GM Kirsdrake's Eberron Case Files (closed recruitment) (Inactive)

Game Master Kirsdrake

Sorry! I thought we had looked through this whole level. We don't have to climb if everyone would rather finish this level. I thought Kirsdrake had said that other hallway went back to where we originally were.

i had assumed the other dogs had arranged the bones of their fallen

Well, it's impossible to say who did the arranging, but you have reason to doubt the Ravers ever made it into the tower, and in here the only "living" things you have run into so far have been the the hounds. I did roll for monster knowledge for you guys earlier and the rolls weren't great (slightly penalized for the strange variety of skeletal template added on to blink dogs), but Blink Dogs are actually sentient, and just as intelligent as your average humans. Again, you characters can't know this, but the lead singer of the Accidental Necromancy nailed it with his guss earlier - these things weren't animated but rather ended up undead, victims to some special circumstances.

i had assumed the other dogs had arranged the bones of their fallen

Me too, but it is entirely feasible that there is somewhere a Skeletal Beastmaster :).

Since Alua and Phin are already climbing, Lupi might as well.

Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (14) - 1 = 13 Lupi said "This is tougher than the last one."
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3 "Ouch."
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (8) - 1 = 7 "Damn, slippery slope! Oops, excuse me."
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (12) - 1 = 11 "How come you are all up already?"
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14 "How did you get up so fast?"
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3 "Oh, that foothold... I can't reach it..."
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8 "I am really sorry it is taking me so long."
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14 "I just need to squeeze the last step... oops..."
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2 "Darn architects, they should build stair on the ceilings too."
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (13) - 1 = 12 "Which handhold you were talking about?"
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (13) - 1 = 12 "Just give me a moment... I need to breathe a bit..."
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3 How about, if I wait you here downstairs? No... right...
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2 "Anyone have a potion of Fly? O r a ladder maybe?"
Climb(DC=15): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (16) - 1 = 15 "Oh finally, thanks for supporting me."
14th time is the charm :)

Maybe it was the skeletal dogs in the room or the fact that Lupi could not forget the dinner appointment she missed with Ravers, but this time the climbing was much harder.

LOL! That stairway was quite the workout for you ;^)

Baran meant to be helping Lupi but her attempt after attempt was simply too hypontic and he could stop wundering 'How am I going to write this part?' He couldn't help but panic a little when it came to his turn and simply muttered "Ever forward, forward as ever." He handed the end of his staff up, "Another hand if you would please" And with a lot of assistance, and some rather unrefined struggling on his part, he made it to the next floor. Baran smiled, "With every climb up I feel myself getting lower in this tower."
climb: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 1 + 2 = 15

I'm assuming it's similar to the other stairwell in that there's no where to attach her grappling hook?

Actually, this staircase is straight, not circular like the previous one, so you could get the hook set with a decent throw.

I would have but Lupi’s struggle was far too entertaining to retcon where it didn’t exist. Although maybe some of it still would...

Agreed - reading all those comments after repeated failures was great fun! No reason to spoil that by taking out the challenge :-) Anyway, will assume you all make it up and nudge things along in the morning...

climb: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 8 - 2 = 20
assuming Erix can get his shield back...
Erix waited at the bottom, back to the stairs, and shield in hand. This was the perfect chance for an ambush, and long experience told Erix to stay focussed rather than help the others - for all that Lupi stretched his resolve.
Empathy warred with practicality when it came to the dead dogs - but he had fought sentients before. The best you could do was give them a chance at peace, and they had tried that with the dogs.

Once the others had ascended, he stowed his shield, turned, and leapt into the air. His left hand finds a hold and he ascends at speed. 'Knew there was a reason I do all those pull-ups.'

The seal of House Vadalis adorned what was currently the ceiling of the room you – some of you more than others – laboriously climbed into. The rotting canvas of a beautiful portrait lays on the floor, its frame smashed by the fall, amid a heap of shattered furniture. The western half of the room had collapsed, leaving a solid wall of dirt and stone to block your way, although dim light shines from several small cracks on what is now the ceiling above you – signifying this must be the highest remaining level of the fallen tower. A door to the east is closed, and before it lay several more of the toys – prized possessions – of the blink dogs, left there as if to pay homage to what lies beyond.

