Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion LAIR OF THE SITH Ship of Horror The Gothic Conversion Requires the AD&D RA2 Ravenloft Adventure Ship of Horror, to play by Igor Comunale
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 1 Ship of Horror The Gothic Conversion Requires the AD&D RA2 Ravenloft Adventure Ship of Horror, to play by Igor Comunale DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2022 by Igor Comunale and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
his conversion updates to the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons the AD&D Second Edition TShip of Horror adventure set in Ravenloft. The adventure can be played individually or as part of the Grand Conjunction campaign of which represents the fourth episode after the events happened in Night of the Walking Dead, Touch of Death, and Feast of Goblyns. This adventure is suitable for characters from 8th to 10th level. If used as the fourth part of the Grand Conjunction, the characters begin the adventure at 8th level. Adventure Summary The characters find themselves employed (imprisoned, actually) on a ship that has disguised its true identity, the Ship of Horror. After becoming lost at sea in a dense mist, a series of eerie visitations and clues leads the characters to the realization that their ship, along with its captain, is cursed to ferry unsuspecting travellers into Ravenloft. The captain is guilty of grave-robbing and is responsible for defiling the bodies of the dead. As punishment, he is doomed to a life of torment by the spirits of the dead whom he disturbed. By the time the characters make this discovery, they have been lost at sea for several days, and it is now too late to save themselves - they have already been captured by the mists of Ravenloft. The captain convinces the characters that if they can help him to atone for his sins, he might be able to ferry them back out of Ravenloft. He had been hired by a wealthy family to transport the bodies of their dead to a small island to be interred in a mausoleum. In three cases, he took the money he was paid and simply dumped the bodies overboard. He must find these bodies and inter them properly in the mausoleum. He hopes that then the spirits of these three will cease haunting him. After a difficult search, the characters find the bodies and recover them from the ocean floor. They must then deliver the bodies to a mausoleum on a small, remote island. In the process of making this delivery, the characters make a gruesome discovery. The family that hired the captain was not transporting their dead relatives - they were working for an evil necromancer who required bodies for his research. The bodies they were sending him were stolen from graves near their village, and in some cases, were the bodies of unfortunate local peasants who were murdered by this evil family. The characters now have their work ahead of them. They may choose to eliminate the family of grave robbers. Whether or not they destroy the family, they must nevertheless find the necromancer on his island and destroy him. This is no easy task, since he has legions of undead unlike any seen before who guard his island. Once the necromancer has been destroyed, the characters have several choices to make. Since the necromancer was the island's sole inhabitant, the characters may take possession of the island (if they wish to own a domain in Ravenloft). Also, once the grave-robbing family has been destroyed, the family's land and possessions are at the characters' disposal (if the estates are not destroyed in the process). The characters might also attempt to exit the realms of Ravenloft; success in this endeavour is, naturally, up to the DM. Running the Adventure To manage the adventure using this conversion, you need the main rules of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition (Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual). Non-player characters and monsters that are not present in these sources are presented at the end of this conversion. Characters' Progression If the characters are at 8th level, they level up during the adventure with an event-based progression as follows: • Characters gain 9th level when they reach Graben Island. • Characters obtain 10th level at the end of the adventure. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 2 Introduction
his section describes the necessary updates to play the adventure with the rules of Dungeons & Dragons 5 th Edition. The updates follow the same order and have the same title as the parts in the original adventure. If a reference to a part of the adventure is absent, then it means that it does not require any modification and can be used in its original form. T The text appearing in this way is intended to be read or paraphrased to the characters when they arrive at a certain place or certain events occur, as described in the text. The text that appears in these boxes contains additions to the adventure and game recommendations for the DM. Introduction Getting Started Ship of Horror is designed to begin in two different ways. If the characters are already in Ravenloft, the DM can introduce this adventure in almost any location that is near a large body of water, including any rivers. If the PCs are not already in Ravenloft, the DM can use this adventure as a way to pull them into this new realm. The adventure can begin