 104) and demons, love fighting in strangling wind. They can take their time beating the pulp out oftheir enemies without worrying much about ranged attacks. WRATH MUD In parts ofthe Abyss, the land itselfis subject to the insane rage that twists and contorts reality. Certain stinking bogs contain eerie mud that saps the sanity from creatures within it, pushing them to violence through psychic pain. The mud has a normal consistency but features an oily sheen, reflecting light in a swirling rainbow ofsickly color. Effect: Areas ofwrath mud are difficult terrain. Any creature within a square ofwrath mud that scores a critical hit with a melee attack deals Id10 extra damage per tier on that attack. Furthermore, a creature that starts its turn in a square ofwrath mud and does not make a melee attack before the end of its turn takes 5 psychic damage per tier. Usage: Wrath mud is similar to, but more unforgiving than, blood rock (Dunaeon Master's Guide, page 67). It is typically used to create bottlenecks that force bloody melee battles-the kind offight that demons enjoy most. C HAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate u.. o IJ1 UJ CI: :J roct: UJ u..
ELEMENTAL HAZARDS The wilds of the Elemental Chaos are as dangerous as any ofthe plane's inhabitants. A variety of hazards threaten the unwary, and even natives give certain areas a wide berth. The hazards presented here expand on those in the Dun8eon Master's Guide and Manual ofthe Planes. Gorgon Mud level 8 Obstacle Il d/dnl XP l~O This viscous w een mudforms pockets in b08s and soft wound. It erupts around those who disturb it to dutch at their feet, then hardens into an earthen prison. Hazard: This hazard consists of 10 squares positioned in a larger field of mud or soft earth. The hazard affects any creature that enters one of its squares. Perception • DC 19: The character can discern if any adjacent squares contain gorgon mud. Additional Skill: Arcana • DC 14: The character recognizes the hazard's nature. Trigger When a creature enters a square of gorgon mud, the hazard attacks. Attack Opportunity Action Melee Target: The triggering creature Special: A creature that has earth walk or that is immune to petrification is immune to the effect of gorgon mud. Attack: +11 vs. Fortitude Hit: The target is immobilized (save ends). First Failed Savin8 Throw: The target is restrained (save ends). Second Failed Savin8 Throw: The target is petrified (save ends). Miss: The target is slowed (save ends). Countermeasures • A character can make a DC 14 Athletics check to grant himself or herself or an adjacent creature a +2 bonus to the next saving throw against the mud's effect. • A character who makes a DC 19 Arcana check siphons the elemental energy from the mud, rendering inert 1 square, plus 1 square for every 5 points by which the check result beats the DC. Upgrade to Elite (700 XP) • Increase the DCs for Perception, Athletics, and Arcana checks by 2. • If the target fails a saving throw against the petrified effect, a save can no longer end that effect. The target's allies must physically break away the hardened mud (AC 2; Reflex 2, Fortitude 15; hp 90). Each attack that deals damage to the hardened mud deals the same amount of damage to the trapped target (reduced by the petrified condition's resist 20 to all damage). Luminous Node Level 11 Blaster lI.l!d,d XI' bOO A81owin8 elemental mass pulses randomly, occasionally reo leasifl8 lances of ener8Y· Hazard: The node usually occupies 1 square, but it can be as big as 3 squares on a side. The node deals fire, force, lightning, or radiant damage (choose one or roll a d4). Its energy is attracted to moving bodies within range. Creatures can enter the node's space. Perception A luminous node sheds bright light in a lO-square radius. No check is required to notice it. Additional Skill: Arcana • DC 21: The character recognizes the hazard's nature. Initiative +2 Trigger When a creature enters a square within 10 squares of the luminous node's space, the hazard rolls initiative. The hazard also makes an opportunity attack against a creature that enters or starts its turn in the node's space. Attack Standard Action Ranged 10 or Opportunity Action Target: One creature or the triggering creature Attack: +15 vs. Reflex Hit: 2d8 + 5 damage of a type from the following list, and an effect determined by that type. Fire: 1d8 extra fire damage, and the target gains vulnerable 5 fire (save ends). Force: The target is pushed 2 squares, knocked prone, and slowed (save ends). li8htnin8: The target is dazed (save ends). Radiant: The target is blinded (save ends). Miss: Half damage. Countermeasures • With a DC 21 Acrobatics check made as part of a move action, a character can enter the node's space without triggering an opportunity attack. • A character adjacent to or within the node's space can attempt a DC 16 Arcana check as a move action. If the check succeeds and the node's next attack hits, treat the attack as a miss. If check succeeds and the node's next attack misses, the attack deals no damage. • A character within the node's space can attempt a DC 21 Arcana check as a move action. Results are as for a DC 16 Arcana check as above. In addition, three successful checks cause the node to dissipate, eliminating the hazard. • A character within the node's space can attempt a DC 26 Arcana check as a standard action. Results are as for a DC 21 Arcana check as above. In addition, a character who makes a sucessful check can force the node to attack any target in range. Upgrade to Elite (1,200 XP) • The node attacks twice per turn. Each attack can have a different damage type. • Dissipating the node requires six successful DC 21 Arcana checks instead ofthree. C HAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
Steel Ra in Level 15 Blaster fl Jld,d XI' I ,lOO Ahead, rain sheets down with a metallic tinklin8. The 8round beneath it is 110t damp. Hazard: Tiny shards of sharp metal drop from the sky and burrow into the ground or into any creatures they hit. The hazard occupies three areas, each 3 squares on a side. Steel rain squares are lightly obscured. At the start of each round, the hazard moves 1d8 squares in a random direction or in a direction you choose. Perception No check is necessary to notice the rain. • DC 23: The creature sees that the "raindrops" are metallic. Additional Skill: Arcana • DC 23: The character recognizes the hazard's nature. Trigger When a creature enters a square of steel rain or starts its turn there, the hazard attacks. Attack Opportunity Action Melee Target: The triggering creature Attack: +20 vs. AC Hit: 1 d1 0 + 5 damage, and ongoing 10 damage (save ends). Miss: Half damage. Countermeasures • A character using a shield can hold it overhead as a minor action, gaining a +1 bonus to AC against the steel rain but losing any shield bonus to AC and Reflex against other attacks. These adjustments to AC last until the start of the creature's next turn. • If a character makes a DC 23 Arcobatics check as part of a move action and ends his or her move outside the area of steel rain, he or she does not trigger an attack when moving through the hazard. • With a successful DC 18 Arcana check as a minor action, a character can force one area of steel rain not to move at the start ofthe next round. With a successful DC 27 check, the character can move that area 1 d4 squares in a direction of his or her choice. Upgrade to Elite (2,400 XP) • Increase the DCs for Perception, Acrobatics, and Arcana checks by 2. • The steel rain occupies four areas, each 4 squares on a side. • Harmless precipitation lightly obscures the entire encounter area. When a creature is about to enter an adjacent square of steel rain, it makes a DC 23 Perception check as a free action; on a success, the creature spots the metal needles before moving into that square. ELEMENTAL FLEX1B1L1TY The hazards of the Elemental Chaos are myriad. The dangers in this section can be transformed in style or approach without significantly altering their mechanics. Often, adjusting damage type is the only change needed. Void blight Leve l 15 Blaster H.ll,,,,1 XI' I ,JO() A mass of pulsin8 blackness slowly resolves into swarmin8 moles of nothin8ness driftin8 over the 8round, each one absorbin8 1i8ht, life, and sanity. Hazard: The void blight occupies 9 contiguous squares. Each vOidblight square must share a side, not just a corner, with at least one other vOidblight square. Perception No check is necessary to notice the mass. Additional Skill: Arcana • DC 23: The character recognizes the hazard's nature. Initiative +2 Trigger The void blight can sense nondemon living creatures within 20 squares, whether or not it has line of sight to them. When it does, the hazard rolls initiative. The mass moves on its turn, oozing through the air or dragging along the surface to a square occupied by a nondemon living creature. It has a speed of 5, fly 5 (hover). It then attacks such creatures that start their turns within its area. Attack Opportunity Action Melee Target: Each nondemon living creature that starts its turn in the void blight's square Attack: +18 vs. Fortitude Hit: 1 d1 0 + 6 psychic damage, and ongoing 10 psychic damage and the target is affected by void blight insanity (save ends both). While a conscious target is affected by the insanity, it must make a basic attack against an ally during its turn or take 10 extra psychic damage at the end of its turn. Special: A creature cannot make a saving throw against the void blight's effect while within the hazard's square. Countermeasure • A character can attack a square of voidblight (AC 29; other defenses 27; hp 30; half damage from melee and ranged attacks). When reduced to 0 hit points, that square of void blight is destroyed. Upgrade to Elite (2,400 XP) • The void blight fills 18 contiguous squares. • Increase the voidblight's bonuses to attack rolls by 2. • Increase all the vOidblight's defenses by 2. Gates of Winter Level 16 Lurl<er H,l/.lrd XP 1AOO Th e ambient temperature drops sharply, and hoarfrost 8'eams ahead. An is quiet ... until a wall ofice rises violently b~fore you. Hazard: On the hazard's turn, a wall ofjagged ice rises from the ground. This hazard has a single origin square, but its effect is widespread. Perception No check is necessary to notice the area of the hazard. Between the triggering of the hazard and its attack, creatures can see the frost on the ground shift, rise, and crack. • DC 25: The character notices an area of thick frost, which is the hazard's origin square. CHAP TE R 1 I Chaos Incarnate
Additional Skill: Arcana • DC 25: If the character is aware of the thick frost in the origin square, he or she recognizes the hazard's nature. Initiative +2 Trigger The hazard normally triggers when a creature without the cold keyword comes within 20 squares of the origin square while the origin square has line of effect to that creature. Other triggers are possible. When triggered, the hazard rolls initiative. On its turn, the hazard creates an ice wall in a random part of the encounter area. Attack Standard Action Area wall 1 0 within 20 squares Effect: A wall of ice erupts to a height of 6 squares. Any creature that starts its turn adjacent to the wall takes 2d6 + 6 cold damage. The wall blocks line of Sight and blocks movement. If the wall appears in a space that a creature occupies, the creature slides to one side of the wall (roll randomly for direction) and is knocked prone. The wall remains until the start of the hazard's next turn and then crumbles into broken ice. The space formerly occupied by the wall is difficult terrain, which lasts until the end of the encounter. Countermeasures • A character can make a DC 20 Acrobatics check or a DC 25 Athletics check as an opportunity action when the wall appears in that character's space; if the check succeeds, the character can shift 2 squares away from the wall and make a saving throw to avoid being knocked prone. A character who is normally allowed a saving throw to avoid being knocked prone gains a +2 bonus to the roll. • With a DC 20 Arcana check or Nature check made as a minor action, a character can determine the rough shape and location of the next wall. • A character can attempt a DC 22 Arcana check as an immediate interrupt when the wall appears; if the check succeeds, the character places 1 square of the wall in a different contiguous square. The wall cannot enter the original square. For every 5 points by which the check result beats the DC, the character can alter the location of 1 extra square. • With a DC 25 Arcana check as a standard action, a character can siphon energy from the origin square. After three such successful checks, the hazard is disabled for 24 hours. • A character who makes a DC 20 Athletics check as part of a move action can smash through part of the wall, leaving a hole and treating the square as difficult terrain instead of blocking terrain. The character takes 1d6 + 6 cold damage for moving through the wall this way. Upgrade to Elite (2,800 XP) • Increase the DCs for Perception, Acrobatics, Athletics, Arcana, and Nature checks by 2. • The walls crumble into difficult terrain after 2 rounds. Thus, after the first round, the hazard has two walls in existence at a time, rather than one. These walls can cross each other. '\ Gates ofWinter Elemental Eruptions Level 18 Obstacle H,I!,,,,I XI' 1.000 The area ahead shudders, projectinB heat and small liBhtninB arcs. Suddenly, part of it bursts upward, explodiliB in elemenla/fury. Hazard: A surface contains unstable elements in an area 10 squares on a side. Five squares within that area are ready to burst. Perception No check is required to notice the area of the hazard. • DC 25: The character can discern if any adjacent squares are ready to burst. Additional Skill: Arcana • DC 25: The character recognizes the hazard's nature. Trigger When a nonelemental creature enters a square that is ready to burst, that square attacks with a random effect. Once it attacks, the square is no longer ready to burst, but a secondary effect persists (see below). Primary Attack Opportunity Action Melee Primary Target: The triggering creature Primary Attack: +22 vs. Fortitude C HAPT E R 1 I Chaos Incarnat e
VI Hit: Roll a d8 to determine the attack's effect. l-Acid: 2d6 + 5 acid damage, and ongoing 10 acid damage (save ends). 2-Cold: 2d8 + 5 cold damage, and the primary target is immobilized until the end of its next turn. Aftereffect: The primary target is slowed (save ends). 3-Fire: 2d1 0 + 5 fire damage, and ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends). Whenever the primary target takes the ongoing damage, each creature adjacent to it takes 5 fire damage. 4-Force: 1d1 0 + 5 force damage, and the primary target is hurled 20 feet into the air, falls back into its original square (taking 2d1 0 damage), and is knocked prone. S-Lightning: 3d6 + 5 lightning damage, and the primary target is dazed (save ends). 6-Poison: 3d6 + 5 poison damage, and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends). Whenever the primary target takes the ongoing damage, each creature adjacent to it takes 5 poison damage. 7-Radiant: 2d6 + 5 radiant damage, and the primary target is blinded until the end of its next turn. Aftereffect: The primary target takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends). 8-Thunder: 3d6 + 5 thunder damage, and the primary target is pushed 1d6 squares, knocked prone, and deafened (save ends). Miss: Half damage. Effect: The hazard makes a secondary attack that is a close burst 1 centered on the primary target. Secondary Attack Secondary Target: Each creature in burst Secondary Attack: +21 vs. Reflex Hit: 1d8 + 5 damage ofthe same type as the primary attack. Effect: The burst creates an area of difficult terrain that lasts until the end of the encounter. When any creature enters the area or starts its turn there, the hazard makes another secondary attack as an opportunity action. 70n the hazard's turn each round, this area of effect expands by 1 square to a maximum of 4 squares. Countermeasures + With a DC 25 Acrobatics check made as part of a move action, a character can move through the hazard's area without triggering the primary attack. If the character ends its movement in an untriggered square that is ready to burst, it triggers that square's primary attack. + A character who makes a DC 20 Arcana check as a minor action can choose 1 square of the hazard's area that does not erupt this round. + A character who makes a DC 25 Arcana check as a standard action can force 1 square that is ready to burst to erupt immediately, or can disperse its elemental energy so that the square cannot erupt for 24 hours. Upgrade to Elite (4,000 XP) + Increase the DCs for Perception, Acrobatics, and Arcana checks by 2. + 10 squares within the area are ready to burst. Elemental Transformation Field Level 18 Lurker 11.",,,<1 XI' } .(JO() A hllzelike heat risin8 j rom a desert fills the area with an oddly hued distortion. Suddenly, a companion is horribly transformed. Hazard: The air shimmers over a wide area, concealing 10 random squares of this hazard. u... Perception o No check is required to see the air shimmering. + DC 25: The character can discern if any adjacent squares ~ contain an elemental transformation field. :J Additional Skill: Arcana ~ + DC 25: The character recognizes the hazard's nature. ~ Trigger u... When a creature enters one of the field's squares, the hazard attacks. Attack Opportunity Action Melee Target: The triggering creature Attack: +21 vs. Will Hit: The target becomes a creature offlame, taking ongoing 15 fire damage (save ends). Until it saves against the ongoing fire damage, the following effects also apply. + The target is immune to fire damage from any source other than this hazard. + All the target's attacks deal fire damage rather than their normal type. + Any creature that starts its turn adjacent to the target takes 10 fire damage. First Failed Savin8 Throw: The target is also slowed (save ends both), as more of its substance is transformed into fire. Second Failed Savin8 Throw: The target is also immobilized (save ends all). Third Failed Savin8 Throw: The target is permanently transformed into a nonliving column of semisolid fire and stops taking the ongoing fire damage from this hazard. Each creature that begins its turn adjacent to the column of fire takes 10 fire damage. The Remove Affliction ritual can restore the target to normal. Special: The elemental transformation field does not attack creatures that are already under the effect of a previous successful attack by this hazard. Creatures already immune to fire are unaffected by this hazard. Upgrade to Elite (4,000 XP) + Increase the DCs for Perception and Arcana checks by 2. + The hazard deals an additional type of damage. Each attack has a Single damage type, but the hazard can target a creature already under the effect of one attack with another that deals the second damage type. (Replace "fire" with the appropriate type.) CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
