DM Mathpro's Carrion Crown-Group 2 (Inactive)

Game Master mathpro18

We are level 1, how much love on the battlefield can they really have experienced? We start with 0 experience, though enough skills and abilities for level. Looking forward to see your reply to it. Is Sam as negative, or is he a romantic?

Well we are level 1 in a PC class, in my eyes that takes a bit more than an NPC class. That's how I explain PC's that have been doing things at least. I would probably say Sam is a romantic.

You make your way to the Restlands easily enough. The locals out and about town still seem rather weary of you and give you a wide birth but you don't seem to draw any unwanted attention to yourselves. They seem far more interested in ignoring you and pretending you don't exist then watching to see what your up to.

As you pass the gate to the Restlands you retrace your steps from yesterday. You go up the Dreamwake and then turn right on The Eversleep and pass the professors gave. It has been undisturbed since yesterday other than being filled in by the grounds keepers and there is a single bouquet of roses laying against the fresh headstone. A little to the west of his plot lays a freestanding granite mausoleum and your pretty sure its what you are after. The roof of the mausoleum is decorated with a pair of leering gargoyle statues. A single stone door with a rusty looking lock sits in the mausoleum's south facade.

"Hmm...Well I know one way of dealing with a lock," Barek says patting the hilt of his sword, "but it's not particularly quiet. Anyone else have more experience than myself?"

"Please, let me try... I may know a trick or two." Sim draws his tools and heads for the door. Firstly he observes the lock and its surroundings.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Assuming he sees nothing alarming and no traps... Feeling secure, Sim tries the lock, seeing if it is really locked and not just jammed. He then begins to work.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

"Holy crap! You son'ova'b~@~+... die, die, spawn of Rovagug!" Sim exclaims, dropping his tools and trying to kick and stomp around, obviously trying to kill a hairy spider. Once he succeeds, he spits over the dead and crushed remains of the spider and looks to his companions, as if apologizing. "Sorry... I absolutely hate spiders but the bastards seem to be quite fond of me..." Without another word, Sim adjusts his clothes and hair, picks his tool, and tries again.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Sooooo satisfying to see two extremes of rolling.

Sim the second time you slide your tools into the lock you notice that its not even locked and some of the lock has been burned away by acid.

Well bother...I hope those are Lorimor's marks and not someone elses

Sim opens the stone door before turning to his companions. "I could take credit for opening this but this lock wasn't quite locked... it seems that someone used acid on it before we get here." Sim then looks closely at the lock, trying to determine how much time has passed since the acid was used.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

You would guess just under three weeks has past. Opening the door reveals a stone staircase leading down into the cold earth. Its to dark inside to see whats at the bottom from up here.

Barek pulls a sun rod from his pack and cracks it. "Sam, you're one of the heaviest armored here and you and your brother have the best sight. You head down first and I'll be right behind you with the sun rod." Barek pulls his rapier out with a quiet hiss of metal in metal and prepares to head into the darkness.

Sam smiles at the thought of danger. It is after all, what he is bet suited to dealing with. He hops onto birch, draws his lance and proceeds down the stairs.

"Let's go, there's danger afoot and I don't want to let it all slip away."

Dust covers the stairs as you descend into the crypt and everyone gets the feeling its been decades since anyone has been in here other than possibly Professor Lorrimore. The large crypt is lined with empty notches where bodies should be. To the north there is a room with a large stone door that lies open only a crack. I will need perception checks from everyone.

Perception: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (13) - 2 = 11

"*cough* Smells musty in here"

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

"Hmmmm..."

"I can take care of illumination, no need to waste the sun rod. Desna, give us light to show us the way so we may venture forth and explore further." She prays and suddenly her holy symbol starts shedding light. "I can make other things light up as well, just chose what you want to make light and I'll do it, so we aren't dependent on being all grouped up all the time. Though staying grouped is probably a good idea."

Sorry about not interrupting the sun rod thing earlier. I must say that for the future I would wastly prefer if the GM rolls passive rolls like perception, initiative, sense motive or saves against unnoticed traps etc for everyone to speed up things. At a table it works great to have players roll, but in pbp that could mean waiting quite a lot of hours or even days.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

"Perhaps it is better to let me go ahead, brother... I don't know why but tomb builders have somehow a fetish for traps... Also, if you are gone, I'd have to take care of Birch and that I can't stand!" Sim tries to get past Sam, looking around for traps and other dangers.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Tamara and Sim both hear something coming to the room with the cracked door. It sounds like something moving about.

Do we have a map? Just trying to figure out if there is a 'corner' to hide and prepare a sneak attack.

Yep hang on a sec I'll get it posted

Edit: Map has been posted. The door to the right is the one thats open a crack and its from beyond that door that you hear the sounds.

Sim moves stealthily to the corner near the door and hides in the shadows, waiting in silence for an opportunity to attack.

Stealth (to move): 1d20 + 12 - 1 ⇒ (2) + 12 - 1 = 13
Stealth (to hide): 1d20 + 12 - 1 ⇒ (15) + 12 - 1 = 26 Not sure if it is necessary two rolls...

"Something is coming. Down here I doubt it's any good. Desna bless us, may we find the courage to face what comes before us." She chants in a low voice, blessing the party to prepare for the possibility of combat.

Cast bless, it'll last one minute aka ten rounds.

