2026-7-6 — Akasha

Gamemaster:you How are we

Argyle:yo

Argyle:Can you not hear?

Gamemaster:What?

Gamemaster:That was...

Gamemaster:I don't know if it's my internet or your internet,

Gamemaster:but something funky is going on.

Gamemaster:Uh, okay, so I can hear you,

Gamemaster:but there's a bit of a lag between when I finish talking

Gamemaster:and when you start talking that I think is longer

Gamemaster:than actually exists in real life.

Argyle:Let me restart my router again.

Gamemaster:And also sometimes you're talking over yourself.

Argyle:I might need to get a new Ethernet.

Gamemaster:Oh boy. Okay. I'll be here.

Gamemaster:you Yes hello

Anzu:you Yes hello

Anzu:How are you, Josh?

Gamemaster:Hello?

Gamemaster:How are we?

Anzu:what do you go to have some like protein yogurt or something

Gamemaster:Doing all right.

Gamemaster:Jorge abandoned me

Gamemaster:so I've just been sitting in this room alone

Gamemaster:so

Gamemaster:no

Anzu:yes that seems to

Gamemaster:his router is bad

Gamemaster:which is the excuse he gave me

Anzu:well in his defense we have seen previous evidence of that

Gamemaster:I think to escape

Gamemaster:he uses that excuse every time

Anzu:oh

Gamemaster:he's just building up

Gamemaster:a like past

Anzu:do you think that he has

Gamemaster:listing so that he can use it whenever he wants.

Anzu:like

Anzu:programmed his router to

Anzu:cause some cuts

Anzu:in his video

Anzu:or something like that

Gamemaster:That would be fun.

Anzu:yeah

Gamemaster:I could definitely see him doing that.

Gamemaster:So it's possible.

Anzu:oh you spawned noah

Gamemaster:What does that do?

Gamemaster:I just asked you to stream Slay the Spire.

Anzu:you just asked me to stream it uh can i do that from another computer because i'm not playing

Gamemaster:Yes, that's what I've done.

Johnny:Or are we watching Tanner?

Gamemaster:I don't know.

Gamemaster:Discord asked if I wanted to ask you to stream Slay the Spire,

Johnny:Wait.

Gamemaster:and I clicked yes, because I thought that would be fun.

Anzu:oh fascinating

Anzu:Oh, wait, if I click this, will it do something?

Gamemaster:how have you been liking Slay the Spire?

Gamemaster:because I remember you asking about

Gamemaster:about the game a few

Gamemaster:honestly it might be months at this point

Anzu:I'm all in. I think it's great. No, I saw Slay the Spider in your email the other

Johnny:in

Gamemaster:haha

Gamemaster:For what it's worth, I feel like Slay the Spire 2, at least in its current state, to me feels like just basically Slay the Spire 1 but more.

Anzu:day. I decided not to do that and just go right for number two.

Johnny:Yes, I'm playing the first one.

Anzu:right well i asked some of the folks who recommended i play this uh because they've

Gamemaster:I don't know how else to put it.

Gamemaster:The games feel very similar, but not in a bad way.

Gamemaster:I think the

Johnny:That's what I've heard.

Anzu:played both, I was like, should I go back and play the first one? And they were like,

Anzu:you don't really need to. You get a pretty similar experience. So. Yeah.

Johnny:It's just Slay the Spire plus.

Johnny:With like two new characters.

Gamemaster:the one fun thing you get

Gamemaster:is if you play a bunch of

Gamemaster:Slay the Spire 1

Gamemaster:you, like, learn all of the general patterns and stuff,

Gamemaster:the different builds for the characters,

Anzu:Right.

Gamemaster:and then you go to play Slay the Spire 2,

Gamemaster:and you get, instead of, I'm learning this character,

Gamemaster:it's more like, ooh, this is exciting and different.

Gamemaster:I don't know if that's necessarily, like,

Gamemaster:enough of an argument to go back and play the first one,

Gamemaster:but it is an experience you get,

Gamemaster:specifically because you're, like, already used to

Gamemaster:the Wanderer, the Silence move set,

Gamemaster:and they're different in Slay the Spire 2.

Gamemaster:But...

Gamemaster:you know.

Johnny:I like the default from just cycling 500 shields with ice.

Anzu:Yeah.

Anzu:Ascensions.

Johnny:That's it.

Gamemaster:It's a good time.

Johnny:No one's touching me.

Gamemaster:No, that's fair.

Gamemaster:Are you, um,

Gamemaster:you got far in the, oh gosh,

Gamemaster:what is it called, the sentences?

Anzu:Ascensions.

Gamemaster:The

Gamemaster:sentience, thank you.

Gamemaster:Words are hard.

Anzu:Very close.

Gamemaster:Thank you Yes correct

Anzu:Very close.

Johnny:I've done a couple of it.

Johnny:I think I on the level five ascension five with the defect I have not been able to beat the game once with the blind watcher

Anzu:you I heard that she the worst character and she actually not in the second game

Anzu:because of that.

Anzu:Right.

Gamemaster:Correct.

Anzu:Yeah.

Johnny:If you look anywhere online and you're like why can't I win this character everyone online is so mean about it and

Anzu:I think that's a good point.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Johnny:Then you go back to play and you're like, I think I'm dumb

Gamemaster:It's just a really difficult...

Johnny:Yeah, that's how I have.

Gamemaster:They don't have a lot of viable builds,

Gamemaster:especially for the harder bits,

Gamemaster:which makes it difficult because...

Gamemaster:I feel like for the other classes,

Gamemaster:you can go into a run not knowing what you're going to build,

Gamemaster:and it's fine, you'll figure it out along the first part,

Gamemaster:but you can't really do that otherwise.

Gamemaster:So you just have to try and build something

Gamemaster:and hope you get the right cards early on.

Johnny:felt that it too. And then even with the right cards, you have to keep your deck

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Johnny:like 14 cards or less. Otherwise, you're just going to get wrecked.

Johnny:And then it just feels bad because you see a lot of cool cards and you're like,

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Johnny:no. Huge bummer.

Gamemaster:So when are you going to move on to two?

Gamemaster:How far do you have to get in one before you're like,

Gamemaster:okay, I can take on two now?

Gamemaster:that is fair that's that's a good argument for when you can play it is the answer

Johnny:I think when they release it for Switch, because I don't have

Johnny:I don't have a PC

Argyle:I have not.

Anzu:That'll do it.

Johnny:so that's

Johnny:my bottleneck right now

Gamemaster:Do you like

Anzu:Yeah, that'll definitely do it.

Johnny:Jorge have you slayed the Spire?

Argyle:I'm a loser.

Johnny:clearly everyone else

Anzu:Well, I'm not sure if that's...

Gamemaster:deck building?

Johnny:unrelated to this

Gamemaster:No, that's true.

Gamemaster:But it might not be because of this.

Argyle:Yeah, it is.

Gamemaster:Do you like deck building?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:I am.

Argyle:I do.

Johnny:Fair Fair

Argyle:and I haven started playing it because I worried about my time sync with all my other projects currently going on So once

Anzu:Totally fair I do sink time into this

Gamemaster:Thank you What

Argyle:I'd say in two to three weeks, I'm going to know if I got a new job.

Argyle:And if I do, I'm going to start the game.

Argyle:And if I don't, I'm not going to start...

Argyle:Actually, I'm probably going to start the game anyway,

Gamemaster:Back up a little bit.

Anzu:wait wait wait wait

Argyle:I'm going to be honest with you.

Anzu:before anyone speaks again

Anzu:how many times has this man said

Anzu:guys I found my forever job

Anzu:I'm staying here

Anzu:it's amazing

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:I'm not going anywhere else again

Argyle:yes them or a different venture firm um

Gamemaster:Is this the people that are gonna pay you to just investigate things?

Johnny:You guys, when Josh said investigate, did you also hear invest dash agate?

Anzu:I'm going to retire here

Anzu:alright Jorge continue

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:well that's what i would be doing uh

Johnny:Because that's how I heard it.

Argyle:yeah yeah i just

Argyle:yeah yeah i

Argyle:am gonna blow my brains out with my current manager she's a really nice person

Argyle:she just has no idea about the tech so literally every other week she's like i think we might have

Argyle:to delete everything and i'm like what are you talking about because she's scared we're breaking

Argyle:some internal company policy and then like it used to bother me and now every time it happens

Argyle:I'm just like, just wait a week.

Argyle:And then it's fine.

Argyle:She just physically cannot understand the things we're working on,

Anzu:you got to go overhead bring it up to somebody

Argyle:which is really annoying in a company that all of the main meetings happen

Argyle:between managers and they don't bring any ICs.

Argyle:And I'm just not there.

Argyle:And she just doesn't know what we do.

Argyle:And it's kind of infuriating.

Gamemaster:Oh boy.

Argyle:i i mean i can't really because like

Argyle:they know she not great at tech and it like they just trying to hire someone and i think they gonna hire someone that actually great so if i wait a month and a half she be here the replacement

Johnny:you Have you had your final interview with the new company or not yet

Argyle:but i've already started the pipeline for a new job so i'm just seeing how that goes

Argyle:and then if it doesn't work

Argyle:no so so i well i had my final interview now they're just gonna give me a take home on friday

Argyle:and then the other companies now expediting my process because

Anzu:And what is this company like?

Argyle:I'm wrapping up with the first one.

Argyle:It is also a venture firm, but they

Johnny:Oh

Argyle:focus more on healthcare

Argyle:and I'd be on their

Argyle:labs subcompany, which just works on company building.

Argyle:We get early stage startups. I help them hire.

Argyle:I help them write that AI stuff when they don't need to hire new people.

Gamemaster:Are they in New York?

Anzu:Perfect.

Benny:I love remotes.

Argyle:And then we just try to sell the company and make a bunch of money.

Anzu:I'm in.

Argyle:Yeah, it would be remote, though, which would be kind of lit.

Anzu:It is fun.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:no so dimension the one i'm doing the take-home for they have offices in new york and sf the

Gamemaster:It's just remote because they don't want to do

Gamemaster:whatever or is it all across the...

Gamemaster:That's the...

Gamemaster:That's funny.

Gamemaster:Counting, counting eggs and all.

Argyle:other people are only in sf they're making an exception in hiring me if they do

Anzu:Whoa.

Johnny:I think it's don't carry chickens before they lay eggs.

Argyle:it's funky fresh if i get the job

Anzu:That's funky fresh.

Argyle:yeah yeah

Anzu:Right.

Gamemaster:Counting chickens?

Argyle:but uh

Gamemaster:That's the phrase.

Argyle:yeah and uh then venture people have really weird interviews

Gamemaster:What?

Johnny:where they like, here are three companies, which would you invest in?

Argyle:no they're just like how was your childhood

Gamemaster:Oh.

Johnny:Crazy question.

Argyle:or they're like what was what are you passionate about and then they're just like it's a lot

Argyle:it's just weirder because it's a lot of open-ended

Johnny:It just seems like they're making good questions to ask questions.

Argyle:yeah um i actually prepared for the childhood one apparently it's a common venture question

Argyle:because they're trying to see what motivates you because these people just professionally

Johnny:You know, a lot of it.

Argyle:suss out tech founders like that's their entire job so they're just like really good at just

Argyle:weirdly vibe checking um and then randomly they'll just be like so what are your thoughts

Argyle:on alternate carbon and what do you think's happening in taiwan and i'm like great do i

Argyle:actually know an answer for you guys i am very very passionate about taiwan but i haven't asked

Argyle:about taiwan three different times yeah yeah because um one of the bottlenecks in current

Johnny:I mean, we got the rant on Taiwan like two months ago, so you were ready.

Anzu:Yeah.

Argyle:drug discovery so two out of every three drugs i think made in the last like few decades have

Argyle:all been from the u.s um like we make all we make all the big drugs for most of them

Argyle:problem though when we're synthesizing drug candidates or potential new drugs

Argyle:the only company we really work with or the only country that you can really do it out of is china

Benny:It like fertilizer

Argyle:which could be a problem if there's like a geopolitical event that happens that makes

Argyle:it so china doesn't do trade with us because then it's really hard for us to also just discover new

Argyle:drugs but yeah so we'll see

Argyle:but to answer all your questions yes i will be checking out this the spire game in two to three

Johnny:you Let us know when you pick up Slate Inspire

Argyle:weeks it'll either be celebratory or it'll be this is my life and i will just enjoy that so

Argyle:yes

Argyle:okay um

Argyle:I thought you were cured of those.

Gamemaster:Was that the project you were talking about when you said...

Anzu:So we're agreed that we're not going to rest, right?

Johnny:We're all going straight in.

Gamemaster:Oh boy.

Anzu:We're just going right in?

Johnny:We're totally fine.

Johnny:Jorge, I really need Argyle to cure me

Johnny:of the four diseases I have right now.

Argyle:I thought you made the saves.

Johnny:Oh, I made the saves on the two that the bugs got,

Johnny:but I still have some disease from the first fight

Johnny:like two sessions ago.

Argyle:Oh.

Argyle:So here's the thing.

Johnny:Guys, every time we go somewhere gross,

Johnny:I don't do well.

Argyle:So here's the thing.

Anzu:He gets sick.

Argyle:next level i'm going to be able to convert one of my cleric heal spells to a cleanse

Anzu:He has a poor immune system.

Johnny:So we have to level up right now

Argyle:or or just any of those like asterisks like the cleanses all the different spells which will be

Argyle:great i don't have that now and it's unfortunate because i only have two fourth level spell slots

Argyle:it doesn't really feel worth bringing a cleanse affliction for there and unfortunately

Argyle:yeah and the other problem is um unlike dnd like clear like you can't just get like

Johnny:or I'm going to get bug disease.

Gamemaster:Your disease.

Argyle:um what's the cleanse affliction in dnd what's that called again

Argyle:yeah yeah restoration those are fixed like you can just get a third level and it'll just cure

Johnny:Greater restoration?

Johnny:Less restoration?

Argyle:most things not in pathfinder if the disease is your level that i need a level four

Argyle:um

Argyle:so it just really not prep worth prepping it at like second level and then even third level is kind of um i can make a treat uh conditions or whatever that other one treat poisons or whatever it is i can make that check

Johnny:Thank you I have a disease

Argyle:does it happen to be a curse

Johnny:I don't know.

Johnny:It's been so long I forgot what the actual disease was.

Johnny:I have a rhythm.

Argyle:12

Johnny:No, I think it's just a disease.

Argyle:it was worse

Argyle:really good

Gamemaster:Is this the Avernal Fever?

Anzu:One leg at a time.

Johnny:Yeah. No, this was the first one from... How do I spell a vernal fever? I'm going to

Benny:Same way everyone else does.

Argyle:I thought you made the save

Argyle:okay

Johnny:sneeze on you.

Benny:And I just still dancing.

Argyle:the good news though is i'm out of most of my spells but i have literally all five of my level

Anzu:Those are separate from your spells?

Argyle:four heals so that's pretty helpful

Argyle:yeah no no those are separate from my main skills i get uh they give me a fixed amount of it's called

Anzu:Or those are what you have left?

Anzu:Oh.

Anzu:Okay.

Argyle:your cleric font i'll get a fixed amount of those by level 10 i think i get like and it's your max

Anzu:Okay.

Argyle:level spell slot as well level 10 i or level 20 i think i have uh how much is my font

Anzu:And they're specifically heels.

Benny:I'm sorry.

Argyle:yeah so by um that you get up you get more as you go right now i have five level 20 i'd have 10

Argyle:but they're they're max level spells for you so that's pretty great

Argyle:And if I was an unholy cleric, I could have harm.

Argyle:Or I could take a feat, and then I could pick which one I want.

Benny:You could...

Argyle:And I could have mix throughout the level I get six but they level 10 spells Yeah I have five right now and they level fours

Benny:You get 10 max level heals at level 20 Oh That fucking unhinged

Argyle:So if I do it on a, so if I use the two action version,

Argyle:you get 4d10 plus 32, and I get five of those.

Benny:Hell yeah.

Argyle:So yeah, which is really nice.

Argyle:What does 4D10 average to? 20? 21? 22?

Johnny:I also prefer we rest.

Benny:22.

Argyle:Yeah, 22 plus 32, it averages 54.

Benny:Yeah.

Argyle:Not bad.

Benny:Sounds like it's enough to keep many alive against the spider.

Argyle:Yeah, I'd prefer we rest, but...

Johnny:I mean, most of my stuff is just me yelling at people, but...

Argyle:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:If we're talking about, like, what we're going to do during the session,

Anzu:Wait, Mike must have something dumb to say before we start.

Benny:Fuck.

Argyle:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:maybe we should just start playing the game,

Gamemaster:if that's okay with everybody else.

Benny:Hmm.

Gamemaster:If that's acceptable.

Anzu:Give him a second.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Benny:Uh.

Benny:Oh, I did think of something.

Benny:So I was on a work call prior to this because we were doing a prod deploy and someone rang the doorbell.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Benny:and I was like oh I don't know I can't remember when my Amazon packages are coming whatever

Benny:so then after like two minutes I like look and I still see people out there like out in my front

Benny:door and I was like oh okay I'll check it out so I open the door and or I see the two and I'm just

Benny:like I don't have two people to deliver for Amazon and they're not dressed nicely so they're

Benny:Jehovah's Witnesses. What do these people want? So I open the door and the guy goes,

Benny:now I love UFC, but do you love, or do you have a burning hatred for racism?

Argyle:I hope that gives this leaked video

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Anzu:I regret everything.

Benny:and I was like

Benny:so I was like

Benny:immediately in defensive mode so I

Benny:pretended to be Tanner and they didn't like any

Benny:of the answers I gave to the follow up questions

Benny:and they walked away themselves

Benny:I had to close the door

Benny:now we can start the session

Anzu:Josh, please take it away.

Benny:so

Argyle:like this really low res

Argyle:I don't know like ring camera

Argyle:Mike's neighbor

Argyle:and it's like and then it goes to like some like

Argyle:local talk show host and it's like

Argyle:this man claiming to be

Argyle:Tanner Nobby starts saying

Argyle:a bunch of slurs

Argyle:at this poor poor

Argyle:charity worker

Argyle:my name is Tanner

Benny:Tanner Nabe is off camera

Argyle:Nobby and I thank

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Do you want to play some Pathfinder?

Anzu:That was a big mistake on my part.

Johnny:Yeah, big bug.

Benny:There we go.

Benny:I got my dumb things.

Johnny:We decided to forge on into the bowels

Gamemaster:Big bug, big bug.

Benny:Big bug.

Anzu:Yeah.

Benny:Big bug.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Benny:Big.

Gamemaster:You kind of came to the nuisance there, Tanner.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Gamemaster:Does anybody want to do a recap of what happened last session?

Gamemaster:Goes to Noah.

Gamemaster:First room was the piston room you I don know

Johnny:Of the strider

Johnny:there was a lot of bug stuff, a lot of webs.

Johnny:We, I think I have the order of this right.

Johnny:First, we came to a room with a lot,

Johnny:did I have this right?

Johnny:There was two rooms.

Johnny:I have these out of order.

Johnny:One room had a lot of bugs.

Johnny:There was a lot of platforms and a lot of spiders.

Johnny:Damn it That was I thought it was the second room Switch it We going back First room had a lot of pistons We spent a little bit being like how did we get across here Uh Then we just used some teleportation and flying and we got across the pistons pretty easily

Argyle:you Mm

Johnny:We all rolled perception checks and no one saw the apothecary bug, which is also the big bad of this campaign.

Johnny:...

Johnny:We were like, alright, great, that worked out really well.

Johnny:We then went on to the next room, which was a big vertical cylinder with a lot of crosswise

Johnny:catwalks and spiders, just big spiders, a lot of big spiders.

Johnny:We were like, hmm.

Johnny:Johnny created a distraction.

Johnny:We ran across.

Johnny:It worked out really well.

Johnny:Again, no one saw the apothecary bug.

Johnny:Apparently there was a second one.

Johnny:Then we walked into these big stairs that were leading up to something that's probably

Johnny:totally fine with statues of the

Johnny:first Aurelia the Hierophant's

Argyle:Wait, sorry.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:adventuring party which

Johnny:none of us knew about but hey she had an adventuring

Johnny:party and they all went off and started other religions

Johnny:ooh cat two cats

Johnny:um

Gamemaster:Yeah, I mean, you got to do some sneaky stuff.

Johnny:then we were like alright this is

Johnny:cool and there were some bugs and we were like we're gonna

Johnny:sneak and do some sneaky stuff and then we'll get

Johnny:the jump on the bugs and then that didn't work out

Johnny:and the bugs got the jump on us

Johnny:then we got the jump on them and in the end we came out victorious

Johnny:listen man

Argyle:I think you...

Argyle:I think you skipped out on something.

Argyle:In that fight, were there any like really, really obnoxious little fucking bugs?

Gamemaster:I don't know.

Argyle:Like two of them?

Johnny:the apothecary bugs i'm getting close the apothecary bugs are my new nemesis

Johnny:If they come back, Johnny's throwing hands on site.

Argyle:No.

Gamemaster:I really liked it.

Gamemaster:I very much enjoyed the apothecary bug I don know why you dislike them so much

Argyle:you This game is so stupid

Anzu:you Ocean Sense is crazy

Johnny:I lost a healing potion I was poisoned twice No don give a thumbs up

Johnny:I lost a healing potion.

Gamemaster:Potion Sense is crazy and like there are parts of that that were homebrewed.

Gamemaster:Potion Sense was not one of them. That just came with the stat block.

Argyle:...

Johnny:Every time there's a fortitude save

Johnny:against something gross,

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Johnny:Johnny fails it.

Johnny:Every time I've been in the sewer, failed it.

Johnny:Every time there's a disease, I keep failing it.

Gamemaster:Johnny does not have a particularly strong immune system, unfortunately.

Johnny:Nope.

Gamemaster:You'd think at some point, exposure therapy, he'd get used to it.

Gamemaster:It just, it doesn't help.

Johnny:I guess when you're the guy who dies and comes back, your body's like, we'll come back from this.

Johnny:It's fine.

Gamemaster:Yeah, exactly.

Gamemaster:You don't need to recover from a disease.

Gamemaster:You'll just die, and then when you come back, you'll be cured.

Gamemaster:Easy.

Johnny:I have no immune system because I never needed it.

Gamemaster:But yeah, no, that is, as I recall,

Gamemaster:pretty accurate retelling of your adventures last session.

Gamemaster:You had been delving deeper into this forsaken part of the Strider,

Gamemaster:finding all kinds of weird stuff.

Gamemaster:It's definitely older than you expect,

Gamemaster:and you're now camped out, licking your wounds,

Gamemaster:deciding what to do at the base of this staircase, further in to wherever you are.

