DM Carbide's From Shore to Sea (Inactive)

Game Master John Woodford

Quiven, in the piles of decaying organic matter, you find a small metal urn that looks like it holds about a cup of something.

Quiven will try to determine if the urn is valuable and inform the others of what he has found.

Appraise?: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

The urn is nothing spectacular, but Rah identifies the contents as four uses of salve of slipperiness.

"Perhaps a fortunate discovery!" Rah whispers through the message spell. "With all of these cloakers and chuuls, and other abominations we have encountered on this god-forsaken place, this could prove very useful. An application will last 8 hours, so I suggest everyone use some upon themselves now."

Once everyone is greased up, she suggests moving carefully forward again, recasting her spell to detect magic.

Quiven should still be invisible for a few more minutes. So let's have him be about 40' ahead to scout for ambushes and traps. Rah should be able to see magical auras before he walks into any.

Maddie applies the salve happily, choosing not to mention how good it feels against her dry, cracking skin.

The archer asks anyone who's willing: "Could ye please git ma back?"

After anointing, Quiven returns to his scouting mission. Up ahead of him, around the curve of the passage, he can see a steady light, and hear the ringing of metal on stone.

Quiven reports what he hears and moves to get a closer look.

The light is from one of the floating will-o'-wisp globes. The chamber (such as it is; more like a widening of the tunnel) contains rubble and debris from an excavation against the face of the northeast wall. Water streams into the room through cracks in the wall, clearly pushed by the surf pounding against the other side. In the excavation area proper, the water looks to be about three feet deep. Quiven can tell how deep it is because of the five skum who are frantically hammering away at the wall. For all the coral-like stone they chip away from the wall, though, it still holds (and even seems to be regrowing). One of the skum glances in your direction for a moment before returning to its demolition work.

Quiven again reports what he sees and asks what he should do. Do we attack them? They might flood the chamber or something!

"Can we disable 'em somehow?" The archer asks his companions. "On the other hand, if it looks like they've got a long ways ta go, mebbe we can ignore 'em--fer now."

"From what I hear, we'll have to move past them to finish exploring. It may be in our interest to remove them as a threat one way or another before we move forward."

Rah peers down the passage in thought, then whispers to the others. "I would prefer to avoid killing more of them. And I doubt we could do so without raising some sort of alarm in any case. Perhaps I could make Bogen, Maddie, and myself invisible long enough to sneak by?"

2 vanish spells, plus one invisibility upon Rah herself. Then a ghost sound spell to create a distraction (perhaps sounds the chuul would make) back down the passage? I would suggest Maddie detect for magic as we proceed since Rah will be occupied. If we are noticed, I suggest Rah hastes the group and we move on as quick as possible to get the drop on whatever is at the end of this tunnel before it can prepare.

The catch is that you'd be walking through 3' deep water when invisible, and that can be kind of obvious.

How about Rah casts disguise self instead to look like a chuul, then splash across with the group to hide their passage?

Actually, I think I have a better idea. Still using invisibility and vanish spells to hide, how about Maddie or Bogen uses the cloak of the manta ray to ferry the group across one by one, swimming out of sight beneath the water? Also, I think this might be a good time for those scrolls of freedom of movement.

That's more likely to work than crossing unaided, and also eliminates the possibility of the skum trying to talk to you.

Happy to play the role of ferryman if Maddie doesn't want to.

"I'll ferry everyone across with that cloak, it's perhaps safer to have Bogenschützen free to fire arrows if necessary."

That plan sounds fine to me.

Happy to play the role of ferryman if Maddie doesn't want to.

Don't pay the ferryman?

Maddie, give me a stealth check.

Maddie, give me a stealth check.

Is that with the +20 one receives from invisibility spells?

Yes.

Stealth + Invisibility: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (13) + 15 = 28

That was better than I expected in full plate, at least.

Go Maddie! You're sneaky like a bad fart! ;-P

After some back and forth, Maddie manages to get everyone past the excavation without being noticed by the laboring skum. The tunnel remains flooded past the excavation, though.

Rah whispers to to Maddie. "Lend me the cloak and I will swim forward and check for magic auras."

Stealth with Invisibility: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (20) + 26 = 46

If Rah finds nothing suspicious, then she will call the others to come and help search the area.

Stealth with Invisibility: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (20) + 26 = 46

Now that's sneaky! :-)

Rah swims stealthily ahead, around the curve of the tunnel, eventually coming to a partially-flooded chamber. The western section is above the waterline, and is occupied by what looks like an alchemical laboratory cobbled together from salvaged Azlanti equipment. At first glance, it doesn't look terribly active--nothing bubbling or fuming. There is a skum in robes on the watery side of the room, idly perusing a thin copper sheet floating in front of him (one of many such sheets in the chamber).

Bogenschützen whispers: "Didn't y'all read some metal plates back at that place with them lectures?"

Rah swims back to the group and whispers what he found. "Let us try to sneak up on him. Bogen, I think he is the magic user responsible for the illusions here. Ready an arrow, but don't shoot unless he tries to cast a spell."

Once the group is ready, let's try to sneak up as a group with Bogen in the front.

Also, I'm assuming Maddie already cast those 2 freedom of movement spells? One on Bogen, and another on herself would be my suggestion. They last 70 minutes, so we shouldn't have to worry about them running out.

Maddie will cast FoM on Bogan and herself if that's suggested. Should we buff up as well? Maddie has Prayer, Bless, Bull's strength, and Divine Favor available if the situation warrants them.

