The day after the Frog Prince is defeated goes by without incident. Those who are at the Fu Bar or anywhere in the Gold Coast area can't help but overhear the term "Froghemoth." The slayed giant is the talk of the town. For better or for worse (depending on one's desire for fame), little is known about the heroes who defeated them.
"I heared there was a vampire-angel that turns into a swarm of birds!" says a man with missing teeth.
"A thwee inch tall faiwy wiff pink hair kiffed the hewoes' boo-boos!" says a little girl with a balloon.
A stereotypical elf and dwarf argue over whether the gunslinging hero's weapons are technology or magic. The elf says dismissively to the dwarf, "Such technology might exist in the distant future," to which the dwarf replies, "Which is where the gunman is obviously from!"
Come evening, Jitterbug and Sockhop come back to Seamus' mansion, having completed Caledon's errands. It seems they enjoyed their day, and the church was not only grateful for the donation, but also quite pleased to know our heroes rescued followers of the Dawnflower. If our heroes ever need a place to stay in Rooftopolis, the Cathedral of the Golden Dawn will provide sanctuary.
Silkworm also returns from her outing. The way she explained our heroes' deed to the King is: they did not kill the Prince, but slayed the monster that the Prince became after he died. She also tells Caledon, "There were several animals grazing on the King's lawn. Mules, just like yours. I asked the King if he was becoming a farmer, but he said his son had the mules shipped to him last week.
"King Lewy would like to meet with you tomorrow. He believes his son was being used as a pawn by his lover, the Level 426 Kingpin. Prince Louis' behavior is strange, and the King hopes that whatever you heard before you came to arrest... well... stop the Prince, talking things out might help Lewy understand what the boyfriend was up to."
...
Anyone who wants to post Day 2 stuff, feel free. I'm still giving time per Lobster's request. The above is intended as a lead-in to Day 3's opening scene.
Caledon knows of the botiques on Snowberry Hill, a short walk west as Seamus mentioned. The dresses are rather pricey, however. Most are in the 50-75g range, some in the hundreds. Even clothes meant for the maids cost around 15-25g.
There are some well-made dresses for about 10g in the shopping district along Rootopolis' Gold Coast.
(Fact: there's a Gold Coast in Hong Kong, which I've been to.
Assumption: the Gold Coast in Australia is more well-known and way bigger.)
Toadstool replies in the tone of a princess, "I slept quite nicely, thank you. And I trust you are well-rested?" Her eyes scan Caledon's outfit. She gives a look of approval, then, seated in the posture of royalty, she eats daintily, much like a typical princess would.
Ragdoll is grateful for the money. She says to Alistair, "I gotta admit... being able to carry my own coins is gonna be different. My Captain said in her mind, I was a person, not a thing... but boggard law said different." She smiles at the gold coins. She lets most cascade into the table, until there are only a few left in her palm. She says to Alistair, "Let me by myself a purse first. If I have a purse, then I can carry the other coins—"
Brother Seamus interrupts, "Or, my people can make a bank-run, and a vault carries the coins for ya."
The ex-slave goes on, "—and I'll use some of that coin to buy whatever the fashionable ladies are wearing here in Rooftopolis."
Seamus finishes his cereal as the ex-slave mentions her desire to shop. The guru pensively scratches his chin, then says, "You know what? You guys should all enjoy yourselves a bit. Anyone who needs a study or a place to work out, ask a maid to show you around. For the ladies, there's abotique a mike west of the property. There's an herbalist a mile east if you're looking for a good cup of tea or magic potion, and a mile north, you'll find a haberdasher. I'm not telling you where the good restaurants are. Eat here!"
Anyone who wants a day of crafting may have it. I'll have the action take place around evening.
_
If you want to shop, the herbalist has any potion that costs <1000g. We can RP for buying items in the 1000g+ range.
_
The haberdashery has the hats owned by Ness and Bulge, and Manny also has a small sized Hat of Greater Self. You can try the Nelsons' hats for free to find out what they do before you go and buy one. However, you need to be able to pay 50% of the price to have one crafted for you, then you'll need to earn the other 50% in Ep.#2.
_
As for earning more gold in Ep.#1, Brother Seamus will present you with another job. (He doesn't know about it yet.) If successful, you should end the episode with 4-6K.
Those who would rather not watch a doctor cut people open to extract demon seeds are welcome to stay at the Fu Bar. Maude casts Prestidigitation until the stench and bloodstains are gone. Henrietta is welcome to the dominatrix's bed, at no charge, with or without company. If she enters, she finds Bunny clad in a robe (and bunny slippers), pouring a hot, alcoholic beverage called "gluhwein."
The slave-girls happily accept clean clothing, and while the outfits are meant to be sexually appealing, it's better than nothing, and the girls don't suffer any consequence. It seems the regular johns are doing business elsewhere tonight, due to all the trouble along the harbor.
Dots and Cat are no longer at Furious George's side. It seems that when medical help arrived, George didn't want to be around. Dots says in a low tone, "Top men from 426 were here to get him—men I ain't seen before, but I know top dogs when I see 'em."
Cats adds, "And they didn't give Jack any crap about getting his manly bits blown off. In that world, something like that happens, you're weak. You're done. But nobody dissed Jack. Just respect, straight faces, and... George was right to get far outta sight. I don't think we'll see him around no more, whether they find him or not."
Back outside, the ex-slaves assist the doctor as he operates on the dock-workers, healing the men as they are cut open. There are a couple close calls, but no fatalities. Once the last demon seed is extracted, it is tossed into a crate and incinerated.
Bulge and Narissa are the first to leave. Manny is about to lead our heroes to his boss, but a green-haired gnome asks if he's done playing hero yet. She addresses him as "Honey," and he calls her "Honey." Apparently, the halfling and gnome are married.
