The Haunted Past:
A Halloween Trollskull Adventure for 2nd Level
Adventure Summary
This adventure is meant to take place in Chapter 2 of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist in place of (or alongside) the Lif encounter. This adventure is easily modified to accomodate any haunted house scenario outside of the published module.
The adventures are promised by Volo that he will give them a tour of the grounds of their new estate, but is conspicuously absent when the adventurers arrive to meet him. It's late evening and a storm is brewing in the sky and no one is on the streets. The characters look up to catch a flicker of a form in a window and a strange glow coming from one of the topmost towers. Little do they realize that some local urchins (Nat, Jenks and Squiddly [W:DH p.63]) have wormed their way into the manor, looking to have an adventure and play some pranks on the newest inhabitants. In a cruel twist of fate, the ghosts of the dead orphans killed here have come back to life, seeking vengeance on the intruders.
Setting the Scene
Your players have recently met with Volo where he signed over the documents to Trollskull Manor (or, if not playing Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, just substitute Volo and Trollskull Manor with any other NPC and suitable locale.)
Read this to your players as they approach the meeting sight in front of the manor.
The street is well-lit from street lamps. Their candles are enchanted with a continual flame spell. There is no one on the street as it has begun to storm.
The players have little choice but to enter the house to seek shelter from the storm, or return to their previous lodging. If so, have a player spot a paper bird fluttering toward them, dodging raindrops and arrive seconds later. The message is from Volo, informing them that he is running late and to have them wait for him inside the manor.
Outside of the Manor
When your players approach the manor, read aloud:
If players decide to walk around the manor, they find no easy means of ingress. The windows have all been boarded up for years, and the balconies are in poor condition.
However, a character that can fly, may head up to one of the several balconies situated on the second and third floors. Listed below are the several modes of entry.
- Front Door - Leads to 1st Floor Tavern (Locked - DC 10)
- Side Stairs - Lead to 2nd Floor (Locked - DC 15)
- Front Balcony - Leads to 2nd Floor (Warped - DC 18)
- Back Balcony - Leads to 2nd Floor (Locked - DC 10)
- Side Balcony - Leads to 2nd Floor- (Warped - DC 15)
Any locked doors can be opened with Volo's key to the manor which he may or may not have already given to the party.
1st Floor Tavern
Upon entering read:
Lif (W:DH p.31) is here, although keeping himself invisible. He randomly uses his Telekenetic Thrust ability to toss players and objects around the room.
In the middle of the floor, in a 10' radius, is a spilled bag of marbles. Any character who moves over the must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. Characters with a passive Perception of 15 or higher notice the bag and have advantage on Dexterity saving throws to avoid falling prone.
Behind the Bar
If players investigate the bar, read aloud:
If the players try to inspect the plaque further, Lif sends it flying off the wall toward the nearest player. A cry of anguish rises up and have all characters make a DC 14 Perception check. for a brief moment, you are able to see the saddened face of a middle-aged elven man with a bartowel thrown over his shoulder.
If the players try to communicate with Lif, he will write phrases like "Last Call!" in the dust and grime of the taverns countertops. If the players can succeed on a DC 16 Persuasion check to convince Lif that they are the new proprieters and they will restore the tavern to it's former glory, he will stop combating them and start to write forboding messages in the grime like "She is here....above us..." and "Please....save the children...".
How Lif Died
This isn't really made clear in the text of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, but we can define it here for the sake of our narrative. Trollskull Manor was once an orphanage run by a Hag as a front to eat orphans. There was a large fire where part of the orphanage burned down and the guards who came to the scene of the fire discovered what had been occuring there all along. She was put on trial and hung for her deeds, but her spirit and the spirit of her orphans still plagued the house. They always haunted the manor, but on the 1st of Eleint, the day of her hanging, their spirits come in full force.
Lif became aware of these activities within his first few months of his employment and convinced the owner to shut down once a year on that day for a worker's holiday. Soon word got out that the haunted manor was vacant on the first day of autumn every year and young children started daring each other to go in.
About 5 years ago, one child foolishly went up above the tavern, to the manor. Lif caught the child's friends hanging around the stairs and he rushed up to the manor as quick as he could. He pulled the child from the spectral hag's clutches, but in doing so signed his own death warrent. He died protecting the city of Waterdeep in the tavern that he loved.
