The Year of Our Lord 1437 Pathfinder RAW PBP (Inactive)

Game Master Michael Johnson 66

The Fox lets out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding as their brief battle comes to an end.

"Well, my friends, it seems we can now add 'Dragonslayer' to our growing list of epithets. Well done!"

After the loot is properly stowed, Johann looks around. "WHERE DOES THIS LEAD NEXT? IS THERE A WAY OUT OF HERE, OR DO WE GO BACK TO THE JUNCTION?"

No secret doors here... Now must the Crusaders return to the junction and choose the unknown...

Returning to the junction, the Crusaders see an opalescent glow radiating from the chamber beyond...

The Fox assumes his tiny fox shape and then moves carefully into the room, nose sniffing the air and ears pricked up, eyes scanning the room. Orpheus perches on the fox's back, which looks a little comical compared to his usual perch on the Fox's shoulder in his larger, normal form.
Perception (additional +2 is from Awareness feat from familiar): 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 10 + 2 = 15

Don't forget, Orpheus can roll too (or assist you)

Also- were people cool with me grabbing the ring of protection? Because I'll be wearing that already if they are...

Lucius passes the ring to Zagathoth. "This will protect you my Son, wear it well."

He then raises the elixir of Athena to his lips and drinks it down in one long gulp, before looking at the bottle in mild surprise.

"I can't say I expected the taste of mint..."

In the next chamber the Cardinal observes from a distance while the Fox makes a closer inspection.

Perception: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (9) + 16 = 25

MAP OF THE THIRD LEVEL

If you zoom in on the chamber with all the symbols on the floor tiles, this next part will be easier to understand...

The floor of this chamber is completely tiled with 5-foot-square marble tiles, each engraved with a brightly glowing picture or symbol of some kind; these glowing symbols are the source of the opalescent glow...

North (top) row, from left to right: STAR; WAND; CROWN; DEVIL; SHIELD; SKULL AND CROSSBONES
Second row, left to right: BEAR; BEE; SEA; HORSE SHOE; EGG; ANKH
Third row, left to right: APPLE; BAT; CUP; HEART; FLAME; FISH
Fourth row, left to right: SCYTHE; SUN; RAKE; SNAKE; GOAT; CROSS
Fifth row, left to right: FOOT; RAIN; EYE; HAND; MOON; PENTAGRAM
Sixth (bottom) row, left to right: WEAPONS; MASK; JESTER; SKULL AND CROSSBONES; HAMMER; INFINITY

An open archway leads out of the south wall of this chamber to further areas of this level...

Assuming that Fox stopped at the threshold instead of stepping into the chamber yet...

This looks like an ominous puzzle for us to solve... Crossing the chamber on foot requires us to walk across these glowing symbols...Not an encouraging proposition... Trying to fly across might prove our best option... Unless this is a deadly trap that punishes flying creatures...

From the southern archway can be heard a moan of either pain or pleasure... Sense Motive DC 15...followed by a refined male baritone voice singing sweetly, in Italian...

Vieni via con me, bellezza mia! Vieni con me! Andiamo! Andiamo! Why, my dear Donna Bella, I do believe we have dinner guests at the foyer! I do hope they can get past the simple, silly little security puzzle so they can join us! We haven’t had visitors in sooo long! Hahaha!

Of course they will solve the silly puzzle, my darling! It’s so elementary... replies a sweet alto voice...

Ignoring for the moment the voices from the southern archway as he scrutinizes the tiles with their glowing symbols, Quinlan says, Hmmm... Now I wish I’d learned summon monster I... Would be handy to have a summoned creature test the tiles...

If perhaps a bit cruel... remarks Orpheus...

If perhaps a bit cruel... remarks Orpheus...

Hey, we don’t know what’s gonna happen... could be something good happens when you step on the right tiles, we don’t know... It’s not cruel, thrush!... I mean, we wouldn’t send a valued familiar like yourself to test out the trap—er, puzzle! So just...give me a break, okay!? I’m just thinking out loud here!