from any campaign world. Once the PCs are in Ravenloft, the adventure continues in the same way for both novice and experienced Ravenloft adventurers. Variant: Alternative Adventure Start Alternatively to the beginning of the adventure described in the original module, you can use this variant as the start of the story. The characters begin their adventure in a coastal city anywhere in their home world (whether it’s Ravenloft or a different one). The characters may have to travel by sea to take care of their business or have been hired as escorts on a merchant ship. The first two days of travel take place in peace, until the third day, when the ship is surprised by a violent storm. The sky that had been clear until this moment is invaded by dark clouds that, driven by a strong wind, as fast as steeds galloping, travel in the direction of the ship, overtaking it. The sea, first a blue and placid expanse, turns into an alternation of foamy waves and the ship begins to sway more and more violently. A thunder explodes leaving you bewildered while a bolt of lightning tears the sky throwing itself into the waves too close to the bow of the ship. The captain begins to bark commands at the crew and orders all but the necessary personnel to go below deck. The sailors move with expert precision, although before leaving the bridge in their eyes you seem to discern a fear hardly tamed. The fury of the storm hits the ship and the attempts of the crew to deal with its power are worthless. After hours of struggle and despair, a tremendous crash announces the fate of the ship. The wood is broken by the fury of the elements and the sea water invades the interior of the ship. The characters find themselves shipwrecked, embracing wooden fragments torn from the ship: they are at the mercy of the sea, dragged by the currents. When the storm finally subsides, you find yourself afloat in a flat sea, the wind abated completely. You are exhausted and surprised to have survived. There is no trace of the rest of the ship’s crew and passengers. You look at each other happy to be alive, but you are soon gripped by the fear of remaining in the open sea adrift, with no way of salvation. When you are about to lose all hope of being saved, you hear a call. A ship has appeared and is approaching! Excited sailors throw ropes at you: you are safe! The captain meets the characters rescued from the sea, and proposes to them the job indicated in the original adventure. Having saved them, the captain can leverage this to convince reluctant characters to accept his proposal. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 3 Conversion
he Endurance is something of a cross between a galleon and a frigate. The ship has always been kept in excellent repair. Currently, it is painted midnight blue with red and white trim. The ship's figurehead is the head and torso of Poseidon (or another sea god depending on the campaign setting). He has long, flowing hair and clutches a trident in one hand and gently grasps a seahorse in the other. T Garvyn's uncle Killian was a seafarer his entire adult life, which he spent on the Endurance, never settling down or establishing a home. Garvyn hired on to his uncle's ship as a teenager and remained in its service through adulthood, and therefore, Killian left the ship to his nephew. Garvyn has owned the ship for 13 years. The ship is constructed more in the manner of a warship than a cargo vessel, but modifications have allowed for an ample cargo hold. Shortly after inheriting the ship, Garvyn decided to give up the mercenary life. Garvyn has rarely lacked for work and has hauled almost everything imaginable. Technical Data for the Endurance The Endurance is a big ship, she has the statistics of a Sailing Ship (you can use the statistics and the rules from Ghosts of Saltmarsh). General Conditions Captain Garvyn is the victim of a curse. He can never leave his ship. Some of his crew cannot go more than 500 yards from the ship. Those who know his secret are unable to discuss it; for unknown reasons, they suffer horrible nightmares and hallucinations if they reveal too much. If the characters tries to force the truth out of a crew member, describe not only its reticence, but its horror and terror. Many of them would rather suffer even pain to avoid the horrible visions and nightmares. Combat The Endurance is equipped with three mangonels (indicated as catapults in the original module) and ten ballistae. Main Deck 2. Forward Catapult One of the ship's mangonels is positioned here. 6. Rigging Rigging on the ship can be climbed without an ability check. 8. Belaying Pins These belaying pins may be used as improvised weapons. They are similar to daggers and any character proficient with simple weapons may add its proficiency bonus to any attack roll with them. 18. Aft Catapults The other two mangonels are positioned here. Lower Deck 1. Heavy Ballistae Here there are the ship's ballistae. 7. Second Mate's Cabin If the door is locked, it requires a DC 15 Dexterity check to pick the lock. 8. Master Gunner's Cabin This door is locked, it requires a DC 15 Dexterity check to pick the lock. 9. First Mate's Cabin If the door is locked, it requires a DC 15 Dexterity check to pick the lock. 10. Captain's Cabin This door is locked, it requires a DC 20 Dexterity check to pick the lock. The check is always made with disadvantage because the lock is of exceptional quality. Cargo Deck 3. Food Storage This door is locked, it requires a DC 15 Dexterity check to pick the lock. Crew Captain Garvyn is described at the end of this conversion. Brummett, Ralfeo, and Koresh has the statistics of veterans equipped with scimitars and light crossbows. Peregrine, Thorvid and the seadogs has the statistics of bandit captains. All the sailors have the statistics of bandits. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 4 Chapter 1: The Endurance and Her Crew
