RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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raixel
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by raixel »

Cool concept on the stats. I like it. I always considered 10 to be average for a non adventurer, 12 average for an adventurer. But then again, my core group only has 3 other people besides me in it, so I always gave them slightly boosted stats, just to survive. :twisted:

Hey, at least bika don't sniff each other's...you know...as a friendship ritual :D EEW. Yeah, i laughed at Growlgra speaking about tools as pack mates. Random question: do bika have the scent ability?


Petal freezes as she hears the annoying voice of her tormentor. She creeps closer, having a very good idea of who he's talking to, but wanting to hear what the lttle weasel was planning. This part will be removed if she is spotted After listening, she quietly flies back to the bikas and lands, explaining to them what she has seen in a whisper. She peers thru the grate by the bikas, trying to determine if she can see whatever it was by the floor pad from this angle. Percept (1d20+4=8).
"So what do you think we should do? Wuuf, you've been hear much longer than us, and have way more experience in this sort of thing," she says quietly, trying to make Wuuf feel comfortable and part of the group.
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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For the 4d6 drop lowest method, 12 is the average for a PC adventurer - but then there are only a games worth of PC adventurers, and you guys are supposed to be above average compared to everyone else. :D All poor NPCs in the world roll 3d6, or get stuck with the race/monster array! So the only people you'd need to feel inferior to would be the main group, and they used 3d6 I think. Cause I'm just that evil.

I'm tending towards the 'bika have scent'm but delaying/balancing that currently with the 'all anyone can smell right now is worm yuck' :D



Petal moved closer, and saw a strange waving tentacle at about six foot off the ground. Moving closer still, she could see in the occasional flare of Chaos's anger and in his now burning cloak a seven foot tall demon standing beside Chaos.

"What are you waiting for? Get your brothers and attend me! I am your Master! Your Lord! YOUR GOD!" Chaos jumped up and down a few times petulantly, and his helm wobbled. In response, the demon's tentacles at his body undulated for a few moments as the demon gave a low, slow and unblinking look towards the capering High Lord.

A strange hissing breathing came from the demon. Was it laughing? It turned on its clawed floot, and slowly stalked off.

"Where are you going? Come back!" said Lord Chaos.

The demon stopped. It's arms undulated dangerously for a few moments. It then turned its head. "I go to bring others back," it said, then carried on walking into the darkness.

"Oh," said Chaos, sounding relieved. "Hurry back!" he called after sadly, sounding very alone. After a few moments, he started dancing happily, throwing small flares and sparks into the air in celebration. Unfortunately, that drew more illumination than Petal had enjoyed to the grate area.

"You! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be awaiting my surprises! I thoguht you liked my surprises!" Chaos kicked a rock in irritation, which proved to be a little to large, and he made a smallnoise of surprise as it didn't go far.

Petal quickly moved back to the others.

"Demons? Chaos is summoning his demons?" asked Growlgra in alarm.

Wuuf took Petal's report, and placating question with a neutral look, but at least answered her in a striaght fashion. "If I know Chaos's mind, this area should lead ous onwards. robably not in a direct way though. And not without a fight." She looked backwards, and thought for a moment. "The demons would have to come back through the long way to trap us. It is a gamble, but if we wait until the demons come for us, but passed the grate, we can trigger the pad. I suspsect only the left pit here will open, and we will have to fight passed something summoned. Still, we could then move forward. We could try to trigger something now, but I fear that other grate would be opened."

Wuuf looked to the other two, mostly Grolwgra of course, to see what they thought. And Grolwgra looked mostly to Petal. "This one thinks we move now, before the men of fire come," he said.


There's nothing Petal can see in the other corner without going down. Not saying there is sometrhing, just pointing out she couldn't see it without going onwards and potentially giving away she was there without hearing anything. Anyway, choice time! Trigger now, and risk demons coming at you from the side too, and wait a little bit, and risk being trapped front and back. Or is there somethign else to do here?
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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I'm a bit confused about this line "The demons would have to come back through the long way to trap us. It is a gamble, but if we wait until the demons come for us, but passed the grate, we can trigger the pad. I suspsect only the left pit here will open, and we will have to fight passed something summoned. Still, we could then move forward." Is she implying that we wait until the demons are on the other side of the grate from us, and then rush around to the left?

"That seems like a good plan. I think we should test the pressure pad first, tho." Petal says to Wuuf. "I have a plan for that. If anyone has anything they dont mind losing, or if we can find a rock or something, someone who has good aim can throw it on the pad. Once the pad is triggered, I can use my pull spell to grab the item off the pad, where hopefully it will hand on the other side of the grate from us. Then it can be thrown again for real once we know what it wIll do. The only bad effect to this plan, is that if the pad stays triggered after the item is off it. But that might be a risk we have to take. What do you two think?"

"For now though, im going to fly quickly down these pits and back up. Perhaps there is tunnels at the bottom that could be used as escape routes in a pinch." the pixie says as she takes off again.

Petal flies quickly down the left pit, looks around for anything interesting such as items, buttons or passages. Perception (1d20+4=18). Then she flies up and over to the other pit, after which she reports her finding sto the bika.

"Hmm, well whatever we decide to do, we should do it quickly. As ive stated before, im for Wuuf's idea." she tells the two bika
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Basically once the demons come back, and walk back using the way Chaos took (so going towards the iron key/scroll alcove) then you guys move onwards as you have a moment to move forward. Maybe even access where the demons had come from.


"This one has not been here before," says Growlgra with a shrug. He seemed to radiate pleasure his companions were speaking ot one another.

Wuuf apparently had to bite off some comment, but her reluctant comments showed she was impressed with the idea. "A good plan. I would council we be ready to move swiftly, incase the effect cannot be undone. And I would agree we do it right now then, incase the demons come back and we have gioven them an unretractable way back."

Growlgra nods, and sets himself up to throw his own knife the moment Petal comes back. Petals exploration is mericfully fast. Her sharp eyes and ears, combined with the music of mana, allow her to tell almost without going down that both pits are blind pits that do not expand. The song of YA is too strong and content. Ansd there is a powerful souce of magic - the blue glow of it just visible below indicates one of the those teleporting hazes. Perhaps if the worst happens, those could be used to quickly move around or behind foe - assuming the pits remained.

Growlgra seemed happy that Petal had all the information they needed. He gave a solemn nod to first one, then the other of his friends. Wuuf stood on the oppsing side to Petal, but only so that she could ensure a perceptive eye on the opposing flank to Petal.

"Fly pack-mate of this one, show the pixie your birth-gift!" Growlgra threw the dagger, and with certainty it flew through one of the grate holes.

To Petal's internal senses and ear, she could hear the raising song of the pressure plate as it greeted the object moving close to it. Petal prepared her own spell to pull the dagger back to them if all was not well.

The moment the dagger flew over the pressure pad, the song of the pad grew in height. The rune of BRO, when sung out in suhc a way, was a wonderous and beautiful note/ The dagger made a small noise as it hit the wall, and gently tumbled downwards...

The pressure plate's joyous song was ended the moment the tinkle of the dagger's fall was heart. To Petal, the foul scream of DES tore her heart, and she recalled her own losses once more with accute anxiety.

