"Murder, Lies and Civic Duty." a Pathfinder Campaign Journal

[GorinichSerpant]

So it Gandil going to have a new character now, or is he going to run around like the least terrifying ghoul in all of existence?

[Kid Jake]

Kavos plans on keeping him locked in his basement as his own personal wailing wall. Not exactly sure what he's going to play next, but we're tossing ideas around.

[(Un)Inspired]

Kavos plans on keeping him locked in his basement as his own personal wailing wall. Not exactly sure what he's going to play next, but we're tossing ideas around.

I assume his next character will die after a few sessions and he'll switch back to Gandil just like last time.

[Kid Jake]

Sadly he's already accepted that Gandil's time's up so I don't see that happening, in his own words 'It wouldn't make sense for the he campaign to continue with Gandil still in the picture. He wants too many people dead.'

[(Un)Inspired]

Sadly he's already accepted that Gandil's time's up so I don't see that happening, in his own words 'It wouldn't make sense for the he campaign to continue with Gandil still in the picture. He wants too many people dead.'

That's too bad but somewhat understandable. Did you get the sort of advice you were looking for for his next character in your other thread?

[Grim Portent]

To quote Dwarf Fortress, 'It was inevitable.'

[wicketman8]

I just read up to the last post in one day. You've captured my attention again! Good work.

[Kid Jake]

That's too bad but somewhat understandable. Did you get the sort of advice you were looking for for his next character in your other thread?

Yeah, I posted him some links and he's got a concept coming together now, we're still hammering it out though.

To quote Dwarf Fortress, 'It was inevitable.'

I always knew it was going to end bloody for Gandil, I just thought he'd bring everyone else down with him.

I just read up to the last post in one day. You've captured my attention again! Good work.

Glad to hear it

[Togath]

Is there liekly to be more?
It's been my favorite campaign log that I've read~ 0w0
It's really fun to see interesting evil.

[Kid Jake]

Yeah, we just scheduled another game for next weekend and finished setting up Gandil's new character.

Always glad to hear that people enjoy our antics. It's been a lot of fun watching them in action.

[Bob of Mage]

So Kavos has yet to be killed while Gandil has been taken out, not once but twice. Also there's the fate of Gandil's first replacement. I wonder if Kavos will make it all the way to the end. I have the mental image of him being some sort of oddly helpfully LE leader in a hellish world that is so awful mostly from the PC's doings.

[Kid Jake]

Yeah, I honestly feel pretty bad for Gandil; in hindsight it almost looks like I was gunning for him. I'm gonna miss him though. I could see Kavos becoming The Governor when everything's said and done, assuming the Duke's men don't just burn Westbank down when they get there.

Spoiler: Ibaeli

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I've got plans for Ibaeli that should be materializing in the next session or two, the way things ended with the unicorn were just too interesting to have it be over with already.

[Kid Jake]

We finished a new session late last night and finally settled on Gandil a new character. I hope everyone enjoys what followed.

Spoiler

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We pick up almost directly after Gandil's surgery, tensions are running pretty high and what's potentially worse is that Kavos and Gandil were expected at the unicorn's grove the very next day to explain Gandil's plan to the unicorn. A plan that seems to have little chance of being relayed any longer.

Once Rambalt packs up the last of his tools, he excuses himself from Kavos and returns home to mourn his friend. Kavos uses Gandil's Hat of Disguise to stash the former sheriff in his basement, chaining him tightly to the far wall. He then decides to go to Rambalt's house to explain things.

Or at least that was the plan. Some kind of commotion seems to in full swing in the local tavern; it looks like half the town's shown up and most of them seem to be jeering at somebody. That's when Kavos remembers Gandil's ridiculous chess tournament and feels a pang of regret that the ghoul wouldn't get to see the winner with his own eyes.

With a sigh, he goes to check it out and discovers that it's down to two finalists: A middle aged farmer named Greggor and an unbelievably smug looking Kobold smoking a pipe. Kavos is surprised to say the least; Kobolds are pests; not people, and yet... From what he can gather from the crowd the kobold has decimated his opposition in seconds; Greggor is only left in the game because it seems to enjoy playing with him.

Even that doesn't last long however and the kobold seals the win and with it, a leadership position within Westbank.

