DM Papa.DRB -- SoP test (Inactive)

Game Master Papa-DRB

Stepping through the archway takes you to another world. It takes a moment for your eyes to get used to the dark. As they do, you find that the field of stark headstones and statue-topped burial monuments extend to the horizon in all directions. The archway you came through is no longer connected to the retaining wall of a graveyard but stands slightly askew and surrounded by yet more grave markers. Looking back through it, you do not see the lush undergrowth and dappled forest you left behind, just the bleak cemetery landscape and pressing murk. The ground below you is dry and cracked. The chill in the air shivers you to the bone. The area reeks of death and decay. And all the while, you cannot shake the feeling that you are being watched.

Next?

Wife and I are leaving tomorrow (Friday) morning for the Boston, MA area (4 hour drive) and we won't be back home till quite late Tuesday night. I won't be bringing my computer, so my next post will not be till Wednesday, 20 January 2016.

Silva rides around the portal looking for clues or signs of where people were taken, traps (given that this is a natural chokepoint, good spot to lat traps), and what can be expected of this realm.

Clearly not the normal shadow plane. Ever used for faster travel, and are such natural portals (whether to this plane or another) commonplace?

"A land of graves? Do you folks store your dead in other worlds?" Davak asks. He looks around, and wanders a bit, trying to get a feel for the darkness of this place. He doesn't go too far, though, waiting for the scouts to do their thing.

Hailina looks around. "Not that Im aware of..."

Those with dark vision can see clearly for sixty feet and beyond that only very vague outlines of things, those without can see only thirty feet or so, as the light is very dim.

On the horizon, you see the remnants of a pale moon pass out of sight. Or was it a wan sun? As it sets, the last vestiges of light upon this world die with it. The archway scene lightens to reveal fireflies dancing above the forest path you stood upon only a short time ago.

Examining the headstones, you remember that over 700 years ago on the Material Plane, the village of Makath stood but a few yards away from the archway you passed through. The malevolent fire of a vengeful dragon destroyed the forest and turned the village to dust. Only a single family graveyard survived the blaze. The charred remains went unburied and unmourned and somehow ended up here.

There is a path to the west thru the graveyard, and if you were back on the Material Plane would be heading towards the village of Dronabar, but this place is nothing like the Material Plane.

Next?

"Are there signs that the people we're looking for are here? If not, maybe we should go back to the regular world and look there."

"The signs rather clearly pointed here, so let's look around before deciding to turn back."

Silva and Sez make a general loop around the gateway looking for signs both of their quarry, and of other dangers.

As Silvia looks around, and Davak mentions looking for people, you notice a blackened corpse that is encircled by a swarm of flies and has a rancid stench. Its skin has long sloughed away around its eyes and teeth exposing decaying flesh. This creature is squatting on top of one of the gravestones, and looked like one of the statues a moment ago.

"You are looking for the human woman and it's children?"

Next?

Silva tries not to look disgusted, wouldn't do to be rude after all, "Yes. Who are you?"

Davak waits to see what sort of response Silva gets.

Mostly just checking in.

"I am Silva Val'Hilzanvier. I am seeking a women and children and I believe the ones that passed through here are the ones I seek. I also believe they were brought against their will. So now you have two reasons I am following them. Any information is worth my gratitude and remembrance. It isn't a well paying job so there isn't much in the way of material goods to share, though you are welcome to anything we leave behind, and perhaps a small measure of loot, if any fighting be necessary, should you have useful information about the terrain, our enemies if they prove to be so, and how to flank or ambush them." Silva says in her most regal way.

knowledge check to identify creature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

"Your gratitude and remembrance is nothing to me. We here in this place deal in coin, magic or lives. Which do you offer for information?" the creature replies, looking over the group.

Next?

Silva laughs amused, though not intending to be rude she stops quickly, "You are a silly creature to discount all but material wealth. I require what little coin I have and none of my magic is lasting, save fixing or destroying things. If they want to buy your info they may do so, obviously, but I shall not. Good luck silly creature."
Silva goes back to examining the tracks, taking her time should the others decide to speak to the silly creature.

"I have some coin but I'm curious. What magic would such as you be after? "

Hailina laughs. "I have healing magic. That'd what I can do."

-Posted with Wayfinder

Next?

"I'm afraid what magic items I have I need. Perhaps some coin then? Lanaral pulls out about 10 gp.

Davak waits to see what sort of response the others get.

Mostly just checking in.

:-)

Next?

Davak chimes in, "What sort of magical item, or what amount of money, would you require for this information?"

Edit: Perhaps it is worth noting Davak's +8 Sense Motive modifier.

Silva follows the tracks for a few yards, still nearby but not hovering. She is patiently waiting for everyone to finish dealing with the strange creature. She and Sez start chattering about the tracks and the landscape in quiet voices.

