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C3 Episode 3 Ghost in the Valley Chapter Two
454 Plays3 months ago
The crew has descended further down to search for the artifact, but what other obstacles will they encouter?
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
Introduction and Recap
00:00:02
Speaker
um directly with the coach or D20 Radio, your game is roll. radio
00:00:16
Speaker
yeah
00:00:25
Speaker
Hello and welcome to ever underneath an actual play podcast at the abroad campaign setting. I am your game master, Eric. I'm Mia. I'm Phillip. I'm Madison. I'm Jeff and nothing happened before we started. Nothing at all. Welcome to another episode. What happened last time, everyone? We're in a heist. We found an underground park during our attempts to find the merchandise. I picked a lock.
00:00:50
Speaker
I was carried by a dragon boy. Sometimes it's just jokes for us, guys. If you're new, you're learning. If you're old, you know. ah Somebody
Exploration of the Underground Park
00:00:58
Speaker
appears to have tunneled up into the underground park from below, which is curious and alarming. So we're not going that way. So you all have decided to take the stairs down instead of the dug pathway down. So I feel like it's just normal. could We could squirm through a dirt hole that maybe goes down to where we want or we could take the staircase.
00:01:20
Speaker
That's what Tucker wanted. It's true. He's not in his play clothes. He doesn't want to get dirty. Why? Why did you wear that? Why are you in a suit? If we have to talk our way out, that is what I do. And I cannot do it if I look haggard. He says, haggard yeah yeah, you all are making your way down the stairs. What is the walking order? um I'll go first. Okay. awar second third Okay. I think we've established the group's walking order since twice.
00:01:50
Speaker
I will cease to ask and just assume Nixon back, Jerashian, or Nixon front, Jerashian back, then a Lauren Tucker in between. So as you are walking, you see the stairs turn like curved down to the left. And then
The Mysterious Doorway
00:02:05
Speaker
you spot a doorway at the bottom of the stairs. The doorway has a large face carved into it.
00:02:13
Speaker
There is a handle, but there is a large face carved into it with a large open mouth. What kind of face? Bearded. How sharp a mouth. It is a humanoid face with a beard and a flowing hair coming off the top of the head. Not actual hair carved in the stone, obviously. too Human, human hair. And yeah, there is a large handle to the left of the face. The mouth is open. It's not sharp. You don't see any like teeth or anything, but it is just black in the mouth.
00:02:52
Speaker
Is the expression one of like absolute horror? No it's from like cheekbones up it's very passive. It's like just a like a passive face with a jaw open. Is this all a relief or does it look like a like is the mouth a hole? Is this a a gargoyle or grotesque of some sort or is it a relief? You know what I'm saying? Like black is it a hole or is it just a it is It is too dark, both ambiently and within the hole for you to tell.
00:03:25
Speaker
Let me ask this, is the face engraved on the door or does the face come, like, is the face projecting out from the door? So it does project out a bit from the door. It is still a piece of the stone that the door is made of, but it is, it's not like the front half of a person's face sticking all the way out of the door, but there is some dimension to it. It is raised. It is raised from the surface of the room.
00:03:49
Speaker
Nick's Nick's doesn't carry any obvious weapons, but she's got like a utility knife or something like that. And so she will take take the knife off of her belt and very careful not to put any of her hand in the mouth. She'll just sort of slide the blade um along like the lower jaw and just to see if she can find the surface of the door to see whether this is anything more than it appears.
00:04:16
Speaker
So once the blade of your knife enters the mouth and you begin to run it, a force pulls on the knife from your hand is next going to try to like.
00:04:28
Speaker
wrench the knife back, or is she going to let the force pull the knife away? Yeah. And Nix doesn't want to lose her knife. That's my knife. Okay. Then give me a strength check. Okey dokey. That is 13. 13. The knife is wrenched from your hand, from the force, and you see the mouth shut of the door and the door opens. Oh, I don't know whether that was good or not.
00:04:56
Speaker
What if I put my hand in there? Open the door. I hope that the the purpose was not for us to share our intent upon entering the building. Like, oh, we're here to fight. This night, I was going to throw a ball bearing in it, so you're thinking. Extremely disappointed that I didn't let you do that. We'll you'll we'll get you another knife.
00:05:15
Speaker
It's not the same. Nice. Although obviously that would fit the scabbard. I think just that one has a good sentimental. Yeah. Anyway, who's going in? I will go in. Yeah. All right. but So,
Statues and Riddles
00:05:28
Speaker
Josh, you enter the room. You see that there are a number of a number of stone like statues.
00:05:38
Speaker
almost had stone mannequins and I realized there's a word for them. Yeah, you see that there are some statues standing around ah very regally and they some of them actually most of them, a rolling majority of them. There are reliefs, not quite runic carvings, but there is carvings around the base of their feet that are just carved into the stone. But Girash, you immediately see one that is glowing, like the little, like carvings around the base of the statue are glowing, faintly ah with faint orangey light. This is just one of the statues? so Yes, one of the statues.
00:06:20
Speaker
out of, I mean, this is the largest room. You would say there's probably about 30 different statues down here. Tucker, you would probably recognize almost immediately just from your studies and your background. but These are all various like nobles, politicians, people of import from Thrain.
00:06:38
Speaker
Yeah, I think upon entering, Dravash would have just shut it back. Like, Trevor, it's your it's your people. They're real fancy wearing suit. Okay, have we talked about this? in I know we haven't, but have Nix and Tucker talked about, do we know what we're getting here? What it is specifically? Because if I could make a synthesis of what's here and who these people are.
00:07:00
Speaker
Well, obviously, yes. Eric, what's the what's the thing? What's the doohickey? The doohickey that you're looking for? So far as I know. So far as you know. Well, this would be an artifact that is a... It's a blade. It's a very potent and powerful blade. Would I need to make a... check to see if any of these statues of are perhaps a a a warmonger or general or something that might, or or or maybe just if Dravash points out, Dravash points out the the glowing one, if I could just put that together. Hey, we're looking for a blade. This glowing statue happens to be the former whatever, whatever of the thrainish forces. I don't know. How do you mean intelligence check? I can do that. Oh, sorry. Just to be clear. At the far end of this room is another door.
