Ember Demus |
Ember kisses his teeth and releases the bolt, praying it veers towards the correct target of the two. Better to act hastily than take no action at all! He draws for another bolt, glaring at the shadowy creature draining the life from the wizard. "Hang in there, friend!"
-4 to the shot, not the most gracious attempt...
GM Granta |
@Ember & Ironshanks: Your readied actions don't trigger on round 3, but you still have your normal turns on round 4.
Round 3-4
Effects Inspire Courage +1 (2)
- Ember
- Ironshanks
- Essence of the Void Whisperer - 16 damage, grappled
- Farlen - 5 damage, grappled, -1 Strength, -1 Constitution
- Khellek
- Hellena
Farlen manages a weak bolt of energy, but Hellena's shot veers wide of the mark. Ember and Ironshanks misses their chance for a clean shot and start to reevaluate.
Khellek, Ember and Ironshanks are up.
Ember Demus |
Oh sweet. I'm also curious about the jump and wouldn't mind helping with a knowledge or intelligence check or something if it's a thing we can figure out. Are all the platforms roughly the same height?
Ember grits his teeth and hurriedly loads a third rusty bolt, raising the crossbow and firing it off with a heavy 'ker-thunk!'.
Crossbow + Inspire - Melee: 1d20 + 1 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 1 - 4 = -1 Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Whoops...
He roars in frustration when the mechanism jams and the bolt falls well short of the grappled Farlen. "Dwarf, you think you could make that jump!?"
Ironshanks Magee |
Ya sorry I wasn't clear. My intent was to take the shot for the next round instead of waiting as likely he isn't going to get clear.
Ranged Javelin - Range - Melee + Inspire: 1d20 + 2 - 2 - 4 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 2 - 2 - 4 + 1 = 61d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 1 = 7
Ironshanks watches another javelin end up in the abyss. "I got just 1 more of those, and ain't no way I'm making a jump!" He pulls out his last javelin.
GM Granta |
Let's say the gaps are Farlen and Hellena (8 ft.), Ironshanks (5 ft.), Ember and Khellek (10 ft.). Hellena and Ironshanks do not have enough space to get a running start. Everything is at the same level, there's no verticals do deal with.
Round 3-4
Effects Inspire Courage +1 (2)
- Ember
- Ironshanks
- Essence of the Void Whisperer - 16 damage, grappled
- Farlen - 5 damage, grappled, -1 Strength, -1 Constitution
- Khellek
- Hellena
Ember and Ironshanks both rush their attacks, and watch their projectiles fall into empty space.
I think Khellek is returning from vacation today, so we'll give him a little longer than usual.
Khellek the historian |
still on vacation until tomorrow
Khellek continues to offer up advice as he reloads his crossbow.
"Flying creatures... some of the best tactics may be to go for its wings..." and then realises this thing doesn't seem to have wings.
He then pulls his trigger again.
attack into melee, but no dex due to grapple,inspire: 1d20 + 3 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 3 + 1 - 4 = 13
damage.inspire: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Farlen Mizzul |
Woe! I was already writing Farlens obituary.
"What the hell was that? I was seeing my life flash before my eyes and now...Was that real?
"Should we go through the door now?"
Ember Demus |
Nightmare followed by a hangover
"I... I do not know," Ember grumbles, rubbing his forehead and frowning profusely. "It all felt so real, and as if our minds and bodies were our own. I could have sworn there was some foul, dark magic at play..."
He walks over and pats Farlen once and firmly on his shoulder, assuring his existence. With a contented grunt, his gaze follows the wizard's to the size up the bronze door. "Yes, friend. We should keep moving forward."
Ironshanks Magee |
Ironshanks huffs and puffs once the scene fades away and they're back to the door again. "BULLSHIT! Total BULLSHIT! We Ironshanks ain't used to this magic n trick'ry. Fight us face to face like real men!" He spits on the ground still fuming as he straps on his shield and draws his beautiful ancient axe he recovered from the frozen north.
"Lets open this f!#+er up and find that pale bull already." He eyes up the door with suspicion Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14 Once he gets the go ahead from the magicians in the group he'll try opening it.
GM Granta |
Ironshanks doesn't detect any traps, and none of the magicians sense magic. Once you open the door . . .
The chamber is lined with symbols like those near the entryway. There are obvious signs of a recent struggle, including blood and the corpse of a morlock. Drag marks slide through a pool of blood formed around the head of the morlock, indicating a large creature was pulled through the sealed door on the east side of the room. The door in the east wall is intricately formed from bronze. Four interconnected circular windows reveal a confusing series of cogs and sprockets within. Levers, dials and knobs protrude from the frames surrounding the window, but nothing apears to be an obvious latch.
Khellek the historian |
Khellek blows on his crossbow and puts it away, a smug expression on his face.
"Got'as keep the students safe. Now, what do you make of those marks? And those cogs... almost as if we are in a giant clock."
Khellek checks for magic, and if he doesn't find any cautiously approaches the "Windows" and tries to work out what the mechanism might do.
Takes ten for relevant knowledge checks
"Can anyone tell how old that blood is?"
And did we get our spells back after resting the previous night?
