Feel free to post out-of-character stuff here. Strategize all you want! It's highly encouraged.
I will not use anything you state here against you.
(A little secret. I'm actually pulling FOR you. I want you to succeed. It's the adventure itself that is the killer!)
MilwaukeeJoe
The dragon statue currently pointing would seem to suggest it can be moved.
ReplyDeleteYep. Hopefully the script on the base of the dragon will give some hint as to how to use it.
ReplyDeleteSo my guess is that we'll have to go through each of the doors, get something, and bring it back to the main room & put it in the snake thingy fingers. No idea about the main statue.
So I'm assuming the chaos hydra rumor corresponds to the hydra door. The Knight one might go with the paladin rumor. The Dragon Door seems...a bit odd, since I assume that the dragon would be the final boss. Maybe we should save that one for last?
Minotaur door, no idea. The wraith door worries me. That makes me think of undead, and we are decidedly cleric-less.
One of the rumors is about the Thrones, saying that if you sit in them you will have visions that will rupture mortal minds. It's unreliable, but I'm willing to trust it and not sit on them. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat start! I have posted what you've found from visual inspections. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteDo we know the Wyrm Prince's real name? Or does that need to be rolled for?
ReplyDeleteSometimes merely asking is enough... In this case, you know that the Wyrm Prince inherited his name from his father... so they are both "Thran".
DeleteUgh...as much as I hate admitting it, my pop station on Pandora trying to play an 'N Sync song inspired this idea...
ReplyDeleteknighT
wraitH
minotauR
hydrA
dragoN
I dunno if this suggests the order to go through the doors or the order to point the dragon in or if I'm just metagaming way too much right now.
Great catch! I'm willing to try that out.
DeleteMetagaming IS fourthcore. Great catch.
ReplyDeleteAny objections to picking up the dagger?
ReplyDeleteMage hand it, to be safe
DeleteArcana it in case of curses.
DeleteAhh fourthcore, making us terrified pussies since 2011.
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten something... Destiny Cards!
ReplyDeleteIf you look back on your intro post, you will see a randomly drawn destiny card. If you succeed in doing the thing on the card, you can reap the reward.
Achievements, fourthcore style!
Fuggin NICE for Two-Rocks!
ReplyDeleteNow I wish that I could deal more damage!
DeleteIn the picture, it looks as though the dragon will point at a chair at the same time it points at a door. Is there a firing mechanism of some sort that could damage a person in a chair?
ReplyDeleteIf you sat in the chair, you'd be staring at the mouth of the dragon-statue (should it be pointed at you).
DeleteWhat about the snake statues? They look to be in the Dragon's path too. What part of them would be hit?
DeleteResponded to your query in the main post.
DeleteAlso, what part of the door or floor would be hit?
DeleteResponded to your query in the main post.
DeleteI'm guessing that the dragon needs to be pointed at the door you want to open. Perhaps opening a non-dragon pointed door is what triggers the trap?
ReplyDeleteMy suggestion is that we turn the dragon to face the Knight door and go through it first.
Let me get out of the way first then! I want no part of me being poked full of tiny needle holes! Tell you what, I'll aim the dragon.
ReplyDeleteFlex flex
Sometimes I forget to include a part of your post, such as when Paul's crusader looked into the mouth of the dragon statue. I try my best to include all your actions, but sometimes stuff falls through the cracks.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to ask me, "hey, did you include xyz?" You can do it in this OOC, or by gmail chat, or email.
I vote for opening the door without facing the dragon at it. I have a funny feeling this trap comes from the dragon's mouth and would shoot at the door it's being faced at.
ReplyDeleteHmm...it's either going to be one or the other. I'd vote for pointing the dragon at the door, but I could be talked out of it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd make sure I was outside of the immediate area of the door. Say...out of range of a close blast 3 or 5?
DeleteWait...so are we making the statue face the door, or no?
ReplyDeleteNot sure. We should probably decide this, though. I lean towards facing, but given that it's fourthcore and what kind of magic we've detected from it, who knows if that's actually a good idea or not. :D
DeleteOne way or another we don't have any way out of this room. I'll take a vote on the next one but we need to see if we're going to die when we touch one of these doors without 'solving' the puzzle. Besides, my chieftain always said "When a dragon's mouth is open, stay behind it."
DeleteIt's a tossup, I think, although I lean towards facing it. Either has the chance to backfire badly. :D
ReplyDeleteNo, I want to see what happens with the unlocked doors first. Then we can try to determine this puzzle's true nature after disarming the traps. Besides, it might be the kind of trap we have to just avoid instead of disabling, and that's going to be a pain in the ass.
ReplyDeleteThe statue is currently facing the dragon-door. A comment in the main post will be needed if you want to move it to face a different door (such as wraith or knight).
ReplyDeleteI reiterate my vote for leaving it facing the dragon door, and suggest putting distance between yourself and both the knight and dragon door.
ReplyDeleteOK, after that most recent bit, I say just leave the dragon for now. That aiming makes me think it might be more for doing something with whatever goes in those statues' hands. I could of course be wrong, but hey.