Turn 031 - Ascending down

Decided to wrap this up as I had a moment... Game on!

Lupi breathed heavily for a long while after the climb. She was happy to see they had reached top floor, this meant no more climbs. She whispered to others "This must be, where the Kamadan is." and readied to throw her poisoned dagger at the first sight of the snake-cat.

Just before someone opens the door, Lupi uses Prescience and then readies to throw the dagger at Kamadan. Only Kamadan though, if there is something else, then the ready action is wasted.

Alua has one spell left. Jussi, any chance you'd let me cast Bless, and spam Guidance on everybody?

Phin can't help but notice the seal of House Vadalis displayed prominently in the room. She felt instantly uneasy at the thought of dragonmarked houses and she absently rubbed her thigh where she could swear hers was tingling. Realizing what she was doing, she removed her hand from her thigh and pointed at the seal, "I guess that explains the skeletal dogs and possibly the obstacle course. Doesn't that house train animals?" Then the elf looked more closely at the ruined portrait before stepping over it to get closer to the door.

k.local: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

This must be, where the Kamadan is.

Now that she was no longer climbing, Phin readied her bow and made sure her arrow slathered in tranquilizer was nocked. "Seems like a logical deduction, Lupi. It's not like there's a lot more places to search."

The rogue made eye contact with Erix, "You open the door and hopefully we can get the drop on it with arrow, bolt, and dagger." She looked at the toys with some annoyance because what she saw were tripping hazards. "Either the skeletal dogs are fond of whatever is beyond the door or else they're scared of it and are paying tribute."

Do we need to reapply the tranquilizer or is it still within the estimated time frame of potency?

What kind of door is it? Would we be able to hear anything through it or is it a thick stone one like down below?

Baran was throughly winded and he was looking pale. A cold sweat covered the boy's forehead. He left his quarterstaff leaning against the wall by the stairs then tried to catch his breath for a few words. He got his shortbow out, he hoped for the last time in this tower. "Oh, celestial lights favour you're fools with fortune and abandon not a poor dramaturge in this dim hour. Show us the final scene in this grim play, on this day, in this place, and we will put a proper end to it." His lantern, the crude theatrical images of sun, moon, and stars, paid heed.

@kirsdrake, I will be on a small vacation for the next full day, feel free to throw the dice for Lupi.

Alua has one spell left. Jussi, any chance you'd let me cast Bless, and spam Guidance on everybody?

I don’t mind the occasional Guidance spam, Angie, as long as you don’t do it before every single fight ;^)

@kirsdrake, I will be on a small vacation for the next full day, feel free to throw the dice for Lupi.

Thank ye for the warning. I will if I have to, but I’m unlikely to have much time for posting tomorrow myself.

k.local: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

That is a very good roll… as you peer at the painting you can make out part of a name, and put two and two together. This picture most likely depicts one Maril d’Vadalis, grand aunt to the current Baron of the House, Dalin d'Vadalis. She had a reputation as a particularly inventive breeder of exotic beasts. No longer among the living, you are quite certain – it’s been 8 decades since the Fall, after all, and you rather doubt anyone went and set the portrait here after the calamity.

This wasn’t the first time you were let know the tower once belonged to the House of Handling, by the way ;^)

Do we need to reapply the tranquilizer or is it still within the estimated time frame of potency?

What kind of door is it? Would we be able to hear anything through it or is it a thick stone one like down below?

The poison was good for about 1 hour of exposure to air, so since you haven’t taken breaks it’s still good for about half hour-ish. The door is thick wood, and as it just happens, about hearing things through it…

As Phin moved to examine the next door to bar your way, she heard some faint, indistinct thud from the other side, and while she was instinctively straining her ears to try and identify the strange sound, the sudden, very loud feline snarl of rage and indignation very nearly startled her into dropping her bow. You didn’t have time to wonder what had provoked the beast that surely had to be your quarry, however, as the beast’s cry was followed by several voices shouting in the common tongue, and even if the words themselves were near-impossible to make out pas the muffling effect of the door and the Kamadan’s growls, the tone of command in one of the voices was clear enough.

