Nerdicted presents

Written by Dimitri Lambermont & Remko van der Heul Cover art by Wouter Florusse
20 Disturbing Dungeon Encounters
Twenty fun, scary and disturbing encounters you can throw at your party.

Written by Dimitri Lambermont and Remko van der Heul

W
hat lurks in the deep and dark dungeons?
What horrors wait for you? Will you ever get Unbeknown by the party, hidden among these stalactites is
out from under the mountain again? Below a sizeable colony of Darkmantles. In the pool of fairly clear
you will find 20 fun encounters you can use water lay the remains of former adventures that fell prey to
at any time your party ventures this colony. The party must be very silent to pass unnoticed.
underground. A single loud sound and the colony wakes up and will
descent upon the party to devour them. In the pool lies
among others the remains of a dwarf (rogue) still wearing
Encounter 1 an intact leather armor.
You are asked to enter an old cave in the nearby mountain.
It is known that the cave houses an ancient cloister. Encounter 5
Pilgrims have gone there and have never returned. You are Entering an underground tomb the party moves forward
asked to investigate the recent disappearance of a group of through cobwebs and swirling dust. Reaching the end of
acolytes. A local rumor tells that the cloister is cursed. The the tunnel the floor just gives way (a trap). The party slides
curse actually exists and is that all spells you cast will down, landing chin deep in dark, smelly and thick muddy
become literal versions. water. Trying to wade through the deep dirt toward a rocky
ledge one of the PC’s feels something touching his leg. And
For example: the spell burning hands causes your hands to then the party notices movement. Hardly able to move the
grow so hot you get burn wounds. party needs to escape the clutches of the Otyugh in its lair.
Encounter 2 Encounter 6
You are deep, deep inside a dungeon. The party is either Miners from a nearby community discover a preexisting
lost or seeking something. You come upon a large room at passage that leads deep underground. The PCs are hired to
the end of a tunnel with a lot of stalagmites. One seems explore the cavern and see where it leads. Strange plants
curious. In the rock you see a strange tiny creature that cover the path before you. They glow with an eerie
appears melted into the stalagmite. It is an odd scary phosphorescence.
devilish creature. You make out it is an Imp.
Nature skill check (DC 20). A trained PC can identify the
The party needs to move past the imp to move to the exit of plants. You know that they are indigenous to caverns like
the room. If they do so the first PC that passes it hears a this and that touching them, or walking over them, will
voice in its head: result in spores being ejected into the air. Inhaling the
“Please help me escape this trap. I can help you find what spores will make the PCs sick.
you seek. I don’t want to be stuck here forever. My name is
Brimward and I am an Imp. I would serve you for two years With this knowledge the party can safely navigate
if you free me.” (perception check) the plants. If not they will get the chance
to be poisoned. A successful Medicine check lets poisoned
Encounter 3 characters make one save to regain the lost hp. If your
The party rogue uncovers a trap in the hallway. In the floor Medicine check succeed by 5 or more you provide a +2
just in front of them is a revolving trapdoor. If stepped on it bonus to the save.
will flip with no more pressure than a soft push. The floor
parts will reach up to the ceiling if sprung and there is no Next up a sinkhole 15 feet wide has formed in the path
way to jump past the pit. before you. There is no way around. Skill with rope is
needed to be able to swing across it. After one makes it
The other side is trapped with a secondary trap (invisible across a safety line can be realized and the journey can
force wall). If jumped before the trap is sprung the PC continue.
doing so is flung back onto the revolving trap door,
triggering it. The PC then falls down 30 feet in a pit filled The party comes upon an area where rocks sharp as knives
with acid... jut out from the walls, floor and ceiling. Careful navigation
is needed to avoid wicked scratches to move across this
Encounter 4 part of the tunnel as the party moves further and further
underground.
Needing to move on in a cavernous dungeon the party
enters a cave. On one side the cave is filled with a A collapsed part of the tunnel blocks progress. A dwarf
seemingly shallow five feet deep pool of water. This water or skilled adventurer is able to discern that with moving a
takes up about 80-85% of the cavern. There are nearly 100 few larger boulders passage could continue needing skilled
stalactites and stalagmites all over the room, water drips magic or just plain manual strength to move the stones
down and you hear it echo as it hits the pool or a stone (Athletics)
surface.

