Saturday, June 26, 2021

Game log 20 June 2021: Charlie Brown is a Blockhead

Dramatis personae

Angelista, slayer
Poklov, Town Watchdwarf
Felcanis, cleric
Honsou, bowman watched by the Town Watchdwarf

Quid occurrit

After twenty minutes of rest and some Lend Energy on Poklov, the heroes start off. Moving back into the workshop, they see some scurrying in the darkness: four centipedes as big as men. Honsou aims at a centipede in the back, Felcanis holds her ground, and Poklov moves towards the centipedes. Angelista chucks a javelin at a centipede, but misses.

One centipede steps forward and tries to bite Poklov, but he swats it away with his axe. Another makes a mad run towards Honsou, who steps out of the way. A third rushes forward and bites Felcanis, who takes a bite. She feels a bit numb as its poison runs through her body. The last one tries to rush forward and bite Angelista, but misses. Honsou gets off a shot at the centipede at which had been aiming, but his arrow glances off its chitinous plate. Poklov chops twice at the one that rushed towards Angelista, hitting once. Angelista pulls out her sword and hits the same one as Poklov.

A centipede lurches at Honsou to bite him, but he steps back. Likewise, another tries to bite Poklov, but his bite catches the edge of his shield. Felcanis dodges a bite from a third centipede, while Angelista blocks a fourth's. Honsou puts his bow into his offhand, pulls out his knife, and steps behind Felcanis. Poklov twice smacks a centipede with his axe, and it slips and falls. Angelista hits the same centipede from behind, taking it out. Felcanis steps and casts Armor 2 on Angelista.

Honsou steps away from a centipede bite, while another one tries to bite Angelista but she likewise dodges. She sees that the dust around the centipede shirks away from it, which she thinks means it is demonic. Felcanis steps away from a biting centipede, while another centipede ducks away from Honsou's swing of his long knife. Poklov steps behind the demonic centipede and tries to hit it in the head, but instead nicks its shoulder. Angelista doesn't even get a nick to its shoulder when she thrusts with her sword.

The centipede near Honsou misses him with its bite, while Angelista steps away from the bite of the demonic centipede. Felcanis also ducks the bite of the last centipede. Honsou taps the centipede that tried to bite Felcanis. It doesn't get through its plate, but it slips and falls. Poklov hits the demonic centipede twice, while Angelista nicks it, but it slips and falls trying to get out of her way.

Honsou cannot get out of the way of the centipede trying to bite him, but its bite doesn't get through his armor. The demonic centipede tries to bite Angelista while on its belly, but cannot reach her. The last centipede tries to bite Felcanis, but misses. Honsou gives the centipede by him a small gash, while Poklov smacks the demonic centipede in the head then steps away. The centipede slumps, dead, and not only does Angelista think the demonic spirit is gone, but its clear to everyone that its brain fluid is seeping out. Angelista rushes to help Honsou, but misses when she reaches the centipede.

Felcanis and Honsou both get away from centipede bites. Honsou tries smacking one on the head, but can't get through the plate. Poklov hustles to get to the two living centipedes, while Angelista nicks a centipede in the back of the head. Felcanis smacks the body of the centipede nearest her. It tries to bite her back, but misses. However, the centipede fighting Honsou gets through his armor, and its poison numbs him. Honsou's knife can't get through its chitin as he tries to fight back.

Poklov at last gets to a centipede, and he swings his axe twice at its body, not hurting it much. Angelista brings her sword down on the standing centipede's skull, and it falls from her blow, though somehow still looks up at her. Felcanis again bangs on the centipede's chitin, while the two centipedes bite at Honsou and her for nothing. Honsou nicks the centipede with his knife, which is more than Poklov gets with his axe.

Angelista once again puts all her might on a blow to the centipede's skull, splitting it fully open, and getting loads of dire monstrous centipede brain on her sword. Felcanis gives the last centipede a smack, then gets out of the way when it tries to bite her back. Honsou can't get his knife through the centipede, but Poklov knocks it out with an axe blow to the skull.

