The Complex of Doom (IC) Thread 2

[Kish]

"I can do the talking, if that'll help. I'm very far from being kin to the fey," Matai offers.

[Cavir]

"Same plan as before then. If there's a problem come running back through that path."

Kricen listens for the sounds of frogs and rock pounding.

[razorback]

Shim nods in agreement as he pulls out the bow, checking the string, before nodding once more that he was ready to go.

[Kish]

Matai walks toward the slaadi, keeping his hands away from his weapons. When he gets close enough to them that they can definitely see and hear him, he calls, "I'm Caidacyn's companion. I have knowledge of where others like you might be, if that's what you're looking for." He pictures the location of the other outsiders in his mind, in case they use Detect Thoughts.

[J-H]

The green slaad snorts and stomps over. "If the writer of the book is not liar, yes. You want us out of way, but tell truth."

[Kish]

"It's not that we want you out of the way. We want to get to the place where the others like you are, as well, but there are gigantic aggressive lizards between us and them." Matai pictures the tyrannosauri. "We were hoping we could fight them together, as allies. If you can read my mind, you know I'm not lying."

[J-H]

"No."

The green slaad stomps off. The structure is now smashed to bits, and he and the other slaadi start examining those bits.

[Kish]

"Regrettable choice."

Matai turns and heads back to the rest of the group.

"They say no. No real explanation given beyond that; I don't think they trust me, even with thought-reading. Even with the knowledge of where to find others, they seem more interested in the pillar."

[Cavir]

"A shame. Still, better than assumed. We'll swing wide right of them then?

[razorback]

Pursuing his lips together, Shim considers taking a move to entreat with the creatures but decides against it. He doesn't try and go in there and try to make it seem as if they don't know how to negotiate.
"Ok, swing wide of them, it is. Anything else we need to do before moving out?" As he speaks he makes sure his polearm is secure before checking the string on the lent bow, letting the others know he was ready.

[J-H]

The group swings around the slaadi and continues moving west towards the wall. You pass one of the giant pillars that support the ceiling. It looks like there’s a hole in the side, but it’s a hundred feet up and not very large. If you wanted to leave the area now, it might be worth investigating.

The pillar is smooth hard stone and would be difficult to climb.

(otherwise, I assume you'll continue)

[Cavir]

"Hold on, that's worth checking. Now that we have this, might as well make use of it." Kricen uses the Broom of Flying to check on the hole high above, with Babs tagging along. He uses the opportunity to get a lay of the land from up there.

[J-H]

It’s jungle and trees as far as Kricen can see in every direction, with the exception of the river. To the south, it looks like some of the trees may be walking or moving around?

The hole is only fit for a medium-sized creature, and appears to have been melted through the stone, perhaps by some kind of acid judging by the splatters. It goes in for about fifteen feet to a larger chamber, which has bone fragments and other debris in it, indicating that something used the area as a nest at some point… or perhaps still does. You can’t see more than that without going inside.

[Cavir]

Spiraling up the pillar Kricen watched the trees moving. He presumed something that large would be the t-rex to the south. Was it headed in this direction? Moving fast or peacefully? On this side of the river? Were there more than one? It it/they were still on the other side of the river that could wait for now. The hole was otherwise more immediate. He circled around the pillar again this time looking for anything flying that might coming "home". On the next pass of the hole he slowed and barked a "BOO!" into the hole the circled around in front of the hole to keep an eye on it, ready to dive if there was trouble.

[J-H]

Kricen realizes that he's seeing trees moving from one place to another, not movement shaking the trees.

There is no reaction to his call.

[Cavir]

The moving trees were interesting but Kricen chided himself to focus on the nest for now. Message and Silent Image spells would be useful here but his studies didn't waste time on such tricks. Maybe one of the others knew Message. It would help with scouting, whether it was on foot or in air.

Kricen lands inside the hole. He orders Babs to move to the mouth of the chamber and defend as he pulls out a glowing stone that circles around his head. The dread necromancer then moves up behind the undead demon and peers inside.

