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View Full Version : Gelatinous Cube n' a Pit Trap...



Ayrynthyn
2007-03-13, 09:39 AM
Scenario... 5 PCs, 12 NPC "Guards"
Wandering down a 30' wide tunnel from one dwarven aqueduct to the next when our Ranger spots some unknown tracks. Immediately we spring into defensive mode. Melee types to the front. Archers on standby. I send the Our noble (fighter/rogue) to the front to search and as one of the meleers. Well, doesn't he fail to mention he's searching for traps to the DM, and they walk right into a well concealed pit trap. Just as im starting to feel like Roy, the news gets worse. They (1 pc and 1 npc) don't take any falling damage because, yep... they landed in a Gelantinous Cube. At that point the Umberhulks bust out of the walls, and chaos ensues...

Anyway we killed both Cubes (were 2 traps in total, the second found by some confused running guards) and the Umber hulks only loosing 1 guard, but there were some questions that arose out of this combat.

Once you kill a Gelatinous Cube, if it's confined as in our trap, would it continue to do Acid Damage to those now "swimming" in its remains?

What effect, if any does being engulfed have on your Gear? I see where it talks about the puddings and the Oozes, and it gives details on the reflex saves required and what not, but all the Acid entry says for the Cube is "A gelatinous cube’s acid does not harm metal or stone."

This also brought up the HP/Hardness of wondrous items. We came across the entry for mundane items, and also magic Armor/Weapons (Each +1 = +2 Hardness and +10 HP). Is there something comparable for wondrous items? The Noble's Haversack beseeches you ;)

Fixer
2007-03-13, 09:44 AM
When a gelatinous cube 'dies' I would say that its digestive processes also stop. At that point you've chopped up the beasty to the point where it is no longer dangerous.

For wondrous items 'hardness and HP' I know of no such rule nor has it ever come up. I would rule they are just as normal objects.

Bender
2007-03-13, 09:56 AM
For realism, I'd vote for the acid continuing to work, it might even be very hard to get out, slowly sinking to the bottom of a viscous acidic fluid and even drowning is a possibility. But lets spare the catgirls

for gameplay, I'd say a dead monster is a harmless monster, unless the DM thinks its an interesting challenge to escape from a dead cube. I wouldn't let the acid destroy items either. (but I would advice someone who fell in to buy new clothes :smallwink:)

Lapak
2007-03-13, 10:03 AM
I'd agree with the 'harmless once dead' idea, myself. You can't collect acid from a Cube's corpse to use on someone else, after all. I've always imagined cubes (and other oozes and jellies) losing their ability to maintain a shape once killed, so in this case the cube would dissolve into liquid. Even if there were no cracks in the stone for it to seep away through, I don't think that the characters would continue to take acid damage.

Darrin
2007-03-13, 10:24 AM
Once you kill a Gelatinous Cube, if it's confined as in our trap, would it continue to do Acid Damage to those now "swimming" in its remains?

What effect, if any does being engulfed have on your Gear? I see where it talks about the puddings and the Oozes, and it gives details on the reflex saves required and what not, but all the Acid entry says for the Cube is "A gelatinous cube’s acid does not harm metal or stone."


Once the cube was killed, I'd just consider its body is hacked to pieces and if I wanted to worry about it, I'd treat the 10' square where it was as rough terrain. I'd consider the acid either neutralized at that point or whatever organs/glands were producing it have been chopped up and the acid now spread harmlessly on the floor.

(If you want to kill a few catgirls, I'd reason that the acid is localized to vessicles that float freely inside the cube, and these vessicles burst or drain away once the cube's body dies and loses cohesion. For dealing with the actual physical mass of the cube... uh... the fluids inside drain away, or evaporate very quickly.)

As far as gear, any items you wear/carry use your saves. If it's a magical item, it can use its own save based on its caster level if it's higher than your save. I don't recall the specifics of saves for magic items, though.

Ayrynthyn
2007-03-13, 02:07 PM
When a gelatinous cube 'dies' I would say that its digestive processes also stop. At that point you've chopped up the beasty to the point where it is no longer dangerous.

This was the argument i made. The compromise we came up with was a decaying damage model, so damage got less as the rounds went by.


For realism, I'd vote for the acid continuing to work, it might even be very hard to get out, slowly sinking to the bottom of a viscous acidic fluid and even drowning is a possibility. But lets spare the catgirls...

This was the DM's take as well. It's afterall his call. Our group is pretty good. we banter the argument for a few minutes, DM makes the call, and we run with it (with minimal grumbling) leaving the detailed rules lawyering till after session.


As far as gear, any items you wear/carry use your saves. If it's a magical item, it can use its own save based on its caster level if it's higher than your save. I don't recall the specifics of saves for magic items, though.

i made this point as well... but the retort was that since they were enveloped. There was nothing to save against. It was just Acid damage... I had hoped that there was something comparable to the magic weapon/armor HP/hardness thing.