Dungeon Master S's "Academy of Secrets" (Inactive)

Game Master Chris Marsh

The anger boils beneath the surface as Roakar wills himself to not react to the insult.

DWARVES! Did he just call my people dwarves?! Put me back in my homeland and I would have hung your outsider corpse upside down from a tree for the scavengers to clean.

Roakar pulls himself together in full understanding that he is not in his homeland and now has to interact with outsiders all the time. Still, the insult brought forth old feelings.

"Yes.....let."

"Eh 20 gold on our teams says we win!"

The dwarf never even slows down his workout, "You're on!"

Finally your guide, Jandar, leads to you the student dorms. Your final competitor, of all things, is a student... A very good student.

Jandar seems a little starstruck at the introduction, "Allow me to introduce, Maganrad." Maganrad is an Ulfen wizard. He’s tall, lanky, and kindly looking. He wears a tunic and breeches rather than more traditional wizards’ robes, and has a pair of leather bracers over his forearms.

"Pleasure to meet you! Hope you're looking forward to tomorrow. I know I am. I've heard a lot about you. Well, that's not exactly true, I've divined a lot about you is more like it."

"Well that is rude. You could have just looked up from behind a book and spoken to us. We have nothing to hide."

"Honestly you're right, but I didn't want to wait so long, and started my research as soon as it was known you were coming. My apologies, I didn't mean to be invasive, just trying to use my training to its full extent. Rest assured I will not make the same mistake again, and "will put the book down" to talk to you."

Maganard continues with small talk as long as you're interested, but doesn't give much in the way of hints or previews of the competition. He's pretty decked out magically, and seems to keep a few spells active on his person throughout the exchange.

With that done, you opt to turn in for the night. It's going to be a long day.

When the morning arrives, the Acadamae wakes to a single sharp ringing of the campus bells at the break of dawn. The Breaching Festival officially begins an hour after dawn, but when you look out your window you see eager spectators beginning to gather on the surrounding walls and the campus’s southern quad. Hundreds of common folk sit or stand atop the Acadamae’s southern walls, while vendors of refreshments and souvenirs wander nosily and often through the mass. Important observers, such as aristocrats and other prominent locals and nobles, are allowed to gather at ground level among several large and colorful tents and pavilions erected overnight in the quad just south of the Hall of Summoning.

The map has been updated to reflect the results of your tour so that you know what the various buildings are.

Just before dawn a large group of nobles arrives to excessive fanfare. It is none other than Queen Ileosa and several royal attendants!

DONG!
DONG!
DONG!
DONG!
DONG!
DONG!
DONG!

Toff takes the stage on the 7th bell.

“Welcome one and all to this year’s Breaching Festival! I know the contestants are eager to begin, so I shall keep this introduction short. This year, as every year, one must enter the Hall of Wards via its eastern entrance after solving several minor conundrums our professors and spellcasters have set up at the other seven halls that surround us. The first contestant to emerge from these doors—” here Toff pauses to indicate the large doors in the Hall of Wards’ western facade, facing the quad—“shall be declared the winner of the Breaching Festival. If no winner emerges by dusk, there can be no winner for this year’s festival. Yet should one of these brave contestants accomplish what no one has accomplished in over 150 years, that person will walk away with more than 150,000 gold sails!”

Here, the crowd erupts into cheers for several seconds. When the roar dies down, Toff places his hands inside the front of his robe and withdraws a glowing, fist-sized sphere of shimmering light that he holds aloft. The sphere dances and bobs an inch above his upturned palm.

“These glowing spheres are the keys to your fate and fortune, worthy contestants. This is a key-light—there are seven of them hidden among the seven other Halls on the grounds. Each contestant needs his or her own key-light to get into the Hall of Wards. So find yourself a key-light, use it to enter the Hall of Wards, and you will have your chance to enter history!”

With that, Toff bows to you and the other contestants, then signals to several other students standing nearby. They aim fireworks into the sky, and with a touch of magically conjured flame to fuses, a colorful set of pyrotechnic fire bursts signal the start of the Breaching Festival!