Where a pressure pad's edge could just be seen in the half light beyond the grate before, now there was a great darkness of a yawning pit. Chaos had cruely struck down and obliterated his own creation just as the pad fulfilled its duty. It was a petty, small thing to think on compared to the true suffering Chaos had inflicted, yet seemed oddly worse since the High Lord itself had given the pad strange life thenbetrayed it like a simple tool.

Meanwhile, both left and right, there was the cry of YA as the pits that had blocked the party's path disappeared. It was triumphant, but also had an edge of eagerness and even mocking about it.

Petal could feel why, and a moment later the two bika could smell why. VEN and EW were hissed in the air, and there was a strange sound from somewhere left and right off beside the new pit. Something foul - no, two foul things - had just been summoned or brought to life.

The ony good thing was that neither the grate before the party, nor the grate to the ight where the demons could ahve came, seemed to have been removed. Still, none of the party could - for now - see that right hand grate...


Decent perception roll, I've let it ride for what happened next. A brilliant idea to try and undo the pad with a pull spell, sorry I had something mean destined to happen to whoever or whatever would have been thrown/placed on the pad. Since you readied a spell, I will let you try and cast it still if you like - if you can roll a dex check with DC 20, I'll let you at least recover the dagger again, which would clatter against the grate on the other side.

So, good news - no demons can pour in from the right. Bad news...well, something's just been summoned. And it appears, for now, that only a pit has formed to escape through!
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by raixel »

Is there any way I could get a map with markers on it? I'm a bit confused as to the layout. Wheres the 'right grate', and where are the demons coming from? I thought they were over by the pressure plate (behind the pIts).

Ya, that pull spell is amazingly useful. I love it cuz its one of those spells you can be creative with. A fireball is a fireball, but with a little creativity I actually think pull is a better spell. I'm thinking tho, if youre willing, of dumping push for something else, as I think having both is kinda redundant.


Petal groans as she shakes off the clinging DES mana.
"Lie down and give up," it seemed to whisper. "Why do you still fight? It could all be over."
She draws upon the energy around her, banishing the remaining lethargy. LOOHKATHROS" she intones, as she sends the mana of the spell she had prepared earlier arcing out to the dagger. She then makes a pulling motion with her hand, hoping desperately she can get the spell off before whatever was summoned is upon the party. dex (1d20+4=20)
As the dagger clatters against the grate, Petal motioned for Growlgra to pick it back up. She glances around, trying to spot what had just been summoned, and where it was. percept (1d20+4=11)
"Well, whatever it is, we appear to have two options. We can back up, forcing them into a choke point and take them out a few feet behin us where the corridor narrows before branching off party would stand two squares "west" or we could charge either to the left or right, hoping we can fight thru whatevers there before the ones from the other side come up on our backs and pin us. I'm for backing up. At least that way it gives us more options."
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by beowuuf »

Map provided below so you can see what I mean. I didn't explicitly put the grate on the previous map, sorry. Chaos was behind a grate down the side passage. That's whjere the demons were speaking to him. The demon walked off into the darkness beyond, saying he would get his fellows...well, maybe that's what he said.... If the grate to the group's right (the south grate) had opened, demons would have flooded at you from the right unless you rushed through before they came back. If you guys had waited, you could have moved while the demons were trying to get round you from behind. It's a little moot since the grate did not open... instead, you need to work out what's in the ? squares, and also whether you wanna jump down the pit :D Don't discount the push spell - it's an improved bullrush that only costs a standard action, and at higher levels can outstrip the strngth of a fighter's own push. Anyway, I'll allow you to swap arund spells now once you get a feel for them, though they should probably stay finalised once Petal meets the main group.

Image



The group curses as it is clear something is lurking aroudn the corner. Petal intoned the spell she has prepared, at least saving the dagger from being swallowed by the formed pit. The dagger flies back down the corridor, hitting the grating on the other side and bouncing down the corridor to the right.

"This one needs the weapon, it will go right and back around! It will check on Chaos, too!" says Growlgra decisively, moving off down the right hand corridor.

"I did not hear the grate open to the right," said Wuuf, "The demons can still come from behind though, we must press forward so we are not trapped!" Wuuf speaks at almost the same time as Grolwgra, and reluctantly she moves off left after realising Grolwgra is already going right. "Cover Grolwgra!" Wuuf yells backwards as she rushes around to the left.


Good old NPCs, always charging off on their own. Since you now have the map available, you might change your mind on the strategy. If not, you should be able to get Growlgra to fall back towards you after he reports on what he sees and gets the dagger. Well, unless he gets attacked. Wuuf will probably be more pliable to combat suggestions if both Petal and Growlgra are saying them. As you've not cast light yourself, remember Wuuf is the light source here, so if you want to see what's fruther down the corridors at the '?' spots, it might be better to follow Wuuf than Growlgra. Or spend a moment casting FUL/LIGHT - though that does make Petal a potential target and unable to hide well until the spell wears off!

Good luck!
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Petal nods to Wuuf and says "Alright, I'm gonna cover Growlgra. Yell if you need me. We should meet up at the choke point by the pit if whatever it is proves too tough to handle. I also dont wanna get surrounded."

With that, she takes off after Growlgra, alertly looking around for an enemy coming up from behind them. She is standing in the right corner, one square west from Chaos' gate and watching both north and east for ambushes, until Growlgra is in the dagger square. She keeps glancing both directions. As she looks west, she tries to determine what it is that was summoned. Percept (1d20+4=17) as well as looking north for any demons.

"Growlgra, do you have the dagger? Lets make for the pit, as I think that is where Wuuf said she was headed." she says to the running bika.

Once Growlgra has the dagger, she moves around the corner so she is next to the pit One square east from the grate

Once everyone is there Petal peers down the pit "I will recon first. Unless you hear me use mana, follow me down. We cant afford to get trapped here," she says worriedly to her companions.

And with that, she flies down the pit, dagger held out and the FUL mana held in her heart, ready to add the IR component if she is leapt upon. She strains her eyesight, looking for any passages, or what ever might be down there.

I will edit this post if the above actions dont end up working. But I wanted to list a few actions that I was planning. Yeah, about the light, she doesnt have FUL. I took VI instead. I think she has OHIRRA, but I'm not quite sure I want to burn mana and make her more visible if theres gonna be a fight.
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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No, it's cool you list all the actions. And usualyl the dungeon is accomodating enough that they playout anyway :D I'm debating about moving this on to a battlegrid and proper combat actions, but I think the situations makes for keeping it narrative for now. I might shift it if you guys get into a true fight here though, so you might want to keep your actions in a loose combat timing. Can you roll me an initiative too, please?


Petal hovered, trying ot keep the various corridors in sight at all times. However, the barely lit sight of what had been summoned close to the pit demanded her full attention.

The bika had mentioned that in this place the spawn of the worm Balarast walked. Now she was apparently about to see one. However, if she had expected to see the normal small armoured worm she had dealt with before, apparently Chaos was eager to surprise. The slithering tail and body of the thing was the same, from the shape Petal could see in the dull shadows. Wuuf then came around her own pillar briefly and illuminated the corridor enough for Petal's eyes to pick up more detail.

