380288-Fires of Dis - The Caged Conversion

P L A N E S C A P E
FIRES OF DIS
The Caged Conversion
Requires the AD&D Planescape

Adventure Fires of Dis, to play
by Igor Comunale
Fires of Dis - The Caged Conversion
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.
FIRES OF DIS
The Caged Conversion
Requires the AD&D Planescape
Adventure Fires of Dis, to play
by Igor Comunale
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Planescape, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and
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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
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All other original material in this work is copyright 2024 by Igor Comunale and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
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Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Fires of Dis - The Caged Conversion 1
INTRODUCTION the lawful fiends prefer to outwit their enemies and
ensnare them in subtle traps.
T
Dispater's got just such a trap laid out for Daneel. From
his conversion updates to the fifth edition of
Anarchist spies who've wormed their way into the ranks of
Dungeons & Dragons the AD&D Second Edition the Harmonium, Dispater learned that Daneel's making a
Fires of Dis adventure set in the Planescape setting. trip to Sigil to meet with Factol Sarin just a few days before
This adventure is suitable for characters from 5 th to 9th the Ascension. The archduke's arranged for a gang of
level. This conversion assumes a four 7 th level characters baatezu to waylay the paladin, lift his prized holy sword,
party. and bring it back to the Iron Tower on Dis. When righteous
bashers come after the sword, Dispater'll let 'em have it
Adventure Summary back without too much fuss - primarily because the
sword'll be tainted by then, inscribed with a secret gate
The plane of the Outlands is theoretically shaped spell designed to open a path between the planes.
somewhat like a ring, and along its outer edge lie sixteen A blood can probably guess what'll happen next. The
gate-towns, so named because they were built around or holy avenger'll be returned to Daneel, and the Hardheads'll
near gates leading to the sixteen surrounding Outer start the Ascension just as quick as they can. But as soon as
Planes. For the most part, the attitudes and beliefs of the Fortitude starts to shift, the sword'll open a gate to Dis,
folks in each town mirror the nature of the plane the burg's allowing the spirit of a fiend to come through and take
associated with. So the town of Plague-Mort, for example, control of Daneel. The fiend'll make the poor sod spill
built around the gate to the Abyss, is about as chaotic and innocent blood and turn stag on his faith in front of the
evil a gate-town as a body'd ever want to see. Excelsior, on whole town. Daneel's career as a paladin'll be cut short, and
the other hand, poised at the base of Mount Celestia, is a he'll spend the rest of his days in base humiliation, if he
town that literally glows, full of sods so pleasant they ain't killed outright. What's more, the sight of such a
might drive a visitor barmy. Fact is, if the folks in a gate- respected hero of legend abandoning his noble ideals'll be
town get so worked up that it becomes too much like its enough to disillusion the gathered masses and make the
next-door plane, the whole place goes sliding right off the Harmonious Ascension grind to a spirit-shattering halt.
Outlands and becomes part of the plane. Fact is, it's a pretty clever scheme, and all it'll take to
Well, berk, the chant is Fortitude's finally ready to make work itself out is a bunch of cutters brave enough, greedy
the big leap into Arcadia. The Harmonium - the faction enough, or addle-coved enough to venture into Baator and
with the strongest influence in the gate-town and the plane steal the holy avenger back from Dispater's Iron Tower...
as well - has been whipping the folks of Fortitude into a
fevered pitch of order, harmony, and good, hoping to push
the town's alignment to the point where it'll start to slide. Running the Adventure
What few know, though, is the dark of the faction's zeal: To manage the adventure using this conversion, you need
they want to make up for land they lost from Arcadia. See, the main rules of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition (Player’s
they brought chaotic types into the lawful plane to turn Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual)
them into "proper citizens," but the influx of chaos caused and Monsters of the Multiverse. Further, you'll need Planes-
a whole layer of Arcadia to slip into another plane. cape: Adventures in the Multiverse to have all the informa-
To usher Fortitude into Arcadia, the faction's planned a tion about the setting and the new rules in the current
sparkling ceremony - dubbed the Harmonious Ascension - D&D edition.
and they've arranged for a much-venerated paladin from Non-player characters and monsters that are not present
Arcadia to preside. This paladin, known as Daneel the in these sources are presented in this conversion.
Smiter of Fiends, has cut such a noble swath through the
forces of evil with his famous holy avenger sword Guardian
that he's practically the living embodiment of law and Characters' Progression
order. With a bit of luck, his presence and guidance at the If the characters are at 7th level, they level up during the ad-
ceremony'll stir up the citizens of Fortitude just enough to venture with an event-based progression as follows:
push the town over the edge.
Daneel's legendary campaigns against evil have earned • At the end of Chapter III: Red Journey the charac-
him a few enemies, not the least of which is the archduke ters should reach 8th level.
Dispater, ruler of Dis on the plane of Baator. Practically a • At the end of the adventure, the characters should
power, Dispater could kill the paladin easily enough - if reach 9th level.
that's how the baatezu went about their business. However,
CONVERSION
T
his section describes the necessary updates to
play the adventure with the rules of Dungeons &
Dragons 5th 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 ab-
sent, then it means that it does not require any modifica-
tion and can be used in its original form.
DM NOTE: Most of the monsters that appear in this ad-
venture are extraplanar creatures that in AD&D 2 nd Edition
had the ability to use teleport at will. All the demons, devils,
and other extraplanar creature in this conversion are sup-
posed to be able to do so.
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.
A Word About Factions

This adventure doesn't assume that the characters belong
to any particular faction; any cutter of any philosophical
bent can participate. Only the Harmonium, the Mer-
cykiliers, the Revolutionary League, and the Free League
have a high stake in the events. However, a character who
belongs to any other faction may receive reasons to go or
stay from her headquarters in Sigil, but she won't be com-
manded one way or the other.
Nonplayer Characters
Four main non-player characters are recurrent in this ad-
venture: Daneel, Smiter of Fiends; Flamen Therma; Her-
fik the Silent; and Kri'Ik.
Variant: Changing Factions

Since in the actual incarnation of the setting some fac-
tions were changed, merged, or even erased, you may
want to substitute AD&D 2nd Edition factions with those
presented in Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse.
The Believers of the Source and the Sign of One factions
have been merged in the Mind's Eye faction, while Free
League, Revolutionary League and Xaositects have been
merged in the Hands of Havoc faction. These changes will
only marginally influence this adventure.
Chapter 1: The Sting characters inside. Any player characters who belong to the
faction should also be able to help get the party inside.
T he characters are browsing through the Great

Bazaar in Sigil when they're bobbed by the fiends
sent to steal the holy avenger from Daneel.
Whether the characters rush to the paladin's aid or leave
him to his fate, the Harmonium gets wind of their involve-
A Tale of Woe
After a few moments, Tonat Shar (Harmonium captain),
an assistant to Factol Sarin, enters the room. A human in
red leather armor, Shar's as tall as a normal man, but as
ment and convinces them - with garnish or muscle - to re- bulky as a dwarven warrior. After confirming that the
trieve the stolen sword. The party must then tumble to the paladin is, indeed, Daneel the Smiter of Fiends, he sum-
workings of a nearby portal to Ribcage or hunt down a mons guards to take him to a room where they can tend to
dangerous drop right into Baator. However, before they his injuries. Then Shar turns his attention to the rest of the
leave the Cage, they find that a few other folks have differ- group.
ent plans for the sword.
The Great Bazaar Optional Encounters

