The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth Adventure Log

Discussion in 'RPG Discussion' started by ScottyG, May 14, 2009.

  1. Druvas

    Druvas Spellbinder

    Oh that's painful. I am running a one-shot G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief today at my FLGS with a handful of DF'ers. I am using most of the pre-gens, adding a couple of my own and 4 of them have henchmen. It should be fun! If it turns out to be newsworthy, I'll post a CJ here and/or on DF.
     
  2. ScottyG

    ScottyG Chevalier

    I look forward to it.
     
  3. Druvas

    Druvas Spellbinder

    Thanks. They'll have about 6 hours to complete it. I think that's doable if they are smart about it.
     
  4. Melf

    Melf Administrator Staff Member


    That hurts! But I still stand by letting them kill themselves through stupidity. Does anyone have a wish? Or could the survivor go get a wish scroll and wish they had not continued on down the river. This might be an option if you want to have some sympathy.....
     
  5. ScottyG

    ScottyG Chevalier

    We’ll see what they think of, but it doesn’t look good for the deceased.
    The magic-user that survived is cut from the Ernie Gygax mold of “good” magic-users where good takes a back seat to greed. And the other surviving PC just doesn’t have the resources.
    I’m sure they’d make the effort if they were aware of the fortune in gems that ranger has stowed in some magic pouches on his belt (being a ranger and subject to the class’s monetary restrictions).
     
  6. amalric

    amalric Level 0 Character

    Whoa! Have to say, I never expected - from reading here and on your own forum, Scott - that those guys would wipe themselves out like that. And all from 1st level, that's gotta hurt...
     
  7. ScottyG

    ScottyG Chevalier

    I was surprised too. There was obvious danger. There was an obvious 'out' that screamed, 'this is your last chance'. I'm a tough (but fair) DM, and they managed to make it this far. Knowing them, it’s possible they smoked a little Amedio Gold before they showed up.
     
  8. Druvas

    Druvas Spellbinder

    I like to think I am an experienced player but once in a while I have a brain fart. In one of our 3 attempts to clear the Moathouse in VoH, in the crayfish pool, we had wounded the beast and it retreated. Not to be retreated on, my fighter decided (okay, I admit, I decided) it would be a good idea to strip and dive into the pool after the crayfish with nothing but a spear. The rest of the party watched in slackjawed disbelief as blood began to surface in great quantity... unfortunately, my fighter did not... I am still teased about it to this day...
     
  9. ScottyG

    ScottyG Chevalier

    I see that happen from time to time. Caution, caution, caution, epic blunder.
    I usually make mistakes when I get impatient. There will always be one player that insists on sidetracking the adventure by role playing in great detail the most mundane conversations with anybody we happen to meet. After a half an hour, I end up just rushing into the first interesting, i.e. dangerous, situation that presents itself.
     
  10. ScottyG

    ScottyG Chevalier

    Also, I'm usually the player that ends up pulling the lever, pushing the button, etc. that we find after we waste several minutes pondering the possibilities.
     
  11. ScottyG

    ScottyG Chevalier

    Correction, the cleric henchman did not go over the falls. DJ (he plays the magic-user) polymorphed him into a bat just before the boat went over the falls. He still has his own mind.
     
  12. Melf

    Melf Administrator Staff Member


    Hey, that is totally within the rules. If he has a bag of holding and a portable hole he could easly havr millions of gold pieces worth of gems, jewelry and the like. ;)

    Seems like a person sticking to the letter of the law and not the spirit (but I would do it too probably). My characters tend to be Nuetral Greedy.
     
  13. Druvas

    Druvas Spellbinder

    Just don't stick that Bag of Holding in the Portable Hole. I hear bad things can happen when you do that... :eek: :lol:
     
  14. ScottyG

    ScottyG Chevalier

    From all of the stories I’ve heard, Neutral Greedy seemed to be the norm in the Lake Geneva area.
     
  15. amalric

    amalric Level 0 Character

    So, the survivors were Maylin, his halfling and cleric henchmen, and Elros, the C/F/MU?
     