Ness bids his "brother" and "in-law" goodmorrow, then invites those who have yet to make arrangements to join him. Rag Doll seems willing to find out what Alistair wants to do. Ness seems particularly interested in showing Cal around. Silkworm promises to head back to the Fu Bar in the morning to await Anabel's return.
All who follow Ness may stay in the home of the incredibly rich guru, Brother Seamus...
Ness glares at the wolf. "We meet again, Night Howler. I suspect you ate the rabbit. The Law of Averages owes me a rabbit by now."
The wolf completely ignores Ness. The half-elf rolls his eyes at the creature then says to Cal, "I do hope you're a dog person. If so, you have a loyal pet for the next ten minutes."
Though Ness isn't sure how many animals can be drawn, he believes he's seen fourteen different kinds animals and suspects there are twenty kinds because it's a round number and magic probably likes the number twenty. He has no idea which animal is the most likely to come out of the hat—probably the wolf—but he's sure the rabbit is either least likely or there isn't a rabbit in there at all.
He also wonders what all those animals do inside the hat, or why he never has to feed any of them...
...
In case you're curious, here's how the custom item actually works.
Hat of Tricks:
This tall hat appears empty. Anyone reaching into the hat feels a small, fuzzy ball. If the ball is removed and tossed up to 20 feet away, it turns into an animal. The animal serves the character who drew it from the hat for 10 minutes (or until slain or ordered back into the bag), at which point it disappears. It can follow any of the commands described in the Handle Animal skill.
Animals produced are always random, and only one may exist at a time. Up to 10 Animals can be drawn from the hat each week, but no more than two per day.
The d4 determines the color of the lining the hand "reaches into."
1 = gray
2 = tan
3 = aquamarine
4 = rusty-red
However, there is a 1% chance the d4 and d100 will roll the same number. If this happens, a rabbit is pulled from the hat!
1, 1 = gray rabbit
2, 2 = tan rabbit
3, 3 = white rabbit
4, 4 = rusty-brown rabbit
Jitterbug would like to wear more than a blanket. She and two of the partially dressed nagaji are glad to follow the Captain to the bar. Perhaps some of the "working girls" can help out...
On the way, Captain Andoran sees Manny and Ness Nelson. Ness is able to cast Prestidigitation several times to cleanse our heroes' clothing of blood, guts and—finally!—that odor.
As for Manny, he tells our heroes, "Our Doctor was able to extract the demon seed from the guy farting in bed. Looks like y'all managed to handle the job without triggering the seeds the dock-workers ingested. We'll get De. Syrus to do the extractions here. Just moving bodies could trigger 'em."
Manny slowly moves his head, surveying the whole area. He then pauses, as if listening to something. After a few seconds, he says, "Take whatever time you need. My benefactor wants to see you when you're ready. We can head over in a few minutes, or in a few hours if you got things to do."
Ness adds, "You guys really came through for the girls, and from what Lebowski explained, sounds like all of Rooftopolis owes you. The city won't pay you, but we don't work for a rich, nutty do-gooder. You'll get the thousand we discussed."
"Along with a bonus that has yet to be discussed."
Manny waits patiently for our heroes to finish business in the district, and will lead the way to his boss when the party is ready...
...
Things I anticipate characters doing:
• Henrietta getting the whores out of Lv.426's reach, as promised. No biggie if that doesn't happen—I just don't want to cheat the player out of making things right in her way because I hit the Fast-Forward button (which is a thing from the VCR-era).
• Alistair and Henrietta may have interest in spending time off-camera with some of the ladies. (Rag Doll / Maude & Bunny) I'm not their dad, so it's fine.
• Sabs and Cal have investigated the egg and crate, and mentioned food. The rich guy paying you is like a Batman. He has his Robins (the Half-Nelsons), and he has Alfreds too.
• Anyone in conversation with slave-girls talking about their former owners can certainly keep the conversation going, whether we change scenes or not.
• I suppose you could find out what happened with characters that were at the Fu Bar, if you want.
&
• The Nelsons will lead you to the guy who intends to pay you for your troubles. You can spend the night at his place, and after lights-out, we start what is intended to be Day 2 of 2.
The giant froghemoth has certainly earned the attention of several town guards. They are starting to emerge from whatever alleys and hidey-holes they were cowering in. None are about to question the people who defeated a giant and unchained women in a place where slavery is illegal, and in a district where laws are weakly enforced.
The Captain's instincts are certainly cautious and reasonable. Heading toward the Fu Bar seems to be a safe move, knowing friendly strangers are there, as opposed to total strangers anywhere else. And some of those friendly strangers offered to pay our heroes...
Will have those NPCs with the party in a bit, once there is nothing left to do on the shore.
Cal can choose to offer words to Froghemoth's Bane before the magic sends the eagle home, cured of its nausea.
As for the crate, there are crumbs of the gems the dock-workers devoured. The crumbs give off a sweet smell... so sweet that Cal wants to taste it—has to!—the crumbs are his! ALL HIS! The treat is very tempting... yet, something in the back of his mind stops his hand from rising to his mouth.
In his hand, are sweet sugary crumbs (like rock candy) and purple goo. (I suppose if you left some Nerds out in the sun too long, that's what the crumb-goo combination would look like.) Cal doesn't remember consciously touching the crumbs and goo. It's as if he blinked, and suddenly the object of desire was in his hand.
But now he is no longer tempted—because Cal knows this is what the Frog Prince ate. It killed him and made him into a monster. Or rather, the Prince ate several demon seeds and became (or "birthed") several monsters.
Without that knowledge, Cal would not be able to resist the temptation. He isn't sure whether the crumbs and goo from other demon seeds would kill him. This mystery is best left unsolved.
Sockhop, the slave that Cal clothed with a blanket, stands beside him. "You felt it too, right? Temptation. My mom told me a slave can't afford to be tempted. We had good owners, and as long as we remembered our place, the amazons would keep me. But I had a diamond in my hand, and just felt like... y'know, like having something that's mine. All mine. But I didn't wanna disappoint mom, so... y'know. I put it down." She adds with a shrug, "I don't even remember picking it up, really."
