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The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells) d20+8=24 ; d20+23=43 ;
Wednesday September 26th, 2018 2:59:48 PM
Zaragosa opens the door with ease as he was a bit disappointed his skills did not come in handy, though he still expected there to be things to unlock inside. He still turned to the group to mouth (in motion only, not verbally) the phrase "Tada!"

He then looks around for traps (perception trap finding 24) and creeps forward towards the door as silently as he can (stealth 43), then tries to inspect the door for a lock.

(OOC again I have to claim to be new at combat here. let me know if I rolled something wrong or a different or new roll is needed)

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 86/86 AC 27 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Wednesday September 26th, 2018 5:00:53 PM
Hobie will move forward with Zaragosa toward the door making sure he keeps everyone within his sphere of invisibility.

He grips Prowler in his left hand and whispers to the group "Let's be quiet, but let's move quick. Remember we need to take this thing down before it reaches our town. Somebody open the door."

He pulls back two arrows on his bow and trains it at the door, ready for whatever may be on the other side.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Harper-AC 23, HP 61, CMD 23 d20+19=32 ; d20+24=41 ;
Wednesday September 26th, 2018 9:33:48 PM
Pressi tries to listen through the door (Perception 32, +1 for traps), and fires off a detect magic cantrip.

"Your wish is my command," Pressi replies to Hobie as she opens the door (assuming she doesn't detect anything). "Hey, this is the new yoga studio, right? I remember when it used to be an ice cream parlor."

If Pressi has a standard action left, she casts deep slumber (DC 20). Otherwise, she uses Hide in Plain Sight to dive into the room (stealth 41). Either way, she raises her shield of faith with a swift action.

-------------

Harper status: heading away back to town

Pressi status:

Ritual of Warding
Shared Spell: Shield of Faith (Bliss, Pressi only)(extended?)(Pressi casts surrender blood)
crone form
surrender blood
hasted
no longer invisible, but hidden under HiPS rules

Spells Used:
L1: 2/7+1
L2: 0/5+1
L3: 0/4+1
L4: 2/3+1
L5: 0/2+1

Tatoos:

L1: 1

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Harper-AC 23, HP 61, CMD 23
Wednesday September 26th, 2018 9:38:52 PM
(And if that seems unsubtle, the original idea was to knock and see if anyone answers.)

Talia (by Kim for J.P.) AC 31, HP 72/72, CMD 18
Thursday September 27th, 2018 1:28:12 AM

Talia of course lets Bliss have stoneskin shortly before the entry exercise begins, then sandwiches in mage armor as Hobie casts invisibility sphere, then travels with Hobie and the rest, enters through the heel door, and looks about. She is pleased to be invisible. Not seeing anything obvious around, she casts detect magic to be ready to spot anything magical in this room, and to keep concentrating so as to see any in the next room, too. She stays within 7 to 8 feet of Hobie, behind him, perhaps a bit to the side, and still flying, only a few feet off the ground.

=======
Haste; Mage Armor; Invisibility Sphere; Detect Magic active

Murphy Druid 11, diminutive bat, invisible, etc. AC 31/T25/F23 CMB 5 CMD 19 (autosave). Move 85' d20+26=44 ; d20+29=42 ; d20+18=36 ;
Thursday September 27th, 2018 3:10:08 AM
After glancing around their room of entry, visually cataloguing things, Murphy-bat flits through the central hole, down a few feet to glance around, then upwards toward the top of the room the three winged ones arrived in. Telepathically he communicates exactly what he sees to Pressi, so she might have a clue as to what is coming up next. She 'hears' roughly this description:

'Pressi, Succotash and Kezzem arrived with me in a cylindrical room 50' high in the right calf of the giant. Iron hatch 30' up the wall. Junk scattered about - metal, springs, gears, broken weapons, rocks, coal, and the like. There's a mess of a construct brimming with legs, also arms with attached tools - grippers, hammers, trowels. It's taking a look at a gear, then tossing it in a pile. Doesn't seem to notice any of us. A 5-foot-high smaller cylinder in the center of the room opens to the floor beneath, which I'm now flying down to.

'All right - looks like the kitten has landed below the birds,' Murphy says if Bliss rolls less than 45 on stealth. 'Ah, next to the wall on a metal chair sits a dwarf in plate mail, looking around the room. Looks seasick. There's an iron door to one side - might open toward the heel side of the boot, toward where you all entered - you made it, right? I'm flying back upward to see what's above where we came in.'

And that is what Murphy-bat does, ascending back up the way he came, spiraling upwards, not directly under the open shaft above, until he arrives near the ceiling hole, then upwards through it to peek at what is in the next chamber - briefly, just over the rim, and then, unless it appears pretty safe, dropping back through and off to one side, hovering for the moment, or grasping on to a good spot along the wall if needed.

His keen eyes take in much, and he flies with a good bit of stealth. His flight speed (50+30(haste)+5(fleet feat)) is 85, or double that if hustling. Figure he is hustling, batty eyes flitting back and forth as his wings allow to him to maneuver (good). No physical or other actions other than flight, though he does communicate telepathically with Pressi per their permanent link.

[Perception: 42; Stealth: 52; Fly: 36]
Active Spell Effects: Freedom of Movement: 108 minutes 9 rounds; Longstrider: 10 hours 29 minutes 9 rounds; Barkskin: 109 minutes 5 rounds (Nat AC +4); Owl's Wisdom: 104 rounds (+4 Wis); Stoneskin: 106 rounds, DR 10/adamantine; Invisibility: 107 rounds; Haste: 3 rounds.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 d20+7=8 ; d20+11=24 ;
Thursday September 27th, 2018 5:43:35 AM
Being new to this whole polymorph thing, Succotash isn't sure what to do, but he knows the majority of his friends are below him, so he flies down the cylinder, rolls an 8 on perception, so he doesn't notice anything but the obvious, and he rolls a 24 for stealth,, he looks for a place to perch, and lands.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24
Thursday September 27th, 2018 10:41:14 AM
Kezzem follows Murphey's lead. He tries to think of something witty to say, then remembers that he's a bird, and he's not sure if he can even speak in this form. Probably for the best he doesn't go around cawcawing while sneaking about the Iron Giant.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC30, 50% miss chance d20+27=39 ; d20+22=36 ;
Thursday September 27th, 2018 2:20:29 PM

Bliss is glad to find himself inside the moving monster. and he purrs quietly through the Message spell to let folks know he is happy.

He is also sneaky! His stealth check as a quiet kitty is 39.

Bliss looks around. He also sniffs around with his cat scent. Perception 36.

He sees that dwarf fellow staring at the door, ready to sound an alarm, prolly.

I'm assuming someone is whispering to Bliss that the door is going well!

Bliss figures the guard needs to be distracted when that door opens so he does not see it swing open and shut. So Bliss casts a Still Silent Ghost Sound, timing it carefully so that the sound appears just when the door is about to open. He makes the sound of dwarves having a great time, singing and laughing. That's a happy sound that will likely not make the fellow sound an alarm, Bliss hopes.

Bliss has experienced this himself, so it is no stretch, and not so that any actual words can be heard. The save DC is 14, but even if he saves, he will maybe still hear the sound faintly, so maybe it will still work? A quick mental prayer to the Silver Lady can't hurt either!

==========
DM Sanity Info - OOC: I figure Bliss is due for some bookkeeping:

Spells:
Lvl 1: 5+Entangle (cast surr blood x2)
Lvl 2: 4+Barkskin (cast none)
Lvl 3: 4+Plant Growth (cast Blink)
Lvl 4: 3+Still Silent Barkskin (cast Threefold Aspect, Polymorph, Divination)

Stuff With Uses Per Day:
Basic Ritual: Kitty at will
Intermediate Ritual: Shared CL12 (+4) Shield of Faith
Rage 0 of 14
Bramble Armor 0 of 6 | Wood Fists 0 of 6
Guide/Mislead 0 of 6
Life 0 of 1 | Death 0 of 1 | Focus 0 of 1
Meta Rod of Extend 3 of 3 (Shield of Faith, Barkskin, Blink)

Current Effects:
Haste From Hobie (used 1r) (+1 AC and attacks)
Stoneskin from Talia (used 1r)
Extended CL8 Blink (used 2 of 16r)
Extended Shared CL12 Shield of Faith (used 1 of 120r)
Extended CL10 Barkskin
Message spells

DM Carl d20+4=17 ;
Thursday September 27th, 2018 2:29:01 PM
Zaragosa's a bit disappointed that he can't show off his mechanical abilities, but surely he'll be able to somewhere in this contraption. He inspects the door for a lock, but finds none. It's just a basic metal door. Neither he nor Pressi find it to be trapped.

Hobie readies an arrow, urging haste.

Pressi wanders on in, speaking of things only she gets as usual. Bliss tries to provide a distraction, but the dwarf seems to notice something's up (will save 17 - pass). He leaps off the chair and grabs for a nearby spear, but Pressi's deep slumber spell hits him. He struggles to shrug it off, but can't (will save 18). He takes a knee, then keels over.

Murphy describes what he's seeing, then heads up to peek into the floor above him. He finds a very tall, but mostly bare room. There's a solid door in the ceiling, and another hatch 30' up the wall right above where the one in the lower room is. He also sees a statue resembling a plate-mailed humanoid, slender and tall. A green gem glows on its chest where its heart would be. Its right arm ends in an axe-like blade rather than a hand, and the fingers on its left hand are dangling metal wires.

Succotash isn't digging on being a bird, so he flies downwards to where his friends should be. Kezzem decides to keep quiet, but follows Murphy.

Talia casts detect magic. There is a lot of magic to detect. The entire exterior surface of the Giant radiates magic, as does the gold tracing along the wall. There's so much magic, that Talia will need to focus on something specific; scanning a room for magic isn't going to cut in the Iron Giant.

Bliss takes in the scents of the Iron Giant. It smells...like nothing. Too much like nothing, in fact. There are a bunch of dwarves living in this thing. He should be able to smell them, but he can't.

The Giant continues to move. When the right foot of the Giant touches the ground, both Murphy and Kezzem feel themselves levitating upwards through the central hole that runs up the entire leg. It's not a particularly strong or fast levitation, and both are able to fight it off easily enough should they choose. As soon as the foot lifts off the ground, the levitation effect stops.

The party is more or less together again, though half of them are still polymorphed into small creatures.

Current room description: a fairly large room. Strange arcane gadgetry is scattered about, including a glowing, blue glass sphere on a pedestal and a glowing yellow circle in the middle of the floor. This glowing circle is directly below a similar hole in the ceiling, which is ringed with glowing yellow. On the wall is a large symbol in bronze: a massive hammer striking an anvil. Also in this room in an iron chair, apparently bolted to the far wall. An iron door is in the wall opposite the chair.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC30, 50% miss chance
Thursday September 27th, 2018 3:03:30 PM
Hey, Bliss thinks, huh! Why doesn't that sleeping dwarf smell like a dwarf? Is it an illusion? A ghost? How come it fell asleep?

When he is blinking into the Realm of Shadows, he looks around there for anything ... ghostly?

He gently touches the sleeper and sniffs again.

He bares his claws and puts them on the fellow's neck, then looks at his friends and says, "Meow?"

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 86/86 AC 27 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Thursday September 27th, 2018 3:19:34 PM
Hobie will put the arrow away and run over to the guard, checking him for anything of interest he might be carrying, in particular keys or tokens that might be helpful in the giant.

After looting him, Hobie will place his body back up on the chair to look as if he simply fell asleep in the chair, in case another guard happens by.

DM Carl
Thursday September 27th, 2018 5:51:33 PM
Bonus post!

Hobie goes to loot the guard. He's able to confirm to Bliss that the dwarf is very real. He finds a number of items that Talia can confirm are magical in nature. DC to identify the items are low enough that I'll just disclose what they are for the sake of expediency:

Full plate +1 w/ +1 spikes
Guisarme +1
4 non-magical javelings
Amulet of natural armor +1
Cloak of resistance +1
Ring of protection +1

There's also that gear on his shoulder that continues turning. It radiates moderate transmutation magic, but it's unlike anything she's seen before.

Lastly, his boots seem to be magnetic, though non-magical.

Time passed: 1 minute

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 86/86 AC 27 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6 d20+24=26 ;
Friday September 28th, 2018 2:13:53 AM
(is the gear part of the full plate armor? or is it like attached like a brooch?)

Hobie will detect magic on the turning gear, and use Spellcraft, with a tap from his wand of Identify (I forgot to include the +10 in the dice roller) to see if he can understand it's magical properties. Spellcraft 36

"Would anyone object to me taking this amulet of natural armor?"

===============
With one minute passing, our Haste is finished, and we have 4 rounds of Invisibility Sphere left, except for Pressi, who is visible now that she cast Deep Slumber.
===============
Boots of Speed
Rounds Used 0/10

Elemental Arrow: Electricity

Fire Arrows Used 0/50

Kezzem's Ring of Shield Other (+1 AC, +1 Saves, Kezzem takes half damage)

Shield (+4 Shield Bonus)
===============
Prepared Spells
Bonded Item Free Spell

Level 0
Light, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Message

Level 1
Grease, Obscuring Mist, True Strike, Feather Fall

Level 2
Invisibility, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Alter Self

Level 3
Fly, Haste, Slow

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Friday September 28th, 2018 5:31:37 AM
Lay of Hands 10/10
smite evil 4/4
boots of speed 10/10

1st level spells:
lesser regeneration 3/3
2nd level spells:
remove paralysis 2/2
3rd level spells:
heal mount 1/1
cure moderate wounds 1/1

Succotash the Falcon upon seeing Pressi appear in the room, gives a quiet squawk, of hello, and does his best to pantomime the desire to be returned to halfling form.

Murphy Druid 11, diminutive bat, invisible, etc. AC 31/T25/F23 CMB 5 CMD 19 (autosave). Move 85' d20+29=49 ;
Friday September 28th, 2018 11:40:12 AM

During the one minute that has passed, Murphy has not been idle. He flew to each of the hatches to perform at least a cursory look at the opening mechanism. He notified Pressi of each significant thing he learned - including what is in the room above. As he tells this to her, he also whispers the same to nearby Kezzem. 'I would guess that the solid door in the ceiling above leads to the hip area, if not the upper thigh. It's also possible the side hatches include ladders or some means of going up and down - but someone with larger hands than I have check those out. Also, in the center column, there is a cylinder of gentle levitation which activates when the foot is on the ground, and quits once it lifts. So, 20 seconds of levitation.'

From the room below the top one, Murphy casts detect magic, then rises to observe the slender armored humanoid, and focuses upon the heart gem, trying to discern the nature of the magic.

Perception 49.
[I have to run - if additional rolls are needed for Murphy's determination, please feel free to make them, DM Carl.]

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Harper-AC 23, HP 61, CMD 23 d20+19=34 ; d20+11=14 ;
Friday September 28th, 2018 1:44:46 PM

Pressi watches as everyone goes about their business. "Well, don't everyone thank me all at once."

To Murphy, I don't know if I would take anything for granted. Something about the layout of this room of statues and wall chairs and rings seems rather off.

To Succotash, "What's that? Timmy's stuck in the well, again? Seriously, I will reverse you in a second, but I don't want to take away flight while we're still dealing with things vertically.

"Of course, it would help if I knew what I was looking at." Pressi takes a look at the blue sphere and the yellow circle, before laying her eyes on the symbol of a hammer striking an anvil. "Symbol of Domi," she replied. "But it's also related to dwarf history and scab history." If anyone wonders how she knows, "We all have a past. Lets move on."

(Perception 34, Know Local 14)

"Hey, Succotash. I'll release you now if you sit on that chair."

-----------------------

Harper status: heading away back to town

Pressi status:

Ritual of Warding
Shared Spell: Shield of Faith (Bliss, Pressi only)(extended?)(Pressi casts surrender blood)
crone form
surrender blood
hasted
no longer invisible, but hidden under HiPS rules

Spells Used:
L1: 2/7+1
L2: 0/5+1
L3: 1/4+1
L4: 2/3+1
L5: 0/2+1

Tatoos:

L1: 1

Talia (by Kim for J.P.)
Saturday September 29th, 2018 2:10:18 AM

"Hobie - I am going to look at one of these hatches," Talia says. "But if I do, I lose invisibility. You - and everyone else - want to move close enough to me while I try one? Or, Jack, do you want to try it?"

If people move close with her - especially Hobie - she remains invisible. If not, she comes into view, but goes ahead and tries opening a hatch in the room most of the people are in right now. If it opens, she looks around, up and down.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24 d20+1=12 ;
Saturday September 29th, 2018 2:29:51 AM
Falcon-Kezzem looks around for anything suspicious...or looks tasty in his avian form.

Perception: 12.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 86/86 AC 27 Touch 17 Flat 23 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Saturday September 29th, 2018 2:06:25 PM
"You got it, I'll move with you. Pressi, What if I took this dwarf's clothes and cast Alter Self to appear as one of the guards, do you think that could be useful?'

DM Carl
Saturday September 29th, 2018 6:03:12 PM
Bliss wonders why he can't smell the dwarf. He finds if he gets real close to it, it smells dwarfy. Nothing pops out at him from the Realm of Shadows.

Hobie and Talia look through the sleeping guard's stuff, finding some minor magical items and a weird spinning gear. The gear isn't attached via any obvious mechanism. Maybe it's magnetic? At any rate, it does not appear to have been crafted as part of the armor. Unless anyone stops him, Hobie takes the amulet of natural armor.

Brief aside, gentle readers: you're going to be picking up a lot of new loot in this adventure that you won't be keeping when it's over. I encourage everyone to keep a separate, temporary inventory for the duration.

Succotash is done being a bird.

Murphy checks out the hatches along the wall. Through the grill, he sees a vertical tunnel with a ladder running the entire length. He's unable to see how far up it goes, but the bottom hatch seems to be the bottom of the tunnel. Checking out the more dangerous looking of the two constructs, Murphy notices the glowing gem in its chest has a moderate transmutation aura.

Pressi feels unappreciated. She asks Succotash to hold his horses while she looks around. She inspects the sphere, noticing hand prints and greasy smudges on opposite sides of the sphere. She's right that the hammer and anvil is a symbol of Domi, but this doesn't look like what's typical. Something in her brain buzzes about the history of the Scab, but she can't put her finger on it.

