GM SFS's 1-19: To Conquer the Dragon (Inactive)

Game Master Eric Collins - France

Have fun with your new gun, Goose

Drakzul checks the hoverloader, just in case.

engineering: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (14) + 18 = 32

Seeing, hopefully, that there's no problem with it, he hops on it.

"Let's hunt a fat lizard, people. Dragonhide will make a nice upgarde for a new armor."

The hoverloader is upturned, so you have to set it right side up, but it is otherwise in good condition and works just fine.
Drakzul checks it out and powers it up, ready to go hunt a dragon-- although, he suddenly has a flash, as if feeling that Death is awaiting him, he, the Borai, who cheated death once already.

The others are ready to hop in-- or not.

Goose looks at Drakzul as a somber emotion etches across his face. Taken aback at the vulnerability both of his comrades and the situation, Goose pauses to reflect on his own path.

"Excuse me mates, I have to reach out to my family. It won't take but a minute." offers Goose solemnly, taking leave a bit away from the others to collect his thoughts and prepare a message.

Goose ponders for a minute and then launches his selfie-drone to capture his message to send his family.

He begins the message by addressing his brothers...and sisters...and cousins...and second cousins...and close family friends. This goes on for some time as Akitonion ysoki are...let's just say prolific. Next, he goes on to state that he and his comrades are about to go up against a dragon. At that point, he becomes quite animated. You can clearly see his gestures, mimicking the dragon - big fangs, huge wingspan, sharp claws, laser beams coming out of its eyes, terrible breath weapon, nuclear weapons, monstrous size. The truth and fiction becomes overwhelmingly blurred to the point of ridiculous. Throughout the charades, you can hear snippets of the conversation punctuating the gestures..."fangs as big as a vesk" and "wings that can blot out the suns".

In the end, the excitement from the ysoki is downright palpable. His speech and gestures become even more animated. He finishes up and hits the 'send' button on his device before stowing it away. Goose then hops back over excitedly.

"Let's bag this bi-atch!" offers Goose as a large grin spreads across his face. With that, he hops in the hoverloader, ready for the next encounter.

Do Huckle Jim and Id Sinitis get on board the hoverloader, that Drakzul is piloting?

Do you start to move down a mountainside, towards a precariously balanced wreck, where a White Dragon might be alive and waiting for you... or is she wounded and wanting help, or even-- dead?

Yes I get on board the Hoverloader. Then I look at my allies. Wait, is the dragon dead?

"Dead? Only one way to find out Huckleberry!" shouts Goose as he punches the throttle of the vehicle and descends down to the hanging bridge.

I believe Id is still traveling. He said to bot him.

Id piles in too, and you pass out of the protective bubble you just got going again, and move into the snowstorm--
--that suddenly abates, and calms down.
The piloting turns out to be easy, and Drakzul succeeds in getting you down with the antigrav transport.
(4 player adjustment)

You fly and float down those 50 feet.

And you see that the starship’s bridge hangs precariously off the cliff, tilted ninety degrees.
A cracked forward window sits in the middle of the floor.
Snow and wind pour through a tear in the west side of the hull, but are calming down right now, but have already piled up into a heavy snowdrift.

A huge captain’s station sits on the south wall, flanked by operating posts for smaller creatures.

You wonder where you can get the data you need to recover.

Oh, maybe there?

In the middle of the chamber, you see a prone and unmoving-- white dragon!
The figure is covered in snow.

But, as you get closer, maybe some 20 feet away now, Drakzul and Id spot something else!

There is movement in the snowbank, and they tell you their impression is of something large under the snow.

Except that a little while after, now you are some 10 feet away, Id speaks up: "Wait, the movement under the snow doesn’t match that of a dragon!"

"It's a trap!

Goose considers the team's next course of action.

"Hang on mates. This wyrm isn't just some off-the-shelf rent-a-brute. This thing is huge and nasty and apparently clever. Let's mull on that for a minute before we rush right on in and get clobbered."offers Goose as he puts his paw on his chin in contemplative thought.

Can I use a take 10 here? Can I get any help from surfing the interwebs as well? Take 10 = 10+14 = 24

Can we bargain with it?

Goose is a little bit too tense to take 10 right now...

You can try to talk, and bargain with... the weird huge thing slightly moving under the snow bank, or the huge white dragon lying dead or dying in the middle of the floor.

Do you keep on descending?
If so, to where?

A few mysteries remained... Some things they saw on this ship didn't make sense right now... A bit of caution would do fine.

