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Message: <blockquote data-quote="dok" data-source="post: 1405808" data-attributes="member: 12780">The infamous Temple of the Demon Dead!This one is a long-held favorite "bad gaming story" of mine. Gaming convention. The flyer has a module called "Temple of The Demon Dead", and says to bring two 18th level, 1st edition D&D characters. My older brother & I exchanged ruleful looks. We knew a bad situation, but we figured since it was at a gaming convention, it might just be fun. You know, no-holds-barred, bring-the-noise type fun. We    were    wrong.Horribly    wrong.The first chamber consisted of two rows of pedestals with skulls atop them. The party cleric walks down the center of the room, between the two rows. As soon as he gets between the first two pedestals, the DM rolls dice, cackles (he did that a lot, as you'll see) and says "You're held". Player politely responds that he's wearing a Ring of Free Action. DM: Yes, I know. You're Held anyway.The mage casts Detect Magic & reveals "eye beams" coming from the skulls. The rogue is cautiosly checking for traps along the sides of the room, hoping not to have to walk between the Eyebeams of Doom; after all, who knows what they do? Then came one of the few good moments in the game:Me: So, about how high are these pedestals & the eye beams?DM: Oh, about here -" [places hand mid-chest] "Chest high to a man.Me: So about, what, three, four feet high?DM: Yep, that sounds about right.Me: My dwarf strides down the center of the room.Fun. But it didn't last.Second room of the dungeon: (and the only one we got to...)It's a wide hallway with six doors. At the end of the hall is an antichamber that has a statue. However, there seems to be some sort of "force field" (his words) surrounding the dias that the statue is on.Player: I pick up a rock & throw it at the field.DM: "Oooooh. That was the worst possible thing you could do! With a loud pop, all the doors open at once!At this point, all six doors open, with strange looking creatures pouring out. Many appear to be elementals of some kind or another, though at one point the DM describes what "looks like a man, with a strange squid-like head, and the brand of Cthulu on his chest" and proudly mentions that these are "unoffical" monsters from an "unlicensed suppliment" he got in 1970-something. Oh good. Because 1st edition monsters weren't screwy enough...Round one of the combat went as follows:Player 1: I throw a full volley of darts at that water elemental near me. With a dart of returning, and my girdle of storm giant strength, I do 127 points of damage!Other players: Oooooh!DM: OK. The creature attacks you back. Take 35 damage...Player 1: OK..DM: ...and loose six levels.Other players: What the [eric's grandmother ] ???DM (looking inexplicably smug): That's not a water elemental; it's a vampiric nalfashnee water elemental.Players (collective): < vomit >Player 2 (my older brother): Uhh, we've got sixty levels of cleric sitting at the table and over 150 character levels total; I think we should be able to guess what makes up these creatures on-sight, rather than have it sprung on us...Player 3: I'm a mage; I'll die if I loose levels & get hit. I cast Prismatic Wall to keep the closest thing away from me!Player 4 (who threw the rock that started this mess): Hey! That traps me with two of these things!!!DM: Actually no. This one just flies throught the prismatic wall and says "yum yum; I'm from the plane of Radiance so that was a nice treat!"Player 4: Fine. I fire four arrows into the Glabrezu-Wraith-Fire Elemental that's  on this side of the wall.DM: What kind of arrows are they?< cue second good moment of the game >Player 4 (nonchalantly): Arrows of Demon slaying. The adventure was titled "Temple of the Demon dead"...Other Players: < mixed cheers & laughter >DM (straightfaced): Are they arrows of elemental undead demon slaying?Combat dragged on for a few more rounds that took hours. The Vrock Vampiric Earth Elemental got taken down by a Decanter of Endless Water set to guyser, (since running water kills vampires) and the guy with drops his foe after the DM grudgling allows a saving throw against the arrows. (this was 1st edition, where arrows of slaying killed. No save, and nothing fancy; if any part of you met the arrow's critera, you died.)I'd love to say I recall how the rest of the fight went, but all I really remember is that as a group, we walked away from the table after that fight.</blockquote>

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