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The Pit
Sept 27, 2011 6:54:28 GMT -5
Post by Friedrich on Sept 27, 2011 6:54:28 GMT -5
Thanks for posting the pic.
Like Josh asked; is there any reason why people could not step diagonally up between the Friedrich and Trommer?
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The Pit
Sept 27, 2011 9:59:07 GMT -5
Post by venger on Sept 27, 2011 9:59:07 GMT -5
I have no idea where Finnious is. I thought he was in front of Bolo blasting with the wand of lightning.
***I take that back, he was blasting OVER Bolo with the wand of lightning. I'm actually unclear on how the Acolyte reached Finnious with the touch attack.
There was an acolyte occupying the square in front of Trommer and an acolyte in the square in front of Friedrich. They appear to have been transposed diagonally to the right.
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The Pit
Sept 27, 2011 10:04:49 GMT -5
Post by venger on Sept 27, 2011 10:04:49 GMT -5
From that position Danakes can't really throw into the middle of the room...
5' step? I guess he's really tall.
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The Pit
Sept 27, 2011 12:06:40 GMT -5
Post by Ginger on Sept 27, 2011 12:06:40 GMT -5
It's possible that some of the minis were moved before I took my picture. Maybe Finnious had already started running?
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The Pit
Sept 27, 2011 12:23:04 GMT -5
Post by venger on Sept 27, 2011 12:23:04 GMT -5
It's possible that some of the minis were moved before I took my picture. Maybe Finnious had already started running? I'm pretty sure Finnious was occupying that empty square between Bolo and Danakes. This was probably during clean-up. He hasn't started running because we didn't dice vs. his dexterity and nobody has had opportunity to try to stop him.
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The Pit
Sept 27, 2011 15:11:50 GMT -5
Post by Mr. Trommer on Sept 27, 2011 15:11:50 GMT -5
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The Pit
Sept 27, 2011 18:08:26 GMT -5
Post by Mr. Trommer on Sept 27, 2011 18:08:26 GMT -5
As it was. Attachments:
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The Pit
Sept 27, 2011 18:10:36 GMT -5
Post by Mr. Trommer on Sept 27, 2011 18:10:36 GMT -5
The hand! Look out for the hand! Attachments:
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The Pit
Sept 28, 2011 8:57:55 GMT -5
Post by venger on Sept 28, 2011 8:57:55 GMT -5
Finnious and Friedrich are sort of occupying the same space.
I guess that explains it...
There is a gap then in front of Trommer that someone could squeeze "diagonally" into.
My only issue with that is we typically don't move miniatures. diagonally on the battlemat so it'll take a dexterity check.
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The Pit
Sept 28, 2011 10:04:16 GMT -5
Post by Wolfgar on Sept 28, 2011 10:04:16 GMT -5
Having fought the Deadites before you recognize their clerical vestments: 2 sleeping acolytes on the ground. 4 acolytes casting touch attack spells. 3 priests, two of which have cast Hold Person spells already. 1 patriarch, who has cast a Dispel Magic and a Prayer. Note the pictures show 2 acolytes sleeping and only 2 acolytes casting touch attack spells. The other 2 acolytes must have been hit by the lightning bolts.
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The Pit
Sept 28, 2011 19:27:24 GMT -5
Post by Bolo on Sept 28, 2011 19:27:24 GMT -5
I'm confused. Who is Danakes tossing the tentacles potion at? The two acolytes who are already asleep on the floor? Or was he going to go for the two hand-attack acolytes who are now right up next to our front rank?
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The Pit
Sept 29, 2011 9:07:55 GMT -5
Post by Wolfgar on Sept 29, 2011 9:07:55 GMT -5
I told him to throw it into the middle of the room. It covers an area of 15'x15' with the tentacles having a 10' reach. If he takes a 5' step forward then tosses it 30' then he should be able to hit the square next to the second sleeping acolyte. All of the clerics except the one in the back corner and the one next to Finnious should be in range of a tentacle. Friedrich, Finnious and Trommer should be just out of range. Here is a schematic drawing. +—+—+ | | | +—+—+ | | | +—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+ |p| | |p|x|a|a| | | | +—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+ | | | | |x|B|x| | | | +—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+ | | |P| |x|x|x| |a|a| +—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+ | | | |p| | | | | |f| +—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+—+ |t|b| +—+—+ |Π| | +—+—+ |c|d| +—+—+ |m|D| +—+—+
B - center of area of effect for potion x - area of effect of potion a - acolyte p - priest P - Patriarch f - Finnious/Friedrich t - Trommer b - Bolo Π - Paavo c - Colby d - Danakes m - Marcus D - Dan
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The Pit
Sept 29, 2011 9:33:07 GMT -5
Post by venger on Sept 29, 2011 9:33:07 GMT -5
Looks OK to me.
