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If there is something specific you are looking for I can look at the spellbook and tell you if I have it. *shrug* Anything an Alchemist could learn that I still haven't. DOES it cost more to "get them from the Lodge", though? It may all be moot if I don't have to pay anything beyond scribing costs to start with.
His spellbook is all in Hero Lab. Sooo...is there a link or something? I can't find one. How is that supposed to work? But unless I'm mistaken, there's no longer any particular benefit from getting spells from other players vs just getting them from the lodge - either way you pay the same cost for scribing the spells into your book. was once in a party specifically put together so a bunch of "prepared" mages could maximize their spell-trading opportunities with each other; I think the benefit is being able to not have to pay anything more than the scribing cost.
Oh, Undiana, before we part ways, could I try to crib from your spellbook (sorry to say it'd be a 1-way benefit, though)? *checks your sheet* Hmmm, where IS your spellbook...? DM, were there any "named NPC scholar[s], knowledgeable spellcaster[s], or similar figure[s]" in this adventure I could try to pitch the Dark Archive to? If so, I would auto-succeed at the required DC 25 Knowledge (Arcana) check!
Dr. Vitruvian tries his new wings, slowly and sepulchrally beating his way to the foe; much as before, he opens a small jar of red, nut-like capsules, which begin smoking languidly upon exposure to air, and prepares them for use with his explosives supply.
Dr. Vitruvian wastes no time brewing up some fresh alchana: Another strange metal disc which he again hands off to the former Mother Bloodleaf; A small lump of what looks like peach-colored pastry-dough, which he promptly splits in two with his fingers and rubs into his eyes; and, after a bit more tinkering and re-consulting his codices than you'd seen him do before, what appears to be a large black fleshy orb, like a skinned plum or some sea-mollusc's ink-sac, tightly contained in a thin glass-and-gold canister. This he offers to Amwari. "This should be a particular help to those Human eyes of yours - in fact, it would likely be an improvement for any of us; hold it over your face, open it like so," He instructs with a visual demonstration, "quickly eat that which falls in your mouth, and the rest should find its way into your eyes; you may find it difficult to blink for a bit, but there's no harm in trying. I've never made this one before, please let me know how it fares." To Jules he offers a spiraled, flute-like ampoule filled with heavy clear-green liquid. "A fighting-style such as your own might do much with this; I look forward to seeing it, and you, work. Again, don't be alarmed by the effects, I think you'll adapt more quickly than you'd expect." He also reminds everyone not to forget what he'd prescribed them before, either. That taken care of, he takes out another the thick canteens you saw him partake of yesterday, this one more of brass than tin, but its contents bubble no less furiously; he chugs it with some effort, and after another round of convulsions, his skin has taken on a strange quality and rough texture, and his eyes grow even paler and more alien than before. All in all, he appears to be equal parts ceramic, cactus, and echinoderm . He follows that by spritzing his face with a small atomizer; the cloud it produces is barely-visible, yet a striking abolone-like sheen can briefly be seen at its edges; beyond that, it's effect is not immediately apparent. Finally, he takes out a relatively large porcelain bottle, midway in appearance between a Tian-style wine-bottle and an urn. He considers it a moment before drinking its dark contents, and he undergoes yet another transformation: Though still possessed of his alien eyes and strange-textured surface, it and all the doctor's panoply now rest upon the frame of a frightful winged skeleton.
Spiffy - but add heightened awareness to mine!
Definitely part of the plan, alright (then again, what makes you think some of the faculty at U of Lepidstadt aren't dhampirs!?).
Dr. Vitruvian looks on philosophically as he watches his two errant arrows vanish into the Void as defiant silver sparks. My colleagues at the University called me mad; my colleagues here and now lecture me with their fearful piety - but here I SEE, so clearly, what it is that I am fighting against, what I am working for; someday, they'll ALL see...!
