The Savage Tide [IC]

[lostsole31]

The MAC (Mother Attack Crew) continues searching forward, noting the side passageways - port and starboard - leading to the other cabins all along centerline. Finally, the most forward part of the ship belowdecks, found just around the starboard corner of the galley and taking up the forward section, is the crew room. The group then carefully descends the hatch there into the forward hold (20' forward tip to aft bulkhead). There is a set of double hatches just slightly starboard of the aft bulkhead.

That said, in the hold here it looks like the Thunderer still holds a lot of her valuable cargo - several chests of gold and platinum, objets d'art, and other fine things. Though other things have fallen rotten to the sargasso, including many of these chests that are more weed-shaped boxes now instead of the original chests, if you can manage to get these things out of here it would be a boon to morale to finally bring some decent coin home after all of these trials and losses at sea, and so little to show for it.

Does anyone do anything here?

[PSinger]

"We can't skylark right now. Who knows what's happening at the ship right now, so we have to strike against Mother quickly."

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom pauses for a moment to see if the ship was carrying any more... exotic... goods.

Spoiler

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Cast Detect Magic on cargo

[lostsole31]

Tom casts detect magic on one quadrant of the cargo. There is magic in the cone he is looking at.

Captain Darrius, you recognize the spell, but it sounds like you wanted to sally forth. Trying to cover the hole room would be about four castings (though others could help that have the spell. Do you take this time for this or move forward?

[PSinger]

Captain Darrius checks the double doors for traps/ listens/ picks/ opens.

[lostsole31]

No traps, but there seems to be some unidentifiable, low rumble. The door is unlocked.

Tom, in that time you find an enormous, barnacle-encrusted shield showing a shark devouring humans. There are two auras: a weak abjuration aura, and another aura you don't recognize.

[PSinger]

Darrius smirks. "Well, not like any of us can use that monstrosity, but it have worth raw and historical value .... later."

With the last word, Darrius punctuates it by throwing the doors wide open.

What do we see?

[lostsole31]

The Main Hold is 30' port/starboard, and 40' fwd/aft. At the stern wall is a 10' opening where double doors used to be. In the space just beyond, a huge section of the hull has rotted away here, leaving a stinking pit with walls of writhing green and brown vegetation. These walls writhe with horrible half-formed life, semi-human shapes twisting and spasming from thick tumescent stalks like anthropomorphic fruits ready for harvest. The pit drops away into a noisome, unseen depth, certainly far deeper than sea level, into an unknown hell below.

The shaft is 25' in diameter, and the air within is stifling hot and foul, foul enough that Dr. Cohen vomits and is woozy for about four rounds. The unformed and growing vine horrors in the walls twitch and writhe to attack, but are incapable of attacking. Enough people in the group can estimate the climb to be an Athletics (climb) DC 20 check per movement.

It's a little tight, but 25' is still flyable for Dr. Cohen. Desiria can't climb out of a paper bag with wooden stairs to a screen door. What do the rest of you do/ suggest?

[Swami Monsoon]

"If anyone needs help descending, I can make the air support them..."

Tom stares down into the pit.

This. Is. Going. To. Suck.

Spoiler

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Referring to Levitate spell.

[lostsole31]

Though they will be more vulnerable while climbing, Agnipati and Shouting Tree trust their ability to climb while Dr. Cohen can climb.

"Best to put that ability on Sister Desiria, Tom," says Dr. Cohen. "Not only for ease of travel, but she can respond to danger a little better than the climbers. If anyone wants to buff themselves or others, now would be the time."

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom nods. He approaches Desiria, purses his lips and blows a gentle stream of air at her. Suddenly, she appears to be very light on her feet...

Spoiler

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Cast Levitate on Desiria.
Cast Magic Weapon on spear.

[MikelaC1]

If she has the slots, and her Mage Armour has dissipated, Desiria will renew it.

