Welcome to Dungeon Quest, where we explore the realms of being a dungeon. This quest takes places in a medieval fantasy world, of non-specific origin, which will be shaped around the choices you make in the quest. Things can, and will, change both outside of your dungeon and inside it. There is a system, and it's mostly finished, but it's also being taken for a test drive. If there are changes you will be informed, and if it affects you, you will be asked if you want a mulligan.
Deeper (Dungeon Quest)
- Thread starter KlinkerKing
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1 - Deeper
KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den
Deeper
Awareness is fickle. It starts with a creeping sense of sensing and expands with an encroaching feel of feeling. Then it slinks off like a child who won't admit they've eaten too many sweets. Is it even possible to reach for awareness if you don't already have some?
We are somewhere. We are something? Are we… cold?
[X] Cold? No, the ice is like a comforting embrace.
[X] Yes, as all damp stone should be.
[X] No, we are warmed by the sun…or was it molten rocks?
[X] Write-in
There is something to be done. Something important. Do we know what it is?
[X] Don't be absurd, we were borne yesterday
[X] Something about our place in the world?
[X] It's too early, more sleep
There's a sound filtering in, from somewhere. It's…
[X] The soft swoosh of waves, and some kind of clicking and clacking.
[X] Song? The sound of birds tweeting and singing.
[X] A howling of wolves or… wind?
[X] Write-in
The… Out? Doors? They are…
[X] Entirely upwards, reached by…stadders? That can't be right
[X] Down the hall to the side of this..Valley? Hill?
[X] On all sides. We stand alone, the only way is down
[X] Write-in
Are we anything else?
[X] No.
[X] Absolutely not.
[X] Nuh-uh.
[X] Write-in
You have a nagging feeling. In the back of your… head?, you feel an urge to…
[X] Consume. It's there, like an angry sibling knocking urgently on a bathroom door.
[X] Expand. Reach out with your senses, and embrace the world with your… roots?
[X] Take a nap. These questions are boring, and this world will come wake you up when it needs you.
[X] Write-in
What now? You have a plan…
[X] Deeper
--
No seriously, vote by plan guys.
Welcome to Dungeon Quest, where we explore the realms of being a dungeon. This quest takes places in a medieval fantasy world, of non-specific origin, which will be shaped around the choices you make in the quest. Things can, and will, change both outside of your dungeon and inside it. There is a system, and it's mostly finished, but it's also being taken for a test drive. If there are changes you will be informed, and if it affects you, you will be asked if you want a mulligan.
Good luck, choose wisely!
Voting is open for a week, but if there are no new votes within 24 hrs, we will close early.
Co-GM'd by @Angus512
Last edited:
Informational Post: Maps and Other Useful Things
KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den
Unoccupied tiles are "old map colour" (beige), entrance is dark red, and room tiles are light red. The Shrine tiles are Light Gray (they are every habitat, meaning any creature can occupy the tiles). Light blue is flooded tiles. Each tile is 10x10 metres. Black lines are cliff lines.
A small crab with big ideals, Snippy is a crab of conscience. Devoted to the Sleeping Shelterer, Snippy never misses an opportunity to tell newcomers and outsiders how magnificent they are. Snippy has a beard of colourful soap bubbles that never pop.
Being one of the first crabs born in the Sleeping Shelterer, he has spent his entire life in the dungeon. He knows a lot about the Sleeping Shelterer, but his knowledge of outside things often falls short. When there's something he doesn't know, he will often ask his friend, Skali.
Stats:
Weight Class: 1Durability: 2
Health: 1
Armour:
- - Head & Torso: 2
- - Claws & Legs: 1
Damage: d2
Speed: 1 m/s
Presence: 6
Mana: 2
Money: n/a
Vigour: 6
Traits (Crab - Weight Class 1)
Base Form - Crab
Form - Crab
- Environmental Adaptation 1(Semi-Aquatic) - You are adapted to an extreme environment of your choice (eg hot desert, underwater) and have all the necessary traits to thrive in that environment
- Gills 1 - You can breathe in water (by extracting the dissolved oxygen)!
- Gills 2 - You can use your gills to breathe air, provided they remain hydrated. (e.g. the Labyrinth organ of Labyrinth fish)
- Gills 1 - You can breathe in water (by extracting the dissolved oxygen)!
- Grasp 1 - the ability to hold on to an object: claws, mouths, 'n' stuff
- Size 1 - weight class equal to investment into this trait
- Limbs 10 - limbs come in many shapes and functions from tails to legs to arms. Generally, arms are limbs primarily used for grabbing and manipulating the environment, and legs/tails/wings are limbs primarily used to move. Some limb types are multifunction - tentacles are a great example. You can apply any unlocked and non-exclusive movement and/or manipulation options to any limbs you have (you don't pay again for each limb).
Mobility
- Climb 1 - you can climb basic obstacles and surfaces
- Jump 1 - you're capable of vertical jumps
- Leap 1 - you can cross some distance horizontally when you jump
- Swim 1 - in water and similar liquids you're able to move in 3D space, but not well
- Walk 2 - Gotta go fast! Your walking speed increases by pushing your body entirely off the ground. (e.g. quadrupeds, crabs)
Senses
- Hearing (water) 1 - you can detect vibrations at range, specialised for detection through one medium of your choice (air, water, ground (solids)), though it might work somewhat through other mediums. This trait level can be taken multiple times to gain different specialisation options.
- Smell 1 - you have the ability to detect volatile/diffuse chemicals in air
- Taste 1 - you have the ability to detect chemicals diffused in water
- Touch 1 - You have a tactile sense and can detect when something is - or isn't - touching you. Detailed sensory information, such as exact texture or hardness is not readily available at this level.
- Ultra-vision 1 – You can see into the ultraviolet spectrum of light
- Vision 1 – You can see in the visible spectrum of light
Miscellaneous
- Autotomy 1- You are able to self-amputate at least some body parts to distract and escape predators. Most commonly limbs (including tails), but sometimes skin etc. losing a body part this way does not cause trauma or bleed, but does reduce durability.
- Autotomy 2 - You are able to replace a body part shed with autotomy with an inferior replacement, causing vantage loss when relevant (GM discretion), barring exceptional circumstances.
- Autotomy 3 - You are able to regenerate any body parts shed with autotomy, barring exceptional circumstances.
- Exoskeleton 1 – You have an exoskeleton that provides your weight class plus 1 in mundane armour to your torso and head, and half your weight class (rounded down) plus 1 in mundane armour to every limb. This stacks with other armour to a mundane maximum bonus of 10.
- Sturdy 1 - +1 durability
- -
- Short 1 - You are considered short for creatures of your shape and weight. This affects things like fitting into spaces or reaching higher and seeing further.
Personality
- Compassionate 1 - You understand the struggles of others and want to help: +1 vantage when helping people, -1 to attempts to maliciously hurt people.
- Contemplative 1 - When you have the time, you are thoughtful and capable of introspection: +1 vantage to any plan or action if a scene passes between the planning stage and execution.
- Excitable 1 - Your emotions are strong and quick to rise: +1 vantage to any situation where your emotions on the subject are beneficial (e.g. delivering an impassioned speech on a topic important to you): -1 vantage when they are detrimental to you. Also -1 vantage to resisting emotional manipulation
- Naïve 1 - You are unworldly, having lived a sheltered life, or have a tendency to believe in people's good nature that is beyond the entirely rational: -1 to resisting manipulation, for good or ill.
