[DnD] Once More Into The Depths (GFF D&D Adventure 8)

Cal and Glenn both give the corridor a careful examination, but find nothing particularly suspicious other than the unlikely box itself.

Gheth wanders over the east, curious about what lies around the bend. Around the corner, the corridor travels about 15 feet further to the north before terminating at a wooden door. Some flickering light is visible under the door, and Gheth hears... music? Lute with harp accompaniment, sounds like; a man and a woman singing something about "the baddest man in the whole damned town".

The elf looks up from his meal, staring blankly at Garrmondo.

"Box is not food. I try to eat once, only hurt teeth. Clank clank crunch."

Cal fires two arrows into the strongbox, with the predictable result that the box doesn't really care. Cal then attempts to hide from the box, and is successful: the box doesn't appear to notice him.

Cal doesn't actually have any rope in his inventory.

Having fallen through a hole in the ceiling before nearly plummeting into another pit, Cal declares the dungeon to be "well-built". But so far it doesn't have any apparent purpose other than the unfortunate use the Lamidans have put it to. A crazy goblin and a giant box don't compose enough information for Cal to do much in the way of cross-referencing. Lunatics and treasure chests were the norm for this sort of thing, or so he'd heard. Perhaps once he'd run into something less generic he can begin to whittle down the possibilities.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

1 Die Roll Arcana check!

Naturally I had appropriated the fighter's rope before firing my arrows. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. That's odd though, if I don't have any rope, then why does my Standard Adventurer's kit weigh so much? Oh well, probably my imagination.

If a kruthik arrow tied to a rope can support the weight of a huge natural beast like a roc, think how much weight two of these can support!

I tug at the ropes experimentally, and hand some lengths over to the rest of the party. The chalk outline looks suspiciously suspicious; if we can't go to the strong box, then strong box will come over to us.

That outline. I can't stop thinking about it. I wonder if it means anything significant. If it is supposed to be a death trap. My abilities come from a purely martial source, and I have barely any feel for the arcane. But... but... I swear I have seen one of these before. Think, Cal, think!

Arcana check: 20 (woohoo!) + 2 = 22

All this thinking has swollen my bladder. Excusing myself, I go into a secluded corner and let everything go into an empty flask. As my experience in Hallowfield showed, bodily fluids are effective against magical effects; perhaps I can bottle it up and throw it at the chalk outline, dissolving it.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Cal calls to mind every single scrap of arcane knowledge he has accumulated over his travels, and determines that the box probably isn't magical at all; he doesn't sense any magical energies in the vicinity, nor is the box emitting glowing lights or hovering or anything like that. Still, he's sure he's seen a box before. It's suspicious. Boxes are inherently suspicious. Why weren't they spheres, instead? Or pyramids? It's a legitimate question.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Glenn is growing tired of all this standing and not moving. He decides to walk over to the box knock on it to try to determine if it is full or hollow, doing so without stepping inside the white chalk circle.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I stand by and wait as the rogue bravely examines the strong box. I grip my urine flask bomb tightly. Maybe if he moves away, I can throw this into the chalk outline and negate any magic it might be doing.

But, if the team wishes for a less messy solution, there is always the rope which we could use to reel in the strong box towards us, bypassing the suspicious circle entirely. I am not strong enough, but maybe Puyet, Gheth, and Garr are.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Puyet grumbles at the group. "What IS so fascinating about this box? There cannot possibly be anything useful in it. If there ever was, it's long gone. This is the rule about public commodities, men. Haven't any of you ever wondered why there's never any corn husk to wipe your sweaty shitholes with when you go to the outhouse? 'Tis nature. Let us go. If we don't, I'll demand double salary from you buffoons. And when you don't pay, I'll just sell you for frozen steaks to the fat elf."

Go to new door. Everybody......follows me >=(

FELIPE NO

The half-orc mutters something about outhouses and salaries (I didn't know we get paid), but I'm much more fascinated at the box.

Reasoning that rogues have better thievery skills than rangers, I lend Glenn my thieves' tools for use in disarming or opening the box.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Glenn carefully leans over the circle of powder and gives the box a sharp rap with his knuckles. It produces a dull thump like a full cask of ale. The box definitely isn't hollow.