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The Pit
Sept 30, 2011 16:40:25 GMT -5
Post by Bolo on Sept 30, 2011 16:40:25 GMT -5
OK, that makes sense. Also, your diagram is awesomely good, especially the pi for Paavo.
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Post by Wolfgar on Oct 3, 2011 9:48:43 GMT -5
Thanks. I ran out of p's and the Finnish alphabet is based on the Latin characters. Maybe ä would have been more appropriate. BTW there are some unicode characters that you can use for drawing boxes. See www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/block/box_drawing/list.htm. With enough time and patience you can make a very nice looking map using heavy lines for the exterior walls and light lines for the interior grid.
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The Pit
Oct 3, 2011 10:49:54 GMT -5
Post by venger on Oct 3, 2011 10:49:54 GMT -5
Epicaste 32/32HP (+1 platemail)
Danaus 18/31HP (+1 platemail, Gringamere's magic cursed bastard sword)
Marcus 22/40HP (diseased) (demon masque, +1 platemail Marcus' +1 broadsword, the dancing dagger, anti-magic shield, 8 healing waters)
Trommer 25/47HP (-level) (HELD) (Durandal “unbreakable” sword, magic spear “Longsting” vs bugs & crawlings things, Heartwood bow +2 strength, potion of fire resistance, magical platemail, unicorn’s horn, Renard’s favor, 20 rockets, crystal ring of vanishing, Andred’s cursed magic bastard sword, helm of telepathy)
Paavo 23/31HP (-level) (Crown of High Kings, Anguvmar +3 Two-Handed Sword, PfE salts (4), scroll- limited wish, scroll- stone to flesh, potion of invulnerability)
--Dan Danberry 10/15 HP (mace “Shieldbreaker”, jade lizard: “Deinonychus”, potion of polymorphing, potion of black tentacles) Spells: Hold Person, Find Traps
Friedrich 47/50HP (HELD) (Black Iron Axe vs magical things, cephalopod shield (PfNM), potion of levitation, morning star “Dead Sun Rising”, potion of growth)
--Mary Tanner 4/4HP Spells: Sleep, Shield
Bolo- 2/21HP (HELD) (rod of lightning, beads of ice (3), potion of gaseous form, Sigil of Unbending – breaks illusions, bloodstone talisman of sustenance)
Danakes – 23/30HP (strange metal box with green gemstone cone, potion of plant control, fiery orange sphere)
Colby 11/20HP (-level) (bracers AC 8, scroll- protection from demons, ancient armband device, potion of raw mana, iron flask (Shaator’s prison), bag of bones, gold skullcap, scroll- monster summoning II, II, IV, V, scroll- haste, confusion-, scroll- conjure elemental x3, potion of levitation, bag containing beans, collar of fire resistance) Spells: Nahal’s Reckless Dweomer x2, Charm Person, Unseen Servant, Sleep, Fire Wings
Finnious – 9/17HP (FEARED) (scroll of protection from acid, wand of animate dead, Feldspar’s wand, ring of protection +1, 3 unidentified fizzing black potions, Quantum Box- containing 1 phase spider) Spells: Sleep x3, Charm Person
12+ human rescuees 5 elven rescuees
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The Pit
Oct 3, 2011 10:50:45 GMT -5
Post by venger on Oct 3, 2011 10:50:45 GMT -5
Finnious is now carrying the rod of lightning.
Danakes has the potion of black tentacles.
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The Pit
Oct 7, 2011 14:43:34 GMT -5
Post by Friedrich on Oct 7, 2011 14:43:34 GMT -5
Friedrich 47/50HP (HELD) (Black Iron Axe vs magical things, cephalopod shield (PfNM), potion of levitation, morning star “Dead Sun Rising”, potion of growth) --Mary Tanner 4/4HP Spells: Sleep, Shield Friedrich has a max total of 66 hps Mary Tanner has 2 sleeps left. She used her shield when the zombies were coming out of the ground grabbing at her.
