Sam "Torch" McQuarry |
Torch pulls out his silk rope, tying it off on the pillar and handing it to Aerys to help belay him. "Let's see if it really is vampires then," he grins twistedly, and begins climbing down.
With the addition of the rope, I should be able to take 10 on the Climb check, but if not, here goes: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21.
Black Tom |
Torch descends the rope effortlessly. It's when he gets down there that the trouble starts.
Torch needs to make a Perception check and you can all roll for initiative.
The cave that Torch lands in is roughly triangular and about 20 feet across. At first glance, this damp cavern seems natural, but here and there the mineral deposits on the walls and ceiling don’t quite obscure ancient walls that were carved by hand. The floor is covered with a shallow layer of brackish water from which numerous small mounds of delicate crystals emerge.
Black Tom |
As Torch lands in the pile of bones, he is set upon by a pair of disturbing opponents: two little dolls crafted from bird bones, children’s bones, hair, and twine. They may be tiny, but they intent is clearly murderous. Luckily Torch spots them in time and beats their initiative (10).
Torch can act, and so can the rest of you if you beat 10. You can't see the dolls from above, though.
Maestro Gelikugel Aberwhinge |
init 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Gelik whines. What's going on?
He casts light on a pebble or bone splinter or something and drops it down the hole for more light, looking in to see if he can get a better sight angle on the action.
Perception 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 (low light vision)
Aerys D Mavato |
Initiative 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
Climb 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Acrobatics 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17 to jump from the rope to a position away from Torch, maybe to provide flanking when she lands.
Perception 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16
Hearing Torch's shout of surprise, Aerys climbs down the rope to join him, her sword held between her teeth, this is more like it, just like those pirates my mother read me stories about when I was a small girl. hoping that she's doing the right thing. As she closes her feet make purchase on the wall, bending her knees she kicks off into the centre of the pit, doing a somersault as she goes, taking her sword from her mouth and landing on her feet. She bows to Torch as she lands. "So what is it?" she says as she looks for the threat.
Hrakar Orcbane |
Initiative check:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Perception check:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Climb check:1d20 - 3 ⇒ (18) - 3 = 15
Attack roll:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Damage roll:1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Hrakar climbs down the rope and sends a bolt of acid towards whatever menace lurks down there!
Sam "Torch" McQuarry |
"Living dolls!" Torch shouts back, forgoing to point and instead just indicating their location by trying to smash them to bits.
Five foot step if necessary - from the sound of the space, that should get me within melee range of one of them without difficulty - and full attack with scimitar and cestus.
Scimitar attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18, damage 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9 plus 1d6 ⇒ 3 sneak attack.
Cestus attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13, damage 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 plus 1d6 ⇒ 6 sneak attack.
Also, if they are actually Tiny and try a melee attack, I might get an AoO on them - if so, here it is: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26, damage 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7; crit confirm 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11, crit damage 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7.
Black Tom |
Torch smashes one of the little dolls, and then Aerys swings down into the fray, missing the other hiding doll, which stabs at her but fails to pierce her armor.
Then the other little doll tries to use a spell-like ability, but Torch rudely interrupts it with his scimitar (you may want to confirm that crit) and it uses its remaining actions to scurry away (drawing an AoO from Aerys) towards a small rat tunnel.
Hrakar spends the round climbing down the rope and Gelik and Ralf are stuck up there for now.
Aerys D Mavato |
AoO Longsword attack 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
AoO Longsword damage 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
As the small shape scurries past, Aerys swings her longsword, hoping to slow the things escape. Once it has disappeared, she nods to Torch, "Impressive accuracy with that sword of yours." her lip rise slightly at the edges. "But now you've broken that doll, we'd best pick its parts up and let Gelik or Ralf look at them. See if they can make oout why an old ancient toy takes such a dislike to you." she laughs.
Black Tom |
The doll vanishes into the small tunnel. At least you get 240 xp for the battle.
Inside it there is a large and probably valuable ruby, among the rubbish it is made of. It radiates moderate necromancy, in case you're wondering.
Spellcraft 29:
There are no exits in your size from the cave, only the small tunnel the doll went into.
Ralf Pennywhistle |
Ooh. I have a good one! Why do you ask questions when you can't hear the answers?
Ralf remains oddly silent on the issue.
"Whatever it was, it looks safe enough now." He carefully climbs down the rope (taking 10).
Maestro Gelikugel Aberwhinge |
Gelik cups his hands to his mouth and yells back down at Hrakar. What? Did you need someone to be the most attractive person in the room?
Gelik annoyingly laughs at his own joke, then climbs down the rope. (take 10 for 10)
He looks around, wondering why he's in a pit. Someone bashed the crap out of a really ugly doll...whoa look at that rock!
Gelik can't make the 29 spellcraft check without taking 20 and getting 2 "aid anothers". Ralf has his trance thingy - that should work better. Plus, Gelik would hate to ruin his useless streak.
Aerys D Mavato |
Aerys wanders over to Torch, "No, Not you Torch, those two. Do they never give up with their chatter." she says quietly to him. "I hope we haven't brought them into a danger that they can't handle. It's just they .... oh well!" she ends with a sigh.
Maestro Gelikugel Aberwhinge |
If he's going to identify it tomorrow, Ralf should carry the gem. I'll put it in the loot list.
I doubt I'd be strong enough to open those big doors.
Gelik is excited to delve deeper, as long as he's behind someone bigger than himself.
Black Tom |
After you climb the stairs the corridor turns to the right up another flight of stairs, ending in a room. Bits of bone and fragments of wood lie scattered through it. The walls are carved with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of strange runes interspersed with the periodic image of a stylized rune that looks like a fanged skull.
There are three doors, two doors across the room, one to the left and one to the right. On your right hand is a pair of double doors that must lead out onto the stone bridge.
Knowledge (religion) 25: