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  1. - Top - End - #181
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Birel Amastacia
    High Elf Wizard
    AC: 13/16 HP: 20/20
    PP: 13 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
    Conditions: Mage Armor
    Concentration: --

    Birel mentally shrugs at Chief letting Brent off scot-free. She would have preferred some kind of penance for making the spikes even if he didn't know what they were for. Accidentally being an accomplice to the death of everyone in the village wasn't really something that should be so easily brushed aside. And without the Chief to mete out some punishment, surely other people in the village who disliked Brent's, admittedly terrible, choice in religions would find a way to do so themselves. A fate he might have been spared if it had seemed like he was fittingly rebuked already.

    When the Chief announces Weldry to be burned alive, she's a bit shocked at the brutality of it. She also finds the idea of having to stand around hearing and/or smelling such an event extremely unpleasant.

    In the midst of this she notices Jemriah's coin flip and along with some other signs, recognizes the spell he cast. Wanting to have the advantage of knowing what people are thinking and feeling a bit cheeky she mentally communicates with him, <"A penny for everyone else's thoughts?"> in a clearly self-amused tone.

  2. - Top - End - #182
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Jemriah Cleater
    Aberrant Mind Sorcerer 3 | AC 15 | HP 20/20 | PP 11 / PIns 11 / PInv 10

    The thoughts and emotions rise and fall like licks of flame in a campfire, ephemeral and intense. As his attention drifts across the crowd he catches Birel's eye and a series of words so clear and different from the cluttered musings of the idle minds in Dam'ess. It's almost startling at first, but he smiles and moments later a shadowy presence steps into her mind - a separate link so he could continue his mental sweep.

    <I imagine they'll be worth far more by the time this night is over. Weldry is as repentant as the devils he consorts with. Even the crowd is masking their temptation behind rebuke. Without the Chief's sturdy arms damming this river of iniquity it would spill over and consume itself.>

  3. - Top - End - #183
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Birel Amastacia
    High Elf Wizard
    AC: 13/16 HP: 20/20
    PP: 13 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
    Conditions: Mage Armor
    Concentration: --

    Birel nods, which might look a little weird to anyone else who notices, as she replies back, <"Do not forget to check our companions. As we now do know that at least one outsider was involved in nefarious activities. Also, I'd just be interested to know what they're thinking."> again, she finishes with a touch of amusement.

  4. - Top - End - #184
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Jemriah Cleater
    Aberrant Mind Sorcerer 3 | AC 15 | HP 20/20 | PP 11 / PIns 11 / PInv 10

    Jemriah falls silent a moment. He was sincere at the start of this evening about leaving everyone's pasts behind them. He didn't make a habit of invading peoples' privacy in a more intimate way than most can imagine and didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with anyone here, particularly Vargath or Set who seemed capable of swift and painful retribution. Selissa was good folk if a bit distant the way elves are. The others he didn't know too well yet, but that would come. <The cult was here long before any of us arrived in town. If there's darkness in anyone's heart it's of a different bent and will reveal itself in time,> he replies suggesting there will be no probing into their associates. In part because he didn't particularly want anyone looking into his unless they intended to fix what was wrong with him.

    ... and yet she was right. They didn't really know each other. And if a medicine man had come to weaken the Green Faith, what drew these other wayward souls beyond the promise of coin? Their group was spread through the crowd in a way that only allowed him eyes on Birel, Selissa, and Fanlomen for the moment, but he tunes into the thoughts of the latter two against his better judgment. Just long enough to peek behind the curtain...

    Spoiler: Selissa & Fanlomen
    Show
    Taking a quick peek at your surface thoughts - "what is most on your mind in that moment". Let's say this happens as Jon Bence is called forward but before his trial begins.

    Last edited by miinstrel; 2020-07-19 at 11:59 AM.

  5. - Top - End - #185
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Selissa watched the sentences being given without emotion on her face. She showed no satisfaction as Weldry begged and was condemned, but inside she felt a slow coil of satisfaction. She, personally, would have just slit his throat and scattered his body, but she wasn't going to argue in the defence of someone who peddled with the Fires Beneath The Roots. Pah. The coward. Even the rat knows to bite when cornered.

    Her shoulders prickled, the way they always did when she was being watched, and she glanced up in time to meet Jemriah's eyes as he surveyed the crowd. For a long second she held his gaze, unaware of the violition of her mental privacy.
    Spoiler: Selissa's thoughts
    Show

    Why is the human looking at me? Is he expecting me to do something?

    She cocked her head at him slightly in an unspoken question, but if no answer was forthcoming, dismissed it and returned to watching the sentencing. Even revealed in his wickedness, Bence looked comfortable, but one didn't worship a goddess of entropy and fear to die.
    And the far stars cried, and the planets yearned;
    But no man may know, for she'll ne'er return.

  6. - Top - End - #186
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    In the Village Square

    "John Bence, you stand accused of consorting with demons. A shrine was found outside your home, obscured from wandering eyes, where there were signs of a sacrifice, a summoning, and some foul creature of fearsome size and strength. You ally with Pale Night against Dam'ess, and you will be damned for it. What say you?"

    The genial smile slowly fades away, replaced by seemingly genuine confusion. "But Chief Moeller... I've been so respectful of your village's religion, can't you be tolerant of mine?" His voice sounds happy, always bordering on laughter, and despite the clear sarcasm and insult to his words several people in the village laugh, only to cover their mouths with their hands and look horrified a moment later. Chief Moeller looks flummoxed for a second, then becomes visibly enraged. "John Bence, I sentence you..." A cold wind blows through the village, making the burning torches stutter and fail. Just two remain lit, both of them near the front of the stage, therefore illuminating Bence in the red-yellow of flame. The Chief's words, booming and authoritative, falter as well, but Bence quickly picks up where the Chief left off.