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The Pit
Oct 7, 2011 18:18:15 GMT -5
Post by venger on Oct 7, 2011 18:18:15 GMT -5
We'll have to review character sheets, as it is somewhat unclear. I had difficulty figuring out what spells some people had memorized and some of the hit point calculations got a bit vague...
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The Pit
Oct 9, 2011 20:57:30 GMT -5
Post by venger on Oct 9, 2011 20:57:30 GMT -5
XP earned 10/9/11: 11424/7
Paavo: 35090 (-33000) [68090] --Dan: 7496 - 4th level* Friedrich: 33406 (-34000) [67406] --Mary Tanner: 4825 -2nd level* Trommer: 37841 (-30000) [67841] Colby: 51444|10746 (-17500) [68944] Danakes: 17016 - 4th level* Bolo: 17793 - 5th level* Finnious: 12594/17624 - 5th level thief* Marcus: 36412 - 6th level* Epicaste: 22319 - 5th level* Danaus: 21312 - 5th level*
* = needs to sleep (###) = experience lost [###] = actual total experience earned
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The Pit
Oct 10, 2011 0:07:09 GMT -5
Post by venger on Oct 10, 2011 0:07:09 GMT -5
The Pit: A stark terror gripped Finnious, forcing him to flee, the amber rod clenched in one fist. Pivoting, he stepped around the paralyzed form of Friedrich who was still held tight in the dark grasp of Arawn the Death God. With elven grace he flitted through the ranks of the party, nimbly dodging past his companions, leaving the droning chant of evil clerical spellcasting behind him. He was almost free when something caught him roughly by the shoulder, spinning him around.
The rescued elves and humans at the rear of the group looked on with worry.
Stepping past the fear-stricken elf, Danakes desperately hurled the vial of black oil handed to him by Dan Danberry.
In the center of the unholy shrine, where the vial shattered, a rapidly expanding pool of inky blackness spawned six ebon tentacles which lashed blindly at anything within reach. Two of the acolytes and one of the lesser priests were caught in their crushing embrace, while the other three tentacles twisted themselves into complicated knots, disappearing in puffs of oily smoke.
Finnious, shaking off his fright, turned to find Epicaste, strangely mute, gesturing wildly and mouthing things at him in her alien tongue. A profound and magical silence had fallen over the party. Forcing his way back to the front, he made ready the rod of lightning.
Paavo and Danakes attempted to shift Mr. Trommer out of the way, as he was also held in the dark grasp of Arawn. Their efforts met with no success, as the ever-prepared ranger was encumbered with more equipment than either of them could hope to move.
(“Move the Halfling, Luke”)
Colby, drawing his sword, followed after Finnious. Seeing a chance opening he plunged his blade fully through an acolyte, preventing him from further pounding Friedrich senseless with a heavy mace.
One of the acolytes smote the tentacle binding him, it too disappeared in a puff of oily smoke. The other acolyte was crushed to a pulp and then some, as the tentacles continued to mindlessly squeeze. The lesser priest began to turn an unhealthy shade of purple, unable to smash the tentacle constricting him.
More spellcasting rang out as Finnious blasted with the rod of lightning. The elf watched with some satisfaction as blue-white arcs of electricity danced over the patriarch’s vestments and shattered the unholy altar behind him. That is until his elven smirk froze on his face, vile magicks binding him much the same as Friedrich, Trommer and Bolo. Colby gritted his teeth, as he weathered a similar effect, but shook off the creeping paralysis.
The lesser priest fell limp, ceasing his struggles, succumbing to the crushing strength of the tentacle.
Danakes hauled Bolo aside and Paavo raised his two-handed sword, silently signaling the charge. Dan Danberry followed faithfully after. Rushing the Dread Patriarch Nialghas, Paavo did not take note of the gleaming plate armor beneath his black vestments, the skull-faced tower shield he bore, nor the odd double-headed flail in his hand. Instead Paavo found himself strangely unnerved by the shadowy pall which cloaked the evil cleric. So much so that he halted mid-charge, faltering in fear. Fleeing, the last thing he heard was an angry rebuke from the patriarch before he entered the zone of magical silence.