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From the main passage many side passages now run. It is
getting harder not to lose direction, but tracks of recent Encounter 10
passage by unknown creatures keeps the party on the right All these hours underground you have heard a dripping
track. With stealth (DC15) the creatures can be avoided sound echoing through the tunnel and have followed it. The
and at the end of the tunnel lies a treasure horde. Without constant dripping nearly drove you mad. There also is a
stealth the creatures might stir and the party is in for a fight strong metallic smell in the air.
before reaching the treasure.
Encounter 7 Coming from the dark tunnels you stumble into a large
open cavern. The cavern is a perfect circle and its walls are
You are sent on a diplomatic mission to a local band of pitch black, hard obsidian stone. In the middle of the room
dwarves in the nearby mountains. The dwarven chieftain is stands a perfect round pool also made of black stone.
old, grumpy and very impatient. And he only talks in Intricate signs adorn it. The light of your torches does not
whispers. You have a hard time understanding what he reach the highest points of the caverns disappearing into
says anyway through his thick dwarven accent. the shadows.
If you somehow do not anger him. he agrees to do what you If the players decide to walk towards the pool they walk
have requested. If you do him one favor. Part of the mining through a slight drizzle of drops. Upon investigation, they
complex was recently destroyed by a mysterious discover the drops are red. That is when they hear a low
earthquake and he asks you to investigate this first. deep moan coming from the darkness above. Then another.
Bringing a light source higher up unveils about 20 hill
Encounter 8 giants hung up head down from the ceiling and bleeding
You are deep in the dark tunnels under the mountain. In from many small puncture wounds. Who would do this?
the distance you hear the faint murmur of a waterfall. Encounter 11
Through the echoing noise of the waterfall, you hear a
magical melody. One voice begins, then another chimes in. As you walk through the tunnels deep in the earth you hear
Then another. Soon there is what seems like a choir a low rumble. The whole place around you shakes. Nothing
chanting. comes down from the ceiling, only some dust. You do see
cracks appearing here and there. But the structure appears
DC11 saving throw or be charmed. Charmed: a charmed to be safe.
creature can't attack the charmer or target the charmer What the earthquake did do. was release a combination of
with harmful abilities or magical effects. The charmer has natural gasses, which are spreading through the tunnel
advantage on any ability check to interact socially with the system. Although the mix of gasses is not harmful, it does
creature. cause hallucinations. DC15 Wisdom Save to keep your
wits together. On a failed save roll a D20 for hallucination
If the adventurers walk into the room proper they see an effects.
area that appears open somewhere high above their heads.
A waterfall is falling into a pool of clean and cold water. Hallucination Effects
Within the pool (D20) harpies are taking a bath and Roll Effect
singing. Upon seeing the heroes come in they scream and 1 - Hear voices. You may sense that sounds are coming
attack. 4 from inside or outside your mind. You might hear
voices talking to each other or feel like they're
Encounter 9 telling you to do something.
You are sent to investigate the disappearance of a lot of 5 - See things. For example, you might see insects
9 crawling on your hand or on the face of someone
people (about 200) from a large mining town. They have you know.
been captured at least 6 months ago. As you make your
way through the maze you find several corpses strewn 10 Smell things. You may think an odor is coming from
across the many rooms. These [insert monster] have been - something around you, or that it's coming from
14 your own body.
battered to death and torn asunder. All doors of the cells
are open. Every room is a mess. There are scribblings on 15- Feel things. It might seem to you that you're being
the walls in feces and blood. Here and there you also find a 19 tickled even when no one else is around, or you
corpse of a human. They look mangled and starved. may have a sense that insects are crawling on or
under your skin.
It appears all the monsters that ruled this complex have 20: Extreme Paranoia and Hysteria. You run in fear to
been killed. You hear the echoes of cries and howls, the nearest exit.
unintelligent gibbering coming from the distance.
That is when the first attack comes. You are assaulted by
(D20) humans. They have all clearly gone quite insane from
being stuck in the darkness so long. The deeper inside you
venture the more scenes of depravity attack your senses.

