One Question To Rule Them All… [8.2.08]

Session Date: 8.2.08
Game Date: 385 TME (to The Modern Era) Spring
Present Players: Mickey (Verena), Koby (Tristan), Effim (Diadora), Alex (Felix)
Day 31 in the Maze.
Start Time: ~16:00
NPCs Met: None [Felix made some new friends (or so he thinks), but he hasn't seen them. He only knows that one of them has a high, cold and grating voice and seems to prefer to talk Infernal (even though he did speak common to his accomplice/colleague)]

Rooms Explored\Things Done: It seems as though not much was accomplished in this session, but let’s focus what was:

• Tristan died a horrible death (coup de graced and then eaten by the Ragebriar).
• Verena was shaken and then stunned by the sight while Diadora entered her own kind of rage, summoning a fire elemental and then a tyrannosaurus to fight for her, turning plants (that actually did a hefty amount of damage, laughs aside), and lashing out with spells. Verena joined her eventually, with an impressive Outiluke’s Freezing Sphere and Acid Orb, while the Ragebriar busied himself with finishing off Tristan and then putting a dent into Diadora’s tyrannosaurus. Eventually he fell, though, and the longest and hardest battle you’ve been through yet, ended.
• While you were busy looking at what was left of the beautiful garden that you destroyed, Felix was captured in a metal container (invisible), and teleported out of the room and into a forcecage (only after he was damaged so badly he nearly lost consciousness. Ain’t Quicken the best?). But Tymora’s blessing was upon him (i.e. natural 20) and he maintained a small glimmering of consciousness – enough to hear that the owner of the cruel, high voice was into taking his staff, Celandriel. He then lost consciousness and direct contact with Tymora (i.e. you can take contemplative now if you want), who allowed him to sacrifice a part of his essence to save his staff. Felix did, and by the time he woke up, he was back with his friends, painfully wounded, and yet with the staff (much, much more powerful now) in his hands.
• Meanwhile, Diadora collected Tristan‘s remains into a sack, poured cold water on Verena, who fainted once the Ragebriar died, picked her up and asked “where in the nine hells is Felix? We need some major healing here” and waved the bloody sack with Tristan‘s body parts before pale Verena‘s eyes (a lot of bloody sack waving was done that session. I hope that you aren’t always so mirthful when a party member dies horribly)
• The answer to that question was quickly supplied, as was Felix‘s much damaged person, by the cruel, high, infernal speaking voice that Felix so learned to love. Diadora and Verena were forced to agree to ask a question on his behalf in the question room, in exchange for Felix - which they did.
• Felix then healed himself, prayed to Tymora, in thanks, and seemed raptured with his staff, Celandriel, to the extent that he didn’t want to move on, but wanted to stay in the ruined hall for the night.
• Diadora insisted that you move on, and so you entered the following room, which contained another, smaller and wilder garden, with a lake, a statue of a knight, and a Scouring Stanchion. You decided you wanted to avoid the Stanchion, so you circumnavigated it and walked out of the room slowly but safely. The next room had an inscription on its door (Alex, you want to have Felix use up his reroll ability every day – don’t save it for too long). The inscription said “Cowards Will Meet Their End” (as Verena barely deciphered it), and you entered the room with some trepidation. Once you were inside the room, a strange blue light started to glow and grow to your right, and Diadora made a quick decision, running out of the room through the other door, and straight to her death – for a sphere of ultimate destruction was there, awaiting all cowards. Meanwhile, Verena asked Felix to ask Celandriel to cast detect magic, which he did, but by the time he had any answers, they were surrounded by the light – which allowed them to ask one question each. Your question, after much debate, was asked by Verena and was “How can I finish the test, and yet not cause the destruction of the world by complying to Acoor‘s demand?” The answer was relayed to Verena alone, as was the answer to Felix‘s question “How can I get to Karsepolis’s Ancient Library?”.
• When the light, and all the pleasantness that came with it faded, Verena and Felix discovered that Diadora‘s dead, Verena entered her “frenzied” state and attacked Felix, bringing him down to 0 hp, and then fainting herself. Felix recovered, healed himself, and extremely annoyed, tied up Verena, gaged her, and kicked her, to wake her up. He asked her why she attacked him without reason, she denied ever attacking him, and after a short argument, he went to sleep “so I can resurrect the others in the morning”, leaving Verena bound and gagged all night. He then resurrected Tristan and Diadora in the morning, and they explained Verena‘s condition to Felix, and untied her. Inter-party relations will probably be a bit tense after this. Yikes! But the role-playing this session was amazing. Hopefully, next time you’ll also accomplish more,room-wise.

