TEXT: The Tower of 
  Yladhra the Grim 
  a 5e adventure by 
  Luke Hart 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  2 
   
   
  Credits 
  Lead Designer: Luke Hart 
  Cartographer: Luke Hart 
  Playtesters: Luke Hart, Anna Huff, Matt Hume, Ben 
  Pedersen, Dan Hunt, and others that either declined to be 
  credited or could not be reached. 
  Cover Photo: Echo Grid on Unsplash 
  Distributing This PDF 
  This PDF represents a lot of effort, sweat, blood, and 
  tears — okay, maybe just effort. If you found this 
  adventure entertaining or useful, please refer people to 
  the site or source where you obtained it. Doing so not 
  only demonstrates appreciation for the effort spent 
  creating this, but also allows me to continue making 
  more adventures. 
  (Yeah, that was my roundabout way of saying “Please 
  don’t illegally distribute this PDF.”) 
  Legal Stuff 
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim, Copyright © 2017, 
  Luke Hart 
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, 
  Wizards of the Coast, LLC. 
  System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy 
  Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, 
  James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris 
  Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material 
  by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  Forward 
  I’ve been playing this game — whose name the license 
  agreement doesn’t allow me to mention — on and off 
  since high school. I’ve been a player a few times, but 
  mostly I’ve been the game master. 
  All that time, I’ve been creating my own adventures from 
  scratch. Only until recently did I run an official published 
  module, and when I did so, I said to myself, “Hey, I can 
  write stuff like this, too.” Actually, I already had been. 
  And so I present this, my first self-published adventure.  
  It may not have all the fancy artwork that official 
  products have, but the flesh and bones is all there. I’ve 
  also incorporated unique elements — such as encounters 
  by level  — that I feel improve the usability of the 
  adventure. 
  My main motivation in creating this is to share my 
  creative efforts with others. My wish is that other game 
  masters find this material useful and perhaps even 
  inspiring. 
  I hope you enjoy running it at your table! 
  Contacting the Designer 
  If you have feedback or questions, please reach out to me: 
  • Reddit - LukeHart214. 
  • Twitter - @TheDMLair. 
  Other Stuff I Make 
  You can check out my YouTube channel, Luke Hart, 
  where I post videos about this game. 
  I also maintain a blog, The DM Lair, where I post 
  campaign diaries of the games I run. 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  3 
   
   
  Contents 
  How This Adventure Is Written .................................... 3 
  Adventure Synopsis ........................................................... 5 
  Inciting Action .................................................................... 5 
  DM Notes ............................................................................. 5 
  Random Encounters .......................................................... 5 
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim .................................... 5 
  Tower Exterior ............................................................ 6 
  T1 - Tower ................................................................... 6 
  T2 - Hallway ................................................................ 6 
  T3 - Jungle .................................................................... 7 
  T4 - Guest Bedroom ................................................... 7 
  T5 - False Treasure Vault......................................... 7 
  T6 - Treasure Guardian ............................................ 8 
  T7 - Trapped Maze ..................................................... 9 
  T8 - Treasure Vault .................................................... 9 
  T9 - Storage .................................................................. 9 
  T10 - Sitting Area ....................................................... 9 
  T11 - Bedroom ............................................................. 10 
  T12 - Statue Hall ......................................................... 10 
  T13 - Yladhra’s Grand Hall ..................................... 11 
  Exiting the Tower ...................................................... 12 
  What Becomes of the Tower? ......................................... 12 
  Aftermath ............................................................................. 12 
  Appendix A: Magic Items ................................................. 13 
  Appendix B: Yladhra the Grim’s Spellbook ................. 14 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  4 
   
