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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Seravin" data-source="post: 2403513" data-attributes="member: 6783">Strange GroundsThe opening in the side of the tunnel was like a gaping wound in the tunnel’s wall.  Unlike most of the little side tunnels they had come across during their trek, this one seemed to match up to the side tunnel marked on their map.  Many Caverns – Beware Ropers, Quaggoths, and Others read the map.  The group paused for only a few moments for the discussion didn’t take long; no one wanted to leave a nest of monsters behind them.Of course two days later they were a little surprised to come upon a fork in the tunnel.  It was time to camp for the evening anyway, so they hunted for a safe side tunnel and cave and pondered for the night.  The next morning they choose the right-hand path.---In Media-ResJared ran forward across the green glass floor and jumped up onto the six-foot high ledge that ran along the walls of the kidney-shaped chamber.  He skidded slightly on the smooth, whorled-looking glassrock; but the priest caught himself handily and started forward to free Tore from the grasp of the eight-foot tall, mishappened creature.The creature had disguised itself as one of the many pillar-like vases lining the ledges and must have escaped the witch’s notice as she had explored this section of the room.  The rest of the party had been at the other end of the sharply curved cavern-room.  Tore’s shout had brought them running though.Three milky-white, sticky strands shot out from hidden orifices on the creature which easily struck the advancing priest and then drug him ten feet feet closer.  Jared snarled as five magic missiles streaked by him to impact harmlessly on the creature.   Kellron was then up beside him and severing one of the strands, but the eyes of the paladin were for the helpless Tore.The roper's strands had found firm purchase on the armor but the strength sapping ability of the creature hadn’t taken effect.  Not giving the creature a chance to use more strands, Jared charged with an upraised sword.  The cut went deep and the creature half-roared in surprise and pain.  The two-legged creatures were not acting like prey.In self-defense the roper dropped its hold on Tore and the priest and then shot two tentacles to the floor below.  The strands held firm on the ground and the creature ‘pulled’ itself to the floor below*.  It then fired a tentacle at Jared in an effort to drain the priest’s strength before the priest could strike it again.  The tentacle struck but apparently had no effect.  Tore dropped to the ledge limp and unmoving.Jared eyed the distance between his ledge and the ledge on the other side of this lobe of the room.  Sheathing his sword he invoked a prayer to Sarath for an army of swords.  Sarath answered and the area between the two ledges was filled with whirling slashing blades hovering only three feet above the floor.**The roper gaped in surprise.  Jared’s prayer overwhelmed its resistances and it would never be able to pull itself out of the field of blades in time.  Thinking quickly the roper threw itself flat trying to get under the slashing blades.  Ropers are not considered especially adroit creatures though and it was unable to dodge the slashing swords.  As it fell flat to the floor a dozen whirling blades savaged its body; somehow though the creature stayed alive.Jared’s savage smile was short-lived though as he heard what sounded like a gravelly chuckle from the ledge on the opposite side of the room.  Jared and Kellron both looked across the whirling blades to see one of the giant ‘vases’ shuffle a little bit to fully face them; its giant red eye seemed to glow balefully in the flickering magical light.The priest didn’t even have time to swear as six milky-white strands shot across the thirty feet of slashing blades.  Only five hit the priest and entwined around him, the sixth one missed.  Again, Jared was able to resist the strength draining effects of the tentacles, ut that wasn’t what he was worried about.  Without ceremony he was yanked off his feet and fell into his own invoked blades.Jared’s faith must have been strong though, for he somehow managed to avoid every whirling blade as he mimicked the downed roper’s tactic and threw himself flat under his own barrier.  The only good thing from the party’s point of view was that the roper’s tentacles were severed by those same blades.Kellron laid Tore down gently and ran down the side of the ledge so he could make his way across the flashing blades while Jallarzi let off a fireball.  This time she was successful in piercing the roper’s defense and the creature screamed as the magical fire ravaged its body far more than a simple fireball should have done.The battle raged, but the tide had changed.--- A couple flame strikes from a prone Jared with support from Jallarzi and Kellron once he skirted the blade barrier, and the fight was soon over.This is another example of imperfect recall.  Looking back I clearly recall Jared casting the horizontal blade barrier and him getting yanked into it.  That was fun.    Still, the player recovered quite well and was casting flame strike on the very next round.  It was a good introductory fight for the character.---*Ropers have a 10ft movement rate and they drag prey at a 10ft rate.  So this is how I envisioned roper’s moving.  It sounded cool.**Blade Barrier.  We messed up though.  I hadn’t read the spell description in forever and the player missed it too.  Under 3.0, blade barrier had a casting time of 1 full round; but we were assuming a a casting time of a standard action.  This would come back and bite me hard in the City of the Glass Pool.  In the meantime a horizontal blade barrier became a fairly standard tactic for Jared.  I wasn’t sorry to see the 3.5 change.</blockquote>

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