Though Felcanis doesn't know much about the poison and nobody can help her, she does clean herself and Honsou of it after casting Neutralize Poison thrice. They rest for most of an hour, and once again start to get out. Honsou gets the door on the other side of the room open after seeing it is safe to do so, and they see that they are down the hallway from where they had been before going into the room with the cages.

Since to the right is down the hall whence they came, they go left, and almost right away there is a heavy ironbound door. Honsou checks out the door for traps and noise, but cannot unlock it; it's too tricky. Thus, Poklov chops open the lock, drawing no heed from anyone else in the dungeon. He sharpens his axe, then go into the room.

In the middle of the room is a big, rotten table, and beyond it is a brass spittoon. They see no doors anywhere in the room. They start looking around. Honsou spots a split in the far wall beyond the table and spittoon, and sees that the corners of the left half of this wall are less dusty than the right. Angelista, looking for a way to open the wall, spits in the spittoon, and the spittoon now has spit in it. The spittoon is fulfilled in an inanimate way that someone has used it for its intended function and not spat nasty, unhealthy tobacco into it, but nothing happens with the walls. At long last, Honsou thinks to press the corners of the left half of the wall, so he and Poklov do so at the same time. The wall opens.

Beyond the wall is a hallway, going left and straight ahead. They can see that straight ahead the hallway forks, and to the left it turns. It goes down, but it's not a stairs, just a downgrade. They backtrack and go right, past a stairway going down, into a room. In the middle of the room is a potter's wheel, crusted over with clay. After being unable to see what the old potter's wheel does, they go back to the secret door and go right.

The hallway takes a left turn, which they take. They walk down the hallway, and find some kind of oily flow is dripping from the middle of the ceiling in this area of the hallway. There is a shallow trough worn down the middle of the hallway, and the flow trickles along it for about fifteen feet before ending in a crack in the floor. Angelista checks it out, and the fluid is not something she's seen before. It has a grainy quality, not a smooth fluid. It doesn't seem natural.

At the end of this long hallway is a door. Honsou checks out the door and easily opens its cheap lock. He opens the door into what looks like an old sitting room, from the rotten carpet. The next room beyond still has a four-poster bed. At the edge of the room beyond the bed is a wardrobe.

Felcanis fiddles with the wardrobe. She finds nothing special about it other than that it's closed, so she opens it. She hears a din above, and steps out of the way of the big wooden block that falls. Angelista pulls Felcanis aside, and Honsou checks out the wardrobe, finding it otherwise untrapped and empty.

Angelista scratches her head. "Why would anyone trap an empty wardrobe?"

Monday, June 21, 2021

Game log for 6 June 2021: Like a shot out of hell

Dramatis personae

Angelista, slayer
Poklov, Town Watchdwarf
Felcanis, cleric
Honsou, bowman watched by the Town Watchdwarf

Quid occurrit

They rest up, Felcanis casting Lend Energy on Angelista to help her rest better. After a few minutes, Poklov hears some footsteps to the south. Honsou and Angelista get down behind a pews, while Poklov gets near the way in. A few seconds later four hellshots rush into the room.

Honsou aims at a hellshot, and the hellshots rush into the room. The hellshot at whom Honsou is aiming slams into Poklov and jars his shield out of his hand, though it is still strapped to his arm, but doesn't knock him over. Angelista lobs her spear at the hellshots but misses, and whips out her sword. Poklov gets his hand back on his grip, and Felcanis casts Armor 2 on Angelista. Honsou switches to aiming at a nearer hellshot.

Two hellshots attack Poklov, but he blocks and parries their blows. Two more go after Felcanis and Angelista, but they parry and block their blows, respectively. Poklov cuts off the leg of a hellshot, and Felcanis steps back and stands ready to fend off blows. Honsou runs around the hellshots and shoots one, but it doesn't get through its skin.