   
  How This Adventure Is Written 
  This section details specific approaches I took when 
  writing this adventure. 
  STREAMLINED 
  This document was designed to facilitate the  running of 
  the adventure. That is, this adventure supplement was 
  made to be used at the table, not just read. 
  So, what does that mean? 
  First, I try to minimize walls of text because they are 
  practically impossible to skim and reference during 
  gameplay. Instead, you’ll find bulleted lists and other 
  formatting devices intended to make using this document 
  during gameplay easier. 
  That quite likely means, though, that it may not be as 
  enjoyable to simply read through in one go. And I’m fine 
  with that. My goal is help game masters who actually run 
  adventures, not just read them. 
  Second, I don’t explain every little detail, and I don’t 
  include reams of backstory and explanations. This 
  document will give you the essentials for running the 
  adventure, and then you’ll have to rely on your own 
  creativity and imagination to fill in the gaps. 
  My personal opinion is that many published adventures 
  contain too much information. This can actually be an 
  impediment to running a smooth game: the action is 
  constantly stopping while the game master looks up 
  information in order to get things “just right.” 
  Including less information also allows game masters to 
  more easily personalize the adventure to fit their 
  campaigns. 
  READ-ALOUD TEXT 
  Don’t fear. You’ll get your read-aloud text. 
  However, read-aloud text generally won’t include 
  information about an area that is available by looking at 
  the map. 
  For instance, exits from a room won’t be in the read-
  aloud text. Why? First, many groups play with grids and 
  miniatures. If exits are visible on the map, the game 
  master doesn’t need list them out verbally. Second, for 
  groups who use “theater of the mind” play, I have faith in 
  my fellow game masters’ ability to look at a map and 
  verbally tell their players where the exits are without my 
  read-aloud text holding their hands. (If that faith is 
  misplaced, I apologize.) 
  Furthermore, read-aloud text usually won’t physically 
  describe the occupants of a room or list how many there 
  are. Why? 
  First, I design my adventures to accommodate a range of 
  character levels, and the number of “enemies” in a room 
  varies by level. That can be difficult to accommodate in 
  static read-aloud text. 
  Second, I’m a firm believer that a picture of a monster is 
  infinitely better than any amount of totally awesome read
  -aloud text I can write. Show your players the picture out 
  of the book that contains monster photos. Bookmark 
  images from the internet that you can show them on your 
  phone. If you’re old school, print them off. Bottom line: 
  I’m not going to waste digital ink trying to compete with 
  the thousands of incredible artists out there. (I’m good, 
  but not that good.) 
  ENCOUNTERS BY LEVEL 
  All of the encounters are designed to be used with parties 
  of characters over a range of four levels. For any given 
  encounter, you simply choose the number of creatures 
  that corresponds to the characters’ level. 
  For instance, let’s say this adventure is designed for 
  characters between the levels of four and seven. If your 
  party is level five, you use the level-five encounters in the 
  module. If your party is level seven, you use the level-
  seven encounters in the module. And so on and so forth. 
  The encounters are balanced for a party of five 
  characters, though parties of four or six characters should 
  do fine. If you have more or fewer characters in the party, 
  you can use the higher or lower level encounter numbers. 
  For instance, if you have a party of three level-five 
  characters, use the level-four encounter numbers. 
  ENCOUNTER NOTES 
  When I run the game, I place a significant emphasis on 
  tactical combats, many of which are designed to 
  challenge the players and create dramatic moments. 
  Thus, my approach to combat bleeds through in my 
  adventure design. 
  To aid you in running exciting encounters, I’ve included 
  encounter notes for most of the potential enemies in the 
  adventure, especially what I deem “boss fights.” These 
  encounter notes are suggestions for running the combats; 
  feel free to use them or throw them out as you see fit. 
  IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR... 
  Congratulations. I bet most people just skipped over all 
  this blah-blah. 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  5 
   