The Elegant Edge is feeling about as elegant as a lady can after her dead opponent farts in her face. She fans at the stench and helps the good Captain free the slaves.
Meanwhile, Alistair is lining up a shot before the winged creature can attack another innocent...
Monday is Ed's irl game night, so we might need to wait a day before the Alistair post officially finishes the battle.
Nothing left to punch. Hank and Henrietta just killed the last two enemies, and Hank smothered the one next to Cal so the fart cloud does not effect him. Henrietta is seated too high so she doesn't need a Fort Save either.
_
@Alistair, roll multiple attacks—as many as it takes to get three hits. A 13 hits—that's touch AC, and I add +1 for Bless. You can add your +1 for point-blank, as if you only fire when the enemy is within 30'. This is the last enemy of the day. Use grit points. It's possible to shoot down the creature in one hit, and likely it will fall on the second hit.
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@Everyone else, if you can't shoot, feel free to describe an action you'll take to protect others in case Alistair needs a few rounds to shoot down the Vomit Harpy. Example: Andoran can shield someone.
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Oh... and Hunter is able to retrieve the shield, which sailed past the slaves and landed on the dock.
Nauseated: Creatures with the nauseated condition experience stomach distress. Nauseated creatures are unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move actions per turn.
Our heroes and summoned eagles tear into the monstrosity! Hank manages to wriggle his way out of the tentacle grip, which is immensely strong, but well-lubed by slimy skin! As the beast is being torn into a bloody mess, our more studious heroes announce their interpretations of the screaming and what everyone is sure is a vomited person!
Regardless of whether or not the monster should be torn open, it is. And the screams are not of victims, but of demonic beings within the huge beast—
—and this becomes evident as the eagles resist the foul stench exhaled from the maw and rake the creature's head until the "froghemoth" explodes violently, blasting the eagles back to the celestial plane! Acidic blood and guts rain down on our heroes!
Acid Bloodsplosion!:3d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 6) = 15 15 damage to all within 20 feet! / 7 damage if Halved by DC13 Reflex Save!
In Area of Effect: Sabrina, Henrietta, Hank, Andoran, and Anabel
Edge's Initiative:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18 Will move forward since Fifika only has a 10% chance of winning initiative, and the player already told me this month and next month will be busy. I'll bot her off-camera if the player misses consecutive rounds, either helping slaves move or depleting a bit of monster HP.
_
And before I forget: A fully-dressed slave with a curls of red, blonde and black human hair introduces herself as "Ragdoll" as the Captain frees one of her wrists.
"Smooth moves for a man with strong hands, hon." She pulls a hairpin from her wig, not caring as the black-hair wig falls to the street. "I take it yer not a slaver, so you won't stop me from pickin' me girls' locks."
It seems Andoran's action not only freed the wrist of a slave with an escape plan, but he emboldened her to start putting her plan into action. Between that and Anabel's command to move, the girls put more effort into escaping knowing that this is not a battle between old owner and new, but clearly a battle for freedom.
With the girls moving double-time, neither Ragdoll nor Andoran will be able to undo more manacles. But it is in the girls' best interest to keep moving as quickly as possible—a fact that becomes especially clear as the ship breaks apart to reveal the Prince's demonic form—
One by one, boards pop into the air from the stern of the ship. It starts to tilt, as if sinking on the end opposite our heroes, only the ship has already hit bottom—
A large, green tentacle bursts through a portside wall—a starboard wall—and the roof of the ship becomes a rapidly expanding mound. POP! POP! Boards are catapulted into the air! CRUNCH! SPLOOSH! The hull is breached inside the ship! Water is flooding into the room where the slaves were chained moments ago!
The girls panic as the last is assisted onto the dock. Our heroes are on the deck—now slanted at a 10-15 degree slope—but the boards are above water. Our heroes can maintain their footing.
Whatever is inside, it is quite large—and growing—the captain's quarters can barely contain it! And surely, the slave-girls will not be able to outrun it...
INITIATIVE!:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21
If you can roll 21 or better, you can act before the Prince reveals his new form. Otherwise, you can post thoughts, words, and that's about all you can do.
_
Anabel's Shield has 12 rounds remaining. So that and any other 3-minute spell will last until the end of the battle.
OPTIONAL: You can move the game forward one round. The tentacles will all drop from the ceiling and dissipate (some in mid-air, some after landing on the floor or a person). It will be gross in that moment, but you'll be able to leave the room and the slaves will move out the door as you "command."
_
The girls will need to move in formation. Basically, a 10' movement going through the door and 15' movement normally. You were effectively on a 1-minute timer to free the girls. By the end of the minute, they should all be helping each other get down to the docks. I won't count RP against you. Any talking that happens will be treated as "walk-and-talk."
_
If you post leading the girls out of the room, no need to use a spoiler tag.
_
And yes, if Hunter posts first, I'm fine with the girls leaving even though a bird can't bark orders. Silkworm would feel a need to return Hunter to his master, and Alistair already made it clear he wants them to leave.
Above, I meant to say "the girls can leave once the plate is no longer bolted to the floor."
...and as I said already, Alistair can simply get a tool from his Gunsmithing Kit—an adjustable wrench—and remove the plate (with the iron ring welded to it, and chains run through it). It's kind of heavy, but eight healthy slaves can easily handle the weight of all the iron they are wearing.
He can free the girls 1 round before the Black Tentacles spell ends, which basically means the girls will be ready to move out as soon as the tentacles disappear—which effectively guarantees they won't die by the Prince's hand, which gives the party the best possible reward (if you guys also defeat the Prince of course).
@Henrietta, Fifika, 1 Bully (16AC/3HP) and 1 Toadie (14AC/5HP). You are both near the Bully. If one kills the Bully, I'll automatically move the other to the Toadie.
