Rise of the Runelords

Game Master Kevin O'Rourke 440

"I can't imagine why you would feel empowered in a corridor aligned to Greed," Marten says grumpily, also affected by the something in the area.

"Anyway, stand back."

Marten uses mage hand to open the door when everyone is clear of it.

Jealous much?

Azalia explains that the whole thing is just a trap, and that she can't unlock it. She is not sure mage hand will work, but she steps back as asked.

"Back, everyone! I don't want to die again today!"

Marten messes around with mage hand for a while before the 'door' violently shunts forwards with considerable force. It them moves back to it's starting position. It didn't swing open but only moved forward.

Could people conceivably step inside the room when the door is fully forward? Or get at the trap's mechanism?

Jealous much?

"Well, if we were in the Envy branch of Runeforge, I'm sure I wouldn't have this headache."

"Could we smash through the door? Or the walls? Without something blowing up I mean."

Drazh shrugged. ”Its a trap. A magic one. I can think of two people very qualified to handle that. But if they want, my help, I can start swinging.” He turned and looked at Azalia and Marten, daring them (especially Marten) to ask him for help because their magic couldn’t handle it.

I'd be glad of the help, Drazh, if you think that will work. There is no mechanism to pick in order to unlock the door. All the workings in there are just part of the trap.

Could people conceivably step inside the room when the door is fully forward? Or get at the trap's mechanism?

Also Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft now that Drazh wants to help.

1d20 + 26 ⇒ (4) + 26 = 30

The 'door' is like a solid block from what you've seen so no way to step behind or get at the mechanism.

"Obviously, there's a way to bypass the trap with our arcane abilities, but -- and you should know this by now, quite frankly -- we need to preserve such magic for important encounters when a more simple solution is viable.

"So," Marten waves his hand at the door a few times, "Have it it."

Marten will use mage hand when necessary to activate the trap so Drazh can get to different parts of the moving slab.

”Aye then! Let’s get to it.”

Whatever test the GM feels appropriate to time his strike to avoid the trap: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Hit the trap at the right time? With adaptable study: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (19) + 26 = 45
Blunt Damage: 2d6 + 25 ⇒ (6, 1) + 25 = 32
Acid: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Creydon pauses as Drazh gets ready to strike the wall then steps up behind the dwarf.

"In case you need the help!"

Aid Another, +11 Attack, dc 10: 1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 10 - 2 = 18

Reaction: Aid Another, +14 AC, dc 10: 1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 10 - 2 = 18

Don't forget Shake it Off!

While the others mess with the fake-door crush-intruders trap for a while, Ferocia looks around at the other walls, part bored and part curious if there's a hidden door around here somewhere.

Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (3) + 19 = 22 +2 higher if stone is involved.

Drazh strikes hard and some malachite chips off cracked, some of the iron buckles beneath the blow. The 'door' retracts back to it's starting position. Its clear that the 'door' isn't so resilient that it will have no effect but quite a few blows from Drazh's hammer will be needed and certain to alert those inside... but it will work.

Ferocia finds little of interest and if there is a hidden door it's extremely well concealed but that is hardly a surprise.

I'm quite happy to conceded Drazh will just bash the thing down without further rolls but he'll make a racket.

Works for Drazh

I think we've already established that there's heavy scrying going on in Runeforge. Let's tear it up.

A beautiful tunnel of polished wood inlaid with silver and gold runes stretches for at least a hundred feet before ending at a wall of greenish mist sparkling with silver motes of light.

Azalia can detect a strong transmutation aura off the mist.

The mist is magical... transmutation aura...

”Well, can ye Dispel it?”

No, but I might be able to identify what the spell is. Hold on.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 21 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 21 + 1 = 23

ouch.

Azalia looks confused. You don't think she is going to be able to do it.

Creydon peers at the murk.

"Hmmm."

Aid Another on Azalia DC 10, +6 to Spellcraft: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (16) + 26 = 42

Ah, there he is. I knew Marten would have to identify it to show Azalia up. :)

Ah, there he is. I knew Marten would have to identify it to show Azalia up. :)

I'm still turning over ideas on how to be obliviously sanctimonious about it!

Oh, minus 2 to that Spellcraft check because of Marten's Greed headache.

The mist is like are area affect continous baleful polymorphy and dimension door... dispell magic might temporarily disrupt it.

Ha ha. Dimension Door is one thing, but baleful polymorph? Help! We'll all be turned to rabbits! :)

Standing behind Azalia and Creydon, Marten chuckles condescendingly encouragingly.

"Not exactly, you two! It's actually a rather complex effect that combines baleful polymorph and a teleportation effect.

"Anyway, Anneka, can you cast gust of wind and see if it's strong enough to clear out this mist?" Via shadow evocation.

