I can't wait to see what 's happens after the triggering of the traps, but don't worry, I plan to follow your path, no matter what ;)

Me too, but I wonder whether it'll happen at all or if the DM decides Thras is taking too much time waiting to see if lighting the candles does somethin and Babark melts the altar before he gets the chance to move anything. :D

If triock is taking the right, I will stand guard by the left, ready to SMASH whatever evil arises!

Question, though - are we still in range of the protective spell that was up? And I would prefer Babargh's creative approach of melting stone over messing with the trap itself. The candle theory holds some reason to it, and catching at least one of our foes napping would be a tremendous advantage.

Worst case scenario, the sarcophagus is full of SunnyD. Ew.

I'm not sure if I should try googling that or not.

I just worry that melting it might spill the liquid and perhaps lock the mechanism, so that we won't get to fight and see whatever's inside at all. Does anyone have anything I could try to turn into a makeshift straw? If only the druid had a hat made of straws...:D

The exploding trap was just an example of what "could" happen should the DM be particularly evil. I have a bad feeling about this altogether. Too many potential ways this whole scenario could result in unforseen deaths. And if the altar gets destroyed...

Yeah, I'll just be hanging around the exit door and observing, thank you very much.

I know. Yeah, that's why I am trying to convince Babark not to go through with that plan. I think it's 50/50 whether the mechanism(s) will get activated if Melt Stone works.

Hopefully moving the goblet (or the altar due to the casting) won't make poisoned spears or darts shoot out of the walls. :D

Dunward Human Mage:
"I think it would be good test for my Wand of Silver Darts, according to gnomish merchant I purchased it from, it should be effective against undead. While keeping our distance from the crawling attackers I will cast darts on them."

If people are worried for their lives, they can exit the room for the time being. I have space to protect 3 in my Globe of Protection, and as far as I understand, it is currently only the two Paladins within its protection. I can also call upon another Holy Guardian, but if some trap IS sprung, would be better to summon it after.

I feel mine is certainly a better course of action than lighting candles and emptying goblets. And if some secret is uncovered under the altar (as is very often the case in such dens of evil), all the better. I suspect something is going to emerge from the sarcophagi in all cases aside from us leaving the room entirely alone, so it is better to be in control of the situation (and backed by Paladins and Holy Maces) than guessing.

Doc, how old are those skeletons?

Unless they're magically preserved, they should have hollow bones by now, since marrow normally decomposes quickly, 12-13 weeks after death, according to some Google articls. I'm going back to my original plan, since googling made it viable!
-
I change my earlier actions (makeshift goblet out of a helmet or a skull), I instead just equip the new shield (if it's better than mine), and sling my original shield on my back, otherwise I just put the new one on my back. I then take a short bone (eg. arm/femur) in one hand, and cut the top with my sword, and then turn it around and do the same with the bottom, creating a makeshift straw, since a bone this old should be hollow by now - the marrow gone. If by some magic all bones have marrow, I pick a bone large enough to run my sword through without breaking it, and do the same (the cutting) + run it through to create a hollow bone with open ends, a straw!

I run to the other room, and yell at Thras, "Would you like to drink the liquid? I can cast cure disease on you if you get sick and Roark should have a potion of cure poison he might be willing to part with if you're poisoned" and give him the makeshift straw if he wants. I motion to Babark, "Wait a minute, let him drink from the goblet if he wishes to do so!".

I then draw my sword and stand near the entrance as well, ready to fight.


EDIT: I probably don't have the time to post it here as well, but I messaged you Doc! Alright, I'll try it after all! :)

Trusting that the place is safe enough I keep going crossing the corridor to the door. Also I knock it. Three times. Good dwarven manners.

Darrim, Dwarf Warrior

If Cicatrix (Southern side tunnel) can slip past the ghouls while they're engaged she'll check the left-hand door for obvious traps then continue down the tunnel. If not, she'll ready her whistle but hold off on using it until necessary, readying her blade for battle.

12-13 weeks?
These are the undead skeletons we just dispatched, not moments ago. Unless you mean those bones down the trapdoor, in which case I don't see how you're going to run down there, hack a bone, come back up, get to the altar, and drink suspicious 'enticing' liquid, before I blast the entire evil altar.

I confess to reading comprehension fail. In my mind I thought you were stone melting one of the sarchopagi. I thought that was pretty clever, since if the monsters were awakened, we'd catch them napping, but either way we might still get the jump.

I agree with a few of the others that, while melting the altar is more grandiose, I'm not sure what positive outcome may come from that maneuver.

EBWOP - Anyway, either way, yes, I'll stay in the room under the Globe of protection, shield and hammer at the ready.

Just curious, do you "skip read" some things, since there has been a lot of text? I'm asking because we've been talking about Babark melting the stone altar on the previous page several times, so I was surprised to read you thought he was trying to melt one of the sarcophagi. Either way, I don't think it's a good thing - if the mechanism is a trap, melting it might trigger it anyway, and if not, we're just ridding ourselves the opportunity to find out its secret and potentially another passage or a secret cache.

Babark, the skeletons have been dead for some time (whether they themselves are walking or not), and if they've been dead for longer than those 10-13 weeks, then the marrow would've decomposed unless the air is so dry there are no bacteria here. But then it wouldn't make much sense why are they perfect skeletons. So it doesn't matter when they were defeated, as that doesn't affect the bones themselves. Anyway, Doc agreed so the point is moot, I can use the skeleton bones.