Mended Wall's PBP for beginners (Inactive)

Game Master Hoary and Wizened

Chillel guides Gurtlekrep, who appears to be behaving, to a position in front of Dolok and moves to the square next to him. She then takes a shot at the Gelatinous Cube with Ray of Frost.

Ranged Touch Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Damage, Ray of Frost: 1d3 ⇒ 2

I have had another long period without internet. And I expect more. Sorry but there is SFA I can do about it. Please bot my character if I am holding things up. :(

Fairly certain you don't have a line of effect. Did you mean to make that a readied action?

My bad. You are quite right Illiam. I will make that a readied action if that is OK with Mended Wall.

Oathday, 18th of Erastus 4712 A.R. 9:00 AM

As Glintaxe, severely damaged, leaves the darkness of the underground for the surface, the morning light reflects prismatically through its undulating gelatinous form, sending rainbows of beautiful light in every direction. If the creature were not such an abomination, the sight might almost be beautiful, but the armor and axe still suspended in the creature's transparent insides are the perfect reminder that this mindless beast is an undiscerning carnivore, eating everything in its path. Reaching the top of the stairs and the view of some of the party's magic-users it is pelted by fire, more fire, and ice. While the elemental magic does splatter parts of the jelly cube into the rubble on the ground, it remains undaunted and sits quivering in hideous fashion right next to the group's front-line fighter. Goruck of the stone stands as bulwark against the creature's advances, daring it to try and attack one of his charges. Meanwhile, Athena alights in a nearby tree branch and begins calmly preening herself, apparently the owl is not at all concerned about a frightening glob of jelly that cannot climb or fly.

Once again, that's all I got. It costs more than a single move to go that distance which precludes a standard action, and it wasn't in a straight line so I can't charge. So, back through the loop: Goruck, Chillel, Dolok, Kairon, Illiam, Glintaxe. I'm going to go ahead and guess this thing won't last long enough for Illiam's brilliant plan to even matter. :)

Unaware of the damage the cube has already taken, Illiam continues to implement the plan. Stepping over to Kairon, Illliam hands over the skeleton key as he begins giving instructions for how he plans to capture the cube. Kairon,
I need you and Goruck behind that door, holding it in its open position so that it blocks the hallway. Brace against it to make sure the cube can't pass, and once it's in the room, use this to lock the door. Dolok, Chilllel, I need you to go down the hallway and out through the library, then head for the northwest corner of the building. If all goes to plan, you'll be able to take it out with your rays from there. Cantrips only, no need to waste resources once it's trapped. Pausing a moment to let the question of his own role hang in the air, Illiam continues. I'm the bait.

Swing his blade in a short chop, Goruck quickly shifts to allow the him the grip to fend off the creature's advance. Shuffling backwards, the half orc hunkers down in the hallway. "The creature has taken quite a fair amount of wounds Illiam, perhaps we can slay it here to reap the rewards and give vengeance to the dead."

Attack-En Garde!: 1d20 + 6 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 6 - 4 = 6

Damage!: 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Fighting defensively because I do not want to be omm'd

Maybe, but let's not count on it!

Fighting defensively because I do not want to be omm'd

Good point. I think the cube has been forgetting its AoOs...

Goruck of the Stone wrote:

Fighting defensively because I do not want to be omm'd

Good point. I think the cube has been forgetting its AoOs...

Well yes, and no. Yes, according to the rules it should get AoOs, but I refuse to take an AoO for a creature whose only forms of attack are "slam" or "engulf." Seriously, how is a monstrosity of slow moving jelly supposed to "slam" a quick moving opponent as they bolt away? Nope, I don't see it. Also, I'm not at work right now, but I'm fairly certain that that last hit from Goruck already dismantled the thing... Little bits of acidic gel everywhere!!! If it didn't a couple well placed cantrips should finish it off. :) All in all, turns out a gelatinous cube, under my jurisdiction, isn't as dangerous as perhaps it could be. Of course the fact that you had it having to make double moves around corners just to keep up, definitely helped your cause. :)

Nope, we're going to need those cantrips...

Dolok has mixed feelings seeing "The Stone Man" stand so steadfastly in the face of danger. Either he is the bravest man I have ever known, or the biggest fool! Which is it? And as he holds his hand out towards the beast and a fiery ray bursts forth, "Dega!".

