[SFS] 1-08 and 7-07 Arniselle Double Feature

Game Master Kludde

Hearing that, Amy goes in and has a look.

computers: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17

... and looks equally as perplexed.

I get the feeling I've seen something like that before ... but I have NO idea where

She will invoke her Desnian Divine Blessing.
computers: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22

Oh yeah. It's an ancient hybrid computer. I wonder if it still works?

She swims down and starts fiddling with it.

Intrigued, Stell takes pictures of the computer and then tries to help Amy with activating it, if possible.

Computers: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22
Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20
Mysticism: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Some of these are water hardened. I'm wanting to afford one to run simulations on .... and some immersive RPG games. I think Quest for Lost Golarion is being adapted - and there's talk of a movie

Stell documents the computer, and as Amy swims closer and it about to hit the on-switch, she suddenly realizes that something is off about the computer.

The computer starts glowing by itself and projects images of strange constellations... in a much more ominous way than before. This thing is possessed!

Computers, Mysticism or Engineering may help here

Computers: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Stell can't figure out what to do. As far as she can tell, the thing should not even work any more.

"Oh, that can't be good." Twila-5 may not have realized that this is a hybrid computer, but she recognizes possession when she sees it. She whips out her crowbar and does some fine-tuned engineering.

WHACK!

Engineering: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26

"Nice Twila!"

mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24

Once it's shut down. Amy extracts the solid state memory modules. She wants to have another look at those star patterns.

Stell doesn't really know what to do with the cursed keyboard, but Twila manages to give the computer a good ol' love tap. The magic smoke comes out, leaving an unpossessed but nevertheless broken computer. The device is easy to remove, so extracting the full thing to the Arniselle lodge for further study is trivial.

Outside the room, another surprise await.... something watery stirs in the garden, and it looks to be hostile!

The monster seems to be an underwater elemental of sort, looking like a clear, shimmering bubble in the ocean

Can you all put your tokens close to B7, near Twila and Stell?

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Twila
Amy
Kalhoun
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Watery Monster
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Stell
Dirk
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I forgot to mention that Twila-5 would've swapped out the battery on her pinhole rift rifle earlier. Can I retcon that?

"Heads up!" Twila-5 warns, whipping out her static arc pistol as she somersaults in slow motion (water makes acrobatics look much less energetic than air) away from the computer room. She takes aim while settling onto the seafloor before firing.

Trick Attack (Acrobatics): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (3) + 16 = 19
DC = 20 + Target's CR
Static Arc Pistol: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20
Electric damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Trick Attack damage, if applicable: 3d8 ⇒ (2, 4, 3) = 9
If both Trick Attack and Weapon Attack hit, the target is staggered until the start of Twila-5's next turn.

done

Kalhoun moves to the door, begins attuning himself to electricity and fires on the new creature.

Underwater Thunderstrike Blindmark Rifle: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
Sonic Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (4, 1) = 5

Twila zaps the underwater blob, though the slower-than-usual acrobatics make the move predictable. Kalhoun fires a sonar ping, but misses, instead ripping up some plants in the garden.

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Twila
Amy
Kalhoun
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Watery Monster (8)
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Stell
Dirk
---

Stell thinks about what this creature might be as she prepares to defend against it.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Assuming it may be an elemental.

Life Science: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
In case it's something else.

Aw ...

And Amy, not wanting to waste spells, swims upwards and shoots it with the UW Explorer Handcoil.
th: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10 electricity: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

... with predictable results.

Grrr...

Stell concludes that it indeed might be an elemental. Could be a water elemental, even.

Amy concludes that she might be able to hit it. Some day.

The watery creature becomes almost completely reflective, like a shiny marble on the ocean floor, and then project a focuses jet of water at Twila

Water Jet, Twila: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (7) + 16 = 232d6 + 8 ⇒ (2, 4) + 8 = 14

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Stell
Dirk
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Twila
Amy
Kalhoun
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Watery Monster (8)
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Ow. Not being keen on being hit like that too often, Twila-5 activates her Cloaking Field, the lines up another shot at the elemental.

Static Arc Pistol: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29
Electric damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Why do they always attack us? She muses idly. They could just ignore us, and we'd be happy to do the same. Weird. And self-destructive. Can't it tell it's outnumbered? It could just leave.

Amy tries again.
th: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12 electricity: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

That's it! Force bolts for you

Stell draws her semi-auto pistol but keeps it out of sight as she hydrojets west as if she doesn't notice the elemental (if that is what it is). Then she shifts to face it suddenly and fires.

Trick Attack, Bluff, Skill Expertise: 1d20 + 15 + 4 + 1d6 - 20 ⇒ (7) + 15 + 4 + (6) - 20 = 12 = CR affected.
Success: Target is flat-footed against the trick attack; if attack hits add Trick Attack Damage and target is flat-footed until the start of Stell's next round.
Trick Attack Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 3

Tactical Semi-auto pistol, underwater, vs KAC: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Damage, P: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 (range: 30')

Dirk moves to confront the creature.

