World's Largest Dungeon Dive

Game Master Nairb the Grey

Sure, that's an interpretation that works for me, less likely to eat a magic trap to the face because I "interacted" with it that way. (There are pro's and con's as a player for either way, just prefer to clarify which is in operation)

Zurne, I need clarity on your post before I provide a response. Are you continuing to look for a hidden assailant of some sort in the original room, or have you joined Zordlon in the new room discovered?

Thanks!

Sorry, having a medical issue today had to go to the hospital. Hoping I'll get to post more tomorrow.

Thanks for your patience.

It is usually a chokepoint if there is a challenge that is suited just to one or two of the characters. The other can just sit and wait for the challenge to be solved.

Secret doors and traps so soon? This is gonna be a awesome Dungeon crawl :)

The only thing the WLD source material is light on in the beginning is combat...it gets around to it, but if you don't take the bait of attacking the orcs in the starting room then you don't really see combat for a bit.

Pfff combat. There shall be no combat in WLD. Only more dungeon.

Feel better, Barrier!

I kinda wish I had made Zurne a Menhir Savant so he can scan for undead, etc, ahead of the party. Oh well!

Bah, best way to find out if there are undead in a room is to open the door and see. :)

Course right now Unbuegsam is the only one that knows about the door, so until then I guess you will have to wait.

On a different note, no one is going to look down the east/south side of the entry room? You guys must play Diablo very differently than I do. :)

If I'm the one picking directions, then always go left has never failed me. If something was coming from that direction, it would have eaten the orcs first

Zurne -

In my home games, I like to give out something akin to story feats/bonus traits when a natural 20 occurs on the first time you roll for something in particular.

In this particular case for example, if one of my home game player's was rolling Knowledge Nature for the first time during a campaign or a chapter of a campaign or some such and got a natural 20 like you did I would craft a homebrew bonus for them to add on to their character as a storyline element for why that natural 20 came up. It always adds a mechanical tweak, although I try to have it be in line with a trait and a flaw...something that in theory is self balancing.

Here is the one I would write for this occasion. You have unlocked this bonus and can add it to your character if you like, or leave it behind, entirely your choice. I also generally would engage with my player to make sure the option was balanced, so if you (or anyone else) has feedback about the balance please provide it.

Mycology Master
Your study of the natural world has focused on molds, mushrooms, and slimes. You gain a +2 trait bonus to all knowledge (nature) checks to identify creatures or plants that can be described as a mold, fungus, or slime. All other knowledge (nature) checks suffer a -1 trait penalty, being outside the realm of your studies.

Zurne -

In my home games, I like to give out something akin to story feats/bonus traits when a natural 20 occurs on the first time you roll for something in particular.

In this particular case for example, if one of my home game player's was rolling Knowledge Nature for the first time during a campaign or a chapter of a campaign or some such and got a natural 20 like you did I would craft a homebrew bonus for them to add on to their character as a storyline element for why that natural 20 came up. It always adds a mechanical tweak, although I try to have it be in line with a trait and a flaw...something that in theory is self balancing.

Here is the one I would write for this occasion. You have unlocked this bonus and can add it to your character if you like, or leave it behind, entirely your choice. I also generally would engage with my player to make sure the option was balanced, so if you (or anyone else) has feedback about the balance please provide it.

Mycology Master
Your study of the natural world has focused on molds, mushrooms, and slimes. You gain a +2 trait bonus to all knowledge (nature) checks to identify creatures or plants that can be described as a mold, fungus, or slime. All other knowledge (nature) checks suffer a -1 trait penalty, being outside the realm of your studies.

That is pretty cool!

Taanimohka - I was reading ahead in the adventure today, and I realized that there will be combatants at some point down the line whose mechanics care about your alignment (for detection, smiting, etc.)

I noted everyone elses alignment (Dornhold's is TN by the way, he doesn't care so long as he gets paid) but I could not find yours. Do you have an alignment picked out for your character?

I'll take it! It's appropriately creepy. And hey, I did take a mycology class long ago. There's an Egon Zendler quote waiting to surface...

If you are strict, and take Monk the class as RAW then Lawful Neutral.