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 Encounter 17
Encounter 12 You enter a huge cavern. The cavern has been hewn from
You come across a large hallway in the dungeon. It ends in the stone of the mountain. After looking around you find
a large domed structure. Almost like a temple was built you are inside an underground temple. Everything here is
inside the mountain. The temple feels ancient. Like it has giant sized. The symbol of the stalactite adorns the walls
been here for ages. On each wall of this temple are several and seats. The room is beautifully decorated.
painted scenes. As you make your way around you begin to
notice that these paintings look awfully familiar. They Religion check (DC10) shows you are in the temple of
speak of your past endeavors. Only you are shown as the Skoreaus Stonebones - God of stone giants and crafts. At
antagonists. As devils. You are slaughtering the innocents the far left of the temple you find a huge statue of
and stealing all their treasure. Skoreaus. The room is adorned with stone statues. If the
adventurers take anything a stone giant statue comes alive
In every picture, there is a heroic figure looking on in and attack.
disdain. On the final panel, you see an underground temple
with you inside it. The 'hero' is depicted as an angel. You Encounter 18
are depicted as dead at his feet. That is when a door behind
you opens. You are walking through a tunnel with the sound of rushing
water coming ever closer. At the end of the tunnel you
Encounter 13 arrive at a small landing. The road splits. One path going
left, one right. The path is several feet above a wild rushing
While entering a dungeon after about half a mile following underground river. The path is five feet wide forcing you to
the one long passage slightly down you come upon a walk single file. The right path goes on several miles but
crossroad, stepping forward to take either of the 3 ends against a wall, the water rushing on through a small
passages, you feel a slight feeling of vertigo. After opening. The left path leads to an underground lake. Both
continuing your way you notice light in the distance only to paths force the party to walk single file. The path is slippery
discover that you are right back where you started. DC15 and requires a (DC10) Dexterity check. Random creatures
Perception to find a hidden door that takes the party out of can attack from above.
this loop.
Encounter 19
Encounter 14 Your journey ends in a cave. There does not appear to be
The party is exploring an abandoned mine, while they any way out. On the wall are ancient texts in a script
move deeper and deeper in the mine they come upon a side resembling common but in an older form. Deciphering it
passage that’s been bolted closed with thick wooden requires a Wisdom check (DC15). Upon speaking the right
boards. If the PC’s decide to remove the boards they words a ghostly figure appears. A spectral Dragonborn
unleash a (horde) of (D20) undead skeletons that have been Wizard who acts as guardian of the Room of Truth beyond.
captured behind the wooden planking. Only those of good alignment may pass, one at a time.
Inside the room each adventurer receives a vision of their
Encounter 15 true nature. DM can insert personalized plot hooks here.
The section of the dungeon the party stumbles upon is an Those who try to trick the Dragonborn Guardian will
area that amplifies sound 20 fold. The player sneaking in receive horrible visions.
first hears footsteps from the room, and whispers almost
seem like normal speech echoing through the cavernous Encounter 20
space. Lookouts lie in wait for adventurers entering this You find a large steel plate in the floor. It appears locked.
cave of echoes. They get an early warning to spring the Opening it is easy. Below the plate you find a large round
ambush they have planned. Any normal to loud noises shaft with metal bars offering you stairs downward. You
cause the PC’s to be deafened. descent down the shaft for 100 feet. At the bottom you
Safe DC 12 or be deafened. A deafened creature can't hear enter a large cavern. Inside it you find a huge stone cloister.
and automatically fails any ability check that requires The doors are open. When entering the cloister you find a
hearing. hall with 30 monks sitting perfectly still. Upon further
inspection you find they are mummified monks. As you
Encounter 16 walk past them you discover some are still breathing. They
As you move forward the temperature drops every five have been sitting like this for the last 100 years. 25 are
miles. It becomes chilly and then cold. As you round the completely mummified. Five however are still alive.
corner you enter the first of a complex of ice caves. Snow
covers the ground here and the walls are blue with ice.
There are myriad chambers that all interconnect and cold
air flows through them. At the end, you find a large cavern.
In it are large tombs. You have found the burial grounds of
Ice Giants.
Variant: Salt crystals forming, ending in a huge salt cave,
filled with spiders made of crystalline / salt.