D.E.A.D. Squad - Shattered Star - PbP component

Game Master Voadkha

Drav, are you tracking Brightens math or do you still think you're down 11?

My bad... In one of my posts I accidentally gave Drav the damage from the second explosion. I've double checked. He's full unless he started the Alchemy lab with damage left over from some previous fight.

Attempting to keep track of everything is hard, sorry i'm not used to having to track all the player's hps/spells/etc. I'm 'developing' techniques as we go so I should get better.

G.M. Fiat. Drav is maxed.

Cool beans. a little sleepy... who's taking first watch?

It appears that on most campaigns on this site, they track HP and some other statistics by entering them on the 'Classes' line of the alias profile (like I did here)

Would that help at all?

I'm still bright and chipper. Then only damage I've taken was a giant chest to the face some hours ago.

I'll take first watch.

I missed the channel, guess I'm full.
let me rest a bit, wake me for the next watch.

Great idea on the alias line. I'll play with it this evening. I'll prepare as many remove disease and lesser restoration as I can. I think I'm diseased and Flynras. Anyone else?

Awesome! I'm sleeping!

To make everyone's lives easier I'll let you know that nothing is going to happen unless you do something. You keep watch and nothing happens. You wake up second shift and sleep soundly. The beds are comfy, the temperature is perfect.

I'm assuming you are eating and drinking either food/drink you had with you or food/drink created by Naxolel.

I encourage in character discussion and stuff but that doesn't require my response as the GM.

As for the disease stuff. I've forgotten which ones are active. After being reminded about the fight with the bats its possible that everyone was diseased. I honestly don't remember... i remember thinking "oh crap this could get bad"

I'm just going to roll for everyone, anyone that remembers they managed to remain disease free, feel free to ignore the dice. The onset is 24 hours so I think you can rest, memorize remove disease and cast it before the 24 hour mark. If your caster level check is higher than 13 you take no damage. I vaguely remember that Belle may have been hit and diseased by both bats. If so, the DC is a 15 instead of a 13 for her.

Done

Drav either was not hit or made his fort save, don't remember him ever getting diseased.

As mentioned in the Discussion thread, I think that I am double-diseased. Making two Fort saves in case I need to.

Ghoul Fever: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
* At 7 Con, 17 Dex

Daemon Disease: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
* Looks like I made this one

I am trained in healing. Can I make a heal check to treat everyone for their disease, giving folks a competency bonus of +4 if I make the DC?

Ghoul Fever: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26 if I understand this correct, then my FORT save means I avoided the damage, right? If that is so, would I know I need to cast remove disease on myself? Before I cast remove disease, would I know whether Flynras needed healing? I presume the damage from the fever would be apparent, right?

Drav - no worries. If you never got hit then obviously that was irrelevant.

Flynras - You saved against the Daemon disease (one more consecutive save will cure you). You failed against the ghoul fever, but technically it hasn't been 24 hours yet... so you don't take that damage (yet). There should be time to rest, have Naxolel memorize remove disease and cast it on you (which, assuming he makes the caster level check, will cure you of both diseases.)

Nax - Yes, you may make heal checks for each person/disease and if you beat the DC you give a +4 bonus to their save. Yes, your fort save was high enough to prevent damage this time (although see 24 hour comment for Flynras). One more successful save will cure yourself of the disease. You know you are still diseased... Any ability damage Flynras has from the previous disease is obvious (he hasn't yet taken his ghoul fever damage ... until 24 hours after the bat attack.)

Break Break

Since I've already told you so much from behind the curtain I figure I can ask the next question without giving too much away. If everyone could please pre-roll a Knowledge (Dungeoneering) check I would appreciate it.

Heal Check to Assist Flynras: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17 +4 to Flynras which ain't going to help anyone given his crap roll. Still, there it is.

Caster Level Check for Remove Disease: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 Begone, ye demons of disease! Nethys compels ye! Out!

Knowledge Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

You didn't say who you cast Remove Disease on.

Sweet! No ability damage yet

Knowledge(Dungeon): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32

Sorry, that would be a Flynras' ghoul fever.

