DMDM's Strange Aeons

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

Oh yes smiting really hard

Well, o/n/c/e/ if it kills you, its DR means it will be able to take the rest of the party apart without breaking a sweat. So by all means keep smiting.

Well that is the way it goes.

Will Save (DC 15 to put self in danger): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Nameless grips her spear, knuckles white and eyes locked on the apparent horror behind the curtain.

"Fear of the unknown is natural. Especially when the unknown can rend your mind *and* body."

As long as they are nowhere near the curtain or the Man in Black, she moves to investigate the pull-rings. If they are near either, she re-casts Guidance on Yordan.

Can Ghelik get to black hat or is he in the alcove?

Ghelik crouches ready to defend himself against the thing behind the screen.
Full defense AC:18.

Can Ghelik get to black hat or is he in the alcove?

You could, and you could flank with Fritz. But next round.

Ghelik crouches ready to defend himself against the thing behind the screen.

Full defense AC:18.

Duly noted.

-- Mrakala, would you please roll a Will save?

Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Can Mrakala see enough of Black Hat to try and identify it/him?

"We have seen the Yellow Sign." The wizened wizard warily wonders aloud.

"What's this 'Yellow Sign'?" Yordan wonders out loud.

I wish I had kept up the notes on the game...but we had either a doppleganger or a cultist yelling about the yellow sign at one point. Pale & Ghostly saw a yellow-robed figure by the lake. I think it was mentioned somewhere else too...

Sorry, was at OGC con over the weekend, and then life got busy.

Kyleen will move into the room, staying as far from the mirror and the black man as possible. She will then use Mage Hand.

Kyleen saw/experienced it on an obelisk or somesuch in the city by the lake. I have a bad feeling about this ...

[dice=Will]1d20+5

Can Mrakala see enough of Black Hat to try and identify it/him?

You'd pretty much need to roll a nat 20 on your Arcana check, but you could try.

"We have seen the Yellow Sign." The wizened wizard warily wonders aloud.

The thing turns to look at you. You feel a chill as its yellow eyes lock on to yours.

Kyleen saw/experienced it on an obelisk or somesuch in the city by the lake. I have a bad feeling about this ...

It's nice when people pay attention, yes. Probably not relevant to anything important, though.

"Yordan, we have seen its reminder in many places. The cultist in yellow. The Pale One's dream entity. And..my memory fails me but I know one of us at least has seen this yellow sign directly, before."

Okay, it attacked, everyone else got to act... so I guess it's Black Hat's turn again.

Okay, Fritz, you asked for it. AC 21, you say?

1d20 ⇒ 9
1d20 ⇒ 8

Oooooooooh it gets two slam attacks and hits at +12, so it hit Fritz ONCE. Which is good, because it imposes negative energy levels, so a second hit would kill him.

You only take 5 points of damage, but you have a negative level, which is -1 on everything including attacks and saves. If you collect negative levels equal to your character level, you die. (And in some cases return as some sort of horrible undead servant of the thing that killed you.)

Fritz, the chill of the thing's touch seems to seep into your very soul, bringing a deadly existential despair. If it touches you again...

Also, it just gained back 5 hp from hitting you. You only did 11 hp damage to it, so it's now only down 6.

Having struck Fritz, the creature now ignores him. It marches straight towards Mrakala. As it nears him, it speaks in its strange soft breathless voice. [/b]"HAVE you seen the Yellow Sign?"[b] It's still 10' away at the end of the round, so Mrakala, running is an option. You can also talk to it, or... well, anything else.

Fritz, you get an AoO as it walks away from you.

I thought smite overcomes DR? I'm confused

It does.

Oh, sorry -- my bad. You did 17 points with that crit, not 11. So having sucked 5 hp out of you, it's now at -12. Anyway: are you taking that AoO? You don't have to.

Oh, and Mrakala needs to make a Will save.

I was waiting to make sure the attack went through , cause that would change my decision

1d20 + 3 + 2 + 2 - 1 - 1 ⇒ (17) + 3 + 2 + 2 - 1 - 1 = 22 for 1d8 + 2 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 + 2 + 2 = 14

Fritz takes his AOO knowing that he might be at the end of his short adventure

Overcomes DR, so it takes the full 14 points.

Mrakala needs to save, and then everyone can act.

Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

The wizard nods his head, opening his mouth. Seeing the state Fitz is in, he blinks. "..No, I must have been mistaken." He says before turning and retreating 90 feet. "We don't need to be that close to speak, creature! Fitz, I suggest running!"

And he bravely ran away, away. On his turn Mrakala will move away and through the room that had the ghoul in it.

Kyle, considers trying to pull one of the chains hanging from the roof, but instead decides to give her companions all the encouragement she can while trying to determine whether she has ever heard of something like this creature.