Additional
- Dungeon Empowered 1 - your connection to your home goes beyond the normal level:
- +1 max mana
- +2 max vigour
- when in your dungeon of origin, At end of scene: +1 mana
Skills (Bonuses: Commerce +0, Magical +1, Martial +3, Leader: +3)
Bonuses:
Commerce +1Magical +1
Martial +3
Leader: +3
Background
Crab of the Crabby Cave - LookoutFree Background Skills (choose 4 - they contribute to bonuses and resource stats)
- Language [Plasegean] I (Social) - you can hold a conversation in a language of your choice without difficulty
- Language II (Social) - you are considered fluent in your chosen language
- Lookout I (Martial) - Vigilant against danger, you're better than most at keeping watch. +1 vantage on rolls to stay alert and spot approaching danger
- [24% progress] Mathematics 0 -> Mathematics I (Commerce)
Commerce (+0 from 0 skills)
Magical (+1 from 1 skills)
Spells
- Paladin's Protection I (Magical) – You[Rally]are immune to and cleansed of poison and infectious disease. You may grow a magnificent beard and/or hair (including of unusual types e.g. barnacles), even if you otherwise couldn't.
- Paladin's Protection II (Martial) - You[Rally] take 1 less damage from all sources
- Paladin's Protection III (Social) - You may Rally eligible ([Rally]) effects of Paladin's Protection for 1 mana per effect rallied
- Paladin's Protection IV - You do not deteriorate with age (though you can choose to let your appearance age and, as an action, return to youthful looks)
Martial (+3 from 4 skills)
- Aimed Strike/Called Shot I (Martial) – When you use an action to attack, you may lose 2 vantage to target a specific hit location, or 4 vantage to target an area smaller than the standard target areas (e.g. the eye slit of a visor). A GM may modify the vantage loss depending on the exact target.
- Courageous I (Martial) – You[Rally]gain 1 vantage against intimidation attempts.
- Courageous II (Social) – You may Rally eligible ([Rally]) effects from Courageous. You also gain the following Rout: Routed hostiles lose 1 vantage on intimidate attempts. (Intrepid)
Social (+3 from 6 skills)
- Philosopher [of the Crabby Cave] I (Social) - Experienced in the field of careful thinking, you can work through problems that leave others stumped: When given ample time to reason through a situation, remove the smallest negative vantage effect (e.g. if one effect was giving -5 vantage and another -2, you would only suffer the -5 instead of the total -7). If there are no negative vantage effects, +1 vantage to the roll.
- Tactician (Social) - You gain 1 vantage on initiative rolls. If you give orders, Rallied allies that follow the plan gain 1 vantage. In a formation, this bonus only applies to the lowest vantage level. Routed hostiles lose 1 vantage on initiative next turn [ *Rework in progress ]
Languages
- Plasegean
Response to fear: Fight
Equipment:
(none)- Cordite Lobsters
- Spiny Lobsters
- Key Terms
- Misc. Mechanics
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Vote closed
KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den
2 - Delve 1 - A Rude Awakening
KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den
Delve 1 - A Rude Awakening
The clicking and clacking has come inside. Many tiny legs and claws are with us now
We have gained Room Feature "Crabs" in the entrance room.
- Feature: Crabs
- Max Damage: 1
- Health: 1
- Replenishment: Fast
- Abilities (Weight class 1):
- Climate adaptation (aquatic) - you are adapted to an extreme climate of your choice (e.g. hot desert, underwater) and have all the necessary traits to thrive in that environment
- Exoskeleton – if you are weight class 2 or less, you have an exoskeleton that provides 3 armour to your torso and head, and 2 to every limb.
- Remaining Ability slots: 2
Zzz. Naptime.
--------------------------------
"Kira, it's just a cave, that stupid Iron III is winding us up with this test."
Hm? They're dragging in wet, soggy, sand into your cave on their clinking metal feet.
"Just because you can't see anything, Steven, doesn't mean there's nothing here."
"He does have a point though. All I can see are these blasted crabs and, let me tell you, their nerves are not that interesting. Celty, would you be so kind as to light this place up?"
A soft crimson glow fills the cave. The crabs don't seem bothered by it.
CRA-SKWELCH
Every crab eye turns.
Steven freezes, the butt of his spear covered in crab ichor and exoskeleton.
The clicking and clacking picks up a clear rhythm and begins to advance towards the delvers.
"Steven, Move! Everyone out! Kira, Celty watch his sides. I'll take the rear. I don't know what Steven pissed off, but we aren't sticking around to find out."
-----------------------
CRA-SKWELCH
One of our crabs is broken. Broken?
[X] Our Crab!!!
[X] Huh. Guess the crabs can die.
[X] There will be blood on these walls…
[X] Write-in
"Congratulations on making it through your first delve!"
A voice? It comes from out the doors?
"As you all know this was your first test - find anything useful? No? Ha! Guess you aren't making Bronze II today!"
Bronze comes in numbers? Clearly this is an exposition of some kind. The ones out the doors feel small. Weak. Like maybe a 1? Except the talker. That one might be like, at least a 6. They are leaving.
Our dead crab... What should we do with the body?
[X] Well, un-break it! (Gain 1 Necro-crab)
[X] Bury it in the sand. (Gain room feature "Crab graveyard" to place this turn)
[X] Burn it. (Gain room feature "Crab pyre" to place this turn)
[X] Waste not… (Entrance room Crabs gain trait "recycler")
[X] Let it rot. (Gain room feature "Macabre display" in the entrance room)
Hmm. We have ideas. And power.
We have 14 Depth, and our entrance room opens to the outside on the north. Tiles are square, and if two tiles touch there will either be a door or it will be the same room.
Expansion (at the end of each delve, in each room with an uncleared feature score 1 Depth on each tile per delver level for each delver)
[X] Expand sideways (1 Depth per tile) X tiles (write-in, For example [East, 14 Tiles, New Room "Corridor", 1 width in tiles])
New Room Features (choose up to 1)
[X] Crabs (cost: 1 Depth) - 1 tile worth of crabs
[X] Permanent Flooding (cost: 2 Depth) - 1 room; all tiles in this room are underwater. Delvers and creatures must swim. (room costs 1 extra Depth per tile to expand after applying this upgrade)
[X] Tide pools (cost 1 Depth) - 1 room. Tiles in this room have pools where sea creatures live. Sometimes there may be treasure there
[X] Shrine to the Great Space Crab (cost 10 Depth) (New 1 tile room, can expand later)
Upgrades - pick up to 1
[X] Kung-Fu Crabs (cost: 2 Depth) - All Crabs in a room of your choice gain 1 threat (room costs 1 extra Depth per tile to expand after applying this upgrade)
[X] Crabs expand (cost: 1 Depth) - Our existing crabs have multiplied, and may occupy another tile. (costs 1 extra for every room the new room they enter on the way)
[X] Blank? Acquire more features to see more upgrade options
[X] Blank? Acquire more features to see more upgrade options
---
Co-GM'd by @Angus512
Merry Christmas Day, everyone!
Vote by Plan, guys.
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3 - Delve 2 - Snipping and Snapping
KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den
Delve 2 - Snipping and Snapping
Creatures now have a slightly less opaque character sheet, representing an individual better. No actual changes have been made, just a display change.
- Feature: Crabs
- Max Damage: 1
- Health: 1
- Replenishment: Fast
- Abilities (Weight class 1):
- Climate adaptation (aquatic) - you are adapted to an extreme climate of your choice (e.g. hot desert, underwater) and have all the necessary traits to thrive in that environment
- Exoskeleton – if you are weight class 2 or less, you have an exoskeleton that provides 3 armour to your torso and head, and 2 to every limb.
