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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MerricB" data-source="post: 2791540" data-attributes="member: 3586">Into the Dungeon (spoilers ahoy!)After the obligatory adventure background explanation, the PCs entered the dungeon. Cutting out the boring bits, they soon found themselves trudging through muck, mud and water. (What fun!)Trick #1: The SphinxI love running Sphinxes. I find them so amusing (as do my players). In my games, the Sphinxes know it's daft to keep asking (easily answered?) riddles, but they do it anyway... because it's traditional. Or, as in this case, because some crackpot wizard has geased them to do it. "I'm so bored here. You know the drill. Riddle, answer, yada yada yada... I'll let you through if you get it, otherwise the adventure ends here."I'm rather pleased that Adam got the riddle within seconds. Of course, it's not a hard riddle - it remains one of my favourites, though. The "Altar of the Lupine Lords" line is great... and the entire thing is evocative. Give me that over hard any day.Three passages. Which way to go? By now, the players have a great strategy - Adam gets there first and says "Left!" So, off to Blackrazor they squelch.Trick #2: Heating ElementsWhat do you do when you find that your metal armour heats up in a corridor? Do you(a) run through screaming and hope you have enough hit points?(b) try to find a way to cool it down? or(c) send the magic-user up ahead on his own to see if there's an "off" switch.If you're my party, you choose (c).This is a bit of a problem when there are 8 ghouls waiting up the end for unarmoured people to arrive! I'm a kind DM. Only two ghouls attack. The rest of the party are bemused to see the Wizard running and screaming his way back to them (splash! splash!), followed by two ghouls.Mat, playing the ranger, rushed into to melee with the ghouls. His armour begins to heat up, but he can take it - for now. Unfortunately, this is the point where he failed his save against paralysis. Oh dear. "Help!" "Shut up you, you can't talk!" *through clenched teeth: Help!*1E initiative irritates me, but I'm using it now. For those who have forgotten, it works like this:1) Players declare actions.2) Both sides roll d6, highest roll wins3) Sides act in initiative order, unless one side has more attack routines than the other, was charging, firing bows, casting spells, or got simultaneous initiative, in which case other rules apply...Let's just say that the ghouls died under a hail of magic missiles. One poor ghoul, with only 10 hp, was hit by three magic missile spells in the same round from the three MUs - 10 missiles in all. It was very dead.Having had this plan not go that well, do you think that dissuaded the PCs? Not at all. Ben the MU went once again, on his own, to the end chamber. That's when I had the other 6 ghouls come out.The other PCs decide to act. The halfling and ranger charge down towards the MU, despite their armour and the heating elements. Adam (playing the C/MU), decides to cast fireball. Ben hears this, and begins charging back down towards the party, trying desperately to get out of the area of effect.I point out that 1e fireballs expand to fill the area. Adam doesn't care.I'm a nice DM. I rule that if the PCs make their saves, they only take 1/4 damage, because there's water for them to shield themselves with. Some PCs make saves. Others don't. Surprisingly, no-one dies in the group - the ghouls are toasted, however.Eventually, the PCs work out a plan to get their armour through and put it into effect. They're through the room. Where does the next door lead?Cheers!</blockquote>

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