Where the body should terminate though, in a small circular maw, the body instead continued. Now withouth the white teeth though - apparently the circular jaw was still present, except now buried in the thing's stomach. The body continued upwards, and twisted lumpy shape like dough pushed by a child's hands into a biscuit soldier. A child's treat made into nightmare flesh, but that was not the worst. The tiny arms of the worm was now the arms of this thing, and they spasmed left and right as if the creature was in agnoy. Worse, the lumpy shape of the create - in this half light - sudden'y reminded Petal of the bika themselves.

It was as if the thing was a twisted fusion of bika and worm. Or as if one of the bika had been swallowed by a smaller worm, and was trying to obscenely push itself out. The worm gave a roar, and the undertone was a tortured howl from the barely formed lump about the stomach. Petal would not want the thing to move forward anyway, but now there was a secondary reason. If it moved forward, the shadowy features of its upper body and face would be revealed. Not a pleasant thought.

"What in the nine plains is that!" yelled out Wuuf, apparently seeing the same thing as Petal and reacting the same.

Growlgra moves forward once he has the dagger, torn betwwen staying with Petal and moving to aid Wuuf. He is therefore not as well palced to see the creatures, luckily for him.

"We should have stayed back," muttered Wuuf as she fell back to the pit as Petal had suggested. Whether Wuuf realised she was agreeing with the pixie was not apparent.

"Not if the way down is safe," said Growlgra, making a strange noise as his nose wrinkled. Apparently the scent of the creatures did not agree with him.

Wuuf did acknowledge Petals words, and nodded. "Hurry," was all she said before turning her back on the pit, and facing down the corridor where the other creature would come from. Growlgra stood with his back to Petal too, although by his movements it was obvious he knew where she was, and was keeping her covered as he faced the way the other creature would come from.


I'll leave it there for the moment, so you can react to anything seen so far and what's happening. Assuming your actions will be as already stated, I will try to update for for what Petal finds below. The initiative roll may, or may not be important for that :D
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Oh f'n gross! I read the description like 5 times cuz it was grossing me out so much. (Sometimes my imagination gets the better of me) :) I think if we were playing cthulu that one would call for a sanity check.

Init (1d20+4=14)

Petal freezes for a split second in horror as the gruesome thing is revealed.

"What in SAR is that?" she whispers, staring at it in shock.

Then, remembering herself she quickly flies to the pit and down, avoiding the creatures if needed. Acrobatics (1d20+4=11)

As she flies down, she yells up at the bikas "We got to get outta here! Unless there's immediate danger and I yell, follow me down. Hopefully this isnt a dead end and those wretches will come right down on top of us. But I think its a risk we have to take."

When Petal touches bottom, she peers around in the gloom looking and listening for any passages, buttons or creatures.Percep (1d20+4=9) She is ready to shout a warning to the bikas above if anything leaps at her out of the gloom or she hears a monster nearly upon her.

I'm gonna leave off there until I find out the results of the inits. Basically, if she sees a tunnel w/o any immediate danger she will try and help the bikas get down as fast as possible. Then they might either take ioff down the passage or make a stand right there.
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Ah, that's cool - I had been thinking of CoC too. If you think you/Petal have it bad, realise Wuuf is looking at her one with full illumination!


"It looks like us!" says Wuuf, confirming what Petal could see in the shadows. "Why does Chaos mock us!" she snarls, quickly moving back to the pit at Petal's urging.

Grolwgra cannot reists checking on the creature given the others' reactions, and then snarls himself. "The thing spat something at me!" Growlgra says, the cause of his alarm much different and of more concern.

Petal is not the quickest off the mark negotiating the pit, for the moan of DES still echoes from its rugged walls. However, the worms seem content to move forward slowly, their multiple dirges apparently designed to intimidate and terrify their opponents if their appearance did not already.

With Wuuf closer, Petal can at least see a decent way along the reveal way. It appears to be a simple corridor, a little darker than the stones above and a little rougher in texture. Petal thinks she recognises the look - it appears to be the tunnels underneath Chaos's domain. She is sure this corridor should link to underneath Chaos's own twisted lair. INdeed, she can see a turn of a corridor up ahead. Of course, that means she cannot see too far down this place. And the howling of the worms above make it difficult to say for sure if anything will be awaiting them at the turn.

Wuuf seems to be very dexterous, and her swift movements see her quickly grab the lip of the pit, dangle down, and then let herself fall. This is a slight wuffle as she lends, but aside from tottering for a moment, she appears to have made the realitively shallow drop. Growlgra however, fumbles his own scrambling because he is hampered by his held dagger and the foul spitting of the worms. His haste sees him slip, and he would have landed painfully and awkwardly had Petal not rushed forward to aid him. She manages to catch him as he flails. Although her strength is not sufficient to stop his fall, she pulls with all her might and flaps her delicate wings and provides a cushion. There is sweat on the pixie's forhead by the time she land.

"Grolwgra!" yells Wuuf, but the bika is surprised and stunned to silence to see the rescue of her companion by the pixie. waves away his companion. "This one is fine, thanks to his heart-friend. This one may own another debt of life, " he says, with a wuffling laugh but gratitude in his eyes.

Wuuf gestures for the two to move as quickly as possible, moving to flank the pair as they recover. The worms above by now have shuffled to the edge of the pit. Twin gobs of something green and twinling fly towards the group, but they have moved fast enough to stay out of the way. There is a faint sizzle where the gobs his the floor. What were they made of?

The group shuffle further forward, until the angle of the ceiling and the pit's entrance won't allow the worms to directly hurt them.

"Is the way clear?" asks Wuuf, with an oddly respectful note in her voice.


Ok, and stop there. Wuuf managed a very good roll or a tumble/jump so doesn't need help, And Growlgra rolled a really bad one. Still, if you can retcon any aid for GRolwgra coming down the pit, then you can ease his damage or even turn it completely narrative in nature :) The pit is 20 feet deep, the ceiling of the next region 10 feet. Usually I'd make levels deeper, but I figures this one needs to be shallower for the corbum pillar to fall down. Plus, you know, I wanted ot have the worms able to shoot at you guys :D

So, if you want to make a stand against the worms, perhaps firing back at them or using anything else, be aware they can shoot nasty acid gobs at you. If you want to carry on down the corridor, let me know any precautions you will take against the worms behind you, or against any possible threats beyond.

Also, i'm still keepign the combat timing loose. If you want to engage the worms, then keep your actions to a combat round, but if you will stay out of the way, then feel free to stack a few actions and spells together. Just be aware any action in range of the worms (basically onthe the shallow diagonal LOS they have on the group at the mouth of the corridor) will draw an attack. Nasty spitting things!

Edit: And I edited the above for the 20/20 success. I was tempted to have Petal get hit instead of Wuuf, but figured taking damage on a set of good rolls seemed a bit mean, so instead I had the good rolls mean you guys managed to move off fast enough. I guess that also means you don't know exactly the composition of the spit, though you can guess! Also, selfless action done well seems to buy a little bit of a reprieve from Wuuf being snarky. For now, at least :D
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by beowuuf »

Incase you miss it in the main thread, I'll be a little distracted this week by the way! Apologies in advance. Also, I plan to get you into the main thread one way or another by the end of this month.
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Great, acid. As if life ain't short enuf :wink:

Petal sees Growlgra teetering halfway down the pit and frantically flies up to try and grab him. She knows she is way too small to try and arrest his fall completely, but she might be able to act as a "parachute" and slow him down. Dex for catch, str for gently lowering him down (or trying to at least) (1d20+4=20, 1d20=20) WOO! nat20 on the STR
Once he is safely on the ground, she looks up at the disgusting beings. A couple blobs of acid fly by her head and one hits Wuuf in the shoulder as the bika jumps in front of Growlgra. Petal backs up until she is also under the overhanging ceiling.

