Portal to D&D IC - Thundercracker

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn decides to ignore the bats and continued deeper into the cave, looking for the passages she found previously. If there is more than one, she’ll take the left passage and follow it.

[Rizban]

Spoiler: DM

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Do you have a light source/darkvision?

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn has see the unseen, which grants detect invisibility and dark vision 60’, and was why she advanced to warlock 2.

[Rizban]

Spoiler: DM

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Got it. Trying to keep this many abilities from this many players straight isn't the easiest of tasks...

Since it's an activated ability though, in the future, can you please let me know in character that you're using it? Technically, just having it does nothing for you if you don't actually activate it.

You enter the left hand tunnel and immediately receive a notification.

You have entered the Venomous Grove Dungeon!
This ancient dungeon has been well known for generations. The Venomous Grove Dungeon is the first dungeon attempted by many adventurers who have just started their career and has long been managed by the local adventuring guilds.
Warning! Rampant Monsters!
This dungeon has not been cleared in fourty-seven [47] years, seven [7] months, and thirteen [13] days!

Achievement: Entered a Dungeon
You have entered a dungeon for the first time. Gain 10 experience.

New Quest Obtained!
Clear the Venomous Grove Dungeon!
Dungeon monsters that are not cleared regularly continue to grow in strength and number over time. This dungeon has remained uncleared for an extended period, allowing the monsters to become Rampant! Completely clear this dungeon to restore balance to the system!
Progress: 0%

[Thundercracker]

Spoiler

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no worries, I totally understand. Also Arelyn did activate the invocation on post 340, and it has a 24 hour duration.

47 years, definitely glitchy, the game hadn’t been around that long. Arelyn did some mental arithmetic and figured out the last date of clearing and ponders if there’s anything significant about that date.

On the plus side, this was indeed the venomous grove and so there should be settlements to the south. She’d be heading there after checking out the difficulty of this dungeon. She needed to figure out if retraining feats was possible to get divine metamagic and persistent spell earlier.... and find a temple of a knowledge deity she could open up a cleric class at.

Upon receiving the notification, Arelyn backed out and checked the right passage. If she doesn’t receive a similar notification after a comparable distance, she’ll proceed down the left path, trying to stay quiet so as not to alert anything of her presence.

Spoiler

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move silent (1d20+5)[8]

[Rizban]

Spoiler: DM

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You gain an extra 100 xp for making the DM happy by remembering the brief mention of the forest's name from a month ago and putting the information together to figure out something in character.

You don't recall anything significant about that date, though a Knowledge check might reveal something important. However, you aren't sure that would help all that much.

You have entered a Safe Zone
Combat has been disabled
You may use this Safe Zone for a maximum of 8 hours per week. (7:59:51)
Warning!
This Safe Zone may be compromised due to Rampant monsters!

Inside the so-called "Safe Zone," you find signs of adventurers having used this place extensively for many years. Graffiti covers the walls, there's refuse shoved everywhere, and multiple low spots are charred black by fire. There doesn't appear to have been any recent activity in the room.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn spends some time searching through the safe zone for any salvageable equipment. She also casts detect magic at will and checks for any auras, and tries to read the graffiti.

Spoiler

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search take 20 For 24

[Rizban]

The graffiti is mostly "so-and-so was here" or crude phrases and insults. There's a few things that look like they might have been helpful, like "look out for that last step," but most of that has been defaced or has faded. It's very difficult to make out more than basic words and patterns with the current light conditions.

You detect nothing magical in the area beyond a single Strong aura.

What equipment you find appears to have already been broken when it was discarded or has dry rotted into uselessness since. You do, however, manage to find 2 bronze tent stakes that still seem serviceable. They're both about 8 inches long with a 1-inch crook in the top.

You also find (2d4)[4] bronze pips, the lowest denomination of currency in the game.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn picks up the bronze pips and the stakes, and focuses on the strong magical aura to find its location.

[Rizban]

Arelyn picks up the bronze pips and the stakes, and focuses on the strong magical aura to find its location.

It's... everywhere.

[Thundercracker]

Fine.

Arelyn stepped out of the safe room and proceeded down the left path into the dungeon, keeping her eyes and ears open for rampant monsters.

Spoiler

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move silent take 10 for 15
Listen: (1d20)[2]
Spot take 10 for 14

[Rizban]

You soon encounter a carved stone archway, beyond which is a flight of stairs leading down 40 feet. At the bottom, you can see a wooden door directly in front of you and a hallway leading to the left.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn checks the bottom step of the stairway for traps, and assuming she finds none, she does the same for the door.

Spoiler

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step: (1d20+4)[7]
Door: (1d20+4)[24]

Assuming she finds nothing, she’ll look through a keyhole if there is one, or if there is none, she will crack the door open to see if there is anything inside.

[Rizban]

You find no traps on the stairs or the door. The door is not locked or barred as far as you can tell.

You slowly open the door, which swings towards you.

The room beyond is surprisingly bright. Small stone bowls are built into the walls a few inches above eye level, each of which hosts a flickering, yellow flame.

