Amelia's page

Blazej is correct. 4e is not designed for monsters to be built like PCs. PCs have way more powers, in most cases, then momsters. Plus more surges, plus APs. PC on PC can be done, of course, but. IMO, there's no need and it would be hard to balance encounters.

The DMG has templates that let you add some PC elements to other monsters, or you can use the various MMs, and the Monster Builder to find creatures close to what you envision them as as PCs.

4e Monsters are very easy to build and tweak, it's one of the strengths of the system. For instance, for your encounter, I'd take the Human Noble, which is very warlord like to start with, and change one of it's encounter powers to a healing one (I'd choose to remove Urge Hestiation myself). That would make it a perfect, balanced, monster Warlord.

For the Warlock, I'd use the Death Cultist Mage as is and reskin it's powers (ie: rename them, and givem the a different look).

That's just one of many ways to do it, and in the end you have a 'Warlord' and 'Warlock' that look like PCs on the table, and are balanced inside the system.

Kevaras finds a backpack. Within it are long spoiled foods and a ceremonial shortsword. The weapon clearly is not intended for combat and it's blade is a deep blue color.

In another part of the rubble filled area, Vernal finds an armband of the sort worn by Drow Priestesses. It's old, and has a web and spider motif, as one would expect. It would fetch around 100 gold in a drow community, and likely less from other races.

In the center area, the webs glow brighter, then lash out to wrap around Malize. Before anyone can react, the webs - and Malize - vanish and a horde of spiders appear before skittering off. A clear sign of the Will of Lolth being involved.

The area is darker now, but there is a hall revealed beyond where the barrier had been.

Kevaras sees nothing interesting at first glance, just the hall and the rubble. He could move closer to search it, if he desired to.

If you do, please roll perception.

Vernal heads towards the Dias. When he gets closer, he can see that it's positioned in the center of a fresco. The fresco covers the walls to the north, south, and west of the dias.

The fresco itself is strange. The painting shows seven shadowy figures - some normal humanoids, some a strange mix of creature and person, and one just a mass of tendrils. Each is stretching out a blade towards the dias, hilt first, as if offering the blades to someone on the dias, that individual not show, clearly, in the fresco.

The swords are the only thing with true color in the fresco, the background is grey, the figures black, but each blade is colored in one of the colors of the rainbow.

No threats emerge at all. The web keeps glowing, lighting the area. Which side will the investigators check out - the dias area to the left, or the hall and rubble to the right?

It'll be sad to see you go, Fabes, but I think I can come up with a way to write Malize out that will allow a future return if you want.

I agree. Reason will be greatly missed!

I'll update my wishlist on Whiteclaw today.

The green glow from the web sends light all over the area, a sickly light. Nothing emerges from the darkness, though, and the only sounds are the ones your group is making.

After taking a moment to catch thier breath, the group continues north and soon reaches a chamber.

The chamber is pretty big and there are more vaulting hallways to the left and right. Down the right hallway you can see some collapsed rubble. Down the left hallway, you can see a dias, though no details can be seen from here. Along the north wall is a massive archway and it's filled with glowing, green, spider webs.

Map

Corpus drops the last lizard, chopping the thing in half.

You're all at 1800 xp now. No loot. Kevaras will make his blind save at some point, so, poof, he can see. You can take a short rest, then either investigate the ruined object more, or keep going down the hall.

Ovid finishes the second shadowy lizard and the last one bites at Kevaras.

Bite: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27. Hit: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 damage

It's teeth bite into the Paladin and it doesn't seem to care that it fights on alone - it seems to have no survival instincts at all.

Map

Round 3:
Corpus:
Malize
Vernal
Kevaras: Blinded (save ends)
Ovid*
Lizard 3, bloodied, DC by Kevaras

Santanders fire acrs in harmlessly, adding light, but not stopping the lizards.

Map

Round 2:
Ovid*
Lizard 3, bloodied, DC by Kevaras
Corpus:
Malize
Vernal
Lizard 1: Bloodied, marked by Corpus
Kevaras: Blinded, save ends

Vernals' dagger misses and even guided by the Raven Queen, Kevaras does as well, but not by very much.

Map

Round 2:
Santander
Ovid*
Lizard 3, bloodied, DC by Kevaras
Corpus:
Malize
Vernal
Lizard 1: Bloodied, marked by Corpus
Kevaras: Blinded, save ends

The dretch cuts deeply into the lizard, but the shadowy thing is still up and snaps at Corpus.

Bite. 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16.

However it misses, the teeth closing on air.

Map

Feh, skipped Vernal, sorry, well SL1 is resolved anyway.

