A great dining table acts as the base for a filthy shrine that rises into the chamber above. Upon the table icy waters frost the tarnished silverware at each place setting. Sitting at the table, a macabre display of corpses depict a dinner celebration: the feast, an eviscerated human splayed open for its entrails to be dined upon. Above the table, corpses dangle from the many cracks in the ceiling, for their limp arms hunger for the banquet below them. Beyond you can just barely make out the glimmer of metal. The disks!
That's not all you see though. A giant octopus immediately changes colors as it drops from the ceiling. Thankfully Voros caught it before it had a chance to lash out!
Voros has a frightened expression but shakes his head, ready to fight, wondering, though what is this creature he never met.
Knowledge (Nature):1d20 + 16 ⇒ (2) + 16 = 18
Voros was the only survivor of an expedition in a dungeon of Tian Xia where the party was butchered to death by a squid. He doesn't like sea creatures.
He throws four acid bombs, concentrating more on the first one.
Take that, squiddy!
I guess I have to roll the mischance: Mischance attack 1, over 50 hits:1d100 ⇒ 83 Mischance attack 2, over 50 hits:1d100 ⇒ 88 Mischance attack 3, over 50 hits:1d100 ⇒ 6missed Mischance attack 4, over 50 hits:1d100 ⇒ 43missed
And the bombs who miss, if the octo-squid is in the area of splash of the bomb, he takes 15 damage, halved on a Ref save DC 20.
I'll let you apply the penalties for the range and the water slowing the bombs.
Half-orc Destroyer 9 | HP 31/97 | AC 22-T15-F19 | F+13 R+10 W+5 | CMD 30 | Per +8, Init +3 | Rage: 1rd remaining
Drax snarls soundlessly underwater, and runs forward on the rotting planks of the macabre 'dining room's' floor, into the thick cloud of ink and to where the many-armed creature of the deep was last seen.
Not sure if the squid can see through its own ink, but if it can, then Drax will provoke as he closes, most likely, but the freedom of movement means that any grapple attempt on him automatically fails.
I am on the port side of the boat, on one side of the creature! Drax sends through the mental link as he attacks with his kukri.
Adamantine kukri, haste, prayer, power attack:1d20 + 13 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 13 + 1 + 1 = 35potential crit Miss chance, high hits:1d100 ⇒ 1
Wow, dice. Just wow.
Drax snarls in rage as the inky blackness makes his strike miss.
AC now 23. Freedom of movement will also negate all the underwater penalties for slashing weapons for Drax.
After adding in the underwater ranged penalty, only the second bomb hits (though the acid still sizzles in the water.) REF:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16. The acid burns into the octopus's hide. Drax can't connect in the ink
Round 1:
Octopus: Ink
Fendahl: Go
Drax: Miss
Psycho Mantis: Go
Val: Prayer
Alie: Haste
Voros: Volley
He draws his wand of Faerie Fire and points it into the cloud. Targetting the center of the last location he saw the octopus. Faerie Fire has a 5 ft radius burst.
The octopus lashes out with a tentacle at the incoming animal ATK:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20MISS:1d100 ⇒ 60, but Fendahl dodges the attack and chomps down on a tentacle. He can't keep it in his mouth however.
Psycho Mantis tries to cancel out the cloud, and the burst hits both Fendahl and the octopus, lighting them up. For ease let's just remove the ink.
The octopus fights back against Fendahl with a fury fueled by the disks:
The tentacles wrap around Fendahl and start to squeeze the life out of him. To make maters worse, the shadows behind the party seem to move independently of the current. It's then that you see a pair of figures in the water seemingly MADE from shadow.
One reaches towards Alie, and the other towards Val.
Black v. Alie:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21 touching her and sucking her strength for STR DMG:1d6 ⇒ 5 Purple v. Val:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 and Val pulls away at the last second!
