DM Carl - 7 rounds Wednesday March 18th, 2020 9:28:18 AM
Doh, I forgot to take that 2nd air elemental off the map. I'll fix this...
The elemental feels the tug of Rill's spell, but fights, eager to stay in this plane. Then, the nice young man speaks kindly to him in his own language. He decides maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't knock him off this wall. So, he grabs his companion air elemental and allows himself to be booped off the material plane. The bats stuck in them both are taken along with them.
Just like that, our heroes are alone and able to head onto the next obstacle.
OOC: Not changing the past, but re-awarding any hero points spent as a result of my error. Any abilities used are still considered used.
Room 2 - The Descent
Our three heroes take stock of their next obstacle. They are 100' above the ground. On the other side of the room, roughly 100' away and much closer to the ground, is a big yellow button. Between that is a pit filled with shallow spikes (about 1" tall). Tall pillars are the only surfaces between the party and the exit.
Leaping from one pillar to another requires a DC 25 acrobatics check if the pillar is in the row closest to you. The DC is 40 to skip a row and jump two at once. Failure results in falling to the ground below.
It is an unfortunate turn of events that the most nimble Sea Dragons all went in the other party, but perhaps they can come up with an outside the box solution to this.
NOTE: Walking from the previous room to the next doesn't take a full round. For this post, make two standard and one move action.
***
Upstairs, Aexana enjoys watching these newcomers react to her friends. As the elementals whisk the bats away, Captain Musk simply holds his palm out. Razma smiles and produces a small metal container from his jacket pocket. It's similar in shape to this, but without the branding. From the way he holds it, it obviously has some heft. It opens, revealing a velvet lined interior that holds dozens of the small chits he tipped the servant. They're separated by color: white, green, blue, purple, yellow, and a few orange as well. He pulls a purple chit and places it in Captain Musk's palm before closing the wallet and returning it to his jacket pocket.
"Well played, Captain," he says with a smile. If he's sour about losing the bet, he hides it perfectly. The captain pulls out a similar wallet and places the purple chit inside.
"Your friends do not seem well suited to this event, Aexana," comments Bezos. "How do you believe they will proceed?" As always, his eyes remain glued to her companions navigating the obstacles.
OOC: I wasn't very clear last post. Gwendolyn's speech is unrefined. It may not be something Aexana notices, but Lew does. Think My Fair Lady.
Rill (MarkB) HP 148/152 - AC 26/18/24 Wednesday March 18th, 2020 6:52:08 PM
Rill looks at the pillars, at the spikes and thinks for a moment.
"Yeah, jumping is not really my thing. And I'm guessing it's not generally a thing for dwarves either. Add in those spikes, and I think a stone walkway is better. I generally don't like asking my God for a miracle, but maybe this is a good time for it.
"I still have this rope tied to me. We should all hang on to it in case we get gusts of wind or such like in the last room."
Rill will cast Miracle to create a 5' wide stone walkway across(Wall of Stone). Ordinarily bridging a large chasm like this would halve the wall's area, but since the designers of this place were kind enough to place bridge supports about 10' apart, halving the area to create arches and buttressing does not seem necessary. If the DM disagrees, Rill can make the wall 2.5' wide instead of 5'.
(StevenVdB) Aexana Gnome (S) HP177/177 - AC29/21/24 - CMD 27 and LEAFY (L) - HP89/98 - AC34/27/31 - CMD 20 Wednesday March 18th, 2020 8:22:41 PM
Looking at the next obstacle Aex smiles a bit... and in response to Bezos she says : [b]"They won't go throwing around dwarves that's for sure... If not for the rules they would simply fly over it. Here, they will try to pull out some magic to bridge the jumps. "
Terser (Warren) [AC22/13/19 - CMD 30 - HP 255/255, DR 4/-, Regen 1, Mind Blank] (SR21, 25% no crit, rage 38/43, channel 7/7) d20+14=17 Wednesday March 18th, 2020 9:54:29 PM
Not wasting time on a miracle, Terser starts booking it across the stone bridge. Each time he comes to a pillar, he pauses a moment to assess any new threats. If something magic-y happens, he takes an action to cast dispel magic at it. If not, he keeps moving to the next column, trying to time it so he doesn't get stuck in between two of them.
17 acrobatics, In case he needs to balance
DM Carl - 8 rounds Thursday March 19th, 2020 10:22:41 AM Rill pulls out his wall of stone trick again, this time using a miracle spell with the existing pillars to make a bridge. He chooses the bottom row of pillars.
Terser wastes no time and steps onto the bridge (no acrobatics needed to walk down a 5' wide bridge). As he puts weight on it, the third pillar immediately collapses and falls in, but the rest hold strong. It's likely some of the pillars are trapped, and Rill chose the best row to build on. Good job, Rill!
All three of the contestants can move over the bridge.
