DM Valkur's Age of Worms

Game Master Valkur

Channel 1d6 ⇒ 2

Get out of there guys. So we can cook this off

Hmm you could be right about the weapons against diminutive swarms. I thought it was only Piercing and Slashing weapons that swarms were immune to. It has been years since I've used a swarm. I will double check.

Swarms are a bit nastier in pf not sure we can kill this thing...

Hmm you could be right about the weapons against diminutive swarms. I thought it was only Piercing and Slashing weapons that swarms were immune to. It has been years since I've used a swarm. I will double check.

When I went and checked the rules so that I could try to do this right, I saw that for the 3 sizes of critters which could make up a swarm only the largest could be hurt by weapons, and then only bashing weapons. Both of the other sizes are basically immune to weapon damage. Diminutive is the middle size. Sucks, but it is what it is. We try to figure it out and keep going!

Haa helps if I read the entire entry, you are correct Sir! As a side note I need unpack my Pathfinder books, I for some reason packed them this weekend as I prepare to move.

Tessa still needs to take an action.

But so far:
The beetles are covered in oil.
Ralafas channeled for 2 HP.
Thalin is distracting the beetles.
Queslin is retriving acid from Thalin's pack.
Kyle moved out of the way and is nauseated.

Yep, Diminuitive swarms are nasty. This is a mean thing to throw at fresh, out of the box ickle-firsties!

"Lighting fire!", Tessa shouts as she moves towards the beetles, scratching the flint along the steel to create sparks. She spins to the Suloise priest. "Use the torch! Burn them!"

They weren't that bad in 3.5 just took half damage or something iirc not immune lol.

Round 3
Init Order

Beetle Swarm 18
Queslin 20
Ralafas 14
Kyle 12
Thalin 11
Tessa 2

No Map Update

Round 3

Beetle Swarm Round 3 Action
Area Damage attack to Thalin, automatic hits

Thalin: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Thalin(acid): 1d4 ⇒ 3
Thalin(nauseated save): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Thalin takes 6 points of damage.

Rest of the party is up.

Yeah swarms are way nastier in PF. I'll make sure to use them in my home game. !

The dwarf backs out of the swarm, again, but stops swinging his flail.

"Hurry op 'n' gi' t'e acid! Aye cannae take moch more o' t'is!"

14-4+2-6 is 6 HP left.

Queslin should have the acid now.
Queslin quickly dashes the vial of acid on the ground amid the swarm of insects.
Acid Flask: splash
to hit 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 to hurt 1d6 ⇒ 1

Murmurs a prayer to WeJas and takes a few steps back to channel excluding the swarm.

1d6 ⇒ 4

Kyle riffles through his backpack and removes another flask of oil, rigging up a wick.

Oil: A pint of oil burns for 6 hours in a lantern or lamp. You can also use a flask of oil as a splash weapon. Use the rules for alchemist's fire (see Special Substances and Items on Table: Goods and Services), except that it takes a full-round action to prepare a flask with a fuse. Once it is thrown, there is a 50% chance of the flask igniting successfully.

You can pour a pint of oil on the ground to cover an area 5 feet square, provided that the surface is smooth. If lit, the oil burns for 2 rounds and deals 1d3 points of fire damage to each creature in the area.

So, when Tessa lit the fire last round, it should have done 1d3 damage, and it should do another 1d3 this round.

"Might need to run!", Tessa cries, rushing back to fetch her axe. "No more fire here!"

Round 2 Fire Damage
Fire: 1d3 ⇒ 3

Round 3 Fire Damage
Fire: 1d3 ⇒ 3

Beetles take 1 point of Acid damage.

7 points of damage total. Swarm is damaged.

Round 4

Init Order

Beetle Swarm 18
Queslin 17
Ralafas 14
Kyle 12
Thalin 11
Tessa 2

No Map Update

Round 4

Beetle Swarm Round 4 Action

The swarm starts moving towards the retreating Thalin and Queslin

Party is up.

Retreat myself try to get in postion where I can channel for the guys next rd.

Run away.

Kyle throws the flask and retreats 30'.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19 ranged touch attack.
1d6 ⇒ 3 Fire damage

"Aye'm oot. Go' nut'in' else ta hur' t'e buggers."

The dwarf keeps falling back, moving away from the swarm.

Last channel puts me at 10 HP out of 14.

"Same here," Tessa replies, already backing out of the sepulcher. "Retreat!"

Falls back with the party.

Kyle's flask flies true and strikes the beetle swarm, killing the last of them.