The little guy on the ground tries to stab Poklov on the leg, but he blocks it, and the one still standing tries to stab him, but Poklov parries it. Angelista cannot block a spear stab from the hellshot on her, so a poke gets through, and the one who tries to hit Felcanis breaks its spear. Angelista rushes to get behind the hellshot on Felcanis, but she misses its neck. Poklov whacks the standing hellshot.

Honsou again shoots a hellshot, but cannot get through its skin. One hellshot cannot get its spear through Poklov's armor, while the one on the ground cannot even hit his leg. The hellshot whose spear broke tries to grab Angelista but misses, and the other one tries to slam her but she steps back. Poklov gets out of the way. Angelista misses her own sword swing, but Felcanis bashes it on the head. Angelista raises an eyebrow and smiles when she sees the cleric whack something from behind for the first time since she's met her.

However, the hellshot just gets madder. Honsou shoots one with a bodkin arrow in its innards. One on the ground tries to hit Poklov in the leg but misses, and one by Felcanis misses her. One hits Angelista. It doesn't get through her armor, but she loses her grip on her shield and drops her sword. Felcanis misses as she tries to hit back. Poklov keeps hustling to the others.

Honsou reloads his bow, and steps away from a hellshot trying to stick its spear into him. Another hits Felcanis; she wobbles, but doesn't fall down. Angelista grabs her sword, and Poklov cuts down a hellshot. Honsou gets off a shot, and takes down a hellshot, and Angelista cuts down a hellshot as well. Angelista does a blow to the back of head of the last hellshot, taking it down.

Poklov binds Felcanis's wounds, and she drinks a potion of Major Healing. After a few more minutes and a Lend Energy on Poklov, six more hellshots show up from the south.

Honsou aims, and Poklov swings and misses at a hellshot as they go into the room. Angelista tells Felcanis to step back and lobs her spear at a hellshot, but she misses. She pulls out her sword right afterwards, and Felcanis casts Armor 2 on her. Honsou hits the lead hellshot with an arrow, but it splinters on its skin. The hellshot turns around and tries to hit with its spear Poklov but he blocks; the next one tries to do the same but Poklov parries. A third tries slam into Poklov but he steps back, and another tries to slam into Angelista but she blocks.

Poklov takes down a hellshot by hitting it in the leg, and Angelista smacks another with her sword. It stays up, but gets mad. Honsou shoots one, and it likewise gets mad from the hurt. One of the hellshots on Poklov stabs with its spear, but Poklov blocks it; another hits him on his armor, making him drop his axe and lose the grip on his shield from the shock. One on Angelista tries to hit her but misses, while his friend stands behind her between two pews, waiting for his buddy to drop. Some friend. One grabs his spear, and another tries to hit Poklov, who parries.

Poklov puts his axe on the skull of a hellshot, but it glances off, and Angelista misses as she tries to stab a hellshot with her sword. Felcanis tries to cast Light at the end of a pew, but the spell doesn't go off. Honsou reloads. A hellshot stabs Poklov, but cannot get through his armor; the guy on the ground's stab meets Poklov's axe. The one by Angelista falls from its wounds, while the hellshot behind it steps and stabs at Angelista, who blocks.

The hellshot on the ground gets to its knees, while one by Poklov stabs at him, but he steps away. Poklov smacks a hellshot with his axe on his axe, knocking it down. Angelista stabs a hellshot in the innards, making it mad. Honsou shoots one, hurting it a little. The hellshot to Poklov's left stabs him, but Poklov blocks the blow. Likewise, the one by Angelista tries the same to her, but meets the same end. The kneeling hellshot makes it to its feet, while another passes out.

Poklov smacks a hellshot with his axe and Angelista whacks one on the neck, but they stay standing. Honsou fumbles as he tries to get out his knife. One hellshot misses Angelista, another's spear can't get through Poklov's armor, and a third misses Felcanis with a slam as she steps back.

