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Session 8

Page history last edited by Dan 15 years, 8 months ago

After dispatching the ratmen from last session, the party tracked the group through the sewers past King's Bridge to the location of the ratman temple that Edson and Mia had located the previous day.  In the first room were several cages, guarded by a single ratman that Miasshirra stealthily dispatched.  In one of the cages were two little girls.  The group decided it would be better to take the girls to the city guard now (which took about half an hour) and hope the ratmen don't notice anything amiss.  They placed the dead guard where the children were.

 

Coming back, it appeared that nothing was disturbed.  The group headed towards a lit hallway, which led through several disused rooms, and finally into a large chamber.  Off of the large chamber was a gallery filled with chanting ratmen cultists, as well as a room filled with black cultist robes.  Concealing themselves beneath the robes, the party attempted to infiltrate the gallery.

 

At the front of the room was a ratman priest who was chanting something over an unconscious human boy.  Above the boy was a large cauldron in which something was moving.  Also at the front was a human woman watching the proceedings with disinterest.  As the group moved towards the front, they attracted the attention of the leaders - the woman left, while the ratman priest demanded to know who the party was.  Crow initiated combat by removing the head of the nearest ratman, and Mia followed up by unleashing a barrage of throwing knives that decimated the cultists' ranks (10 enemies killed with one attack).  Crow moved to rescue/protect the boy (noting that the cauldron was probably filled with rats) while the rest of the party expertly handled the remaining cultists and moved to chase the woman and ratman priest (who had also run away) without pausing to rest.

 

Unfortunately for the party, the leaders expected this turn of events, and had taken a precious few seconds to prepare.  As soon as the party entered the next chamber, a wave of thunder hit them, damaging the group severely and leaving them rattled.  The party leapt into battle - the enemy leaders were "safely" on the other side of a chasm, and were causing the group problems, so Edson and Miasshirra concentrated their fire on the human woman, while Crow attracted the attentions of their followers.  Things got dicey when a were-rat attacked Cyan, and Miasshirra leapt the chasm to mix it up with the enemy leaders, but was knocked unconscious by their counterattack.  Crow and Jacob were on top of things, though, pulling the were-rat off Cyan and healing up Miasshirra.  The now-outnumbered enemies quickly fell, and the party rested briefly before searching the rest of the temple.  Both Cyan and Crow began to feel ill after being hit by the were-rat.

 

In a room off that chamber, there was a shrine to plague and corruption.  A mural of some tentacle-god wrapping around the spire of Ptolus was the centerpiece of the room.  There was also some writing that no one could read, which Cyan wrote down for later translation.  Edson tried to investigate the room, but the overpowering aura of plague left him reeling and ill.

 

The only other thing of note in the temple was a neat bedroom, presumably belong to the human woman.  There were several pieces of treasure, as well as a note written in Common:

 

Most respected Silion,

We are in agreement. To ensure the wakening of our masters it would be prudent for us to work together. We are, however, disappointed to learn that you have been keeping some of the children. That was not part of our original agreement. If you continue to deceive us then our arrangement will come to an end. We don't want that now do we?

Finally, enclosed is a gift for your husband. We were grateful for his offering of delver's. They are proving most useful, especially for the Children of the Hand. The Six they once were called? You should be pleased to know they are now Two.

Regards

[The letter is signed with a small symbol of a hand, palm facing forward.]

 

 

Loot:

Ratmen tails, reward for rescuing boy: 550 gp

Coins in woman's bedroom: 300gp

Lvl 3 (680g): Duelist's dagger +1 (Miasshirra, she also takes Cyan's old Cape of Resistance)

Lvl 4 (840g): Black Iron plate mail +1 (Crow)

Lvl 4 (840g): Thunder Burst Dragon Pistol +1 (Jacob)

Lvl 5 (1000g): Bag of Holding (group property, Mia will carry)

Lvl 6 (1800g): Amulet of Protection +2 (Cyan)

Edson takes the gold

 

Total value of loot: 6,010g = 1,202g each.

Total value with BoH as party loot: 5,010g = 1,002g each.

This will change depending on if we need healing services. What do people think about having a "6th share" that we put extra gold into to cover party healing, cures, and raise deads, or utility items and rituals. Also makes it easier if people need a bit of extra gold to buy a big item, since they borrow from the pool, rather than from any one party member.

