Doug M's Way of the Wicked (Inactive)

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

Cy's force bolt (unlike a Magic Missile) can affect inanimate objects. However, its low damage means that if the target has even a little bit of Hardness, it's not going to be any good. Smash through a glass window, sure. Bash through a door or something, fugeddaboutit. As noted, the dome looks pretty solid -- heavy glass or crystal.

Okay, tight rope walk it is. Who has rope?

We should be able to cut some from the last room if necessary.

True enough! Okay, so you can get 20' of rope. Have two strong characters hold on to each end of it, standing just outside the circle, and holding it 3 or 4 feet off the ground. Bref hops on, walks to the pedestal, and tries to pick the lock. If I don't hear otherwise, I'll assume that's how you're doing it.

That sounds about right! Morsum and Edmin are the strongest so they can hold the rope.

Excellent. Okay, Bref hops up onto the rope. He strolls nonchalantly along it to the pedestal, ignoring the circle on the floor.

Using his roll from earlier, he has a 30 for Acrobatics, so it's not difficult at all. Heck, he may even throw in a couple of dance moves.

Okay, going to need a Perception check from Bref now.

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 +1 for trap

Bref strolls along the rope to the pedestal and bends down to peer at the lock.

As he does so, something seems to ooze out of the pedestal. It's some sort of sharp-edged darkness. It's hard to make out details at first...

1d20 ⇒ 10
1d20 ⇒ 4

Hmmm.

Bref, what exactly is your AC again? You have 21/17/15, but running the numbers I get +2 for leather armor, +1 for size and +6 for dex, which would add up to 19/17/13. Am I missing something?

Yes you are missing MAge Armor

That sounds about right! Morsum and Edmin are the strongest so they can hold the rope.

Grumblejack may have his feelings hurt by that comment.

As he does so, something seems to ooze out of the pedestal. It's some sort of sharp-edged darkness. It's hard to make out details at first...

Knowledge roll 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 to figure out what just happened, possibly +1

Bref, something icy cold touches you, and you feel your life being drained away. You take 1d6 ⇒ 4 points of damage to your STR.

Two things have emerged from the pedestal. They look like distorted humanoid shadows. Except there's nothing to cast them... they're just shadows.

Zimu, good roll! They are, in fact, shadows -- strength-draining undead. They're intangible, so they can lurk inside the pedestal (or the floor or the ceiling, for that matter).

shouting

'Bref get out of there! Shadows! Undead!'

Does casting spells at the shadows constitute 'breaking the circle?' With that roll, does Cуровую know that the circle is actually keeping the undead within the area of the pedestal?

Casting spells doesn't constitute breaking the circle. That roll didn't tell you whether the circle is keeping them in, though.

Anyway: that was a surprise round. If you want to act before the shadows in the new round, you'll have to beat a 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11 on initiative.

suck.

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

yipes! reflexively Bref chomps at the shadow then does a backflip out of the cirtcle
bite 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24 for 1d6 - 2 ⇒ (6) - 2 = 4 acro to not provoke1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18 and to get out of the circle 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

The shadow stuff seems to melt away between Bref's teeth. You do half damage, or a single point.

Bref backflips away before the shadow can respond! Unfortunately, he slips and falls off the rope. DC 20 Acrobatics check there. It's only a 4' drop, so he's unhurt... but he's still on the wrong side of the circle.

If they are undead I can damage them with my powers, I just have to stay standing long enough to hit them.

You can? Huh. Which power would that be?

The Judge looks over at Cy: Now might be a good time for those bolts of power you like tossing.

Anyone can act, but don't forget to roll init -- they got an 11, and Bref acted on 17.

I have no actions, Morsum and I have no attacks that will harm them.

Posting on the run

Initiative 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

Force Missile to the one Bref hit 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 dmg

Cуровую moves 10 ft further from the circle.

Per DMDM inquiry.

Knowledge(Local/Nobility/Religion): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Judge, you got nothin'.

Force missile: the thing recoils! Insofar as it has an expression, it seems surprised, then enraged.

Hence Cуровую backing away so they would have to bypass the expen ... eh, talented muscle.

Does anyone else want to act before the shadows do?