Then again, if that thing had his way with the wyrm, giving it time to prepare would be a bad idea. If that was what happened... It could be an elaborate trap placed by that big lizard.

Gods damn it... Drakzul lacked informations. He slows the transport.

Is there a way to verify if the dragon is really where we see it ?

"Be prepared to shoot at what Id has seen..." he says very silently.

"Goose, act like we didn't see our hidden stranger... Let's try to use his trap against it"

Drakzul thinks... he should be able to come up with some ideas to verify if the dragon is really where you see it.

So, I imagine you are still some 10 feet above the top of the huge prone dragon... and the big pile of snow.
Tell me if you want to keep on moving down.

Ah, what the heck, can't trust this thing, everyone is a standstill as to what we do, so I'm going to Leroy Jenkins this Huckle moves a step or two forward, not getting too close and fires his sonic rifle hit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18 vs EAC dmg: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15 sonic dmg

From the hovering vehicle, some 10 feet above the dragon, Huckle Jim fires... but his shot it unable to pierce the immobile dragon's skin.
It does not react.

Since Jim is doing all the work, Drakzul continues his drop to 5 feet, leaving a way for his comrades to leave easily the transport and position themselves. He looks at the dragon with attention, searching for a flaw.

I was thinking to try disbelief since i think the big pile of snow is the dragon and what we see is an illusion.

Something is not right here guys, if there is an illusion here guys, someone or somebody had to create one. We need to search this place throughly. Did any character notice the S on the map which I assume means secret door?

Id mentally checks back in, snapping to awareness.

Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (12) + 18 = 30 (blindsense 30 ft.)

He powers up his S-band pistol and nods, keeping his wits about him. Should I nuke the snow bank, just in case?

So, Huckle Jim, Id Sinitis, and Goose get out of the vehicle, and Drakzul remains in it, 5 feet above the floor-- (is that it?)
Put your minis where you are, want to be

--and you look at the body, or corpse, of the White Dragon on the floor, and at the big lump under the snow, where movement is.

At the same time as Huckle Jim says that he knows the dragon on the floor is an illusion, Id realizes there are no vibrations at all coming from the body... and confirms it is just some illusory vision.

Drakzul scratches his head, but is unable not to see a HUGE scary dragon there.

Id speaks up: "But, as I said, there is movement under the snow, and that movement doesn’t match that of a dragon..."

Definitely an illusion! Keep your wits about you! He takes aim at the moving lump of snow and fires a shot!

Attack vs. EAC: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
Damage (F): 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Id has some trouble aiming through his comrades, and the bridge console and furniture... but his laser touches the snow, burning a line through it.

Huckle Jim will open the secret door marked on the map assuming we can actually see the secret door.

Huckle Jim sees no door at all in the wall.

Drakzul enter the room on foot, weapon at clear, a grenade at hand and his laser pistol ready to shoot on his shoulder.

As Drakzul moves into the room, weapons at the ready, and as Huckle Jim finished checking out the wall--
--the wall opens up, revealing: nothing at all, just an empty secret cargo bay, for smuggling goods and such.
When, suddenly a cloud of frost and ice appears, at the same time as you see another Huge White Dragon standing there, in the open doorway, that appears as it opens its mouth wide, and-- before any of you can react, breathes out an enormous cloud of icy particles - the volume blown out is twice that of the room you are in! -, that freeze you all despite your armor and protective gear.
ALL go for a DC18 Reflex save (Id gets a +2 for Partial Cover). 22 Cold damage if failed, 11 if successful (tell me what adjustments to that, re. cold DR etc.)

This Dragon, that appeared to have been invisible or hiding well, is just like the one that you saw lying dying or dead on the floor, before most managed to disbelieve the illusion.

Then, the Dragon flies off, going right over Huckle Jim's head - who is still flat footed and cannot react -, and, strangely, disappears into thin air as it starts moving--
All can attempt Perception checks
--and you were able to see it is moving FAST for such a big lug of a thing !
You estimate is has a move of speed well over 200 ft., but less than 300

_________________
Round 1
(bold are up)
Dragon (Hcf 2 ; B 1* ; 41s)
Goose -22 or 11 or?
Id-Sinitis -22 or 11 or?
Drakzul -22 or 11 or?
Huckle Jim -22 or 11 or?

perception: 1d20 ⇒ 8 to try to see it
reflex: 7 + 1d20 ⇒ 7 + (7) = 14 oouch
shoot gun if allies point it out to me: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30 vs EAC dmg: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8 sonic

Goose peers into the room as the dragon unleashes fury on the party. Using his heightened reflexes, the operative ducks away, avoiding all of the energy directed at him.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30 Reaction. Success. Evasion = 0 damage.