Know History or Religion DC 20, Highlight to display spoiler: {This is probably a symbol of The Forger, a Power from the first age that created Fhorge, Scald, and the rest of the Old Ones.}

Pressi offers to turn Succotash back, instructing him to have a seat.

Kezzem is hungry. He sees nothing particularly suspicious, but he does note a small list stuck to the wall behind the iron chair:

Swashbuckler
Tornado
Warmachine
Thimble
Furnace

Talia gives the hatches a try. They swing open easily enough. The inside is plenty big for a halfling, but anything larger would have to squeeze through. Looking up, Talia sees the tunnel extends above the ceiling in the room with the scary looking construct.

Hobie considers taking up a disguise.

***

Things seem quiet enough for the most part, aside from the pounding of the Giant walking. As Pressi watches the chair, expecting Succotash to go sit and get turned back into a halfling, she finds the seat suddenly taken by young, rather well dressed gnome. She's 100% sure he wasn't there a moment ago.

"Good day!" he says. "Welcome to my Giant! Well, not MY Giant, but partially mine anyway. I'm in charge of making sure people like you don't come in...I think. Who are you, anyway?"

He scootches off the chair (his legs don't touch the ground when he sits), boots thumping as he hits the ground. His hair and clothing are dark, including a beautiful cloak that glints with metallic highlights. His right arm is bare and entwined with jagged, fiery tattoos. He wears a sleeve of mithral armor on his left arm, and two metal gears are afixed to it, turning against each other. A gold rune is prominent on each. The gnome's blue eyes sparkle, as if he finds something amusing. Cords are wrapped around his wrists and tied to a pair of short swords at his sides. He doesn't seem particularly menacing. In fact, his mannerisms are pretty friendly, as is the broad smile on his face.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 86/86 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 24 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Sunday September 30th, 2018 1:51:45 AM
Hobie stays silently still, and reaches for an arrow while Pressi treats with this thing. He is still invisible, along with Jairus, and doesn't want to give himself away just yet.

He prepares himself for any hostility that may arise.

===============
Invisibility Sphere Minutes used 1/5
===============
Boots of Speed
Rounds Used 0/10

Elemental Arrow: Electricity

Fire Arrows Used 0/50

Kezzem's Ring of Shield Other (+1 AC, +1 Saves, Kezzem takes half damage)

Shield (+4 Shield Bonus)
===============
Prepared Spells
Bonded Item Free Spell

Level 0
Light, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Message

Level 1
Grease, Obscuring Mist, True Strike, Feather Fall

Level 2
Invisibility, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Alter Self

Level 3
Fly, Haste, Slow

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24
Sunday September 30th, 2018 1:05:22 PM
Falcon-Kezzem picks up the note with his beak and gives it to Pressi.

When the dwarf appears, he frantically tries to get Bliss's attention with his wings.

OOC: If I am understanding the spell correctly, Bliss has to dismiss the spell for him to regain halfling form.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Harper-AC 23, HP 61, CMD 23
Sunday September 30th, 2018 10:59:45 PM
�Well, now. I think it�s pretty clear who I am. Your kindred spirit. Any chance you�d believe we are simple mushroom farmers?

�Before we talk about Anur, maybe you could introduce yourself. Who knows, we might have to throw you out.�

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)
Sunday September 30th, 2018 11:17:59 PM
(sorry for my absents.)

Zaragosa was about to look at the hatches but was unsure what to look for. He would try at least to look for traps or something to unlock but then this Gnome appeared before everyone.

"My good sir." he says, "That is quite the appearance trick. I, myself, love a good entrance. How honoured I am to be in such a presence. Pray, may I ask your magnificent name?" He tried to give compliments to gain more information. "As for me, I am the Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa. Perhaps not so great as yourself, but a performer of some renown."

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Monday October 1st, 2018 5:28:58 AM
Succotash the falcon was about to land on the chair as per Pressi�s request, but pulls up with a squawk of surprise as the gnome appears. He quickly looks for another perch, and lands. If it�s possible in his temporary form, he detects evil on the gnome.

Talia (by Kim for J.P.)
Monday October 1st, 2018 10:15:31 PM

Talia enters the hatch, and takes hold of the ladder. She listens, and looks upwards and downwards. She listens to the others conversing with the gnome, as well as to the ambient sounds in the vertical ladder tunnel.

Murphy Druid 11, diminutive bat, invisible, etc. AC 31/T25/F23 CMB 5 CMD 19 (autosave). Move 85' d20+29=30 ; d20+34=47 ; d20+18=33 ;
Monday October 1st, 2018 10:25:51 PM

From his perch Murphy, thankful his druid's vestment allows for such, asks, "What do you plan to do with this immense walking machine?"

[Perception: 30; Stealth: 47; Fly: 33]
Active Spell Effects: Freedom of Movement: 107 minutes 9 rounds; Longstrider: 10 hours 28 minutes 9 rounds; Barkskin: 108 minutes 5 rounds (Nat AC +4); Owl's Wisdom: 94 rounds (+4 Wis); Stoneskin: 96 rounds, DR 10/adamantine; Invisibility: 97 rounds

Murphy Druid 11, diminutive bat, invisible, etc. AC 31/T25/F23 CMB 5 CMD 19 (autosave). Move 85'
Monday October 1st, 2018 10:27:51 PM

Forgot to add - after speaking, he glides across the room to take advantage of a different perch (stealth of 47 includes penalty for movement), so the gnome will not necessarily know where he is.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29 d20+22=40
Monday October 1st, 2018 11:52:10 PM
Bliss dismisses Kezzem's polymorph. He is still blinking for a few more rounds.

If we are round by round, that's a round. If we have more time, Bliss walks up to the gnome, rubs his head on him in a catlike way, and gives him a sniff. Perception 40 plus actually touching him should give Bliss a save if he is an illusion.

Bliss stares at the gnome. Witch Mislead ability: 4) Guide/Mislead (Su). Just by looking at a target with his gaze, the bloodwitch can impose a +2 or -2 insight bonus or penalty on the target's next attack roll or skill check. This divine supernatural ability works only at close range (25ft + 5ft per 2 witch levels) and requires a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The mislead ability allows the target creature no saving throw. The bloodwitch can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Intelligence modifier.

==========
DM Sanity Info

Spells:
Lvl 1: 5+Entangle (cast surr blood x2)
Lvl 2: 4+Barkskin (cast none)
Lvl 3: 4+Plant Growth (cast Blink)
Lvl 4: 3+Still Silent Barkskin (cast Threefold Aspect, Polymorph, Divination)

Stuff With Uses Per Day:
Basic Ritual: Kitty at will
Intermediate Ritual: Shared CL12 (+4) Shield of Faith
Rage 0 of 14
Bramble Armor 0 of 7 | Wood Fists 0 of 7
Guide/Mislead 1 of 7
Life 0 of 1 | Death 0 of 1 | Focus 0 of 1
Meta Rod of Extend 3 of 3 (Shield of Faith, Barkskin, Blink)

Current Effects:
Stoneskin from Talia (used 11r)
Extended CL8 Blink (used 12 of 16r)
Extended Shared CL12 Shield of Faith (used 11 of 120r)
Extended CL10 Barkskin
Message spells

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Tuesday October 2nd, 2018 5:34:12 AM
Lay of Hands 10/10
smite evil 4/4
boots of speed 10/10

1st level spells:
lesser regeneration 3/3
2nd level spells:
remove paralysis 2/2
3rd level spells:
heal mount 1/1
cure moderate wounds 1/1

Not being sure what all he is capable of in this new body, Succotash pretends to preen himself from his perch.

DM Carl
Tuesday October 2nd, 2018 10:33:48 AM
Hobie stays quiet, but readies an arrow to attack. If the gnome sees Hobie, he gives no indication.

Kezzem shares the note he found with Pressi. He tries to get Bliss' attention, since he's stuck being a falcon until Bliss dismisses the spell.

Pressi is unfazed as always and asks the gnome his name. "Goodness, where are my manners. I am Ix Revon, herald of Skald and right hand of Anur Daron, whom you will not be meeting. Trust me, you don't want to. I love Anur, but he's a bit of a zealot."

Ix smiles broadly at Zaragosa. "It is a neat trick, isn't it! Super useful, but you'll have to forgive me if I don't divulge my secrets. It's a pleasure to meet you, Zaragosa."

Succotash checks the newcomer for evil. He does give off a moderate evil aura.

Talia keeps an ear open, but continues checking the tunnel. Looking down, she confirms the tunnel stops at the lower of the two hatches in the leg. Looking up, the tunnel continues up past the ceiling of the leg, then stops. She can see some light at the top indicating another hatch.

Bliss dismisses Kezzem's polymorph, then nuzzles up to Ix, who is not an illusion. The gnome bends down to pet Bliss.

Murphy asks what the plans for the Giant are, then glides across the room, hoping to hide his location from Ix.

"Well, Anur wants to move against Fhorge and let all the Old Ones out of their prison, especially Scald. Right now, we're just on a test drive of sorts. You know, making sure we've got everything figured out before we take on the big guy." He takes off his pack, slowly. "I'm just getting some papers out. No funny business, you have my word." He then pulls out a small sheaf of papers. "Here we are. Now then, as this is a test run, I'm really interested in gathering as much data as possible. I figured we'd just be up against a halfling militia, so I'm super glad to actually have a group of adventurers help test our defenses." He walks around, handing everyone a piece of paper. On each is a rough outline of the Giant on the left, with space to write on the right.

"Now, obviously we don't expect you to succeed in stopping us, but if you could make notes for us as you proceed, it would be super helpful.

"...and for what it's worth, I really am sorry about having to flatten your town. I have nothing against you guys, you're just the closest population center outside of Fhorge's influence. I tried to talk Anur out of this, but that guy...he's just so set in his ways. You know the type." He leaves a few extra papers with Pressi. "Just in case anyone's still invisible or shapechanged. Anyway, I'd ask if you had any questions, but I'd really rather you went into this blind." He puts the rest of his papers in his pack and gets himself situated to leave...

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 86/86 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 24 CMD 29 Hero Points 6 d20+16=18 ; d20+16=32 ; d20+16=19 ; d20+11=15 ; d6+17=21 ; d6+17=19 ; d6+17=21 ; d6+17=19 ; d6+17=19 ; d6=4 ; d6=6 ; d6=3 ; d6=3 ; d6=5 ; d6=2 ; d6=1 ; d6=5 ; d6=6 ; d6=6 ;
Tuesday October 2nd, 2018 1:05:49 PM
Hobie is incensed at his matter of fact way of saying that they will flatten our town, he clicks his heels as his anger is manifested in a flurry of arrows.

Manyshot (against flatfooted if he doesn�t see invisibility)
Attack 18
Piercing 21 Electric 4 Fire 6 =31
Piercing 19 Electric 3 Fire 3 =25

Rapid Shot
Attack 32
Piercing 21 Electric 5 Fire 2 = 28

Haste
Attack 19
Piercing 19 Electric 1 Fire 5 = 25

Iterative
Attack 15
Piercing 19 Electric 6 Fire 6 = 31

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)
Tuesday October 2nd, 2018 5:31:49 PM
Zaragosa would bow and reply "A pleasure to meet you as well." There was no reason to be rude as the gnome was talking. He always felt it was the best way to get information was to not get the other person angry.

He would take the paper with another bow. "Thank you, sir. We'll do our best to stop your villainy."

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24
Tuesday October 2nd, 2018 7:30:13 PM
"I have a suggestion for you," says Kezzem. "What if, instead of building a giant death machine to attacks towns, you...you, know...don't."

Kezzem will detect evil on this guy. He may be polite, but he still seems like a bit of a jerk. More han a bit, actually.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29 d20+12=22 ; d3=2 ; d6=6 ;
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 12:36:24 AM

Bliss can't help it. He likes this fellow. He stays close to the gnome (same five ft square). He readies an attack if the rest of the group attacks.

IF NEEDED: Bite vs AC22 for 19 damage.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 5:33:13 AM
Succotash doesn�t know what to do as his worst fear is being played out in front of him, he prayed he wouldn�t be stuck in this body if combat broke out, and that seems to be exactly what happened. �Well, poo�, Succotash thinks to himself, as he flies over to Pressi in a last ditch effort to regain his halfling body, he also thinks to himself, �mental note, no more polymorphing!�

Nick T Posting for Pressi
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 9:19:32 AM
Pressi
"Well, thanks a lot Hobie, I guess negotiations are out the window now."

Pressi uses her standard action to Dismiss the polymorph effect on Succotash turning him back into a halfling.

With her move action she'll move to get in the way of a possible exit to keep the gnome from escaping.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 86/86 AC 29 Touch 18 Flat 24 CMD 30 Hero Points 6
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 9:21:26 AM
Updating Header and bookkeeping for Hobie
===============
Boots of Speed
Rounds Used 1/10

Elemental Arrow: Electricity

Fire Arrows Used 5/50

Kezzem's Ring of Shield Other (+1 AC, +1 Saves, Kezzem takes half damage)

Shield (+4 Shield Bonus)

Haste (+1 AC, +1 Attack, +20 feet movement)
===============
Prepared Spells
Bonded Item Free Spell

Level 0
Light, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Message

Level 1
Grease, Obscuring Mist, True Strike, Feather Fall

Level 2
Invisibility, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Alter Self

Level 3
Fly, Haste, Slow

Murphy Druid 11, diminutive bat, invisible, etc. AC 31/T25/F23 CMB 5 CMD 19 (autosave). Move 85' d20+29=33 ; d20+34=48 ;
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 9:41:31 AM

Murphy questions, "So, asking us to test your defenses - have you already advised your crew of our presence, or is that on your immediate next agenda point?"

And then Hobie lets loose. "HOLD!" he calls out. He keeps on forgetting that, as of recently, he is not the party's leader.

Murphy recalls to himself the time in the Sargrass. On the one hand he understands the anger. On the other he thinks that sometimes, even with someone opposed to you, there is a place for discussion. Move straight into death and destruction, and many windows of opportunity are lost. Well, we'll see how this turns out. He likes to give persuasion and negotiation a chance to work before resorting to violence. Maybe Hobie is making the right choice, though.

Kezzem's counsel was sound.

If the Gnome does not immediately vanish from the spot following the flights of arrows, he adds, "Your large toy wonder is an existential threat to our homes, our lands, our friends. Turn this thing away from Crescent Valley, permanently, or, skilled a conversationalist as you may be, Ix Revon, your Anur Daron will be most disappointed in the end results of your venture. His shall not be the only one whose will is thwarted when attempting to come against halflings."

If the gnome does poof away, Murphy explores more thoroughly the top floor, and the hatch above.

[Perception: 33; Stealth: 48]
Active Spell Effects: Freedom of Movement: 107 minutes 8 rounds; Longstrider: 10 hours 28 minutes 8 rounds; Barkskin: 108 minutes 4 rounds (Nat AC +4); Owl's Wisdom: 93 rounds (+4 Wis); Stoneskin: 95 rounds, DR 10/adamantine; Invisibility: 96 rounds

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 d20+20=28 ; d10=4 ; d10=7 ; d6=1 ; d6=5 ;
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 10:14:18 AM
Succotash back in halfling form, will draw Twinklesting, and attack using vital strike hitting a 28 AC for 27 total damage, 6 of which is holy

Pressi (Melvin - supplementary by Kim)
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 2:37:41 PM

As the gnome had given her an overview of the iron giant, she did take a quick look at it - especially the pathway leading from the right leg up to the head. Once Hobie began his attack, she stuffed the paper, plus the extras, into her bag [then carried out the rest of the actions Nick described for her above.]

DM Carl d100=81 ;
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 3:45:58 PM
*In order to avoid another Thin Man incident, I'm gonna fudge the order and assume you folks were talking when he was handing out papers.

***

Zaragosa maintains his pleasant demeanor. Ix smiles in response. "I'm counting on it, Zaragosa. Infiltration is probably the only way to really stop this thing. It doesn't even have a lock on the main door, for crying out loud..."

Kezzem suggests they try not building death machines and attack innocent towns. "Oh, we didn't build this. I'm not sure the noble races even could build this. Most likely we're in an artifact of another age."

Bliss can't help but like the guy. He *is* super friendly and amicable. Still, he's ready to attack should he need to.

Murphy asks if he's already alerted the crew to their presence. "Actually, no! If I alerted them, they'd stop the Giant and the entire crew would come down on you. What if we were infiltrated during an assault? Couldn't very well have everyone abandoning their posts then, could we? It's better this way." He listens to Murphy's advise, looking around and trying to spot wherever this voice is coming from. "Oh, don't think I'm underestimating you. You just might defeat us! Frankly, if you do, I'm pretty sure our attack on Fhorge would have failed too. I'd rather be beaten by you lot then Fhorge any day. Pretty sure you won't lock me up and torture me for the rest of my life..."

Pressi takes a look at the drawing of the Giant, but finds it's very crude.

As Ix packs up, Hobie decides he can't stomach this arrogant man any longer and opens fire. His first attack connects, catching Ix by surprise. The rest of Hobie's attacks find only air as Ix vanishes instantly. Very soon after, you can hear his voice coming from far above you. "This is not how professionals treat each other!" Then, the sound of metal sliding on metal. Talia, still checking out the tunnel behind the hatches, notices the light coming from the very top has gone dark. Investigation shows a metal plate has been slid and locked in place. There is no purchase to pry, nor mechanism to interact with on this side. It's just a solid panel of iron. "I was going to leave this open like it usually is, but now you can deal with the guardian. Good luck, heroes!"

Pressi admonishes Hobie lightly, then turns Succotash back into a halfling.

***

Time past: 3 minutes

Current room desc: A fairly large room. Strange arcane gadgetry is scattered about, including a glowing, blue glass sphere on a pedestal and a glowing yellow circle in the middle of the floor. This glowing circle is directly below a similar hole in the ceiling, which is ringed with glowing yellow. On the wall is a large symbol in bronze: a massive hammer striking an anvil. Also in this room in an iron chair, apparently bolted to the far wall. An iron door is in the wall opposite the chair.

There's also a huge pile of junk being picked at by a tool-wielding centipede construct one level up, and an imposing construct Ix referred to as a guardian on the level above that.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 8:44:06 PM
"What a strange person," comments Kezzem. "So what's the plan, bosses?"