Argyle:wearing khakis

Gamemaster:So, at the base of the stairs, surrounded by statues of the former Aurelia's

Gamemaster:first party... sorry, the first Aurelia's former party... um, what are you doing?

Gamemaster:Wearing khakis Canon now Khakis are part of the Scale's uniform

Argyle:Yeah Well she sounds hideous yeah but the first Jake

Anzu:you Can I

Johnny:you Yep

Benny:Winning How about winning

Gamemaster:Oh, good.

Gamemaster:We're doing Jake from State Farm is also cannon in this setting.

Johnny:Huh?

Argyle:not the imposter they just tried to change overnight

Gamemaster:Hmm.

Argyle:and be like what

Argyle:yeah

Johnny:It's going to work.

Anzu:Yeah, they kind of do that, huh?

Argyle:I would like to get close to the Scale's one

Gamemaster:Okay, sure.

Anzu:Now that we've kind of cleared this area, can I take a closer look at the various statues

Anzu:and see if there's anything else to gleam from being nearer them?

Argyle:and see if I can like resonate

Argyle:not like actually with the Voidsong

Argyle:actually I'll ping the Voidsong

Argyle:but mostly I'm trying to see if I like feel anything

Argyle:from them

Argyle:Amazing.

Gamemaster:um so

Anzu:Yeah, maybe with some academia lore.

Johnny:All eight weeks.

Gamemaster:uh Anzu can walk around

Gamemaster:see if you're just looking generally

Gamemaster:if there's any additional details or whatever you pick

Gamemaster:out of the statues

Gamemaster:I'd let you do an academia

Gamemaster:lore here and then uh

Gamemaster:we'll do we'll do a religion check

Gamemaster:I suppose for Argyle for

Gamemaster:seeing if there's any connection there

Gamemaster:um

Argyle:Ooh, did you update this UI?

Anzu:is looking different.

Gamemaster:uh I

Argyle:Very nice.

Gamemaster:I forced some settings to be shared amongst all of the clients, and so that may have updated your UI.

Argyle:Nice.

Gamemaster:Let me know if anything looks weird, because now I have control over it, so I can make sure that it works for everybody.

Argyle:In the skills.

Anzu:Uh, the

Anzu:like, window

Anzu:for rolling the dice

Anzu:for me.

Anzu:Let me open it up again so I can see.

Argyle:Yes.

Anzu:Uh,

Anzu:Like if I click it and then you see like the type of role and all the modifiers and you click role is like transparent.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Anzu:Hold on.

Gamemaster:Okay, can you do me a favor?

Gamemaster:We're going to do some quick UI debugging.

Anzu:Oh, yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:If you click Game Settings, the two gears on the right.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:Got it.

Gamemaster:And then you press Configure Settings, which is the first option under Game Settings on

Anzu:Yes.

Gamemaster:the right window.

Gamemaster:And then you go to the PF2E Doraco UI section on the left.

Anzu:Oh, yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:You'll have to scroll a little bit for it.

Gamemaster:What are your interface theme, your application theme, and your two chat message themes?

Anzu:Interface theme Baldur's Gate three.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Anzu:Did you say application theme?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:That one is no theme.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:And then sheet theme color, player color, chat message Baldur's Gate 3 blue, chat message opposition Baldur's Gate 3 brown.

Anzu:It could have just loaded weird.

Gamemaster:Interesting.

Gamemaster:The reason I asked is because you saying that it's transparent made me think that maybe

Gamemaster:you had, like for whatever reason, it was stuck on glass instead of none.

Gamemaster:But it seems like that isn't the case.

Gamemaster:Can you, like, take a screenshot of it and send it?

Gamemaster:Maybe it loaded weird?

Anzu:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Does anybody else have that issue when they go to roll a skill and it's transparent?

Argyle:No.

Johnny:Mm-mm.

Benny:No.

Anzu:Sounds like it's a 10-year issue.

Argyle:I was actually

Gamemaster:I have...

Argyle:remarking how nice my new skills looked.

Gamemaster:I have no idea why Foundry hates Tanner in particular, but it seems to.

Argyle:Sorry.

Anzu:It always, yeah, it's always messing with me.

Gamemaster:Strange.

Gamemaster:Is it usable?

Gamemaster:Okay Then I will spend some time after Yeah please send it and then I spend some time seeing if I can like recreate it And then hopefully fix it

Anzu:Yes.

Anzu:But I send it anyway

Gamemaster:That's so weird.

Gamemaster:Okay, yeah, I'll try and figure out what the hell's causing that.

Gamemaster:Anyway, what did we get for these things?

Gamemaster:these things. For Argo, we got a 34. With a 34, you're going up to, you're going up to, I mean,

Gamemaster:there aren't actually six statues on the battle map, but there are six statues in the actual

Gamemaster:whatever. You're going up to the one that is wearing the old style uniform of the Scale,

Gamemaster:and seeing if there's a connection there.

Gamemaster:With a 34 on your religion check,

Argyle:JO MYER Ca挑

Gamemaster:there's nothing that you feel magically is tying the statue to you at all.

Gamemaster:I think the only thing that stands out to you with that roll

Gamemaster:is the features, the face of the man that is depicted by the statue, are actually, like,

Argyle:Was

Gamemaster:kind of familiar to you. You see little bits of, like, yeah, similarity with your grandmother with

Argyle:Um, yeah.

Gamemaster:this one. There's, like, an obvious familial relation there. You would know the name of this

Gamemaster:person, given that I would, I imagine Argyle knows the history of the Scale as it is taught.

Gamemaster:This is Coulombe Honorsworn, and he is the founder.

Gamemaster:You've seen images of him before, just traditionally not rendered with people of other organizations, as you see here.

Argyle:Mm.

Argyle:I see.

Gamemaster:Anzu what did you get for your roll A 30 A 30 Looking around um yeah similarly I think you can say pretty definitively that these statues themselves aren magic in any form or if they were magic at some point they definitely not now

Gamemaster:They are just a pretty good, like, high detail, high resolution in terms of how they carved this out of the stone representations of Aurelio's original party of those six.

Gamemaster:It's academia lore, so I think what you would get, I suppose, is...

Gamemaster:At the time that this stuff was constructed, because it's clear that it's gone through a long phase of being neglected.

Gamemaster:You imagine being locked away in the Strider for however long in the 700 intervening years.

Gamemaster:But at the time, it's clear that a lot of expense was paid to get this room and those statues and all of that stuff set up.

Anzu:Yeah.

Gamemaster:This was at one time a place of import.

Gamemaster:This wasn't just like somebody decided to set up some statues.

Gamemaster:This was relevant to something at some point.

Gamemaster:Unfortunately, a lot of the details at this point have just been eroded by time and lack of general care.

Gamemaster:So there isn't a lot of a connection there, but this was a place of import at one time.

Argyle:So I want to look for that.

Anzu:Man, where did they get this strider from?

Johnny:All right.

Benny:The past.

Anzu:It's old.

Gamemaster:I would actually oh gosh is survival a thing in this edition Yes it is I would

Anzu:Right.

Anzu:All right.

Anzu:So we need somewhere safe to kind of hole up.

Argyle:Is that like a stealth check or is that a perception It is

Anzu:It is a skill

Johnny:you Okay

Benny:Oh I fear It is It is for skateboarding

Gamemaster:argue that survival is the skill of choice here. I would allow stealth, but the DC is

Anzu:Also, I'm sickened.

Gamemaster:Much higher.

Argyle:I can be one of the ones to roll, okay.

Anzu:Is that from a disease or is that something that would have worn off?

Gamemaster:No, I hate that mic.

Gamemaster:I believe you were sickened from one of the poisons

Gamemaster:that was injected into you by an apothecary bug.

Gamemaster:if you waited a little bit

Gamemaster:your spider venom

Gamemaster:you had the spider venom

Gamemaster:it would eventually wear off

Gamemaster:so I don't know how long you guys

Gamemaster:are planning on staying here but it'd take like

Anzu:Right.

Gamemaster:a minute for it to go away

Gamemaster:so

Gamemaster:that's true

Johnny:I guess somewhere we can hole up

Anzu:I mean, we've been looking at statues and stuff.

Gamemaster:we'll just knock it off

Gamemaster:that's gone now

Anzu:Looks like Johnny pulled a 30 on that survival.

Gamemaster:Okay, so a 30 from Johnny and a 22 from Argyle.

Gamemaster:So what is the plan here?

Gamemaster:What are you looking for, I suppose?

Johnny:and set up camp and sleep for the night without attracting big bugs or being able to watch for big bugs.

Argyle:Is there something in this room?

Gamemaster:Within this room, are you backtracking?

Gamemaster:Are you trying to move forward and see if there's a spot to stay? Like, where are you willing to search?

Argyle:If not, I guess we'd be open to...

Johnny:Yeah.

Johnny:Probably this room, but...

Gamemaster:So

Gamemaster:So the answer is first of all, you don't know what's beyond but in this room

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:part of the problem with this and previous rooms is that they're not really designed to be

Gamemaster:For hiding, I think you probably have the most crannies and nooks to hide in within the room that you're currently in.

Anzu:Yeah, there's no going back.

Gamemaster:Because if you recall, the room before this one is the abandoned elevator shaft filled with spiders and silk.

Gamemaster:And the one before that has an active running piston engine inside of it.

Gamemaster:So this is your best bet.

Gamemaster:It's not a great bet, but this is your best bet.

Gamemaster:You can find like over in the corner over here perhaps,

Johnny:Can we use the boats?

Gamemaster:like in the bottom left,

Gamemaster:or maybe huddling up in the corner in the top left,

Gamemaster:and then trying to make a barrier

Gamemaster:with some like loose stones and stuff

Gamemaster:to obscure your position.

Gamemaster:I think that's the best thing that stands out to Johnny,

Gamemaster:working with what you have.

Gamemaster:Like full disclosure, it's not amazing,

Gamemaster:but you have pretty limited options here.

Gamemaster:Sorry.

Johnny:Use the boats to make a barrier.

Gamemaster:You cannot use the boats. The boats and the trees are not real.

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:And we'll maybe spend a little time trying to like build a bit of a wall out of stuff

Benny:Sure.

Gamemaster:so if we have people like trying to set up and find like bits of spires of the decoration and

Johnny:I vote this top left corner.

Anzu:maybe.

Johnny:Thank you Thank you I can aid I aid Anzu

Gamemaster:stuff that have fallen off or maybe bits of opaque webbing that don't look like they're

Argyle:I can make one of the checks.

Anzu:I mean, I can make a crafting check.

Gamemaster:connected to anything else to fill up the gaps.

Gamemaster:Two people to make checks and then tell me what kind of checks you'll be using here and

Gamemaster:how you think it would help in building a little bit of a shelter.

Argyle:And I'll try to...

Anzu:I think that kind of straightforward

Argyle:I can make a survival check Cover tracks

Gamemaster:What I accept both of those like without justification they both seem to fit here

Johnny:Is it a 25?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:All right.

Johnny:Anzu get the plus one.

Argyle:I got 24.

Gamemaster:A 25 is a success, so Anzu gets a plus one.

Johnny:I'm going to go with a 25.

Johnny:one

Argyle:Do you have a way of doing athletic?

Gamemaster:Well, this is already gonna be check number two, so...

Benny:Do we want to submit a check for athletics?

Gamemaster:28.

Gamemaster:Okay, with the 24 and the 28, you guys, you find pieces around, you get lucky, and it

Benny:That works.

Gamemaster:It looks like some of the masonry in an area has fallen off in such a way that it's still mostly intact.

Gamemaster:It looks like just the grout behind it has come loose over the years.

Gamemaster:And so you can kind of use that and make a lean-to, but out of stone paneling instead of wood.

Gamemaster:It's as best as you can get.

Gamemaster:Like, once again, it doesn't take a lot of scrutiny from somebody who is in view of this thing to see you.

Gamemaster:But at the very least, it's better than sleeping out in the open, if that's the plan.

Argyle:One other thing.

Gamemaster:And if things are walking by at a distance away, you might go unnoticed.

Argyle:I forgot to share this earlier,

Argyle:but I am demoing a new Pathfinder assistant.

Argyle:So right now we'd all be using the same login.

Argyle:I'd give you guys all logins in the future.

Gamemaster:Thank you Yeah

Argyle:You can use that to log in.

Argyle:There only one agent It uses Claude and it has all of Pathfinder knowledge embedded It a little slow right now but it can do some more in things

Argyle:Sorry to somewhat metagame, the first example I had was just something with Potion Sense,

Argyle:because I thought that was a weird deep dive that you can't really search, and it found something.

Argyle:I assume all the stats are changed, so I don't...

Gamemaster:The stats were changed, so it's fine.

Gamemaster:I will say, I don't know if this server is available outside of your local network.

Argyle:pf2.orkercove.org

Johnny:Yeah, I just tried to log on to you.

Benny:I have, I have a local host 8,000 pulled up and it's not working.

Gamemaster:Is it pf2.assistant.orgacove.org?

Argyle:Oh, sorry.

Gamemaster:Oh, there's no assistant.

Argyle:I spelled it wrong.

Argyle:It's pf2.orkercove.org

Argyle:Yeah, no assistant.

Argyle:Assistant's my main one.

Argyle:Sorry.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yep.

Argyle:pf2.orkercove.org

Argyle:I don't want to disrupt the game, but you guys could search things.

Anzu:so I shouldn't type

Argyle:Everyone will see your chats, because if there's only one user right now.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:But just letting you know.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:can I make Jorge's stupid character stronger

Anzu:oh yeah

Argyle:How do I kill a cleric?

Gamemaster:Wow.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:A level 7 cleric efficiently?

Anzu:I am a level 7

Argyle:In the middle of the night?

Anzu:psychic what spell

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:but yes

Anzu:should I take to kill

Anzu:who could have sent that one

Anzu:I don't have to open it are you guys making fun of me

Gamemaster:Is there anything else you guys would like to do?

Anzu:this is more clerical but

Anzu:I have two

Anzu:healing potions and I like to give one to Johnny since his got consumed So I going to remove one from my inventory Oh sorry it lesser

Argyle:you Oh can I try to is it a tree

Johnny:Oh thank you What level of healing potion Nice

Johnny:I think that's the exact one that I lost.

Johnny:Cool.

Johnny:So there's no way...

Johnny:No one has a way to cure my avernal fever until we level up.

Argyle:Wait, sorry, give me a second.

Argyle:Let me just check my skills.

Argyle:Uh, can I make...

Gamemaster:So, so, just for the record, treat disease takes eight hours.

Anzu:I think there's like a treat disease or something.

Argyle:Wait, sorry, let me click Johnny.

Argyle:Where's Johnny?

Argyle:Yeah.

Anzu:Unless it's not just a regular disease.

Argyle:Treat disease!

Argyle:On Johnny.

Argyle:Huh.

Argyle:Oh!

Anzu:Ooh.

Gamemaster:You absolutely can treat disease if you like.

Gamemaster:it's just something that you're gonna

Gamemaster:like that's not a

Argyle:I don't have anything.

Gamemaster:do it right now

Gamemaster:that's a over the course of

Gamemaster:like your rest would be

Gamemaster:treating a disease effectively

Gamemaster:no it's a

Argyle:But I couldn't sleep then.

Gamemaster:downtime activity which I think means that you can

Gamemaster:sleep

Gamemaster:that's part of it

Argyle:I don't know.

Gamemaster:yeah so

Gamemaster:you can do it I would allow you to

Gamemaster:do it while you're sleeping. I don't know if that's

Gamemaster:quite how downtime is meant to be used, but

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:I would accept it. I think what that means is

Anzu:you somewhat heal

Johnny:We just screwed them up.

Gamemaster:how I'm going to treat it is that

Gamemaster:you can't do other

Gamemaster:rest activities like watch

Gamemaster:and the like.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:But

Gamemaster:So is that

Argyle:Sounds good.

Argyle:And in Pathfinder, you don't heal while you're resting, right, in Pathfinder?

Gamemaster:what you

Gamemaster:Yeah, you heal after a rest.

Anzu:you just don't fully heal

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Rest and daily preparations.

Argyle:I'm going to throw out a 5th level heal just because I might as well before we uh I don't

Argyle:this off, like, we're gonna get a full night's rest, but I'd rather

Gamemaster:If you were to get a full night's rest, you would regain hit points equal to your con

Anzu:Yeah.

Johnny:My con mod.

Benny:Of course, my positive con mod,

Argyle:try to

Argyle:go on a little more here.

Gamemaster:mod times your level.

Argyle:Okay.

Johnny:oh don't take that

Anzu:Is there a minimum, Josh?

Argyle:Oh, wait, wait.

Benny:which I definitely have.

Gamemaster:Minimum one.

Argyle:You can undo that.

Gamemaster:Yes, minimum one.

Gamemaster:even if you have a con zero

Argyle:Don't do that. Don't take that. I'm sorry.

Argyle:Don't take that.

Johnny:no I don't have a con zero

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Anzu:Well, that was much worse.

Gamemaster:you can still heal overnight

Gamemaster:okay

Johnny:I'm not that bad

Argyle:We need to roll this one instead.

Argyle:Sorry.

Argyle:Excellent.

Argyle:Yeah, I'm excellent to the two action variant.

Gamemaster:Is Ansi secretly undead?

Argyle:And then rolled badly.

Anzu:I'll roll the fortitude save as well.

Benny:Oh, brutal.

Anzu:Nailed it.

Anzu:No.

Gamemaster:Um...

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Good to know.

Anzu:I guess maybe I'll go to sleep.

Anzu:Is it?

Anzu:how

Gamemaster:I like the answer is that it's probably like 8 p.m. around it's maybe a little early to actually

Anzu:I mean obviously we're underground

Anzu:but how much time has passed in this day

Argyle:We had a long day.

Benny:Thank you Thank you I think we chill

Anzu:hmm

Gamemaster:be going to sleep but it's not like you can start your rest which involves doing other activities

Gamemaster:and then you can actually go to sleep later if you wanted to do that if you guys have nothing

Anzu:I guess the one thing I ask is if we have any interest in my bird looking ahead at all

Gamemaster:else you like to do and you want to try and rest up while you buried deep in this part of the strider

Argyle:Thank you I just want to try to rest

Anzu:or that does risk it being seen by something and drawing it here.

Anzu:So cool.

Benny:yeah

Argyle:I just want to try to rest, yeah.

Benny:yeah

Anzu:I agree.

Anzu:I just wanted to throw the option out there.

Argyle:No, I like the idea.

Argyle:We can just do it after we rest.

Gamemaster:Okay, so you guys are huddling up under your masonry lean-to.

Anzu:Yeah.

Johnny:Yeah.

Benny:watching

Anzu:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Argyle is treating Johnny for his disease.

Gamemaster:What do...

Gamemaster:Are the other two of you watching,

Gamemaster:or are you sleeping and just hoping that nothing bad happens?

Anzu:I will take a watch for sure.

Gamemaster:Okay. Okay. Who goes first? Benny or Anzu?

Anzu:Anzu will go first.

Anzu:Why not?

Gamemaster:Okay. Absolutely.

Anzu:Oh, it's dark.

Gamemaster:I'd love a perception check, then.

Anzu:Do you guys see the same dice roll like animation or is it different on every screen?

Gamemaster:It's client-side, unfortunately.

Benny:That's different.

Anzu:Just you know, mine was on a one and then did the slowest roll onto the 13.

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Oh, I mean that's, that's a much better way to go about it.

Anzu:So it's a 26.

Gamemaster:Okay, with a 26.

Gamemaster:Um you guys are huddled up You in just like for the sake of continuity you are up here in this top left corner of the area because that like the spot you picked out with your survival checks

Gamemaster:Which puts you pretty close to the remainder of the staircase that moves into the area beyond.

Gamemaster:With a 26, there are sounds.

Gamemaster:as you've been moving throughout the strider the whole time there's been the constant

Gamemaster:background sounds of the strider of the legs moving beneath the body of the strider of all

Gamemaster:the machinery behind the walls turning to keep the thing moving it is mechanical it is regular

Gamemaster:it is the kind of thing that your brain just tunes out over time despite the fact that it's actually

Gamemaster:kind of loud. It just fades into the background because it's so monotonous that it just gets

Gamemaster:pattern matched away. There is another sound, quieter, yet it stands out more because it is

Gamemaster:not regular like the sound of the Strider. There is something beyond this hallway, you can hear it

Gamemaster:from further in, that is large and mechanical in nature, certainly. You can hear the sounds of

Gamemaster:metal moving, but is not regular, is not moving following a pattern. It is, if anything, almost

Gamemaster:moving with intent is the best way of putting it. You'll hear nothing, and then a few raps,

Gamemaster:and then the sound of something turning

Gamemaster:and then a few more raps of metal on metal

Gamemaster:and then a pause

Gamemaster:and then maybe a minute later it picks up again.

Gamemaster:It seems to be doing actions but in a way that feels more organic to you than the rest of the Sounds of the Strider

Anzu:you So that sound isn necessarily like growing closer over time

Gamemaster:But nothing seems to pass through.

Gamemaster:Nothing that you see, at least, seems to pass through the hallway that you guys are sleeping in.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:It's definitely not growing closer.

Gamemaster:It is the entire, like, four hours of your shift, effectively.

Anzu:Mm-hmm.

Benny:We're dead.

Gamemaster:It is the same distance away, as best you can tell, from start to end.

Anzu:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:But your watch passes without a vent.

Gamemaster:That being the case, I'd like it if Benny can roll.

Gamemaster:A 22.

Gamemaster:Okay, with a 22,

Gamemaster:Benny actually can't even make out the sounds of that machinery

Gamemaster:that Anzu pointed out.

Gamemaster:It must have gotten quieter or something,

Gamemaster:or it just doesn't, like,

Gamemaster:make it over the general background sounds of the Strider.

Gamemaster:There's, like, one or two times where Benny swears

Gamemaster:he sees movement out of the corner of his eye,

Gamemaster:but when he goes to look at the part of the webbing around him,

Argyle:Did my 25 treat wounds help?

Benny:Must have been the wind.

Gamemaster:no change.

Gamemaster:Nothing jumps out at you.

Gamemaster:Nothing attacks you.

Gamemaster:Must have been the wind.

Gamemaster:You do get the benefits of a long rest.

Gamemaster:Or benefits of a rest.

Gamemaster:There's no...

Gamemaster:You know what I mean.

Gamemaster:Your 25 treat wounds is a success.

Argyle:a treat condition.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:So, Johnny, do me a favor.

Johnny:Don't fuck that.

Gamemaster:Roll a Fortitude save.

Gamemaster:You have a plus two circumstance bonus to this because your disease was treated.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:No, it was almost a 20 twice on my screen.

Gamemaster:A 21 doesn't, but a 29 does.

