The Dying City: DM Norv's "Curse of the Crimson Throne"

Game Master The Norv

Teodor swings his flail at the wretch. Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Round 3

Move Action: Move up behind the little creature.
Standard Aciton: Quick draw his longsword and try to smack the creature on the side of the head with the flat of the blade.

Nonlethal longsword attack vs Blue Creature: 1d20 + 6 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 2 - 4 = 8

Adoros continues chasing after the creature and turns the corner to see that Korriban and Teodor have it hemmed in. The young Chelish man switches his musket to his offhand as he draws his longsword and tries to club the creature on the side of the head with the flat of the blade, "Surrender or meet your maker!"

Korriban smirks as Teodor comes to his side and Adoros tries to attack the creature from the others side. He lashes out with his rapier.

Attack: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 7 + 2 = 11
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Am I still under the effects of Teodor's shield of faith spell?

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Welp! Diamon ain't doin' bupkus! He's caught up with the group and catching his breath, facing down this creature, I suppose. Placing himself between Gadriel and the creature.

Ok...here we go.

ROUND FOUR

The tiny humanoid quails and stumbles back as Gadriel bursts into her weird laugh, and scrambles around desperately as the party attempts (with surprisingly little success) to strike it. Its shrieks grow ever louder as it dodges flail, rapier, longsword, and polearm. Just after Diamon attacks, it freezes, staring at the wall, and lets loose an unearthly wail of horror.

That's when the shit sort of hits the fan.

The skulls on the walls flare with green light all of a sudden, and a brief deluge of sizzling green acid flies from their open mouths, landing on every living creature in the room! Diamon catches a particularly bad blast; he turns his head away just in time to avoid being blinded by the noxious chemical, but still takes it to his exposed flesh.

2 acid damage for Korriban, Teodor, and Gadriel; 3 acid damage for Adoros; and 6 acid damage for Diamon. (And 3 for the critter.)

Your quarry, still panicked, tries to lunge past Teodor, but is rebuffed; as Teodor finds his feet again, the little vermin manages to tuck and roll between the cleric's legs, scampering toward the end of the corridor. Then you hear an even more terrified shriek, and, to your horror, you see some of the skulls in the wall start to move. Three skulls lurch forward, trailing a desiccated spine and ribs, and reveal massive fangs attached to their lower jaws. The snake-like creatures lunge for you--and for the creature you've been chasing! Two of the snakes sink their fangs into Gadriel and Diamon's exposed flesh; although Gadriel's was only a glancing blow, the two of them feel an ice-cold chill running through their veins, sapping their strength and freezing them in place.

Gadriel takes 3 damage, and is paralyzed for one round; Diamon takes 7 damage, and is paralyzed for three rounds. After an extreme amount of die-rolling, the party is up!

Norv, Korriban has trap sense, which gives him a +1 on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. So wouldn't that put his touch AC at 14? Also, don't I still have the shield of faith from Teodor? Or is that gone? I just want some clarification before I make my move.

Diamon is unable to react to eh spray of the skull-like things on the walls around around them, swearing loudly in Dwarven as he's coated in some awful muck. Already planning to move on and smash those skulls, he's stopped when he feels his body quickly seizing up and not responding to his commands. Which resulted in more swearing from inside his own mind.

Awesome. Diamon's doin' more of frack all for this fight now that he's friggin' paralyzed. And is officially Bloodied.

Abu hops up and down on Gadriel's shoulder, trying to get her stiffened body to move. Small burns appear on her arms and face as the acid bites deep. Abu's eyes begin to glow red, as his anger rises.

Ooph. That was a painful round. :D

Round 4
hp 25/31

Greatsword Attack vs Bone Snake: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Adoros hisses in pain as the acid splashes onto his bare skin, sizzling as he tries to wipe it off. When the bone snakes start pouring out of the walls, the young Chelish man quickly switches over to his bigger weapon, the greatsword but in his haste to draw it and strike the enemies, he gets it tangled up in his garments, "Curse you, you infernal hall of damnation!"

Seeing his compatriots hurt and even getting a little acid on himself, Teodor once again brandishes his Groetian symbol, focusing so as to exclude the little blue guy from his positive energy. Channel Energy: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 3) = 4 Does that heal the party AND damage the snakes if they're undead?

Korriban, you're correct--your Trap Sense gives you just enough of a bonus to avoid the damage from the acid this past round (and the Shield of Faith is still up, though the Trap Sense is enough). Good call. Can you add it to your spoilered class line so that I don't forget it again? :) Just waiting on your action to move forward.

And sadly, no, Teodor, you have to choose to channel energy to heal the living OR harm the undead. Also you might be surprised to learn that these actually technically might not be undead...*cough*

That's what I feared in both cases, hahaha.