- Remaining Ability slots: 2
We are expanding. Our deepness grows! Crabs are snipping and snapping, rooms are configuring. We flourish.
There are more Out-the-Door-ers. Delvers? More is not right. There are less. Stronger though. Does that mean more? Is the whole more than the sum of the parts? Too much philosophy will mean a nap…
Hm. New Delvers, Delving. More Delving is good. Could be bad, but likely good.
…Is that a crab on two legs? No, it's a crab-bird, with a beak. No wait, no wings. A… turtle? No, no, it's got legs. It's a turtle with legs, like a tortoise. Most tortoises don't have hands, though. A tortle?
Oh, and look at that, the other one has an odd shell of little metal loops it puts on to protect its squishy insides. Adorable. Oo, and a little pointy metal stick. Funny, it's shorter than the tortle's staff. Maybe the size indicates rank?
The Delve
"What do you think Sal?" Her flickering Orb-light gleams across his maille. "All I see is Crabs and more crabs."
"I think our Delve-lings missed something interesting." Pointing at the back corner Sal draws her colleague's eyes away from the gleam of his maille and towards a passageway at the back of the chamber. "Careful where you step, Lazzy, we don't want to provoke the crabs."
"You mean these little darlings?" Lazzy cooed, crouching down and picking up a bold little crab snipping at his armoured heels, and bringing it to eye level "I shall call you Snippy, Destroyer of Delvers!"
"OW!"
The small crab sails through the air, thwacking into the far wall.
"Bad Snippy!"
Only a few crabs have taken interest in the 'duel', the remainder continue to mill about unbothered.
"Well named," Sal chuckles "perhaps your nose is just the beginning!"
"Little bastard almost took it clean off." Lazzy's voice is a little off as he clutches his nose, trying to stem the blood. "Let's get this over with before any more of these fuckers take a snip at me."
"Ha! Let me know if they do and I'll ward you, 'Think happy thoughts' and all." It's wild how even a joke can Rally. Sal's protection extends over to Lazzy for a few moments, and the pair make their way to the unexplored passage.
"A blind corner. My favourite."
"Hush Lazzy, I'm focusing." Sal peers into the orb, stretching her view round the corner. Inky blackness. ""Blind corner'' is the right term. Not to worry though, Snippy, Destroyer of Noses hasn't followed us."
Sal winks, Rallying. With the ward on both of them, the pair round the corner, finding it empty but for some still water at the end of the L shape.
"A pool. Great, let's go."
"No so fast Mr. Bodyguard," Sal ribbed. "Look closer, it clearly goes somewhere."
"Yeah, well, I can't be splashing around under there long enough to matter, so if you want to look, you're on your own."
Sal nodded, already tying a rope around her shell. "You know the drill: one tug pull me back, two tugs, I'm under attack."
Lazzy grumbles and pulls out a match from his pack, fiddling with it for a moment before setting a nice, warm light in his lantern shield.
"Right, hop on in," he says, grabbing the rope as she takes a Deep Breath.
Sal feels her feet touch the silty ground, and she peers into the room, sparsely illuminated by the light emanating from the orb above her head. It's barren, with nothing but a few minor rocks strewn about. No silt is disturbed elsewhere in the room, and she takes a few steps to get a better feel for the ground. No trembles, no tracks in the silt, no vegetation. The room is empty. She yanks once on the rope, and then pushes off the ground, swimming back up towards the entrance.
"Anything?" Lazzy peers down into the water from the ledge as she wades up.
"Not so much as a spec of algae. Room's probably new, I don't think even the greenest of greenhorns could miss the corridor, and the room is almost depressingly barren."
"Fair. Guess we just head on out?"
"Yep!" Sal pushes herself out of the water, and swings a leg over the ledge. "Unless you get your nose snipped by a crab on the way out as well, we should be fine to just leave and write up the report. Local Headfolks will definitely want to hear about it."
"Gee, hope they pay more than a Shou this time."
Decisions, Decisions
"OW!"
Snippy sails through the air, thwacking into the far wall. Oh dear, is Snippy…? Hm. Aha. Snippy is not dead, but Snippy could be dead. We ought to....
[X] Save Snippy!
[X] Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
We have 10 Depth, and our entrance room opens to the outside on the north. Tiles are square, and if two tiles touch there will either be a door or it will be the same room.
Recycle - The Crabs go exploring for more recyclables, and have made a discovery. (Pick 1)
[X] Gain 2 Depth
[X] Crabs in houses? House Crabs?
Feature: Hermit Crabs
- Max Damage: 1
- Health: 1
- Replenishment: Fast
- Abilities (Weight class 1):
- Climate adaptation (aquatic) - you are adapted to an extreme climate of your choice (e.g. hot desert, underwater) and have all the necessary traits to thrive in that environment
- Shell Hermit - This creature can don armour (technically all Delvers have this ability). All Hermit Crabs start with a shell armour of 3.
- Remaining Ability slots: 2
Expansion (at the end of each Delve, for each uncleared feature, score 1 Depth per Delver level for each Delver) <- Changed wording, no mechanical change.
[X] Expand sideways (1 Depth per tile) X tiles (write-in, For example [East, 14 Tiles, New Room "Corridor", 1 width in tiles])
New Room Features (choose up to 1 - MUST CHOOSE 1 AS WE HAVE AN EMPTY ROOM, but doesn't have to go in said empty room)
[X] Large Crabs (cost: 2 Depth) - 1 tile worth of Large Crabs
- Max Damage: 2
- Health: 2
- Replenishment: Standard
- Abilities (Weight class 2):
- Climate adaptation (aquatic) - you are adapted to an extreme climate of your choice (e.g. hot desert, underwater) and have all the necessary traits to thrive in that environment
- Exoskeleton – if you are weight class 2 or less, you have an exoskeleton that provides 3 armour to your torso and head, and 2 to every limb.
- Large – your weight class increases by 1 (to 2).
- Remaining Ability slots: 1
[X] Crab… Mermaids? (aquatic) (Cost 1 Depth)
- Max Damage: 2
- Health: 1
- Replenishment: Fast
- Abilities (Weight class 1):
- Exoskeleton – if you are weight class 2 or less, you have an exoskeleton that provides 3 armour to your torso and head, and 2 to every limb.
- Vicious Claw – monsters adapted for clawing attacks deal 1 extra damage with claws. If this is their main mundane attack, this ability is free.
- Remaining Ability slots: 3 (no terrestrial adaptations)
Upgrades - pick up to 1
[X] Cordite Claws (cost: 1 Depth) - Crabs can now store cordite in their claws, and cause minor explosions when successfully snipping a target. Takes a crab ability slot (making this trait heritable). Increase crab threat (and maximum claw damage) by 1. (May apply this to as many crabs as you have at the end of this turn, if none specified, will apply to all.)
[X] Crabs expand (cost: 1 Depth) - Our existing crabs have multiplied, and may occupy another tile. (Costs 1 extra for every room they enter on the way to the new room. Corridors count as a room.)
[X] Geothermal Spring (cost: 3 Depth): warms all water in a flooded area, becoming a hot spring: Increases our attractiveness to Delvers and reduces their hostility towards us.
[X] Blank? Acquire more features to see more upgrade options
Vote by Plan! Or Snippy WILL snip you!
Glossary:
Shou: A unit of measurement equivalent to 1800ml (just under 2 litres) or 61 fl. oz.
Hey, did you know, my Co-GM, @Angus512 , does not know Swedish? This came up, because he tried to name this update "dickings", in Swedish.
