World's Largest Dungeons DM Assistance

[Red_Death01]

Hi guys, I'm sort of new to DMing and my group will be utalizing WLD- I have a couple of questions concerning difficulty as well as how certain mechanics work if you could answer them in easy to understand methods that would be most helpful!

First one: In Darkness is Death!
The Flying Fiendish Darkmantles can use the Darkness ability like the Darkness spell at 5 level caster... I understand darkness gives 20% miss chance for 10 minutes. It also causes light sources to not work- the question I have is how can a player fight this when they're effectively in pitch blackness and effectively blind. Wouldn't that also cause the miss chance to go to 50% for fighting in the dark? Is the players able to discern where the fiend is located? Another question I have is can they cast it at range or is it a touch spell where they simply cast it on themselves? (As some situations the book says it casts it at the corner far away while other times it simply says it casts it)

Second One: Improved Grab
A Darkmantles attack is nasty at 1d4+4 slam. Then they get a free grapple attempt- if they're successful they deal another 1d4+4 constrict damage?! Thats a possible 10-16 damage instantly at level 1? How can a character expect to survive this? Am I reading the statistics wrong or working improved grab wrong?

Third: Chill of the Devil
Fiendish Rats have Devil's Chill- on a successful damage being dealt they inflict the disease- the incubation is 1d4, does the player know they're ridden with a disease before it is activated?

I'll probably have some more questions regarding other various things but these are just the top of my head. Thanks in advance!

[NavyBlue]

Incubation period is the time in which the disease gestates within the body - The PCs experience no symptoms during this time, and are therefore unaware of the disease.

[Red_Death01]

Thats what I figured- No idea on the first and third though I presume?

[VGLordR2]

Darkness is centered on whatever is touched when the spell is cast. Note that the radius is only 20 feet. If it manages to extinguish all light sources, it is treated as normal pitch-blackness.

Darkmantles can only Improved Grab Tiny or smaller creatures. Unless the party has a Jermalaine, they should be fine.

[vrigar]

First one: In Darkness is Death!
The Flying Fiendish Darkmantles can use the Darkness ability like the Darkness spell at 5 level caster... I understand darkness gives 20% miss chance for 10 minutes. It also causes light sources to not work- the question I have is how can a player fight this when they're effectively in pitch blackness and effectively blind. Wouldn't that also cause the miss chance to go to 50% for fighting in the dark?

Darkness is no pitch dark. It is shadowy illumination (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/darkness.htm) meaning there is only a miss chance and basically the characters can see. Light sources can't brighten the area but they do function so if it was dark before now you have light with shadowy illumination.

[Red_Death01]

Darkness is centered on whatever is touched when the spell is cast. Note that the radius is only 20 feet. If it manages to extinguish all light sources, it is treated as normal pitch-blackness.

Darkmantles can only Improved Grab Tiny or smaller creatures. Unless the party has a Jermalaine, they should be fine.

Strange- the mantles (their fiendish) are small category but can only grab tiny or smaller? As for the darkness as long as theres a lightsource outside of it they can but shadowy otherwise its pitch black I get that then...

[VGLordR2]

Oops, I made a mistake. Improved Grab only works against creatures one size category smaller than the user, unless otherwise noted. I neglected to read the Darkmantle's Improved Grab ability, which states that it can be used against anything Large or smaller.

[Red_Death01]

Oops, I made a mistake. Improved Grab only works against creatures one size category smaller than the user, unless otherwise noted. I neglected to read the Darkmantle's Improved Grab ability, which states that it can be used against anything Large or smaller.

So my question still remains- if they're dealing 1d4+4 damage on the strike then 1d4+4 on the success of a grapple how can anyone survive that? or are u suppose to do the attack daamge and the constrict isnt dealt upon the first success?

[VGLordR2]

Here is all of the information you need. (www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050322a)

Too long; didn't read: The Darkmantles will add their constrict damage when they initiate the grapple. Therefore, the slam will deal 1d4+4 and a successful grapple check will deal 1d4+4 damage. On subsequent rounds, the Darkmantle will deal 2d4+8 damage on a successful grapple check.

A few things you should note. Darkmantles have a +0 to grapple. They don't have an easy way to succeed against most front-line fighters (which is what they will likely be grappling). Remember that characters can try to escape on their turn, making it even harder to maintain the grapple. Also, Darkmantles only have six hit points. And their damage is hardly absurd when you compare it to anything using a Greatsword. Remember that the -10 hit point rule will keep the squishies alive. It won't be the easiest fight in the world, but the players should be able to overcome it.

[aeauseth]

Yup, Darkmantle encounters for low level players can be a death trap. Don't forget that players with normal (or low light) vision are likely blind in the darkness area. Normal torches and the light spell are surpressed in darkness. Darkvision in darkness is the 20% concealment.

As the DM you have the ability to reduce the number of darkmantles as appropriate to your party makup. You could also add a torch of continual flame to the treasure prior to the darkmantle encounter.

You might find this (http://www.enworld.org/forum/pathfinder-rpg-discussion/275287-question-regarding-grab-constrict.html)interesting as well.

[rel]

The spell Darkness in 3.5 casts shadowy illumination. You can see in the area of a darkness spell. Moreover, If the area you are in is completely dark the spell actually raises the ambient light level.

[Khedrac]

If the players think to check themselves for disease after fighting the rats then a heal check would reasonably warn the character that they might be diseased. Yes it is not exact RAW but it makes sense, and a DC of the disease's save DC would be reasonable (the same as using Heal to help fight it).
This is also a good reason for not asking for the fortitude saves during/directly after the fight.