The Vega South Campaign

[Anna_Irving]

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Excuse lack of RP in this post, I'm in a rush today.
0. sketch altar and strange female figure (is it lizard folk?)
1. take the mana orb from the altar
2. attempt to pry the glowy blue gem from the altar (or blast the hand holding it)
(3. get blasted by angry altar and die...)
4. command statue to clear away the rubble where the butterfly went

[neoseph7]

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If Aetheas didn't heal Siernan, her death as a result of prying the gem off may actually occur. Just thought I'd throw that out before rolling damage. Siernan gets to make a reflex save. As she attempts to pry off the gem, the floor around her gives way, and a pit about 20 ft down covered in spikes lurks menacingly. The reflex save allows Siernan to grab a wall or ledge. A natural 1 means she grabbed the alter, and now that is falling with her (and likely going to crush her). A natural 20 means she did the same, but was able to get on top of the alter as it fell and kick off of it before landing. I'll give her +2 to the roll for having spider climb.

Before she attempts to look at the alter, Aetheas has the opportunity to heal her.

While I do like how Siernan is being role-played, after the first trap, it was more than reasonable for her to be a little cautious. I'd rather not have to stat a fresh character, and the Deus Ex Machina of landing into a bushel of goodberries has become stale from my RL campaign (I mean seriously! Who places their character within full attack range of a Dragon? One they KNOW is evil. WTC. You'd think I was plying with handicapped lemurs).

These first 400 d6s of trap damage were not very good. Maybe the next one will be better.

[ZaneLaCoix]

[Aetheas]

The healer gave off his own waterskin for the parched man whom they just rescued, further if he was damaged through it all, he would flood a soft set of energies into him. Next up, he moved off to the rather reckless woman--all and all, he thought that she would be the death of them all. It was of luck, wondrous luck that Vander was able to keep them all safe.

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2nd Spontaneous Healing: CMnW for 'The Man,' as he has not given out his name yet.
3rd (Or 2nd if 'the man' was not harmed) Spontaneous Healing: (1d8+5)[12] CMW for Siernan

[The Man]

It would be long before he would speak. After nearly emptying the container within a few gulps, he finally spoke. "T'ank ya'. Oh an' Miss, I woul'n't touch anyt'ing in 'ere. Appears most--if not all, is rigged, an' good." Perhaps a futile attempt to stop her, but with knowing first hand how dangerous this room could be--as lucky as he knew he was.

[Seffbasilisk]

Venderholfen

When the trap triggers, Venderholfen whips his spear around, and tries to give Seirnan another surface to grab onto.

ReflexSave - (1d20+3)[22]

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If I can do that...

[ZaneLaCoix]

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This is just an observation, but Vander seems to be VERY lucky when it counts.
I've got a curiosity about the spear itself, but given the next set of posts by Seph, I'll get my answer soon enough.

[neoseph7]

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Venderholfen can give Siernan another +2 to her Reflex save (and his action has done so).

This is just an observation, but Vander seems to be VERY lucky when it counts.
I've got a curiosity about the spear itself, but given the next set of posts by Seph, I'll get my answer soon enough.

The forum roller is cursed. It's high for a lot of rolls and then low for a lot. Or did you mean something else?

A little experiment:
(1d20)[15]
(1d20)[19]
(1d20)[13]
(1d20)[5]
(1d20)[7]
(1d20)[10]
(1d20)[7]
(1d20)[14]
(1d20)[6]
(1d20)[2]
(1d20)[4]
(1d20)[18]
(1d20)[3]
(1d20)[7]
(1d20)[5]
(1d20)[5]
(1d20)[16]
(1d20)[8]
(1d20)[7]
(1d20)[9]

Edit: Average of 9 with a standard deviation of 5.1. Seems actually on par with expected. Odd.

[Anna_Irving]

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note to self: don't post when you've not slept the night before OR you don't have time to reread the thread.
Sorry guys, I totally forgot about the subtle hint neoseph posted. If I'm allowed to retract Siernan's post about messing with the altar, I'll do so. If not, here it goes - (1d20+4)[20] +2 spiderwalk, +2 Venderholfen

[neoseph7]

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So close! The DC was 25. J/k. Siernan is able to grab onto Ven's spear. She is unable to get the gem, but it's only 20 ft down...

[Seffbasilisk]

Venderholfen

Aware of Seirnan's ability to walk on walls, and guessing at her motives, Venderholfen first pulls the spear in, so she can brace her feet against the wall, then walks to the edge of the pit and lowers the spear as far down as his arms can reach, so she can try to snag the bait from the jaws of the trap.

[neoseph7]

The gem is a crystal of a rare blue color. A spiral of deep gold swims through the gem, in a manner that almost makes Siernan let go of the spear. It must be worth a fortune, as smaller, less impressive gems have sold for thousands of chickens.

