F Human Cleric of Pharasma 8 - HP 67/67 - AC 25/T: 11/FF: 25 - Perception +17 - Fort: +9, Ref: +3, Will: +12 (+1 vs. Transmutation) - CMB: +7, CMD: 17 - Speed 20 - Init. +0
"Yes, that sounds prudent. I'll set up a rope, then we'll descend with the help of those potions." With that, Maddie looks for something secure in the area on which to tie her rope.
Quiven picks his way down to the bottom. As he steps down on the slate floor, though, his foot goes right through it as if there were nothing there. Fortunately, his reflexes are more than good enough that he's able to grab onto the wall again, and does not fall through the floor.
"Oh! Oh! I know what that is!" The very simple archer is pleased that he recognizes this particular magical effect despite his lack of smarts. "I seen this before. It's one a them, whaddaya call... illusions. Right?" He looks expectantly at Maddie and Rah.
Quiven maneuvers himself so that he can put his head through the illusory floor. On the other side is a complicated-looking iris portal, currently open (Quiven thinks it's what was controlled by the switch above), and below that a 10' square shaft descends into darkness. It's at least sixty feet deep.
ETA: Quiven, the walls of the shaft look pretty slick. You think that free-climbing it would be possible but difficult (DC 25).
F Human Cleric of Pharasma 8 - HP 67/67 - AC 25/T: 11/FF: 25 - Perception +17 - Fort: +9, Ref: +3, Will: +12 (+1 vs. Transmutation) - CMB: +7, CMD: 17 - Speed 20 - Init. +0
"I can cast an illumination spell on the stone if you wish to see the bottom first, unless you're worried about giving whatever is waiting for us there more warning." Maddie offers after Quiven briefs them on what he sees.
If there's no objections, Maddie will do as she suggests and cast Light on a rock and drop it down.
The stone drops through the illusion. Quiven watches it fall, lighting up more of the shaft, until it splashes into a puddle somewhere around ninety feet below. The light immediately becomes more diffuse before fading out altogether, suggesting that it fell into something relatively opaque.
It drifts down the shaft, eventually landing on a reflective surface and bobbing up and down. As noted above, it's about a ninety foot drop from the false floor to the water below.
I believe that given the weight limits for levitation potions, you'll only need three to get down--Quiven can carry Rah. That way, you'll have enough to get back up if there's no other way out.
You drift down the shaft. The upper part of it is of the same construction style as the baths above, but as you near the bottom it appears that the shaft broke into an older complex of tunnels. The walls are made of (or at least covered with) a greasy, organic-looking substance that resembles the dark, chitinous carapace of some deep-sea crustacean. The shaft terminates in a large, spherical chamber with strangely twisted, ribbed walls. The high, domed ceiling is supported by curving, bone-like structures, and the bottom of the chamber is flooded with stagnant seawater. The water comes up to about chest height on Maddie and Bogenschützen, and is well over the heads of the halflings.
There are three circular passages out of the room, but two have collapsed. It looks like the bottom may slope up, making the water in the only open passage perhaps shallower than what's here.
Since we're levitating, I'd prefer to stay as close to the ceiling of the room as is safe. Levitate is a 2nd level spell and the potion should have a duration of three minutes. Any of the other party members are more than smart enough to tell Bogenschützen when he should descend.
In character, the archer doesn't want to be chest-deep in water. It would get his bowstring wet. Yes, it's a magical bow. But he cannot get his mind past the fact that normal bowstrings, when wet, are less effective. That's the character...
It takes about five rounds to reach the bottom of the shaft, then a few more rounds to pick your way across the ceiling. Quiven, you think there may be something moving under the water. You have another two minutes of levitation remaining. And I'll get the map up shortly.
Bogenschützen, the poor fellow, keeps churning his legs in the air as though trying to run with all of his effort. "Less talk, more move," he gasps breathlessly as he drifts next to the ceiling. The archer does not enjoy the exposed heights.
You push and pull yourselves along the ceiling until you come to the edge of the water, just about the time the potions run out. As you alight in the puddles along the edge, however, Quiven notices that the water behind Maddie and Bogenschützen is mounding up in a frightening manner! Unfortunately, this triggers his nausea.
