DMDM's Strange Aeons

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

not sure I read it correctly. Did Ghelik try to stab me?

Yes, yes I did, you got a problem with that? In fact I tried to stab you twice, while confusing you...

I love how your avatars look exactly how they would having this conversation.

Waiting on Fritz and Kyleen. Kyleen I suppose will continue trying to talk the rat around, so why don't I roll for Fritz. (Fritz tries to attack the Thing) 1d20 ⇒ 2

pfft.

Okay, we loop around to Vitae and Mrakala. Daze the rat again, daze the Thing again, or do something else?

Kyleen continues to talk to the rat. But in doing so, her companions gain a little encouragement hoping that the rat will not be a bother.

Standard: Begin Inspire Courage. - +1 attack/damage and +1 on charm/fear effects (not sure if the sanity stuff qualifies)

Move (although it is really a free action): Talk to rat

Waiting on Ghelik action, crossbow still on him. This is all half RP, half paranoid party.

Will most likely cast Daze if Mrakala had an affect on it.

Ghelik is on full defense, Vitae is holding a prepared action on him with a crossbow. For simplicity's sake I will assume Mrakala throws another Daze.

1d20 ⇒ 19

Okay, so the Thing hisses at you scuttles to the next boiler back. It's cramped back there, so no more than two of you can attack it, and that at -4.

Kyleen, I'm not completely sure how your Animal Speaker power works. The rat is automatically Indifferent to you and won't attack you -- okay, got that. But how do you speak Rat? (Is Rat even a thing? I don't think it is.) And it seems like you're using Handle Animal as a Diplomacy check? I'm not sure that's how it works.

Can anyone clarify?

Also: do you want to continue attacking the Thing? Granted, it's a disturbing looking little creature, and definitely does not seem to be friendly. On the other hand, there doesn't seem to be anything stopping you from closing the door and proceeding onwards.

I'm generally in favor of killing the murderous thing -- it's small enough it could probably squeeze around and get through places after us, particularly if we have to sleep or camp somewhere that isn't guarded. It might even be able to squeeze through the piping -- and anything that can command rats is bad news.

Here is the Animal Speaker stuff. Relevant parts are highlighted in the spoiler.

Although poorly written, my interpretation is that the bard gets speak with animals with any chosen type of animal, rats in Kyleen's case. She chose rats at level 1. The speak with animals section is under the section titled "Nature's Speaker", which starts with granting additional kinds of animal friends at level 5. But, the second sentence appears to be general, and not limited by any level limitation.

If there is a different interpretation, let me know and I will change my actions accordingly.

EDIT - I think I may have not quite done things correctly. The animal speaker gets soothing performance. which works like the druid's wild empathy, but does not get it until level 3. DMDM will have to decide how being able to communicate with the animal might affect things. Really, she is trying to stop the rat from attacking, and then try to befriend it.

Did DM just ask us if we would leave this tiny mind controlling Thing alive? It actually hurts me that he thinks we would fall for that. Ok. Close the door behind us and move on .... Wait. No. He has me doing it now. Kill that tiny raccoon squid.

Yes, I would have tried to Daze it. And we KILL IT WITH FIRE AND LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND.

... and anything that can command rats is bad news.

Ah-heh-heh-heh.

Although poorly written, my interpretation is that the bard gets speak with animals with any chosen type of animal, rats in Kyleen's case. She chose rats at level 1.

I would agree with that. Okay, so (1) you can talk to rats, and also (2) rats start at Indifferent and (3) won't attack you unless compelled -- and even then, the creature controlling them must beat you at a Charisma check.

What's missing is a way to make friends with rats. That doesn't come until 3rd level, when you get the Wild Empathy ability -- which is separate from the Animal Handling skill. As far as I can tell, AH is strictly and only for /training/ animals. Although once you have Wild Empathy, you could totally use Animal Handling to teach a friendly rat tricks.

So, at this point you can talk to rats, and they won't attack you, but they aren't friendly to you either.

Okay then: from under the far boiler comes a hissing and chittering.

