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Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
It is not often in the world of Eberron that six of the most powerful mortals alive come together in one place. And if they were to come together, the Ocelet II would be a fitting place for them to meet. The largest airship ever built, the jewel in the crown of House Lyrandar, it is a leviathan of the skies, capable of flying around the world in but a month. Its hull is of darkwood, reinforced by a mithral latticework, and abjured to be unbreachable by anything less than dragonfire. Three bound elementals power its flight, their power harnessed by a ring of unshatterable dragonshards. It is no surprise that this ship would sent out to retrieve these six adventurers from Xen’drik: the sheer amount of wealth, fame, and prestige represented by those six figures dwarfs that of whole kingdoms.
The size of the Ocelot II rivals that of small villages, making it no surprise that you six have not yet met in the course of your homeward journey. And while you may have not yet met each other, all of you saw the wave of violet light that came from the horizon. It was like a tidal wave of light brighter than the sun. But as the wave came within Just a few yards of your ship, still in the strange skies of Xen’drik, it fractured, refracting and bending around the ship. Those of you who looked to windward saw the wave of shattered violet coursing through Xen’drik.
After that, however, the flight was fairly uneventful. The winds were faithful, the crew diligent, and the days pleasant. But as your journey came to its end, with Sharn rising on the horizon, you saw something was horribly wrong. The City of Towers was burning. Its mile-high towers, borne up by magic against the heavy weight of gravity, were toppled and burning. As the Ocelot II came over the ruins, the crew desperately trying to contact anyone still alive in Sharn, there was a horrendous shattering sound, the breaking of wood and iron. Those of you on deck could see something moving through the air, like some behemoth falling from the sky. The ship began to heave, and it soon became apparent what had happened: whatever the monstrous shape darting through the skies was, it had bitten the ship in half. With a sickening heave, the ship was rent in half by its own weight. As things fall apart, you drop through the sky, the floor beneath you shattering, falling towards the smoldering ruins of Sharn.
OOC
Spoiler
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You’re all in freefall, the nearest surface being a horizontally toppled tower five hundred feet beneath you. You all have time to take two full rounds of action before you hit. Initiative order doesn’t matter; just post whatever actions you want to take. If you want to make Knowledge, Spot, or similar to identify the creature or anything else, now’s the time.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
"Hm." The dark skinned, humanoid shape vaguely resembling a hairless elf with a torn hole in his chest stood on the deck of his ship, his dark iron sword held tightly in his hand, the flowing tattered black cloak flapped in the heavy wind like a flag. He looked unphased.
He walked casually across the still-tilting deck of the ship, simply looking the place over as he would if the ship weren't moving at all. The next moment he disappears in an instant and reappears a few hundred yards away from where the ship would hit the ground, though he floats roughly 20 feet from the ground.
Krimm, so I can track this thread.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Rabina
::Oh oh my pretty ones- my sweet things why so[?]Sorrow sorrow[!]Rage[!] Hatred[?]But what are you great heaving air displacer great hated bulk- what is your purpose class and genus generus cognomen::
An only vaguely humanoid creature stands at the center of a maelstrom, almost as terrible as the cloud of debris and smoke coalescing around her and shying back as if terrified. At the edges of her aura, flickers of actinic unreality coalesce, splinters of wood and pieces of metal flickering and flying off on random new trajectories. Closer in, a hundred tiny throats can be heard shrieking, those of minute, incorporeal serpentine things, their mouths round horrors of ivory smoke lined with unending teeth. Even closer: darkness, womb-like and impenetrable.
::Swiftly swiftly as arrow bolt projectile :: Sweet Beloved Beautiful One:: Oh To Touch To Feel:: Down[!?]Come sweetly down And progress into loathly fallen places- each your sweet rotting toes and fingers oh my love::
The figure is, perhaps, the most terrifying being on Khorvaire- or at least, was. In this new world, few things are sure, but Rabina the Ink's power to horrify is undiminished. Every word of her monologue slams outward from her mind even as she blinks out of being and reappears firmly situated on the toppled tower, far below. Beneath her feet, the very metal and stone putrefy and rust, creaking.
The agency of her disappearance is soon clear. A more obviously female creature stands beside her- and above her, towering grotesquely on metal-tipped, extended ribs, protruding from a shredded chest in which a heart literally black with charnel age beats, ponderous and squamous with etched bone. The ragged, swollen remains of breasts and forehead and body shift in their maggot rotundity beneath arms now folded after the mental exertion of the transport, and Ganitai leans forward, into an invisible, dark-shrouded caress. She purrs obscenely, a gurgling sound like cave-fish drowning on dry stone.
Rabina raises her arms, jangling with obsidian and silver, and smiles broadly- rather too broadly, since her lips are half-removed with the slow languid effort of obsessive fingers. A slow drip of black, black blood runs down her chin and a flash of cool satisfaction leaves her brain. A moment's pause; her arms and face and flesh are coated in blue-black crystal, thick, involiate, and glistening with ichor. Behind their goggles and their veil, her eyes and face are stretched tight in ecstatic glory as she strains her senses outward, and the darkness around her seems to thicken.