Two pseudopods of nearly-transparent ooze lash out at Maddie and Bogenschützen. The one on the cleric misses, but the archer is hit, and the pseudopod wraps solidly around his midsection. Where it touches, it leaves a sizzling trail. Bogenschützen, take 7 HP bludgeoning damage and 5 HP acid damage; also, you are grappled. What's the hardness of your armor?
DC 15 Knowledge (Dungeoneering) check:
These are gray oozes, mindless creatures that can corrode metal and wood that touches them, or that they touch.
Round 1:
Initiative order
Bogenschützen
Quiven
Oozes
Rah
Maddie
You push and pull yourselves along the ceiling until you come to the edge of the water, just about the time the potions run out.
(1) Are you saying that it took us two minutes to go about 80 or 90 feet? (15 squares with some diagonals thrown in.) I know that levitate doesn't allow for horizontal movement. However, at the rate you've assigned, we would have push-pulled ourselves along the ceiling at a speed slower than 5 feet per round. I recognize that this additional movement might not substantially alter this encounter. But, the "puddles" would have had to move to get at us, and we might have noticed that.
(2) Is the ooze attacking me or the armor? If it's attacking me, don't I get a reflex save to avoid acid damage to my armor from the slam? (Though, not the constrict.) Reflex Save, if allowed:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23
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- Move Action: Acrobatics check to move away from the oozes: (1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15, 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25) If those succeed, then I will move half speed through the one threatened square, and then move normal speed the rest of the way to travel a total of 25 feet of distance traveled.
- Free Action: "Yuck."
DM Carbide wrote:
What's the hardness of your armor?
My armor has a hardness of 4. Two hardness for being leather; two hardness for being +1. It has 15 HP.
Bogenschützen, you're right. Lateral movement under a levitation spell is half walking speed, so you do have some time left on the spell--with double moves it takes about five rounds to get from the shaft to the edge of the water, leaving you with fifteen rounds. OTOH, I figured you'd land as soon as you could, so as to be able to move faster and avoid getting caught out (attacks made when levitating destabilize you, so you take increasing penalties as you continue to attack). With your successful Reflex save, you manage to keep your armor from being damaged. The oozes, incidentally, tend to stay in the corridor, and could keep up with you in the water.
Maddie, you're pretty sure that they're hostile, but you're not sure whether they're elementals or oozes.
Round 1 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Bogenschützen-acted
Quiven-acted
Oozes-acted
Rah
Maddie
Bogenschützen breaks free and easily moves away from the oozes, denying them a chance to attack him. Quiven, you hit one of them, slicing through it easily. Its acidic secretions run off of your enchanted gladius. It has no discernible anatomy, though, so you can't tell if you hit a vital spot.
The oozes attack Maddie and Quiven; neither manage to strike for effect, though. Maddie and Rah, over to you!
Halfling arcanist 7 | AC 15 T 15 FF 12 | HP 45(55)/45 | F +6 R +7 W +7 | Init +2 | Perception +1
Knowledge Dungeoneering:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13
Rah has no knowledge of these creatures and little idea what might affect them. With few options she opens her mouth to rattle one with an ear-piercing scream then backs away.
Scream - Fort DC 16 for half damage:3d6 ⇒ (2, 6, 4) = 12
F Human Cleric of Pharasma 8 - HP 67/67 - AC 25/T: 11/FF: 25 - Perception +17 - Fort: +9, Ref: +3, Will: +12 (+1 vs. Transmutation) - CMB: +7, CMD: 17 - Speed 20 - Init. +0
Maddie steps away from the creatures to cast Spiritual Weapon, which creates a dagger composed of force that immediately tries to attack the damaged ooze.
Initiative order
Rah-acted
Maddie-acted
Bogenschützen-acted
Quiven-
Oozes-
The first pair of arrows (i.e., the Manyshot) splashes into the ooze and disperses its substance. The second and third shots tear through the remaining ooze, but it's still up and active. Quiven!
In the aftermath of the fight, Quiven notices several sets of still-damp footprints leading to and from the water's edge, and he and Maddie think they hear faint cries of pain from further down the hallway.
The noise gets louder as you move on. You round the corner to find a scene of carnage. The room is half-collapsed, and there are eight villagers here. All are wounded, entangled in nets and impaled with broken tridents. Blood pools on the ground, and the reek of it is strong in the air. The ones outlined in red are unconscious; the other three are barely conscious. As you come into view, they look up hopefully. "Help! The skum--our ancestors--they attacked without warning. Please save my wife!" One points to a dying woman.