"Back down or you'll pay"

double move

Can I get an action for Kalhoun?

Attune and fire.

Underwater Thunderstrike Blindmark Rifle: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (15) + 9 - 4 = 20
Sonic Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2

Underwater Thunderstrike Blindmark Rifle: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (5) + 9 - 4 = 10
Sonic Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (4, 2) = 6

Twila blasts the reflective blob with electrical energy, but a part of it ricochets off and gets sent back at her

Reflect, Twila: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (20) + 16 = 36 for 4 damage - no doubling on crit

Amy and Stell's shots both go wide, but give Dirk the cover to move in.

Kalhoun shoots, but also the sonic blast gets partially reflected, and some sound is cast back at him

Reflection, Kalhoun: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (16) + 16 = 32 For 1 damage

The monster then squirts another concentrated, hyper-pressurised ray of water at Stell

Hard-water Ray, Stell: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (20) + 16 = 362d6 + 8 ⇒ (1, 6) + 8 = 15ouch
Crit damage: 2d6 + 8 ⇒ (1, 4) + 8 = 13

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Stell
Dirk
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Twila
Amy
Kalhoun
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Watery Monster (13)
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"Blast! Well, try this!" Twila-5 drops her static arc pistol. As she tumbles head-over-heels into a closer position, her tactical rotating pistol appears in her hands.

Trick Attack (Acrobatics): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (17) + 16 = 33
DC = 20 + Target's CR
Tactical Rotating Pistol, underwater: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18
Piercing Damage: 2d4 + 3 ⇒ (4, 1) + 3 = 8
Trick Attack damage, if applicable: 3d8 ⇒ (8, 1, 2) = 11
If both Trick Attack and Weapon Attack hit, the target is staggered until the start of Twila-5's next turn.

After combat, Twila-5 will pick up all equipment she dropped.

Amy swims down to the ground, near the ooze, finds something to hook her feet into so she won't counter spin, then draws her Sunset Shimmerstaff

,,, and if she can, whallops it with the shimmerstone crystal at the end.

th: 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 5 - 2 = 18 bashing: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (6, 2) + 7 = 15 halved.

Dirk stabs with the underwater spear.

attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Stell is buffeted by the stream of water, but is only bruised by the assault, having rested up from her last set of wounds. Lost SP, not HP so far.

Stell recognizes that ranged attacks are dangerous, so she swims toward the blob, drawing her knife while continuing to brandish her pistol as if to fire again. Then as she gets close, she slashes at the creature with her knife.

Trick Attack, Bluff, Skill Expertise: 1d20 + 15 + 4 + 1d6 - 20 ⇒ (15) + 15 + 4 + (3) - 20 = 17 = CR affected.
Success: Target is flat-footed against the trick attack; if attack hits add Trick Attack Damage and target is flat-footed until the start of Stell's next round.
Trick Attack Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 1

Survival knife vs KAC, underwater: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Damage, S: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Stell still does not have her combat groove going, however.

Kalhoun finishes attuning, but holds the charge because it doesn't look particularly safe. Insead, he approaches the creature and draws his baton.

Twila fires, and misses by a hair, while Amy and Dirk beset the monster, but without hitting it. Stell is equally unlucky, and Kalhoun just closes in.

The shimmering water drop turns into a diffuse blob, losing its reflection but rather becoming amorphous. In this form, it slams into Dirk

Slam, Dirk: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (19) + 18 = 371d12 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17

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Stell
Dirk
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Twila
Amy
Kalhoun
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Watery Monster (13)
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Great. Why do I get the feeling it's changed so our new tactics won't hurt it as much? Twila-5 mentally gripes, tumbling into the erstwhile garden to line up a better shot.

Trick Attack (Acrobatics): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (17) + 16 = 33
DC = 20 + Target's CR
Tactical Rotating Pistol, underwater: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
Piercing Damage: 2d4 + 3 ⇒ (1, 3) + 3 = 7
Trick Attack damage, if applicable: 3d8 ⇒ (2, 8, 6) = 16
If both Trick Attack and Weapon Attack hit, the target is staggered until the start of Twila-5's next turn.

Dang! I gotta spend more time at the practice range. She berates herself ruefully.

Amy blasts it with force bolts now it's no longer reflective.
fb: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (2, 3, 1) + 3 = 9

Kalhoun tries to determine the best way to attack this new form.

Life Science +9, Mysticism +4, Physical Science +6

Trick Attack, Bluff, Skill Expertise: 1d20 + 15 + 4 + 1d6 - 20 ⇒ (16) + 15 + 4 + (6) - 20 = 21 = CR affected.
Success: Target is flat-footed against the trick attack; if attack hits add Trick Attack Damage and target is flat-footed until the start of Stell's next round.
Trick Attack Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 5

Survival knife vs KAC, underwater: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Damage, S: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Stell feints well but just cannot follow up with an effective attack. She is having trouble distinguishing the monster from the environment.

