The Acquisitions Department (IC)

[The Antigamer]

Puck again trys to slash the wererat with his Naginata.

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Giving up 1d6 subdual damage to use befuddlement on the wererat. If it failss a will save DC 17, Dethir is considered invisible to him, and the next time he gets a critical the critical is cancelled.
Attack (counting flanking bonus and layline bonus): (d20+12)[27]
Damage: (d8+2)[9] + ((d6)[3] non-lethal)

[Keld Denar]

Combat Round 5
Visibly shaken by Dethir's roar, the wererat shrinks back a step. Unsure of whether or not it can defeat the massive man in front of it, it nonetheless counter attacks. Fortunately for the man, neither the knife nor the jaws manage to sink home.

Lania, renewed by fervor, smashes more rats as the continue to try to climb up her armor. She gets in another good shot as the rats reposition themselves.

The Puck also gets in a good shot as the swarm as it passes beneath his feet and up his legs. Unfortunately, his attack falls just short of hitting the wererat...again.

Relic drops his web spell and flees from the swarming rats, followed shortly by Rozalia.

Round Summary

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Dethir, the Puck, and Lania all take 6 damage from swarming rat bites.

The Puck and Lania both hit with AoOs, but Dethir missed his vs the rats.

Wererat is shaken for 1 round.

Map

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Your turns.

[Tacitus]

Relic

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LN Marrutact Conjurer Level 5, Init +7
Perception +2 Spot, +15 Listen (Discriminating Hearing, Darkvision 60ft)
HP 19/30
Speed 30ft(L)
AC 15+4, Touch 13 (+4vsIncoporeal), Flat-footed 12+4
Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +9
BAB/Grapple +4/+5
Abilities Str 12, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 22, Wis 14, Cha 15
Buffs Mage Armor [8 hours]
Condition -
Resistances SR 19, ER 2 (Fire), ER 5 (Desiccation)
Immunities Natural Dehydration (Can drink mouthful of water to end Magical dehydration)
Racial Darkvision 60ft, Discriminating Hearing (kinda like scent, but for ears), Ancient Scholar (+11), Howl of Healing (Free Action, 10 healing to allies within 30, additional 5hp for those within 10) [1/1], Half Water per day
Class Immediate Magic (Abrupt Jaunt) [4/6]

With a quick shift of his stance the jackal-headed mage rears back and then spits a word of power that floods forth from his lips and slams into the were-rat with an aura of terrible heat of the noonday sun. Steam rises from the creature even as the moisture within its body tries to bake out from its skin.

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Standard: Cast Dessicate.
DC 18 Fortitude Save.
(2d6)[9] Dessication Damage, or half on a successful save.
On a failed save the were-rat becomes Dehydrated, which is treated as Fatigue until treated for dehydration. (Requires magical care in the form of the Hydrate or Heal spells or Long Term Care from the heal skill and double water for 24 hours)

[Salbazier]

After managed to free herself from the rats' distraction, Rozalia once again to step forward to strike the wererat. She raise her arms high. Another glowing runes appears, forming into an ornate glaive. Focusing all her fury, she swings it at the wererat.

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Move to Q5

Power attack: -1 for +2 to dmg
Standard: Cant-Silence Glaive to attack the wererat.
Attack(1d20+12)[20] (count flanking)
Damage:(1d10+8)[10]+(1d8)[7]Sonic
DC 18 to avoid being Silenced (not that will do much good)
Negative level if critical

Statblock:

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Rozalia ir'Matreish
TN Swordmage Level 5, Init +3
Perception +8 Spot, +5 Listen
HP 38/41
Speed 30ft(L)
AC 21, Touch 13, Flat-footed 18
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +5
BAB/Grapple (normal) +5/+5
Abilities Str 13, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 21
Condition
Incantation Prepared 0th- Composite Longbow, Guisarme, Greatsword, Spear; 1st- Charged Arcana, Critical Point, Blinkplate; 2nd- Blink Dagger, Megaton Hammer, Bleed out; 3rd- Silence Glaive, Quickblade
Item Mage armor (continuous); Teleport 10 ft 2/d as swift action (command)
Other Effects Blinkplate (+8 armor bonus, net increase to AC by 4 (21);5 times; 2 rounds)';

All canted weapon is at least +1;

[MammonAzrael]

Dethir

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Dethir Cloudsong
LG Lesser Aasimar Samurai Level 5, Init +12
Perception +15 Spot, +7 Listen
HP 26/47
Speed 30ft(L)
AC 19, Touch 13, Flat-footed 16
Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +10
Resist Acid 5, Cold 5, Electricity 5
BAB/Grapple +5/+9
Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 12, Wis 20, Cha 15
Condition -
Stance Absolute Steel (+10' enhancement to speed, +2 dodge to AC if moved 10'/round)
Maneuvers Readed Crusader's Strike, Emerald Razor, Foehammer, Iron Heart Surge
Item Anklet of Translocation [2/2 d], Healing Belt [3/3 d]
Other Effects -

Pressing his advantage, Dethir slides to the side and uses the creature's hesitation to strike a blow at another area left carelessly open. It's neck.

