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Andorax
A resident
(7/12/02 5:54 am)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
I made a few IMC changes with Rastor. My take on the Dwarves there are that they're the last remaining scraps of the clan that lived in the CRM. They're too afraid to retake it, and too stubborn to leave it entirely, so they stay in Rastor where they're outnumbered by the Orcs in the area 10:1.
They hate and resent the Orcs, but they can't act on it since they know their survival depends on keeping things quiet. They know there should be something better, but don't have a plan how to go about achieving it.
When I think of the Dwarves of Rastor, I remember a detail often-forgotten from Tolkien's "The Hobbit".
Before setting forth to reclaim their ancestral home, Thorin & Co. mined coal. For years.
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Andorax
A resident
(7/15/02 9:32 am)
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Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Out of a tight spot.
Last night' session was all about getting a good night's sleep. Ironically, we quit a bit early so I could do the same thing IRL, and still managed not to.
When we last left off, Eeadrick had run off with only 2hp left, and Lyssa had only just stabilized Fredrick the dwarf (at -7). By the way, for those of you wondering...Tsindin made her save against the Lycanthropy.
Lyssa scooped Fredrick up and headed back towards the Fire Temple. "The plan" involved going back to the little off-curl cave right by the Destrachan "sphere"...a popular camping spot for the group.
Well, the PCs made it back there just fine (healing Fredrick up first before braving the choking clouds). They kicked back and spend the day there. Nobody was tired, since they really were only about mid-morning at that point.
As evening approached, they detected a Scry attempt. It took a couple of tries, but eventually Tsindin managed to dispel it. Guess what? Hedrack's had his first good look at these troublemakers. So now they're in a panic, and decide to try and rest somewhere else. They wander back to the Fire Temple, and decide to rest in the Fire Mephit's quarters, back in the Fire Temple area.
Alas, this is where Victor the assassin found them. To Victor's innate abilities, I've only added two things. A Potion of Darkvision has enabled him to function in the blackness of the Temple's confines...and a Locate Creature by Hedrack got him pointed in the right direction...both perfectly reasonable precautions in my book. Oh...one other thing. Why do the Assassins of RttToEE not have poison? I don't get it. Standard issue for all my RttToEE assassins, save Wat, is three doses of my personal favorite on a reasonable budget...Sassone Leaf Residue. Contact DC 16, it's the only remaining "hp damage" poison, doing 2d12 hps with initial, and d6 Con for secondary. All for the low, low price of 300 GP.
Opening strike came when I snuck in and studied Lyssa (on watch). Alas, for it, but I tripped Tsindin's Alarm spell, so it wasn't quite the assault I had hoped for. Still, I caught her by surprise, slipped up, and delivered a very nasty 6d6+4 rapier blow (with poison for good measure), then ran and dove into the smokey pit. The PCs, stunned and off guard, didn't manage to hit me (although Tsindin sent a Fireball chasing after me, which would have nailed me but for Evasion).
So they're prepping...resist fires get distributed, and Lyssa burns up a prescious remaining healing spell (she does the dawn prayer thing, so she's a long ways out yet from recharging). The group then hears chanting coming up one of the two tunnels back to the fire-diamond room, and sees the light from that direction increasing.
Victor had run 'round the loop, back into the room, and started summoning up fire elementals to distract the party, using a Ghost Sound in one of the tunnels to add confusion to the fray. He then slipped quietly around the other tunnel, looking for an unguarded back.
By the time I got there, though, Fredrick and Tsindin had both gone invisible (Fredrick with his last freebie power, save for 0s, for the day...he's TOTALLY tapped out). Gath and Lyssa charged up the tunnel, slashed at my "invisible" priest, and then started cutting up fire elementals. Fredrick guarded their backs, invisibly, with a tower shield blocking.
Here's where their luck turned. Victor bumps into the invisible Fredrick, and blows his miss chance with his re-poisoned rapier. Tsindin's too far away to help. Lyssa turns...and also stumbles into Fredrick. So Victor makes a break for it.
I drop a darkness all 'round him, and dart back to the far edge of it, hoping to get one last sneak off before diving into the smoke again. Tsindin (she's getting better at this...she's my "new" player, though I can't really call her that now) casts Dispel Magic and ends the darkness easily. Lyssa pulls off a charge at Victor, and hits for some nasty damage.
