Caleb felt a cold wave of adrenaline flush through his system, closely followed by a hot wave of shame. These small squatters had been peacefully hiding here when he came through and redistributed their home. I've heard of a peaceful rattsh race before, almost destroyed by THRUNE - is this it? They look more like opossums...
"Hey!" he shouted to his friends "Everyone back away!" Desperately he pantomimed apologetic bows to the horrid creatures, calling out "Sorry!" and "Peace" in infernal and halfling, as well as the common tongue.
Caleb followed his own advice, backing away towards the door that led to the trapdoor as he continued his stream of apologies.
The creatures made it clear the time for apologies had passed with their vicious attacks. His stream of apologies changed to highly inventive expletives and invective, and he slashed viciously at the little freaks, then backed towards his friends, calling on his powers.
The shame grew as his comrades murdered the little squatters. Is this what I've joined? Killing these little people because they're in my way, like THRUNE?
"What does that mean?" Unsure what to do, Caleb took up an advantageous position near Eirik and slashed wildly
So I was looking at the Gameplay thread and the first turn (000) went out on August 26 and yesterday (Sept 26) went out turn 017.
So that's 18 turns in 31 or 1 turn every 1.7 days.
That's impressive so take bow and clap yourselves in the back. And it goes without saying, there have been some really excellent posts by everyone (not just 'one liners').
The pace will probably settle down some but you guys let me know if the pace is too demanding.
Thoughts?
Game on!
”Ugh,” Eirik gagged, thanking his ancestors for the small protection of the sash over his nose and mouth. Now, what manner of repulsive little blighters were these? He might have been quick enough on his feet to dodge the.... eruptions aimed his way, but the closed confines meant the nasal assault intensified nevertheless. The monk raised his fist, ready to pummel down the closest creature back to the gound from which it had sprung...
"Hey!" he shouted to his friends "Everyone back away!"
… yet hesitated at the mystic's words. Those were not the tones of panic. Did he know something, or have a plan to deal with the foul beasties? Eirik cursed the fact that he didn't know the man well enough to begin to guess. But so far, the creatures had caused little lasting harm, or so it seemed. And there was no time to stop for a conversation.
Growling, the monk decided to belay his attack and pray the mystic had something up his sleeve. His kukri vanished into its sheath and the monk brought up his open, empty palms before him in what might have looked like a defenseless pose but what could become the initial stance of any number of offensive forms at a moment's notice.
Turn 18
Action 1
The sudden appearance of the ill mannered things caught Tillia by surprise. Their disgusting appearance and actions threw her off guard as one of the things spat projectile vomit on her. While she felt as her gorge began to rise Tillia managed to choke it back down before turning her glare on the creature that did this to her. "Why you filthy disgusting beast, how dare you!" Tillia said a few words and pointed as a ray of cold lashed out at the one who violated her clothing.
Automatic Bonus Progression: I think I'll do away with this rule because I'm having trouble finding items for low level PCs since your wealth is effectively halved.
I would also have to modify treasure and items for NPCs and mess with the town's stats for magical items market.
Too many things to read and too little time so we'll do away with this rule. (We'll also do away with it for the upcoming Demon Hunter game so your 4th level PCs should have about 6,000 gp).
The idea was to also come up with interesting magic items and not your typical +2 belt of something but we'll have to tackle that if it becomes an issue.
So be creative with your magic items! :)
Thoughts?
It's already there, right above the health status. I'll keep it there.
Action 1:
Rowan’s desire to move away from putrid smells disappeared in a flash as Vandomir and Tillia became covered in throw-up. Her nose stayed in a continual wrinkled state of disgust as she assessed the horrid looking creatures who appeared before them. By the time she readied her weapon, Caleb was backing them toward the door. She was all for leaving these things in peace but they had to continue forward through the locked grate and down the stairs, not back through the trap door.
Rowan held her action until she could determine what the creatures’ intent was.
I'll recap tonight...
Turn 018 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
GRIMPLE ATTACK
, miss
, miss
, hit
, hit
Action 1:
Round 1:
Obviously the time for niceties was over. She had tried to give them a chance to just go their separate ways but these disgusting creatures had decided that they would rather be dead than let them be.
Raising her weapon, Rowan brought it down with intent to swat the grimple away by batting it across the room.
The disgusting mange-ridden opossum type rodent flew across the room and hit the wall hard. It crumpled to the ground and remained unmoving OR It crumpled to the ground before staggering to its feet and returning to spread its lice.
Round 2:
After removing one of the foul grimples, another one moved up to take its place. Arcing her morningstar, Rowan brought it down on the next one.
