"No, I don't think any of us would make it down the hallway. See those red crystals? Something tells me they are an alarm system of sorts. I suspect that if anything, at least anything large, enters this hallway, those ballistae down there will activate. They even have legs under them like they are some sort of construct. Rico, this is more your area than mine but I'm thinking we stay tucked around these corners here and then lean out and shoot arrows at the crystals. My guess is that if we shatter the crystals the light will fade. Once the light goes away we can try sneaking past the ballistae. What do you think, Rico?"
Rico considers the plan, going over what she knows of magical warning systems and constructs.
Arcana 10 (nat 2)
"Hmm, I'm not sure if that would work or not. Maybe I can destroy the ballistas from here. but that might also provoke an attack. Still with this elaborative a guard system, there must be something worthwhile behind that door."
"Yeah, that is what I am thinking. Sure does have me curious."
OOC: Preyfire, how far away are we from the Dead Eyes post and what do I think the odds are of them hearing us if we start pinging arrows off the walls or breaking these crystals? Taking a guess that SURVIVAL may apply here, roll of 25 on a Nat 20. If something else is a better fit, I'll go with your roll.
[The party is next door to the watchpost (see image), so it's safe to say that they would hear if the party started destroying structures here.]
Pisgah can easily estimate that violent destruction of the crystals (of which there are 12, distributed along the room) would be audible in the adjacent room. However, he can also see that they have been mounted by hand, using metal fixtures. They could be loosened with much less noise with an appropriate tool (for example: tinker's tools, thieves' tools, stonemason's tools).
Rico knows that one of the basics of constructs is that they often don't require sight to see, but their detection range may be limited.
The ceiling is 20 feet high. Six of the crystals are on the ceiling, six along the walls. The crystals along the walls can be reached by any party member. They're fairly evenly spaced, one approximately every 15 feet (alternating between wall, ceiling, wall, ceiling, and so forth)
and the first of the crystals is on the wall, correct? assuming that is correct....
"Rico, can you try loosen the first crystal on the wall with a tool of some sort?" Pulling the shield around to his back, Pisgah takes his Thieve's Tools from his pouch and begins to climb the wall to the ceiling. "Once you remove the first crystal, I will walk along to the second and try to remove it without making a noise."
Once Rico removes the first crystal, SoH roll 4 + 2 from Korombos charm for 6 total....
[Since you're already to loosen them without violent means, the likelihood that a mishap can be heard in the other room is already low, slight of hand or tool proficiency is DC 5.] [And yes, the first crystal in the sequence is on the wall.]
Rico says, "Sure, I can do that." She has Steel go in front of her to act as a mobile shield in case the trap triggers approaching the first stone. From behind Steel, Rico uses her thieves tools to remove the gem from the wall. rico
Pisgah, Rico and Canti go to work, removing the first three crystal stones, all in all moving about 45 feet into the hallway. The ballistae at the other end don't seem to mind, standing there motionless.
The crystal stones weight a tenth of a pound each and are quite rough to the touch, not looking particularly valuable. They immediately stop emitting light once removed from the fixtures.
"Maybe. My theory is that these lights may serve as some kind of warning system for the ballistae. As long as we keep stealthy and remove the crystals we may be able to get past them without taking damage"
Pisgah removes the fourth crystal with ease and in total silence, having now moved about 60 feet into the room. From his position, he notices something on the ground, just a few feet ahead of him. A large splatter of blood, long dried and barely visible against the red light bathing the room, but obvious enough when seen from above. No sign of a body.
[Survival: 16]: It's obvious to Pisgah that a creature must have been hit by something large originating from a western direction with tremendous force. The point of impact is about 120 feet away from the ballistae, just a few feet ahead of where the barbarian is.
"No, I don't think any of us would make it down the hallway. See those red crystals? Something tells me they are an alarm system of sorts. I suspect that if anything, at least anything large, enters this hallway, those ballistae down there will activate. They even have legs under them like they are some sort of construct. Rico, this is more your area than mine but I'm thinking we stay tucked around these corners here and then lean out and shoot arrows at the crystals. My guess is that if we shatter the crystals the light will fade. Once the light goes away we can try sneaking past the ballistae. What do you think, Rico?"