    "You? Sentence me? Laughable, but I'll indulge you." John begins to pace back and forth before the crowd, alternating between facing the Chief and facing the silent mass of people behind him. "I am beyond your ability to judge, old man. You accuse me of what, exactly? A summoning? "Consorting with demons?" Bringing something from the Abyss over to your side of existence? I admit it. Moreover, I have several more things to admit to. I have raised a cult of Pale Night in your very village. You want a confession? I'll give you a confession! I've held black mass in the Banewood for two dozen followers, all of them prominent citizens of your little village. The Fultons, the Jakobs, the Widower Trent, and the Fowlers, just to name a few." The Chief starts to raise his voice again, summoning his rage, and John Bence lifts a hand, palm towards the Chief, and begins counting on his fingers. Somehow, no matter how loud Maus Moeller bellows, John Bence's voice rises over it. "I've salted your fields to starve your people." Another finger. "I've laid hexes and curses on your animals. Anyone notice all those still births? Your welcome." Another finger, his voice rising in volume and pitch each time he makes the count. "I've killed more than a few. I've been here precisely six years, six months, and six days, and in that time I've orchestrated the deaths of every single one of you who has died in that time." A fourth finger. "I've played maddening music under the full moon- songs taught to me by Pale Night herself. Songs that made husbands beat their wives, mothers smack their children, and children curse their parents in secret." A fifth finger rises up just as the Chief begins to step off the stage. When he does, the crate underneath his foot cracks and splinters, causing Moeller to stumble and fall. His club sized walking stick clatters away, leaving the massive, proud man stranded on the ground, face contorted in pain. "I've stolen." A second hand comes up, and in rapid succession all five fingers are counted. "Cheated. Coerced. Rustled. Seduced. Betrayed." This time Bence turns to the crowd, his smile widening to a mad grin that makes the whole village take a step back with hushed gasps of fear. "Truth be told I've LOST COUNT of all the evil deeds I've done in her name in the time I've been here." He steps towards the crowd, and the whole village steps back again, locked by the mystifying gaze of this man. "But none of that matters! You see, it's not what you do in life that matters, even if you love it as much as me! It's how you get PAID!" He lifts his head to the sky and gives a deep, hearty laugh, equal parts warm, friendly, and sinister. "And let me tell you, my friends, I have been paid WELL." Wheeling again, he snatches up the Chief's cane, and for a second it looks like he is going to take a swing at Moeller's head with the knobly end. Several of the Chief's chosen gather their bravery and start to rush forward at this point, though most simply quake in fear.

    Spoiler: John Bence's Thoughts
    Show
    Szilisticmoxbelzenlokiniefiernijisrickp'tack! P'tack! P'tack! DC 10 Arcana check to recognize that he is casting magic by thinking, not by speaking. DC 15 Religion check to recognize the language as Abyssal. Do you attempt to go deeper into his mind?




    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    I don't want to go too far into this scene without giving you all a chance to react, but if you want to approach Bence or interrupt him with magic or a ranged attack you'll have to roll a DC 15 Wisdom Saving Throw. Think of the effect as a modified Sanctuary spell.


    Spoiler: Insight DC 14
    Show
    He's exaggerating and putting on a show. You obviously can't trust anything this man says. How you use that information is up to you.
    Last edited by purepolarpanzer; 2020-07-21 at 03:32 PM.
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  7. - Top - End - #187
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Birel Amastacia
    High Elf Wizard
    AC: 13/16 HP: 20/20
    PP: 13 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
    Conditions: Mage Armor
    Concentration: Adjust Density (on Chief)

    Birel immediately moves to cast an offensive spell. In fact, she hadn't even waited until Bence was even half way finished monologuing and patting himself on the back for his depravity. It took her significant time to realize something, certainly some kind of magical effect, was preventing her from harming him. She was sure she'd eventually be able to break through it, but decided there was no point wasting further time and instead went over to help the chief up, making him lighter to help herself and him lift him up.

    Spoiler
    Show

    Failed Wis save to attack.
    So instead using Adjust Density to make Chief weigh half as much and trying to get him on his feet.

    Last edited by Ramsus; 2020-07-20 at 01:03 PM.

  8. - Top - End - #188
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Vargath listens carefully as Bence begins his rant. Truths were sprinkled in but just how many he wasn't sure. Enough to throw the crowd off balance. When the Chief goes down Vargath springs forward. With his free hand he tugs the axe from his belt and howls, a piercing cry that splits the loyal townsfolk a path for him to pass. Runes shine in his eyes as he makes his approach. Their glow spreads, weaving a spider's web of giantish letters across his face, then down his body across his arms, and legs. As they glow, Vargath grows. Muscles expand, bones stretch. Even his equipment seems to grow larger as his footsteps become heavier and louder. He crosses the gap between him and Bence swiftly and by the time he reaches the deluded cultist the half orc has over doubled in size, standing easily over 15' feet tall, with a heft to match. The rune glow fades across his body as he reaches his full height, though they remain shining sky-blue in his eyes, bright piercing letters that, to anyone fluent in giantish, translates roughly to "Never Breaking Horizon", an ancient promise of a cloud giant's power. Its historical context is somewhat lost in a direct translation.

    His axe gleams sinister in the torchlight, ready to finally cut and slice. As he leaps off the ground he feels a wave of something pass over him. Some magic, probably a defensive spell meant to keep Bence safe. It passes as quickly as it comes though, and Vargath is not deterred. With a bellowing roar that echoes around the assembled crowd he brings his axe down at Bence, landing with a crash as his weapon slams into the ground. The shockwave of the weight sends waves of wind and clouds of dust away from their engagement, but Vargath was never one to rest on his laurels after a single strike. Keep fighting, keep hitting, keep hurting, until every one of the enemies is dead for good. Every lesson he'd been taught as a child. Never let them live to fight you another day. His left foot plants forwards and he pushes his weight down upon it, spinning faster than anyone his size has any right to and unleashing a second wide slash on Bence. His blood sang as his axe whistled a merry tune through the air. Ancestors, how he'd missed this feeling.

    "This man is nothing!" He roars to the crowd and his...colleagues? He still wasn't sure what they were. Comrades-in-arms, perhaps, if they didn't shy away. It was their turn to take the stage and rouse the village, inspire them to fight instead of cowering. "Flesh and bone, like any other!"

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show

    Bonus Action: Activates Giant's Might.

    Spoiler: Giant's Might
    Show
    You can imbue yourself with the might of giants. As a bonus action, you magically gain the following benefits, which last for 1 minute:
    •If you are smaller than Large, you become Large,along with anything you are wearing. If you lack the room to become Large, your size doesn’t change.
    •You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
    •Your weapon attacks deal an extra 1d6 damage.
    You can use this feature twice, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.