After delivering Daneel to the Barracks, the party's got a
Any player characters who indicate that they're on the day or so to kick around Sigil before being summoned
lookout for trouble should be allowed to make a DC 17 Wis- back to see Tonat Shar. During that time, you can run some
dom (Perception) check. If they succeed, they spot the or all of the following encounters (or others of your own
gelugon (polymorphed as a wiry male tiefling) - a wicked- devising):
looking humanoid in a dark green tunic - staring at them
The Revolutionary League: An Anarchist spy in the
through the crowds.
Barracks (disguised as a Harmonium guard) heard Shar's
talk with the party. 4 Anarchists (veterans, chaotic neutral)
The Fiends' Peel confront the characters in the street, telling them to stay
out of affairs they don't understand. They intend to merely
When the characters pass by the putrid alley, they see the
bully the party but fight if provoked, willing to give their
rest of the baatezu party - a gelugon and three green
lives for their cause.
abishai (Monsters of the Multiverse) - attacking the paladin
A Bit o' Chant: A passerby (commoner; half elf, lawful
Daneel, Smiter of Fiends.
evil) who observed the characters carrying Daneel through
Daneel - battered, confused, and gravely wounded -
the streets approaches the group to find out what they
swings his remaining fist a few times at the party until
know about the paladin and the Harmonium's plans. For a
calmed. He mutters the word "Guardian" a few times before
small fee (10 gp), she tells the characters the rumours she's
collapsing at the party's feet (0 hit points, stable, uncon-
heard about the Harmonious Ascension (just the basics),
scious).
sneering at the idea of any power caring where one town
or another lies.
Enter the Hardheads Road Crew: 2d4 dabus (Planescape: Adventures in the
Not my Problem: If the characters leave the paladin lying Multiverse) are resetting cobbles in a street damaged by a
recent fight (not Daneel's). Through symbols that appear in
in the alley, or never joined the battle at all, Daneel's racked
the air, they ask the characters for information about the
body is found 2d20 minutes later by a Harmonium patrol.
brawl that caused the destruction, but the party must de-
They take him to the Barracks for rest and healing, and in-
code the DM-devised rebuses to understand the silent ques-
timidate the populace until a few folks report having seen
tions. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check
the characters near the alley. Troops of 5 Harmonium
can help in the translation. The single-minded dabus don't
pacekeepers lead by an Harmonium captain each fan out
speak with the characters about any other topics. A
across the city, looking for the party.
friendly translator (commoner; bariaur, neutral) offers to
interpret the symbols should the party require assistance.
The Barracks Rats in the Cage: A cranium rat squacker swarm lurk-
A true accounting of the fight with the baatezu - and ing in a nearby bundle of trash cast a grease spell under the
Daneel's shocking condition - should be enough to con- party's feet. Any characters that fall are immediately at-
vince the guards (Harmonium pacekeepers) to bring the tacked by the swarm of rats, who hope to make off with the
group's rations.
Back to the Barracks Magic Item: Scabbard of Holding
Wondrous item, uncommon
A day or so after the encounter with Tonat Shar at the Bar-
This dagger-sized scabbard has an interior space consid-
racks, the party is contacted by a Harmonium pacekeeper.
erably larger than its outside dimensions. It can hold
She tells the party that Shar's got a few more questions for multiple melee weapons in an extradimensional space,
them, and escorts them to the Barracks. Once there, they're including weapons that would not normally fit in any
taken into a meeting room where Shar sits with a dark-vis- kind of scabbard or sheath. It can hold up to four two-
aged dwarfsmith introduced as Grimbrech Stonehammer handed weapons, eight one-handed melee weapons, or
(champion; dwarf, lawful good; Monsters of the Multiverse) mixed weapons in any combination (a two-handed
of Mount Clanggedin in Arcadia. weapon counts as two one-handed weapons). Only
weapons designed to be used by creatures the same size
as the wearer can be kept in a scabbard of holding.
Sweetening the Deal When you draw a weapon from the scabbard, if you
The dwarfsmith Stonehammer's come with magical items don't lose you grip on it (keeping it in your hands at all
that might prove useful to the characters in their journey, times), as a bonus action you can have it switch places
offered one at a time (possibly in trade for items the char- with another weapon in the scabbard. If you lose your
grip on a weapon drawn from the scabbard, that weapon
acters already have), if the party seems reluctant to go after
can’t switch places with another weapon until it has been
the sword.
sheathed in the scabbard of holding and drawn again.
The dwarfsmith's bag contains:
If the scabbard is overloaded, pierced, or torn, it rup-
• A scabbard of holding. Right now, it won't accept tures and is destroyed, and its contents are scattered in
any sword but Guardian, but if the party is success- the Astral Plane.
ful, the dwarves will remove this limiting enchant- Placing a scabbard of holding inside an extradimension-
ment. al space created by a handy haversack, portable hole, or
similar item instantly destroys both items and opens a
• An arrow of sure direction currently set only to find
gate to the Astral Plane. The gate originates where the
the sword. As with the scabbard, if the party is suc-
one item was placed inside the other. Any creature with-
cessful, the dwarves will remove the restriction.
in 10 feet of the gate is sucked through it to a random
• An iron rod of rulership. location on the Astral Plane. The gate then closes. The
• Two rings of resistance (fire). gate is one-way only and can’t be reopened.
The Free League first character to respond, switching to another character

each round.
Karris (Diviner Wizard; human, chaotic neutral, he has a Karris pretends to have apprenticed to a mage who trav-
pair of boots of speed and a wand of lightning bolts; Monsters elled regularly to Baator for rare spell components, and he
of the Multiverse) plays the friendly rube while feeling out claims to know the dark of giving fiends the laugh. How-
the party, trying to determine how much they know and ever, his intention is to confuse the characters with lies
what their plans are. He casts a detect thoughts spell on the and delay their departure from the Cage to give his own
group time to get ahead. If challenged, he sticks to his story
Magic Item: Arrow of Sure Direction and leaves in a huff; if attacked, he tries to escape with his
Wondrous item, rare boots of speed or a fly spell.
Holding this metal arrow in your palm, once per day you
can describe or name an object that is familiar to you.
You sense the direction to the object’s location, as long
The Sill
as that object is within 1,000 feet of you. If the object is in The owner of the Sill's named Cedlic Marr (commoner;
motion, you know the direction of its movement. tiefling, lawful neutral), and her kip's aimed mainly at
The arrow can locate a specific object known to you, as shoppers and merchants in the Great Bazaar. Tonat Shar
long as you have seen it up close - within 30 feet - at least knew about the portals, and he directed the characters to
once. Alternatively, the spell can locate the nearest object
ask for the fourth room on the second floor - the one with
of a particular kind, such as a certain kind of apparel,
the window leading to Ribcage.
jewelry, furniture, tool, or weapon.
The first character to go through the window must carry
This item can’t locate an object if any thickness of lead,
even a thin sheet, blocks a direct path between you and
the key, or he'll fall to the ground 20 feet below, receiving
the object. 2d6 bludgeoning damage from the fall.
DM Note: If the characters wander around the inn be-
fore tumbling to the portal, throw in a few encounters with
other guests for atmosphere.
• A gnome asks them for directions to someplace in
Sigil while his partner, an halfling bandit (Dex 16,
Sleight of Hand +5), tries to pick the characters'
pockets.
• Visitors to the Great Bazaar, who feel they were
bobbed by a merchant there, loudly share their
gripes with the characters.
• A githyanki mage, wise to the portals, asks the
party where they're headed, then shuts his bone-
box upon realizing the characters don't know the
chant.
• A cloth merchant (commoner) tries to interest the
party in "special discounts" on his goods.
Scragged
A patrol of 5 Harmonium pacekeepers lead by an Har-
monium captain finds the characters sooner or later, most
likely in a public area; if the party's retired for the night in
an inn, they're awakened by a pounding on the door.
The commander's using his ring of human influence as a
charm person spell to get the party to accompany him
peacefully. What's more, the guards make no threatening
moves - at least, not until they see how the party reacts.
If the characters go along with the guards, they're escor-
ted to the Barracks, where events transpire as they do in
"The Barracks" and "Back to the Barracks".
Straight to Baator
If the characters think to nose around the Hive, asking
questions about the portal or the fiends, sooner or later
they run into one of the drunks (commoner). He offers to
show them the hole "fer jes' a bit o'jink fer some bub,"
though he takes a few wrong turns along the way.
DM Note: If the characters go through the portal to
Baator, skip Chapter II and proceed with the party landing
on Avernus in Chapter III.
Magic Item: Ring of Human Influence

Ring, rare
This ring has 3 charges, and it regains 1d3 expended
charges daily at dawn. While wearing the ring, you can
use an action to expend 1 of its charges to cast one of
the following spells:
• Charm Person (save DC 13)
• Friends (save DC 13)
• Hold Person (save DC 13)
Chapter 1I: Under Getting the Chant
The barkeep (commoner; elf) is a bit taken aback if the
the Ribs characters don't seem to know about the Gymnasium of
Steam, but he briefly describes the resort and tells them
T he characters start this chapter in the mountain-

ous Vale of the Spine, just outside the gate-town
of Ribcage. After they gain entrance to the town,
they're free to parley with folks and drop in at different loc-
ations, picking up information that might help them in
how to find it.
Black and Gold