[PSinger]

Darrius will go nice and carefully on the climb. It would normally be ridiculously easy for him with his acrobat boots, his strength, and his training, but the strange shifting, nascent horrors are freaky.
If possible, can I Take 10 by going more carefully? If so, the result is a 27.

[lostsole31]

The climb begins. Desiria is levitating and Dr. Cohen is flying with his Gili-Nachum lit with continual flame, and he is glowing with his own holy light that seems to encompass everyone. Everybody's weapons and shields are stowed. Agnipati's form is now another yet to have been seen. It is that of a sleek, black, panther-like creature; her hands are sinuous and end in hooked tentacles.

Round 1: Agnipati climbs 30'. Desiria levitates 20'. Dr. Cohen has trouble at first, but flaps downward to be near Desiria (20'). Darrius keeps getting thrown around by the shifting vine horror larvae and doesn't get anywhere. Shouting Tree has a rough start, but then covers 10'. Tom has the same inauspicious start, but only covers 5'.

Round 2:

Spoiler

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Agnipati 30' + 30' = 60'.
Desiria 20' + 20' = 40'.
Doc Cohen 20' + 20' = 40'.
Darrius 0' + 20' = 20.
Shouting Tree 10' + 10' = 20'.
Tom 5' + 15' = 20'.

Round 3:

Spoiler

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Agnipati 60' + 30' = 90'.
Desiria 40' + 20' = 60'.
Doc Cohen 40' + 20' = 60'.
Darrius 20' + 20' = 60'.
Shouting Tree 20' + 0' = 20'. Shouting Tree has a lot of trouble.
Tom 20' + 15' = 35'.

Agnipati calls up, "I'm about 90' down, and there is a 25' wide pool of water here!"

Just then, bubbling out of the water is a dislocated sack of foul smelling vegetation wreathed in screaming humanoid forms that struggle to free themselves from the foul flesh. A vast distended belly bathed in foul green mucus hangs from the vaguely humanoid form. Infantile cries echo from the hideous passengers that slowly pull themselves from their mother. Twenty feet tall, this grotesque hybrid of woman and plant is a nightmare of mucoid arms and clustered eyes. It is a deviant thing of rot, a pyramidical bulk that rises to a head of eyes and barbed, thorny teeth.

Spoiler

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Please see the .jpg I have just send around, and let me know in OOC once you've seen it.

[lostsole31]

R4T27: Agnipati drops into the water, only to find that it is about shin-deep. She readies her magic spear and she shifts form into what she has called the "hellfire hunter" form - the one that is reminiscent of a hell hound with fire powers.

R4T23: Desiria, despite Doc Cohen flying at your same relative height with his lit warhammer, the creature below is in the shadows but you can tell it is BIG! You don't see Agnipati anymore. She was in the shadows 30' below you before but then she disappeared from view before you heard a loud splash sound.

The light, combined with the constantly pulsing, moving, pulling creatures of the "walls" already makes the light tricky. You have to blink your eyes a few times, and then you see the Mother of All, Agnipati, and above and below this chute in perfect clarity, but it has taken on a monochromatic coloring. Agnipati is safe on the bottom, threatening the huge monster with her spear.

What do you do?

[MikelaC1]

DESIRIA

Desiria has saved her biggest spells for this battle, and the moment she sees the Mother of All, she launches a scorching ray at her.

Spoiler

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(1d20+4)[23] Ranged Touch attack & (4d6)[17] damage.
Note sure if Agnipati counts as being in battle with her, if so, apply firing into battle modifiers

[lostsole31]

R4T23: Desiria has saved her biggest spells for this battle, and the moment she sees the Mother of All, she launches a scorching ray at her. The ray hits the monster with pathetic ease; not only is she massive, but she is a lumbering mound. The ray does 17 fire. Desiria holds position, which is probably best since this thing can't reach higher than the 70' mark (30' above the floor).

R4T22: With a prayer bead around his neck, Dr. Cohen casts bless on the party. He flies around and down another 5' (65' mark), and is just out of reach of the monster. The monster is still entirely in the shadows and beyond.

