[Turn 4: Wizard's Spa]"Nope."
Mehrik checks out the book on lairs, if that's allowed, and goes in search of a book about fire magic.
[Book: 5] You see a grimoire your mentor liked to recommend for your reading. You never got to it, but today is a good day to start.
[Spellcrafting, Lv2: 1] You fail to find any new spells in the book.
[Fiery Lash Somatic: 4, Verbal: 4, Focus: 3] You do, however, find a detailed discussion of the Fiery Lash, with annotations and commentaries regarding the various ways to cast it. You learn quite a few things: for example, how cutting your hand with your fingernails makes the Lash all the more destructive, and that saying 'Flay!' makes the casting a little easier. You're pretty sure that any pain will do as long as you concentrate on it the right way, though.
Name: Mehrik
Color: BlueHP: 100/100
Gender: Male
Bio: Narrow, brown eyes, one of which is obscured by a bad-ass eyepatch. He doesn't need it, he wears it for intimidation purposes. He prefers tighter clothes that allow freedom of movement. He has a generic dark past, and acts generically witty because of it.
Suppressed Desire: Generic vengeance
Skills:Apprentice Fire Mage(1 Lv3 Success)
Novice Flesh Mage
Known Spells:Fiery LashTraits:Dedicated: +1 will
Bull-Headed: -1 negotiations
Stealthy: +1 sneaking
Slender: -1 wrestling
Inventory:Shortsword
Robes
Tight trousers
Flesh spellbook
Badass eyepatch
Cleaver
230 gp
Nod my thanks to Ardimis for helping me. Then Stone Shape myself some form of primitive weapon, probably a club, then cast DUCK SKIN on myself and engage the water mage!
NO WATER SHALL HARM ME THIS DAY!
[Stone Shape Lv2: 5] You form a section of the floor into a huge stone club and lift it to your shoulder. It's not really wieldy, and not really stylish, but if you hit someone with it, you're definitely going to break bones.
[Duck Skin Lv1: 4] The spell's protective layer isn't going to do miracles, but water will glance away before any serious scalding occurs.
[Nathair, Club Lv0: 1] vs. [Cohen, Water Lv1: 2+1] You try to knock the mage off his feet, but can't reach him in time. He gestures at you, snaps his fingers and says 'Terelak!'. A globe of steaming water raises from the cauldron and slams into the floor beneath you, showering you with scalding water.
Fortunately, your Duck Skin works quite well, and you don't suffer any significant damage; unfortunately, the steam still hurts a lot, and you slam into Burly just as he is about to strike at the mage.
Name: Nathair Siliar
Color: GrayHP: 100/100
Gender: Male
Status: Duck Skin Lv1Bio: Nathair is a young-ish wizard, with dark-coloured hair, with a calm personality. He is the typical picture of a whoring, alcoholic wizard, though his does try to keep control of himself and keep a suave front up. He has always had a fascination with golems and Soul Magic, and thus has made it in his interests to study the two things.
Suppressed Desire: Power, Wealth, Social Standing.
Skills:Apprentice Earth Mage(1 Lv3 Success)
Novice Water Mage
Known Spells:Shape StoneDuck SkinTraits: +1 to social interaction rolls
-1 to movement rolls
+2 to crafting rolls
-2 to grappling rolls
Auditory Comprehension.Inventory:Dark gray robes with green highlights
A toolkit
An empty bottle
Rough stone club20 gp
Cut that mage into pieces!
[Burly, Axe Lv2: 5+2-1; 6; 4] vs. [Cohen, Water Lv1: 4+1] [Lv4 - Lv2: Wound Lv2] Burly charges at his enemy with an angry roar, slapping an orb of boiling water out of the air and shoving the stumbling Nathair out of his way. His strike throws the enemy mage against the wall, a deep cut showing across the mage's ribs.