Since that horrific day, the tavern closed down and Lif's ghost, full of guilt and self-blame, remained shackled to it, trying to keep the hag from claiming another human soul.
The Hearth
If the players investigate the hearth read:
The flue to the chimney is filled with soot, which has completed clogged it up. If the players take a look at the photograph they see a middle-aged elen man beaming form ear to ear. He is flanked by a cheerful halfling on one side and a dwarf on the other.
Upon grabbing the photograph, if Lif has not been placated, he hurls the photograph into the hearth and a fire suddenly erupts within it. The smoke begins to billow and fill the tavern. The room becomes lightly obscured.
A player with a Passive perception of 15 or higher that is crawling under the smoke notices a small, childlike form run past the bar, giggling.
The Kitchen
As the players enter the kitchen read:
There's nothing of any value here. In the cabinets and drawers there are some rusty knives and some other utensils, but mostly everything else has been taken.
In the hearth is a talking doll. If doll is picked up, a small Spectreling crawls out of the flue and reaches for it. It will actively pursue and attack any character holding the doll. If given the doll, it climbs back up the chimney flue and out of sight. If carried, the talking doll utters programmed phrases.
The Talking Doll
| Trigger | Voice | Phrase |
|---|---|---|
| When picked up | Motherly | "Who's been a wicked child?" |
| When brought near the hearth | Motherly | "Someone's ready for the stewpot!" |
| When taken through the doorway | Motherly | "Don't worry, we'll take care of her." |
| Randomly | Childlike | "I hope I don't wake up" |
| If intentionally damaged | Childlike | "Please don't hurt me!" |
| If placed into a stewpot or other cooking pot | Motherly | "Delicious" |
The Basement
If players head to the basement, read:
The characters can find a small box in the corner with a DC 15 Investigation check. Inside the box is 10gp, 4sp, a bartender's smock, and a small, worn diary. If read, the diary says:
"1934 DR, 15 Flamerule - It's a happy day. I have found employment at the Trollskull Tavern. It's in close proximity to my home and word on the street is it is a rather fine establishment. I'm hoping I can best utilize..."
"1936 DR, 18 Eleasias - Looking into the matter of this establishment's past has caused me some great concern. I have to speak with the master right away. Elient is right around the corner...."
"1936 DR, 1 Elient - No one shall believe me unless they saw it themselves, but I know what I saw. That hung hag haunts this manor still...in spirit but still a threat. We mustn't allow children anywhere near..."
The rest of it is too faded or dissolved to make out.
A Cry From Above
At any point while the characters are exploring the tavern, you can read the following text:
2nd Floor Estate
Entering the second floor can happen a number of ways, but regardless point of entry, read the following:
If the players make their way through the west corridor, they find a spectreling standing at the other end of the corridor, eyes glowing like hollow white beams and long black hair dragging on the ground. The spectreling tries charming the party and then calls a shadow in a fit of rage if any of them resist.
Thumping around the second floor is Jenks, clutching his owlbear "familiar", Hobbson, in one hand and waving his toy wand around in the other. He has stuck one of the continual flame candles onto the end of his wand which has given him enough light to see. He is running around to avoid a pursuing spectreling and shadow.
When rescued, he informs the party that his friends and him had overheard the manor was bought and thought this was their last chance to explore it and look for treasure. They'd heard the old ghost stories about it, but he had no idea there was any truth behind them. He tells the party that his friend Squiddly, a young tiefling boy with an eyepatch, was captured by an old hag that appeared. She had taken him up to the 3rd floor and is probably going to cook him.
He's searching for their leader, Nat, so they can mount a rescue mission, but she doesn't seem to be anywhere on this floor.
3rd Floor
Read upon ascending the stairs:
There are 2d4 spectrelings on this floor that try to ambush the characters. When one party member is looking away, they appear from the darkness and try to charm them, then draw them away from the rest of the party and into the darkness.
These spectrelings often appear from unlikely places like the inside of the privy or under a stairwell.
A wooden toy sword sits at the base to the tower and Jenks immediately recognizes it at Nat's.
The Manor Tower
Upon climbing the ladder, read:
The child is Nat, and she is unable to speak. She gestures emphatically to the party in a kind of code you can't figure out. If Jenks is with you, the two start up a conversation of coded hand signals.
