[GD VII] [Session 1] GM zebeev's 6-01 - Trial By Machine (Inactive)

Game Master zebeev

Cork emerges from unconsciousness. He takes just a moment to remember where he is. Laying on the ground, he looks up at the body of a skeleton looming over him. The skeleton crackles with energy that lashes out at him taking him to the brink of unconsciousness again.

aura damage: 1d6 ⇒ 5 Down to 0 HP which means I'm staggered and can only move, right?

Barely functioning, Cork tries to roll away from the skeleton.

Rolling as my move action, does that expend the 1hp to make me -1? Also, that provokes, right?

Move actions are fine, it's a standard action that is strenuous enough to drop you -1 HP.

You can crawl 5 feet as a move action. Crawling incurs attacks of opportunity from any attackers who threaten you at any point of your crawl. A crawling character is considered prone and must take a move action to stand up, provoking an attack of opportunity.

Yellow Skeleton > Cork (AoO):

The skeleton's lumbering swing misses Cork by a foot and half. Frustrated, it sees that it can do more damage and steps over its comrade's charred remains.

Yellow Skeleton > Kyra:
Melee attack (gauntlet): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 - miss

Round 3b:
BATTLEMAP!
(those bolded may act)

24 Cork (27 DMG : 0/27 HP, prone)
20 Skeleton Yellow (4 DMG)
18 Safa (10 DMG : 3/13 HP, prone)
17 Sandokar
14 Zeviss
8 Skeleton Green (4 DMG)
3.2 Oops
3.0 Kyra (12 DMG : 23/35 HP)

Two ones in a row, there is mercy after all! Safa's up!

CON: 1d20 + 2 - 5 ⇒ (17) + 2 - 5 = 14 DC10

Safa stabilizes.

You have positive HP, Safa.

Oh I missed your channel. In that case, I delay my turn until after Kyra.

Safa waits hoping to avoid becoming a target at the moment.

(@Safa: A wise move. :D)

Round 3bb:
BATTLEMAP!
(those bolded may act)

24 Cork (27 DMG : 0/27 HP, prone)
20 Skeleton Yellow (4 DMG)
17 Sandokar
14 Zeviss
8 Skeleton Green (4 DMG)
3.2 Oops
3.0 Kyra (12 DMG : 23/35 HP)
2.9 Safa (10 DMG : 3/13 HP, prone)

Sandokar and Zeviss are up, I don't know why I didn't bold them as well in my previous post - my apologies.

Kill everybody, please. :)

The warpriest tries to kill the one in front of him.

Damage aura: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Adamantine dagger: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Cold iron dagger: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Sandokar's cold iron dagger finds its target, and catches a couple of ribs. The skeleton explodes in a firey gout like the others.

Plasmatic Death: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Kyra, DC 11 Reflex save for half: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Sandokar, DC 11 Reflex save for half: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

Sandokar turns his back at the last minute, while Kyra takes the full brunt of the explosion, suffering 3 and 6 damage, respectively.

24 Cork (27 DMG : 0/27 HP, prone)
17 Sandokar (3 DMG : 14/17 HP)
14 Zeviss
8 Skeleton Green (4 DMG)
3.2 Oops
3.0 Kyra (18 DMG : 17/35 HP)
2.9 Safa (10 DMG : 3/13 HP, prone)

Zeviss is up!

Another turn, another shot! Zeviss takes a diagonal 5-foot step, loads his crossbow, and pops another bolt toward the green skeleton.

Crossbow (Firing Into Melee): 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -1

Zoinks!

@Zeviss: Given that Safa is prone, and essentially playing dead, I'd rule it that the green skeleton wasn't actually engaged in melee combat, so the firing into melee penalty wouldn't apply... However, there are multiple characters screening your shot, which would give the enemy you're firing at soft cover, granting it a +4 to AC. Just for future reference. :)

The green skeleton clambers over the remains of its compatriot, and swings it's gauntlet wildly.

Random target, alphabetical: 1d3 ⇒ 1 - Kyra/Meleren/Oops
Melee attack (gauntlet): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Damage (B): 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Damage (E/F): 1d6 ⇒ 6

The electrified gauntlet smashes into the cleric, dealing 12 damage!

Round 3c:
BATTLEMAP!
(those bolded may act)

24 Cork (27 DMG : 0/27 HP, prone)
17 Sandokar (3 DMG : 14/17 HP)
14 Zeviss
8 Skeleton Green (4 DMG)
3.2 Oops
3.0 Kyra (30 DMG : 5/35 HP)
2.9 Safa (10 DMG : 3/13 HP, prone)

Kyra, Oops and Safa are up!

Aura damage damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Kyra moves to support Oops's attack with a flank and unleashes another wave of positive energy.

channel positive healing: 2d6 ⇒ (2, 3) = 5

Safa will stand up and move back a little. "Oh thank you. Gosh, never seen something like this before."

Round 3:
...
3.2 Oops
3.0 Kyra (25 DMG : 10/35 HP)
2.9 Safa (5 DMG : 8/13 HP, prone)

Round 4
24 Cork (22 DMG : 5/27 HP, prone)
17 Sandokar
14 Zeviss
8 Skeleton Green (4 DMG)
3.2 Oops
3.0 Kyra (25 DMG : 10/35 HP)
2.9 Safa (5 DMG : 8/13 HP, prone)

I forgot there's no skeleton at the start of the round now, so Cork, Oops (Round 3), Sandokar and Zeviss can go!

Cork closes his eyes to absorb Kyra's healing energy. Some of his wounds close up and he no longer feels right on the brink of death. He stands up and then points his hand towards the last standing skeleton. He shouts an arcane word and a blast of energy shoots straight at it but the ray misses completely.

Disrupt Undead@green,into melee: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 3 - 4 = 2 ranged touch

Well, enough laugh

The warpriest at full HP with the channel takes a five foot and tries to kill the last skeleton.

Adamantine dagger: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Cold iron dagger: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Both Cork and Sandokar can not bring the last remaining skeleton to its eternal (infernal?) rest.

Oops and Zeviss are up!

Aura Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Oops will try to cast cure light wounds on the last skele.
UMD: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
What? Oh no, work!
Oops will then 5ft step backwards.

Gotcha. That’ll definitely come in handy when I roll a positive number!

“Can one of you stop flailing like a wet noodle and kill the... dead... thing?!” Zeviss huffs and loads his crossbow, but doesn’t take another shot for fear of hitting one of his party members.

Random target, alphabetical: 1d4 ⇒ 2 - Kyra/Meleren/Oops/Sandokar

Green Skeleton > Meleren
Melee attack (gauntlet): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Damage (B): 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Damage (E/F): 1d6 ⇒ 1

The remaining skeleton smashes Meleren with it's gauntlet for 6 damage!

24 Cork (22 DMG : 5/27 HP, prone)
17 Sandokar
14 Zeviss
8 Skeleton Green (4 DMG)
3.2 Oops
3.0 Kyra (25 DMG : 10/35 HP)
2.9 Safa (5 DMG : 8/13 HP, prone)

Kyra, Oops and Safa are up!

aura damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Kyra steps around the skeleton to help Sandokar with an angle and brings her scimitar down two-handed on the skeleton.

scimitar, flanking: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 6 + 2 = 23
damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

please please die.

Safa will stand up and move back a little. "Oh thank you. Gosh, never seen something like this before."

Not that it matters but she already stood up.

Safa will take a total defensive stance as she is confident the team has this problem solved.

Plasmatic Death: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Kyra, DC 11 Reflex save for half: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 - fail
Meleren, DC 11 Reflex save for half: 1d20 ⇒ 19 - pass
Oops, DC 11 Reflex save for half: 1d20 ⇒ 15 - pass
Sandokar, DC 11 Reflex save for half: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 - fail

Meleren and Oops take 3 fire damage, and Kyra and Sandokar take the full 6.

Kyra falls unconscious to the ground at 0 HP.

After much (much, much, much) consternation, the final skeleton finally meets its true death!

That finally brings this supposed CR 3 encounter to a close. I'll post the HP totals below, everyone can kind of debrief for a bit before we continue.

Cork 5/27 HP
Kyra 0/35 HP, disabled
Oops 4/7 HP
Safa 8/13 HP
Sandokar 11/17 HP
Zeviss 10/10 HP

Kyra falls unconscious to the ground at 0 HP.

I should just be disabled at 0.

