GM Jhaeman's "Dawn of Flame, Chapter Four: The Blind City" (Inactive)

Game Master Jhaeman

Will: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 8 + 2 = 12 .)

Initiative (Round 3)

Zharis
Hani
Jin
Xylian
Figure
Tulgram (paralyzed)

Bold should go!

Zharis shoots again.

Attack (Screamer Decoupler): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
Acid Damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

But other than the shot that she almost fired into Jin's back, her aim was off today. She had the camera move on to focus on the rest of the team.

"The last energetic thrashings before endless ennui," says the figure in a monotone voice, as Zharis' disintegrator blast goes high.

Zharis' attack missed. Xylian, Jin, and Hani are up.

Since the enemy is a bit further away, Jin tosses his disk instead:

Singing disk vs. EAC: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15
Sonic damage: 1d4 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16

Jin's singing disk careens off a wall!

Unable to squeeze into the corridor in his massive power armor, Xylian waits for an opening.

Meanwhile, Hani steps up lets loose a wild haymaker that connects! The glowing figure bounces off the wall and sprawls to the ground, unmoving!

Jin's attack missed.

Botting Xylian as doing Total Defense.

Botting Hani as doing a guarded step and attack. The attack hits and drops the figure (Tulgram, those inhibitors make a big difference!).

We are off Initiative.

Will: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 8 + 2 = 11
Will: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 8 + 2 = 12
Will: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 8 + 2 = 29

After about 20 seconds, Tulgram stops portraying a statue and rushes to the enemy with a bunch of curses, but still not to finish him off, but to give him first aid ... (auto success)

Tulgram's medical assistance helps to keep the unconscious figure alive.

As no one was doing nonlethal damage, I just rolled randomly above to see whether the figure would live or die, and the dice said live.

Should we take him back to the ship and lock him in one of the cabins?

"I wish no harm upon this creature. I do not know if it is safe place this being in our ship though. I would rather allow it to regain consciousness when we are no longer around."

Zharis believes that his brain is controlled by some entity. If so... He's dangerous. On the other hand, I could probably make tranquilizers and pump him up to the state of a vegetable all the way home. Well, or just keep in a state between life and death.

If we are going to save him, I feel like we have to get him away from here... and he will slow us down if we carry him with us. I like Tulgram's idea of drugging him. Maybe the DCI can cure him? I have manacles. We can ensure he can't trash the ship.

Zharis activates her communicator.

Hey Hop... we have someone who needs to be kept sedated. If we bring him back, could you can watch him for us?

"Sure as a cricket's gotta jump I can!" replies Hop.

In the absence of other comments I am just going to make the call.

They start back to the ship with the man. If they make it there without incident, they will secure and drug him to deal with when they return. Zharis tells Hop to lock out the controls to the ship, just in case, until they get back.

Before they go back downstairs, Zharis wants to go back to the wall of fire room and check out something that has been nagging at her memory... a door they left unopened perhaps. Marked with a blue dot on the map.

Given the fact that judging by the map, these are all very insignificant distances, I support this. It seems to me that the whole route will not take even ten minutes, including "tying the prisoner".

After securing the unconscious prisoner in the Sun Diver, Zharis returns to the massive room where she dramatically recovered a glowing key. The uncanny singing has resumed, and frightful figures of ash and bone continue to lurk within . . .

Reaching the blue dot room will require re-engaging with the two pyric revenants and the pyric wrath left behind in the huge chamber (it's completely up to you).

Oh yeah, that. What do you guys think? Finish off the bad guys up here or not? I want to, but I haven't been doing the heavy lifting in the battles, so if you guys say no, then I understand.

I think we had a problem with ghosts...

Anything on the loot list that could help? We're going back to the ship first, so we have access to pretty much anything.

