DMDM's Strange Aeons

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

"Rocksauce."

The wizard glances to his compatriots with an arched eyebrow. "We met your ah...friends in the hallway. I am Mrakala, an unfortunate wretch who has no idea how he got to this place."

Rocksauce. The guards mentioned that name. But is this really her?

Vitæ withdraws his blade from the old lady Thing.

"My name is Vitæ and we are looking for records, and documents. We saw others by the chapel earlier, why have you left their safety? Are you hurt in any way?"

I am Fritz, devotee of Iomadae. Pray tell what are you doing here? And how are you safe from the skin changers?

Yordan, again, lets others do the talking, and keeps an eye on the other set of doors (back out to the hallway) just in case something else comes along.

A girl, maybe the one SHE was going on about -- but we can't trust anything SHE said, because she just wanted to lure us in and bite off our heads. Shear off our heads... how can we tell who is the hunter, and who the prey?

Ghelik says little, he has run out of trust for anyone...or anything in this cursed place except for those he is with now. He steels himself for killing yet another of the shapeshifters if needed.

Remind me what your alignment is now? (Note that at this stage of things, alignment is flexible -- you don't have to stick with the one you first chose if you think the character is evolving in another direction.)

Nameless is currently chaotic good, fighting the urge to become more selfish (shift from good to neutral) as her sanity is depleted. It seems to me that CG fits in with the support and Guidance offered to her comrades.

The oracle listens to the girl, considering her and the words of her friends. I'm not sure exactly who I am, the earthquake seems to have rattled that memory free of my head - along with, well, every memory. She shifts her weight and clears her throat. You can call me Nameless, or Voices if you want to address all of us. It, um, doesn't really matter.

"Oh now, I think you'll find that names matter more than you think, dear."

"ThEy Do HaVe A bIt Of PoWeR, fOr SuRe."

"Exactly wot kind of name is "Rocksauce" -- does tha' mean we can or should eat her?"

"crunchandsmashrocksandquarrywewilleatherdon'tyouworry"

"My name is Vitæ and we are looking for records, and documents. We saw others by the chapel earlier, why have you left their safety? Are you hurt in any way?"

"The room's full of files. I guess you can come in and -- "

"Oh, b+#$#, you did not go there." Another voice interrupts. Or, to be precise, the same voice interrupts.

Another, identical girl is standing in the door you came in.

Actually, not quite identical. West door / Second Girl -- she must have come up very quietly; you didn't hear her approach -- has a nasty looking slash or cut on one arm, which North door / First Girl does not. Otherwise, they look and sound exactly the same.

First Girl's eyes widen. "Crap, it's another one of those things! Copying me? Really?" She shakes her head. "That's some nerve!"

Second Girl's eyes narrow. "Really? You're going to try it anyway? After what happened to your friend here?" She jerks her chin at the dead body by the door. "Okay, so, the change makes you crazy and stupid."

Twins? Like the Shining?

DM how did the 2nd girl enter if the door was shut by Mrakala.

"Who are you then?"

Vitæ asks the 2nd girl, as he sets a new bolt on his crossbow which is not aimed at either girl. Not yet.

DM how did the 2nd girl enter if the door was shut by Mrakala.

Shut != locked.

Kyleen, who was still standing against the wall away from the two doors, steps forward.
Ok, this is real simple. Both of you come and sit down. We will bind you both. The first one to start to change and morph, gets killed. If you both refuse, then we will kill you both. It is not my preferred option, but considering that we killed the doctor-creature and the old lady-creature, I am pretty sure that we can kill one or two teenager-creatures.

After she says this, Kyleen casts a simple spell she knows to make a connection between herself and Mrakala:

Cast Message (DC25 Perception to hear if close, higher depending on distance)
Whisper to Mrakala: The rats say that some people smell different. Seems like one of the tests we should try.

Fritz pales and he moves to Kyleen,

We cannot kill a child! You are just bluffing about that correct?

Kyleen, who was still standing against the wall away from the two doors, steps forward.

Ok, this is real simple. Both of you come and sit down. We will bind you both. The first one to start to change and morph, gets killed. If you both refuse, then we will kill you both. It is not my preferred option, but considering that we killed the doctor-creature and the old lady-creature, I am pretty sure that we can kill one or two teenager-creatures.

Both girls turn to sneer at you.