Flynras is no long diseased (no more Cacodaemon or Ghoul Fever).
Naxolel has made one save.
Drav never got diseased.
Still no word from Belle. I think Belle was dropped to near death by the bats... I have a hard time believing she didn't get diseased by at least one of them and likely both.
I'll try to start annotating more in Hero lab so I can more easily carry over things from live sessions to the boards.

Just confirming that I took the action to identify. I'd hate to assume it was known and find out later that assumed wrong...

Knowledge (Dungeon): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Belle, thank you for the haste spell last combat. Remember, I can 'cast' it once a day off the shard, so I can do that next time, if you want to prepare another spell in that slot

After we get our dungeoneering information...

Naxolel, this next room appears to be more of an arcane challenge from first appearances, so I will follow your lead.

Well, maybe we should try to mage hand the book out first?

I asked you to pre-roll the Knowledge check so that I could adjudicate things and give you information when it is appropriate to do so, without having to use stacks and stacks of spoiler flags and/or slow the story down waiting for dice rolls for information. Presumably you thought my "behind the curtain" reference meant I was going to keep giving you additional information, when in fact I was merely acknowledging that asking for a pre-rolled Knowledge (Dungeoneering) was, to me, a flashing neon sign that the next fight involves an aberration.

I have to assume we are waiting until Belle returns before anything substantive can occur. However, discussing amongst yourselves a potential plan is an excellent idea. (Bonus points to Flynras and Drav for doing it in character. +1 to Flynras and Drav your next attack rolls.

Message _wasn't_ one of Naxolel's memorized clerical or wizard spells when he shared his character sheet with me... not to say he hasn't changed it since.

Done

Sorry Flynras, I don't usually prepare message. But I'm sure Belle has it at the ready... let me cast detect magic from outside the doorway to see if there's any magic in this room. That pentagram definitely looks like it could be some sort of magic circle or perhaps an arcane spell. Remember we just found that scroll of symbol of sleep, though if I remember correctly most symbol spell traps trigger once you get within 60'... hmmmm.

I invoke Nethys to reveal magic fields and magical items in the room. I'll focus for several rounds to get the fullest benefit.

Brighten, are you giving me the stats for mage hand as the spellcraft knowledge that's available to us? In which square is the book again? Is there anything else on the bench in the back left corner?

Within 60'? That seems pretty limiting. I would think it would be more ideal to be able to set a trigger that was appropriate to the situation, like entering the doorway or moving the book.

Brighten, are you giving me the stats for mage hand as the spellcraft knowledge that's available to us? In which square is the book again? Is there anything else on the bench in the back left corner?

Yes.

From memory, I'm not in the mood to look it up. You could declare a spellcraft roll or a Knowledge (Arcana) check and ask me to adjudicate it or do the same while looking it up yourself and then share in character and out of character what you think your roll would have let you know. Most symbol spells are triggered by seeing the symbol and being within rage. The caster can often set additional conditions, such as passwords, only humans, anything larger than a dog, whatever.

I will assume that Naxolel and Flynras moved back into the Pool room (Nax in NE corner, and Flynras beside him in SE corner) and Nax casts detect magic and then opens the door to the east room (now known as Pentagram).

As soon as the door opens the nearly blinding arcane radiance of two strong auras catch Nax's attention. The first is clearly related to the "complex design painted on the floor" (depicted by the pentagram) which further study reveals to be some type of complex magical circle.

Beyond the circle you see another strong aura of arcane power. Yes, the black tome is magical and of similar power as the shards Flynras and Drav carry. You will not be able to learn more without studying it more closely (i.e. three round physical & magical inspection required to attempt to identify it with detect magic and a spellcraft roll) or through some other magical means.

Done

Cool! Anything magical in there?

Cool! Anything magical in there?

I think you posted this while he was still editing. Wait until he enters the DONE message at the end of his post :)

Done

Giggle... If i didn't know better I'd think that maybe God just punished me for being snarky. I just fell down the stairs!

Ouch.

So, on that note. I apologize for being snarky. :(

Done.

Naxolel wrote:

Cool! Anything magical in there?

I think you posted this while he was still editing. Wait until he enters the DONE message at the end of his post :)

Must have been it, because his final post is almost entirely different from what was there...

Assuming Nax has conveyed that the book is magical...

So, I guess Mage Hand is out of the question then. I suppose we could try to lasso it, but I doubt we could manage it. The only thing left to do is for me to just sneak in there and get it.

