Rounds per Day 12/24 l 112/112hp l F +12 R +8 W +7 l AC18 Touch10 FF16 CMB +16 CMD28 l Atk +18 Dmg 2d4+10
Half-Orc CN Bloodrager10 l 93/93hp, DR2/-- l F +11 R +8 W +5 l AC20 Touch12 FF18 CMB +15 CMD27 l Perc +13 l Darkvision 60ft l Init +4 l Spd30ft l Intimidate +16
The door Guiness is by is the secret door going down, right? Plan is to place an Alarm and then explore the rest of this floor?
OK! Sorry for the delay, but I'm now back from the whirlwind of convention fun and able to post properly once more.
As a bit of trivia: We've had more total posts in the last two months than this game had from May 2018 thru Jan 2019. So great job all on keeping the momentum strong!
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With the mystery spellcaster gone for now, the team closes the secret door in the wall and Kellek places a magical ward to alarm if anyone passes through the opening (Audible or silent/mental alarm mode, Kellek?). While Kellek places the ward, the rest of the team begins heading to the eastern end of the invasion planning room. Kargas listens at the door and doesn't hear anything dangerous from the other side. He opens it up and finds a short hallway leading to another such door, this one slightly ajar.
The room beyond is a strange sight. The lower four feet of the walls in this largely empty room are covered with crude drawings in mud, blood, and paint. Most of the drawings show goblins engaged in some sort of violence against humans, horses, or dogs. One picture on the north wall is at least three times the size and complexity of the other scrawlings. This image shows Thistletop from the side, the goblin stockade perched atop it like a crown. A cave has been drawn into the center of the image, and looming inside is what appears to be an immense, muscular goblin with snakelike eyes and a dogslicer in each taloned hand. If the scale compared to the rest of the drawing is to be believed, this goblin must be at least thirty feet tall.
A couple of stained stools lie knocked over in the corners of this room, as do a couple of clay pots with horse-hair brushes stuck inside them. The pots are almost empty of painting fluids (these particular ones have a small layer of goopy mud at the bottom), as the budding artists completed their work and left their tools behind.
The door to the southern end of this room lies closed.
Some rounds left of Flo's bless, four and something minutes of Kellek's shield left.
Flesh to Stone 1/1 | Reach 3/3 | Extend 2/3 | Bit of Luck: 6/7 | Agile Feet: 7/7 | Dimensional Hop 90/90 | Spells: 1st 4+1/5+1 2nd 4+1/5+1 3rd 4+0/4+1 4th 2+1/3+1 5th 2+0/2+1 | Channel Positive Energy 3/3
"Well this is... disturbing, I think," Flo absentmindedly says, unsure what to think of the goblin art and it's accompanying mural to some ubergoblin. "I'm sure the Shelynite in all of us could find something worth discussing in here, but I think we should just keep it moving, yeah? Demon Priestess and all that," she suggests.
Leaving the painting for the others to speculate about, Colvyn moves to the closed door. Before touching it, he inspects it for any signs of traps. If anything turns out ok, he leans against it and tries to discern if there is any noise coming from the other side.
Guiness moves up behind Colvyn at the next door, attempting to make as little noise as possible so he doesn't disturb Colvyn's listening at the door. If he gets the all clear sign from Colvyn, Guiness will set up to open the door as before, opening it when the rest of the group is ready.
Feel free to comment and investigate further in the painting room, but to give you a bit more meat to chew on:
Colvyn doesn't spot any traps and doesn't hear any alarming noises through the door. In fact, he doesn't hear much of anything through the door. Guiness opens the way southward, revealing another long hallway that opens up into a small room fed by hallways to the east and south. Two large stone doors sit in the western wall of the small room, their faces carved with images of horrific deformed monsters clawing their way out of pregnant women of all races.
KN Religion DC15:
The scene depicted on the doors is one that features prominently in most holy books of the Lamashtan religion. Churches dedicated to Lamashtu sometimes incorporate these scenes in their architecture as well.
Other than the heavy stone doors to the west (which have stone handles and no obvious locks) the hallways to the east and south end in wooden doors similar to those you've found elsewhere in this complex.
Guiness follows a short distance behind Colvyn, giving him the chance to do his trapfinding/listening/stealthing business. He winces at the images depicted on the stone doors, reminded of his religious training about the goddess of monsters, but he stands tall, determined to protect those with him from the terrors that lurk in the dark...