While the Cal and Garrmondo look on Glenn's investigation with bated breath, Puyet grows tired of this charade. Piling on his contempt, he stalks away down the corridor to open the door with the musicians lurking beyond.

The door swings open to reveal a cramped throne room. A heavily armored figure in a crimson cloak reclines on an obsidian throne, flanked by a pair of halflings in peasant garb. The halfling bards continue to play as Puyet brashly throws open the door, but grow visibly nervous, throwing glances at the armored figure on the throne, whose ornate helmet is so concealing that no facial features can be seen. Eight lanky goblins stand at attention along the room's east and west walls, carrying shields much too large for their small frames and a motley assortment of mismatched weapons.

A fine red carpet leads from the doorway to the throne, and lit torches are mounted on the walls — making this the first well-lit room Puyet's seen since he landed down here.

The goblin nearest Puyet on the east wall raises a rusty pickaxe in his direction, visibly shaking in fear.

"Y-you there! How dare you invade the sanctum of the Invincible Overlord?! And without an invitation!"

The halfling bards finish up their previous ballad, leaving the room in awkward silence. The "Overlord" leans forward in his throne expectantly.

A goblin on the far end of the room nudges the male halfling with the lute, whispering.

"Oy, play that one with the bird that don't cost nuffin on account of you can't tame it. It's bleedin' inspirational, it is."

Meanwhile, the rest of the party remains transfixed by that amazing box. It's majestic. Think about it! There might be a dead cat inside. But then, there might not be. It's kind of mindblowing.

Most amazing jew boots

1 Die Roll thievery

Glenn decides to open the strongbox. This was taking too long. Using the tools the changeling had given him, he goes to work on the lock. If something went horribly wrong, then he would deal with it when it happened.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

10 Dice Rolls *surprise damage

Glenn ignores Puyet's insistent demand that he ignore the box. After all, if it were empty why would it still have a lock on it. Standing on tiptoe so as not to scuff the powdered circle, Glenn handles the picks somewhat awkwardly but still manages to pop the lock without much trouble. Triumphantly, the rogue flings the lid open.

Immediately, a thick tarry fluid begins to pour out of the chest, bubbling forth like a pot boiling over. Glenn nimbly steps back from the torrent of goop before it engulfs him, and the mass of black sludge splatters onto the floor in a heap. Even as the slime touches the stones underneath it, a quiet sizzling sound begins to issue from the floor and thin wisps of gray vapor waft up from beneath the slime. Was it burning away the rock? No wonder it'd been kept locked up.

Glenn has no time to ponder the finer details of the slime's function, however. In a swift movement the bulk of the ooze seems to pick itself up off the floor and lunge at him!

Surprise round. Black Pudding attacks with Slam; +9 vs Fortitude. 18 acid damage to Glenn, and 5 ongoing acid damage (save ends).

Glenn issues an involuntary yelp, and the goblins all simultaneously turn their heads in that direction.

"They've released the Great Devourer!"

"Even though we put that circle there?"

The circle doesn't actually do anything, though."

"Yes, but it looks very suspicious!"

The Overlord heaves himself up from his obsidian throne and, saying nothing, merely points toward the doorway before freeing a massive axe from straps on his back. The goblins all brandish their weapons, eyeing Puyet with a mixture of fear and courage.

Enemy Defenses

Black Pudding: AC 20, Fort 22, Ref 20, Will 18
Overlord: AC 22, Fort 19, Ref 15, Will 18
Goblin Minions: AC 16, Fort 12, Reflex 14, Will 11

Puyet 25, Pudding 24, Goblins 21, Glenn 19, Gheth 17, Cal 9, Overlord 7, Garrmondo 7

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Despite being a bad diplomat, it was obvious that whatever insolence the other adventurers had performed made this armored man very angry. Being a good tactician, Puyet knew that sometimes it was good to retreat. Besides, why should he take all the grief? Hit and run was a viable tactic in today's world.

Beat goblin's face in, retreat back to Gheth.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

1 Die Roll Knowledge Check

What the hell is that pudding all about? I rack my brain for any scrap of knowledge that can be used for saving my fellow martial practitioner.

Most amazing jew boots

5 Dice Rolls y9 gob v. puyet

Puyet draws his hammer and makes for the safety of the group, but not before taking a moment to smash the nearest goblin between the door and the wall. It was a stupid place to stand anyways, it was only a matter of time.

