The beast snarls at the red-haired gnome.
”You sound like my f*cking doctors! ‘Coping mechanism’ this, ‘unconscious desires’ that!”
It starts violently pulling at its manacles, and if the gnome didn’t know any better he would’ve thought the creature would snap then at any moment and take off Boodiddly’s head!
”I’m so f*cking HUNGRY!!! This is the only thing that will put it at ease, so SHUT YOUR FACE BEFORE I TEAR IT OFF!!!”
The human nearly runs into the adjacent wall in fright at the creature’s outburst, but eventually regains his composure. Boodiddly slowly rotates with his arm outstretched.
”Praise! Praise!”
The gnome stops, his finger pointing toward the southern door.
”Praise…words fail praise?” The human says, shaking his chained wrists with an expectant look on his face.
"Not that I expect anything, but if we promise to take care of this Dr. Oathsday, you willing to help out at all? I know, tall order, but......." Shakur stops abruptly to look at the person in the room only capable of saying three words. He shouts loudly, "ALSO, What's that dude's problem? Doctor got your tongue?"
The creature looks up from its meal and looks at Shakur.
”Wha—? Yes! Of course I will!”
But its salivating maw doesn’t exactly corroborate its statement.
"Nice try, hungry." Shakur says before sticking out his tongue and turning to his team. "Shall we go get ourselves injured? Wait...hold up."
Shakur turns to the chained people, "Either of you able to do that creepy shifting thing?"
The creature growls and pulls at its manacles like a feral animal. ”Do I look like a f*cking doppelganger to you?!”
The human flinches at the creature.
”Praise!” He furiously shakes his head. ”Praise, words fail praise!” He continues to shake the manacles on his wrists.
Clearly "Hungry" won't help us, but if we free this one he might. It's still not clear how to interpret his "praise words," except that they get more animated if we point in a particular direction; similar to a game of colder-warmer.
He looks around at the group.
Who's good with locks and chains?
It takes Boodiddly a decent amount of time, but he eventually gets the human out of his manacles, which the gnome takes.
Jevar nods at the gnome's handiwork and then looks to Urzok.
Do you think you can keep a watch on this mumbler when we're not utilizing him as a witching stick? I think he'll be useful but I still don't want to find a shiv in my side.
Urzok glowers at Jevar. "You freed someone you don't trust? Why'd you let it happen in the first place? The idiot has lost his mind, I doubt he'd do anything to us," he boasts. "That thing though," he says with disgust, pointing at the creature, "I say we run it through. If it breaks it's chains, it'll go looking for another snack." Chains are cruel, but I'm not dying for this things freedom.
Not expecting any resistance, the Orc warms up his sword arm a little and walks slowly towards it.
________
Shakur waits for the creature's reaction, though he sympathetically wishes for the creature's death (and therefore the soul's release.) This form must not be pleasant for it.
Urzok moves against the beast, who attempts to fight back, but fails to do so in any significant fashion. The half-orc beats the creature to a pulp, and when it stops moving, it dissolves into a pile of dust! The creature was undead.
Boodiddly eventually manages to undo the other two manacles from the crossbeam.
The amnesiacs and their plus-one scour the room for anything else of note. Jevar detects some kind of magic in the room, while Shakur finds something in the pocket of the dead elf woman.
In the corpse’s pocket, wrapped in a dirty handkerchief, is a coin-sized eyeball with an X-shaped pupil. It makes eye contact with whomever is holding it and a membrane within it makes it appear to blink every so often. When set on a flat surface it slowly starts to roll in a random direction.
Success
Success
Fail
You are unsure what the eyeball’s function is supposed to be, but you guess you could sell it to a curio shop for 25 gp.
Jevar continues to try and find whatever is radiating the magic aura in this room, but has frustratingly little luck.
”Praise?”
The human taps Jevar on the shoulder, curious. Jevar explains that he’s trying to find whatever is radiating magic. At this the human looks confused for a moment then is washed with a look of realization. With a knowing smile he points to the yellow chalk mark in the shape of a flame that is on his forehead.
”Zandalus sees.”
Any further attempt to elaborate is only met with “praise,” “words fail,” and the occasional “Zandalus sees.” Whatever the case, with a bit more experimenting, Jevar determines that the chalk mark is indeed magical.
With nowhere else to go, the amnesiacs plus-one goes
*
*
Several wide tables and gigantic washbasins fill a laundry equipped to service hundreds. The place looks as though it were repurposed as a failed surgery, though, with at least one table heaped with remains while skinned corpses lie discarded in some corners, and their skins in others. A stained sheet hangs between two of the basins, dividing the room roughly in half. A lantern shines on the far side, illuminating the silhouette of a tall, lanky figure working at a table on the other side.
Zandalus sees.. gods I hope that's not a scrying device on his head.
