Gone Fishing on Glue Planet

Recommended Level 3-4

Epoxil-6000 is a strange planetoid comprised entirely of powerful adhesives. Corporate interests have attempted to establish glue mining operations on Epoxil, but quickly abandoned the idea. The harvesting and transport process proved slow and messy compared to producing similar strength glue in controlled environments.

Since the abandonment of the last paste processing plant, the planet has seen few visitors.

Though the surface of the Epoxil-6000 is sticky and barren, strange polymer based life forms survive deep underground in labyrinthine cave systems. One of these life forms, the rare Greasy Cave Gulper, produces a powerful natural lubricant that is of great interest to the R+D division of Naga Pneumatics.

The Naga Pneumatics head scientist, a reserved reptoid woman named Dr. Desso Serset, contacts the adventurers with a job offer. She asks the party to retrieve a Greasy Cave Gulper from the deep caverns beneath Epoxil-6000. She provides them with a specially coated live-catch trap that can function in liquid glue. She explains that suitable bait should be placed in the trap and then simply lowered into a pool with the Gulpers. The trap should take care of the rest and keep the Gulper alive in transit. She admits that she doesn't know type of live bait the Gulper prefers, but trusts the party to figure that part out.

1- Sticky Entrance-

The party can find a safe landing spot near an abandoned harvesting facility that has partially sunk into the purple terrain. The sky of the planet is a murky lavender color and the air has a strong chemical smell. While the atmosphere is breathable, prolonged exposure without adequate protection has an intoxicating effect:

Glue Fumes- Poison

Wisdom Track, DC 15 Fortitude Save

Frequency- 1/hour (after 30 minutes of exposure)

Effect- Weakened - Impaired- Confused

Cure- 2 Consecutive Saves

The planet's surface has the appearance of melting stone, with drooping rock formations, craters and boulders. These rocks are comprised of mostly hardened glue that feel tacky when tread upon. No life forms or water are apparent on the surface, but clear liquid glue bubbles to the surface in pools of various sizes.

Not far from the landing site is a cave entrance that links to a large system of underground tunnels and caverns. As the party enters the cave, a bubble on a nearby glue pool bursts drenching the adventurers in glue. Have the party make reflex saves, the PCs with the two lowest saves gain the glued condition and are stuck together.

Glued

PCs who are glued take a -1 penalty to attack rolls, reflex saves and dexterity based skill/ability checks for each party member glued at the same time(-2 for 2 PCs glued together, -3 for 3 PCs, etc.). PCs who are glued together must remain adjacent to each other at all times. This condition can be removed by removing affected armor, but doing so exposes the PC to Epoxil's atmospheric glue fumes.

2- Cramped Ledge-

The cave narrows and leads into a series of twisting tunnels that opens up to a round chamber. The chamber ceiling is covered in stalactites that slowly drip into a liquid glue lake below. The chamber has a ledge around the rim that the adventurers can sidle along with a DC 12 Acrobatics check. Any PCs who fail lose their footing and tumble 20' into the lake below. They gain the glued condition and become stuck together. The ledge leads to openings in the east and west walls of the chamber that descend into to areas 3 and 4 respectively.

3- Mind the Gap

This chamber is bisected by a gap with a sluggish river of liquid glue at the bottom. The gap is 15' wide and 25' deep including 5' of river depth. The adventurers can cross this gap by any means they see fit, however falling into or voluntarily entering the river gives PCs the glued condition. At the far end of the chamber is a tunnel that meets up with the path exiting area 4 and then descends into area 5.

Sunk in the glue at the bottom of the river is a large metal storage cube. Pulling the crate out requires a DC 20 Athletics check. The cube is locked (DC 25 engineering to open) and is filled with outdated exploration gear, clunky but still usable. It contains a laser microphone, 50' of titanium alloy cable, a grappler and 2 medpatches.

