The Ogon Fox |
"Quand vous serez prêt, Cardinal Lucius, je vous suivrai."
Michael Johnson 66 |
The Basilica of St Peter is connected with the Castel Sant'Angelo via a covered walkway, down which Pope Eugenius leads the six adventurers...
Within this mighty fortress, formerly the Mausoleum of Hadrian, a collection of arms, armor, and equipment is stored in the armory.
Each PC can take up to 500 gp worth of additional weapons, armor, or adventuring gear! Post what your character selects in Gameplay...
Johann Kaltgeboren |
Johann walks past the rows and rows and weapons and mail. The smell of steel is strong, and it assaults his nose. To think all of the industry behind the art of war, all of the money, when one should be able to simply attack with claws and teeth. And a good stick. A good stick always comes in handy. Ol' pa used to say that one skilled in a long stick could beat a man with a sword two out of three times. Johann grabs a quarterstaff. (0 gold)
"DON'T WORRY, FRIENDS. I WILL TAKE CARE OF OUR LIGHT ISSUES." Johann fills his pockets with sunrods, and also finds a small rope that he can use to tie an active sunrod to his armor. (Takes 25 of them, 50 gold).
My job as their protector is to stand in front of my new friends and prevent them from getting hurt. That means pain for me, but it can't be worse than that one time I accidentally chopped to my leg bone with pa's axe. He gave me... one of these thingys.
Johann finds a stash of potions and grab 9 of them. (9 cure light wounds potions, 450 gold)
Michael Johnson 66 |
Quinlan Ifrean |
Quinlan walks around half mumbling to himself and half speaking to his companions. "Not much of a fighter but you never know, I'd rather not stick my hands directly into a walking corpse." He wiggles his fingers to display his claws, then picks up a solid oak staff. "Might as well grab extras" he picks up some extra crossbow bolts and several vials. "and these look quite helpful." He pulls quite a few flasks of holy water from the shelves as well as some other bottles. "I believe that's all for me."
20 cold iron crossbow bolts. 4 gp
20 crossbow bolts (silvered). 2 gp
quarterstaff. 0 gp
6 (2 used on bolts) doses of silver weapon blanch. 30 gp
6 flask of holy water. 250 gp
2 potions of cure light wounds. 100 gp
2 potions of hide from undead. 100 gp
Zagathoth |
The orc’s eyes go wide as they walk into the armory. ”I have never seed so much blades and armor in one place,” he marvels as he begins examining and testing various weapons. After a few minutes he has claimed a very well made new sword, replaced his greataxe with a cold-forged one of dwarven make, and found the shiniest mace in the room to grab.
masterwork falchion (375g), exchange greataxe for cold iron greataxe (20g), alchemical silver heavy mace (102g)
Arc Perdu le Rouge |
Ever one to pack light, Arc opts for a few items of significant value rather than many items of lesser value.
Masterwork longsword - 315gp
Two flasks of holy water - 50gp
Four holy weapon balms - 120gp
The Ogon Fox |
4 scrolls of magic weapon = 100gp
2 scrolls of obscuring mist = 50gp
2 scrolls of detect secret doors = 50gp
4 alkali flasks = 60gp
4 alchemist's fire = 80gp
2 holy water flasks = 50gp
1 potion of cure light wounds = 50gp
1 portable ram = 10gp
50ft silk rope = 10gp
grappling hook = 1gp
Total = 461gp
The Ogon Fox picks and chooses several scrolls and flasks of different liquids which he carefully puts in his backpack. He finds a grappling hook and fine rope which he loops through his belt. Finally, he grabs a small log that is shod in iron on one end with a couple handles on it. He walks over to Zagathoth and holds it up to him.
"You will make good use of this if we need to break down any doors," he says in English, then looks to Lucius to translate to Spanish.