_
Also, @Hank, don't forget the Bully is using his natural attack on your daughter! If she fails a Grapple Check of 19+, she'll be unseated and "tongue-tied!" Dads-of-daughters cannot tolerate this!
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Um... ^that's just me reminding Lobster of the grapple check.
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@Everyone else, still Round 5...
Even without the Prince daring up with his head in the clouds, poisonous frogs keep falling from the sky!
Rain of Frogs:1d20 ⇒ 10The frogs really want to rain on their Prince!!!
Several frogs spatter all over the roof of the cabin, but none explode on anyone living.
Starts start to twinkle through the unnatural greenish clouds. The rain of frogs becomes a drizzle of frog legs, teeny yellow eyeballs, and bodiless little worm-like tongues. With only four enemies standing in the way of the innocent slave girls—and the prize, The Frog Prince of Darkness—our heroes press on!
Heroes:
* Alistair 15/26 HP - 16 AC (invisible!)
* Anabel 25/30 HP - 22 AC
* Andoran 23/36 HP - 20 AC
* Caledon 23/23 HP - 14 AC
* Fifika 19/30 HP - 20 AC
* Henrietta 38/40 HP - 18 AC
* Sabrina 33/33 HP - 22 AC
_
Sidekicks:
* Hank 33/33 HP - 14 AC
* Hunter ?/30 - 16 AC (inside ship)
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Enemies:
* Toadies 3/8 - 14 AC, 9t (2 injured)
* Bullies 2/2 - 16 AC, 11t (1 injured, 1 inside ship)
* Prince - (poisoned!, inside ship)
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Innocents:
* Slave Girls: 8/8 (inside ship)
_
_
Those outside, go ahead and post ROUND 5!
Moving to next round...
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@Captain Andoran, take TWO rounds of action.
_
@Alistair, tell me what you did while invisible in Round 4, and you can decide whether to reveal yourself or remain invisible for another round. Even if you move into the ship's cabin, you get the +3 healing from Sabrina first.
Anabel takes down her opponent! The Edge and the Hand slash and crush, taking down another Toadie! Henrietta really clobbers the Bully. He doesn't look like he can take another blow like that.
Sabrina sends a ripple of light from her body. Columns of light travel up the bodies of our heroes, but pulsate around the frogmen. The wounded feel a tickle where there once was pain...!
(Ignoring the failed Climb check. The DC15 Acro can accomplish the same thing. Only Hunter will get in however—and Alistair can as well, without provoking AoO, since he's invisible.)
Giving Henrietta another day since I allow 48 hours—impressed to get six player posts within 24 though. I'll take care of knowledge checks for now...
Caledon:
PERC - Cal sees a gross mess. Most of the frogs bounce harmlessly. Harmless to people they land on, that is. The frogs still die from plummeting from the heavens.
CASTER/SPELL - Not quite sure what kind of caster the Prince is, or if the magic is from the staff adorned with Frog legs, but being a summoning expert, Cal knows Rain of Frogs is a type of summoning spell. (From Unchained Summoner list, Lv.3.) He also notices that the Prince is concentrating on the cloud to keep the spell active.
BOGGARDS - Boggards are big, slow frogmen from the swamp. But these particular boggards know how to sail and run a criminal enterprise. At least the Prince does, as does the King's spouse. This makes them smarter than the average boggard... unless of course humans, elves, and other civilized humanoid races simply underestimated boggards the way people once dismissed orcs as feeble-minded brutes.
Hunter:
PERC - The falcon swoops around the perimeter of the frogs-storm. He gets a bird's-eye view of the battle that tells nothing new to his master.
Flying by the portholes, however, the bird's sharp predatory eyes see signs of life. There are eight women with scaly green skin. All are young, beautifully feminine in a serpentine way, and in various states of dress ranging from completely nude to fully clothed with many layers of silk accessories. Aside from their states of dress, allare equal and all share one accessory: chains.
They are chained to each other and to the wall. They are sitting in a circle, cross-legged, hands joined together, eyes shut. They seem peaceful, despite their predicament. There are no wounds on their flesh nor tears in their clothing.
Still ROUND 3—I'm not jumping ahead... just posting to add details for a new player and a returning player...
...
Caledon approaches the ship from behind a pink-haired gnome. There are two 200-pound frogmen near the tiny person, though one seems rather perplexed my the man who turned invisible.
Just ahead of the gnome, a man wearing a shield an a woman wearing scarves (and little else) are battling another pair of frogmen.
On deck, a woman is riding what appears to be a giant hand—with nail polish! If it wasn't raining frogs, the wizard might think his eyes deceive him.
The Elegant Edge is engaging the same toadie as Henrietta the hand-rider. Once these ladies take down their foe, they will have a clear path to the Frog Prince's guards—who stand stoically in defense positions while the Prince chants and gazed deeply into the green clouds above...
...
Anyone whose name is in bold can roll this round. I'll hold for ~36 more hours...
Currently, there are two bodyguards who intend to do a better job taking bullets for the Prince next time a shot is fired. One Toadie is on his back, smoke rising from his singed corpse. Of the seven others, most are trying to attack the first two heroes to board.
The Elegant Edge seems to have one in her sights, however. And another toadie seems distracted by a putter-patter coming from the boardwalk... but he doesn't notice anyone.
Our heroes attack! Anabel zaps one boggard "toadie" while Captain Andoran bull-rushes another aside, clearing the way for Henrietta's charge.
(@Henrietta, go ahead and roll your charge attack as your Round 1 action *AND* post Round 2 actions as well.)
@Henrietta, with Captain Andoran and Anabel each having bull-rushed/dropped the two nearest targets, you have a clear path to the group of six Toadies. Lacking a map, I'll just tell you—your readied charge can reach them.