Skystone Field Level 19 Lurker H.J/;"d Xl'l.'l()O With a resoundi nB crack. a chunk jettisons from the surface beneathYIJu and rockets upward. Hazard: When this hazard is triggered, bits of a solid horizontal surface shoot upward, potentially taking creatures with them. The hazard occupies an area at least 10 squares on a side; random squares within the area attack. Perce ption .. DC 22: The character notices an array of cracks running throughout the surface and sees that certain blocks bounded by the cracks twist and shudder. Additional Skill: Nature .. DC 27: As Perception, above. Initiative +2 Trigger The trigger for a skystone field can be random, caused by the actions of creatures, or timed. When the field is triggered, it rolls initiative. Between the triggering of the field and its attack, characters in the area know that something is amiss- different bits of ground in the area begin to vibrate and twitch violently. On the field's turn, a random square within the skystone field is the origin of a close burst attack. The same square cannot attack more than once in an encounter. Attack Standard Action Close burst 1 Target: Each creature in burst Attack: +22 vs. Reflex Hit: The target is flung 30 feet into the air, then falls back down. It takes 3dl 0 damage and falls prone in a random square within 3 squares of its starting position. Miss: The target slides to an unoccupied square adjacent to the burst. If no such square is available, the attack hits automatically. Effect: The burst creates an area of difficult terrain. Countermeasures .. With a DC 27 Nature check as a minor action, a character can determine the square on which the hazard will center its attack during its next turn. .. A character who knows which square of the hazard will attack next can attempt a DC 22 Arcana check or Thievery check as a standard action. On a successful check, the character stabilizes that square so that the hazard does not attack in that round. Upgrade to Elite (4,800 XP) .. Increase the DCs for Perception and Nature checks by 2. .. The hazard attacks twice each round. Lightningstone Field Level 21 Warder 11.,,,,,<1 XPl .100 Afaint waver disturbs the air. and the smell ofozone brushes your nostrils. You feel a rumblinB in your bonesjust before a massive IiBhtninB strike lances down . Hazard: A lightningstone field is an area charged with the potential of a lightning storm. When a creature enters the area, it disrupts the field, causing a thunderous lightning discharge. The field usually occupies an area 10 squares on a side. Predators and scavengers near a lightningstone field are attracted by the sound of the explosion. Perception .. DC 22: The character recognizes that something is amiss in the area. Additiona l Skill: Arcana .. DC 27: The character recognizes the hazard's nature. Initiative +2 Trigge r When a creature enters a square of the lightningstone field, the hazard rolls initiative. Attack Standard Action Melee Target: Each creature in the hazard's area Attack: +26 vs. Fortitude Hit: 1dl 0 + 3 lightning damage. Each creature adjacent to the target takes 5 thunder damage and is pushed 1 square. Miss: Half damage. Upgrade to Elite (6,400 XP) .. Increase the lightningstone field's bonus to attack rolls by 2. .. A target hit by the hazard is also dazed until the end of its turn. Void Crust Level 22 Obstacle 1I",."d XI' ~ . 1 )() The surface ahead seems dry and barren, and a chill in tlte air weiBhs on your spirit. Suddenly, the Bround opens to expose a roilinB void. Hazard: When a creature within the hazard acts violently, the area beneath the creature gives way, dropping it into a seething void below. A void crust typically occupies 20 to 30 contiguous squares, each of which must share a side, not just a corner, with at least one other void crust square. Perception .. DC 24: The character notices that the area ahead is treacherous and fragile. Trigger If a creature attempts to move out of a square of void crust without shifting, makes an attack while in a square of void crust, or is hit by an attack while in a square of void crust, the hazard attacks. Attack Opportunity Action Melee Target: The triggering creature Attack: +25 vs. Reflex Hit: ld8 + 3 damage, and the target disappears into the void. It instantly reappears 20 feet above a random square 1 d4-1 squares away and falls back to the surface, taking 2dl 0 damage. If the creature falls into its original space, it again takes damage and disappears into the void, falling again in another square. Miss: The target slides to an unoccupied adjacent square. If no such square is available, the attack hits automatically. Effect: The space vacated by the target remains open to the void. A creature forced into the opening can try to catch itself by attempting a saving throw before falling in. If it fails the saving throw, it is automatically hit by the void crust's attack.
Chaotic Planar Rift Level 13 Elite Blaster 1I,'I.!,,1 XI' W.lDt) A brilliant stream ofcracklin8 acid leapsfrom one hunk of floatin8 matter to another like li8htnin8, then transforms into a rain ofsilver arrows that plummets downward. Hazard: A chaotic planar rift is an unstable, plane-crossing phenomenon that randomly steals objects and energy from elsewhere and deposits them to harmful effect in the Elemental Chaos. The hazard typically covers a space at least 10 squares on a side. Perception Change occurs so rapidly and wildly in the area of a chaotic planar rift that an active one is impossible to miss. • DC 29: The character detects subtle changes in the air and nearby surfaces that herald the imminent opening a chaotic planar rift. Initiative +4 Trigger The trigger of a chaotic planar rift might be random or the result of a living creature first entering the field. Once triggered, the hazard rolls initiative. On its turn, the chaotic planar rift attacks from a random square within its area. Attack Standard Action Close burst 1 Target: Each creature in burst Attack: +26 vs. Reflex Hit: Roll a d6 to determine the attack's effect. l-Greatsword: 2d10 + 8 damage, and one creature adjacent to the target takes 5 damage. The sword then vanishes. 2-Sprouting Tree: 1d8 + 5 damage, and the target is knocked prone. One square of the target's space becomes difficult terrain until the end of the encounter. 3-Swarm of Acid Toads: 2d8 acid damage, and ongoing 10 acid damage (save ends). The toads then burrow into the ground and disappear. 4-Quicksand: The target is restrained (save ends). Aftereffect: The target is immobilized (save ends). A close burst 2 centered on the target is difficult terrain until the end of the encounter. S-Stone Casket: Ongoing 10 damage, and the target is entombed within the casket (save ends both). While entombed, the target has line of Sight or line of effect to no creature, and no creature has line of Sight or line of effect to the target. Other creatures can attack the casket to release the entombed target (AC 5; Reflex 5, Fortitude 10; hp 40). 6-Silver Headband: The target gains vulnerable 20 to all damage (save ends). Miss: Roll a d4 to determine the attack's effect. l - Undead Shield: Zombie arms claw free of the ground in the target's space. When the target moves, the undead arms move with it. They do not attack the target. The next attack against the target hits the arms instead, and they dissolve into dust. 2-Refreshed: The target regains a healing surge and, if expended, its second wind. 3-Simulacrum: A duplicate of the target appears 1d6 squares away from it. On the target's next turn, both it and the simulacrum take actions simultaneously; these actions need not be the same. The simulacrum can make attacks just as the original can. The simulacrum then vanishes. 4-Roots and Branches: Grasping vegetation fills a close burst 3 centered on the target; +28 vs. AC; 1dll + 6 damage, and the target is grabbed (escape DC 33). Corruption Sludge Pool Level 18 Obstacle 11.11,11 d XP 1 l.(HJO The surjilCe of this 800ey, black-ween pond is broken by bits offlesh. Serpentineforms disturb thefetid pool. revealin8 a flash offan8 or a 8limpse ofbul8in8 eye. Hazard: These brackish, pulsating puddles of hate, madness, and decay inundate the Ilower regions of the Abyss. They occur less ,frequently in other parts of the Elemental Chaos and on other planes. Sludge pools are typically 5 squares on a side but can grow larger, especially in the most dangerous parts of the Abyss. Perception No check is required to notice the pool. Additional Skill: Arcana • DC 28: The character recognizes the hazard's nature. Initiative +2 Trigger At the start of the encounter, roll initiative for the hazard. It makes a lashin8 tendril attack once each round when creatures are within reach. When any creature enters the pool's area or begins its turn there, the hazard makes a s/udae latch attack. Lashing Tendril Attack Standard Action Melee 3 Target: One nondemon creature Attack: +31 vs. Reflex Hit: 1d8 +6 acid damage, and ongoing 15 acid damage (save ends). The target is pulled 4 squares toward any square of the pool. Sludge Latch Attack Opportunity Action Melee Target: The triggering creature Attack: +31 vs. Fortitude Hit: 2d8 + 10 acid damage, and the target is grabbed (escape DC 26), takes ongoing 15 poison damage (save ends), and is exposed to level 28 demon pox (see page 16). Countermeasures • A character can ready a melee attack against a tendril that attacks him or her or attacks any ally adjacent to that character (an attack against any of these targets counts as one trigger for this readied action). On a hit (all the tendril's defenses are 40), the hazard can't make lashina tendril attacks (save ends). Upgrade to Elite (26,000 XP) • Increase the hazard's bonus to attack rolls by 2. • The pool makes two lashina tendril attacks in each round. A separate readied action is required to attack and suppress each tendril. • Increase the damage of the s/udae latch attack to 3d8 + 10. Multielemental Transformation Field Level 28 Lurker 11.1/",,1 XI' 1 I.(H)O Just at the ed8e ofyour vision, somethinaflickers. Hazard: The air shimmers over a wide area, concealing 10 random squares of this hazard. Perception No check is required to see the air shimmering. • DC 33: The character can discern if any adjacent squares contain a multielemental transformation field. Additional Skill: Arcana • DC 33: The character recognizes the hazard's nature. CHAP TE R 1 I Chaos Incarnate
Multielemental Transformation Field Trigger When a creature enters one of the field's squares, the hazard attacks. Attack Opportunity Action Melee Target: The triggering creature Attack: +31 vs. Will Hit: The target becomes a creature of mixed elements, taking ongoing 5 acid damage, ongoing 5 cold damage, ongoing 5 fire damage, ongoing 5 lightning damage, ongoing 5 poison damage, and ongoing 5 thunder damage (save ends all). Until it saves against the ongoing damage, the following effects also apply. +The target is immune to acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, and thunder damage from any source other than this hazard. + Any creature that starts its turn adjacent to the target takes 15 damage of one of the following types, determined randomly: acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or thunder. First Failed Saviny Throw: The target is also immobilized (save ends both). Second Failed Saviny Throw: The target is permanently transformed into a nonliving column of mixed elements and stops taking ongOing damage. The transformation field repeats the attack against each creature adjacent to the target. In addition, each creature that begins its turn adjacent to the column of elements takes 10 damage of one of the following types, determined randomly: acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or thunder. The Remove Affliction ritual can restore the target to normal. Special: A multielemental transformation field does not attack creatures that are already under the effect of a previous successful attack from the hazard. C HAP T ER 1 I Chaos Incarnat e .- .- .--. ----- ,--.---.-.- . . - .--.- SK1LL CHALLENGES Although the Plane Below is home to myriad enemies, it also presents challenges that cannot be overcome simply by fighting. Simply traversing the ever-shifting landscape of the Elemental Chaos can be a trial. Even in conversation, the Plane Below is unpredictable. Some elemental inhabitants are open to parley-but only if the bargainer obeys certain rules of decorum, abates the fear of the respondent, or clearly demonstrates the advantages ofmaking a deal. The folloWing example skill challenges exemplify those that might be encountered by characters exploring the Elemental Chaos. Refer to the table in the sidebar to set the challenge DCs at the appropriate difficulty for your group. BARGAINING WITH AN EFREET Arrogant and cunning, efreets are hard bargainers. They loathe owing anything to anyone and love to trick creatures into service. The characters must obtain an object, information, or favor from an efreet without paying more than a reasonable price. This skill challenge can be a starting point for a party that must negotiate with various members of an efreet organization. That effort most likely involves dealing with several levels of efreet society. In that case, the challenge could involve a higher complexity, take more time, or be broken into several parts. Level: Two levels higher than the level ofthe party, or the same level as the efreet (XP equal to the reward for one standard monster ofthe challenge'S D1FF1CULTY CLASS The table below, reproduced from the Dunyeon Master's Guide. prOVides Des for easy, moderate. and hard skill checks according to the level of a skill challenge. Use the appropriate numbers when tailoring a skill challenge to a particular level. 4th-6th 7 12 17 7th-9th 8 14 19 10th-12th 10 16 21 nth-15th 11 18 23 16th-18th n 20 25 19th-21st 14 22 27 - . 22nd-24th 16 24 29 - 1 5th-27th 17 26 31 28th-30th 19 28 33
