Pt. 5: The Journey to White Mountain

John Henry casually stands by, whistling a cheery workin' tune.

There are no other tracks in the area, besides the party. The place seems strangely quiet and devoid of wildlife.

navyik wrote:Ok abyssal, celestial, ancient, dwarven, elven, draconic.

If its not one of those i have a 17+10=27 litteracy roll.

Yes, all those languages exist in this world. Ancient language would be Primordial. However, none of those listed are of the writings Traveler found. It is a gibberish. The font of the letters seems arcane, but it makes no sense to Oli.


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Virgil and Monk have joined Oli in the stable. It is small and adjacent to the cabin. The walls are made of mortared-stone and the door is wood and of the kind that raises open, like a garage. Suddenly, the doorway shrinks and disappears as the sides of it congeals together, sealing them inside.

"Here may you find all you desire," says the mimic in a cold, alien voice telepathically to the three adventurers. The massive core of the creature rises up out of the floor, pulsing with pseudopods, eyes, and mouths. Walls reach out with grasping claws and bite with sharp-fanged mouths.

Meanwhile, Jay looks around in a worried fashion. "Beep... receiving... over-ride... kill... function... beep!" And then all the golems droop over, as if turned off. The light goes out of their eyes, the glowing runes dim.

"By the spirits! Some foul magic is at work here!" exclaims the treant.


Everyone should roll initiative now.

7+2=9 init.

Shit. I knew it.

Traveler's initiative: 1d20+1 (7+1)=8

Result of the throw of dice "1d20 +4" :

20 + 4 = 24

Initiative for Neraka:

Roll(1d20)+2:
20,+2
Total:22

fuck, wasted 20

map updated:
[Only admins are allowed to see this image]" />

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]" />

The pawn represents the creature's core. From the outside, it still looks like a spooky cabin.

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

Robyo wrote:
Virgil and Monk have joined Oli in the stable. It is small and adjacent to the cabin. The walls are made of mortared-stone and the door is wood and of the kind that raises open, like a garage. Suddenly, the doorway shrinks and disappears as the sides of it congeals together, sealing them inside.

"Here may you find all you desire," says the mimic in a cold, alien voice telepathically to the three adventurers. The massive core of the creature rises up out of the floor, pulsing with pseudopods, eyes, and mouths. Walls reach out with grasping claws and bite with sharp-fanged mouths.

Virgil's initiative
Result of the throw of dice "1d20 +5" :

15 + 5 = 20

Grit for the day
Result of the throw of dice "1d4 +1" :

1 + 1 = 2

variable vitality for the day
Result of the throw of dice "1d6" :

6


So are we "inside" the mimic? Like we walked into its mouth (cabin doorway) unknowingly or something, then the mimic revealed itself.

Might be time for Oli to call in that artillery directly on our position. I have no idea how to fight something that tricked us into feeding ourselves to it.

cut your way out?

give it indigestion badly enough to have it puke us out?

it's a cool monster-trap either way   

Chirs2 wrote:give it indigestion badly enough to have it puke us out?

it's a cool monster-trap either way   

Agreed. Cool trap. Makes me think of when Han Solo flew the Millennium Falcon into the giant asteroid worm.

It's a huge-sized mimic called the wandering cabin. I never thought much of mimics before, but then I saw one that was huge-sized and shaped like a tower, I was like, yes, of course!


Round 1

Initiative:
1 - John Henry
2 - Neraka
3 - Virgil
4 - mimic
5 - Klandor/Vyrm
6 - Bluetwig
7 - Oli
8 - Traveler


JH is up.

very Lovecraftian... hopefully we survive with our sanity intact   

Is it too much to hope that it already took a point or two of wound damage when Traveler busted down the door?  

GM- It still looks like a cabin on the outside, correct?

Is there any indication of trouble that would let those of us outside know that something is amiss?

MAS wrote:GM- It still looks like a cabin on the outside, correct?

Is there any indication of trouble that would let those of us outside know that something is amiss?

Uh, when I asked everyone to roll initiative?

Seriously, you guys recognize a problem. Three of JH's companions are now sealed inside, the golems have become inactive, and Bluetwig cried about "foul magic!" Swing away as you please, or continue to RP the encounter if you wish. Maybe JH should go and knock on the door or something.