My last three attack d20 results are 1, 2, and 2.

Twila makes a sharp move, but makes a wrong estimate on the target's position, and her shot goes wide.

Magic missiles are a marvellous sight underwater, leaving a trail of sparkling bubbles each, and hurting just as badly as above ground.

Applicable roll is Mysticism

Stell tries to trick the elemental, but stabs way too early to hit the creature.

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Stell
Dirk
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Twila
Amy
Kalhoun
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Watery Monster (22)
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Mysticism: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24
What's the best way to attack this form?

holding for answer to Twilas question

Can't do better than 24, so also waiting.

Twila recognises this type of elemental as a reflection, which can alter it's presence into an absorbing diffuse state and a reflecting specular state. When in diffuse state, as currently the case, it can absorb kinetic melee blows and convert them into temporary physical health (temp HP). It has no specific weaknesses, and all the immunities of an elemental.

Seems like it is best we use energy attacks while it is diffuse and kinetic while specular. Still will draw her static arc pistol and keep her knife in hand as well. BTW: I teach physics and this is the first time outside of an optics lesson I've seen the terms specular and diffuse used accurately to indicate the two ways light can reflect of objects.

Dirk attacks the closest one with his solar weapon.

with penalty

attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

damage: 1d6 + 7 + 1d2 ⇒ (2) + 7 + (2) = 11

closest things to an energy weapon I've got lol

I have to get my physics correct so I don't offend our local astronomer ;-)

Dirk lashes out with his solarian training, but swings wide.

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Stell
Dirk
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Twila
Amy
Kalhoun
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Watery Monster (22)
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Kalhoun hopes that his disruptive discharge won't be reflected back at him in this form, or the Stewards are going to be out one diplomatic dinosaur.

Electricity Damage: 6d8 ⇒ (8, 8, 5, 4, 4, 5) = 34
Fort DC 17 half

Fort: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Kalhoun blasts the monster with electric energy, and doesn't see anything come back at him.

What does happen is that Dirk takes a brutal set of attacks

Slam, Dirk: 1d20 + 18 - 4 ⇒ (2) + 18 - 4 = 161d12 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20
Slam, Dirk: 1d20 + 18 - 4 ⇒ (9) + 18 - 4 = 231d12 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17

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Stell
Dirk
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Twila
Amy
Kalhoun
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Watery Monster (39)
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Seeing the monster does not at present reflect the solarian energy attack, Stell lets her hydrojet make her drift back slightly, hoping this puts her out of reach of the slam attacks. Guarded 'step'. She pretends she is retreating out of fear, but then brings her Static Arc pistol out and sends a jolt of electricity at the thing. This weapon has the underwater modification added.

Trick Attack, Bluff, Skill Expertise: 1d20 + 15 + 4 + 1d6 - 20 ⇒ (1) + 15 + 4 + (4) - 20 = 4 = CR affected.
Success: Target is flat-footed against the trick attack; if attack hits add Trick Attack Damage and target is flat-footed until the start of Stell's next round.
Trick Attack Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 3

Static Arc Pistol, vs EAC, underwater: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Damage, E: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 (range: 50')

Twila recognises this type of elemental as a reflection, which can alter it's presence into an absorbing diffuse state and a reflecting specular state. When in diffuse state, as currently the case, it can absorb kinetic melee blows and convert them into temporary physical health (temp HP). It has no specific weaknesses, and all the immunities of an elemental.

Well, crap. And I just dropped my static arc gun. ... Well, these bullets aren't melee, so...maybe? Figuring it's worth an attempt to test her theory, Twila-5 fires a shot off at the elemental, then dashes back to where she dropped her other weapon.

Tactical Rotating Pistol, underwater: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22
Piercing Damage: 2d4 + 3 ⇒ (4, 3) + 3 = 10

Stell misses, while Twila audaciously attempts to hit the reflection, hoping she does more damage than she helps the enemy. Her shots hits, so that's a start.

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Stell
Dirk
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Twila
Amy
Kalhoun
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Watery Monster (44)
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Dirk swings again.

attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

damage: 1d6 + 7 + 1d2 ⇒ (4) + 7 + (1) = 12

A piece of kelp floats in his eye and he goes wide.

Amy lets it have another volley of shooting stars.
ss: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (3, 4, 1) + 3 = 11

Kalhoun steps back, begins reattuning, and pulls his statis arc pistol. it's not ideal, but he wants the baton in hand if the monster returns to its solid form.

Dirk keeps the front line, but misses, as Amy unleashes another volley of missiles to high effect. Kalhoun opts for a ranged strategy.

The monster takes a step away from Dirk, then hides in the kelp garden.

Double move, but not disengaging.

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Stell
Dirk
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Twila
Amy
Kalhoun
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Watery Monster (55)
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