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MonkeyDM

Prison Break Insanity

Prison Break Insanity is an epic steampunk prison escape oneshot designed for 4 to 6 Level
5 character for use with the 5th Edition ruleset.

Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a,
Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue,
plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game
Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.)
Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this MonkeyDM game
product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other
than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

Wondrous Warmachine Workshop is published by MonkeyDM under the Open Game License version 1.0a. Copyright 2021
MonkeyDM Publishing. All Rights Reserved
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 Read this:
Lore
The Clockwork Conservatory isa gigantic prison-laboratory 'You find yourselves in a barren room, barely enough hay
hybrid, which expands high into the sky, with 9 levels and mattresses to accommodate all of you, a pierced bucket in the
ever-changing hallways designed to shift their layout every corner with the purposes of being a latrine, and the scent of
few hours. To the general public, this location is but a prison. rat urine, rotting corpses and decaying rations surrounding
But to those more knowledgeable, they know it to also be the you. You find yourself without any equipment or weapon, only
place where experiments of extremely deadly nature take wearing your prison garb. Lovely location to spend your last
place, sometimes on the very prisoners who find themselves days, unless you can manage to postpone your fate. For now
locked up. The wardens? Humanoids who have been
deprived of their humanity and turned into Jailors, lawful you can feel the searing pain caused by the shackles around
keepers of the Conservatory's knowledge. your wrists.'

Plot Hooks Each character is outfitted with Sturdy Manacles, which

Heroes can find themselves for multiple reasons, perhaps they've had to wear since the beginning of their
they actually committed a crime, perhaps they were framed. imprisonment, without ever getting out of them.
Regardless, these are potential plot hooks as to why the
characters find themselves in jail
Sanctified Murder. You've been falsely accused of the Sturdy Manacles
murder of the high priestess Eliana, she was the target of adventuring gear
fanatics that want to bring down the Starthread Religion,
and you've been ratted out as one, is it true ? These metal restraints can bind a Small or Medium
High Treason. You've been found guilty of conspiracy creature. Escaping the manacles requires a
against the crown, and will be executed for treason. You successful DC 25 Dexterity check. Breaking them
had no say at your trial, the evidence, false or real, was requires a successful DC 25 Strength check. Each
damning. set of manacles comes with one key. Without the
A Drop Too Many. You got too drunk in a pub and key, a creature proficient with Thieves' Tools can
demolished the place, without having the funds to pay pick the manacles' lock with a successful DC 15
back for the damage caused. Issue is, the pub is owned by Dexterity check. Manacles have an AC of 10 and 15
royalty, you'll be executed as exemple. Hit Points and are immune to poison and psychic
damage. These manacles prevent the usage of the
Regardless of the hook you choose, one thing is sure, you somatic components of spells.
have been sent to jail, rightfully or notl. You do know one
dramatic piece of information, you've been scheduled to be
executed next week. The players that possess magic will realize that magic doesn't
seem to work for them at all. Each prison cell is affected by a
Chapter 1. The Cage modified Antimagic Field spell which prevents the casting of
any magic or magical effect.
The Clockwork Conservatory is one of the most ancient
prison facilities of Runehalt. Similar to the city it's a part of, it 1.2. Plotting the Escape
is a marvel of new technology. Cells which cancel out all The character's have access to the following information that
magic, jailors and guards that work around the clock without they have gleaned over the course of their stay in jail, working
ever needing to rest, while protecting the facilities from any in the kitchens or the mines:
sort of riot. It is said that in the highest tower of the jail, some
of the worst criminals that history has ever seen are Either a character has managed to sneak some outside
imprisoned. But this is not a story about them, this is a story help in. If so perhaps they swallowed a hair pin, which
about humble adventurers, who found themselves in trouble they can regurgitate once entering the cell, to try to undo
far bigger than they anticipated. the shackles. (GM's choice)
1.1. Not a Holiday Resort Tomorrow the warden is out of the prison system, which
means that its security is lowest.
The party can cause ruckus in the cell causing some
guards to come in. Whilst the guards are in one party
GM Note: Before starting the adventure, give out member can attempt to snag a piece of metal from their
the bits of information below to your players in armor that could be used to pick/break the lock.
private. This is to encourage roleplay at the
beginning of the adventure. For encouraging roleplay I suggest parsing out the
information in between your players. Once your players
realize how to potentially escape, the adventure can proceed
forward.

