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C3 Episode 9 Castle on a Hill Chapter Two image

C3 Episode 9 Castle on a Hill Chapter Two

Eberron Renewed
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369 Plays21 days ago

What remains in the tower?

This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Irene Viorritto, Darrell DeLaney, Charles Compton, Deviouspoptart, Nastasia Raulerson, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Rebekah Gowman, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Jerry Theuns, Mark Stanley, and Shelby Johnson.

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Transcript
00:00:02
Speaker
um

Introduction to Eberron Renewed Podcast

00:00:04
Speaker
threatenly with the coach or twenty radio at your gamers role
00:00:16
Speaker
yeah
00:00:22
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Eberron Renewed, an actual play podcast set in the Eberron campaign setting. I am your game master, Eric. I'm Mia. I'm Phillip. I'm Jeff. And welcome to another episode. What happened last time, everybody? Phillip's character got

Dream Battle and Physics Hijinks

00:00:37
Speaker
us in a fight. I was invited to try the window. Don't spin this back on me. You were placated about a window. And when we invited, I did so. We had some physics hijinks and then we fought a dragon and we won. and It was pretty good fight, like ah a facile fight.
00:00:56
Speaker
We seem to be in some sort of place with dream physics. It's true and dream logic and dream metaphysics. Yeah. So, yeah, as I mean, I guess what do you all do once the dragon slumps to the ground and your feet melt eventually once the dragon is dead?
00:01:12
Speaker
That was my first question. Thank you. Not your feet. melt The ice around your feet melt. yeah We're dealing with dreams. So I need to check your teeth. However, do you begin? to talk Oh, no, no, no, no, no. not I got some teeth stuff coming up. Just you wait. so I know. Just now. Can I go check out the Franken dragon? It's right there. running Yeah.
00:01:32
Speaker
still physical? Is it like an actual thing that I can still engage with? Yeah, I mean, you can touch it as much as you could touch that loaf of bread before, like it's there. so Is there anything of interest that I can kind of like pluck off of it since it's already like sewn? I mean, there's dragon there there are dragon scales all over it, which, you know, have various properties. You see it's it's fangs. It it doesn't have Obviously it being beastial in nature, it doesn't have like a pack or anything or good pieces to get from unless you were to cut it open and see if it swallowed anything. i have Can

Quest for the Dragon Scale

00:02:08
Speaker
I try and like pluck off a scale or something that just seems like easy? Maybe we're somewhere else to hit a scale. Can I throw it outside of the bubble? Sure.
00:02:18
Speaker
walk over, and as you go to toss outside of the bubble, it bounces off the barrier and lands at your feet. That's disappointing. That's what I thought. I'm leaving that thing alone. I cannot keep anything I take. Is everyone okay? Is everyone... yeah Oh yeah, yeah a totally fine. yeah yeah yeah as As this bleeding. I'm going to cast. I didn't take the big spell, so I cast a regular old healing spell. Oh, no, I think the domain. OK, if you if that's a limited time use thing, you can rally in between combat encounters so as to can heal thyself for a bit. Just if

Healing and Resting Strategies

00:03:01
Speaker
you're healing is a limited resource there. and I mean, I can. yeah So I am technically all of the healing stuff is just per battle.
00:03:08
Speaker
or during battle. So you tell me. OK, I can do three based on the battle we just had. If you declare or deem that I can do heal ups after I have three uses of the spell because I get two per battle and I earned a third one with my natural 90 on that one. So if I go ahead. According to the rules of the game, since we are out of combat, the rules for healing are to take a quick rest, which is where just you take a breather. It's not like a short rest in D and&D where it's an hour long.
00:03:36
Speaker
where you can use as many recoveries as you want to heal yourself. okay If you are staggered, When you take a quick rest, which I think is the case for as to definitely, which is bloodied in fourth edition roles, you're lower than half your max. Then you have to try to heal yourself either using the recovery or getting a spell cast on you. And then if anybody, but go ahead. <unk> Just so you guys know my healing spell, it just enables to use it. you You should use a recovery. Oh yeah. Just during calm. boy's big so we've um Okay. All right. Then I will do that. It's like, it's like, it's like fourth edition with the healing surgeries.
00:04:13
Speaker
Healing surges, yeah. There are some healing spells that just allow you to heal, but they're typically higher level. Most of them require to use user your recoveries. yeah i've got And then if anybody used a recharge power, now would be the time that you try to recharge it. yeah um So we can all just roll one recovery, yeah.
00:04:30
Speaker
You can roll as many recoveries as you want. How many do you have? One? No, I have nine. I think I have eight. Okay. Okay. So yeah, as many as you want to get back up to full. Hell yeah, you're going to roll as much as I want to say. Back up to full. And plus full. I can't do that. I feel better than I ever have. Hey, wait. Quick maths. Don't worry. And me and my ghost killed a dragon. Thanks, Valak. Please don't mention it. Actually, don't mention it. Valak can't shut up about it. Um...
00:04:59
Speaker
I don't get anything cool by going over Max, right? No. And be sure to add your constitution modifier each time you roll a recovery. Well, I would have healed over anyway, so. All right.
00:05:14
Speaker
I don't even know if we tried the window anymore. I'm honestly a little afraid of what is going to keep coming out of the window. ilaing up to the window i'm scared to knock on the door because i think we just killed this guy's dog vok is going to do just plant save you up to the Back is like gos going for the window. OK, because you've seen as to do it so many times at this point back, you are confident in your ability to do it. So you leap up to the window, grab under the ledge and see where the window is shattered. You see what looks to be a large pen that would have held a large animal like like there's feeding trough a large like
00:05:59
Speaker
big barrel cut in half full of water and a large pile of straw that you can see would have been where this beast would have bedded down. And