Action 1
’So much for plans or the possibility of dialogue,’ Eirik thought as he knocked one hostile critter out and stepped up to the next creature in line. An Oak Shakes its Branches connected, the heavy palm strike with the monk’s considerable weight behind it hurling the little creature away head over heels. But the mystic’s attempts to communicate with the creatures still held his hand – he had struck to stun, just in case, not to break bones.
Action 2
Looking for a new target, the monk stepped towards the closest creature standing, wincing as he saw the warpriestess bring down her morningstar on another creature, swatting it around like it was nothing. ’So much for taking them alive, as well,’ Eirik thought, yet stuck to his own chosen approach.
Twisting the Wind into Low Wind Rising. The monk dropped down to perform a roundhouse kick at ankle height. The enemy dodged that nimbly enough, but not the follow-up, as Eirik used the momentum to rise back to his feet and kicked his leg straight up, launching the creature like the inflated pig’s bladder he had played with as a boy.
The monk dropped down to perform a roundhouse kick at ankle height, but he enemy dodged the attack, jumping nimbly over the sweeping leg.
Turn 18
Action 1
”These things are disgusting,” thought Vandomir, while stating”Nothing to do but kill them it seems.”
He stepped away from the creature that had assaulted him and fired his bow at it.
His shot missed the creature completely. Vandomir hurled his bow to the ground and drew his greatsword.
"What is this infernal itching? Vomit in my eyes, and my body is itching uncontrollably. Makes it very hard to fight with a bow. Close in work it will be," Vandomir stated with determination.
Action 2
Feeling a little better with the large piece of metal in his hand, Vandomir moved in on his diminutive opponent. He swung the sword in a wide arc to get maximum effect with his blow, but missed again. "Dammit, I am cursed it seems, these devils have bewitched me, and I could use some help if any of you have the time for it."
It seems that Eirik and Vandomir misread the post and are giving me actions for rounds 2 and 3.
This is all Rowan's fault. :) BTW, she got to attack twice because she held her action in Round 1. So she's attacking in rounds 1 and 2.
No matter. This fight is not meant to be deadly but just provide some RP opportunities (and lice). :)
Please everyone give me actions for rounds 2 and 3 then (so Rowan owes me another action).
Game on!
Round 18
Action 1
As if she hadn't already had enough troubles today, now the filthy retch that hurled on her ran up and bit her. To add insult to injury she now felt a ridiculously powerful urge to scratch where her body had began to itch. Knowing that she was in trouble now Tillia took a step away from the filthy beast before saying a few quick words which caused her to vanish from sight.
Hey Caleb,
Please see if you can post before I recap later tonight.
Game on!
Turn 019 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Turn 19
Action 1
While still invisible, and with the last of the grimples dead, Tillia couldn't help but stop and scratch the itch that was driving her nuts. In fact she was still scratching at it a few seconds later when she became visible once more, When the loot is found she cast a spell and examined each piece for magical auras. Surprisingly the tattered cloak had one and so she retrieved a scroll and read from it, a strange series of lenses appeared and floated in the air and moved along the cloak giving her symbols in the language of dragons which she quickly read as she tried to identify the item.
When they reached the cistern the smell turned Tillia's stomach, "My goddess, what is with this filthy place, first feral dogs, then a haunted slaughter house, giant rats and those hideous possum like things, and now this." Her diatribe was quickly cut off as she spotted the symbols on the walls she looked at them intently in an effort to understand what they were for.
It didn't take her long to understand what they were for and she said, with a great deal of worry in her tone, "These glyphs are an infernal invocation to try and turn this place into a hellmouth. I don't think they succeeded but I'd suggest extreme caution."
[dice=ID cloak with identify spell up]1d20+18
I'll be nice and let you ID the bracers as well with the same scroll: bracers of armor +1 and cloak of resistance +1. Feel free to embellish these items bot in how they look and how they work.
Game on!
Action 1
Eirik straightened and shook his head. So much violence this day, no matter where they went. If it wasn't bullies given royal license to act upon their darker desires in the name of good and country, it was some manner of beast that objected to being disturbed – or merely hated Eirik at first sight. At least this time he had emerged unscratched. 'And undrenched, thank the Lawgiver,' he thought as he glanced guiltily at Tillia and Vandomir.
His eyes came to rest on the three creatures whose lives he had spared, wondering if he had only delayed the inevitable again. He turned to Caleb, loosening the sash over his mouth and nose so he could speak clearly.
”You sought to reason with the creatures, yes?” the monk asked. ”Do you know what manner of creature they are?”
Action 3
It didn't take her long to understand what they were for and she said, with a great deal of worry in her tone, "These glyphs are an infernal invocation to try and turn this place into a hellmouth. I don't think they succeeded but I'd suggest extreme caution."
