GM Jlighter's Second Darkness Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master jlighter

"I shall limit myself tah tha observation o these games, I fear tha temptation would be too great tah give tha evil eye tah those against me."

"I will also abstain if that is permitted. Here is my fee if that is requirred to get in, and I will sign the contract. However I will not gamble today."

Your beginning to catch up yourself! Davlamin exclaims, sipping a cool glass of water. Addressing the dealer, Davlamin asks... So when do we proceed to the next layer of Hell dear?
Bet 10GP!

"And i will match that bet!", Skorabor announces proudly to the rest of the gambling table now fully confident he has grasped the rules of the game

Bet 10gp

Davlamin, Skorabor: The succubi looks flustered at the request. "Oh, my. I seem to have neglected to pass on your advancement badges. You've both made it as far as Stygia. Let's just not let anybody know that I forgot, shall we? I'm new." She winks at you both, then turns expectantly to the other two players. They look at the size of the bet on the table, turn to each other, and slink away. Their places are taken almost immediately by another pair of players, also boasting badges of Stygia.

Seven or eight more minutes of cutthroat cards gives Skorabor an additional 5gp (17gp total), and Davlamin an additional 10gp (total 23gp, 9sp, 7cp). The other players look shocked at their sudden losses, but then come back to the game with a vengeful look in their eyes, as if they intend to send you home licking their boots.

Vesara, Barnabus II: The registrar succubi give each other a strange look, then give you both a funny look. One shrugs, and the other says, "Why not gamble? You afraid of losing? Well, I suppose not everybody has money to gamble. Watch if you will. Just don't get in the way of the people who have money." She indicates where the bar is, where to get chips if you choose to gamble, and then indicates a place where you'll probably be able to see the action. You notice a wolf curled up near the brazier by where she indicates, and it seems to have its eyes on a small Gnome and a Dwarf who are whooping it up near one of the edge tables.

Skeith: As a side note, for dice rolls, place the modifier inside the dice expression. Your total actually comes out to a 34 on your disguise check. Observe the difference: 15+1d20 ⇒ 151d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23

After nearly ten minutes wait, the man comes out to get some air and refresh himself. Unsurprising, given the close and warm air inside the hall.

Davlamin, Skorabor: Another round brings Skorabor another 17gp (total 34gp), and Davlamin another 28gp (total 51 gp). Skorabor advances to Malebolge, and Davlamin has advanced through Malebolge to Cocytus.

"Ha, now this is really a game to my liking", Skorabor proclaims and takes a hefty swig of his tankard. "But it seems that i can't keep up with you, Davlamin!"

"In a place like this, I would keep your familiar well protected. I myself do not have a familiar, I have never felt the draw towards any particular animal. Look at that interesting game, maybe we should take a closer look."

"Ha, now this is really a game to my liking", Skorabor proclaims and takes a hefty swig of his tankard. "But it seems that i can't keep up with you, Davlamin!"

I'm as surprised as you are Skor. I think perhaps one last round and I should reach Nessus... Figuratively speaking of course... Davlamin muses, as he places what he hopes to be his final bet upon the table. 50 gold eyes! the Gnome utters with a challenging grin towards the other players.

Hey Skor, looks like we've got some spectators... Smile for the crowd my friend!

"Vesara, mayhap I misunderstand tha allure o these games..."

Barnabus looks on with interest uncertain as to where his interests are...

Skorabor is now completely immersed in the game, and a hint of greed shines in his eyes. He picks up most of his coins and pushes them into the pot.

"30 gold pieces, gentlemen", he says with a smile

Vesara gapes at the amount of money the dwarf puts down.

"Tis no wonder tha man o cyphers said 20 gold as if it were a pittance fer admittance!"

Skorabor is now completely immersed in the game, and a hint of greed shines in his eyes. He picks up most of his coins and pushes them into the pot.