Baran looked at the others in silent 'What the hell now' face.

Phin the Raccoon wrote:

k.local: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

That is a very good roll… as you peer at the painting you can make out part of a name, and put two and two together. This picture most likely depicts one Maril d’Vadalis, grand aunt to the current Baron of the House, Dalin d'Vadalis. She had a reputation as a particularly inventive breeder of exotic beasts. No longer among the living, you are quite certain – it’s been 8 decades since the Fall, after all, and you rather doubt anyone went and set the portrait here after the calamity.

This wasn’t the first time you were let know the tower once belonged to the House of Handling, by the way ;^)

But it is the first time she's putting 2 and 2 together :) Is there anyway that she can roll up what's left of the portrait and take it with her? How big is it and how fragile is it? The current Baron may pay to have it back...

Phin recovered quickly from the unexpected sounds emanating from behind the door. Her eyes narrowed as she heard people speaking. Had Huntsman Werem double-crossed them and sent another team? If it wasn't him then who even knew the kamadan had escaped? She held up her hand to shush everyone and tried to hear what was being said through the door.

perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

But found the wood to be too thick to make any sense of the words.

She lowered her voice, "Sounds like we have some competition. Everyone ready to fight people as well as a snake-cat with noxious breath?"

Grimly, Alua put the coated bolt in her crossbow and set it. Calling upon the strange spirits of the place, she blessed them all in this endeavor, and asked the spirits to guide their efforts.

Guidance- +1 to one skill, attack or save in the next minute, you choose which roll. Bless: +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects for 2 minutes.

Nodding to Baran, she said, "You have a silver tongue. Whoever they are, try to talk some sense into them before we open fire. Everybody else, start with knocking out the kamadan."

She then nodded to Erix to open the door.

Thank you Alua - Baran will rush in as soon as Erix opens the door and start with the diplomacy - which I am absolutely basing on the quality of the roll I make.

She lowered her voice, "Sounds like we have some competition. Everyone ready to fight people as well as a snake-cat with noxious breath?"

"A crew sent by Feeson??? You know, Werem's opposition. What if they mean to kill the kamadan to stop the ritual." These were words that Baran never thought he would say and with some pride he gave a silent thanks to his mentor.

Nodding to Baran, she said, "You have a silver tongue. Whoever they are, try to talk some sense into them before we open fire. Everybody else, start with knocking out the kamadan."

Baran nodded with a confident expression ... 'What the hell am I going to say'. He lowered his bow and waited to rush in.

Happy for Erix to open the door at the appropriate time
Erix, shield in hand, braced himself. He spent a moment and checked the hinges and bolts in case anything might hinder a smooth opening.
"Ready when you say, Boss. I'm going to go hard, so be ready."

You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the next post, I'm afraid. Got swamped with stuff to do today T_T

Right, let's start with some imitative rolls...

Initiative, Kamadan: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Initiative, NPC party: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Initiative, Alua: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Initiative, Baran: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Initiative, Erix: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
Initiative, Lupi: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
Initiative, Phin: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

I'm averaging the NPC teams' initiatives into one roll, since I really like the way, after one round, we can bunch people into "you" and "everyone else". So, Baran and Phin can act now, then the "enemies" get to do something. And the initial scene follows shortly...

True to his word about "going in hard", Erix burst through the door into the chamber beyond and tried to make sense of the tactical situation you had stumbled into.

The room beyond, once a temple to the sovereign Lord of the horn and the hunt, Balinor, had certainly seen better days. It was filled with pieces of shattered statues and broken pillars. The heads of long-dead nobles were mixed together in jumbled heaps with the limbs of god and bits of abstract art, and the heavy altar stone of the shrine laid shattered where it had fallen, crushing under its immense weight a gilded bowl that had once laid on it. The wall on the north-east side had broken down, opening the room to the elements, and there were the occasional crack in the roof below that had allowed rainwater to pool on the floor in some places.