   
  Adventure Synopsis 
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim is designed for a party of 
  five adventurers between levels five and eight. 
  The adventure consists of entering a wizard’s tower, 
  braving its dangers, and confronting the wizard. 
  (Original, eh?) 
  The Tower. The tower is enchanted — what wizard’s 
  tower worth its weight in bat guano isn’t? Once the 
  characters enter, the tower’s stories stretch up and down 
  endlessly. A secret door leads to an endless hallway lined 
  by doors. Most of the doors are mimics, but the correct 
  one is an exit. 
  The Jungle. The door in the endless hallway takes the 
  heroes to a massive jungle where dozens of winged beasts 
  — manticores — fly above the tree line. The heroes are 
  ambushed by the manticores while descending a large 
  shaft into the ground. 
  The Inner Tower. A door from the shaft in the jungle 
  leads to area of the tower inhabited by the wizard and her 
  minions. The heroes must fight their way through traps, 
  flame skulls, flesh golems, and helmed horrors. 
  The Grand Hall. The conclusion to the adventure takes 
  place in a grand hall where Yladhra the Grim has been 
  waiting for the heroes. The heroes must defeat the wizard 
  who is aided in battle by several suits of animated armor. 
  Inciting Action 
  Below are some suggestions for ways to present this 
  adventure to your players and tie it in with the rest of 
  your campaign. 
  Member of a Villainous Organization. Yladhra is a 
  member of a villainous organization that your players 
  have been wiping out. You can place a lead to the 
  wizard’s tower in an adventure the heroes are currently 
  running. 
  Evil Wizard. Yladhra is simply an evil wizard that has 
  been causing problems for the area. Someone important 
  or wealthy hires the heroes to defeat Yladhra and put an 
  end to the troubles. 
  Magic Item Retrieval. Another wizard asks or hires the 
  heroes to retrieve Yladhra’s spellbook and control rod for 
  him. 
  Rescue Mission. Yladhra has captured someone 
  important to the heroes and they must rescue him. This 
  could be someone from one of the character’s backstories. 
  DM Notes 
  This adventure is designed for the heroes to not take any 
  long rests once they’ve entered the tower. Two short 
  rests are fine. 
  Random Encounters 
  These “random encounters” can be used as needed while 
  running the adventure. You might want to use them in 
  situations such as: 
  • If the heroes attempt to take a long rest while in the 
  tower. (While not strictly prohibited, taking an 
  “unsanctioned” long rest makes the rest of the 
  adventure less challenging.) 
  • To press the action and present a “smoking gun” 
  during a dull moment or when the heroes spend too 
  much time deliberating something. 
  Each row represents one encounter. You can adjust 
  difficulty up and down by increasing or decreasing the 
  number of creatures. The shading represents the 
  difficulty of the encounters and is used throughout this 
  adventure. 
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  The tower has features as described below, unless noted 
  otherwise. 
  Doors. Interior doors are made of thin wood. Very few 
  doors are locked as Yladhra relies on other defenses to 
  inhibit intruders. If desired, you can designate certain 
  doors to be locked. Locked doors require a DC 13 
  Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) check to pick and a DC 18 
  Strength (Athletics) check to break down. 
  Walls. Interior walls are made of a jet-black, smooth 
  obsidian. 
  Floors. Floors are covered in tiles decorated in geometric 
  patterns. 
  Ceilings. The ceilings of most rooms and corridors in the 
  tower are ten feet high. 
   
  Level 5 
  Level 6 
  Level 7 
  Level 8 
  Gricks 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  5 
  Helmed Horrors 
  2 
  2 
  3 
  3 
  Black Pudding 
  2 
  2 
  3 
  3 
   
   
   
   
   
  Difficulty Key 
  Easy 
  Medium Hard 
  Deadly 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  6 
   
   
  Tower Exterior 
  The tower is simple, unadorned, and rises some 100 feet into 
  the sky. It is jet black, and tappers to a point at the very top. 
  There doesn’t appear to be a door. 
  Upon approaching the tower, a bestial face extends from 
  the tower and says, “State your business.” Regardless of 
  the heroes’ response, it responds, “Very well. Proceed.” 
  Then a section of the wall slides aside to reveal the 
  interior of the tower. 
  Yladhra’s control rod allows her to see the heroes and 
  converse with them through the bestial face. If desired, 
  you can modify this interaction in a way that makes sense 
  for your game and your players. 
  T1 - Tower 
  The inside of the tower is thirty feet in diameter, and a spiral 
  staircase leading upward stands in the middle of the floor. The 
  jet-black walls are covered with bas-reliefs depicting a wide 
  variety of scenes from battles to coronations to soaring castles 
  and towers.  
  Once the heroes ascend to the second floor, the door on 
  the first floor slides shut. The floors of the tower 
  continue upwards and downwards endlessly, and the 
  door they entered through cannot be found. 
  Secret Door. On a floor of your choice, there is a secret 
  door leading to T2. A DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check 
  reveals the presence of a secret door, so at least one 
  characters passive perception should reveal its presence. 
  A DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a part 
  of the bas-relief on the wall that can be depressed to 
  activate the door. 
  T2 - Hallway 
  This wide hallway has iron-bound wooden doors set on either 
  side. It stretches before you to the limit of your vision. Around 
  the jam of the nearest doors you can see writing. 
  Writing. The writing on the door jams is in Draconic. 
  Each bullet below represents the writing above one door: 
  • 0 doors and you’re trapped. 
  • 1 door and you have no choice. 
  • 1 door spells your doom. 
  • 2 doors present a difficult decision 
  • 3 doors are a bad gamble 
  • 5 doors bring great suffering 
  • 8 doors erode hope 
  • 10 doors are a jungle of destruction 
  • 13 doors foretell impossible calamity 
  • 21 doors are the beginning of the end 
  Correct Door. The door that reads “10 doors are a 
  jungle of destruction” leads to T3. It is unlocked. 
  Incorrect Doors. All other doors are mimics. A mimic 
  remains disguised as a door, unmoving, until a hero tries 
  to open or harm it, at which point it attacks. When a hero 
  attempts to open an incorrect door, read the following: 
  When you turn the knob and pull, it detaches from the door, 
  trailing a long, thick cord of goo. You find yourself unable to 
  release the knob; it is stuck to your hand. The door shudders, 
  groans, and seems to come alive. It rips itself away from the 
  wall, and a large, toothed maw opens in the center of it. Behind 
  the living door is nothing but a blank wall.  
   
