I'll switch this to inactive by the end of the week.
Let me know if you have any chronicle issues or GM feedback here or privately.
Search Posts
Please check that link and check over your chronicles and make sure it looks good. The game itself has technically already been reported since the event organizers reported/closed out the overall event.
GM downtime roll
Yuss! Getting chronicle PDFs set up now and will link to them shortly.
Sergeant Kashenvale takes your statements about the night’s events, calmly noting everything you have to say. Once the you've finished your account, Kashenvale asks "Excellent job tonight folks, if you'd come with me back to the station house we can sort the rest of this out and get you your rewards." She notices a slight hesitation in Doc and adds, "Don't worry, this isn't some trap and we'll ignore any current pending warrants for the time being, it wouldn't do to go around arresting good samaritans." Once at the station house, Kashenvale provides each of you with a formal commendation for your services on behalf of the people of Alkenstar. Kashenvale explains, "This commendation includes free room and board at any of our city’s shieldmarshal barracks, exemption from punishment for any past (but not future) misdemeanors committed within the city limits, and-" pause for dramatic effect "-a one-time bounty of 100 gold pieces for each of you." With such a princely sum in hand, you are free to pursue whatever interests within Alkenstar, or even charter an expedition into the Mana Wastes or beyond! What will you do with your rewards?
As the heroes all make it outside, a blast of cool fresh night air greets each of them. A few shambling zombies in the square prove little trouble for the already experience zombie slayers. The theatre burns and crackles behind you as the city appears to quiet down. In the distance, the occasional gunshot and barking command can be heard shattering the still night air. Patrons from the Powder Horn begin making their way out onto the street to survey the damage. Rickard and Maggie Thuss emerge from the gunnery, Rickard holding a heavy pistol in one hand and the leash of an old brindle dog in the other, Maggie carrying a mop, bucket, and a determined air as she surveys the gore-stained neighborhood. As the bartender Martelle emerges from the Powder Horn and waves to the heroes, a sharp whistle pierces the night. A squad of shieldmarshals led by a woman with a closely shaved head and wearing a leather duster fall into formation along the road between the Scothwel residence and the theater house. “Pardon me,” the woman calls out in a voice that doesn’t seem particularly concerned with whether she’s pardoned or not. “I am Sergeant Kashenvale with the shieldmarshals of Alkenstar! Can anyone tell me what happened here?” As the eyes of the night’s survivors turn towards the ragged group of heroes who fought through the zombie legions, Sergeant Kashenvale follows their gaze. With a wry smile, she raises a hand in greeting. “Seems like perhaps you’re the ones who did our job while we were otherwise occupied? Come along then, you’ll need to file a report if I’m to get you a commendation and some payment for your efforts.” As she finishes the statement, Sergeant Kashenvale begins directing her soldiers about the square, dispatching some to take statements from witnesses and others to assist in cleaning up and locating the missing.
Thanks for your well-wishes and patience. Things are settling down here.
As for this one-shot: The rest that is left is just wrapping up the scenario and rewards and end cut scenes. I really appreciate all of you playing with me and sticking through. I also appreciate all of the feedback and advice from each of you.
@Zakzak, I did join the discord group, seems great so far.
As Zakzak's wounds get under control from Doc's expert administrations, he pops up and sends two clouds of shrapnel at the zombie. The first one appears to stagger the zombie and the second appears to sever its head from its stooped shoulders. With the theatre a raging inferno and collapsing around them, the heroes make their way back outside, battered, coughing, covered in soot and entrails.
Baby is born! I probably won't update until Monday. Safe to say the last zombie is dead and now all you need to do is flee the burning building.
Thanks everyone! Just about done with this one-shot. Just a little clean-up to the battle and a final scene! Thanks everyone for sticking through!
Booker pours some much needed healing into Zakzak's unconscious mouth then makes two quick swings at the big zombie, almost too-easily severing its head from its shoulders! Then Zindarel steps back and takes a clean shot at one of the last remaining zombies. Her bullet finds the center of the eyes as the zombie's head explodes outward. Fortunately the smoke conceals much of the disgusting image.
gm roll:
The zombie move up, stumbling apparently singularly focused on munching on Zindarel! It doesn't even notice Zakzak beginning to stir and regain consciousness.
Several rafters from the ceiling fall down into the raging inferno of the south end of the theatre. The heroes are finding less and less fire-free space to stand. The smoke getting much thicker as the beams fall and send debris and cinders everywhere. The theatre may not be standing much longer!
Doc makes a tactical retreat and takes a shot at green, piercing his thick sickly green skin. It's taken a beating but still appears ready to smash anything it can get its hands on.
The zombies move up, stumbling almost blindly through overturned chairs and attempt to snack on Zindarel.