Looks at Quinlan reproachfully...

Hmmm... I’m not so confident in these would-be dinner guests, lovey... They sound like buffoons...

Where are your manners, darling? They aren’t buffoons... they are perhaps illiterate, however... and that would certainly make it more difficult to solve the puzzle, would it not, darling?

Johann drinks a potion of cure serious wounds, 3d8 + 10 ⇒ (3, 3, 8) + 10 = 24, which restore him to full health, and then places the empty glass vial onto the puzzle board.

elementary, illterate... we have to spell something. But what letters count. The first letter in each word?

If it is the alphabet, it could be apple, bee, cup,devil, egg, fish. The problem with that is it doesn't bring you to the opening, it brings you to the south of the room, but I suppose that could disable the whole thing.

Johann puts the glass vial on the apple tile and steps back.

Johann drinks a potion of cure serious wounds, 3d8+10, which restore him to full health, and then places the empty glass vial onto the puzzle board.

elementary, illterate... we have to spell something. But what letters count. The first letter in each word?

If it is the alphabet, it could be apple, bee, cup,devil, egg, fish. The problem with that is it doesn't bring you to the opening, it brings you to the south of the room, but I suppose that could disable the whole thing.

Johann puts the glass vial on the apple tile and steps back.

Nothing happens...

Crown devil egg fish might be a possibility because it is contiguous

"OLD MA AND OLD PA TAUGHT ME MY NURSERY RHYMES WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. NEVER THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD COME IN HANDY. I'LL GIVE THIS A SHOT."

Johann concentrates a second to flash in his bearish nature. [gain +2 Con for a minute to help with HP.]

Johann begins to slowly step across the patterns... Apple, Bee, Crown, Devil, Egg, Fish...

If this isn't the right pattern and he gets damaged, he will pause jump back on the previous safe tile to reconsider

Johann proceeds across the aforementioned tiles without harm or incident...

Well done Johann!

Zagathoth furrows his brow as bear begins carefully maneuvering across seemingly random tiles. After a moment his grin returns and he declares, ”in English they make the ABCs! Fish... goat... hand... iye... jester!”

Well done Johann!

Zagathoth furrows his brow as bear begins carefully maneuvering across seemingly random tiles. After a moment his grin returns and he declares, ”in English they make the ABCs! Fish... goat... hand... iye... jester!”

Bravo! Nicely done, Johann and Zagathoth! Lol!

It looks like the clues might have helped him. That’s exactly the kind of solution I had in mind when I said it’s extra hard without context... that wouldn’t be the right order if the creator was using Latin or some other language!

Solving so cunning a puzzle trap (if I do say so myself lol) has elevated the Crusaders of the Catacombs to a new level in the Game of Mortals... The Seventh Level!

With a brief thought and a quick spin, Johann curls into his emperor cobra form. His teeth look bigger, sharper, and altogether deadly. He opens his mouth in a yawn and you see his teeth glimmer like silver.

"PHHHISSSSSS. HHISSSS."

Translated for Zag: Vampires on the menu?

Why, I do believe you were correct about our dinner guests, my dear!

Of course, darling! They are not complete buffoons... They solved the puzzle rather quickly! Now... let us welcome them to our repast...

Before Emperor Cobra Johann can slither across the goat, hand, eye or jester tiles, a couple dressed in the latest Italian fashion, impeccably groomed and attractive of form, appear at the south archway and occupy the jester and eye tiles, smiling and waving at the Crusaders in welcome!

Benvenuto, our dear guests! says the woman gleefully...

Yes! Welcome! Welcome! sings the man in baritone melody...

INITIATIVES:
QUINLAN 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
VAMPIRES (2) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
COBRA JOHANN 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22
CARDINAL LUCIUS 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
OGON FOX 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
ZAGATHOTH 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

VAMPIRES ATTACK IN THE PUZZLE ROOM!! EEEEKK!!! ROUND 1!! FIGHT!!

