[3.5] Tomb of Horrors

[Derjuin]

[Checks to see what just happened:

Spoiler

Show

(1d20+19)[38] Spellcraft,
(1d20+10)[28] Knowledge (Arcana)

]

[TheOasysMaster]

Bob's emotional outburst draws a laugh from Daina, who watches the celestial dog with some interest. It runs the 20 feet without incident.
Bob's search turns up nothing.

Derjuin, inbox for the Spellcraft/Knowledge Check

[Ermanti]

Bob will try again, this time telling his new dog to run 40 feet in, and 40 feet back out. He'll also glare daggers at Daina, "A cautious adventurer is a live adventurer. How would I know whether or not some huge fireball wouldn't have launched out of the mist if someone was sent in there? Or it could of awoken some sort of bound demon, or some equally doomy fate? I almost want to go back into town and grab some more supplies, but there's a storm brewing; and the last thing I want is to get lost in those gods forsaken woods in a storm."

[TheOasysMaster]

Wait. You've been sending the dog through the MIST? And you walked through it? I thought you were re-searching the corridor!

[Derjuin]

"Don't go near that head again," Dranga warns, her voice returning to normal as she figures out how to work the wisp-speak. She recognizes the magic at play with the disappearance of the spade and relays it to her comrades. "Inside is a sphere of annihilation - a powerful object that'll disintegrate just about anything that touches it! Some kind of powerful magic is holding it there, so we should not have trouble with it if we simply avoid it..."

"So it seems we have only one obvious route..."

[

Spoiler

Show

Totally me right now.
"Hey! Listen! Hey! Hey!"

]

[TheOasysMaster]

[Alright, I need some clarification on what Bob was doing. Was he sending the dog and walking through the mist? or just back up the corridor?]
Harley pales, "Best to keep away from it-then again, I've heard that with enough mental fortitude, one can control a 'void ball'..."

[Ermanti]

(ooc: No, I meant the dog was walking going to walk 40 feet in and 40 feet out, I was going to stay 20 feet away from the tunnel with mist, where I was)

[TheOasysMaster]

Alright, to make this simple the FIRST time, Bob sent the dog back down the hallway and out. The second time...

The dog leaps through the mist...
...the party waits.
And waits. The dog does not return.
Trevor curses.

[Monodominant]

Spoiler

Show

heh I missed alot... I am ill and looking at the screen makes me dizzy...

we already know what it is but here goes anyway

knowledge arcana (1d20+12)[22]
spellcraft (1d20+17)[18]

Also I am trying to figure out if there is any way FOR ME to control the sphere if I am succesful with the above roll or even if I am not after our wizard mentions it

knowledge arcana (1d20+12)[22]
spellcradt (1d20+17)[34]

Welby curses as she mentions her idea

"HA! No it wasnt a sorceror! SORCERORS DONT BECOME DEMI-LICHES! Sorcerors are nice and good people not like all the evil wizards in the world! Not to say that all wizards are evil but most are! You are an exception you are okay! But in any case if a sorceror WAS evil, which is rare, then he would be a full lich and not some kind of half-assed demi-lich!" He says in one go and stops to breath before continuing

"Anyway, that means the mouth is a no go... BUT perhaps someone wants to take a look at these frescos and see if I missed something? Also this "poem" or something here is like a riddle... it probably says something about those lights..."
Welby flies back and reads the message again.


"Okay so it says..."Go back to the tormentor or through the arch,
and the second great hall you’ll discover.
Shun green if you can, but night’s good color
is for those of great valor." which I take to mean we need to check the torture fresco or something... when it says shun green... well we have the green demon we should avoid but I dont get the nights good color..."

Spoiler

Show

I got the picture working... here is welby!

[TheOasysMaster]

Spoiler

Show

Alright, Welby's Knowledge Rolls are successful:

A sphere of annihilation is static, resting in some spot as if it were a normal hole. It can be caused to move, however, by mental effort (think of this as a mundane form of telekinesis, too weak to move actual objects but a force to which the sphere, being weightless, is sensitive). A character’s ability to gain control of a sphere of annihilation (or to keep controlling one) is based on the result of a control check against DC 30 (a move action). A control check is 1d20 + character level + character Int modifier. If the check succeeds, the character can move the sphere (perhaps to bring it into contact with an enemy) as a free action.

Control of a sphere can be established from as far away as 40 feet (the character need not approach too closely). Once control is established, it must be maintained by continuing to make control checks (all DC 30) each round. For as long as a character maintains control (does not fail a check) in subsequent rounds, he can control the sphere from a distance of 40 feet + 10 feet per character level. The sphere’s speed in a round is 10 feet +5 feet for every 5 points by which the character’s control check result in that round exceeded 30.

If a control check fails, the sphere slides 10 feet in the direction of the character attempting to move it.

If two or more creatures vie for control of a sphere of annihilation, the rolls are opposed. If none are successful, the sphere slips toward the one who rolled lowest.

Should a gate spell be cast upon a sphere of annihilation, there is a 50% chance (01-50 on d%) that the spell destroys it, a 35% chance (51-85) that the spell does nothing, and a 15% chance (86-100) that a gap is torn in the spatial fabric, catapulting everything within a 180-foot radius into another plane. If a rod of cancellation touches a sphere of annihilation, they negate each other in a tremendous explosion. Everything within a 60-foot radius takes 2d6×10 points of damage. Dispel magic and mage’s disjunction have no effect on a sphere.

