A Sapient Megadungeon is You (Generic D&Dish fantasy)

Vindictus · Apr 4, 2014

Darkened said:
Hallway 2 was meant to slope downward from the entrance I believe.

IE: You enter from room 1 and go down, then while upward returning the boulder appears in front of you and naturally rolls downwards, chasing you back toward room 3, where you'd probably get sealed in by boulder if you have no means to move/break it and die an agonizing/miserable death of dehydration alone in the dark.

At least, that's what I assumed people meant.

It's what I meant.

Classic trap. Find it everywhere. Very retro feel.

drake_azathoth · Apr 4, 2014

ShaperV said:
I suggest we let Vic go, with the story about the entrance opened by blood. He's exactly the type who'll keep coming back with possible heirs to test...

Sounds good.

iamnuff · Apr 4, 2014

so all the "let vic go" votes are for no monsters or traps in the next two rooms?

darklord · Apr 4, 2014

[x] Nothing besides the boulder that will trigger later

megrisvernin · Apr 4, 2014

iamnuff said:
so all the "let vic go" votes are for no monsters or traps in the next two rooms?

Dunno.

BFldyq · Apr 4, 2014

[X] Two Dogs, and an obvious tripwire that activates spikes from the walls.

megrisvernin · Apr 4, 2014

[X] Two Dogs, and an obvious tripwire that activates spikes from the walls.

Darkened · Apr 4, 2014

So, a2znut sent me this omake (written before the darkness theme was chosen on hypothetical dungeon set-ups. Since I'm not really seeing enough of a clear consensus to go ahead and write the update, I'll leave this for today. A2z you're welcome to pick any perk from the list before (Except merits like crucible that lock out other merits) and I'll add it to the sheet. (I make no promise whasoever that any future omakes will earn rewards, and if anyone is motivated to write such that fits, it will probably get something smaller if anything at all.)

[quote author=a2znut]
Omake

"Ai, search for traps."

"Why should I?"

"It's a cave, a suspicious cave out in the middle of nowhere."

"So?"

"Just do it, or else I'll tell Yuri on you!"

"… I have the utmost confidence that Aiko can find traps almost as well as I can…"

"She walks into them blindly and then gets hurt!"

"She always survived."

"No! Go search now! Also! You can cast 'Light' and she can't!"

"Fine then, be like that."

"Mistress Reiji."

Giving a small jolt as the drow managed to sneak up on her, the aforementioned Reiji answered flatly, "What is it Maylene…"

"A rainstorm is approaching, mistress."

"… Run by that me again?"

"A rainstorm is approaching, mistress." The servant dutifully repeated the earlier statement and then pointed a finger to ominously growing cumulonimbus cloud, the anvil shape blotting out the sky as streaks of lightning pulsed around within it.

"What."

"Reiji! Reiji! There's a storm coming, we need to get the patient to safety."

"Fine," the girl pressed her hands against her temple for a minute before ordering, "Maylene, tie down the horses and the wagon…"

Walking over to where the wagon is, she poked one of the two sleepers within, "Aiko, wake up!"

"Mrgh??"

"Come on."

"Mrghth?"

She grabbed one of the exposed nipples and pinched.

"Ow!"

"Aiko, help Yuri carry the patient into the cave, before that storm reaches us."

"Wuh? Um. Okay."

"…" Searching a cave for traps shouldn't take that long…

Heading back to the entrance, she took a peek within it, now that she had a closer look; it was less of a cave and more of a cave within an alcove.

"Maylene! Bring the horses here; it's large enough to fit them."

"Coming Mistress!"

Back to the cave, she called upon glowing motes of lights which dance around before sticking her head in.

"Ai?"

There was no response.

"Hmm… It must go keeper in than I thought…"

"Coming through, coming through."

Moving off to the side, Reiji then willed the lights to go deeper into what she can now see as a tunnel.

Following the two other girls, they moved in deeper.

"Wait! Wait for me Mistress!"

It was as if the tunnel was waiting for its last victim before acting, and a giant boulder crashed down upon where the entrance was.

