Slime woes

[Verdigris]

Hey all,

This weekend I finally got my PCs together and got them heading into a dungeon they tried to get into last session but had to run away from due to injuries sustained in a crossbow ambush.

As they were decending a stairway, I noticed that there were supposed to be two green slimes falling on them from above.

Recalling only that 3E has green slime as a trap rather than a monster (the module I was using was an AD&D conversion), I frantically leafed through the DM's guide seeking rules on how to treat slime.

I found a few, but they only dealt with the horrific and deadly effects of being hit by slime (d6 Con damage per turn).

So I made up a saving throw and then watched as slime utterly decimated my party. The Elven Ranger, realizing that his torch would only deal 1 point of damage per turn to the slime, decided to light *himself* on fire in order to avoid taking more Con damage.

My question is this:
What rules should I have followed for having a party of four walk beneath an opening where 2 slimes will attack them?

Needless to say, the massive damage sustained by the slime prevented further entry into the dungeon and required yet another journey to town to heal.

 

[Darklone]

I would have allowed Reflex saves against trap DC... with Trap sense and all that stuff.

 

[Tilla the Hun (work)]

Hey all,

My question is this:
What rules should I have followed for having a party of four walk beneath an opening where 2 slimes will attack them?

Needless to say, the massive damage sustained by the slime prevented further entry into the dungeon and required yet another journey to town to heal.

First - is this dungeon too powerful for the characters? Sounds kinda like it is...

Secondly, 2 slimes above an entryway? Only one person at a time crossing below, or 2? If one - it should be an ouchie, if two, it should be 1 on 1.

Thirdly, a flask of oil would greatly have helped that torch deal damage to the slime - and it's easier to put out the fire than to take con damage. I'd say about a d4/rnd for damage or maybe a d6/rnd if the hp on the slime were high.

Personally, I'd have replaced the slimes with an ooze or jelly, modified to an EL fit for their level and an entry into this particular dungeon (higher diff, medium, or low).

If they'd had magical arms or armor, or if I'd wanted them to go back to town, I'd've dropped a single gray ooze, sized for their party.

I've gotten extremely leery about throwing ability draining anything a party these days - if the dice roll wrong, it equates to weeks of resting in town before they come back. If the dice roll normally, it can still be days or seriously debilitating to immediate encounters.

What I'm trying to say there, is if this is a dungeon that is suited to their level, unless they are relatively high level you should not throw stat draining monsters at them in the entry way . Especially not Con draining monsters .


To make a long story short - the rules you should have followed you did, but you might want to take another look at how hard this dungeon is compared to the level of the players. Unless you want them to trip back to town every week .

 

[Verdigris]

Good suggestions, Tilla.

To answer your question: I didn't even realize there *were* slimes to be dealt with until I read the fine print (at the moment the PCs were walking down the stairs...).

They are Level 3 characters (four PCs) and slimes are CR3 according to the DMG.

One character walked through, had slime ooze out onto him (I'm not sure for how many rounds a single slime will ooze until it all comes out of a crack in the roof). Then another one came out and the second one dropped.

Part of my problem was a lack of knowing which stats to use:

1. How many HP do green slimes have?
2. Can they move of their own accord?
3. What is the DC for a reflex save to avoid slime?

I certainly agree that ability draining stuff should be used cautiously. It derailed my whole adventure. Now the party's Cleric is holed up in a church with an angry mob outside: a too-long-to-detail-here result of a side plot that has somehow eaten my adventure like a roving slime mold...

 

[The Souljourner]

I see two problems:

1.) You didn't read over the adventure carefully enough. This is not meant to be an insult, it's just a statement of fact. You should be careful about reading premade adventures before letting the party go through them precisely so things like this don't happen.

2.) You're trying to convert an AD&D adventure to D&D standards. This is probably not a good idea, unless you do all the work ahead of time. There are a heck of a lot of differences between 3.x and AD&D, and it's not something I'd try on the fly.


My suggestion is this - next time you find something in a pre-made adventure that you don't know the rules for and can't find them quickly, just drop it. If it were me and I couldn't figure out how slimes worked (a distinct possibility), I would just change the trap to something else, remove it all together, or make up the rules... in this case, make it like a poison trap that does con damage, except that instead of a poison needle or whatever, it's slime. I definitely wouldn't put a 3rd level party against *anything* that does ability damage more than once.

-The Souljourner

 

[Tilla the Hun (work)]

!

Good suggestions, Tilla.

why thank you !

To answer your question: I didn't even realize there *were* slimes to be dealt with until I read the fine print (at the moment the PCs were walking down the stairs...).

Like he said - read first (I never do - I wing 98% of my games)

They are Level 3 characters (four PCs) and slimes are CR3 according to the DMG.

Eeeeesh - I assume you mean a CR3 trap? And you gave it a D6 con damage/rnd? Ouchies.