Aexana correctly guesses her companions' course of action again. Bezos merely nods his head appreciatively. Khale sneers. "Handy how they knew the best row to build on, isn't it?"
Sir Gallant speaks up. "Your accusation is entirely unwarranted, I'm sure. The Dragons and I share a code; such actions are below us." Khale looks unconvinced.
"Well," interjects Razma, "there is entirely too little gambling going on up here. Let's make this interesting. I have 50,000 gold that says the Sea Dragon's second team will beat this one's time." This raises some eyebrows around the room.
"That's preposterous," replies Lew. "This team is already well ahead of the teams that went before." His eyes narrow as he continues. "You know something we don't, Raz?"
"A: Don't call me Raz," he replies. "B: No, but I wouldn't tell you if I did." He gives a small wink to Aexana, then spreads his arms wide. "Any takers?"
Octavious speaks up with a mouthful of cracker. "Aye, I'll take that bet. Gwendolyn, fetch my chit purse from my satchel." He motions to a leather satchel he left by the door.
Bralin - MikeK - (AC26 T16 F21, CMD 37 HP 186/197) Thursday March 19th, 2020 11:33:36 AM
Bralin nods appreciatively.
"I have a Stone Shape spell, should we encounter similar issues ahead," he informs his comrades. "But I can only cover half this distance with it."
The dwarf trots after Terser to the other side.
--------------- IN EFFECT: Bulls Strength
Spell List Highlight to display spoiler: { 0 – Detect Magic, Detect Poison*, Resistance, Purify Food and Drink* 1 – Comprehend Languages, Divine Favor, Magic Weapon, Shield of Faith, Identify (d) 2 – Align Weapon, Bears Endurance, Bulls Strength*, Find Traps, Soften Earth and Stone (d) 3- Dispel Magic, Prayer, Stone Shape (d) }
Terser (Warren) [AC22/13/19 - CMD 30 - HP 255/255, DR 4/-, Regen 1, Mind Blank] (SR21, 25% no crit, rage 38/43, channel 7/7) Thursday March 19th, 2020 12:41:25 PM
With the bridge looking like it's holding steady, Terser sprints across the rest of the way. 35 speed and run feat should let me make the button this turn if nothing else gets in the way
He prepares himself to make a leap in the middle of his run if anything starts to crumble away. He's especially wary over columns 2 and 4, as the column 3 trap is already sprung.
Rill (MarkB) HP 148/152 - AC 26/18/24 Friday March 20th, 2020 3:21:51 AM "Trapped pillars? Jumping wasn't enough for them? These guys are sadistic jerks that just like to watch people get hurt. This event really needs to be permanently shut down. I wonder how our more nimble group will handle this room?"
Since the wall seems to be working, Rill makes his way across. A glance down at the spikes make him nervous. He hands the other end of the rope tied to him to Bralin. Just in case.
DM Carl - 8 rounds Friday March 20th, 2020 8:51:11 PM
The bridge holds strong. Our heroes just need to finish walking across it.
*Please use the map to indicate your position. A full round move action at double speed should put you across in two rounds.
Upstairs, Gwendolyn picks up the satchel and starts delivering it to Octavius.
*Shortening this because I want Aexana to be active in what's about to happen.
Terser (Warren) [AC22/13/19 - CMD 30 - HP 255/255, DR 4/-, Regen 1, Mind Blank] (SR21, 25% no crit, rage 38/43, channel 7/7) Saturday March 21st, 2020 12:07:02 AM No running allowed? I'll just move normally for now.
Bralin - MikeK - (AC26 T16 F21, CMD 37 HP 186/197) Sunday March 22nd, 2020 9:30:14 AM
Bralin moves out along the stone bridge.
-------- IN EFFECT: Bulls Strength
Spell List Highlight to display spoiler: { 0 – Detect Magic, Detect Poison*, Resistance, Purify Food and Drink* 1 – Comprehend Languages, Divine Favor, Magic Weapon, Shield of Faith, Identify (d) 2 – Align Weapon, Bears Endurance, Bulls Strength*, Find Traps, Soften Earth and Stone (d) 3- Dispel Magic, Prayer, Stone Shape (d) }
(StevenVdB) Aexana Gnome (S) HP177/177 - AC29/21/24 - CMD 27 and LEAFY (L) - HP89/98 - AC34/27/31 - CMD 20 Sunday March 22nd, 2020 12:14:34 PM
(sorry folks, this corona mess has got my attention elsewhere. I may be forced to keep my employees at home on economic unemployment. We're fighting hard to keep the business going but when our customers around us are closing down we are running short of engineering work. Time to clear my head with a little DnD... good thing we still have this)
Upstaits Aex is amused with the discussions.