level, or two standard monsters ofthe efreet's level if the efreet is elite). Complexity: 1 (requires 4 successes before 3 failures), or 2 (requires 6 successes before 3 failures) if the efreet is elite. Primary Skills: Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate. Arcana (moderate DC by level, standard action): The character displays a knowledge of efreet culture. If the check result beats the DC by 5 or more, he or she mentions something personally relevant to the efreet in question, such as a notable ancestor or a tale ofits noble house. Success on this check grants a +2 bonus to any subsequent Diplomacy checks by the character during this challenge. This skill can be used to gain 1 success in this challenge. Bluff(hard DC by level, standard action): Fast-talking an intelligent and deceptive efreet is difficult, but playing the game well can impress the creature even when it sees through the lies. The first time this check fails by less than 5, the efreet is amused at the attempt, and that result doesn't count as afailure. Diplomacy (moderate DC by level, standard action): Efreets are vain-they expect lesser creatures to show proper deference during negotiations. A character who is respectful and knows one's place has the easiest road to success. If the check result beats the DC by 5 or more, he or she mentions something personally relevant to the efreet in question, granting a +2 bonus to that character's subsequent Diplomacy checks during this challenge. Intimidate (hard DC by level, standard action): Efreets don't respond well when harsh tactics are used against them. Only a truly fearsome creature can intimidate an efreet. Citing a reputation for slaying monsters might work. however-efreets respect battlehardened types. A successful check with this skill counts as 2 successes toward completing the skill challenge, but only one such result can be gained. Additional attempts to use Intimidate anger the efreet and result in failed skill checks. Secondary Skil1s: Acrobatics, Thievery. Acrobatics or Thievery (hard DC by level, standard action, after an Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate checkfails): An angry efreet can sometimes be mollified with entertainment, such as impressive acrobatic tricks or dazzling sleight of hand. A successful check with one of these skills negates a failure in this challenge but does not count as a success. Success: If the characters earn enough successes, they secure what they want from the efreet at a fair price. A party that succeeds in the skill challenge without gaining more than 1 failure might even earn a small discount from an impressed efreet. Failure: Ifthe characters earn 3 failures, they still acquire what they want, but only at a substantial markup or only if they agree to do a favor for the efreet. The favor might need to be undertaken immediately, but efreets often favor open-ended requests that place others in their debt for an indefinite period. R EASONING WITH A SLAAD Few creatures embrace chaos as thoroughly and willfully as slaads do. Communicating and reasoning with these creatures is incredibly difficult. This skill challenge is appropriate when the characters must interact with a slaad other than through combat. It could be as simple as delivering an important message or as complicated as trading. The negotiation could also be an attempt to convince
the slaad to act in a desired way, such as leaving the party alone. Level: Equal to the level of the party, or the level of the slaad (XP equal to the reward for one standard monster of the challenge's level, or two standard monsters ofthe challenge's level if the slaad is elite). Complexity: 1 (requires 4 successes before 3 failures), or 2 (requires 6 successes before 3 failures) if the slaad is elite. Primary Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate. Btuff(hard DC by level, standard action): Deceiving a slaad is not easy, given its strange view ofthe universe. When a bluff does succeed, the creature is excited, believing the character has revealed a new aspect of reality it had not yet considered. Diplomacy (hard DC by level , standard action): A slaad does not recognize the rules ofdiplomacy; it sees flattery or reasoning as sly trickery, which angers it. Once any character has failed a Diplomacy check, the next failure with this skill counts as 2 additional failures in the skill challenge. A successful Arcana check (see below) warns the character about this extreme reaction. Intimidate (moderate DC by level, standard action): Although a slaad is eaSily antagonized by other approaches, it responds well to intimidation. It views bullying as the only acceptable form ofsocial interaction. Secondary Skills: Arcana, InSight. Arcana (hard DC by level,free action): The character grasps how slaads react to communication. The character learns the difficulty of the primary skill checks, as well as the consequences of a second failed Diplomacy check (see above). This skill can be used to gain 1 success in this challenge. REASON1NG W1TH THE UNREASONABLE Those who are not insane might have difficulty trying to understand a slaad's bizarre mindset. Even a simple conversation is a frustrating experience. Attempting to learn anything from a slaad can be downright maddening. The following exchange depicts the difficulty of reasoning with a slaad. Udal the Sword: listen, creature, we are not here to harm you-we merely seek the Cosmic Door, through which we may see all the many planes briefly align! Surely you must know of it? Slaad: Waves crash across the sky. Udal: Er, yes . .. But listen! I know something of you slaads. You seek to find a path into a greater reality and escape the prison of the known, do you not? If you help us find the Cosmic Door, you serve your own ends, too! Slaad: The face behind your face is a lie. The Door. is a lie! You are a lie! CHAPTEH 1 I Chaos Incarnate Insi8ht (hard DC by level, standard action): Although slaads arc creatures ofchaos, they still follow a form oftwisted logic. These rules change qUickly, however. An insightful character picks up variances in the tone, context, and relationship between the parties, through the slaad's gestures, body language, and continual gibbering. A success with this skill grants a +2 bonus to subsequent Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks during the skill challenge. This skill can be used to gain 1 success in this challenge. Success: If the characters earn enough suc· cesses, they reach an understanding with the slaad. Failure: Ifthe characters get 3 failures, the slaad does not understand them and responds in a random way. Roll a d6 and consult the following table to determine its actions. Ifyou prefer, choose the option that best suits the current adventure. 1 The slaad believes the characters no longer exist __a...o""d""ignores them unless the~ attack it. 1 The slaad understands the opposite of what the characters are trying to convey. It cannot be persuaded otherwise except through a new skill challenge, Increasing the complexity by 1. 3 The slaad runs away, convinced that the characters H e powerful individuals that w.!mJ2J!2..!1.harm. 4 The slaad croaks continuously and loudly until the characters attack it or depart. This croaking attracts the attention of other slaads or hostile creatures in the area. -5 Tl1eslaad's liead explodes, attaclilng In a close burst 3; skill challenge level + 4 vs. Fortitude; ld4 + 5 da.lT!~ge. The rest of the slaad leilves.* 6 The slaad attacks in a rage. Whenever it hits with a melee attack, the attack deals 1d6 extra damage. 'The characters do not gain experience for "killing" this slaad. It re-forms its head in a short time. REPAIRING A LIGHTNING SKIFF Sleek li8htning skiffs are the fastest means of travel· ing the Elemental Chaos, but their construction, and the potent forces that propel them, renders them accident prone. In this skill challenge, the characters must repair a damaged lightnin8 skiff under a time constraint. Perhaps the skiffis riding a rough storm and is in danger ofdashing against an earthmote, or the characters must launch before a demon horde catches up with them. Level: Equal to the level ofthe party (XP equal to the reward for an elite monster ofthe party's level). Complexity: 2 (requires 6 successes before 3 failures). Primary Skills: Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Thievery.
Acrobatics (moderate DC by level, standard action): The character uses agility and balance to aid in repairs. This skill can be used to gain 1 success in this challenge. Arcana (moderate DC by level, standard action): The character channels mystic forces to repair part ofthe li8htnin8 skiff. Athletics (moderate DC by level, standard action): The character uses might and physical prowess to aid in repairs. This skill can be used to gain 1 success in the challenge. Thievery (hard DC by level, standard action): The character relies on nimble fingers and finesse with mechanical and magic devices to repair part of the li8htnin8 skiff Secondary Skills: Nature, Perception, special. Nature (hard DC by level, once per hour): If the characters have the time and the opportunity, one or more ofthem can forage for items useful to the repairs. A successful check with this skill grants a +2 bonus to subsequent Arcana or Thievery checks in this challenge. The characters can attempt this check only once in this challenge. Perception (hard DC by level, immediate interrupt, when an Arcana or Thievery check isfailed): The character points out a repair blunder before it happens. Doing so negates the triggering check's failure but does not earn a success in this challenge. Action Point (special,jree action): An artificer can spend an action point to negate 1 failure in this challenge. Success: I f the characters earn 6 successes, the li8htnin8 skiffis repaired. Failure: Ifthe characters get 3 failures, the li8htnin8 skiffis still damaged and cannot be repaired by the group. The party must find a new ship or someone more knowledgeable who can repair this one. If the group includes an artificer, he or she can spend an action point to restart this skill challenge. SAILING THE SEA OF FIRE While the characters are crewing a planar dromond or another vessel capable ofsailing the Sea of Fire, they work to avoid hazards and navigate the currents. This skill challenge assumes the characters can steer the ship, and that the travel time is five days. The same basic structure can be used for shorter journeys, or you can connect two or more skill challenges for longer journeys. Each day ofthe journey, unless at least one character makes an Arcana check to maintain the proper heading (see that entry, below), the party gains 1 failure. In addition, characters must make at least two different Athletics, Acrobatics, or Endurance checks each day for upkeep of the vessel or gain 1 failure. If they get a success with two upkeep checks, the group earns 1 success. Otherwise, they gain 1 failure. Each character can make a single primary or secondary skill check each day. Level: Equal to the level of the party (XP equal to the reward for four standard monsters of the party's level). ....J ....J Complexity: 4 (reqUires 10 successes before ~ 3 failures). V1 Primary Skills: Arcana, Athletics, Acrobatics, Endurance. Arcana (moderate DC by level): The character draws on his or her understanding ofthe Elemental Chaos to prepare a heading and keep the ship on that course. Up to two allies can aid in this check. Athletics (moderate DC by level; upkeep check):The character uses might to aid in upkeep and repairs. Allies cannot aid this check. A successful check with this skill contributes to the skill challenge as described above. Acrobatics (moderate DC by level; upkeep check): The character takes advantage of his or her flexibility to aid in upkeep and repairs. Allies cannot aid this skill check. A successful check with this skill contributes to the skill challenge as described above. Endurance (moderate DC by level; upkeep check): Through sheer grit, the character aids in upkeep and repairs. Allies cannot aid this skill check. A successful check with this skill contributes to the skill challenge as described above. Secondary Skills: Nature, Thievery. Nature (Hard DC by level): The character advises the navigator. If this day's Arcana check failed. a successful check with this skill negates the skill challenge failure. Ifthe Arcana check succeeded. the character who makes the next day's Arcana check gains a +2 bonus. Thievery (Hard DC by level): The character creates a makeshift patch to the ship's hull or some other clever repair). If one or none of this day's upkeep checks succeeded. a successful check with this skill negates the skill challenge failure. Ifone or more of those checks succeeded, the characters who make the next day's upkeep checks each gain a +2 bonus. Success: Ifthe characters earn 10 successes. they reach their destination safe and sound. Failure: If the characters earn 3 failures. they do not manage to reach their destination on their own. Because failing this skill challenge could leave the party stranded. YOll should plan for that possibility. The characters might be attacked by pirates. seizing a new vessel if they win the fight or being captured ifthey lose. Alternatively. the characters could be met by a friendly crew that leads them to shore (perhaps for a price). or might limp into a nearby port short oftheir destination. CHAPT ER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
---.--.--.---- -, -. -.- -.-~- CAMPAIGN ARCS The Elemental Chaos is easy to use in passing-an encounter with an elemental here, an adventure within a planar conjunction there. But storylines involving the Plane Below need not be so limited. Making the Elemental Chaos the centerpiece of a campaign is an interesting and creatively satisfying way to integrate the Plane Below into your game. Not all the campaign's adventures need take place in the Elemental Chaos-in fact, they probably shouldn't. Much of the Elemental Chaos's appeal lies in its alien nature, and overexposure risks rendering it mundane. In addition, the plane's environment is dangerously inappropriate for heroic tier characters. The influence of the Elemental Chaos can be felt throughout the campaign, even though only some events occur there. The Manual ofthe Planes supplement discusses four varieties of planar campaigns. In an origin of monsters campaign, the planes are the source of adversaries, but the party rarely or never travels beyond the world. An exotic adventure campaign allows the characters to travel to another plane on occasion. In a planar progression campaign, the characters visit multiple planes as they work their way through the storyline. An extraplanar campaign takes place entirely beyond the world. Each ofthe four campaign arcs that follow illustrates one ofthese campaign types, focused on or based around the Elemental Chaos. You can use them as frameworks to fill in with details as you see fit, or as inspiration for designing your own campaign. HIDDEN ELEMENTS The City of Brass has been recently shaken by upheaval. Clever and prepared efreets took advantage ofthe chaos, consolidating power and increasing the authority oftheir noble houses. So widespread was the turmoil that the city has come under the sway of a new Lord of the Efreets. Sheikh Ma'mun is not one of the efreets on the rise. His intricate schemes were superseded by those of others who were luckier and acted more sWiftly. Seething at the lost opportunity, Ma'mun has turned his attention to the world. Ifhe cannot seize power from within, he will build supremacy from without. HEROIC TIER: RUMORS OF WAR The various communities from which the characters hail have formed an alliance and are nervously exchanging messengers. Their leaders have heard tales that the great city-state ofHassiek is massing CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate its troops for war. The militant state has already conquered a number ofsurrounding villages and seems poised for expansion. Over time, the heroes are hired more and more frequently to escort important individuals between towns to plan for war, or to gather intelligence in the areas conquered by Hassiek. They discover that the city-state is indeed expanding, and that its forces include elemental beings, demons, and arcane practitioners that have a strong elemental focus. As the characters reach the top of the heroic tier, they have learned that Hassiek's leaders are being advised by cultists dedicated to a primordial and that saboteurs have infiltrated the governments standing against Hassiek. When the characters return to their home base with this news, the alliance vows to roust these enemies and stand strong against Hassiek. PARAGON TIER: SCORCHED EARTH Given what the characters have learned, the allied leaders realize that war with Hassiek is not only inevitable but necessary. The cultists must be prevented from carving out their own kingdom in the region. The characters' adventures in the paragon tier vary, but nearly all of them relate to the war in some way. The characters might be assigned to stop agents of Hassiek from acquiring powerful magic items or rituals, to defend towns from sieges they cannot survive without assistance, and to undertake missions ofinfiltration and sabotage. All the while, the influence ofthe Elemental Chaos on Hassiek grows ever more apparent. Elementals, demons, and archons appear with greater frequency among the city-state's forces. Agents of Hassiek seed settlements with slaad tadpoles as biological weapons to spread chaos phage (page 142). The characters learn that some prisoners taken by Hassiek have been sent elsewhere for purposes unknown. Finally, they discover that Hassiek's leaders are mere puppets oftheir advisors-a cadre of efreets ruled by Ma'mun. EPIC TIER: VICTORY OR DEATH Horrid creatures spawned in the Plane Below rampage across the countryside, terrorizing innocent folk, and dire portents abound. Elemental cultists, plotting with the efreets, are developing rituals to tear open rifts to the Elemental Chaos, flooding the besieged towns with raw elemental energy and furious storms. The characters must halt these efforts, and this endeavor occupies the first few levels ofthe epic tier. In doing so, the characters learn that Hassiek's captives are being sent to the Elemental Chaos, there to swell the slave ranks ofMa'mun's household. Eventually, the characters discover that Ma'mun seeks to conquer a large portion ofthe world and