After a moment in awe of crossing the threshold into The Void itself, Dr. Vitruvian takes out and opens a small jar of red, nut-like capsules, and situates them for use with his explosives supply as he has so many times before; normally they would begin to slowly sublimate upon exposure to air, but here...he takes eager mental notes as they spark, snap, and shudder...! He also pulls back his overcoat to get a better look at his trusty mithril shirt, which he has named 'Moksha'; it glimmers in a way that seems like it should be distinctly impossible in this realm
Seeing a perfect line of fire, Dr. Vitruvian takes aim with his deadly enchanted bow, Vanth!
First he opens up a shallow brass dish containing what appeared to be three deep-black rum balls soaking in a shallow layer of clear, sweet-smelling liquid; he offers one each to Eric and Amwari. "This is a tried-and-true preventative, and I think at last I've *almost* perfected it. It should insulate you against what lies ahead."
He consumes the third, slightly larger than the other two and so dark it seems to have a small corona of light as it is absorbed into it, himself.
To Katswiri he offers a thin ampoule of effervescent pink syrup with a sour-sweet scent. "Contained within is a means to protect your vital organs - or perhaps it is better to say, a means for your vital organs to protect themselves. It may cause any number of strange sensations, but they should be harmless in the long term." Next, he plucks out what looks like a silvery walnut, which he presents to Jules. "Eat this the moment combat presents you with an opportunity - or a crisis - such that failure is not an option. Don't worry, it's softer than it looks." He then looks up at Undiana's miniature dragon companion, and beckons him closer before handing off a philter of what looks like amaretto, save for its disturbing phosphorescent glimmer. "A draught fit for a dragon," he says with a wink. "I am afraid it will only be good for a minute at most, so use it when it is needed." Turning back to Amwiri, he gingerly unwraps what looks like a long needle made from some kind of hard blue pastry. "When you bite into this, it will bite also into you, and briefly render your blood a powerful solvent, and I DO mean powerful!" He then pulls out what looks like a fibrous-textured scrap of dark peanut brittle, eats it, and washes it down a very small flask of lambent, almost ethereal blue liquid . Finally, he turns to his zombie, and pulls out another syringe, this one filled with what looks as much as anything else like drippings from a pot roast - her scorched muscles almost immediately engorge . He also hands her something that looks like a small mandala, though you don't get a very good look at it.
The witch doctor's possessions were:...Other Gear mwk dagger, sling with 20 stones, belt of incredible dexterity +2, bracers of armor +1, cloak of resistance +1, ring of protection +1, 98 gp. Hmm, anyone else want any of these? Failing that, any reason she couldn't keep using these, DM?Yes, that would be great. I presume the duration doesn't begin until he actually drinks it? Also does it use your Reflex DC? Presuming the answer to both of these is yes, this would be a very handy tool for Riddy - thanks! Yes and yes, yes. Okay I completely apologize. Its been so many years since I played Pathfinder 1e, and high level Pathfinder 1e that I completely forgot that I get extra spells based on my Wisdom Score. Jeez, every time I hear about 2E, I hear a new justification for my never having bothered with it.
Katswiri: I see; well, I can make heroism infusions, but I only have so many slots - what's more, if we're going to the Negative Material Plane, I was thinking I'd spend at least a couple of my 3rd-level slots to make undead anatomy I (no, I don't know how to make death ward yet, and I've been kicking myself for that oversight this whole game)! Undiana: Since you mention him, how would Riddy like an infusion of fire breath?
Heroism would be good - but how would *you* do that, though? It doesn't appear to be on your list. Also, now that I've looked at your character sheet, why is your Intelligence so much higher than your Charisma? I mean, I know about the Mental Acuity Revelation, but you still appear to be Charisma-based, so I'm surprised that's still at "a mere" 16.
Dr. Vitruvian finds himself a path through otherwise-prohibitive foliage using the same botanical trick you saw him use to make his arrival.
OH; also, zombification adds HD to the subject; should I have to pay material-cost for those HD, as well, or just the base? What about this? Also, does she have a weapon? Katswiri/Jules, if I made an infusion or two of aid as opposed to, say, false life, would the benefits of that be too redundant with anything you plan to do to be worth it?
