GMDQ's Dragon's Demand

Game Master DeathQuaker

Oh, it's an Imp. Of course.

"Feathers, help me find the creature."

Trying to pinpoint the location of the voice's source, Hegio and Feathers concentrate, following the sound of the wings.

Hegio, Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Feathers, Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23

If Hegio manages to pinpoint the creature's square, he'll warn his companions where it is.

Awesome roll with an aid another. The invisibility and size bonuses are in the creature's favor, unfortunately, but I'll say that while you can't pinpoint his location, you can identify a ten-foot square he is occupying somewhere. I've marked four squares in orange that are numbered where you think he might be. Folks can identify the square by number if they want to attack it. Remember to apply the 50% concealment bonus.

Varrus moves to join his companions, and readies to attack the creature if it becomes visible (and is adjacent to him obviously), using the mithral dagger.

We don't need it any more, lets just leave. He gets down off the evil contraption and begins to move toward the only exit carrying the plaque.

Double move for me.

Sahvi is not ready to leave empty handed. "Where's my treasure you son of a b+@!#!" She demands, whirling on the birb with Draconic fury in her eyes. "Wh- what? Whered that little thief go!?"

Percieve: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Sahvi probably doesn't know much about imps, only birbs.

Haelin takes out her weapon too, her eyes trying to figure out where the creature went, "Infernal servent, we should be able to deal with it if we find you!"

readied action to shoot once it's visible

Hegio works with his companion and isolates the unseen creature's presence within a 10 foot square, pointing to the ceiling where he believes it is flying.

Haelin prepares to shoot, and Varrus moves closer to the group with his dagger at the ready to attack once something appears.

Moss-Fingers climbs down the rack and begins to move toward the door they came through, brass seal in both his hands.

Sahvi also can hear wings flapping above her, approaching the party, and a voice echoes through the room.

"Your friend's going the wrong way if you want the treasure! But you won't live to see it! Ah ha ha ha!"

A moment later, what appears near Hegio's head is not a raven, but a tiny red-skinned humanoid with tiny horns, bat-like wings, and a scorpion-like tail. It is wearing a golden mask fitted to its diminutive face. Its tail is already whipping toward Hegio when it appears. "Refuse me! You'll regret that!"

Attack, from Invisible so versus FF: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1

Hegio Fort Saving Throw vs Poison DC 13: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

The imp just manages to scrape Hegio's face but it is not deep enough to inject its poison.

Since the imp appears, Haelin lets loose her arrow. Haelin acts, then Rill, then back to the rest of the party.

Current turn---> Haelin (readied) | HP 12/12 | Init +6; Per +8, low-light vision | AC 17 T 14 FF 13 | CMD 17, CMB +4 | Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +2 (+2 vs Enchant) | Immune Sleep
Rill Ozeanschild | HP 11/11 | Init +1, Perc +3 | AC 18 T 11 FF 17 | CMD 12, CMB +2 | Fort +3, Refl +1, Will +3 | Resist Cold 1
Round 2 starts here
Hegio Aeminus | HP 7/8 | Init + 7, Per +3 [+3 if sight-based in bright light] | AC 16 (12) T 12 FF 14 (10) | CMD 12, CMB +0 | Fort +2, Ref +2, Will + 4 | Mage Armor (@ 40 minutes left/1 hour)
Varrus Lebeda | HP 8/9 | Init + 4; Per +10 (+11 traps), low-light vision | AC 17 T 14 FF 13 | CMD 14, CMB +1 | Fort +1 Ref +6 Will +1 (+2 vs enchantments) | Immune Sleep
Moss-Fingers de'Morcaine | HP 12/12 | Init -1; Perc +3, low-light vision | AC 19 T 15 FF 14 | CMD 16, CMB +1 | Fort +3, Ref -1, Will +2 (+2 vs enchantment) | Immune Sleep
Sahvi Copper-Scales | HP 11/11 |Init +2; Perc +5 | AC 15 T 15 FF 13 | CMB +4, CMD 19 | Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2 |
Feathers (hawk familiar) | HP 4/4 | Init +3; Perc +14, low-light vision | AC 16 T 15 FF 13 | CMD 9, CMB +1 | Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Interrogator Imp | HP 16/16; DR ??/silver or? | Init +3; Perc +7 | AC 17 T 16 FF 13 | CMD 15, CMB +1 | Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +4 | Immune ?? Resist ?? | Status: invisible

"A fiend! Begone!" Rill shouts to the imp as she jabs at it with her trident.

Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

"Hold still, cur!"