  Level 5 
  Level 5 
  Level 6 
  Level 8 
  Mimic 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  7 
   
   
  T3 - Jungle 
  You see before you a dense, tropical jungle thick with 
  vegetation: massive trees, chest high fens, and twisting vines. 
  You hear shouting and growling from above you. Peering 
  through the jungle canopy, you see glimpses of dozens of large, 
  winged creatures flying in the sky above. Right in front of you 
  lies a cleared path, some ten feet wide, leading through the 
  jungle. 
  After the heroes enter the jungle, the door leading to the 
  hallway disappears. 
  Winged Creatures. A DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check 
  reveals these to be manticores. 
  After the heroes follow the path a while, read the 
  following: 
  After traveling the path for a little while, you come upon a 
  massive, cylindrical hole in the ground with a ramp leading 
  downward. At the bottom of the hole you can see a door and 
  several corpses. 
  No matter where they go in the jungle, they always come 
  back upon this hole. 
  Door. Leads to T4. 
  Corpses. The three corpses are of a half-elven female, 
  and two human males. They were adventurers who 
  perished trying to find their way through the tower. 
  Their equipment is covered with rust and unusable. 
  However, they do have a total of 2d6x10 gold pieces on 
  them. 
  Manticore Attack. As the heroes descend the ramp into 
  the hole, manticores swoop out of the sky and attack. 
  ENCOUNTER NOTES 
  • The manticores spend a round or two at a range of 
  100 feet attacking with their tail spikes. 
  • Once the heroes are softened up, they move into 
  melee combat. 
  T4 - Guest Bedroom 
  This humbly adorned room contains four beds and three trunks. 
  Trunks. Inside all of the trunks are a variety of clothes 
  and shoes intended to fit wearers of all shapes, sizes, and 
  genders. The clothes are well made but quite plain. 
   
   
  Level 5 
  Level 6 
  Level 7 
  Level 8 
  Manticore 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  4 
  T5 - False Treasure Vault 
  This room has broken boards, splinters of wood, and coins 
  scattered about the floor. You see two chest-high pillars in the 
  room, a weapon rack, and a chest. The room appears as though 
  it has been ransacked. A green light emanates from the 
  adjoining room [T6]. 
  Yladhra intentionally arranged this room as it is to lure 
  intruders into it. See Ambush below. 
  Chest. Unlocked. Contains 75 copper pieces and 10 silver 
  pieces. 
  Weapon Rack. Contains a shortbow and a light hammer. 
  Coins Scattered on Floor. There are a total of 250 
  copper pieces, 100 silver pieces, and 50 gold pieces 
  strewn about the floor. 
  Pillars. These ornate, chest-high pillars appear to be 
  made to hold objects of art, possibly busts. 
  Ambush. As intruders move into the room to search it 
  for valuables — or just to explore — the flame skulls in 
  T6 attack. See T6 for more information. 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  8 
   
   
  T6 - Treasure Guardian 
  This small chamber contains piles of bones and skulls against 
  the north and south walls. All of the skulls burn with green 
  flames. 
  Flaming Skulls. Most of the burning skulls simply have 
  permanent faerie fire cast on them. Only some of the 
  skulls are flame skulls, though the flame skulls would 
  have attacked the heroes while they were in T5. 
  Secret Door. Any hero with a passive perception score of 
  10 or higher notices the outline of the secret door. A DC 
  12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that it opens 
  when a skull fixed to the floor is rotated. 
   
