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Post by Mr. Trommer on Aug 21, 2013 11:51:36 GMT -5
I can use the Dreamstone once during the 7 days. Is there anything you would like me to find out?
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Post by venger on Aug 21, 2013 12:54:42 GMT -5
Assuming it won't take you above 18 Doesn't say in the text. Doesn't Friedrich have the Helm of Telepathy? That might make the questioning easier. It's not on any of the character sheets... Could it have been destroyed? I'm pretty good with item record-keeping.
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Post by Wolfgar on Aug 21, 2013 13:00:41 GMT -5
I would suggest using the Dreamstone to discover a means of reading the books without triggering the runes. If that doesn't work then maybe you could temporarily dream away the runes like you do with Colby's evil tongue or the sleeping curse.
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Post by Wolfgar on Aug 21, 2013 13:09:32 GMT -5
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Post by Wolfgar on Aug 21, 2013 13:23:14 GMT -5
I don't know who should get the gem of insight then. A 19 Wisdom would give Dan a couple more spells as well as protection from Fear, Charm Person, Command, Friends and Hypnotism. A 19 Intelligence would give Colby two additional spells and immunity to 1st level illusions as well as 95% base chance to know a spell. I think both of those would be more beneficial to the party than giving it to other party members.
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Post by venger on Aug 21, 2013 13:23:49 GMT -5
I'll put it back on his character sheet. Hopefully it doesn't get misplaced again.
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Post by venger on Aug 21, 2013 15:02:34 GMT -5
Do the urns feel like they contain anything? Does anything shift as we gently tip them from side to side? There is definitely something in the raven urn. It rattles a bit. Not so clear on the snake urn. Are the traps associated with the sealed top? The urns are trapped. That's really all I got for you. The party has two 500GP black pearls and six 100GP regular pearls. Does Youssef (our resident elementalist) have any knowledge of or affinity with the staff? No more than anyone else. Can you tell us more about Pentadastion? Is there a mage school here? What is the legal/government structure like? I should probably make a thread in that other forum for the various cities/locales you guys visit so these information dumps don't get lost... On the coasts west of the Sea of Mistakes stands the port city of Pentastadion, a hub of commerce and reputedly the home of the world's best sailors. Although its history stretches back over a thousand years, the present city was re-established 400 years ago on the ruins of a former settlement. The rulers of the city, widely known for their boundless avarice, are a group named the Syndic Lords. This oligarchy of the rich and powerful control vast resources and each lord employs a personal army. They maintain a constant power struggle beneath them, playing the lesser lords against one another in a complex game of alliances and betrayals. Schemes, plots and assasinations are the norm as the nobles strive for status and position. While open fighting in the city streets is not tolerated, the ruins of the outer city are often a contested battleground. The city harbor is bustling day and night; a number of open-air shops sell wine, food and more illicit things, while merchants from the city and other lands sell their wares. There are numerous temples throughout the city, mostly dedicated to a strange southern pantheon with which the party is unfamiliar. The building of the caravanserai rises above the merchants’ quarter; a grand structure that has seen better days. Still, there is a large courtyard for caravans to saddle down and a number of rooms to suit every money pouch. The Fleshmonger's Guild is prominent in the city and their detestable practices are largely supported by the Syndic Lords, who have no qualms profiting from human misery. There are various alchemists in town who support the magical community. There is no magic school or guild per se, most practitioners seem to be free-lance or in the employ of the ultra-rich. The surrounding hills produce olives, grapes, heavy grains and fruit trees in abundance. Fortified estates protect the rural communities. Is there a bazaar here where magic items might be bought and sold? Of course not. Are there forests around Pentadastion where we could hide the ship? Or maybe an abandoned building on the outskirts? There aren't forests, no. The ruins on the outskirts are heavily trafficked. There are swamps to the north of the city. A paladin will have issues with killing, maiming or using cursed items on a prisoner. I feel 1000% justified at my frustrating caution at opening the Vacuous Grimoire. Uh huh. How do the robes of protection function? Like a cloak of protection +2, or like +2 padded armor? As cloak of protection. Youssef will attempt to learn Charm Person, Suggestion and Cauthen's Infatuous Love Spell. He fails Suggestion, learns the other two. he will ask her to answer some questions for us How can she hear the questions within the Silence 15' radius? Good thinking. Youssef will borrow the helm of telepathy and attempt to suggest to Tzila that providing us truthful and complete answers is the best way to gain our trust and effect her release. He will also listen to her thoughts as Paavo asks her these questions. After making the suggestion, Youssef can further use the helm to determine that Tzila now thinks the best way to gain the trust of you fools and effect her release is to answer your idiotic questions.