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Voting
KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den
With no new votes for 24 hours, I hereby close the thread. Update is incoming, please wait warmly.
4 - Delve 3 - High Tide
KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den
Delve 3 - High Tide
It is wetter. Is this how it's meant to be? It is. The Brilliant Sky Pearl pulls the water over us for a time. How do we know this? How would we not know this? We feel Blessed.
Acquired Named Character - Snippy (Crab Warrior)
Racial Traits (Crab - weight class 1)
- Exoskeleton
- Aquatic Adaptation
- Short - of diminutive size for his weight class, Snippy can squeeze into smaller holes etc.
- Any 1.5 (short is a half–trait)
- Called Shot – you may lose one level of vantage on a strike, loose, or throw to target a specific hit location, or two to target an area smaller than the standard target areas (eg the eye slit of a visor) you may not do this if it would put you below -2 vantage (martial)
- Courageous – you are immune to fear; when rallied, this also ends the effects of fear on yourself and allies. When routed this removes fear immunities (leader, martial)
- Crab of the Crabby Cave (+2)
Snippy ponders under the occasional beams of light from the Brilliant Sky Pearl. The Magnificent Sleeping Shelterer saved Snippy. But why? Snippy ponders, but makes little headway. Has Snippy failed the Grand Sleeping Shelterer, and in its Great Mercy, it saved Snippy anyway? Snippy fought, yes, but the aid did not come to Snippy, until Snippy's defeat. Did the Glorious Sleeping Shelterer disapprove of fighting? Snippy has many questions, but no answers seem forthcoming. What truly is the wish of the Lordly Sleeping Shelterer?
[X] That you may grow stronger, Snippy
[X] That your wisdom may expand, Snippy
[X] That you may live to learn the wonders of this world, Snippy
[X] Write-in
Snippy has been blessed to hear the voice of the Majestic Sleeping Shelterer! Snippy will ponder their words until he understands… This may take some time. He is, in fact, still a crab.
A cloud crosses the Brilliant Sky Pearl.
There is danger in this dark…
A long, still, shade floats at the cave entrance. An eye, the size of a crab, blinks once at the cave mouth. A deep, dark purple head, with fins fluttering slowly slides in, smoothly and silently.
Another still moment passes, and another 2 metres of eel slides into the cave: the full, enormous size of the creature is now apparent to us. Another large head peers into the cave.
Hostile Delver - CONGER EEL (Weight Class 3 - Predator - Eater of Crabs)
Oh dear.
The Delve
A large head peers into the cave. Teeth flash for a brief moment.
Hostile Delver - CONGER EEL (Weight Class 3 - Predator - Eater of Crabs)
Snippy knows this is a fight for survival, a life or death struggle with only one acceptable outcome: Survival. Snippy will not disappoint the Grand Sleeping Shelterer.
The other crabs coalesce into a combat-ready shape, claws snipping. A small handful skitter off to alert the Crab Mermaids; Snippy and the crabs make ready to fight.
An eerie screech and a flick of a large, dark purple tail appears above. Large, horrid eyes and gleaming teeth bared, Snippy is taken off-guard by the eel, but not so off-guard as the other crabs, who scatter in fear!
Snippy feels a mote of anger at the eels as they send his brethren skittering every which way. Not good. The eel from the mouth of the cave lashes out, catching a crab. A crunch echoes, and Snippy's mote of anger blossoms.
Snippy sees muscles tense: the dappled yellow and purple eel is going to eat another sibling! Snippy will not have it! As it's terrible jaws open, Snippy slams them down from above, short of his sibling. The eel that came from above has a small yellow stripe around its neck lunges toward Snippy, who feels the water displace and skitters, burying his claws in the ground. The eel's jaws fail to grasp his hard carapace, and slide off.
The eels seem to realise Snippy has too much fight in him, and begin to chase down more of the scattering siblings.
Crunch!
Snippy tries, but cannot skitter fast enough. More siblings fall.
Crackle!
The eels again take siblings that have strayed too far from Snippy
Snap!
Snippy is failing again! This will not be!
The proverbial crabalry has arrived, and Snippy seizes the opportunity granted by their distraction. As the yellow stripe turns and eyes the horde of black-blue claws and sprouts menacingly, Snippy leaps, snapping at the tail. The eel shrieks, and lashes out with its massive jaws toward the Crab Mermaids, its tail shaking almost dislodging Snippy. The Crab Mermaids dash backwards, folding their tails for maximum speed.
Crunch! Another sibling falls to the dappled one.
Again, Snippy faces the eels alone, but now he has a hold of the Striped one.
There is little Snippy can do about the gluttony of the dappled one, but with a hold on Stripe, Snippy pulls hard to the side, diverting its strike from another sibling.
Once more, the dark armour of the Crab Mermaids appears. This time, they move swiftly and strike true, their snapping claws booming with power . Others use their large claws to divert the bites of the slippery creatures. Snippy takes heart, and strikes again. He feels his claws sink in, and the eel trembles underneath his grip.
Another screech, and the striped eel's shake finally throws Snippy off, but a Crab Mermaid is still holding on and manages one more snip, before finally being thrown off as the eels slink out of the cave.
Survival against this foe is a tremendous victory, but not one all crabs won this day.
VICTORY: EELS REPELLED
Horde of Crabs (20)
Snippy
vs
Eel 1
Eel 2
Eel 1 Stealth :17 (6, 5, 4 at 1 vantage)
Eel 2 Stealth :8 (3, 2, 2 at 1 vantage)
Snippy perception: 14 (5, 4, 3 +2 at 0 vantage)
Crab perception: 12, 11, 10, 9, 9, (4, 3, 3 as horde)
No creature is surprised in the first round, but Eel 1 will gain 1 level of vantage on actions next turn, and cannot be struck by creatures with the same or lower initiative
Round 1
Initiative:
Snippy: 13+2=15
Crabs (horde of 20): 8
Eel 1: 15
Eel 2: 7
Declare actions (and rolls):
Eel 2: attack on crabs (horde of 20) 6 (1, 1, 4, at 0 vantage)
Crabs (horde of 20): strike, defend, get help 12, 10, 7, 4, 3 (2, 1, 4 as horde)
Snippy: strike on eel 2 9 (5, 2, 2 vantage 0)
Eel 1: intimidate all crabs 15 (1, 5, 4, +2 vantage)
Resolution:
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Eel 2 takes 1 damage from crabs on the off arm location = 0 damage
Eel 2 takes 1 damage from Snippy on the main arm location = 0 damage
Eel 1 Intimidates. Crab horde: All crabs feared for flight (takes effect next round), scatters. Snippy is immune to fear.