::I will find you outYes So Swiftly you do not know what I can do can hearWhy This Isn't Right Not This Way No Wrong What This Place Not Right DISPLACEDcan hear can find- will find you kill you::
Spoiler
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Ganitai manifests Psionic Dimension Door to teleport herself and Rabina to the tower. Rabina makes a listen check, using Whispers, in place of a Knowledge: [All].
Edit:FFFFFFFF ing 'oh no clearly you cannot preview a post with a roll in it' FFFF
Rabina has her Thousand Sapphires armor and her roundshield readied, and is thus at full AC. She readies an action to manifest a maximum-augmentation energy missile pending hostile or ambiguous action by anyone.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Gahz
An extremely large, very well-tanned druid hurries portside so he can get a look over the edge of the Ocelot II at the swiftly approaching ground, his quarterstaff beating a hasty tattoo against the deck. He shakes his head sadly. "Never did trust technology." He seems to be a human, but is a lot bigger than usually comes standard, topping out at somewhere over ten feet in height.
In a bare second, he transforms into a bird of prey every bit as large as himself in human form, a massive eagle. With a few flaps of his wings, the human-***-eagle ((OOC EDIT: Heh, apparently GITP has a swear filter)) is airborne, and winging his way towards the nearest of the burning towers. He has visited Sharn several times during his travels, and seeing such destruction fills him with concern, curiosity - and anger.
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I have a constant True Seeing effect active, would this enable me to see whatever that was?
Know (Nature): [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]
To see if I can spot, or even recognize the invisible beastie.
Also, I'm going to change my Holy Star (persisted spell) into its +6 AC configuration: boosting my AC up to 32.
((OOC EDIT: And I see Rabina is every bit as disturbingly awesome as advertised.))
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Vaajekk teleports safely, floating above the surface of the tower, while Rabina and Gahz both manage to successfully alight. The two on the tower can feel it quaking, trembling in a regular staccato beat.
OOC for Rabina
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You weren't able to get a clear enough glance at whatever crippled the ship to identify it, but you have a few ideas. In order to decimate the ship as it did, it must be of great size and power, and it clearly jumped up to the ship, rather than flying. Based on this, you could hazard a guess to what the beast might be: it could have been a Nightcrawler, a massive undead native to the plane of Mabar, or perhaps an ancient Purple Worm, larger than most of its breed. It could have been a dragon, but you doubt that - there's no reason a dragon would not simply fly, and no dragon could run wild through Sharn without the Chamber hunting it down. You suppose it could be a mythical beast, like the Tarrasque or a Daelkyr war machine, but you doubt that.
OOC for Gahz
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You managed to get a good look at the beast, though you're not sure what is was. It has a long, serpent-like body with an armored carapace, but with four clawed limbs. Its head was almost dragon-like, with a huge maw and twisting horns. It looked like the creature's flesh was decaying, as if it were an undead, but you are not sure.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Mahogany
Before the ship had been struck a figure stood watching the scene below with a spellbound mixture of wonder and concern. He is a seemingly interesting elderly fellow with a vague aura of... comfortableness. His ugly, careworn face has the same sort of appeal to the eyes as a pair of broken-in slippers would to a pair of tired feet. Where exposed his skin is deeply tanned with sunburned looking red tinge. His fuzzy hair has been cropped short and is white with streaks of auburn, as is his mane of a beard. Sharp, thoughtful dark green eyes peer out from beneath bushy brows.
He is of just slightly below normal height, and heavyset, with the slight pot-belly of age. His movements are casual and unhurried, not exactly thoughtful, but as if the proper rhythm was achieved and continues to be maintained. His feet are large and flat, or his right one would be if not for a clubbed curvature expressed in the make of his self-made leather boots, and a slight limp that accompanies it.
Then, without explanation he slumped slightly as if his knees had given way. In but a moment his hair which had once been, if not reasonably well groomed, at least manageable, was suddenly windblown and sticking up wildly. His clothes are now disheveled and twisted about.
His kind eyes wide with fear, he puts a hand to his heart and looks up a moment before the object even appeared in the sky. Even as it comes he is turning and running with astounding speed for his age and twisted foot, shouting, 'AWAY! AWAY!'
He leaps up and over the railing recklessly, falling straight onto Gahz's feathery back as the druid takes off. He grasps frantically for a hold on the sleek feathers.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
"Shuh muh?" Drann can't help but say as he looks out at the scene. He had come up on deck to admire the view, but little had he known that the once proud City of Towers had become no better then a massive wreck.
He then finds himself thrown into the air, as the watches the airship shatter to pieces, sending pieces of wood and metal flying all around. For a few moments, he is completely dumbfounded, having absolutely no idea what's going on. But he is quickly brought out of his stupor as he sees a young woman out of the corner of his eye. Drann recognizes her as a member of the cleaning staff, having seen her multiple times as he had left his room. There was something he liked about the woman. From the few times he had been able to strike up a conversation with her, she has good humored. And able to make him laugh all to easily. Now, as she hurtles towards the ground, the look on her face is calm, as if not afraid to die.
"Time to go to work then." he grimaces, crossing his arms in an 'X' in front of him. "Yin'xi!"
Instantly, he is engulfed in a explosion of silver fire; his form replaced with one made of the same fire. This new form is covered in red armor, and what parts of his skin that are showing are covered in a silver flame.
He flies over and grabs the woman out of the air, zooming away just as quickly to do the save to whoever else he can reach before they hit the ground. "I've got you. You're safe."
