Ember Patrol: Death by Desert

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Tikvah
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Post by Tikvah »

I give my XP to Gareth for finishing off the wombat.

-- Wed Jul 01, 2015 2:26 pm --

I assume we are dividing the looted royals as agreed? (3 each to bookworm and me, 4 to Woody?)
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bookworm
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Post by bookworm »

Excerpt from the journal of Gareth Trevelyan
Evidently I had misunderstood our new ally's tale. My takeaway was that this expedition was entirely comprised of dragon members, but in fact it had only been infiltrated by some. Once the others cleared that up I felt much better about our chances. The dragons were all dead now, except for her who we believed to be an unwilling accomplice. Vimes was a shifty character, but it seemed not out of dangerous malice, simply scientific greed as I had originally suspected. We returned to the amphitheater to drop off the new focus device.

As we were leaving to retrieve the last one Dr. Vimes stopped me and inquired about our experience in the vault. No longer seeing him as a threat I recounted the events, leaving out that we located the 'stalker' of course. He pressed to examine the Chaos Device, which made me uneasy. This would be the test. If he was just curious he could be dissuaded, but if we had it wrong and he was an enemy he would take this chance to destroy us. I attempted to downplay it, saying ensuring escape was more important at present, and he reluctantly agreed. I gave an inward sigh of relief; we were in good shape now. The end was finally in sight.

We returned to the lab to get the final focus device from the stasis chambers. Knowing now we could wake the creatures one at a time, we all attacked the largest one. Our friend even joined in, which provided great aid. We dispatched the beast very easily, for once. The plan had been to take each on in this manner, but the commotion woke the other two and he had to divide our efforts. They were a bit more difficult to defeat than I would have anticipated, but we eventually bested them both. Returning with the last device we opened the exit. Our friend snuck out and went to provide the Embers with intel on the dragon cult. We escorted the scientists back and were rewarded handsomely for the rescue. Between that and the loot I might actually say the ordeal was worth enduring. It certainly seemed bleaker in the moment than it really was, without knowing what was going on.

Dr. Vimes expressed desire to return with a proper research team someday now that the city was safe. I would like to go along if my schedule permits. Examining the archive more thoroughly would be most enjoyable, now that it wouldn't be done while fearing attack by an invisible assailant.
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Woody
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Post by Woody »

I give my XP to Juno for killing it in the boss fight... and because I think we'll see her again and I want her to be more powerful. ;)
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bookworm
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Post by bookworm »