"Seriously?"
"Seriously?"

First (Northern) Girl turns back to her duplicate. "Well, the patients are getting violent. If you don't want trouble, you better clear out."

Second (Western) Girl shakes her head. "Yeah no. You have, like... five seconds to turn and burn, or I'm going to mess you up."

There's silence for... oh, about five seconds.

"Okay fine, you asked for it." Second Girl turns towards you. "You dopes obviously don't know anything about how to detect shapeshifters. Here's, like, lesson one." She walks briskly across the room, bare feet splashing through the water on the floor, until she's near the southern end, close to the dead "old lady". As she does so, she reaches into her pockets and pulls out two items -- a knife and a piece of string.

"Okay so I take this piece of string and I cut it into two identical lengths, so." She slashes the string with the knife. "Then I take the two pieces, and -- "

Girl One lets out a horrific shriek, literally blood-curdling.

Once again, the transformation is almost instantaneous. One moment there's the girl; the next there's a... vaguely humanoid thing, but with huge legs like a grasshopper, and great long apelike arms tipped with three massive, clawed fingers. Still shrieking, it leaps towards Girl Two. It only takes three bounds to cover the 40' or so to her.

The weird shriek has a temporary unnerving effect -- fail a DC 12 Will save and you're staggered for d3 rounds.

By luck or design, Girl Two has moved in such a way that the creature's charge will bring it right past Fritz, Ghelik, Yordan and Vitae. All four of you get AoOs. (Well, if you choose to take them. You can of course just let the creature go bounding past you.)

"...cutting a string in half reveals a shapeshifter? How does that eve.." Mrakala shakes his head, frowning, even as he brings his hands up to cast a spell.

Initiatives since everyone was pretty much ready for a fight? Would this count as a: fear, confusion, insanity or madness effect? If so, Mrakala uses his Eldritch Knowledge ability to expend 2 school ability uses and gain his Intelligence instead of Wisdom to the check (additional +4) And just for fun..may as well use the guidance bonus otherwise I'll forget about it. Or can we use that on initiative? If so, initiative. if not, save.
Will Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Edit: Huh..so Mrakala is either staggered or there's a slim chance he makes it if all the other stuff happens. Interesting.

"Okay so I take this piece of string and I cut it into two identical lengths, so." She slashes the string with the knife. "Then I take the two pieces, and -- "

Did ... did we miss something? Or is this just a particular, individual twinge in Girl One's sanity?

DC 12 Will Save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13 AKA, I'll be glad when we get a chance to rest so I can move up the Mental spectrum from -4 WIS.

@ Everyone - don't forget the Guidance you received a moment ago.

Mrakala Int 21 and you get lumped together with us other dopes, burn man.

Vitæ reacts to the gross mamalia insecta Thing as it long strides past him.

"Wizard, did you not pay attention during your apprentership when they taught that string theory?"

DM is Thing easier to hit bec it's charging? Sword Cane: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

Used Guidance

damage plus Painful Stare: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Will: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

edit possible crit Sword Cane: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

damage plus Painful Stare: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Do I get a bonus for properly saying String Theory in a Strange Aeons game?

DC 12 Will save for the shriek: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

"I've heard louder than that from -- something, something in the woods." Yordan attempts to trip the howling charger --

DC 15 Will save to put himself in danger, using guidance: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 2 + 1 = 11

-- but something about it unnerves him. Maybe it's the thought of those long arms hugging him and wrapping around his back to claw out his heart from the front.

At least he doesn't cower, but Not-Girl-One is too horrifying for him to take on. Maybe it was the shock of the sudden transformation.

"OoOoOo, ShE kNoWs StRiNg ThEoRy. ReMiNd Me To AsK hEr AbOuT AdS/CfT cOrReSpOnDeNcE."

"Oh, do shut up. It's obviously a ruse, she's going to stab us in the back while we deal with her enemy!"

Now that ... that's just weird. Nameless backs away from charging Girl One, keeping an eye on Girl Two to gauge her reaction as we fight.

Sense Motive (-4 WIS): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

I am curious if we are being played here by the shifters. They may be enemies, but Girl Two can still be shifter/evil, since the string-cutting is potentially a sanity-linked trigger for Girl One. Perfect cover to gain our trust? Ahhhh, horror campaign paranoia!