Round 2
Initiative:
Snippy: 9+2 = 11
Eel 1: 16
Eel 2: 9
Declare actions:
Eel 2: Attack on Crab 5 (1, 1, 3)
Snippy: Intercept - Defend Crab 7+2 (2, 1, 4)
Eel 1: Attack Snippy 7 (2, 1, 4)
Resolution:
Snippy Successfully Defends
Round 3
Initiative:
Snippy: 9+2 (4, 4, 1)
Eel 1: 9 (3, 4, 2)
Eel 2: 12 (5, 5, 2)
Declare actions:
Eel 1: Move, Grab Crab 13 (4, 3, 6)
Snippy: Intercept - Defend Crab from Eel 1: 10+2 (6, 3, 1)
Eel 2: Move, Grab Crab 15 (6, 4, 5)
Resolution:
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Eel 1 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Round 4
Initiative:
Snippy: 14+2 = 16 (6, 6, 2)
Eel 1: 12 (5, 4, 3)
Eel 2: 8 (1, 5, 2)
Declare actions:
Eel 2: Move, Grab Crab 14 (5, 6, 3)
Eel 1: Move, Grab Crab 10 (5, 4, 1)
Snippy: Intercept Eel 1 - Defend Crab 6+2= 8 (1, 4, 5, -1 Vantage)
Resolution:
Eel 1 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Round 5
Initiative:
Snippy: 11+2 = 13 (2, 3, 6)
Eel 1: 10 (2, 2, 6)
Eel 2: 12 (5, 1, 6)
Declare actions:
Eel 1: Move, Grab Crab 8 (4, 3, 1)
Snippy: Intercept Eel 1 - Defend Crab 3+2 (critfail) (1, 1, 4, -1 Vantage)
Eel 2: Move, Grab Crab 16 (5, 5, 6)
Resolution:
Eel 1 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Round 6
Initiative:
Snippy: 12+2 = 14 (4, 5, 3)
Crab Mermaids (horde of 20): 13 (4, 5, 4)
Eel 1: 13 (6, 4, 3)
Eel 2: 11 (4, 3, 4)
Declare actions:
Eel 2: Move, Grab Crab 10 (1, 3, 6)
Crab Mermaids (horde of 20): 10 attacks, 10 defends, 5 each (3, 2, 2)
Eel 1: Intimidate (defend) 16 (11) (1, 6, 4, +1 vantage (0 vantage))
Snippy: Attack Eel 1 to interrupt 11+2 = 13 (5, 3, 3)
Resolution:
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Eel 1 Intimidates. Crab Mermaids are feared for flight. Snippy is immune to fear.
Snippy deals 1 damage to Eel 1's tail.
Crab Mermaids rout.
Round 7
Initiative:
Snippy: 13+2 (2, 5, 6)
Eel 1: 4 (1, 1, 2)
Eel 2: 15 (6, 4, 5)
Declare:
Eel 1: Move, Grab Crab 13 (6, 1, 6)
Snippy: Intercept Eel 1 - Defend Crab 13+2 = 15 (5, 5, 3 0 Vantage)
Eel 2: Move, Grab Crab 13 (6, 3, 4)
Resolution:
Snippy successfully defends
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Crab Mermaids: Away from Fear, Regroups
Round 8
Initiative:
Snippy: 10+2 = 12 (2, 3, 5)
Crab Mermaids: 13 (5, 4, 4)
Eel 1: 12 (2, 4, 6)
Eel 2: 11 (1, 4, 6)
Declare:
Eel 2: Defend 7 (1, 3, 3)
Eel 1: Defend 11 (6, 2, 3)
Snippy: Attack Eel 1 16+2 = 18 (6, 6, 4)
Crab Mermaids: Attack 5, Defend 10, Split 15, 15, 10, 3, 3 (5, 1, 4)
Resolution:
Eel 1 takes 1 damage to the torso from Snippy.
Eel 2 takes 1 damage to the tail from Crab Mermaid (Horde)
Eel 1 takes 1 damage to the head from Crab Mermaid (Horde)
Round 9
Initiative:
Snippy: 10+2 = 12 (6, 2, 2)
Crab Mermaids: 11 (4, 1, 6)
Eel 1: 9 (2, 6, 1)
Eel 2: 15 (5, 4, 6)
Declare:
Eel 1: Flee (Defend) 15 (5, 5, 5)
Crab Mermaids: Attack! Defend! 10/10 12, (5, 5, 2)
Snippy: Attack Eel 1 8+2 = 10 (1, 1, 6)
Eel 2: Flee (Intimidate) 9 (2, 2, 3 +1 Vantage)
Resolution:
Eel 1 Flees
Eel 2 takes 1 damage to the torso location from Crab Mermaids (Horde), Flees.
Tally of dead
Crabs 9
55% of Crabs Remain. Tile Uncleared.
Snippy
vs
Eel 1
Eel 2
Eel 1 Stealth :17 (6, 5, 4 at 1 vantage)
Eel 2 Stealth :8 (3, 2, 2 at 1 vantage)
Snippy perception: 14 (5, 4, 3 +2 at 0 vantage)
Crab perception: 12, 11, 10, 9, 9, (4, 3, 3 as horde)
No creature is surprised in the first round, but Eel 1 will gain 1 level of vantage on actions next turn, and cannot be struck by creatures with the same or lower initiative
Round 1
Initiative:
Snippy: 13+2=15
Crabs (horde of 20): 8
Eel 1: 15
Eel 2: 7
Declare actions (and rolls):
Eel 2: attack on crabs (horde of 20) 6 (1, 1, 4, at 0 vantage)
Crabs (horde of 20): strike, defend, get help 12, 10, 7, 4, 3 (2, 1, 4 as horde)
Snippy: strike on eel 2 9 (5, 2, 2 vantage 0)
Eel 1: intimidate all crabs 15 (1, 5, 4, +2 vantage)
Resolution:
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Eel 2 takes 1 damage from crabs on the off arm location = 0 damage
Eel 2 takes 1 damage from Snippy on the main arm location = 0 damage
Eel 1 Intimidates. Crab horde: All crabs feared for flight (takes effect next round), scatters. Snippy is immune to fear.
Round 2
Initiative:
Snippy: 9+2 = 11
Eel 1: 16
Eel 2: 9
Declare actions:
Eel 2: Attack on Crab 5 (1, 1, 3)
Snippy: Intercept - Defend Crab 7+2 (2, 1, 4)
Eel 1: Attack Snippy 7 (2, 1, 4)
Resolution:
Snippy Successfully Defends
Round 3
Initiative:
Snippy: 9+2 (4, 4, 1)
Eel 1: 9 (3, 4, 2)
Eel 2: 12 (5, 5, 2)
Declare actions:
Eel 1: Move, Grab Crab 13 (4, 3, 6)
Snippy: Intercept - Defend Crab from Eel 1: 10+2 (6, 3, 1)
Eel 2: Move, Grab Crab 15 (6, 4, 5)
Resolution:
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Eel 1 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Round 4
Initiative:
Snippy: 14+2 = 16 (6, 6, 2)
Eel 1: 12 (5, 4, 3)
Eel 2: 8 (1, 5, 2)
Declare actions:
Eel 2: Move, Grab Crab 14 (5, 6, 3)
Eel 1: Move, Grab Crab 10 (5, 4, 1)
Snippy: Intercept Eel 1 - Defend Crab 6+2= 8 (1, 4, 5, -1 Vantage)
Resolution:
Eel 1 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Round 5
Initiative:
Snippy: 11+2 = 13 (2, 3, 6)
Eel 1: 10 (2, 2, 6)
Eel 2: 12 (5, 1, 6)
Declare actions:
Eel 1: Move, Grab Crab 8 (4, 3, 1)
Snippy: Intercept Eel 1 - Defend Crab 3+2 (critfail) (1, 1, 4, -1 Vantage)
Eel 2: Move, Grab Crab 16 (5, 5, 6)
Resolution:
Eel 1 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Round 6
Initiative:
Snippy: 12+2 = 14 (4, 5, 3)
Crab Mermaids (horde of 20): 13 (4, 5, 4)
Eel 1: 13 (6, 4, 3)
Eel 2: 11 (4, 3, 4)
Declare actions:
Eel 2: Move, Grab Crab 10 (1, 3, 6)
Crab Mermaids (horde of 20): 10 attacks, 10 defends, 5 each (3, 2, 2)
Eel 1: Intimidate (defend) 16 (11) (1, 6, 4, +1 vantage (0 vantage))
Snippy: Attack Eel 1 to interrupt 11+2 = 13 (5, 3, 3)
Resolution:
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Eel 1 Intimidates. Crab Mermaids are feared for flight. Snippy is immune to fear.