"Well played my good man. Your problem was that you used your pawns like they were battering rams. They were more a nuisance to YOU than to me" the kobold says with a condescending laugh as it puffs on its pipe. Greggor storms off, red in the face and utterly humiliated by the experience.

His grief replaced with curiosity, Kavos takes a seat across from Westbank's new champion and sets the board back up, the kobold simply smirks.

They play a fast paced game and Kavos questions the creature as they go. The kobold identifies himself as Eadric and claims to be from a town called Greenbarrows far to the east; other questions are simply deflected as being distractions from the game.

Several times Kavos is pretty sure he notices Eadric cheating, but it's subtle enough that he can't be for sure and if anything it increases his respect for the creature. In the end they discover that they are quite evenly matched and Kavos tips his own king over in forfeit.

"Good game." Kavos congratulates the kobold. "Well played...but why are you here?" he asks directly.

Eadric looks up from his pipe. "I was told that the winner of the competition would become an official of the village. The job is now mine, correct?"

Kavos looks over the sea of scowling faces and replies "A deal is a deal."

The crowd begins to boo, but Father Adrian appears from the midst of them and chastises them with a comndening rebuke about honoring debts and accepting wisdom in all its forms.

Holding a hand up to silence the irritable crowd, Kavos says "I'm afraid the reality isn't as glamorous as the sheriff made it out to be; in fact it's quite humble. I need an assistant and advisor, if you do well we'll expand your responsibilities."

Eadric sneers, aware that his race is once more holding him back. "How about we play one more game, at a date of your choosing. I win and you instate me as an equal. I lose and I'll take any position you please."

Kavos smiles and without a doubt in his mind that he can take the little upstart he agrees to the terms. He also invites Eadric to spend the night in his guest room since the kobold is unlikely to receive lodging from anyone else in town.

Eadric graciously accepts but says that he'd like to get the lay of the land and goes for a walk before turning in. Kavos purchases several bottles of wine and decides to invite Rambalt over for dinner to try and set the mage's mind at ease over their mutual loss.


Now I should mention that while Eadric the kobold is an unknown around Westbank, Eadric himself is pretty familiar with the town. He makes regular use of Alter Self to appear human and keeps his ears peeled for juicy rumors; the juiciest of late perhaps involve the mysterious Professor Rambalt, Kavos's personal mage.

Knowing that the rematch with Kavos could happen at any time, Eadric resolves to find an edge; perhaps an item or potion which can boost his intelligence even further than it already is. To this end, he decides to rob Rambalt.

The house itself is easy enough to find, though the lights are out and not so much as a sound can be heard inside. Eadric takes this to mean that the mage is asleep, rather than processing the fact that he just (literally) butchered someone he considered a friend. With almost no effort he pops the lock and with a smile, opens the door to Rambalt's home.

BOOM!

The explosion is deafening and Eadric is nearly dropped to single digits by the flaming sphere that materialized as he opened the door. The door itself is splintered nearly off its hinges and everything inside and out is scorched black.

Eadric coughs painfully and manages to stumble to his feet just in time to hear something large lumbering up the stairs. In a panic the little kobold crawls over to a cabinet and squeezes himself inside to escape detection just as the flesh golem 'Junior' bursts out of the cellar door looking angry and frightened. Rambalt is behind him with a staff in one hand and wand in another.

"So help me Ibaeli!" Rambalt shouts, the fear evident in his voice. "If that's you, I swear by all the gods and devils thade made you; you AREN'T walking away from here THIS time!"

Eadric sinks down a little lower in his drawer and listens as Rambalt tears his own house apart in search of the intruder. The little kobold risks a peak outside and watches as the irate Rambalt draws a scroll from his belt and whispers a few words; the scroll shifts into the form of a dove with a note on its leg and flies off to find Kavos. It simpy bares the words "Someone broke in. -Rambalt"

By the time Kavos arrives the whole place is lit up to the gills and Eadric is groaning from his hiding place; so much for his first night in power...

Eventually Kavos shows up and helps Rambalt ransack the place, though they never manage to uncover Eadric's hiding place. Kavos convinces Rambalt that if it was Ibaeli then he's obvously been scared off and even if he hasn't then Junior is more than a match for him. He invites Rambalt to have a drink with him. With a little coaxing Rambalt leaves Junior to clean up and leaves with Kavos.

Eadric takes this opportunity to slip out of his hiding place and explore. Junior is tireless, but not exceptionally perceptive so Eadric manages to make it downstairs without much trouble.

