P.S. - I can only heal within a 30' radius, so everyone please make sure you're placed on the map accurately...thanks!
Leland moves up to Gizmo and casts Mage Armour, "Take it down.
Gizmo advances past the creature, to flank with Mal and attacks:
Gizmo stumbles but still manages to evade the monster.
It then howls as Gizmo takes a piece of its arm.
Ben doesn't find a rear entrance.
The doppelganger attacks Gizmo.
Mal grumbles as she slams another cartridge into her gun, before firing at the creature (and missing) for a third time.
Having smashed the window with his leather-protected elbow, Ben grabbed the upper sill, hopped in through the frame and went looking for the little girl in a damn hurry.
Ben lands in what looks like an immaculately clean little girl's room. Remembering what McCady had told them he kicks over the small bed and finds a door with locks and chains on the floor, leading -- Gods only knew where.
Sticking around here, in case anyone in the fight gets hurt, because for some reason - almost like a dim and distant memory from a dream - I just feel like this thing *could* do an awful lot of damage if it wanted to... :)
Leland stays out of the fray, but Giz lets loose:
The creature howls in agony but manages to attack Gizmo again.
Gizmo takes a heavy rake to its metallic face.
Gizmo's side plate tears open and oily hydrollic fluid spurts out. With an unwholesome sounding grinding of gears it attacks again:
I'd be glad to help if I could, but it's been my understanding that Heal and Channel Energy don't affect mechanical things and constructs, that something more like Make Whole is required?
HP for Gizmo.
Taking the key inside and looking for Ben.
Ben met Bukaru coming in on his way out. Spotting that she had the key, he simply motioned for her to follow him and led her to the girl's glass-strewn bedroom.
Once the locks were dealt with, he hauled open the trapdoor, then knelt to peer inside. Locked up like a ham in a pantry, he thought with bubbling rage.
"Miss McCady? You in there? Come take my hand, girl. We're getting you out of here."
When Ben's eyes adjust to the dim light, he realizes that the hole is actually a tunnel that stretches on farther than he can see in the darkness.
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Realizing that the girl wasn't there, Ben grunted and lowered himself into the tunnel. "Damnit, you need eyes like a dwarf to see down here. You got a light on you, Buckaroo?"
Ben hurried down the tunnel, not bothering to try to stay quiet. The light would warn anyone he was coming anyway, and he had to get the girl before anything even nastier could happen to her. He kept one hand on his gun as he went, though, and his sharp green eyes peeled for trouble.
As she quickly lights her hooded lantern, Bukaru calls over her shoulder to the others "There's a tunnel under the girl's bed, please follow us!" and follows Ben into the tunnel.
Keeping pace with Ben she says "Ben, why would there be a *tunnel* under the doctor's house?"
"Less'n McCady's a smuggler of some kind, I 'spect the critter made it. Seems likely, what with it endin' under the girl's bed. Could be there's a whole nest of 'em." The contained anger in his voice was reflected in his expression. "Shooter willin', there won't be when we bring her back."
Mal follows the others to the tunnel, an expression of both concern and annoyance across her face. "Monsters under the bed." she mutters.
Leland casts Lesser rejuvenate eidolon
"If there is a tunnel, let Gizmo take the lead, it can see in the dark."
If there are no objections, Gizmo will activate silent running mode and go into the tunnel to investigate.
The tunnel extends on and on for quite a while. At first it appears to be roughly hewn stone, but after about 40 feet the walls smoothen out. After nearly a 100 feet of a tunnel that gently slopes down, you begin to hear what sounds like heavy steam-powered machinery.
You also hear some voices shouting over the machines. But the words or even the language are impossible to make out.
"Leland, can you communicate with your...creature? Can it scout ahead and tell you what it sees?"
Ben's face had grown progressively darker as they made their way deeper into the strange tunnel, but he nodded at Bukaru's suggestion. "If it's more of them things, and they really do read minds, they'll have trouble reading the "mind" of your contraption. If it can stay out of sight, Buckaroo's idea is a good one." He looked around at the smooth-cut walls and shook his head. "Whatever's goin' on here, it's bigger than McCady knew. Just you see if your thingamajig can find the girl."
Mal nods in agreement, her face betraying considerable concern about the sounds from within the tunnel. "Reckon," she mumbles. "This was locked from the outside. Ain't no tellin' what may be kept in here, prisoner or otherwise."
"I can, albeit briefly. Let's see what we can do."
Leland sends Gizmo to investigate.
Leland gives the contraption and few moments to get into position and then activates his connection with Gizmo, to see what can be seen
Gizmo slinks away much quieter than one might imagine a machine to be able.
Gizmo remains undetected as it notices 3 small, bald creatures toiling away at a machine. They are feeding coal into some sort of device. There appears to be some sort of magical darkness obscuring the machine even from Gizmo's senses.
The small creatures are harried by a vicious looking medium-sized creature with a whip.
The small creatures are Svirfneblin. Distant cousins of the gnomes.
The creature with a whip is a hobgoblin.
Assuming Leland passes on that info, asking Leland (aka Ray) : "Can Gizmo see any other exits from that room?"
To everyone : "Since it looks like they're prisoners, do you suppose the small bald creatures would help us take down the guy with the whip?"
Gizmo sees a door and 2 other tunnels. The room itself is roughly 50 by 50 feet, but with machinery everywhere, making terrain difficult in some places, if not outright impassable.
The ceiling is about 20 feet up and covered with stalactites and what look to be ventilation shafts.
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"Ain't like no creatures I ever heard of." Mal mutters, hating that she has to be cautious. "Seems possible that the little ones could be of use. Reckon we'd have to unleash Perdition on the big one. Long as the the small critters are more scared of them than us, ain't like to help any."
"Could have Gizmo get the drop on the guy with the whip and we can run in for support. It seems a waste to lose the element of surprise."
"Looks like a hobgoblin. Tough bastard. Even if your Gizmo there don't hurt him, so long as he's distracted the rest of us might be able to get the drop on him," Ben mused. "Them there little fellas might join in if there ain't no more of the big boy there down here, but chances are they'll just run."
He drew his strange-looking refurbished gun with the certainty of death in his eyes. "Either way, big boy there is goin' down. You all jump him, and I'll..." He glanced cooly at Mal, his eyes lingering a moment on her pistol. "Me an' Mal will step in once we got his attention. Blow him clean to Kingdom Come."
So, sending in Gizmo first (for 1 exchange of blows by itself?), then the gunslingers follow. I'll stay in the rear, but close enough to keep everyone within healing range and provide light with my lantern.
At Leland's mental urging, Gizmo bursts out of hiding and charges the hobgob:
The Hobgoblin howls as he is ripped into by Gizmo's powerful claws. But he doesn't go down. Instead he yells out, "Varmints! We gots varmints!"
Mallory Lewis Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Leland Hopkins Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Hobgoblin Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Benjamin Dalton Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Bukaru Initiative: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (6) + 0 = 6
Wait a minute, we're not the "varmints", they are! :)
Following immediately after Gizmo, Mallory leaps out around the corner without waiting for Ben, her gun already firing as she clears the corner.
Leland will hang out in the shadows and Gizmo will attack: