Levi will take a sample and look for more shadows, keeping scrolls of magic missile ready. While he's doing this, he'll also begin formulating a ritual to stop the symbol resonation.
Levi will take a sample and look for more shadows, keeping scrolls of magic missile ready. While he's doing this, he'll also begin formulating a ritual to stop the symbol resonation.
With enough successful arcana checks you devise a way to cast cantrips of two different schools of magic onto the transmutation symbol in such a way that the epic magic from the site is eventually reversed and balanced into just a neutral symbol.
You estimate the ritual will take 4 hours.
Before you can start, you spot another shadow, approaching as if attracted to the seeping trans magic residue. (another shadow)
Levi will send another barrage of magic missiles. 12 force damage. End turn.
You finish off the second shadow and you complete the ritual to return balance to the material plane in this transmutation spot. You have stopped the flow of trans magic into the material plane which was attracting plane-sensitive creatures like shadows.
Rewards 100 XP
* Report back to town your findings * Track the humanoid footprints deeper into the forest * Level up? I have to doublecheck how much XP you've earned * Do something else
Back in town, Marshal Thorne is anxious indeed. "I told them they were dangerous. Those damn Black Fangs are good for nothing." He scrounges through some boxes under his desk. "Here, takes these potions of invisibility. I asked some local mercenaries to take care of this and they said there was nothing wrong in the woods, so I went behind their backs and got a courier to send word for a Council Investigator. Now, I'm not sure who to trust. I need you to continue the investigation and be careful who you trust with this info. Come to think of it, these mercenaries showed up not so long ago and that's when the shadows started being seen. Here, take this too, it's not much but I'm making you a deputy. This wooden star will get you free lodging at the Whispering Grove tavern and inn, I've got no other deputy's so if things go sideways, I need you to help bail me out of trouble. But if you use these potions, you might be able to get away with your investigation without anyone being the wiser."
"Thank you Marshall. I found some humanoid tracks as well, so I'll investigate that and deal with any other shadows that cross my path." Levi will go back into the forest.
"Thank you Marshall. I found some humanoid tracks as well, so I'll investigate that and deal with any other shadows that cross my path." Levi will go back into the forest.
This time you go deeper, three survival, three perception, three investigation checks deeper into the woods. Until you hear chanting and you see cultists casting a ritual that causes your wizard sense to give you a feeling of nausea. These four cultists are chanting a ritual in an infernal tongue. With a successful Arcana check, you can tell that this ritual is Epic Level and you remember hearing about this type of ritual, demon portals, that require an epic level caster to open them but if you break the ritual down into components any level caster can complete it but the results are random and the time it takes to cast the ritual can be sometimes 24 hours straight. Because of this, Epic Rituals like this one are hidden and deemed forbidden because of how dangerous they can be.
The cultists notice you but only one reacts and he is urged to keep chanting by the others.
Guarding the cultists is a shadow mastiff and it lunges as if to attack.
Roll initiative shadow mastiff init 4 (original roll before refreshing and breaking the roller) cultists init 6
Survival 21, 13, 21 perception: 11, 15, 9 Investigation: 16, 24 (Nat 20), 7 Initiative: 22 Levi will bonus action activate Bladesong, and cast Magic Missile on the Shadow Mastiff. 9 force damage. End turn.
Thanks for rolling, you learn that there are more than four humanoid tracks. You see the center of the ritual is an artifact focus. You see parchments and scrolls laying all around their feet, cheat sheets if you will. You know that they have been doing this a long time, moving to random locations in the woods to cast this ritual because they lack the arcane knowledge and spellcaster levels to actually have a predictable outcome so they are moving around and opening portals to a random location in the abyss for some unknown reason. It seems that shadow creatures have come through but you can't tell if more dangerous things have previously come through. Your Crit Investigation lets you know that there is a base of operations close by, based on all the gear they have carried out in the middle of nowhere and the number of tracks, it's clear that they are staging from a central location nearby.
Levi will bonus action activate Bladesong, and cast Magic Missile on the Shadow Mastiff. 9 force damage. End turn.
The Shadow Mastiff takes 9 damage. Shadow Mastiff (24/33)
It uses a bonus action to become invisible and bites with advantage, ending the invisibility
Shadow Mastiff Bite with adv, Attack: 21 Damage: 11, if hit make a Strength Check DC 13 or fall prone
Shadow Blend While in dim light or darkness, the shadow mastiff can use a bonus action to become invisible, along with anything it is wearing or carrying. The invisibility lasts until the shadow mastiff uses a bonus action to end it or until the shadow mastiff attacks, is in bright light, or is incapacitated.
Round 2 Levi << your turn Cultists Shadow Mastiff (24/33)
Levi will cast Magic Missile on the Shadow Mastiff again. 10 force damage. End turn.
The Shadow Mastiff takes 10 damage. Shadow Mastiff (14/33)
It uses a bonus action to become invisible and bites with advantage, ending the invisibility
Shadow Mastiff Bite with adv, Attack: 11 Damage: 9, if hit make a Strength Check DC 13 or fall prone Round 3 Levi << your turn Cultists Shadow Mastiff (14/33)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Miss. Pulls out another scroll of Magic Missile. 10 force damage. End turn. Sees if there's anything to loot from the shadow.
As the shadow falls, it leaves a grayish slime body. Enough to carry or take a sample.
Looking around you find nothing to loot. However, the portal seems to be radiating trans magic residue once again.
You find more tracks leading deeper in the forest,
Also, you have a thought that a well crafted ritual could stop the symbol from resonating.
