[Turn 5: Crimes Against Nature]Take another look at the book. Go enquire if we can check out some books.
[Spellcrafting Lv2: 6; 5][Components S/V/F: 6;4, 4, 2] Leafing through the Appendix C, "For Advanced Users", you find an exceptionally nasty slow-combustion spell that doesn't explode its targets, but rather
conflagrates them. The slower combustion rate allows it to work for longer periods of time, which means that it can take off entire chunks of flesh at a time. Unfortunately, the spell takes a very skilled mage to cast it and is virtually useless to you on your current level of magical mastery.
[Check Out Books: 1] The librarian, an intimidating-looking old hag with glasses as thick as shields and words as sharp as daggers, is in particularly bad mood because of some good-for-nothing knocking over one potted cactus and making off with another while she wasn't looking.
She, suspecting that it was a distraction forestalling the theft of some valuable book, informs you that she has engaged a quarantine protocol - which means that everyone has to be searched before they leave, and all possessions of the Library are confiscated immediately.
The librarian then proves her point by saying "
Oh, I didn't realize you were just leaving! Go on, then - shoo, shoo!" out loud, shoving you into the guards near the exit door and returning to her desk with a cackle.
The guards, heading none of your protests, search you, take away the Fire spellbook and the book on lairs, and shove you outside the door.
After walking around the corner, you notice Derm to your right, an empty pot standing before him and some weird green-ish cactus-ish cat rubbing itself against the flaps of his robe.
Slightly farther away, behind him, Bruce is looking intensely at heap of refuse. On a... moving heap of refuse. Which seems to be tearing a dog's corpse into pieces.
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 LashFiendish ConflagrationTraits: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
Derm pauses, and weighs the options in his head. In a rare flash of common sense directed in the completely wrong direction, he realizes he shouldn't really be casting inside a library.
Go find a Designated Spell Testing area, stand a distance away, and preform MAGIC!
[Designated Spell Testing Area: 2] You have no idea where a wizard can perform some dangerous magic, but you figure that doing it out in the street should be all right.
[Spellcasting Lv2: 6; 4] [Luck: 5] You impale the cat on the cactus's needles, put them on the ground and take three steps away, like the R.M. has instructed. You then magically join the 'chromosomal essences' of the creatures into one and pour a huge amount of flesh-warping energy through them to accelerate the changes. You can almost hear the thunder of lightning in your mind as the SCIENCE commences!
When you stop casting and take a look at what you have done, you see an... abominable, yet somewhat cute creature sitting in the pot, purring as it looks at you with its adorable green eyes. [Hedgecat's Best Judgement: 1] The green cat, spikes covering its hide where its fur should have been, jumps down from the pot and tries to rub against your legs; that would hurt if your thick Robes of Swag didn't stop it in its tracks.
It takes you some time to realize this after your shocking success, but R.M.'s theory has been confirmed: the merging of chromosomal essences results in the merging of bodies, and therefore, genes are blueprints! He truly is a genius!
Gained Familiar: Hedgecat.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 Chromosomal MergingTraits:-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
100 gp
Familiar:Name: Hedgecat, the Amazing Cat-Cactus Hybrid
HP: 40/40
Needled Skin: +2 to Wound Level against targets the size of a big dog or smaller.
Del nods. He hoped this newcomer did not compete for the Ladies affections...
Action: Continue the Search for that last bottle.
[Looting: 2] You search for the third bottle, but Raven tells you to stop before you can make any progress.
Raven: "
The looter has found the third bottle. He's trying to leave now. Won't work, not without talking to us first."
[Raven, Soul Lv3: 3] Raven's face tightens up and you hear word in your mind: not addressed to you, but rather, to somebody else. Even so, they are brimming with some kind of otherworldly power, as if they came from a god itself, and you can't help but believe what they say.
Raven: "
You can't leave here alone."
The intruder approaches the stairs upwards, then freezes in his tracks for a second and turns around. Raven walks up to him, offering a hand:
Raven: "
Forgot the way out, friend? Don't be so hasty to leave the way you came. I can lead you out... but it will be a different path than the one you walked before: the path of adventure, of power, the path that will let you change the world. Want to hear more?"