"30 gold pieces, gentlemen", he says with a smile

Only 30 good dwarf? I have no less than fifty gold eyes on the table... Davlamin quips, a fiendish smirk on his face.

Skorabor Skalfgrin Boulderback wrote:

Skorabor is now completely immersed in the game, and a hint of greed shines in his eyes. He picks up most of his coins and pushes them into the pot.

"30 gold pieces, gentlemen", he says with a smile

Only 30 good dwarf? I have no less than fifty gold eyes on the table... Davlamin quips, a fiendish smirk on his face.

Oh, i thought we were at different tables now that Davlamin advanced past Skorabor. If that's not the case and we're still at the same table, scrach my earlier post and replace it with this.

Skorabor the pile of gold Davlamin just entered to the pot as if mezmerized by the shine. Then he comes to his senses and pushes his whole stack to the rest of the pot.

"We can't have you reaching the finals without company, now can we?", he grins

Keeping an eye on where the man's money pouch was, an all too easy task considering the drunk wasn't the most graceful of men once intoxicated, Skeith moved towards him once his back was turned and made as if he were heading into the gambling hall. Moving past the man, he checked him against the shoulder. (Sleight of Hand check of 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 to grab his money pouch.) Slipping the pouch beneath the band on his pants and out of sight, Skeith shot a small murmur of an apology back but continued on. Stealth check of 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16 to vanish into the crowd out of sight, just in case he decides he wants to tussle with a bouncer, which even drunk, I'm sure he doesn't.

Skeith: Although he does notice you bumping into him, by the time you've started to walk back inside the hall, he's already focusing on something else. Seems to involve a pipe and something in another pouch. By weight, you judge the pouch to contain perhaps 30 or 40 coins, but you're not sure what kind until you actually look at them.

Skorabor, Davlamin: Over the course of several rounds, things even out between you slightly. In the first of these rounds (assuming you both go all in), Skorabor wins another 23gp (total 57gp), but Davlamin slips slightly and only breaks even (51gp). This advances Skorabor to join Davlamin in Malebolge. Another round brings Skorabor another 10gp (67), and Davlamin 15gp (66gp). A third round brings you a tie , and when you split the pot, it comes out to 25gp each (92gp for Skorabor and 91gp for Davlamin). As you set up for another round, each of you having now advanced very rapidly to Caina, you hear a call to order from the center of the large gambling room.

Vesara, Barnabus II: Just as things are heating up at the table before you, a call to order booms across the room.

All: In the center of the room is the large platform on which stands the chained chest. Overhead is the cage with the imp. Now standing on the platform are two of the foreign-looking guards with the large scimitars, two of the succubi, and one middle-aged short Human with a large key in place of his left hand. He clears his throat, and then begins, carefully turning to make sure that his voice reaches everybody in the room.

“Welcome, one and all, to the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall and your chance to cheat the Devil and win back not only your soul but all of his gold as well.” He pats the chest next to him. “I am Saul Vancaskerkin, owner and proprietor of the Gold Goblin, and I hope you found your reception by the Devil’s lovely temptresses suitably entertaining.” This is met by a general murmur of laughter and a few catcalls.

“Let’s take this moment to thank Old Scratch himself for attending this event. Not only did he loan us these lovely, dark angels, but he also emptied the deepest vaults of Hell itself to provide the gold for this tournament.”

With this, Saul directs the crowd’s attention up to the creature in the birdcage. At the sudden attention, it flies into a flurry of rage, banging the cage bars, spitting, howling, and screaming in some language none of you understands at all assembled. His theatrics are received with guffaws and even a smattering of applause. As the crowd dies down, Saul continues.