VAMPIRES TWO!
QUINLAN!
COBRA JOHANN!
CARDINAL LUCIUS!
ZAGATHOTH!
OGON FOX!
BOGA!

OOH OOH AH AH AH!!

Round 1:

Both vampires, fangs bared in malevolent grins, move along the safe tiles, closer to the great emperor cobra, until the male vampire is adjacent to Emperor Cobra Johann, and the female is behind the male, pushing his back as he attempts to bull rush the serpentine shapeshifter onto a dangerous tile!

Donna Bella aids Don Giovanni in his bull rush attempt...Aid another bull rush CMB 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25 succeeds, granting +2 to Don Giovanni’s bull rush CMB roll...

Don Giovanni, backed up by Donna Bella, pushes at Emperor Cobra Johann with all his vampiric might! Bull rush CMB with aid bonus 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27 vs Johann’s CMD 30 would only succeed on a natural 20!! But Emperor Cobra Johann is like an immovable object!

If Johann has Combat Reflexes, he gets an AoO...

With 10 foot reach and combat reflexes in snake form, does Johann attack both of them with an AoO? You may regret doing this! His fangs count as magic and silver.

Bite AoO & damage: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 293d6 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 1) + 8 + (6) = 25 str 5 bab 7 size-1 amulet 1 form 2; 1.5str 7 amulet 1 amulet acid d6

Bite AoO & damage: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 273d6 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 5) + 8 + (5) = 28 str 5 bab 7 size-1 amulet 1 form 2; 1.5str 7 amulet 1 amulet acid d6

----------------------------
Johann takes a moment to (swift action) his minor snake form, (granting some AoO to hit and AC bonuses.)

And then... he pounces on Donna Bella! With his long reach, Don Giovanni is simply too close!

Power attack

Bite Attack 1 & damage: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 113d6 + 14 + 1d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 5) + 14 + (3) = 29 str 5 bab 7 pwrattk -2 size-1 amulet 1; 1.5str 7 pwrattk 6 amulet 1 amulet acid d6
Bite Attack 2 & damage: 1d20 + 10 - 5 ⇒ (2) + 10 - 5 = 73d6 + 14 + 1d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 3) + 14 + (4) = 23 str 5 bab 7 pwrattk -2 size-1 amulet 1; 1.5str 7 pwrattk 6 amulet 1 amulet acid d6

Takes 25 damage from Johann’s first AoO bite!

HISSSS!!!

Takes 28 damage from Johann’s Second AoO bite!

UUHNNhh!!

She dodges the Emperor Cobra Johann’s next two strikes nimbly...

Round 1:

From the western archway, Quinlan chants words of evocation and drops a fireball behind the two vampires, just catching the undead in the edge of the blast (but only warming Cobra Johann up a little)!

Fireball deals 7d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 4, 4, 6, 6, 1) = 28 fire damage, Reflex 19 for half...

*KA-BOOOM!!!*

Reflex 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21 succeeds! Takes 14 fire damage...

AAAAARRRGHH!!!

Down 39 hp...

Reflex 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16 fails! Takes 28 fire damage...

GAAAAGHH!!!

Down 56 hp...

Moving carefully onto the apple tile, Boga holds forth the mummified Hand of Jan Hus that hangs around his neck, and it glows with a dazzling white light that envelops the vampires!

Channel positive energy to deal 3d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 4) = 12 damage to undead within 30 ft, Will DC 17 for half...

Will save 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (9) + 16 = 25 succeeds, takes 6 damage... Down 45 hp...

AAAGGHH!! Damned priest!!

Will save 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (4) + 16 = 20 succeeds, takes 6 more damage, for total of 62 damage!

OOOOHHH!! You WRETCHED little MAN!!

Lucius extends one hand, light welling up through his arm, giving his robes a remarkably bloody hue, before pooling in his palm and leaping out to strike Don Giovanni!