"'Ey, mon, I don't think that is going win us any favors with the Cardinal Matyr, yeah," Captain Amwari spits as he says this. Eric looks at the abomination rising, and shakes his head. "This is not the way. The enemy of my enemy is not my friend in this case. I cannot stop you from raising the dead but I do not have to like it." "Bah, spare me your short-sighted moralizing," Dr. Vitruvian replies calmly as he tests the zombie's reflexes with a hammer*. "You are technically correct, however, that 'this is not the way'; indeed, it is but a stepping-stone to curing a malady of a greater and more terrible scale than you can likely fathom. They laughed at me back at the University, but I WILL show them, for I have SEEN the Moonlight...!" * = And not a small one, either; testing a zombie's reflexes generally requires they be struck quite a bit harder.
Preternaturally acute, professionally-trained, and magically and alchemically-enhanced, there is little indeed that evades the good (?) doctor's Elven eyes.
Apologies for going missing again. 9 HD, Str 12, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 8. Proficiencies as an orc with the the witch class. What other stats do you need? I would also need to know her movement.
What about Fast, Relentless, Alchemical, or Cursed? I assume Lord or Magus would be asking too much, but on the off-chance of not, I might also need to know her first 5 levels of spellcasting! OH; also, zombification adds HD to the subject; should I have to pay material-cost for those HD, as well, or just the base?
So! Please tell me, how many HD did she have, and what were her physical ability scores, weapon proficiencies, and other stats? The other thing I need to know: I can specifically create variant zombies. Which of these variants would you interpret that as permitting?
While the others plot, Dr. Vitruvian appears much more interested in the shamanic spectacle they'd just witnessed...and its aftermath. He gingerly approaches Mother Bloodleaf's remains, and from his big black bag he draws a syringe full of glistening black sludge, like a cross between tar and a starry night sky. After a moment's fiddling with the dosage, he injects the dark serum into the corpse. He sits next to it, and begins writing in his notebook. Nothing seems to have happened...until an hour later, when the fallen shaman appears to thrash back to her feet! "Excellent!" The good(?) doctor declares with a final flourish of his pen as he stands up. "The reinforcements are ready, everyone!"
I linked it in the post where I gave it to you, but here it is again. Simply put - you're flank-proof! @DM: I specifically said I was waiting for answers to my Knowledge checks before I acted, but your post this morning did not address that.
Dr. Vitruvian wordlessly tosses the wafer over to Katswiri.
As she starts to hand the flask back...she notices eyeballs on her arms. In fact, she notices herself looking at her arm-eyes from her arm-eyes!She has eyes EVERYWHERE! This may take some getting used to.... Jules:
You notice some of the stitching underneath your shirt are starting to come loose...and what is this your thigh sees, how long has that pocket had a hole in it...!? Dr. Vitruvian knows everything about shambling mounds, which mostly amounts to that there is not much else to know.
The other thing is a corpse lotus, a plant with no subtypes.
As the party heads for the swamp, Dr. Vitruvian prods Eric and Katswiri's injuries. His touch is icier than the climate can explain - but with a twist of his wrists and blink-and-you'll-miss-it flickers of fierce, cold blue light across his patients' skins, shattered bones snap back into shape!
He also digs into his big black bag and pulls out a small gelatinous bead that looks like a cat's-eye marble, and tosses it in his mouth in a single motion . Reaching in again, he pulls out what appear to be thick, fibrous-textured brown wafer, which he tosses up to Undiana. "You know what they say about an ounce of prevention..?" He calls up by way of explanation. He then digs out something a little more...ornate: A heavy opaque flask reminiscent of an Osirian pyramid, from the top of which emerges the odor of caviar and the occasional tiny, delicate bubble. After a moment's scan of his comrades, he proffers it to Jules. "Drink this, it should last you most of the day; DO NOT be alarmed by the results!"