Johnny:The 29 save.

Argyle:All right.

Gamemaster:You fortunately shake off the onset of a vernal fever and are no longer infected.

Johnny:Nice.

Gamemaster:Okay, you guys are awake.

Johnny:Thank you, Dr. Argyle.

Argyle:Knowledge.

Anzu:I guess I could certainly do that.

Johnny:All right. Should we send in Little Bird to scout ahead?

Gamemaster:You are rested.

Gamemaster:You were unaccosted in the night.

Gamemaster:What you doing?

Anzu:I'm just trying to recall if my...

Gamemaster:I would assume that he heals as well.

Argyle:Knowledge.

Anzu:No, no, I'm trying to figure out if my...

Anzu:If Othello regains hit points overnight or not.

Argyle:Who you ask it?

Anzu:And I'm having trouble.

Gamemaster:He gets to nap.

Anzu:Yeah, I just don't know how much.

Anzu:Someone ask Jorge's tool.

Gamemaster:Hmm.

Argyle:See how it works.

Anzu:Okay, I just don't have it open.

Anzu:That's why.

Gamemaster:Okay Okay Okay Let see if this works

Anzu:We going to send him out regardless So we can keep it moving

Argyle:what kind of tool is it What kind of tool is it What kind of familiar is it

Anzu:I guess you could say a witch is familiar.

Gamemaster:if this works. You have, you send out Othello to scout the area beyond. I just heard a ding.

Argyle:I made it.

Argyle:I also was making another request about getting rid of grapples.

Gamemaster:Oh, do I have the tab up somewhere so I hear when somebody has the question? Okay. That's

Argyle:It's a problem.

Argyle:Once we all next session, we'll have our own users.

Gamemaster:fine. Oh there it is. Okay. You send Othello forward up the stairs. I would

Anzu:Certainly.

Gamemaster:love it if you could roll a perception check for him.

Anzu:Certainly.

Gamemaster:What did you get?

Anzu:Pretty bad.

Anzu:A little 18.

Gamemaster:And 18.

Anzu:And I think I'm going to also peer through.

Anzu:I can only look for one minute.

Anzu:So I won't peer through just yet.

Anzu:I'll just send it forward.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:You send him forward.

Gamemaster:Do you need to...

Gamemaster:Does the way that peer through works is that you just don't see anything

Gamemaster:unless you use that ability?

Gamemaster:otherwise he comes back and he tells you stuff?

Anzu:Right.

Gamemaster:Okay. Absolutely.

Gamemaster:So you send Othello forward.

Gamemaster:He moves into the next area.

Gamemaster:Is he trying to be stealthy Then he gonna need a stealth check

Anzu:Yeah for sure

Anzu:22.

Gamemaster:22.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:But he's just a little guy.

Gamemaster:He's just a little guy.

Gamemaster:He is a bird.

Gamemaster:Flying around down here.

Gamemaster:I don't imagine they're very common.

Gamemaster:Um, you send him up, and then what is the, what's the standing order?

Anzu:yeah just to see

Gamemaster:Like, go into the next room and then come back?

Anzu:what's directly ahead of us

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:He doesn't have to travel far, actually.

Gamemaster:You send him up the stairs and past the room that you're in.

Gamemaster:He flies down a short hallway, enters room down the other side.

Gamemaster:It's not... the angle where you are on the stairs is such that you can't see into the room itself,

Anzu:you know, not well.

Gamemaster:but you can see him fly into the hallway.

Gamemaster:He gets a look around and he comes back.

Gamemaster:How does he communicate stuff to you?

Gamemaster:Yeah, you get like...

Gamemaster:feelings, right?

Anzu:Like, if he felt, like, intense, like, danger in the room, I would, I could feel, like, the fear,

Anzu:but what I can do is

Gamemaster:Okay, you can absolutely do that then.

Argyle:Things aren't working.

Anzu:since I now know that it was just a quick trip to the next room

Anzu:I can send him back again

Anzu:and then actually peer through, time it, and then get a minute of viewing.

Anzu:Oh.

Gamemaster:So you send him for another lap to take a look around.

Anzu:

Gamemaster:he gets...

Argyle:Ignore the tool for today.

Gamemaster:he gets a pretty good view of the area and therefore you get a pretty good view of the area before he flies back

Argyle:you What is

Anzu:This is kind of insane.

Anzu:Am I the only one seeing this?

Anzu:Oh.

Anzu:Okay, so.

Argyle:That's fun, Josh.

Anzu:So I don't see any creatures moving around.

Argyle:you know actually describe it to us

Gamemaster:now with the perception check you rolled

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Anzu:I just kind of see this here.

Anzu:Okay.

Gamemaster:yep

Anzu:And would you like me to...

Anzu:Is this pretty accurate to how you envision this room?

Anzu:Okay.

Gamemaster:just add extra spider whips places

Anzu:Okay, so there's spider webs.

Anzu:um towards the front of the room uh there's these two uh kind of vats on either side

Argyle:All right.

Benny:In the liquid?

Anzu:of the room for four total um they're in this uh depiction filled with red liquid with white

Anzu:um bluish white like rune looking things in them um

Anzu:yeah

Benny:Okay.

Anzu:there's like each one has like this large almost like rune looking like a symbol in it um

Argyle:What's in the liquid?

Benny:Runes.

Argyle:Okay.

Benny:It's rune juice.

Anzu:in the center of the room there's this like mechanical ball with a bunch of wires coming

Benny:Go ahead.

Anzu:out of it and tubes and such. It's also glowing a little red.

Argyle:This is where the heart is, for sure.

Anzu:And then, well, now let me finish. Because in the back of the room, there's a Giant,

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:it?

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:mecha

Anzu:thing.

Anzu:Like, looks kind of like maybe the top half

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:of a humanoid, but it looks kind of broken

Anzu:underneath. Like, there looks to be

Anzu:kind of shoulders and a face,

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:and then a chest with like a glowing

Anzu:uh, like

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:orb in it.

Anzu:It looks like a big, like the top half

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:of a big robot.

Anzu:Uh, and that looks to be

Anzu:what is this?

Anzu:like maybe 80 feet back from the door,

Gamemaster:150.

Benny:so you'd say like the important things are the the rune juice sorry i definitely am not talking to

Anzu:maybe 100 feet, something like that.

Anzu:So.

Anzu:Yeah.

Benny:you siri that's fine uh the rune juice the big guy at the back and then was there a thing in the

Benny:center of the room

Anzu:Yeah, there's like a...

Anzu:ball with like tubes coming out of it and wires.

Argyle:Okay.

Johnny:Is the floor just like regular floor?

Benny:That's probably not important.

Johnny:Are we going to be jumping around on stuff?

Johnny:Is there gaps?

Anzu:It looks like pretty regular floor.

Anzu:I will say looking now,

Anzu:the ball looks like it's on like a cart almost,

Anzu:and there's like some tracks in the floor for the cart,

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:but otherwise it's pretty flat terrain.

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:I don't...

Argyle:So that's probably where the big spider is.

Johnny:There's got to be a...

Benny:He didn't see a big spider.

Argyle:I'm going to guess.

Argyle:Because we all know there's a big spider.

Argyle:We all know there's a big spider.

Johnny:He just said big bugs.

Argyle:We know there's...

Anzu:Yeah, and I also, I don't see any creatures moving around.

Argyle:No, no.

Anzu:I also got a pretty bad check, which I guess is meta, but...

Argyle:We know there's spiders there.

Argyle:Like, guys, common sense, there's spiders there.

Anzu:Yeah.

Johnny:We There could be apothecary bugs everywhere It could be just apothecary bugs It probably just apothecary bugs Johnny spins in a circle and screams

Anzu:Okay Thank you So that pretty much it

Argyle:Thank you I have augury prepared

Benny:There could be one on us right now

Johnny:Oh!

Benny:...

Argyle:if we think we should

Argyle:maybe

Argyle:suss out

Anzu:Oh, we're going in.

Argyle:if it's okay so we don't need to

Johnny:Yeah, I think we're going in the right direction.

Argyle:use that

Argyle:Yeah, these things aren't going to be nice.

Johnny:I would save the spell slot.

Gamemaster:There's, there's like 30 more feet, no, like 20 more feet of staircase, and then about

Anzu:Yeah, because Josh, you said it's just like a short hallway before getting to this room, right?

Johnny:Do we think we're going to walk in and immediately start fighting stuff?

Johnny:Should we get all our stuff up and then walk in?

Argyle:Will we...

Johnny:Sure.

Anzu:So, that's what's up.

Gamemaster:a 50 foot long hallway before you get into this room.

Argyle:is

Gamemaster:I found some web assets.

Johnny:Wait, Tanner, did you see if there was any exits out of this room or is this the last

Benny:yeah let's go kill him

Anzu:Oh, the webs are starting to appear.

Argyle:well we can still

Anzu:From my point of view, it looks like it's just there was the way in.

Argyle:agree about something

Argyle:I have the spell

Argyle:okay

Johnny:room?

Johnny:That's so crazy.

Benny:Sure, why not?

Anzu:Theoretically, the Giant mecha robot is kind of like suspended in the air.

Anzu:And so there is like a drop off at the end of the room.

Anzu:And then this thing is like suspended, like partially at our level and then like kind of hangs down below our level.

Anzu:That makes sense.

Johnny:why is there a Giant mech in

Argyle:I assume that the heart um I think I gonna auger on if it would cause bad is it bad if we were to take

Johnny:what happening in this place

Gamemaster:you Okay

Argyle:this heart if if there's a heart here and we were to uh heart to steal it or heartbreak it

Argyle:would that cause bad effects for the rest of the strider

Argyle:yes

Gamemaster:And this is you casting Audrey, right?

Argyle:is that no no no no no yeah delete that delete that i thought i was gonna

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:so

Gamemaster:let's

Gamemaster:can you do me a favor

Gamemaster:and roll

Gamemaster:a

Gamemaster:blind GM roll please

Gamemaster:of just a d20

Gamemaster:what because you saw what that was and it was bad

Argyle:no because it says gm rolls a secret role and i thought this would give me a blind gm role

Gamemaster:no I want

Gamemaster:a blind GM roll not a private

Argyle:No, stop! Don't look at that! Don't look at that! I called it before it happened.

Gamemaster:GM roll

Gamemaster:okay

Gamemaster:if you see on the bottom

Anzu:I can't see it.

Johnny:I can't see anything.

Benny:You got a one.

Argyle:This is not looking good, guys. How do I roll a...

Benny:You got a one.

Argyle:Oh, oh, I can click the blind GM. Blind GM?

Gamemaster:under the

Gamemaster:yes thank you

Argyle:Not private.

Gamemaster:it's the eye with the X through it

Argyle:Okay.

Benny:Is that blind?

Argyle:Now I can see.

Benny:I can't see it.

Argyle:Alright, I can't see that. I hope it's good!

Gamemaster:yeah

Gamemaster:yeah no I can

Gamemaster:can anybody see what Jorge just rolled

Gamemaster:okay

Benny:Question marks?

Anzu:No.

Argyle:I should hear a point.

Gamemaster:great

Gamemaster:Jorge remember

Gamemaster:remember to switch the default back to the regular

Argyle:I just I just switched it.

Gamemaster:roll or else you're going to be rolling damage rolls

Gamemaster:where only I can see

Gamemaster:which is fine with me

Gamemaster:but

Gamemaster:okay

Gamemaster:you cast the spell

Gamemaster:you ask about the results of

Gamemaster:the course of action of you

Gamemaster:breaking this

Gamemaster:heart

Gamemaster:and you get

Gamemaster:a pretty good feeling about it

Anzu:I feeling gassed up

Argyle:good let do it guys we got we got to kill the shark all right yeah buddy kill this art Alright Yeah buddy

Gamemaster:Thank you uh yeah it up to you guys

Johnny:Heartbreakers Mm Heartbreakers Are we going to get all our stuff going before we go in there

Benny:Uh but but Yeah Comments

Argyle:Uh,

Argyle:yeah, so

Benny:Yeah.

Argyle:I am going to cast

Argyle:uh,

Johnny:We jog over.

Anzu:Do we need to go down the hallway first?

Johnny:you're gonna enfeeble yourself

Benny:In Greeble.

Argyle:um,

Argyle:well, I'm just going to tell you guys what I would

Argyle:like to cast.

Argyle:this one, and this one.

Anzu:I don't really have any setup spells.

Johnny:i was gonna engreeble

Argyle:Which...

Argyle:Oh, no! Undo that one.

Argyle:Not that one.

Argyle:That one.

Johnny:i'm gonna dirge of doom blessed

Benny:I like those.

Argyle:Oh, wait, no, no, sorry, sorry.

Argyle:This was the wrong one.

Argyle:It's malediction.

Benny:I hate those.

Argyle:I meant malediction.

Johnny:I was going to Dirge of Doom, Bless, and then I was going to Haste, Young Benjamin.

Benny:Young Benjamin.

Benny:Young Bennix.

Johnny:Young Benixamon.

Argyle:That was the one I was going to cast, not Bane.

Gamemaster:Oh, I will also say, Jorge, I updated your Bane spells, and I know you can drag the like

Johnny:This kind of overlaps with Dirge of Doom.

Argyle:Oh, Malediction?

Johnny:Yeah.

Argyle:Okay, so it could be Bane.

Johnny:Because Dirge of Doom just makes you feel frightened.

Argyle:So then it'll be Bane.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:thing out of the spell cast and it does the right thing instead of just banging you.

Argyle:Oh, dope.

Gamemaster:Okay, you guys doing anything else?

Argyle:There's the two spells I'm popping.

Johnny:popping your spells right now

Benny:If I had them, I would.

Johnny:all right pop I suppose to

Benny:Wait, are any of you providing me a status bonus?

Argyle:Did you guys prepare AOEs?

Gamemaster:to attack rolls.

Anzu:Sort of.

Johnny:Is Bless a status bonus?

Benny:I don't know if that's cashing anything.

Johnny:Yeah, Bless is a status bonus.

Benny:Oh.

Benny:Benny's AoE is attacking more than one person on a turn

Argyle:Or no?

Argyle:No.

Johnny:You think I have AoEs?

Argyle:Did you say yes?

Gamemaster:You have the rainbow one.

Argyle:Did you have an AOE, Tanner?

Gamemaster:Okay, I do just want to confirm that this is the intent.

Anzu:I do at 4th level is AoE, but it only deals persistent damage.

Benny:in absolutes

Argyle:Oof.

Argyle:Okay.

Benny:Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Gamemaster:Dirge of Doom is a composition.

Gamemaster:You're being very loud when you're doing it.

Gamemaster:So you guys will be walking...

Gamemaster:that's fine

Argyle:unless unless yeah unless you guys want to do the reverse and just

Johnny:like right before he walked into the room.

Gamemaster:I just like you will be walking into the room

Gamemaster:with music playing and all of that

Gamemaster:kind of stuff you are announcing your

Johnny:Never mind.

Gamemaster:entrance that's fine

Johnny:I take that one back.

Gamemaster:I'm just letting you know that you

Gamemaster:can't be stealthy

Johnny:I take that one back.

Gamemaster:while you do this

Argyle:invisibene and have them try to run in

Argyle:yeah

Benny:That sounds very, very double edged.

Gamemaster:What?

Argyle:well I think it's the mech thing

Anzu:and I'm nervous about the runes

Johnny:Thank you Is it Dracula flow

Argyle:but

Benny:Wait, hold on.

Benny:Can Benny make a, how do I copy this at time?

Benny:Settings.

Gamemaster:What?

Gamemaster:No.

Benny:I want to copy a YouTube video at a specific time.

Benny:Copy URL at current time Benny would like to make a song request for the dirge

Gamemaster:Thank you Anything else

Anzu:Oh boy

Benny:No.

Johnny:I will pop that for the dirge of two when it's time.

Argyle:I'll raise my shield if that's a lot.

Gamemaster:Uh, yeah, that's allowed.

Anzu:I guess if we're right outside and gonna run right in then I'll just cast a shield on myself.

Benny:WIMP.

Anzu:If that's allowed.

Gamemaster:Wow.

Argyle:I don't need to raise my shield.

Argyle:I'm kidding being a pain.

Argyle:Alright.

Gamemaster:Are we good?

Argyle:Yes.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:you guys cast the spells you want to

Johnny:I'll just leave.

Gamemaster:just before you cross the threshold

Gamemaster:into this what appears to be

Gamemaster:last room

Gamemaster:in this path that you've

Gamemaster:been walking down

Gamemaster:I would, now that you are close enough

Gamemaster:to actually with your own eyes

Gamemaster:look into the room, I would appreciate a perception check

Gamemaster:or two, if you like

Johnny:Wow, it's almost a 19 on my screen.

Gamemaster:Okay, well, at the very least you see the room itself.

Johnny:I see nothing.

Argyle:me too

Anzu:All right, how did I do?

Johnny:I'm too busy practicing Sweet Victory.

Benny:Oh my god, this is so much worse.

Argyle:I will

Argyle:I will mythic mine

Argyle:I think it's probably useful

Gamemaster:You can methicures if you like, that's fine.

Argyle:for the team

Anzu:This is exactly what I described.

Johnny:What is this?

Benny:No, I was imagining like bronze.

Benny:This is like titanium.

Argyle:you this is much worse than you led us to believe

Anzu:No this is exactly what I described They the runes

Johnny:what are these conduit nodes that they are they labeled That can be good

Benny:Thank you this is an actual boss fight

Benny:there's

Johnny:Why does he look like a Giant scary football monster?

Benny:there's raid mechanics here

Johnny:Oh, no, he's glowing.

Argyle:bird

Argyle:laughing

Anzu:This is exactly what I said.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:He did say Giant mecha robot.

Anzu:What else was I supposed to say?

Anzu:I said Giant mecha robot.

Gamemaster:With a 36.

Gamemaster:You guys walk into this room.

Gamemaster:You're not being particularly stealthy about it.

Gamemaster:That seems like that's not really the goal at this point.

Gamemaster:You've come in ready for a fight.

Anzu:We kind of come in guns blazing.

Gamemaster:You do.

Gamemaster:You come in guns blazing, spells out,

Gamemaster:started firing on what who knows um but you see the room as originally described to you by anzu

Gamemaster:now with your own eyes and it is at the very least structurally how anzu described it uh the the room

Gamemaster:appears to have transitioned into um less of the stone and more of the metal it is clear that at

Gamemaster:some point in the movement from the hallway that you were in to where you currently are uh there

Gamemaster:was some kind of architectural break.

Gamemaster:This place feels newer in some ways.

Gamemaster:It is also very clearly deep within the Fane of the heart

Gamemaster:that is sustaining this part of the strider.

Gamemaster:I don't think it requires an arcana check

Gamemaster:to know that the strange mechanical humanoid

Gamemaster:at the other end of the hallway is the heart here.

Gamemaster:Specifically, the glowing orb in the center,

Gamemaster:albeit perhaps the whole body in some form or another.

Gamemaster:Looking around besides this upper torso of a humanoid man of metal there are quite a few spiderwebs as have propagated throughout this area

Gamemaster:as very crudely depicted by my little patches of spiderwebs that I just placed around the map.

Gamemaster:There are a number of wires that look like they were, or still are in some part,

Gamemaster:hooked up to the heart that lead into a number of red liquid-filled vats spread throughout this

Gamemaster:chamber. Each of the vats appears to have a kind of magic rune of some kind floating within.

Gamemaster:That is, I didn't actually need to correct Anzu, I expected I would because it's kind of hard to

Gamemaster:depict it. These aren't runes that are carved on the exterior of the glass. It seems that there

Gamemaster:is some kind of magical essence in the shape of a magic rune floating within the liquid of the four

Gamemaster:vats. You can also see from this distance inflows and outflows of that reddish-orange liquid. It

Gamemaster:appears it is being actively fed into and piped out of the heart at the end of the hallway, as

Gamemaster:as well as being passed through this strange spherical device in the center of the room.

Gamemaster:It is indeed on a cart. It appears to move.

Gamemaster:But it is also hooked up to the same piping that everything else follows.

Anzu:Let me see what I can do.

Johnny:How similar does this whole setup look to what we saw under Teller's Run when we blew

Gamemaster:There is an interesting glow here that I will accept an Arcana check here from the reddish liquids.

Gamemaster:Yes, Johnny.

Gamemaster:with the 23 from Anzu as confirmation here, surprisingly similar.

Johnny:it up?

Gamemaster:Not quite the same.

Gamemaster:The mechanical inputs are different.

Gamemaster:The color of the liquid is different,

Gamemaster:but it still carries a kind of glow

Gamemaster:that you associated with the light blue liquid

Gamemaster:that you had seen before.

Gamemaster:It is, just at a moment's glance,

Gamemaster:not easy to tell if this is a refinement

Gamemaster:of what you had seen previously

Gamemaster:or if this is an antecedent of what you had seen before.

Gamemaster:But you can definitely see similarities

Gamemaster:in piping, moving magic liquid

Gamemaster:around an area.

Gamemaster:To what purpose is not obvious,

Gamemaster:but there are pretty striking similarities.

Gamemaster:With a 36 on Argonaut's perception check,

Gamemaster:this room is occupied

Gamemaster:with things other than the four of you,

Gamemaster:or the five of you counting Othello.

Gamemaster:There are

Gamemaster:small spider-like creatures

Gamemaster:crawling around.

Gamemaster:in some of the webbing spread throughout the map here.

Argyle:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:But with the 36, there's one spider of note that stands out to you.

Gamemaster:It is blue and purple and yellow striped, and it is teeny.

Gamemaster:It is like maybe this large. It is large for a spider, but small compared to the spiders you've seen crawling around here.

Argyle:Thank you No Okay No

Johnny:Thank you you Oh no

Gamemaster:The reason it stands out to you is that it is floating in one of the tubes.

Gamemaster:It seems to be floating over here.

Gamemaster:Oh no.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Gamemaster:There it is. It's floating over there.

Gamemaster:just in the liquid And you watch as it swims into one of the pipes and disappears from the vat

Argyle:No!

Johnny:Oh, no.

Johnny:you know

Gamemaster:And with that,

Gamemaster:as you guys enter the area,

Gamemaster:guns blazing,

Gamemaster:unfortunately this thing didn't know you were coming

Gamemaster:and has readied an attack

Gamemaster:for when you entered the room.

Gamemaster:So we're going to resolve that attack

Gamemaster:and then we're going to roll initiative.

Gamemaster:so at the moment

Anzu:And we can stealth initiative.

Gamemaster:I would love it if all of you could

Gamemaster:roll initiative while I

Gamemaster:start doing this attack

Gamemaster:you cannot stealth initiative

Johnny:I'll ask you.

Johnny:I'm sorry.

Anzu:I'm just playing.

Gamemaster:Does that not work?

