JD's Abomination Vaults

Game Master Jack Daniels

Hagrym nods at the others. ”Might as well go see what all the fuss is about in there,” he says with a nod towards the south east door with all the commotion coming from behind it.

"Yeah, open the door. But be nice. Not everyone and everything is naturally hostile."

The party opens the door and sees the following description:

This long room smells of rust and grime. Stacks of splintered furniture, pieces of weapons and armor, frayed coils of rope, jagged shards of metal, and other bits of trash lie in heaps along the walls of the room. A cold, unlit forge sits in an alcove to the west. To the north, several heavy timbers are wedged up against a door to keep it shut.

Three wiry humanoids are in the room, their arms long enough to reach the floor, with huge buggy eyes. They have pale skin from lack of sunlight apparently. They stand just over 5 feet tall. Three of them toil at assembling three broken ballistae. When they see the party, they look at each other and one of them screams several words in a weird language and they raise their weapons at you.

Initiative:
Monsters: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Garidan: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Hagrym: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Jon: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Mac: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Pen: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Order: Whole party, then monsters.

The monsters are color-coded: blue, yellow, and green. Despite the room's description, it is not difficult terrain so you can move freely in the room.

"I take it back. Those obviously are." Garidan holds his lantern higher trying to shine more light at the enemy.

◆Exploit Vulnerability EV: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28 vs standard DC for its level and vs Recall Knowledge DC
@GM, What's its most notable offensive ability? 2nd question due to crit: Lowest save?

"I know them! These are GM insert and they are weak and resistant to GM insert."

Love the placeholders Garidan

Penflower, having learned from last time, stays back, ready for them to come.

Since I can't enter Arcane Cascade... Raise Shield, Ready (trigger: One of them comes within range, action: Strike). Recall Knowledge (secret check I imagine)

Hagrym waits on Garidan’s advice before deciding what action to take versus the aggressive creatures.

Into the Fray: ◇Draw Pistol (other hand empty) and ◇Stride into room.

Jon strides in confidently and fires off two◆ shots◆ on the green enemy.

+1 Double-Barreled Pistol: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Crit Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 (This result is doubled.)
Fatal Extra Damage Die: 1d8 ⇒ 5 (This is added to the total crit damage but not doubled.)

In case that wasn't actually a crit, normal damage would be: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Sword & Pistol: If that was a hit, it is off-guard to my next melee attack.

+1 Double-Barreled Pistol -5 MAP: 1d20 + 11 - 5 ⇒ (3) + 11 - 5 = 9
P/Concussive Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 (on the off chance that hit)

Jon then reloads◆ one barrel.

"They said we'd make good prisoners for their king," Jon translates for anyone who doesn't speak Sakvroth/Undercommon.

"Hey Jon, thanks for that translation. Uh, Pen, they're wielding big crossbows, they'll pick us off at distance. We've got to go to them!"

◆Stride ◆Rage ◆Strike
Attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22
Damage on Yellow: 1d10 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 4 + 2 = 14

"I take it back. Those obviously are." Garidan holds his lantern higher trying to shine more light at the enemy.

◆Exploit Vulnerability [dice=EV]1d20+8 vs standard DC for its level and vs Recall Knowledge DC
@GM, What's its most notable offensive ability? 2nd question due to crit: Lowest save?

"I know them! These are GM insert and they are weak and resistant to GM insert."

The creatures are obviously Morlocks, humans long lost to the surface world. They have a social structure and while most are brutes, a few known as Engineers have an affinity for machinery and scavenging. Their lowest save is Fortitude. Its most notable offensive ability besides weapon attacks is a jaw bite attack and sneak attack.

◆ Stride
◆ attack yellow Breaching Pike, 10 ft Reach: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Piercing Damage, Implements Empowerment, personal antitheses: 1d6 + 3 + 2 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 2 + 3 = 13

Apologies, Garidan, I forgot their light blindness.

As Garridan strides in to attack, the bright light from his lantern causes all of the morlocks' mushroom-style eyes to recoil in pain, and they are temporarily blinded!