I don't think I can even guess what's going on because I don't speak Rat, which is which I would imagine is similar to New York subway speak, but if we don't kill a rat we can have Kayleen ask it things about the area. Knowing this, DM will probably have us kill the thing.

DM would it be alright to read spoilers from the first month of gameplay? As long as we don't use PC knowledge. I feel I am missing big parts of the story.

"The creature is not going to make this easy for us. We should try to keep it dazed so it can not control Ghelik again."

I don't think there are actually a lot of spoilers from the first month?

"The creature is not going to make this easy for us. We should try to keep it dazed so it can not control Ghelik again."

We can only affect it once each per minute :(

Okay, fast-forwarding a little. The thing has been Dazed already, so it can't be Dazed again for a minute. So: hissing and chittering to itself, the creature will try to escape. This will require a successful Escape Artist check to wriggle through a small crack in the bricks under the boiler.

1d20 ⇒ 1 <-- I would say its attempt is so clumsy and pathetic that you get +2 to attack it in this round.
1d20 ⇒ 12 <-- That, on the other hand, will do it.

So, on THIS round the creature will fail to escape.
On the NEXT round it will escape.

That means you have a grand total of four attacks on it: only two people can squeeze into the narrow space around the boilers to get an attack on it, and you'll each get three shots before it escapes. You roll at -4 on all of them, but you also get +2 on the first two attacks because the creature rolled a 1 (tried to wedge itself into the wrong hole, had to back out). That's all you can do unless someone wants to throw a spell (not Daze) or something.

So, pick the two who are attacking (Yordan and Fritz, I would think?) and make those rolls. Hit it and do enough damage, you'll kill it; otherwise, it squeezes through a crack and escapes.

With a +2 Vitæ would probably attempt a parting shot and hope Ghelik does not come at them swinging.

Vitæ drops fully to fire at the tiny Thing.

"How can something this painfully small throw all of us in disarray?"

Crossbow and Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 3 + 2 + 1 = 26

damage and Painful Stare: 1d8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 1 = 5

Thankfully that possible crit was not aimed at Ghelik!

Possible Crit

Crossbow and Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 3 + 2 + 1 = 22

damage and Painful Stare: 1d8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 1 = 3

edit total damage could be a meh 8 :(

The Thing squeals in pain and rage, but it's still squirming.

(You actually got a -4 on that for firing into melee, but in this case it worked out.)

It's a good start Vitae!

Yordan takes two swings (and an attack of opportunity as it escapes), all at -4 but the first at +2

First as it wriggles: 1d20 + 3 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 2 - 4 = 7 for 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 damage.

Second as it giggles: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 3 - 4 = 12 for 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10 damage.

Last at its tail: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 3 - 4 = 2 for 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 damage.

Wow, Yordan is totally hopeless. Probably distracted by bits of his skull still grinding together, unhealed.

Don't forget Inspire Courage Yordan, maybe your 2nd hit may have been enough.

"You two are hampering my sight! I need a clear shot!"

DMDM not sure if Vitæ is allowed a 2nd shot like the melee champions get but if he does, move action to reload from last round, and fire at the top of the round.

Crossbow and Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 3 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 3 + 1 - 4 = 17

damage and Painful Stare: 1d8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 + 1 = 9

edit finally! I hope that shot was allowed.

Withering Wallabies! What are you doing? Our real foe is under the boiler. Fritz says as the attack scrapes off his armor

1d20 + 3 - 4 - 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 - 4 - 1 = 0 for 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 2 + 1 = 11 non lethal

Fritz takes a half hearted swing with the flat of his blade

Now cut it out

Prescience: 1d20 ⇒ 20 Stored for later use.
"Truly, you showed him, Fritz. Now he will think twice about stabbing you when your back is turned. I'm sure of it."

Mrakala sighs, frowning at the escaping creature. "Oh bother."

The wizened man clasps his hands together in front of him, as if cupping something. "Naqaad qabuyyo," he mutters in a strange accent, his vocals clipped and short, using only the front of his mouth. He slowly parts his hands and a spinning ball of ice rapidly forms, growing as it spins.

"Hm...I don't think I took into account the moisture content or calorific values of the boiler..but that will only cause a slight defect in Sternchen's Weather-Inappropriate Crystalline Sphere...now if we calculate for the air density of heated gas we should.."