Enemies fought: Ragebriar from last session.

Things found: Who is he guy with the disturbing voice? What does he want with the ancient library?

One liners/Character interaction: Diadora rocked this session:

“Two of my party members have deep relationships with sticks”

All the sack waving, “meat” flinging, etc.

Diadora, the great and wonderful druid helped tear down a beautiful garden.

Verena spent most of the session throwing up or fainting (or attacking Felix).

Verena to Felix: “Nothing bothers you with how this room looks like?” (in the room you trashed, with the smell of sulphur raising from the ground and Diadora holding the bleeding sack with Tristan’s remains)
Felix to Verena: “The sack is a little disturbing”

End Point: ~10:00. You’ve spent about twenty four hours in the maze inside the maze.

Trapfinding [house rule]

Since we don’t have a rogue in our group, and since it makes general sense, the Trapfinding ability is now a feat, with no prerequisites.

All those who decide to take this feat, now have a “Trapfinding Mode”, in which they move at half speed, they must stay at the front of the party, and it ends if they say so or if they want to do something that would keep them from trapfinding (thus, opening a lock would not (or at least only pause it), but entering combat, sneaking, or reading a book would).

On any given trap there are only a few outcomes:

1) The PC isn’t searching, but there is no trap.
2) The PC isn’t searching, and sets it off.
3) The PC is searching, and finds it.
4) The PC is searching, and does not find it, and sets it off.
5) The PC is searching, but there is no trap.

Players with the Trapfinding feat must clearly say that they wish to enter “Trapfinding Mode”.

And just to make sure that rogues still have an edge on traps:

Rogues receive the Trapfinding feat as a bonus feat at 1st level, and may search for traps while moving at normal speed.

D&D Journal: Going Up! [4.1.08]

New year, new session and new level for all of us (of course the DM levels up when the other players do! What did you think?)
This journal will be shorter than usual (at least I’ll try to make it short, We had a long session, with a lot of stuff going on in it), since (finally!) one of our magnificent players, Efim, has taken up the challenge and written a diary of the events as his character, Diadora, sees them. For these heroic efforts he will receive a place in posterity, and 300 XP. Don’t forget – you could get the bonus too – just write up a journal as your character sees it (forget about grammar and yes, it can be funny), and you’ll receive unending respect from me, and your character will feel much more experienced… (songs and original prayers to deities will also be rewarded, but please keep those serious – otherwise the bolt of DM might fall from above…)

Session Date: 4.1.08
Game Date: 385 TME (to The Modern Era) Spring
Day 29 in the Maze.
Time: ~14:00
NPCs Met: None.
Rooms Explored:

