A Tunnels and Trolls® play-by-post adventure run by khara_khang
Presumably, I had no chance to dodge or avoid this, and this amount was after subtracting 6 points for armor, not before. Well, that still leaves me with 2. Healthy as a... well, still alive at least.
Yes, Jay does get to deduct his armor from the 10 hits taken from the bite. So if you subtract 6 points for armor you only really take 4 hits. And yes, you had a chance to dodge Urish's grab, but you failed.
Does she have to unwield her kris to cast? If so, she immediately re-wields her kris and prepares to attack someone after she is done casting her spell.
Titania can only do one action per turn. Casting a spell is one action; unwielding her kris, another.
Whatever happened to the glory days of intelligent foes with whom you had debates?
The glory days of debates with intelligent foes seem far away as pain fills Jay's back, but Urish doesn't hold Jay for long before bodily tossing him ten feet away to the cold stone floor in front of the other party members. (Jay takes 1 hit straight off his CON.) The moment Jay stops rolling, he digs into his pocket, pulls out Grutoss's medallion and casts Poor Baby on himself (2 Mc points per CON would cost him 10 Mc, but being a 3rd level Wizard, he gets 1 deduction for casting a level 2 spell, and his deluxe staff saves 3 more). His wounds disappear instantly.
The magic-using creature that becomes visible not far from Urish (between him and the archway) is very odd looking. Its upper half is black and covered with some kind of hood decorated with yellow symbols. Its bottom half is stark white and uncovered. In one hand it holds a staff; in the other, a short wand. Both objects are black and covered with yellow glyphs.
At the same time that the magic-using creature becomes visible, Titania casts Concealing Cloak (10 Mc), which makes all the non-Fairy party members invisible for 3 turns (the Fairies are already invisible). The down side to this spell is that none of the [non-Fairy --ed.] party members can see each other.
Kahi turns and moves to his right and attacks the Wizard next to Krandor. He scores a hard hit across the Wizard's shoulder as he stands unprepared for Kahi's attack. Krandor's sword is pulled free from its sheath. Although invisible, it becomes blood red as it slices upwards through the Wizard, who howls out in pain from both attacks.
Amroth pulls out his crossbow as he moves to attack Urish with his blade. He stumbles over the invisible Jay on the floor, but somehow manages to remain on his feet (he made his DEX check) as he swings at Urish. Urish tries to dodge the attack but Amroth's blade makes a mark across Urish's green bug-like body.
Brienna throws her dagger at the Wizard and it sinks hilt-deep into his neck, but not before narrowly missing the invisible Kahi on its way. An instant later, Brienna's dagger reappears in her hand, leaving the gasping Wizard's neck gushing.
Jax doesn't see the need to launch himself to free Jay, and sees the growing problem but doesn't quite know how to deal with it. All the party members are invisible. Jax only sees Urish, the Wizard, and the magical creature. He knows Jay is on the floor somewhere in front of him, and he can hear Amroth attacking Urish. Jax also knows at least two people are attacking the wizard. Jax moves forward and stops when his foot touches Jay.
Taran's enchanted crossbow bolts don't miss (otherwise the invisible Amroth would be wearing them). Both bolts sink deep into the now enraged Urish.
In his own goofy "let me through here" way, Jack de Crampon charges forward and slams into the invisible Taran (both fail a DEX check). They fall to the floor in a clatter of bones and equipment.
"For hell's sake, drop the group invisibility spell! You're going to get us all killed with it!" shouts Blodwydd, pointing her weapon downward, careful not to accidentally harm any party member.
Felixia hovers well above the action, not quite sure what to do.
The magic-using creature casts Shuriken Blood. The creature has no problem seeing the invisible party members, which are each now highlighted by magic. Its spell sends dozens of tiny hurling blades at the group. Blodwydd, Titania, Brienna, Felixia and Jax all take 1 hit of magical damage. Each round, they will continue bleeding cumulative damage until magically healed: e.g., in round two they will take 2 hits of bleeding damage unless healed; in round three, 4 hits, and so on.
Urish casts Force Blast on Amroth, sending him flying backwards twenty-five feet away into a stone wall. (Amroth takes 20 hits, from which he can deduct armor, and is stunned for one round.)
