Hiro Quester
2015-05-19, 12:02 AM
Our party just dealt with an encounter on a derelict ship trapped in sargasso. The hold in the ship was filled with gold. As we dealt with the major monster that had held the sargasso together, the sargasso broke up and the derelict ship sank, with all its cargo.
I'm a playing (in the Savage Tide adventure path) a newly graduated forest gnome druid7/monk1 (I just went up a level at the end of the encounter). Our books are Core plus PH2, DMG2, and Stormwrack. My AC died in the encounter (so it goes), so I can attract a new aquatic AC tomorrow, too. 7th level AC options now available.
I'm considering going on a mission to the bottom to explore the wreck and recover some of the gold, if the sea isn't too obscenely deep here. (DM is currently considering how deep the sea is here; I'm hoping not too deep since we have been traveling between islands in a chain.)
Questions: What wildshape form to use? What animal companion to recruit? What spells to prepare? Best method of raising treasure to the surface? Best way to get me back to the surface?
Here's the plan. I'd appreciate suggestions of improvements.
(1) What wildshape?
Obviously, I'd wildshape into an aquatic creature that breathes water and can live deep, pumping up constitution to deal with the fort saves that deep water requires (Stormwrack, p.11). It causes 1d6 per 200 feet below 500 feet deep. You make a fort save once each minute (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) to avoid this damage. However, creatures adapted to the deep don't take such damage. Some octopuses live at this depth, so I'l ask the DM if I can make a knowledge (nature) check to know about that type of octopus. (I lived 30 years on a privateer ship, so it's possible.)
I'll get the party rogue to tie a rope to me (in a way my tentacles can untie), and tie the other end to a weight to help me sink, a light source (cast light on the rope perhaps) and bag of holding down deep to recover items.
(2) What animal companion?
The AC is limited to the animals in the local sea (tropical ocean). Storm wrack gives Dire Barracuda as a possibility. Better strength and constitution, and a decent number of hit points, which should help. Plus if it stays close it can benefit from any buffs and spells I cast on myself, which can include E's Menacing Tentacles to get a strong and dextrous AC helping gather the treasure (if only for 7 rounds).
But perhaps a squid would be better. As a 7th level druid, a squid AC would get +4 hd, plus +2 Str and Con. It wouldn't have enough HP to last long down deep, though.
Are there better options?
(3) What spells to prepare?
I don't need to prepare heals. I have the Spontaneous Healer feat; a bonus "regional" feat --everyone in our party got one such feat at first level. This means that I can convert any spells to a "cure" spells like a cleric, to heal some of the damage being deep can cause.
I'll probably cast an extended water breathing the night before (2hrs/level = 28 hour duration). Just in case.
Detect animals and plants (detecting sargasso, or the surface lichen that coated parts of the ship) should help locate the wreck, which will have taken a few bits of surface plants with it; those plants will only be around recently sunken wrecks and would not occur naturally at the bottom of the sea. The long range on this helps a lot.
Detect magic can help locate important items in the wreck.
Spells that help speak to, calm, charm, or dominate animals I might meet in the deep and would like to recruit. Anti-plant shell in case plant creatures that attacked us on the sargasso are still alive down there.
Evard's menacing tentacles spell can help add two longer 10' tentacles, for giving manual dexterity to my wildshape form. (but the main point is that share spells can give tentacles to a stronger Animal Companion, too.)
Meld into Stone (to "rest" inside a stone protected from the pressure, perhaps while being lifted to the surface). The ship had a few small marble statues on it that might do the trick, or I could take a stone my size with me as the weight that helps me sink. Plus a few buffs like Bull's strength and bear's endurance, at least. Renewed vigor (+2 untyped bonus to CON) and a couple of castings of resistance when the fort saves start getting high or important.
I can summon aquatic creatures (esp. Elementals) for help collecting items (maybe even placing the stone I meld into in the BoH or diving bell, if necessary), and other aquatic creatures for help.
(4) how to get the treasure to the surface?
I can use wood shape to create a diving bell shape or two from a piece of the wreckage, with space to hold items and/or BoH and a large piece of metal (or just the treasure) at the bottom of each. Then use heat metal to create steam that will float it up to the surface. Party members waiting in dinghies above ready to haul them in when they surface.
Other suggestions? Are there spells that could inflate a balloon under water more reliably or economically (in terms of spell levels).
(5) Getting me back to the surface
Like I said, I could meld into a stone and have that lifted to the surface, too, if I'm running out of time, fort saves, or HP.
Or just tie a rope to the diving bell I create and be pulled up with the treasure. Holding on, so if I let g from hazard (bends) it wild keep getting worse.
I'm worried about getting the bends, though. Is this just a problem for air-breathers like us, or for animals, too? I'll probably just be able to swim slowly up if I'm in octopus form. Maybe get a ride to 500 feet at least, so I stop taking pressure damage.
Having our ship's cleric ready to cast a cure spell, or remove disease (the bends) or neutralize poison (nitrogen in blood) might not be a bad idea. Other preparations for recovery at the surface?