4- Befuddling Formations

This cavern is filled with strange and exotic rock formations. The most peculiar of these is a huge boulder that resembles either a rabbit or a laser pistol depending on how you look at it. While this optical illusion is a harmless novelty to most, it is baffling to adventurers under the effect of the glue fumes. PCs under the influence make a DC 12 Will save or advance a step in the wisdom poison track.

5- The Spirit Gum

This oval chamber is filled with shallow pools of liquid glue with shelf stone walkways between them. In the center of this chamber is a deeper and more sinister pool that contains the malevolent Spirit Gum.

The Spirit Gum is a pool of glowing ooze animated by undead energy. It was formed by the slow death of an explorer who drowned in the glue, too inebriated by the planet's atmosphere to free himself. His body lies at the bottom of the glue pool, his spirit trapped along with it.

Spirit Gum CR 4 XP 1,200 NE Large Undead Ooze Init +1 Perception +15

Senses blindsight (vibration) 60 ft. sightless

Defenses HP 43 EAC 15 KAC 16 Fort +5 Ref +1 Will +5 Ooze + Undead Immunities (Not Mindless)

Offense Speed 20 ft.(tethered) Melee: Sticky Slam +6 (1d4+9 B + Entangled for 1 Round) Ranged: Glue Glob +8 (1d4+4 B + Entangled for 1 Round ) Offensive abilities: Cone of Glue

Spell-like Abilities: (CL 4th; ranged +8) 2nd (1/day) - caustic conversion 1st (3/day) - confusion (lesser) (DC 16), fear (level 1) (DC 16), mind thrust (level 1) (DC 16) 0 (at will) - daze (DC 15), energy ray

Statistics Str +5 Dex +1 Con +0 Int -1 Wis +3 Cha +0 Athletics +10 Perception +15 Stealth +15

Abilities Cone of Glue (Su)- 40' cone 4d6 Bludgeoning damage plus Entangled for 1 Round. Usable once every 1d4 rounds. Successful save= 1/2 Damage and not entangled

Tethered (Su)- The Spirit Gum is tethered to the pool containing its skeletal remains. It must remain within 10' of this pool at all times.

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The Spirit Gum attacks any living creature that draws near, rising up and forming sticky psuedopods. If the adventurers keep their distance from the monster, it hurls spells and globs of glue at them. The Spirit Gum is tethered to the pool it died in. Its soul can be put to rest by defeating the ooze or removing the explorer's remains from the pool. The body is dressed in tattered light armor and contains no other treasure.

6- Finicky Fish

This cavern is dominated by a crystal clear glue lake. Under the glue's surface is a vibrant ecosystem of polymer based life forms. Most resemble colorful oozes vaguely shaped like familiar aquatic invertebrates such as octopi, shellfish and sea slugs.

The lake seems to move at a glacial pace with the exception of one reddish fish shaped slime, The Greasy Cave Gulper. It darts effortlessly through the glue and hides in its lair after being spotted by the party. It can be lured out of hiding and into the trap with its favorite prey, the Ruddy Spike-Shell.

The Ruddy Spike-Shell is a small bright red slime with stubby tentacles and a jagged shell. Fragments of shells are scattered around the Greasy Gulper's lair. Another clue pointing to the Ruddy Spike-Shell is the reddish hue the Greasy Gulper has gained from its diet.

Some other lake denizens that the Greasy Gulper refuses to eat are:

Crimson Herring: Red color, tiny fish shaped, no shell

Blue Glooper: Blue, squid shaped, no shell

Yellow Slime-Shell: Snail like, yellow, smooth shell

Azure Spike-Shell: Identical to Ruddy Spike-Shell except blue

Between these clues the adventurers should be able to pinpoint the correct bait. Allow the party to use life science or intelligence checks to point to these clues if they become stuck.

Once the Greasy Cave Gulper is caught the party can return to the surface, remove their glued armor and return the fish to Naga Pneumatics for a 5000 credit reward.