Oops, I forgot to remove the invisible status from the imp on the summary. He is definitely visible at the moment

As the infernal creature appears, she lets loose her arrow
Twang!: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Schlick: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (2, 2) + 2 = 6

Hegio is slapped on his face by a whip-like tail from the Imp that has just revealed itself. It bloodies his cheek and he feels something entering his blood, but it has no effect.

This was the very first time he has been hit with the danger of dying and he feels his heartbeat quicken, but does not let panic take over. Not yet. His mind clears and he thinks of a plan.

Varrus and Sahvi have the daggers it fears.

He steps backwards, going behind Varrus to leave space for both of them, and Moss-Fingers if he wants to, to strike at the creature. He loads his crossbow as well.

Move Action to move to behind Varrus. Standard Action (as a Move Action) to load the crossbow.

Varrus moves around the Quasit.
"Sahvi, flank and stab it!"

He readies to strike with the dagger as soon as Sahvi is in a flanking position.

What! Wrong way?!? Damn it! There must be another secret door.

Moss carefully puts down the plaque and readies his shield and morning star.

Rill attempts to stab at the imp but isn't used to fighting something so small and swift. Haelin has better luck at firing true at the dastardly creature, but while the arrow strikes true, it only appears to nick its skin. Its infernal hide appears to offer it some supernatural protection to damage.

Hegio moves out of the way for others to get close to the imp, loading his crossbow as he does so.

While Moss Fingers pauses to carefully put down the plaque and retrieve his weapons, Varrus moves in with the mithral dagger that seemed to make the "raven" nervous a few minutes ago, and asks Sahvi to help him to try to flank the flying creature.

Sahvi (botting) follows Varrus's advice, squeezing past Rill to get to the imp while demanding it tells her more about the treasure as she brandishes the second mithral blade.

Sahvi Dagger Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

While her fixation on treasure perhaps distracts her from her fighting discipline, this does give Varrus the positioning he needs to find a soft spot on the imp and strike hard. Unlike Haelin's arrow, the mithral dagger digs deep, and the imp shrieks in pain.

"No, no, no it hurts!" Like many bullies and torturers, the imp cannot seem to take what he would prefer to dish out. Even as it is, you see some of his wounds begin to close close--infernal healing--but he nonetheless carefully maneuvers away from your blades and flutters up and backwards. Full action to withdraw

"Mercy! Mercy! I don't want to be a lemure again! Beside the iron maiden, push the brown stone! Go, there really is treasure, go! Go!"

As he directs you, you do see there is indeed the outline of another secret door near the iron maiden, right next to where Varrus is standing.

However, the fight is not over if you do not wish it to be.

Haelin and Rill up, then on to a new round...

Round 2
Hegio Aeminus | HP 7/8 | Init + 7, Per +3 [+3 if sight-based in bright light] | AC 16 (12) T 12 FF 14 (10) | CMD 12, CMB +0 | Fort +2, Ref +2, Will + 4 | Mage Armor (@ 40 minutes left/1 hour)
Moss-Fingers de'Morcaine | HP 12/12 | Init -1; Perc +3, low-light vision | AC 19 T 15 FF 14 | CMD 16, CMB +1 | Fort +3, Ref -1, Will +2 (+2 vs enchantment) | Immune Sleep
Sahvi Copper-Scales | HP 11/11 |Init +2; Perc +5 | AC 15 T 15 FF 13 | CMB +4, CMD 19 | Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2 |
Varrus Lebeda (init changed due to readied action) | HP 8/9 | Init + 4; Per +10 (+11 traps), low-light vision | AC 17 T 14 FF 13 | CMD 14, CMB +1 | Fort +1 Ref +6 Will +1 (+2 vs enchantments) | Immune Sleep
Feathers (hawk familiar) | HP 4/4 | Init +3; Perc +14, low-light vision | AC 16 T 15 FF 13 | CMD 9, CMB +1 | Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2
Interrogator Imp | HP 7/16; DR 5/silver or?; fast healing 2 | Init +3; Perc +7 | AC 17 T 16 FF 13 | CMD 15, CMB +1 | Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +4 | Immune ?? Resist ?? | Status:
Current turn--->Haelin | HP 12/12 | Init +6; Per +8, low-light vision | AC 17 T 14 FF 13 | CMD 17, CMB +4 | Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +2 (+2 vs Enchant) | Immune Sleep
Rill Ozeanschild | HP 11/11 | Init +1, Perc +3 | AC 18 T 11 FF 17 | CMD 12, CMB +2 | Fort +3, Refl +1, Will +3 | Resist Cold 1

giving the imp the benefit of the doubt, she goes over, and press the brown stone where the imp indicated

The secret door does open, without any spectacle, revealing a narrow corridor that turns northward into the darkness.