Anything I should know?

Brighten, thanks for the option, but your post describing the spellcraft options hadn't posted yet when I posted my message. When I posted, it looked like you described the room without responding to my detect magic invocation... I'm not really that effing dense, though it may seem like I'm trying hard. Though, I do take the point about how you add "done" at the end of your posts - I never considered how that may be used to signal whether our post was completed/final. Maybe we should all do that?

Knowledge Arcana Check on the Circle: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14.

Naxolel squints hard at the circle...

I don't know Flynras, I can't make anything out and the book is too far away to identify. Both the circle and book have strong magical auras, though - as strong as your and Drav's shards! For that reason, I don't trust the circle. Perhaps Belle should give it a shot? Hmmm. Perhaps an alternative might be to summon a creature to walk through the circle. If it's a trap, it would get caught in it instead of us?

Done.

Nax, I've stated before that it sometimes takes me an hour or more to get write a post, and that I would flag my posts with Done so you wouldn't think I was finished. It certainly doesn't look like anyone else is spending that amount of time crafting responses. I'm not going to mandate that everyone use a "done" flag, but if you want to I won't object.

OK... well I tried to delay and wait for Belle but, now I guess I'll run Belle as well as I can. Sorry, Jerry, I've picked which spells you have memorized.

Bellassa (In the big bedroom;probably diseased;Max HP): is chilling in the big bedroom, being 'uppity' and just studying her spellbook. She tells Drav, "Gotcha, I'll swap out Haste for a Summon. If you can wait and cast haste after my creature appears that will help."

Drav (In the big bedroom;Max HP) chatting tactics with Belle.

Flynras (Pool SE;Max HP) asking Naxolel if there is anything he needs to know before he sneaks into the room to get the book.

Naxolel (Pool NE;Max HP) calls out to Belle to please come look at the Pentagram, and is explaining the summoning strategy when Belle arrives. Nax's knowledge of the Arcane is insufficient for him to have learned part of the puzzle, and he didn't feel like attempting to use spellcraft.

Bellasa (Pool NW;probably diseased;Max HP) Belle arrives and stands behind Nax in the NW corner of the pool room, casts detect magic and carefully studies both the circle and the black tome through the doorway.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32

Belle says, "Awesome! The pentagram will boost my conjuration magics! If I'm in the room."
Knowledge (Arcane): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31
"But there is also some unstable magic associated with the pentagram, almost as if there is a summoning in progress... I think you're idea was inspired. I have two ideas. I could summon another Dretch and send it in after the black tome. If it needs to fight it can cast stinking cloud and the room will enhance the effectiveness of the cloud. Alternately, I can summon a Fiendish Dire Bat, and it can fly over and grab the book, maybe the summoning circle isn't dangerous if you don't touch it. What do you think?"

Drav (Pool SW;Max HP) followed Belle when she moved to the Pool room in response to Nax's call.

Is this what everyone wants?

Done

As much as I enjoy danger, I would greatly appreciate it if some magical creature were the one to go get the book.

Let me go in first to guard your back.

Assuming that Belle is planning to enter the room to cast her summon, Flynras will draw weapons and enter, hiding in the shadows of space 2.

Stealth: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (4) + 20 = 24
Ugh... using the boots to reroll
Stealth: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (3) + 20 = 23
Fing dice...

As an aside while waiting for at lease one of the other two to 'vote', and for Drav to agree or not with where i placed him.... Flynras as a small creature I'll allow you to occupy the half squares without squeezing. They aren't labled ... oh well.

done

Sorry, then - I completely forgot about the "done" tag. But it's a great idea - probably a good idea for all of us... I also didn't realize I could do both an Arcana check and a spellcraft check if the first roll failed..

Flynras, there's no need to enter the room. This could become important in case there's some kind of blast affect. If touching the circle triggers a summoning, you probably don't want to get caught in the room either. Belle should be able to conjure the dire bat from the central room, so she doesn't need to go in either.

Done.

Ok. I'll stay here in the starburst room then. Maybe just Belle and Drav in the pool room?

Flynras will stealthily stand next to the doorway waiting to hear what happens.