he DM's first task is to transport his players to any city on a river or sea coast. The characters must be in a location where they have easy access to a port capable of receiving large ships. Following are two choices for starting the adventure, depending on whether the characters are in Ravenloft or in another campaign world. T Seasickness On the first day out on the open sea, the characters must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. Saving throws should be made once in the morning, once in the evening, and one hour after every meal. If a character skips a meal for any reason, the check that would normally follow that meal is not required. A failed check means that a character is overcome with motion sickness and suffers all that this implies. Any character making three consecutive successful checks does not get sick and need not make any further Constitution saving throws. This indicates that a character has acclimated to the rocking of the ship and will not suffer from seasickness for the remainder of the adventure. Characters who miss a Constitution saving throw and become sick continue to roll saving throws until they make three successful consecutive saves. They are continuously sick until they do so. On the second day at sea and every subsequent day, checks are made one hour after every meal. Characters suffering from seasickness has disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity checks. Casting a spell or maintaining concentration requires a successful DC 10 Concentration check. If the check is failed while casting a spell, it fails and the spell slot is considered expended. Healing spells and potions have no effect on seasickness. The Storm's Fury When the storm ends, every character on the ship takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage in bumps and bruises. Unanswered Questions Any character succeeding in a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check can understand Garvyn is lying about Charlotte and Jacob. A detect thoughts spell reveals only Garvyn's feelings of regret related to Charlotte and Jacob. Ghostly Visitor Horror Opportunity: It Was Just a Dream To increase the sense of uncertainty and bewilderment of the character who meets Charlotte, you can use a different approach that makes the encounter with the ghost even more mysterious. Choose the character with the highest Passive Perception and report that during the night he is woken up by a slight noise of steps from someone passing by the door of his cabin. If the character tries to wake his companions, they are deeply asleep and nothing seems to be able to wake them. If the character decides to investigate after leaving his room, the encounter takes place as described in the original adventure. After accompanying Charlotte to her cabin, the scene fades to black and the character wakes up in its bed the next morning. The character does not have to immediately understand whether he experienced a dream or not, and doubt should torment him until the next appearance of Charlotte. Unwelcome Guests The crew of the Eternal Torture is composed by 24 ghasts. They are armed with scimitars and may use these additional actions: Multiattack. The ghast can make a bite attack and a scimitar attack. Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: (1d6 + 3) slashing damage. Any sailors or characters attempting to board the Eternal Torture must make a successful DC 12 Dexterity check every round to avoid falling through the rotting deck. A character falling through the deck suffers 1d6 bludgeoning damage, and if the check was failed by 5 or more the character falls through the deck below. Falling through the lower deck causes 1d6 additional bludgeoning damage and dumps the character into bilge water at the bottom of the ship. Due to the holes in the hull, the character can either hang on in the bottom of the ship or swim out the holes and into open water. Man Overboard! Swimming in the water to save the sailor requires a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 5 Chapter 2: Ocean Voyage
Any character in the water must roll a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. If the check succeeds the character notices the change in the ships' name. Charlotte's Return Any character searching for Charlotte's room will find the necklace with a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Horror Opportunity: Another Dream? For the second appearance of Charlotte, you can choose another character following a similar approach as in It Was Just a Dream. The same strange dream will affect every character until they investigate, Ghostly Clues Variant: the Grand Conjunction If you are playing this adventure as part of the Grand Conjunction, Madeline during her appearance continually murmurs the same phrase: The lifeless child of stern mother found heralds a time, a night of evil unbound. This is the text