Search and Rescue, Session 6 of 6
Continued from Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
We need an investigation team. Several researchers set out to hunt down the treasure of ancient Aethantis, and after several weeks with no word the Grand Academy has offered a reward. Discover their fate and rescue any survivors.
17:59 bookworm is now known as Gareth
17:59 Woody is now known as Leviticus
18:05 Tikvah is now known as Olwen
18:07 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, when we left off, you had finished collecting loot and negotiating with Juno and were headed back upstairs.
18:07 <Gareth>: "We should drop off this new focus device first so they can start working on it. Then to the lab."
18:07 <Leviticus>: "Juno, you meet us there."
18:08 <Skid_GMing>: "I'll be there." Juno says.
18:08 <Gareth>: On the way over I conference with the group: "So how are we going to handle this? Are we pretending we don't know anything and letting Vimes go back to the cult? Or try turning him in to the Embers?"
18:08 <Leviticus>: "Vimes isn't part of the cult..." I say
18:08 <Leviticus>: "Alex and Juno were sent to spy on him..."
18:08 <Leviticus>: "Why else would Alex have killed one of the group?"
18:09 <Gareth>: That isn't the information I got from our discussion at all >_>
18:09 <Gareth>: 'Sent to spy on him'? I got 'sent to help him'. Though the wording was ambiguous so you could be right.
18:10 <Leviticus>: Skid, can you confirm?
18:10 <Skid_GMing>: Well, if you believe what Juno says is true, you are correct.
18:11 <Skid_GMing>: But Vimes has also not been entirely honest.
18:12 <Gareth>: Well, I said I didn't understand what was going on last time, so okay then.
18:12 <Olwen>: I am more inclined to believe Juno than Vimes.
18:12 <Gareth>: Are there any dragons still alive then?
18:13 <Gareth>: Someone who knows who is who.
18:13 <Skid_GMing>: They are rumoured to still exist. You have a document that might lead to where another one's egg is hidden away.
18:14 <Gareth>: Here I mean.
18:14 <Gareth>: This expedition was composed of dragon cult members?
18:14 <Gareth>: Or am I totally not getting it
18:14 <Skid_GMing>: Well, the document said it was taken to another city.
18:15 <Skid_GMing>: Rindtis is another lost city out in the desert.
18:15 <Olwen>: Matthias(?) wasn't part of the cult.
18:15 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
18:15 <Gareth>: Yes he wasn't?
18:16 <Skid_GMing>: Correct.
18:16 <Skid_GMing>: You found a dragon coin on Alex, and presumably Juno still has one.
18:16 <Olwen>: We should search Vimes and Petra somehow.
18:17 <Skid_GMing>: Pickpocketting is a speed action.
18:17 <Gareth>: So the cult members are all dead then? Save Juno because we believe she wasn't really a believer?
18:17 <Skid_GMing>: Or you could just demand it, seeing as you have reasonable suspicion...
18:17 <Skid_GMing>: Probably.
18:18 <Olwen>: And if I fail pickpocketing?
18:18 <Leviticus>: If he is, we would be killed for demanding it =P
18:18 <Skid_GMing>: Then they'll notice you were going through their pockets.
18:19 <Olwen>: Soo, which is worse?
18:23 <Leviticus>: If he is a Dragon, demanding gets us killed, pickpocketing either gets us knowledge of this, or gets us killed
18:24 <Leviticus>: If he's not a Dragon, both result in him distrusting us
18:24 <Gareth>: Then let's wait on either move until we're in position to escape.
18:25 <Gareth>: For now we'll just drop off this device and go get the last.
18:25 <Leviticus>: *nods*
18:25 <Leviticus>: Let's go
18:25 <Skid_GMing>: Gareth: roll a magic knoledge check, with learning at the University as two assets.
18:25 <Gareth>: So auto sucess? :p
18:25 <Olwen>: Why do we automatically get killed if he's a dragon? He probably isn't a literal dragon.
18:25 <Leviticus>: I mean he'll try to kill us
18:25 <Leviticus>: Probably won't succeed, but =P
18:25 <Gareth>: !roll d20 specialized
18:25 <Dicebot>: Gareth, specialized: 7
18:25 <Skid_GMing>: Yeahhh.
18:26 <Skid_GMing>: Your knowledge of magic and Vimes' work at the university allows you to remember that Vimes is a powerful enchanter, not an active spellcaster. While he does have access to several utility spells, none would be a particularly large threat.
18:27 <Gareth>: Excellent
18:27 <Gareth>: To the amphitheater
18:27 <Olwen>: Alright.
18:28 <Skid_GMing>: You all head to the amphitheatre.
18:28 <Gareth>: "We found another." I give it to Petra.
18:28 <Gareth>: "Get it ready, we'll be right back with the last."
18:28 <Skid_GMing>: "Excellent!" He nods and locks it into place.
18:29 <Gareth>: To the lab
18:29 <Skid_GMing>: Before you go Vimes catches up to you with a gleam of excitement in his eye.
18:30 <Skid_GMing>: "That aura! You've been to the vaults! What did you find?"
18:30 <Gareth>: "An island rose from the lake."
18:31 <Skid_GMing>: "Ah, magnificant! Untouched centuries of history! Glorious!"
18:32 <Gareth>: "It was indeed."
18:32 <Gareth>: Possible villain or no, I can't help connecting with his appriciation of history.
18:32 <Skid_GMing>: "When this unpleasantness is over I'll lead a new team here to document and collect every detail."
18:33 <Gareth>: "I think I would like to accompany that group, if I may."
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: (You realize how horrified he's going to be that the place was trashed? =p)
18:34 <Gareth>: We didn't do it. I'll say we found it like that.
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: "You have a pair of artifacts here, I see. Such raw power! It must be the Chaos Device itself!"
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: "May I see it for a moment?"
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: Roll sense motive.
18:34 <Gareth>: Under perception?
18:35 <Skid_GMing>: Partially, yes.
18:35 <Olwen>: (Noooooooo! Don't let him have it! He'll kill us all!)
18:35 <Gareth>: (I'm not going to, I'm not an idiot ;) )
18:35 <Gareth>: !roll d20 trained
18:35 <Dicebot>: Gareth, trained: 5
18:35 <Skid_GMing>: All of you can roll for this.
18:36 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
18:36 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 12
18:36 <Olwen>: !roll d20 specialized perception
18:36 <Dicebot>: Olwen, specialized perception: 3
18:36 <Olwen>: -_-
18:36 <Skid_GMing>: He seems to have nothing but slightly greedy scientific curiosity.
18:36 <Gareth>: "I'd rather not; unsure of its properties just yet. You understand. We can study it once we get out of here."
18:37 <Gareth>: Trained persuasion
18:37 <Skid_GMing>: "I... of course. But it is unestimable value, you know. The history alone could make me- er, you, unbelievably wealthy."
18:38 <Skid_GMing>: He's deeply disappointed.
18:38 <Gareth>: "Believe me, I am aware of its significance. I'm an academic too."
18:39 <Skid_GMing>: "We shall discuss this another time, then."
18:39 <Gareth>: "Yes."
18:39 <Gareth>: We return to the labs now? Or is there more
18:39 <Skid_GMing>: No, you're free to go.
18:39 <Gareth>: We go back to the stasis chambers.
18:39 <Skid_GMing>: He wishes you luck in retrieving the last focus device.
18:40 <Olwen>: Honestly, why are we getting focus devices when Juno can just open up the way we came? Or am I missing something.
18:40 <Skid_GMing>: I think you guys were trying to decieve Vimes into thinking she was dead.
18:40 <Gareth>: Yes
18:40 <Olwen>: Does he know how it shut?
18:41 <Skid_GMing>: The invisible monster did it.
18:42 <Olwen>: We could say it opened it again going back to the surface..
18:42 <Olwen>: Anyway, le's just kill the monsters and leave.
18:42 <Gareth>: I approach the boss looking creature. "Let's hope our information is accurate."
18:44 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, Juno meets you outside the stasis room. She's mostly overcome the mutagenic effects of the invisiblity device, and has returned to fully human form. She's a young woman of a slender build, her hair a frizzy mess. You notice that her hands are uncharistically calloused, as if she's spent many hours working with rough stone.
18:44 <Gareth>: Shooting a sleeper is an autohit correct?
18:44 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
18:44 <Gareth>: Then I zap it, and I encourage the others to follow immediately, with effort to damage. Three 7 point hits off the bat.
18:44 <Skid_GMing>: Wait, which one are you zapping?
18:44 <Gareth>: The boss
18:44 <Gareth>: The big one
18:44 <Skid_GMing>: One of them is much larger than the three of you combined, and clearly an insectiod carnivore with mantid features. The other two are roughly human size, one is ameboid, the other wombat-like and heavily armored.
18:45 <Gareth>: Yes
18:45 <Skid_GMing>: So, you're all lining up right in front of it, and shooting it?
18:45 <Gareth>: Yes
18:45 <Olwen>: How is it contained again?
18:45 <Skid_GMing>: A shimmering, insubstantial field of energy, powered by the focus device.
18:45 <Olwen>: Will arrows do any good?
18:45 <Gareth>: Isn't that a good idea?
18:46 <Skid_GMing>: Probably, yes.
18:46 <Leviticus>: I'm with Gareth on this plan
18:46 <Olwen>: Maybe get Leviticus to stand first since he's heavily armored.
18:46 <Leviticus>: Sure
18:47 <Olwen>: I stand a little behind Levi and to the side.
18:47 <Skid_GMing>: Juno levitates a chunk of copper piping like a spear and waits for your signal to fire.
18:47 <Gareth>: The order doesn't matter, we'll all hit while it's stunned. So we can do max damage while assured of hitting.
18:48 <Olwen>: Ready?
18:48 <Leviticus>: Shall I begin?
18:48 <Gareth>: But just to make definitely sure, we can go in order of damage
18:48 <Gareth>: If there's a difference. Levi does more I think.
18:48 <Gareth>: Heavy weapon
18:48 <Gareth>: I wonder how much Juno does
18:48 <Skid_GMing>: Effort to damage instead of accuracy, since at least the first few of you will get a shot off.
18:49 <Gareth>: Yes
18:49 <Skid_GMing>: You recruited a boss fight character. How much damage do you think she does.
18:49 <Gareth>: 5
18:49 <Skid_GMing>: Okay guess.
18:49 <Leviticus>: She does 7
18:49 <Olwen>: Well, let her go first.
18:49 <Leviticus>: You said last time, Skid
18:50 <Gareth>: I thought he said 5 before, but whichever
18:50 <Skid_GMing>: She had two different attacks.
18:50 <Gareth>: Ah
18:50 <Gareth>: Well let her toss the pipe, then Levi stabs it.
18:51 <Leviticus>: Hokay
18:51 <Olwen>: Then you zap it, then I shoot it.
18:51 <Gareth>: Sure
18:51 <Skid_GMing>: "All, right." She cringes a little, then lets fly. The copper spear embeds itself deep in the mantid's chitinous hide.
18:52 <Olwen>: Leviticus!
18:52 <Skid_GMing>: The creature's eyes snap open. The field containing it wobbles and fails. Next person's turn.
18:52 <Leviticus>: I attack
18:52 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 1 might effort to damage
18:52 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, 1 might effort to damage: 17
18:52 <Skid_GMing>: So, 9 damage...
18:53 <Skid_GMing>: You cleave the creature's torso, severely wounding it.
18:53 <Skid_GMing>: Next.
18:53 <Gareth>: Heavy weapon does 6?
18:53 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
18:53 <Gareth>: Woah!
18:53 <Gareth>: !roll d20 effort to damage
18:53 <Dicebot>: Gareth, effort to damage: 2
18:53 <Gareth>: You verified autohit!
18:53 <Gareth>: :p
18:53 <Olwen>: Heh..
18:54 <Skid_GMing>: 7 damage. It shudders and twitches, clearly on its last legs. On either side, the other containment fields begin to break down.
18:54 <Skid_GMing>: Next.
18:54 <Gareth>: Whew
18:54 <Olwen>: I shoot it.
18:54 <Olwen>: !roll d20 trained
18:54 <Dicebot>: Olwen, trained: 17
18:55 <Skid_GMing>: Any effort?
18:55 <Olwen>: No.
18:55 <Gareth>: ...?
18:55 <Skid_GMing>: It dies and flops to the floor.
18:55 <Olwen>: I only have 7 might. I'll probably need it for the others.
18:55 <Olwen>: I didn't need it anyway.
18:55 <Skid_GMing>: You use speed effort for your attacks.
18:55 <Skid_GMing>: But yeah.
18:55 <Gareth>: We didn't know that for sure. Better to overkill than not hit for enough. And like Skid said it's actually from speed for your bow.
18:56 <Gareth>: Yay though
18:56 <Skid_GMing>: You guys just did colossal damage.
18:56 <Olwen>: Next?
18:56 <Gareth>: I zap at another.
18:56 <Skid_GMing>: Monsters get a turn first.
18:56 <Gareth>: They sleep?
18:56 <Skid_GMing>: They woke up.
18:56 <Gareth>: Oh :(
18:57 <Skid_GMing>: The ameboid is slow to walk and only scoots across the room towards Leviticus, beginning to glow with heat. The wombat charges towards Gareth. Make a dodge roll.
18:58 <Gareth>: !roll d20 specialized
18:58 <Dicebot>: Gareth, specialized: 15
18:58 <Skid_GMing>: You sidestep like a matador.
18:58 <Olwen>: Hehe.
18:59 <Skid_GMing>: Juno grabs the ameboid with her telekinetic grip, lifting it into the air.
18:59 <Gareth>: That's the armored one?
18:59 <Skid_GMing>: It's a squishy blob with transparent skin.
19:00 <Skid_GMing>: The armored one is the wombat that just made a run at you.
19:00 <Gareth>: K
19:00 <Leviticus>: Since I'm specialized in armor, does that mean I can also go through armor more easily?
19:00 <Skid_GMing>: No, it doesn't. That's a function of pure attack strength.
19:00 <Gareth>: Nice try though
19:01 <Skid_GMing>: Turn order: Juno, Leviticus, Gareth, Olwen, monsters.
19:01 <Leviticus>: I'm thinking I go for the wombat?
19:01 <Gareth>: Sure
19:01 <Skid_GMing>: Olwen: you can't use your shield at the same time as your bow. You'll have to spend an action switching back and forth.
19:02 <Olwen>: Got it.
19:02 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 trained
19:02 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, trained: 8
19:02 <Olwen>: Does it affect my flexible shooter skill?
19:02 <Skid_GMing>: You swing and just miss, taking a chunk out of a nearby workbench.
19:03 <Olwen>: (the shield.)
19:03 <Skid_GMing>: Well, a shield requires a hand to wield. You need two hands free to shoot a bow.
19:03 <Olwen>: But while I'm just carrying it.
19:03 <Skid_GMing>: It hooks to your backpack unless you're actively using it.
19:03 <Olwen>: Great.
19:04 <Leviticus>: Can I switch to my medium sword without using a turn?
19:05 <Olwen>: Isn't it Gareth's turn?
19:05 <Skid_GMing>: I'm going to say you can. The issue is that a shield is something that is only used between turns. So it makes things unfair if you can free-actino swap it.
19:05 <Gareth>: Reasonable
19:06 <Skid_GMing>: For that particular shield I could negotiate buying a mod for it that allows hands-free use.
19:07 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, next turn.
19:07 <Gareth>: I shoot at the armadillo or whatever.
19:07 <Skid_GMing>: Roll for it.
19:08 <Gareth>: !roll d20
19:08 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 14
19:08 <Skid_GMing>: You zap it, and it yelps.
19:08 <Olwen>: Where is the wombat?
19:09 <Skid_GMing>: It's half-under a workbench, turning around after its charge.
19:09 <Olwen>: My turn?
19:09 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:09 <Olwen>: I shoot at the wombat.
19:09 <Skid_GMing>: Roll for it.
19:10 <Olwen>: !roll d20 trained
19:10 <Dicebot>: Olwen, trained: 10
19:10 <Skid_GMing>: Effort?
19:10 <Olwen>: 1
19:10 <Gareth>: To which?
19:10 <Olwen>: Speed, right?
19:10 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:11 <Skid_GMing>: You fire an arrow into its thick, furry hide. It doesn't sink very deep.
19:11 <Gareth>: To hit I assume then
19:11 <Olwen>: Uh-oh
19:12 <Gareth>: Monsters go
19:13 <Skid_GMing>: Monsters turn? The ameboid vomits up a glob of flaming jelly that it sprays across the room. Dodge rolls from everyone.
19:13 <Gareth>: !roll d20 specialized
19:13 <Dicebot>: Gareth, specialized: 8
19:13 <Skid_GMing>: Juno jumps clear, but drops the ameboid in the process.
19:13 <Olwen>: !roll d20 trained
19:13 <Dicebot>: Olwen, trained: 7
19:13 <Olwen>: Gaaaah.
19:14 <Skid_GMing>: Effort?
19:14 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
19:14 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 5
19:14 <Skid_GMing>: I think you're safe if you use an effort.
19:14 <Olwen>: Can I use an effort after I roll? 0_o
19:14 <Gareth>: :p
19:14 <Skid_GMing>: It's a free effort. We're assuming you use it by default.
19:15 <Gareth>: Oh yeah! You upgraded edge!
19:15 <Olwen>: Oh, sure :P
19:15 <Olwen>: Not used to that.
19:15 <Gareth>: Though as I said before technically you shouldn't be using it yet. But if Skid says okay
19:15 <Skid_GMing>: So only Leviticus gets tagged with flaming bile, taking four might damage. And stays mildly on fire.
19:16 <Skid_GMing>: The wombat takes a run at Olwen this time. Make another dodge roll.
19:16 <Skid_GMing>: Remember to apply armor.
19:16 <Leviticus>: I get to subtract two, though =D
19:16 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:17 <Olwen>: I don't have armor....?
19:17 <Skid_GMing>: Talking to Leviticus.
19:17 <Olwen>: !roll d20 trained 1 effort
19:17 <Dicebot>: Olwen, trained 1 effort: 4
19:17 <Skid_GMing>: The wombat bowls you over, doing 4 damage.
19:18 <Olwen>: Ow.
19:18 <Skid_GMing>: Top of the turn order. Juno grabs a table and hovers it between her and the ameboid.
19:18 <Skid_GMing>: Next.
19:18 <Leviticus>: I attack the ameboid with my medium sword
19:18 <Gareth>: So the training is an asset now
19:18 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 trained
19:18 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, trained: 9
19:19 <Skid_GMing>: You slice into it releasing a small burst of flame and goo that heats up your armour, dealing 3 damage.
19:20 <Skid_GMing>: (that's 3 damage to you. The ameboid was also hurt.)
19:20 <Skid_GMing>: Next.
19:20 <Gareth>: I zap at the wombat again.
19:20 <Skid_GMing>: Roll.
19:21 <Gareth>: !roll d20 effort to hit
19:21 <Dicebot>: Gareth, effort to hit: 6
19:22 <Olwen>: Ow.
19:22 <Gareth>: That hits I think
19:22 <Skid_GMing>: You have training?
19:22 <Skid_GMing>: List it.
19:22 <Gareth>: No, effort
19:22 <Gareth>: It's a 9?
19:22 <Skid_GMing>: It's a 12.
19:23 <Gareth>: 6+3?
19:23 <Skid_GMing>: No, the target number.
19:23 <Skid_GMing>: You fire carefully, managing to avoid hitting Olwen but also the entire wombat.
19:23 <Gareth>: Why did his 9 hit? :x
19:23 <Olwen>: Diferent animal?
19:23 <Skid_GMing>: Training. 9+3
19:23 <Skid_GMing>: Also different animal.
19:24 <Gareth>: Whatever :x
19:24 <Olwen>: Where is the wombat in relation to me?
19:24 <Skid_GMing>: Next turn?
19:24 <Gareth>: Yay I wasted an effort
19:24 <Gareth>: Again
19:24 <Olwen>: :/
19:24 <Gareth>: It never gets old
19:24 <Skid_GMing>: It's sort of beside and on top of you.
19:24 <Skid_GMing>: It looks unhappy.
19:24 <Gareth>: Can't wait until next mission when my magic will be trained. That better make a difference
19:25 <Olwen>: My shield can deal damage. right?
19:25 <Skid_GMing>: You want to whack it with your shield?
19:25 <Skid_GMing>: Have a go at it. Speed attack.
19:25 <Gareth>: That's what I had in mind when you mentioned the spikes
19:26 <Olwen>: !Roll d20 2 effort
19:26 <Dicebot>: Olwen, 2 effort: 18
19:26 <Olwen>: :D
19:27 <Skid_GMing>: That connects. You drive the thorn shield into its face. As you do so, dark vines lash out from the shield and wrap around the wombat's face, scratching it painfully.
19:27 <Olwen>: O_O
19:27 <Olwen>: How much damage?
19:28 <Skid_GMing>: Perception check?
19:28 <Olwen>: !roll d20 specialized
19:28 <Dicebot>: Olwen, specialized: 4
19:28 <Olwen>: -_-
19:29 <Skid_GMing>: About regular attack damage, but you suspect it would do more if the target was unarmored. The thorns aren't long enough to penetrate properly.
19:30 <Olwen>: OK.
19:30 <Skid_GMing>: The wombat lunges at you in response, its jaw unhinging for a savage attack. Dodge.
19:30 <Olwen>: !roll d20 1 effort
19:30 <Dicebot>: Olwen, 1 effort: 13
19:31 <Skid_GMing>: You roll aside, the thorns raking the wombat again as you pull away.
19:31 <Skid_GMing>: The ameboid fires another glob, but Juno catches it with her shield.
19:32 <Skid_GMing>: Top of the turn order. Juno smashes her table over the ameboid, creating a splinterly flaming mess. The ameboid completely collapses.
19:32 <Leviticus>: Dead?
19:32 <Skid_GMing>: Looks dead. Also, you might want to move away from it.
19:32 <Gareth>: Lol
19:33 <Leviticus>: I attack the wombat
19:33 <Skid_GMing>: Rollll.
19:33 <Leviticus>: With the medium blade
19:33 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 1 effort to hit
19:33 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, 1 effort to hit: 4
19:33 <Gareth>: Ugh
19:33 <Gareth>: Oh trained too
19:34 <Leviticus>: Oh, and trained
19:34 <Gareth>: 10
19:34 <Gareth>: Still a miss
19:34 <Gareth>: >_>
19:34 <Skid_GMing>: You slash at the wombat, but aren't sure where to strike amongst the vines. You nick its ear.
19:34 <Skid_GMing>: Next.
19:35 <Gareth>: I try to hit it.
19:35 <Gareth>: !roll d20
19:35 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 7
19:35 <Skid_GMing>: With?
19:35 <Gareth>: Gaah
19:35 <Skid_GMing>: You don't hit it.
19:35 <Gareth>: I know :x
19:35 <Skid_GMing>: I just have to rub it in.
19:35 <Gareth>: I know :x
19:35 <Skid_GMing>: Olwen?
19:36 <Olwen>: I move as far away from the wombat as I can and switch to my bow.
19:36 <Olwen>: Well, stay within range.
19:37 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, you jump to your feet and scoot acroos the room to relative safety on the far side of the bonfire.
19:38 <Skid_GMing>: The wombat runs for the door, just making it to the open doorway.
19:38 <Skid_GMing>: Top of the turn order. Juno seems content to let it go.
19:38 <Leviticus>: Bonfire? O_O
19:38 <Skid_GMing>: The smashed table in the ameboid fire.
19:39 <Leviticus>: I give chase and attempt to bring it down
19:39 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 trained
19:39 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, trained: 4
19:39 <Leviticus>: >_>
19:39 <Skid_GMing>: You don't manage to intercept it.
19:40 <Leviticus>: Gareth?
19:40 <Skid_GMing>: Next?
19:40 <Gareth>: Is it still here?
19:40 <Skid_GMing>: It's still in the doorway until its turn.
19:41 <Gareth>: I shoot at it once more.
19:41 <Gareth>: !roll d20 effort to hit
19:41 <Dicebot>: Gareth, effort to hit: 12
19:41 <Gareth>: Finally
19:41 <Skid_GMing>: You zap it and it screams, but doesn't fall.
19:41 <Gareth>: Grr
19:42 <Gareth>: Are you sure this one isn't the boss?
19:42 <Skid_GMing>: It's just got 2 damage reduction, so all these 4 damage attacks are doing 2 damage.
19:42 <Gareth>: Ooooh
19:42 <Gareth>: Gamechanger
19:43 <Skid_GMing>: Whose turn is it?
19:43 <Olwen>: Mine.
19:43 <Olwen>: I shoot at it.
19:43 <Skid_GMing>: The wombat is in very bad shape.
19:43 <Skid_GMing>: Fire away.
19:44 <Olwen>: !roll d20 trained 2 effort
19:44 <Dicebot>: Olwen, trained 2 effort: 7
19:44 <Olwen>: -_-
19:44 <Gareth>: 2 effort hits
19:44 <Gareth>: I think
19:44 <Olwen>: I hope.
19:44 <Skid_GMing>: You shoot it, lodging another arrow in its skin. It flees screaming into the hallways. With 1 HP left.
19:45 <Gareth>: Yeah
19:45 <Olwen>: O_O
19:45 <Gareth>: I roll my eyes and chase after it.
19:45 <Olwen>: Is it still combat?
19:45 <Gareth>: "I'm bagging the trophy after all that effort!"
19:45 <Skid_GMing>: Anyone who wants to chase it, roll a speed check.
19:45 <Skid_GMing>: Run, specifically.
19:45 <Gareth>: !roll d20 effort
19:45 <Dicebot>: Gareth, effort: 9
19:46 <Olwen>: !roll d20 2 effort
19:46 <Dicebot>: Olwen, 2 effort: 9
19:46 <Skid_GMing>: Your collective efforts manage to run it down in a distant lab room, where you dispatch it with arrows and lightning.
19:47 <Gareth>: Whew
19:47 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
19:47 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 3
19:47 <Skid_GMing>: You get left way behind, and decide to go back and pick up the focus device instead.
19:48 <Skid_GMing>: =p
19:48 <Gareth>: I return.
19:48 <Olwen>: Anything in this room?
19:48 <Skid_GMing>: Nothing of particular interest.
19:48 <Skid_GMing>: There's a dead giant wombat.
19:48 <Olwen>: I retun as well.
19:48 <Gareth>: "So, how do we proceed then?"
19:48 <Skid_GMing>: "I'm dead now, right?" Says Juno.
19:49 <Gareth>: "Not if you sneak out, right?"
19:49 <Olwen>: "The others should think that."
19:49 <Leviticus>: "Yes, that's our pretense"
19:50 <Skid_GMing>: "Yes, that. I'll sneak out and meet you all outside."
19:50 <Olwen>: We need to return to the ampitheatre and complete the thing.
19:50 <Skid_GMing>: "When you see Maya, give her this for me." She hand over a folded note.
19:50 <Olwen>: "Will do."
19:51 <Skid_GMing>: "Thanks. For everything."
19:51 <Skid_GMing>: "I'll try to make it up to you."
19:51 <Olwen>: "I'm, sure you will."
19:51 <Gareth>: "Helping with that fight was pretty good."
19:51 <Olwen>: Heh.
19:51 <Skid_GMing>: She reaches into her pocket and vanishes.
19:52 <Skid_GMing>: "Go make Vimes feel bad about getting me killed."
19:52 <Gareth>: We go back to the ampitheater.
19:52 <Leviticus>: Wait, I thought Gareth got the chaos device?
19:52 <Skid_GMing>: No, you never handed it over.
19:52 <Olwen>: She has the invisibility thing.
19:52 <Skid_GMing>: Oh, yes.
19:52 <Skid_GMing>: The chaos device and invisiblity thing have overlapping side effects.
19:53 <Gareth>: "Last one, let's get out of here!"
19:54 <Skid_GMing>: You go to the amphitheatre, slot the last focus device into place, and Vimes activates the Aether capture system. The roof begins sliding open, the dome opening like a huge eye.
19:56 <Skid_GMing>: Vimes completely fails to be distraught at the news of his students' deaths.
19:57 <Gareth>: Heh
19:57 <Leviticus>: Baha
19:57 <Skid_GMing>: It's a bit of a climb to get out of the facility, but eventually manage, emerging on the upper tiers of the huge temple. You make your way around and rejoin Maya.
19:58 <Olwen>: Did I see what was on the note?
19:58 <Skid_GMing>: Did you open it up?
19:58 <Olwen>: Is it sealed?
19:59 <Skid_GMing>: It isn't.
19:59 <Olwen>: Sure, I guess.
20:00 <Gareth>: Yes
20:00 <Skid_GMing>: "I hope this isn't goodbye forever. I'll see you again, maybe, in another place with another face. - Juno"
20:01 <Olwen>: Face Changer?
20:01 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
20:01 <Skid_GMing>: Well, not exactly. Time skip stuff.
20:02 <Olwen>: I give the folded note to Maya.
20:02 <Gareth>: Yes, If anyone wasn't aware - there will be a considerable time jump between this mission and the next one, so Skid can advance world stuff.
20:03 <Skid_GMing>: Next session will be taking place six months in the future. Full epilogue then. Suffice it to say for now that Maya takes the news hard, and then you all set off your journey back to the capital, making sure to misplace some supplies as you leave.
20:03 <Gareth>: We should have another 'hangout session' before that so we can get info drops on what's up.
20:03 <Skid_GMing>: Exactly.
20:03 <Olwen>: Sooo..... Money?
20:04 <Skid_GMing>: Yeah. Your party earns the full reward for your rescue mission, though Vimes argues vehemently that it should reduced as you refuse to hand over the artifacts you recovered.
20:04 <Gareth>: Ha, good for him.
20:05 <Gareth>: I kinda like this guy, in a weird way.
20:05 <Gareth>: Since he's not actually a bad guy.
20:05 <Skid_GMing>: You get a royal each.
20:05 <Gareth>: The whole party?
20:05 <Olwen>: What about the loot from the shrine?
20:06 <Skid_GMing>: In addition to that.
20:06 <Olwen>: Which was in total 10 royals, right?
20:06 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
20:06 <Skid_GMing>: And the shield, and the Chaos Device.
20:06 <Gareth>: Ezra and Deimos get rewarded too right?
20:07 <Skid_GMing>: I'm reserving part of the reward money for them.
20:07 <Gareth>: One royal?
20:07 <Gareth>: You said the party reward was 5 I think
20:08 <Skid_GMing>: Yeah. So there are three of you, and two other party members who showed up briefly.
20:08 <Gareth>: Right. So one each, all around
20:08 <Gareth>: XP
20:08 <Gareth>: ^_^
20:09 <Skid_GMing>: 3 XP each for this session, and one to give away.
20:09 <Gareth>: And do we get pay from the Embers? This reward was from the Academy right?
20:10 <Skid_GMing>: For this mission the reward technically went to the Ember Patrol, who passed it directly to you guys.
20:10 <Gareth>: Got it
20:10 <Gareth>: Combat bonus though?
20:10 <Olwen>: Heh.
20:11 <Skid_GMing>: You guys just got relatively rich. The pay officer is going to look at you funny if you ask. =p
20:11 <Gareth>: I say "Hey, we could have died."
20:12 <Gareth>: Trained persuasion
20:12 <Gareth>: ;)
20:12 <Skid_GMing>: "But you didn't now, did you. Look, we got a dozen new recruits we need to gear and train, can't be sending them out naked just because you want a a few coppers on top of your gold."
20:13 <Gareth>: "'We didn't' doesn't change that we could have..."
20:13 <Skid_GMing>: Yeah, you're not getting anything more.
20:13 <Gareth>: "If we had would you have compensated our kin?"
20:14 <Skid_GMing>: Do you guys have kin?
20:14 <Gareth>: It's hypothetical. I want to be sure he's consistent.
20:14 <Skid_GMing>: Thorn Shield (1 asset to dodge, 3 damage counterattack, melee range) (7 Royals) - This light shield is covered in spiked blackwood vines that lash out at anyone who attempts to harm the wielder. Deals 3 damage on any successful dodge against a melee attack.
20:19 <Gareth>: I'll contact everyone about the hangout
20:20 <Skid_GMing>: Let me know when it is, there's a lot of story stuff I'll pass on to you guys for it.
20:20 <Gareth>: Yes
20:20 <Gareth>: I'll be sure you can do whatever day it is
20:21 Gareth left #Gowers
20:21 <Skid_GMing>: Chaos Device (magic item, chaotic effects) - A short ivory cylinder about the size of sword's hilt and engraved with hundreds of ancient runes. When gripped by a hand it emits pulsating fractals of varaible size from either end, forming into a weapon that fits the wielder's skills, or a random light weapon if they have none. It deals +2 damage from the base weapon. Low and high attack rolls trigger effects from the tables of High and Low Chaos, respectively."
20:22 <Skid_GMing>: Or rather, reverse respectively.
20:22 Skid_GMing fixes that and posts loot info to the thread.
* Followup *
21:33 <Gareth>: "I have a dagger to sell."
21:33 <Skid>: "A dagger?"
21:34 <Skid>: Oh, that one.
21:34 <Gareth>: "Yes, just a common weapon. But I don't need it."
21:35 <Skid>: "I can give you 10 nobles for it."
21:35 <Gareth>: "Could you see fit to make it 12 sir? That would round out my purse nicely."
21:36 <Skid>: "I might be able to make that work. Yes sir, we have a deal."
21:36 <Gareth>: "Thank you friend, I much appreciate it!"
21:37 <Gareth>: (Where did that even come from by the way, I don't remember it was so long ago.)
21:37 <Skid>: Random junk from the dorms?
21:37 <Skid>: Someone picked up a dagger.
21:38 <Gareth>: Was it just loot? I thought we got it off someone, but I don't recall another fight.
21:38 <Skid>: Oh, Alex had one on his corpse.
21:38 <Gareth>: Ah!
21:38 <Gareth>: I leave and go to a different shop.
21:39 <Gareth>: (Just because I would feel awkward haggling for a couple nobles and then dumping all this down. But I really wanted a round number.)
21:39 <Gareth>: "I have some ancient artifacts for sale, sir. Precious metals."
21:39 <Skid>: Heh.
21:40 <Skid>: Remind me what you have.
21:40 <Gareth>: It just says "there's about 10 royals of various precious metal items"
21:41 <Skid>: Oh, just assume they're converted directly into royals.
21:41 <Gareth>: "Excellent. Pleasure doing business with you."
21:42 <Gareth>: Do I get info on the spells now, or at our hangout?
21:42 <Skid>: I'm posting them in a few minutes.
21:42 <Gareth>: Ok
21:42 <Skid>: Chaos Burst (Free) - Costs 1 intellect point. Casting this spell on a creature within 25 feet blasts them for 3 damage and applies a random Low Chaos effect. If you roll rolls 5 or lower on your attack you are inflicted with a random Low Chaos effect. Can be learned by anyone.
21:42 <Skid>: Force Wall (4 XP) - Costs 3 intellect points. This spell projects a semi-transparent, stationary, 10ft-by-10ft force wall into space within 25 ft. This wall can be created at any angle desired, and hangs immobile in space for 1 minute before dissipating. It deflects all projectiles of 5 lbs or less, and forcing through it is a level 4 strength task. Resistance can be increased with effort. Objects intersecting the force wall are ejected. If cast horizontally, it provides slippery, unstable footing.
21:43 <Skid>: Distort Space (4 XP) - Costs 3 intellect points. This spell creates a shimmering field of force magic around a target within long range. All ranged attacks they attempt to make for the next minute are 1 level harder, and all ranged attacks against them home in, becoming 1 level easier.
21:43 <Skid>: Chaos Annihilation (6 XP) - Costs 4 intellect points. Casting this spell on a creature within 25 feet blasts them for 6 damage and applies a random Low Chaos effect. If you roll rolls 5 or lower on your attack you are inflicted with a random Low Chaos effect. If you roll 16 or higher on your attack roll you benefit from a High Chaos effect.
21:43 <Gareth>: Which one broke?
21:44 <Gareth>: Oh or is that first one the one Olwen has?
21:44 <Skid>: None of these.
21:44 <Skid>: Yes. That first one is the one she picked up.
21:44 <Gareth>: Ok cool
21:45 <Gareth>: What is a 'low effect'?
21:45 <Skid>: Low chaos effect.
21:45 <Skid>: I roll on the table of random effects and see what happens.
21:45 <Gareth>: Like damage? Or a mutation type thing
21:46 <Skid>: Every time magic pulsed through the temple and you guys failed to avoid it you got one of the effects.
21:46 <Skid>: So yes, minor mutations, a bit of damage, equipment freezing, etc.
21:47 <Gareth>: Got it. So not like 'you pass out so the thing easily eats you' right? Nothing drastic
21:47 <Skid>: Not in the low chaos table.
21:47 <Gareth>: Ok
21:47 <Skid>: The high chaos table has the real fun stuff. Most of it is good though.
21:48 <Gareth>: Well, currently there's not a way those target us. So yay
21:48 <Skid>: Yeah, you avoided fighting Juno when she had access to them.
21:49 <Gareth>: Double yay, because she then helped crush the boss
21:49 <Gareth>: That was awesome
21:50 <Gareth>: Oh, so specs on the Device? I gather it has random effects as well
21:50 <Skid>: Chaos Device (chaotic effects) (currently held by bookworm) - A short ivory cylinder about the size of sword's hilt and engraved with hundreds of ancient runes. When gripped by a hand it emits pulsating fractals of indeterminate size from either end, forming into a weapon that fits the wielder's skills, or a random light weapon if they have none. It deals +2 damage from the base weapon. It's aura of chaos is detectable from 200ft away, and mask all magical detection within that radius. Attack rolls of 5 or lower trigger a random Low Chaos effect. Attack rolls of 16 or higher trigger a random High Chaos effect.
21:51 <Gareth>: So it's 6 damage?
21:51 <Skid>: If wielded as a medium weapon, yes.
21:51 <Gareth>: The aura is constant, or emitted when activated?
21:52 <Skid>: Constant.
21:52 <Gareth>: Hmm
21:52 <Skid>: It is not a weapon of stealth.
21:52 <Gareth>: How can I ever use it then? I can't be carrying it around.
21:54 <Skid>: Well, someone has to be monitoring the area for magic to notice it, and then won't have anything close to an exact location even if they are.
21:55 <Gareth>: Oh I'm not thinking of someone picking *it* up, I'm concerned about it blocking *our* detection; with our badges
21:55 <Skid>: Yeah, it'll keep you from noticing magical effects nearby as well.
21:55 <Gareth>: Right. So I guess I'll be leaving it at home then
21:56 <Skid>: You'll either have to spread out, or pick up a special ability that lets you supress it.
21:57 <Skid>: Or save it for a final boss fight some time, when you know that they know that you're coming for a big fight, and you've already gathered your intel.
21:57 <Gareth>: That is the plan. I don't expect to use it frequently, replacing plasma, just coming out for the big baddies
21:57 <Skid>: Seems wise.
22:00 <Skid>: It's the kind of weapon that'll draw heavy aggro. Stick it on the highly-armoured fighter and then go sneak around.
22:01 <Gareth>: Still have a problem figuring out how to have it available at that moment though, if it's not in my bag.
22:02 <Gareth>: Do you mean that suppression example spell you posted?
22:02 <Skid>: Yes.
22:02 <Gareth>: Can I use that on the item rather than myself?
22:02 <Skid>: Using it on yourself does it to all items in your inventory.
22:02 <Skid>: But you could have a modified version that only does it to an item.
22:03 <Gareth>: But I might not want my personal signature hidden. I definitely want that hidden though.
22:04 <Skid>: From this point forward the campaign will be a little more open ended. You guys will have some choices to make about which missions you go on.
22:04 <Gareth>: I don't like open ends :x I want you to tell me what to do!
22:04 <Gareth>: ;)
22:04 <Gareth>: Sort of kidding, sort of not
22:04 <Skid>: Oh, don't worry, only horrible things will happen if you choose wrong. =p
22:04 <Gareth>: This last mission drove me up the wall - too much mystery
22:05 <Gareth>: I want clear objectives
22:05 <Skid>: You're a hit things in the face and take their stuff kind of guy. =p
22:05 <Skid>: Well, I'll see what I can provide.
22:05 <Gareth>: If that's what completes the task at hand yes I am ;)
22:06 <Skid>: It'll probably just be a list of two or three different missions for you guys to pick, and I'll provide explainations for the implications of each.
22:06 <Skid>: Probably going to want to go hunt down that dragon egg first.
22:06 <Gareth>: Picking missions is great
22:06 <Gareth>: Having no clue what to do on them is the problem
22:07 <Woody>: Which is why this one took 6 sessions =P
22:07 <Skid>: Well, you did fine this mission. I didn't expect it to turn out this well.
22:07 <Skid>: You made progress pretty much every session.
22:08 <Gareth>: We did fine in the end, but not because of me. I had no clue what was happening around me I just went along.
22:08 <Woody>: But wandered around for a while every session except this one =P
22:09 <Gareth>: Better to feel it out than rush into trouble.
22:09 <Skid>: You're a very cautious player and that is not a bad thing.
22:09 <Gareth>: No it is not.
22:10 <Gareth>: If I'm putting this much investment into my character, he's not going to die from hastiness.
22:10 <Gareth>: He better not die from anything :x
22:11 <Skid>: Unless it is a suitably epic and heroic death that saves the world.
22:11 <Gareth>: Perhaps. But probably not even then.
22:11 <Gareth>: ;)
22:12 <Gareth>: So, are we in a hurry to get to this hangout session? I mean we'll do it as soon as we can, but is it like 'We need to do it next week so we can get on to the next mission!' or something?
22:14 <Skid>: No, it's okay if it takes a while.
22:14 <Skid>: That was big mission, and a bit of a break is warranted.
22:14 <Gareth>: Ok I'll see what I can set up
22:15 <Gareth>: If it does take a bit to get back to group sessions, you can continue the package side ones
22:15 <Gareth>: I want to see what's happening there
22:16 <Skid>: The package was effectively wrapped up with your sessions. Further ones would be essentially random encounters with unrelated dangers.
22:16 <Skid>: I will post a summary of what happened after them.
22:18 <Gareth>: We left the girl on the road and a guy in jail. That's wrapped up? :p
22:19 <Skid>: He's going to be interrogated. The girl will make it safely to the coast without the dangers of the assassins hanging over her.
22:19 <Skid>: Her delivery will be handled by lesser agents than yourselves.
22:19 <Gareth>: You should still let Penguin and Lightning take the legs though, get in a side mission
22:20 <Gareth>: Even if it's not bigger picture story, they can play a part
22:20 <Skid>: I suppose. I have some other plans for side missions though.
22:21 <Gareth>: Yes, I just liked the idea that each of us would have had a part in that. We would compare notes in hindsight and be like 'Hey I found her in the house!' 'I saved her from assassins'
22:22 <Skid>: "I dealt with the sudden influx of clowns."
22:22 <Gareth>: All related
22:22 <Skid>: Of course.
22:24 <Gareth>: If nothing else they can still have taken the final legs in our lore, just not played them out. I would like to see it actually 'happen' though.
22:24 <Skid>: I see your point.
22:25 <Gareth>: Does Olwen ever get her bounty revoked?
22:26 <Skid>: That's... complicated. I need to write the full implications of that.
22:26 <Gareth>: Right
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Post by Skid »

