The Doomed Bastards: Reckoning (story complete)
Richard Rawen
First Post
Lazybones said:
Sweet! I will greatly look forward to your regular updates LB! What a wonderful discovery to find you writing again!
As to the alignments... my guesses:
Mad Elf: Neutral
Corath Dar: Chaotic Neutral
Ukas Half-Orc: Chaotic Neutral
Zafir Navev: Neutral
Licinius Varo: Chaotic Neutral or Neutral Evil or ... heck I dunno
Velan Tiros: Lawful Neutral
Lazybones
Adventurer
jfaller said:
That's it... the damned thing is near invincible, to boot.
How will the DBs handle it? Read on...
* * * * *
Chapter 10
THE DUNG MONSTER
The companions watched in horror as a monster resembling a mass of living, amorphous crap rose out of the latrine and onto the hapless Ukas.
Finally, as if waking from a dream, Tiros shook his head and stirred to action. “Get him!” he yelled, rushing forward to the half-orc’s aid. Varo, caught behind the creature during his search, hurried back around the stone bier to the front of the room, while Dar drew his sword and rushed at the creature from the flank opposite the onrushing marshal. Navev, calling upon his power, fired a bolt of red energy into the bulk of the creature. The eldritch blast blasted a black scar a foot long across the surface of the monstrosity, but within seconds the roiling surface of the creature had obscured the mark, leaving it as it was.
More of the creature continued to surge out of the hole. It was huge, a massive blob taller than a man, and it continued to spread outward. Tiros ran toward Ukas, whose body was engulfed in it up to his chest now. The half-orc saw the marshal and cried out—or tried to; when his mouth opened wide only a spray of blood came out. Tiros seized the half-orc’s outstretched hand and pulled with all his strength. On the other side of the creature, Dar laid into it with his sword. But despite the strength of the figther’s swing, the impact was like smacking a mass of oozing tree sap. The sword slapped into the creature’s mass and stuck to it. The creature’s movements tore the hilt from Dar’s hand, and almost immediately the blade began to sink into its body. Navev, still standing in the room’s entrance, hit the monster again with another blast, but again the warlock’s power seemed to have little effect upon the thing.
“UKAS!” Tiros cried, his entire body tensed with his effort to draw the trapped barbarian from the body of the monster. Now the only thing visible was the half-orc’s face, and the outstretched arm that Tiros continued to pull. His efforts were having no apparent effect, as the monster continued to spread out over the remaining parts of Ukas’s body, but the marshal refused to give up.
Ukas’s eyes were wide; for an instant the human and half-orc locked gazes. Then, as the light in those eyes began to fade, brown ooze swept out of the barbarian’s throat, out over his jaws, and across his face.
A moment later, Tiros fell back, landing hard on the stone floor. He looked down to see Ukas’s arm still in his grip, its end a white and red mess stained with brown.
The creature began to slurp forward, looming over him. There was another flash of red, another eldritch blast that hit it full on, and slowed it for less than a second.
Tiros felt a numbing fear fall over him. He’d fought on gory battlefields and sent men he cared about to their deaths, but he’d never confronted anything like this before. He felt his gorge rising, and knew that in another second, he would join Ukas in utter destruction.
Then Varo was at his side, pulling him to his feet. Dar was there as well; as the creature lunged forward, a massive pseudopod forming out of its mass, the fighter met it, taking the blow on his shield. The fighter staggered back from the force of the blow, which landed with a meaty smack. His feet slid on the floor as the monster drove him back, and then he started to go the other way, as its sticky mass got a grip on the shield, and it began drawing it into its body. Dar frantically tore his arm free of the straps on the back of the shield, and staggered back just in time to avoid being sucked in as well.
“Run!” he yelled. “Run, on your lives!”
The companions needed no urging. Navev was already gone down the corridor out to the main chamber, and Tiros, having finally regained a sound footing, staggered after, with Varo at his side. Dar was only a step behind the cleric, glancing over his shoulder to see the hideous creature flowing slowly after them.