Exploration and Discovery

00:06:09
Speaker
there is two doors from your vantage point of the window, one to the left and one to the right. We got lucky enough to choose the pets room. So I think we're safe to go through this one, though, at least. Are there bones on littering the ground from this? Oh, yeah. Feeding oh god yeah us also then jumps up to the window.
00:06:29
Speaker
yeah There's also like a large like boars hide ball with some tears in it and scraps marks and stuff. Oh, it's just a baby. A little Franken baby. A little Franken baby. Is everyone else trying to jump up to the window? At this point. Yeah. Level skip. Yep. You all jump up to the eighth level. And yeah, like I said, a door to the right and door to the left. can If I go to the door on the right, can I hear anything if I press my ear to it? Give me a wisdom check.
00:06:58
Speaker
I'm going to take a 14 plus my modifier, which is 317 plus my level 18. You are very confident that there's nothing on the other side of this door that you can hear. Nope. Can I check the other door? i'm pure yeah Yeah, I'll let you carry over that check as well. There's you you can't hear anything on the other side of that door either. It doesn't seem to be deadened in any way, just there's nothing on the other side of the door to hear.
00:07:23
Speaker
on the the left door because that's where i'm at now i'm at a peak you see so you see stairs leading down oh does it is it just down yes where is it all right is there there's no landing it's just there's the stairs and then yep stairs leading right to that door yep this is a weird building okay yeah i think we already knew that you are a bundle of joy Thank you. You're welcome. It's a pleasure. It's a pleasure. So this door goes down steps that go down. Yeah, I think I'm not even going to say logically assume that the other door is going up. So I think we should just check that or make sure it goes up.
00:08:02
Speaker
As the door walks over to the other door and cracks it open. You find stairs, stairs that go up. This one goes up. Do you know which way we want to go? No. Right. Well, typically with mages towers, they're a little arrogant, so they have their fanciest, most important rooms at the top. Up we go then. We should go to the top. Swings the door open and starts.
00:08:26
Speaker
walking up the stairs quietly, quietly. OK, so the basically the way it looks is that the stairs curve along the like exterior wall of the tower, like in between the room and okay the exterior wall. So you kind of curve around the tower. So you end up on.
00:08:47
Speaker
What would have been the left hand side of the next floor and there is a door there. I still looks back at the other two. Is it my turn to open the door? I don't. Thank you for volunteering. Please open the door. I open the door. Oh, OK. So you open the door and I open the door in such a way that whatever flame shoots out of it might miss me, though. I'm not an idiot. Oh, man.
00:09:09
Speaker
Now, as you open the door, you hear faint crying from like multiple voices, but it's like gentle sobs, I guess.