“Of course, he plans on replacing what he loses in gold with the souls of those of you who don’t win. The tournament rules are quite simple—as you play, you’ll earn more chips. And with those chips, you’ll be able to bribe your way out of the current Hell you’re trapped in, working your way down deeper until you get to Old Scratch’s treasury. Currently, many of you are Old Scratch’s prisoners in the first of the Hells, Avernus. Some of you have already begun to work your way out of Avernus, and are heading toward the lower circles. If you want to work your way down to the ninth circle, you need to win games in the currency of golden eyes, silver teeth and copper hearts. These bits of flesh and bone are what the devils use in Hell for currency, and they’re what you’ll need to pay in order to bribe your way into the next layer of hell. The first player to win a game after reaching Nessus not only keeps his winnings for that game, but also earns back his soul and the ten thousand silver coins that the Devil put up for this tournament. You can, of course, decide to cash out your winnings at any time you want, but if you do, or if you run out of money entirely… well, that means Old Scratch gets you.”

Saul grins evilly and the caged creature cuts loose with another profane tirade. “And that earns you the Devil’s Mark and an escort out of the game hall until the tournament is over. What, you ask, exactly is this Devil’s Mark? Well, it’s something too utterly horrible to even contemplate. The forfeiture of your very soul, it is. But I suppose I can show you what it is— gods know I more than deserve the Devil’s Mark. In fact, better make it two, girls!” With that, the two succubi accompanying him lean over and each firmly plants a kiss on Saul’s cheek with her ruby-red lips. When they pull away, their lip rouge has left clearly visible prints in the same shocking red on his cheeks. Saul beams as he cries out, “The Devil’s Mark, everyone!” which is greeted by a flurry of shouts, catcalls, and hoots. “Now, let’s cheat the Devil and take his gold!” which prompts one more rabid flurry from the imprisoned fiend above, and with that, the tournament once more gets underway. Saul descends from the platform, and heads for one of the back rooms, accompanied by the two gorgeous succubi. As they pass near to your table, you notice that the tail and horns on one of them aren't just ornaments as they are on the other.

Theatrics thinks Barnabus over all that, course seems the player should have known all that before they started playing...

Knowledge the planes 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29, Trying to get an idea of what I think just happened

Vesara looks around thoughtfully.

Vesara: You recognize the horned and tailed woman as being of Tiefling descent. There are more than the usual number of Tieflings in Riddleport since the city tends not to discriminate as much as others. Other than that, Vancaskerkin was just giving a rather grandiose speech about the tournament.

Skeith: You going to join in the gambling, or just maintain your disguise as a bouncer?

Vesara,Barnabus II: Either of you going to join the gambling, or maintain your vigil and study?

By this time in the tournament Skorabor has bought in to the "Cheat the devil and steal his gold" concept. Sink, hook and line. He claps and cheers enthusiastically all through Saul's speech. When it's over he turns to Davlamin and says cheerfully: "So, are you ready to win your soul back?". Then he skips back to the table and eagerly awaits the next hand with a facial expression filled with pure joy.

Davlamin chuckles mirthfully at his friends enthusiasm.

Aye. Only ten more gold eyes to Nessus for us both.

Bet 25 gold eyes.

Note that Davlamin has been edited slightly, I found some errors when running him through Herolab. I have added Elven and Dwarven as languages from Linguistics and Moonchaser has Dodge instead of improved natural attack (he didn't qualify for it and I missed it)

Davlamin chuckles mirthfully at his friends enthusiasm.

Aye. Only ten more gold eyes to Nessus for us both.

Bet 25 gold eyes.

"And i will match that bet!", Skorabor announces with gleaming eyes

Bet 25 gold.

Vigil and study for me. Vesara is a wallflower at big social events.

Barnabus continues to watch the events as they unfold

Committing yet another pair of personas to memory, that of the true-tailed female and old man Saul himself, Skeith figures that since the festivities have actually started, he can remain in his persona as a bouncer for a bit longer as opposed to his original intentions. Moving about the hall he slips closer to the caged beast. He moves as close as he can to the beast without drawing attention to himself from either the beast or the patrons. To maintain his disguise he pulls a few people back that have wandered dangerously close to the creature. "He ain't ta be messin' round wit." He turns back and eyes up the creature as best he can and commits its appearance to memory though its not because he can alter his appearance that much. He does it so he can research the creature at a later time - hopefully this city is familiar with the concept of s library. Probably with the local mages.

