And Then a Skeleton Popped Out: subSPUF Carrion Crown

Game Master Rynjin

Darius watches his step and does the same

Z will follow behind Darius.

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Sledge (and everyone else) fails to see anything out of the ordinary until it's too late.

Upon setting foot into the pit to swim across, Sledge finally notices a swarm of leeches swimming quickly for him, which latch on and start sucking his blood.

Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (2, 4) = 6

Sledge Fort: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Dex Drain: 1d4 ⇒ 3

Str damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

Con damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

Sledge, take 6 damage, 3 Dex drain, and 3 Con and Str damage.

4d20 ⇒ (3, 17, 4, 2) = 26

1d20 ⇒ 9

The Leech Swarm moves slightly, engulfing Darius as well.

2d6 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4

Darius Fort: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

Str damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

Con damage: 1d3 ⇒ 2

Darius take 4 damage, 3 Str damage, and 2 Con damage.

Phew. Everyone is UP.

I failed the save?

Nope, you passed the save against the poison (which deals teh Dex Drain Sledge fell afoul of). Unfortunately the Blood Drain (Str and Con) damage has no save.

Technically speaking it only occurs if you "begin your turn" in the Leech Swarm's square(s) but I don't think anybody in the party has a way to move either you or the Swarm before your turn (which is first).

Wait, how do they stealth check? You need cover/concealment to do that, and you can see 10-80 feet even in murky water.

Also, I think you messed up on initiative. Unless Leech swarms have +12 initiative, and since vermins don't have feats AFAIK, that means +12 dex mod (or 34), which I know isn't right.

Wait, how do they stealth check? You need cover/concealment to do that, and you can see 10-80 feet even in murky water.

Also, I think you messed up on initiative. Unless Leech swarms have +12 initiative, and since vermins don't have feats AFAIK, that means +12 dex mod (or 34), which I know isn't right.

Ah, crap. I originally forgot Perception for everyone else, and put those back up at the top in a Spoiler...which changed the Initiative values.

As for the Stealth...it was at the bottom of a pit. You couldn't very well see it through the floor.

So JONES is actually up before the Leeches.

Well, regardless, there's an easy way out. We fall back because if it can get Sledge and Darius that mean's it. Dragon Style means Sledge can run through difficult terrain, so that's how he's getting out.

I think we've been approaching this issue wrong. The countdown is a bunch of peasants coming to torch this place. There's an insane amount of treasure in here. The issue is a bunch of peasants coming to torch the place, right? So why don't we try to solve the actual issue?

Sledge knows better than to fight any damn swarms, and withdraws out of the water.

We could just kill all the peasants; I really cant see how that is a threat. In which case we can take our time.

Darius is tired of this and simply leaves the rear not wanting to deal with the suckers. If he has to he gets some Acid flasks ready if they decide to follow them Outside the water. " Leeches.. this man is truly annoying to say the least. "

Jones withdraws while adding Fire Breath to the list of formulae he is currently kicking himself for not learning.

Sledge can non lethal them. If he gets the strength and con damage restored and perhaps gets a few buffs to compensate for his lack of dex, he can just knock out a peasant or two every round until it becomes clear to them they stand no chance.

Out of curiosity is this an IC plan or an OOC plan (i.e. are your CHARACTERS tired of this place, or are you as PLAYERS tired of this)?

What plan? Leaving this room? Darius is tired of the random BS that seems to sneak up on them that this guy randomly has around, its basically just making him more Wrathful. As far as the peasants they are causing us to hurry when we shouldnt be. Scaring them away might be the easiest thing to do here because they are causing the issue.

You guys seemed to be planning (from what I'd heard) to just go deal with the peasants. I wasn't sure if that was to buy you time to explore at leisure, or if it was because you (as players) were tired of tromping around in the mansion of b#*+*$~*.

Probably both. Because if the peasants werent there we wouldnt be doing so when resources are low. And loot would be secured. We were being nice, being nice is off the table now.

Fair enough. You can escape from the leeches easily enough (they can't leave the water), so where do you plan to meet the peasants? Assume you'll have at least an hour or two, so you and Jones have time to brew new Mutagens, and prepare Extracts in any empty slots.

I'm down to a third level spell and six first level spells. Z is neutral, so if she has to chose between dying and burning some peasants, she is gonna burn them. Not only that, it's not like she's just going to allow them to vandalize them the place after they're finished anyways. So Burning them now or burning them later. It's going to happen regardless.