Ray of Frost converted to fire

Ranged touch attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

damage: 1d3 ⇒ 2

And then Dolok moves back down the hall as per the plan just in case.

Chillel takes another shot at the Gelatinous Cube.

Ranged Touch Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

Damage, Ray of Frost: 1d3 ⇒ 1

Kairon takes the proffered skeleton key and moves to stand just past the "trap room" doorway. He takes hold of the latch and pulls it open to about halfway, and gazes in the direction of Goruck and the others, bracing to admit or block travelers as needed.

Good plan, Illiam. Seems there's a chance we won't need to go the whole way with it, but -- good plan!

Or something close to that: I'm not completely sure how much an action taking the skeleton key would consume by Mended's applications of rules/action economy. So I just took a single move (am I even in the right doorway? the HUD done broke down, dudes. lol) and can "begin" to interact with the door as he determines.

Though, I also reckon that the gellycube has somewhere between 1 and 2 HP remaining, so . . . . Durdledurdledurdle.

You are in front of the correct door, yes, but you're going to want to move one more square so that you can be behind the door when it's open.

Gonna wait for Mended's input before I go that next square . . . .

Seriously, you guys couldn't eek out one more HP of damage...?! It's literally at 1 freakin' hit point. Oh well, this could get interesting after all... Kairon, your action economy question, moving down the hallway is a move, and, unfortunately by the RAW taking the key from Illiam is also a move action, so you're stuck standing by the door, but without the ability to actually open it. Like I said though, the thing's literally got one hp left. So it more than likely won't matter all that much.

Goruck's strike lops another massive chunk of the jelly off of the quivering cube of undulating consumption, fully exposing the top of Glintaxe's armor, the helmet of which falls onto the ground covered in the viscous acid. Dolok's and Chillel's rays of cantrip magic splash further parts of the creature across the ground. For just a brief moment, the prismatic liquid pulsates, a hideous spectacle, and it looks like the remainder of the gel cube, which now looks much more like a dilapidated pyramid, might just fall apart. However, it does not, and standing bulwark against the monster's advance means that Goruck has put himself directly in harm's way. What remains of the deadly gel cube attempts to slide right over the top of Goruck, so as to begin the process of consuming his body.

5' step means the cube does not provoke an AoO (it also means I'm not attempting to consume Chillel), but the rules of the monster itself say that Goruck gets a DC 12 Reflex save to avoid being engulfed. So... Roll that save Goruck. If you do save, you are simply pushed back out of the gel's reach, and we've got ourselves a new round of initiative. If you are unsuccessful, we have ourselves a ball game as you would then have to make a DC 20 Fort Save or become paralyzed for 3d6 rounds... You'd also be taking 1d6 acid damage, gain the pinned condition, and become in danger of suffocating. Good luck!

Although goruck didn't move his token, he did mention moving down the hallway in his post. Chillel, on the other hand, did not mention moving OR move her token.

Most observant Illiam. I didn't move my token because I didn't read Goruck's post and looking at the battle grid he was still in front of me fighting the cube. This is what happens when people don't move their tokens. Grrr.

If it is OK with the omnipotent Mended Wall, I will move now.

I agree, it is most frustrating when icons aren't moved. Even if you need to say something OOC to get someone else to move them, it's vitally important to make sure they get moved. I'm going to keep things as they are now, as my actions for the cube were based off of the current position of all the icons. If Goruck hasn't acted by the end of the day, I'll just bot him for his Save(s).

My apologies, it seems it didn't move for me, I had place Goruck at the mouth of the hallway. The google docs map and I don't get along much. Sorry for all the trouble.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Fort Save: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Chillel and Gurtlekrep watch in abject horror as the slithering cube climbs on top of Goruck, covering him with its entire body. The stone warrior falls to the ground with a shriek of pain as the acidic gel touches his flesh. He reaches a hand out towards the girl like a drowning man, but then falls silent, his eyes roll back into his head, and the creature completely covers him.

acid damage: 1d6 ⇒ 5

paralysis: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 4, 3) = 8

That damn thing has swallowed Goruck! Move Gurtlekrep if you want to live! exclaims Chillel in horror.