Jon's attack crits, inflicting 11 damage on green.
Mac's strike on Yellow hits, inflicting 14 damage on yellow.
Garidan's attack strikes the morlocks' off-guard AC, inflicting 13 more damage on yellow. However, it is tough and still standing.

As they were blinded by the light, Pen can alter his action instead of readying, if he wishes. Also waiting for Hagrym's action.

Hagrym uses all three of his stride actions to go shoulder to shoulder with his cousin, and make a hopefully impenetrable front line. If you’d be so kind as to move me, GM!

”Looks like we are going to have to bash these things down then,” he calls out to the others.

Hagrym, with your 15' speed, you can reach the front line in 2 strides and still attack or you can move and attack at ranged with cantrip. Up to you. As I said, despite the features on the map, the squares in this room are not difficult terrain.

Thanks GM, I'll move instead of Recall Knowledge. I hope I can keep my attack roll in this case.

Hagrym, if Pen moves in, there's no spot for you. Do you want to attack with a spell? With one action stride, you have line of sight on them.

Let Pen move up and attack then. I’ll cast after striding. Thanks!

Hagrym grabs the holy symbol around his neck, and again calls upon Torag’s holy judgment to strike out at the yellow clad enemy.

Divine Lance attack roll 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
Damage 2d4 ⇒ (4, 2) = 6

Pen moves up and critically strikes the blue Morlock Engineer for 18 damage. Hagrym's spell attack misses.

Round 1: Morlocks

Yellow Enginner:
The blinded morlock reaches for the warhammer at its side and tries to pummel Mac whom he senses may be in front of him.

As Mac is raging, his AC drops by 1 to 18.
1st action: Draw Hammer
2nd action: Attack: Flat Check: 1d20 ⇒ 4 --- swings wildly, nowhere near the dwarf
3rd action: 2nd Attack: Flat check:1d20 ⇒ 11 --- aims at right square
Attack roll: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17 --- misses

Blue Enginner:
The blinded morlock does same routine and reaches for the warhammer at its side and tries to pummel Pen whom he senses may be in front of him.

Pen's AC is 21.
1st action: Draw Hammer
2nd action: 1st attack: Flat Check: 1d20 ⇒ 13 --- aims at right square
Attack roll: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27 - hits, Pen uses his reaction to shield block
Damage: 1d8 + 6 - 5 ⇒ (6) + 6 - 5 = 7 --- 7 points of damage to Pen and the shield.
3rd action: 2nd attack: Flat check: 1d20 ⇒ 19 --- aims at right square
Attack roll: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14 --- misses

Green Engineer:
Not wanting to strike his friends, it spends its time rubbing his eyes, trying to recover its sight. Round wasted.

Party is up in Round 2. Morlocks are still blind.

"Hurry, their eyes will soon adjust!"
◆ attack yellow Breaching Pike, 10 ft Reach: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Piercing Damage, personal antitheses: 1d6 + 3 + 2 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 2 + 3 = 11
◆ attack yellow Breaching Pike, 10 ft Reach: 1d20 + 7 - 5 ⇒ (9) + 7 - 5 = 11
Piercing Damage, personal antitheses: 1d6 + 3 + 2 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 2 + 3 = 10

Frustrated from his inability to hit a blind man, he instead offers guidance to the more capable.
◆ cast Guidance on Pen.

Round 2: Mac

Mac continues raging and attacks the yellow one in front of him. If he kills it, he shifts his attacks to the blue one.

1st attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20
Damage: 1d10 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 2 = 9
2nd attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Damage: 1d10 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 2 = 13
2nd attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
Damage: 1d10 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 2 = 10

Mac hits initially and his rage drives the second strike through the blind morlock's head, as it succumbs to a painful death. The blue one takes an additional 10 damage on the third strike.
Green has taken 11 damage.
Blue has taken 28 damage.

Jon fires his pistol◆ at the [color=blue]blue Morlock.[/color]

+1 Double-Barreled Pistol: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24
P/Concussive Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Jon reloads◆ and points his pistol menacingly at the [color=blue]blue morlock[/color] (or [color=green]the green one[/color] if the blue is dead) and says

Demoralize ◆ (auditory, bravado, concentrate, emotion, fear, mental): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Technically if I succeed, it's bravado so I get panache, not that I can benefit from it in any way at this point lol

Hagrym again calls out to Torag, calling for his judgment to strike down the blue clad enemy.