    Attack: (1d20+5)[9] Damage: (1d8+5)[8]+(1d6)[2]
    Action Surge Attack (if Bence doesn't die): (1d20+5)[7] Damage: (1d8+5)[8]+(1d6)[5]

    DMing:
    Iron Crisis IC | OOC
    Cyre Red IC | OOC

    Playing:
    OotA IC | OOC

    Master Homebrew Index (5e)

  9. - Top - End - #189
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Jemriah Cleater
    Aberrant Mind Sorcerer 3 | AC 15 | HP 20/20 | PP 11 / PIns 11 / PInv 10

    Perhaps he should be more subtle about this spell in the future... it was far more pleasant to observe people without them looking back. At Selissa's returned gaze he raises his eyebrows and takes a deep breath in a "here we go..." expression before transitioning his gaze to Bence who made no attempt to hide his malice.

    Here stood a man who was corrupted by something bigger than himself and instead of resisting simply embraced its evil. He and Jemriah couldn't be more different. But those words in his mind... there was something else speaking through him. "The demon is within him! Evil language clutters his mind." Jemriah shouts in warning.

    Vargath's terrifying display gave him pause a moment and reaffirmed that he didn't want to be on his bad side. This would devolve fast, especially if the Fultons and others joined the fray against them. With the Chief incapacitated, Jemriah hops up on the stage to try and inspire action in the fearful mob. "Dam'essians - A war was just declared upon you. In Chief Moeller's name, I call on you to seize the cultists so named by this charlatan! Bring them forward to judgment or force them to flee in shame. If you will not defend your homes when the Night casts her shadow upon them you've no claim to them at all. The dawn is near, my friends, but we must raise up the sun with our own arms. Fight for your livelihood. For your children. FIGHT FOR DAM'ESS!"

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    I'll likely probe deeper on Bence next round, but getting the crowd engaged seems more pressing... felt like too much to try and do both in one turn.
    If you feel differently, DC 13 WIS for Bence.

    Persuasion to sway the crowd to action? (1d20+5)[22]

    Last edited by miinstrel; 2020-07-20 at 01:45 PM.

  10. - Top - End - #190
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    As soon as the chief was interupted, it was clear something was wrong. Selissa ghosted backwards and agilely leapt onto a barrel, a stack of crates, and the low flat roof of one of the neighbouring houses' sheds, crouching down while she sighted on Bence.

    Breath in. Nock arrow.

    She was a wood elf; she'd been firing arrows about as soon as she could walk. Archery was quite literally taught to every forest elf that could physically hold a bow.

    Lift the bow. Breath out.

    Vargath charged forward, good, bold, and missed. Less good. Was there some wicked magic guarding Bence? No matter. She'd see if it could see this coming.

    Breath in. Draw back the string.


    She felt a spell pull at her, don't shoot don't shoot don't shoot- and let it seep out of her mind and bones into the wood and tile beneath her feet.

    Loose arrow.

    Abruptly, Bence had a green-fletched shaft sticking from his chest. It was a clean shot, but tragically Bence was tougher than her late fare of deer and rabbits. But blood split was blood split, and hopefully that would break the spell of fear - literal or figurative - he held over the crowd.
    Last edited by Awful; 2020-07-20 at 01:29 PM.
    And the far stars cried, and the planets yearned;
    But no man may know, for she'll ne'er return.

  11. - Top - End - #191
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    Spoiler: Fanlomen's Thoughts
    Show
    • These villagers are suprisingly honest about their intentions
    • The Chief is unyielding yet compassionate
    • He must be protected at all costs






    Fanlomen's mind spikes as his constantly vigilant eyes and mind catch on to what is going on here. The grandstanding. The ramping up of aggression. Fanlomen could almost feel time slowing around him as he measured his options. He had to handle quickly. Moeller was a prodigious shaman, and as a member of the Shepherds, the wood elf had no doubt that keeping the man alive had the utmost priority on a multitude of levels. Moeller had implored them for help, he was a man of the Green Faith, and he was the leader of the panicked flock of humans. He allows his mind and body to act in harmony with one another, the adrenaline which was now pushing his legs forward and through the crowd refuelled a mind which had been strained slightly by the long day of searching.

    He was very suprised to see Vargath charge forward after reaching a truly immense and imposing size. He hadn't thought the half-orc had been hiding many tricks. A half-orc with an axe larger than most people's limbs was a good tool for a multitude of situations. A half-orc with an axe larger than most people's torsos... Were the situation not so dire, and had the elf more of a sense of humor, he might have chuckled at the thought of cultists and werewolves meeting their match against Vargath. It is good he is a leader and a warrior was the only thought that the current situation allowed.

    He ducked around Vargath's form as the axe swung through the air, and the wood elf lept forward to wrestle the chief's stick away from Bence. He felt a slight shove against his body as he attempted the first grab, but a flare of mental focus allowed a second attempt to grab the stick past whatever defenses the man was putting up. Fanlomen didn't speak, didn't threaten, didn't boast. He merely narrowed his eyes and glared at the attacker as he pushed mind and muscle against the human's magic and momentum.

    Spoiler
    Show
    Bonus Action: Psi Replenishment
    Move: to close the distance with Bence
    Action: Initiate a Grapple with Bence - (1d20+3)[9] + Psi-Boltered Knack (only on a failure) (1d6)[5]
    Quote Originally Posted by fibericon View Post
    This seems like a really cool concept, so I feel like you're going to get a lot of applications. Best of luck sorting through them all. That said, I'm going to do my part to make your job that much harder by adding one to the stack.

  12. - Top - End - #192
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Set Al-Sayyid
    Changeling Fighter/Hexblade
    AC: 16 HP: 27
    PP: 11 PIv: 12 PIs: 9
    Conditions: --
    Concentration: Wrathful Smite

    As Set stands frozen in time, he can only watch the situation deteriorate into open battle before his eyes. He almost follows Vargath immediately into the fray, heedless of all other considerations, but a small voice in the back of his mind, whether it was his or His, stayed him.

    Someone knows. Are you sisters safe, or do they cry out for their brother in some barn? The dead keep their secrets. Use what you have been given. Use it and SAVE them.