He quickly wishes he hadn't.

Without even trying the kobold stumbles onto the remains of what looks like nearly a dozen corpses; it's hard to tell exactly because they're all just crammed into a loose pile in a closet. He grows even more nervous when he sees the racks of staffs and presumably magical weapons and trinkets that line Rambalt's basement.

"Who ARE these people?" he mutters nervously to himself as he slips upstairs and past Junior, out into the night air and freedom.

Eadric returns to Kavos's home in time to hear Kavos explain to Rambalt how Gandil attempted to kill him and everything that came after was simply self defense. He sadly confides that he would have stood with Gandil against almost anyone if it had honestly came to that, but once Gandil turned on him he realized he was little more than a mad dog that must be put down for all their sakes.

Rambalt understands why it had to happen but takes little comfort. Excusing himself and wishing Kavos a good night he takes a bottle of wine and slinks back home to be alone. The rest of the night passes in relative silence.

Spoiler

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Morning comes quick and Eadric is still pretty roughed up from the night before but he still sets out with Kavos and Father Adrian on horseback to meet the unicorn. Adrian comments that he'd expected Gandil to be with them and says that he hopes Gandil isn't still upset over their encounter.

Kavos motions that Eadric should fall back a bit and explains the situation to Adrian, about how Gandil attacked him and had to be dealt with.

Father Adrian shakes his head sadly and says "I really did like that boy. It's a shame that things had to end that way..."

"How's Longarm doing?" Kavos asks.

Adrian smiles sadly. "He's still adjusting. His...appetites don't sit well with him."

Kavos nods. "How well is he adjusting? We need a sheriff and he has experience." he says plainly.

Father Adrian nods slowly. "He's still fit for service; he's just not happy about it."

"Miracles happen a lot in this town it seems. Maybe it's for the best that Longarm returns." Kavos offers.

"It would certainly do HIM a world of good." Adrian agrees.

They continue hashing out the particulars even after they hitch their horses and make their way to the grove itself, where they discover the massive unicorn waiting for them with its usual complement of beasts. Adrian's jaw nearly drops upon seeing the brutish creature.

Wasting no time for niceties the unicorn snaps "What is the plan which the deadflesh offered us?" it demands. "For that matter...where is the deadflesh?"

Eadric takes an instinctive step back; surprise on his face. He'd assumed that unicorns were extinct.

"Gandil....is dead." Kavos says, twisting the truth slightly. "His plan died with him."

The unicorn growls low, obviously not one to take disappointment well. "Then what does the manflesh offer us?" it asks.

"I offer only news of his passing." Kavos says humbly. "Any dealings you may have had with him, died with him. Instead I suggest we start anew. I want nothing more than our alliance to flourish and to see the Duke driven away from our homes."

The unicorn considers Kavos's words for a moment and then replies "Perhaps WE have a plan then." Motioning twards Eadric it says "We see that you are in possession of a dragon whelp. They are weak and cowardly creatures, though useful on occasion. Perhaps MORE whelps would better serve our interests."

"They are quite an interesting peope. Especially this one." Kavos admits.

"Humans are interesting too." Eadric replies snidely. "They always seem to think they're the center of everything. I don't know what unicorns think obviously, there aren't enough left anymore to matter."

The unicorn seems more surprised than insulted by the kobold's outburst and tilts his head curiously. "It does seem more alert than most. Perhaps less likely to wallow in its own filth for warmth?"

Returning its gaze to Kavos the unicorn adds "It knows where others of its kind live. Others which may serve."

Kavos glances from the unicorn to Eadric "Why would they serve us?" he asks.

The unicorn returns its gaze to Eadric. "Once the dragon whelps worshipped a false god. A great wyrm which lived in this forest and claimed these lands as its own. But dragons are gluttonous beasts, much like the ettercap, and their presence disturbs the natural order of things."

With a powerfuly stomping motion the unicorn says "So we slew it. Along with our brethren we crushed its skull and trampled its eggs before they could hatch. All but one. A foolish act of mercy perhaps; saving a creature that doesn't deserve saving. We have not sought it since, so it may yet live."

"How long ago was this?" Kavos asks.

"Many years past. More years than we have bothered to count..." the unicorn admits. "Find the child and parade it before the whelps; they will in turn worship you as gods."