The men suddenly stand at attention. Two move into position, blocking the makeshift gangplank. Two particularly big frogmen stand in front of the captain—who is very likely the Frog Princess Darkness, judging by his flamboyant black outfit. On deck, there must be half a dozen others.
Enemies:
• 2 "Toadies" in the path of Henrietta's charge (melee or ranged)
• 6 "Toadies" on deck (melee only if first two Toadies fall or are engaged in melee; magic: AoE would hit ~4 Toadies)
• 2 "Bullies" guarding the prince (ranged only; magic: AoE would hit both Bullies and Prince)
• 1 "Prince" (ranged attack likely to hit Bully instead; magic: no LoS)
Thanks to Alistair's knowledge of mechanisms and keen eye, he notices a mechanism at the top of the post (under the burning lamp) and metal shutters which—with a turn of a dial—cut off the supply of oxygen. He needs a ladder to reach the dial, and as it happens, there is one lying on the ground near a sleeping dock-worker.
As Alistair Cooper is questioning the wisdom of any plan that involves the destruction of ones own ship, it seems much more likely that the plan has gone awry, and that the dock-workers are supposed to extinguish the flames.
The Professor is able to put out one of the flames, and the ship slows in response. While it will still crash at this point, the impact will not be so much as to likely injure or kill those on board. In addition, between Captain Andoran shifting the point of impact (by about 10-15 ft.) and Alistair slowing the ship, there is time enough for the women (and giant crawling hand) to move sleeping workers to safety.
...
Congrats on figuring out all the things you needed to do to prevent innocent deaths!!!
I'll assume Henrietta and the Edge help move sleepyheads.
@Everyone, you have 1 additional round of action before the ship arrives. If you want to draw weapons or cast a buff spell, go ahead. You can extinguish the other lamp that the Cap'n toppled if you want, but in any case you won't discover any injured/dead slave girls now.
Uh... I was gonna say you get three rounds of actions if you beat the Ship's roll, two rounds if you don't, but you would actually need to have an 11 in DEX and roll a natural 1, and nobody has DEX that low, so forget the initiative roll.
Thanks to Alistair's observation, the entire party is able to anticipate the ship's disastrous course. Why the Prince would approach this way is something the party can figure out later. For now, the question is, what (if anything) do our heroes do about the current situation?
Post 3 rounds of actions. It will be assumed that your characters will NOT be in harm's way when (if?) the ship crashes, as you have plenty of time to get out of the way.
(@Alistair, your gun is loaded. Post 3 rounds of actions in addition to the gun being already loaded.
@Anabel, if you want, the casting of Shield can take place 4 rounds before the ship's collision, since you thought to do that before the above posts.)
Henrietta...
Bunny asks Maude, "Why are all the men farting tonight? Oh! And Biff..." Not having witnessed the commotion outside, Bunny seems to be struggling to associate meaning with that name. "...he's my john's co-worker. And come to think of it, I don't even know the name of my john. He said something about Biff busting open a crate of diamonds, made fun of Biff for eating one, and then the fool prob'ly cracked a molar biting into his!"
Bunny points to the open door connecting her room and Maude's.
On Bunny's bed, the john is lying on his back, legs splayed, wearing only a wife-beater. Henrietta is spared the worst possible view, as the man's head is toward her. He is snoring, with a line of foamy drool from his gaping maw, over the edge of the bed, down to the floor. The drool has a bold purple tinge to it.
Maude tells Henrietta, "I just spent at least twenty minutes counseling that nervous halfling. He did mention the Prince being upset at the dock-workers for pocketing his merchandise. He is a mere boy and a mere lamplighter, and much of what he said seemed like nonsense. He said the Prince would make a four-day journey in twenty hours, and there was mention of proper mules and gems not getting in the wrong hands and such."
When Henrietta sees the green light approaching, and her plan to kill the Prince on it, Maude says, "If these demon seeds are truly as the Little Lebowski says, I wish you luck, Miss Howard."
...
Once Henrietta is downstairs, Manny says to her:
"Anabel said something about purging the corruption. I might know a guy who can extract the gems. It won't take long for Dr. Syrus to fly over, but if those girls have these demon seeds in their bellies, we need to be ready for them.
"New plan—you go ahead and intercept the ship. Take the girls out alive. If they turn as Biff did, they're gone, and… you know what you gotta do. But if they're just farting and sleeping, we'll try to save them."
Bulge says, "Maybe they didn't eat the diamonds yet."
Manny says, "Sure, brother. We ain't ruling that out."
I am gonna press pause on advancing my search, however, so I don't find out everything all on my own
@Lobster,
Seems like the rest of the party is ready to move on and intercept the Prince's ship. I believe you can get all the info the whores have to offer with a single exchange of dialogue, depending on the question.
Unless you object to this, I'd like to answer Henrietta's next question(s) after your next post, then cut to the harborfront scene with the whole party present.
@Everyone else,
I'll assume you boldly await the Prince's arrival at the obvious, attention-getting dock lit by green flames, unless otherwise stated.
As Alistair heads out, Ness Nelson joins him, along with any others who are ready to intercept the Prince's ship.
(In the interest of not splitting the party, those who have more questions for NPCs can ask, then catch up to those outside. Once everyone is ready, I'll move on to the ship's arrival.)
Near the bar, Bart (bar tender) and Roz (waitress) douse Biff's corpse with cooking oil and booze. George ignites the corpse and says, "You died as you lived, Biff. Stinkin' drunk."
Cat LaNoire places a hand on George's shoulder.
George goes on, "But I'll never forget the time you pulled an ace from your sleeve to beat my four-flush-ace-pair with a triple-A. I had to kill three men for calling me a cheat, but you done right fessin' up and vouching for my honor after I killed two men at the next game. I can never stay mad at you, Biff. So I take back a few of the things I said about you. You're a straight shooter. See you in Hell."
Dots Domino dabs her eyes with a hanky. "That was beautiful, George."