• You finished off the “Trolls” (it would be a good idea to name them amongst yourselves, for future reference. And also to remember their emblem – a blood colored hawk, spread-winged). One was turned into stone and left in the corridor. The other was transported by Verena (using dimension door twice) to the room with the dusty, sickening undead in it (going to clear it up some time?), and left there to rot. Diadora and Verena used a lot of spells (mostly Acid spells) in some very original ways there. Kudos!
• Next up you opened a door (in that same corridor) to a scene of carnage. Two male humans, a male elf, and a female dwarf lay in drying pools of their blood. While Tristan made sure the cost was clear, Felix examined the bodies. He discovered that they all died about 48 hours ago (hence the smell), from slashing and piercing weapons, and that they might once have been wearing armor, except for the elf, who remained dressed in a blue robe. Clearly they lost some battle and the victors stripped them of their valuables (all but a holy symbol of Shaundakul, god of travel, exploration, portals, miners and caravans).
• You sent Tristan to open up the next room in the corridor. The door looked pretty sturdy – made from thick-looking stone and all – and so Tristan braced his muscles to open it, pulling at its handle with all his might (the door seemingly stuck, and not locked). On his first pull, the handle pulled back harder into the door. Angry and amazed Tristan gave a few more tugs, until at last he pulled so hard you thought his eyes would pop out. Instead – the handle released itself and the floor disappeared beneath Tristan’s legs. Diadora, who was trying to help him (BTW – you could help him. You needed to make a DC 10 strength check to give him a +2 to his strength checks), leapt deftly aside, leaving Tristan to crash 75 ft. into 30 ft. of piranha infested stinking water (what can I say, I love the classics. And you’ve got to admit – it *was* funny…). Tristan sank beneath the water, in the midst of the piranha swarm, while Diadora peered at the swirling waters, worried from above (Verena stayed well away from the edge, once she saw how deep it was). Tristan finally pulled his head out of the water (who said taking swim isn’t important?), and continued to slash at the piranhas, consumed with rage. Once he finished them off, he looked around him, and finally up, in search for a new foe. Seeing Diadora he produced his trident and heaved it on her. It traveled 60 ft. up in the air, and then returned to Tristan, after its momentum was lost. Meanwhile, Diadora, Verena and Felix were trying to come up with a plan how to get Tristan out, without falling in themselves, and without getting hit by the raging Tristan. Finally, they constructed the first improvised magic elevator ever, using only a rope, two truly terrible Use Rope checks (I pitied you there – I really did. Having Tristan fall in again and start raging again was just too much to suffer) and Verena’s heirloom flying broom. Diadora peered once again with the broom in her hands at the raging, swimming Tristan, just in time to see him prepare another lunge at her… and then stop in mid throw, calling out pathetically instead: “Di! Di, I want to get out of here! Get me out of here, Di!” She duly pulled him out using the broom and rope combo, and then Felix healed him, while he rested.
• You decided to leave that room for now, and go to the next room, which had “In this room lies a great treasure – and death” carved on its stone door. You sent Tristan to open the door, to reveal a room with a stone pedestal on its other end, and on top of it, a chest. Felix used detect magic and Verena used Arcane Sight, and all they saw was faint abjuration on the chest (the chest itself was in-laid with lead, to prevent detection of its contents, you later learned, when you opened it). Felix dispelled the magic on the chest, and entered the room, only to have its sliding stone door crash shut. Felix rushed back to the door, bashing his hands on it and crying out, only to hear (and then see), the ceiling starting to come down, spikes starting to jut out of it, and nowhere to hide. Tristan in the meanwhile, tried opening the door, and once that failed, crushing it. Felix was racing all the spells he knew in his mind (BTW – you had one round to act in – why didn’t you teleport yourself out? You had the spell…), but couldn’t find one he could use. Panicking was inevitable, even more so when suddenly Felix starting to compulsively dance (whilst a mysterious voice laughed at him, coldly and cruelly), unable to do anything else, while Tristan was having a hell of a time with the door. The ceiling crushed Felix (whom Tymora did favour, else he would be dead by now – those were my low rolls for the evening – only one spike out of four, and below average damage for the ceiling), and just as it was beginning to raise itself, Tristan crashed through the door – to see a bleeding, bruised Felix, dancing and floating in the air (he cast fly before entering the room, so he wouldn’t touch the floor. Little did he guess that he’d be meeting it so intimately…). Felix cured himself whilst Diadora rushed into the room for the treasure chest, and Verena regrouped them at her side, before the trap could reset itself. (A lot of questions should arise in your minds about this encounter – especially about the laughing voice). The treasure included a nice sum of platinum, 20 assorted gems, a scroll made of feathery moldering papyrus, bound and folded and a quarterstaff inside a bag of holding (he turned out to be intelligent. I won’t dwell on it.)
• You then tried your luck with the riddle door, and gave up after half an hour, trying your luck at the opposite door, which had “”A wise man and a fool entered a room, and found himself alone” carved on it. It turned out to be a room with an extremely powerful polished-mithral mirror – one side with a rusty-red frame set with bloodstones, and the other side greyish-blue with moonstones on it. Tristan was the first to be brave enough to stand in front of the mirror, and he chose the blue side of it. He could choose a gift, and wsa randomly bestowed with a permanent curse. Felix then chose the red side, and could chose a curse, and received a random gift. Then Verena and Diadora stood in front of the mirror, both choosing gifts, and randomly receiving not that nasty curses (Tymora smiled on you that day).
• Finally, you arrived at a dark room, with dark shadows, and even darker creatures, which attacked Tristan and Felix. We left of here in mid battle, it being very late. We’ll continue next time.

