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Siren Song of The Void (OOC)


Amelia

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A couple people made the Will save against Strix's Concealment, but none of them also beat his Stealth with their Notice, so no one knows he's there until he reveals himself.

 

The Notice checks did reveal other stuff, though, described in the GM post.

 

Search check: 16.

 

OK, once people start Searching in earnest, I'll use the highest result from among the PCs as the "real" skill check, and all the others as Aid checks.

Grimalkin got 34, so she's the lead.

Temperance, Sekhmet, and Strix all cleared DC10, so they each add +2. None of them cleared 20 to add another +1.

That's a final Search result of DC40.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I made a GM post describing the results of searching the house, but don't feel the need to immediately go down into the basement with your next round of in-character posts. Feel free to take your time bantering, reacting to dialogue, and dealing with the eyes however you see fit. You don't have to stampede directly down the basement stairs.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Pay attention and read carefully. This is a long one. Everyone has a lot of rolls to make, some more than others. Let me know if any of you need me to walk you through it individually.

 

I know a lot of front-loaded effects like this may seem excessive. But I'm confident that the PCs will annihilate this thing as soon as they get the chance to retaliate. So please just try to enjoy the change of pace for the brief moment it lasts. I'll reveal the Deep Spawn's stat block piece by piece, as it becomes relevant, for dramatic effect. I will not, however, force you to spend Hero Points for re-rolls blindly. I will tell you if an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check succeeds. Thank you all in advance for (hopefully) being good sports. This is, after all, supposed to be at least partially a horror story.

 

The Deep Spawn of He Who Watches Through Ten-Thousand Bleeding Eyes gets a surprise round. I think that's reasonable, since it's using a Teleport effect to enter the scene.

 

The Deep Spawn has a Reaction Emotion Control (Fear) effect, with a Perception(Visual)-shaped Area. Everyone who looks at the Spawn needs to make a DC20 Will save against it.

It's a Reaction, so the Spawn will just keep pumping it out the entire time, but it's also got a 2-point variant on the Unreliable flaw, so you only have to make the Will save against it once per scene, the first time you see it.

Anyone who wants to close their eyes or otherwise avoid looking at it can make a DC20 Reflex save to do so, bypassing the Will save. However, the Spawn will have total Visual concealment against anyone who does this (you suffer a 50% miss chance against it, and it attacks your flat-footed Defense with an extra +2 attack). If you make the Reflex save to avoid looking at it, and then look at it later, you'll have to make the Will save. But you'll only have to save the first time you see it.

 

Emotion Control 10 (Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Area [Perception, Visual], Flaws: Limited [Fear], Range 2 [Touch], Uncontrolled, Unreliable 2 [One Use: Other characters only need to save once per scene, when they first see it]) [5PP]

 

The shrieking is an Area Confuse effect. Everyone who hears the Spawn's song needs to make a DC20 Will save against that, too.

It's a Perception(Auditory)-shaped Area effect, so anyone who tries to cover their ears can make a DC20 Reflex save to avoid it, bypassing the Will save. But anyone who does this is going to be considered Deaf for as long as they maintain it (everyone has total Auditory concealment from you, and you suffer -4 Initiative). Barring some other method of plugging up your ears, it's also going to keep your hands occupied for as long as you maintain it. And as soon as you stop maintaining it, you'll have to make the Will save.

It's a Free action effect, so the Spawn can just keep pumping it out every round. But it's also got the same 2-point variant on the Unreliable flaw, so you only have to make the Will save against it once per scene, the first time you hear it.

 

Confuse 10 (Extras: Action 2 [Free], Area [Perception, Auditory], Flaws: Range [Touch], Unreliable 2 [One Use: Other characters only need to save once per scene, when they first hear it]) [10PP] (Song)

 

COMPLICATION: Because Temperance has Comprehend Spirits and is tied by blood to extradimensional entities, I'm going to rule that she's more susceptible to the insanity inflicted by the Song.

Temperance suffers a -4 penalty to her Will save against the Confuse effect. She will not suffer this penalty if she chooses to attempt a Reflex save to avoid it first.

At the end of the surprise round, Temperance will gain one Hero Point for this setback.

 

Anyone who fails either of those Will saves gets a Hero Point for the setback at the end of the surprise round.