R4T17: Darrius, you are 60' from the top (40' from bottom), on the same plane as Desiria. With darkvision you are able to see her clearly, but your superior low-light vision with Cohen's torch-light gives you better texture and color. The monster is Huge (15') with 15' reach, means that the highest it reaches is the 30' from bottom mark. What do you do?

[PSinger]

A little bit of his incarnum switches from his acrobat boots to his sighting gloves.

Spoiler

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1E boots (2) >> gloves (1)

Dissolving spittle RTA (1d20+8)[20], (4d6)[12] acid damage.

[lostsole31]

R4T17: A little bit of Darrius' incarnum switches from his acrobat boots to his sighting gloves. He spits and hits her for 20 acid. The monster gives a horrible, burbling moan.

R4T13: Shouting Tree finally gets his pace again and moves down 20' ... 5' laterally below Tom (but a few feet over).

R4T12: Tom, you traveled 35' down the shaft; you don't see the bottom (or Agnipati), but your darkvision picks out the top part of the Mother of All (and Cohen gives the top shadowy illumination). What do you do? Remember that you are climbing. (You only gave the spell to Desiria, no one else asked for it and you never stated you would actually cast it on yourself.)

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom releases his hold on the wall and lets himself fall... and then checks himself suddenly in midair, grabbing a handhold that he hopes is just out of the creature's reach...

Spoiler

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Using Feather Fall at will
I've probably traveled more than 30'... do I still have an action left?

[lostsole31]

R4T12: Tom releases his hold on the wall and lets himself fall. He tries to check himself suddenly in midair by grabbing the nascent vine horrors, but their twisting slick nature and Tom's speed do not help as he plummets down.

Tom, you are now 5' off of the "ground" with feather fall still active, 10' from Agnipati, and about to be put into a bad way if you don't do something.

Spoiler

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You have all of your actions. FA to release hold; IA to SLA feather fall. The IA means you get no SwA, but you still have MA and SA as with any turn.

What do you do?

[Swami Monsoon]

"F$%k!"

Tom has clearly not thought his cunning plan all the way through... He lets out a long exhalation, and the released breath seems to propel him straight upwards... hopefully out of the thing's reach.

Spoiler

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Cast Levitate on self.
Move up maximum distance of 20', so now 25' above "ground" level.
Which is still just in range... so, yeah, I'm still screwed.

[lostsole31]

R4T12 (Cont'd): "F$%k!"

Tom had clearly not thought his cunning plan all the way through. He casts levitate, lets out a long exhalation, and the released breath seems to propel him straight upwards... hopefully out of the thing's reach.

Spoiler

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Because of the danger level, I'm assuming that you have shield worn but spear away to cast spells? Unlike a light shield, a heavy shield (like yours) requires the full use of the hand and arm and you can't switch a weapon to it as a brief FA to cast a spell. I do have down that you have magic weapon on spear.

Oh, and I understand story-stuff, but you still have to cast the spell ... it's not an SLA so it still shows as you spoke, invoked the winter forces, and made sure the symbol was visible.

Because you didn't define and it is now the Mother of All's turn, this is what I'll assume .... you need the protection.

R4T5: A babbling cacophony of wailing erupts from the back of the Mother of All where the very beginnings of vine horrors appear. The Mother's body stretches upwards some as she bites around Tom's side for 15. He has never felt anything so strong and powerful in his life; to his relief, however, the bite has no ability to hold him fast. Meanwhile, she slashes at Agnipati with both claws, but her incredibly thick hide protects her.

End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T27: Agnipati manages to acrobatically close on the Mother despite the sloshing bottom. She slashes with her spear's edge with an excellent cut, but the Mother's form manages to soak up some (10 mod).

R5T23: Desiria, you are 40' from the bottom, which puts you 10' outside of the Mother's reach. The horrible noise coming from her will make it hard to concentrate. What do you do?

Spoiler

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If you cast a spell, roll a Concentration check applicable to the caster class.

[MikelaC1]

DESIRIA

Desiria fights to maintain her concentration in spite of the Mother's horrid wailing and lets fly with another scorching ray.