Skeith works his way back to his companions and keeps watch over their game, giving the appearance of ensuring no cheating is taking place. He'd have to decide how to continue forward at a later time seeing as how the others were so engrossed with gambling now.

Skorabor,Davlamin: This next round proves to be less fortunate than you hoped. You both manage to lose half your stake (12gp, 5sp) leaving Skorabor with 79gp, 5sp and Davlamin with 78gp, 5sp. Bad luck, chaps. Another round may allow you to regain your lost chips.

Everybody: Could I get a round of Perception rolls, please?

Curses... Davlamin mutters, caught up in the game.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Edit: Bet 50GP if we get another round.

"By the forge fathers flames, has lady luck forsaken me already", Skorabor exclaims as he loses his stake. [b]"This will not stand. I bet 50 gold!"[b]

Bet 50 gp

Perception check 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

1d20 ⇒ 8

Perception
1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Shiny, pretty coins, ahhhhh!

Vesara: As a side note, you get a +2 to Perception checks due to Keen Senses. Your total comes out to 10 this time.

Barnabus II: As a side note, you get a +1 bonus to Perception checks for having a 12 Wisdom Mod in addition to the +2 from the familiar Alertness thing. Your total this time is 7.

Davlamin, Skorabor: An additional round of betting brings you each a 20% return on your bet, granting you each an additional 10gp. Your totals are 89gp, 5sp for Skorabor, 88gp, 5sp for Davlamin.

And now we wait for Skeith.

Sorry. Just got off work. Perception check of 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13. Ouch, yeah, probably not catching that one.

No worries. It happens to all of us. Just needed your roll before the continuation.

Just as a note, since this is the first time we'll really have to deal with it, we're on the honor system as far as looking/not looking at spoilered information. I'll put the names of the authorized viewers in front of it to indicate who it's for, but since I can't actually control it, it's on you not to look if you're not supposed to.

Davlamin, Skorabor, Vesara, Skeith:

Barnabus II:

1d20 ⇒ 8

Skorabor's immersion in the game is momentarily broken as he spins around to check what caused the commotion."Vultures", he mutters at the scene behind him

Sense motive check 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

As a side note i'm happy for these kind of checks and initiative to be made on my behalf, tends to speed pbp up a little.

1d20 - 1 ⇒ (16) - 1 = 15

Damn, I knew I should've transformed back. Back to bouncer duties. 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 Well, that sucks. Skeith glances back at the avaricious group of gamblers moving to claim the woman's fortunes for their own. Letting out a small sigh, he realizes its time to act out his facade given that a few of the individuals surrounding him are staring at him to do something. So he starts to the tussle. Also how many of the other bouncers are headed towards the tussle too?

I'll keep that in mind in future, Davlamin. Thanks for the advice.

Skeith:

Skorabor, Vesara:

Davlamin:

Barnabus II:

Skorabor looks at the crowd, scratches his beard and mumbles: "Greedy buggers. Once some coins spill to the ground the vultures are crawlin' all over the floor like vermin. He coughs to mark his disapproval and then turns back to the dealer.

"This is getting me down. Another round please, miss!", he says and tosses his next bet into the pot.

Bet 50g again.

I wouldn't mind if the GM rolled the initiatives and other "automatic" skills checks for me either, jlighter

Davlamin sees all this happening with a frown, and grabs Skorabor's wrist.

Shut your eyes Skor! the Gnome whispers frantically, leading by example.

"What? Why? If you're trying to steal my chips...", the dwarf begins

Assuming I still have time left DM.

Just do it you stubborn dolt, you know I care little for wealth! Davlamin hisses, not knowing whether or not Skorabor complies- his eyes are already shut...