Faceless Figures Encounter

00:09:21
Speaker
And as you open the door, because you said you're opening the door, you see this room appears to be it looks like a well-appointed like sitting room or den.
00:09:31
Speaker
There's a fireplace with a fire roaring bookshelves along the walls. And you see five figures facing away from you. On the other side of the room, there's another door directly across the room for you. And they are the figures that are obviously crying. And you see a older man.
00:09:52
Speaker
with kind of salt and pepper grayish hair it with the the horseshoe like bald on top hair on the back and sides his arm around what looks to be an older woman who is also crying these people are all dressed pretty well with graying hair a younger woman and then two younger men, probably in their 30s. And as the door opens and they're gently crying, you hear the younger woman in her 30s say, we know but you did window what you you did. And they all turn around and rather than faces,
00:10:33
Speaker
What you see, there's no eyes or nose. It's just flesh. But the latter, like two thirds of their face are taken up by a circular mouth. And you can see the teeth all in a radial shape coming from the mouth. I'm rolling for stress. I'm rolling for stress. And they all begin to scream. And yes, Anthony has done rolling for her stress. We will roll initiative.
00:11:02
Speaker
I did. We are good for now. Good. They have good news. It's not good. They rolled a one for their initiative. Oh, that's still not comforting. Plus my three? Initiative? Yeah. Yes. Twenty-two. Sixteen. I almost caught it. Sorry. Fifteen. Nice. During the last time.
00:11:20
Speaker
Was it clear who they were speaking to or did they just turn around in general? They turned and looked at Theron. Can they look? Well, they directionally, they were if they had eyes, they were they were clearly talking me to Theron when they said that. Yes, just made some bread.
00:11:36
Speaker
Oh, is this about the swimming? it I think it's because she killed their dragon. I said we shouldn't go in because I just killed this guy's dog. I said that. So the other thing that you note is it looks like as they were crying, they were all reading something. And just when they when the woman turned and said, we know he did, she kind of gestured.
00:11:58
Speaker
like like it was something written on the pages, like they had discovered something awful and that's what they were reacting to. Theron, you were 15, is that right? Yes. Okay, so we have Vow, Asda, the woman that spoke to Theron, then Theron, then the rest of the eyeless, nozeless maws. And yeah, so Vow, it is your turn. The room is like Well, and you are you are nearby to the entities. It's only like 30 feet across. OK, so is going to, of course, start getting his focus. But at the same time, for like a quick actions, kind of put his hands out, just be like, we can talk through this. It's OK. You hear all five voices in a very discordant harmony say, we know what you did. Obviously not. This is is not OK. All right. Yeah. And that's the end of my turn.
00:12:56
Speaker
OK. Asda, right. Saw that and asda just brushes into the room. And I shall make an attack. I assume that effects of maneuvers end at the point that the battle ends. Right. And everything would reset. Yes. OK. Yes. That's disappointing. But I assumed it was true. a twenty Twenty four to hit. Yeah, that's it. I assume that she will take 10 damage.
00:13:23
Speaker
And I'm using hack and slash. Since this was my first attack of the round, I can make a second attack against a different target. So I will attack whoever is standing immediately adjacent to her. The older woman. I will attack the old lady ah for a 14 against Stacy. Yes, that's a miss. Alas, you got something occultist. I do. Is it a good thing?
00:13:49
Speaker
No, no, that is nearby enemy. It's not nearby ally. OK. No, sorry. OK. No, you're good. Then it is the woman's turn. So she is going to make a. Oh, I'm sorry. The lady that I missed does still take one damage.
00:14:05
Speaker
She still takes damage equal to eye level. Oh, right. The woman is going to make a disengage check to try and get away from as she has a negative three to this check because I am threatening. Well, she has a plus five to this check to do to one of her things. So it's a plus two. I think disengage is just they have to roll a. I have no idea what the TCS meant. Disengaging. Try to engage roll. Disengage check 11 or higher. She rolled a natural 19 for a 21.
00:14:34
Speaker
She slips away from the threatening range of Asta's guard into nearby ah and her hands kind of extend out and you see like negative energy begin to coalesce around her hands and Asta you're going to take one unholy damage but it's very clear that she is building like to something the next round to to pop off. And now it is Theron's turn. Oh, okay.
00:15:09
Speaker
Got an invocation for us. Well, I was going to do an invocation because I would just want to play with it, but I have to do it on the first round. And I also really want to cast Shield of Faith that I've seen this woman like but building something up. But I think I'm going to do the invocation because it seems fun.
00:15:23
Speaker
So this is the invocation of knowledge and I have to roll a d6. Okay, good. I rolled a 1. After we reach around where the escalation die is at or greater than what I just rolled, thankfully a 1. If one of you misses an attack as as a free action, I can give you the ability to reroll it with a plus 2.
00:15:43
Speaker
So if one of you misses something you really wanted to hit after round two round two or later, let me know. Yeah, man. If you're like, dang it, I really wanted that one. I'd be like, well, congratulations. Yeah. And also plus two. Cool. So I'm going to do that, and then you're on your own with getting hit by one of those ladies building up. Or I'm on my own, more likely, considering who they're yelling at. No need to move, and I don't have any need for quick action right now. So I'm forfeiting the remainder of my turn.
00:16:07
Speaker
I have invoked the other four entities are going to go now and they're going to use therapy. Good, sorry. Umpling fists against Asda. So first attack. It's 25 to hit you, Asda. Yeah, that's eight damage. home As they kind of rush up and hit you. the So that was the old man who wasn't engaged with you, rushes up. So the young, the furthest young man is also, he has the space to kind of rush up and do this. So he'll do that. And then the other two,
00:16:40
Speaker
We're already engaged with you. So they can't do the come like this thing That's a 17 to hit your aces that misses. What was his natural role that natural role this guy? Yes, they just went to just miss a nine. Excellent That's an odd number which means I could counter attack against him. Oh nice Hey, I mean really quickly. I read wrong shield of faith is a quick action. It doesn't affect it has happened yet Okay, everyone gets a plus one to AC since it doesn't affect anything cool from for the rest of the battle need to that. All right. That is going to be where escalation die one. So 19. No, we're zero. We're zero in the first 18 to hit. I guess the guy just attacked me. Yes. That is a hit. And then clarifying. Are these four entities as one enemy or of four entities and four separate? They are the same type, so they all act together, but they were four separate. Yeah. Oh, OK. I got you. It's half damage. So he takes five damage. OK.
00:17:37
Speaker
And now the other two are using their Clumsy Fists since they can't move towards you to attack. Clumsy Fists. Twenty to hit. Yep. Four damage. And the second one, that's only in ten to hit. It does not. They rolled a natural four. OK, that is it for their turn. So we're back around to Val. Well, yikes. I... And these these other four have just swarmed Asda, kind of surrounding her.
00:18:02
Speaker
Yeah, I'm going to move to back as to up, and I'm going to use Karmic Rebuke on the old lady. I have a quick