If you will allow, True Neutral, for although the Harrow follows its own laws, Taanimohka sits in the middle of fate, understanding laws are mere constructs, chaos is nature's way but not to be lionised and good and evil are likewise the diversions created by sentients to help them either justify their actions or make war upon each other.

I'm not a big fan of alignment restrictions unless they are critical to the class (I generally run paladin as either any lawful or any good for example). As such, I am good with TN on a monk.

I am having some issues moving the animal counters without changing the lighting templates.

It’s an issue with the order the layers are in. I can fix it next time I am at a PC.

Okay...I have made sure that the PC and monster tokens currently visible are all the upper most layers...you should not have any trouble moving anything for now.

As you move through the dungeon that is something I will need to remember to do regularly when I add in the new elements.

Is the door more then 1 ft thick?

The secret door in the stone wall was 3' think (I don't think I posted that right originally, my bad). The iron doors you have encountered so far have been 3" thick, you haven't opened the one in the north of this room yet, so there isn't really a way to tell if it is the same, but it seems unlikely that it would be different from the others.

If you guys don't mind, I would like to give you guys the 'fun' story of our in person game tonight. I am DMing Ruins of Azlant. Party is level 3, and at 25 point buy as there is only 3 members. Vivisectionist Alchemist (VMC Barb), Arcanist (Focused on summons) and a URogue.

@DMoogle New party member join the rogue, then come back only to find their old characters are enthralled minions.

Scene cut to a different party (same Ps diffent Cs). You craft these ones to be a little more powerful but with obvious fatal flaws. They swing in to the rescue.

My posting will be late tonight

Toof unny. Three's a crowd, until two of you are mind burnt and one is discretionarily valorous.

Is Unbeugsam the one we are waiting on? I would move things forward to the fork intersection but sadly my character has no power to go places alone and I think the general plan is to keep Unbeugsam in the front in case of ambush.

If instructed by his employer your NPC is willing to walk at the front as well. Right now you are all about the same amount of squishy frankly. 1 or 2 hit points is not a big deal.

Well., when I get to a computer, def moving so that I can poke at that body with.... Damn, not level 3 yet, can't make shadow 10ft poles

I can move your icon if you would like...10' away from the body...kind of "guarding zurne"-ish?

Byung-He, thanks to your Nat 20 knowledge attempt you have unlocked this Story Trait. Once again, discuss balance issues with me if you see any. Remember, the idea is for this to essentially be like a trait and a flaw put together so that it is self balancing. As with Zurne's you may take or leave this, you are not required to add it to your character unless you want.

Book Worm
As a child and young adult you loved reading about the various monsters and creatures that haunt the nightmares of those more traveled. Reading these books thrilled you, but often left you afraid of what might be lurking in the dark corners.

You may make all Monster Lore Knowledge checks untrained to gain the first useful piece of information about the monster. You do not receive additional useful pieces of information for exceeding the check DC unless you are trained in the required Field of Study. Due to your study of monsters and creatures of the dark as a young child, when in an area of darkness you take a -1 penalty on saving throws against fear effects.

Edit to add: If anything I am wondering if this is too powerful. Maybe the flaw should be heftier? Interested in hearing thoughts.

Hmmm. The flaw seems like in this game a pretty much constant -1 to saves against fear which is significant. Out of curiosity what is meant by the first useful piece of information? Will I always learn the same thing on a stat block? I'm not sure if this trait will continue to be useful, it feels like without taking the skills themselves it will eventually do nothing(as the DC rises) and still have the flaw.

I like the idea behind story trait which remind me of the background story feats but I'd have to pass on this one currently.

Most traits and drawbacks fade into insignificance as the character levels. When you are level 15 that +1 bonus to perception checks probably doesn't matter as much anymore. I think it is the same with this drawback...yes, -1 on fear effects is quite hefty now, but with your good will save bonus it will become less impactful as time goes on. You are right though that light levels in the dungeon will often be dark, not all the time, but more often than a different campaign. I am open to hearing other ideas.

To answer your question about first useful piece of information, the rules are not explicit in regards to what information you provide to the PC in what order.

Check: In general, the DC of such a check equals 10 + the monster’s CR. For common monsters, such as goblins, the DC of this check equals 5 + the monster’s CR. For particularly rare monsters, such as the tarrasque, the DC of this check equals 15 + the monster’s CR or more. A successful check allows you to remember a bit of useful information about that monster. For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information.