use its resources either to overthrow the Lord ofthe Efreets, or-ifthat fails-to found his own elemental kingdom in the world. Only a final, desperate thrust into the Elemental Chaos to confront Ma'mun can stop this inexorable march. The characters must defeat the efreet lord to prevent him from transform· ing their homes and the surrounding lands into a realm ofslavery, fire, and death. To HARNESS THE CHAOS Solariel is an angel with a mission: Destroy the primordials once and for all. For this immortal crea· ture, imprisonment ofthe primordials is not enough. As long as they live. they could break free. Even if they do not escape, many creatures still worship them; the primordials' destruction would send the gods' enemies into turmoil. Most immortals believe that trying to destroy the primordials is a fool's errand, but Sola riel's divine master is curious to see what the angel might accomplish and has given it free rein. Solariel knows that destroying the primordials will not be easy, but it has a plan. Although they were born ofthe Elemental Chaos, the primordials have definite bodies and thoughts, making them points oforder in the Plane Below. The angel reasons that the best way to destroy them is to harness a force of purest entropy: the slaads. HEROIC TIER: BOOK WORK The characters meet Solariel early in their careers. The angel might be impressed by their success on a mission or by their faith, or it might choose them out of desperation. The immortal presses them into service but does not inform them ofits overarching scheme, explaining only that it needs help carrying out a plan for a major triumph ofgood over evil. Solariel might have a number of adventuring par· ties in its service, but the characters prove the most capable. The angel observes the characters as they progress through the heroic tier, occasionally giving them guidance or a rewarding assignment. These adventures occur in the world and are largely unre· lated to Sola riel's plan. At Sola riel's behest, the characters steal a book of primordial lore. This act earns them the enmity of a cult dedicated to the primordial Mual·Tar, also known as the Thunder Serpent (Manual ofthe Planes, page 70). The cult dispatches elementals and initiates to destroy the party. As the characters approach the paragon tier, they manage to annihilate the cult, but its leader escapes. Solariel sends the party into the Elemental Chaos on a spelljammer to capture the fleeing head cultist. During this journey, the party encounters slaads and witnesses firsthand their destructive power. PARAGON TIER: LEGWORK The characters return to the world and engage in a few side adventures. Word oftheir activities has spread, and they must fend ofT attacks from other primordial cults even in the midst of unrelated activities. At Sola riel's urging, they launch a preemptive strike ~ against an even stronger cult, attacking its stronghold :E and defeating the giant that rules it. <: When the characters are about halfway through U the paragon tier, Solariel discloses part ofthe grand plan to them. It wants to tame the slaads, or at least curtail their destructive impulses, and is ready to put this idea into motion. First, the characters must return to the Elemental Chaos and confront slaads directly. The angel tasks the party with bringing back samples of slaad anatomy, including flesh, organs, and bones. as well as a living slaad tadpole. Solariel gives the characters control of the spelljammer and grants them wide discretion in how to confront the slaads. The immortal does suggest several areas they might search-one of which is the beSieged githzerai monastery ofSanzerathad (page 86). The characters undertake a mission or two on behalfofthe githzerai and win their trust. With these valuable allies, the party has a secure base ofoperations for continuing forays into the Plane Below. EPIC TIER: THE WORK OF ANGELS By the time the characters reach the epic tier, they and Solariel have gathered all the information they need. Now the immortal explains the next stage of the plot. The characters might have serious misgivings about the idea, but the angel wins them over by emphasizing the great good that will follow the destruction of a primordial, perhaps hinting of one that is nearing escape. To gain control over creatures as wild as the slaads requires something truly remarkable. The information uncovered points to Liricosa (page 148). a revered githzerai hermit who could be instrumental to the plan. Solariel believes that the monk has achieved such control over his body and his environment that, when equipped with an artifact called the Scepter ofRulership, he can control an entire army of slaads-at least for a short time. First, though, the artifact and Liricosa's aid must be secured. Once they have accomplished these preliminary efforts, the characters and Sola riel put the plan into motion. They gather a slaad army and assault a primordial in its prison realm, clashing with the most powerful ofits followers and finally reaching its restrained body. Then everything goes wrong. The slaads, rather than destroying the primordial, destroy only its shackles. With a shriek of triumph, the horror breaks free. It dispatches Solariel with contemptuous ease, then turns toward the party. A final, cosmosshaking battle ensues. CHAP T ER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
THE BIGGER THEY ARE . .. In an age so long ago it is mythical, the gods and the primordials battled for sovereignty over creation. Numerous primordials, defeated but not slain, were bound in divine prisons and left afloat in the depths ofthe Elemental Chaos. One of these was Solkara, the Crushing Wave (page 152), an entity of unspeakable destructive might. Since that time, her loyal servants have struggled to free her by focusing elemental fire against the glacier that holds her. The leader ofone such sect is the mad storm titan Mirmakur, the Raving Priest (page 154). He has tried for centuries to free the primordial. Frustrated by his efforts in the Elemental Chaos, the titan has turned his eyes elsewhere. Mirmakur recently learned that sources of potent flame- perhaps intense enough to melt away Solkara's prison-exist outside the Plane Below. The titan will stop at nothing to gain this power. HEROIC TIER: TINDER During the course of a few otherwise unrelated adventures, the characters gradually become aware of something strange. In some of the dungeons and ruins they explore, they encounter an unusual number of CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate elemental-oriented opponents-fire bats, lower-level magma beasts, galeb duhrs, and so forth. These creatures are not normal inhabitants ofthose areas, for they have slain native creatures. The elemental intruders appear to be searching for something. At the same time, the characters learn about murders in various larger towns and cities, committed by undead creatures. The heroes might be drawn to investigate by curiosity, or might be hired to do so by frightened aristocrats or overwhelmed city administrators. They learn that the murder victims were clandestine members ofdiabolic cults, and that the undead questioned them about their fellow devil-worshipers. The party eventually follows the trail to the master ofthese undead, a vampire lord who dwells in the Shadowfel!. The characters confront him, breaching his fortress and fighting their way through his undead minions. They discover that the vampire holds no malice toward the diabolists but is merely a link in the chain. He was hired to learn all he could about the region's devil cults, and his employer is a fire giant. PARAGON TIER: SPARK As the characters return to their world , likely wondering why a fire giant is hiring undead to investigate devil cults, they find the region caught up in a furor.
Giants of all varieties-including those not known for collaborating-have attacked several towns and are laying siege to major cities. Much ofthe party's career at the paragon tier involves fighting off rampaging bands ofgiants, repelling their sieges, and rescuing their prisoners to learn more about what's going on. Eventually, the characters determine that every community being attacked is home to a cult ofMephistopheles. The giants are focusing their attacks on the cultists' homes and shrines and have taken numerous cultists alive. The characters might be inclined to leave the devil-worshipers to their fate, but innocents are also dying at the hands ofthe giants. After working through ever more powerful foes, the characters learn that the giants are being directed from a fortress deep in the Elemental Chaos. They must explore portions of the plane and perhaps gather allies. In the end, they must infiltrate or assault a bastion teeming with giants and their archon guards. They confront the titan leaders and discover the truth ofwhat's been happening: A storm titan priest ofSolkara seeks to wrest the secret of hellfire from the worshipers ofMephistopheles. The titan, Mirmakur, believes that this flame , imbued with the diabolic power ofdamned souls, might be able to melt the divinely empowered ice that imprisons the Crushing Wave. Ifhe is correct, a dreadful primordial could soon be loosed on the cosmos. EPIC TIER: FLAME The epic tier adventurers engage in a prolonged race against time. While gathering information on Mirmakur, and perhaps Solkara and Mephistopheles, the characters must survive constant attacks from the storm titan's soldiers. Eventually, they track their attackers back to the Elemental Chaos and Mirmakur's lair, but the Raving Priest is long since gone. He has descended into the second layer ofthe Nine Hells with a cadre ofhis mightiest followers, seeking the source of hellfire. Following the titan, the characters become embroiled in a war between the invading elemental creatures and Mephistopheles's most powerful operatives. Reluctantly, the party agrees to work alongside the devils against a common threat. After much efforts. Mirmakur finally manages to retrieve a quantity of hellfire contained in a mystical vessel. He leaves a sizable force to delay his enemies while he returns to the Elemental Chaos. The characters dispatch the rear guard and pursue. They arrive in time to confront the storm titan on the ice ofSolkara's prison and try to stop Mirmakur before he unleashes the Crushing Wave. PLANAR AnVENTURERS The efreet noble Qassemi has trafficked with dark powers to contrive a sinister plan. but he needs help to pull it off Ifhe succeeds. he will strike a mortal blow against the githzerai ofthe Elemental Chaos. ~ all the while maintaining deniability for any involve- ~ ment. What begins as a series ofplanar jaunts ends in ::E ~ an agonizing decision and a fearsome confrontation. u This campaign arc begins and ends in the Elemental Chaos but has stops in every other plane. Characters ofnearly any race-from githzerai to goblins to minotaurs-could be appropriate for this campaign. HEROIC TIER: MUTINY ON THE PHELDDAGRIF The characters begin as slaves aboard a small spelljammer called the Phelddaarif. In their first adventure. they break free, overpower the ship'S genasi captain, and take control of the vessel. Shortly thereafter, the characters receive a message from the efreet noble Qassemi, owner ofthe Phelddaarif. Rather than being angry, the elemental being is impressed. He offers the escapees a deal: They can keep the spelijammer. without cost or pursuit. as long as they agree to work for him from time to time- no questions asked. If the characters press for details. the efreet explains only that certain tasks need performing. but he cannot take public responsibility for them. Throughout the heroic tier. the characters travel the planes. visiting fantastic worlds and following adventure wherever it leads. The Feywild, the Shadowfell. and the world are likely spots for adventures in the heroic tier, but the party might also visit the Astral Sea. The group receives a few missions from Qassemi. consisting mostly of minor tasks involving the transport of cargo or personages. PARAGON TIER: THE GREAT GAME In the paragon tier, the characters become more entangled in Qassemi's affairs and his wheelings and dealings in the City of Brass. They infiltrate the stronghold ofone rival efreet and attack the trading vessels of another. In between these assignments, the group continues its travels, likely visiting the otherworldly domains ofthe Astral Sea. As the characters approach the epic tier, Qassemi summons them to the Elemental Chaos. The efreet has a task for them: an assassination. He doesn't care ifthe heroes have moral objections to such an assignment-they agreed to their service and are bound by its terms. The target is an individual aboard a large spelijammer currently traveling somewhere in the Elemental Chaos. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
EPIC TIER: CRASHING THE GATES The assassination target is well protected byelemental creatures, golems, and other powerful beings. Investigation or observation reveals that the target is an elderly githzerai called Mericam. She is one of the Sustainers who protect Zerthadlun (Manual ofthe Planes, page 77) and is on a rare mission outside the city. Mericam explains that Qassemi wants her dead for the same reason that she is away from Zerthadlun-she is gathering allies to strike against Ashblack, a major vassal outpost ofthe City of Brass. The efreets ofthat stronghold are conspiring to destroy Zerthad· lun. She insists that the characters choose a side. Ifthe characters complete their mission and kill Mericam, they are responsible for the destruction of the largest githzerai city in the cosmos, and that stigma haunts them for the remainder of their careers. If they choose to turn against Qassemi, they attack Ashblack at the head of a combined army of githzerai and elemental creatures. As the assault force occupies the bulk of Qassemi's forces, the characters smash their way into the palace and confront efreet guards, flanked by demons and dragons. The campaign comes to a climax as they confront Oilssemi and see him in his true form. Qassemi has become an enormous beast: part efreet, part dragon, and part demon. -.- - , ---. __ ._---.--. --.-_ ._---.--.-_. ADVENTURES Even ifyour campaign is not focused on the Elemen· tal Chaos, any number of adventures can take the characters to this fundamental plane, or can involve creatures and phenomena of an elemental bent. The most basic adventure consists of a typical dungeon or a ruin stocked with elemental-themed monsters, hazards, and terrain. More involved story arcs could incorporate themes or weave in story threads that focus on specific details ofthe Elemental Chaos. For example, a dungeon might be full of elementals because an ancient portal to the Plane Below is slowly opening. Perhaps the characters are trying to recover a powerful artifact before servants ofthe renegade efreet Sheikh Ma'mun do (see the "Hidden Elements" campaign arc on page 28). Simply surviving the hazardous, turbulent environs of the Elemental Chaos can be a tremendous challenge, even for characters who aren't normally threatened by environmental dangers. By emphasizing the perilous surroundings, you reinforce the extraplanar feel of the adventure and add time pres· sure-such as dwindling supplies-to any encounter. At the very least, the weird and perilous nature of the Elemental Chaos should be a factor in such adventures. They should include the plane's bizarre terrain features and unique hazards to remind the players that the party is exploring an alien realm. Nothing reduces the impact ofan Elemental Chaos adventure more than making the environment seem ordinary. Not all Elemental Chaos adventures require elementals as major participants. The heroes might ally with djinns or githzerai against a greater threat, cooperate with one efreet house against a more dangerous clan, or lead an army of archons against a horde of slaads that threaten to spill into the world. ADVENTURE HOOKS AND QUESTS The following plot seeds and quests can help you set up a variety ofElemental Chaos adventures. Some stories take place entirely within the Plane Below; other tales begin in the world and shift the action later. Feel free to use them as written, tweaking the details and levels as needed, or just find in them inspiration for building your own adventures. The level notation for each adventure hook, given before the title, is a rough estimate_ Each adventure includes quest hooks and rewards, with the amounts ofthose rewards appropriate for a group offive characters of the indicated level. 9: ON THE ROCKS The dwarven community ofHammerfast, near the Dawnforge Mountains, has a problem. For several months. more and more dwarven villages in the mountain range have gone silent, whole commu· nities vanishing overnight. More recently, distant farmsteads ofHammerfast proper have met the same fate-entire families are gone without a trace. The Hammerfast dwarves want to seek aid from their neighbors in the Nentir Vale, but the insular mountain communities around it do not trust outsiders. The longer the stubborn, prideful dwarves wait to call on outside help, the greater their losses will be. The missing dwarves have been kidnapped by a tribe ofgaleb duhrs from the bowels ofthe Dawnforge Mountains. These ancestral servants of the Rockbrow tribe of hill giants have grown tired of their forced labors. Because it does not occur to them to abandon their masters, these galeb duhrs have instead decided to increase the size ofthe giants' labor pool. The kidnapped dwarves are being held until the galeb duhrs believe they have sufficient numbers to deliver as slaves to the hill giants. Quest Hook: One of the dwarves ofHammerfast. bucking the isolationists' wishes, petitions for aid from Fallcrest or one of the other nearby cities. The characters get wind ofthis call for help. They CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