Rico considers the plan, going over what she knows of magical warning systems and constructs.
Arcana 10 (nat 2)
"Hmm, I'm not sure if that would work or not. Maybe I can destroy the ballistas from here. but that might also provoke an attack. Still with this elaborative a guard system, there must be something worthwhile behind that door."
"Yeah, that is what I am thinking. Sure does have me curious."
OOC: Preyfire, how far away are we from the Dead Eyes post and what do I think the odds are of them hearing us if we start pinging arrows off the walls or breaking these crystals? Taking a guess that SURVIVAL may apply here, roll of 25 on a Nat 20. If something else is a better fit, I'll go with your roll.
[also, how many crystals are there, like 2 or 200?]
[it looks like 10 based on the red circles]
[The party is next door to the watchpost (see image), so it's safe to say that they would hear if the party started destroying structures here.]
Pisgah can easily estimate that violent destruction of the crystals (of which there are 12, distributed along the room) would be audible in the adjacent room. However, he can also see that they have been mounted by hand, using metal fixtures. They could be loosened with much less noise with an appropriate tool (for example: tinker's tools, thieves' tools, stonemason's tools).
Rico knows that one of the basics of constructs is that they often don't require sight to see, but their detection range may be limited.
How high is the ceiling and how many of the crystals are on the ceiling as opposed to the walls?
The ceiling is 20 feet high. Six of the crystals are on the ceiling, six along the walls. The crystals along the walls can be reached by any party member. They're fairly evenly spaced, one approximately every 15 feet (alternating between wall, ceiling, wall, ceiling, and so forth)
and the first of the crystals is on the wall, correct? assuming that is correct....
"Rico, can you try loosen the first crystal on the wall with a tool of some sort?" Pulling the shield around to his back, Pisgah takes his Thieve's Tools from his pouch and begins to climb the wall to the ceiling. "Once you remove the first crystal, I will walk along to the second and try to remove it without making a noise."
Once Rico removes the first crystal, SoH roll 4 + 2 from Korombos charm for 6 total....
ArdneK also has thieves tools and high dexterity, so he can try, or at the least help Rico.
[Since you're already to loosen them without violent means, the likelihood that a mishap can be heard in the other room is already low, slight of hand or tool proficiency is DC 5.]
[And yes, the first crystal in the sequence is on the wall.]
Rico says, "Sure, I can do that." She has Steel go in front of her to act as a mobile shield in case the trap triggers approaching the first stone. From behind Steel, Rico uses her thieves tools to remove the gem from the wall. rico
Thieves Tools: 8 (nat 1)
Canti's got tinkers tools as well.
DEX + proficiency, right? That's 17 + 3 for an unnatural 20.
Pisgah, Rico and Canti go to work, removing the first three crystal stones, all in all moving about 45 feet into the hallway. The ballistae at the other end don't seem to mind, standing there motionless.
The crystal stones weight a tenth of a pound each and are quite rough to the touch, not looking particularly valuable. They immediately stop emitting light once removed from the fixtures.
Canti wonders aloud, "Is this accomplishing anything?"
"Maybe. My theory is that these lights may serve as some kind of warning system for the ballistae. As long as we keep stealthy and remove the crystals we may be able to get past them without taking damage"
Pisgah will move to the next crystal on the ceiling once the wall crystals leading to it are cleared.
STEALTH roll of 20
SoH roll of 20
Pisgah removes the fourth crystal with ease and in total silence, having now moved about 60 feet into the room. From his position, he notices something on the ground, just a few feet ahead of him. A large splatter of blood, long dried and barely visible against the red light bathing the room, but obvious enough when seen from above. No sign of a body.
[Survival: 16]: It's obvious to Pisgah that a creature must have been hit by something large originating from a western direction with tremendous force. The point of impact is about 120 feet away from the ballistae, just a few feet ahead of where the barbarian is.
Pisgah alerts the group that there is signs someone or something was killed and points to the spot ahead.
How far past the blood stain is the next crystal? Is it on the wall or ceiling?
It's along the wall, about 10 feet past the blood stain.