In the southern end of the room, far from the broken wall, a nest of sorts had been made, with rotting mats, tapestries and wall hangings had been piled together. Close to it, the savaged, partially consumed remains of two people - whether Ravers or members of the original transport team or even civilian citizens of the district, it was impossible to say anymore. The smell of blood and the distinct stench of a large feline marking its turf were heavy in the air.

Even as Baran's conjured light reveled these details to you they remained of secondary importance, for in the middle of the room, a battle was taking place. A large feline, with yellow fur spotted with brown was snarling at two hunters, the mass of snakes growing out from its flanks snapping at its closest opponent - a dwarf wearing knee-length chain mail, hunkering behind a large shield and with a cudgel brandished as a weapon. Behind his back, a leather-armored woman, the mace-head of the weighted spear in her hands poking at the beast over her shorter companion's shoulder.

Just beyond the crumbled wall, a green disc of magical force hovered in the air, and on top of it knelt two more strangers. The closer one, an archer with an arrow already nocked, ready to fire, and beyond her, a somewhat flamboyantly-dressed young man without any visible weapons save a dagger belted to his waist.

Right... since you won the initiative Baran and Phin can act first... but you'll also have to wait for the NPCs initial reactions to your arrival until they have a chance to do something ;^)

Baran rushed into the room and to Erix' side. The bard's bow and arrow were in his left hand and held over his head, his right was open and likewise raised. He tried to make himself seen before yelling out,
"BE SMART! YOU DON'T NEED TO BE FIGHTING ON TWO FRONTS! LET'S HELP EACHOTHER NOW AND TALK AFTER THE KAMADAN HAS BEEN SUBDUED!"
When he said subdued he looked at the flamboyantly dressed man's reaction. They were using blunt weapons, did they intend to kill the Kamadan. 'We're all tapped out, exhausted, wounded.' He looked over at Erix 'At least I am. If they aren't going to kill the creature they I'm going to let them do all the work and get us on even footing.'
diplomacy+guidance: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 8 + 1 = 27
sense motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Kinda glad the good rolls waited until after my crappy performance with the blinkdog skeletons

Baran will move to the south, against the wall, so that as many of the other party can see him as possible before he yells out

Phin had one job. Her job was to impale the kamadan with her tranquilizer arrow. She followed Erix into the room and quickly found her target. She was annoyed and a little surprised to see four strangers also attempting to obtain the creature. If they tried to steal their quarry then they'd deal with them when the kamadan was drugged.

The elf took a second to take a cleansing breath, clearing her mind of the chaos around her and focused solely on the kamadan. She drew back her bow string and let her arrow fly. She nervously chewed on the inside of her cheek as she watched the arrow and tried to guess if the trajectory was true or if she had just wasted a dose of the tranquilizer.

shortbow: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

If that doesn't hit then us 2nd level characters are screwed!

Kamadan, save vs poison: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19 Success

For a moment, Baran's powerful voice made the three strangers pause and even made the giant feline hesitate, but then Phin's arrow struck the cat's flank, causing the beast to grunt in irritation and making the dwarf furrow his brows fiercely.

"It's the Khyber-lovin' competition! Sic 'em, Taran! Ain't no bloody way they gonna steal our reward!" the dwarf shouted, then immediately ducked under his shield as teeth and claws tried to rend his flesh. And while those only met unyielding metal, the kamadan's snakes bit into the dwarf's neck, but had to quickly let go as the enraged armored warrior's attack forced the beast back a step. The woman behind him tried to bash at the cat with the blunt her of her spear but the kamadan easily batted her strike aside with a paw. It couldn't do the same for the two arrows that were launched at it, however, and while one of them failed to penetrate the beast's thick fur the other struck true, and the kamadan staggered briefly as the poison coating the arrowhead mixed with its blood.