Well, Victor's a bit desperate now, so he goes full-defensive (Expertice), and jabs one last time with the Rapier before diving into the smoke. Expertice pays off, as Lyssa's attack of opportunity misses by 1. Not to be denied twice, Lyssa dives in after him, as does Tsindin.
Alas, they don't find him, but they do find the statue in the center for the first time. Right now, the smoke's thinned a bit due to a mouthfull of burlap sack, compliments of Tsindin.
The group re-coverges at the "window" out onto the Stalagos. Another eerie description of the violet glow from the tip of the inner crater, and no sign of Victor (who darted out, hung a quick right, and has been hide-climbing while hugging the wall. Spider climb is handy that way, as is a Hide of +23).
The party doesn't find him again, so they set forth in another desperate attempt to get a good night's sleep. Meanwhile, Victor is reporting back that his first attempt was "less than successful", and lobbies for more aid. And Lyssa botches her secondary poison save, drops 5 points of Con, and nearly collapses.
So now the PCs make their way back further towards the Air Temple...and make an unfortunately discovery. While they were gone, the four Rasts from the Fire Temple have been moved into the old Cloaker room. DANG, now I know why these guys have a CR of 5!
In a desperate bid for survival, they manage to grab the paralyzed Gath, dart through the door, and bar it. Tsindin shows she's learning even more, and drops a Ghost Sound behind the Rasts, which (being the dumb beasts they are) distracts them long enough to get away.
So they enter the "water bridge" area...and find one human guard. Just one.
"What the heck are you doing here?"
"We're just looking for Nilbool".
"Well, in case you hadn't heard, there's been a chance of leadership 'round here. The fish-faces aren't in charge anymore."
"Ok, so who is then?"
"Tessimon. She sent a bunch of us lads down here to provide protection to this region. Seems there's been some folks nosing about."
"Well, I want to talk to someone in charge (Diplomacy roll...21)"
"Alright...I'll go get me boss. Don't touch anything, ya got that?"
So the fellow wanders off (mind you, having only seen Lyssa...the rest were either invisible or 'round a corner), and the group kidnaps the two boats and heads for the inlet near Vranthis' lair...where the whole ill-fated journey to the Fire Temple started from.
Pulls the boats up and stashes them in the Digester's chamber. Hoofs it through the great shroom room, dumps the two slain Umber Hulks down in the pit, and gets a much-needed (and hard-earned) full night's rest (as well as 10th level for Tsindin, Lyssa AND Fredrick).
They're rested, they're ready, and I have NO idea where they're going to go from here. Eeadrick has pulled the Grey Render back to the bridge and is in a fine state of panic. Victor is going to be given one more chance (and a few helpful spells). Reforcements for the Fire Bridge are due tomorrow, the main gate the next day (also the date Vranthis comes home to an empty nest from having healed up).
And through this all, Hedrack awaits results, and will soon be spying upon them once more.
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Andorax
A resident
(7/23/02 12:52 pm)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Session cancelled on account of multiple player illness.
Next week, however, we may well see the introduction of a new character. A Half-Elven Druid 3/Sorc 4/Geomancer 2 drawn to the area by the unnatural happenings going on there.
Could be interesting.
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Andorax
A resident
(7/29/02 7:58 am)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
It's been a while since I've done this, so to sum up:
Lyssa: Half-Orc Cleric of Kord (L10)
Fredrick: Dwarven (once Human) Psion 5/Metamind 5
Tsindin: Human Sorceress 10
Gath: Half-Orc Barbarian 2/Sorceror 7. Working towards Blood Magus.
No introduction this week (too many last-minute details), but we should see it next week. I even have the perfect circumstances to introduce her with.
Faced with numerous options, the party decided that they wanted to see if the Dragon had returned (I guess they're feeling pretty confident), and failing that, to check out the Earth Temple. Off they went, buff spells in place, and prepared to assault the Earth Temple.
On the way through the "entrance" room, with the mosaic triangle, they decided to defile it, chipping a corner off, then heading for the dead-end tunnel with the Trog quarters. Gren was killed a while back, so the whole section was described as vacant.