One character walked through, had slime ooze out onto him (I'm not sure for how many rounds a single slime will ooze until it all comes out of a crack in the roof). Then another one came out and the second one dropped.

a) so it was one on one
b) it's a trap - no rnds needed, or else give them a real low DC to get out of the road of the slowly oozing slime

Part of my problem was a lack of knowing which stats to use:

1. How many HP do green slimes have?

It's a CR3 'TRAP' or it's a CR3 'Slime Monster'.
In the former, none - just do a poison effect, fort save DC 15, d2 con/d2 con.
In the latter, CR3 with bab+1, HD=2, ~8-10 hp, or bab0, HD=3,~12-14 hp.

2. Can they move of their own accord?

Again, if 'trap' - no, if 'monster' then yes, I'd give 'em about a 5' movement rate.

3. What is the DC for a reflex save to avoid slime?

if trap CR3, DC 15, if not - how did a slow moving slime catch them so unawares? A spot check DC 5 to 10 should be sufficient to have avoided them, if not perhaps a DC 10 reflex? That's a judgement call for the GM

I certainly agree that ability draining stuff should be used cautiously. It derailed my whole adventure. Now the party's Cleric is holed up in a church with an angry mob outside: a too-long-to-detail-here result of a side plot that has somehow eaten my adventure like a roving slime mold...

-rofl-
Welcome to the wonderful world of uncertain GM'ing where your players can, and will always, not do what you want them to do . That's my expectation whenever I GM, hence my 98% improv on the fly. I rarely take more than 5 minutes at max for any combat (unless it's the BBEG or a powerhouse magicker).

And yes, ability drain is 'nasty', and CON is one of the worst (not that any are good).

And I agree with you - use it cautiously at lower levels. I disagree that one should avoid using it. It's a wonderful thing for teaching humility to cocky characters.


GM: So you set up your watches and bed down for the night. On the second watch, I need a spot check from the guard on that shift.
PC1: I'm asleep. There's nothing out here.
GM: Okay, make a spot check at DC 15 with a -5 circumstance penalty, i.e. DC20.
PC1:Failed.
GM: Hmm, try again, twice more.
PC1: Failed... Made it.
GM: Good, make a Fort save, DC18 as you were asleep and the Stirge is sucking blood out of your neck. You've already lost (3d6) con, and your saving against the the fourth d6.


He was 18th level, and the lowly stirge (slightly souped up due to a magic effect) killed him when his 16 Con hit 0 on the fourth d6

He very nearly killed me to boot

So yeah - be cautious about using drainers

 

[green slime]

1. How many HP do green slimes have?
2. Can they move of their own accord?
3. What is the DC for a reflex save to avoid slime?

1. If I can choose: an infinite number (DM's choice)
2. You better believe it.
3. You can't. You've been slimed
4. In 1e they could be psionically endowed in large clumps...

I certainly agree that ability draining stuff should be used cautiously. It derailed my whole adventure. Now the party's Cleric is holed up in a church with an angry mob outside: a too-long-to-detail-here result of a side plot that has somehow eaten my adventure like a roving slime mold...

Which is why there are spells available to remove the ability drain; have a few potions lying around in an old cellar.

 

[hong]

1. How many HP do green slimes have?

Anything that does cold or fire damage destroys green slime. DMG p.76.

2. Can they move of their own accord?

No.

3. What is the DC for a reflex save to avoid slime?

This is like asking what attack roll you need to make to hit with a sword.

 

[Tilla the Hun (work)]

Which is why there are spells available to remove the ability drain; have a few potions lying around in an old cellar.

Potions of lesser restoration are worth how much? Heh - I know what I'd do as a player - pack 'em up and take 'em to town (we probably don't have identify prepared as a spell in this low level party anyway - too concerned with staying alive at all ) then identify them (since we couldn't in the dungeon) then sell 'em off to the highest bidder we could find. Use the money to pay for our lodging and some cheaper CLW potions/scrolls (or let the cleric make 'em) and then go back.


Sorry - I, as a player, LOVE it when the GM hands out 'mercy' magic items. I will often deviate from the predicted plot path just to take advantage of the items in game. I was once given, as a rogue, a short swd +1 and a sht bow +2. I convinced the party to let me sell them, then acquired knowledge via a sage of the monster in the dngeon, and convinced the party to leave the area. Quite a bit richer, wiser, and totally unhurt.

 

[green slime]

Potions of lesser restoration are worth how much? Heh - I know what I'd do as a player - pack 'em up and take 'em to town (we probably don't have identify prepared as a spell in this low level party anyway - too concerned with staying alive at all ) then identify them (since we couldn't in the dungeon) then sell 'em off to the highest bidder we could find. Use the money to pay for our lodging and some cheaper CLW potions/scrolls (or let the cleric make 'em) and then go back.


Sorry - I, as a player, LOVE it when the GM hands out 'mercy' magic items. I will often deviate from the predicted plot path just to take advantage of the items in game. I was once given, as a rogue, a short swd +1 and a sht bow +2. I convinced the party to let me sell them, then acquired knowledge via a sage of the monster in the dngeon, and convinced the party to leave the area. Quite a bit richer, wiser, and totally unhurt.

Then don't moan when you get slaughtered due to falling green slime or monsters requiring those magical weapons you just sold...

Richer, unhurt and not very heroic. Not in the least. My top hat doesn't die when we play monopoly either....