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 8:46:51 PM
Zaragosa tries to see if the centipede notices them. He tries to say quietly "that's the plan gang, how do you want to take that thing. I aim to prove we can take this whole thing down." He readies his sword.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018 11:23:21 PM
Bliss does not relish scratching his claws out on some autonomonical Guardian, and how are they going to get up there anyway? He changes back into a halfling and says, "Maybe a knock spell now to open that thing?"

"Also, does it do us any good to leave anything functioning behind us? I have this BREAK cantrip -- seems to me that we should start breaking stuff, starting with that glowing blue sphere and that glowing yellow circle. And on the pedastal the sphere is on!

OOC: If no one objects, Bliss will start casting his Break spell as many times as it takes to break something. Maybe Miss Pressi wants to do the same?

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Thursday October 4th, 2018 8:01:25 AM
Succotash with Twinklesting in hand, says, �Well, that didn�t go well, I guess I�ll guard the rear, and let you sneaky ones lead the way�.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Harper-AC 23, HP 61, CMD 23
Thursday October 4th, 2018 11:16:53 AM
"Well, you got to hand it to a guy who knows how to make an entrance and an exit," Pressi replied. The entire thing with this conversation will have to wait.

(OOC: The next post, I am replacing Harper's sheet with a link to all of these various clues we keep picking up. I kind of feel like they might be important particularly if we keep trying stealth, and may need to be organized.)

"Ok, thoughts on the construct. It has to have heard or seen us by now, so I'm thinking it's generally not hostile unless somehow triggered. Probably by any direct attack or by touching the door, but if there's anything else that will..."

"Bliss, no idea what happens if we leave this stuff on, but we don't know what this stuff is. You might break the lock mechanism for that hatch, the device that keeps this machine from falling on us, or a container holding deadly gas. Not to mention who knows what traps or alarms will go off if we break things. But if that construct's spent all this time repairing stuff, I bet it goes off first.

"I think we might need to better study the objects in this room before we try to leave it. If it were as simple as leaving through the hatch, our gnome friend wouldn't need us to point out the weaknesses. Also, if I may, I think we need to try communicating with the construct. See if it responds to us or understands us."

If nobody objects, she joins JTT. "Hello, excuse me, do you recognize us? Do you understand common? What is your primary function?"

She also activates her "read magic" tatoo, just in case.

-----------------------

Harper status: heading away back to town

Pressi status:

Ritual of Warding
Shared Spell: Shield of Faith (Bliss, Pressi only)(extended?)(Pressi casts surrender blood)
crone form
surrender blood
hasted
no longer invisible, but hidden under HiPS rules

Spells Used:
L1: 2/7+1
L2: 0/5+1
L3: 1/4+1
L4: 2/3+1
L5: 0/2+1

Tatoos:

L0: 1
L1: 1

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 86/86 AC 29 Touch 18 Flat 24 CMD 30 Hero Points 6 d20+22=35 ; d20+22=28 ; d20+22=40 ; d20+22=33 ; d20+22=33 ;
Thursday October 4th, 2018 1:24:36 PM
Frustrated at the gnome's escape, Hobie will lower Prowler and shouts after him, "PROFESSIONALS!? YOU ARE JUST A BUNCH OF BULLIES!! YOU ARE NOT DESTROYING MY TOWN!!"

As he calms down, he listens to Pressi's suggestion that we should study the place, and he starts to detect magic all around him, and especially he wants to use spellcraft to see what he can discover about some of the magical auras around him (I'm sure there are many)

Here are five spellcraft checks, add 2 if the aura is Transmutation, subtract 2 if its enchantment or necromancy

A- 35
B- 28
C- 40
D- 33
E- 33

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Harper-AC 23, HP 61, CMD 23
Thursday October 4th, 2018 2:48:10 PM
Pressi

"Well, fellow bully or not, I personally would like to keep some things professional, so...."

Pressi picks up the blank pages and starts jotting down everything she can remember, or that is in notes. "Not that I want to help him make his war machine better, but he did ask nicely. Also, it can't hurt that we organize some of the myriad things we've learned about the machine and its people. Be kind of a nice record for the museum piece next to that guy's skull."

(Pressi is just kidding about the skull part. Maybe.)

(It's currently in raw form, but I'll be working to get things cleaned up over time. It's also editable if anyone wants to clean it up, add to it, jot some theories, etc. I tried to keep it to things that the DM expressly wrote.)

DM Carl
Thursday October 4th, 2018 4:45:09 PM
Kezzem thinks Ix was a bit odd, but is ready to continue on.

Zaragosa is interested in attacking the tool-bearing construct.

Bliss does not. He asks Pressi what she feels about breaking things around them.

Succotash decides to keep an eye on the party's rear.

Hobie has zero chill. He casts a detect magic and looks around, but there's just too much ambient magic to use the spell use that way.

OOC: As noted earlier, detect magic functions normally in the Giant, but there's too much ambient magic. Using the spell to scan for sources of magic won't work. The spell can be used normally to detect magic on something specific.

Pressi indicates she doesn't approve of Bliss' idea. She takes the papers Ix handed out and starts making notes, figuring it will help as they proceed. She decides to try interacting with the constructs. The tool-bearing centipede-like construct does not seem to care about any of you. It goes about its business, not responding in any way. Of course, no one's gotten violent yet, so we can't say it won't attack.

The guardian construction turns to face anyone who enters. Its eyes flicker green as it starts to move. In a deep, resonating voice, it simply says, "PASSWORD"

Those of you who can't fly find the Giant's foot is grounded long enough to ascend one level via the levitation field. A full minute is required to go from bottom to top. The dwarf who's sleeping off Pressi's deep slumber spell starts to snore...loudly. It's pretty obnoxious.

Time past: 3.5 minutes

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24 d20+20=28 ; d4+4=7 ; 2d6=11 ; d20=1 ; d20+10=13 ;
Thursday October 4th, 2018 7:42:26 PM
Kezzem draws his +1 construct bane adamantine short sword. "This is my password," he says as he strikes it with his weapon.

Quick Draw (free action), Move and Attack.

Attack: 1d20 + 20 = 28
Damage: 1d4 + 4 plus 2d6 = 7 + 11 = 18.

If Kezzem does not have to move to attack, he will make a full attack.

Attack: 1d20 + 15 = 16 (natural 1). Auto-miss.

Attack: 1d20 + 10 = 13. I'm assuming that would be a miss.

OOC: Going to NYCC tomorrow, so if someone could post for Kezzem, that would be great.

Murphy - Kim
Thursday October 4th, 2018 8:31:27 PM
"No one attack the centipede. It's the fellow on the top floor who is the guardian," he says in the halfling tongue.

[will post more later]

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)
Thursday October 4th, 2018 11:05:01 PM
Zaragosa would take the minute to rise floor (if I understood that correctly)

he was about to list off some passwords until Kezzem starts to strike it. "Well I guess that answer my questions about the plans."

He whispers some words to his sword which causes an effect that looks like it frosts over. He then says to Pressi "I don't think it will answer us without a password, and I think Kezzem has one for it." Then to Succotash "It might be hard to sneak across now, however, if I can get around it, I can help quite a bit."

Murphy - Kim
Thursday October 4th, 2018 11:11:41 PM
[OOC: Guys, my mom died. We are having a graveside service tomorrow. I know here that usually the show must go on, but, with ... three or four of us away, could we take a break until Monday? I should be fine by then. Hate to put the brakes on, but I have no bandwidth.]

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29 d20+27=37 ;
Friday October 5th, 2018 7:41:05 AM
Kim, so very sorry.

I'm leaving for a family vacation from this morning to Monday nite. I'll be posting, though. I would not mind a slowdown.

===== ===== =====

Bliss has a clever idea, but no way to accomplish it himself. He asks someone (Jack?) to pick the sleeping dwarf's pockets and to disarm him. And also maybe to tie him up and gag him? Or whap him in the back of the head with a sap?

Bliss casts Unseen Servant. He has the Servant pick up some item or weapon of the dwarf's. He orders the servant to enter and walk to the side of the monster, tapping the item on the floor as he goes.

Bliss changes into a cat. If the construct is distracted or heads to the Servant, Bliss sneaks past it when its head is turned.

Stealth 37.

The Servant can only be "killed" by an area attack ... maybe the robot will not have one. Bliss uses the Servant to repeat the process as others sneak across.

==========
DM Sanity Info

Spells:
Lvl 1: 5+Entangle (cast surr blood x2, unseen servant)
Lvl 2: 4+Barkskin (cast none)
Lvl 3: 4+Plant Growth (cast Blink)
Lvl 4: 3+Still Silent Barkskin (cast Threefold Aspect, Polymorph, Divination)

Stuff With Uses Per Day:
Basic Ritual: Kitty at will
Intermediate Ritual: Shared CL12 (+4) Shield of Faith
Rage 0 of 14
Bramble Armor 0 of 7 | Wood Fists 0 of 7
Guide/Mislead 1 of 7
Life 0 of 1 | Death 0 of 1 | Focus 0 of 1
Meta Rod of Extend 3 of 3 (Shield of Faith, Barkskin, Blink)

Current Effects:
Stoneskin from Talia (used 3.5 min)
Extended Shared CL12 Shield of Faith (used 11 of 120r)
Extended CL10 Barkskin (used 3.5 min)
Message spells (recast as needed)
Unseen Servant

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Harper-AC 23, HP 61, CMD 23
Friday October 5th, 2018 2:51:45 PM
(I too am okay with a slowdown. And, so sorry for the losses of everyone in this group.)

Pressi cringes at Kezzem's attack. "You know we had a decent chance of guessing the password, right? Honestly, its like everyone took 'Bull in a China Shop' as a direct challenge." She does, however, hit Kezzem with stoneskin.

Of course, Kezzem is presuming he can reach the creation.

To Bliss, Pressi has no overall objections but pretty much everything has been taken from the dwarf (give the unseen servant his spear, if its about making noise) and tying/hitting the dwarf is basically the only way to wake him up. (See: sleep spell.)

DM Carl
Friday October 5th, 2018 9:43:31 PM
Before Kezzem has a chance to make good on his threats, the Giant comes to a full stop. A loud voice booms from...everywhere, it seems. It's hard to pinpoint the source.

"FIFTEEN MINUTE BREAK, EVERYONE. GIANT'S GOING ON LOCKDOWN TILL WE'RE DONE."

The hatch on the top glows a deep red before a metal hatch seamlessly covers it. Much like the cover on top of the tunnel behind the hatches, there is no mechanism to interact with. Unless you can punch through solid iron, you're stuck.

Looks like Humble's Sword is stuck in the right leg, but at least you're not en-route to smash Humble's Ford at the moment.

Murphy, Talia, Kezzem, and Bliss all descend on the junk pile in the middle level of the leg, combing for any goodies.

***

This basically invalidates everyone's post today. That's not ideal, but real life has smacked too many of us in the mouth this week. It's the best I can think to do. Pressi, Succotash, Zaragosa, and Hobie are free to explore, search, whatever. I'm NOT pausing the timer on the dwarf waking up from Pressi's spell. Maybe you want to figure out what to do with him in the meantime. Also, don't forget he's got some weird gear on him.

The 4 of you searching the pile will effectively be taking 20 to search in your absence.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29 d20+22=23 ;
Friday October 5th, 2018 9:48:09 PM
Bliss helps look. He rolled a 23 but taking 20 gives a 42.

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)
Friday October 5th, 2018 10:37:16 PM
(OOC my wife lost her mom two months ago. I may not understand what you are going through but I have seen the pain real close. Of course my thoughts and prays are with you and your family, but more than that, if you need anything at all, please just let me know. I know I am a stranger far away, but I will support you any way I can. This sucks and I wish I could take away all the pain but I do make that offer for all it is worth. You are not alone)

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 86/86 AC 29 Touch 18 Flat 24 CMD 30 Hero Points 6 d20+34=42 ;
Monday October 8th, 2018 7:09:43 AM
Seeing that they are now locked in with him and he could be an issue if he wakes, Hobie will go back over to the sleeping guard and remove the +1 Spike Full Plate, the Cloak of Resistance, the Ring of Protection, (Hobie is already wearing the Amulet of Natural Armor). He will take the full plate and the dwarf's weapons and throw those away from the dwarf where he sleeps. The small things, Hobie will place in his handy haversack (unless anyone doesn't already have a cloak of resistance or ring of protection). He will also take the dwarf's boots and offer them up
"These boots seem to be magnetic, and could be quite useful as this machine goes topsy turvy, I don't want to give up these Boots of Speed I currently wear, so one of you should take them. Maybe our melee fighting Paladin, Succotash could find them useful to keep him standing in place so he can swing his sword."

He will take a closer look at the turning gear from the dwarf's shoulder. Being a Transmutation Expert, Hobie will very interestedly study it's magical aura, seeing if he can tell what the magic might do. Using a tap from his Identify wand for inspiration, he rolls a 42 on his Spellcraft check.

He will stow the gear in his haversack, and then proceed to tie up the now armorless dwarf with a rope.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Monday October 8th, 2018 9:55:53 AM
Succotash thinks about the magnetic boots for a while, then answers, �Well, if one of you arcane types can cast haste on me, at the appropriate time, then I won�t need my boots of speed�. �If no one else wants the cloak of resistance, I�ll take it�, Succotash says, and if no one else claims it, he will put it on, along with the magnetic boots. Succotash also is curious about the gear, and eagerly awaits its identification.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Harper-AC 23, HP 61, CMD 23
Monday October 8th, 2018 12:17:07 PM
Pressi ties up the dwarf, but doesn�t have time for much else.

She does remember the blue crystal on the giants fists.

DM Carl
Monday October 8th, 2018 1:58:16 PM
Hobie starts stripping the gear off the sleeping dwarf. Succotash takes the magnetic boots, as well as the cloak of resistance. Hobie places the smaller items in his haversack.

Pressi ties up the sleeping dwarf.

Succotash finds his footing very secure while walking around with the magnetic boots, but he's not nearly as quick on his feet.

OOC: -5 to your base speed

Hobie checks the weird, spinning gear over. As soon as his wand makes contact, he intuitively knows exactly what they do. This gear attaches to any metal armor, clothing, or ornaments on a user's upper arm. This particular gear seems to make a person sturdier. By itself, it's a minor effect, but Hobie's pretty sure that the more gears, the stronger the effects.

OOC: Wearing the gear on your upper arm grants a +1 to CON. There are other gears out there for the other 5 attributes. Each gear ups the bonus for all of them. For example, wearing gears of CON, INT, and STR grants +3 to each. Gears of the same attribute stack, but do not add an additional bonus. Wearing gears of CON, CON, and INT would grant +4 to CON, and +2 to INT. These are unique bonuses and stack with other enhancement bonuses from items like Belts of Physical Might and the like.

The gears are roughly the size of an orange. Up to three can be worn by one person.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 29 Touch 18 Flat 24 CMD 30 Hero Points 6
Monday October 8th, 2018 4:37:58 PM
Hobie attaches the gear to his chainshirt, just how he saw it attached to the dwarf. He immediately feels hardier as the gear boosts his Constitution. (Up from 13 to 14, so he gets 11 extra hit points)

He explains what the gear does, and tells his friends that he thinks it possible that there are more like it being worn by some of the other dwarves in this war machine.

"I am very much interested in who or whatever is powering this magic, I've never seen anything quite like it before."

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 29 Touch 18 Flat 24 CMD 30 Hero Points 6
Monday October 8th, 2018 4:39:48 PM
"Wow sucker, those things sure are the opposite of your Boots of Speed. Maybe you're better off throwing them in your bag for now."

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Tuesday October 9th, 2018 5:27:13 AM
Not liking the fact that the boots slow down his already slow speed Succotash removes them and puts his boots of speed back on. �Well�, he says, �They were worth a shot�. He then hands the magnetic boots to Hobie saying, �I�m not sure if these have much value or not, but would you mind putting these in your handy haversack as well, my saddlebags of holding are still with Miss Piggy�. �I remember seeing two of those gears on the gnome�, Succotash relates, �I wonder how many more we may find in this walking tin can�.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes d20+19=39 ; d20+11=27 ; d20+18=33 ;
Tuesday October 9th, 2018 1:36:55 PM
Pressi considers taking the boots herself but instead reminds Succotash "Don't get fixated on the speed issue. When we start fighting in this swaying body, you might find yourself falling on your back faster without them, too. Probably helps you concentrate while casting, too. Also, we've still got to climb this thing and I ain't made of polymorphs.

"In the meantime, let's see what we have here."

Pressi takes another look around (Perception Nat 20, Know Local 27) but she isn't sure where to start next. She tries to take another look at the various gems and statues (UMD 33) but isn't quite sure where to begin.

She also looks at the list again. Swashbuckler, Tornado, Warmachine, Thimble, Furnace. She counts the letters of each word, notes the first letter, glances at the nearby statues. But it's clear that she is stuck on what she is looking at.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 29 Touch 18 Flat 24 CMD 30 Hero Points 6
Tuesday October 9th, 2018 7:16:39 PM
"No problem, I'll throw them in my bag, let me know if you want them later"

DM Carl
Tuesday October 9th, 2018 7:26:17 PM
Hobie attaches the gear to his armor and immediately feels his endurance increase. He wants more. He also suggests Succotash ditch the new boots; halflings are slow enough already, especially armored ones.

Succotash concurs and puts his boots of speed back on. He asks Hobie to hold on to them. As he's putting his old boots back on, he looks up and spots a leather hood under the iron chair the dwarf was sitting in. The hood is meant to cover the wearer's entire head, but the eye and mouth holes have been sown neatly shut. Should anyone check, it radiates faint divination magic.

Pressi wonders if that's the best idea. They'd be real handy if they had to climb. She investigates the trappings of the right leg. Looking again at the pedestal with the globe and levitation field, she discovers the globe can be rotated. Currently, it can be rotated counter-clockwise until a *click* is heard, then it stops. It can then be rotated back, where it *clicks* into place again. There is zero evidence that it's doing anything. The levitation field continues regardless.

She also ponders the list of words. She counts letters, notes first letters, and compares them to items in the room. Nothing pops out at her.