But it was the wizard kneeling on his disc of force that struck at you - quick words and gestures assaulted your minds with waves of drowsiness even more potent than the poison made to subdue your prey.

Kamadan, bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Kamadan, claws: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Kamadan, claws: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Kamadan, snakes: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Kamadan, snakes, damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Dwarf, cudgel: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 7 - 4 = 13
Spearwoman, mace-head: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Archer, rapid shot: 1d20 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 6 - 2 = 19
Archer, damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Archer, rapid shot: 1d20 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 6 - 2 = 14

Kamadan, save vs poison: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12 Failed initial save

Right. Everyone up. NPC 4 cast Sleep at you, but unfortunately it's targeting is a bit iffy... Erix is the primary target, as he's so well in sight behind the door, but after that, the spell hits the next closest target to the caster, which happens to be Phin, and as an elf she's immune to the spell. So Erix, one Will save DC 14, please.

@kirsdrake: Lupi would like to move forward, could you update Phin's Baran's and Erix's location to the map, so I would know where to put Lupi?

I did - Baran moved south (and didn't say he wanted to go past the door so moved him south inside the room) and Erix has yet to act so there he stands until he tells me otherwise.

Oh, and Phin said she followed Erix into the room but Erix didn't yet step into the room, and she didn't specify WHERE she wanted to go so I took the safe approach and assumed she didn't move.

Oh no! Not Will!
will: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (10) + 0 = 10
Already exhausted from having his medicine's effect lapse then having pushed on, Erix keeled over like a toppled tree.

Oh, and Phin said she followed Erix into the room but Erix didn't yet step into the room, and she didn't specify WHERE she wanted to go so I took the safe approach and assumed she didn't move.

Umm... OK :)

Prescience: 1d20 ⇒ 1 First Prescience, as a free action, well, Lupi will certainly not use that.

Knowledge(arcana): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14 To identify a spell that uses certain material component (DC=20). Not going well, Lupi does not know, which spell caused Erix's nap, unless he snores loudly :).

Lupi stays on her place and targets NPC1 with Daze (DC=15) as a standard action. I presume he is the only one Lupi sees from her current location. Then she takes Color Spray scroll from the scroll case as a move action.

Lupi was terrified to see the big scarred man go down, but had little idea, what caused it. She thought of herself "What a nasty spell" without knowing that she was immune to it. She called forth a simple enchantment and directed the power towards the dwarf in the chain mail. Then she took a scroll from her scroll case.

Identify Spell Being Cast is a Spellcraft action, not Knowledge, but the skill ratings are identical in your case. That Knowledge skill use refers to "I want to know all the spells that can be cast with X as a material component". DC for 1st level spell is 16, however, so no luck there. You can make a wild guess after seeing the end result so close at hand, though.

And about movement... if you don't give me specifics, the results might surprise you. Now, I could have interpreted Erix's original post about him charging right in as far as his movement speed would take him, but I rather stopped things at the moment you saw what was going on, and then initiative chose the order of actions. The map updated at that time represented that reality.

When you move on a tactical map, please do be specific, or you might, depending on my mood, find your arcane caster in melee range of the Kamadan after you told me you'd "advance into the room" instead of telling me you wanted to go 2 squares East and 3 South ;^) I will, of course, try to work with you if you, say, give me something like "I'd want to get within 10' of X without going through threatened squares but I'm not sure if I can do that", but for the real ambiguous orders, as Terry Pratchett used to say, YGWYAGANGW.

Thanks, actually Knowledge(arcana) can be used to identify a spell, but DC's are harder, I guess it is for those PCs that don't have Spellcraft skill. That's what I got with the first try on google :). I was thinking of a wild guess too and would have done that, if Lupi would have known Sleep spell herself.

Hmm... well, there is the "Identify a spell effect that is in place", but I think that refers to a persistent effect - you wasn't there to see the casting but the results are still there. Or "Identify a spell that just targeted you", where you felt the effects while again didn't spot the casting. Or was there another use that I'm not seeing? Not that I definitely object to Knowledge being used to identify a casting itself.