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Sinan
Unlike others on the ship, the little elf is not famous across Eberron; indeed, outside Xen'drik, he claims no fame at all. Even there, he is only moderately known in Stormreach; some of the guides and mercenaries who've worked with him in the past two or three years have discussed his impressive yet oddly sporadic command of Xen'drik's lore, his generosity as an employer, his apparent inability to comprehend danger, and his equally baffling ability to get away with doing that and still be alive on a continent that swallows even the best-laid plans. There is some argument whether Sinan the scholar is much cleverer than he appears, or whether he is simply the luckiest bastard to walk Xen'drik's shores since another elf stumbled across the secret of deathlessness, used it to free his people, and founded a nation.
Right now, he is living up to both parts of his curious reputation. Sinan is not much to look at; he's shorter than most humans would be, as is usual for elves. Unusually for an elf, he's rounded, maybe almost plump. The olive robes he wears would look at home on any of a thousand librarians or professors across Khorvaire's institutes of learning. At the moment, he is peering curiously at the beast, reaching up to fiddle curiously with the thin-rimmed spectacles he's peering through.
Neither he nor gravity seems to have noticed that the deck is no longer in contact with his feet, and is in fact over a hundred feet beneath him and accelerating.
"My word," he says to himself, at last having settled the spectacles on his nose to his own satisfaction.
"Not what I was expecting." He finally looks down at the ruined scene beneath him, twisted and broken soarwood atop a background of shattered stone. "I suppose I'd better get going, then," he says after another moment, contemplating where he was going to get going to. Sharn no longer seemed the best of destinations. His face clears as he spots people on the tower, and in the air. "Ah! Yes." This is good, there are other survivors.
Gravity is, very gently, permitted to take hold of the elf once more. Sinan falls at a smooth angle, towards the top of the fallen tower, gently twisting in the wind so that he can see all around himself. If the beast bit him in half next, it would not be nearly as impressive, but the fact that it would make a disappointing followup for the behemoth would not be much of a comfort to him.
Spoiler
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Spot [roll0] to see what the thing was. I don't know what Knowledges might be appropriate, so feel free to roll for Sinan if he has the relevant skill.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Gahz
The giant eagle, not expecting to acquire a passenger in mid-flight, barely manages to resist an instinctive attempt to buck the unexpected weight from his back. Luckily, Mahogany's scrabbling managed to avoid grabbing a fistful of the extremely sensitive pin feathers under his armor-like outer feathers; Gahz doubted he would have been able to ignore that no matter what his intentions.
Mindful of his new rider, Gahz manages a more leisurely glide towards the burning towers, rather than the speedy stoop he had been intending.
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Gahz is Large-sized, so there should be no problem with Mahogany riding him, mount-style.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
"Scuse the piggybackin here lad, but accept more thanks than can proply say..." Mahogany gasps. "Mayhap in m' younger days coulda flapped m'arms fast enough, but not this day."
He manages to settle himself firmly and looks behind as the city-sized craft plummets.
"Bless them as was still on there, many a'they was right decent folk. Let me as walk right aboard one of them lasses did. Say she remember me tellin' her a tale as when she was a youngin', though bless me as where. Ain't been as many years as that, 'as it? Couldn' be, I dare say. Was a fine craft, wondrous and fine..." he rambles, wiping tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
As all of you land on the tower, unharmed by the fall, you see the mangled husk of the ship falling into the ruins below, no one else surviving the fall. As the gargantuan splinters of wood and iron rain down on Sharn, you hear a monstrous bellow. A huge, shadowy shape leaps up from the ruins and lands on the same tower as you, its weight nearly unbalancing the horizontal tower. It sniffs at the air, and then looks at you with a predatory grin. Its head is like a dragon's with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and a long, serpentine body. An armored carapace covers every inch of the thing's body, and it stands on four powerfully-muscled limbs, each tipped with a razor sharp claw.
It eyes you hungrily, bellowing like a wild auroch. You notice, with no small shock, that for all its seeming vitality, its flesh has the pallor and stench of rotting flesh: this is undead. It stamps the ground, bull-like, and prepares to attack.
Start of Combat!
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Serving Girl
5. Sinan
6. Rabina
7. Tower Monster
8. Gahz
Map
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http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/5830/towerul3.png
Sorry it's so big...but feel free to go wild with size changes, summons and stuff. You've got room.
The tower is a curved surface, but we'll treat it as rectangular for the battle. The grey squares are the tower's surface, the blue is the empty air just over the edge.
Legend:
D: Drann
V: Vaajekk
M: Mahogany
S: Sinan
R: Rabina
GA: Ganitai
G: Gahz
T: The Tower Monster
SG: The serving girl Drann rescued
Drann's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Rabina
Readied Action: Response to Agression: Energy Missile
Rabina shrieks on a wide-spectrum psychic band, her veil parting with a sigh and a coruscation of shrieking faces flowing across her skin. Seven massive sockets, within which brain matters glistens, glutinous and befouled, are revealed, each chased in platinum and ringed in garnet, ruby and onyx. A chill wind gathers around her, and the air begins to freeze out of suspension, a thin dusting of oxygen snow falling around her feet even as the missile flings itself toward the creature with a snap of her head.
