Aubrey's Rise of the Runelords campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Aubrey the Malformed

Elisile agrees with the decision to go downstairs. To supplement the light from the everburning torch, she casts a minor light spell on a silver coin which she takes in her hand.

Is there still one door on this level we haven’t checked out? The south door from the corridor after the piano room? I thought it would lead to the north door of this entry hall, but I guess not.

"We should all be scared. It keeps us sharp. Something bad is down here, and we all need to be ready and alert."

I think there are a couple of untried doors, but we can always go back to them later.

"We should all be scared. It keeps us sharp. Something bad is down here, and we all need to be ready and alert."

I think there are a couple of untried doors, but we can always go back to them later.

Yeah, that's cool, just trying to figure if my map's right.

"I'm.....not scared. I OWNED those fools at the farmhouse.
THEY are the ones who should be scared."

Bravado on....

"Just be ready to cut things up. That's all I'm saying. Hell, I'm nervous myself." Alwyn flashes Hudak a tight smile. "Don't you think that undead sickness scares me? Being hung up on some wooden contraption by some sick freak to rot in the sun, before being overcome by hunger so strong I'd kill and eat my own mother? It is the worst fate imaginable. Gorum knows that we mortals are fearful and imperfect warriors. However, he wants us to overcome our fears and thus grow in stature. While it is true that there is glory and treasure to be gained in this accursed spot, it is just as important that we leave it as stronger men than when we came. Going down into this ghoul-infested rathole and surviving will make us into better men." He nods to Elisile. "And women. No offense intended. Now we swallow our fears, justified as they are, and walk into the darkness."

A politically-correct barbarian priest? Spot the Norwegian academic.....

A large oak table, its surface covered with mouldy stains (are you getting the mould theme yet?) and rat droppings, sits in the centre of this large kitchen. Shelves line the walls and an oversized fireplace dominates the northeast portion of the room. the shelves in the south-west wall are in a much greater state of disarray and two one-foot-wide cracks in the wall next the floor lead south into the earth beyond the basement walls.

Guess I gave myself away there... ;P

"Huh. Any ideas why one shelf is is worse shape than the others? We might want to check those out." Alwyn wanders over to the cracks and peers inside.

Any chance of us squeezing in through the holes in the wall?

Illes digs his own everburning torch out of his bag and nudges Vethran with an elbow. "What in the hells was that batwinged freak back there?" He indicates the room back up the stairs behind them with one thumb, "Was that a real creature or just something stitched together from other dead things?"

Well- we could just widen those cracks by busting out the wall.

"What in the hells was that batwinged freak back there?"

I'm guessing it was a manticore, but I don't know if Knowledge (Arcana) would let me know that or not. Let's see. Aubrey? Know (Arc): 8 + 11 = 19. Yes/no?

Any doors leading out of this room, or is it just the cracks in the walls?

"Maybe those cracks are where a secret door is, only it's not shut? Lotsa guys have secret doors. To secret stuff."

Search roll 5...meh...for secret doors'n'junk...

The room is sort of a strange shape, but there are two doord in the east wall, one in the west and one in the south.

A strange susurrus begins to whisper from the cracks, rapidly getting louder.

Listen, DC 20:

listen r7....nope.

Illes begins backing for the stairs, "Treasure doesn't sound like that Hudak. You know what else makes holes about that size in walls? Giant diseased rats, that's what!"

Listen 7+6 = 13

Listen 11+3=14.

"Could be. Something is definitlely coming." Alwyn steps back from the cracks and digs out a bottle of alchemist's fire from his belt.

Out of the cracks in the walls boils a frenzied mass of greasy fur, pallid naked tails, festering boils and yellowed incisors. The rats swarm towards the party, squeaking and chittering, leaping up to bite and tear with unholy vigour.

Rat initiative = 5. We won't do coordinates - this is more like an area attack. Just get the order and then declare your actions.

14+2 = 16

Initiative 3+1=4. Uh-oh.

Init: 12 + 2 = 14. Declared action: Fiery Burst on the rat swarm. Hopefully I can target an intersection that won't harm any of the party members but get most (if not all) of the swarm. Area effects FTW! The save DC is 16 and the damage is 2d6. 5 + 5 = 10. Woot! I'll change my action if I can't do this without hitting party members. Swarms actually take +50% damage from area effects according to the SRD, so that's really 15 damage. Not bad for a Reserve feat!

Init 18+3=21
Chopchopchop!!!
pow attack -3
r7+10-3=14
dam r3+5+3+6=17 h.p.

Listen: 14+6 = 20

“There’s something coming – rats!”

Init: 9+3 = 12

Elisile retreats back up to the top of the stairs, stopping before the door; she’s not sure that she has anything that will deal with a large swarm of small creatures.

1d20 7=26 Initiative.
"Gah! Rats it be, eh? Well coom den, ye'll be findin' me a might tough fer de chewin'!!"
Dravite will step in front of Elisile protectively and attack anything that comes within melee range, trying to keep anything from harming the elfin one.- 1d20 8=26 to hit, 1d12 5=6 damage(I think melee weapons do half damage to swarms so 3).