00:07:51
Speaker
but there are no door handles on it. Can I convince, wait, 14 and 15 are both plus two, right? Yes. Okay, then I do not need to convince you to do a wisdom check. Plus five, yeah? Yes. Okay, that is a 21. Two. I see two. 22. So you're looking at all these different individuals and you can tell that they, yes, there are different individuals of various spheres of influence. And so there is one that was noted early days of the last war for being particularly antagonistic towards the neighboring nation of on dare. And you, as you're looking around, you notice that there are little carvings that does not have their name on it. It has statements on them.
00:08:39
Speaker
And so the one that the one that you noted as being warmongery for lack of a better way to put it. So I'm trying to find, I guess like warlord would have been a better. Yeah. Warlord. But I'm thinking about cheese. There is writing on it and all it says.
00:08:59
Speaker
And Tucker, you can determine your level of confusion. It says, she's ba Jack and Jill are lying on the floor inside a house dead. They died from lack of water. There's shattered glass next to them. How did they die? Hit me again, because you just gave me a riddle and I will not let you beat me, Eric Strymple. Important to note, before we go to... This statue is not the glowing one. Jack and Jill are lying on the floor inside the house dead.
00:09:25
Speaker
They died from lack of water. There are shattered glass next to them. How did they die? I promise I'm just typing this into a word document and not a lack of water shattered glass next to them. How did they die? They're locked in the room. The glass was a pitcher full of water and it broke so they couldn't drink it. Yeah, I mean, it's clearly they, I've listened to so many episodes of Lateral, but they're allowed to ask questions. And there's no one here to ask questions to. I can petition my god for clarification. So great deity, please answer this riddle. Do all of the- All of them have writing around the base, yes. Do all of them have runes? Yes, but only one of statues has runes glowing. i think I think Tucker says, so all of these have these riddles. What's the glowing ones riddle say? I'm gonna think about this one some more.
00:10:15
Speaker
And I explained why I'm like, you know, we're here for a blade. This guy was this guy. So this intrigues me, but obviously the glowing one feels important as well. So somebody should read what that one says. What's the riddle on the glowing one? The more you take, the more you leave behind. I'm going to leave this to the book people. You are not your characters. If you want to make an intelligence check to solve the riddle, you're more than within your power to do so.
00:10:38
Speaker
I'm not my character, I'm Jeff, and I have a riddle in front of me. What are you thinking? I have to think, I have to know this now. What are you taking? Can I do an intelligence roll for giggles? Sure. The more steps you take, the more footsteps you leave behind. Footprints you leave behind. Okay. Solid. I was thinking more- No, that was like a tube, dude. The more existentially, the more- The more wealth you acquire, the more wealth you leave behind when you die.
00:11:04
Speaker
just lie you take the more grief you leave behind Just like I need the group to collectively say this is our answer when you are ready to try and solve it no i'm just go to have like listened and if we accidentally say it you have to stop yeah the more you That's how fantasy riddles work as we we're saying things and then one of us accidentally says this I don't know when it's the players just conferring and the characters verbalizing and Because there might not be a bad thing that happens if you give the wrong answer to the rhythm. Well, if that happens, it's the players. I like just steps ideas. Yeah, I think footsteps, footprints. I think that's a good one for the last one. wait ah but The more you take, the more you leave behind. The worst thing about this is we have listeners, and they've got it. and i They've already got it, yeah. Like that. Jack and Jill. If it's footsteps, are you not taking the same amount of footsteps that you're leaving behind? Because you took one, you leave one behind? Well, the more you take, the more are left behind, I think. Is it the way I read it?
00:11:57
Speaker
Right. So as you take more, more are behind you. Is that your answer? Foot. Not not anymore. Sure. said that sounded That sounded like Nick's voice. That was Nick's. Okay. The runes glow slightly brighter and then the door at the end of the room slides open. And then another statue but begins to glow like randomly. Okay. And you see the door begin to slowly begin to close. Right. Yeah. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go. go I put my arms out like this. It's resetting. but can i can I can move on a flat surface. Okay. Oh yeah. Great. I'm going to text you at three AM with the other answer. I'm sorry, but that's what's going to happen. Love that for me. My, my phone will be on do not disturb. So, and you are not on the MVP list to break that. So i am marsh harsh, harsh.
00:12:42
Speaker
Actually, I think you are in my favorite. So you would you would break through that barrier. So I'm going to get knocked off that list, though. Yes. So you all rush through the room, ah rush into the next room and you find yourselves looking at a there is a dais at the far end of the room. There is an orange glow.
00:13:02
Speaker
amongst the whole, the entirety of the room. There is another doorway straight ahead that there's another door straight ahead. It is closed. But in between the two doors along the wall, you see a place where the stones on the wall have been torn away and somebody has dug into the dirt and up. Vaguely in the direction of the park. So
The Enchanted Blade
00:13:22
Speaker
like this this person escaped this room. They dug around to avoid the statues. I turn around so that we can get back through that door. I'm sorry, Mia, please.
00:13:31
Speaker
No, that's what I was going to have Drabash say is that because I was thinking about this as a player, there goes two of my d20. We never really confirmed that we could leave. So washsh being the intelligent person he is is going to chime in after it's too late and be like, maybe we should have tried to move our answer more of the statue so that the door with permanently.
00:13:59
Speaker
stay open and not temporarily stay open, which would make sense as to why there is an escape hole. Or wedge the door. Yeah. Well, good news is there's an escape. a push Can I Can I try to push on the stone door that we just... It looks like a wall. Oh, God. Lovely. Lovely. Well, I suppose it's up to us to prove we are better than the last guy. Yeah, I can't pick that.
