DM Rah's Thornkeep - "Part 2 - The Forgotten Laboratory" (Inactive)

Game Master Kobash

Ayaki will pop a sunrod,

"Lashlo-San. Like you I also find traps, would you like me to lead the way? I need someone to hold this for sunrod for me, would someone do me the honor."

A look of sadness crosses his beaked face

"All of my weapons require two talons."

How about marching order of Ayaki, Barlor, Laszlo, Maddie, Pai, and Turg with Snave?

Being sure to not make the mistake she did in the last mission that almost proved fatal, Pai cast Mage Armor, increasing her defenses. She did this as soon as the dungeon entrance was breached by the tengu.

Snave is being unsummoned. I'll take that spot and have darkvision 60

Sounds good to me. I have darkvision.

Maddie casts a spell and the buckler on her arm illuminates the surrounding area with magical light.

”This is quite an diverse group they've put together this time. I wonder if there is some sort of method to their madness.” She wonders quietly to herself, taking her place in the suggested marching order and readying her crossbow.

Casting Light as described above.

Pai has low light vision, so the light spell of Maddie should be fine.

The narrow staircase ends in a short corridor leading to a large chamber, the center of which is dominated by a pool of stagnant water. An oily sheen covers most of pool, causing it to reflect a multitude of colors onto the walls and ceiling. The only light in this room emanates from a faintly glowing orb attached to the ceiling, and an acrid stench wafts heavily in the air. There is a simple wooden door in the eastern wall, and a set of ornate stone double doors to the south flanked by a pair of sandstone statues.

Though at first it seems merely a mundane puddle, the oily sheen reveals itself to be more as a terrible pseudopod emerges slowly from the pool, extending towards Ayaki.

PERCEPTION - Only the first two in the marching order have a chance to spot the danger.
Barlor: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22 Not surprised
Ayaki: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23 Not surprised

Ayaki - Knowledge Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 no information

SURPRISE ROUND (Barlor and Ayaki only)
Ayaki <=Up
Barlor <=Up
Ooze

The game map is linked at the the top and should be editable by players so you can move your own token. If you can't, let me know and I'll move it for you.

Forgotten Lab Features:
Most of the rooms in the Forgotten Laboratory have 20-foot high ceilings, and unless otherwise stated, all the entrances to chambers in this level are simple wooden doors. Lighting is virtually nonexistent except where otherwise noted.

Surprise Round

Free
Free
Standard

Trying to fill his new roll, as front line fighter, Ayaki drops his torch, and quick draws his greatsword, 5 ft steps and attacks the ooze.

Attack 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
Damage 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (5, 6) + 5 = 16

Barlor and Ing? rush into the room to help, but see that Ayaki Lordzum? has started without them.

Not sure an ooze can be flat-footed per se, but I would imagine it would count for AoOs. If not, then Barlor provokes one, then Ing provokes two, assuming Ing goes with Barlor. If not, we can roll his perception and/or init separately.

Ing follows Barlor's instructions, regardless of most circumstances. Regardin the ooze - with blindsight of 60' the ooze knew you were coming a while ago, so it's not flat footed. It just didn't try to attack until someone got next to the pool.

Ayaki's greatsword slices the pseudopod clean off, sending it splattering back into the pool. A residue of slime sizzles on his blade, leaving discolored marks but not really damaging the weapon. As Barlor stomps by another pseudopod forms and whips around his leg, and squeezing with crushing force and burning him with it's acidic coating. Ing squeals. In a sudden surge the ooze nearly engulfs Barlor, and the dwarves eyes roll up as he falls unconscious in its grasp. 17 crushing damage, 11 acid damage. Barlor is at -4 HP.

INITIATIVE - Round 1
Ayaki <=Up
Barlor (-4 HP, make a stabilization check)
Ooze
László
Pai
Maddie
Turg

AAAhhhhh! I've been oozed!
Stabilize (DC 14?): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
That should do it.

Was Barlor directing Ing to attack or just telling him to follow? If he was going to attack, then Ing can still do so.

Round 1:

Is this what my last group ran from?

Seeing his ally fall to the ooze, Ayaki yells in his native tongue and power attacks the jello monster.