Colby quickly snatched the amber rod from the elf’s hands, leveling it at the priests. Before he could speak the command word he found himself stiffening into immobility as the evil clerics again worked their awful magic.
Belatedly following the paladin, Marcus, Danaus, Danakes and Epicaste charge into the fray, slaying the remaining acolytes. Mary Tanner, suddenly no longer silenced, hurls a Sleep spell which incapacitates two of the lesser priests and Danakes!
Paavo continued to flee, the rescued elves and humans getting the wrong idea and flocking after him. They do not get far in their poor condition.
The Dread Patriarch proves an intractable opponent, heavily armored both physically and spiritually. The battle is long fought and the magic binding Friedrich, Trommer and Bolo slips away. The dark prayer which aids the priests falters; the black curse upon the party dissipates. Bolo repeatedly shoots the patriarch in the back with paralytic arrows, both Trommer and Friedrich hammering away at him as he attempts to withdraw. In the end, a grim curse dying on his lips, the Dread Patriarch Nialghas is lain low. The priests were defeated. But where were the vampires…?
A search of the patriarch turned up a heavy rod, gleaming plate armor, the skull-faced tower shield, an unholy symbol of the Dark God, as well as a golden medallion engraved with an open eye.
Chainmail from the fallen priests was distributed to the elves.
Trommer, with Paavo’s support, threw down the statue of Arawn. A dark chill washed over the both of them…
A concealed passage was found behind the statue, a 40’ long tunnel which leads to a trapdoor, cunningly concealed beneath a tangled deadfall. A secret egress from The Pit.
It took some convincing but Paavo was able to persuade the elves and the humans to remain inside the secret passage, “where it’s safe.”
A tremendous quantity of the precious healing waters were consumed, to Paavo’s consternation. Thus restored the party continued its search for Bensarion the Sage. Again, they headed into the labyrinth of cramped tunnels, the loamy smell of wet earth and decaying things pervasive in the air. Torchlight revealed pale, bloated white grubs and shiny glistening nightcrawlers wriggling through the night-black soil.
Boots squelching through the maze of twisting passages, eventually they reached a chamber that their light could not fill. The stench of carrion wafted up from a deep pit in the center of the room. Torchlight gleamed in dead eyes and three decomposing shapes shambled forward. Skirting left, up an incline, the party formed a fighting line. The dead men charged forward, sustaining grievous wounds in the process. One of them locked its hands around Friedrich’s throat, the other around Danaus throat. They were quickly hacked down before they could inflict any serious damage. A glance in the pit revealed many more dead bodies and something worse: rapidly ascending the pit were a multitude of feelers, dripping a disgusting gummy resin. Attached to these flailing appendages were three hideous creatures, resembling a cross between giant green cutworms and huge cephalopods. The party dealt vicious blows as the creatures emerged from the pit. A startled scream diverted Paavo’s attention at a critical juncture and he was struck by several of the feelers, sending a numbing paralysis throughout his whole body. Dan Danberry was likewise struck and paralyzed.
Horrifyingly the dead men stood back up, sending Trommer and Danaus into a panicked flight through the lightless warrens.
Bolo fired a paralytic arrow, catching one of the crawlers. It went rigid and lost its hold on the wall, plunging out of sight. With some effort, the dead were put to a final rest and the hideous crawlers driven back into the pit.
Trommer and Danaus found themselves in an earthen chamber, the floor of which was littered with animal skeletons. A torch was struck and a moment later Finnious showed up to lead them back to the group.
They arrived in time to witness the princess Katarina and her thrall corporealize from mist.
“Uh oh,” Trommer said as a familiar voice urged him to slay his companions.
“Thieves, cowards, villains – you dishonor my knights, you slay my beloved children, you STEAL from my home. You’ll pay, oh you’ll pay with your lives.” The princess shrieked.
With a hiss, the vampire thrall raced toward Friedrich. The dwarf struck true, cutting deep into the vampire, but the creature was undaunted. It sank its fangs into Friedrich; who, feeling his very life essence being sucked away, somehow broke free.
Finnious lunged with the Feldspar’s wand, but the vampire stepped aside at the last possible second.
