Applejaxc
2014-06-25, 04:43 PM
I'm ashamed to admit it, but I only started reading the OOTs comic last week. I know, I know; I'm not good enough to be on the forums, whatever. Now that I've read through a considerable portion, however, I realized a recent implementation of "Explosive Runes" was the first and only time I'd ever done it to a party, and I'd missed hundreds of opportunities of such a comedic device.
To set the stage:
Said the Mind Blade, Damien the CoH, Valenwood the Grey Elf Wizard, and Bartlby the Monk/Rogue had returned to Owlsdale on a rather run-of-the-mill fetch quest. A baker in St. Therissa needed special ingredients for a special cake for the Prince's birthday (which turns out to be a cake golem, resulting in one of the lamest assassination plots ever). They needed "A handful of giant owl feathers," which could be collected from the top of Daksunder Mountain.
The problem, however, as they're told by Cragus, Keplr, Mortimer, and Mortimer's Brother, is that all routes up were blocked by a band of mercenary orcs intent on taking over the recently rediscovered gold and quartz mines. Worse, one of the PC's girlfriend, Lezlybeth the Inept Alchemist, was missing after travelling to Daksunder to collect flowers.
Party makes their way up Daksunder, gets into the dark, twisting tunnels hungry for blood, and they encounter a Choker (again; Daksunder is full of them). This Choker isn't some nameless stat-block, though; it's Silas (http://www.monsteradvancer.com/generate.maurl?monster=Choker&hd=3&size=S&str=10&dex=15&con=14&int=15&wis=13&cha=12&templates=Vampire&classes=Wizard6&feats=Lightning%20Reflexes,Stealthy) the Vampire. Rather than attack the party directly, Silas summons 1d3+1 wolves (as Vampires do) and hides in the shadows while the PCs (level 5 by now) easily dispatch the animals. When they're dead, he reveals himself. "It's good fortune you arrived when you did. Those damn Orcs have been trying to chase me out with their wolves all day." Despite a Detect Evil spell, the party joined forces against a common enemy after Silas promised he knew where the orcs were and how they could save their beloved Lezlybeth. The Choker's real intentions, though (and what else would a 6th level Wizard want?) was to get the party to open a passage into the final resting place of a Dragon that had died in Daksunder waaay back in the lore of the campaign setting.
First, they came across more wolves Silas summoned (without them realizing), then they fought a Charmed Orc before coming up to Silas's first obstacle. Whoever locked up the area had made sure none of his puzzles could be solved by Undead, so Silas claimed "I can't read this language." The Cleric, who could read Celestial, bent down to read the inscription on the door:
"As a protection against the horrors I assume will one day attempt to retrieve Lorris' items of power, I prepared Explosive Room before making this door." His Reflex save... he honestly asked me if a 6 was high enough.
Next, they had a generic "The Rogue disables the whirling poison blades"
Then, they had a room filled with some bags of tricks. Not too difficult. What was difficult was when Valenwood the Wizard read the Sepia Snake Signal on the next door and was paralyzed. Silas cast Enlarge Person and used his Quickness to Charm Said while he grappled/blood drained/negative level inflicted the already-low-on-health Sir Damien. It was the closest I've gotten to a TPK in a long time.
Oh and it turns out Lezlybeth had actually been taken as a slave by a human baron, they found out a long time later... but Lezlybeth was actually a succubus who took the baron as a slave using mind control (but acted/made everone think she was his slave). When the party showed up, they killed the baron, then found out she was the evil one.
To set the stage:
Said the Mind Blade, Damien the CoH, Valenwood the Grey Elf Wizard, and Bartlby the Monk/Rogue had returned to Owlsdale on a rather run-of-the-mill fetch quest. A baker in St. Therissa needed special ingredients for a special cake for the Prince's birthday (which turns out to be a cake golem, resulting in one of the lamest assassination plots ever). They needed "A handful of giant owl feathers," which could be collected from the top of Daksunder Mountain.
The problem, however, as they're told by Cragus, Keplr, Mortimer, and Mortimer's Brother, is that all routes up were blocked by a band of mercenary orcs intent on taking over the recently rediscovered gold and quartz mines. Worse, one of the PC's girlfriend, Lezlybeth the Inept Alchemist, was missing after travelling to Daksunder to collect flowers.
Party makes their way up Daksunder, gets into the dark, twisting tunnels hungry for blood, and they encounter a Choker (again; Daksunder is full of them). This Choker isn't some nameless stat-block, though; it's Silas (http://www.monsteradvancer.com/generate.maurl?monster=Choker&hd=3&size=S&str=10&dex=15&con=14&int=15&wis=13&cha=12&templates=Vampire&classes=Wizard6&feats=Lightning%20Reflexes,Stealthy) the Vampire. Rather than attack the party directly, Silas summons 1d3+1 wolves (as Vampires do) and hides in the shadows while the PCs (level 5 by now) easily dispatch the animals. When they're dead, he reveals himself. "It's good fortune you arrived when you did. Those damn Orcs have been trying to chase me out with their wolves all day." Despite a Detect Evil spell, the party joined forces against a common enemy after Silas promised he knew where the orcs were and how they could save their beloved Lezlybeth. The Choker's real intentions, though (and what else would a 6th level Wizard want?) was to get the party to open a passage into the final resting place of a Dragon that had died in Daksunder waaay back in the lore of the campaign setting.
First, they came across more wolves Silas summoned (without them realizing), then they fought a Charmed Orc before coming up to Silas's first obstacle. Whoever locked up the area had made sure none of his puzzles could be solved by Undead, so Silas claimed "I can't read this language." The Cleric, who could read Celestial, bent down to read the inscription on the door:
"As a protection against the horrors I assume will one day attempt to retrieve Lorris' items of power, I prepared Explosive Room before making this door." His Reflex save... he honestly asked me if a 6 was high enough.
Next, they had a generic "The Rogue disables the whirling poison blades"
Then, they had a room filled with some bags of tricks. Not too difficult. What was difficult was when Valenwood the Wizard read the Sepia Snake Signal on the next door and was paralyzed. Silas cast Enlarge Person and used his Quickness to Charm Said while he grappled/blood drained/negative level inflicted the already-low-on-health Sir Damien. It was the closest I've gotten to a TPK in a long time.
Oh and it turns out Lezlybeth had actually been taken as a slave by a human baron, they found out a long time later... but Lezlybeth was actually a succubus who took the baron as a slave using mind control (but acted/made everone think she was his slave). When the party showed up, they killed the baron, then found out she was the evil one.