The Grutoss medallion begins to glow and get warm in Jay's hand.
It is now your turn; you each have one action, except for Amroth. What do you do?
"Frakazoula, Jack, ugn-nughn!" Taran gasps from the floor amid the re-animated skeletal thespian's bones, which poke him in the neck. The SniperOrc reaches behind him and pulls out a couple more enchanted bolts. "Curse my tusks, I knew I shoulda taken out that---ugh," he begins, shoving Jack's hip bone out of the way and loading the bolts, "guhr---spellcaster."
Taran would have plenty of time, he hopes, to worry about ignoring the number one rule of combat---take out the obvious spellcasters first. For now, he's glad someone else got it right---the Wizard from the painting is in bad shape. He fires two more bolts, this time at the creepy magic-using creature. He hopes the enchantment on the bolts once again sends them true....
Yes, Jay does get to deduct his armor from the 10 hits taken from the bite. So if you subtract 6 points for armor you only really take 4 hits.
Wonderful. I'm feeling much better now.
And yes, you had a chance to dodge Urish's grab, but you failed.
If Jay lives, he shall put his next level add into Dex. I'm sure a 12 Dex will be more than enough to dodge the attack of a god.
The glory days of debates with intelligent foes seem far away as pain fills Jay's back, but Urish doesn't hold Jay for long before bodily tossing him ten feet away to the cold stone floor in front of the other party members.
Khara, you should read some of the posts by hobbbit_king [sic]! Didn't you know? Hack&slash is boring! [This is a reference to hobbit_king's BFT posts, unarchived here, re: the value of combat that unfolds unpredictably in the hands of an imaginative GM. --ed.]
Urish doesn't hold Jay for long before bodily tossing him ten feet away to the cold stone floor.... (Jay takes 1 hit straight off his CON.)
When Jay has a 12 Dex, he will also start landing on his shield, à la Captain America.
...Titania casts Concealing Cloak, which makes all the non-Fairy party members invisible for 3 turns.... The down side to this spell is that none of the party members can see each other.
Interesting. Remind me to comment later.
[Amroth] stumbles over the invisible Jay on the floor, but somehow manages to remain on his feet....
"Ouch. Next time pay attention to where people land."
Jax moves forward and stops when his foot touches Jay.
"Ditto."
The magic-using creature casts Shuriken Blood....
Interesting spell from the description... wicked too, especially with that "magically healed" clause. Even if it can't be healed, can the bleeding be stopped temporarily if someone is actively trying to staunch the bleeding, or is it an automatic death sentence to anyone (multiple targets) without access to Poor Baby?
The creature has no problem seeing the invisible party members, which are each now highlighted by magic.
From its spell? Or were we highlighted first, so that it could see us to cast the spell?
Blodwydd, Titania, Brienna, Felixia and Jax all take 1 hit of magical damage.
I notice that Amroth, Taran, Krandor and a few others were not affected, so I'm presuming this is a limited area-effect spell. Since Felixia was flying up and above the combat uninvolved, would she be out of range and only accidentally included? Just asking. Regardless, I believe she possesses a Ring of Protection granting her resistance to magic and physical attacks, so she should be immune either way, yes?
Also---just asking---it sounds as if non-magical armor, shields, etc., do not prevent this damage, correct? How about Brienna's Girdle of Warding? Wouldn't that protect her?
Urish casts Force Blast on Amroth, sending him flying backwards twenty-five feet away into a stone wall. (Amroth... is stunned for one round.)
I submit Amroth lives in a state of insensibility, and should be immune to being knocked silly. Worm guts indeed.
The Grutoss medallion begins to glow and get warm in Jay's hand.
Hmmm, well, I was about to heal Jax, since he's right in front of me and more likely to get into melee combat than I am, but Jay is feeling the pain of a GM "reminder/hint" burning his hand.... Then again, Grutoss did say:
"If you use it unwisely, such as to save your lives having not found the source of the magical creations, it will kill you outright---that, I promise."
Jay is not convinced that we have found that source, or Krandor could've just used it upon arrival. Then again, Krandor is an idiot. Then again---actually, that last one is pretty hard to argue---but if this is not the source, we could all be dead, as the "you" is plural in at least one of the uses above. Then again, we might all die anyway. Then again, a few of us seem to have significantly hurt the three Wizards here. Then again, Krandor is an idiot. And I really can't trump that.