investigate the disappearances by tracking, setting ambushes, or traveling to the attacked cities. Alternatively, one ofthe characters (particularly a dwarf) has a personal connection with Hammerfast or the other dwarven communities in the mountains. He or she decides to help out after hearing rumors of trouble. Quest XP: The mountain dwarves are furious at the presence of outsiders, out ofshame that their troubles have been revealed. Ifthe characters get the dwarves to accept their aid without resorting to threats and violence, or without giving up and leaving the insufferable isolationists to their fate, they receive a minor quest reward of 400 XP. When the characters learn that the perpetrators are galeb duhrs, they earn an additional minor quest reward of400 XP. Quest Hook: After the galeb duhrs are identified as the root ofthe problem, those dwarves who have accepted the characters' presence call on them to track down the kidnappers, free the hostages, and prevent further raids. Some adventurers might choose to do this because it's the right thing to do; those who are mercenary can be induced to act in return for a reward in the form of one or two level 8 treasure parcels. Qpest XP: Finding the galeb duhrs' lair requires more than searching a few mountain caves. Their tunnels are conduits to the Elemental Chaos, leading to the heart of an enormous earthmote floating in the wild tempest. In addition to galeb duhrs, the characters must battle various earth-oriented elemental creatures. They could come face to face with some of the Rockbrow hill giants. Ifthe heroes free the kidnapped dwarves and hurt the galeb duhrs enough to discourage them from trying such action again, they earn a major quest reward of2,OOO XP. This reward should be greater ifyou have included higher-level foes or created a longer adventure that spans several levels. 13: SEED OF CHAOS Githzerai from the Henzathra monastery, though militant and insular, are peaceful. But recently and without warning, they attacked several planar dromonds and spelljammers, as well as a few genasi trading communities. The assaults are thieving raids-the githzerai gather what goods they can and depart, fighting and killing only enough to collect their booty. What they're stealing isn't especially valuable: mostly foodstuffs and basic necessities, either grown in the more habitable regions ofthe Elemental Chaos or imported from the world. The githzerai ofHenzathra are preparing for a siege. One ofthem recently acquired a chunk ofstone from the Abyss that thrums with evil power. Recently, a cadre ofdemons learned about the abyssal stone. They believe that the stone's energy can transform other sorts ofslaads into Abyss-tainted void slaads. The demons intend to raze the monastery, take the stone, and advance their own destructive schemes. The githzerai have learned of the impending attack and intend to fight to the last. Ifyou wish to further complicate the plotUne, consider involving a powerful-and unusually subtleslaad in the quest for the evil stone. It too has learned of the threat and seeks to prevent the demons from getting their hands on it. The scheming slaad operates behind the scenes, impeding the demons and aiding the heroes when they least expect ,it. Quest Hook: A genasi village or the captain of a spelljammer or planar dromond in the Elemental Chaos contacts the characters, or takes advantage of an existing link from prior adventures. The characters are asked to stop the githzerai raids. Quest XP: Countering the attacks isn't hard. The githzerai aren't interested in pitched battles, and they stop raiding once the demonic siege ofHenzathra begins. If the characters track them down and learn the truth (not easy to do, given the githzerai's distrust of everyone) they earn a minor quest reward of 800XP. Quest Hook: Once the characters learn the truth behind the demonic attack, it shouldn't take much for them to aid the githzerai. A cadre ofdemons that has the power to transform any slaad into a void slaad isn't good for anyone. Quest XP: Ifthe characters help the githzerai fight off the first wave ofthe siege, they earn a minor quest reward of 800 XP. If they are able to eliminate the demonic cabal seeking the stone, they earn a major quest reward of 4,000 XP. They gain another minor reward of 800 XP ifthey suggest a practical means of destroying the stone or otherwise rendering it harmless. 20: WAR OF SEASONS The courts ofthe Feywild are barely less discordant than the Elemental Chaos, though their conflicts are more subtle. Fey factions work constantly to trump each other, maneuvering for influence, magic, territory, or prestige. Most fey eschew blatant warfare in favor of more restrained contests, but rogue elements among the Court ofStars are angry, evil, or desperate enough to engage in open bloodshed. Recently, war between a fiefdom ofthe Summer Court and certain nobles of the Gloaming and Winter Courts has spilled out of the Feywild. The Winter Fey sought allies among the creatures of cold and ice in the Elemental Chaos. In turn, the Summer Court called upon creatures offire. The result is an intermittent battle of multiple factions. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
The characters begin in the city ofIrriad's Glen, a peaceful community in a bucolic setting of the world. Perhaps they have just completed an adventure, or maybe they're looking for items found only in a community of this size. Everything seems normal, except that the weather is oddly warm and dry for this time ofyear. While the characters are still in the city, alarms sound and the gates slam shut. An army of fire archons, along with fire-based elementals and fire giants, is advancing on Irriad 's Glen. Quest Hook: Irriad's Glen needs the characters' help to repel the assault. The characters cannot defeat the attacking monsters on their own, but they can provide much-needed support to the besieged city. Besides, they're the only help around. QuestXP: By helping to fight off the attack, the characters earn a minor quest reward of2,800 XP. Quest Hook: The characters might be curious about why the elemental army is attacking Irriad 's Glen. Even if they aren't, the city leaders definitely want answers and offer a reward for further information. If the characters decide to investigate, they trace the attackers back to one ofseveral fortified bases. There, they discover that the fire creatures were attacked and driven out by a larger force ofwater- and CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate cold-based elemental beings. By studying the various battles that are taking place all over the region and by questioning the survivors, the heroes learn that the two elemental forces are proxies in a war between fey powers. Each faction is struggling to take over a region ofthe world as a staging ground. This area includes a number of portals to the Elemental Chaos. QuestXP: Ifthe characters discover the origin of the invading army, they earn a minor quest reward of 2,800XP. Quest Hook: At this point, the characters might be inclined to just hole up and let the conflict play out, but they cannot. Irriad's Glen represents too great a prize-ifone army takes it, the city becomes a secure bastion with a sizable work force. In addition, the influence ofthe Feywild and the Elemental Chaos is threatening the world. The weather changes drastically depending on which side has the upper hand. When the fire armies make headway, the area becomes hot and parched; when the forces ofcold advance, freezing winds and blizzards sweep the land. Crops and herds grow sickly due to the disrupted cycles, and supplies are running low. The heroes aren't powerful enough to stop the armies from fighting. Instead, they must get to the source of the problem, severing the Fey Courts'
alliances with their proxies in the Elemental Chaos. Such a task requires diplomacy, tact, intimidation, and possibly demonstrations of physical might. The archons leading the armies ofthe two sides must be convinced that the war is too costly or otherwise against their interests. Alternatively, the characters can resolve the conflict by confronting the nobles ofthe warring fey courts. To end the war requires navigating labyrinthine politics, bribing officials with favors, and launching targeted assaults. O;Iest XP: Ifthe characters succeed against either the armies' leaders or the fey nobles, they earn a major quest reward of 14,000 XP. 26: THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD Shaken by recent turmoil, the City ofBrass is illequipped to deal with a new elemental realm that has appeared not far from the city. The garrison at an outpost reports that a nebula of caustic smoke and liquid fire that had raged for decades has transformed itself in mere hours. A wall ofligbtning-charged iron now surrounds a flat plain ofrock over a mile across. The efreet nobles know how much physical power and mental strength is needed to stabilize portions ofthe plane, and they are deeply worried about the proximity of a being mighty enough to reshape such a massive stretch so SWiftly. They are keen to determine whether this newcomer is a threat or a potential ally. Quest Hook: The Lord of the Efreets is hardpressed to restore order in the aftermath ofthe city's recent upheaval. Despite having no allies to spare who can investigate the event, the monarch cannot leave the mystery unresolved without losing face. Hiring the characters is the ideal solution, since they are expendable outsiders who have no binding connections to any efreet faction. Quest XP: Ifthe characters infiltrate this new elemental realm and learn the identity of its master, and perhaps his or her agenda, they earn a minor quest reward of9,000 XP. Quest Hook: The master of this new realm is Qualquineska, a primordial naga druid who has guarded elemental secrets for millennia. The naga recently came across knowledge of magic so potent that, she believes, she can use it to ascend and become a true primordial. Establishing her own realm in the Elemental Chaos is merely the first step ofthe process. O;Iest XP: The magic that Qualquineska has access to, and what she needs to ascend, are up to you. The characters earn a major quest reward of45,000 XP if they stop the naga, and an additional minor quest reward of9,000 XP ifthey find a way to keep any other potent creature from following in her footsteps. .--.-.-._- .- .----._-.-.-. PATRONS ' Visitors to the Elemental Chaos might battle slaads, become enmeshed in the schemes ofwily efreets, or trade goods with xenophobic githzerai. Characters who regularly interact with the plane, or who come to the attention ofthe powers that be there, might also cultivate an elemental patron. This section describes several possible elemental benefactors for the characters. They fill much the same roles as worldly patrons, providing missions, equipment, safety, and sources of adventure. The patrons presented here are iconic examples of their races or organizations. You can drop them into your campaign as they are, or use them as examples when creating patron characters ofyour own. SHAH ABDUL-AzIM ABASSI Efreet Karadjin (Monster Manual, page 100) The efreets of the City ofBrass collect tools-many ofthem liVing. They have numerous uses for mortal pawns. BACKGROUND Abdul-Azim Abassi has been deeply embroiled in the politics of the City ofBrass all his life. He is a highranking efreet in the city, with a number oflesser efreets and scores ofslaves in his service. At the same time, he answers to more powerful nobles. AbdulAzim chafes at this aspect of his situation and yearns for more power. USING SHAH ABDUL-AzIM Abdul-Azim schemes to increase his own political power and decrease that of his rivals. Efreet society is so complex and far-reaching that the shah can accomplish these goals in a number ofways, giving rise to plenty of adventure possibilities. Abdul-Azim can send characters on the following sorts of missions. + Spy on or sabotage the household of a rival efreet. + Put down a slave uprising. + Incite a slave uprising to discredit a rival. + Acquire an item, person, or piece of information. + Destroy enemies ofAbdul-Azim or of the efreets in general, such as genasi pirates or a slaad colony. + Establish positive relationships, perhaps for the sake oftrade, with forces in the world or elsewhere. + Find a new source of raw materials for AbdulAzim's slave force to plunder. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
THE STONE COUNCIL Earth Titans (Monster Manual, page 122) Three earth titans make up the Stone Council. They rule an earthmote hollowed by tunnels and packed with servants-hill giants, enslaved dwarves and kobolds, galeb duhrs, earth elementals, and a few stone giants. BACKGROUND The Stone Council began when a group of earth titans conquered the earthmote and dubbed their new domain AUrock. Desiring a realm oftheir own, the titans set about securing subjects. Now, after dozens of raids to the world to acquire dwarf and kobold slaves, Allrock has become crisscrossed with passages. Elemental creatures keep arriving, attracted to the power ofAllrock, but the earthmote has rlln out ofspace to hold them. USING THE STONE COUNCIL Earth titans might not be the brightest of their kind, but the Stone Council members are smart enough to realize that their kingdom must expand or be torn apart. The titans have been looking to secure new territory for Allrock's growing population. Characters in the service ofthe Stone Council could take advantage of their generally higher intelligence to deceive their patrons. If the earth titans were to discover such deception, however, they would bring all their might to bear on the transgressors. The Stone Council can send characters on the following types ofmissions. .. Explore an unoccupied area of the Elemental Chaos to determine its suitability for an expansion ofAllrock. .. Travel to the world to get more slaves who can help secure new territory. .. Attack and conquer a nearby area ofthe Elemental Chaos controlled by another force, such as other giants, slaads, githzerai, or efreets. .. Devise a practical way to expand Allrock, such as finding a reliable method oftransforming the surrounding elemental substance into earth. VALAPHYR Djinn Thunderer (Monster Manual 2, page 71) The djinns are native to the Elemental Chaos, but they haven't been a significant force for a long time. Much oftheir populace remains trapped in objects or other magical prisons, and the free djinns have lost a great deal oftheir former power. All djinns long to return to glory, but none are more keen for it than Valaphyr. BACKGROUND After being trapped in a magic flute for millennia, Valaphyr won his freedom when a group of adventurers discovered the golden instrument in a young dragon's hoard. One incautious party member sounded the flute before it was definitively identified. After an untold time in magical slumber, the djinn was eager to exercise his power. The adventurers, weakened from their battle with the dragon, had no chance. Valaphyr collected their magic equipment in addition to the dragon's hoard, then secured passage to the Elemental Chaos. Once there, he sought shelter among a group of djinns in a small cloud citadel. Valaphyr had chalked up his lengthy imprisonment to supremely bad luck but has since learned that most of his kind were even less fortunate. The djinn has vowed to free his race from its shackles and punish the gods for such cruel treatment. To this end, he plans to liberate the djinns, recover their old holdings, and, ultimately, free a primordial and march upon the gods' domains. USING VALAPHYR Although his first act as a free djinn was to slay the adventurers who unwittingly rescued him, Valaphyr holds no enmity for their kind. He appreciates the resources and enterprise of adventuring parties and regularly uses them to achieve his goals. He has no interest in endangering himself, and he regards the lives of his fellow djinns as too precious to risk. In contrast, adventurers are cheap to hire, and their lives mean nothing to Valaphyr. The djinn seeks an audience with any adventuring party that ventures close to his cloud citadel. He also goes out of his way to invite adventurers he believes to be especially capable. Though he cares little for their well-being, he treats such characters fairly-he has need oftheir services and prefers not to make unnecessary enemies. On the other hand, he has little patience for any who disrespect him or the djinns. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