Any hostile act brings an attack from the Blackguardsmen
their quest. Ideally, they'll secure a cover story and a guide (6 guards and Brusstuckle), who try to subdue the party
to help them navigate the treacherous terrain of Baator, and drag them before Paracs in chains. The characters
and then convince the high-up Lord Paracs to send them might choose to go along with this in order to see Paracs. If
through the gate. The cutters may also discover that their two of his men are killed, Brusstuckle blows a whistle that
trip's more of a race than they thought, and that in Rib- summons a new unit of 1d4 + 2 Blackguard (guards) to the
cage, berks who ask too many questions are likely to get scene every 1d3 rounds.
squashed.
Getting Help
Arrival Ribcage has a few folks that can help the characters get
Ribcage is tucked within the curving peaks. The residents through the gate to Baator and survive the trip through
have blocked off gaps in the mountains with a 20-foot-tall that evil plane.
iron wall, but the characters will find a towered gate near
their end of the valley (the Spire Gate).
Fighting: If the characters fight the guards, the tower
sentry shoots arrows at the party. A troop of five more
guards (humans or tieflings) and a captain (veteran;
tiefling) appear every third round, trying to either kill the
characters or force them into the mountains.
Using Another Gate: The characters may try to snoop
around the mountains for another entrance to town; if
they follow the iron wall, they'll eventually find the Rigus
Gate and the Steam Gate. However, you should require
each character to make a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics)
check at some point during the trip to see if any tumble
(suffering 1d6 slashing damage from sharp rocks).
Other Locations
All plot-related encounters are described later in this
chapter. However, while the characters are making their
way around the city, they should run into some or all of the
following:
• Five soldiers of the Blackguard (veterans) try to
shake down a merchant in one of the Gate Markets
for "taxes." If the characters intervene, the guards
demand that the party cough up the jink instead,
fighting if not paid.
• A bandit tries to sell the party chunks for 1 gp
each. Unfortunately, he bobbed them from other
visitors over a week ago, and the chunks are no
longer valid.
Taking a Bath
The Gym's owner, Shandrala (priest; tiefling, lawful evil),
doesn't let any berk just walk around for free. Private meet-
ing rooms cost 50 gp per group, a soak in a common spring
costs 100 gp per person, and magical springs that cure skin
diseases run 1,000 gp or more.
Meeting Sharpsplinter
Bashers who simply demand that Sharpsplinter (bard;
tiefling, neutral evil; Monsters of the Multiverse) help them
get into Baator get nowhere. The tiefling wants to know the
dark of their purpose, and, though he accepts most any
story, the truth works best - he knows that Lord Paracs
likes anything that works against the baatezu. Fact is,
Paracs allows Sharpsplinter to run his little operation in
return for a split of the take.
If the characters pay, Sharpsplinter tells them to return
to the spring room at the same time the next day. At that
time, he'll introduce them to their new guide - Herflk the
Silent - and take them to the Citadel, where they'll get a
pass and go through the gate.
The Merchant of Ribcage

If the characters indicate that they've come in response to
his ad, Dermont (commoner; human, neutral) tells his as-
sistant, a young half-elf, to handle the crowds while he
pulls the party toward the back of the tent.
Dark Secrets
Getting Help: One of the clergymen wiping the altar is
Flamen Pontifus, leader of the temple. He's received in-
structions from the pit fiend Kri'ik to cooperate with any-
one who asks about the holy avenger.
Pontifus asks the characters to return at dark, when he'll
have a guide ready to escort them through the plane. If the
party returns, they're introduced to Flamen Therma, The Baron
who'll take them on a one-way trip to any particular spot.
However the characters enter the Citadel, they're immedi-
ately brought to see Lord Paracs. You should emphasize the
Into the Citadel difficulty of a body finding his way through the halls on
his own - the place is like a maze, mainly as a defence in
Once the characters have finished their business in Rib-
case any baatezu pop in through the gate.
cage, the next step is to head into the first layer of Baator.
To do this, they've got to visit Lord Paracs in the Citadel,
give him a good reason for going through the gate, and get Through the Gate
a pass of safe conduct through the plane. Once the characters have received a pass from Lord
'Course, the first problem is just getting past the Black- Paracs, a crew of Blackguard escort the party to the gate.
guard at the Citadel's entrance. There's a group of 6 Black- The guards take the characters back through the maze of
guardsman (veterans) at the gate at any time, day and hallways, eventually reaching the room with the gate.
night.
Chapter 1II: Red Variant: The Lord of Avernus
This adventure takes place during Bel's rulership over
Avernus. In the actual storyline, the plane has been taken
Journey back by Zariel (see Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus).
T
You can use the adventure as it was intended, at the time
he party starts this chapter having just landed on of Bel's rulership, or make Zariel the lord of Avernus, as
Avernus, the first of Baator's nine layers. They ap- you wish. There's no substantial difference in the devel-
pear in the ruined gate-town of Darkspine, and opment of the adventure, but you should substitute ref-
from there the goal is simple: get to the gate that leads to erences to Bel in the original adventure using the name
the second layer, Dis. 'Course, on this dangerous wasteland, Zariel.
that's easier said than done. During their journey, the char-
acters stumble across sights both strange and hideous, and the centre of the explosion to the party.
there's no lack of fiends, planars, and petitioners that'd • Roll 1d3 to determine the number of d4 of fire
love to kill the sods or trap 'em in a dark bargain they just damage to anyone caught in the blast (half damage
can't wriggle out of. Cutters can try to parley their way on a successful Dexterity saving throw).
through, but they'd better be ready to back up their words Pervasive Evil: Evil pervades the Nine Hells, and visitors
with brains - or with steel. to this plane feel its influence. At the end of each long rest
taken on this plane, a visitor that isn't evil must make a DC
The Guard 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature's
alignment changes to lawful evil. The change becomes per-
The guard, a horned devil named Montelado, once served manent if the creature doesn't leave the plane within 1d4
as a retainer to a pit fiend general in the Blood War, but days. Otherwise, the creature's alignment reverts to normal
was demoted to gate duty for two centuries after losing after one day spent on a plane other than the Nine Hells.
several battles to the tanar'ri hordes. Casting the dispel evil and good spell on the creature also re-
stores its original alignment.
A View of the Wasteland
The oppressive heat and the fireballs are two consistent Ladmarks
dangers that characters crossing Avernus face. The evil
The Road of Good Intent takes the characters past certain
nature of the plane is also a concern, and the characters
landmarks that can help them chart their progress through
are affected by the pervasive evil rule.
the endless rocks and fireballs; some may also serve as
Oppressive Heat: Avernus's combination of oppressive
backdrops for various encounters (your decision).
heat and supernatural malevolence weighs on the bodies
and souls of those who are not evil. A non-evil creature
treats normal travel through Avernus as a forced march The River of Blood
and must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of
A body can hear the din of the Pillar of Skulls before he
each hour of travel. The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour of travel.
gets there, but the first assault of this flow is its sickening
On a failed saving throw, a creature suffers one level of ex-
stench. A slow river of warm, partially clotted blood
haustion.
streams down through the wasteland, its slippery, scabby
Fireballs: As the party crosses the layer, fireballs of vari-
banks pulling in any berk who comes too near - DC 15 Dex-
ous sizes might explode nearby. Every 10 minutes, there's a terity (Acrobatics) check to avoid taking the plunge.
10% chance that one explodes near the group, blinding
each character for 1d4 + 1 rounds unless they succeed on a
DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. The River Styx
You can use fireballs for dramatic effect, to direct the
This dark, rancid waterway cuts right through Avernus on
party's path of travel, to throw wild cards into a fight, etc. If
its winding passage through the Lower Planes. A character
the characters are of high levels, you may choose to have
caught in the wasteland without drinking water might be
fireballs explode near enough to cause damage if saving
tempted to ignore the foul stink and take a sip, but the oily
throws are failed. If so, you can:
liquid's got a lot more potency than just its smell. Drinking
• Roll 2d20 to determine the diameter (in feet) of the the water or touching it with bare skin means the charac-
fireball's explosion. ter loses all memory of his past life. Both Herfik and
• Roll 1d100 to determine the distance (in feet) from Therma know the danger of the river.
Unless immune to the river's effects, a creature that
drinks from the Styx or enters the river is targeted by a
feeblemind spell (save DC 20). A creature must repeat the
saving throw whenever it starts its turn in the river, until it
fails the save. A feebleminded creature can drink from the
Styx and swim in its waters without suffering any addi-
tional deleterious effects.
If a creature fails its saving throw and remains under the
spell's effect for 30 consecutive days, the effect becomes
permanent (no save) and the creature loses all its
memories, becoming a near-mindless shell of its former
self. At that point, nothing short of a wish spell or divine in-
tervention can undo the effect.
Water taken from the River Styx loses its potency after
24 hours, becoming a harmless, foul-tasting liquid. How-
ever, arcanaloths, night hags, and other fell creatures
might know rituals that can prolong the water's potency, at
your discretion.
Encounters
The next pages present details of the baatezu, planars, and
other creatures that the party may run into while journey-
ing from Darkspine to the Maggot Pit. Unless specifically
stated otherwise, these encounters can occur at any time
and in any order - whatever you think is best for the pacing
of the party's trip. If the characters are led by Herfik or
Therma, they should run into most or all of these encoun-
ters.
However, without a guide keeping them to the path, the
party's sure to have more encounters than are given here.
Every third round of travel without a guide, there's a 15%
chance of a wandering monster attacking the party; you
should first roll 1d6 to determine the type of creature en-
countered, and then roll the indicated die to determine the
number of creatures.
1d6 Creatures
1-2 2d4 lemures
3-4 2d6 nupperibos (Monsters of the Multiverse)
5 1d3 barbed devils
6 1d2 black abishai
Bel's Legion
The flying black abishai get a good view of the legion's sur-
roundings (passive Perception 16). If they spot the charac-
ters, 4 black abishai veer off from the army to pursue and
attack the party, breaking off if they haven't caught the
characters in three rounds.
The Hunters
Avernus is a wide-open stomping ground, a perfect field for
greater baatezu to amuse themselves by hunting prey. assault, and then teleports away (the bearded devils fight to
Sometimes fiends release an especially feisty petitioner or the death and try to summon further bearded devils, if ne-
captured paladin, and sometimes they just chase down any cessary).
berk or beast unlucky enough to be roaming about. One of
the latter type of hunting parties - 4 yeth hounds driven by
an amnizu (Monsters of the Multiverse) - spots the characters
Return of the Free League
while crossing the plain. Karris (Diviner Wizard; human, chaotic neutral, he has a
pair of boots of speed and a wand of lightning bolts; Monsters
of the Multiverse) recognizes the characters; he's already
Osyluth Patrol warned his band (5 veterans) about a possible fight with
This patrol's scouring the layer for lawbreaking baatezu - the party, and they're ready to attack on his signal. Al-
especially deserters of the Blood War. The bone devils po- though he's tried to alter his physical appearance with dif-
lice Baator with broad disciplinary powers granted by the ferent clothing and facial markings, the smartest charac-
Dark Eight, and these two currently command a violent ters can make DC 20 Wisdom (Insight) checks to see if they
batch of 4 bearded devils. recognize Karris as the "apprentice" they met in Sigil. If re-
cognized, Karris tries to talk his way out of trouble; if at-
Lost Petitioners tacked, he directs his band to fight.
If not attacked, the kobold petitioners (viper nest trait)