RT Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19 Damage: 7d8 ⇒ (5, 1, 8, 2, 5, 4, 4) = 29

We don't still have haste, do we? Oh yeah, it's only 1 round/level.
I haven't updated my profile, but 7th level will be my 6th level in vigilante (warlock). That gets me another vigilante talent, and I chose Arcane Striker:

Arcane Striker (Su): The warlock gains Arcane Strike as a bonus feat. At 12th level, when she activates Arcane Strike, she can choose to also give her weapons the flaming, frost, shock, or thundering weapon special ability. She makes this choice each time she activates Arcane Strike, and it lasts for the same duration. At 16th level, she adds anarchic, axiomatic, flaming burst, holy, icy burst, shocking burst, and unholy to the list of special abilities she can select. She can choose to apply an alignment-based weapon special ability only while in her vigilante identity, and only if it matches the alignment of her vigilante identity.

"Spending so much time in that serpent form must have increased your cunning, Johann," the Fox calls out. "There's no way you would have figured this thing out before!"

As the Fox finishes his backhanded compliment of Johann, he throws a small flash of lightning at the graceful Donna Bella...

swift action: activate Arcane Strike for +2 damage
standard action: attack
I'm guessing Zag will want to move along the safe tiles to get next to the vampires--so I'm going to stay out of his way and hang back here with the others.

Ranged Touch Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Electric Damage: 1d6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 1 + 2 = 8

"Psssss...Hisss...ppfffsss...ffppssssshhhhhhhhhh"

"Translate for me, Zag. Tell the Fox that my ma and pa spent time reading books to me instead of raping and pillaging on the Sea of Japan."

seriously though, the Bear has an intelligence of 10 but has a wisdom of 18 that comes from a proper raising by good parents! lol

Int: 1d20 ⇒ 1
lol. so... I know that ooc we know how the trap works, but Zag doesn't... so anyone who gets caught by this, I apologize (although, the trap has no way to know we're on 2 different sides, so it should help us too)...

"The bear says that his parents were reading when they were supposed to be raping in Japan," Zagathoth dutifully translates as he takes a few big steps forawrd. Then he makes a quick leap over to the eye tile, trapping the vampires between himself and the serpent.

I can't fail the DC to running jump 10'
Ref vs incoming lightning: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
so, that should be half damage, minus the ring... I'm assuming I'll still be on my feet after that...

As lightning arcs out from the slightly singed orc, he swings Doomcresent at the female vampire.
attack: 2d20 + 10 ⇒ (4, 2) + 10 = 16, for: 2d4 + 13 ⇒ (2, 1) + 13 = 16

edit: lol- I accidentally rolled 2d20 instead of 1, and both rolls were so bad that I didn't notice right away... that's actually only a 14 to hit.

The bad news is that Zag triggers a chain lightning, caster level 15, taking half of 15d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 4, 2, 5, 4, 3, 5, 1, 1, 1, 4, 4, 6, 1) = 47 electricity damage, so 23 electricity damage, and causing everyone else within 30 feet (I’m guessing most of if not all of the others lol) to take some damage as well (Ref DC 17 for everyone else to take half or 23 damage instead of the full 47)! The good news is that the EYE tile is a safe tile...

As soon as Zagathoth leaps into the air inside the puzzle chamber, he is blasted by a forking bolt of blue lightning that branches out from him to everyone else in the chamber, including the two vampires! He lands upon the eye tile, suffering no further consequence, and swings Doomcrescent at the vampiress, who dodges the blade!

Zag’s ring deducts 10 of the electricity damage, so only 13 damage to Zag...

Lucius extends one hand, light welling up through his arm, giving his robes a remarkably bloody hue, before pooling in his palm and leaping out to strike Don Giovanni!

[dice=RT Attack]d20+6 [dice=Damage]7d8

AAAAAAAAAOOOOOO!!!

The sacred light sears the unholy flesh of the vampire!

Down 74 hp!