APPENDIX B: DERELICT SHIP
You can run Dark Heart of the Sun for 1st-level characters with the help of this optional mini-adventure, which is designed to advance characters to 3rd level. Players creating 1st-level characters can use the haunted one character background in appendix A, or they can pick backgrounds from the Player's Handbook as normal.
Before the characters can explore the haunted transport freighter known as the Derelict Ship, you need to guide them to the Barridia System. The "Cosmic Fog" adventure hook in chapter 1 works best, as it introduces few distractions. Once the characters arrive in Strahd's domain, steer them to the planet of Ravenia II. For the duration of this introductory adventure, any attempt by the characters to explore other locations in Strahd's domain causes the cosmic fog to block their path.
LEVEL ADVANCEMENT
In this mini-adventure, the characters gain levels by accomplishing specific goals, rather than by slaying monsters. These milestones are as follows:
• Characters who gain access to the secret lift in the Port Bow (area 22) advance to 2nd level. The lift appears only under certain circumstances.
• Characters advance to 3rd level once they escape from the ship (see the "Endings" section).
HISTORY
Derelict Ship is the name given to an old transport vessel floating in orbit above Ravenia II. The ship has been trapped in the atmosphere for centuries, at times seeming to fall in flames to the planet below only to rise from the ashes time and again-by its own will or that of Strahd.
The wealthy family that owned the vessel devolved into a mad dark side cult. After the patriarch had an affair with the nanny that resulted in a pregnancy, his wife-spurned and vindictive-turned to the force. She saw in it a chance to recapture her husbands affection, though this ultimately proved vain and hopeless.
Dragging her husband along with her in her rituals, she gathered a small yet nefarious circle of friends through a mixture of seduction and indoctrination. Their routine trips through the sector were well known but widely ignored by the people of the Barridia System.
The cult tried to summon cosmic entities with no success. The cultists also preyed on travelers and sacrificed them in bizarre rituals. Each time they did so, they locked their two young children in their quarters on the main deck in a strangely honest desire to protect their innocence. When nothing came of these ritualized murders, the cultists' activities became thinly disguised excuses to indulge their lurid fantasies. The ranks of the cult thinned as members began to lose interest in the debacle.
Then the child was born.
The matriarch regarded the baby as a blight on her family. Driven near insanity by the months of rituals and heartache, she murdered the nanny in a fit of rage and took the child to the underdeck's reactor room, sacrificing him without her husband's knowledge. The dark act attracted the attention of a Dark Cosmic Entity that placed a curse on the entire ship. The wife and her flock were finally granted immortality-by being twisted into dark side abominations.
Mortified at his wife's actions and besieged with horror at the turn of events, the husband took his own life. With no one left to remember them, the two children slowly starved to death in their quarters.
However, this last sacrifice did more than simply curse the family. The sacrificed child was twisted by the dark side-corrupted into an abomination that now lurks under the main deck, waiting for any who would be unfortunate enough to happen upon it.
ROSE AND THORN
The characters are pulled into Strahd's domain by the cosmic fog of Ravenia II. Forced to fly a lonely path through the sector, they eventually arrive in the atmosphere above the planet. Once they reach low orbit, read:
The obscuring clouds open up to a blackened planet, its bone-like mountains as dark as tombstones. Nestled among the ranges are a handful of dimly lit settlements. Even from orbit little light can be found below. However, what draws your eye is the large transport vessel floating quietly just ahead of you. The older model ship's thrusters are inactive, and the bridge is dark.
A sudden echo draws your eye toward your own ship's holoterminal, a faint ring cutting through the silence as your sensors pick up what seems to be a distress signal.
Answering the call reveals two children. The children are ten-year-old Rosavala ("Rose") and her seven-year-old brother, Thorin ("Thorn"). Thorn is weeping and clutching a stuffed doll. Rose is trying to hush the boy.
If the characters wait a moment or call out to them, add the following:
After shushing the boy, the girl turns to you and says, "There's a monster on our ship!" She then points behind her to something out of sight.
The message is pre-recorded, and continues regardless of the character's responses. The GM should try, however, to attempt to phrase the information given as if it is an actual answer to the party's questions, when possible. Rose will continue after a moment to explain the following:
- The children don't know what the "monster" looks like, but they've heard its terrible howls.
- Their parents (Gaspar and Eliaza Durwin) keep the monster trapped in the reactor room.
- There's a baby (Walder) in the nursery on the upper deck. (Untrue, but the children believe it.)
Rose and Thorn say that they will be hiding in their quarters until they know the monster is gone. Although they appear to be flesh-and-blood children, Rose and Thorn are archival footage replayed by the ship to lure the characters inside.
The children died of starvation centuries ago after their insane parents locked them in their quarters and forgot about them. They were too young and innocent to understand that their parents were guilty of heinous crimes. Their parents told them stories about a monster in the reactor room to keep the children from going down to the lower deck. The "terrible howls" they heard were actually the screams of the cult's victims.
THE MISTS
Characters who remain outside the ship can see the fog close in around them, swallowing up the rest of their own ship. As more area disappears into the fog, the characters are left with little choice but to seek refuge in the derelict vessel. The fog stops short of entering the vessel but engulf anyone outside (see chapter 2, "The World of Ravenia II," for information on the fog's effect).
AREAS OF THE HOUSE
The following areas correspond to labels on the map of the ship on page 216.
1. ENTRANCE
A fractured and torn ramp extends on one side and a rusted framework on the other fills the archway of a steel hatch (area lA). The hatch is unsealed, and its rusty frame shrieks when the hatch is opened. Dim emergency lights droop low over the portway entrance, flanking the hatch that opens into a narrow threshold (area lB). Hanging on the south wall inside is a shield emblazoned with a coat-of-arms (a stylized golden silo on a red field), flanked by framed portraits of stony-faced aristocrats (Long-dead members of the Durwin family). A plastisteel-framed hatch which leads from the small entrance space into the cargo hold (area 2A) is set with panes of heavy-duty glass.
