DMummy's Mask

Game Master Elmdorprime

Sorry Thorpe. Its all Noonan's fault!

Noonan, you're pretty sure Thorrpe is not dead.

Just resting!

A Great Webwyrm ate my post!

Reflex with Evasion: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (9) + 17 = 26

The desert dervish bobs and weaves in the path of the lighting!

”Hey! Hey! Hey! Don’t kill him we are trying to save him right!? Damn it Dwali, you can’t just go around hitting everything with your hammer!”

Tariq yells out as he attempts to backflip and spin away from the cultist and avoid his attack.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (19) + 17 = 36

Then he dashes over to apply his sap to subdue the possessed man!

”Hey! Look over there!”

Tariq calls out hoping the pharaoh will turn his head and expose the back of his skull, then he flicks his wrist.

Sap: 1d20 + 15 + 2 - 3 ⇒ (20) + 15 + 2 - 3 = 34
Non-Lethal Sap: 1d6 + 5 + 6 + 2 + 3d6 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 6 + 2 + (3, 5, 6) = 28

To confirm: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 2 - 3 ⇒ (17) + 15 + 2 + 2 - 3 = 33
Additional Crit dice: 1d6 ⇒ 3

”Blap! Said oops, upside yo head, oops! Upside yo head!”

”Like that Dwali! With finesses!”

Tariq drops the Pharoah/Thorrpe on the ground with the stunning blow.

You guys are awful. Or maybe I am. It could be me, but accepting blame is against the DM/GM code so it's obviously you.

The pharaoh aches from the hits he takes from you but then he shoots up 15 feet in the air and, presuming he's not killed by AoO's, does this:

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME YOU IMPUDENT PEASANTS! I WILL BREAK YOU WITH THE POWER OF THE SUN ITSELF! IT OBEYS MY COMMAND AS I AM THE IMMORTAL PHARAOH!"

Thorrpe's borrowed hands twist into an unfamiliar shape and a fan of light screams outwards.

Save DCs are 23

Prismatic Spray Choice (Tariq): 1d8 ⇒ 3 Roll Reflex or take 80 points of electricity damage, save for half
Prismatic Spray Choice (Dwalindor): 1d8 ⇒ 6 Roll Will save or suffer from Insanity
Prismatic Spray Choice (Noonan): 1d8 ⇒ 6 Roll Will save or suffer from Insanity
Prismatic Spray Choice (Shad): 1d8 ⇒ 1 Roll Reflex or take 20 points of fire damage, save for half
Prismatic Spray Choice (Ba'set): 1d8 ⇒ 2 Roll Reflex or take 40 points of acid damage, save for half
Prismatic Spray Choice (Cultist 1): 1d8 ⇒ 7 Roll Will or sent to another plane. For fun I'm picking Abaddon.
Prismatic Spray Choice (Cultist 2): 1d8 ⇒ 1 Roll Reflex or take 20 points of fire damage, save for half

Man, that's a lot of effects.

Reflex (Cultist 1): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23
Reflex (Cultist 2): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22
Reflex (Shad): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32

Cultist 1 notices nothing, Cultist 2 burns for his god, Shad takes 10 points of fire damage.

The cultists scream in rage and step to pursue Dwalindor and Tariq for their effrontery.

Vs. Tariq
Attack (Unarmed Attack): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
Attack (Unarmed Attack): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Vs. Dwalindor
Attack (Unarmed Attack): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29
Damage (Unarmed Attack): 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Attack (Unarmed Attack): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Attack (Unarmed Attack, Confirm Critical): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Damage (Unarmed Attack): 2d10 + 10 ⇒ (8, 7) + 10 = 25

Shad is agony as you attack his friend but realizes that displacing the pharaoh is the only way to save his companion.

"Give me back my friend!

He pulls a sheet of parchment out of his satchel and it instantly shreds as he draws on the magic of his native plane. A thousand pieces of parchment seem to drift in the air before they scream inwards at the cultist near Tariq.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30

The cultist meanwhile whirls in a fast profusion as he dodges the parchment daggers that embed themselves in the sandstone wall behind him.

Back to you all!

Will save: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (7) + 16 = 23
Woof

Noonan feels old age claw at his mind again but manages to haul himself back from full senility.

will,imp rage, steel soul: 1d20 + 10 + 3 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 10 + 3 + 4 = 29

Dwalindor likewise feels his mind slipping but the rage overpowers the emotion.