    Set's feet carry him between Bence and the gathered villagers, taking his place as a ward against any others foolish enough to step forward hoping to aid their comrade. As Jemriah's words echo over the square, Set grimaces as if in pain, realizing they've both been played by the Shadowkeeper to stack the deck against the Pale Night, if only to keep a cultist or two alive. Of course he'd been given the same instruction, only slightly twisted to serve his talents. Set despaired at his own inability to turn away from his actions, but the Shadowkeeper was not wrong. If his sister needed him...it was far too late to reconsider the wisdom of trying to keep a few cultists alive.

    "And you, cultists! Fultons and Fowlers, Jakobs and Trent! All servants of Pale Night, hear me!" Set shouts over the din, eager to get a few words in after Jemriah before the world explodes into action. "Your end is nigh! Look on Vargath the Mighty, and despair! Surrender to your neighbors and you may yet see the sun rise! Don't," Set says, sneering to the crowd as he lets the word hang in the air before uttering the single word, <"wrath"> in Deep Speech. "And I won't even give you the honor of dying by his hand!"

    Set's shadow grows dimmer in the torchlight, an ink-black, figure crawling hand over hand up his body and entering his Favorite as Set hears a laugh in the back of his mind over the crash of battle. He flourishes her, the shadow wrapping his Favorite in its cold embrace.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show

    Intimidate cultists: (1d20+3)[4]
    Hoping to get one or two to hesitate or even surrender to their neighbors.

    Spoiler: Bonus Action: Wrathful Smite
    Show

    Wisdom check save DC 13 (includes 2 sanity dmg to Cha).

    The next time you hit with a melee weapon attack during this spell's duration, your attack deals an extra 1d6 psychic damage. Additionally, if the target is a creature, it must make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the spell ends. As an action, the creature can make a Wisdom check against your spell save DC to steel its resolve and end this spell.


    Spoiler: Polearm Mastery
    Show

    While you are wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, quarterstaff, or spear, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.

    Spear (Favorite): 5ft reach, +5 attack, 1d8+3 dmg (includes 2 sanity dmg to Cha).




  13. - Top - End - #193
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    In the Village Square

    John Bence, nimbly dodges both of Vargath's massive blows, spinning the Chief's stick like a quarterstaff. He's smiling, until Selissa's arrow strikes him in the chest. Then his eyes alight with malign power, only to be interrupted by Fanlomen grabbing the stick and somehow managing to muscle him down to one knee. The man finally stops his jabbering as he feels the tides turning in a different direction.

    Birel's magics make the Chief much lighter, and between his muscle and her balance he manages to get on his feet. Raising his voice, he unleashes a boom of words in Sylvan, raising an ancient hand and pointing it at Bence.
    Spoiler: Sylvan
    Show
    Begone, foul magic!

    There is no violence, no eruption of magic, but something even more substantial happens. There is a dull red glow from a pendent underneath Bence's shirt that flashes and then fades away. Suddenly there is no compulsion preventing you from attacking Bence.

    The crowd listens enraptured by Jemriah's words, and when his final war cry goes up there are cheers in response. The Chief's men and the villagers alike set upon the names cultists like a wave, grabbing them and dragging them down to the ground. There is kicking, screaming, crying, but everyone who Bence named is contained for the moment.

    Bence himself gives up struggling with Fanlomen over the stick and releases it, only to be wrapped bodily by the wood elf. He releases a growl of frustration and anger, followed by a string of nonsense words that are painful to listen to. In a flash of dull red light he disappears, completely invisible. The benefit of this is slightly lessened, however, by the fact that he still has more than a hundred pounds of wood elf hanging from him. "Let me go or I will DESTROY you!"

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Bence rolled a 17 on a Charisma (Intimidation) Check against Fanlomen. I'm not one for telling a player what to do with their character, so I'm never going to say that he has to let go, but perhaps a counter roll and some appropriate role play is in order. I'll let you pick how you wish to resist it, but personally I recommend a Cha save or check to resist his force of personality with your own.
    Last edited by purepolarpanzer; 2020-07-20 at 09:02 PM.
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  14. - Top - End - #194
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Jemriah Cleater
    Aberrant Mind Sorcerer 3 | AC 15 | HP 20/20 | PP 11 / PIns 11 / PInv 10

    Jemriah smiles at the crowd's gusto, enjoying the power of words even in times of violence. There isn't long to muse; however, and his attention is quickly pulled back to the tussle nearby. Bence may have hidden his body, but he couldn't hide his mind.

    The scarred lad conjures a mental image of Bence's face. The wicked smile and deceitful eyes. As his mind's eye pulls the woodsman into view, he feels the same dark language fill his mind as he presses deeper, swimming through hatred as thick as molasses to find more about the creature that commanded Bence's body destructively forward.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Pressing Detect Thoughts deeper on Bence, WIS DC 13. Can use his action to re-save.

    Fail = gain Insight into its reasoning (if any), its emotional state, and something that looms large in its mind (such as something it worries over, loves, or hates).


  15. - Top - End - #195
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Any frustration at his attacks missing seems to just fuel Vargath to strike again, faster and faster. There's no gap in his flurry, no moment to breathe. Even the cultist vanishing into invisibility barely makes Vargath's leg twitch in response, though the elf hanging off him helps. With his wide swing complete he uses the momentum to move forward, circling around Bence to give those following behind a better 'view' of the invisible man. As he passes the two, he effortlessly switches the axe into a reverse handed grip and pulls it back around to cut where Bence's chest used to be visible. While his heart yearned for the satisfying eruption of crimson life that came from a live beheading, striking at all was more important right now. With Fanlomen's help he finds his mark, enjoying the chunky thunk of blade meeting flesh. Even if he can't see his target, he can still hear the pain and, more importantly, smell the blood that sets his mouth into a toothy grin.