"He's dashed Ig's small, primitive brains all over the wall!"

"Yes, but we're all getting throttled to death by the Overlord later on anyway, so it's really a bit of a blessing when you think on it."

Puyet kills that goblin, and all his gobliny hopes and dreams.

The black pudding, in contrast, lacks much of a personality and concerns itself primarily with trying to burn Glenn's face off. Glenn manages to twist out of the way just in time, letting his enchanted armor take the brunt of the blow. Magic leather was acid-proof, as it turned out. Handy.

"Always the pessimist. Come on now, let's do this thing. Revenge! Revenge for Ig!"

"Revenge? You're fucking daft, you know. I'm literally armed with a rusty spoon. Hold still there, you orcish bastard. You'll get such a welt."

Both the pudding and the goblins accomplish nothing. Glenn takes 5 acid damage at the start of his turn.

Cal relays the breadth of his knowledge regarding black puddings to the party. Here's what he knows:

• The black pudding is a large natural beast, and a blind ooze.
• In addition to slamming into enemies, it can also engulf them for much more severe damage.
• Due to its fluid form, a black pudding is unaffected by difficult terrain and doesn't provoke opportunistic attacks when it moves.
• Most alarmingly, a wounded black pudding will split apart when wounded — careless foes will quickly find themselves fighting not only the ooze itself, but a swarm of smaller puddings as well.
• The acidic black slime that composes a black pudding is thought to eat away nearly every known material, with the single exception of glass. Why the puddings are foiled by this common substance when they can easily tear through solid stone is unknown. It has become somewhat common among more daring adventurers to deliberately capture a small pudding inside a tall-necked flask, only to later fling it at an enemy as though it were alchemist's fire. To say that these foolhardy lads are usually unsuccessful at recapturing their "secret weapon" is an understatement.

Cal delivers this information while holding a jar full of his own piss, of course, which slightly undermines his aura of wisdom.

Glenn 19, Gheth 17, Cal 9, Overlord 7, Garrmondo 7, Puyet 25, Pudding 24, Goblins 21

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

3 Dice Rolls acid save

Glenn more or less rolls his eyes as he drops into a fighting stance. He was never good at diplomacy. Monsters, on the other hand, he knew how to deal with them. Taking a cautious step back from the goop, Glenn turns and fires a crossbow bolt through the goblin unfortunate enough to be at the front of the group.

shift to Z4
4 to hit with deft strike
as part of deft strike, move to Y5
hit! 3+6=9 damage
save vs. acid successful

Most amazing jew boots

1 Die Roll I haz enough paragon points?

A quick salute with Gheth's spear seems to give heart back to the belabored rogue. He has to focus attention on his current problems for the time being, however.

Gheth had spent time in the inner city. He knew how the dockside thieves' guild worked, and that a lot of good goblins could go bad that way. He decides to take pity on the goblins. It feels almost criminal, he reasons, wiping out a bunch of reluctant combatants just because they happen to be brandishing tableware in your direction. Goblins are people too, after all!

He calls out from behind his shield.
"You all seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. That's understandable. We have our own problems, too! Like, for instance, this ooze that eats people! But we have a strict no-throttling policy in our camp, so maybe we can work something out!"

He sees the beginning of a puddle forming around the one they called Ig.

"Uh...we're really sorry for braining your frie-"

A whizzing crossbow bolt interrupts him, plugging one of the goblins in the throat.

"-nds. I'm sure they were both very good at....whatever it is you do."

Bastion of Health on Glenn
Diplomacy check as minor
Ready action: Dragon's Breath so as to hit all goblins if hostile action


What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

The cleric means to parlay with the goblins. I wait and see how his attempt unfolds before acting. After all, I have all the intention to twin strike all goblins in sight, and it is simply impolite to do so while claiming friendship and apologizing for our newcomers' actions.

Delay until diplomacy attempt resolves.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

1 Die Roll I WILL CHOP YOUR HEADS OFF

Staggering away from the pudding, Glenn casually puts a bolt through the head of one of the goblins menacing his new companions — only to wince when he realizes the dragonborn is trying to parley. He hides his crossbow behind his back at best he can and tries to look innocent, glancing about suspiciously for the "real shooter".

