GM MattMorris Fragments of Antiquity (Inactive)

Game Master ChesterCopperpot

Linguistics: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

GM, can we Take 10 on these checks?

”Styfis, do you want to take care of that bucket?” Not-Trixie asks as she starts skimming through book titles not in the danger zone.

"We should make sure that acid isn't going to damage any books. Maybe move them out of the way? I'm worried that even if we work around the trap, the kobolds will cause more damage after we leave."

Tholgrin will again try to assist Styfis with making the trap safe, perhaps by using his psychic power to steady the acid with mage hand.

Disable Device Aid Another: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Once they get that taken care of Hopefully! he'll help Not-Trixie to go through the books looking for the most notable and interesting ones.

Linguistics: 1d20 + 13 + 1d6 ⇒ (15) + 13 + (3) = 31

Poetry is far from something Tholgrin is interested in. He's very practical, and struggles to maintain interest in old poetry books. He does have a single-minded focus when he's solving a puzzle or tracking down clues though, and he loves languages. Being able to do research in a language he didn't know yesterday, and in a library that was lost is enough to kindle his curiosity and get him focused.

As you folks Tholgrin moves to steady the bucket for Styfis, Not-Trixie, Styfis, and Grel, you notice the reflection of the librarian begin to make some arcane gesture.

You have a surprise round to react!

~+~Surprise Round~+~
Not-Trixie
Styfis
Grel

We'll see how this goes and whether we need to go into full rounds afterward.

To answer questions: You can Take 10 on the checks to explore the sections. (I don't think Taking 20 makes sense, though, since the check involves you gathering the most useful books.)

Tholgrin, you can keep that Linguistics roll, as long as there are still some books left after this...

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

The books! Grel will dive over the books to shield them from the acid, should the jar be tipped.

spellcraft: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

When he gets a chance, Morrolan throws his cloak over the mirror hoping that will prevent the "Librarian" from seeing what we are doing.

How large is the section of mirror with the librarian's reflection? Can I tell if there would be any significant result if I placed it inside a Handy Haversack?
spellcraft above question: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17
arcana above question: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Spellcraft vs DC 15: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (4) + 16 = 20

”Steady there,” Not-Trixie says calmly, but quickly. ”How about we don’t do that...”

GM, I’ve got ideas, but I’m not sure how they would work out and would like some clarification/discussion first. Not-Trixie’s first choice of action would be to cast her own mage hand and move the bucket away from any books. Ideally, this would prevent the librarian from affecting the bucket - or perhaps the two would wrestle magically for control of the bucket and give the rest of the party time to act. Alternatively, Not-Trixie has feather fall prepared and could prevent the bucket from falling quickly (that probably wouldn’t prevent it from splashing, but perhaps it would give one of her companions time to catch it and prevent spillage. Your thoughts?

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14

My own idea was to cast a dispel magic, but I would gladly let Not-Trixie to act if it works so.

That’s option #3 - I just hate to use a 3rd level spell to counter a cantrip.

Those are both neat ideas. I think feather fall might be the easier one to work out. (I think if you cast mage hand the librarian could just push at the bucket to tip the acid out of it.) How about you feather fall it and Grel and/or Styfis could make a Reflex save or Sleight of Hand check to try to catch it before it spills?

I'm ok with that.

reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

oof. since i'm not catching it, i'd still try to block the books with my body as much as possible.

Sounds good! Can Not-Trixie aid with that as well since feather fall only takes an immediate action to cast? If so, she does so automatically.

Yes, that's fine.

Styfis, why don't you do a Sleight or Hand or Reflex save, your choice. I'll be using the DC for the trap. Not-Trixie will be aiding.

Simply because I wasn't at home before. Sorry.

Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (1) + 17 = 18

Do you want to use a reroll for that, Styfis?

I would like to, but I don't have any reroll.

It's okay--it's only a bucket, so that makes it! Also, sorry, I wasn't trying to question your posting, Styfis. I realized that my wording could have been better. I was just being casual.