An angry Angelista screams, "That's my cleric!" as she rushes behind the hellshot to try to hit it. Poklov sticks with the one by him, and scratches it through its skull. Honsou reloads, and the hellshot down between pews kneels. The one between Felcanis and Angelista turns to stab Angelista, but its spear can't get through her armor. Likewise, the hellshot nearest Poklov can't get its spear through his armor.

Poklov gives that hellshot a good whack, while Angelista takes off the arm of the hellshot near her. Felcanis gives it a bop on the head, and Honsou shoots one, but cannot get through its tough skin. The one between the pews gets on its feet, while the one by Poklov can't get its spear through his armor. The one on Angelista tries to slam into her, but it can't do much to her. Angelista takes care of the hellshot's other arm with a comeback swing, but Felcanis can't get her mace through its skull. Honsou gets out an arrow.

One hellshot goes for a seam in Poklov's leg armor, but cannot hit. Another tries to stab Angelista, but she steps back. The armless one tries to slam into Felcanis, but she swats it back with her mace. Poklov hits the nearby hellshot, and Angelista tries to cut off the arm of the other hellshot near her, but misses. Felcanis bops the armless hellshot with her mace, and Honsou gets off a shot at a hellshot, doing a little hurt.

A hellshot by Poklov again tries to stick its spear into the chink in his leg armor, and again misses. The hellshot on Angelista misses, and breaks its spear. The armless hellshot again tries to head-butt Felcanis, but it doesn't begin to hurt her. Poklov takes down the hellshot by him with a last swat of his axe, and Angelista gets another cut on the hellshot by her. Felcanis smashes her mace on the armless hellshot's kneecap, and Honsou gets out an arrow.

The hellshot on Angelista tries to slam her, and again she gets out of the way. The armless hellshot again tries to put its head into Felcanis's belly, which again does nothing. Angelista dances out from the slam as she leaps back in slashing at his neck, giving it a bigger gash. Felcanis again bops the armless hellshot on the head, Honsou gets off a shot that doesn't go through, while Poklov moves towards the fray.

Once again Angelista steps away from the hellshot's slam, while Poklov jumps onto the pew and tries to slash at the hellshot, but misses. Angelista likewise misses with her slash to the neck, but Honsou runs around and shoots it in the back.

From then on, the two hellshots kept fighting, but Angelista and Poklov put them down after a few more seconds.

Res aliae

Hellshot
The hellshots are nothing special. I might as well share them:

Hellshots look like a cross between a norker and an earth elemental. One is about four feet tall, with its
red skin making plates. On their first strike, one slams into its foes, then it fights with its spear.

ST: 6
HP: 9Speed: 6.25
DX: 13
Will: 14Move: 6
IQ: 8
Per: 14Weight: 80 lbs.
HT: 12FP: 12SM: -1
Dodge: 9
Parry: 10DR: 4

Grapple (13): 1d-4 control points. CM 6. Reach C.
Slam (14): 1d crushing. Reach C.
Spear (15): 1d-2 impaling. Reach 1. +1 damage and Reach if used two-handed.

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-15.
Class: Demon (Corporeal Demon).
Combat Effectiveness Rating: 37 (18 OR and 19 PR).
Notes: Unwilling to negotiate. Truly evil. It will try to slam 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.

Castle Whiterock log for 7 June 2021: Blah, blah, blah

The murderhoboes

Garreth, half-orc swordsman
    Bleu, droning elf wizard
Zaber, suave and debonaire man
    Logan, wolverine
Thrognar, half-orc holy warrior
Stonemaul, half-orc holy warrior
Mikal, human holy warrior
Polly, cute and deadly elf archer

What they did

After Val's touching funeral, we're at the Slumbering Drake: Thrognar, Stonemaul, Polly, Garreth, Bleu, Logan, and I. Thrognar has found epic plate with Fortify 2 and Lighten 25%. He shows it off to us; it fits like a glove and he has polished it to a mirror-like sheen. Polly says, "Oh, hey, Thrognar, cool armor. That's even more like Garreth."