 

Because of the Elongation and Growth, the Spawn has a melee reach of 15ft. Everyone in the basement is within that reach.

 

The Deep Spawn will use its standard action for the surprise round to make a melee attack to attempt to grapple Set. It will Accurate Attack for +2 Attack / -2 Damage, and All-Out Attack for +2 Attack / -2 Defense.

 

Attack roll: 32. Ouch. Natural 20. That hits automatically.

 

Set has Luck Control, so I assume they'll want to force a re-roll. I'll use GM Fiat to avoid the re-roll, so Set will get a Hero Point at the end of the surprise round.

 

As soon as the melee attack hits, Set is subject to the Spawn's linked Nauseate and Transform effects.

The Transform effect is No Save, so it just happens. It makes eyeballs grow on the parts of Set's skin that touched the Spawn's skin. That's it. The Transform itself is just a cosmetic effect. It's just gross.

However, since Set sees through the eyes, just like they see through their own "real" ones, with the views all combined as translucent overlays, they're also subject to the linked Nauseate effect from the disorientation.

Set needs to make a DC20 Fortitude save against the Nauseate effect.

As with the other attack powers before it, the Nauseate has a 2-point variant of the Unreliable flaw, so each character only needs to save against it the first time they're subject to it. After the first time, they adapt to the horrible new sensation.

 

Nauseate 10 (Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Linked [Transform], Flaws: Uncontrolled, Unreliable 2 [One Use: Other characters only need to save once per scene, when they first touch or are touched]) [20PP]

Transform 1 (Makes eyes grow on living flesh, Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Duration [Continuous, Lasting], Linked [Nauseate], No Saving Throw, Flaws: Range [Touch], Uncontrolled) [7PP]

 

The Spawn and Set get an opposed Grapple check.

The Spawn suffers -2 for the Accurate Attack, but gets +5 for the crit.

For the moment, the Spawn is applying all its available limbs to the grapple.

Grapple check: 44. (Ignore the bonus listed in that link, it's too high, I messed up the arithmetic before I rolled.)

 

Even if Set rolled a 20, there is no way they wouldn't lose by 5+, so Gizmo doesn't have to bother rolling.

Since Set lost by 5+, they're Bound (Helpless, no physical actions, considered an immobile object for attacking purposes).

Since Set lost (regardless of the margin), the Spawn applies its Chokehold (Set can't speak, and in 14 rounds, they will start having to make Fortitude saves to avoid passing out), and the Spawn's "Bite" power takes effect, a Requires-Grapple Mighty Damage power (that's a DC30 Toughness save against Lethal damage; it would normally be DC27, except for the Accurate Attack and the crit).

Set needs to make a DC30 Toughness save against Lethal damage.

 

Set will most likely lose any future opposed grapple checks to escape, but I assume they'll just use their Shapeshift power to acquire Insubstantial 1 and slip out automatically on their next action.

 

Because of the All-Out Attack, the Deep Spawn's Defense falls from +8 (DC18) to +6 (DC16) until its next action.

 

Everyone needs to roll for Initiative.

Once everyone does that, I'll post the complete list of Init counts and conditions. Below is a partial list.

 

Initiative

Deep Spawn: 25 (Unharmed)

Mister Strix: 20 (Unharmed, 1HP)

Grimalkin: ?

Sekhmet: ?

Set: ? (+1HP)

Temperance: ? (+1HP)

 

Quote

 

Deep Spawn of He Who Watches Through Ten-Thousand Bleeding Eyes

Power Level: 10

Abilities: Str 30 (+10), 35 Lifting (Heavy Load: 1.5 tons), Dex 14 (+2), Con 30 (+10), Int ?, Wis ?, Cha ?

Combat: Initiative +10, Attack +4 Ranged, +8 Melee, Damage +10 Unarmed, +12 Bite, Grapple +27, Defense +8, +4 Flat-Footed, Knockback Resistance 10

Saving Throws: Toughness ?, Fortitude ?, Reflex +8, Will ?

Skills: ?