Styfis catches the bucket in careful hands inches above Grel's outstretched body! The acrid odors rising from the bucket make his head swim. The reflection of the librarian makes a frustrated scowl, then fades into a reflection of Not-Trixie.

If you are careful, you think you could fill up to 3 flasks of acid from the bucket. (No skill check required.)

Tholgrin's skill with esoteric languages makes it easy for him to point out some of the most valuable books, and you are able to gather them into the bag of holding. Do you take the shard of amber glass with you? What do you do with it?

The elf takes the shard of amber glass cautiously and wrap some clothes around it.

We have to assemble the shards in the frame to end this soulslivers story. So we have to find and take all of them. Who takes the acid flasks?

I can produce acid myself. But I can hold them if you are afraid of being burned. Grel holds them in case someone would like one.

Grel slinks down the stairs to peer around the corner into the next section.

Not-Trixie happily fills up several bottles of acid, then turns to her companion. "Everything alright, Tholgrin? You've been scowling at that bookshelf for a while now."

Hearing that Tholgrin is hesitating, the elf has a look at the books around.

Linguistics: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (7) + 17 = 24

After the bucket drops Tholgrin says "Oh I'm sorry I must have knocked that off, I was trying to help but I can be clumsy. I'll just have a look at these books"

Tholgrin snaps out of his reverie at Not-Trixie's question, a book in his hands. He holds it out

"This is the Eagle's Twin Hearts, from Hao-Jin's list. Something made me want to put it back and forget about it. Very odd"

He will flick through the book looking for any indication of why Hao-Jin wanted it, or for any notes she might have made in the margins.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

He'll then hand it off to the others to examine while he concentrates and casts Detect Psychic Significance to see if anything is charged with enough psychic energy to get a reading. He's looking to see if he might be able to use Psychometry skill unlock to get some information about either Hao-Jin (from the book) or possibly whoever owned the amber shard last

He'll follow that up with a detect magic in the room.

"I'm not sure about this amber shard, does anyone know what it might be for?"

Tsura will put up detect magic as well and have a look around the room.

takes 10 on any spellcraft checks for a 26

Tsura, you determine that the book Tholgrin found has an illusory script spell cast on it. The amber shard also detects as magical, but other than a conjuration aura you cannot determine its purpose.

Tholgrin, you don't notice anything unusual about Hao Jin's book. Perhaps scholars at the Grand Lodge will be able to glean something from it. The book does not seem to have any psychic significance, but there is a significant psychic signature on the amber shard.

Tholgrin becomes transfixed by the shard when he sees it has a psychic signature. He completes a normal examination of it under detect magic

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (15) + 8 + (1) = 24

but failing to discern anything, he examines it under his third eye, closing his other two and reaching out to it with his mind.

Using a point of inspiration for this...

Appraise vs. DC 15: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (17) + 10 + (6) = 33

Tholgrin, you get two brief visions from the shard of amber. The first is of a Tian librarian, obviously distraught with terror, swinging a candlestick at a large amber mirror, shattering it into 6 large pieces.

Secondly, you see the same librarian, moving steathily through the library. She ducks behind bookshelves and darts across open spaces. Suddenly, she rounds a corner and stops short. She sees a creature that looks just like her approaching, slowly but surely toward her. She screams and runs as the vision fades to darkness.

Time elapsed: 22 minutes

The next section of the library has a small plaque on it labeled "Warfare." A three-tiered pyramid towers above this section, the sides of each tier draped with ancient maps and flags. A gleaming scythe blade juts out from between two bookshelves in the southwest corner, and the floor beneath it sparkles with fragments of shattered glass.

Knowledge (geography, history, or nobility) check or Appraise check to find the most valuable books in this section.

Detect Magic
spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

kn geography: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Fancy looking blade over there. Careful it doesn't fall on you. Grel doesn't much know about the books around here. He'll keep an eye out for those tricky traps.

perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27

Be careful. There are some shattered glass. Perhaps do we find another amber shard here.

The elf is intrigued by the blade shown by Grel. A library isn't the place of a weapon. The kobolds should have place a trap with this blade. That's why the archer remains 15 feet from the blade, looking for something to understand.

