NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Echohawk" data-source="post: 5103038" data-attributes="member: 9849">This encounter is an abstraction of Baron Lum's showdown with his former general Leuk-o. The battle itself was a bloody draw, with Lum and his Machine sent here; Leuk-o's fate is unknown. This was not the outcome Lum desired, and he thirsts for closure.You appear on a podium suspended 12 feet above an oversized chessboard, 100 feet on a side and apparently made of marble. The podium floats over a set of white chess pieces; another podium faces you above the black pieces, where an iron golem sits atop a throne. The golem is crafted with ornate armor and an elaborately plumed helmet, and it carries a sword of archaic design. The chess pieces are human-sized and look like smaller versions of the golem. Looking around, you can see that the chessboard is floating high in the sky. The ground is so far below that it's impossible to see.The golem addresses you in a surprisingly human voice and says, "You may move first."Unless they want to attack immediately, the PCs have little choice but to play a game of chess. They can play as a group or appoint an individual. To make a move, a character simply announces it; the pieces do the rest.The PCs can attempt to question the golem as the game goes on, though its answers are of limited value. If they ask its name, it replies, "You may call me 'General.'" If asked why they must play this game, it says, "Too much blood is between us. Our feud ends today." Further questions get vague and unhelpful answers, like "You know as well as I," or "One of us must triumph."To resolve the chess game, the party makes a Gaming proficiency check (or a Charisma check at a -2 penalty if no one has Gaming), using their average score (if they play as a group) or the nominated character's score. The DM rolls for the golem. If you prefer, have the players actually play out the chess game, since its outcome is unimportant. No matter what the result, at the end of the game the board resets. The golem announces, "The game is a draw. We must play another."The second game too is declared a draw, regardless of its outcome, and the golem insists on yet another. It will continue to do this indefinitely. As the games go on, the golem's voice becomes more and more agitated. "The game must end. One of us must be victorious!"Eventually, the PCs are likely to become tired of the game and have at the iron golem. (You might have to nudge them, though, if they don't resort to this; for example, taunts and insults from the golem.) Once they attack it, the golem jumps down to the chessboard and rallies its black "troops." This force charges the party and their white pieces, which are likewise able to fight in the characters' defense.Iron Golem: AC 3; MV 6; HD 18; hp 80; THAC0 2 (short sword of wounding); #AT 1; Dmg 4d10+1d6+1; SA poisonous gas once per 7 rounds, short sword of wounding; SD +3 or better weapon to hit, immune to poison and most magical attacks, healed 1 hp/die by magical fire; SW slowed by electrical attack, vulnerable to rust monster; SZ L (12' tall); ML fearless (20); AL N; XP 15,000.Special Equipment: short sword of wounding -- damage can't be regenerated, inflicts 1 additional hp per wound. Note that this sword is part of the golem's construction and is destroyed when the golem is.Chess Golems (32): AC 3; MV 6; HD 6; hp 25 each; THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon +3 (see below); SD +1 or better weapon to hit, immune to poison, fear and charm spells; SZ M (6' tall); ML fearless (20) AL N; XP 1,400 each.Notes: Pawns are armed with spears; bishops, footman's maces; knights, heavy lances; queens, longswords; and kings, two-handed swords. Rooks use a crushing attack for 1d12+3 points of damage.Rather than fight out the details of the chesspieces' combat you can use a simple resolution system. Have the party make a Gaming proficiency check each round, using the same rules as for the chess game above. Each successful check removes two black pieces from the board; each failure removes two white pieces. If the iron golem is defeated, proceed.The iron golem falls to the ground with a resounding crash. All the remaining chesspieces crumble, leaving the board strewn with debris. With its last pulse of life, the golem says, "The battle is over at last. You are the victor, Baron."A stair leading up shimmers into existence on the party's podium. This is the way out; as each party member reaches the top, he or she is magically transported to the next location. If the PCs have visited this location before, or if you aren't using the Machine's quest, consult Table 4: Vortex Movement. Otherwise, the party is translated to the Examination Room. (See the "Oral Exam" section above.)</blockquote>

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