I Valaphyr can send characters on the following kinds ofmissions. + Rescue a djil1n from a magic prison. + Defeat the current denizens of a former djinn stronghold. + Slay a devout or important divine servant. + Forge an alliance with other allies of the primordials or enemies ofthe gods. + Gather magic items or an artifact for the djinns. ZAT Githzerai Mindmage (Monster Manual, page 131) The insular githzerai nevertheless must seek the services ofoutsiders from time to time. A few individuals, such as Zat, go out of their way to find them. BACKGROUND Zat operates out ofthe genasi city ofThreshold (page 57), where she keeps an eye on the massive portal to the world. She has lived in the Elemental Chaos all her life and grew up fascinated by the legends ofthe githzerai race. Although young, she has developed into an excellent mindmage and recently traveled to Threshold at the behest ofher githzerai superiors. They proVide her with the resources to act as an able patron. USING ZAT Zat frequents the area near the portal to ensure that she makes initial contact with visitors. Occasionally, she uses the passage to find and establish agents in the world. Although she is not native to the city, Zat has come to love Threshold and its people. She serves the interests of the githzerai, the city ofThreshold, and her own notions ofwhat is best. Zat can send characters on the following sorts of missions. + Slay enemies ofthe githzerai, particularly mind flayers and githyanki, on which Zat offers a standing bounty. + Serve as diplomats to a race or an organization in the world that would be hesitant around, or hostile to, the githzerai. + Recover a lost githzerai item or individual. + Establish contact with a githzerai or genasi colony in the world or in a remote location of the Elemental Chaos. + Spy on a power within the Elemental Chaos, such as the City ofBrass efreets or a cult dedicated to a primordial. -.-- -, -'--'--.-.--.-.--.-.-. ORDERS OUT OF CHAOS With the exception of the most potent efreets, the powers that dwell within the Elemental Chaos are rarely more organized than the plane they call home. The constantly changing nature ofthe plane and the ~ great distances between communities prevent control 0 over multiple populations. Those leaders that inspire V\ cults aren't interested in cooperation between sects " LL.I or in forming larger faiths. The nonnative inhabitants Q ofthe Plane Below must expend so much time and ex:: effort on survival that they have little energy or moti- 0 vat ion to pursue other goals. Yet as a source of unimaginable power. the Elemental Chaos calls to groups of individuals who seek to explore and to exploit its depths. A few examples of Elemental Chaos-linked organizations follow. As always, pick and choose the details you are fond of, or let them inspire you to create groups ofyour own. THE CULT OF THE ELDER ELEMENTAL EVE The Temple of Elemental Evil: Nearly every sage, priest, or adventurer has heard its name whispered in rumors and legends. It has been destroyed more than once by the forces ofgood. Just as many times, it has risen from the rubble to plague the world. The Temple ofElemental Evil is but one symptom of a deeper malady. It is the holiest site of the Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye, a horrific organization not fully understood even by its own worshipers. The cultists are not highly organized, and internecine struggles for control of the temple are constant. Still, if one sect can impose its will on the others and raise the group to prominence once again, it can direct the cult's awesome resources to end creation in any number ofways. CULT OF THE ELDER ELEMENTAL EYE LORE Arcana, History, or Religion DC 15: The infamous Temple ofElemental Evil was the heart of a religiOUS sect that terrorized the surrounding regions. The group hired bandits, consorted with demons and evil powers, and caused much destruction before it was defeated. History DC 20: The Cult of Elemental Evil arose multiple times, and the temple was destroyed and rebuilt at least twice. Arcana or Religion DC 25: The so-called Cult ofElemental Evil was in fact a sect ofworshipers devoted to Zuggtmoy, a foul demon of slime and fungus. The elemental trappings of the sect were an CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
attempt by the demon lord to attract a wider array of followers. When Zuggtmoy's aspect was slain during a raid on the temple, Zuggtmoy's followers lost faith , and the demon turned her attentions elsewhere. Arcana or Religion DC 30: Zuggtmoy was merely a pawn in a larger game. She was not the true power behind the Temple ofElemental Evil. The Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye was the ultimate threat, an organization worshiping a primordial entity of enormous power. The name of the cult's master is unknown, but rumors indicate that other primordials have cooperated with it, including Imix, Lord ofFire. Religion DC 40: The title of the Elder Elemental Eye refers not to a primordial but to the Chained God, Tharizdun-the mad, figurative father of the Abyss. That he is the power behind the Cult ofthe Elder Elemental Eye is a fact known only by the sect's highest members. Not all worshipers ofTharizdun are members of the sect. The cult represents only one group of mad fanatics, albeit one of the largest and most infamous. ORGANIZATION With little organization and no unified leadership, the Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye has never reached its full potential. Still, its members work tirelessly, CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate clandestinely seeking ever more power for their evil patron. Their ultimate goal is to bring Tharizdun into the world-a event that would be catastrophic for the entire cosmos. Leader: Only a few faction leaders have a chance to attain dominance over the sect. Falrinth, a male human wizard, is an ancient fanatic who has already survived two separate offensives against the temple. Dein, a male stone giant warlock, believes that natural humanoids have no place in the cult except as slaves. Karreska Redhand is a female orc druid whose older half-sister, Smigmal, was a sect champion until she was slain. Headquarters: The Temple ofElemental Evil is an enormous stone edifice with hideous carvings and demonic gargoyles, constructed and reconstructed in varying styles over the years. The temple contains multiple passageways to the Abyss and the Elemental Chaos, as well several pockets of the Plane Below made manifest in the world. Legend tells that the temple exists in both the world and the Elemental Chaos, two spiritual halves of the same structure kept separate by planar boundaries. According to the tales, if the two temples were ever brought into conjunction, they would form a permanent, enormous conduit between the planes.
Dimensional boundaries for miles would waver and blur, opening the way for a massive invasion of demonic and elemental creatures. Hierarchy: The cult's hierarchy is simple: Who· ever has the power leads. All worshipers are devoted to the spread of elemental evil as a concept, even if some of them direct that devotion to different entities than others do. This common goal keeps the cult operating. Members: Although its readers are usually skilled warriors or elemental spellcasters, the cutt accepts anyone. Worship ofTharizdun isn't required to join, nor does the cult incorporate only such worshipers. The selfish, the bitter, the ambitious, the anarchic, and those who dabble in forbidden lore are all drawn to the cult. Evil and obsessed, they seek power at the expense of nonbelievers and are welcomed with open arms. Many cultists aren't natural humanoids. They include elementaJs desiring power over the world, giants seeking the return of their lost empire, and demons reveling in the chance to destroy. HISTORY When the Cult ofthe Elder Elemental Eye first arose is impossible to say. Worshipers ofTharizdun, under his various titles, have existed since the end of the Dawn War. When the temple was first built decades ago, it appeared to be dedicated to the destructive powers of the elements, but was in fact faithful to the demon Zuggtmoy. Even then, some members secretly revered the Elder Elemental Eye, working to steer the sect to their own purposes. 'Were they instrumental from the beginning, manipulating the demon into founding the cult? Did they come along later to take advantage ofwhat Zuggtmoy had begun? So secretive is the sect, and so varied the accounts of its factions, that none can say. GOALS AND METHODS The cult's ultimate goal is to fray the boundaries between the world and the Elemental Chaos (or the Abyss) and thus free its dreadful patron. It seeks to increase the power of its members, especially its leaders, while offering worthy sacrifices in hopes of granting its master enough strength to break free. What it lacks in organization, the cult makes up for with determination and sheer power. As a group, the cultists are extremely potent and learned. On more than one occasion, they have succeeded in summoning horrific beings to the world. Cultists engage in various schemes. These plots have included imprisoning powerful entities and indoctrinating them, using magic to drive entire populations mad, transforming powerful creatures into elemental beasts, and weakening the boundaries between the world and the Elemental Chaos. All the while, they have deceived large groups, including other cultists, into worshiping and sacrificing to one entity while believing that they serve another. ADVENTURE IDEAS I Just the words "Temple ofElemental Evil" can get :J your players raring to go. For those who still need o convincing, here are a few ways to get their charac- ~ ters involved. w The Cult of the Elemental Eye adds an elemental Cl theme to an entire campaign. Its servants and thralls g can appear at early levels, gathering sacrifices or competing with the characters for magiC items. At the paragon tier, the characters might struggle against higher-level priests and various elemental monsters, perhaps even making forays into the Elemental Chaos or the upper levels ofthe Temple ofElemental Evil. Heroes at the epic tier can delve into the temple's depths and take on the demonic or elemental powers to whom the sect's factions are devoted. THE GRAVE-MINDERS Faced with passing years, great riches, and power waiting to be claimed, even those who zealously hold to a purpose can drift astray. Such was the case with the Grave-Minders. This holy order was once dedicated to guarding the divine bonds on the primordials and was set to warn the various priesthoods and temples of the world if those prisons weakened . Since its founding, however, the group has devolved into a band ofscavengers and treasure hunters. In their ambition, they scour the graves and prisons of the primordials for their own gain. GRAVE-MINDERS LORE Arcana, History, or Religion DC 20: The GraveMinders were founded by members of the earliest religions. Fearing that the turmoil of the Elemental Chaos might blind the eyes of the gods, they set up several strongholds in the Plane Below, monitoring the prisons and graves of the primordials to ensure that none would rise again. Little has been heard ofthem for centuries. Arcana or History DC 30: The Grave-Minders did not disappear, but the order has avoided notice because its members have turned away from their original mission. They are more interested in raiding primordial tombs for ancient treasures and powerful magic, whether left behind since the Dawn War or gathered by worshipers attempting to free their primordial masters. C HAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
ORGANIZATION The Grave-Minders were viewed as heroes and martyrs in their early days-parables and psalms were written about them. Today, the organization keeps its existence secret. Only its regular contacts, several informed denizens ofthe Elemental Chaos, and a half-dozen high priests of primordial cults and divine churches are aware ofthe group's current activities. None of them think much ofthe Grave-Minders. Leader: The organization's leader is elected by acclaim, based largely on his or her accomplishments. The current head is Ephram Kiembretz, a male human invoker, but he's nearing retirement. His likely successor is Lathlenvia Viell, a female tief ling rogue. Headquarters: On the rare occasions when the Grave-Minders assemble, they do so on the spelyammer galleon Ice Princess, which sails the skies and vapors ofthe Plane Below. Hierarchy: The Grave-Minders are divided into autonomous cells of procurers, who are essentially adventuring parties, and researchers, consisting mainly ofolder members. Each team has its own commander, who reports to the organization's leader. Members: The group accepts anyone ambitious and capable enough to travel to the hazardous regions of the Elemental Chaos where the primordials are imprisoned or entombed. Particularly knowledgeable sages or experts serve as researchers; all the other members ofthe Grave-Minders are adventurers. Followers ofgods and primordials alike are welcome, as long as they don't object to the Grave-Minders' activities. HISTORY The Grave·Minders have little recorded history. Supposedly, the organization was founded within a few generations of the end ofthe Dawn War. Given how obscured in myth that time is, that claim cannot be confirmed. A thousand years ago, members began to lose interest in standing watch against an event that nobody thought would ever occur. Instead, they became increasingly interested in the treasures and power to be gained in the Elemental Chaos. Those guiding the SOCiety, no matter how devout, could not resist the income and influence those treasure hunters brought to the Grave-Minders. At first they justified their actions as using these resources to guard against the primordials' return, but eventually that excuse was abandoned. When an adventuring rogue by the name ofAvirras was acclaimed leader several hundred years ago, the SOCiety's shift was complete-pretended guardianship became undisguised robbery. C HAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate GOALS AND METHODS The goals of the Grave-Minders are Simple: Locate the resting places of primordials, living or dead, and loot the powerful and valuable treasures found there. Some members aspire to be rich enough to buy and sell entire cities. Others enjoy testing themselves against dangers that would challenge the gods. Some seek rulership, conquest, or even apotheosis, and believe these items can aid them. A rare few still serve the original mission, keeping an eye on the primordials and thwarting the efforts oftheir fellow members. Most members ofthe Grave-Minders explore the Elemental Chaos. The rest conduct research in the greatest libraries ofthe world and in the recorded histories ofthose few elemental cultures that bother to keep such writings. Once a primordial grave or prison has been located, a team oftomb raiders travels there to secure whatever wealth and magic it contains. In other words, the Grave-Minders is an adventur· ers' guild interested only in the deadliest dungeons and most fearsome foes. ADVENTURE IDEAS The Grave-Minders can function well as allies, as enemies, or as recruiters. The group might cooperate with the characters in exploring the grave of a primordial, or it might compete for the recovery of an artifact. The heroes could join the Grave-Minders to fulfill the group's original purpose-guarding against the awakening of a primordial. Alternatively, they might be dispatched to thwart the organization by a religiOUS faction that fears the Grave-Minders' meddling will cause the very awakening the group once feared. THE SPEAKERS OF XAOS Also called the Xaos-Speakers, this organization is respected by the few who know ofit, and feared by the fewer who know it well. A cabal of arcane and scholastic explorers studying the nature ofthe Elemental Chaos, the Speakers ofXaos (pronounced like "chaos") pursues a variety of ambitions that, if successful, could grant its members access to world shattering information. SPEAKERS OF XAOS LORE Arcana or History DC 15: The Speakers ofXaos is a college ofwizards, sages, druids, priests, and explorers who seek a complete understanding ofthe Elemental Chaos. Although a few small subgroups meet in the world, the group's primary campuses are in the Plane Below.
