ASSASSINS VERSUS BODYGUARDS: Punchinello

[The Watchman]

This thread is intended for Rizban's eyes only. If you are not Rizban, GTFO.

The rest of the day passes slowly. A few prospective buyers wander up to you, select minor trinkets touted as good-luck charms, pay, and wander away again. The peddler does not look happy about you stealing what he obviously considers to be his business, and shoots you the occasional venomous glance.
Finally, though, night begins to fall on the city, and the man approaches you again. The crowds have thinned out greatly.
The man walks up to you, and for a moment it appears that he is going to stop and speak with you again, but he simply moves on without pause. For a moment, you are puzzled, but then you notice the scroll sitting on the edge of your cart. It wasn't there a moment ago.

[Rizban]

[roll0] (Assuming I got to make a little bit of gold there... 14/2=7; 7/7 = 1gp... plus the 5 from my new employer... 6gp! Woo!)

Punchinello begins to close up shop, pocketing the scroll in the process.

After putting away his wares, he pushes his cart down the street in front of the other merchant. Stopping, he drops a small bag of gold coins (60gp) on the other merchant's cart.

"Thank you for allowing me to do business here so close to you. If you ever need anything, just give me a call. I'm sure you'll be able to find me should you need."

Punchinello hands the merchant his standard business card.


Punchinello's Charms and IncantationsAll problems protected against, fixed,
removed, and in all ways handled!
Call on us for anything!

While the merchant reads the card and checks the bag of coins, Punchinello walks off with his own cart examining the scroll. Naturally, he reads it backwards first to ensure that there are no nasty explosive runes or similar magics on it that are triggered by reading. Once he's certain that there are no tricks hidden within it, he reads it normally. (This is his standard procedure for reading notes.)

[hr]
Edit: On another note, my bodyguard rolled
Knowledge - Nobility and Royalty - (d20+9)[28]

If you just want to do his thread here until he joins up with Team Nonpan, feel free to do so.

[The Watchman]

The peddler looks surprised and confused, and stands there holding the bag of coins and the card as you walk away. He looks as though he has no idea what to make of this "Punchinello" character.

The scroll is completely nonmagical, as far as your (rather limited) test can ascertain. It reads, in a flowing hand:

To the one called "Punchinello"
From the desk of Gerhard Sann
Merchant's Guild Headquarters, Broad Chase

You are no doubt already aware of the Guild's current state of civil war, so I will not bore you with the details of who falls on which side, or even which side I am on; that is not important for you to know.
Ascon - the man who delivered this message to you - informs me that you would be willing to undertake certain tasks whose completion entails the removal of certain figures from this world. I would like to employ you for precisely this purpose.
My proposal is this: your current hand-cart business is hardly one which will result in much profit, and as a newcomer to the city there are few who would be willing to give you a start-of-business loan at anything less than an exorbitant rate of interest. I can get you around all of this in exchange for your services.
You will eliminate certain enemies of mine by whatever means you judge to be necessary. In exchange, I will secure you a membership in the Guild. This will allow you access to certain avenues of trade previously unknown to you, and will make expanding your business much easier. In addition, I will secure an optimal-rate loan for you, enabling you to set up shop in something more befitting a true merchant. A hand-cart is simply shameful.
Of course, this page has been enchanted so that only you may read it, and Ascon will be monitoring you for any signs of betrayal - but I doubt that his intervention will be necessary. If you wish to accept my offer, proceed to Cobbler's Crossing. Ascon will be waiting there with instructions.

[Rizban]

[roll0]
Retries if fail the DC15 check
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
They are technically free actions and only take as long as it takes to glance over the page and failure doesn't mean anything but a wasted roll... which means I should just take 20, but I like rolling. If none of those succeed, then I take 20 and succeed. I succeeded the first roll. Yay.

A success indicates that I have perfectly memorized the letter word for word.

Punchinello finishes reading the note then sets it alight on the nearest source of flame (streetlight, torch, whatever) at allows it to burn away. Proceeding to Cobbler's Crossing, Punchinello looks for Ascon.

[The Watchman]

Ascon is standing underneath one of the trees in Cobbler's Crossing, which is a sort of combination park-street. He nods as you come up to him.
"Something I wanted to ask earlier," he says. "What kind of name is 'Punchinello'?"

[Rizban]

With a grin, "A very unique one."

[The Watchman]

With a grin, "A very unique one."

Ascon grins back. "That we can agree on," he says, sounding amused. "I take it, then, that you're willing to undertake this job?"

[Rizban]

"Well, I'm here and haven't stabbed you yet, so I think that's probably a safe bet. I've got a bit of an itchy stabbing hand though... I'm ready for the details, if you're ready to hire me."

Punchinello's head twitches slightly as if he's barely able to contain his energy and excitement at the moment, and the smile on his face can only be described as disturbing.

[The Watchman]

Ascon nods and says, "Good. Follow me. Leave the cart - no one will touch it. You have my word on this."
With that, he turns and begins to walk away, towards the other side of Cobbler's Crossing, the road called Asingbury Avenue.

[Rizban]

Punchinello follows, waiting for something to happen.

[The Watchman]

Ascon leads you along Asingbury, then, unsurprisingly, onto Broad Chase. There, though, he ducks into a side street: a small, dark alley, darker even than the other streets under the pale moonlight. A small sign declares the tiny path to be named Beggar's Close.
After what seems like an eternity of groping your way, half-blind, through the darkness, the Close opens onto a courtyard. Ascon stops you before you can exit the Close, however.
"Welcome to the Moneylender's Circus," he whispers. "Officially named the Brass Square, but no one actually calls it that. Half the city's bankers live here."
He points across the square towards one of the many well-appointed houses along its edge. "That," he mutters, "is the house of one Luitpold Strackeljahn. You can guess what you're meant to do to him."
In the darkness, you can just make out Ascon's wolf grin.

[Rizban]

"You got anything for me in either information or pay?"

[The Watchman]

"You get paid when it's over," says Ascon bluntly. "But information I can give. Strackeljahn is an old man, so he himself is pretty easy to kill. But he's fairly wealthy, so he's got guards, and they're good. His house here is pretty well-guarded.
"He works at the Merchants' Guild headquarters. He's a moneylender, but most of the deals are made through his workers. He does all the administrative stuff. But the Merchants' Guild is fairly heavily-guarded as well.
"As for habits... First off, he heads out to the Guild at dawn, and leaves at dusk. Other than that, he generally stays in his house. It's anyone's guess what he does in there, though, because he really doesn't let anyone other than his bodyguards inside."

[Rizban]

"Time limit?"

[The Watchman]

"Time limit?"

Ascon shrugs. "No big rush," he says. "Secrecy is more important than expediency here. Just make sure that they don't catch you. He would prefer, though, that it gets done in the next day or so. You can be guaranteed a bonus if you get it done that fast."

[Rizban]

Ascon shrugs. "No big rush," he says. "Secrecy is more important than expediency here. Just make sure that they don't catch you. He would prefer, though, that it gets done in the next day or so. You can be guaranteed a bonus if you get it done that fast."

"It shall be done shortly."

Punchinello turns and walks back the way he came, retrieves his cart, and awaits morning. Just before sunrise, he sets out with his cart and sets it up a few yards west of Beggars' Close on Broad Chase awaiting the appearance of Luitpold Strackeljahn.

[The Watchman]

Night passes slowly. Ascon has apparently disappeared: you haven't seen him since you left him in Beggar's Close.
Finally, though, it is time to take your cart to the point of attack. When you set up shop on Broad Chase, there are very few people around, besides the occasional watchman making his rounds.
Finally, dawn breaks. A few minutes pass as you wait tensely for Strackeljahn to appear. Then, finally, he does.
Luitpold Strackeljahn is a small, implike man dressed in a simple black business suit. He walks with a hunch, relying heavily on his cane for support. His hair is gray, as is his goatee. On his back is a black cloak with red lining, clasped at the neck with a ruby brooch.
But he isn't alone. Behind him is a large, burly dwarf, who is obviously Strackeljahn's personal bodyguard. He is dressed in expensive, well-crafted armor and several obviously magical items, most notably the shining golden battleaxe in his hands.
Strackeljahn ignores you entirely, but the dwarf gives you a brief suspicious glance as he passes by.

[Rizban]

In a calm but welcoming voice, which isn't at all cheery because that would be irritating first thing in the morning, Punchinello addresses the two.

"Morning, sirs. You appearify to be busy, but I must insisticate on but a moment of your time. I perceivilate you have hired a right frightening bodyguard, so it seems to me that you're in need of protectcating. This is perfection, I have just the authentic charms of protection which would preservate your virility."

