I — Caves of the Minotaur
I — Caves of the Minotaur
This labyrinth houses a number of nasty things, but the worst is a fiendishly clever minotaur who abides herein. Immediately upon entering the place, adventurers will feel slightly dizzy the effects of a powerful spell which will cause them to lose all sense of direction.
The minotaur will agree to help the bugbears against invaders at the cost of one human slave every three days of service - of course, the slave is eaten in that period. The minotaur keeps only the choicest of treasures, tossing unwanted loot to whomever happens to find it at the mouth of the labyrinth.
GM notes
(DM Notes: You may allow players to find a few low-value coins, normal equipment, weapons, or armor at the entrance. After 30’ past the cave mouth, a spell of direction confusion (a special spell) will begin to function, so start to misdirect them by naming incorrect directions, i.e. southeast instead of northeast, east instead of west, etc. Don’t worry about calling the same passage as a different direction should they travel over the same route twice - that’s the effect of the magic on them. You may wish to allow the mapping character a secret saving throw every couple of turns, a 19 or 20 indicating that the effect has been thrown off.)
Source: B2, PDF page 25. Original mechanics retained.
Direction-Confusion Field — Minotaur Labyrinth
Original Basic D&D — B2
A special spell makes explorers feel dizzy and lose their sense of direction.
Location: Begins 30 feet past the cave I entrance and affects exploration of the labyrinth.
Trigger: Entering the area where the special spell operates.
Checks, rolls and results
| When | Roll / condition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Explorers enter the affected area | Automatic; no initial roll stated | They lose direction; the GM gives incorrect compass directions. |
| Optional secret check for the mapping character every couple of turns | 1d20; 19 or 20 | On 19 or 20, that character throws off the effect. Other results do not remove it. |
Running the trap
- The secret check is optional in the source, not a mandatory check for everyone.
- Directions can change even when the same passage is traversed again.
Not specified in the source
- No spell level, class-based save category, range limit or dispelling procedure is supplied.
Source passage
Immediately upon entering the place, adventurers will feel slightly dizzy the effects of a powerful spell which will cause them to lose all sense of direction. After 30’ past the cave mouth, a spell of direction confusion (a special spell) will begin to function, so start to misdirect them by naming incorrect directions, i.e. southeast instead of northeast, east instead of west, etc. Don’t worry about calling the same passage as a different direction should they travel over the same route twice - that’s the effect of the magic on them. You may wish to allow the mapping character a secret saving throw every couple of turns, a 19 or 20 indicating that the effect has been thrown off.)
Source: I — Caves of the Minotaur. Original narrative retained. Low-face d6/d100 results in this table are a notation for the stated chances, not new detection or save rules.