True to his word about "going in hard", Erix burst through the door into the chamber beyond and tried to make sense of the tactical situation you had stumbled into.

Based on this wording, I assumed that Erix went into the room. You don't go in hard and then stop abruptly in the doorway.

And if you would like us to give specific placement then would it be possible to add Numbers and Letters to the map so we have a grid where we can give you the square - like D9 or B4?

And is that brown dot the kamadan?

Based on this wording, I assumed that Erix went into the room. You don't go in hard and then stop abruptly in the doorway.

Sure, I could have done it just as written, but as the situation inside wasn't quite what you might have expected, I tried to be nice to you and give you a chance to reconsider. Erix said he burst in so burst in he did. That'd mean moving into the room. Would that mean one square? Would he go all the way into melee distance with the Kamadan? Or stop just short of it? Would be move to its flank, or into a flanking position with the NPCs, or move to threaten those NPCs? I had no way to know how Erix would wanted to have it done.

When charging though a door into the unknown like that, there's basically three ways I can handle it:

1) Take it just as you wrote it. You open a door and "charge inside". There's a clearly visible bottomless pit just on the other side. Well, you said you charged in so down you go to your death.

2) Play against myself to take the best option you possibly could. Again, you open a door and "charge inside". There's an empty room but each floor square is painted. Now surely you remember that the NPC 130 posts back mentioned in passing that the color red is a lucky color to the builders of these ruins so naturally you'll only step on red squares and make it past the death-trap unharmed.

3) Or give you a chance to reconsider. You open a door and "charge inside". There's an army of pikemen on the other side, spears braced to skewer you. Leeeet's just ask you if what you said you wanted before is what you still want, in light of the new evidence.

And if you would like us to give specific placement then would it be possible to add Numbers and Letters to the map so we have a grid where we can give you the square - like D9 or B4?

That should be doable, if you don't like the "move two west and 1 north from my current position" thing. Just be warned that since I'm juggling maps using different layers and cropping the image for the tactical map (so there wouldn't be 80 squares of seemingly empty space around all the action) I'll have to recenter the coordinate layer manually for every update. So just because you were at B3 last round and didn't move doesn't necessarily mean you start off at B3 the next round (in case my hand twitched when I was dragging the coordinates into a new position and I didn't spot it was 5mm to one side and not where I intended it to be.

And is that brown dot the kamadan?

Indeed it is.

There is a certain amount of 'fog-of-war' (or in this case 'fog-of-PBP') going on here. I'm happy to include a certain amount of flexibility to make up for it (option 3). Also, being a GM of a game of my own I'm liable to give GM's more lea-way to interpret quick posts (especially those who put so much work and care in their DM'ing). We should however decide on what understanding we'd like to be going on with. If we don't have to go over this each time we're in a key moment then it will be less confusion for all. Knowing what to expect covers over a lot of fog.
Also, I like the path from last position, something like 2 east + 1 north (north = up, south = down, east = right, west = left; from the perspective of the computer screen). We could use a short hand ie. 2e+1n with diagonals like 3ne. Too clodgey?
If its' Baran's turn and everyone is west of the door he will close it. "They aren't listening. We could let them take their lumps with the kamadan and go in and fight the victor ... or we could side with the kamadan. What do you think boss???"
If Erix is in the room asleep on the floor then: move 1n+3ne with an AoO from 2 for firing a bow in threat range? Baran would be behind a pillar? note: he is using his annointed arrow.
Baran terrified the kamadan might kill Erix in his sleep rushed into the room and shot at the flamboyantly dress adversary.

Which exact square Erix went to bed in is a bit ambiguous (no particular reason for him to fall in any given direction), so if no-one objects you can drag him into the room with you if requited and then close the door - of course that means you won't be able to affect what takes place in the room beyond. But will you wait until everyone else has acted to see if someone wants to enter the room or take initiative and go ahead with your plan as long as the going is good?

Phin the Raccoon wrote:

Based on this wording, I assumed that Erix went into the room. You don't go in hard and then stop abruptly in the doorway.

