Mesmerizing Wall Forms — Temple Alarm
Mesmerizing Wall Forms — Temple Alarm
Original Basic D&D — B2
Shapeless colored forms dancing on the western wall can mesmerize onlookers into chanting a hymn to chaotic evil.
Location: Western wall of the Temple of Evil Chaos, area 58.
Trigger: Looking at the forms for more than a moment.
Checks, rolls and results
| When | Roll / condition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| A person looks for more than a moment | Original save versus Spells | Failure mesmerizes that person into chanting. |
| At least one voice chants | Automatic | Alerts the head cleric’s guards. |
| Three or more voices chant | Automatic | The iron bell sounds by magic. |
| After entry into the temple, even if the party is quiet | Fixed: 3 rounds | Zombie guards enter after three rounds. |
Running the trap
- The black candles light magically on entry.
- The undead warriors in area 57 respond to the temple bell; their quantities remain in their existing monster blocks.
Not specified in the source
- No extra damage, mesmerism duration, escape check or modern difficulty number is specified.
Source passage
As soon as the party enters the place, black candles in eight great candelabras on either side of the place will come alight magically, shooting forth a disgusting red radiance. Shapeless forms of purple, yellow and green will dance and sway on the western wall, and if anyone looks at them for more than a moment, they must save versus Spells or be mesmerized into chanting a hymn to chaotic evil. Should three or more voices be so raised, the iron bell will sound automatically by magic, but even one such chant will alert the guards of the head cleric (see below). Zombie guards will enter here in 3 rounds after entry, even if the party is quiet.
Source: 58 — Temple of Evil Chaos. Original narrative retained. Low-face d6/d100 results in this table are a notation for the stated chances, not new detection or save rules.