"Where do we go?" Kavos asks.

"We...do not remember." the unicorn admits, a note of embarrassment in its voice.

Kavos frowns, "Then how do we-"

"I know where it is!" Eadric volunteers. "Or at least I know of a den in this area. What are the chances that two wyrms claimed this area as their own and were murdered for it?"

They quickly make arrangements for a wagon and chains and leave Westbank on the word of the kobold. Father Adrian stays behind in case of emergencies.

Eadric's directions are fuzzy so they stumble around the forest for the better part of three days. Kavos fills Eadric in on the basics, leaving out anything incriminating. Near the end of the third day, they finally reach their destination.

Spoiler

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The brush is extraordinarily dense in the area and everything appears to be covered in thistles and barbs. They abandon the cart and their horses in order to make their way to a gigantic burrow dug directly into the ground itself; the entrance is overrun with vegetation and the stone walls seem reinforced. Something intelligent obviously built this.

They go over their options:
-Plan A is to beat the thing stupid and ride it into the Kobold Warren, declaring themselves living gods in the process.
-Plan B is to kill it and drag it into the Kobold Warren, declaring themselves living gods in the process.
-Plan C is to run away and not get eaten by the dragon.

With that spelled out for them Eadric offers to go in first to make sure it's the right place and Kavos takes this opportunity to hide behind a tree.

The cave itself is completely dark, but kobolds luckily thrive in such places. It's also quite deep and he finds himself inching forward for quite a while before reaching the end where he becomes convinced this is the right place. A spectacular hoard lies here complete with coins of every denomination, gems of various sizes and shapes, rusted and shattered weapons and armor, books, knick-knacks and the bones of dozens of animals mixed in with the treasure. Perhaps most tellingly though is the horse sized dragon sleeping in the middle of it all.

Eadric eases his way forward to avoid waking the creature and hides himself with all of his considerable skill before shouting "Wake up dragon!"

The beast's eyes flare open and it narrows them dangerously. A rumbling growl rolls instinctively out of its throat.

"What is your name dragon?" Eadric asks from his impeccable hiding place. "I mean you no harm!"

"Ro'than'dur." it replies, its eyes scanning the room for the trespasser. "Come out little..." it sniffs the air, seeming to savor the scent. "Kobold. Prove your good intentions."

Ignoring Ro'than'dur's suggestion Eadric calls out "I hear that dragons are among the most clever creatures in the known world. If you are as clever as you believe yourself to be then I challenge you to a game of wits! Winner takes all."

The dragon's mouth moves into some semblace of a grin and it says "Very well. What are the stakes?"

"If I win, you serve me and the human village I now call home until I release you from your debt." Eadric says. "If you win-"

"If I win the game, I'll gobble you up. Bones and all." the dragon finishes, crawling off its pile of treasure. "I am too clever for you alone little kobold; call your friends. If ANY of you can outwit me then I will serve you."

"I will defeat you alone." Eadric insists.

"I am very, very good at this game." the dragon ensures him. "It will take all of you."

"There's only two of us, but I will be enough." Eadric says, sliding down the wall where he'd scurried up for cover. "The other is waiting outside. Come and we'll-"

Eadric stops as he notices the dragon is laughing. "It looks like I just won." it says cruelly. Before the kobold has a chance to react he's pinned beneath a taloned claw that's nearly as large as he is; he tries to shout a warning for Kavos but is cut off.

The dragon holds the kobold tightly and unfurls his wings, all but exploding out the mouth of the cave and landing with Eadric in tow in the clearing outside.

"This was supposed to be a battle of wits!" Eadric squeaks in a pained voice as Kavos looks on from his hiding spot.

The dragon gives a predatory smile and squeezes harder; digging sharp claws into the kobold's flesh. "It was. Don't you feel stupid?" Ro'than'dur replies, sniffing the air in search of Kavos.

"Where is this village little kobold?" the dragon asks. "Maybe I'll eat them instead of you. Maybe..."

The dragon looks down just in time to see an empty flask hit the ground and turns Eadric face up to see what he just did. Eadric takes a deep breath as the dragon does so and exhales a gout of flame directly into its face.

Ro'than'dur roars in pain and aggravation and snaps his jaws threateningly.

Kavos steps out of cover and casts Bestow Curse but the dragon seems to shake it off.

