Collaborative Cave!

1. The Good News: I have a pretty decent idea of how to price an intelligent weapon, assuming I sit down with the book and work through that section.

2. The Bad News: Given how busy I am with work, I'm not likely to have time to do that ... or to re-stat Ghzzdit the Choker down a couple of CRs, either.

...could someone refigure his stats by removing his class levels? I'd be grateful for the assistance

5. Assassin Vine Lair (EL 6)

The naturally sloping earthen staircase curves slightly to the left and steeply climbs upwards into what seems to be hard packed dirt, with many thick roots hanging out of the ceiling. The slope levels off, but the room is filled with numerous thick roots which descending from the earthen ceiling. You must be close to the surface here. These look to the be the root systems of numerous trees. Along the ground you see hundreds of mushrooms of various sizes.

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Tree roots choke this room making it difficult to pass through quickly. Movement is cut in half for all movement in this area. There is a rather nasty Assassin Vine growing here. It has figured out that it can get food sources below ground as well as above ground here, and thus has vines which extend beneath the surface, where it primarily resides. This Assassin Vine is huge. The kobolds residing in the cave have learned that they can bypass it by skirting along the far left wall, and hugging it around until they get to the clearing on the far side. Following the most direct path along the right wall takes on one a path directly through Assassin Vine territory.

Advanced Assassin Vine
Size/Type: Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 12d8+60 (114 hp)
Initiative: -1 (-1 Dex)
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square)
Armor Class: 16 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +9 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+27
Attack: Slam +17 melee (1d8+15)
Full Attack: Slam +17 melee (1d8+15)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. (20 ft. with vine)
Special Attacks: Constrict 1d8+15, entangle, improved grab
Special Qualities: Blindsight 30 ft., camouflage, immunity to electricity,
low-light vision, plant traits, resistance to cold 10 and fire 10
Saves: Fort +13, Ref +3, Will +5
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 8, Con 20, Int –, Wis 13, Cha 9
Challenge Rating: 6
Alignment: neutral

Combat
An assassin vine uses simple tactics: It lies still until prey comes within reach, then attacks. It uses its entangle ability both to catch prey and to deter counterattacks.

Constrict (Ex):An assassin vine deals 1d8+15 points of damage with a successful grapple check.

Entangle (Su): Under normal circumstances, an Assassin Vine could animate plants within 30’ of itself, but since this is underground there are no plants, save for mushrooms, and mushrooms can’t exactly entangle people. So, save for the unusual growth of plants in this area, this Assassin Vine doesn’t have access to this ability. If plants happen to grow here, for some strange reason, the Reflex save DC would be 17. The effect lasts until the vine dies or decides to end it (also a free action).

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an assassin vine must hit with its slam attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Blindsight (Ex): Assassin vines have no visual organs but can ascertain all foes within 30 feet using sound, scent, and vibration.

Camouflage (Ex): Dwarves can use stonecunning to notice this subterranean version. Otherwise, this particular Assassin Vine looks like normal roots.


The mushrooms here are harmless, and many are quite edible. Those individuals who make a DC 15 Knowledge (Nature) roll can determine which ones are edible.

Treasure: Unless someone disturbs the mushrooms, finding this treasure is unlikely. Just below the surface here one can find 3 small emeralds (worth 40gp each), and 2 pearls (15gp each). Furthermore, there is a ring Chameleon Power hidden here.

Room 4 - Garbage Cave

Ok, der_kluge has berated me enough. Here's my room:

Room 4 - Garbage Cave

EL: 5

The dragons' servants use this chamber to dispose of rubbish and the occasional prisoner.

The first thing you notice as you approach this tunnel opening is an overpowering acrid stench, with an undercurrent of decay. The floor of the tunnel is formed of stone worn smooth, apparently by frequent travel. Scattered about are gnawed bits of bone, gristle and small pieces of cloth and other debris. The tunnel slopes down steeply, then seems to level out some 30 feet ahead as the tunnel opens out into a larger space. The walls and floor glisten with moisture and the sound of dripping water can be heard in the dark below.

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The sloped floor of the tunnel is extremely slippery, being covered with a combination of water and decomposed trash. A DC 10 Balance check is required to move down the slope without falling prone. Attempting to move up the slope requires a DC 25 Balance check, and each square entered costs two squares of movement. An adventurer can instead use a DC 15 climb check but will then move at climb speed rather than normal movement speed, lose Dex bonus to AC, and otherwise be under the restrictions of making a Climb check.

If a rope is affixed at the top of the slope, any character holding onto it can descend with a DC 5 balance check or ascend with a DC 15 Balance or DC 5 Climb check.