"ゼリーの死"

Attack 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
damage 2d6 + 9 ⇒ (1, 6) + 9 = 16

Oh yeah bite attack as well. Ayaki prefers green jello BTW.

Bite attack 1d20 ⇒ 20
Damage 1d3 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Confirm Crit
Bite attack 1d20 ⇒ 15
Damage 1d3 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

The ooze is not susceptible to critical hits. However, I think Ayaki does a little more damage with power attack. At +4 base attack he should be at -2 attack +4 damage (+6 with 2-handed weapons). Correct?

Ayaki cuts a big slice away from the blob, splattering the wall with goo. His weapon steams, but resists the acidic slime. His beak, however, proves less resistant when he snaps up a big mouthful. 1 acid damage

Ing attempts to aid his master, goring at the blob and burning his snout in the process. 4 acid damage

The slimy blob oozes off Barlor's crushed and burned body, leaving his clothes ruined and a few small holes in his hide armor. Clothes effectively destroyed. 5 acid damage to armor The blob then lunges at Ayaki, but the ranger evades it.

INITIATIVE - Round 1
Ayaki
Barlor (-4 HP stable) and Ing
Ooze
László <=Up
Pai <=Up
Maddie <=Up
Turg <=Up

The ooze is not susceptible to critical hits. However, I think Ayaki does a little more damage with power attack. At +4 base attack he should be at -2 attack +4 damage (+6 with 2-handed weapons). Correct?

You are correct about the power attack and the greatsword, and I failed my roll to determine whether or not it could be "critted".

Round 1:

László sidesteps into the room and puts an arrow into the amorphous creature.

Arrow to ooze, incl. PBS: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 5 + 1 = 22
Damage to ooze, incl. PBS: 1d8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 + 1 = 10

László's arrow rips right through the center of the ooze and out the back, clattering against the far wall. For a moment the ooze trembles, then bursts, collapsing back into the pool of sludge.

Nice shot. Combat over.

Turg moves up, as if she had some big summoning post planned Read: typed up, but barely catches a glimpse of the ooze as it splatters. Realizing her soldiers are unneeded yet, she moves into the room and catches an also unneeded glimpse of the only-armored dwarf. "Ugh, I'll admit that in some cases natural isn't the way to be... She closes her eyes and meditates some. Should a minute pass, she'll have Snave do a search (+17) and then immediately banish him again.

Maddie rushes into the room after hearing the sounds of combat, but instead of a fight, she just finds a big mess. ”That was fairly quick.” She then looks at the unconscious dwarf, ”And brutal.”

She pulls out her wand of Cure Light Wounds, using it to bring Barlor back to consciousness.

WCLW Barlor (32 charges left): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Barlor sits up, head throbbing, his entire body feeling like it's still being eaten. "Whu... what in Desna's blue hell was that?" Looking down upon himself, he realizes he is now one step closer to being in communion with the wind. "Anyone have some pants er somethin'?"

"Ah, my friend, what did that creature do to you?"

The Varisian draws a wand of his own and applies some curing to the fallen dwarf.

CLW wand, 49 charges left: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Is Turg having Snave search the whole room, including the yucky pool?

Oh, yes. He is here to serve, hence his misspelled* name.

*His name was originally "Slave", but Turg is bad at paperwork which leads to misspelled outsider named in Cheliax.

"Thanks Lasz, I'll get it from here." Barlor pulls out his wand of CLW and begins waving it around.
CLW for Ing: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
Much better. But how does this clothes thing work?

Pai runs into the room brandishing her wand, and immediately spies the half naked Barlor. She looks away as fast as possible. "Gee, Barlor, I never quite expected to see you au natural in the middle of a dungeon. That's a new way to adventure, I must admit."

”It's a relief to see that I'm not the only one with a healing wand. Last time I was part of a subterranean exploration team, we were able to talk ourselves out of most conflicts. I had figured that we wouldn't be so lucky this time. In any event, do we need to return to the surface to get you some pants?” She asks Barlor.

Ayaki picks up the sunrod he dropped on the floor

"I have a curing wand as well. Thank you for your help friend Barlor, your sacrifice enable Lashlo-San to dispatch the ooze."