The human amnesiac walks up to the pitiful human and inspects his yellow chalk markings more closely, with his hand thoughtfully on his chin.
Unable to make out any more at the moment, the wizard declares We need to keep an eye on this and I'll be ready to dive further into it when we make our next preparations.
Into the south room, Jevar notices the figure behind the curtain. He begins to try to careful moves around the table but stops quickly when he can hear his own footsteps too easily.
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With the establishment of the four magical traditions, there was also the establishment of the four essences of magic—it’s not actually on AoN, but it is here if you ctrl+f for “four essences”; it’s an interesting read, especially to establish an in-game explanation for “why don’t wizards cast heal” other than just “because they don’t.” TL; DR for this argument: the four traditions are primarily attuned to two specific essences—arcane is matter and mind, occult is spirit and mind, primal is matter and life, and religion is spirit and life.
Where my ruling comes in is where these overlap. If you use the correct skill to identify the correct tradition, then there’s no DC increase (except for rarities other than common, but that’s beside the point). If you use the incorrect skill to ID something of a magical tradition that shares an essence with the skill you’re using (such as using Arcana to ID primal magic, since arcane and primal share the matter essence, or using Occultism to ID divine, since both share the spirit essence), then there’ll be a minor DC increase (typically +2, but when we’re talking about non-common stuff then it gets odd). If you use a skill to ID something of an opposing tradition (arcane is opposed to divine and occult is opposed to primal [and vice versa], because those pairs have completely different essences from the other and are thus diametrically opposed [which makes sense, since arcane is about logic in the material while divine is about faith in the unseen, and primal is about connection to the natural while occult is about connection to the strange]), then it will have a more major DC increase (typically +5, but again, non-common makes things weird).
This isn’t a perfect system, since the essences also have a significant connection to the different schools of magic, but it helps to understand things a bit better. In general, I’ll roll using your highest modifier skill of a tradition, unless you have reason to believe that another skill would be more successful (such as if you were trying to Identify Magic on a magic item that’s also an altar to Asmodeus, Religion would obviously be more effective). Most things, like magic items, are generally just “magic,” so all four skills would be equally effective, so again, when in doubt I’ll just roll the skill with the highest modifier. I will tell you what skill I rolled, though.
Despite Jevar’s stepping on a particularly creaky floorboard, the silhouetted figure does not seem to have noticed.
Boodiddly pats his newest companion on the arm. ”Is that your name? Zandalus?” He watches as Jevar examines the mark on Zandalus’s forehead, curious about it too.
——————————————
”This has been the second person we’ve seen interested in skin,” the gnome whispers. ”Maybe it’s a doppelganger thing?” He turns to address Zandalus. ”It’s easier for us to keep you safe if we can see you, but don’t put yourself in danger’s way. Nod if that makes sense and you agree.”
”Is that your name? Zandalus?”
The human blushes a bit. ”Praise?” He shakes his head. ”Words fail, Zandalus sees.”
*
”This has been the second person we’ve seen interested in skin,” the gnome whispers. ”Maybe it’s a doppelganger thing?” He turns to address Zandalus. ”It’s easier for us to keep you safe if we can see you, but don’t put yourself in danger’s way. Nod if that makes sense and you agree.”
The human nods his head furiously, not saying a word.
Jevar bobs his head a bit from side-to-side, as if to say "of course."
Perhaps his name is "Words." Or else he believes that to be his name.
Jevar then points to the curtain and asks the human, And is that "Praise" in there, or am I just way off now?
Hmm... maybe it's simpler than that...
Urzok wipes his blade clean on the corpse, ignoring whatever else is going on until the Human actually says something coherent. Snapping him a shocked look, he eyes him warily and resumes his cleaning. A brief moment of lucidity or is he playing us for fools? "Is Zandalus a god of vision or some shit like that? He says the name reverently. That might be who he is praising, the nut. None of the gods are worthy of our devotion, slavery with extra steps is what it is. They need us to live, but it always turns into people becoming dependent on them and suddenly we are the ones who need them!" he says, clearly getting a little worked up over the topic.
Happy to be moving again, the Orc takes the lead and ducks low when there appears to be another person on the other side of the sheet. "No skin... Must be a shifter thing, I say we try to take it by surprise. Either an ambush or we jump it. Either way, this'll be our third," he suggests.
________
The amnesiacs plus one sneak over to the sheet to get the drop on Dr. Oathsday. Urzok moves the sheet to the side and right before his eyes the source of the silhouette of the lanky figure working at the table vanishes as he pulls the curtain to the side. On the table is the dead body of a human woman, her body contorted in a strange fashion.
”Oh! But she was just here!” Boodiddly says in shock at the sight of no Dr. Oathsday. ”Zandalus, do you recognize the woman on the table?” The gnome meanwhile crouches down and peers under the table to see if the “good” doctor is hiding there.