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I've got one first and one second level extract left. I say we climb down a ways and take our chances with the peasants.

A couple fort saves to shake the leech poison:
1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26
1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12

Sledge will broach the subject. He's neutral, but would prefer to resolve the issue without any deaths.

"Guys, guys. Why are we in such a hurry? From what ya'll have mentioned, you seem to be running from a buncha peasants - and there's a lot of treasure here. Thousands upon thousands of gold pieces worth of it."

"If ya'll have some potions of restoration, I can fight peasants all day, knock 'em out in one punch. If you lot throw tanglefoot and Darius trips any that try to get behind me, it should be easy enough."

Also, can anyone stabilize? Sledge risks overkilling peasants even when not power attacking.

Samuel easily fights off the poison.

Z can stabilize, but last time it took a few deaths and like 12 of them being put down to make even some of them back down. And even then they still wanted to keep attacking us. Ustalov commoners apparently have a wis of 3. So I'd expect more bloodshed.

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Well, we'll give it a shot. BTW, who can restore my STR/CON damage? I think we'll have to wait until we reach a town to get the DEX drain healed.

I don't remember if Z took it yet or not. I know it's something I've been planning to take just not sure if I grabbed it yet, let me look.

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Nope just checked I took air step instead thinking it would help me survive the mansion of no hand rails.

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Just tell me when you're ready to get it on.

Sledge downs enough restoration potions to heal himself.

Restore Str: 1d4 ⇒ 3
Restore Con: 1d4 ⇒ 3

Sweet.

Turning to Zin, he says, "Alright, lass. Heal me up. I'm going to have to take on more than a few peasants soon enough. And we don't want the law on our tails - so only kill if you absolutely must, and if you do, make it look like an accident."

Once she has done so, Sledge leads the trek back - marking the location of any treasure he passes - to meet the villagers head-on.

Every little bit, Sledge will stop and listen. Presumably a crowd of villagers would be pretty loud, so he should know they are coming long before they know we are coming.

Would Diplomacy checks disperse the mob like they did at the courthouse?

When we find the villagers, wait for me to post. I have a brilliant idea.

2 Lesser restoration potions deducted.

After about an hour and a half, the mob shows itself. Nearly a hundred strong,and thirsting for blood, it's clear that unless your attempts at Diplomacy carry the weight of the gods themselves, you're going to come to violence.

Where's a cleric when ya need one...

Well, that's basically just me saying you need a high roll. Even if you were able to buy the minute(s) required to use it, you'd need to make a DC 25 to bump them from Hostile to Unfriendly, then a 20 to knock them to Indifferent, and finally a DC 20-25 to make them leave. If anyone is a Diplomancer, it's doable, but I don't think you guys have one any more.

I can try to Intimidate them, but they didn't much care about that last time.

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"HEY!"

Sledge's voice rolls forth from his chest like cannonfire, catching the attention of the mob. "I hear you lot are on your way to burn down my new place of residence 'cuz you take issue with its former inhabitants."

Before any of the peasants can interject, Sledge holds up a fist. "Now, I'm no scientist or flameslinger or crazy-mutt-shiftin' whip guy, but lemme tell ya'll summat - I'm a man. I'm as much a man as any of ya'll, maybe more a man than any of this lot who rushed here for no good reason ahead of ya'll."

"So here's my offer - I invite ya'll to settle this like the men you are - honest, hand-to-hand combat, the crucible in which Boys become Men."

Sledge cracks his knuckles and rolls his neck. "So whaddaya say? I'd rather not have to kill anyone and leave widows and mothers weepin' at home."

"Sound agreeable? Weapons down, knuckles out, nobody has to die?"

Also, Zin, can you heal/channel? We could use some of that on the way here. If you're out, Sledge will drink potions to get back up to max.

The crowd shuffles around and mutters a bit, until someone finally speaks up.

"It's a hundred to one ya daft bastard, what do you think?"

Zin isnt a cleric and she only has so may spells left, Darius has some but he needs them right now.

Darius is on standby

Potion of Lesser Resto (Str): 1d4 ⇒ 3
Potion of Lesser Resto (Con): 1d4 ⇒ 4

As you wait, a light drizzle begins to fall, the clouds growing darker above Schloss Caromarc.

CLW: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Hesitant to spend a lot of my remaining spells.