You don't need to worry on Juno's account. You do need to give the XP to a human player.
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Post by Woody »

I give it to Tikvah, then, for getting and reading Juno's note.
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Post by bookworm »

A lot has happened to the group, it's a good time to have another hangout session to let the characters continue bonding as a team. Skid will also use this as an opportunity to advance some world events before the next mission.

As before, this will simply be the characters relaxing and talking; no planned encounters, it's just for fun.
We're taking a break from the regular sessions for a week or two, so this will be held tomorrow at our usual time, 6pm PDT

Logline: The party discusses various matters they have been involved in recently, and is informed of developments from around the world.
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Post by Woody »

An excerpt from the journal of Leviticus Rutter:
Our mission concluded quite simply. We delivered the second focus device to Dr. Vimes. He seemed interested in the vault we had discovered, as well as the Chaos Device, but for nothing more than its historical and scientific value. After this, we met up with Juno at the labs. We made a battle formation in front of the largest of the creatures, and each struck in order of power while the monster was still in a stupor. We thus dispatched the creature quite easily. However, our activity roused the other two sleepers, and we were forced to fight both at once, and fully conscious. This proved to be quite a challenge, however, as one of them was heavily armored. But thanks to Gareth, it was taken down.

Juno asked us to carry a message to Maya. Olwen agreed to administrate this.

We then removed the focus device and returned to the amphitheater. It was hard to believe we were finally free from this dark dungeon. I had honestly feared it might become our tomb. Olwen delivered Juno's message, and our mission was, in practicality, complete. Juno had agreed to give the Embers all the information she knew about the Dragon Guild, which was, unfortunately, likely very little. We were rewarded quite handsomely by the academy, not to mention the loot we collected. Needless to say, this mission was well worth our while.

However, I cannot shake the feeling that something sinister is at work here. This is the second time we have encountered the Dragon Guild in our very short tenure with the Ember Patrol. I fear that some unseen force is orchestrating these events, in preparation for a final encounter with the Dragons. Perhaps our acceptance into the Embers was more than coincidence? Perhaps our well-rounded group had been assembled for a higher purpose than we were told? Was it possible we were being groomed by our superiors to be the force that would bring the Dragon Guild to its knees? Perhaps it is all merely suspicion, but I still feel there is more to this than mere chance.

I do hope we will encounter Juno again. Perhaps she will consider joining the Embers? She would certainly make a very valuable addition to our team. Perhaps she will be involved in our next run-in with the Dragon Guild...
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Post by bookworm »