Punchinello holds up a few small charms.

"This, for instancing, is an aegis against the vilest poison. This one will notificate you of any enemies who approach you and mean you harming before they even come near like!

Of course, I have superiorary goods too, many which would be benificiallary to your endeavorating."

[The Watchman]

Strackeljahn looks nonplussed for a moment, then pushes your hand aside, scowling.
"A bit of advice," he says, turning up his nose slightly. "When you are attempting to deal with one such as I, you do not offer us trinkets like this. You begin with your finest. If you have anything worth selling - which, judging by your appearance, demeanor and-" he sniffs "-apparently meager means, you do not - I would advise you present it quickly. I am a busy man, and in no mood for delays."
The dwarf shifts from foot to foot, eyeing you suspiciously. He frowns and grips his battleaxe more tightly as you watch him.

[Rizban]

"A trinket which warns you of enemies when they simply think about harming you does not interest you? You are more confident than I would have thought. My friend, I am afraid that the only amulet I carry which would interest you is this..."

Punchinello withdraws an amulet from within his shirt, worn about his own neck.

"This is a powerful item which has been in my family for quite some time. You see, it not only detects my enemies and alerts mw, but if one of them means to end my life, well..."

Punchinello laughs merrily.

"You see, there are other magics within which automatically end him before he can end me. It deals with any of his nearby allies as well. Indeed, it is the greatest item I carry."

[The Watchman]

Strackeljahn's eyes brighten slightly. "Ah," he murmurs. "You surprise me, peddler. I would not have thought that one of your appearance would carry a talisman of such power. What is it called?"
The dwarf looks as if he is fighting with himself, then bursts out, "Sir! This man is not trustworthy."
Strackeljahn blinks, looking surprised.

[Rizban]

"I have not lied to you in any way. Sure, I have not disclosed all my secrets to you, but you can't expect me to do so. We have, after all, only just met a few moments ago.

It matters not though, for I fear it is likely beyond your means. I would estimate the market price to be around 20,000 gold. I am loathe to part with such a treasure anyway.

On the other hand, of what value is such a trinket when it is food and shelter that I need?"

He didn't lie about the item or what it does. It really is intended to kill Punchinello's enemies and those nearby before they can kill him and does have a "detect hostile intent" power in it to detect enemies. He just didn't fully disclose HOW it works.

The "estimate" of 20,000 gold is actually a little low. It's closer to 25,000... Of course, he's trying to get the guy to buy it, so... Punchinello is willing to make a deal.

[The Watchman]

Strackeljahn is still eyeing the amulet eagerly, but his expression is now slightly more suspicious.
"You will excuse me," he says slowly, "when I have a few objections to this situation. Firstly, if I am to purchase this item from you - despite your erroneous beliefs, it is not beyond my means - I must know everything about it. How it was crafted, who crafted it, what it is made from, exactly what it does... I am not such a fool that I would accept your declarations on faith.
"Secondly, I would have you know that Risigund is a spellweaver of not inconsiderable strength, and he has saved my life many times. That he declares you untrustworthy weighs heavily against you. And if you make any hostile move, or lie to us, he will cut you down in an instant."
The dwarf, Risigund, nods gravely.

Roll a Will save, please.

[Rizban]

Punchinello grins.

"A discerning buyer. Indeed, I like you already.

Indeed, I crafted it myself some years ago, and I poured much of what I am and nearly all that I was into it. I designed it for my protection as, you can plainly see, I am past my prime and only growing older. I can no longer go on journeys for wealth and must work to survive, for I put away nothing for retirement.

If your dwarf friend is, as you claim, a spell weaver, then it is of no surprise that he finds this amulet to be quite mysterious and is rightfully doubtful. For, you see, there is no magic within it. No, indeed, it is powered by an internal crystal latticework which contains a fractal of mental might. It is what layman's terms typically refers to as 'psionics.'"

Punchinello removes the amulet, caresses it gently, then holds it forth in the palm of his hand for Strackeljahn to see more clearly.

"No, there is no school of magic discernible whatsoever, which my enemies have found quite puzzling over the years, just before they were defeated. See, it touches the minds of everyone around you, and if any hostile thoughts are directed towards you, why it lets you know and shows you who is thinking such. If someone attempts to kill you, then the secondary features activate. These unleash a powerful mental backlash on the target followed by intense bursts of fire and ice. The target takes the most brutal hit, but allies near him will be devastated as well. The best part of all, it's automatic. Since there is no action on your part, there is nothing to indicate it was you who ended their life."

[The Watchman]

Will save result? Also, I'll need a PM with the (real) stats of that amulet before we can go any further.

[Rizban]

Full item description is on my character sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=210282) in the Other Notes section.

[The Watchman]

Will save: [roll0]

Punchinello feels something settle over him. The world is suddenly clearer, sharper, more... trustworthy. Somehow, you know that you will not be able to lie here.

Zone of truth is in effect.

The dwarf is scowling at you, but Strackeljahn looks positively gleeful. "Ah, this sounds perfect," he says happily. "I believe that it would be well worth the money." A pause. "You must understand, of course, that I cannot afford to make any rash moves. A man in my position is often the target of attacks against their person. If you would not mind, I would like Risigund to examine the amulet personally."

[Rizban]

Oh, no, the amulet isn't activating. It only affects the wearer.

I am honestly trying to sell it to him.

[The Watchman]

Oh, no, the amulet isn't activating. It only affects the wearer.

I am honestly trying to sell it to him.

Got it. ten characters wheeee

[Rizban]

Punchinello leans in and whispers just loud enough for Strackeljahn and his bodyguard to hear.

"Look, I have to be honest with you. I intentionally set up here specifically to find you and sell you this specific amulet. There is a contract out on your life that's intended to be fulfilled today. I can't tell you anything about who made the contract, I don't know any details. I can't even reveal how I know this due to needing to keep myself alive, but it is nonetheless true and the assassin is quite good.

This amulet takes one hour to attune to a new user, so I suggest that you buy it, head back home, wait and hour, and then just start your day a little late.

I'll even sell it to you cheap, as long as you remember my contribution to your safety and help me out a bit when I start up a real business rather than this shabby cart. That sounds like a fair trade to me. Protecting your life now for a simple business agreement at some later date that will do no harm to you and bring you nearly as much profit as it does for me.

If you want him to examine it, that's fine, but it represents a significant investment for me and is my only truly valuable possession. It is my last remaining means to securing my own future. As such, I insist on it not leaving my possession. He may examine it, but I will be holding the chain."

Note that using the search skill to discover the "trap" part of it only reveals the attack powers and that they work. It doesn't reveal their intended targets or where they are "aimed."

Identify only works if he beats a Will save to identify it.

[Rizban]

Will save in case I choose to lie.

[roll0]

[The Watchman]

Strackeljahn's eyes widen slightly as you speak. He glances towards Risigund, who shrugs. "He was able to speak it," rumbles the dwarf. "This means either that he is speaking truth, or that he is strong of mind."
Strackeljahn considers this for a moment, then nods. "I believe that we are only going to discover that," he says slowly, "if you examine this medallion. I agree to your terms, mister...?" He glances towards your cart. "Punchinello. You may hold the chain. Risigund?"
He steps back, and Risigund strides forward to meet you, the battleaxe slung over his right shoulder. He holds out his left hand expectantly.

[Rizban]

Punchinello lowers the amulet into his palm but not release the chain.

He stares confidently into the dwarf's face waiting for his conclusions.

[The Watchman]

The dwarf closes his hand around the amulet, closes his eyes, and begins to mumble to himself in a language that you cannot understand.

If the amulet triggers as a result of this, let me know. Otherwise, make a Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), or Spellcraft check to determine what he is doing.

[Rizban]

It has to be worn to be triggered. You also have to attune to it for 1 hour before it works. My character willingly never attuned to it, allowing him to wear it without risk of it ever activating. *insert evil laughter here*

If you'll let me substitute something similar to get a general idea of what he's doing.... or maybe add a bit of a bonus to the roll...
d20+11
Otherwise...
d20+7

"So, what do you see?"

Edit: Uh... not sure what's going on with the roller...
manually adding in the roll0 and roll1 to see if it does anything.
[roll0]
[roll1]

Edit 2: Yep, that worked.

[The Watchman]

The spell is a simple one: augury. Even as you identify the words, the dwarf's eyes open, and he scowls more deeply than ever, ignoring your question. You hear him mutter "Damn" under his breath before he closes his eyes and begins murmuring again, this time running his fingers along the grooves and facets of the amulet while he does so.