ReplyDeleteSo here's the problem. Is the dragon's breath is either a key or a trap? Are the needle-holes a trap or the fallout form a trap? (brilliant rays refracting from a gem. I designed something similar once).
DeleteI vote that we do *do not* point the dragon at the door that we are opening. Stand just to the side of it (relative tot eh door opened) and we should be safe. It seems unlikely that a trap would damage that statue or even the snakes.
I'm all for opening the Knight first. I'm certain the order is significant.
Hmm. OK, so if something comes from that thing's mouth and hits the diamond, that's going to refract to heck and back.
ReplyDeleteJon, I wouldn't stand there if I were you. I'm not sure I'd stand where Grelloc is standing. Just to be safe. I'd say cluster more around the right side of the room, although keeping away from the doors in case something decides to come through those holes in the floor.
During my lunch break, I'll post an updated map to the vitals that shows where everybody is and where the dragon is pointing.
ReplyDeleteI'll then give it the day and post the results tomorrow morning?
No rush, let's do this properly.
Hey, we didn't finish the last adventure, I'm all for rushing! ^_^ But you're right, I'm happy to let everyone figure out just where they want to stand before that door opens.
DeleteThis game's due date should be much more forgiving than Fane's was.
DeleteK, sounds like a plan. Stand to the sides, away from the direction the dragon is pointing, and away from in front of the knight door.
ReplyDeleteLET'S DO THIS!
Oh, side note. There was a rumor about plunging a magical blade into the heart of a succubus, and we just found a mysterious magical obsidian dagger...
Yes, but is there a succubus?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of unreliable rumors, quick question to the DM - About where would the head of someone sitting in the thrones be in relation to the mouth of the dragon statue?
The head of a person sitting in the throne would be directly in line. Draw a line from the dragon's mouth to the wall, and it would be as follows:
Delete1. Through the snake-folk's open hands.
2. Through your head.
3. Right into the diamond on the door.
Joe, The rules on animal companions only say that they dissipate if I die or they have 0 HP. I assume that they may be summoned before an extended rest and the lost healing surge recovered afterwards, without the need to summon them again. If I'm missing something or you rule otherwise, deduct a healing surge from Two-Rock's total.
ReplyDeleteThe zephyr isn't invisible, unlike the lesser air elemental it appears to be based upon (MV 108). It also lacks the air elemental's vulnerability to fire.
It does has an aura 2 that "lightly obscures" the area, which I assume to mean partial concealment. That aura is OFF unless stated otherwise.
No need to deduce surges. It's a fair use of the ability!
DeleteHmm...my immediate gut instinct is to say that the red claw will be the one to pay attention to, since the Wyrm Prince was a red dragon (I believe. Can anyone verify that?)
ReplyDeleteOk, so we all know that we'll need to get whatever it is from around that skeleton's neck in the fire, and depending on what we do we may have to contend with these statues coming to life.
My fourthcore knowledge says that the status will most likely come to life and attack us regardless and we'll have to do something with the basins. I'm curious to see if they have anything on their shields that might hint as to what to do.
Ok, this is super meta-game-y, but when I played in one of Sersa's games there were bowls of liquid that could be mixed to make awesome potions. However, one of them was secretly either a black pudding or a green slime (I don't remember which), so be super careful about touching any of them until we've verified that they're non-living.
ReplyDeleteGood times! :D
DeleteThat room could have been murder in so many ways too.
We'll need to get to the liquids on the other side. I have plenty of vials to use for transporting liquids around.
ReplyDeleteHowever, considering the gap they were nice enough to provide to allow us to pass between the statues and the cyclone, I'm gonna assume there's a trap there and investigate
And now I wish I had gotten my post in before the wizard...hopefully I'm wrong in suspecting if there is a trap...
ReplyDeleteOkay, as I'm not keen on dipping my hand into anything green, goopy and unknown in origin, I suggest we try to smash the jar and get the key out. Joe has already told me it can't be lifted or moved, and if we can't move these we can't mix them to make anything else unless we scoop the liquid up somehow. Of course I would leave my alchemists ladle at the tavern.
ReplyDeleteCan our goliath knock a hole in this pot with his club? Joe says the basin in several inches thick so it probably won't shatter in one and we can drain it carefully.
Could do, but I wouldn't want to waste the liquid if we need it.
DeleteTwo thoughts:
ReplyDelete1. We may able to wait to combine the liquids if we get additional information later. Or we may just have to not be pussies. :D
2. Based on the difficulty of disabling the plates, I'm going to suggest that in the future, we do Aid Another on thievery checks to disable traps.
We can always cut off one of the tiefling's horns, hollow it out, and make a drinking horn.
ReplyDeleteOr I have a flask of oil, we could empty that out.
If the basins are a color puzzle, I'm at a loss.
ReplyDelete* Green is the only color that would be the result of combining other colors.
* White & black aren't traditionally considered to be colors.
* Red normally indicates an affinity for fire.
* There is nothing with which to pour or mix the liquids into that I can see.
(Joe, is there room in the basins? How full are they.)
The obvious result of playing with the liquids would be to extinguish the fire but it may be that they aren't even supposed to be used in here.
I vote that we move on and come back if we find a need to do so.