[Cohen, Water Lv3: 4] [Lv3 + Wound Lv1 - Armor Lv1: Wound Lv3] Burly's stike doesn't seem to slow the mage down: he raises his hand, clenches it into a fist with a thumb covering the index finger, and mutters something quickly. A huge jet of steam blasts out of the cauldron, striking at Burly and covering Nathair in a thin layer of water. Burly, caught off guard, screams and backs away from the jet, stopping only when his back hits the wall.
[Healing Potion Lv2: Autosuccess] [Natural Regeneration Lv0: 4] The moment the steam's onslaught stops, Burly takes a blood-red potion off his belt and downs it in a gulp; his face and hands, boiled red with huge pieces of skin missing, are restored to their normal state in mere seconds.
Name: Burly
Color: RedHP: 90/120
Skills:Competent Axe Fighter
Competent Hammer Fighter
Inventory:Leather armorSteel axeSteel war hammerBelt of potions
"Right then! Skadoosh!"
waggle fingers, get self clean. If time permits, browse through chapter one of 'RM's guide to fucking with biology. Not literally. Okay maybe a bit literally.': So you want to pull a fast one on nature.'
[Wet Cleaning Lv1: 1] You make a half-hearted attempt at casting the spell, twisting your fingers in all the right gestures and directing the arcane energies the right way even though you lack the focus. The spell draws the rainwater from the open window and throws it at one of the potted plants furiously, knocking over the pot and leaving a dirty puddle on the floor.
You try to leaf through the chapter one of your book on genetics, but get stumped on its title: "Genes Are Totally Blueprints". You could swear you heard a few reputable researchers say that genes are not blueprints... meh, whatever, maybe they're wrong. You stop staring at the title and start reading.
The chapter contains several lengthy descriptions of the R.M.'s experiments with the Polymorph spells, which, for some reason, he expected to prove his statement in the chapter's title. Looks like he wasn't on good terms with formal logic. [Common Sense: 6; 1] But the lack of formality only proves that there is logic of some higher nature behind the R.M.'s work!
[Spellcrafting: 3] You memorize R.M.'s Polymorph spell studiously, and look around for the two ingredients the spell needed. [Flora: 3] [Fauna: 5] You find and paralyze a large, young, healthy-looking library cat, but you're out of luck with plants: the pots on the Library's windows are all occupied by vines and cacti.
[Spellcasting: 2] You pick up a potted cactus and almost get to business, but one thought gives you pause: what if this will end badly? As in, tentacle-level badly?
Name: Derm
Color: GreenHP: 120/120
Gender: Male
Bio: A new wizard, he scoffs at the human form and desires to surpass its current limitations. He took to jogging during his apprenticeship. and is a little faster and healthier than his comrades.
Suppressed Desire: Wants to ascend to a higher state of existence. (EX: Become genetically perfect, and probably ageless in the process.)
Skills: Apprentice Flesh Mage
Novice Water Mage
Known Spells:Dog SpiceEmergency DetoxWet CleaningR.M.'s Lesser PolymorphTraits:-2 to fisticuffs
+1 to movement
+20 health.
Inventory: Robes of Swag +5Necklace of Bling +1Rings of Bitch-Slapping +2Hat of SwagA book titled 'Guide to the alteration of chromosomes'. Author: R. M.
Ancestral dagger made of magically sensitive metal
Paralyzed Cat
Potted Cactus
100 gp
Del listened to the story with interest. Was she really so bad, then? Raven had merely been trying to escape her own arcane imprisonment...by binding him...he supposed it was reasonable, when pushed to such extremes, to take hard measures. She seemed to be free now. Somehow, he hoped Raven would in turn free him-not that he wanted to be apart from her, but...he just wanted to talk to her...
He shook his head. Wine. Yes. He had to get two more...The Figure in front of him was not likely a friend in any case. Raven would have warned him if their were allies of hers down here.
A part of him honestly didn't care-it wanted to let loose with his most powerful magic, to rend, destroy and crumble. To break free. From what? He couldn't say...
Del whipped out his fiddle and set his bow in a smooth, practiced motion-he would use a simple but useful spell, 'Earth Blast'-little more than a ball of hardened Earth shaped into being by his song, and launched at his opponent like a dirty missile. It took time and concentration, but the effects were always amusing.