of the fourth sign written in the scroll the characters found during Night of the Walking Dead. Breaking the Curse Each character searching for 1 hour can make a DC 25 Wisdom (Perception) check. The check DC decreases by 1 for each additional hour spent searching for the bodies. Charlotte Searching for Charlotte's remains, the characters are attacked by 9 hunter shark skeletons. The undead are attracted in only five rounds if any character is wounded. Jacob The bottom is rocky; for every five rounds a character walks on the ocean bottom, it must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity check or suffer 1d4 bludgeoning damage from losing its footing on the rocks. Attack on the Endurance The Endurance is attacked by a giant starfish. The monster attacks with five of its rays the characters and the crew, while with the other five it attacks the Endurance. Madeline 3 vodyanoi attacks the characters after one hour. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 6
raben Island is located approximately 75 miles off the coast of Lamordia, in the Sea of Sorrows. There are no landmasses visible from any portion of Graben Island. G Villager's Information About the Graben Family To convince the villagers to tell what they know about the Graben Family, the characters must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check. Each villager will tell the characters one information indicated in the original adventure. The characters may also decide to use strong manners opting for a DC 20 Charisma (Intimidation) check, but in this case after having bullied three or more villagers, they will be confronted by an angry mob composed by 50 commoners. Merchants and Tradesmen Merchants and tradesmen will reveal what they know as indicate in their entry with a character's successful DC 18 Charisma (Persuasion) check. Vincenzia Returns Variant: the Grand Conjunction If you are playing this adventure as part of the Grand Conjunction campaign, you can substitute Vincenzia with an old friend of the characters if you wish. Instead of the old Vistana, the characters meet again Dulcimae, the young and beautiful seer they met in Touch of Death. Dulcimae is alive and well, and she tells the characters the same things indicated in the original adventure as Vincenzia would have done. If interrogated about her death, she explains time flows strangely for Vistani. That event must still happen, but she already knows the characters anyway. Dulcimae is a powerful seer despite her young age. She will not explain further, but will exhort the characters to concentrate on the events at hand. Dulcimae will not follow the character in their adventure, she will wish them good luck and will go her way. Ezekiel's Descendants Colin is a venerable lebendtod. Danar's daughters are mature lebendtods, their children are young lebendtods. They don't live in the mansion. Metan, his wife and Kugan are mature lebendtods. Geneel is a venerable lebendtod, and her second husband is a mature lebendtod. Their children (mature lebendtods) and grandchildren (young lebendtods) don't live in the house. Mavis' son (mature lebendtod) and grandchildren (young lebendtods) don't live in the house. Marietta's Descendants Driddam's children (mature lebendtods) and grandchildren (young lebendtods) don't live in the house. Blaine is a mature lebendtod and lives in the mansion. Elena's children (mature lebendtods) and grandchildren (young lebendtods) don't live in the house. Nestor lives in the mansion with his son Olsain and his daughter Lucretia and is a venerable lebendtod. Rosalee is a venerable lebendtod. Confronting the Graben Family The hidden panel in the sitting room may be found by the characters with a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Investigating the Estate In the mansion there are in total 7 mature lebendtods and 4 venerable lebendtods. In each bedroom there's a cord linked to an alarm. Any monster may pull the cord using an action. The alarm makes bells sound in all the mansion, alerting the family members of the character's trespassing. Every lebendtod in the house begin looking for the characters in 5 rounds, in 10 rounds mature and young lebendtods servants and family members arrives from out side the mansion. Consider there are at least 30 mature lebendtods and 70 young lebendtods in the other buildings of the estate. Variant: Summary Justice The characters may have a better chance of defeating the Graben family if they present the villagers with evidence of the family’s undead nature and their crimes. With this approach, once the evidence is presented to the villagers, they will quickly organize an angry mob and lash out at the Graben estate. The angry mob will mostly rage over the estate’s secondary buildings, leaving the characters free to storm the manor and confront the more dangerous members of the family undisturbed. This approach tips the scales in favor of the characters, and the villagers would later be more friendly to the group. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 7 Chapter 3: Graben Island
