Zero's Bounty #20: Burden in Bloodcove (Inactive)

Game Master Super Zero

So Shayla, do you want to disable the trap?

To be a little more specific...

Maxamed is fairly certain that the sigils have a necromantic effect, likely preservation magic. However, he's sure that if that first conclusion is wrong then the sigils are keeping the contents from activating and may wear off at any moment. Whatever lies within, it’s likely to be dangerous.

Maxamed's Arcana check gets the first result. If I make multiple checks as requested, he also gets Dubious Knowledge that says one of those two things is certain.

Feel free to continue investigating that crate, but pushing on a bit since we have characters who want to be available by 3/6...

The remaining fourth parcel (though didn't Aayah say there'd be five?) is a wooden chest that, despite being closed, has a distinctly sweet, earthy aroma emanating from it. It has a latch and can be opened without difficulty

Well let’s this standing like this. We will tell about the runes.

Then the dwarf looks at the fourth crate.

Shayla, please look for traps. It seems a bit too easy.

Shayla has a look at the crate.

Perc +7, Thievery(E) +11; she also has Wary Disarmament in case she sets off the trap

Jom meanders up to offer a note or two.

Jom can attempt to aid a Thievery check. At +10

Hancock has no problem waiting until the nimble folks finish poking around.

Shayla finds no mechanism, but as she opens the lid just a crack a puff of blue powder issues forth.

She doesn't immediately recognize it, but the sweet smell is very distinct--is it a poison?

A potential hazard! But afraid this one will take Medicine or Religion, not Thievery.

Religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

What’s this?

Charlies gets closer cautiously and takes a sniff of the aroma. Religion: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

”I think I have also encountered this before. The scent seems familiar…”

medicine: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

I suspect he does not recognize the powder.

"Dunno2"

No one seems quite sure what the powdery stuff is.

Thinking for a few moments. Maxamed will shrug and put the package back. If it's a trap, then it's a boring one. They will then come over to this crate of blue powder.

Religion with Dubious knowledge yet again: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Maxamed identifies the stuff as a bit of incense. The fact that a puff of it came out when the lid was shifted suggests a shipping mishap, and anyone opening the chest (or anyone standing near them) is likely to get a face full of it if they don't take precautions.

It might be incense of resolution, which is said to have a mild effect of improving focus when properly burned and might have a stronger benefit when inhaled directly. It might instead be incense of reverie, which has a mild calming effect when used properly but might be debilitating if inhaled in this powdered state.

Both are used at temples around the Inner Sea.

As the party inspects the last of the other containers, dockworkers start to unload a large oak barrel, heaving beneath its immense weight.

Well we can inform the Aspis about this state about the crate here.

Then noticing the large oak barrel unloaded in front of them: It seems it will be still this one to inspect. A barrel that should be some liquid in it.

Sardoically, Hancock mutters, "rabdy."

"Not funny, Hancock."

Shayla heads over to examine the barrel.

Perc +7

"Not to be that guy," Jom speaks up from the back, "but, I remember part of the job being neutralizing threats." He shrugs, "I don't think just telling them about dangers is enough. That means doing something with that last danger lizard. Setting off or disabling that necromancy trap. Getting that powder exploded into our face."

"And, whatever happens to be in here." he says as he walks up and checks out the barrel.

+7 as well

If you want to play with the lizard or the powder, take your pleasure. But let us get away. We identify the problems as asked. No need to solve them all.

Tok speaks up. "Maxamed also feels that there is a difference between identifying and dealing with dangers... perhaps after this barrel"

The crowd that was starting to gather as the party made their action-packed inspection of the first crate seems to be growing less interested.

"Aw, not even gonna open it?" jeers one bystander.

Even if the incense is dangerous, forewarned is forearmed--someone covering their face and holding their breath should be able to open it safely.

Meanwhile, Shayla and Jom note that the lid of the barrel can be easily opened. Shayla also notices, however, that the lid seems to be under pressure, as though opening the catch would make it immediately spring open.
A mechanical trap of some kind? Most certainly.

