garmr
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King Henry XIV
Posts: 227 Likes: 31
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Post by garmr on Jul 21, 2020 2:12:37 GMT
"Hmm... will I be affected by the crystal as well? I confess to being rather fond of my arms." Spwack what does "eyeshot" mean in the crystal's description? Is it "anyone who Elizabeth is looking at" or "anyone who is looking at the crystal" or "anyone who has line of sight to the crystal"?
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Post by Spwack on Jul 22, 2020 1:39:12 GMT
Rumours will have to be validated “by hand”, however the anti-magic of the Beholder is roughly as famous as he flame of the Dragon.
“Eyeshot” means within line-of-sight, which is distinct from “looking at”. In addition, “armless” is shorthand for “not knowing how to use limbs” of which the Beholder has quite a few.
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Post by chiquitafajita on Jul 22, 2020 3:54:42 GMT
Ohhhh damn, it's exciting figuring out a solution for this!
"I think if you stand behind me, you won't go crazy or anything like that. We can make the beholder freak out, bury him in frogs, and run out with as much treasure as we can carry."
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garmr
Full Member
King Henry XIV
Posts: 227 Likes: 31
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Post by garmr on Jul 23, 2020 1:03:28 GMT
"This plan... could work. If the legends of the beholder's eye are true, then it might dispel your illusion before you get a chance to find the treasure hoard. But I think we can make a rough guess that the treasure is probably in the centre of the cavern. So, if the beholder sees through your deception, just break the crystal at once and then we will search for the treasure as best we can.
"I will hold the frognade in reserve. I think it will be less effective in this large open space, but it could cover our retreat once we get back to the narrower tunnels."
The plan is chancy, but Henry XIV didn't get to be King without taking a few risks. If Elizabeth agrees, let the plan commence! Henry will douse his torch and hide behind one of the large boulders near the entrance, to stay out of line-of-sight from the psicrystal.
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Post by Spwack on Jul 23, 2020 3:04:00 GMT
So, no torch, but you can still faintly see from the residual glimmer of the Beholder's magic. Who is going in first? What is your very first action?
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Post by chiquitafajita on Jul 24, 2020 2:52:40 GMT
I'll go in first holding the illusion with both of my hands, and with my crystal tucked away in my right palm. "I've found some tribute for you, sir. Is this to your liking?" I kneel before the beholder.
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Post by Spwack on Jul 25, 2020 1:41:10 GMT
“GGGRRHMMM. A TRIFLING GIFT FOR ONE OF MY EMINENCE, LEAVE IT THERE AND FLEE BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND!”
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Post by chiquitafajita on Jul 25, 2020 3:44:05 GMT
I crack the crystal, and make a run for the real treasure. There's no backing out now.
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Post by Spwack on Jul 25, 2020 8:40:35 GMT
Alright, let's see what happens from the psicrystal, blind, prone, screaming or armless: bAPko6rN1d4
The gem cracks into dust with a bizarre anti-flash. The Beholder blinks twice, then roars. "WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU DO!?" The spot where Elizabeth was standing a moment ago is blasted into glowing shrapnel by a ragged wave of impure magic. Blistering shrapnel rakes your back, you take d6 piercing/fire damage: 1d6.
What are the rest of you doing?1d4·1d6
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Post by chiquitafajita on Jul 25, 2020 18:50:59 GMT
I had 1 HP, so I think I'm down!
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garmr
Full Member
King Henry XIV
Posts: 227 Likes: 31
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Post by garmr on Jul 25, 2020 23:17:47 GMT
chiquitafajita You won't be down yet, just reduced to 0hp. The next hit could potentially kill you, though.
I will stand in the entrance of the tunnel and shout: "Ha-ha! You thought you could disrespect me, King Henry XIV of Caoilainn? Now I have blinded you, and with my next spell I will put an end to your miserable life!"
Then I will run back behind the boulder, lie flat and stay quiet. My aim is to trick the beholder into going past me, into the tunnel. If it does, I will throw the frognade into the tunnel mouth to seal it.
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Post by chiquitafajita on Jul 26, 2020 1:01:36 GMT
Thank you for the heads up!
I'm going to take cover as well, if there's a boulder somewhere on the other side of the room from the hallway.
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Post by Spwack on Jul 26, 2020 3:22:38 GMT
There is plenty of cover, for sure, and Elizabeth is behind a boulder frantically patting out the smouldering spots on her clothes. That was close. The next time you take damage you have a [damage]-in-20 chance of being killed.
However, for King Henry it's a different story. You get to about "You thought" in your speech before a sizzling red laser comes blasting down from the flailing Beholder! It's a ragged wide shot, so make a DEX check to see if you can dodge it!
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garmr
Full Member
King Henry XIV
Posts: 227 Likes: 31
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Post by garmr on Jul 26, 2020 8:19:30 GMT
_LC9cksW1-20 + 3 1-20
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garmr
Full Member
King Henry XIV
Posts: 227 Likes: 31
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Post by garmr on Jul 26, 2020 8:22:54 GMT
I narrowly manage to duck out of the way of the beam. Once I'm on the ground, I'll crawl away from where I shouted, trying to make as little noise as possible.