Feats: Ambidexterity, Attack Focus (Melee) 4, Chokehold, Environmental Adaptation (Under Water), Improved Initiative 2, Improved Pin

Powers:

Additional Limbs 4 (+10 Limbs, +4 Grapple, Feats: Innate) [5PP] (Tentacles)

Confuse 10 (Extras: Action 2 [Free], Area [Perception, Auditory], Flaws: Range [Touch], Unreliable 2 [One Use: Other characters only need to save once per scene, when they first hear it]) [10PP] (Song)

Damage 2 (Flaws: Requires Grapple, Feats: Mighty, Drawbacks: Lethal) [1PP] (Bite)

Elongation 1 (+5ft, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Permanent, Feats: Innate) [2PP]

Emotion Control 10 (Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Area [Perception, Visual], Flaws: Limited [Fear], Range 2 [Touch], Uncontrolled, Unreliable 2 [One Use: Other characters only need to save once per scene, when they first see it]) [5PP]

Growth 5 (Size: Large [Length: 10ft, Weight: 0.5 tons / 1,000 lbs.], +10 Strength, +5 Constitution, -1 Attack, -1 Defense, +4 Grapple, +4 Knockback Resistance, +2 Intimidate, -4 Stealth, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Permanent, Feats: Innate) [16PP]

Nauseate 10 (Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Linked [Transform], Flaws: Uncontrolled, Unreliable 2 [One Use: Other characters only need to save once per scene, when they first touch or are touched]) [20PP]

Transform 1 (Makes eyes grow on living flesh, Extras: Action 3 [Reaction], Duration [Continuous, Lasting], Linked [Nauseate], No Saving Throw, Flaws: Range [Touch], Uncontrolled) [7PP]

Protection 2 [2PP]

Super-Movement 1 (Slithering)

Super-Senses 1 (Radius Vision)

Teleport ? (Flaws: Medium [Water], Feats: Easy)

 

 

Edited by Grumblefloof
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Set

Initiative: 1d20+3 16

Will Save vs Emotion Control [Fear]: Fearless

Will Save vs Confuse: 1d20+8 9

Fortitude Save vs Nauseate: 1d20+6 24

Toughness Save vs Damage: 1d20+2 12

Toughness Save vs Damage, HP Reroll: 1d20+2 19

 

So Bound, Confused, Staggered, Disabled and Stunned. So 3 Defense vs Melee and 7 vs Ranged, +2 to Toughness Saves, can take a single action before slipping into dying and that action will be determined by rolling on the Confused table. Wooooo?

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So Bound, Confused, Staggered, Disabled and Stunned. So 3 Defense vs Melee and 7 vs Ranged, +2 to Toughness Saves, can take a single action before slipping into dying and that action will be determined by rolling on the Confused table. Wooooo?

 

Dazed, not Stunned. House rules. And that goes away after 1 round. The big difference would be that Set defends normally, instead of being flat-footed. But since Set is being super-grappled, that's moot anyway. But since the only character who would attack Set already has Set super-grappled, it's another layer of Mootception.

 

But other than that...yeah.

 

When it comes time for you to roll on the Confused table, feel free to burn a Hero Point for a re-roll if you want.

 

Initiative

Deep Spawn: 25 (Unharmed)

Mister Strix: 20 (Unharmed, 1HP)

Set: 16 (5HP, Disabled, StaggeredBoundConfusedDazed)

Sekhmet: 13 (Unharmed)

Grimalkin: ?

Temperance: ? (+1HP)

Edited by Grumblefloof
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Grimalkin fails the Fear save by 8, so she's Frightened. If possible, she has to flee from the Deep Spawn. On any round when she can't (which might happen from the Confusion), she's Shaken (-2 to all rolls).

 

Initiative

Deep Spawn: 25 (Unharmed)

Grimalkin: 22 (Confused, Frightened, 3HP)

Mister Strix: 20 (Unharmed, 1HP)

Set: 16 (5HP, Disabled, StaggeredBoundConfusedDazed)

Temperance: 16 (5HP, BlindConfused)

Sekhmet: 13 (Unharmed)

 

I'll get another GM post up for the Deep Spawn's combat actions later tonight.

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Deep Spawn

 

Free Action: The Spawn will maintain the grapple on Set.

 

Move Action: None.

 

Standard Action: The Spawn will make a melee attack against Grimalkin to initiate a grapple.