Gheth makes an extremely persuasive argument.

"Wait, what? We can be not throttled?"

"I hadn't considered that possibility, tell you the truth."

"It's like a whole new world. A new, fantastic point of view."

"Down with the Overlord! Up with... with... this guy we just met!"

The goblin clumsily turn on their heels, brandishing their salad tongs and gardening trowels in the direction of the Overlord. The 6'5", fully armored Overlord. This will end well.

Congratulations, Skex: enjoy your troupe of six five level 1 goblin minions. Command them as you will.

The Overlord says nothing, lunging into the corridor and leveling his axe at the nearest available goblin neck. The poor little bastard sprays blood all over the floor, and the remaining five goblins are only reassured of their cause.

"Now you see the violence inherent in the system!"

Cal 9, Garrmondo 7, Puyet 25, Pudding 24, Goblins 21, Glenn 19, Gheth 17, Overlord 7

How ya doing, buddy?

8 Dice Rolls Tippytoe

Bravo! I do not know how he managed to do it, but the dragonborn managed to turn delicate enemies into fragile friends!

Knowing that the pudding has no eyes, I tiptoe my way next to my allies, moving very very stealthily indeed. Perhaps it can't see me if i move quietly!

Now, to eliminate the Overlord preferably before he annihilates all our meatshields.

I cock four arrows, two of them kruthik teeth and two of them ringed with poisonous duergar beard hair, and shoot them at him. Alas, one kruthik teeth arrow and one duergar arrow miss its mark, clattering off the creature's armor into the ground.

Tiptoe to Z9 very quietly. Stealth roll = [13 + 1 (footpads) + 18 =] 32.
Mark Overlord as Quarry.
Two Fanged Strike vs. Overlord. Action Point: Twin Strike vs. Overlord.
Overlord takes [ 6 + 10 + 7 + 7 + 6 = ] 36 HP damage.


This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

1 Die Roll cleavin'

Cal fires a barrage of arrows at the Overlord, scoring a lucky strike with a quill arrow into the Overlord's face. He rips it out reflexively, noting the poisonous quill with a contemptuous grunt.

Overlord takes 2 ongoing poison damage, -2 to attacks (save ends)

After contemplating the unlikelihood of retrieving, pouring, and igniting three flasks of oil from his pack without being interrupted, Garrmondo simply rushes past the friendly goblins to hack into their former leader. The sprint leaves his aim a little wobbly, alas, and his sword bounces harmlessly off the Overlord's chest.


Zeph asked me for an update before taking his turn, hell if I know.

Puyet 25, Pudding 24, Goblins 21, Glenn 19, Gheth 17, Overlord 7, Cal 9, Garrmondo 7

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Seeing the goblins were much less a threat than he might have supposed, and their now being slightly aligned toward our business, gave Puyet a bit more confidence. He muddled his way through the muck of overgrown rodents and decided to give the large man a wallop worth remembering as he was busy pulling elongated objects from the mouthpiece of his helmet. If he incited his rage enough, perhaps he'd let his guard down.

"Your mother's an ogre!!!"

Attempt to provoke Overlord.
Brash Assault w/ Furious Assault.
Ready Vengeance is Mine
if hit, closest ally makes basic attacks, should be Garrmondo

I was speaking idiomatically.

7 Dice Rolls garrdamage

Puyet charges in, shouting the most vile insult he can conjure — but the Overlord just shrugs and issues a small nod. Huh. Well, he was a pretty big guy. A swift series of parries and counter-maneuvers ensues, until the Overlord's axe bites deeply into Puyet's ribs. While the hulking foe pries his weapon free, Garrmondo spots an opening and scores a wound on the Overlord's lightly-protected neck.

Brash Assault: miss
Overlord's counter-attack; Greataxe, +11 vs AC. 21 damage to Puyet
Garrmondo's counter-counter-attack: 8 damage to Overlord; bloodied.

The Pudding flings itself at Glenn in a perfunctory way, not really even getting close. Being locked in a box can really drain you of your enthusiasm for life. This pudding really needs to be more zesty.