Just thought I'd share, since this is the character I'm playing the Special with: This character earned his first several levels at in-person games back when that was still an option in my area, but his first-ever post on here was when someone in the General Forum was asking, "why should I play an Alchemist?"...
Dr. Vitruvian has now adjusted to his transformation, and hucks another frosted globe at the more wounded giant; as it sails through the air, you can make out within appear to be countless tiny black dots floating in some sort of heavy vinaceous liquid...and once again, a jarring blast of cold gives way to something even worse as it shatters against the monster!
It was just the DM had neglected to put it next to my initative-slot, but now he has! Eric (and potentially everyone else)? WARNING: To either side of you know, see those two dark cloud-shapes? Those are the NASTY disease-clouds I just threw (Alchemists may not be spellcasters, BUT we literally 'cast' our spells!), and they'll be there for several more rounds, so as they say in horror-movies, don't go in there!!!
I'd apologize for my absence, but apparently I've not missed anything I shouldn't have, so peachy. Before I go, though, is there a reason I don't appear to have gotten the blessing of furverts?
Also, under the circumstances, yes, healing seems like a good choice.
Their weakest saving throw is Will...but they're immune to mind-affecting; well how do ya' like that?! Pretty bananas encounter, from the looks of it; not a bad example of how party composition and preparation makes most of the difference between a trivial fight and a hopeless one. Does anyone have any means of lowering their other two saving throws? That seems like it could be a good thing right now (I have my means, but of course those all allow Fortitude saves). Also, the more of us can take to the air, the better.
We wouldn't happen to have a "bruiser" sort in this party, would we?
Dr. Vitruvian (who, others might now notice, has a strange red ring around his neck) looks back at the sorry state of his comrades and realizes the gravity of the situation. He reaches not into his bag, but deep into his coat, from which he draws a thick canteen filled with something that bubbles furiously, as if in defiance of its tightly-stoppered heavy metal prison - he leans back as he chugs the contents within, then immediately begins to thrash furiously as his body twists and shifts into something all but unrecognizable: Equal parts elf, demon, skeleton, and crustacean. Only his iceball-eyes appear the same...but behind them is a certain mania that was not there before .
Well, in that case, how about barkskin (10 mins./level)? Also, as fate would have it, I've got this weird thing, which doesn't seem to specify a duration:
This dark image of the Sihedron rune appears to writhe beneath the surface of the skin on which it is inscribed, as though a worm were crawling under the skin. A character marked with this arcane tattoo receives a +2 profane bonus on Fortitude saves. Once per day, the character may activate the tattoo to receive a number of temporary hit points equal to twice her character level. If the PCs displays the arcane tattoo, she gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks against worshippers of Lissala. I guess temporary hit points from separate sources are freely cumulative? False life lasts hours/level, so maybe I'd have that as well (and could that, hypothetically, be cumulative with greater false life??). There is one other thing that lasts 24 hours, pure and simple. You'll see it, just a heads-up.
To some geometers, Dr. Vitruvian reflects to himself as he looks up at the monsters, the Square-Cube Law is a sacred truth; these things probably think it's something one puts on the end of a toothpick. Being entangled impedes movement, but does not entirely prevent it unless the bonds are anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force.
In the hopes of buying time, he reaches into a deeper section of his big black bag, and from it he pulls a fist-sized glass sphere; though frosted over (and from the inside, somehow), you can make out what appears to be a mass of grey and yellow strands suspended within a mysterious medium. He hucks it at the spider to the north!
There is an acute burst of cryogenic gas, which then billows into a terrible cloud of pestilence around the spider!
She takes Dr. Zephyrus' proffered hand and shakes it. "A university professor? I guest lectured in Arcane theory a few times before I joined the society. Though honestly, I've advanced tremendously in my studies since I started doing active field work for the society. What is your area of study?"