The fighter reached the secret door to find Tiros and Varo waiting. “Warlock!” the marshal said, as they helped Dar through and heaved the door shut. “Your power... target the mechanism... we have to seal the door!”
Navev came forward, a bewildered look on his face. Varo indicated the points to target, and the warlock summoned his magic, blasting into the substance of the portal. Shards of rock went flying. Dar stepped back, drawing his dagger.
“Will that hold it?” the fighter asked, as the companions drew back, forming a half-circle around the portal.
As if to answer the question, dark runnels of brown liquid began seeping out around the jam of the secret door. For a second or two they trailed down the stone, seeping out from the gaps around the door. Then, with a sick wrenching noise, the door collapsed outward, and the dung monster poured out into the room.
Richard Rawen
First Post
HOLY S... er... I mean, well... crap!
Well blow me down, thar be the nastiest non-fiendish monster ever sailed these boards!
Anudder fine story yer tellin matey, ye had me on the edge o'th'bulwark to be sure!
Aye, they be in a fine mess fer sure now wit th'great cur sunk to th'bottom o'the ...
well les nay squawk abou'where he be sunken to!
(OOP: Could you post the stats for that nasty, here or on the Rogues Gallery please?)
Well blow me down, thar be the nastiest non-fiendish monster ever sailed these boards!
Anudder fine story yer tellin matey, ye had me on the edge o'th'bulwark to be sure!
Aye, they be in a fine mess fer sure now wit th'great cur sunk to th'bottom o'the ...
well les nay squawk abou'where he be sunken to!
(OOP: Could you post the stats for that nasty, here or on the Rogues Gallery please?)
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Lazybones
Adventurer
It's basically a mimic on steroids. The entire block would be Necromancer Games IP, so I can't reprodue it in toto, but here's some highlights:Richard Rawen said:
10HD, hp140, Spd10, Atk +12 melee (1d8+5+1d8 acid+adhesive), DR25/magic, SR100, Regen25, immune to acid, cold, electricty, fire, paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep, sonic, stunning, all mind effects, critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage and drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion...
I think you get the idea.
I think that the "immune to everything" is a bit over the top, but in 3.5 at least it can be hurt with magic weapons (which of course these guys don't have, with one exception... but I don't see Tiros doing enough to it alone to overcome its regen ![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
). I think that the creature's speed is the only balancing factor that gives players any chance at all in this encounter. Of course, the Doomed Bastards are going to have their hands quite full dealing with it... but we'll get back to that tomorrow.
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Fimmtiu
First Post
Good God! That bastard would give a fully-equipped high-level party pause, so your little band of threadbare redshirts had better come up with a creative way to get the hell out of there.
DR 25? Regen 25? SR 100? Seems rather excessive, in a "there is only one right way to kill this" way. You don't guess the "right way" on the first try? Surprise! TPK! Roll up another party and try again! I'm not a big fan of those kinds of scenarios.
DR 25? Regen 25? SR 100? Seems rather excessive, in a "there is only one right way to kill this" way. You don't guess the "right way" on the first try? Surprise! TPK! Roll up another party and try again! I'm not a big fan of those kinds of scenarios.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Actually, I think the intent of the module author was, "There's no way to kill this period." I think the "run away" option is pretty much the only solution in this encounter.Fimmtiu said:
It's actually a very nasty trap for player groups that generally don't withdraw from combats as a rule.
Welcome back, LB!
I hadn't noticed this new story hour until just recently -- being sick gives one plenty of time to catch up on one's reading -- so I was very happy to have a new delight to follow in my spare time.
So far, this is one impressive collection of folks. I like it.
I hadn't noticed this new story hour until just recently -- being sick gives one plenty of time to catch up on one's reading -- so I was very happy to have a new delight to follow in my spare time.
So far, this is one impressive collection of folks. I like it.