    Even as he swings though he's not merely relying on his axe. Without word or gesture the rune carved so delicately across dozens of his chain mail links begins to shine. While his growth had been fueled by sky-blue runes, these instead glow with the sickly beautiful purple of a lightning strike. And where his growth had the runes cover his body, these letters instead stream forth from his armour into the open air, collecting their tendrils to form what can only be called a halo of runic letters above Vargath's head, spinning in place. The light it gives off is minor, but still felt. A keen eye would note that the letters themselves crackle and spit with electric effect, and those again fluent in giantish can read the letters translating into what seems to be a poem, a dirge of a dying giant casting one last look to the sun and skies and finding both peace and war above. It's a sorrowful poem of regret, filled with the undercurrent desire to continue on and not go quietly through the gates of the next life.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show

    Attack (with disadvantage): (1d20+5)[19](1d20+5)[7] Damage: (1d8+5)[9]+(1d6)[6]
    Bonus Action: Invoke Uvar, Rune of Storms.
    Spoiler: Uvar
    Show

    Uvar (Storm Rune). Using this rune, you can glimpse the future like a storm giant. While wearing or carrying an object inscribed with this rune, you have advantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks, and you can’t be surprised as long as you are not incapacitated. In addition, you can invoke the rune as a bonus action to enter a prophetic state for 1 minute or until you’re incapacitated. Until the state ends, when you or another creature you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, a saving throw, or an ability check, you can use your reaction to cause the roll to have advantage or disadvantage. Once you invoke the rune, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

    Pre-emptive Reaction: If any of the party prompt a Saving Throw, impose Disadvantage on the save from Bence (not including Detect Thoughts). In the event none do, then hold it to give Advantage on any saving throw that Bence causes.

    Spoiler: Narrative if Disadvantage on Bence
    Show

    It takes barely a flick of Vargath's eyes to join his runes to their efforts. The halo flies forward from its spot atop Vargath's head and clamps around Bence's neck, squeezing down tightly. Though it was unlikely to do any real damage, the crackling, gripping runes would serve an ample distraction on Bence's resistance efforts. Whether successful or otherwise, the runes dissipate into air afterwards, but his armour glows once more and in but a moment a new halo ring has formed above his head.

    Spoiler: Narrative if Advantage on our saving throw
    Show

    Seeing them threatened, the runes streak forward through the night, adding verse after verse of poem as they do so. The halo grows to form an orb, which itself shifts form to create an aegis floating in mid air to block Bence's effect, or at least try to. Regardless of success, the floating shield composed entirely of giantish letters vanishes, before reforming in a fresh halo atop Vargath's head.


    Last edited by Amnestic; 2020-07-21 at 01:12 PM.
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  16. - Top - End - #196
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    There was a stabbing pain at Fanlomen's forehead which accompanied Bence's words. The elf was adjusting his grip as best he could on someone he couldn't see, but he could feel the menace radiating off the man. It was like standing too close to a campfire, just at the point where you might find yourself with redder skin the next morning. Yet, there wasn't anywhere for the elf to back up to for safety. He would either be consumed by the firey hatred, or he could withstand it. The wedge which threatened to break not only his physical grip, but also his mental bearings ... it was pushing harder against the layers of psionic energy that protected his mind. My mind is a weapon, and I am in control. My mind is a weapon...

    The elf grit his teeth and readjusted his grip. The aura around his person seems to crackle as he reasserts himself. His answer to the man's threats is a curt, "No. Surrender." as he attempts to keep the invisible body within the swinging arc of Vargath's mighty axe while avoiding any damage himself. He only needed to keep Bence still long enough for the rest of the group to put him down or knock him unconscious. Without a weapon, the man would fall quickly.

    Spoiler
    Show
    Maintaining the grapple. Another Athletics check for when Bence inevitably tries to break the grapple: (1d20+3)[11] + Psi-Bolstered Knack on a failure, (1d6)[6]
    Taking the Help action for Vargath
    Quote Originally Posted by fibericon View Post
    This seems like a really cool concept, so I feel like you're going to get a lot of applications. Best of luck sorting through them all. That said, I'm going to do my part to make your job that much harder by adding one to the stack.

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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Birel Amastacia
    High Elf Wizard
    AC: 13/16 HP: 20/20
    PP: 13 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
    Conditions: Mage Armor
    Concentration: Adjust Density (on Chief)

    Perwinkle flutters about and trying to be helpful flutters in a circle around Bence and then just baps right into him and scrambles onto his shoulder, trying to help Selissa's aim by giving her something clear to target. He digs his claws in real hard to secure a position. Most likely Bence feels none of this because.... tiny bird.

    Merigold on the other hand flew off at the start of all the shouting, let alone the big creature violent actions.

    Spoiler
    Show

    Perwinkle used Help to aid Selissa.

    Last edited by Ramsus; 2020-07-21 at 12:10 PM.

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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    In the Village Square

    There is a large gout of blood from Vargath's axe as it plunges into meat and flesh, along with the sound of a collar bone snapping like a twig. There is a sharp cry, and suddenly John Bence appears, blood pouring down his body. He goes limp in Fanlomen's grasp as he falls to his knees, blood pooling and escaping his lips in a flood. But still he smiles.

    "Nalzetut! Bence's eyes roll up in his head and he begins to seize, shaking and jumping in Fanlomen's grasp. Suddenly he bursts into flames, intense red fire jetting from his shoulder and his chest where he has been wounded, searing out a full six inches from his body. Fanlomen is caught in the flames as Bence begins to laugh with his last breaths, his skin beginning to char.

    Good job, heroes! You've struck me down! Be seeing you soon!

    The flames grow more intense, and Bence goes up like a candle, smoking and burning over his entire body. Fanlomen is forced to relinquish his hold as the corpse falls to the earth. But as mesmerizing as the flames are, what happens next is easily more terrifying.

    There comes a moan from the crowd, followed by several more. Suddenly the villagers holding down the Fultons and the Fowlers start to release their hold, pulling back in disgust and fear. There are four Fultons and five Fowlers, including five children between them. One of the Fowler's daughters looks to her panicking, moaning mother and murmurs "Mommy, it hurts! IT HURTS!". Then there is a flash of that same dull, red light and the two families erupt, horrifying creatures clawing their way into this reality as the human bodies fade away.

    The villagers recoil and several begin to vomit, either from the scene they have just witnessed or the overpowering smell of rot that emits from the creatures. They stand just over four feet tall, with bloated bodies rippling with grotesque fat. Open sores seep a yellow fluid, but the most disgusting thing is their faces. Resting atop a pile of chubby chins is a flat, stupid looking face with beady black eyes, looking perpetually confused and hungry, with no trace of humanity. Shattered, broken teeth erupt from bloody gums, again looking like broken glass has been forced into the flesh. Resting in these teeth is a bloody chunk of flesh. The creature looks down at it dully, then jerks back it's head and opens wide, swallowing it whole. The crowd of nine creatures all release a simultaneous warbling howl and begin eyeing the crowd with that stupid, bloody hunger as the villagers begin to take flight, abandoning the fight.