OOC: Feel free to make a straight WIS roll if you'd like a nudge.

Up in the pile, the half of the party who's searching finds something! Talia's hand touches a gear much like Hobie's, and she finds she intuitively knows what it does just like he did. It seems to be another CON gear.

Knowledge, Arcana DC 15, Highlight to display spoiler: {Looking at this junk, it appears that this junk is mostly used in the creation of magic constructs, though almost all of it is broken beyond use.}

The search party continues searching...

***

The dwarf that's tied up and sleeping will wake during tomorrow's post.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 29 Touch 18 Flat 24 CMD 30 Hero Points 6 d20+15=17 ; d20+22=31 ;
Tuesday October 9th, 2018 7:45:00 PM
If Succotash points out the hood, Hobie will study it's aura to see what it does (Spellcraft 31)

When Talia finds the other gear, Hobie will say to the group "It seems like these things are pieces that are used to build constructs. I almost wonder if we found the right pieces, if we couldn't build a construct of our own. "

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29 d20-1=3 ;
Tuesday October 9th, 2018 11:26:18 PM

Bliss changes into a halfling and talks with the dwarf after he wakes.

He explains that we are heroes, and that we are seeking to stop this attack on Humbles Ford. Can he please give us some advice on how to do that?

Diplomacy 3

If that does not work, he casts Ill Omen and Charm Person on the fellow. He has to make two DC15 Will saves to resist, pick the worst of the two rolls please.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24
Tuesday October 9th, 2018 11:40:01 PM
Kezzem pops back up again with a big yawn.

"I think Press hit me a bit with that deep slumber spell too. What did I miss?"

"Wowzah, we can make our own construct! That gives me an idea what if we made a construct...mushroom farmer."

Kezzem pauses for the sound of crickets.

"Or maybe we could a construct that can tell the dwarves to shut this down and go home."

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Wednesday October 10th, 2018 5:26:39 AM
Succotash reaches out and picks up the hood saying, �This seems odd, why would someone sew the eyes and mouth holes shut, hey Hobie check this thing out!� Succotash than begins searching the junk pile for more useful items.

Murphy - Kim d20+29=31 ; d20+29=44 ; d20+34=47 ; d20+17=27 ; d20+13=27 ;
Wednesday October 10th, 2018 12:46:54 PM

Murphy does not join in the search through the debris pile.

Rather, early on, when the iron giant halts its walk, Murphy tells the others his plan. As a still-invisible diminutive bat he flies back through the small opening through which he originally entered. He flits upwards, seeking ingress in the hip area, just closed off to them. He takes a look around to see the layout, the staffing, any controls [Perception: 31], and the cap to the entry from below. Then, he glides close to the lid, to examine it and determine the best way to open it up from this side [Perception: 44]. He maintains constant communication with Pressi so that she gets a description of what he is seeing, and can pass it on to the others.

As the side ladder is covered, except for the opening in each room, he suggests that people get in, and start climbing, so that, should he be able to get the lid open, that they can come through, out of reach of the defender on the top level of the area they are in now.

If any of the room inhabitants detect that he is within their area [Stealth: 47], Murphy says, "Hello. I'm a security bat - actually a wild shaped druid - presently invisible for the very purpose of reviewing security. You have a good eye, and I'll see you get a commendation. Ix Revon has asked me to perform a security inspection in this place. Shall we review procedures? First, for the guardian in the room below, who here knows how you would answer if it said, 'Password?' All right, you, there, with the orange gear on your shoulder [substitute here some such identifying distinction which will allow the dwarfs, if more than one, to tell who he is talking to]. How would you answer?" If there is a reply, he says, "Very well. Next, what is the standard course of action you are to take if, say, during a village-stomping exercise, someone from the town manages to get inside, and tries to stop you? Please review your defenses, and let's see how well you have been trained. Hope you were listening. I know, I know, you just want to enjoy your break. But there are other inspectors here on this security check, and I hope you will give them your full attention and respect. Ix Revon has requested a full report." Like as not, though, no such conversation will end up taking place.

If no one is in the room, he first will consult with Pressi, to ensure people are lined up along the ladder, then endeavor to open up the lid to let his friends come through.

Perception - taking in the room: 31
Perception - closely examining the lid capping the crawlway below.
Stealth: 47
Survival: 27 - in case it's needed for some aspect of his endeavor
Diplomacy: 27 - if he talks to the dwarfs

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes d20=7 ; d20+4=6 ;
Wednesday October 10th, 2018 3:29:23 PM
Wis roll 7, arcana 6.

Pressi reflects that she will be spending Halloween trapped here.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Wednesday October 10th, 2018 3:40:41 PM
Can you tell I�ve been drafted, once again, into child care duty?

Pressi looks to see if the statues rotate too.

DM Carl d20+4=19 ; d20+4=21 ;
Wednesday October 10th, 2018 7:49:19 PM
Succotash asks Hobie to check out the hood. It does radiate divination magic, but it's not an item he recognizes. As he gets close, he realizes there's sound coming from the inside. It's a crackling, staticky sound. If he listens a while, the sound slowly increases and decreases in volume. If there's a pattern, he can't discern it.

Bliss waits for the dwarf to rouse, explaining he's a hero who's trying to stop this Giant. He, in an act of extreme chutzpah, asks for advice on how to go about it.

"Advice? Sure, I'll give you advice. Head outside and wait for the Giant to step on ya, 'CAUSE THAT'S GONNA HURT A LOT LESS THAN WHAT ANUR AND HIS FOLKS'LL DO TO YOU."

That's probably not what Bliss was wanting, so he casts some spells. Unfortunately, luck is not on Bliss' side today (saves 19 and 21 - not bad for a +4). The dwarf's attitude does not improve.

Kezzem snaps back to attention, but for some reason can still only think of mushroom farming. It's pretty evident Kezzem missed his true calling.

Talia is about to give up her search, when she comes across something pointy. It's a large, silvery blade inscribed with the same gold tracery on the walls of the Giant. It appears to be a longspear blade, but it's unusually long - about two feet. It's also missing its haft.

Murphy has a really good idea about opening the hatch back up, but finds the embrasures closed just like the hatch on top of the leg.

OOC: keep reading

Pressi keeps pondering the list. Maybe the number of words is important? The statues appear to be just decoration. No moving parts, hidden compartments, or magic auras.

OOC: Let me know what state you left the rotating globe in: original or rotated.

A voice booms through the Giant again, just like before. "BREAK'S OVER. BACK TO WORK."

...and just like that, our heroes are moving again. The hatch on top of the leg opens and the red light goes away. The embrasures open, allowing Murphy to exit and enact his plan. He's able to fly into an embrasure in the Giant's hip above the hatch Ix closed. The room he finds himself in is small and unremarkable. There's a hatch in the outer wall, which he's sure is above the tunnel they're aware of. There's both a door and another small hatch in the opposite wall as well. The floor has a large door that's undoubtedly the locked hatch the guardian watches.

He's alone, but if he wants to interact with any of the hatches or doors, he'll need to exit his bat form.

***

Time past: 5 minutes

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)
Wednesday October 10th, 2018 9:05:01 PM
Zaragosa was disappointed, in the dwarfs response.

He again, seemed rather out of his element as there didn't seem to be anything he could do at the moment. He will wait to see when the party moves.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29
Wednesday October 10th, 2018 10:13:59 PM
Bliss is sad his gambit failed. He puts a gag on the dwarf to keep him quiet and says, "Come on friends, we have to clamber on up! Excelsior!"

Bliss changes into a kitty and takes the lead in the ascent, unless Mister Murphy flies there ahead of him.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24
Wednesday October 10th, 2018 11:16:43 PM
Kezzem makes haste after kitty Bliss.

"Come one, let's go break something...or someone. The longer we drag our feet the closer this thing gets to smashing our town."

Murphy - Kim d20+29=39 ; d20+29=34 ; d20+29=36 ; d20+29=32 ; d20+29=37 ; d20+29=43 ; d20+29=39 ; d20+29=33 ; d20+29=31 ; d20+29=43 ;
Thursday October 11th, 2018 2:33:38 AM
As he was locked in for the 15 minutes, Murphy did end up searching through the pile of gizmos, say for about ten rounds. Rolls of 39, 34, 36, 32, 37, 43, 39, 33, 31, 43.

When the machine ends lockdown, Murphy Carrie's out what was described in the prior post, except for the hypothetical conversation. He transforms into a gorilla once he has gotten a good look at the hatch above the outer wall. He endeavors to open it. If the mechanism is not readily apparent on the hatch itself, he looks for a nearby lever, handle, wheel or knob, and carefully, gently, manipulates it, taking care not to damage anything.

During this time, he maintains a regular commentary with Pressi so she knows what he is about. As mentioned before, he asks her to get the team lined up on the outside ladder. "Suggest they not attack the gorilla. That's me. Also, suggest we identify ourselves as the security auditors for the iron giant. We don't really need to try to kill or destroy everything that we see as the first course of action."

Once the hatch is open, he makes sure the first kitten gets up safely, and whoever comes next.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Thursday October 11th, 2018 5:24:54 AM
When Pressi relays Murphy�s suggestion of identifying as security auditors, Succotash laughs and says, �That may work better than the potato farmer story, but I�ll just have to nod and smile, as I�m not going to risk losing my paladinship because of a lie�. He then takes his place as the rear guard.

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)
Thursday October 11th, 2018 2:11:13 PM
Zaragosa will keep his sword sheathed as he smiles and follows Bliss in cat form.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes d2=1 ;
Thursday October 11th, 2018 2:21:54 PM

Pressi continues to absentmindedly turn the orb back and forth before happening by chance to leave it in the rotated position.

"Oh, shoot, I forgot all about the hood. Ok, lets see... Its for people who call it a royale with cheese. No wait, I can do better, hmm..." Before Succotash can try on the hood, she grabs it and puts in on the dwarf. "Ooh, that is quite a hope that Anur will actually come down here in time and with flowers. I don't know what Anur will do to us, but with enough practice on your foul body, maybe I'll guess it. Moving a single inch or even coughing counts as consent."

(She considers grilling him or trying her own spells, but has too much confidence in her abilities and wasn't thrilled to talk to him further.)

Working hand in hand with Murphy, she positions herself toward the other side of the hatch towards the guardian. "Don't suppose the password is please. How many attempts do we get?"

Murphy - Kim
Thursday October 11th, 2018 5:56:01 PM

"Yeah, enter the hatch through the caterpillar sorter's level," Murphy recommends. "Don't try to wrestle with the guardian. The ladder tube is enclosed, and should get you by without having to negotiate with Mister Password."

Talia (by Kim for J.P.)
Thursday October 11th, 2018 5:59:33 PM

Talia fits herself in the middle of the line of ladder climbers, and, assuming Murphy was able to open the hatch, climbs out and takes a look around. She walks over to look at the small hatch on the opposite wall, and checks to see if it opens. If so, she looks inside and says, albeit quietly, "Hey, security auditors, I think this is the next way up. Or, down the other leg?"

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24
Thursday October 11th, 2018 9:42:04 PM
"I see Murphey is prepared to engage in...gorillla warfare,"

DM Carl
Thursday October 11th, 2018 10:15:29 PM
Bliss, Kezzem, Succotash, and Zaragosa are ready to move on. Succotash goes to put the hood on, but Pressi tries to stop him. She puts it on the dwarf's head instead.

The dwarf immediately starts trying to yell. It comes across mostly as "MMpphhh! ENTUUUUDES! HHLP!" Even gagged, he manages to make some noise. He continues yelling until someone stops him.

Pressi asks if the password happens to be 'password'. The guardian shakes its head no and repeats, "PASSWORD."

In gorilla form, Murphy is able to open the hatch and unseal the tunnel. Everyone who wants to is easily able to bypass the guardian and enter the hip area. Talia opens the small hatch and looks inside. There's a tunnel that goes up just a few feet before it bends 90' and heads towards the opposite end of the Giant. Murphy suggests playing up a faux security detail, hoping to avoid a fight as long as possible.

***

Time past: 5 minutes

Everyone who wants to advance up to the hip area is able to do so easily enough. The dwarf is still trying to yell unless someone stops him.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29
Thursday October 11th, 2018 11:30:33 PM
Bliss continues up, wondering what will happen next.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29
Thursday October 11th, 2018 11:31:27 PM
OOC extra: In my prior post I said that I gagged the dwarf, right?

DM: Yup, you did. He managed to make sound around it, but not nearly as loudly or as clearly than he would otherwise.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Friday October 12th, 2018 4:53:06 AM
Succotash quickly removes the hood from the dwarf saying, �That wasn�t very nice, you need to understand Mister dwarf, as a Paladin I can�t kill you for such things, but I don�t have to stop my friends either�, then to the party, he says, �I think this is a communication device�. Succotash suggests that the party continues up for now saying, �We know the control room is up there, I think we ought to stop this tin can first, then deal with exploring the rest of the machine�.

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)
Friday October 12th, 2018 10:51:20 AM
Zaragosa grumbles at Succotash words "I'm morally grey enough to stick you Dwarf. Not that I like murder, but if it comes down to you risking the lives of my comrades, I'll choose their lives over yours every time so shut it."

He will go up the next level with the rest

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 29 Touch 18 Flat 24 CMD 30 Hero Points 6 3d6=17 ; d6=6 ;
Friday October 12th, 2018 12:02:10 PM
"Guys I think we should remove his gag and see what he knows."

Hobie will point an arrow at the dwarf, and say "Look, I am no Paladin, as you might tell, and I have no need to kill you, but absolutely no objection to it either. If you shout, this arrow will most certainly destroy your vocal chords before you can deliver any sort of message, do you understand?"

===================
Provided the dwarf understands Hobie's threat, and doesn't shout, he will ask these questions.

What is your name?
What is your job here in this machine?
What is the password that the guardian is asking for?
Possibly some follow up questions based on his answers

===================
If the dwarf does not heed Hobie's warning, then the moment he starts to shout, Hobie will hold true to his threat and release an arrow into his throat, delivering a Coup de Grace against the helpless foe.

The dwarf will take 71 (3d6+54) piercing damage and 6 Electric damage, and if that is not enough to kill him, he'll need to make a DC 87 Fortitude save or die.

Hobie will then curse under his breath and say "It didn't have to go that way man."

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24
Friday October 12th, 2018 12:19:12 PM
"Does anyone speak Dwarven?" asks Kezzem. "Try saying 'password' in Dwarven."

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 29 Touch 18 Flat 24 CMD 30 Hero Points 6
Friday October 12th, 2018 1:57:04 PM
Hobie speaks Dwarven and his words to the Dwarf were in Dwarven

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Friday October 12th, 2018 4:42:33 PM
�Well, so much for my idea of just throwing him out the back. My idea of stabbing his leg with a javelin is still on the table, though.�

Pressi knows the answer is probably �Password One� but follows Murphy through the bypass... after she hits the dwarf with �waves of pain.� It boosts intimidation. Not everything on my list is exactly good guy approved.

Murphy Druid 11, gorilla HP 85/85
Saturday October 13th, 2018 2:24:38 AM

"Gentlemen, ladies: We are a security team. There is nothing faux about the notion. We are here to find weak points in the local security. Ix Revon has asked us to probe the security, and prepare a report. We tell the truth. And probe, and overcome, to our hearts' content. Let's avoid, though, becoming like the worst of those whom we oppose. Overcome evil with good - not with more evil."

Murphy examines the door (not the two hatches, nor the door in floor to guardian below, but the other door). He looks for a logical way to open it, and attempts to do so. If it opens, he looks through to see what is beyond.

DM Carl d20=14 ; d20+4=9 ;
Saturday October 13th, 2018 4:14:24 PM
Bliss upstairs, ready to proceed.

Succotash deduces the hood is some sort of communications device and removes it. He suggests hitting the control room to stop the Giant before exploring. The dwarf, still gagged, can only sigh and roll his eyes at the paladin's threats.

Zaragosa indicates he's more than happy to prove Succotash's point, but heads upstairs to move along.

Hobie continues having zero chill. Despite the dwarf's previously surly nature, Hobie puts some fear into him (OOC: rolled your intimidate vs. his will save - he lost). He slowly nods, sweat starting to bead on his forehead. Still, he keeps his answers as short as possible, answering just enough to technically satisfy Hobie's questions.

"Bazurn Thoreer"
"Guard"
"Dunno. Paper with the passwords was by my chair. Changes daily."

Kezzem suggests saying "password" in dwarven.

Pressi thinks she can guess the password - how hard can it be? She doesn't though, choosing instead to head upstairs.

Murphy postulates that Humble's Sword is, in fact, a security team aboard the Iron Giant. He's not wrong, but one doubts even he thinks that will save him from attack. He holds true to his morals, insisting that evil for good's sake is still evil.

He looks for a way to open the door to the next room, finding a simple knob and keyhole. Checking it, he finds the door is locked.

***

We have a locked door, a mystery hatch, a possible password for the guardian you seem to have bypassed anyway, and an angry but cowed dwarven guard. Six minutes have passed. What's your next move, ladies and gentlemen?

Murphy (Kim) Druid 11, gorilla HP 85/85
Sunday October 14th, 2018 1:20:06 AM

"Good to see you up here, Mister Zaragosa. Care to take a look at this door? The handle does not turn at the moment. There is a keyhole. Your specialty, no?"

He steps aside for Jack. He takes some time while that is being handled to study this area more closely. He looks at whatever controls there might be. He studies, evaluates, memorizes.

Talia (by Kim for J.P.) d20+8=28 ; d20+20=28 ;
Sunday October 14th, 2018 1:24:53 AM
Talia as quietly as she can descends the other leg, through the tube. She looks out through the slits in the hatch to see what is towards the top of the left leg.

By the way, the very large spear point with inscriptions upon it, she earlier wrapped and placed in her bag.