End of combat.

"Ye of little faith." Kyle smiles, then throws up again. He wipes his mouth "Shouldn'ta had that second helping of breakfast."

Kyle rummages through his pack, unpacking two more pints of oil. "Gonna go climb down that rope now, see if the bugs were hiding anything useful."

"Glad t'at's o'er! Bugs wouldn' keep anyt'in' good. Don' know 'nuff." He gathers his things back together, trying to get ready for whatever happens next. I hope there's not more of them down there . . ..

"That was the most frightening thing I have ever come across."

Tessa stops short as the crawling mass of insects suddenly scatters from Kyle's makeshift firebomb. She returns to the chamber, and sets about stamping what few bugs remain, affording Kyle a rare toothy smile. "Nice job," she says.

Kyle smiles broadly, reddening slightly around the ears. "Thanks, Tessa. Really, well done everyone. I know bugs don't collect things on their own, but they also don't eat most of what I'd call valuables. Maybe some poor victim left something in their trail. Worth looking into, way I figure it."

1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 5 - 2 = 22 Climb check to get down the rope.

Takes a beetle as a sample. And then watches Kyle climb down. Be careful Kyle.

Kyle you descend deeper into the complex without to much issue. At the bottom of the shaft lies a chamber.

The chamber has dozen of bas-relief figures similar to the one on the sarcophagus lid in the room above3 stare disapprovingly from the walls here. Many sport crossed arms and stern expressions. A few of the statues' heads are missing, and some have huge chunks torn out of them. Others have a weird melted appearance, as if they have been sprayed with something terrible. A large glyph that looks like a stylized arrow points down a short corridor to the north that leads to a four way intersection.

"Are you ok down there? Any more bugs?"

"So, do we follow 'im? Si' 'ere 'n' wai'? Whu?"

I think we should wait a few moments.

"There's a passage down here, and a crossways. Looks like someone's been down here, the statues down here have been poorly looted. And there's some kind of strange damage to some of them." Kyle looks a little closer at the strange scarring.

Kyle Perception

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Kyle it looks like to you the damage on the statues was caused by acid, probably from the beetles.

"Beetles musta been really hungry to eat you, ugly." Kyle mutters to the stone man. He calls back up. "Definitely looks like someplace we should explore if you think you can climb down. If you want, you could pull the rope back up and tie some knots in it for handholds. Just don't let pointy convince you to pull it up and walk away." he chuckles.

Looks to the others. It could be worth exploring. But if we face much more this day we will need to pull back. I am low on spells.

"Surely those bugs have eaten any monsters that may have been down there. We only need worry about any traps." Queslin climbs down with Kyle.

Pulls the rope up and knots it carefully. Then takes 10 climbing down.

Should have made a climb check too.
Climb 1d20 - 2 + 5 ⇒ (11) - 2 + 5 = 14 aid with rope.

Everybody is in the chamber at the bottom.

Knowledge history and relgion on the statues.

1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

I appreciate the gimme, but I gotta describe it . . ..

As the others climb down the knotted rope, the dwarf looks at it with concern clearly written across his face. He buckles his shield across his back and secures his flail and other gear while waiting for the others to show him just how easy this is supposed to be. "Go on! Aye'll be doown inna bi'."

After the others have all reached the bottom, he calls out "Move aside! T'is'll be QUICK!" Thalin grabs the rope, turning the bottom of his Skyrt to the waiting crowd below, displaying more than they probably wanted to know, and starts to hand-over-hand walk down the rubble slope to the area below.

The surprise on his face when he reaches the bottom without any major mishaps, or even serious slippage, is obvious. "Well, whadda ye know?"

"Not to look up," Tessa replies simply.

"Looks like someone didn't like what they saw." Queslin scouts down the hall 30'.

Thalin, nice description!

Queslin, you scout down the hall to the intersection. To your left and right are two large chambers. Straight ahead the hall continues. Acid continues to scar all the way down the hall. The chamber to the east looks like it has some sort of orange goo starting to fill the room.

Map

Map

Does Kyle recognize the goo?

1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13 Knowledge: Arcana
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17 Knowledge: Dungeoneering
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 Knowledge: Nature
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 Knowledge: Planes

1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16history
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20religion

Tessa furrows her brow as she sees the orange ichor coating the western room. "Gross," is her quick assessment.

When you say 'starting to fill the room', do you mean that it covers a portion of the room or that it covers a portion of the room and I can see it growing to cover more of the room as I look at it?