Dungeon Master S's In Service to Lore (Inactive)

Game Master Chris Marsh

The Evil Eye transcends all boundaries. 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 and the rat has no hope of escape.

Map updates after gym

Okay, sorry about that. I can use the map now....

With 2 rats down and one hexed, there remains but one, and he's not giving up his home without a fight. He gnashes his teeth towards Harnac

Bite: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

But obviously he's never tried to bit a dwarven warrior before.

Now it's Sumac's turn, I'll let you redo Phil as you didn't know what was going on at the time of your turn.

Current Map

Round 1 (redo) HPs 8 AC 16

The massive wolf carrying the halfling tears off toward the last threat. Ending in the square next to the dwarf, Grip lunges forward to bite at the teeth gnashing R.O.U.S.
Grip bite attack 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
bite damage 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

does Sumac still have an attack? Ill post one anyway. DMs call
The halfling prefers to use his sling to hurl bullets but it works as a club in a pinch. The halfling brings it down on the rodents skull...
SlingStaff 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
damage 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Dagnud doesn't see an opening, and will delay until after Harnac acts.

Phil, mounted combat comes with a slew of its own rules. They're not hard to figure out, they just are specific to the case. Here's the rundown.

It's a DC 5 Ride check to steer him with your knees to keep your hands free. You're not trained in ranged combat from a mount, so it's -4 to hit. You don't have Precise shot, so it's another -4. Since you used the staff part (smart choice) you don't have any penalties to hit (in fact, if Grip becomes medium sized you get a bonus to hit small things. Lastly it's a swift action to order Grip to attack - I'm assuming he has the "attack" trick. So he can take his attack. You still have your full turn. So the net result is...

Sumac smashes the rat with his hoopak. The rat squeeks in terror, but it's still got some fight left in it.

Dagnud delays, so Harnac's turn...and since he's standing right next to me, I'll let him post here:

Time to end the rat race!!

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10 <--d'oh!!
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6 <--D'OOOOOHHHH!!!!
Damage: 1d10 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Dagnud moves towards the remaining rat, but can't quite reach. He ends up one square north of Sumac.

Phil, mounted combat comes with a slew of its own rules. They're not hard to figure out, they just are specific to the case. Here's the rundown.

It's a DC 5 Ride check to steer him with your knees to keep your hands free. You're not trained in ranged combat from a mount, so it's -4 to hit. You don't have Precise shot, so it's another -4. Since you used the staff part (smart choice) you don't have any penalties to hit (in fact, if Grip becomes medium sized you get a bonus to hit small things. Lastly it's a swift action to order Grip to attack - I'm assuming he has the "attack" trick. So he can take his attack. You still have your full turn. So the net result is...

Yeah, I think I pretty much had most of those down. My sling "staff" is described more like a club than a staff and only requires one hand to use (either melee or ranged, just two hands to load). I picture it more like an atlatl then a hoopak, but thats just somantics. So I didn't think I needed to bother with DC5 ride check, though I have a +5 to my ride check anyway...

Sounds like you've got it down Phil. It's -4 if moving, -8 if running.

Chud is up again.

Chud begins humming a haunting lullaby in the direction of the beast. (Slumber hex).

I assume the DC is the same.... The rat sways back and forth 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10 and then plops sideways on the floor.

Fel ponders the burial practices of the Shoanti. Knowledge: Religion 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (6) + 20 = 26

Now with excitement of battle over, Sumac looks somewhat mornful.
Put the poor beast down Hack. The halfling says softly.

Fel darts forward and kills the dire rat with his dagger. He secretly hopes no one notices that it was unconscious when he made his big move.

1d3 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1
1d3 - 2 ⇒ (2) - 2 = 0

When the massive Coup de Grace does negligible damage, Fel hopes the Dire Rat does not have the fortitude to survive.

Fel ponders the burial practices of the Shoanti. Knowledge: Religion 1d20+20

HA Nice try.

Fel's coup de grace is less than stellar, and had not Sumac clubbed the rat, it likely would have woken up and bit him.

LOL

Harrumph!! Alright, enough of these shenannigans!! Let's find that crate, eh?

Perception checks all around!

1d20 - 2 ⇒ (14) - 2 = 12

Fel, your mediocre search still yields results....

the crate you need is the one precariously placed in the hole. the green around the edge is slippery.

