UPPER DUNGEONS LEVEL 3A SALT MERE 63 THE MAN WHO IS A CLAM.

63 THE MAN WHO IS A CLAM. This room takes up all the ground level of the Black Tower. It is brightly lit by torches and there are no windows. A strange figure sits at the table to the east, facing the door. He appears to be human, except for a head shaped like a great gray clam with two googly eyes.

The Man Who Is A Clam, Lawful Neutral male (human?) Monk (AC 5; MV 21”; Mo7; hp 24; #AT 3/2; D 3-9; S 15, I 15, W 15, D 15, C 15, CH 6; SA Surprise on 22 in 100, chance to stun or kill; SD Dodge, mask the mind, immune to disease, immune to haste and slow, feign death, heal 2-5 hit points once per day; XP 1165)

Thief skills: OL 52% F/RT 50% MS 55% HS 43% HN 25% CW 94%

On the table in front of him are three clam shells and a placard that reads “1 game 100 gold crescents”. He cannot talk but will gesture to invite adventurers to play a shell game with him.

The Man Who Is A Clam has been cursed into this shape, granted temporary immunity to aging, and doomed to play a shell game with whoever passes by until he wins 1000 games (he is currently at 989). The Man Who Is A Clam has hands that are so fast and fluid and he is so tricky from past experience that participants only have a 1 in 6 chance of winning unless they cheat.

Each time he wins he the 100 gold crescents will vanish, but each time he loses he will hand over a black pearl (500 gold crescent base value). These pearls are supplied by the curse.

He wears a loose threadbare robe. He has a clam shucking knife (treat as dagger) which does +4 to damage due to his monk bonus, but he can only use it once per round, unlike his open hand damage as provided in the above stats. He also has a set of thieves' tools. A pile of discarded clam shells is on the floor next to him, as they provide his primary means of sustenance.

The Man Who Is A Clam will never seek to attack, since he only wants to win games and free himself from the curse. If he is attacked and killed, the person who performed the killing blow will fall under this curse unless they save versus spells at -10. Once under the curse the doomed one cannot lose on purpose and must win 1000 games. Naturally, the Dungeon Master is free to allow other means to end such as curse, as he or she chooses for the campaign.

If The Man Who Is A Clam is freed from the curse he will take up his wandering monk lifestyle again. It has been so long since he was cursed that he no longer remembers his name.