2. CARGO HOLD
A wide cargo hold (area 2A) runs the width of the ship (through area 6), with a black marble holo-fireplace at one end and a large service hatch at the other. Mounted on the wall above the fireplace is a vibrosword (unenhanced) with a silo cameo worked into the hilt. The steel-paneled walls and flooring are traced with finely cut grooves and dim lighting that glows softly around the room.
A cloakroom (area 2B) has several black cloaks hanging from hooks on the walls. A conical hat sits on a high shelf.
3. DEJARIK DEN
This plastoid-paneled room looks like a hunter's den. Mounted above the holo-fireplace is an eopie's head, and positioned around the outskirts of the room are three stuffed anooba.
DERELICT SHIP'S FEATURES
Derelict Ship is aware of its surroundings and all creatures within it. Its goal is to continue the work of the cult by luring visitors to their doom. Various important features of the ship are summarized here.
The ship has two decks (including the underdeck and bridge), with one shielded view port on the port bow facing the side of the ship. The ship has paneled floors throughout, and all windows are hermetically sealed.
The rooms in the stern of the ship are free of dust and signs of age. The floor panels and wall panels are well oiled, the paint hasn't faded, and the furniture looks new. No effort has been made to preserve the contents of the bow or the underdeck. These areas are dusty and drafty, everything within them is old and draped in cobwebs, and the floor panels are cracked and groan underfoot.
Ceilings vary in height by section. The port quarter has 10-foot-high ceilings, the starboard quarter has 12-foot-high ceilings, the port bow has 8-foot-high ceilings, and the starboard bow has 13-foot-high ceilings.
None of the rooms in the ship are lit when the characters arrive, although most areas contain working emergency lighting.
Characters can crash the ship to the ground if they want, but any destruction to the ship is temporary. After 1d10 days, the ship begins to repair itself. Ashes sweep together to form blackened bars, which then turn back into a sturdy steel frame around which walls begin to materialize. Destroyed furnishings are likewise repaired. It takes 2d6 hours for the ship to complete its resurrection. Items taken from the ship aren't replaced, nor are creatures that are destroyed.
Two padded chairs draped in animal furs face the hearth, with a dejarik table between them. A glass chandelier hangs above a stainless-durasteel table adjoined by a leather-lined booth.
Two cabinets stand against the wall. The north-most cabinet sports a lock that can be picked with a security kit and a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. It holds a heavy pistol, a blaster carbine, a hold-out pistol, and 4 power cells for each weapon. The southern-most cabinet is unlocked and holds a small box containing a deck of pazaak cards and an assortment of wine glasses.
TRAPDOOR
A trapdoor is hidden in the southwest corner of the floor. It can't be detected or opened until the characters approach it from the underside (see area 31). Until then, Derelict Ship supernaturally hides the trapdoor.
4. KITCHEN AND PANTRY
The kitchen (area 4A) is tidy, with dishware, cookware, and utensils neatly placed on shelves. A worktable has a cutting board and rolling pin atop it. A steel, domeshaped oven stands near the east wall, a rudimentary plastoid vent hovering overhead. Behind the stove and to the left is a thin door leading to a wellstocked pantry (area 4B). All the food in the pantry appears fresh but tastes bland.
5. DINING ROOM
The centerpiece of this steel-paneled dining room is a quaint silver table surrounded by four highbacked chairs with sculpted armrests and cushioned seats. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table, which is covered with resplendent silverware and crystalware polished to a dazzling shine. Mounted above the wall-mounted computer terminal is a mahogany-framed painting of an alpine vale. A red tapestry hangs over the west wall depicting a black silo standing in front of a similarly black crescent moon.
Red energy shields line the north wall intermittently with the steel paneling, blocking the way towards the front of the ship. The computer terminal cannot be sliced, and character's that interact with it can discover with a DC 12 Technology check that it requires a physical pass key to override the security system.
The silverware tarnishes, the crystal cracks, the portrait fades, and the tapestry rots if removed from the ship.
6. STARBOARD HOLD
Unlit sconces are mounted on the walls of this elegant hall. Hanging above the eastern wall is a black, wood-framed portrait of the Durwin family: Gaspar and Eliaza Durwin with their two smiling children, Rose and Thorn. Cradled in the father's arms is a swaddled baby, which the mother regards with a hint of scorn. Standing suits of armor flank metal hatches in the east and west walls. Each suit of armor clutches a vibroblade and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf's head. Around the corner sits a small grouping of plastoid crates. Among the crates are a collection of fine clothes and wares. Characters that inspect the crates closely can find with a DC 13 Investigation check a bottle of finely aged Chandrilan Wine nestled at the bottom of one of them.
7. SERVANTS' CLOSET
This small closet houses a number of varying cleaning supplies as well as servants' uniforms that hang from hooks.
8. LIBRARY
The master of the family used to spend many hours here before his descent into madness.
Red velvet drapes cover the windows of this room. An exquisite mahogany desk and a matching high-back chair face the entrance and the holo-fireplace, above which hangs a framed picture of a silo perched atop a rocky crag. Situated in corners of the room are two overstuffed chairs. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the south wall. A hovering metal ladder allows one to more easily reach the high shelves.
The desk has several items resting atop it: a glowrod, datapad, a stylus pen, and datacard bearing the Durwin family's insignia (a silo). The desk drawer is empty except for a pass key, which disengages the energy shield to area 15C if used with the computer terminal in area 5A.
The bookshelves hold hundreds of tomes covering a range of topics including history, warfare, and medicine. There are also several shelves containing first-edition collected works of poetry and fiction. The books rot and fall apart if taken from the house.
SECRET HATCH
A secret hatch behind one bookshelf can be unlocked and forced open by pulling on a switch disguised to look like a red-covered book with a blank spine. A character inspecting the bookshelf spots the fake book with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check. Unless the secret hatch is propped open, springs in the hinges cause it to close on its own. Beyond the secret door lies area 9.
