Barrowmaze IV: Delving for Power and Glory

[Spearmint]

Gerdal casts the spell to communicate with the creature.

include the memory roll please.

However it soon becomes apparent after a minute of being ignored and the rust monster violently bashing it's club tail on the stone floor that you are not able to talk to it.

the spell restricts the target to non-fantastical
normal animals.

[OGRE MAGE]

I thought there was a chance since it worked on rot grubs earlier.

Sven is glad to see the creature is still home. He pulls out 2 crossbow bolts and holds the metal tips out towards the creature, cooing softly, hoping it remembers his sound or scent.

“No wonder it didn’t attack me before, I’m carrying almost nothing made of metal on me. Anyone got anything better than this to offer it?”

He shrugs towards Gerdal after the spell fails to do anything, sliding the quarrels across the floor towards the weird monster, offering it a quick snack. He takes out the mithril mask and waves it around to see if there is any reaction to it. If there is, he uses it to try leading the thing towards him while the others grab the bearskin.

[Spearmint]

Trying something else, some little nibbles of barbed shafts.

The rust monster touches with an antenna but looks as though it is more irritated than hungry. Besides it has a huge rusty iron staircase, his favourite gourmet cuisine right next to it.

It hogs the bear pelt, you can see why. A couple of large eggs.

Remembering the tools you left here, all are gone, the pickaxes, spikes, toolkits. Anything iron has been feasted upon. It seems base metals are more preferred than previous ones.



Isvand actions.

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth attacks the lead zombie.

Magic Spear +1 [1d20+2]=11+2=13 to hit [1d6+4]=5+4=9 damage

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Corridors


Orgoth and the clerics beat a fighting retreat, edging halfway back up the passage as the relentlessly famished zombies burst open the southern door and rush to sate their ravenous desire upon them. One gores upon the arm of Orgoth, -1hp biting his hand as it gets impaled upon his spear. A clout rattle it's head from a clerical staff to stop it biting again, but having tasted blood it increases its voracity.
RD1 -12hp.

Party initiative [1d6]=1 Critters [1d6]=4 Ravenous Dead: [1d20+1]=12+1=13[1d8]=1Amos melee quarterstaff [1d20]=18 Staff [1d6]=3 Truro melee mace vs undead (+1 vs undead) [1d20+2]=2+2=4 [1d6+2]=2+2=4

Calling the gnomes to reinforce the group, you may have to think some quick tactics to gain any advantage as the zombies surge forward pushing the trio backwards. Two abreast in the passage, the third behind gets to lick the spray of blood off the wall.

Orgoth next action please.

these zombies are faster and appear stronger than 'normal' zombies, hence you need to roll initiative rather than gaining automatic first strike.

[OGRE MAGE]

Sven nearly drops to his knees when he sees the monsters eggs.

"Oh WOW! The beast is only protecting her future young ones! How did we not see these earlier? It's obvious now why she stays here eating our equipment and keeping her eggs safe." Thinking a bit longer. "I bet those things are worth a fortune too. What crazy wizard out there wouldn't want a rust monster for a pet? Hells, I want one for myself!"

Thinking the beast might be too powerful to be put under his magical slumber, Sven tries the only other thing he can think of to get the monster to comply with their needs. He steps behind the others for protection and attempts to Levitate the creature up off the ground.

"If this works, we can toss a rope around the thing and lead it around behind us like a kid with a balloon at the festival."

2nd Level Spell Retention (INT 15) [4d6+2]=15+2=17

This obviously isn't the most ideal solution, so if one of you has a better idea or more appropriate spell to use, go for it.

[Spearmint]

Rusty

Rusty saves vs Levitation 14+ [1d20]=20

this thing ain't for shifting

As the mage gestures a spell it lunges forward, feeling with its antenna and grasping it's fancy in a sharp beak, targeting a tasty morsel spotted near the mage's waist. It pulls on the long sausage shaped nibble, turning it rusty and snapping it at the roots!

-1 grapnel.

Rusty retreats, snuggling into the bear skin to incubate the eggs and gnaw on the corroding gear.

actions & ideas please

[OGRE MAGE]

Of course.

Sven's attitude suddenly and uncharacteristically takes a turn for the worse.

"To hells with this stupid thing! If neither of you have any better ideas, I am going back by the others. We can kill this ugly fucker on the way out and take its eggs!"

The young mage looks more upset than usual when his magic fails, turning away to head back again unless another option is presented.

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth attempts to drive his spear through the zombie to push it off him.

Magic Spear [1d20+2]=6+2=8 to hit [1d6+4]=1+4=5 damage

For clarification, Orgoth took 1 or 13 hp damage?

[Spearmint]

Orgoth took -1hp, the first of the 'ravenous dead' took the -12hp.

