Secret of mana IC thread

[Ridai]

Thaum raises a finger and is about to say something, but the next moment, the spiders assault the group posthaste, making that quite superfluous (finger curling back in and mouth closing). Right then, on to assessing where to assist first.

Coney's struggle makes that rather obvious as well. Thus, the healer moves right towards the nearest gigantic spider, reaching out to touch the brave rabite and having water wash over here, making her far, far too slippery for anything to get a grip on.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Thaum moves from K11 to K13 and casts freedom of movement on Coney. Thaum does not provoke an AoO for casting due to Shielded Casting.

[kinem]

"... can go around ..."

"Or ... not!" Ken admits as the party suddenly finds itself surrounded and sticky.

Deciding that the most immediate threat is the spider that tried for a high-protein meal, Ken casts Steelsting to target the area where Coney's assailant is.

OOC: He automatically makes the Concentration check to cast the spell while Entangled.
Standard: Steelsting (9d6)[35] force, Reflex half DC 18
Swift: Blademage's Edge (for later use)

[WindStruck]

With a twitch of his foot, Larimar vanishes out of the webbing and appears a mere 10 feet away from them. Already he's reaching in his bag and then he does it. He throws a bottle at the spider up above him.

"Haha! Take this you dumb spiders!"

attack: (1d20+13)[14]

Anticlimactically, the bottle gets stuck in the webbing and just seems to float and vibrate harmlessly in the air.

[Alhallor]

The spider screeches frustrated when Coney slips out of they're grips, which changes to a painful wail, when it's shredded by Ken's spell. The monstrous spider who got out of the earth makes some fancy leg motions and chitters in a weird way, but stops it's motions when his multi-faceted eyes look onto Thaum and it stops whatever it was doing before.

Jahn try's to cut Ken free from his web.

Spoiler: Jahn's attack

Show

Attack:(1d20+20)[27] activated Snowflake wardance. Just don't roll a one.
Damage: (1d8+4)[11], Viscious (2d6)[9], Backlash. (1d6)[4] If dealt 14 Damage Ken is free.

The two other spiders jump down and try to take a hearty bite out of Larimar and Ken.

Spoiler: Attack against Larimar

Show

Attack: (1d20+9)[17]
Damage: (2d6+6)[12] and Fort save against 16 or (1d8)[8] Strength Damage.

Spoiler: Attack against Ken

Show

Attack: (1d20+9)[18]
Damage: (2d6+6)[11] and Fort save against 16 or (1d8)[6] Strength Damage.

Spoiler: Spellcraft 20, what the fancy motions meant.

Show

The giant spider wanted to cast Unholy Blight but was thwarthed by Thaum's aura of protection.

Spoiler: Updated map

Show

SPIDERS!

[WindStruck]

Well that was disappointing. Larimar would have cursed at the bad luck, but it was still kind of funny. On second thought, maybe setting all that webbing ablaze wasn't a good idea...

Now with a spider right next to him, it seemed he didn't have too many great options. Still, maybe it was time to try out one of those scrolls he had purchased!

He quickly whips out a scroll and tries to cast it.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

using handy haversack item can get things out with a move action and doesn't provoke AoO

But then I need to make a caster level check: (1d20+2)[4] I only really need 3, but a 1 is failure.

The spider then gets an attack of opportunity while casting. If hit I must make concentration: (1d20)[10]

If the spell goes off, Larimar is surrounded by (1d4+1)[4] mirror images.

[Ridai]

"No," Thaum reprimands the spider with a chastising finger before picking up Coney and purposefully placing her outside of the spider's reach, along with a quick healing spell.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Pick up Coney as standard action, move to P13 as move action, set Coney down in Q13 as free action, cast close wounds as swift action (HP healed (1d4+27)[30] Overheal -> THP as usual)

[kinem]

Ken tries to figure out what the 'dancing' spider had been doing.

OOC: Spellcraft [roll]120+16[/roll] vs DC 20

He says "Thanks Jahn though for future reference I had another way out."

He proceeds to try to swat the spider that tried to attack him with the edge of his greatsword.

OOC: swift: Wraithstrike; use -5/+10 Power Attack. Blademage's Edge carried over from last round.
touch attack (1d20+15)[28], damage (2d6+30)[33]
touch attack (1d20+6)[7], damage (2d6+21)[29]

[kinem]

OOC: Spellcraft (1d20+16)[17] vs DC 20

[Toliudar]

Coney

Nuzzled in Thaum's arms, Coney reaches out with an ear to stroke his cheek.

"What would we do without you?"