  16. ScottyG

    ScottyG Chevalier

  17. ScottyG

    ScottyG Chevalier

    Here's how the survivors finished out the day:
    The surviving characters have made it back to the stone bridge.
    The party:
    Maylin, 9th level human magic-user.
    Bertrim, 6th level human cleric of St. Cuthbert, Maylin’s henchman, currently polymorphed into a bat by Maylin.
    Fentin. 7th level halfling thief, Maylin’s henchman, under effects of a potion of diminution, 1 ½’ tall.
    Elros, gray elf 6/5/5 cleric/fighter/magic-user.

    Feeling beaten, the party tried to regroup in the passage north of the stone bridge. Maylin did not have dispel magic memorized, so Elros cast dispel magic on Bertrim the bat and tiny Fentin., Fentin was restored to his normal height, but the spell failed to change the cleric back. Now in a desperate situation, Maylin decided to light a block of incense of meditation in his censor of controlling air elementals. Looking for a spot to rest, and not sure how to make it back the way they came, the party opted to take a passage to the northwest. The passage took them to a square-ish cavern, around 40’ per side. The mineral deposits here caused the walls, ceiling, and floor to shine in a rainbow of colors. Two passages headed east. A pile of coins and metal pars were heaped in the middle of the floor. Elros, Fentin, and the air elemental entered the room. As they did, a beast with three different heads emerged from one of the eastern passages. The creature looked similar to a chimera, and that’s what the party assumed it was. Elros and Maylin prepared to cast lightning bolts, while the rest of the party ran for cover. The gorgimera’s dragon head exhaled a fiery cone, catching everybody except Maylin and the bat fluttering around his head. The damage roll was low, and everybody made their saves except Fentin. The halfling’s leather armor was destroyed in the fire, but all of his other items saved. Elros lost his spell, but Maylin’s lightning bolt blasted the monster. The next round the combatants rushed towards each other. Fentin fell back, and Maylin shot five magic-missiles at the Gorgimera. Now in close range, the monster attacked, its gorgon head breathing out a cone of gas, but everybody in the party saved. Moments later, after another magic-missile from Maylin, and taking damage from the air elemental and Elros, the beast was dead.
    The party searched the treasure, in addition to the coins, they found a potion, a scoll of protection from elementals, a bag, and a horn.
    The passages east were a loop, in the passage the party discovered a pile of boulders. Examining them they saw that the blocked a flight of stone stairs going down. Also, one of the boulders seemed to be hollow, and the party could hear something inside. They smashed it open. Inside were a ring, and a stone tablet. A cryptic poem was etched into the tablet, but upon reading it disappeared.
    The party decided to rest here. Maylin released the elemental. They re-piled the boulders to block the steps, and Elros cast a magic mouth spell outside the cavern to shout a warning if anything approached. They rested in the looping passage north of the stairs.
    To be continued.
     
  18. Melf

    Melf Administrator Staff Member


    The dreaded gorgimera! I remember that encounter too well. Melf failed his save vs dragonbreath and lost his displacer cloak! I was so pissed that I refused to retreat from that combat and it went down to the wire. I had no offensive spells left and I was down to 7 hit points. Each round I gambled with my favorite character's future. The combat went several more melee rounds. I hit it about half of the time but one hit from the beatie and I was toast. Luckily my Dad had a bad run of dice rolls- he rolled them in the open since for added excitement. Melf was solo with no one to pull me out of the room or come looking for me if he died. Finally I scored a hit and delivered the lethal blow to the gorgimera. Whenever I walked back through that area, Dad said "there is a pile of ashes and a trail of Elven tears". He really enjoyed gloating about burning up that displacer cloak *grumble*
     
  19. ScottyG

    ScottyG Chevalier

    Solo in the Lost Caverns? So did you end up with Daud's Lanthorn?
     
  20. Melf

    Melf Administrator Staff Member

    Yes. It took me months of gaming to complete the Lost Caverns. But of course I was encouraged to explore everything (as I was playtesting it). I had occaisional assistance from several other gamers from Francois Marcel Froideval (Wismerel or Wimp-merel as a young Luke woud say) to the local high school guys that played- Sonny Savage, Richard Kuntz and Mitch Preston- (a high percentage were former boyfriends of my sister- when that ended they ended up sticking around and gaming :lol: ).
     

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