"We move, quickly. Go! I'll be right behind you," Petal tells her companions in response to Wuuf's question.

The pixie turns back to face the hideous worm-bikas looming at the edge of the pit. She calls the song to her, focusing on the fiery rage she feels that these abominations should pollute her friend's form. A crackling hum begins to eminate from the walls around her. FUL FUL FUL, it sings. As the noise gets more intense, the walls forming the pit begin to crawl with flickering orange light. The air begins to heat up and the creatures above her become even more distorted as heat waves shimmer in the air.
Petal arcs her hand sharply in the air in the shape of a bird while sounding the rune IR. The orange flickers leap from the wall to her outstretched hand. forming a ball of liquid fire at the end of her fingertips.
She stabs both arms upward in the shape of the rune ON and shouts "Fly free, and purify the abomination in your flame! ONFULIR!" The ball of fire leaps from her fingertips and impacts one of the creatures above her. ONFULIR (3d6+3=15)

As soon as the fireball is released she turns and flies after her friends, hoping they all wont run into the jaws of some giant angry thong that doesn't appreciate them being here.
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by beowuuf »

Yes, I was worried that there seemed to be a corridor in which you might not be in imminent mortal danger, and asjusted accordingly :)

Oh, and for some staggeringly good rolls, I am morally obliged to do something I haven't actually done before...I'M GOING TO CHANGE THE PREVIOUS POST! Wuuf and Grolwgra are damage free (well, Wuuf still has 1 point of non-lethal from the drop), and Wuuf has a little bit more respect for Petal!



Wuuf nods and the two bika move. Grolwgra looks back to Petal as if to stay behind, although Wuuf is already using the light surroundign her body to look forward. "Growlgra, stay ahead of me and watch for danger."

As Petal moves forwards and shows her ire at the foul creatures. Thankfully Wuuf's disappearance means she does not have to look upon the full foulness of the creatures, although the writhing shapes are still unmistakeable. Worse, the gnashing teeth in their stomachs are still clearly visible.

The fireball explodes between the two creatures, and neither in their twisted existence nor eagerness to attack can evade the full explosion fast enough. There is a smell of charring that is sickening, like burning tainted oils Petal would have no concept of a tyre fire I would guess!

"What is happening? What are these?" comes a squeaking voice from above. "I di not create these? What is the meaning of this!" The helm of Chaos is visible, but he does not appear to come forward any more.

As Petal retreats, two more gobs of spit fly at her. Luckily, her natural agility and small size mean she is not struck. She instead joins the bika at the corner of the corridor.

"The stone-plains here possess nothing but passing memories," says Grolwgra, shrugging his shoulders. Wuuf looks back around, and then nods.

Carefully the gorup carry on down the corridor. "I believe this leads directly under the corbum pillar," says Wuuf. "In this inner sanctum, nothing dwelt here before. I do not know if Chaos will have changed that!"


Roll me a perception check as the group go down the corridor, and let me know if you go fast or slow.


However, apparently nothing had changed. Around another corner was the sight that recognised - it was a set of pits that separated the hidden corridors under Chaos's lair. Navigating the pits would allow the party to come at Chaos from one of four sides. Of course, only she could move around this place with impunity, her bika companions were effectively trapped unless they coudl figure out the safe path across.

"The pillar is just above us!" said Wuuf, pointing to the roof in the middle of the pit-filled chamber. The roof was already buckled, and rocks were visible in the centre of the room. Still, a very obvious circular shape was in the centre of the devistation of the roof, stubbornly refusing to fall to gravity. "If only we could pull it down. The runes on the pillar, they must be the key. If only I knew what direction we faced, I could tell which path we need to take back again to get back to Chaos's lair, as close to the pillar as possible."


I'll generate a map of the pillar room later, but it's like the normal CSB map for the most part. Except with the pillar missing from the centre, you could technically navigate - as mentioned - to all four paths back up. Which I'm goign to say was the original purpose of the room. To move aroudn when Chaos's lair shifted above to block one of the entrances! :D
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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As the group walked carefully down the corridor I would say we are moving at normal speed, but alert. Well, Petal would be moving at less than half speed (Bikas have 20 ft move? If they have 30, shes at 1/2) to make sure the bikas can keep up with her, so she would be inspecting everything carefully to pass the time. Petal was on the alert, keeping a watch out for anything. Percept (1d20+4=12)

The pixie mulled over the last words she heard Chaos say as they walked. She turns to her companions "Hey, dId you hear what Chaos said when he saw the worms?" she asked quietly. "It was something about 'I didnt create these'. Wonder what it means?"

Eventually, they reach the under-the-pillar room. Petal looks around, examining the walls for anything. Then she flies over and examines some of the pits, as well as the bulge of the pillar. She doesn't really know what she's looking for, bu in the realm of Chaos, carefulness pays off. Percept (1d20+4=5) Nat 1! Her eyes are still stinging from the chemical smoke that came off of the burning worms, however.

She also is a little suprised at Wuuf's more polite tone, and opens her mind to the bika's energy. Sense motive (1d20+1=21) WOO! Nat 20 on the SM. IC is being testy today. "I hate you! I love you!" What was Wuuf hiding from them, and why does she have such a problem with Petal? Petal had to know, especially as it seemed most likely she would be the one flying down the pits to explore if need be, unless a rope was nearby.

"Do you think I should go down there and look around?" she asks. "I dont really know what i'm looking for, as ive never been here before. But I don't see how we're gonna get you two over by where the pillar's supposed to fall to without a rope."
Last edited by raixel on Sun Aug 08, 2010 5:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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As the grouop make their slow but sure way down the corridor, they keep looking behind them, sure they heard something. However, there were no offshoots, and nothing looked out of the ordinary with the walls. They moved on.

Wuuf gave a dark look across to Growlgra, but said nothing. Grolwgra paused, and then said, "Perhaps the invisible light of the corumbs gives form to the creatures here." Growlgra shuddered. "They had an appearance more frightening that this one is used to. This one feels heart-sick looking at them."

The dark look from Wuuf seemed to have a flavour once more tasrgetted against Petal, somehow. So all was not forgotten. Still, Wuuf also seemed to be a little more respectful too.

Petal kept an eye on Wuuf, and saw the bika move around the start of the pit room as if regaining memories. "The pillar that we thought was holding up the corbum was in the centre there," she said again, "but the pits were blinking. And some could be triggered open." Wuuf moved left and right confused, for everything was static, and seemed locked down in an unmoveable ocean of pits. There was a pad to the right and another almost visible on the opposing side of the room. Wuuf seemed to try and gauge the distance to that. However, she then spotted something on the floor, and silently pawed it for a moment before moving on. The area on the floor seemed to be a scorch, or perhaps a scuff mark.

Petal realised that, of course, Wuuf hadn't metioned where her companions were. They had done things in this room, but had not been fully successful. Where were they, he other champions of the Grey Lord? Why was Wuuf not pushing to find where they were? Petal realised that the bika's companions were most likely dead. Infact, looking around Petal could spot the occasional sign of violence in this room now she looked for it.