On their way back out, they met up with The Swordmaster, three Trog guards, and the priestess Trog, all prepared for them. The Swordmaster unleashed the power of the Sword of Earth into Lyssa's chest, the three Trogs charged (and did basically nothing), and the Priestess started calling in her second Earth Elemental.
AAAAAAUGH!!! Lyssa strikes the first one, hits, damages, but doesn't kill it. Obviously, she found this hugely offensive that something didn't die to her first hit, so in her second attack with her ever-so-deadly Greatsword:
Hit, Crit Threat, Critical. 40+ damage.
Cleave to Trog #2, Hit, Crit Threat, Critical. 40+ damage.
G-Cleave to Trog #3, Hit, Crit Threat, Critical. 38 damage.
EGAD!
The Swordmaster charges, and gets a nasty hit in with his own Greatsword, and the Priestess slaps her with a targetted Dispel Magic, nerfing both her Endurance and her Magic Vestment.
The two Earth Elementals emerge from the stone around Tsindin and Fredrick, pounding at them.
Gath drops his (drawn) bow, and charges up to aid Lyssa against The Swordmaster, landing a solid blow with his Greataxe.
Tsindin sucks up an AoO from an Earth Elemental, climbs up the wall (Cloak of Arachnidia), and drops a near-max-damage Fireball into the room, felling the Swordmaster and wounding the cleric.
Fredrick...ducks behind his Tower Shield.
Lyssa charges, and CRITS AGAIN against the Cleric, dropping her in a single blow.
Ok...I'm ticked. One Earth Elemental goes under, emerges behind Fredrick, and slams him on the shoulder.
The other goes over, picks up Gath's Mighty Composite (+4) Longbow, and attempts to snap it in half.
*************************
The Rules Melee ensues. A great argument erupts about how difficult it should be to break a Mighty Composite Longbow. I'm personally of the opinion that a bow would be more fragile than, say, a spear (listed Break DC of 14)...that the way it's designed, it would have thinner, weaker potential break points. Mighty implies a fair amount thicker, but we're still talking about a delicate precision instrument in the hands of a 4' tall living rock. I mentally assign a Break DC of 12.
The two players insist that not only would it be quite thick and substantial, but that it is also flexible (where a spear is not), and thus very difficult to snap by main force. Pressed on the matter, they recommend a Break DC of 18.
My roll, of course, lands between these two figures. No easy answers for me.
I eventually conceded the point, as it wasn't worth arguing over (and as I've plenty of ways to make them suffer down the line). Still, this group hardly ever argues rules with me, so it was quite a letdown when they questioned my decision. I guess an attack on one of their posessions was somehow more "brutal" than one on their person.
*******************************
The two remaining Earth Elementals were dispatched readily, and the group moved on. The Manticore gave them pause, as it hurtled spikes into Lyssa, then both she and Gath standing side by side. Blasted with a Fireball (from the Improved Invisible Tsindin), and charged with a screaming, axe-wielding Gath, the Manticore fled...and the chase was on!
Darting past first one, then a second Earth Mephit, Lyssa was ambushed...and her time of triple-crit-cleaving came due. In four attacks, she couldn't touch the Earth Mephit, who proceeded to claw at her repeatedly, and was dropped by a returning Tsindin's Magic Missile.
Gath got hung up on the other Mephit, so it was invisible Fredrick first into the room, who witnessed the Xorn being summoned and the cleric there healing up his pet Manticore. He dropped a grease spot and retreated quickly and quietly.
One Trog is sent to summon the High Priest...trouble in the Temple!
Well, everyone decides to circle 'round the other way to avoid the grease...everyone, that is, save Tsindin. Group communication is so hard when half the party's invisible. She goes RUNNING down the corridor, blows her spot check, blows her reflex save, and lands on her tush at the far end of the Grease spot. Her cry is heard (20 on a listen) by the priest, who throws an Area Dispel over there, to no good effect.
Alas, the Xorn's Tremorsense has picked her up on radar, and he's on his way to munch and crunch.