Is that door on the far side unlocked?
Has anyone noted what the flash of metal is? If it's some kind of treasure we might want to risk the flames for it, if a weapon, we might rather investigate the door in the far wall and make haste. Knowing fourthcore, messing with the liquids might be just what we don't want to do. The right mixture might just make this column of flame into an elemental or bring those flaming skelly-bones to life. Walk carefully my companions.
ReplyDeleteFYI, my work internet connection today is very spotty at best. I might not be able to respond until tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteCan I grapple Two-Rocks to keep him from touching any of the liquid until we've had a chance to examine all of the basins? ;P
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking something with the white and black liquids and mixing them. They're opposites. That'd give you grey, I guess. Ash? Maybe put the result in the red? (Red is usually fire...) Smother the fire with ash? I dunno. I'm curious what the result of my Arcana checks is.
Yeah, I'm waiting to post until I find out the results of some of the investigative rolls. I'm also curious about the metal thing in the fire (and about the door or whatever it is on the far end.)
ReplyDeleteSo... Did my Arcana checks reveal anything? You didn't mention the results. Not that it matters at this point, but.
ReplyDeleteYou were sensing some magic auras on two basins: Green and Red. As you were beginning to get a sense of what they are, the battle began.
DeleteNow you know, it's teleporation magic.
Sonafabitch! I thought that I was being careful!
ReplyDeleteThere's no way that I'm making that thievery check. I thought it might be easier to grab hold of a skeleton holding on to what we want and just drag them out, but then I saw that Two-Rocks is *immobilized*.
That may still be a plan if anyone wants to drag me out?
Note to self, next time, let the companion test the waters... :/
Joe:
Am I immobilized because I'm grabbed or was that description just color? If I'm not grabbed, is the immobilized a save-ends affect?
Any chance that I could have beaten the cyclone on initiative and triggered my Stone's Endurance before it flayed my flesh from my bones?
The cyclone rolled extremely well, and beat you in initiative.
DeleteAs for escaping your grab, you can try it yourself with a DC 17 athletics or acrobatics roll.
-OR-
A hero can try to pull a trapped ally from the Fiery Cyclone with a DC 15 Athletics check. Succeed or fail, the hero takes 5 fire damage.
Mage Hand the key out of the basin and give it to Motir. I'll Subtle Step to the door and unlock it, which sometimes causes encounters to end.
ReplyDeleteI can mage hand it out to you, but the tongs have my interest piqued. Do you think we'd need the tongs to get the key out, or the tongs to get the necklace thing off of the skeleton in the middle?
DeleteBad things happened to that jerky as I recall. Thinking the tongs are gonna be able to grab that key. Issue is getting them.
ReplyDeleteOK, finally have time to sit down and look at stuff. Two things:
ReplyDeleteThe map does not seem to be updated for me and still has everyone in their starting positions, unless I am looking in the wrong place?
Vengeance has resist 5 fire and should thus be at 14 HP after the ongoing hits.
For the updated map, look at the vitals tab. I don't update the main page map.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ongoing damage, you are experiencing ongoing necrotic damage (not fire).
I'm posting this from iPod, and will double check when I get in front of the computer and PDF.
Wait, I realize my mistake. The ongoing damage is indeed necrotic, but the initial damage was fire. Therefore, I am refunding Vengeance 5 hp. He is NOT bloodied at 14 hp.
ReplyDeleteAs long as I'm here, do you guys prefer I update the main post map, or in the vitals? What works best for you?
I sense a disturbance among the dorks. As if a half-dozen voices cried out and stopped posting for days...
ReplyDelete:(
They're waiting on me. On weekends, I don't tend to post much... and yesterday was very unusual for me. Had to take care of some personal matters.
ReplyDeleteI will post today for player results, monster attacks, and then it will be your turn again!
Since I wasn't given the key to unlock the door, I was waiting for the result of Vengeance's attack on the minion to see if I need to attack it or not.
ReplyDeleteI'm about to post in 2 seconds... try to get your post in quickly... I plan to post again over lunch break.
DeleteWhat happens when a character dies?
ReplyDeleteDeath and RESPAWNING
DeleteWhen a crusader dies within the Vault, their spirit lingers for a moment before being pulled through a swirling portal of ghostly flames, damned unless the Soulstone is retrieved.
All items the crusader had are destroyed, excluding artifacts. (In other words, no harvesting magic items off of dead PCs.)
If the player of a slain crusader chooses, they may re-enter the Vault with another character. If so, the new crusader joins the other crusaders at the end of the current encounter, or instantly if there is no ongoing encounter.
A total party kill immediately ends the game in failure.
Crap.
ReplyDeleteSo far as the potion puzzle is concerned, my only new thought is to mix black & white potions and pour the result into red. If that works, We can use the tongs to retrieve the key. If there are no objections, this will my next few turns. (it'll go faster with help)
If I trigger Stone's Endurance, Two-Rocks might survive reaching into the vortex and pulling out the skeleton with the with the tools or the amulet. If I take this course, I should use an action point and use my second wind first.