============
Stealth: 28
Perception: 28
(two instances may be too few to note a trend)

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells) d20+8=14 ; d20+35=39 ; d20+23=28 ;
Sunday October 14th, 2018 11:06:17 AM
"Yes, good sir!" Zaragosa says climbing up to check on the door. He would first check on the door to see if there was a trap (perception 14)

If no trap{
He would try to open the door to see if it was locked in the first place quietly
if it won't open{
He would put down his goggles over his eyes and attempt to unlock it (disable device 39)
}}
Either way, he would try to open the door as quietly as possible (stealth 28)

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Monday October 15th, 2018 5:25:48 AM
Succotash whispers just load enough for Talia to hear him, �We should stick together, solo exploration leads to trouble!� Then with Twinklesting in hand, he takes his normal spot as rear guard and waits for Zaragosa to open the door.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 29 Touch 18 Flat 24 CMD 30 Hero Points 6
Monday October 15th, 2018 6:38:36 AM
"He says there was a paper with the passwords, has anyone seen it?"

Hobie asks the dwarf more questions.
How many of you work here?
When are you scheduled to change the guard shift?
Who is your direct boss? Where can we find him/her?

Talia (by Kim for J.P.)
Monday October 15th, 2018 10:06:04 AM
Once she has taken her brief look through the hatch grill (not opening it) (and perhaps there should be a additional plus to her perfect stealth roll due to being behind the hatch cover), Talia quietly climbs back up the ladder to rejoin the group in the hip area, heeding the advice of Succotash.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Monday October 15th, 2018 11:29:42 AM
Pressi stares at Hobie intently, the list of passwords still in her hands. (She's just guessing, but its probably the list of random words Pressi was working on.)

She tries to gauge whether she can throw it hard enough to strike between the eyes, but chooses to move forward. There is some joking about how fun evil is and whether they can be just a little bit evil, but it's clear by this point that Pressi doesn't generally take the evil path, even if she left lawful long ago. (There's some temptation tied to emotion, but it's more an act than a belief system.)

Using aid another, she helps to boost Talia and JTT by 2 each.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 28 Touch 17 Flat 24 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Monday October 15th, 2018 3:15:49 PM
(Sorry Melvin, I've been super busy this weekend and I didn't take the time to properly read everyone's posts and put two and two together about the list of random words. Frankly I'm a little confused about what we are currently doing and who is where and what not and I don't have the time to piece it together exactly right now.)

After questioning the dwarf, Hobie stands behind as the group presses forward, Prowler at the ready for whatever danger may come.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 25 Touch 17 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Monday October 15th, 2018 3:17:01 PM
Updating AC, because Hobie's Shield spell has worn off

DM Carl d20+10=19 ; d20+10=14 ; d20+10=17 ; d20+10=26 ; d20+10=25 ; d20+10=16 ; d20+10=21 ; d20+10=22 ; d20+10=13 ; d20+10=13 ;
Monday October 15th, 2018 4:58:54 PM
Murphy asks Zaragosa to handle the lock, which he does. As he's working, Zaragosa realizes that while the lock is very well made, it's also quite primitive. It doesn't give him much of a challenge.

Talia checks out the hatch, but finds it goes up, not down. She returns at Succotash's insistence that they stay together.

OOC: Unless the Giant has an impossible wasitline, there's no way this leads straight down to the left leg.

Hobie wonders about the password list. Pressi confirms she has it in her posession. He asks the dwarf a few more questions, continuing to get just the bare minimum to satisfy his questions...

"A few dozen."
"We're almost to your town, aren't we? Not gonna be changin' before that.
"Anur. He's up there."

Zaragosa quietly opens the door. Peeking in, he sees a large room with a very tall ceiling (40'). There's a catwalk on the opposite corner about 20' in the air with a 4' tall solid railing. There's a ladder from the railing that travels all the way to the ceiling where an opening is covered by a pink, flickering field of energy. There's also a door on the opposite wall, under the catwalk.

There are 6 dwarves on the ground floor armed similarly to the one you encountered in the foot. There are also 4 more on the catwalk armed with crossbows. They must be standing on boxes or something since the railing is taller than many dwarves.

Sense motive, DC 20, Highlight to display spoiler: {The dwarves aren't saying a word, but they're also not keeping a sharp eye out for intruders. Something either has them spooked, or cowed into submission. A few seem lost in thought.}

All of them fail to notice Zaragosa peeking in (all perception checks failed).

Map!

Zaragosa and Murphy said they were by the door. Talia is by the hatch in the wall. The rest of you feel free to plop yourselves where appropriate. Blue boxes are melee dwarves, yellow are crossbow dwarves. The big up-arrow in the SE corner is a stairway, not a ladder.

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29
Monday October 15th, 2018 8:11:55 PM

Before the door opens, Bliss urges everyone to gather by the door. In halfling form, he whispers via Message: Come on guys! Give up on that dwarf fellow and the golem! Come up here via the short cut and get ready to head on up!

He changes into a cat as Zargy works on the door. He was ready to use his witch blessing to help him, but he gets it a-ok on his own!

So he casts a still silent Divine Favor as he steps closer to the door.

Talia (by Kim for J.P.) 10d6=38 ;
Tuesday October 16th, 2018 5:27:19 AM
Talia waits until Zaragosa, or someone, opens the door wide. Once that is done, she casts slow affecting the dwarfs in the catwalk armed with crossbows (yellow 1 2 3 4), and the three nearest them on the deck below (blue 1 3 6). Almost immediately after that she casts fireball centered about 10' off the floor (intersection of KL/56), and reaching yellow 1 2 3 4 as well as blue 1 2 3 6, for (6+2+5+2+6+3+3+2+4+5)=38 hp fire damage, Reflex save vs DC20 for half.

For the Slow spell the Will save is vs DC20

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24, touch AC 17; HP 119/119, CMD 24 d20+19=29 ; d3+2=5 ; d6=2 ;
Tuesday October 16th, 2018 10:31:10 AM
"Hey guys, have you tried not..." starts Kezzem, but Talia interrupts him with a fireball.

"Well, I guess we're fighting then." Kezzem moves into the room and attacks Blue Dwarf 5. "Here, let me cool you off after that fireball."

Move and draw daggers, attack with +1 Frost Dagger.

Attack: 1d20 + 19 = 29.
Physical Damage: 1d3 + 2 = 5.
Frost Damage: 2.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes d20+19=30 ;
Tuesday October 16th, 2018 1:49:21 PM
Pressi shook her head as her original idea (of having her, JTT or others sneak in first to lay down traps and spells - that's what AT-like builds are actually there for) goes out the window, and as only she seems to take in the scene. But as Kezzem goes from "wait a minute" to "full assault," she reflects on how the entire team seems to be bursting with aggression. The need to punch something was always going to win out eventually, she supposed. Better now than on these guys after they were tied up.

Still, she takes the time to easily study the dwarves, even through the back of the crowd and past Hobie's head (Sense Motive 30) and notices that none of them are ready. In fact, they seem to be spooked, cowed, lost in thought... and definitely not looking in their direction or preparing for the upcoming battle.

"I may have to re-evaluate my assumption that their weakness is due to arrogance," she said to herself. She screams to Hold Fire but knows that it is too late, and that she will have to fire herself. First, though, she activates her spectral hand just in case. (The arrow floating - shows where the hand is pointing.)

-----------------------

Harper status: heading away back to town

Pressi status:

Ritual of Warding
Shared Spell: Shield of Faith (Bliss, Pressi only)(extended?)(Pressi casts surrender blood)
crone form
surrender blood
hasted
no longer invisible, but hidden under HiPS rules

Spells Used:
L1: 3/7+1
L2: 0/5+1
L3: 1/4+1
L4: 2/3+1
L5: 0/2+1
Guidances: 2

Tatoos:

L0: 1
L1: 1

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 26 Touch 17 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6 d20+16=23 ; d20+16=17 ; d20+16=23 ; d20+16=31 ; d6+17=19 ; d6=2 ; d6=4 ; d6+17=20 ; d6=4 ; d6=6 ; d6+17=21 ; d6=2 ; d6=6 ; d6+17=19 ; d6=4 ; d6=4 ;
Tuesday October 16th, 2018 2:55:10 PM
ooc: Are we doing two rounds worth of actions since Talia cast Slow and Fireball both?

Hobie will step into the room as Talia casts her first spell. Once he sees her cast fireball, he knows there's no longer any option but brute force, and he does what he does he best, clicking his heels and aiming first for the guys with crossbows, moving from left to right if he kills any of them.

======
Manyshot
Attack = 23
Piercing 19, Fire 2, Electric 4 = Total 25
Piercing 20, Fire 4, Electric 6 = Total 30

Rapid Shot
Natural 1

Haste
Attack = 23
Piercing 21, Fire 2, Electric 6 = Total 29

Iterative
Attack = 26 (forgot to change it to + 11 in the die roller)
Piercing 19, Fire 4, Electric 4 = Total 27

===============
Boots of Speed
Rounds Used 12/10

Elemental Arrow: Electricity

Fire Arrows Used 10/50

Kezzem's Ring of Shield Other (+1 AC, +1 Saves, Kezzem takes half damage)

Haste (+1 AC, +1 Attack, +20 feet movement)
===============
Prepared Spells
Bonded Item Free Spell

Level 0
Light, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Message

Level 1
Grease, Obscuring Mist, True Strike, Feather Fall

Level 2
Invisibility, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Alter Self

Level 3
Fly, Haste, Slow

Bliss (Cayzle) HP 109 of 109, AC29 d20+27=43 ; d20+34=43 ;
Tuesday October 16th, 2018 10:01:32 PM

As soon as the firepower is cast and blasted, Bliss sneaks in as a kitty. He uses Acrobatics to avoid AoOs as he slinks up the stairs and moves to fighting range of the archers. That likely takes up a whole round of movement.

Stealth (if lighting and concealment allow) 43
Acrobatics 43

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)
Tuesday October 16th, 2018 10:09:13 PM
Zaragosa turns to those around him and sticks up six fingers to let them know there is someone in the room. he is about the mouth some more information when a fireball spell is flung. He shrugs then and draws his sword, whispering its name to give it an icy look. He waits for others to go in, knowing he will need to either start performing or start trying to flank.

If drawing the sword and activating his +1 frost ability does not take up all his actions, he will turn to Succotash to cast haste

(OOC, I do not know how much I can do or how the DM handles magical weapons. The only time we were ever in a fight was when my mother-in-law died. I do not know how this works yet)

Murphy (Kim) Druid 11, gorilla HP 85/85 d20+12=15 ; d20+12=21 ;
Wednesday October 17th, 2018 12:17:07 AM

"Not quite what I had in mind..." Murphy says to Pressi. He shrugs his muscled shoulders, then says in halfling, "Let me touch you Jack- bear's endurance." He places his hand on the mid or lower back of Jack T.T. Zaragosa with a bear's endurance spell (+4 con, +22 hp, +2 to Fortitude saves for Zaragosa, lasts 11 minutes=110 rounds). (I'm assuming that by letting him know, Jack will willingly receive the spell. If he resists or tries to dodge Murphy's touch, then, Murphy misses with an AC 15 touch.)

Still in halfling he says, "Thanks for unlocking it. You need to clear the doorway, Jack." If Jack had let him touch him, Murphy then nudges his friend through the doorway, and slightly leftward, that others may pass. (AC 21)

"Any suggestions?" he asks of Pressi. "A decisive opening of negotiations we have here, I'd say."
=========
Note: Succotash can attack #5 if he chooses to do so - especially with the haste that Zaragosa gave him.

map

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 d20+20=24 ; d10=8 ; d6=6 ; d6=3 ;
Wednesday October 17th, 2018 5:35:18 AM
Succotash moves up to #5 and attacks, "thinking so much for diplomacy".
Hit AC 24 for 8+10 damage=18 (9 holy damage if appropriate)

DM Carl d20+4=24 ; d20+4=9 ; d20+4=18 ; d20+4=8 ; d20+4=22 ; d20+4=18 ; d20+4=17 ; d20+4=9 ; d20+5=14 ; d20+5=9 ; d20+5=20 ; d20+5=7 ; d100=66 ; d100=11 ; d100=34 ; d20+12=13 ; d20+12=16 ; d20+6=10 ; d20+12=29 ; d8+1=8 ; d6=5 ; d20+12=23 ; d20+12=13 ; d20+17=26 ; d20+12=18 ; d10+5=12 ; d20+16=19 ; d20+17=25 ; d20+17=24 ; d20+12=28 ; d20+12=19 ; d10+5=6 ; d10+5=12 ; d10+5=7 ; d20+17=26 ;
Wednesday October 17th, 2018 11:11:02 AM
Bliss insists its time to leave the downstairs and move on. He casts a still, silent divine favor.

Succotash gets into position to enter as soon as they're ready.

Talia is done waiting. She casts a slow spell, taking the dwarves by surprise. (Only the Xbow dwarves are in range of the slow spell. The walkway they're on is 20' up and no two targets can be more than 30' apart.) One of the dwarves seems to shrug off the spell. She follows up with a fireball, catching 8 of them in the explosion.

Kezzem gets surprised by Talia's sudden attack, but jumps into the fray. His dagger slips between plates in the nearest dwarf's armor (Hit for 7 damage).

Pressi once again gets her plans frustrated by impulsive team mates. She wonders what may be causing the dwarves' dis-quietness, but since it looks like they're fighting, she prepares a spectral hand.

Zaragosa draws his weapon and casts a haste spell on the party.

OOC: You don't need to activate the frost ability. Haste affects 1 person/level, so you can get the whole party. I'm happy to answer any questions you have before posting, just e-mail me & we'll work it out.

Hobie does what he does best and opens fire. Though slowed, the crossbow wielding dwarves have cover from the catwalk's railing. All of Hobie's attacks fail to find their mark.

Bliss goes full kitty and tries to sneak through. The light conditions in the room are normal (though dwarves have darkvision anyway), and there are no obstacles to provide concealment. With all eyes on the door, his ability to sneak by them is basically non-existent. His acrobatics ability lets him avoid AoO, but he can only move half speed while using it.

OOC: Hasted, your base move is 80, so you can move 40' using acrobatics. A double move will get you across the room, but you're not hidden.

Murphy grants Zaragosa additional endurance and moves aside so his companions can get through the door.

Succotash advances and joins Kezzem in attacking #5.

Crossbow dwarves 1,2, and 3 fire on Hobie. The first dwarf is unaffected by Talia's slow spell and fire three shots, but they are all terribly off. The dwarf curses and makes a small adjustment to his sights. The second dwarf takes aim and finds its target (hit AC 29 - hit). The bolt burns as it hits Hobie. The third attack slams into the wall behind Hobie, barely missing (hit AC 23 - miss).

Hobie takes 8 piercing and 5 fire damage.

The remaining crossbow wielding dwarf turns towards Bliss and fires, but flinches and sends his bolt up into the ceiling (nat 1).

On the ground, #1 advances on Hobie. He swings twice, connecting once (Hit AC 26 and 18 - 1 hit).

Hobie takes 12 slashing damage.

Dwarf #2 also advances on Hobie, then in a practiced motion tries to sweep the halfling's leg. Hobie's able to sidestep the attempt. (Improved trip 19 - fail, but no AoO).

Dwarves #3 and 5 tag-team Kezzem in a flurry of attacks. Three times the dwarves' axes connect with the paladin (Hit AC 24, 25, 28 - 3 hit).

Kezzem takes (6+12+7) 25 slashing damage.

Dwarf #4 follows Bliss, unsure of what this small cat was trying to do, but still sure it was probably a threat. The dwarf's attacks are accurate, but Bliss is just too small and too fast to hit (Hit AC 26 - miss).

Dwarf #6 runs straight to the northern wall, pulling a black leather hood from the wall. It looks exactly like the one from the Giant's foot.

***

Please move your markers on the map as appropriate if you're moving. Speaking of, here's the map.

ADM Kim
Wednesday October 17th, 2018 1:14:30 PM

DM Carl & Players - please use the tab to the far right on the bottom of the map (this time, 'Round 3'), rather than the far left tab for movement.

Trying to keep a record of what happens step by step. - ADM Kim

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 84/97 AC 26 Touch 18 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6 d20+16=33 ; d20+16=32 ; d20+16=27 ; d20+11=17 ; d6+17=20 ; d6=2 ; d6=1 ; d6+17=20 ; d6=3 ; d6=6 ; d6+17=19 ; d6=6 ; d6=2 ; d6+17=20 ; d6=4 ; d6=2 ; d6+17=19 ; d6=1 ; d6=3 ;
Wednesday October 17th, 2018 2:39:47 PM
Thanks to Kezzem's ring, Hobie takes 13 damage and Kezzem takes 12 (Does that just automatically happen or can I choose when I take full damage versus sending some to Kez? It seems kind of mean to be sending my damage his way when I'm still pretty full)

Hobie takes a five foot step back and shouts to his friends, "Thanks for the Haste Z!! Can somebody get a body between me and these guys? I mean any that are still alive."

This time he aims for the dwarves who got up in his face, starting with 1 and moving to 2 if 1 goes down.

Manyshot
Attack = 33
Piercing 20, Fire 2, Electric 1 = 23
Piercing 20, Fire 3, Electric 6 = 29

Rapid Shot
Attack = 32
Piercing 19, Fire 6, Electric 2 = 27

Haste
Attack = 27
Piercing 20, Fire 4, Electric 2 = 26

Iterative
Attack = 17
Piercing 19, Fire 1, Electric 3 = 23
===============
Boots of Speed
Rounds Used 2/10

Elemental Arrow: Electricity

Fire Arrows Used 15/50

Kezzem's Ring of Shield Other (+1 AC, +1 Saves, Kezzem takes half damage)

Haste (+1 AC, +1 Attack, +20 feet movement)
===============
Prepared Spells
Bonded Item Free Spell

Level 0
Light, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Message

Level 1
Grease, Obscuring Mist, True Strike, Feather Fall

Level 2
Invisibility, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Alter Self

Level 3
Fly, Haste, Slow

Talia (by Kim for J-P) 5d4+5=16 ;
Wednesday October 17th, 2018 2:41:38 PM
Talia casts magic missile to strike #6. In halfling she shouts, "Hobie, or somebody, GET THAT GUY ON THE LOWER FLOOR WITH THE HOOD!" she calls out to her companions, indicating #6. "He's calling for help with that hood thingee!"

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)(performance 12/13)
Wednesday October 17th, 2018 3:49:38 PM
Zaragosa starts a speech to encourage the team, starting his bardic performance for Inspire Courage giving everyone +1 on attack and damage with weapons. He speaks mostly about how well he has seen everyone. How he has never seen a team such as this and is touched to his heart to fight alongside them.