Team Downtime (Mini Session)
The party discusses various matters they have been involved in recently, and is informed of developments from around the world.
18:11 <Skid_GMing>: All right. You guys are at Dawn Fortress, the headquarter of the Ember Patrol. It's high, stone walls do quite a bit to deflect the blowing sand of the desert, and its colossal, featureless tower keeps a grim vigil over the surrounding landscape. As fairly experienced agents on downtime, you have earned the run of the place, and can visit the bar, the bunkhouses, the armory, the stables, the grand hall, the library, and, with supervision, the archive.
18:12 <bookworm>: [It is a few weeks after the Search and Rescue mission.]
18:12 <Skid_GMing>: It is.
18:12 <Skid_GMing>: Three weeks.
18:12 <bookworm>: [After attending to individual business, everyone has gathered in a sitting room to spend some time as a group for a relaxed evening.]
18:12 bookworm is now known as Gareth
18:12 <Tikvah>: OK
18:12 Tikvah is now known as Olwen
18:12 <Skid_GMing>: Fair enough. That'll put you at the bar then.
18:13 <Gareth>: I'm sitting in a corner chair working on the carving.
18:13 <Gareth>: !roll d20 talent check
18:13 <Dicebot>: Gareth, talent check: 16
18:13 <Gareth>: "I think it's almost done." I remark, pleased.
18:13 <Skid_GMing>: You carve with decent competence.
18:13 <Olwen>: I guess I'm sitting nearby crafting more arrows.
18:14 <Skid_GMing>: A few rookie agents are in the bar, arguing quietly over a complicated-looking card game.
18:14 <Olwen>: "So what are you planning on doing with the chaos device?"
18:15 <Gareth>: "The Chaos Device has a powerful aura that interferes with our badges. I'm going to leave it here until I find a way to suppress it. I don't feel a little extra damage is a good tradeoff for advanced warning of what's in the area."
18:15 <Gareth>: "Not to mention our enemies would pick it up. So we'd not only be blinding ourselves to who is around, but also broadcasting *our* presence to them."
18:15 <Olwen>: "True, it is really powerful though. Maybe we could carry it on select missions."
18:16 <Olwen>: "Where we think it will be needed."
18:16 <Gareth>: "Indeed, it will depend on the situation."
18:16 <Skid_GMing>: Which considering it's aura, may make people run away before they even see you guys coming...
18:16 <Olwen>: "Or need to impersonate a magical creature."
18:16 <Skid_GMing>: You'll want to stow it with the fortress archivist then.
18:18 <Skid_GMing>: Hmm, roll perception checks.
18:18 <Olwen>: !roll d20 specialized
18:18 <Dicebot>: Olwen, specialized: 17
18:18 <Gareth>: !roll d20 trained effort
18:18 <Dicebot>: Gareth, trained effort: 16
18:19 <Skid_GMing>: You hear a thud somewhere a couple floors up in the office spaces, accompanied by rising, angry voices.
18:19 <Skid_GMing>: They are too muffled to make out specifics.
18:19 <Gareth>: I look at Olwen.
18:19 <Olwen>: "Oh. come on..."
18:20 <Olwen>: "Shall we see what it is?"
18:20 <Gareth>: I shrug and rise.
18:21 <Olwen>: I look to make sure the rookies are distracted.
18:21 <Skid_GMing>: They're still busy at their game, rolling several dice of different sizes and spinning cards to match each other.
18:22 <Olwen>: I leave the room and carefully head towards the noise.
18:22 <Gareth>: I follow.
18:23 <Skid_GMing>: You climb the stairs, passing through the kitchen level and up to the office spaces. The shouting is coming from Commander Ursa's room.
18:24 <Skid_GMing>: "IT'S AN INSULT IS WHAT IT IS."
18:24 <Olwen>: Can we tell who is speaking?
18:25 <Skid_GMing>: It's Ursa.
18:25 <Gareth>: I cough and knock.
18:25 <Skid_GMing>: "THEY THINK THEY CAN-- Hello?"
18:25 <Gareth>: "Just making sure there isn't a problem sir."
18:25 <Skid_GMing>: Furniture moves, and Ursa snaps the door open, glaring down at you.
18:27 <Skid_GMing>: "THERE IS VERY MuCH A PROBLEM. THOSE SENILE B'UROCRATS THINK THEY CAN JUST BRING EVERYTHING TO A GRINDING HALT."
18:27 <Gareth>: "That's unfortunate..?"
18:27 <Skid_GMing>: "THEY DENIED MY AUDIENCE WITH THE EMPEROR. IT'S AN INSULT!"
18:28 <Gareth>: "It certainly is."
18:28 <Skid_GMing>: He shoves the door wider and steps outside, shouldering his way past you and heading down the stairs.
18:28 <Skid_GMing>: "THEY CAN'T EVEN DO THAT! IT'S IN THE CHARTER!"
18:28 <Gareth>: [The Embers are in league with the Emperor in some way right?]
18:29 <Skid_GMing>: They work directly for the emperor.
18:29 <Gareth>: [That's what I thought.]
18:30 <Skid_GMing>: He continues to bellow and rave all the way down the stairs to the bar, where he orders four tankards of beer and douses each one with a liquid that smells like paint thinner.
18:30 <Gareth>: "Was a reason given?"
18:30 <Olwen>: I'm going to let Gareth do the talking...
18:30 <Gareth>: :p
18:30 <Gareth>: Ursa and I are pals
18:30 <Gareth>: I like to think
18:30 <Gareth>: ;)
18:30 <Skid_GMing>: After he downs the first one he appears to have calmed a little.
18:31 <Skid_GMing>: "Excuses. Nothing but. Something's going on in the capital."
18:32 <Skid_GMing>: "I was going to discuss the matter of the assassin you captured. Holding a nobleman is a delicate thing."
18:33 <Gareth>: "Yes, I was wondering if anything came of that matter."
18:33 <Skid_GMing>: "Sent a letter requesting an audience. Two and a half weeks, no reply. Then I get back a note of refusal, as if I was some peasant peititioner."
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: "The worthless scab is rotting in our cells. Haven't got much of use out of him, he's an expert liar if I ever saw one."
18:35 <Gareth>: I murmur knowingly.
18:36 <Skid_GMing>: "If he was a commoner we could hang him for attempted murder, but politics... make life complicated."
18:37 <Gareth>: "He was who he claimed then?"
18:38 <Skid_GMing>: "He matches the description. And word in the capital is that nobody has seen him since your encounter."
18:39 <Skid_GMing>: "His family, is of course, livid. Nobility his considered themselves above the law for so long."
18:40 <Skid_GMing>: He drains his second mug.
18:41 <Gareth>: "Well I still don't fully understand what that whole situation was even about."
18:41 <Gareth>: I say in a way that allows response if he cares to give one, but doesn't demand one if not.
18:42 <Gareth>: As I'm unsure if I'm even supposed to understand it.
18:43 <Skid_GMing> "Politics."
18:45 <Gareth>: [In context: we have compared notes and realized we have all taken part in the same mission (protecting the girl) but we don't know the big picture yet]
18:47 <Gareth>: I nod, silently frustrated we still don't learn anything, but don't press.
18:47 <Skid_GMing>: "Oh, that reminds me. The girl you were escorting made it safe to the coast. She's on a boat to the Orange Isles. Safe away from all this."
18:47 <Olwen>: "That's good."
18:48 <Skid_GMing>: "Might be back in a few years, if her Uncle's letter is any indication. Seems to be starry-eyed with the idea of joining up."
18:48 Woody joined #Gowers
18:48 <Gareth>: I smile briefly.
18:49 <Skid_GMing>: He downs his third mug and belches loudly, still not showing any visible sign of intoxication.
18:50 <Skid_GMing>: "If there is anything to join up with. We can't function without a line to the Emperor. Call me paranoid, but I think there's a connection to the Dragons."
18:50 <Gareth>: "What of Olwen's bounty?"
18:51 <Skid_GMing>: "We've made it clear that anyone who plans to cash in on that probably won't survive to enjoy it."
18:52 <Skid_GMing>: "The face taker is still an option, of course, if you feel that it's getting too hot. She's actually here, if you want to have a chat over at the infirmary."
18:53 <Olwen>: "I don't think it has come to that yet."
18:53 <Skid_GMing>: "Julie... Juno? Juno. Is getting the full makeover. She's been very helpful."
18:54 <Gareth>: "Can't we just get it revoked? It was clearly a mistake."
18:55 <Skid_GMing>: "It's not a warrant. It's a bounty. Anyone can put cash on someone's head if they can get away with it."
18:55 <Skid_GMing>: "If all goes well, Ajax will be infiltrating the dragon cult shortly on her intel. That should at least give us something on those rats."
18:57 <Gareth>: [I thought the bounty was set by the Emperor though, due to the misunderstanding?]
18:57 <Skid_GMing>: No.
18:57 <Gareth>: [Oh, nvm then]
18:57 <Skid_GMing>: It was set by the extended family of the deceased.
18:58 <Gareth>: [That makes more sense, it's just not how I read the description.]
18:58 <Skid_GMing>: Ursa downs his last mug and scoots his chair back.
18:59 <Skid_GMing>: "You've been doing good work kids. Now, I'm going to go shout at Commander Selkirk until he lets me go kick down the palace gates."
18:59 Woody is now known as Leviticus
18:59 <Gareth>: "Good luck."
18:59 <Skid_GMing>: "Thanks."
18:59 <Olwen>: "Sooooo"
19:00 <Leviticus>: Can someone give me a run-down of what is up?
19:00 <Leviticus>: Who is Ajax?
19:00 <Gareth>: We're hanging around Dawn Fortress
19:01 <Skid_GMing>: The guy who briefed the team from the very first mission. He can change his face.
19:01 <Leviticus>: =o
19:01 <Gareth>: Oh yeah I remember him
19:01 <Skid_GMing>: Incidentally, the face-taker is his mom.
19:01 <Olwen>: "Levi, you wanna buy a shield?"
19:01 <Gareth>: "Yes I was thinking about that."
19:02 <Gareth>: "Levi may be a better match for it. He's the one that plans to be in close combat. And he doesn't have to switch back and forth, if he uses a medium sword he can hold both."
19:04 <Leviticus>: Sure, I'll take it
19:08 <Olwen>: Will you pay for it? :D
19:08 <Gareth>: :p
19:08 <Leviticus>: A noble =P
19:08 <Gareth>: She wants to get a fancy bow *hint*
19:08 <Gareth>: Which would be good for all of us
19:08 <Olwen>: If I just sold it to anyone it would be worth 3.5 royals.
19:09 <Olwen>: It's actually worth 7.
19:09 <Leviticus>: So why did you get that for loot and I only got an extra Noble? =P
19:09 <Gareth>: How much do you need for your bow?
19:09 <Skid_GMing>: Depends on how cool a bow you want.
19:10 <Olwen>: The more I pay, the better it will be.
19:10 <Olwen>: I was going to go for a master works instead of saving for an enchanted since I don't want any magical signature.
19:10 <Gareth>: Maybe you should just sell it to a shop. We don't *need* a shield. He has armor. And will eventually be using a heavy weapon permanently (so unable to hold it)
19:10 <Skid_GMing>: But then you'll only get half its value back.
19:11 <Olwen>: But this is also useful.
19:11 <Gareth>: Half is better than 1
19:11 <Olwen>: He offered a noble. This is worth 7 royals.
19:12 <Gareth>: Isn't half the most we can ever get for it?
19:14 <Skid_GMing>: If you intend to sell it, yes. You will only ever recover half its value.
19:15 <Gareth>: Then that's the best value we'll have
19:16 <Gareth>: I hate to get rid of something so significant though
19:15 <Olwen>: "Well, since Levi doesn't want it...."
19:15 <Skid_GMing>: ...unless you keep it and use it.
19:16 <Gareth>: She can't, only he can, that was the point of this
19:16 <Skid_GMing>: She already has?
19:16 <Gareth>: Not with her bow
19:17 <Olwen>: I can use it, it's just not very usefull.
19:17 <Gareth>: I'll split it with Levi if he'll do it that way.
19:17 <Gareth>: The money not the shield...
19:18 <Gareth>: Or actually
19:20 <Gareth>: How much do you need for a bow that will be good for us?
19:20 <Gareth>: Will you be ready to buy right now if you trade the shield?
19:21 <Skid_GMing>: Hmm. The active parts of the shield could probably be transfered to another piece of equipment for a relatively low price.
19:21 <Olwen>: What sort of equipment?
19:22 <Skid_GMing>: Armor, specifically. Or a bulky weapon.
19:22 <Gareth>: I will lend her the money, since I'm not planning to buy anything at the moment, if someone comes up with a number
19:24 <Gareth>: Hello?
19:24 <Olwen>: I'm seeing if Leviticus will respond.
19:25 <Leviticus>: I don't want to spend 3.5 Royals
19:26 <Gareth>: Will 3.5 pay for the bow you want?
19:27 <Skid_GMing>: I suspect the ultimate goal is to get all the gold ever, and buy a pocket siege bow.
19:28 <Gareth>: I could sell the chaos device for infinity gold
19:28 <Olwen>: Techinically 50 more nobles would get me into the Masterwork range, but if I'm gonna spend all that money I want a good one, so I'll just keep saving.
19:28 <Olwen>: DON"T SELL IT.
19:29 <Gareth>: It just does two extra damage
19:29 <Skid_GMing>: Eheh. No.
19:29 <Gareth>: Yes
19:29 <Gareth>: You said
19:29 <Skid_GMing>: In addition to chaos effects.
19:30 <Gareth>: Yes
19:30 <Gareth>: They don't do damage? Usually
19:30 <Skid_GMing>: Which, I admit, you haven't actually tried any of.
19:31 <Olwen>: You said it was much more powerful as a bow.
19:31 <Gareth>: Because you're an archer. It boosts your base
19:31 <Gareth>: Levi would get a powerful sword I'm assuming
19:31 <Olwen>: Well, if you're wielding it as a medium bow, 6 damage with every shot. And then High Chaos effects on every attack roll over 15, and some of those are amazing.
19:31 <Olwen>: According to Skid.
19:33 <Gareth>: Well why are you buying a bow then?...
19:33 <Gareth>: Seems redundant?
19:33 <Olwen>: Because this has a giant signature.
19:33 <Gareth>: No - wait a minute
19:33 <Gareth>: Ugh!
19:34 <Olwen>: I could give up being stealth focused on some missions.
19:34 <Gareth>: 6 damage, that's what I said! That's what it would do for me as a lightsaber, it's not because it's in bow form
19:35 <Olwen>: You said 2 extra damage.....
19:35 <Gareth>: Yes, 2 extra from the 4 as a medium weapon is 6 damage. It would do that for any of us at the moment, regardless of form of weapon.
19:35 <Skid_GMing>: Over the next six months, you'll each make 1 Royal, 20 Nobles in pay.
19:35 <Skid_GMing>: Which will bring us the the end of the time skip.
19:36 <Gareth>: So we just get it?
19:36 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:36 <Gareth>: o.o
19:36 <Olwen>: Ooooh..
19:36 <Skid_GMing>: You're getting paid for doing your job.
19:36 <Gareth>: Okay. Now we can figure stuff out
19:37 <Olwen>: I would be willing to sell the shield to Leviticus for 2 royals.
19:37 <Gareth>: Olwen one more time: how much do you need to get to where you are going to buy
19:37 <Olwen>: I'd have to talk to Skid some more.
19:38 <Gareth>: Ugh
19:38 <Gareth>: I will buy the shield already!
19:38 <Gareth>: For the good of the group
19:38 <Gareth>: Just make sure you make a good purchase! Don't want you to waste money
19:39 <Gareth>: I don't see why you need multiple royals when 50 nobles gets you there
19:39 <Skid_GMing>: Because bare-minimum is worse than mid-level.
19:39 <Gareth>: There are levels within the levels?
19:40 <Skid_GMing>: Not every masterwork is the same grade, no.
19:40 <Gareth>: Okay, good.
19:40 <Skid_GMing>: The better item you want the more its going to cost.
19:40 <Gareth>: Of course. But how is 'better' represented in a weapon?
19:41 <Skid_GMing>: Hgiher damage, more accurate, higher crit rate, special effects.
19:41 <Skid_GMing>: Take your pick.
19:41 <Gareth>: One bonus per royal, or what
19:41 <Gareth>: I need to visualize this somehow
19:41 <Skid_GMing>: Side note: Since you are using animal summons now, Leviticus, you could consider buying pets with gold.
19:42 <Leviticus>: Ooooooh
19:42 <Gareth>: Nevermind I have a headache just thinking about it this much
19:43 <Gareth>: I'll just trust Skid to be fair
19:43 <Skid_GMing>: The first couple upgrades are relatively cheap, the more upgrades stacked on a single item the faster the price goes up.
19:44 <Gareth>: What I'm trying to say is how do we know when is the right time to buy at a reasonable price?
19:45 <Gareth>: But I don't think there's a way to describe it so nevermind
19:45 <Gareth>: SO
19:45 <Gareth>: Olwen
19:45 <Gareth>: I will buy the shield for 3 royals. If you really need the .5 more after checking the shops get back to me.
19:46 <Skid_GMing>: It's just that the longer you wait to buy an item, the less of the campaign you'll be able to use it.
19:46 <Gareth>: Right
19:46 <Skid_GMing>: Since we're at about the halfway point here.
19:46 <Olwen>: Right.
19:46 <Gareth>: I then give the shield to Levi - to use
19:46 <Gareth>: I own
19:47 <Skid_GMing>: I don't know that there's a "right time". You guys could pool your resources and buy a really spectacular item now, and use the investment to leverage some better loot through the next missions.
19:47 <Olwen>: What item would that be?
19:47 <Gareth>: How do we do that?
19:47 <Skid_GMing>: Kill bigger monsters. Take their stuff.
19:47 <Gareth>: Ah
19:48 <Skid_GMing>: Or complete missions without the aid of NPCs, so they won't keep any of the loot for themselves.
19:49 <Skid_GMing>: There is still a stray dragom egg out there.
19:50 <Leviticus>: Hold on a minute, Ember Patrol is gonna end? D=
19:50 <Skid_GMing>: Yeah. Eventually.
19:50 <Leviticus>: D=
19:50 <Skid_GMing>: You guys are just going to become infinitely powerful killnig machines otherwise.
19:51 <Gareth>: That's the point?
19:51 <Skid_GMing>: Up to a point.
19:51 <Leviticus>: But I want to be an infinitely powerful killing machine =[
19:52 <Skid_GMing>: You can become an unreasonably powerful killing machine. Then you gotta stop. =p
19:52 <Olwen>: I think I'm just gonna sell the shield.
19:52 <Gareth>: You did, to me?
19:52 <Gareth>: Have I been talking to myself for an hour? >_>
19:53 <Leviticus>: Will you start a new RPG when Ember Patrol ends?
19:53 <Skid_GMing>: Likely, yes.
19:53 <Skid_GMing>: I have a couple ideas.
19:53 <Gareth>: Right when I finally get my character good
19:53 <Gareth>: :x
19:53 <Olwen>: @bookworm: I don't think you should waste money on something you won't use.
19:54 <Gareth>: Levi will use it
19:54 <Gareth>: That's been the plan since the beginning?
19:54 <Gareth>: I thought we were on the same page here
19:54 <Skid_GMing>: Gareth is using his money to make you two more powerful.
19:54 <Gareth>: Yes!
19:54 <Olwen>: If he wants to do that.
19:55 <Gareth>: It seems to be the only way it will happen
19:55 <Skid_GMing>: You can also sell off those orbs you found, if you don't intend to use them.
19:56 <Olwen>: I want to sell mine if no-one wants it.
19:56 <Gareth>: I said I want them all, probably, I just don't have enough XP
19:56 <Gareth>: You said you wanted to learn yours Olwen?
19:56 <Skid_GMing>: Okay.
19:56 <Skid_GMing>: It would give her a spellcaster signature.
19:57 <Olwen>: Well you can have mine, I decided I don't want the signature that comes with it.
19:57 <Gareth>: Probably wise
19:57 <Gareth>: I'll look at it
19:57 <Olwen>: You can just have it. It's not worth much.
19:57 <Olwen>: Free to learn though.
19:57 <Gareth>: Ok
19:57 <Gareth>: Is another NPC dropping by or was that all the subjects to hit tonight?
19:58 <Skid_GMing>: Well, you could go down and chat with Juno or Ajax or The Face Taker, or the archivist.
19:59 <Skid_GMing>: Or the fancy hat prisoner, I guess.
20:00 <Gareth>: We should check with Juno I suppose
20:00 <Leviticus>: Can someone explain who Ajax and the Face Taker are?
20:00 <Olwen>: I have to go.
20:00 <Gareth>: Ok
20:00 <Gareth>: As before no journaling needed; I expected we'll get the XP directly from this session.
20:00 <Olwen>: OK, seeya later then.
20:00 Olwen quit
20:00 <Gareth>: Next week I believe will be another hangout session to complete the time skip. Sort of a 'mini session'; we have business to attend to, it's just not a mission.
20:01 <Skid_GMing>: Yes. An XP each tonight.
20:01 <Skid_GMing>: And yeah. Next session brings up the end of the time skip, and then you guys choosing a mission.
20:01 <Leviticus>: I want to check in with Juno
20:01 <Leviticus>: Ooooooooooh, we get to choose?
20:02 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
20:02 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, you'll find her in the infirmary.
20:02 <Leviticus>: infirmary? D=
20:02 <Skid_GMing>: With the face taker.
20:02 <Leviticus>: Why...?
20:03 <Gareth>: She's on the run
20:03 <Leviticus>: I thought we were pretending she was dead...?
20:03 <Gareth>: Right
20:03 <Gareth>: So she can't be seen walking around
20:04 <Skid_GMing>: Because a child of noble family does not go missing from an expedition, betray an evil cult, and disappear into the desert without people wanting to keep an eye out for her.
20:04 <Leviticus>: I see
20:04 <Skid_GMing>: It saves the trouble of "Hey, I recognize you!".
20:04 <Gareth>: We go see how she's doing
20:06 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, you descent to the somewhat-dingy infirmary. You find Juno, her face wrapped in bandages and sitting on the edge of a cot, attended by middle-aged woman of surprising beauty.
20:06 <Skid_GMing>: Her one uncovered eye lights up as you enter the room.
20:07 <Skid_GMing>: "Hi! You're back!"
20:08 <Leviticus>: "How goes the face change?"
20:09 <Skid_GMing>: "Hurts like sledding sand-dunes on my face."
20:10 <Leviticus>: "Is it really your face if it's been changed...?"
20:10 <Skid_GMing>: "Well, it ain't someone else's face that's itching."
20:11 <Skid_GMing>: "Martha says it'll only be another week and I'll be a whole new person."
20:11 <Skid_GMing>: "Still have to do something about the hair though. Dye it. You think I'd look good with black, or maybe blonde?"
20:12 <Leviticus>: "Black" I nod
20:12 <Skid_GMing>: "Maybe with little streaks of green?"
20:13 <Skid_GMing>: She turns to Martha. "Can you do green?"
20:13 <Skid_GMing>: "Yes, dear." Martha says, smiling.
20:14 <Skid_GMing>: "You can do whatever you want."
20:15 <Skid_GMing>: "Seems like the bigger question is, what's going to be your new name?"
20:15 <Leviticus>: "Literally whatever?"
20:16 <Skid_GMing>: "I'm going to make you pay for horns if you want them, sonny."
20:16 <Leviticus>: Hehe
20:17 <Leviticus>: "I was thinking more for Gareth here. Thought we could make him literally pig-headed."
20:17 Leviticus hides
20:17 <Skid_GMing>: The older woman cackles.
20:17 <Gareth>: I raise an eyebrow, unsure how to take that.
20:19 <Gareth>: Anything else here?
20:19 <Skid_GMing>: Not materially.
20:20 <Gareth>: We should probably check with Ajax
20:20 <Leviticus>: Take it as a joke on you correcting my destruction of the chest =P
20:20 <Leviticus>: And who is Ajax?
20:20 <Skid_GMing>: A dude.
20:20 <Leviticus>: Well, at least I know his gender
20:21 Leviticus can now rule out 3.5 billion people
20:21 <Gareth>: You mean calling you out on an objectively bad move?
20:21 <Gareth>: How is that pigheaded
20:21 <Leviticus>: It's a joke =P
20:21 <Gareth>: That orb could have been a kill a dragon in one hit spell, we'll never know
20:21 <Skid_GMing>: It was probably not.
20:22 <Gareth>: We'll never know
20:22 <Gareth>: We go to Ajax.
20:22 <Gareth>: "Good luck Juno, or whoever."
20:22 <Gareth>: I wink.
20:23 <Skid_GMing>: "Tell me if you think of any good names. I've always wanted one tht started with M."
20:23 <Skid_GMing>: All right. You find Ajax, in the bar, dressed as a recruit, cheating at cards.
20:24 <Gareth>: "Hear you're infiltrating the Dragons."
20:25 <Skid_GMing>: He looks up, grins sheepishly, and excuses himself from the game.
20:26 <Skid_GMing>: "You hit the big money with that last mission. We know all their meeting times, some of their members. Big names in noble families."
20:26 <Gareth>: "Well, be careful."
20:27 <Skid_GMing>: "I'm always careful."
20:28 <Skid_GMing>: "'Course, this is slightly outside the commission, poking around in the capital. But everything's legal as long as I don't get caught, right?"
20:28 <Gareth>: "What's the goal? Just getting information?"
20:29 <Skid_GMing>: "Get some intel, maybe stab a few backs. Start a little infighting. Feed them some good leads, and then some bad leads."
20:29 <Gareth>: I nod.
20:30 <Skid_GMing>: "If I manage to get some suckers out in the desert, I'll let you guys do the honors."
20:32 <Skid_GMing>: He nods and turns back to the game.
20:33 <Gareth>: Might as well talk to the archivist then
20:33 <Gareth>: While we're here
20:33 <Skid_GMing>: The archivist is in the archive.
20:33 <Gareth>: Aha
20:34 <Skid_GMing>: You climb the stairs to the top of the tower. He greets you through a little slot in the Archive's steel door.
20:34 <Gareth>: "I need to store this device for a bit."
20:35 <Skid_GMing>: "That little thing that's been irradiating the entire castle since you walked in?"
20:35 <Gareth>: "Yes, exactly."
20:35 <Skid_GMing>: He disappears and the grinding of bolts snapping out of locked position fills the hallways.
20:36 <Skid_GMing>: A couple minutes later the door finally swings open.
20:36 <Skid_GMing>: "Come in! Come in! I must have a look at this!"
20:37 <Skid_GMing>: You see the room behind him, the walls lined with locked boxes and chests and a few glass cases.
20:37 <Gareth>: I hand it over.
20:38 <Skid_GMing>: He tuns it over in his hand, then grips it. It immediately deploys a fractal blade from each end, which grow until he is holding a large spear.
20:39 <Skid_GMing>: "Magnificant!"
20:39 <Skid_GMing>: "Chaos magic, so full of possiblities!"
20:39 <Gareth>: "Indeed."
20:40 <Skid_GMing>: "Can't have it leaking all over the place of course, but I've got a cure for that."
20:40 <Skid_GMing>: He strides over to a console, pressing buttons and spinning cranks until a huge leaden coffin slides open with a hiss.
20:41 <Skid_GMing>: He deposits the Chaos Device inside, atop a velvet pillow.
20:42 <Skid_GMing>: "An item of that value is a prize indeed. If you will spare it for my study, I may be able to loan you select items from my collection in turn."
20:43 <Gareth>: "That would be excellent; I won't be using it for a while."
20:44 <Skid_GMing>: "Well, have a look around then. Anything not marked in red, or yellow, or teal may be of use to you."
20:45 <Skid_GMing>: "Is there anything in particular that you might be interested in?"
20:46 <Skid_GMing>: The glass cases hold various magical artifacts of arcane purpose, most probably used to commit crimes at various points through history.
20:52 <Gareth>: We can do that later, I should go soon
20:52 <Skid_GMing>: Okay.
20:53 <Gareth>: Anything else?
20:53 <Skid_GMing>: Not really. You guys hit the major stuff.
20:53 <Gareth>: Ok
20:54 <Skid_GMing>: And you've got a moderately powerful magical wildcard to borrow which can be swapped out between missions.
20:54 <Gareth>: ^_^
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Woody
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Joined: January 2012
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Post by Woody »