Well then: the shadows lunge hungrily for Bref.

1d20 ⇒ 8
1d20 ⇒ 16

Bref feels the icy touch of the undead draining his life away...

The attack does 1d6 ⇒ 3 points of STR damage. Luckily for Bref, I forgot to include Mage Armor in the previous calculation, so that first attack in the surprise round didn't hit -- he's only down 3 points instead of 7.

What do we know about these creatures? We should come up with a plan of attack...

Yipes! Goblin not like these things! Kill kill!!

Well, assuming that everyone has gone during Round 1 (never heard from Edmin? Jax?), we can proceed to Round 2. Bref has a 17. 1d20 ⇒ 13 for Grumblejack. Shadows rolled an 11, and nobody else has rolled init yet.

Bref, you're standing just inside the edge of the circle, with the two shadows flanking you. What do you do?

Die?

1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13 for 1d6 ⇒ 6 acro 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22

Bref attempts to bite the one he bit before then does a back flip out of the circle and safely away from the Shadows

assuming I only need to make one roll on acro? if not go ahead and roll it for me to dodge the line on teh floor. seems like it should be almost auto make for me

Init(Judge): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Init(Morsum): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

The Judge draws his crossbow and fires at one of the wispy shadowy creatures.

Attack(Crossbow): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 5

If Bref is off the rope, then Morsum will walk back so that the rope does not interfere with the silver circle.

EDIT - Morsum walks back away from the circle so that the rope is entirely outside of the circle before the rope is dropped to avoid disturbing the silver circle.

Bref fell off the rope last round

You could just take a withdraw action... but, okay. Your bite doesn't hit. The DC of your acro roll is at +4 since you're between two enemies, but you make it anyway.

Bref flips over the magic circle and out, away from the two shadows.

Already acted in round 1, waiting on the others to act this round, hopefully if we focus on one, we hurt them enough that we drop one by the time they act in the next round.

Knowledge roll 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 to figure out what just happened, possibly +1

DM any more info regarding the shadows from this roll?

Sorry, been buried in work this week. I thought it was spring break..sigh.

Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Jax will stay at the edge of the circle, preparing to attack the shadows if they move out.

Know: Arcane check if the shadows are being kept in the circle: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22 or spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Jax will use an arcane point to make his weapon magical (swift) and channel his last shocking grasp at the first shadow to come within range.

1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 251d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7 plus 2d6 ⇒ (1, 5) = 6 electricity damage.

If the shadows have already moved through the circle by the time Jax acts, he will take a 5' move to one and do the same but make a full attack.
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 211d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Bref? Withdraw? DM are you feeling ok? Withdraw is not showboaty at all!

Dren will cast Cure Light Wounds and attempt to reach over and touch one of the Shadows without breaking the circle if they are right next to it.
If that doesn't look likely he will hold the charge.

Touch atk 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (14) + 0 = 14 damage 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Thrown Dagger: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16
Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

I am sure the boys want to hit the same one Bref, the Judge and I are striking at.

Dren and Sir Edmin, you need init rolls.

Dren 1d20 ⇒ 20 <- can you put your Init modifier in your tagline?
Sir Edmin 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Reaching over the circle: if you're trying not to step on or damage the circle, this imposes a -2 penalty on your attack rolls. If you don't want to bother with this, you can ignore the circle, but then you'll have to make a Reflex save to avoid scuffing or damaging it. Unless I hear otherwise, I'll assume that people are eating the -2 penalty.

Knowledge rolls!

Jax lunges forward, careful not to touch the circle on the ground. His sword sparks and hisses as it slices through one of the shadow creatures. The thing's wispy substance roils, and it flinches away.

Jax is able to hit the shadow for 6 points of damage! (Keep track of those arcane points, please.) The Judge's crossbow did another 2. Zimu did 5 (full damage!) and Bref did 1, so it has taken a total of 14 points of damage. (Dren missed, but can hold the charge. Sir Edmin won't act until after the shadows do.)

Whoops, it's the shadows' initiative!

They writhe, gesturing their hatred towards you. You can sense their hunger for the life in you.

And then they simply melt into the stone floor and are gone.