Auso's page

NPCs making decisions for the party, starting fights, even with the Boss, with zero player agency.

Again.

Done. Have fun.

"I didn't say we should 'mess with it' or grave rob, I said we should examine the space and take good notes. There could be information here that we could use. I'm working on the notes part already."

Know Religion: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32
Know Planes: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18

"In case you missed it, these were all probably cultists granted wishes of strength, youth, and, well, stranger things." He says the last pointing at a corpse with 10 limbs.

"We should examine the burial chamber, take good notes, and then see if there's any information or items which could assist."

Acrobatics +3, so Take 10 is 13s.

I can't even pretend to keep up with this posting rate.

The archaeologist will finally try his one (partially) offensive spell.

Hideous Laughter at the Carrion King.

DC14 Will, sav or fall to the floor laughing, unable to take any actions but not being helpless. Full round action to retry save in second round. If fails, stuck laughing for the full 4 rounds.

"I've still got most of my spells left, but outside of some minor healing, I don't have much that seems useful in these circumstances."

1 Level 2 CMW/Cat's Grace; 4 Level 1 CLW/Hideous Laughter/Fastidiousness/Comprehend Language; all of my archeologist's luck

I thought the big tentacly thing was still there? Taking the tentacles doesn't mean it is dead, yet.

Auso continues throwing shafts downrange, hoping he's helping.

Round 9
Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Round 10
Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Round 11
Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

The bard spends rounds 6, 7, and 8 attempting to assist with arrows into The Sand Kraken.

Round 6
Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Round 7
Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Round 8
Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Round 2

The young bard sends a shaft towards the undead, and then tries to get closer to Aukan.

Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Round 3

He finishes closing with Aukan and tries to heal him.

CMW: 2d8 + 4 ⇒ (6, 6) + 4 = 16

Round 4

He moves back and tries to continue helping against the undead.

Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

Round 5

Auso changes his focus to the biggest threat suddenly being let loose again . . .. The Sand Kraken!

Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Linguistics: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19

Shrug

Knowledge (dungeoneering): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23

"Silver, use silver or mithral if possible. Sand Kraken. Name fits, at least."

Taking his own advice, the archeologist pulls out a mithral dagger, sighing as he does. I really don't want to get that close, you know? Ignoring his own thoughts and hesitation, Auso pushes closer into the room with the beast.

Well, THAT's interesting. Let's see . . ..

Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

Pooh. Unlikely to be enough for much. Let's start with weaknesses, if any.

Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32

"This relates to Rovagug, The Great Destroyer. Given the nature of this god and the message in Terran, there's probably something in the sand which is supposed to eat us unless we give it some kind of password. The Truths of Rovagug."

He considers for a moment. "I seem to remember that Rovagug was the second god to exist, and that he was banished to eat his way through the Abysss before escaping, multiple times, to consume entire worlds in the material plane. He is locked in the Dead Vault, where he awaits his release so that he can consume all of creation, bringing it to an end." He looks at the others. "I think I can remember the outline of a prayer to this wanton act of destruction, but, worship of this thing is illegal basically everywhere civilized. Saying the prayer is probably a crime in and of itself."

"I do not have that magic, I'm afraid. If we had a scroll or such, I could try to use it for you?"

Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (17) + 19 = 36

"The stones scattered in the illusionary treasure are safe stepping stones, though not quite as easy to get from one to the next. I MIGHT be able to make it, but don't know if I could do so consistently enough to cross the space."

Sorry. Was playing Santa, then came down with COVID. Coherent enough for simple posts again. Had to sit out the last 5 days of the season in isolation. Yep. Includes today.

Realizing that the fight is nearly over, Auso sticks with his bow instead of getting close and suffering the damage these things seem capable of doing . . ..

Shortbow @ black: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
Piercing w/ Str: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

No, that was the most likely action. But I thought I was out?

Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (7) + 19 = 26
Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

"Fire critters! Cold, use COLD"

Fort DC 14: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Fort DC 14: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Fort DC 14: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

And Auso is paralyzed.

The archaeologist examines the familiar territory missing the expected "decorations" with a cynical eye, and doesn't believe the new areas being discovered.

"Okay, how long were we in that mansion? Because the amount of time it would have taken to make these changes this broadly . . .."

Just going to roll all the knowledge skills, seeing if anything pops into his head relevant to what happened and what we are seeing.

Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
Knowledge (dungeoneering): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32
Knowledge (engineering): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20
Knowledge (geography): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30
Knowledge (history): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18
Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14
Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13
Knowledge (nobility): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16
Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32
Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (13) + 12 = 25

"Aukan tends to break doors and expect everyone else to follow. He's a pretty direct fellow."

"Amazing how much death and destruction you all manage to distribute. Time for more, you say? Well, then . . .." Auso pats his weapons, and then checks his writing materials are secure.

The archaeologist takes the time to clean, heal, eat, and rest. Instead of socializing, though, he spends time organizing his notes and redoing the worst of the sketches while not pressed for time.

Joining the others at the table, he tries to eat as many pickles as he does cheese. Too much cheese will stop you up, and you can't afford that kind of discomfort when physical prowess is as important to daily survival as it has been in this mountain.

"So, still going to run around the perimeter and see how many more of the army we can take out? This is a big, risky undertaking wither way."