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 1.3. A Plan in Motion 'After fidgeting with the lock for the better part of 10 minutes,
If you've given the players a hairpin, consider it Thieve's the scrap metal escapes your hands, not reacting to tension as
Tool for the purpose of the Sleight of Hand check of the you have expected it to. As it crashes on the floor, a loud
manacles. Trying to open the lock to the cell with the pin "TING" is heard, echoing throughout the corridor. You hear a
requires a DC 17 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. On door open in the distance, someone is coming.'
a success the gate opens. On a failure, the pin breaks and
they have to resort to the other strategy to attract the
jailor in and get the gate to open. The players now need to hide while a jailor comes patrolling
to check on the sound. Once the jailor leaves they may
If the players have decided on making chaos to attract a attempt the check again, give them advantage on the check. If
guard, a nearby jailor will walk in front of the cell. Jailors they fail once more the jailor will walk in the cell, ransacking
can open the cells at will without requiring the key. First it it in search of what's causing the sound. The players need to
will use its Imprison Action, clearly showing that it wants succeed on a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check contested
the fight to end (Jailors cannot talk). If the fight continues by the Jailor's Intelligence (Investigation) check. On a
despite that, it will walk in the cell, positioning itself at the failure a fight breaks out, but no reinforcement is coming
entrance so no creature can escape. Roll Initiative for around this time. If the jailor is stripped of its armor, players
everyone. 2 rounds later 3 more jailors will show up. will realise that it is chainmail armor that they can use, and
The jailors will only knock unconscious those who are that the key shaped sword is a greatsword.
fighting them, not trying to kill anyone. While the fight is Either way once this section is over, move to the next
going on, a character can attempt to snag a piece of metal chapter.
from a jailor, requiring a DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand)
check. On a failure, the jailor will beat the creature Chapter 2. Prison Break
unconscious and retrieve the scrap metal. If all attempts fail,
once the fight is over, the character with the highest Passive In which the players make their way through the Clockwork
Perception will notice that a piece of scrap metal fell to the Conservatory.
floor, hidden by the hay. During the fight the manacles can be
used as improvised weapons, but magic doesn't function in 2.1. The ground floor
the room, although the Jailor's aren't affected by the In which the players pass through the first level of the
Antimagic Field. Conservatory
Either option is considered to have happened the day
before the escape. Once the jailors leave the cell, the party Areas of the Ground Floor
can take a long rest. Recovering all resources expended
during the fight. They'll notice that the piece of metal they 1. Jail Cell
snagged can be used as Thieve's Tools for the purposes of This is the cell in which the characters were imprisoned. It
locks inside the Clockwork Conservatory. contains nothing of interest. The players can attempt to hide
The next day, after the long rest read this: there and close the door behind them if they are detected by
the guards. It requires a group (take the average of the entire
'Today is the day, the warden is gone, there is an air of tension group) DC 12 Charisma (Deception) check for the guards
in your room, you know that now is your only chance to act. to believe them or a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check for
The piece of steel that you stole yesterday lays hidden in your
them to rush in fast enough..
room, and you know what to do with it, you can almost smell 2. Guard's Station
the air of freedom, almost, but a perilous mission is ahead of A jailor is stationed there, the party needs to succeed on a
you.' DC 12 Dexterity (Stealth) check, or be noticed by the guard
which will stand up. Refer to Area 1 to see the party's
options. They can also decide to attack the Jailor instead. If
The players can now attempt to break out of their prison cell, they do attack, the other guards in area 3 will come in
the door requires a DC 14 Dexterity (Thieve's Tool) check reinforcement. Urge the players to retreat towards area 4.
to open. The players need to time it with the round of the
guards, they have a 30 minute window each hour where they 3. Guards' Barracks
can attempt an escape. The players know this is where the guards are stationed most
On a success, read this: of the time. This room is filled with 6 jailors , the party can
try to see through the keyhole, requiring a DC 14 Wisdom
'After fidgeting with the lock for the better part of 10 minutes, (Perception) to notice all of them, on a 10 to 13, only half the
it finally clicks in place, with a very quiet sound, the lock jailors are seen, under a 10, the room appears empty through
opens, the corridor is there right before you, no guards in the keyhole. If the players enter the room they are
immediately attacked by all the jailors who are present. It is
sight, now you need to make it out of these walls'
very unlikely that the players can win this fight, especially
unarmed, so urge them to retreat towards area 4, where they
On a failure, read this: can attempt to collapse the corridor to buy themselves some
time.