One bite on arrival, another on departure (AoO from fleeing Tsindin), and Tsindin's now hurting badly. Gath and Lyssa are busily circling 'round and healing up, and being gifted with Inertial Barriers from Fredrick.
Fredrick, hearing Tsindin's cry, tries to distract the Xorn by throwing an Ecto-Cocoon at it...alas, just within it's charge range. He's the next target.
Gath charges into the room, and falls for the Soften Earth and Stone. Five Trogs spend the next several rounds trying to poke him with Longspears.
Fredrick is chomped by the Xorn, and his Tower Shield nearly torn in half by it's sunder attack the next round (right after he puts up his own Inertial Barrier). The final Mephit comes into the fray, and starts assaulting Fredrick from behind.
Meanwhile, Tsindin proceeds to (you guessed it) Fireball the ziggaraut, frying the last Trog, injuring the Manticore again, and being laughed off by the trog priest, who (seeing the fire damage on the Manticore) had put up Pro from Fire from the scroll.
Lyssa charges in, and fells a Trog. The priest lobbs a futile Hold Person her way. Gath squirms out of the mud and the other Trogs back away from both Gath and Tsindin...and right into the area of her next Fireball (boom-dead).
Fredrick manages to get a successful Ecto-Cocoon on the Xorn this time, and now is trying to fend off a Mephit.
Two big fighters, one more failed Hold Person, and a Magic Missile later, and the priest is dead. But wait! The High Priest, and the Trog who warned him, have just arrived on the scene!
Well, the Mephit is handled by yet another Magic Missile, and Fredrick's out of action trying to finish off the Xorn before the Cocoon drops. High Priest lays into Gath and Lyssa, who can't touch him for his high AC. Alas, ever-invisible Tsindin and her Magic Missiles don't care about AC. Between those, and a Dispel Magic that takes down 4 of the high priest's prep spells and allows Gath to hit him, Tsindin definately wins the day. My last gasp (a Bestow Curse for -6 to Wis on Lyssa) is easily saved, and the battle is won!
Thus providing me a convenient, nearby set of prisoners to use to introduce a new PC to the group (evil grin).
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Siobharek 
A resident
(7/29/02 10:52 pm)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Oh man, that rocked! I can't wait to Aug 11th where I'll be running my group through their second assault at the temple.
Siobharek
Denmark
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
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Andorax
No stranger to strangeness
(8/5/02 9:34 am)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Well, a fairly productive night, after introductions were out of the way.
Caina: Half-Elf Druid 3/Sorc 4/Geo 2 is now part of the group. Her two 0-level Drifts are cat-like fur and a cat's tail, and she very nearly got hacked to pieces as a lycanthrope.
Things actually got started with the PCs investegating Uskathoth's quarters and finding a caged tiger and hawk. I cringed every time Fredrick said "we should just kill the tiger...it'd be a mercy killing...etc."
Eventually, Fredrick wandered off, disgusted, and Lyssa and Gath busted the lock open. Much to Tsindin's surprise, the tiger bounded out, charged her, disarmed her (of her everburning torch), and started making it's way along the tunnel, led by the Hawk that had been freed a bit ago.
Ok...a bit obvious. But I hate letting PC introductions linger beyond need.
Tenaris has also joined the group, and the two commoners were escorted to the entrance. Just like that, a party of 4 now has 2 new people and a tiger.
North and east from there...and the fight with the Dire Apes. The PCs took up position at a bottleneck, everybody rolled 16+ on initiative, and Fredrick managed to fire off a DC 20 Grease on the floor. Needless to say, these Dire Apes didn't pose the terrible threat they have to lesser parties that aren't mostly 10th level already.
Even the big one went down quickly...it lept OVER the grease, shocking the heck out of the PCs, and granting an AoO to both Lyssa and Gath as it's flying momentum was counted a Bull's Rush against them both (as well as Fredrick, who was clinging invisibly to the ceiling and surprised the heck out of the Ape). Well, Lyssa got lucky, even as Fredrick, Gath, and Caina went down in a pile, and Tenaris (of all people) darts forward, 20s with her Longsword, and finishes the great hairy beast off.