Spoiler: OOC

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Spot and Listen at -5.
Listen: (1d20-5)[0]
Spot: (1d20-5)[2]

[J-H]

The larger chamber has the same fragments or debris in it that you saw before. Everything looks pitted and worn. The walls go up and out of sight with no ceiling (you can only see about 20’ up due to not being in the chamber). There’s a cleft on the far side that is only about five feet wide that goes up as well. There appear to be ladder-like steps sticking out of it on all three walls of the cleft.

[Cavir]

Kricen leans his head in to look up the chimney.

[J-H]

The zombie babau moves forward to allow Kricen to peek in and up. The ladder-cleft, and the shaft, go up and up beyond the light of his Continual Flame (which only extends 40’ up) and could be a route out – but no, that’s a dark blue top that’s – getting closer?

Kricen withdraws his head just as something lands on top of Babs with a Splorch! It looks like some kind of huge ooze, but that’s all Kricen can tell. He can only see Babs and the ooze at this point.

Spoiler

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K: Dungeoneering, you rolled a 2… so no info.

Float/Dive attack slam (1d20+14)[27] for (2d6+5)[12] plus (2d6)[5] acid. Minus 5 for DR/slashing. hit
On hit, Improved Grab grapple (1d20+20)[28] vs ZB (1d20+13)[25] grabbed
If successful, constrict (2d6+5)[11] plus (2d6)[7] acid; Minus 5 for DR/slashing. hit
total 25 damage

Spoiler: Status

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The ooze is grappling with Babs, who is just inside the large room. Kricen is adjacent to Babs.

ZB 25 damage, grappling

=> Party

[Dexam]

"They say no. No real explanation given beyond that; I don't think they trust me, even with thought-reading. Even with the knowledge of where to find others, they seem more interested in the pillar."

Caidacyn gives a regretful shrug. "Much the same reaction that they had to me. Thank you for trying Matai, and if nothing else, we've avoided an unnecessary fight."

* * *

At the pillar, Caidacyn watches Kricen climb on the broom. "I'll follow along," she says. Invoking her fey powers, she turns invisible and then begins climbing the smoothed pillar, as easy as spider clambers up the trunk of a tree. Part way up, Caidacyn spies the moving trees. "Do they move because they are tree-kin, or do they move because they have been warped by the strangeness of this place?" she wonders to herself, unsure if she would enjoy investigating more closely.

She continues to climb, watching Kricen and his undead abomination fly into the hole in the pillar.

Spoiler: OOC

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Activating Walk Unseen (as Invisibility) and Spiderwalk (as Spider Climb).

Given a climb speed of 20' and height of ~100' feet, it'll take Caidacyn at least 3 rounds of solid climbing to reach the hole entrance - not sure a what point she could reach Kricen?

[Cavir]

Kricen is momentarily surprised then immediately pissed. "Babs, escape from it and jump out the hole this way." Kricen moves back to the edge of the hole with the flying broom ready while he casts a spell with his other hand.

Spoiler: OOC

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Ooze is grappling so no threatened spaces. Kricen moves to the edge of the hole and casts Spectral hand. Don't think I get to attack with it this round but if I'm wrong I'll handle that in another post. It'll be Charnel Touch + Contagion.
Spell self-damage: (1d4)[2] (not using temp hp for this)

Babs tries to escape the grapple and and move back out the way we came, falling from the height if new orders are (edit)not given in time.
Grapple check: (1d20+13)[32]

[Dexam]

Caidacyn gives a start of surprise as the ooze plops down on the zombie.

"Is there nothing pleasant in this place?" she wonders.

Positioning herself on the side of the entrance, she fires a blast of eldritch energy at the ooze, which causes her to become visible - not that it matters much to the ooze.

