Hephaistos Raising... An Iron Gods thread

Game Master Helikon

Seeing Kimos going into the water, Elasbeth decides to follow him in.

Also takes 10 on swim check for a total of 9.

Its a 10 swim check and you need Darkvision to find the entrance to the cave.

Raffinyaler will take the 5 rounds needed to put his swim fins on, increasing his swim speed by 10. This means that, when taking a full-round action to swim his speed will be 20 ft instead of 10 ft. Note that since his Swim modifier is still -1, he can't take 10 and so will still probably take longer than everyone else to get where he's going.

Raffinyaler takes a few moments to put on his swim fins before awkwardly diving into the water after the rest of the group, attempting to follow the rest of them as best he can.

Kunala will swim with Raffinyaler, enjoying the light that his dancing lights has provided,

taking ten on the swim

@ Kunala You fail. Its a dc 10

I'm confused, can't he take ten? his skill is -2 with his shield, if he is not using his shield it should be +/-0 right? Or, is there something going on that we are not aware of that we cannot just take ten? Do I need to role? Just a little help with what to do please

I think Helikon was assuming that your listed skill bonus of -2 was what you'd be using. If your shield is not wielded, then yes, you should be able to take 10.

Kunala’s shield is not in use, so his armor is 18 but his swim skill is +/-0. So he can take 10 on swimming.

well, nothing like a good swim, how I do miss the hot bath houses.

Kunala, holding his trident, follows Tamaq and Korba into the water up to his chest, then dunks his head to test the water breathing spell and to check visibility, and attempts to watch as they investigate the pond.

Kunala will take 20 on perception for looking under the water, I doubt if it will help much standing near the edge, with visibility under water, but its worth a try

@Helikon, should I have posted differently? Or is there something else going on? like I said, Just a little help with what to do please

Elasbeth continues swimming down now following the dancing lights.

Just list your bonuses or the endresult. If I check your character sheet and it lists your bonus, I have to assume it is all the time.

ok, so is it ok that he is swimming with Raffinyaler? taking 10
without his shield (I will go change the skill sheet and then say when I am using the shield)

After some time some of you find their way tothe beach.

Knowledge dungeoneering knowledge: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Edit: OK, if I failed my first swim check, lets start with another one, so second round swim check swim: 1d20 ⇒ 6 6 = failed, so round three swim: 1d20 ⇒ 11 ok does the eleven succeed on the third try? Or is visibility such that he can no longer see the light? I'm grasping at straws here really

Kimos waits once he surfaces. Drawing his shortbow and keeping a lookout for any danger until everyone is together again. Looking over any tracks while he is at it.

Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Tamoq and Korba easily make it to the beach and emerge on the surface.
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Know(dungeoneering): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

"The current is a bit strong here, hopefully our friends who are not great swimmers can make it here..."

After 5 minutes you all manage all to reach the caves.
Dampness hangs in the air of this cave, condensing into heavy moisture on the slick, stone walls. The calm, dark waters wind around to the east up north, along a stony, soot-scarred beach. A five-foot-high ledge sporting several stalagmites rises to the east, beyond which a low-ceilinged cave beckons.

Suddenly you hear a strange noise. From the roof 4 little bugs descend on you.
The cave

Has Raffinyaler been in the cave long enough to have removed his swim fins? Donning/removing them takes him 5 rounds - if he still has them on his speed is reduced to 5.

Kunala dripping wet, readies his shield AC 20 and uses his trident to stab at the first bug that comes within reach.

trident attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12 for damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

He says in his accented lisp

Bugs, I never had to kill bugs at the Hot Baths

@Raffinyaler not yet
With a deft thrust of his trident Kunala kills one beetle.

Waiting to see what the bugs do before posting my turn if at all possible. Come the morning I will post whether they have or not before work. These 12 hour shifts suck.

Kimos studies one of the bugs before taking aim and firing.