Also, whom is healing whom? I have one use of Healing Word remaining
K, my plan is to use the tongs to get the key, then run over to the door & try to unlock it. No idea what to do with the black/white potions.
ReplyDeleteMy plan is to lie here and try not to die.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try and pick the lock and get the door open on my turn. If mixing the potions actually does work, it'll still take multiple turns to get it accomplished. I can get through the door in one turn.
ReplyDeleteHey, it looks a little grim, but just so you know, I'm prepping up the post for what happens beyond that door... because I know you can pull through this. And if not... GAME OVER... muhahahaha!
ReplyDeleteHow quickly does the exit door look like it's closing? 1 sq/round?
ReplyDeleteI suppose I could try to scoop up some of the black liquid in my hat/hands, toss a heal someone's way, run to the white basin, around the top of the room and then drop the black liquid in to see what happens. That'd be minor, minor, move, free. No idea if it'd work though, though yeah, mixing black and white and adding to red was my original idea so I'm totally cool with continuing on that vein.
ReplyDeleteI'm good with that. You're closer to the black urn than I am. That frees me up to do other things.
DeleteI'll post my move after yours so that I can move next to you for cover against the next round of skeletons and I'll save my healing word to keep you up while you make the run.
Jon, how did you get the tongs? Aren't they at the bottom of pot full of the red liquid?
ReplyDelete...
DeleteBecause apparently my mind stopped working, and I chose to selectively forget that I didn't have them?
Sorry, real life natural 1.
Ok, in that case I'm going to wait until after Vengeance goes so I can see the result of the Black/White mixture.
DeleteLet's see how that works. Maybe I should drop my hat in so you can mage hand it with the resulting liquid in it over to you. :P
ReplyDeleteCrap, I couldn't get here fast enough to post before Crx did. I can be at the door with the key this round, but I won't have enough actions to open it, so I was going to have you wait and see if we could just open the door with the key so you wouldn't have to spend your action.
ReplyDeleteIs anyone going to be able to grab Grelloc?
How fast is the wall closing? If it's not more than 5' per round I can make it out next round. Focus on getting us the fuck out of here.
ReplyDeleteOoh, actually, can someone take out the skeleton in J6? I'm going to have to run to get the keys and spend my entire action getting the keys & getting to the door, and I'd rather not have a Skeleton grab me with an opportunity attack.
ReplyDeleteAny chance that the icy potion can also nix the vortex?
ReplyDeleteSo do we want to move on, or explore in this room any further?
ReplyDeleteOk, my only advantage in trying to retrieve these items is I could ignore the fire damage. With the tongs, anyone can, so would anyone with a modifier that isn't +0 like to try and make these checks?
DeleteEmailed comment from A1Penguino:
ReplyDeleteWould throwing the cold potion onto the cyclone do anything? If so, Motir would love to be able to beat the tornado that beat him down twice
My answer... Can't tell you... You may have to try it. :)
OOC: Delaying the next big post in light of you possibly getting items out of the cyclone, and also trying something new in the next post. Working out the kinks currently.
ReplyDeleteWe killed several skeletons. Any chance that the skeletons we killed were the ones that had unusual items on them so that those items ended up on the ground and we don't have to mess with the cyclone?
DeleteChance, yes. Did it happen? No.
DeleteGood thing we have tongs.
DeleteDo you have any issue with us taking an additional 5 minutes so I can take advantage of a Healing Word or two and save up on Healing Surges?
ReplyDeleteYou can't take multiple short rests in a row. Just the one.
DeleteDo we take a short rest only after battles or after each room? So could we have taken one in between main room and fire cyclone?
DeleteShort rests are really for after battles. However, I don't mind if one spends healing surges outside of combat. I'm trying to avoid abuse of encounter powers outside of combat. I'd like to play it by ear.
DeleteTell you what I'll do. Since you do have a healer in the party, I will bump you up to full hp if you get within a surge's worth. For example, Grelloc is missing 2 hp... so I will grant him the extra 2.
That would bring Grelloc, Del-Kai and Motir up to full hp.
Regarding the Three River Crypt,
ReplyDeleteI've had this video idea bouncing in my head for a while, and it's still a work in progress. Where do I store the video, how to I present it, does it really add to the experience, etc.
Give it a viewing, and let me know what you think!
I'm willing to be the guinea pig with the tongs to filch the items from the fiery cyclone, using my thievery/athletics abillity.
ReplyDeleteI will yell encouragement from right outside the door.
DeleteI hate you.
DeleteIf you do want to fish out an item, state which one you attempt to get (amulet or warforged tools) in the main post (Sentry of Shields). Thanks!
DeleteIf you're feeling lucky, those tools might come in hand too, if you can snag them. I'm afraid that we'll nee every advantage we can get--and this is one that we don't even have to look for! Hard to turn down.
DeleteWe might want to grab those tools as well. They exist for a reason.
ReplyDeleteWould the cold liquid have any effects outside of this room? I have some empty flasks that would love to be used as alchemical weapons, if possible, or at least be storage.
And that video is really awesome!
Hmm...so my guess (and this is only a guess) that someone would need to kneel on the seal, and state the true-name of the paladin (whom I'm guessing is buried beneath the seal). Given the description of it, I'm also guessing that if we do it correctly, we'll be able to remove the solid sword from the middle of the seal.