Staying in initiative order for now, so Rill is up

It's a Fiend from Hel! We can't just let it go to cause trouble can we? All it wants is to cause pain!

"Aye. Suffer not a fiend to live," Rill says as she chases after the imp, stabbing her trident toward it.

Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

The imp, hovering over the cage, well above everyone's heads, darts out of the way of the trident. Others with shorter weapons will struggle to reach it in melee (unless you can get to the top of the cage).

Back to the top of the round, everyone else can GO!

Sahvi sees red - or perhaps gold - as she pursues the flying entity.

What's it take to get up there?
+6 Acro or +7 climb: 1d20 ⇒ 18

"Apologies, but it seems your life in this plane is forfeit" as she draws and shoots another arrow at the imp

Roll: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Damage: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (4, 3) + 2 = 9

Varrus uses Total Defense.

"This dagger seemed to work. Take if you want," he announces to the party.

Surprised, Moss-Fingers drops his morningstar and moves over to take the dagger from Varrus' hand. Now you shall perish!

Is taking the weapon Varrus is freely offering a standard action?

Sahvi, that's enough to get to the top of the cage, with two move actions (one to move over and the other to climb). Moss-Fingers, I'd say its a move action, like retrieving an item

Haelin's strike won't happen until after the Imp goes. Moss-Fingers needs to resolve his action and I don't think we've seen Hegio's turn this round yet.

If it is a move action, then I am done with 2 move actions.

Hegio nods, thankful the group decided to end this imp. It had tried to make him forsake Feathers and the group use torture on themselves, it would be a danger for this town if anyone came down here.

So Hegio shot his crossbow, knowing it probably wouldn't do much.

Crossbow: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

The bolt goes wide, as Hegio grumbles and reloads it.

The imp shrieks as arrows fly toward it and an angry monk climbs the cage. It flies five feet away and begins to concentrate and gesture.

It takes a 5 ft step and starts to activate a spell-like ability. The SLA triggers an AOO from Sahvi, if Sahvi wishes to take it. I'll resolve what happens depending on if it takes damage or not.

Sahvi grabs for the duplicitous fiend. "You're not going anywhere!"

grapple aoo: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

Sahvi, AOOs can only be made as a single melee attack (it is not equivalent to a standard action). While some Combat Maneuvers can be used in lieu of a melee attack (e.g., sunder, disarm), grapple is not one of them, it is a special standard action of its own. Look at the CRB text describing grapple:

As a standard action, you can attempt to grapple a foe, hindering his combat options.

Versus disarm:

You can attempt to disarm your opponent in place of a melee attack.

I believe this same logic is why monks and brawlers can substitute disarm, sunder, and trip combat maneuvers in a flurry of blows, but it does not allow grapple.

Since you've chosen to use your AOO, in the interests of keeping things moving, I'm going to keep your die roll as a melee attack roll with the mithral dagger since you have it in your hand. The roll itself is high enough that it hits with your normal attack bonus.

If you have any concerns, we can discuss this in the discussion thread, but I will not change my ruling for this particular combat.

Sahvi Dagger Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Imp Concentration check vs taking damage DC 16: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

The searing pain of the silver dagger distracts the imp and whatever he was trying to do, he fails.

Haelin's arrow then flies true and, while the arrow does not have the advantages that silvery weapons do, it nonetheless digs in deep enough that the imp bursts into a cloud of stinking smoke.

The little golden mask it was wearing, carved into a sneering leer, clatters to the ground. Anyone examining it with detect magic finds it is not magical.

The fight is over! And you've successfully driven an infernal influence from your home plane to boot.

You have a torture chamber containing an iron maiden, a table with various implements and papers on it, a cold brazier, and some iron pokers. Then there's the open secret door leading to other mysteries... and still a missing wizard and the cause of the collapse to find.

Hegio feels his heartbeat slow down now that the fight is finally done.

I need to get used to this.

Now that they are not distracted by the imp's trickery, Hegio approaches the table and looks over the papers, in hopes of finding any clues about what happened here.

"Only one way to go." he says while still looking over the papers, pointing to the secret door.

Moss hands the blade back to Varrus. What do you see through there?

Then he helps Hegio toss the room for anything useful or informative.
perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

The table contains
1. A set of tools that, while meant for torture, also have mundane applications for carpentry and metalworking. They were once in excellent condition so have merely degraded to regular condition. (Artisan's tools worth 5 gp market price). They could be kept, fixed up, or given to someone who might make use of them. Or left here.

