Whoops, I disappeared for a few days...the last couple days of work have been really crazy. I should get back to a regular posting schedule starting tomorrow.
The construct opens its mouth again. This time, it hisses as shimmering, black arcane blobs come out of its mouth,
"Annd Qara is a fraaudd!"
The claws on its 'paws' detach and fly out in all directions.
Reflex saves, y'all.
Action Points 6/6 | Power Points 13/42 | Transfer Wounds 7/7
Having stepped away from the construct since it's emergence from the coffin, Helac has just enough space to react. Seeing the thing raise it's hands and the claws begin to slide loose, he attempts to sidestep the projectile(s)...
M Tiefling Magus Kensai 3 | Init +5 | HP 24/26 | AC 18 FF 12 T 17 | Saves +4/+3/+2 | Perception +5 | BAB +2 CMB +5 CMD +15
Reflex
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Tierney's fascination with the black phenomenon spewing from the construct's mouth dulls his normally sharp senses and he fails to even notice the claws until it is too late to avoid them.
The spikes successfully hit some of their targets. Anyone who didn't make DC 15 takespiercing damage:3d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 2) = 11.
The globs dart outwards, towards the feet of those who were hit!
Underneath the feet of each person who was hit by a claw (failed their reflex save[/ooc), a dark, elliptical pit forms, each of which are too dark to see in, even with darkvision.
[ooc]If you failed the first save, make another reflex save, DC 20, or fall into a newly formed pit.
M Tiefling Magus Kensai 3 | Init +5 | HP 24/26 | AC 18 FF 12 T 17 | Saves +4/+3/+2 | Perception +5 | BAB +2 CMB +5 CMD +15
Reflex Save
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
The darts pierce Tierney's shoulder and chest, causing such bellow in pain. Observers would see him dance oddly on the edge of a pit conjured at his feet. For a few brief moments, his feet do a jig as we attempts to regain purchase on the floor. But, in the end, he plummets out of sight, yelling a curse as he disappears.
The pit is about 10 feet deep falling damage:1d6 ⇒ 3
The first five feet are pitch black, some sort of supernatural darkness.
However, below that lies the top of an underground passageway, sloping downwards in the direction of the ancient city. Their are glowing, dragonshard-like torches on the walls brightly illuminating the tunnel.
If more than one of you fell into a pit, you are all in different pits--there is one pit for each dark blob the construct released.
Action Points 6/6 | Power Points 13/42 | Transfer Wounds 7/7
Aid Another:
In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you're in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent's next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.
You can also use this standard action to help a friend in other ways, such as when he is affected by a spell, or to assist another character's skill check.
Can I use the Aid Another Action to add a +2 to someone's reflex save verses a spell/like ability, like helping to push someone out of the way? If so, I'd like to do that to the nearest character. If not, that's fair, too.
When the pits open, she calls out. "Anyone need to be flown out of their pit? Assuming you survived the fall?" She flaps her wings and continues to fly, looking into the pit Tierney fell into. "You alive down there?"
Can I use the Aid Another Action to add a +2 to someone's reflex save verses a spell/like ability, like helping to push someone out of the way? If so, I'd like to do that to the nearest character. If not, that's fair, too.
Since everyone had to make the first reflex save at the same time, you wouldn't be able to aid another in avoiding the spikes. However, since you made the first save, you could use aid another to help someone else who failed (i.e., Revion) avoid falling.
The passageway is fairly low, only about five and a half feet high.
Along the walls, pictorial carvings tell a story of sorts. Carved pictures of humans, snake-like creatures, couatl, and some twisted, almost intangible creatures. To fully understand the story told, you would have to see the entire picture, which stretches at least a hundred feet into the tunnel.
The ground is much softer than the rock walls, almost sand-like. There are visible, medium-sized footprints leading down the passage.
Survival, DC 15:
Spoiler:
They appear to be the footprints of a human male, a few days old.
Action Points 6/6 | Power Points 13/42 | Transfer Wounds 7/7
Aid Another:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Helac reaches out and grabs the shoulder of Revion's explorers outfit.
Here's hoping Revion doesn't mind if I make a Reflex save for him to move things along.
Reflex Save:1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 + 2 = 11
Revion hops backwards, avoiding the black blob itself but not the hole that yawns under his feet. Unprepared for the sudden weight, Helac loses his grip on his compatriot's clothes and Revion slips into the darkness.
Helac, hearing an almost immediate soft whump, shouts down Revion, are you well enough? while trying to keep an eye on the construct should he hurl more blades or esoteric things his way.
Despite Helac's attempted aid, Revion falls down into the newly formed pit.