History DC 20: The Xaos-Speakers don't have a unifying motivation for their study ofthe Elemental Chaos. Some members gather knowledge for its own sake. Other individuals hope to understand the magic that underlies all reality and thus increase their own abilities. Still others seek mastery over various elemental creatures and the primordials-either to maintain the divine order, or in hopes offreeing the primordials and controlling their awesome power. Arcana or History DC 25: The Speakers of Xaos resulted from the merger oftwo orders: the Xaositects, an anarchist faction that operated within the city ofSigil, and the Lyceum Elemental, a combination cabal and social club for researchers investigating all matters elemental and primordial. Arcana DC 30: One of the Speakers' primary lines ofresearch is the study of chaos. By identifying patterns in what others see as randomness in the Plane Below, they believe they can predict the future. They hope to learn to manipulate the nature of the Elemental Chaos and, through it, the world. ORGANIZATION The Speakers ofXaos is not a clandestine organization, but its activities and research are closely guarded secrets. Individual members pursue their own hidden experiments, refusing to share evidence and conclusions even within the group. Leader: The Speakers ofXaos is a gathering of like-minded individuals, not a regimented order, and its leadership is informal. The members elect a director, who approves expenditures and groupwide activities but otherwise has little say over individual members' actions. The current holder of that office is Director Callum Rell, a male deva invoker. Headquarters: The group has a number ofsmall institutions and meeting places in the world. More prestigious complexes are scattered throughout stable regions of the Elemental Chaos, including a library in the City ofBrass. The organization's central college is located outside the githzerai city ofZerthadlun-far enough that the githzerai don't object to its presence, but near enough to take advantage of the city's stabilizing influence on its surroundings. Hierarchy: Other than the elected director, no Xaos-Speaker has official authority over another. Unofficially, associates defer to long-standing, powerful, and influential researchers. Members: Officially, the group is open to anyone who seeks knowledge and understanding ofchaos, the natural order, and the Plane Below. In fact, only those who demonstrate sufficient power to survive the rigors ofthe Elemental Chaos, or provide lore or knowledge that the group lacks, are admitted. Any Speaker can nominate a candidate for membership. XAOSITECTS A great conflict surged through Sigil's streets some time ago, realigning factions, organizations, and entire systems of belief. Though the Lady of Pain remained inviolate and in control, many other lesser power structures faltered or failed altogether, including the faction called the Xaositects. Calling this group an organization would be a stretch. The loosely connected order, while older than many others, had a habit of disbanding, re-forming, and changing its name. Such behavior not only makes it difficult to compile a reliable history of the Xaositects but also leaves open a question: Are all those earlier Xaositects gone, or are some stiU rattling around the planes? The Speakers of Xaos don't care. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
Confirmation requires the approval of another member of equal or greater seniority, as well as that ofthe director. Similarly, anyone can be blacklisted by agreement of the director and two senior members. HISTORY Since before the world's recorded history, the Xaositects were a philosophical faction in the great planar city ofSigil. Some members were pure anarchists, but many were dedicated to seeking meaning and patterns ill chaos. The group's mantra was that reality is chaotic, and only by understanding disorder can it be mastered. Eventually the Xaositects disbanded, partly due to the efforts ofrival sects and partly in obedience to a decree of the enigmatic Lady of Pain. The anarchists continued on as they always had-what did the existence ofa recognized structure matter to them? More regimented members sought out new homes and a rededication of purpose. They began communicating with the Lyceum Elemental, a cabal ofsages and researchers who had become fascinated with the Elemental Chaos's theoretical effect on events in the world. The combination ofthe Lyceum's theoretical knowledge with the former Xaositects' applied experience resulted in the birth ofthe group known today as the Speakers ofXaos. GOALS AND METHODS All Speakers are united in their goal ofunderstanding the Elemental Chaos-from finding patterns in the fluctuations ofits energy to learning precisely how this fundamental plane influences the nature of reality and events in the world. Why do they gather this information, how do they go about doing so, and what do they plan to do with it? The answers vary from member to member. Certain Speakers, including the current director, are interested only in gathering knowledge and perhaps using this inSight to aid others. They watch and record the movements ofthe Elemental Chaos and the behavior ofelementals, trying to find patterns. Other members manipulate the activities of elementals, or even experiment on such creatures, to learn more ofthe Plane Below's secrets. They seek to increase their own personal magical acumen, perhaps even using the power ofthe Elemental Chaos to gain godlike stature. So far, their efforts have been in vain. Some Speakers cultivate ties with the efreets of the City of Brass, hoping to learn more about the al-buraj divining system (see "Mapping Chaos," page 54), but so far they've had little luck. The long-term nature of al-buraj practice is part of the reason, but mostly, the efreets are unwilling to cooperate with outsiders trying to learn their secrets. The few who would consider the idea demand something major in exchange. ADVENTURE IDEAS The Speakers ofXaos can be a catalyst for all manner of adventures, as allies of the characters, as enemies, or-given the differing methods and goals ofits members-as both at the same time. The group's more scholarly members might hire the characters to gather information, observe certain inhabitants of the Elemental Chaos, retrieve magiC items, or map a specific location. They might require aid against enemy elementals or cults whose power they cannot match, or help in delivering vital supplies to their bastions in the Elemental Chaos. The group's more ambitious members could become regular adversaries ofthe party. They might ally themselves with rogue efreets who trade knowledge about al-buraj in exchange for aid in various schemes. They might spark war between communities in the Elemental Chaos by kidnapping and vivisecting elemental beings. They could even conquer a region ofthe world with power gained through a deeper understanding ofelemental nature. .-.-.-.-.-.-,-.--0-.-. ART1FACTS Countless potent magic relics originated in the Plane Below. The following are examples of artifacts that might hail from, or be linked to, the Elemental Chaos. Their history, purpose, and power can drive adventures or entire campaigns. PLASTRON OF TZIPHAL The Plastron oJTziphal is appropriate for characters in mid-paragon tier and upward. Plastron ofTziphal Paragon Tier This ceremonial breastplate isfashioned from dark stone. The surface is chipped and the ed8cs jaB8ed from the chisel that fashioned it. When worn, it mer8cs with its wcarer's flesh, turnin8 skin to a rocky armor as hard as plate. Although it looks like only a breastplate, the Plastron of TZiphal functions as +4 warplate armor. It has the following properties and powers. Enhancement: AC Property: You gain resist 10 poison. Property: You gain an item bonus equal to the Plastron's current enhancement bonus to saving throws against slowing, immobilizing, petrifying, or restraining effects that a save can end. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
Power (Daily): Standard Action. You gain resist S to all damage until the end of the encounter; or Immediate Interrupt. Triyyer: You are hit by an attack. Effect: You gain resist 1S to all damage until the end of your next turn. Power (Daily): Minor Action. You gain a power bonus to Fortitude equal to the Plastron's current enhancement bonus until the end of the encounter. Power (Daily): Free Action. Triyyer: You make a saving throw to end an effect. Effect: You make the triggering saving throw again and use either result. THE MOUNTA1N BU1LDER None today know whether T ziphal is truly dead. Mauled and cursed by the gods, he lies within a cairn deep in the Elemental Chaos (see "The Mountain Builder's Barrow," page 100). The body within might be utterly lifeless or rest in some intermediate state between life and death. Creatures that have powers of petrification (Tziphal's "children") and a few worshipers of the primordial occa· sionally claim to hear a deep and rumbling voice at the very limits of their hearing. They cannot yet make out the words, but they feel an ever stronger compulsion to seek out its source and obey whatever instructions it might have for them. Few descriptions of the Mountain Builder survive, and those that do are often contradictory-though all agree that his flesh was the hue and consistency of stone. Some portray the primordial as an enormous, featureless humanoid form of blocky stone, standing hundreds of feet tall. Other images depict him as a creature far longer than he was tall, with a dozen pairs of legs and multiple swaying torsos. All stories describe Tziphal as stagger· ingly huge-a peculiar detail, considering that no creature of such size could possibly fit within the mystical barrow said to be his grave. Either all tales of Tziphal's appearance are false, or the Mountain Builder was capable of altering his form to a tremendous degree. Whether or not Tziphal still lives depends on the needs of your campaign, but you need not involve him personally to base adventures around him. Multiple cults of the Mountain Builder exist still among elemental creatures said to be created by him, as well as among humanoids of the world. Many followers seek to restore the primordial to his former glory, while others believe they follow a sacred mandate to petrify all natural beings. The leaders of such cults claim to be guided by that mysterious, rumbling voice. Are they speak'ing the truth, or using T ziphal's name to justify their own ambitions? What is the voice telling them to do? And is it tru'ly the voice of Tziphal, or some other entity taking advantage of his cultists' faith? GOALS OF THE PLASTRON OF TZIPHAL .. Thwart and destroy worshipers of the gods, especially of those deities that existed at the time of the Dawn War. + Increase the influence of elementals and prj· mordials, as well as earth, rock, and petrifying creatures created by Tziphal. .. Locate the grave ofTziphal, deep in the Elemental Chaos, and bring the primordial back to life. ROLEPLAYING THE PLASTRON OF TZIPHAL The Plastron doesn't communicate much with its wearer, indicating its desires through flashes of emotion. The artifact might project rage toward a creature it wants slain, fear ofsomeone it wants to avoid , or a yearning for a location it wishes to visit. The Plastron cares little for how the wearer accomplishes these goals. In its hatred, the Plastron coaxes its wearer to attack divine characters and immortal creatures. If the artifact foresees an opportunity to accomplish one of its goals, however, it might be willing to put up with the presence ofsuch enemies in the short term. PLASTRON OF TZIPHAL LORE Arcana DC 20: The Plastron was carved from the rocky flesh ofTziphal the Mountain Builder, said to be the progenitor of creatures that petrify. The armor retains a bit of the primordial's power, as well as his hatred for the divine order that cast him down. CONCORDANCE Starting score 5 o er gains a Ie e +1d10 Owner completes a quest that contributes to the release of a primordial +3 Owner Is a goliath or a Clwarf +1 Owner kills an immortal creature or a divine character (maximum 1/day) +1 Owner gains a level without slaying an immortal creature r a ivine character -1 Owner is immortal or is a divine character -3 Owner thwarts actions that contribute to the release of a primordial -4 PLEASED 06-20) "1 am chosen oJTzipha1. He shall walk the world a8ain, leavin8Jorests ojstone in his wake, and 1shall thrive in his shadow." The wearer is a worthy champion ofthe primordials. The Plastron takes great steps to keep the champion alive and successful. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
The artifact's enhancement bonus becomes +5. Property: You gain an item bonus to Fortitude equal to the Plastron's current enhancement bonus. Power (Daily): Immediate Reaction. Triaaer: You are hit by a melee attack. Taraet: The triggering creature. Effect: The target Is immobilized (save ends). First Failed Savina Throw: The target is restrained (save ends). Second Failed Savina Throw: The target is petrified (save ends). Third Failed Savina Throw: The target is petrified (no save). SATISFIED 02-15) "Thou8h I remain a lowly bein8 ojworldly flesh, throu8h the power ojthe primordials I can become so much more." The Plastron still views the wearer as inferior, but it has seen potential. It empowers the wearer in hopes of creating a more useful instrument. Property: You gain a +2 item bonus to Strength-based checks and a +2 item bonus to weapon damage rolls. Property: The item bonus to saving throws applies only to effects imposed on you by a divine character or an immortal creature. NORMAL (5-llJ "I can sense that this armor holds me in contempt, but it desires that I serve as an instrument oJits will." The armor finds nonelemental beings and those it considers unworthy to be distasteful, but it prefers any wearer to none. It is as patient as earth and stone, willing to wait for this one to prove worthy. UNSATISFIED 0-4) "The Plastron 8rows ever more dis8usted with me. It sees in me all the weakness ojthose who have no elemental herita8e." The Plastron has lost hope that the wearer might prove valuable. It bides its time until it can move on, or until the wcarer improves its concordance. The artifact's enhancement bonus becomes +3. Property: You take a -2 penalty to attack rolls and damage rolls against earth creatures and creatures that have petrification powers. Special: The first time each day a critical hit is scored against you, you are immobilized (save ends). First Failed Savina Throw: You are restrained (save ends). Second Failed Savina Throw: You are petrified (save ends). Third Failed Savina Throw: You are petrified (no save). ANGERED (0 OR LOWER) "I represent everythin8 the Plastron despises, all that TZiphal seeks to destroy. I must die to pave the wayJor TZiphal's return." The Plastron views its wearer as just another package of divine energy in a fleshy wrapping that should be destroyed. The artifact's enhancement bonus becomes +2. Property: You take a -2 penalty to attack rolls and damage rolls against elemental creatures. Property: Elemental creatures and earth creatures can score critical hits against you on a roll of 19-20. Special: The first time each day that a critical hit is scored against an ally you can see, that ally is immobilized (save ends). First Failed Savina Throw: The ally is restrained (save ends). Second Failed Savina Throw: The ally is petrified (save ends). Third Failed Savina Throw: The ally is petrified (no save). MOVING ON "The Mountain Builder calls . .." The Plastron oJTziphal disappears, reappearing elsewhere in the world to continue its quest. If the Plastron is at least satisfied, the wearer gains a stony appearance, along with a permanent +1 bonus to AC and a permanent +2 bonus to saving throws against slowing, immobilizing, petrifying, or restraining effects that a save can end. An unsatisfied or angered Plastron curses the wearer, draining away essence and transforming his or her body into a stone golem ofthe wearer's current level. The golem is compelled to seek out the nearest primordial cult and serve its members as though they had created it. The wearer can be restored to life and flesh only by reducing the golem to 0 hit points and then performing the Remove Affliction and Raise Dead rituals in that order. CRYSTAL OF EBON FLAME The Crystal oJEbon Flame is appropriate for characters in the upper epic tier. The Crystal is a conflicted artifact. The item's goal is to release Tharizdun, but a divine curse has been laid on it to thwart that end. Crystal of Ebon Flame Epic Tier The This inaly following picks Crystal fist-Sized, when up the arasped. properties ofEbon artifact, black,j1 Flame It offers ame-shaped and he or is powers power a she +6 can implement but . crystal When choose warns whispers a wielder of what with corruption. the sort m first enacof implement it functions as. Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls Critical: + 1 d1 0 damage, and the target takes ongOing 10 fire and necrotic damage and is weakened (save ends both) Property: When you use an attack power through this implement, you can score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20. Property: You gain a +4 bonus to checks to escape a grab, and a +5 bonus to saving throws against immobilizing or restraining effects that a save can end. CHAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