    John Bence's final spell has taken effect.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Time for our first mass insanity roll. Everyone needs to roll vs. a DC 8. Use the mental stat of your choice.
    Last edited by purepolarpanzer; 2020-07-21 at 02:54 PM.
    The Bear is Back.

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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Birel Amastacia
    High Elf Wizard
    AC: 13/16 HP: 20/20
    PP: 13 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
    Conditions: Mage Armor
    Concentration: Adjust Density (on Chief)

    Perwinkle flutters off as Bence dies.
    Upon seeing the horrid creatures Birel recoils and on instinct tries to smash all of them while backing away. It's just pure luck that the villagers themselves recoiled. Her black as night wand whips out and she evokes some words that sound alien and much deeper than her normal speaking voice and there's a dark shimmer in the aim as it and dirt and probably the foul creatures are slammed downward violently.

    Spoiler
    Show

    Birel casts Magnify Gravity (DC 13 Con save): The gravity in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point you can see within range increases for a moment. Each creature in the sphere on the turn when you cast the spell must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes (2d8)[11] force damage, and its speed is halved until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and suffers no reduction to its speed.
    Until the start of your next turn, any object that isn't being worn or carried in the sphere requires a successful Strength check against your spell save DC to pick up or move.

    Then she moves back 30 feet away, if she can. She's just moving 30 feet in the direction of whatever is behind her, so if there's a barrier/crowd of people in the way she winds up stopping short.

    Last edited by Ramsus; 2020-07-21 at 03:41 PM.

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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    The people faded and demons emerged, as if the two had simply swapped places - and indeed, for all Selissa knew, they had, and now the souls of the villagers were surely in the eternal torment below.

    Somehow, despite them being actual demons, Selissa was unaffected. Inside, unconsciously, she'd been tensed and prepared for this as soon as Bence had stepped forward, fearless.

    The bloated demons seemed slow and stupid, but they were demons. Without hesitation, Selisss drew back and fired off a shot. It was a clean shot, striking the demon closest to any of the villagers.

    Spoiler: ooc
    Show

    Rolls on discord: 25 for stealth, 17 to hit, 13 damage.
    And the far stars cried, and the planets yearned;
    But no man may know, for she'll ne'er return.

  21. - Top - End - #201
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Set Al-Sayyid
    Changeling Fighter/Hexblade
    AC: 16 HP: 27
    PP: 11 PIv: 12 PIs: 9
    Conditions: --
    Concentration: Wrathful Smite (Round 2/10)

    Feeling the heat behind him, Set risks a glance back over his shoulder in time to see Fanlomen drop Bence to the ground, his flesh sizzling as flames erupt from the gash in his shoulder and the hole in his chest. Set shields his eyes from the intense light and heat as Bence congratulates them, his words ringing hollow as he promises to see them all again soon.

    Turning back towards the crowd, Set hears the moans of pain and terror rise up over the din, shattered bodies and minds giving way to nine horrors.

    Set's own mind was still fragile from having seen what the cultists had done to that poor bull at the Fulton's estate and imagining his sisters in their place. Though fear may well reside only in his mind, it is in his mind that the battle for his sanity is being fought, and so far today the Shadowkeeper was coming out on top.

    Watching the Fulton children break, the youngest Fowler slaughtered in terrible fashion without thought or remorse, Set's mind wavers. The stink of corruption and rot fills his nostrils as the monstrosities born of filth stare back at him dumbly, only dimly aware of him while Set can see nothing else. Their dark, beady eyes seem to hold a secret just for him.

    Your sisters will suffer the same fate, Set. You cannot SAVE them. You can only watch them BREAK.

    The shadow seems to slowly seep back out of his weapon and sink into his skin, sneaking past his defenses. The chill of darkness and death envelops Set, the path to insanity clearly laid out before him, but in the moments that follow, a flicker from his enemy actually serves to light his path. Fire is never content to sit idle while there is fuel nearby. As Bence smolders behind him, Set feels the warmth of his homeland tickle the back of his skin. A spark seems to ignite within him as he thinks of Abydos, spreading quickly into a blaze that turns back the darkness, channeling the shadow back into his Favorite and locking it there for further use.

    Eyes aflame, Set sizes up the situation as Birel's spell crushes a few dretch into the earth, their forms pressed by some unseen force. Instinctively, Set moves to his left, closing in for the kill without putting himself directly in the path of all the dretch at once. He holds his Favorite aloft with his left hand while his right digs into his belt for a hatchet, closing and launching it at the weakest looking target.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show

    Handaxe ranged attack from 20 ft: (1d20+4)[14]
    Damage: (1d6+2)[6] slashing

    Spoiler: Polearm Mastery
    Show

    While you are wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, quarterstaff, or spear, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.

    Spear (Favorite): 5ft reach, +5 attack, 1d8+3 dmg (includes 2 sanity dmg to Cha).



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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    In the Village Square

    The demons on the left side of the square were just beginning to get their bearings when Birel's spell drove all four of them down towards the earth, eliciting whines and horking barks from the creatures as they are crushed downwards. Two of them manage to pull themselves up against the intense weight, but two are reduced to crawling. When Set rushes forward, the two still mobile demons rush forward towards him. One of them catches a hatchet to the gut for his trouble, but neither stop. When they come within range of Set's Favorite, however, they both meet their end to two sharp jabs to their piggy faces. The two crawling demons mewl and try to rush Set as well, but their pitiful speed holds them back.

    The five demons on the right who were the Fowlers eagerly search for targets. One of them starts moving towards a villager who has fallen in their rush to get away, but Selissa's arrow hits it between the shoulder blades, causing it to turn around and face her. It points it's clawed hand at her and releases a bellow in a foul tongue, and the small hoard of five Dretches begin making their way towards her. Their stunted legs are slow, however, and it is doubtful that they will be able to climb on top of the building she has mounted. Truly these creatures are the worst example of fiends.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    The four dretches on the left are reduced to two, and the five on the right are moving in a pack to surround Selissa's building. If Jemriah aims a line at the ones on the right he will be able to hit four.
    The Bear is Back.