Asta's Combat Mastery

00:18:12
Speaker
action, which is my intelligence plus level. So I'm still rolling. Yep. Yes. Thirteen plus so five. Eighteen. Oh, and the escalation die is now at one. Sorry. Nineteen. again ninety That hits.
00:18:28
Speaker
Yeah. And then five plus my wisdom seven. Okay. And then she cannot attack me. Right. Okay. And then I'm going to use my standard action to regain my focus. So I just lost. Nice. Okay. Yeah. Okay. And then karmic rebuke in this scenario, you kind of see that nasty purple.
00:18:51
Speaker
Purple magic she's got, it just circles back to her, smacks her again. Nice, all right. That is, that's it for Vout's turn? Yes. Cool, as death. You got four zombies, or not four zombies, four entities around you. All right, as a quick action, I'm gonna use tough as iron to rally. Okay. And we go this good role. Okay, and some at points. Be sure to add your constitution modifier. I did. And then there's a bunch of enemies around me, so I will attack.
00:19:20
Speaker
the old lady. That is, escalation dies at one. Yeah. Yep. 17 to hit. That does hit. Okay. That then is 10 points of damage and I get to make a second attack with the hack and slash maneuver.
00:19:38
Speaker
Again, would you like to describe how you kill the old lady? first Excellent. Oh, then I will not. Oh, this is going to be great. OK, cool. I get to trigger a bunch of things. ah All right. So Asta is obviously not an intellectual, obviously struggles with the weird things that we do, ah but she is physically brilliant and moves with this great flowing grace. It's not this big hulking barbarian hacking around. It is this sort of fluid flow of the sword slashing around. The sword has just, you know, she's shifted to avoid claws. The sword just whips around and just slashes basically halfway through the neck of the old woman, just the end of the sword passing cleanly through.
00:20:27
Speaker
And then I'm going to use cleave, which allows me to make a basic attack as a free action after one of my maneuvers drops an enemy to zero hit points. Nice. ah Targeting. I don't know. There's two young men and an old man around me. Yep. Attack the old man.
00:20:43
Speaker
That is also a 17. That hits. So that then is 13 points of damage. How would you like to describe how you kill the old man? Excellent. The blade just passes cleanly through it, comes up and swings down, drawing a a deep gash down across the old man's torso. And then I'm going to finish the maneuver I was just making, turning and hacking at one of the young men. but That's a natural 20. Hey, whoo.
00:21:12
Speaker
That's triple damage. Oh, no, that was the last yeah the last one. OK, so do I roll to dice or do I just roll in the double things, which what is the convention for 13th age? Let me based on the wording of that spell I did last time, it's doubling the single dice. OK, and is it doubling everything or is it not double as much? That's an important question, dude. I am looking. Yeah, tax. Here we go. greats I need just a minute. You can throw back it basically says it's up to the game master.
00:21:39
Speaker
yeah rolling one die and doubling it speeds up play but rolling multiple dice is fun so actually i'm gonna do a home yeah i'm gonna do a house rule something that i've seen that kind of prevents the whole disappointing double ones when you crit and it's like oh well that sucks to do two damage where you do max max damage Why? So if your weapon is a DA, you do eight damage plus another roll of the DA. So you're guaranteed to do. Does that make sense? An anatomy modifiers after that. I like that. And I think if it's like triple damage, you still do like.
00:22:22
Speaker
Yeah, I think he just you roll one die and then take max of any leftover dice just to make crits really splashy. That's really cool. If that proves to be too powerful, we might invert it to where you always just have the max of one and then roll any additional, but we'll feel it out. I don't know if this was like a seat or something. I do wish I could get a second. No, I guess it's probably just being able to retain my focus easier.
00:22:43
Speaker
What were you asking about though? I was kind of, I don't know if this is like an unofficial, if it was like a homebrew one where you can, like one of the feats is where you could get two focuses oh or something like that. I think that