Revion:
The pit is about 10 feet deep. falling damage:3 = 3rolled upthread.
The first five feet are pitch black, some sort of supernatural darkness.
However, below that lies the top of an underground passageway, sloping downwards in the direction of the ancient city. Their are glowing, dragonshard-like torches on the walls brightly illuminating the tunnel.
If more than one of you fell into a pit, you are all in different pits--there is one pit for each dark blob the construct released.
The passageway is fairly low, only about five and a half feet high.
Along the walls, pictorial carvings tell a story of sorts. Carved pictures of humans, snake-like creatures, couatl, and some twisted, almost intangible creatures. To fully understand the story told, you would have to see the entire picture, which stretches at least a hundred feet into the tunnel.
The ground is much softer than the rock walls, almost sand-like. There are visible, medium-sized footprints leading down the passage.
Survival, DC 15
Spoiler:
They appear to be the footprints of a human male, a few days old.
Action Points 6/6 | Power Points 13/42 | Transfer Wounds 7/7
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26 Boss. Does it seem a little off... or broken... to you?
1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18 It just activated, Eroh. It's probably a side effect of it's restricted movement.
Helac decides to try something asinine at this point and, after two quick steps, attempts to slide to the base of the coffin and hit the switch, hoping it will have some effect, hopefully any effect, to slow the spike ejecting, spell spewing construct. While doing so he shouts to the halfling, A belated take cover, good miss!
Almost as soon as it starts sputtering, the construct hisses
"Be on your way!"
With a loud crackling sound, it's head explodes! Everyone not on one of the pits (so Helac, Kiana, and Nik'o) are bombarded by artificial bones and fur.
bludgeoning damage:3d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 3) = 12 DC 20 reflex save for half, anyone who succeeded on the perception check in my previous post gets a +4 bonus. Revion and Tierney are completely safe.
A few moments later, another CRACK is audible from overhead.
Knowledge: Architecture and Engineering DC 10:
That came from the structure of the ceiling, and is not a good sign for the building's stability...
Remember DC 10 knowledge checks can be made untrained.
Action Points 6/6 | Power Points 13/42 | Transfer Wounds 7/7
So... just to be clear, the switch does nothing?
Spending one action point for a bonus on the reflex save, since Helac is out of power points.
Reflex Save:1d20 + 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (17) + (5) + 2 = 24
Already too close to the thing to be completely saved from the assault by bone shrapnel, Helac rolls towards the construct, using the stone edge of the coffin and pedestal as a partial obstruction. His vision swims for a moment from multiple smaller impacts and a ragged cough escapes him.
He growls out I think I am beginning to dislike things that explode. Very much.
He barks out a quick inquiry. Nik'o, Kiana,... halfling. Are you all alright?
One more loud crack later, Helac's eyes flinch upward to the stone ceiling.
Aid Another:1d20 - 2 ⇒ (13) - 2 = 11 That doesn't sound good!
Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering):1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 + 2 = 20 Agreed. I'm no engineer, but I'd say it's just a moment or two... before the whole place comes down.
M Tiefling Magus Kensai 3 | Init +5 | HP 24/26 | AC 18 FF 12 T 17 | Saves +4/+3/+2 | Perception +5 | BAB +2 CMB +5 CMD +15
Tierney's ears ring from the impact with the ground and he tries to gather his wits. Voices emanate from above but he cannot make sense of them; it all sounds like confused shouting to him.
Kiana swoops up, listening to the cracks. "I am fine, we need to leave this building, it is about to fall. Those who fell are either dead or soon to be buried. Either they can escape on their own, or they are already dead. Let us go." She will then swoop down and out the door.
The walls at the sides of the passage you are in tremble slightly, before giving way to a new passage. Beyond that passage you can see your other fallen ally!
So, to clarify, there is now a horizontal tunnel connecting Tierney's pit with Revion's pit, allowing you to easily move to each others' locations (about 15 feet apart). Each pit also has a separate downward-sloping tunnel coming out of it.
Otherwise, this underground area seems sturdy, quite unlike the calamity you can hear above ground.
Back at ground level, the other two kalashtar come running down the stairs...
"What is going on!?"
"I don't know!"
...
and out the door.
The walls and ceiling begin to shake more violently.
The halfling calls back to Nik'o
"I believe yon cat-thing has caused an earthquake!"
M Tiefling Magus Kensai 3 | Init +5 | HP 24/26 | AC 18 FF 12 T 17 | Saves +4/+3/+2 | Perception +5 | BAB +2 CMB +5 CMD +15
"Down Here! Jump Down Here!" Tierney yells to those above.