Jay will press his thumb to the medallion and say "DEATH GODDESS."
Titania, still convinced that they don't have a chance against this bug-god and his minions, is hesitant to lift the invisibility spell. It seems that only the magical creation can see them, so she feels an urgency to debilitate him. She casts Ker-rack! on the magic-user's arm and decides to wait one more minute before illuminating the group with Revelation.
The GM has confirmed to me that Jax does not see Jay heal himself and pull out Grutoss's medallion. But Jax must have seen Urish release Jay, as the GM writes that Jax sees no more need to free Jay. Nevertheless, Jax does not know exactly where Jay landed---the GM writes that Jax only knows that Jay is somewhere in front of him. One can conclude that Titania cast her spell while Jay was airborne.
The GM also explained to me that the magic-using creation benefits from the magical highlighting---but not the party: this is how the creature innately "sees invisible." This clarification was in order because it was not readily apparent in the GM's post (to eickeric and myself, at least) that the highlighting was not caused by the creature's casting Shuriken Blood.
Note that it cannot be assumed that this creature is the only foe who can see the party; indeed, Urish tried to dodge and then attacked Amroth. The GM also mentioned to me that the Fairies can see the invisible party members by nature of their innate magic.
Finally, note that Jax, like everyone else (save Krandor and Jay) still thinks Krandor has Grutoss's medallion. The medallion changed hands "secretly."
From Blodwydd's invectives, Jax guesses that someone within the party has misfired. "Amateurs," he sighs (but it comes out as a snort) as he leaps over what he estimates is a Jay-sized invisible volume at his feet and toward the creature who just peppered him with tiny magical blades.
Jay may be mortally wounded from Urish's bite for all Jax knows, but he cannot spare the time to pull his friend out of the way---not while a hostile magic thrower stands untouched in his presence. It's just another reason why Arahk Gnahk created Orc Warriors.
His vorpal blade arcs forcefully, intent on delivering death. Quickly.
Amroth shall be motionless as a stick in mud. Then he'll get up and kill Urish (well, attempt to).
One can conclude that Titania cast her spell while Jay was in mid-air.
Logical. Since Urish throwing Jay precedes Titania's spellcasting in the GM post, I presumed everyone had seen where Jay had landed (otherwise I wouldn't have had Jay tell the people stepping on him to pay more attention). It appears that Titania's spell is simultaneous not just with the magic-using creature becoming visible but also with Urish's toss. Okay.
The GM has also explained that the magic-using creation benefits from the magical highlighting---but not the party: this is how the creature innately "sees invisible."
Ah. Got it. Probably would've been better just to leave us guessing.
Jay may be mortally wounded from Urish's bite for all Jax knows, but he cannot spare the time to pull his friend out of the way....
Acquaintance, after that! ;P
The down side to [Concealing Cloak] is that none of the party members can see each other.
Like I said, I'd get to this.
Been somewhat confused on this, and as long as clarifications are being issued, perhaps I could get one here. The description in the 6th ed rules doesn't say much for Concealing Cloak: "Makes user and his companions invisible for 3 turns. (Note: some solos treat this as a Level 1 spell.)" No mention of a downside like we're suffering through now.
However, it's clearly based on the Hidey Hole spell (or Concealing Crack for those of you with the British rules). In both of those, it further defines, "mage may cancel his own spell at any time," so Titania would not need to use Revelation to remove it (as she posted) and could save a few points of Mystic.
More importantly, it continues with "people covered by the same CC are visible to each other." This pretty much spells out that this downside doesn't exist.
I'm not suggesting we institute this now so that suddenly we all see each other, as we've already had several effects happen just because we can't see each other (all detrimental to us, no less). Nevertheless, I would recommend using the expanded description for future uses of the spell. Without, it's of no real use to the party of the caster. Indeed, as noted, we've had much more difficulty trying not to hit each other than the foes have been hampered by us being "invisible."
I tend to think the current effect of us all being blinded to each other was simply an oversight, and easily explained away this time by the unusual effects and energies in the room, no doubt brought by Urish and the alien wizard.