00:14:26
Speaker
Nyx on the dais is a large blade that matches the description and there are the faint orange glow is from like along the the steps leading up to the dais on either side is a line of runes that are glowing faintly orange in the floor but it's not enclosing the blade it's almost like a a runway okay Before approaching that, I want to check our exit. And so Nix walks over, you said there was a door. Yes. Is there an obvious way to open the door? There's a handle. I suppose Nix is going to look closely at the door. A little too. Oh, yes. I'm wondering if this door leads to the path that we didn't take. I ruled a natural one. OK, you are. yeah I mean, that's how I feel about it. OK, here's the deal, Nix.
00:15:20
Speaker
As you are investigating the door, seeing the handle and about to like see, see what there is to see about it. You realize that there is something magically linked with the sword and kind of everything going on in this door. And the obvious concern is that there's some kind of mechanism setups where when this door, like by going circuitously around or trying to dig down into this room, you bypass some kind of security measure that when this door opens, it like makes the sword go away or something like that is kind of what you can posit from investigating what's going on with this door. Okay, we shouldn't touch the door until we've secured the blade. Does anyone know anything about these runes? Are we able to approach? Are they going to electrocutus? Yeah, can I make an intelligence or wisdom? I guess intelligence for runes, huh? Yep.
00:16:12
Speaker
I'm going to try. Is anything about me being a former politician or employer for help with this? No, unfortunately not. We don't do all of our city council meetings in ancient ruins like it's Latin mass. I was cut from the budget. so plus three That's the platform you ran on, less money for rooms. It's got to be a better way. That's 12.
00:16:32
Speaker
12. Yeah. Yeah. You don't really have a good sense of what these rings are about. I mean, I don't know what I'm supposed to know about this weapon of the other than that it's valuable or what I was told about it. But does my does my planer connection to Shavaroth.
00:16:49
Speaker
give me any insight into these runes. It was certainly if you were to make a check to interpret the runes that would give you ah a boost. Yes, then I will try. That's pretty good. 19. 19. So yeah, you can tell that this this blade and the runes leading up to it are tied together in and yeah, they are This blade is powered by the plane of Shavaroth and that's where a lot of its potency comes from is the fact that it is a weapon tied to the plane of war. And so these runes seem to be exuding the power of Shavaroth and this blade itself fetching very pretty many in what I can see about them. Are they are they some sort of trap?
00:17:33
Speaker
Like, are they some sort of barrier? They, they're not a barrier, no. And they're not, they are an extension of the blade's power in a way that when somebody wields the blade, the runes would activate. I suppose a bit eerie. All right, I don't. Sorry, in chat Jeff solved the jacket kill. And you know what's coming for you.
00:17:59
Speaker
you want to tell Do you want to tell the audience what the solution is? Just in case. yeah In the chat, I put Eric, if Jack and Jill are goldfish, I am going to physically fight you. And he gave me a big thumbs up and so on the zoom screen. So z anyway, back to the very big moment happening in the adventure. That's why I typed it. you there's No discipline. It's in all caps. And I just see on the corner of my eye of the word goldfish. How am I not looking? I don't know why they keep inviting me back.
00:18:28
Speaker
Okay. This would be too awkward to tell you to leave. In my defense, I didn't know it was an important moment because I was thinking about the riddle. Nix looks at it all carefully and then says, I don't think they're a barrier. I think it's just a, they're just an effect of the blade. It shouldn't, shouldn't be this easy. And what happened to the other crew? Can I climb the wall a little bit? Try and make
Demon Encounter
00:18:50
Speaker
it a little bit.
00:18:50
Speaker
A little bit wider. The the wall. that you Oh, she's just widening widening the escape route. I just I have a thought that I'm trying to figure out if it makes sense for my character to think of. This is Jeff metagaming too much. I don't want to bring it up outside of character. I don't think I can. i don't think i can Nyx will left left side leading, put a foot on the lowest step of the dais. Nothing happens. And then she will start to creep up. Are you between the runes now? The steps. Yes, I think I'm. Yeah. If I'm understanding the arrangement, right. I'm i'm stepping between the runes. The runes are like the runes are like the the the red velvet rope. Yeah. An exhibit. Yeah, that's kind of what I can. I i want to interject and shout or Dravash will shout across the room. Does it look weighted?
00:19:36
Speaker
with Does it look weighted? Wisdom? All right. Does my black marketeering have relevance? Sure. Heft is important in black marketeering. This wisdom check is also a natural one. Outstanding. This one's going to be much more straightforward.
00:19:52
Speaker
No, just kidding. There does seem to be a mechanism on the table, Nyx, that you can kind of glean, but you feel like it can be bypassed by Like it's, it's designed to detect like somebody like grasping and the weight of them holding it. So if you were to like reach out and snatch it quick enough, you could bypass the mechanism. I think it's just a matter of speed and she reaches the top of the dais still moving like one, one step at a time, very cautiously waiting for some sort of reaction. And then she'll, she'll reach out the, the armored hand.
00:20:30
Speaker
and reach under like the blade. I assume the blade's on some kind of is it sitting on some kind of rack. Yeah. Yeah. Under the blade. Look very carefully and then just try to scoop it off the rack and sort of dart back down the steps. OK. Yeah. As soon as you snatch the blade up, Nick's an intense pain courses through your body.
00:20:52
Speaker
as the runes flare up brightly and a near blinding orange light glows throughout the space even to the rest of you. As you hear a guttural kind of wail from below as there seems to be some kind of small portal that is opened up in the middle of the room fueled by these runes that is emanating from the blade.
00:21:19
Speaker
like it seems like the blade is is fueling this as you are like some crazy looking demon emerges from the port like clawed hands as it as it pushes itself up through the portal and yeah i'm gonna need initiative roll from everyone so initiative is your dexterity plus your level 18 Five. I listened, but I didn't listen. Dexterity plus level. Seventeen. Got that. Fourteen. Zero decks. Oh, Laurie, you have such a good dexterity. Because tiefling, something happened about my initiative role. Oh, cool. All right. So my kin power as a tiefling.