Divine Lance attack roll 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Damage 2d4 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4

Penflower feels the pain of the hit, but continues fighting. He swings his sword, chanting a word of power during his swing. His sword ignites with fire as he finishes chanting. Then, he raises his shield.

Spellstrike with Ignition, then Raise shield. If Blue is dead from Jon's attack, then Step to Green before the strike.

Attack, Guidance: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Fire damage: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 3) = 9

Jon's shot does not crit, inflicting 5 damage on the blinded morlock, who cries out in pain with each wound. However, the morlock is not demoralized by Jon's action. Hagrym misses with his laser beam. Pen strikes the morlock, and while it survives the blow, the subsequent fire engulfs its body and a charred husk collapses to the floor dead.

Round 2: Green Morlock

The surviving blinded morlock panics, as he heard the dying screams of its brothers. With his back against the wall, he cocks the weird crossbow looking contraption and begins to fire..well...blindly.

Flat check: 1d20 ⇒ 13 --- can target someone
Even: Mac Odd: Pen
1d4 ⇒ 3 --- targets Pen
Ranged attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29--- hit!
Pen uses his shield block reaction
1d8 + 6 - 5 ⇒ (6) + 6 - 5 = 7 --- to both Pen and the shield - shield is now broken and can no longer be used until repaired
The morlock takes an action to reload and shoots again!
Flat check: 1d20 ⇒ 6 --- shoots wildly hitting the ceiling.
Pen has taken 14 damage and his shield is broken.

Party is up in Round 3.

The last remaining morlock squints and blinks its large mushroom eyes, and you can tell he has regained his sight, despite still being in the area of bright light. He looks angry as he sees the corpses of his friends. He yells out in Sakvroth.

Jsus, what's up with these consecutive 12 damages...

Penflower takes the hit, but angrily decides to counteract. Still, he is worried about what the creature said.

Drop shield (free), Step, Strike, Cast Shield.

Strike: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

However, the pain on his arm is too much and he misses entirely.

Round 3: Mac

The dwarf continues raging and strides 10' north to cut off the morlock's escape.

1st attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21
Damage: 1d10 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 2 = 13
2nd attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Damage: 1d10 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 2 = 9

◆ Step
◆ attack Breaching Pike, 10 ft Reach: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Piercing Damage: 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 2 = 7
◆ attack Breaching Pike, 10 ft Reach: 1d20 + 7 - 5 ⇒ (7) + 7 - 5 = 9
Piercing Damage: 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 2 = 10

Hagrym strides closer to the group, ready to heal Pen as soon as the battle dies down. ”You are supposed to duck, dang it, Pen,” the dwarf laughed as he begins pulling out the medical kit.

Pen misses.
Mac hits twice for 22 damage, total: 33
Garidan misses twice.
Hagrym and Jon are up.

Jon says,

Demoralize ◆ (auditory, bravado, concentrate, emotion, fear, mental): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

He tried for a threatening growl, but the vibration tickled his throat, prompting a cough midway through that took much of the sting out of the zinger. So Jon fires his pistol◆ at the remaining morlock.

+1 Double-Barreled Pistol: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26
P/Concussive Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Jon reloads◆.

Hagrym again calls out to Torag, calling for his judgment to strike down the remaining enemy. ”You are starting to make me look kind of bad here, Torag,” he whispers.

Divine Lance attack roll1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Damage2d4 ⇒ (4, 2) = 6

Jon hits for 3 damage and Hagrym misses again.

Round 3: Green Morlock

Surrender is not an option so the green morlock drops his launcher, draws his hammer, and attacks the raging dwarf!

1st Attack on Mac: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15 --- miss
2nd Attack on Mac: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19 --- hit
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Party is up!

Penflower focuses on his magic again to be able to attack with fire, then swings a fiery blade.

Recharge Spellstrike, Spellstrike with Ignition

Strike: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Fire damage: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2

Pen's attack kills the last wounded morlock. Combat over. The enemies only have warhammers and their projective launchers and no gold. Nothing else of interest in this room. There are doors to the north and east inside the room. Map updated. Which way?