[Rizban]

"Is there a problem? Have you detected that it is in fact capable of discerning hostile intentions yet?"

Punchinello breaks his gaze to look around before locking it onto the dwarf again.

"Look, you might want to hurry. I would hate for someone to get the drop on my lord here while you were otherwise distracted... I can't take responsibility for that."

[roll0]
[roll1]
No parentheses this time to prevent silly die roller problems...

[The Watchman]

The dwarf ignores you, except, perhaps, that he raises his voice a little. This spell is also a simple one: find traps. After a moment, he grunts, releases the amulet, and opens his eyes.
"You said one hour?" he asks.

[Rizban]

"Yes, it must be worn and concentrated upon for one hour. Concentration entails meditating about the amulet and one's personal safety. If any spells or psionic powers or such are directed onto the amulet in that hour, it ruins the meditation, and the hour must begin again. If the person meditating is attacked or casts a spell or anything, meditation is ruined too, but beneficial spells can be cast on him, as long as they don't disturb him too much. Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to reduce this time period.

So, do we have a deal?"

Punchinello never breaks his gaze with the dwarf.


Why lie and rely on a Bluff check when you can set up your deceptions before the encounter and then tell selective truths? That way, they can't even tell you're lying. D&D rules are fun that way.

I'd much rather force them to overcome a difficult Will save or something than do an opposed skill check.

[The Watchman]

Ooh, we are a crafty one, aren't we?

Risigund frowns. "I can see no obvious trickery," he says. "But, due to the nature of the spells which I have used, there is still room for doubt. I would agree to the sale on one condition: that you wait with us for the hour to elapse."

[Rizban]

"I can see no harm in that. Only, allow me a moment to go and secure my cart and belongings with a trusted friend, then allow us to retire to somewhere... less public."

[The Watchman]

The dwarf, and Strackeljahn, nod, and watch as you proceed away.

[Rizban]

"I'll meet you back in front of your place, yes?"

Punchinello finds a place to stash the cart, since there's nothing of value on it anyway and the cart is rather cheap. He then seeks out a very roguish commoner of low moral standings, a street thug. Approaching him, he draws him to the side, places his arm around the man's shoulders, and whispers, "How would you like to make 5,000 gold this afternoon, no questions asked?"

[The Watchman]

The man blinks. "What do you think I am, a freak? Of course I do."

[Rizban]

"Great, all you need to do is stab a filthy, corrupt, and arrogant banker for me. I'll dispel all his defenses, leaving him vulnerable, and will incapacitate his guard. You just gotta stab him and collect your money. Come on, I'm headed to do the job right now. I'll pay you more than that if we get it done in the next two hours."

Punchinello hands him a dagger and instructs him on where to hide. He tells him to wait for about 1 hour then watch for Punchinello and the banker to emerge. The commoner is to ready an action to charge at Strackeljahn to stab him as soon Punchinello walks away and insults Strackeljahn.

Leaving the commoner in place on Beggar's Close, Punchinello proceeds into Brass Square to meet with the banker.

[planswalker]

Strakeljahn is waiting for you when you arrive. His dwarf bodyguard is lurking just to his side.

Strackeljahn says, "Are you ready to proceed now? Let us be on our way." He and the bodyguard escort you to his HOUSE, where he spends an hour meditating on the amulet and the dwarf spends an hour looking at you distrustfully. After the hour, the banker smiles contentedly.
"Well, my friend, it seems you were telling the truth after all. I can feel that the amulet is working." Turning aside to his bodyguard, he says, "Please do give this man the gold we agreed to." The dwarf grudgingly hands you a sack of coins.

[Rizban]

Punchinello steps outside and looks carefully into the bag, then proceeds over to the far side of the Moneylender's Circus about 40 feet away from Beggar's Chase. He makes eye contact with the commoner who is still hiding there with his dagger, who grins back at him.

Punchinello then shakes the bag a bit so the commoner can hear the coins then he begins to count them, watching and waiting for Strackeljahn to leave for the bank.

[planswalker]

Strakeljam and his bodyguard exit his house shortly after you do.

[Rizban]

Punchinello pretends to not see them until they are within 60 feet of the hidden commoner and within 45 feet of himself. He twitches his head, and the commoner begins to charge at Strackeljahn, dagger poised to strike.

Before the rube can close and engage in combat, Punchinello looks up and yells to the banker.

"You swine! You cheated me! This isn't the amount we agreed upon!"

He then lets loose with a chain of expletives that would make even a sailor blush.

Using Doomspeak! Strackeljahn must make a Will save...

I don't know if you stated him out or anything, but I believe he was supposed to have mostly aristocrat levels.

[planswalker]

for some odd reason, he seems crushed by your words.dmg npc stats are my friend.

will save total:14, i assume that fails?

[Rizban]

The DC was 21.

He has a -10 penalty to all attacks, saves, and ability and skill checks for 1 turn.

Note that Initiative IS considered a Dexterity check and takes the -10 as well... assuming he survives this...

[roll0]

Strackeljahn becomes horribly demoralized by the condemnations of the man he thought to be his friend, though he will likely be moved by anger rather than depression quite quickly.

The commoner continues his charge, and once he reaches that critical event horizon of 30 feet, the "protective" amulet activates.

First, Strackeljahn must make a DC21 Will save (don't forget the -10 penalty).

Second, Strackeljahn, his bodyguard, AND the 1st level commoner must make a DC24 Fortitude save immediately followed by a DC24Reflex save (don't forget the -10 penalty for Strackeljahn).

Roll their saves, and I'll type up the results.

[planswalker]

all 3 parties are completely unprepared for what happens.

they all failed every roll

[Rizban]

The instant the amulet activates, Strackeljahn falls to the ground completely unconscious, blood leaking from his ears, nose and mouth.

Psychic Crush, drops him to -1 hp and bleeding out.
*MWAHAHA*

His dwarven bodyguard and human commoner have just enough time to get a surprised look on their faces before the amulet releases cataclysmic blasts of fire and ice which engulf everything in a 40 foot burst.

Punchinello drops to the ground in "terror," barely outside of the range of the blast, which ends just inches from him.

[roll0]
[roll1]

*More evil laughs*

Edit: Oops, double posted that and didn't realize it, so I deleted one of them...

Note that I did not look at the roll results prior to picking one to delete.

[planswalker]

as the blast clears, there are 2 corpses and a pile of ash at the center of the blast.

[Rizban]

"WAAAAAGGH! What the hell was that?!"

Punchinello cowers on the ground for a moment then then runs into Beggar's Chase. Once out of sight, he chugs a potion of disguise self, slides a robe common to the mid level clerks and accountants of the city over his head, and runs back out into Brass Square.

He "bravely" runs over to the bodies, first nudging them with his foot.

"Hey, are you ok?"

Not receiving a response, he kneels down next to the dwarf corpse and begins to shake it while looking for items of value.

Loudly, "Are you ok? Hello? Are you still alive?"

Punchinello quickly grabs anything of value, including the amulet which was unaffected by the blasts, scoops a good portion of the ashen remains of Strackeljahn into a sack, and runs down Beggar's Chase, dismissing his disguise when he is certain no one can see him.

He returns to his cart, finds a secluded spot, and checks his loot.

[planswalker]

All of the items on the banker were lost (except the amulet). The dwarf's flammable items were likewise crispy-fried (sudden freezing then heating destroyed the armor as well) His axe is still intact, as is the commoner's head of vecna dagger. a total of 100 pp, 654 gp, and 3 copper were recovered in addition.

You earned 2,250 xp for completing this task.

noone seems to have noticed you and the corpses were unrecognizable lumps.

[Rizban]

Does that include the payment from him buying the amulet? :smallconfused:

[planswalker]

he had given you 1,000 gold and 9,000 silver beneath it. yes, he had cheated you

[Rizban]

Upon emptying the sack of gold that was payment for the amulet...

"Well, it looks like he DID cheat me after all. I suddenly feel much less guilty about the final outcome."

[planswalker]

anything else needed before my character can ask yours for some items?

[Rizban]

Punchinello more closely examines the former dwarf's axe.

[roll0] DC15 to see if it's magical.

And I just barely succeed. Still, it is a success.

[planswalker]

it is a +1 vicious dwarven waraxe


he recognizes that it is an axe enchanted to greatly increase damage, but hurts its wielder as well.

[Rizban]

It just detects if it IS magical, not what the magic is. I'm about to craft an artificer's monocle to identify for me.

[planswalker]

ok, give yourself that info only after you craft that item. i assume you won't have to somehow mythically hold onto it too long anyways.

