At the earliest opportunity, Gooterat uses the mage hand to light up the hallway. He moves the hand and torch 25 feet, then concedes the right of way to Rats. "Your keen eyes will spot trouble before mine. I'm right behind you! And don't worry, we will have to have an escape plan before we burn the place down." It's hard to tell if he is joking, most likely a bit of a mix of truth and humor. He certainly wasnt joking , however about being right behind the young ranger.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
"None of these paintings seem to be magical, or if they are, they are some really powerful magic that blocks itself from detection. I think these are safer. As far as other traps are concerned I do not know,"
Shinrei steps away from the painting with a final, lingering glance at the grey-robed figure now staring outward, a wizard, robed in runes. His jaw tightens. He says nothing, but moves toward the open doorway where Rats and Gooterat stand, casting a wary eye down the hallway beyond. The dim corridor ahead seems too still, too expectant.
Shinrei lowers his glowing staff to hover just above the rug’s warped, hypnotic pattern. “Old houses sometimes forget themselves”he murmurs. He narrows his eyes and scans the floor, the ceiling, the frames on the walls, looking for threads, seams, unnatural shadows, or any sign of mechanical or magical menace concealed beneath age and dust.
[Shinrei makes a Perception check to spot traps or hazards in the hallway: 8]
Gooterat and Rats moved cautiously down the hallway, keeping their distance as they guided a floating torch with the aid of mage hand. The flickering light revealed warped baseboards and water stains long hidden in the gloom. As the torch passed each door, it cast shifting shadows that stretched and recoiled like uneasy guests. Together, they opened each door of the side rooms in quick succession.
A ballroom, once grand, stood hollow and forgotten. A shattered chandelier lay in a nest of broken glass on the dance-scuffed floor, and faded murals of long-dead revelers loomed from the cracked plaster walls.
A kitchen, rusted cookware dangled from crooked hooks, and a heavy iron stove sat cold beneath a chimney choked with soot. Rats saw signs of gnawing vermin, but no movement stirred.
A dining room, its long table warped by damp and time, chairs overturned as if a feast had ended in panic. A tarnished candelabrum sat in the center, unlit and draped in cobwebs.
Between the rooms, they discovered a narrow closet as well that contained nothing but a few broken coat hangers and a musty linen sheet slumped in the corner.
Back in the sitting room, Shinrei gave the painting one final glance before following the others.
The figure had changed again.
The grey-robed wizard now stood fully upright on the near shore. His arms were raised in the air, and from his outstretched hands, coiling strands of black and violet twisted around him like smoke. Though trapped within brushstrokes and canvas, the wizard’s face was alive with concentration and grim purpose. His gaze bored outward, no longer merely aware of the viewer—but locked onto them. The spell he wove was unfamiliar, but its intent was unmistakable.
It was meant for the viewer.
Shinrei finds nothing out of the ordinary in the hallway. [Perception, fail]
Nothing radiates as magic in the hallway or any of the additional rooms.
Just trying to speed along the exploration phase of the adventure. The doors are now open to these rooms, although the ballroom, kitchen and dining room have not individually been explored.
Gooterat guides the torch ahead of the group. As the hand begins to falter he rushes to conjure another, each time his mage hand nears its expiration he conjures another, fingers wrapped around the torch. When they complete the initial run through of the first floor he guides the torch back to Rats. "As promised," he says with a grin. "So aside from a creepy stature with creepier shadows and a downright terralizing painting. Not much is happening down here. I am surprised that there isn't a cellar or something below the kitchen, but the only stairs around go up. Guess thats where we ought to go next."
When/if the group is ready to head upstairs he will summon another mage hand. With a little grin to Rats, he sends it up the stairs, lighting the way for the next search effort. With every lit up inch, his eyes scan for signs of danger or hidden things***
Stepping into the kitchen, Rats juts hid head back into the hall and yells, "I found the kitchen!" "I will look for food." "If the house has living things, they will eat. And they will store their food here." "If the house has no living things. They will not eat. And there will be no food."
Shinrei stays behind Rats as the latter explores the kitchen. "Isn't it fitting that a rat should be investigating the food? No disrespect of course, Mr. Rats. Just a tickling of the imagination!" He turns to the others, calling behind them. "Stay close now. For many homes, the kitchen is where the heart is. We shouldn't separate now that we're just getting to the heart of the home."
Rats knelt before the ancient iron oven, its soot-blackened door hanging ajar. A strange warmth radiated from within, despite the hearth’s long-cold appearance, it seemed as if the oven had been used recently. Curious, the halfling leaned closer. There, resting neatly on a cracked baking tray, sat a golden-brown muffin. Steam rose from it gently. Across the top, icing formed a delicate, perfect letter: R.