Power (Encounter + Healing, Implement): Immediate Reaction. Trigger: You reduce a creature within 10 squares of you to 0 hit points. Effect: You can spend a healing surge or make a saving throw against each effect on you that a save can end. The triggering creature is utterly destroyed. It crumbles to dust and cannot be restored to life with the Raise Dead ritual. (Epic destiny powers that allow a return from death, or other magic of similar potency, still function.) Power (Daily + Fire, Necrotic): Free Action. Trigger: You hit with a fire or necrotic power using this implement. Effect: The target also takes ongOing 20 fire and necrotic damage (save ends). The wielder gains the following property from the divine curse, rather than the artifact. Property: Each day until you use one of the Crystal ofEbon Flame's powers, whenever you spend a healing surge, you gain additional hit pOints equal to one-half your level. GOALS OF THE CRYSTAL OF EBON FLAME The Crystal ofEbon Flame works to free the Chained God, but the divine curse embedded in it has its own goals_ The objectives of the artifact and the curse are presented separately. GOALS Of THE ARTIfACT + Free the Chained God. + Corrupt the wielder to evil and destruction. + Empower those who revere the Elder Elemental Eye. GoALS Of THE CURSE + Contain the power ofthe artifact. + Ensure that the Crystal never falls into the hands of a cultist of the Elder Elemental Eye. + Convey the Crystal to a just and righteous hero who will serve as its custodian_ ROLEPLAYING THE CRYSTAL OF EBON FLAME Both the artifact and the divine curse speak to the wielder in dreams and visions. The Crystal tempts the character with power in exchange for bending to the artifact's will. The curse's visions plead with the character to be strong and keep the artifact contained, revealing the dire consequences ifthe Chained God is freed. CRYSTAL OF EBON FLAME LORE Arcana DC 26: Some researchers claim this artifact is a tear from Tharizdun, the Chained God, cast forth when the deities confined him in a secret prison. Other scholars believe it is a seed of evil he planted in the Elemental Chaos before his imprisonment, one that works even now to win his escape. Arcana DC 31: This artifact is the object of desire for depraved worshipers of the Elder Elemental Eye, and a burden for any adventurer chosen to keep it from them. A group ofgods once tried-and failed-to destroy it. Instead, they placed a powerful divine curse on it, forCing it to move from owner to owner. The Crystal's current wielder is tasked with containing it, while the artifact tempts him or her to use its powers and serve its master, the Chained God. CONCORDANCE Owner gains a level +1d10 Owner uses the artifact to utterly destroy a creature +2 Owner uses one of the Crystal's powers maximum 1/day) +1 Owner kills the servant of a deity or entity other than Tharizdun +1 Owner kills a demon or a servant of Tharlzdun -1 Owner uses the Crystal as an implement during an entire combat encounter without using any of its powers -2 C HAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
PLEASED (16-20) "The Ebon Flame shows me the awesome terror ofthe Chained God awakenina. I 8Ior)' in knowina that I brina this monumental event closer." The Crystal believes that its wielder zealously shares its goal offreeing Tharizdun. Power (Daily): No Action. Triyyer: You die. Effect: You return to life with hit points equal to your bloodied value. Each creature within S squares of you takes ongoing 20 fire and necrotic damage (save ends). SATISFIED (12-15) "I have taken the first steps toward the true power ofutter oblivion." Although the artifact hopes for better, the wielder seems to be its best means to free the Chained God at the moment. Property: You gain a +S bonus to death saving throws. NORMAL (5-11) "The artifact and the divine curse placed upon it are in perfect harmony. I hear each ofthem speak ina to me, coax· ina me . .." Neither the artifact nor the divine curse has any great hope for the wielder, but does not view him or her as detrimental to its goal. UNSATISFIED (1-4) "The Crystal thinks me a tool ofdeluded creatures that cannotface the truth that Tharizdun has shown them." The Crystal is disappointed in the wielder's actions, but it continues to offer its powers in hopes that the wielder will succumb. The curse grants the wielder greater resilience to contain the Crystal's power. The following property is bestowed by the divine curse. Property: Each day until you use one of the Crystal ofEbon Flame's powers, whenever you spend a healing surge, you can make a saving throw. ANGERED (0 OR LOWER) "The Crystal believes me to be a weaklina who cannotface the ultimate fate ofthe universe;" The Crystal is desperate to move on, while the curse struggles mightily to prevent it from doing so. The wielder loses the properties ofthe artifact but does not gain the benefit ofthe curse's property. The artifact's anger is so intense that it can block this aspect ofthe curse. MOVING ON "It is time for another to champion the cause." The Crystal ofEbon Flame moves on either while it is pleased or it is angered, typically when the wielder gains a level. The artifact disappears, putting itselfin position to be discovered by its next wielder. Ifit is pleased, it moves on to a new wicked wielder who will start a Cult ofthe Ebon Flame and work toward the artifact's ultimate goal. Ifthe artifact is angered, the divine curse takes effect instead, moving the Crystal to a new champion who serves as custodian for a time. When the Crystal moves on after being pleased, it grants the following speCial power to its wielder. Consumption of Artifact Granted Power the Ebon Flame Daily + Healing Immediate Interrupt Personal Trigger: You reduce a creature within 10 squares of you to ohit points. Effect: You can spend a healing surge. The triggering crea· ture is utterly destroyed. It crumbles to dust and cannot be raised using the Raise Dead ritual. (Epic destiny powers that allow a return from death, and other magic of similar potency, still function.) When the Crystal moves on after being angered, the divine curse grants a boon to its wielder. The next time the character dies, he or she rises again on his or her next initiative count with full hit pOints and all encounter powers recharged. WAVE Wave is appropriate for lower paragon tier characters. Wave Paragon Tier This trident is ornately decorated with aquatic imayes. When srasped, Wave Critical: low Enhancement: the its following is lead. a it +3d6 +3 emanates mayie damage properties Attack trident a divine , rolls or (Adventurer's and +3dl and fervor, powers. 0 damage damage uryitl8 Vault, rolls against its bearer page aquatic 9) to with folor elemental creatures that do not worship Melora or one of her exarchs Property: You gain a swim speed equal to your land speed. Property: You cannot be surprised by aquatic or elemental creatures that do not worship Melora or one of her exarchs. Power (Encounter): Minor Action. Until the end of your next turn, you ignore cover and concealment when making an attack using Wave against an aquatic or elemental creature that does not worship Melora or one of her exarchs. C HAPTER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
GOALS OF WAVE • Spread the worship ofMelora and her exarch Sekolah. • Spread Melora's and Sekolah's dominance to aU aquatic and water creatures, and to all bodies of water in all worlds and all planes. ROLEPLAYING WAVE Wave remains silent much of the time, but it immediately commands its wielder to take action if an opportunity arises to pursue its goals. It is particularly keen to attack aquatic and elemental creatures that are not worshipers ofMel ora or Sekolah. If the bearer fails to act quickly and decisively, Wave becomes angry. insulting and cursing him or her before subsiding into sullen silence. WAVE LORE Arcana DC 18: This trident was crafted by giants who were imprisoned by aquatic enemies and turned away from their primordial masters, becoming devout followers ofSekolah, exarch of Melora. CONCORDANCE Starting score 5 Owner gains a level +ld10 Owner worships Melora or one of her exarchs +2 Owner kills an aquatic or eremental creature that does not worship Melora or one of her exarchs (maximum l/day) +1 Owner refuses to attack an aquatic or elemental creature t hat does not worship Melora or her exarchs when the opportunity arises (maximum l/day) -1 Owner attacks a creature that worships Melora or her exarchs (maximum l/encounter) -2 Owner is an aquatic or elemental creature that does not worship Melora or her exarchs -4 PLEASED (16-20) "The un)'ieldin8 power ofthe tides flows throu8h me. and I 8uide that power in Me/ora's name." Wave and its bearer are fully aligned. working together to spread the word ofMelora. The artifact's enhancement bonus becomes +4. Critical: +4d6 damage, or +4dlO damage against an aquatic or elemental creature that does not worship Melora or one of her exarchs Property: When using this weapon, you deal 1 dl 0 extra damage against aquatic or elemental creatures that do not worship Melora or one of her exarchs. Property: When aquatic or elemental creatures that do not worship Mel'ora or one of her exarchs flank you. you do not grant combat advantage to them. Power (Daily): Standard Action. Until you take an extended rest, each ally within 20 squares of you can breathe water as if under the effect of the Water Breathing ritual. SATISFIED (12-15) "ThoU8h I am born ofdr)' land, my soul is ofthe sea." Wave is content with its wielder but believes that he or she could make greater efforts toward its goals. Property: While wielding Wave , you gain the aquatic keyword (MM 280). Power (Daily): Standard Action. Until the end of the encounter, each ally within 10 squares of you can breathe water as if under the effect of the Water Breathing ritual. NORMAL (5-11) "Wave demands that I worship Melora and spread the 810ry ofthe waves." Wave awaits the wielder to prove amenable to aiding its goals. UNSATISFIED (1-4) "The trident is displeased with me, and its an8er 8rows." The wielder is making no effort to spread the word ofMel ora. Wave has all but decided that it must find a new owner unless something swiftly changes. Special: You do not gain Wave's benefit against surprise when facing aquatic or elemental creatures that do not worship Melora or one of her exarchs. ANGERED (0 OR LOWER) ''The fearsome wrath ofthe sea is a8ainst me, channeled throu8h Wave's own an8er." Wave despairs ofits wielder and will soon take its leave. The artifact's enhancement bonus becomes +2. Critical: +2d6 damage, or +2dl 0 damage against aquatic or elemental creatures. Special: You do not gain a swim speed. MOVING ON "Like the sea, Wave is capricious. Now it seeks to move on." Wave wants to go where it can pursue its goals. When the wielder next gains a level, the artif~lct disappears, its sentience and other abilities traveling to another land in search of help in spreading Melora's word. IfWave is at least satisfied when it departs. its former wielder gains a swim speed equal to his or her land speed. C }-I AP 'rER 1 I Chaos Incarnate
CHAPTER 2 THE ELEMENTAL Chaos is strange, and its inhabitants are equally bizarre. Life that arose in such a foreign environment rarely resembles that of the natural world. Elementals come first to mind as natives of the Plane Below: bestial amalgamations ofsubstances, witl;t little purpose beyond an instinct to survive. Aside from those wild creatures, though, exist many otner sentient races, each with its own culture. This chapter discusses the major races of the Elemental Chaos, their societies, beliefs, and behavior. Some form organized nations, such as the rigid, despotic empire of the efreets; others, such as the erratic slaads, are linked by little more than physiology and disposition. They include: • Archons: These elemental soldiers created in the Dawn War form regimented settlements devoted only to war. • Djinns: Beings of ancient, noble heritage now dispersed and imprisoned, the djinns seek freedom and revenge. • Efreets: Tyrannical beings ofOame, efreets navigate the unpredictable plane with their mystical tradition of al-buraj. • Genasi: Despite their elemental heritage, genasi struggle to survive in the Plane Below. • Giants and Titans: Once servants of the primordials, these mighty elemental beings now pursue their own ends. • Githzerai: Refugees from ancient slavery, these disciplined people impose order in the midst of chaos. • Slaads: Wildly destructive and seemingly insane, slaads have no real society but pursue the rOiling chaos storms that sweep the Plane Below. Does their behavior serve a deeper purpose? • Other Races: These beings exist in smaller numbers or are isolated within the plane. Some are of the natural world, including humans and dwarves, who exploit the resources ofthis fantastic place. At the other end of the spectrum are terrible dangers: bestial demons lusting for ruin and imprisoned primordials that strain for freedom and world-shattering vengeance.