Get out of my way He thought, smiling. I am Lady Raven's Knight...Her will be done.
Action: Whip out my fiddle and cast Earth Blast at the Figure.
The figure does something, and bright white light floods the basement before going back out; it's almost as if it was challenging - no,
mocking - you. [Spellcrafting: 5] In your righteous anger at the flashy intruder, you put together a tune so driven it would inspire the rocks around you to stone your enemy to death. Before you can play it, however, you hear Raven's voice whispering into your ear:
Raven: "
Don't do that! You may wreck the shelves. We want the Guard to remain ignorant of our little intrusion, so let me try a subtler approach first."
[Raven, Soul Lv1: 6; 5] Raven steps forward from behind you and a pair of golden wisps, in the shape of snakes, slides out of her sleeves; she whispers something and one of the 'snakes' darts in the direction of the silhouette and disappears, probably hiding in the person's clothes. The other wraps itself around her wrist, freezing on it like some glowing snake-themed bracelet.
Raven: "
Let's see... nobody special, just some Graduate-turned-looter. He does know the basics of the Soul Magic, though... and he's got so much ambition, oh my - prime material for a professional law-breaker. I think you and I will need to have a word with him - later, when we're all out of here. For now, find Reedflow."
[Looting: 6;5, 2] You, compelled to search for the delicious insanity-inducing drink, start flitting around the place and soon find another bottle stashed behind a few dusty old wine casks.
Name: Del Vundi
Color: Light GreenHP: 100/100
Gender: Male
Bio: Del looks to be a medium height male, with bushy brown hair and blue eyes. He seems fairly well travelled-a heavy green cloak and hood covers his fit body, and he carries a roughly mended wooden hilt sword hung on his left hip, and a fiddle on his back. Has all the looks of a vagabond traveler.
Personality-wise, He seems to enjoy debate and wordplay-one could say he has a problem with talking too much, and not noticing his surroundings. Del is also something of a charmer-he always seem to have a flower and a song for a pretty lady.
Suppressed Desire: Love
Skills:Apprentice Earth Mage
Novice Fiddler
Known Spells:StompRock BarrageTraits:+1 Diplomacy
-1 Perception
Inventory:Heavy cloak with a green hood
Open-throated white shirt
Thick leather pants
High boots with wooden buckles
Tri-corner hat
Old sword
Hip-mounted sword sheath
Rucksack
Full waterskin
Runed fiddle and bowCursed Engagement RingOrnate Green Gloves2 Bottles of Reedflow, Summer 489 A.G.D100 gp
Vira jolted at the sudden intrusion. She really didn't want to get stabbed, and she really didn't know any combat magic. This was a serious problem.
More than a little panicked, she decided to go with what she knew.
Flesh warp one of the mages' skin into severe, debilitating pain.
[Spellcrafting: 6; 5] You remember an old Easterner spell from your grimoire, called "Shurale's Touch". The spell causes rapid growth of extra nerve endings in the target area; they cause the victim of the spell to feel an agonizingly strong tickling sensation. While technically not pain-inducing, the spell
is torturous and debilitating; the only drawback you can think of is that the magically-made nerve endings are quite fragile, and die immediately unless sustained by the caster.
[Spellcasting Lv1: 6; 2] Unfortunately, the precise formula of casting evades you even after you think about it very, very hard.
Cohen: "
Hmm. Interesting spell, Vira; it's just what Morul needs to fight off the bandits. Thanks for the tip!"
Name: Vira
Color: PurpleHP: 140/140
Gender: Female
Bio: A young witch leaning more towards outright necromancy. She's ambitious but cautious, good traits to have given Soul Magic's limitless potential for both weal and woe.
Suppressed Desire: Servants
Skills:Apprentice Soul Mage
Novice Flesh Mage
Known Spells:Conjure WispPower Phrase: Soul-LinkWillpower BurstShurale's TouchTraits:+40 HP
-2 Grappling
Notorious DrunkardInventory:Witch Dress
Witch Hat
Gnarled Staff
Black Grimoire of Unpleasant Things
Medical Supplies
100 gp
Soul-Linked Golden Bracelet
"Hmmm this could be a plan, but i would prefer to be armed first, I should increase my magical abilities". He mutters to himself.
