Nervous of being eaten alive by the acid the beetles trail, Pak decides to keep out of their way.
"Well, I'm out of tricks, at least that wasn't one of you guys. If you have oil, throw it on them while they're already burning." Zan takes a step back, looking for something with fire to attack them with.
Following other’s example, Kellian digs a torch with flint and steel out of his backpack and begin lighting it. (OOC: Move action plus full round action. Kellian may perform either one move or standard action next round. Lighting a torch is also an action that requires two hands, so he slings his spiked chain over his shoulder.)
Having watched some of the others fail using their normal weapons, Kerwyn reaches around for his pack and digs out his torch, lighting it. (OOC: I’ll say that retrieving the torch with the flint and steel is a move action. Lighting the torch with the flint and steel, however, is a full-round action, so you’ll be able to only make one standard or move action next round.)
Finding no immediate answers himself, Meldain waits until his friends find a solution, only moving to escape the swarm should it approach. (OOC: In game terms this is delaying. Meldain can choose to act later in this turn; see below).
"I have nothing which is effective/can be used/would work on these bugs" says Fixit, the stress of the situation starting to get to him. "What should I do? I'm unprepared/not ready/ignorant of actions" the forged says, his voice getting higher in pitch. As he speaks he falls back, trying to avoid the mass of bugs.
Mulch watches in disgust as his flask gets wasted against the far wall. "What a terrible time for my luck to fail." He then takes a five foot step back, while going into his bag for his flask of alchemist's frost, which he retrieves and throws at the advancing beetles. "Let's hope I don't miss again." The vial bursts open as it impacts the beetle swarm, spraying the deep-blue liquid over them. Dozens of them freeze into tiny statues, enough to cause the swarm to break up and begin to disperse. (OOC: Touch attack 18 – 4 (2 range increments) + 2 (ACTION POINT SPENT!) = 18, hit! Alchemist’s Frost damage 1d8 = 3 cold; the swarm is defeated).
As quickly as the beetles emerged, they scurry back into the hole at the end of the ruined hallway, and into any crack in the walls they can find. Before your group can breathe a sigh of relief, however, you hear a new sound coming from the hole. It begins as a quiet tittering, but quickly becomes louder and louder. Suddenly two of the strangest creatures you have ever seen speed out of the ruined hallway. Walking on six spider-like, spike-tipped legs their smallish bodies are largely composed of an enormous tan-colored eye. They are about eight feet across and stand about four-and-a-half feet in height, and move incredibly fast for their size. None of you have ever seen or heard of such a creature before. (OOC: See picture below. They are medium-sized creatures who move at 40 ft./round)
The first skitters up to the wall where is Rial is hanging, attempting in vain to reach him with its dagger-like legs. The second darts towards Kellian Kerwyn.
Eat daggers, beasts!" Meldain draws, moving up to get a clear shot at the new attackers, and throws another dagger at one of the spiderlike creatures. Preferable a wounded one, and not in melee. The weapon strikes true cutting along one of the legs.(OOC: ranged attack 17 + 3 - 4 (RI) = 16, hit! Damage 1d4 = 3, creature #2 has taken 3 hp of damage)
Zan finally sees his chance to do something effective and casts the spell Enlarge Person, targeting the shifter in front of him. The barbarian immediately grows in size until he reaches a height of nearly twelve feet. (OOC: For the next 10 rounds, Kellian has the following stats: Str 16, Dex 14, AC 14, +3 melee (1d12+4/x3, greataxe), +3 melee (1d8+3, warhammer), +2 ranged (1d6/x3, shortbow), 10 ft. reach).
Watching the beetles scamper away, Sniffer lets go a silent sigh. He looks down as if to jump off the coffin. Upon hearing the sound of a new threat, sniffer reaches to his quiver for an arrow. Having his bow out, he quickly move fowards a few steps, nocks an arrow and lets it fly at the one under Rial. The arrow buries itself in one of the creature's six legs. It immediately responds by redirecting its giant eye from the warlock on the ceiling to the danger now apparent to the rest of it from the rest of the room. (OOC: ranged attack 16 + 3 = 19, hit! Damage 1d6 = 4, creature #2 has now taken 7 hp of damage)
(OOC: Note that I spent an action point for Mulch this round. I figured you guys didn't have a lot of options for defeating the swarm, so I took fate into my own hands, so to speak. The action point should be deducted from the character sheet.
Note on the map below. The first creature is not shown on the map as it is in the same square as Rial, only 30 ft. below him.)
Pak: 23
Kellian: 22
Kerwyn: 21
Fixit: 15
Mulch: 15
Rial: 14
Spider-like creatures: 5
Meldain: 5
Zan: 5
Sniffer: 4
