The doll appears to be just that - a child's play doll. No magic detected at all.
Seeing little else of interest here you resign yourselves to the fact that Stephan has lost one of his brothers, yet the other one remains at large. Moving onto the next door reveals a well-appointed bedroom, where carpets and wallpaper cover the otherwise grim substance from which the house is constructed. Every available surface is covered in writing, lines of curly script that wind around the room in great arcs and spirals. A hanged body dangles from the ceiling, immobile in the still air.
Female LG follower of Sarenrae | human (actually mostly human Ifrit) | freckles, sweet, naive, fierce personality in battle | Outsider (Native), Humanoid (human) | Resistances: Elec. 3, Acid 3, Fire 2, Cold 3 | Smite 1/1 | Boots of Speed 10/10 | Swashbuckler 5, Paladin 2, Unchained Monk 3, Bloodrager 1 | HP 106/106 | Protector Familiar HP 53 | with mage armor/rage: AC 35, T 30, FF 24 | CMD 37 | F: +23, R: +25 (Evasion), W: +17 | Init: +13 | Perc: -2, SM: -2 | Ki Pool 7/7 | Stunning Fist 6/6 | Rage 6/6 | LoH 7/7 | Panache 6/6 + Plume 1/1 | Reroll 1/1 + Lesson of H. 1/1 | Eefriti Magic 1/1 | Darkvision 60ft | Speed 40ft | Active cond.: +4 Dex
"Pre... prepare yourself! Some... something is not right ... I ... I am detecting an ... an evil pre... presence!" Setare says and steps forward to the body to look at it in more detail.
Barley keeps his hand near the grip of his sword and edges towards the corpse. Hear Setare's warning, he carefully scrutinizes the room and any unusual details.
Kn Religion:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
-and sees nothing except Rilia's unceremoniously dumped body.
As Setare steps into the room the shadows in this bedchamber seem to grow darker, as a malignant cloud of shadows boils in the air above the corpse, its skeletal maw eerily babbling as the creature’s claws manifest from the darkness!
Knowledge (Religion) DC 14:
The remains of this creature is an allip, the spectral remains of someone driven to suicide by madness. It is undead and also incorporeal. Also some rare allips have developed the ability to physically manifest their babbled words into tangible, ectoplasmic script, expectorating their mutterings corporeally like tangled webs that drape across dungeon corridors and haunted hallways. You believe this is one of them!
For every 5 you beat the DC by you may select one of the items from this LIST to get information on.
Female Elf Bard 2/Cleric of Calistria 4 | hp 37 | AC 16 T 12 FF 14 | CMD 16 | F +4 R +6 W +11 (+2 v ench, +4 v bardic) | Spd 30' | Init +2 | Kn(Arc, His, Loc, Nob, Pla, Rel) +7, KnOther +3, Perc +12 (low-light), SensM +14 (+16 hunch) | Chan 5/5 | Perf 8/8 | clw wand 34/50 |
Don't forget....
Smite Evil wrote:
If the target of smite evil is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses [I'm guessing they mean paladin class level here]. Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess.
No problem :) Can her performance offer both countersong and inspire courage, or is it an either/or thing? If a performance has already been started, does she need to spend a standard action switching between the two types of performances?
Female Elf Bard 2/Cleric of Calistria 4 | hp 37 | AC 16 T 12 FF 14 | CMD 16 | F +4 R +6 W +11 (+2 v ench, +4 v bardic) | Spd 30' | Init +2 | Kn(Arc, His, Loc, Nob, Pla, Rel) +7, KnOther +3, Perc +12 (low-light), SensM +14 (+16 hunch) | Chan 5/5 | Perf 8/8 | clw wand 34/50 |
barding:
A bard is trained to use the Perform skill to create magical effects on those around him, including himself if desired. He can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier. At each level after 1st a bard can use bardic performance for 2 additional rounds per day. Each round, the bard can produce any one of the types of bardic performance that he has mastered, as indicated by his level.
Starting a bardic performance is a standard action, but it can be maintained each round as a free action. Changing a bardic performance from one effect to another requires the bard to stop the previous performance and start a new one as a standard action. A bardic performance cannot be disrupted, but it ends immediately if the bard is killed, paralyzed, stunned, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from taking a free action to maintain it each round. A bard cannot have more than one bardic performance in effect at one time.
At 7th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a move action instead of a standard action. At 13th level, a bard can start a bardic performance as a swift action.
Each bardic performance has audible components, visual components, or both.
If a bardic performance has audible components, the targets must be able to hear the bard for the performance to have any effect, and many such performances are language dependent (as noted in the description). A deaf bard has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with an audible component. If he fails this check, the attempt still counts against his daily limit. Deaf creatures are immune to bardic performances with audible components.
If a bardic performance has a visual component, the targets must have line of sight to the bard for the performance to have any effect. A blind bard has a 50% chance to fail when attempting to use a bardic performance with a visual component. If he fails this check, the attempt still counts against his daily limit. Blind creatures are immune to bardic performances with visual components.
[Abbreviated] List of Bardic Performances:
Countersong (Su): At 1st level, a bard learns to counter magic effects that depend on sound (but not spells that have verbal components.) Each round of the countersong he makes a Perform (keyboard, percussion, wind, string, or sing) skill check. Any creature within 30 feet of the bard (including the bard himself) that is affected by a sonic or language-dependent magical attack may use the bard’s Perform check result in place of its saving throw if, after the saving throw is rolled, the Perform check result proves to be higher. If a creature within range of the countersong is already under the effect of a non-instantaneous sonic or language-dependent magical attack, it gains another saving throw against the effect each round it hears the countersong, but it must use the bard’s Perform skill check result for the save. Countersong does not work on effects that don’t allow saves. Countersong relies on audible components.
