The Wayfinders - The Wreck of the Archon

[Dr Simon]

"Might be an easier way than that, mate," says Kraken. He moves over to the lever and waves to get Hendrick's attention. He mimes pulling the lever, pulls an exaggerated happy face, then a sad face, then shrugs and gives Hendricks a quizzical look.

 

[Shayuri]

"Oh for pity's..." Whisper digs into her pouch and takes out a quill, a little jar of ink, and a rolled up bit of parchment from one of her scroll cases. She scribbles on it:

'pull the lever to open the portal more'

"Right then. Now...one thing to bear in mind. If the portal opens wider, more water's going to come out. Possibly a LOT more. So we should probably hold onto something."

She holds the note up so that their 'man on the inside' can see it through the glass.

...and then looks around for something to grab onto!

(OOC - Hope we still have water breathing. )

 

[SelcSilverhand]

OOC: Update coming this weekend. I'm moving offices at work and haven't had a PC for the last few days.

 

[SelcSilverhand]

Henrick stares quizzically at the pantomime gestures until Whisper slaps the piece of parchment up to the glass. He traces the words on the paper and mouths along with the letters as he reads it. He looks up with a confused expression but shrugs and gives a thumbs up. He moves back over to the control panel and begins manipulating dials and levers.

The chamber rumbles and hums as machinery behind the walls begins to move and shift. The mechanical sounds go on for a few minutes before you notice a change. The water begins to churn as the inter-dimensional aperture opens wider. The water in the chamber immediately begins to rise higher and higher. Soon it is inches below the walkway. The illusion form of the swimming creature vanishes and all can easily see it for what it is. A large fish with three glowing eyes stacked above each other and multiple tentacles where its forefins would lie. It rises to the surface of the water before you.

Your minds are filled with its voice somehow conveying smug, triumphant overtones through the mental contact. "Fools/Naive/Children. I claim your bodies to serve/obey our great eternal kingdom/empire. Your minds bend/break..." Its voice is cut off abruptly as the water around the crystal shimmers and something immense darkens the water. Three huge sucker covered tentacles emerge from the rift and swipe through the water. One of them makes contact with the mid-section of the creature and immediately wraps around it. You hear a brief, inarticulate scream of terror as the creature and tentacle withdraw into the rift. The remaining tentacles begin probing the chamber with impressive reach, looking for prey of their own!

OOC
[SBLOCK]
Players act first, your post order is your initiative order. After everyone has posted the creature acts.

The water is only inches below the catwalk and is considered Rough water (DC15).
[/SBLOCK]

 

[jkason]

Midian Rightson, human druid

Midian swears, though it's hard to hear as the water churns.

"I think this probably isn't an 'enemy of my enemy' situation from the look of those things," he says. His watery limbs sweep in small, twisting patterns, and twin balls of lightning form in the air, each one zipping toward one of the searching tentacles.

"Time to get Heinrick to help us shut this thing down, I'm thinking?"

[sblock=ooc]Okay, I looked all over, and can't find any rules about electrical spells and water. I even ran across this thread where James Jacobs says they explicitly didn't add those kinds of rules because elemental magic becomes a big mess when you start applying water physics to it (can you shoot acid in water, or do you just get a nasty acid pool? Does cold magic get to its target, or just leave you in a block of ice?). So, I went with it.

If we're playing that electrical magic will zap us, as well, then Midian will instead try casting Control Water to lower the water level 16' and vainly hope that impedes the creature's reach.

2 lighting sphere (DC 20 Reflex saves vs each to negate) (3d6=7, 3d6=12)

Hooray lame damage! Sigh. So, 19 damage if it misses both saves. If it makes one, it negates the damage from that sphere. [/sblock]


[sblock=mini-stats]

[b]HP:[/b] 82/66 (+16 from Water Elemental con bump)      
[b]AC:[/b] 21        [b]AC(T):[/b] 14    [b]AC(FF):[/b] 18 
Wildshape base AC: 15
Medium/Huge Animal AC: 17
Medium Magical Beast AC: 19
Medium Air Elemental AC: 20, Darkvision 60', fly 60 (perfect), Reflex save: +8
[b]Medium Water Elemental:[/b] AC 20, Fort save: +11, +2 HP / level (con bump), Darkvision 60', Swim 60'

Conditions:  
 Midian: Wild Shape (Medium Water Elemental) (8 hours).
 Full Party: Negate Aroma & Pass Without Trace (both 8 hours), 
 Doral & Kraken: Water Breathing (8 hours each)
 Kraken: Freedom of Movement (80 minutes)
 Ball Lightning (7/8 rounds remianing)