Skorabor closes his eyes and throws out his arms. "There, are you happy. What now? If my gold is gone when i open my eyes..."

Just as Skorabor closes his eyes, a bright flash bursts through the room. One of the fiery braziers explodes in a blinding burst of fireworks and explosions. Those nearest the brazier are showered with hot fragments and scream. Many are blinded by the explosion. As the brightness fades, the sound of swords being drawn cuts through the screams, as does a supernaturally loud woman's voice. "All right, folks! Drop to the ground and don't try anything stupid and we might let you live!"

Those who don't make the save are blinded for 3 rounds. All of the PCs have made it, as has Moonchaser. Most of the patrons are blind, however, as are 5 of the 6 bouncers. Half the patrons drop to the ground, making almost the entire hall difficult terrain.

Round Counter: 0
Initiative Counts:
Goons 1,3 - 24
Vesara - 22
Skorabor - 21
Angvar - 18
Skeith - 17
Thuvalia - 17
Bouncer - 14
Goons 2,4 - 10
Barnabus II - 7
Davlamin, Moonchaser - 5

Two of the thugs who have short swords drawn begin moving. Each begins to move toward bouncers who are seem to be able to see.

Skeith:

I'm working on putting together a map using MapTools so I can indicate relative positioning of everybody/everything. For the time beings, imaginations. :(

Barnabus suddenly thinks something unusual is going on!

Okay. Battle Plot is ready and linked. I'll update and move characters as each round of combat concludes.
-You should be able to find your own tokens. I used your character images from here to indicate you, including Moonchaser. Skeith, I used your actual character image even though you are currently in disguise.
-The redhead at your table is your dealer. The other two characters at your table are your current gambling foes.
-The quartet of blonds are the opposing goons with the short swords, and the woman in the red circle in the middle is the one-eyed woman who dropped the chips.
-The five identical tokens with black hair and green rings are blinded bouncers. The Schwarzenegger image with a tan ring is the non-blind bouncer.
-The token at the top of the image is one that you can't currently see, but you'll encounter him and I'll identify him as necessary. Those two rooms are the public privies (if that isn't an oxymoron).
-Also indicated on the map are the gambling tables, the walls, the doors, and the braziers. The one brazier that is black is the one that exploded, blinding most people. The chest is in the middle of the room on the large platform.
-Although I haven't placed tokens for them, the room is full of people who are currently prone or flailing blindly. If you wish, I can place those tokens. The crowd makes the entire room difficult terrain.

Round Counter: 0
Initiative Counts:
Goons 1,3 - 24
Vesara - 22
Skorabor - 21
Angvar - 18
Skeith - 17
Thuvalia - 17
Bouncer - 14
Goons 2,4 - 10
Barnabus II - 7
Davlamin, Moonchaser - 5

Two of the goons who have short swords drawn begin moving. Each begins to move toward bouncers who are seem to be able to see.

The current position of the goons reflects their having moved toward the active bouncers. Standard surprise round rules apply. Your Dexterity mod does not apply until you act, and you can take one standard action OR one move action, and any free actions that you could normally. Normal turns apply in Round 1. As additional characters become able to act, they will be included in the Initiative order.

My actions for round 0

I can't open the link you posted. My browser gets a "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS" error. Anyone else got this problem?

Not quite the same wording but i'm getting a similar error and can't see it yup. We can also charge in the surprise round I believe (well, we can't as we dont have weapons drawn, but Moonchaser can... *grins*).

Try this Battle Plot link.

Skorabor: Yes, I'd say that you can do that in a Surprise Round.

Davlamin: I suppose that Moonchaser could. His current position might make that a tad difficult, but I'm not sure. Try the current link and see if it works for you. Was it this one that didn't work for you, or the other one?

Its weird, google docs is fine for me normally.

Sorry, the page (or document) you have requested is not available.

Please check the address and try again.

Edit: Both links don't work for me.