  ENCOUNTER NOTES 
  • One flame skull casts fireball on the first round of 
  combat. The second flame skull casts blur on itself. 
  (Two fireballs right off the bat could be lethal to the 
  party; so, exercise that option with care.) 
  • On subsequent rounds the flame skulls use their fire 
  ray attack or magic missile, cast using higher level 
  slots. 
  • The flame skulls use shield every round against the 
  first incoming attack. This helps protect them until 
  the beginning of their next turn. 
  Rejuvenation. If proper measures are not taken after 
  destroying the flame skulls, they return 1 hour later and 
  actively seek out the intruders, wherever they may be in 
  the compound. Any spell slots they already used will still 
  have been expended. 
  If the heroes take a short rest after destroying the flame 
  skulls, they interrupt the short rest. If the heroes are 
   
  Level 5 
  Level 6 
  Level 7 
  Level 8 
  Flame skulls 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  9 
   
   
  extremely beat up and likely couldn’t survive another 
  attack, feel free not to exercise this ploy — or have the 
  flame skulls attack after allowing the heroes a short rest. 
  T7 - Trapped Maze 
  The corridors that stretch before you seem to thrum with 
  energy. You can see arcane runes etched into the obsidian floor. 
  ARCANE TRAPS 
  Yladhra the Grim created a small “maze” full of magical 
  traps to protect her true treasure vault (T8). The red line 
  on the map indicates a safe path through squares that are 
  not trapped. 
  Trigger. A living creature that moves into a trapped 
  square triggers it. (The creature does not have to be 
  stepping on the floor to trigger it.) 
  Effect. The effects are random. Roll 1d6 and consult the 
  list below. 
  1. Puff of poisonous gas. 1d6 poison damage. DC 10 
  Constitution save for half damage. 
  2. Spikes shoot from the floor. 1d6 piercing damage. 
  DC 10 Dexterity save for half damage. 
  3. Fire blasts down from the ceiling. 1d6 fire damage. 
  DC 10 Dexterity save for half damage. 
  4. Waves of energy roll through the square. 1d6 
  psychic damage. DC 10 Charisma save for half 
  damage. 
  5. Stone fist punches from the wall. +3 to hit. 1d6 
  bludgeoning damage. 
  6. Electricity arcs between the ceiling and floor. 1d6 
  lightning damage. DC 10 Dexterity save for half 
  damage. 
  Countermeasures. A DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check 
  reveals that the corridors contain magical traps. A DC 17 
  Intelligence (Arcana) check by a proficient character 
  identifies whether or not a particular square is trapped 
  and the nature of the trap. Casting dispel magic on a 
  square disables the trap in that square. Non-magical 
  means cannot be used to disable the traps. 
  T8 - Treasure Vault 
  This large chamber contains a weapon rack, two chests, and a 
  cabinet. The room is clean and well maintained. 
  Chest A. Contains 2000 silver pieces. 
  Chest B. Contains 1250 gold pieces. 
  Cabinet. Contains a small bag of spices (worth 25 gold), 
  four potions of healing, one potion of greater healing, and 
  five vials of poison. 
  Weapon Rack. Contains a rabbit-fur scabbard (worth 25 
  gold), an adamantine trident, a net, and a magical 
  scimitar (see Icetooth in the appendix). 
  T9 - Storage 
  The walls of this large room are lined with shelving. Various 
  containers and boxes, neatly arranged, line the shelves. 
  Containers. Contain various generic supplies (dried 
  meat, rice, candles, parchments, ink wells, thread, etc.). 
  One box contains contain a wide variety of spell 
  components. 
  T10 - Sitting Area 
  This massive room contains a couch, two small tables, a 
  bookcase, a plush armchair, and a fireplace with a crackling 
  fire in it. A tapestry covered with green and red geometric 
  patterns covers the north wall. 
  Bookcase. Contains roughly two dozen historical tomes 
  and magical treatises. Each tome is worth roughly 25 
  gold. 
  Tables. The table next to the armchair contains a pipe 
  and a bag of pipe weed. 
  Tapestry. Covered with geometric patterns in green and 
  red. Worth 200 gold. Conceals the cubby holding a flesh 
  golem. Heroes that inspect the tapestry notice the 
  tapestry hides an opening behind it if their passive 
  perception is 10 or higher. Heroes who notice the 
  opening hear the faint crackling of electricity. 
  Cubby. The floor of the cubby is electrified, dealing 8d6 
  lightning damage when stepped on for the first time or 
  when a creature begins its turn touching the floor. DC 15 
  Dexterity save for half damage. 
  Flesh Golem. The flesh golem is currently inactive. It 
  animates and attacks intruders if it is attacked first or if 
  someone besides Yladhra touches the spellbook in T11. 
  ENCOUNTER NOTES 
  • If activated, the flesh golem attacks the nearest 
  intruder. 
  • When the flesh golem starts its turn with 40 hit 
  points or fewer, it disengages and moves back into 
   