Standard: Inspire Courage - +1 on lots of stuff

Knowledge(Religion and everything else): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22 <-- maybe some clue?

She then begins to move back to put some space between herself and this black monstrosity.

DC 15 Will save to put himself in danger: 1d20 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 - 2 = 8

Yordan backs away, letting Mrakala and Kyleen past him but holding his bow ready to shoot if the thing comes after him.

"What is the Yellow Sign?" he asks again.

The wizard nods his head, opening his mouth. Seeing the state Fitz is in, he blinks. "..No, I must have been mistaken." He says before turning and retreating 90 feet. "We don't need to be that close to speak, creature! Fitz, I suggest running!"

And he bravely ran away, away. On his turn Mrakala will move away and through the room that had the ghoul in it.

Okay, made the Will save. 90 feet takes you right out of the room and... up the hall back towards the barricade, I assume? Not back towards the collapse and the office?

Will Save (DC 15 to put self in danger): 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 2 + 1 = 11

If approaching Fritz puts Nameless in danger (assuming yes, but since Black Hat walked towards Mrakala ...) then:

The Oracle tries to summon the will to approach Fritz and heal him, but is thoroughly shaken and cannot quite find the courage to enter the fray. Nameless backs away towards the door as Black Hat approaches Mrakala. Fritz, come on - live to fight this evil abomination another day.

If approaching Fritz does not put Nameless in danger:

Nameless skirts around Black Hat and approaches the paladin to heal him. Let's live to fight another day, Fritz. Let's get to the barricade.

Either way, as soon as Fritz is in range, cast Cure Light Wounds on him. Doesn't help the level drain, but HP are never bad to restore.

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

We'd best run Fritzie. We need a plan o attack on this one.

Ready an action to move out of the room if anything threatening moves towards him.

Agreed.

Still waiting to see if the 22 knowledge roll gave Kyleen any insight about this guy.

Kyle, considers trying to pull one of the chains hanging from the roof, but instead decides to give her companions all the encouragement she can while trying to determine whether she has ever heard of something like this creature.

Standard: Inspire Courage - +1 on lots of stuff

Knowledge(Religion and everything else): 1d20+6 <-- maybe some clue?

She then begins to move back to put some space between herself and this black monstrosity.

The Knowledge check on this one is really high.

The Doctor is fluttering around spectrally. "Who is this... person? The Laundry Room is for authorized personnel only!"

Yordan backs away, letting Mrakala and Kyleen past him but holding his bow ready to shoot if the thing comes after him.

"What is the Yellow Sign?" he asks again.

The thing looks at you. Its eyes are yellow and seem to glow in the shadows...

...then it looks away, as if losing interest.

d3 you don't want me to roll a 1: 1d3 ⇒ 2

...so, basically everyone is running away, then?

If Fritz the fearless is running, so are we.

We all move to the hallway to gather ourselves... and clean our armor.

It's a good thing I was wearing my brown pants.... wait a minute, I don't have any other pants.

I gave him two major hits and no one else can do anything so might as well.

In the hallway, Mrakala leans one hand on the wall, keeping his eye on the door as others begin to retreat his way. "I do not know what that thing is. I would not be surprised if it was the source of all that befalls this hospital. I can not recall having read anything about such a creature before."

At least ya tried Fritz. Thu rest of us just shat ourselves.
Since we have no idear what the ell that wus what should we do?

"Talk to it, or keep running away...."

Still shaken, Nameless mumbles, Talk to it? I'm not sure it would be very open to discussion at the moment. Not after Fritz's not so eloquent greeting. Also, I don't know if I want to hear what it has to say ...

The oracle keeps a close eye on the halls, the tunnel and surroundings while everyone is gathering themselves.

It is a great evil. We agreed to come and get rid of it. What else should I have done?

Oh no, don't get me wrong - I don't fault you for wanting to end the evil. Not at all. It's just ... it's likely not amenable to talking out our differences or informing us of its Grand Yellow Plan at the moment.

"I don't think you made the wrong initial decision, Fritz. We do not know what insidious thoughts the creature could have instilled in us had we had a prolonged conversation with it. I wish there was something..anything..I could recall from a book that would help in this situation."

Kyleen scratched her head once the group is out.
There must be something about that . . . thing. Something that vile and evil, it must have a weakness. The questions is, what is it?

It seemed like it wus detached, aluf. Maybe that's it's weakness. Maybe it'll tell us bout it's plans or what it is doin' if we talk ta it?
Kept askin' bout the yella sign, what is that?

"I think it's our jailer," Yordan says. "It isn't chasing us, so it doesn't want to kill us. I think it just wants us to stay in here and suffer for ... whatever it was we did."

Okay, so: retreat and regroup? Going back to the Sanctuary?