The room appears to be empty, but your eyes are drawn to the ceiling, which is painted with a mural of a legendary battle.

Minuscule movement on the ceiling catches your eye, and the flattened spider shape twitches slightly, revealing itself to be an actual spider of immense proportions that has flattened itself on the ceiling in an attempt to hide.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn’s eyes widen and she quickly casts a swarm of bats into the room and closes the door.

Edit: 5 damage from
Bats rolled on discord. Dc 11 fort or nauseated.

[Rizban]

Several minutes pass, and the room has gone silent. The swarm still exists, but you haven't received any sort of experience notification...

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn cancels the swarm, waits for it to disperse, listens at the door, then cracks it open and peeks in.

[Rizban]

You see a huge monstrous spider angrily tearing at gobs of webbing, looking for the bats it had webbed and was in the process of eating!

It senses movement, turns towards you, and screams a bone-shaking shriek as it bends its abdomen towards you...

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn scrambled 30’ down the hallway and pressed her back against the wall to get out of line of sight of the room.

Initiative: (1d20+5)[9]

[Rizban]

As you run, the wall shakes as a massive bulk slams into the open doorway. Huge pedipalps stretch through the door, grasping for you.

At 30 feet, you reach the end of the hallway, a large opening that lacks any sort of door reveals a 50 ft x 50 ft room, the walls of which are lined with faded tapestry.

Faint gurgling hisses can be heard as multiple monstrous centipedes uncurl and begin seeking the prey they sense nearby.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn drops a bat swarm on the nearest monstrous centipede and quietly tries to conceal herself in the hallway, pressing herself against the wall if she has no other choice.

Spoiler

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move 15’ back towards the door and hide:
(1d20+5)[14]
Swarm damage: (1d6)[1]
Dc 11 fort or nauseated, bleeding 1

This was the perfect dungeon for her, she just had to get that door between her and the monsters...

[Rizban]

The centipede screams as the bats swarm it. The sounds of heavy bodies slamming into one another can be heard from the hallway.

One of the centipedes powers through the doorway and slams into the wall opposite! The stone cracks with the impact!

It turns towards you.

The centipede hisses as it begins squeezing down the hall, venom dripping from its snapping mandibles!

[Thundercracker]

The centipede screams as the bats swarm it. The sounds of heavy bodies slamming into one another can be heard from the hallway.

One of the centipedes powers through the doorway and slams into the wall opposite! The stone cracks with the impact!

It turns towards you.

The centipede hisses as it begins squeezing down the hall, venom dripping from its snapping mandibles!

Arelyn glanced back to see if the giant spider was still by the door waiting for her. She took a five foot step back away from the centipede in front of her (as long as it leaves her out of reach of the huge monstrous spider) and dropped a spider swarm right on its rear, hoping to distract it and weaken it to make it less likely to land a blow.

Spoiler

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how large is the centipede?
damage: (1d6)[1]
DC11 fort or nauseated.
DC11 fort or (1d3)[3] str damage

[Rizban]

Spoiler: DM

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The centipedes are size Huge. It will be able to follow you down the hallway.

The spider is still reaching for you, but you can squeeze against the far wall to avoid it, so long as you move at half speed while doing so. You can move at full speed with a successful Escape Artist check, DC 10.

The centipede saves vs the swarm.
Nausea Fort - (1d20+6)[19]
Poison Fort - (1d20+6)[19]

[Rizban]

The monstrous centipede squeezes down the hallway and bites, mandibles clacking ravenously as it comes for you!

(1d20+1)[14] - (2d6+4)[11] + Poison - (1d6)[2] Dex DC 14

[Thundercracker]

Fort save: (1d20)[8]

Arelyn decides to try and get the two critters to fight each other, and squeezes down the hallway, withdrawing for the first part of her move to avoid an attack from the centipede.

Spoiler

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double move down the hallway and up the steps.

If necessary to avoid aoo from the centipede (in case it’s right in my face): tumble: (1d20+2)[8] - 1 if the poison hits.

[Rizban]

You somehow manage to escape from the behemoth creatures. As soon as your feet tread upon the steps, all sounds of the creatures cease, and you receive a notification.

You have exited the Venomous Grove Dungeon.
Monsters defeated: Items collected: Resources harvested:	0 0 0
This dungeon has not been cleared. Total Dungeon Completion: 0%

[Thundercracker]

Hmm okay, that’s interesting.

Arelyn heads to the safe room to see if she can recover hit points there. If she can, she will wait until she’s back at full and return to the steps, peering ahead to see if she can see the monsters.

If she doesn’t heal quicker than normal, she returns to the grove to heal up and eat, then returns to the venomous grove dungeon.

[Rizban]

You find that the safe room confers no special healing properties in the short time that you spend there.

Remember that it takes at least an hour to get from the cave entrance to your starting glade.

(1d100)[26]

You return to your glade safely and quickly heal up.

[Thundercracker]

Arelyn waits in the glade a bit longer to see if the ability damage goes away as well, then eats and returns to the dungeon.

Spoiler

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thats ok, if I kill just one or two of these huge vermin it’ll be worth it.