  Level 5 
  Level 6 
  Level 7 
  Level 8 
  Flesh Golem 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  10 
   
   
  the cubby where it will be healed by the electrified 
  floor. (This flesh golem doesn’t go berserk.) 
  • The challenge of this encounter is not to beat the 
  golem down; it’s to prevent it from healing itself in 
  the cubby so that it can be defeated. 
  • It’s possible that the heroes will reduce the golem to 
  0 hit points before it can pull its “heal in the 
  electricity” trick. If this happens, consider extending 
  its hit points so that it can heal up at least once 
  before being destroyed. (This allows the players to 
  experience that dramatic moment in the encounter.) 
  T11 - Bedroom 
  This large room contains a massive bed, a desk, a chest, a 
  wardrobe, and a stone table with a thick tome set upon it. The 
  wooden furniture is gilded and covered with elaborate 
  engravings. 
  Desk. Contains loose parchment, an ink well, a quill, and 
  a large book. (The book is Yladhra’s journal. Feel free to 
  populate it with information that is relevant to your 
  campaign. For instance, it could contain information that 
  leads the heroes to the next adventure you plan to run.) 
  Wardrobe. Contains 8 sets of fine clothes, mostly 
  voluminous robes (worth 25 gold each set), and several 
  pairs of fine leather boots. 
  Thick Tome. Covered with arcane symbols and runes, 
  this is Yladhra’s spellbook. (See Yladhra’s Spellbook in 
  the appendix for a list of spells it contains.) Anyone who 
  touches the tome causes the flesh golem in T10 to 
  activate and attack. 
  Chest. Contains a pouch with 100 gold pieces in it, 
  several ink bottles, a wooden box full of quills, and two 
  blank leather-bound books (worth 25 gold each). 
  T12 - Statue Hall 
  This gargantuan chamber contains no floor or ceiling — 
  instead blackness stretches up and down as far as you can see. A 
  stone walkway extends from a stone platform to span the gulf 
  to the other side of the room where another platform and 
  double doors stand. Eight elaborate statues on fluted marble 
  columns float on either side of the walkway. 
  An Endless Fall. Anything that falls into the gulf 
  plummets hundreds of feet before reappearing above the 
  walkway where it continues to fall. Thus anything 
  thrown into the gulf to see how deep it is — such as a 
  torch — falls and then reappears above the walkway 
  where it continues to fall in an endless loop. Heroes that 
  fall into the gulf suffer the same endless fall, though 
  actions such as tossing a rope to a falling hero has a 
  chance to rescue her from such a fate. 
  Statues. The statues are of warriors wearing ornate 
  armor and shields, holding their swords at arm’s length 
  and pointing upward. 
  Old Man. When a character steps from a platform to the 
  walkway, read the following: 
  As you step onto the walkway, a faint, transparent image of an 
  old man with a scraggly beard materializes before you. He 
  cackles at you and thumps his staff on the ground. “Stop!” he 
  shouts. “Who would seek audience with Yladhra the Grim 
  must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.” 
  The old man proceeds to ask the heroes the below 
  questions. If the heroes ignore him and proceed to the 
  other side, the doors are magically sealed and cannot be 
  opened. The image of the man cannot be harmed or 
  dispelled. The old man will continue to repeat his 
  opening dialogue until the heroes prompt him to ask the 
  questions. 
  1. What...are your names? Any answers are 
  acceptable. 
  2. What...is your quest? Any answer is acceptable. 
  3. What...is the air-speed velocity of an unladen 
  dragon? 
  If the heroes answer something along the lines of “What 
  color dragon?” the man replies, “Ah, I don’t know that!” 
  and is propelled off into the gulf where he disappears. 
  If the heroes give any other answer, the hero that 
  answered the question is propelled off into the gulf and 
  enters an endless fall. Then the old mans cackles 
  wickedly for several moments as he fades away into 
  nothing. 
  In either event, some of the statues animate into helmed 
  horrors and attack. 
  Note. This is a sort of spoof from a very popular movie 
  intended to be entertaining to the players. If you feel it 
  wouldn’t work for your particular group, feel free to 
  remove it and have the helmed horrors attack when the 
  heroes reach the middle of the walkway. 
  Helmed Horrors. Yladhra created the helmed horrors to 
  slay any intruders that made it this far into her 
  compound. When the helmed horrors are triggered, read 
  the following: 
   