So they go round the other way and prepare to repeat the process with the Athach. As an aside, I played him a bit tougher, without the wasted round and prepared against their bursting in the door (made my listen check). The battle was short and fierce, aided by three principle factors:
1) Tsindin's Tasha's Hideous Laughter succeeded (rolled a 1)
2) Fredrick slapped an Inertial Barrier on both Gath and Lyssa, which improved their survivability immensely.
3) Lyssa's new dice keep rolling %)#)%)# crits on her Greatsword!
Session ended with some patchup and the gems getting scooped into a sack. I'm still trying to decide if the noise of the fight was enough to attract other attention. Either way, tonight Victor will be paying them another visit.
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Andorax
No stranger to strangeness
(8/15/02 7:53 am)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Sorry folks...another no-session Sunday. And more to come, as we've a series of people being out of town over the next few Sundays. Hopefully, though, this Sunday will be a good, solid session.
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Andorax
No stranger to strangeness
(8/19/02 12:09 pm)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Well, this is my last report for a while. I'm out of town next weekend, and two of my players the two weekends after that.
Good solid session though, I'm happy about the results. The PCs retreated immediately after the battle with the Athach, and found a sack in the middle of the Earth temple. A "present" from Varchan (6 CMW potions, 4 Neutralize Poison, 4 Nondetection), along with a note telling them that time grows short, and to get into the Outer Fane as soon as they can manage it...but if they must rest, to do so OUTSIDE the CRM (Hedrack's been finding them via Locate Creature and Scrying. Sure, he can Scry, but one mountainside looks a lot like another).
So what do they do? They hole up in the barracks room just inside the main gates!
A mighty battle ensues the following morning, as Victor and Ukemil gang up on them and ambush. Fredrick just manages to stun two of the lions, greatly enhancing their survival. Gath takes up the charge of the remaining two, and barely survives. Caina, their new companion, followed Gath around the entire battle slapping cures on his back (and thus saving his life...several times).
Tsindin and her improved invisible, silent-spell Magic Missile artillery platform is really getting on my nerves. But it sure does work.
Fredrick was nearly toast...victor got off a near-perfect sneak attack on him (there wasn't time to set up a Death Attack) and I dropped him to around 12 hps from full in a single blow (and caused him to cower, invisible, on the ceiling thanks to Slippers of Spider Climb).
Lyssa was her normal battle-raging self...until Ukemil cast a Hold on her, and she actually blew her save.
Ukemil was nearly indestructable...credit to Tsindin for the kill, due to numerous Magic Missiles and, most damaging of all, a Dispel Magic (that took down his +33 hps from his 5-rolled Endurance spell).
A well-fought battle, and a well-earned victory. Gear was swept up, and the party assaulted the Air Bridge with their second wind. Minor fighters blown to pieces. A Chimera (alas, chained) blasted away with Fireballs. Oamarthis was no match for an Improved Invisible, See-Invisible Gath. Riu Lotta? He D-Doored away when things got serious, and is now "lurking".
My party has done their first peek into the Outer Fane...Fredrick's Clairtangency allowed him to study over one of the guard towers. When we get back together (in a month), I expect a short nap, another ambush (this time, by two Invisible Stalkers), and a short walk down the Air Bridge and into the Outer Fane!
Oh...one aside. I altered the Dire Lions slightly by making them both Pseudonatural AND Fiendish. I only bumped up their CR by +3, since the two templates overlap a lot (darkvision, DR, SR, etc.)
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wolff96
A wanderer
(8/20/02 6:40 am)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Enjoy your time off, and come back refreshed. I, for one, am still reading and enjoying your story hour!
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 Arackthabar
A wanderer
(8/20/02 7:20 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Yes, I am looking forward to their assault on the Fanes at least as much as they are  Wow, that sure does give you a lot of time to plot and plan, Andorax 
Rob
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Andorax
A brave soul
(8/20/02 7:27 am)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Thanks, guys, for the vote of confidence. I've been thoroughly enjoying this adventure, and especially keeping this single thread running (egad...look at the first post's date!)
I've not studied the Outer Fane in much detail before now, but with a month to study it inside and out, I should be well prepared. Now, to see how they go about getting inside.
The interesting thing is...they don't have the Air Key (now that I think about it). They got Fachish's key, but never got Choranth's. She got away. Long story short (read above), she's been given to Thrommel as a "plaything" to make him a little less grouchy.