”Quite the potential base of operations this is,” Eirik muttered, squatting down to observe the words on the wall. ”I wonder if the Ravens would have been up to this kind of thing, or was this an attempt to befoul their place of power after the Thrunes had struck them down?” 'Or perhaps the Ravens were desperate and not too picky on where to turn for power to oppose their enemies,' he thought.
Action 1
With the disgusting creatures handled temporarily, Vandomir was determined to get himself back into fighting shape. He took a long moment and cleaned the vomit from his face before he started trying to scratch and solve the lice problem. "I imagine that you all have more experience with lice than I. Have you any advice for me?"
Action 2
Vandomir scanned the valuables uncovered in the horde of the creatures. Most of it was nondescript, but the buttons seemed interesting, and could be significant and related to the former occupants. Vandomir picked up two of them and examined them carefully.
+2 vs humans
Action 3
Seeing the surroundings, Vandomir explained "this old reservoir likely dates back to the founding of the city and was capped long ago. It most likely happened when the city council chose to raise the street level to control flooding. This action turned many of the old streets into sewers and the original first-floor shops became basements."
Action 1
"I imagine that you all have more experience with lice than I. Have you any advice for me?"
I like that. :)
I like that. :)Action 1
"I imagine that you all have more experience with lice than I. Have you any advice for me?"
Action 1:
"I imagine that you all have more experience with lice than I. Have you any advice for me?"
Rowan was torn between putting Vandomir in his place and giving him some sympathy. At least he had asked for advice even though he had insulted each one of them in the process. In the end, before she could stop herself, a somewhat snarky comment voiced itself. ”Now that you mention it, I seem to remember being told that if you rub yourself with butter that the lice will just slip off.”
Tag?Immediately Rowan felt guilty for her comment. She was a representative of Milani and here she was being less than gracious to someone who wanted to follow her goddess. Not wanting to touch either Tillia or Vandomir, Rowan tried to determine the best way to rid the two of their lice.
Action 3:
Rowan walked around the cistern looking to see if there was another way out of the area. She was fairly alarmed to hear Tillia share that someone had been trying to turn this area into a hellmouth and was relieved that they had been unsuccessful. ”This livery has been perplexing indeed. Nothing seems to be as I expected. If this was used by the Silver Ravens, there has to be something more useful than what we’ve found.” Looking upwards she asked, ”Does anyone know what those chains are used for?”
Tag everyone
Action 1:
"I imagine that you all have more experience with lice than I. Have you any advice for me?"Rowan was torn between putting Vandomir in his place and giving him some sympathy. At least he had asked for advice even though he had insulted each one of them in the process. In the end, before she could stop herself, a somewhat snarky comment voiced itself. ”Now that you mention it, I seem to remember being told that if you rub yourself with butter that the lice will just slip off.”
Cheered by the prospect of a cure, Vandomir responded, "salted, or unsalted? Need it be a special sort of butter? I have heard of the medicinal properties of buttermilk, so it surprises me not that butter would be so helpful. I assume newly churned is best?"
”You sought to reason with the creatures, yes?” the monk asked. ”Do you know what manner of creature they are?”
Caleb sighed sadly as he looked at the dead squatters "No, no idea. Just that they did nothing to us until I disturbed them. I try not to hurt people in their homes as a general principle. But now we've got a problem. These ones are going to wake up. What then?"
"As for lice, I've never had a problem myself. They usually bite me and die. I suppose the Blessings could help. I've heard shaving off all your hair and having a hot bath is meant to help. That's what they do in prison."
"So we're robbing and killing them?" he sighs again "Well, I suppose these ones are enemies now, given we killed their kin. I guess robbing them isn't going to make them any more angry than they already are."
Caleb was peering into the pool with interest when Tilia explained her theory. Immediately he took a few steps back.
"Hellmouth? I don't know what that is, but it doesn't sound good."
In answer to Rowan he flit his glowing-man-light across the pool and looked for exits on the other side "I don't know what the chains are for, but what's that?" He pointed out a gap in the far wall.
"salted, or unsalted? Need it be a special sort of butter? I have heard of the medicinal properties of buttermilk, so it surprises me not that butter would be so helpful. I assume newly churned is best?"
Rowan's cheeks reddened slightly. "Um, salted is best. They use salt to preserve meat and keep it from being spoiled by insects and the like so salt would be the best against lice as well. I never heard whether the length of churning time determines its effectiveness."
I plan to recap tonight. Below is some information to keep roleplaying.
- lots of talk about knocked out enemies but no decision...
- some loot is still unallocated...
