A Test of Chaos - Genericum Test Game (Inactive)

Game Master JonGarrett

Zandora makes sure to say farewell to Azana (her supposedly dead body) on the way out as well.

As she leaves she says

Well played everyone. Thanks for an interesting challenge!

Sorry, I noticed the discussion updates, but I didn't catch all this going on! Thanks for carrying the scene Zandora. Tried to help out where I could.

Well, what's next? Shada asks Zandora.

Hmm, well, any of the other challenges really... do you have a preference? We still don't know where the test of Grace is, but I believe you suggested the test of Valor? Shall we try that one?

She looks around.

It seems as though we've lost some of the people who we were teaming up with... shall we grab some others from the crowd on the way?

She scans the crowd and then looks over at Shada.

See anyone interesting?

Hmmm. Not yet. Hopefully someone will come along soon, but if not I guess we can go it alone.

Okay, I'm game. Valor then?

Sure. At least I hope that's a contest I can provide some value in.

”If it is battle, I am certain my talents will be more of use there.”

Ured and the other wave goodbye. Given the illusion of the gaping wound is still present on the 'victim' as she cheerfully waves you off, it's a little disconcerting.

1d10 ⇒ 4

As the group heads toward the Test of Valour they hear a loud 'Psssssst!' from a side alley. At first glance it seems to be half-filled with construction material, which is true at second glance as well, but there's also a bulky, shorter person in a cloak partially hidden by the supplies gesturing you all over.

Zandora walks over to see what this is about.

What appears to be a Dwarf in a ragged cloak looks around, and whispers, "Hey, you're one them, whatchamacallit, Guild folk right? Wanna buy some information on them tests?"

What sort of information? We don't want anything that could potentially disqualify us, but if you have the location of the test of Grace, there wasn't anything in the rules about how we find it, so that could work.

(She stays on guard however, because she knows that the test of Survival finds you, and she also doesn't really want to be stabbed and left for dead in an alley.)

Fellowship:1d100 ⇒ 63 Grumble grumble

Shada keeps her ears open, listening to the Dwarf's answers for the sounds of deception.

The Dwarf shook her head. "No one knows much about that one. The Guildmaster is a shapeshifter, so it probably isn't the same twice." She realized that she'd said that for free, and sighed. "But I know some other things. Know the secret for the sneaky one, and twist for Red's one. Nothing in the rules says you can't get info, right? Probably."

Zandora smiles

Fellowship (30+20 = 50): 1d100 ⇒ 54 (Would also get +10 bonuses (each) if she is attracted to me. Otherwise, fail.)

Hmm, tempting, but we better not. Don't want to blow the competition over something we can likely figure out for ourselves.

I'm going to take the Natural Born Liar drawback off my sheet and trade it out for something else... I remembered at first, but then stopped, and I feel like my character changed in the meantime, so since you said we could rebuild anyway, I'm going to do that part... maybe some other things, but might take me a few days to get it all together. Haven't been monitoring the changes, so have to get up to speed.

Absolutely. Part of the reason for this little interaction was to give me time to hunt down additional players (which doesn't seem to be likely, at this point) and give you guys time to tweek.

The woman looked disappointed, but didn't seem to realize Zandora had caught her out. "Ah, come on, make things easier on yourself! Tell you what, 10 silver for one, 18 for two. Can't say fairer, can I?"

Zandora smiles, but says

Sorry, friend. Not a bad price, but it is the ethical aspect of all of it that is the trouble. We can't risk blowing the contest by cheating. Fare you well.

She walks away.

The dwarf sighed as the party left, obviously unable to make a sale.

The Northern Wall of the city is still under construction, although a significant quantity of stone has already been assembled. A perfectly written sign points towards one side of the gate, where a tall automata stands by a hole. The heavy machine has a longsword belted at their hip and a shield on their back, and is covered by a white tabard.

"Greetings, guild aspirants. You have chosen to face, now, the test of Valour. Woe be unto you who bravely undertake this challenge. Those with heart conditions are suggested to seek medical counsel before entering."

The machine pauses, as if to see if anyone has a heart condition, and then adds, "Victory can be achieved simply by reaching the end. There are five rooms. Additional rewards can be found for being fast or by pulling three levels within the rooms. Both rewards can be claimed, but attempting to do so may jeopardise. If the fear becomes too great each chamber has a panel which will warp you back to this location. We will now accept questions."

"Hmmm. Questions about the contest? Like, are there any forbidden actions in this test?"

"You must enter each chamber at least once, and you cannot harm other participants," the automaton replied. "Although I see no benefit to harming others, since it is your team alone that will be in there."

What does "pulling three levels" mean?

It means Pulling Three Levers and that I cannot spell.

Oh! ha ha. That makes more sense. Thanks. So, I guess we have to ask... how is fear handled in your game? Not that we aren't going to find out soon enough, but maybe knowing up front will help us with strategizing?

Oh, my mistake. I think I misheard. Three levers, okay. Something to be looking out for.

She looks at Shada.

What do you think? Speed run, or go for completion? We can always try for both, but maybe we should decide which is more important to us... speed or getting all the levers?

