Barrowmaze: BRAGging Rites

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth heads for the rubble pile in the hall and gathers as many large rocks as he can carry.

"Don't use metal against it, I am bring some rocks."

When he gets there he starts throwing rocks from a few feet back, far enough the ooze can't reach him.

Thrown Stone [1d20]=10 to hit [1d4+3]=2+3=5 damage

[OGRE MAGE]

Sven rushes towards the commotion with the ooze, firing his crossbow into the slimy mass once he arrives.

Crossbow Attack [1d20]=14 Dam [2d4]=6

"Orgoth is right! Don't hit it with your weapons! Try to kill it from a distance with missiles! Like we did last time!"

[Spearmint]

Exploring beyond the Fungal Corridor.

The glossy wet slime drapes the coffer, oozing along in a slow wave, sending out a number of sticky pseudopods towards the tremor-sensed locations held by the group. But wisely they stay just out of range. A chain of figures form in the corridor, (Gnim, Yardie, Amos, Gerdal) the first grabs portions of rubble and passes it along, a little throw and catch and then a throw to the next in line. Finally at the crypt threshold, Orgoth hurls the stone boulders and brick portions at the oil lit ooze. It is a basic agricultural attack form, bludgeoning the creature but it appears undeterred by the volleys of stone -5hp If it had bones, many would be broken under the assault.

Sven scores a hit with his well aimed crossbow that splices a huge gouge in the surface, the wound an open groove of acidic ooze and splatters of plasma. -6hp

Now that it has become active and less camouflaged against the stonework, you can see that it flows from within the coffer, oozing out as oozes do from a gap between lid and base. It must be quite a length for after a round it fills the floor and still relentlessly flows towards the corridor commotion.

next actions and attacks please.

[Rex]

Orgoth

Continues to throw stones.

Thrown Stone [1d20]=15 to hit [1d4+3]=4+3=7 damage

[sastaz]

Gerdal comes late to the party, running from the stalks she was experimenting with.

"Oh no, not another one."

She grabs a rock and tries to do what Orgoth does, but lack of training shows.

Throw rock [1d20]=8 dmg [1d4]=2

"Damn it. I'd like not to waste magic or missiles on this one, if possible."

[OGRE MAGE]

Sven keeps his distance, urging the others to continue their rocky assault.

“I think it’s working! This one seems kinda big, but hopefully we have enough ammunition in here.”

He reloads and fires again. Crossbow Attack [1d20]=9 Dam [2d4]=6

[redwarrior]

Isvand whips out his bow, and sends two arrows towards the thing, but he's still shaken from the near miss.

Short Bow THAC018 [1d20+1]=10+1=11 Damage [1d6]=2
Short Bow THAC018 [1d20+1]=3+1=4 Damage [1d6]=6

[Spearmint]

The ooze flows out of the coffer and raises itself up like an incoming wave, cresting in frothy bubble and curling over ready to wipe out a luckless victim it can envelope.

Gray ooze splattering: Gnim, Amos, Yardie [1d20]=2[1d3]=3[1d20]=9[1d3]=2[1d20-2]=20-2=18[1d3]=3Rubble rousing the centipedes vs 1 [1d6]=4 unstable wall vs 1-2 [1d6]=5

With the gray ooze unrelenting, the chain of NPC's grabbing boulders stops. Each cautiously takes the largest portion of loose stone that they can carry and sprint the passage to lob their weapon of choice to bludgeon the acidic beast. Among the multitude of attacks, Orgoth and Yardie strike at vulnerable portions, a gel heart or sentient amoeba brain, -7hp & -3hp.

The extra damage splatters the creature asunder
into little sizzling blotches that drip down the passage wall or sizzle and spit like hot oil on the fungus growths covering the flagstones. Broken apart, it begins to melt away and get squishy underfoot, harmless now.

Avoiding any further partial collapse of wall or irritating Centipedes to gnaw upon your legs, the group can complete any further investigation of the open crypts.

actions please

[Rex]

Orgoth

"If we keep running into these things maybe we should carry some rocks with us."

He heads back over to finish up with the dead adventures.

[OGRE MAGE]

"With so many cave-ins everywhere in the maze, we may not need to."

Sven scrapes a little bit of the dying ooze into a glass vial, wondering what kinds of weird things he could use it for back in the lab.

"I hope there is still something good inside that coffer it was hiding in." He smiles and nods at the thieves.

The young mage goes back to retrieving the weird magical plague mask they found earlier.

[Rex]

Orgoth

"Anything metal left is probably magical I would think, unless it just crawled in."

[redwarrior]

Isvand cautiously moves in to examine the coffer that the ooze creature came out of.

[sastaz]

Gerdal nods.