Seemingly also horified at the prospect of meeting the same fate, Chillel, pushing Gurtlekrep into motion before her, moves past all her comrades, taking care not to trample the fenec.

That is the withdraw action and a double move.
Mended Wall- I am presuming Gurtlekrep is going to continue to do as he is told and had him take the same action as Chillel. If Gurtlekrep does not want to move I will leave him there. And if Gurtlekrep gets really unco-operative and I can't move through his square I will still withdraw and move down the side of the building, towards the compass logo.

Yes, just assume Gurtlekrep is doing everything he's told, and treat him as an ally for the purposes of game mechanics. Everybody else is up...

Excellent. That simplifies my life a lot.

I swear I posted earlier today! It must have been swallowed-up by the internet version of a gelatinous cube!

Upon hearing Goruck's shriek of pain and Chillel telling us that it swallowed Goruck whole, Dolok let's out a scream of anguish, "Goruck! No!"

I can't decide what Dolok would do, so I'm going to let the die decide. 10 or less, Dolok loses control! 11 & up, he steels himself.

Will save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

Dolok wants to rush forward and attack the jelly-like blob, trying to avenge Goruck, (Dolok has no way of knowing that Goruck could still live through this and assumes him to be dead!) but he realizes on time that doing so could put the rest of the group at risk and would ruin Illiam's carefully laid out plans, so he controls himself and waits patiently for the thing to come into view so that he can have some more fiery fun with it!

Delay turn until I can see the cube, then cast Ray of frost converted to fire, then take my move action to run away from it! Specific enough? And for whenever that time gets here:

Ranged touch attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

Face-palm! Max damage on a nat 1 attack roll! That figures! :| :(

I somehow *knew* the algorithm was going to nat 1 the next attack roll . . . . Next!!

I somehow *knew* the algorithm was going to nat 1 the next attack roll . . . . Next!!

Yep! I coulda/shoulda had the killing strike! But at the same time it would seem more appropriate for Kairon to get the kill.

Illiam curses to himself at hearing of the half-orc's fate. If anyone was close enough to hear his profanities in detail, they might be surprised (or not) to hear that he seems immediately more concerned about the prospect of his plan failing than about Goruck's possible death.

It would help if I posted an action...

Waiting for the cube to round the corner, Illiam gets impatient. He knows that if Goruck is still alive, he won't last long. Still, charging in would be ill-advised to say the least. Illiam decides that the best thing he can do is try to ensure that they can execute the plan as quickly as possible. To ensure that the cube will chase him as fast as possible down the hall, Illiam decides to try to anger it, if such a thing is even possible. Illiam stands his ground and draws his dagger (unaware of how close the cube is to death), preparing to lob it at the cube as soon as it enters the hallway. There will be a range penalty of either -1 or -2, depending on which way it approaches, and I'll need to roll max damage to kill it, though oozes apparently aren't immune to nonlethal damage, so a hit should still incapacitate it, since less than 1 damage does a minimum of 1 point nonlethal.

Dagger!: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 71d3 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1

Wow, any worse would be an auto-miss. It should be enough to hit though, especially because if it's squeezing into the hallway, it will take a -4 to AC (and attack rolls).

Btw, if it is satisfied with it's meal and doesn't continue to chase the rest of us, Illiam will move up, peek out, and throw the dagger anyway, in hopes of getting it to resume the chase so that they can continue the plan.

Waiting, waiting, waiting, for much longer than he feels is an appropriate amount of time for the cube to have slid into the hallway, Illiam decides he must antagonize the jelly to try and complete his brilliant plan. He pops his head around the corner and throws his dagger right into the heart of the cube. In what can only be described as some sort of miraculous moment blessed by all the good gods, when his dagger strikes the cube, it explodes in a watery explosion of acidic gel. Immediately Illiam's dagger, the armor and the axe of the long dead dwarf that were suspended in the cube all fall on top of the conscious and breathing, but immobile, Goruck with a heavy clanging sound. Sadly, none of Illiam's friends are in the vicinity, and therefore he is the only one to witness the amazing feat of martial prowess.