2. Mostly degraded papers, faded or crumbling. A few pages do show some names of prisoners and bits of confession or what crime they were accused of. They might be of minor interest to a historian. One piece of paper has written on it in large enough letters to have not faded into illegibility: "Good Baron Sarvo wills it."

3. A locked oak box, about six inches long, four inches wide, and three inches deep that is unusually heavy for its size. If you shake it gently, something glass or metallic rolls around inside. It does not radiate any magic auras.

Nothing else appears of interest in the room, except for the fire pokers which could serve as scrap metal. They are long and heavy however.

The hallway beyond the secret door turns away into darkness.

Rill breathes a sigh of relief as the imp bursts out of existence. Turning to the rest of the group, "Now that the fiend hath been dealt with... Well, do what thou must to appraise what remaineth in this room, but I for one would like to leave this wretched place of torment as soon as possible."

Varrus, can you check out and open this box for us?

Varrus will indeed inspect and open the box.

Take 10 on Perception for a 21 vs traps, Take 10 on Disable Device for a 19 to open.

The box is not trapped. The lock is a fairly decent lock. Just as Varrus seems to be about to open it, he bends one of his lockpicks, and the box remains locked.

Let me know when y'all are ready to get moving.

Varrus will try again.
Disable Device: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

And again.
Disable Device: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

Hegio skims the papers, but finds nothing out of the ordinary. However, he decides to share it with the group anyway, after all, they just killed an Imp together."Another mention of 'Good Baron Sarvo', but... It's not going to help us find Hunclay."

He leaves the papers where they are and waits until the group finishes with the lockpicking, ready to move out.

Varrus takes several minutes more (from the time the box was found, at least 15 minutes has passed) to try to open the lockbox. Eventually he hits the sweet spot just right and it pops open. Inside is a potion containing a reddish liquid labeled "healing." Subsequent examination by spellcasters in the group confirms it is a standard potion of cure light wounds.

The box itself has a velvet lining glued to, in areas where the velvet has faded or disintegrated, a metallic lining--lead to be exact. Very thin, but thick enough to block magical auras. The box is probably worth about 50 gp.

"Fancy box you have there. For a potion? Must have been a gift" she notes as she sees the box with the contents

Varrus takes several minutes more (from the time the box was found, at least 15 minutes has passed) to try to open the lockbox.

I must confess that I do not understand the reason for this house rule. Normally opening a lock is a full-round action. 3 attempts would be 18 seconds.

House rule as stated in the recruitment thread:

3. Taking 10 and 20

Taking 10 must always occur in non-hazardous/combat situations (this isn’t a house rule, but good to remind folks). Taking 10 takes 10 minutes or double the time it would normally take, whichever is longer. Taking 20 takes about an hour (adjusting as necessary on a case-by-case basis

I want taking 10 to mean taking a little time to be careful. The benefit it provides should have a drawback. In this case I actually shortened it from the rule I set--taking 10 on searching for traps and then picking the lock would take 20 minutes (I'm still leaving as 15 here as I'm sort of seeing it as a combined action of thoroughly examining the box and lock). The extra two attempts, as you say, only add about a quarter of a minute more.

On a separate note, Taking 20 on item ID rolls does not apply to this as I just want to get item ID out of the way.

"Haelin!" Savhi shouts as the monster falls, dead. "Why'd you kill him? Now we can't make him tell us where the treasure is! Seven chests..."

"Maybe the imp was not lying about treasure beyond the secret door that is unlocked by pushing the brown stone?"

"Thou should not put much faith into the words of a fiend. They art deceptive creatures."

"Another mention of 'Good Baron Sarvo', but... It's not going to help us find Hunclay."

"It might. It sounds like a pass phrase. 'Good Baron Sarvo Wills It.'"

Hegio Aeminus wrote:

"Another mention of 'Good Baron Sarvo', but... It's not going to help us find Hunclay."

"It might. It sounds like a pass phrase. 'Good Baron Sarvo Wills It.'"

Hmm... That sounds like a possibility.

Moss peers around the corner down this latest secret passage.

perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

Moss-Fingers steps through the secret door and looks down. As far as he can tell it goes quite far to the west before possibly turning southward.

There's no sounds or much else... just a long winding corridor. To see where it goes you'll have to continue on your way.

Ready to move on? I don't want to rush your talking to each other, but for what it's worth there's not much else to see here, so let me know when you're good to go.

"A fiend stays a fiend. He was ready to kill us, besides. We can go look where this tunnel leads" she motions to the newly opened unexplored tunnel