Sternchen's Weather-Inappropriate Crystalline Sphere: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 3 + 1 = 23 vs the creature's touch AC. +1 from Inspire Courage. I did not add +2 from it's failed escape artist check as I was not sure if it would apply.
Sternchen's Weather-Inappropriate Crystalline Sphere's damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7 cold damage and the creature must make a DC 17 (I believe it counts as an eldritch abomination, so I get a +1 spell DC to it) Foritude save or be Staggered.

Aw, man, the poor Thing. Shot, slashed, and blasted by a magical sphere of snow, it squeals and writhes, and then collapses motionless in a pool of... well, that's probably blood, I guess. Whatever fluid it had inside it.

Treasure: there isn't any. Vitae got a DC 25 (!) Perception check back when you first entered, so that's that. I mean, it's a boiler room.

-- Hey, let's drag the dead Thing out and get a good look at it!
-- Sure. You first.

At least now Kyleen can catch up on the latest in rat affairs and gossip, let's leave them alone for a moment.

Fritz reaches under the boiler and drags the thing out.

As he grabs it he squishes a bit. Meandering Marshmallows! Gross!

What's the appropriate knowledge check for something like this? Also can Mrakala use that Nat 20 from Prescience on an appropriate knowledge check? Arcane or Dungeoneering?

"I think I remember something about things like that..."

Yordan assists someone else's Knowledge (dungeoneering) check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8.

"...they can be driven away by blueberries."

Not very successfully.

"I think I remember something about things like that..."

Yordan assists someone else's Knowledge (dungeoneering) check: 1d20+5.

"...they can be driven away by blueberries."

Not very successfully.

Thanks for making me laugh out loud and get a strange look from the wife. Her only response was "...well alrighty."

Knowledge(planes): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Kyleen scratches her head as she glances over at the creature.
Never seen something like that before.

She then looks down to the rat.

I don't know what your saying but can you ask about places it and other rat citizens avoid? Could we offer it food to guide us? I can't believe we are negotiating with rats, back in my day rats were 1st Level enemies.

Kyleen does not have the ability to actually influence the rats yet, that is at level 3. She is hoping to bargain with it, but of course Kyleen does not have the usual rat-bargaining items --- aka food.

Fritz reaches under the boiler and drags the thing out.

As he grabs it he squishes a bit. Meandering Marshmallows! Gross!

You all get a good look at it now. It's still twitching. Dead, but the tentacles still writhe.

Its blood is bluish-purple, and slightly luminescent.

It has little monkey hands.

What's the appropriate knowledge check for something like this? Also can Mrakala use that Nat 20 from Prescience on an appropriate knowledge check? Arcane or Dungeoneering?

Yes, you can, and yes, it would give you some information. Do you want to do that?

If no one is going to feed it, the rat will depart without a backwards glance.

Vitæ has Stuff 3 so he should have his rations and can share.

Scratch off a day's worth of rations. The rat is large and hungry, and what it cannot eat it will carry off, Pizza Rat style.

Feeding the rat will allow Kyleen to ask it questions equal to her Cha modifier -- in this case, +2. Once it has answered those to the best of its ability, it will depart. Note that it's still an Int 2 animal, and it's spent a lot of time cowering under a boiler, so don't be surprised if it doesn't have anything terribly useful to say.

A rat eats a humans day worth of rations?!! How big are these rats? New York ones? Those guys will take your lunch money.

Youtube "Pizza Rat".

Youtube "Pizza Rat".

Acctually I know Pizza Rat very well. Cool if you like vermin who like their pizza, but also the Vid completely was staged by a woman.

As the rat begins to eat, Kyleen looks to her companions.
Any quick thoughts on things to ask the little guy? The questions need to be short and simple, rats are not the brightest of creatures.

She pauses for a second.
It is probably going to scurry off as soon as it finishes eating.

I don't know what your saying but can you ask about places it and other rat citizens avoid? Could we offer it food to guide us? I can't believe we are negotiating with rats, back in my day rats were 1st Level enemies.

Maybe what places it won't go into and why.