Micronaut Summoning

This adventure was written for the Micronauts and run on 23 Feb 1985. It introduced the character of The Master Summoner (though she is portrayed quite differently in this incarnation than in later stories).

The Master Summoner is a female wizard who, instead of learning normal spells, has learned exclusively the power to summon creatures. By expending one of her “spells” she can summon a group of creatures from the dungeon tables of the same level as the spell.

The monsters she will summon are the following (in order by level):

Once, a long time ago, she (quite by accident) summoned a Time Elemental. After trapping it, she studied it very carefully and then by means of a wish spell (off of a ring) she gained its time travel powers.

Now, she can travel forward or backward in time up to 14 rounds. However, when she travels backward she gains splitting headaches that completely disable her. Thus, she only travels forward.

(*) This potion has the effect of overcoming her headaches so that she can travel back in time. It lasts 3d6 rounds.

She has researched a way to contact creatures through the time streams so she can observe and summon creatures from other times. It is currently the year 1104 – December 6th. She will summon the following characters to her time as follows:

1) Arrival chamber. Here is where all the party members will coalesce. When all have arrived, the summoner will show herself and challenge the party to escape from her dungeon. This room has heavy portcullises on all exits which she will lift after making her challenge. The controls are in room (3). Note: the secret door to area (3) is very hard to find: 1/2 normal chances. Plus, it is magically trapped: Fire Trap for d4+14 and non-magically trapped: a scything blade for 2d6 damage.

As an initial test, the summoner will summon 2 Trolls (hp 30,40).

2) This room appears empty, but is magicked so to cause nausea to all who enter unless they save vs. spell every 10'. On the far wall is a well-hidden compartment (can only be seen from 10' away) in which is a crystal rod about 1' long and hexagonal in shape. It radiates a dim magic and corresponds to room (13).

3) This is the control room in which the master summoner lives. Resting on a small pillar in the center of the room is a crystal ball which allows only clairaudience and clairvoyance up to 300' away. Also here are the controls to the portcullises everywhere. Here she keeps a spare bed, also. If anybody enters this room, her guards will try to expel them: 3 Hell Hounds (HD7, hp 24,23,40).

4) In this room is a magical device in the form of an empty metal cube. Set into the top of the box are three gems: a red one, a yellow one, and a green one. If any question is asked aloud, one of the three gems will glow: Red=No, Yellow=Maybe or I don't know; Green=Yes. The entity in the box is fiercely loyal to the summoner and has an intelligence of 15.

5) The box has control of this secret door and may open it if asked politely. In this room are the following guards: 4 Firetoads (hp 20,17,12,15) who guard 5 Potions: Healing, Clairaudience, Flying, Invulnerability, and Heroism.

6) At the arrows in this room is a wall of force which can be easily passed through heading west, but solid when heading east. Damage equivalent to 20 points (magical only) will drop the wall. (A +2 sword will do 2 points per hit). Once entered, the following will be summoned: 5 Large Solifugid (hp 19,19,7,18,9).

7) In this room is a magical pool which teleports anybody who steps into it to a random room in this dungeon: Roll a d20 (consider a 20 as ending up in a corridor somewhere).

8) This is the room of strife. Upon entering, the room will telepathically suggest (as the spell) that each character can no longer trust his party members and must subdue them immediately! The focus point is a Wand of Fear set into a pedestal (87 charges). If the wand is removed, the suggestion ends.

9) In this room are 2 Hill Giants (hp 42,32) who have been instructed to toss any people entering into the magical pool in the far corner. The pool has the effect of temporarily changing a person's class as below:

The person's level will remain the same, but the class will be different. Alignment is not a factor as this is only temporary (Note: it can be dispelled vs. 12th level or it will expire after 3d6 rounds).

10) In the center of this room is a fountain which if the water is drunk will polymorph the character into a random race (Roll on the MU reincarnation table). This change is as Polymorph Other but if the system shock is failed the original class will be forgotten (Note this can be dispelled vs. 12th level).

11) Across the room here is a barrier which does not allow magic of any sort to pass through it. This means that to cross the room, a character must strip him/herself of all magic items.

12) After twenty feet, this room has a false wall (chance to detect is intelligence + level as a %). Before it, the room is bare. After it, there will be 3 Poisonous Snakes (roll poison randomly every hit) (hp 12,6,9). They guard a locked and poison needle trapped chest (roll poison as per snakes) with 1000 gp, 5 gems (1100, 100×4), and the following magic items: +2 Cloak, Boots of Speed, and a pair of Javelins of Lightning.

13) Set into the wall above this “secret door” is a hole the exact size of the crystal rod from room (2). If it is placed in the hole, the wall will vanish revealing a 4'x4' entrance into (13) (The hole is 5' up). When the rod is removed, the wall returns (better be out of the way!). Inside are 3 Pseudo-Undead: Wights (hp 30,26,19) and 5 Wererats (hp 10,12,21,15,20) guarding another crystal rod set in the wall of the north alcove. It corresponds to room (15).

14) Along the far wall of this room is a large, intricate tapestry depicting eight robed men linked arm in arm with their eyes closed. The tapestry is actually a magical window which can be stepped through in both directions, but only seen through from area (15).

15) Living here are 3 White Dragons (Small, Young; Small, Young; and Average, Sub-Adult - hp 10,10,18). The second can cast a Shocking Grasp spell which it will do when the party enters area (14). Note the dragons cannot be surprised and will be ready for anybody entering this room. Their treasure is: 1000 gp, 5000 sp, 10000 cp, 20 gems (4338 gp) and a +2 Ring and a magically sealed box with a hexagonal indentation in it. Only the crystal from (13) can open the box. Inside is another crystal rod. This corresponds to area (17).

16) Deep in this room is an idol of a Nightmare (Hades' symbol) reared for the attack. If the idol is touched, a 6d6 Chain Lightning will be set off and aimed initially at the person who touched the idol. If the idol is touched a second time, a Nightmare (hp 45) will phase in and attack the toucher. If it is touched a third time, a set of Bracers of Defense: AC 2 will be given to the toucher: permanently affixing themselves to the person's wrists. They radiate a very dim evil, though…

17) Set into the wall of this room is a carving of the head of a Medusa. If it is touched, all characters in the room must save vs. petrification or be turned to stone. At this point, the head will vanish revealing a hexagonal hole as before. If the crystal from (15) is placed in here, the secret door into (19) will open.

18) In here are 2 Hydra (HD 8,9: hp 64 and 72, Dam d8 per head) guarding an empty room.

19) This is the last room. In here is a well which seems to be very deep. In fact, it is a portal to the surface where the summoner will show herself again and say “You have proven yourselves worthy in combat. Great enough that you could destroy the demon whom I am unable to affect. May the gods shine on you heroes.” At this point she will release from an Iron Flash a Goristro (AC -2, MV15“, HD20+10, #AT2&1, D2d10+10(x2) & 5d8, MR60%, Int Low, CE, hp 213, 23' tall, +2 weapon to hit, Detect illusion & invisibility, fear, gloom 60', levitation, spider climb, Tport (no error) (1/day), regenerate @ 1/T, immune to cold, fire, poison & poison gas). She feels that since the party made it through her dungeon that they should be able to defeat the demon. (She's a bit wacko sometimes).

Note: If the party makes an effort to leave immediately, the demon will ignore them and trod off somewhere else.

(← Invasion of Lendore) (Back to Adventures Index) (Search for Glimmerland →)