That's 3 for this level - Grezzag, Khoran and Uwe, and Hekau abstaining out of 6... With Alyn possibly dropping.
"I suppose we can start with that door over there," Khoran points to the door to the north. "Uwe, if you will..."
I have put a red arrow on the map to indicate the door I intend.
@GM Violant, given we are in the room we are in, why can't we see behind the block that I turned pink?
As the party enters the north door, they enter a hallway with three connecting doors. There's one to the east, which leads to as-of-yet unexplored room, another to the right (also unexplored), and one which heads to a corridor which you realize you have already explored -- the one where there was a lot of blood, presumably all consumed by the cerebric fungus. If you even press your head to the door, you can even hear the psychic emanations of the hungry creature.
To the east you can hear sloshing coming from the unlocked door. It's not currently open, but you can smell it from here: it smells like rot and decay. You can make a Knowledge (dungeoneering) check to determine what it is
Hekau realizes, unless it's a particularly rotting undead, only a Boilborn could smell that horribly of concentrated puss and blood. And when combined with the sloshing, you're fairly confident that's what it is
Purulent wounds that crawl out from piles of diseased dead and areas of massive contagion, these oozes slop about thoughtlessly, quivering and ready to burst and infect anything that moves. The creatures manifest in areas wracked by plagues, where rot and ruin run rampant. Crawling from the afflicted areas, boilborn spread out in all directions to disperse their infection.
Though carefully studied by healers and naturalists focusing on oozes, living boilborn are dangerous to experiment upon. This is because their death throes can sometimes be triggered accidentally, even when the creatures are handled gently and no harm has been done to them. Some posit that boilborn have only a limited lifespan, and self-destruct when that period ends. Others have labored for years under the hope that the infectious fluids contained within boilborn might somehow be used to find both cures and immunities to any number of diseases that plague the world. Though this experimentation has resulted in certain indicators that boilborn might indeed be put to such positive use, a reliable concoction has yet to be developed.
It has no DR, and has very high resistance to acid (resist 10) but not other defenses of note.
It's a low CR ooze, so it probably isn't that mobile. It has "no DR... but no other defenses of note". If we can open the door from a distance, we can probably kill it safely with missile weapons(lots of guns in the party). But we don't want to get to melee with it, as it's presumably going to spread nasty infections...
@Hekau, you can use Open/Close to get the door open from a distance, right?
M NG Magus 1 / Wizard 3 | HP 33/33 | AC13+4 T13 FF10+4 | CMB0 CMD13 | F+6 R+5* W+7* | Init+4 Per+9 (darkvision 60', low-light vision) SM+2 | AP 7/7 bullets 6/6 Called 1/1 | spells M1st 3/2 W1st-2/4 | conditions/effects:extended water breathing 8h, mage armor 2h
"I reckon one of us will need to open the door," Zelvin says, squinting, "but it'd be smart to jump back afterward, as based on what we know about it likely it's slow and not very nimble. I'll do it if no one else wants to? See if we can take it down quick."
As Uwe opens the door, the oozing and sloshing gets clearer... as well as the smell of rotting pus and blood. The creature starts slowly oozing towards you once the door has opened. Heck, you could probably even outrun the thing if you so desired. What do the 5 members of the party want to do?
N Aasimar [Garuda] Steel Hound Investigator; Init +6; HP 35/35; AC 18, Touch 14, FF 14, CMD 18; CMB +4; Fort +3, Reflex +8, Will +5; Perception (Darkvision) +8; 97 shots; Inspiration 5/5
Uwe shoots at the sludge with his pistol and then after seeing the results fires again before steping back from the door.
Shoot, check the results and then rapid fire if the creature seems to take damage normally. If it doesn't seem to affect it, I do not fire the second shot. I then 5 ft step back down the hallway.
Khoran calls upon the spirits to tie the ooze down, and then he backs off, to let the missile weapon specialists do their thing...
Standard action - Uses Silkstring snare on the Boilborn
Reflex Save DC 15 "or be entangled and anchored in place. The foe can escape the silk as a standard action with a successful Escape Artist or Strength check at the same DC, or by dealing an amount of damage to the silk equal to double the shaman’s class level (6 HP, the silk has hardness 0). This hex lasts a number of rounds equal to 7=3 + the shaman’s Wisdom modifier."