Anyone who falls prone on the slope must make a DC 20 Reflex save or slide all the way to the bottom. This causes no damage. Any character who reaches the bottom of the slope, by whatever means, sees:
Bottom of the Slope

The smell of rot here is nearly overpowering. At the foot of the slope, the tunnel switches back onto itself and opens into a cavern, some 30-40 feet wide and stretching perhap twice that distance away. The ceiling in the nearer portion arches grandly up out of sight, though farther into the chamber is lowers swiftly, meeting with the back wall at a sharp angle. The floor is covered with greasy puddles and mounds of decaying refuse of every description. Bones and other remains of various creatures are prominent, but piles of leaves, rock, dirt and other refuse abound as well. In the otherwise silent chamber, you hear faint sounds of scuttling among the debris and faint rustling from above.

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There are many kinds of vermin among the trash, but only the swarm of centipedes present any danger. They will rush at any creature sliding or stepping onto the floor at the foot of the slope.

In addition, there is a bat swarm roosting on the ceiling 50 feet above during daylight hours. There are cracks and channels leading from there to the surface, which the bats use to leave at night to hunt. These air channels also provide enough ventilation to keep the stench of this cave from permeating the entire complex. The bats will be disturbed and attack any creature bearing a light source, or any creature that becomes airborne for more than a round.

Creatures

Bat Swarm

Diminutive Animal (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), fly 40 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 16 (+4 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/—
Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Full Attack: Swarm (1d6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, wounding
Special Qualities: Blindsense 20 ft., immune to weapon damage, low-light vision, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 4
Skills: Listen +11, Spot +11
Feats: Alertness, Lightning Reflexes
Environment: Temperate deserts
Organization: Solitary, flight (2–4 swarms), or colony (11–20 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —
A bat swarm is nocturnal, and is never found aboveground in daylight.
Combat
A bat swarm seeks to surround and attack any warm-blooded prey it encounters. The swarm deals 1d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 11 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Wounding (Ex): Any living creature damaged by a bat swarm continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds do not result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 Heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.
Blindsense (Ex): A bat swarm notices and locates creatures within 20 feet. Opponents still have total concealment against the bat swarm (but swarm attacks ignore concealment).
Skills: A bat swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks. These bonuses are lost if its blindsense is negated.

Centipede Swarm

Diminutive Vermin (Swarm)
Hit Dice: 9d8–9 (31 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 18 (+4 size, +4 Dex), touch 18, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/—
Attack: Swarm (2d6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Swarm (2d6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Distraction, poison
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immune to weapon damage, swarm traits, tremorsense 30 ft., vermin traits
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 19, Con 8, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
Skills: Climb +12, Spot +4
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary, tangle (2–4 swarms), or colony (7–12 swarms)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —
Combat
A centipede swarm seeks to surround and attack any living prey it encounters. A swarm deals 2d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a centipede swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 13, initial and secondary damage 1d4 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Skills: A centipede swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks and a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks, and uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier for Climb checks. A centipede swarm has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.

Treasure
If anyone takes the time to rummage through the trash, a DC 20 Search check will reveal a still-closed pouch near the gnawed bones of an unidentifiable humanoid. This poor soul was a captive the kobolds didn't search very well before throwing him down the slope for their amusement. The pouch contains some 50 GP in various coins as well as a vial of clear liquid. The liquid is a potion of Bull's Strength that the vicitm never had a chance to use before the centipedes got him.

Ok, we're making some progress. Some day, I'd like to finish this cave, so I can compile it all together and make it available as a free .pdf.

I haven't heard from several of you...


Room #2 (Scribble) - let's lose the "gate" at the bottom of the chasm. I'd rather see something more "mundane" down there. Maybe spiders, treasure, skeletons, or an entrance into an entirely different dungeon.

Room #2a (Elephant) - I'm a little confused regarding the "upper passageway" that this room describes for the eastern tunnel. Can you elaborate on that?

Room #3 (Whizbang Dustyboots) - We need stats for First From the Forest, and Dragon Speaker, as well as regular Kobold stats. Also, we might want to rethink the idea of them sending a warning party to the dragons, since if the kobolds here hear the PCs coming, they are likely going to run right past them on the way to warning the dragons. So, it seems likely that that isn't really an option, given their location.

Room #7 (Elephant) - Let's lower Ghzzdit's CR to something more like 6/7. At EL 11, he's as hard as the dragon's lair. Are you still really busy, Elephant? I can redo his stats if you are.

Room #11 (Roger) - I like this room, but it seems a little incomplete. It seems reasonable that there might be several shadows here since the greater shadows victims would also become shadows. Also, I see no reason why a shadow wouldn't also be affected by the constant acid that affects this area. As a spell, or supernatural effect, the shadow would take damage from it like any other creature.

Room #12 (Conail) - I'd like to see kobolds here. Also, the idea of having cave paintings on the wall (perhaps made with the same magical paint as in the entrance) is very appealing to me, and very interesting. Are you still willing to finish this room?

Yep, I'm really busy. Ghzzdit's class levels should go away to drop him to more of a speed-bump challenge level.

