A Rise With A Difference
Game Master Dabbler

Gob quickly pens down the syllables of the strange tongue, marking inflections, glottal stops, and the like best he can. He hopes to decipher the words at a later date.

"I wonder what its purpose is? Some sort of warning or recording?"

"Just an illusion of some kind, I guess," Gornak opines.

Gornak manifests Force Screen then steps up to examine the throne.

It's a plain, dusty, stone chair.

Aylmora leaves the room with the strange talking illusion and begins examining the eastern door.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30

Thanadros follows Aylmora over to the other door. If she does not find anything, He will open it.

Vaclav looks around the room with the stone chair. Some kind of throne room. A ruler might keep the key close.

Vaclav examines the room for anything.

Perception 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Vaclav finds the dust of ages, but naught else of interest.

There is no sound from the Eastern doors, and they open - again with some effort. This room contains three low tables, their tops covered with a strange and chilling selection of tools, saws, long bladed knives, and objects whose purpose is not readily apparent. A strange collection of bones lies near the southern table—too many to be one skeleton, but too
few to be two.

On the Eastern table lies one object that is clearly not a tool at all: a silver and gold seven-pointed star, one surface studded with nodules and blades, and the other featuring a thin curved handle. Close examination shows it would fit perfectly.

Map.

"I think this may be what we're looking for," Aylmora announces as she picks up the silver and gold seven-pointed star. "Or we could just leave and let the barghest rot down here for a few more thousand years."

"I would think slaying it would be not only the right thing to do, but the most prudent. Someone will eventually release it or its prison will weaken, not to mention that it was sort of worshipped by the goblins living here..."

"True. Who wants the honor of opening the door?"

Gornak volunteers after he manifests Vigor for 3 pp (+15 temporary hp).

"Gornak wait. I'm not sure this will help, but let me try a different blessing for your weapon."

Vaclav doesn't know if the barghest has DR or not, but aligning your weapon to good can't hurt.

Thanadros readies his bow encase something pops out from behind the door to say "hi" to Gornak.

Aylmora drinks her potion of Shield of Faith to give herself a +2 deflection bonus to AC and readies her loaded crossbow.

Aylmora's AC: 20; ff 17; touch 15
Aylmora's HP: 37/37

Final Map?

The star-shaped device fits into the impression in the door with a click, and then you can turn it and pull, and the doors slowly, ponderously, swing open.

This room is lit by a ten-foot-wide pit of flickering fire that fills the room with a strange humid heat and the smell of burning hair. In he northern corners of the room, wooden risers each hold several dozen golden candles that burn without melting, while to the south the wall bears an immense carving of a seven-pointed star.

The room is...empty.

"Careful. The infernal can often go unseen."

Vaclav scans the room suspiciously. Holding his mace and holy symbol he steps through the doorway.

Given the author's mania for secret doors. There might be one here too.

Perception 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"What, you think there's someone using magic to hide in here? Sounds pretty fishy to me, although come to think of it that little flying devil was pretty good at hiding. But how can you tell if there's any magic in here?"

Detect Magic might work...

Gornak plants himself in front of the door. "Hopefully nothing will get past me. At least, not anything big. How big is a bar guest, anyways?"

Genius Hogarth! I don't usually pray for that, but I did today.

Vaclav calls upon Erastil for his aid in finding any magic in the room.

Thanadros starts to search the room for clues and possible secret doors.
"...Maybe we have done all that we can here... Have we missed something..."

Perception 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18

Place yourselves on, or describe your search of the room by coordinates please.

Gornak is in front of the door (in one of those squares).

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Aylmora murmurs to Gornak, standing next to the half-giant in the entryway with her crossbow trained on the apparently empty room. Aylmora is in the other square in front of the door next to Gornak - I think that would be either P,10 or Q,10.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27

P9. I think we're taking this slow. How about that detect magic?

Just outside the door, Gob watches with growingtrepidation. Something doesn't feel right...

There are two tables in each corner against the north wall, upon which are stacked racks of candles that radiate minor evocation magic. The fire-pit radiates both evocation and illusion magic.

"Minor magic in the corners. The firepit has evocation and illusion magic. I can't tell if the illusion is invisibility or not."b

"Illusion magic, huh?" Thanadros moves to the fire pit O,8and takes a good look at the fire.

Will Save to disbelief? Will 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

"Well, if there's something invisible, I hope it's not valuable!" Gornak swings his hammer at anything in the firepit.

1d20 + 11 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 11 + 1 - 2 = 26
3d6 + 13 - 2 ⇒ (4, 2, 6) + 13 - 2 = 23

"Umm... Guys? If this thing's been trapped here for thousands of years... and it's invisible... and we just opened the door... What's to keep it from trying to sneak out?" Aylmora asks, concern evident in her tone as she continues to stand just outside the open portal.