Then he makes his way to Revion and says "If needed, I can boost you up" he laces his fingers together to make a foothold "and you could pull me up from there. But I don't think up is where we should go right now."
Action Points 6/6 | Power Points 13/42 | Transfer Wounds 7/7
Aid Another:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 What did the switch do?
Perception:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
Helac quickly glances around and doesn't note any difference. Apparently nothing, or at least... nothing apparent. That feels disappointing somehow.
Hearing Tierney's shouts, Helac thinks to just a moment ago when Revion fell into the shrouded black. Ogre's eyes! There's no way I can get Adharc into that hole. Quickly weighing things in his head, Helac wonders if it makes more sense to leave a favored companion with the lion's share of his gear or a group of relative strangers. Shadow Tooth. Yuan-ti. Prophecy... He sighs inwardly to himself. Problems are best solved by those who see them.
Having come to an unhappy conclusion, Helac shouts Kashaana, Halkelk, Minitash... take care for Adharc for me! Meet us in the town below if you can!
Halfling. . . I recommend you come with us.
Falling: When you deliberately fall any distance, even as a result of a missed jump, a DC 15 Acrobatics skill check allows you to ignore the first 10 feet fallen, although you still end up prone if you take damage from a fall. . . .
Acrobatics:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Helac drops nimbly into the sands below, instantly noticing the drop in sound. Taking a step so as to not be directly under the hole, Helac sees his companions and the foot prints in the sand.
Survival:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
The few day old footprints appear to belong to a human male. Save it, Helac. Survival first. Helac concentrates for a moment and re-attunes Revion and Tierney to his mental web.
Helac leaps down into one of the pits, while Nik'o runs out the door!
The halfling calls back to Helac
"I knoweth not what thou art thinking, but it shan't hurt..."
She mutters an incantation before stepping into the pit behind Helac. Her effect causes both Helac and the halfling to drift down slowly (taking no falling damage).
Anyone who jumps into a pit:
The pit is about 10 feet deep.
The first five feet are pitch black, some sort of supernatural darkness.
However, below that lies the top of an underground passageway, sloping downwards in the direction of the ancient city. Their are glowing, dragonshard-like torches on the walls brightly illuminating the tunnel.
If more than one of you fell into a pit, you are all in different pits--there is one pit for each dark blob the construct released.
The passageway is fairly low, only about five and a half feet high.
Along the walls, pictorial carvings tell a story of sorts. Carved pictures of humans, snake-like creatures, couatl, and some twisted, almost intangible creatures. To fully understand the story told, you would have to see the entire picture, which stretches at least a hundred feet into the tunnel.
The ground is much softer than the rock walls, almost sand-like. There are visible, medium-sized footprints leading down the passage.
Survival 15:
Spoiler:
They appear to be the footprints of a human male, a few days old.
There is also a horizontal passage between the two pits.
Perception, 20
Spoiler:
On one side of the pit Tierney jumped down, what appears to be an indentation in the wall actually conceals another passageway. This one also slopes downwards, towards the city, but at a different angle.
Perception, 25
Spoiler:
Down the hidden passage, you can hear the faint echoing of a pair of voices, one human-like, one not.
So right now we have Revion, Helac, and Tierney in the pits, Nik'o running outside, and Kiana caught with indecision and/or real life. Splitting the party wasn't my intention, but if it happens, we can make it work:)
Action Points 6/6 | Power Points 13/42 | Transfer Wounds 7/7
If that's the case, the Helac adds the halfling to the collective, if she is so willing.
Health Sense/Heal Check:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11 Swift action to determine hit points. Additional standard action and DC 15 to sense disease and poison. Failure
Sensing Revion (8/22 hp) and Tierney (12/26 hp) are more battered than he had hoped but less than he expected, he thinks to himself I hope these last two transfers go well enough.
Aid Another:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17 Helac, does that depression there look odd to you?
Perception:1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 12 + 2 = 30
Helac takes a step closer and thinks to his companion, It's another passageway, Eroh. It looks to slope downward, possibliy towards the city as well. Nice catch.
At that moment, Helac also notices the faint echoing pair of voices further down the passage. One voice seems human-like. The other one definitely does not.
Projecting to those linked to his small mental web, Voices. One human. One not. You are both wounded. I council discretion... There is also a second passage.
Kiana swoops up, listening to the cracks. "I am fine, we need to leave this building, it is about to fall. Those who fell are either dead or soon to be buried. Either they can escape on their own, or they are already dead. Let us go."She will then swoop down and out the door.
She is not caught with indecision, she's already swooped outside, and thus cannot respond to things inside the building
She is not caught with indecision, she's already swooped outside, and thus cannot respond to things inside the building
Whoops, that's a mistake on my part.