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 If they do not armor up and choose to go up directly, read
4. Support Beam this:
A horizontal log of what looks to be very used wood is barely
holding up the stone structure above it. The beam has 10 AC 'As you steadily climb the stairs, about halfway there, you
and 5 hit points, if it is destroyed the ceiling collapses, realize that a strange scent is filling the air. As you look to your
completely blocking the corridor. Players can use this to buy
themselves time, as it will take the jailors 30 minutes to clear feet, a gas seems to be surging from the floor, already filling
the area and proceed forward. Although after 10 minutes one the lower half of the tower. From the looks of it, some form of
jailor will manage to sneak through and attack the party, with trap was activated, every cell in your body is telling you to run.'
killing intent this time. If a player is located under the ceiling
when it collapses, they must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity
Saving throw or take 3d8 bludgeoning damage and end up
on the side of the wall away from the guards.
5. Main Gate Room
Here are two levers that open the main gate, mirroring the Map Created by CzePeku
one in the room on the other side, only Jailors can open them. Join their Patreon to access to multiple variations
The stairs on the other side lead to the next floor. The stairs of this map and more !
are trapped, a player with a passive investigation of 14 or
higher will notice it immediately. If the players step on it it
springs a trap, turning the stairs into a slide. Each player
must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw , each MAP 1: Ground Floor
player falling prone at the bottom and taking 1d10
bludgeoning damage on a failure. They arrive in area 6.
6. The Spiral Tower
Read this:
'As you explode out of the stairs you take a look at your
surroundings. You seem to be at the bottom of a long tower, a
spiral staircase is encased in the surrounding walls, although
darkness seems to take over rapidly. On the walls next to you,
an armory, containing all assortments of weapons and armors.
The next thing catching your attention is the 2 jailors
emerging out of the shadows, blades at the ready. Roll
Initiative.'

In the area on the eastern wall is the weapon and armor rack,
a player can grab them to use as weapons if they are
unarmed.
2.2 The Ascension
Once the fight is over the players can choose to go directly up
the stairs, as it is the only direction, alternatively they can
take 10 minutes to gear up with the armor in the armory.
There are all types of basic armor on there, as well as shields
and component pouches (all the armor types which are
100gp or less are available).
If they indeed choose to armor up, read the following.
'As the last of you finish donning armor, you catch a strange
scent in the air. As you look to your feet, a gas seems to be
surging from the floor. From the looks of it, some form of trap
was activated, every cell in your body is telling you to run.'