"Good thinking. Isvand, if you find anything suspicious, remember both me and Sven can use our unseen servants to open the lid, unless it's very heavy."

She waits for Isvand to study the chest in peace.

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Fungal Corridor.

Smokie, the wolf familiar watching the pit fungus in the north of the corridor. Linked empathetically, Sven can gain his vision and senses, confirming that no apparent threats lurk around the corners. Amos watching, you sneak to grab the 'Plague Priest' death mask. As you peel it off, movement occurs among the bodies in the side bunks. Not the stirring of undead but several large ticks nesting under the feathered cloaks. Yardie and the cleric, watching your back, spring either side to bludgeon and stab at the emerging critters. The ticks have spidery like legs with shiny beetle type carapaces (I didn't know that ticks are classified as arachnids not insects. Each is about the size of a large rat and just as diseased ridden. Agitated they scuttle about and leap towards those in the crypt. One lands upon each person in the crypt and the creatures are quick to scuttle towards their collars and try to burrow under your clothes, chewing through links of chainmail or tearing at the cloth of their jerkins and cloaks.

Amos melee quarterstaff [1d20]=7 [1d6]=4 Yardie broadsword [1d20-2]=13-2=11[2d4]=8 Amos melee quarterstaff [1d20]=15 [1d6]=5 Yardie broadsword [1d20-2]=11-2=9[2d4]=3 Ticked off: vs Yardie [1d20]=1 [1d20]=16 [1d20]=6 vs Amos [1d20]=9 [1d20]=6 [1d20]=14Ticked off: vs Sven [1d20]=15 [1d20]=7 [1d20]=12

The other shelves have bodies, each wrapped in a linen shroud or cloak which is fashioned as though the person was embraced in a pair of folded wings.

The ticks number 'a swarm' sheltering under the cloaked bodies, probably easily squished into bloody blot's. You could imagine that one person might get easily overwhelmed though by dozens biting him.

exotic fungi, stalks of pungent fly agaric, yeast producing toadstools and wedges of 'bleeding steak' bracket fungus.

Gerdal you can collect the above, identifying between the edible, inedible and the poisonous.

In the crypt with the creepers growing from the three coffers, you can harvest sprigs of Mistletoe also.

Orgoth and Isvand move the lid off the stone coffer in the crypt they investigate. The remnants of eaten bone and melted coins, armour and weapons line the interior. Little globules of acidic amoeba are lain in a fashion, each slowly leeching on a bone portion. Baby gray ooze that burst as a ripe citrus fruit if poked. You can search the room but soon get the feeling that the ooze has already had its fill of any trove inside.

Gnimish, giving a casual glance at the last of the crypts (I & J), determines they also show a lack of promise.

actions please.

[Rex]

Orgoth

Hearing the commotion in the other crypt runs to their aid.

Does he make it in time to attack this round?

[Spearmint]

sure you can splatt attack a couple of collar crawling critters. I would suggest a hand not a spear in case you skewer the wrong thing.

They are 1/2HD critters so you can try to hit one per level each round for fighter class characters.

[OGRE MAGE]

Sven will draw his boot knife and stab into the tick trying to eat him.

Dagger Attack [1d20]=15 Damage [1d4]=4

If necessary, and if he can free himself from this pest, he casts his magical slumber upon the swarm of attacking arachnids, hoping he can save the others as well.

Casting: Sleep

1st Level Spell Retention (INT 15) [4d6+1]=12+1=13

[sastaz]

Gerdal squeaks and tries to cut the tick with her khopesh, unsuccessfully.

Kali khopesh attack THACO 20: [1d20+1]=2+1=3 dmg: [1d6+1]=1+1=2

"Harkazz, help me! Eat it!"

Harkazz is unable to reach the tick though.

Harkazz random attack roll: [1d20]=3

Gathering herself, she decides to take a more thoughtful approach casting Speak with Animals, ordering the tick to simply crawl away.

Retain lv 1 spell vs 15 [4d6+1]=12+1=13

[Spearmint]

Amos melee quarterstaff [1d20]=13 [1d6]=4 Yardie broadsword [1d20-2]=15-2=13[2d4]=5

Okay I won't need to prolong this. The three ticks attached to those in the crypt get splattered in bloody blots from powerful squishes or stabs. Many more leap about the room, even landing upon you as you exit but a Sleep spell obliterates the swarm and you can feed them quite easily to chameleon Harkazz or stamp them all out.

A lot of the Barrowmaze hazards are geared towards being 'attritional', taking a point of health here, a spell used there, a Turn Undead earlier gets allocated a penalty later.

I have described the crypts and the continuing passage of pit traps earlier.

How do you proceed?

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth makes sure they are all dead and no more are located in hiding.

"Is everyone all right?"