I will meet you, guys back here soon i have to do something". He tells the others he came with.
Look for some sort of fire magic training place (Hopefully with dummies. See if i can learn a spell to use a whip of fire to go around some ones neck and both separate the head and body, and choke the entity it is being used on.
[Spellcrafting: 3+1] You make a few marginal improvements to the Lash and increase its detonation velocity in hopes of breaking the target's neck, but it still isn't strong enough to take someone's head off.
[Searching: 3] The Library doesn't really encourage its visitors to use Fire Magic, so you don't find any fire-resistant training ranges in the building. Not that you need to; you doubt your upgrades will have a noticeable difference on your current level of magical mastery.
Name: Bruce Grothinime
Color: OrangeGender: Male
Bio: Wears glasses, younger than he looks, lost his love when pushed towards magic though he does love magic too.
Suppressed Desire: his lost true love.
Skills:Apprentice Fire Mage
Novice Air Mage
Known Spells:Fiery LashTraits:-1 to speech
+1 to stealth
-1 with the ladies
+1 to agility rolls
-1 to intuitionish rolls
+1 to intellectish rolls
Inventory:Robes
Glasses
House keys
Unkown address
Frying pan
0 gp
Murkal will fashion an orb of light, just something simple utilizing his Air Magic, and have it follow him around, while he searches the tavern cellars.
Whoa. Big update, dude.
[Spellcrafting: 5] Yes, you remember a perfectly good Air spell just for this purpose. [Spellcasting Lv2: 1] You succesfully ionize the air, but the magical containment field doesn't kick in until it's too late. The newly-made plume of plasma normalizes itself with a blinding flash. [Roll Against Blinding: 3] Fortunately, you closed your eyes right before the flash, so all you have to deal with now is a bout of nausea and slight disorientation.
[Searching: 6; 1] You find a bottle of some orange-y liquid glowing in the dark, but accidentally knock it onto the stone floor when you try to reach it. The bottle breaks, and the majority of the liquid in it ends up on your coat. The liquid is causing the water on your coat to evaporate near-instantly, but doesn't seem to set it on fire or even char it - it should be somewhere around boiling temperatures, then.
[Perception: 1] You feel strangely compelled all of a sudden to find a bottle of ale labelled "Reedflow". You think you maybe heard something somewhere about how it's cursed or something, so it's gotta fetch a good price on the black market - right? And a cellar as big as this has got to have a bottle or two; what is a wine cellar without a few collector's items?
[Looting: 1] Paying no heed to how faulty your logic sounds, you start walking around the cellar, looking for the infamous brew; you don't find any, but that's solely because of your hand accidentally brushing against the orange stain on your coat. The stain burned a surprising deal, considering you have touched it for mere moments - the wound would be milder if you grabbed a hot iron instead. You can see a huge red blister beginning to swell on your palm.
Name: Murkal
Color: RedHP: 90/100
Gender: Male
Bio: Murkal has the attire and attitude of a beggar. He wears raggedy clothes, and is more than willing to do a dirty deed for a quick coin.
Suppressed Desire: The ability to control the rules of the universe. He wishes to bend things to his will, do the impossible and tear down any barriers in his way.
Status: Liquid Fire Covering on Coat Level 1 BurnSkills:Apprentice Air Mage
Novice Soul Mage
Known Spells:Lesser BuoyancySphere of LightTraits:+2 to Enchanting
Golems May Go Rogue
Inventory:Well-made, raggedy clothing
A book labelled "Advanced Golemistry for the Apprentice Wizard."
GlassesAn empty bottleA stuffed nightingaleA bottle of Aqua Vitae0 gp
((Update quality dropped a little, but it's still great overall))
Action! Glory! Justice!
"For imprisoning innocents, I deal out justice!"