ReplyDeleteI have a sinking suspicion that if we try to open any of those Sarcophagi, bad things will happen. But I have no idea what our next step should be.
Oooh, riddle time! Two are fake, one is real. Are the fake ones liars as well? Should we ask them to each point at a fake paladin?
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note, we probably have to ask them questions that have them share their personality and inner thoughts. If Del-Kai already has another question he wants to ask, I'll have Motir ask the question I've always liked asking in situations like these: "Why do you fight?"
Hmm...my assumption was that all three were fakes, but you may be onto something there. Especially since we know a bit of the knight's order, "Why do you fight?" may be a great question. Since Del-Kai has stepped up, you want me to go ahead & ask?
DeleteSure, take it.
DeleteIf we can't determine from that, I'll have Motir ask something along the lines of "How should others lead their lives?"
DeleteI vote for the Southern one due to his humility. The other two smack of "Because I can" to me.
DeleteOf course, if we could divine details of his true personality, that could chance.
Del-Kai got some info higher up in the thread:
DeleteDel-Kei remembers that the Three-River Paladin worshipped the good dieties, ascribing to their highest tenants. Truth, justice, goodness, humility, the quintessential paladin. He was a sole figure, not a part of any order per se. A man doing what he could to make things right in the world the gods created.
I have a strong nay against north, as he seems to be boasting he has the strength to fight, and a strong yay for south, talking about doing the gods' will. Shall Motir ask a question?
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty obviously the south one to me. Paladins talk about the will of their god(s), not their own awesome. (Mine is convinced half the time that he personally sucks, but he goes on because he believes in doing his god's work and protecting his god's people.)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, South all the way. So what would be the best way to hail him as the true paladin? Do we all just point at him?
ReplyDeleteYep, I agree. The West could be a paladin, but based on what we know of the 3-rivers paladin, I agree South. But yeah, I think we just point to him and name him the true paladin.
DeleteSo that's 4/6 voting for the Southern Paladin. I'll post and say as much this evening once the guys who only get to check the game in the evenings have a chance to take a look at things (unless someone else wants to be the one to declare the Southern Paladin is the correct one, in which case feel free).
DeleteHeh, I was waiting to hear the answer to "what is best in life," just in case the Paladin to the South replied "EATING THE FLESH OF THE UNBORN!" but I'm pretty sure we're good.
ReplyDeleteAlright, so. We should play this humble. Really, in this guy's eyes, none of us is going to actually be worthy. So our best bet is, I think, to defer to the judgment of the gods and that we're probably doing their will here. He's a Paladin, Intimidate is going to be worthless here. Boasting like Northy is going to be bad. He likes the gods but he probably likes the good gods, so if we worship like Asmodeus, that's not a good thing to mention. If you've got a love affair with like, Pelor, or whatever good gods the world has, that's probably good and we should play it up.
ReplyDeleteHumility, faith in the gods of good, the worthiness of our quest, those are going to be what we want to play to. I don't know that any of us has the first two, but hey. Do we have any Radiant powers to show how good and godly we are? That's usually 4E shortcut for 'power of goodness'.
I am the only Divine source character on the team, but, well, I also thought it would be interesting to play a Divine character without actually following any gods, which is probably too late to change now...
ReplyDeleteMy channel divinity powers are Abjure Undead, which is Radiant, and Divine Guidance, which requires someone to attack my Oath target. I doubt attacking the paladin, even to show off my radiant power, will work out well for us, so just Abjure the darkness or something? All my other attacks are just Divine, no Radiant
Huh. Never thought I'd say this, but "attacking the darkness" might be a legitmate strategy here.
DeleteMy guess would be that you'd need to make a Religion check along with that. My religion bonus is actually higher than yours, so maybe I could make the check and you could aid me?
I will not require you to have a target if you want to show off one of your attack powers. Indeed, you can "attack the darkness" if you wish... if you think that will help.
DeleteFair enough. Attacking him is going to be stupid beyond belief, so that's a bad idea. Where's my Paladin when I need him? (About to be forced to cross several moral event horizons in a drow spider construct, but.)
ReplyDeleteMy deity is Melora, so that doesn't help much in this instance, and I'm not trained in any of the Charisma based skills.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone has a suggestion how Athletics, Acrobatics, or Thievery is going to be helpful, please let me know and I'll assist. :)
Perhaps we could invite the paladin to pray to his deity and see what it's will is, rather than judging our worthiness himself? That would seem in character.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that a display of radiant power will be useful. If it would be, it's probably overkill. It would probably be enough to show that at least one of us draws power from a divine power source.
Two-Rocks is uniquely unsuited to make checks in this challenge. He is untrained in social skills and sports a -1 Charisma modifier. The only knowledge skill I have is Nature and I haven't divined (Ha!) a use for it here. I'll quietly post OOC until I come up for a good idea for him to jump in.
Hmm...maybe we could use some of the non social skills (stealth, athletics, etc) as a way of proving that we have the strength to be used as the tools of the gods?