Growlgra was standing back, apparently respecting Wuuf's distance instead of looking around himself. It reminded Petal of Wuuf's lack of odd speech that Growlgra (and presumably other bika) used. Was Wuuf that detached from her pack that she deliberately lost her speech patterns? Or had she been so attached to the group she had picked up theirs? Either way, the pack-less bika must have been even more dependant on the companions she found fighting Chaos the previous time.

So really, was Wuuf angry at all at Petal? After all, apparently Wuuf had survived where the rest hadn't. And had found a pack mate again. Shouldn't she be less...angry? Was it guilt? Was Wuuf guilty? Petal did recall Wuuf saying the bika had only recently started on the path of the wizard. Did her passive priest magic mean she had not been able to contribute to the fight, only be able torun and heal? Was Wuuf sub-consciously guilty over surviving, and therefore taking her anger out on Petal? It felt right, although really Petal was only surmising. After all, Petal had seemed to impress Wuuf with her swift actions and magical ability. Even though Wuuf had also been angry at it earlier. That seemed oddly contradictory if there wasa simple, logical reason alone. If the reason were emotional, it might make more sense.

Still, if that was the case, Petal did not have to worry about Wuuf's attitude to the fairy. If this were the case, Petal might need to worry more about Wuuf's connection to the cause, and the bika's emotions. For a moment, Petal felt as if she were forgetting something, or missing something. It was an odd sensation, which passed quickly.

Unfortunately, checking out Wuuf's activities, and being tied to Wuuf's own FUL spell, meant Petal couldn't get of a feel for the place. The corum pillar above screamed in Petal's senses, and overwhelmed her finely tuned ability to feel the room out. All she could tell was the pillar seemed wrong. It was not some simple component of 'IR' or invisible source that was holding the pillar up. It seemed as if nature and magic was being tortured and twisted so violently neither dare try to invoke gravity upon it. Runes that should not be pushed together, that seemed wrong in this case, were screaming and making Petal shake.

It was distracting her and making this room a nightmare to figure out.

I'll leave it there for now, because I've realised without a map I've left you with the wrong impression. The pits are not above you, there are no pits overhead. All the pits are below you, set up like in CSB as a puzzle. Petal's ability to fly can of course circumvent part of it, though she does have two pesky NPCs to worry about that can't fly :)

And lol, good old IC. I think Ian draws similar extremes as you - occasionally in the same attack rolls!

Anyway, hope the insight gives Petal something to work with (or work on). Time to figure out the room. If you check somethign specifically, or change the circumstances (cross-check with one of the bika, or use normal senses focused on one area that isn't the pillar) I'll let you roll a new perception check. However, the narrative justification for the 5 will still stand. Whatever runes are holding up the pillar into Chaos's domain are distracting Petal with their obscenity!


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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by raixel »

Ok, now the pits make a lot more sense. I spent a LOT of time staring at my CSB maps trying to figure out the layout of the room, since you said it looked like CSB and i seriously couldnt remember pits in the ceiling of the pillar room (gee, i wonder why :wink: ). Much head-scratching ensued. I think it was the line about 'the four paths back up' that threw me. I infered them as being literal pits up in the room, not the Ways. Boy, do i feel SMURT NOWE. :oops:

Previous post has been edited to reflect changes without altering the actual flow. So I didnt ret-con any new actions in it, basically just made it make sense with the actual room layout.


Petal nods at Growlgra's words and reaches out and rubs the fur on the back of his neck, something Growlgra once told her bika do to comfort each other. "Yes, I too was disturbed by them, my friend," she tells him.

As the pixie watches Wuuf move about, the bika's eyes clouded with memory, things start to fall in place about the bika's strange anger. Petal now understands that Wuuf's previous companions probably died in here and that the bika seemed to feel at least partially responsible. Petal wondered why she felt resposible. Was it just survivor's guilt? Or was it something more insidous? A nagging thought lingered in the back of her mind, that feeling that youre forgetting something important.
Brushing thoughts of Wuuf's state of mind aside, Petal looks around the room again. The twisted Song in the room begs to be freed of its torturous confines and Petal has trouble focusing on nearly anything due to the shrieking mana reverberating in her mind.

"That pillar is the most unnatural, disgusting thing I have ever Heard," the pixie spits. "It is an abomination of nature. its very energy broken beyond anything I have ever experienced. We MUST find a way to free the runes on it and let the mana resume its natural course."
Petal looka up at the bulge in the ceiling where the pillar rests. "I am almost certain that the twisted worm-creatures are a result of this pillar and its Unbalanced mana," she remarks to her friends as she examines the spot where Wuuf pawed earlier as well as the other signs of violence in this room. The pixie had to wonder, was Wuuf somehow at least partially responsible for the deaths of her previous companions? Petal felt horrible for even thinking that, but still wanted to examines the signs of violence in the room as well as the ceiling underneath the pillar. Perhaps they could tell a story. Perception (1d20+4=22)

"We must find a way to the pillar! I'm going to go land on that pressure pad over there the one closest to us and see if I can get these pits to move. Be alert for anything!" Petal says as she flies in that direction.
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Heh, it goes without saying the exact layout of the dungeon will change from CSB. But it can give you a rought grounding. That said, I might be taking liberties wit hthe layout. And I might have very good reasons for doing so...

Yeah, sorry, I meant four paths back up, as in back up to the first level, not as in the junction of the ways. I was goign to let you do one or two more, but I think the flow of the main thread, and your progression here (winning over Chaos s fast, the impending 1 year mark) means I reckon you should be solving this right now. Which means I get to use more of the path ideas for everyone in the main thread later :D



Grolwgra makes an appreciative noise, but then looks sadly towards Wuuf's distracted movements. He is obviously just as disturbed by his fellow bika's aloof manner.

Wuuf seems to agree with Petal's assessment, and after one jealous look at Petal and Grolwgra's interaction, nods and seems to refocus. She loosk around. "I think I recognise that inscription over there" she says, pointign to the left of where the group is now. "If it says what I think, then we should leave the room from that way, it would take us close to the pillar, and be the opposite side from the side we left aswell." Wuuf shakes her head. "There is something we haven't done. Last time, somethign triggered the pits. Yes, try the pad."

"Be wary!" says Grolwgra, adding the concern that Wuuf seems to have forgotten to show in her eagerness to solve the room.

Petal was a little wary of Wuuf, and so checked the scorches when the bika was looking around. It looked like fireball marks - perhaps thrown by demons, or perhaps by Chaos? Petal could not recall anythign else that would do such a thing. Then again, she had not seen the twisted worms spitting acid before, either.

Petal looked closer at the scorch mark, it looked strange. There was a trail, and a darker stain that could have been burnet blood. The spread would have indicated a body whose remains could have fallen down one of the pits. Or, of course, it could just be a rust spot and a missed fireball. Looking closer, part of the charred marks seem to have formed small words. Had a fireball struck someone holding a scroll? Petal had seen strange things like that happen with the super-heat of magical fire. Inks preserved where the paper crumbled. Other things less pleasant.

The letters seemed to be mostly disturbed, only two letteres were obvious - a rune. RA. Beside that, while the letters faded out, a small symbol seemed to be above.

