And we're live, back from the crazy awesome chaos of #GenCon50! Travis and Laura are on the way.
Next week: Sam DMs for Liam, Brian, Mary Elizabeth, Ashley Burch, and Eric Bauza!
Liam channels Laura: Check out stuff that is probably on the store.
Congrats to @GreenRoninPub, Matt, and @jamesjhaeck once again for the amazing initial release of the campaign guide! We're equally excited for the upcoming art book and comic books!
#CrawlingIntoTheMountainsButt
"Let me tell you what I had for lunch today." "We're basically doing an episode of @ZeroTimeToPlay right now."
Enough stalling. Rolling that intro.
We return to Liam successfully breaking everyone.
Last Time
Last time: Vecna rose, VM gathered resources, joined forces via council meetle, rode dragon to giant resurrected titan.
The undead titan has Thar Amphala sitting on its shoulders. The party sent the distraction force against the Gloomstalkers.
Kiki kept the flow of a river coming from the titan at bay so the party could enter. We begin just inside the titan.
And we have the rest of the party! Sam suggests we do the announcement again.
"What did he say?" "He didn't say anything, but he did a great impression of you."
Inside the Titan
The river is knee-deep, but a slip could mean being forced out of the titan. The party ventures deeper with Kiki holding water
Marching order: Vax, Keyleth, Vex, Scanlan, Pike, Percy, Grog.
Trinket is out with Vex, as well.
Dust releases from the surrounding tunnel with each step by the creature. Vax takes a slow approach.
Kiki and Percy check the tunnels' construction. 4 and 9: mostly natural, though there were steps into here.
Grog tests to see if the Knuckles have any effect on the titan via touch. No, just a perpetual vibration by proximity.
Vax leads (27 investigation). Occasionally there are bits of loose earth: this was a staircase, which was knocked down.
There are occasional symbols in the hall, but not traps or triggers. Languages are inquired. Grog can read bits of Dwarven. Grog tries to sound out the dwarven words. 2-3 mins later, it looks like a warning of some sort. "Leave. Death here. No further."
Scanlan suggests they leave Trinket so he doesn't die. Vex considers the necklace.
Rushing water grows louder. There is a rift in the ceiling where a water source is pouring out.
The party moves around the water source, past where it pours. The path further up is drive. Kiki checks the water source.
Vex uses Primeval Awareness to sense MANY undead. Thousands, within a mile. Nothing in immediate vicinity.
Kiki's 17 tells that the damage below the reservoir is natural damage. Parts are going to crumble as it keeps going.
Vex suggests taking out a significant portion of the titan. Scanlan points out they are still INSIDE IT.
Pike says that she did prepare Earthquake. (Liam will run Pike stats, Laura will run Pike impression.)
The next step forces everyone to brace themselves. Rocks fall. Another foot fall. Each step causes more internal stress.
A large crack sounds above the party. Percy (15), Pike (13), Scanlan (13), and Grog (Nat20) make dex saves.
Only Grog saves. Grog dodges. Pike, Scanlan, and Percy are buried, restrained, unable to breath, and take 29 damage. 5 mins later, rescued.
Lesson learned: travel quickly through the marching titan with the crumbing interior.
Dead, petrified trees rest inside an area where structure appears less prevalent.
Vax senses no undead within 60 ft. Scanlan healed 6 HP from a common healing potion.
Vax stealths ahead with PWT. 41. "That's an old number." "Seems new to me every time."
Vax sees nothing of interest. He gestures to the rest to follow. Scanlan thinks that means split up.
Percy suggests they go to the left, toward the core of the titan. Not to the right, where the butt is.
Combat: Earth Elementals
An explosion to the left of Percival reaches out, grabs him, and pulls Percy into the wall. Restrained and no air.
Rocks seem to be emerging from the walls, attempting to pull them into the walls. Kiki Transmutes Rock to grab Percy.
Kiki pulls Percy out, who is covered in mud. The walls shift in the darkness. Roll initiative.
"We're fighting walls!"
"That being the case, then, you're all clustered up here."
The creatures look like earth elementals or mini titans, but with vacuous darkness where their eyes are. Not undead, though.
Pike rolled a 1 on initiative. Kiki rolled an 8. Everyone else rolled fairly high.
Round 1
Percy starts blinded. He begins removing the mud from his eyes, self, and flashlight. Move, and that's his turn.