Twisting gently in his arms, Coney carefully sights behind her, selecting a point above the large spider's head, and fillling it with flames.

"Have you ever added up the number of things that have tried to eat us in the past months? I blame Larimar. He's just too adorable."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Standard action: Fireball, aiming above the spider to the south, so as to minimize fire on the ground if possible. Reflex DC 19 for half of (9d6)[32] fire damage.

[Alhallor]

The spider who wanted to eat Larimar wants to take another bite out of him, but misses the nimble Chobin, though when his spell goes off, it seems the spider is more happy that there are more meals available now, instead of multiple ones and munches on him again.

Spoiler: Attack against Larimar

Show

Image roll: 1 is the real Larimar (1d5)[5]
Attack: (1d20+9)[27]
Damage: (2d6+6)[15] and Fort save against 16 or (1d8)[5] Strength Damage.

Jahn nods to Ken and steps towards the giant spider, and incorporates the movement towards his strike.

Spoiler: Jahns attack

Show

Attack: (1d20+20)[25]
Damage: (1d8+4)[8]; Viscious: (2d6)[6]; Mountain Hammer: (2d6)[8]; Backlash Damage: (1d6)[1]

Coney's spell seems to stop shortly before it even reaches the giant spider and leaves it totally unharmed. But now it freely charges towards the tastiest looking target, which in that case is Coney again, but instead of trying to take a bite out of the rabite it runs towards her and try's to touch Coney with one of his hairy legs.

Spoiler: Attack against Coney

Show

Touch attack: (1d20+13)[21]
If hit make a Fortitude save against 15, if that fails make another Fortitude save against 16, if that fails you lose (1d6)[6] wisdom, accompanied with shivers, high fevers and occasionally outbursts of laughter.

The last spider survives both Ken's and Jahn's onslaught and try's to take a bite out of Ken.

Spoiler: Attack against Ken.

Show

Attack: (1d20+9)[16]
Damage: (2d6+6)[14] and Fort save against 16 or (1d8)[7] strength Damage.

[WindStruck]

Larimar is pleased that his spell went off properly, and that the spider tried to bite one of his illusory doubles. Well, now there were only three...

Taking aim at the spider before him and giving zero f**s, he launches a volley of arrows at the spider, literally as point blank as possible, and only as he's finishing firing the last arrow takes a few steps back.

Spoiler

Show

Spider gets another AoO I think.

Larimar shoots 3 times.

attack 1: (1d20+18)[24]
damage 1: (1d6+5)[7]

attack 2: (1d20+18)[29]
damage 2: (1d6+5)[9]

attack 3: (1d20+13)[32]
damage 3: (1d6+5)[9]

Then he'll take a five-foot step back. Let's say diagonally SE.

[Toliudar]

Coney

Coney shudders in Thaum's arms as the spider lunges forward and rubs up against her. Since this one clearly was smarter than the average spider, she thought she'd see if it could understand her speech. A spider that could be conversed with could be reasoned with, after all.

"Stop!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Fort Save DC 15 (1d20+12)[23]
Fort Save DC 16 (1d20+12)[25]

She has now healed the strength damage from the previous bite. If she takes wisdom damage this round, it will start to come back at a rate of 1/round on this action.

Coney tries Naberius's Command ability (Will DC 17 negates) on the spider that is poisoning her.

[Ridai]

"Professionally and personally, my preference would be you still succeeding in my hypothetical absence," Thaum answers as he carries Coney away. However, the spider proves insistent. As he picks Coney back up, the rabite's emphatic order to cease hostilities is accompanied by a "Yes, please." as the healer briskly walks away once more with his charge, observing the battle all the while.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Same thing as last round, but without the healing. Picking up Coney and moving to J14, but not dropping Coney this time.

[kinem]

Ken continues to attack the nearby spider.

OOC: swift: Wraithstrike; use -5/+10 Power Attack
touch attack (1d20+11)[28], damage (2d6+21)[26]
touch attack (1d20+6)[9], damage (2d6+21)[30]

[Alhallor]

Ken slices the remaining spider in half and Jahn begins his fire chant, to wrath his allies weapon in flames.

The struggling cockatrice try's to peck at the spider attacking Larimar, but it's to much in the net to achieve anything more than flailing at it's direction.

The spider that Larimar attacks try's to get another bite in while he lays his arrows into him.

Spoiler: AoO from spider

Show

Image roll: (1d4)[4]1 is the real Larimar.
Attack: (1d20+9)[17]
Damage: (2d6+6)[12] and Fort save against 16 or (1d8)[1] Strength Damage.

