RotRL: The Alkenstar Expedition (Inactive)

Game Master drbuzzard

To Lua, "Your plan is sound."

"Beware, the sobbing is likely a trick. Shall we break down the door? No use being subtle."

Lua eyes the door with suspicion. Though she hears a weeping woman, the sound might just as well be generated by a malevolent haunt. If there is a key hole, she will try to look through. She will also try once again to detect evil into the room.

You cannot detect evil through a door (it requires line of effect).

You cannot really see anything through the keyhole.

"I agree with you, Urga. However, let's see if we can cut the latch and lock. It might be a bit more tactical."

Lua puts away her greatsword and draws her adamantite scimitar. She looks at the door latch and attempts to cut at it.

attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

You are able to slice through the door easily enough.

This room is cold and damp; an old armoire stands near the east wall. The ceiling slopes down to only four feet high to the northeast, leaving little room for a small window. A full-size mirror in a dark wooden frame of coiling roses leans against these bricks, angled toward the tiny window.

There is a figure standing in front of the mirror staring into its reflection and weeping. The figure appears to be a decayed human form in a dress. They do not react when you open the door.

"Go on Paladin...talk to her or it or whatever...and don't know why it weeps...I should be the one weeping."

Urga readies his sword, but does not enter the room. "No need to approach it Lua. Let's close the door and keep moving".

Now Lua attempts to detect any evil presence from the ghost.

"Spirit? I mean you no ill will. Why do you weep?"

They continue to weep staring at the mirror making no response to your entreaties.

Shenderik respects Lua's essentially gentle nature, but fears to become entwined in a story unrelated to their quest.

"Leave it," he advises gruffly. "It's not who we're after. Ghosties and phantasms aren't our problem."

Urga sighs."Shenderik, it appears that Lua is determined to save this restless soul, so we may as well assist."

Urga moves up to the apparition and pass his sword between it and the mirror. "What is your name spirit? How did you die? Why have you not moved on to the afterlife?"

There is a brief hesitation in the sobbing as the sword passes between the entity and the mirror, but it resumes. It offers no response to your question.

Lua noticed the hesitation as the blade momentarily blocked the spirits view of the mirror. She looks around the room for a rug or blanket if she can't find one, she pulls out her own traveling cloak and covers the mirror.

It unleashes a baleful shriek, then cries out, “Aldern! I can smell your fear! You’ll be in my arms soon!” and moves out the door unless someone gets in its way.

Anyone with knowledge religion can make a check to determine what it is.

"Quickly, let's follow her!"

Urga stays behind her.

"No arguments here, how do you kill something that's already dead anyhow?"
Thomas quickly gets out of the way of the thing and then follows it.

It makes a beeline for the stairs down and starts down. It stops on the first floor and heads to the hallway with the strange spiral marks on the floor and starts tearing through the floor with its hands which are like bony claws.

Before following suit, Lua checks the armoire for anything useful.

Knowledge: Religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Lua follows the group down to the hallway. Seeing the specter tearing at the floor, Lua gives pause, waiting to see if the fleshless woman makes any progress.

Which room are we in now? B3?

Correct, she is ripping through the floor at B3

If you just wait and watch, in about a minute the creature rips a hole in the floor and jumps down.

"I'll probably regret this."

Urga jumps in after the spirit.

Lua looks down into the dark hole and the unknown it represents. 'What a lovely metaphor' she thinks before she jumps in after Urga.

I take it there was nothing of relevance in the armoire?

It only contained dust and cobwebs.

"I'll probably regret this."

Urga jumps in after the spirit.

Might as well...

After checking to make the safety in in place, pulling the bayonet off the rifle and storing it in its hip sheath, Gunner follows Urga.

Doc looks down into the hole in the floor. "This can't end well..." he mutters, before pulling out the Ioun Torch he kept in a side pouch in his pack. He activates it with a word, the rounded stone now lazily circling him. Taking a calming breath, he jumps in after the others.

Piles of broken stone, dirt, and a few ruined pickaxes line the edges of this room. The floor in the middle of the room has been torn up to reveal an ancient set of stone spiral stairs, obviously of much older construction than the surrounding basement, winding deep into the bedrock below. A foul stink, like that of rotten meat, wafts up on a cold breeze from the darkness.

The creature you have been following heads down the stairs.