Regarding Barlor's pants - you can return to Thornkeep any time you wish as there is no time limit for delving the Forgotten Lab, but he does have enough rags left to form a shabby loincloth for modesty.

Or he could be a real druid and go full nude.

While Barlor's wounds and nakedness are tended to, Turg summons Snave back into being and sends the creature searching about the room.

Snave shambles about, its tendrils caressing the stone floor and walls as it circles the chamber. Ing follows, not quite sure what to make of Turg's eidolon. When Snave gets back to Turg it hesitates at the edge of the pool, a miserable "poor me" look upon its crumpled plant-face. If a plant could sigh, Snave would, its form seeming to slump as it turns to the pool, then falls over into the sludge within.

Eddies swirl as Snave moves beneath the surface. Ing sniffs and grunts at the edge, occasionally looking up at Barlor. About a minute later, stained black from the sludge, Snave drags itself from the pool, coughs a gob of black slime at Turg's feet, and holds something aloft in a tentacle.

After a quick cleaning it is revealed to be a pearl set within a stone disc.

"Aww Snave, you did wonderfully!". Pai detects magic to see if the pearl had any innate abilities.

You're not sure Pai, but you think Snave might have smiled. It's hard to tell through all the slime.

Examining the stone and pearl item, Pai discovers that it is indeed magical. However, she's unable to glean any abilities it might have.

Pai Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

In case the map isn't clear, there are double-doors to the south and a small door to the east.

"Might I try?" Maddie asks Pai, after the wizard is unable to discern the pearl/stone item.

Spellcraft with Detect Magic: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

"No idea." She admits glumly. "Shall we move forward?"

Snave speaks up through the muck. "Th-thank yo--"

With a quick gesture, Snave disappears. "Yes, good job and all that. Back to buisness." Turg also looks at the object.

Spellcraft w/ Detect Magic: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

While the other party members are playing with the pearl, Ayaki inspects the double doors for traps, then listens to see what is on the other side.

Traps Perception 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

Listen Perception 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

+2 if humans are on the other side.

Pai shakes her head at the seemingly cruel nature of the other gnome. Why is she so mean to him the Mage wonders as she gets backc in marching order.

Turg responds to the disapproving head-shaking. "What? If I'd tell him that 'good job, guy' stuff all the time, he'd just get complacent. I mean, you strive for the top when you're the bottom, right?"

Turg you are doing a fantastic job playing up the survival of the fittest Fey aspect of your gnome. I am loving the interaction between Pai and him.

"He might get complacent, but then again, with a bit of a compliment and encouragement here and there, he might work even harder to earn more approval from you. If he sees you are proud of him, I'd bet he'd do anything under the sun for you.". Pai doubted shed have much luck changing the summoner's dour disposition toward her servant, but that had never stopped her before.

Ayaki believes the door is safe from traps and hears nothing beyond them.

"He just swam through muck and coughed up a magic rock for me without any of these false niceties you're suggesting. Why change what works?"

addressing the group, and pointing to the double doors

"Comrades, I believe this way is safe for the time being."

These gnomes enjoy arguing.

"I'd want someone who might have to step in front of a sword for me to like me. I'd hope he might move a little faster if he cares whether I live or die," Pai shrugs.

Neither Pai nor Turg are able to identify the pearl and stone, though Turg is able to tell that it's crafted with strong transmutation magic.

"If everybody's done gawkin' and arguin' about how ta treat some exraplanar tree stump, figure we ought to get movin' along." Barlor suggests as he strides forward proudly with Ing at his heels.

"Thank you comrade dwarf, I will open the doors now."

"I'd want someone who might have to step in front of a sword for me to like me. I'd hope he might move a little faster if he cares whether I live or die,"

"Believe you me, that's happened before, and I don't think that Snave's opinion really mattered that time." The gnome shudders. "Ugh, accursed gobs."

"By the by, this stone is what scholars would call a Stone of Very Strong Transmutation. Nobody's quite figured out what it does yet, but it's likely to change things into other things," Turg states, clearly not attempting to save face. "Though I concur. Let's press forward."