0-7 Among the Living (Inactive)

Game Master Gilthanis

LOL

First, I will insepct the rope bridge and the immediate surroundings.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18 (19 if there's a trap)

If somebody has a rope, I will carefully cross the bridge at half speed and secure the rope on the other side.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

Kailun senses danger and keeps his longbow readied in case anything attacks Narad.

Lini casts Guidance on Narad to help him to find any traps.

With that I believe that he scores a 20 on Perception check to find traps. =)

Narad crosses the bridge, unharmed as there appear to be no traps on the bridge. As he crosses though, he wakes up a congregation of bats hanging on the ceiling which form a clusterf**k of bats that go to attack the party.

Initiative
Kailun: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Lini: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Narad: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13
Phred: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Riceak: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Varian: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
ME: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Init tracker: round 1

Riceak:go
Narad: go
Varian: go
Kailun: go
Phred/Bat Swarm: go
Lini/Droogami: waiting

Do these count as a swarm for damage?

Grinning as he chants, Kailun casts a spell to put the bats back to sleep.

Sleep centered on the bat swarm, Will save DC 16.

The half-elf will try to slash the swarm.
1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

"Narad," Varian calls out, "open the door and step through - we can all then retreat into the next room away from the swarm..."

Move Action: Open Door
Standard Action: Look for trouble: Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
Non Action: Five-foot-step into the next room

When the swarm gets within reach, Phred will slash at it.
power attack
to hit: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12 damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Varian moves forward into the next room, and readies to close the door once everyone is through.

Waiting to see if the sleep casted by Kailun will work on the swarm.

Interestingly, it seems like it does. Sleep targets a number of HD, not a number of creatures. Plus it's mind-affecting and these are intelligent creatures (Int 2).

Sleep

I don't believe it works on swarms, but I admit the PRD is a bit vague on the rules there. It says you can do such things to swarms with hive minds, which implies to me it won't work on those without such. Considering the number of bats and the number affected by sleep, I tend to believe it not being effective.

But they have a hive mind?

This is the text: A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. - It seems that the swarm needs to have an intelligence score AND a hive mind.

Sleep doesn't affect a "number of creatures," it affects a "number of HD." Man, the rules for swarms are dodgy. I'll just do something else instead.

Changing his mind at the last second, Kailun opts to instead dash across the bridge and into the next room. "Let's get out of there before that swarm gets angry!" he shouts.

Here is the link.

Narad opens the door then goes through. Variant follows behind while Riceak tries to slash at the swarm but to no avail. Kailua thinks about casting a spell then figures retreat would be the best course of action and joins the others in the next room.

The bat swarm moves to engulf Phred who tries to hack at it himself, but just as Riceak the swarm has no real anatomy to hack at whom then proceeds to bite Phred and Riceak dozens of times, whose wounds seem to seep and bleed continuously.

swarm damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Init tracker: round 1-2

Riceak: go round 2 (1 damaage)
Narad: go round 2
Varian: go round 2
Kailun: go round 2
Phred/Bat Swarm: go round 2 (1 damage plus bleed / 0)
Lini/Droogami: moved round 1

Droogie, go! says Lini to her companion that cross the bridge at his full speed.

The gnomish tries to do her best, but only reaches the gateway to the other room.

Phred will run for it.

Kailun draws his longsword and prepares to help his companions make it out of the bat-filled room.

Readied action to use aid another to improve Lini's AC if the swarm moves into her space and attacks her.

Aid another to improve Lini's AC: 1d20 ⇒ 3

"Riceak! Get in here!"

Varian then reaches around the doorway, and pulls Lini into the room.

Technically, a reposition combat maneuver, but I assume that she does not resist.

"Narad, close the door once Riceak gets inside!"

I will say Riceak will book it into the next room, as well as Phred so the bat swarm with crash against the door slamming in its face

Your hearty group gets past the bat swarm, with only minor injuries.

Phred and Riceak are still suffering from "bleeding" wounds. DC 15 heal check or curative spell to end effect. Any takers?

Now that you have a chance to catch your breath, you have a chance to look around.