Snippy deals 1 damage to Eel 1's tail.
Crab Mermaids rout.
Round 7
Initiative:
Snippy: 13+2 (2, 5, 6)
Eel 1: 4 (1, 1, 2)
Eel 2: 15 (6, 4, 5)
Declare:
Eel 1: Move, Grab Crab 13 (6, 1, 6)
Snippy: Intercept Eel 1 - Defend Crab 13+2 = 15 (5, 5, 3 0 Vantage)
Eel 2: Move, Grab Crab 13 (6, 3, 4)
Resolution:
Snippy successfully defends
Eel 2 deals 0 damage with bite, deals 1 damage with Pharyngeal Jaws. Crab dies.
Crab Mermaids: Away from Fear, Regroups
Round 8
Initiative:
Snippy: 10+2 = 12 (2, 3, 5)
Crab Mermaids: 13 (5, 4, 4)
Eel 1: 12 (2, 4, 6)
Eel 2: 11 (1, 4, 6)
Declare:
Eel 2: Defend 7 (1, 3, 3)
Eel 1: Defend 11 (6, 2, 3)
Snippy: Attack Eel 1 16+2 = 18 (6, 6, 4)
Crab Mermaids: Attack 5, Defend 10, Split 15, 15, 10, 3, 3 (5, 1, 4)
Resolution:
Eel 1 takes 1 damage to the torso from Snippy.
Eel 2 takes 1 damage to the tail from Crab Mermaid (Horde)
Eel 1 takes 1 damage to the head from Crab Mermaid (Horde)
Round 9
Initiative:
Snippy: 10+2 = 12 (6, 2, 2)
Crab Mermaids: 11 (4, 1, 6)
Eel 1: 9 (2, 6, 1)
Eel 2: 15 (5, 4, 6)
Declare:
Eel 1: Flee (Defend) 15 (5, 5, 5)
Crab Mermaids: Attack! Defend! 10/10 12, (5, 5, 2)
Snippy: Attack Eel 1 8+2 = 10 (1, 1, 6)
Eel 2: Flee (Intimidate) 9 (2, 2, 3 +1 Vantage)
Resolution:
Eel 1 Flees
Eel 2 takes 1 damage to the torso location from Crab Mermaids (Horde), Flees.
Tally of dead
Crabs 9
55% of Crabs Remain. Tile Uncleared.
Decisions, Decisions
Thanks to Snippy's heroics, and the mermaid crabalry, the Crab tile was not cleared this turn.
We have 21 Depth
Note: recycle options, features, and upgrades will recur, but vanishingly few of them will appear in two consecutive turns.
Recycle
[X] 5 Depth
[X] Conveniently Shaped Pebbles: Perhaps useful in crab construction?
[X] Large Shell: It's a large, white shell. Conical, too. (Obtain ???)
[X] Expand sideways (1 Depth per tile) X tiles (write-in)
Features - (Must Pick 1, and Can Only Pick 1)
[X] Shrine to The Brilliant Sky Pearl (Cost: 10 depth, discounted to 5 this turn) (Comes with 1 Tile)
[X] Red Bulbous Algae (Cost: 2 Depth) - Algae favoured by crustaceans and smaller fish. Can grow on cave walls. Increases attractiveness to Delvers.
[X] Labyrinthine Coral (Cost: 3 Depth) - Crabs, and other weight class 1 creatures may take refuge in this structure. Prevents any of those creatures in this room from being eradicated (but not from being cleared), unless this structure is completely destroyed.
[X] Dangerous Vent (Cost: 3 Depth)- this vent applies a force to unwary creatures that enter its tile, pushing them. This works both above and below water, and may deal damage if they are pushed into a wall.
Upgrade (Can Only Pick 1):
[X] Crab-Fu (cost: 2 Depth): All Crabs in a room of your choice gain +1 martial (room costs 1 extra Depth per tile to expand after applying this upgrade)
[X] Lively Lake (cost: 3 Depth): Creatures in this underwater room can be projected up to 2 tiles through a tendril of water. Applies both to and from the water.
[X] Colossal Crustaceans (cost: 7 Depth): Whenever you Expand a Crab tile (of any kind), you may choose to apply the Large trait to either the new tile or the old tile. If you have no free ability slots, you may replace an existing ability.
- Large – your weight class increases by 1 (to 2). (Tiles required to support and sustain creatures is their weight class squared (In this case increased from 1→4) and the number that occupy this space is divided by their weight class, rounded down. (In this case decreased from 20→10)
Vote by Plan! Or Snippy WILL snip you!
Also please show your work when planning Depth costs to help us spot errors and enact plans
(Welcome back to school kids, we open at 8)If you spot an error let us (or the plan maker, in case of plans) know!
Last edited:
Vote closed
KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den
5 - Delve 4 - Drying Tide
KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den
Delve 4 - Drying Tide
The water has receded, and the cycle begins anew. Our little ones performed rather admirably for their size against a natural predator of theirs, but how will they handle a larger threat?
[X] We worry about them
[X] They will grow stronger
[X] Write-in
Snippy wanders as he ponders. The Wonderful Sleeping Shelterer again did not aid them in battle, this time against a fearsome foe… is it not able to? Perhaps it is not just that the Marvellous Sleeping Shelterer that protects us, but so too that we protect the Beautiful Sleeping Shelterer?
The cool of the watery place is refreshing to his thought, and Snippy notices a new passage - where does it lead to? Snippy must explore the full Magnificence of the Sleeping Shelterer. Climbing out of the water, he sees a pale barrier ahead of him, softly glowing. When he gently touches it, he feels no resistance, and he knows the Benevolent Sleeping Shelterer would surely warn him if it was dangerous, so he presses through.
Inside the room, Snippy is whelmed in a feeling of great peace and safety. He knows no harm could ever come to him, or any other in this room! It is wonderful but confusing… is it truly the room that makes this feeling? Snippy passes the pale barrier again. The feeling leaves. It was definitely the room. Back in, to ex-!?!
Snippy bounces off the pale barrier.
Confused, Snippy scratches his eyes*. Why can't he pass the barrier? He could pass it before? Snippy has many questions, and not many answers. Gently, he rests his claw against the barrier again. It's solid. Unsure what to do, Snippy waits, thinking. A few minutes or so pass, maybe more. Minutes thinking, and scratching his eyes in confusion. Until suddenly, Snippy feels the barrier relax, and passes through it again.
How Strange!
Snippy puts thoughts of the barrier away for later. Too much thinking can hurt a crab's brain.
Whelmed again by the feelings of peace and safety, Snippy wanders a few moments before realising something important: it is light in this room, as it is under the Brilliant Sky Pearl! The source of the light is a pearl, suspended artfully between a Stalagmite and a Stalactite. A connection almost forms in his head, but he carefully sets it aside for later, to look after himself.
He needs a better view of this beautiful pearl.
Ah! The large white shell his siblings found is set down before it. Snippy knows a good vantage point when he sees one!
Snippy clambers atop the shell. It's very stable. He looks at the pearl, and-!!!
???
The shell shakes underneath him, then tips to the side. Snippy holds on!
"HEY!"
The shell is talking to Snippy?
"Yeah, you! Get off my shell!"
Looking down, Snippy sees there is a crab in the shell…what? Don't all crabs have their own shells? Snippy is polite enough to let go and drop back to the ground before asking.