Team Spellcasting Tactics

00:22:54
Speaker
was a homebrew one. Yeah. There's some that you can really bump up your retain yeah window.
00:23:01
Speaker
10 plus 2 plus 4 so 16 damage. I'm sorry this was my hack and slash so that's half of that even though I crit so 8. And also apologies I think all of that was ah were we possibly irrelevant.
00:23:18
Speaker
What? Did you pause? Oh, was he dead? No, I didn't pause. Since this is a enemy type called a MOOC, crits kill. So he's just dead. So you kill another one. Sweet. Yay. Do you kill three of the four? I did. In one turn. Yes. Asta's gonna have to. Thanks should have eyes. And now it is the younger woman's turn who stepped back away and gathered.
00:23:41
Speaker
energy. So she is going to target Theron and Azdo with this. Sure. Sixteen versus physical defense, not AC. I looked at it again. Sorry. Azdo, did that hit? I'm sorry. What was the number? Sixteen versus physical defense. Yes, that is. I am looking up. How do I determine my physical? I've only had to look at AC. so i didn't even Ten plus the middle of your three physical stats. OK, that's what I thought. There's your strength, sex and con. So ten plus one.
00:24:09
Speaker
No, sorry. i I looked at the wrong number. 13 versus that does not hit me. Mine remains a hit. Okay. Asda, you take five negative energy damage. Farron, you take 20.
00:24:22
Speaker
fudge. Whoa. I forgot what y'all was on for a second, but I got it there at the end. As this dark vortex of negative energy coalesces around her hands that she has had extended for this entire turn, and it comes down and hits Asda and Theron. Well, glances Asda, but nails Theron right in the chest. Can I? I'm going to do, well, now, am I confused? Maybe. Ask me a question and I'll help.
00:24:49
Speaker
Well, no, because I wanted to see if I could help protect, but it only applies to the person that it actually missed. No, I think that's just a fundamental question of confusion for me in general. If the enemy missed the attack, why would I give the person that they missed more temporary hit points if they didn't get hit in the first place?
00:25:10
Speaker
I mean, it was someone like as to who's typically up at the front getting whacked a lot, then just helping them out. OK. We talk about bitter lesson. Yeah. Yeah. No, because I'm going to hold that in case there's a little bit because that's the one time right now. So no interrupt from Valk. Yeah, let's go ahead. Just do it.
00:25:29
Speaker
Okay. So I'm going to interrupt and use bitter lessons. Okay. Which is my intelligence level. Hey, so that is a quick one. The escalation is at one. So out of one. day Eighteen against mental. Eighteen against mental. That hits. Okay. And my pick is like two D six seconds. Um.
00:25:55
Speaker
which is six plus wisdom, nine damage. And Asta gets nine temporary hit points. Neat. What is the guy who just took 20? That's what I was trying to do! So the way that that looks is that there is almost like, the Valk is really focusing on Therid, but as the attack misses Asta, his occultist magic, kind of the shield shifts along with the weapon miss.
00:26:24
Speaker
and applies to Asda instead of applying to Therin. That's really funny, Zane. And he's just like, this is just it's just too much. it's just this is too They don't even have faces. They can't do this. Right. And then that's it. Nice. And the woman that just hit you all with the negative energy says you will pay for your transgressions. And it is now Therin's turn. OK, Therin's deeply, deeply hurt. So he's going to pull out the biggest gun he's got.
00:26:54
Speaker
and it's gonna attack the one that's left. She's nearby, right? This is a ranged spell. We're not engaged. She and I. There are two lefts. Oh, two left, sorry. The one that just hit me, like a... Yeah, she is nearby. Okay. Wait, okay, so there were four MOOCs and one person. And three of the four MOOCs are gone. Who am I attacking? One of the MOOCs or the big guy? The big deal, right? The big one just hit you. Yeah, that's who I'm attacking. Yes, okay. Well, if it's off the table, does it count or no? No. Okay. It was pretty good. That's actually worse.
00:27:23
Speaker
All right. So that is a plus six. It's a 19 versus melee defense. That hits. Okay. Great. Wait, melee defense, physical defense or mentor. Sorry. Mental defense. I am doing mental defense. I know you're good. Yeah. All right. So that's.
00:27:40
Speaker
46, the first two were sixes and a five and a four. So 21 points of holy damage. That feels like that might make a difference. 21 points of holy damage. And who's got the fewest hit points between the two of you? Oh, 25, 24. All right. You get and it has to be an ally. So I'm I'm I'm sitting here bleeding out. I'm like, by the way,
00:28:05
Speaker
I'm making you tougher. So now, Valk gets plus four bonus to all defenses till the end of my next turn again. Does that stack? Because there is plus one. That's not up to me. It doesn't say anything about cumulative in my thing. It just says gains a plus four bonus. So if you already had a plus one, you get plus four more. well i would No, I think it's replacing like you can get a plus four.
00:28:24
Speaker
Okay. I do have one that says cumulative, so I guess they do and clear, but but there you go. So you have a plus four bonus to all defenses. That was my standard action. And so I guess as a quick action, I'll go ahead and roll myself a D8, use one of my recovery dice to heal myself a bit. I get two points back. I am at six health. All right, let's go. Maybe I should have held that.
00:28:46
Speaker
OK, it does clarify when a spell or power targets a nearby enemy ally or creature, you cannot target yourself. If it's supposed to include the caster, the spell or power will say you as part of the eligible targets. So just confirming that for you, Jeff. Which one will you check it on?
00:29:02
Speaker
Oh, that I can't. Yeah, just you saying it has to be an ally. I was making sure that you don't count as an ally for yourself. Gotcha. Yeah, because like on the healing, it says you or an ally. So that's what I assumed. Yeah. Cool. So I can heal myself, which I just did for two hit points. Do you use recovery? Yeah, use one of my recoveries. So I'm down to six. Did you add your constitution modifier? Oh, no, I didn't. My bad.
00:29:28
Speaker
Okay. So I, for five. Great. No, four. Pardon me, four. Okay. The last MOOC, the last MOOC is going to attack death as a natural 16. They're not able to rush up with their pummeling fist though. So that'll be a 20 to hit, which does 24 to hit. Sorry. Which does hit even more damage. And that's all it can do on it. It's hit as it, it tries to bring its Ma down towards you as to this radial Ma of teeth. And it tries to close in around your face. There is a ton in there also.
00:29:58
Speaker