Sumac reaches into his pack and pulls out a long piece of braided leather. Its a 15 foot leash.
I'll tie this around my waist. One of you hold the end. I'll creep out there and jam my sickle in the top of the wooden crate. Then you help pull me back. Sound good?

You think yer strong enuff to bury yer sickle deep enough to hold the crate? Strong enough to lift the crate with one hand?? Let's look around a bit more first . . .

Looking aroudn the warehouse for any kind of appropriate tools--grapples, pole-hooks, straps, pulleys . . . stuff like that.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 19

the rest of the warehouse is full of junk mostly. There is a crane above the crate. There's even a hook on the crane, but nothing to attach it to on the crate.

Do the warehouse walls go all the way down to the water? If not, is there room for the boat to fit underneath?

Yes, the floor of the warehouse is 5' over the water, and the boat can pass under the warehouse between the pillars keeping it up.

Hrm...we could bring that boat down underneath the hole and lower the crate down. Might be safer than dragging or carrying it along those slippery broken planks.

You think yer strong enuff to bury yer sickle deep enough to hold the crate? Strong enough to lift the crate with one hand?? Let's look around a bit more first . . .

Looking aroudn the warehouse for any kind of appropriate tools--grapples, pole-hooks, straps, pulleys . . . stuff like that.

Perception: d20

Sumac doesnt have to lift the crate. The floor is very slippery there. It should be easy to drag.

We don't need the whole crate, what about opening it in place?

I suggest we put the boat underneath so if something gives we are not swimming for it.

Also, is there a beam overhead where we can throw a rope over and support the crate?

knowledge: engineering 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

There's a crane over the crate. It runs on a rail that looks like it can easily handle a load. It's what it's designed for.

win. Let's use it.

I'm with Odric...I mean Fel!

I'm with Odric...I mean Fel!

Same here.

OK, so the heroes position the boat beneath the crate, then secure Sumac's sickle and rope as a guide. The crane is placed into operation and the crate is secured, then pulled laterally until it is on safe ground.

If all goes well, someone ought to open it...

Fel looks around expectantly and steps back.

do you need some checks for these actions?

Nope, no rolls needed.

Working carefully, the team secures the crate, with nothing lost below. Inside the crate contains an array of random items:
The rescued crate holds a smaller mahogany box inside, which contains five books and a few loose sheets of paper in a leather folder. The titles and subjects seem completely unrelated to each other: Practical Thaumaturgy In Accordance with Creation, Geographic Anomalies of the Inner Sea, Under Kaer Maga: A Trial and Travel, Physiology of Dragons: An Illustrated Reference, Lost Sarusan. The leather folder contains cargo manifestos, warehouse inventories, and other financial logs from a dozen different merchant houses and trade guilds. The crate also contains 10 sets of masterwork thieves’ tools, three flasks of alchemist’s fire, a flask of acid, a dozen jars of various inks, a footprint book, adamantine weapon blanch, three bags of powder, a deck of marked cards, and two sets of average loaded dice.

So use it and lost it applies, we should plan to make use of these items during this adventure, right? How does wealth accumulation work? Can we sell all this stuff and keep the profit?

Fel leafs through the books hungrily, He loves knowledge of all types and especially esoteric and obscure things like the breadth of this cache of books offers. He especially pays attention to the Kaer Maga book.

Perception 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (9) - 2 = 7 Fel searches the rest of the room, looking for anything of value.

Loot and profit is explained in the Discussion tab...or rather it will be as soon as I post this.

Fel, you find little else in the room.

The parcel with the books and papers is what we need to deliver back to the pickled imp.

Sumac has an odd curiosity about the coffin like crates on the north wall. Anything else get Sumacs attention
Perception 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

Does Gripper smell anything he finds interesting?
Scent perception 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14

Those crates are not only coffin-like, they are actually coffins. Grip doesn't smell anything off, and Sumac, you don't notice anything odd either. They've never been used certainly.

Lets deliver this parcel and complete our mission.

The tasks completed, you return to the Grand Lodge of Absalom. The hustle and bustle of the city surrounds you. This is truly the center of the world... And that world begins to close in on you. A throng of people blocks the street ahead. A performance art group commandeers the street, drawing graffiti to create a jolly hellscape complete with illusory devils comically dancing around in circles. A few citizens avoiding the crowd slip off-street through a nearby alley, the only egress past the gathering.

