Ch. 2: Into The Tomb of Horrors

[Zhym]

FYI, I'm assuming that statements like "I think we should" and "I could" or "I can try to" are planning discussions. I won't assume that you actually do what you're talking about until you state outright that you do it.

Just in case you all thought you'd made your moves already and were waiting on me.

[jdluna]

Fosco checks the door for traps, if none hw attempts to unlock it.

[Zhym]

Do you mean a chest? The only doors in the room are the trap door in the floor through which the party entered the room and the secret door in the north wall, 10' above the floor, that Worren's spell has revealed to be untrapped and Mason has found a way to open. As for the chests, you see no locks.

[jdluna]

Do you mean a chest? The only doors in the room are the trap door in the floor through which the party entered the room and the secret door in the north wall, 10' above the floor, that Worren's spell has revealed to be untrapped and Mason has found a way to open. As for the chests, you see no locks.

No locks or traps?

[Zhym]

The chests have no locks. The find traps spells that have were cast seemed to show that the chests themselves are the "traps." There's nothing to disarm.

[ravenn4544]

Malibran realizes that Fosco didn't have much luck with the nature of the traps. Whispering some quiet words "magi nihil" he points to the chests to eliminate any magical traps before opening.

I'll try for both if they are close enough, or focus on the middle chest if only one will be in the area of effect.

Here is my chance of success if required: [1d100] = 86

[Zhym]

The attempt to dispel magic has no evident effect.

[ravenn4544]

Grasping his quarter staff like a pry bar, Malibran will attempt to lift open the middle chest from as far away as the staff length will allow.

[Zhym]

Malibran cautiously opens the silver chest. The party holds its collective breath as the lid flips open, wondering what might jump out this time. But nothing does.

Inside the chest rests a small box made of the finest crystal, worth 1,000 gp. Inside the crystal box, you see a single unadorned ring resting on a small purple velvet pillow.

HP: Xale (F8/C8): 54/54; Elsa (F10): 58/58; Zoster (F9/D12): 76/76; Malibran (C10): 57/68; Worren (C9/MU11): 53/53; Halbrad (F10): 61/61; Mason (Mk10): 34/56; Fosco (T12): 27/48
Spells: detect traps (Worren, 12 min remaining)

[ravenn4544]

Malibran, with a visibly relieved sigh, "hmmmmm....no immediate trap... but if our esteemed colleague's powers are correct - and I'm sure they are - there still is a trap to be sprung here. Is it the ring do you think? the crystal box? How can we remove that without reaching in there and actually taking it?....."

[jdluna]

Fosco decides to leave the items alone

[ravenn4544]

Malibran gives Fosco a level look and a raised eyebrow "Eh? Aren't you're skills best suited for this type of thing? Isn't the invitation of that ring just a little too much to bear? Looks awfully important to me. The question is - how do we separate it from it's currently location?"

[zebediah]

I suggest we close the chest, move it around a bit to see if there is anything beneath it and whether that triggers the trap and, if that causes no effect, we turn the closed chest down. If the trap is inside it its effect might be contained or lessened.

[ravenn4544]

"We'll thought, sir! Great suggestion. Allow me to get us started!". Malibran will close the lid with his staff and then push the chest from the rear using the staff.

[zebediah]

Zoster will also assist using his staff.

Not sure if it'll make much difference if the thing explodes...

[Zhym]

Zoster has a good idea: move the chest around, maybe even tip it over, to contain or reduce the effects of the trap.

Unfortunately, the chests are affixed firmly to the floor. They will neither tip nor move.

Lest you think it's just me being a jerk about this:

ChestText.jpg (43.02 KiB) Viewed 589 times

Blame E.G.G.

[zebediah]

Yeah, Gary sure thought of everything. However, this might actually make things more interesting...

Zoster looks at the chests and at the ground of the room. I can turn the rock under the chests into mud. The chests will sink, I can make the mud deep enough to cover both, then we reach into the mud and turn them upside down. The mud may actually help containing the effect of any traps.

If no one objects the druid will proceed as described above.

[Nuke66]

Mason digs into his bag and produces a coils of silk rope. He deftly knots a loop to produce a slip noose before tossing the end to the ground.

"Slip that around the box and step away, we will see what happens."

[max_vale]

Xale scratches his beard thoughtfully and nods at Zoster's suggestion. "Indeed....I think creating some mud under the chest might be a wise idea; I think we should try that".

[Zhym]

I see two actions being described: one involving a rope tied around the crystal box and another involving transmuting the floor to mud. Which will you do?

I should note a couple of things about Transmute Rock to Mud. First, the area of effect when cast by a 12th level druid is huge: 12 20' cubes, or about 192,000 square feet! That would be 138'x138' if 10' deep, or 72'x72' if 36' deep.

Second, any mud deep enough for a large chest to sink into entirely will make it very hard to move that chest.