Sure, I could have done it just as written, but as the situation inside wasn't quite what you might have expected, I tried to be nice to you and give you a chance to reconsider. Erix said he burst in so burst in he did. That'd mean moving into the room. Would that mean one square? Would he go all the way into melee distance with the Kamadan? Or stop just short of it? Would be move to its flank, or into a flanking position with the NPCs, or move to threaten those NPCs? I had no way to know how Erix would wanted to have it done.

When charging though a door into the unknown like that, there's basically three ways I can handle it:

1) Take it just as you wrote it. You open a door and "charge inside". There's a clearly visible bottomless pit just on the other side. Well, you said you charged in so down you go to your death.

2) Play against myself to take the best option you possibly could. Again, you open a door and "charge inside". There's an empty room but each floor square is painted. Now surely you remember that the NPC 130 posts back mentioned in passing that the color red is a lucky color to the builders of these ruins so naturally you'll only step on red squares and make it past the death-trap unharmed.

3) Or give you a chance to reconsider. You open a door and "charge inside". There's an army of pikemen on the other side, spears braced to skewer you. Leeeet's just ask you if what you said you wanted before is what you still want, in light of the new evidence.

That's fair. I'm totally fine with Option 3. I was just explaining why I had written what I had. And thanks for the explanation of why Phin never actually made it into the room

With regards to direction, I'm fine with using the N-E-S-W directions as long as we can always assume that up is north. No need to add work for yourself.

No need to add work for yourself.

Yay for less work!

Also, this weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving and it's my parents' 50th anniversary so I will be AFK from Friday to probably Wednesday. So please bot Phin as needed.

Thanks for letting me know, and have a nice holiday for yourself!

Alua hadn't been sure what to expect when the door opened, but it wasn't this. For one, the kamadan was big! Way bigger than she'd been expecting. She thought it would be the size of a panther, but this was more like a small horse.

The second thing she noticed were the spirits. So far the tower had been almost devoid of them, only an occasional spirit drifting aimlessly, not really paying attention to her. But in this room, they had congregated, and they were clearly disturbed. It reminded her of the strange hand statue at the artist's house, but not so extreme. Here, there wasn't any one object that seemed to attract or repulse them - it was as if the whole room just...agitated them some how.

Alua looked around to see if she could figure out what they were reacting to, but the scene was just too chaotic.

sense motive spirits: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Stepping into the room with her crossbow, she cried out, "We're not your enemies. We were hired by the man who owns this beast." Not wanting to waste the poison on her bolt, she turned to the kamadan and fired, the bolt taking the beast straight in the flank.

crossbow guidance/bless: 1d20 + 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 2 + 1 + 1 = 18

Alua won't be willing to shut the door. We were hired for a job, and hiding behind a door isn't it. She will move so she's one square exactly west of Baran, on the other side of the wall.

Phin would have moved 1 square east and 2 squares north, putting her inside the room.

And would you like to do that move now? You are the only one yet to act, Phin.

Right, enough waiting - if Phin hasn't started her holiday yet she might be able to post for Phin's next action. And in case I didn't mention this before: if I'm autopiloting a PC, I'll try to choose some very safe actions for them so as not to kill them when their rightful owner is away. If another player shouts reasonable orders ("Focus all fire on THAT target!") I'll try to priorize those.

"We're not your enemies. We were hired by the man who owns this beast."

"Aren't we all!" the dwarf spat back, doing his level best to keep the beast occupied - it might have slowed down slightly after the poisoned arrows hit it, but it wasn't going down peacefully. "There's only enough reward for one of us, and that "us" is gonna be our "us", so you bugger off before we see if your heads come with a bounty attached as well!"

I'll assume Alua meant one square east of Baran, not west. And brave Baran goes into melee, it seems... and shooting the kanadan-specific poisoned arrow at the mage? Right ye are. NPC2 would otherwise get an AoO (although the pillar might make it harder) but she's using a reach weapon and you get too close to her. She does, however, get an AoO for you moving inside her reach.