but That was not necessary. Why? Because that reaction, because it's more unsettling this way. Okay, Escalation Die is now at two. Valk, it is your turn. Okay. So we're immediately not vibing with that mental image. So I'm going to use karmic rebuke and visually. You expanded your focus. Is it? Oh, no. Okay. Okay. Okay. So I'm going to regain my focus. I'm just going to swap those actions around, regain my focus. Oh, okay. Okay.
00:30:33
Speaker
You pick the wonky character to play. walking Yeah, OK. I'm going to, yes, regain my focus. I'm not thinking he's comic review. That doesn't matter. And I'm going to end my turn and that is just going to like screech a little bit. Sike of the mall and then the tongue. I was going to help, but I don't want to be involved with what that is.
00:30:57
Speaker
as that um I don't like it, so I'm going to try to attack it. That's a lot. That's going to be 22, 21 to hit. Yes. And that's going to be 10 points of damage. OK. Still up. Well, I don't like that. OK. Anything else? That is all I can do right now.
00:31:19
Speaker
Okay, the young younger woman is going to gather negative energy, so deal one point of damage to Asta, and the dark energy begins swirling around her hands again. And it is now Theron's turn.
00:31:34
Speaker
Okay. I saw what happened last time and I think it's coming to me. So I am going to attack the woman again. Okay. With javelin of faith. Let me pull it back up. Sorry. All right. I roll to attack. And I miss, I'm almost positive. It's a 12 versus physical defense. Physical defense. Let me pull it up. herves Oh wait, no, it's a 13. Wait, what's our escalation diet now? Edit two. It's a 13.
00:32:03
Speaker
13 is not quite enough. and Okay. You have that ability though. We're past the, your knowledge domain thing. Let me double check if it's everybody or just allies. I think I have the ability. I have the ability to grant it to an ally. That's why it's mine as a free action during their turn. So I gotcha. I can't reroll myself.
00:32:21
Speaker
I also have Fae, what's it called? Fortunate Fae, where I can reroll three times per arc, but not attack rolls. So, I am out of luck. No big deal. You deal damage equal to your level, so she takes a point of damage. That's right, and I will do another quick action, heal for another, I don't have a D8 on the table, so I'm gonna use an online one, another five. So, I'm gonna pick 13, that's not bad. I'm gonna jump in with a, cause that was a recovery. Yeah, I expended a recovery.
00:32:50
Speaker
going to jump in with brilliant comeback, which the actually doesn't see if we'd need to. I think I have to rule anything. No, they just get to do it since it's a buff. Yeah. So Theron gets to make a basic attack as a free action instead of using your attack bonus. And you, that attack gets. That's why Ann tells her it's my prayer.
00:33:14
Speaker
a four So plus nine. Say again. and yeah You get a plus nine. And you get a basic attack. A basic attack. A free action. consider basic sorry i don't So on your character sheet up at the top, you have a basic melee and a basic ranged attack. That's just reflecting like the basic weapons that you would have like a short bow or something. soright And I'm not a melee so I got to do the ranged one. Plus nine.
00:33:36
Speaker
So here's my question. If I typically am able to replace a dexterity on range with wisdom, can I do it with this as well? Or do I have to follow the basic attack? does it in where What feature does it say that, just so I can look also? It was... Hang on. It's the fact that it's set where... Dadgummit, where is it? God, it's such a long document. While you scroll, like I can ask my question. yeah So this one has a retained focus of a 1 through 15, but I don't roll anything. So I'm assuming that's on the allies roll? Yes. Space roll? Okay.
00:34:05
Speaker
Yeah, I can't find it. So in the interest of moving things along, I will just do my dexterity and probably it's plus what to it though. Plus nine. Okay. So with advice no hung well, I rolled a four plus my dexterity, which is one plus four level, which is one. So that's six plus nine. That's 15 plus two escalation. Right. 17 that hits.
00:34:27
Speaker
Okay. And I get to keep my focus. Nice. And my strength doesn't suck. It's plus two, so... That's four points of damage. Hey! Wait, okay. What? Instead of using their attack bonus, that ally uses an attack bonus equal to... So he doesn't get his decks. No, you just hit a straight plus nine.
00:34:46
Speaker
Oh, so okay. Dex. So 13. You rolled a nine. hey You rolled a four. And I get a plus a nine. Plus nine. Without other bonuses. Right. So get the escalation. You still get the escalation. Okay. So 15 total. 15 against AC for this creature. That's a hit still. Okay. So it remains whatever I said. Four points of damage. Yep. Nice. Okay. And that was Theron's turn. So now the last Mook is going to try to attack Azdigan. That is only an 11 to hit. This does not. Okay. Still trying to bug it. Because I still have my... You did retain your focus, yeah. I'm going to use bitter lessons. Nice. That's a recharge, so you've already used it this encounter. Oh. Oh yeah, I did. Okay. Nevermind. Sorry. Nope. I see it unhighlight that. Thank you. Okay. It is now Escalation Die 3. Valk is your turn.
00:35:41
Speaker
Now you can karmic rebuke. Yeah. We're going to karmic rebuke the lady because what is she doing? And good bad things. So that is that's a natural 20. Nice. Hey, I guess I can add the rest for for albany's is four plus one to five. And what were we at? Three, 28. Nice. OK.
00:36:10
Speaker
So it's normally a D6 plus wisdom. So you get six plus your wisdom and then roll a D6. That was a D20. That was a D20 plus four. So that's 13. Nice. Yeah. And as she's trying to like gain that that bad magic, it kind of like pulses from the point where she's collecting and it just like shocks her. Nice. Yeah. And then I will use my standard action to get my focus back. Nice.
00:36:41
Speaker
love it yep and then again with the brain nothing secret she cannot attack me love that for you as that it is your turn boy i i want to hit her yes chase that instinct is disengaging in action or is it part of a move It is your move action and if you fail, you cannot move. So you would then have to use your standard action to move if you still wanted to move away. Right. And what is the check to do that? It is a straight up roll. You got to get 11 or higher. Okay. Well, let's do that. I don't have my dexterity or anything.
00:37:17
Speaker
Doesn't matter. I got a 16. Nope. So as we'll dodge away from this creepy, creepy thing and rush the woman with the dark magics. That's not as good of a roll. All right. So escalation is at three.
00:37:33
Speaker
Yes, that makes it to 17. That hits. Hey, that's very good. Nine plus four is going to be 13 damage. We don't add escalation to damage, right? I know. OK, it didn't. Then 13 is the damage. Okie dokie. The long pause after I've damaged this thing is water. it It is now her turn. Oh, OK. I think about. OK, so I'm not attached to Theron in case you were worried. I didn't have the time.
00:38:04
Speaker