He then will rush forward with his sword, having spent a lot of time starting his speech, he stays back just a ways to look for an opportunity to flank

CatBliss (Cayzle) HP 131 of 131, AC28 d20+18=38 ; d20+18=31 ; d20+18=36 ; d20+18=27 ; d20+18=28 ; d2+16=18 ; d2+16=17 ; d2+16=17 ; d3+16=18 ; d6=3 ; d3+16=19 ; d6=3 ;
Wednesday October 17th, 2018 10:33:54 PM
Bliss activates his arcane strike as a swift action and his combat focus [aka, rage ability] as a free action. He takes a five ft step into the space occupied by Dwarf 4. He is encouraged by the words Zargie speaks. His AC (which had been 30 with the Haste) drops to 28. His hp rise to 131

He makes a full hasted attack on Dwarf 4: two claws and two bites, the bites with his merciful tear.

Usually he is +12 to hit, but with +2 rage, +1 haste, +1 inspire courage, and +2 from the divine favor, that's +18. His damage is up by +2 rage, +1 inspire courage, and +2 divine favor, for +5 over normal.

OOC after rolls: Oh wait, arcane strike gives another +2 damage ... damage totals below are nudged up accordingly.

Claw: nat 20 is a 38, confirms vs AC31. Damage is 20 or 39 if that crit confirms
Claw: hits AC36 for 19 damage
Bite: hits AC27 for 23 nonlethal
Bite: hits AC28 for 24 nonlethal

Murphy (Kim) Druid 11, Gorilla AC 27 CMB 12 CMD 26 (autosave). Move 40' d20+11=23 ; d20+11=25 ; d20+11=24 ; d6+6=12 ; d6+6=8 ; d6+6=7 ;
Thursday October 18th, 2018 3:44:31 AM
[Using the formula for determining the hypotenuse of a right triangle, and without going into all the gory details (if you need them I've got them), #1 and #3 at the time of casting were both within 28.28 feet of the others. You're right, though, #6 was too far away (32 feet). So, DC20 Will saves for axe dwarf #1 (who is probably dead now) and #3 to see if they are slowed by Talia's spell. If #3 was slowed, then maybe Kezzem was struck only twice, rather than thrice.]

Gorilla-Murphy lopes across the room (#3 may get an AoO) to engage with axey-dwarf #6, who is about to try on the hood. Murphy endeavors to take the hood from said dwarf, and keep it from him. He uses his two, no, due to haste, three slam attacks to wrest it from him. AC 23 Dam 12 AC 25 Dam 8 AC 24 Dam 7.

Basically he is real handsey, doing all he can to grab the hood, and by all means keeping it off the head of the dwarf. If he needs to grab the arm that's holding it, or wrap legs around the dwarf's waist and arm(s) around his head... And keep the fellow from throwing the hood elsewhere.

[If you prefer grappling rules - go for it, but they remain to me a mystery. CMB 12, CMD 26. Freedom of Movement prevents the dwarf from grappling him. You can make rolls for Gorilla-Murphy if you want to figure the grapple stuff. I trust ya!]

==============
Things in effect:
Freedom of Movement ( move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web. All combat maneuver checks made to grapple the target automatically fail. The subject automatically succeeds on any combat maneuver checks and Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or a pin): 70 minutes
Longstrider (Move +10): 9 hours 51 minutes
Barkskin (Nat AC +4): 70.6 minutes
Haste (A hasted creature gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves): 8 rounds
Inspired Courage (+1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls): ongoing?
Time to arrival of Iron Giant in Humble's Ford: 67.5 minutes

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 d20+20=35 ; d20+20=38 ; d20+15=24 ; d20+10=13 ; d10=2 ; d6=5 ; d6=3 ; d10=9 ; d6=3 ; d6=6 ; d10=10 ; d6=1 ; d6=3 ;
Thursday October 18th, 2018 5:47:39 AM
Lay of Hands 10/10
smite evil 4/4
boots of speed 10/10

1st level spells:
lesser regeneration 3/3
2nd level spells:
remove paralysis 2/2
3rd level spells:
heal mount 1/1
cure moderate wounds 1/1

Succotash will perform a full round attack on #5

haste 35 for 12 damage (8 holy)
38 for 19 damage (9 holy)
24 for 20 damage (4 holy)
(I assume a 13 misses)

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24+1, touch AC 17+1; HP 94/119, CMD 24; Haste, Shield Other (Hobbie)
Thursday October 18th, 2018 10:37:53 AM
OOC: Sorry, I have to cast the spell first. Should have done that last round. Will correct things here.

Seeing Hobbie getting attacked, Kezzem remembers that he has forgotten something. "Oh right, the ring."

Kezzem will 5-ft. step back from the front-line to not provoke with his casting. He then cast's Shield Other on Hobbie. With his move action, he randomly selects a dwarf (let's go with Axe Dwarf 3) and activates Detect Evil to determine whether or not these dwarves are smitable.

----

Abilities:
Lay on Hands 7/day
Smite Evil 4/day

Spells Prepared:
1st Level: Lesser Restoration x3
2nd Level: Shield Other x2 (1 cast)
3rd Level: Cure Moderate Wounds x2

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 84/97 AC 26 Touch 18 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Thursday October 18th, 2018 2:01:12 PM
ooc: Oh okay, I thought the ring was the magic, i didn't know you needed to cast the spell first. Hobie should be able to make it through this fight just fine without it if you wanted to keep attacking and save the spell for a bigger fight.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 72/97 AC 26 Touch 18 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Thursday October 18th, 2018 2:01:40 PM
updating HP

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Thursday October 18th, 2018 2:24:15 PM
(OOC: Sorry for delay, lost an earlier draft.)

While Murphy plays gorilla patty cake with the dwarf, Pressi casts another deep slumber on him (DC 20). She then activates her shield of faith (+4 to AC).

(If Murphy has the dwarf successfully wrapped up, she instead casts it on one of the catwalk dwarves.)

-----------------------

Harper status: heading away back to town

Pressi status:

Ritual of Warding
Shared Spell: Shield of Faith (Bliss, Pressi only)(extended?)(Pressi casts surrender blood)
crone form
hasted

Spells Used:
L1: 3/7+1
L2: 0/5+1
L3: 2/4+1
L4: 2/3+1
L5: 0/2+1
Guidances: 2

Tatoos:

L0: 1
L1: 1

DM Carl d20+17=29 ; d20+17=23 ; d10+5=14 ; d20+4=21 ; d20+4=7 ; d20+13=14 ; d20+8=11 ; d20+13=23 ; d20+13=17 ;
Thursday October 18th, 2018 6:20:49 PM
Thanks as always for making my sub-par maps better, Kim. Disagreeing with your math on #1. He's as far from Xbow4 as #6 is from Xbow1. I'll roll a will save for #3, but this is your one rules call for the combat. Will save is 21 - pass.

Hobie winces, hoping some of the incoming damage will get sent to Kezzem. Unfortunately, they didn't activate the ring. He calls out asking for someone to body-block before taking a step back and attacking. Three of his arrows pierce #1 before he goes down. These dudes are pretty sturdy. Hobie's 4th arrow embeds itself in #2's shoulder, but his last arrow is deflected.

Talia warns about the dwarf heading for the communications hood on the wall. He sends a group of magic missiles out after him.

Zaragosa has some kind words of encouragement, boosting everyone's courage. He moves into position to begin attacking next round.

Bliss goes nuclear and tears into the poor soul who thought the small kitty would be an easy target. Bliss's careful bite attacks collapse the dwarf's windpipe, causing him to lose conciousness.

Gorilla Murphy tears after the dwarf Talia pointed out. Dwarves #2 and 3 both react (I can't see any way to avoid only getting an AoO from 3). He barely avoids one attack, but the second hits him. Hit AC 29 for 14 slashing damage.

Two of Murphy's attacks connect, but fail to do enough to put him down. Murphy will get an AoO against him if he tries to put the hood on while Murphy's right there.

Succotash goes all out on #5, slashing and beating him into unconsciousness.

Kezzem activates the ring to shield Hobie. He takes a step back & tries to detect evil on the dwarf near him, finding he does register as evil.

Pressi successfully puts the dwarf trying to warn others to sleep (will save 7).

OOC: I took the liberty of moving you since you had no LOS to the target.

Dwarves #2 and 3 look at each other a moment, a look of panic on their face as three of their companions fall in rapid succession. Together, they run towards the only non-covered exit in the room (Kezzem gets an AoO against #3).

The dwarves up top have faired better and open fire.

X1 attempts to send two bolts at Hobie. The first shot jams (nat 1), and his recovery is almost as bad (nat 3).

X2 chuckles a bit and takes aim himself. It's a solid shot, but Hobie's saved by his protections (Hit AC 23 - miss).

X3 takes aim at Kezzem, trying to give his retreating comrades some cover, but he can't shoot any better than his friends (nat 4? Come on, die roller...).

X4's head vanishes as he steps off something. He does...something that no one can see. The stairwell leading up to the catwalk begins retracting into the wall. It will be gone in a few seconds - if you want to use it, better use it this round.

Murphy only, perception 30, Highlight to display spoiler: {You hear laughter from the hood the dwarf is still holding on to.}

Updated map

CatBliss (Cayzle) HP 131 of 131, AC28 d20+50=66 ; d20+34=38 ; d20+20=36 ; d3+16=19 ; d6=2 ;
Thursday October 18th, 2018 11:23:49 PM

Bliss charges Crossbowman #3. He leaps if he has to: Jump check (with a +18 for speed and raging leaper) 66. He dodges when he provokes AoO: Acrobatics check is a 38.

That's +2 to hit, -2 AC, charging. The kitty hits AC36 for 21 nonlethal.

Murphy (Kim) Druid 11, Gorilla AC 27 CMB 12 CMD 26 (autosave). Move 40' d20+11=25 ; d6+6=8 ; 11d6=32 ; d20+27=28 ;
Friday October 19th, 2018 2:39:50 AM
At end of last round Murphy took an AoO vs #2 as he passed by him (10 foot reach) for 8 hp damage vs AC 25.

As #6 feel asleep, and he and the dwarf have been wrestling for the hood, it likely is in his hand, so he simply takes it with him as he steps a little bit away. Rather than focus upon the laughter emanating from the hood (though he does wonder the reason for their laughter), he instead figures he needs to do something with those trying to get away, and as many more as he might.

Murphy casts chain lightning for (1+4+3+2+4+3+6+4+2+1+2)=32 hp electrical damage with blue #2 below the primary target. Reflex save DC 27 for half damage (16hp). Secondary and follow targets are #3, #6, then 3 above, 2 above, and 1 above. For each subsequent target after the first strike, subtract 2 from the Reflex save DC. So: 2:27; 3:25; 6:23; 3Xbow:21; 2Xbow:19; 1Xbow:17. Each receives 32 hp or 16 if save works. Please note: From #2 below to #1 above is 20 feet to the left, and 20 feet up in the air. That is 20^2+20^2=400+400=800. The SQRT of 800 results in a net distance of 28.28'. One diagonal step is counted as 5 feet. Two such steps are counted as 5 for the 1st and 10 for the second. There is no second diagonal step. Therefore, horizontal distance is 20'. All stated opponents are within the maximum initial target range of 30'.

==========
Perception: 28
Things in effect:
Freedom of Movement ( move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web. All combat maneuver checks made to grapple the target automatically fail. The subject automatically succeeds on any combat maneuver checks and Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or a pin): 69.9 minutes
Longstrider (Move +10): 9 hours 50.9 minutes
Barkskin (Nat AC +4): 70.56 minutes
Haste (A hasted creature gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves): 7 rounds
Inspired Courage (+1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls): ongoing?
Time to arrival of Iron Giant in Humble's Ford: 67.4 minutes

Talia (by Kim for J-P) 10d6=30 ; d20+20=33 ;
Friday October 19th, 2018 2:52:35 AM

Talia winces, because she does not want to hurt Murphy, or Bliss. But she sees some people trying to get away, and knows that can cause more trouble.

She calls out to Murphy in halfling, "Murphy, fire coming," so as to give him at least some warning.

However, that may not help very much, as the point of the fireball bursts just a few inches above his head. Maybe his head is hard? Fireball: 30hp, Reflex save DC 20 for 1/2.

The burst is outlined in red, with the center at the intersection of columns L&M, and rows 4&5. Those in the area of effect are: All the crossbow dwarfs above (1,2,3 & 4 - unless 4 has totally left the platform), and on the main floor #2, 3 & 6. Also, sorry guys - Murphy and Bliss need to Reflex save vs fireball or suffer the damage.
======
Perception: 33

Murphy (Kim) Druid 11, Gorilla AC 27 CMB 12 CMD 26 (autosave). Move 40'. HP 56/85 d20+6=20 ;
Friday October 19th, 2018 3:03:21 AM

Updating Murphy's header with hit point info (including 14 hp run-by slash he took earlier from #3). Barely made the reflex save, took 15 fire damage from Talia's fireball.

"Uh, thanks for the warning. I'm fine." All right, maybe a little singed. "Someone want to chase down the fellows trying to escape? Like, NOW!?!" he asks his companions in the halfling tongue.

If any dwarfs are still up and look at him, he shrugs and says in common, "I was raised by halflings as a young ape."

ADM Kim
Friday October 19th, 2018 3:11:18 AM

Note: Fireball is instantaneous, so, if you were not in the area of effect at the time Talia's spell was cast, you can freely run into that area without being blasted. Which might be a good idea. Escapees tell tales.

BTW, Carl: Awesome module so far. Thanks! Or, uh, Tanks!

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 d20+19=30 ; d10=9 ; d6=6 ; d6=2 ;
Friday October 19th, 2018 5:11:12 AM
Succotash makes a dash for the escapees, and will attempt to use power attack to drop him

Hit AC 30 for 9+20=29 damage +7 Holy damage

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 72/97 AC 26 Touch 18 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6 d20+18=30 ; d20+18=31 ; d20+13=24 ; d6+17=22 ; d6=3 ; d6=5 ; d6+17=23 ; d6=4 ; d6=3 ; d6+17=20 ; d6=5 ; d6=2 ; d6+17=23 ; d6=6 ; d6=1 ;
Friday October 19th, 2018 1:17:24 PM
Hobie takes aim at the crossbowmen, forgoing one of his attacks to boost his accuracy.

Manyshot
Attack 30
Piercing 22, Fire 3, Electric 5 = 30
Piercing 23, Fire 4, Electric 3 = 30

Haste
Attack 31
Piercing 20, Fire, 5, Electric 2 = 27

Iterative
Attack 24
Piercing 23, Fire 6, Electric 1 = 26

===============
Boots of Speed
Rounds Used 2/10

Elemental Arrow: Electricity

Fire Arrows Used 19/50

Kezzem's Ring of Shield Other (+1 AC, +1 Saves, Kezzem takes half damage)

Haste (+1 AC, +1 Attack, +20 feet movement)
===============
Prepared Spells
Bonded Item Free Spell

Level 0
Light, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Message

Level 1
Grease, Obscuring Mist, True Strike, Feather Fall

Level 2
Invisibility, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Alter Self

Level 3
Fly, Haste, Slow

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes d20+17=35 ;
Friday October 19th, 2018 1:51:19 PM
Pressi finally squeezes past Hobie, making her way into the room. Escapees on the floor, shooters on the catwalk, and Pressi really didn't want to waste more spells on this.

She also sees Murphy quite in blasting range, so any AoEs are going to have to be heavily considered.

And that is when all the fireballs and chain lightning gives her an idea.

Pressi casts suggestion upon Dwarf #2 (should be the same DC 20). "These explosions are clearly affecting anyone standing, and Ix Revon will not tolerate such sloppy running," she shouts through the din (Bluff 35). "On the ground now, and get your friend down too, until the blasting is over."

-----------------------

Harper status: heading away back to town

Pressi status:

Ritual of Warding
Shared Spell: Shield of Faith (Bliss, Pressi only)(extended?)(Pressi casts surrender blood)
crone form
hasted

Spells Used:
L1: 3/7+1
L2: 0/5+1
L3: 3/4+1
L4: 2/3+1
L5: 0/2+1
Guidances: 2

Tatoos:

L0: 1
L1: 1

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24+1, touch AC 17+1; HP 94/119, CMD 24; Haste, Shield Other (Hobbie) d20+19=26 ; d20+15=31 ; d3+2=5 ; d6=5 ; d3+2=3 ; d6=4 ;
Friday October 19th, 2018 10:24:41 PM
AoO: 1d20 + 19 = 26.
Piercing Damage: 1d3 + 2 = 5.
Cold Damage: 5.
Total Damage: 10.

"Hey, you forgot something," Kezzem gives chase and tosses his returning frost dagger at the fleeing dwarves (#2, though feel free to pick another is he's down).

Attack: 1d20 + 15 (adjusted for 2 range increments) = 31.
Piercing Damage: 1d3 + 2 = 3.
Cold Damage: 4.
Total Damage: 7.

DM Carl d20+15=26 ; d6=5 ; d20=17 ; d20=18 ; d20=2 ; d20+4=18 ; d20+8=17 ; d20+8=28 ; d20+8=19 ; d20+8=24 ;
Saturday October 20th, 2018 1:13:56 AM
OOC: Typing this from the ER with my wife. She might have appendicitis. Waiting on a CT. I'm skipping all pretext of flavor text.

Bliss charges up the stairs to attack X3. He runs straight into X4, who was hidden from the ground level, but still there. Both are surprised, but X4 swings his crossbow at Bliss as he passes, barely missing. Bliss' jaws crush X3.

Murphy swipes at #2 as he goes by, barely connecting. The dwarf is looking rough. Murphy casts a chain lightning that hits dwarfs 2, 3, and 6. Unfortunately, with 6 against the wall and a solid catwalk above him, there's no valid path to any of the crossbow dwarves on level 2. #2 is absolutely fried. #6 wakes up for a moment, then gets knocked out, bleeding from his wounds. #3 is in bad shape, but alive.

Talia lets a fireball loose, hitting every standing dwarf (and a few halflings). The last dwarf standing is burned to a crisp. #6 and #2 go from dying to dead. Two of the crossbow dwarves avoid most of the blast. All are still standing, but they're all in bad shape.