After the Battle Raiding the estate after the battle, the characters may find the Graben's treasure kept in a vault in the cellar: 5,000 gp, various gems and jewels for a total of 10,000 gp, a pair of bracers of archery, a defender longsword, a +1 plate mail, a +2 dagger, and 8 potions of greater healing. If the characters show generosity and gives back the possessions the Grabens took from the deceased to the villagers (2,000 gp of the total value of gems and jewels), they will gladly allow them to keep the Graben estate as their own property. Restoring the estate's buildings and terrains costs 3,000 gp, maintaining the property requires 200 gp per month, including hiring new servants. If the characters let the villagers work on the Graben's fields and tend to their livestock (sheep and goats mostly), they can earn 300 gp per month. Horror Opportunity: A Creepy Family The Grabens are a family of monsters who live in full sight. They hide from the rest of the village, letting only a few of their members to go to the village. The simple people of this village has experienced some strange happenings regarding the Grabens, but many prefere to turn a blind eye, since much of Graben Village's prosperity depends on this rich family. In their dealings with the Grabens, the characters may witness some strange events and family member's disturbing behaviour. Use these additional events to strengthen the unsettling feeling evoked in the characters by the Grabens. Make-up Session. One or more characters witness a woman sitting down in front of a mirror. The woman removes her head and deposits it on a table. She begins a make-up session and at the end she puts her head back upon her neck. Now I Can Reach It! A child makes his little straw ball fall inside a hole. He tries to reach it, but the ball fell too deep inside. The child detaches his hand that moves alone and recovers the ball. So Beautiful... But! One character spots from a window a beautiful man or woman having a bath in a bathtub. They remove their limbs one by one to better wash them. Chariot Accident. While some men are repairing a chariot with a broken wheel, one of them remains accidentally with his arm crushed under the chariot. The man simply laughs detaching his arm while the others help him lifting the chariot to retrieve the missing limb. Disturbing Lovers. One character spots two lovers alone in a secluded place. The two lovers detach their heads and switch them. They kiss disturbingly with their head on the body of the other. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 8
he island of Todstein is a rocky knoll located 60 miles to the west of Graben Island. The waters around the island for 50 yards are calm and placid, but outside that boundary for one mile, the waters are choppy and boiling. The necromancer who claims the island uses the powers of his domain in order to safeguard it. T Meredoth was cursed to Ravenloft for the crimes and deeds he perpetrated in his homeland (DM's choice of homeland to fit the campaign setting). His necromancy was twisted and perverted to suit his own goals, and when Meredoth could not find bodies for his horrible experiments, he provided his own through murder and grave robbing. Meredoth is now lord of the domain known as Nebligtode. The domain includes Todstein, Graben Island, a few scattered uninhabited islands, and the ocean surrounding all these land masses. The powers of the domain allow "fingers" of the realm to permeate other worlds, thus capturing unsuspecting travelers. Meredoth is immediately aware of anyone setting foot on his island. Mysterious Visions New Spell: Vision Stone 3 rd level illusion (ritual) Casting Time: 1 minute Range: 30 feet Components: V S M (An eyelash and a tooth from any creature and a gem worth at least 50 gp, which the spell consumes) Duration: Until dispelled Classes: Wizard This spell enables the caster to enclose a telepathic message in an object. The caster is able to set the conditions under which the message will be revealed. These conditions may be as generic or as specific as the caster desires. When a designated creature holds the object in his hand, the object glows and pulses and the message is delivered mentally to the creature. The spell enables the caster to place a 50-word message or a one-minute vision into the designated object. When the conditions of the delivery of the message are met, the message is delivered mentally to the recipient— no one else can hear the message. The object on which the vision stone spell is placed disintegrates immediately after the message is delivered. The Mausoleums A character must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discover that the blocks are actually made of hard, packed snow. The snow is more solid, however, than blocks made by normal means. The mausoleums were constructed by means of a spell. New Spell: Transmute Snow to Stone 5 th level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: 120 feet Components: V, S, M (A chip of white marble, a pinch of salt and a teardrop) Duration: Until dispelled Classes: Wizard You choose an area of stone or snow that you can see that fits within a 40-foot cube and is within range, and choose one of the following effects. Transmute Snow to Rock. Nonmagical snow in the area no more than 10 feet deep transforms into soft stone for the spell’s duration. Any creature in the snow when it transforms must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a successful save, a creature is shunted safely to the surface in an unoccupied space. On a failed save, a creature becomes restrained by the rock. A restrained creature, or another creature within reach, can use an action to try to break the rock by succeeding