"I'm afraid you ask too much. Good eve to you."
Lanaral turns and walks over towards Silva

Finally you depart the forest of graves following the trail of struggle along a path through lifeless, gnarled trees. Some are blacked and burned while others are moss covered and rotted. The wood resembles the way traveled from the broken cart on the Material Plane but it feels more sinister and oppressive. The dead wood rustles and twigs snap in the distance giving the sense that creatures you cannot see move all around you, or perhaps it is just the chill wind.

Suddenly at the last moment, you barely see a shadowy dog charging and it misses as it tries to bite Lanaral.

Next?
Tactical Map Updated

Tactical Map Link

Silva UP
Init (HP Cur/Max, AC, SP)
Silva: 21 (27/27, 21, 7/8)
Halina: 18 (35/35, 12, 9/10)
Lanaral: 18 (43/43, 21, 7/7)
Gow: 11 (46/46, 15, 11/11)
Davak: 6 (55/55, 18, 9/9)
Foe(s): 10

knowledge check to id creature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Wow. I have no initiative. I'll just sit here and laze around, I guess. Feels like real life.

Sil atk/dmg, Sez atk/dmg: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 182d6 ⇒ (5, 4) = 91d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 181d6 ⇒ 3

Silva and Sez react quickly and smoothly blasting the creature with magic.

Interesting. The dice tag took 6, 2d6, d20 as rolling 62d6 then rolling that many d20. neat.

Wow. I have no initiative. I'll just sit here and laze around, I guess. Feels like real life.

Post what you want to do, and I will weave it all together. As the Foe has already had its turn, all of you go now.

Davak - the Living Dark wrote:

Wow. I have no initiative. I'll just sit here and laze around, I guess. Feels like real life.

Post what you want to do, and I will weave it all together. As the Foe has already had its turn, all of you go now.

Even though my initiative roll was lower than our Foe(s)'s

The dog was at the top of the initiative order, thus, all players get to go now because initiative has passed on to those lower initiative rolls. Besides, it seems unlikely the GM will stick tightly to initiative anyway. Pbp doesn't do well with that. Most GM's on pbp use it more to create three groups, PCs that go before the npcs, the npcs, and pcs that go after, which after the first round just alternates between all pcs then all npcs, anyway. So, the npc has gone, thus all pcs now must go so the npc can go again, if it still lives at that point.

Reaching inside his cloak, Gow hurls at least a score of daggers at the creature in rapid succession.

Will DC 20 or take 11pts nonlethal damage.

Complex Illusion + Illusory Touch x2.

I moved it down one so their was essentially a group initiative.

Lanaral - Knowledge check (move or standard action in combat)
GowWabber - attack
Silva - attack
Davak - ?
Halina - ?

Ambush! Defend the tribe!

Time to see how my powers are affected in this shadowy place. Plus, I want to try going full out, and see what happens.

Davak moves far enough to get a clear shot at the beast (to the left on the map).

He clutches his chest with his hand, and seems to rip out darkness from his very soul. He hurls it at the beast, and the darkness separates into knives of shadow.

Destructive Blast (spending 1 sp), with Forbidden Lore (+3 CL; 15% chance of backlash) and Empower Spell (spending 2 more sp): +6 ranged touch attack, 8d6+1 slashing damage, treating 1s and 2s as 3s, empowered

attack roll: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
damage dice rolls: 8d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 3, 3, 1, 4, 5, 2) = 23
backlash on 15 or less: 1d100 ⇒ 11

Edit: That's ... not a great outcome. The attack fizzles, and Davak gets -1 to attack rolls, skill rolls, saving throws, and effective caster level until he rests to regain spell points. It would have done 42 damage (bypassing DR as magic) if it would have gone off, and hit.

Davak groans as the darkness spreads from his hands, and reels for a moment. The blades of darkness waver and dissipate before reaching their target.

I usually play it that a knowledge check is either free or a move action. If I still have a standard left I'll attack too

@Lanaral - You have a standard action left

rapier: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

miss chance: 1d100 ⇒ 23

Missed due to shadow blend

poke?

Apologies for being away the last few days. Between 2nd Tuesday of the month hassles (staff meeting at hospital), an extra shift, a very sick dog, and my volunteer work just stepped up some, it has been exhausting since Sunday afternoon.

It appears that Halina has dropped also.

The dog continues its attack on Lanaral but misses with its bite.

Next?

Davak tries summoning up blades of darkness again, but being weakened by the first attempt, and failing, he works with simpler, but less forceful, methods. No special effects or abilities this time.

attack roll: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
damage roll: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (2, 2) + 1 = 5

2s get treated as 3s, so that's 7 points of slashing damage (treated as magic for DR purposes), assuming I hit.