Gornak is still standing outside the door -- he just has a long hammer. :-)

Bwahahaha! You can fallen for my cunning plan!

Can I have initiative checks please?

Monster: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Vaclav sees the magical flux warp and flow around the fire-pit as the illusion effect fades. As it does, everyone sees a huge figure eight feet high at the shoulder shimmers into view, it's clawed hand reaching for Gornak's arm and hammer...

CMB Assault: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (5) + 18 = 23

...wrenching the half-giant into the room and teetering on the brink of the fire-pit. It is so close to being in the pit or not {needs Gornak's CMD+5 which is just enough}, I'll give Gornak a DC18 reflex save to avoid falling in.

Reflex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

What combat maneuver is he using? And isn't Gornak's CMD 19?

Gornak teeters for a moment and then tumbles into the fiery pit, hitting the ground ten feet below.

Acrobatics DC15 check to avoid 1d6 ⇒ 6 fall damage.

Fire damage 1d6 ⇒ 1

Edit: Map Positions

Acrobatics: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17

I'm still a bit confused by what's going on, and how 23 is 5 higher than 19...

"Ow...hot hot hot!"

Init: 1d20 ⇒ 1

Buffs: Force Screen (AC 24), Align Weapon, Vigor (14 temporary hp), Metaphysical Weapon (+2)

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Gornak, your profile has your CMD listed as '18 or 19'. That may be part of the confusion. When is it 18, and when is it 19?

You have 18 or 19 listed, and it's 5 better than 18. I couldn't find the explanation for 19, if you mean your trance that will not effect CMD, only CMB.

I see the confusion. A half-giant gets a +1 size bonus for being Large "if doing so is advantageous to him". As far as I know, it's always advantageous to your CMB/CMD to be considered Large vs. Medium, but I was hedging my bets by listing two possible values. At any rate, it may not make a difference: did you include the barghest's +2 bonus for being invisible?

Initiative 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

I confess I didn't, and by all means list your CMD as 19 as I can't see 18 as being advantageous in any way.

INiti: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

Lost my lunchtime post spellchecking the firepit. I guess that doesn't matter now. Hogarth are you going to be able to climb out of there?

Round 1 Init 6
hp 30 | pp 9
Adjustments -1 Str, +1 hit
Status Focused
--------------------------------------------------------
Initiative 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Thanadros steps back to N,8, draws his bow and fires.

Focused Close Mwk Composite Longbow(+2) 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25 | Damage 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 | Crit: 20/x3 }Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Psionic Shot

If Gornaks spell is still going on Thanadro's bow, then the weapon is magical and deals an additional 1 point of damage

Hogarth are you going to be able to climb out of there?

Either climb or levitate; I haven't decided yet.

Initiative order, round 1:
Vaclav 20
Barghest 17
Aylmora 12
Gob 9
Thanadros 6
Gornak 1

So Vaclav is first to act, and right next to the monster...

Holding his symbolic bow high and waving his mace, Vaclav cries out to Erastil to strengthen Gornak. He touches his holy symbol to the half giant.

Cast aid on Gornak. Aid grants the target a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects, plus temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + caster level (to a maximum of 1d8+10 temporary hit points at caster level 10th).

Last post before vacation weekend. DMPC Vaclav as needed.

Bonus hit points for Gornak: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

With a rumbling roar the turns it's fiery gaze at Aylmora...

Misread, effect is cone and not single target.

Gob needs to make a save also, Will DC16.

Aylmora's action next.

Will save 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Round One:

"Yeah, I've definitely got a very bad feeling about this..." Aylmora says shakily as she unleashes a blast of uncontrolled phrenic energy at the large, wolf-like beast before backing away a step and retrieving a wand from her pack..

Standard action to unleash Surge Blast at the barghest. 5 ft step to square Q,11. Move action to retrieve Wand of Magic Missile from pack.

Surge Blast (ranged touch attack): 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 - 2 = 23
Surge Blast Damage: 2d6 - 2 ⇒ (1, 1) - 2 = 0 force damage - hmm... interesting... would that be non-lethal damage, then?
Surge Blast Crit Confirmation (ranged touch attack): 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 5 - 2 = 12
Additional Crit Damage: 2d6 - 2 ⇒ (3, 3) - 2 = 4 force damage

Aylmora's AC: 20
Aylmora's HP: 37/37

Gob feels the cold tendrils clutch at his heart, but is able to subdue them.

Aylmora lets go her surge blast, but it is robbed of much of it's force. Nonetheless it slams the goblin-like face square between the eyes.

Gob up next.