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
"You shall pay, villain!"
Ardimis takes his cape, rolls it into a ball, and uses it for fireball material. He launches the fireball at the nefarious Water Mage.
[Ardimis, Fire Lv2: 6; 1] vs. [Cohen, Water Lv1: 2+1] You gather up plasma quite well, but the scenario repeats: your fireball explodes when a small water pellet hits the contanment field. [Victims: 2] [Ardimis: 2] Both the kidnappees and you fail to extinguish the fires.
[Roll against Wounds, Lv2: 4] Despite being sheathed in even more flames than before, you somehow manage to avoid burning.
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 Fire, Lv2Skills: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
Follow Derm, there has to be a spell faculity somewhere, And practice BURNING WHIPLASH (patent pending)
"Find anything good in the books?"
[Designated Spell Testing Area: 1] You, just like Derm, fail to find anyplace fitting for testing your spells: there simply aren't all that many free-of-charge firing ranges in the Arcane District. You do, however, find a nest of giant rats in a trash heap in an alley nearby: there are at least four of the huge grey beasts, each the size of your arm, their oily fur unkempt and covered in fresh blood from a dead dog they just caught and dragged in here. Did I mention they have those long, sharp, yellow teeth that can bite through boiled leather? No, I probably didn't.
[Spellcasting, Lv2: 6; 2] You try to explode one and come close, but the spell fizzles for no comprehensible reason. You are forced to conclude that this heavy, pulsing feeling in your head really does interfere with intellectual endeavors.
[Agressiveness: 2] The rats keep feasting on the dog. They don't seem to realize that you just tried to burn them.
[Treasure, Lv1: 6; 4] You notice something lying in the trash heap - an iron rod with a shiny cyan gem embedded into its round top. [Lore: 3] You think that cyan gems are a focus for air, and iron is traditionally considered a lightning-y material. Maybe this is a focus for lightning magic?
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 leave in distaste, and head to an inn for some strong spirits.
Before leaving, you open the bottle of Aqua Vitae and pour a small amount of it over the burn; high-proof booze, according to your mentor, was one of the best remedies for burns that he knew. [Regeneration: 5] Turns out, your mentor was right: the redness on your hand subsedes and after a while you can feel your fingers again.
[Looting: 3][Leaving: 6; 3] Not yet satisfied with how your last attempt to search for the Reedflow turned out and still compelled to search for it, you look around and notice a bottle of brown liquid with a piece of cloth wrapped around it. You can't read what's written on the wrap, but you somehow know that this is the Reedflow; you take the bottle and head to the exit.
Or, at least, you think you do. One moment, you're almost at the stairway...
...and the other, you are facing a strange couple: a green-clad bard and some lady, clearly of noble birth, dressed in fine silk clothing. Neither of them looks much older than you.
Mysterious Lady: "
Forgot the way out, friend? Don't be so hasty to leave the way you came. I can lead you out... but it will be a different path than the one you walked before: the path of adventure, of power, the path that will let you change the world. Want to hear more?"
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 CoatSkills: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 VitaeA bottle of Reedflow, Summer 489 A.G.D.
0 gp
Stone Shape the floor/any nearby stone around the Water Mage and, while he's held by the stone, NERD SMASH!
((Alright, a moderately strong Stone Shaping and one NERD SMASH coming up- waaaaait a minute. Only one action per turn allowed; that's them rules.))
[Nathair, Earth Lv2: 3-2] vs. [Cohen, Water Lv1: 1+1] A maddening bout of itch in the middle of a spell messes with your aim, and you cause the ground to bulge harmlessly a few feet away from him.
[Listen: 6; 6; 6; 3] You think you hear something... slither... in the doorway behind you. That sound doesn't belong to any creature in the world; therefore, it must be a magical construct of some sort. The slithering is very silent, and you're sure nobody but you has heard it.
Oh, and there's the issue of your fellow Graduate setting himself and the kidnapper's captives on fire. They'll probably need some help - and a bit of water - extinguishing themselves.
