The Dungeon Beneath Castle Whately

The following dungeon is designed for 4-5 2nd level adventurers

Background

The castle above the dungeon was once home to the demon worshiper Baron Whately, who was burned at the stake, his castle destroyed with gunpowder. However, his dungeon was left intact, and the few who tried to plant gunpowder within to destroy it never came back. The site was deemed unholy by the church. However, for some reason or another, the PCs are in need of a foul book, known simply as the Art of Flesh. It is rumored that one of the few remaining copies of this vile tome lies waiting in the dungeons of Castle Whately...

Room Key

1. 

Piled up near the stairs are several barrels, with fuses connecting them all.
Barrels full of gunpowder rigged to blow if lit, sealing off the dungeon.

2. 

8 clattering skeletons stand here, armed with swords and wielding shields. The shields are emblazoned with the Whately family seal.

8 Skeletons, they attack when party enters the room.

3. 

There are 8 cells in this room, sealed with steel bars. In one of the cells is an inanimate skeleton, with a pouch near it.

The pouch near the skeleton contains hallucinogenic drugs worth 1000 coins.

4. 

A crude operating room is set up here, with a variety of bizarre surgical tools in good condition.
The surgical tools could be worth 250 coins if sold to the right person.

5. 

Dozens of corpses are stuffed and posed, stitched together from multiple parts. Some are horribly deformed, with extra heads, and limbs, with bones sticking out.
One of the taxidermy corpses has 3 red gemstones for eyes, worth 250 coins each.

6. 

Standing among a pile of bones before you stands a hulking abomination, a living patchwork mass of rotting flesh and crude surgery. It roars as it charges towards you.
A sewn-together zombies attacks the party.

7. 

Fleshy tendrils extend into the walls, floor and ceiling, emanating from a vaguely humanoid mass of reddish tissue. A human face, sticking out from the central mass, cries out "Help me!"
The fleshy tree thing is named Evie, and doesn't know how long she has been down here. She used to be a servant of Baron Whately.

8. 

There are dozens of rabbit hole-like openings all over the floor, and there are remnants of old pieces of furniture, but other than that this the room is empty.

Spears of bone extend from the floor when the holes are stepped on, dealing 1d6+1 damage unless a saving throw is made.

9. 

A bubbling metal vat is in the center of the room, filled with a glowing green goo. 

Anyone who is dipped into the vat must make a saving throw each round. If they succeed, they gain a favorable mutation, if they fail, an unfavorable mutation occurs. If the mutation would be one they already have, pick the next closest result.

Favorable Mutation Table

1. Extra limb (Gain an extra attack)
2. Sharp teeth (Bite attack deals 1d6 damage)
3. Acid blood (Anyone who damages you in melee takes 1d3 damage)
4. Exoskeleton (Armor class raises by 1 step)
5. Gecko Paws (You can climb on sheer surfaces)
6. Green Skin (You can photosynthesize, and don't need to eat as long as you get 8 hours of sunlight exposure each day)

Unfavorable Mutation Table

1. Hair, teeth, and fingernails dissolve (can't eat solid food)
2. Acid blood, but you aren't resistant to your own acid (die instantly, no saving throw)
3. Gills (sounds cool, but it replaces your lungs, so now you can't breath air)
4. Eyes fall out (you no longer can see, and take a -4 penalty to hit)
5. Fingers fall off (You can't use your hands to grasp things anymore)
6. Grow an extra head, but all it does is scream constantly (You can never be quiet until you surgically remove the head)

10. 

The room is hazy with purple mist, emanating from reddish, fleshy growths that have rooted themselves into the walls.

The growths emit a poison gas, causing anyone who breaths it in to make a saving throw or take 1d6+1 damage each round, blood pouring from their mouth, nose, and ears.

11. 

There are 4 tables in this room, and on each one there are 3 jars, each containing a preserved human internal organ.
Each jar is worth 100 coins to anyone interested in medicine.

12. 

As soon as you step into the room, there is a spurting sound, followed by an intense burning sensation as some liquid begins to spray from the ceiling. The bones lying on the floor make it clear that it is acid.
Acid is sprayed from nozzles in the ceiling, dealing 1d6 damage per round spent in the room. Among the bones, one can find a blue gem worth 1250 coins.

13.  

The floor is covered in a disgusting leather carpet, evidently made from dozens of human corpses. 

If one steps in the middle of the room, the human skin carpet gives way, causing them to fall into a pit, taking 2d6 from the fall unless they make a saving throw to grab hold of the edge.

14. 

2 animate corpses stumble about blindly, wandering towards you with claws outstretched as they lazily prepare to attack.
The animate corpses are actually Regenerators.

15. 

5 Shuffling corpses mill about, 1 of which is bashing its head against the wall.

The corpses are zombies, the 1 bashing its head against the wall is wearing a necklace worth 750 coins.

16. 

There are a multitude of urns in this room, decorated with images of skulls and skeletons.
If one searches through the urns, they will find ashes, but eventually they will find both an urn filled with 3000 coins, and 1 containing a Boneless. As soon as the first Boneless is found, 3 others will burst out of their jars to attack.

17. 