Ok, now this pajama boy has ticked me off!

AC23 hp: 190 - 13 + 5 - 25 + 5 = 162

wails on the monk who struck him - switch targets as needed.

+4 Adm furious earthbreaker, rage, pa/FF : 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (10) + 25 = 35
for damage,rage, pa: 2d6 + 28 ⇒ (1, 1) + 28 = 30 ignore hardness/15
+4 Adm furious earthbreaker, rage, pa : 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (4) + 16 = 20
for damage,rage, pa: 2d6 + 28 ⇒ (2, 4) + 28 = 34 ignore hardness/15
+4 Adm furious earthbreaker, rage, pa : 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13
for damage,rage, pa: 2d6 + 28 ⇒ (4, 1) + 28 = 33 ignore hardness/15

The one attacking you is dead.

Tariq, you're back up!

Reflex with Evasion: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (11) + 17 = 28

Ha! Ha!

”B$@@$! If you were THE Immortal pharaoh you wouldn’t have to posses mortals!”

”Behold! Your magic has no effect on me! We serve the True and Only Eternal Pharaoh!”

”Now! Feel the wrath of his Imperial Whoop-azz Channeled through me! His most loyal servant and witness to his vision!”

Tariq swaps his sap!

AoO Sap as he rises, piranah vs human: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 15 + 2 + 2 = 39
To Confrim: 1d20 + 15 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 15 + 2 + 2 = 37
Damage non lethal: 2d6 + 5 + 6 + 2 + 3d6 ⇒ (5, 4) + 5 + 6 + 2 + (1, 5, 1) = 29

”Whooooo! Yeah! That’s right! BOOOM! You got served you scabrous wretch of gaseous form!”

Reflex: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

The cat takes a load or green acid to the face!

Roaring it leaps to grapple and bear the possessed man to the ground!

Claw to Grapple: 1d20 + 17 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 17 + 2 = 32

”Noonan! Where is your bear!? Get him in here to mop these guys up!”

The bear has left the sphinx! I dunno, to go do what bears do in the desert

You said you stopped your summon and like a fool I believed you.

How are you hitting him with your sap in the air?

Weapon cord

Is that a thing? I thought that just kept you from dropping it.

I suppose he could use it to smack people from far away, like those Gnome Flickmaces people rave over

I will have to try that with the earthbreaker if that is a thing! Is there still a foe up in the air?

The Pharaoh at the moment, not sure if Tariq could hit the Pharaoh to be honest and if he can't I'm sure he'll want to kill a cultist instead.

ok, if Dwalindor cannot reach him with his 10' reach hammer, then he will switch to his bow. I wasn't sure if the Pharoah was down or grappled based on the last few posts.

Noonan you're gonna put your eye out swinging that mace around like that!

He's 15 feet from the ground so outside earthbreaker range. Hence my confusion about Tariq. And Ba'set as well.

Gotcha. So if the cultists are down, then Dwalindor will switch to his bow. Otherwise he keeps whacking cultists.

Still one up I think.

Well. If Tariq and Baset are closer to that one, Dwalindor will drop his hammer and grab his bow to shoot up at Pharoah

You two take care of that other pajama-man and I got Thorpe - or whatever took over Thorpe.

Took the sap shot because you said assuming he survives the AoO. So it thought you meant we got a crack at him as he rose up. The cat can jump that high easily for the grapple. Maybe go with the cat grapple attack first and then Tariq can sap him if he gets taken to the ground? Or I can throw the sap at him as an improvised weapon? Or if none of those things are good I can redo it.

The cat can jump off my hump!

OK, the AoO is fine but RAW a 15 foot vertical jump is a DC 60 Acrobatics check because it's +4 for every vertical foot?

The cat had a least 15 feet move forward first and it gets a pretty good bonus to acrobatics. (Creatures with a base land speed above 30 feet receive a +4 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump for every 10 feet of their speed above 30 feet.) so it gets a +20 to jump. It is a large creature now. I will make the roll and DM as you will. However you play it it will be enjoyable, and what cat doesn’t make a leap at a bird even if there is a low chance of catching it!? I don’t know if the running leap makes it better? I think a tiger is 9 or 10 feet long on his hind legs. He is trying to snag the man and pull him down by his foot or lower leg. Honestly do whatever is good in your mind for the story! :)

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (19) + 20 = 39

OK, I'm going to try something completely different in the hopes Mini's play went well and he comes back soon!