Bingo. Sometimes, ya just gotta trust the ol' GM (may his bones never creak with age and his pets never whiz on his carpet) even if it don't add up. For example, on the few occasions that Taran has actually used his seek-enchanted crossbow bolts, even after making the level 0 SR vs Dex to hit, he's still missed due to outside forces beyond his control. (Knock on wood!)
Bingo. Sometimes, ya just gotta trust the ol' GM even if it don't add up.
Hey, no need to tell me. I'm the one who pointed out to Fuzz that the Troll that smacked him around might've studied martial arts.... [c.f. Goblin Lake, Part Deux --ed.]
(may... his pets never whiz on his carpet)
That's why Hobbits should never be kept indoors.
Erik [sic], you should know I never read other people's posts by now. <haughty evil laugh>.
Also---just asking---it sounds as if non-magical armor, shields, etc., do not prevent this damage [from Shuriken Blood], correct? How about Brienna's Girdle of Warding? Wouldn't that protect her?
The spell Shuriken Blood effects a limited number of people in a wide range. You are right on both counts: Felixia and Brienna would not be harmed by the spell. An oversight on my part. They were not harmed.
Even if it can't be healed, can the bleeding be stopped temporarily if someone is actively trying to staunch the bleeding [from Shuriken Blood], or is it an automatic death sentence to anyone (multiple targets) without access to Poor Baby?
Trying to staunch the bleeding will reduce damage to 1 hit per turn.
Then again, Krandor is an idiot.
Let it go before it consumes you.
The GM has confirmed to me....
All of jaxdracon's GM attributions are correct. Jax can see invisible when cloaked with his hood up. It's a property of his cloak! Let's just say I have a good "research department" who caught this oversight. [c.f. the end of Goblins in the Mist for the proof --ed.]
"Curse my tusks, I knew I shoulda taken out that---ugh," he begins, shoving Jack's hip bone out of the way and loading the bolts, "guhr---spellcaster."
Jack's bones un-discombobulate back together. "And you thought all I did was sing Orc songs, tells jokes, wrestle on the floor with Warriors, and do a little softshoe!" prattled Jack in his normal less-than-sensible rickety manner. "Wait until that foul villain tastes the bite of my Dagger Of Time!"
Taran fires twice and both bolts sink deep into the magic creature's chest in sickening thuds.
Jay presses his thumb to the gold medallion, and says "DEATH GODDESS" as it continues glowing with an unearthly power.
His vorpal blade arcs forcefully, intent on delivering death. Quickly.
Unfortunately, just as Jax delivers his stroke, the magical creature and his belongings disappear in a puff of dust as Taran's bolts deliver the creature its comeuppance.
She casts Ker-rack! on the magic-user's arm....
Instead, something happens as the entire room explodes into a ball of light. Everyone's wounds suddenly heal and close, leaving only the associated ripped clothing and armor. The Wizard's flesh falls from his bones even before his bones fall to the floor in a horrendous pile. The sight is horrifying and beyond true description. The paintings on the walls burst with energy one after another in sequence around the room until all of them have gone dark. A horrifying sound of screams and torment can be heard coming from each painting as it flashes off.
Everyone who is invisible suddenly becomes visible. Jay releases the medallion, dropping it to the floor as he moves back shielding his eyes. The Death Goddess Lerotra'hh herself walks out of the blinding light from the medallion.
Urish holds up his pointy insect-like appendages and a blue magical globe surrounds him. (Any technology indistinguishable from magic is sufficiently advanced.) Large chunks of stone begin falling here and there as the very castle itself begins to crumble.
The Death Goddess Lerotra'hh is truly impressive. She stands about 14 feet tall, lightly dressed in red tight-fitting garments, with long flowing reddish-brown hair thick as a lion's main. A gold crown fits perfectly on her head as if she has always worn it. Two huge onyx colored bat wings protrude from her back, rising well up over her head and almost touching the floor behind her. Her long slender demonic fingers hold long wickedly clawed nails as sharp as razors. In one hand she holds a tall skull-topped staff.
Wisps of electric energy dart across the floor in all directions around her as she takes a few steps forward, her jewels and ornaments rattling. Looking down at Jay for a brief moment with a furrowed brow, Lerotra'hh then turns her attention to Jax and Taran. "My faithful Agent brothers. Still toying with the timelines, I see!" A saucy grin crosses Lerotra'hh's red lips, then she turns toward Urish.