[Rizban]

Punchinello stows the axe in the bottom of his cart beneath the worthless trinkets he pawns to the commoners and pushes it back towards Broad Chase and the Merchant's Guild.

He enters the building with a genuine look of humility and approaches the receptionist.

"My lady, I am searching for one Ascon, who has hired me as contract labor for his employer. He is not expecting me so soon, but I must meet with him immediately. Would you kindly direct me to his office or send an aide to inform him that one Punchinello is here for him?"

[planswalker]

"I shall send an aide to see if he will meet with you." She says.

About 5 minutes later, the aide comes back with a note. "He will see you now".

You are escorted through a door into his office.

[Rizban]

"The job for which I was hired last evening has been completed as of this morning. All loose ends have been severed."

[planswalker]

he grins. "most excellent. You are much more skilled than you appear. Here is your gold." he slides a bag of coins your direction. "Oh, and a bonus is in order as well." Three diamonds of moderate size are included. I will be sure to contact you for further jobs.

[Rizban]

"Interesting."

Punchinello pockets the gold and diamonds then sits contemplating for a moment.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

"Ah, yes! Might I borrow a pen and piece of parchment? I would like to write something down."

[planswalker]

"of course"

[Rizban]

Upon receiving the pen and parchment, Punchinello begins to write.

To the one called "Punchinello"
From the desk of Gerhard Sann
Merchant's Guild Headquarters, Broad Chase

You are no doubt already aware of the Guild's current state of civil war, so I will not bore you with the details of who falls on which side, or even which side I am on; that is not important for you to know.
Ascon - the man who delivered this message to you - informs me that you would be willing to undertake certain tasks whose completion entails the removal of certain figures from this world. I would like to employ you for precisely this purpose.
My proposal is this: your current hand-cart business is hardly one which will result in much profit, and as a newcomer to the city there are few who would be willing to give you a start-of-business loan at anything less than an exorbitant rate of interest. I can get you around all of this in exchange for your services.
You will eliminate certain enemies of mine by whatever means you judge to be necessary. In exchange, I will secure you a membership in the Guild. This will allow you access to certain avenues of trade previously unknown to you, and will make expanding your business much easier. In addition, I will secure an optimal-rate loan for you, enabling you to set up shop in something more befitting a true merchant. A hand-cart is simply shameful.
Of course, this page has been enchanted so that only you may read it, and Ascon will be monitoring you for any signs of betrayal - but I doubt that his intervention will be necessary. If you wish to accept my offer, proceed to Cobbler's Crossing. Ascon will be waiting there with instructions.


"Ah, that's right. Guild membership and business opportunities. I thought there was something missing from this deal."

[planswalker]

He chuckles at the trick you just pulled, rewriting the not word for word. He says, "I see that you are a shrewd one.very well. My employer shall sponsor you for membership into the guild. With his backing, you should not find it hard at all to get in."
"As to the rest, the note does specifically say enemies, does it not? so far one has been defeated. As you prove yourself worthy by fulfilling other tasks set for you, you will be granted the rest of the promised rewards."
"Do not expect to be spoon-fed into the ranks of the elite. A wise merchant must also be ambitious and willing to take the right deals at the right time. I must also exercise caution in which assignments i hand out when. Although nothing links the crime back to you, me, or my employer, too many deaths too soon will cause questions to be asked at inconvenient times and places."
"Your membership will take a day to process, but rest assured that my employer will take care of the details. I will contact you within 24 hours with the guild membership contract to sign."

[Rizban]

Punchinello smiles and tosses the note into the smoldering fireplace and watches as it crinkles and burns.

"I look forward to future joint ventures."

With a polite nod, Punchinello steps out of the office, leaves the guild, and eventually wanders back to Cobbler's Crossing. The picturesque garden space that composes most of Cobbler's is quite lovely. Punchinello returns to the spot from which he began his first day in the city.

returning to the City Streets thread.

[planswalker]

I think Uvag is about to do the same

[Rizban]

I thinkam 100% certain that Rizban is going to bed.

[planswalker]

After turning down Scale Street, Punchinello is greeted by the oddest of sights. There is a man in loose clothing who seems to be beaten pretty badly and laboring after having run for his life. He seems to be concentrating furoiously upon the second member of this trio, a warforged who is on fire and seems to be standing there dazed. Even in its current condition, a demented gleam of madness can be seen on the otherwise emotionless face. The last member of this odd group is a young, olive-skinned woman, who seems rather irate at the man over something. Greasy black smoke is wafting from the 'forged. It's beginning to really stink. No one has noticed you yet, seeing as they are preoccupied by whatever they were doing.

[Rizban]

Punchinello stops to assess the situation. He's trying to determine if there has been some sort of fight or what.

[roll0]
Try to hear what they are saying.

[planswalker]

Based on the various features of the combatants and their current conditions, the 'forged had assaulted the man, who had set it on fire, most likely through magical and/or psionic means. Based on the woman's words of, "Right. You- psychic or whatever- come here. What's all this, then? He said you were having a body guard-off, or something equally absurd? And then you set him on fire? Well, psychic? Explain. You have him stopped. Continuing the fire would be murder, you know." She clearly does not know how to assess a situation based on the state of the other parties.

[Rizban]

Would it just be incredibly wrong of me to drop a disguise on myself, hit the three of them with a 6d6 energy attack and run for it?

[planswalker]

if you really want to, but doing so is definitely SO evil.

[Rizban]

Well, Punchinello IS evil... and I sometimes have those tendencies myself... especially when DMing.

Thought! Might I be able to talk these two into heading back to join Hammer's team?

[planswalker]

They currently have jobs, one is an assassin and the other is a bodyguard. i don't think the players should be distracted from their first jobs just yet. I honestly didn't know of anyone specific for the other 2 slots, i just figured i'd help get a conducive groupbuilding environment going.


come to think of it, the bodyguard (the man) may be interested, but maybe not.

[Rizban]

I'm assuming that the girl is the assassin. I think I'm going to try to recruit her myself... or at least befriend her.

Punchinello pushes his cart into the space between two buildings about 100ft down the road and dumps it on its side (there's nothing valuable in it). He chugs his last disguise self potion and takes the form of a human male in his late teens and adopts a somewhat crazed look. He pulls his robe over his head, takes a power stone in each hand, and heads out into the road towards the trio.

[roll0]

Checking this roll before I proceed...

[planswalker]

Fate wonders, What will he do next?

if you do more than 1 action, please roll initiative.

[Rizban]

When he gets right at 90 feet away from his cart and no further away than 150ft from the three, he yells at them.

"Fools! You dare disturb the peace in my neighborhood?! This is the turf of the Shocking Sentinel, and evil scum such as you must be punished!"

He holds up his right fist, activating the power stone concealed within. Three bolts of electricity race forth from his upheld hand, one targeting each of the three.

[roll0] DC26 to activate the stone...

DC21 Reflex half
[roll1]


[roll2] DC29 to activate Anticipatory Strike stone

Punchinello suddenly looks a bit unsure of himself, and takes off running the way he came. He takes two move actions to close the distance back to his cart around the corner in the alley and a free action to fall down on top of the worthless trinkets and feign unconsciousness. He also dismisses his disguise.

Initiative is mine to play with at will! Also, dropping out of combat if they don't attack me.

[planswalker]

i think you just might have done a double kill of pc's, and left my darned 'forged still alive (he has evasion and succeeded) darn you! my poor little pc's! oh well :smalltongue:

[Rizban]

Don't let them die! Just drop them down to like... really low. I don't want to have actually killed them off.

I have three tattoos of Body Adjustment as well. If they're at no lower than say... -5, I can get over there and heal them.

Also, since Watchman isn't DMing me anymore, I've kind of stopped updating my character sheets on mythweavers... I update them every now and then though...

[planswalker]

i don't think they died, but the situation was delicate. i think just one more hit from that 'forged and he's dead now. the other pc should be fine.

[Rizban]

Well, I have 3 "potions" that cure 2d12 hit points each. It takes a full round action to transfer one of them to the target then another full round to activate one them on that target. So, as long as they don't outright die or drop below -5, I should be able to stabilize them and possibly get them out of the negatives.

Let me know if they drop, otherwise, Punchinello lays there for a few minutes waiting for one of them to come after "The Shocking Sentinel."

[planswalker]

i will. i won't let my pc's die like that.

[Rizban]

Only makes sense that I should take responsibility and heal them though

[planswalker]

I think that forged has gotta die. and both of them be given a fat xp bonus as "hush" money so they don't claim that the dm's ganged up on them [/joke]

[Rizban]

Well, I could pop him with 6d6+6 cold damage requiring a Fort save... though I can't go for awhile, what with using the surprise round and my round for this turn of initiative.