The important part is...they only have two of the Fire and Earth keys...they never got a second Air, nor have they a single Water. So they're going to have to wander 'round the place to find a way in. Could prove interesting. I have to say, I *really* hope they don't try to go in the Fire door...that could end this adventure VERY quickly.
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Andorax
A brave soul
(9/3/02 8:20 am)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Just to keep the thread alive and kicking, it's the end of week 2 of 3 of exile from RttToEE. Next weekend is the end of the trip, and so Sunday after next, we should have a new report for you guys.
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Andorax
A mysterious guy in the corner
(9/16/02 7:26 am)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Horray! Progress, once again. It might not look like progress, but it is nonetheless. The group is together again, and we gamed last night.
Started off with a strategic withdrawl, this time out of the mines and four miles away to a small copse of pine trees. On the way back, they removed one of the two doors to the west gate, shoving it off the cliff face and watching as it slid down about 80' with some satisfaction.
Turns out, they made a good call. Hedrack's latest scry found them outside the mines, and he sent out his last elimination squad...the two Invisible Stalkers. Alas, they both botched their tracking checks at the same time, two miles away from their camp. The party gets off easy with a random encounter against a lone displacer beast, which the Druid's Tiger dispatches with moderate ease (them are NASTY critters).
As they camp, Gath does an Identify run, and new equipment is distributed amongst the PCs, including the Demonstone that has previously been in a bag of holding (and, by my ruling, out of reach of influencing the PC). Fredrick's got it openly now, so we'll see what happens from here.
The group ventures forth in the morning, and are "welcomed" back to the CRM by Hedrack's acid-blast Greater Glyph of Warding (triggered by "Good" alignment). Lyssa and Gath both take a facefull, Gath failing his save, and the PCs realize the stakes have gone up.
Healing, and then serious prep spells back in the ruined Northern Bridge Complex. They lay plans for their assult. They discuss the notes they've gathered. They take a break to eat spaghetti. Then, the attack begins!
Invisibility is triggered from Fredrick the Psion on each member of the party, but not on the druid's tiger (!?). They charge across the bridge, one by one, and come to the doors. At this point, Fredrick tries pressing Earth and Fire keys (against the Air door). No? Air and Fire. Earth and Fire?
Tsindin strides up, and presses her two fire keys together, watching them merge. She tries that symbol...no luck. She takes Fredrick's earth symbol, presses the two Earths together. Still no luck.
So she presses Earth to Fire. The party has a Master Key now.
Question everyone....NOWHERE does it say that a Master key will open up everything a Greater Key will. Since this particular Master Key came from Earth and Fire Greater Keys, I'll allow it to still function as an Earth / Fire Greater Key (especially since you can't separate a Master Key, and they don't have any key pairs left), but it never had an Air incorporated into it, so the Air door isn't budging. Opinions on this?
At this point, the guards in the towers on either side have taken note. Half of them ready the mounts, while the other half line up quietly in the two big Spider-Eater access nitches, take aim, and fire on the one visible target (the tiger).
Two salvos of arrows later, and a noble Tiger is now dead. The party erupts into chaos, made worse by the fact that they're all still invisible. Tsindin unleashes a fireball into one tower (she's using her own Improved Invisibility) and starts spider-climbing up the side of the Outer Fane. Fredrick climbs up as well. Gath had Fly cast, so he starts moving around looking for good position, and trying to keep the group coordinated (as the only PC with Detect Invisibile cast).
Lyssa, Caina and Tenaris Glimmerdawn all retreat, at varying speeds.
Gath flies up by Tsindin, and asks for an Improved Invisible which she provides. She casts it, climbs further up (into range of the lightning tower), and is blasted with a bolt of lightning.
Seeing this, Fredrick immediately lets go of the mountainside and drifts down (Feather Fall), and begins his retreat.
Gath, thinking that the mountainside is the cause, flies up to the wasp exit, getting blasted for his own trouble. Does he turn back? Heck no! He's invincible! So he hucks a bead from the Necklace of Fireballs into the other tower, incinerating more guardsmen.
