Kobolds of the Crowned King (Inactive)

Game Master Doug Hahn

"Some of the pinkskins I met in Galt were quite open minded and pleasant, some were not. These ones seem to be of the not variety. Let's take these cultists out!"

You move on, always to the left.

You find a dark ossuary, cold and full of the sound of dripping water. A corridor runs down the center of the room. On either side, two large bays open into small niches that contain opened tombs. It's impossible to see into them from here. At the far end of the corridor rests a large, iron anvil. There's a shiny longbow resting atop the anvil. Oh, so shiny.

Overview map updated

Zyphlryx's Investigator sense is tingling at the sight of the shiny longbow. Oh, so shiny.

If he notices anything untoward, he points it out.
If he doesn't, he encourages Imperius to go get the shiny longbow.

Everything is safe! And oh so shiny!

Kadosh doesn't bother to look for traps. He's sure they're there. But if Zyph is sending Imperius, well, it must be all right for him.

Imperius take a good hard look at things. This shiny bow doesn’t seem right, and why is Zyphlryx so insistent that he go in? He never goes in first, that is not the job of a leader!

Perception check.

”If you are so enamored of the bow, which seems to me to be way to big to be of any use, maybe someone should detect magic?”

Imperius notes no danger. There is magic in the room.

So……… shiny…………

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Broomzad does like shiny, but bows are not really his style.

"Well, go get it," Kadosh hisses to someone. They won't trick him into being the one setting off the trap!

Pepin casts Detect Magic. He will have a search around for traps since his companions are too craven to do so, especially related to the bow.

Pepin sees no traps, shiny magic though.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Seems like a very nice gift for Auntie, Zyphlryx says reasonably.

If that doesn't move Imperius, Z will sigh audibly — LOUDLY — and move to retrieve the bow, muttering about having to do everything himself.

Zyphlryx grabs a very shiny bow. Its fine dark wood is striated like marble and inlaid with delicate veins of gold. A queenly gift indeed.

He also notes there are burial tombs to the left and right… empty.

NOTHING BAD HAPPENS

Kadosh clenches his jaw. They're luring us in! Smart! Probably mimics!

He envisions all the other kobolds being wiped out. How would he blame them for that if he had to tell Queen Qweenzeenk. She'd probably never realize they were gone if he simply went home and didn't say anything. Yes, that's what he would do.

THIS BOW IS HEAVY, Zyphlryx laments. He laments even more when no one agrees to take it off his hands. Fine then, he thinks, I'll give it to Queen Qweenzeenk myself and make sure she knows it didn't come from anyone else because no one else helped.

”Well, that wasn’t so bad. Wonder what the bow does? Pepid, can you tell?”

It's a +1 composite longbow.

You move to the left… turning a corner and finding yourselves in an abattoir. Two large stone blocks rest in the center of this room. To either side hang large rusty hooks over small channels in the stone floor, leading to old drains choked with refuse. A dead Pinkskin lies on one of the blocks. The corpse's chest is ripped open, and its entrails hang obscenely off the sides of the block.

Surrounding the corpse like a family at mealtime are four humanoid creatures with long, sharp teeth, and pallid flesh is stretched tightly over its starved frame. One gnaws on the pinkskin's leg, another slurps up strips of entrails like sausages, and a third scoops a rotted eyeball out with its claws. The fourth sits back and pontificates on the flavor of pinkskin meat through its various stages of decay. High-quality Pinkskin meat is aged, one must let the flesh liquify a bit so it is tender enough to need no chewing whatsoever. Now Maggots, they are the "peppercorns" of — They stop and look at you.

Oh… DELICIOUS. KOBOLD meat!

It springs forward and strikes Kadosh, who did a terrible job skulking about Nat 1 on avoid notice init

Jaws: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
P: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

— it narrowly misses the kobold's jugular! Kadosh feels his muscles begin to seize up…

— then it leaps back, atop the other table.