Side Mission, Levi: Bandit Hunt
12:45 Woody is now known as Leviticus
12:45 <Skid-GMing>: After the breakup of a dangerous gang several elite members make a break for the Living Pass. You're a few miles northeast of Francis when you pick up a trail in the scrublands, leading up towards the foothills. Make a tracking check.
12:46 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 trained wilderness knowledge
12:46 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, trained wilderness knowledge: 4
12:48 <Skid-GMing>: Well, you don't get much more out of your studies than that the tracks belong to a a fairly large person, travelling alone.
12:48 <Skid-GMing>: Do you have Numbers with you?
12:48 <Leviticus>: Yes
12:48 <Skid-GMing>: Shadowmarked?
12:48 <Leviticus>: I won't need to use Shadowpath, right? Since we're traveling without obstruction...?
12:49 <Skid-GMing>: You don't need to if you don't want to.
12:49 <Leviticus>: Why waste the intellect points?
12:50 <Skid-GMing>: Well, if you want to do stealth at any point, it can save time.
12:50 <Skid-GMing>: But okay. You're travelling openly with your wolf.
12:51 <Leviticus>: For now, yes
12:51 <Skid-GMing>: You track for a couple hours, the terrain becoming rougher and more densely forested with spikey, unpleasant brambles.
12:52 <Skid-GMing>: Perception check.
12:52 <Leviticus>: Fine, I shadowmark Numbers =P
12:53 <Leviticus>: Since you're clearly putting us in a difficult situation to navigate normally ;)
12:53 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
12:53 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 10
12:55 <Skid-GMing>: You see something making its way through the forest a couple hundred feet ahead. It's large for a human.
12:55 <Leviticus>: I try to sneak closer
12:56 <Skid-GMing>: Stealth check.
12:56 <Skid-GMing>: You'll have to move faster than it is, so that's going to be a bit difficult.
12:57 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
12:57 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 3
12:59 <Skid-GMing>: You crash into a couple bushes, whever is ahead of you breaks into a run.
13:00 <Leviticus>: Great xD
13:01 <Leviticus>: Um... I don't really know what to do next...
13:01 <Leviticus>: Chase it?
13:02 <Skid-GMing>: That'll be a run check from you. And... what are you commanding Numbers to do?
13:03 <Leviticus>: I shadowpathed him
13:03 <Skid-GMing>: Unsummoned. Okay.
13:04 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
13:04 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 5
13:04 <Leviticus>: Dicebot hates me today
13:04 <Skid-GMing>: Well, you quickly lose sight of him. The good news is that he isn't trying to cover his tracks anymore, and they are easy to follow.
13:05 <Leviticus>: =D
13:06 <Skid-GMing>: How are you following now?
13:07 <Leviticus>: Um... on foot?
13:07 <Skid-GMing>: Fast, stealthily, etc.
13:07 <Leviticus>: Fast
13:07 <Skid-GMing>: Okay.
13:07 <Leviticus>: Since it's already seen me
13:08 <Skid-GMing>: You keep jogging after the fugitive. The valley narrows, becoming more of a dry, rocky gulley. Suddenly the tracks stop and scramble up one of the sides, disappearing over the top of the ridge.
13:09 <Skid-GMing>: It's a 40 foot climb of moderate difficulty here.
13:09 <Leviticus>: Oi
13:09 <Leviticus>: Is there an easier option?
13:09 <Skid-GMing>: Make a perception check.
13:09 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
13:09 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 15
13:11 <Skid-GMing>: If you backtrack there are much easier places to go up, or you could continue along the valley and look for a new place to go up, there's likely to be somewhere better. Also, the climbing tracks have rather obvious claw marks.
13:11 <Leviticus>: I backtrack to go up an easier slope
13:12 <Skid-GMing>: Okay, you lose a few minutes tracking around to climb up by a different route. You can rejoin the trail by travelling along the ridgeline.
13:13 <Leviticus>: I do so
13:14 <Skid-GMing>: At the top of the wall the fugitive scrambled up you find a pile of head-sized stones, freshly stacked. And his trail leading up the ridge.
13:14 <Skid-GMing>: Make another perception check.
13:14 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
13:14 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 17
13:15 <Skid-GMing>: You can see him on the ridgeline ahead, about a mile ahead. He has very little cover where he's moving along the ashen terrain.
13:17 <Leviticus>: I give chase
13:17 <Skid-GMing>: All right. Give a run check.
13:17 <Leviticus>: Stealthily, if that is possible on an exposed ridgeline
13:17 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
13:17 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 1
13:18 <Skid-GMing>: You trigger a small rockslide.
13:18 <Leviticus>: xD
13:18 <Leviticus>: Which I assume I am underneath
13:18 <Skid-GMing>: No, just made a lot of noise.
13:19 <Skid-GMing>: He renews his pace, and you continue pursuing him into the hills. The sun is now getting low in the west, obscured by a thin layer of clouds.
13:20 <Leviticus>: Lovely
13:21 <Skid-GMing>: You're starting to tire from running. Do you want take a rest?
13:23 <Leviticus>: Will I lose the thing?
13:23 <Skid-GMing>: You'll still have its trail.
13:24 <Skid-GMing>: But you'll lose might points if you wear yourself out.
13:25 <Leviticus>: Okay, I rest
13:27 <Skid-GMing>: Okay, you rest and the sun drops below the horizon, leaving the hills bathed in dim moonlight.
13:27 <Skid-GMing>: Make a tracking check.
13:28 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
13:28 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 15
13:28 <Skid-GMing>: Excellent.
13:30 <Skid-GMing>: You regain his trail and after a few miles notice that he has slowed considerably, dragged down by exaustion. The track winds through the hills until it desends down the side of a gorge, where it disappears amongst the rocks.
13:31 <Leviticus>: Perception?
13:31 <Skid-GMing>: But there isn't much of anywhere to go down here. Make a perception check.
13:31 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
13:31 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 8
13:31 <Skid-GMing>: There is a small cave just a short distance up the gorge.
13:32 <Leviticus>: I stealthily enter
13:32 <Skid-GMing>: Stealth check.
13:32 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
13:32 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 10
13:32 <Skid-GMing>: Also, it's completely dark in here. You won't be seeing much.
13:33 <Skid-GMing>: Unless you want to get creative.
13:33 <Leviticus>: I get creative xP
13:34 <Skid-GMing>: Okay, what do you do?
13:34 <Skid-GMing>: Lantern? Fire? What?
13:34 <Skid-GMing>: Yell and navigate by the echoes?
13:34 <Leviticus>: Do I have a mirror?
13:38 <Leviticus>: Lunch break
13:38 <Skid_GMing>: Okay.
15:59 <Leviticus>: Back
16:03 <Skid_GMing>: When we left you were entering a cave.
16:05 <Skid_GMing>: In the dark.
16:06 <Leviticus>: And I had a question
16:06 <Leviticus>: Can I shadowmark myself?
16:06 <Skid_GMing>: No.
16:06 <Leviticus>: Awww
16:06 <Leviticus>: That would be a super cool stealth option
16:06 <Skid_GMing>: ...what would it do? Make you invisible and unable to act unless summoned by someone?
16:08 <Skid_GMing>: Yeah, but also wildly, wildly overpowered. It would cost a lot of XP.
16:09 <Leviticus>: *nods*
16:09 <Leviticus>: How about my team members?
16:10 <Skid_GMing>: No. It's specifically for animal companions.
16:10 <Leviticus>: Okay
16:11 <Leviticus>: Anywho, I turn my lantern on as dimly as possible
16:11 <Skid_GMing>: Okay. Perception check.
16:13 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
16:13 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 17
16:14 <Skid_GMing>: You hear something catch its breath just out of range of your lantern.
16:14 <Leviticus>: I sneak closer
16:15 <Skid_GMing>: Roll a stealth check.
16:15 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
16:15 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 13
16:15 <Skid_GMing>: You're pretty sure it's already seen your lantern.
16:16 <Skid_GMing>: And roll initative.
16:18 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
16:18 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 10
16:18 <Skid_GMing>: A melon-sized rock flies out of the darkness. Dodge.
16:18 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
16:18 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 1
16:18 <Leviticus>: xD
16:19 Leviticus is very dead
16:19 <Skid_GMing>: It crashes into your lantern sending it spinning to the floor, oil spilling hapzardly.
16:19 <Skid_GMing>: Your turn.
16:20 <Skid_GMing>: It is very dark, your lantern glows very dimly on the floor.
16:23 <Skid_GMing>: And something is trying to kill you.
16:25 <Leviticus>: I run out of the cave, hoping to lure it into the light
16:26 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, you boot it out of the cave. You have time to make another action.
16:27 <Leviticus>: Hmm. Braced defense
16:27 <Skid_GMing>: Fair enough.
16:28 <Skid_GMing>: A huge, snarling face bursts from the cave. Behind it is the body of a large tiger with huge, scything claws.
16:28 <Skid_GMing>: It leaps at you. Make a dodge roll.
16:30 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
16:30 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 8
16:31 <Skid_GMing>: It grabs you, tearing at you with its claws for 6 damage.
16:32 <Leviticus>: I strike back with my heavy blade
16:32 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
16:32 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 2
16:33 <Leviticus>: specialized
16:33 <Skid_GMing>: You miss.
16:33 <Skid_GMing>: ...are you not going to summon your wolf?
16:34 <Leviticus>: Oh... Good idea xD
16:34 <Leviticus>: I do so
16:34 <Skid_GMing>: Anyway, you're going to need to dodge again.
16:34 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
16:34 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 11
16:34 <Skid_GMing>: Because there's 400 pounds of angry man-cat attempting to take you out.
16:35 <Skid_GMing>: It scratches you again. 6 damage.
16:36 <Skid_GMing>: Your turn.
16:36 <Skid_GMing>: Your wolf appears at your side.
16:36 <Leviticus>: I switch to using my medium blade and the Thorn Shield on loan from Gareth
16:36 <Leviticus>: And strike
16:36 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 specialized
16:36 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, specialized: 4
16:36 <Skid_GMing>: Commanding your pet is a free action.
16:37 <Leviticus>: I command him to attack, then
16:37 <Skid_GMing>: !roll d20
16:37 <Dicebot>: Skid_GMing: 10
16:38 <Skid_GMing>: You miss, the wolf harasses the catman, distracting him slightly.
16:38 <Skid_GMing>: He lunges for you again.
16:38 <Skid_GMing>: Dodge.
16:38 <Leviticus>: (This is the same creature I tracked, yes?)
16:38 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
16:38 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 thorn shield
16:38 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, thorn shield: 4
16:39 <Skid_GMing>: He whacks you again. 6 Damage.
16:39 <Skid_GMing>: Roll higher, man.
16:40 <Skid_GMing>: Your turn.
16:41 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
16:41 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 18
16:41 <Leviticus>: specialized
16:41 <Leviticus>: FINALLY
16:41 <Skid_GMing>: Are you efforting?
16:42 <Leviticus>: Sure, 1 effort to damage
16:42 <Skid_GMing>: You're technically supposed to declare that before the attack.
16:42 <Skid_GMing>: Well, you slice into him, dealing 7 damage.
16:42 <Skid_GMing>: !roll d20
16:42 <Dicebot>: Skid_GMing: 10
16:42 <Skid_GMing>: Your wolf continues harassing him and throwing him off balance.
16:43 <Skid_GMing>: He throws a slash at the wolf
16:43 <Skid_GMing>: !roll d20
16:43 <Dicebot>: Skid_GMing: 1
16:43 <Skid_GMing>: He slices your wolf, dealing 6 damage. It's a serious injury.
16:44 <Skid_GMing>: Your turn.
16:44 <Leviticus>: I call the wolf off
16:44 <Leviticus>: Send him back to the shadowpath
16:44 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, the wolf jumps back sinking into the shadows.
16:44 <Leviticus>: And attack
16:45 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 specialized 1 effort to hit
16:45 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, specialized 1 effort to hit: 14
16:45 <Skid_GMing>: You catch him under the arm, drawing a long wounds down his side. 4 damage.
16:46 <Leviticus>: =D
16:46 <Skid_GMing>: He snarls and growls, attempting to kick your feet out from under you. Might defense.
16:47 <Leviticus>: Is that a roll?
16:47 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
16:47 <Skid_GMing>: Your strength against his strength to stay on your feet.
16:47 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 thornshield
16:47 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, thornshield: 6
16:48 <Skid_GMing>: You don't quite make it, and sprawl to your knees. Your turn.
16:48 <Leviticus>: Is my defense broken?
16:48 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
16:48 <Leviticus>: Then I reprise it
16:49 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, he bears his weight down on you, trying to knock you flat.
16:50 <Skid_GMing>: Roll another might defense.
16:51 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 thorn shield 1 effort
16:51 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, thorn shield 1 effort: 17
16:52 <Skid_GMing>: You resist this time, and your thorn shield catches his leg, tearing away chunks of fur.
16:52 <Skid_GMing>: Your turn.
16:52 <Leviticus>: Any damage?
16:52 <Skid_GMing>: Yeah, it did damage, He is looking in really, really rough shape.
16:53 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 1 effort to damage
16:53 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, 1 effort to damage: 4
16:54 <Leviticus>: Oi
16:55 <Skid_GMing>: You miss him wildly.
16:56 <Skid_GMing>: He breaks away and starts a stumbling run along the gorge floor.
16:57 <Leviticus>: I give chase
16:57 <Skid_GMing>: Roll a run check.
16:57 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
16:57 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 10
16:57 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, what do you do when you catch him?
16:58 <Leviticus>: Well, my mission is to kill him, right?
16:58 <Leviticus>: Or should I capture him?
16:58 <Skid_GMing>: Well, there is a dead or alive warrant out for these guys.
16:59 <Leviticus>: But would they prefer alive?
16:59 <Leviticus>: Because I can capture him alive...
17:00 <Skid_GMing>: If you're up to hauling him through the desert, yes.
17:00 <Leviticus>: Actually, I can shadowmark him
17:00 <Leviticus>: Easy transportation =P
17:00 <Skid_GMing>: He's not an animal companion.
17:01 <Skid_GMing>: He's a person with shapeshifter abilties.
17:01 <Leviticus>: He's a tiger-like beast, I thought?
17:02 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
17:02 <Skid_GMing>: But it still doesn't count. You can't do it to unwilling creatures.
17:02 <Leviticus>: Awwww
17:03 Leviticus thought it was a clever plan =P
17:03 <Skid_GMing>: It's clever, you just can't do it.
17:04 <Skid_GMing>: The understanding is that a creature has to be willing to follow you in the first place. If you shadowpathed a hostile it would just wander off and you'd never see it again.
17:04 <Leviticus>: Hum. I'll have to look into expanding this capability at some point
17:04 <Leviticus>: Will he be recognizable when he is in this form? Because if not, I get no reward...
17:05 <Skid_GMing>: Someone would probably recognize him.
17:05 <Leviticus>: So if I kill him in this form, will I get paid?
17:05 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
17:05 <Leviticus>: Okay, I kill him then
17:05 <Leviticus>: How much HP does he have left?
17:06 <Skid_GMing>: You roll an attack against him? Okay do that.
17:06 <Skid_GMing>: Not much.
17:06 <Leviticus>: Enough that a non-effort blow would kill him?
17:06 <Skid_GMing>: Possibly.
17:06 <Skid_GMing>: It's dark. You can't see for sure.
17:06 <Leviticus>: Okay.
17:07 <Leviticus>: I thought I rested...
17:07 <Leviticus>: Through the night?
17:07 <Skid_GMing>: Not the whole night.
17:07 <Leviticus>: Oh. Okay
17:07 <Leviticus>: Well
17:07 <Skid_GMing>: It's been moonlight since you atarted tracking him again.
17:07 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 specialized 1 effort to hit
17:07 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, specialized 1 effort to hit: 8
17:08 <Skid_GMing>: Yeah, that hits. He goes down, dead.
17:08 <Leviticus>: Yaaaaaay
17:09 <Skid_GMing>: Once he's down you have time to get a better look at him. His face is thickly scarred and ridged with bone. His clothing consists of little more than a linnen tunic with some leather strapping, a pack of food and water, and a purse.
17:10 <Leviticus>: I loot the purse
17:10 <Skid_GMing>: It's got 40 nobles in it.
17:10 <Leviticus>: Sweet
17:11 <Skid_GMing>: Make a perception check.
17:11 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
17:11 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 3
17:11 <Skid_GMing>: Eh, nope.
17:12 <Skid_GMing>: Anything else you want to do here before you head home?
17:12 <Leviticus>: Anything else to loot?
17:12 <Skid_GMing>: Not really. He fought with his bare hands, and apaprently didn't have much on him when he fled.
17:13 <Skid_GMing>: If you want to be able to identify that you got him...?
17:13 <Leviticus>: Sure
17:13 <Skid_GMing>: Well, that's up to you.
17:13 <Leviticus>: I leave some trinket of mine in his purse
17:14 <Leviticus>: To verify that I killed him
17:14 <Skid_GMing>: Uhm. Roll a wilderness survival check.
17:14 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 trained
17:14 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, trained: 16
17:14 <Skid_GMing>: If you leave him here, he's going to get dragged off and eaten.
17:15 <Leviticus>: Any way I can signal officials?
17:16 <Skid_GMing>: You two are probably the only people for miles around.
17:16 <Leviticus>: I try my signal mirror anyways
17:17 <Skid_GMing>: Roll a... communications check?
17:17 <Skid_GMing>: Intellect.
17:17 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
17:17 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 13
17:17 <Skid_GMing>: You don't get any obvious response from Francis or the other nearby towns.
17:17 <Leviticus>: How much does this guy weigh?
17:18 <Skid_GMing>: 400 pounds.
17:19 <Leviticus>: I attempt to fashion a sleigh to drag him on
17:20 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, survival check.
17:20 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 trained
17:20 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, trained: 1
17:20 <Leviticus>: I hate you, Dicebot
17:21 <Leviticus>: In that case, I tend to more pressing matters.
17:21 <Skid_GMing>: Such as?
17:21 <Leviticus>: I summon Numbers, and use my 1 hour heal on him
17:21 <Leviticus>: !roll 1d6+1
17:21 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 2:1+1
17:22 <Leviticus>: Wooooow, Dicebot
17:22 <Leviticus>: Well, it's enough to keep him alive...
17:22 <Skid_GMing>: He uses his own heal pool.
17:22 <Skid_GMing>: But okay.
17:22 <Skid_GMing>: He's looking okay enough.
17:23 <Leviticus>: Hrm... Is weight relevant in the Shadowpath? Since creatures can pass through obstacles, I'm guessing they have no real matter?
17:23 <Skid_GMing>: But they have to be self-propelled. And alive.
17:24 <Leviticus>: I was thinking Numbers could drag him if he was lighter
17:24 <Leviticus>: My thinking is that the Shadowpath is a kind of alternate dimension... So something doesn't necessarily have to be alive to exist there...
17:25 <Leviticus>: Is that true, or is my thinking all wrong?
17:25 <Skid_GMing>: It's a theory.
17:25 <Skid_GMing>: You could try it.
17:25 <Leviticus>: I test the theory by Shadowmarking a Noble and then attempting to summon it
17:26 <Skid_GMing>: It just sits there.
17:26 <Leviticus>: Dang
17:27 <Leviticus>: But is that due to it's inanimacy, or would the same logic apply to a dead creature?
17:27 <Skid_GMing>: It's due to the fact that it doesn't have a relationship bond with you, amongst other things.
17:27 <Skid_GMing>: You have to train an animal for it to be capable of responding to summons.
17:28 <Leviticus>: Is there a chance that if I shadowmark the creature, that it would be lost forever in the Shadowpath?
17:28 <Skid_GMing>: Yes and no.
17:29 <Skid_GMing>: Or rather, no and yes.
17:29 <Leviticus>: Never mind, I secure the body to a tree to keep it from being dragged off
17:29 <Skid_GMing>: Okay.
17:29 <Leviticus>: And go to find the officials
17:29 <Skid_GMing>: ...you could just cut something off and take it with you.
17:29 <Leviticus>: ...Or that
17:29 <Leviticus>: I take the head, then
17:30 <Skid_GMing>: Okay. You get ahead in life and hike back to Francis, where you gain another 50 nobles for slaying a dangerous bandit.
17:30 <Leviticus>: Only 50? Small reward =P
17:32 <Skid_GMing>: It's not a rich town.
17:32 <Skid_GMing>: And it's a pretty big reward. Just not untouched-ancient-riches big.
17:32 <Leviticus>: Ah, so it wasn't a government-issued warrant?
17:33 <Leviticus>: Or at least not high government
17:33 <Skid_GMing>: It wasn't one justifying extra pay for carrying it out.
17:33 <Leviticus>: Fair enough
17:33 <Skid_GMing>: You're an Ember. Hunting bandits is what you do.
17:33 <Leviticus>: XP?
17:33 <Skid_GMing>: 2 XP.
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Skid
Still standing tall
Posts: 1343
Joined: November 2006
Location: The Frozen North