Round 2:
Vernal
Lizard 1: Bloodied, marked by Corpus (resolved)
Kevaras: Blinded, save ends
Santander
Ovid*
Lizard 3, bloodied
Corpus:
Malize

Bounce for Malize.

Corpus flails blindly at the shadowy creature.

Corpus, you need to roll a save vs blind.

Map

Round 2:
Malize: Controlling dretch
Vernal
Lizard 1: Bloodied, marked by Corpus
Kevaras: Blinded, save ends
Santander
Ovid*
Lizard 3, bloodied
Corpus: Blinded (save ends), HP: 33/34

Even blind, Kevaras is a potent warrior and the drow cuts down the lizard.

Kevaras, you need a save vs blind.

Santander's fire arcs in, but fails to find his target, and Ovid also misses the nimble lizard.

The lizard by Vernal snaps at him, it's teeth looking dark and sharp.

Bite: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22. Hit. Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Map

Round 2:
Malize: Controlling dretch
Corpus: Blinded (save ends), HP: 33/34
Vernal
Lizard 1: Bloodied, marked by Corpus
Kevaras: Blinded, save ends
Santander
Ovid*
Lizard 3, bloodied

Kevaras cuts deeply into the lizard and like it's companion, it snaps at him and darts away.

Embrace the darkness on Kevaras. 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27. Hit. Damage:1d8 + 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + (3) + 2 = 6 and blinded (se)

The lizards then attack on thier own. The least hurt one darts back from Ovid, and then both lizards near it attack the dretch.

Lizards 1 and 2 attack the dretch with CA. Lizard 1 also has -2 for Corpus' mark. Attacks for 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14 and 2: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21. One hit. Damage: 1d8 + 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (7) + (1) + 2 = 10 and it's blinded (se)

Map

Round 1:
Kevaras: Blinded, save ends
Santander
Ovid*
Lizard 3, bloodied
Malize: Controlling dretch
Corpus: Blinded (save ends), HP: 33/34
Vernal
Lizard 2
Lizard 1: Bloodied, marked by Corpus

I do think that you need to make a seperate attack roll for each targets, and it would have a flanking bonus on SL2, so, to save time I'll roll that attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14. Miss.

A foul little demon appears, and claws at the lizards - under protest. Under so much protest, in fact, that it cleanly misses.

Corpus takes advatange of the demon's appearance to work around the side of one of the lizards.

Weapon Masters Strike vs Sl1: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28. Hit. 1d10 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10. Sl1 is marked.

The axe bites deeply into the side of the shadowy being and dust and what looks like ink spills from the wound, then the lizard seems to fade into the shadows and bite at Corpus.

Being bloodied triggers Embrace the Darkess. The shadow lizard gains CA vs the attacker who bloodied it, makes a bite attack, and shifts one square. Bite: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23. Hit. 1d8 + 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (8) + (5) + 2 = 15 damage and Corpus is blinded (save ends).

The lizard bites at the drow's face, and his own blood, and it's inky blood cling to him, masking his vision in a sheen of black goo.

Map

Round 1:
Vernal
Lizard 2
Lizard 1: Bloodied, marked by Corpus
Kevaras
Santander
Ovid*
Lizard 3
Malize: Controlling dretch
Corpus: Blinded (save ends), HP: 19/34

As the shadowy foes drop, Ovid is reacting and manages to stab all three of them rather nicely, as well as force one back from Malize.

Even after being stabbed by Ovid, the quickest of the lizards bites at Kevaras once more, after sliding away from the spear wielding monk.

Shift to J21 then bites. 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Once more, however, all the bite finds is air.

Map

Round 1:
Malize
Corpus
Vernal
Lizard 2
Lizard 1
Kevaras
Santander
Ovid*
Lizard 3

Corpus perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15, init: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Down the hall, Vernal investigates. Around what's left of the frame, he finds shards of what seem to be some sort of black glass. Not many of them, but enough to tell that this was high quality glass. In addition, there are runes on what's left of the frame, though Vernal does not know what they signify.

However, just then, the main party is attacks by shadowy lizards that drop down from the ceiling and snap out at people. Only Ovid has any chance to react to them at all.

Kevaras, Ovid, and Malize are attacked by the lizards like things, and they have CA vs all but Ovid. Everyone can roll init, and Ovid can roll his suprise round attacks. As for the shadow lizards, they get attacks against Kevaras: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11. Ovid: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22, and Malize: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14. Only Ovid is hit for: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9 damage.

Map

Round 1:
Lizard 3
Corpus
Lizard 2
Lixard 1

Vernal, Perception and Arcana please. Everyone else, perception please.

Any idea what the purpose might have been originally? Also any idea when it was broken - i.e. last year, centuries ago or within the past few minutes?

