GM Cellion's Devastation Ark

Game Master Cellion

Shocca shrugs. "Yes, let's search and hope for the best." She looks up at the ceiling, towards the antenna. "And hope that thing doesn't blow before we find the code." She pulls out her scanner and starts working with the group to search. Taking 20 for a 47 Perception.

Searching the control room once more, you initially find only a few ancient, rusted trinkets that must have belonged to either the Sivvs or their Bantrid servants. However, a few minutes into your search Shocca notices an odd bit of vandalism in the underside of the terminal console. Several clusters of tiny scratches have been cut into the metal, and by feeling them out you realize that they've been evenly spaces from one another.

8 scratches, then 4 , then 7 , then 1, 5, 1, 8, 1.

The number of clusters matches the number of required characters for the deactivation code!
---------

Alright, so at least one person has to stay down here to enter the deactivation code while at least one person must be up on the antenna to attempt to Engineering or Mysticism check to handle the ever-shifting control panel. No roll required for the code, but let me know who's doing it and what the rest of you are going to be doing while you're making the attempt.

Oh, terrific. The 'ol "password on a sticky note under the keyboard" trick.

It seemed like Ajithu should be up-top with Shocca to aid with mysticism?

Arcalinte gives an annoyed grunt in agreement with Ajithu-Ko.

"Not very good opsec."

He looks at the terminal.

"If you want, I can stay down here to enter the code."

"My post-graduate researchers are always doing stuff like this." She shakes her head. "How are we supposed to be first to file our patents when they keep scratching the file share password into the bottom of the desk?" She snorts and looks over at Ajithu, nodding. "Agreed. My mechanics with your magic should allow us to conquer the antenna." Her eyes flicker back to the frozen pile of bantrid bodies. "For the fallen, we must. Their story needs to be told."

She helps Ajithu to the roof, making sure both are tied off to Achlyss. She pats the kalo on the shoulder. "I believe in us. Let's save the world." She laughs, knowing this is neither of their first time saving a planet from a reality-ending catastrophe. Of course, she prefers gambling with loaded dice so a microscopic needle leaves her palm and penetrates Ajithu's armor as she speaks, giving his mind a little boost. +2 to skills for 10 rounds. Six seconds later, her tail wraps around and grazes the back of her neck, injecting another dose of BioBoost into her system.

With the edges of her vision going fuzzy after using so many intellectual stimulants in one day, but her mind sharp as ever, the ikeshti calls into the comm. "Alright, Arc! Put the code in on my mark. Three... two... one... mark!"

Engineering: 1d20 + 23 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 23 + 2 = 30

Once we're out of this tower I want to hear how those pictures transform into the code. I still can't figure it out.

You're not done with those pictures! They're not for the deactivation code! So keep thinking about them :)

Achlyss, are you planning to be up top to aid Shocca, or down below to support Arc?

The face in the watery helmet squints back at Shocca in confusion at his expression.

"Believe" in us? Strange turn of phrase. We are both very much here. We may observe it, as we will observe success based on our ample skills.

He lets out a less telepathic, more audible meeep! as the surprise needle invades his frail body.

Did I ever tell you I hate needles? Never-the-less... thank you.

Mysticism, library chip, biohacking: 1d20 + 22 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 22 + 4 + 2 = 47

"My post-graduate researchers are always doing stuff like this." She shakes her head. "How are we supposed to be first to file our patents when they keep scratching the file share password into the bottom of the desk?" She snorts and looks over at Ajithu, nodding. "Agreed. My mechanics with your magic should allow us to conquer the antenna." Her eyes flicker back to the frozen pile of bantrid bodies. "For the fallen, we must. Their story needs to be told."

Arcalinte nods.

"After gods know how long, their story will finally be told...and the bantrid people will finally have a history again. A dawn to bring them new light."

She helps Ajithu to the roof, making sure both are tied off to Achlyss. She pats the kalo on the shoulder. "I believe in us. Let's save the world." She laughs, knowing this is neither of their first time saving a planet from a reality-ending catastrophe. Of course, she prefers gambling with loaded dice so a microscopic needle leaves her palm and penetrates Ajithu's armor as she speaks, giving his mind a little boost. +2 to skills for 10 rounds. Six seconds later, her tail wraps around and grazes the back of her neck, injecting another dose of BioBoost into her system.

With the edges of her vision going fuzzy after using so many intellectual stimulants in one day, but her mind sharp as ever, the ikeshti calls into the comm. "Alright, Arc! Put the code in on my mark. Three... two... one... mark!"