I tell the others about the teachings of the book, how it has given me wisdom. No, guys, this is not telling me to stop drinking. Well, it did, but I skipped those parts.

Anyways, I ask Garreth, "So G, about that time when we were with Seep and she had us dragging that … Garreth? Where the hell did you go?" I lean over to Logan. "Logan, see if you can find Garreth. He seems to have sobered up again."

Logan spots brings me a man who isn't Garreth but who is similar to Garreth in a walking mass of armor kind of way. I ask him, "Oh, hey there, you know Garreth?"

The armored stranger shakes his head. "I don't know a Garreth."

Polly says, "Oh! Garreth is like Thrognar but even bigger and even greener!"

I shrug. "Well, it doesn't matter, since he's not here and we need help smashing skulls to liberate kegs."

The armored stranger asks, "Who are the kegs?"

What a silly question. "I don't care whose they are, I just need to free all of them. I shall be the master of the kegs in Whiterock."

The armored stranger points at a keg. "There is a keg of water over there, perhaps that one would be a good target to start."

I ask, "Can you cast 'water to whiskey'?"

The armored stranger says, "No, But I know how to cast Sot to Sober. The ritual goes something like this: Drink the water, wash with the rest of it, repeat until done."

Thrognar leans over to the armored stranger. "He's much more effective this way, I assure you. Fight like you train after all."

I blink before belching. "Yeah! Those suckers who train should do so as they are!"

Polly pipes up, "He doesn't like hard carrot juice, though."

Ibizaber grins. "For you, Polly, I'll drink it."

We find that the armored stranger is named Mikal. Mikal tells us his tale:

After the funeral, the local priest of Justicia came to Mikal. "Brother Mikal, Justicia has called upon you to carry the glorious fight to the enemy which is in need of smiting."

Mikal said, "Excellent, the smiting will commence when these worthies are prepared to return into the deep."

The priest said, "Brother Maul and Brother Thrognar carry blessings against the enemy, but you must also accompany Ibizaber, for while he is slothful and drunkardly, it is he who has struck the most mortal blows upon evil. You can find him and his companions at the Slumbering Drake." He then cast Bless 2 on Mikal.

I take back everything nice I said about that damn priest.

So, Garreth being elsewhere, we take Mikal with us to Whiterock. We go back in. The tunnel twists before opening into a large hollow. One of the walls has been smoothed and bedecked with a painted mural showing a great church whose spire reaches into the sky, past spinning spheres and falling comets, eventually reaching a realm of golden light and smiling, beatific faces.

A comely female elf dressed in a mix of courtly gowns and metal armor looks at the mural. Her eyes lack irises, her long, wild hair hangs down her back, tumbling over her blue-tinged shoulder. 

Garreth shows up as soon as F'thirya says, "Ah, so you are not all having met your demises I see, we meet again."

Garreth says, "There was the poor wizard who got spider squashed. Did you know about the spider?"

F'thirya says, "Verily didst I warn you of the foul Bebelith, yes."

Hold on, what? I'm a little bothered. "You knew about that? We could have saved Val if you told us."

F'thirya says, "I did tell you about it, do I not speak in the common tongue? Do you not have ears?"

I reach up to make sure I still have his ears. I still do.

Thrognar says, "Mayhap we didn't heed her warnings."

She says, "I said, 'Anon and thusly (pointing generally NW) lieth a grave predator of demon-kind, though it will sup on any’s savor. Watch thy step there, else the great spider cracketh thine bones, but pass through its demesne thee must to approach foul Balfosa.'"

I blush, and Garreth sighs.

F'thirya changes the topic. "This room is a place that brings comfort and rest in this fell realm."

I grin. "So this is like a party room?"

Garreth blinks at me. "You know she's not … never mind. I guess you'll figure it out."

F'thirya, however, says, "Sure bring any good part stuff? Verily it is true to the spirit of Chaotic Good to have righteous parties"

Thrognar says, "Maybe we save the party for after we've sanctified the place? At the very least, we can rest here." Party pooper.

