DM Carbide |
Rowane's crossbow bolt goes, if anything, even further afield than his first. Beleaguered, the bear focuses its attacks on the only one to damage it so far. The agile half-elf catches one claw on his shield, deflects the other with a quick motion of his sword, and then doesn't quite duck out of the way of the beast's slavering jaws. Take 8 HP, Nezos.
Round 3:
Initiative order
Nezos
Master Temperance
Rowane
Arien
Foe
Party up!
Claw to Nezos: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Bite to Nezos: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Bite damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Fiendish grizzly bear: AC 16 T 10 FF 15 -7 HP
Nezos Parada |
"Okay, I've had enough. Just get back to whatever plane you're from!"
Come on, +2 AC, don't fail me now!
Cold Iron Bastard Sword: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (4) + 7 - 1 = 10
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
DM Carbide |
Botting Arien again:
Curve blade PA, incl. flank: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 2 = 22
Curve blade PA damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Arien hits the bear a glancing blow, and once again the foe's tough flesh keeps it from being damaged.
Rowane? Some healing for Nezos would be welcome, I think.
DM Carbide |
This time, Nezos is ready when the bear attacks. He dodges and parries, and fang and claw close on air or fail to get through his armor.
Round 4:
Initiative order
Nezos
Master Temperance
Rowane
Arien
Foe
Party up!
Claw Nezos: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Bite Nezos: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Master Temperance |
Temperance tries a different tack, tapping at the bear again in mystical, monkish ways.
Touch Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 4 + 2 = 25
Touch of Serenity. DC 15 Will save, or bear bear cannot attack for a round.
DM Carbide |
Round 4 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Nezos
Master Temperance-acted
Rowane
Arien-acted
Foe-peaceable
Master Temperance is easily able to touch the evil bear, which obligingly fails to resist the gnome's peaceful overture. Arien cuts at it again, striking a powerful blow and drawing blood.
Nezos and Rowane to go!
Arien curve blade PA, incl. flank: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 5 + 2 = 24
Curve blade PA damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Fiendish grizzly bear: AC 16 T 10 FF 15 -13 HP
Nezos Parada |
Nezos wastes no time pressing the attack against the bear when it fails to retaliate.
Cold Iron Bastard Sword: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (10) + 7 - 1 = 16
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
DM Carbide |
Nezos follows Arien's example, and his attack also draws blood. Rowane's crossbow bolt sails past the beast and embeds itself in a wall. Don't worry about it; they won't charge you for damages. Up to a point. The bear stands peacefully despite the beating it took.
Round 5:
Initiative order
Party
Bear
Everyone can act!
Da Bear: AC 16 T 10 FF 15 -17 HP
Nezos Parada |
"He's almost as annoying just staying still. Not painful, though, thanks for that."
Cold Iron Bastard Sword, CE: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (11) + 7 - 1 = 17
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
DM Carbide |
Round 5 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Nezos-acted
Master Temperance
Rowane
Arien-acted
Foe
Nezos tags the bear again and does a bit more damage. Arien tries to follow that up with another hit, but the bear isn't where the elf thought it was.
Master Temperance and Rowane!
Arien flanking curve blade PA: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 2 = 12
Fiendish grizzly bear: AC 16 T 10 FF 15 -20 HP
DM Carbide |
Botting Rowane:
The priest delays, in case Nezos needs urgent healing. His patience is rewarded: the bear continues to focus singlemindedly on the fighter, who once again manages to avoid both claws at the expense of having it nearly bite his face off. Nezos, take 10 HP.
Rowane casts a lesser cure on Nezos. CLW: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Round 6:
Initiative order
Party
Bear
Everyone can act!
Claw to Nezos: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Bite to Nezos: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Confirm bite to Nezos: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Bite damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Fiendish grizzly bear: AC 16 T 10 FF 15 -20 HP
DM Carbide |
Round 6 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Master Temperance-acted
Nezos
Arien-acted
Rowane
Bear
The diminutive monk swings and hits, but fails to do damage to the infernal creature. Arien attacks as well, and strikes rather more effectively. The bear is looking pretty beat up by now.
Flanking curve blade PA: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 5 + 2 = 19
PA damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Nezos and Rowane to go!
Fiendish grizzly bear: AC 16 T 10 FF 15 -26 HP
Nezos Parada |
Nezos sticks to his tried-and-true tactics.
Bastard Sword, Flank, CE: 1d20 + 7 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 2 - 1 = 17
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
DM Carbide |
Nezos hits again as the party continues to wear the great beast down.