rise, point, mutter, and push a representative forward:
The Maggot Pit
Jrackbok, who asks for directions to Nibellin, a warren in The red abishai, Arraka, busies himself with sending the
Draukari - the underground realm of the kobold power fresh lemures and nupperibos off into the wasteland and
Kurtulmak. Long ago, the kobolds left the realm to fight off supervising the emergence of new spawn (formed from the
an invasion of gnomes and've been unable to find their spirits of lawful evil planars and primes). He won't attack
way back since. They've wandered Avernus for what seems the PCs unless they try to harm him or the spawn, but he
like centuries, with fiends and fireballs whittling their does offer his services to those who ask about crossing the
once hundred-strong pack down to barely more than a pit. However, no one goes across unless the group has a
dozen. pass.
If attacked or cheated, the kobolds fight with the only Another option for the characters is to kill the abishai or
equipment they still carry: spiked clubs. Jrackbok, however, drive him away, then cross the pit by their own magical
also attacks with a ring of the ram. If the characters let means. If Arraka loses 50 hit points, he commands all
down their guard, the kobolds try to steal equipment and spawn to destroy the characters and then teleports away.
flee, fighting to the death if caught. Immediately thereafter, 3d8 lemures and 3d10 nupperibos
emerge from the pit and swarm over the characters, pre-
Fiendherders venting flight or escape. Every other round, another 1d8
lemures and 1d10 nupperibos slop forth to join the battle.
5 lemures and 2 nupperibos head for the party, but after If the characters ever reduce their ranks to ten or less
one round the entire herd swarms toward the characters. (lemures and nupperibos combined), the cutters can try to
These no-brain baatezu attack the party in wave after flee or magically cross the pit.
writhing wave until destroyed or forced back under the Sinking in the Pit: If a character gets dropped into the
spinagons' control (there are 18 lemures and 20 nupperi- pit or tries to cross it without Arraka first making the slime
bos in total in the herd). hold still, he sinks into the mire (1d8 acid damage per
As the herd attacks, one of the 3 spined devils panics and round). The berk can pull himself free with a DC 20
flies away immediately. The other two stay and try to rein Strength (Athletics) check and move a yard or two, but
in the herd, flitting about and jabbing with their forks, faces the same problem the next round unless at the lip of
shouting "Stop! Back!" and "Don't kill the stock!" the pit (your decision). If the characters doesn't escape the
pit in four rounds, he's pulled completely under, unable to
An Unseen Friend struggle further (suffering 2d8 acid damage per round un-
til rescued by the party or fully digested by the goo).
Kri'ik pulls eight Hardhead corpses out of the ground (un-
Supplicants: Arraka demands that they prove their devo-
less the characters have done so already) and uses his an-
tion by letting him dangle them, one at a time, halfway into
imate dead power to turn them into zombies that attack the
the writhing muck. Each character gets dipped for one
party. He also summons 2 bearded devils to join the
round, suffering 1d8 acid damage - those too weak can 4. Blue Consort's Lair: The blue dragon won't make a
plead for a reduced time in the pit. move unless the characters try to cross the abyss to its
peak. It then takes to the air and attacks, trying simply to
Tiamat's Lair drive the intruders away, but the wyrm gladly slaughters
any sods leatherheaded enough to stick around. If any
One tunnel leads to the Cave of Greed and the gate to Dis. characters fall into the abyss, you should roll 1d6 to de-
The others lead to Tiamat, the power of evil dragonkind, termine their rate of descent. On 1-2, they fall only a few
and her five dragon consorts - the most powerful male an- yards per round and can be rescued by other party mem-
cient dragons of each chromatic colour (red, black, green, bers; on 3-4, they fall at normal speed; on 5-6, they fall at
blue, and white). Each consort resides in its own cave and double speed. Any berks who do plunge into the pit die of
revels in its own horde of treasure. The treasure hasn't old age long before they hit bottom.
been specified - the characters shouldn't muck around with
it - but you are free to fill the lairs with any coins or objects 5. Tiamat's Lair: As the characters pass this cavern, a ter-
desired. rible aura of fear prevents them from approaching the
Currently, the red and green consorts are not on Baator, dark entrance. Every character is frightened and must inch
and only the black, blue, and white dragons rest in their its way along the wall until it has passed the entrance to
lairs. Tiamat's Lair and entered the tunnel leading to the Cave of
Greed, at which point the aura of fear subsides.
1. Red Consort's Lair: Each character suffers 3d6 fire
damage for each round spent in the cave after the first. 7. The Cave of Greed: As the party takes the southern
Touching any of the red-hot treasure horde causes 1d10 fire branch out of the huge central cavern, the tunnel splits
damage per round (the items won't cool down unless taken again, leading to the Cave of Greed and the gate to Dis.
from the cavern for three days, with the character sustain- Each visitor to the cave that sees the pile of treasure
ing damage during each round spent in contact with the must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw; beings of
object). evil alignment have disadvantage on the saving throw, and
those of neutral alignment have a - 2 penality on their roll.
2. Black Consort's Lair: Liquid and gaseous acid fills the Any sod who fails the check is seized with greed and be-
home of the black dragon. For every round spent in the comes determined to get to the other side of the pond, no
cave, all armour or shields (even magical armour and matter what his companions say or do to stop him.
shields) take a permanent and cumulative −1 penalty to ar- Here's the catch: a wader Wisdom score is reduced by 1d4
mor class. If this reduces an armour to armor class 10 or every round spent in the water. The target dies if this re-
worse or a shield is reduced to +0 armor class bonus, it is duces its Wisdom to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until
destroyed. Common weapons are destroyed in 1 round, the target finishes a short or long rest. The drain goes un-
while magic weapons lose one plus each round. If this re- noticed until the character emerges on the opposite bank.
duces the weapon magic bonus to +0, that weapon is des- A party member who sticks his hand in water to test it
troyed. In addition, each character suffers 2d8 acid damage won't feel anything; the draining effect only occurs when a
from breathing the air. The pool of clear acid has similar character is fully immersed.
effects on equipment and causes 2d10 acid damage to bare
skin for each round of immersion. While in the cave, all 8. The Gate to Dis: The characters need only pull open
characters are unable to keep their eyes open (they are con- the doors by the handles, which requires a successful DC
sidered blinded). 20 Strength check. The handles're ten feet off the ground:
unless a character figures out a way to stand solidly in
3. Green Consort's Lair: Every round after the first, hun- front of the handle, all Strength checks for opening the
dreds of flying insects attack each character, stinging and doors are made with disadvantge. However, the doors can
biting through everything 1d8 piercing damage; only cold- also be opened by a knock spell or similar means.
based attacks fend them off. Also, the oppressive humidity A giant spider hiding in a side tunnel 20 feet along leaps
cuts each basher's movement rate to half and the character at the first character to pass the camouflaged opening; if
can't make more than one attack per round (even bonus ac- the character can't spot the hidden spider, it is surprised.
tions count towards this limit). The party won't be able to On a successful attack, the spider tries to grab and drag the
move very far through the swampy foliage (or find any- character into its lair, where 2 other giant spiders wait. If
thing of consequence), and damage from the growing num- the victim is not dragged into the lair, the two spiders with-
ber of insects doubles each round. in emerge to join the attack on the party.
Chapter 1V: A City Magic Item: Flower of Holes
Wondrous item, very rare
That Burns Occasionally, supplicants, petitioners, and other non-

