Up From Darkness, a horror themed game (Inactive)

Game Master baldwin the merciful

Akio and Hajime hit the Kumo-Gaki with their attacks.

To your horror you see that the kumo-gaki, body underwent a
massive metamorphosis when it was formed, among other things growing an
extra pair of arms, poison glands, a web-spittle gland, and spider-like eyes.

RD 1 - Update

Akio- moved up next to Masumi and hit with the ghost weapon 11 HP
hajime - hit with ranged touch spell 8 hp
Takeo
Kuma Gaki
Masumi
Kichiro

The stair runds are crouwed now with Masumi and Akio hanging on, Hajime aimed her spell from a distance. The creature climbs the wall with ease, having four arms and the ability to crawl like a spider on the wall.

RD 1: Kuma-Gaki

the creature scalses the shaft's wall without need to hang onto the rungs. It approaches face first and take a bite at Masumi

biting the flat footed samurai

bite: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12;damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
plus poison fort save DC 14 dex: 1d3 ⇒ 2 for 8 rounds.

I assume the bone spear at will ability is a standard action so no attadk this round

Takeo looks up at the beast. Seeing no way to engage he hangs on with one are am extrudes a spear of bone into his right hand. He looks up again repaired to throw the spear at the beast.

Here is a profile view of the shafts. The bottom floor is the room that gave you vertigo.

PROFILE

RD 1 - Update

Akio- moved up next to Masumi and hit with the ghost weapon 11 HP
hajime - hit with ranged touch spell 8 hp
Takeo - extrudes bone spear and hangs on the rung.
Kuma Gaki - attacked and missed Masumi
Masumi
Kichiro - unable to position self to get in the combat.

Masumi still has his RD 1 action.

--------
RD 2

Akio-
hajime -
Takeo
Kuma Gaki
Masumi
Kichiro

Sorry, was waiting for confirmation it missed. Can Masumi reposition without drawing an AoO. Letting someone else in and either flanking or aiding another? Or is he already flanking and can sneak attack?

withdraw is the only way to reposition from here without drawing an AoO.

To visualize what is happening, you have yourself and Akio sharing ladder run, handing on with one arm using the weapon with the other. Poking up over your head. While the creature is facing down at you over head in the shaft he walks like spider and has 4 arms, so he is not constrained to the step (of course he's not). You can't get by him to flank without drawing an AOO

Some PCs have armor that will help on the climb checks:

Sorry, busy... Withdraw, let another fighter closer. I have low to-hit & 1d4+2. Ick.

RD 2

Akio-
hajime -
Takeo
Kuma Gaki
Masumi - withdrew, leaving room for another to get into postion to attack
Kichiro

Pssst - Akio's still up front, Masumi withdrew.

Akio takes another couple of swings at the Kuma-Gaki, and again injures the creature.

Attack (+2 Ghost Touch Katana): 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 12 + 2 = 29
Damage (+2 Ghost Touch Katana): 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 6 + 2 = 14

Attack (+2 Ghost Touch Katana): 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 7 + 2 = 17
Damage (+2 Ghost Touch Katana): 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 6 + 2 = 11

I fixed it...just put the summary under the wrong name.

The first attack hits the creature but your second on misses Akio.

RD 2

Akio- hits and the creature with the first strike and it looks in bad shape.
hajime -
Takeo
Kuma Gaki
Masumi - withdrew, leaving room for another to get into postion to attack
Kichiro

Takeo rears back and throws his spear at the beast

attack: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 8 - 4 = 20 -4 for shooting into combat
damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4 DC 16 fort save or +1 damage

Takeo's aim is true and the creature dies.

50% chance that it will fall on PCs below: 1d100 ⇒ 84

The creature drops down the shaft narrowly missing the others.

You emerge into a pitch black fifty-foot square chamber has a twenty-foot high ceiling. The walls and ceiling of the chamber are roughly carved stone.

By no the first torch you have lit is about to flicker out of existence. Anyone carrying another unlit torch that you can light?

Profile Map view

In the room your light begins to flicker, a new torch needs to be lit, but you hear some fluttering overhead but can not only those with dark or low light vision can see.

Room 9 Map

can any of us see them, I thought we all are human? If we see them I will recoment Kichiro to move and channel negative energy to hit them all. I will do the same if his does not drop them all

The bone guys might, Hagime can cast light... Always has it on?