::Your day is done- Tower-faller - Sky-render- Armored-dead-thing - No more to escape your fate- No more the end of your tale delayed- No more-No More No Scales All Peeled Away and Soft BeneathChildren feel the winter's chill, shiver, dance, and fall quite ill; they recover, age does not, feel a winter, start to rot[!][.]::
She looses a high, keening laugh, head thrown back as if to drink in the chill air.
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Summary: Standard Action [Readied] In response to Big Un' agression, Manifesting Fully-Augmented Energy Missile [Cold].
Base damage 3d6+ 15d6 augmentation damage. Save to resist is Fortitude, power affects objects, thus Undead are not immune, +1 damage per die due to Cold type.
Barring extraordinary circumstances/resistances, damage is as follows.
[roll0] Cold
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Rabina's cryokinetic blasts do not seem to harm the behemoth at all. A thin rime of ice forms over its necrotic flesh, but does not seem to harm or hinder it at all.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Glaring at the new danger, The Guardian sets the young woman down , figuring that the city had gone to hell and this place was as safe as any other. "I'll be back for you, I promise." He says, shooting off towards the monster.
"Wo bu shin wo dah yan jing!"He curses, sending a crimson tipped wand flying into his hand from a flame-hidden bracer. "One problem to the next!"
After flying a certain distance, he points the wand at the beast. "Fuhn Huo!" Speaking the activation words, a small ball of fire shoots out from the item, straight for the beast.
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I fly 60 ft towards the thing, pull the right wand out of my bracer, and blast it with a fireball.
UMD: [roll0]
Damage [roll1] (Ref 18)
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Vaajek roars, his jaw opening greater than a person's should reasonably be able to. He stomps his foot forward and holds his arms out behind him, his sword in one hand and small buckler in the other. He cries out, "Graal Ur'Ossok, Saajin'ayus..." The sword suddenly darkens and a field of ash surrounds it.
One moment he floats above the tower, and the next he's gone as if consumed by the space around him. The same instant he appears right next to the beast, sword held in hand ready to swing.
For anyone who understands Abyssal
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"Spread the Lament of Heaven, Saajin'ays..."
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Mahogany slides off the raptor's back and lands heavily with an 'umph' on his feet.
"Thanks again my l... GREAT MERCY ABOVE!" he says with a start as the great beast rears its ugly head.
"Lands, but that's a mother great brute and make no mistake..." he breathes, backing away with a look of terrified fascination.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
The Guardian's fireball washes over the undead behemoth, but its flesh is not even charred by it. Its carapace glows red-hot, but the flames do not seem to harm it at all. However, the blast does prove enough distraction for Vaajekk to teleport behind the creature without it noticing.
Then, there is a most strange, and seemingly unexplained occurence. Violet light glows from the beast's eyes, mouth, and nostrils, and it flails about, seemingly in pain. However, with a triumphant roar, the light flickers and dims, not harming the monster. Almost immediately, the serving girl Drann rescued vanishes, the space around her simply folding in on itself.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Sinan's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Sinan
Sinan's brow furrows as the thing emits purple light, and he even pauses in the middle of the incantation he is muttering. "It's the same color," he says as if this is some sort of revelation.
With a slight shrug, he dismisses this curiousity and completes his spell, raising both hands before him as he vanishes and reappears above the beast. The broken city has a haze cast over it from the smoke, and what little light there is seems to be sucked out of the area immediately around him, leaving it covered in odd shadows—only for an instant, though; the snatched light coalesces in a brilliant oblong shape in front of his palms, just before it lances out in a white flash that leaves a blotch in everyone's sight.
Spoiler
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Quickened Teleport to get about 50 or 60 feet above the beast, followed by an Empowered, Split Ray Lucent Lance! Ranged touch 1 [roll0], damage [roll1]; ranged touch 2 [roll2], damage [roll3]. If the ambient light is shadowy rather than bright, [roll4] and [roll5] replace those damage rolls.
If either hits, the beast is blinded for a round, and dazzled for the next 18.
Also, roll that I should have made at the start of the day: [roll6]
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Floating above the beast, Sinan's twin spears of light rain down on the undead beast, but are deflected by its thick, reflective carapace. The beams of light refract and fly away, harmlessly scattering among the overcast skies. The monster looks up at the mage floating above him, bellowing in annoyance more than anger.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Rabina's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Rabina
Rabina rocks back on her heels, biting her lip and keening even as Ganitai throws up a protective wall of ectoplasm behind her. She strides forward, the material around her feet buckling and warping as if with extreme age, and a sussurus of voices rises to a fever pitch before falling silent.
All around her is suddenly shrouded in perfect, impenetrable blackness, which advances as she does.
::For memories long-fallen long-falling from the bleak skies- Yes For Them Not Me Yes Them::
She strides forward.
::For deep blood in your veins somewhere under know it to be so very hungering hungry hungered THING I know- though you do not think I know::
She raises invisible arms, coruscating with unseen brilliance, as if directing a puppet, and a wave of telekinetic force bursts out from her, buckling metal and shattering glass...