It's likely that Alistair and our other heroes by the docks are not particularly interested in hearing a eulogy, and are far more interested in seeing signs of an approaching ship.
They don't see the ship itself, but what they do see that is out of the ordinary are two lampposts emitting green fire. (Or it is normal flame surrounded by green glass?) The lampposts are at the end of a dock about 500 or so feet away. The dock itself is well-lit, and in the lime-colored light are several dock workers. All are lying down, but some of the men are portly enough that even from this distance, our heroes can tell that the men are breathing.
Furious George mutters, "S'pose I ought say a few words." He and Bart start moving Biff's body outside, using George's bloodied coat and an old apron to handle the grotesque corpse.
As for Narissa, she uses her healing wand on Hank...
CLW to Hank:1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
...healing his wound completely!
Manny (halfling) replies to Anabel's words. "The Prince is supposed to be personally overseeing the shipment. According to my sources, the ship should be here any minute."
Bulge (half-orc) looks a little confused. He scratches his head, but doesn't say anything.
Ness (half-elf) uses his cantrips to move the shards of diamond/demon seed into a small pouch.
Upstairs...
There isn't much left to overhear aside from Maude calling her friend, "Bunny," by name and assuring her, "most men find my whip quite persuasive."
Henrietta is careful not to cause the door to open from her knock, yet it opens quite suddenly. Maude is clutching a brass key worn around her neck as she says, "Do come in, dear." In her right hand is a whip, though it's apparent she has no intention to use it on anyone in the room.
As for the blonde, who a moment ago, spoke in a tone typical of a frustrated woman having a bad day at work... now she rises, robe open, not at all embarrassed to be seen this way by an unexpected guest. She greets Henrietta in a chipper voice. "We normally don't do walk-ins, but seeing how we have no one else to do right now..."
Maude gives Bunny a look.
Bunny just says, "Oh," and fastens her sash to cover some exposed skin.
Maude gestures to a comfortable chair, and says, "Surely a handsome woman such as yourself need not pay to be entertained. How can I help you, Miss Howard?"
...
Downstairs...
The Little Lebowski find it awkward to hold Hank's little finger as he descends the steps. He tries to maintain contact as best he can, repeating the phrase, "I won't bolt." The third time, he says, "No place to bolt to anyway."
He then approaches Alistair, Captain Andoran, the Elegant Edge and Anabel. He takes a moment to appreciate the heroes' elaborate outfits, which somehow seems to ease the halfling's nervousness. He then says, "The owner of the hand sent me," and goes on:
"Demon Seeds... I heard stuff about 'em. They come from a city that sunk under the boggard's swamp. The Prince's men—the ones that survived the journey, at least—found 'em in a vault. The Prince knows what they are—what they do. And what they do is wipe us all out.
"I don't know how, but that body's gotta burn." He points to Biff's corpse. "It's probably too late. I mean, you took out Biff quickly, so maybe his blood won't do anything. But he's not the only one who swallowed demon blood. And if that spreads, Rooftopolis... maybe all of Arcadia—everyone—we're all..." He shakes his head. "...we'll all end up like Biff.
"The Prince has no intention of sticking around. I'm sure of it. He's just gonna let his mules loose and kill us all!"
Downstairs...
Manny says, "Great! Glad to have you. And full disclosure—everything I see when I have this hat active, our benefactor sees it too." He goes on, assuring the newcomers the job should pay 1000g each.
Upstairs...
As Little Lebowski stammers, and seems to have given up hope, the door to Maude's room is a crack open. Henrietta catches a glimpse of Maude (still leather-clad) sitting on her bed next to a young blonde-haired woman (wearing a robe with the sash undone).
Henrietta:
Henrietta can eavesdrop on the conversation:
"It's not you. Mine couldn't get it up either," Maude says in a consoling tone.
"At least your guy paid you, and was nice about it. Mine was a jerk."
"You mean aside from farting in his sleep?"
The blonde sighs, "I'm used to johns with strange odors. Even guys who try to cheat me outta pay, but this guy taunted me. Promising to overpay, showing me the money and then," she makes a mocking tone, "ye cahn't havvit, ye cahn't...
"Did he really say it in that weird voice?"
"Yeah. Shoved this big honkin' jewel in my face, then tossed it his mouth like it was funny."
Upstairs...
Lebowski replies to Henrietta, "Hey, I may be lacking a woman's touch, but I do know what's supposed to enter where. Anyway, if Maude tried to shove a Demon Seed up my butt, I'd..." His voice trails off for a moment, then with a shrug the halfling says, "Have a Demon Seed up my butt. She's scary, but she's got nothing to do with this. And even if she did, what would be the point? Can't you see we're all gonna die!"
Henrietta notices that Lebowski's arm is trembling. He makes no attempt to escape her grip, seemingly accepting that resistance is futile.
...
Downstairs...
Bart Ender is ready to accept some coin, but the Nelsons step in. "Captain Andoran is it?" the halfling asks before introducing himself, the half-orc, half-elf in that order: "I'm Manny Nelson, and these are my half-brothers Bulge and Ness.
"We're looking into this diamond situation, like Henrietta said. Let my benefactor see Jack healed, and if you want to help stop this shipment, I'm sure you will be rewarded. Funded, really."
Bulge adds, "It's not like we want hired guns. Brother Seamus would see a good man like you can afford to... well, keep offering your shield." Turning to the costumed ladies he adds, "Or your blade or your... scarf? Anyway, if you're willing to act for no reward, I suppose you won't mind if some rich guru pays you anyway."
(Not sure if the Cap'n can afford the spell, but I am sure Bart would not have done jack for Jack! In addition to dissuading the bar tender from taking your money, the Nelson's will see Jack made whole again, keeping him sedated in the meantime.)
As for Ness, he doesn't need to cut Biff open. The man's been turned inside out. Ness finds some bits of diamond and says, "This is gross. I can take these to Lyle later, if you need them appraised."