Ghelik pauses at the shriek, willpower+guidance: 1d20 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 + 1 = 16

And tries to slice the thing as it moves past...
Shortsword attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13 damage if it hits: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Willpower: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Kyleen watches, almost in shock, and confusion, as one girl somehow forces the other to change her shape by simply cutting a piece of string.

Knowledge(dungeoneering): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15 <-- any clue what might have caused the transformation

Hopefully since its charging gross mamalia insecta Thing is easier to hit.

DMDM great visuals!

Edit: Huh..so Mrakala is either staggered or there's a slim chance he makes it if all the other stuff happens. Interesting.

Used your guidance, made it, not staggered.

Normally, you wouldn't be able to charge across this room, because the water makes difficult terrain. However, the creature's grotesque legs mean it can cover the ground in a few leaps, barely touching the ground. It does have to make an Acrobatics check, albeit a pretty easy one.

1d20 ⇒ 3

...huh.

That just barely fails. So, okay, the creature won't be able to charge. That means it moves normally, which will put it adjacent to Girl Two but not able to attack.

Okay, waiting on Fritz's AoO. And, guess I should roll initiative for Round One for the attacking creature: 1d20 ⇒ 7

tch.

Initiative: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Oh yeah.

"Stupendus!" Mrakala waves his hand and a burst of colors sprays forth, covering the creature.
Color Spray: DC 16. DC 17 if the creature counts as an eldritch horror.

Hypnotic Stare gives it a -2 to the roll as well.

1d20 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (1) + 3 - 1 = 3 for 1d8 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 2 + 1 = 8 AOO

Carniverous Cats! Fritz exclaims as he tries to take a swing and struggles to hold onto his blade

As our front line man with Yordan, Fritz and Vitæ need to switch dice, especially since my damage are mere pin pricks.

Do the rest of us need to roll initiative as well?

If so, Yordan goes on 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Yeah you guys are not exactly dishing out the hurt here.

Fritz, you have another (Round One) attack in addition to the AoO.

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
I am sure it will go before me.

Did it make its save or seem immune to Color Spray?

Let's see. DC 16, righ? 1d20 ⇒ 13 Well, either +3 or better Will, or just immune.

Round One: Fritz, Vitae, Mrakala again?

I don't think there was a surprise round, so that was Mrakala's first round action.

Otherwise he'll uh...try throwing the net again? Net: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (9) - 2 = 7 vs touch AC and be entangled.

You know combat is getting sporting when the Wizard resorts to using a net.

Let's see. DC 16, righ? d20 Well, either +3 or better Will, or just immune.

And we accounted for Hypnotic Stare DM?

Vitæ will cast Daze because it seemed to work last time.

DC 14, - 2 to roll.

What is girl with two strings doing?

Fritz manages to hold onto his blade then he tries to catch the creature on the backswing

1d20 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 3 - 1 = 8 for 1d8 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 2 + 2 + 1 = 9

man. I think Bref has stolen my luck...It's like the universe knows I am in a DMDM game and I must either be ineefectual or dead...

Initiative: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Mental 1 (DC 15 Will Save): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

Nameless steps up and thrusts her spear at the aggressive shifter. We said no more rippling!

Attack Spear: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 1 + 2 = 16
Damage Spear: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Whoa the little old Oracle does some serious damage!

And here's its Daze save: 1d20 ⇒ 11

Oh hey it made its Daze save!

What is Two-Strings Girl doing? With an almost leisurely motion, she reaches up with her kitchen knife (the one she cut the string with) and 1d20 ⇒ 14

[sfx: damage dice rolling offscreen]

...draws the knife across the raging Thing's throat. (It's almost exactly the same cut you saw on the one by the door.)

With a gurgle, the Thing collapses. In a few moments, it changes into another grey-skinned, sticky-looking corpse, identical to the other two in this room.

Two-Strings Girl looks down on the corpse for a moment, then shrugs. "Warned you."

for 2 string girl Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

edit merp

"She seems nice."

'Rocksauce, how did you accomplish that ?'

The tale pale figure can not hide his surprise at the turn of events.

Seems like she did us a fav'r Vitae. Does it really matr how's it dun. I'd seen many a competent blade kill as quickly.

@ the girl, The better question is cun we help you find what you were looking fer in the office? Now we have a third skinwalker were headin back to what is hopefully some safety.