After all arrows hit, the spider seems to want to retreat but with a screech from the remaining spider it lunges at Larimar again and try's to take another bite out of him.

Spoiler: Attack from spider

Show

Image roll if no Image is destroyed. (1d4)[1]1 is the real Larimar
Image roll if an Image is destroyed. (1d3)[2]1 is the real Larimar
Attack: (1d20+9)[15]
Damage: (2d6+6)[13] and Fort save against 16 or (1d8)[1] Strength Damage.

The remaining spider stops just for a moment when it hears Coney's order, like it did kinda understood the intention of the words but doesn't respond to the order. Having decided that Ken is the most dangerous opponent (and the other tasty snacks either run away or can't be eaten at all) it try's to grab him.

Spoiler: Attack against Ken.

Show

Attack: (1d20+13)[24]
Damage: (2d6+6)[14]
If you are hit make a Fortitude save against 16 or suffer (1d8)[4] Strength Damage.
If you are hit the spider also try's to grapple you too. Opposed grapple check. (1d20+18)[30]

Spoiler: Map

Show

Don't Forget the map.

[Toliudar]

Coney

Seeing Ken snatched up by the great spider, powerful enough to have turned aside Coney's magic twice, Coney calls out.

"Hold on, Ken! We'll have you out in a jiff."

Bouncing out of Thaum's kind embrace, Coney weaves her transposition magic to take Ken's place in the Spider's clutches. She relies on Thaum's protective magic to free her from the massive thing's...are they still called claws when they're on an insect? it was beyond her.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

5' step north.
Coney casts Benign Transposition on Ken and herself. She's hoping that the Freedom of Movement effect immediately frees her, the way that Thaum did for Coney with the Assassin vine.

[kinem]

What the ...? Oh ... I see ...

Ken says "Thanks Coney! For future reference, I had another way out. Anklets, you know."

He attacks the spider that is now trying to grab the slippery Coney. I think it's in reach, but 5' step if needed.

OOC: swift: Wraithstrike; use -5/+10 Power Attack.
touch attack (1d20+11)[19], damage (2d6+21)[25]
touch attack (1d20+6)[21], damage (2d6+21)[29]

[WindStruck]

Larimar takes a couple steps away from the 3rd spider (going north) and fires his arrows at the one closes to him.

If it goes down before he's finished, he'll instead send the extra arrows to the last spider.

Spoiler: fwoosh

Show

attack 1: (1d20+18)[34]
damage 1: (1d20+5)[22] + (1d6)[6] + (3d6)[7] fire

attack 2: (1d20+18)[36]
damage 2: (1d20+5)[18] + (1d6)[6] + (3d6)[11] fire

attack 3: (1d20+13)[26]
damage 3: (1d20+5)[6] + (1d6)[5] + (3d6)[16] fire

The first two numbers are definitely non-lethal.. I don't know if the fire is.

Also, I'm wondering is the spider casting magic a magical creature?

[Alhallor]

The reappearing Coney (that quickly slips out of the spiders grasp again) frustrates the spider to no end, but Ken's two slashes bring it nearly down. The following storm of arrows from Larimar brings down his remaining spider and the casting one too. The silence hangs heavy in the air, though it's quickly interrupted by another flapping from the bound cockatrice, that hangs in the net of these spiders for whatever end it was hang up there by the spiders and not instantly devoured.

[WindStruck]

Larimar tries to chirp at the cockatrice again.

Something like...

Hey. We can release you. But are you going to bite us?

[Alhallor]

The cockatrices you have met (and what also seems the general attitude of them) is a little off and manic for a normal creature (could have something to do with the ability to turn people into stone) but it seems that this little guy don't seem as crazy and calms down and cluck/sreeches back something that can be interpreted as: I won't bite you if you free me.

[WindStruck]

Larimar tells everyone. "Oh that's interesting. I guess we can let it go.. Well actually, I guess it would be kind of cruel to leave it there, unless we intended for the spiders to eat it later..."

Larimar will take his bow and reach up at the threads above the creature, which stick the the bow. But he's able to overpower the thin threads and pull them down enough until they break, which frees it.

"There you go little guy. Now run off now," he says.

[Toliudar]

Coney

Coney rolls to her...well...she rolls until her head is on top again. She hops over to the arrow-full and much-poked remains of the magicky spider. She nods approvingly as Larimar frees the cockatrice.

"So, that was...odd. I've had folks roll out of the way of my fireballs before, but never had one that could just sort of stop one from happening in the first place. I wonder how this fella managed that trick."

She weaves her magic-sensing spell and looks over the remnants of the spiders, and down into the pit from which two had emerged.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Standard Detect Magic on the area.