The guards have uncovered the escape and unleashed a

security system, filling the air with toxic smoke that will
knock any creature that needs to breathe unconscious.
 Teleportation Table
d4 Location
Toxic Fumes 1 Cell 1
A creature that starts its turn inside the fumes, or
enters them for the first time on their turn must 2 Cell 2
succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or 3 Guard Post
take 1d12 poison damage. The DC increases by 1
for each consecutive turn spent in the smoke. 4 Torture Chamber
Constructs are immune to this effect. The smoke
climbs up the wall at a speed of 20 feet per round. If 3.2. The Last Floor
a creature falls to 0 hit point due to the fumes, it
automatically stabilizes. In which the players contend with the dangers of the last
floor.
The players now need to start running faster than the gas Areas of the Last Floor
alongside the walls of the tower, until they emerge in another
room. Along the stairs, about half way up, they will encounter 1. Tower
another set of 2 jailors and a Clockwork Hound that will This is where the players are located, and where the
block the path. The jailors will try to knock them off the teleportation device is, after clearing each room, the device
platform to fall in the gas below. At that point the players are becomes active again and the players can teleport back to the
about 200 feet up when the jailors encounter them. tower, before moving forward to another room.
Read this: 2. Cell 1
This cell is only inhabited by a corpse of what was once
'As you rush up the stairs, falling from the floor above, and human, inside the cell in a crate, if the players look carefully
crashing on the floor in front of you, two jailors unleash their with a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check, they can
blades, on the wall next to them, a hound made of metal is find 2 potions of healing hidden.
planting its claws in the walls, growling in your direction. Roll
3. Guard's upper office
Initiative.'
This room contains a Wind Up Jailor , the stairs lead to area
3 of the ground floor, the guard's barracks. Once the enemy is
If the players have only been running from the gas, and using defeated, the players will hear the noise of more guards
their Action to Dash each turn until the encounter, the gas coming from below, signaling that they really shouldn't over
will take 4 turns (5 if you want to be lenient) to arrive in the extend their stay and teleport back.
battle. 4. Cell 2
This room contains nothing of interest, although it seems to
Chapter 3. The Prisoner be covered in fresh blood. The blood has a very dark tint to it,
The players climb off the rest of the tower, running away from and heavily smells of iron. Magic doesn't work in this cell, as
the ever climbing fumes, they reach the last floor of the per the cells located below. Only the teleportation device
windowless prison. functions here. The stairs which should lead up or down are
both collapsed. This area is where they normally keep the
3.1. Teleportation prisoner trapped in the torture room.
After the battle is over read this: 5. Torture Chamber
Read this:
'As the metallic remains clatter to the floor, the defeated
jailors fall to their knees. The air is hard to breath, as the toxic 'As you appear in a flash within the new room, a terrifying
fumes are lurking close, now is not the moment to celebrate, spectacle offers itself to you. In front of you, impaled through
you still need to find a way out of this madness.' its torso by multiple spears, a vaguely humanoid figure, whose
face is completely distorted by the blood covering it. The
broken body is being restrained by additional shackles on each
On the last floor of the tower they are greeted by what seems arm and leg, which are linked to chains anchored within the
to be a teleportation device. A character must succeed on a
DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) Check to understand how the walls, extending the female figure into a deformed cross
machine works. If they succeed, a magical map of the area of position. Movement catches your eyes, you are not alone
the last floor will appear before them, showing what each here.'
room contains, and they can choose which room to teleport
to. On a failure, the save can be repeated once every 12
seconds, until the gas catches up and asphyxiates the party. The prisoner is guarded by 2 Jailors and a Shield Guardian
Alternatively on a failure the party can still force their way (whose master is the absent jailor), the spell stored inside the
inside the teleportation machine. Roll 1d4, the party teleports shield guardian is a 4th level slow spelll, to be cast as soon as
to the location corresponding to the number on the dice. its health drops under half (DC 18).

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For the purposes of the combat, the prisoner is immune to
damage, and cannot be killed during the battle. In addition as
long as the Shield Guardian is standing the shackles of the
prisoner cannot be destroyed.
3.3. Explosive Escape
Once the enemies are defeated the players can attempt to
destroy the shackles holding the woman. As soon as one of
them breaks, read the following:
'As the shackles break under your blows, you watch as if
inhuman powers return to her, as she pulls out the spears
shoved in her body, pulling the chains out of the walls, like
toys under her power. A smile spreads across her face, black
Map Created by CzePeku
tar dripping from her mouth, sizzling upon touching the floor.
Join their Patreon to access to multiple variations
Once freed, she'll order "Step Back" before extending her of this map and more !
open hand forward, shattering open the wall in front of her.
The fresh air fills the room as her laughter billows. As she
swirls around, mist and lighting starts to form under her feet, MAP 2: Last Floor
filling the room with clouds of thunder. The storm that she
conjures coalesces into a form, that of a Blue Dragon. As the
dragon roars, the prison shakes, she climbs on the back of the
creature, and its tail wraps around all of you, taking you with
her in the open sky, finally tasting freedom.'