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Post by Wolfgar on Aug 21, 2013 15:18:47 GMT -5
The Silence 15' is for her comfort at various times through out the day. I am trying to make her as comfortable as possible while not allowing her to escape. In exchange for giving her some freedom I would like her to answer some questions.
The questions are of course asked when she is gagged but can hear us.
If she is willing to answer our questions I will provide her with paper and ink to write down what we want to know. -How do you open the books safely? -Draw a map to the location of the Temple. -Draw a map of the interior of the Temple. -Provide details on the Demonspore - what is it? where can it be found? how is it destroyed? -Where are Tzolo's spell books?
As she writes the answers, Youssef will listen to her thoughts to make sure she is not attempting to trick us or hide information.
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Post by venger on Aug 21, 2013 15:20:32 GMT -5
Youssef also learns that Tzila hates the party on a entirely personal level for desecrating her sister's corpse. That's in addition to her objective hatred for the party's pitiful weakness and "slave" moralities.
She is imagining awful fates for everyone, involving slowly drowning in mud and entombment forever.
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Post by Ginger on Aug 21, 2013 16:28:28 GMT -5
Any thoughts on what new spells to learn? Colby is going to gamble and let the DM pick a 5th level spell. Youssef gets a spell for 7th and 8th level, right? Maybe Enchanted Weapon for one?
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Post by Ginger on Aug 21, 2013 16:43:31 GMT -5
The real question is: Who wants to put on the girdle of masculinity/femininity in order to wear Tzila's field plate?
Here's my list of the things which need more identifying, roughly prioritized. If we consume our 16 pearls left, we can get one more pass at everything and have one left over. Is it safe to assume that the staff is the only thing that requires more than 2 pearls? It's probably worth giving the staff to our sage friend and paying him to try to identify it.
platemail (m) (strongly enchanted) (more) silver/ivory scepter capped w/ diamond ("Rod of Terror") (moderately enchanted) (more) heavy leather gauntlets (ogre-strength) (more) gnarled oak staff w/ elemental runes ("Staff of the Elements") (moderately enchanted) (more) (more) (more) (more) (more) (more) (more) (more) guardian stone (passwall 2x/day) (more) wooden bowl - water symbols (bowl commanding water elementals) (more) black marble baton (undead control up to 4HD) (more) Shovel (enhanced digging) (more) javelin 4 (moderately enchanted) (more) Longsword (minorly enchanted) (more) Red alloy mace (strongly enchanted) (more) Dirk (minorly enchanted) (more) Shortsword (minorly enchanted) (more) elephant spirit's khopesh sword (strongly enchanted) (more) hand axe 2 (moderately enchanted) (more)
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Post by Wolfgar on Aug 21, 2013 16:50:01 GMT -5
We don't have many 5th level spells. Instead of letting the DM pick, I think Colby and Mary should get Hold Monster and one of the Wall spells.
Youssef doesn't do very well with non-elemental spells the first time. He might do Ice Storm and one of the Fire spells. I am guessing Death Fog is above 4th level.
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Post by Wolfgar on Aug 21, 2013 16:59:58 GMT -5
Given the lawlessness of Pentadastion, I say we spend only enough time to get supplies and talk to the sage and then head back to Barb-el-Shay. Since there are plenty of alchemists we should be able to secure a fare amount of spell ink. And pearls should be easy to come by here on the coast.
Can we get 50 spell inks and 25 pearls for 7500gp?
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Post by Ginger on Aug 21, 2013 17:05:49 GMT -5
We already have Hold Monster. I basically want a direct damage spell, and Cone of Cold is kinda weak. I do agree that Mary try to learn one of the Wall spells or Telekinesis.
While we're doing weapon training, I'd like the dervishes to switch to khopesh. It's an appropriately desert weapon, and we just got 2 cool new ones.
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Post by Friedrich on Aug 21, 2013 17:19:35 GMT -5
We already have Hold Monster. I basically want a direct damage spell, and Cone of Cold is kinda weak. I do agree that Mary try to learn one of the Wall spells or Telekinesis. While we're doing weapon training, I'd like the dervishes to switch to khopesh. It's an appropriately desert weapon, and we just got 2 cool new ones. Not to get too meta-gamey here, but the ogre gauntlets maybe, just maybe were put in here by Venger to enchant items at some point. Remember we need a mage with an 18 strength? Aside from that, Paavo seems like the best choice for it. Mary would like to use an additional identity on the hand-axes as they seem "moderately" enchanted (+3?) with an additional ability. A two weapon fighting dwarf could be pretty deadly. Regarding, the next spell, telekinesis sounds good but didn't that lead to a bunch of arguments as to how it can or can't be used? What about Tzilla's shield? Mary would also like to ID that when she gets a chance!
