GMG's PbP: Shackles adventures (Inactive)

Game Master Magabeus

Ack! Sorry, work was a mess this week...

Emmett tries to grab the thing and rip it off him.

Grapple: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Keeping her bow in her off hand, Tori draws her rapier and attempts to kill the stirge draining her.

Rapier: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
Crit Confirmation: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Vag swings at the bloodsucker attached to Scratcher..
TWF: 1d20 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 6 - 2 = 7
TWF, second blade: 1d20 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 6 - 2 = 8

Her aim is off this time even with no dex from grappling, those rolls are just too poor

"Get off them you over grown mosquitoes."

Sorta gotta see what Xasay's sleep spell results are; makes the difference if I can attack 1 stirge or 2! Arguably, you can do that now GM :)

Tori kills her stirge. Vagantem has no success with the stirges attacking Scratcher. Emmet manages to throw of the stirge that was attached to him.

Xasay aims his sleep spell of to the side so that all the stirges, Emmet and the Scratcher are covered. Two of the three stirges succumb to the spell! Emmet and Scratcher feel the spell wash over them without effect.

Left to right
Will DC14: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Will DC14: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
Will DC14: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Initiative
Scratcher - 1 Con damage
Xasay
- - -
Stirges
- - -
Emmet - 1 Con damage
Vagantem
Tori - 1 Con damage

Xasay goes after the one that resisted his spell with his sword....

masterwork longsword, flank?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8 +2 if flanking

...but only manages to wave it threateningly under Emmet's nose.

Scratcher turns to the one remaining awake stirge and slashes at it twice with his claw blades.

Tekko flurry @ awake stirge: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Damage on hit: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Tekko flurry @ awake stirge: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Damage on hit: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

The bloodloss must have affected my aim... yeah, that's the ticket!

Scratcher and Xasay wave their weapons, threatening the last awake stirge. It must have helped a bit, when the creature dives for Emmet it completely misses!

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Initiative
Scratcher - 1 Con damage
Xasay
Emmet - 1 Con damage
Vagantem
Tori - 1 Con damage
- - -
Stirges, 2 asleep for 1 round
- - -

Hint: tiny creatures provoke if they enter your square, Emmet might want to step out of the square he is in...

Vagantem steps sideways and strikes at the stirge that is still awake.
TWF: 1d20 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 6 - 2 = 18
TWF: 1d20 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 6 - 2 = 14
damage lead: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
damage off hand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

If the first strike drops the stirge, then she will put the second into one of the sleeping ones.

Sleep lasts for minutes per level, not rounds.

masterwork longsword, flank, Dirty Fighter vs awake stirge: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

If Vagantem managed to kill it himself, change that to coup-de-grace'ing one of the sleeping ones.

Emmett backs up and fires his pistol at the bloodsucking vermin.

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Tori advances on one of the sleeping stirges and stabs at it.

Rapier vs. Helpless target: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Together you easily defeat the last awake stirge, after which it is a matter of seconds to disable the two sleeping ones.

Out of combat!

Climbing down takes two DC 15 climb check. Diving in the water is either a DC 15 swim or DC 15 acrobatics check. Will you send somebody ahead to look into the cave system or will you all go together?

"Unless one of you is both a great swimmer and can hide in water, I suggest we all travel down there as a group." Tori opines as she readies herself to climb down.

Is the DC still 15 for the climb even with the rope Scratcher set up? Either way, Tori will take 10 for a 16 on both climb checks.

Vag will also climb down carefully.
Takes ten for 17

Missed that Scratcher had set up the rope. DC 5 climb then

At the bottom of the rope you look into the dark, rolling waves. There is no possibility to enter the cave system without entering the water....

Swim checks please! One success needed at DC15 and then you enter the cave system, where there seem to be no waves

Can't fail the Climb

Scratcher follows the others to the cave, then shakes his head when he sees the water. "Blimey, was hopin' ta not get dis stuff wet; ain't cheap gettin' rust outta mithral."

Swim check!: 1d20 + 3 - 1 ⇒ (19) + 3 - 1 = 21

I take 10 on the Climb for 11.

Xasay makes certain all his stuff is securely packed, then gives it the old (bardic) college try...

Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

"There are certain advantages to wooden armor, you know!"

Swim check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Tori pops an air crystal in the her mouth and follows the others underwater.

Vagantem strikes out strongly with the others.

Can we take ten on this? If so, 17

Vagantem, yes you can since you are not distracted.

Immediately inside the cave mouth you come upon a choice. One tunnel branches off towards the left and the other to the right.

The one to the left goes west, in the general direction of the ocean. This tunnel is flooded. The other tunnel goes east, more inland and has some room to breathe above the water and below the ceiling of the tunnel.

1d12 ⇒ 11

Tori recons that it is 1 hour before low water, so this is actually a good time to investigate the cave system.

"Might as well continue in the direction of more air." Tori suggests pointing to the east tunnel.

Why don't we just specify that we want to go either clockwise (generally right) or counterclockwise (generally left) through the tunnels to speed things up so the GM doesn't need to prompt us for direction? Also, I would suggest that whoever has the highest Perception take 10 whenever we enter a new area.

Vagantem nods.