Trommer stuck Andred’s cursed sword into a surprised Danaus. Paavo could only watch, helplessly paralyzed, his friends in mortal peril, fighting one another at the whim of the vampiress. Marcus had the presence of mind to stay within the protective aura of the paladin, lest he turn against his allies.
Bolo hurled a shiny bead at the far wall. There was a tinkling, grinding sound as the ice expanded and Trommer was suddenly entombed in a 20’ thick globe of ice.
Friedrich swung his axe in a mighty, decapitating stroke but the vampire before him vanished in a diffuse cloud of mist!
Princess Katarina caught Danakes’ gaze, trapping him with those hypnotic eyes…
Friedrich and Finnious rushed the vampiress, who easily avoids their attacks.
Paavo and Dan finally shook free of their paralysis.
Danakes tried to shoot Bolo in the back but the height differential was perhaps too great, and only one arrow clipped the Halfling. Bolo returned fire with a paralytic arrow, disabling the other ranger.
Rematerializing suddenly behind Friedrich, the vampire thrall and its mistress savaged the shadowless dwarf, siphoning away much of his vital life energies. In return, Friedrich and Finnious in particular delivered terrible wounds to the princess.
Paavo charged into the melee, leading Marcus, and the heavily enchanted two-handed sword Angavmar swept narrowly past the vampiress who inhaled sharply with alarm before discorporating into a crimson mist.
Before it could escape the remaining vampire thrall was hacked down and it too dissolved into mist. With Danaus paralyzed and Trommer encased in ice, a decision was made to split the party. Half would follow the mist in the hopes of permanently dispatching the vampire, while half remained behind. The mortally injured vampire was easily followed as it flowed through the earthen catacombs. That is until it reached the throne room and drifted through the porous brick wall.
Bolo, bravely or most unwisely, consumed a potion of gaseous form and went through the wall as well. Being a gas was most disconcerting and not at all like being a Halfling, Bolo found. He had no trouble following the vampire though and after a confusing series of twists and turns watched it flow into a closed coffin. Rather than follow after it into the coffin, Bolo decided it wise to dispel the effects of his potion, snatch the stake from his belt and cautiously lift the coffin lid. Inside was the hideous decomposed form of the vampire, slowly reconstituting itself. Without hesitation Bolo drove the stake through its black heart.
The rest of the group hurried around the long way, through the vampires’ larders, through Princess Katarina’s ransacked chambers and eventually discovered Bolo.
Regrouping at the carrion pit, the search for Bensarion continued.
In force, the party entered the lair of the ghouls. Counting on Paavo’s protective aura they made short work of the dozen or so ghouls and their ghastly masters. Friedrich was brought low by paralysis, but Paavo and Trommer formed an impassable gauntlet through which Danakes’ fired killing arrow after killing arrow. Five ghouls, cleverly circling around to the rear of the party, were vanquished by the might of Dan Danberry’s faith in his One God before they could pose a threat. Fleeing into the tunnels, they quickly disappeared.
Pressing on, knowing they were close, Trommer bashed in a wooden door – one of the few doors found in the pit. Purple electricity flared from a glyph inset in the door, cascading painfully over Paavo and Trommer.
Beyond were spartan quarters containing a bed, a wardrobe, a desk and a small shrine, upon which sat a glowing green gem. On the wall opposite the door hung a full length tapestry of a regal-looking king crowned with black stag horns. A search behind the tapestry revealed a hidden alcove containing a chest. Danakes picked up the glowing green gem, gasped once, and fell over dead.
Familiar with the workings of soul gems, Colby set to smashing the stone and freed Danakes’ spirit which immediately returned to his body. Lying on the floor, looking up at everyone, Danakes realized exactly how close he had come to dying.
Dan Danberry called forth his last prayer to reveal any traps, mechanical or magical. The chest was inscribed with another glyph, which in the end proved beyond his power to remove. Magical darkness flooded his vision, but his faith was strong and he overcame it.
The desk was full of writing materials: quills, blotters and ink. Four scrolls, neatly ribboned, lay inside.
The wardrobe contained black vestments, like those worn by a patriarch of the death god.
The chest contained a small bag full of uncut gemstones and several hundred red-gold Denagöthic coins.
Crumpled under the bed was a brown robe, tattered and mud-stained. Retrieving it, Paavo recognized it as belonging to the Sage Bensarion -- and slowly manifesting in the center of the room was the ghostly apparition of the sage himself!