9. SECRET ROOM
This secret room contains bookshelves packed with logs describing dark side-summoning rituals and the necromantic rituals of a cult called the Sorcerers of Tund. The rituals are bogus, which any character can ascertain after studying the books for 1 hour and succeeding on a DC 12 Intelligence (Lore) check.
A heavy steel chest on pointed black legs stands against the south wall, its lid half-closed. Sticking out of the chest is a skeleton in combat armor. Close inspection reveals that the skeleton belongs to a human who triggered a poisoned dart trap. Three darts are stuck in the dead adventurer's armor and ribcage. The dart-firing mechanism inside the chest no longer functions.
Clutched in the skeleton's left hand is a writ bearing the seal of Strahd van Zarrow, which the adventurer tried to remove from the chest. Written in flowing script, the letter reads as follows:
My most pathetic servant,
I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Entities of this galaxy. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. However many souls you have bled on your hidden altar, however many visitors you have tortured in your brig, know that you are not the ones who brought me to this beautiful world. You are but worms writhing in my earth.
You say that you are cursed, your fortunes spent. You abandoned love for madness, took solace in the bosom of another woman, and sired a bastard son. Cursed by darkness? Of that I have no doubt. Save you from your wretchedness? I think not. I much prefer you as you are.
Your dread lord and master,
Strahd van Zarrow
TREASURE
The chest contains three blank books with black leather covers (worth 250 cr each), one datacron (toxin purge), one holocron (force body), the transponder codes to the ship, the deed to a silo, and a signed will. The silo referred to in the deed is situated in the mountains east of Vallak (see chapter 6, "The Old Coven"). The will is signed by Gaspar and Eliaza Durwin and bequeathes the ship, the silo, and all other family property to Rosavala and Thorin Durwin in the event of their parents' deaths. The books, datacron, deed, holocron, and will age markedly if taken from the ship but remain intact.
10. CANTINA
Silvered shutters cover the portholes of this rustic hold, which has a brass-plated vented hanging from the ceiling. Upholstered stools clutter the room, and neon-lit signs along the walls depict various musical instruments.
A faded-gray tabletop bar runs through the center of the southern wall. Near the holo-fireplace is a large standing bandfill. Alabaster figurines of dancers of various species adorn the mantelpiece. Close inspection of them reveals that several are carvings of figures that resemble the party.
11. VENDING LOUNGE
Characters who pass through the nurse's cabin come to a dusty hold with a suit of black plate armor standing against one wall, draped in cobwebs. This suit is actually a dormant LX Series armored droid (see appendix D) which attacks as soon as it takes damage or a character approaches within 5 feet of it. It fights until destroyed.
Glowrods are mounted on the steel-paneled walls, which are torn with plasma scarring, dented metal, and tiny clusters of piercing holes. On the north wall sit two darkened vending machine, way past their last maintenance. The few snacks that remain inside are rotted, maggots poring over dried-out husks of food.
SECRET DOOR
A secret hatch in the west wall appears only when certain conditions are met; see area 22 for more information.
12. MASTER WORKSHOP
The double doors to this cabin have dusty panes of stained glass set into them. Designs in the glass resemble silos with a crescent moon behind them.
The dusty, cobweb-filled hold (area 12A) has broken and blackened shutters covering the porthole. Furnishings include a matching pair of empty wardrobes, a workbench with a marble-framed mirror and toolbox (see "Treasure"), and a padded chair. Upturned floor paneling twists longingly towards the ceiling, which is itself overbearing as large half moon hangs an extra foot down over part of the room. A dust-covered portrait of Gaspar and Eliaza Durwin hangs behind glass shielding on the western wall. A web-filled parlor in the southwest corner contains a table and two chairs. Resting on the dusty surface is an empty porcelain bowl and a matching jug,
A door facing the right-most edge of the moon has a full-length mirror mounted on it. The door opens to reveal a nearly empty, dust-choked closet aside from a long half-shorn piece of piping and the scrapped, decommissioned head of an astromech droid (area 12B). A door in the parlor leads to the bridge (area 21). The southern corner leads straight into the starboard bow passageway (area 16A).
TREASURE
The toolbox on the workbench is made of silver with gold filigree (worth 750 cr). It contains three gold rings (worth 250 cr each) and a thin platinum necklace with a topaz pendant (worth 7500 cr). A datapad contains an archived message from Eliaza Durwin to an associate:
My Dear Mrs. Perovana,
Your advice on dealing with the unwanted fiend in my home is very good advice indeed. Tonight's ceremony will proceed as planned when the stars are fully aligned - without, of course, the attendance of Mr. Durwin. I must agree with you that, yes, with such an innocent sacrifice our proceedings may have better results. Although, "innocent" is not quite the term I would use.
My Thanks,
Mrs. Eliaza Durwin
13. REFRESHER
This dark room contains a porcelain tub with a nearby attached sonic shower, and a single rusted refresher. All of them are rotting and putrid to smell, as none of the plumbing works.
14. STORAGE CLOSET
Dusty shelves line the walls of this room. A few of the shelves have folded sheets, blankets, and old bars of soap on them. A cobweb-covered shelf leans against the far wall concealing two slumbering mynocks; they attack any creature approaching within 5 feet of them.
15. NURSEMAID'S CABIN
Dust and cobwebs shroud a modestly appointed cabin (area 15A) and an adjoining nursery (area 15B). Double doors set with panes of shattered glass pull open to reveal a glass-shielded viewing port (area 15C) connecting to the dining room in the stern of the ship (area 5).
The cabin once belonged to the family's nursemaid. The master of the house and the nursemaid had an affair, which led to the birth of a bastard baby named Walder. The cult slew the nursemaid shortly thereafter. As a result of the curse placed on the ship by the dark entitites, the nursemaid's spirit haunts the bedroom as a force ghost. The ghost manifests when a character opens the door to the nursery. The ghost resembles a terrified, skeletally thin young woman; it speaks in hushed, soft tones and implores the characters to not wake the baby.