Arcalinte gets in position, waits for Shocca's signal and on the word "Mark!" punches the code in...then he tenses, in case it triggers something he needs to retreat from.

Achlyss is surprised that they have found the code but pleased nonetheless.

"Whatever happens, if we must be separated let's keep at least two in any location. I'll accompany Shocca up top. I won't be able to help much, but a bodyguard never hurt."

Since Arc is alone downstairs in the control room, I'll assume Achlyss stays with him to match what you just said in character about having two in each location.

Suddenly, the light around the antenna breaks into prismatic hues, sound shatters into cacophonous noise, space itself rends as the local reality wavers, teetering close to collapse. Taking advantage of this upheaval, a strange being of amorphous chaotic possibility emerges into your reality! Even as space, light and sound start to stabilize once more, the small iridescent mass floating in the air above you remains.

It extends an exploratory tendril, shimmering with the full spectrum of colors and then some, then with a twitch, the limb turns into a wickedly curved scythe.

Everyone's up first! See handouts for a pic of what you're dealing with.

Since verticality is important in this fight: If we use the control room level as a base line, the roof of the Spire from which the antenna extends is 15 feet above. Ajithu and Shocca are currently floating 15 ft above the level of the roof to access the control panel. The quantum slime is floating 15 feet above them. I've marked elevations relative to the floor of the control room in initiative below.

|||| INIT ||||
Achlyss (69 dmg)
Arc (87 dmg)
Shocca (36 dmg) +30 ft
Ajithu (61 dmg) +30 ft
Quantum Slime +45 ft

You're not done with those pictures! They're not for the deactivation code! So keep thinking about them :)

There's still hope for us yet! Also those prisms are trippy...

"Alright boys, we need your help up here!" She glances over at Ajithu briefly. "If it was easy, they wouldn't have invited us." She spends a few seconds examining the creature, then flies 15 feet down and pulls out her rifle. Identify creature roll of 47, and I'll move down to an elevation of +15 feet.

Arcalinte bolts towards the doors and activates his jetpack to rejoin the group the moment he's outside.

Move action to get outside the door, Standard to activate jetpack.

Graviton Mode: 1

Hmm, maybe a little misdirection or confusion. Hey! Is someone watching my little exiccate down there? He might get a little scared without me there!

Ajithu pushes his mind towards the ooze, attempting to introduce confusion into its (seemingly) primitive mind. He doesn't wait around to see if it worked before following Shocca downward.

[standard] Cast Confusion (DC 23); Duration 14 rounds; spell resistance
[move] Follow Shocca down to +15

I did want to have two in each location--good call.

With the eruption of warnings on the coms, Achlyss grunts and rushes after Arcalinte.

Watching Arc fly toward the battle, he regrets having cloaking rather than jump jets on his armor.

"Coming!" he yells, making for the stairs.

I'm not sure how many rounds it will take me to climb the stairs and join the others. I have 40' movement.

@Achlyss: There are no stairs to the top of the Spire, but you could try to climb if you had two hands free. The tower exterior is pretty smooth, but it isn't impossible (Athletics DC34). You'd have to climb only 15 feet to reach the top, though you can also see the quantum slime from the landing at the control room level, if you want to go for ranged attacks. Feel free to take an extra standard action next round since you didn't use yours this round.

While Arc fires up his jetpack, Ajithu throws a confusion spell at the slime.

Ajithu vs spell resistance: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

But the magic unravels before it can affect the strange being. Achlyss sizes up the climb to the Spire's pinnacle.

The quantum slime pulses brightly before a swirling mass of cosmic matter manifests around the antenna, catching Ajithu and Shocca who are at its base. Streaks of plasma and chunks of tiny icy comets rain down! (Dealing 12 pts fire and 13 pts cold damage, prior to resistances, no save) The swirling matter magically blocks your vision, obscuring all sight beyond 5 feet - including darkvision and other vision-based senses. Furthermore the swirl destabilizes magic, causing any spellcasting inside it to suffer from a 20% spell failure chance. The cosmic storm persists. (The cosmic storm takes up a cylinder exactly as wide at the circular platform at the top of the Spire and rising up to a height of 40 feet.)

With Shocca and Ajithu's vision obscured, its only Arc and Achlyss who spot a second quantum slime springing into existence just outside the cosmic storm.

|||| INIT ||||
Achlyss (69 dmg)
Arc (87 dmg)
Shocca (41 dmg) +15 ft
Ajithu (81 dmg) +15 ft
White Quantum Slime +45 ft
Black Quantum Slime +45 ft

From the lowered position Shocca and Ajithu have moved to, do we have clear line of sight on either of the slimes?