"Wha-?" Urzok asks with angry bewilderment. "That shifter freak was right here!" he shouts as he heads to the table and begins rummaging through it in frustration. "This one has skin, think the thing'll be back then? We could jump it when it returns."
________
TL; DR: the map you want to move your token on is the one on Slide 2, where the character tokens are bigger.
A faint, pained voice echoes from within the southernmost basin.
Jevar is just as surprised that the silhouetted figure is gone.
At least we don't have another cruel surgeon to contend with. I wonder if that body is really just going to lay there though...
He cautiously approaches it and checks for signs of animation, doing a lap around the table and trying to watch it for movement.
"I'll forgive your god hating tangent by reminding you my magic, and therefore a literal chunk of skin from your back, comes from the grace of Pharasma. You'll need her soon enough, especially if you keep that language up, ORC"
-----
"The light must know more than we do." Shakur pauses for a moment, gesturing to quiet the party. [smaller]"There's....something in this basin." Shakur slowly walks to the basin, dagger and shield at the ready.
Much happens within the next few seconds that it’s difficult to even fathom. As Boodiddly checks under the table and Urzok rummages through it , Jevar checks the body on the table, and as he does the woman stirs.
”Ugh...who...are you?”
At that exact same moment Shakur approaches the basin and finds a creature in it—a very similar creature to the one devouring the corpse in the previous room. This creature, however, is malnourished and feeble, mindlessly gnawing on a large patch of skin that was expertly removed from the face of whoever it came from. The sickly creature looks up at Shakur, pain and hunger lingering in its gaze. It raises a shaking claw and futilely grasps at the inside of the basin.
”Don’t...trust...her...”
The woman on the table snaps her head in the direction of the washbasin, her face contorting in anger!
”You stupid ghoul!”
The woman swiftly takes her hand out from under her thigh, revealing the glint of a massive, blood-soaked knife grasped by that hand!
Round 1
================
Urzok
Jevar
Dr. Oathsday {prone}
Boodiddly
Shakur
Human Man
================
"Oh piss off, we're both half breeds, no sense in- OH HELL!" Urzok doesn't manage to fully get his retort out to Shakur when Dr. Oathsday's sudden hostility takes his full focus. "Brace yourselves for that skin shit they do, either the strips or the melting!" he warns, quickly scooping his shield off the ground, lifting it between him and the psycho, and finally gripping his weapon for combat.
________
Ug. I knew it couldn't simply be a body on the table. Stay down foul woman!
The wizard backs away, retreating to the corner of the room by a table against that wall.
He then casts his familiar simple cantrip which sends a sizable globule of acid at the body on the table.
Dr. Oathsday maneuvers to Stand up on the table . With a wicked smile she raises the bloody dagger in her hands…
…and slits her own throat.
Blood spills from the wound on the woman’s neck—far more blood than should be in a person’s body. The woman, somehow still conscious despite having her throat slit, raises her free hand and grasps deep into the wound on her body and violently pulls! She rips through her own flesh, literally tearing herself apart in a gory display. She tears her skin from her body, dozens of pints of blood spilling onto the table’s surface, her visage changing as instantaneously as taking off a mask of flesh and blood!
Coated in red liquid clinging to her flesh stands another creature entirely—a shifter.
The human man, clearly shaken by the sight that occurred before him, turns around and runs in the opposite direction!
”WORDS FAAAAAAIL!!!”
Round 1/2
================
Jevar
Urzok
Dr. Oathsday (-2)
Boodiddly
Shakur
================
Frightened 1
You’re gripped by fear and struggle to control your nerves. -1 to checks and DCs. Frightened decreases by 1 (to not frightened) at the end of this turn.
Sickened 1
You feel ill. -1 to checks and DCs. You can’t willingly ingest anything—including elixirs and potions—while sickened.
You can spend a single action retching in an attempt to recover, which lets you immediately attempt a Fortitude save against the DC of the effect that made you sickened. On a success, you reduce your sickened value by 1 (or by 2 on a critical success).
------------------
Total: -2 to checks and DCs :(
------------------
Jevar feels overwhelming fright, and at the same time nausea. The charge in his nerves does not help him fighting the waves of intense warmth that gathers from throughout his body and settles in his head.
He takes a moment to gather himself...
He tries to shake it off and sends his dagger at the shifter...
EDIT: Forgot about the save against a madness, since you took 4 sanity damage.
Nevermind. Carry on.
"Aaahh!" Boodiddly yelps as the shifter's blood coats the table. Don't blame Zandalus for fleeing, but we can't follow just yet! "Urzok, remember to keep your shield up so it doesn't take you by surprise like the last one! Shakur, flank it! We, uh, we can do this!" Even with his voice shaking like a turnip in the washtub, the gnome's words are surprisingly inspiring - as is the rock he chucks at the shifter with surprising force.