It will use its Additional Limbs power to grapple multiple opponents instead of focusing all its tentacles on one, so its Grapple bonus drops by -4.

It will All-Out Attack for +2 Attack / -2 Defense.

 

Attack roll: 19. Miss.

 

The Spawn will use GM Fiat for a re-roll.

Grimalkin gets a Hero Point.

 

Attack roll (re-roll): 23. That hits, barely.

 

If Grimalkin burns a Hero Point as a reaction, she can double her dodge bonus for the round retroactively and the Spawn will miss.

 

Otherwise, she needs to make a DC20 Fortitude save against the Nauseate effect as she grows new eyes in places where eyes don't belong, and she needs to make an opposed grapple check.

 

Deep Spawn's Grapple check: 34.

 

If the Spawn wins the grapple, then it will have Grimalkin in a Chokehold (she can't speak, and eventually she'll have to start making Fortitude saves not to pass out), and it will use its Requires-Grapple Bite attack, so Grimalkin will need to make a DC27 Toughness save against lethal damage. Since, if Grimalkin loses the grapple check, she will be Pinned (or Bound, if she fails by 5+), her Defensive Roll ranks will not apply, so her Toughness will only be +4.

 

Free Action: The Spawn will use Extra Effort for a second Standard Action, which it uses to make a melee attack against Mister Strix to initiate a grapple.

 

Attack roll: 30. Ouch, another critical hit.

 

Grapple check: 42.

 

Mister Strix's opposed Grapple check: 19. Natural "1".

 

Mister Strix is Bound.

 

The Spawn uses its Requires-Grapple Bite attack against Mister Strix.

 

Mister Strix's Toughness save (DC32): 16.

 

Mister Strix fails by 16, which is 15+, so he's Destroyed.

 

Reaction: The Spawn will use GM Fiat to recover from the Fatigue it would normally suffer from using Extra Effort.

Since he used the Extra Effort to attack Strix, Strix gets the Hero Point.

 

The Deep Spawn's Defense drops to +6 (DC16) until its next action.

 

Initiative & Condition Summary

Deep Spawn: 25 (Unharmed)

Grimalkin: 22 (Confused, Frightened, 4HP)

Mister Strix: 20 (Destroyed, 2HP)

Set: 16 (5HP, Disabled, StaggeredBoundConfusedDazed)

Temperance: 16 (5HP, BlindConfused)

Sekhmet: 13 (Unharmed, shares Set's 5HP)

 

Edited by Grumblefloof
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In Heritage's absence, I'll take control of Grimalkin's actions and keep her in the background, basically turning her into a silent NPC. I'll get this moving again later tonight.

 

@Heritage feel free to jump back in and resume control whenever you want, but unless/until you say otherwise, I'll assume you're not coming back to this thread.

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Grimalkin's got 4HP, so I'll burn one of them to double her dodge bonus for a round so the Deep Spawn's attack misses. I'll also say that she's unable to flee because of the others in her way. So the Confuse forces her to attack her attacker, and the Frightened condition leaves her Shaken while she does it. Grim pops claws.

 

Attack roll: 16. Would have hit if she wasn't Shaken.

 

She'll burn a Hero Point for a re-roll.

 

Attack roll (re-roll): 24. That "2" becomes a "12".

 

Toughness save (DC23): 14. It fails by 9, so it sustains an Injury, and it's Dazed for a round.

 

Initiative & Condition Summary

Deep Spawn: 25 (Injured)

Grimalkin: 22 (Confused, Frightened, 2HP)

Mister Strix: 20 (Destroyed, 2HP)

Set: 16 (5HP, Disabled, StaggeredBoundConfusedDazed)

Temperance: 16 (5HP, BlindConfused)

Sekhmet: 13 (Unharmed, shares Set's 5HP)

 

Strix makes a recovery check to Resurrect.

 

Recovery check (DC10): 2. Better luck next round.

 

Initiative & Condition Summary

Deep Spawn: 25 (Injured)

Grimalkin: 22 (Confused, Frightened, 2HP)

Mister Strix: 20 (Destroyed, 2HP)

Set: 16 (5HP, Disabled, StaggeredBoundConfusedDazed)

Temperance: 16 (5HP, BlindConfused)

Sekhmet: 13 (Unharmed, shares Set's 5HP)

 

Edited by Grumblefloof
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Gizmo previously said he's going to let Set remain Dazed for the round, so @trollthumper, Temperance is up.