You are currently inside the swirling cosmic storm that blocks all sight. As I mentioned above, the cylinder of the storm covers from the roof of the Spire, where you two are, up to a height of 40ft ft. The storm's diameter is 20ft across, so the same diameter as that circular platform)

Arcalinte blasts up to the roof to catch up with Shocca and Ajithu.

Move action, I think?

"Status report! What the hell are these things?!"

Ajithu cups his hand over the top of his helmet's forward view-port, in an attempt to locate the slime.

I can see nothing...

He draws his ice carbine and descends further.

[move] draw weapon
[move] descend (as far as he can with one move action, back to the control room below.)

@Arc: Move action would definitely get you up there, but the roof is currently engulfed by the storm. The area around the roof though isn't, so anyone with a fly speed can be outside the storm and still up at that level.

Ajithu pops out of the cosmic storm and descends back to the balcony in front of the control room (Essentially moving a bit south and down, please feel free to move yourself to the control room level of the map, or just specify your elevation). From that perspective he can see the quantum slime hovering in the air to the east, outside the cosmic storm (you can see the black-outlined slime)

|||| INIT ||||
Achlyss (69 dmg)
Arc (87 dmg) +15 ft
Shocca (41 dmg) +15 ft
Ajithu (81 dmg)
White Quantum Slime +45 ft
Black Quantum Slime +45 ft

So I can't go INTO the storm?

You can if you want! Just pointing it out.

Shocca describes the ooze into the team channel. "Arc, it's causing everything to go haywire! Getting right up in its business might be the right course of action." She fires her forcepack at full bore to go straight upwards until she is out of the storm. Moving 50 feet up, to escape the storm. Also, I have a forcepack so I have plenty of charges left.

Needler @ White: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (6) + 21 = 27
P Dmg: 4d6 + 13 ⇒ (4, 5, 5, 2) + 13 = 29 Includes Analgesis medicinal, flatfooted for 3 rounds if it hits.

Achlyss looks up the tower toward the antennae. With no stairs, he has no choice but to utilize his weak ranged attacks or climb to get into position.

Initially, he finds the tower too slippery to make much progress.

athletics: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (2) + 18 = 20 ouch--not sure if there are consequences--
athletics: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (3) + 18 = 21
athletics: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (16) + 18 = 34

@Arc: Oops, I accidentally unbolded you on the INIT list. feel free to double up on this next turn.

The white slime hovers in place while the black slime zips its way in the air up to Shocca. It stabs with its tendril, the appendage flickering through several forms before settling into a plasma lance. The tendril lashes her, but Shocca's various resistances lessen the arc burn. (Dealing 17 electric/fire damage after resists)

@All: I moved your tokens based on your described actions, but this is a complicated fight and exact positioning is going to matter, so please do so yourselves in the next round. Elevations matter too!

|||| INIT ||||
Achlyss (69 dmg)
Arc (87 dmg) +15 ft x2
Shocca (58 dmg) +65 ft
Ajithu (81 dmg)
White Quantum Slime +45 ft
Black Quantum Slime +65 ft

Ajithu peers into the chaos and takes aim at the slime he can see an outline off...

Scream real loud if my aim gets too near any of you!

The persistent thrum of automatic weapon fire rings out amongst the din of the storm, matching Ajithu's mental message to everyone.

ultracold ice carbine attack, C&P damage: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 226d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 3, 2, 6, 3) = 17

Ajithu looks around and spots Shocca tangling with the black quantum slime far overhead, just outside the cosmic storm. The spiraling frost-infused icicle from his rifle lances through the air but flies off course as it gets close to the slime.

|||| INIT ||||
Achlyss (69 dmg)
Arc (87 dmg) +15 ft x2
Shocca (58 dmg) +65 ft
Ajithu (81 dmg)
White Quantum Slime +45 ft
Black Quantum Slime +65 ft

Arcalinte ascends to try and get at least one of the slime's attention.

Move action to fly up 30 ft.

Then he reaches and focuses his gravitic energies on the slime.

Arcalinte uses Crush. It needs to make a DC 21 Fortitude save or be Staggered for 1 round.

Then he drops just enough to that the slime is still in range.

Move action to descend to +30 ft.

And calls the coalesced gravity together into a singularity to drag the slime down towards the rest of the party.

Arcalinte uses Black Hole! The slime now also needs to make a DC 21 Fortitude save or be pulled 10 ft. down.

Achlyss begins to make some progress, climbing up the tower after a few rounds of fruitless effort.