Korriban hears the wail of the creature and turns... to see acid spewing on the walls. He dances around the spurts, nary a drop landing on him. The creature darts through Teodor's legs and he scowls. But before he can act, the walls begin to crawl. Three snake like creatures pop right out and begin to attack. "What did I tell you, Teo?! Breathing! Acid! Can you summon something like you did against Tallak?" He then moves to try and help. Unfortunately, his attack fails to hit

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Also, I looked up paralysis. While the target is immobile, they can still do mental actions. Don't Gadriel's hexes count as mental actions?

That's...a really good question, actually. Let me see...*quick research* Ok. So, I can't find a definitive answer (though I put a question up on the rules forum). She definitely can't cackle (the rules FAQ specifies that you have to cackle out loud, equivalent to a verbal spell component), but others are unclear. I'm inclined to say that each of them with the possible exception of fly require at least a designation of a target (some minor somatic component). Gadriel, do you want to wait on rules clarification? Or would you like me to make a ruling?

ROUND FIVE

As the party struggles to hit their new opponents, the little humanoid up the hallway cowers in fear and tries to flee from the third bony serpent. It snaps at his heels, but its bony jaws clack shut on empty air. Your foe scampers to the end of the hallway and presses against the wall with all his might, seemingly at nothing. Suddenly, a section of the stone gives way, revealing a secret passage, and your quarry disappears down it! The bony creature slithers after him, clearly on the hunt.

Down at your end of the hallway, the snake facing Gadriel slithers slowly around her legs, twining up to sink its fangs almost delicately into a major artery. It lets her go as the young girl gasps and falls to her knees, vision swimming. The snake that has now been assaulted by Adoros and Korriban turns toward them, and rears back, swaying hypnotically. As the strangely humanoid-looking fanged skull looms over you, you feel your mind beginning to fog as you stare at the mesmerizing vision...Adoros and Teodor blink and manage to throw off the strange effect, but Korriban is completely hypnotized.

Gadriel is no longer paralyzed. Korriban, however, is dazed for three rounds as he watches the snake in horror. Gadriel takes a whopping 11 points of damage from a coup de grace, but fortunately made her save. After Teodor's healing, I believe this should put you at 7 hp. This is a tough fight (tougher than I realized, now that I'm looking closely at the foes). Excited to see what you do with it!

Party is up!

::blink:: Coup de Grace? Dear lord how did I survive that?!!!?! :D

Somewhat desperate, Gadriel tucks into a roll and nimbly moves behind Adoros. Standing up with a heavy breath, Abu growls angrily at the fleeing creatures, his eyes full of hate. Suddenly, the sounds of thousands of spiders erupt from the far passage. The sounds stopping just as quickly, they leave behind a mass of sticky webs coating the entire far passage and the fleeing creatures in it. "Abu says we are not finished with you. We think no alarm should be raised." Her knees almost buckle from the activity, and she leans against the cavern wall as the magic leaves her.

Cast web (reflex at 17 to not be entagled) filling pretty much that entire passage the creatures fleeing from. Should slow them down enough to deal with the damn snakes. :)

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (15) + 15 = 30

Waiting on actions from Teodor and Adoros to continue the round! :)

Round 5
hp 25/31

Standard Action: Attack the green snake!

Greatsword Attack vs Bone Snake: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
You have got to be kidding me...back to back 1s...

Adoros continues to try and disentangle his greatsword from his clothing, "Foul accursed straps! Why are you so hard to undo?!"

Seeing the humanoid and one snake trying to escape, Teodor's eyes roll back into his head, going almost completely white. "Ob shob shuggurath gxtilli fthagn ..." he begins chanting. Suddenly, with the cold, nameless stench of the beyond, a creature appears on the other side of the humanoid. It's roughly the same size as a particularly well-developed wolf, but some of the details twisted in unknowable ways. Each leg was more a set of three tendrils moving in blasphemous motions. Where it's head and snout should be larger tendrils lined with needle teeth open like a blossoming flower of death.

Bite attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

It snaps at the little fellow.

ROUND SIX

As Korriban blinks, dazed, and Diamon struggles mightily against the icy poison running through his veins, Gadriel manages to get a spell off...and the sound of the yelling that echoes from the end of the corridor suggests that it's successful. The continued screaming suggests that Teodor's horrible wolf and the snake-thing down there are having their way with the little creature...

Back in the hallway, as Gadriel staggers back from the snake and Teodor completes his spell, Adoros continues to struggle with his sword. The bony snake to the south slithers forward slowly and then lashes out at Diamon, inflicting a ghastly wound. The one to the north lunges at the dazed Korriban, landing a blow that leaves the rogue staggering as a cold toxin floods his veins...

