GM_MG's Extinction Curse (Inactive)

Game Master GM_MG

"Whoa. I think I know this story!" Didy says as he excitedly rattles off one of the many tales he knows of Aroden and his good works.

religion: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18

Boo, hero pointing that crap.

religion: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

I am certain there is something in here that needs repairing. I do have Quick Repair, so should not take too long.

Craft: 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 11 + 1 = 21

performance: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17
arcana: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Helping to clean with the others, Kvothe tries his best to help figure out what's going on, and not having a clue

hero point
performance: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22

As the heroes perform the rituals, the waters of the pool clear.

At the bottom of the pool, you see a pair of leather bracers.

The bracers are bracers of armor type I.

Woot! I had planned on buying one of these. Any objections to me taking it?

"Wow! Would you look at that? Aroden is already smiling on us! Hmm I had hoped that we'd be able to get to that room the golem was protecting from this side, but no such luck. Let's head upstairs. Maybe we can find some secret password we can tell it, so it knows we are friendly."

I think we are finally ready to explore the second story.

Stairs worn smooth by countless footsteps traverse a dizzying spiral leading to a circular stone chamber. An enormous, cracked bronze bell buckles under the weight of the partially collapsed stone ceiling. The air seems to warp and shimmer, with tangles of thick cobwebs appearing over the rubble, then vanishing upon second glance. A desiccated xulgath corpse hangs in the room, suspended in midair by the ephemeral webs.

Didy grimaces at the sight of spiderwebs, doubly so when those webs shimmer in and out of existence. Resolutely he sniffs at the air and tries to take stock of the threat.

I would like to use Survey Wildlife (Survival +13 plus Dubious Knowledge) to hopefully get some intel on the apparent interdimensional spider(s) that is(are) about to show us a bad time. Hopefully I can mark it/one as my prey in the process.

I would like to Nope right out of this one, but I won't abandon the group. In any case, I am absolutely avoiding notice and hanging out at the back, but ready to kill it with fire when ready.

Fail on the initial survey wildlife attempt, so dubious knowledge won't apply.

Didy isn't able to determine what sort of creatures left these webs. As far as he can tell, besides the presence of the webs themselves, there's no sign of any creature that might have left them.

"Hmm, I am not sure what or where the creature is that did that. Ah well, back to work on tidying up." he says with a shrug.

I would like to try to light the webs on fire with a torch.

"Allow me." Al places her hand on Didy's shoulder as he starts to light his torch.

Her hand blazes with flames and she hurls it up at the webs.

produce flame: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (3) + 15 = 18
fire: 4d4 + 4 ⇒ (3, 4, 2, 4) + 4 = 17

The flames ignite the flames easily enough, filling the air with an unpleasant stench.

The odor grows much worse when the flames spread to the dead xulgath. As the flames engulf the desiccated corpse, it suddenly explodes horrifically, skin splitting open and a cloud of strange ectoplasmic motes bursting forth.

All of you are out of the radius. Clever thinking, Al and Didy, have a hero point.

Suddenly, two massive spiders appear out of thin air.

Kvothe
Black
Carl
Al
Didy
White

Kvothe is up first!

Strumming his lute to the tune of their theme, Kvothe begins to play ending the first stanza with a flourish

inspire with lingering comp
performance: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24

He then hurls a telekinetic projectile at the spiders

spell attack: 1d20 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 15 + 1 = 25
damage: 3d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (3, 5, 1) + 4 + 1 = 14

@Kvothe, just a quick heads up your TK projectile should be 4d6+4 (essentially it does 1 die per spell level, so since you can cast 4th level spells now it should do 4d6+4).

Kvothe
Black (-18)
Carl
Al
Didy
Ambro (-53)
White

1d6 ⇒ 4

Kvothe hits the spider.

The black spider bites at Ambro.

Attack: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (14) + 15 = 29
Piercing damage: 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
Piercing damage: 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25 Ouch.
Piercing damage: 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Three Fort saves from Ambro, please.

Carl, Didy, and Al are up!

Ouch. Ambro is turning into quite the punching bag. And oof, we have no room to maneuver.

fort: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34
fort: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27
fort: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

Alright great rolls at least! My first action is to Hunt Prey (with the free recall knowledge check with dubious). I am really hoping to know if these guys have reactions and whether Ambro can even act before I commit to the third action. Most likely though I will be Command: Stride around behind and then Darting Strike (stepping away afterwards).

Didy lets out a startled yip that turns into full blown barking as the spiders descend on his (not so) little buddy. He looks for weak points and threats and communicates his insights to his friends while he rapidly bandages the dinosaur.

Battle Medic DC 20: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (5) + 18 = 23
healing: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (4, 8) + 10 = 22

Thank you for using smiley faces!