baatezu have a legitimate reason to visit the Iron Tower,
I
and the fiends within don't often have the inclination to
n this chapter, the characters must make their way to
play chaperone to the mortal sods. Thus, Dispater allows
and through the searing city of Dis, eventually worm- one official means by which visitors can move from room
ing their way inside the mutating Iron Tower of Lord to room: the flower of holes. Each black flower, grown
Dispater. But Dis is a tricky place, even for Baator. The from the distilled spirit of a petitioner unfit for the work
town's full of fiends and planars eager to bob or bully visit- crews, sports twelve petals. On each petal is a small, red
ors out of their jink, and slave crews of the condemned mark - a symbol for one of the rooms in the tower. The
endlessly destroy and rebuild everything in sight. What's petals act much like portable holes; however, you can step
more, a body who doesn't watch where he's going just through a hole and instantly be transported to the room
might get burned - in more ways than one. designated by the petal's symbol.
To use it, you pluck one of the rubbery petals from the
flower, which causes the petitioner's spirit to inhabit that
Down the Slope leaf. The black petal immediately begins to grow, becom-
ing a four-foot wide circle in two rounds. Then, you just
The guards (3 green abishai) were warned by the pit fiend
slap the petal against a wall, ceiling, or floor - any solid
Kri'ik of the party's potential arrival; he commanded them boundary of the room large enough to accommodate it.
to let the characters by unmolested. The leader, the red It sticks in place, and for the next two rounds opens a
abishai Jal'haya, makes a good show of checking the passage: anything that goes through the hole ends up in
group's pass (if any) and questioning their intent, but even- the room represented by the petal's symbol. The hole
tually lets the characters through. only allows one-way travel; after two rounds it disinteg-
rates, sending the petitioner's spirit back into the flower.
The spirit can only inhabit one petal at a time; you can-
The Road to Dis 't pluck another petal until the first has grown and disin-
The heat from the outcroppings is more than uncomfort- tegrated (whether it's used for passage or not). Once all
twelve petals have grown and disintegrated, the spirit
able; contact sets cloth afire and burns exposed skin for
moves into the centre of the flower, turning it into a thir-
1d8 fire damage. The iron also heats metal armour, baking
teenth petal inscribed with the symbol for the garden
any character within: the armour causes no damage the
(Area 16). When that final petal is plucked, it grows into a
first round of contact, 1d2 fire damage the second, 1d3 the hole that provides access to the garden.
third, 1d4 the fourth, 1d6 the fifth, and 1d8 the sixth and A flower of holes can be damaged by magical means (it
every round thereafter. Metal removed from contact with is immune to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing dam-
the iron continues to cause damage as it cools (the reverse age from nonmagical attacks). However, the petitioner's
of heating sequence). spirit within can't be communed with, summoned, or
Creatures with a natural Armor Class bonus +3 or better driven out before the flower's used up.
aren't burned by the hot iron, and certain magical items
can spare a victim from harm.
The City of Dis
With Friends Like These Without warning, the road of skulls abruptly deposits the
party deep within the city itself.
The pit fiend Kri'ik reappears to the characters at some
point during their journey along the skull path. Having
polymorphed into a petitioner from a work crew in Dis,
A Warm Welcome
Kri'ik sits atop an iron outcropping a few yards from the All of the buildings and walls in the city are made of the
path, unnoticed until he calls out to the party. Characters same hot iron as the outcroppings. The sheer amount of
who specifically indicate they're keeping an eye on the smouldering iron makes the temperature in Dis almost un-
spurs can make a DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check to see if bearable; characters in metal armour move at half speed
they spot him first. and suffer disadvantage to all attack rolls and Strength
He offers the characters a crystal sphere about one foot checks. Characters in padded or leather armour suffer no
in diameter that contains a magical flower of holes - a black such restrictions, but their armour may burst into flame if
flower with closed petals. it comes into contact with any iron (successful DC 15
Dexterity check to avoid damage). Any exposed skin that
contacts the iron suffers 2d6 fire damage. What's more, the
narrow streets of Dis make it likely that the characters
brush up against some iron sooner or later (10% chance per
hour).
Getting Around
The constant construction/destruction might lead a body
to rule out walking as a means of travel, but in Dis it's the
only way to go. Flight only attracts the attention of 1d3 + 2
black abishai guards, who arrive in one round to make
sure the flyer isn't an invading tanar'ri, and then angrily
pummel the berk back down to the ground - hard.
Reaching the Tower

Clear Your Mind: The characters must drive all
thoughts of the omnipresent tower out of their heads. Each
player character must tell you specifically what else he or
she is thinking about and then make a DC 20 Wisdom (In-
sight) check; success indicates that the cutter's able to not
think about the tower. After a successful check, a character
can then reach the tower in three turns of travel. 'Course,
the mental concentration is so intense that a body's got to
make a DC 20 Dexterity check each hour or accidentally
bump into a scalding structure, suffering 2d6 fire points of
damage.
Close Your Eyes: The characters must find a way to
travel without spotting the tower: closing their eyes, look-
ing straight down, wearing strips of cloth as a blindfold,
etc. They can then reach the tower in three turns of travel;
no Wisdom check is needed. However, each character still
must make a DC 20 Dexterity check each turn or suffer 2d6
fire damage.
Work Crews
As the characters move through the streets of Dis - whether
they're trying to get to the tower or just looking around -
they should see (and hear) a good number of commoner
petitioner work crews constructing or tearing down build-
ings and roads. They can also have any of the following en-
counters with such crews. Each crew below contains 1d10 +
10 lemures, and if so indicated, 1d6 shadows, all driven by
a spined devil foreman. In each case, the spined devil acts
with great bluster and bravado unless he's on the losing
end of a fight, in which case he tries to escape.
Swept Away
Behind the crew, a spined devil with a military fork is
driving the lemures to their next work assignment (the
crew's movement rate is 20 ft.) Each character must suc-
ceed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw to attempt to re-
main where he stands; failure indicates that he's swept
along with the crew for one round, at which time he can
make another check to see if he breaks free. After three
rounds, the crew reaches its destination.
Mistaken Identity
The spined devil foreman believes that one of the charac-
ters is a member of his work crew trying to slip away by
blending into a pack of other humanoids.
Bringing Down the House

This encounter can take place in any building except the
Iron Tower, and could prove particularly interesting if the
structure targeted for demolition is an inn in which the
party is sound asleep. If the characters don't leave the
building within three rounds, the place collapses around
them, causing 1d 10 bludgeoning damage to each.
A Hot Time
Each character must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw
to see if he can push through the blobby lemure horde;
failure forces the sod to remain at "ground zero" for that
round, suffering 1d4 slashing damage from the jagged,
scalding stones haphazardly torn up and tossed around.
Party members who've broken free can stall the lemures'
destruction by attacking the fiends, in which case the
spined devil foreman directs the mass to respond in kind.
The Fugitive
The man grabs at the characters' ankles if they try to walk
on, delaying them until the foreman - a comely erinyes
named Sauraphine - strides up to the party. She's charmed
many mortals to Baator, where they're quickly made into
petitioners and put to work in her crew. However, one
laborer - Rubbio Finncleve of Waterdeep (bandit), the man
who rushed toward the characters - is truly still alive, hav-
ing so far survived the horrors of Baator and staved off pe-
titionerhood.
The King of Dis