Welby realizes though that this sphere is a unique one, it is much larger and has been kept static by epic level magic. Attempting to control it can have unusually bad consequences.

Daina appears thoughtful, "Welby's on to something... There IS the frescoe of torture and this arch IS here... Green was definitely a bad idea. Did anyone notice that the lights only flash in that order, and only when something is within 6 or 4 feet of the arch?"
Trevor nods, "That mist isn't very comforting though... I'll see if I can dispel it. Bob, is there anyway for you to find out if where the dog went before I try and get rid of the mist? I think I can even see a little beyond it!"
Harley hefts his bag of tools and equipment, "Perhaps Welby and I can see what this "tormentor" is all about..."

[Ermanti]

"I'll tell you what happened to that poor dog...DOOM happened. Though the first 20 feet in looks like it's safe...but I don't want to risk it. If someone else wants to go in there and summon some monsters, more power to them. I'll check out the frescoes with you guys."

[TheOasysMaster]

C'mon guys! This is a thinking-man's game! You've got to put some thought into it! Try something! Experiment a little.
The party is in an entrance that appears to go nowhere, and is decorated rather specifically-logically, there has to be a way forward!

[Ermanti]

(ooc my character hasn't had a chance to check out the frescoes or the poem yet, so I'm just giving him an IC reason for coming up with stuff...give me a few and I'll have a way to move forward )

[TheOasysMaster]

Shall I repost the images? To be honest, all the Search and Spot checks won't help you guys now: put on yur thinkin' caps!

[Ermanti]

"I think I have an idea guys! lets try opening all these pitfalls up. 'Two pits along the way will be found to lead
to a fortuitous fall, so check the wall.' right?"

Edit: "We should write this poem down too, it may come in handy"

[TheOasysMaster]

All the pits have been opened. Of course, one could search them.
Daina takes some sheafs of paper, and begins copying down the poem. Writing in neat script, everyone soon has a copy.
Add it to your inventory.

[Tyrael]

Snake leans forward and cautiously pokes one of the flashing stones with his rapier.

[TheOasysMaster]

Which one?

[Tyrael]

Arbitrarily....Yellow.

[TheOasysMaster]

Left yellow. Orange right. Blue Above.
Left yellow. Orange right. Blue Above.
Left yellow. Orange right. Blue Above.
The gemstones have been flashing ever since Snake has been within five feet of the arch. When he presses the yellow gemstone with the tip of his rapier, the yellow one ceases flashing. And the other two flash a little brighter.

[Tyrael]

Snake tilts his head curiously. On a whim, he pokes the Orange light.

[Ermanti]

Paranoia senses tingling, Bob cries out, "Whaaaa!? If you're going to poke something, at least use a 10ft pole!" He swiftly pulls one from his backpack and hurls it like a javelin at Snake.

Spoiler

Show

Attack (1d20+5)[17] -any penalties fro throwing a 10 ft pole 80 feet

[TheOasysMaster]

The Orange light goes out as well. The Blue Light glows a little brighter, shining amiably.
The pole completely misses Snake, bouncing at least a yard from his feet.

That wasn't very nice.

[Ermanti]

(ooc: I knew it would miss. My character just panicked and did the first thing that came to mind)

[TheOasysMaster]

Yeah, I figured. I wouldn't want to really mess with a guy with a snake tongue either. I just looked at his AC to see if it COULD hit him, then I began typing.

[Ermanti]

After throwing the pole, Bob continues looking into pits, trying to see what characteristics they share, and what might be different.

[Tyrael]

Snake whirls around, his long forked tongue darting as he hisses warningly at Bob. "What the hell wasss that?" he asks, confused.

[TheOasysMaster]

In the southern most pit, Bob believes he can make out the edges of small hole along the west side of the pit...
In the northern pit, he notices that there's a great deal more dust here than in the other pits. And it appears to be of a more grayish-black tinge...
[Feel free to make a Spellcraft check.]

[Ermanti]

Spoiler

Show

Spellcraft (1d20+1)[6]

Well, guys, I found a few things. Some sort of impression down in the southern pit; and some black stuff in the northern pit

[Monodominant]

Spoiler

Show

Welby will fly down the pits or even better use the fact that he can walk on walls to get down there without touching the spears etc and check the residue and the passage way... once again first look at it then poke and not touching it at first.

(1d20+17)[27] for spellcraft check for the residue you mentioned.

and since we generally have time I will take 20 on checking the torturer room fresco with the usual precautions.

My total in that case is 23 and if someone helps its 25 from synergy.

The halfling was getting irritated... despite the fun situation there was no action so far and it was getting on his nerves having to face all those dangers.

"Okay friends. Obviously from the poem there are two exits here. One is somehow linked to this tormentor picture and the other is through that arch with the mists. As dark ominous mists are not that inviting and since the poem doesnt give any clue about the sequence I suggest we first check here at the fresco and if nothing is found we can try all combinations on the arc... should not be that many with only 3 options... like yellow-blue-orange, yellow-orange-blue, blue-yello-orange, blue-orange-yellow, orange-blue-yellow and orange-yellow-blue"

Spoiler

Show

I will also cast a detect magic and check the pits and residues in them, the frescos and the mist area for the full 3 rounds to get any extra info.