"Okay now, get back to your own business, we are just doing the usual inspection of cargoes in your docks. I suppose that is a normal thing to happen here every day." Charlies tries to disperse the crowd, so they won't be bothered while they are inspecting the last barrel.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

Hancock will take a closer look to see if he can figure out how to disable the trap.

thievery: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

Shayla takes out her tools and begins to examine the mechanism of the trap.

Thievery +11; Wary Disarmament (+2 AC/saves in the event she triggers the trap)

"Normal, yeah, but always entertaining when it's the Aspice shipments!"

Hancock isn't able to disarm the mechanism. At first, neither is Shayla. But then she has more luck. One mechanism off. Then a second. Getting the hang of it, she disables two more before suddenly realizing that she can feel something within the barrel moving, shifting--squirming.

The lid falls off of the barrel with a snap. The hoops also snap, and the staves fall away like the petals of a flower.

Hancock and Shayla can smell oil, and the four disabled nozzles sure look like they should be spraying it everywhere right now. And then with a click an igniter lights--but has no fuel to burn. Shayla's success in disabling the nozzles has largely neutralized the trap.

Of course, the giant rats with explosives strapped to them are still a problem, and likely distracting enough that nobody immediately takes in Shayla's success.

A spring-loaded platform launches half a dozen rats the size of goblins into the air, and they land scattered about. The ticking devices strapped to them seem pretty unambiguous, and the onlookers seem to agree as Charlies finds himself retroactively successful in convincing them to disperse.
The catapulting device is emblazoned with an insignia of shark jaws closing around a ship—the same design flown by Jaw Lonnesen.

A few of the rats react quickly, immediately scurrying away from people and onto the docks. One of them lands behind Hancock and Shayla, before quickly zipping back between them towards the end of the dock.

Tick Tick Tick Tick...

Shayla, Dran'Thal, and Maxamed's turns.

Initiative:
Shayla
Dran'Thal
Maxamed
Blue Explosive Rat
Charlies
Red Explosive Rat
Hancock
Yellow Explosive Rat
round tracker
Purple Explosive Rat
Pink Explosive Rat
Green Explosive Rat

If the rat is grappled, restrained, or unconscious, an adjacent creature can attempt to safely remove and disable the harness with a successful DC 17 Nature or Thievery check or a successful DC 15 Tanning Lore check. An attempt to disable the harness uses two actions.

Shayla's arm pumps once... twice... thrice, as she sends three throwing knives in quick succession at the Red Rat.

Throwing Knife vs Red Rat: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Throwing Knife vs Red Rat, MAP, Agile: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Throwing Knife vs Red Rat, MAP 2+, Agile: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

Piercing if 17 hits: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (2, 4) + 4 = 10
Sneak if the 17 hits: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 2) = 6

◆◆◆ Strike (Quick Draw)

Shayla will ↺ Nimble Dodge (+2 AC) the first attack that comes her way

THUNK THUNK!

Two of Shayla's knives bury themselves in the rat, which collapses. Of course, that doesn't stop the ticking...

Dran'Thal and Maxamed's turns.

Initiative:
Dran'Thal
Maxamed
Blue Explosive Rat
Charlies
Red Explosive Rat
Hancock
Yellow Explosive Rat
Bombs (0 rounds)
Purple Explosive Rat
Pink Explosive Rat
Green Explosive Rat
Shayla

Kill them quickly!

The dwarf strikes the blue rat in front of him.

+1 Shield boss, spellstrike:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Damage, Gouging claw:1d6 + 3 + 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 + (3, 5) + 3 = 15

Then he enters in Arcane stance.

Dran'Thal hits and seriously wounds a second rat.

Maxamed's turn.

Initiative:
Maxamed
Blue Explosive Rat (-15)
Charlies
Hancock
Yellow Explosive Rat
Bombs (0 rounds)
Purple Explosive Rat
Pink Explosive Rat
Green Explosive Rat
Shayla
Dran'Thal

Maxamed, seeing what appears to be something explosive next to them, and not being a fan of that, attempts to disable it.

Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Afterwards, satisfied with their work, they point a finger at Blue rat, causing a sheet of ice to form on them. Clinging Ice. DC 19 basic reflex save cold damage: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 4) = 6

end turn

Removing an explosive harness is two actions, although once the rat is defeated the option of just throwing them into the water also exists. Oh, clinging ice is one action. Success, then. And Blue fails its save.

Maxamed's deft hands accomplish multiple goals simultaneously, removing the explosive harness from the nearby rat and disarming the bomb even as their ice freezes solid the rat Shayla injured.

Blue Rat's defeat means we go right to Charlies and Hancock's turns.

Initiative:
Charlies
Hancock
Yellow Explosive Rat
Bombs (0 rounds)
Purple Explosive Rat
Pink Explosive Rat
Green Explosive Rat
Shayla
Dran'Thal
Maxamed

Things quickly happen and Charlies does not know what to do. Seeing the rats fling out of the barrel, he is not sure if he will eliminate them or catch them instead. "Go, catch one of them, but don't kill it!" he instructs Estes instead as he floods the angel with power to improve Estes' speed while Estes makes his move toward Yellow. He then attempts to Grapple it.
Estes' Grapple vs Yellow Rat's Fortitude DC: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

The angel then bludgeons the goblin-sized rat with his wing to bring it into unconciousness.
Wing Attack vs Yellow Rat, MAP, Agile, Non-Lethal (w/o penalty from Hallowed Strikes): 1d20 + 10 - 4 ⇒ (2) + 10 - 4 = 8
Wing Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 bludgeoning damage

◆ Act Together (Cast a Spell, Evolution Surge of Charlies; Stride of Estes)
◆ Grapple of Estes
◆ Strike

Successful Grab, failed Strike.

Estes manages to get ahold of the giant rat's flammable fashion, but is unable to land a blow on the squealing, squirming creature.

Hancock's turn.

Initiative:
Hancock
Yellow Explosive Rat (Grabbed)
Bombs (0 rounds)
Purple Explosive Rat
Pink Explosive Rat
Green Explosive Rat
Shayla
Dran'Thal
Maxamed
Charlies (Estes grabbing Yellow)

Hancock erupts in a burst or motion and flies to the end of the dock (sudden charge) to engage a rat (green).

to hit Maul: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
damage Maul: 1d12 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16 bludgeoning damage

After cleanly putting it down he attempts to disarm the device.

thievery: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

Yikes! Nice turn.

That's a crit, and certainly takes it out. A disarm attempt takes two actions, but it's also adjacent to the water there so you can just drop it in instead.

Hancock rushes forward and slices the head off of one of the rats. He knocks the rest of it into the oddly-colored water.
Being underwater should likely damage the mechanism. And if it doesn't it'll ruin the explosives. And if it doesn't, an explosion underwater is unlikely to do any harm anyway.

The restrained rat snaps back at its captor as it struggles to free itself. Its teeth clamp over Estes's shoulder (8 piercing damage), but it's otherwise ineffectual at either inflicting pain or getting away.

The timers on the rats' harnesses continue to tick. The barrel next to Shayla makes a clicking sound, and the igniter lights again with a brief flare. With the oil still safely contained in the tanks, this does not seem particularly dangerous.

The remaining rats squeal and seem to realize they are under attack. They scurry back towards the fight, tearing at the closest combatant--unfortunately for Dran'Thal, both of them are closest to him. He manages to hold them both back for a moment, but both manage to score a decent hit with their vicious, sharp teeth (Oddly enough, both miss their first attack but hit their second for a total of 12 piercing damage).

All PCs' turns.

Initiative:
Shayla
Dran'Thal (-12)
Maxamed
Charlies (Estes grabbing Yellow; -8)
Hancock
Yellow Explose Rat (Grabbed)
Bombs (1 round)
Purple Explosive Rat
Pink Explosive Rat

So we are only 5 now. Where is Jom?