00:22:01
Speaker
My natural initiative roll, which is a 15, provides a temporary bonus. It's an odd roll, so it becomes a trick die, and as a free action once per battle when the escalation die is at a 3 or better, I can give my trick die to a nearby ally or enemy who is about to make an attack roll. The trick die result becomes the natural roll of that roll instead.
00:22:23
Speaker
So you have basically a natural 15 sitting on the table that I can that I can hand off to somebody once the escalation I guess to what point three. OK, so that was a lot of mechanics that we can now introduce to the players. Oh, the escalation die is something that it starts at zero.
00:22:40
Speaker
and then each round after the first round it goes up by one it's represented by a d6 and basically all of the player characters and then occasionally really really important adversaries add whatever the escalation die is on to all of their attack rolls so it just made it represents the momentum that the player characters are building over the course of the initiative and over the course of the battle. Now, obviously I kind of talked about the fact that you all are quote unquote in PCs, but for the sake of the escalation die, you all are considered PCs. Like you get the benefit of it. So yeah, we are going to kick things off with the demon who got a 23 on their initiative check.
00:23:29
Speaker
That feels right. then They weren't surprised. So it's the demon, then Nyx, then Tucker, Dravash, and Elora. OK, so once again, just a reminder for our listeners, this is my first time running a combat encounter in the system, so it might be busted. So it is going to rush up to Dravash, seeing Dravash as being the biggest, bulkiest, and baddest in the room.
00:23:57
Speaker
Of course, naturally. And going to attack. So it is going to attack with its claws. And sorry, just to get a sense, I know that Girash is by the opening. Nyx is up on the dais. Tucker and Ellora, where were you in the room in relation to the others when this popped up? Were any of you standing near Girash helping to kind of like be ready to beat feet if something went wrong? I think Tucker's default when Girash is on the crew is near Girash, actually. Okay. Ellora, where were you at? i was close to next but a little bit behind Okay. Cool. So going to rush over to Jervas and attack. Okay. So Jervas real quick, but we're going to need to litigate the rest of your standard array. So we have your strength, wisdom, and intelligence as 17, 12, and 13 respectively.
00:24:44
Speaker
I can go down the line. Yeah. Okay. So strength 17. Charisma 15. Dex is 14. Intelligence 13. Wisdom 12. And content. Content. Okay. And I needed that just so we could determine what your AC is, which is 10 plus the middle value of your con decks and wisdom. So that seems like that would be wisdom. yeah So you have an 11 plus one 12 armor class. Oh, it feels low. It feels low. I mean, oh, it's use a wrestler it's based on your, your class is like the base starting. Sure. No, I know. Gervache would be 13 would be the starting point. So 15 would be. the
00:25:35
Speaker
boom Yeah, still not enough, because that is an 18 to hit. Keep laughing, Tucker, because that was a... No, okay, Okay, so that is going to be five damage to you, Girash, which is now 21 damage, I believe, total that you have taken. ah Which means you are staggered, which means you're just over halfway down on your hit points. And they get two attacks, so they will also attack Tucker.
00:26:01
Speaker
yeah All right, my AC. What's your, you want to give me the rest of your ability scores? So 17 charisma, 14 intelligence, 15 wisdom, 13 con, 12 strength, 10 decks. What was the strength again? Sorry. 12. 12. Okay. It just happened that my abilities declined as I went down the way that I typed them.
00:26:24
Speaker
Bard's starting AC is 12. So that would get you at 14. It looks like because your middle score is your strength, which is a plus one or no, it's dexterity con and wisdom. It's still plus one cons my middle. Yeah. thirteen So it starts at 12. So it gets you to a 14 because it's plus your level as well. So okay, great. It's an 18 to hit. So five damage to Tucker. That'll do it. That'll hit me. hurt as this demon rushes up and begins slashing at the two of you relentlessly. And now I am going to need Nyx to go. OK, Nyx is briefly just paralyzed in terror as this thing appears. And but she Nyx is a prodigy with weapons. She just weapons just speak to her. And so she has a weapon in her hand already.
00:27:18
Speaker
And so she grasps the hilt of this big, evidently horribly evil sword and without taking time to consider whether this is a very bad idea, charges the demon with it. Okay.
00:27:33
Speaker
yo OK, so if I've done this correctly, which who knows, I think I have rolled a 17 to hit. OK, that's after your modifiers and everything. Yes, I rolled a 13. I added my charisma because I can attack with my charisma and then I added one for my level. I think that's everything I get to add. OK, yes, you you feel OK as you swing the sword.
00:28:03
Speaker
You feel some like resistance as the blade gets close, especially as it makes contact with the demon's skin. But then the blade that you're using cuts through it and deals damage to the being. Okay.
00:28:17
Speaker
And then that is, I'm assuming this to be a heavy weapon. That is 11 damage. 11 damage. All right. Okie dokie. All right. Done more things. 11 damage. Your natural role was a 13 though. Correct. Okay. So you can sense that despite the fact that your blade was able to get through its defenses, you did not deal as much damage as you would have hoped that you would have. And this is an opportunity to you explain how resistances in 13th age work.
00:28:46
Speaker
So this demon has a resistance to physical damage of 17 plus, which basically means if you roll a 17 or higher on your natural attack roll, you bypass the resistance. But if you roll 17 or less on your natural roll, it takes half damage. So we're gonna die tonight that was Nick's turn. Tucker, you got a demon slashing at you.
00:29:14
Speaker
Yeah, I suppose I, well, how about another game system question? Are opportunity attacks anything in this game? Cause I would like to step away far enough that my crossbow can reach maximum velocity. Yes. So there is an interrupt action for when you move away from a creature that you are engaged with. They get to make a free basic melee attack against you. I have another question.