What the heck.

[roll0]
Assuming they ignore the Shocking Sentinel, Punchinello will pick himself up when he gets another turn and go blast the forged when he sees it drop them.


If they DO follow the Shocking Sentinel, Punchinello will just be picking himself up off the ground when they spot him and will claim to be a victim of the Shocking Sentinel too.

[planswalker]

both humans have fallen unconscious from the shock. Seeing both opponents "proven" the 'forged puts out his flames and contentedly walk off, his reason for coming here forgotten.

[Rizban]

Punchinello realizes that none of them are coming to chase the Shocking Sentinel, and stands up. He then realizes his mistake, removes the robe he wore in the disguise, and stuffs it behind a rain barrel.

He then peaks out around the corner, sees the humans fallen and the 'forged stalking off down the street. He walks up to them and says, "Ugh, are you okay? Hello?"

Failing to get an answer, he spends the next few seconds trying to get them fixed up, starting with the male. Punchinello places a hand on the man's face, and a faintly glowing tattoo crawls down his arm and off of his body, settling on the victim's face. The lines of the tattoo pulsate then fade as the man's broken flesh begins to knit and heal.

Punchinello then steps over to the girl and does the same for her, gently cupping her cheek to transfer the healing tattoo, which leaves no marks after doing its job.

Full round to transfer a tattoo then another full round to activate it on one of them.

Him
[roll0]

Her
[roll1]

[Rizban]

Awww, you didn't get all descriptive with my actions to them. Oh well.

Note that I have only read the last few posts of each of their threads, starting with when I jumped out and blasted them with lightning.

[planswalker]

Kanteis approaches the man and the woman, cautious, but not hostile, and says to the man:
"Were you the one who healed me?"

[Rizban]

To me I assume?

"Yeah, you looked like you needed the help. That's me, Mr. Helpful..."

[planswalker]

yes he is..

[planswalker]

"Thank you, do you require any pay? Also what happened to the attacker and the warforged?"

[planswalker]

the woman chimes in with: "Some ninny blasted us with lightning while I was trying to keep the forged and the psychic fellow from murderin' one other.
They were apparently having a bodyguard contest.

My thanks for whatever you did, though. That lightning hurt like the devil. I'll get you a drink sometime. As for that damn fool kid...

Did you see him? Do you know who he is or what happened to him?"

[Rizban]

"Yeah, the kid blasted me earlier for my prices being 'too high' or some fool thing like that. Stole some stuff from me while I was down too. It's a good thing I had these magical healing tattoos, or more someone might not have made it.

You don't need to pay me anything, sir, but I'll gladly take that drink sometime, my lady.

[Rizban]

((See "grace's" thread.))

Just before meeting with "Grace" privately, Punchinello reads the letter.

Edit: fixed spelling errors that bugged me when reading the thread again.

[planswalker]

There is a certain Herman Poetsche who needs to be removed. His shop is on the corner of Porter's and Raine's.

do you have any assassins who are hired by/against this dude?

[Rizban]

Not directly, but he's kind of the one fueling the Pirner/Jedder war. He started it up anyway. He created the fight to try to use the unrest to grab the presidency of the Merchants' Guild. I have no problems killing him off though... He'll probably have really good defenses and be more than my character can handle right now. I'd put him at a CR 8 or 9.

Nobles' District should be about a CR 12.

[planswalker]

k, then i guess this isn't going to be a simple "Go forth and kill" quest, is it?

[Rizban]

Punchinello takes his shiny new guild membership card and heads over to the Merchants' Guild on Broad Chase. He shows his card to the receptionist inside and asks to be put into contact with Herman Poetsche's secretary.

[planswalker]

"Of course. Please fill out this form and we shall put you in contact with him shortly."

[Rizban]

Punchinello fills out the paperwork.

[roll0] (to ensure he gets it right)

[planswalker]

He fills out the form properly and, after a moment, is told he has an appointment with poetsche's secretary in half an hour. He is then given a slip of paper as a receipt and a small card with directions.

[Rizban]

Punchinello heads to the washroom to clean up a bit, then follows the directions on the card.

[planswalker]

He arrives at a very well-furnished building a few minutes early, and is told to have a seat in the lobby while he waits. This man is definitely one of the most wealthy people he has met in the city so far.

[Rizban]

Punchinello waits patiently, surveying the room while he waits.

[planswalker]

The lobby is rather empty at the moment, except for an orcish security guard in one corner and a rather haggard-looking gnome.

[Rizban]

Punchinello whistles to himself while he waits patiently.

[planswalker]

are you waiting for "grace" to join you?

[Rizban]

I probably should, but sum1won isn't posting. I guess I'm just getting a little tiny bit impatient. I can wait though.

[planswalker]

why don't you send her a gentle reminder?

[Rizban]

Punchinello takes the bank check a block or two over to Sesbury First Bank and Trust. Instead of cashing it, he signs the deed to purchase the building and takes the remainder in coin.

He then heads to his new property, walks inside, locks the door, heads upstairs, and promptly uses retain essence on the bracers, draining them of their magic. He breathes a very heavy sigh of relief.

30,000.00 - 25,620.00 = 4,380.00 gp in coin

[planswalker]

base cost of bracers was 50,000 gp. very sneaky. i like it.

[Rizban]

Their essence drained, the bracers become harmless. Punchinello, however, keeps them on to maintain appearances until such time as Poetschke is no more.

Wait, wait... base cost or market price? If it's base cost, then they're 100k market price...

What you don't realize is that there is ALREADY an assassin sitting inside the waiting room of that very building. Had he made a move before I drained them, it could have been very, very bad for me...

[planswalker]

... i meant market price....

do let me know how this one ends. btw, if you like, those bodyguards can be illusory and the real ones be whatever.

[Rizban]

Oh, no, the assassin has a general contract on gnomes. He's there for the guard standing outside, not Poetschke. That doesn't mean the amulet wouldn't detect him and activate if he got within 30ft though.

He'd HATE me if the gnome ended up being an illusion...

[planswalker]

ah, i take it that gnome was fortuitous for you and ultimately bad for him? do let me know the fate of that merchant who got your killer amulet.

[Rizban]

At some point when Almahdi is off duty, he visits Punchinello's Charms and Incantations and pays 50gp to have him identify the battlefist, Punchinello's standard fee.

[roll0] DC15 to identify
[roll1]

[planswalker]

it is a +2 battlefist, a warforged attached component which acts as a spiked gauntlet for a large, but gives its enchantments to slam and unarmed strike as well. monks treat themselves as one size category larger, and slam becomes 1d8 piercing and bludgeoning.

[Rizban]

So, that gives it an 8600 market price...
So, either 4300 gold or 344 craft reserve...

Almahdi trades the +2 battlefist to Punchinello for an upgrade to his headband, changing the Int bonus from +2 to +4. Punchinello makes a slight profit.

[Rizban]

Punchinello sells the +2 battlefist for 4300gp and calculates up Poetschke's portion of the proceeds.

4300gp - 2100 (cost of the upgrade) - 840 (xp cost * 5) = 1260gp 'profit'
1260 * 0.3 (Poetschke's cut) = 378gp


He takes the 378gp portion of his profit to Poetschke and leaves it and a note with the secretary.

[planswalker]

so, if i understand things correctly, you are currently with the bodyguard group forming on the city streets.

[Rizban]

For now, yes. I was planning to use the bodyguard group to make a contact with another potential employer and offer to sell him legitimate protective items.

[Rizban]

Punchinello meets with Poetschke once again.

"I have incurred temporary costs of 10,168 gold on a recent contract and have not yet turned a profit on he agreement. As per our contract, sir, I am here to collect that funding you promised so that the job can be completed and profit made.

The transaction is with a man I believe to be a friend of yours, one Mr. Pirner. Help with this funding will expedite the process of crafting the goods for him."

The protective amulets for Pirner.

It costs Punchinello 898 gold and 1854 experience. 1854*5 + 898 = 10168

[planswalker]

"Of course. have my assistant draw up the necessary documents."

[Rizban]

Punchinello looks to see if Poetschke is still wearing the amulet.

[planswalker]

he is.

assuming that your pc's haven't set it off yet.

[Rizban]

They haven't

Punchinello thinks seriously about slapping Poestchke, which informs Poestchke of the hostile thought but does not activate the trap, because that only activates when someone is planning murder. Seeing the look come across Poestchke's face when informed of hostile thoughts, Punchinello smiles.

"Don't worry, I'm not seriously planning to harm you. I was just checking to make certain the amulet was working properly."