Ardimis launches a fireball at the most immediate threat, the Water Mage
[Ardimis, Fire Lv2: 5+1; 1] vs [Cohen, Water Lv1: 2+1] A tiny globe of boiling water hits your fireball just as you're done burning up the coal, and the containment field pops open like a balloon. Like a magical, heat-containing balloon filled with incredibly hot plasma. Which doesn't take long to disappear in a wave of heat, setting your clothes on fire... as well as the clothes of everyone else who was caught in the blast - namely, the kidnapper's victims.
[Victims: 5] After a few seconds of flailing around, the prisoners seem to have fully extinguished themselves. [Ardimis: 1] Which is the opposite of what can be said about you. Good news is, you've got a good, nigh-unlimited source of flames for all your spellcasting needs now, so you drop the coal bag. Bad news is, your
clothes are that source.
Name: Ardimis Maximus
Color: GoldHP: 100/100
Gender: Male
Bio: Ardimis had always wanted to be a hero. The guy who slays the dragon, frees the town, and has his statue erected in the town plaza. The guy who drinks alcohol all night in the town bar, forms a party that morning, and slays ultimate evil by afternoon, while still under a buzz. He wanted to be that guy.
Unfortunately, he's a little...off. He doesn't always think things through. Old lady's cat in the tree? Burn the tree down. Rat problem? Burn the house down. Insect problem? Burn the field down.
Suppressed Desire: Ardimis wants to be the greatest hero of all, to be admired by all the peasant folk in the land. He wants to slay the biggest dragons, meet with the greatest kings, and overall be known throughout the world for his exploits.
Status: On FireSkills:Apprentice Fire Mage
Novice Earth Mage
Known Spells:FireballSparkTraits:+1 to physical rolls when below 50 HP
-1 to interaction with other people
Inventory:
Blue cape
ClothingA bag of charcoal50 gp
A Water Bullet for every one of the three adventurers. Level 2 Water Bullet for the first one to charge me.
Steam Jet on the big adventurer after I countered his attack.
[Nathair, Club Lv0: 1] vs. [Cohen, Water Lv2: 2+1]
[Burly, Axe Lv2: 5+2-1; 6; 4] vs. [Cohen, Water Lv1: 4+1] [Lv4 - Lv2: Wound Lv2 to Cohen]
[Ardimis, Fire Lv2: 5+1; 1] vs [Cohen, Water Lv1: 2+1]
You succesfully fend off the wizards' attacks with a bit of well-placed hot water, but the warrior ignores your attempts to stop him and carves a deep gash across your ribs with a vicious strike of his axe.
[Cohen, Water Lv3: 4] [Attack Lv3 + Spell Lv1 - Armor Lv1: Wound Lv3]
You retaliate by evaporating a portion of water in the cauldron and launching it all at the axe-wielding brute. Your attack seems to be incredibly effective, and his leather armor shows signs of heavy damage afterwards.
[Healing Potion Lv1: Autosuccess] While everyone's attention is focused on the hard-boiled warrior, you take a healing potion from your belt and down it in one gulp.
The young witch, Vira, seems to have grasped the basics of disabling her enemies... at least in theory. She did pick a good, reliable spell to work with; she's just too drunk to cast it properly. Despite her failure, you transmit the knowledge to Morul: he seems to be in dire need of a good knock-out spell right now.
[Lanky: 2] You feel that the adventurers' rogue has finally given in to your influence. Good.
Name: Cohen
Color: BlueHP: 70/100
Skills:Expert Water Mage
Apprentice Soul Mage
Novice Air Mage
Known Spells:Water BulletWater SquirtSteam JetInventory:Grey robes
Bone-rimmed glasses
Beautiful, well-maintained goatee
A bottle of beerShot glass
Belt of potions1 Lv1 healing potion1 Lv3 healing potion4 Soul-Linked golden bracelets
Bright blue wisp
NOTE: Apparently, 'keep it short' is not a valid strategy for writing turns faster. Damn it.
Author
Topic: Staggering Wizards RTD: Turn 7: Saving Lives of Rats and Renegades (Read 21127 times)