Kiki shares that thunder damage should be especially effective.
Grog rages and goes after Clayface. S***stain is apparently at the bottom of the stares. Sam... helps.
Grog deals 23 damage on first hit, 31 on second.
As a reaction, the creature grabs Grog's axe. Grog moves away, ripping the axe away but getting an AoO.
The creature deals 18/2=9 bludgeoning to Grog.
Vex HMs the biggest one. She attempts sharpshooter, but 19-5=14 doesn't deal damage. 16 misses on second shot, barely.
Sharpshooter was not invoked on second arrow. 21 hits for 16+5 lightning+15 SA+3 HM=39 damage.
Vax daggers. 20, Balls, and 20. Two hit. 36 and 2 damage +20 sharpshooter for one next to Keyleth.
Scanlan inspires Grog first. "Because I'm about to hit you." All Star.
Scanlan casts 3rd level Thunderwave. Con Saves for the creatures. Nat20 (save) and 5 (fail). They take double damage.
Both take 24 damage as they are slammed again the wall. Scanlan stays where he is. And now, their turn.
Kiki (12), Vex (Nat20), and Percy (20) make dex saves. The earth rises up, swallowing Kiki.
Scanlan take 16 and 17 bludgeoning damage. The creature vanishes into the wall. Scanlan gets an AoO, hitting with 27. 6 dmg.
Percy takes 16 and 15 bludgeoning. Vex takes 14 and 14 bludgeoning. They sink into the ground.
Percy gets an AoO. Crit!
Percy deals 16 damage to retreating creature. The latter vanishes into the wall.
The last creature focuses on Grog. 16/2=8, 12/2=6. Grog retaliates with Nat20. 52 damage.
Grog grabs one of the fists before splitting the creature down the middle with the axe. It takes the brunt, but still stands.
Kiki goes Earth Elemental. She goes underground. She can cast in Wild Shape now.
Earth!Kiki can cast Thunderwave without verbal or somatic components. Which she does.
32 thunder damage to two of the creatures.
The shockwave structurally damages the wall. Pike is up, who runs to Scanlan and Grog.
Pike lights up her mace, then holds a physical attack against the next appearing creature.
Round 2
Percy moves closer to Kiki, uses a Second Wind to heal 11, then holds attack for the next approaching creature.
Grog runs into position, and also holds his attack.
Vex gets away from the wall. Trinket approaches Grog. Vex is on broom.
Vex holds her action.
Vax Van Dammes to the ceiling to hide (27). Attack held.
Scanlan is ready to get out of here. He decides not to join the cluster of people. He turns invisible. They remind Sam (but not Scanlan) of tremorsense.
Scanlan casts Healing Word on himself before invisibility. 7 healed.
Earth!Kiki's 10-ft range grants her an AoO as one goes for the surface. 21 hits for 15 damage, below where no one can see.
The earth attempts to swallow Grog and Trinket. Trinket rolled a Nat1. Grog's 15 doesn't save either. Blinded and restrained.
Grog adds his inspiration for 18, which saves. "Now Trinket is all alone!"
Vex and Vax perceive the creature. Both of Vex's and Vax's attacks hit. 27 and 28 damage.
The twins destroy the elemental before it can attack. Another creature emerges toward Percy. Percy gets two attacks first.
Percy's 22, 24, and "definitely hits" deal 34 damage. It returns the blows with 11 damage to Percy.
Pike is forced to make a dex save. 7: she's swallowed up by the ground.
Another leaps out of the wall at Vex. First attack is Nat1, second is 15. Vex dodges easily.
(Magic happens on the set. Conjure Coffee is successful.)
Kiki senses Pike and Trinket. She attempts to seige-monstah Pike out, with adv. 22: no issue. Shoryuken with a gnome.
Kiki is holding Pike, who is still holding her action. Pike asks to be put on the ground. Kiki obliges.
Round 3
Top of Round 3. Percy takes shots at the creature swinging at Vex. 19, and the rest hit too.
Percy shatters the one attacking Vex with the first shot. Second one is still standing after taking the last two shots.
Grog recklessly Great Weapon Master attacks. 33 damage on first attack, 38 damage on second. The creature is bisected, and down.
Grog charges next to Percy. Vex moves HM to the next visible creature, attacking with sharpshooter. 20 for 42, hits for 29.