The title is actually self-proclaimed: The "king" is a tiefling
whose thugs bully the markets of Dis and collect a share of
the profits. The thugs (veterans) - four in all - lead the party
to a well-maintained building in a prime-material block,
the base from which King Hejj runs his game.
Betrayal
This encounter should be run only if the party's posing as
supplicants and is being led by Flamen Therma.
Part of the Scheme: The bone devil, Izea, recognizes
the characters from Therma's description. No matter how
the characters answer, Izea demands they prove their
obedience by slaying each other - now. If the characters
hesitate or argue - proving they're not true supplicants at
all - the baatezu attack. The bone devil and the 6 bearded
devils summon in reinforcements and teleport away if ne-
cessary, but the battle shouldn't rage long: after a few
rounds of fighting, a spined devil messenger from Dispater
appears in the fray.
Old Debts
At some point while the characters walk the streets of the
city, one of the elves - Khula Chombrice - spots the cow-
ardly githzerai among them. She and the other elf, her sis-
ter Naella Chombrice, follow and confront the group.
Optional Encounters
If you desire, the characters can run into any or all of the
following while wandering through Dis:
Supplicants: A handful of 2d6 supplicants (commoners;
lawful evil), in a gesture of respect to the powers of Baator,
strike themselves, tear apart their robes, and wail loudly
for deliverance into the hands of the baatezu.
Guvners: A group of 2d4 scholars from Automata (com-
moners; gnome, lawful neutral) follow petitioner work
Outside the Tower
crews from one job to another, intent on observing, record- The party's goal in Dis is to reach and gain entrance to Dis-
ing, and mastering the laws that govern their pater's Iron Tower. If they haven't already teleported inside
construction/destruction assignments. with a baatezu patrol, they must get to the tower on their
Hawkers: 3 spined devils, running a cheap-looking mar- own (by clearing their minds or closing their eyes).
ket stall, try to interest the party in several items: a "recent"
street map of the city for 10 gp (useless due to the constant
renovations) a pair of "nonflammable" work gloves for 50
Over the Wall
gp (they ignite upon their third contact with hot iron), and If a character tries to fly or levitate over the top, several
a "magical" frog in a corked glass bottle that can commune stone gargoyles spring to life and attach themselves to the
with the Lower Planes for 100 gp. offender, causing him to plummet to the ground,
The frog's actually a transformed quasit, kidnapped whereupon they return to their posts (gargoyles keep piling
from the tanar'ri and magically imprisoned in a bottle that on a character until the combined weight finally brings
can only be opened (or broken) by a nonfiend. If freed, the him down). The gargoyles don't attack or defend them-
quasit assumes its true shape and attacks any sod standing selves against attack - their sole function is to prevent visit-
nearby. ors from flying over the top of the wall. There are 80 stone
Bullies: A gang of 1d4 + 6 bearded devils prowling the gargoyles perched on the wall around the tower.
streets in search of trouble "accidentally" knocks the char- The characters can climb over the wall; the stone gar-
acters over, then demands apologies from the party. If the goyles can support a rope and won't attack a climber. How-
characters react calmly, the fiends also demand financial ever, as before, the hot iron burns skin, cloth, and leather,
compensation for their inconvenience. and heats metal armour. What's more, the outward slope
Getting into the Tower
Once the characters have climbed over the wall or made it
past the guards, a short, rubble-strewn courtyard is all that
lies between them and the ever-shifting tower.
Walking Through: If any visitor to the tower indicates
that she's concentrating on Dispater's magnificence, on a
successful DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check, it can simply
walk right through the wall of the tower, appearing in the
Pit of Patience (Area 1) no matter where the tower was
breached. Any being of lawful evil alignment suffers no
damage from passing through the scorching iron; however,
those of neutral alignment suffer 1d8 fire damage, and
those of good alignment suffer 2d8 fire damage. A being of
chaotic evil alignment can't pass through the tower in this
manner at all - a magical safeguard designed to prevent
tanar'ri from getting inside.
Climbing Up: Carved into the outer surface of the tower
is a continuous tableau of various greater baatezu gleefully
torturing mortals, making it possible for a skilled charac-
ter (or one using a heat resistant rope) to climb up the
ridged iron on a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics)
check. About 60 feet up, a small ironwork balcony opens
onto the City Vista (Area 2), and characters can enter the
tower at that point.
Of course, climbing a tower that constantly changes its
shape is quite hazardous. Every other round, the tower
melts and reshapes itself into another form, and any char-
acter attempting to climb it must succeed on a DC 18 Dex-
terity saving throw a successful Dexterity check or fall to
the ground (suffering 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10
feet fallen). Any character who tries to fly or levitate to the
balcony gets yanked back down by the stone gargoyles.
The hot iron of the tower also causes the usual damage
to skin and other materials.
of the wall imposes disadvantage on all Strength (Athletics)
checks.
If the party takes longer than six rounds to get over the
wall (or four rounds if any gargoyles come to life), the
horned devil from the gatehouse confront them as in
Through the Gatehouse, below.
Through the Gatehouse

4 horned devil guards block the entrance; the leader, a by-
the-book fiend named Baalug, confronts the party and de-
mands to know their intent.
The Pass: If the party shows Baalug a pass of safe con-
duct from Baron Paracs, the horned devil destroys it with a
bolt of flame from his palm, also inflicting 1d6 fire damage
upon the pass holder.
Chapter V: The Lord remain free. However, they can't free their captured com-
rades by any means short of a wish spell.
Only the two humans in the torture devices know how to
of Dis free sods who get strung up in the chains. Supplicants of
H
Baator who accept and enjoy their anguish, the humans
aving gained entrance to Dispater's dreaded Iron are sure the baatezu'll grant them wishes for their fealty.
Tower, the characters are free to explore the vari- They've heard their fiendish torturers use the command
ous locations laid at their feet by the magical word vaxalpo to release other prisoners from the chains,
flower of holes. Powers willing, they'll survive the tower's in- and they'll reveal the word to the characters - if persuaded
sidious assaults on mind and body and recover the stolen to do so on a successful DC 18 Charisma (Persuasion) check.
holy avenger sword Guardian. But they may also discover If the characters search the other torture devices before
that things aren't always what they seem, and find out the leaving, they find manacles that still contain a severed
hard way why a body should never bargain with a fiend. hand wearing a ring of animal influence.
The Iron Tower 5. Skyscape:

Each character must make a successful DC 20 Wisdom sav-
Below are the descriptions of the eighteen possible rooms ing throw or be stunned into catatonic motionlessness for
that the characters can visit. Each room is represented by a 1d10 minutes by the impossibility of the sight. Any charac-
unique symbol. ter of lawful alignment who makes the save permanently
gains 1 point of Wisdom.
1. The Pit of Patience: The floor is so completely covered DM Note: If the characters are eager to get into a good
with skeletons and loose bones that the characters must scrap, a bearded devil teleports onto the Skyscape and,
clear them aside if they want to place a petal-hole on the surprised to find mortal visitors, rushes to the attack.
ground. Spined devils have long since cleaned the bodies of
any useful items, but investigation shows that one skeleton 6. The Cavern of Flight
wears a necklace (a necklace of strangulation - the cause of Six rock formations lie between the characters and the
its demise). platform (where they can attach a petal hole to the cavern
wall); leaps from one to the next require successful DC 12
4. Torture Chamber: Strength (Athletics) checks. When the characters reach the
Each character must make a successful DC 18 Strength sav- third rock, 8 shrieking vargouilles (Monsters of the Multi-
ing throw to evade the magical chains. Failure indicates verse) descend, attacking until slain. A character who leaps
that the chains bind the character's wrists and ankles and while being attacked makes the check with disadvantage.
pull his body taut in four directions at once; all armour Any sod who fails the check slips into the bottomless
and equipment wriggles off the bound sod like snakes and void unless it concentrates on flying and fails a subsequent
collapses in a heap in a far corner of the room. Any charac- DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check, which then allows him to
ters who make the save are ignored by the chains and "swim" through the air at half his normal speed (the char-
acter can hover). A character who makes the check check
Magic Item: Necklace of Strangulation can't accept the possibility of flight and continues to fall; if
Wondrous Item, rare not rescued, it later rejoins the party by crashing through
the ceiling of another room (as determined by you), receiv-
This necklace superficially resembles a necklace of adapt- ing 2d10 bludgeoning damage.
ation or other beneficial necklace, and an identify spell re-
veals it to be such. 7. Ring of Gates:
Curse. When you put this necklace on, it magically
The spined devil, Memoata, is so surprised to see the party
tightens around your neck, rendering you unable to
that he doesn't do anything for a few seconds. The charac-
breathe. A creature within 5 feet of you, including you,
can use its action to make a DC 16 Strength check to re- ters can attack him, talk to him, or try to dive through the
move the necklace, removing it on a success. open gate before it closes.
A freedom of movement spell cast on you causes the If the party attacks him, Memoata hurls the sack (a bag
necklace to slip off. If you die while wearing the necklace, of holding) at the characters and jumps back through the
it remains tight around your neck until one month has gate just before it closes. The 14 larvae within spill out and
passed, at which point the necklace loosens and can be attack the party until slain. If not attacked, Memoata's will-
removed easily. ing to answer yes-or-no questions for 100 gp in gems each.
untie their heads (though they risk to be bitten for 1d6 pier-
cing damage and forced to succeed on a DC 15 Constitution
saving throw or take 3d6 poison damage if they try the lat-
ter; the snakes attack with a +5 bonus on the attack roll).
However, the characters can sever a snake with magic
weapons (by inflicting 20 damage to AC 5), or dissolve it
with holy water (using one full vial per serpent). In order to
free a prisoner, the characters must destroy all four ser-
pents restraining him.
13. The Maze: The barmy (commoner) appoints the char-