"what the.....what in THE.....WHAT IN THE HELL is THIS?!?!?!"

John Henry's mood quickly shifts as the horrific hovel reveals its true nature. He charges forward (along any route that give him 10 feet of movement prior to the attack) and launches a furious blow intended to break the walls open.

Swift action: Greater Rage
Move action: 10+ ft charge towards mimic.
Attack w/ Crusher Club:

Attack = + 4 (half level) + 7 (prime attribute) +2 (powerful build) +2 (rage) +2 (favorite weapon) -2 (power attack) = +15

Result of the throw of dice "1d20 +15" :

16 + 15 = 31


If HITS, Damage:
14 (2 handed heavy weapon) +5 (favorite weapon) +4 (fire, primal weapon) + 5 (power attack) = +28
Rage +10 / Charge +5 (10 ft move required) / Raging assault +15 (once daily, 5v)

Result of the throw of dice "1d10 +58" :

7 + 58 = 65

Spend 2 vitality on Crusher club ability: resist using Fort or suffer 1d6 wound damage
Result of the throw of dice "1d6" :

2 possible wound damage


JH is -7 Vitality. If he cant do both vitality activated abilities in one attack, then he forgoes the Crusher club's ability and is at -5.

MAS wrote:
Result of the throw of dice "1d10 +58" :
7 + 58 = 65

  

glad JH is on our side!

nice crunch


and just FYI, the Carbone family is taking a 3 day weekend trip to Denver, taking the kids to the zoo, museum, etc and let them see some local culture for Cinco De Mayo. I am sure they will bring their Ipads for hotel time and I will have my phone, but my frequency of checking in will probably be 1-2 times per day.

Well, I neglected to add one detail when the monster reveled itself: all of the cabin exits sealed themselves.

Robyo wrote:Traveler forces the door with his shoulder and it pops open without much effort.

Thus, Traveler did not knock down the door. It opened easily when he put his shoulder into it (because that's what the mimic wanted). Anyways, the mimic reveals itself and then the front door slamed shut, which is yet another clue to JH and the others that something is amiss.


And so, JH puts the hurt onto the wandering cabin. Yes, he can use the weapon's wound ability along with his other powers.


Neraka is up.

Well, I can't do damage like the big man does but I'll try anyway. Wolf-out.. -1 vitality.

Bite Attack:

Roll(1d20)+13:
10,+13
Total:23

Damage if that hits:

Roll(2d8)+6:
1,8,+6
Total:15

Claws:

Roll(1d20)+13:
14,+13
Total:27

If hits:

Roll(2d6)+6:
5,3,+6
Total:14

Neraka strikes the huge foe with both attacks, but the mimic's tough hide absorbs any damage.


Virgil is up.

Virgil pulls down his Stolgar-wolf mask and gazes at the alien mimic with a predator's eyes....  

Eldritch Hunter Lore: As a swift action, you focus on
a target within 30 ft and line of sight. If you pass a DC 15 Arcana
check, you learn the ammunition material such as silver or lead, if
any, for which the foe has a weakness. If you fail the check by 10 or
more, you guess the wrong material.

Arcana check:
Gun Magic: Boost Arcana by +5, or by +10 on checks
involving firearms

Roll(1d20)+13:
4,+13
Total:17

awaiting results.....

From what Virgil can surmise, there is no known weakness to aberrations.

Virgil cries out loudly, "By Stolgar, the cabin is a alive!  Time to give this beast some heart burn."  

Swift, Shield (-1 vit) +2 DR

move action - Gun Mage, Shocking Grasp (-2 vit) "Bring the Thunder" Virgil spins his carbine around the lever to charge it

Rapid shot, 2 attacks at the "core" of the creature, with his standard Mithril bullets

1st shot vs Reflex +1 grit
Roll(1d20)+18:
13,+18
Total:31

if that hits
Roll(2d10)+13:
8,5,+13
Total:26

+8 damage if the Mimic is Evil, 34 total

Shocking Grasp
Roll(1d20)+17:
12,+17
Total:29

if that hits, damage, electrical
Roll(5d6)+0:
1,4,3,1,6,+0
Total:15

+ Daze


2nd shot
Roll(1d20)+17:
2,+17
Total:19

if that hits
Roll(2d10)+13:
6,6,+13
Total:25

+8 if evil, total 33

Vitality 46\49
Grit 1\2

Virgil "brings the thunder" as it were, and fires two rounds. His bullets (just barely) penetrate the mimic's tough hide.