3.4 Endings
The prisoner is supposed to be an evil NPC, and will
wreak havoc on the town with its summoned Adult Blue
Dragon, demolishing buildings and decimating the
populace with its breath weapon. After one minute or two
of carnage the mage will release the players from the
dragon's tail and cast feather fall on them, as they land
right outside the walls of the city, while she flies away in
the distance. They are now free, but should get moving
quick if they want to keep it that way.
Alternatively, you could make her a good NPC that was
wrongfully imprisoned, in which case she would land
outside the city walls (or other destination of your
choosing) with the players, without destroying the city.
The End.
 Appendix: Monsters
Clockwork Hound
Medium construct, lawful neutral
Jailor
Medium construct, lawful neutral Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18)
Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft.
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 71 (11d8 + 22)
Speed 35 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 13 (+1) 16 (+3) 6 (-2) 13 (+1) 6 (-2)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Damage Immunities poison
18 (+4) 10 (+0) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages understands the language of its master
Skills Investigation +3, Perception +2 but can't speak it
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), Challenge 3 (700 XP)
passive Perception 12
Languages — Keen Senses. The Clockwork Hound has advantage
Challenge 3 (700 XP) on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Anchored. The jailor cannot be banished or Pack Tactics. The hound has advantage on an attack
teleported against its will. roll against a creature if at least one of the hound's
allies is within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally isn't
Keen Hearing. The jailor has advantage on Wisdom incapacitated.
(Perception) checks that rely on hearing.
Telepathic Bond. While the defender is on the same
Actions plane of existence as its master, it can magically
convey what it senses to its master, and the two can
Multiattack. The jailor makes two key attacks, or one communicate telepathically.
key attack and then uses imprison.
Key. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
Actions
one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 7
Imprison. The jailor points its key towards a creature (2d6) acid damage.
within 60 feet of it, the target must succeed on a
DC 12 Strength saving throw or be restrained by Laser Ray (Recharge 5-6). The hound exhales a
magical binds for 1 hour. These chains extend into powerful blast of arcane energy in a 20-foot long 5-
the Ethereal Plane, and prevent the target from foot-wide line. Each creature in that area must make
using any form of teleportation. A restrained a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) fire
creature can repeat the save at the end of each of its damage and 9 (2d8) force damage on a failed save,
turns, ending the effect on a success. If after 1 or half as much damage on a successful one.
minute the creature hasn't escaped, the target
remains restrained for the duration, with no
additional saves. The jailor needs to concentrate on
this effect as it would concentrate on a spell.

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Wind up jailor
Medium construct, lawful neutral

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 90 (12d8 + 36)
Speed 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

20 (+5) 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 11 (+0) 16 (+3)

Skills Investigation +4, Perception +3

Senses blindsight 120 ft. (blind beyond this radius),
passive Perception 13
Languages —
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Anchored. The wind up jailor cannot be banished or

teleported against its will.
Keen Hearing. The wind up jailor has advantage on
Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing.
Magic Resistance. The wind up jailor has advantage
on saving throws against spells and other magical
effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The wind up jailor makes two key
attacks, or one key attack and then uses imprison.
Key. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
Imprison. The wind up jailor points its key towards a
creature within 60 feet of it, the target must
succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be
restrained by magical binds for 1 hour. These chains
extend into the Ethereal Plane, and prevent the
target from using any form of teleportation. A
restrained creature can repeat the save at the end of
each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. If
after 1 minute the creature hasn't escaped, the
target remains restrained for the duration, with no
additional saves. The jailor needs to concentrate on
this effect as it would concentrate on a spell.
Wind Up Curse (Recharge 5-6). The wind up jailor
unleashes a magical curse. All creatures in a 20 feet
radius centered on it must succeed on a DC 14
Strength saving throw, or fall prone and
automatically fail their next Charisma saving throw
on a failure. Constructs are immune to this effect.

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 A massive thank you to all my
patrons !

Thank You !
A big thank you to all of those who follow and
support me, without you I couldn't have brought
this project to life.

Cover art by Warm Tail, used with permission.

Maps created by CzePeku on Patreon.

And now onto the next project...

Cheers !

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