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Post by Friedrich on Aug 21, 2013 17:20:24 GMT -5
Would the ion stone that raises dex by a point be able to raise Friedrich to an 18?
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Post by venger on Aug 21, 2013 18:16:44 GMT -5
The Silence 15' is for her comfort at various times through out the day. I am trying to make her as comfortable as possible while not allowing her to escape. In exchange for giving her some freedom I would like her to answer some questions. The questions are of course asked when she is gagged but can hear us. That makes more sense. How do you open the books safely? -Draw a map to the location of the Temple. -Draw a map of the interior of the Temple. -Provide details on the Demonspore - what is it? where can it be found? how is it destroyed? -Where are Tzolo's spell books? As she writes the answers, Youssef will listen to her thoughts to make sure she is not attempting to trick us or hide information. I'm going to put the information about the cult, temple and Demonspore in that Quest for the Demonspore thread. As far as books-- doesn't seem unreasonable that Tzila would know the method to bypass the explosive runes. Two of the books the party has are spell books. Perfect Iron Circle Magic - (48/48 spell levels) 1st- Read Magic 5th- Wall of Force 8th- Binding 8th- Planar Seal 8th- Greater Spell of Teleportation 9th- Temporal Stasis 9th- Symbol of Death Daughters of the Earth, Sons of Water (48/48 spell levels) 3rd- Waterbreathing 5th- Cone of Cold 5th- Conjure Elemental (Water/Earth/Ooze) 5th- Wall of Stone 6th- Move Earth 6th- Lower Water 9th- Elemental Aura 9th- Elemental Attunement Tzolo was very secretive of her spell books and magical research, even with her own sister. She kept everything in a hidden underground vault somewhere far below the earth, only accessible by a specific series of Teleport Without Error spells, the location of which is now lost.
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Post by venger on Aug 21, 2013 18:53:30 GMT -5
Is it safe to assume that the staff is the only thing that requires more than 2 pearls? No. Given the lawlessness of Pentadastion, I say we spend only enough time to get supplies and talk to the sage and then head back to Barb-el-Shay. I wouldn't necessarily classify Pentadastion as lawless. The Syndic Lords take extreme measures to ensure that commerce and the flow of money into their pockets goes uninterrupted. It's a large sea port, about 1/3 the size of Barb-el-Shay. Can we get 50 spell inks and 25 pearls for 7500gp? Yes. I basically want a direct damage spell, and Cone of Cold is kinda weak. There are many spells of interesting utility at 5th level, but very few that deal direct damage. Colby isn't going to do much better than Cone of Cold in that regard. While we're doing weapon training, I'd like the dervishes to switch to khopesh. It's an appropriately desert weapon, and we just got 2 cool new ones. Basmadoos is reluctant to switch his specialization. Azhbar doesn't care as it is just another weapon proficiency. Mary would like to use an additional identity on the hand-axes I can't run any more Identifications until I know where the boat is going after Day 6. telekinesis sounds good but didn't that lead to a bunch of arguments as to how it can or can't be used? The DM is very clear on the use of Telekinesis. What about Tzilla's shield? Mary would also like to ID that when she gets a chance! Everything has been identified once. It has no additional properties beyond a strong enchantment. Would the ion stone that raises dex by a point be able to raise Friedrich to an 18? Maybe.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 21, 2013 18:54:58 GMT -5
Any chance Bolo "borrowed" it. No.
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Post by Ginger on Aug 21, 2013 18:55:59 GMT -5
Cross Wall of Force and Wall of Stone off the list of new spells to learn.
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Post by venger on Aug 21, 2013 19:26:38 GMT -5
I'll make a new Demonspore thread and a new city thread when the party finalizes its itinerary.
Day 1-7 Sail the ship and Identify Day 8-11 Identify (more)
Assuming the fighters can start training during the Identify (more) phase, Basmadoos will start training on Day 7 finish on Day 24. Youssef will start training on Day 11 and finish on Day 25.
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Post by Ginger on Aug 21, 2013 20:00:10 GMT -5
It seems like the outer city is mostly ruins. How populated is it? Team Colby will venture out and see if we can find a suitable spot that can be turned into a garage after using a few Wall of Stone spells.
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Post by venger on Aug 21, 2013 20:12:51 GMT -5
It seems like the outer city is mostly ruins. How populated is it? Team Colby will venture out and see if we can find a suitable spot that can be turned into a garage after using a few Wall of Stone spells. The party is still a full day of travel away from the surrounding estates and rural communities of Pentadastion. Colby is identifying for another day. Need to know where the ship is going in the interim. Is Team Colby going a day ahead of the party? This will interfere with the Identify timeline. There's really no way the party is sailing a 36' long magical ship into the vicinity of this large city without being seen.
