Charn -- 617/3/22 & 23 aka May 26th, 2009

[David]

In the middle of the night, Idky hears something outside Maedhros' secure shelter. Peeking through the door, the cleric of Fahrlanghn spies a large pack of wolves gathered outside. Safely within the structure, Idky lets the heroes (Ichi, Maedhros, Torr, Idky, Squattingbeaver, Lowdog, and Yavin) sleep, since this is something that can be tackled in the morning.

Shortly after dawn, 'Beaver gets up and speaks to the wolves outside. A pack of 16, they had heard the rumors among their kind of food. The shaman hands out goodberries to the lot of them, questioning the animals about what lies ahead. The wolves explain that there is little game in the area because "winged things that walk on two legs kill everything." These things also "have big teeth and hunt all the day". The flying bipeds seem to come in several varieties, according to what the animals relate.

The heroes travel for another day through the forested mountains, still heading toward the city of Calvados. In the evening, Maedhros conjures another secure shelter and the heroes again snuggle in for a sound sleep.

Sometime after midnight, Maedhros notices four shadows slip through the cracks of the cabin. The cleric of Corellon easily turns the undead and gets the heroes to their feet. Ichi, using his power of clairvoyance, can see at least four more shadows as well as another impatient vrock demon...! Once the party has helped Torr get his plate mail on, the paladin leads the charge to attack the remaining undead and demon outside.

Maedhros turned five of the shadows initially while the demon teleports away, complaining that he will get his mistress to set the heroes straight. The party makes very short work of the remaining shadows and looks around. A few moments later the vrock returns with a nalfeshnee, a succubus, and Yeenoghu, the demon price of gnolls, and 14 gnoll-ghouls!

Yavin attacks Yeenoghu psionically while Maedhros destroys a path of ghouls so Torr can physically attack the demon prince! Idky casts a protection from evil 10'r within the cabin and Ichi, meanwhile starts to destroy the "stragglers".

Yeenoghu unleashes a psionic blast that floors Lowdog. The vrock tackles Ichi and the nalfashnee uses telekinesis to pull Idky out of the safety of the cabin and into the fight where the succubus, Lilla, tries to suggest the cleric to "fondle [her] breasts with violence in [his] heart", thereby breaking his protective spell. Clearly the demons are toying with the heroes and luckily the heroes resist!

During this time, 'Beaver has used his magical cloak to become a lion and he springs at first Yeenaghu and then the nalfeshnee. Ichi kills the initial vrock that started this mess and Maedhros continues turning, dusting the initial batch of ghouls and starting in on more called to their demon prince. Torr and Yeenoghu trade blows and both are wounded, but the paladin is paralyzed by the demon prince's 7' long flail.

Idky removes paralysis on the paladin, freeing him while Yavin finally batters down the nalfeshnee's psionic defenses. Lilla, the succubus, tries to suggest the various party member to engage in sexual acts, but all resist her advances. The spirits 'Beaver summoned have been aiding the heroes, acting as a particularly powerful prayer which even Yeenoghu cannot resist!

Ichi turns on Lilla and stuns her, so Yeenoghu summons three more vrocks on the spot just as Torr stuns himself with a fumble! Lowdog has finally regained his feet only to be brought low by another psionic blast, this time from the huge, fat nalfeshnee that's been fighting Yavin psionically.

Idky and Maedhros move about the party casting aid. Ichi and 'Beaver trade demonic foes while Yavin changes targets to keep the demon prince of ghouls off of Torr. The vrocks, however, slash wildly at the young paladin, hurting him. Maedhros comes to his aid, but can do little. Yeenoghu responds with a psionic attack that pierces Yavin's defenses and stuns Idky.

Lilla suggests 'Beaver resume his human form "so we can talk about fighting our common enemy, Sidra." This reasonable suggestion works and the shaman shapeshifts. Meanwhile Torr regains his feet and Yavin pierces Yeenoghu's mental defenses!

Back-to-back, Torr and Maedhros wound two of the demons. The succubus kisses 'Beaver, draining the shaman of two levels. Ichi kills the nalfashnee as well as two of the three summoned vrocks! This clear Torr to go directly after Yeenoghu, still locked in psionic combat with Yavin.

'Beaver, recovering from Lilla's attack, draws his crystal dagger and slices her. She shrieks, "you have a singularity blade?" in disbelief. Maedhros continues to trade blows with the last vrock for a round, getting seriously wounded in the process, but also wounding the demon. Torr, meanwhile, opens up Yeenoghu's belly...

Lowdog, again on his feet, jumps at Lilla and nearly kills her. She teleports away, taking 'Beaver's two levels with her...! Yeenoghu mass charms the party, but only Ichi falls victim. The monk goes after Torr until 'Beaver and Maedhros both hold him. The remaining vrock is near-death but sees what shape Yeenoghu is in, so he too teleports to safety, abandoning his liege lord!

Yeenoghu is about to teleport himself when Yavin breaches the demon prince's mental defenses again with a mind thrust, temporarily erasing the demon's memory of the last few moments. Dazed, Yeenoghu lingers longer and the entire party attacks him. Torr hits once as does Lowdog, but it is not enough. On the brink of destruction, Yeenoghu, the demon prince of gnoll also teleports away, leaving the heroes to contemplate their fate and future...

Status:
Maedhros: 22+ of 43, cast MMx2 and aidx2 plus heal-self
Squattingbeaver: 43 of 50, 12 PSPs, cast hold and speak
Ichi: 30+ of 66
Torr: 35+ of 75
Idky: 42 of 50, cast aidx2, prayer, remove curse, prot evil 10r
Lowdog: full (88)
Yavin: full (39), 47 PSPs

Eeps were 8180xps each

[Van]

Okay, so I've just awoken from a fever-induced weirdo dream (I've got this salivary gland infection, remember?) and an idea just struck me. But I need to know something first ...