“Greetings my friends, I fear you have come too late…” (“You must go to the Denagoth system…”)
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The Pit
Oct 10, 2011 11:47:25 GMT -5
Post by Wolfgar on Oct 10, 2011 11:47:25 GMT -5
Good week! Nice writeup. Here are some random thoughts and questions: - We should check the chest and the desk for secret compartments if we haven't already. Having a glyph on the chest seems overly much for something that just had some gold and uncut gems.
- Does Ben know where his books are? Do we need them?
- Is his robe magical?
- What more can he tell us about the Crown of High Kings? Who should be wearing it? Are there bad effects to wearing? There seems to be a compulsion associated to wearing it. Any idea what that is about?
- Should we visit the druid council before going after the silver princess?
- left to kill: 8 ghouls, Princess Katarina (vampire), Cathbad, 2 wyverns, huntsmen, kobolds
- to check for treasure: wyverns' nest, leucrottas' lair
- Did anyone hear the Dread Patriarch say any command words while holding the rod of flailing? There were a number of people standing frozen looking at the priests while they were getting their mojo on.
- We should decapitate patriarch to prevent some from raising him. We can bring the head back for the Bishop to question.
- Should we put Ben's spirit in iron flask? We can then bring him out and ask him questions as needed.
- Does Ben know anything about the devices we found in the lost city?
- Can I get a clarification on the patriarch platemail? Does Paavo move at a 6" or 12" while wearing it?
- Where did the priests and acolytes sleep?
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The Pit
Oct 10, 2011 15:41:10 GMT -5
Post by venger on Oct 10, 2011 15:41:10 GMT -5
Thanks! We should check the chest and the desk for secret compartments if we haven't already. Having a glyph on the chest seems overly much for something that just had some gold and uncut gems. It was over 1000GP in coin & gems. [/li][li]Does Ben know where his books are? Do we need them?[/quote] They were taken by the Deadites and they're of no use to him now anyway. It was a fair library for sagecraft, worth some coin. [/li][li]Is his robe magical?[/quote] No. [/li][li]What more can he tell us about the Crown of High Kings? Who should be wearing it? Are there bad effects to wearing? There seems to be a compulsion associated to wearing it. Any idea what that is about?[/quote] The crown will reveal to you any path, but ultimately all paths end at the same place... More than that he cannot tell you. There are a number of seemingly arbitrary rules in the spirit world that Bensarion finds frustrating. [/li][li]Did anyone hear the Dread Patriarch say any command words while holding the rod of flailing? There were a number of people standing frozen looking at the priests while they were getting their mojo on.[/quote] Six dice vs. perception, minimum. [/li][li]Should we put Ben's spirit in iron flask? We can then bring him out and ask him questions as needed.[/quote] He is vehemently against this. [/li][li]Does Ben know anything about the devices we found in the lost city?[/quote] They are forbidden weapons possessing vast destructive power, sealed away aeons ago after the Old Ones were banished/destroyed/imprisoned. [/li][li]Can I get a clarification on the patriarch platemail? Does Paavo move at a 6" or 12" while wearing it?[/quote] 12". It is very similar to the armor he was initially wearing, also taken from a priest of the death god. [/li][li]Where did the priests and acolytes sleep?[/quote] Mostly above ground, in the clearing at the base of the tree. Where all those clerics were brewing something noxious in a cauldron. You searched their make-shift camp. Endure Heat/Cold, Create Water, etc. at 1st level makes roughing it not so bad.
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The Pit
Oct 10, 2011 21:04:58 GMT -5
Post by Bolo on Oct 10, 2011 21:04:58 GMT -5
Yes indeed. A good session and a nice writeup.
Ben may not have a use for his books any more, but if they are "worth some coin", we certainly do. Does he know whether the Deadites brought them as far as the Pit? I.e., should we be looking for them, or should we just write them off?
Can Ben clarify what it means for the vastly destructive weapons to be "forbidden"? Are they cursed? Prohibited by law? Or just really dangerous to muck about with when we don't know what we're doing?
Can someone please remind me how we determined that the nest we saw belongs to two wyverns?