"Um no… Have you never seen a Hermit Crab before?
Snippy has not.
"Oh. Well, don't do that again, ok? This is my shell, and it's very precious to me." She looks around for a moment. "Uh, where am I?"
Snippy is more than happy to tell…Snippy does not know her name?
"Okay Snippy, I'm Skali, now please continue."
Yes! Snippy tells Skali all about the Amazing, Superb, Magnificent, Benevolent Sleeping Shelterer! Who has looked after Snippy for as long as he remembers! Snippy talks about the Splendid Sleeping Shelterer at quite some length. He is excited to do so.
"Ok, ok, ok, little guy, you really have made this place sound pretty awesome." She strokes her magnificent beard. "I might even stick around a while."
They sit together a while, admiring the pearl
Acquired Named Character - Skali (Crab Prophet)
Racial Traits (Hermit Crab - weight class 2)
- Shell Hermit - This creature can don torso and head armour (technically all Delvers have this ability). Additionally, you have (your weight class -1) (max 2) mundane armour on every limb. This stacks with other armour to a mundane maximum bonus of 5
- Aquatic Adaptations you are adapted to underwater environment of your choice and have all the necessary traits to thrive in that environment
- Large – your weight class increases by 1 (to 2)
- Any 1
- Prophet's Prongs (Spell, Activated) - you loose a fork-like projection of force towards a target that is far (or closer) to you: damage scales off your casting implement (Magical)
- Paladin's Protection – you do not age (though you can choose to let your appearance age, and as an action return to youthful looks), cannot become poisoned or diseased, and take 1 less damage from all sources. Additionally you may grow a magnificent beard and/or hair, even if you otherwise couldn't (Magical, Leader)
- Wandering Hermit (+2)
Starting Equipment: Large White Conical Shell (+3 armour to head and torso locations) - this shell is slightly magical, granting an additional +1 to armour (base 2, +1 = 3) in addition to never dulling, aging, or otherwise deteriorating. It doesn't seem to do anything else, but Skali is able to completely retract into it.
*Turns out crabs don't blink. They have chitinous eye surfaces that they scratch to keep clean
There aren't many delvers this time… and they may only be Bronze 1
The Delve
"Gea, wait up!" Lucas can't actually see his friend's dark purple locks anymore but he carefully makes his way down the small pathway on the cliffside as quickly as he dares.
"Come on, slowpoke!" Gea's teasing voice is accompanied by her smirking face appearing off the side of the path a few metres ahead.
"Wh-" Lucas hurries to the seemingly disembodied head of his friend. "Are you hanging off the cliffside again?! Your mum's gonna be livid!"
"What she doesn't know," Gea sing-songs, disappearing behind the cliffside again, "won't hurt her!"
It takes Lucas no more than a dozen seconds to make his way down the pathway, almost slipping on some of the algae-covered rocks at the bottom. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he spots Gea making her way through a rocky valley embedded in the cliffside, jumping from rock to rock.
"Did you find it?" Lucas is brimming with anticipation. The local tavern's information board had said there was a brand new dungeon around, and Gea had all but dragged him off for this excursion. Technically speaking, neither of them were real Delvers, but Gea is a pearl diver, and had said it had an underwater room that might get them enough pocket money to last the rest of the year.
"Yep, yep! It's right through here!"
The cave entrance is… plainer, than Lucas had expected. It's not terribly intimidating, entirely without signage or doors. In fact, it just looks like any other cliff cave.
"Are you sure? This doesn't seem…" Lucas' sentence trails off as he nears the cave. Oh, yeah, that's definitely a Dungeon.
"Woah. That feels weird, like there's a massive thing just watching you."
"It's so cool, isn't it?" Gea is practically glowing, flashing a toothy smile with her hands on her hips.
Lucas swallows nervously, suddenly remembering that the dungeon might be dangerous, but before he can so much as open his mouth to give words to his hesitation, Gea rushes off into the cave.
Lucas sighs "Well, nothing for it then."
The first thing Gea sees in the cave is a significant number of crabs. It's not terribly surprising given what was on the information board, but the crabs are still a little larger than she expected, definitely bigger than the ones she saw when pearl diving. They mostly seem to be milling about, though some at the back of the room are carrying some driftwood around.
"Just crabs, Lucas! Nothing new. See, it's not dangerous at all!"
"Uh, I'm pretty sure crabs are still pretty dangerous if you're not careful."
"That must be the corridor to the underwater room. Hope you're ready!" Gea says, before whispering "Nulumi's Nexus!"
A glowing orb manifests, filling the darkened corridor with moonlight. It hovers over her shoulder momentarily, before Gea flicks her hand and the orb floats over to Lucas's head, hovering just above it.
"You don't even know if there's anything on the other side yet!"
"I'll race you anyway, to the wall and back!" She sticks out her tongue and hops behind the bend, immediately setting off into a sprint.
"You can't even breathe underwater!" Even as he protests, the sound of Lucas sprinting on the sandy ground makes her grin wildly. Gea dives headlong into the small tunnel of water with a large breath, and comes face to face with an unamused, black-blue crustacean. The light above Lucas's head moves a little closer as he catches up.
"Oh hey, Lobsters!" Lucas, unimpeded by the water, speaks her thoughts aloud.
Is that what they're called? (Note: this will have no mechanical effects)
[X] No, no, those are Crab Mermaids. Don't be ridiculous.
[X] Now that we hear it, that does sound right. Lobster. Yeah. Feels good.
Gea sets off at speed, swimming past the clawed crustacean and heading towards the far end. Lucas follows after, and is soon neck-and-neck with her. As they hit the far wall, Lucas motions to the nearest passage, indicating a space above the water.
Gea goes first, coming up above the surface and taking a deep breath and as she is still waist deep in the pool, Lucas saunters forward unbothered, making his way up the ledge with an easy step, inspecting the walls and floor with the help of Gea's orb-light.
"Looks like a dead end, Gea."
"Aw, bad luck."
They dive back into the water, and are once more greeted by crustaceans. Gea waves at one, and it makes an odd motion with its claw, as if snipping upwards. Lucas twirls around, mid-swim and exclaims, "they've got explosive claws!"
Gea nods, wide-eyed; she too felt the shockwave from the snipping. More pressing however, are the bubbles of air that accidentally escaped her mouth. Again, her companion twirls in the water and finds the nearest passage, motioning quickly towards it.
As she breaches the surface, her hair clings to her head like seaweed and she coughs up a bit of salty water. "Please tell me this one isn't a dead end."
"I've got bad news."
"Oh, come on!"
"Better hold your breath again."
They go back down the passage, and enter the final tunnel, which is notably different as soon as they surface. A glowing white barrier stands just a few metres away from the entrance pool, way cooler than the bare walls they found before. Gea hops to her feet and immediately presses her hand to the barrier, finding that it slowly pushes into the white light.
"Hey, it's open!"
As they enter the new room, it immediately becomes obvious what it is.
"It's a shrine to Nulumi!" Gea throws her hands in the air in celebration. "Best Delve, ever!"
"Don't think this counts as a Delve, we're not really guild members," Lucas ruminates aloud.
"Fine, best cave exploration ever." Gea makes clear how much she cares about the exact definition of a Delve by blowing a raspberry and throwing her hands up.
The Shrine itself is a large room, with a pearlescent glowing orb suspended between a stalactite and a stalagmite, the hallmark of a shrine to Nulumi, the Goddess of the Moon.
"It's not everyday you find a shrine to the Sovereign of the Sunless Sky, you know. Kind of a big deal."
"Well, it's definitely pocket money from the guild, or at least your mum."