ReplyDeleteFor example, Crx could say something like "As the gods direct, so we do act. We shall take the enemy by surprise, and they will never see the blades of justice and righteousness until the judgement of the gods is upon them" and could make a stealth check as part of that, showing the 3-rivers paladin his ability to disappear, and re-appear.
Thoughts?
Too boasty. Might backfire.
DeleteNo pressure, but if you can pull in those last two successes, I've got the next post ready to drop! It could drop today.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if you F it up... well, you may never see that post after all...
Also, if you've tried something, don't let that stop you from posting a second slightly different attempt.
DeleteDoes anyone actually use a heavy blade?
ReplyDeleteI suspect this is one of those King Arthur moments, where only someone worthy/able to wield the blade should try and pick it up.
Motir?
Obv the thief who uses daggers who is unaligned and follows an unaligned god is just gonna examine some doors instead. :D
So every Legend of Zelda game ever states that there's going to be a hidden passage behind that picture.
ReplyDeleteAlso, is there no treasure/item tab? We have the amulet and the dagger so far, right?
Yes, I need to get on that treasure tab. Amulet and Dagger.
DeleteIf there was a passage behind that picture there would be half of the torches unlit and we'd have to figure out the pattern to light them in to open it. I'm much more concerned about this door trying to lock us in here and the trap we detected on this side.
DeleteI can magically hold the door open. The laughter and all the demonic imagery is what concerns me the most right now. There's something weird going on down here, but I can't put my finger on what it is yet.
DeleteOf all the unreliable rumors we drew, I suspect "blown minds" is probably true. If we are going to try the dagger on the statue, I recommend doing so from mage hand distance. Better still, out of range of that fire!
ReplyDeleteI dunno, based on what we found in that first room, I'm leaning towards the blown minds one being untrue. Seems more likely people were just stupid and sat in the path of the beams given that head height is right where they pass. We'll find out soon I guess.
ReplyDeleteAlso, wait, when did we find a Girdle of Femininity? Vengeance is going to be so angry when he finds out. (DM used female pronouns updating what he found, rofl)
Whoops! My bad. I do that once in a while.
DeleteFrom http://grind4e.blogspot.com/2013/01/call-to-arms-vault-of-wyrm-prince-is.html#more
ReplyDelete"the old wyrm made a deal with a succubus to spawn him a son and ensure his name would live forever"
Since we symbolically killed her to gain entrance, could the crypt contain Thran's mother?
I will get reply comment/posts out today.
ReplyDeleteIf you're sensing a slowdown on my part, it's due to the growing addiction of learning Unreal Development Kit (UDK) in hopes to produce even better visuals than Doombuilder.
I won't let UDK get in the way of posting, promise! :)
DM: The minion that's created - does it act on its own turn? How long does the minion last?
ReplyDeleteParty: We all have the same AC, so the real issue is who's going to be in hand-to-hand battle and who's going to be behind for the benefit of the AC. However, I see a real benefit for myself from the minion - allowing me to use it for flanking purposes to gain combat advantage.
The minion would go at the same time as you. You can choose to have him go first before you, or after you, etc.
ReplyDeleteIf you guys can pick a direction, I will be able to post the next chapter tomorrow! Will it be NORTH to the small hallway or WEST to the large chamber?
ReplyDeleteYOU DECIDE! CHOOSE AND PERISH!
I vote West to the large chamber.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll be wearing the Simulacrum Armor.
Now that I'm a week out, I have to warn you all that I will be attending PAX East next week. My ability to post may be compromised from Thursday-Sunday. I'll do my best to keep up.
ReplyDeleteWishing I was there!
Deleteand you're running some fourthcore at Pax, right? Iron Lich run?
ReplyDeleteIron Lich will be on International Tabletop day, Sat the 30th at my FLGS. The shop has an HD camera that we will record the session with and upload to YouTube afterwards. I'm excited about this because I actually got a couple of the anti-4E locals to join in. I'm looking to make some converts here. :D
DeleteFor PAX, I'll bring level 1 stuff like Crucible of the Gods and Murder of the Maelstrom Queen. I'll have a double-batch of Dr Davy Jone's excellent pregens printed. I'm also prepping to wing a Marvel RPG session. (I've got a plot but no idea how to keep it single-session).
I'm not scheduling the PAX games. Last year it took about a half-hour to attract a group to of total strangers (to me and to each other) to play Crucible, a few of which hadn't played D&D in years. The group lasted 2.5 hours and had a fantastic time.
I have to find the details.. I may try the DM's challenge this year while they are giving you and adventure to run instead of bringing one.
Otherwise, I'm focusing on catching up with my internet and PAX-friends and trying out new games. I definitely want to sit in on a Fiasco or a FATE session. Also, I may spend an hour in the classic arcade playing pinball :D
huntershaven, be sure to give us a con report when you get back!
DeleteConsidering that the pit we can't see is lined up with the wooden bridges, I'm gonna guess those are trapped to toss or dump us in if we walk on them. Luckily we have a Thri-kreen that should easily be able to jump all these gaps.
ReplyDeleteSince the room is named after that crown, I guess it should be the first thing investigated?
Yeah, it's odd that the bridges are wood and the landings are something else.