Rewards
100 XP
Levi will take a sample and look for more shadows, keeping scrolls of magic missile ready. While he's doing this, he'll also begin formulating a ritual to stop the symbol resonation.
With enough successful arcana checks you devise a way to cast cantrips of two different schools of magic onto the transmutation symbol in such a way that the epic magic from the site is eventually reversed and balanced into just a neutral symbol.
You estimate the ritual will take 4 hours.
Before you can start, you spot another shadow, approaching as if attracted to the seeping trans magic residue. (another shadow)
Levi will attack the shadow. 22 initiative.
Shadow init 17
Round 1
Shadow (busy consuming trans magic)
Levi << your turn
Levi casts magic Missile using the scroll. 10 force damage. End turn.
The shadow reels form the 10 damage. Shadow (6/10)
Round 1 (Past Round)
Levi
Shadow (busy)
Because you won initiative, it spends it's time consuming trans magic instead of attacking.
Round 2
Levi << your turn
Shadow (ready to attack)
Levi will send another barrage of magic missiles. 12 force damage. End turn.
You finish off the second shadow and you complete the ritual to return balance to the material plane in this transmutation spot. You have stopped the flow of trans magic into the material plane which was attracting plane-sensitive creatures like shadows.
Rewards
100 XP
* Report back to town your findings
* Track the humanoid footprints deeper into the forest
* Level up? I have to doublecheck how much XP you've earned
* Do something else
50 +300 +125 +300 +100 +100 =975 XP
Congratulations! Welcome to level 3
Levi will report back to town and tell Marshal Thorne that he stopped the source of shadows, and that they are in fact dangerous.
Evergreen Hollow (as imaged by AI)
Back in town, Marshal Thorne is anxious indeed. "I told them they were dangerous. Those damn Black Fangs are good for nothing." He scrounges through some boxes under his desk. "Here, takes these potions of invisibility. I asked some local mercenaries to take care of this and they said there was nothing wrong in the woods, so I went behind their backs and got a courier to send word for a Council Investigator. Now, I'm not sure who to trust. I need you to continue the investigation and be careful who you trust with this info. Come to think of it, these mercenaries showed up not so long ago and that's when the shadows started being seen. Here, take this too, it's not much but I'm making you a deputy. This wooden star will get you free lodging at the Whispering Grove tavern and inn, I've got no other deputy's so if things go sideways, I need you to help bail me out of trouble. But if you use these potions, you might be able to get away with your investigation without anyone being the wiser."
Thorne's Potion Rewards
2x potion of invisibility
"Thank you Marshall. I found some humanoid tracks as well, so I'll investigate that and deal with any other shadows that cross my path." Levi will go back into the forest.
This time you go deeper, three survival, three perception, three investigation checks deeper into the woods. Until you hear chanting and you see cultists casting a ritual that causes your wizard sense to give you a feeling of nausea. These four cultists are chanting a ritual in an infernal tongue. With a successful Arcana check, you can tell that this ritual is Epic Level and you remember hearing about this type of ritual, demon portals, that require an epic level caster to open them but if you break the ritual down into components any level caster can complete it but the results are random and the time it takes to cast the ritual can be sometimes 24 hours straight. Because of this, Epic Rituals like this one are hidden and deemed forbidden because of how dangerous they can be.
The cultists notice you but only one reacts and he is urged to keep chanting by the others.
Guarding the cultists is a shadow mastiff and it lunges as if to attack.
Roll initiative
shadow mastiff init 4 (original roll before refreshing and breaking the roller)
cultists init 6
Survival 21, 13, 21
perception: 11, 15, 9
Investigation: 16, 24 (Nat 20), 7
Initiative: 22
Levi will bonus action activate Bladesong, and cast Magic Missile on the Shadow Mastiff. 9 force damage. End turn.
Thanks for rolling, you learn that there are more than four humanoid tracks. You see the center of the ritual is an artifact focus. You see parchments and scrolls laying all around their feet, cheat sheets if you will. You know that they have been doing this a long time, moving to random locations in the woods to cast this ritual because they lack the arcane knowledge and spellcaster levels to actually have a predictable outcome so they are moving around and opening portals to a random location in the abyss for some unknown reason. It seems that shadow creatures have come through but you can't tell if more dangerous things have previously come through. Your Crit Investigation lets you know that there is a base of operations close by, based on all the gear they have carried out in the middle of nowhere and the number of tracks, it's clear that they are staging from a central location nearby.
The Shadow Mastiff takes 9 damage. Shadow Mastiff (24/33)
It uses a bonus action to become invisible and bites with advantage, ending the invisibility
Shadow Mastiff Bite with adv, Attack: 21 Damage: 11, if hit make a Strength Check DC 13 or fall prone
Shadow Blend
While in dim light or darkness, the shadow mastiff can use a bonus action to become invisible, along with anything it is wearing or carrying. The invisibility lasts until the shadow mastiff uses a bonus action to end it or until the shadow mastiff attacks, is in bright light, or is incapacitated.
Round 2
Levi << your turn
Cultists
Shadow Mastiff (24/33)
Levi will cast Magic Missile on the Shadow Mastiff again. 10 force damage. End turn.
The Shadow Mastiff takes 10 damage. Shadow Mastiff (14/33)
It uses a bonus action to become invisible and bites with advantage, ending the invisibility
Shadow Mastiff Bite with adv, Attack: 11 Damage: 9, if hit make a Strength Check DC 13 or fall prone
Round 3
Levi << your turn
Cultists
Shadow Mastiff (14/33)