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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Birel Amastacia
    High Elf Wizard
    AC: 13/16 HP: 20/20
    PP: 13 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
    Conditions: Mage Armor
    Concentration: Adjust Density (on Chief)

    Managing to get her wits about her, and breathing a sigh of relief that he panicked action had worked out well and not killed some hapless villager, Birel steadies herself and.... sees a group of them going for the crowd/Selissa instead of people more able to defend themselves in a fight. She runs parallel to them, keeping her distance but needing to be at least somewhat nearby due to the range of this spell as she once more strikes the air with her wand, this time a sort of starry-sparking barely visible at the tip as she invokes the same spell again and slam the demons to the ground.

    Spoiler
    Show

    Birel casts Magnify Gravity (DC 13 Con save): The gravity in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point you can see within range increases for a moment. Each creature in the sphere on the turn when you cast the spell must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes (1d20+7)[16] force damage, and its speed is halved until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and suffers no reduction to its speed.
    Until the start of your next turn, any object that isn't being worn or carried in the sphere requires a successful Strength check against your spell save DC to pick up or move.

    Edit: Damage is actually 7

    She moves as close as she has to to be within 60 feet so she can catch as many as possible in the spell's area.

    Arcana check for knowing things: (1d20+7)[16]

    Last edited by Ramsus; 2020-07-21 at 07:35 PM.

  24. - Top - End - #204
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    As Vargath raises his axe to finish beheading the cultist he's cheated from his kill by the man self-immolating. "See us all you like, I'll just kill you again and again!" He roars into the gloom as the flames vanish. Bence's threat was worthless to Vargath. A foe killed once could be killed twice, and he doubted the failures of Bence would be met with high praise and reward by whatever profane powers he called master.

    When the dretches appear his leg twitches forward to stomp towards them but finds he can't make the step. He's shaking. Palms sweat. Eyes blink back a tear. His jaw slackens ever so slightly and he swallows, hard. He tries to push it aside, quietly channeling the rune halo to himself to bolster his emotions. He takes a breath to recover himself, but while he could sit idle to recentre himself in the moment he stays moving, circling round to pick up any fallen villagers to their feet and pushing them away, yelling at them to retreat into buildings and bar the doors while they can.

    Spoiler: Actions
    Show

    Vargath's Frightened so he can't get closer. Move/Action spent helping villagers stand and run.
    Reaction spent on giving himself Advantage via Uvar on breaking Frightened at the end of his turn, using Int.
    (1d20+2)[3](1d20+2)[5]
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    The heat of Bence's sudden immolation causes the wood elf to stumble back a few steps, coughing as the sudden heat in the air he was breathing threatened to smother his lungs. Then he heard the voices crying out, even if his eyes were forced shut to prevent them from being boiled. A little girl who was calling out in pain. It was only now that Fanlomen managed to force his eyes back open. Then he saw them.

    The children.

    The children twisted into monsters by powers beyond their own understanding.

    Fanlomen's pulse went into overdrive. He had been here before. The elf had caused this kind of tragedy before. Was it the sheer ineptitude of being a child that had prevented friend and family from becoming vile demons? The Chief had recognized him as some kind of nightmare, and Bence had proven that he too had been gifted powers beyond mere mortals. Where was the line that differentiated them? Could he be counted on to make the right decisions? Would he have the mental acuity to not succumb to dark powers? Fanlomen's mind frayed slightly as memories of voices were called back to the front of his mind. <"It hurts, it hurts!"> <"Back away younglings!> His own screams of terror as he sat there helpless as his power threatened to tear everything around him to shreds. "Fanlomen Fogspyre, it is the judgement of the village that you be dismissed from the clan, to prevent further destruction." The disappointed look in his father's eyes. The teary-eyed look of betrayal from his mother.

    No.

    He was stronger than this. He had learned much. More than a century's experience had brought him on this road. He was in control, he served the Green Faith and the Shepherds. He had trained to avoid history from repeating himself. He had changed, and grown. If anything, he was uniquely insighted to this kind of horror, already hardened to what could come from it. He pushed forward to place himself between the fiends and Selissa. His arms move in wide, flowing arcs as two daggers appear in his hands, spectral and ethereal. They glint a light shade of green as he hurls them at the closest of the hellspawn.

    Spoiler
    Show
    Insanity Save was 20 in Discord
    Attack: (1d20+5)[18] for (1d6+3)[5]
    Bonus Action Attack: (1d20+5)[7] for (1d4)[3]
    Quote Originally Posted by fibericon View Post
    This seems like a really cool concept, so I feel like you're going to get a lot of applications. Best of luck sorting through them all. That said, I'm going to do my part to make your job that much harder by adding one to the stack.

  26. - Top - End - #206
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    Jemriah Cleater
    Aberrant Mind Sorcerer 3 | AC 15 | HP 20/20 | PP 11 / PIns 11 / PInv 10

    While the remains of the demons' birth were similar to what was left in his own wake, he fled before the screaming and wailing of onlookers began... and was now grateful that he had. The spell he had cast sent a torrent of anguish surging into his mind, and he quickly dismissed the spell to avoid their terror accidentally awakening his inner beast. They had enough to deal with at the moment.

    Fortunately others were already acting, and by the time Jemriah re-joined the fray the fat monstrosities were already waddling in a perfect line. Withdrawing the petrified tentacle from his jacket, Jemriah utters a few arcane words that choke up in his throat. His cheeks bloat, and his body heaves before a stream of acrid, yellow liquid shoots forth, coating the creatures headed toward Selissa's perch. He spits the last of it out on the ground before him where it reduces the grass into a steaming puddle.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Maneuvering to line up 4 dretches and casting Acid Stream (30' line).
    DEX save DC 13.
    Fail = covered in acid and takes (3d4)[8] acid damage at the start of its turn. It may use an action to scrape the acid off, otherwise it takes damage again each round.

    Jemriah is concentrating on the spell for 1 minute.