Enemies fought: See above description.
Things found: The staff, the treasure, and who is the owner of the laughing voice? And what’s behind the bloody hawk?
One liners/Character interaction: Tristan’s elevator; “I’ve had it with these trolls!”, Tristan fighting a door (and loosing), Tristan swimming around in a stinking pool of dead piranha looking for something to kill; Felix dancing, floating and bleeding in the trapped room, Diadora fighting with “a stick”.
End Point: In mid-battle. See rooms explored.

D&D Journal #15

You disabled six and a half traps (the half was what was left of the Enervation trap).
The six were a Fire trap, a Fireball trap, a Water Filled Room trap, a Lightning Bolt trap, a Falling Block trap and a Spiked Pit trap.
Loran, Seamore and Ivillious spent most of their time sitting as far away from Forint as possible, with popcorn and beer, while Forint disabled most of the traps (until Verena arrived to the scene and helped him a bit) and opened all the locks. Much loot was gained from these encounters.
You also met Veron a strong human male fighter, and had quite a nice debate whether to allow him to join the group or not. Great role-playing there – all of you.
Veron then turned to be Verena, a 17 year old *GIRL* arcane spellcaster. Gaping jaws to all of you and kudos to Mickey for the idea.
Together, all of you followed a long corridor into what appeared to be the purification room in the ancient temple (the place you are in was finally identified as an ancient temple to some old and forgotten Deity in ancient Karsepolis). Verena displayed her wide knowledge of architecture and history, and Seamore identified the water in the room as holy.
You were then attacked by two human swordsmen and two halfling rogues, who used hit and run tactics to “waste” Loran, and smash you up pretty badly (all except the party tank, which couldn’t retaliate, as he had to heal dying Loran. Good call there, by the way. I know it must have been hard for you to let them go – but it was better for the group, and it’s what your character would do. Kudos!).
Verena, went out and grabbed herself a rogue, by changing him into a raven and placing him in a cage. You then attempted to interrogate him for a bit (not quite successful there, as he is a member of a very brutal organization, within a very brutal organization, in a very brutal city [as Loran so beautifully put it]), before releasing him inside a bubble, at the bottom of a pit.
The session ended when you went to sleep in a room that Verena protected for you. Sleep tight!

A few notes:

• Great session. You all played so well, and it seemed as if you were all having as much fun as I was (I sincerely hope so!).
• We have been starting to play regularly lately. That’s great too – keep it up! I’ll certainly try.
• Seamore – you’ve got detect evil, and Verena – you’ve got detect magic. If you’d have used them, you wouldn’t have been surprised by those attackers, and you wouldn’t have been hit as hard. These aren’t high level spells, their duration is quite long, and their worth it, if your walking around and you suspect there are enemies around.
• There was quite a bit of meta-gaming last session. Please stop, or I’ll be forced to start using more handwritten notes and start taking people to the side and running one-on-one encounters in mid-game. That will ruin the game flow, and create much more down time in mid game. It also annoys me, isn’t fair, ruins your friends’ plans and fun, and is a bad, bad habit. So stop it now. Thank you.
• You’ve got quite a few magic items that you need to identify and divide between you. Don’t forget that.

See you next game!

D&D Journal #14

You got quite a lot of XP (~2000 each) for dealing (mostly Loran, but Ivillious and Seamore got smashed up a bit too) with quite a lot of traps (and Seamore found out that a wand of 50 CLW turns very quickly to a wand of 12 CLW ):

• a camouflaged pit trap
• a Glyph of Warding trap (several of those [eight, to be exact])
• a Fireball trap
• a poisoned spike trap
• an enervation trap (vicious, that one)
• a burning hands trap

You also got some gold and goodies, and a chance to roleplay a bit with one of the prisoners that was held in the complex. Although you didn’t learn much from him (apart from the fact that the complex was recently inhabited by dangerous and unpleasant people), you got a nice chance to play your alignment a bit (yeah, if you didn’t figure it out, that was why he was there).

You took off the mask of Mask that was placed on the statue of an ancient and unknown god in the vault room. Loran for some obscure reason decided to put it on, and suffered a 24 hour -2 bad luck modifier to all rolls (via bestow curse, to those interested). You asked for it, especially since Seamore had such a bad experience with the thief god, so you should have known better.

Anyhow, you’ve gone over about a quarter of the complex so far, and reaped quite a nice amount of XP and XP’s best friend – treasure.