Succotash is ready to hurt someone, but is out of targets.

Hobie puts two arrows in X1, killing him. X2 takes an arrow, but barely remains standing.

Pressi chides a corpse.

Kezzem gets ready to throw a dagger, but finds his target dead.

There are three dwarves left on the catwalk. They are basically doomed, and they know it. Bliss sees them look at each other for just a second before they all throw their crossbows over the railing.

"OK! YOU WIN!" says one of them. Probably X1. "Yea, this was supposed to be a sure thing. We ain't dying for this."

X3 stares at the surprisingly dangerous kitty trying to kill him. "Seriously," he asks. "What kind of cat are you?"

Murphy hears Ix's voice through the hood. "Murph! Put the hood on!"

***

Combat rounds are over. If you refuse to accept their surrender, they're doomed. They're all real close to death. Reminder that exits from this room include the way you came in, an opening on the opposite wall, and a hole in the ceiling with a flickering pink energy field over it.

Dwarves are all talking in Dwarven. Ix is speaking common.

Murphy (Kim) Druid 11, Gorilla AC 27 CMB 12 CMD 26 (autosave). Move 40'. HP 56/85 d20+27=46 ;
Saturday October 20th, 2018 3:42:18 AM

Murphy holds his mouth up to the hood and says, "One moment."

He steps away so he can look up. About the dwarfs who just cast down their crossbows, Murphy translates their words so all may understand what they just said. "Lower the ramp you pulled up," he says in dwarf and in common.

Then the druid says in the common tongue, "If you each give your word by that which you hold most dear never to attack Crescent Valley, nor to aid in any attack against it, nor any portion of it, nor the people of it, then we shall consider your full surrender." He then repeats the offer in the dwarven tongue. In common he says, "Pressi - it's for you to discern whether they speak true. If so, have them bound for now. If not, then ... your options are open. I know our paladins - and others - will want their voice."

"Ix Revon just asked me to join in his conversation," Murphy says to his companions in common. "Pardon me."

Gorilla-Murphy places the hood over his head. "Security auditor Murphy here, Mister Revon. Might I recommend you halt this iron giant if you'd like to converse? Unless you wish us to continue our ... inspection. Sorry, but we tend to resist those who choose to be an existential threat to our hometown. We each take it a bit personally." His eyes are open, to discern whether he can see anything through the hood, as well as hear.

==========
Perception: 46
Things in effect:
Freedom of Movement ( move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web. All combat maneuver checks made to grapple the target automatically fail. The subject automatically succeeds on any combat maneuver checks and Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or a pin): 68.9 minutes
Longstrider (Move +10): 9 hours 49.9 minutes
Barkskin (Nat AC +4): 69.5 minutes
Time to arrival of Iron Giant in Humble's Ford: 66.4 minutes [I added ~1 minute to elapsed time up through beginning the conversation with Ix via the hood]

Talia (by Kim for J-P) d20+20=38 ;
Saturday October 20th, 2018 3:59:59 AM

Seeing the last standing dwarfs cast down their weapons, Talia takes a look at the other doors and hatches that the party saw or came through, just to see if anyone is trying to come up behind them.

Perception: 38

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Saturday October 20th, 2018 5:25:40 AM
With the surrender of the final dwarves, and while waiting for Pressi's response, and the out come of Murphy's conversation, Succotash starts searching the bodies, ,looking for anything that my help him and the Swords defeat this foe, especially any of those magical gear things.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 72/97 AC 26 Touch 18 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Saturday October 20th, 2018 7:16:16 AM
Hobie will keep his bow trained on the dwarves and demand of them

"If any of y'all have one of these" he points to his magical gear, "Toss it down here immediately, or I might 'accidentally' let an arrow slip."

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)(performance 12/13)
Saturday October 20th, 2018 6:30:56 PM
(apologies again)

Zaragosa speaks out in Dwarven. "Keep still, I got my eye on all of you" He mostly wanted them to know he also spoke dwarven so they do not talk among themselves. Though he knew the team had it handled. Again he had to fight the feelings of uselessness on this fight, but he was impressed by everyone else.

CatBliss (Cayzle) HP 131 of 131, AC28
Saturday October 20th, 2018 8:35:55 PM

CatBliss lets his focus slip [OOC: ends rage] and pants, breathing heavily. He watches the captives closely. He's always liked dwarves, so he is glad not all of them died.

He hisses at them to make sure they stay put.

He also looks at the downed ones. He pauses next to their noses -- whiskers close -- to see if they are still breathing.

OOC to DM: Highlight to display spoiler: {Since he was doing nonlethal damage, maybe one or two of them are unconscious and not dead? If so, Bliss uses his witchy Life & Death ability to cast Death Knell on a dwarf. If he fails a DC16 will save. If an unconscious dwarf fails, Bliss gains 1d8 temp hp per dwarf level, plus +1 caster level, for ten minutes per dwarf level. Since it is a spell like ability with no components, Bliss can do this in cat form.}

DM Carl d20+4=19 ;
Sunday October 21st, 2018 7:31:22 PM
Talia checks the other exits from this room, looking for other threats. She sees none.

Succotash starts looting the bodies. (Will post towards the end)

Hobie demands the surrendered dwarves toss down any magical gears they have. Each takes the one or two gears they have and toss them over the railing.

Zaragosa wonders how useful he was. There will be more opportunities to prove himself, no doubt.

Bliss lets his rage end. He's glad ALL the dwarves aren't dead. He finds #5 is actively dying and tries to snuff out its life force. Even unconscious, the dwarf fights back (will save 19 - pass). #4 isn't far gone enough for his spell to work. OOC: He's unconscious thanks to your non-lethal damage. Death knell requires its target be at least at -1 HP.

Murphy tells Ix to hold on, then instructs the dwarves to lower the ramp again. One of them, seen only by Bliss, walks over and turns a wheel on the wall. The ramp starts coming back out from the wall. He explains the terms of surrender he's willing to accept.

X4 nods vigorously. "All I want to do is run home to my family and never do anything else this foolish again - cross my heart. Just let us exit out the heel and you'll never see any of us again." The other dwarves bow their heads and mumble agreements.

Murphy puts the hood on. He can hear Ix still chuckling, but sees only the interior of the hood.

"I told them," the gnome starts. "I told them that anyone who got inside would need to go through that groin area to proceed. I told them that we couldn't have our men getting banged around in the legs the whole time. I TOLD THEM to put our best men there in that room with you." Ix chuckles some more. "Anyway, Anur would never stop, even if I did intend to tell him you were in here, so you're gonna have to keep trying.

"Say thanks to your friends for me. You're all being *super* helpful."

***

Loot:

The dwarves on the bottom level are all wearing the same spiked full plate armor and wield a dwarven waraxe. Both radiate magic. The crossbow dwarves all wear agile breastplates and have light crossbows (also all magic).

The following gears are found:

2 - CON
1 - STR
1 - DEX
1 - WIS

There's also a small, green crystal that looks exactly like the one from the tool-wielding caterpillar construct in the junk pile below. It radiates magic.

In addition, there are 2 rings of protection +1, 4 CMW potions, and about 300 gold in coins and small gems.

So far, about 12 minutes have passed. Kim, I'm not sure where you're getting your estimates from.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 72/97 AC 26 Touch 18 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Sunday October 21st, 2018 10:54:06 PM
Hobie will grab up the Dex Gear if no one objects to it.

Murphy (Kim)
Monday October 22nd, 2018 3:08:06 AM
Murphy hears the promises of the surrendering dwarfs. In halfling, he says to Pressi, [i]"Sounds good to me. You get to make the call on this one, though."[i] To the dwarfs, he says, "Tell us first, and quickly, of any control in this area." Once they do so, he nods his gorilla head toward Pressi. "She will answer you. I suggest you hear her out. If she gives you leave to go, I pray you do just as you have said."

Murphy listens carefully to what Ix Revon has to say. The fellow certainly is enthusiastic. "Peachy," is all that Murphy replies to him, other than, "Gotta run now. More climbing ahead."

He removes the hood. "Looks like we've got to clear pretty near the whole place. Let's take care of some fast healing - I'm down about 30. A few others were hurt. This thing will reach our town in under an hour if we don't stop it. Healers, please heal us who need it. Then it's time to climb."

He relays mentally to Pressi what Ix had to say. He is reluctant to say what Ix said while there are still dwarfs present.

Regarding the gears, Murphy says, "I'd like at least the wisdom one, but will have to mount it later."

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5 d6=3 ; d6=4 ; d6=4 ; d6=4 ; d6=2 ;
Monday October 22nd, 2018 5:58:40 AM
Lay of Hands 8/10
smite evil 4/4
boots of speed 10/10

1st level spells:
lesser regeneration 3/3
2nd level spells:
remove paralysis 2/2
3rd level spells:
heal mount 1/1
cure moderate wounds 1/1

Upon hearing Murphy's request for healing, Succotash immediately stops what he's doing, positions himself within 30 ft of all his friends, and channels energy healing 17 hp to anyone who needs it. He then says, "I suggest Jack take one of the Constitution gear, as he seems to have the greatest need for it, as for me I wouldn't mind either the strength one, or the other constitution one unless someone else has their heart set on them already, in which case, I'll wait to see if more are to be obtained".

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 26 Touch 18 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6 d20+15=17 ; d20+15=33 ; d8=1 ; d8=6 ; d20+15=33 ; d8=1 ; d8=2 ;
Monday October 22nd, 2018 1:45:09 PM
"Thanks Sucker! That healing feels great!"

Hobie will take out his wand of CLW and tap himself with it a few times until he gets it to work and tops himself off with HP.

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (full spells)(performance 12/13)
Monday October 22nd, 2018 2:39:37 PM
Zaragosa will gladly take any Gear given to him. He was about to offer healing but was grateful to have Succotash. He sheaths his sword and looks to move on once the Dwarfs are questioned

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes d20+13=30 ;
Monday October 22nd, 2018 2:46:27 PM
"As a matter of fact, there is something that we need to talk about before we let you go," Pressi replies in common, having one of the others repeat it in dwarven. "Though I'm not convinced I can just let you go home. You are all still accessories in a plan to crush us and our homes on the way to what I can only imagine is a bloody religious war. That said, you caught us on a good day so I am willing to listen.

"So lets start at the beginning. Because I'm feeling sick and tired of feeling like a patsy, and I know that none of you are in here to be guards or soldiers. Why doesn't someone here tell me who this Ix Rexon is and why he betrayed every dwarf in this room?"

(Diplomacy 30. She eyes her medallion carefully to make sure nobody is lying.)

-----------------------

Harper status: heading away back to town

Pressi status:

Ritual of Warding
Shared Spell: Shield of Faith (Bliss, Pressi only)(extended?)(Pressi casts surrender blood)
crone form
hasted

Spells Used:
L1: 3/7+1
L2: 0/5+1
L3: 2/4+1
L4: 2/3+1
L5: 0/2+1
Guidances: 2

Tatoos:

L0: 1
L1: 1

CatBliss (Cayzle) HP 131 of 131, AC28
Monday October 22nd, 2018 8:21:44 PM

Bliss winds around Pressi's legs and purrs to express his approval of her words. And he glares at the prisoners. But honestly, he'd be happy if the party lets them run away.

DM Carl
Monday October 22nd, 2018 8:48:59 PM
Hobie grabs the Dex gear unless someone stops him. He heals himself with his CLW wand.

Murphy tells the dwarves to inform the party about any controls in the area, and suggests that lying to Pressi would be a bad idea. He blows off Ix and talks healing.

X2 speaks up. "That flickering pink barrier up there? It's not supposed to be flickering. You musta turned that globe in the foot. There's another in the left foot that disables it completely. You can walk through it, but it hurts. It hurts a lot.

Succotash channels energy, healing his friends. He requests the STR gear, suggesting Zaragosa take one of the CON gears.

Zaragosa gladly accepts the CON gear.

Pressi is in a good mood. She asks who Ix Revon is any why he betrayed them.

Bliss approves of Pressi's questioning.

All the remaining dwarves look at each other, obviously confused. "Ix? Howd'ya know Ix? He's Anur's fruity adopted kid. How'd he betray us?" X4 looks over, seeing Murphy using the hood, and puts two and two together.

"Wait. He knew you were here?" Then, things get heated real fast.

"IX REVON, YOU SLAGGING GOBLIN-RUTTER! IF WE MAKE IT OUTTA HERE I'M GONNA PEEL YOU APART!"

The dwarves know they're beaten, so they don't get violent, but boy are they mad. Murphy swears he can hear Ix sigh through the hood.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Monday October 22nd, 2018 10:17:54 PM
�See, this is why I�m never going to have a family. Don�t tell me that family is nice. This is family.�

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24+1, touch AC 17+1; HP 111/119, CMD 24; Haste, Shield Other (Hobbie)
Monday October 22nd, 2018 11:38:22 PM
"I hate to break it to you Press, but you've already got a family," says Kezzem. "Us."

Kezzem will take a DEX gear (what do they do exactly? I think I missed that) and suggest Murph get the other CON gear.

Murphy (Kim)
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 12:27:18 AM

"That is a philosophy of despair. Of death. Of extinction. You believe there is no hope of good in a family? I have experienced otherwise."

Murphy (Kim) Druid 11, Gorilla AC 27 CMB 12 CMD 26 (autosave). Move 40'. HP 73/85 d20+27=30 ;
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 3:17:16 AM
[Murphy's immediately prior post is to Pressi, quietly, directly. He thinks to add something, but chooses not to for now.]

"Thanks, Succotash, for the healing wash."

"Con & Wisdom? That would be sweet, as, you see, Kezzem, I think you can have up to 3 of the items, and, for each one you add, that improves the performance of the other, or others, you wear. If no one objects, I'd be happy to do that."

From DM Carl's October 8th, 2018 post (italics added): OOC: Wearing the gear on your upper arm grants a +1 to CON. There are other gears out there for the other 5 attributes. Each gear ups the bonus for all of them. For example, wearing gears of CON, INT, and STR grants +3 to each. Gears of the same attribute stack, but do not add an additional bonus. Wearing gears of CON, CON, and INT would grant +4 to CON, and +2 to INT. These are unique bonuses and stack with other enhancement bonuses from items like Belts of Physical Might and the like.

The gears are roughly the size of an orange. Up to three can be worn by one person.

If no one objects, Murphy picks up the Con gear, to accompany the Wis gear. He will install it when he has a chance to shapechange back to his halfling self - and not in front of the dwarfs.

Having learned of the other wheel that needs to be turned, located below, Murphy says, "Let's one or two or three of us go down the left leg, so that all of us can get up through the opening now protected by the pink barrier. I'll go. Who wants to come with?"

He communicates telepathically with Pressi. "Either let the dwarfs go, or enlist them in our aid. Anything else, and they may be more of an obstacle than assistance to us. I'd recommend having them exit the heal, though. Again, your call."

He asks the dwarfs, "We go through that door," and here he points to the door that #2 and #3 tried to escape through, "in order to get down to the left leg?"

Depending upon their answer, Murphy goes the direction that seems appropriate to reach the left foot. "Anybody, anything we should watch out for there on the way to the foot?" He asks X2. "I like to avoid hurting people if I can help it," he adds.

"I'm headin' down." He will wait long enough to allow one or two to join him, then head in the direction of the left foot. "Less than an hour remains, friends."

==========
Perception: 30
Things in effect:
Freedom of Movement ( move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that usually impedes movement, such as paralysis, solid fog, slow, and web. All combat maneuver checks made to grapple the target automatically fail. The subject automatically succeeds on any combat maneuver checks and Escape Artist checks made to escape a grapple or a pin): 68.9 minutes
Longstrider (Move +10): 9 hours 38.9 minutes
Barkskin (Nat AC +4): 58.5 minutes
Time to arrival of Iron Giant in Humble's Ford: 55.4 minutes

[To DM Carl: Where am I getting my (time) estimates from? Mine was a minimum estimate to cover the activities from the close of combat to when Murphy put the hood on. I already had factored in the actual combat time, which was not included in the 1 minute estimate. I was still awaiting you to post to let us know total time. I needed to have at least a minimal bump in time passage to reflect in spell duration. Not to usurp your passage of time rulings. I've made the appropriate adjustments.]

Murphy (Kim) Druid 11, Gorilla AC 27 CMB 12 CMD 26 (autosave). Move 40'. HP 73/85 d20+15=28 ;
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 3:22:36 AM

BTW: Knowledge, Engineering: 28 - for Murphy to piece together the bits of information about the operations of the Iron Giant they have gathered thus far.

Talia (Kim for J-P)
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 4:59:53 AM

Talia returns from looking behind them. "No one seems to be coming from there, they way we came. Besides the pink thing in the ceiling, maybe we could use the side climbing tubes, just like along the leg, to climb to the next level. Who wants to do that?"

She also pulls Succotash aside. "Look, I know I didn't dance with you. But I see a kindness in your heart. Don't get any ideas about becoming my boyfriend, but, next time there's a dance, let's make up for the missed dance last time. Okay?"

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 5:41:08 AM
Succotash isn�t sure what to think about Talia�s remarks, but he�s pretty sure she�s serious, and he says, �That would be nice�. He would say more, but obviously this isn�t the right time, but he adds, �After this is over, knowing the fine folks of Humble�s Ford, I�m pretty sure we�ll get our chance, by the way, sorry I was in such a mood after the party, I can�t explain, even to myself, why a simple dance, or lack of one, effected me so�.

To Murphy he says �I got your back! Lead on�.

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 5/5, 2/3)(performance 12/13)
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 10:43:49 AM
Zaragosa volunteers to go with the group on the left legs but objects to letting any of the dwarfs go.

He speaks in common, "I feel that these dwarfs even know cannot be trusted. We should bind them here. I have plenty of rope and tools for that"

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 2:08:04 PM
"I knew it," Pressi shouted to Murphy. "I knew you were full of all that 'take your time doesn't bother me' stuff. I knew you were hiding all this emotion.

"Not going to lie. It feels better than I care to admit. Oh well."

----------------

Pressi shakes her head in regards to everyone. "Have you all forgotten the plan. The plan we all agreed on back before we left Humble's Ford regarding just this situation, where we'd have to go straight back down through a pit? All we need or the magnetic boots, a couple of gears, and this."