She is going to attempt to cast her Dark Vortex again, but since she is casting a spell with someone within that is engaged, you get an opportunity to attack as she's casting the spell Azda. Okay.
00:38:23
Speaker
that She is going to be targeting Thera to get dressed though, everyone knows. but so That's a nineteen plus three to be twenty two. That hits. That's going to be nine damage. Nine damage. OK, you're going to better yet hear it. Yeah, I think so. Where is that? Well, I use the. No, see it one already use it I'm pretty sure. So yeah, let's go ahead. We're going to do.
00:38:51
Speaker
So keep them here. That is another natural 20. Hey, hey, this is normally 2d6, so it's 12 and then roll two more d6. OK, which is a five. Am I still adding like the plus my level plus the 17 plus your wisdom, which is four.
00:39:13
Speaker
or you don't add your level to the damage. OK, yeah. So 21 additional damage to as does attack. Twenty one. Yeah. OK, so twenty nine damage.
00:39:24
Speaker
um
00:39:28
Speaker
describe how this coalesces into killing the younger woman as she as she is casting this spell to like nail you out with negative energy. valk is at this point i pulling out hairs just analyzing the situation saying thein is almost down, bloodied, understanding, trying to get away, knowing that the young woman monster lady is doing some sort of dark magic, which is probably adding more to his stress. He's just not starting to sweat a little bit, seeing as to go in. Got a good handle on it. Yeah.
00:40:06
Speaker
He just kind of like almost his eyes almost like rolled back. And then there is this like white kind of glow that's a little staticky, a little glitchy that then surrounds Asta's attack. And just like with the mace, you do see a duplicate of that attack, but it's almost larger and reinforced and just absolutely cleaves the woman cutting through the actual void.
00:40:34
Speaker
slicing the void and slicing through her. Awesome. Wow. And he just kind of drops it. Amazing. OK, yeah, she's down. And the the dark magic that was coalescing around her hands dissipates. There is one last mook up there and it is your turn. Javelin a face. Right. ah Or whatever. I guess right into his lamprey yield mouth problem. It's not a problem for him.
00:40:59
Speaker
Fair enough. That's a natural 17. I feel like lots of things would be much harder. It's going to it's going to break 20, whatever it is. 23. And that is just a solid seven points of unholy. Well, OK, I have a question. On this sheet, with was with this attack, it says a four, and then in parentheses, 1d6. Does that mean I can roll if I choose to, or I can take the four like you can with? Yeah, it's weird. i I've never seen that for a player character spell before, where it has like pindo for you Yeah, that's what it is. It's four times my d6 roll. I love it. That is weird. But there's no denying it's right there. Yes. Yeah, just roll a d6. Yeah. Okay, you got it. Well, that's a five. So how about it? Plus your wisdom. Yeah. Plus three plus level. No, not level for this. So it's eight points of damage. How does your javelin of faith up his butt kill this guy?
00:41:51
Speaker
Okay. So you see Theron just make a gesture and it's like, it looks like a beam, but if you were able to look at it closely, it's a spiral of just little needles and I just blast into them. So every needle hurts new cause it's a new puncture. and Nice. Cause I feel angry.
00:42:08
Speaker
And and that's what I think it just blasts through his chest. It doesn't I don't actually aim for his mouth because his mouth is scary. We're all i know who's going to eat all these needles. So just blast through his chest. He crumbles to the ground. And then there and also goes to the ground to one knee for example, because good. And that is it for the combat encounter. So you can.
00:42:28
Speaker
quick rest and use additional recoveries if you like. And then Mia, I need to recharge rolls from you. One for bitter lessons and one for brilliant comeback. What am I? What am I with? Just just a D 20. You don't add anything to it. You just roll it. Declare which one you're rolling for first. So thank well we'll do bitter. lesson and So you have to get a 16 or higher. That's a two.
00:42:56
Speaker
Okay. And now for brilliant comeback, which is just a six or higher. That's a neutral 20. You have brilliant comeback still. Okay. Three now. Back up to 20 hit points. It's a special die too.
00:43:11
Speaker
And I'm down to two recoveries. So do those generate? I know we haven't really had a game where you've had to rest. Does it generate all the long rest recoveries or do you have to? Is it like? Yeah. Yeah. where It's called a full heal up. But yeah. OK. Sorry. Yes, of course. A full heal. I apologize to. Now you're good. yeah OK. There's a door straight ahead of you all past all these bodies and everything. You can look at the papers that they were holding if you want. There are books on the shelf. There's furniture strewn about the the room. But yeah.
00:43:39
Speaker
I would like to run to the thing they were reading when they found out what I had done. Okay. Is it legible or are we dream screwed again? It's not discernible. You can't can't make out the words on it.
00:43:49
Speaker
can i can i but Can I roll something to catch a vibe? I don't know. I want to know why they like me. You can give me a wisdom check, yeah, to to catch a vibe off of the the vibe in the room. If it's actually about me or if it was just had nothing to do with, okay, wisdom. I mean, that's a good one. That's a natural 20 plus three, if that helps. Yeah, so definitely the the tone of what was being screamed at you when you entered the room.
00:44:16
Speaker
Just you're you're able to kind of discern and put together that This like this is someone's literal nightmare like you are in the dreamscape of someone who has done something that they can sit they have a great deal of shame about and this was people that they care about finding out about that secret. And that's kind of the nightmare that you're residing in right now. OK, so but so knowing that I know this was not about me, I just happened to be the thing that they focused on as the focus as the subject of the dream. Yes. OK. Yeah. Well, I feel a lot better about that. Doesn't heal me any. But yeah I'm glad to know there's not a cadre of lamprey ill people that are mad at theory somewhere. yeah And there's the door. Yeah, that is going to climb back up and kind of stumble around a little bit, but.
00:45:07
Speaker
Yeah, he's going to be a little a little loopy, but he's going to try and make his way to the e to the door. It's unlocked and ah pushing it open. You see stairs leading up. Oh, he's going to take a pause and just he's going to keep going. OK.
00:45:23
Speaker
At this point he's just like, ah I just want to get this over with. I just want to go home. That is understandable. So you ascend the stairs and find a another door. Going through the door.
00:45:36
Speaker
Let's go. You'll be. You see sitting on a kind of pedestal in the middle of the room, a large tome of some kind that is closed. It's like a