Kiana darts out of the building, followed by Nik'o and the three kalashtar. Adharc is still there, where Helac left him.
With a final bang, the entire building collapses into a pile of rubble!
Outside (Kiana and Nik'o):
Nik'o makes it to safety just in time. The walls and ceiling crush the room where you were standing just a few moments ago. Disoriented and seemingly frightened, Minitash asks
"What was that? That was unexpected!
...and where did you two come from? You weren't with the other travelers when they interrupted us earlier today!"
One other thing has changed about your surroundings, though:
In the streets of the city beyond the cliff, there are small things moving around.
Perception, 20
Spoiler:
There are several dozen people traversing the 'abandoned' city. A higher roll could allow you to discern what the people look like.
Underground (Revion, Tierney, Helac):
Helac, Revion, Tierney, and the halfling are united thanks to the extra passage that opened. As the building collapses, several planks of wood fall across the tops of the pits, trapping you in, but also preventing debris from falling on your heads.
Kiana brushes herself off. "No, we were not. However, that is neither relevant nor important. I am Kiana. The others are either alive or dead at this point. If they are alive, they will have to find their own way out, as we cannot possibly dig them out alone. Now, who are you?" She replies to the woman speaking, who appears to have some damage done by putative allies from earlier.
Nik'o brushes himself off, bleeding and in a bad shape, and smiles weakly at Kiana and the others: "Glad you made it! I wonder what happened to the others... They fell in dark holes right before that weird warforged exploded and the building collapsed. They might be trapped, but as you say, there is little we can do."
He takes a quick look around: "Looks like there's people in that town after all Kiana. Look down!"
"Yes, I saw, not sure who they are from here. I may try to do some scouting from shadows, but wanted to ensure you were safe here with the strangers first." She may not like humans (nor human guise wearing changlings) but she does behave with honor when it comes to traveling companions. "I find the sudden onset of people in an abandoned city suspicious, especially after some sort of magic was done. They were not there earlier when I pulled the halfling from her fall."
"Who am I?" Minitash responds to Kiana. "We were already introduced, I--oh, you mean them? These are my companions, Halkelk and Kashaana. They also hail from Pihdri." He already told you a fair about, starting approximately here.
Halkelk eyes the people in the town suspicously, commenting
"Was not this city supposed to be abandoned? All the people down there seem to be clumped around two buildings, both near the center of the city. One looks sort of like a temple, and the other...I cannot tell."
The formerly hidden passageway is a lot more spacious than the other two. Like the other passages, the walls of this one are lined with picture carvings which tell a story of sorts. It starts with what appears to be a fight between couatl and strange, monstrous blobs. The coatl win, but then morph into snake-like humanoids. The snake people meet a group of humans, and together they form cities.
In the next scene (section of the wall), the humans are asleep, and above them are hooded shadows with dozens of eyes on them. The snake-people try to run from the hooded shadows, but monstrous blobs from the beginning reappear, trapping the snake-people between two foes.
As you go further into the passageway, the voices Helac pointed out become clearer.
Perception, 20
Spoiler:
"Should not they have arrived by now?"
"Maybe they went along a different path and missed us...we should go."
"If that happened it would take to long to find--"
"Or, since YOU know where this 'tomb' is, you could just--"
"No, I mustn't."
"I do not see why not."
"I already explained to you--"
"And it makes not sense. What could she have been thinking?"
Nik'o nods: "Strange indeed that people just 'appear,' unless they were sleeping? Who knows what their time cycle is down there... But it may be something far stranger as well, and given what's just happened here, it sounds likely. Be careful, Kiana. For all we know, there is just us two left from our original band."
"There is a good chance your friends survived,"
notes Minitash,
"The ancient yuan-ti built immense labyrinths of tunnels under their cities.
In any case, earlier we found a way down to the rest of the city. I mean, for those who cannot fly."
He gestures to an alcove on the side of the cliff.
"There are stairs carved in to it."
Tierney, Helac, Revion:
Quote:
How many tunnels are there down here?
Three: One easily visible tunnel coming out of the pit Revion fell down, one easily visible tunnel coming out of the pit Tierney fell down, and one hidden tunnel coming out of the pit Tierney fell down.
"Yeah, let's go. I'll scout ahead, in case there's any attacks." She hits the air with both wings, booming them out as she takes to the air, her bow out and ready. "I'll keep watch from 50 or 60 feet up, I should be able to see any ambushers before they can attack you. Unless they're used to aerial scouts."
Kiana then scouts the stairs for them, staying 50 or 60 feet up, she'll also head out up to 60 ft in front of the group as they make their way down the stairway, looking for ambushers or other dangers.