"Ha! I don't think so buddy, that means you'd have to tell her I was in a Dungeon." Gea acts shocked, but can't help the big grin on her face.
"I'm not sure how that's supposed to be my-"
Snip
"Uh. What's a crab doing in the shrine, Gea?"
Snip Snip Snip
"Hey, it's snipping at you, not me!" A grin flashes across her face "Clearly it's got something to say; maybe it'll even tell you why it's here!"
Lucas shoots her an exasperated look.
"Okay little buddy, my Plasegean is uh, more than a little rusty but, uh, what's on your mind little guy?"
Snippy explains again that he does not want to snip you, but you are being very rude - not even telling Snippy your name, and within the Wonderful Sleeping Shelterer no less!
"Uh. Right." Lucas shoots a pleading look at Gea.
"Well, go on. Introduce me to your friend, Lucas."
"Uhm. Crab, meet Gea, Gea, meet crab. I'm Lucas, and we have no idea what you're saying."
The silly creature doesn't say Snippy's name! How rude!
"I am Skali, and it's awfully rude of you to pretend you understand Snippy when you clearly don't."
"Oh, wait, I think I got that. Sorry, the white one here is Skali. I'm not sure what the rest of that is about though. Something to do with acting?"
"...Acting? Lucas, they're not putting on a theatre play."
Snippy does not understand these words
"Snippy, they're speaking Diokynian, of course you don't understand!
Snip Snip
"It sounds like they're struggling a bit with the language barrier too."
"...Lucas, how come you've never told me you can speak to crabs?"
"I can't speak to every crab. Not all of them even speak, and there's more crab languages than your grandma has wrinkles."
Snippy thinks this should be easy like it is for the Splendiferous Sleeping Shelterer.
"You know, when I've brushed up on my Plasegean I'll come back and speak to you, but now we gotta get home before my mum calls us in for dinner."
Saying goodbye to the pair of crabs, they make their way back into the pool. Another semicircle of interested crustaceans greet them on their way out of the tunnel. Gea gets a mischievous smirk on her face, and Lucas rolls his eyes gleefully as she waves at them
The resulting wave back from the crustaceans sends a staccato of explosive noise back to them. Gea mouths "So cool!", and Lucas laughs.
Hmm, they are leaving. It's strange - we have seen Delvers come and go, but they have all been quite…weak. Even the eels were merely a drop in the ocean. And recently these Delvers have been quite few in number… we wonder why?
Decisions, Decisions
Snippy has learned much, and has pondered what it means to be wise. Finally, he understands! It means:
[X] To lead the charge, take on all comers, and come out on top: (Learn Vanguard)
- Vanguard - You fight on the front lines with a commanding presence. When you or a unit you are commanding is engaged in melee, the closest hostiles, up to your leader modifier that are near (or closer), cannot take strike actions against any target except you. When Rallied, allies gain 1 vantage on attempts to intercept hostiles targeting you. When Routed, hostiles lose 1 vantage on interception rolls against you next turn. (Leader, Martial)
- Rally – you can use your action to extend the benefits of any leader skill (and any passive magical abilities, regardless of source) to a number of nearby creatures that see you as an ally ("allies") up to your leader skill modifier. (Leader)
- Benefits last a number of rounds equal to your leader modifier
- You can extend a number of benefits equal to half your leader modifier (min 1)
- You can take the defend action as part of the rally action
- You can communicate clearly with your allies as part of the rally action
- You can lead a Horde, turning it into a Formation
- Paladin's Protection (Spell - passive) – you do not age (though you can choose to let your appearance age, and as an action return to youthful looks), cannot become poisoned or diseased, and gain 1 point of magical armour (take 1 less damage from all sources). Additionally you may grow a magnificent beard and/or hair, even if you otherwise couldn't (Magical, Leader)
Notes: Learning an ability increases the modifier(s) associated with it, adding +1 to all checks of that/those type(s). Leading a Formation allows you to extend Rally benefits to the entire Formation if you couldn't already. Magical armour from spells stacks with other armour, and works against abilities that bypass mundane armour (eg. Pharyngeal Jaws).
We have 13 Depth. (At the end of each Delve, for each uncleared feature, score 1 Depth per Delver level for each Delver)
Recycle
[X] 4 Depth
[X] Coral? Isn't that alive? Well, we'll keep it alive. (may be useful in Crab Construction)
[X] Brown Algae Seeds? These will bloom one day, maybe even soon! (may be useful for Crabriculture)
[X] Expand sideways (1 Depth per tile) X tiles (write-in)
Clarification: you can make rooms with irregular shapes, and expand existing rooms
Crab Construction
[X] Driftwood Door? Is that a door? Do you need more time with that, little Crabs? (Does nothing this turn. Please wait warmly while crab carpentry is perfected)
Features (Must pick exactly 1):
[X] Creature Catfish (aquatic) (Cost 8 Depth)
- Max damage: 1
- Health: 3
- Replenishment: Standard
- Abilities (weight class 3):
- Barbels: These creatures have whisker-like outgrowths which serve as a sensory organ that always detects creatures on Reach 0, Adjacent (removing any vantage loss from blindness/deafness).
- Gluttonous Growth: when these creatures are expanded they may gain one weight class, to a maximum of weight class 6 (at which size it would deal 3 damage, have 6 health, and occupy 36 tiles with 1 creature - though it would still fit through corridors)
- Remaining Ability slots: 2 (no terrestrial adaptations)
- Max Damage: 1
- Health: 2
- Replenishment: Fast
- Abilities (Weight class 2):
- Exoskeleton (must be weight class 3 or less) – You have an exoskeleton that provides your weight class in mundane armour (max 3) to your torso and head, and your weight class -1 (max 2) mundane armour to every limb. This stacks with other armour to a mundane maximum bonus of 5
- Scary - Gain 1 vantage on intimidation based rolls, lose 1 vantage to persuasion based rolls
- Remaining Ability slots: 3.5 (no terrestrial adaptations, scary is a half trait)
[X] Overgrown Toolbox (cost: 3 Depth) - A toolbox, covered in seaweed. It's completely rusted shut, and will need opposable thumbs to even try and operate the locking mechanism. Can't be opened by cave creatures, but it does look nice with hues of red and green. Increases attractiveness to Delvers.
Upgrade (Pick up to 1):
[X] Crab-Fu 2: Electric Boogaloo (cost: 10 Depth) - All Crabs living in the Crab-Fu room learn Spellstrike (electric) (room costs X extra Depth per tile to expand after applying this upgrade)
- Spellstrike – You can strike, throw, or loose as part of casting a spell. If you do, the spell is cast as part of that attack, with double the weapon's normal range (double reach for melee), the damage type of the spell if it has one, and +1 max damage. if you don't know any spells, you still gain +1 max damage and can choose the damage type. (Magical, Martial)
[X] Crab Drab (cost: 1 Depth): Crabs gain the heritable Drab half-trait (May apply this to as many crabs as you have at the end of this turn, if none specified, will apply to all.)
- Drab - gain +1 vantage to stealth-based roll, lose 1 vantage to performance* based rolls. *including eg. public speaking (which crabs do a lot of )
Note: learning an ability does affect the modifiers of non-named characters
Vote by Plan! Or Snippy WILL snip you!
Also please show your work when planning Depth costs to help us spot errors and enact plans
(Welcome back to school kids, we open at 8)Trivia: GMs can, and will, get into ridiculous arguments over whether or not pocket sand and light are magical spells.
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KlinkerKing
Man bites dog?
- Location
- The Lion's Den