[b]Init:[/b] +02
[b]BAB:[/b] +6/+1     [b]CMB/CMD:[/b] +8/22     [b]ACP:[/b] -3 (Wildshape: 0)    
[b]Perception:[/b] +17

Saving Throw    Base   Mod   Misc*  Total
Fort:            06     1     +2    +9      
Ref:             02     2     +2    +6       
Will:            06     6     +2    +14

* Cloak +2
Conditional: +4 vs. spell-like fey & plant effects (Resist Nature's Lure)
Resist Cold 10
 
[b]Weapon                  Attack   Damage     Critical[/b]
Shortspear................+8.....1d6+2.........x2
Shortspear, full attack...+8/+3..1d6+2/1d6+2...x2
Shortspear, thrown........+8.....1d6+1.........x2, range 20'
Sling.....................+8.....1d4+2.........x2, range 50'
Sling, full attack........+8/+3..1d4+2/1d4+2...x2, range 50'

[b]Surge:[/b] 9/9 remaining (CMB +14)

Magical Feats: Spell Focus (Conj), Augment Summoning, Natural Spell

[b]Spells:[/b]
0st Level / DC16/17 6 Day : Create Water, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Mending, Stabilize, Spark
1st Level / DC17/18 4+2+D Day : Detect Aberration, Liberating Command, [s]Negate Aroma[/s], [s]Pass Without Trace[/s], Ray of Sickening, Ant Haul, Obscuring Mist (D)
2nd Level / DC18/19 3+2+D Day : Delay Poison, Soften Earth and Stone, Stone Call, **Frigid Touch, Resist Energy, Slipstream (D)
3rd Level / DC19/20 3+1+D Day : Hide Campsite, Aqueous Orb, Spider Climb (Communal), **Call Lightning*, [s]Water Walk[/s] (D)
4th Level / DC20/21 2+1+D Day : [s]Freedom of Movement[/s], Dispel Magic, [s]**Ball Lightning[/s], Control Water (D)

* attuned to empowered spell shard
** Eberron shard can recall evocation spells up to 4th level: 2/2 remaining

[b]Wand charges:[/b] 27/28 remaining.
[b]Wild Shape:[/b] 2/3 remaining

Used: Scroll of Water Breathing[/sblock]

 

[Dr Simon]

"That'll teach the cheatin' mongrel," says Kraken without much rancour. "Whisper, Doral, stay behind me and use yer magic, I'll try and keep the tentacles away from you. Mighty Ancestors, if you're going to do anything, now would be a good time eh?"

[sblock=OOC]
Should still have water breathing and I think Kraken has freedom of movement too.

Actions:
Move: draw falchion
Standard: cast bless
[/sblock]

 

[jkason]

[sblock=ooc]I didn't originally have Midian casting Water Breating on Whisper since she was going to be taking an amphibious shape, but there would have been more than enough duration to go around, so I can shuffle that if need be. There were several hours worth of it to go around.

And, yeah, 80 minutes of Freedom of Movement for Kraken, cast just before they went in the water so he could swing his sword without penalty if need be, so there should be plenty of that left, as well. [/sblock]

 

[SelcSilverhand]

Midian swears, though it's hard to hear as the water churns.

"I think this probably isn't an 'enemy of my enemy' situation from the look of those things," he says. His watery limbs sweep in small, twisting patterns, and twin balls of lightning form in the air, each one zipping toward one of the searching tentacles.

"Time to get Heinrick to help us shut this thing down, I'm thinking?"

[sblock=ooc]Okay, I looked all over, and can't find any rules about electrical spells and water. I even ran across this thread where James Jacobs says they explicitly didn't add those kinds of rules because elemental magic becomes a big mess when you start applying water physics to it (can you shoot acid in water, or do you just get a nasty acid pool? Does cold magic get to its target, or just leave you in a block of ice?). So, I went with it.

If we're playing that electrical magic will zap us, as well, then Midian will instead try casting Control Water to lower the water level 16' and vainly hope that impedes the creature's reach.