Rig is more than a little shocked by the statuary. "Whoa! Now THOSE are disturbing. Bad goblin art, fine, but this is just wrong. We've clearly entered into a much older section of this place. I suspect this is what this place was created for, some kinda religious shrine for some very disturbed individuals." He had wondered why the goblins were here and not other races. It seems to him that this explains part of that. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live above this!
N Male Human (Keleshite/Ulfen) Wizard (exploiter) 12 | hp 46/62 (max 46)| AC 14 {17}, T 13, FF 12 {15} | CMD 19 | F +6, R +8, W +12 | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnArc +18, Kn(Dun, His, Loc, Nat, Pla, Rel) +16, Kn(Others) +11, Perc +12, SensM +12, Scrft +20 | arc reservoir 9/15 | magic missile wand 26/38 | -1 penalty to Con (2 damage) | ext mage armor, overland flight, hunter's blessing (mnt, giants)
GM Cellion wrote:
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With the mystery spellcaster gone for now, the team closes the secret door in the wall and Kellek places a magical ward to alarm if anyone passes through the opening (Audible or silent/mental alarm mode, Kellek?).
Silent--but deadly!
"Right. The safe word to pass through the room is onomatopoeia." Kellek informs the rest of the party in a whisper.
If he sees the thing that triggers the roll - knowledge (religion):1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Flesh to Stone 1/1 | Reach 3/3 | Extend 2/3 | Bit of Luck: 6/7 | Agile Feet: 7/7 | Dimensional Hop 90/90 | Spells: 1st 4+1/5+1 2nd 4+1/5+1 3rd 4+0/4+1 4th 2+1/3+1 5th 2+0/2+1 | Channel Positive Energy 3/3
"I think you're right Rig, not many people would willingly live over something like this without wanting to destroy it. Who knows what sort of curse you'd earn for doing such a thing?" Flo wonders out loud, but the unnerving visual starts to cause some alarm in the back of her mind. It's ok Flo, this isn't as bad as before, I'm sure there isn't much worse than this around here.
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I say east, but I'l be fine either way!
Rounds per Day 12/24 l 112/112hp l F +12 R +8 W +7 l AC18 Touch10 FF16 CMB +16 CMD28 l Atk +18 Dmg 2d4+10
Half-Orc CN Bloodrager10 l 93/93hp, DR2/-- l F +11 R +8 W +5 l AC20 Touch12 FF18 CMB +15 CMD27 l Perc +13 l Darkvision 60ft l Init +4 l Spd30ft l Intimidate +16
Kargas is utterly disinterested in the goblins' wall paintings, except to snort derisively at the giant super-goblin. The grotesque statues clearly disturb him though--the half-orc makes a warding gesture at them and mutters about having forgotten to bring a sledgehammer again.
Kellek recognizes the religious nature of the carvings on the western doors. The party however seems rather unenthusiastic to approach them, so Guiness leads the way eastward instead. He eases open the wooden door and is greeted by a gust of cool ocean air.
Beyond, you all see a more natural looking stone cavern that is open to the outside on its eastern side. A thick curtain of vines and nettles hangs down over the wide opening that overlooks the Varisian Gulf. Your rowboat must be somewhere just outside (though many feet lower). The floor of this cavern has been worn smooth over the ages, and stalactites hang here and there from the ceiling. A passageway to the north turns a corner and heads out of sight, while a larger passageway further eastward opens up to the south.
If people don't mind, let's continue to follow the left wall.
Guiness looks to Colvyn, who has been checking the doors before they are opened and looks to the opening to the east, whispering, "Do you want to scout ahead, or have us all move up with you?"
Colvyn nods at the dwarf. "Cover the right." With that, he walks into the small corridor on the left, trying to discretly make is way pass the fist turn.
Flesh to Stone 1/1 | Reach 3/3 | Extend 2/3 | Bit of Luck: 6/7 | Agile Feet: 7/7 | Dimensional Hop 90/90 | Spells: 1st 4+1/5+1 2nd 4+1/5+1 3rd 4+0/4+1 4th 2+1/3+1 5th 2+0/2+1 | Channel Positive Energy 3/3
Now isn't this nice? Reflexively, Flo smiles at the sight and smell of the ocean, while her hand holds the pearled dagger at her side. See, there we are. This isn't all that bad! She takes in a long, deep breath of the fresh ocean air.
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Left works for me!
Rig remembers a saying his father used to have: "When in doubt, turn left. Turn left enough, and you'll always go the right way." His sword grip tightens as they approach the open cavern.