The creature shrugs off the electrical damage and dazing effect. A maniacal laughter invades the minds of the 3 trapped adventurers. "Is that the best that you can do?" it challenges. "See if you like what's up next, and try not to lose your lunch!"

Rippling Architecture (move): burst 25': the floors of the cabin roll like ocean waves in a turbulent storm.
33 vs Reflex = targets fall prone and are dazed for one round.

Maw of Doom (swift): the core spews acid all over the adjacent target (Virgil).
28 vs Fort = 32 acid damage.

Holds it's standard action to see who stands up.


Klandor fires two stones from his sling, causing little harm to the mimic.


Bluetwig runs up and pounds on the cabin's roof, doing moderate physical damage.


Oli is up.

navyik wrote:"Oli will cast secret chamber. Standard action. Does the mimic act?"


I believe Oli is dazed. If so, then he can take no actions, but he can defend himself normally (p.228). Secret Chamber doesn't require an attack roll, but it is a standard action. Any other ideas?


Traveler is up, but he's in a similar condition.

Traveler Monk can take no actions.

He remembers training from his youth. One of his tougher teachers, Master Koga, had taught him to use the appearance of weakness as a potential advantage in combat.

Traveler Monk remains on his back, observing what he can about the situation, ready to respond to any attacks.

Round 2: +1 attk/dam

Initiative:
1 - John Henry
2 - Neraka
3 - Virgil
4 - mimic
5 - Klandor/Vyrm
6 - Bluetwig
7 - Oli
8 - Traveler


JH is up.

"DAG NABIT...ya creepy BASTARD cabin!!!!"


JH uses a move action to run quickly backwards 10 ft from the cabin, and then bolts forward 10 feet into his next attack (charge requires a 10 ft move).

Main weapon = Great Club (Crushing club) = Heavy, 1d10
Attack = + 4 (half level) + 7 (prime attribute) +2 (powerful build) +2 (rage) +2 (favorite weapon) -2 (power attack) = +15

Result of the throw of dice "1d20 +15" :

16 + 15 = 31

Damage IF HITS
14 (2 handed heavy weapon) +5 (favorite weapon) +4 (fire, primal weapon) + 5 (power attack)
Rage +10 / Charge +5 (10 ft move required) / Stunning blow +15 (once daily, 5v) = +58

Result of the throw of dice "1d10 +58" :

6 + 58 = 64

Activates crusher club -2 vit

Result of the throw of dice "1d6" :

3 wound points

-7 vit (-14 total)

JH attempts to move away from the mimic in order to do his charge. Cabin gets an AoO since JH is actively disengaging and the thing has a reach of 15' anyways. A corner of the cabin forms into a giant club and swings at the barbarian.
Slam: 25 vs Fort = 30 damage and target slides 15'.

Even with the slide, I believe JH can still move another 15' to get his charge and attack. Rushing back in, the barbarian whacks the cabin and it shakes in pain. He whittles away at the creature's wound points.


Neraka is up.

keep at it....

Bite:

Roll(1d20)+13:
6,+13
Total:19

ick, not sure

Damage?

Roll(2d8)+6:
4,4,+6
Total:14

Claw:


Roll(1d20)+13:
20,+13
Total:33

Hah!

Damage 18 no DR

The werewolf claw-swipes the cabin and does some harm.


Virgil is up.

Robyo wrote:
Slam: 25 vs Fort = 30 damage and target slides 15'.

My fort is 25...do I need to roll?

MAS wrote:

Robyo wrote:
Slam: 25 vs Fort = 30 damage and target slides 15'.

My fort is 25...do I need to roll?