Anzu:I rolled poorly.

Benny:I rolled poorly.

Gamemaster:Oh, or did I just do it twice?

Gamemaster:Okay, let's ignore this.

Johnny:Yeah, conduit nodes, we got spiders, we got a lot happening.

Gamemaster:Can I...

Gamemaster:This is an attack...

Gamemaster:against your ACs, all of you, it's a 34.

Argyle:that hits not critically

Anzu:Hits.

Benny:Hits not critically.

Johnny:It's not critically.

Anzu:Hits.

Benny:Got him.

Anzu:Thanks to my shield spell, it does not critically hit me.

Gamemaster:Does it crit anybody?

Gamemaster:Absolutely, so you're all just going to take

Johnny:Thank you No

Gamemaster:the regular amount, you're going to take 21 points of damage.

Gamemaster:And then it seems that you've all rolled initiative, so.

Anzu:Does it hit?

Gamemaster:Oh that atrocious It would hit Othello It an area effectively

Anzu:Oh, shoot.

Anzu:Does it hit Othello Would it target Othello Okay he got a 24

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:So he gets crit on, I guess.

Gamemaster:Well.

Gamemaster:Okay, so he's going to take 42 points of damage.

Johnny:Oh.

Anzu:I did learn that familiars don't just automatically die at zero hit points,

Johnny:Oh.

Anzu:which would have been great to know last time,

Anzu:but that's quite all right.

Johnny:Oh.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Good to know going forward.

Anzu:That was me describing it.

Gamemaster:Good to know going forward so that we don't have to maybe worry about finding Anzu a new bird.

Gamemaster:That's it. Everybody's rolled initiative.

Gamemaster:So we will begin the encounter with Argyle.

Gamemaster:Argyle, you watched the little spider disappear out of Conduit B up in the top right.

Gamemaster:But it doesn't appear visible from your current perspective.

Argyle:Oh, no.

Johnny:Oh no.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:Oh, I forgot something.

Argyle:So that's 120.

Gamemaster:One second.

Argyle:Sorry, just let me check the

Gamemaster:There we go.

Argyle:sh-t.

Johnny:The health bar.

Argyle:Ow.

Argyle:That's too far.

Gamemaster:You need a health bar.

Argyle:I'm going to go back to the

Argyle:other side.

Argyle:I'm going to go back to the

Argyle:other side.

Argyle:I'm going to go back to the

Johnny:Get the sense that Dirge of Doom is not going to do much.

Argyle:other side.

Gamemaster:So I've put the spiders that you see on the map.

Argyle:I'm going to go back to the

Argyle:Did I see a bunch of spiders with my original check in that web in the right?

Gamemaster:Oh, I didn't add them to the initiative.

Gamemaster:Thank you very much.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Gamemaster:Let me do that.

Gamemaster:But they are, like, I can point them out because they're a little small,

Gamemaster:but they are by each of the conduit nodes you can see one or two of the uh the little hivelings

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:OK.

Johnny:you I don know

Argyle:Let me try OK So I going to make a first I going to do a battle medicine on myself

Argyle:Great.

Argyle:And then now I will.

Argyle:We should probably destroy these nodes.

Argyle:Do you think there's any pattern to it?

Johnny:but I think if we destroy them, we can maybe corner the heart thief.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:200

Argyle:So I will, to get ready,

Argyle:I will just cast a simple spell instead.

Argyle:I will cast Spiritual Weapon.

Argyle:And I'm going to make it a very big,

Argyle:like, mace hammer thing

Argyle:that I'm going to use to just try to swipe.

Gamemaster:はい、いいです。

Argyle:And I will make an attack at Conduit at node 1.

Gamemaster:はい、いいです。

Gamemaster:1つの点を言ったとき、右上の点を意味しますか?

Argyle:yeah yeah

Gamemaster:はい、いいです。

Gamemaster:それが当たります。

Argyle:all right real damage

Gamemaster:7点のフォースダメージ

Argyle:seven points force

Gamemaster:絶対に

Gamemaster:スラムダウン

Gamemaster:スピリチュアルウェポン

Gamemaster:コンタクトを

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:コンドウィットの

Gamemaster:グラスに

Gamemaster:でも

Gamemaster:ダメージが

Gamemaster:この瓶は結構難しいです。

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:And then I will finally end my turn

Argyle:so I have one more action with another

Argyle:Pre-Twoons

Argyle:Battle Medicine on Benny

Argyle:this time. And that crits

Gamemaster:OK。

Argyle:so I get my Mythic Point

Argyle:back.

Gamemaster:いいね。

Gamemaster:ベニーに33点。

Argyle:So there you go, Benny.

Benny:Yoink.

Gamemaster:それでは、ジョニーに行きます。

Argyle:No, the nodes!

Anzu:Well, we are going to get surrounded by spiders.

Johnny:I think my Dirge of Doom is going to be super useful on these conduits.

Johnny:So that is true.

Johnny:All right, yeah.

Johnny:First, I'll sustain Bless to increase the distance.

Johnny:How do I increase the distance?

Argyle:they have guys no they have initiatives that's so not good

Gamemaster:uh if you one second there should be if you click on on your benediction

Anzu:They could be on our side.

Johnny:I know.

Benny:Yeah.

Argyle:yeah maybe

Benny:They get a fair shot like everyone else.

Johnny:How do I...

Johnny:Hey, Josh, how do I sustain my Bless to increase it?

Benny:They could be friendly nodes.

Johnny:Oh, God.

Benny:Yeah.

Johnny:How did that...

Johnny:I don't know what happened.

Gamemaster:Oh, on your Bless.

Johnny:Oh, I did it! It has been done. Then we'll do Lingering Composition. Performance.

Gamemaster:If you click on the Aura Bless, where it currently says 15 feet,

Gamemaster:if you click on it, it should increase in size.

Gamemaster:If you don't see an obvious way to do it, I can do it for you.

Gamemaster:But where, like, for me it shows in the top right.

Gamemaster:It might also show in the bottom left for you.

Gamemaster:Okay, there you go.

Gamemaster:Great.

Johnny:Uh, SWING! SWING VICTORY!

Gamemaster:No.

Argyle:Ha ha ha.

Gamemaster:No.

Johnny:No!

Johnny:Uh, I think that's a failure.

Gamemaster:A 22 is a failure.

Gamemaster:You're level 7.

Gamemaster:You need a 23.

Johnny:Well, I don't lose the focus point, and this only goes off for one round.

Johnny:I didn have the pitch quite right Third action

Gamemaster:you Gracias

Johnny:I'll do a distracting performance to distract.

Johnny:I'll try to distract Benny

Argyle:I like how you don't distract

Gamemaster:Ok

Benny:I need the plus.

Johnny:From Benny

Johnny:No one can see Benny

Johnny:38

Gamemaster:So

Gamemaster:Roll the performance check

Gamemaster:38 is a success

Johnny:He's gonna

Gamemaster:Benny is hidden

Argyle:against our squishy bird.

Argyle:You're like, let me distract our tank.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:He's gonna

Johnny:Because it gives a plus two.

Johnny:Or no, it gives an off guard to whoever he attacks.

Argyle:there's a few callings that i feel like you just they just like work all the time for certain

Gamemaster:¿Es un crit contra todos los pequeños espaldas?

Johnny:Josh, was that a crit against anyone?

Gamemaster:Déjame ver si es un crit contra alguien más.

Gamemaster:Es.

Johnny:The only reason is that if I do crit, I get a mythic point because of my demagogue's calling.

Gamemaster:Sí, absolutamente.

Gamemaster:¿Es un crit contra los pequeños espaldas?

Johnny:That is my turn.

Johnny:These are the things I have done.

Johnny:There's two intelligence ones, and one is when you recall knowledge, you get critical

Argyle:classes and then the other ones are just

Argyle:like oh you have to grab someone

Gamemaster:¿Cuál es la mejor forma de hacer un buen trabajo?

Anzu:The nodes.

Argyle:kind of or escape

Argyle:a grapple it's like I can't control that

Johnny:success, and one is when you recall knowledge in a library, which is very confusing.

Argyle:I'm just gonna have to figure out what the fuck these

Argyle:things are

Argyle:Yeah you know it the best way to protect your bird

Gamemaster:That brings us to one second Um

Anzu:I can recall knowledge on the nodes My problem is I also want to protect my bird

Benny:job job

Argyle:is if we can kill all these things

Anzu:Was...

Benny:Well, do you want to protect him or do you want him to help you?

Anzu:I guess he could probably just fly away, and that would...

Argyle:yeah

Anzu:Wait, let me see if...

Anzu:Because I also want him to help me on his way out.

Anzu:How many...

Anzu:Well, the thing is, I can use two actions, and with those two actions, he will heal me

Johnny:I mean, this seems like a more complex

Benny:I mean, if you're willing to put that bird in the line of fire to get you a smoothie or something.

Anzu:and then go into my sleeve.

Anzu:But then that only leaves me one action, which I could use to recall knowledge, but then

Anzu:I can't attack, which might be worth it, but...

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Yeah, thank you for strategizing while I find the right asset, because I thought I had it

Anzu:Very well.

Johnny:fights i feel like it may be a good usage to use a turn figuring out what we're doing

Anzu:It's not my turn for a long time anyway, so...

Gamemaster:preloaded and I didn't.

Gamemaster:Great.

Gamemaster:Next up is Conduit Node Alpha.

Gamemaster:The back left tank of liquid with a node floating in it, sorry, with a rune floating in it, you see that the rune flashes as some amount of arcane energy is directed into it via the piping and the liquid around it.

Argyle:No.

Gamemaster:And as it does you see the heart the Giant humanoid the eyes start to glow and direct a kind of square of energy carving off a piece of the area a piece of

Argyle:you Oh

Johnny:Thank you Oh that was a cool effect

Gamemaster:the room that you're in, specifically the piece that you're standing in.

Argyle:We're gonna need to move. That's very cool.

Johnny:We got to get out of here, guys.

Gamemaster:immediately seems to do anything

Gamemaster:to you

Gamemaster:but there is

Argyle:We need to move.

Gamemaster:there's this

Gamemaster:impending sense that it's focusing

Argyle:Ha ha ha ha ha!

Johnny:Oh, no.

Benny:Wait.

Gamemaster:on the area you're standing

Gamemaster:and then we will move

Johnny:Oh, no.

Johnny:

Johnny:I've got so many things.

Gamemaster:on to one of the hivelings

Gamemaster:who doesn't

Gamemaster:have a very fast movement speed and also

Gamemaster:has no care in the world

Gamemaster:about

Gamemaster:any of this dumb

Gamemaster:eyeball stuff that's going on.

Gamemaster:So it runs right in. It's going for

Gamemaster:Benny. Benny's the closest.

Gamemaster:He's gonna attempt with the one action it has

Benny:Kill, kill, kill.

Gamemaster:left. Okay, so maybe

Gamemaster:it doesn't even get an action. We'll see.

Argyle:Oh,

Benny:20.

Gamemaster:I critically missed, but...

Johnny:stacked on it

Gamemaster:Yeah, it ran in.

Gamemaster:It was immediately

Gamemaster:frightened, baned,

Gamemaster:and within the dirge of doom.

Gamemaster:You roll a 7, which is still a hit

Gamemaster:at a 26.

Gamemaster:So roll damage.

Gamemaster:20 points of damage.

Gamemaster:That isn't enough to kill it outright,

Gamemaster:so it does get its attack off on you.

Gamemaster:That attack misses because of how many debuffs

Gamemaster:are layered on top of it,

Gamemaster:but it is still standing,

Gamemaster:and that is the end of its turn.

Gamemaster:Next up is Conduit Note Beta.

Gamemaster:That's the one on the top right,

Gamemaster:the one that you saw the little floating spider

Gamemaster:move around in.

Gamemaster:That, too, fills up with magic energy.

Gamemaster:And you watch as this robot, the thing, the heart,

Gamemaster:doesn't have arms, but it has the upper half

Gamemaster:of one of its arms, and you watch as it lifts up

Argyle:Sorry, buddy.

Gamemaster:points at your direction,

Anzu:I'm actually immune to lasers, so...

Johnny:That's good.

Gamemaster:and it's going to have to target one of you.

Gamemaster:I'm going to roll a d4.

Gamemaster:Johnny, Anzu, Argyle, Benny.

Gamemaster:We're targeting Anzu

Gamemaster:with a...

Anzu:It's a spider robot?

Gamemaster:Okay, that's fine,

Gamemaster:because it summons a web out of the stump of its arm

Argyle:The rocket.

Gamemaster:and launches it at you.

Argyle:It's Penny Parker.

Gamemaster:It's a spider robot.

Johnny:Spobot!

Benny:A robot.

Gamemaster:31.

Benny:A robot.

Anzu:A 31 is a hit.

Benny:

Benny:A robot.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:You're going to take 12 points of bludgeoning damage,

Anzu:Except.

Gamemaster:and you're grabbed.

Anzu:Oh no, I'm stuck in the freaking square.

Johnny:This is...

Johnny:Oh no!

Johnny:Anzu!

Argyle:Well, I guess your first action is going to be freeing yourself.

Argyle:and...

Gamemaster:Benny, it's your turn.

Johnny:We don't know where it is.

Benny:Uh, are we...

Argyle:I think he killed a bug, I guess.

Anzu:I can't do anything that I want to do.

Benny:The heart thief?

Gamemaster:Benny, it's your turn.

Benny:

Benny:Uh...

Benny:Okay, so we have to move

Benny:like a death ball

Benny:so that Benny can

Benny:preserve the buffs.

Benny:Benny is terrified of this...

Benny:of this...

Benny:What?

Argyle:We could split up if you want, but...

Gamemaster:Yes, that is.

Johnny:I'll follow wherever you go, Benny.

Benny:I don't

Benny:I don't think we can

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:I think we just got to go one by one and take out the conduits

Argyle:Are you going to kill the bug, or...

Benny:is this close enough to hit the rune

Benny:I'm gonna leave

Gamemaster:I think you're measuring.

Benny:uh

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:Yeah, I guess the explosion will happen before the bug goes.

Benny:wait actually is this

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:Ugg is outside of the square.

Benny:is

Benny:hold on

Argyle:Oh, it is?

Benny:let me double check what the fuck

Benny:Benny move speed is I think Biddy Boob Speed is a 35 which means I just fucking out of

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:you Okay

Benny:range. Whatever.

Benny:Yeah, we'll roll up.

Benny:Lose all

Gamemaster:Sorry.

Benny:my nice shit.

Gamemaster:Sorry.

Benny:And we're gonna

Benny:double slice the conduit node.

Benny:attack one

Gamemaster:Okay, double slice the conduit node.

Argyle:Remember, they apply at the same time,

Gamemaster:It doesn't matter.

Anzu:Kill.

Johnny:Oh.

Benny:son of a bitch attack two

Argyle:so if there's resistance betting...

Argyle:Ooh.

Argyle:Yes.

Benny:attack two

Anzu:

Gamemaster:That's much better.

Benny:This is my

Gamemaster:You critically hit the tube.

Anzu:Kill.

Gamemaster:Roll crit damage.

Benny:twinned second attack.

Argyle:Oh, it's the butterfly sword.

Argyle:that does way too much damage for 2d4s

Benny:28.

Gamemaster:It's ridiculous.

Johnny:Wow. Wow. What?

Benny:Oh, wait. Hold on.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:I think it's missing a damage.

Gamemaster:Sure, we'll add two-spirit on.

Benny:It should be taking two spirit as well.

Benny:Yep.

Gamemaster:You slam into it with what weapon?

Gamemaster:Did you just use your butterfly sword?

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:do note, you had seen this from when Argyle hit with his spiritual weapon, the exterior

Gamemaster:of these tubes are pretty hard, so it seems that not all of the damage actually made it

Gamemaster:through to the glass itself, but you took a pretty good chunk out of it.

Gamemaster:Uh okay Conduit node Gamma turn Conduit node Gamma actually doesn do anything

Benny:uh shit I don't think I was able to oh no I'm hasted never mind that's all my

Benny:actions then

Johnny:Thank you I don like that

Benny:you you We spare that one

Gamemaster:It flares with magic energy and then fades.

Gamemaster:Nothing seems to happen.

Benny:Pretty chill.

Gamemaster:It's the Hiveling's turn.

Gamemaster:That's two actions. That's still two actions.

Gamemaster:It's going for Johnny.

Johnny:I will use Reactive Strike.

Gamemaster:Ooh, do you have Reactive Strike?

Johnny:No, but...

Benny:What the...

Gamemaster:Okay, well then you don't get to do that.

Gamemaster:I'm gonna roll to attack you.

Johnny:Ah.

Gamemaster:Uh, that hits.

Gamemaster:You are going to take six points of piercing damage as it bites you.

Gamemaster:It is the Gloomy High Fling's turn.

Gamemaster:it's going to spend three actions

Gamemaster:with no regard for its life

Anzu:Alright, so I'm in a bad way.

Gamemaster:that brings us to Anzu

Gamemaster:Anzu you're grabbed

Gamemaster:yeah

Gamemaster:you can attempt to escape

Anzu:Um.

Anzu:I need to not be grabbed.

Anzu:So.

Anzu:I would like to attempt to escape.

Gamemaster:Absolutely. Unarmed attack, acrobatics, or athletics, or if you have some other thing that you can do.

Anzu:Um.

Anzu:I feel like acrobatics is probably my best bet.

Johnny:Beak Attack.

Anzu:I mean, I could try my beak, but...

Gamemaster:Your unarmed attack might actually be better. What's your beak attack?

Gamemaster:I so sorry

Anzu:It's plus 13, so it is one better, like, by number.

Anzu:I guess we'll do it.

Anzu:I peck at the webs on me.

Anzu:And I do it horribly Do I need to use my point right now and not get blasted

Argyle:I can imagine the blast is going to be nice If it gives us a heads up that it coming

Johnny:you Oh

Argyle:I can't imagine it's going to be nice.

Anzu:That's so sad that I need to.

Argyle:Do you get a mythic point back if you do a

Argyle:recall knowledge?

Anzu:I do.

Argyle:Well, I guess go for that.

Argyle:Oh my god, that was going to be a one.

Gamemaster:That is...

Gamemaster:That is much better.

Gamemaster:Okay, with a 40 you are no longer grabbed. You escape out of the webs.

Anzu:Okay, then I need to move.

Johnny:Any move action that gets out of the death area?

Gamemaster:You deal two points of damage to the webs, that's all it takes.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:Really can only afford one move action.

Gamemaster:That does put you right outside.

Anzu:I tried to...

Anzu:It looks like this puts me right outside.

Anzu:Okay.

Anzu:Then with my final action...

Anzu:Oh, what do? What do?

Anzu:We gotta risk it for the biscuit.

Anzu:Othello's gonna heal me.

Argyle:Damage? Heal, Josh.

Gamemaster:13 points of healing.

Anzu:Oh, that shouldn't apply to us.

Gamemaster:What? I said healing.

Argyle:I thought you said 13 points of damage.

Gamemaster:I didn't.

Argyle:Josh is lying to me.

Gamemaster:Although Anzu, we did establish last room that Anzu is undead, so...

Argyle:That is true.

Gamemaster:Anything else?

Gamemaster:that brings us to

Anzu:That's three actions.

Gamemaster:conduit node delta

Gamemaster:uh

Gamemaster:This one... actually you guys are a little bit spread out now.

Anzu:Oh, no.

Gamemaster:I think Johnny gets spared.

Gamemaster:I need the three of you to attempt this will save.

Gamemaster:as this conduit

Gamemaster:fills with light

Gamemaster:and you hear this

Gamemaster:almost singing

Gamemaster:this kind of harmony

Argyle:Is it emotional?

Benny:this should do it

Gamemaster:in each of your

Gamemaster:just the back of your heads

Gamemaster:it's not real, it is auditory

Gamemaster:emotion, fear, and mental

Argyle:Yes, it's emotion.

Gamemaster:if anything there applies

Argyle:Okay.

Benny:the thing that it needs to do automatically right

Gamemaster:Are we all happy with what we rolled?

Benny:what

Benny:yeah I don't know if happy is the right word either

Argyle:I am.

Anzu:I mean, I don't know if happy is the right word, but I.

Gamemaster:Are we all set?

Benny:I think we're all set

Gamemaster:Absolutely. The three of you feel this pressure in your head and you get the feeling that you're being watched like there's some great entity watching you and almost trying to pull you into it, to become part of it.

Gamemaster:It is unclear what it is, it's just this kind of presence at this point riding along the

Gamemaster:sound of some strange off singing off harmony that doesn quite fit with what you would count as music Those of you who failed are frightened

Benny:Nice Nice Nice

Argyle:Bye Do I experience any of that since I critically succeeded

Anzu:Awesome Awesome

Gamemaster:You hear it and then can just shrug it off and it does not affect you.

Argyle:Ha!

Argyle:I go, you cannot affect me.

Gamemaster:Wait, you're a frightened one. Oh right, Benny just doesn't get frightened if it's only frightened one.

Argyle:I am a follower of the judge of all ages.

Benny:What's the frame condition?

Benny:Is it one or?

Benny:No, I'm not.

Argyle:and he starts to get frightened and then remembered he got

Johnny:Yeah.

Benny:It's going to run up?

Gamemaster:Okay, and that brings us to the little hiveling.

Gamemaster:wow

Argyle:uh abused by his father as a kid and he's like this isn't anything

Gamemaster:this hiveling's gonna run up to Benny

Gamemaster:and then make two attacks on him

Gamemaster:and then is going to miss both

Benny:Hold on.

Gamemaster:it's gonna

Gamemaster:scurry up

Gamemaster:okay if you're killing

Benny:We're killing.

Gamemaster:you're killing

Argyle:I didn't mean to do that.

Benny:despite being a three.

Gamemaster:that hits

Gamemaster:all damage

Gamemaster:despite being a three that hits

Benny:Yes.

Gamemaster:24 points of damage absolutely uh that doesn't kill it but it is very injured um

Benny:24.

Gamemaster:okay uh and that is the end of its turn which brings us back to Argo Argo what are you doing

Argyle:Cool, cool, cool.

Argyle:All right, guys, I was going to.

Argyle:First, how do I sustain my spiritual weapon?

Gamemaster:Uh, yeah, I think so.

Argyle:Do I just have to go find it?

Gamemaster:I mean, you can just recast it, if that's easier.

Argyle:OK.

Argyle:Yeah, I'll do that.

Gamemaster:Because it's the same slot, so just give it back to yourself and then cast it again.

Argyle:Spells.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:OK.

Argyle:We're going to attack.

Argyle:Fearful hiding that guy That guy

Gamemaster:Which one are you attacking?

Gamemaster:Oh okay absolutely that hits Seven points of damage

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:It is still alive.