- the 'squatters' look to be 'civilized' and 'flesh eaters' (humanoid?)
- no signs of recent working of 'hellmouth'
- keep in mind the timeline here, the Silver Ravens have been gone for about 80 years
- there's an 'exit' on the northeast part of this room
Questions?
Game on!
"So we're robbing and killing them?" he sighs again "Well, I suppose these ones are enemies now, given we killed their kin. I guess robbing them isn't going to make them any more angry than they already are."
It was always harder to decide about something after it was no longer a threat to your well-being. The unconscious creatures, albeit disgusting, were no exception. "Since they're unconscious we could take them upstairs, leave them there, and hope they don't come after us. We could lock the upstairs grate again to prevent them from coming after us but that could be a problem if we have to beat a hasty retreat. Personally I don't really want to touch them considering what's happened to Tillia and Vandomir but I know we can't just leave them as is."
tag everyone
Yes, I'm keeping a loot table (end of turn recap) so you can decide later if you want. I just thought that some of you may want to use the items in the meantime but you all decided and tell me.
Game on!
Turn 20 is up.
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
INITIATIVE
Caleb flit over to stand next to Eirik
"What the hell are those things? Demons?" he shouted
As he ran he reached down deep into his reserves, past the cage of his soul and lashed out with the thing within himself one more time.
The diseased amorphous protoplasm of the unholy thing burst, spraying back into the pool like cursed water
The creature shivered, protoplasm bulging strangely as if struggling to contain something else within, then hardened a little and continued on.
Perhaps it was the hellmouth, perhaps the wounds, but Caleb felt the creature he had drawn on still moving inside his soul, rather than settling down. Have I drawn too much? How many things HAVE I killed today? Caleb backed away, concentrating on reinforcing his soul against the thing within.
The man-sized glowing figure stopped, and turned to slowly move towards Caleb.
Turn 20
Tillia saw the misshapen creatures appear, two of them far too close to her. She let out a squeak of disgust and quickly moved to get behind her compatriots and scratched yet again at those damned lice.
Are you kidding me? I host these games for players' descriptions and inventiveness.
The scratching (i.e, -1) stays with you until you do something to get rid of it (rubbing your head with salted butter, cut your hair really short, wash your head with lamp oil, etc.).
More questions?
Game on!
Hmmm, sounds like a possible new use for a grease spell.
Hmmm, sounds like a possible new use for a grease spell.
Yeah, I'll give you that but it won't work instantly. Let's say 2d6 rounds...
Rowan didn’t know how much more her stomach could take this day. She never considered herself to be squeamish but the persistent stench, the grimples, and now this tested her thinking. As she was confronted with the roiling fatty flesh emerging from the cistern, it took all her will power not to be sick. Milani helped her keep her head and her stomach in check as she considered how to deal with something else she had never seen before. Remembering what Tillia had said about someone trying to use this area as a hell mouth gave Rowan an idea about bolstering everyone against this new threat. The warpriest called on Milani to fill her allies with courage against these new hideous foes.
"What the hell are those things? Demons?" he shouted.
”I don’t know and would rather not find out,” Eirik said, swallowing a sigh of despair. He was a scholar, damn it, not a slayer of all that was evil and walked or slithered in the world. Yet the world seemed to disagree today. It was days like this that made one wonder if the gods above were looking after their wayward children. ’Personally,’ the monk thought glumly, ’think they are. And they are laughing into their beards. And possibly placing bets.’
”This is not a good place to be,” he said to the mystic at his side, ”so let’s be somewhere else.” Gesturing at Caleb to follow him before the lumbering horrors could cut off their route of escape – retreating further back into the unexplored parts of the complex wasn’t an option. Not considering how many dangers they had already encountered.
Caleb swallowed as the fearless competent warrior beside him urged him to run. If HE says we need to move, then we need to move! Without further urging Caleb followed the agile priest as best he could.
Knowledge religion check of 5 higher... DC=16 will accomplish the same thing as knowledge planes DC=11.
This has the potential to be nasty so be careful...
Turn 20
Hearing Eirik's suggestion that the group pull back, Vandomir could not agree more. "Eirik has the right of it, we should fall back and return when we are better prepared to deal with this."
Vandomir waited to move back into the hall and up the stairs until the ladies started moving in that direction.
If Rowan or Tillia heads out:
Vandomir moved to follow her up the stairs, guarding the rear as they went.
If the ladies choose to stay:
Vandomir was emboldened by the resolve of the ladies to stay and fight. He fired his bow at the nearest creature, missing entirely.
I just realized you all posted your actions already. Ok, that was quick.
Let me know if there's anything else because I'll likely recap tonight.
Game on!