In response to Khale complaining how they knew what row to pick and Sir Gallant talking about a 'code' she says : "Ah you don't become a dragon by only being rich... by only being the strongest warrior nor by throwing around the mightiest spells... at some point there's one thing everyone needs on his own time... LUCK... and I'm sure we've had our share... "
When the bet comes up Aex too raises an eyebrow.
"They are two entirely different groups and I bet their approach will be completely different. One will be more prudent than the other. Hard to say who will finish first... But Fang, Tahni and Jozhur make a crazy team that's for sure... Fang can be a loose projectile... perhaps that's what it takes to finish this gauntlet first... My bet's on the second team... 25k on the second team. "
Rill (MarkB) HP 148/152 - AC 26/18/24 Sunday March 22nd, 2020 6:59:17 PM
Rill runs along the stone span to reach the other side. Since this is in a straight line, Rill is able to reach the base of the stairs on the other side.
He stays sharp, expecting some sort of attack.
DM Carl - 9 rounds d20+22=35 ; Monday March 23rd, 2020 10:22:10 AM Bralin and Rill bolt across the bridge. Terser lags behind a bit.
Rill's expectations come true. The moment the party steps foot on the platform, two false walls drop away. An angry triceratops comes charging out of both. They run down the stairs and straight at the two of them. T2 bull rushes the two of them (improved bull rush, no AoO). Both are pushed back 5'. The dinosaur turns to run instead of pressing the attack. T1 is rushing full speed towards Rill and Bralin.
***
Back up stairs, Aexana joins the gambling pool with 25,000 gold riding on team 2. "Yes yes, I'll take that bet too," answers Octavius. Looks like he's all in on Team 1. Gwendolyn arrives with his satchel, which he takes without thanking her. He pulls out a wallet similar to the one Razma had and opens it up. Inside are far fewer chits than Razma had. He frowns. "Can't cover both." He looks around, trying to come up with a solution. Then, the idea hits him. "Tell you what, Aexana. Team 1 wins, you owe me 25,000 gold. Team 2 wins, you get Gwendolyn here. Will that be sufficient?"
This stops all conversation in the room. Gwendolyn's face is hard to read, but her anxiety just shot way up.
Rill (MarkB) HP 148/152 - AC 28/20/26 d20+27=31 ; Monday March 23rd, 2020 1:56:20 PM "Well, I'm seeing a pattern here. We should likely expect some sort of summoned monster or such in each room. But right now, we have a couple of problems to address."
Rill will then move, provoking an AOO from Triceratops (T2).
(I'm not sure about the stairs. It looks like the "steps up" were only 5 feet horizontally, so the rise is probably 3'-4' up. Even if it were 5' up Rill should be able to put his hands up there and get up easily.)
If Rill can get on top of the far platform in one move, he will. If not, he will stop just below it, so I placed him twice on the map. Wherever he is, he will defensively cast Calm Emotions (DC 18 Will Save) on the far Triceratops (T1) that looks ready to charge/gore Terser.
"Terser, Bralin - if you attack this one in front of me it will likely draw his attention enough that it ignores me so I can hold the other one at bay."
(StevenVdB) Aexana Gnome (S) HP177/177 - AC29/21/24 - CMD 27 and LEAFY (L) - HP89/98 - AC34/27/31 - CMD 20 Monday March 23rd, 2020 1:56:36 PM
Aex's jaw drops at the baffling proposal Octavius makes... is this guy serious?!? Aex's face flashes with anger but she tries to remain calm... kinda...
"Bah! You disgust me... but I'll take you up on that... HOWEVER... should I win, Lady Gwendolyn is free to make her own choices. If she desires to stay with you she may on her own will and you will treat her right... trust me I'll find you if you don't... if she wants to go with me she's welcome to join me and my friends as a free woman... if she wants to go free I will give her a warm hug before she leaves with gold in her purse to get a fresh start... away from you"
With red cheeks and her small hands clenched into a fist she waits Octavius's answer. Right now she cares not about the others present. She does hope to get face to face with Octavius in this charade at some point.
Terser (Warren) [AC22/13/19 - CMD 30 - HP 255/255, DR 4/-, Regen 1, Mind Blank] (SR21, 25% no crit, rage 38/43, channel 7/7) d20+25=41 ; d4+1=3 ; Monday March 23rd, 2020 2:29:16 PM I thought I had moved all the way across - I may have been moving the wrong picture on the map. I switched them if that's the case, but I should be across after double moving 70 feet last round
It's a good thing Rill and Bralin are used to him, because if not, they may be running too. As it is, they can't help a brief quiver in the knees at the howl that comes from Terser's throat.
T2 probably decides that it doesn't want to face an angry barbarian and turns tail. With it out of the way, Terser (relatively) calmly hustles up towards the button. Intimidate Roll - 41
Terrifying Howl - Intimidate vs DC 10+target HD+target Wis Mod Target is panicked for 3 rounds +1 per 5 I beat the DC Target must flee/cower, -2 to most rolls
LOG ON