Tariq slams his sap into the possessed Thorrpe as he rises into the air firing magic wildly through the room. Ba'set leaps up to grab him but is unable to stop the beams before snagging Thorrpe's ankle and knocking him around.

Reflex: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32

He spins in the air for a minute before slamming into the wall and dropping groggily to the ground.

Shad, seeing his chance, surges forward to try and reclaim his bond with his friend and an explosion of magic swarms outwards around the rest of you.

Spellcraft (Shad): 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (7) + 23 = 30
Spellcraft (The Pharaoh): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21

He begins struggling, trying to pull the mask off with fingers fading fast in the brillant storm of energy.

The last cultist in the room succumbs to the storm of magic as the Pharaoh reaches out to consume his soul to fuel his own power and try to banish Shad back to the Plane of Shadow.

Initiative Combat is over and I'm declaring a skill challenge! (This is new, don't worry, I think I know what I'm doing.) Your task is to help Shad wrest the mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh from Thorrpe without killing him or Shad. You can use Spellcraft to try and shape the arcane energies involved, Disable Device (if you can disable magic traps) to try and disconnect the magical currents from the mask to Thorrpe's head or Climb to find the right purchase and literally pull the mask free or any other skill you can realistically justify to me. Once you as team accumulate enough successes you beat the challenge or, if you accumulate enough failures you fail the challenge. Good luck!

Sounds good to me.

Dwalindor will sheath Amanda, spits on his clawed hands and looks up for a good spot to climb up to the wayward Pharoah.

Thorpe! Don't move. We will have you free of that dang mask in no time!

climb: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

How about Know-Nobility? I could try to convince him to detach himself from Thorpe because he is too noble to be stuck to some commoner

Noonan sheathes his weapon and begins wiggling his fingers in the swirling magic, trying to remember his lessons and disabling rampant mana.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (4) + 16 = 20

I'd want some descriptive text Noonan!

Dwalindor thinks Noonan is old, smells like prunes and with his hump back, he is amazed the geezer can even walk, let alone climb.

Oh you want descriptive text FROM Noonan, not ABOUT Noonan. j/k

Let's not be hasty. Tell me more about how he smells.

He has that old person smell

You are not in combat so you can nake another check with a skill you have not already used.

Shoot I was about to say Dwalindor has no skills but he has spellcraft

Seeing his efforts to climb were unsuccessful, he switches tactics to think harder

”Noonan and Tariq, how do you guys do this mind stuff? “

Spellcraft : 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6 LOL

”Oh, snap! It’s an old fashioned arcane magic battle! Keep fighting him Thorpe! Hey! I can see the magic threads stitching the mask to his face! Hang on!”

Tariq starts digging furiously in his bag.

”Ha! Yes! I’ve got silver shears and the unwashed pubic hairs of a Menstruating desert harpy right here!”

The rake pulls on gloves and gets to work waving the putrid mass of hair before applying it to the stricken man’s face and snipping at magic tendrils unseen by most! Crusty clippings fall down towards the mask.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (8) + 23 = 31

<<<Snip snip snip, snippity snip snip snip>>>

”Yep, that’s it! We’ll get this mess trimmed up in no time! What’s that Thorpe?”

He says looking down.

”I can’t hear you? You sound kind of muff’led!”

You just grossed me out real hard there.

Noonan concentrates on the threads of magic, muttering prayers to Sarenrae as his gnarled fingers trace the lines stitching the mask to Thorpes's face and pulls them out, untangling them from each other so the knots come undone in a way to ensure no harm comes to Thorpe.

Then Tariq smegs everything up by getting harpy hair all over him.

BLarggggggg!

Tariq, you ain't quite right up there.

Tariq, you ain't quite right...lol

Fourteen failures for that description. You still need more successes? Would it better if I tell you how many you need?

”Okay, okay, sorry guys. I really just needed the scissors. The other stuff was just to wake up the old man. I was fresh out of smelling salts or those little blue pills he likes.”

Seeing the others faces looking at any judging him he gets a little defensive.

”Don’t make those faces, it doesn’t smell any worse than he does. It’s not like we’ve had access to any of those walk-in tubs lately. If anything, it at least smells a little different for once. While It does burn the nose hairs a bit, at least it’s not that prying your sinuses open geriatric cream smell!”