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Move Action 5' step to R5
Standard Action Attack ragged halfling with Emerald Razor

Touch Attack - (1d20+12)[32]
Critical confirmation = 20
Weapon damage - (2d6+7)[10] + Koryu Master - (1d4)[2] + Critical - 18 = 30 damage
Note - Emerald Razor is a melee touch attack.
Critical confirmation and damage here.

[Salbazier]

Rozalia holds back from the temptation to use some swear words (that was simply unbecoming, even in a filthy place like this). "Relic! You are the wizard! Cast something to stop this creature's movement so we can slay it!"

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Spellcraft check: (1d20+12)[32]

Making this creature thirsty.. Are you trying to make him drink the filthy water?

[Tacitus]

"You saw how bloody useful my Web was. And yes, thirsty. You wander around a desert for three days without water and see how well you fight when its all said and done. And see, there goes his head. More wasted magic!"

[Salbazier]

"Well,.. that works too." commented Rozalia on Dethir's decapitating strike. She is slightly disappointed that she didn't deliver the killing blow, but she soon focuses her mind back on the battle ... against a bunch of disgusting rats. What a way to test people

[The Antigamer]

The Puck gives a joyous hurrah when the wererat's head is removed.
Lightly stepping through the rats to get away from them, he again starts chittering at them in an animal tongue.
Rat

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"Your boss is dead! And these pinkies will kill you too if you let them! Flee, come back for food later, we won't take it!"
Diplomacy (d20+15)[18] or handle animal (d20+9)[12], whichever you prefer, if needed.

He then readies his Naginata to strike if they attempt to attack anyone again.

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Move to T3, ready action to attack a swarm and render Dethir invisible with befuddlement if they attack anyone instead of following his advice and fleeing.
Rolls if needed:
Attack (includes layline bonus) (d20+10)[11]
Damage (d8+2)[10] + ((d6)[6] nonlethal)
Will save DC 17

[King Tius]

Assuming the rats DON'T disperse at Puck's bidding, Lania will continue to bash them with her magic mace.

attack: (1d20+7)[17]
damage: (1d8+4)[7]

[Keld Denar]

Combat Round 6

The wererat shrugs off the effects of Relic's spell while dodging under the Puck's attack.

Dethir pushes the wererat off him with tremenous force, spinning around low with the momentum, his blade leading with murderous intent. The creature's expression briefly turns to one of disbelief as the keen edge bites into its neck. It stands there for a moment, hanging in shear defiance of gravity before the body crumples and the head rolls off into the sewer canal.

Lania's mace strikes crush several more rats, the remaining rats in the swarm leap into the sewer as the swarm disperses.

The other swarm, however, continues to climb and bite with full fury. One even manages to climb up Dethir's breastplate, biting at his face despite his helm.

The wererat's hovel continues to burn, the fires spreading to the whole structure. The heat is pretty intense and smoke starts to fill the upper ceiling.

Round Summary

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Dethir takes 4 damage from the swarm.

Wererat and one swarm are dead.

Map

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[Salbazier]

Conjuring another weapon, this time a simple dagger, Rozalia slashes several rats, trying to get help Dethir get them off. She then continue with the surrounding rats using a conjured Greatsword.

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Full Attack: Cant Quickblade to attack the swarm, gain Haste effect for 2 rounds
Attack roll (1d20+12)[31] counting +1 from haste
Dmg roll (1d4+6)[9]

Extra attack - Cant Greatsword to attack the swarms
Attack roll (1d20+12)[20]
Dmg roll (2d6+6)[13]

5-ft step to Q4

Statblock:

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Rozalia ir'Matreish
TN Swordmage Level 5, Init +3
Perception +8 Spot, +5 Listen
HP 38/41
Speed 30ft(L)
AC 22, Touch 14, Flat-footed 18
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +5
BAB/Grapple (normal) +5/+5
Abilities Str 13, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 21
Condition
Incantation Prepared 0th- Composite Longbow, Guisarme, Greatsword, Spear; 1st- Charged Arcana, Critical Point, Blinkplate; 2nd- Blink Dagger, Megaton Hammer, Bleed out; 3rd- Silence Glaive, Quickblade
Item Mage armor (continuous); Teleport 10 ft 2/d as swift action (command)
Other Effects Blinkplate (+8 armor bonus, net increase to AC by 4 (22);5 times; 1 rounds)'; Haste (2 rounds)

All canted weapon is at least +1;

[King Tius]

Envigored by the turning tides, Lania steps up to T4 and brings her mace down on the second swarm.

