GM Brunoreturns' Shattered Star (Inactive)

Game Master brunoreturns

The red hellhound dodges under Deric's swing, then lunges for Squint's leg.

Bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Damage,Fire: 1d8 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 1 + (4) = 6

The blue hellhound breathes fire over Barkot and Reillana.

Fire: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 1) = 7 (Reflex 14 for half)

Round 2
BOLD may act

Squint -11
Ulyi -5
Paeral
Deric -10 (DEX -1)
Wolf -20
Blue -25
Reillana -7
Barkot -7 (DEX -1)

Reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Struggling not to scream, Reillana reloads her crossbow, takes another step away from the hellhound, and begins to sing between teeth gritted against the pain.

Reload, 5ft step, Inspire Courage

Reflex: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"Yeeeooowwww!"

Barkot howls as his skin sears, cooking inside his armor. He staggers and swings his sword wildly at the hellhound.

Longsword, inspire courage: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 1 = 101d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 1 = 5

Barkot's slash goes wide.

Round 3
BOLD may act
Inspire Courage Round 1

Squint -11
Ulyi -5
Paeral
Deric -10 (DEX -1)
Wolf -20
Blue -25
Reillana -7
Barkot -7 (DEX -1)

Paëral switches targets and fires twice at the southernmost hellhound...

Longbow: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 7 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 2 = 14
Cold Iron Damage: 1d8 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 + 1 + 1 = 9

Longbow: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 7 + 1 + 1 + 1 - 2 = 18
Cold Iron Damage: 1d8 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 1 + 1 = 7

Paeral's second shot hits. The hellhound is still standing.

Ulyi switches attacks to his vicious foreclaws, slashing twice at the hellhound with vicious intent.

Claw Attack #1: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 101d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Claw Attack #2: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 131d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Ulyi then sidesteps to his right.

Five foot step.

Deric moves 5 feet SW into flanking position.
masterwork greataxe pa: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 10 + 2 = 32
confirm: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 10 + 2 = 22
damage: 1d12 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18
damage: 1d12 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14
damage: 1d12 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24

I believe that comes to 56 damage :-)

As the hellhound crouches for another leap at Squint, Deric's axe comes in and severs the infernal creature in half at the shoulder. Its legs don't realize the hound is dead yet and leap up anyways, overbalancing and landing on the back of the axe as Deric is pulling the axe back up. The motion cuts the legs cleanly off.

The remaining hellhound barks hot smoke into Barkot's face and attempts to remove his nose, missing slightly and taking off a chunk of his shoulder instead, heat instantly cauterizing the wound.

Bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Damage: 1d8 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 1 + (3) = 10

Round 3
BOLD may act
Inspire Courage Round 1

Squint -11
Ulyi -5
Paeral
Deric -10 (DEX -1)
Blue -25
Reillana -7
Barkot -17 (DEX -1)

"Ow! Ow!" Squint screeches at the flames from the hellhound. He concentrates in order to cast without provoking an attack from the hellish canine.

He then realises that the hellhound is dead.

Cast Celestial Companion on Ulyi.

"DERIC! SOME HELP OVER HERE?" Reillana levels her crossbow at the hellhound savaging Barkot, then swears luridly in Elven and throws the crossbow aside when she can't find a clean shot. Striding forward, the masked elf draws her short blade and barks an arcane word. The blade glows with crimson light in response.

Drop crossbow, Move + draw weapon, Arcane Strike, Attack
Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16 Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Reillana's slash gets past the hellhound's guard and slashes deep into its neck. The fires in its eye fade as it drops to the ground.

END INITIATIVE

Barkot collapses against the wall and calls out a prayer to Soralyon to close his wounds.

Cure Light Wounds, CL3+1: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

He sighs in relief, then draws his healing wand. "I knew we've been goin' down fer a while, but I din't t'ink we'd made all da way ta da Hells already," he pants. "Guess we're on da right track ta find dat Lord Bazmatazz." He activates the wand.

Cure Light Wounds, CL1: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Cure Light Wounds, CL1: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

"Anybody else hurt?"

"Just a nick."

"I got a bit singed too when the hound spit fire at us," Reillana replies to Barkot, drawing her own wand. As the cracked and blistered flesh heals over, the elf retrieves her crossbow and checks it for damage.

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Paëral shakes his head. "I'm good...but if we have to fight much more, arrows might be a concern...may have to switch to my sword...

"Where to? Continue the circle?"

"I'm very badly burnt!" Squint whines.

"Why didnt you say something sooner? Come here Squint..."