He bows slightly and heads out to have Poestchke's assistant draw up the bank note and proceeds to the bank to cash it out.

[planswalker]

it all goes smoothly so far.

[Rizban]

Yay!

Punchinello goes to The Maid and Mermaid to meet with Hammer and that stuff proceeds chronologically.

[planswalker]

i was wondering how this worked out chronologically

[Rizban]

I just realized that I had meant to do that prior to meeting them at the tavern and had forgotten to post it. I do enjoy the non-sequential posting format with multiple threads. It makes things like this work out so much nicer.

[Rizban]

Meanwhile...

Poetchke finishes up his work for the day and prepares to leave for home.

Bards nearby hear tense music playing in the background as their mystic bard sense of the dramatic is triggered. Of course, such music is cued multiple times a day, so none of them pay attention to it.

[planswalker]

oh, that's quite the lol there.

[Rizban]

Outside in the waiting room, Shazrala, the evil assassin bent on collecting gnome skulls for a band of evil kobolds, is perched invisibly in a corner of the ceiling watching the gnome guard near Poetschke's office, murder in his heart. Coincidentally, the door to Poetschke's office is 35 feet away from that very corner of the ceiling...

[Rizban]

So... what happens when Poetschke walks out of his office?

[planswalker]

i don't really understand, what do you need from me, precisely? if you're dming another pc, feel free to dictate this npc's actions.

[Rizban]

I'm DMing the PC that I'm going to kill off due to inactivity...

[planswalker]

Poetsche turns to his faithful gnome guard and tells him "Time to close shop, jeeves." The gnome then follows 5' behind Poetsche.

poetsche sees a silver coin someone has dropped somewhere in the corner that the invisible assassin is in and goes over to pick it up.

if that's too convenient for you and you want it altered, i'll strike through it

[Rizban]

Boom. C'est la vie.


Shazrala dies in a sudden, non-arbitrary explosion that would have netted him a substantial profit had he been hidden mere feet further away. The receptionist by the door, however, survives the blast and loots the bodies. He sells them for a substantial profit and plans to set up a decent place for himself and retire. Unfortunately, he gets mugged and killed on his way to the bank to deposit his ill gotten gains.

Shazrala's Reflex Save - (1d20+7)[17] DC24 half
Shazrala's Fortitude Save - (1d20+3)[7] DC24 half

Fire Damage - (9d6+9)[33]
Cold Damage - (9d6+9)[39]

[Rizban]

Punchinello obviously doesn't know about this occurrence, so he won't go to collect the payment from his employer until he finds out about it through being told or going to deliver the cut of the profits from the shop due to Poetschke.

[planswalker]

happy to know i could help. will have to finish off the teamup first. btw, how would you feel if i sent one of my pc's who is being obnoxious your way for pvp? would you be able to kill him off handily? and no, i'm not talking about cadian. he's playing in the sewers with skulks and i plan on keeping him down there forever if i can.

[Rizban]

Yeah, probably. It'd be so much easier once I gain a level and can actually craft "wands" though. As it is, I'm running on fairly limited power stones but can manage decently enough. I really have been spending my own gold and craft reserve and experience to create items for other players cheaply.

I currently have 2 power stones of energy missile that deal 6d6 energy damage and 1 psionic tattoo that can heal me for 2d12 damage. I also have a masterwork dagger and 20 AC. That's all the combat stuff I have on me. Once I burn the two stones, I'm down to a dagger and infusions.

The majority of what I have spent on "myself" has gone into those two one shot explodey traps. Those are 7000gp and 550xp each. They aren't cheap, but they certainly are effective and fun.


and no, i'm not talking about cadian. he's playing in the sewers with skulks and i plan on keeping him down there forever if i can.

That is 7 kinds of awesome.

[planswalker]

i figure if the only thing he ever sees to talk to are rats and enemies, he'll either die, go crazier, or just stick a pointy piece of metal into them forever. won't be able to aggravate me that way

[Rizban]

I just lol'd.

Anyway, if you ever decide to kill him off, you can always put in a random ladder that leads right into the Gnomes' embassy. Corpheus would make short work of him... and basically every other character currently in the game, provided he gets a clear shot.

[planswalker]

... dang it. i just had my obnoxious pc try to cause trouble in the embassy and forgot that corpheous could have killed him off.

[Rizban]

Seriously? How did he even get in there? It's in the Nobles' District.

[planswalker]

... i didn't remember that part and i let him just walk in. he talked for a bit, was unreasonably vague and expected specific answers to vague questions, and left after being lied to.

[Rizban]

Assume he wasn't in the actual embassy then. Perhaps he just thought he was in the embassy and was being played with by the gnomes.

[hr]In character:

Punchinello returns to his shop to work on the requested amulets. After dropping off and securing all the goods given to him, he heads out into town to see if there is anyone out there trying to get rid of cursed magical items. Just perhaps there is an adventurer or two with a cursed item that they can't seem to throw away. He is quite hoping to build up a little buffer in his craft reserve.

[planswalker]

someone sound a -2 dagger and can't get it out of his hand. he offers 100 gold plus compensation for spells cast to anyone who can get the dagger out of his hand permanently.

[Rizban]

Punchinello approaches the man.

"Good sir, I believe that I can remove that dagger for you. Now, your standard remove curse is going to cost you at least 150 gold in addition to the 100 you've offered. I'll do it for 200 gold total, no questions asked."

[planswalker]

"Then i ask none. just get rid of it."

[Rizban]

Punchinello takes him back to his workshop.

"Now, this is a bit unorthodox, but... put your hand there on the table."

He pulls out a hacksaw.

"Now, brace yourself. This is really going to hurt.

...

I'm kidding. I'm not really going to hack your hand off."

He puts away the saw then sits and fiddles with the dagger for awhile. Eventually, the dagger falls out of the man's hand, inert and non-magical.

"On another note, I sell custom made magical goods of the highest quality and offer substantial discounts as compared to other dealers.

I can tell you're an adventurer, so I'll make you a deal. You bring me any magical goods you don't want, and I'll give you a better trade in rate than the usual 50%. That includes cursed items you come across and can't use too, those cursed items are always at 50%, which is still better than most, since most won't even touch those things. Then I'll turn around and give you a discount on the price of anything you buy from me. You can't beat that, can you?"

[planswalker]

"not at all."

[Rizban]

He sends the adventurer on his way with a business card and sets to work on the amulets.

+200 gp
+332 craft reserve

[planswalker]

it will take him 1 day per amulet.

[Rizban]

"Ninja sense activate!"

Punchinello returns to Dergrall each day with an amulet, hoping to collect his day's wages each time he makes a delivery. If not, then he's satisfied and won't press the issue.

[planswalker]

he does. silly character limit

[Rizban]

So, everyone gets 4 days worth of wages! Yay!

Don't forget to mention that in the group thread...

[Rizban]

Upon completing the 4th amulet, he heads over to Poetschke's place with a sack full of platinum pieces to deliver the the cut as agreed.

[planswalker]

.. wherein he is informed that mr poetsche died of mysterious causes and is currently under investigation. do not leave town anytime soon.

[Rizban]

Fortunately, Punchinello is confident that no foul play will be found to incriminate him. The "magic" trap on the amulet has been dispersed and can no longer be detected, and the corpse of an assassin has been found on the scene, apparently caught on the edge of the same blast. Certainly it appears to be a classic case of killer caught in his own net. If they suspect the amulet, then they can examine the now identical one he wears or the slightly upgraded models worn by Pirner and Dergrall.

He hefts the bag of platinum pieces and looks inside.

"Well, I came to give this to Poetschke as part of our contract when he helped me to open my business, but I guess he doesn't need it now... Hermann is the onl... was the only one who thought my business could do succeed. He will be sorely missed."

He tucks the bag back into his pocket (a convenient little invention that) and returns to his shop.

I suppose it's just a matter of time before my primary employer pays up... I guess I'll just wait for a bit for him to contact me.

Meanwhile, Punchinello goes about his day job as a bodyguard and works by night on any magic item jobs that come his way, tinkering on his own gear when there is nothing else to do.

[planswalker]

Your employer's agent shows up at your door that night and says, "Well, you are quite the resourceful little merchant, aren't you? So, now then. what was your promised reward this time?"

oh, and 1000 story xp for another finished job.

[Rizban]

"Was I promised a reward? I don't think that I was. I trust our mutual employer to treat his tools with respect and keep them accordingly. A job was given. A job was completed. The payment was not mentioned prior to now."

[planswalker]

""Well, then, what is it that you truly desire from the your employer? He cannot lose his reputation as a fair man who compensates people who do things for him.?