  27. - Top - End - #207
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Set Al-Sayyid
    Changeling Fighter/Hexblade
    AC: 16 HP: 27
    PP: 11 PIv: 12 PIs: 9
    Conditions: --
    Concentration: Wrathful Smite (Round 3/10)

    Set is ready for them. That same warbling howl echoes through the square as two of the strongest who'd managed to resist Birel's magics run at him. He buries a hatchet in one from afar, and readies his Favorite to greet the other. He'd been studying The Way since he was a boy too young to lift his father's Ramah, a spear whose name roughly translated from the old tongue into the phrase, "First Ray of Dawn." Any thought of whether that spear still hung proudly in the halls of his fathers or lay in ruins was far from his mind. This was battle, and Set's mind was finally, blissfully empty.

    As the stupid looking creatures shambled towards him, Set adjusted his feet, feinting low and then stabbing through the first's jaw, feeling the dretch go slack as it's stinking skin gives way. He kicks it off her, freeing his Favorite to stab the second between it's eyes, his hatchet still buried in its side. His eyes turn to the other two, their already short legs seemingly trudging through quicksand as they struggle to close with him.

    He would help them. Silent as the executioner, Set's feet pad towards the two abominations, spear held in one hand behind him until he's close enough for her to reach out and touch them. He doesn't let out more than a grunt as his hands blur, Favorite flashing forward as she reaches out to give each of them the kiss of death.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show

    Note: much of the narration is from last round's actions and during the dretch's turn. I just felt like tying that in. This round:

    Move into melee with both remaining 'Fulton' demons. Attack one until it falls, then the other.

    Spear attack (2H): (1d20+5)[6]
    Damage: (1d8+3)[10] piercing + (1d6)[4] psychic

    Action surge
    Spear attack (2H): (1d20+5)[20]
    Damage: (1d8+3)[5] piercing + (1d6)[3] psychic

    Bonus action
    Polearm Master spear butt attack: (1d20+5)[7]
    Damage: [roll[1d4+3[/roll]6 (from Discord) bludgeoning + (1d6)[2]

    Spoiler: Polearm Master
    Show

    Spear (Favorite): 5ft reach, +5 attack, 1d8+3 dmg (includes 2 sanity dmg to Cha).

    While you are wielding a spear, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach. When you take the attack action with a spear you can use a bonus action to make a melee attack with the other end of the weapon. The damage die is a d4 (add attribute modifiers as normal) and deals bludgeoning damage. Otherwise, this attack functions just as if you attacked with the weapon in question.


    Spoiler: Wrathful Smite
    Show

    DC 13 Wis or frightened

    The next time you hit with a melee weapon attack during this spell’s duration, your attack deals an extra 1d6 psychic damage.
    Additionally, if the target is a creature, it must make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the spell ends. As an action, the creature can make a Wisdom check against your spell save DC to steel its resolve and end this spell.


    Last edited by Riggdgames; 2020-07-22 at 07:17 PM.

  28. - Top - End - #208
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Selissa darted back out of sight of the lumbering monstrosities, her dexterous left hand retrieving another arrow. She popped up on the other side of the building's roof, nock-aim-release, and one of the demons had an arrow sprouting like a bizarre horn from between its dull eyes. The others had dived in to combat for the most part - but Selissa had always been a wildstalker and archer. This was her place; sniping out foes with the famous archery of the wood elves. Given time to set up and aim from ambush, and she never missed. She could only hope it'd be enough against whatever fiercer foes lay in the future.

    And Jemriah was magically vomiting again.

    Gross.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    14 to hit, 15 damage
    Last edited by Awful; 2020-07-23 at 03:28 PM.
    And the far stars cried, and the planets yearned;
    But no man may know, for she'll ne'er return.

  29. - Top - End - #209
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    purepolarpanzer's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    The Frozen Northlands
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    In the Village Square

    Vargath can't force himself to approach the dretches, but he does scoop up a child and an old man who had stumbled and ushers them on their way. They do not take the time to thank him, but they will certainly remember who helped them survive.

    Bringing the fight to the two remaining demons close to him, Set's first strike deflects off the demon's skin, but the second strike takes the creature in the throat. Vile black blood bursts from the creature as it goes down screaming in pain. For a few seconds Set's Favorite is stuck in the fatty chins of the demon, and in those seconds the remaining monster on his side of the square latches onto his exposed arm with it's teeth and bites down hard, drawing blood from the world wanderer. It attempts to scrape it's filthy claws down his arm as well, but by then the spear is free, smacking aside the demon with enough force to give Set a moment's respite.

    Birel's spell sends two demons flat to the ground again, mewling and straining to get mobile again. Two seem relatively unaffected, but one of these creatures takes Selissa's arrow to the face. It stumbles in a small circle for a second, grasping at the arrow, before it realizes it's brain has been destroyed and falls over. The other mobile demon finds Fanlomen in it's path and rushes at the Shepherd, taking a psychic blade to it's prodigious gut as it charges. It attempts to bite and rake the wood elf, but try as it may it cannot touch him. Then Jemriah's acid sprays over it and the surviving dretches, coating three of them in the sizzling liquid. The one who charged Fanlomen and two others begin to melt into fatty puddles, too stupid to remove the acid before it lays them low. This leaves one surviving dretch on the right side of the square, which attempts to clamber on top of the building Selissa is firing from in single minded, idiotic fury. It fails stupendously, falling off while halfway up and landing on it's head with a hollow thud before rolling onto it's belly, prone and vulnerable.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Set takes 4 damage from the Dretch's bite. One surviving dretch on the left with Set and one surviving dretch that rolled a nat 1 on it's athletics check prone on the right. Clean em up, folks.
    The Bear is Back.

  30. - Top - End - #210
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Ramsus's Avatar

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    Aug 2010
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    Default Re: The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

    Birel Amastacia
    High Elf Wizard
    AC: 13/16 HP: 20/20
    PP: 13 PIv: 13 PIs: 11
    Conditions: Mage Armor
    Concentration: Adjust Density (on Chief)

    With an artistic flicking of her wand, Birel fires an almost azure more than white ray of frost that makes a cool crackling sounds as it moves through the air and hits a surface at the demon nearby Set as Periwinkle flies at it parallel with the ray.

    Spoiler
    Show

    Perwinkle Helps Birel.

    Ray of Frost: (1d20+5)[8]
    advantage: (1d20+5)[21]
    damage: (1d8)[1]
    if crit: (1d8)[6]


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