"What."

"Oh crap."

"Dammit Ai! Wherever you are! This is all your fault!"

"What do we do now?"

"Quiet," Reiji rubbed her brows again before ordering, "Yuri, you and Aiko guard the patient, Maylene and I will find Ai, then we'll search for an exit before doubling back and telling you two."

Without further ado, Reiji and Maylene walked deeper into the cave, upgraded to alcove with cave, upgraded to alcove with tunnel, upgraded to dungeon. The glowing wisps of light dancing around them, leaving weaving shadows all around.

The trail was faint, but Maylene could definitely see the footprints that Ai left as she passed.

"Mistress…" She commented after a while, just as the pair reached a fork.

"What now…"

She waved her hand at the splitting of paths before them, "The footprints Mistress… They double, as if Ai moved into one cave, then backtracked by stepping exactly into the footprint that she left coming back here before heading down the other path."

"Ugh… The prankster…" Reiji groaned before palming her face, "Fine, I'll that the left path, you'll take the right. Whoever finds her first gets to yell at her."

"As you ordered Mistress," the drow curtsied before moving off into the dark.

Taking the left path, the shadows that her lights left seem to flickered even more erratically, now that Reiji was all alone…

---Q_Q---

"Do this do that, damn it Reiji! What got stuck up your butt all of a sudden?"

She grabbed a stick before casting 'Light' upon it, causing it glow.

"Look for traps she says," Ai grumbled, "It's an indent in a mountain! Hmm? What's this? Ooo a tunnel!"

She headed into the tunnel, carefully looking around for the traps that Reiji was paranoid about…

Nope! No traps that she can see! (Perception FUMBLE!)

Deeper down the tunnel a slip of cloth, just like her trailing loincloth just disappeared around the corner.

"Hey! Wait!" She called deeper in the cave as the voices of Reiji harangued the other girls outside, "Come back!"

The person that she's chasing seem to be just in front of her, she always seem to catch a glimpse of her at every corner… But she was catching up!

Following the girl down the right path of a fork awhile, she finally got closer.

"Gotcha!" Ai screamed triumphantly as she leaped, her hands stretched out to grab at the fluttering cloth.

Those hands grasped the cloth! And fisted shut! Then she started falling.

"Oh whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"

*Splash*

"Pbleh, what."

The cavern was large, filled with writhing tentacles, and within their embrace, were those that the various tendrils were pumping steadily in and out of.

"Oh… Crap…" was all Ai managed to get out as the goo that she landed in started to thicken and held her tight…

TBC?
[/quote]

Darik29 · Apr 4, 2014

[X] Two Dogs, and an obvious tripwire that activates spikes from the walls.

Alongside the Boulder trap.

Jans · Apr 4, 2014

[X] Two Dogs, and an obvious tripwire that activates spikes from the walls.

Heaven Canceler · Apr 4, 2014

[X] 8 Dogs that wake up when halfway through the room.
[X] A Tripwire Keyed to an Arrow Trap.
[X] A Subtle Pressure Plate Right Behind that wire so as to be activated if you step over the wire with hopping fair distance keyed to an arrow trap.

Fellgar · Apr 4, 2014

At this point I just don't care. So long as we finally get an update.

Darkened · Apr 5, 2014

Counting Fell's vote as "Whatever's winning" that gives us by my count
5- 2 dogs+obvious tripwire and spikes
4- Let Vic go (how?)
2- 8 dogs, pressure plate, tripwire
1- a bunch of different plans

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Vic's lust for gold gets the better of him. Dagger in hand, the more incompetent of the pair strides deeper into the darkness without waiting for his injured companion to catch-up. Part of you wonders at how silly meat can be. Is it contagious? If you eat the small one, will you catch his idiocy? Well, there's very little you can do to stop things at this point. Even if Vic would make a wonderful tool to lure more adventurers back here.

Oh, there are more puppies ahead, adorable dears aren't they?

Vic steps back from the hallway's entrance-- he found that remarkably quickly given the absence of any light-- and tries to stare into the cave's. As if a piece of meat's eyes could see anything at all through your darkness. When nothing answers he shrugs and edges forward.