★★★
Dinner! Round 1

Battlemap

──────────
BEFORE YOUR TURN:
──────────

Kadosh: DC 15 fort vs Paralysis (incpacitation in effect)

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Undead Dwarf 4 (-0 HP)
➤ Imperius (22/22 HP)
➤ Zyphlryx (22/22 HP)
Undead Dwarf 3 (-8 HP)
Undead Dwarf 1 (-13 HP)
Broomzad (26/26 HP)
Undead Dwarf 2 (-0 HP)
Pepin le Beouf (20/20 HP)
Kadosh (26/26 HP)

Esoteric Lore vs #4: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

’rotting dwarves. They must hate tarnished silver!’

He shoots a #4 with personal antithesis.
hand crossbow +7 (range increment 60 feet, reload 1): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Imperius then steps back.

We are not meat! Zyphlryx objects, before adding more quietly, Well, maybe Imperius is, with his royalness...

He sizes up #4...
DaS: 1d20 ⇒ 3
...but sees no road to success on that maneuver. Instead, he steps up behind Kadosh and focuses on #3.

pew: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
piercing: 1d6 ⇒ 1
plus Deadly, if a crit: 1d10 ⇒ 7

Devise a Strategem, Step, Strike.

Imperius rubs some tarnished metal from the silver spoon he has, piercing the creature's flesh! It hisses in pain.

Zyphlryx doesn't need anyone to tell him his shots are wide by a mile, let alone some omniscient narrator.

Undead Dwarf 3 rushes forward to bute Kadosh — then leaps back once more!

Jaws: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
P: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Undead Dwarf 1 gives #3 a look as it jumped on DINNER, but there's more food to be had anyway. Food named Kadosh.

Jaws: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
P: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

— the Kobold is badly hurt and his muscles are seizing up!

★★★
Dinner! Round 1

Battlemap

──────────
BEFORE YOUR TURN:
──────────

Kadosh: 3 DC 15 fort vs Paralysis (incpacitation in effect)

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Undead Dwarf 4 (-9 HP) │ Personal Antith. 3
Imperius (22/22 HP)
Zyphlryx (22/22 HP)
Undead Dwarf 3 (-8 HP)
Undead Dwarf 1 (-13 HP)
➤ Broomzad (26/26 HP)
Undead Dwarf 2 (-0 HP)
Pepin le Beouf (20/20 HP)
Kadosh (9/26 HP)

Broomzad moves in stabs 1 then moves back.

Shortsword: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14 Stab!
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

1d20 ⇒ 3

Undead dwarf 3 dashes in, swings at Kadosh — FINALLY a claw misses him — then leaps back!
★★★
Dinner! Round 1

Battlemap

──────────
BEFORE YOUR TURN:
──────────

Kadosh: 3 DC 15 fort vs Paralysis (incpacitation in effect)

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Undead Dwarf 4 (-9 HP) │ Personal Antith. 3
Imperius (22/22 HP)
Zyphlryx (22/22 HP)
Undead Dwarf 3 (-8 HP)
Undead Dwarf 1 (-13 HP)
Broomzad (26/26 HP)
Undead Dwarf 2 (-0 HP)
➤ Pepin le Beouf (20/20 HP)
➤ Kadosh (9/26 HP)

Fortitude (expert): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Fortitude (expert): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
Fortitude (expert): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

Kadosh sizes up the monsters in front of him and decides letting someone else get eaten is the better part of valor here. He drops a deadweight snare in front of him, then retreats.

Hunt Prey (No. 1), drop snare (marked on map), Stride the eff out of here!

Possessed by an unwelcome and inadvisable burst of bravery, Pepin moves forward and attempts to cook the rotten flesh off of 1,2 and 3.

Char Broil (Burning Hands) Reflex DC18 Fire: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (2, 2) + 1 = 5

3d20 ⇒ (18, 9, 11) = 38make make

The ghouls get singed, but they're not cooked yet!

Dinner is served.