Everyone's retreating now except for Gath. He hangs around a bit longer and gets another lightning bolt for his trouble, then goes flying after Spider-Eater riders and trying to drop them with his bow (Improved Invisibility and Fly is a powerful combo). Still, he feels a *little* better for doing so.
The group eventually withdraws. Fredrick Clairtangencies the room beyond the Air Door, getting their first look inside the CRM. They're laying plans for a new assault tomorrow, and trying to decide if they can get in elsewhere, or if they need to get the Water Keys, combine them, get a second Air Key, combine THEM, put the Air and Water keys together, and then combine the Air/Water and Earth/Fire master keys together.
The Invisible Stalkers are getting sent out again to find them...there may be random encounters at night (which might even net Caina a new companion), Hedrack's just going to outright Wall of Stone the west gate now...
...and in the morning, Fredrick makes a DC 15 will save against the Demonstone. The countdown has begun.
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
Sacremas
A frequent patron who knows what to expect
(9/16/02 7:44 am)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Cool to see an update, and it sounds like a good session as usual.
On the Master Key vs. Air Door: a master key as in the sort of key a janitor at a great building could carry can usually open up every single door in the building. That's why it's called a Master key. So IMC, I'm going to let the Master Key indeed unlock every single door in the CRM, at least those installed by the Cult.
Quote:
They take a break to eat spaghetti
Erm... in character?
-Sacremas
"I think, therefore I am... I think" |
Siobharek
A mysterious guy in the corner
(9/16/02 10:52 am)
Reply
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Great update, Andorax. Sounds nasty.
Spaghetti? Why, certainly! The plane-hopping explorer Marco Gnomo brought it back from one of his trips. Grows in every field in Verbobonc now.
Sorry, Andorax, I'll get out now
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
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wolff96
A frequent patron who knows what to expect
(9/16/02 12:53 pm)
Reply
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Sounds like a good time was had by all.
As to the key question, that's how I ruled it. Of course, the first door they went to was one of the keys incorporated into the Master, so it wasn't a problem...
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the Demonstone to claim it's victim... 
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Thrommel
A bouncer (listen up)
(9/16/02 1:03 pm)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
Good to hear an update. I love the conclusions players come up with... "I'm climbing the tower, that's why it's shocking me -- you fly up there and take out those guards, everything will be fine!"
On the key issue, I would have rules a Master Key opens any door. Apart from what's stated in the module, think about who's going to have a Master Key: one of the Doom Dreamers.
They should be able to access any portion of the Fanes or CRM without having to drag around a Master Key AND a Greater Key of Air/Earth/whatever.
The pragmatist in me says it should work.
-Thrommel, who's not telling how that pragmatist got in there. Just don't test me, Clarice. A census taker tried to test me once...
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Andorax
A mysterious guy in the corner
(9/16/02 1:14 pm)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
It sounds like I may have been a bit harsh with my group by not letting the Master Key open the door up. Wish I'd thought of this ahead rather than just trying to rule on the fly.
We'll see how they do from here. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with for next week. They've got a good, healthy fear of the Outer Fane now, something I think has gone away by and large in this group.
As for the spaghetti thing...just trying to recap the entire evening experience. Lyssa's player is my wife, Dorothy, and she loves to cook for the whole group when given half a chance.
"Whadda ya mean, Orcs get levels too?!?" |
MaxxErnst
A local, not looking for any trouble
(9/16/02 3:03 pm)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
I'm glad your players are a-scared of the Outer Fane. It's a scarey, scarey place. The purple-veined walls, the weird doors. I went one step further and made the ever-burning torches flicker like very dim strobe lights turned to a way-too-fast setting and the walls give off a purpleish glow like a black light. It's got my group shaking in their cod-pieces. They've kicked Imix's but, yet are still afraid to go back and finish up the DD's in the spike. In fact, they've only been in the Fanes three times (very short visits, too).
Keep it up, man. I look forward to reading the next installment.
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Dalavar the Wolfmage
A local, not looking for any trouble
(9/17/02 9:42 am)
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Re: Andorax's Sunday night PCs
I think for your group it's not a problem to have it the way you played it. It makes 'em think and explore more and the group seems to be handling things quite well.
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