Game log for 31 August 2014

Dramatis Personae:

Yémos, a cleric
Anêr, a swashbuckler
Mayhem, a barbarian
Caleb, a wizard

When we last left everyone, Yémos and Anêr were knocked out, and Mayhem was hurt. The guards of Dībités Rock led the heroes into the keep, to a heavy door. The guards opened the door, pushed down a ladder which they used like a stairs, and led the captives down the ladder at sword point. The guards then pulled up the ladder and bolted the door shut. Oddly, the captives still had their weapons and most of their gear.

The first deed they needed to do was heal the hurt. Caleb bound Anêr's wounds and he awoke, but nobody could rouse Yémos, who had the healing spells. When Anêr awoke, this chat happened:

Anêr: Is there any part of me that doesn't hurt?
Mayhem: Apparently your tongue.

They passed the night next to a fountain among the buildings of the dungeon. Yes, buildings. As best they could tell, there were buildings here, the wreckage of an old keep upon which someone later built the new keep. Only Caleb could find a meal of bland mushrooms among the wreckage; everyone else ate rations. The next day, they tried to heal Yémos again, and at last he awoke, and he cast Major Healing on both Anêr and Mayhem.

Anêr and Mayhem started checking out the buildings. The first one the tried was locked, so they moved onto the next one. It was an old stable, and wide open. They poked a mound in the middle of one of the three stalls, and out came two big rats, covered in a white mold. Four more came out of the other stalls, and all struck the two delvers. Anêr and Mayhem fought them off, but took enough wounds to set back much of the healing they had done. They brought the spellcasters into the stable, and Yémos cast Create Food on the dead bodies of the dead rats. While eating this lunch, they heard an unearthly screech from inside the underground keep.

They shut the stable door, and passed the next two days without any pain, making short trips out to forage for mushrooms. The second night, they heard some scuffling outside, but nothing came to them. Now on their fourth day down, the new moon having passed, Yémos at last cast Major Healing on himself, and they choose to brave the wreckage. They checked out a well a few yards away from the stable, and threw down a pebble. They heard the pebble hit solid rock at the bottom a few seconds later. They talked about lowering themselves into the well, but instead to check out the locked building.

Mayhem chopped down the door, and they found the building was an old guardhouse, with its arrow slits and chairs near them. The first and second room of the small guardhouse were empty, but the third one had a small chest in the middle of the room. Yémos walked up to it to check it out with his staff, but he didn't make it—he poofed. After some prodding, they found out how the trick worked around the chest, and soon all of them were in another room.

The room held an altar to Ažbrátōr, god of death, who had once been the leading god of the lands of men. Caleb guessed that the altar was the means of teleportation, and they walked out into a room that had carvings of men throwing a ball through a hoop, much like the hoops in that room. They opened a door, and saw a dozen little beings, a cross between a norker and an earth elemental, with red skin making plates. They wisely shoved some stone rubble up against the door, then awaited the onslaught as the little guys battered open the door.

This is a norker from the Fiend Folio.
The hellshots look a lot like them, but naked.

One by one, the little buggers shot out into the room, slamming their bodies into their foes for their first strike, then fighting with their little spears. Yémos buffed both Mayhem and Anêr with Shield, and they fought six of them before the others shut the door.

Notes

The fight against the norker/earth elementals—"hellshots" is my name—was more of a comedy of errors at the end. Mayhem and Anêr did take out the first few fast, and the others got wise and shut the door, but after they did so, there was a series of critical misses and critical failures on defense rolls on all sides. Caleb kept failing his Lend Energy roll to give Yémos a lone Fatigue Point. The last guy held out until we broke to leave, and we agreed to have him die anyways, since he didn't do too much damage.

I'm starting to want to learn a few better tactics, since swarms of goblin-like beasties gets repetitive. At this point level, the players can't take them out fast.

I gave out 5 character points for the last two sessions together.

Hellshot

This looks like a cross between a norker and an earth elemental. It is about four feet tall, with its red skin making plates.

ST: 6	HP: 9	Speed: 6.00
DX: 13	Will: 16	Move: 6
IQ: 8	Per: 13	Weight: 180 lbs.
HT: 11	FP: 11	SM: -1
Dodge: 9	Parry: 10	DR: 4

Slam (14): 1d crushing. Reach C.

Spear (14): 1d-1 impaling. Reach 1, 2.

Traits: Berserk (12); Enhanced Move 1 (Ground Speed 12); High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Indomitable; Infravision; Social Stigma (Infernal).

Skills: Brawling-14, Spear-14.

Class: Demon.

Notes: Unwilling to negotiate. Truly evil. It will try to slam (All-Out Attack (Strong) giving +2 damage) with its first move, and make as many All-Out Attacks (Strong, mostly) as it can. Notable equipment includes:

• Cheap Spear (SM -1), $10, 2.6 lbs.