"Well, let's start out going for speed, but if we come across the levers, no point not trying I guess."

Do we both have to go in each room, or can we enter separate rooms to increase our speed?

The ladder leads down - surprisingly deep, into the foundations of the walls. Moving into the long chamber is difficult, however, as the smell is almost solid. The sickly-sweet scent of rotting meat is nearly visible, with covered lamps along the wall - illuminating the piles of offal within. "It is well known that mortal meat-creatures," the voice of White announces, "Fear the ultimate fate. Behold the fate of flesh." The passage fades into the darkness.

The idea here is to simply make it to end. However, there is a *lot* of horrible between you and the other end. The simplest answer is to move as fast as you can for the tunnel's length, which is 50m long. At the end of each movement you will need to make a Simple (+10) Physical Prowess test or move at half speed for the next turn as you wretch. Of course, you might be able to come up with an idea for how to deal with the smell, reducing or negating the penalty.

In addition, you can search for the lever. A Standard (+0) Perception should spot it, but you may need to spend more time getting to and pulling it - and therefore more Physical Prowess tests. Any questions?

Okay, since we are changing our characters on the fly, I just traded out long range teleport which I can't use anyway for perception... call me a cheater if you like. :) It still only gives me a 35 total, but at least it is something.

Zandora is overwhelmed by the smell and decides to try something. She pulls some dark chocolate from her cooking supplies, and rubs it all over around her nose, especially under, all but blocking her nasal passages. It wouldn't make it great, she was sure that she looked foolish, and maybe she would hate chocolate for the rest of her life after this, but she hoped the strong sweet smell would make it tolerable. She offered some to Shada as well, then waded in.

I think you are right Shada... speed. Although if you do see a lever, let me know.

Movement 4... does that mean 40 meters?

Physical Prowess 40 (+10) = 50: 1d100 ⇒ 62
Perception 35: 1d100 ⇒ 70

Zandora has light clothing, so everything around her should be bright even though the room lighting is dim.

Let me know if the chocolate reduces the penalty or not.

If there is a bad smell, I plan on holding breath in 15 second bursts. That should help without being too physically taxing.

Prowess 28+10 = 38:1d100 ⇒ 83
Perception 30:1d100 ⇒ 56

Abysmal.

Both Shada and Zandora make it most of the way through before the horrifying smell makes them slow down. Zandora's chocolate helps her, but not enough to stop the all consuming stench. There is no clear sign of the lever, either, but there is an awful lot...awful around. Still, the end is invitingly in sight...

Your speed is your Agility modifier, yeah. Since you both have a 40+ in Agility 1 Action Point lets you move 4m, 2 lets you move 12, and 3 Ap lets you move 20m. I'm assuming both of used all your AP, and managed to get 40m.

I gave Zandora a +10 for her chocolate shennanigans, if she wants to use it again this round.

Having moved 40 meters, Zandora needs to concentrate to stop herself from gagging, so she slows way down. The chocolate seems to help a little bit, but not enough.

Half movement... 20 meters.

She keeps her eyes open for the lever, in case they can see it before leaving the room, but she isn't too worried. Just getting out of this place will be enough. Why did they attempt this test in the first place? She couldn't recall.

Physical Prowess 40 (+10 easy, +10 chocolate) = 60: 1d100 ⇒ 68
Perception 35: 1d100 ⇒ 79

More fail.

What exactly can imbue magic do? Can I use it on a scarf to filter air, or on a lever to move it remotely or anything like that?

It's pretty much this versions of the Craft (Such and Such) Items feat, meant to make magical gear. You'd need Telekinesis to move a lever (once you find it) but it could probably make a temporary filter. It wouldn't last long, and you'd need to roll for it, but I like the idea of creating temporary magic items like that.

I can't find telekinesis... what is it under?

It would be Here. I should probably do a more Mage Hand/Cantrip style one at some point, too.

Which one would move levers? The "hurl" one?

For further movement to keep up with Zandora.

Prowess 28+10 = 38: 1d100 ⇒ 76
Perception 30: 1d100 ⇒ 33

So close on perception! Darn.

Hm, Hurl would probably work.

I think I shall invoke the 'Yes, but' Rule for being close here.

Zandora spots the lever they're looking for...but it is in the middle of the chamber, well away from both of your position, 30m back towards the beginning, part hidden in a pile of something...wibbly.

It was Shada that was close, but yeah... ugh either way. Let's see.... if I add Telekinetic Hurl to my character (I had a lot of talents that are useless at first level because they cost way more than my currently possible AP, so lots to get rid of), that has a 20m limit, so I would have to backtrack 10m and then use 4/6 AP. Huh. Well, okay, let's try it I suppose. We're supposed to be trying out this game system, after all. :)

Okay, so Zandora, still struggling to not yog all over herself, sees Shada point out the lever, and nods that she will try for it.

She moves back the way they had come by about 10 feet, then casts Telekinetic Hurl at the lever, getting it to change position.