So I can use my 34 this round, plus one more move action (below). Does this get me to the top, or do I need another round? I'm happy to position my token but am not sure on my elevation depending on the roll.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (10) + 18 = 28

Achlyss, one move action is enough to get up. It's only 15 feet above the control room level. You'll have a standard remaining.
Arc, you've got a visual on the black slime that higher up, so I'll assume you're at 40ft elevation in order to reach it with your black hole.

Shocca up and Achlyss' remaining action to go.

|||| INIT ||||
Achlyss (69 dmg) +15ft; standard action remaining
Arc (87 dmg) +40 ft
Shocca (58 dmg) +65 ft
Ajithu (81 dmg)
White Quantum Slime +45 ft
Black Quantum Slime +55 ft

Thank you, Cellion. It appears I miscalculated my movement.

Shocca flies down beside Arc, a few feet over, muttering her thanks. "Whoa, he moved fast. Watch out for that one."

Needler @ Black: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (19) + 21 = 40
P Dmg: 4d6 + 13 ⇒ (2, 6, 4, 1) + 13 = 26 Includes Analgesis medicinal, flatfooted for 3 rounds if it hits.

Achlyss pulls himself over the edge, then seeing the slimy creature attacks it with his entropic energy strike.

Entropic Strike (vs. EAC, acid + bludgeoning)(10' reach, penetrating): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (5) + 20 = 256d6 + 14 + 14 ⇒ (1, 1, 5, 5, 2, 5) + 14 + 14 = 47

@Achlyss: At the roof, you're at +15ft, while the foes are currently at +45 and +55ft. So not in range of being melee'd. Feel free to pick a different standard.

While the black slime burbles in place, the white slime slips through the air, circles around the cosmic storm and spits out a black, enervating ray, aimed at Arc! The ray misses by a hair.

|||| INIT ||||
Achlyss (69 dmg) +15ft; standard action remaining
Arc (87 dmg) +40 ft
Shocca (58 dmg) +40 ft
Ajithu (81 dmg)
White Quantum Slime (26 dmg, flatfooted) +45 ft
Black Quantum Slime (26 dmg, flatfooted) +55 ft

Still peering through the storm from his (relatively) safe position, Ajithu takes aim with his ice carbine again.

ultracold ice carbine attack WHITE, C&P damage: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (1) + 14 = 156d6 ⇒ (5, 3, 6, 2, 2, 5) = 23 noooooooo!

Arcalinte switches to his pistol and takes a shot at the slime, hoping to Sarenrae it's not immune to atomic destabilization the way the exsiccates were.

Move action to draw pistol. Standard to shoot Black.

Liquidator Disintegrator Pistol: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (2) + 19 = 211d10 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20

Attacks from Ajithu and Arc whistle past the two slimes without effect.

Achlyss and Shocca still up!

Shocca, feeling confident, fires a hail of needles at the slimes. Each dart is loaded with a sedative that should work even on oozes. As her hastily aimed shots fly into the frigid air, they pop back into her weapon's cartridge ready to go. "I'm all for evolution of species, but oozes are something else."

Needler @ Black: 1d20 + 21 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 21 - 4 = 25
P Dmg: 4d6 + 13 ⇒ (3, 4, 6, 2) + 13 = 28
Nonlethal: 4d4 ⇒ (2, 4, 4, 3) = 13 Includes Sedative, 4d4 nonlethal if it hits.

Needler @ Black: 1d20 + 21 - 4 ⇒ (14) + 21 - 4 = 31
P Dmg: 4d6 + 13 ⇒ (5, 3, 5, 3) + 13 = 29
Nonlethal: 4d4 ⇒ (3, 3, 2, 3) = 11 Includes Sedative, 4d4 nonlethal if it hits.

"I'm reminded of an ooze we encountered in the Foundry on Istamak...it somehow attracted nearby junk and scrap to form an armored shell, complete with a plasma weapon it shot at us!" Arcalinte comments.

I mostly remember it because Cellion called it an "Oooozy Ooze!" XD

Sorry I'm a little off here--had a crazy week at work. I'll change to a ranged attack.

With the enemies out of range, Achlyss resorts to a ranged attack, aiming at the black one.

Singing Disc (soprano, returning, sonic): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (18) + 20 = 381d6 + 6 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 6 + 14 = 22
Mitigate as reaction to reduce 14 dmg

The now-singular slime fires a rippling black beam at Achlyss but misses, and then flies right down to engage Shocca up close.

|||| INIT ||||
Achlyss (69 dmg) +15ft
Arc (87 dmg) +40 ft
Shocca (58 dmg) +40 ft
Ajithu (81 dmg)
White Quantum Slime (48 dmg, flatfooted) +40 ft

How could I forget!