00:29:44
Speaker
okay I don't know if I'm looking too much into it, but as a fighter, he has threatening, so whenever an enemy disengages from you, it takes a penalty against my Dex or Khan modifier. So does that count if he switched from me to No, because he, it can be engaged to both of you since you were standing next to each other. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Then I suppose I will not try to move away. Can I just fire point blank? If you perform a ranged attack while in, while engaged, they get an opportunity attack. All right. So Eric knew my weapon was a handcraft bow, did this. So I guess I will step away regardless to to get a better aim at the guy. So he gets his melee attack. Okay. That's a natural one.
00:30:28
Speaker
great hey all right then i'm going to draw on fire okay and i did not even get anywhere close to being able to hit my roll the natural seven i don't know what my modifiers are actually but what what What are the modifiers one would add today? It would be your dexterity modifier. So you get a plus zero with your 10 decks plus your level. so So that's an eight. So I fire and I hit the I just send an arrow straight up the path that was dug back up to the extra. Cool. OK, okay net is Dravash. You got a demon breathing down at you. I do, which is not fun. And it's.
00:31:06
Speaker
Can I... It doesn't really matter, because I feel like I'm still going to get attacked again. Just to give you a sense of the scale of what's happening, this demon is very big. This demon could not fit through the little crevice that leads up to the garden pathway, if you all wanted to try to get out that way. I have a question that I meant to ask when it was my turn. It doesn't make much sense. Well, you can wait until your next turn.
00:31:28
Speaker
I'm gonna do it now. Wait, if Dravash got one on my turn, so now I get one. on yeah Fair enough. That's a trade. We're, we're, we're pairing now. I just wanted to know if the portal is still there. Did it move when the blade got swung? It it hit shut when the demon crawled through it. It summoned this demon and that was it. Okay, great. Can we just move the portal underneath the demon? See what happens. Oh my. Okay.
00:31:54
Speaker
I don't know if I should try to recover or just... does... is the... is the demon? You said it was large. Is it elemental in nature? No, it is it is from the plane of war. So it is it is fueled by the the desire to do harm and battle with other creatures. OK, so I sent my build ah built during the downtime. Can I use hold on. This is the part where this is a whole new system. Let me see. Sorry. we Can I use toughest iron, which is once per battle, you can rally using a quick action. OK.
00:32:34
Speaker
And then for that rally, then use one of my recoveries. Oh yeah. To heal yourself. Yes. yeah Nice. Nice. Okay. Do I need to do something?
00:32:46
Speaker
So for those listening, recoveries are the way that you can heal yourself in battle. It's also a lot of like healing, like potions and healing spells, a lot of times allow you to use a recovery. I'm not losing another dice. Okay. Okay. Yeah, man, whatever. I trust you. It says seek recoveries and then it doesn't take me anywhere else. So I don't know what to do. Can I just straight roll?
00:33:08
Speaker
for the recoveries yeah you roll a d10 and then add your con modifier hold on hold on i put them all away okay they're everywhere there goes another one to a bigger desk i have a bigger desk i'm an artist so there's a giant tablet on it fair enough it's the issue i do have a die straight but it's so small that can be upgraded there you go bigger die straight We know a guy. That's true. Is it literally at the bottom? Yes, it was. OK, I got it. Don't worry. That's a five. Five plus your con. Six. OK, so you heal six. Cool. And that was your quick action. So would you like to attack the demon? Yes. Once per battle.
00:33:54
Speaker
I can make a close quarters breath attack. Oh wait, that's my quick action. No, in this, in this system, you can downgrade a standard action to a quick action if you would like to do that. I would. Okay. Wait. No. That doesn't it make sense. What's your question? It does make sense. I can try. Yeah, I'll do it. Okay. Okay. So I can make one close quarter breath ah weapon attack using my quick action with my, using my highest ability score against.
00:34:21
Speaker
One nearby enemy's physical defense. okay And then on a hit, the attack deals one d6 per my level of an energy type. So this would be your strength modifier plus your level? Yes. You roll a d20? Yep. 12, please. Against the physical defense? Please. He's got to be a soft die. Are you sure that you didn't roll ah fifteen a A trick die.
00:34:50
Speaker
i I don't know many rules yet, but that ability requires the escalation. I had to be three or higher. Oh, you're right. You're right. This is first round. Sorry. I don't know much. You're right. So 12 is not enough to bypass this demon's physical defense, unfortunately. Oh, dang. But what is Jarosh's breath weapon fire or is it what element is it? Fire, cold, lightning, poison, acid? We want to make them cool. We'll make it lightning. We'll actually color them.
00:35:21
Speaker
Love that. Unfortunately, the lightning bounces around the demon, but does not gain purchase. It is now Ellora's turn. Ellora wants to throw a dagger. Love that. Ellora does not want to get close. Smart. Okay. So thrown weapons for Ellora. That is, so that's going to be your dexterity plus your level for the attack bonus. Wonderful. Okay. Nine.
00:35:43
Speaker
nine to hit yeah that is not quite enough unfortunately so would you like to do anything else in your turn Elora move i would like to move a little bit closer to that little exit that we could maybe slip through at some point so the problem is girash was standing right by it and the demon wrenched girash never mind there is the door yeah there is a regular door Elora will go a little closer to the regular door and okay Do we I'm sorry, do do we all know what Nick's knows about what happens with the door and the and like Nick said Nick said out loud. It looks like we need to get we should get the blade first. OK, that's all we got. OK, well, we have the blade. It's true. So Laura is going to go close to the door because we have the blade already. OK, love that. So you head over to the door. Would you like to try to open the door or are you just going to hang out near the door?
00:36:36
Speaker
opening the door would be ah attempting to open the door would be a quick action. Let's attempt to open the door. Your hand hits stone as it shimmers through the illusion, the illusion that was the door and the illusion dissipates and you just see a stone wall on the other side of it. Oh, no.
00:36:51
Speaker
Love that. Well, that's not great. Laura's just going to turn back around and look at what's happening. What's happening is the start of a new round. yeah Escalation dies at a one now. So you all add an additional one to all of your attack rules. Two more rounds and one of us gets a 15. And the demon is going to attack Dravash first. First? It gets two attacks. Yeah. So it might attack someone else. Probably. We'll see what happens.