On his turn, Alwyn chucks the alchemist's fire at the rats. Attack roll 14 should hit whatever the swarm's AC is. Damage 5x1.5=7. Does the swarm catch fire next round - and, if so, will it stop, drop and roll?

ratatouille?

Initiative (I've rolled for Larken):
Dravite 26
Hudak 21
Illes 16
Larken 16
Vethran 14
Elisile 12
Rats 5
Alwyn 4

The party hew about them, chopping or squashing rats by the dozen, while Vethran lets rip with a fiery blast that leaves many of the attacking rodents as tiny scorched corpses. But somehow they keep on coming.

OK, we need actions from Illes and Larken (someone NPC Larken, please), then it's the rats, then it's Alwyn. Elisile has retreated out of range, though they will get to her next round unless she wants to run away.

Larken will slash with his rapier;

r11+4=15
damage
r3+3=6

"We can't get whacked by a bunch of rats! That's ridiculous!!!"

I just looked at his sheet in detail for the first time, and I'm not the most experienced with rogues; if that's retarded for him to do, sorry...

Illes scrambles for a flask and throws it a bit hastily where it explodes in flames, before he runs after Elisile, "Hold up long ears!"

Alchemist's Fire 4+5 = 9, If that hit anything... 4 damage

Illes panicky throw splashes fire on the stone wall, but otherwise fails to hit any rats. Larken skewers a few more with his rapier. Alwyn throws down his flask of alchemist's fire in the middle of the pack, but they still boil from the cracks in the wall.

Everyone in range (i.e. not Illes and Elisile) please take 2 points of damage. Back to the top - Dravite.

"Gaaaaah! Die, little rats!" Alwyn keeps hacking at the swarming rodents.

Attacking the swarm on my turn. Attack roll 13+7-3(power attack)=AC 17, damage 9+3+6(power attack)=18/2(swarm)=9 points of damage.

Dravite.

1d20 7=26 Initiative.

"Gah! Rats it be, eh? Well coom den, ye'll be findin' me a might tough fer de chewin'!!"
Dravite will step in front of Elisile protectively and attack anything that comes within melee range, trying to keep anything from harming the elfin one.- 1d20 8=26 to hit, 1d12 5=6 damage(I think melee weapons do half damage to swarms so 3).

and another swing 1d20 8=17 to hit, 1d12 5=7 damage.

Gaaaaaah!!!

r19-3(pow atk)+10=26

damage 21 h.p.

Rat bastards!!! I hatem!

Illes stops for a second and yanks another flask off his belt. He looks down the stairs and hurls it below where it explodes.

Throw another Alchemist fire down the stairs, then run with the intention of climbing on top of the table in the room above.
Throw: 9+5 = 14
Fire: 5 and next round 3 more

Amid flame, hook and blade, the rat swarm finally disperses.

"Wow." Alwyn scrapes rat carcasses off his boots. "That was very unpleasant. Now, let's move on."

North door?

First, from everyone injured, can I have Fort saves? (Heh heh heh....)

What north door - do you mean the northernmost of the east doors?

Yeah - the NE door. Fort save 13+7=20.

fort save r8+7=15 "let's roll."

“Is everyone well?” asks Elisile, concerned, looking down at the dozen of burnt and slashed rats. Do they look as bad and diseased as that first one in the washroom?

“I am sorry,” she continues, “I have prepared no magics that would be of much use against a large swarm of small creatures, and skewering them one by one would seem to have gained little. Does someone have a torch I can use?”

Rookie mistake, I’ve got nothing that can damage swarms…

Hudak: "I don't know. I feel okay...." eyes the ratbites on his legs nervously....
"Here, Ellie,....a torch, and an oil flask if that'll help."

"Take these. Don't fall and break them."

Alwyn hands Elisile two flasks of alchemit's fire.

Natural 1 on the Fort save. Fantastic.

Vethran looks decidedly worse for wear after the encounter, though his injuries are fairly minor. He smiles at Elisile when she makes her statement.

"That's quite alright. I brought plenty of flame for both of us."

1d20 5=8 Fort.
Derned disease caryin' bastard's hope I ain't hurt worse wit infection or scurvy or sumfin!

Omanomanoman......

Thanks guys, it’s probably the last swarm we’ll face, but better to be prepared.

“Perhaps Alwyn should clean those wounds before we move on,” Elisile suggests.

"That's probably a good idea. Hold on for a second..." Alwyn pulls out his healing kit.

Heal check for Vethran 13+4=17, Heal check for Dravite 12+4=16. Those replace their saving throws.

While everyone’s recovering from the fight, perhaps Larken can start checking the north east door for traps, locks etc.

Larken finds no traps and the door opens easily enough.

Two bunks stand in this room, their sheets relatively free of dust and mould. A single chair lies on its side between them.

No other exits.

searching the bunks, chair, and walls for secret stuff. roll....4.