You guys are...not having great luck with the dice. Sorry. :P 10 damage to Diamon as it chomps down on him, and 4 damage to Korriban, along with 3 rounds of paralysis. D: Party's up!

So, am I both dazed and paralyzed? Or did the paralysis get rid of the dazed status?

Seeing Daimon battered and bloody, Abu's eyes glow a soft white while Gadriel's had becomes outlined in the same. With a quick tumble to a safe spot she places her hand on Diamon. His wounds stitch rapidly, and a nauseatingly sweet taste overpowers his pallet.

Cast, acrobatics to there, then give a cure moderate wounds to Diamon.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (11) + 15 = 26
Cure moderate wounds: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (3, 2) + 3 = 8

Round 6
hp 25/31

Standard Action: Attack the green snake!

Greatsword yadda yadda yadda: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. The dice are obviously rigged. :P

Adoros is doing his impersonation of a clown at a circus.

Sorry for my recent silence--things have been getting crazy at work, and I was caught unprepared. I'll try to post here more regularly! Korriban: technically I suppose it's both, though since you don't have many abilities usable as mental actions, it doesn't make much difference. Going to bot Teodor for now, since he's MIA as well.

Man, these dice hate you. :P

ROUND SEVEN

From the tunnel to the north, you hear the sounds of savagery: rending flesh, horrible screams, the guttural noises that [i]should be a wolf's yips and howls. Teodor strides forward, murmuring "...this is not the end. Not for us. Not like this."

Just going to have Teodor channel healing for 2d6 ⇒ (1, 5) = 6 hit points for everyone.

The two bone snakes remaining in the corridor, seeing movement beyond their current quarries, dart forward, slithering between your legs and out toward the other side of the group! One surprises the mobile members of the party, darting straight below Adoros and Teodor's legs...fortunately, its lunge at Teodor is deflected by the priest's mail. As the other one emerges from its place behind Korriban, Adoros and Teodor are both more prepared, and Teodor's flail catches a glancing blow that causes it to rear back and hiss. Adoros's sword finally comes free of its scabbard and, with a yell, he brings the blade down in a mighty, two-handed blow onto the thing's spine! Several of the ribs shatter, and the bony thing begins to list dangerously. Its half-hearted snap at Adoros is wide by a mile.

Finally, feeling begins to slowly return to Diamon's limbs...

Party's up, in posting order! By my count, Diamon should be out of paralysis now. :)

Forgot one thing...

You hear a snarl of pain from the corridor to the north...

Teo's wolf takes 2 damage.

wolf attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10Teodor attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Sorry ...phone died and new one has been taking some getting used to.

Teodor swings at the snake in red, hoping to bash its brains in.

Diamon finally starts to feel sensation in his limbs again, and feels his voice returning. A slow, building roar grows louder and louder the more he regains control, leaving the cavern walls echoing with his call to action. Grasping his polearm tight, he strides forward and brings it down with the full righteous fury of a Stonelord, intent on crushing the green serpent into dust.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Damage: 1d12 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Round 7
hp 31/31

Standard Action: Attack the green snake!

Greatsword Attack vs Green Snake: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Greatsword Damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (1, 4) + 4 = 9

As it seems luck is finally with him (for once), Adoros laughs as he slices at the snake by Teodor, "Back to the grave you with foul things!"

Abu glares at the snake in front of Teodor, with black eyes and a high pitched chittering while Gadriel moved into the corridor.

Misfortune Hex the creature in front of Teodor!

I LIIIIIIVE! Sorry for the delay--had a show open on Wed., which kicked my butt far more than expected (it piled onto unforeseen crunchtime at work). But here I am! I'm going to try to pick up the pace a bit here...

ROUND EIGHT

As Teodor's flail clangs off the floor, and the other snake twists away from Diamon's swashing blow, Adoros manages to land a mighty blow on the green snake, smashing it to splinters. There seems to be continuing chaos from the tunnel to the north...but the tiny humanoid's screaming has stopped.

Closer to home, the bone-snake lunges for Teodor's throat...but Abu chitters, and reality seems to bend a little bit...and the snake's jaws snap shut with a clack on empty air.

Party's up!

So, my dazed ends this round or next round and my paralysis should end on round 9 or 10. Right?

Actually you were paralyzed for three rounds at the top of round 6, so you should be able to act next round (you'll have been out for the count of round 6, 7, and 8)!

Gadriel stays towards the back, away from the jaws and bodies of these creatures. Abu continues glaring at the snake thing, his eyes black. Suddenly, Gadriel breaks out into an odd laugh.

Evil Eye the creature penalizing it's AC, then Cackle.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 Teodor again clumsily swings his flail to no avail.