"Oh it is time to kill it with fire." she announces matter-of-factly while glaring at one spider, while the macabre face affixed to her staff seems to eerily stare at the other.

I am using the Grim Trophy to target both with an Intimidating Glare and then trying to use the Talisman Cord to not expend it. On the off chance these things are L6 or less, my Terrified Retreat should force them to waste a round trying to flee.

intimidating glare: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (10) + 18 = 28
DC 16 flat check: 1d20 ⇒ 11 Boo!

After a quick incantation, she hurls a ball of flame at the far wall and the chamber erupts in flame.

4th level fireball DC 25: 8d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 5, 4, 4, 3, 6, 4) = 34 Yesssss. Burn.

Kvothe
Black (-52, frightened 1)
Carl
Al
Didy
Ambro (-31)
White (-68, frightened 1)

These are Ether Spiders. They can flit back and forth to the ethereal plane with ease (one action). They don't have any reactions.

1d20 ⇒ 3 Fail
1d20 ⇒ 1 Critical fail

The spiders seem shaken by Al's stern demeanor, and possibly more so by the massive ball of flame that explodes in their midst.

Carl is up, and Didy has one remaining action.

nice! Ok with the coast clear I'll command ambro to stride around (to flank with Didy if possible) then use darting strike to bite and then step away.

Ambrosius jaws+inspire: 1d20 + 13 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 13 + 1 = 33
piercing+precision: 3d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (4, 5, 1) + 3 + 1 = 14

Kvothe
Carl
Al
Didy
Ambro (-31)
White (-68, frightened 1)

Critical hit.

The fireball left the spider reeling, and Ambro easily finishes it off.

Carl is up!

Carl attempts to trip the creature. His weapon get tangled in the mass of legs and falls to the ground. He then raises his shield, as he quickly kneels to retrieve his weapon.

Inspired Trip vs Frightened: 1d20 + 17 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 17 + 1 + 1 = 20
Inspired Strike2 vs Frightened maybe prone: 1d20 + 16 - 5 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 16 - 5 + 1 = 30
Inspired Piercing: 1d8 + 4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 2 + 1 = 11

Raises shield to keep AC 29. I have DR2/Slashing.
Going to use my reaction on the first hit. Ambro is out of range. Either Shield Block (Hardness 10) on myself, or Glimpse of Redemption on an ally(-9 hp damage & Enfeebled (or Stupefied) 2)

Never Mind. I will have to spend an action to pick up my weapon after I dropped it. I fight one handed, so all set.

Carl trips himself up, but manages to stab the spider, killing it.

Out of combat! Those guys got wrecked by that intimidate/fireball combo.

Stacy got favored enemy bonuses :P

"What in the nine hecks were those ether spiders doin' in here. And they don't seem to have been on good terms with the xulgaths." he says as he prods the corpse timidly with the end of his bow.

When it doesn't burst open with anything horrible he gives it and the spiders a thorough search for clues and valuables. Perception +18

While the xulgath doesn't appear to have anything on him, Didy does find a few items tucked under the bell here, wrapped in spider silk. These include a broken pair of spectacles, a small figurine of a snake, and a feather token.

The spectacles, if repaired, are worth 10 gold. The figurine is a candy constrictor figurine of wondrous power. The feather token is a tree feather token.

That was a lovely blast! I will fix those spectacles up when we get back to camp.

If no real rush, we will get everyone back to full hp. There is a box in the upper right corner. Is that supposed to be there?

"Wanna give me a hand? Let's try and fix this bell. Can't have a good temple without a nice bell chorus."

As I recall, we couldn't fully reconsecrate the chapel below, so I am hoping that repairing the bell and reaffixing it (and topping it off with a nice prayer) will be the last piece of the puzzle. As for the uncovered section, I already searched the room, so doing so again would be pure metagaming on my part.

Repairing the bell is probably too big a job to do here in the temple, as you will need specialized tools, a forge, etc. To streamline things, I'll tell you that's not how you fix the temple, though.

Thanks for the heads up.
Welp, I guess we gotta go back and face the stone golem. We should strategize though. In fact I think it is worth taking the time to upgrade your trident, Carl. Hardness is brutal, so we need all the damage output we can get to overcome it.
Hmm, now that I think about it, I'd like to spend some time researching the local libraries/hall of records/bedtime stories/etc. The golem was obviously created to protect something sacred to the temple so there has to be a way that the priests commanded it, or at least let it know that were not enemies.

sounds good. Not used to no real big time crunch. I know I would like to throw some water from the sanctified pool on it. I thought water and earth were opposite in this edition.

religion to research the history of the temple: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

Arcana to research stone golems in general: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28

The heroes trudge back up the stairs again, and consult the archives.