Shortbow vs Bug: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 111d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Tamoq and Korba both ready an attack for when one of the flying bugs get near enough to attack.

Kn(nature): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

@Tamoq those are fire beetles. You can ask 2 questions
Kimos trys to shoot one, but he misses the beetle by a millimeter. No one is surprised.
The beetles attack Kimos, Tamoq and Kunala
attackKim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 161d4 ⇒ 3
attackTam: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 31d4 ⇒ 1
attackKun: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 51d4 ⇒ 1
But fortunatly they miss you.

Elasbeth sees the bugs and gets kind of pale squealing out, "I hate bugs!" She focuses a moment and here eyes glow with an eerie purple light as electricity gather at her hands and arcs to the nearest beetle.
Lightning Lance 1 res point: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 161d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
dc 12 fort to avoid visual impairment for one round (all creatures are granted concealment, 20% miss chance)

Although shooting into melee Elasbeth manages to kill another bug.
PS. I will make block Iniative. Those Pcs that beat the monsters go first the others go after.

Woo hoo! Elisabeth the half elven bug zapped.

Kimos avoids the bugs attack then steps back and fires again.

Shortbow vs Bug: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 231d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Waiting for Raff and Tamoq

Tamoq says to Korba: "Flank".
Korba moves around the bugs, taking attacks of opportunity from them as necessary.
Tamoq and Korba then both attack the nearest one.

Tamoq dagger: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (19) + 0 = 19 (+2 if flanking)
damage: 1d4 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3 (+1 if flanking)

Korba bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 (+2 if flanking)
damage: 1d4 + 0 ⇒ (1) + 0 = 1 (+1 if flanking)

Unfort there is no chance to flank but you manage to kill one.
But it gets an Aoe
Aoe: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 41d4 ⇒ 3

1st round: Draw dagger, move 5' to where I'm actually threatening one of the bugs.

Raffinyaler sputters in surprise as the bugs descend, then comes to his senses, draws one of his daggers, and waddles his way towards the bugs.

Kunala thrusts his trident at the northern most bug

tridentattack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16 for damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Kunala says to Elasbeth in his accented lisp, smiling, holding the pierced bug up on the end of his trident

I don't hate them, frankly I've never eaten bugs so I don't know if I like them or not, do you know a good recipe? Oh, what am I saying, you don't like them so you wouldn't think it was a good recipe anyway.

With a deft thrust Kunala kills the last one.
Combat over.

I’m a little afraid to ask, what have we been using as a source of light? If there is no light or very dim light, Kunala will use one of the lightrods.

Kunala takes a quick look around to make sure there is no immediate threat,

perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9

he then removes his boots and dumps the water out, and after putting his boots back on, will unpack his pistol and holster, making sure they are dry and the pistol is loaded, and reattach the holster to his belt.

hopefully this will not take longer than Raffinyaler needs to remove his “fins”, if we do need the lightrod Kunala will need someone else to carry it

Kunala puts on his pack, dust himself off, knocks the bug off of his trident, with it in one hand and his shield in the other, says in his accented lisp.

I feel better already, nothing worse than walking in soggy boots,

he looks to the ceiling and rolls his eyes,

well there is but now is not the time or place to talk about it, is it? So what is our next step?

This part of the cave is strangly illuminated. Now even more. If you check you see the bodys of maybe 10 firebeetles, 8 of wich still shed light. Tamoq remembers that the glowing glands of the lightbeetle ev en shed light for a few days after they were killed. There is an exit to this beach.
Am at work can´t post till tonight. You can arrive check the area

Kimos keeps his bow out.

"I will scout ahead of the group slightly and move slowly. I suggest you follow slowly and with a light source."

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

Assuming my roll is not great. I will take 10 or 20 if I can on perception and stealth respectively and keep 30 ft. in front of the group.

Tamoq, eager to make use of any poor creatures that must be killed as part of the party's mission, quickly throws together a few makeshift torches from the remains of the fire beetles.

Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

"Here, my friends. These should last a few days, and will keep us from having to use any magical resources or carrying open flames for light sources."

Stepping carefully around the remains of the beetles, Elasbeth takes the makeshift torch gingerly holding it as far from the light source as possible. "Thank you Tamoq how very...inventive..." She seems sincere in her thanks but seems uncomfortable with the fact that the "torch" is made from a bug.

As you slowly move ahead you notice
A collection of stalactites and stalagmites choke this lowceilinged cavern, making it difficult to squeeze between them. Matching stalactites close in from the five-foot-high ceiling, giving the impression of a maw of needlelike teeth bearing down on one another. A dead half-orc sprawls on the ground near the cave’s eastern entrance.

Raffinyaler removes and stows his swim fins, then removes his jacket and concentrates over it for a few moments before it suddenly changes from it's dark green to a bright orange. Prestidigitation SLA, color change
At any strange looks he responds: "Look, we've got what, maybe three hours left before the water-breathing runs out? And nothing to tell us when we're getting close? This'll be ugly for about an hour. After that if one of you two," he points to Elasbeth and Tamoq, "can do this again and then we'll know when we're getting close to two hours. At which point, we should probably start heading back out."

Attempt to ID the half-orc Know (Local)+free Inspiration: 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 7 + (5) = 15

Raffinyaler remembers that womans name is Parda Garr, a local tavern brawler rumored to have connections to the local gang. She joined some thugs trying to loot the caverns.

good Idea with the coat Raffinyaler, and Tomaq, very ingenious, I have seen lightning bugs but never bug lights

Kunala smiles as he watches Elasbeth with the "light". when they come upon the body of the half-orc Kunala will inspect the body

he will take 20 on perception (19?)for anything of value

and ask

can any of you tell her cause of death?

Helikon, do you want all of us to move our own Ikons on the Map? FYI I posted the map on my "favorite" menu to make it easy to get to

Seeing what Raff's suggestion is, "I can do that when it runs out Raffinyaler." When Kunala asks if anyone can tell what killed the half-orc, Elasbeth moves up to the body and begins to examine it.
heal to id cause of death: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Aid another on Elasbeth's heal check? Heal: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 That's a nope.

Raffinyaler looks over the half-Orc corpse then rubs his jaw like its sore.

"Well, I recognize her. Name was Parda Garr, had a mean hook in a bar fight and connections to some of my local business contacts. Last I heard she was thinking about joining up with some other riffraff to come down here and steal what they could from the place. Kimos and Tamoq and Korba, you probably ought to keep an eye out for more bodies. She wouldn't have come down here alone."

Kunala listening carefully to the way Raffinyaler describes his associates turns and asks in his accented lisp

Raffinyler, my good ...Gnome, would these associates of yours be able to help a young man, who might I add, is about to come into some money; find a place to spend it on the occasional game of chance?

Kunala likes to gamble,he hasn't had the chance yet due to being new to town and well frankly broke. But he is looking forward to a friendly game of cards or dice once the money is flowing again

Elasbeth you are pretty sure someone stabbed her repeatly with a shortbladed weapon, like a dagger.

I have moved my icon about 35 ft into the cave, the neck tappers to about five ft. I assume this is where the body is approximately. I know Kimos said he is about 30 ft ahead of us, do we want Tamoq and Korba to support him? Again the map is here .

@Party do we want any kind of order? or just assume as we speak that's the order were in or what, I don't want to be too "war game" but do we want to each move our icons or someone designate or what? I'm just asking because I do better with the visuals

@Helikon, By the way nice map. Did Kunala find anything of value on the body?

While the others concern themselves with the body, he stays ready with his bow. Scanning their surroundings in case of ambush or attack. As well as anything else of note.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

As she finishes examining the half-orc, Elasbeth looks to her companions, "As far as I can tell she was stabbed to death with a dagger of some kind."