[ooc]To recap, step one is to get each of you a "key", this is the easy part. The next step is to go inside the Hall of Wards through one door, and out the other. You EACH need a key, so simply tell me which hall you want to try, and we go there. That was a big info dump in a short period, so don't feel shy about asking questions.[ooc]

I am assuming that the name of the hall hints at what the challenge might be to gain a key. Also I am counting 8 other halls on the map.

Roakar floats the various hall names through his mind, looking for the least magical sounding halls.
"Hall of Crafting or Induction don't sound....horrible."
Mental Coin Flip: 1d2 ⇒ 2
"Induction it is"

Looking to the rest he quickly asks "Split up for time or stay together?"

This is one of those VERY rare times that I'm ready and able to split the party. I'm not advocating it, but if you do two teams, I can handle it. Still, I'm never a huge fan of splitting. Just tell me your plan.

As a member of a party I am never a fan of splitting the party. When I am GM however, it is undeniably one of my favorite hobbies :-p.

Hugo considers the option of splitting off and whether his divine locate object spell will allow him to find another key.

Not sure if this is something he would know is in the limits of the spell. If not, he will try to locate object on another key similar to the one Toff shows .

He discounts the idea and looks to the others.

Master Roakar, perhaps we assess the level of difficulty on finding the first key.
After that, we may have better idea on the wisdom of splitting up.
But let us make haste lest our competition collects the closer keys first."

as the keys are each unique, you would know it won't work before you cast the spell.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Totally ok with not splitting. The challenges may be high enough CR to give split groups trouble and so a together party might take less time because they spend less rounds getting each key. This kind of logic however will never come out of Roakar's mouth.

"I say we go in a logical order, just start at one end and continue on until we find seven keys. If not we have Roak beat up whoever does have them...or something like that."

You only need 4 keys, one for each of you. Finding keys is a bit like a mini-game. Pick your hall and make a Perception check to find it. The more of you who make your checks in a hall, the faster you find it...

To the Hall of Induction then?

Hugo casts extended magic circle vs evil on himself then heads to the hall with Roakar. He gives the Hall a once over visually.

perception: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (15) + 28 = 43

As the party dashes off to the Hall of Induction, the three remaining competitors go off towards their own choices.

Illia runs into the Hall of Lies

Knurr marches into the Hall of Whispers

Maganrad heads into the Hall of Summoning, casting protective spells as he goes in.

Perception Checks:
Roakar: TBD
Roos: TBD
Hugo: 43
Ignatious: TBD
Shump: TBD

Shump follows the party into the Hall of Induction and looks around.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

"Hmmmm..."

Perception Check: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (15) + 18 = 33

Good Golly Hugo! Nothin gets by you does it.

Roakar moves around the Hall with authority, pushing chairs and tables out of his way, looking for the glowing ball of magic that is the key.

Roos looks around Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18

Perception Checks:
Roakar: 33
Roos: 18
Hugo: 43
Ignatious: TBD
Shump: 17

I know Ignatious is going through a lot, and it's just a perception check for now, I don't mind a botting of him for this. The meat is yet to come. Will post more at school.

Ig Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25

The party rushes into the Hall of Invocation and begins searching. After 1d6 ⇒ 6 minutes, you come to a classroom with the key in it.

The air in this room smells acrid, making the eyes water—the source is a large brazier of burning incense in the corner and a curious set of glass pipes connecting two vats of bubbling liquid (one green, one red). The key-light in this room is traveling back and forth inside of the glass tube—although the light itself is yellow in color, it appears variously green or red as it swims through the fluid, looking yellow in the middle. It seems that in order to get the key-light, the glass tube must be shattered.

"What the crap is this thing." Roakar pauses at the tube. "Nevermind....ain't got time for thinkin." Roakar looks to the others and says "Unless you all have a decent idea, I am just gonna break this thing. Not sure what's gonna happen but it will probably be bad."

Roos steps back away from Roak....

"Go ahead buddy... I got your back...from over here..."

Now with a map so I can tell who is where. The left side is the door, if you're off the map, you're in the hall.

Roos is hiding behind one of the desks...

Feel free to hide where ever...including outside the room. Not sure what is gonna happen so I would prefer you all be able to come in for support (the hall is fine) if the trap is something we have to fight.

If no one speaks up regarding a better idea and once everyone has taken cover, Roakar rages and breaks the tube with his hammer.

