July 28, 2024

Beggar 20, 5043  (cont)

(8:00 PM)

We pull the lever and find ourselves with a new path to explore to the North.

Ben heals Zora for 16hp.

We decide to camp here. Arden and Zora keep watch. Beari and Ben sleep and then learn spells. Ben learns Find the Path several times.

Rope Trick does not work here.

Beggar 21, 5043

(9:00AM)

We get back spells and head out. <See Level 2 Passageway.> We come to a slightly glowing hallway. Beari casts Detect Magic – it is not magical. Arden goes in after telling us to pull him back if he explodes. [There are problems with his wishes. (1) He is not tied to anything to pull; (2) Hard to pull something which has exploded. Maybe he should rethink?]

We find another glowing hallway. Arden does a deeper search to see if he can figure out why – learns nothing new. We continue following the path through light and dark sections.

Arden bumps into something in the dark. Surprise! We are gooey. ICK!

Init: Arden, Zora, Ben, Beari.

There is an ooze around us full of acid causing damage and we can’t breathe.

Round 1:

10hp of acid damage to party.

Arden hits O₁ with very special dagger for 66, but we take 44 points of lighting damage as a result. Arden hits O₁ again, again, again: 36, 12 shock, 13 fire.

Zora uses punching dagger – does 50 hp.

Ben has no useful weapon so he waits for rescue.

Beari hits with dagger for 10.

Round 2:

10hp of acid damage to party.

Arden hits with dagger for 49+16+13.

Zora hits with dagger for 80 + 12 = 92 / 2 = 46.

Ben waits.

Beari hits for 9.

Round 3:

10hp of acid damage to party.

Arden hits for 46, 16, 20.

Zora hits for 115 + 12 = 127 / 2 = 63.

Ben waits.

Beari hits for 10.

Round 4:

10hp of acid damage to party.

Arden hits for 51+22+18.

Zora hits for 92 + 14 = 106 / 2 = 53. O₁ dies.

XP: 284

Shaking his head (I mean, who goes adventuring without a dagger?!?), Arden hands Ben and Zora each a dagger to carry and use in case we ever encounter another ooze.

Ben heals us all.

That was gross! Let’s not go inside any more oozes no matter what influencers say. Muscin is not worth it.

Beari casts a Lightning Bolt spell into Arden’s spell-storing dagger.

We continue in and out of light and dark areas hoping to reach our next puzzle.

We find a room with arches <see Level 2 Lobby> and a logic puzzle about dogs gnawing on bones. We choose the first arch.

XP: 500

Arden steps in and Ben casts Find the Path on him.. [Henceforth “FtP”.] <see Level 2 Maze>  We follow the spell down corridors until we come to stais going down. We go down and find more stairs. We keep following the spell. There is a secret door we mark but do not investigate. We find a spot with an illusion of a wall and go through. Continue until we meet a Blue Dragon who tells us to go away. It is not very big, but it does fill the passageway. It won’t let us pass so we send Zora ahead to attempt to dispatch it.

Init: Beari, Arden, Zora, Ben

Round 1:

Beari casts Magic Missile on BD₁ and the illusion disappears.

XP: 0

We continue on. Find stairs up. Continue on through maze. Find more stairs up, find more stairs up, continue to stairs down, keep going. Arden searches for a secret door – finds and opens. Keep going around and around and up and down until we find a monster. It’s a Gibbering Mouther and Beari knows about them. They are super gross! So many mouths!

Init: Zora, Beari, Ben, Arden

Round 1:

Zora charges and gets within 5’ and begins to sink in quicksand up to her hips. Hits GM₁ for 25+2.

GM₁ makes a blinding light – we save; gibbers at us – we save; hits Zora three times for -1 CON each hit.

Beari casts Levitate on Zora and pulls her from quicksand toward ceiling.

Ben casts Flame Strike on GM₁ – 33 Holy, 32 flame – then casts Blade Strike for 9.

Arden activates boots and flies to GM₁, hits for 67, kills.

XP: 11

Ben fixes Zora’s CON loss and hp damage.

Beari again casts a Lightning Bolt spell into Arden’s spell-storing dagger.

Zora and Arden carry Beari and Ben across the quicksand.

We find another monster, a Shambling Mound. Beari knows about them: plant, blind.

Init: Beari, Zora, Arden, Ben.

Round 1:

Beari casts Fireball for 60 hp.

SM₁ moves to Slam Arden for 21.

Zora activates boots and flies to charge and hits for 29, 24; touches ceiling.

Arden spring attacks – hits for 18 then jumps back further and is running and jumping in place to try and confuse SM₁.

Ben casts Implosion on SM₁ but it saves.

Round 2:

Beari casts Mordenkainen’s Sword and hits for 16.

SM₁ hits Zora for 44, constricts for 29.

Zora hits SM₁ for 50, 36, 33, 34, 31.

Arden hits for 16.

Ben keeps moving to distract.

Round 3:

Beari hits with Mordenkainen’s Sword for 20.

SM₁ hits Zora for 65.

Zora hits SM₁ for 43 – kills.

XP: 270

Ben heals Zora of many damage.

Arden searches the body and is surprised to find 2 platinum. Some discussion about possible rarity value back home.

Continue until FtP informs Arden of a trap and how to disarm it, which he does.

Find the next monster, a Huge Viper with a poisonous bite.

Init: Beari, Arden, Zora, Ben.

Round 1:

Beari cast Fireball Maximized – kills.

XP: 0

Continue to next trap and disable it. Continue to alcove and find lever.

(11:30AM)

We pull the lever.

New room – no lever – let’s go get some more radiation and find another puzzle. <see Level 3 Passageway> High ho, high ho its to a puzzle we go. Let’s move along and find a way home. High ho, high, ho, high ho, high ho.

We find a swirly squirrel box monster <see picture> and Z tries to figure out what it is. It leaps about! Look at the swirls.

It is a Sonic Elemental. Three kinds of attacks: hearing, mind, body. Lots of immunities.

Init: Beari, Zora, Arden, Ben.

Round 1:

Beari casts Bigby’s Clenched Fist for 21.

Zora hits for 26, misses on 35, hits on 43 for 21, misses.

SE₁ misses Arden; issues a Sonic Blast but everyone saves and take half = 19 hp damage.

Arden tries to place an Inmoveable Rod, fails, tries to hit, misses, moves away.

Ben intelligently casts Zone of Silence on SE₁, but cannot overcome its Spell Resistance.

Round 2:

Beari touches Arden and Ben, and via Val also touches Zora, casts Mass Resist Elements vs Sonic [henceforth MRE]; Fist hits for 18.

Zora hits for 47, 72, miss, 96.

SE₁ slams Zora for 18; issues a Sonic Stun for 32 or 12 (after MRE -12 reduction).

Arden hits for 20.

Ben waits.

Round 3:

Beari casts Magic Missile for 18; Fist hits for 19.

Zora hits on 40 for 26, hits for 52, hits for 78, misses on 33, hits for 108.

SE₁ misses Zora; issues a Sonic Blast for 25 or 6 (after MRE -12 reduction).

Arden hits for 14 – kills.

XP: 1,308

The Sonic Elemental dissolves.

Ben heals us all. We continue to the lobby <see Level 3 Lobby> and find the next puzzle.

(1:30PM)

It is a chess puzzle. Which is painful and hard. Fun time is over. At least I got a nap.

END OF RUN