00:37:17
Speaker
um
00:37:24
Speaker
21 to hit, I believe gets through Girash's armor class. So that is five damage. sky okay okay And like the the searing pain from the sword, it turns around and begins to rear up like it's going to attack Nyx. And then as it sees Nyx, its torso twists and its claw goes towards Girash again. Natural one.
00:37:49
Speaker
Yay. Oh, I, on natural ones, it doesn't count and that's the only time it's missed. This system also has missed damage. So if I miss with anything other than natural one, you'll take one damage just so you know. All right. It is now.
00:38:05
Speaker
Nix's turn. So Nix, you can definitely tell that when it turned to slash you for damaging it, there was a moment of recognition and it decided to attack Dravash instead. OK, so in a very, very short space of time, Nix tells herself several lies and decides the sword sword.
00:38:27
Speaker
is repelling the demon. And so, I mean, she can tell that she hit this thing right good with this obviously extremely potent weapon. And it didn't really seem to be very bothered by being hit with this artifact sword. And so Nix is going to going to see whether the power of the sword compels it. And essentially, she's going to try and put herself between the demon and Dravash and try and, I guess, intimidate the demon back like with the sword, like see if if she can use it like a cross on a vampire. Okay. Let me, because there's a whole actual mechanic surrounding this for the demonologist, right? With like we're like maintaining control of a demon? and like Yeah, asserting control over a demon.
00:39:22
Speaker
There is... and it is... there's a save that I make. Where are you? Come on. Oh, here we go. Well, that's when you're summoning demon dresses, you're a hit point. Yeah, that's a loss of control thing. I don't, like, I... Okay. When I... normally when I summon, I have control. Yeah, yeah. And then I can lose control.
00:39:43
Speaker
and I have a save against it. But obviously I'm not in control of this creature. Yes. So yeah, go ahead and just give me an intimidation like you were planning on. Okay. Can I use Shavarath Touched as a background for this roll? Yes. Lost track of my d20 for that deck.
00:40:00
Speaker
OK, it's not bad. It's not great, though. But that's escalation. I only play into attacks. I think technically, yes, but I'm well, since this is related to the combat that you are facing, I'm willing to allow it. It doesn't get me great. I guess we do a 13. 13. Try to be against its mental defense, I would guess, since you are trying to. Seems logical. What was it? 13. 13. OK. Roll 2d6 for me. OK.
00:40:27
Speaker
Six. Six. Yeah, you you exerting your will in this way, you can tell that the demon kind of like freezes and tries to like resist against it. And it it eventually like manages to like it takes a great amount of its resolve and will and basically you you've dealt mental damage to it as it tries to resist your control.
00:40:50
Speaker
you get a sense that it will require at least one more successful check, but there might be some modifiers that cause it to increase. Like there there is a world in which you do this one more time and you can exercise control over it. I moved to engage this enemy just now, right? when i Well, you were already engaged because you did a melee attack. Yeah, right. Okay, cool. Then I don't think I have a good quick action to do so.
00:41:17
Speaker
I'm assuming that intimidating something is a full action. Yes. And I will say that's my turn. So, yes, she is she's not really like shouting anything at it. She's she's kind of just brandishing the sword at it. And it seems to be doing something. But she doesn't know what she's trying to do at the moment. OK, Tucker, I've been inspired to open the Srd and I have a question.
00:41:39
Speaker
Okay. I'm a, you said I'm a bard. Like you said that. So I have spells and there's a first level bard spell I found. Can I do do that? it's a Sure. All right. We're playing Calvin ball. Why not? Heck yeah. Why not? All right. So this is called sound burst. It's a ranged spell I get to do once a day. And I don't think I did it. That's going to be a 16 to hit. So it's halved regardless. Against its what? Physical defense. Physical defense. That does hit.
00:42:05
Speaker
Okay. I need to roll 5d6s real quick. It's thunder damage. So let me double check on a hit. It's 5d6 plus my charisma, thunder damage. And the target is dazed until the end of my next turn. Okay. That's what I'm talking about.
00:42:19
Speaker
a
00:42:21
Speaker
21 damage halved. No, because this is not physical damage. Oh, okay. Great. Even though it was physical defense, it's not physical damage. Neat. Cool. Cause you're not attacking it with a weapon. A good point.
00:42:34
Speaker
Um, it is staggered. So it's over halfway down on its hit hit points and, or hindered. That's the right word. No, I'm trying to remember what staggered might be the right word staggered is staggered is the, I think is the condition where you're below half. Okay. Cool. And it is staggered, but it is also days, which means it takes a minus four to its attack roles. So well done, Tucker. What does Tucker's bardic abilities look like?
00:43:04
Speaker
saying words good yeah i think if it i i would love if it was about his smile but that doesn't work for thunder damage so he just flashes a big smile and pierces your heart but that's funny for thunder damage i think it doesn't have to be like a booming oratory he's he's uh He's encouraging his partners, his friends, and that hurts this demon who's by it himself. Amazing. All right. Dravash. I have a question, but I will accept a no because I did not say it fast enough. I put the feet on the breath, but I did not read it because it was too long and I have dyslexia. Roll a die-in if you get a six or 16 or higher. I get my breath weapon back. Roll a d20 and see what comes up.
00:43:46
Speaker
Thank you. This is just the natural world, though. No. OK. That was beautiful. I will. It does it. Well, no, because Nyx just showed up. Can I attempt to aggro it, but also like like pivot around so I can try to make space away from the hole if it's attacked me twice now?
00:44:07
Speaker
I mean, you could, you can move away from the hole as long as you don't leave the space that you're engaged with it, then it doesn't get an opportunity to attack. So you can, you can move around it next, like next to Nick's who was standing behind the thing. Okay. So I want to try and physically begin to like turn its attention away from the hole so that there's space for people to try and squeeze behind should they need to leave. And then I guess I just have to attack.