Spoiler: OOC

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Knowledge Dungeoneering: (1d20+3)[6]

Eldritch Blast: (1d20+8)[23] touch attack.
Damage: (3d6)[10]

Random targeting, if required: (1d100)[17]

[J-H]

Round 1, Part 1

Kricen casts a spell, moving back next to Caidacyn, who’s on the wall just outside the entrance hold. The zombie babau almost breaks free, but doesn’t quite manage it (Ooze wins on a tie).

Caidacyn blasts the ooze with energy, but Babs is in the way and takes the hit (10).

Spoiler: Status

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The rules say roll randomly, and there’s probably a good case for a size modifier (Huge being 4 times as likely to be hit – but even so, a 17 is on the low end and would hit the zombie babau even on a 1 Medium/4 Huge scale)

ZB 35 damage, grappling
Kricen 2 damage

Round 1, Part 2

The ooze burbles and squeezes the zombie babau.

Spoiler

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Grapple (1d20+20)[27] vs ZB (1d20+13)[24]
If successful, constrict (2d6+5)[15] plus (2d6)[5] acid; Minus 5 for DR/slashing. 15 damage

Spoiler: Status

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ZB 50 damage, grappling
Kricen 2 damage

=> Party

[Cavir]

Kricen

Caidacyn's blast goes by Kricen and hits the zombie. Kricen calls back. "There a passageway up. The zombie is helping us here. Stop shooting it please. Know anything about this kind of ooze?"

Kricen's spectral hand gets a tinge of red and speeds forward to hit the zombie with its negative energies and a disease to hopefully reduce it to a shivering useless pile of ooze.

Spoiler: OOC

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Charnel Touch + Scabrous Touch (Shakes) attack.

Charnel Touch (1d20+7)[22] crit: (1d20+7)[15] (+3 BAB, +2 DEX, +2 Spectral Hand)
Damage: Charnel: (1d8+1)[3] Crit: (1d8+1)[5]

Scabrous Touch: on hit, Fort DC 17 or diseased with no incubation period. Shakes = 1d8 Dex. Further saves are DC 13. Like Contagion spell.
(1d8)[3] Dex Damage

[J-H]

The touch of Kricen’s hand causes the ooze to start shivering and shaking violently. It flails about uncontrollably, and the zombie babau is easily able to extricate itself. It appears that the ooze is completely paralyzed, simply vibrating in place.

[Dexam]

"I'm trying to hit the ooze," the now-visible Caidacyn calls back, "But your walking corpse is getting in the way! And no, I don't know anything about this creature."

She blasts again at the ooze.

Spoiler: OOC

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Eldritch Blast: (1d20+8)[9] touch attack. EDIT: Really?
Caster Level vs SR: (1d20+6)[9]
Damage: (3d6)[14]

Random targeting, if required: (1d100)[84]

Move Action: detect all living creatures within 30' (Aspect of the Hunter)

[Cavir]

"One would think an ooze that eats through anything would not be susceptible to disease. Perhaps it relies on dissolving everything first before ingestion? Either way, its loss. The question now is how to get it out of the way? I can have the zombie try dragging it out and let it fall. I'll have to take a few minutes to fix it the zombie's burns first. You'll be happy to hear the zombie will get hurt too but I can fix it up after. Any other ideas to get the ooze out of the way? I'm sure you saw the moving trees down below. I'm curious where this passage leads to but I'm not not ready to abandon this area."

Kricen will have the zombie approach him so he can begin reconstructing the zombie with negative energies.

[Kish]

Uninclined to even attempt climbing the rock wall in his armor, Matai twiddles his thumbs, blissfully unaware of the just-concluded battle above.

[J-H]

Babs approaches with no problems and is slowly healed up.

[razorback]

Finger his bow a bit, Shim looks at Matai as he says "Must be a longer tunnel than it looks. I'm going to walk over here a bit to see if I can get a better vantage of our surroundings. You keep an eye and ear out for them?" as he walks to the nearest rise he can.

Spoiler

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Spot check
(1d20)[8]