Will also reroll the fort save.
I'm going to assume just sickened.
"Flank it? YOU WANT ME TO WALK BEHIND IT!?"
[[A]] Stride behind it
[[A]] Strike
[[A]] Raise shield
Years spent in an Orc camp and Urzok had never seen anything like this. Jaw slack, he instinctively takes a half step back from the shifter as she shoves it's own hand through it's throat. That's got to die before it does the same to me! He does his best to hack away at the creature while keeping his shield up, but the grotesque sight has clearly effected him.
________
Dr. Oathsday dodges out of the way of all attacks coming at her, giggling like a madman as she does. She jumps down from on the table , brandishing her dagger, and swipes at the half-elf in front of her!
The doctor swings her dagger with sadistic glee even as her blade wizzes past Shakur!
Round 2/3
================
Jevar {sickened 1}
Urzok {sickened 1}
Dr. Oathsday (-2)
Boodiddly {sickened 1}
Shakur (-3) {sickened 1}
================
Arg, it's getting crowded over here!
Jevar shifts gears and tries to send a different impediment towards the shifter. A vine covered in sticky sap appears from thin air, flicking from his hand and lashing itself to the target.
Boodiddly tries to calm his intestines, but they refuse to cooperate. ”That’s the spirit!” he yells as Shakur blocks the shifter’s blow. ”Keep it up!” He wracks his brain for any other tidbits of information about shifters - or whatever this creature is.
Jevar flings sap at the “good” doctor, but she slices it in half in mid-air!
”You’re going to have to try harder than that! Hehehehahahaha!”
Round 2/3
================
Jevar {sickened 1}
Urzok {sickened 1}
Dr. Oathsday (-2)
Boodiddly {sickened 1}
Shakur (-3) {sickened 1}
================
As the shifter slams into the shield, Shakur quickly tries to stab below the shield, directly into her thigh.
Seeing it ineffective, Shakur quickly curses and tries again.
He then raises his shield in anticipation of another attack.
"You, Urzok. Bring that weapon here. I'll make it better for you."
"This better be worth it, I don't take orders lightly," Urzok warns as he cautiously walks around the table. Trying to keep the pressure on the psycho, he stabs at her across the table and maintains his shield's position.
________
Dr. Oathsday blocks Shakur’s dagger slashes, but is caught off-guard as Urzok slices into the woman’s chest! She grasps the wound across her chest and slashes at both Shakur and Urzok!
Oathsday slices deep into Urzok’s stomach and looks him dead in the eye as she brings her dagger up to her face and licks off the orcish blood with a long, sinuous tongue.
”Zandalu—“
Followed by the sound of several crossbow shots.
Round 3/4
================
Jevar {sickened 1}
Urzok (-13) {sickened 1; frightened 1}
Dr. Oathsday (-14)
Boodiddly {sickened 1}
Shakur (-5) {sickened 1}
================
Okay, I will try harder than that. I'm a little nauseous though, okay?
”That’s the way, Urzok!” cheers Boodiddly from the rear. ”Keep- oh, that looked like it hurt. Um, here, maybe some music would make it hurt less?” He twangs his jaw harp a few times before finding just the right ascending boing - just the thing to get someone back on their feet.
Shakur utters an incantation and casts magic weapon on Urzok’s longsword and Raises his Shield.
Urzok Strikes twice and Raises his Shield.
Fail
Fail
Dr. Oathsday’s legs become wrapped by vines covered in sticky sap.
”What the hell?!” She glares at Jevar as she very ineffectively hobbles over to the wizard!
The half-orc hits Oathsday in the arm, nearly knocking the creature off of her feet! The strange creature looks at Jevar, her face contorted in anger.
”You think this is funny?! I’ll slice you to pieces for my experiments!”
Success
Oathsday raises her dagger and swipes at the cornered wizard!
The doctor opens a deep gash across the human’s chest, sending him sprawling onto the ground!
Round 4/5
================
Urzok (-4) {sickened 1}
Jevar (-9) {dying 2, frightened 1, prone}
Dr. Oathsday (-31)
Boodiddly {sickened 1}
Shakur (-5) {sickened 1}
================
Shakur, seeing his ally drop, quickly points to Jevar, and with a quiet "Oh please don't be on your way to the river of souls." Shakur heals Jevar from afar.
He then raises his shield.
Round 4/5
================
Urzok (-4) {sickened 1}
Jevar {wounded 2, frightened 1, prone}
Dr. Oathsday (-31)
Boodiddly {sickened 1}
Shakur (-5) {sickened 1}
================
Reeling from the slash until Boodiddly closes most of the wound, Dr. Oathsday manages to put some distance between them. "I'm not done with you yet!" he roars as he pushes past Shakur and starts recklessly swinging his sword.
________