"I swear if any of them start shooting arrows at me again I'm going to explode the biggest mass of them I see. Same dumb bastard who shot me before is probably with them anyways."

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Note: the nature of Sledge's 7 CHA is he's no good at just getting people to do things without good reason, he isn't super likable, he's a terrible liar, and he can only intimidate through example - basically, he can't just be scary, he has to show scary.

Sledge smiles. "Look, I'm a rough fellow, but I ain't in favor of unnecessary killing."

"So let me tell you what will happen if you really try to start something. The lass of there," Sledge says, as he gestures to Zin, "Opens by throwing a fireball. All of you lose a friend or a neighbor because maybe 10, 15 of ya'll die."

"I rush in, and start crushing skulls. Quick, clean efficient. Two new corpses for every dozen seconds."

"Those two draw steel, and start killing one of you every six seconds."

He pauses, and casts his gaze over the mob. "And then maybe you overwhelm us. Maybe you kill us. But we do this for a living, so we'll take a lot of you down with us."

"You have families to take care of. Don't let the streets of your city run with the tears of orphans and widows."

Sledge stretches out an arm in a gesture of peace. "So, whaddaya say?"

Z turns her head at Sledge's words, "I assure you, he is underselling me."

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Actually I'll go a bit further.

Z will reach into her belt pouch and pull out and Alchemists Fire, and smash it against herself, igniting herself on fire.

"Leave NOW before the witch of Fire loses her patience."

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

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" Don't lie to them, they won't live and we will plain and simple. They have come to commit arson upon a home that holds a free and innocent creature. By my gods law I would tell them to back down. As anyone who knows Sarenites, we are peaceful until tested and there will be no mercy afterward. 100 of them is less threatening than a Horde of goblinoids and they should be aware of this. I have no issue killing CRIMINALS, which is what every person trying to burn this place down would be and knowingly so. "

Darius folds his arms as his mutagen hangs by his side ready to drink it if they were to get riled.

Darius is very VERY chelaxian

Oh also, I'd like to ready a fireball. If ANY commoner starts talking s$@! again to rile up the crowd. F%#$ him and everything around him.

Unless the next person who speaks don't start their three part apology, and instead starts talking about any kind of fight. Bury them. Send their families my regards. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.

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Jones looks at the crowd forlornly. "I have given you every opportunity to hear the truth, even produced concrete evidence of the Beast's innocence. And yet you still refuse to listen to reason, choosing to value your own prejudice over facts and logic."

He draws his rapier. "I have only so much patience for those who adopt that mindset, and you have spent it all."

Actually I'll go a bit further.

Z will reach into her belt pouch and pull out and Alchemists Fire, and smash it against herself, igniting herself on fire.

"Leave NOW before the witch of Fire loses her patience."

[dice=Intimidate ]1d20+15

Hmmmm. 30. +2 circumstance Sledge being imposing, same for Darius. Call it an extra 2 for you torching a bunch before...I'll call a 36 MORE than good enough.

"S$$!! That's the one torched Frank and Darryl! She's not kidding, that b#~+* is CRAZY!"

The group murmurs, worriedly now. They seem to be almost willing to stay, if only to give the "Witch of Fire" a taste of her own medicine, until a great thunderclap and a nearby lightning strike punctuates the words of Zin, Sledge, and Darius. And Jones, to a lesser extent.

Taking that as a sign the gods are against them, they begin fleeing in terror, stragglers being trampled underfoot in the mob's haste to flee through the mud.

The rain becomes a storm in earnest now, lightning striking the lightning rods on the roof of Schloss Caromarc every few seconds.

"Hmph." says Z as she pats the flames engulfing her out.

"I'm almost disappointed."

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Since we ended the fight non violently I'll pass around a few more CLW.

CLW: 3d8 + 5 ⇒ (7, 3, 4) + 5 = 19

3x CLW, grab them whoever needs them.

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Taking the last one.

I'll take the first one. And I still have slots open for one CLW and one CMW if needed.

Jones lowers his weapon, looking somewhat baffled.

"Well...that was quite fortunate."

"Told ya'll you were going about it wrong. Now we can get all of that sweet, sweet treasure back in Schloss."

Sledge stares momentarily at the fleeing villagers, seeming deep in reverie. He shakes himself, and says, "Well, I'll take first watch. By my understanding, you magic types need a good night's sleep to do your thing."

We'll rest in the room Sledge slept in.

The first is more than fine for me

" Don't be I didnt want welp blood on me anyway "