(Need fort save)
Just FYI, my wife's due date is February 6th, so it could be any day now. When it happens I will likely be afk for 24-48hrs, potentially longer if things don't go to plan. So if I disappear, that's why. We might be done by then, so fingers crossed
While the huge zombie is focused on Booker, Zinderal takes the opportunity to make two well-placed shots.
Zakzak is bleeding out slumped over a barstool. Booker and Doc are heavily wounded. Zindarel is entirely focused on sniping from behind the bar. It's now round 6! !!! The flames are spreading more quickly. A chandelier crashes from the ceiling onto one of the tables, throwing sparks and embers everywhere. The bar is starting to fill up with acrid smoke. It is making it much harder to see and to breathe.
<need fort saves from everyone>
Doc and Zakzak get blasted by the brunt of the force since they were so close to the slain hexeren. Zakzak's noble sacrifice helped to bring her down, but now it's up to the other three. Booker, heavily wounded steels himself against the negative energy and doesn't appear to be affected, though concentrating so hard made it too difficult to get a clean hit in on any of the zombies still clawing at them. Big Greenie is torn on whether to follow his retreating quarry or to try and snack on the one still standing next to him.
He decides he still wants a piece of the big man and lumbers behind the counter.
The one-two shot from Doc and Zakzak slashes the hexeren from both sides. The zombies nearest to her get blasted with shrapnel as well and look like they're about to drop. As she goes to stab her dagger into Doc she starts to clutch her wounds, long gashes from the shrapnel of cutlery starts to glow with the same sickly purple light as the other one. She screams out in frustration more than pain as another wave of negative energy bursts from her body. "NOOOoooo!!!!"
As the wave of energy washes outward and the hexeren collapses into an unmoving heap, the group holds their breath for a moment waiting for the other zombies to fall like dominoes. Unfortunately it appears that their hope was misplaced. It may have ended the ritual and prevented more zombies from appearing, but the poor souls already zombified are still as ravenous as ever even without their leader. Both the remaining zombies appear to have some of their wounds healed as the negative energy washes over them. Healing even as they are assaulted with forks and spoons. They both continue grasping out to gnaw on Doc!
Even as black grabs and bruises Doc, she is still able to fend off the second zombie. *******
(Need fort save DC20)
Zinderal gives Booker a needed boost and gets into position. As the fighting continues the flames keep spreading quickly throughout the theatre. Doc tries to escape the clawed hand grabbing her coat, but fails to dislodge her.
After regaining consciousness, Booker steadies himself and takes out the zombie assaulting his savior! The biggest zombie turns slowly and tries to redirect his momentum towards the group. Standing over his compatriot's corpse, he barely reaches Booker and raises his fists to smash him back down.
Thanks for helping to clarify the income rules, Zakzak. For battle medicine, I assumed you were wearing the tools since you can wear up to 2 bulk of tools for easy access. Wearing Tools
The hexeren appears to be getting more and more frantic and screams at the minions slowly shambling towards the group. "No. No! over there, catch them!" She tries to appear calmer as she turns towards the group. "Look at you all huddled up, it'll be much easier on you if you just join me. I'm in need of a new lead co-actor."
She steps forward towards Zindarel and snags the back of her cloak. Jerking back she tries to stab her in the back.
The horde of smaller zombies tries to surround the huddled group. Only one reaches the group in time and they take a swing at Zindarel.
*******
I think release is a free action? So you can do both in one turn. And the description of release says "You release something you're holding in your hand or hands." so I'd say you're covered either way.
Gritting her teeth, Zindarel resists much of the negative energy from the hexeren and rushes to Booker's aid. Booker appears to still be bleeding out as Zindarel reaches his side. He is not long for this world. The fire appears to be spreading rapidly across the wooden structure.
As Zakzak crawls away near-death, he takes two shots at the unliving human woman and they hit her square in the chest. She stands up in shock and pain just as Doc pulls the trap and fire spreads across the floor. She hisses "Noooo! No!!" She frantically gestures at her minions as she jumps off the bar top and heads towards Zindarel and Doc. "You'll ruin everything! Get them! Get Them! GET THEM! NOW!"
The zombies just beginning to gnaw on Booker's unconscious body appear to slowly register the hexeren's commands and slowly get up either out of reluctance or rigor mortis, it's hard to tell.
The biggest zombie appears to be either more intelligent or more eager to listen to his mistress's commands and strides towards the two arsonists. His plagued flesh rippling and oozing with each stomp towards them shoving one of the smaller zombies out of the way he menaces Zindarel.
The zombies gathering in the street begin to clamber at the doorways but falter at the intense bonfire at the entrance. Some catch fire and stumble into the flames and quickly stop moving, piling up at the entrance and providing more fuel to the fires!
********
[dice=Plane of Water Lore]1d20+6 Great! What was the task level/DC?