Argyle:Alright, I'm going to move over here.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Argyle:And then I'm going to...

Argyle:Can you describe what that thing of webs looks like?

Gamemaster:It literally just looks like a pretty dense thicket of webs, for lack of a better term.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:Well,

Argyle:I

Argyle:don't like that.

Argyle:I'm going to cast

Argyle:Holy Light into it.

Gamemaster:Into the thicket of webs?

Argyle:Yeah, I assume I could like burn it down,

Gamemaster:Uh, sure.

Argyle:I think.

Argyle:That's my goal.

Gamemaster:Yeah, you could do that.

Argyle:So I'm trying.

Gamemaster:Okay, roll attack.

Argyle:I do

Gamemaster:22 hits.

Argyle:alright

Gamemaster:It's stationary.

Argyle:yeah cool

Gamemaster:Roll damage.

Gamemaster:37 split between fire and spirit.

Gamemaster:Yeah, that's enough to just fully burn up the thinkative webs.

Gamemaster:It, uh, like, smokes.

Argyle:that's

Argyle:my turn

Gamemaster:And it's gone now.

Argyle:I didn't like it I didn't want it there

Gamemaster:Okay?

Gamemaster:Okay, Johnny, it's your turn.

Argyle:You're gonna have to split

Anzu:Or you could go just directly to the right.

Johnny:Yeah, first action, I will run...

Johnny:Oh my god, I can't get out.

Johnny:That's so silly.

Argyle:You could use two actions

Argyle:He's gonna get so fucking killed

Johnny:Yeah.

Johnny:I'm going to get so killed if I'm that close.

Argyle:Hehehehe

Johnny:I'm going to have to use two actions.

Johnny:That's whack.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:I use one action Be right next to all you guys I go right there

Johnny:And then I will just, for my third action, once again try a Lingering Composition.

Johnny:It didn't work this time, the last time I tried again.

Johnny:That time works.

Johnny:I think that's just a regular success, not a crit, though.

Gamemaster:That is absolutely...

Johnny:And I scream out, sweet victory.

Gamemaster:You get a three round Dirt Rift in this time.

Johnny:That is my turn, because I had to move out of the box of doom.

Gamemaster:Excellent.

Gamemaster:Okay, that brings us to Conduit Alpha.

Gamemaster:The conduit glows with energy again, and now resolving what was set up last round, a column

Argyle:Really happy onto isn't there.

Benny:He could handle it.

Gamemaster:of blue and red energy shoots out of the heart into the area it was looking, into that nicely

Gamemaster:demarcated square.

Gamemaster:deals 45 points of electric damage to everything within.

Gamemaster:Which, currently the only two things in it are the two

Gamemaster:hivelings, so they are

Gamemaster:instantaneously evaporated. And then it will

Anzu:That one really needs to die, huh?

Gamemaster:move its gaze.

Gamemaster:Where is it?

Gamemaster:How do I, how do I, nope, that's false.

Johnny:Wait, guys, can we use this to have it target?

Gamemaster:That's how I do it.

Gamemaster:There we go.

Gamemaster:It looks up.

Gamemaster:And targets.

Gamemaster:Let's do YouTube.

Gamemaster:Let's do there.

Argyle:this moving huh

Argyle:I think it strategically didn't...

Gamemaster:It is

Anzu:There we go.

Johnny:One of the conduit nodes, if we all cluster correctly?

Benny:Maybe.

Anzu:All right.

Argyle:Because it would have been more advantageous to go higher up,

Argyle:and I think it's trying to avoid that.

Johnny:Yeah.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:I think we have to cluster around the conduit nodes

Johnny:to try and get it to hit.

Johnny:Which one is this?

Gamemaster:the Fearful High Flakes turn.

Johnny:That's...

Gamemaster:It's going to step

Johnny:Oh.

Gamemaster:and then spend two actions attacking Anzu.

Johnny:No!

Argyle:oof

Gamemaster:I crit on one of the rolls.

Johnny:That's all you get for the fight, though.

Benny:I was about to say, we're on both of them.

Gamemaster:I crit on both of the rolls.

Benny:Fuck it.

Benny:But I guess that did come true.

Gamemaster:I rolled a natural 20 twice.

Gamemaster:I'm so sorry.

Argyle:all right he's up he's up do it again he'll be fine

Gamemaster:Yeah, sure.

Gamemaster:That's a lot of damage.

Gamemaster:That's going to be 18 and then 12.

Gamemaster:It's ContinentNodeBeta's turn.

Anzu:Well, no, no, no.

Johnny:Maybe one of them, two things for interrupting.

Benny:Okay.

Anzu:Don't do it again.

Gamemaster:ContinentNodeBeta flashes, but does not appear to do anything.

Anzu:What did that one do last time?

Anzu:That one shot a web at me last time.

Gamemaster:Okay, he's going for it.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:Maybe I can only do two or something

Argyle:a turn.

Benny:Cool.

Johnny:Thank you you Oh

Benny:i'd like to solve the puzzle

Gamemaster:Roll to attack.

Gamemaster:28 hits.

Benny:that's the first one

Benny:that's the second one

Gamemaster:They both hit.

Benny:uh this is it's injured but not bloodied darn uh

Gamemaster:Sorry.

Argyle:why do you have stronger mod on the butterfly

Benny:first damage damage Second damage

Gamemaster:14 Absolutely 14 16 Absolutely

Gamemaster:And because they happen at the same time, I'm going to manually do the additional

Gamemaster:hardness damage for one of them.

Argyle:i see i see i see

Benny:Because it gets an extra two because they're twinned weapons.

Benny:And it's the second hit.

Johnny:Oh, that's cool.

Benny:Or the second attack.

Gamemaster:You've done a bunch of damage to it.

Benny:Of course.

Johnny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:There are these cracks,

Gamemaster:spider webbing across the exterior of the glass,

Gamemaster:but it is still intact.

Benny:Oh, I have more actions.

Gamemaster:Mm-hmm.

Benny:Let's go with...

Benny:we gotta go with the falcata because this is hardness so we'll make a strike with the falcata

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Benny:is there any way i can make this annoying and do more damage no

Benny:falcata it is

Benny:fair enough um i'm gonna hit the bug near me

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Benny:I'm gonna try.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:I like

Gamemaster:Go for it.

Benny:Just so I don't have this fucking asshole near me.

Gamemaster:That absolutely hits.

Benny:Fuck.

Benny:Oh, sorry.

Benny:He's bloodied.

Benny:Can you make that

Gamemaster:He is bloodied.

Benny:four more?

Benny:So it's 21 total damage.

Gamemaster:It doesn't matter, he's dead.

Benny:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:You slam your falcata down,

Argyle:I like to picture

Gamemaster:Hiveling deceased.

Argyle:this happening and there like a pause and then Benny like strikes both of them against the container doesn break gets mad and just slams his sword

Gamemaster:Okay, that's the end of your turn, yeah?

Benny:Where's something easier to hit?

Argyle:a second time, and then turns around

Argyle:and just says, get the fuck out of here,

Argyle:and just squashes the plug.

Benny:You fucking...

Benny:Yeah.

Argyle:And

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Next up is

Gamemaster:Node Gamma.

Gamemaster:It flashes with energy, and out of the center ball pops a little Hiveling.

Anzu:Breath.

Johnny:Hello, what?

Benny:They're making them at night.

Gamemaster:Okay, that's the end of the Conduit's turn.

Gamemaster:That brings us to this Hiveling.

Gamemaster:Where are you? Which Hiveling is this?

Gamemaster:oh is this

Gamemaster:highland dead

Gamemaster:this highland's

Argyle:Yes, they're in the webs! Fuck those webs!

Anzu:Remove them. Get them out of the order.

Gamemaster:dead

Gamemaster:both of these

Gamemaster:highlands are

Gamemaster:dead

Gamemaster:uh it's

Gamemaster:Anzu's turn

Gamemaster:Anzu it's

Gamemaster:your turn

Gamemaster:what are you

Anzu:It's my turn now.

Gamemaster:doing

Gamemaster:yes

Anzu:Um.

Anzu:You know, I didn't think I'd get this far.

Anzu:Uh.

Argyle:I can heal you, so as long as you can get out of there.

Anzu:Yeah, I think I'm going to go to the left, if that's alright with you.

Gamemaster:Is that alright with you?

Argyle:I would go up.

Benny:Okay.

Argyle:I was going to go up.

Anzu:Okay, I'll go up.

Argyle:I think we should go up.

Anzu:I will follow instructions.

Gamemaster:No.

Anzu:Okay.

Anzu:So, I will stride...

Anzu:I guess to here.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:Then I will put my bird away I going to kind of freaking drag him down over here

Gamemaster:Okay Okay Banish him to the nether absolutely

Argyle:you It going to get blasted

Anzu:And then do I just go for the conduit,

Anzu:or do I try to also take out this fearful hiveling?

Anzu:Or is that going to get blasted next turn?

Anzu:It might get blasted.

Argyle:Yeah.

Anzu:All right, so then we just go for the node here,

Anzu:and we cast

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:I guess we just cast an Amped Telekinetic Projectile.

Gamemaster:Go for it.

Benny:Oh!

Anzu:So let's click cast.

Anzu:It's going to be

Anzu:Legending.

Anzu:I will make an attack roll.

Anzu:I'm successful.

Gamemaster:That hits.

Anzu:I will roll.

Gamemaster:Funnily enough, you hit because the conduit is frightened.

Argyle:Did bludgeoning do more to it?

Johnny:That works.

Anzu:Perfect.

Johnny:Oh.

Gamemaster:It is weird that the conduit isn't immune to that, but it isn't.

Johnny:Okay.

Gamemaster:34 points of damage. Hot damn.

Johnny:That's cool.

Gamemaster:The attack lands with more force than you would expect.

Johnny:Okay.

Gamemaster:And that is enough for the conduit to shatter.

Johnny:Okay.

Gamemaster:a burst of orange fluid

Argyle:Yes.

Gamemaster:shoots out

Gamemaster:showers all of you

Gamemaster:or whoever's like within

Gamemaster:within a reasonable range

Gamemaster:of the conduit

Gamemaster:the rune floating inside

Gamemaster:dissipates

Gamemaster:as the connection is broken there

Gamemaster:and there is this shaking

Gamemaster:from the room that you're in

Gamemaster:as if you've injured the heart itself

Gamemaster:somehow

Anzu:Ah.

Gamemaster:destinations.

Argyle:Yes.

Johnny:Hold up. Yes, it's going down.

Gamemaster:ouvj一個

Argyle:First of all,

Gamemaster:All right, anything else?

Anzu:That's the end of my turn.

Gamemaster:Is that your turn?

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:That brings us to Argyle.

Anzu:Does my frighten go down?

Gamemaster:Yes, it does.

Gamemaster:I'm going to go ahead and do that.

Anzu:Awesome. I'll do it.

Argyle:I'm getting the fuck out of there.

Argyle:That's my first thing.

Argyle:Then, I made a promise to one of my homies.

Argyle:So, uh...

Argyle:He's going to get some healing, whether he likes it or not.

Anzu:I eat it up.

Johnny:4d10 plus 32?

Benny:Hell yeah.

Argyle:And Argyle's going to be running.

Argyle:And as he's running up, he's going to be like,

Argyle:he's going to pass by Anzu and just put a hand out

Argyle:and be like, be cured by the judge.

Argyle:And that's a terrible roll.

Argyle:One, two, and a three.

Argyle:There you go.

Johnny:That's crazy.

Argyle:Yeah, and I rolled two wuds and a two.

Argyle:But anyway, there you go.

Anzu:I'm only down seven now, so it worked out.

Argyle:Yeah, yeah.

Argyle:Movement, cast, and then I will spiritual weapon.

Argyle:What's the range here?

Argyle:I'm going to just recast that so I can see it again.

Argyle:120 feet.

Argyle:So I could hit.

Argyle:I'm not going to actually be able to do anything.

Argyle:I'm going to go for this fucker

Gamemaster:Oh, the hive link?

Anzu:Unfortunate.

Johnny:I top my turn.

Benny:Yeah next conduit Oh yeah

Argyle:on the left.

Argyle:I'll roll an attack.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:That doesn't help, unfortunately.

Argyle:Alright, well, I didn't expect much

Gamemaster:It's just a mess.

Argyle:out of that thing.

Gamemaster:All right.

Gamemaster:The next step is drawing.

Argyle:There you go.

Gamemaster:All right.

Johnny:I yell, Benny, where are you going next?

Johnny:you going uh you going up all right i will run God I do not have a lot of movement

Gamemaster:All right.

Argyle:Go up.

Argyle:Oh Oh

Johnny:25.

Johnny:Gosh, I really wish I could move further.

Johnny:25.

Johnny:50.

Johnny:Sorry, guys.

Johnny:Then I will just.

Benny:And he'll be there.

Johnny:Third action.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:Why not?

Johnny:I will try invented vulnerability against the conduit node beta.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Let's see.

Gamemaster:Attempted deception shake against the Conduit's Will, DC.

Argyle:and by the way i thought of something we shouldn't do this but i thought of something to make your

Gamemaster:You critically succeeded.

Johnny:I have critically succeeded.

Gamemaster:Unfortunately, it is not animate and you can't target with mental effects.

Gamemaster:It doesn't have a mind.

Gamemaster:It is immune to mental effects.

Johnny:Absolute bummer.

Gamemaster:I'm so sorry.

Johnny:Well, that's my turn.

Argyle:little guys more damaging

Argyle:is how far

Argyle:away can you call them? Is it a 30 foot?

Anzu:Just use them as flashbacks.

Johnny:at 30 feet

Johnny:wouldn't the 1D4

Argyle:What if you put them in the air

Argyle:so instead of

Argyle:striking, they just

Argyle:fall? And I think the

Argyle:fall damage would be more

Argyle:than their...

Argyle:Or if we somehow are sneaking above

Johnny:they used to

Argyle:someone, you can just drop your

Argyle:little guys on them.

Argyle:Obviously not the spirit of it.

Johnny:pretty much

Johnny:that is my turn I have nothing else to do

Gamemaster:Absolutely That brings us to Node there is a flash of light unfortunately the only one being

Anzu:Terrible Terrible

Gamemaster:continent is the hiveling

Gamemaster:I don't need to roll

Johnny:Okay.

Gamemaster:it doesn't matter what kind of damage it does

Gamemaster:it will kill him

Gamemaster:so he ceases to exist

Gamemaster:as this beam of reddish blue light

Gamemaster:descends from

Gamemaster:the heart

Gamemaster:and then it will redirect its gaze

Gamemaster:Now, you guys are standing in an awkward position that I think means that instead I'll have

Anzu:Jonathan.

Gamemaster:to frontrun you a little bit.

Anzu:Jonathan.

Gamemaster:And that is the end of its turn as it redirects kind of just at Johnny right now.

Gamemaster:It is... this guy's dead, so let's remove him from the initiative order.

Gamemaster:is node beta's turn.

Gamemaster:This time it flashes.

Argyle:Yeah, it's...

Gamemaster:We're gonna do a d4 again.

Gamemaster:Anzu, Argyle, Benny, Johnny.

Gamemaster:Argyle this time.

Gamemaster:As it points an arm at you and shoots out a web.

Gamemaster:A 29.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:Plus 21!

Argyle:That's ridiculous!

Gamemaster:You're going to take 22 points of legending damage and you are grabbed by the web.

Argyle:All right, all right.

Anzu:At least you're not in the beam.

Argyle:All right, guys.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:And that's the end of its turn. Benny, it's your turn.

Argyle:Yeah, it's much less scary.

Benny:Benny is going to measure the board for no reason nobody's going to run up to

Benny:this conduit node and desire its blood

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Mm-hmm.

Gamemaster:Okay Absolutely No it barely been hit

Benny:Not bloodied

Benny:Worth checking.

Benny:First attack.

Gamemaster:Hits.

Benny:Second attack.

Gamemaster:Also hits.

Benny:Domage.

Benny:Wait, hold on.

Gamemaster:Absolutely brilliant.

Gamemaster:Damage and damage with additional because they stack so I only had to overcome hardness

Benny:Oh, I guess it's weirdly out of order.

Benny:That's fine.

Benny:Dommage.

Benny:A.

Benny:Dommage.

Benny:33.

Benny:Okay.

Gamemaster:once.

Benny:If any thinks the runes are trapped and he's trying to free them.

Gamemaster:You've definitely put some hairline fractures in this, but it is still functioning as a

Anzu:Noble.

Gamemaster:tube.

Gamemaster:Right, of course.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Is that the end of your turn?

Benny:That is the turn.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:It's the terrified lifelink's turn.

Gamemaster:That's one action.

Gamemaster:It's all three actions to just get up at Benny.

Benny:Huh?

Gamemaster:Can't do anything.

Benny:Well,

Argyle:I...

Anzu:If you would just roll above like a nine.

Johnny:The spider had a gun on him.

Benny:it can do one thing.

Gamemaster:Is that get hit?

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:That hits?

Benny:I wish it was a crit, though.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Argyle:I like to...

Benny:I know!

Benny:17 damage.

Argyle:I like to imagine Benny as, like, a really angry cop.

Benny:Okay.

Argyle:So he's just always looking for...

Gamemaster:That's...

Argyle:He's reaching! He's reaching!

Argyle:Stop!

Benny:I don't know.

Johnny:Everyone saw it.

Argyle:but he should be able to he should be able to reactive strike just

Argyle:thinks they might be attacking.

Gamemaster:that's the end of his turn

Benny:I saw him interact

Argyle:He's like, don't reach it!

Benny:he interacted

Benny:well that's the end of

Gamemaster:uh because he killed him so it's conduit gamma's turn oh no you didn't kill him sorry that was just

Benny:yeah I guess

Benny:oh wait I killed him with 17 points

Benny:oh okay

Gamemaster:the end of his turn um he's still alive you just whacked him he's he's standing he's bloodied he's

Benny:okay

Benny:nice

Gamemaster:definitely injured, but he is, he's still alive. It's, it's Conduit Gamma's turn. Uh, I'm sorry.

Argyle:Yes.

Anzu:My God.

Johnny:What's that mean?

Gamemaster:Ooh, three. Uh, three hivelings pop out of the thing in the center.

Johnny:What's that mean?

Gamemaster:Um, okay. Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Uh, you killed the other conduit. He doesn't get to go. This guy

Gamemaster:doesn't get to go. Take it back. Pretend that you didn't see any hivelings appear. That's

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:my fault. Instead, it just glows and then doesn't do anything. It's Anzu's turn.

Anzu:Okay.

Gamemaster:Okay

Anzu:First we're going to recall knowledge against a conduit node.

Anzu:I don't know if it really matters which one, but we'll just go for alpha.

Gamemaster:Pick your favorite

Gamemaster:Okay

Gamemaster:Roll recall knowledge

Gamemaster:Arcana would be the best fit here

Anzu:With what...

Anzu:Okay.

Anzu:Very well.

Benny:Thank you you Sorry is it vulnerable to bludgeoning

Anzu:darn it

Gamemaster:Uh, a 20 is still a success.

Anzu:yeah

Anzu:I would like its

Gamemaster:Uh, so what do you want to learn?

Anzu:immunities and such

Anzu:yeah

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:It is weak to bludgeoning damage.

Gamemaster:It has a hardness.

Gamemaster:And it is immune to bleed disease doomed drained fatigued healing mental non attacks paralyzed poison sickened spirit unconscious vitality void and death effects

Anzu:you And it went bludgeoning damage everybody

Anzu:And then I'm going to attempt...

Gamemaster:It is, it has a weakness to bludgeoning damage.

Benny:Oh, nice.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:Benny, do you want help with yours or should I go for a different one?

Benny:This one's going to die.

Anzu:Probably I can help.

Anzu:Oh, okay.

Anzu:All right, I'll go for alpha.

Anzu:I can reach it with my amped projectile, I'm fairly certain.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Alright.

Anzu:Oh, no, maybe not.

Anzu:Oh, no, it's only 60 feet.

Gamemaster:What's the range on your projectile?

Anzu:Oh, we also would have unleashed psyche.

Gamemaster:Of course.

Anzu:Let's not forget.

Anzu:All right.

Anzu:So that means I need to go for gamma.

Gamemaster:Okay, he's going for Gamma.

Anzu:But that's okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah, do it.

Gamemaster:I'm not your mom, I don't tell you what to do.

Gamemaster:He throws a rock at it. It hits.

Gamemaster:You hit it with a rock. Roll damage.

Anzu:range on this

Gamemaster:That's a lot of sixes.

Gamemaster:37 points of damage. Absolutely. It has a hardness, but also it's weak to bludgeoning, and so you overcome the hardness.

Argyle:Which one did you just smack?

Gamemaster:It is very injured. You've done quite a bit of damage to it. It is still intact, but it's not looking great.

Anzu:uh

Gamemaster:Bottom left.

Anzu:yeah

Argyle:Bottom left, cool.

Anzu:It was the only one in range for me.

Argyle:when I

Argyle:made my spiritual weapon I specifically

Gamemaster:Okay Okay sure

Argyle:made it to do a bludgeoning one but then it only did spirit and then I just checked the rules and I can make it do bludgeoning so just know for the future that what That why I made it the hammer

Anzu:I calculate threads with my final action.

Gamemaster:Okay?

Gamemaster:Absolutely, he's calculating threats.

Gamemaster:That brings us to Argyle.

Argyle:All right.

Argyle:I'm going to make an unarmed strike.

Gamemaster:You are restrained by the wave.

Gamemaster:Okay, by the web, sorry.

Gamemaster:He's making an unarmed strike.

Argyle:Gotta get out.

Anzu:Yikes.

Argyle:Oh, good golly.

Gamemaster:I'm...

Gamemaster:Yeah, I'm sorry.

Gamemaster:A 17 doesn't do it.

Argyle:What does immobilize mean?

Argyle:I can't do anything with a manipulate?

Gamemaster:Immobilized means you can't move.

Argyle:I could just still do manipulate stuff?

Gamemaster:You have to make a DC5 flat check

Gamemaster:to attempt to manipulate action.

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:What is sustain?

Gamemaster:Uh, sustained is just a sustain, I think.

Argyle:Okay, great.

Gamemaster:I'll double check for you.

Gamemaster:But I think you can just do it.

Gamemaster:Oh, it's a concentrate, which isn't impacted by this.

Gamemaster:I bet you critically succeeded on that irrelevant rule.

Argyle:So, ya boy

Argyle:is going to sustain

Argyle:my

Argyle:spiritual

Argyle:weapon.

Argyle:Uh, ignore that 20.

Argyle:It has no point.

Argyle:Uh,

Argyle:Yes.

Johnny:Well,

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Argyle:Miss because of my multiple attack penalty.