"We've got them on the run! Let's finish this."

Attack: (1d20+7)[23]
Damage: (1d8+4)[7]

[Tacitus]

Relic

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LN Marrutact Conjurer Level 5, Init +7
Perception +2 Spot, +15 Listen (Discriminating Hearing, Darkvision 60ft)
HP 19/30
Speed 30ft(L)
AC 15+4, Touch 13 (+4vsIncoporeal), Flat-footed 12+4
Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +9
BAB/Grapple +4/+5
Abilities Str 12, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 22, Wis 14, Cha 15
Buffs Mage Armor [8 hours]
Condition -
Resistances SR 19, ER 2 (Fire), ER 5 (Desiccation)
Immunities Natural Dehydration (Can drink mouthful of water to end Magical dehydration)
Racial Darkvision 60ft, Discriminating Hearing (kinda like scent, but for ears), Ancient Scholar (+11), Howl of Healing (Free Action, 10 healing to allies within 30, additional 5hp for those within 10) [1/1], Half Water per day
Class Immediate Magic (Abrupt Jaunt) [4/6]

Knowing he can't truly harm the swarm he slides up warily anyhow and a dagger flashes from within his robes as he makes his best effort while grumbling about rats.

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Move: Advance to Q3, drawing a Dagger along the way if I haven't already.
Standard: Whoo, attack, for anywhere from 1 to 2 damage if I hit, yay!
(1d20+5)[11]
(1d4+1)[5]

[MammonAzrael]

Dethir

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Dethir Cloudsong
LG Lesser Aasimar Samurai Level 5, Init +12
Perception +15 Spot, +7 Listen
HP 22/47
Speed 30ft(L)
AC 21, Touch 15, Flat-footed 16
Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +10
Resist Acid 5, Cold 5, Electricity 5
BAB/Grapple +5/+9
Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 12, Wis 20, Cha 15
Condition -
Stance Absolute Steel (+10' enhancement to speed, +2 dodge to AC if moved 10'/round)
Maneuvers Readied Crusader's Strike, Emerald Razor, Foehammer, Iron Heart Surge
Item Anklet of Translocation [2/2 d], Healing Belt [2/3 d]
Other Effects -

Dethir smiles in triumph only briefly, as the aggressive rat snacks on his cheek. With a grunt he throws the rat off, and heads away from the swarm that has been crawling all over him. With a bit of breathing space he takes a moment to mutter a word, activating his belt and healing some of his wounds.

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Move Action Moves to M5
Standard Action Activate Healing Belt on self, using 1 charge

Healing Belt - (2d8)[10]

[The Antigamer]

The Puck shakes his head.
Rat

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"What'd I tell ya guys? Shoulda ran."

He slices at the remaining mass of rats.

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Attack (includes layline bonus) (d20+10)[29]
Damage (d8+2)[6] + ((2d6)[6] nonlethal)

[Keld Denar]

Combat Round 7

Lania and Rozalia disperse the remaining rats with little effort. Squeeking in anger, they jump into the sewer water like...rats jumping into sewer water.

The fire on the wererat's hovel continues to burn cheerily, casting happy dancing shadows on the sewer walls while an ever expanding pool of blood leaks from the void between the wererat's shoulders.

OOC

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Out of intiative order, I think Admiral Squish will take over from here.

[Admiral Squish]

The body of the were-rat lies, headless and prone, upon the stone walkway near the canal, blood pooling beneath it, soaking it's filthy rags. You can hear the fading squeaks of the rats that fled, and the squashed bodies of the dozen or so rats you slew lay crushed and broken upon the stones, piles of ragged fur and bones. The burning shack crackles and burns. You can see now, what's left of the spit supports the tightly-bound body of a young half-elf, it's skin now charred and blackened from the flames of the web, the last of which can still be seen sparking along his undergarments. By the color of the flesh beneath the burns, you can tell that the boy hasn't been dead for long. What flesh isn't scorched retains much of it's color. The boy may even have been alive when the wererat turned to face you all. Now, however, he's clearly quite dead. Beside the cooking fire are the now-scorched remains of his student robes and a number of his other belongings. A textbook, a small dagger that clearly failed to protect him, a quill, and a number of other scholarly accessories.