Zindarel gets off a shot at the female hexaren stooped on the bartop, though she barely seems to notice. While she swings at Zakzak she hisses at him. Zombies from the street are about at the front entrance, attracted by all the noise from inside the building!
If everyone wants to do their downtime rolls, I can get the chronicles ready to go. You will get 8 days of downtime for this.
Do gotta admit, if I'd know the bar counter would not impede movement in any way, nor give cover. I never would have moved where I did... based on Booker standing in the counter "door way" pretty sure same thoughts for him... too late now of course. But for future GMing, I recommend making it clear when a piece of visible furniture like that will just be ignored. I appreciate the feedback. I did have it count as difficult terrain, but maybe that wasn't sufficient since it's only one square of movement to climb up. Maybe a separate climb action would have been more appropriate. I assumed that since the two main baddies are intelligent, they could figure how to get up there, but the rando zombies may not be able to figure that out. It would count as cover versus ranged attacks, but not melee attacks. As for Booker's location. Being in the "doorway" makes sense but as I understand it, diagonal movement is not blocked, so he'd have to be one more square up to block off somewhat. I'll look into those movement situations rules for the future. So, as a GM I should get better at describing terrain effects when but as a player I would not assume furniture terrain effects if it's crucial to the strategy. If anyone has other feedback, I'd love to hear it. I'm still a new GM and extremely new to the PbP style where live interaction would help with situations like these.
We're just about done after this battle, one way or the other. Hang in there. Please make sure your chronicle sheets are up to date. I need to submit this as complete asap.
The biggest zombie in the room finally gets his turn to pummel Booker.
As the other zombies claw at him and prevent him from getting out of the way properly, the large zombie clobbers Booker with two slow but powerful fists. The big man goes down under the punishment. ********
The grey-faced undead man appears to hesitate a moment, giving Zakzak the perfect opportunity to blast him twice with a scatter of cutlery. The big man collapses as forks and knives leave gaping gouges along his arms and face. Zakzak's smug smile is short-lived however as the body appears to glow brightly with a sickly purple energy as a wave of negative energy is released from the corpse. While the energy seems to burn the souls of Zakzak and Booker, it appears to heal the minor wounds that some of the nearby zombies had suffered.
The female undead actress screams as her partner falls limp across the bar top. "You will die for this!" Scowling at Zakzak she moves up and slashes at him.
*******
Miss
********
The male actor struggles to strike at the goblin hiding behind the bar top and only gets a grazing hit on it.
Zakzak moves into the room and takes two quick shots at the hulking male zombie actor on the stage. His shots hit him square in the back, several pieces of cutlery stuck in his shoulder as he turns around to see his assailant. The slashing pieces of debris don't seem to be as effective on him as it was on the run-of-the-mill zombies earlier. Booker also moves up to take cover behind the bar and fires off at the hulking zombie up on the stage. The scattering blast also winging the female actor as she halts mid-dialogue to see their attackers. Zindarel and Doc move up together to try to set up some rigging to pull the braziers over and set the whole building afire to end the unholy ritual being played out on the stage. Doc hustles over to one of the braziers and begins working on it while Zindarel successfully ties a rope and strings it over a nearby chair for proper leverage when the time comes to pull it over. *** The hulking male zombie lets out a guttural roar as he gets shot and jumps off the stage to chase down the runt that shot him twice in the back. He lunges over the bar top to take a slash at Zakzak with a wicked looking ritual dagger. "I'll show you to interrupt our magnificent performance! Minions! Defend the theatre."
The first slice cuts a deep gash into the bartop, but the zombie pulls it free and slices the goblin deeply on his right arm. (-8) *** The ex-living female actress screeches as the gunshots sound out and her companion lurches with the force. She shouts at the group. "You'll pay for this and join the ranks of our performance! Pharasma will no longer tax the souls of the living!" She moves up and necrotic energy swirls around her hands and streaks towards the zombie attacking Zakzak. The bullet wounds on his back appearing to miraculously close up.
*** Meanwhile the crowd of remaining zombies in the audience all appear to stand up at once. Each of them shambles towards Booker and Zakzak, apparently not noticing Doc and Zindarel plotting near the front doors.
...but only one of them connects, punching him in the jaw. (-9) *** The largest zombie in the room pushes tables and chairs aside as it lumbers forward. The zombie appears to be a sickly green and covered in sickly pustules. It pushes past its allies and takes a heavy swing at Booker...
...but misses as the big man as he is being shoved around by the mob of zombies around him. *** As the zombies begin attacking the group, the news goes from bad to worse. Zindarel and Doc notice that there is quite the commotion from the streets. It seems many of the milling zombies have noticed the noise and will probably be coming to investigate.
Initiatives:
|