Johann Kaltgeboren |
Waiting for the others to pick their gear, Johann approaches one of the guards. "SO...AH, BEEN IN ROME AWHILE?" Right. "Ah, sorry about that, ol 'ma always told me to keep my voice down. I'm sure you good fellows must talk to the townfolk, eh? So, you have any idea what kind of monsters people are seeing down in the Catacombs? And do you feel like they are getting out into the city anywhere?"
Vatican guard |
I am Roman, sir, was born here... I have heard some talk of skeletons, zombies, ghouls and ghasts creeping forth from the catacombs by night to prey on the living! I have also seen some pretty big rats, spiders, scorpions, and other giant vermin crawl in and out of the holes that lead down to the catacombs... It is said that the deepest levels connect with the Underworld! If so, it wouldn't be a surprise to encounter demons and devils down there...
Johann Kaltgeboren |
"So... ah... you know. We are going down there. Hope to kill Nero. Should be in and out and have the business done by nightfall. Don't see why not. We will need to pick a location to enter the place. Do you know what entrance is closest to the homes of the poor? I always felt the poor needed protecting first, because they are least able to protect themselves."
The Ogon Fox |
"Hope to kill Nero. Should be in and out and have the business done by nightfall. Don't see why not."
The Fox rolls his eyes and shakes his head.
Johann Kaltgeboren |
"WELL, THEN, IT IS SETTLED! WE MUST PROTECT THE POOR IN THE SHANTY TOWN! WE MUST! RIGHT, CARDINAL? AND THEN WE END THIS THREAT ONCE AND FOR ALL. MAYBE BY TOMORROW NIGHT." Johann looks over at the Fox and glares, daring him to say something.
Arc Perdu le Rouge |
“Never underestimate that which is unknown,” Arc adds in a cautionary tone. “Our foes come from Hell itself, and while we cannot afford to fear them, we must respect the threat they pose to us all.” For the time being, he tries to help the other party members gather and sort their equipment for the long journey ahead.
What can one small brotherhood do against the horrible powers I have seen firsthand?
Zagathoth |
Zagathoth does his best to follow the conversation but his brow furrows deeper and deeper as he continually misses the subtleties of the exchanges. Eventually the confused orc abandons his attempt to keep up and simply asks, ”Skeletons?!? Bones with no flesh? How would this hurt people?”
Cardinal Lucius d'Borja |
"Skeletons are dangerous my son. They move under dark magic and have none of the human weaknesses - no pain, no thirst."
Lucius retains his position in the middle of the group, translating back and forth as needed. He claims a small selection of potions and scrolls for himself and waits until the rest of the group are ready before leading the way to the catacombs.
1 x Lvl 2 Scroll (150gp), 6 x Lvl 1 Scroll (150gp), 4 x lvl 1 potion (200gp). I'll pick spells in a bit, mostly curative I imagine although probably some Hide from Undead.
Michael Johnson 66 |
INTO THE DARKNESS...
Having equipped themselves with superior arms, armor, and gear for dungeon delving, the adventurers follow Cardinal Lucius through the ancient, bustling, cobbled streets of Rome to the outskirts of the city, where lies the dark, cave-like entrance to the Catacombs of San Callisto...
Arc Perdu le Rouge |
Assuming that Zagathoth and Johann are our de facto front line, Arc will be right after them so he’s not too far behind in melee.
Michael Johnson 66 |
The Ogon Fox |
Please decide on a standard marching order for 10-ft-wide corridors and 20-ft-wide corridors...
Here's our marching order. I don't think we'll make any change between 10ft and 20ft corridors.
(front)
Johann | Zagathoth
Arc | Ogon Fox
Quinlan
Lucius
(back)
Johann Kaltgeboren |
Johann cracks his first sunrod and ties it to his armor. The bright light radiates out and dispels the darkness while create long ominous shadows at the same time.
The darkness, and the possibility of danger, are a continuous reminder to Johann to talk quietly.
In a buzzing that sounds like a really loud bee, he says, "My eyes can see far with just a bit of light, and orcs don't need any light at all. Evil will soon fall before us and we will be eating honey and drinking mead with the blonde wench before she even has realized we left!"
