Welcome back, adventurers! Session 8 of our Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage delve picked up right where we left off, fresh from our previous exploits where the party acquired a goblin, freed a dwarf, defeated bugbears and their leader Yak, and even bested a gelatinous cube. With a skull in hand from the cube and information from our new goblin friend, Glom, indicating a Xanathar Guild hangout was nearby, the stage was set for further exploration on this level.
Starting from the room where we last left off, with un-explored doors to the east and north, the party decided to investigate the northern door first. Opening it revealed a long hallway curving back down to the east, but the bat familiar, scouting ahead, showed the hallway continued south before opening up into a much larger room to the west, with a hallway also leading north. The sounds of talking in both Goblin and Common emanated from both directions.
Sending the bat familiar to scout both paths, we got our first glimpse of the enemy presence. To the west, the bat saw a barracks filled with bugbears, some asleep, others playing cards. To the north, the scene was different: battered lanterns, crates, barrels, and seven wooden cots lined the walls. This area was occupied by several thugs, and importantly, they were aware of the bat's presence. Among the thugs was a creature described as possibly a drow once, now transformed into something spider-like with eight red arachnid eyes, fangs, and black bristles, who barked orders to “catch the intruders”.
Combat was triggered, and the party retreated down the hallway, drawing the enemies towards them. The spider-like creature commanded in “slack tokens,” and one thug immediately ran into the hallway, shooting a heavy crossbow at Savara and landing a critical hit.
The battle quickly turned tactical, making the most of the hallway terrain. Gallador initiated the primary crowd control by casting Sleet Storm. This spell created a 40-foot radius cylinder of freezing rain and sleet, heavily obscuring the area and covering the ground with slick ice, making it difficult terrain. Creatures entering the area or starting their turn there had to make a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. This spell became a central feature of the fight, causing many enemies to fall prone and struggle to move effectively. It was noted that the spider creature might be able to avoid the difficult ground. The Sleet Storm required concentration and lasted for one minute (10 rounds).
Other spells and actions were employed:
- Avana used her crossbow initially and later Frostbite, a spell that didn't deal damage but made the target's next attack at disadvantage.
- Someone (likely Avana or Gallador, as they were casting spells) cast Sacred Flame.
- Someone (likely Avana) cast Spiritual Weapon, creating a weapon that could attack as a bonus action. This weapon moved and attacked throughout the fight.
- Someone (likely Gallador) later cast Web, creating a 20-foot cube of sticky webs that restrained creatures unless they succeeded on a saving throw. This also created difficult terrain and was lightly obscured.
- Avara cast Shield at one point to increase her Armor Class.
- Avara also cast Flaming Sphere at third level, creating a 5-foot sphere of fire that dealt damage to creatures ending their turn within 5 feet. This spell could be moved with a bonus action. This added fire damage to the difficult terrain of the sleet/ice and webs.
- Hellish Rebuke was used by Anna as an instant action when she was hit.
- Darkness was cast by the spider creature (possibly a racial ability), creating magical darkness that affected vision.
- Ray of Frost was considered by Gallador as an alternative to Frostbite, as it causes a slow effect, but Frostbite was preferred due to the heavily obscured area.
The enemies, consisting primarily of bugbears and thugs, struggled with the icy terrain and prone condition caused by the Sleet Storm. They resorted to “army crawling” at times to navigate the difficult ground. Some enemies managed to succeed on their saves and move or attack, often targeting Avana who seemed to be the primary focus of their melee attacks. The spider creature demonstrated mobility by climbing walls.
Tactical considerations during the fight included managing concentration spells (Sleet Storm, Flaming Sphere), the effects of heavily/lightly obscured vision on attacks, the impact of difficult terrain on movement (especially crawling), and the interaction of different spells like Wall of Fire (which was eventually cast) with the Sleet Storm's dousing effect (magic fire persisted). The party strategically used the hallway to bottleneck the enemies.
The combat was described as a “two and a half hour combat”. Ultimately, the enemies in the hallway were defeated. One bugbear was seen laying on the floor down the hallway with arrows in him, appearing to have triggered a trap. Another bugbear (number 8) ran north into the other room and dashed away.
After the long fight, the party searched the bodies and the surrounding rooms.
- On the thugs, 14 gold pieces were found.
- On the spider's neck, a pouch contained a silver key on a black cord.
- In the barracks, there was no treasure.
- In the room adjacent to the barracks (likely the north room initially scouted by the bat), barrels that once held ale and water were found, but were rotted. In the middle of this room was a table with a silver bound wooden chest. The chest had a built-in lock that the newly found silver key fit. Inside the chest were 100 gold pieces.
- Crates and barrels in the “bedroom” area also contained enough food for a single person for 600 days, or the party's “gang” for 30 days, described as 600 rations. These rations would not be counted toward encumbrance.
A notable missed opportunity was revealed: had the party approached the area from a different direction via a “long hallway,” they might have encountered thugs who would have prompted them for a passphrase. If they had the correct passphrase, they could have avoided the entire battle and gained a quest. The paper with the passphrase was located elsewhere in the dungeon, specifically behind one of the other doors the party had not yet explored.
Avana was the only party member who sustained significant hits during the combat, receiving two critical hits and prompting her to use a spell slot for healing. The combat was felt to be long but fun, and the party's tactics, particularly the use of area control spells like Sleet Storm, Wall of Fire, and Web, were effective in managing the numerous enemies.
Looking ahead, the group discussed potentially adding a new player. They also heard a rumor that level three of the dungeon has a “sprinkler system,” which sounds like a potentially dangerous magical feature.
This wraps up a lengthy but successful session, clearing out a significant Xanathar Guild presence on this level of the dungeon!.