To his credit, he doesn't set off the tripwire. The starving dog that rushes from the end of the hallway does that for him. A snapping sound is the only warning the incompetent thief gets before man and dog are impaled by a rush of spikes they never saw coming.

++++Vic the Thief Killed, 1 Life gained++++

"Vic, Vic? Are you okay?" Wil's voice takes a desperate turn as the thief forces his wounded leg to support him, running toward the sound he heard, too concerned to worry about traps or obstacles.

The last half-starved dog decides to pay more attention to the delicious fresh corpse than the oncoming adventurer. That proved a fatal mistake when Wil practically stumbles over his brother's corpse before hacking the dog to pieces in a rage. Only then does he drop the axe, fall to his knees and examine his brother's corpse in more detail. How strange, the other human clearly cared very little for this one. Why invest so much effort in his feelings?

He's dead, Wil. I'm sorry.

"He's my big brother damnit! I had to look out for him. He's always been there. He can't be dead. He can't. He can't... he..." further words are rendered incomprehensible by a tormented mixture of tears and sobs.

The larger bandit whirls hacking viciously at the air, seeking something to strike, walls he can't see. Really, just because you murdered his brother doesn't mean he has to get all angsty about it. Still, as broken up as he is, you doubt he'll continue deeper in after the whole awkward crying thing passes, well, unless you persuade him otherwise. He's not all that much brighter and you've had an easy time tricking the two of them so far...

1. Well, this is awkward. You might not have been quite as homicidal if you had realized that people would get so awkward everytime someone died. Honestly, shouldn't he be celebrating that he doesn't have to split all the shiny metal stuff with his brother now?
[ ] Encourage him to go deeper in, there's treasure inside that will be a good lure for other adventurers, no more traps, and the boulder only has a 25% chance of activating. He'll do far better for spreading spreading the word if he actually has all that shiny yellow metal to spread around.
[ ] Wil's soul has to be better food than his laughably incompetent brother. Encourage him to go deeper in, the traps you left in the third room have to be able to take care of him. (describe traps)
[ ] Let him go now.... Something about this scene is just too bothersome to continue. More will come, yes, you can eat more later.
[ ] Let him go now. No sense having him risk when he'd be more valuable spreading the word and he did get the silver in the first room.

Robotninja · Apr 5, 2014

[X] Let him go now. No sense having him risk when he'd be more valuable spreading the word and he did get the silver in the first room.

BFldyq · Apr 5, 2014

[X] Let him go now.... Something about this scene is just too bothersome to continue. More will come, yes, you can eat more later.

megrisvernin · Apr 5, 2014

[X] Let him go now.... Something about this scene is just too bothersome to continue. More will come, yes, you can eat more later.

kinglugia · Apr 5, 2014

[X] Let him go now.... Something about this scene is just too bothersome to continue. More will come, yes, you can eat more later.
-[X] Wil, correct? You weren't strong enough to protect your brother, which is why he died. Leave with your brother's corpse. Become stronger. Perhaps, one day when you are strong enough, you may be able to claim my Master's accursed fortune.

Heaven Canceler · Apr 5, 2014

[X] Let him go now.... Something about this scene is just too bothersome to continue. More will come, yes, you can eat more later.
-[X] Wil, correct? You weren't strong enough to protect your brother, which is why he died. Leave with your brother's corpse. Become stronger. Perhaps, one day when you are strong enough, you may be able to claim my Master's accursed fortune.

Winged One · Apr 5, 2014

[X] Wil's soul has to be better food than his laughably incompetent brother. Encourage him to go deeper in, the traps you left in the third room have to be able to take care of him. (The trapped treasure chest launches poisoned needles at him in addition to arming the boulder trap in the second room. Also, there are 8 wolves, and it's even darker than usual.)

I'd rather not get locked into running with the "spirit bound by a wizard" deception and risking an actual wizard blowing our cover or having to cough up magic treasure we can't actually make yet.

Jiven · Apr 5, 2014