The scent was heavenly — sugar and spice, warm apples and cinnamon. But just as Rats took notice of the muffin, movement from deep within the oven caught his eye! [Investigation, fail]
A gaunt hand was inside the oven as well! With long, pale fingers that bent at unnatural angles! The hand was attached to a thin, many-jointed arm. Some strange entity had just placed the muffin down, and as soon as it was seen ... disappeared back up into the chimney. Somewhere above, echoing through the chimney, a faint cackling laughter could be heard.
In the Sitting Room
Gooterat backtracked down the hallway, his darkvision aiding him in the unlit areas of the house. The others had gone ahead to explore the kitchen, but something had pulled the gnome’s curiosity back toward the foyer with the staircase.
On his way back through the house, the sorcerer entered the sitting room quietly with the intention of diverting his gaze from the mysterious painting. The one with the wizard that had eerily changed each time someone looked at it. He had half-expected the grey-robed wizard within the painting to be waiting for him.
Instead, he saw Zepharion.
The tiefling stood before the painting, his back to Gooterat, one arm impossibly buried up to the elbow in the canvas, his arm disappearing into the painting like it was some kind of portal!
The rogue muttered softly to himself, barely audible, a greedy rasp of wonder and delight. Swirling around his feet and shoulders were silvery motes — shining, delicate things that shimmered like coinage scattered on the floor.
"Silver." The rogue said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "There was silver inside the painting."
Something wasn't right. [Perception with disadvantage, pass]
The silver motes writhed. Twitched. Buzzed. They weren’t coins at all. They were insects — hundreds of them, crawling over Zepharion’s legs and shoulders, burrowing under his collar, gnawing at his flesh.
The tiefling turned to face Gooterat and his face was ... wrong.
Zepharion's eyes were a cloudy white. His flesh was torn and he smiled the twitching, mindless grin of the undead.
Zepharion lurched forward!!!!
Our first encounter! Everyone roll initiative please. Zepharion will act on init 9 and the silver bugs will act on init 12.
Gooterat's eyes went wide. The sight of Zepharion, arm deep in the painting was unnerving enough, but his ghastly face tipped the scales from creepy to time to go.
On the verge of panic , Gooterat felt a surge of adrenaline. This was unlike his run for your life moments on the streets, it was more focused. He glances down at his thin frame, still pretty puny he noted. Why then did he feel stronger?
Not the time to ponder this new development he thought quickly to himself. He just went with it. Drawing on the fear and adrenaline he conjured a small ball of flame and hurled it at what was once Zepharion. He felt good about the delivery of the attack, but the flame was not as powerful as he had hoped. As the flame left his hand he turned tail and ran towards the kitchen, calling out, "A little help, please!"
He turns back to the South, hoping that help arrived before the zombie did.
"Did you see something?" Shinrei asks Rats, who seems interested in the oven. Then, hearing Gooterat call for help, Shinrei narrows his eyes and rushes out into the hallway to investigate.
(Dash into the hall to get loser to Gooterat, but not stopping 10ft from the entrance to the zombie's room.)
Alaric runs unto the hallway at heating Gooterat and seeing the threat he holds his red sword out (summoning it as a bonus action if it wasn't summoned already but I think I stated earlier it was) and a crackling beam of energy shoots from the point of the blade at ex-Zepharion.
Casting eldritch blast, 12 to hit for 6 force damage
Gooterat fell back, calling for help as the thing that had been Zepharion lurched toward him. Fire flared from the gnome’s hands, searing the zombie’s chest.
Still, the undead rogue advanced.
Alaric stepped into the hallway and unleashed a blast of crackling red force that struck Zepharion hard, ripping through scorched flesh — but the undead tiefling did not fall.
Shinrei arrived, eyes widening at the sight in front of him.
The silver swarm of insects crawled and skittered across the floor, and Zepharion lurched forward! Indeed, the bugs were so close that they spilled over — and on to — the gnome, climbing all over his robes!
Init - Character [HP]; Conditions & Effects; Actions 21 - Alaric [12/12hp]; Move + Eldritch Blast vs Zeph, a hit! (6hp force damage) 20 - Gooterat [7/7hp]; BA: Innate Sorcery, Move + Sorcerous Burst vs Zeph, a hit! (1hp fire damage) 13 - Shinrei [11/11hp]; Move* 12 - Bugs [0 hp inflicted]; Move + Dash 09 - Zepharion [7 hp inflicted]; AC8; Move + Dash 05 - Rats and the rest of the heroes are up!
*Shinrei did not end up needing to use dash to get to his current spot on the map. Since Shinrei's declared action became unworkable, he may take two actions during the next round.
At the earliest opportunity, Gooterat uses the mage hand to light up the hallway. He moves the hand and torch 25 feet, then concedes the right of way to Rats. "Your keen eyes will spot trouble before mine. I'm right behind you! And don't worry, we will have to have an escape plan before we burn the place down." It's hard to tell if he is joking, most likely a bit of a mix of truth and humor. He certainly wasnt joking , however about being right behind the young ranger.