Goose makes an attempt to spot the dragon but ducking and covering coupled with the swirling snow from the attack makes it very difficult.

Perception check: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23 Free Action

"Damn wyrm is using magic! Likely invisible or something. Take cover and prepare a shot when it show's it ugly head!" offers Goose.

Quickly the operative engages his Cloaking Field, rendering him nigh invisible. Move Action

Using the concealment from the cloaking field, Goose moves quietly and hides just inside the room. Attempts stealth check as part of a move action. 1/2 movement (25 feet move). Assumes no difficult terrain.

Stealth Check: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (20) + 24 = 44

Goose feels this is not magic, but the same effect as his cloaking field...

Drakzul hops, barely escaping the dragon's breath.

Reflex save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23 11-5 damage (resistance) : 6 damage

He throws his grenade.

No one has any idea where the wyrm is so far.

Where do Drakzul toss the grenade?

The grenade goes in the square just south east of Jim

"Sneak attack on a ship then this... You are quite the broken record, Wyrm"

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

On impact, the grenade doesn't explode but a serpentine protean creature appear.

This a mk2 summon grenade. Protean graft with blindsense (hearing)

"Find that coward, Slyther.

Perception (blindsense 30 ft): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

Okay, got it. Good move.

Slyther looks around, but seems to hear nothing other than you-- and it points whatever it uses as a head, towards the movement in the snow.

How do you talk with Slyther (you share a language?)?

Okay, got it. Good move.

Slyther looks around, but seems to hear nothing other than you-- and it points whatever it uses as a head, towards the movement in the snow.

How do you talk with Slyther (you share a language?)?

Pretty sure Protean has Common as a language.

Thanks.

Indeed, protean creature speak common and protean. I should update my language list next time.

Reflex DC 18 (partial cover): 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 2 = 21 -10 damage from thermal capacitor cold resistance

Id shrugs off most off the blast and retaliates with a devastating surge of psychic energy, scuttling to a more defensive position!

Move to new position for regular cover, standard cast mind thrust III.

Damage (Will DC 20 half): 7d10 ⇒ (8, 7, 6, 1, 1, 6, 9) = 38
CL vs. SR, if applicable (Imp. Spell Penetration): 1d20 + 7 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 7 + 4 = 19

Thanks, sorry, was on my phone, and working - so just checked quick.
I put a mini for Slyther on the map, but change it for what you want.
What move type and speed?

Slyther moves over towards the snow, where that big shape is... and uncovers an average-sized spaceship cleaning drone, making rounds under the snow, to make it look as though some big thing was moving around there.

Slyther fly at a perfect 60 ft speed. He's very shy so nobody may grapple, entangle or pin it and years of soda drinking made him immune to acid too, which won't be an issue here I guess.

Huckle Jim takes a full blast of freezing cold, and does not fire, since he is not shown where the wyrm might be.

None have any idea of where the Dragon went.

Goose totally avoids the wave of cold, and then moves up close to the illusion... that fades away now that all have disbelieved it.

Drakzul ducks below the icy attack, and his armor soaks part of the blow.
He then tosses a grenade that conjures Sylther up--
I'll let you tell me when he goes back to his Plane of chaos
--that slithers over into the snow... and reveals that the snow bank is only made to look like it is hiding some creature by a small drone programmed to move around in it.

Id also avoids most of the dragon's breath, and then his armor soaks nearly all up.
But he has no target-mind to try to blast...
You do not see anything (did not try a Perception check, but it does not matter anyhow I believe)

You all wonder where the heck--

--the White Dragon appears to the south west, at the corner of the bridge, but some 65 feet up in the air, as it was coming back around, and, once again, it blasts a cone of cold at you, spewing forth icy vapor from its open mouth.
ALL (including Slyther) must make a DC18 Reflex save for 33 or 16 Cold damage

Then the Dragon continues its move-- and shimmers for a split second, before disappearing again, like Goose did before.

You do not see where it was flying to.

Perception checks can be made

_________________
Round 2
(bold are up)
Dragon (Hcf 3 ; B 1* ; 32s)
Goose
Id-Sinitis -18
Drakzul -6 SP -7 HP
Huckle Jim -30

Did I still lose the spell slot? How can I figure out where it is?