[Rizban]

"Well, he had promised at the beginning of our relationship to secure a loan for me to setup a shop; however, it seems I have already accomplished this on my own, without debt.

He also promised to provide me with connections amongst the elite to expand my clientele. This I have also already begun to accomplish, having made custom orders for some other of the wealthier merchants as well as some of the nobility. I don't have ties to the highest places yet, but it seems that this is inevitable.

I have steady, if modest, sources of income both through my work and other odd jobs I have picked up on the side, and money is only important to me in such quantities as is necessary to eat from day to day and to buy raw materials for my craft. Indeed, even my clients bring me magical gear they no longer desire to supplement the experience costs of creating new items.

As it stands, I am fairly contented with what I have wrought.

Inform him that I hold him in the highest respect and offer to allow him to choose a suitable reward.



On a separate note, I propose a mutually beneficial business agreement with him. Should he obtain any magical items of which he needs to dispose discretely, such as cursed items or the like, he may send them to me, in small quantities, of course. I will destroy them entirely, no questions asked and no traces remaining."

[planswalker]

"Surely there is something?"

[Rizban]

"Did I mention I'm also sharing my home with a beautiful woman who shares my love of magical items?

Truly, I can think of nothing off the top of my head. Money is always acceptable, as is work, both of the goods and service kind. I would like to recoup my costs for the job, of course.

I am also interested in Mr. Sann's response to my business proposal."

[planswalker]

"Supply you with the unwanted items that may be a hassle to dispose of ? He does not get very many of those and do not currently have any in need of destruction."

"How about this? Should you find yourself in need legal assistance, he will see to it that your charges are dropped. Within the realm of possibility, of course. murdering a highborn lady in plain daylight in front of the head of the city guard and the chief judge or other such tactless thing is not covered. If there is some sort of doubt in the case, however, it will get dropped."

[Rizban]

"Sounds acceptable; however, I would still like a bit of payment to recoup my costs in this recent job. Favors are wonderful, but coin is necessary to act. Without it, I can not be of further service to him. 10,000 gp is just enough to fully recoup the cost of this most recent job."

[planswalker]

"How much would you need?"

[Rizban]

"10,000gp would fully cover the costs. Just barely though. It is enough."

After concluding his business with Ascon, he works to upgrade his shop.

He crafts a Power Stone of Psionic Fabricate and pays the remaining 1100gp difference to upgrade his Basic Workshop to a Fancy Workshop, granting him a +2 bonus on Craft checks. He pays 480gp for a hidden stone door in the floor under the stairwell leading up (discounted from 600gp due to the fabricate).

He then pays 200gp to build an alchemy lab worthy basement, with a hidden door leading down under the stairs already leading up to the second floor. He then carefully moves the alchemy lab belonging to "Grace's friend" into the room. 500gp (alchemy lab in PHB) + 200gp = 700gp (price of Basic Alchemy Laboratory component).

His total expenditure for upgrades: 1,780gp.

[planswalker]

you are given the 10,000 gold in compensation. the house is upgraded.

[Rizban]

Punchinello goes back to working for Dergrall in the day and tinkering with items at night when he isn't sleeping. He is always on the lookout for some way to increase his craft reserve.

[Rizban]

I suppose he's going to craft a few more power stones for blasting and trashing and such to use in PvP... in case troublesome players come his way while defending Dergrall or if just trying to rob the shop or what have you.

[Rizban]

One evening while not working for Dergrall, Punchinello goes for a walk.

See PM

[Rizban]

He's half hoping someone crosses his path looking for trouble or tries to steal his purse or something similarly stupid on that person's part.

[planswalker]

A skulk appears out of the shadows and says, "If you give me your money voluntarily, i will kill you quickly."

[Rizban]

The human looks at the skulk and says, "If you kill me quickly, if can have my money."

[roll0]

[planswalker]

he beats you to the punch... inello.... okay, that one was lame

before you get a chance to fully ready yourself for combat, he slashes at you with his dagger. Fortunately, his aim is off and your armor turns the knife.

[Rizban]

Punchinello takes a 5ft step away from the skulk and infuses Bane (humanoid (skulk)) into his dagger.

[planswalker]

actually, that's hunanoid (human). skulks aren't their own sugtype, they're a subrace of human. since (skulk) doesn't exist, the magic of the universe translates thaqt into human.

they skulk tries once more and his dagger slices into you, dealing [roll0] plus [roll1] damage as his blade glows with an evil purple light on contact with your flesh.

[Rizban]

Punchinello stabs attempts to stab him back.

[roll0]
[roll1]+[roll2]

[planswalker]

he nimbly dodges your attack, and slashes back. you get lucky, however.

[Rizban]

Punchinello takes a 5ft step back, pulls out a power stone, and smacks him with a fire energy missile.

[roll0]

The roller really hasn't liked me much lately. I can't seem to roll higher than average and get lots of 1s and 2s. :smallfrown:

[planswalker]

you roast him, but he still keeps on coming. he looks rather harmed by the fire, however.

his attack is deflected by the many magical protections you have

[Rizban]

Stabbity

[roll0]
[roll1]+[roll2]

[planswalker]

once again, he dodges and your armor protects you.

[Rizban]

Punchinello stabs again...

[roll0]
[roll1]+[roll2]

[planswalker]

your blade slices into him, killing him.

finally, someone hit


that's 1000 xp, a humanbane dagger, and a dirty loincloth.

[Rizban]

Punchinello takes the xp and the dagger and goes home, retaining the essence on the dagger.

Punchinello really isn't designed for fighting...

[planswalker]

you gain the essence of the +1 humanbane dagger

[planswalker]

A human walks into your shop, wanting to speak with you.

[Rizban]

Punchinello welcomes him.

"Greetings! What can I get for you, sir? A fine shirt of mail? How about a belt to improve your, uh... endurance?"

[planswalker]

"What is your relationship with the man Pruessler?"

[Rizban]

"Who? I don't believe I've met the man."

[Rizban]

They may not have met, but Punchinello knows who he is. He's seen the roster of all Merchants' Guild members.

[planswalker]

Kanteis asks: "WOuld you mind a quick mind read so I can be sure?"

[Rizban]

"Absolutely... not. That's not going to happen."

Punchinello crosses his arms over his chest.

Secretly pushing the button to lock both outer doors on his bracer as he does so.

[planswalker]

"May I ask why?"

... because you can't get away with that? Most people take exception to their privacy getting invaded by some stranger with no authority to do so. heck, most people hate it even when the person has the authority to do so.

[Rizban]

"Because I don't want you in my head. I know things you have no business knowing. My relationship to this 'Pruessler' is one of those things you don't need to know.

For what reason are you interrogating me and insisting on invading my privacy anyway?"

[planswalker]

"So it isn't a good 'relationship' then?"

[Rizban]

"What business is it of yours? You haven't answered my questions, so I am under no obligation to answer yours. If you want cooperation, then you should learn some manners."

[planswalker]

"I am investigating an attempted murder. I don't have anything against you, and I still owe you a favor, but please. A simple mind-reading will allow me to be on my way."

[Rizban]

"You owe me a favor, and yet you ask a favor of me? How about I call in the favor you owe me, and you just ignore any murder I may or may not have attempted?

No, that's not really fair. I didn't try to kill this person, and wasting a favor to proclaim actual innocence isn't worth it. However, I may or may not have committed actual murder, and you aren't getting into my mind.

Now, you have two options. Leave immediately, in which case I will report your attempted violation of my person and press charges, or you can attempt to force your way into my mind and take what information you want. If you manage to take information from me by force, then I will not begrudge you for it, as it would be my own incompetence that kept me from defending myself adequately. So, what will it be? Do you want to go to prison or try your luck against me? Frankly, I don't think either option is very good for you."

Punchinello's Spare Hand draws a Power Stone of Psychic Containment (DC 20) and places it in his left hand. The other Spare Hand draws a Power Stone of Energy Missile (6d6 energy type, DC 22 Reflex half) and places it in his other hand.

Punchinello then readies an action to hit the man with the Psychic Containment should he attempt to manifest a power. He has concluded that the man is a psychic, due to the man wanting to read his mind.

[Rizban]

I case it's necessary.

[roll0]

[planswalker]

"I'll leave, but I have one quick question: How do you feel about skulks?"

[Rizban]

"I made friends with one recently. Now, a skulk might have attempted something. I might even have funded it... or maybe not."

[planswalker]

"Have you heard from it recently?"

[Rizban]

"Last night, the night before. Something like that. It matters not.

How about this, whether it's true or not..."

Punchinello takes a deep breath.

"I hired someone to try to kill Pruessler. You have irritated me to no end, and having confessed that to you, I can't allow you to leave with your mind intact."

