Expedition: Ablesforth: The Demon Hole: Part 2 - 30 Aug 2021

[Zhym]

The party came from the throne room, but we're in the portal room now, and I think the sniffers are in the doorway back to the throne room.

[Marullus]

You came from the throne room. They came through the adjacent door on the left wall. You can't web them out of your current room, but if you win initiative, you can web the door to the throne room after you get through it (leaving Ablesforth and Idriss behind in the maze.)

Final actions?

[Zhym]

Can we web them in the corner of the room? Or are they already all the way into a room?

Would Pendleton have had a chance to cast Web when the door opened?

[Marullus]

You can't keep them out.

You can cast web on one (just one) and it globs them with no save.

Otherwise, you need to anchor it in a place BEFORE they run into it (like the doorway to the throne room).

[Marullus]

Idriss casts Light on the eyes. Ablseforth leads Idriss back through the Labrynth (10 rounds). I need Pendleton to direct the action of the NPCs and state his own action.

[Zhym]

Just in case you missed it, this was the action I had posted for Pendleton:

Pendleton stays behind the templars, hoping that between them, his protection from the infernal, and his invisibility, something will keep him from being attacked.

He holds a web spell ready to delay the eyes and/or sniffers from pursuing the group's retreat—if they can get the monsters on the right side of the retreat, that is.

I'm not seeing any other good options, given the constraints as you've laid them out (running away and webbing Able and Idriss into the room with the sniffers and the eyes doesn't count as a good option).

Also, I'd gotten kind of used to the more relaxed pace of decision-making when Marullus posted just once per week. Not that I mind the quicker updates. It's just surprising now when I'm holding things up.

So, anyway, I'm at a loss. Pendleton can't web the sniffers, his protection from the infernal never seems to work the way I expect it to, and he can't fight them. Rusty, any ideas? 'Cause I'm plumb out, other than what I posted above, which is to hope that the protection Pendleton and the Templars get keeps the sniffers from doing anything while Able and Idriss work their way through the maze.

[Zhym]

BTW, are the sniffers outside the maze, following the maze, or crossing it as if it's just a nice design on the floor?

[Rusty Tincanne]

if it is just Idriss and Able in the portal room with the sniffers and eyes, then you should totally Web us in. We're supposedly immune to their attacks, so we can saunter to the throne room where you'll be waiting. If you taunt the sniffers, then they might get stuck in the web where the two thieves, who aren't listed as Protected, can soak them with Holly Water and/or oil.

Able is out of Blessings, so we need to keep some holy water to finish these things off.

[Zhym]

Pendleton and the Templars are supposedly immune to their attacks too, aren't they? So why isn't waiting for Able and Idriss an option? In theory, all the sniffers can do is say mean things about us, right? Although it never seems to work like that...

...I wonder if a pool of holy water on the floor would act as a barrier. Something that the sniffers wouldn't cross but Idriss and Able could? What do you think?

[Rusty Tincanne]

I was worried about the thieves. They aren't listed as Protected. Marullus?

[Zhym]

Oh, right. I forgot about them. They're with Pendleton and the Templars, right?

[Marullus]

..I wonder if a pool of holy water on the floor would act as a barrier. Something that the sniffers wouldn't cross but Idriss and Able could? What do you think?

You already tried that - not effective.

Oh, right. I forgot about them. They're with Pendleton and the Templars, right?

Correct.

[Zhym]

Pendleton retreats to the next room, taking the thieves with him. The Templars follow, covering their flank. The group makes for the room with the headless statues.

The idea is to lead the sniffers to a room where Pendleton can web a doorway (and as many sniffers as he can catch in the process) without also blocking Idriss's and Able's exit path. The room with the headless statues is the first room in our retreat with multiple explored exits.

Are we fast enough to stay ahead of the sniffers without going into a full-on run?

[Marullus]

That's determined by the initiative roll. Did you roll it?

[Zhym]

Initiative: [1d6] = 1

No. No, I did not. No roll to see here.

I'm guessing Rusty will want to re-roll that one.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Good guess.
Initiative [1d6] = 5

[Spearmint]

If the creatures have to follow a maze route to attack us then maybe we have to 'Pac-man' another route to mislead or escape them. Alternatively if the maze is just a pretty pattern then run for it while the Protection holds.

Thought in the size of room the Web spell could be targeted as we are not all in the same cubic space.

Anyway, Idriss cast light as his action and walks a retreating route to the door.

[Marullus]

Web spell:

Going back to our posted documenting:

You can use it to fill an area from two to eight 10' cubes. It can be cut/burned through per the spell description. Anyone encountering it unexpectedly or wading into melee against a trapped foe gets a save vs paralyzation to get trapped.

So, you have more flexibility than we described. In a room with floor, ceiling, and at least one wall, you don't have issues. We will still go with using your doorway chokepoint here, as it is a smart bottleneck.

Idriss sumons a flare of light which blinds the five eye balls, turning them into glowy will o' wisps. They smack against the invisible walls of the floor-maze, unable to cross them or find their way out. Ablesforth begins walking the floor maze carefully (round 1 of 10).

Pendleton invisibily barks directions to the Templars, who hurry to fall back, going through the throne room to the room where the tentacular eyeballs we're slain and array d around Dolph's corpse. Pendleton invokes the large mass of webbing just before the halfheads arrival - seven of them tangle themselves helplessly in their blind rage, three hang back, snarling on the other side of it from them.


Actions!

Date: 02 September 2021, 4:16pm
Light: Rhe's Torch (until 4:50pm)
Effects: Protection from Evil (Able, Pendleton, Idriss, Dolph, Jacques, Molay); Invisibility (Pendleton); Idriss' mirror image (until 4:30pm)
Injuries: Dolph (Dead); Ablesforth (minorly injured); Jacques (superficially injured)

Sniffer saves [1d20] = 8 [1d20] = 5 [1d20] = 4 [1d20] = 20 [1d20] = 14
Sniffer saves [1d20] = 15 [1d20] = 12 [1d20] = 12 [1d20] = 7 [1d20] = 2

[Zhym]

Pendleton waits for Able and Idriss to catch up. He asks the Templars to kill any of the sniffers that threaten the party or get loose.

[Rusty Tincanne]

How difficult would it be to use a say to gather up the 5 eyeballs (without breaking our warding I hope)? I assume Idriss has a better DEX than Able.

Also, if the thieves don't have protection anyhow, let them start dousing the webbing-held sniffers with Holy Water. The two Templars have a total of 6 flasks of holy water, and 3 flasks of oil. Maybe the Templars can spread oil on the ground just inside the room in case the sniffers break through, even.