Tholgrin explains what he saw in his vision to the group.

"I suppose this shard is a part of the mirror of translocation. It might be the key to finding Hao-Jin, but I don't like the sound of these mirror monsters"

He gives Styfis a sideways glance "Nor do I like the sound of facing our reflections, especially if your reflection shares your skill with a bow Styfis!"

He's also wary of the Scythe, but will examine it if the way appears clear and it hasn't triggered on Grel's examination

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (10) + 8 + (6) = 24

"A fine blade, well enchanted, and bane to those who can shift their form, if I'm not mistaken"

I think we should grab the shard pieces, perhaps wrap each in some cloth for storage, so we can piece them together if need be but they're not reflecting willy-nilly :)

Assuming nothing has exploded or attacked, he'll indulge in a bit of history research, his second favourite way of spending time after the forge.

Knowledge (history): 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (13) + 10 + (6) = 29

If you want the scythe, you can just take it--after examination, it is from a trap that has already been sprung. I'll give anyone else who wants to look for books a chance to do it before I do anything else.

Not-Trixie stays a few steps ahead of Tholgrin, sorting through the higher shelves for potentially interesting tomes and swapping them with less-useful ones on the lower shelves so the dwarven researcher can access them more easily.

Automatic Aid with any of the relevant skill checks here.

Appraise
1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33

The archer nods at the notice from Tholgrin. Good to know that the others valuate his skills with a bow.

The shard he took previously is enveloped with clothes as already said.

Knowledge nobility: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (8) + 17 = 25

He takes the scythe of nobody else takes it. This could be useful then.

appraise: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

If you want, I can place those shards in my haversack. That should make it even less likely that anything in them can effect us while we search.

We can also place them in the bag of holding. But we already drop the books there.

You are easily able to gather a collection of worthwhile books, with Tholgrin and Tsura able to guide the selection process.

As a part of this section, you find Designing Walls and Ditches to Resist Siegecraft, another of the books on Hao Jin’s list. The
cover includes a pale green map of a walled city.

While Tholgrin and Tsura are discussing the possible benefits of a tome on military supplies lines in Lung Wa, they hear a tell-tale click, and the sound of chain rapidly unspooling above them. From the ceiling drops a washtub holding the carcass of a dead badger. You have just a split second to notice that the dead body appeals to have vials of alchemist fire shoved into its mouth before the contraption hits the floor and explodes.

Tsura and Tholgrin Reflex and Fortitude saves! You are caught in the explosion and sprayed with rotting badger guts.

Knowledge (dungeoneering), Take 10: 10 + 10 = 20

”Why would someone cover a book in viridium?” Not-Trixie asks rhetorically as she wraps the tome carefully and puts it in the satchel. She almost drops the bag at the sound of an explosion and races towards the source. ”What happened? Is everyone alright?” she asks worriedly.

Reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Fortitude: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Tholgrin takes the full force of the blast, and the overpowering stench prevents him from dropping and rolling, he merely staggers away burning and retching.

Unless the badger guts is a poison effect? Then his hardness would have saved him from the nausea

No, I think the nausea is just caused by grossness.
Burning: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7 (Unless someone puts you out.

Grel summons a gout of water to cover the burning individuals. Careful, careful. Damn traps are everywhere!

Create Water as per the orison.

Reflex
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Fort
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

"Aaahhhhhhh! *Blarf, Glurk, Glup*"

You too, lassie. Apologies. Grel douses Tsura with water also.

Reflex: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Fortitude: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Burrp, arg.

The elf tries to remain in noble attitude but it's not easy. At least he didn't get the most of the fire.

Grel dumps water on Styfis too. Oh, sorry there Styfis. Just wanted to be sure.

;)

Thank you, Grel. It will pass. We have to continue our search. Perhaps should we heal all of us as well.

Tsura starts tapping herself with a wand before offering it to the others.

4d8 + 4 ⇒ (1, 4, 7, 5) + 4 = 21
2d8 + 2 ⇒ (2, 5) + 2 = 9