on a DC 20 Strength check or by dealing damage to it. The rock has AC 15 and 25 hit points, and it is immune to poison and psychic damage. Transmute Rock to Snow. Nonmagical rock of any sort in the area becomes an equal volume of snow that remains for the spell’s duration. The ground in the spell’s area becomes soft enough that creatures can sink into it. Each foot that a creature moves through the snow costs 4 feet of movement, and any creature on the ground when you cast the spell must make a Strength saving throw. A creature must also make the saving throw when it moves into the area for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there. On a failed save, a creature sinks into the snow and is restrained, though it can use an action to end the restrained condition on itself by pulling itself free of the snow. If you cast the spell on a ceiling, the snow falls. Any creature under the snow when it falls must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 4d8 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The creatures are 4 snow golems. Trick Locks The heat from the character's hands melts a thin layer of frost concealing a metal panel. One round after the frost Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 9 Chapter 4: Todstein
melts, it reforms. This is the result of a frost shroud spell. New Spell: Frost Shroud 1 st level transmutation Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V, S, M (a pinch of powdered glass mixed with several drops of water) Duration: Until dispelled Classes: Wizard This spell enables a wizard to cover a surface of 10 square feet per level or less with a thick coating of frost. Any type of surface may be affected, but the spell is used to best advantage if the frost blends in with surrounding ice or snow, thus obscuring the covered surface. The surface to be affected must be cold enough to enable water to freeze. The spell remains in effect until temperatures warm sufficiently to melt surrounding ice or snow. In an arctic climate, the spell could last permanently. Warming the affected surface melts the frost temporarily, but if temperatures are cold enough, the frost forms again after one round. The panel hides a poison needle trap. The poisoned condition makes the character shiver and feel cold until the condition ends. Inside the Mausoleums The panel in the western mausoleum hides an insidious trap, it's a poison needle trap. The poisoned condition makes the character shiver and feel cold until the condition ends. Into the Tomb 1. Stairway Meredoth transforms the stairs into snow. The characters must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or remain buried in the snow. When the snow is reverted to stone, the entrapped character has only 3 rounds worth of air, then it begins to suffocate. The only way to save an imprisoned character is to destroy the rock. The rock has AC 15 and 25 hit points, and it's immune to poison and psychic damage. 3. Skeleton Storage In this room there are 40 skeletons. 5. Pets When the characters enter in this room, they are attacked by 4 skeletal animal swarms. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 10
6. Ice Palace The ice and stone stalactites falling from the ceiling inflicts 4d10 piercing damage to every character inside the cavern. A secret door at the opposite side of the room leads to area 7. The characters can find the secret door on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check 7. Ice Slide A character who pushes the door open finds himself unavoidably slipping on the ice and plummeting down the tunnel. Adjacent characters may slip as well on a failed DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. Characters colliding in the fall suffer 2d6 bludgeoning damage. 8. Hallway The door to this hall is locked by an arcane lock spell. Characters entering the hallway must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or begin to slide. Characters colliding in the fall suffer 1d6 bludgeoning damage. 9. Battlefield In this room the characters are confronted by Meredoth. Climbing the 100 feet wall to reach the balcony requires several DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Two secret doors stand in the wall behind the balcony. They can be found on a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. The characters can attempt to exit through hallway 8 on a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check every 30 feet to avoid sliding back down the hallway. 11. Laboratory Characters entering the laboratory must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated for 2 rounds due to extreme nausea. In his laboratory Meredoth keeps his spellbook. The book is completely composed of ice, the spells are carved on the icy pages. This spellbook can survive only if kept in an arctic environment, if exposed to more than 32° the book begins to melt and becomes illegible in 10 minutes. The spellbook contains all the spells Meredoth knows, the new spells converted in this book, and any other spell you desire to include. Meredoth has copied in his book all the necromancy spells described in the Player's Handbook and in the Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Finding the secret passage requires a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. 