F'thirya agrees, "Maybe you can bring elven cookies as well as the heads of the unholy."

Garreth asks for suggestions. F'thirya says, "May some day you must test thy might against that of the dread Balfosa, though thou mayest wish to strike down the lesser among the unholy before you do strive against that foe. Make thy path to the West from here, and you may strive against a foe dark both with Order and Evil." She and Mikal also warn him about the risk of dealing with wishes from demons. He shrugs, and drinks a whole flask of my whiskey.

I hold it upside down, and a single drop falls out of it. "Damn." I put away the empty flask, put on my ring, and scout at Garreth's behest. I start poking around to the west, and not far away, I see a nine-foot-tall winged horror with great horns and a blackened scaly hide, wielding a giant staff.

The usual for down here.

I step back down the tunnel and take off my ring. Polly asks, "What's up, Zaber? Why we stopping?"

I tell her the truth. "There's a big guy with horns and wings and scales and a big staff." I look at her for a moment. "I'm pretty sure it's not Nature, Polly, so please don't go there." I put back on my ring, Garreth asks Bleu to cast a bunch of Dark Vision spells, and he and Thrognar start meditating.

Thrognar bursts out from his meditation and rushes towards the demon, and hits. Its hide and skull are thick, and an aura wards it, but Thrognar's penetrating silvered blade cleaves in. He nearly scalps it, leaving a hideous wound, though to be fair it was already pretty ugly. Now on the ground, he keeps carving it up.

The demon bursts. Demonic bits and screeching plagues of red devouring swarms spray all over.

From there, we all start chopping away at the swarms. The bugs come near to taking me down, but I get out and let the others do their work. Mikal hits a swarm with Sunbolt, Logan keeps clawing at the bugs, Polly shoots them for reasons I cannot fathom, and the others go after the bugs in a flurry of sword blows. After a few seconds, they are all gone.

Logan and I take some glugs from the wineskin of healing, and the others cast healing spells. After some poking around, I find a staff. We bring it back to the party room, and Ms. Blah starts talking about it. "Oh yes, this is a Striking Staff. It is often used by certain sects of monks as it is a useful tool on pilgrimages but allows the wielder to defend themselves. It multiplies the force of blows so may send those which are struck tumbled hither and yon, as described by Morris Mothwick in 'Among the Inthriki' …."

Logan licks my face after what seems like forever, but I was asleep only a few minutes.

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Updated monster list

I play tomorrow, but I updated my monsters list. Random notes:

Sources: I added a few new ones from "The Demonic Temple of Felltower" in Pyramid #4/1: Fantasy/Magic I and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 5: Demons, as well as some from "The Magic Desert" in Pyramid #3/38: Natural Magic. The latter required me to add Classes to them; most were obvious. I also modified the page numbers to handle the new run of Pyramid.

Class: I added the subclasses for Demons from DFM5.

Number Appearing: I have separate entries for number in Lair and number Roaming. Rolls are simplified for these and for treasure, so you never have to roll more than 4d6. This does mean you are taking tenfold a die roll more often, so adding or subtracting a monster from a group won't matter a whit.

Light?: A new column showing monsters would address darkness. Many of these have no entry even though I think the designer intended them to work in darkness, so be warned. For some I listed Magery. I figure that if an elf down in a dungeon didn't learn the Light spell and isn't carrying a torch he's dead anyways. If you're designing a dungeon, it helps to know that ogres do need some torches but orcs don't.

Hit Location: The hit location table from GURPS Basic Set: Campaigns or GURPS Template Toolkit 2: Races. Not only is this to speed looking this up, it's also a shorthand to describe monsters. "Hamarskel" isn't an obvious name for a monster (picking one at random), but it's an Animal that's a SM +4 Quadruped, which gives me a little better way of imagining it before I look it up. (I didn't take Icelandic. Sorry. Yes, I checked and know it's basically a stegosaurus.)