2 lighting sphere (DC 20 Reflex saves vs each to negate) (3d6=7, 3d6=12)

Hooray lame damage! Sigh. So, 19 damage if it misses both saves. If it makes one, it negates the damage from that sphere. [/sblock]


[sblock=mini-stats]

[b]HP:[/b] 82/66 (+16 from Water Elemental con bump)      
[b]AC:[/b] 21        [b]AC(T):[/b] 14    [b]AC(FF):[/b] 18 
Wildshape base AC: 15
Medium/Huge Animal AC: 17
Medium Magical Beast AC: 19
Medium Air Elemental AC: 20, Darkvision 60', fly 60 (perfect), Reflex save: +8
[b]Medium Water Elemental:[/b] AC 20, Fort save: +11, +2 HP / level (con bump), Darkvision 60', Swim 60'

Conditions:  
 Midian: Wild Shape (Medium Water Elemental) (8 hours).
 Full Party: Negate Aroma & Pass Without Trace (both 8 hours), 
 Doral & Kraken: Water Breathing (8 hours each)
 Kraken: Freedom of Movement (80 minutes)
 Ball Lightning (7/8 rounds remianing)

[b]Init:[/b] +02
[b]BAB:[/b] +6/+1     [b]CMB/CMD:[/b] +8/22     [b]ACP:[/b] -3 (Wildshape: 0)    
[b]Perception:[/b] +17

Saving Throw    Base   Mod   Misc*  Total
Fort:            06     1     +2    +9      
Ref:             02     2     +2    +6       
Will:            06     6     +2    +14

* Cloak +2
Conditional: +4 vs. spell-like fey & plant effects (Resist Nature's Lure)
Resist Cold 10
 
[b]Weapon                  Attack   Damage     Critical[/b]
Shortspear................+8.....1d6+2.........x2
Shortspear, full attack...+8/+3..1d6+2/1d6+2...x2
Shortspear, thrown........+8.....1d6+1.........x2, range 20'
Sling.....................+8.....1d4+2.........x2, range 50'
Sling, full attack........+8/+3..1d4+2/1d4+2...x2, range 50'

[b]Surge:[/b] 9/9 remaining (CMB +14)

Magical Feats: Spell Focus (Conj), Augment Summoning, Natural Spell

[b]Spells:[/b]
0st Level / DC16/17 6 Day : Create Water, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Mending, Stabilize, Spark
1st Level / DC17/18 4+2+D Day : Detect Aberration, Liberating Command, [s]Negate Aroma[/s], [s]Pass Without Trace[/s], Ray of Sickening, Ant Haul, Obscuring Mist (D)
2nd Level / DC18/19 3+2+D Day : Delay Poison, Soften Earth and Stone, Stone Call, **Frigid Touch, Resist Energy, Slipstream (D)
3rd Level / DC19/20 3+1+D Day : Hide Campsite, Aqueous Orb, Spider Climb (Communal), **Call Lightning*, [s]Water Walk[/s] (D)
4th Level / DC20/21 2+1+D Day : [s]Freedom of Movement[/s], Dispel Magic, [s]**Ball Lightning[/s], Control Water (D)

* attuned to empowered spell shard
** Eberron shard can recall evocation spells up to 4th level: 2/2 remaining

[b]Wand charges:[/b] 27/28 remaining.
[b]Wild Shape:[/b] 2/3 remaining

Used: Scroll of Water Breathing[/sblock]

OOC
[SBLOCK]
Heh, I had the same discussion Monday night with our DM. Someone had a small lightning elemental and it got grappled and pulled underwater. So we had to figure out what would happen to everything in the water. For simplicity we decided it acted as a regular creature.
We can say it reacts normally here too.
[/SBLOCK]

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Doral seemed quite surprised at the turn of events, "That collective of feces tricked the trickster. Damn him for his sudden, yet inevitable betrayal. My friend, I have been saving this spell for the correct moment. Please give the wretch my regards." The beguiler slips behind Kraken and touches his shoulder.

OOC: Casting Haste on Kraken.

 

[SelcSilverhand]

Two of the tentacles react violently to the electrical shock that surges through them from the balls of lightning. They arc and twist, thrashing the water in an attempt to strike at their attackers. One of the tentacles smashes into the catwalk and demolishes a section of it leaving a gaping hole of twisted metal. The third tentacle blindly lashes out and manages to make contact with Doral. The heavy appendage crushes him painfully against the wall.
On the other side of the heavy glass Henrick gapes unbelievably at the tremendous beast reaching through the portal.

OOC: Whisper casts shield on herself this round (assuming mage armor is already active before entering the water) Doral is struck for 19 points of damage. Two tentacles failed their perception checks. The third detected motion and picked a target at random. Round 2

Map
[SBLOCK]

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