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  11 
   
   
  A wave of red magic sweeps down the statues, replacing the 
  stone flesh with magical, red energy. The stone armor and 
  weapons are transformed into metal. Then the animated 
  statues move to attack, flying through the air toward you. 
  ENCOUNTER NOTES 
  • In order to reduce the number of intruders they must 
  face at once, the helmed horrors will attempt to 
  knock characters into the gulf by either pushing 
  them or grappling them, flying out over the gulf, and 
  dropping them. They are intelligent and know that 
  this tactic is most effective against melee combatants, 
  such as fighters, barbarians, and paladins, as 
  endlessly falling prevents them from using melee 
  attacks. 
  • This encounter could become too challenging if too 
  many characters are dropped into a free fall. Consider 
  only trying this ploy on one or two characters.  
  T13 - Yladhra’s Grand Hall 
  Through the large doors is a massive chamber. Rows of marble 
  columns to either side of the room stand thirty feet tall. Oddly, 
  the do not support the ceiling that rises some hundred feet above 
  you. In front of each column is an ornamental suit of armor 
  holding a sword. On the far side of the chamber, sitting in a 
  throne atop a dais, is a middle-aged woman dressed in flowing 
  robes. “Welcome to my humble tower,” she says, rubbing her 
  hands. “I trust you didn’t find the journey too taxing?” 
  Yladhra will converse freely with the heroes for as long 
  as they desire. However, she has no intentions of letting 
  them leave her tower alive and is ready for combat. 
  If a character approaches within thirty feet of her or it 
  becomes obvious the heroes are reading for a fight 
  (perhaps trying to flank her or discussing tactics in her 
  presence) she’ll use a bonus action to teleport to the top 
  of a column and then attack. (This ability is granted by 
  her control rod.) 
  Suits of Armor. These appear to nothing more than 
  ornate suits of armor. However, they are actually 
  animated armors that attack when Yladhra desires. 
   
   
   
  Level 5 
  Level 6 
  Level 7 
  Level 8 
  Helmed Horror 
  2 
  2 
  3 
  3 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  12 
   
   
  ENCOUNTER NOTES 
  • Yladhra cast mage armor on herself before the heroes 
  entered the great hall. 
  • Yladhra has the following tactics planned out by 
  round, though circumstances (or DM desire) could 
  cause her to deviate from them: 
  1. Teleport to the top of a column using the 
  control rod and cast greater invisibility on self. 
  2. Cast cone of cold on heroes. 
  3. Cast magic missile on a hero, using a high-level 
  spell slot and ideally targeting a spellcaster 
  concentrating on a spell. 
  4. Cast ice storm on the heroes. 
  5. Cast magic missile on a hero, using a high-level 
  spell slot and ideally targeting a spellcaster 
  concentrating on a spell. 
  • Yladhra makes ample use of counterspell on heroes 
  that cast spells. (Remember, she can counterspell a 
  hero’s counterspell if needed.) 
  • Yladhra is unconcerned if her spells damage or 
  destroy the animated armors. 
  • While invisible, Yladhra tends to stay in place on the 
  top of one column, instead of teleporting away. 
  Spellcasting most likely gives away her position, but 
  the heroes will still have difficulty attacking her and 
  be unable to target her with most spells since she is 
  an unseen target. 
  • If not invisible, Yladhra teleports to the top of a 
  different column at the end of each of her turns. 
  • The animated armors follow straightforward tactics, 
  attacking the intruder closest to them. 
  Loot. Tucked into Yladhra’s belt is the control rod for 
  the tower. (See the appendix.) 
  Exiting the Tower 
  The heroes can exit the tower by either backtracking 
  their way through it, or using the control rod. 
  What Becomes of the Tower? 
  If you don’t want the characters to be in possession of the 
  enchanted wizard’s tower, the control rod ceases to 
  function 2d6 days after Yladhra’s death When they 
  identify the control rod, tell them that it’s magically 
  bound to its creator in life and death and will soon cease 
  to function. When the control rod ceases to function, the 
  tower’s magic unravels and it becomes an ordinary three-
  story tall tower of obsidian. 
  If you want the characters to be in possession of the  
  tower, then the control rod continues to function as 
  normal. If you later decide that possessing the tower is 
  too unbalancing to the game, you can use one of the 
  events described in the Aftermath section to remove it 
  from play. 
  Aftermath 
  Once the heroes have exited the tower, all you really 
  need to do is wrap up the inciting action that lead them 
  to the tower in the first place. 
  If you choose to let the heroes keep the tower, you could 
  use that as an inciting action for future adventures. 
  Below are a few possibilities: 
  • Yladhra’s kin, also wizards, come to the tower 
  seeking revenge. 
  • Mages from a nearby city try to claim the tower as 
  their own. 
  • There are more secrets to the tower that begin to 
  unveil themselves to the wielder of the control rod. 
  This could be revealed as a previously unknown 
  secret door that leads to a new area. 
  • A large band of monsters such as orcs, ogres, or 
  giants lay siege to the tower. 
  • If the heroes leave the tower unoccupied for any 
  length of time, they return to find new inhabitants 
  that must be dealt with. 
   