12. Meredoth's Room Meredoth keeps in this room all the magical items he isn't actually using: 6 potions of greater healing, potion of resistance (fire), potion of speed, ring of shooting stars, mace of Variant: the Grand Conjunction If you are playing this adventure as a sequel to Feast of Goblyns and as part of the Grand Conjunction campaign, the characters find in Meredoth's laboratory a parchment with the following text: These signs were foreseen by Hyskosa, a Vistani most gifted with The Sight. Spread word of these wherever you travel. Only the true hearted can stop the fall of the night of evil. The night of evil shall descend on the land when these hex of signs are near at hand. The light of the sky shining over the dead Shall gutter and fail, turning all to red. Seventh time the son of suns doth rise to send the knave to an eternity of cries. In the house of Daegon the sorcerer born though life, unlife, unliving shall scorn. The lifeless child of stern mother found heralds a time, a night of evil unbound. lnajira will make his fortunes reverse dooming all to live with the curse. The text is the same that the characters found during the events of Night of the Walking Dead. Meredoth has circled the fourth omen with charcoal. The order of events of the prophecy has been rearranged to reflect the development of the Grand Conjunction campaign by changing the order of the adventures to take into account the level progression provided by the individual modules. The first omen has already come to pass in Night of the Walking Dead, the second in Touch of Death, the third in previous episode of the campaign Feast of Goblyns. The fourth alludes to the events described in this adventure. smiting, staff of the python, wand of fear, bag of holding, folding boat, snowshoes of varied tracks (identical to boots of winterlands, broom of flying, decanter of endless water. Finding the secret passage requires a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. Wrapping Up Variant: the Grand Conjunction If you are playing this adventure as part of the Grand Conjunction campaign, the island of Todstein will slowly fade into the mists, giving the characters time to return to the Endurance. Graben Island will not vanish. The characters can decide whether to stay on Graben Island or ask Garvyn to take them wherever they want in the Core domains. The characters will enjoy a period of respite from their terrible adventures before getting involved with the events of From the Shadows. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 11
Captain Garvyn Garvyn is a tall, lean man in his mid-50s. His skin is deeply tanned and his eyes are an intense shade of blue. He has a salt and pepper beard and hair. He speaks the brogue typical of sailors; he is spry and agile beyond his years. Decades of sailing have kept him fit and lean, and his sea-legs give him an admirable dexterity. Garvyn is good-natured and easy going. In a crisis (bad weather or combat), he barks orders but remains calm and in control. His crew generally trusts him, especially in a crisis. Garvyn commands respect simply through his own self confidence and competence. Captain Garvyn is cursed as a result of accepting payment to deliver a family's dead to their mausoleum but instead dumping the bodies overboard. As a result, he can never leave his ship; if he attempts to step off the ship, he is stopped by an invisible barrier. Furthermore, the powers of Ravenloft have ensured their grip on Garvyn by enchanting his ship. If the ship is ever wrecked (whether through storm, siege, or suicide), the powers of Ravenloft rebuild the ship within 24 hours of the wreck. Usually, the ship appears near the site of the wreck the morning after the destruction. Everything down to the last nail is exactly as it was before the wreck, including personal property owned by the crew. Meredoth Meredoth has resided in Ravenloft for nearly a century. Although he ages slightly, the powers of Ravenloft have kept him alive long beyond his natural life span. This wizened old mage stands just over six feet tall. He has piercing, cold blue eyes, and flowing, frosty-white hair, beard, and mustache. His skin is pale and milky in colour and bears deep crevices and wrinkles. His long fingers end in twisted, claw like nails, and his hands have a purplish tint, like that of a corpse. His skin is always cold to the touch, and his hands are icy cold. Meredoth typically wears black or purple wool robes and purple moccasins. Meredoth views life as an enormous experiment. He views living creatures as so many experiments waiting to happen. He has no regard for the value of life, considering humans to be nothing more than a crop waiting to be harvested much as humans harvest berries in the wild). He cares little for the origin of the bodies he uses in experiments. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 12 Who's Doomed
