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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Bettellyn: The Grand Reliquary -- Part III

Continued from the previous section.  Click HERE to go back.

Areas 5.  Top Floor

Stairs lead to from Area 4d to 5.  The bronze golem from Area 1 will not follow the party to the top floor.  Supported by four pillars near the center, a steel structure holds what looks like glass panes (walls of force) enclosing the terrace.  A low stone wall, about 4’ high, marks the edges of the stairwell, overlooking the stairs.  At the center of each corner sections, (which would be areas 5a-5d) stands a mirror-like, featureless humanoid statue on top of a foot-high plinth.  A circle with alien writings is engraved in the stone floor, between the pillars.

The magical circle is a teleporter to area 6.  The statues are silveons, modified reflecters (inspired from AC9 Creature Catalog).  Their role is to prevent intruders from tampering with the magical circle and entering the reliquary’s lower levels.  Stepping past the stairs without brandishing the appropriate immortal’s symbol (at least the lead person for a party), touching the circle, entering it without the proper password, or throwing something inside will activate the four silveons.  Appearing in the circle without brandishing the appropriate symbol will also trigger the silveons.  Anyone in the circle is teleported when the command is spoken.  The circle is large enough for a party of adventurers.  The command word to activate the teleporter is the immortal’s name.

The password to enter the circle is based on clues engraved behind the silveons’ plinths.  Engraved stone slabs radiate magic if detected.  The clues include four numbers, one of which is the password.  The solution requires adding up the second digit of three numbers to find the fourth.  Numbered clues are, however, not listed in any order and change at every sunrise, or when someone gives a wrong answer, or a round after someone enters the circle.  Here are examples:

  • 15, 17, 22, 14—the password is 14.
  • 16, 27, 13, 15—the password is 15.
  • 21, 15, 26, 12—the password is 12.
  • 15, 18, 23, 16—the password is 16.

Silveon* (4): AC0, HD 3-9****, hp 14-40, MV 0’ (0’), AT# 1 energy bolt, Dmg 12-36, Save F3-9, ML12; AL N.  Special Attacks: bolt of energy.  Special Defenses: reflect spells and attacks, regeneration.

Silveons are enchanted statues made of mirror-like material.  When they attack a foe, silveons cast through their eyes bolts of energy 5’ wide and as long as ten times their HD.  Their heads can rotate 360 degrees if needed.  Silveons can detect invisible creatures using infrared (heat aura).

Silveons pick the closest available target, and require a hit roll.  If an attack succeeds, the energy bolt arcs, hitting another target in the same or adjacent space (if any), and so on until grounding itself in the metal beams above or in the floor when it reaches its maximum range.  Arcing may possibly lead a bolt down the stairs and around corners.  Damage from a bolt is equal to four times the silveon’s HD (save vs. wands for half damage).  A bolt will split if two or more targets are equidistant from the previous one in its path; reduce damage 3 points each time a bolt splits (down to a minimum of 3).  If an attack misses, it hits a metal beam or a wall of force directly, producing vast amounts of harmless sparks, like a Tesla coil gone haywire.

Silveons automatically turn all spells upon their casters (including attempts to dispel magic), save for a wish.  All physical damage is automatically reflected upon the attackers, save for magical plusses.  Successful attacks provoke visible ripples on a silveon’s surface, all traces vanishing within a few rounds.  Silveons are, however, subject to suffering damage from their own energy bolts.  Since they stand sixty feet from each other, bolts could arc to another silveon if five targets are lined up between them (presuming silveons have at least 6 HD).  A mirror can reflect energy bolts, provided the character holds his/her action for the round and rolls a higher score than the silveon when targeted.  If successful and roll was good enough for AC0, then the bolt hits the silveon.  Dexterity modifiers are allowable.  Note that silveons will not target someone with a mirror who stands 20' away or less.

If reduced to zero hit point or less, silveons lose their reflectivity and deactivate.  They can otherwise only be destroyed with a blackball or a wish spell.  Silveon regeneration only begins when a statue is reduced to 0 hit points or less and accrues at the rate of 1 hit point per Turn (6 points per hour).  If all of them are knocked out, the statues will not reset until all four are back up to full hit points.

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