I am prepping for my next campaign – Out of the Abyss – and the adventure path clearly has a touch of whimsy with more than a passing resemblance to Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland. They even say as much in the preface. So I went back and read the two 1e adventures that are much more directly inspired (actually set in) wonderland – Dungeonland and The Land Behind the Magic Mirror. I picked up some of the encounters in those adventures and decided to convert them for Out of the Abyss. Since Out of the Abyss uses a lot of random tables these should be easy to insert.
Enjoy!
ONYX FOUNTAIN AND POOL
A statue of a large, human-like form rises from the pool. It carries a dolphin in each arm, and four seahorses surround the statue. The dolphins and seahorses all spurt jets of water from their mouths, the former upwards about 10’, the latter outwards about half that distance. The pool is lozenge-shaped, about 20’ in width and 30’ long. There are water lilies growing in the pool, and gold-colored fish swimming among their stems.
Grassy turf and rows of nodding flowers lie between you and the fountain. Low shrubs decorate the edge of the raised onyx pool basin.
There is nothing unusual here, and none of the plants or fish are dangerous or valuable. This is simply a time-wasting area.
The fact that flowers grow here is unusual and implies the use of magic. You should detail flowers if asked—asters, four o’clocks, gladiolas, or whatever you fancy. If detect magic is employed, the water of the pool radiates a faint dweomer. That is because it is kept magically cool, clean, and fresh—nice and refreshing for thirst quenching.
Evil creatures avoid the fountain – though it is not proof against them if being pursued – and is considered a safe place to rest for many of the civilised races of the Underdark. You can roll on an appropriate random encounter table and any non-hostile encounter can occur here.