Gamemaster:Uh, okay.

Argyle:I'm going to do it again.

Gamemaster:wait why do you have a multiple

Argyle:It critically misses.

Gamemaster:oh right because you did an unarmed attack

Gamemaster:yeah I'm so sorry

Argyle:That is my turn.

Gamemaster:I apologize

Gamemaster:it's Johnny's turn

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I'm not apologizing because it's Johnny's turn

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I apologize period

Gamemaster:now it's Johnny's turn

Argyle:All right, guys. Sorry, Johnny's got to go.

Johnny:after that very rude

Johnny:That very rude setup First I guess I Run

Gamemaster:the spider is flanked

Johnny:I'll go right here.

Johnny:I guess I...

Johnny:The best I can do is try and kill this spider.

Johnny:I don't have a lot of things.

Johnny:I will kill this spider, I suppose.

Johnny:Maybe.

Gamemaster:so

Johnny:I will use...

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:I will sure strike on this spider.

Benny:We believe you.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:Maybe.

Johnny:Then I will needle darts the spider that I have sure striked.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I mean, that's a crit.

Anzu:Many needles.

Johnny:I have crit on the spider.

Benny:Disgusting.

Gamemaster:You crit on the spider.

Gamemaster:Roll damage.

Johnny:This is the non-crit damage.

Gamemaster:Yeah, that is enough to kill the spider.

Johnny:He takes 32 points of damage!

Gamemaster:The spider is dead.

Gamemaster:eviscerated by needles.

Benny:Benny's on the other side, just sprayed by spider guts.

Johnny:I'm contributing to this fight.

Johnny:That's my turn.

Gamemaster:Anything else you'd like to do?

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:It's Conduit Node Alpha's turn.

Gamemaster:There is...

Gamemaster:Excuse me.

Gamemaster:There is a beam of blue energy,

Gamemaster:blue-reddish energy,

Gamemaster:again in the area that it was targeting.

Gamemaster:Nobody was standing in it,

Gamemaster:so nothing happens.

Gamemaster:And then the conduit dims, having not retargeted.

Argyle:Oh, it says I got other strats.

Argyle:I shouldn't use this.

Argyle:it is odd it's penny i'm surprised it would have been onto

Gamemaster:Next up is Conduit Beta. We're gonna roll a D for this time. If it's even, it's Anzu. If it's odd, it's Beni, because you two are the ones doing the most damage to the conduits.

Benny:I encourage this kind of text.

Gamemaster:It's odd, it's Beni.

Gamemaster:as the arm points at Benny and shoots a web.

Benny:Give it to the next person.

Gamemaster:That's a high number.

Gamemaster:That's a 36.

Gamemaster:Oh, I guess it doesn't count as an attack.

Gamemaster:It's a 36.

Gamemaster:A 36 is a crit, I believe.

Gamemaster:Okay, so we're going to roll damage.

Gamemaster:there it is

Gamemaster:this is the

Gamemaster:you're going to have to double this

Gamemaster:nope just 30 points

Gamemaster:of damage

Benny:Yay! Woo!

Gamemaster:and you are

Gamemaster:grabbed

Gamemaster:it is your turn Benny

Benny:Benny

Benny:foaming at the mouth

Benny:now that he's

Benny:finally been hit.

Benny:Now he has a reason to kill these.

Benny:Before, he didn't really know. He was like,

Benny:I don't know, maybe they're mean or something.

Benny:But now they've hit him.

Benny:Benny is going to

Johnny:Thank you Oh Oh oh

Benny:in his left hand, his off hand

Benny:where the butterfly sword is

Benny:he's going to extend it out

Benny:and he's going to

Benny:turn it into

Benny:his favorite thing

Benny:the poly tool because

Gamemaster:Yes absolutely Okay Then he kill Okay that a the first one a crit

Benny:to remind you, both of the weapons

Benny:in Benny's hands are shifting

Benny:so now it does bludgeoning damage

Benny:and then he then he kill

Argyle:you and it all goes into one so the bludgeoning is stacked to everything

Benny:First one's a crit.

Gamemaster:And then the second one's just a regular hit.

Benny:Sure, and it's bloody now, so this

Gamemaster:It is bloodied.

Benny:is going to get very interesting.

Benny:Oh, yeah, no, I think this is curtains.

Argyle:Oh, that's a good roll.

Gamemaster:You do.

Johnny:Woof.

Benny:This is Curtains probably with the first attack.

Benny:Yeah, that's that.

Benny:And then this damage.

Gamemaster:That's ridiculous.

Benny:Oh, this one doesn't have the twin, so I'll just add two.

Johnny:What a wild amount of damage.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:uh yeah that is fully enough uh uh to smash the glass that makes up this conduit once again uh it

Benny:102.

Gamemaster:cracks open and a flood of uh this orange liquid pours out um there is again another shake uh as

Gamemaster:the whole room uh reacts to the damage seemingly uh but in addition uh there's this flow of liquid

Gamemaster:and pouring out of it and as it flows out,

Gamemaster:a small spider gets pulled with it

Argyle:Thanks.

Anzu:Gale?

Johnny:he's injured get him

Benny:That's three of my actions.

Gamemaster:and dumped on the floor.

Anzu:Gale?

Gamemaster:Now wait one second, one moment.

Gamemaster:There we go.

Gamemaster:And that is all four of your actions?

Gamemaster:Three of your actions?

Gamemaster:That's only three of your actions.

Gamemaster:What are you doing now, Benny?

Benny:Benny is going to...

Gamemaster:you could attack the webs that are holding you yeah Yeah you got webbed by that attack you grabbed

Benny:Let's see.

Benny:Do I have anything interesting I can do with a single action oh wait there webs holding me

Argyle:You try to free yourself Yeah you grow

Benny:oh um okay

Benny:what action is that

Gamemaster:It's an unarmed attack.

Benny:of course

Argyle:Or it's an athletics

Argyle:or acrobatics, right?

Gamemaster:No, because he's hasted, so the only action he can take is an attack or a stride,

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:and he can't stride.

Benny:What do I do?

Gamemaster:So literally the only action he can take right now

Gamemaster:is to attempt to unarmed attack the webs

Gamemaster:that's holding him or to pass.

Gamemaster:Those are his options.

Benny:I just roll an unarmed and then you tell me if I did it.

Benny:And I have map, but I have, where is this slippery prey when you attempt to escape using

Gamemaster:Yes, just roll an unarmed

Gamemaster:and then I tell you if you did it.

Benny:acrobatics or athletics.

Benny:I'm not doing that.

Benny:Cool.

Gamemaster:Go for it.

Johnny:So going even with the heart thief out here.

Benny:So I shall just make it unarmed with all my map.

Gamemaster:A14 won't do it, unfortunately, and you stay grabbed.

Benny:14.

Benny:Fair enough.

Gamemaster:It's Notegamma's turn.

Gamemaster:Notegamma now this time, for realsies, spawns four Hivelings.

Benny:Oh.

Gamemaster:Even with the Heart Thief out here.

Gamemaster:And then those guys get handed into the initiative.

Gamemaster:And we will continue forward to Anzu.

Gamemaster:What's the plan?

Gamemaster:Thank you Okay

Argyle:Cheers Yes Yes

Anzu:The plan is probably to finish off the conduit node The question is can I do it without using my last focus point

Benny:you Focus focus

Anzu:And the answer is probably no.

Anzu:So I think we're just going to spend it.

Anzu:And we're going to telekinetic projectile.

Argyle:Yes, mind bird.

Anzu:Do I have a targeted? I do.

Argyle:recall knowledge and get a mythic point potentially

Gamemaster:Oh.

Anzu:Oh my gosh.

Johnny:It happened.

Benny:Ooh.

Anzu:My text box just became...

Anzu:It has background now.

Gamemaster:I haven't changed anything.

Benny:Told you to believe.

Gamemaster:Unfortunately, that does miss.

Gamemaster:Womp womp.

Anzu:That's such a bad use of the last focus point.

Argyle:wait did you crit on the other one or no

Gamemaster:Hmm.

Anzu:Actually, I should recall knowledge on Vrax'aloth.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Anzu:No.

Benny:This is her.

Argyle:ah

Anzu:But that is something that I'm going to do now on this spider that he's out about.

Anzu:What?

Gamemaster:This is occultism.

Anzu:Is it now?

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Anzu:Dude.

Gamemaster:I'm so sorry.

Gamemaster:That is a critical failure.

Gamemaster:What do you want to learn?

Benny:Cheers.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:I mean, what I want to know are its resistances and whatnot, but we're kind of in a weird

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:spot here, so.

Gamemaster:Yeah, no, that's fine.

Gamemaster:You want to know its resistances, weaknesses, and immunities?

Anzu:Sure.

Anzu:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Gamemaster:It is weak to bludgeoning damage,

Gamemaster:and it is immune to bleed, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued,

Gamemaster:healing, mental, non-lethal, paralyzed, poison, sick, and spirit, unconscious, vitality, void,

Anzu:Continue to squish.

Gamemaster:and death effects.

Argyle:he's double blinding and lying to us or he's telling the truth which is the same thing as double lying

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:all I can do is act with the

Anzu:information I've been given

Anzu:we're going to send a

Anzu:side burst at the insecure

Anzu:hiveling

Anzu:it's mind shifted

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:so it's a will save

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:I failed.

Argyle:You know what I'm going to do.

Gamemaster:it takes 9 mental damage

Anzu:Judy.

Benny:Spiritual weapon.

Gamemaster:it is still alive

Anzu:That's my stupid.

Gamemaster:okay

Anzu:Sorry.

Gamemaster:these guys don't get to go yet

Gamemaster:so that brings us to Argyle

Gamemaster:I don't

Gamemaster:please tell me

Argyle:Unarmed attack!

Gamemaster:then um

Benny:Oh, yeah, that too.

Argyle:To free myself.

Argyle:That's on the node, but is that

Gamemaster:uh oh uh 24 is sorry if we're doing that to free yourself yes that's enough

Argyle:okay for me?

Argyle:Yes. Great!

Argyle:Then I'm going to

Argyle:move 30 feet.

Argyle:And...

Argyle:I could strike that thing.

Argyle:Or I could go for the other

Gamemaster:a spiritual armament is 120 feet if that's what you're looking at

Anzu:The bloodied note is not a bad idea if it's within range.

Argyle:node.

Argyle:Bloodied.

Argyle:Sorry, let me just...

Argyle:Dark Owl would know his spells better than me.

Argyle:Let me just double check something.

Argyle:What is the range?

Argyle:Okay sorry Could I have not moved yet Okay I was was I there or was I here

Gamemaster:yeah I think you just moved straight up

Argyle:All right, can I just control Z to?

Gamemaster:But also, one second.

Gamemaster:Step, step, yeah.

Gamemaster:There you go.

Argyle:There we go, OK.

Argyle:OK.

Argyle:I seem to make some math out.

Argyle:What is 60 feet from here?

Argyle:Okay, so I'm going to have to just not do that.

Gamemaster:Yeah, what are you doing?

Argyle:I'm just going to move.

Argyle:I'm sorry for making this so complicated, man.

Argyle:We are going to move my guy here,

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:and now I'm 60 feet from this thing.

Gamemaster:Yes.

Argyle:And then I'm going to cast

Argyle:Percussive Impact!

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Okay, roll an attack roll.

Gamemaster:I'm so sorry

Argyle:And that's okay. I got a mythic.

Gamemaster:well then I'm less sorry

Argyle:I got a mythic for this.

Gamemaster:well that's just a regular miss

Argyle:No!

Argyle:Okay. Does it do anything on a regular myth?

Gamemaster:uh

Gamemaster:no

Argyle:No.

Gamemaster:yeah

Argyle:Okay. So that's my turn!

Argyle:What an effing wash again.

Gamemaster:sorry

Argyle:Alright.

Gamemaster:Johnny it's your turn

Gamemaster:You do see something that has a brain.

Argyle:make it vulnerable to bludgeoning

Anzu:oh that's so good

Johnny:that has a brain. That's what we went for. Invented vulnerability.

Benny:Invented.

Johnny:a success

Benny:Yes.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Roll a deception check against its will, DC.

Anzu:my story is true

Argyle:laughing

Gamemaster:That's a success.

Johnny:he's

Johnny:he hasn't invented vulnerability

Gamemaster:absolutely um what kind of vulnerability are you giving them Okay Absolutely

Johnny:I heard slashing then

Benny:I like slashing

Johnny:I will

Johnny:summon

Johnny:my little guys

Johnny:at fourth rank

Johnny:so it increases by two

Gamemaster:Oh. Okay. Absolutely.

Johnny:so it's

Johnny:What was it?

Johnny:6 originally.

Argyle:And they're 30 feet in the air.

Gamemaster:It is currently slashing five week.

Johnny:So it's 8d4.

Argyle:Five.

Johnny:And there's 34 in the air.

Argyle:Five.

Johnny:So it's 8d4 plus...

Johnny:What is the weakness I just gave this guy?

Johnny:I think it's half my level.

Johnny:No.

Johnny:5.

Johnny:So that's 8d4 plus 40, I think.

Johnny:Base damage.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Yeah, wait. Oh, you're doing it at fourth rank. There are more underlings. Yes, 8d4 plus 40.

Johnny:Slashing.

Johnny:84.

Johnny:Plus, can I do just a flat?

Johnny:can I do just a flat amount of damage

Argyle:Cat.

Gamemaster:Cat.

Anzu:That's Miss Kitty.

Gamemaster:Cat.

Gamemaster:It's a good cat.

Argyle:It's a good looking cat.

Gamemaster:It's a good cat.

Johnny:all right well I can't I can't add just flat damage so

Johnny:we'll have to add the flat damage here

Gamemaster:Yeah, just do it and then I'll add the...

Johnny:I just I let you add it on the back end So that 58 points of slashing damage

Argyle:4D1.

Argyle:You could do 4D1s.

Gamemaster:You could do 40 D1.

Argyle:you Hey hey hey

Benny:you Yes

Gamemaster:Okay Okay

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:That is enough to bloody it.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Can I have somebody do me a favor and roll a d4?

Johnny:I will since...

Benny:Oh.

Johnny:Oh.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Benny:No, no, no.

Gamemaster:Nope.

Benny:I can't believe it actually said minus dead.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:Noah said it first.

Anzu:No.

Johnny:Since I have bloodied the spider.

Johnny:A two!

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:The glass surrounding

Gamemaster:node beta

Gamemaster:reforms.

Johnny:Oh, come on.

Anzu:Josh.

Benny:It just took the dead condition away.

Gamemaster:It did.

Gamemaster:It took the dead condition away.

Benny:It's such a funny little pop-up.

Gamemaster:as conduit B

Argyle:At least your underlings are there.

Anzu:It's so rude.

Johnny:That move only works once, guys.

Gamemaster:reinvents itself back into existence

Gamemaster:okay

Johnny:That's all, I can only do that on the spider once.

Johnny:Yeah, and I think it's immune to it.

Gamemaster:oh because it's for one round

Gamemaster:gotcha

Gamemaster:are you done?

Johnny:Oh yeah, Josh, can I actually have you place the underlings?

Gamemaster:Hm?

Johnny:I think that may be relevant.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Argyle:but they're with a place for Benny to run up next to it.

Gamemaster:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Gamemaster:What's, um, what can we have?

Johnny:They're all small.

Gamemaster:They're all small?

Johnny:Yeah.

Johnny:There should be eight small guys just kind of clustering around it.

Gamemaster:OK.

Gamemaster:Let's see.

Gamemaster:OK, moved.

Johnny:They look like us, but in exterminator uniforms.

Gamemaster:I don't.

Johnny:I think since they're allies, he should be able to move through them.

Gamemaster:He can move through them, he can't stop on the

Johnny:I'm okay with Benny squashing a lot of PSG on the way through.

Argyle:Okay.

Benny:I kill all of them.

Gamemaster:the same...

Johnny:Okay, well I would like to leave a space for Benny then.

Benny:Right foot.

Johnny:I get eight of these guys, just in case the spider's trying to move.

Gamemaster:Okay, you get eight, you said?

Gamemaster:Is he small? He is small.

Gamemaster:Arrange these how you like.

Johnny:How can I move these guys?

Johnny:Nito burrito.

Gamemaster:That is actually how they must have been arranged, because you had all eight hit the spider.

Johnny:Yeah.

Johnny:I don't think I can actually move them on this turn.

Gamemaster:You can't move them?

Johnny:I don't think I can...

Gamemaster:Oh, it's not a permissioning thing.

Johnny:I can only move them on subsequent turns.

Gamemaster:You don't have the ability with the rules to move them.

Johnny:Oh, yes.

Johnny:I quite literally can't move them on this turn, magically speaking.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Johnny:But the spider is now boxed in.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely. Then that's the end of your turn?

Argyle:I really hope it can't go back up into that tube.

Gamemaster:The spider is absolutely boxed in.

Johnny:These things each have one hit point, but the spider doesn't know that.

Johnny:That's my turn.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:It's Node Alpha's turn. Node Alpha is active this round.

Gamemaster:Yeah, we'll put that there.

Johnny:If we can keep the spiders, it would be cool to hit the spider.

Gamemaster:Uh...

Argyle:is that box hitting the tube or no

Anzu:There's no way it could go in. The glass is sealed.

Gamemaster:Uh...

Argyle:okay i figured it was just double check for my own hopes

Gamemaster:Uh, no, it's one square off.

Gamemaster:Yeah, no, I... I did not put it on the conduit.

Argyle:yeah

Gamemaster:It is the insecure Hifling's turn.

Gamemaster:This guy doesn't need to move, he just gets to make three attacks on Argyle.

Gamemaster:That so fun And then I think he misses a bunch Yeah he just misses a bunch

Argyle:Oh Great

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:Let's see him do his turn.

Gamemaster:Okay, d4.

Gamemaster:Anzu, Argyle, Johnny, Benny.

Gamemaster:This is conduit node beta.

Gamemaster:We're going for Anzu as another stunning web shoots out of the heart at Anzu.

Anzu:It does hit, unfortunately.

Argyle:no he's too young

Gamemaster:And I got a 25, does that hit?

Gamemaster:Okay, so then you're going to take... that's fair.

Anzu:I'm just trying not to get critted on out here.

Gamemaster:going to take 17 points of bludgeoning damage and you are grabbed. It's the gloomy

Argyle:Yes.

Anzu:It's hot.

Gamemaster:high fling's turn.

Gamemaster:It's two actions to get to Anzu and then it's his third action to attack Anzu

Gamemaster:with a bite. He rolled very well. Because he has been addiction that's not a crit.

Gamemaster:Because you have been addiction and he's baned both at the same time it's not a

Argyle:Yes.

Gamemaster:a crit.

Argyle:So clutch.

Gamemaster:So

Gamemaster:we're just gonna do regular damage.

Gamemaster:You're gonna take ten points

Gamemaster:of piercing.

Argyle:You could try hitting one of them and then walking through.

Anzu:Very well.

Benny:Makes you say that?

Gamemaster:It's Vrax'leth's turn!

Gamemaster:Vrax'leth is actually in a little

Gamemaster:bit of a pickle right now.

Gamemaster:The

Gamemaster:eight minions surrounding him.

Gamemaster:I guess he

Gamemaster:tumbles through?

Gamemaster:Because he can't just walk through normally.

Gamemaster:Yeah, he'll...

Gamemaster:No, because that would be

Gamemaster:two actions instead of tumbling through which is just one

Argyle:yeah yeah about each one about one

Johnny:he might fail i don know it not a sure thing I don think

Benny:You can recall knowledge three times

Gamemaster:Okay.

Argyle:different minion oh what is this one

Gamemaster:What is the reflex save of these minions?

Argyle:what's this

Gamemaster:Automatically fails all saving throws.

Johnny:yeah they don't have a thing

Gamemaster:Okay, so then he tumbles through.

Gamemaster:I don't need to roll for him.

Gamemaster:He just successfully tumbles through.

Gamemaster:Okay, he's going to run.

Johnny:No.

Gamemaster:We'll go there.

Gamemaster:That's 40 feet, that's one move action.

Gamemaster:And then I think he's gonna spend a second action

Gamemaster:to hop in through one of the openings in this thing

Gamemaster:and disappear into the opening.

Gamemaster:Benny, it's your turn.

Benny:unfortunate I really wanted to kill him

Benny:um

Benny:Benny is going to attempt

Benny:to escape

Benny:actually can I just get the escape action

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:it does

Gamemaster:You do have an escape action.

Gamemaster:I don't know if it lets you just do it.

Benny:ba boom

Gamemaster:Nice.

Gamemaster:Does it just automatically pick the best one for you?

Benny:oh no I still gotta

Benny:pick all this shit

Benny:all this shit.

Gamemaster:Oh.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Benny:Uh, yeah.

Gamemaster:Which one is this?

Gamemaster:Oh, your athletics check.

Benny:Athletics.

Benny:27.

Gamemaster:That is a success.

Gamemaster:It's not a critical success, but it's a success.

Benny:Nice.

Gamemaster:We're no longer grabbed.

Benny:Uh, I will step.

Gamemaster:You don't need to step to be close enough to hit it.

Benny:I know, but I don't want to be in the pulsing.

Gamemaster:But you...

Gamemaster:Okay, fine.

Benny:Square.

Gamemaster:Fine Gosh

Anzu:Good try Josh

Benny:Yeah Josh nice try And then I so that one action two actions

Benny:one of them was

Benny:what does haste give me

Gamemaster:Your move, your hasted action.

Benny:we'll just say I strode

Gamemaster:Stride or strike.

Gamemaster:So that could have been your stride.

Benny:and then

Gamemaster:Okay, you strode.

Benny:I'd like to solve the puzzle

Benny:yep

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Benny:i know

Argyle:It's kind of nice of him to just make a new thing right there.

Gamemaster:Roll your double slice.

Anzu:Oh, he's gone, gone.

Johnny:I think they're, I think they're.

Argyle:Do you guys think he went back into that tube thinking we wouldn't expect it?

Argyle:Or do you think he went into a different tube?

Benny:i think the tubes need to die

Anzu:I didn't realize that.

Argyle:Yeah, no, I think that's how he gets into the other tubes from the middle thing.

Johnny:Yeah, I mean, I think the, I think Braxolith and all the tubes are connected, I think if

Argyle:And I think the other spiders are coming from the webs that are located on vents near those things.

Argyle:Maybe they're not.

Benny:This is also going to be slashing.

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:Wait, does this not count?

Benny:Never mind.

Benny:Hold on.

Benny:Give me one second.

Benny:Slashing.

Benny:Let's just say untyped, I guess.

Benny:Sure.

Benny:Oh, no. Sorry. This is going to be bludgeoning.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:36 is a healthy chunk out of the damage of this thing.