No need to roll. Fortitude is John Henry's defense against large-weapon melee attacks. The mimic barely hit JH's target number, but it did, so JH suffers damage. Subtract DR (armor worn, magic items, etc) from total damage taken and the remainder gets through, which is subtracted from JH's vitality. Once Vitality is depleted, subtract damage from total wound points. I'm sure you know all this  

The only thing I've changed is, in the Radiance book it says to exceed the target number, but I house-ruled so you just have to meet the number (like in the usual D&D attack roll vs AC). There is no Armor Class in Radiance, just armor as damage reduction. Attack rolls go against the 3 defenses (saves).

JH takes 24 vit from the hit, and has spent 14. Rage granted him a bonus 10 to start the encounter at 50.

JH current Vitality is 12.

 


We had better kill this thing quick!

It's Chris's turn, and I know he's on vacation and not checking in too regularly, which is cool, but Virgil is dazed and prone anyways, and I don't know if there's much he can do. I'll go ahead and go with the NPC's and we'll ret-con if needed...


Mimic wants to finish off the heroes inside, but JH is causing too much harm. The cabin wall does a Slam attack (standard) to JH.
33 vs Fort= 33 damage and target slides 15'. Remember, characters are knocked out at 0 wound points, but dead at negative Constitution. When less than 0, each round a character goes without healing or first aid, they lose one additional wound point.

The core of the creature spews acid at the wizard. Maw of Doom (swift) to Oli: 34 vs Fort = 39 acid damage.

Mimic spends a FP for additional action: the wall grapples monk: 33 vs Fort = Monk is grappled.

Taint Vicitm (swift): grappled target gains 1d6 points of Taint. Monk is grappled and gains 4 Taint. When a character's taint score equals their Wisdom, they go insane.

"Tell the others outside to stop, or you will all die," the creature says in Monk's mind.


Klandor slings some more arcane stones. Bluetwig beats on the cabin roof.


Oli is up. He is prone, but no longer dazed.

Virgil?

Casting secret chamber. "Marshal, get mr. Karate-man and get inside!" Rapid spell: magic missle at the core. 17dmg. Faith point for move action: crawls into secret chamber.

John Henry had 12 vitality left, 12 wound points, and 20 con.

33 vit damage, DR 6 = 27

Jon Henry is Unconscious, at -3 con, and will bleed out dead in 17 more rounds.

Total CMB from Monk & Martialist (+ Equipment bonuses):
Disarm:     +5 attack  +15 resist
Feint:         +0 attack, +10 resist
Grapple:    +15 attack (+20 for 5 min), +20 resist 
Sunder:      +5 attack, + 10 resist
Trip:           +5 attack, +15 resist


Don't forget, Monk resists Grappling at +20 to fort. Even dazed he should be able to defend himself normally.

Are you sure the mimic got him? The wau I understand yhe rules, Mimic should have to hit fort of 25+ yhe 20 to resist grapple that monk has. -5 for being prone monk still should resist at +40

Oli fires off a magic missile at the creature's core and crawls into his secret chamber.

Monk successfully resisted the grapple attack. He also does not receive Taint.


Traveler is up.

Arcturus2 wrote:Total CMB from Monk & Martialist (+ Equipment bonuses):
Disarm:     +5 attack  +15 resist
Feint:         +0 attack, +10 resist
Grapple:    +15 attack (+20 for 5 min), +20 resist 
Sunder:      +5 attack, + 10 resist
Trip:           +5 attack, +15 resist


Don't forget, Monk resists Grappling at +20 to fort. Even dazed he should be able to defend himself normally.

Are you sure the mimic got him? The wau I understand yhe rules, Mimic should have to hit fort of 25+ yhe 20 to resist grapple that monk has. -5 for being prone monk still should resist at +40

Thanks for clearing that up, but are you sure his resistance to grapple is that high? I can see a  +5 from Defensive Maneuver Training and +5 from Offensive Maneuver Training: Grapple, but what else does he get? Even a +10 to his Fort keeps him from getting grappled by the mimic. Radiance doesn't use CMB/CMD like pathfinder does.

map updated:
[Only admins are allowed to see this image]" />

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]" />

Counter represents entrance to Oli's secret chamber. Oli is in there now.
Virgil prone.
Monk prone. Sorry his pawn got pushed out of the cabin stable on the map. The stable is 10'x10'. Of course you have to imagine the inside of the cabin has shifted and looks quite odd by this point.
JH unconscious and prone.