Jenks explains that Nat can't speak, but that's okay because that means they get their own secret language that no one else knows. He informs the party that Nat found something important to the hag, something that should destroy her. Nat shows the party the token she had been clutching. It's a shriveled green hand grasped around a shriveled organ that pulsates weakly. They found it under some floorboards while they were playing marbles in the tavern.
The children don't know what to do with it, but know it's important to the hag and are adamant about saving their friend.
Playing the Children
Nat and Jenks are scared, but willing to fight for their friend. All the children have 6 hit point and deal 1 damage on a hit with their toy weapons.
The Garrets
Read upon ascending the stairs from the 3rd floor:
The Hag Husk controls all six of the spectrelings, and is difficult to damage in her incorporeal form. She cackles insanely about how long she has waited to taste the flesh of a child again and attacks the party without hesitation. Squiddly sits in the boiling pot taking 1 fire damage a round.
If the party drops the shriveled hand into the cauldron, the bubbling water beings to turn to blood and the Hag Husk becomes fully corporeal. She begins to shriek and curse the party as she realizes all of the spectrelings are turning on her.
After she is defeated, read:
The party can return down to the 2nd floor where Volo is soaking wet and waiting. He is deeply apologetic for being so late and when the party recounts what happened here he is extremely upset he missed out on such an excellent chapter for his book.
He is late because he brought a friend to help inspect the premises and offer advice. Renaer Neverember isn't the least bit surprised that the party can't seem to stay out of trouble.
Spectreling
small, neutral evil
- Armor Class 12
- Hit Points 15 (3d8)
- Speed 25 ft., fly 30ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 1 (-5) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 14 (+2)
- Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lighting, thunder; nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
- Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages understands Common, but can't speak
- Challenge Challenge 1/2 (100xp)
Incorporeal Movement The spectreling can move through other creatures and objects as it they were difficult terrain. It takes 5(1d10) force damage if it ends its turn in an object.
Actions
Charming Grin. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma saving throw or become charmed by the spectreling. A creature charmed in this way tries to move toward the spectreling and protect it from harm.
Shade Summon/1 day: Once per day the spectreling can call for protection from the abyss. Roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, the spectreling calls forth a shade to protect it. The shade disappears if the spectreling is ever destroyed.
Light Life Drain. Melee Spell Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Hag Husk
medium, neutral evil
- Armor Class 12
- Hit Points 52 (7d8+21)
- Speed 30 ft., fly 30ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 1 (-5) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2)
- Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lighting, thunder; nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
- Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages understands Common and Fey
- Challenge Challenge 2 (450xp)
Horrific Reveal (Corporeal Form Only) When the hag becomes corporeal, every humanoid must make a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is Frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the hag is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Ancient Fragility (Corporeal Form Only). The hag loses all damage resistances and immunities.
Innate Spellcasting. The hag's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: Charm Person, Produce Flame
1/day: Crown of Madness, Hold Person, Sleep
Actions
Charming Grin. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma saving throw or become charmed by the spectreling. A creature charmed in this way tries to move toward the spectreling and protect it from harm.
Shade Summon/1 day: Once per day the spectreling can call for protection from the abyss. Roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, the spectreling calls forth a shade to protect it. The shade disappears if the spectreling is ever destroyed.
Light Life Drain. Melee Spell Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Shadow
medium, chaotic evil
- Armor Class 12
- Hit Points 16 (3d8+3)
- Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 6 (-2) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)
- Skills Stealth +4
- Damage Vulnerabilities radiant
- Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical qttacks
- Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
- Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages understands Common and Fey
- Challenge Challenge 1/2 (100xp)
Amorphous The shadow can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the shadow can take the Hide action as a bonus action.
Sunlight Weakness. While in sunlight, the shadow has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.
Actions
Strength Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) necrotic damage, and the target's Strength score is reduced by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces its Strength to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest.
If a non-evil humanoid dies from this attack, a new shadow rises from the corpse 1d4 hours later.
Acknowledgements
The talking doll in this adventure was taken from /u/Enchelion's reddit post.
The collaborative efforts of redditors on /r/WaterdeepDragonHeist were a huge inspiration.
Appendix
I've created some basic maps for Trollskull Manor that can be found here