While Didy finds no mention of the temple in the archives (fail), Al learns enough about Stone Golems to learn that Didy was critically mistaken in his identification of the creature. Al is pretty sure that the guardian was actually a Giant Animated Statue.

Neutral Huge Construct with the Earth and Mindless Descriptors. They are normally quite hard to hit with an AC of 26, but if damaged to half hit points they lose their construct armor and their hardness, with the AC decreasing to 22.

Al also finds a passing mention that such creatures, when found in temples, are sometimes programmed to obey the commands of priests, or, failing that, those bearing holy symbols or certain symbols or artifacts important to the faith or the temple itself.

"Huzzah! Well done, Al! Sorry about umm... jumping to conclusions earlier. Hmm, I wonder if that holy text we gave to the Professor is the key? Either way it's about time I wear my faith proudly! I'll pick up a holy symbol of Aroden in town. You guys might want to too. Aroden is the coolest after all."

So heading to the market I will buy a holy symbol. Then let's swing by the circus and grab the holy text, and spend the 2 days Carl needs to upgrade his trident. Between the symbol, the holy text, and the bracers we got from the pool, hopefully one of those will be the proper safety badge to bypass the statue. But if not, we should be armed well with the proper intel and gear to be able to conquer the statue by force. Didy is just really hoping not to actively destroy temple property right after working so hard to fix the place back up.

No worries there, the smashed stone in the room is a clue that it just reforms if you destroy it.

When the group re-enters the room bearing a holy symbol of Aroden, the statue makes no effort to stop them from descending the stairs.

"Thanks, Mr. Statue. Keep up the good work!" the shoony says with a wave as he walks past the guardian and explores the room beyond.

Smooth stone stairs, worn down by countless generations of footsteps, wind downward to an intersection of hallways adorned with dusty rugs and ornamented with symbols of winged eyes. Discarded bones, bits of broken
weapons, and an awful smell all provide evidence of recent xulgath occupation.

To the north, the stone floors give way to wooden floorboards of some kind.

Didy frowns at the evidence the xulgaths made it this far. He'd hoped the guardian statue held them at bay.

He gives a good sniff to try to determine if any remain close at hand and then examines the path ahead for signs of an ambush or trap.

perception +18, likely two checks, one for scent and one for traps.

Well, it looks like they figured out the secret of the statue also. Unless there is another way down here that we did not find. Carl regrips his weapon as he rotates his shoulders.

"I guess that rubble and scorching we saw before may have been from the smelly jerks forcing their way through. The magic of the statue must allow it to repair itself."

Didy doesn't notice any traps or any monsters in the immediate area.

Ambrosius emits a strange clicking purr and rubs up against the bark-like hide of the champion as the walk side by side doen the hall.

moved us up to what I presume is an intersection with closed doors on either side. If so I will pull out my brass ear and take a listen at each door.

A ghostly apparition appears as you approach the intersection—a blue-hued spectre of an old man, with long white hair, wearing a moonstone diadem and bearing the winged eye symbol of Aroden.

"DEFILED! DISHONORED! DESECRATED! THE HALLS OF THIS TEMPLE ARE INFESTED WITH EEEVIIIL!"

"Don't you worry, Mr. Ghost. Sir Didymus, devout Arodenite is on the job! We already expelled all those evil xulgaths and demons and ether spiders upstairs," he beams proudly displaying his Holy symbol then reaches out to shake the spectre's hand before awkwardly switching it to a wave instead.

The ghost steps closer.

"COME THEN, AND KNOW ME BETTER, MAN! DESTROY THE INTERLOPERS, AND YOU MAY TAKE WHAT YOU LIKE! THE CONTENTS OF THE TEMPLE ARE LESS IMPORTANT THAN ITS SANCTITY!"

finally! Explicit permission to plunder the temple.

"Sure! Umm, tell us about yourself. What's your name? We're you the priest here? If, umm, it's not too personal... how'd you die?"

"I AM ULTHDAR! THE FIRT HIGH PRIEST OF THIS TEMPLE AFTER ITS CONSTRUCTION! I MINISTERED TO THE FAITHFUL AND PREACHED THE WORD OF THE GOD OF MAN FOR TWENTY YEARS, BEFORE PASSING AWAY IN MY SLEEP! WHEN I DIED MY SOUL LINGERED HERE FOR AGES..." The spirit trails off, looking confused.

"BUT NOW, EVIL LURKS WITHIN THESE WALLS! DEFILED! DISHONORED! DESECRATED! ARODEN WILL NOT STAND FOR IT! WE MUST CLEANSE THIS TEMPLE!"

This counts as a new sessiom, so hero points resetting to 1.