Ro'than'dur glares down at a smirking Eadric and takes a deep breath of his own exhaling a torrent of acid which soaks the now screaming kobold and takes him down to less than half health. Eadric miraculously manages to slip out of the dragon's claws during the excitement and bolts across the clearing; leaping over some brush and landing behind a tree. Kavos immediately hits the dragon with Searing Light to get its attention.

As Kavos and Eadric hide behind their respective trees the dragon roars something and vines erupt from the ground, attempting to entangle them; luckily they both manage to sidestep the attempts. To their horror however the dragon leaps into the air and slams down directly next to them, invalidating their hiding places.

Eadric downs a different potion and spits a sticky blob at the dragon's feet, it strikes the dragon but Ro'than'dur manages to avoid actually getting stuck to anything. Kavos casts Sonic Burst into the dragon's face but does little more than make him mad; the elderly cleric then decides to take his chances in the bushes and attempts to navigate the difficult terrain away from the now enraged dragon.

As Kavos is fleeing Ro'than'dur takes a deep breath and exhales another cone of acid at his backside; taking his hp down to the low teens. Eadric takes a potion in each hand (Cat's Grace and Stonefist) and chugs them. Kavos spins on his heels and unleashes a burst of negative energy into the dragon, barely missing Eadric. Ro'than'dur roars in pain and irritation.

"You're going to end up just like your mother!" Kavos snarls.

The dragon seems to focus on Kavos exclusively and snorts once like an angered bull. Kavos suddenly regrets his choice of words as almost a ton of reptilian rage rushes him in a mad dash, its powerful jaws miss him by mere inches and he can smell death on its breath. Acidic drool drips freely from its open muzzle.

Springing into action Eadric charges Ro'than'dur's back and leaps into the air; aiming for his spine. With a powerful Studied Strike he delivers a single focused kick which the last 30 points of damage the dragon has to offer.

It slinks to the ground with a pitiful whine and Kavos just stares as the little kobold slowly brings himself out of a martial arts stance.


"I submit!" the dragon wails. "You have won the game..." it whimpers with a ragged cough. "Take the mother's hoard, just leave me my life. I...I will serve."


Kavos tries to hide just how impressed he is as he and Eadric bind the dragon with chains and tie it to the wagon. While they're at it they decide to pilfer the hoard and see what's worth taking.

When it's all said and done they walk away with several thousand pieces of gold (not useful now, but who knows later) and a plethora of magic items.

Kavos takes:
Belt of Mighty Constitution +2
Tunic of Careful Casting
Jaunt Boots
Headband of alluring charisma +2
Amulet of natural armor +2
and Bracers of Armor +2

Eadric takes:
Monk's Robe
Belt of Incredible Dexterity +2
Slippers of Spider Climbing
Magnetist’s Gloves
Several Formulae Recipes.

They also find:
Vest of Surgery
Vest of All Tools
And two books that they assume are magical.
(I realized a session or two back that I haven't really given them a speck of treasure in 5 levels so I tried to make it up to them all at once.)

Spoiler

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After loading up everything worthwhile from the hoard and chaining Ro'than'dur to the wagon they start back home. Eadric takes to riding the humiliated dragon and decides that one way or another this thing will be his steed.

The ride back to Westbank takes nowhere near as long and just over a day passes before they ride into town, Eadric on dragon back, like conquering heroes. The entire town gathers to gawk at the subjugated dragon and Kavos sends for Rambalt to help them go through their plunder.

While they're searching, Eadric asks Rambalt what he thinks of him using the dragon as a mount and Rambalt says that he's crazy; that you should turn your back on a dragon for even a moment. Eadric snorts derisively but doesn't argue; deep down he knows that he will break this thing one way or another.

Kavos devotes all of the recovered copper, silver, gold and platinum pieces to the town treasury; then lets Rambalt take his pick of any gems that look like they might come in handy before tossing them in as well. He turns the books over to Rambalt and while the first one is dismissed as just a spellbook; the second one actually makes Rambalt gasp.

Rambalt starts flipping through it and Eadric clambers up onto the wagon to look over his shoulder. The book seems to filled with blue prints and schematics that make even the brilliant kobold's head hurt to look at, but Rambalt pores over it like a cook book. Eadric tries to piece together what exactly it does when Rambalt turns a page and revealse a picture of a dragon-like creature made of wood and bronze.

"Is THAT what this book does?" Eadric asks excitedly.