Post by Skid »

To catch up on XP distribution:

Woody and Bookworm each earn 1 XP from journal posts.

Woody, Bookworm, and Tikvah each earned 1 XP for the hangout session. Bookworm turned the Chaos Device in to the Dawn fortress archives, which earns the team limited access to the archive's artifacts. Before each mission you will be given a short list of recommended artifacts that you can select one from and take on the mission.

Woody earns 2 XP for his side mission.
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bookworm
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Post by bookworm »

Team Briefing
The party has been called before Ember Patrol officers for a briefing on the activities of the Dragon Cult and dark forces moving through the highest tiers of the empire's government.
18:00 Woody is now known as Leviticus
18:00 bookworm is now known as Gareth
18:01 Tikvah is now known as Olwen
18:01 <Skid_GMing>: It has been six months since our last session. Eventful for some of you, less so for others. You each earn 1 Royal, 20 Nobles in standard pay over the time skip.
18:02 <Olwen>: Oooohh.
18:02 <Leviticus>: Is there a Noble/Royal exchange rate?
18:03 <Gareth>: 100:1
18:03 <Skid_GMing>: 100 Nobles = 1 Royal
18:03 Leviticus now has 7 Royals, 90 Nobles
18:03 <Gareth>: Gosh
18:03 <Gareth>: You meed to buy something that will help the group
18:04 <Leviticus>: I'm considering a pack animal, specifically for our dragon egg retrieval mission
18:04 <Olwen>: Leviticus still needs to put my shield into his inventory.
18:04 <Leviticus>: And possibly another attack animal
18:04 <Gareth>: We can just borrow one from base can't we?
18:05 <Skid_GMing>: A general pack animal, yes.
18:05 <Leviticus>: What might help us, then?
18:05 <Gareth>: Maybe better armor, if that's an option
18:06 <Leviticus>: I was considering that today
18:06 <Skid_GMing>: It is indeed an option.
18:06 <Gareth>: Figure it out with Skid later, we need to keep to business at hand.
18:06 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
18:07 <Skid_GMing>: The world has not been quiet. Political tensions and violence have been growing, the capital plunged into chaos with feuds between noble families. Refugees of the violence travel the roads, fleeing to the coast or across the mountains.
18:07 <Leviticus>: How did Ajax's mission turn out?
18:07 <Skid_GMing>: The Ember Patrol has had no access to the emperor in all this time, and rumor has it that he has become impossibly reclusive, taking audiences from none but a few trusted advisors, some of which Ajax has confirmed are Dragon cultists.
18:07 <Leviticus>: Ooooooh, the Emporer is in on it =o
18:08 <Olwen>: Great. We need Ezra and his lizard goggles.
18:08 <Skid_GMing>: Faith in the Ember Patrol has been undermined abroad as well, many major caravan companies hiring Scythian mercenaries to guard themselves and enforce their business interests. Slave trading is on the rise, with particular interest in the 'pureblooded' humans. Disappearances and kidnapping are becoming commonplace.
18:09 <Gareth>: Lovely.
18:09 <Leviticus>: #dystopia
18:09 <Gareth>: I consider retiring.
18:09 <Skid_GMing>: You three are called to Commander Ursa's office.
18:10 <Leviticus>: We are that high in rank now? I would think he would choose more experienced agents
18:10 <Olwen>: Well, let's get on with it.
18:12 <Skid_GMing>: You're well up into the mid ranks, and seem to do well with unusual missions.
18:12 <Olwen>: Hehe.
18:12 <Gareth>: Not by preference
18:12 <Skid_GMing>: If you're feeling cynical, you can consider yourselves the highest ranking expendable agents.
18:12 <Gareth>: I consider us that.
18:13 <Gareth>: Gareth is rather a cynic.
18:13 <Leviticus>: Heh
18:13 <Leviticus>: Lovely
18:13 <Skid_GMing>: Ursa is at his desk, his eyes weary, a large map of the region spread out before him. Pins mark the locations of agents and recent criminal activity.
18:14 <Skid_GMing>: He nods as you enter.
18:14 <Gareth>: We're not imagining the others are here?
18:14 <Skid_GMing>: Not necessary at this ponit.
18:15 <Gareth>: Okay
18:15 <Olwen>: "You called us?"
18:16 <Skid_GMing>: "Yes, I was meaning to ask if you were ready to pursue that lead on the dragon egg, but a couple things have arisen that may need to be dealt with first."
18:18 <Skid_GMing>: "We've lost a Patrolman. Statham. You wouldn't know him, I don't think. A rookie. Lost his life in a dispute with a Scythian."
18:19 <Skid_GMing>: "There were witnesses. It's an open and-shut case, and yet I don't have the manpower to enforce a warrant on a mercenary band."
18:20 <Olwen>: "What is our part in all of this?"
18:21 <Skid_GMing>: "You've proven yourselves in the field. Come through several situations with measured bloodshed. The rescue mission in Aethantis in particular. Impressive."
18:22 <Skid_GMing>: "If I to propose that you find a way to off the man who struck the killing blow against your comrade, and could offer a small reward for doing so, could you find a way to make sure justice was done?
18:23 <Gareth>: "You want him dealt with? Or brought in?"
18:23 <Skid_GMing>: "I want a message sent."
18:23 <Skid_GMing>: "That murderers are not safe, regardless of the forces they hide in."
18:23 <Gareth>: "I'm confident we could manage that."
18:24 <Gareth>: "We've had more daunting assignments."
18:25 <Skid_GMing>: "Then I trust you will succeed at this one as well."
18:25 <Olwen>: "I believe it can be accomplished."
18:25 <Leviticus>: "Yes, after single-handedly killing a tiger-shapeshifter, I'm confident our collective force can take down a simple killer."
18:26 <Skid_GMing>: Ursa smiles wryly.
18:26 <Gareth>: I roll my eyes.
18:26 <Gareth>: Good-naturedly
18:26 <Olwen>: "Pffft. Anything else we should know?"
18:26 <Leviticus>: "Is there anything else we should know about this particular fellow?"
18:29 <Skid_GMing>: "He's a dangerous swordsman, travels with a band that call themselves the Fractured Stone. Has a taste for things that don't belong to him. He may have training in the paths of inner fire."
18:29 <Leviticus>: "Paths of inner fire?"
18:30 <Gareth>: Magical steroids
18:30 <Leviticus>: Rolling magical knowledge check
18:30 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 trained
18:30 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, trained: 13
18:30 <Leviticus>: "Ah."
18:30 <Skid_GMing>: The paths of inner fire are a form of magic based on channeling the inner strength of the user to preternatural feats of speed and strength.
18:30 <Leviticus>: "Do you want the group taken out as well?"
18:32 <Skid_GMing>: "If were possible, yes. But 50 men, all of brutal talent, are not a foe I want to send you up against."
18:32 <Gareth>: "I imagine to get to our target we'll have to go through some of his companions."
18:33 <Skid_GMing>: "Which is a problem I hope you solve cleverly."
18:33 <Leviticus>: "Ought we to infiltrate the group, then?"
18:33 <Olwen>: "Alright then."
18:34 <Leviticus>: (Skid, are we too publicly known to infiltrate such a group?)
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: Depends on how you do your infiltrating. Probably not though.
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: "There are other issues though. The Dragon Cult, despite Ajax's misinformation, is beginning to close in on the location of the Dragon's Egg."
18:35 <Leviticus>: "Which would undoubtedly be a powerful weapon in the wrong hands."
18:36 <Olwen>: "...Yeah."
18:36 <Skid_GMing>: "If you wish to take up the task, you can dispatch several of their explorers in the desert. If not, we can sacrifice posession of a minor artifact to give Ajax's misleading more credibility."
18:36 <Leviticus>: "I wish we could capture it ourselves... such a beast would be unstoppable when combined with my powers"
18:39 <Skid_GMing>: "So the choice falls to you. Pursue the dragon egg and crush the Dragon Cult's efforts, or send a message to the mercenaries and help retain control of the desert at large. Such crimes are only going to grow if left unchecked."
18:39 <Gareth>: [Are we merely deciding on the order to do them, or will doing certain missions preclude doing others?]
18:39 <Skid_GMing>: You may do one mission after the other, but there will be consequences for either choice.
18:39 <Leviticus>: Like the Dragons getting an uber-powerful real-life dragon? =P
18:40 <Gareth>: I don't like choices...
18:41 <Leviticus>: Personally, I'm more interested in the Dragon Egg
18:41 <Leviticus>: With a dragon on our side, we could easily defeat those 50 men
18:41 <Skid_GMing>: Assuming an adult dragon.
18:41 <Gareth>: We aren't going to have a grown, trained dragon by the next mission, even if we get the egg first thing
18:42 <Leviticus>: Regardless, which do you think more dangerous, a murderer lives, or a cutthroat cult gains a dragon?
18:42 <Olwen>: What do you think Gareth?
18:43 <Gareth>: I wasn't disagreeing with your choice of mission, just saying your reasoning was silly ;)
18:43 <Skid_GMing>: Well, they won't get the dragon right away. Ajax can continue to mislead them for a while longer, but will need to give them a small victory in the form of some other artifact.
18:44 <Skid_GMing>: To continue maintaining his credibility as a source of intel.
18:44 <Gareth>: "I certainly want to avenge our brother, but the Cult must be seen as the more pressing issue. As long as we can go after the mercenary later, I would go for the egg first."
18:44 <Leviticus>: Regardless, one consequence is fixable, we can teach the criminals a lesson later.
18:48 <Skid_GMing>: The other point of consideration is that top-grade mercenaries tend to have top-grade gear.
19:12 <Gareth>: Is there much more to do?
19:13 <Skid_GMing>: That's all the major stuff.
19:15 <Skid_GMing>: If you have more questions about the missions, or what hunting the dragon egg will invovle...
19:15 <Gareth>: Yeah get mission info
19:16 <Skid_GMing>: Okay.
19:19 <Skid_GMing>: "The egg is supposed to be in Rindtis. If it's still any good, or just a wild goose chase still isn't known. You'll have to venture down to the cavern city and locate the ancient Imperial storehouse."
19:20 <Skid_GMing>: "As far as anyone knows, the city has been untouched for centuries, but it would not be a surprise if bandits have moved in, and cavern creatures are almost asured."
19:20 <Olwen>: *sigh* What is it with us and caves?
19:20 <Skid_GMing>: The entire desert is riddled with them.
19:21 <Gareth>: And we have to go in each one
19:22 <Skid_GMing>: "The Dragon cultists are somewhat open to manipulation at this point. If you want them distracted to retrieve the egg in peace, or to lure them into an ambush in the caverns, it can probably be arranged."
19:22 <Gareth>: Hmm
19:26 <Olwen>: What do you think?
19:27 <Gareth>: Well, trying to be alone of course sounds good, but I have to say I'm not afraid of combat anymore with all my upgrades
19:27 <Gareth>: I'm actually looking forward to trying then out
19:28 <Olwen>: I'm sure we would have a chance anyway.
19:29 <Gareth>: Should we try an ambush then? And if it fails all that happens is we fight our way in like we would have anyway
19:32 <Olwen>: I think it might be better to distract them if we can without much cost.
19:32 <Skid_GMing>: You can always ambush them in the desert after or before getting the egg.
19:32 <Olwen>: Aquiring the egg is more important than testing our new training.
19:33 <Skid_GMing>: ...or play the RPG villain role and steal the egg from them as they exit the caverns.
19:33 <Olwen>: I would say distract them and then ambushing them later.
19:34 <Gareth>: What does distracting them do? Have them not even there?
19:34 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:35 <Skid_GMing>: "They will be fed bad intel, and hopefully have no reason to explore that area of the caverns at all."
19:35 <Gareth>: Oh but they'll still be *there*?
19:36 <Skid_GMing>: There in the broadest sense. There are hundreds of miles of caverns to search. You're the only ones who know where to go.
19:36 <Gareth>: Okay I get it now
19:36 <Gareth>: Then yeah, definitely that.
19:39 <Skid_GMing>: "I'll have supplies prepared for your mission. Good luck out there."
19:39 <Skid_GMing>: You're going to recover the dragon egg, the cultists will not get there until you are long gone.
19:40 <Skid_GMing>: Hopefully.
19:40 <Gareth>: Right
19:40 <Skid_GMing>: But that is the mission plan I will write the mission for.
19:40 <Gareth>: Any XP
19:40 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, 1 XP each for roleplaying.
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Post by Skid »

To catch up on XP: 1 XP each to Tikvah, Woody, and Bookworm for the briefing session.

And as our heroes successfully took out the sniper and saved the caravan 2 XP each, and one significant piece of loot:

Prototype Rifle (12 damage, heavy, 1000 ft range, 5 turn reload) (10 Royals value) - This gun is the pinnacle of weapon technology in the Widow’s Sea. It is massive, unwieldy, has a complicated manual reloading process, and is the complete antithesis of a stealth weapon.
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Post by bookworm »

Excerpt from the journal of Gareth Trevelyan
We encountered an enemy with a very troubling weapon today. The incident will change how we think about who could be out in the desert on future missions.

We were escorting a caravan, routine business, when one of the camels suddenly collapsed. A moment later a loud sound echoed through the dunes. We processed the scene, startled, and eventually realized what had happened. I knew guns existed, that is I had heard of the weapon, but I hadn't thought we would find ourselves under attack by someone possessing one. Such a rare weapon I thought would be confined to very select individuals. Of course I realize now a very select assassin could be one of those individuals.

We spotted a glint in the far distance, apparently our attacker, and another shot rang out as a projectile tunneled into the sand nearby. This showed the weapon to have incredible range, making the situation difficult to approach. We would need to spend considerable time closing the distance, during which the enemy could continue shooting at us. The assault paused however, and we realized that the gun must take some time to reload. We quickly took advantage of the lull and advanced as far as we could before needing to retake cover. As we moved in closer between shots, Levi was struck by one and was flung backward! We realized in horror the weapon not only had considerable range, but clearly fired with GREAT force. Doubtless we could not survive many of these blasts, we needed to proceed with extreme caution. I cast my armor spell, glad I had newly learned it, though unsure it would provide too much protection against such a weapon. But it was certainly better than nothing.