David, since I don't have Unearthed Arcana, I don't have a good understanding of how Imbue with Spell Ability works. Are there any limitations on the type and number of spells that the cleric is able to imbue the recipient with? Thanks!


Van

[David]

Imbue With Spell Ability
(Enchantment)

Sphere: Charm
Range: Touch Components: V, S, M
Duration: Until used Casting Time: 1 turn
Area of Effect: Person touched Saving Throw: None

By the use of this spell, the priest can transfer a limited number and selection of his currently memorized spells, and the ability to cast them, to another person. Only nonspellcasters (including rangers under 8th level and paladins under 9th level) can receive this bestowal; the imbue with spell ability enchantment does not function for those belonging to spellcasting classes, for unintelligent monsters, nor for any individual with less than 1 full Hit Die. In addition, the person thus imbued must have a Wisdom score of 9 or higher. Only priest spells of an informational or defensive nature or a cure light wounds spell can be transferred. Transferring any other spell type negates the entire attempt, including any allowable spells that were chosen. Higher level persons can receive more than one spell at the priest's option:

Level of Recipient Spells Imbued
1 One 1st-level spell
3 Two 1st-level spells
5+ Two 1st- and one 2nd-level spells

The transferred spell's variable characteristics (range, duration, area of effect, etc.) function according to the level of the priest originally imbuing the spell.

A priest who casts imbue with spell ability upon another character loses the number of 1st- and 2nd-level spells he has imbued until the recipient uses the transferred spells or is slain. For example, a 7th-level priest with five 1st- and four 2nd-level spells imbues a 10th-level fighter with a cure light wounds spell and a slow poison spell. The cleric now can have only four 1st-level spells memorized until the cure is cast and only three 2nd-level spells until the slow poison is cast, or until the fighter is killed. In the meantime, the priest remains responsible to his ethos for the use to which the spell is put.

The material components for this spell are the priest's holy symbol, plus some minor item from the recipient that is symbolic of his profession (a lockpick for a thief, etc.). This item, and any material component for the imbued spell, is consumed when the imbue with spell ability spell is cast.

[Van]

Crap! My idea won't work then.

Thanks for giving me the spell description.

[Van]

Okay, I can think of only two options for dealing with the charmed Ichi:

1) 'Beaver, Idky, and Maedhros all attempt to charm him and convince him that Torr is our guardian and we need him in order to survive.

2) Yavin mind thrusts him in the hope that he'll cause him to forget Yeenoghu's last request. He'll still be charmed, but at least he won't be trying to kill Torr.

We may want to attempt both. Neither of my characters has anything else that could help. My earlier idea was to have Idky imbue Torr with spell ability so he could cast charm person or mammal on Ichi. That way, he'd view Torr as a trusted friend and wouldn't try to kill him. It wouldn't remove Yeenoghu's charm, but it would probably countermand his last order. Unfortunately, charm spells aren't among the spells that can be transferred to the subject. Any other ideas?

[Jeff]

Well, what about a simple dispel magic?

[Van]

The level difference between Yeenoghu and any one of our spellcasters would make it very unlikely that it would work. I believe he's 22nd level and our highest level spellcaster is 8th. Base success chance is 50%. Level diff is 14 levels. Each level reduces success chance by 2%, so we have merely a 22% chance of dispelling it. And we can only try once per level.

[David]

As we discussed briefly at the last (non-Charn) game, this is Yavin's suggestion of how to deal with Ichi's charm spell...

First, Yavin unleashes three mind thrusts in a row, hoping to erase Ichi's memory of Yeenoghu's command to kill Torr.

After that, he does a moment to help 'Beaver cast a dispel magic.

If that doesn't work, Yavin uses the same spell to help Idky's dispel magic.

Assuming that too fails, Yavin then combines with Idky and they try it again.

This can all be done the same day, right after Yeenoghu teleports. Of course, if this all fails, we still need to somehow deal with Ichi...until the next morning when 'Beaver levels again and Yavin can try his moment spell again.

So, what do you think of this for starters?

Oh yeah, and I still *REALLY* want to play a meaningful game (like Charn or TEE) ASAP! Killing half the party in the pickup game wasn't the same...

[Van]

Oh yeah, and I still *REALLY* want to play a meaningful game (like Charn or TEE) ASAP! Killing half the party in the pickup game wasn't the same...

... as killing an ENTIRE party of 8th/9th level characters in an established game.

LOL

[David]

When have I ever killed a whole party of mid-to-high level characters?

[Van]

I believe it's a coming attraction. ;D

Oh, calm down. I'm just yanking your chain.

[David]

All I have to say is that any of my OLDER players will say I've become a downright softie with you guys...when was the last time someone was crucified or forced to use bone weapons because iron was too scarce? I ask you...! *sheesh!*

And I can't even recall the last time I raped half a party of teenage girls, creating long-reaching psychological changes in pretty much all the surviving PCs, male and female...

[ That would be the game that created the "Sailor Scouts" and the party consisted of Serendipity (raped while calling out to Apollo for deliverance), Kendra (raped while unconscious), Samandra (next in line cuz she was unconscious), Adama (came conscious as the orcs finished with the first two), Mikhail (who rescued the lot at age 13), and (as memory serves) a bunch of other people who didn't survive. ]

[Van]

As I recall, your last rape victim was also mercilessly killed . . . LOL

[Jeff]

You aren't still bitter about that, are you, Van? He did give you a chance to escape, after all...