A group of adventurers, hired by the Golden Company, sets out to raid the tomb of Acererak the Demilich. Aided by the Company they travel to one of the Nelanther Isles and set up camp in front of a hill that supposedly hides the entrance. It is morning and they draw lots to see who gets the first chance to enter and claim glory…

This is planned as a mini adventure to give Hate a DM break whenever needed. I'd expect this to go for 2-3 Sessions (unless the PCs decide to abort the mission early).

• Stories about Demilich Acererak's “Tomb of Horror” have been around for 500 years
• Most heroes that tried to raid the tomb never returned
  • Of the few survivors, most stories say that they fled the tomb before reaching its end, sometimes naked and insane.
  • There are two separate accounts of groups that claimed to have killed Acererak and left victorious with some treasure in tow, these stories have happened 100 years apart from each other.
  • Other groups allegedly escaped with large amounts of Mithral and Adamantine.
• Based on the stories, the tomb appears to be some sort of labyrinth filled with many traps and monsters, best come prepared.

• Create 2 Level 9 Characters (One as backup in case of death). Pick 32 Points of Attributes using the Point Buy Calculator.
  • The characters have 40000 Exp, in case it matters for Racial Level Adjustment/buyoffs
  • A level-up might happen in the middle of the Dungeon, so having a plan for level 10 might come in handy.
• They each own 50k gold worth of equipment at market price (up to +3 enhancement boni on weapons/armor)
  • Here's a list of general Magic Item Prices
  • And here are some online tools to build specific Shields/Armors/Weapons
  • More specific item can be found in source books, particular in the Magic Item Compendium.
• Characters should be Dungeoneering Experts hired to clear the Tomb. I.e. they should be self-motivated to clear this Dungeon up to a point. Those motivations could be:
  • Treasure! Everyone loves coin, and the tomb is supposed to house a lot of it.
  • The thrill of conquering a legendary tomb (e.g. Barbarians, Warriors or Bards)
  • Hatred towards the undead and evil magic users like Acererak (e.g. Paladins, Cleric and Rangers)
• These motivations don't prevent the characters from giving up and running away if things get too risky, but they should be “battle-hardened” enough to make it past the first challenges.
• The Tomb of Horror is a challenge dungeon that focus on smart decision making to avoid traps. It is recommended to build characters that have a chance to survive dealing with the outcomes of wrong decisions (traps can be quite deadly and there's monsters too). DO NOT expect many deep RP opportunities.
• As a challenge dungeon, the DM's job is to be an impartial referee and your goal is the get as far as you can. Be warned that Gary Gygax (one of the original creators of D&D) had a weird sense of humor.
• Many characters have died in the Tomb, don't get too attached to yours >:)
• Allowed Sources:
  • Core Books (PHB, DMG)
  • PHB 2
  • Complete [X] Series
  • Races of [X] Series
  • Unearthed Arcana
  • Faerun Campaign Setting Books
  • Magic Item Compendium
  • Tome of Battle - Book of Nine Swords
  • (if you want a source beyond that, ask me for approval)
• Moderate cheese is allowed (e.g. exotic character races), but not something like the Leadership Feat. If you feel something might be game-breaking, just ask me.
• PreGen Characters are available on request
• Post your Character Ideas and plans here (i'll be adding some of my PreGen ideas)