::Is It a Pretty Dancer:: Like The One the sweet one the good one he gave us a kiss and we danced together::At a ball oh no oh please he is not dead he cannot be gone the sweet:: You Will Dance And I Will Kill You If You Hurt Our Sweet One::
Spoiler
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Rabina takes a Move Action to move forward twenty feet (her maximum speed in her armor) and manifests Control Body, augmented by four points to affect nonhumanoid physiology, and additionally by as much as is necessary to affect a target of the creature's size category.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Rabina attempts to telekinetically bind the monster, psychically welding its body to her will, but it resists her, its sheer bulk and unholy vigor denying her efforts.
The monster roars in rage, and leaps with behemoth effort, soaring up into the sky. Its leap takes it even higher than the flying Sinan, and as it descends, it snaps at the mage with its ferocious maw. However, the ponderous beast's tongue is waggling like a blind, idiot worm, and the beast's jaws close down on that rather than Sinan, neatly severing the wiggling tongue. No blood flows from the wound, but the monster growls in pain as it lands back on the tower, jostling it on its base of rubble and ruins.
OOC
Spoiler
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Way to roll a natural 1 on your first attack roll, Tower Monster. You're just terrible.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Gahz's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Gahz
The avian wings its way closer before settling and returning to human form and raises his staff, activating the spell stored within: Undeath's Eternal Foe. There are few things Ghaz dislikes more than the travesty of life and natural death that are the undead, and likes to travel prepared.
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Tower monster is.. slightly less fearsome after biting its own tongue off.
Moving 70' closer to the monster; man, this is a big tower. My personal defenses only have a range of 90ft. Can't even touch him.
Spellstaff-stored Undeath's Eternal Foe: grants death ward, protects against ability damage/drain, fear, disease, paralysis, or poison and gets a +4 sacred bonus to AC versus undead.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Gahz flies towards the beast, his powerful abjuration warding him against the baleful necropotence that infuses its fangs. As he does, the transformed Drann flies at his side, wreathed in silver flames. He floats a few feet above the ground, waiting for a chance to strike at the towering monstrosity.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Vaajekk's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
The demon bares his pointed teeth and his red and black eyes flare with malevolence. With the release of his sword, his skin seems darker, as does his blade. He raises the sword high, red energy crackling from the edge of it. He swings his blade hard, releasing the entropic destructive power of it. "Kajmaa Velukk, Garraa!!"
Spoiler
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Using Strike of Unholy Demise, make a Fort save(DC 30).
Attack: [roll0]
Weapon Damage: [roll1]
Strike Damage(failed save): [roll2]
Strike Damage(passed save): [roll3]
Fail that f**king save.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
With a heaving effort of sheer physical strength, unholy magic, and manly fighting spirit, Vaajek cleaves through the beast, his blade disintegrating a gaping gash in its side. Ichor and dessicated blood slowly trickles from the fissure carved into the monster, and after a few seconds, it realizes what has happened, and screams in agony and wrath. Vaajek smirks and licks the splattered ichor from his face, while his sword gleams with a black aura, like the aurora borealis seen through a mirror of dark glass.
OOC
Spoiler
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Two natural ones. In a row. Facepalm.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Mahogany's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
OOC:
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Weird, I seem to hav lost the last paragraph off my last post. Anyway, just thought I'd mention that Undeath's Eternal Foe effects everyone I consider to be 'allies' with the above bonuses.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Mahogany slaps his knee with a hearty laugh and hobbles quickly forward shouting, "You'll have'em on the run soon enough lads! Mebbe bigger'n a fishing tale and smell like m'old boots left too long in the sun but you gottem! Powerful folk the lotta you, make no mistake, and it'll feel the back of the hand for what's its done to them as lived here! Show it what's what and how do you do!"
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Mahogany runs, much faster than a man his age should be able to. There is something of a twinkle in his eye as he stops just short of the beast, his grin not at all dimmed by the presence of the dread monster.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Sinan's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Sinan
Looking moderately perturbed at his recent proximity to the thing's jaws, Sinan mutters another spell at it, bombarding it with several faint streaks of something; the faint projectiles move far too quickly to get a clear view. Immediately after, he begins an incantation, the words possessing a vindictive sound; a a choking grey mist forms about the beast's upper section, eating at the rotting carapace.
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Quickened magic missile (damage [roll0]), followed by an empowered Acid Fog centered on the creature. [roll1] damage, plus the effects of a Solid Fog spell...
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Sinan's magical blasts deflect harmlessly off the beast's carapace, narrowly missing him as they rebound. However, the acidic mist he summons burns away at the beast's skin and muscles, corroding it away with a potent vitriol. Unfortunately, however, the cloud of acid also catches Vaajek, but he does not seem to be harmed at all by it.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Rabina's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Rabina
::So-so-so-not invincible not immovable, can be hurt[!] And mine as well Should Hurt::
Rabina strides forward, implacably, and sends out another juddering wave of force, accompanied by a psychic howl like the ravening cries of a few thousand wolves.
Spoiler
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Second verse, same as the first; twenty feet straight onwards, Control Body. Fail your #$(*@#$(* save this time, invincidragon.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Gahz
Gahz moves closer yet. When he comes to a halt, beams of fiery-red light erupt from his eyes, and a tiny blue spark - almost unnoticeable - that had been hovering around him became a powerful beam of blue fire.
He finishes with a Giant Vermin spell, summoning into being a Gargantuan Scorpion to aid them.