The bedroom contains a large bed, two end tables, and an empty wardrobe. Mounted on the wall next to the wardrobe is a full-length mirror with an ornate wooden frame carved to look like stars and moons.
The long, open closet in the north of the room is barren save for a series of collapsed shelving units. The walls are slashed and inner-frames exposed. Characters that investigate the walls recognize with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check that the damage was called by vibroweapons.
ROLEPLAYING MARGERA, THE NURSEMAID
The young woman that materializes before the characters is Margera, a human that served the Durwin family in life. She engaged in an affair with her employer, Gaspar Durwin, that resulted in an unexpected pregnancy. When Eliaza discovered the tryst, she and her cult confronted and murdered the young servant, stabbing her repeatedly through the chest and abdomen and locking the body up in the nearby auxiliary cargo hold (area 18).
Margera is shy if spoken to, always attempting to shrink away into the corner of the room. She is also rather confused, constantly flitting between awareness of her fate and blissful ignorance. When she is aware, she knows something bad happened to her, but doesn't remember dying nor how it happened.
She speaks fondly of Mr. Durwin, quick to call him a kindhearted man, but will not admit to their affair out of propriety. If asked outright about it or Walder's parentage, she politely says, "It's not my place to speak of such things, I'm very sorry..."
If asked about Walder, Rose, or Thorn, she smiles beautifully and claims them all to be wonderful children. It is obvious she cares deeply for all of them. However, when asked about Mrs. Durst, her smile fades. She will not outright speak ill of Eliaza, but averts her eyes and attempts to change the subject.
The nursery contains a crib covered with a hanging black shroud. When characters part the shroud, they see a tightly wrapped, baby-sized bundle lying in the crib. Characters who unwrap the blanket find nothing inside it. If Margera is present, she again requests they not disturb the baby as she claims he is sleeping. Once unwrapped, Margera vanishes.
16. STARBOARD BOW PASSAGEWAY
This bare hall is choked with dust and cobwebs.
LOCKED HATCH
The hatch to area 20 is held shut with an electronic lock. Its passkey is kept in the library (area 8, the same key used to access area 15C), but the lock can also be sliced with a slicer's kit and a successful DC 15 Technology check.
17. SPARE CABIN
This dust-choked cabin contains a slender bed, a nightstand, a writing desk with a stool, an empty wardrobe, and an empty wooden crate. A smiling doll in a lacy yellow dress sits in the northern window box, cobwebs draping it like a wedding veil.
18. AUXILIARY CARGO HOLD
This dusty hold is packed with old furniture (chairs, coat racks, standing mirrors, dress mannequins, and the like), all draped in dusty white sheets. Near a durasteel bulkhead, underneath one of the sheets, is an unlocked metal trunk containing the skeletal remains of the family's nursemaid, wrapped in a tattered bedsheet stained with dry blood. A character inspecting the remains and succeeding on a DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check can verify that the woman was stabbed to death by multiple knife wounds.
The small viewing port to the hold's south is sealed tight, but a glass porthole on the door looks out into a destroyed section of the ship exposed to the vacuum of space. Small shards of glass and bits of metallic debris gently float through the aether.
19. SPARE CABIN
This web-filled cabin contains a slender bed, a nightstand, a rocking chair, an empty wardrobe, and a small, empty metal chest.
20. CHILDREN'S CABIN
The door to this cabin is locked from the outside (see area 16 for details).
This cabin contains a plated-up porthole flanked by two dusty, metal-framed beds sized for children. Closer to the hatch is a toy chest with moon-silhouetted silos painted on its sides and a model ship that's a perfect replica of the dreary vessel in which you stand. To the north of the room lies an inactive holoterminal. These furnishings are draped in cobwebs. Lying in the middle of the floor are two small skeletons wearing tattered but familiar clothing. The smaller of the two cradles a stuffed doll that you also recognize.
The Durwin children, Rose and Thorn, were neglected by their parents and locked in this room until they starved to death. Their small skeletons lie in the middle of the floor, plain as day, wearing tattered clothing that the characters recognize as belonging to the children. Thorn's skeleton cradles the boy's stuffed doll.
The toy chest contains an assortment of stuffed animals and toys. Characters who search the model ship and succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check find all of the house's secret hatches, including one in the port bow that leads to a magnetic lift (a miniature replica of area 22).
ROSE AND THORN
If either the model ship or the chest is disturbed, the holoterminal boots to life as the images of Rose and Thorn appear in the middle of the room. The children speak the following:
ROSE: "It's alright Thorn it's alright, just give me a moment to record this.
THORN: "But—!"
ROSE: "If you're watching this mom and dad, I'm sorry. We've been waiting so very long and Thorin got scared. I know the monster is scary and I know you're just protecting us, but he's... I'm... we're really, really hungry."
THORN: "Rose what if it's a stranger?"
ROSE: "Right, if you're a stranger please unlock come unlock the hatch. Or help our parents kill the monster in the reactor room. There's a lift you can take on the other side of this deck. I'm scared something might have happened. Thorn says his tummy hurts and... Thorn? Thorn are you sleeping already you just took a nap!"
ROSE: "...Thorn?"
When Rose mentions the secret lift, she points to the model ship. Characters who then search the model ship for secret doors gain advantage on their Wisdom (Perception) checks to find them.
Characters who inspect the bones of the children and are force sensitive feel an urge through the force to lay them to rest properly. (This can be done either planetside or in the intact coffins in area 24).
DEVELOPMENT
If the party lays the children's bones to rest, each character gains inspiration (see "Inspiration" in chapter 4, "Personality and Background," of the Player's Handbook).