Punchinello activates the Psychic Containment power crystal.

DC20 Will save or be unable to use psionic powers. Only knows that he feels a sense of hopelessness until he tries to activate a power.

[roll0]

[Rizban]

Note that they are standing on opposite sides of the table at the closest, the door behind Punchinello leading into the workspace is open.

http://www.mornproductions.com/images/AvB/Punchinello%27s.png

[planswalker]

"I have no conflict with you, nor do I want to fight."

he tries to manifest a power, but it fails. epically.

wonder what he's gonna do now that he can't just use his psionics to bully people around.

[Rizban]

I don't know... I'm going to laugh if he panics and tries to run to the doors though.

[planswalker]

"Interesting tactic, though I have more traditional means of attacking."
He takes out a torch bundle and a tindertwig, and sets the bundle on fire. He also runs around the table.

[Rizban]

He can take a full round action each turn until the power ends to make another Will save at the same DC.

Punchinello takes a 5 ft step back into the room behind him.

"Step into my parlor, said the spider to the fly."

He closes the door and readies a standard action to activate his Energy Missile power stone should the door open.

The Spare Hand pulls out a Anticipatory Strike power stone as a free action and put it in Punchinello's empty hand.

[Rizban]

Updated Battle Map
http://www.mornproductions.com/images/AvB/PvK-Battle.png

[planswalker]

you hear him smirk arogantly, then you hear the bundle of torches make a small sound as it is set against the door. you can see traces of smoke seeping through the door.

you then hear him attempt to use the front door.

[Rizban]

Punchinello moves down to the big water barrel near his forge with wheels (20ft away) and drags is back over near the door. He's going to dump it out against the door to smother the flames if they start to spread to the wooden walls.

The iron doors leading outside now have a break DC of 38 and the locks can't be picked.

[planswalker]

he says that he's going to bed for now, sorry.

[Rizban]

Battle Map
http://www.mornproductions.com/images/AvB/PvK-Battle2.png

[Rizban]

Bah, oh well. Unless he opens the burning door, I use a move action to dump the barrel and the move to the door.

Next turn, I open the door and hit him with a fire energy missile and head for the stairs up, free drawing another energy missile stone.

If I get injured, take an action to heal with a tattoo, if not, hit him with energy missiles until he dies.

I'm confident that you can handle my character well enough to finish him off and give you permission to do so.

Punchinello won't unlock the doors until he is dead and looted. Then he'll call the guards and inform them that this guy came in, tried to force his way into his mind, and, when he failed that, set his shop on fire.

He'll say the guy came on behalf of a Pruessler and will ask that they investigate that as well and that he might want to press charges against Pruessler if he is found to be at fault. He'll also suggest that he probably isn't the only person that this now dead guy was trying to mind rape and suggest that they ask around and see if anyone else has been victimized by him recently.

[hr]Alternatively, lock the door, close off the door on the stairwell so the smoke goes out the vent for the forge in my area, and let him choke to death in the front room, using the water barrel to make sure the fire doesn't spread away from the one door... That could work, right?

Man, I have to get a bottle of endless smoke to set this up as a trap now...

[planswalker]

a single fire energy missile brought him to -8 and then he failed to stabilize. this way his death looks like it is caused by the fire he started and it won't get tied to you. you can see what happened http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8798510&posted=1#post8798510

[planswalker]

you get 1800 xp and can loot the body (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=210256)

[Rizban]

Woo! I level up!

I loot everything magical on the body and retain its essence.
I keep the cognizance crystal, though I might retain it too depending on your answer to the following.

Question...
I have a manifester level, but a max pp of 0 and don't know any powers...
There are ways to gain extra powers known if you have a manifester level...
Would it be possible to learn powers and then use a cognizance crystal to manifest them?

I honestly can't think of a reason why it would not be possible, and I don't think it's ever been covered anywhere in the rules.


I qualify for expanded knowledge, and my manifester level of 5 technically allows me to manifest powers of up to 3rd level, meaning I could gain a 2nd level power using EK.
Expanded Knowledge [Psionic]

You learn another power.
Prerequisites

Manifester level 3rd.
Benefit

Add to your powers known one additional power of any level up to one level lower than the highest-level power you can manifest. You can choose any power, including powers from another discipline’s list or even from another class’s list.
Special

You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time, you learn one new power at any level up to one less than the highest-level power you can manifest.

Question #2Crafting an Eversmoking Bottle requires pyrotechnics (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/pyrotechnics.htm).

Is the psionic power control flames sufficient to craft the bottle, or must I purchase one?

[planswalker]

yes you can.

yes, when augmented to equivalent cost as a powwer of pyrotechnic's level would be.

[Rizban]

Question #3How much damage did my shop take?

[planswalker]

door needs to be replaced. walls need 100 gp of repair, entire room has has at least some smoke damage. all furnishings will need to be replaced if you don't want it to smell like a campfire forever.

[Rizban]

Prestidigiation can clean things... that should get rid of the smoke smell, right?

[planswalker]

yeah, with a couple of castings. you can clean 600 square feet with a single casting, anything with a cushion will still need to be replaced, thugh. the smoke particles damaged the fabrics structurally, not just odor.

[planswalker]

Question #3How much damage did my shop take?

total cost: 125 gp. structural repairs plus replacing ruined cushions. not including the cost of prestidigitation to get rid of the smell, which i'm sure some pc can be suckered into doing for free if you don't have a better option

[Rizban]

The room is 400 square feet, so that's just 1 casting.

I have no idea what the furniture would cost, since the furnishings are included in the stronghold space by default. I'm just going to go with the retrofitting rules from p102 and pay 400gp (10% original price). Is that acceptable?

[planswalker]

sounds good to me. better than me just pulling numbers out of the air, anyways.

[Rizban]

Good. I'll slate the repairs/upgrades for "tomorrow."

[hr]Punchinello writes a note for his roommate explaining that some psycho attacked and tried to burn down the shop but was handled and tacks it to the charred remains of the inner door where she will see it if she returns before he does. He then grabs two more power stones of Energy Missile (4 total) and heads over to try to meet with Pruessler, intending to visit the City Guard on his way back afterward.

[planswalker]

You find him in his shop, right at closing time.

[Rizban]

"Hello, Pruessler. I need to speak with you, privately."

[planswalker]

He gives a start. "What do you need? The last of my customers has just left and I just closed shop."

[Rizban]

"I had a very rude man come by my shop today, try to mindrape me, then attack me and try to burn down my shop and my home. He claimed to have done so on your behalf, saying something about attempted murder.

I do not appreciate being falsely accused of attempted murder and treated as guilty with no chance to defend myself when I had never before even met the supposed victim.

There are two things you should know. First, I will be pressing charges against you for this harassment. Second, your vile inquisitor is dead, having choked and burned to death in the very fire he started."

[planswalker]

"That was not what i had asked my bodyguard to do. I assumed that when he said that he would investigate, he would ask discreet questions or consort to bribing petty officials or some such. Not try to be a one-man inquisition. I apologize for this. What will you be charging me with, exactly? I cannot be held responsible for the unsolicited actions of a delusional employee."

[Rizban]

"Regardless of if you asked that of him or not, I believe that the law holds one responsible for the actions of their employees while on the job. I'm likely not the only one he harassed like this, and I'm sure others would join me in the suit should I take legal action...

A question though. What did you hope to gain through this investigation?"

[planswalker]

"Yes, responsible for them when they are on the job. I have hired him to protect me at night when i might get assassinated in my sleep. I have not hired him to investigate. What he chooses to do on his own time is not my concern. Feel free to sue his estate for damages, just don't expect him to be able to pay much. If you really want a legal battle, feel free. I think you will find it hard to pin this on me."

"As to what i hoped to gain, who is holding an inquisition now? Whatever it was clearly is not your affair and you will be as bad as he apparently was if you try to press further."

[Rizban]

"I asked mostly out of curiosity, considering that he can not provide whatever service it was. Hearing that he was your nightly guard is somewhat disconcerting though. I wonder what you will do now that your guard has... predeceased you?"

[planswalker]

"Well, jfor starters, i was planning on renting a room at an inn for tonight, and then see if i could hire someone new. I hope you understand if prudence keeps me from divullging more to someone I just met who started off on unfriendly terms with me, what with the trouble i've run in to.

[Rizban]

"Your man mentioned skulks. I've run into them myself lately. They're a plague on the city.

Maybe we got off on the wrong foot, but if you know anything about me, you'll know that I specialize in protection. I'll not act as your guard, but I can provide you with ample protection if that's what you need."