Pressi pulls out her climbing gear, ropes and a harness for her cat. With a wave of a hand, action music plays. "This is our one chance, our one rope line shot, and you want to walk it? For shame. Tom Cruise and George Clooney judge you. I'll volunteer if nobody else will. Bring on the laser grid, lord."

-------------

Pressi feels a little funny about letting what may turn out to be a bunch of war criminals go, but they do need the rope for the other leg. So she agrees to let them exit.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 2:10:10 PM
She does ask the dwarves one more question, though. "This side Anur wants to destroy? What did they do that was so bad? Why are we riding a war machine there in the first place?"

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 26 Touch 18 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 2:27:11 PM
Hobie will accompany the group heading toward the left leg. He keeps his bow drawn and arrows nocked, ready to take out any enemies they encounter.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24+1, touch AC 17+1; HP 111/119, CMD 24; Haste, Shield Other (Hobbie) d4=2 ;
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 6:01:52 PM
"Um, we don't happen to have another one of those gear things? Something to enhance my undeniable Charisma per chance? Or boost my admittedly limited Intelligence?"

OOC: Don't know where that d4 came from.

Murphy
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 6:06:27 PM

"Of course I care, you ninny!" responds Murphy to Pressi after her moment of gloating over her evaluation of bad domesticity and her apparent lack of belief in the possibility of good domesticity. "Being patient does not mean having no emotion, or lacking interest. Sheesh!"

"All right, we don't want to get in the way of you taking center stage on this one, Press. We do NOT want to unduly irritate Judges Cruise and Clooney." He offers what support he might, then adds the suggestion. "Though, the easiest way to do it might be simply to climb down the side channel. Not as spectacular, surely."

Talia (Kim for J-P)
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 9:21:48 PM

The sorceress, after the dwarves have answered everyone's questions, then are told they should leave by Pressi, says, "All right. Down the right leg, out the heel." She flexes her fingers, intertwines them, then cracks her knuckles. "I trust you, as you've each given your word. Just in case your word is not your bond - well, you don't want to find out what I have in store for you if it's not." She shepherds them down and out the right leg - but does ask if anyone wants to come along. "Jack? Kitty cat? Anyone else?"

DM Carl
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 10:05:40 PM
Pressi, Murphy, and Kezzem ponder the pros and cons of family life.

Succotash and Talia share an adorably awkward moment.

Zaragosa thinks that letting the dwarves go may not be a good idea, but Pressi thinks they need the rope. She asks the dwarves why Anur feels the need to use this Giant in the first place.

"Not big on spirituality in The Scab, eh? Fhorge is an Old One who keeps all the other Old Ones imprisoned. Anur worships Scald and wants him free. To do that, he's gotta take out Fhorge."

In the end, Pressi lets the dwarves go. They waste exactly zero seconds before they tear out of the place. Talia then shoos everyone towards the left leg.

Exiting the central room, the party finds themselves in a long, narrow room. A huge mirror dominates the opposite wall of this room � but it is cloudy and unreflective. A number of runed tiles below it glow with red light. In the floor is a ten-foot-wide hole. What seems to be yellow paint surrounds it; the paint glows.

The tiles look like this.

14 minutes have passed.

CatBliss (Cayzle) HP 131 of 131, AC28
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 11:02:17 PM
Bliss, sticking to cat form, helps see the dwarf prisoners out the one heel. Then it is time to head to the other one to turn off the ward. He thinks that an AM Field spell would have likely got the party through it too, but we ain't got none.

So he follows the party to the other leg to turn it off.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24+1, touch AC 17+1; HP 111/119, CMD 24; Haste, Shield Other (Hobbie)
Tuesday October 23rd, 2018 11:22:41 PM
"Let's see, we have...whirlwind, hammer, rapier, catapult, spear, eyes...um, is that a thimble?...and fireplace," observes Kezzem.

"That mean anything to anyone? Maybe these control the giant's weapons somehow...make wind, use harmmer, etc...maybe some kind of gaze attack, and shoot fire. And also...mend pants?"

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Wednesday October 24th, 2018 5:30:35 AM
�Hey Pressi, you still got that piece of paper with the words on it? Succotash asks. �Because I have a feeling it might have something to do with this�, he adds while pointing to the tiles.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes
Wednesday October 24th, 2018 11:47:27 AM
Pressi breaks away from her emotions as Succotash reminds her about the paper. After a flurry of pocket checking, Pressi manages to pull the list.

"I can't believe that I forgot all about it. Guess I assumed it was already... that's good thinking."

"Swashbuckler, Tornado, Warmachine, Thimble, Furnace." Pressi looked out at the tiles. "And there they all are. 3, 1, 4, 7, 8. I guess... we step on the tiles one at a time? All at once? Any volunteers?"

-----------------------

Harper status: heading away back to town

Pressi status:

Ritual of Warding
Shared Spell: Shield of Faith (Bliss, Pressi only)(extended?)(Pressi casts surrender blood)
crone form
hasted

Spells Used:
L1: 3/7+1
L2: 0/5+1
L3: 2/4+1
L4: 2/3+1
L5: 0/2+1
Guidances: 2

Tatoos:

L0: 1
L1: 1

To clarify: The icons are on the mirror, not the floor.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24+1, touch AC 17+1; HP 111/119, CMD 24; Haste, Shield Other (Hobbie)
Wednesday October 24th, 2018 1:08:49 PM
"Are we sure the catapult is the war machine?" asks Kezzem. "Maybe the eyes represent this giant, and that's the war machine."

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 26 Touch 18 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Wednesday October 24th, 2018 4:35:07 PM
"Great thinking Sucker!"

Hobie stands guard with bow drawn as succotash pushes the buttons in order.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24+1, touch AC 17+1; HP 111/119, CMD 24; Haste, Shield Other (Hobbie)
Wednesday October 24th, 2018 6:40:40 PM
As Kezzem sees Succo begin pressing the runes, "Okay, I'm going to stand waaaaaaay over here...and I suggest the rest of you do the same."

CatBliss (Cayzle) HP 131 of 131, AC28
Wednesday October 24th, 2018 8:21:21 PM

Bliss watches approvingly.

DM Carl d20+16=26 ; 2d8+8=18 ; d20+11=17 ; d20+11=18 ; d20+16=35 ; 2d4+8=13 ; d20+16=17 ; d20+14=22 ;
Wednesday October 24th, 2018 8:43:09 PM
Bliss accompanies the dwarves to the heel. It turns into an ordeal...

***

The dwarves, with Bliss accompanying, head down the maintenance hatch to the leg, exiting at the top of the leg. As the last of the dwarves exit (Bliss is still in the tunnel), the Guardian turns to face them.

"NEW TARGETS CONFIRMED. OFFENSIVE PROTOCOLS APPROVED. ENGAGING."

Turns out, the Guardian can move fast. Within moments, it's on top of X2. Its axe-hand shoots forward, slicing through armor and slashing a bloody gash in his chest. X2 falls unconscious and is bleeding heavily. The momentum carries forward through the attack, targeting X3, but X3 is able to duck. The Guardian swings back at X3, but the dwarf jumps back in time.

The wires on the Guardian's other hand shoot out, grabbing and lacerating X3. X3 falls unconscious as the Guardian's wire-hand grabs on and start constricting.

X4 is having none of this. He runs, naked terror evident on his face, back towards Bliss and the (hopeful) safety of the tunnel. The Guardian takes advantage, shooting its axe hand out as a projectile. It misses, badly (nat 1). As soon as it's evident the attack misses, a chain attaching the axe to the Guardian goes taut and pulls the axe back to the Guardian.

X4 finds Bliss in the way, and in his terror attempts to bull rush right over him. Of course, Bliss isn't easy to bull rush, and X4 fails. "PLEASE!" the poor dwarf begs, trying to escape the construct.

***

Back in the room with the mirror, Pressi figures out the correct order. Succotash presses the icons she suggested and the mirror's reflection clears, showing all of you (minus Bliss, obviously). The icons with the eyes, furnace, hammer, and spear all glow green.

***

16 minutes passed.

The Unbelievable J.T.T. Zaragosa (Jack) (Jairus Houdek) (AC 24 CMD 22 HP 41) (spells left by lvl 5/5, 5/5, 2/3)(performance 12/13)
Wednesday October 24th, 2018 9:25:08 PM
Zaragosa will follow in the way of Pressi and Succotash. He is still offering to go down and check out the other leg

ADM Kim
Thursday October 25th, 2018 2:12:03 AM

Here's what the glowy tiles look like.

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Thursday October 25th, 2018 5:26:27 AM
Unaware of what is happening below, Succotash examines the mirror. �So the tiles turn on the mirror�, Succotash ponders, �Why would anyone make a mirror that you have to punch in a code to see yourself?� �Should we wait for Bliss to get back or continue on?� He asks.

Pressi (Melvin) - AC 22 (26), HP 94, CMD 21; Pressi's Notes d20+18=36 ;
Thursday October 25th, 2018 3:21:52 PM
As Pressi waits for Bliss to return or Murphy to say something, she absentmindedly looks at the mirror and the yellow paint surrounding the hole in the floor (Perception 36).

"Yeah, I got nothing," she remarks. "I don't even get why these runes, of all runes, chose to glow."

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24+1, touch AC 17+1; HP 111/119, CMD 24; Haste, Shield Other (Hobbie)
Thursday October 25th, 2018 5:55:41 PM
"Maybe it was made by vampires," suggests Kezzem.

ADM Kim
Thursday October 25th, 2018 8:54:38 PM
Will post in about 2-1/2 hours... smacked left and right timewise last few days. Currently in a board meeting. Sorry for delay - Kim

CatBliss (Cayzle) HP 131 of 131, AC28
Thursday October 25th, 2018 9:38:51 PM
Bliss would not have stood in the way of the oncoming dwarf. He certainly lets the poor fellow back on.

He returns to his friends and changes back into a halfling. He tells what he saw. Then returns to cat shape.

Murphy (Kim) d8+1=3 ; d8+1=9 ; d8+1=8 ; d20+15=25 ; d20+5=18 ; d8+1=8 ; d8+1=2 ; d8+1=9 ; d8+1=7 ; d20+13=30 ; d20+27=34 ; d20+7=20 ;
Thursday October 25th, 2018 11:46:03 PM

[OOC: I just learned I had misunderstood DM Carl's time passage notes. We actually have ~74 minutes left before the iron giant arrives in Humble's Ford... and he will update the clock with his next post.]

===========

As the group entered the passageway to the... other side of the groin? the hip? ...he wild shaped from gorilla back to his own self, that is, halfling. That was before the mirror tiles were fiddled with. He extracted one of his wands of cure light wounds, and, with two applications, brought himself back to full hit points (3+9=12, 12+73=85). He next touched Kezzem, who also, now is back to full HP (8+111=119). As far as he can discern, no one else is injured. He handed the wand to Zaragoza. "If I need healing while shape-changed, Jack, and you're not busy, can you use this on me? Feel free to use it on others, too." (It has 16 charges left). Murphy tells Jack the command word - which those near him can hear, too.

Then he took the wisdom gear and the constitution gear, and fastened them onto his leather armor. He has seen them worn by others, if there is any help from that. Using knowledge: engineering (25), he hoped he put them on the right way. Just in case, he augmented the wearing and activation of the gears via knowledge: arcana (18). He ponders and reflects for a moment, trying to ascertain whether he feels any wiser (wisdom 20 instead of 18?) or healthier (constitution 14 instead of 12?). If it will take some time to attune to them, then, he'll just deal with that over the next 24 hours.

He takes the communications hat, and places it in his handy haversack before he says the following.

In halfling, as the mirror is fiddled with, Murphy says, "Folks, consider this. Ix is our ally here. He has asked our help. No one hurts him, unless he decides to go against us - and even if, no one is to try to kill him. At all. He wants us to test the defenses, and, well, you may not like it, but, in this iron man, he is not opposed to us. He tried to talk the leader out of attacking our town. He has thanked us for our help. Hobie, do you understand my reasoning? Others? Are we agreed on this?"

Just about then, four of the eight mirror tiles change from a red glow to a green glow.

===========

After Pressi's use of the paper gave her, it appears, partial success in navigating the mirror tile puzzle, he says, "Well started. Mind if I take a look?" If she allows, he looks over the paper - both sides, to see if there is anything else on there that might help with this passage. If he discerns anything, then he tells Pressi.

When Bliss returns, after he has changed into his halfling form, Murphy asks Bliss, 'Can you use the wand of Mage Armor on me I bought a long time ago, and then gave to you? Feel free to apply it to anyone else, too." (gives mage armor +4 for ... 3 hours?)

"Oh, you're back, too?" he says as the dwarf shows up tailing after Bliss. "You want to help? Here, let me help you a bit. And, what's your name? I'm Murphy. This is a wand of cure light wounds," he says as he withdraws another wand from his bandolier. He applies 3 CLW, for 24 hit points restored. "If you go with us, you have to promise one thing. As much as it may annoy you, you may not attack Ix. I know that request burns. I know it's asking a lot. Think it over a moment, then give your answer." [Diplomacy: 30]

If the dwarf agrees, then Murphy asks, "Do you know how to pass this mirror? And can you tell us about what is on the other side - and who? If we can avoid hurting your friends, we will. If we cannot avoid that, we won't. We must save our own people, and stop this machine."
=========
Perception: 34
Sense Motive: 20

Talia (by Kim for Jon-Paul) d20+20=29 ;
Thursday October 25th, 2018 11:55:48 PM

Talia recalls all the places she saw openings (such as those a few people initially flew through), and whether there are any in the groin area, or if she saw them at higher levels, and if so, where.

She uses her knowledge: arcana (29), and what she has gathered from Pressi's and Succotash's manipulation of the mirror tiles to see if she can figure out what to do next.

Bliss and the dwarf show up. "What happened?" she asks.

She tells Murphy, "If you say so," regarding Ix, but she wrinkles her nose in distaste.

Hobie Browncloak (Nick T) HP 97/97 AC 26 Touch 18 Flat 21 CMD 29 Hero Points 6
Friday October 26th, 2018 12:06:45 AM
Hobie waits patiently as his friends try to solve the puzzls

Succotash and Miss Piggy (Jeremy) AC26/touch13/flat25 CMD26 - HP 102/102, Piggy AC27/touch11/flat26 CMD23 - HP 87/87 DR 5/evil, Acid, Cold, electricity 5
Friday October 26th, 2018 5:43:19 AM
Succotash has done all that he can, mentally, mental calisthenics isn�t his strong suit after all, so he steps to the rear of the party to take his usual place as rear guard, and waits for his �smarter� friends to deal with the situation, he also asks that the dwarf stays the in front of him, so he can keep a close eye one him.

�No promises Murphy,� he states, �If Ix attacks, he will receive a smite, his evil aura assures him of that, but if he plays nice, I�ll do my best to stay my hand�.

DM Carl d20+16=23 ;
Friday October 26th, 2018 10:20:36 AM
Bliss climbs to get out of the dwarf's way. The dwarf immediately climbs in the tunnel and starts ascending right behind Bliss.

Below, Bliss and the last of the dwarves hear a *thud*, followed by the sound of the Guardian's footsteps. The Guardian's handwires snake up the tunnel, trying to grab the dwarf, but he kicks at them as he climbs and just manages to escape their reach (Hit AC 23 - miss). As they walk away, the dwarf can't look up. If he did, Bliss could see the haunted look on the guy's face. "You coulda let the Guardian take me. I wouldn'ta blamed you." He looks up. "I have a lot of friends in this Giant. Somea them are as zealous as Anur and won't listen to reason. I ain't gonna raise my hand against'em, but I'll help ya as much as I'm able. I just wanna go home and take up mushroom farming or somethin'."

The two of them join the rest of Humble's Sword in front of the newly active mirror. No one's quite sure what to make of the glowing icons. They can probably be touched, but leaving it alone is always a viable option.

Pressi checks out the hole that descends below. The yellow paint is almost certainly just a safety measure. It doesn't take long to realize there's a levitation field in this leg just like the last. The party can easily use it to ascend/descend, just like before.

Succotash checks out what's below. It's darker than the other leg...a lot darker. It's hard to tell from up here, but it looks like holes have been ripped into the iron walls of the leg.

Hobie's not much for puzzles, and lets his friends figure it out.

Murphy turns back into a halfling and starts healing himself and whoever else needs it. He hands the wand to Zaragosa. He tries to affix the gears to himself. Maybe it works? The gears only seem to attach themselves to metal armor. Murphy no doubt remembers the metal tube Ix wore on his arm for that purpose. Your humble narrator can't see Murphy's sheet, so he's not sure, but since he's a druid, it stands to reason he's not wearing metal armor.

He tries to talk the rest of Humble's Sword into not attacking Ix, just as Bliss and one of those crossbow wielding dwarves come back as well.

"I'm Kade, and I promise you Ix ain't no ally to anyone but Ix. Ain't no one able to control that guardian that just killed two of us but him, and if this one," he glares at Pressi, "hadn't told us Ix betrayed us, my friends'd still be alive and we'd be walking back to The Scab together. I told your friend here I'd help short of taking arms against the folks in here, but if you've got half a brain in that tiny head'a yours, you'll put Ix down before he gets a chance to open his mouth. He crosses his arms and glares at Murphy.

Talia tries to make sense of the mirror. It has a strong aura of divination magic. Studying it for a moment, she realizes the reflections...aren't. They're lagging behind just a fraction of a second. It's barely noticeable, but it's there. Actual mirrors don't do that.

In response to Murphy's question, Kade presses the icon on the mirror with the glowing eyes. The image in the mirror changes, revealing the top of the right leg where the Guardian was station. The two crossbow dwarves are there, very dead. Kade looks away.

***

17 minutes have passed. Giant reaches Humbles Ford in 73 minutes.

Kezzem (BrianW) - AC 24+1, touch AC 17+1; HP 111/119, CMD 24; Haste, Shield Other (Hobbie)
Friday October 26th, 2018 10:49:46 AM
"It is a control panel for the giant!" says Kezzem. "I am so smart!"

"What do hammer, spear, and furnace do?" Kezzem asks the dwarf. "Do only the glowy tiles do something? If not, then what do the rest do? Does the thimble really mend giant pants?"

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