Guiness and Colvyn continue their investigation northward. Around the corner, the tunnel opens up into a larger cavern littered with dessicated corpses and skeletal remains. Dozens of bodies lie scattered about. Most are sea birds, but there are six dead goblins here as well. Before you get a chance to investigate in greater detail, you hear a strange sucking sound coming from the east. Kellek, Flo and Kargas look over to the east in search of the sound, but its not until they look up to the 10ft tall ceiling that they spot a bizarre creature navigating its way across the stalactites.
(The token on map is pretty small, so I've added art to the handouts!)
The creature looks something like a leathery, eyeless squid with a squat body the size of a rain barrel. Its lower body splits into a tangle of tentacles that it mostly has wrapped around the various rocky protrusions on the ceiling. Two longer tentacles, one thick and muscular and the other tipped in a stinger, dangle down below the rest. (It looks like it has reach with those tentacles)
GM Cellion, I had put Guiness' icon at the intersection of the tunnels to 'cover the right' as requested by Colvyn, so he would not have followed up the hall. If it is okay, I will put him back at the spot I had him...
Colvyn runs past the creature and attempts to reach the other side of the cavern. From there, he readies his bow to attack the creature after the melee fighters have a go at it.
If he is unable to perform that action he will just delay.
Yep, since its clinging to the ceiling, you can just run underneath. Plus since it hasn't acted yet, its still flatfooted and it doesn't get an AoO against you.
The tentacled creature wiggles with what might be agitation or excitement as Colvyn runs underneath it. At the very least, he definitely attracts its attention. It crawls along the ceiling eastward and then stabs its stinger tentacle at the archer! Colvyn sees the attack coming and throws himself out of the way. The stinger strikes through some hanging moss and Colvyn pulls through unscathed.
It flexes its long blunt tentacle in what seems like frustration.
"Great, it has a big, long tentacle. This is going to be ugly."
Guiness draws his hammer as he moves into the room, angling his shield to try and deflect the attack from this unidentified horror as he enters its reach. Once he is in position, he takes an upward swing at the creature with Dragonfist, hoping the impact might shove it onto an adjacent stalactite.
Rounds per Day 12/24 l 112/112hp l F +12 R +8 W +7 l AC18 Touch10 FF16 CMB +16 CMD28 l Atk +18 Dmg 2d4+10
Half-Orc CN Bloodrager10 l 93/93hp, DR2/-- l F +11 R +8 W +5 l AC20 Touch12 FF18 CMB +15 CMD27 l Perc +13 l Darkvision 60ft l Init +4 l Spd30ft l Intimidate +16
Glad that his piece of steel is on the tip of a long stick, Kargas moves into the room and jabs at the monstrosity. Overly wary of the tentacled horror, the ranseur thrust clangs off a stalactite.
Note sure if its come up before this, but the way I handle monster identification is as follows: If you make the DC, I give you basic information about the creature, plus anything its exceptionally famous for. For every 5 by which you beat the DC, you can ask to receive info about one additional category from 'Attacks', 'Defenses' and 'Special Abilities'. When you roll a knowledge check, if you give me your preferences on which info you'd want first, I can give you everything you'd know in my next post.
For simplicity this time around, I'll just give you guys the full description.
Creature Identification:
Kellek identifies the creature as a tentamort, a type of aberration. Tentamorts are ambush predators who wait in their lairs for prey to come to them. Almost mindless, a tentamort possesses just enough intellect to make crude judgements about perils and food. Once it manages to grab a hold of a creature it thinks of as prey, it often attempts to doggedly consume it despite injury and distraction.
A tentamort can sense the presence of nearby creatures even in darkness by relying on a combination of crude visual receptors in its tentacles and echolocation. It's capable of quickly climbing using the suckers on its body, though it isn't particularly fast. It has two specialized tentacles it uses against its prey - one has a stinger that delivers a horrifying acidic poison that liquefies a creature's insides, while the second is capable of grabbing and constricting even creatures larger than the tentamort itself.
It has no glaring weaknesses, and no unusual defensive capabilities beyond being difficult to flank.
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The muscular tentacle swings around wildly as Guiness approaches, but the tentamort doesn't seem to be making a concerted effort to actually hit him, and with the aid of his shield he manages to duck into its reach and swing his hammer. He lands a solid blow on the creature's tough central body. Despite the impact, it still looks rather healthy.
Kargas' stab indeed strikes a stalactite rather than its intended target, despite the blessing from Desna buoying his spirits.
