...am I just not getting it? If a PC stays behind to lower the rest of the party, how does he get down to the Dark Cathedral without smashing with the elevator?
Isn't there a lever on the platform so the group can lower it down without having one of them staying behind? At least that's how I played it.
Actually, it seems to me that the operating mechanism (the spool/wheel) is attached to the platform itself, and thus can only be used by someone in the elevator. Note that a maximum of three people can use the elevator at once, but the second and third person can add a bonus to the operator's Strength score for keeping the elevator under control.
