The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - 3/4/09

The Good:

The party is overrun by the zombie horde. Slow moving, mindless, shambling undead beasts that threaten more through sheer numbers, waiting for someone to make a careless mistake. In this case, the party couldn’t hold the line. One shambled through, threatening the wizard in the back.

With lightning reflexes, Rudy sent a dagger hurtling at the shambling zombie, impaling it in the head, and piercing the brain. It instantly collapses to the ground, lifeless. (Mike rolled a natural crit 20, which kills zombies instantly, much like in the movies)





The Bad:

The urns were full of acid. The room seemed to possess nothing of interest. “Nothing to see here. Let’s go,” said Ekerrath. “Hey! Wait a minute now,” said Alexander. “Acid. Think of it. This could be a useful weapon. Think of the applications. Half Pint can’t unlock a door? No problem. Let’s put some acid on the lock. Can’t get into a locked chest? No problem. Let’s make an instant acid hole. Got enemies chasing you down? Toss a vial of acid at them. This has some significant military and civil applications. Come on, you have to agree?” The party looks uninterested, except for Cuppies, who reluctantly agrees. “What is it with you and unknown urns..” muttered Ekerrath. “This is a waste of time. Let’s go!” explained Half Pint.

Cuppies and Alexander find three unbroken vials in the previous laboratory. Cuppies neatly solves the issue of collection by summoning a Mage hand to dip the vials into the urns to collect the acid samples. The first vial is collected easily from the first urn. He moves to send his arcane hand to the second urn. And that’s when a vicious creature stirs within the depths of the urns and strikes, spreading acid everywhere. At the same time, another creature arises from the third urn.



“Now look what you’ve done!” shouted Ekerrath.



The Ugly:

The party had been pressing hard within the dungeon, fighting battle after battle without any rest. They were beaten, tired, and pressed to their limits when the two giant skeletons struck. In mere moments, half the party was bloodied, with no means to heal themselves. Things didn’t look good…





Player Quotes:





(1) Josh: You’ve all entered in your character backgrounds, so for the next few sessions, while we eat dinner, we’ll assume you’re at the campfire and telling stories about yourselves. So we can learn more about your characters. Leenia’s turn is tonight. Leenia wrote up her background – a DM version and the player version.
Mike: Do you need Leenia’s background?
Josh: I’ve got the DM version.
Mara: Is that different from the one that we saw? The one he gave to us?
Josh: Yes.
Bob: It’s X-Rated. Bow-chikka-wow-wow!

(2) Josh: You can see a viscous substance on the floor. It seems to sense you and oozes its way toward the party.
Cuppies (singing): “Oooze baby, I think I love you. From head to toe.”
Josh: (sighs) It’s an ooze rot.

(3) Adam: Why were you two minutes late to DnD tonight, Joel? I had to play your character until you came.
Joel: Well, I have an answer, if you want it. I helped the maintenance woman take the trash out at my office.
Jeff: Aw. Give us a hug!

(4) Josh: That creature will use its taint power against Ekerrath.
Jeff: Uh. This is a family game here. Let’s not bring that up, please.

(5) Joel: I attack the creature. And I roll.. a six. And I miss. Oh well, that was worth coming up here right after work.
Bob: If it’s any consolation, Joel. You were doing much better before you came.

(6) Leenia: You know, guys. Everyone seems to get magic items except for me. I feel like I’m doing a lot of work and not getting anything for it.
Alexander: It’s a fair point. Perhaps we should restructure our party contract for magic items so that if you take a magic item from an enemy, a party member who doesn’t get a magic item gets a larger share of the gold found.
Rudy: What, so Leenia can drink it all instead at the local bar?

(7) Josh: Before you are two skeletons unlike any you have seen before.
Jeff: Unlike in what way? They have flesh and aren’t bony?

(8) Josh: The skeleton strikes Ekerrath successfully. Ekerrath, you take five points necrotic damage and you are slowed.
Ekerrath: I’m stoned?

(9) Josh: The item you discover that the creature is guarding is a circlet of second chances. It allows you to reroll one saving throw per day.
Alexander: I think this should go to our resident tank, Ekerrath.
Cuppies: Agreed.
Ekerath: What has two thumbs and likes saving throws? This guy!

(10) Josh: The laboratory is full of smashed and shattered equipment. A glass vessel that previously contained a brain is smashed on a table. Some of the fluid still remains within the container.
Cuppies: Huh.
Josh: You recall that brain preservation fluid is useful in many magical rituals.
Bob: It can also double as a tasty nacho dipping sauce.