"You Zweetz clowns don't know the meaning of truce, and for that you will pay!" Both powerful beings eye each other as the castle rumbles and crumbles. Outside, huge towers of stone crumble and collapse, as roofs shift and stones fall apart in great thunderous collisions.
Jax looks up at Lerotra'hh and says, "Whoa, that's what she looks like," and then dodges away as a huge stone slams to the floor where he stood. Amroth (shaking off his daze), Krandor and Jax all move back to the group, dodging large chunks of falling debris like errant missiles.
What do you do?
Brienna watches the Death Goddess impassively for a moment, then looks around for a window. If she sees none, she heads to the nearest doorway when the stones start falling.
Felixia flutters over. "This is bad," she says, shaking her head. She tries to dodge the falling rocks as best as she can.
Jax realizes that the situation is beyond their control. Worse, it appears to be in the hands of a wrathful Death Goddess, who has a legendary (and admirable) penchant for overkill. This room is about to be ground zero and he doesn't want to be around when that happens. At least the whole mess is beginning to make some sense, except for that last comment from Lerotra'hh....
As he puts a meaty shoulder and 225 pounds of raw Orc into the double doors behind them, Jax can't help but smile. Zweetz keeps on throwing his weight around (or that of his hired alien mercenaries like Urish) and getting knocked silly by Lerotra'hh and her underground resistance. Jax, Taran and the other so-called Agents of Lerotra'hh, who valiantly tried to save Khazan from falling (and failed), and who thereafter formed the underground resistance, know that the "Lerotra'hh" governing Khazan is no more than a puppet doppelganger of Zweetz, set up to ensure stability in that important city. The real Lerotra'hh is in exile with Arahk Gnahk, but together they direct the ongoing guerilla war. Good to see them still at it.
He pounds the doors again, hoping against hope that he and Taran live to see the day that Zweetz and his bugs are toppled from power. Then it hits him (no, not a huge falling stone! <crosses OOC fingers>): the Death Goddess is not taking any hits from the crumbling castle walls....
"Get close to her!" he yells, rushing as near to Lerotra'hh as he dares, and ushering his brother and Jay (the closest two party members to Jax) along with him.
According to Ken's Trollworld timeline (page 2), the city Khazan fell to the serpent god Zweetz and his off-planet invasion force in 1313 A.K. This tumultuous event is the backdrop of Ken's 1997-1998 Monsters! Monsters!® play-by-post adventure Agents of Lerotra'hh (Jax and Taran's first, and also featuring the BFT's own Desuma, Domina and Pnakh).
Don't worry, the Trollworld timeline also has Arahk Gnahk and Lerotra'hh taking back Khazan with their own off-planet help in 1492 A.K., but long after many of the Agents of Lerotra'hh will have died of natural causes (or otherwise...).
By linking this adventure with the events in the TW timeline and with Jax and Taran's lifetimes, one can assume that the current year is 1315 A.K. (allowing for 2 years' time to account for the intervening adventures of the brothers Dracon after the fall of Khazan).
"Did he just say closer?" Titania thinks in a pause for wonder. She feels exposed and naked without her natural cloak of Fairy invisibility; she always invokes it in a situation like this, and hates when it is forcibly removed. "Ah well. Nothing to do about that now," she thinks, as Jax makes good on his shout and moves toward the Death Goddess.
At the moment, Titania can't see a better alternative, other than, of course, escape altogether. Acting on that particular impulse, she moves to follow Brienna out of the disaster area.
<loud lurch> "WHY!? Why now, I say!? In presence of the Death Goddess? Last time I pass some gas, and now! I'm starving. Oh yeah, Grutoss gave me those beetles," he says, rummaging though his bag. "Ah, one for now, the rest for later." He pops one in his mouth.
"Looks like Jax has got the right idea: go under her and she can't see you checking her out." He runs underneath Lerotra'hh.
Was I ever told what the beatles [sic] do?
You were never told what the beetles will do. Think of the beetles from the movie Mummy... tisk, tisk... putting one in your mouth is not good. Quipping in front of the Death Goddess is even worse. Oh my!
