Mercurius
Legend
A question: I'm looking for a creature in the level 7-8 range (although I can adjust something out of that range with Monster Builder) that would inhabit a fetid pool in my world's version of the Underdark. I'm thinking something magical or semi-magical like a Water Weird from 1ed, or the Elemental Ooze from the DMG2, but it could also be the type of strange creature that only lives deep underground.
Basically the PCs are going to come out of a crawl-way in the wall that spills into a natural cavern, their first exposure to the "Underdark" proper. In the cavern is a small pool with unmoving, fetid water; they see something shiny in it and when they examine it closer, they are attacked by a water creature.
The party will only include four 5th level characters; I hope to have them somewhat challenged, but not to the point of anyone dying. I'm having trouble coming up with something but am leaning towards a modified Elemental Ooze (down from 12th level to 8th) which I will describe more like an elemental serpent.
(After this the next encounter will be a large cavern filled with various mushrooms, large and small. They will have to evade dangerous spores, yet their goal is to find a rare mushroom that they were employed to bring back to the city. The whole point of this mini-adventure, which is using half of my group and is a one-off with new characters, is to act as a prelude for a larger mega-adventure I'm planning on running in a couple months; in the mushroom forest they will be waylaid by, you guessed it, drow. I am going to have one of the PCs captured, at least one killed, and one escape to"live to tell the tale" to the regular group of characters...yeah, I know, nasty DM controlling...but it is for a greater cause!).
Basically the PCs are going to come out of a crawl-way in the wall that spills into a natural cavern, their first exposure to the "Underdark" proper. In the cavern is a small pool with unmoving, fetid water; they see something shiny in it and when they examine it closer, they are attacked by a water creature.
The party will only include four 5th level characters; I hope to have them somewhat challenged, but not to the point of anyone dying. I'm having trouble coming up with something but am leaning towards a modified Elemental Ooze (down from 12th level to 8th) which I will describe more like an elemental serpent.
(After this the next encounter will be a large cavern filled with various mushrooms, large and small. They will have to evade dangerous spores, yet their goal is to find a rare mushroom that they were employed to bring back to the city. The whole point of this mini-adventure, which is using half of my group and is a one-off with new characters, is to act as a prelude for a larger mega-adventure I'm planning on running in a couple months; in the mushroom forest they will be waylaid by, you guessed it, drow. I am going to have one of the PCs captured, at least one killed, and one escape to"live to tell the tale" to the regular group of characters...yeah, I know, nasty DM controlling...but it is for a greater cause!).
But I might take you up on that suggestion. A major theme to the upcoming mega-adventure is a drow invasion, the drow being myths, not having been seen for centuries (I'm toying with the idea of them being pale and pasty ala Elric as befits a species that has lived underground, or at least more dark grey than black-skinned; another sub-race of elves is already black-skinned and they are more like star mystics).