Action Points down to 2/6... not sure I remember how to get more. Is it a rest thing, a once a day thing, or what? It definitely costs too much to be able to use again, so I hope we see the next one before we get to it.

Then she moves back to the previous position, hoping she can control her gag reflex long enough to catch up with Shada.

That was total half movement, 20 meters.

Physical Prowess 40 (+10 easy, +10 chocolate) = 60: 1d100 ⇒ 46

... She is able to get it under control. Thank goodness!

Perception 35: 1d100 ⇒ 61

Nothing new to see this turn anyway. Next room in 10 meters, right?

Okay, wait wait... from what you said a few posts back I got it wrong. You said

"Your speed is your Agility modifier, yeah. Since you both have a 40+ in Agility 1 Action Point lets you move 4m, 2 lets you move 12, and 3 Ap lets you move 20m. I'm assuming both of used all your AP, and managed to get 40m."

So, actually having a good speed is not all that helpful unless that is all you are doing, since everything is action points. You cannot move normally and cast normally... it is all trade-off. So, actually, if I go back the 10 meters, that takes up 2 AP, then I can cast, and then I am stuck there with no more AP. I could move 2 meters back the other way (and I will), but that kind of a fraction of the distance is unlikely to matter. (Good think I can move 40 next turn.) And I see now that these are action points for every turn, which I wasn't really getting till I re-read that. Okay, sorry... corrected, and moving on.

Also, we should have moved to the new room this turn (First turn 40, second turn 20m, then what I just posted which is 12m) but I guess Shada probably saw the lever as she was exiting the room, told me, and I went back for it to the border of the first room or something. Shada should be 10 m into the second room, and I am in between the rooms, barely into the 2nd probably because of that extra 2m. Ugh, keep messing up... but I think that is right for now.

The trade-off part is intended, yeah. The idea is that you have the option to move, do a thing, and move again. Or do this thing then that thing. You absolutely can cast, then move, or vice-versa - so long as you have the AP for it.

And yeah, sorry, it was Shada who spotted the lever.

Zandora manages to return, get the lever, and get back...just about. The door between the two rooms is heavy, thick and awkward to move, but Shada manages to open it before her return.

The metal door opens to another room that, thankfully, contains fresh air. Less comfortable is the fact that the air has been baked. The source is easy to note, as the room beyond is extraordinarily hot. The air dances with heat and grills in the floor allow a constant stream of baked air into the tunnel. "The mortal form fears heat, the end of water and hope." A path to the door on the far end stands about 50m away, with a path splitting off to the left. A magic circle sits by the door. "If you fear this end too greatly then step into the circle."

Once you step into this stretch of the tunnel you'll take 1 point of damage, ignoring armour, as the heat bakes you. You take this damage each round. Stepping onto the teleportation circle will return you to the start of the Test, if you wish to quiet.

Time Taken: 1
Levers Pulled: 1

Perception +20 = 55: 1d100 ⇒ 23

Zandora sees the lever and tells Shada to go ahead and go straight through, she'll get it.

It isn't clear where the path to the left splits off of the main path. Does it split off right where the door to the next room is, or sooner?

Based on it splitting off right at the door, Zandora moves 40 and takes the damage for this turn.

Shada nods. "Don't have to tell me twice. Best luck."

She sprints across the room (using all her ap) fast as she can, hoping to limit the effects of the heat.

Prowess check (in case needed):1d100 ⇒ 75

Zandora is able to make it down, and after a moment's struggle, pull the lever. The sickening heat is almost instantly overwhelming.

Shada makes it most of the way to the door without problem, but the blistering heat is taking a toll on her as well.

Zandora is 80m total from the door, as it takes some AP to pull the lever. Shada is 10m. Zandora has taken 2 points of damage, Shada 1.

We hadn't done the second round yet. I asked where it split off in order to plan that... I am going to use my telekinetic hurl again, so I won't ever get 80m from the door. (It only has a one round cooldown, and since it basically stops me to use it, that shouldn't be a problem here because I will always have a round of movement after using it.)

In any case, you said it was 30m down a side passage, but I didn't know where the side passage split off. My first post assumed it was right by the exit door, but if it is right by the *entrance* door as you seem to suggest, then I would go *10m* down it, then use the spell. That, at most, makes me 60m from the door, not 80. 2 damage noted.

OK, apologies. Yes, the turn off is right by the door.

No worries. Sorry if I am arguing too much. I really am just trying to understand, but I go a little overboard sometimes.

Regarding the exit, was I supposed to keep going and then leave when I reached it? If so I use my next round's AP to close the remainder of the distance and exit. If not, close the distance and wait there (presumably taking another heat damage).

I think you can go on into the next room if you want to... your call. I guess you could at least open the door and look in and decide whether you want to go in or wait, depending on how comparatively horrible it is. :)

Zandora uses her next turn to go 40 feet towards the exit, but still has 20 feet to go, and takes another point of damage.

Shada will wait for her companion (additional damage noted), uncomfortable though it is.

You might want to open the door and at least look in and see if you can see the lever. I can still get it, but an extra perception roll might save us some time if it isn't obvious.