Round 2:
Octopus: ATK
Fendahl: Go
Drax: Go
Psycho Mantis: Go
Val: Go
Alie: Go
Voros: Go
Half-orc Destroyer 9 | HP 31/97 | AC 22-T15-F19 | F+13 R+10 W+5 | CMD 30 | Per +8, Init +3 | Rage: 1rd remaining
Snarling soundlessly underwater, Drax nods at Fendahl's mental words and cuts ferociously at the giant squid, now magically lit up. Snicker-snack! His arms move in a blur, the blades dancing back and forth.
Fendahl chomps down as the two animals are locked in mortal combat! Drax then comes in again and again. Before long the water is stained with ink and blood. the octopus relaxes its grip on Fendahl as it dies.
Round 2:
Octopus: ATK
Fendahl: ATK
Drax: ATK
Psycho Mantis: Go
Val: Go
Alie: Go
Voros: Go
Alie suddenly felt to weak to do more than try to survive. She moves 5' away from the shadow and casts Dimension Door, materializing on the other side of the party. "There's undead over there!"
M Human Cleric 10 HP 89 / 73; Channel 4/7; AC 24 Touch 13 FF 21; CMD 21; Bit of Luck 7 / 8
ROUND 2
Not for long, Ali!
Val contemptuously dodges the Shadow, and fixes the abominations with a cold, righteous stare. He brings forth his Starknife and shoves it into the near one's shadow-face
GET THEE DOWN!!
channel to harm:7d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 5, 6, 2, 2, 5) = 30 <--whoa. Hot rolls!!
The bombs explode in the crazy action of the octopus. When the water clears, only one direct hit was scored, and the octopus has Voros firmly in its grip.
Splash Ref:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17 Splash Ref:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17
There's carnage abound, but the octopus is still REALLY mad.
He assaults what little mind the sea creature posseses with his own formidable intellect.
Cast Defensively (target=23):1d20 + 18 ⇒ (8) + 18 = 26 Mind Thrust IV (spell specialization):14d8 ⇒ (6, 3, 8, 6, 6, 1, 8, 7, 1, 2, 1, 3, 2, 5) = 59 DC 24 Will Save to halve damage. It is also fatigued for one round if it fails the save
There's a small chest in the aft section. It's currently sealed water tight. Otherwise you find little. The disks make you uncomfortable though. The sooner they are gone, the better.
My apologies, there isn't a very grandoise denouement. Even this is embellished to give more.
With the disks recovered, a grateful Caradoc pulls you back up. He looks at the disks and avoids them. He returns to Absalom
and you can secure the artifact within the Pathfinder Society’s
vaults. When you arrive in port, you spy a ship following you. It flies the colors of Her Magistrix's Navy. Perhaps they were simply keeping a watchful eye.
The Venture-Captain is a bit surprised to see you, but only a bit. "Well done agents. You've accomplished the task and with verve. I hear the pirate Caradoc survived. Good, he'll make it up to us after we broke him out. Favors are often better than gold."
Before you leave, he adds, "Agents like you are rare. There are grumbles and rumors of something big coming down the line. I wouldn't be surprised if you hear your name called for something truly legendary. Stay sharp."
And that concludes No Plunder, No Pay! Season 0 was short, and this party had a great chemistry. I'll get your chronicles out tonight. In the discussion tab feel free to make day job rolls, faction card checks etc.
Thank you guys, that was a great time. I'm glad I got to see a high level psychic in play. Looking forward to mine. Keep your eyes peeled in the Flaxseed Lodge. I'll have another high tier game soon (I have a few to wrap up first.) I'm also running some REALLY high stuff, level 13+. You're welcomed there too.
Thanks a lot for this good game, DMS! Once again, I've had a lot of pleasure to play at your table :)
I had a blast, also because I played underwater for the first time and I am playing (face to face) Skulls and Shackles, but we're only at the beginning of the adventure.
And as you said, there was a good synergy in the party. Thank you all for that :)
I had a great time! Thanks, DM! And Alie got a new nickname to boot! Now that's a heck of a successful adventure! The Storm Tamer will forever be in your debt!