Spoiler
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Fiery vision: two beams of [roll0] and [roll1]
Holy star ranged touch attack: [roll2] (Damage: [roll3])
Both are fire damage.
Gargantuan Scorpion appears below and a little to the left of Vaasth.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Once more, Rabina attempts to yoke the beast to her will, and once more it rebuffs her efforts. She can sense a great strength within the beast, greater than she thinks she could easily master.
The beast turns its attentions to Vaajek, seeking reparations for its wound. As it turns on the swordsman, the wound in its side begins to close, seemingly healing within seconds. Though the wound does not fully close, a thick layer of scabs forms over it, and the beast seems much less hampered by it. The beast brings its full might to bear against Vaajek. First it lashes out with its tail, revealing a sharp, barbed stinger that pierces through Vaajek's armor and flesh, then it slaps at him with its tail's massive bulk. Then it lashes out with its claws, battering Vaajek as easily as if he were a child's doll. Then it drops down, its head level with the swordsman's body, and gores him on its twisting horns, shattering bones and tearing muscle, and causing blood to flow freely from Vaajek's mouth (100 damage, not counting damage reduction).
Considering its work done, it then turns on the transformed Drann, eying the flying, flame-wreathed humanoid with amusement. With its powerful jaws, it lashes out, its fang cutting through the champion like adamantine scimitars. Drann can feel necrotic virulence tainting his body, but an inner strength wells up within him, shielding him from the baleful power of the beast's bite - a boon granted to him by Gahz's abjuration. However, even Gahz's mighty spell cannot stop the beast from clutching Drann in his jaws, putting him perilously close to being swallowed. (35 damage, not counting damage reduction. Drann is now grappled).
Gahz lets loose with a volley of flames, but the beast seems unharmed by any fire, even the fiercest a mage could call up. However, the scorpion he summons up seems like it might prove a match for even a beast as fearsome as the tower monster.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Drann's Turn...will have to wait until Mythweavers is back up.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Bloodied, but not shaken, Drann takes advantage of his position, clutched between the beast's jaws, to let loose a volley of blows, pounding on the monster's weak, unprotected mouth. His battering successfully shatters the beast's soft palate, leaving its jaws gaping comically askew.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Vaajek's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Vaasth takes a slightly more defensive stance, his hand clutched around nothing, like a vicious talon as small arcs of electricity crackle between his claws and up his arm. "Vakraa!!" He cries his abyssal battle-cry as he swings his arm forward and an arc of lightning fires from his flung arm to the body of the beast, it cracks the air for a split second as it collides with it and burns the air.
Spoiler
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Don't need to roll for defensive casting. Using my chain lightning SLA.
CL check for SR: [roll0]
Electricity damage: [roll1] DC 26 Ref save for half.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Vaajek's bolt of lightning heads unerringly towards the brute, but it managaes to duck the worst of the bolt, its side only glancingly singed. Nonetheless, the shocking current that runs through its animated body manages to throw the beast into painful, erratic spasms.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Mahogany's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Mahogany seems to be having the time of his life as he watches the battle raptly, though jumps back a bit as the giant scorpion suddenly makes it's appearance.
He shields his eyes as the lightening bolts crackle through the area, peering hard at the nightmarish beast under attack, lest he miss a single moment.
"Fry it up good, lad. Like mine sunny side up!" he calls to Vaajekk with a broad grin.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
A bubble of violet light, ephemeral as that of the aurora forms around the beast, and begins to contract around it. As it does, the monster seems to shrink, becoming younger and younger in shape, diminishing greatly in stature. Its serpentine body shifts, taking on a reptilian, bipedal stance, its tail shrinking and losing its stinger. And that is not the only change: the beast is brought back to life from its state of undeath, its necrotic flesh taking on a vibrant orange hue. As the violet fades, what is left seems a much weakened, juvenile form of the monster you were just facing.
OOC
Spoiler
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Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the mother of all debuffs.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Sinan's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Sinan
A befuddled Sinan stares down at the beast with increasing frustration as it shrugs off his most recent spell.
Well, actually, his most recent spell is still gently dissolving away its flesh, but it shrugged off all the others. In fact, he notices, that spell is also gently dissolving some of what, he supposes, are his erstwhile companions. He should probably do something about that.
Sinan swoops downwards-ish, wafting back and forth to make himself harder to hi. He halts himself just outside the creature's jaws, experiences an amusing moment of deja vu, and stretches in to grasp whatever part of the silvery fiery fellow is most easily reachable. "Come along, we'll soon have you out of this, eh?" he says cheerily, to let the fellow know to accept the spell.
And indeed, the pair of them (assuming Drann is willing) vanishes and reappears a good fifty feet away. Sinan tosses a quick wave backward, and things stream upward out of the fog around the creature. The creatures resemble some kind of insect, each one as long as a person is tall, but made from shards of masonry, as if they had been torn from the stone of the tower beneath the beast's feet. Mandibles of jagged stone and stings formed from slivers of metal make them look quite threatening, and worst of all, the things emit a terribly loud buzz and a weird static warbling, like some hunting cry never heard on Khorvaire before. They hover menacingly about the creature, darting and feinting with incredible speed.
Spoiler
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Drann is receiving the benefit of a Teleport spell, should he choose to accept it.
Tumble to avoid attacks of opportunity is an autosuccess.