We're out of initiative. One gelatinous cube destroyed, one warrior of stone paralyzed for just under a minute. Illiam is the only character that realizes the cube is destroyed though. :D

After taking a moment to stare, Illiam says Um... I killed it, at first too quietly for the others to hear. After standing there for another moment, he turns to the others and repeats more loudly I killed it. Then he just turns back to continue staring.

That is a great game moment. Just another added to the long list of reasons I've played this game in one form or another since 1985. The halfling conjurer of cheap tricks gets the killing blow on a gelatinous cube that had just started to consume the group's main frontline fighter, but he's all alone, so nobody else will ever really know what happened... Too much fun.

With a natural 2 on the attack roll, no less.

With a natural 2 on the attack roll, no less.

Right! Totally forgot that part, but it definitely adds to the beauty of the moment. :)

Kairon hustles over toward the staircase and pulls Goruck's hulking frame clear of the gelatinous ruin, and begins assessing his condition. In the midst of that, he glances back to Illiam with no small amount of wonderment in his expression. Well struck, little man! Dunno how you did it, but you did it!

Heal (How bad is it?): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Now we gotta get Goruck patched up. . . . . I hate acid burns. Though it seems his armor kept a lot of it off 'im . . . . Thank Sarenrae for that!

Mmmmmkay . . . . Guess I knew *I* was getting a nat 1, then . . . . Stupid math thingy! Will wait for Mended to relay any info before I put any further effort into the first aid . . . . Just for the drama, reckon.

Kairon uses his cantrip to create water in a plentiful enough supply to wash away all the acidic goo from around his friend Goruck. By the time he's washed all the goo off of him, Goruck screams and shoots up into a sitting position. He looks around him for a moment. Seeing all his friends in good health, and himself still whole, but for some minor acidic burns on his exposed flesh, he relaxes, and then comments, "That's a nice looking axe..." He points at the obviously magic, since it was clearly glowing, axe that used to hover suspended in the gelatinous cube.

Snapping out of it, Illiam sees that Goruck is no longer in immediate need of any help he can provide, so he turns his attention to the items dropped by the cube as what's left of its form flows downhill, back down the stairs, and seeps into the soil between the broken stones. Retrieving his dagger, he casts Detect Magic and inspects the gear that had been engulfed by the cube who-knows-how-long ago.

Kn: Arcana: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Examining the items, Illiam is quick to surmise that the suit of plate mail is made of mithral, but, alas, not magical. Being of such excellent craftsmanship, Illiam believes the suit should be able to be adjusted rather quickly to fit anyone in the group, except himself of course. The axe, which bears an inscription in the dwarven language, is indeed a gashing battleaxe.

I was actually playing with the idea of rigging up the armor so that Illiam would not so much be wearing it as hiding inside it while he carries it, like when cartoon characters hide under a barrel :)

I was actually playing with the idea of rigging up the armor so that Illiam would not so much be wearing it as hiding inside it while he carries it, like when cartoon characters hide under a barrel :)

Frick! Good thing nobody was around (it's the end of the day for us) cause I laughed out loud something fierce. That idea gives a whole new definition to the term "battle turtle." :D :> In order to do it I would require Illiam to explain his idea in precise and hilarious detail to Dolok, so that Dolok could then make some craft arms/armor checks and see if he could rig it up in the desired fashion. It would be funny to just have Goruck drag the suit behind him with a rope, and have Illiam ride inside of it, hiding, until the moment he needs to pop out and cast some spells. :) Surprise! Halfling magic for the win!!!

I'd also like to point out that taking all of the PC d20 rolls together, the last 8 of them looked like this: 3, 2, 16, 1, 2, 1, 3, 9. Under other circumstances, a streak like that could easily result in a TPK.

You what? says a puzzled Chillel as she returns, Gurtlekrep in tow. Then seeing Goruck apparently healthy, runs over and embraces him, despite his armour and the mess he is in, continuing Thank the gods! Brilliant Illiam.

Finally, Chillel inspects the axe, observing The inscription says "Glintaxe".

Groaning as the rest of the cubes contents bounce off his armored frame, Goruck rolls over to retch some of gel from his mouth. As the pain jolts him into full consciousness the half orc screams in pain before realizing the situation. "Pride cometh before the fall, and thus a fox does the work of the bear." He softly pats Chillel's shoulder at the embrace, wincing as the contact rubs his armor along his burns.