Kyra will drop her scimitar and slowly draw her wand of healing. She pauses and slowly applies it.

clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

HP 31

Ok, everyone sit down. Saranrae provides. and she goes to work on the rest of the party.

clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Cork HP 27, right on.

clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Oops to full

clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
Safa to full

clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Sandokar to full

14/50 charges used. Channel 5/5

Alright then. Let's hope we don't have to face that ever again. Kyra stores her wand and gathers her scimitar.

Jinx come back to me! That was insane death, death everywhere what is goin on in this place? Kyra thank you, thank you! Jinx*poofs* back into existence on the shoulder of oops. They can be seen talking to each other as Jinx tries to console Oops.

Safa moves to the group, "Yep, didn't have those in my training. Remind me not to hit things glowing with lava and fire or anything glowing for that matter." She rubs her knuckles. Though she is healed, the memory still lingers.

@OG3: Right-o, disabled =/= unconscious.

As the tension in the air dissipates thanks to Kyra's healing, a cry is heard from by the doorway. "Won't you help him!? He's clearly in pain!" scolds Shechera, pointing to Meleren, who is nursing the last hit he took from the burning skeleton.

A moment of GM transparency: To speed things up from the site downages, this scenario has a subsystem in it where certain actions can improve the NPCs and trigger moments of epiphany - healing Meleren up to over half HP will put him one tick up on the scale, and will allow him to aid you in combat. (Further increases may have additional benefits.)

Kyra rushes to Meleren's side. Here let me see.

clw wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
clw wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
clw wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

How do you feel?

wand 17/50

Well, everybody's alright now?

The warpriest has a look around the room in which there are the remains of the battle.

By the way do we find something interesting on the undead?

You do, in fact.

As the acrid stench of charred bone and static ozone dissipates, you can sift through the scattered remains of the skeletons only to find four of the very gauntlets they were wielding. Inspecting them, you notice that they have a gem of some sort set into it in a method you've never seen before - they truly are of an impressive quality and finish.

It is a DC 18 Knowledge (Engineering) check to identify precisely what they are, otherwise it's good ol' trial and error.

Meleren waves off the wand at after the first use. "My gratitude - my wounds have been healed."

In the confusion of battle, you didn't notice that the once-inactive or malfunctioning panels in the room had briefly activated. Once more, you hear the cacophonous sound of moving gears, echoing throughout the entire sublevel. A moment later, whatever mechanism it is grinds to a halt. When you look to the middle of the room, floating above the circular glass table is a green-hued illusory map, a projection of sorts.

(Tactical/battle map has been updated to reflect this - click here to see)

Central to the map, you see a room not unlike the one you're standing in - an eight-sided octagonal room. Around it, you notice a ring of rooms. However, it appears as if the ring of rooms has shifted, and is now misaligned halfway through its rotation, cutting off the way you came.

Closest to the panel, Safa notices one of the instruments on the table, a brass panel, whirs to life, with its rows of letter wheels spinning and quickly producing a message (here, also the slide below the battlemap).

There are doors to the east and west, as well as the door in the middle of the pillar to the north. What do you do?

Holographic interface apparatus... huh. Well I don't see anything that could possibly be helpful other than these gauntlets. Kyra picks up a set and approaches the holographic controls waiting for a response.

The warpriest takes also one gauntlet and goes to the eastern door. Is it closed?

"Thank you Kyra. Very much appreciated." Cork smooths out his jacket with his hands. "I'm always amazed with how well magical healing works. I just wish it would also mend my clothes and clean them."

He moves over to look at the message. "I agree Kyra, I don't see anything but the gauntlets. Maybe we should try one on." Cork picks up one of the discarded ones and puts it on. He watches Sandokar approach the eastern door with a cautious eye. The last thing they need is an influx of more nasty enemies.

"That was awful," grunts Zeviss as he dusts himself off. "I hate what those bastards did to Haven. Now she's going to have to spend the rest of the day pulling herself back together." He sighs and looks around the room, more out of resignation than any desire to keep watch.

Sandokar notices a glowing panel like the rest of the Redoubt's doors - a simple press, and it slides recessed into the wall.

(Map updated.)

Two shiny metal tables or beds stand across from one another in the center of this oval room, with metal restraints positioned at the head, foot, and middle of each table. Metal racks along the north and south walls hold assorted sharp-looking implements. A rounded hutch protrudes from the eastern wall.