I ran my eyes over the charsheets. Xylian doesn't have a magic weapon, as far as I can see. It seems you don't have too. And I'm not sure which weapon Hani has fusion on. I and Jin don't have such problems (however, it's still only 1/2 damage). Also, I have a few magic pistols, but it's only 1d4+half level damage (and then in half again since it's an incorporeal creature). In our loot we have screamer decoupler with called fusion (1d10+1/2 lvl dmg). We can transfer this fusion from decoupler to any other weapon to make it more useful. It only takes 10 minutes, a check of Engineering or Mysticism, and maybe some UBP if we transfer fusion to a higher-level weapon, if I understood the rules correctly. So, a little preparation and we'll all start dealing 1/2 damage. In principle, it works. My opinion is that anyway fusion needs to be installed on Xylian's weapons now (suddenly there will be more incorporeal creatures next?). And maybe Hani's fusion should be transferred to his most effective weapon (if it's not already there).

Sounds good to me... any comments from the rest of the party? Maybe we should also just sleep tonight on the ship in our own beds and continue in the morning if there is lingering damage, but I don't feel strongly about that... either way.

I don't think we need to rest. We've been playing this for weeks, but in fact, looking at the modest size of this place and realizing that fights rarely took even a minute... We haven't been here that long. But some of us also need to do an engineering or mysticism check to rearrange the fusion.

My main melee weapon has the merciful fusion on it, so it's at least considered magical. Otherwise, Hani is not particularly effective against something ghostly.

After they get their prisoner/person they are saving secure, Zharis says

All right, everyone. Are we ready to face those wraith things now, before we go back downstairs?

Zharis' question is met with an ambivalent response by the others, so for now the expedition decides to explore more of the subterranean area revealed by the three keys.

In addition to a nearby passageway from which a greenish glow emanates, around the corner is an angled hall containing two alcoves, each with countless pieces of half-melted glass inset into the scorched stone of the walls. The passage continues to the northwest. A large block of translucent glass is also set into the floor, and a hallway is just visible beneath it.

I didn't see a consensus one way or the other on whether to backtrack, so for now we'll move on. I hope that's okay--you can always change your mind later.

The passageway with the greenish glow is just to the southeast of "C2" where you fought the strange figure. You can see the glass set into the floor (with a hallway visible underneath) at "C3" and there is a passageway continuing to the northwest. The alcoves with the inset half-melted glass are "C3a" and "C3b"

Zharis examines the half-melted glass and takes some footage for the DCI of the melted glass and the floor-window.

As Zharis examines a piece of the half-melted glass in one of the alcoves, it suddenly shatters in thousands of tiny, deadly shards!

@Zharis: You take 4 P (DC 17 Reflex for half). In addition, please attempt a DC 17 Will save vs an enchantment (compulsion, mind-affecting) effect.

I suggest we go towards the glow. There may be something dangerous that captures the mind and I would not like to leave it in the rear. Then Tulgram abruptly turns around hearing the sound of pain from Zharis.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Will Save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Go on; I'm fine.

Leaving the corridor with the glass floor and alcoves behind, Tulgram leads the way towards a strange, coruscating light of a greenish hue that suffuses an odd-shaped chamber. The light seems to be emanating from a massive machine of metal and stone that squats in one corner. Carved grooves in the floor around this device resemble bizarre circuit boards, and the grooves extend out through the passage behind the expedition team and also around a corner.

As you look on, the coruscating light forms into a shapeless cloud and starts to move toward you!

Initiative (Round 1)

Jin (Will save*)
Xylian (Will save*)
Hani (Will save*)
Coruscating Cloud
Zharis (Will save*)
Tulgram (Will save)*

Bold should go!

*At the beginning of your turn, please attempt a DC 19 Will save vs a mind-affecting effect. If you fail the save, open the spoiler below.

You can attempt to identify the coruscating cloud with a Life Science check as a free action on your turn.

This encounter is on Slide # 2. Please note that the squares are 10'. The creature is Huge size.

You know how I'm going to start my turn for sure, so I'll write it in advance .) || Move Action: Lifesince 38. I want to know: immunities, resistances, DRs, weakness, one most dangerous ability (in this order, depending on how many questions I have).

Will save DC 19: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Jin double moves towards the green jelly.

Jin sallies forth to confront the new threat!

Xylian and Hani are up.

will save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Hani moves as shown, then activates his energy shield. This gives him 11 temporary HP.

A crackling force field helps protect Hani from harm!

Xylian's up (or I can bot in the morning).