Four evenly-spaced canvas walls run parallel to each other in a row stretching from north to south through the middle of this room. On both sides of each wall hang dozens of paintings, drawings, and sketches of a variety of violence-themed scenes. A solid wooden door is in the middle of the south wall and a heavier, oaken door is in the middle of the north wall.

Taking 10 to search the whole room for traps.

Narad times his time searching the room. He gets all around the room, and is about to step in front of the door when he notice another pressure plate in the floor. He takes his time, and manages to disable the trap.

You open the heave door, a half-moon-shaped cliff splits this room in half. The lower side, along the south wall, is twenty feet below the higher side along the north wall. The cliff is rather smooth, seemingly absent of handholds or any easy way to climb it. Two simple wooden doors lead out to the north and east. The room smells vaguely like cooked meat.

You can see two already tripped traps. (trap 4) There are a dozen or so spikes embedded in the heavy oak door behind you and the south wall as well as a dozen spikes imbedded in the corpse of a human female lying against the base of the cliff. (trap 5) is a tripped boiling oil trap and is the source of the room’s smell. Two deformed and burned bodies lie against the eastern door in a puddle of congealed oil.

Varian wrinkles his nose.

"They certainly seem to like their traps!"

He regards the cliff critically for a few moments, before pulling out a rope and grappling hook.

Grappling Hook: 1d20 + 2 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 - 4 - 2 = 5 Vs DC 5.

Varian (barely!) manages to snag the hook at the top of the cliff, and once sure that it is safe, shimmies up the rope, heading towards the northern door.

"Narad? If you would do the honors?"

Waiting for Narad to search for traps ;-)

The cleric will book it to safety.

How are you getting Droogami up the cliff? is it going to climb it?

The rest of the party manages to climb the rope, set by Varian. You see a pair of doors, one to the north an one to the east.

Taking 10 to search for traps and also disable them. If/once all is clear, will also take ten to climb down and check out the bodies.

Are we still bleeding? That could be bad after a while. "

I already had you guys climb up to the ledge as you were on the bottom half. And yes you guys are bleeding, a DC 15 heal check to stop it or a healing spell.

Shrugging, Kailun explains, "My knowledge of anatomy is limited to extraplanar entities. Perhaps someone with some understanding of the prime material should examine your wounds."

I would have asked Lini to bop them with my wand of cure light wounds right away.

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Phred and Riceak, come here, let me see these wounds.

Lini uses Narad's wand to heal her fellows.

Before she goes to the top of the cliff, Lini helps Droogami to climb there. Or not.

Climb - Aid another: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 2

Climb (Droogami): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

We can tie the rope around Droogami's middle, and then haul her up the cliff.

Varian nods towards the door to the north.

"Narad? If you would be so kind...?"

The cleric will gather those who are hurt around and channel.
1d6 ⇒ 1

After some manuervering and ropework, the group manages to more or less HAUL Droogami up the cliff face and onto the ledge.

Narad checks the bodies, and they are charred and smell like death, burning oil does that to a body. There is nothing valuable on them.

Which door, north or east

Taking 10 on both perception and stealth to check out the door to the north.

Narad checks the door,almost expecting something to be there, but to his surprise the door is free of traps.

Narad opens the door and finds

A row of nine open coffins stretches from east to west across the north wall of this room. Each coffin is made from a dark wood, painted black, and polished to a mirror finish. The inside of each coffin is lined with green fabric and holds a ratty blanket and musty pillow. Boxes, crates, and barrels line the south wall on either side of the simple wooden door there.

The room smells sickly sweet, like a combination of rotting vegetables and fresh taffy.

"At least they're empty. "

Take 10 on stealth and perception for this new room.

"That's what worries me, Phred." Kailun keeps watch, expecting trouble.

Narad you notice the furthest coffin on the east side of the room has the body of a male elf in it. There is another body, a male human lies crumpled in front of the barrels on the southeast side of the room.

DC 15 heal check to determine cause of death.

In the coffin you see something glint in the light.

Heal: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (2) - 2 = 0.

Varian nods in the direction of the coffin.

"It may be another trap, but on the other hand, it could be more loot. Narad? What is your professional opinion?"

Investigate the glint. Taking 10 on perception. Will inform the others.

Narad you see a shiny sword.

"Maybe some of you knowledgeable types should look at this sword."