Any suggestions on other ways of improving success on a deep water mission like this?
I'm a playing (in the Savage Tide adventure path) a newly graduated forest gnome druid7/monk1 (I just went up a level at the end of the encounter). Our books are Core plus PH2, DMG2, and Stormwrack. My AC died in the encounter (so it goes), so I can attract a new aquatic AC tomorrow, too. 7th level AC options now available.
I'm considering going on a mission to the bottom to explore the wreck and recover some of the gold, if the sea isn't too obscenely deep here. (DM is currently considering how deep the sea is here; I'm hoping not too deep since we have been traveling between islands in a chain.)
Questions: What wildshape form to use? What animal companion to recruit? What spells to prepare? Best method of raising treasure to the surface? Best way to get me back to the surface?
Here's the plan. I'd appreciate suggestions of improvements.
(1) What wildshape?
Obviously, I'd wildshape into an aquatic creature that breathes water and can live deep, pumping up constitution to deal with the fort saves that deep water requires (Stormwrack, p.11). It causes 1d6 per 200 feet below 500 feet deep. You make a fort save once each minute (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) to avoid this damage. However, creatures adapted to the deep don't take such damage. Some octopuses live at this depth, so I'l ask the DM if I can make a knowledge (nature) check to know about that type of octopus. (I lived 30 years on a privateer ship, so it's possible.)
I'll get the party rogue to tie a rope to me (in a way my tentacles can untie), and tie the other end to a weight to help me sink, a light source (cast light on the rope perhaps) and bag of holding down deep to recover items.
(2) What animal companion?
The AC is limited to the animals in the local sea (tropical ocean). Storm wrack gives Dire Barracuda as a possibility. Better strength and constitution, and a decent number of hit points, which should help. Plus if it stays close it can benefit from any buffs and spells I cast on myself, which can include E's Menacing Tentacles to get a strong and dextrous AC helping gather the treasure (if only for 7 rounds).
But perhaps a squid would be better. As a 7th level druid, a squid AC would get +4 hd, plus +2 Str and Con. It wouldn't have enough HP to last long down deep, though.
Are there better options?
(3) What spells to prepare?
I don't need to prepare heals. I have the Spontaneous Healer feat; a bonus "regional" feat --everyone in our party got one such feat at first level. This means that I can convert any spells to a "cure" spells like a cleric, to heal some of the damage being deep can cause.
I'll probably cast an extended water breathing the night before (2hrs/level = 28 hour duration). Just in case.
Detect animals and plants (detecting sargasso, or the surface lichen that coated parts of the ship) should help locate the wreck, which will have taken a few bits of surface plants with it; those plants will only be around recently sunken wrecks and would not occur naturally at the bottom of the sea. The long range on this helps a lot.
Detect magic can help locate important items in the wreck.
Spells that help speak to, calm, charm, or dominate animals I might meet in the deep and would like to recruit. Anti-plant shell in case plant creatures that attacked us on the sargasso are still alive down there.
Evard's menacing tentacles spell can help add two longer 10' tentacles, for giving manual dexterity to my wildshape form. (but the main point is that share spells can give tentacles to a stronger Animal Companion, too.)
Meld into Stone (to "rest" inside a stone protected from the pressure, perhaps while being lifted to the surface). The ship had a few small marble statues on it that might do the trick, or I could take a stone my size with me as the weight that helps me sink. Plus a few buffs like Bull's strength and bear's endurance, at least. Renewed vigor (+2 untyped bonus to CON) and a couple of castings of resistance when the fort saves start getting high or important.
I can summon aquatic creatures (esp. Elementals) for help collecting items (maybe even placing the stone I meld into in the BoH or diving bell, if necessary), and other aquatic creatures for help.
(4) how to get the treasure to the surface?
I can use wood shape to create a diving bell shape or two from a piece of the wreckage, with space to hold items and/or BoH and a large piece of metal (or just the treasure) at the bottom of each. Then use heat metal to create steam that will float it up to the surface. Party members waiting in dinghies above ready to haul them in when they surface.
Other suggestions? Are there spells that could inflate a balloon under water more reliably or economically (in terms of spell levels).
(5) Getting me back to the surface
Like I said, I could meld into a stone and have that lifted to the surface, too, if I'm running out of time, fort saves, or HP.
Or just tie a rope to the diving bell I create and be pulled up with the treasure. Holding on, so if I let g from hazard (bends) it wild keep getting worse.
I'm worried about getting the bends, though. Is this just a problem for air-breathers like us, or for animals, too? I'll probably just be able to swim slowly up if I'm in octopus form. Maybe get a ride to 500 feet at least, so I stop taking pressure damage.
Having our ship's cleric ready to cast a cure spell, or remove disease (the bends) or neutralize poison (nitrogen in blood) might not be a bad idea. Other preparations for recovery at the surface?
Any suggestions on other ways of improving success on a deep water mission like this?