Barek whispers to Sam, "Sam, want to 'convince' whatever is back there to come out and play? I'll stand across from Sim and all of us can hit it hard and fast."

Barek moves across the door from Sim in preparation

Sam shushes Barek a small bit before setting up in front of the doorway. He stows his lance and draws his great sword. Its now or they get the drop on us... Sam opens the door and looks inside.

It takes a moment but eventually a zombie shambles forward out of the door.

Please read the post I made in the discussion thread and post up your first round actions please.

What's the initative and where is the zombie on the map? Also Sam's position is certainly wrong. What does the zombie look like?

Updated map. It looks like he might have been one of the townspeople at one point but its hard to tell.

I have no Kn. Religion. So sad

Barek lunges forward looking to score with his rapier Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 111d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

What an inauspicious start...

Waiting on others actions before posting

"By the power of the Starsong I banish thee foul creature! Ye do not belong on this earth. Let your mortal shell fall free from these unholy shackles!" She holds out her holy symbol towards the creature. A soft white light emanates from the beautifully carved butterfly.

Channel Positive Energy to harm any undead within 30', will DC 18 for half: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Will save(DC18):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

The zombie explodes as the positive energy overwhelms it.

No need for a round wrap up here when Tamara took care of it, hope no one minds.

I think me and Barek will take -4 due to cover, right?

With his quick reflexes, Sim attacks the zombie with his twin swords but, unfortunately, his brother positioning was making it harder for him to attack.

"The plan was not to lure it out?"

Attack#1 (shortsword), cover, twf: 1d20 + 4 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 4 - 4 - 2 = 16
Damage#1 (shortsword), sneak attack: 1d4 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + (6) = 8

Attack#2 (shortword), cover, twf: 1d20 + 4 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 4 - 4 - 2 = 3
Damage#2 (shortsword), sneak attack: 1d4 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + (2) = 4

Ninjaed... if Sim's attack would have ended it (and since he is first in the initiative order), it might be interesting for us to 'save' a channel.

Doubtful that just a shortsword would have ended it if it was a zombie zombie.

Barek wipes the rotten gore from his face and spits what little got into his mouth out. "Remind me never to piss you off обичам"

Everyone moves through the door once they are sure its safe and up the stairs you find a sarcophagus, the lid missing from it. As you move over to the sarcophagus you notice there are several items in it.

You also find a thin darkwood case decorated with an image of a scarab with a single eye glaring from its back. The same design that appears on the cover of one of the books in the professor's collection. Inside the case are a spirit board and a brass spirit planchette(think a wiji board), and 4 iron and glass vials that contain tiny, churning clouds of vapor. The vials sit in velvet-lined indentations to the left of the spirit board and planchette, along with 6 empty indentations.

Barek lets out a low whistle looking at the gear with magic eyes, Casting Detect Magic "This is quite a haul here! Looks like the professor wasn't kidding when he said this stuff should help. I'm not sure what these are" indicating the iron and glass vials, "but if they're here they must be important somehow."

Barek looks across the group, "Only question that remains is, why was there a zombie here? I'm not sure we'll find that out right now, but it is something to keep in mind. Now, should we head back to the Sheriff's and prepare for our stakeout tonight?"

I'm not a fan of retconning and I understand not doing so, even if Sim was technically earlier in initiative, what's done is done. Once Matpro has posted a result that's how things are. Hopefully we won't need that extra channel. Though the shortsword attack would likely have killed the zombie as well, it did deal more damage and zombies are weak to slashing. @Matpro: Are you just going to level us when appropriate?

Tamara makes wide eyes and with a shocked voice she replies. "My channeling can only harm undead, it won't harm you. Though it can be used to heal. Honestly I'm quite surprised how effective it was." Her hands are shaking slightly as she tucks her holy symbol back.

Tamara nods to Barek's words. "I wonder about the zombie too. How could the professor have known about it if it was thus infested. Either way, these items will be useful I hope."

Honestly I don't remember what the professor said about this place. Can someone link me to it?

"Desna guide me, what is this? Tamara prays and examines the book and the items.

knowledge religion with guidance: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

Most of what the professor talked about was vague and undefined, especially when it came to what was actually here.

Barek sheathes his sword and starts making sure his gear is stowed for the trip back into town.

Yes sorry...I don't give out xp I just tell you when you level when appropriate. I find it easier that way.

Between the two of you, Barek and Tamara are able to identify the vials in the box as haunt siphons.

here you go Tamara

Sam sits back, mouth hanging open as the three braniacs figure everything out before his very eyes. "Well... Good thing I got you lot, I wouldn't know how to make head nor tail of any of this."

"Useful buggers. I suggest we each keep a siphon in easy reach just in case. We'll have to distribute the rest of the gear when we get out of here. We may also want to send a note to Father Grimburrow explaining that we found a zombie here." Saying such Barek puts a siphon in an easy to reach place on his belt and grabs a handle of the chest for ease of transport.

At Barek's words, Sim nods. "To make things easier, why don't you and Sam carry this heavy chest back to the professor's house while I visit Father Grimburrow... I'll let him know and then I'll meet you back at the professor's..."

Not trying to talk to the professor alone, just speed things up. Could we just assume we are back at the Professor's House?

I am more than fine with getting back to Kendra's

Barek continues the Hallit lessons on the way, taking a more tactical mind with this set of words.