21. BRIDGE
The centerpiece of this large deck is a massive transparisteel viewport that runs the width of the ship in a wide U-shape, sectioned off only by thin beams of durasteel that run from the top to the bottom every few feet in diagonal spades. Through the viewport, fading rays from the sector's distant star shed a dim light on the hollowed-out space. Husks of computer panels line the perimeter of the room, and in the center lie two large, semi-triangular sublevels with more computer paneling. Cobwebs and thick clumps of coat the area.
Seated at many of the computer screens are the long-dead skeletons of the former crew, permanently on guard at their stations. The majority wear standard crew uniforms, though a skeleton collapsed on the ground near the front of the room wears the tattered remains of a Captain's uniform. A character that inspects the corpse can recognize it as such with a DC 12 Investigation check.
A search of the captain's body would also reveal an Override Pass that can be used to unlock the Secret Lift to the underdeck (Area 22).
22. SECRET LIFT
A narrow spiral staircase made of creaky wood is contained within a 5-foot-wide shaft of mortared stone that starts in the attic and descends 50 feet to the dungeon level, passing through the lower levels of the house as it makes its descent. Thick cobwebs fill the shaft and reduce visibility in the staircase to 5 feet.
The secret hatch and shaft don't exist until the ship reveals them, which can happen in one of two ways:
- The characters find Strahd's writ in the secret room behind the library (area 9).
UNDERDECK FEATURES
The underdeck level underneath Derelict Ship is crafted out of steel, durafiber, and fleximetal. The passageways are 4 feet wide by 7 feet high with steel braces at 5-foot intervals. Rooms are 8 feet tall and supported by thick metal posts with crossbeams. The only exception is area 38, which has a 16-foot-high ceiling supported by stone pillars. Characters without darkvision must provide their own light sources, as the underdeck is unlit.
As the characters explore the underdeck, they see centuries-old human footprints scuffed into the worn floor leading every which way.
- The characters find the replica secret hatch in the port bow of the model ship (area 20).
Once the ship wills the secret hatch into existence, characters find it automatically if they search the wall (no ability check required). Characters who descend the secret lift end up in area 23.
23. UNDERDECK ACCESS
The rickety lift from the port bow ends here. A staircase immediately north heads up and around a corner. Dead ahead of the landing stretches a narrow tunnel, and to the south sits a lonely room lightly filled with piping and motionless machinery. The fuel tank at the southernmost point in the room has a large gash cutting through the center of it, its metal lining protruding outwards. Dark, centuries-old stains on the floor spill away from it. Characters that inspect the scene can identify the stain as dried out oil.
If the oil is lit on fire, it still catches and burns for one minute or until put out. Creatures that enter the fire or start their turn in it take 1d6 fire damage.
GHOSTLY CHANTING
From the moment they arrive in the underdeck, the characters can hear an eerie, incessant chant echoing throughout. It's impossible to gauge where the sound is coming from until the characters reach area 30 or 32. They can't discern its words until they reach area 35.
24. CULT INITIATES' QUARTERS
A large pile of refuse sits at the east end of this room. To the west are four alcoves containing cracked coffins, all of which are empty. Characters that attempt to search the pile of refuse or walk within 5 feet of it cause a dianoga, adolescent to burst forth and attack. It will not leave the pile and will attempt to retreat within it if it feels it is in danger.
25. AIRLOCK AND CULTIST QUARTERS
A 4-foot-diameter airlock with a 1-foot-high stone lip descends 30 feet to an exhaust port on the outer part of the ship.
Five side cabins once served as quarters for senior cultists. Each contains a fleximetal-framed bed with a moldy straw mattress and an iron chest to hold personal belongings.
Each chest is secured with a rusty metal padlock that can be picked with a security kit and a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.
OPENING THE AIRLOCK
The vent is sealed tightly, but can be opened with a DC 16 Athletics check. If opened, characters within 10 feet of the airlock must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be pulled 5 feet towards it. If a character fails the saving throw and is within 5 feet of the airlock, they are pulled into the vent and take 2d4 kinetic damage, but their movement is stopped by a sealed hatch at the bottom. A ladder in the shaft can be used to climb out.
TREASURE
In addition to some worthless personal effects, each chest contains one or more valuable items.
25A. This cabin's chest contains 170 cr in a pouch made of human skin and a small, black-leather journal that acts as a log of all the rituals performed; this includes a long list of scribbled names, dates going back centuries, and occasional details next to certain names such as "struggled profusely" or "no sedatives administered this time".
25B. This cabin's chest contains three moss agates (worth 100 cr each) in a folded piece of black cloth.
25C. This cabin's chest contains a black leather eyepatch with a carnelian (worth 500 cr) sewn into it.
25D. This cabin's chest contains an ivory hairbrush with silver bristles (worth 250 cr).
25E. This cabin's chest contains a vicious techblade (worth 1100 cr).
27. DINING HALL
This room contains a plain metallic table flanked by small upholsted chairs. Deep gashes mark the cracked floor panels and walls, the
In the middle of the starboard wall is a darkened alcove (area 28). Characters who approach within 5 feet of the alcove provoke the creature that lurks there.
28. LARDER
This empty alcove contains a small hidden compartment in the eastern wall that can be detected with a passive Perception of 13 or higher or a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check.
Inside sits a small picture of a young woman with the words "Come back soon! -TS" scribbled on the back.
29. GHOULISH ENCOUNTER
The ghostly chanting heard throughout the underdeck is noticeably louder towards the stern. When one or more characters reach the midpoint of the four-way tunnel intersection, four sithspawn ghouls (former cultists) rise up out of the floor panels in the spaces marked X on the map and attack. The ghouls fight until destroyed.
30. DARKLORD'S SHRINE
This hold is festooned with moldy skeletons that hang from rusty shackles against the walls. A wide alcove in the starboard wall contains a painted marble statue carved in the likeness of a gaunt, pale-faced man wearing a voluminous black cloak, his pale left hand resting on the head of a wolf that stands next to him. In his right hand, he holds a smoky-gray crystal orb.
The room has exits in the north and south walls. Chanting can be heard coming from the south.
The statue depicts Strahd, to whom the cultists made sacrifices in the vain hope that he might reveal his darkest secrets to them. If the characters touch the statue or take the crystal orb from Strahd's hand, a wave of cold creeps throughout the room, sending shivers down the spine of any character in its area. Affected characters must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 5 (2d4) necrotic damage. Unbeknownst to the characters, Strahd becomes aware through the force of any character that touches the orb or fails the saving throw.
The skeletons on the wall are harmless decor.
CONCEALED HATCH
Characters searching the room for secret hatches find a concealed hatch in the middle of the north wall with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. It's basically an ordinary (albeit cracked) metal hatch hidden under a layer of grime. The hatch slides open to reveal a stone staircase that climbs 10 feet to a landing (area 31).
TREASURE
The crystal orb is worth 250 cr.
32. TORTURE BAY
A sputtering yellow light fixture is suspended above a bloodied table in the middle of the room. A cracked screen displaying vital signs sits affixed to the edge of the table, which has two sets of iron manacles unclamped at both ends of it.
Broken glowrods sit in two corners, their luminous glow long since faded away.
33. HATCHWAY DOWN
A broken hatch sits half closed, stuck in place, forming a tight passageway that is considered difficult terrain for any character attempting to pass through it.
It's obvious to any character standing near this half-closed hatch that the ghostly chants originate from somewhere below. Characters who descend the stairs and follow the hall beyond arrive in area 35.
34. CULT LEADERS' QUARTERS
This cabin contains a large wood-framed bed with a rotted feather mattress, a wardrobe containing several old robes, and an open crate containing thirty glowrods in a leather sack. At the foot of the bed is an unlocked metal footlocker containing some gear and enhanced items (see "Treasure" below). Hanging from a thick loop of fibercord above the bed is a skeleton in torn black robes (Gaspar Durwin).
A sithspawn abomination (Eliaza Durwin) and a sithspawn ghoul are hidden in cavities behind a mess of wires and exposed tubing in torn-up wall panels, marked X on the map; Eliaza bursts forth and attack if someone removes one or more items from the footlocker. She wears tattered black robes. Instead of immediately attacking, she will speak to the party.
ROLEPLAYING ELIAZA DURWIN
The disfigured and grotesque humanoid creature that emerges from a small burrow in the wall is all that remains of Eliaza Durwin, the matriarch of the Durwin family. Wispy strands of bedraggled, greasy gray hair hang matted in uneven clumps around her head at varying lengths. Her face is twisted into an angular snarl with yellow, jagged teeth jutting out from rotted gums. Her long, spindly limbs and fingers stretch outward in grasping claws and her tattered robes sag around her gaunt, emaciated form. A foul stench wafts off of her after centuries spent slowly decaying away down in this lower deck. Upon emerging from her hidey hole, the characters note the similarity to the portraits seen earlier on the ship.
She approaches the party cackling, asking if they've come to supplicate themselves before her. Despite her appearance she is haughty and arrogant, seeing herself as above all others. She taunts them, but will answer any questions the party has. She will explain about the affair, spitting in disgust at the mention of the nursemaid. If asked what happened to Walder, she will laugh and exclaim, "Why don't you go down even further and see for yourself?"
Eventually she will tell the party to get out of her sight, shooing them away. If they refuse, she attacks.
If the characters attack Eliaza or she attacks them instead, the ghoul behind the other wall emerges to join the fight. Both sithspawn fight to the death.
TREASURE
Characters searching the footlocker find an aratech echo belt, a small metallic coffer (unlocked) containing four medkits, mesh armor, a mess kit, a vial of basic poison, a glowrod, a security kit, and a datacron with a blackened crystalline frame containing the following tech powers:
1st level: analyze, holographic disguise, homing rockets
2nd level: darkvision, infiltrate, paralyze humanoid
These items were taken from adventurers who were drawn into Barridia, captured, and killed by the cult.
Additionally, inspecting the hanging body of Gaspar Durwin reveals a faded-but-still-legible note that reads:
My Beloved Children,
I wish I could do what all fathers do and tell you that monsters aren’t real. But it wouldn’t be true.
Life can create things of exquisite beauty. But it can also twist them into hideous beings. Selfish. Violent. Grotesque. Monstrous. It hurts me to say that your mother has turned into one such monster, inside and out. And I’m afraid the disease that afflicted her mind has taken hold of me as well.
It sickens me to think what we’ve put you through. There is no excuse. I only ask of you, though I know I do not have the right to do so, to try and forgive us. I despise what your mother has become, but I love and pity her all the same.
Rose, I wish I could see you blossom into a strong, beautiful woman. Thorn, Walder, I wish I could be there for you. But I can’t. This is the only way.
Goodbye.
35. RELIQUARY
The ghostly chant emanating from area 38 fills this room. Characters can discern a dozen or so voices saying, over and over, "He is the Ancient. He is the Land."
The cult amassed several "relics" that it used in its rituals. These worthless items are stored in thirteen niches along the walls:
• A small, mummified, yellow hand with sharp claws (a lannik's hand) on a loop of rope
• A knife carved from a human bone
• A vibrodagger with a rat's skull set into the pommel
• An 8-inch-diameter varnished orb made from a dianoga's eye
• An aspergillum carved from bone
• A folded cloak made from stitched rakghoul skin
• A desiccated frog lashed to a stick
• A bag full of bat guano
• A witch's severed finger
• A 6-inch-tall wooden figurine of a mummy, its arms crossed over its chest
• An iron pendant adorned with a devaronian's face
• The shrunken, shriveled head of a chadra-fan
• A small wooden coffer containing an anooba's withered tongue
The southernmost tunnel slopes down at a 20-degree angle into murky water and ends at a shimmering violet energy shield (area 37).
36. PRISON
The cultists shackled prisoners to the back walls of alcoves here. The prisoners are long gone (their bones litter the floor in area 31), but the rusty shackles remain.