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
"None of these paintings seem to be magical, or if they are, they are some really powerful magic that blocks itself from detection. I think these are safer. As far as other traps are concerned I do not know,"
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Shinrei steps away from the painting with a final, lingering glance at the grey-robed figure now staring outward, a wizard, robed in runes. His jaw tightens. He says nothing, but moves toward the open doorway where Rats and Gooterat stand, casting a wary eye down the hallway beyond. The dim corridor ahead seems too still, too expectant.
Shinrei lowers his glowing staff to hover just above the rug’s warped, hypnotic pattern. “Old houses sometimes forget themselves” he murmurs. He narrows his eyes and scans the floor, the ceiling, the frames on the walls, looking for threads, seams, unnatural shadows, or any sign of mechanical or magical menace concealed beneath age and dust.
[Shinrei makes a Perception check to spot traps or hazards in the hallway: 8]
Gooterat and Rats moved cautiously down the hallway, keeping their distance as they guided a floating torch with the aid of mage hand. The flickering light revealed warped baseboards and water stains long hidden in the gloom. As the torch passed each door, it cast shifting shadows that stretched and recoiled like uneasy guests. Together, they opened each door of the side rooms in quick succession.
A ballroom, once grand, stood hollow and forgotten. A shattered chandelier lay in a nest of broken glass on the dance-scuffed floor, and faded murals of long-dead revelers loomed from the cracked plaster walls.
A kitchen, rusted cookware dangled from crooked hooks, and a heavy iron stove sat cold beneath a chimney choked with soot. Rats saw signs of gnawing vermin, but no movement stirred.
A dining room, its long table warped by damp and time, chairs overturned as if a feast had ended in panic. A tarnished candelabrum sat in the center, unlit and draped in cobwebs.
Between the rooms, they discovered a narrow closet as well that contained nothing but a few broken coat hangers and a musty linen sheet slumped in the corner.
Back in the sitting room, Shinrei gave the painting one final glance before following the others.
The figure had changed again.
The grey-robed wizard now stood fully upright on the near shore. His arms were raised in the air, and from his outstretched hands, coiling strands of black and violet twisted around him like smoke. Though trapped within brushstrokes and canvas, the wizard’s face was alive with concentration and grim purpose. His gaze bored outward, no longer merely aware of the viewer—but locked onto them. The spell he wove was unfamiliar, but its intent was unmistakable.
It was meant for the viewer.
Shinrei finds nothing out of the ordinary in the hallway. [Perception, fail]
Nothing radiates as magic in the hallway or any of the additional rooms.
Just trying to speed along the exploration phase of the adventure. The doors are now open to these rooms, although the ballroom, kitchen and dining room have not individually been explored.
Light sources — Rats (torch), Shinrei (Light)
Active spells — Alaric (Detect Magic); Gooterat (Mage Hand); Shinrei (Light)
Gooterat
Gooterat guides the torch ahead of the group. As the hand begins to falter he rushes to conjure another, each time his mage hand nears its expiration he conjures another, fingers wrapped around the torch. When they complete the initial run through of the first floor he guides the torch back to Rats. "As promised," he says with a grin. "So aside from a creepy stature with creepier shadows and a downright terralizing painting. Not much is happening down here. I am surprised that there isn't a cellar or something below the kitchen, but the only stairs around go up. Guess thats where we ought to go next."
When/if the group is ready to head upstairs he will summon another mage hand. With a little grin to Rats, he sends it up the stairs, lighting the way for the next search effort. With every lit up inch, his eyes scan for signs of danger or hidden things***
***OoC: perception 14***
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
Stepping into the kitchen, Rats juts hid head back into the hall and yells, "I found the kitchen!"
"I will look for food."
"If the house has living things, they will eat. And they will store their food here."
"If the house has no living things. They will not eat. And there will be no food."
I will solve this!...Here and now!...I am clever.
[Investigation: 4]
Are the npcs (and ex player) still in the "base camp" room when we opened that door from the hallway?
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Shinrei stays behind Rats as the latter explores the kitchen. "Isn't it fitting that a rat should be investigating the food? No disrespect of course, Mr. Rats. Just a tickling of the imagination!" He turns to the others, calling behind them. "Stay close now. For many homes, the kitchen is where the heart is. We shouldn't separate now that we're just getting to the heart of the home."
Gooterat
The upstairs would still be there later, when the party headed to the kitchen for a more thorough look he was hot on their heels.
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
In the Kitchen
Rats knelt before the ancient iron oven, its soot-blackened door hanging ajar. A strange warmth radiated from within, despite the hearth’s long-cold appearance, it seemed as if the oven had been used recently. Curious, the halfling leaned closer. There, resting neatly on a cracked baking tray, sat a golden-brown muffin. Steam rose from it gently. Across the top, icing formed a delicate, perfect letter: R.