We eventually made it within range of our own weapons to begin fighting back, at which time our foe abandoned the great gun in favor of a crossbow he could more quickly reload. This made the battle less daunting; though clearly still a formidable opponent it was one against three. Even more if you include Levi's animals. With the weaponry more even we just needed to engage in our usual strategic way, and after some exchanges we defeated him. We brought the gun to Dawn Fortress for examination so the Embers can see what kind of armaments are out there. If such devices become more commonplace with time, the entire order of the world will be altered.
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Post by Woody »

An excerpt from the journal of Leviticus Rutter:
I learned some valuable lessons about my new gear and skills recently.

A member of a recently disbanded gang had managed to evade arrest, and a price had been put on his head. I came across his trail, and began tracking him. It was tough work, but I finally found him in a cave near the bottom of a canyon.

I then discovered that this was no mere man. He was in fact a shapeshifter, of feline form, easily four hundred pounds, and with wicked claws.

I considered using my heavy blade, but opted for the smaller sword, that I might be able to use my new thorn shield simultaneously. I called in Numbers from the Shadowpath to aid me in the fight.

Unfortunately, it was not a simple thing. The creature's claws were much more vicious than I had previously expected, and he dealt me many painful blows. Numbers was badly wounded, so I ordered him back to the Shadowpath. Despite my injuries, I did manage to overpower the creature, in large part due to the shield. I must remember to thank Gareth for loaning it to me.

I considered how I might bring the beast back with me alive, but found no reasonable option, and thus dispatched it. I then considered how I might bring it back dead. It took me quite some time to realize that I could simply bring back the head.

In hindsight, I realize that Numbers is not strong enough for this intense of a battle. Perhaps if I purchased another animal, he could fight with less risk of being targeted.

My own fighting setup is quite ideal. My defense is very useful, and my skills in swordsmanship have improved significantly. The thorn shield allows me to get in an occasional attack even whilst I am being attacked. This is quite useful for battles like these.
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Post by bookworm »

Caravan Sniper
Escorting a caravan takes a harrowing turn after an attack by a foe with a troubling weapon.
17:54 Woody is now known as Leviticus
17:54 Tikvah is now known as Olwen
17:54 <Leviticus>: <Skid> You have a fluffy dog the size of a pony that you insist is a poodle.
17:54 <Leviticus>: I love this quote xD
18:03 <Leviticus>: I only have an hour tonight...
18:04 <bookworm>: Something came up for me too
18:04 <Skid>: You're both short on time?
18:04 <Olwen>: If no-one has time tonight that's OK.
18:05 <bookworm>: Are you sure?
18:05 <Skid>: Well, you guys are 2/3rds the team.
18:08 <Skid>: Okay, we'll put it off.
18:08 <bookworm>: Thank you
18:08 bookworm quit
18:10 <Skid>: I have an idea for a short encounter that would work with any number of people, actually.
18:10 <Skid>: You two want to do that tonight instead?
18:20 <Leviticus>: Sure
18:21 <Olwen>: I guess I could.
18:21 <Leviticus>: =D
18:21 <Skid>: All righty.
18:21 <Skid>: You're in the open duned desert, escorting a wealthy trading caravan under a blazing sun.
18:22 <Skid>: Make perception checks.
18:22 <Leviticus>: Both of us?
18:22 <Skid>: Yes.
18:22 <Olwen>: !roll d20 specialized
18:22 <Dicebot>: Olwen, specialized: 2
18:22 <Olwen>: Hmmph
18:22 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
18:22 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 9
18:23 <Skid>: Yeah, you don't notice anything until one of the middle camels suddenly cries out and collapses.
18:23 <Olwen>: "Levi, you're the animal person right?"
18:24 <Skid>: A moment later a "ka-thoom" rumbles over the caravan.
18:24 bookworm joined #Gowers
18:24 <Olwen>: How many wagons are there?
18:24 <Skid>: No wagons, but about 20 camels.
18:25 <Olwen>: Got it.
18:25 <bookworm>: What is this?
18:25 <Skid>: We're playing a short stand-alone mission.
18:25 bookworm is now known as Gareth
18:25 <Leviticus>: I examine the fallen camel
18:25 <Skid>: You immediately notice that the camel is bleeding profusely from a small hole in its chest.
18:26 <Olwen>: O_O
18:27 <Leviticus>: Guns D=
18:27 <Skid>: "What do we do?" shouts one of the caravaneers.
18:27 <Leviticus>: "Stay close to the ground!" I yell
18:28 <Leviticus>: I attempt to stop the bleeding
18:28 <Skid>: The caravaneers start pulling their camels to their knees and crounching next to them.
18:28 <Skid>: Roll a first aid check. (intellect)
18:29 <Skid>: And Olwen, roll another perception check.
18:29 <Skid>: Gareth too.
18:29 <Skid>: Since you're not busy.
18:29 <Olwen>: !roll d20 specialized
18:29 <Dicebot>: Olwen, specialized: 12
18:29 <Gareth>: !roll d20 trained effort
18:29 <Dicebot>: Gareth, trained effort: 3
18:30 <Skid>: You see a glint on a dune about quarter mile in front of the caravan.
18:30 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
18:30 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 1
18:30 <Skid>: The camel is mortally wounded. There's nothing you can do.
18:30 <Olwen>: Does anyone have a telescope?
18:31 <Skid>: A plume of sand is kicked up next to one of the caravaneers.
18:31 <Skid>: Then the echoing "ka-thoom" echoes past.
18:31 <Olwen>: I go and look in the sand
18:32 <Skid>: There's a sizable trench dug pointing away from the distant glint.
18:32 <Olwen>: Can I find the missile that was fired at the caravaneers?
18:33 <Skid>: Do you want to take time searching for it?
18:33 <Olwen>: I glance around.
18:33 <Skid>: It's under the sand somewhere.
18:35 <Olwen>: OK
18:36 <Skid>: A third shot rings out, and another camel takes a hit. The one the caravan leader was sheltering behind. It panics and tries to bolt.
18:37 <Skid>: It seems to be about 30 seconds between shots.
18:38 <Skid>: What do you guys do?
18:38 <Olwen>: Ahhh..
18:39 <Gareth>: Can we get to the shooter in 30 seconds?
18:39 <Skid>: It would require world-record running skills, but hypothetically.
18:39 <Olwen>: I run toward the hill but take cover before 30 seconds is up.
18:39 <Skid>: Roll a run check.
18:40 <Olwen>: !roll d20
18:40 <Dicebot>: Olwen: 2
18:40 <Gareth>: There's cover?
18:40 <Skid>: There are low dunes. You can break line-of sight.
18:40 <Gareth>: I do the same then.
18:40 <Olwen>: Well I fail.
18:40 <Skid>: You cover about a third of the distance before throwing yourself down.
18:40 <Olwen>: OK.
18:40 <Skid>: 30 seconds comes. The shooter does not immediately fire.
18:40 <Olwen>: I stay down.
18:41 <Skid>: He waits you out for a few more seconds.
18:41 <Olwen>: Still not moving.
18:42 <Skid>: Then fires, raising a spray of sand from your dune.
18:42 <Olwen>: I jump to my feet, can I see anything?
18:43 <Skid>: Perception check?
18:43 <Olwen>: !roll d20 specialized
18:43 <Dicebot>: Olwen, specialized: 4
18:43 <Olwen>: Gaaahhh..
18:44 <Skid>: You see a humanoid figure kneeling over a device of some kind, working on it, in the distance.
18:44 <Olwen>: How far?
18:44 <Skid>: Still about 600 ft.
18:44 <Gareth>: Am I with her? I didn't do a run roll
18:45 <Gareth>: Ha, run roll
18:45 <Skid>: You're with her. Assuming you can't run slower.
18:45 <Gareth>: I might run faster :noway:
18:45 <Olwen>: How much time before the next shot?
18:45 <Leviticus>: I am with them?
18:45 <Skid>: You've got about 20 seconds.
18:45 <Skid>: If you want to be.
18:45 <Leviticus>: I run for those seconds and take cover
18:45 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
18:45 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 1
18:45 <Olwen>: I run some more, then take cover.
18:45 <Olwen>: !roll d20
18:45 <Dicebot>: Olwen: 11
18:45 <Olwen>: :D
18:46 <Skid>: Levi, you fall behind, failing to take cover before they finish reloading.
18:46 <Skid>: Roll a dodge.
18:47 <Gareth>: Do I need my own rolls to follow?
18:47 <Skid>: yes.
18:47 <Skid>: Olwen, you make good time, and take cover within bow-range just as the figure raises their enormous rifle.
18:47 <Gareth>: I attempt to stick with Olwen
18:47 <Gareth>: !roll d20
18:47 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 16
18:47 <Skid>: You stick with her.
18:47 <Olwen>: I stay down as they fire.
18:48 <Gareth>: Levi is dodging?
18:48 <Leviticus>: !roll d20 trained
18:48 <Dicebot>: Leviticus, trained: 8
18:49 <Skid>: You get hit by a heavy rifle round, taking 12 might damage. You are knocked off your feet.
18:49 <Gareth>: ()_()
18:49 <Olwen>: O_O
18:49 <Gareth>: I give up.
18:49 <Skid>: Olwen, your turn. You are 150 feet from the shooter.
18:49 <Skid>: Okay, turn order: Olwen, Gareth, Leviticus, shooter.
18:49 <Olwen>: I jump up and fire toward the man.
18:50 <Skid>: All right, roll for it.
18:50 <Leviticus>: I use my in-combat heal
18:50 <Olwen>: !roll d20 specialized 1 effort
18:50 <Dicebot>: Olwen, specialized 1 effort: 5
18:50 <Olwen>: D:
18:50 <Leviticus>: !roll 1d6+1
18:50 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 5:4+1
18:50 <Leviticus>: Out of turn, oops
18:51 <Skid>: You fire an arrow narrowly past the rifleman's head.
18:51 <Skid>: Gareth?
18:51 <Leviticus>: Delay that heal
18:51 <Skid>: Okay, you can keep that result though.
18:51 <Leviticus>: =D
18:51 <Olwen>: I guess that means I can't take cover?
18:51 <Skid>: You're in partial cover.
18:52 <Olwen>: OK
18:52 <Skid>: But they can't fire the rifle again for several turns.
18:52 <Olwen>: Ooh, good.
18:52 <Leviticus>: I'm guessing I have Numbers and Pony-Poodle shadowmarked?
18:52 <Skid>: Yes.
18:52 <Leviticus>: Do I take those points off then?
18:52 <Skid>: No. Just you were shot.
18:53 <Leviticus>: I mean for Shadowmarking
18:53 <Skid>: Oh, the intellect points? Yes.
18:53 <Leviticus>: Okay. Still getting used to this ability
18:53 <Gareth>: Casting a spell takes a turn?
18:53 <Skid>: It does.
18:53 <Gareth>: Hmm, how far out am I?
18:53 <Skid>: You're 150 feet out.
18:54 <Gareth>: How much free movement do we get?
18:55 <Skid>: 10 feet by default. Not exactly range-closing.
18:55 <Gareth>: So I'm three turns from being able to attack whatever I do?
18:55 <Gareth>: Two to close then finally shoot
18:55 <Skid>: Unless you make a good run check.
18:56 <Gareth>: Then I guess I stay here and cast Aetherial Armor at level 2
18:56 <Skid>: All right. You armor up and take cover.
18:56 <Skid>: Levi, you heal.
18:57 <Skid>: The rifleman drops the rifle and draws a medium crossbow, firing at Olwen.
18:57 <Skid>: roll a dodge, asset from cover.
18:57 <Olwen>: !roll d20 trained 1 effort
18:57 <Dicebot>: Olwen, trained 1 effort: 15
18:57 <Skid>: His bolt sails harmlessly overhead.
18:57 <Skid>: Your turn.
18:58 <Olwen>: How much time do I have?
18:58 <Olwen>: Befoe he fires?
18:58 <Skid>: You get a regular turn.
18:59 <Skid>: He's not holding the rifle or trying to reload it.
18:59 <Olwen>: I run forward a bit and take cover.
18:59 <Olwen>: !roll d20 effort
18:59 <Dicebot>: Olwen, effort: 8
18:59 <Olwen>: These efforts are speed right? so I get one free?
18:59 <Skid>: Okay, you close another 40 feet. You're 110 feet out.
18:59 <Skid>: Yes.
19:01 <Skid>: Levi: if you have to go, tell your poodle to sneak around and then we'll let you know how he did. =p
19:01 <Skid>: Gareth?
19:01 <Gareth>: I advance.
19:01 <Skid>: Okay, roll a run.
19:02 <Gareth>: !roll d20
19:02 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 16
19:02 <Skid>: You close to 100 feet and take partial cover.
19:02 <Gareth>: Excellent
19:02 <Skid>: Levi?
19:02 <Leviticus>: Ooooh, can I command my animals to move forward, protected by being on the Shadowpaths?
19:03 <Skid>: That'll be an animal handling roll to try it.
19:03 <Leviticus>: Any chance of it going horribly wrong? =P
19:03 <Skid>: Only on a crit fail, and not that horribly wrong.
19:04 <Leviticus>: He's still not holding the rifle, right?
19:04 <Skid>: Right.
19:04 <Leviticus>: And they can move farther than I would with a run check?
19:04 <Skid>: Yes.
19:04 <Leviticus>: Because otherwise, I might as well just run for it...
19:04 <Leviticus>: Okay
19:04 <Leviticus>: I attempt it
19:04 <Leviticus>: !roll d20
19:04 <Dicebot>: Leviticus: 8
19:04 <Skid>: What command do you give, exactly?
19:05 <Leviticus>: Move forward, not leaving the Shadowpaths, so the rifleman can't see them.
19:06 <Skid>: Well, you get part of the message across. A black, furry shape breaks cover a couple hundred feet to your left, and charges towards the rifleman.
19:06 <Skid>: It'll reach him in a couple turns.
19:06 <Leviticus>: Or that =P
19:07 <Skid>: The shooter fires another bolt at Olwen.
19:07 <Skid>: Dodge.
19:07 <Olwen>: !roll d20 trained effort
19:07 <Dicebot>: Olwen, trained effort: 11
19:07 <Olwen>: o.o
19:08 <Skid>: You actually just make it, the bolt passing through a fold in your cloak.
19:08 <Leviticus>: g2g
19:08 <Leviticus>: Don't kill my poodle
19:08 <Skid>: I'll try not to.
19:08 <Skid>: Gareth?
19:08 <Skid>: Wait, no Olwen.
19:08 <Skid>: What's you do?
19:08 <Leviticus>: And don't bring Numbers into battle unless it's going well, he's not the strongest
19:09 <Leviticus>: I assume the animals still get my Beastmaster bonus?
19:09 <Olwen>: I run forward and take cover.
19:09 <Skid>: Yes.
19:09 <Skid>: Got it.
19:09 <Olwen>: !roll d20 effort
19:09 <Dicebot>: Olwen, effort: 8
19:10 <Skid>: You're about 70 feet away now.
19:10 <Olwen>: What's with the 8? I got that last time. :P
19:10 <Leviticus>: Also, if I reach the gunman, use my first turn to set up braced defense, and subsequent turns for Medium Sword attacks
19:10 <Skid>: And get partial cover.
19:10 <Skid>: Got it. =p
19:11 <Skid>: Gareth?
19:11 <Gareth>: I'm at 50 feet?
19:12 <Skid>: 100 ft.
19:12 <Gareth>: I thought I was at 150 and moved 100
19:12 <Gareth>: But either way I'm in range now
19:13 <Skid>: You moved up to 100 away, but yes, you are.
19:13 <Gareth>: Ah to 100 I see
19:13 <Leviticus>: Also, I my NPC self sends badly wounded animals back to the Shadowpaths
19:13 <Leviticus>: ;)
19:14 <Gareth>: I shoot
19:14 <Skid>: Roll for it.
19:14 <Gareth>: !roll d20 specialized
19:14 <Dicebot>: Gareth, specialized: 13
19:15 <Skid>: You hit him. He is shocked.
19:15 <Gareth>: With the +1 gloves
19:15 <Skid>: Noted.
19:16 <Skid>: Levi's "poodle" closes the gap, and is almost on top of the shooter.
19:18 <Skid>: And the shooter picks up the rifle and slings it over his shoulder, simultaneously prodding the horse he had concealed behind the dune to its feet.
19:18 <Skid>: Olwen.
19:18 <Olwen>: I shoot.
19:18 <Skid>: At the guy?
19:18 <Skid>: Roll for it.
19:18 <Olwen>: Yes.
19:19 <Olwen>: !roll d20 specialized effort to accuracy
19:19 <Dicebot>: Olwen, specialized effort to accuracy: 12
19:19 <Skid>: You put an arrow right in his chest.
19:19 <Skid>: Gareth?
19:20 <Olwen>: How much damage does he take?
19:20 <Skid>: An arrow's worth.
19:20 <Skid>: You're using your masterwork right?
19:20 <Olwen>: Yes.
19:21 <Skid>: He's already in rough shape.
19:21 <Gareth>: I shoot at him again
19:22 <Skid>: Fire away.
19:22 <Gareth>: !roll d20 specialized
19:22 <Dicebot>: Gareth, specialized: 5
19:22 <Gareth>: I meant to say effort also, to hit
19:23 <Gareth>: Since that's free now
19:23 <Skid>: As he cringes from the arrow hit, your plasma bolt sails past him, and hits his horse.
19:23 <Gareth>: Does it throw him?
19:23 <Skid>: He's not on it yet.
19:24 <Gareth>: Ooh
19:24 <Skid>: In an instant the Poodle is on them, and rips the horse's throat out.
19:24 <Skid>: The shooter kicks the poodle viciously.
19:25 <Skid>: Olwen's turn.
19:25 <Olwen>: I run towards him.
19:25 <Olwen>: !roll d20 effort
19:25 <Dicebot>: Olwen, effort: 7
19:25 <Skid>: You're 25 feet away now.
19:25 <Gareth>: Are we supposed to capture this guy or just get him? I missed the setup
19:26 <Skid>: You were guarding a caravan when this guy started sniping camels.
19:26 <Gareth>: Got it
19:26 <Olwen>: What's happening with the caravan?
19:26 <Skid>: Perception check?
19:27 <Olwen>: !roll d20 specialized
19:27 <Dicebot>: Olwen, specialized: 4
19:27 <Olwen>: GAAAHHH.
19:27 <Skid>: They're roughly where they were before, and are still taking cover.
19:27 <Olwen>: Good.
19:29 <Skid>: Gareth's turn?
19:30 <Gareth>: I shoot again
19:30 <Gareth>: !roll d20 specialized, effort to hit
19:30 <Dicebot>: Gareth, specialized, effort to hit: 17
19:31 <Skid>: You hit him. He collapses behind the dune.
19:32 <Olwen>: My turn?
19:32 <Skid>: The poodle makes people eating noises behind the dune.
19:32 <Skid>: Yes, it's your turn.
19:32 <Gareth>: Grab the horse!
19:32 <Skid>: It's dead.
19:32 <Gareth>: Oh yeah
19:32 <Gareth>: Darn
19:32 <Olwen>: I close in on the dune.
19:33 <Skid>: And combat is over now.
19:33 <Gareth>: I go up too.
19:33 <Skid>: You guys just iced your first true level 6 enemy.
19:33 <Olwen>: Yay!
19:33 <Olwen>: I go look at the rifle.
19:34 <Skid>: Prototype Rifle (12 damage, heavy, 1000 ft range, 5 turn reload) (10 Royals) - This gun is the pinnacle of weapon technology in the Widow's Sea. It is massive, unwieldy, has a complicated manual reloading process, and is the complete antithesis of a stealth weapon.
19:34 <Olwen>: I pick it up.
19:34 <Skid>: You've got yourself a gigantic rifle.
19:35 <Olwen>: Should we sell and split the money?
19:35 <Gareth>: Probably
19:35 <Olwen>: What now?
19:36 <Gareth>: We should see if the Embers want to check it out, guns are rare items aren't they?
19:36 <Gareth>: Or are they just uncommon?
19:36 <Gareth>: Not necessarily the same thing
19:36 <Skid>: Well, if you loot the shooter's body, you find another 30 nobles in change, and a contract for the caravan leader's life.
19:36 <Skid>: Guns are rare. This one is extremely unusual.
19:37 <Gareth>: Should probably let the archivist check it out first then
19:37 <Olwen>: Ok, whatever.
19:38 <Skid>: He'll probably trade you something roughly it's value.
19:38 <Olwen>: So, anything else?
19:40 <Skid>: No, that's about it for the mission. 20 nobles as combat pay all around. 2 XP each.
19:40 <Gareth>: 10 more each from the loot, splitting it even
19:40 <Skid>: Yes.
19:40 <Olwen>: Ok, I'm out then. Will you list that in the thread?
19:41 <Skid>: Yes.
19:41 <Gareth>: Who was the contract placed by?
19:41 Olwen quit
19:41 <Skid>: Rival trader.
19:41 <Skid>: Arrests will be made.
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Woody
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Post by Woody »

An excerpt from the journal of Leviticus Rutter:
Today was a painful day.