Due to the 5 temporary hit points from his rage, Mac took 6 damage.

Mac ends his rage as he recovers his breath. "Guess you fellas are out of practice. Not hitting a blind creature is sad.." The dwarf can barely hide the smirk. For the next 10 minutes, he pulls out bandages from his healer's kit and does Treat Wounds on himself.

Medicine check vs. DC 15: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
Heals: 2d8 ⇒ (7, 1) = 8
Back to full. Ready to head east first, I would say.

Jon reloads his second barrel and holsters the firearm. "Why don't we check the east door first?"

Will assume that Hagrym also treats the wounded Pen. Please post the roll.

You open the door to the east to reveal:

The air here is cool and moist. A low stone well sits to the east. Armor, weapons, and tools lie in heaps in the north.

You check it out and find:

Three suits of studded leather armor, two rapiers, one broken rapier, three sets of thieves’ tools, a lesser healing potion, and 13 gp.

What next?

"I wonder who left that stuff here. Or is it the Morlock's armory? Should we take this stuff with us?" Garidan, new to the adventuring lifestyle, wonders.

He then proceeds to put his ear on the next door, quickly remembering that if anyone was in there, he would probably have come out by now.

Loot updated and cleared out everything we sold. I'm not sure if Garidan has seen the link but I made a Google Docs page to keep track of our loot. It should be editable by anyone who clicks the link.

"First rule of adventuring, Master Hemlock: 'finders keepers,'" Jon says cheerfully. "Shall we check the room to the north?"

Penflower recovers his broken shield from the ground. He limps a bit, but as Mac heals himself, the elf spends some time working on repairing his shield.

Assurance (crafting) to repair 10 HP on my shield.

Once he is healed, Mac investigates the well, taking a look down to see what he can see in the range of his 60' DV.

”Hold on, hold on, wait for me! You lot are always running around all Willy nilly. Let me take a look at that wound, Pen,” he grumbles, using the medical kit to patch here and bind there.

Medicine 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

Regain 2d8+10+5, …

Roll 2d8 + 15 ⇒ (3, 2) + 15 = 20

Mac looks down the well and hears hear a strange sound drifting up from below—splashing combined with what sounds like a small crowd, though it sounds unintelligible.

When everyone is healed, you open the door to the north to see:

Alcoves along the walls might once have been storerooms, but the stone shelves are all empty. The room smells foul.

You see 3 men held in makeshift cells. All three are clad in rags and appear to be suffering from malnutrition and fear. Each bears a bird tattoo on the right shoulder that indicates membership in the Osprey Club. They dare to look hopeful when they see you.

"Hello! Yinyasmera said some of her operatives went missing hereabouts and hired us to find you and bring you back. Let's see about getting you free," Jon says, examining the cells to figure out how to open them.

Penflower holds Jon by the shoulder and says "Wait. This could be a trap." He counts to three visibly with his hands to signal that there are supposed to be four people. Then, he starts looking around for some skulkers.

I suppose this is a hidden Perception check.

Jon frowns, "I doubt any of the Osprey Club pose a threat to us, but they could be the bait for a morlock trap, I suppose."

”If it’s safe, let’s get them out of there and let me try to patch them up. They’ve clearly not seen any decent food lately,” he says, looking at their thin frail frames.

Mac tries to ally the prisoners' fears. "Calm down, we're here to help you. Yinyasmera sent us. Who's Otto, Gorul, Shad, and Ziskilly, and one of your lot is missing. Who is it and any idea where he might be?"

The men's faces turn to joy as they hear their names called and their boss' name. Gorul, Shad, and Ziskilly identify themselves. Gorul says, "When we were captured by the bug-eyed bastards, Otto talked back to their king. who led him away from us. We heard Otto's screams but we do not know his fate, though we fear the worst. These bastards have barely fed us during the past week and keep us imprisoned like pigs. Please help us get back home, to Otari. Please...before they come back!"

Jon easily picks the crude lock on the "cells". Do you lead them out? It is clear they are too afraid to go alone.