Benny:I've...

Benny:Oh, yeah.

Benny:Second attack.

Benny:Domage.

Benny:So it's going to be

Benny:36.

Benny:Oh. Sorry.

Benny:38.

Benny:There's two more spirit.

Gamemaster:Okay, well that doesn't actually matter.

Benny:Oh, okay.

Gamemaster:They are immune to spirit damage.

Anzu:I'm stuck.

Benny:that's okay that's fine no no no no

Gamemaster:I'm sorry.

Gamemaster:I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Gamemaster:It's definitely injured, but it is still intact again.

Benny:okay

Gamemaster:That is the end of your turn, yeah?

Benny:yeah

Gamemaster:That goes to Gamma.

Gamemaster:Gamma doesn't get to go this time.

Gamemaster:So it's Anzu's turn.

Anzu:Also, can you make me stupefied one for two rounds?

Gamemaster:Gladly.

Anzu:I'm in a really bad way

Benny:So we'll try again.

Gamemaster:Like in the game?

Anzu:just all around

Anzu:I mean my hit points could be lower

Anzu:I guess so that's good

Anzu:the first thing that I want to do

Gamemaster:You can arrange that.

Benny:he leaves the stride

Anzu:is try and get out of here

Anzu:um

Anzu:I'm gonna go

Gamemaster:Decided it's not worth it. He's going home.

Anzu:home

Anzu:somebody called my grandma

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:um

Anzu:I have a question about

Gamemaster:I think it will, but let me double check.

Anzu:escaping the grapple

Anzu:is it

Benny:Yes.

Anzu:going to apply map

Anzu:no matter what kind of role I do

Anzu:cause they're all like

Anzu:the technically attack actions

Benny:Yeah, it's kind of...

Gamemaster:Yes. Yes, escape has the attack trait.

Anzu:okay then

Benny:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Alright

Anzu:probably

Anzu:oh now everything is even

Anzu:because of I guess being grabbed

Anzu:so we'll make it

Anzu:acrobatics this time why not

Anzu:stuck

Gamemaster:Bad

Benny:Thank you You stupefied

Anzu:okay

Gamemaster:Stuck

Anzu:um that brutal uh Next we going to attempt to cast a spell

Gamemaster:you Okay

Argyle:you Oh

Anzu:It's going to be excessively difficult.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:Because I need to make two flat checks to be able to cast it.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:One for being immobilized, and one for being stupefied.

Gamemaster:Okay, make your flat checks.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Argyle:Amen.

Gamemaster:Grabbed is DC5 and then stupefied is DC6.

Anzu:The immobilized, or the grabbed one is DC 5. Let's roll that first.

Benny:We believe.

Gamemaster:It doesn't matter.

Anzu:Uh, great. I was going to cast a cantrip so it doesn't eat any resources.

Anzu:But I can't try again.

Anzu:Oh.

Argyle:You could try to get out again.

Gamemaster:That is a manipulate.

Anzu:I might just try to drink a health potion instead.

Benny:No.

Argyle:That's manipulate, though.

Argyle:So that'll cost an action.

Anzu:Yeah, but my attempt to get out...

Gamemaster:You do have to make a DC5 flat check.

Anzu:My attempt to get out is going to be plus seven modifier.

Argyle:You can roll a one and get yourself a mythic.

Gamemaster:Fish for a critical failure.

Anzu:That's such a terrible...

Gamemaster:Uh, yes it does.

Anzu:Alright.

Argyle:It was the great move.

Anzu:Um...

Anzu:Sure.

Anzu:Let's try to get out.

Anzu:Oh, I'm targeting accidentally.

Anzu:Uh, sorry.

Anzu:Does a 25 get me out?

Anzu:Great.

Gamemaster:You are no longer restrained.

Anzu:That's the end of my turn.

Anzu:I can't move anyway.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:God, terrible.

Gamemaster:It This cautious Hiveling will run up to Johnny and uh miss biting him twice

Argyle:So I guess in actuality, it had a 15% chance of succeeding.

Argyle:You either roll 15 20 you either roll an 18 19 20 or 1 All were good

Johnny:Thank you Yeah

Benny:you Not very cautious

Gamemaster:and then this

Johnny:Yeah.

Benny:Or maybe he's too cautious.

Benny:That's why he's not hitting.

Argyle:Hmm.

Johnny:He's not cautious. He just ran into the

Gamemaster:cowardly

Johnny:cube of doom.

Gamemaster:hiveling will

Gamemaster:similarly effectively throw

Gamemaster:its life away to try and do a little bit of damage

Gamemaster:to Johnny

Argyle:I don't...

Johnny:Are they, wait, is my Dirge of Doom not active?

Gamemaster:your church of doom is not

Gamemaster:active

Gamemaster:uh

Johnny:It most certainly should be.

Johnny:Hang on.

Gamemaster:oh yeah we're on round five

Gamemaster:I think you still have one round left

Gamemaster:either way it's Argyle's turn

Johnny:I'll just give myself one round.

Argyle:I have really so many good things to do right now.

Anzu:I'll take it.

Benny:Make the bugs.

Argyle:So I guess I'll just be a little crazy

Gamemaster:Divine Wrath Anzu?

Argyle:and just try to smack the bugs off us.

Argyle:I think Anzu can use some, yeah.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely.

Argyle:OK.

Argyle:And then the other guy's still up.

Benny:Oh.

Gamemaster:One very good roll,

Gamemaster:one very bad roll.

Gamemaster:Okay, the critical failure, this guy takes double that and I believe just vaporizes.

Gamemaster:Yep.

Gamemaster:And then the other one takes half damage and is still standing but is quite bloodied you On which On which Gamma Okay I so sorry

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:And then what I will do is that was one action so I use another action to do

Argyle:This buddy spell!

Argyle:And I'll roll damage.

Argyle:Oh, I'll roll to attack.

Argyle:And this will be bludgeoning.

Argyle:That can't do it.

Argyle:Doesn't fucking matter.

Argyle:It's got an AC of 10 billion.

Argyle:So I will instead...

Argyle:Raise my shield.

Gamemaster:Okay, next up will be Johnny.

Johnny:Okay, first I will boot scoot my way on out of this cube of doom.

Argyle:There we go.

Gamemaster:Reasonable.

Johnny:Then...

Johnny:Gosh.

Johnny:I don't know what to do.

Argyle:Yes.

Johnny:How far away is that guy from me?

Johnny:45 feet.

Johnny:Sure.

Johnny:I will needle darts that guy over there.

Johnny:I have needle darts-ed him.

Argyle:Hey, Josh.

Gamemaster:That's a critical hit.

Benny:Leon J

Benny:al.

Benny:latin

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Benny:po can

Gamemaster:He's got seven hit points, so...

Johnny:I obliterated him.

Gamemaster:Once again, eviscerating another Hiveling.

Johnny:And for my third action...

Johnny:Do I need to see this guy for all these to work?

Gamemaster:That's me.

Argyle:What level was that, Hiveling?

Argyle:Because I'm casting Death's Call.

Gamemaster:Why?

Benny:When

Gamemaster:No.

Argyle:Okay, so I get 3 plus – okay, 4.

Gamemaster:It's a level three.

Johnny:My third action, I will

Benny:wing

Argyle:So great.

Gamemaster:Sure.

Johnny:just kind of hang out there and do this.

Benny:the

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:It's node A's turn. It evaporates everything in this box.

Gamemaster:They cease to exist.

Gamemaster:And then it will redirect.

Gamemaster:Does it go for Johnny and Benny? Or does it...

Gamemaster:No, Argyle and Anzu are still in an awkward position, so I think it has to go for Johnny and Benny.

Argyle:No! Hit the fucking tube! Hit the tube!

Gamemaster:It is

Anzu:I am going nowhere this fight.

Johnny:It's too old.

Argyle:No!

Anzu:If we're at an awkward spot, I'm staying in it.

Argyle:Guys, that means we can hit the middle thing.

Argyle:We wouldn't know this. We wouldn't know any of that. I take it back, guys.

Gamemaster:Conduit Beta's turn

Gamemaster:I mean you can see where it's targeting

Gamemaster:I don't think that's crazy

Gamemaster:Conduit Beta is going to target

Gamemaster:Let's see

Gamemaster:yeah we'll just do a d4 again

Argyle:not what you want to see

Anzu:Hmm.

Benny:Oh.

Gamemaster:Anzu, Argyle, Johnny, Benny

Gamemaster:Argyle

Gamemaster:38

Anzu:Hmm you Hmm

Argyle:very unfortunate

Gamemaster:Okay so double the number here Uh 24 points of bludgeoning damage and you be very surprised to learn this you grabbed

Argyle:you No

Benny:you We are going to solve the puzzle

Anzu:Hmm.

Gamemaster:And then it is Benny's turn.

Anzu:Yep.

Benny:not because it is easy,

Benny:but because it is hard

Argyle:Our gal's going to be like, go for the thing in the middle!

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Step.

Benny:Benny will stride

Gamemaster:Oh, it is stride.

Benny:or whatever the

Benny:haste compliant action is

Gamemaster:Stride is the haste-compliant action here.

Argyle:Please go for the thing in the middle!

Benny:I don't know

Benny:does Benny think he can target that

Benny:uh

Gamemaster:Argyle's yelling that you can target him.

Argyle:You don't have to go there, if you don't think.

Benny:I'll pull up after I kill this thing.

Argyle:All right.

Benny:The falcata, the polytool.

Gamemaster:They both hit.

Benny:Bloodied.

Benny:This all looks correct for the falcata.

Gamemaster:dog

Benny:I need to add to the legending.

Argyle:Yeah, dog was trying to jump me.

Johnny:Hi, Luke.

Gamemaster:absolutely

Benny:Add more with the poly tool.

Benny:Cool.

Gamemaster:that is enough to shatter

Gamemaster:this tube

Gamemaster:once again

Benny:Nice.

Gamemaster:hit with a flood

Gamemaster:of orange liquid. Somebody roll a D3 for me, please.

Benny:one day three one day one d3 one

Argyle:you That that

Gamemaster:The whole environment shakes as the heart receives some damage, but nothing pops out of the tube, unfortunately.

Benny:and then

Benny:I don't know Benny will go look

Benny:Benny has

Gamemaster:One action left.

Benny:35 feet of movement

Benny:I believe he could get him here

Gamemaster:So he could stop right in the middle of the danger zone?

Benny:he could if he wanted to he doesn't want to though

Benny:I don't know he's been he's close

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:does he have to climb up on there to see if he can damage

Benny:this thing in the middle

Benny:fair enough

Gamemaster:I mean, Benny doesn't have any actions left,

Gamemaster:but Benny is not currently close enough to target the thing in the middle.

Anzu:Very well.

Benny:that's it yep

Gamemaster:It is Gamma's turn, which means it's Anzu's turn,

Gamemaster:because once again, didn't leave any room for Gamma to go.

Gamemaster:Anzu, it's your turn.

Anzu:I'm stupefied, but it's not going to stop me.

Anzu:We're going to cast telekinetic projectile.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Anzu:once again.

Anzu:So let me make a DC6 flat check.

Gamemaster:Go for it.

Gamemaster:That's enough?

Anzu:I succeed.

Anzu:Oh, okay, it's going to auto-roll.

Anzu:Josh, please accept my previous roll

Anzu:and ignore this one.

Anzu:I didn't know it was going to auto-roll.

Gamemaster:Yeah, yeah, no.

Gamemaster:You've already...

Gamemaster:Yeah, you've already rolled against the stupefied.

Anzu:Oh my god.

Gamemaster:You're fine.

Anzu:I'm unsuccessful.

Gamemaster:I so sorry uh you missed Anything else you like to do on your turn

Anzu:like probably should Um but what

Anzu:Can I, this is kind of funky, but we've been starting to ponder this orb in the center here.

Anzu:Um, can I make a recall knowledge on that thing?

Gamemaster:Uh-huh.

Gamemaster:You absolutely can.

Anzu:What kind?

Gamemaster:It'll be either Arcana or Occultism.

Anzu:Beautiful.

Gamemaster:Your choice.

Gamemaster:20 is not enough, I'm afraid.

Anzu:With my final action, I pass away.

Gamemaster:Okay, absolutely Anzu is dead.

Anzu:Uh, no, I guess I'll take this healing potion now that I am not grappled.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Um, okay, absolutely.

Anzu:That's it.

Anzu:Terrible, just terrible.

Gamemaster:All right, that moves us forward to Argyle.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Are you guys going to keep targeting the thing in the center?

Gamemaster:Actually, I'll just, it's fine.

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:I'll give you something.

Argyle:So Argo has been grappled.

Argyle:This is now his fourth time.

Argyle:So he will try to make another way to get out.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Argyle:he's out

Argyle:All right.

Gamemaster:He is out.

Argyle:I was going to.

Argyle:No one's looking that bad, right?

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:OK.

Argyle:Spell wise.

Argyle:Do I have any good spells?

Argyle:All of my spells do not good things.

Argyle:Just.

Argyle:OK.

Argyle:I'm just going to put a spell. I'm not casting this yet.

Gamemaster:um yeah it doesn't count as a creature unfortunately

Argyle:I don't think

Argyle:fairy fire would work on this because it's a structure,

Argyle:right?

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:but what is this

Argyle:No worries.

Argyle:I will try

Argyle:to smack this with my spiritual weapon then.

Argyle:You know the drill.

Gamemaster:oh the thing in the middle okay

Argyle:The thing in the middle.

Gamemaster:okay

Argyle:Nope. You know what? I'll go for the other thing.

Argyle:Fuck it. My arch nemesis.

Gamemaster:I wasn't trying to influence

Argyle:I know you were.

Anzu:We cannot get anything done back here, the two of us.

Gamemaster:which thing you're picking

Gamemaster:I really wasn't

Gamemaster:you critically miss

Gamemaster:you critically miss the second time

Argyle:I'm going for it again.

Argyle:That's alright.

Argyle:Well, if they keep webbing Argyle for no reason,

Gamemaster:no

Gamemaster:is that the end of your turn?

Argyle:I'll take it. Let Benny keep swinging.

Gamemaster:Is that the end of your turn?

Argyle:sure hit me again

Johnny:this is the tale of two parties right now

Benny:Every time a bug...

Argyle:oh no a fifth time

Argyle:oh it'd be a real shame if someone were to web this guy

Argyle:he's the he's the tallest man here i guess he needs to be webbed

Gamemaster:Sometimes you fight a spider and you get webbed.

Benny:Every time a...

Benny:Every time a bug explodes in bug paste it behind its Johnny and in front of it Benny covered in fucking muck

Gamemaster:Thank you it Johnny turn

Argyle:Thank you Yeah

Johnny:Listen I got like one job on this team and half these things can think so that that

Johnny:that's half my job gone

Johnny:okay first i will

Argyle:All right.

Argyle:That's my turn.

Johnny:i think that this gets me just out of there

Johnny:then I will

Johnny:blow my second focus point

Gamemaster:Okay.

Benny:Never sacrifice their will.

Johnny:on a second lingering composition

Johnny:I think that's just a regular success

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:good enough

Gamemaster:That is a regular success.

Johnny:Johnny is just...

Gamemaster:Anything else?

Johnny:This whole fight, Johnny's just been running after Benny,

Johnny:singing Sweet Victory.

Benny:I like the sheet music that Penny handed him.

Johnny:That's sweet!

Johnny:He's covered in bug guts.

Benny:Like, what is that?

Johnny:For my third action, I will...

Johnny:Will this work?

Johnny:Concentrate, manipulate, misfortune, occult.

Johnny:Yeah, I think this works.

Johnny:why not on this guy in the middle

Johnny:I will flourish cast

Johnny:albatross curse

Gamemaster:Okay.

Johnny:on this thing

Johnny:is there any reason this wouldn't work

Johnny:this isn't a creature

Gamemaster:Uh, yeah, it targets a creature.

Johnny:I'm taking my spell back

Gamemaster:No!

Gamemaster:It's an orb!

Gamemaster:That's fine.

Johnny:maybe it really good poetry I don know All flourish cast needle darts whatever

Gamemaster:It doesn't, it doesn't have, like, a mind

Gamemaster:to like have the guilt of slaughtering a bird be affected by this It a ball

Benny:That is a curse for us mortals

Gamemaster:Okay, I'm sorry, I like the spell, I just don't know how you grant a random orb guilt.

Johnny:All my things target...

Johnny:I start singing...

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Johnny:I start yelling out the rhyme of the ancient mariner,

Johnny:realize it doesn't work,

Johnny:and instead throw a bunch of shards of silver in this thing.

Johnny:I don't even know if this is going to hit

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Johnny:15 points of damage

Gamemaster:It is.

Gamemaster:15 points of piercing damage.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:That tears through the exterior of this thing.

Gamemaster:you already see leaks starting to form on the edge.

Gamemaster:It seems that the center one,

Gamemaster:now that you guys know to look for it,

Johnny:15 points of damage

Gamemaster:is not as well protected as the other ones.

Johnny:we are we're really divided right now we're doing two different

Argyle:Good call out from me.

Anzu:Jeez.

Gamemaster:Wow.

Argyle:It's okay, guys.

Anzu:What the hell?

Argyle:I've had a lot of time to stare at this thing.

Argyle:I haven't moved very much at all.

Argyle:No, to all honesty, though,

Gamemaster:Yeah, next up is Contour Alpha.

Argyle:I'm very fine getting spiderwebbed repeatedly

Johnny:we're

Johnny:you guys are in the same spot

Argyle:if it lets you guys bash things.

Argyle:Thanks.

Argyle:when it's not archived

Benny:Where are these fucking bugs?

Johnny:and me and Benny are just going

Johnny:alright that's the end of my turn

Argyle:it's on Zoom

Argyle:the bus is always

Argyle:trapped

Gamemaster:it shoots a beam of light nothing happens

Gamemaster:so it moves the retargeting back on Benny

Gamemaster:and Johnny

Gamemaster:Benny it's your turn

Johnny:No.

Benny:Nice.

Gamemaster:uh yes he does

Benny:Does Benny have to climb up on this?

Gamemaster:it doesn cost any additional movement but you do have to like spend some movement to get up closer to the orb There you go Yes sir

Argyle:you Oh this thing in a bad spot

Benny:Ice ride Yep Yep

Gamemaster:That's two hits.

Benny:Let's see.

Argyle:You know, it also makes sense,

Argyle:because Argyle's the tallest person,

Argyle:and Anzu's a bird.

Gamemaster:16 and 19.

Johnny:Meanwhile the dude in denim and the child

Benny:35.

Argyle:We're natural enemies to spiders.

Argyle:It's like, oh, big scary thing, and that's

Argyle:a bird!

Johnny:are not threats

Argyle:What's actually doing

Argyle:stuff?

Gamemaster:I think that is just barely enough.

Gamemaster:Oh, I lied.

Gamemaster:No, I didn't lie.

Gamemaster:That is just barely enough.

Gamemaster:Why did it not get auto-marked as dead at a zero hit points?

Gamemaster:Either way, that is just barely enough.

Gamemaster:Benny clambers on top of this cart in the middle,

Gamemaster:walks up to this weird orb thing that's hooked up to the rest of the plumbing,

Gamemaster:slams into it with his two weapons.

Gamemaster:It bursts, and out of the gush of orange liquid, a dead, small spider gets launched onto the floor, as that is enough to do the killing blow as it lands.

Argyle:Yes.

Johnny:Yes.

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Argyle:Yes.

Argyle:imagine if we get rid of our our main heart and we move it to here

Gamemaster:it turned into whack-a-mole

Johnny:This was a really cool fight.

Johnny:It was also a very fun version of whack-a-mole.

Gamemaster:a bit there yeah

Gamemaster:but you did kill

Gamemaster:Frank Sliff

Argyle:i don't think it would work but it'd be so fun

Argyle:everyone thinks we're not existing on the surface anymore

Anzu:Well, I'm wondering if we can connect this heart to ours.

Johnny:Yeah, let's go investigate this heart.

Argyle:but secretly riding down here paying tithes

Argyle:wait why would you want to connect it rather than eat it

Argyle:I think it's very much corrupted

Anzu:Well, if it's uncorrupted and doing something useful down here.

Anzu:So it's still an if, but...

Gamemaster:That is not what you asked.

Anzu:That's true.

Johnny:Let's see.

Benny:Mm-hmm.

Argyle:and when we rolled

Argyle:an earlier check remember we were like

Argyle:hey we could probably destroy this thing

Argyle:oh wait no no no I asked my god

Anzu:Hmm.

Johnny:Are we still on initiative?

Johnny:Is this facing?

Argyle:and they were like it's a good thing if this heart

Argyle:dies

Argyle:yeah

Gamemaster:You asked is, would anything bad happen?

Gamemaster:And it basically told you no.

Argyle:oh then that's

Gamemaster:To clarify.

Gamemaster:that said

Johnny:jog up to the heart

Gamemaster:we are not in initiative

Gamemaster:right now you guys are free to do as you like

Gamemaster:within the space

Gamemaster:there's a dead spider

Gamemaster:on the ground well there's a bunch of dead spiders on the ground

Gamemaster:most of them were pasted by

Gamemaster:Johnny or Benny

Gamemaster:but

Gamemaster:there are a bunch of dead spiders as well as the

Gamemaster:heart and the tubes and all that kind of stuff

Gamemaster:no immediate

Gamemaster:threats rush out at you

Gamemaster:Roll a diplomacy check.

Johnny:excuse me

Anzu:Holy.

Johnny:Can you hear us?

Benny:Impressed by our exploits and escapades

Gamemaster:A natural 20.

Argyle:much magics in the heart.

Gamemaster:Absolutely With a natural 20 with a 34 grit Um you call out to this this weird humanoid

Gamemaster:like machine person

Gamemaster:as

Gamemaster:it's interesting

Gamemaster:when the spider died

Gamemaster:when Vrax'leth died

Gamemaster:the light in it faded

Gamemaster:but it didn't completely go out

Gamemaster:and with you calling out to it

Gamemaster:there is this spark

Gamemaster:behind it that flashes as if it does seem to respond almost to you reaching out to it.

Gamemaster:And after a very, very long feeling pause, you don't actually know how quite how long it is.

Gamemaster:It's just this, the sense of you ask something and you're just waiting to see if there's a response.

Gamemaster:but there is one

Gamemaster:there is a very low

Gamemaster:gravelly

Gamemaster:like the sound of metal

Gamemaster:grinding on metal

Gamemaster:voice

Gamemaster:emanating from the interior of this

Gamemaster:creature

Gamemaster:and it says

Gamemaster:little one I have

Gamemaster:not spoken

Argyle:Ask its purpose.

Johnny:I'm Johnny Skyfall.

Gamemaster:to one in a very long

Gamemaster:time

Gamemaster:What would you ask of me?