Fog deals [roll0] damage.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Sinan and Drann teleport away from the now-diminished beast to a place of safety. Meanwhile, he summons a swarm of what seem to be stone insects, a legion of monsters that seem to arise from the tower itself. The whirr and click in an eerie, cicada-like symphony of menace as they move towards the monster.
For Mahogany
Spoiler
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You recognize the stone insects for what they truly are: an illusion. Sinan has not summoned them, but merely devised a mass illusion to fool the beast.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Rabina's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Rabina
::Not so great:Not so large:Not so potent:Not so dead:::But does not death come even unto the poor man's cottage and the palaces of kingsoh sweet one for youYES.[!][!]::
The cloud of oily darkness that is Rabina surges forward and flicks forth a tendril of bleak color; arcing along it are warped, illusory versions of the beast, in its current form, a fully human one with laughing eyes, its massive form...and at least a few that lie motionless, bleeding from gaping wounds. When it contacts the creature, the other visions collapse...
Spoiler
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Move action, another twenty feet.
Standard, manifesting Recall Death.
DC to resist is 30, damage on successful save:
[roll0]
OOC: I just now realized why that darn Control Body kept failin'. CURSES!
Maybe next round if it keeps healing itself, I'll fling its not-undead-not-collasal arse off a cliff. Like I meant to.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
The arc of possibility collapses onto the towering monster, revealing gaping wounds, unfolded from the depths of past and future. However, they are not the fatal wounds Rabina had sought to draw forth: painful and crippling, but not enough to lay the behemoth dead.
The monster lashes out at the nearest of Sinan's stone wasps, attacking it tooth and nail with everything it has. However, after its first blow misses, it halts, regarding the behemoth with an almost curious look. It tilts its head, stares at the stone creature for a few seconds, and then leaves, wandering off to face Vaajek. The stonelings in reach of it attack as it leaves, but their blows miss.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Gahz's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Gahz
Gahz shakes his head, unable to puzzle out the why's, how's and wherefore's of the purple light's effects.
Gahz's scorpion strikes with claws and sting, mindless of any danger inherent in the strange mist enveloping the beast.
Gahz shifts his form once more, this time assuming the form of an immense elephant, far bigger than even its natural cousins. Fifty tons of pachyderm stomps right over and past Mahogany without breaking stride, barrelling toward the monster like an out-of-control lightning rail, head lowered to present tusks that could put tree trunks to shame.
Spoiler
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Scorpion attack:
Claw: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Claw: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Sting: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]
If a claw strikes, improved grab ([roll6]), ((OOC: Forgot Improved Grab only works on smaller creatures)) if the sting does it imparts a Fort DC 23 1d8 con poison (not that poison will probably hurt this thing).
Gahz becomes a Gargantuan-sized Behemoth (Str becomes 36, AC becomes 38, base land speed 50ft). As part of the shift, casting a free action Bull's Strength (Str now 42). I think I'm allowed to charge through an ally space if he's three sizes below me. If not, ignore this portion of the post and assume I just double-move to get in range.
Charge attack: [roll7] +2 for the Bull's Strength
Damage: [roll8] +2 for the Bull's Strength
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
The giant scorpion manages to break through the beast's carapace with only one of its claws, its stinger and other claw rebuffed by the thick armored shell. That is all the leverage it needs to grapple the beast into submission, but its strength is no match for that of the beast, even in its shrunken state.
Gahz transforms into a behemoth pachyderm, and charges towards the beast. As he does, he finds that he can simply move through the stone insects summoned by Sinan - they offer him no resistance. He impacts with comet-like force, staggering the hulking monster.
As Gahz charges, Drann flies right beside him, ducking and weaving beneath the behemoth's legs. He flies up and through the cloud of acid, floating above the beast, his fists ablaze with silver fire.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Vaajek's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
He stopped for a moment, his eyes widened for but a moment, looking into the young eyes of the infant beast. His expression suddenly hardens, as if reverting to a different personality. He lifts his blade high, a torrent of ash swirling around it, and swings it down with unholy vigor. The screams of Shavralath come from it as it sails through the air.
Spoiler
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Initiating Feed the Maw of Hell. Also some nasty side effects of my spirit weapon.
Attack: [roll0]
Weapon Damage: [roll1]
Strike Damage: [roll]20d6 vile[/roll]
If it hits it also takes 1 negative level, and poisoned(1d6 Str pri. and sec.) with a Fort save of 29.
Poison damage: [roll2] Str
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Crit Confirm: [roll0]
Let's do that Strike Damage agian: [roll1]
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Mahogany looks up into the underside of great elephant as it passes over and looks down again quickly, averting his eyes.
"Go at it beastly fella, but mayhap keepin' some drawers around might be for the best!" he calls out.
He shakes his head, "Lands but that be a tough brute..."
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Vaajek's wicked blow strikes with great force, tearing a vicious gash in the creature's underbelly, spilling blood and entrails all over Vaajek. However, that is but one stroke of the blade, and Vaajek knows his strike should have spread vile toxins through the beast's blood, and sapped at is life force, yet he feels certain that this has not happened. What does happen, however, is that the beast's flesh begins to crumble to dust around the wound, the disintegration deepening the gash - certainly nothing Vaajek had intended to do.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Sinan's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Sinan
The stone insect-creatures abruptly cease their threatening wail, as well as their attempts to dive-bomb the behemoth; they hover lazily in the air, as if suddenly bereft of motivation. Sinan, meanwhile, produces another spell, launching a tiny white streak from his finger; shortly after it passes over the creature's shoulder, it detonates with a hiss, bathing the creature's flank in an eerie white fire.
