PDA

View Full Version : "The Darkening" Campaign Log



Superglucose
2010-04-28, 09:23 PM
I'm going to start logging this campaign so you guys can see what's going down. I'm not much of an optimizer (as people who went against me in the ToS can attest to) but I don't make worthless characters either. Since Saph is like my personal hero, I'm going to do this like Saph did Saph's. Also, Saph is not allowed to have pronouns until Saph tells me what gender Saph is once and for all :smallwink:

So now I'm going to tune you into the campaign already in progress.

Current Lineup

John Merino --

Played by Superglucose, John Merino is a human 5 conjurer, soon to be 6 if our GM just decides that we're clever enough to escape (more on that later). John is Emma's half-sister and asked an elf named Indis to marry him. She accepted, but his father objected because his father didn't want Indis to get hurt when John dies in fifty years. In short, John's father tried all the various methods of "convincing" and finally put his foot down, invoking a racism card to get his point across. This had the opposite effect, sending John off on a quest to blackmail his father by virtue of the man's elven mistress. Instead he found his half-sister, and has since been unable to return to Hazlan for various reasons.

Emma --

Played by a friend who will be called B to avoid using her name on ze interwebs. Emma is John's half-sister via her mother, who was killed by skeletons. Emma was heartbroken by this and left her home to explore the world and figure out how to become a better healer because of it. She's playing a 5 Cleric, 6 if we can rest, of Halla, with the Plant and Healing domains. She's from Borca, I believe.

Bhorg --

Played by my friend D, to protect his name, Bhorg is a paladin from... I actually forget where, but he fell through the mists. He's a paladin of Thor wielding a hammer of some sort. Currently his job is to get arrested in every damn town we come across since we're in the Nova Vaasa/Hazlan region and the Lawmaker doesn't appreciate his kind very much. He entered the party via the recently deceased Usurian who was a friend of Emma's and John's father's "competition" (there was no competition, Usurian was always outside looking in) for Emma's mother's heart. Even after John's father drove her away.

Ingrid --

Ingrid is played by a girl named H. Ingrid is your basic rogue with out-of-combat focused feats. Think Haley only much more focused on out of combat. Ingrid is currently Baleful Polymorphed into a bunny, more on that later. Not sure why this clock-maker out of Lamordia is traveling with us, but she lost her "manservant" (Basil) in a level 1 adventure and we need to go back to put his body to rest.

Maryweather --

J is playing Maryweather, a female half-elf sorcerer from Dragonlance areas. She focuses mostly on blasting and is currently in a bunny form as well. Not much is known about her inclination for traveling with us.

The story so far: (of this adventure)

John has been recently labeled a traitor and a heretic in the nation of Hazlan because someone wanted his woman. After having discovered this, he sent a letter home to figure out wtf was going on. Hearing that his beloved might be in danger and was being shipped to Nova Vaasa (which was his misinterpretation) he anticipated she would be in grave danger, being a sorceress in Nova Vaasa. Immediately the party set off.

Once arriving in Nova Vaasa, John's head began to clear and he realized that she was actually still in Hazlan... which freaked John out considerably. Upon entering Hazlan, the party met no problems and went to the tower of Zoltan, the wizard who "bought" Indis' journeyman's contract. Zoltan's mistress claimed to never have seen an elf, despite the fact that the party was true.

Infiltration
That night, John decides to go in, and the party follows. He uses Blink to walk through the door and finds himself in combat with a couple of constructs. Sighing and opening the doors (at this point I had Blink, Troglodyte form, Mage Armor and Cat's Grace up, giving me an AC of 26 and a 50% miss chance) to allow my party members in, the battle was joined.

Mammary glands become upwardly inclined
The GM has been laughing at me all campaign for not taking blasty spells. Last time he complained about Stinking Cloud, so he used it against us. Fair enough, but yours truly gets super lucky on his incorporeality and fort saves, as well as heightens party alertness to DEFCON -9001 (presence of enemy casters) on the usual scale of 5-1. After partially shutting down the caster on the right entrance it falls to me to engage the caster on the left entrance, and I activate OMNOM powers and start eating (literally) the one on the left.