Presuming you allow this, both of Johann's hand are free.
Quinlan Ifrean |
Quinlan walks behind the others quietly thinking to himself. If I had known I would be crawling through the catacombs looking for undead I might have prepared different spells this morning. Hopefully these fellows are as strong as they are confident.
Zagathoth |
If you tie it to yourself it will only cast light in one direction... if you tie it to the front of you everyone behind us will be in your shadow (and have all the problems/penalties of being in darkness); if you tie it to your back they’ll all be able to see around them but none of you will be able to see ahead of us...
As the door swings open, Zagathoth draws his new sword and smiles. When Johann starts trying to tie a brightly glowing stick to himself the orc raises his eyebrow in bemusement.
Arc Perdu le Rouge |
Arc holds his journal tightly against his chest and utters a prayer before tucking the book into its designated satchel. Pausing only to make sure his various spell components and adventuring tools are readily accessible on his belt, he draws his longsword and takes his place close to the front of the group.
The Ogon Fox |
The Ogon Fox doesn't know much about the undead--no more than an average person. But they're not the kind of foes he would seek out on his own. His confidence is boosted, however, by the presence of these others with him. Cardinal Lucius, whose knowledge and experience in the church have surely prepared him for such as this. Johann and Zagathoth, who just might be scary enough to scare the living dead. He's not yet sure whether Arc and Quinlan are any better suited to this than he is, but there is more safety in numbers, at least.
Michael Johnson 66 |
Presuming you allow this, both of Johann's hand are free.
That’s fine, Johann has both paws free lol... Zagathoth makes good points, however... Johann sees ahead of himself fine, but those behind him do not benefit fully from the light source with it tied to the front of his armor...
Johann Kaltgeboren |
Johann Kaltgeboren wrote:Presuming you allow this, both of Johann's hand are free.That’s fine, Johann has both paws free lol... Zagathoth makes good points, however... Johann sees ahead of himself fine, but those behind him do not benefit fully from the light source with it tied to the front of his armor...
C'mon... Light sourcing in Pathfinder is never realistic. Usually people cast a light spell on a sword or a shield. Why is that any different? Is this really worth worrying about?
Michael Johnson 66 |
CATACOMBS SAN CALLISTO, area 1
Johann (having strapped the sunrod on in a way that allows the light to radiate in all directions--atop his shaggy head like a miner's lamp) and Zagathoth lead the way into the Stygian gloom of the Catacombs of San Callisto, cautiously descending a flight of broad, rough-hewn stairs, worn smooth by the tread of countless feet over the long centuries since the catacombs were delved...
Arc and the Ogon Fox follow close behind in second rank...
Quinlan and Cardinal Lucius follow in the rearguard...
The flight of stairs descends 60 feet from the entrance to a great, diamond-shaped, vaulted chamber, 40 feet across and 20 feet high, with dark archways opening onto 10-foot-wide-by-15-ft-high corridors to the northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest...
The hewn stone floor is lightly littered with the bones and skulls of humanoids and beasts...
Michael Johnson 66 |
As the six adventurers reach the diamond-shaped vault and begin to peer into the darkened corridors beyond the seven archways...
Perception checks vs DC 10:
Johann 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Zagathoth 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Arc 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (12) - 1 = 11
Ogon Fox 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Quinlan 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Lucius 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25
Distracted by the grim sight of humanoid skeletal remnants mingled with the bones and skulls of less identifiable beasts, Quinlan fails to notice (at first) the sudden appearance in the northeast archway of a pair of thin, pale humanoids, with sunken eyes like glowing embers, unnaturally long tongues lolling from toothy mouths, and long, bloodstained claws instead of hands, clad only in tattered and bloodstained funeral shrouds worn like togas!
The others certainly do notice, especially when the pair of ghastly figures hiss and creep into the vault, and a horrific stench of decay hits them like a sickening miasma!