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Deric clears his throat and looks at Rei. He will never whine. "This is starting to look like a labyrinth to me. Got your six Paeral." Deric holsters his greataxe and wields the ranseur.

"Yeah, yeah, justa li'l nick, huh? Hang on a sec, tough guy. Let's make sure da next hellhound or demonic goo or whatever don't give ya a mean look an knock ya out." Barkot walks up behind Deric and, without waiting for a response, taps him with the healing wand twice.

Cure Light Wounds, CL1: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Cure Light Wounds, CL1: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

”Thanks,” Squint manages.

Deric smiles at Barkot.

When the party is ready to move, Paëral draws his bow and does his scout thing down the interior part of the circle...

Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Stealth: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32

I revealed the rest of the labyrinth

Following Paeral, the party soon reaches the center of the labyrinth. Other than being in the center, it does not appear any different. The walls are covered in the same rusty metal plates inscribes with similar magical runes.

Continuing to scout out the labyrinth reveals another entrance at the southern end.

"Reillana? Barkot? Do you feel that?" Squint says, frowning at the metal walls. "It feels like a spell....summoning magic. Do you feel it?"

As per the GM, Knowledge(Planes) and Spellcraft may provide additional information and can aid Squint's check.

After Squint draws your attention to it, the spellcasters can sense ... power ... concentrated at the center of the labyrinth.

"I don't feel anything. Must be your imagination. Calm down Squint."

Reillana blinks at Squint in momentary puzzlement, then murmurs a spell to detect magic and surveys the area with glowing sea-green eyes.

Scanning the corridors, Reillana can see that the runes on the metal plates lining the walls glow brightly under her magical sight. Motes of energy drift toward the center, speeding up as they get closer until they meet other motes in the center, flash brightly, and disappear.

If you choose to share this information with Squint, make an Aid Another Spellcraft check

"You're right, Squint, I see it too now. Those little lights..."

Spellcraft Aid Another: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9 Oh come on!

"...they're kind of pretty," she finishes lamely.

Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

"I dunno..."

Hope that helps - does Barkot see/feel/sense anything?

Paëral senses nothing either...he just looks at Deric and shrugs...

I have to reward a good roll

Following Squint's descriptions, Barkot opens himself to the energies in the room. While the magic in the room is foreign to him, Barkot can sense a malevolence coming from the center of the room.

Analyzing the sensations, he remembers descriptions written in the books he has read about the outer planes of similar phenomena.

Barkot deduces that the center of the room is a weak spot between planes and that this weak spot connects to the Nine Hells.

There is still information to be gained from a Spellcraft check, Squint.

Squint concentrates on the runed plates.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Squint is pretty sure that the runes are enacting a spell effect of some kind.

”I think that these runes must be holding open some sort of door between this plane and Hell!” Squint surmises. ”That would explain all of the outsiders down here. It might be good to get someone down here with the power to close it.”

Barkot cocks his head and looks at Squint quizzically. "Ya know anybody who can nail shut an actual doorway ta Hell? Mebbe Da Heidmarch? I guess she could prolly slam it shut jus' by glarin' at it fer a coupla seconds."

Is the party done with this room?

Squint shivers a bit. "We should move onwards," he offers.

Barkot nods in agreement. "Yeah, dis place gives me da creeps. An' dat's sayin' somet'in."

"So...do we try further south?"

Paëral does his scouting thing south...

Stealth: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25

A short distance past the southern exit from the room, the party encounters an iron portculis.

The bars block the hallway and are still quite sturdy. No mechanism for opening the portculis is visible from this side.

Deric shakes the bars.
str: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
str: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
str: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
He takes 20=26

Try as hard as he can, Deric cannot get the bars to budge even a little. They appear to be locked in place.

My kingdom for an adamantine weapon!

"Well I suppose that's clear enough, we should go a different way. If there were a lever I'd summon something to open it, but alas. Shall we?"

Paëral doubles back and checks the eastern door in that branch they bypassed earlier...

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25

Backtracking through the labyrinth and heading down the short hallway reveals another door leading south from that corridor.

Determining the door to be safe, Paeral opens it. Behind is a small empty room with another door on the opposite corner. On the door is a bronze plaque, green with corrosion and inscribed with spiky runes.

The door with the plaque is locked.

”Hmm...says Do not leave the cages open. Guess we won’t know what that means till we get the door open...”

Paëral checks out the door...

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

...and then tries to disable any traps, if found, and/or the lock...

Disable Device: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22
Disable Device: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

"It...seems pretty straightforward, Paëral."

Deric moves behind Paeral with ranseur at the ready.