Return to Reality

00:45:47
Speaker
hardcover book. But rather than being like stitch bound or anything like that, it's got large metal rings like seven metal rings. Yeah, that's what you see.
00:45:58
Speaker
There is nothing else in the room. Are there any, like, seven corresponding items? Nope. The rings aren't holding each other. It's like a binder, basically. It's bound by the rings. Yeah. Okay. He's still a little, still a little loopy. He's going to like stumble towards the the actual book. He's not going to touch it. Okay. But he wants to just kind of make sure that everybody's in the room with him. He gets hit. You know, everybody's everybody's getting hit together. That's fine. And there's no other doors. This is like the final. This is the top of this. This is the top. There are no doors leading out of this room. Okay. Yeah. I mean, I was just in the room, but there's a book and she doesn't really know what to do with that.
00:46:36
Speaker
do Fair enough. He's going to turn to Theron and just, it's kind of, were you actually able to read anything from that? Okay. No, I was able to figure out there. It's not about me, which is good. yeah mean I mean, I share what I share. Like, um I think my, or our, I don't know who said it first, but the dream thing, we are in, we are definitely in the nightmare of a person. We are stuck in someone else. Well, not stuck. I suppose we could leave. Should we leave?
00:47:04
Speaker
I look down at my my broken body. if anything, you should stay back. You should not be near this book. Yeah, man. Got it. Of course, as is checked out because it's a book understood. You know, does am I able to like sense if there's any? Well, I'm assuming it is magic system.
00:47:30
Speaker
It's a tower tower and a dream bubble. Is it can I am able to tell if there's any like good or bad if magic that is surrounding it? is This is like a source of like the the nightmare kind of thing. Give me a intelligence check and you can use your exposed to Zoryat background bonus.
00:47:51
Speaker
Yippee. That is a natural one. but You get a sense that examining the situation and the but like, you get a sense that like the the source of the magic that's kind of causing all of this is emanating from the book.
00:48:09
Speaker
And that you're you're pretty confident that opening the book is going to like resolve what's ever happening to cause this like nightmare loop that's happening. Yeah. So if you open the book, that's probably going to lead to you all getting paid and be done with the day. so ah The only thing of note that you see on the cover of the book.
00:48:31
Speaker
There's no writing or anything that you can discern, but there is a eye that's partially concealed underneath a wing. Instead of an eyelid and an eyebrow, it's a wing covering the the upper half of the eye. yeah But you are you are confident that if you open this book, it's going to fix what's going on here.
00:48:51
Speaker
We're going to cautiously open the book. that's so like I'm the only one still full on health. So let's do it. As soon as the cover of the book breaks contact with like the first page, it does the rest of the work for you kind of flips open the pages flutter. Yeah. And.
00:49:09
Speaker
a figure coalesces in front of you that looks like being of shadow outlined by light and surrounded by a mass of disembodied eyes that kind of constantly shift and whirl around it. And it just and then the tower disappears.
00:49:29
Speaker
and you all kind of like bolt back in the spot you were right before you entered the bubble, but there's no tower in front of you. The bubble is still there. No, just an empty field. There's my bread.
00:49:45
Speaker
Bread's gone. I'm so mad. Asta very smugly reaches into her pouch and takes out another hard tap. And we're going to call the adventure there. Thank you all so

Podcast Closure and Social Media

00:49:55
Speaker
much for listening. If you want to be part of the conversation surrounding this episode, you can head over to the link in all of our socials, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter.
00:50:03
Speaker
You also have a YouTube channel, youtube dot.com slash the Pantheon. You can find TTRPG videos made by myself. Phillip, go. There's another YouTube channel called the Laughing Tree, where we have other actual plays. Eric is a player. I am the GM. We're about to start a new campaign. Indeed. We also have a Patreon, patreon dot.com slash the Pantheon. If you want to financially support the shows, you can do so over there. Or you can buy some merch at the ge pantheon dot com. Thank you all so much for listening. I've been your Dean Master Eric.
00:50:33
Speaker
I'm Mia. I'm Philip. I'm Jim. We'll see you next time.