@Gizmo, if you want to do an IC post describing Set's lack of action, feel free.

 

Initiative & Condition Summary

Deep Spawn: 25 (Injured)

Grimalkin: 22 (Confused, Frightened, Nauseated, 2HP)

Mister Strix: 20 (Destroyed, 2HP)

Set: 16 (5HP, Disabled, StaggeredBoundConfused)

Temperance: 16 (5HP, BlindConfused)

Sekhmet: 13 (Unharmed, shares Set's 5HP)

 

EDIT:

Forgot that Grimalkin melee attacking the Deep Spawn triggers its Reaction Nauseate + Transform power.

Grimalkin's Fortitude save (DC20): 12.

Can't re-roll, since she already did that once during this round.

Grimalkin's condition updated to include Nauseated.

 

Edited by Grumblefloof
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All right, Temperance is Confused, so let's see what the hell she's doing this round...

 

14

 

Cue "Yakety Sax," as she runs for the goddamn hills.

 

EDIT: However, due to the obstructions, Grumble has given me the option to roll again until I get a result other than Flee. And I got a 4, so that means "Act normally."

 

Of course, Temperance is still Blind, which makes actually attacking the thing an issue. So instead, I am going to power stunt for Create Object 9 (Extras: Continuous) in the name of putting some distance between them and the abomination.

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Nitpick, she's only blind because she's keeping her eyes shut. She can open them anytime. But then, she'll have to make a Will save against the Fear effect, unless she's got her back turned to the creature (which would probably be even less useful than having her eyes closed).

 

From Discord:

Quote

Grumblefloof Today at 7:34 PM

I didn't force Grim to run because the Fear would force her to run but the Confuse would force her to attack, and I honestly couldn't figure out which one should take priority over the other, so I just came up with an IC explanation for why she couldn't run, which the Fear effect allows for. But once I had that IC explanation, I was willing to apply it to you too.

 

Grumblefloof Today at 7:47 PM

So are you just putting up an ice wall between Temperance and the Deep Spawn?

trollthumper Today at 7:56 PM

Yup.

Well, Temperance, everyone who is being nommed on by the thing, and the Deep Spawn.

Ideally, the first two categories will be on the same side.

Grumblefloof Today at 7:59 PM

Couple ways you could do this. You've got 9 5ft cubes of volume to work with. It's a 40ft x 40ft by...let's say 10ft room, and the Deep Spawn is in the dead center, taking up a 10ft x 10ft square. You could easily surround it with a wall a couple feet thick, cutting it off from everyone (until it breaks through). Or you could just cut straight across the roughly 1/4th of the room you happen to be in, in which case you're guaranteed that Temperance is on the other side, and I'll just roll randomly for each PC to determine whether or not they're in that same quadrant with you.

trollthumper Today at 8:00 PM

I'm okay with surrounding this bastard.

 

That's a Toughness 9 wall the Deep Spawn will now have to bust through before it can get to any of the PCs. That's awesome, and smart tactics. Trollthumper gets a Hero Point.

Temperance will be Fatigued from the Extra Effort at the top of her next action.

 

Initiative & Condition Summary

Deep Spawn: 25 (Injured)

Grimalkin: 22 (Confused, Frightened, Nauseated, 2HP)

Mister Strix: 20 (Destroyed, 2HP)

Set: 16 (5HP, Disabled, StaggeredBoundConfused)

Temperance: 16 (6HP, BlindConfused)

Sekhmet: 13 (Unharmed, shares Set's 5HP)

 

@Gizmo Sekhmet is up.

 

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Sekhmet

Extra Effort: Add Extended Reach to her 'corona fists' by way of her staircase banister club.

Standard Full Action: Smash through the ice wall with Strength 24 (+7) and Super-Strength 2.

Move ActionDemoralize: 1d20+18 33

Extraordinary Effort: Surge

Standard ActionCharge Dark Spawn: 1d20+9 28

 

That's a critical hit with her Improved Critical, so DC 27 Toughness Save with Affects Insubstantial 2 and Incurable, if relevant. Defense is at -2 from the Charge.

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