acters lieutenant protectors of the maze, then attacks them
for desertion of duty if they try to leave. While in the maze,
the man has special defences: he's immune to all mind-af-
fecting spells, and he regenerates from any condition, even
ashes, regaining 5 hit points per round. He loses these abil-
ities if forced from the maze.
14. Trinket Hoard: Rattling around the junk in the skull

disturbs a swarm of scorpions; they crawl out after two
rounds and attack any characters on or near the skull.
10. Library: The characters can't decipher the markings

in most books; if a page of the book is targeted by any spell
it expands and wraps around the reader, inflicting 1d4
bludgeoning damage per round and suffocating the sod in
four rounds. Three characters working together can pull
the page off the victim, but only if they each make a suc-
cessful DC 10 Strength check.
One of the books on the block contains what seems to be
a blank page. Any character who specifically examines the
page should make a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check, with
failure indicating that the character can see the symbols for
five rooms in the tower: the Pit of Patience, the Skyscape,
the Ring of Gates, the Head of Blades, and Dispater's Study.
At some point while the characters are in the library, a
barbed devil named Bok teleports in to conduct research.
As soon as he sees the party, he attacks. However, if given a
garnish of 500 gp, he allows the characters to leave - as
long as they do so immediately.
11. Prison Wedge: Two hound archons taken in a raid on

Mount Celestia are imprisoned here, along with a cambion
permanently changed by Dispater into the form of a hound
archon to see what effect it might have on the cambion's
nature (the archons have 30 hit points each; the cambion
has 40 hit points).
The snakes restrain the prisoners and block their abilit-
ies. The characters can't pull the serpents from the wall or
15. The Heart: The deafening heartbeats prevent the con-
centration needed to cast spells and cause 1d4 thunder
The Fiend's Assault
damage per round (successful CD 18 Constitution saving It's possible that the characters simply refused to make any
throw to avoid damage). If a character stabs a weapon into deal whatsoever with Kri'ik, ignoring his threats and prom-
the heart, the beating stops, and a geyser of scalding blood ises during their first two encounters. In that case, Kri'ik's
erupts from the wound, flooding the chamber in ten not prevented from attacking them and claiming the sword
rounds. for his own purposes.
16. The Garden:

If the PCs hide on the hill for nine turns, they can observe
the pit fiends go about their duties, which includes pluck-
ing a ripe flower and preparing to inscribe its petals. How-
ever, a third pit fiend appears, interrupts the work, and all
three teleport away together. Investigation reveals the fol-
lowing items lying near the tank: a flower with 12 blank
petals, a bowl of blood, and a long, narrow thorn. By dip-
ping the thorn in the blood, a character can inscribe the
petals with desired room symbols. For each attempt at in-
scription, the character must successfully make both a DC
15 Dexterity check and a DC 15 Wisdom check or botch the
symbol, permanently ruining that petal. Successful checks
indicate that the newly inscribed petal can be used as
transportation to the designated room.
17. The Head of Blades:

A character can avoid a curse by making a successful DC
20 Wisdom saving throw. Effects can be reversed with a re-
move curse spell, but not while on Baator.
Enter the Archduke

As a solid creature, Dispater assumes a somewhat more ac-
ceptable form: that of a sleek, yellow-skinned human male,
ten feet tall, with horns like a pit fiend's, dressed in an or-
nate, sleeveless waistcoat and pants. Behind him a red cape
flutters like bat's wings.
A host of greater baatezu - nine ice devils, nine horned
devils, and nine pit fiends - teleport into the room along
with their lord.
Going Home
If the characters accepted the sword from Dispater, they
now have Kri'ik as an escort to the city; if the characters es-
caped from the tower, you should have Kri'ik appear to
them at the edge of the city.
The Fiend's Loophole

Dispater's avatar melts back into the ground, leaving the
characters to deal with the newly powerless and furious
Kri'ik (Reduced Power).
Chapter VI: Hearts
and Minds
I n the concluding chapter of Fires of Dis, the party pre-
sumably returns the holy avenger to Fortitude in time
for the Harmonious Ascension. Before long, however,
the characters realize that Dispater's got more tricks up his
sleeve than they might have thought, and they must fight
to ensure that their quest ends in success. What's in the
balance? Not much, berk - just the life of a paladin, the spir-
it of a fiend, and the fate of an entire gate-town.
Delivery: The Hard Way

Two members of the Harmonium patrol know of the stolen
holy avenger; if the characters explain their situation truth-
fully and show the sword, the guards (Harmonium pace-
keepers) hurry them to the Block - trying to keep the sword
hidden from the eyes of the gathering onlookers. However,
Shar also has a Harmonium mage cast an Nystul's magic
aura spell on each evil character, masking his or her align-
ment for 24 hours, to prevent further incidents.
Optional Encounters
After turning over the sword, the characters can explore
the town at their leisure until the Ascension ceremony,
having any or all of the following encounters:
Keeping the Faith: Five priests (lawful good) move

through the town, strengthening the resolve of the cit-
izenry for the upcoming Ascension. They paint Daneel and
Guardian as paradigms of law and virtue, and encourage
the characters to lend their will to that of the rest of town
when all assemble for the ceremony.
The Chant: The characters find one woman (commoner;

lawful neutral) who's worried: No one in town's seen
Daneel in some time and dark rumours whisper of the loss
or incapacitation of Guardian. If any of the characters tell
what they know, an agent (bard, Monsters of the Multiverse)
sent by Shar to watch the party warns them not to contrib-
ute to "lies of enemies vainly trying to confuse our noble
citizens."
Ratcatchers: Frightened screams in a street near the