Undead dwarf 4 moves in and bites at Pepin…

Jaws: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
P: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Claws: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (19) + 9 - 4 = 24
P: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Chef is hurt! And needs to make 2 saves vs Paralysis… Just don;t crit fail

★★★
Dinner! Round 1

Battlemap

──────────
BEFORE YOUR TURN:
──────────

Pepin le Beouf: 2 DC 15 fort vs Paralysis (incapacitation in effect)

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Undead Dwarf 4 (-9 HP) │ Personal Antith. 3
➤ Imperius (22/22 HP)
➤ Zyphlryx (22/22 HP)
Undead Dwarf 3 (-10 HP)
Undead Dwarf 1 (-15 HP)
Broomzad (26/26 HP)
Undead Dwarf 2 (-2 HP)
Pepin le Beouf (11/20 HP)
Kadosh (9/26 HP)

Zyphlryx takes a look at his options for #1...
DaS: 1d20 ⇒ 18
...and likes his chances. He looses an arrow.

pew: 18 + 5 = 23
piercing: 1d6 ⇒ 1
plus Strategic Strike: 1d6 ⇒ 2
plus Deadly, if a crit: 1d10 ⇒ 10

And another.

pew: 1d20 + 5 - 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 - 5 = 20
piercing: 1d6 ⇒ 6
plus Deadly, if a crit: 1d10 ⇒ 1

THAT'S how ya do it! Shared Stratagem with Broomzad.

He then conjures up a disc of force, and immediately cowers behind it. Cast shield.

Devise a Strategem ◈, Strike, Cast a Spell ◈.

Zyphlryx puts an arrow through #1's eye on the second shot! It hisses and claws the air. The thin frame twitches and then falls still.

★★★
Dinner! Round 2

Battlemap

──────────
BEFORE YOUR TURN:
──────────

Pepin le Beouf: 2 DC 15 fort vs Paralysis (incpacitation in effect)

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Undead Dwarf 4 (-9 HP) │ Personal Antith. 3
➤ Imperius (22/22 HP)
Zyphlryx (22/22 HP)
Undead Dwarf 3 (-10 HP)
Broomzad (26/26 HP) │ Shared strategem
Undead Dwarf 2 (-2 HP)
Pepin le Beouf (11/20 HP)
Kadosh (9/26 HP)

Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Imperius reloads and readies a shot on #4 again, when he sees it.

Undead 2 moves in and sets off the trap. underestimating kobolds…

ref: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

–1 status penalty to attack rolls for 1 round or until it Escapes (DC 18).

Esacape: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

It rips off the tangle of snare then chomps away at the chef… so hungry!

Claws: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (1) + 9 - 4 = 6

Seems there was still some wire left to untangle.

★★★
Dinner! Round 2

Battlemap

──────────
BEFORE YOUR TURN:
──────────

Pepin le Beouf: 2 DC 15 fort vs Paralysis (incpacitation in effect)

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Undead Dwarf 4 (-9 HP) │ Personal Antith. 3
Imperius (22/22 HP)
Zyphlryx (22/22 HP)
Undead Dwarf 3 (-10 HP)
➤ Broomzad (26/26 HP) │ Shared strategem
Undead Dwarf 2 (-2 HP)
Pepin le Beouf (11/20 HP)
Kadosh (9/26 HP)

Broomzad slashes at #3.

Shortsword: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Shortsword: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Shortsword: 1d20 ⇒ 18
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Broomzas slashes furiously; while #3 still stands t's having a hard time moving now.

#4 moves in and slashes at Pepin —

1d20 ⇒ 5

— then Leaps back!

★★★
Dinner! Round 2

Battlemap

──────────
BEFORE YOUR TURN:
──────────

Pepin le Beouf: 2 DC 15 fort vs Paralysis (incpacitation in effect)

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Undead Dwarf 4 (-9 HP) │ Personal Antith. 3
Imperius (22/22 HP) │ Readied shot at 3
Zyphlryx (22/22 HP)
Undead Dwarf 3 (-18 HP)
Broomzad (26/26 HP) │ Shared strategem
Undead Dwarf 2 (-2 HP)
➤ Pepin le Beouf (11/20 HP)
➤ Kadosh (9/26 HP)

Pulling out his new flying talon, Kadosh moves up a little bit -- shouldn't someone have tended all of his bravely earned wounds? Is there a reason they're not?! -- and chucks the weapon right through the ghost's head.