[ZaneLaCoix]

[The man]

"An' a bunch o' us coul'n't get close." The partial elf in blue stood, finally taking in the surroundings. "I suppose tha' this here rubble be a good measurin' of why. We ain't have been a strong group." He stands, dusting himself off, even to the point of straightening out his attire--almost socially acceptable in appearance. "Quite th' gatherin' y'all 'ave 'ere, though."

[neoseph7]

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Siernan-> Please make a spot check

[Seffbasilisk]

Venderholfen

Trying to keep his attention on Siernan, Venderholfen does spare the moment to send a glare at the newcomer, opening his mouth slightly and extending his jaw to further display his prominent and healthy teeth before issuing forth a deep in the chest originating growl.

[Anna_Irving]

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will properly greet newcomer on monday when I have the time for a proper post.
spot - (1d20+2)[21] + detect magic, just for fun

[neoseph7]

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How many good rolls am I going to see in a row over the course of 48 hours? Not that I'm complaining, but you guys will when the reverse happens and no one rolls anything higher than a 9 for 17 rolls straight. Except for when they roll a knowledge check or something.

Something is shimmering near Siernan's location at the bottom of the pit. It has an illusion aura and is likely a fake wall. Or an explosive runes spell combined with a Magic Aura spell to look like an illusion of a really good quiche recipe, but is actually several d6s of "up your's". Incidentally, I'm shoving my RL campaign into my own, redone version of the Tomb of Horrors. And yes, I have a quiche recipe that is actually an explosive runes spell, that then had a magic aura spell cast on it to look like an illusion. Specifically, the note is attached to where there should be an illusory wall in the original Tomb of Horrors.

What Siernan is seeing, however, is an actual illusion. Peering closer reveals that, it is indeed an illusory wall that leads into a small crawlway. A set of mystic runes takes up a square about 1ft in width along the wall of the crawl way. The tunnel likely functioned as a Jeffrey's tube of sorts for the inter-workings of this structure.

[Seffbasilisk]

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Nooo! Don't be the redshirt to show us why the jeffrey's tubes are dangerous!

[neoseph7]

So what does the party do now?

[Anna_Irving]

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Do I even want to know what a jeffrey's tube is? And did Siernan get the gem she almost died for, or is she just staring at her precious?

Siernan
warlock

Clutching Venderholfen's spear for dear life, the reckless young woman braces her feet firmly against the wall of the new hole and turns an ashen face upwards. "That... was unpleasant. Thank you Venderholfen and Aetheas, for your aid. You have my permission to yell at me if I try anything stupid again."

She takes a moment to peer around the hole. "There seems to be some kind of hidden crawlspace here, but it may be warded by some runes. I suggest we investigate the route shown by the magic butterfly before we try to crawl through. I suspect it will be really tight for Venderholfen."

"Hello, stranger, I don't believe we've exchanged names. My name is Siernan. What are you doing here? Siernan chitchats as she walks up out of the hole. If the party stays a while so Venderholfen can rest, she'll first check the hole where the moving statue came from, then continue puzzling over her sketches, the altar, and the statue. If the party decides to continue on, she'll ride the statue to the newly excavated tunnel.

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spellcraft on runes - (1d20+9)[19]

[neoseph7]

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Siernan has the pretty gem.

The hole from which the Statue came is covered mostly in rubble, with a path cut out by the Statue as it made it's way to where the party is now. The room seems to have once been a storage chamber for the Statues. The rubble is interlaced with sharp edged metal, the kind that makes navigation painful.

The path the butterfly took has been cleared away, though the butterfly is no where to be found... The hallway is about 5 ft wide and 7 ft tall, in places where there is no rubble. The ceiling opens up every 30 ft, but currently leads into tree roots. Debris suggests that the walls used to bear footholds to navigate up the surface.

A Jeffrey's tube is a Star Trek reference, and is basically a crawlway in a big structure used for navigation for maintenance purposes. And for making characters with tight dresses crawl on all fours. Its function in this structure would have been for personnel to work on the mana lines that kept this place running. As a fictional element, were this a webcomic, it would be a way to deliver fan-service to the readers


If Siernan attempts to read the runes:

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The runes are magical only in that they don't fade like normal text would over time. There should be some first level spell that does it (I think the aura is faint conjuration, but would be totally obscured by the Mana Orb Siernan is currently holding). Written in ancient lizard folk, the text reads:

Quiche

Makes 6

1 dzn crepes (recipe follows)
3 eggs (Chicken. Or 1/6 dragon egg)
2 cu sharp cheese
2 cu mild cheese
1/4 cu heavy whipping cream
1/3 Lb salted hobgoblin, diced and cooked in grease
Salt & Pepper

Place a single crepe in each of the 6 cavities in a muffin tin.

