Black Tom's Rappan Athuk

Game Master Black Tom

Spirit attack only affects one foe as I read it. Will someone maybe roll for Mahaffy? I know he said work was crazy, but I'm wondering how long it will last.

Ka'kara makes short work of one of the wererats, while Roylenna backs off just as Artival unleashes the fire on the rats near him. The rats keep going though, even as many of them are roasted.

Lyria and Mahaffy to go.

I am assuming the first attack combined with the spirit slam took down the first wererat. How did the second wererat fare?

The confusion on the spirit slam comes from the greater spirit totem which seems to clearly state that everything adjacent takes automatic damage and the also attacks every other foe within 15 feet (this latter part mirrors exactly what it does now but at greater range). I tend to agree that the wording of the lesser spirit totem seems to agree with your interpretation but when compared to the greater version it makes me wonder. Anyhow, I'm good with it either way, just wanted to get a clear idea about what it does. Thanks.

Will roll for Mahaffy, but I need some idea of what his options are. I'm thinking he will Acrobatics into the fray to hopefully flank Ka'kara's remaining foe - is that an option? If not, he will load the heavy crossbow this round.

The second wererat also succumbs.

My reading of Greater spirit totem is that it still only gives one attack, but that it gets reach, and also that everything adjacent takes automatic damage.

Don't see much flanking for Mahaffy, so stepping aside and loading his crossbow would work for now.

Anyway, the remaining wererats flee in terror on their turn, so you just need to mop up the rat swarms unless you want to pursue them (they are running into the side passages).

Gregori sweeps his blade through the rat swarm then walks forward.

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 + 1d6 ⇒ 5Fire +1d6 ⇒ 4 Ice

Ka'kara will pursue one (or two if they go down the same passage) and cut it down.

Greatsword attack: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (18) + 17 = 35
Damage: 2d6 + 21 ⇒ (4, 1) + 21 = 26

Spirit Slam: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Damage: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Spirit slam crit confirm: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Damage: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Somewhat late but:
Lyria stands while the rats swarm around her, and swings at some of them as the move around, leaving her magics for more formidable foes.

Fortitude save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
AoO roll: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23, Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2
Critical confirm: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Regular attack roll: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7, Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 3

Ka'kara kills another wererat before they disperse. The rest of you take 3 points of damage before you destroy the rat swarms. The dire rats know better than to bother you and slink away as fast as they can.

You get 743 xp for the battle.

There is a stairway leading down further ahead. Do you want to take it or will you explore the rat warrens further?

Ka'kara screams her rage into the darkness of the tunnels before allowing it to ebb. She half turns, "I can't see anything down here. You want to bring light. Let's make sure they don't come back....ever."

I vote for exploring the tunnels a little bit to make sure we routed them entirely.

Roylenna looks around in confusion. "But who screamed?"

No screamer is to be seen. Either it was one of the wererats or she disappeared somewhere.

Lyria looks around to the dark rat warrens. "We should continue to move and clear this area of all these rats and wererats as best as we can. I do not think we would like to get attacked from behind or surrounded by these swarms once we head deeper in".
That being said, Lyria will prefer to explore the tunnels.

Sounds like Ka'kara and Lyria want to play exterminator.

Roylenna nods, "OK!" She sends a set of dancing lights toward Ka'kara's position in the tunnels.

"Finally!" Ka'kara stops tapping her foot impatiently as the lights arrive and begins following them into the darkness.

After a short stint in the tunnels Ka'kara hasn't been able to kill much more than a few slow rats and dire rats. The rest have escaped in various directions, down tunnels too narrow for you to follow.

Will you be trying the stairs next?

After a short stint in the tunnels Ka'kara hasn't been able to kill much more than a few slow rats and dire rats. The rest have escaped in various directions, down tunnels too narrow for you to follow.

Will you be trying the stairs next?

Yes, standard order with Mahaffy searching for traps and us secret doors.

Yeah, about that... Mahaffy hasn't posted for a month so I'm sending him home for now. Go to the discussion thread to discuss what to do about it.

Mahaffy opts to stay and guard your back for now, making sure that the rats don't return. You descend into a broad chamber. Eight dire rat carcasses lie strewn around the room, apparently torn apart by some wild animal. Blood spatterings cover the entire area.

There are four doors. Corridors to the left and right end with a door. The door to the right has a key in its keyhole. There are also two doors on the opposite side of the room.

Perception 10:

"So I'm betting the one with a key in it is a trap." Gregori mutters.

Perception 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Perception 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Roylenna will cast detect magic and study the room, especially the doors and the key.

As she looks around, she notices a flagstone that appears to have shifted. Underneath is a jar of stagnant water and the skeleton of some small animal.

"What is this? Why would someone hide it?"

Knowledge (Arcana) for ideas 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Updated map BT?