SECRET HATCH
A secret hatch in the south wall can be found with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check and slides open to reveal area 38 beyond.
TREASURE
Hanging on the back wall of the cell marked X on the map is a human skeleton clad in a tattered black robe. The skeleton belongs to a cult member who questioned the cult's decision to sacrifice Walder. Characters who search the skeleton find a gold ring (worth 250 cr) on one of its bony fingers and a small, undelivered note to Margera that reads:
She knows. Protect yourself, take the child, and get out. I'll try to distra—
37. ENERGY SHIELD
This tunnel is blocked by a violet ray shield that softly hums in the still air. A console on the wall next to it can be sliced with a successful DC 20 Slicer's Kit Check (Technology). Otherwise, the shield can be raised or lowered by accessing console half-embedded in the east wall of area 38. (The console is beyond the reach of someone north of the shield and cannot be sliced remotely.) The floor around the shield is covered in 2 feet of thick, ashen fog.
38. RITUAL CHAMBER AND REACTOR CORE
The cult used to perform rituals in this sunken room. The chanting heard throughout the underdeck originates here, yet when the characters arrive, the ship falls silent as the chanting mysteriously stops.
The chanting stops as you peer into this forty-foot-square room. The smooth masonry walls provide excellent acoustics. Featureless steel beams support the ceiling, and a crudely carved alcove in the southern wall leads through a mess of exposed wires and tubing to a small makeshift throne. Ashen fog covers most of the floor. Stairs lead up to a fogless risen platform that overlooks the room a few feet up. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the fog. On each side of the platform sits a still-active reactor core, pulsing with ion energy. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The altar is carved with hideous depictions of grasping figures and is stained with dry blood.
The fog is 2 feet deep. The ledges and central dais are 5 feet high (3 feet higher than the fog's top), and the chamber's ceiling is 16 feet high (11 feet above the dais and ledges). The chains dangling from the ceiling are 8 feet long; the cultists would shackle prisoners to the chains, dangle them above the altar, cut them open with knives, and allow the altar to be bathed in blood.
The reactors are functionless despite appearing to be on, kept going by the curse placed on the ship. Each reactor has an AC 10 and has 20 HP. Destroying both reactors causes the chamber to darken and the Energy Shield (area 37) to permanently fall.
Characters within 5 feet of a reactor when it is destroyed takes 14 (4d6) ion damage or half that damage on a failed Dexterity saving throw as the reactor explodes.
Half embedded in the east wall is a computer console. A character can use an action to access the console, raising or lowering the nearby energy shield (see area 37).
The hole in the southern wall leads to a crudely constructed alcove. The solemn throne that fills sits empty save for a weighed down swath of cloth that looks a similar size to the one seen in the Nursemaid's suite (area 15c). A sithspawn monstrosity lies in wait behind the chair; an aberration formed when the Dark Entities cursed the ship and baby Walder. It is asleep but awakens if attacked or the characters make a choice to sacrifice someone to the cult or not (see "One Must Die!" below). A character standing next to the throne can discern its true nature with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check.
"ONE MUST DIE!"
If any character climbs to the top of the dais, read:
The chanting rises once more as thirteen dark apparitions appear on the ledges overlooking the room. Each one resembles a black-robed figure holding a torch, but the torch's fire is black and seems to draw light into it. Where you'd expect to see faces are voids.
"One must die!" they chant, over and over. "One must die! One must die!"
The apparitions are harmless figments that can't be damaged or dispelled ..
Characters on the dais when the cultists appear must sacrifice a creature on the altar or face the cult's wrath; characters can ascertain what must be done with a successful DC 11 Intelligence (Lore) or Wisdom (Insight) check. To count as a sacrifice, a creature must die on the altar. The apparitions don't care what kind of creature is sacrificed, and they aren't fooled by illusions.
If the characters make the sacrifice, the cultists chant victoriously, "Come, dark lord! We awaken thee!" The fog swirls around the floor as large, dark wisps of it flow from the north of the room to the throne, where a hulking monstrosity of shadow and mottled flesh forms and attacks (see below). Additionally, Strahd is aware of the sacrifice.
If the characters leave the dais without making the sacrifice, the cultists' chant changes: "Come, dark lord! We awaken thee!" This chant rouses the sithspawn monstrosity and prompts it to attack. It pursues prey beyond the room but won't leave the underdeck. It can move through passageways without squeezing and completely fills its space. At the start of the monstrosity's first turn, the chant changes again: "The end comes! Death, be praised!" If the monstrosity dies, the chanting stops and the apparitions vanish forever.
The Sith Monstrosity — Walder
The monstrosity is in fact the twisted remains of the baby, Walder—a mass of shadow and discarded flesh centered around the remains of the young child.
The creature can be killed traditionally or fled from, but there is an alternative method to destroying it. Nestled at the heart of its swirling form lies the remains of baby Walder, seemingly still alive, attached to the larger body by shadowy bits of sinew. Characters with a passive Perception of 14 or greater can hear its muffled cries. Additionally, a character that is engulfed by the monstrosity, may notice the child's body. Destroying the body or removing it with a DC 20 Athletics check causes the monstrosity to collapse and dissipate. Walder himself follows fades into the force.
ENDINGS
The fog of Ravenia II continues to surround Derelict Ship until the characters stand atop the dais and either appease or defy the cultists. Strahd is satisfied either way, prompting the fog to recede.
THE CULT IS APPEASED
Derelict Ship harbors no ill will toward a party willing to sacrifice a life to appease the cult. Once the sacrifice is made and the monstrosity destroyed, the characters are free to go. Upon emerging from the ship, the characters advance to 3rd level.
THE CULT IS DENIED
If the characters deny the cult its sacrifice and either destroy the monstrosity or escape from it, Derelict Ship attacks them as they try to leave. When they leave the reactor room, they must roll initiative as they discover several structural changes:
All the portholes are sealed up; the sealed portholes and the outer walls are impervious to the party's weapon attacks and damage-dealing powers.