I think a lot of casting right now would give us away.. though all the digging sounds from the other skum might cover it. If it's safe to cast, maybe prayer and bull's strength. Rah will use quick study to swap out dispel for fireball, and then cast haste on the group.

Ready when y'all are.

If there is time and the skum continues to be distracted, Maddie casts Prayer on the group and Bull's Stength on herself.

Ready here. If there is time for Prayer, everyone gets a +1 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks, while each of our foes takes a –1 penalty on such rolls.

You pause just around the curve of the tunnel from the excavation and cast a few spells; nothing disturbs you. Incidentally, the water is too deep for Rah and Quiven to walk through--how are they moving? It's also Difficult terrain for Bogenschützen and Maddie.

Round 1:

Initiative order

Bogenschützen
??? (when applicable)
SG
Quiven
Skum (when applicable)
Rah
Maddie

The archer obediently readies an action to shoot the caster as Rah requested.

- Free Action: He thinks to himself, "Explore, report, cooperate. That'll git us through."

The skum looks up at the opening to its room and shouts something.

Then it starts to cast a spell. Bogenschützen, you can take your held action now if you like.

- Readied Action: Longbow: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25, Cold Iron Arrow+Prayer: 1d8 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 11 + 1 = 18
- Non Action: 5-foot-step around the corner and out of line-of-sight. Bogenschützen doesn't know what the skum is / was casting, and he doesn't want to be targeted!
- Free Action: Whispering to the party: "I think I got 'im."

Round 1 (ongoing):

Initiative order

Bogenschützen-acted
??? (when applicable)
SG-acted
Quiven
Skum
Rah
Maddie

You can't take a 5' step in Difficult terrain, Bogenschützen.

The skum's casting is interrupted rudely by a well-placed arrow. It takes its move action then and drops below the surface of the water.

Quiven, over to you!

You can't take a 5' step in Difficult terrain, Bogenschützen.

D'oh! I forgot about the difficult terrain.

Could be worse...you could be on the first level of Emerald Spire.

Could be worse...you could be on the first level of Emerald Spire.

LOL! :-)

Regarding the water depth and movement, etc. I meant to suggest Quiven wear the cloak of the manta ray since he normally needs to get close for combat.

Cloak details for ease of reference:
This cloak appears to be made of leather until the wearer enters salt water. At that time, the cloak of the manta ray adheres to the individual, and he appears nearly identical to a manta ray (as the beast shape II spell, except that it allows only manta ray form). He gains a +3 natural armor bonus, the ability to breathe underwater, and a swim speed of 60 feet, like a real manta ray.

The cloak does allow the wearer to attack with a manta ray's tail spine, dealing 1d6 points of damage. This attack can be used in addition to any other attack the character has, using his highest melee attack bonus. The wearer can release his arms from the cloak without sacrificing underwater movement if so desired.

Question: since the cloak acts as beast shape II will that alter Quiven enough to negate the sickened side effect he's suffering from? Or is there any chance that he could have already gotten past being sick since we knew we were entering combat?

That's reasonable--effectively, you had a surprise round to cast spells, and Quiven can spend it nauseated.

Ah, I was wondering if we could say that. So, if I have this cloak I can move 60' in water. I'll move to attack then.

Attack: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31 for Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Round 1 (ongoing):

Initiative order

Bogenschützen-acted
??? (when applicable)
SG-acted
Quiven-acted
Skum-acted
Rah
Maddie

Quiven moves in and stabs the spellcasting skum! From out in the tunnel, the sounds of hammering cease, and Maddie sees the quintet of diggers dive into the water and streak in her direction. The only one who can reach her misses her with a trident stab.

Maddie and Rah are up!

"Maddie, back away and I'll handle them!" Rah shouts.

When Maddie moves, Rah will cast a fireball at the approaching skum, enhanced with an arcane point for +1 caster level.

Fireball (DC 18 for 1/2): 8d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 6, 3, 1, 2, 2, 5) = 25

Maddie cast the Freedom of Movement scrolls on Bogen and herself, while active the water isn't difficult terrain to them.

Maddie nods in agreement with Rah's suggestion, withdrawing closer towards the skum.

Withdraw action, moved 40 feet.

That's right--forgot about the freedom of movement, so Bogenschützen could have done a 5' step out of the way. It didn't matter this time, though.

The skum that attacked Maddie is up out of the water when Rah's fireball goes off, and takes the brunt of the spell. It falls back into the water, a charred corpse. The other four were entirely submerged, though; the cloud of steam now filling the tunnel conceals their fate from the party (at least for the moment).

Round 2:

Initiative order

Bogenschützen
??? (when applicable)
SG
Quiven
Skum
Rah
Maddie

Bogenschützen, you're up! The skum caster is underwater, though you probably have a fair idea where he is at the moment.

Gerlach: -22 HP

I'll fire at the caster and hope my seeking bow does it's thing.

Manyshot+Prayer: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24, Damage+Prayer: 2d8 + 24 ⇒ (1, 8) + 24 = 33

If it looks like the first attack hit, I'll continue the attack. Else, I will take a move action instead.

1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21, Damage+Prayer: 1d8 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9, Damage+Prayer: 1d8 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

If I used all three attacks, then I will 5-foot-step. Otherwise, if I used only one attack, I will move out of the way of Rah's area of effect spells.