Rambalt nods "This...takes so much guesswork out of my creations. Step by step diagrams for creating automatons." he mutters. "I..I could build an army in less time than it took me to finish Junior!" he says excitedly, then just as suddenly as his spirits raise they seem to pop once more. "Or rather...we could. If we had the materials."

Eadric pipes in "Eastbank would have what you need, we could sneak in and get some ingredients..."

Rambalt shakes his head "We'll need them in bulk; a sack of scrap won't do us any good...we need a caravan to make these things come to life."

Kavos considers Rambalt's proposal for a moment before asking about Lark and with a little probing they get word that he's just recently arrived back from his mission. Kavos sends for him and a visibly haggard Jonathan finally stumbles up to meet them; a large sack strapped to his back and his quiver of arrows very nearly empty; if he's surprised by the dragon he manages to hide it.

Kavos asks for his report and Lark replies that they're massing in the forest, he saw more than sixty of them following a single ghast, but seem to be content to just stumble about for now. He mentions taking the opportunity to scout Eastbank while he was out and unslings the bag while he does so.

As he opens the bag they can see that it's filled with six very solid (if a little lean) puppies with dark brown fur and black faces. Kavos is confused as to why Lark would bring something like that back and Lark explains that he's seen these animals fetch nearly the price of a warhorse when they're trained; he goes onto laugh that he found these eating the weaker specimens in some spoiled little lord's kennel.

"You were actually able to enter Eastbank?" Kavos asks incredulously.

Jonathan nods. "It was rough, but it's not like the ghouls are actually patrolling the area to keep people out." he points out.

"I didn't go much further than the edge of town, but almost everything's untouched." Lark explains. "Storehouses, estates, even stalls. Except for Bryce I think everybody just dropped what they were doing and ran."
He brings out an expensive bottle of dwarven whiskey and takes a swig. "You ever tasted 100 gold a bottle liquor?" he asks, offering it to Kavos who declines, saying that he's more of a wine drinker.

"And...what's a kobold doing running around town?" Lark asks, as if noticing Eadric for the first time.

"I work here now." Eadric says indignantly.

Jonathan nods and extends a grimy hand. "Lark." he says by way of an introduction. Eadric winces at the filth under his nails but shakes anyway.

"Rambalt...you need a caravan right?" Kavos asks, smiling to himself.

Rambalt nods.

"No better time to get it than while the ghouls are busy in the forest." Kavos says. "Just give us a few hours to get ready and we'll be on our way."

Rambalt's positively beaming when he says "I'll make a list!"

Spoiler

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Kavos waits until Eadric settles in to get some sleep to unlock his basement and creep downstairs.

"Could have used your help out there Gandil." Kavos says with a laugh. "You won't believe it, but we fought a dragon!"

Gandil hangs against the wall silently. Suspiciously silent.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way Gandil, but you left me no choice! Don't try to make me feel guilty about this." Kavos says, approaching him slowly.

Gandil remains silent and unmoving.

Kavos notices some kind of ichor dripping from Gandil as he gets closer. Thick and black, most likely what's left of his blood. He closes the distance between them and checks Gandil for injuries; discovering a large almost fist sized hole apparently chewed directly into his chest; the source of the blood.

"Gandil?!" Kavos snaps. "Gandil!" he shouts again, channeling negative energy to attempt to control Gandil and force him to respond. Just as he feared, there is no response.

He leans forward to check the wound and is positive that it looks as though something burrowed inside of him. In fact...the way the flesh pulses, it looks as though it might still be there.

Snatching a piece of wood to probe the wound with, Kavos pries it open and is rewarded with a shower of blood and gore as a spider the size of a cat leaps from Gandil's wound and sinks its fangs into his shoulder.

Kavos stumbles back in pain and fills the entire room with negative energy, slaying the spider without even trying.

Checking his own wound to ensure it doesn't get infected, he inspects Gandil once again. He suddenly realizes that it doesn't look like Gandil resisted this AT ALL. No wounds around the wrists from trying to pull free; nothing knocked over by his flailing... If Gandil had a face, Kavos swears it would be smirking. His eyes still twinkle in death, as though hes had the last laugh.

Kavos shakes his head and starts to storm out, but stops himself on the stairs. Turning to look over his shoulder he glowers at what's left of his best friend. Through clenched teeth he calls out "Hang there and rot then."