Looking back up to the ceiling, two things were clear. Now the rune of RA was placed in her head, she was sure that it was one of the runes being twisted in her ears. Not IR though, that was not present. No, the power of the sun seemed to be poisoned and brought low somehow, and flavoured in some way it should not. Petal was almost in tears, that was the second thing. The physical sickness combining with how wrong it all was in her mind.

Still, she recognised that the room seemed centred on the spot below, perhaps it had been designed to force the original party to do exactly what they had. Attacked and destroyed the the pillar, only to be mocked by it not moving. The rough ceiling and the rough floor, and the broken rocks around showed the effort already gone to. Still, it also reassured Petal that the ways should be navigable, if they could just find the ways.

Petal did not feel any ill will fro mthe pad she approached, and slowly settled on it. There was a grinding noise, and one of the pits lifted a hidden set of doors so it sealed perfectly to create a floor just infront of the clear space below the pillar. It would have been perfectly useful if her compaions were on this side along with her, instead of across on the side.Still, it might well be useful.


Will update the map later, but the pit just north of the blank square (by the map) has just closed.
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Petal snorts as the pit closes. She mutters something unintelligible about land-bounds, then goes over to the inscription Wuuf points out and reads it. She doesnt trust the female bika now, thats for sure. She keeps her feelings to herself, however, as she doesnt think Growlgra would understand. Besides, with her head and mind feeling the way it did she didnt think she could handle any more arguing.

Should she point out the weird letter marks on the ground? Her curiosity was burning. What if something really did fall down the pit? What if it was still at the bottom?
"Hey, guys," she calls to her companions. "Im gonna recon down this pit, i'll be right back up." She tries to make it sound like its nothing more than an average recon trip and nothing to be alarmed by. She feels bad lying to Growlgra, but she doesn't want Wuuf knowing, for now. If I have to bluff Bluff (1d20+8=24) If not, the base roll is 16, use it for something else

At the bottom of the pit area she examines everything carefully, looking for any trace of whatever could have fallen, or residual mana. Perception (1d20+4=23)

After exploring the area, she flies back up and says "I'm gonna go hit the other pressure pad i noticed when I went to check the inscription. Again, stay aware for anything."
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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The pit restores itself, as if mocking her right back, when she moves off to look towards the inscription. The light from Wuuf is dimming slightly, plus Wuuf is quite far away bobbing left and right. Still, once Petal sees even the half-visible letters, she recalls the inscription and agrees with Wuuf that this direction is probably the best to go. Eyes lies. From this side more than others, she recalls, were tricky walls and even pits.

Wasn't that the solution? To find a switch buried in a wall that wasn't a wall? With her back to the inscription, she looks around in the half light, and with her senses, looking to try and find anything that her normal eyes can't spot. The song of mana is strange, there are odd notes to the song of YA directly to her leftm and especailly to her right. Infact she would not be surprised if the strange pillar in the middle of the pits to her right was false.

And similarly, there is an odd note in the middle of the pits infront of her. Once more, in the saddening song of DES, there seems to be the sniggering, joyous little note of fakery. DAIN and ROS struck together, and making a wonderfully clear little note of fun.

Making excuses that mostly seem to be ignored - except for Growlgra's voicing of being cautious - Petal then decends int othe pit. It is probably not the best of ideas,. for the light, even to Petal's eyes, does not travel that far. The pit decents at least thirty feet before expanding outwards, in a dingy darkness Petal can barely see anything in. She is aware of some stone structure close, but she realises the immediate floor below her is a set of even darker pits. If somethign fell, it fell a long way. Infact, did this not fall down and down to some cursed, worm ridden hall? That certainly rung a bell. It actually leads to the start of CSB if you fall far enough, if memory serves, so there you go. An explanation as to why the gorup that starts CSB starts how they do. They try for the corbum, fail, fall, and CSB starts with them fighting out of the trap! :D

Concentrating more on the stone closeby - perhaps a simple pillar to hold up the roof of the large cavern she is in - she swears she can see a shape in a recess. Not see, that is the wrong word. IN the still darkness down here, where distractions are less, she can swear she can hear a small calling song. A song as if the iron key she took earlier were calling to a kindred.

Coming back up into the light - and hideous noise of the cobum pillar above - Petal then goes to stand on the other pressure plate. Even in the semi-dark, she can see that it temporarily closes the pit infront of the clear spot in the centre of the room.

The two have got no reason to be suspicious, so I'll use it for a perception check after seeign the eyes lies inscription. Don't worry if you can metagame this area a little, after all Petal is supposed to have done parts of it already :)

Anyway, that's the set-up done. I guess Petal has enough information to start doing things now :) Shame I'll be distracted from tomorrow onwards, but I'll try to keep things moving along!
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Dont worry about distractions. Ive been hella distracted lately too (as could be told by my low posting rate). Basically I always make sure I get at least one post here a day (usually around 6 am my time, if you want to know when to check) but ive been pretty much ignoring the rest of the forum, which sucks. Oh well, wont be busy forever.

Petal decides she has to risk a light. She realizes that if Wuuf really couldnt be trusted, which she wasnt sure about yet and felt even a little bad for thinking about. But, if she couldnt be trusted and was also the only source of light, things could be very bad. So she focuses on the feeling she got when she was alone hovering in the pit, in the pitch blackness. She draws the rune OH on each of her eyelids with a fingertip, calling the air mana to her will. The air around her becomes solid, like almost a crystal geletin. She arcs her wings into the symbol for IR and touches her hand to the crystalline substance, infusing the odd solid air with the power to hold whatever mana she puts in it, flying in space in front of her. The air begins to glimmer slightly. Petal carves the RA rune with her fingertip into the solid air in front of her and the glimmering intensifies, becoming a million bright golden flecks of light suspended in the air-matrix. Then she puts her hands in the shape of the LO rune, touching the tips of the index fingers and thumbs to their partner to form two arrows. She stabs the LO rune shape out in front of her body until her hands are fully engulfed by the jellified air and calls "LOOHIRRA" softly. The crystalline air melts away and the golden light specks fuses together in a soft radiance, making it much easier to see.

After the spell is complete, she turns her thoughts to the puzzle of the inscription and odd walls. "Hmm, 'eyes lies'" she muses softly. "That definately means there is fake walls or passages nearby."

The pixie flies over to the odd pillar and examines every side of it carefully, as well as the pit and walls with the odd Song. Percept (1d20+4=21) She pokes and prods the walls and pillars, and even tries to land on the odd pit, wondering if it is in fact fake. If it is a real pit, she will fly down it and look around down there for anything that can help her companions get across.
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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The spell explodes into the chamber, like a soft never-ending firework. Unlike FUL, which infused the air with magical heat to make each mote glow, this spell seemed to simply shift the energy of the spaces in between motes. It took more energy and conentration to invoke, but it seemed that the effect lasted much longer. Well, until the fickle air finally grew bored or highlighing the things at play in its world. Heh, a little tie in to the main thread there.

The room revealed below was also infested with pits. Unlike above, there did not seem to be a wrong note - all the pits seemed very real. There were apparently four clear paths right up to the central pillar in this room, and each path led to a corridor out. Petal could swear she saw a stairwell at the end of one goign back up to the room with the rest.