Gheth's Goblin Guerrillas 21, Glenn 19, Gheth 17, Overlord 7, Cal 9, Garrmondo 7, Puyet 25, Pudding 24

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

1 Die Roll X10 attack

Feeling spirited after convincing the goblins to join them, Gheth gives a surly shout.
"Oi! Listen up, you rots! Let's keep that pudding back. And the next one of youse wot brings me the ear o' that warlord gets a silver farthing!"

This seems to land with a cool reception among the goblins. Some just shake their heads disappointedly. One of them gives him a sidelong grimace before turning back to his kin.

"Now you see wot we're dealing with? Prejudice from all sides, is what it is." A flurry of knowing nods follows. Even the pudding and the warlord look momentarily less menacing in their embarassment for the cleric.

Gheth looks sheepish for a moment, and then adds
"I'd, uh...really appreciate it?"

W10 Goblin squeezes to U11
X10 Goblin moves to W10 and attacks
Y10, Y11 Goblins move to Z5, X5 respectively

FELIPE NO

3 Dice Rolls *sneak attack

Glenn, preoccupied with the pudding, was starting to wonder where the rest of his group had disappeared to. He understood from the shouting that there was some big guy in armor or something that they were fighting, but still. Glenn may be good, but he fights a lot better when there's someone else to distract whatever it is he's attacking.

At this point in his thoughts, two goblins run up on either side of him and confront the pudding. Predicting that this might get awkward fast, Glenn quickly puts away his crossbow. Nodding to the two goblins, Glenn draws his sword and hits the pudding while it's still distracted by the new arrival of the goblins. If it was even possible to distract a pudding.

Fast hands - stow hand crossbow as free action
draw sword
Clever Strike, +13 to hit, +2 from combat advantage, need 5 to hit
hit! 6 + 7 + 8 = 21 damage to pudding.
Shift back one square

How ya doing, buddy?

Gheth was unsure if he wanted to hack the blob into smaller pieces just yet, but they could all do with a little more oomph, in his mind.

Move to Z10
Shield of Faith on all allies (+2 AC)

Jam it back in, in the dark.

6 Dice Rolls puddingspawn intitiative

Making a bold but ultimately flawed attempt to rally his troops, Gheth nevertheless sends them back into battle. One of them tries to slip through the doorway and get behind his former lord, but the Overlord is too quick for that — the goblin reaches his destination, but gets there without his head still attached. Another goblin's attempt to stab the Overlord with a broken broom handle is also a failure, also a somewhat less catastrophic one.

Seeing the goblin revolt basically stopped before it could really begin, the bards return to playing the Overlord's favorites. Scrambling through a jumbled heap of instruments scattered around the throne, the harpist switches to a drum while the lutanist fetches a battered brass horn.

Get the Flash Player to play this audio file:

Glenn draws his sword, dealing a serious wound to the pudding. Unfortunately the pudding copes with serious wounds by expelling the injured parts of itself so that they can operate independently. With Glenn and the goblins blocking any forward progress, the puddingspawn is forced to manifest to the west of the larger pudding. It's not much of a threat for now.

While the Overlord's armor is looking a little dented, Gheth decide it might be worthwhile having some of his new employees actually survive the battle. A glowing nimbus of energy covers Gheth and his allies, granting them flawless defense. Well, some of the time. Avandra was unpredictable at best.

While Puyet had not really insulted the Overlord as much as accurately described his ancestry, the Overlord decides that a half-orc who goes around trying to make light of other people's parentage is probably too dumb to live. Despite Puyet's heavy armor and Gheth's blessing, the Overlord's mighty arms are strong enough to cleave into the half-orc's flesh. The Overlord laughs a hateful laugh and seems to stand a little straighter, as though his wounds no longer pain him. Worse, the poison from Cal's arrow seems not to bother him at all.

Overlord has Resist 10 to poison.
Warrior's Surge: Overlord makes a basic greataxe attack and spends a healing surge for 21 HP. 16 damage to Puyet (bloodied).
Save vs. Stupid Useless Arrow: Success.
Watchful Eye: Anyone beginning their turn adjacent to the Overlord is marked by him.

Puddingspawn Defenses: AC 22, Fort 24, Ref 22, Will 20 (Minion)

Cal 9, Garrmondo 7, Puyet 25, Pudding 24, Gheth's Goblin Guerrillas 21, Glenn 19, Gheth 17, Puddingspawn 11, Overlord 7

There's nowhere I can't reach.