Gunner follows after the creature. At least we're finally getting somewhere.

Urga continues to follow the creature.

Shenderik pats Gunner on the shoulder as he passes, though the dwarf must stretch upwards to reach. "Cheer up, pal," he says around his customary cigar. "We're all in this together."

The dwarf has no fear of dark underground places and follows with a mostly placid heart.

Thomas immediately followed the creature and he does not hesitate to jump down either, so he should be just behind her.

You follow the revenant down the stars.
The stairs end in a limestone cavern. The walls drip with moisture, and swaths of black and dark blue mold grow in spiraling, tangled patterns on the floor, ceiling, and walls. Rubble and broken bones clutter the floor, and a rhythmic sound—like the breathing of some immense creature—echoes through the cave from three tunnels, one to the north and two to the west. Of the two western tunnels, the southernmost one seems to be a relatively new creation.

The Revenant starts moving down the middle passage (to the west).

new map

we'll need a marching order and all that jazz

Urga will take lead. He continues to follow the revenant.

Gunner follows right behind Urga.

You follow the revenant into another chamber. I need perception checks.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

perception 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

Perception:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25

Perceptions:
Lua Peception: 1d20 ⇒ 5
Shenderik Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

Initiatives:

Critters init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Billy init: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Thomas init: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Urga init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
Dukkan init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Lua init: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Shenderik init: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Order:

Billy
Shenderik
Dukkan
Urga
Thomas
Critters
Lua

This is a surprise round. Only Billy, Dukkan and Shenderik (and the critters)can act during the surprise round.

Billy calmly flips the safety off of his rifle and sights down the barrel at the closest creature. He fires twice in quick succession (BANG!BANG!)

Rapid shot and point blank shot.

Attack1: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 16
Damage1: 1d10 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 1 = 11

Attack2: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (13) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 20
Damage2: 1d10 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 1 = 8

Billy, you only get a single action in the surprise round

damn, even I forgot that, yes only a standard so no rapid shot

Billy's shot hits the target and blows a significant chunk out of it's hide.

With a trained motion of his solid hands, Shenderik raises the rifle to his shoulder and fires at the evil-looking figures, shouting a wordless challenge.

Far Challenge for +3 to damage target and target gains +4 to attacks rolls against me.

masterwork rifle: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 181d10 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Unable to assist the others in the fight due to the press of bodies in the narrow tunnel ahead of him, Doc notices what appears to be a side passage to the south and moves to flank around.

Move Action: Move 20ft down southwest passage.

Sorry, had to play around with the spoiler boxes to move my character. Hope I didn't do anything wrong.

No problem Dukkan.

Shenderik lands a solid hit on critter 2, but it remains standing.

The critters move forward and engage the closest targets
2 on Urga

to hit: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17 miss
to hit: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 miss

1 on Billy
to hit: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 miss

1 on Dukkan

to hit: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12 miss

They all futilely bite at the party, but cannot get past your defenses.

Surprise round over.

Round 1
Billy is up.

Billy rams the butt of his rifle into the head of the nearest creature.

Pistol-Whip (Ex): At 3rd level, the gunslinger can make a surprise melee attack with the butt or handle of her firearm as a standard action. When she does, she is considered to be proficient with the firearm as a melee weapon and gains a bonus on the attack and damage rolls equal to the enhancement bonus of the firearm. The damage dealt by the pistol-whip is of the bludgeoning type, and is determined by the size of the firearm. One-handed firearms deal 1d6 points of damage (1d4 if wielded by Small creatures) and two-handed firearms deal 1d10 points of damage (1d8 if wielded by Small creatures). Regardless of the gunslinger’s size, the critical multiplier of this attack is 20/×2. If the attack hits, the gunslinger can make a combat maneuver check to knock the target prone as a free action. Performing this deed costs 1 grit point.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Damage: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

Combat Maneuver Check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

The creature you were engaging goes down in a heap, not even twitching.

Thomas moves up to the closest creature and attacks, flowing into a deceptive fighting stance as he does.

I can't access map here, so I am guessing position. I will try to get a flank, even if it provokes an AoO (no more than one though). I will do my rolls as if I had flank, subtract 2 if I can't get it.

Acrobatics, if needed 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

attack vs creature 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
damage 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Best you can do is follow Dukkan down around the other passage and get a swing off.

That contacts with the critter but does not put it down.