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Post by Spwack on Jul 26, 2020 8:33:45 GMT
Phew! Otherwise that would've been d20 laser damage. The Beholder melts the spot where you were standing into a glowing puddle of molten rock, before starting to randomly strafe the cavern with various spells. It is, shall we say, upset.
What do you do?
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garmr
Full Member
King Henry XIV
Posts: 227 Likes: 31
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Post by garmr on Jul 26, 2020 23:02:58 GMT
I'll wait a little while - hopefully I've drawn its attention away from Elizabeth at least. I'm hoping at some point it will stop blasting and try to listen for me. If it does, then I'll take my empty glass cask and throw it as far as I can down the tunnel. But without putting my own body in front of the tunnel mouth.
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Post by Spwack on Jul 27, 2020 1:10:40 GMT
Attention has definitely been drawn away from Elizabeth, but the Beholder seems like it'll be shooting off spells for a little while longer.
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Post by chiquitafajita on Jul 27, 2020 6:20:09 GMT
I'm going to quietly speedwalk over and collect as much gold as I can (there's treasure on the other side of the room, right?), and I motion for Henry to join me if he feels safe coming over. I'm hoping that since the Beholder is blind and relying on sound, we can be as quiet as possible while the Beholder is distracted by the glass breaking.
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Post by Spwack on Jul 27, 2020 11:20:32 GMT
If you are heading across the cavern, you'll need to make one CHA check (if you are relying on luck) or DEX (if you are dodging and scrambling) to avoid the swathes of magic being fountained out of the Beholder's tendrils.
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Post by chiquitafajita on Jul 28, 2020 6:56:24 GMT
Since I'm as dexterous as I am lucky, I'll do a combination of both! I want to scramble to the other side of the cavern, trying to avoid the Beholder's magical beams. aOYDE1le1d20+31d20+3
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Post by Spwack on Jul 28, 2020 11:00:02 GMT
You catch the edge of a magical beam sliding past you! A random limb of yours is paralysed (starting clockwise from the head): yywIpJHR1d4
That would be your right arm, it falls limb and you feel nothing but pins and needles from your fingers. What do you do?1d4
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Post by chiquitafajita on Jul 28, 2020 18:06:09 GMT
I have my prehensile tongue! I'll use it to carry anything I need--my right arm's going to be dead weight for now. How far have I made it? I'm a little stopped in my tracks, but I still want to keep going forward.
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Post by Spwack on Jul 29, 2020 10:14:38 GMT
garmr what are you doing in all this? You've made it most of the way across the cavern. Over the intermittent blasts and yelling from the Beholder, you can hear the sound of water coming from the south, and every so often you catch a shining glint coming from the south-west. The only problem: it looks like they are up a ledge.
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garmr
Full Member
King Henry XIV
Posts: 227 Likes: 31
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Post by garmr on Jul 29, 2020 23:37:12 GMT
If the beholder shows no sign of letting up with the eye-beams, then I will throw my glass cask down the tunnel and hope that he hears it.
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garmr
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King Henry XIV
Posts: 227 Likes: 31
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Post by garmr on Jul 29, 2020 23:37:50 GMT
Also, can I see the glinting treasure on the ledge, or is it too far away for me to notice?
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Post by Spwack on Jul 30, 2020 1:31:06 GMT
The Beholder certainly does hear the glass shatter, ceases firing, and flies over to the other side of the cave. "FLEE YOU COWARDS, YOU TRAITORS! YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED! MY WRATH KNOWS NO BOUNDS!"
Yes, you can see the treasure is up there, and probably where is Elizabeth as well.
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Post by chiquitafajita on Jul 30, 2020 3:18:38 GMT
This would be an incredible opportunity to slay the beholder if we can swing it--if I'm right to assume that he's in the tunnel now, following the sound. Is Henry XIV's torch still lit? I can pluck some eyelashes and make myself cry oil, and maybe we can light the beholder on fire.
How high up is the ledge? Are there any stones I could climb onto?
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garmr
Full Member
King Henry XIV
Posts: 227 Likes: 31
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Post by garmr on Jul 30, 2020 5:31:59 GMT
So, did the beholder go into the tunnel or is he still in the open cave area? If he's in the tunnel, I will throw the frognade after him to seal the tunnel. I have a few questions about items in my inventory that might help with getting up to the ledge: - What do I know about the Anti-Gravity Grenade's function? - How long would it take to turn the Gravity Ring by 45 degrees? (So that the wall I need to climb becomes a slope)
chiquitafajita - Personally I'm more inclined towards a plan of "grab the treasure and run". Just judging by the "two skulls" indicator, I would guess the beholder has a lot of HP and would probably survive being set on fire.
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Post by Spwack on Jul 31, 2020 2:01:16 GMT
The ledge is roughly three times your height. It wouldn’t be too hard to climb if you had both arms. The gravity orb will take about half a minute of hard work to twist.
The anti-gravity grenade makes anything it hits fall upwards for d10 rounds. This would be disorienting but not really a problem for anything that can fly.
The Beholder is currently floating near the tunnel, but not in it. It doesn’t seem keen at all to leave the cavern. Considering that it would barely fit in the tunnel and it’s a flying creature, you get the feeling it isn’t too keen on being cramped in there. A crow might peck at a drainpipe, but would never crawl all the way inside it.
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