Move action - back off 30'
The creature falls limp, barely even moving as it is quickly assaulted before it can even gets its bearings, if it can even be said to have those, straight. It takes two shots from Uwe, one from Zelvin, and an extra arrow from Grezzag, all while its stringy bonds from the hex snap under the assault of the weapons. Dead.
Alright. Well, that was quick. AC 7 all around, not to mention three gunners. How close are each of you to the cretaure? After this we can move on, I think there's one room left unexplored with enemies and loot, and then that's the rest of this deck finished and then we can move up to the proper finale of this chapter soon enough! Book 1 is almost done.
What do you do next? You have most of this deck cleared out, aside from a room where you can hear what appears to be shuffling of vines and leaves to the west. Knowledge Nature
N Aasimar [Garuda] Steel Hound Investigator; Init +6; HP 35/35; AC 18, Touch 14, FF 14, CMD 18; CMB +4; Fort +3, Reflex +8, Will +5; Perception (Darkvision) +8; 97 shots; Inspiration 5/5
Uwe moves in and quickly searches the room before moving on to the next place.
I take 10 to search the room quickly for anything cool. I try and stay at least 5 ft away from the dead blob unless I notice that there might be something inside the blob. Once we are finished I will move and make a check to search the next door.
M NG Magus 1 / Wizard 3 | HP 33/33 | AC13+4 T13 FF10+4 | CMB0 CMD13 | F+6 R+5* W+7* | Init+4 Per+9 (darkvision 60', low-light vision) SM+2 | AP 7/7 bullets 6/6 Called 1/1 | spells M1st 3/2 W1st-2/4 | conditions/effects:extended water breathing 8h, mage armor 2h
Zelvin also steps in, keeping his distance from the goo. He listens to the shuffling sounds and tries to make an educated guess about what is in there.
Male CG Half-Orc Fighter 3 | HP 31/31 | AC: 17 (18 v. robots) Touch: 12 (13 v. robots) FF: 15 | CMB: 7 CMD: 19 | Fort: +5 Reflex: +3 Will: +2 | Init: +2 | Darkvision 60ft Perc: +1 SM: +1 | Speed 30ft | Active Buffs:
Grezzag reshoulders his bow and draws out his axe again. He follows the others' example and keeps back from the blob, but places himself towards where the rustling is coming from, watching that direction suspiciously.
Alright. Got sidetracked with planning for an upcoming move (to put it lightly), but I should be back to full operating speed.
Zelvin knows, judging by the smell, tapping, and thumping that seem to ebb and flow with the change of a language, you can gather this is likely one or more Vegepygmies. Their language consists of such ebbs and flows, and is quite distinctive from wanton thumping and tapping.
Should you open the door, either by magic or a keycard, you will have a surprise round to act and should roll initiatives, or this can be bypassedd alltogether, but this is the loot-intensive fight I was discussing earlier.
What will the party do now? You're nearing level 4, and will reach such after this fight! Good luck and sorry for the hectic delays.
N Aasimar [Garuda] Steel Hound Investigator; Init +6; HP 35/35; AC 18, Touch 14, FF 14, CMD 18; CMB +4; Fort +3, Reflex +8, Will +5; Perception (Darkvision) +8; 97 shots; Inspiration 5/5
Uwe reloads his pistol, looks back and makes a nod to show he is going to open the door and then uses the keycard to open the door.
I think I am at the correct door on the map, but there is one other room that is also covered. So if I need to move over there I will. I open the door when everyone is set.
M NG Magus 1 / Wizard 3 | HP 33/33 | AC13+4 T13 FF10+4 | CMB0 CMD13 | F+6 R+5* W+7* | Init+4 Per+9 (darkvision 60', low-light vision) SM+2 | AP 7/7 bullets 6/6 Called 1/1 | spells M1st 3/2 W1st-2/4 | conditions/effects:extended water breathing 8h, mage armor 2h
"Vegepygmies," Zelvin says sagely. "I'll try to pick 'em off, if they'll be so kind as to charge at us." He takes up a position near Uwe and the door, his magical revolver ready.
I think I am at the correct door on the map, but there is one other room that is also covered. So if I need to move over there I will. I open the door when everyone is set.
Actually, from what's been unveiled on the map, I think you're at the wrong door... That said:
"Hold up for a second," asks Khoran, and he continues "what's the plan here? He points at Zelvin, "You're saying you want them to charge us, and then turns to Grezzag "and you're clearly preparing to charge into them... Which of these ideas are we going with?"