Ka'kara quickly moves to 'Lenna's side after watching her friend bounce across the floor, move a flagstone, and pull out a jar she is obviously fascinated with heedless of the carnage about her. Giving her a a stern look she asks the rhetorical question, "You don't suppose that whatever killed all these rats is still lurking around, do you?" She pulls Roylenna's dagger from her belt and puts it in the halfling's hand, "If your going to charge in have your weapon out so you can gut whatever it is." It slowly dawns on you all that the charging in part is NOT what she was concerned about. She shrugs at the jar and it's contents.

...after properly chastising her friend she moves over to the doors and begins carefully searching them.

Ok, Ka'kara will search the floor briefly for any signs of danger and then take 20's on the doors starting with the one that has a key in it.

Floor Search Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Door search = 28 perception

Roylenna nods absently, sheathes the dagger again, and continues to study the jar of water.

"What sort of creature is this skeleton? Is it a rat?"

"How strange. Is that thing magical," Artival asks wondering if there was more to it than a simple jarred skeleton. As such, he casts Detect Magic and looks at the items.

None of the items is magical. The skeleton is probably of a dire rat.

Haven't been able to solve the map issue yet. Will post something if it gets too complicated.

assuming that Ka'kara's searching found nothing of interest:
"Well, we can understand that whatever kills these things probably has hands and somehow resembles a humanoid creature. Not that this knowledge really helps. We should just pick a door and investigate this level. The left one is as good a place to start as any", Lyria says while gesturing towards the general area.

Yeah, was waiting for BT's response to her search but in interest of moving on that door sounds as good as any.

Ka'kara finds no traps on any of the doors. Behind the northern door there is a corridor stretching to the left and right. To the right you spy a few more doors on the right side, while to the left the corridor looks like it opens into a room.

"How about the left corridor opening into a room?"

The barbarianess needs no more prodding than that as she begins to head down the corridor opening into the room while giving the quickest of searches as she goes.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

A roar not unworthy of Ka'kara herself greets her as she approaches the room, as a tall man with bulging muscles and unkempt shaggy hair and beard and dressed only in smelly furs rushes at her, brandishing a huge club.

Roll for initiative, and I'll get a map up.

Init. 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Initative

1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Initiative: 1d20 ⇒ 19

Initiative 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

1d20 ⇒ 15

Initiative 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

Since the barbarian is slow to react you can take the fight inside the room, where there is plenty of room, so I think I'll do without a map.

Ka'kara, Roylenna, Gregori and Lyria beat his initiative, so have a go at him.

Tika begins to inspire courage in the others then if needed moves to let others get in.

Roylenna steps forward within 30' and sends a sickly green ray toward the wild man.

Ray of Enfeeblement 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24 incl. PBS
Effect 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 temporary Strength damage incl. PBS

Laughing like a madwoman, Ka'kara does a charging overrun two-handed overhand chop on the enemy barbarian and says in Tharbrian, "Lets see if your even as strong as the mewling kitten you appear to be!"

Raging charge powerattack: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (19) + 16 = 35
Damage: 2d6 + 19 ⇒ (1, 4) + 19 = 24
Charging overrun: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35

Wow! Not his day!
Crit confirm: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (19) + 16 = 35
Damage: 2d6 + 19 ⇒ (2, 2) + 19 = 23

Lol....OOF!

EDIT: Got so excited forgot my spirit slam: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
Damage :1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Lyria will delay until after the barbarian acts (or dies)

Ka'kara's assault drops the barbarian to the floor, as Roylenna's magic drains him of his strength. Still he tries to rise (triggering an AoO from Ka'kara at least) and fight back.

Sense Motive 20:

I'll just see what Ka'kara does to him before rolling his attack.

Gregori charges in with Ka'kara, but is easily outpaced by her, arriving as the enemy attempts to ride to deliver a deadly downward thrust.

1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21
1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10 + 1d6 ⇒ 6 Cold

Can't make that sense motive. If Gregori's attack drops him then she'll hold this strike...otherwise...

Raging powerattack AOO: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27
Damage: 2d6 + 19 ⇒ (1, 5) + 19 = 25

Sense Motive 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (6) + 0 = 6

hehe, nothing here. I was almost afraid I was going to burn a 20 on that...

Sense motive

1d20 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 13 = 29

Tika unable to speak whilst inspiring points at there opponent then begins making the crazy motion next to her head

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14

Lyria looks at Tika and to the rising barbarian, but decides not to do anything yet.

DM, I will be out with very limited posting until Monday. If I can check and post, I certainly will. Pease run Artival in the meantime. He can Blindness and Slow the chap, while the party figures out what to do with him. See you all early next week!

The barbarian goes down like a ton of bricks. He's still breathing in case anyone cares.

By the way I still can't get a dot on this thread. Got some much appreciated help from Ainvar with the map, so I'll post something soon. If I can get those two things fixed I think I can get this game back on track. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Roylenna cares. "Gregori, is he evil? Why did he attack?"