Inspire Courage (Su): A 1st level bard can use his performance to inspire courage in his allies (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to perceive the bard’s performance. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 5th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability. inspire courage can use audible or visual components. The bard must choose which component to use when starting his performance.
Well that answers the question. Sounds like they are different performances, requiring an action to transition. Now I understand why you wanted Kit to start the countersong BEFORE the babbling began.
While the rest of the party shakes off the babbling effect Barely feels himself becoming mesmerized...yet the effect is thankfully broken by Kitoro's chanting. Still it does throw off his blow. Setare slashes deeply into the spectral form, and Hoprah missile strikes deeply into it as well.
Kit examines the ring and makes a sour face. "Why ANYONE would want one of these things, I surely don't know. This THING makes it so you don't have to eat."
I'll let someone else RP the sword success unless everyone else fails.
"Interesting. Though I have no plans to go anywhere near melee, I suppose I could take one. That means if I try to pour a strange liquid down your throat while you are fighting, you should let me. Now let me check out that sword..."
After a moment, she declares that it has only the most basic enchantment on it but is worth more than the any of the other items. Unless you count the stupid ring.
The door to the south of you is unlocked and untrapped, yet you do hear faint noises on the other side. Preparing yourselves for the worst, you open the door.
Unevenly upholstered furniture fills this large common area, chairs and sofas circled around asymmetrical tables. Doors on both sides of the room lead off into tiny bedchambers. Lounging about in various places here are a half-dozen fetchlings of both sexes who look up at you with a look of interest, glad something has broken their monotony. One of the fetchling rises to his feet and moves to a door on the far side of the room, whilst another approaches you.
"Ahhh, more prisoners of the Mirror I see. Welcome to our abode. Who, may I ask, are you and why were you banished here?"
_____________________
Female LG follower of Sarenrae | human (actually mostly human Ifrit) | freckles, sweet, naive, fierce personality in battle | Outsider (Native), Humanoid (human) | Resistances: Elec. 3, Acid 3, Fire 2, Cold 3 | Smite 1/1 | Boots of Speed 10/10 | Swashbuckler 5, Paladin 2, Unchained Monk 3, Bloodrager 1 | HP 106/106 | Protector Familiar HP 53 | with mage armor/rage: AC 35, T 30, FF 24 | CMD 37 | F: +23, R: +25 (Evasion), W: +17 | Init: +13 | Perc: -2, SM: -2 | Ki Pool 7/7 | Stunning Fist 6/6 | Rage 6/6 | LoH 7/7 | Panache 6/6 + Plume 1/1 | Reroll 1/1 + Lesson of H. 1/1 | Eefriti Magic 1/1 | Darkvision 60ft | Speed 40ft | Active cond.: +4 Dex
Setare is a little insecure but steps forward.
”Hello, my ... my name is Setare. We are fro... from the other side of ... of the mirror and have co... come here to rescue the... the two brothers of the ... the Baron by ending the tor... torment of the mi... mirror. This sha... shadow realm has... has brought grief on all ... all who have been im... imprisoned in... in here! We have re... received a shard of ... of the mirror that ma... makes it vulnerable. Who are ... are you?!“ she asks with a quivering voice.
Barley leaps into the room, his black ninja outfit somehow white for a moment. Holding up found treasure and rations, "I'm Barley Pathfinder - I'm here to rescue you! I've got an old-big-wand and can-of-peas with me - let's go!"
Kit is amused by the diametrically opposed approaches of their two self-appointed emissaries.
Kit leaps forward, in spite of her usual caution, and announces, [b]"And I'm Kit! And we are the three amigos!"[b]
She holds up the three finger puppets representing her, Setare, and Barley and has them do a little dance while she juggles a wand, a can of something from her rations, and her traveler's any tool.
perform:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28
She will use up a round of performance to give the next diplomacy roll a +2 using inspire competence.
The fetchlings introduce themselves to you cordially, "Well, it is nice to have visitors here, it has been what seems an eternity. We are all part of Nicasor's cause here and this is where he has gathered those loyal to him, along with members of his family. Nicasor’s brother, Atamin and Atamin’s daughter Manar are here, along with his uncle Corys."
As you all converse you see the fetchling you saw hurry off earlier return to the common room, along with a tall individual who must be a shae, judging by his appearance. He is tall, even for a shae, and wears a gray cloak over lacquered black armor. His white mask is polished to a mirror sheen and reflects the face of anyone he looks at. The shae nods to you and answers you in a calm and sophisticated tone, "I was told we have visitors here. My name is Nicasor and I lead this band of rebels. What is your purpose here?"
Kit looks a bit disappointed. She had hoped for applause, expected a smile or two, but these shadow dudes were worse than a hand full of depressants...
One of the fetchlings pipes up, "They claim to have the ability to slay the Heart once and for all!" On hearing this bit of news Nicasor's voice trembles with excitement, Truly, this is the case? Should you slay the Heart and free me...US from this prison all of my riches are yours for the taking. If you wish for power then I shall pledge myself to your cause. Freedom is well worth such a trifling cost. The Heart may be found in the center of the complex on the lower level. Be warned it has sealed itself off from the rest of this place. You will need to hack through one of the bleeding walls to reach it."
The mention of a reward brings Kit right out her sulk in no time flat. She lips her lips in undisguised greed tempered by realism and cynicism.
"Riches and power, huh? Can't say I'd say not to such an offer. But first we must slay this heart. Any suggestions? Do you have anything to offer that might aid us?"