Made my daughter Alton Brown's scratch green bean casserole. Overdid the garlic a bit.

Made the tart cherry pie my wife wants every Thanksgiving and Christmas.

They asked me NOT to make the rest of the traditional feast, so I made monster grilled ham and cheese sandwiches instead. Sourdough, Muenster, Havarti, honey ham, and a slab of tomato. Roughly 2 oz of each cheese and 4 oz of ham per sandwich.

Bought a maple pecan pie since I have just never managed to get that custard to set properly.

Knowledge (Planes): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23

"'Ex-human blowjob'? Not how I think I would have described that individual . . .. I agree, there is a lot of clean-up that needs to happen. Bodies don't burn unless there's a big enough fire. They just don't. Too wet. Early decomposition makes it harder to get them to burn. Now, several fireballs into the area could be a good start, but we are VERY likely to need that magic (if it is available at this point) against the gnolls."

"I understand wanting to burn this out, but, seriously? We don't have the fuel for a fire big enough to take out that pit of decay, and the time it would take us to get it right would be time the gnolls could find and assault us while we're busy with something else. Good idea. Good motive. Wrong time."

"The gnolls seem endless in number. The facility is both in ruins and tactically secure. The leader and his lieutenants have already seriously kicked our butts once. We've decided to reduce their reinforcements before trying again. Looks like that may take quite a while."

Auso then pulls out the few sketches he had a chance to make given all the fighting.

"Here are some quick, rough sketches of the more exciting locations we've seen. Now, from what I remember, we've seen something more or less like . . .." He takes the time to sketch out a quick diagram of what he remembers.

Int check for accuracy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

Auso will attempt to help Nima Lilly.

Heal Assist: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Heal Assist: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17 This is the one that actually matters, right?
Heal Assist: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

"Liam? Do you need some healing, or are these some new bits of jewelry you've taken an interest in?"

I am also still here. I think I have the least obviously useful character in the group, but I'm here. <grin>

After receiving the blessing, Auso moves forward and looses another arrow.

Shortbow w/ Archeologist's Luck & Guidance @ Blue: 1d20 + 7 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 7 + 2 + 1 = 16
Piercing w/ AL & Str: 1d6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 2 = 5

5 rounds of AL remain

<sigh>

After the reinforcements arrive and start altering the field with Wishes, Auso crosses his fingers, moves forward, and attempts to shoot one of the gnolls.

Shortbow w/ Archeologist's Luck & Range @ black: 1d20 + 7 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (7) + 7 + 2 - 1 = 15
Piercing w/ Str & AL: 1d6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 2 = 7

6 rounds of AL remain.

She is recovering well. Better than the PT guys expect, but she's recovering slower than she normally does. Might just be a consequence of getting older, that.

Shutting down the work laptop and getting ready to head back to the office this morning.

So, generic posting of warning.

My wife reports for surgery in roughly 12 hours.

Her surgeon has asked me to take 2 weeks from work to be at home to provide assistance.

That will also mean corralling the two grandchildren, keeping them entertained and fed while their Mom works, and keeping them out of Grandma's hair.

Can't say that I'm positive what my posting habits will be like until I can return to my normal schedule.

Thank you for your understanding, and go kill something evil, will ya?

The Archeologist also finally seeks cover.

Moving closer again, the Archeologist will continue trying to hurt the opposition's back row.

MW Str Composite Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Can't make the Perception 30, so . . ..

Auso will move closer, shooting past his companions at an archer in the back.

MW Str Composite Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Okay, so, more at the 40' range, then. Got it.

Auso will loose an arrow, hoping for some luck . . ..

MW Str Composite Shortbow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15 -2 if over 70'
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

So, Varvara initiates combat while we are all more than 70' away? Just verifying.

A
Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (5) + 19 = 24
Stealth: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

B
Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (11) + 19 = 30
Stealth: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

<snicker> Stealth? What's Stealth?

"Do we have to? If we can find another way around . . .." He starts looking back through his notes to see if any inspiration for such a route can be found.

To all present, greetings!

Let it be known that the player associated with this character will be out of pocket for six days. During this period, he will be attending a work conference and will be limited to his cell phone for access to the forum. This conference has a reputation for providing entertainment covering the normal downtime. The final day of the trip will be 19 Aug, 2022.

We thank you for your patience and cooperation during this time.

Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (14) + 19 = 33

Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (6) + 19 = 25

Auso specifically ignores the verbal activity from the gnolls, worried more about physical confrontation than verbal.

"I really should carry something for swarms."

"So, up? Semes the choice."

Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (11) + 19 = 30

"Not something I normally prepare, no. No illusionary sounds from me."

The archaeologist goes back to sketching out the dome, taking time to include anything that stands out about the architecture or ruined art, like sculptures.

"No, she's not alright. Never has been as near as I can tell. Seems to be tied to her combat abilities, though. We're too dependent on her illness to actively try to help her, though. Hadn't you noticed?"

Auso visibly collapses in on himself as the pair jump out into melee with the beast. "I don't know why I'm surprised. Not surprised she's trying to talk to it, either, really." He throws a shaft downrange before stowing the bow. Again.

Short Bow into melee: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 7 - 4 = 15 Don't know if it should get a cover bonus to AC, too. There's a reason I started planning on melee support.
Piercing: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5