All the hatches are gone, replaced by pulsing laser traps. A character must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to pass through a laser-trapped hatchway unscathed. A character who spends 1 minute studying the lasers in a particular hatchway can try to take advantage of a momentary gap in their repeating movements and make a DC 15 Intelligence check instead. Failing either check, a character takes 2dl0 energy damage but manages to pass through the hatchway. Any creature pushed through a hatchway must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take the damage. The lasers can't be disarmed.
Every room that contains a holo-fireplace, an oven, or a stove is filled with poisonous black smoke. The room is heavily obscured, and any creature that starts its turn in the smoke must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take ldlO poison damage.
The interior walls become cracked and brittle. Each 5-foot-section has AC 5 and 5 hit points, and can also be destroyed with a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. Each 5-foot section of wall that's destroyed causes a stintaril swarm to pour out and attack. The swarm won't leave the ship.
Keep track of initiative as the characters make their way through the ship. Once they escape, they advance to 3rd level, and the ship does no more to harm them.
Creature Stat Blocks
The following stat blocks are custom to this adventure. Some of the stat blocks listed here can also be found in Scum and Villainy.
Dianoga, Adolescent
Large beast, unaligned
- Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 51
- Speed 15 ft., swim 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) 4 (-3) 12 (+1) 5 (-3)
- Skills Stealth +3
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
- Languages Dianoga
- Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Limited Amphibiousness. The dianoga can breathe air and water, but it needs to be submerged at least once every 4 hours to avoid suffocating.
Actions
Multiattack. The dianoga makes two attacks: one with its tentacles and one with its bite.
Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) kinetic damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 11). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) kinetic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. Until the poison ends, the target is paralyzed. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the poison on itself on a success.
LX Series Armored Droid
Medium droid, unaligned
- Armor Class 18 (armor plating)
- Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6)
- Speed 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 13 (+1) 1 (-5) 3 (-4) 1 (-5)
- Damage Vulnerabilities ion
- Damage Resistances necrotic, poison, psychic
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
- Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 6
- Languages Binary (understands but cannot speak it)
- Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Circuitry. The droid has disadvantage on saving throws against effects that would deal ion or lightning damage.
False Appearance. While the armored droid remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a normal suit of armor.
Actions
Multiattack. The armored droid makes two melee attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) kinetic damage.
Mynock
Small beast, unaligned
- Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 7 (2d6)
- Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 4 (-3) 16 (+3) 11 (+0) 2 (-4) 8 (-1) 6 (-2)
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
- Languages —
- Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
Atmospheric Agnostic. The mynock can survive in any type of atmosphere or vacuum.
Battery Drainer. If the mynock attaches itself to a piece of equipment that needs energy to function, that piece will stop working until the Mynock is removed.
Pack Tactics. The mynock has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one ally of the mynock is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Actions
Energy Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) kinetic damage and the mynock attaches to the target. If attached to a droid or construct, at the start of each of the mynock's turns, the target loses 5 (1d4 + 3) hit points due to energy being drained. The mynock can detach itself by spending 5 feet of its Movement. It does so after it drains 10 Hit Points of energy from the target or the target dies. A creature, including the target, can use its action to detach the Mynock.
Sithspawn Abomination
Medium aberration, chaotic dark
- Armor Class 13
- Hit Points 36 (8d8)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 17 (+3) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)
- Damage Resistances necrotic
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages Galactic Basic
- Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Stench. Any creature that starts its turn within 5 ft. of the abomination must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw, the creature is immune to the abomination's Stench for 24 hours.
Actions
Multiattack. The Creature Name makes Number and type of attacks
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8+3) kinetic damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) kinetic damage. If the target is a creature other than an undead, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Sithspawn Ghoul
Medium aberration, chaotic dark
- Armor Class 12
- Hit Points 22 (5d8)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 7 (-2) 10 (+0) 6 (-2)
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages Galactic Basic
- Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) kinetic damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) kinetic damage. If the target is a creature other than a droid or undead, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Sithspawn Monstrosity
Large aberration, unaligned
- Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 136 (16d10 + 48)
- Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 8 (-1) 16 (+3) 5 (-3) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)
- Damage Resistances cold, fire
- Damage Immunities necrotic
- Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius)
- Languages —
- Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Innocent Heart. Walder's infant corpse lies at the heart of the Sithspawn Monstrosity, crying and afraid. A character that is engulfed by the monstrosity rolls a d4 when first engulfed. On a roll of a 2 or 4, the character can see Walder. Walder has an AC of 10 and 5 HP. If reduced to 0 HP or removed from the creature with a DC 20 Athletics check, the monstrosity dissolves and Walder's body fades away.
Actions
Multiattack. The monstrosity makes one slam attack. If the attack hits and it chooses to grapple the target, it can immediately use its Engulf ability.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) kinetic damage. The monstrosity can forgo dealing damage and instead grapple the target on a hit (escape DC 14).
Engulf. The monstrosity engulfs a Medium or smaller creature grappled by it. The engulfed target is blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of the monstrosity's turns or take 8 (1d8+4) kinetic damage. If the monstrosity moves, the engulfed target moves with it. The monstrosity can have only one creature engulfed at a time.
Stintaril Swarm
Medium swarm of tiny beasts, unaligned
- Armor Class 10 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 24 (7d8 - 7)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 4 (-3) 11 (+0) 9 (-1) 2 (-4) 10 (+0) 4 (-3)
- Saving Throws saving_throws
- Skills skills
- Damage Vulnerabilities damage_vulnerabilities
- Damage Resistances energy and kinetic
- Damage Immunities Damage_Immunities
- Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, stunned
- Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10
- Languages —
- Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny stintarils. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Keen Smell. The swarm has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight and smell.
Actions
Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) kinetic damage, or 3 (1d6) kinetic damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.