It would have been mighty nice if you had rolled for attack, and written a post about the expected result, though... Hint. Hint.I may have to start applying penalties to rolls if I don't get those...

NPC1, save vs daze: 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 + 2 = 24 Easy

Spearwoman, AoO vs Baran: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Spearwoman, AoO vs Baran, damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Baran, shortbow vs NPC4: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Baran, shortbow, damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2

NPC4, save vs poison: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8 Not enough... woe unto him
NPC4, concentration: 1d20 + 3 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 + 3 = 20

Kamadan, bite: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (5) + 7 - 1 = 11
Kamadan, claws: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (8) + 7 - 1 = 14
Kamadan, claws: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 - 1 = 26
Kamadan, crit?: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 - 1 = 26
Kamadan, claw, damage: 2d3 + 6 ⇒ (3, 2) + 6 = 11
Kamadan, snakes: 1d20 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (7) + 2 - 1 = 8

Dwarf, cudgel vs Kamadan: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (14) + 7 - 4 = 17
Dwarf, cudgel, damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Spearwoman, mace-head vs Kamadan: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (20) + 5 - 4 = 21
Spearwoman, crit?: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (5) + 5 - 4 = 6
Spearwoman, mace-head, damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Archer vs Kamadan: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Archer, crit?: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Archer vs Kamadan, damage: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 5) = 8

Kamadan, save vs poison: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Kamadan, save vs poison: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Kamadan, save vs Web: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Alua vs Kamadan, damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8 Almost forgot you didn't roll for damage

Much mayhem this round. Much.

A lot of things happened in a short order. First, the dwarf taking on the Kamadan's full fury shrugged off Lupi's enchantment without noticing, but distracted as he was replying to Alua he failed to block a claw-swipe that almost disemboweled him, scattering shattered chain links across the room, as the warrior groaned in agony and fell to one knee, although he didn't let his shield fall and even struck back at the beast, cracking his club on the feline's nose.

Alua's poisoned arrow was joined by one from the archer kneeling on the levitating disc, both striking the beast's opposing flanks and delivering fresh doses of poison, causing the beast to stagger and mew in puzzlement.

Phin, seeing Erix snoring contentedly at her feet, proceeded to shake and slap at the brawler until the enchantment broke and the veteran opened his eyes, staring around in momentary puzzlement.

Baran used the distraction to slip closer to the battle, moving boldly far forward of his allies to threaten the two people on the magical disc. He failed to take into account the reach of the spearwoman, and a bladed end of the spear that she hadn't yet used against her prey flickered at him, cutting a shallow wound across his ribs but failed to penetrate deeply enough to do telling damage. Her follow-up attack on the feline with the blunt end of her weapon proved much more effective, the steel ball cracking against the cat's temple just as it was tring to recover from the dwarf's retaliatory blow.

The scholar did reach his destination, however, and the poisoned arrow he launched hit the boldly dressed arcanist just above one knee. The spellcaster grunted in pain but had the presence of the midn to cling to the spell he had began to cast, and moments later, a huge mass of sticky webbing bloomed into being around the door Baran and Alua had just moved through, threatening to entangle all but Baran and Lupi, both just out of reach of the area.

Right. Phin uses her action to wake Erix up. Erix, you are sitting down and you dropped your weapons - a shield strapped to your hand would still be there. Then, everyone except Lupi and Baran gets to roll a Ref save not to get stuck in the Web. DC is 15. If you fail, you are grappled by the web but can still act (the condition and its penalties allowing. If you make the save you are still inside the web but not stuck... yet. If you try to move inside or through the web, every square (yellow on the map) are considered difficult terrain (so half movement, no charging) and have to make one grapple OR Escape Artist check every round against that same DC 15 or get stuck the moment you began to move. To those wanting to cast spells or shoot things through the web, 5' of web provides cover and 20' total cover from attacks (and total cover prevents targeting people with spells).

The kamadan is almost dead (NOT a great thing for your reward's sake) and very much poisoned, although as Erix suspected earlier it has built up some resistance. Now, actions, please.