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Lebendtod Lebendtod are a greatly feared form of undead, once believed to exist only in rare and isolated instances. Reports of them have increased suddenly, however, and many experts now fear that the lebendtod are more common and widespread than previously believed. Perfect Imitators. The ability of the lebendtod to mask their true nature has apparently kept their existence secret for decades, perhaps centuries. Lebendtod exist as they did in life. They maintain family units, occupations, and skilled trades. They continue their lifestyles they did before, except that they are at the beck and call of the necromancer who created them (or their "ancestor"). If the necromancer is killed and becomes a form of undead, they continue to serve him. If the necromancer dies normally, they switch their loyalty to the first powerful mage who declares himself their leader. Entire villages of lebendtod have been reported, since the lebendtod can continue to exist normally for years and decades. Unnatural Origin. The first lebendtod were created by a powerful necromancer. Thrilled with his new servants, he gave his creations the ability to turn their victims into lebendtod in order to propagate the "species." Any lebendtod can create another lebendtod by killing a victim and breathing into its mouth as the victim breathes its last breath. The victim must then be isolated and left undisturbed for 72 hours. If these conditions are met, the victim awakens as a lebendtod. If the body is disturbed any time before 72 hours have elapsed, the victim awakens as a ghast. If the victim breathes its last breath before the lebendtod can breathe into the victim, the victim dies normally. They age extremely slowly, appearing to age only one year per decade. Thus, a person who dies at age 30 then lives 50 years as a lebendtod will appear to be 35 years old. Lebendtod retain the skills and abilities they had in life. Detachable Limbs. Lebendtod also have the ability to detach and reattach their limbs and head at will. They sometimes do this to frighten their enemies, sometimes to use the severed part as a weapon, and sometimes to remove a severely damaged limb. Rumors exist of evil wizards disassembling lebendtod, packing them in crates, and shipping them into a city or castle, where the lebendtod reassemble themselves and attack the inhabitants. Undead Nature. A lebendtod doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 14
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Snow Golem, Ravenloft Like others of their ilk, Ravenloft snow golems are usually employed to guard an important item or entryway. Cold Born. A snow golem can be sculpted in any appearance, but is usually portrayed as a humanoid figure wearing armor and a helmet. It usually carries no weapons and does not use a shield. Their helmets are usually sculpted into bizarre, frightening shapes such as snarling animals or horrid, leering faces. Because they have been hardened beyond the consistency of snow, they resemble white marble statues. Indeed, they are often mistaken for such things or for snow-covered topiary figures. Frightening Silence. Snow golems cannot speak, although the wind seems always to blow mournfully when they move, creating a haunting sound that can chill the heart as surely as the cold climate does the flesh. Slaves to the Master. Snow golems are automatons capable of following a few simple commands. They are under the complete control of their master unless they manage to break his domination. Normally, they have no society, although there are rumors that free willed snow golems are sometimes found in one another’s company. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 17
Skeletal Animal Swarm This swarm of skeletal animals consists of dozens of undead animals of different types. Mammals, reptiles and skeletal birds attack as one being. The swarm moves like a single being and even the flying creatures that compose it stay close to the ground to attack together with the other animals as one. Skeleton, Hunter Shark These undead sharks behave by still following the instincts that animated them in life. They don’t need to eat, but they attack any living thing with killing intent. Starfish, Giant The giant starfish is a cousin of the normal, ocean-dwelling starfish. It has a central body of ten rays radiating from the centre, the undersides of which are covered with sticky suckers. Giant starfish have been reported in a wide variety of colors but seem to be limited to tan, orange, yellow, pink and red, ranging from pale pastel hues to vibrant, almost glowing colors. Water Predators. Giant starfish have been sighted in all the large oceans of many worlds. A freshwater variety of giant starfish is rumored to inhabit large inland lakes on many worlds. Always Hungry. Starfish wander the oceans in search of meals. They eat a variety of life forms, but they have learned that passing ships are almost always portable buffet tables. Starfish prefer ship-grazing to other hunting methods. Underwater Lairs. Giant starfish make their lairs in large caves and underwater trenches, storing any treasure or extra food in crevices and niches. Other underwater creatures tend to avoid these lairs, since giant starfish are efficient eating machines. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 18
Vodyanoi These aquatic predators are closely related to the umber hulk. Vodyanoi live in deep bodies of fresh water. They are similar in appearance to umber hulks but have only two eyes and thus lack the ability to confuse opponents. Their skin is green and slimy to the touch, but beneath it is a thick, knobby hide. Their claws are webbed. Vodyanoi prey upon all manner of creatures but prefer human flesh. They can rend the hulls of small vessels and frequently sink or overturn small boats. A vodyanoi can summon reef sharks and control them. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Ship of Horror - The Gothic Conversion 19