Rowane?
DM Carbide |
Alas, Rowane cannot get the range on the bear. It, on the other paw, finally gets a decent handle on the location of the troublesome half-elf. Nezos avoids a claw, but the other one hits him and holds him still just long enough for the bear to bite him. Take 15 HP, Nezos.
Round 7:
Initiative order
Party
Bear
Everyone can act!
Claw to Nezos: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Bite to Nezos: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
Claw damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Bite damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Fiendish grizzly bear: AC 16 T 10 FF 15 -26 HP
DM Carbide |
Round 7 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Nezos-acted
Master Temperance
Rowane
Arien-acted
Foe
Nezos powers through the pain and hits the bear again. It's looking pretty shaky at this point. Arien attacks! The bear is left clinging to existence by a thread.
Flanking curve blade PA: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 2 = 27
Confirm curve blade PA: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 5 + 2 = 14
So close!
Curve blade PA damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Everyone else can act!
Fiendish grizzly bear: AC 16 T 10 FF 15 -40 HP
Nezos Parada |
"That'll do, thanks."
Bastard Sword, Flank, CE: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
DM Carbide |
Nezos, you already acted this round.
Master Temperance winds up and hits the bear as hard as he can. It is just hard enough. With a crack of displaced air, the bear vanishes.
Out of combat!
DM Carbide |
What now? Incidentally, I'll be out of town most of the coming weekend.
Nezos Parada |
Whoops! That's on me for not looking too hard.
"That was...difficult. Hopefully, it means something that bears guarding is in here." Nezos sheathes his sword just before realizing what he said, keeping from hitting himself with it. He then quickly sets to looking around.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
DM Carbide |
Searching the room and looking for more magic, Rowane notices that the aura that filled the bedchamber is gone. The locked chest opens once Arien spends a bit of time on it, and it proves to contain over 3000 gold worth of assorted coinage and gemstones. The armoires and wardrobes hold rich clothing worth between 800 and 900 gold pieces. Sitting on the writing desk is a gold ring set with a large black pearl, worth around 1350 gold. In the top drawer of the desk is a ring of keys (including the key to the locked chest). Finally, the slip of paper on the writing desk--the one that Rowane detected a faint magical aura from--still radiates an aura of magic. Examining it, though, reveals it to be nothing more than a few bawdy limericks. (Master Temperance has heard better.)
Master Temperance |
How do we get to the roof or third floor? I don't recall a staircase...
"Can someone...figure out what is magically hidden on this scrap of dubious poetry? I figure there's something else here," says Temperance, rubbing his chin.
DM Carbide |
There's a ladder in the central room that leads to a trap door in the ceiling.
DM Carbide |
I've put an arrow pointing to the ladder.
DM Carbide |
It's a well-made metal ladder, with wider steps instead of rungs, and a railing along one side. There are no traps apparent on it.
DM Carbide |
The trap door opens smoothly on well-oiled hinges, revealing a brightly-lit chamber. Sunlight fills the room, pouring in through the glass-domed roof. The view of the sky through the done is breathtaking. The interior of the chamber is dominated by an enormous telescope that sits on a platform over a veritable sea of metal gears. An angled metal chair sits below the device, positioned so that someone sitting in the chair can easily see through the eyepiece of the instrument. An array of pedals and levers, also readily accessible to someone sitting in the chair, connect to the apparatus on which the telescope is mounted. Tables covered in books and charts occupy the southeast corner. A narrow (around a foot across) ledge runs all the way around the dome. As far as Master Temperance can tell from his position, there is nothing moving in the observatory.
Nezos Parada |
Provided he comes to the same conclusion as Temperance about the room's emptiness, Nezos climbs in. He takes particular interest in the mass of metal.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Engineering (if applicable): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
DM Carbide |
On entering the observatory chamber, Master Temperance and Nezos realize that they are not alone. There is a small creature sitting on the ledge, out of sight of the door. It looks rather like an obese infant with oddly leathery skin mottled with grease spots, curling ram's horns, sharp blackened teeth, and black pupilless eyes. Folded wings protrude above its shoulders. It does nothing when spotted but smile at the party.
Nezos Parada |
"You don't sound concerned," Nezos says warily. He keeps his hands away from weapons for the moment. "That could be a norm for you, so I'll bite: Will this thing be a problem? It looks the part."
DM Carbide |
Rowane does not recognize the creature as an outsider, despite its appearance.