00:44:36
Speaker
I mean, if you, if you want to try and so you can, so Josh, you can tell that Nick's is doing something with but the thing is locked on Nick's and kind of like, net like trying to fight against whatever will Nick's is exerting over it. If you want to try to draw its focus on you or cause it's not looking at the hole anymore. It has turned to look at Nick's. So yeah, that's just kind of the, the current state of things at the start of your turn. Okay.
00:45:03
Speaker
So I will continue to do the little shimmy, but I want to keep myself in front of Nyx as a physical shield. OK. And then I want to look at Alora and I also want to look back at say the correct name this time. Talker and then look at the hole. Just the very like. Oh, because I don't know if it understands me. And then I'm a physical fighter.
00:45:33
Speaker
then physically fight it. If you roll high enough, you bypass it. Yeah, if that's beautiful. Yeah, so I will just all a minor protection. So yeah, I'll just have to, I'll just straight attack it. Okay. Roll a d20. Please. That's a one. One sadly is not good enough. Okay. Yeah. You, you completely miss a girash on your attack. And now it is Ellora's turn.
00:46:00
Speaker
Elora's gonna give those throwing daggers another try. Okay, love that. Well, that's a seven. That's the daggers bounce off of this ah demon's thick hide. Are you gonna move? Yes, gonna move toward that little hole that has been opened up a little bit. Okay, how close to the hole are you getting? Because you'll you'll have to get pretty close to the demon to get like right next to the hole. So are you just getting close enough to be prepped to? Close enough to be prepped. Yes. Okay. All right. but We are up to two on the escalation die and now it is the demon's turn. So the demon is going to try and attack Dravash. It's a natural two. That is not going to do it. And its second attack. That is
00:46:50
Speaker
11 to hit girash. No, no. All right. Thanks. Is that a miss? Thanks to the thing. Yes, it it was days. Thanks to the thunder damage. So it missed once per round with the escalation dice even and an enemy misses you on a natural. odd may leut attack It did roll 15. So yes, I can make a basic melee attack dealing half damage nice as a free action. Awesome. Hooray. OK, that's cool. That's 17.
00:47:19
Speaker
That does hit and it's enough to bypass the resistance. but Oh wait, it's a natural 17. So that, that, that was after your modifier, right? No, 20. It's a 20. I forgot to add that, that three. Oh, so you did roll a natural 17. Yes. Hell yeah. Okay. Yeah. And that's a 19. I think I don't, I, away up my weapon, that's a different role. Yes. Your weapon is not. What kind of weapon are you using? it Oh, it's your hands. So D six. Nevermind. That was not as exciting. Plus your strings. Yes. Oh, eight. Eight damage. OK. All right. And there goes my counter attack. It is going to use one of its.
00:48:09
Speaker
One of its nastier abilities, which is but an actual legitimate special kind of ability that some monsters have.
00:48:21
Speaker
dealt eight damage, is that correct? Yes. OK, took an even amount of damage. So it is going to make a melee attack. Oh, minus four. That is only a 12 to hit. Does that hit you? My AC is. No, AC is 15. It does not. OK, you win this time. I'm straight sparring with this guy. And that was the demon's turn, right? Because the demon missed an attack to Javar. Javar got to counter and then the demon countered. Counter counter counter counter counter counter counter.
00:48:50
Speaker
Nick's your turn. OK, Nick's goal is to try and force the demon to back up so that there's more space at the entrance to the K to the escape because she can see that at least some of her friends are attempting to get to the exit. That's OK. That will be and now it's plus two. OK, cool. So that will be a total of 18. OK.
00:49:18
Speaker
Is this another intimidation check? Yes. What was the natural role? The natural role was a 10. 10? Okay. Yes. The demon still fighting against your will. So you haven't fully brought it under your control, but enough that it does like kind of thrash and back away from the hole. It is not moving under its own impetus though. So it won't trigger an opportunity attack from J'Vash as it kind of pivots away. and roll 2d6 for me. Three. Okay. It still takes some mental damage as it's fighting against Nyx, but the the hole is open now and cleared. So, Nyx, are you doing anything else? Are you standing there? All of my quick action stuff trigger triggers off of attacking stuff, so. You can move. what i'm doing Okay. I mean, she's she's moving forward, holding the sword out. Gotcha. Working really hard, Dick.
00:50:10
Speaker
convince herself that that the sword is the thing that's pushing the deal. Okay, it is Tucker's turn. So Tucker, the hole is wide open. Nix is forcing the steam into step stagger backwards with a sword with a sword. Yes, no one is currently engaged.
00:50:23
Speaker
Just Nyx is stay is Nyx staying engaged with it? Like you said moving towards the thing. I mean, if if I can allow it to to have to to start to put some space between me and it, that's that's fine. You have some real estate to where if you were to try to move it, it wouldn't get it wouldn't trigger an opportunity to attack. However, you know that you don't have this thing under so much control, like on its turn, it is going for to move and attack again.
00:50:50
Speaker
So, right. So no, no one's engaged with it. Okay. I, i but then I guess I will, sorry. I found a really cool battle cry that was going to give you a free disengage check when it was time for us to beat.
00:51:01
Speaker
So was gonna use a well but no give me now it's no. Say what's up. Yes, you can set that up with your wash. Yeah, it's almost certainly going to throw herself at the thing. now That's a good point. OK, so that's what I'll do. I am going to. I mean, it's just so these bardic battle cries have triggering roles. You have to hit this kid. This kind of need to do a natural even role on ID 20 to do this. And that's 17. So that's natural on roll.
00:51:25
Speaker
Yeah. And now is that, is that my action? So now I just have a quick action and movement squishy and I've missed and I'm running to the hole. You're running the hole. Yeah. Okay. Okey-dokey. What, what did you roll? A five. Five? That was your next one. Okay. Cool. Okey-dokey. It is now, Girash's turn. Oh yeah. Cause I was a counter. Yeah. oh I am still doing the same thing. I'm going to
Nyx's Ultimate Power Reveal
00:51:52
Speaker
try to keep a physical barrier between the demon and Nyx. And I'm going to attempt to attack again.