The scent was heavenly — sugar and spice, warm apples and cinnamon. But just as Rats took notice of the muffin, movement from deep within the oven caught his eye! [Investigation, fail]
A gaunt hand was inside the oven as well! With long, pale fingers that bent at unnatural angles! The hand was attached to a thin, many-jointed arm. Some strange entity had just placed the muffin down, and as soon as it was seen ... disappeared back up into the chimney. Somewhere above, echoing through the chimney, a faint cackling laughter could be heard.
In the Sitting Room
Gooterat backtracked down the hallway, his darkvision aiding him in the unlit areas of the house. The others had gone ahead to explore the kitchen, but something had pulled the gnome’s curiosity back toward the foyer with the staircase.
On his way back through the house, the sorcerer entered the sitting room quietly with the intention of diverting his gaze from the mysterious painting. The one with the wizard that had eerily changed each time someone looked at it. He had half-expected the grey-robed wizard within the painting to be waiting for him.
Instead, he saw Zepharion.
The tiefling stood before the painting, his back to Gooterat, one arm impossibly buried up to the elbow in the canvas, his arm disappearing into the painting like it was some kind of portal!
The rogue muttered softly to himself, barely audible, a greedy rasp of wonder and delight. Swirling around his feet and shoulders were silvery motes — shining, delicate things that shimmered like coinage scattered on the floor.
"Silver." The rogue said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "There was silver inside the painting."
Something wasn't right. [Perception with disadvantage, pass]
The silver motes writhed. Twitched. Buzzed. They weren’t coins at all. They were insects — hundreds of them, crawling over Zepharion’s legs and shoulders, burrowing under his collar, gnawing at his flesh.
The tiefling turned to face Gooterat and his face was ... wrong.
Zepharion's eyes were a cloudy white. His flesh was torn and he smiled the twitching, mindless grin of the undead.
Zepharion lurched forward!!!!
Our first encounter! Everyone roll initiative please. Zepharion will act on init 9 and the silver bugs will act on init 12.
The sitting room is unlit but Gooterat has darkvision. It will take 60' of movement for the others to reach the sitting room.
Light sources — Rats (torch), Shinrei (Light)
Active spells — Alaric (Detect Magic); Gooterat (Mage Hand); Shinrei (Light)
The doors are still open to the other rooms (the ballroom, the dining room, the foyer, etc).
Just wanted a simple map that displayed the distance between the PCs and the new threat in the sitting room.
Shinrei Initiative: 12 + 1 = 13
Rats initiative from a previous roll, 5. 2+3.
Gooterat
Gooterat's eyes went wide. The sight of Zepharion, arm deep in the painting was unnerving enough, but his ghastly face tipped the scales from creepy to time to go.
On the verge of panic , Gooterat felt a surge of adrenaline. This was unlike his run for your life moments on the streets, it was more focused. He glances down at his thin frame, still pretty puny he noted. Why then did he feel stronger?
Not the time to ponder this new development he thought quickly to himself. He just went with it. Drawing on the fear and adrenaline he conjured a small ball of flame and hurled it at what was once Zepharion. He felt good about the delivery of the attack, but the flame was not as powerful as he had hoped. As the flame left his hand he turned tail and ran towards the kitchen, calling out, "A little help, please!"
He turns back to the South, hoping that help arrived before the zombie did.
***OoC: bonus action innate sorcery - cast sorcerous burst attack 22 damage 1 fire***
“Let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond
"Did you see something?" Shinrei asks Rats, who seems interested in the oven. Then, hearing Gooterat call for help, Shinrei narrows his eyes and rushes out into the hallway to investigate.
(Dash into the hall to get loser to Gooterat, but not stopping 10ft from the entrance to the zombie's room.)
Alaric runs unto the hallway at heating Gooterat and seeing the threat he holds his red sword out (summoning it as a bonus action if it wasn't summoned already but I think I stated earlier it was) and a crackling beam of energy shoots from the point of the blade at ex-Zepharion.
Casting eldritch blast, 12 to hit for 6 force damage
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Gooterat fell back, calling for help as the thing that had been Zepharion lurched toward him. Fire flared from the gnome’s hands, searing the zombie’s chest.
Still, the undead rogue advanced.
Alaric stepped into the hallway and unleashed a blast of crackling red force that struck Zepharion hard, ripping through scorched flesh — but the undead tiefling did not fall.
Shinrei arrived, eyes widening at the sight in front of him.
The silver swarm of insects crawled and skittered across the floor, and Zepharion lurched forward! Indeed, the bugs were so close that they spilled over — and on to — the gnome, climbing all over his robes!
The silver bugs and Gooterat are occupying the same square.
Light sources — Rats (torch), Shinrei (Light)