In room 2a, I wrote it as though there's an obvious ground passage, trapped, with a non-obvious second tunnel up through the ceiling - that's the one the dragon uses to avoid the trap. If that doesn't work for you, I'd say remove the trap in that section.

der_kluge said:

Room #11 (Roger) - I like this room, but it seems a little incomplete. It seems reasonable that there might be several shadows here since the greater shadows victims would also become shadows. Also, I see no reason why a shadow wouldn't also be affected by the constant acid that affects this area. As a spell, or supernatural effect, the shadow would take damage from it like any other creature.

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Sure, add more shadows if you like. I was just a bit worried about the challenge level, but it's easy enough to scale by adding or removing shadows.

Also, moving everything to room #4 should be fine, if that's still the plan.

The shadows can be affected by the acid, which is why they normally hang out inside the solid stone walls or floors.


Cheers,
Roger

Roger: I meant to ask you about the room swap. If we do trade I'll have to re-do my description slightly to account for the double passageway.

Ilium said:

Roger: I meant to ask you about the room swap. If we do trade I'll have to re-do my description slightly to account for the double passageway.

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Actually, I like the rooms as they are now. I think Rogers room works just fine for room 11, and your new version works very well for room 4.

I've been swamped with work. I'll try and get the two nameds done this weekend, along with standard kobold stats for the others.

#7, Choker's Lair (EL 6)

Traps: None

As you reach the top of this incline, the tunnel widens into a broader cavern, roughly 20' by 30' across. The smell of decay assaults your nostrils, and you see a pile of bones scattered haphazardly across the jagged stone floor. A gleam of metal in the flickering light from your torch catches your eye. The uneven floor pokes uncomfortably at your boots as you step forward.

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Room Notes: While the jagged floor is uncomfortable to walk on, it does not have any mechanical effects on movement. It does, however, increase falling damage by 1d6 (falling 10 feet causes 2d6 damage, etc). The roof of the cavern is 20' up near the edges of the room, but there is one "chimney" about 10' in diameter leading up 20' to the top. The chimney may be reached with a DC 25 Climb check from any point in the cavern due to the irregular structure of the rocks in this chamber.

Even if the PCs have Darkvision, the chokers have a good enough ambush position that they remain hidden. It takes a DC 26 Spot check to notice them before they attack the party.

If the PCs are bearing lights, the chokers automatically follow their progress through the room. They will only need to roll Spot and Listen checks if they are scouting in complete darkness.

Ghzzdit & Ghzzdot, Advanced Chokers
Size/Type: Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 12d8+36 (85 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 ft. (4 squares), climb 10 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+18
Attack: Tentacle +15 melee (1d6+5)
Full Attack: 2 tentacles +15 melee (1d6+5)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab, constrict 1d6+5
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., quickness
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +9
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 4, Wis 14, Cha 7
Skills: Climb +16, Hide +16, Listen +2, Move Silently +9, Spot +2
Feats: Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Hide), Stealthy, Weapon Focus (Tentacle)
Challenge Rating: 4
Alignment: chaotic evil


Ghzzdit and Ghzzdot lurk above the entrance to this chamber, 10 ft above the cave floor. They takes 10 on their Hide checks for a total of 26 in order to better ambush prey. Unless the PCs take extraordinary measures to avoid detection, they wait here to ambush them when they arrive.

Constrict (Ex): A choker deals 1d3+3 points of damage with a successful grapple check against a Large or smaller creature. Because it seizes its victim by the neck, a creature in the choker’s grasp cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a choker must hit a Large or smaller opponent with a tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict. Chokers receive a +4 racial bonus on grapple checks, which is already included in the statistics block.

Quickness (Su): Although not particularly dexterous, a choker is supernaturally quick. It can take an extra standard action or move action during its turn each round.

Skills: A chokers has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.


tactics: The chokers make no distinction with regards to their prey. They attack the two first PCs who come within attack range. Once a victim is grappled, the chokers will attempt to haul their victims up to a shelf hidden within their chimney. The choker's will need to make successful strength checks in order to accomplish this, otherwise, they will release their victims.

DM's Notes: PCs with reach weapons may attack the choker's normally as long as they are on the ceiling. Otherwise, a DC 20 Jump check will allow any PC to get close enough to strike. If the choker's move up their chimney (with or without a victim) they will be out of melee range. A DC 25 Climb check will allow a PC to climb up onto the choker's ambush shelf.


Treasure: A rusty dagger, a tattered pair of hard-soled red leather shoes and a gold ring (225gp) are all that can be found amongst the bones. If Mending or Make Whole is cast on the shoes, they become worth 25gp.

Background Note: The dragon's slaves regularly sweep the chamber for treasure; all the gear of Ghzzdit's past victims now lies in the dragon's treasure pile, except for the items noted above.

Contributor: Brian "the Elephant" Thompson