Farlen Mizzul |
Farlen examines the drag marks and looks for a door at there termination.
perception for door etc: 1d20 ⇒ 14
"It appears our injured friend no longer can scare the morlocks away and has been captured. Just a guess.
my perception should probably be to aid someone else as i have no bonuses
Khellek the historian |
"This is very advanced stuff. I'm surprised the Technic league has not been down here."
He sighs at the conclusion about the prince.
"It would seem we must go through the door..."
His vision keeps getting dragged back to the windows as he tries to work out what the purpose of the thing might be.
Farlen Mizzul |
Farlen approaches the door. "Maybe it just pushes open or slides into the door jam?"
Farlen will try to open the door pushing it inward, (if not successful) then by trying to push it in the plane of the wall.
"It feels like we are getting close if we can just get through this door."
Ember Demus |
"This makes for a change," Ember muses, wandering into the room and scanning the surroundings suspiciously. "But not a particularly pleasant one. I agree that our friend must be beyond this wall of bronze, but how far along is difficult to tell. However, I doubt he passed through willingly, due to these markings that speak of struggle and bloodshed, and with how complicated that mechanism appears to be."
Ember crouches before the morlock remains, studying the streaks that pattern the floor with a frown. He dips a finger into a pool of blood, testing for temperature and anything out of the ordinary for the necessary red stuff. "I doubt a well mannered push would fair well, Farlen," he comments as the wizard approaches the door. "Whoever designed these leavers and dials intended for progression to be no simple task. Especially, for unwelcome guests such as us. Perhaps there is some form of mechanical sequence involved, or a riddle that must be solved for us to gain entrance..."
GM Granta |
@Hellena & Ironshanks: Since you haven't explicitly moved into the room yet, we will say you are still near the bronze door. You have time to exit room before the start of initiative, if you wish.
As Ember starts to warn Farlen, the door groans followed by a series of metallic clicks before the great circular plates on its face spin and rearrange seemingly at random. Levers spin and knobs turn, protrude or retract, creating a mess of clockwork oddities. With a metallic creak, the bronze door in the west wall slams shut and bolts with a definitive clang.
Hellena and Ironshanks are up.
Ironshanks Magee |
Sorry busy weekend!
Ironshanks moves into the room with the rest of the group, looking about at the blood marks and the dead morlok, then up at the complicated looking door. "Well now ain't this expected, more bullshit. I'm gonna talk to my agent about accepting these shit missions! There's gotta still be a need for gobbo stompin' down here right?"
He then adds with a smirk as Ember tastes and smells the blood on the floor "Smell and taste like steak? Or maybe its from that other beast." The sounds of the device setting into motion sets Ironshanks into motion, reaching for his axe.
I'm inside
GM Granta |
Initiative (Farlen): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Initiative (Hellena): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
Initiative (Ironshanks): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Initiative (Khellek): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Round 1
Effects Difficult Terrain
- Farlen
- Hellena
- Ember
- Khellek
- Ironshanks
A few moments of ominous silence hang in the air briefly before a rushing, gurgling mass of water starts pouring in through four 5-ft.-wide chutes in the ceiling.
Everybody is up. The entire room is difficult terrain now. Treat this as a combat rules-wise, except that you may share spaces.
Farlen Mizzul |
"Should have checked for traps." That wasn't the wisest thing I have ever done. I hope it is not the last thing."
Farlen sticks his knife in the door crack and trys to pry it open.
move to draw dagger. And what type of check? Strength?
"Anyone have any ideas?"
Khellek the historian |
Khellek continues to look at the windows and then tries some buttons, seeing if he can work out what does what.
a roll in case you need it: 1d20 ⇒ 2
Ironshanks Magee |
While others work on the door to the East, Ironshanks has more immediate visions of 'live to fight another day'. He takes his shield and uses it as a ram to attempt to force the door open that just closed behind them.
"Lets see how good these smiths were at forgin' bronze! Arrrggghhh!" He screams as he battering rams himself and shield into the door Strength Check vs West Door: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Well, can't get too much better than that I guess.
GM Granta |
Round 1
Effects Difficult Terrain
- Farlen
- Hellena
- Ember
- Khellek
- Ironshanks
Farlen feels his dagger start to break and gives up on the effort. Hellena is pretty sure there's nothing in the room to help the party. As Khellek starts turning knobs, the door responds with spinning gears and clicking switches--almost as if it is working against Khellek. But the historian seems to get the best of the door, and one of the chutes closes. Ironshanks bounces off the bronze door with a few new bruises and a headache.
Ember is up.
Ember Demus |
Ember returns Ironshanks' smirk, which immediately vanishes when he looks down to see blood and cold water sloshing around his boots. With a growl he stands tall and begins wading his way over to Khellek and the fancy window. "If it's not a warm bath, then water and I do not get along so well..."
He catches Hellena giving the room a more thorough once over, and glances over at the sound of the dwarf colliding with bronze without leaving much more than a dent. "It appears brute force wont get us anywhere, friends," he mutters, turning to study the visible mechanisms through the glass as he pulls up behind the scholar. The sight of one of the chutes closing is a very welcome one. "Easy now, Khellek. Whatever you chose to alter certainly did something, but even with Lady Luck on our side, it might be wise to hold off on pulling random levers!" Think, think! The symbols in the shrine, the signs left in blood, the platforms that float above endless darkness... Could any of it have any relation to this?