You look around and notice that the only source of water in here is the cauldron; the water from it will need to be cooled before you try to extinguish anyone.
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
Try that again on the non-flaming mage!
[Vira, Flesh Lv1: 5] This time, you succeed exceptionally well. Your target yelps and twists around like a pretzel when the spell hits him, and whatever magic he was doing misfired harmlessly, resulting only in a lump of stone protruding out of the floor next to you.
[Perception: 2] You notice some slight movement in the doorway, but then a huge ball of boiling water hits you in the face and you kinda get distracted.
Cohen: "
Damn it! Sorry, Vira, my aim was thrown off. Have a potion!"
[Healing Potion Lv1: 6; 4] You feel a small glass bottle being pressed into your hand, and down it in one gulp. Your face stops burning and buzzing like a beehive, and you think you can see again. The steam still hurt like hell, though.
Name: Vira
Color: PurpleHP: 120/140
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(1 Lv2 Success)
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
Soul-Linked Golden BraceletEmpty Clear Glass Vial
100 gp
Lv3 Axe attack on the enemy mage!
[Burly, Lv3 Axe: 1+2] vs. [Cohen, Lv1 Water: 6+1; 1] The giant warrior's swing throws the villain off balance, causing his attempt at counterattacking, a huge bullet brimming with boiling water, to hit the witch next to him. The witch seems to be displeased with her face melting off.
[Flesh Golem, Lv2 Grappling: 2] A cluster of black scaly tendrils shoots out of the dark passage at the warrior. Fortunately for him, it misses and hits the wall; tendrils fall to the floor and flail around, searching for anything else to grab.
Name: Burly
Color: RedHP: 90/120
Skills:Competent Axe Fighter
Competent Hammer Fighter
Inventory:Leather armorSteel axeSteel war hammerBelt of potions
Fend off the initial attacks with Lv1 Water Bullets. Take control of the flesh golem.
[Burly, Lv3 Axe: 1+2] vs. [Cohen, Lv1 Water: 6+1; 1] After you sabotage the fire mage's spellcasting and Vira's spell succesfully prevents the earth mage from... doing whatever it was he was doing, the warrior charges in. Your attempt to counter his attack fails miserably, and the huge bullet of boiling water you've saved up for him lands in your newest recruit's face instead.
[Healing Potion Lv3: 2] You apologize to Vira and give her a potion to heal the burns; unfortunately, your wound - now one on your hip - prevents you from reaching the other potion, the potent one in your pocket.
[Lanky's Resistance: 2] You remember one more resource you haven't used yet: the rogue you attempted you sicced Morul's wisp onto even before the battle began. Morul's brain-warping enchantments have done their job perfectly: the rogue's mind, once showing surprising resilience and speed of thinking, is now as soft and pliant as clay. Its hands have become clusters of black, scaled tendrils with hooks on their ends - perfect for preventing people from, oh, closing in on you and shoving an axe into your hip - and you faintly remember Morul saying something about its tongue being elongated and covered with some kind of carbon emery.
The best part about your new flesh golem is, you don't even need to order the creature around - it just does whatever it is told. That said, it has grown blind and dumb in the process, but who needs fast thinking with a body like that?
Cohen: "
Golem, pin down the big man."
Name: Cohen
Color: BlueHP: 50/100
Status: Lv2 Axe Wound[/abbr]
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 Lv3 healing potion4 Soul-Linked golden bracelets
Bright blue wispGolem:Name: Flesh Golem
HP: 80/80
Blind: Incapable of attacking and counterattacking unless already grappling the target.
Tendril Hands: Grappling is a free action. Can counterattack with a +2 to hit.
Emery Tongue: Can perform Lv1 to Lv4 Unarmed attacks, with a -1 to hit and +1 to Wound Level.
Scales and Leather Armor: Can block up to 6 Levels worth of Wounds, 2 Levels each turn.
NOTE: Not dead, not dead! University life turns out to be more intense than I thought. Only resumed the whole turn-writing thingy today.
Author
Topic: Staggering Wizards RTD: Turn 7: Saving Lives of Rats and Renegades (Read 21085 times)