Rig runs to back up the others. He doesn't know what that thing is, but it certainly seems hostile... and ugly.
move, sw action arcane strike, attack sword:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21dam:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Hate fighting inside... There is no place to get a proper shot. colvyn moves again, trying to stay out of reach of the creature. He then sends an arrow flying toward the ugly thing.
N Male Human (Keleshite/Ulfen) Wizard (exploiter) 12 | hp 46/62 (max 46)| AC 14 {17}, T 13, FF 12 {15} | CMD 19 | F +6, R +8, W +12 | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnArc +18, Kn(Dun, His, Loc, Nat, Pla, Rel) +16, Kn(Others) +11, Perc +12, SensM +12, Scrft +20 | arc reservoir 9/15 | magic missile wand 26/38 | -1 penalty to Con (2 damage) | ext mage armor, overland flight, hunter's blessing (mnt, giants)
"Yes a tentamort, not to be confused with the similarly-named tendriculous, or the 'common palace of the silver princess decapus.' They are none-too-bright so it is best to fight it at range unless you want to be liquefied from the inside out."
Usually at a time like this I would have Kellek ask the GM what languages it speaks, or what its mating habits are, but this time he'll just ready CL 5 (arcane pool/potent magic) magic missile for if it gets too close (i.e. within the thing's reach). With most of his scrolls expended he needs to save something for later, unless of course we're doing a 15 minute adventuring day. ;)
Rig gets up close and delivers a slash with his longsword that opens a shallow gash on the tentamort. You certainly injured it, but it hardly seems to notice. Colvyn's arrow strikes a particularly hardy section of its hide and skims off without injuring it. Kellek delivers some timely advice and readies his magic in case it tries to approach him.
Just like in one of Colvyn's Japanese animes Minkaian picture dramas, the tentamort swings its meaty tentacle at the heavily armored dwarf standing on the ground next to it. The blow connects despite Guiness' best efforts to guard with his shield, and the tentacle rapidly wraps itself around him and begins squeezing! (Guiness takes a total of 12 points of bludgeoning damage and is grappled) The tentamort immediately goes in with its stinger tentacle, but despite being grappled, the dwarf is able to fend it off. The stinger begins to drip with acrid poison as it weaves about the dwarf, looking for an opening to stab.
Grappled creatures cannot move and take a –4 penalty to Dexterity. A grappled creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and combat maneuver checks, except those made to grapple or escape a grapple. In addition, grappled creatures can take no action that requires two hands to perform. A grappled character who attempts to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability must make a concentration check (DC 10 + grappler’s CMB + spell level), or lose the spell. Grappled creatures cannot make attacks of opportunity.
Guinness grunts with pain as the tentacle slips past his guard and seizes him in its ferocious grasp, trying to squeeze the life out of him. Not wanting to get stung by that acidic tentacle, Guinness focuses on defending himself.
He yells, ”I’ll keep it busy while you guys kill it!”
Standard action to use total defense (AC to 25, CMD to 22).
5', swift arcane, stab
Rig slahes again at the horror grappling the dwarf.
sword:1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 7 + 2 = 21dam:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 (counts as magic if it matters)
Rounds per Day 12/24 l 112/112hp l F +12 R +8 W +7 l AC18 Touch10 FF16 CMB +16 CMD28 l Atk +18 Dmg 2d4+10
Half-Orc CN Bloodrager10 l 93/93hp, DR2/-- l F +11 R +8 W +5 l AC20 Touch12 FF18 CMB +15 CMD27 l Perc +13 l Darkvision 60ft l Init +4 l Spd30ft l Intimidate +16
Gritting his teeth, Kargas rears back and strikes a different stalactite this time. Turning back to face Flor with a stricken expression, the half-orc stage-whispers "Whatever I did I'm sorry, alright?!"
Flesh to Stone 1/1 | Reach 3/3 | Extend 2/3 | Bit of Luck: 6/7 | Agile Feet: 7/7 | Dimensional Hop 90/90 | Spells: 1st 4+1/5+1 2nd 4+1/5+1 3rd 4+0/4+1 4th 2+1/3+1 5th 2+0/2+1 | Channel Positive Energy 3/3
As Kargas savagely mutilates another stalactite, Flo funnels more butterflies to his aid. What the hell is he talking about? Why is he apologizing to me?"Come on Kargas, save Guiness before I need to carry him in a bucket!"