  Level 5 
  Level 6 
  Level 7 
  Level 8 
  Animated Armor 
  3 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  Mage (Yladhra) 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  13 
   
   
  Appendix A: Magic Items 
  ICETOOTH – +1 SCIMITAR OF FIEND SLAYING 
  Scimitar, very rare (requires attunement) 
  This magical scimitar was crafted by the elves of the 
  Great Forest millennia ago for use in an ancient battle 
  against infernal devils that were invading their home. It 
  was presumed lost or destroyed when its last known 
  bearer, Haelagin of Bregadill, fell in combat to the 
  invading devils. 
  Icetooth is magical sword that adds +1 to both attack 
  and damage. 
  In freezing temperatures and in the presence of fiends, 
  bright light emanates from the blade in a 10-foot radius. 
  Dim light is cast for an additional 10 feet. 
  As a bonus action, you can use Icetooth to extinguish all 
  nonmagical flames within 30 feet of you. This ability can 
  be used no more than once per hour. 
  This scimitar has special properties when used against 
  fiends. 
  When you hit a fiend with an attack using this magic 
  scimitar, the fiend takes 10 cold damage in addition to 
  the scimitar’s normal damage. 
  Fiends that have cold resistance or immunity do not 
  benefit from it when cold damage is dealt by Icetooth. 
  CONTROL ROD 
  Rod, very rare (requires attunement) 
  This two-foot-long obsidian rod was crafted by the 
  wizard Yladhra the Grim to grant her special abilities 
  while within her magical tower. 
  The attuned wielder of the rod gains the abilities detailed 
  below while in Yladhra’s tower and in possession of the 
  rod. 
  As a bonus action, you can instantly teleport to any 
  location in the tower or within 1 mile of the tower. 
  You can cast clairvoyance without components and using 
  the rod as the focus. It allows you to both see and hear 
  simultaneously. The range can be anywhere within the 
  tower or within 1 mile of the tower’s exterior. 
  As a bonus action, you can telepathically command the 
  tower’s various monstrous inhabitants (helmed horrors, 
  manticores, flame skulls, etc.). However, the inhabitants 
  are bound to the magic of the tower and must remain 
  within the tower. 
  The tower’s inhabitants are magically prevented from 
  attacking you, even if other magic compels them to do 
  so. 
  As an action, you can cause the entrance on the exterior 
  of the tower to appear or disappear. 
  As an action, you can cause a bestial face to protrude 
  from anywhere within or on the exterior surface of the 
  tower. You can then see, hear, and talk using the bestial 
  face. 
  
   
   
  The Tower of Yladhra the Grim 
  14 
   
   
  Appendix B: Yladhra the Grim’s 
  Spellbook 
  Yladhra’s spellbook contains the following spells: 
  LEVEL 1 
  • Detect magic 
  • Mage armor 
  • Magic missile 
  • Shield 
  • Charm person 
  • Disguise self 
  • Find familiar 
  • Grease 
  • Illusory script 
  • Color spray 
  • Longstrider 
  LEVEL 2 
  • Misty step 
  • Suggestion 
  • Arcane lock 
  • Darkvision 
  • Hold person 
  • Magic mouth 
  • Rope trick 
  • Detect thoughts 
  LEVEL 3 
  • Counterspell 
  • Fireball 
  • Fly 
  • Fear 
  • Major image 
  • Remove curse 
  LEVEL 4 
  • Greater invisibility 
  • Ice storm 
  • Conjure minor elementals 
  • Locate creature 
   
  LEVEL 5 
  • Cone of cold 
  • Scrying 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Misc/The Tower of Yladhra the Grim.pdf