Diamon takes another clumsy swing at the snake, still struggling to regain full control of his limbs.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Oh for fracks sake...

Round 8
hp 31/31

Move Action: 5-foot step next to Teodor.
Standard Action: Attack the red snake!

Greatsword Attack vs Red Snake: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
Tell me about it...

Adoros grunts in satisfaction as one of the slippery, bony bastards finally goes down. The Chelish man steps between Teodor and Korriban and takes the fight to the next snake, "Join your fellow in hell!"

Sorry for the delay, girlfriend's caught the flu and I was tending her! Life does add up...still gonna try to up the pace, thanks for the fast posts!

ROUND NINE

As the warriors flail wildly at the remaining bone snake, it's almost as though you can hear some strange, distant music...but it's probably just a side effect of Gadriel's weird hex.

The snake, meanwhile, lunges toward Teodor, just barely slipping under the cleric's guard to sink its fangs into his ankle! Although the older man staggers, the wound was brief and shallow enough for him to shake off the poison the weird golem tried to inject. From the corridor to the north, the sounds of continued fighting drift down to you...

Party's up, in posting order! The bastard's AC is down, so take him out while (if) you can! :P Korriban is free to move at this point!

Edit: attack on Teodor dealt 4 damage, but no paralysis!

Oh, Norv. You and your music... :D. I'll get a post in tomorrow.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

*sigh*

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13 Teodor hums along to the music.

Gadriel maintains her focus on the creature, while Abu's eyes remain black and staring at the creature in front of the party. Gadriel's odd laugh still echoes off the tunnel walls.

Evil eye the creatures attack roll, then continue cackling. Eventually, this thing will fall. Hopefully before Gadriel actually has to try rolling her OWN attack rolls. :D

Round 9
hp 31/31

Move Action: Screw it, AoO me! Moving 10 feet to flank snake with Teodor.
Standard Action: Attack the red snake!

Greatsword Attack vs Red Snake: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 2 = 16
Greatsword Damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (5, 1) + 4 = 10

Trying to draw the snake's attention, Adoros leaves a few openings in his defense as he stalks around the snake before swinging in again with his greatsword.

Korriban finally feels his limbs go loose. He glares at the snake skeleton. He steps forward and lashes out. "No one shall take my movement!"

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11 If I'm flanking with Adoros, then it's 13.
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Swing and a miss.

ROUND TEN

The snake-thing lunges at Adoros as he steps around it, but, distracted by the flash of blades all around--and whirling in a maddened way to "hiss" silently at Gadriel, whose arcane laughter seems to be distracting and confounding it--it misses. The Chelaxian brings his greatsword down in a mighty blow onto the thing's spine, and it writhes across the ground, badly battered! The others, sadly, are still having no luck catching it with their own weapons.

As Adoros recovers from his swing, the damaged golem lunges forward and sinks its fangs into the swordsman's exposed wrist, eliciting a howl of pain. Fortunately Adoros manages to jerk his hand away before its paralyzing venom affects him...

8 damage for Adoros off a nasty crit, but no paralysis! Also, 5 more damage to Teo's wolf...Party's up!

"Korriban, you fear people stealing your movements? Bowel movement thieves are notorious around here!"

Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 2 = 9damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Teodor's witticism distracts him and he swings his flail onto the floor, cracking it with the force.

Korriban smirks at Teodor. "Now, why are you focused on my bowel movements? Are you one these thieves?"

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
What is going on here?

Korriban's own witticism distracts him as well.

Round 10
hp 23/31

Standard Action: Attack the red snake!

Greatsword Attack vs Red Snake: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 6 + 2 = 14
The dice are cursed... it is the only answer! Burn them at the stake.

Adoros hisses in pain at the nasty bite as he struggles to get his sword around for another strike.

Adoros, your attack matches the creature's AC. Doesnt that mean you hit it?

You're right. Missed the red had lower stats due to Evil Eye.

Greatsword Damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (1, 4) + 4 = 9

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Dice: 1d12 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

AT LAST! Power Attack!

Diamon, taking a moment to catch his breath and channel his anger into something more focused, steadies his breathing as his polearm becomes unnaturally steady. His eyes opening, flashing with a gold energy, he swung the weapon around and brought the hammer down with controlled rage on the vile red serpent.

Although the snake-thing dodges the first couple of attacks, Adoros's sword cracks the center of its spine over the rib cage neatly in half, and as it writhes and twists, Diamon's hammer comes down to crush the thing's skull to powder! Red's gone!

The sounds of fighting continue to come from the opened (and revealed) doorway to the north...

Just waiting on Gadriel's action! The revealed secret passage does have an actual door that is open/closeable.