As our heroes examine the diagrams, the Nelson Brothers are speaking to Narissa. Ness is eyeing Anabel, Manny has his eyes on the Edge. Bulge points to the back door (where Captain Andoran exited, looking a bit pale) and gives Manny a questioning look. Manny nods.
The Little Lebowski, seeing Biff's corpse is blocking his exit, slowly backs away upstairs...
The results of George's casual pulling of the trigger are not pretty, to put it mildly. The screaming is nearly as loud as the gunfire, but Bart Ender is quick to silence Jack by hitting him over the head with a full bottle of wine.
Jack lies unconscious, and if he never wakes up, maybe that's for the best.
...
Assuming the explosive... scene... does not distract Anabel from looking over the remaining diagrams, there is a second that depicts the anatomy of a man. Inside his belly is a shaded area, with the same crosshatch pattern as seen on the diagram of the diamond.
Cat and Dots peer at the diagram. Cat says, "What kind of a man is that?"
Dots says, "Maybe one in touch with his feminine side?" Pointing to the shaded area, she goes on, "It's like he's got a womb."
The third diagram has several numbered drawings. One shows a close up of heavy eyelids. Another, a close up of a bare bottom with wavy lines coming out of it. The third drawing depicts a naked man with his stomach open. And the fourth looks like the creature that Biff became.
George shouts, "You better tell the lady what she wants to hear!"
Jack stammers as Hank holds him steady and makes no effort to dissuade Furious George from his method of questioning.
But at least the gunman, despite his reputation for "intolerance," seems to be giving Anabel time to look through Jack's briefcase.
There are papers with diagrams that are more drawing than word, and what is written is mostly abbreviations and numbers.
The first diagram is a diamond labeled "D.S." It looks like a perfectly clear diamond, cut to perfection as if for a diamond ring. There is a shaded area in the middle. Bart notes that it resembles the side view of a liquor bottle. "See how the outer part is clear, and uniform width around the shaded part in the middle?"
George replies, "Everything's about booze with you."
Anabel's outfit attracted a lot of male attention one scarf ago. Bart Ender the bar tender is more than happy to oblige the lady's request. But by the time he volleys over the bar and says, "Listen here," Furious George seems to be getting over his feelings of nausea. The bloodied gunslinger picks up his revolver, empties all but one chamber, presses it against Jack's groin and says, "Talk to the lady!"
While dealing with nausea in the alley, the Captain can't help but overhear three muscular men shouting "DOOD!" and laughing a lot. They're sitting by the waterfront, smoking cigarettes and making unimaginative fart jokes. After the men finally run out of material, they just point and laugh at some dock workers.
"Dood! What did those guys eat?!" says the second-biggest muscle-man.
You do get a glimpse of the dockworkers, who are a few hundred feet away in an area fairly well lit by lamp posts emitting a green flame. (Magic? Or it could just be a normal flame surrounded by green glass?)
One worker is asleep, and is being reprimanded for his laziness by the foreman, who is also a loudmouth. "I could use some sleep meself, but ya don't see ME lyin' down on the job!" Kicking the lazy worker, he goes on, "The four-twenny-sixers gave us a taste o' the goods, so when our ship comes in, @&$holes and elbows!" He gives the sleeping man another kick in the ass.
"Ah'm tahred, boss," the sleepy worker moans. His slurred speech makes him sound more drunk than tired.
By the time the overheard conversations quiet down, the Captain's stomach has settled as well...
If you fail your Fort Save vs. Stinking Cloud, go ahead and RP being nauseated. The duration is 1d4 rounds, but no need to roll as I'll give you longer than that to get acquainted with new teammates.
The Edge sidesteps the kick elegantly, but the monster manages to take a chunk out of Hank's (or Henrietta's?) middle finger.
George may or may not be alive, but on the upside, most of the blood of the gunman belongs to Biff—or the beast made of Biff's insides.
As for Four-Eyed Jack, his glasses and face are speckled with many colors. He gripes, "Rainbows aren't supposed to sting!" Attemptibg to flee blindly, Jack somehow trips over his own chair and falls flat on his face. His empty hands fumble about for the briefcase he dropped about two feet out of his reach.
The creature is badly wounded from the two melee attacks, but it fights on... combat continues!
—and as the creature pounces, tearing into Furious George, our heroes get a good look at the monster whose flesh is sinewy and wrapped in torn entrails.
On the table, Biff Wellington's only remains are bloody clothing and bits of flesh.
The fleshy monster that's pinning, beating and biting Goerge is Biff—turned inside out!
The band members drop their instruments and flee backstage, arms flailing! Dots runs into Cat's arms! The ladies upstairs scream! Little Lebowski almost tumbles down the stairs trying to flee! Narissa and the Nelsons ready themselves for action! Bart ducks behind his bar! And Jack grabs his papers and hastily stuffs them in his brief case...
...
You can't tell if George is dead or alive at the moment, but can probably guess that the monster is mindlessly attacking.
You all get to attack before it attacks you, so George's life is in your hands... if he's alive, that is.
Full Name
Galithrane 'Thrane' Biteblade
Race
Elf
Classes/Levels
Rogue 5
Gender
Male
Size
5'2
Age
135
Special Abilities
Low-light vision, Immune to magic sleep, +2 saving throw against Enchantments
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Location
Andoran
Strength
14
Dexterity
16
Constitution
12
Intelligence
13
Wisdom
14
Charisma
10
About Thrane
Appearance: An odd-looking Elf, hard-seeming and brawny, not so much cool and aloof as embittered and seething with disciplined hate.
