Dungeon23 7/365: Levers & Kill Kittens

Room 7:

All doors to this room are locked with Lock #1. Unlike the rest of this level, which is carved into solid stone, this room's floor is covered in flagstones.

Four levers are set into a wall (roll each time to determine which wall; they shift).

The first lever is set with a four-leafed clover emblem in its handle. Roll 1d8 to determine the effect on the first character to pull it:

1. -4 to random stat
2. -3 to random stat
3. -2 to random stat
4. -1 to random stat
5. +1 to random stat
6. +2 to random stat
7. +3 to random stat
8. +4 to random stat

This lever disappears after the first time it is pulled, never to be seen again. If you think up a good idea for a lever, put it here with a 1/6 chance to appear each time the party enters the room.

The second lever is set with an arrow pointing down. If it is pulled, the entire room drops down to the second level. Pushing the lever up brings the room back up to the first level. The room only has enough energy for 1d4 level shifts before it must recharge for 2d4 turns.

The third lever is engraved with a skull. If it is pulled, a Stone Construct pulls itself out of the flagstone floor for each character (PC and NPC) in the room. They immediately attack. They will pursue the party throughout the dungeon, but will not leave the dungeon. 

If they are not all defeated the constructs re-set and this lever only appears on subsequent visits to the room with a 1/6 chance. If the constructs are all defeated this lever disappears, never to be seen again. It can also be replaced with a lever and effect of your choice which appears with a 1/6 chance.

Each construct leaves a hole containing a treasure chest. Each chest contains enough coin to bring the PC furthest from leveling up to the next level and then halfway to the next level.

The fourth lever is set with an emblem of a salamander. If pulled, a key eater box clatters to the floor. It is Lock #2.

If successfully opened (wait until then to keep yourself in suspense too), roll 1d6 to determine the contents:

1. A hairball. If burned, a flaming salamander emerges from the flames to attack a threat to the flame-setter. If a threat is present and obvious, the salamander attacks that; otherwise, it scuttles out of site and the party will discover its work in 2d4 encounters (the aftermath generally involves fire, ashes, and melted or burned things). The salamander is successful in dealing with the threat 4/6 of the time. The hairball radiates strong magic, but a sage will only be able to identify its function with a 1/4 chance – otherwise having no idea what it does or is; make a morale check to see if the sage makes something up or admits ignorance. 
2. Three of the teeth of Dahlver-Nar.
3. A full map of the fourth level – including secret doors. No room contents listed and nothing to indicate that this map is of the fourth level – or even a map of part of the dungeon.
4. A full Deck of Many Things. The big one.
5. A cursed Broach of the Salamander. Exquisite and worth 1d4 thousand gold. Any character wearing the Broach who receives damage bursts into magical, unquenchable flame which does 1d12 damage per round for 3d4 rounds, after which the curse is spent. Sages misidentify this as a broach which encourages enemies to attack others rather than the character wearing it 4/6 of the time. Per normal cursed items rules, the Broach – and any clothes it is pinned to – cannot be removed (without Remove Curse or similar) once it is worn.
6. Ten small pellets, each with the effect of a random potion. Easily identified by a sage. Except one, which will be identified incorrectly.

Random Encounter

Kill Kittens. For those unfamiliar with these devious Arduin monsters, they look exactly like kittens. One will seem to be alone and injured. When picked up, it injects poison through its claws and the rest of the pack comes out to feast.