DeleteYou might have noticed that I've not done an audio narrative or movie in the past two posts. That's because I've been spending that time instead looking into other tech for building the renderings.
ReplyDeleteI tried Unity3D, but much too broad for my purposes.
I tried Unreal Development Kit and had some success. But, it still takes me way too long to build just the walls of the chamber, much less play with the contents of it. This would be cool if I were to spend time before the game's start building all the chambers, but not during.
I lastly tried moving from Hexen format to "Doom in Hexen" format. Sounds trivial, but it has a huge difference. I FINALLY figured out how to import true graphics, can now use slopes and 3D platforms, and have been using GZDOOM which has tons of lighting options.
The Golden Crown chamber is done up in Doom. The bridges (with space above and below) was not possible before in the mere Hexen format.
Sometimes I think I could just pause time and spend a year working up Doom maps for Fourthcore games.
Hey, I'm going to jump onto the crown platform. That's some sweet loot and it doesn't appear to be trapped.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to wait till noon and then drop a post.
DeleteTake the sphere from Crx first. It matches the spheres of light above the crown and could be useful.
ReplyDeleteSounds good. I was waiting on verification that the spheres were similar.
DeleteSo - if the light goes with the crown, did the dead guy steal it off the crown? Maybe that's how he got killed? I'm worried that putting them back together will somehow activate the crown, but then again, luck favors the bold.
Ok, well being near the crown activated it. Is it an invisible creature or a trap? Should we try and put the light we have back with it?
DeleteHmm...we could also just put someone on each of the 4 platforms, so it has nowhere to move to.
DeleteJon, SOLID PLAN. Let's do this.
DeleteI definitely vote for putting the light on the crown. I doubt it's limited to the platforms but it would be nice if that were the case. Crx can make all the jumps without needing to make an Athletics check, so we should get the light into his hands...claws...whatever.
ReplyDeleteIf it can teleport, we'll need to use powers to slide it around to get the light to it. Any chance the crown is considered undead?
Sick today with some kind of flu bug, will get to posts when I can.
ReplyDeleteWhatever, just rest and get better! We're no good without someone to run the game for us and I think we'd all rather see you at your top game than trying to force yourself to reply to posts. Take it easy and drink some ginger ale and saltines.
DeleteBet you have the Con Crud.
ReplyDeleteGet better!
and when you can, we're getting to need a Treasure tab.
Back from PAX East. I'll resume character posts tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteThis year was unbelievably awesome. I never got around to running a Fourthcore game but I did play in a Dungeon World demo, which is a wicked fun old-school D&D clone.
I actually demoed several games. The one I came home with is Sentinels of the Multiverse, a co-operative super-hero card game that is impossibly fun. I'll be bringing it to the local International Tabletop Day event to play before running Revenge of the Iron Lich in the afternoon for a full table of six confirmed players.
There's a lot that I could say about PAX but the short story is that the people you meet there are beyond awesome. The community and openness that flourishes there makes it incredibly easy to experiment and try new things with complete strangers without the mitigating anonymity of the internet to run interference for any potential social awkwardness. I'm never more myself than at PAX. The more I go and the more connections that I make there--the more I take those relationships beyond those hallowed halls--the better my life is for it.
Welcome back! I was ill on Friday, and catching up on work Monday, so I guess my lull was timely for you.
DeleteI am curious about dungeon world too. I have the $10 pdf, but really want to see it in action. Considering it for play-by-blog possibilities as it's more narrative, less rules-y?
Looking forward to you RotIL run; you recording it, yes?
We didn't get very deep into it, but it certainly works well for off-the-shelf play.
Delete* Everything I needed to play was on a two-sided reference sheet. The character sheets I saw had several options for playing that character. It took 5-10 minutes for the group to read through and check off what options they wanted.
* The combat mechanics seem like they take some of the work out of monster building. Looks like it should be easy to improvise!
* Non-combat checks make a lot of use out of "success, but..." where complications arise when you succeed with a low or no margin. Keeps the game moving while making it more interesting. I hadn't seen it outside of discussion about FATE (to be fair, I wasn't looking, this was a nice surprise).
* The "bonds" section of the character sheet is great. It's different for each class. The role-players in your group will have no trouble using it to their advantage :D
All in all, it appears to be a simple and easy to bust out as Old School Hack without the silliness and Awesome Points. Looks like a great choice for off-shelf play and is probably instantly compatible with any D&D module, regardless of edition, with a little improv.
I think that it would work great for a play by post.
Yes, RotIL is on for Saturday. I won't be able to get in there in advance to look over the recording equipment and work out the setup as I had hoped because I have to work late. I intend to record.
I now have a possible sixth player and the growing realization that I really need to borrow mini's from the store instead of using Monster Vault tokens because, y'know, video.
Woo, treasures tab!
ReplyDeleteSo, this room seems to be fully explored now. Continue through the mirror door, the stairs at the bottom left, the door by the balcony, or back to the unexplored hallway? I'm assuming the mirror door but want to keep that hallway fresh in our minds.
Mirror door works for me.
DeleteIf I missed anything in the new treasures tab, let me know.