What do you do?

Kyra tries the west door if the hologram does not respond.

Kyra waves the gauntlet near the hologram, but it passes through the light harmlessly.

No effect, seems the gauntlets aren't the holographic interface apparatus that the readout mentions.

When nothing happens, the opens the western door. She presses the glowing panel, and the door quickly retracts into the wall. The cleric is buffeted slightly by air blowing past her, as the air from the octagonal room rushes in to fill the small room before her. The cleric's ear pop.

(No ill effects, just severe wind conditions within 10 feet of the door for 1 round. This would indicate that the room in front of you was in a vaccum.)

After the initial disorientation, she sees the many rows of metal shelving that fill this room. The shelves bear the look of long disuse but are surprisingly rust-free, considering the age of this place.

Most of the shelves hold assorted pieces of machinery: wires, gears, and cases of bolts and screws, though nothing seems organized in any logical fashion.

What do you do?

Kyra will peruse the shelves for anything of value or note.

appraise: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Kyra looks over the shelving, and finds two things of note - a box containing numbered buttons, and scrawled on the underside of the box lid is the following sequence of numbers: 9, 2, 7, 4 & 6 ) is painted on the underside of the box lid, along with a short message in what appears to be Goblin.

She also finds a small brown trinket of some sort, which has a wafer-thin piece protruding from it with what looks to be a gold inlay.

(This device requires a successful DC 21 Knowledge (engineering) check to identify it.)

The warpriest enters into the room and inspects it. He focuses in the end on the rounded hutch.

The hutch on the eastern wall appears to be locked, with a five-fingered "handprint" panel on it.

"Do you want to see if this works?" Safa moves up to the panel but she doesn't touch anything.

The warpriest places the gauntlet on the "handprint" panel.

Sandokar presses the gauntlet to the imprint, and an electric arc pops between the gauntlet and the lock.

It opens with a hiss, and inside lay three vials of glowing blue liquid and a hollow wand-like device that has a reservoir at one end and a small pad at the other. (DC 23 Knowledge (engineering) to identify.)

Sandokar knows that the three vials of liquid are potions of cure light wounds.

(There is nothing else of note in the eastern room, save for trays of surgial implements that could be used as improvised weapons, if needed.)

Well, we have now something else to heal.

Thinking better to give these vials to somebody who can't heal by himself, he gives one to Cork, another to Safa and the third to Meleren.

You are the ones who took the more damages during the last combat.

But he doesn't know what's the hollow wand-like device. If nobody can help, he places it in his bag.

Cork figures out that the gauntlets are doing anything with the image. He follows Kyra into the other room and searches it with her. When she finds the box he notices the goblin writing on it. "Well that's interesting. What would goblins have to do with this stuff? Do you mind if I look at that a bit more?"

He turns the box over and reads the text.

I speak Goblin. So what does it say?

When Sandokar hands him a vial he thanks him and then stuffs it into an empty pocket on his bag.

Have a look, Cork. We have a lot to review here. Kyra takes the brown trinket and tries to remember the numbers.

Any other panels over here? Otherwise going to report back the numbers and trinket to the rest of the group.

"Oh, so that's what that does." She takes the potion being offered to her and puts it in her belt pouch.

Cork, Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Cork rummages through the shelving, and finds another one of the brown wafer-thin devices, as well as some sort of disc-shaped device with indentations in it. (DC 21 Knowledge (engineering) for the wafer, DC 17 for the disc.

Cork reads the note, and is able to decipher the text:

"The commander will kill the next guard he catches using a note to remember the lift code. Just use this when needed."

When coming out and showing their findings to the rest of the group, Meleren takes notice of the strange items. "Great finds! I'm sure they could fetch quite a price, if you knew what they actually did... I'm kind of an expert on these things, if you'd let me take a look at them. We could come to some sort of arrangement, no?"

An arrangement? What for an arrangement?

Should I remember you I just gave you one vial of Cure light wounds? That's the arrangement. If you know something, you tell it. If you can fight, you fight. If you can cure, you cure. We're here to help each other. But, I think you could get one of the devices anyway. We have to bring back one to the venture-captain, not all.

To the text: Well, so we know how to use the lift.

The lift be the last door of the stage.