[(Un)Inspired]

Great update. Eadric is rad and the dragon fight was exciting.

[Kid Jake]

Thankya. I'm pretty sure it's the only time I've ever actually ran a dragon in D&D.

Eadric turned out pretty awesome and even though it's sort of sad to see Gandil go, he's definitely a solid replacement. I'm pretty sure that once he met Ro'than'dur his entire build concept changed though. He went from 'I wanna be kobold Batman' to 'I want to leap off this dragon and use the momentum to deliver a totally sweet axe kick' almost immediately.

[(Un)Inspired]

Eadric turned out pretty awesome and even though it's sort of sad to see Gandil go, he's definitely a solid replacement. I'm pretty sure that once he met Ro'than'dur his entire build concept changed though. He went from 'I wanna be kobold Batman' to 'I want to leap off this dragon and use the momentum to deliver a totally sweet axe kick' almost immediately.

These things don't seem mutually exclusive. Investigators are pretty seriously righteous. Kobolds is an interesting choice.

[Kid Jake]

True, I guess I could see Batman riding a dragon into battle; Lord knows I imagined it enough as a kid.

He wanted a character that would actually make sense being nearby so I tossed out a couple of ideas and kobold was the one that piqued his interest. He briefly considered being a locathah, a dwarven mercenary, a former Eastbank guard or just a random farmer in over his head (for the lulz) but then decided that genius kung-fu kobold sounded the most fun.

[(Un)Inspired]

True, I guess I could see Batman riding a dragon into battle; Lord knows I imagined it enough as a kid.

He wanted a character that would actually make sense being nearby so I tossed out a couple of ideas and kobold was the one that piqued his interest. He briefly considered being a locathah, a dwarven mercenary, a former Eastbank guard or just a random farmer in over his head (for the lulz) but then decided that genius kung-fu kobold sounded the most fun.

I like it. It seems totally different that Gandil and his Druid.

I hope this one sticks.

[Bob of Mage]

Interesting choice going with a kobold. If I recall right they do get a really useful racial feat that lets them used ranged attacks from stealth more easily.

Spoiler: Kobold Sniper (Combat, Kobold)

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You snipe quickly, making it harder for others to find the location of your attack.

Prerequisites: Stealth 1 rank, kobold.

Benefit: When you are sniping, you only take a –10 penalty on your Stealth checks to stay hidden.

Normal: You take a –20 penalty on your Stealth check to maintain your obscured location while sniping.

Also might want to look at Kobold Ambusher for moving while using stealth.

Spoiler: Kobold Ambusher (Combat, Kobold)

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You are adept at moving fast and staying hidden.

Prerequisites: Stealth 4 ranks, kobold.

Benefit: You take no penalty on Stealth checks when you move up to your full speed. You can use the run or charge action and remain hidden, taking a –10 penalty on the check to do so.

Normal: When moving greater than half speed up to your full speed, you take a –5 penalty on Stealth checks. When you are able to run or charge while using Stealth, you take a –20 penalty on the Stealth check.

Both of these could help make a better kobold Batman if he doesn't have them yet.

I find it kind of funny now that I think about it that he when with a kobold with his trackrecord of losing PCs. I wonder if a "weak" race can outlast the "stronger" ones he used before.

[Kid Jake]

I like it. It seems totally different that Gandil and his Druid.

I hope this one sticks.

Me too; if something horrible happens to this one I'm almost worried he'll think it's a conspiracy.

Interesting choice going with a kobold. If I recall right they do get a really useful racial feat that lets them used ranged attacks from stealth more easily.

Spoiler: Kobold Sniper (Combat, Kobold)

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You snipe quickly, making it harder for others to find the location of your attack.

Prerequisites: Stealth 1 rank, kobold.

Benefit: When you are sniping, you only take a –10 penalty on your Stealth checks to stay hidden.

Normal: You take a –20 penalty on your Stealth check to maintain your obscured location while sniping.

Also might want to look at Kobold Ambusher for moving while using stealth.

Spoiler: Kobold Ambusher (Combat, Kobold)

Show

You are adept at moving fast and staying hidden.

Prerequisites: Stealth 4 ranks, kobold.

Benefit: You take no penalty on Stealth checks when you move up to your full speed. You can use the run or charge action and remain hidden, taking a –10 penalty on the check to do so.