Petal flew around the pillar, seeing that at four equidistant points, obviously a destination of each path, was a couged out nook in the rock where an item was placed. Closest to where Petal decended was indeed another iron key, the twin of the one she had taken earlier. On the opposing side was a gold key, sparkilng alluringly in the gentle light of her new spell. In between these two keys, in the nook on one side the hilt of a battle blade was showing. Annoyingly, the blade looked human sized. It was a simple curved sword, with a serated blade on the inner edge of the crescent. Petal knew she could try to weild such a blade, but it would certainly be a clumsy affair. The weapon would count as a normal sword, so be a two handed weapon to the pixie. And Petal would draw the -2 penalty for using a weapon of the wrong size category.

On the opposing side, in the last nook was a scroll. Once more, it appeared half burned through, althoguh there appeared to be no violence around to account for it. Looking at it (it was already curling open) she could see most of the message was once more burned off. Only a top corner apparently remained.

Senses lie. T...
don't bel.....


Once more, the writing looked like Chaos's. Didn't it?

Confused, Petal took the items that intrigued her, and moved back upwards again to check on the room now she had better vision. She heard something fall as she went upwards. Growlgra had apparently joined Wuuf, and together the two bika had gathered some small stones. They were systematically throwing them at the various pits, expanding a circle from where they were.

This activity (unless Petal wants to stop it) combined with Petal's renewed sense of sight and perception i nthe subtle magics around. She spotted some of the fake pits aroudn the room, and confirmed not only the lone pillar in this room was false, but a few more around were too.

Behind them were sswitches, and with an odd confidence, she pressed them. Some of the pits started to open and close in quick movements, blinking on and off.

The room now had a noisy, grating life to it. Still the consitent and militant 'Des / YA' of the pits crashing shut and tearing open distracted from the noise coming from the ceiling. The corbum pillar still mocked Petal, despite her ability to command the elements and fly. She needed to get her and her companions back to Chaos's lair and see it torn from Chaos's grasp.


I'm sorry if I'm being confusing (too many pillars around for a start). The 'eyes lies' inscription is in in the corbum-less room, and refers to that room to Petal's recollection. Beneath the corbum-less room is another pit room with another pillar (I'm keepign that from CSB). Here nothing is false. So I've assumed Petal will go back up afetr she's looked at the pillar in the lowest room. The pits are deep here, and Petal will have a very strange sensation of fear if she wants to go down them. There's also a timing issue here you aren't aware of yet... I think I'll let you guys have one more round figuring out a way onwards before that timing issue impedes into the game :)

Anyway, map below. I've added reference to which switches close which pits, which pits/walls are false (F) and which pits are now blinking on and off (B).


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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Sorry about the giant delay in posting. Its been hectic here.
Um, hate to break it to you, dear, but I think the new map is the same as the old one. I'm not quite sure what to do here as I can't see what im doing with the switches and stuff. So i'm gonna try and wing it. If it comes out funny, i'll edit.


Petal takes both keys, the sword, and the scroll and lugs them back over to the bikas, dragging the sword like a kid playing with their dad's weapons.

She drops the sword and says "I found this, can either one of you use it? I have no training with human weapons."
She shows the bikas the scrolls and keys. "I found this as well, " she tells them "But i'm not sure what the scroll means, and I see no lock for the keys. I think its best to hang on to them for now. We really should try and make it upstairs and attack the corbum pillar directly. Have you found a path by throwing stones yet? Ive got a pretty good idea. Here, let me show you."
And with that, she takes her finger and starts drawing a path in the dust of where the fake pits and pillars are.

Heh, an IG reason why she didnt have a map until she drew it on the ground!
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by beowuuf »

Corrected!

Edit: nicely sidestepped around. If you suggest a route now you can see it, and what you want to do to help the bika (especially possibly the less agile Grolwgra, who will probably take the sword) then I'll do a big update early/late when I have free time :D
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Can the blinking pits be ZO'd? I'd assume not, but just thought it wouldnt hurt to ask. As I was writing the spell for the OHBROROS, I realized I never imagined when I first started that we would turn the sorcerer into such a cool class. If you ever wanted to collaberate at making it for real instead of just flavor text (in regular DnD or Dm style), not necisarily with Petal, but just hammer out some mechanics, id be down.

Petal and the bikas stare at the map for a little bit, discussing strategy.
"Ok. Problem I see is, no matter what, you are gonna have to try and dodge those blinking pits. Its a LOOOONG way down if you fall. As far as I know, it goes all the way to a trap room many many floors down. I have a spell that will make you slightly more agile, but it requires a flask. If I can borrow one, I will make two doses. As soon as you drink your dose, take off across the blinking pit four pits down. The pillar there is fake, which will give you a breather to time the next pit right. Head across the next blinking pit to the pressure pad. Once we are there we can rest and regroup. Now, If I could borrow a flask I will make the first batch," the pixie says.

Once the flask is handed over, she takes a deep breath, puts her lips to the mouth of the flask and breathes air into it. As she breathes, a OH rune appears floating in the bulb of the flask, which let her know the air inside the flask was ready to mix with other songs. She imagines the feeling she gets when a friend helps her with a task, the joy of knowing that you have helped another succeed. Of helping and being helped in return. She imparts the song of this joy to the flask and the mana chimes the song of BRO to let her know it understands. She then focuses on the mana of the kheeta, a great hunting cat of the plains she once saw in her meditations. It is known to run down its prey at very high speed. She feels the essence of the great cat's mana flow through her, and the song inside the flask changes. A pounding rythym of agility speeds her heart and makes her movements more presice as the mana flows through her and into the flask. She puts her hands in the rune-shape of UM and says "UMOHBROROS" As the songs combine, the OH rune melts away into a greenish liquid that appears to swirl around the flask of its own volition, full of the mana of speed and movement. Just listening to the song makes Petal feel like dancing.

The pixie held out the flask. "Ok, who's first?" she said. "i'll do my best to aid you along the way"

She will do her best to aid another, if its possible. After the first bika is across, she will recast the spell and help the other one across. Once on the north side she will rest to regain mana, if possible, and then they will discuss strategy from there.
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beowuuf
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by beowuuf »

Yup, ZO could counteract one 'beat' of the pit. However, you'd still need a dexterity check to ensure it was fired of at the correct time, unless you readied an action (meaning Petal couldn't keep up with the bika and definitely close the pit in time). Not that the bika would fall, just that the bika would trip or otherwise have to pause for a moment. Well, ok, a really terrible set of checks for both the bika and yourself on the ZO might result in a fall, but it would be extremely unlikely.

Growlgra picked up the sword, testing it ith a quizzical look. "It is not perfect, but it will serve if something large needs kept at bay." He thanks Petal, and with some strugglng finds a way to hoist it on his back. Wuuf loks at the keys and scroll while he does so. "There are locks in Chaos's inner lair. Some locks have already been activated, but nothing seemed to come of it, in the end. We did not have a gold key, though I do not remember a gold lock there." Lookng to the scroll. "I do not know what to make of it. Senses lie? Touch? Smell? Hearing? Perhaps there is a powerful illusion somewhere, making something seem like something else, undetectable." Wuuf looks around, suddenly worrie. "Who is leavng these cues? Why are the almost destroyed, but not quite!" She shakes her head. "This is Chaos's writing, but not his game. He wants to outwit people, not confuse them and tease them with half puzzles."