00:52:00
Speaker
So you're gonna have to rush away from the hole to because Nyx has been backing the thing away. So yeah, okay. Yep. Okay. That is a natural nine plus what? Plus your strength plus your level plus two. Oh my god. I do not think I was doing that. Your your strength modifier. So yeah. Strength modifier is three. That's a plus six. oh I know. So if that's the case, I have not been adding that.
00:52:23
Speaker
You rolled a, what did you roll though? I rolled a natural nine and then that would be plus six. Rush that attack misses, but you are back in between Nix and the demon. Alora. So Tucker is in the hole. Is that right? Yeah, I assumed so. I thought we were leaving. and so Okay. Alora, what are you doing? You're near the hole. There's a clear path.
00:52:43
Speaker
Alora's ready to leave too. She's going to throw one more dagger on the way out. She really wants to hit this thing. She's hoping now that she's close, she can. She washed me a big face at me, so I thought we were going. So I went and then I watched him run away from the hole. Well, oh, okay. 20.
00:52:59
Speaker
20, that will hit, yes. hi So 1d4 for your damage, plus your dexterity. Can she take the knife, throw or adventure her adventure of feet and roll a d8 instead? Sure. Great. Look, we got to get our knees. I didn't think we were going through, but we did. So we're using them. I know. Well, that was a one. so and your dexterity modifier is a two so that's three damage two three three damage all right it is okay escalation die is now to three it is the demon's turn are you running to the hole i'm also running to the hole i'm running the hole i'm on my way up so the demon is staggered as the escalation die hits a three so its ability activates where you see it
00:53:39
Speaker
taking a deep breath and the orange runes that are kind of surrounding it now that Nyx has been forcing it to back up, the energy kind of siphons into it and you see the wounds and everything close up as it like stands up a little bit taller and it seems to have been healed in some capacity.
00:53:58
Speaker
and it's like it seems to be a bit more powerful like it like it got harder to kill so it's worse it is going to attack girash it's no longer dazed correct that was just one round jeff yeah so the yes it was at the end of my turn so that's only a 12 to hit with the first attack second attack that was a 16 that just hits 10 damage jesus as it tears into, like some of your scales get ripped off, Jarosh, as its claws tear through you. um'm so good And Nix, you can feel your will that you're exerting through your sword. Like the sword feel like it feels harder. It feels like this thing, its resolve has grown. It's going to be more difficult to try and like bring this thing under your control. It is your turn, Nix.
00:54:54
Speaker
OK, so Nix is trying to force this creature back, but as she as she exerts her will, suddenly she with all with the with the runes glowing and all of this, she suddenly she touches something she doesn't know is there. And I'm going to see whether this happens before I start describing the cool things. OK, OK.
00:55:17
Speaker
It looks promising. I've got a 15 plus charisma. Get me to a 19 plus 21 against its physical defense. That is more than enough, yes.
00:55:33
Speaker
OK, Nix touches something and she's going to cast a spell called the rending. And what what happens is with these runes to the other plane ah showing up in here, a sword glowing with these runes, the demon drawing power from it, like gashes form in the air.
00:55:53
Speaker
And all of all of Allura's discarded throwing knives like like rise up off the ground. Yeah, I help. And just go flying into the ah go flying into the demon as as Nyx draws more of Shavaroth into into the room. And it's going to take three d12 plus my charisma damage. That's nice.
00:56:20
Speaker
10, 19, 27, 30 damage. OK, Phillip, describe how a how you eviscerate and destroy this demon, but also how this ability reveals the nature of Nix's power to her companions in this moment in a way that would probably be yeah least mildly upsetting and disturbing.
00:56:47
Speaker
The gashes in the air open and there's just this glimpse of burning red skies. And as Allura's throwing knives fly towards the towards the demon, one of the weird, plainer phenomena of Shavarath is that there are just there are literal blade storms.
00:57:13
Speaker
in the plane. And so one of those pours out of this rent that she's opened into a plane and dozens of just battle axes and swords and spears and everything just pour out and just slash into the demon, pincushioning it with a variety of all kind of ghastly, jagged, exaggerated looking weapons that just pour into the room.
00:57:43
Speaker
impale the demon throughout its body, and then as as that is happening, the the fiendish look of Nyx enhances. The metallic horns on her out of her forehead grow longer and more curved. The black scales that usually just cover her left arm and shoulder kind of spread across and down the other arm as she as she pulls this force into just into into the space and maybe sort of like ethereal shadowy demonic wings go from her back as she as she casts the spell. um And then as soon as the demon falls, she just gasps and let go and the the rent in the air closes and all of the effects dissolve around her. The the armor disappears.
00:58:40
Speaker
And she she lets go of the sword like it is white hot. Awesome. And that's where we're going to leave it. Thank you all so much for listening. We've hope you have enjoyed this little prologue, Nick's a focused adventure. Tune in next time for the next one. But thank you all. If you want to be part of the conversations surrounding this episode, you can check out our discord, the link to which is on all of our socials, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter.
00:59:02
Speaker
Uh, we also have a YouTube channel, youtube.com slash the gate Pantheon, where I post TTRPC videos. Philip, do the thing. but We have another channel, the laughing tree on YouTube, where you can see another actual play that's still there. yes That is ah very, very near it's, it's finale, possibly the week that you, the the Monday that after that you are listening to this called Kyber shards on the GM Eric's a player using fifth edition. Uh, there'll be another campaign starting up.
00:59:32
Speaker
sometime in the near future. We also have a Patreon, patreon dot.com slash keep pantheon. If you want to financially support the shows, you can do so over there or you can buy some merch at the keep pantheon dot.com. ah Thank you all so much for listening. I've been your game master, Eric. I'm Mia. I'm Phillip. I'm Madison. We'll see you.