Xylian moves up, targeting the blorb and finding the larger scale of this room to be more to his liking.

Will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Scrappy Reroll: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

Move up. Activate Combat Tracking

Identify purpose of the strange machine?: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (5) + 17 = 22

Xylian keeps one eye on the coruscating cloud and the other on the strange machine!

The multicolored cloud floats slowly in the air as its telepathic senses probe outward, delicately touching Xylian's mind before trying to tear it free in a violent psychic feeding frenzy!

@Xylian: Please attempt a DC 19 Will save. If you fail, you take 1 Constitution drain and 3 Charisma drain.

Initiative (Round 1)

Jin
Xylian
Hani
Coruscating Cloud
Zharis (Will save*)
Tulgram (Will save)*

Bold should go!

*At the beginning of your turn, please attempt a DC 19 Will save vs a mind-affecting effect. If you fail the save, open the spoiler below.

This encounter is on Slide # 2. Please note that the squares are 10'. The creature is Huge size.

Will Save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Zharis started walking towards the blobby cloud thing when suddenly she was overwhelmed. She couldn't go on...

What's my motivation here? I'm doing this whole scene... this whole trip... psh, this whole LIFE, and I don't think the audience even understands why. *I* don't understand why. To find myself? What a joke. That's the kind of plot that isn't worth the price of a ticket. Down here fighting cloud-blobs and risking my very expensive neck, and for what? Is this more real than the life I had before? No! It's just further away from my fan base. What am I even doing here?... and what in the feline universe is that thing anyway?

She stays where she is, but she stares at the cloud thing, trying to figure it out.

Culture to identify (allowed to use in place of Life Science through Diplomatic Nuance skill): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34

Zharis falls prey to self-doubt!

Tulgram is up and Xylian needs to roll a Will save vs ability drain as described above.

Zharis tells the party in a bored, monotone voice that the thing is called a "Colour" apparently from space itself rather than a planet. They feed on everything, even drift engines, and the only weapons likely to work on them are force effects. It's also what their prisoner was damaged by and probably controlled by.

She isn't certain whether he will come out of it if this thing dies, but she also realizes that she doesn't care about that rando anyway. Leave him for the DCI. She has her camera zoom in on the alien creature. Maybe she was also falling in thrall to the thing... which seemed abstractly like a bad thing, but running away seemed like a lot of effort, and the strange Colour was the only barely interesting thing around.

@Xylian: Please attempt a DC 19 Will save. If you fail, you take 1 Constitution drain and 3 Charisma drain.

Oh no it's targeting Xylian's most important stats...

will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

Shaking off the waves of lassitude that wash over him (duergar are meant for productive toil, with no laziness allowed!), Tulgram realises his ally has been affected by the cloud's strange effect! He rushes over to Zharis and injects her with a potent neurochemical excitant.

Botting Tulgram. Tulgram makes the Will save and then does a move action to move next to Zharis and a standard action to deliver his neurochemistry breakthrough: "As a standard action, you can create and deliver a compound that causes a surge of cognitive activity. When injected into a creature, the formula grants the target a +4 enhancement bonus to saving throws against mind‑affecting effects for 1 minute. If the target is already subject to a mind-affecting effect, the target can immediately attempt a new saving throw." Zharis, you can immediately attempt a new save to shake off your ennui.

Will save: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

Initiative (Round 2)

Jin
Xylian
Hani
Coruscating Cloud
Zharis (ennui; new Will save*)
Tulgram

Bold should go!

*You can attempt an immediate DC 19 Will save vs a mind-affecting effect to end your ennui (but your current -4 penalty to Will save applies).

GM, thanks! I have no idea how I missed my turn. And you did exactly what I planned to do, seeing that the whole party will have to make a will save. Pull yourself together!

Will Save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Despite Tulgram's injection, Zharis remains lethargic!

Jin, Xylian, and Hani are up.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Jin activates his frenzied fighting to pick himself up, approaches and strikes the blob:

Aurora Storm Doshko vs. EAC: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20
Electricity damage: 2d8 + 14 + 3 ⇒ (7, 3) + 14 + 3 = 27

Frenzied duration: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Round 1 of 8