 

Anti-loot:

Crow, Cyan and Edson need to have Remove Affliction cast on them.

Mercus Niolanthar (the parent of the boy we rescued) paid for our medical expenses.

 

Ish (OOC): So I was looking over the Heal skill, and it looks like you can take 10 outside an encounter. So that would give me a 19 to replace the final Endurance checks for Cyan, Crow, and Edson (the ones to prevent the -2 to defenses, not the earlier ones during the encounter.) Is that enough to resist the effects of filth fever?

 

DM: Ish, they made changes to the skill difficulties with the last DMG update. I need to recheck the Endurance DC. I will do that soon.

 

Steve-0 (OOC): I'm interested in the pistol.  Jacob has already repaired the broken gun we found in an earlier adventure, and I will take the necessary feat to use the pistol when we reach level 4.  If it's okay with Jason, maybe we can even make it an implement for the artificer...

 

DM: Steve, we can discuss the artificer implement thing, but keep in mind that Artificer's already need ranged weapons to do some of their powers. So this works for that.

 

Miasshirra: Miasshirra breaks off one of the incisors from the skull worn by the ratmen priest and pockets it, as well as the ring (a cheap looking braided metal ring) worn by the human woman.  The next time everyone sees her, the tooth has been cleaned, and the ring  has been clamped tightly around it.  It has been braided into her hair, featured in a prominent place near her right ear.

 

Ish (OOC): Yeah, the errata looks good. They also answered the multiple sneak attack question we had, clarified "Reliable," and fixed Blade Cascade. Resistances aren't as powerful now, either.

 

As for items, it's pretty obvious that people get whatever was on their wish list, so Crow gets the plate (also, he's the only one who can use it), Mia gets the dagger, Jacob gets the pistol, the others select their items (perhaps the Bag of Holding counts as party loot, since everyone benefits?), we calculate gold piece equivalency for everyone's haul and split the remaining gold accordingly.

 

Dan (OOC): Actually, Sneak Attack is still vague on the issue we were talking about.  I specifically looked for it, and while I think they intend that you only deal the extra dice to one target, they still talk about it as doing damage for one attack.  It also occurs to me that since you only roll damage once for area attacks, you would have to apply sneak damage to everyone.  I think I'll send in that specific situation to wizards and see what they say.

 

Official Answer:

"When a rogue uses attacks like Blinding Barrage, sneak attack damage will be dealt to all targets that you have combat advantage against. I hope this information is useful."

 

Official Answer #2

"I apologize, but my previous email to you was incorrect. You can only deal sneak attack damage once per turn, so one target in the burst will take the sneak attack damage. Again, I apologize for the misinformation. Take care!"

 

Dave (OOC-from the road near Clarion, PA) Cyan could take the Amulet since he doesn't have any items on his wishlist. There is nothing all that interesting for a few more levels. That would free up a cloak of resistance +1 is someone would want that.Cyan will replace the magical cape (of whatever color the next player deems cool)  witha Cerulean blue one of fine make once he gets a chance in town.

 

(OOC) What is the gift that the letter spoke of?

 

Dave: (OOC) Bueller, Bueller....Ok well I guess I will snatch up the amulet then and add it to my character since no one has much to say about it.

 

Cyan: Cyan fingers the elaborately detailed amulet and its ornate chain and murmurs in delight as it seems to radiate from within. The chain has a silky-metallic feel that is very comforatable around Cyan's neck. With the help of Qyllion, the two manage to undue his cape and fasten the amulet properly. "This cape has protected me well and I would offer it up to one of you to get similar protections if any of you would be willing. I don't know that we could get much resale value from it since it has been used in infested rat areas and such."

 

Dan (OOC): If we're counting the Bag of Holding as party loot, then Edson should get the cape.  If Edson is taking the bag, then Miashirra will take the cape, since she got the level 3 item.

 

Jacob:  Jacob's eyes are immediate drawn to the curious object that looked like a crossbow, but without the bow.  It has interesting metal mechanisms pervading its strong wooden surface, ending with an opening shaped like a screaming dragon's head.  Trying the trigger, Jacob hears an audible click.  Hm, he says to himself.  I've seen something like this before in my history books.  He gingerly puts the object into his backpack, his eyes twinkling with curiosity.

 

Steve-0 (OOC):  Jason, if guns are seen less and less, where will I buy the ammunition?  How much will that cost?

