In reply to Rathyl Dragonbone (msg # 32):

"A drow cleric to their dark lady might. I do not. Fine, you want to go first? Or want me to?"


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OOC: How many small spiders do we need? And is strike to subdue/stun at -4 to hit?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:47, Thu 07 Oct 2021.

OOC: You need a minimum of 6 spiders. 12 spiders will help him ensure he can open a second portal, but that is optional.

"Ah, poison, yes," Zaron says, thinking. He scratches his young chin. "As I recall, phase spiders would be classified as Type F poison--very strong and deadly. It will be harder to resist than some weaker poisons. And it is even stronger and more concentrated in the hatchlings than in the adult spiders."

NOTE: Due to the draconian effects of poison in 2nd edition (failed save equals death for this poison), I am using less severe rules more in line with 5th edition, as follows:

Hatchling (-3 to saving throw); adult (-2 to saving throw)
Save success: piercing damage only, no poison

Round 1: Save fail: 1 CON damage (including loss of all constitution bonuses, such as all hit points, 1d4 hp dmg...roll save again next round

Round 2: Save fail: 1 CON dmg, 1d4 hp dmg...

etc. until a saving throw that round is successful.

The bites are cumulative, so multiple bites will compound this.

I suggest you are conscious of your Constitution score and Save vs. Poison numbers as you go in.

OOC: As I recall, Rathyl has both healing and herbalism proficiencies. These may help with some wounds and poison. Here are the rules as to poison for that:
HEALING
A character with healing proficiency can also attempt to aid a poisoned individual, provided the poison entered through a wound. If the poisoned character can be tended to immediately (the round after the character is poisoned) and the care continues for the next five rounds, the victim gains a +2 bonus to his saving throw (delay his saving throw until the last round of tending). No proficiency check is required, but the poisoned character must be tended to immediately (normally by sacrificing any other action by the proficient character) and cannot do anything himself. If the care and rest are interrupted, the poisoned character must immediately roll a normal saving throw for the poison. This result is unalterable by normal means (i.e., more healing doesn't help). Only characters with both healing and herbalism proficiencies can attempt the same treatment for poisons the victim has swallowed or touched (the character uses his healing to diagnose the poison and his herbalist knowledge to prepare a purgative).

HERBALISM
Herbalism: Those with herbalist knowledge can identify plants and fungus and prepare nonmagical potions, poultices, powders, balms, salves, ointments, infusions, and plasters for medical and pseudo-medical purposes. They can also prepare natural plant poisons and purgatives. The DM must decide the exact strength of such poisons based on the poison rules in the DMG. A character with both herbalism and healing proficiencies gains bonuses when using his healing talent (see the Healing proficiency).


ADDITIONAL RULES FROM THE SKILLS AND POWERS BOOK:\
Herbalism: This skill indicates that a character is familiar with the uses of natural plant products for good and ill. If a character spends a day searching the woods, and makes a successful proficiency check, enough herbs, fungi, roots, leaves, pollen, and pulp has been gleaned for 2d6 doses.
The most common use of these herbs is as an aid to healing; one dose of herbs can be used in conjunction with the healing proficiency (by the herbalist or another healer). This dose adds +1 point to the wounds cured by a successful healing proficiency check. Even if the healing check fails, the herbs still restore the 1 hit point. With no healing proficiency, the herbs can still be used, but the herbalist needs to roll a successful check to restore the 1 hit point.
The herbs also can be used to create a poison, either ingested or injected. A single use of poison requires two doses of herbs. The lethality or other effects of the poison (paralysis, unconsciousness, delusions, etc.) must be worked out with the DM.

Healing: Characters with this proficiency can perform first aid on fresh wounds and can supervise the recovery of themselves and others. If the characters tend a wound on the round immediately after it is inflicted, a successful proficiency check means that 1d3 points of damage have been restored (to a maximum of the damage inflicted the previous round). If they tend a wound within one hour of its infliction, they can heal 1 point with a successful check. No character can benefit from this proficiency more than once a day.
This proficiency can also help with long term healing and resisting poison and disease; these procedures are detailed in the Player’s Handbook.

This message was last edited by the GM at 13:17, Thu 30 Sept 2021.

In reply to DM Heath (msg # 34):

So can Rathyl search for such herbs? Or have some already?

He has them already. I'm not too picky about that.

Ready to venture in?

In reply to DM Heath (msg # 36):

Might need to tweak spells morised but I'll do that when I'm home tomorrow, otherwise yes.

Rathyl will lead the way in, letting the others follow closely behind him.

Rathyl leads the group in. Zaron stays at the entrance near the cart, telling you to retreat back to him if you need anything. Renakaris follows Rathyl, and Sariel follows in the rear, rolling the barrel on its side. You have the jar of rune-written jade stones and proceed cautiously.