Normal: When moving greater than half speed up to your full speed, you take a –5 penalty on Stealth checks. When you are able to run or charge while using Stealth, you take a –20 penalty on the Stealth check.

Both of these could help make a better kobold Batman if he doesn't have them yet.

I find it kind of funny now that I think about it that he when with a kobold with his trackrecord of losing PCs. I wonder if a "weak" race can outlast the "stronger" ones he used before.

Those both look pretty useful; I'll run them past him.

In all fairness Ibaeli never died (and there's no shame in getting squashed by the unicorn, it's a beast) and Gandil was only slain in combat once; the second time he was mind controlled into submitting to surgery. Eadric is probably as competent in a straight fight as Gandil (he's squishier but has touch AC out the wazoo and adds his dexterity to damage) plus has a grab bag of tricks and magical abilities to draw on from the Investigator class; so even with the strength score of a toddler he's got pretty good odds of coming out of most anything ok.

Which basically sums up Eadric's philosophy (from my impressions at least) on the big races perfectly. "Oh, you think you're so big and strong and smart? Then how come all of you keep dying while I'm still standing here?"

[(Un)Inspired]

What Eadric using to get Dex to damage? He uses unarmed attacks right?

[Kid Jake]

A third party feat, Deadly Agility I think it's called. Yeah, I don't think he even owns a weapon.

[(Un)Inspired]

A third party feat, Deadly Agility I think it's called. Yeah, I don't think he even owns a weapon.

Perfect for kobold batman.

[Kid Jake]

Yar. I'll try to eventually drop him some magic bolos or caltrops or something so he can feel more 'ninja-y', but between his fists of fury, ridiculous number of skills and the ability to quaff a potion to spit glue he's pretty much a couple of murdered parents away from being Bruce Wayne already.

[(Un)Inspired]

Yar. I'll try to eventually drop him some magic bolos or caltrops or something so he can feel more 'ninja-y', but between his fists of fury, ridiculous number of skills and the ability to quaff a potion to spit glue he's pretty much a couple of murdered parents away from being Bruce Wayne already.

If you're open to 3.5 stuff check out boomerang daze and boomerang ricochet from races of Eberron. It'll make him vicious with a baterang kobalderang.

[Grim Portent]

So Gandil has been replaced by a covetous, cunning kobold kung-fu combatant? Alliteration is fun.

[Kid Jake]

If you're open to 3.5 stuff check out boomerang daze and boomerang ricochet from races of Eberron. It'll make him vicious with a baterang kobalderang.

I'm open to about anything they bring to me, though I don't believe they have much 3.5 stuff and almost all of my books are boxed up and buried under yet more books so I don't either at the moment. I do love the image of a kobold flying through the air on a dragon chucking boomerangs at people though.

So Gandil has been replaced by a covetous, cunning kobold kung-fu combatant? Alliteration is fun.

You left out calculating kleptomaniac, if his venture into Rambalt's house looking for 'smart pills' is any indication of what he's got in mind.

[GorinichSerpant]

I'm curious about what is with book with the dragon construct formulas. And do you really plan on allowing them to end up with an army of dragon shaped robots.

[Kid Jake]

Spoiler

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It's a Book of Effigies (think reusable Golem Manual) filled dinosaur effigies. They won't be as tough as the real thing, but they should still be pretty cool.

As you can tell from my M&M game, I don't mind giving players armies of robots; but they're only 'borrowing' them. In the end, they're Rambalt's army of robots that the PCs gathered for him.

Besides, I can say with some certainty: They're going to need them.

[GorinichSerpant]

Spoiler

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It's a Book of Effigies (think reusable Golem Manual) filled dinosaur effigies. They won't be as tough as the real thing, but they should still be pretty cool.

As you can tell from my M&M game, I don't mind giving players armies of robots; but they're only 'borrowing' them. In the end, they're Rambalt's army of robots that the PCs gathered for him.

Besides, I can say with some certainty: They're going to need them.

Spoiler

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Are you saying there will be a epic battle with the Duke's Army using Robosours! Will thier fish friends be dragging the soldiers into the depths! Will things burn and blood flow. Will the invaders be shredded by wolves and crushed by trees! And they they will built up enough troops the Unicorn curse the sudden but inevitable betrayer! Or will they be cursing at Him! So much potential!

Mwahahaha!*cough* Sorry, where were we?