 

DM: On Carver Lane in the North Market is a shop called The Smoke Shop. You can find ammunition there. The list price is 2gp for 20 shot, but if you become a regular you can probably talk them down.

Comments (15)

Dan said

at 3:29 pm on Jul 17, 2008

Does the ratman priest or human woman (or in her bedroom) have any unique jewelry or trinkets on them? I know that all of a sudden no one carries around jewelry anymore, but Mia is looking for some keepsake to remember this fight with.

Dave said

at 12:03 am on Jul 18, 2008

ya know..a thundering boomstick (aka gun) could be a lot of fun and might be worth burning a feat just for the hell of it. Let me know about the gun's stats and rules for using. I could get used to the concept.

Jason said

at 9:03 am on Jul 18, 2008

Jewerly is still a reward option in the DMG.

The woman mage (Silion) had a cheap looking braided metal ring on (non-magical) and she was wearing the Amulet of Protection. The ratman priest and the wererat both had a leather necklace with a silver metal piece depiction of a rat standing on its hind legs, front paws facing forward.

Dan said

at 9:50 am on Jul 18, 2008

Was the ratman wearing a skull on his head like the other one? If so, how long are the incisors?

Dan said

at 9:52 am on Jul 18, 2008

I was thinking that Jacob would probably be laying claim to the pistol. I'm sure he would be willing to negotiate. Obviously, Miasshirra is interested in the dagger (it's on my wish list, after all).

Dan said

at 11:45 am on Jul 18, 2008

It seems that some of the magical items we picked up have natural homes with certain characters. How do you guys want to handle loot after the break? We can be exact like we were before, or we can be a little looser. The same problems with either side still exist, except that in 4ed rules, used gear is almost completely worthless (are you going with the 20% sell price Jason, or something more reasonable?).

Stuff like getting that spell cast on us complicates either method, since that kills all the gold we found this adventure.

Jason said

at 1:41 pm on Jul 18, 2008

Yup, still 20% of the cost. The whole reward system in the DMG is based on that assumption. To change it will make re-balancing those tables a bitch.

You can also improve your condition with the heal check so you may not need to spend that gold (haven't checked the new DC yet so I can't say for certain). But if you do end up needing the spell cast, Gustav's is offering a discount, and, people around the city are happy you guys put an end to the kidnappings (especially that wealthy father). So you will probably get a break.

Dan said

at 1:54 pm on Jul 18, 2008

I keep forgetting about that Bag of Holding, but we could each take one magic item, split the gold (minus disease expenses) and call it even.

ish said

at 3:28 pm on Jul 18, 2008

one problem with just taking one item each is that they're all different levels. while it's fine if we have different level magic items for several encounters, it's supposed to balance out in the long run, so it's something we should keep track of. also, it's fairly easy to convert between levels, i.e. a lvl 2 item = a lvl 1 item + 160g.

Jason said

at 10:28 am on Jul 21, 2008

The letter was in a box with the dagger. So it is reasonable to conclude that the dagger was the gift alluded to in the letter.

Jason said

at 3:52 pm on Jul 23, 2008

You guys just gave a bunch of coin to Edson's chracter. Has everyone's gold been updated to reflect that?

Dan said

at 4:10 pm on Jul 23, 2008

Unless people already took gold from that 850 we earned in session 8 (I don't think anyone did), then we don't need to update our gold. He just got the 850, but not anything extra.

Dave said

at 7:49 am on Jul 24, 2008

Edson should have gotten all of the gold with the rest of us getting various magical items. Question I have is what if some other trinket shows up made for Cyan but I just got the Amulet? Do I trade one for the other or get both or what? Am I forced to not take something because I hope to get something better soon?

ish said

at 11:09 am on Jul 24, 2008

the way it works is each treasure parcel has items of varying levels. you happened to get the highest level item this time, so next time someone else does, and you get a lower level item or the gold equivalent. and next level we'll be able to make our own items.

Dan said

at 8:44 pm on Jul 24, 2008

4e makes gear considerably less important, so I don't think we need to be quite as exact in splitting the loot anymore. Add to that the fact that there are basically no mundane items that cost a significant amount and that selling items is akin to throwing them away, and it's clear the dynamic has greatly changed. As long as the DM is fair in what he hands out, it shouldn't be a big problem. That's metagaming a bit, but I got the impression that Jason would be leaning that way anyway.

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