Ajithu looks down next to him at his trusty exiccate. He reaches out to it's mind to coax it to join the fray.

Hey little buddy. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation. Do you see that slime over there?

He indicates the slime.

I need you to help us fight it. GO!

Except now is when I remember he can't fly so even that awesome reach probably isn't going to do it.

He nudges it slide before turning the barrel of his own carbine upward.

ultracold ice carbine attack WHITE, C&P damage: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 266d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 3, 2, 3, 1) = 17

Achlyss's weapon returns to his hand after striking, and he wheels and throws it again.

"Bring it down!" he bellows.

Singing Disc (soprano, returning, sonic): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (6) + 20 = 261d6 + 6 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 6 + 14 = 23
Mitigate as reaction to reduce 14 dmg

Shocca enters her professor voice and begins to speak as she fires her pack's propulsion again. "While it may appear like I killed the mysterious creature, that would be untrue. You see, the aberration is acting out of self defense - dismissing their quantum entanglement to avoid my attack." She's brought back into the moment by an attack due to her swift escape.

Acrobatics, Avoid AoO: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (2) + 21 = 23 Big fail. AC 32/33 versus AoO.

As she reaches a new height, she trains her rifle on the thing and responds to Achlyss' yell. "Absolutely, no more time for this nonsense. We've got a planet to save."

Needler @ White: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (11) + 21 = 32
P Dmg: 4d6 + 13 ⇒ (6, 3, 6, 1) + 13 = 29 Includes Sedative, 4d4 nonlethal if it hits.
Sedative: 4d4 ⇒ (4, 2, 2, 3) = 11

Arcalinte focuses the gravity once more and targets the slime, attempting to crush this one in turn.

Arcalinte uses Crush! DC 21 Fortitude save or be Staggered for 1 round, please!

It flickers, phasing in and out of reality as the injuries accumulate, but pulls itself together enough to fire a black beam at Shocca. The beam hits, sapping her strength (The enervation gives you two negative levels, which will last until you next take an overnight rest) The slime then splits once more, a second red copy flitting existence nearby.

|||| INIT ||||
Achlyss (69 dmg) +15ft
Arc (87 dmg) +40 ft
Shocca (58 dmg, 2 neg lvls) +30 ft
Ajithu (81 dmg)
White Quantum Slime (111 dmg, flatfooted) +40 ft
Red Quantum Slime (111 dmg, flatfooted) +40 ft

What?! No! They can do this forever! We have to be missing some trick... to get the instances of the slime to fold in on themselves...

ultracold ice carbine attack RED, C&P damage: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 216d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 6, 4, 3, 5) = 24

Arcalinte grimly realizes the gravitic attacks aren't doing much, so he approaches and tries to hack at the slime with his sword!

Move action to approach, standard to attack

Entangling Strident Wailing Blade: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (5) + 21 = 266d6 + 20 ⇒ (1, 4, 1, 1, 1, 5) + 20 = 33

Whoops, forgot it was flat footed. Nice.

Shocca responds to Ajithu with a dry laugh. "Most living creatures have a simple trick. Hit them hard enough." She launches a salvo of needles up into the air, each loaded with variety of sedative intended for large reptiles in the Castrovel wilds.

Needler @ White: 1d20 + 21 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 21 - 4 = 25
P Dmg: 4d6 + 13 ⇒ (2, 4, 1, 2) + 13 = 22 Includes Sedative, 4d4 nonlethal if it hits.
Sedative: 4d4 ⇒ (4, 3, 2, 4) = 13

Needler @ White: 1d20 + 21 - 4 ⇒ (15) + 21 - 4 = 32
P Dmg: 4d6 + 13 ⇒ (1, 1, 1, 1) + 13 = 17 Includes Sedative, 4d4 nonlethal if it hits.
Sedative: 4d4 ⇒ (4, 2, 2, 2) = 10

I moved you Arc. Achlyss, you'll be able to double up on actions.

The red slime whips itself in a broad arc, moving into position to flank Arc with itself. White slashes in with a broad tendril of plasma. Arc's fire resistance lessens the injury, but the arc burn still sears him. (Deals 24 dmg after resist)

|||| INIT ||||
Achlyss (69 dmg) +15ft
Arc (111 dmg) +40 ft
Shocca (58 dmg, 2 neg lvls) +30 ft
Ajithu (81 dmg)
White Quantum Slime (138 dmg, flatfooted) +40 ft
Red Quantum Slime (138 dmg, flatfooted) +40 ft