Reflex DC 18 (cover): 1d20 + 6 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 4 = 28 -10 damage from thermal capacitor cold resistance

Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (2) + 18 = 20

Trying to account for several things: if the Perception determines that the dragon is within close range, Id will mind thrust it again. If it's actually 65 ft in the air, he'll cast magic missile as a full action. If it's neither, Id will assume starlight form. What action can Id take to locate it?

Mental Damage (Will DC 20 half): 7d10 ⇒ (10, 2, 10, 7, 10, 1, 7) = 47
Force Damage: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (1, 2, 1) + 3 = 7
CL vs. SR, if applicable (Imp. Spell Penetration): 1d20 + 7 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 7 + 4 = 28

Goose dodges the blast, but just barely! He just wasn't expecting another vicious breath weapon so soon.

Reflex save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18 Reaction

Trying to pierce the veil, Goose attempts to scan the area to see where the dragon went. "A cloaking field? Seriously? Can't keep that up all day though you flying turd." muses the tiny ysoki.

Perception check: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31 Free Action

IF/THEN scenario: If I can see the dragon AND it is in range of the enemy, I will fire then hide. IF I cannot perceive the dragon or it is out of range, I will draw my serum and hide.

No, you did not lose the slot, since you could not see it thus not target it.

Id avoids most of the cold attack, and his armor soaks up most of the rest, but a little bit of freezing tinkles his antennae.

He looks around, and tries to pinpoint the enemy... in vain.

_________________
Reminder: Id-Sinitis -23

Goose does not see even a glint of scale...

But he pulls out his potion.

Goose does not see even a glint of scale...

But he pulls out his potion.

** spoiler omitted **

Reflex Save (Slyther): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Reflex Save (Drakzul): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Slyther disapears in a sad poof.

Drakzul activates his energy shield and readies combat tracking when the dragon appears.

Okay, in that case with your permission Id will ready the mind thrust III that I previous posted, triggered as soon as the dragon becomes visible/targetable and within range of the spell, but beyond the dragon's melee reach.

Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (5) + 18 = 23 Would be nice if I could roll in double digits for Perception when it really matters >.<

** spoiler omitted **

I'll do the 2nd scenario you proposed, please

reflex: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16 Oouch, and we are all going to die here
perception: 1d20 ⇒ 11
Huckle Jim will ready an action for when he can see the Dragon to fire his gun.hit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20 vs EAC dmg: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 Sonic
Huckle Jim also moves back to help get out of the way of breath weapons. It might now have cover, but I'll have cover from the breath weapon while peeking around the corner.

You all look around... but are unable to spot your enemy.
So, you prepare to try and hit the Dragon if it is to appear again.

Though you do not see him, for he hides like an Ysoki-Dragon, Goose slipped to the side, hiding again, while popping a serum out and then drinking it.

And, reappear the dragon does-- at the other end of bridge, close to the anti-grav transport you came down on.
It was flying around, cloaked, and pops into view just as it spews forth another blow of its breath weapon.
It is obviously a healthy wyrm, being able to thus give cone after cone!

Suddenly, after these moments where you were all waiting, looking up at the space above you-- all cold hell breaks loose.

The dragon lets forth its cone of icy cold, once again covering the entire bridge from its high vantage point, some 60 feet above you--
ALL make a DC18 Reflex save and take either 30 or 15 Cold damage

--and as the blast of icicles and freezing air washes over you, you all react, having prepared for this.

Id-Sinitis turns his head... but is unable to target the too distant wyrm, thus does not attack.
(Mind Thrust is Close Range, so 50 ft. at your level, correct?

Drakzul, who now has a shimmering energy shield around him - which might already be blasted by cold - gets his IA Exocortex to start tracking the dragon, and thus now has feedback to better attack, when attack he can.

Huckle Jim was ready to fire, and swings his rifle around, blasting away, finally he can aim at a target!
His shot is even pretty good, but the wyrm is just beyond his main range, and so the sonic blast is weakened when it reaches the dragon, and does not harm it.
(a miss w. the -2 for the range)
Huckle Jim now KNOWS you are all going to die here!

Then the dragon keeps on flying, and, as it does, its stealth measures kick in again, and it disappears from view.
ALL can make a Perception check

Too bad you cannot see Goose, for his eyes have gone all... white!
Is it the cold?
Is it death as Huckle Jim fears?

Round 3
(bold are up)
Dragon (Hcf 4 ; B 2* ; 23s)
Goose
Id-Sinitis -18
Drakzul -6 SP -7 HP
Huckle Jim -30

reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Drakzul prepares to shoot.