Quinlan is surprised, so we have a surprise round in which everyone, including the two "ghastly figures", gets a single move or standard action (plus free action or swift action)... Rolling initiatives in the next post...
Cardinal Lucius d'Borja |
Knw Rel: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
"Ghouls!" Lucius shouts, "Be on your guard!" He shouts in spanish, mentally cursing for a moment the group's linguistic diversity and privately vowing to learn the groups english as soon as possible.
From the back of the group he draws his longsword and begins the Lord's Prayer, his voice sonorous in the dark catacombs. "Pater noster, qui es in caelis."
The Ogon Fox |
His nerves already on high alert, the Ogon Fox reacts quickly as he yelps in surprise, summoning and throwing a small bolt of golden lightning in the general direction of the wretched creatures.
Mystic Bolt: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
They would have soft cover (+4 AC) from my ranged attack, too, because I'm shooting past Arc and Quinlan.
Unfortunately, "general direction" is the best that can be said of his hasty aim as the electricity flies by the ghasts and dissipates harmlessly against the catacomb wall.
Johann Kaltgeboren |
Are we playing combat where everyone can go in between the monster's turns, in any order?
Johann growls at the appearance of the ghasts. He bellows, "EVERYONE, STEP BACK! LET THEM COME TO US!" Johnann's face contorts in anger and he looks even more bear-like than normal. His body hunches over, as if desiring to run on all fours.
Johann activates his minor aspect of the bear, granting +2 constitution for a minute as a swift action. +1 HP. woot-woot. He is also in his skinwalker shape with his bite attack active. He did enter the catacombs in that manner but I failed to mention it.
The Ogon Fox |
For my free action I'll make a 5ft step north (back toward the stairs). From the perspective of that wide view photo, it's moving to the right, so I believe I'd end adjacent to Lucius.
Michael Johnson 66 |
Are we playing combat where everyone can go in between the monster's turns, in any order?
Everyone can post their intended actions whenever, and I will sort them into initiative order... You don't have to wait until it's actually your turn to post.
So far, Johann growls, "Everyone, step back! Let them come to us!" as he activates minor aspect of the bear... Then Lucius draws his longsword, rolls a Knowledge (religion) check, warns, "Ghouls! Be on your guard!" and begins to pray the Our Father in Latin... Then Ogon Fox misses with his mystic bolt and shifts back toward Lucius... Now it's technically Arc's turn, then Zagathoth, and then the ghouls... Then the surprise round is over and Quinlan can act at the top of regular round #1...
Michael Johnson 66 |
For my free action I'll make a 5ft step north (back toward the stairs). From the perspective of that wide view photo, it's moving to the right, so I believe I'd end adjacent to Lucius.
Like THIS?
Arc Perdu le Rouge |
Upon seeing the ghasts enter the radius of Johann's light, Arc uses his free hand to pull one of his flasks of holy water from his belt, waiting for his targets to get within range.
The Ogon Fox |
The Ogon Fox wrote:For my free action I'll make a 5ft step north (back toward the stairs). From the perspective of that wide view photo, it's moving to the right, so I believe I'd end adjacent to Lucius.Like THIS?
Exactly. =) Also, on maps going forward it would be nice to have a simple compass rose (just an arrow and the N would do) to make it easy to say what direction we're moving.
Michael Johnson 66 |
Michael Johnson 66 wrote:Exactly. =) Also, on maps going forward it would be nice to have a simple compass rose (just an arrow and the N would do) to make it easy to say what direction we're moving.The Ogon Fox wrote:For my free action I'll make a 5ft step north (back toward the stairs). From the perspective of that wide view photo, it's moving to the right, so I believe I'd end adjacent to Lucius.Like THIS?
Okay, I will make sure the compass rose is visible in the future... There is actually one on that mat, indicating that the stairs are to the north, but it got cropped out of the photo... So Ogon Fox shifted 5 feet north of his starting position, FYI...