In the meantime, party druid (who died in the encounter) utilizes his ability to be two leopards and starts shredding the constructs while the paladin has fun failing to cross my Grease spell. Emma works on keeping the Paladin up in the face of Scorching Ray spam as John continues to make the other caster's life a living hell.

Outside, Ingrid and Maryweather are holding the stairs instead of the door, and I warn them to get inside. They say, "But there's a stinking cloud there!" Famous last words, as several guards and dogs arrive to try and kill them. Burning Hands (well two of them) dispatches pretty much of the guards and a few crossbow bolts finish them off when Usurian the Druid elects to step outside. Apparently he was at low hitpoints as a single lightning bolt from above killed him instantly while a Baleful Polymorph hits Ingrid.

Lolwut?

After warning everyone to get inside (I passed a spellcraft check to identify the spell from sounds only) I continue clawing at the caster while the construct continues (fruitlessly... my AC is still 26 even without the 50% miss chance) wailing at my behind. Victory seems to be falling from our grasp as we speak, but then lo! The paladin kills 5th level caster #1! And I am locked in pitched combat with 5th level caster #2. I down him quickly but then I hear, "Whoops, failed the fort save."

...?

Yeah, the sorcerer didn't return inside the building and is now a bunny. We are three characters down (fortunately the rogue bunny still has its sneak attack ability) out of three, and I am quick to point out that the dividing line between those who lived and died are those who stayed in LoS of 11th level casters... and those who didn't. Guess which ones lived? :smallsigh:

Still Trucking

Right now I've got two Stinking Cloud, Shield, Web, and a Glitterdust left on my list for the day. I burn the Shield in preparation for the boss fight... anticipating that I can find a way to get in close and maul them. In the meantime, the three remaining characters close the door and kill the last wizard, and my familiar finds the quickest path to those 11th level casters. Gameplan is to Stinking Cloud them then charge in after it's gone and smack them up a bit.

We start heading up the stairs and I burn a Web to give us a bit of cover. Then we take on two more constructs in Melee, using 0 spells (because they can't hit me and the paladin crushes them). Finally we encounter two wizards and a construct... the wizards eat Stinking Cloud but are clearly not the masters of the tower. Checking our reserves and eying that tasty scroll of 3 Mount spells in my inventory (I also have Comprehend Languages and Color Spray) I elect to leave.

Run like you stole something... and got caught doing it

Back downstairs I mention the plan to the party, and also that there are guards blocking us. Emma uses Entangle to cover our escape while I toss my last Stinking Cloud to block LoS from the top of the tower. This keeps us safe... for now, and we gallop off to go get our cart and horses. While leaving the area, we switch horses for safety (they are tracking us by the scent of the Mount summoned horses, and it's raining). It remains to be determined whether or not the GM will let us leave. He seems very intent on seeing us dead.

We're still looking at options, and assuming the GM lets us live (which I feel he should) we'll be leveling tonight with a large number of Dispel Magic over the next few days to restore Ingrid and Maryweather to their rightful forms.

Starbuck_II
2010-04-28, 09:41 PM
Wow, you are fighting high lv casters there.

So what spells do you know?

Kaun
2010-04-28, 10:13 PM
I don't really understand the whats and whys so far but it sounds fun none the less.

Superglucose
2010-04-28, 10:17 PM
Lessee...

Stinking Cloud, Blink, Web, Glitterdust, Grease, Color Spray, Comprehend Languages, Mount, Alter Self, Mirror Image (which isn't getting much use), Mage Armor, the cantrips, shield, cat's grace... and I think another divination spell.

I'm currently in the process of "stealing" a spellbook as described in Complete Arcane which will give me a few other spells.

I banned Necro and Evo, because I was initially scared of powers checks.