Ben seemed to think that there's no chance of Katarina coming back for more at this point. Does he think the same about Cathbad and the ghouls? What is his advice on whether we should (a) get the heck out of Dodge as soon as we finish ransacking the place, or (b) spend the night in the Pit and wait for daylight before trying to deal with the wyverns, huntsmen, and kobolds? (Bearing in mind that most of the party will get to level up if they can sleep for eight hours.)
What time of night is it at this point anyway?
If we can get back out of the Blightwood without encountering the huntsmen and kobolds, should we? Or does anyone (e.g. Paavo) feel a need to exterminate them, even though that's unlikely to be very profitable?
I presume that the rescued elves want to rejoin their compatriots who we met on the way in, rather than come back to town with us. Is that right? If so, are they able (and willing) to lead us back out of the Blightwood, as their compatriots led us part of the way in? We want to retrace our steps at least as far as the leucrotta, I suppose, so maybe we don't actually want their help. Alternatively, do we want to find the elves we met on the way in, to see whether there's any news of the huntsmen we heard? If so, can the rescued elves help us do that?
What about the rescued humans? Is there anything we can do (feed them, bind their wounds, cast some spell on them) that would get them healthy enough to move at a decent pace? Or are we stuck at their 1" movement rate all the way back to town? If we're stuck at 1", is there somewhere closer they would like us to take them? Could they perhaps be persuaded to go with the nice elves instead of us?
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The Pit
Oct 10, 2011 22:04:51 GMT -5
Post by Wolfgar on Oct 10, 2011 22:04:51 GMT -5
We know that the undead knights guarding Katarina typically ride wyverns.
Traveling through the Blightwood at night in general is not a good idea. A dozen incapacitated humans slowing our movement rate to 1" would be asking for every monster out there to come feast on us. The best plan is to heal the humans before heading out. We can either use Dan's spells or a combination of spells and healing waters. Regardless we should wait until morning. I would guess that it is before midnight. Dan needs 4 hours of rest plus 2 hours of memorization to get his spells back. So if uninterrupted we could be ready to go by noon tomorrow or earlier if we use some healing waters. Note if Dan gets 8 hours he would level up and get at least another 1st and 2nd level spell. His turning also improves greatly against ghouls.
Question for DM: since the humans have less than 1 HD will half a potion's worth of healing suffice for them?
Devonshire is the closest city or town to our current position. I don't think having the elves take the humans is a good idea. Right now the priority in Paavo's mind is to get the prisoners to safety. If we are attacked along the way then of course we would deal with them.
I suggest we set up camp in the temple room (or someplace else that is more defensible) and let Dan sleep. Paavo will use his detect evil to determine if anything is coming in vapor form. The thieves can use their keen hearing to listen for ghouls. People guarding the passages can hold up holy symbols to repel the vampire.
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The Pit
Oct 11, 2011 6:37:29 GMT -5
Post by Scott on Oct 11, 2011 6:37:29 GMT -5
Dan's not the only one who can both level up and get spells back with some sleep -- Fin and Colby are in that same boat.
Fin prefers going after Katarina, the wyverns, ghouls or other various and sundry beasties AFTER he sleeps, levels up, gets spells, etc. He very much likes the idea of finding a solid, defensible position and holing up for the night. After that, it's 'game on' in his opinion for cleaning out this rat's nest once and for all. His argument being, the world has enough trouble to dish out without leaving a seriously pissed-off, ancient Vampirella behind your back, just itching for a chance to jump out at you when you least expect or need it.
We need to take her out now. That's one less thing to sweat on down the line, what with silver princesses, Living Death Gods, Justin Timberlake, IRS agents and heaven knows what else on our trail.
Fin doesn't really care either way about getting the humans back, but his inclination is to support Paavo (seeing as how the paladin has saved his butt once or twice). He's not in favor of using up healing potions on a bunch of what he sees as useless mouths. Why not just use some healing spells instead? Those can be regenerated, unlike the potions. However, Fin does have some slight interest in getting the elves out and safe. He'd like an opportunity to ask them some more questions along the lines of:
-- do they know where Katarina's casket is? A long shot, true, but if we could find it, Fin is willing to go invisible and try to sneak up/stake her. -- what can they tell us about the Blightwood? -- where can a guy get a good bacon cheeseburger around here?