Take 1/2 a cup of each of the cheeses, mix together, and divide over each crepe.

Place another crepe on top of each cheese layer, pressing down to make room for batter.

Mix eggs, Cream, and seasonings together and divide over the 6 crepes to fill the cavity about three quarters of the way.

Divide the remaining cheese and salted hobgoblin into each mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30min to one hour, or until the mixture doesn't wobble and lightly browns at the surface.

Serve lightly chilled, inverted, and garnished with fried Gnome Heart (If Gnomes are out of season, Human works well instead, but use lower fat oil for the frying).

Crepes:

makes 12

2 eggs
1 1/4 cu milk
1 cu flour
salt & pepper (for savory crepes)
1/4 cu butter

Mix everything except the butter, whisking until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Strain into a tall cup and set aside to rest.

Melt butter in a small pan at medium heat. Once fully melted, pour excess butter into a small vessel for future crepes.

Pour just enough batter onto the pan so that a thin layer is formed. Move the batter around to evenly coat the pan.

Once the batter is no longer wet in the middle (8-15 seconds) flip it over and let cook for another 6-10 seconds. The crepe should be lightly browned on both sides.

repeat the process for each crepe. Use the melted butter to grease the pan after every other crepe.

Serve alone stuffed with cheese or use for other dishes.

[Anna_Irving]

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Ah! I know what you're talking about, I didn't remember what they were called until now.

Siernan
warlock

"We seem to have three options. First is the hallway that the magic butterfly showed us. Second is the crawlway that may connect to all parts of these ruins. Third is the two exits off the bridge back in the ritual chamber. I am inclined to visit the butterfly hallway first, myself."

"I personally would like to go on, but I must admit some of my ideas haven't worked out so far. You look tired, Venderholfen, and you, stranger, how are you doing? Why don't we opt to rest a bit before moving on, whereever "on" may be, unless everyone wants to push on?"

While the rest of her companions make up their minds, Siernan slowly walks along the path cleared by the statue as it burst out of the secret chamber, trying to get a better peek into the storage space.

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Relative to, say, a demiorc, how large are lizard folk?

[neoseph7]

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Lizard folk from this era could be a little bigger than Venderholfen, but still medium sized. They also, however, could fit into tighter spaces. As long as no one plans to fight in them, the entire party can enter a crawl space and navigate in it.

Everyone please make a listen check.

[Anna_Irving]

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Fighting in them would be bad, yes.
listen - (1d20+2)[17]

[neoseph7]

Siernan hears the faint sound of... singing? It's coming from the direction the butterfly went.

[Seffbasilisk]

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I don't know if it would make a difference, but spears are near-ideal for tight-quarters tunnel fighting. I mean, I wouldn't be able to swing my greataxe, but thrusting with a spear? Simplicity unto itself. Don't know if that'll have any mechanical things, just speaking from my IRL fighting experiance.

[Anna_Irving]

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Well, poking with weapons would work, but I think the AC would suffer because you're denied dex bonus... oh wait, I have none. Isn't that grand?

*pokes seff* listen!

*pokes neoseph* anything Siernan would find interesting in the statue storage room before she starts investigating the weird singing? Plus, does she recognize the language at this point?

[neoseph7]

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There are rules for fighting in such conditions. I assure you that we don't want to be in a position to have to use the. The Axe simply isn't allowed. The spear is either not allowed for being a two handed weapon, or attacks at a -4 penalty. And don't get me started on the fact that you can't use a spear in one hand.

[Seffbasilisk]

Venderholfen

Listen - (1d20+5)[19]

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Have you ever fought with a spear?

[neoseph7]

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Yes as a matter of fact. To any good use? No. It's a flippin' stick with a sharp point. Also, even if you are able to thrust, you don't have the maneuverability you had when not stuck in a tunnel. You don't have the leverage your legs provide. It should also be easier to hit something if they are in the same tunnel and your size, and that is taken into account. But if your trying to hit a house cat while cramped in a tube? Not happening.

[Seffbasilisk]

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I take it you've never really hated that damn cat. And yes, I know, pointy-stick. Didn't keep me from spending hours trying to master it in different lengths. For tunnel-fighting, is a near-ideal weapon. You don't have to use your entire body for leverage, just your shoulders. The reach, lets you thrust ahead of you, before they get a chance to swing. Of course I'm assuming medium size creature vs medium sized creature. A pixie'd **** my **** up.

[neoseph7]

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It's a logic statement. Your ability to fight in cramped conditions is less than your ability to fight in open conditions. Therefore, there is a penalty to your attack modifier. As opposed to attacks with, say, an axe, which simply arent happening, using the spear is at least possible.

And no. What with living in a place that has had as many as 11 cats, I have never hated that cat.