Vex downs the creature attacking her hubby, both arrows sinking into where its eyes were. Elemental down.
Vex listens for Trinket, but doesn't know where he is. She aims at the sound coming from the ground. Vax holds his turn.
Scanlan uses his climbing speed of 10 to climb a root. He holds Wand of Magic Missiles until he sees something.
Pike attacks the first emerging creature. Hits for 19 damage.
Pike finishes the last elemental for the #HDYWTDT! Asks for Grog to watch, he claims he can't see. She hits in the ghoulies.
The Pavilion
End of the encounter, Vex warns about the last elemental. Kiki goes over to it to get Trinket out. Vex makes a perception.
Vex stays her arrow as the claw emerges. Vax attempts to offer condolences to Scanlan that Trinket lives.
The next stride of the titan causes the tunnel to begin to collapse. Elemental Keyleth attempts to keep it up.
50 ft down the tunnel, it stops at a cylindrical chamber. In center, partially collapsed pavilion or temple.
Vax senses undead within the heart of the pavilion. Shattered glass covers the ground around the dwarven structure.
Vex tries to recall dwarven deities. Religion is up for grabs. The structure seems ceremonial, but its full intent is unknown.
Pike casts Guidance to assist her stealth roll. Kiki tries to sense stuff: nothing sensed.
Vax senses a single undead in the center of this structure.
The party thinks of ways to get Pike to the building as stealthily as possible.
The party debates if they are drawn by the lure of treasure or not. Totes drawn. Actions are readied. Vax investigates (20).
The door is partially buried. Runic carvings line the doorway. Signs of forced entry, like a crowbar.
Grog attempts to read the dwarvish. The party decides to take a short rest.
The Stalwart of the Mountain Secret. "His passing invites the madness."
VM is tempted by the Stalwart Warrior's secrets of the mountains. Pike and Vax go to investigate. STR check to open it. 16.
The door shifts barely with Vax and Pike pushing. Grog goes up and just slams the door. 17 attack, 20 damage. The door is severely cracked. Grog attacks it one more time, destroying it.
All around the ground are rocks and pieces of broken statues. Vax checks the boxes. Pike makes a religion check. Nothing.
The first box is not locked, but is trapped. Vax attempts to untrap it. Grog guides everyone out. 30: disarmed. And empty.
Vax investigates the second box: 29. Not locked, trapped. 27 unlocks it. Nothing inside.
Vax confirms to Vex that the boxes are empty. Vax looks at Box #5. 26: not locked, is trapped. Disarmed, empty.
Vax checks #3. Percy is very excited to watch this. 18: It is not trapped or locked. Opens... Oh, it was trapped.
Vax holds his breath as a poisonous spray blasts him with 8 damage. Box is empty.
Last box: 19. Not locked, not trapped. Vax throws Whisper at the wall as he opens the box. Teleport, poison spray misses him.
Vax reopens the box. The magic poison is reset. He takes the poison the second time (14 saves). 6 poison damage. Empty box.
"The gift was the adventure." It seems this place has already been looted. There is still a sarcophagus.
Scanlan inspects the door in the center of the room. There is a bronze engraving of an unhappy, armored dwarven individual.
There is an opening for a key. Scanlan checks for traps: 20. Vax gives his second opinion: lower than Scanlan.
A key is needed for this door. Vax rolls Nat20 (37) to pick the lock.
Percy is prepared for trouble. Kiki is outside.
With the 30 DC, Vax picks the lock of a sarcophagus of a king dwarf. The brass door pours out green fume in the full chamber.
Con saves for everyone in the chamber. Scanlan, Percy, and Pike all tighten, the outside of their bodies turning to stone.
Second Con Save required for Pike, Percy, and Scanlan. Kiki uses Gust to clear the chamber best she can.
Vax Blesses Pike before her second save. Scanlan sends a Greater Restoration to Pike, who is fine now.
Pike shrugs off the effect. Percy and Scanlan are now decorative statues. Greater Restoration from Pike and Kiki return them.
This stone gas trap will reset. When, Vax is unsure.
A single open marble sarcophagus with a mummified dwarf rests within. The skull reacts. Pike Turns Undead.
The undead king resists Pike's Turn Undead. Vax attacks: two attacks hit. 19 misses.
Vax deals 109 on his first attack. Pike goes for the hammer, but... The undead king is already down.
