Our intrepid adventures have stumbled their way into the shrine of the Hairy One. They made it to Room 8 (the, erm, "harem").
Current Situation: Two characters have been "abducted" to Area 11. The rest are still in Area 8.
Looking at the map and reading the entries for the Throne Room and areas 8 & 11, it seems like the following:
The "Pit" is ten by ten with an eight foot diameter shaft leading up to an opening in the ceiling. The ceiling of the pit is ten feet high and the eight foot shaft is another ten feet.
A short hallway leads from the bottom of Area 11 to the bottom of Area 8 and ends in a locked iron door.
The plan is that the PCs have one round in the room with the two mates that abducted them before they teleport out (one to warn the Big O and one to the top of the shaft to open it for "feeding time").
The trapped characters can then try to get out through the shaft or run for the iron door.
Given that Snakey from area 13 only needs a DC5 listen to hear combat in Area 8, it should be easy for the rest of the group in Area 8 to hear the Barrel of Monkeys coming down the shaft in Area 11 and possibly helping by opening the south/east door.
Now the door between Area 8 and 11 says it is locked. The door is made of eight inch (!) thick iron, rusted with age. I am guessing the hinges are nested to be able to hold the weight. Also, my guess is that the exposed lock is on the Area 8 side. That said, the "Open Locks" skill does not say you must be on the same side of the door - but it does specify "pick" (and then mentions a pry bar, sigh). My thought is to require a full-round-action to pick at a -5 DC if attempting this from Area 11. Break DC for a 2in iron door is DC28; an 8in door... DC35?
Otherwise, the party can go up the south stairs, then across the bridge to the north/east door on the 20ft high ledge. Now the text only describes "one door" in the eastern wall as being locked (although I think that might be a mistake - there are two doors on the eastern wall). Based on how things go, I may assume the north/east door is currently unlocked.
So - the question is: Did I get the map right? What else am I missing? I fear either way, the two characters in the pit are doomed.
One point of clarification: One of the characters in the pit is a totemic demonslayer - The "Mob" is listed as being a "magical beast" although it is made up of "fiendish baboons". Would it be wrong to change this to an evil outsider or give him bonuses to damage as if it were an evil outsider?
Thanks for your consideration - Things kick off Friday - so look for us in the Obits on Saturday...
~D
Ahem, an 8" thickness iron door ? Battleship armour thickness doors ? Now, please, where did you get that impression ? Looking over my copy of Dungeon #142, I can't find any indication of that type of build/solidity. I do agree on the location of the lock (on the outside), but where is the "pry bar" mentioned ?
Second, the "abducted" PCs get a Will save to be teleported along by the mates - if they are unwilling, which I would assume. This should be a DC 18 Will save, which, depending upon just who is getting abducted, may be more or less difficult to make.
Third, as for the baboon-mob entering the pit. That mob is upstairs all around the throne, the access to the pit (11) barred by the "massive iron grating". Since that one can be fought and moved upon, I would assume its gaps/holes to be too tight for the individual baboons to fit through, even should they want to.So no access for the mob without help from either teh mates or "O"
It is also explicitly mentioned that "O" opens the grate. "O" is a tad bit stronger than his mate(s) (26 Str vs. 22 ), so they might face actual physical difficulties lifting it. They might also be reluctant in usurping his privilege as "master of the mob", by opening the grate on their own initiative.
I would assume, that _if_ they harboured such a plan, they would teleport out to "O", their "alpha-male", talk matters over with him (likely to take some rounds of wild yabbering), and teleport back along with him. Time, that might give the poor sods in the pit a narrow window to work on their escape, or have their mates come to their help.
"O" might also keep the trapped PCs as sport for some later time, assuming they are well imprisoned where they are, buying additional time.
As for the Fiendish mob - according to D&D rules, fiendish creatures are strangely enough not "outsiders" (with all their advantages/disadvantages, but simply magical beast or humanoids. Hence, no extra damage via the"evil outsider" bonus damage. Of course, as a DM you have the prerogative to allow anything you want at your table. =)
First off - Thanks for a response! (in the middle of the chaos).
>>Ahem, an 8" thickness iron door ?
See Dungeon142 Jan2007, p.51 middle column, second paragraph to the bottom of the page.
>>but where is the "pry bar" mentioned ?
See PHB, Open Locks, p.79
>>PCs get a Will save to be teleported
Understood. They failed their save last game and we ended in the situation detailed in the OP.
>>barred by the "massive iron grating"
As mentioned in the OP, the tactic would be to teleport the PC into Area 11, then teleport up to Area 10 and lift the grate.
>>They might also be reluctant in usurping his privilege
This is an excellent point. You may have just saved two player's characters from almost certain death. I will give them five rounds before Olangru comes and opens the grate himself. If they do not find a way out (NOTE: the rest of the party thinks they have been teleported far away - so do the teleported characters), we may still have an obit entry. (In fact in Area 8 tactics, it mentions they teleport bothersome characters to Area 11 and "left there" - no mention of opening grates; That said. The way everything is set up leads me to believe this is a common tactic, particularly for O)
>>fiendish creatures are strangely enough not "outsiders"
Huh. Will you look at that. Oh well, I hope those five rounds are used well. If they live, I will let them know who saved them...
~D
ok, never checked the "general information" n the temple.
8" thickness is just .....ridiculous.
Given the density of iron ( Density (near r.t.) 7.86 g·cm -3 ) ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron ) , each of these doors would weigh... around a ton or more ? it has eight times the density of water... so a 2 meter x 1m x 0.2 m door (doing it in metrics here, am a European =) 7' x3' x 2/3rds' door... ) = 0.4 metric-3, = 3.2 tons.... OUCH !
Perhaps banded with iron, or plated with iron, but solid iron.... well, fantasy it may be, but this sounds like heavy metal ! I do not want to consider either the hinges, nor the bolts needed to mount them. Nor the difficulty of installing locks in them... Or the strength required to open those well-rusted doors....
But thanks for pointing out the in-module reference.
As for "porting up" - certainly possible, but not a required "move", your choice as the GM and you seemed reluctant to commit "sudden death" on the two victims, hence my comment.
Good luck to your players
