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Scipio
2009-12-04, 03:07 PM
Spoiler Alert for Expedition to Castle Ravenloft

So my Ravenloft party is about to go to the cemetery, which cannot be a good idea. I plan on having the ghouls trap the party in an underground cave, so they will begin dying from lack of air. The party will trigger a collapsing earth trap, and then they will have to dig their way out. The party is 6th level, so no teleportation magic.

Let's say the cave is 20x30x10. How long can they last? The portable hole gives 10 minutes of breath in a 60 cubic feet space. The cave is 100x that in size, so does 1000 minutes sound right? For the 5 person party that equates to 3 1/3 hours a piece.

Any thoughts on how they party might easily escape?

Thanks for the feedback.

Myrmex
2009-12-04, 03:12 PM
Don't forget that if they have any fire with them (like a light source) they'll run out of air that much faster.

An easy easy out:
Use summon monster spells to summon celestial badgers to burrow out. If there's a druid, they could wildshape and dig themselves out.

Tyndmyr
2009-12-04, 03:16 PM
Rope trick. Apparently, there's air in there. Also, every bag of holding has 10 minutes worth of air.

I'd guesstimate several hours on the air question, tho.

Scipio
2009-12-04, 03:17 PM
Thanks for the reminder on the fire. They have that covered with magic, but you never know.

They have a ranger cleric instead of a druid, so no badgers for them. The wizard won't have any summon spells either.

chiasaur11
2009-12-04, 03:28 PM
Thanks for the reminder on the fire. They have that covered with magic, but you never know.

They have a ranger cleric instead of a druid, so no badgers for them. The wizard won't have any summon spells either.

So, they didn't need no steenking badgers?

Scipio
2009-12-04, 03:31 PM
So, they didn't need no steenking badgers?

That is awful. Just plain awful. :smallsigh:

Mystic Muse
2009-12-04, 03:44 PM
So, they didn't need no steenking badgers?

what's that from? UHF or somethign else?

BSW
2009-12-04, 03:44 PM
So, they didn't need no steenking badgers?

That pun is simultaneously so awesome and terrible that I don't know whether to laugh or groan.

Random832
2009-12-04, 03:47 PM
what's that from? UHF or somethign else?

It is originally a line about 'badges' from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre:

Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!'

It is often misquoted as "We don't need no stinkin' badges".

And this is likely neither the first time nor the last time the "badgers" pun was independently invented.

Haven
2009-12-04, 03:56 PM
It is often misquoted as "We don't need no stinkin' badges".

That's because that's the version of the line that showed up in Blazing Saddles, I believe.

Optimystik
2009-12-04, 04:02 PM
If the Ghouls come close (say, to observe their handiwork) then the wizard might be able to command (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/commandundead.htm) one or more to dig them out. Have the party hang out in the rope trick while the ghouls work. If the ghouls are outside the rubble, it becomes harder to target them, but it also negates the opposed Charisma check (since digging through rubble to get closer to prey is not opposed to a ghoul's interests.)

awa
2009-12-04, 04:09 PM
Do the party have shovles? If so how thick is the collapse they might just be able to dig them selves out.

Scipio
2009-12-04, 04:20 PM
If the Ghouls come close (say, to observe their handiwork) then the wizard might be able to command (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/commandundead.htm) one or more to dig them out. Have the party hang out in the rope trick while the ghouls work. If the ghouls are outside the rubble, it becomes harder to target them, but it also negates the opposed Charisma check (since digging through rubble to get closer to prey is not opposed to a ghoul's interests.)

The party wizard has been making use of Command Undead, so he might just do that. I have changed up the ghouls, so they are all swarm shifters. The lead ghoul can burrow around, and the others can find hiding places. The spell will only work if they are not in swarm form.

Scipio
2009-12-04, 04:22 PM
Do the party have shovles? If so how thick is the collapse they might just be able to dig them selves out.

I doubt any of them have shovels, but they may be able to dig themselves out. It will be about ten feet of solid earth. I wonder how long that takes if you are digging by hand or with improvised tools (i.e. weapons not designed to dig).

Optimystik
2009-12-04, 05:03 PM
Another consideration - Tyndmyr's Rope Trick suggestion. Party members inside it shouldn't be consuming air in the enclosure, because the trick is on another plane. So by taking 6 hour shifts, they can make the air in the enclosure last even longer.

The Rope Trick can't be used to refresh the air, however, because the air inside it can't cross over the planar boundary.

Scipio
2009-12-04, 05:07 PM
Another consideration - Tyndmyr's Rope Trick suggestion. Party members inside it shouldn't be consuming air in the enclosure, because the trick is on another plane. So by taking 6 hour shifts, they can make the air in the enclosure last even longer.

The Rope Trick can't be used to refresh the air, however, because the air inside it can't cross over the planar boundary.

That is a good idea, but my party has a portable hole. Even though the party wizard is a transmuter, he does not normally prepare Rope Trick, because of the issues with extradimensional spaces within other extradimensional spaces.

RandomLunatic
2009-12-04, 11:38 PM
You may find these useful:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/dungeons.htm#caveInsAndCollapsesCr8

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/environment.htm#suffocation

Zom B
2009-12-05, 12:21 AM
You could always have factors that allow you to dictate how much air there is. Maybe the collapse has caused a natural gas leak into the cave (boy, that could get fun if your wizard isn't careful with their spells), or maybe a dwarf in the party realizes that geothermal currents are carrying hot air into the cave, which is making the cooler air sink lower in the cave network, and the hotter air will soon become unbreathable.

Just some ideas.