Good thing you didn't write, "Beatles from the movie Yellow Submarine!" Now that would be really bad. ;)
"We all live in a---hey, stop chomping on me!"
So... in both adventures, Amroth meets his demise because of something he ate, or because he ate something. Cool! Whatta way to go....
As for the Beatles: <thwappleJax> Ow!
Erik [sic], you should know I never read other people's posts by now. <haughty evil laugh>.
For shame. May you grow like a turnip, with your feet in the air and your head in the ground.
You are right on both counts: Felixia and Brienna would not be harmed by the spell. An oversight on my part. They were not harmed.
The Spider spins again! EEE-yaHA!
Trying to staunch the bleeding will reduce damage to 1 hit per turn.
Veddy good.
Let it go before it consumes you.
You're at least 20 posts too late to offer that advice.
All of jaxdracon's GM attributions are correct.
He makes his family proud.
Jax can see invisible when cloaked with his hood up.
Then he kicked me on purpose?!?
I get as close to Lerotra'hh as possible and cast Poor Baby on myself to stop the bleeding. After that, I use it on whomever else is around and needs it for the same purpose: stopping the bleeding. Other than that, I continue to follow Jax, or Lerotra'hh now.
Then he kicked me on purpose?!?
Jax was under a spell, not the invisibility of his cloak. That was the reason he couldn't see you.
I... cast Poor Baby on myself to stop the bleeding. After that, I use it on whomever else is around and needs it for the same purpose: stopping the bleeding.
Everyone's wounds have already healed and closed, as I posted previously. So you have no need to cast any Poor Baby spells, except maybe on Jax and Amroth who get wounded in this post.
Trying his best to exit the room, Jax fails, as the double doors seem locked or jammed.
Then it hits him (no, not a huge falling stone! <crosses OOC fingers>)....
A heavy rock smashes into Jax's shoulder (Jax takes 8 hits. Since it is crushing damage, nonmagical armor is ineffective.) "OW!" Then he rushes close to Lerotra'hh, taking Taran and Jay with him.
Felixia flies closer to the group and sees alteration magic coming from Lerotra'hh, forming a wide circle around her. Only this area near Lerotra'hh seems to be safe from harm: the only safe haven in this chaos.
Blodwydd instinctively yelps and jumps backwards when a square five-ton piece of cut stone as big as she is tall falls from the ceiling, shattering the fine tiled floor just feet in from her. The impact shakes the floor like a fine stringed instrument. Blodwydd backs further up into the group, eyeing the door, and decides that running is not an option.
Brienna looks for a window, but there are none. Large stones continue to fall from the walls and ceiling. One of the huge double doors breaks free from its hinges as the walls shift, and it falls to the floor in a thunderous crash. Brienna does know that this castle is big and it will take ten minutes of running to get out of it---if she only knew where to run.
"Oh now the door opens," thinks Jax as the maelstrom increases.
Jack de Crampon, Jay and Krandor keep silent, not knowing what will happen next, and keep close to Jax.
Titania moves to follow Brienna out of the disaster area, but the area beyond the door looks deadly and dangerous with falling debris.
Amroth in his own twisted way, opens his bag, pops a beetle in his mouth and looks up at the Death Goddess.
"Technology is a real bitch when it's used against you, Zweetz lackey!" In a toothy grin, Lerotra'hh twists and looks down at Amroth who is in turn eyeing her. "Remind me to kill you later!"
Amroth's black thumb-sized mechanical beetles all take flight from his pouch at the same time, moving around Lerotra'hh and toward Urish. They pass easily through the bug-god's blue magical globe surrounding him. Each beetle burrows into Urish's body, his tissues serving as the beetles' energy source. Urish screeches in pain.
The remaining metal beetle in Amroth's mouth comes to life, burrows upward through Amroth's mouth, up his cheek below his eye, pops out of Amroth's skin and flies away to join its brothers. (Amroth takes 2 hits straight off his CON.) Groaning in pain, Amroth's mouth suddenly fills with blood and his antics seem less than funny as blood pours from his mouth like syrup. In a minute or less, Urish's body is on the floor quivering in its death throes as the beetles have their meal.
What do you do?
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