Truro, using his blessed mace, 'the exorcist' sends another undead to the afterlife. Amos intercedes, pouring divine wrath to rebuke one if the creatures which about turns wailing down the hallway beyond. The last zombie, infused with a taste for blood presses forward and bites the young priest of Ygg. -4hp Truro

Truro melee mace vs undead (+1 vs undead) [1d20+2]=10+2=12 [1d6+2]=5+2=7Amos tries to Turn Undead [1d20]=17Ravenous Dead: vs Truro or Orgoth [1d2]=1 [1d20+1]=20+1=21[1d8]=4Amos turn Undead turned amount [1d12]=1

next attacks please.

[Rex]

Orgoth

Tries again.

Magic Spear [1d20+2]=9+2=11 to hit [1d6+4]=1+4=5 damage

Thanks, sheet updated.

[Spearmint]

The combat goes on in the southern corridor as spells are cast at the rust monster in the north.

Orgoth misses but the mace of Truro finds some revenge for his wound. With the ravenous zombie feeling as though he starves to death, he carries on to slay a warm and fresh blooded for that he can drag away to eat to his undead heart's content.

Party initiative [1d6]=5 Critters [1d6]=4 Truro melee mace vs undead (+1 vs undead) [1d20+2]=12+2=14 [1d6+2]=2+2=4Ravenous Dead: vs Truro or Orgoth [1d2]=1 [1d20+1]=6+1=7[1d8]=4

next round please

[Rex]

Orgoth

Attacks again.

Magic SPear [1d20+2]=8+2=10 to hit [1d6+4]=3+4=7 damage

[Spearmint]

Corridor Battle

Over a couple of frantic rounds, the ravenous zombie tries to overwhelm the three defenders, Truro once more landing the only telling blow until the two gnomes shout in unison, "Duck!" At point blank range just behind you they stand with loaded crossbows. The clerics duck, the half-orc steps aside. Two twangs trigger and both shafts impale the greedy creature before it can rake Orgoth for more damage.

The zombie turned has gone off down passages that lead off to the east of the hallway that the southern door opened into. There is no further sight or sound of it. The halls quiet, even from the charred portcullis nothing stirs.

You can close the door, securing it with a new spike to give you advance warning of any other intruders coming along.

You wait patiently for the trio to return from the action with Rusty.

Party initiative [1d6]=5 Critters [1d6]=6 Ravenous Dead: vs Truro, Amos or Orgoth [1d3]=2 [1d20+1]=5+1=6[1d8]=2Truro melee mace vs undead (+1 vs undead) [1d20+2]=6+2=8 [1d6+2]=4+2=6

Next round:

Party initiative [1d6]=5 Critters [1d6]=5 Ravenous Dead: vs Truro, Amos or Orgoth [1d3]=3 [1d20+1]=13+1=14[1d8]=7Truro melee mace vs undead (+1 vs undead) [1d20+2]=12+2=14 [1d6+2]=4+2=6Amos melee quarterstaff [1d20]=9 Staff [1d6]=3 Gnimish & Treyvor light crossbows [1d20]=16 [2d4]=7 [1d20+1]=14+1=15 [2d4]=8

[sastaz]

Gerdal looses her focus as it becomes apparent that the spell doesn't affect the creature. She recovers just in time to hear Sven lose his temper and start leaving.

Retain lv 1 spell vs 15 [4d6+1]=18+1=19

"I mean... no i don't really have any more ideas. Nothing will get her out of this room with her young ones being here. What we could do is we could maybe get the cobras in here? If Mazzah can't come to the tower, the tower will have to come to Mazzah, you know? If we make the hole in the wall larger and bait the snakes to follow us, maybe firing upon them. Then it's not that far to go here and we could just run past the rust monster and...hey wait, Sven, where are you going?"

She hurries after Sven back to the others.

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Corridors

Isvand give me any action you if you want to try and swipe the bear pelt or a rust monster egg or anything else, (Schmo Joe special?) with the rust monster and I will retrospectively adjudicate the action.

Reuniting you find that two dead zombies litter the southern leading corridor, Amos busy driving a new spike in the door to secure it closed.

You are back to considering how to enter the iron cobra room (85) or another choice in exploration.

discussions and actions please.

[redwarrior]

Isvand definitely doesn't want to swipe the rust monster egg! It's one thing if we decide to destroy the rust monster and take the egg, but I want the full party in for that action.

I could take this haste potion, and see if I could convince the metal snakes to follow me to Rusty? I'm sure I could be annoying enough to get them to follow? Though we'd need someone on the door for that? Or I think we see if we can kill them. A dead one should be almost as interesting to study as a living one? Rising intonation, turning it into a question, as he looks at the gnomes.

[sastaz]

On their way back, Gerdal gets another idea.

"Sven, what if we send our invisible servants to catch one or two of the eggs and drag them to the cobras? The parent will surely followr!"

US suspends 200 gp of weight, or drags double that amount.

[redwarrior]

On their way back, Gerdal gets another idea.

"Sven, what if we send our invisible servants to catch one or two of the eggs and drag them to the cobras? The parent will surely followr!"

US suspends 200 gp of weight, or drags double that amount.

That's clever!!!

[Rex]

Orgoth

"These are faster zombies then regular ones. One got away and went that way." he points after the zombie that got away.