Scanlan investigates the floor, seeing two trapped plates. Vax checks the sarcophagus, finding nothing of interest.
The decorative bronze plate armor the body was wearing was destroyed. The jaw of the creature appears to be reforming...
The party rushes out with the king's hammer. Grog asks what they got. Scanlan's makes a 12 arcana check on it. Scanlan's 22 history confirms that the warhammer is adamantine.
Grog insists there is no such thing as too many hammers. He accepts it. It requires attunement to do special stuff.
There is also a belt. Scanlan has nothing on it. Percy looks it over: 23 tells him there are runes of an enchantment.
Percy decides to try the belt. "He wouldn't be buried with a *cursed* belt!"
The party celebrates the most fruitful detour before going back the way they came. Percy deattunes to his gloves.
Nothic
The party passes by more broken structures in the alternate path. Vax makes a Nat20 perception:
Something in the darkness. The voice's location is unknown, but Vax stealths ahead (30) to check it.
A portion of the road up ahead is under water. There is a creature hunched at the water's edge.
The creature is not undead, fiendish, or celestial. It is humanoid, with gray splotchy skin, armored plates and spines...
The claws tear into fleshy limbs. It has trinkets dangling... It senses something. Vax attacks with advantage.
All three hit. The cast makes fun of Vax for killing a friendly merchant as he rolls damage. (Not so friendly.)
The first dagger kills it in one shot, off the statue into the water. "You just killed an NPC."
"And it was holding a baby."
The creature was a nothic. Liam knows this, Vax does not.
Vax loots the creature. He find a brass key that probably would have opened the tomb. Also a tattered book, more stuff...
Vax returns to the party, who leads them back to the weird creature. By this point, Percy is attuned to the belt.
Percy has resistance to psychic, is immune to paralysis, petrification, and prone.
Vax offers a goo-covered spyglass to Percy. Percy accepts as long as it's cleaned first.
Scanlan attempts to see what the creature is. He doesn't know.
The party ventures in further. We begin the midbreak.
Mid-Break: Further Up, Further In
We're back! Laura also wants to remind us that Uncharted: The Lost Legacy came out.
Marvel Spider-Man also premiered. Laura's in it as Mary Jane.
And, back to the show. The party delves in deeper past the floating nothic corpse.
Vex sees 6 dwarven households that look like they could at least be entered. Do they look rich? Naw, in a hurry.
The tunnel continues, with stairs. They are covered in stone at intervals. The tunnel ends at a set of doors.
Two stone doors without any text, traps, handles, or locks impede progress. The twins investigate. 21 Vex, 18 Vax.
Grog is just waiting to be asked to deal with the doors. He is asked to PUSH, not destroy a door. 24 STR to push one.
Grog pushes the right door. Cracks form at the edge of the door. It pushes forward, breaking the thing holding in place.
The door falls like a domino. "They make them like they used to!" Grog looks inside. He smells rot and stale air.
The floor is covered in shattered rock and the occasional coin. Dust falls as the titan keeps walking.
Kiki checks for collapses or weak structure. 28: very well structured. This is a vault. Vex gasps.
Vex rolls 25 to sense wind. She senses air flow from the front and right. Vax's 18 senses no traps.
The party all walks into the chamber. The base of the wall shows scrapes and grooves, the remains from many, many absent coins
One of the piles of rags up ahead begins to twitch and shift. Vax issues a mini Jenga.
"Maybe you should kill it before it says anything to you."
Combat: Undead Trolls
Vax uses his last Divine Sense on the rag pile. It is undead. The rags rise up, showing an undead troll.
The undead troll's body fights between its natural regeneration and undead decomposition. It charges. Initiative.
Kiki's Nat1 puts her at the bottom of the init order.
Round 1
Percy goes first, aiming for the legs to trip it. 22 hits.
22 damage, and just saves against the strength save. Second shot also goes in the foot: 24 hits for 15 damage.
23 saves for the second try. Percy takes a third shot at the head. 25 hits for 14 damage. 18+8 does succeed the Con Save.
Vex casts HM on the one troll. The only troll. Nat1 misses. Nat2 also misses.
Trinket runs to the side.
Pike walks right up to the troll, slamming the mace into it. 23 hits for 28 damage "to the gooch."
Pike uses her bonus action to attack again. 23 hits for 17 damage.