Not from where you are. You'd have to get closer to examine it.

The wood shavings are just residue, though it is surface wood and not vines or mushrooms.

Moving you all on, though we can backtrack if there's anything else you want to do at the bedroll.

Moving up the hall, soon you come to two more alcoves. To the right, you can see the area has collapsed (represented by the many colored squares). From here, it's not possible to tell if the rocks are moveable.

To the left, at the end of the hall, you can see a small marble platform. There is a clearly broken device on the platform. The intact part of it is curved, as if it might have been a mirror, and only about a third of that frame, and no glass, seems to remain.

Updated Map

The pile of cloth is a bedroll, brittle with age. There are some wooden shaving, the residue of someone carving, that lay around it.

As the group sets off down the hallway the walls begin to glow. There is also a strange sound in the air, one that none of you have ever heard before.

The illumination is coming from glowing incriptions of simple geometric patterns at waist level. In places the bands are highly detailed, but in others the walls look like they've been hacked with primitive tools. Flakes of ancient paint - a strange mix of purple, yellow, and black - clings to the walls in places, hinting that at one point, the hall was very colorful.

As you reach the first intersection, alcoves open to either side of you. The alcoves are somewhat shallow. The walls in the alcoves look to be very damaged. There are dozens of marred etchings along the walls, and in the western alcove, there seems to be a pile of cloth.

Updated Map

Yeah, I had to start way down, to give space for later

The trap door has no traps on it, and while it takes some time to open, you all manage it. There is a shaft below and a rope, so you need to repel down. It's not that hard, and you all make it. You find yourself at the end of a hallway that leads north into darkness.

The Map shows what you can see so far.

Going through the trapdoor?

Kevaras' detective skills quickly emerge. He's able to figure out that whoever did this destroyed the wagons, then came down the path much as you all did and fell on the camp, and did a pretty good job of destroying it.

However, in the one ruined partly stone building, he finds something that they missed. Hidden under an altar to Lolth is a trap door.

The altar hints that drow ran this outpost.

The group moves into the side passage which not at all wild. It's well taken care of and a few hours later you all reach a mining complex.

It's been destroyed. Most of the buildings were made from mushrooms and they've been burnt, acrid smoke still lingering in the air. There is one partly intact building of stone, and the tunnels leading into the mine have been collapsed.

If you wanna search around, roll perception or dungeoneering

Attention, fellow children of Lolth! In the latest round of errata, we have been nerfed from our previous divine perfection! Now we have to choose between Cloud of darkness and Darkfire! An outrage!

Ignore that. It's still. Drow have had both since, well, the 80s. So, in Amy World, they still do.

Stay on the highway, or go down to side 'road' to wherever the wagons came from?

It'll suck to lose Reason, but welcome Chary :)

No, you don't recognize the uniforms. The wagons were carrying ore, iron ore, and likely often. There are scraps of it in all of them. Whatever attacked the caravan did it quickly and with overwhelming force, it feels less like a battle and more like a massacre when you look it over.

After a 'night' of rest, the party continues onwards. While there is no evidence how the surface group got here, they had plenty of supplies and for now the party has enough to eat. Indeed, they likely are having various surface foods for the first time, so the fare might even be considered exotic.

After a few days travelling along the highway, the group comes to the sign of a battle. A caravan was attacked by something, wrecked wagons are everywhere. Bodies lay around the wagons - duergar, drow, kobold, all dressed in the same uniform. Nothing of value remains and even the lizards that were pulling the four wagons are dead.

There is a side tunnel here - it seems the wagons were coming out of it when they were ambushed. It might also mean a settlement is nearby.

He can't make out anything. If it's dedicated to a god, it's not Lolth, Torag, or any other diety that he can ascertain.

I'll move things forward Monday, semi busy with prep and Halloween, will answer queries though :)

Or maybe the staff has an affinity for Santander :)

Naubos stays a warped thing. Vernal can tell the staff has an affinity for cosmic magic, the sort that Star Pact warlocks or Cosmic sorcerors use.

Ovid and Corpus can still arcana roll if they want, the rest of you will have to wait until level 3 to do so again, if the group takes the staff with them.

Santander is not yet able to figure out anything about the staff. Anyone else want to make an Arcana check and see what they can learn?

The double volley of magical missiles slam into Naubos and he slips into death. As he dies, the ghosts scream and vanish as well, leaving the ancient vault free of foes.

You're all at 1725 xp now. Searching reveals two healing potions on Naubos, and in addition you find a chest of 350 gold under some rubble. And, there is the staff. It will take some investigation to figure out. It's made of a sickly green crystal, and just feels wrong.

Santanders flames don't come close to the ghost as he moves to the side.