Background: Thrane escorted his father into Cheliax to escavate a lost heirloom. Their guide betrayed them and they were captured by a Cheliaxan noble. Thrane spent a decade imprisoned and fighting in crude gladitorial games, while his father sought their freedom by sharing his magical knowledge. A group of Andoran commandoes snuck into the noble's lands seeking to learn the source of his newfound power. Thrane was thrilled at the chance to be rescued, but found that his father had come to view the noble as a true apprentice - unlike Thrane, who preferred to develop his martial skill. Thrane was forced to slay his father so that he, the Andoran's and many other prisoners could go free.
Unable to return to his home, Thrane has settled in Andoran where he continues to hone his skill, and cope with his guilt and rage.
Medium: Elves are Medium creatures, and have no
bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as humans
in conditions of poor illumination.
Keen Senses: Elves receive a +2 bonus on sight- and
sound-based Perception checks. They can make a
Perception check to spot a secret or concealed door if they
pass within 10 feet, regardless of whether or not they are
actively looking.
Elven Immunities: Elves are immune to magic sleep
effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against
enchantment spells or effects.
Elven Magic: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on caster
level checks made to overcome spell resistance. In addition,
elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Appraise skill checks
made to identify the properties of magic items.
Weapon Familiarity: Elves are prof icient with
longbows (including composite longbows), longswords,
rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows),
and treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name
as a martial weapon.
Languages: Elves begin play speaking Common and
Elven. Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose any
of the following: Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc,
and Sylvan.
Favored Class: The favored class of elves is ranger or
wizard. This choice must be made at 1st level and cannot
be changed.
class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Appraise
(Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy
(Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist
(Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int),
Knowledge (local) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis),
Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex),
Stealth (Dex), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks Per Level: 8 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Rogues are proficient
with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier,
sap, shortbow, and short sword. Rogues are proficient
with light armor, but not with shields.
Sneak Attack: If a rogue can catch an opponent when he
is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she
can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The rogue’s attack deals extra damage any time her target
would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target
actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue
flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and
it increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Should
the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra
damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as
sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.
With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a rogue can
make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead
of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal
damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not
even with the usual –4 penalty.
The rogue must be able to see the target well enough
to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a
spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature
with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose
vitals are beyond reach.
Trapfinding: Rogues (and only rogues) can use the
Perception skill to locate traps when the task has a
Difficulty Class higher than 20.
Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or
higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC
of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
Rogues (and only rogues) can use the Disable Device
skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a
DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
A rogue who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a
Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it
works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a rogue can avoid
even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she
makes a successful Ref lex saving throw against an attack
that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she
instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the
rogue is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless rogue
does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Rogue Talents: As a rogue gains experience she learns
a number of talents that aid her and confound her foes.
Starting at 2nd level, a rogue gains one rogue talent. She
gains an additional rogue talent for every 2 levels of rogue
attained after 2nd level. A rogue cannot select an individual
talent more than once.
Bleeding Attack (Ex): A rogue with this ability can cause
living opponents to bleed when hitting them with a sneak
attack. This attack causes the target to take 1 additional
point of damage each round for each die of the rogue’s
sneak attack (ie. 4d6 equals 4 points of bleed). Bleeding
creatures take that amount of damage at the start of each
of their turns. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 15 Heal
check or the application of any effect that heals hit point
damage. Bleeding damage from this ability does not stack
with itself.
Combat Trick: A rogue may gain a combat maneuver feat
in place of a rogue talent.
Fast Stealth (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to move at
full speed using Stealth without penalty.
Finesse Rogue: A rogue may gain the Weapon Finesse feat
in place of a rogue talent.
Ledge Walker (Ex): This ability allows a rogue to move
along narrow surfaces at full speed using Acrobatics
without penalty.
Major Magic (Sp): A rogue with this talent gains the
ability to cast a 1st-level spell from the wizard/sorcerer
spell list. This spell can be cast 2/day as a spell-like ability.
The caster level for this ability is equal to half her rogue level. The save DC for this spell is determined using the
rogue’s Intelligence modifier. A rogue must have the minor
magic rogue talent before choosing this talent.
Minor Magic (Sp): A rogue with this talent gains the
ability to cast a 0-level spell from the wizard/sorcerer spell
list. This spell can be cast 2/day as a spell-like ability. The
caster level for this ability is equal to half her rogue level.
The save DC for this spell is determined using the rogue’s
Intelligence modifier.
Quick Disable (Ex): It takes a rogue with this ability half
the normal amount of time to disable a trap using Disable
Device (minimum 1 round).
Resiliency (Ex): Once per day, a rogue with this ability
can gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the
rogue’s level. Activating this ability is an immediate
action that can only be performed when she is brought to
below 0 hit points. This ability can be used to prevent her
from dying. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute.
If the rogue’s hit points drop below 0 due to the loss of
these temporary hit points, she falls unconscious and is
dying as normal.
Rogue Crawl (Ex): While prone, a rogue with this ability
can move at half speed. This movement provokes attacks
of opportunity as normal. A rogue cannot take 5-foot steps
while crawling.
Slow Reactions (Ex): Opponents damaged by this rogue’s
sneak attack cannot make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.
Stand Up (Ex): A rogue with this ability can stand up from
a prone position as a free action. This still provokes attacks
of opportunity for standing up while threatened by a foe.
Surprise Attacks (Ex): During the surprise round,
opponents are always considered f lat-footed to a rogue
with this ability, even if they have acted. Opponents who
cannot be caught f lat-footed (such as through improved
uncanny dodge) are immune.
Weapon Training: A rogue may gain the Weapon Focus
feat in place of a rogue talent.
Trap Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, a rogue gains an intuitive
sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1
bonus on Ref lex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge
bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses
rise to +2 when the rogue reaches 6th level, to +3 when she
reaches 9th level, to +4 when she reaches 12th level, to +5 at
15th, and to +6 at 18th level.
Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a rogue can
react to danger before her senses would normally allow her
to do so. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if
she is caught f lat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. She
still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
If a rogue already has uncanny dodge from a different
class, she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge
(see below) instead.