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Bit of Luck on Kargas! You're funny CrusaderWolf XD
N Male Human (Keleshite/Ulfen) Wizard (exploiter) 12 | hp 46/62 (max 46)| AC 14 {17}, T 13, FF 12 {15} | CMD 19 | F +6, R +8, W +12 | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnArc +18, Kn(Dun, His, Loc, Nat, Pla, Rel) +16, Kn(Others) +11, Perc +12, SensM +12, Scrft +20 | arc reservoir 9/15 | magic missile wand 26/38 | -1 penalty to Con (2 damage) | ext mage armor, overland flight, hunter's blessing (mnt, giants)
"Why do they never listen?"
Floredana Mandulescu wrote:
"Come on Kargas, save Guiness before I need to carry him in a bucket!"
"Well, usually tentamorts slurp down the liquefied innards of their prey, what they leave behind is a sort of skin bag filled with their prey's bones and teeth. Jarts!"
Kellek delivers some timely advice and readies his magic in case it tries to approach him.
Timely? Timely would have been giving the advice about the keeping your distance and not being liquified before Guiness rushed into keep Colvyn from becoming an aperitif!
Guiness focuses entirely on defense, doing his utmost to fend off any attacks and wriggle free the next time it tries to squeeze him. Rig lands a precise slash that carves another gash in the foul creature. Perhaps shaken by how easily the creature is handling Guiness, Kargas' attack is well off target.
Kellek and Colvyn send ranged attacks at the unsightly beast, and while Kellek's unerring bolts land in a cascade of blows, Colvyn's shot skims once more off its hide, leaving it unscathed (at least from his attack).
The tentamort is undeterred by all the injuries it has sustained. It squeezes Guiness hard, and despite his best efforts to get free, its grip on his torso doesn't abate. He feels his breath get short as the crushing force attempts to crack his ribcage inward. He blacks out momentarily for the pain, providing an opening for the stinger to get in and send a stream of what feels like napalm into his gut. (Dealt 7 points bludgeoning from constrict, 10 points piercing from the stinger attack, and you need to give me a DC16 Fort save vs. poison)
If you fail the Fort save:
The acidic poison takes extraordinarily quick action. You feel a searing pain spread through your torso along with a pain so intense that you're barely able to hold onto consciousness - you don't want to think about what exactly its doing.
You take 3 CON damage and are nauseated for 1 round.
|||| INIT ||||
Guiness (29 dmg, grappled, need Fort save)
Flo
Kargas
Rig
Kellek
Colvyn
Tentamort (34 dmg, grappled)
Flesh to Stone 1/1 | Reach 3/3 | Extend 2/3 | Bit of Luck: 6/7 | Agile Feet: 7/7 | Dimensional Hop 90/90 | Spells: 1st 4+1/5+1 2nd 4+1/5+1 3rd 4+0/4+1 4th 2+1/3+1 5th 2+0/2+1 | Channel Positive Energy 3/3
Flo winces as the distinct sound of ribs and armor cracking reverberate down the hall. Was gonna make a joke about needing a coat hanger instead, but suddenly this isn't funny anymore. Charging her hand with the most healing energy that she can muster, Flo sprints into the room. She dips into a slide past Guiness and pushes the positive energy into his battered body. "Hang in there Guiness, today is not the day!"
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CMW vs Guiness:2d8 + 3 ⇒ (6, 5) + 3 = 14 GM, as a player I am assuming that grappling Guiness means the creature cannot take an AoO against me. If Flo has reason to believe that it can, she will cast Grace (swift action) before going in to avoid all AoO's due to movement. Spontaneously cast Cure Moderate Wounds by burning Align Weapon, move 25ft into the room, free action touch Guiness.
N Male Human (Keleshite/Ulfen) Wizard (exploiter) 12 | hp 46/62 (max 46)| AC 14 {17}, T 13, FF 12 {15} | CMD 19 | F +6, R +8, W +12 | Spd 30' | Init +2 | KnArc +18, Kn(Dun, His, Loc, Nat, Pla, Rel) +16, Kn(Others) +11, Perc +12, SensM +12, Scrft +20 | arc reservoir 9/15 | magic missile wand 26/38 | -1 penalty to Con (2 damage) | ext mage armor, overland flight, hunter's blessing (mnt, giants)
"Idiot aberration." Kellek draws his recently acquired wand (of silent image) and points it into the room. He calls the wand's command phrase: "Faux Kneus!"
Kellek fills the cave with an illusion where all the rocks, and boulders, and stalactites suddenly look like food that a tentamort might like based upon Kellek's knowledge of their dietary habits--a tentamort candyland.
Yes, I realize that this will make the hanging stones look like candy corn, and the rocks like jello cubes to the party members as well, but hey, they should know better. ;)