First, you descend down the rocky entrance cave in, and as you look back to the small entrance hole where Zaron stands at the top, you realize a dragon really could have fit in and out of this cave prior to the cave in. It's that large.

You continue south deeper into the cave. The cave tunnel is a naturally occurring cavern, probably formed from a lava tube from some ancient and long dead volcano. The walls are from 30 to 50 feet wide on average and round to a top point between 20 to 30 feet high.

You descend into the darkness about 200 feet before you start seeing remnants of giant webs. At this point, they appear to be long since abandoned cobwebs some of them covering a 10 or 20 foot area. You see and hear nothing. It is dark, and you rely on your infravision to see as much as possible.

Another 50 feet in and you see the cave break off. The south area continues into a huge, cobweb-covered area that looks like a dead end. But the cavern breaks off to your right (west) and left (east). Both sides have cobwebs everywhere.

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OOC: Do webs usually burn in this world?

Yes. Typical webs, especially old cobwebs, would burn. New webs might have moisture or other ingredients that would prevent burning.

I would probably follow this: https://firefighterinsider.com/spider-webs-flammable/

So they would catch fire but would smolder or melt instead of flashing in flame.

OOC: I learned something new today.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:42, Wed 06 Oct 2021.

Rathyl points to the right. "That way looks as good as any. He will lead them west.

In reply to Rathyl Dragonbone (msg # 42):

"A few momenets, please," requests Renakaris. "I'd like to clear the way a little ands see if anything's lost ot loitering." She indicates the apparent dead end to the south. "Might one of you have a torch? And don't forget if you keep your back to a wall, or back-to-back, they can't bite you in the rear."

If anyone can left her a torch, Rena lights it within the southern cave and sets fire to webbing there (sword in her right hand).

Rathyl had been relying on infravision, but lights a torch and hands it to Renakaris.

In reply to Rathyl Dragonbone (msg # 44):

"Thanks, Rathyl, look away, preserve you night vision," suggests the drow before setting fire to the webs in the southern cave that appears to dead end. She whispers, "Take that!" as she lights the webs.

Renakaris proceeds to light the tightly knit web to the south. It melts and sizzles, and then underneath it all, you see revealed a figure. Though mostly decomposed, it was once a human or elf clad in chainmail. The webbing is tightly wrapped around it. You see in one gauntleted hand that the corpse holds a dagger. In the other, the gauntlet is wrapped tightly around some sort of vial. There is also a rotting leather pouch slung over the shoulder with its top strapped closed, hiding whatever is inside. Other than the gauntlets and dagger, the rest of the armor and clothing is rotting, rusting and relatively useless.

In reply to DM Heath (msg # 46):

Back mostly shielded by the wall Renakaris props the torch against the wall, "That was revealing." She liberates the gauntlets, dagger and vial. "Examine these later. See who'd they suit best." She tucks them away in a backpack poacket, taking care to ensure the blade is adequately sheathed.

Renakaris has a quick walk around the dead-end, just on he off chance of spying any discontinuities* indicating a secret passage.

She picks up the torch, "West. Fine. But, Rathyl, want to try the torch trick first? Burn them rather than dodge sticky webs that might be troublesome if we have to leave in a hurry?"


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OOC: Passive detection 1 on d6 within 10'

Renakaris removes the gauntlets, dagger and vial. There is writing on the vial.

OOC: Note: If any of you have not yet chosen your languages--or read languages proficiency--please decide what they will be. There may be various writings (or spoken word) in  different languages and I typically use the "Language Group" private line to communicate these to you, and then expect those who understand to communicate it to the rest of the group...unless I deem that to be just wasting time.

In reply to DM Heath (msg # 48):

The drow tries to read the writing.

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OOC: Known langauges are on my character sheet. Do I need to do anything beyong that re "language Group"?

Nope. You're good.

In reply to DM Heath (msg # 50):

So can Renakaris understand the writing? If so, what does it say?

Rathyl looks through the pouch held by the man.

Renakaris looks at the label on the vial it read: [Language unknown: Ouseenhat]

Rathyl looks in the pouch slung over the corpse. In it, he finds a folded piece of cloth with writing on it and a rolled vellum scroll tied with a now rotting piece of twine.

In reply to DM Heath (msg # 53):

As Renakaris can't read the vial label by torchlight she passes it to Rathyl or Sariel, "Can you understand this?"

Rathyl nods and says, "It is Draconian. It says 'poison.' With that simple word, I don't know if it is a cure for poison or poison itself. My assumption is that it is a cure for poison since it looks like he was trying to drink it before he died."

Rathyl will check how many doses are in the vial.

In reply to Rathyl Dragonbone (msg # 55):

"Great. Ok, what's the scroll say?"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:55, Wed 13 Oct 2021.

No one here can read the scroll. It is not in a language you understand.

OOC: I'm trying to get Sariel's player to start posting. Sorry if this is causing delays. This area is probably too strong for just 2 PCs.