Ember's eyes desperately scan the clockwork wall in search of any clues to their workings.
Are there any numbers or labels on the dials and tidbits, or some kind of pattern to their layout?
Ember Demus |
Sure thing.
Me smart: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Ember makes an intense expression someone makes when analyzing a picture or blueprint, but it's quite clear he has no idea what he's looking at.
Farlen Mizzul |
"Hey, Khellek, that seems to have worked to some degree." " Do that again"
Farlen looks at the dials or whatever they are that Khellek is turning.
Are we continuing for more rounds or is there a situation change that we might need to consider? Can Farlen attempt an intelligence check to guess how to work the knobs?
If farlen can determine if Khellek fiddling pattern and duplicate it on another knob, he will. Next, he looks to see if there is any clue as the purpose of the knobs.
knob puzzle solving: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
GM Granta |
@Farlen: Water is still pouring in from three chutes.
Farlen: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
Round 2
Effects Difficult Terrain
- Farlen
- Hellena
- Ember
- Khellek
- Ironshanks
Ember can't keep up with the speed of the door's movements, and Khellek's shoot reopens. Farlen steps in and quickly presses a series of knobs as fast as they pop out, closing the chute again.
Everybody except Farlen is up.
Ironshanks Magee |
Ironshanks rubs his shoulder after the collision. "Must be Dwarven made, this thing is a tank! Better bust out the can opener! We Ironshanks always keep 'em on hand fer when we had to deal with them blasted Trog clerics back in the day, nie impenetrable!"
He sheds his shield and retrieves his crowbar from his backpack. "If one er two of ye are done puttin yer thumbs up yer asses over there come help me with this door!"
Out of actions for the turn but preparing to try to force the door open with the crowbar, please assist with a str check next round. Don't know how many can reasonably assist, but I can get up to a 26 check solo, so maybe with some help?
Khellek the historian |
Khellek continues to try and work out any pattern to the knobs and buttons, as he works his way across the board.
"Engineering has never been my speciality.." he grumbles.
INT?: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
GM Granta |
@Hellena: That you know of. This is a puzzle, so no GM help with ideas.
Round 2
Effects Difficult Terrain
- 2 chutes
- Farlen
- Hellena
- Ember
- Khellek
- Ironshanks
Khellek flips two switches up, but notices a wheel speeding up threateningly and returns one of the switches to down. He then toggles a third switch, and another chute suddenly closes. Ironshanks readies his crowbar, determined to get the best of the metal in front of him.
Hellena and Ember are up.
~Hellena~ |
Hellena is more a mental person than a physical one and gets to helping Khellek "Swimming and dancing have something in common, neither are any fun of you aren't good at them"
She gets to looking at the levers and gears.
Int 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Ember Demus |
Ember pulls up beside Khellek and Farlen, scowling down at the murky water rising along his legs. "Trial and error it is. Remember those patterns and keep doing what you're doing, it seems to be working!" He rushes up to the side opposite Farlen and grabs a lever and dial in each hand, turning and pulling them in quick succession and watching the cogs and chutes for a reaction, ready to turn them back if something goes horribly wrong.
Me no stoopid: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
GM Granta |
Ember: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21
Round 3
Effects Difficult Terrain, Swim check for small creatures
- 4 chutes
- Farlen
- Hellena
- Ember
- Khellek
- Ironshanks
Neither Hellena nor Ember can follow the movement of gears and dials. Every move they make seems to result in grinding gears and ringing alarms, as two chutes reopen.
Everybody is up.
Ironshanks Magee |
Seeing more chutes of water reopen and the water levels rise Ironshanks lets his opinion be known as he works on the other door with the crowbar.
"Ya got too many cooks in the kitchen over there! Someone take charge and everyone else help 'em! Looks like a herd of gnomes over there pulling levers willy nilly!"
He places the crowbar into the seam and gives it a pull Strength Check + Crowbar: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 2 = 13 but it slips out and doesn't do much. "Cocksucker!" grumbles the soaked warrior.
Khellek the historian |
Khellek looks to the others. "Perhaps if only one of us tries this, it may be faster..." he suggests a little tersely.
roll: 1d20 ⇒ 15 +5 if INT can be added.
"If only we had an adamanine knife to cut through the door. Perhaps if the rest of you search around or look for ways to block the chutes?"
~Hellena~ |
"Well let's see if we can do something about wrenching the thing open"
She wanders over and touches Ironshanks on the shoulder "Try again, Desna is watching"
- Bit of Luck (Sp): Touch allows a creature to reroll any d20 roll for the next
round twice, taking the best. Standard action.
Farlen Mizzul |
Can you aid another with an intelligence check?
Farlen attempts to aid Khellek at operating the levels and dials.
[b]"Maybe you are right. I will just aid my thoughts to yours as you work."
intelligence check aid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Ironshanks Magee |
"Try again, Desna is watching"
Is this for this round or the next?