Interact to draw weapon, Stride, Stike vs. No. 3
Flying talon (agile, finesse, ranged trip, tethered, thrown 10 ft., trip): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Damage (piercing): 1d4 ⇒ 4

Pepin, appearing to lose his mind, moves in amongst the creatures and crouches for a moment, then bursts in a horrific spray of acid, hitting all creatures within 5' of him.

Acidic Burst Reflex DC18 Acid: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 3) = 6

Kadosh "kills" #3!

Pepin le Boeuf's Fortitude (T): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Pepin le Boeuf's Fortitude (T): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

+9: 2d20 ⇒ (9, 16) = 25

The mad chef moves in for the kill… or is he just delivering dinner!?

______

With 2 on the table the ghouls don't quite have a flank. 4 steps over and gets shot dead by inmperius.

★★★
Dinner! Round 4

Battlemap

──────────
BEFORE YOUR TURN:
──────────

Pepin le Beouf: 2 DC 15 fort vs Paralysis (incpacitation in effect)

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Imperius (22/22 HP) │ Readied shot at 3
➤ Zyphlryx (22/22 HP)
➤ Broomzad (26/26 HP) │ Shared strategem
Undead Dwarf 2 (-5 HP)
Pepin le Beouf (1/20 HP)
Kadosh (9/26 HP)

Imperius uses exploit weakness on the final undead dwarf.
Esoteric Lore: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

He then reloads, rubbing the silver spoon on the bolt again, and shoots at this one, right past Kadosh and Broomzad!
hand crossbow +7 (range increment 60 feet, reload 1): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
plus personal antithesis 3

Put that silver spoon back in your mouth, where it belongs, Zyphlryx grouses, moving cautiously into the room to assess things.

DaS: 1d20 ⇒ 9

Not great.

Instead, Z hurks up a hurks up a line of electricity, lancing past Pepin on its way to the erstwhile dwarf.

electricity: 1d4 ⇒ 1 LOL, DC 18 Refl
reset: 1d4 ⇒ 4

Devise a Stratagem ◈, kobold breath ◈◈.

Broomzad moves into the room and slashes at the dwarf!

Shortsword: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Shortsword: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Together you destroy the last ghoul! Our of combat!

There is no treasure in here. It looks like the ghouls were eating (or were they fed?) one of the pinkskin loggers.

Broomzad listens through the doors at the top of the room.

Perception +7.

Broomzad hears… silence. So do the rest of you.

"Wait a second!" Kadosh hisses as it looks like Broomzad plans to rush through the next door. "I'm bleeding!"

He collects his flying talon too, eying up his companions to make sure none of them plan to take it.

"Too bad they didn't eat more of the pinkskins," he mutters.

Once we get some healing, happy to move on.

After healing up you push open the door.

A ten-foot-diameter pit occupies the center of this chamber. Directly over the pit, a long chain feeds through a complex pulley system before disappearing into the depths.

Broomzad, who loves complex pulley systems, checks out the chain and pit.

How far down does the pit look? Is there a bucket or anything on the chain we could ride?

"This looks fun."

Kadosh avoids the obvious trap. He watches and waits for something to know Broomzad into it -- assuming that can even happen to a ghost.

1d20 ⇒ 19

Broomzad looks down and sees a giant cauldron attached to the chains. You could probably pull it up and then ride it down like an elevator.

Kadosh sees that the cauldron will drop off the chains if loaded with too much weight. Probably 1 pink skin at a time or two kobolds, or two kobolds and one ghost.

Kadosh looks at the cauldron. He looks at his fellow kobolds. He looks back at the cauldron.

"..."

He keeps his mouth shut to see what happens.

Go on, then, Zyphlryx says to Imperius after operating the mechanism to bring up the cauldron. Give it a try!

One of two things will happen: nothing, or else Imperius will plummet to the cave floor below. Either way it seems like a win.

"Why is Imperius the first to try everything?" asks Broomzad with somewhat of a pout.