Hancock runs up to yellow and performs the same trick, provided the rat cooperates.

to hit Maul: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
damage Maul: 1d12 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 bludgeoning damage

*stride
*attack
*shove

Huh. Jom was never in the initiative list. He should have been last, but not excluded.

Jim can take two turns!

Hancock his, but not quite a crit. It's bloodied, but not defeated. So you have an action left.

Hancock lands a solid blue to the back of the squirming, restrained east. It squeaks and continues thrashing.

Well, then, instead of shoving it he smacks it again! Almost like playing golf :)

to hit Maul: 1d20 + 10 - 5 ⇒ (15) + 10 - 5 = 20
damage Maul: 1d12 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 bludgeoning damage

With a blow to the head, the rat stops struggling against Estes and his limp.

Jom, Shayla, Dran'Thal, Macamed, Charlies, and Jom's turns.

Initiative:
Jom (Two turns)
Shayla
Dran'Thal (-12)
Maxamed
Charlies (-8)
Bombs (1 round)
Purple Explosive Rat
Pink Explosive Rat
Hancock

Shayla again sends three throwing knives, this time at Purple.

Throwing Knife vs Purple: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
Throwing Knife vs Purple, MAP, Agile: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Throwing Knife vs Purple, MAP 2+, Agile: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Piercing: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

◆◆◆ Strike

The giant rat dodges one of the knives, and another glances off the metal pocket watch that still ominously tick tick tick ticks... but the rat squeals as one of the knives sticks it.

Jom, Dran'Thal, Maxamed, Charlies, and Jom's turns.

Initiative:
Jom (Two turns)
Dran'Thal (-12)
Maxamed
Charlies (-8)
Bombs (1 round)
Purple Explosive Rat (-6)
Pink Explosive Rat
Hancock
Shayla

I noticed and was just going to post at the start of the new round. No worries.

Jom takes a moment to assess and then rushes over be with reach of both rats. He slashes at one (pink) and kicks the other (purple)

2h BS: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23
S: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

kick: 1d20 + 12 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 12 - 4 = 15
B: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

---------

He slashes at the last one...

2h BS: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21
S: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

...drops the sword, grabs one if the timers and throws it in the water.

That's a hit, and maximum damage drops Pink. And that's a miss and then a hit against Purple, and since it was already injured enough damage to drop it.

Jom moves up and slices into both of the remaining rats. Both fall.

Now there's nothing left but blood and tick tic tick...

Dran'Thal, Maxamed, and Charlies's tuns.

Initiative:
Dran'Thal (-12)
Maxamed
Charlies (-8)
Bombs (1 round)
Hancock
Shayla
Jom

The dwarf drags both rats into the water to stop the tick tic tick…

Checking the final explosive reveals that 48 seconds remains--the party dispatched the rats and disabled or disposed of the bombs far more quickly than the trapsetter had planned.

The dockworkers and bystanders poke their heads from their hiding places and cheer.

Soon enough. Aayah Stronch returns. She takes in the bloodstains with a raised eyebrow, but nods curtly. "Looks like you had some trouble, but nothing looks too damaged around here. Go ahead and report."

The dwarf tells crate by crate what they found and what the Aspis should be prepared to.

Aayah takes everything in stride except the giant chameleons, which seem to surprise her. "If that's a trap, it's an odd one... I'll have to look into that.

"The runes on the produce are expected. It's magic similar to gentle repose. Keeps it fresh when you import it to another continent where it's 'exotic.' And it sounds like some of the incense got smashed in transport, which is a shame. It's not supposed to do that, but I can understand how that happened. And good job dealing with the explosives."

She pays the agreed fee.

Later that evening, some of the adventurers here some deckhands talking. Apparently it was determined that they were a legitimate shipment, but erroneously switched with a different crate and delivered to the wrong place.