Map

Round 5:
Malize
Naubos*: Bloodied, prone
Ovid
Corpus: Marked by Star 3, granting CA (eot Star 3)
Kevaras: Marked by Star 2, granting CA (eot Star 2)
Star 2: Bloodied, divine challenge, divine sanction
Vernal
Star 3: divine sanction, bloodied
Santander

Vernal coldly stabs Naubos who cries out, but does not give up his hold on life yet. The other star ghost ignores the pain of divine burns at it attacks Corpus. The divine stanction does weaken it's grip on it's unlife though.

Dizzying Touch on Corpus 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19. Hit. Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 psychic damage and Corpus is marked and grants CA until Star 3 EOT. Star 3 is bloodied from divine sanction damage.

Map

Round 5:
Santander
Malize
Naubos*: Bloodied, prone
Ovid
Corpus: Marked by Star 3, granting CA (eot Star 3)
Kevaras: Marked by Star 2, granting CA (eot Star 2)
Star 2: Bloodied, divine challenge, divine sanction
Vernal
Star 3: divine sanction, bloodied

Kevaras tears the ghost up, nearly slaying it in one blow! It lashes back out at him, desperately.

Dizzying Touch vs will. 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16. Hit. 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 psychic damage and Kevaras is marked and grants CA until EOT Star 2

Map

Round 5:
Vernal
Star 3: divine sanction
Santander
Malize
Naubos: Bloodied, prone
Ovid
Corpus: Marked by Star 3, granting CA (eot Star 3)
Kevaras: Marked by Star 2, granting CA (eot Star 2)
Star 2: Bloodied, divine challenge, divine sanction

The weapon master misses badly.

Round 5:
Kevaras: +2 saves (sont)
Star 2
Vernal
Star 3
Santander
Malize
Naubos: Bloodied, prone
Ovid
Corpus: Marked by Star 3, granting CA (eot Star 3)

Bounce for Corpus

Ovid drives his spear deep into Naubos' prone form, but the drow-thing is not dead.

Map

Round 5:
Corpus: Marked by Star 3, granting CA (eot Star 3)
Kevaras: +2 saves (sont)
Star 2
Vernal
Star 3
Santander
Malize
Naubos: Bloodied, prone
Ovid

Naubos cries out. "No, the staff will be mine!" His arm lashes out at Malize.

Tentacle arm, at -2, vs Malize. 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13. Miss

But, once more, the arm misses, even as Naubos tries to throw off the spell effects. He manages to do so, and then falls over.

Save: 1d20 ⇒ 14. Save. So, he's prone.

Map

Round 5:
Ovid
Corpus: Marked by Star 3, granting CA (eot Star 3)
Kevaras: +2 saves (sont)
Star 2
Vernal
Star 3
Santander
Malize
Naubos: Bloodied, prone

Santander burns the ghost down. Just two of the star flecked ghosts still stand - and Naubos.

Map

Round 4:
Malize
Naubos*: Granting CA and cannot benefit from Concealment (EOT Malize)
Ovid
Corpus: Marked by Star 3, granting CA (eot Star 3)
Kevaras: +2 saves (sont)
Star 2
Vernal
Star 3
Santander

Ovid snaps a quick kick at Naubos after Vernal's command.

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8. Miss

However, the attack fails to score. The other Star Ghost attacks Corpus.

Dizzying Touch vs Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22. Hit. 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 psychic damage, and Coprus is marked by Star 3, and grants CA until Star 3 EONT

Map

Round 4:
Santander
Malize
Naubos*: Granting CA and cannot benefit from Concealment (EOT Malize)
Ovid
Corpus: Marked by Star 3, granting CA (eot Star 3)
Kevaras: +2 saves (sont)
Ghost 2: Bloodied
Star 2
Vernal
Star 3

The two drow attack in a flurry of blows. Star 3 is injured and Ghost 2 is badly hurt, it's ectoplasm having holes ripped into it. Then the ghosts strike back. Ghost 2 drifts slightly, so that both itself and Star 2 can attack the paladin.

Star 2 delays until after ghost 2 so both get flanking after Ghost 2s shift. Ghost 2 uses Maddening Touch vs Will: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15. Miss. Star 2 uses Dizzying Touch vs Will: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9. Miss.

In a dazzling display of poor execution, the two ghosts show why they are already dead as the paladin is not struck by anything at all.

Map

Round 4:
Vernal
Star 3
Santander
Malize
Naubos*: Granting CA and cannot benefit from Concealment (EOT Malize)
Ovid
Corpus: Marked by Star 3, granting CA (eot Star 3)
Kevaras: +2 saves (sont)
Ghost 2: Bloodied
Star 2