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Post by Wolfgar on Aug 22, 2013 8:15:24 GMT -5
I updated the spells by level list to include the new spells in these books and scrolls. I also included some spells which we have learned through level advancement (Hold Monster, Wind Wall, Charge, Wall of Fire) and which are missing from the spell book list. Let me know if there are other I am missing. In light of these additions, I would suggest Colby and Mary choose among Passwall, Telekinesis, Transmute Rock to Mud, Transmute Mud to Rock. Passwall we have in the Guardian's Stone and the Wand of Earth and Stone. So not as necessary. Telekinesis can act as a strong Unseen Servant in some ways and the green box replicates some of this as well. Transmute Rock to Mud may be useful if someone tries to entomb us in solid rock. Not sure if our Wand of Earth and Stone has this ability. Alternatively they could learn Enchanted Weapon/Armor with nearly 100% success. Or maybe some combination of lower level spells.
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Post by venger on Aug 22, 2013 8:30:12 GMT -5
At a glance, you are missing Sending under your 5th level spell listing.
I'll update the spellbook thread with the two new books.
Captain, oh, Captain, where are we parking the ship?
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Post by Wolfgar on Aug 22, 2013 9:00:39 GMT -5
The DM is suggesting that we can train here without much difficulty. If that is the case then I don't see why we need to go back to Barb-el-Shay.
Is there a Teleport tower at the College that Colby could use? It is a tower that is open to the sky above and has a single floor that is 4" above the ground. If you come in high or low you use fly, levitate or feather fall to control your dissent. Colby is high enough level that he can transport at least one other person easily.
Do we need to be in the city to have ready access to supplies needed for training? Or can we camp further out with the ship and make forays into the city as needed?
Can the ship dive like a submarine through the earth? How far can it travel through the earth? If we could find a large enough basement or building that is close to the edge of the city, then we could drive the ship through the ground and emerge in a secure location while we are doing training.
Ingrid can use the ritual destruction of the Talisman of Pure Evil to fund her training. She can start training with Dan as soon as we pick a location.
So here is what I suggest: Day 1-7 Sail the ship and Identify Day 8-11 Identify (more), Start training for Ingrid (11 days) and Basmadoos (17 days), Send other into the city to get supplies, look for a location to rent, give (sell?) the books to the sage, locate trainer for Azhbar (16 days), find alchemist to identify potions. Day 12 Youssef starts training with Mary (14 days) Day 26 Mary starts training with Colby (12 days)
While Youssef is being trained Colby can research a new spell, update spell books, teleport to Barb-el-Shay if needed, get trained by an armorer, make scrolls and/or potions.
Once Mary is trained she could take Friedrich to the Shadow weaver and to Fenhold.
Trommer can use the time to find followers and possibly a druid. The land here is much more agricultural than the middle of the desert. He and Nordel can replenish bind wound treatments.
Paavo will see if there is advanced medical training of the type Trommer received.
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Post by Wolfgar on Aug 22, 2013 9:19:50 GMT -5
With Sending we can communicate with Fizzi regarding Tzila.
Captured Evil High Priestess, need advice, use magic font. Sincerely, Colby
Then we could set up some sort of distance communication using magic font on Fizzi's side and the crystal ball on ours. You write a message and hold it up and the other person can read it. They write their response and hold it up for you.
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Post by venger on Aug 22, 2013 10:33:24 GMT -5
Do we need to be in the city to have ready access to supplies needed for training? If the party is doing the training, no, but I'll tack on a day for shopping. Azhbar is going to need to be in the city to train. Is there a Teleport tower at the College that Colby could use? It's what he used last time. Can the ship dive like a submarine through the earth? How far can it travel through the earth? It can't dive into the earth. But it can go underwater. Ingrid can use the ritual destruction of the Talisman of Pure Evil to fund her training. Ingrid is not really sure she wants to mess with this object... she'd take 12-48 damage just from touching it. Paavo will see if there is advanced medical training of the type Trommer received. The physicians in Pentadastion are not as learned as those in Barb-el-Shay. There isn't a college either. Also Paavo doesn't have the intelligence language slots to learn more skills/languages. There's another use for the gem of insight!
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Post by Wolfgar on Aug 22, 2013 10:55:59 GMT -5
Is there a lake or large pond about a day or two from the city in which we can submerge the ship? Something large enough that no one is likely to notice it. We can load what we want onto the camels. Then Paavo gets a Water Breathing or Airy Water and takes the ship down. He swims back up and we precede into the city. When we are ready to leave we can retrieve the ship.
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Post by Ginger on Aug 22, 2013 11:19:54 GMT -5
It sounds like we don't really need to worry about going to the city and can do most of the training ourselves in an around the vessel.
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