[Ridai]

A marvelous bit of arcane maneuvering, swordplay, and marksmanship later, the battle is over. "Is everyone alright?" is the natural first question, not objecting at all to letting the little cockatrice go.

"Perhaps a case of innate mana resistance?" the healer theorizes as Coney examines the spiders. "However, as educational as this examination is, we should not stay for long."

[Alhallor]

When the Little Cockatrice is dropped out of the net it stretches and looks at it's ruffled wings, does the same with his legs and finally screeches a slightly muffled "Cuckadoodledoo!"

Spoiler: Speak with animals or Wild Empathy

Show

Yes, I live! Take that, biters!

He then looks quizically at Larimar, he goes away a bit, but keeps you in his field of vision.

when Coney takes a magical look at the spider she can find out that it's indeed magical.

Spoiler: Coney

Show

With what has happened and you taking a look at the creature with detect magic you can find out that the creature does have an innate kind of mana resistance, (spell resistance). And within it's hairy head there is a pair of spellsight spectactles (M138) nestled within it.

The pit where the spider emerged from is hidden pretty well and relatively small, there are some bones and parts of clothing there, but nothing else.

When you continue your way it seems the little cockatrice has taken a liking to you, he seems to circle around your group, now and again he comes towards to one of you with a small insect or an especially colorful leave, clucks at you and lays it before you. If you don't take whatever he is offering he eats it himself. It's curious to note that whatever he bites doesn't seem to be turned to stone, not even partially. Larimar seems to get the most "presents" it seems.

When you decide to take a rest, the cockatrice jumps upwards and nestles in a tree, tucking his head under a wing to sleep.

[Toliudar]

Coney

Coney gingerly extracts the glasses from the spider's head, shaking off the goop before glancing through the lenses.

Spoiler: Glasses?

Show

Much as I would love to be able to use these, Coney really doesn't have the skill points to do so. They're up for grabs.

As they proceed, Coney is at first wary of, but then delighted with the cockatrice who has 'adopted them.'

"Hey, Larimar! Has it told you its name? It seems kind of sweet on you. The bird has good taste."

[WindStruck]

Larimar smiles. "It's kind of cute. Especially since it doesn't seem to be able to turn any of us to stone..."

Larimar offers the little cockatrice some scraps of food, and he eventually clucks something at it.

Spoiler: bwak

Show

Something wrong with you? Where your family?

[Alhallor]

When Larimar offers the cockatrice some food, it's at first a little confused but then gobbles the food down pretty fast, making a bulge in his craw. It seems he answers Larimar willingly.

Spoiler: craw

Show

He can tell you that after he left his clucking hen, he try'd to find his own flock, because the highest ranking rooster drove him out of his first one (that's pretty normal for wild flocks of chicken.) He wasn't very succesfull for an amount of time he can't name and then get caught by these spiders. He is still a bit freaked out that you are all so big and that you can talk, but he thought he could be part of this flock.

You continue your travels, it seems that you have made an Impression on the local Wildlife because you don't get attacked again, you sometimes feel massive beasts roaming around, but you seem to be lucky enough to avoid them. After around three more days of travel you arrive at a massive Clearing and before you stands a grand castle in an ancient style. A stone Bridge over a small lake grants you passage towards Ferolia.

Spoiler: Ferolia

Show

Ferolia

Ferolia

There are no guards Standing watch, that kinda makes sense with the hard journey that lies behind you. The Streets paved with stone are not without Population. You see several beastmen in the prime of they're years. Most of them muscular and strong, some more slender and sleak. Everyone you pass gives you a nod of approval. Though they seem to not only beastman have taken residence up in here. The streets locked in twilight, slightly enlightened by some firefly's you can make up two knights that have braved they're way through here and at least one elf who roams the streets. Though you do realize that the big streets of this grand town/castle have a lot less population than you are used to from Wendel or Valsena.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

You managed you're way to Ferolia. Fanfare!
You can buy magic items here that are worth 15.000 Gold, I still Need to calculate EXP, they will be displayed in the OOC when I'm done.

[Toliudar]

Coney

As the group - now having added a cockatrice to their merry band - pauses at the main gates to Ferolia, Coney realizes that they hadn't really talked about how they would proceed once they got here. She tries to keep her gravelly voice down as they confer.

"So...we need to get word about how Mintos has been cut off from the outside, and we need to learn more about the archon. Should we try to get an audience with Beastking Maharan right away, or do some reconnoitering in town first?"

[kinem]

Ken replies, keeping his voice soft as well "The latter, I think. Better to find out what others think of the king before trying to meet him."