13. Trophy Room

This is the lair of Macau and a swarm of intellect devourer progeny.

This room is filled with a dazzling array of creatures, weapons and other treasures of the Ancients. Dragon-like creature hangs from the roof, while alien monstrosities are posed in the middle of battle against brave humans, some of who stand 8 feet tall, arrayed in battle armor.

Macau is the "Griffon of the Commonlands" monster for Luna Castellum (ie, Macau is a much higher level monster than the depth/area would normally allow/have).  He can be found, via random encounters, on any depth lower than 13.  He likes to troll lower level PCs.
This is Macau's lair; he has several creatures he can brain-possess until he is cornered and killed (his devour intellect and body thief ability automatically work on these trophies, which have already been reduced to 0 INT but remain alive in stasis). He will always use the Kyrum/Dragon option first, then roll randomly:

• A dragon-like creature known as a kyrum. If this has already been defeated (for example, via a random encounter), pick a random dragon from DND Beyond with a CR 15 (example). Use a die to determine the page and then a 1d20 to determine the exact type. Let the PCs roll; it's more fun. I like to use the Vortex Dragon, Adult for at least one of these encounters.

1. Sister of Battle
2. Mindflayer Psyker
3. Gloomium-Chrome Hulk
4. A core worm spawn

Macau, Paragon Intellect Devourer is a complex boss fight. Initially, Macau will take over the kyurem, which is a 3-phase boss fight - White Kyurem, Blue Kyurem, and Black Kyurem. If forced out of his kyurem (his preferred host), he will switch to the next available creature, which is a space marine or potentially a PC. This will take 1 round to do, during which he is vulnerable to attack and will use his actions to co-opt another host. He will still have his legendary actions, which he can use during the round he is without a host.
As I am using the "Birdcage" from the Dark Souls boardgame as the battle map, Macau can move three circles and take an action. See the sidebar for the initial setup. The Dark Souls boardgames maps actually work quite well as an in-between state of square-by-square tactical combat and completely abstract theatre of the mind.

Legendary & Lair Actions

Macau gains the legendary and lair actions of the creature he is pueptering. If the creature has neither, he uses his own. While within his lair Macau gains a new legendary action:

• Mazed! Macau casts the maze spell. If this action is resisted, it automatically recharges and he regains his legendary action back.

He also has a 1d4 timer active, every time the timer reaches 1 at the start of Macau's turn 1d4+1 intellect devourers will join the battle. Each time this even is triggered the next time the timer is rolled it has a -1 applied. The -1 is cumulative.

Treasure

Maukui has spent so long wearing dragon skins he has become a hoarder. He has amassed the following treasures:

• 4,200 (12d6 × 100) cp
• 14,000 (4d6 × 1,000) sp
• 28,000 (8d6 × 1,000) gp
• 3,500 (10d6 × 100) pp
• 7 (2d6) mundane items
• • (1d10+1, PCs can roll) nanite canister (currency for the cybernetics machine or 1d8*1,000gp worth of robot parts).
  • A painting by an artist long forgotten by everyone except the dragon (690gp).
  • A hogshead (large cask) containing 65 gallons of clean and pure drinking water (distilled water may be sold to a wizard, alchemist or perhaps a nature-loving druid or fey (due to its purity) for 110gp).
  • Several embroidered throw pillows depicting wyrm­ling void dragons (62gp as a set).
  • An alien funerary urn made of ivory containing remains the dragon can’t identify (500gp).
  • The seven jade candlesticks bear UNITY’s holy symbol (750gp).
  • A stuffed Grendalspawn Queen (PCs should be terrified that Maukui would "wear" this creature, but he can not) (250gp, double that to a taxidermist due to its fine craftmanship).
• 21 (6d6) assorted gems worth 10,200gp (2x 10gp malachite, 4x 50gp white agate, 3x100gp common opals, 5x500gp violet and green garnets, 7x1,000gp black opals).
• 10 (3d6) art objects
  • Mastercrafted Thule-alloy combat knife (treat as adamantium and cold iron) (7,500gp),
  • Golden-Adamantine Aquilla (Imperial Cult Icon) (3,500gp),
  • Box of a dozen matchsticks that, when burned, release puffs of lingering smoke that take on the shapes of faces, creatures, or other things (1,000gp),
  • A luxurious mahogany chair gilded with mithril that can be stored in an extradimensional space when activated (5,000gp),
  • A plain green cape that billows as if blown by the wind when worn, even in still air (100gp).
  • Jar of sixteen seeds; when planted, each seed grows into a daffodil made of gold in six months. Seeds are worth whatever the PCs can get for them, but if left to grow, each daffodil is worth 1,000gp,
  • Five silver-platinum metallic plates that orbit around your head and display ever-changing, unknown symbols (750gp as a set),
  • Ivory and silver Egg-shaped metallic bauble that occasionally spins and speaks in a language no one knows (750gp),
  • Oilskin cloth duster and hat that fit perfectly and never seem to get dirty but are always chilly (280gp),
  • Small jar of black paint that refills itself each day; this unto itself would be a treasure for a house painter, but the jar itself is made from gleaming gear-gems and a mix of platinum and skymetal (15,000gp).
• 4 (1d8) magic items:
  • Adepta Sororitas Power Armour with Sabbat Pattern Sororitas Helm. (sized for Medium female-only battlesuit (Arcana of the Ancients, pg. 55), can be modified. If the helm is worn, it protects the head from targeted attacks (16,000gp/1,750xp))
  • Mastercrafted Godwyn-De’Az Pattern Bolter (magic weapon, range 50/150 ft., 2d8+1 piercing damage. On a critical hit, the weapon does an additional 3d6 holy damage (fire/radiant) damage to the target and all creatures within a five-foot sphere. You can double the depletion range of the weapon to gain an additional 2d8+1 piercing damage. You can do this up to six times, at which point it automatically depletes after the attack is made - hit or miss (1,000gp/250xp)),
  • Potion of fire giant strength (7,750gp/775xp),
  • Horseshoes of speed (700gp/500xp),
  • Wondrous Figurine - Hamster Prestidigitator Pistachio! This very rare wondrous magic item summons a 1-foot-tall anthropomorphic hamster magic user. The hamster will cast one memorised spell. By default, he comes with magic missile. Another spell may be stored in Pistachio at the owner's discretion so long as the owner can cast that spell and sacrifices its use for a day. The catch with Pistachio is that he uses DCC magic-user spells (pg. 127 of the core rulebook) and only can store those types of spells. He has +5 to his spell check and can be summoned as many times a day as he has spells (currently only 1) (2,500/250xp).
  • Immortal Joe's Chrome Mask (image). This wondrous magic item provides resistance to airborne toxins. It allows creatures to vocalise their thoughts even if they don't have tongues or the ability to speak - though the voice sounds metallic and inhuman. The item also grants a permanent comprehend languages spell to the attuned owner. If the PC ever does anything heroic or suicidal the mask will yell "Witness Me!" or "Valhalla, I am coming!" or similar. If another PC in the party gives an appropriate response ("Witnessed!"), then the attuned PC has advantage on whatever heroic feat he is attempting (5,000gp/500xp).
  • Ring of falling upwards (flying, as the spell, 7,500gp/750xp).
  • Longsword sword +1, Flame Tongue, +2 vs regenerating creatures, +3 vs cold-using, inflammable of avian creatures, +4 vs undead. The sword is old and nearly sentient; if it is merged with another weapon or improved somehow, it will become sentient. Her name is BMO and is ever optimisticNG sentient sword who wants to be a hero (4,500gp/900xp).
  • Salamander necklace called Pitengo. When the command word is spoken, Pitengo appears and acts as a familiar to the attuned user for 1 hour.
  • A void shield. Acts as a globe of invulnerability that can be activated 1/day as a bonus action (800gp/600xp), a scroll of protection (300gp/100xp).
  • Kwalish's Apprentice #42's lost spell book (link).
  • Cujo's Collar. This magic collar grants an animal +1 to hit and damage and makes the creature's natural attacks magical (1,000gp/250xp).
  • Pouch of holding. Created from the same azure-blue silk material the eldar used for their rare clothes and magic items (10 slots, 25,500gp/8,500gp).
  • A matched set of gauss pistols with the military insignia of a naval officer. Gauss pistols do 2d6 piercing damage and have a range of 40/120. Gauss pistols are designed to shoot anything so any kind of ammo can be used with the pistol, even scrap metal. All gauss weapons ignore resistance to piercing, and reduces immunity to resistance. Because of their versatility, they only have advantage on depletion rolls.