Other than that, Fin's main focus is rubbing out Katarina once and for all, getting cash on the barrel-head, any gems laying about unsupervised and the odd magic longsword and/or shortbow.
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The Pit
Oct 11, 2011 8:01:40 GMT -5
Post by Wolfgar on Oct 11, 2011 8:01:40 GMT -5
Katarina's coffin is in her bedroom. It was one of those four poster bed/coffin dealies. Supposedly vampires must rest in their coffins during daylight hours. If we can wait until morning then it should be easy to track her down and stake her. I am not sure if she has an escape plan. Lugging a coffin to a safe place will require a wyvern or other large beast. She may have to attack again as she may have no other options.
To get 8 hours of sleep we may need to take out the ghouls first. Or we can use some of the protective salts to form a barrier to keep them out. BTW, now that there are no priests around the ghouls are just as likely to attack huntsmen as they are to attack us.
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The Pit
Oct 11, 2011 10:40:49 GMT -5
Post by venger on Oct 11, 2011 10:40:49 GMT -5
- (sage books) Bensarion's books were taken off site by the Deadites' "special projects" team, the cult-within-a-cult that seeks to unlock the prison outside of time and release Zargon, death-incarnate, upon the world. The same splinter faction that was delving beneath the orc caves, posing questions of the MASK of VORHA, researching ancient stellar cartography, etc. Either to Alderweg or perhaps by now all the way to the temple of Zargon.
- (forbidden weapons) The weapons were forbidden by the gods after the war vanquishing/banishing/imprisoning the Old Ones because of their destructive potential, or so say the primitive mythologies of the ancient peoples he studies. Certainly not forbidden to enlightened folk of this advanced age like yourselves.
- (Princess Katarina) The vampiress is an ancient and terrible adversary--do not underestimate her. Time is her greatest asset and she is patient beyond measure. You have slain her thralls -- she will wish to replace them.
- (what do we do now?) Bensarion has much advice on how to proceed, none of it pertinent to your immediate circumstance. Sleep, health, etc. are beyond his concerns now. The fate of the very world is at stake!
- (time) Bensarion knows that it is 5 hours until dawn.
- (rescued elves) The elves are grateful but they want to go home. They will travel northeast, into elven lands. You may accompany them but otherwise they will not take the humans.
- (rescued humans) Movement rate in a dungeon isn't the same as rate of travel over land. The rescued humans will reduce your speed certainly, but not to 1" per round. They will not go with the elves unless they have no other choice. They want to go home.
- (rescued humans/healing) The rescuees are not so much injured as suffering from malnourishment, anemia and exposure. They need warm food, clean water, blankets, a decent night's rest where they aren't tormented by horrible nightmares. They warn you not to sleep in this place.
- (PfE salts) Pretty handy after all, eh.
- (IRS agents) You do owe some taxes to the barony.
- (elves & Katarina) The elves are horrified by the nighstalker, none of those she took to her chambers ever returned. It's a safe bet though that she has more than one coffin secreted in her lair.
- (Blightwood) A cancer on the Hundred Thousand Oaks, a cursed, dead place where kobolds and worse lair. Legend says that the evil hangman's tree at the heart of the forest imprisons the restless spirit of a long-dead witch, the source of the evil.
- (Bacon cheeseburgers) The Silver Princess dwells in a fabulous White Castle...
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The Pit
Oct 11, 2011 12:53:34 GMT -5
Post by Wolfgar on Oct 11, 2011 12:53:34 GMT -5
We can give the freed humans the clothing and footwear from the dead clerics. If nothing else it will keep them warm and allow them to move more easily. We'll give them what rations and plain water we have.
We could try to hunt down Katarina taking only the 6 double specialized fighters and leaving everyone else with the freed humans. With only 6 people, Paavo can keep all of them in his protection. With any luck once we find her, we charge the first round and then get specialized attacks the beginning of the second round. And hopefully do enough damage to take her out before she turns into a mist.
The elves know the Blightwood better. Do they think staying here until dawn or leaving now is the better plan?
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The Pit
Oct 11, 2011 13:10:55 GMT -5
Post by venger on Oct 11, 2011 13:10:55 GMT -5
The elves know the Blightwood better. Do they think staying here until dawn or leaving now is the better plan? No one who has been held captive here believes that staying for even a moment longer is a "better plan."
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