Hajime can cast light, I was not sure if she has it one when the torches were lit. If she does, not a problem then.

Hajime has been keeping her light spell up. No way she is going to risk being in the dark in this place. Weird stuff keeps happening.

Also, how high up is the ceiling with the stirges? Some of my spells have a rather short range.

The ceiling is 20 feet high and you notice that there are iron rungs at the base of each of the four shaft openings at the top of the room. Here and there on the floor are small pieces of stirge, remnants of stirges which found their way into the belly of one of the kumo-gaki.

25% chance stirges attack: 1d100 ⇒ 99

The stirges survival instinct has taken over, obviously concerned about being eaten, as they cling to darker areas of the ceiling. Their high pitched chirping a bit nerve wracking.

You notice there are no lids at the top of each shaft; the risk of potentially falling becomes more deadly at each level.

Have you all decided how you're going to proceed?

We could use pitons and blankets to cover up the holes in the floor (to keep us from falling too far), and there was a grappling hook in the equipment room - did anyone grab it? We could hook it on a lower rung, knot some rope, and climb that way.

If we're agreed we're in this together, let's use rope as a safety, that way if one falls, the others can help.

I thought Takeo grabbed the grappling hook, if not you can say that Kichiro has it to speed thing sup a bit..

The group is able to stretch a blanket/tarp over the hold and use a couple nails to keep it tight, while still making sure you won't hit your head on an iron nail if you would wall. The sound stirs the striges.

Attack % 25: 1d100 ⇒ 21
Number: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Two stirges come down from the ceiling at the sound and attack. They are near the center of the group within range of everyone to hit.

Initiative order:

Masumi
Akio
Hajime
Takeo
Stirge 2
Kichiro
Strige 1

MAP

Rd 1: Begins

Dropping the knife, Masumi draws his longbow and looses an arrow.

Attack 1, mw longbow: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 8 + 1 = 23
Damage, flat-footed: 1d8 + 4d6 ⇒ (2) + (2, 3, 4, 2) = 13

One of the striges is now pinned to the wall, quite dead.

Akio swings at the nearest stirge.

Attack (+2 Ghost Touch Katana): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33
Damage (+2 Ghost Touch Katana, Two-Handed): 1d8 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17
Confirm (+2 Ghost Touch Katana): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18
Damage (+2 Ghost Touch Katana, Two-Handed): 1d8 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13

Attack (+2 Ghost Touch Katana): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Damage (+2 Ghost Touch Katana, Two-Handed): 1d8 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

The second daring stirge is in 68 pieces on the floor after Akio's brutal attack.

Figured I'd teach the others a lesson they wouldn't soon forget...

Approx, how many left?

It looks like 15 to 20 stirges are remaining. They have moved a bit farther away from you.

Do we take them out? Anything up your sleeve, Hajime? I dislike the thought of them swarming up a shaft after us.

"Let me move up a little closer to them and see what I can do to deter them."

Hajime tries to get close enough to use burning hands upon the swarm.

damage 4d4 ⇒ (1, 1, 2, 2) = 6

Ranged... fire. Masumi lays down supporting fire, targeting the further ones.

Hajime, one of the stirges drops dead to your touch.

The stirges move farther away from the party after Hajime's attack but you sense they could all strike if provoked.

Where are you heading and what are you going to try to accomplish?

Asking the others to keep an eye on the stirges, Masumi tries to gain the lower rung using the grappling hook.

Make toss of the grappling hook Massumi... Let's say it's a Ranged attack AC10

Grapnel: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Climb: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (8) + 21 = 29

Masumi you manage to hook rung and climb up into the shaft. The stirges squawk but don't attack.

I need everyone to make there climb checks (2) to get up through the shaft and into the room above. I also need to know the order once you get in the shaft and are about to leave to get into the next room.

DMPC - Kichiro

climb: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (13) + 15 = 28
climb: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16

Kichiro makes it up the shaft.

Can Masumi help/aid?

Sure Mausmi can aid, I ill need one more climb roll for you as you make it through the shaft into the room.

Climb: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (9) + 21 = 30

You will obviously make the climb. I'm going to let the others check in an make the their climb rolls but if they haven't by tomorrow I'll DMPC those to get the scene moving.