The map is here

Initiative!
Chud 1d20 ⇒ 14
Fel 1d20 ⇒ 14
Dagnud 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Harnac 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Sumac 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Baddie 1 (Taldoran Cleric): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Baddie 2 (Chelish Sorceress): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Baddie 3 (Halfling Barbarian): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Baddie 4 (Human Rogue): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Tiebreaker:
Chud 1d20 ⇒ 7
Fel 1d20 ⇒ 19

Round 1 Initiative Repost

Sumac 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Baddie 3 (Halfling Barbarian): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Baddie 2 (Chelish Sorceress): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Fel 1d20 ⇒ 14
Chud 1d20 ⇒ 14
Dagnud 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Baddie 4 (Human Rogue): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Baddie 1 (Taldoran Cleric): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Harnac 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Sumac wins initiative!

Why are we fighting these guys?

...They ambushed you. Official Random Encounter.

Sumac's usual smile evaporates as the situation unfolds. The halfling doesn't understand who these people are and why they seem so bugger angry.
Sumac quickly loads a bullet in his sling and gives Grip a reassuring word.The halfling is loath to be the first to strike. Perhaps this can be resolved w/out violence.

Please! I don't want any violence! The halfling cries with desperation in his voice.
The halfling readies an action. He will sling a bullet at the first bad guy to start any attack.
slingstaff attack 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
bullet damage 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

and if any bad guy moves forward to attack one of us, Sumac will sick Gripper on them
Grip's readied bite attack 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
bite damage 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Okay, back to a computer. Phil, an animal companion won't ready an action, but you can simply wait to give it an action. When you do give one, just speak one of the tricks he knows.

Sorry I accidentally failed to post a paragraph. I was wondering why the confusion....

The tasks completed, you return to the Grand Lodge of Absalom. The hustle and bustle of the city surrounds you. This is truly the center of the world... And that world begins to close in on you. A throng of people blocks the street ahead. A performance art group commandeers the street, drawing graffiti to create a jolly hellscape complete with illusory devils comically dancing around in circles. A few citizens avoiding the crowd slip off-street through a nearby alley, the only egress past the gathering.

The commoners in the alley sense a simple gangland brawl. Doors slam and windows shut as the alley quickly empties. All that remains is a quartet with eyes on you. The female, a chelish woman bedecked in expensive robes and a classic arcanist's hat. She eyes the group with a snear, "Looks like we've got ourselves a well supplied mark. You'll kindly place everything you own on the ground in front of you." Next to her a halfling in furs reddens with rage, heedless of his leader's tactic. With a battle cry he charges, leading with an axe as large as his torso! That should make the whole thing make more sense.

Sumac reacts with alacrity, and drills the halfling in the face with a bullet. Blood sprays from the wound. The halfling's charge falters briefly, but he continues on his path. His focus is on the halfling druid, but he must mow down the foes in his path to get there. Harnac is the first obstacle: Axe 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10, but with so much blood in his eyes, the swing is hopelessly poor.

The sorceress leader curses loudly, Hells and fire! Dammit. Kill them and take our prizes! She eyes a fellow spellcaster and points a well manicured finger at Chud. Ranged Touch 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13 a ray of concentrated acid burns into Chud's robes, 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6. The blast is a direct hit and nails the warlock.

Updated Map

Fel

Is the line of squares east of Dagnud a wall (or otherwise elevated)?

Fel, in an uncharacteristic fit of excitement, draws his shortbow, fits an arrow to the string. He draws it back and releases it with a thwack. The arrow flies directly towards the Chelish woman in sorcerer's garb.

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14 for 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

And Fel's arrow lands in her exposed abdomen. the woman is bleeding profusely. She turns pale from the hit, but she's not out yet.

S, You don't get your dex mod to damage with device ranged weapons. Still a good hit though.

Yes, that's a wall, Dagnud can't move there. you would have to try and overrun to get past him.

The commoners in the alley sense a simple gangland brawl. Doors slam and windows shut as the alley quickly empties. All that remains is a quartet with eyes on you.

This feels like the scene in Big Trouble in Little China, where Jack Burton stumbles into the alley just before a gang war breaks out.

So, does Sumac recognize this quartet as the "shifty ones" who were following them earlier?

They look like they might be one and the same, Sumac.

Chud lets out a scream as the acid sears into the flesh of his abdomen. Realizing his life is in jeopardy, he stumbles norhtwest (1 square) taking cover behind the wall and casts Mage Armor on himself.