It seems like they pretty much leave it up to GM discretion what pieces come out with what results. What I can tell you is I will always make sure that the piece of information that you remember is legitimately useful (like the fact that these are squid like monsters that often hide on the ceiling). If you tell me something specific that you are looking for when you make the check ("Byung-He wracked his brain to try to remember if the burning wolf creature was susceptible to any particular kind of magic") then I will defer to that request if possible. If the monster did not have any suceptabilities I would give you something else instead...still only 1 useful piece of info though...and yes, I decide what is useful, because somebody has to and this isn't a democracy. :)

I am open to feedback on how to change the flaw to make it more balanced with the trait bonus, so if you think it is something that is interesting but just not balanced then negotiate with me. If it is not interesting to you though that is fine, we can leave it there.

Sayarisha, Unbeugsam, and Taanimohka...are you guys still with us? Some fun stuff is about to start, need to know if I am counting your characters in or having them wander into other parts of the dungeon.

Might just be the three of us! The monsters have been quieter then I suspected!

I am there. Just posted. Am just a bit under the weather, and last night was our pen and paper night.

Going to let this sit until after lunch today...then I will be back with the next update.

Low key hoping Taanhimohka and Sayarisha check in in the next few hours, if not we can move forward with out them...I would just be sad.

Funny enough though, if they are both gone, we no longer need torches

Glad you are still here Taan...

I figured you were most likely to be, you had posted 48 hours ago when I put out the apb , but since I was doing it for one player I decided to do it for everybody.

In other news, the internet at the house decided to die Friday morning. Tech can’t come out until wednesday. I can post on my phone or at work M-F, but I will not be able to do any map updates this weekend. Probably won’t matter, but wanted it out there in case it comes up.

No worries, sorry about the internet though that sucks.

Is there space to get flanking on red on other side of Zurne?

Sorry for your tech woes Nairb... Can Taanimohka attack the darkmantle near Byung-he?

Is there space to get flanking on red on other side of Zurne?

It is hard to see because of the quality of the map but there is a space between red and the wall. You will be moving through a threatened square to get there. Fortunately since red is grappling Zurne right now he is too busy to swing at you.

Sorry for your tech woes Nairb... Can Taanimohka attack the darkmantle near Byung-he?

Not where you are currently standing unless you have 15’ reach I am not aware of. You can move 10’ to directly north of where unbuegsam was at the bigginning of the round and then you will be adjacent to blue and can wale on him.

Taanimohka Essirien wrote:

Sorry for your tech woes Nairb... Can Taanimohka attack the darkmantle near Byung-he?

Not where you are currently standing unless you have 15’ reach I am not aware of. You can move 10’ to directly north of where unbuegsam was at the bigginning of the round and then you will be adjacent to blue and can wale on him.

I posted that Taani was in the space diagonally between Unbeugsam and Byung-he - isn't the blue dark mantle diagonally adjacent to that space? Either way, I'll attack...

It may seem a little confusing because the Darkmantles technically moved and were on the ceiling 30 feet up before but the DM didn't have the ability to update the map yet but all the combat at this point would be over near Zurne as the murderous command made the other mantle run over to attack his comrade.

Map is finally updated, so that should make things a little easier.

Byung-He is correct Taani. At the beginning of combat the blue would have been out of your range because it was attached to a 20' high ceiling. That point is moot though since it barely beat you on initiative, so it divebombs red, getting it down to ground level, and then you move within range to punch it in the eye.

Originally in my head I had you moving directly north of Unbuegsam, but since 1 more north of that allows you to flank with Zurne, that is where I am putting you instead. Taani is a smart enough tactician to flank when the opportunity is there at no additional cost.

Both darkmantles are currently at ground level and being whooped on by everybody in the party.

Byung-He, you have another action before the update since you go before them in initiative. Dornhold still needs to act as well, so I will post a mid round update now including Dornhold's action, but will hold off on the Darks acting until after Byung-He posts IC.

Noted I'll post my action soon or latest when I'm home in a few hours!

Taani, you have been moved as requested...

Waiting for actions for Byung-He and Unbuegsam before the next round update.