4 feral looking undead humans, frothing at the mouth, moan incoherently and charge towards you as you enter. In the corner there is a table, on which there are 2 vials of a glowing green liquid.
4 Re-animated zombies, and on the table are 6 doses worth of Re-Animation Reagent, contained in 2 vials (1 has 5 doses, 1 has 1 dose).

18. 

The room is full of old book-cases, all of which are empty or filled only with rotting paper. In the corner is an odd nest, made from books that have been torn to pieces and repurposed as building material.
A head with spider-like limbs who has gone feral over the years, only capable of hissing and grunting. He has a little nest made from old paper and leather. If somehow restored to rational thought, he will reveal his name is Enoch, and he was a former friend of the baron, who was betrayed and turned into a monster.

19. 

A large furnace dominates the room, and from the pile of ash within it and the rust coating the surface, it is clear it has not been used in many years.
If one searches through the ash, they will find 800 coins worth of gold nuggets (once jewelry, but it melted).

20. 

On the wall hangs a portrait of the vile Baron Whately. As you look as it, the image slowly degernates into that of a horrific demon, only to be restored back to its original state as soon as you look away or blink. A small, leather-bound book sits on a lectern nearby.
The book on the lectern is The Art Of Flesh, which requires time outside the dungeon to peruse through. Exactly what kind of eldritch knowledge is contained in the pamphlet is up to the game master. The Art Of Flesh is detailed more here.

Bestiary

Re-Animated Zombie
HD 2
AC Unarmored
ATK 2 unarmed attacks
DMG 1d6
HDE 2

Boneless (Zombie)
HD 2
AC light
ATK 1 constrict
DMG 1d3
HDE 2

Anyone hit by a Boneless must make a saving throw, otherwise the creature has wrapped itself around its victim, and begins constricting it. The victim then takes 1d6 damage each round they are being constricted, each round being given the opportunity to make a saving throw to escape the creature's clutches. Anyone who tries to attack the Boneless while it is constricting its victim deals any damage dealt to the Boneless to the victim as well.

The Boneless can easily slip under doors and hide in extremely tight spaces, such as urns, chests, and cracks in walls.

Regenerator

HD 2

AC light

ATK 1 punch

DMG 1d6

HDE 4

Regenerators regain 1d3 HP each round, even if reduced to 0 HP. Each time the Regenerator regains HP, roll a d6 and apply the mutation from the table below:

1-2. New Limb: Gains an additional attack that deals 1d6 damage.

3. Carapace: The Regenerator's AC goes up by one category (light -> light with shield, light with shield -> medium, etc.)

4. Cancerous Mass: The Regenerator's maximum HP is increased by 1d6.

5-6. Poisonous Gas: Anyone near the Regenerator as it regenerates this round must make a saving throw or take 1d6 damage.

Regenerators can only be killed/damaged without regenerating by burning them or dissolving them in acid.

Zombies

HD 2

AC light

ATK 1 punch

DMG 1d6

HDE 2

Skeletons

HD 1

AC light

ATK 1 sword

DMG 1d6

HDE 1

Sewn-Together Zombie

HD 8

AC light

ATK 4 claws

DMG 1d6+2

HDE 8

The Re-Animation Reagent

When injected into living tissue, it revitalizes and rejuvenates the user, causing them to regain 1d6+1 hit points and not need to sleep or eat for 24 hours. However, it is highly addictive, and after a week of consistent use, one must make a saving throw each day they do not take the reagent or take 1d3 damage and a -2 penalty to attack rolls for the day. This withdrawal lasts 1d3 weeks. However, the primary effect of the drug occurs when injected into corpses.

When a single dose is injected into dead tissue, it re-animates the corpse, though the effects vary dramatically from creature to creature, and is affected by how long the animal/person has been dead. Determine the freshness of the corpse, and then roll a d6 on the corresponding table.

Less than an hour dead
1. The creature rises up, makes a terrible noise, and then expires
2-3. The creature comes back as a mindless zombie, intent only on killing
4-5. The creature comes back aggressive and violent, but does retain some memories from life, and may not attack creatures that it had emotional connection to in life, and may even obey simple commands
6. The creature comes back to life with all its mental abilities intact

Dead for a day
1-2. The creature rises up, makes a terrible noise, and then expires
3-5. The creature comes back as a mindless zombie, intent only on killing
6. The creature comes back aggressive and violent, but does retain some memories from life, and may not attack creatures that it had emotional connection to in life, and may even obey simple commands

Dead for more than a day
1. Nothing happens
2-3. The creature rises up, makes a terrible noise, and then expires
4-6. The creature comes back as a mindless zombie, intent only on killing

Dead for over a week1-3. Nothing happens
4-5. The creature rises up, makes a terrible noise, and then expires
6. The creature comes back as a mindless zombie, intent only on killing

Overdose!
If more than one dose is injected into a subject within 24 hours, living or dead, the body will begin to rapidly mutate and fall apart into 2d6 body parts, each with 1d3 HP, AC unarmored, and 1 attack dealing 1d3 damage. In the case of living subjects, a saving throw can be made to avoid this effect, instead simply regaining an additional 1d6+1 HP.