Grog rages, then runs up into the doorway. The party argues that Grog attuned to the hammer. DM allows it. Grog swings the hammer: 6 hits GROG, who takes 23/2=11 damage.
Grog attacks a second time, recklessly, GWM. Nat20 deals 46 damage, cracking the troll's face. It falls... And stays there.
Vax holds his action. More undead trolls emerge, rushing for Keyleth. Vax sends the daggers: 25, 25. Both hit.
Vax deals 17 and 15 before dodging a first slash and uncannily dodging a slash for 17/2=8. Then, Nat20 bite.
Vax rolls a con save against the troll's bite. Scanlan rolls a cutting words against a troll attacking Keyleth. Attack misses.
The troll deals 14 slashing damage to Kiki, then bites for 8 damage. Con Save: 19.
The one Pike slaughtered slowly heals from its wounds. It slashes at Pike for 18 slashing, then misses with the bite.
Scanlan is next. He doesn't want to waste spells, so the sword comes out. 11 damage on attack. Scanlan shows his back.
Round 2
Percy fires at the one who came back. 32 hits for 17 damage. It should have gone down, but still stands.
Percy takes another shot. And another shot. Grit is burned as the creatures continue to save against the trick shots.
Vex tries sharpshooter again. First misses, second hits for 25 damage. It falls to the ground, unmoving.
Pike approaches to cast Turnt Undead. Wis Save required. They all fail. They scurred.
The trolls all panic, preparing to run. Grog comes up to go smashy pants. Nat20.
63 damage from Grog. The jaw rockets off. Second attack: 19, Nat8 (yay reverse math. Aka subtraction.)
19 hits Grog's AC. Grog takes 34/2=17 damage.
Grog uses a second wind to recover some of the lost health. Vax sprints in, daggers flying.
Vax deals 28 damage on the first attack, bringing another troll to the ground. Vax uses his second attack the troll again.
Trolls' turns. Despite being down and a dagger in its brain, it wakes up and claws at Vax and Scanlan. Scanlan get hit for 9.
The troll drags Scanlan to its mouth, 25 to hit for 5 dmg. Scanlan rolls 23 for the Con Save.
The one that was downed rises up, going to Pike. All three attacks miss the cleric.
One final troll is still scared. It dashes away.
Scanlan goes, stepping away from the troll. AoO: 15 hits. Scanlan takes 6 piercing, and rolls Nat20 on Con Save. Scanlan uses Wand of Fireball to smoke the troll. And everyone.
Pike, Vax, Grog, and two trolls are going to take the fireball.
Scanlan can choose between Grog and Trinket. He first chooses to save Trinket. But changes his mind.
Scanlan deals 40 fire damage. Pike takes 20, Trinket takes 40, Grog takes 40, and trolls are ash.
There is still the fleeing troll. The party considers leaving it to loot. Kiki chases after it. The troll is locked in corner.
Kiki "attempts" to calm the troll before casting fireball at it. (Two actions, because was skipped in past round.) 35 fire damage The troll is still alive. Kiki pulls out a Flame Blade as a bonus action.
Round 3
Percy dashes further into the vault. Vex fires arrows at the troll. 17 damage, 11 damage. Still standing.
The vault looks like it was tunneled into by the past raiders.
Pike chases after Kiki. Guiding Bolt: 12 radiant damage (combined with the previous fire damage) gets Pike the #HDYWTDT.
Back to the Blood Axe
There are 7 gold pieces, 2 silver pieces, and nothing else. Striking it rich.
Percy checks a chest. No traps detected. A grand total of 35 gold pieces are gathered.
The ceiling begins to collapse as the titan continues. Part of the chamber is cut off.
Scanlan doesn't want anyone to burn any more spells. Kiki looks at her options.
"Is the hammer called the Stop Hitting Yourself Hammer?" The curse has embedded itself in Grog.
Pike casts Greater Restoration. Grog finds he can now let go of the hammer. Grog leaves the hammer there.
Grog begins to reattune to the Blood Axe. Kiki makes a Nature check to check the effectiveness of Commune With Nature. Nature 25 tells her that Commune with Nature in this environment would tell her nothing.
As the party continues in the upward dungeon crawl, we call it for the night, to be continued in 2 weeks.
Next week, Sam DMs! Everyone else will be at Burning Man. Ignore the terrible advice, please.