Traveler is up.

crazy fight so far, Virgil is dazed, so he isn't doing much

Robyo wrote:

Arcturus2 wrote:Total CMB from Monk & Martialist (+ Equipment bonuses):
Disarm:     +5 attack  +15 resist
Feint:         +0 attack, +10 resist
Grapple:    +15 attack (+20 for 5 min), +20 resist 
Sunder:      +5 attack, + 10 resist
Trip:           +5 attack, +15 resist


Don't forget, Monk resists Grappling at +20 to fort. Even dazed he should be able to defend himself normally.

Are you sure the mimic got him? The wau I understand yhe rules, Mimic should have to hit fort of 25+ yhe 20 to resist grapple that monk has. -5 for being prone monk still should resist at +40

Thanks for clearing that up, but are you sure his resistance to grapple is that high? I can see a  +5 from Defensive Maneuver Training and +5 from Offensive Maneuver Training: Grapple, but what else does he get? Even a +10 to his Fort keeps him from getting grappled by the mimic. Radiance doesn't use CMB/CMD like pathfinder does.

Sure. Here's the breakdown:

Monk Class Abilities:

Core: Offensive Maneuver Training: +5 to grapple, also add +5 to resist.
Intermediate: Defensive Maneuver Training: +5 to resist grapple, trip, etc.

Martialist Theme Awards:

Minor: Defensive Maneuver Training: +5 to resist grapple, trip, etc.
Major: Offensive Maneuver Training: +5 to grapple, also +5 to resist.

Magic item: Grappler's Gauntlets
This fine leather gauntlets make you an expert grappler.
Benefit:while wearing the gauntlets you can grapple an adjacent foe up to one size larger than you when you beat the foe's fortitude. Apply a plus 5 bonus to initiate or resist grappling.

So I guess it's actually +25 to resist, sorry. But anyway, that's how I got so slippery.

I wanted to build a character that was a hand-to-hand master.

Monk's head clears and he jumps to his feet. (Move Action)

He attacks the obvious core of the Mimic with all he has.

Flurry of Blows: (standard action)

First attack: 1d20+12 (17+12+1)= 30
If that hits, damage: 2d6 +17 (4+5+1+17)=27 (5 holy damage)

Second attack: 1d20+12 ( 19+12+1)=32
If that hits, damage: 2d6+ 17 (6+2+1+17)=26 (5 holy damage)

That's all Monk has.

I don't believe you can choose the same powers twice and then stack them. Offensive and Defensive Maneuvers from class and theme are the same and don't stack.

For example if a Drack (dragonborn) took sorcerer and tried to stack breath weapons, uh, no.


Traveler cuts loose with a Flurry of Blows, but the monster's tough hide absorbs most of the damage.


Round 3: +2 attk/dam

Initiative:
1 - John Henry
2 - Neraka
3 - Virgil
4 - mimic
5 - Klandor/Vyrm
6 - Bluetwig
7 - Oli
8 - Traveler


JH is up, but he's unconscious and bleeding out. He loses another wound point.


Neraka is up.

- 4 Con, 16 rounds left.

Robyo wrote:I don't believe you can choose the same powers twice and then stack them. Offensive and Defensive Maneuvers from class and theme are the same and don't stack.

For example if a Drack (dragonborn) took sorcerer and tried to stack breath weapons, uh, no.


Traveler cuts loose with a Flurry of Blows, but the monster's tough hide absorbs most of the damage.


Round 3: +2 attk/dam

Initiative:
1 - John Henry
2 - Neraka
3 - Virgil
4 - mimic
5 - Klandor/Vyrm
6 - Bluetwig
7 - Oli
8 - Traveler


JH is up, but he's unconscious and bleeding out. He loses another wound point.


Neraka is up.

Yeah, when you put it like that, fair enough. Stil
, +15 is solid. Is it ok if I edit my character sheet and swap in some things I can ise then?

MAS wrote:-16 Con.

Can't you roll a heal check to stop bleeding out at least?