Episode 169 - The Unknown Horrors of the Underdark

## **Story**

Kipper tries to slip by the party as they're looking at the remains of the ropers, but Jaela picks him up and slams him against the wall. They don't believe him when he claims that he didn't intentionally lead them into the roper's lair, and he breaks down crying when they press him further. He promises to be good, and warns them that the trail of the rat man leads towards the hunting grounds of the big dark thing with many legs that hunts kuo toa. Kipper leads them through many tunnels, and the party begins to see more and more cobwebs, and larger and larger spiders. Harper tries to burn away what he can and Jaela uses her halberd to clear the way, but spider threads still gets in their faces and mouths.

The party hears some more of the scritchy, scratchy sounds that they heard before, and all are engulfed in total darkness. Even Jaela and Aludra who have Darkvision cannot see a thing. The party manages to dodge the initial wave of incoming attacks, but also don't fare so well when counterattacking in the darkness. Aludra casts tries to push it away with Windwall with no luck, however King Titus Harper succeeded where Aludra failed with a Thunderwave, and as it's pushed back, they see a globe of darkness get pushed away as the are able to see once more. The globe charges at them again. Jett Razor makes apologies for what he does next, and with a fart he releases a Stinking Cloud that will be able to hit the creature no matter where it is in the darkness of the globe, however it hits his party members as well. Jaela casts Daylight to reveal that they've been fighting a drider, and with some punches from Nyx, a Crackle from Aludra, and finally with Jett casting *Heat Metal* on its sword, the drider dies, consumed in flames.

With the drider dead, the cave brightens, and the party sees cocoons on the walls, and on the ground before them is a the mask of what looks to be a rodent.

## **Trivia**

* There is a discussion whether or not Michael DiMauro has to tell them the truth on a successful roll.
* There is a discussion on how exactly *Suggestion* works.
* Harper actually thought Jett knew Kipper until the other party members had to explain the deception to him.

## **In This Episode...**

### **Cast and Player Characters**

* Michael DiMauro - *Dungeon Master*
* Mike Bachmann - Jett Razor
* Jennifer Cheek - Aludra Wyrmsbane / Nyx
* Nika Howard - Jaela
* Timothy Lanning - King Titus Harper

### **Quest Log Updates**

* [Active] - Kipper, Foe or Friend?
* [Active] - Prevent the impending dwarven civil war
	+ [Active] - Clear Jaela's name
	+ [Active] - Find Balder's murderer
* [Active] - What are birds?

### **Quotes**

**"Oh God! What is that! What is that! What is that!"** ~ *Drider vs Jett's Stinking Cloud*

## **Rolls**

* **Recap**
	+ Nika - Nat1 - Reverse Bapped
	+ Tim - 19
	+ Jennifer - 7
	+ Bachmann - 5

* **Perception Check** asked by the DM
	+ Nyx - 26
	+ Jaela - 22
	+ Jett - 22
	+ Aludra - 18
	+ Harper - 17
		- They all see Kipper trying to creep away.

* **Insight Check** into Kipper's statement about accidentally leading them into the roper's lair
	+ Jaela - 24
	+ Nyx - 17
	+ Jett - 4+9
	+ Harper - 6
	+ Aludra - 5
		- Jaela in convinced he's lying and that it was intentional.

* Harper - **Intimidation Check** to ensure that Kipper doesn't lie to them again, especially after giving him dreadwing jerky
	+ 21 - Kipper starts crying

* **Survival Check**
	+ Jaela - Nat20+2
	+ Nyx - 14
	+ Aludra - 8
	+ Jett - 4+1
	+ Harper - Didn't want to embarrass himself.
		- Jaela spots a footprint matching the one found earlier.

*Combat Begins*

* **Initiative** vs Drider
	+ Drider - 22+
	+ Jett - 22
	+ Jaela - Nat20+1
	+ Aludra - 12
	+ Nyx - 8
	+ Harper - Nat1+3

*Round 1*

* **Unknown creature in the darkness** vs Harper
	+ Attack - 11 vs AC
		- Miss - Mandible accidentally hits his staff

* **Unknown creature in the darkness** vs Aludra
	+ Attack - 20 vs AC
		- Miss -

* **Unknown creature in the darkness** vs Nyx
	+ Attack - 17 vs AC
		- Miss -

* **Jett** vs Unknown creature in the darkness
	+ Shoots Crossbow towards the sound - 3 & 17 (with Disadvantage in the dark)
		- Miss - If it's a rock golem I think I hit it.

* **Jaela** vs Unknown creature in the darkness
	+ 17, 18, & (?) (every roll with disadvantage)
		- Miss, Miss, & Miss

* **Aludra** vs Unknown creature in the darkness
	+ Windwall towards the middle where they think the creature is. 15 Strength DC
		- (?) - Fails - 1/2 3d8 (bludgeoning) on a fail - 5 damage (bludgeoning) - Everyone feels small things against them. Some of them crawl away afterwards.

* **Nyx** - Delays

* **Harper** vs Unknown creature in the darkness and Nyx as collateral
	+ [Thunderwave] with a 17 Con DC
		- Nyx - 17 - Fails - 7 damage (thunder)
		- Creature - (?) - Succeeds - 15 damage (thunder) and pushed 10 feet away
			* The party can see again and see a 15 globe of darkness in front of them.
	+ Uses Sorcery thing - Lighting Bolt with Dex DC
		- (?) - Succeeds - 8d6 - 39 damage (lightning) - Any spiders within 10 feet explode - The air smells like charred spiders - Harper flies away from the globe

*Round 2*

* **Unknown creature in the darkness** vs Jaela
	+ Attack - 11 (with Disadvantage vs AC
		- Miss

* **Unknown creature in the darkness** vs Jett
	+ Attack - 16 vs AC
		- Miss

* **Unknown creature in the darkness** vs Aludra
	+ Attack - 24 vs AC
		- Hits - 2 damage (piercing) & ~~9 damage (poison)~~ resisted to 4 damage (poison)

* **Jett** vs Unknown creature in the darkness
	+ Stinking Cloud with 17 Con DC engulfing everyone except Jett

* **Jaela** vs Unknown creature in the darkness
	+ Nat20+13 to resist Stinking Cloud
	+ Daylight (at a 3rd level)
		- The darkness sphere is dispelled. They see a drider with blood at its mouth, carrying a sword.
	+ Moves up to the drider

* **Nyx** resumed from Delay vs Drider
	+ Nyx is immune to poison
	+ Melee Attack (Stunning Strike?) - 28, Nat20, 27, & 23
		- 35 punching and staff damage - Nyx does a running jump and strikes with the staff and kicks it in the face as she flips.

* **Aludra** vs Drider
	+ Nat20 Constitution Saving Throw
	+ *Crackle* (at level 2) with a Dex DC
		- (?) - Hits - 4d6 - 17 damage (lightning)

* **Harper** vs Drider
	+ 8+3 Con Saving Throw - Fails - Harper is throwing up from the fart

* **Drider**
	+ (?) Con Saving Throw - Fails - Oh God! What is that! What is that! What is that!

* **Nyx** vs Drider
	+ *Heat Metal* with Con DC to drop the sword
		- 2d8 - 16 damage (fire) - It attempts to drop the sword but it melts into its hand, and its whole body catches on fire and dies.

*Combat Ends*