The Doctor's grip is gentle but firm, and exceptionally cold and dry - but at the mention of the word "professor", it momentarily clenches. "'Professor'?" He laughs, causing a somewhat bizarre effect, almost like a ventriloquist-act, as the throaty laughter escapes tight and barely-open lips. "Oh, I merely mention the alma mater out of habit, and perhaps a tic of tradition, and I suppose in recognition for the fruitful privilege of studying there - but 'professor'? Sadly, it was not to be. By trade, I am a physician...but my aims are so much higher. Medicine at the mortal scale is merely a threshold to much-needed medicine at the cosmic scale!" "They laughed at my theories, back at the University," He continues, now releasing his grip to fuss with his cufflinks. It is no challenge for one of Katswiri's preternatural senses to notice that each of his platinum, moon-like, cufflinks is delicately engraved with the contours of a skull. His voice remains calm on the surface, but begins to take on an undercurrent of near-mania. "Laughed me right out - but with the resources and opportunities since afforded to me by my affiliation with the Society, I shall show them all." He reaches into his big, black bag and gingerly pulls out a long, thin syringe full of glistening black sludge, like a cross between tar and a starry night sky. He looks it over with a proud smile before putting it back. "Having seen the Beyond for myself, as fate would have it, was just the breakthrough I needed; this is only the beginning...!"
"BAH! Accursed beings, but clever...!"
The sickly-sweet smell is briefly overtaken by a vinegary odor, as a patch of the local brambles begin to shrink in upon themselves in reaction to...something. Through the resulting clearing, that 'something' strides quietly forth before the brambles snap back into position behind it: A gaunt elf, with fine straw-blond hair and ice-blue eyes that smolder with an ominous coldness, and dressed in the white formal garb of a physician, inexplicably immaculate even in these environs. At his side and back are a brace of traditional (if of a somewhat macabre aesthetic) Elven weapons, and a large black bag that looks like it should be much heavier than his grip on it would otherwise imply; from it trails a small censer the contents of which he has apparently been using to cause the foliage around him to recoil the way it has. Although his expression is sanguine, he looks, as they say, like death warmed over, and there is something quite simply...unnatural about him. He nods at you and flashes his Open Road insignia. "I came as soon as I could; it is good to meet you," He says as he extends a spidery gloved hand. "Dr. Zephyrus Vitruvian, University of Lepidstadt." There is a sudden and powerful peal of thunder in the distance.
Somewhere in Lepidstadt, a haggard-looking man in a heavy grey cloak navigates a maze of rain-beaten backstreets, seemingly looking for something he is unable to find, until he notices a powerful flash that is coming not from the sky, but from inside a nearby building, a story or two up. He barges into the...confectioner's shop???...on the first floor, barely makes eye-contact with the perturbed shopkeeper before intuitively rushing through a heavy curtain, up a fire-escape, into a printer's shop on the second floor that has seen better days where he waves at the aged and sour-faced clerk, who leads him to another door down the hall, leading to a much nicer-looking office with long marble tables, a few strange charts on the walls, and a single unoccupied desk with a large bookshelf behind it, which he very gingerly roots through until finding a strange figurine like a stylized moon, which his large, gnarled hand manipulates with difficulty until a trapdoor opens...directly underneath him, and he falls unceremoniously onto another marble table like the ones in the office above, except larger and covered in straps and tool-mounts, in a room that is likewise much larger, much colder, with tough stone walls instead of the polished wood above, and filled with glassware, papers, other unguessables and apparatuses...and a lone figure who is now leaning over him. "Uhrrk...message for you...Herr Doctor...I was told it was urgent." "Thank you, Valeriu," Replies an almost-unnaturally even voice, with only a hint of tension and intensity. "Nice of you to 'drop in'; I'll look at it as soon as I can. How's your hand? Listen, as long as you're here, would you...*snap* mind terribly *buckle* assisting me with *tighten* one more thing...?" There is another powerful flash of night from the window over the backstreets. Gregoriam Gregor Elipsidor has not participated in any online campaigns. |