town's surrounding wall alert the party to danger; investig-
ating characters find the trouble to be a cranium rat
squeaker swarm who has scrambled in through a small
crack in the wall.
The Dark of it All
Dispater empowered Zaggutch to take the form of a dis-
tilled spirit, charging him with ruining Daneel's career as a
paladin by committing evil acts that'll be attributed to the
Smiter of Fiends. If Zaggutch also stops the Harmonious
Ascension - perhaps permanently, if the townsfolk remain
emotionally shattered – he'll be up for promotion in the
archduke's ranks.
Zaggutch's Powers: While in a host body, Zaggutch re-
tains his own spellcasting ability, mental faculties (Intelli-
gence, Wisdom and Charisma), languages, damage im-
munities and resitances, condition immunities, saving
throws, fear aura, magic resistance, and alignment. The
body retains the host's hit points, armor class, and physical
strengths and weaknesses (though no special abilities of
the host). Zaggutch always can make three melee attacks
while inside a host.
Note that because Fortitude is stuck between planes, Zag-
gutch can't summon reinforcements or teleport beyond the
surrounding wall of the town - fact is, all methods of entry
or exit (physical or magical) are cut off until Fortitude
settles in either Arcadia or the Outlands.
Driving Zaggutch Out: The death of a host inflicts no
damage on the fiend but forces him from the body. If the
characters use magic, you should follow these guidelines:
• Spells/effects like dispel evil and good or dispel ma-
gic merely force Zaggutch to spend the rest of the
round regaining full control of his host body; the
fiend can't attack, and attacks on him are made
with advantage.
• Spells/effects to send Zaggutch back to his own
plane or on another plane (like dispel evil and good
and banishment) merely drive him out of the host
body; no one leaves the town while it's stuck
between planes.
• Spells/effects that bind a host or affect his mind
(charm person, hold person, sleep, etc.) drive Zaggutch
from the body.
Capturing Zaggutch: While in his spirit form, Zaggutch
can't pass through any solid magical substance. Thus, the
characters may be able to trap him within a magical hel-
met, a suit of sealed magical armour, or some other magic-
al container.
Reign of Madness
Zaggutch intends not to physically destroy Fortitude or its
residents, but to undermine their faith by committing acts
of evil. With each successful act, Fortitude slides a bit closer
to the Outlands; the gate's green flame dwindles and the
surrounding mountains and trees become more airy. Ob-
servant characters can note the changes and realize what's
False Alarm
happening. At some location in the city, Zaggutch summons an illusion
to make it look like a number of aasimon - devas and plan-
etars - emerged from a gate to rescue the town, but imme-
March of the Undead diately caught fire and fell to the ground, writhing help-
Zaggutch appears in the Babbling Boneyard and begins lessly in agony.
raising 3 skeletons and 2 zombies each round until the The frightened townsfolk hover nearby but don't ap-
characters arrive or until he's raised 30 skeletons and 10 proach the aasimon. The characters must prove the illuso-
zombies, at which time he teleports away. The undead pur- ry nature of the spectacle to the assembled crowd. Any
sue and attack the townspeople unless destroyed by the character who actively try to disbelieve the illusion must
characters. succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw; a successful dis-
believer may influence other viewers, each of whom can
A Sky Afire then save with advantage. A character who succeeded on
the saving throw can try to convince the crowd they are as-
Zaggutch teleports to the top of the Orb of Day and Night, sisting to an illusory scene succeeding on a DC 20 Charis-
where he uses fireballs to create frightening explosions of ma (Persuasion) check. On a success, all the townsfolk that
fireworks and flame across the sky, blinding and scattering can hear the character successfully disbelieve the illusion.
the townsfolk.
Zaggutch casts wall of fire 20 feet high and 20 feet in dia-
meter, to surround three citizens (commoners) in a ring of
Gentle Persuasion
flame, then teleports away. The ring dissipates in one Zaggutch uses suggestion to convince citizens to do their
minute, but the screaming sods within die from the heat if part against the "wrongheaded" forces of harmony. Desper-
not rescued within three rounds. ate to place their foundering faith in what they still see as
the paladin Daneel, the poor sods can't resist the spell: They
begin tearing up the white tiles of the roads, shouting out
rude slogans against the Harmonium, and breaking into
fistfights.
By the time the characters arrive, Zaggutch is directing a
citizen to rip up a flowerbed; the fiend immediately tele-
ports away, leaving eight dwarves (commoners) under his
influence, all of whom act independently of the others. The
PCs must give each dwarf - one at a time - a good reason to
stop performing his or her particular action and make a
DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check with disadvantage. A
failed check means the victim immediately attacks the
characters (victims also fight back if attacked first).
A character who tries to dissuade an attacking victim
can make a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check; success in-
dicates the sod stops fighting, but resumes the action sug-
gested by Zaggutch. A successful dispel magic frees a victim,
and any who are bound or held for 1 minute also shake off
the effects of the spell.
Facing the Fiend

After the characters have had a chance to fight the effects
of Zaggutch's evil throughout the town, you should run
their final encounter with the fiend: a showdown in the
Confessional in full view of a captive audience.
Zaggutch's using an ability granted by Dispater similar to
(but more powerful than) an enthrall spell to mesmerize the
crowd, all of whom give the paladin their undivided
attention as a result. Any character who enter the Confes-
sional must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or
Remaining Silent
become enthralled themselves (characters save with advan- If the characters do nothing, the Harmonium - not realiz-
tage because they don't share the crowd's natural reverence ing the consequences of their actions - successfully con-
for Daneel). Enthralled individuals take no action until 1d8 vinces the crowd that Daneel did, indeed, turn stag. The
rounds after Zaggutch stops speaking, and the fiend won't Hardheads persuade the crowd to call for the former palad-
stop unless forced. However, enthralled characters can be in's death - the final straw in their loss of faith that propels
roused by comrades who make a successful DC 15 Charis- the town back to the Outlands.
ma (Persuasion) check with disadvantage.
Defending Daneel
Rallying the Crowd If the characters speak in Daneel's defense, they can try to
A character can try to convince the crowd to tumble to convince the Harmonium and the crowd of Daneel's inno-
what's really happening and give their hearts and minds cence in the matter, and even inspire the townspeople to
back to Daneel. greater heights of solidarity by rallying them against the
If the character's argument is sound, the cutter gets to defeated forces of evil.
make a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check. Success indi- You should try to make a decision based on the quality of
cates that a few audience members shout out support to the role-playing. If the characters vigorously defend Da-
Daneel, reminding him of his devotion to peace and har- neel and rouse the crowd into a state of lawful harmony,
mony. Failure indicates the audience remains unmoved. the scales tip and Fortitude slides into Arcadia. However, if
If the character succeeds in rallying the first members of you want to measure the success of the arguments more
the crowd, its next attempt to do so is DC 15, thanks to the exactly, you can require the characters to make an initial
cumulative effect on the audience. successful DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check and lower
For each round in which the audience calls out to Da- the difficulty of subsequent Charisma (Persuasion) checks
neel, the paladin's subjugated spirit gains strength, and by 2 for each bit of "evidence" presented to the crowd.
Zaggutch must focus on reasserting his control over the You can role-play the delight of the townspeople to make
body. During that round, Zaggutch can make no attacks, clear what's happening to characters still in the dark, then
and all characters make their attack rolls with advantage. proceed to Aftermath.
DM Note: If the characters killed Daneel during their
battle, the Hardheads simply drag his corpse to the Town
Zaggutch's Tactics Square and posthumously charge him with the crimes. The
The fiend won't teleport away from the fight, figuring he characters can still try to explain the dark of the situation
wins either way: If he kills the characters, the crowd loses and rally the crowd toward lawful harmony, but they have
even more faith in the paladin; if the characters kill Da- a much harder time. You can insist on top-notch role-play-
neel's body, Zaggutch can just jump to another host. ing or saddle the characters with an initial DC 25 Charisma
If Daneel's body is reduced to 10 or fewer hit points, (Persuasion) check.
Zaggutch's spirit really does leave the body and relinquish
control to Daneel - intending for the paladin to be fully
conscious of his imminent death. Any character who make
Aftermath
successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check see a small If the characters helped push Fortitude into Arcadia, Tonat
red ball of light emerge from Daneel's head. Shar gives them the full amount of the promised reward
and can even be talked into upping the jink another 2,500
gp for the party's rescue of the town. The dwarfsmith
The Fate of Fortitude Stonehammer escorts the characters to the halls of Mount
Not knowing the dark of Dispater's plan, the Harmonium Clanggedin, where each character gets to choose one magi-
simply thinks that Daneel's turned stag on the faction, be- cal item from the dwarves' vast armories.
lieving he's been driven barmy by the vicious attack in BACK TO THE OUTLANDS: If Fortitude slid back to
which he lost both his arm and Guardian. The Hardheads the Outlands, since the characters did return the holy
want Daneel scragged, tried, and executed for blowing the avenger to Fortitude, Tonat Shar delivers the promised jink
Harmonious Ascension. and Stonehammer allows each character to choose a ma-
At this critical juncture, the characters can decide the ul- gical item from Mount Clanggedin. However, the Harmoni-
timate fate of Fortitude. um blames the characters and treats them with hostility.

380288-Fires of Dis - The Caged Conversion

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P L A N E S C A P E

Requires the AD&D Planescape

The text appearing in this way is intended to be read or

The text that appears in these boxes contains additions

A Word About Factions

Variant: Changing Factions

T he characters are browsing through the Great

The Great Bazaar Optional Encounters

The Free League first character to respond, switching to another character

Magic Item: Ring of Human Influence

T he characters start this chapter in the mountain-

Black and Gold

The Merchant of Ribcage

If not attacked, the kobold petitioners (viper nest trait)

That Burns Occasionally, supplicants, petitioners, and other non-

Reaching the Tower

Bringing Down the House

The King of Dis

Through the Gatehouse

The Iron Tower 5. Skyscape:

13. The Maze: The barmy (commoner) appoints the char-

14. Trinket Hoard: Rattling around the junk in the skull

10. Library: The characters can't decipher the markings

11. Prison Wedge: Two hound archons taken in a raid on

16. The Garden:

17. The Head of Blades:

Enter the Archduke

The Fiend's Loophole

Delivery: The Hard Way

Keeping the Faith: Five priests (lawful good) move

The Chant: The characters find one woman (commoner;

Ratcatchers: Frightened screams in a street near the

Facing the Fiend

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