It was just another routine mission, guarding a trading caravan. But little did we know that this caravan had been marked for a most unusual attack. As we proceeded along the highway, one of the camels suddenly fell over, badly wounded. We heard an accompanying explosion as well. It seemed that our adversary had a very rare class of weapon: a firearm. Finding the camel was dead, we resolved to find the source of the sound... At the next explosion, we set off in the general direction of the sound, taking advantage of the delay between shots.

Unfortunately, I found myself the victim of the next shot. I was badly wounded, and thus unable to proceed with the others. I sent my newly acquired poodle to sneak up on the gunman. However, it seems he missed the 'sneaking' part, and simply charged at the gunman, who had by then switched to a crossbow. It made no difference in the end. The gunman was apparently intimidated by our attacks and the poodle's charge, and attempted to flee on horseback. Fortunately, my poodle arrived just in time to attack and kill both horse and rider.

We found the gunman was an assassin, hired to murder the leader of our caravan by a rival. We alerted the authorities to put this rival in custody, and after our mission was complete, took the weapon to Dawn Fortress, where it could be examined by the Embers.

This attack worries me for the future. If a common assassin has these kinds of weapons, I shudder to think what monstrosities more sophisticated crime organizations have got their hands on...
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Skid
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Post by Skid »

So, last week we ran Bookworm's solo mission since nobody else showed. He apprehended a drunken fire mage after a brief rampage and hay ride. He earned 3 XP and pyromancer's robes.

Fireproofed Robes (1 weight, 1 armor + 4 armor vs fire) (3 Royals) - These densely-woven garments are a must-have for any serious pyromancer.
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bookworm
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Post by bookworm »

Side Mission, Gareth: Keeping the Peace
18:07 <Skid_GMing>: You're spending the night in Obsid, preparing to escort a trademen's caravan toward the capital. You've arrived early, and have a few hours of the evening to burn before turning in for the night.
18:08 <Skid_GMing>: You notice a party of travellers arriving at The Broken Bottle Inn, mages from the capital.
18:09 <Skid_GMing>: How would you choose to spend your evening?
18:10 <Gareth>: At the inn?
18:12 <Skid_GMing>: All right. Doing anything in particular? The bar is open, the marchants you're due to escort are playing cards in the corner, and the mages are drinking and laughing near one of the windows.
18:13 <Gareth>: I was just going to ask if anyone had a card game going. I go ask to join.
18:15 <Skid_GMing>: All right. You get dealt in. They're playing a game fairly similar to poker, for petty sums of cash.
18:16 <Gareth>: Perfect
18:16 <Skid_GMing>: Roll an intellect check for playing cards.
18:16 <Gareth>: !roll d20 effort
18:16 <Dicebot>: Gareth, effort: 19
18:17 <Gareth>: Woot
18:17 <Skid_GMing>: You clean up, taking in 15 nobles. The other players are good-naturedly disgusted with you.
18:17 <Skid_GMing>: Roll a notice check.
18:18 <Gareth>: Is that different than perception?
18:18 <Skid_GMing>: No, it isn't.
18:18 <Skid_GMing>: Sorry, I've been GMing Fantasycraft and they use different words.
18:18 <Gareth>: Ah
18:19 <Gareth>: Well it could have been a focus like read person, so just had to make sure
18:19 <Gareth>: !roll d20 trained effort
18:19 <Dicebot>: Gareth, trained effort: 13
18:20 <Skid_GMing>: The mages at the other table are good and drunk now, and making passes at the barmaids. Suddenly, one of them, a bald man with ashen robes, shoves his companion to the floor and blurts "I shaw her firsht!"
18:21 <Skid_GMing>: Your badge flares with orange magical energy.
18:21 <Skid_GMing>: His hand bursts into flame. Roll initative.
18:22 <Gareth>: He's fighting me? I don't even know him
18:22 <Gareth>: ;)
18:22 <Gareth>: !roll d20
18:22 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 10
18:23 <Skid_GMing>: Well, he's fighting his companion, and as the local law and order, it's kinda your job to keep the bar from being burnt to the ground.
18:24 <Gareth>: I know
18:24 <Skid_GMing>: Well, given that your notice was good and he's drunk... you go first.
18:24 <Gareth>: Can I like grab his wrist? Stop his hand without getting burned?
18:25 <Skid_GMing>: You're about 20 feet away from him, in a back corner of the bar. He's standing by an upturned table in front of an open window.
18:25 <Gareth>: Hmm
18:27 <Gareth>: Oh!
18:27 <Gareth>: I try Chaos Burst.
18:27 <Skid_GMing>: Roll for it.
18:28 <Gareth>: !roll d20
18:28 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 16
18:28 <Skid_GMing>: !roll d20
18:28 <Dicebot>: Skid_GMing: 7
18:28 <Skid_GMing>: Ah, crud.
18:29 <Gareth>: Mm?
18:30 <Skid_GMing>: You hit him and he recoils under the influence of chaos magic, throwing fire randomly. He narrowly misses his companion.
18:30 <Gareth>: Oops
18:31 <Gareth>: I don't really have an incapacitating ability.
18:31 <Skid_GMing>: Well, you could throw him out the window, or forcewall between him and his companion.
18:32 <Gareth>: I thought that was too drastic.
18:32 <Skid_GMing>: His focus turns from his companions to you, and he flings a fireball at you. Roll a dodge.
18:33 <Gareth>: !roll d20 specialized
18:33 <Dicebot>: Gareth, specialized: 17
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: Oh, you don't even feel warm. The fireball splashes against the mud wall behind you, sending your fellow players scurrying for cover.
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: The barmaids run screaming for the exits.
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: And the bartender bellows with outrage.
18:34 <Skid_GMing>: Your turn.
18:35 <Gareth>: "I'm Ember Patrol, stand down please."
18:35 <Skid_GMing>: I suppose there was also the option to throw your authority around...
18:37 <Skid_GMing>: Roll an... intimidate check.
18:37 <Gareth>: Yeah I wanted to lead with that, but was worried if he didn't listen he'd get the attack off so thought I better interrupt that first.
18:37 <Skid_GMing>: Not bad reasoning.
18:37 <Gareth>: Does persuasion apply?
18:37 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
18:38 <Skid_GMing>: In this case, anyway.
18:38 <Gareth>: !roll d20 trained effort
18:38 <Dicebot>: Gareth, trained effort: 13
18:39 <Skid_GMing>: He insults your profession, your mother, and your clothes, then dives out the window.
18:39 <Gareth>: I sigh.
18:40 <Skid_GMing>: It's your turn again too.
18:40 <Gareth>: Should I follow him?
18:41 <Skid_GMing>: The bartender would very much like it if you would.
18:41 <Gareth>: Very well
18:41 <Skid_GMing>: And yeah, people are screaming outside.
18:41 <Gareth>: I do then.
18:43 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, you make it outside to find the roaring drunken rampage has made it to stables, where the mage sits atop a haycart and is throwing fireballs into the air. "YA WANT SHOME OF THISH?" He shouts.
18:44 <Gareth>: So he's enclosed? Besides the side I approach from?
18:45 <Skid_GMing>: Sort of. The cart is unfortunately hitched to a pair of horses, who are looking skittish.
18:46 <Gareth>: I Force Push him off?
18:47 <Skid_GMing>: Roll for it.
18:47 <Gareth>: It seems like the obvious move, so it's probably going to be a mistake
18:47 <Gareth>: !roll d20
18:47 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 3
18:48 <Skid_GMing>: He manages to resist, but stumbles backwards, falling into the cart and setting the load ablaze. The horses bolt straight for you.
18:49 <Gareth>: Can I put up a wall in time?
18:49 <Skid_GMing>: You have a couple turns before they get up to speed.
18:50 <Gareth>: If they crash into it will it hurt them terribly?
18:50 <Skid_GMing>: No.
18:50 <Gareth>: Oh good
18:51 <Skid_GMing>: Actually, make a roll when you cast it, so I know exactly what it does.
18:51 <Gareth>: Oh, actually, I think I want to put it flattish so they run onto it.
18:52 <Skid_GMing>: So... a ramp? Or just a slippery floor?
18:53 <Gareth>: Like a ramp, but only a slight angle. More to slow/stop their footing, yes
18:53 <Skid_GMing>: Ah. Okay.
18:54 <Skid_GMing>: Roll for it.
18:55 <Gareth>: The description doesn't have a roll, what is it determining?
18:55 <Gareth>: !roll d20
18:55 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 15
18:56 <Skid_GMing>: Timing and placement to intercept the horses.
18:56 <Gareth>: Ah yes
18:57 <Skid_GMing>: They stumble as they step onto the force platform, and one falls to its knees. The cart comes to a halt, temporarliy.
18:58 <Gareth>: Can I pull him out?
18:58 <Skid_GMing>: You can scramble up there to try. You can't see him from this angle.
18:59 <Skid_GMing>: He's still lying in the flaming hay.
18:59 <Gareth>: Yeah
18:59 <Gareth>: I guess I climb up then.
19:00 <Skid_GMing>: All right, you scramble up the side of the cart and look down on the drunken pyromancer, whose robes seem to protect him from the fire. He throws another fireball at your face.
19:00 <Skid_GMing>: Dodge.
19:01 <Gareth>: !roll d20 specialized
19:01 <Dicebot>: Gareth, specialized: 19
19:01 <Skid_GMing>: You're more than a match for the inebriated mage.
19:02 <Gareth>: Is he taking an intoxication penalty?
19:02 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:02 <Gareth>: Oh, ha. Yeah I'm pretty good then :p
19:03 <Skid_GMing>: And it's your turn, as the horses regain their feet and the cart lurches over the force wall.
19:04 <Gareth>: Okay, tell me if this is a stupid idea, but what comes to mind is to just push everything out of the cart. Since I'm standing at the front I thought I could just blast everything out the back.
19:04 <Skid_GMing>: That's worth a shot.
19:05 <Skid_GMing>: Wait, let me check the rules for it.
19:05 <Gareth>: But I don't want the scattered hay to ignite a house or something.
19:05 <Gareth>: What are our surroundings like?
19:05 <Skid_GMing>: You're out in the middle of the street, amid a fleeing crowd of onlookers.
19:06 <Gareth>: Mm, probably not wise then...
19:06 <Skid_GMing>: Well, you could definitely throw him out of the cart.
19:07 <Gareth>: Yeah, I'll specifically target him then.
19:08 <Gareth>: !roll d20
19:08 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 6
19:09 <Skid_GMing>: Clinging to the side of a flaming cart you can't seem to get a grip on the guy.
19:09 <Gareth>: Oh I was pushing
19:09 <Skid_GMing>: Yeah.
19:09 <Gareth>: Still a miss though I'm sure
19:10 <Gareth>: I didn't even think of actually just lunging at the guy :p
19:10 <Skid_GMing>: Well, he's literally on fire.
19:10 <Gareth>: True
19:10 <Skid_GMing>: So I wouldn't recommend it.
19:10 <Skid_GMing>: Being the king of variety, the bald man slurs at you and throws another fireball at your face.
19:10 <Gareth>: !roll d20
19:10 <Gareth>: Specialized
19:10 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 18
19:10 <Skid_GMing>: Today is not his day.
19:11 <Skid_GMing>: Your turn.
19:11 <Gareth>: I suppose I try to push him out again.
19:11 <Skid_GMing>: Roll for it.
19:11 <Gareth>: !roll d20
19:11 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 3
19:11 <Gareth>: We both have all night I guess.
19:11 <Skid_GMing>: Yup. Duck another fireball.
19:12 <Skid_GMing>: You're about halfway out of town at this point.
19:12 <Gareth>: !roll d20 specialized
19:12 <Dicebot>: Gareth, specialized: 12
19:12 <Skid_GMing>: This one comes close enough to singe you, but does no lasting damage.
19:12 <Gareth>: "Look, this is going nowhere sir!"
19:13 <Skid_GMing>: "YOU ANSH MAN ENOUSH TO TAKE ME"
19:14 <Gareth>: I grumble and push again.
19:14 <Skid_GMing>: Roll.
19:14 <Gareth>: !roll d20
19:14 <Dicebot>: Gareth: 9
19:14 <Gareth>: Lol
19:16 <Skid_GMing>: GM intervention: The wagon collapses as it runs over a rock, throwing you into the fire on top of the pyromancer. Take 3 fire damage. Your turn.
19:16 <Skid_GMing>: (you gain one bonus XP for me being mean to you)
19:16 <Gareth>: Minus armor?
19:16 <Skid_GMing>: Minus armor.
19:17 <Gareth>: You said the free one could be automatic.
19:17 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:17 <Gareth>: Cool
19:18 <Gareth>: Have we stopped moving then?
19:18 <Skid_GMing>: You're moving, but much more slowly. The wagon is missing three wheels.
19:18 <Gareth>: Ah okay
19:18 <Skid_GMing>: (out of a possible four)
19:19 <Gareth>: I jump back and resume pushing.
19:19 <Gareth>: :p
19:20 <Skid_GMing>: To get out of the fire at this point means leaving the wagon entirely.
19:21 <Gareth>: If we're slowed, can I get out and pull him out now?
19:21 <Skid_GMing>: By hand? That would be a grapple check. Might based.
19:22 <Gareth>: How else could I do it?
19:22 <Skid_GMing>: Well, you could use a force wall to scrape everything out of the wagon.
19:23 <Gareth>: ...because it will hang in space, not adhere to the floor? *lightbulb*
19:23 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:23 <Skid_GMing>: It's immobile based on the world.
19:23 <Gareth>: Lol I definitely do that.
19:24 <Skid_GMing>: Okay, roll an acrobatics check to stay on your feet as the force wall smashes into the mage, hay, and yourself and sweeps you all out the back of the cart.
19:25 <Gareth>: Uh, speed?
19:25 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:26 <Gareth>: !roll d20 effort
19:26 <Dicebot>: Gareth, effort: 17
19:26 <Skid_GMing>: You leap from the flaming wreckage in slow motion, carnage tumbling behind you.
19:27 <Skid_GMing>: The mage lies in flaming hay, scuffed and much worse for wear.
19:28 <Skid_GMing>: Have a go.
19:28 <Gareth>: I detain him in my net.
19:29 <Gareth>: Can I just use it manually without flinging it? :p
19:29 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:29 <Skid_GMing>: You net him. He struggles feebly, before giving up.
19:30 <Skid_GMing>: You're just beyond the edge of town, and can hear townspeople catching up. You've got a few turns before they arrive. Anything you want to do?
19:32 <Gareth>: I say that since no major damage was done, assuming the horses are recovered, we might be able to let the matter pass as poor judgment if he donates those spiffy fireproof robes.
19:32 <Gareth>: \:D/
19:32 <Skid_GMing>: Well, long story short, that deal works out.
19:32 <Skid_GMing>: Fireproofed Robes (1 weight, 1 armor + 4 armor vs fire) (3 Royals) - These densely-woven garments are a must-have for any serious pyromancer.
19:33 <Gareth>: Awesome!
19:33 <Gareth>: Oh they have weight
19:33 <Gareth>: Well still cool
19:34 <Skid_GMing>: Yeah, it's a penalty to speed actions while wearing them, until you pick up armor training.
19:35 <Skid_GMing>: Not that you've been having any trouble with speed actions.
19:35 <Gareth>: Ha, true enough
19:36 <Skid_GMing>: 2 XP for the session, plus 1 for GM intrusion.
19:37 <Gareth>: Do I actually get the money I won at cards?
19:38 <Skid_GMing>: Yes.
19:38 <Gareth>: Nice
19:38 <Gareth>: And would I lose real money if I played poorly? :p
19:38 <Skid_GMing>: Potentially, yes.
19:40 <Gareth>: This was fun! Thanks Skid :)
19:41 <Skid_GMing>: Glad you enjoyed it.
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Skid
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Post by Skid »

And to catch up on journaling Xp, 2 XP each to bookworm and Woody.

This mission to recover the dragon's egg begins with a descent to a cavernous city, where a gigantic predator of the darkness was defeated by our heroes in a spectacular fashion. To Woody, Bookworm, and Tikvah, 2 XP each was awarded for mission participation, 1 XP for GM intrusion, and 1 XP to give away.

Additionally they recovered a significant piece of loot: Bone Blade (3 damage, light, pierce armor, 1 day recharge, 4 int recharge) (6 Royals) A runed short sword, carved from bone and slightly gnawed by a large predator. When activated it slices through unliving material like butter. Extremely weak magical signature.
Last edited by Skid on Tue Aug 18, 2015 11:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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