Coughing more at the scorching of his mouth, the swordsman peers over the loot, and gingerly pushes himself to his feet. "So Glintaxe truly did walk these halls. He certainly seemed well equipped for such a venture."

Operation Halfling Assault Backpack is a go! I think it's time we build that mobile spell platform XD

Operation Halfling Assault Backpack is a go! I think it's time we build that mobile spell platform XD

Seriously? I wasn't asking for it, that was just meant as a plan B in case you and kairon both REALLY didn't want to wear it...

Looking over the armor, Illiam gets an idea. One of you should put this on, he says, looking over to Goruck and the cleric seeing to him. Gurtie here seemed terrified of this 'ghost', and it's safe to assume the other kobolds will as well. If they think you're him, it could give us a significant advantage.

Illiam will bring up the other idea only if you both refuse.

Edit: Halfling backpack isn't a bad idea though... If Goruck had a backpack Illiam could ride in, since Illiam doesn't weigh enough to increase Goruck's encumbrance, he could zap spells while Goruck makes double-moves, allowing spells to be cast while the group moves faster than would otherwise make that possible. I'll have to find a good wand or two before it could ever be practical, but it might be an interesting tactic later in the game.

Looking over the armor, Illiam gets an idea. One of you should put this on, he says, looking over to Goruck and the cleric seeing to him. Gurtie here seemed terrified of this 'ghost', and it's safe to assume the other kobolds will as well. If they think you're him, it could give us a significant advantage.

Dang! I never even thought about that aspect of it, but you are totally right. Every kobold in the place has a natural fear of "Glintaxe." Just the glow of his axe and the sound of sizzling rock is enough to send them scurrying into hiding... Ghost sound...

Illiam Taal wrote:

Looking over the armor, Illiam gets an idea. One of you should put this on, he says, looking over to Goruck and the cleric seeing to him. Gurtie here seemed terrified of this 'ghost', and it's safe to assume the other kobolds will as well. If they think you're him, it could give us a significant advantage.

Dang! I never even thought about that aspect of it, but you are totally right. Every kobold in the place has a natural fear of "Glintaxe." Just the glow of his axe and the sound of sizzling rock is enough to send them scurrying into hiding... Ghost sound...

Too bad I didn't prepare that today. Luckily, sizzling is an extremely easy sound for one to imitate with one's mouth (it's funnier that way, too).

Too bad I didn't prepare that today. Luckily, sizzling is an extremely easy sound for one to imitate with one's mouth (it's funnier that way, too).

Oh you have Ghost Sound? I didn't know if you knew that one or not. COOL! Also, you made me laugh out loud again. Making a sizzling sound with your mouth! Hysterical. I mean, I can just see it now. Goruck of the stone, the stoic philosopher/warrior going "Shhhhhzzzzzzzssssshhhhhzzzzzzllllll" as he walks down every hallway, hoping to scare away packs of kobolds. The very idea is comedy gold.

Illiam Taal wrote:

Too bad I didn't prepare that today. Luckily, sizzling is an extremely easy sound for one to imitate with one's mouth (it's funnier that way, too).

Oh you have Ghost Sound? I didn't know if you knew that one or not. COOL! Also, you made me laugh out loud again. Making a sizzling sound with your mouth! Hysterical. I mean, I can just see it now. Goruck of the stone, the stoic philosopher/warrior going "Shhhhhzzzzzzzssssshhhhhzzzzzzllllll" as he walks down every hallway, hoping to scare away packs of kobolds. The very idea is comedy gold.

Wizards start with all cantrips except opposition schools in their spellbooks. I might have to start leaving one of those slots open for things like this. Technically, I think I could prep it into my open first level slot, but I think mouth noise will be sufficient. Illiam can follow behind goruck and make the sound while staying out of sight. I imagine it's echoey enough down there that it's really difficult to pinpoint the source of a sound, especially when there's another plausible source visible.

Glancing at the armor and weapon still dripping some remains of the cube, Goruck dips his head in silent acquiescence. The swordsman begins to undo his gear and armor, and works towards donning the gear of the fallen Glintaxe. It tried to consume me, and now I don the armor of one it did consume.

Fooling the Kobold cabals with childish noises? Yes please. Also, did I forget to update my health? I seem lower than I should be.