Azalia wonders fleetingly what Marten would turn into if she pushed him into the mist.

Anneka complies, sending a gust of wind through the corridor.

"I am glad that we have such learned and reasonable types among us!", quips Creydon, grinning.

The gust blows the mist into a chamber beyond is paved with ivory tiles, each one engraved with a silver rune depicting what appears to be a claw gripping a gemstone. The walls and ceiling are of polished marble. A large silver basin in the center of the room contains an icy sculpture of a whale spraying crystal-clear water from its blowhole. The water cascades around it to keep the basin full, but never quite overflowing.

The ghust pushes and disperses it further into rooms beyond though it's just a slight green tint visible now rather than the solid wall of mist.

"Quaint."

Uninterested in the fountain, Marten looks at the doors leading beyond the room.

”Lots of wealth was poured into this place.” Drazh said hopefully. ”Just hope whatever we find isn’t transmuted too. Would be a bloody shame.”

Azalia checks out the fountain and looks around.

Perception: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (11) + 23 = 34

Creydon follows near Azalia, looking at slightly different angles.

Aid Another, Azalia Perception +6, DC 10: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (16) + 17 = 33

As Azalia approaches the fountain a blue skinned small humanoid 4 creature with thin, leathery wings, small horns, and a mischievous smile pops up. Three more move about under the water.

Azalia doesn't understand the words from the small blue guy, so she tries Common.

Hello. Do you speak Common?

If that doesn't work, she cycles through a bunch of other languages. (And assumes that Marten will come up with some translation spell and show her up again.)

(And assumes that Marten will come up with some translation spell and show her up again.)

Even better, Marten actually knows Aquan. Randomly!

Hello. Do you speak Common?

"Actually, it's speaking Aquan. It's a language spoken by denizens of the plane of water."

Marten responds to the creature in its native language.

"I've picked up a little common in my travels. He never said his name just shows up every now and again and attacks us... he's killed a few of us. Are you looking for him? Are you going to kill him?" The little blue man asks hopefully.

"That's the plan! Does he have any weaknesses?"

"I'm not sure but we've seen him cast a few spells when he comes round. He always comes in flying. He always starts off by pointing at someone, they usually turn to dust, a split second after it's like theres a bunch of him standing in the one spot."

"This one time a few people tried to go on the offensive but he teleported away and then hunted them down after a few minutes. Sometimes he turns us into goldfish! Other times he seems to send us back to the plane of water... but I'm not sure if everyone makes it back. There are these little darts of light he throws out sometimes. Oh and this one time an undine sorceror wound up here with us and he seemed to really dislike it when he got hit by the undine's lightning!"

Marten turns to consult with the others.

"Hmm. We can exploit his weakness to electricity, and I can help with that. Unfortunately, I have not learned dimensional anchor or anything of the sort, but we have a number of counterspell options available to us in case he tries to flee via teleportation magic.

"His disintegrate opener is something we may just have to deal with. And Azalia should be able to see through his mirror image or whatever illusionary trickery he relies on."

”Aye. Well, there’s nay metal that a determined dwarf with a hammer can’t bend. And for his magic we’ll just deal with it. Thanks for the help, boyo. We’ll do what we can to make yer tormenter into a new pair of boots.”

Anneka thinks for a moment. "I might be able to keep him from teleporting. I'm not sure about disintegrate. That seems awfully permanent..."

Can use greater shadow conjuration to replicate chains of light. Also, just a reminder Anneka casts shadow endurance every day and uses her ring of invisibility before anticipated combats.

Azalia thanks the blue guys and asks if there is anything else they are worried about down here, or if they need any help... or, come to think of it, if there are any large caches of treasure around.

Anneka thinks for a moment. "I might be able to keep him from teleporting."

Marten nods. "Excellent. I'll leave it to your discretion, but I would let him be worn down a bit before implementing whatever you're thinking. He likely won't try to escape right away, and we don't want any containment wearing off after he is in dire straits but before he's finished."

"I'm not sure about disintegrate. That seems awfully permanent..."

"If I can react fast enough, I will try and counter his opening salvo."

He turns back to the helpful aqua-imp.

"Do you know where he is, or which direction he usually arrives from?"

"Your help is great, folks! Drazh isn't joking about boots either. He's on something of a roll in making enemies into armour and clothing lately. Bloody dragons, eh?"

Diplomacy to get more chuckles than 'What the hell?': 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (17) + 22 = 39

Creydon then thinks on the problem of getting disintegrated.

"Once we've an idea where he is, I'll instill you lot with good hope and turn myself invisible. Once he's really near, I'll crank up the tunes with a shadowbard duplicate and we both start harping as if our lives depend on it! Oh, and definitely speed us up if someone else hasn't done it by then. If things go really badly, there's always a Bard's Escape to get the survivors out."