Spoiler

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(1d20+5)[15] concentration
(1d20+4)[21] ranged touch
(4d6)[13] damage
not sure what the caster level check is in PF, so I just rolled a d20 plus level5

Retroactive: my bonus is actually +10, so my conc result is 20

[lostsole31]

R5T23: Desiria fights to maintain her concentration in spite of the Mother's horrid wailing and lets fly with another scorching ray that hits it for 13 fire.

R5T22: A holy aura of a whopping 20' in radius surrounds Dr. Cohen. He is at a height of 40' and flaps down 5' (35' from deck), so everyone except Agnipati finds themselves in this glow. It is mildly warm, and very comforting. Dr. Cohen's fantastic presence, "handsomeness" as a dwarf (or any race), wings and aura make him seem like a stout version of some type of angel. He takes out a stoppered flask.

R5T17: Darrius, you are 40' from deck. What do you do?

[PSinger]

"Underhill!" shouts Darrius. "Use that ability you have to help protect you - and us - from harm."

Darrius maintains his height and spits acid at the monster.

Spoiler

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RTA dissolving spittle (1d20+8)[9], damage (4d6)[17] acid

[PSinger]

Fumble-fumble?

Spoiler

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(1d20+8)[13], effect (1d100)[71]

[lostsole31]

R5T17: The spittle sprays more than streams, just missing Tom and spatter only a couple of feet from Agnipati. She looks up at her captain with a "are you kidding me?" look, especially considering that this monstrous and slow beast is like hitting the broadside of a barn.

R5T13: Shouting Tree sees his precarious situation if he climbs too close. So, he has trouble at first as he tries to move to the side quickly but with too much of the mutable wall's distraction, but another attempt and he climbs, not vertically, but an accelerated 15' around the side of where he was (still 40' off deck) to position himself above the monster.

R5T12: Tom, you are 25' off deck and threatened, and you need to get to a height of 35' if you no longer wish to be threatened. Also, you were busy with feather fall last round, but you have the focus now to switch your aura to something more useful if you'd like. Given how effortless levitate seems to me, I rule that you can take a "5' step" (obviously only vertically), but that won't help you clear being threatened this round.

What do you do?

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom edges upward and exhales a jet of frost at the Mother, aiming at its back to avoid Agnipati and hopefully to hit some of its "passengers."

Spoiler

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5' step upwards
Change aura to Toughness
Use breath weapon on Mother (30' line), aiming at the side away from Agnipati
Damage (2d6)[9]

[lostsole31]

R5T12: Tom edges upward and exhales a jet of frost at the Mother, aiming at its back to avoid Agnipati and hopefully to hit some of its "passengers." The monster is so pathetically slow that the line hits her square on, but the light cold damage doesn't seem to do anything to her. In the meantime, everyone's enhanced senses return to normal but their skin is toughened as before.

R5T3: For such an ungainly horror, she manages to seemingly melt away into the sargasso before Agnipati can react. At the same instant, she seems to extrude from the wall with the lowest part of her appears 50' from the bottom! Her bite darts forth to attack Darrius and hits him in the back for 12 mod. Then a claw zips across Desiria's gut for 5 mod. Finally, the last claw lashes at Shouting Tree, but instead of trying to claw him the wiggling tendril shoots between his body and the wall and the powerful creature throws him off of the wall. He falls 40' to the bottom for 13 mod and he's prone in the shin-deep water.

End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T27: Agnipati takes one of her normal spears and throws it 45'. It hits the monster squarely, but even with Agnipati's superhuman strength the spear doesn't do nearly what it should at only 8 mod.

"This battle just got a lot harder," she shouts up. "It's not just the resistance to weapons, but that ability was a high-speed ability that mimics a very powerful druid spell known as transport via plants."

R6T23: Desiria, the huge Mother of All is 10' above you, and it seems she can lash out to a distance of 15'. What do you do?

Doc on deck, captain in the hole ...