"I like air. Sounds good to me. Keep right if we can so we don't get lost."

Sounds good to me, Tori! I'm cool with that GM

Scratcher nods, letting the 'brains' of the group do the thinkin'.

You swim for a while through tunnels, all the time taking the right-most exit when there is a choice. After a time you come upon a small cavern. The walls display strangely ribbed markings. The sea bottom is covered in see weed, but Xasay notices that in a certain area the bottom consists of a series of metal bars spaced approximately 18 inches apart. You are currently 10 horizontal feet away from the bars and the water here is 10 feet deep.

"Wow, you have good eyes to spot those bars. Want to try and see what they are sealing off?" asks Vagantem.

She'll take a big breath and dive down to see if she can bend them enough to allow easy access.

STR: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

Suddenly a hand with long nails reaches up through the bars and tries to claw Vagantem! Luckily for the sylph the sea-weed prevents the claw from hitting her!

claw: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Looking more closely she sees two humanoid creatures with long, sharp teeth, and pallid flesh that is stretched tightly over its starved frame under the bars. The grasp up at Vagantem, unable to move the bars...

Vagantem pulls back. Fast.

"Or maybe those bars are to keep something in. I wonder who built it? Perhaps we should check out a different bit of the cave first?"

Do these look a bit like the ghouls were saw earlier?

"This place just seems full of nasties."

Xasay takes a closer (but not too close) look at Vagantem's discovery....

Knowledge (Religion) to identify undead: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

Well, given that he can't really see them that well, and they kind of look like what they encountered earlier....

They do look a bit like the creatures you encountered in the swamp, only without the dresses and with skin that is affected by the immersion in water.

Anything you want to do here? Or move on?

Tori begins firing arrows into the monsters, "No point in leaving these terrible creatures behind us."

I'll just make a bunch of rolls, if more are necessary, just let me know. If someone objects, she'll stop.

Bow 1+PBS-DA: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 10 + 1 - 2 = 29
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 1 + 4 = 15
Bow 2+PBS-DA: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 10 + 1 - 2 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 5 + 1 + 4 = 16
Bow 3+PBS-DA: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 1 - 2 = 15
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 1 + 4 = 13
Bow 4+PBS-DA: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 10 + 1 - 2 = 29
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 5 + 1 + 4 = 14
Bow 5+PBS-DA: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 1 - 2 = 16
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 1 + 4 = 15
Bow 6+PBS-DA: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 10 + 1 - 2 = 25
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 5 + 1 + 4 = 18
Bow 7+PBS-DA: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 10 + 1 - 2 = 29
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 1 + 4 = 15

First Crit Confirmation: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 10 + 1 - 2 = 19
Additional Crit Damage: 2d8 + 10 + 2 + 8 ⇒ (3, 6) + 10 + 2 + 8 = 29
Second Crit Confirmation: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 10 + 1 - 2 = 13
Additional Crit Damage: 2d8 + 10 + 2 + 8 ⇒ (3, 7) + 10 + 2 + 8 = 30
Third Crit Confirmation: 1d20 + 10 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 10 + 1 - 2 = 18
Additional Crit Damage: 2d8 + 10 + 2 + 8 ⇒ (5, 7) + 10 + 2 + 8 = 32

Vagantem looks on.

"Maybe I should get myself a spear."

She continues to watch.

"Kind of like shooting fish in a barrel, isn't it?"

Tori keeps her distance, just outside the reach of the creatures, and eventually kills them.

"I'm just putting them out of their misery. Anyone want to check if they were protecting something valuable?"

After someone takes a closer look around, I'm ready to move on.

Vagantem takes another big breathe and goes down and carefully tries the bars again, ready to jump back if more of the creatures appear.

sTR: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Vagantem is not able to shift the bars. She feels that she is not strong enough to displace them at all.

STR DC 25

@Vag: Guess one of us leads, the other aid? Really, only by getting a Nat 20 the same tine as an aid can that be opened :/

"If it's that tough, let's keep moving while we still have lots of air in here."

"Lets find another way" agrees Vagantem.

"Yah, I think that's best."

Reflex: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

You swim onward. Vagantem suddenly notices two things. The first is that he can stand here in approximately 2 feet of water, and the second is that there are a lot of bobbing corks a feet from the floor. They seem to be held in place by strings and carry nasty hooks. The water in front of you is pitch black.

"A trap..." sags Vagantem.

She stops and looks around, trying to get a feel for whether the hooks can be avoided.

"Anyone good with avoiding traps?" she asks.

Scratcher shakes his head. "I'ma good at setting 'em off, but I've already been beaten up 'nuff today."

"Let me take a look. I am decent with gizmos and gadgets..."

Disable Device: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25

Tori swims back and let's Emmett demonstrate his skills, assuming it was trap.

Emmet is working for half a minute. He also notices the very black water ahead of you. It is impossible to look through it.

"Oy, do we just charge through, blades a' swingin?"

Xasay stares at the very black water in fascination...

detect magic and Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Knowledge (Religion) to identify undead?: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Knowledge (Dungeoneering): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Good job, me!

Tori continues to stand by with bow ready as Xasay attempts to get the bottom of the black water.