What is the plan here? Again, from what's revealed on the map, we could set up some sort of firing line along the far wall of the corridor from the door with Zelvin and Alyn. I could be in the middle of the line, with my longspear readied against a charge. Uwe would open the door from one side, and on the other, Grezzag could be ready to charge whomever makes it through the door? What do you guys think?
N Aasimar [Garuda] Steel Hound Investigator; Init +6; HP 35/35; AC 18, Touch 14, FF 14, CMD 18; CMB +4; Fort +3, Reflex +8, Will +5; Perception (Darkvision) +8; 97 shots; Inspiration 5/5
You seem to be right. Or the GM left old monsters on the map. I assumed it was one of the rooms that were still hidden.
The room that appears to have monsters in it has two doors. We could split up and come from both sides. I am not sure that either side has a good angle for shooting, but you can try and line something out in the room that held the blob.
N Aasimar [Garuda] Steel Hound Investigator; Init +6; HP 35/35; AC 18, Touch 14, FF 14, CMD 18; CMB +4; Fort +3, Reflex +8, Will +5; Perception (Darkvision) +8; 97 shots; Inspiration 5/5
I am at the door I plan to open. I think Khoran is also in place. But I think the rest of the group still need to get into place and then I will open it assuming I think it is safe to do so.
As you enter the room, you see what appears to be three vegepygmies carrying longspears, and one carrying a very obviously magical warhammer. The communication, composed of tapping, rapping, and so on, suddenly stops as soon as you enter the room. You know, Zelvin, that Vegepygmies are most often caused by russet mold spores, very dangerous fungi that have no way of physically speaking -- so establishing communication is hard.
Granted, though, they are intelligent, so it is possible to communicate with them. However, the ones in front of you look ready to try to attack/infect you.
Go ahead and roll initiative and do a surprise round, since they weren't aware of you.
Peering over Uwe's should, Khoran calls on the spirits to restrain one of the vegepygmies.
Standard action - Uses Silkstring snare on the vegepygmy black
Reflex Save DC 15 "or be entangled and anchored in place. The foe can escape the silk as a standard action with a successful Escape Artist or Strength check at the same DC, or by dealing an amount of damage to the silk equal to double the shaman’s class level (6 HP, the silk has hardness 0). This hex lasts a number of rounds equal to 7=3 + the shaman’s Wisdom modifier."
As soon as you burst in, the vegepygmies surprised, you see strings sprout from the ground, ensnaring the vegepygmy in the back. You hear more rhythmic tapping from the one ensnared, more an attempt to communicate than actually escape from the string. What looks to be a leader, holding a separate weapon from the others' longspear seemingly made out of detritus... this one has a weapon that looks like it was made by a master craftsman, and is practically glowing. Uwe's pistol shot sounds loudly as it strikes the vegepygmy leaning at the door, and he looks to be quite enraged at that. Alyn shoots at the other non-ensared vegepygmy... and both vegepygmies fall relatively quickly as the leader looks panicked.
The leader, as soon as the strings erupt from the ground, charges towards who he deems responsible... only to get smacked by Grezzag and immediately turn his attention towards them. Tap, tap, he taps on his warhammer, then attacks Grezzag then and there. He looks... wounded, but still continues to fight. The language of taps becomes frantic by this point.
If you want to, make a sense motive check.
DC 20 Sense Motive:
He does not want to die, and the grip on his warhammer has loosened by this point, as if he is losing the will to fight.
Order: Vrilledt, Grezzag, Zelvin, Khoran, Alyn, Uwe, VP3 (entangled, anchored in-place) Everyone is up! Level 4 is in sight.
Khoran calls on the spirits again, this time trying to restrain the vegepygmy with the warhammer...
Standard action - Uses Silkstring snare on the vegepygmy black
Reflex Save DC 15 "or be entangled and anchored in place. The foe can escape the silk as a standard action with a successful Escape Artist or Strength check at the same DC, or by dealing an amount of damage to the silk equal to double the shaman’s class level (6 HP, the silk has hardness 0). This hex lasts a number of rounds equal to 7=3 + the shaman’s Wisdom modifier."
Forgot to mention they do understand Undercommon. Morale dictate they attack until the leader gets down to 10 HP so... do with that what you will.
The grip on the leader's warhammer loosens even further, he doesn't seem to understand you, but his will to continue fighting has significantly decreased, seemingly, to the point that continuing without a fight is even possible.
What will the party do now, with a vegepygmy on the urge of surrender?