Spoiler
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Quickened True Casting to give +10 to overcome spell resistance, followed by an empowered Rimefire Holocaust, cast so that only the thing is in the area. Damage- [roll0], half fire and half cold, Reflex half. CL check against spell resistance is +30, if needed.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
An eerie, white flame spreads through the air, enveloping the beast. While it seems the flames will once again do nothing to it, that is not what happens: instead, ice spreads where the flame is, able to harm the creature now that its flesh is living. Though the beast manages to duck the worst of the rimefire, it is still frostbitten and rimed by the blast.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Rabina's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Rabina
The maid of Dolurrh slowly brings her hands together, as if working against a massive resistance; around her, lashings of electric blue play with a strong odor of ozone. As her fingers meet, her head-sockets flare, sprouting ball lightning to race toward the foe.
::You are persisting, shouldn't be still, still here, not now! Not Right, This. Should Die.::
Her cloak of night falls for just a moment to reveal her standing, hands at her sides, resigned and weary, even as her missiles reach their target. Her lips part, move.
"Please; won't you stop? Won't you stop?"
Spoiler
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Energy Missile, Lightning, Augmented by seven points. Reflex DC to resist 33 [Half Damage], +2 bonus vs. Power Resistance.
Damage:
[roll0]
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Rabina's cascade of electricity sears the monster's defenseless flesh, the lightning seeking a route straight to the beast's heart through its conducting smell. There is a hagard stench of singed flesh, and the beast wails in pain.
Blinded by agony, it lays into Vaajek with everything it has, not letting up for a moment. Its shrunken limbs, however, and the wounds they inflict on the warrior are practically mere scratches compared to its former strength. However, it still has enough power in its jaws to snag Vaajek, lifting him up in its maw (49 damage, Vaajek is now grappled).
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Gahz's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Gahz
Recognizing that his fiery gaze is useless against this beast, Gahz lets out a challenging trumpet and lashes out with first his mighty tusks, then momentarily going up on his hind legs and attacking with his forelegs to bring his weight and size into play.
His scorpion continues to tear at the monster with claws and stinger.
Spoiler
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Gahz:
Gore: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Stomp: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Stomp: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]
Scorpion attack:
Claw: [roll6]
Damage: [roll]2d6+10/roll]
Claw: [roll7]
Damage: [roll]2d6+10/roll]
Sting: [roll8]
Damage: [roll9]
If a claw strikes, improved grab [roll10]
Holy Star switches back to +6 AC mode, AC goes up to 44.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Spoiler
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Argh. Too many attack rolls.
Damage for the scorpion's attacks:
[roll0] for the first claw and [roll1] for the second.
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Spoiler
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Do we have a dice roller thread? This is getting out of hand.
The critical threat for the second stomp: [roll0]
And the one for the scorpion's sting: [roll1]
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
The kajubaan roars in anger as he's ripped from his place in mid-air by the creature's jaws. He closes his eyes and effortlessly concentrates as he clutches his claw as he did before, it again crackling with vicious electricity. He stabs his claw into the roof of the monster's mouth and unloads the electrical energy from his arm and into the brain of the beast.
Spoiler
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Another auto-Concentration, using my second of three chain lightning spell-like abilities.
Chain Lightning: [roll0]
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
Gahz and his summoned scorpion work in concert to take down the beast. Gahz rears up and crushes it beneath his feet, and there is an audible cracking of bone as he stamps down. The scorpion graps the thing's foreclaws with its pincer and jabs its stinger right between its eyes, wounding the monster painfully. With a roar, it breaks free from the scorpion's hold.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Drann's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
From the few moments of respite that The Guardian can get while dodging the beast, he is sill, as if preparing for something. Suddenly, from that stillness, an explosion of fire and physical might rains down upon the creature.
Spoiler
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Activating two of my grafts, dealing in a burst [roll0] fire damage (DC 22 ref negates)
Burning Fist [roll1]
Burning Fist [roll2]
Burning Fist [roll3]
Burning Fist [roll4]
Burning Fist [roll5]+[roll6] fire
Burning Fist [roll7]+[roll8] fire
Burning Fist [roll9]+[roll10] fire
Burning Fist [roll11]+[roll12] fire
*fists are magic and adamantine
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
The Silver Guardian's flaming fists cannot burn the beast, but the force of his blows still pummels down on it. It recoils in pain, only to be met with a bolt of lightning fired down its throat by Vaajek, searing its innards. The wafting smell of its roasted organs is overpowering, and its wails are deafening.
Initiative
1. Drann
2. Vaajekk
3. Mahogany
4. Sinan
5. Rabina
6. Tower Monster
7. Gahz
Map
Mahogany's Turn
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Re: Adventure in Eberron: The Paradox Wars
"RAWWWR GRRROCH BRRBRHHH PARRBRRRRRRR R RRR RR KLAWWRR?" Mahogany calls out, and then rubs his throat with a wince.