ReplyDeleteA few thoughts:
ReplyDelete1) if they're going to posess anything that touches the wall, I'm thinking we should use the magic item I just got to create a minion to do anything that would require us to touch that wall. That way we can easily kill it if things go wrong.
2) That crown is important, but I'm not sure if one of us should grab it & wear it, or if we should take it with us.
Anyone else see a puzzle here? 12 faces but only 8 chairs...
ReplyDeleteI think I've seen a similar puzzle once. If you put a chair in each corner and on each side then you, technically, have three chairs to a side. The trouble is, will the snakes mind sharing?
DeleteAlso, if the solution is that obvious, is it really the solution? I would want to know more first, like what what the inscription says.
If anyone needs to clean dust from those hard-reach places. Two-Rock's zephyr can blow it off.
Exactly what I was thinking. I was just waiting to see if something happened before sharing the solution. Maybe it's not considered an obvious solution by the designer?
DeleteIf this is where the Ghost Council is, there's someone's destiny that requires handing over treasures to them.
ReplyDeleteI'm worried that we don't have all the information we may need to resolve this room's puzzle. Maybe take note of this area and come back after gathering more information?
ReplyDeleteI really like the sound of this idea.
DeleteDM, any chance of a complete map of what we've explored so far?
I think you're right. What's with the arrows? And I'm sure there's something with the chairs but what I couldn't say. The puzzle idea seems sound but that wall of lava seems a little too eager for me to risk it.
DeleteBigger picture map updated in Vitals tab. A quick version, but I think it gets the job done.
ReplyDeleteI agree with huntershaven's idea. That'd be about the only way to solve the dilemma. Not necessarily obvious to everyone, either, so may not be considered obvious. (There's a puzzle in Fane of the Heresiarch that was instantly obvious to me but nobody else at the table got at all and everyone was freaking out that I proceeded with it instantly, which required certain player knowledge that I had but no one else there did.)
ReplyDeleteI think we've honestly got all we need, the issue is going to be that doubtless, getting the chairs into position won't be easy. Difficult athletics checks, time limit, the snakes will start spitting poison, the room starts to flood, something nicely evil like that. I say we go for it. Fortune favors the foolish.
Hmm...ok, so I'm not certain, because it says specifically "crownless king" but we have a crown that would fit perfectly on his head. I say we go with the "chairs in a corner" situation, but use a summoned minion to move them while the rest of us wait a respectable distance. If that seems to go well, I'm up for trying to crown the crownless king to see what happens.
ReplyDeleteWell.. That was unexpected. Any burning questions?
ReplyDeletePerhaps "If we put the crown on the king, will we receive a treasure?"
ReplyDeleteHmm...since it's yes or no, we could receive a negative answer to this question, even though something positive might happen (for example, if it opens a secret passage or dispels the lava). Maybe "If we put the crown on the king, will we come to harm?"
DeleteYou have until the end of day today to ask your question. If not asked by Midnight CDT tonight, you lose the chance.
ReplyDeleteK, unless someone suggests something brilliant in the next couple of hours, I'll have Del-Kai ask about crowning the king.
ReplyDeleteI think "crownless king" is probably a big clue here, but I don't have a better question to ask.
ReplyDeleteWe've already found the true unreliable rumor, so I'm trying to think about a useful yes/no question to ask regarding the Tower that was drawn along with the rumors.
If anyone wants to test a theory regarding the first room that we entered through, now might be a good opportunity to answer it safely.
I think the crownless king is probably the best bet, nothing prudent that can be answered with a yes or no about the first room comes to mind.
DeleteI'm thinking we should mark this room for later, cause it sounds like if we put the crown on the statue, it's gonna lead us to the final fight. I say we explore and loot this dungeon some more first.
ReplyDeleteSo now what, gents? We can return to the shadowed hallway past the holy-water corridor, or it appears that we have two exits from the Chamber of the Crown. I'm interested in the hidden hallway. It was a secret way if I recall.
ReplyDeletePHAT LOOT. Always.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQUeK7nYxBQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=146s
DeleteI vote for door number 3, back up to the balcony and through to the new hallway, but I'm open to suggestions. The stairway is good too, I always like heading south.
So, we have a ball of ice flanked by WHITE dragons, and a BLACKfire amulet. I think we may have possibly found where it can be used.
ReplyDeleteIt's worth a try, who has the amulet?
Deletewho dares to free what the Wyrm Prince (or perhaps, his captors? has sought to imprison?
The fact that the ball of ice is holding a treasure either means it's an egregious trap, or just a puzzle. Fire does melt ice, so I say the amulet could be of use here, but we haven't figured out how to use it. Grelloc holds it?
DeleteDoes anyone want to trade for Two-Rock's elixir? I'm not sure he's the right crusader to have it.
ReplyDeleteI'm betting we need to feed the dragons, most likely their element. White is ice, and I have a couple vials of that icy liquid we mixed together, unless I missed the DM ruling otherwise back then. If I recall correctly, black is acid, green is poison, and blue is...lightning? Anyone got any elemental attacks or something we could use?
ReplyDeleteAnd the big question is, is this a battle or a skill challenge?