Bellassa (Pool NW;probably diseased;MaxHP) huffs, "I thought the intent was to summon from in the room to take advantage of the enhanced summon while simultaneously triggering a potential 'trap'. But ok, I'll keep standing here." She starts a full round cast.

Since Naxolel has taking charge of party's tactics, giving Belle and Flynras suggestions their location while ignoring the question about his own, I'll count his silence as to his and Drav's locations as as consent. Naxolel is in Pool NE, and Drav is in Pool SW.

Flynras (Pool SE;MaxHP) sees Belle starting to summon and listening to Naxolel's tactical suggestions decides that discretion is the better part of valor and withdraws into the starburst room (Starburst #1).

If you move please tell me where you intend to end up. Otherwise I'll decide... which may end up annoying you.

Drav (Pool SW;MaxHP) readies an action to cast Haste on his allies if the summoned bat causes a summoned monster to show up.

Naxolel (Pool NE;1/2 saves vs ghoul fever;MaxHP) - nothing.

Everyone please roll initiative. Belle's summon will apear and Drav will haste in the surprise round. The next action will be whomever gets the highest initiative, at the top of the round.

Done

Naxolel was originally standing in the NE square of the pool room (I had said I was standing in the poolroom outside the door when I was detecting magic). You reaffirmed that in a subsequent post, which jives with my intent. Of course, maybe this is a better place for Drav... lol Instead of nothing, though, I'll cast Mage Armor on myself.

Belle, I suggested you cast the spell while in the pool room to avoid risking *you bodily* triggering a potential symbol spell - let the summoned creature do so if necessary! But hopefully the bat will fly over the symbol without triggering it! Make sense?

Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Done.

Yes, Starburst #1 was what I meant

Initiative: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Flynras will assume he is massively sneaky and move into the summon room, although the position will greatly depend on what he sees.

If there is some type of explosion, I will not immediately enter the room, but will move to the doorway and decide about the rest of my movement after assessing what I see.

Barring an explosion, and assuming the summoned aberration is in the center of the circle (say #16), and is flat-footed, I will attempt to move behind it and backstab it. I should be able to reach #22 or #21 with hasted speed and will hopefully set up a flank for Drav.

This will probably defeat Belle's preferred Stinking Cloud tactic, but it is what Flynras would do.

If the thing is something that I know standard weapons will not hurt, I will stop my movement at whatever empty space is in the pool room and decide what to do with my action at that point.

Rapier Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20 Dam: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 Sneak Atk: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 4) = 10
- Sneak Attack will disorient the creature (-2 on Attacks, -4 vs. me)

Um... I changed my mind! I just spent the last 2 1/2 hours building my next post and it... wasn't pretty. I have no problems with a tough fight, and it would be different LIVE with all four people present... but I don't want to TPK you when two people aren't around to see it happen... and I don't want to TPK you online.

I decided that after your successful defeat of the bats and successful survival vs the whispers you have sufficient experience ding you to lvl 7.

Sorry guys.

done

Sorry, busy Saturday..

Drav would definitely be up next to Belle. She was the first person to think enough of him to give him a gift, he would place himself between her and anything that might appear.

Since Belle thinks something bad might happen, and the power in this area, Drav will also use his Potion of Protection Against Evil and put his Oil of Bless Weapon on his Earthbreaker.

Belle, I'm ready to activate the haste, but should I cast it before you send in your bat? Would it effect anything in range? You know this magic stuff.
Flyn, make sure you're close enough to get effected. Oh, Belle, depending on what happens, you might want to use your magic to make me a giant again...

Would like Belle to answer the haste question, before she sends in her bat.
Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

I think we're going to wait until we're all here and in person, I think. But on my next turn i'll move to the SE square and begin casting enlarge.

Drav, the intent was that you have an action readied to cast haste after that appears (so it is included in the haste effect) but that you wait the microsecond to confirm that something was happening after the bat appears... (That way if the bat doesn't 'trigger' the "trap" that only the summoning spell is "wasted" and your haste is saved.

Yes, Haste effects up to caster level (your level in the case of using the shard to cast it) number of targets, no two of which can be more than 30 feet from each other. The bat was going to show up in the room, within 30 feet of flynras and belle, the two 'farthest' people.

Good idea about the enlarge person spell, I hadn't thought of that... it wasn't in my 'copy' of Belle's spellbook.