[The Antigamer]

The Puck moves to stare at the student, shakes his head and gives a small sigh, then begins to check the robes for a medallion.

"Can anyone put out those fires in the hut? We may have to check in there."

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Search (d20+3)[18]
Expending one repair belt charge (2d8)[12]

[King Tius]

Lania keeps her sword out (for light) and casts Create Water to douse the flames.

[Salbazier]

Rozalia stares the body with a sour expression for a few moment.

"Seriously, warning us of the danger going alone while sending mere students alone."

She runs her fingers on her hair a bit, removing some dirt left by the rats. Well, I guess that's why they are hiring.

"Any sign of the medallion?" she asks The Puck.

[Tacitus]

Relic

Covered in bites with robes stained with blood, Relic wanders over near the fire and slowly sinks down to the ground with his back against the wall. His dimly glowing eyes inspect the corpse and he son realize that he may have killed the... boy? Yes, it seems to have been a boy. He lets out a quivering sigh, though he says nothing.

[Admiral Squish]

Puck:
It doesn't take long for you to uncover the medallion in the pile. It's at the very bottom, perhaps the wererat removed the potentially valuable item first.

Lania:
The hut sizzles and pops a few times as the last of the flames struggle to find hold in the now-wet and scorched hut, but they quickly die. The air of the expanded section is now quite steamy, and the remaining water quickly flows into the channel, bearing chunks of ashen wood and trinkets from the rat's hovel.

[The Antigamer]

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Considered using sleight of hand to hide the medallion, as that's what Puck would probably do (while still going on to help find more) but figured I should be a team player

Puck lifts the medallion to show everyone.
"One down, four to go. Who else votes Dethir should hold on to this one?"
He tosses the medallion to Dethir, then walks over to where Relic sits, and holds out a hand.
"It wasn't your fault, the rats said their boss killed him before he was placed on the fire," he says firmly.
"Now help me search what's left of this shack."

[MammonAzrael]

Dethir

Catching the medallion, Dethir nods to The Puck. "I would be happy to hold onto this, and the others we will find down here. Though hopefully," he pauses, looking at the poor roasted student, "not with such a dismal fate for the students carrying them. Should we not return him to the Academy? Even if it waits until after this test, the Academy should have the chance to resurrect the boy...or at least let him be laid to rest with his ancestors." With a sad final glance to the deceased and a whispered prayer to the ancestors to watch over him, he heals himself again as he goes to collect his bow.

Tucking the medallion into one of the side pouches of his pack, Dethir walks back to the were-rat's charred hut. Ducking inside, he looks around, checking for any other items the rat may have squirreled away over it's time in the sewers.

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Healing Belt - (2d8)[11]
Spot - (1d20+15)[23]
Search - (1d20+1)[2]

[Tacitus]

Relic

With a heavy sigh he takes Puck's hand and slowly rises to his feet, "Aye, aye, but if he wasn't..." He shakes his head and goes about sifting through ash and timbers, and generally through anything else in the area.

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Search check! Come on 6 int mod, don't fail me now! (1d20+6)[19]

[The Antigamer]

Seeing that the shack is full, Puck turns back to the Wererat, searching the body to see if it had anything useful.

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Search (d20+2)[22]

[King Tius]

Lania drops to a knee beside the fire and says a prayer for the fallen student.

"It is a shame that he has come to such a fate, but surely he knew the risk when he took this assignment? I cannot imagine that the university forced these students into this role, or else we'll have to purge the academy halls like we are cleaning out these sewers."

She keeps an eye on the sewers while the rest of the party searches the area.

[MammonAzrael]

Dethir

From inside the shack Dethir's voice speaks out, full of thought. "While I do not suspect the academy to have forced students to perform this task, it would not surprise me if they understated the dangers present. Or this could simply be a tragedy due to unforeseen circumstance or the student flouting the rules placed for his safety. Either way I feel it is our duty to return the boy."

[Admiral Squish]

Dethir:

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The interior of the hut yields nothing particularly surprising. A filthy mattress, a few cheap, dirty implements scavenged from the streets above, a couple bones hung on the wall. Some of the skeletons are to be expected, rat bones, a dog's skull, but then there's a long, narrow jawbone that looks like it belongs on a crocodile, and a hollowed out insect shell the size of a man's head.

Relic:

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The search turns up nothing particularly out of place. Rusted pipes, and, of course, rat poop. Piles upon piles of rat poop.

Puck:

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Underneath the rat's rags, you find his equipment to be surprisingly well-made. Likely stolen, he's wearing a fine chain shirt and buckler concealed beneath his ragged clothes. Similarly, his hooked knife is also of rather fine quality, once the filth and grime are wiped off of it.