"Wait!" he shouts, having discovered something of vast importance. "They make good Dwarves. . . Ha ha ha ha, I finally get it." as he slaps Roakar on the back. "And,. . . let the best dwarf win. Ha ha ha, how brilliant." as he steps inside the room with the oddly colored light orb.

Detect Magic/Evil + Spellcraft: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

Ignatious eyes the entire orb, not just the light within with a hungry expression as he begins a cursory examination.

Ignatious stops Roakar at the last second. He detects no evil, but he also can't get a feel for the magical aura surrounding the contraption...

Hugo moves back as well.

I have a bad feeling about the gas or liquid in those tubes. If we knew the nature of those we may be able to take better precaution. Just do not damage the key ."

"Iggy if there is some sort of device keeping it in place, as long as it is not magical, I may be able to spring it."

"You can take a quick look Roos and tell me what you think but I am ok with taking a little risk for times sake." Roakar says as he hefts his hammer. The teamwork side of him obviously warring with the impatient smash everything side.

I'm back. Just waiting for confirmation of execution.

Ugh, no more marathon CONs for me. I needed to squeeze 3 specials into a 24 hour period. Normally I leave myself a slot each day. Won't break that rule again!

If Roos is going to check for traps, Hugo chants an inspiring word to him.

"May Abadar guide your actions."

Inspiring Word (11/day) (Sp) Target receives +2 on attack, skill checks, ability checks and saving throws for 6 rds. .

Glad you survived. Just waiting on any additional ideas from Roos before we defer to the barbarian approach to life.

[cc]Roos does not have trapfinding, just a keen eye and some skills he picked up in life[/ooc]

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16
Roos looks to see if he can discern any traps and such...

Rood doesn't pick up on any traps beyond the fact that this is obviously not meant to be ticklish, whatever it is.

Very well, Roakar...looks like you are up

Hugo speaks the same inspiring word on the barbarian.

Roos moves back a safe distance

"All right. Let's get this done." Roakar looks to his comrades."Back up some. No sense in you all riding this trap with me."

Once everyone is in their chosen position of coverage Can we bot Iggy back some since I am not sure if Beckett has finished his way more important RL work. Roakar rages yelling "Bring it!" and breaks the glass tube of mixture without hitting the key itself.

Yeah we can put Ig outside the door for this.

Roakar smashes the glass, releasing a torrent of elemental fury. It engulfs all creatures in the room for:

Fire DMG: 5d6 ⇒ (5, 6, 2, 1, 5) = 19
Electricity DMG: 5d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 3, 1, 1) = 13
Fire Acid: 5d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 1, 5, 1) = 17

Ref DC 22 for half.

When the energies clear, Roakar finds himself holding a Key-light! The party rushes back outside to cheers from the crowd.

Meanwhile Knurr comes stumbling out of the Hall of Whispers Pale as a ghost, but with a light in hand.

Where to now?

I'm good. Here in case you die or get messed, and I want to see what happens.

Refl: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

I'm not sure just how to handle Energy Resistences here. Is it one attack or separate ones?

REF vs DC 20 Fire: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (15) + 18 = 33 10, 7, 9 is it one roll for all attacks?

It's one attack of three damage types. Roll one save for all of it, but if you have resistance to one of them, subtract your resistance first. So if you have fire resistance 10, the fire is 9, but the others are unaffected.

Reflex: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

"ouch

use 2 lay on hands

healing: 4d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 6, 5) = 20

healing: 4d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 2, 6) = 16

I failed Refl, so full damage. However, I have Fire 20, Acid and Elec 5. So do you want to handle it as if I had 30 Resistance total for the entire attack? For 19 damage to me.

@Ignatious, yeah that's how I read it.

Which Hall now Pathfinders? You don't know where the others are at the moment, though Knurr is on his way too the Hall of Wards (though he looks skinny and haggard.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (16) + 18 = 34 Assuming trap is some form of magic

Roakar stands before the powerful explosion, but when the energies clear he seems completely untouched. Saved plus evasion negates half damage

He tosses the key gently in one hand saying "Everyone ok?"

"I live, but I think i spilled some brandy on my shirt. Ah the dangers of being a pathfinder. Roak i think the explosion singed your eyebrows, and made you look better as well."

"I'm a little burned but better."