Ok, can Drav center it so it doesn't include something in the summoning circle?

Plus, this might be a better question for later, or the other discussion, but I seem to remember the first shard casting at life 20th level plus gave some other bonus to the holder. Darv's shard only casts at my level? guess it's no biggie for haste but it didn't do anything else?

I'll add his status to the status, assuming 7th level (80 hp baby!)

Ok, can Drav center it so it doesn't include something in the summoning circle?

Plus, this might be a better question for later, or the other discussion, but I seem to remember the first shard casting at life 20th level plus gave some other bonus to the holder. Darv's shard only casts at my level? guess it's no biggie for haste but it didn't do anything else?

I'll add his status to the status, assuming 7th level (80 hp baby!)

Brighten informed us that we had been playing the shards wrong. I still am not sure why the shards have a really high CL, but casting Haste as lvl 7 is just fine IMO.

Dravasp "Drav" Jannara wrote:

Ok, can Drav center it so it doesn't include something in the summoning circle?

Plus, this might be a better question for later, or the other discussion, but I seem to remember the first shard casting at life 20th level plus gave some other bonus to the holder. Darv's shard only casts at my level? guess it's no biggie for haste but it didn't do anything else?

I'll add his status to the status, assuming 7th level (80 hp baby!)

Brighten informed us that we had been playing the shards wrong. I still am not sure why the shards have a really high CL, but casting Haste as lvl 7 is just fine IMO.

Ok, casting level is fine, but for an artifact level item, only doing that is a little anti-climatic. :)

Um... you don't 'center' haste per se. You cast it on target(s) 1/caster level that are both within close range of you and within 30 feet of each other. (Obviously one technique is that you can move a 15ft radius circle around .. which looks similar to 'centering' the spell.)

The caster level for the Shattered Star is unusual. In its current shattered state, the Sihedron draws its power from the creature that carries the shards, setting the caster level as equal to the owner’s Hit Dice. All spell effects generated by a Shattered Star shard manifest at this caster level. For other effects, the shards have a caster level of 25th.

So, for instance, the curse effect, the +1 insight bonus to your attack rolls, and +2 to your transmutation saves occurs at CL 25, but the haste spell will have a CL of your level. Were it NOT an artifact, the Haste would have generally been at minimum caster level (aka 5th for a 3rd level wizard spell).

I'll add his status to the status, assuming 7th level (80 hp baby!)

For the sake of readability can you use pipes/hashes "|" in between data in your "status." I'll try to remember to use them instead of semicolons when i do initiative stuff.

Shattered Star Source Material wrote:

The caster level for the Shattered Star is unusual. In its current shattered state, the Sihedron draws its power from the creature that carries the shards, setting the caster level as equal to the owner’s Hit Dice. All spell effects generated by a Shattered Star shard manifest at this caster level. For other effects, the shards have a caster level of 25th.

So, for instance, the curse effect, the +1 insight bonus to your attack rolls, and +2 to your transmutation saves occurs at CL 25, but the haste spell will have a CL of your level. Were it NOT an artifact, the Haste would have generally been at minimum caster level (aka 5th for a 3rd level wizard spell).

Ah, I think I finally understand. So, if someone tried to "Dispel" the bonuses, they would have to dispel a Lvl 25 casting.

Um... you don't 'center' haste per se. You cast it on target(s) 1/caster level that are both within close range of you and within 30 feet of each other. (Obviously one technique is that you can move a 15ft radius circle around .. which looks similar to 'centering' the spell.)

Shattered Star Source Material wrote:

The caster level for the Shattered Star is unusual. In its current shattered state, the Sihedron draws its power from the creature that carries the shards, setting the caster level as equal to the owner’s Hit Dice. All spell effects generated by a Shattered Star shard manifest at this caster level. For other effects, the shards have a caster level of 25th.

So, for instance, the curse effect, the +1 insight bonus to your attack rolls, and +2 to your transmutation saves occurs at CL 25, but the haste spell will have a CL of your level. Were it NOT an artifact, the Haste would have generally been at minimum caster level (aka 5th for a 3rd level wizard spell).

+1 insight bonus to attacks and +2 transmutation saves... Did not know that, it wasn't in my notes and why I asked. Thanks