Growlgra settled back down, shifting from the odd weight at his back (narrative weight, don't worry! Or...should you..) as they marked out a route. Wuuf reacted when Petal mentioned how far down the pits were with a spasm of her hand. she covered it up by pointing out the fake wall in the middle of the pits asking how Petal knew. In response, Growlgra took a spare stone and threw it across towards the pillar. The stone disappeared.

"Then I will go first," said Wuuf, "and if it is safe, you must aid Growlgra across." Wuuf mapped the route across from the blinking pit to the false wall, then then a diagonal step south west onto the fake pit, and finally another run to the other side.

Growlgra shrugged and nodded. Both bika took the potion once Wuuf offered her flask. Wuuf took it with tradition, only afterwards realising the effect. She nodded for Grolwgra to take it, for which she got an odd look in return. Growlgra happily took the potion downing it n a single gulp. "This one feels the wind lift it up and make it fast. This one now knows what the pixie must feel all the time!"

Grr, my sleeping arrangements have changed, so I have my own bed and a crappy laptop with bad keyboard insted of sleeping on the couch but having my cool computer with everything on it. Out all day, So I'll leave it here for now so that you can outline exactly what Petal will be doing. Think of it in terms of combat round standard and move and give me your plan for that. The bika can double move forty (each square is ten), so you can keep up with them in a single movements yourself, and still do a standard action (though a readied action will force them to go on ahead).

I'll try to resolve the narrative based on the plan, unless anything like an imminent fall changes that :)

The bika will go with your suggestion if you want Growlgra to go first before Wuuf (incase the aura magic doesn't last long enough to help him) or if you want Petal to explicitly try the route Wuuf suggested before either attempt it themselves.

Let me know. Also perhasp roll like 5 d20s in IC, incase I need reaction rolls from you to resolve the plan.

Sound good? Good luck!
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by raixel »

Oh boy. Here goes nothin. I always love these "if the roll fuks up you have a very good chance of losing an NPC situations" :?

RET CON (before the bikas drink the potion)Petal looks at the path Wuuf pointed out and nods. "Ok, that seems like a good path. Let me run it and see how easy it is." she says.
The pixie takes off running, trying to time the blinks while stopped on the false walls/pits. She is prepared to fall at a moment's notice, and her wings feel tense from the strain of being ready to lift off in a heartbeat. She isn't used to running. Sure, pixies run ocassionally. But it just seems so.. wasteful. She reflects that it must absolutely suck to be land-bound. Pixies cant fly until they are adolescents, but at least even before then you know you wont be stuck on the ground forever. DEX (1d20+4=5) So much for that idea...

After Petal flies back up, she watches as the bikas drink the potion. "Growlgra, I think you should go first. If you want me to carry the sword over before you start, I can." she tells them. "I'll be following close behind you. If you fall, I'm gonna try and arrest your fall as much as possible or shove you onto a nearby platform. So go, and remember not to rush and get distracted like I did. Take your time."

With that she takes off, hovering close to Growlgra's head as he begins his attempt.

1d20=17
1d20=9
1d20=6
1d20=4
1d20=3

WTF!? Is there any other auto-rollers out there w/links? I want to switch. I'm sick of getting either really good rolls or really shit rolls like that all the time.(Oh, btw I rolled a 6th just to see. It was a 2.) Anyway, Petal will do her best to either grab Growlgra and cast STR aura if they have time as she falls, trying to slow him down, or shove him over onto the false pit. But with those rolls...
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by beowuuf »

You can roll your own dice if you like, I will trust you. I tend to find I get the spectrum though, and I only notice the middling results because then I have to do recalculations to ensure I've not missed out a bonus/penalty
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by raixel »

Is everything ok? I didnt know if you wanted a reply to the dice comment, so I left it alose. I was plannin on replyin in the next IC update, but I was gonna say that I like the convenience of an OL dice roller, it just actually doesnt seem completely randomized. But if you said you get middling rolls maybe im just the (un)lucky one who doesnt. I think i'll stick with IC for now, unless it does something like roll 3 nat 1s followed by 3 nat 20s and then a 2 and a 17

I know you said your living situation changed and that your mom was visiting, so I hope your having fun! :wink: Anyway, just letting you know i'm still hovering around out here(over a pit somewhere in a dungeon)
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

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Yeah, the crappy laptop is not good for typing anything (plus doens't have any notes) and with my mum in the living room with my good computer last thing at night, first thing in the morning, no time to update you. Usually when I say 'I guess no update for x reason' I update anyway, this was one of the times 'no update til tuesday' was actually true! I really should be going ot be for work right now (1am, need to be up and out by @8.30am) but I might try to update your thread while I destress and chill from very late night return from London. So check back later!
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Re: RAIXEL'S SUPER SECRET INTRODUCTION GAME

Post by beowuuf »

I forgot to say, to make everythign easier, I'm assuming Petal found the sneaky south button to blink the south pit. If she hadn't been by the inscription searching, and I hadn't been so distracted, that might have been a complication. So yeah to good search rolls in good positions!

Petal gestures for the bika to hold tight, and she traces the route. The wall does, indeed, seem to hold no tricks for moving through. However, negotiating the blinking pits as a land bound creature was terrifying. The firts pit caught her almost completely flat footed, even though she had been trying to get the timing. I'll be nice and say that makign the second pit with the borrowed 17 undoes the narrative 'damage' of tripping at the first pit. I might have not allowed an auto-ZO if Petal had failed on both pits. Petal was able to take to the air, but that wasn't the point. Could Growlgra and Wuuf really do this? Could she really help if she was caught flat footed by the timing - a ZO or pull was nothing withouth the correct timing.

However, Petal managed to jump the second blinking pit with ease, and breathed a sigh of relief. She seemed to have gotten it down. Petal returned, ready to guide over Growlgra. And that's when she saw the worms. The horrific creatures had indeed followed the party down - had that been the noise much earlier? - and were now at the start of the room. The things stood as far apart as possible, apparently in repsect to Petal's previous attack. There were twin roars that overshadowed the small moans, and acid blobs flew towards Wuuf. Shocked, Wuuf somehow dodged one and but took the second in the chest fully. The bika howled with pain, and staggered backwards.

Growlgra withdrew his blade, and made a move forward.

"Run you fool!" yelled Wuuf to Growlgra, staggering to her feet.


Well that's just embarrassing, I probably could have faked the worm attack, and everything else sort of didn't need to be checked because I suddenly realised Petal's failure doens't count as a failure, and worm attacks mean I don't have to map the rest of the results. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20 - here's the update finally! :D

Anyway, that was the reason for the earlier perception check in the corridor. Also, the reason there was a timing issue with exploring, etc. It would have paid off sooner because I was busy, but this still seemes a significant time for their appearance. Anyway, Petal's check of the route will will net everyone a +2 bonus to all the check,s except for any blink reaction rolls from Petal - she'll have no bonus (though no penalty :) ). Anyway, the quetsion is - do you let Wuuf run interference, will you make sure Growlgra follows, or will you do somehting else. Be wary of engaging the worms directly/ It will take time and resources (and be potentially fatal) at a time when mini-Chaos knows where you are, and maybe what you are doing.

Anyway, shame I couldn't keep up the momentum, let's get it back this week!
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