Tariq stows the scissors and drops the clumpy mass of grizzled guard-hairs. Before dusting his hands together.

”Okay! That should have loosened it up!”

”Uhhhh what the heck are you doing Dwali? Do it like this! . . . “

He cracks his knuckles.

”Head tilt, chin lift, finger tips to the maximal distal mandibular processes aaaaaaand thumbs to either nostril opening, apply pressure!”

Climb: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35

So what do you see up there? I don't know what language you are speaking with mandibular distal what have you...but can you get the mask off? as the dwarf scratches his beard, huffing and puffing (de-raging) and waiting for Tariq.

Can we try other skills or just the 3 listed (of which Dwal failed 2 and cannot attempt the 3rd).

You can try any skill you think you could use, just tell me why you think it would work or how you'd use it.

Dwalindor will look up at the mask trying to dicern any distinguishing marks or hidden fasteners.

Is you gettin' any closer, Tariq? Can you move your fat turban out of the way so I can get a better look at it?

perception: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (17) + 22 = 39

He will also see if there are any desert customs or windswept patterns indigenous to a specific region.

Hey, while you are up there, does it look like it has any red or orange sand on the mask at all?

geography: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13 (or substitute for survival)

No, that there ain't sand! I think that is some of Noonan's dander!

More like food that fell out of your beard! You hide spare rations in that thing?

Know-Religion: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (19) + 16 = 35

Tariq! Draw your finger through that symbol to Set to disrupt it's energies! And draw a 'Y' over it in a stylized symbol of Sarenrae to negate it.

”Sure I do. But what’s your point? “

One more success oughta do it.

Well, OK maybe this wasn't a big hit - I'll try to refine it since I think it's neat but maybe find better places to deploy a Skill Challenge in the future.

With Thorrpe-Pharaoh knocked on the ground the four of you set to work while Shad tries to chain the mortal form of his friend down while you work on pulling the mask from his head.

Dwalindor unceremoniously spits on his hands, rubs them together and stands on Thorrpe's chest, grabbing the mask and trying to wrench it free. It's just a piece of cloth but it remains stubbornly attached - probably due to something stupid, like magic which humans rely on when good dwarvish ingenuity is all you really need to crush orc, scorpion and sphinxian skulls as had been proved by generations of Pahmet going back to before humans caused Nightfall because you know they did, they're always causing trouble.

Noonan attempts to grasp the intricacies of the energies released by the mask and Thorrpe and his shadow but fails to figure out what is happening - although he is somewhat concerned about how red Dwalindor's arms are getting and the amount of pressure being placed on Thorrpe's ribs. Neither look particularly healthy.

Dwalindor meanwhile turns his own brain to the puzzle of just what human nonsense is happening around him but as he does his fingers slip and he heaves himself off Thorrpe and on to the ground.

This turns out to be fortuitous as Tariq dives in with a mass of something that can only be described as rancid and a pair of scissors in the other he goes to work trying to destroy the runes channeling power through the physical headdress.

The energies warp and writhe as Shad uses Tariq's maneuver to reach deep into the Shadow Plane and channel his own power to weakening the hold, drawing part of the ancient magics into the Shadow Plane itself as the negative-energy infused nature of the plane drinks the power in like water into dry sand.

Tariq braces his foot on the wall, grabs the mask himself and heaves mightily.

Dwalindor looks at what is happening and grabs Tariq's belt and adds his own strength, dragging Tariq backwards as the mask slips.

Noonan meanwhile realizes how to cancel out the power of the ancient Osiriani gods from the mask's grip and Tariq reaches out trembling fingers to etch symbols into the mask. The pharaoh's spirit screams mightily as the symbols are etched and a surge of sunlight explodes from Noonan's holy symbol dazzling you all as a magical pulse releases from the mask and flings you all back into the walls.

Tariq realizes the mask is in his hands and you all watch as a small, pale image of a heart with wings flies from Thorrpe's mouth as the rogue lies on the ground, freed from the grasp of the Forgotten Pharaoh.

You watch as the heart circles angrily and then vanishes through the ceiling of the chamber you're in and you hear the ragged breathing of your friend as he draws free air for the first time in months.

He sits up and looks at all of you and then sees Shad - whose shadow swarms forward and restores himself to his rightful place near Thorrpe's feet. Then Shad swarms upwards from the base of Thorrpe's feet to kneel next to his friend.