Johnny:Oh, I'm Johnny Skyfall.

Gamemaster:Hm?

Johnny:This is Bennix.

Johnny:That's Argyle, the Zanzu.

Johnny:Are you okay?

Johnny:There was a spider in you.

Gamemaster:There was a spider in me.

Gamemaster:There is a spider no longer.

Gamemaster:I am better now than I have been in a very long time.

Argyle:you Overall one

Johnny:What your name friend What your name friend

Gamemaster:My name is Machine God thank you for waking me

Johnny:Dean God?

Johnny:Josh, does that name mean anything to any of us?

Gamemaster:uh

Gamemaster:I mean you can roll a religion check

Gamemaster:with a 37

Johnny:That's crazy.

Johnny:That's a crazy name.

Argyle:Yes.

Johnny:I will aid Argyle.

Benny:.

Johnny:I'll just turn around and go, you know that name, right?

Argyle:

Argyle:Yes.

Gamemaster:a 34 is not a crit

Johnny:I'm going to aid him.

Johnny:Does the 34 happen to be a crit or is it a regular?

Gamemaster:unfortunately here

Gamemaster:but

Johnny:Okay, so you go to 38 instead.

Gamemaster:he doesn't get a 38

Johnny:I turn around, you know that name, right?

Gamemaster:instead

Gamemaster:that isn't high enough

Argyle:Oh.

Johnny:Oh, no, he does get a bonus because with uplifting overture, if it's a regular failure, not a

Gamemaster:for a success, he gets no bonus

Gamemaster:but a 37

Gamemaster:Oh, okay, never mind.

Johnny:crit, it becomes a success.

Gamemaster:You still get the benefit, so you're up to 38.

Gamemaster:That is a success.

Gamemaster:It is barely a success, but that is a success.

Gamemaster:And the answer is no.

Argyle:Hmm.

Gamemaster:You do not know the name of this random heart

Gamemaster:tucked away in the interior of a strider.

Gamemaster:What I will say is with that ridiculously high role that is just barely a success looking into old, like, ancient religion at this point,

Gamemaster:is getting a little bit into history.

Gamemaster:When Aurelia created the first heart the heart that would eventually become one of the biggest administrators of the Iridescent Church rule of three

Argyle:you Okay

Anzu:you I hope you appreciate the text

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:It was believed by many at the time that hearts were the gods themselves manifesting on Færrin.

Argyle:Okay

Gamemaster:And so they were treated effectively like deities or extensions thereof.

Gamemaster:pretty quickly after that uh the church and a number of other orgs all uh made the uh a kind

Argyle:mhm

Gamemaster:of declaration that hearts aren't actual direct connections to the gods or or at the very least

Gamemaster:modern heart manufacturing doesn't do that they're they're divine slivers and that they use godly

Gamemaster:powers to come into existence but it isn't like the host is is among us and all of that kind of

Argyle:I see.

Gamemaster:stuff. But there was a brief period of time where hearts were considered to be of deific status,

Gamemaster:and as such were treated like that. In addition, this is more hearsay, but it's something that you

Gamemaster:learned because you rolled very well, something about the heart manufacturing process changed

Gamemaster:around the time of Aurelia II. A lot of things were codified after Aurelia I and her party kind

Argyle:Okay.

Gamemaster:have passed on the torch. Older hearts are said to be more powerful. They have abilities that are

Gamemaster:unlike what modern hearts do. Argyle in particular has actually interacted with one such

Gamemaster:old heart previously, a heart that was known to be able to make large jumps across the infinite

Gamemaster:horizon was able to move things that modern hearts can't do.

Argyle:block

Gamemaster:This is an old heart.

Gamemaster:This does not strike you as the same thing you guys made to make your little house at

Gamemaster:the top of the Strider.

Gamemaster:This is something older and more powerful.

Argyle:Can all old hearts move, or is that just a voice-up anything?

Gamemaster:Yes.

Gamemaster:No, each of these older hearts has their own set of things they can do.

Argyle:Gotcha, yeah.

Gamemaster:That's, Voice of Many happens to be able to move, but that's not a quality of all hearts.

Argyle:Hmm.

Argyle:Ask him what he does on the Strider,

Argyle:and if he can help us out.

Argyle:I'll kneel too

Gamemaster:I watch.

Johnny:I'll kneel down. Sure, why not?

Johnny:We're happy to be of service.

Johnny:We didn't know you were down here.

Johnny:It's been a while. What was your function before the spiders?

Johnny:What do you do in the politest way possible?

Gamemaster:I watch and I work

Anzu:Are you aware of the repurposing that it's taken on in recent months?

Johnny:Do you know everything that goes on in the strider?

Gamemaster:I live in the strider

Gamemaster:I see what it does

Gamemaster:I am

Gamemaster:in the strider

Gamemaster:yes

Gamemaster:I have seen

Gamemaster:the

Gamemaster:little devils

Johnny:Where did they get you from?

Gamemaster:walking around my interior, yes.

Gamemaster:I was not, and have not for quite some time

Gamemaster:been in the position to intervene.

Gamemaster:And I'm afraid I am still

Gamemaster:not quite healthy.

Gamemaster:But I did see them scurrying about, yes.

Johnny:Where did they find the Strider?

Johnny:How did they acquire this whole thing

Gamemaster:I was adrift far along the horizon a trap that was never really sprung

Johnny:How did you get there?

Johnny:Wait, a trap?

Johnny:Or...

Gamemaster:My old inhabitants were taken, changed.

Gamemaster:You fought what was left of some of them, but they still crawl about in my innards.

Argyle:Did you work with Aurelia the first in the original party?

Anzu:Was this Strider...

Johnny:What took and changed them?

Gamemaster:More pockets of those.

Gamemaster:Bugs, beasts, insects, not quite people but wearing people faces.

Gamemaster:They did.

Gamemaster:I was once their eyes and ears.

Gamemaster:But I am no longer.

Gamemaster:Once upon a time, not for a long time, but yes.

Anzu:Did this strider belong to them?

Johnny:What changed all the inhabitants?

Johnny:What took them? What was the trap for?

Gamemaster:a false god, one of many,

Gamemaster:worming its way into the people

Gamemaster:for years, centuries,

Gamemaster:until eventually they...

Johnny:Was its name Herald?

Gamemaster:It was.

Argyle:Can we check the totem to see how much magic's in it?

Anzu:Oh, yeah.

Benny:Oh, baby.

Argyle:Bonzu.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Gamemaster:Roll an Arcana or a Cultist and check.

Gamemaster:Normally it just gives you a number. This is a unique case.

Gamemaster:37 Okay so this is weird because the totem and the hearts that you work with are like different than than this kind of heart they work differently so you not going to be

Gamemaster:able to you wouldn't be able to like fully get all of the energy out of it at

Gamemaster:a reduced efficiency it looks like you could probably take about 200 energy out

Gamemaster:of this thing if you if you were to kill it and convert it into energy

Argyle:I don't think so either.

Anzu:Fascinating.

Johnny:I feel like

Benny:It's a lot of energy.

Johnny:that's a lot of energy, but also

Johnny:having eyes and ears all over the ship

Anzu:At least...

Johnny:might be useful.

Benny:I don't think we should kill an old

Benny:heart.

Anzu:No.

Anzu:I think it's...

Anzu:I think it's great to have...

Argyle:I'm just curious.

Johnny:Yeah.

Argyle:Would you be willing to link with our heart?

Argyle:We're on a mission with these devils,

Benny:I mean,

Argyle:and to be honest with you,

Argyle:plan on us working with them

Gamemaster:I would.

Johnny:Oh, great machine god!

Argyle:the entire way, but...

Argyle:Yeah, I...

Johnny:We wish to take the quest of Aurelia

Johnny:and defeat the evil outer gods, such as Herald.

Johnny:And we would love your help.

Gamemaster:I will aid you if you aid me.

Gamemaster:There still exist followers of that false god throughout my strider.

Gamemaster:If you would kill them as you have killed those that plagued me, I am happy to lend

Argyle:Are these the are part of these the devils or these separate

Anzu:That sounds good.

Johnny:Yeah, you just direct.

Gamemaster:my support wherever I can.

Gamemaster:No, the devils are...

Anzu:The spiders.

Johnny:yeah you just point us where to go and we got your big guy

Argyle:okay

Gamemaster:Insectoids.

Gamemaster:This was a group of spiders.

Gamemaster:Followers of the Herald are not all spiders.

Gamemaster:Thank you They are spread throughout the interior of the Strider and do not oft communicate

Argyle:do we need to do this right now are they going to be able to retake your room if we leave and come back in a day

Gamemaster:The most active of the three, well now two that you've killed one, is on the other side

Gamemaster:of the Strider, further in.

Gamemaster:recently had a number of new members and as such is seeing the most activity.

Argyle:What are those conditions and what's the other group?

Gamemaster:The other one lays dormant but would activate given the right conditions.

Gamemaster:The conditions would be, I imagine, wherever the Strider is headed now they

Gamemaster:They wouldn't have wormed their way into the Strider if they didn't have a destination

Gamemaster:in mind.

Gamemaster:And what was your other question?

Argyle:What was the other group that's growing?

Anzu:You said it's on the other side of the strider.

Johnny:That's where Anzu's sister is.

Argyle:Why is it growing?

Gamemaster:They are some from outside the Strider joined up, and they have begun changing, converting

Gamemaster:some of the folk down here to bolster their numbers.

Gamemaster:I can give you their exact location and how to get there from wherever you like.

Anzu:Do you know anything more particular than that?

Argyle:May you also connect with our heart, our blessed heart.

Anzu:Yeah.

Johnny:If you have some other hearts we've run into who have given us totems to communicate with

Johnny:them, could you give us a totem to communicate with you?

Gamemaster:I need no such implement.

Gamemaster:If we strike a deal, we may communicate with each other as you please.

Argyle:It's a new order.

Gamemaster:I will.

Argyle:It's much weaker.

Gamemaster:Are you okay with others in your skein knowing of my existence?

Argyle:Take it back. I don't want you to do that.

Anzu:This guy knows. This is a good heart.

Johnny:Machine God is a cool guy.

Benny:Misha, MachineGod has joined the chat.

Argyle:Thank you, O Machine.

Anzu:Like...

Argyle:This is a Machine God.

Johnny:He gets it.

Argyle:All of a sudden,

Argyle:all of the other ones see Machine God

Argyle:connected.

Johnny:It's all caps, though.

Johnny:It's all caps and in a different font.

Johnny:All right.

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:Team Huddle.

Johnny:Team Huddle real fast.

Johnny:Team Huddle.

Argyle:No offense.

Argyle:that can hear us no matter what we do.

Gamemaster:and a chord is struck then

Anzu:Oh, completely.

Johnny:I know, but it's the illusion.

Benny:Yeah.

Johnny:We're all good on that?

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:Oh, yeah, yeah.

Benny:Of course.

Johnny:All right.

Johnny:Oh, great machine god!

Argyle:I think it's my divine mission.

Johnny:We would love to help you and strike a deal.

Gamemaster:and there is a very very faint tug on on something in you

Gamemaster:Like, for a second, you feel your existence as if it were just a bunch of burlap bundled

Argyle:so cool um not not saying i want you to do this but you know like can you like

Gamemaster:into this weird shape, and it's like a thread clips onto that for just a second and pulls

Gamemaster:you a little bit.

Gamemaster:And you have struck an accord with the machine god.

Argyle:reason about like you know that whole like tithe system if something happens to our heart would we

Gamemaster:I am loathe to connect myself to whatever infernal machinery has been added to the Strider,

Argyle:be able to work with you and then like handle tithes through you or is that not an option

Argyle:just out of curiosity

Argyle:yeah

Argyle:okay don't do it

Gamemaster:but if it is necessary for your survival I will do so It is within the realm of possibility

Argyle:don't do it yet

Argyle:this is a last resort type of thing okay good good good good good good Oh oh since you know everything Is anyone trying to screw us

Argyle:over? Any of our allies?

Gamemaster:None within the confines of the strider.

Argyle:Okay, okay.

Argyle:So all of our current allies

Argyle:are doing good by us?

Gamemaster:So I have no view above the Strider, but within the Strider, no.

Argyle:Within the

Argyle:Strider.

Argyle:Okay.

Anzu:Mm-hmm.

Benny:more of a brass tacks question is there anything in this room that you wouldn't mind not having

Argyle:Okay.

Argyle:And while we're talking, Argyle's going to go through and just start slashing webs that

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:you you guys rolled i mean you rolled a ridiculously high check

Benny:any more that is of significant magic power

Argyle:are in the area if they're not slashed.

Argyle:Oh.

Johnny:I have one last mythic point.

Benny:I'm more asking about the stuff that maybe the spiders had.

Gamemaster:Roll, I want either a perception or another diplomacy check if you're trying to get him to cough up some items for you.

Benny:I don't want to dig into his bank account.

Gamemaster:Yeah, no, I understand.

Argyle:Oh.

Johnny:Eh, 28.

Argyle:No.

Argyle:I was going to say, he actually rolled really well.

Johnny:Yeah.

Argyle:So...

Gamemaster:With a 28, it will say, just as...

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:Actually, can I get a...

Benny:Benny is very bad at sense motive

Gamemaster:Gosh, I want a sense motive here.

Gamemaster:Perception or society sense motive here, looking at this heart.

Argyle:I'll do the perception one.

Argyle:You son of a bitch.

Anzu:Should make a society check as well is that what happening Alright let do it

Gamemaster:You can make one if you like

Argyle:Ha!

Anzu:No, it didn't work.

Gamemaster:32 and 31 are both good enough in this case.

Gamemaster:There is...

Gamemaster:There's an interesting twinge in the Machine God's response

Gamemaster:when you ask if there's effectively loot that you guys can take.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:There's a little bit of, like, almost nostalgia there.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:As it says, I can grant you a small piece of me,

Gamemaster:and the corpse of that small spider you killed,

Gamemaster:I imagine, could be fashioned into a powerful item

Gamemaster:if need be

Gamemaster:uh

Argyle:Sure.

Argyle:Well, oh, we get to take both.

Johnny:Yeah.

Benny:fighter well i mean well i mean i don't know how much of a sacrifice is it for you okay

Gamemaster:there is

Argyle:He said small piece.

Argyle:I think they'd say big piece.

Gamemaster:there is a

Gamemaster:hiss of steam

Gamemaster:as the sphere

Gamemaster:behind you there's a

Gamemaster:popping sound and a

Gamemaster:piece of some coiled material

Gamemaster:pops off of the

Gamemaster:remains of the orb and just kind of rolls

Gamemaster:towards you.

Argyle:We'll pick it up.

Anzu:Oh, thanks. Thank you.

Johnny:I pick up the spider corpse.

Gamemaster:Absolutely.

Argyle:I passed it on to...

Johnny:I also pass it on Zu.

Gamemaster:If you like

Anzu:I eat the spider.

Anzu:No, never mind.

Johnny:No, wait.

Johnny:I will aid him on both I will aid him I think you get a plus one for the the first one

Anzu:It's a bird thing.

Anzu:I don't know.

Gamemaster:it's Arcana or Crafting

Gamemaster:for the coil and then it's

Gamemaster:arcana or occultism for the spider to see how that might be of use to you

Argyle:you Guys we can get 20 energy

Anzu:All right we start with the arcana on the coil

Anzu:If that's the case, then I got a 29.

Gamemaster:One second.

Argyle:I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

Gamemaster:Wait, no.

Gamemaster:You'd get 200 energy.

Argyle:Sorry, 200 energy, guys.

Argyle:we can get 200 energy.

Gamemaster:Yeah.

Gamemaster:No, that is not a success, but it gets bumped up to a success because you have a whatever,

Anzu:Yes.

Johnny:Bye.

Benny:No.

Gamemaster:so you do get that plus one.

Gamemaster:For a 28, which is just also flat out a success, this was on the coil.

Anzu:Yes.

Gamemaster:That is a greater jolt coil.

Anzu:Uh-huh.

Gamemaster:It is a spell heart.

Gamemaster:When affixed to armor, it gives you resistance three to electricity.

Gamemaster:when affixed to a weapon

Gamemaster:it gives you

Gamemaster:when activated

Anzu:Okay, can you just tell me what it's called one more time?

Gamemaster:after you cast an electricity spell

Gamemaster:through it your strikes deal 1d6

Gamemaster:electric damage

Gamemaster:and the spells you can cast

Gamemaster:out of it are electric arc and lightning bolt

Gamemaster:a jolt coil

Anzu:Okay, and then I intend to roll also for the spider.

Gamemaster:grater

Gamemaster:Mm-hmm.

Argyle:we should feed that into our heart again another 47 points or 49 points

Johnny:Oh.

Anzu:Does aid and guidance give different things?

Anzu:What does aid give?

Johnny:Circumstance.

Anzu:Perfect.

Anzu:This does status.

Anzu:All right.

Anzu:I'm trying to guidance myself.

Anzu:Here we go.

Johnny:The 22, if that's not a crit failure, then it's just a regular success.

Anzu:I'm going to do a little bit of a quick test.

Gamemaster:22 is regular success.

Gamemaster:It's not a correct value, so it turns into regular success.

Johnny:You get a plus one.

Anzu:Let's see.

Gamemaster:Either arcana or cultism.

Anzu:Okay, so what were the two for the spiders?

Gamemaster:Mm-hmm.

Anzu:Oh, we do occultism.

Anzu:Why would it turn the guidance off?

Anzu:Let's turn that on.

Anzu:Then I got the aid as well.

Anzu:Plus one circumstance, right?

Anzu:Okay.

Anzu:Oh, brutal.

Argyle:I guess that tomorrow.

Gamemaster:A 23 is unfortunately a failure here.

Johnny:All right.

Benny:No, no.

Gamemaster:Yeah, it's a spider.

Anzu:A spider.

Gamemaster:It's a magic spider, but it's a spider.

Argyle:Once we rest, we'll take another look.

Johnny:

Anzu:I want to eat it.

Gamemaster:um

Anzu:Guys, it's a piece of crap.

Johnny:Tony, the spider, wait, wait, wait.

Anzu:It's got nothing in it.

Anzu:I'm just going to eat it.

Johnny:It's not a spider.

Argyle:odds and beaks trembling guys i'm sure it's a pretty tasty

Benny:No, no, I can hold on to it for the night.

Anzu:I won't eat it.

Argyle:um

Benny:No, no, no, I just want to, I'll inspect it again

Benny:for it a little bit.

Gamemaster:I will, just because

Gamemaster:I'm really bad at taking notes

Gamemaster:and we are at the end of our session

Gamemaster:and I know you guys are just going to

Gamemaster:recheck this at the

Gamemaster:end. Can I just give it to you?

Argyle:um

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:I don't think the stakes are particularly high here.

Gamemaster:Do you mind?

Gamemaster:The cephalothorax,

Gamemaster:the, like, neck bit

Gamemaster:of the spider

Gamemaster:can be ripped off and fashioned

Gamemaster:into a kind of crown or tiara

Gamemaster:called a Usurper's Crown,

Gamemaster:which grants you a plus one item bonus

Gamemaster:to saves against mental effects.

Gamemaster:And once per day,

Gamemaster:when you fail a mental effect you may increase you may change it to a success it is worth 500 gold pieces

Anzu:Or we could wear this dead spider on our head.

Argyle:much of the worth yo we can come up with 90 energy

Johnny:you That is pretty cool

Argyle:90 94 energy

Argyle:92 energy

Argyle:no

Anzu:And...

Argyle:yeah but like emotion doesn't

Johnny:That's a pretty cool item.

Johnny:election

Argyle:happen that much

Argyle:I know this because I have a thing

Argyle:that bumps emotion up.

Anzu:Mental. Mental.

Anzu:Mental.

Argyle:Sorry, but like...

Argyle:We could buy turrets.

Anzu:We'll take the week.

Anzu:We'll take the week and we'll think about it.

Argyle:We could buy turrets, guys.

Argyle:On a side note, before we leave,

Argyle:we really should come up with a name.

Anzu:Wait, so...

Argyle:And I propose...

Anzu:A name for what?

Argyle:Sorry, go ahead.

Anzu:is what I've been trying to figure out.

Argyle:Not iconoclasm.

Anzu:A name for just us, or a name for

Argyle:For everyone in our heart.

Anzu:our whole allyship?

Anzu:Uh-huh.

Argyle:Yeah, our allyship, our heart.

Anzu:Alliance.

Argyle:Yeah.

Argyle:Our team.

Argyle:I vote.

Argyle:It's simple.

Argyle:To the point.

Argyle:The coalition.

Argyle:And.

Argyle:Our symbol can be a.

Johnny:Wow, this is long.

Argyle:A.

Argyle:A Kieran.

Argyle:Or what are those things called?

Anzu:Oh, this man.

Argyle:Those horse things?

Argyle:That we kill?

Gamemaster:the Ki-Rin

Benny:Is that...

Argyle:Ki-Rin.

Argyle:We can have a fancy flag.

Argyle:We can put it on the side of our walls.

Argyle:We can put it on our walls.

Johnny:Okay, that's ready to go.

Benny:Wait, who's that behind the...

Johnny:That's pretty cool.

Argyle:And I know the...

Benny:It's just fucking Arctos.

Gamemaster:um

Argyle:The Coalition.

Johnny:Yeah Thank you

Anzu:I'm fine with this.

Argyle:Do you guys have...

Benny:I'm okay with it.

Benny:See, I liked Heartbreakers.

Benny:we can have it if we talking to Machine God like oh we the Machine God murderers Like that doesn

Argyle:and I think the coalition is like on track for our team because we like just the adventurers

Argyle:the wayfinders we like simple generic names and no one liked my idea for the choir so

Argyle:the coalition's my new idea

Benny:Well, the Coalition is the...

Benny:I think it's the

Benny:alliance that we've made on

Benny:the Strider. I think

Argyle:we could also be a coalition because we're all from different parts

Johnny:It's not Tom Machine yet.

Benny:us as a group of four,

Benny:we could still secretly be the Heartbreakers

Benny:and just not tell people.

Benny:You know.

Argyle:um yeah

Benny:The

Benny:Icona Coalition.

Argyle:naming it

Johnny:Iconicola.

Argyle:uh

Argyle:what's also funny

Benny:The

Johnny:We can think of that name.

Argyle:on a side note

Argyle:and then, wait sorry Josh

Gamemaster:No, I can't.

Argyle:did you pin the things we could buy?

Argyle:If you could pin it

Argyle:that'd be great.

Argyle:On a side note

Argyle:before this game

Argyle:before we start this fight

Argyle:when we were resting

Argyle:the um i literally searched ways for clerics to escape grapples and it was like you should take

Gamemaster:We killed a spider.

Anzu:Listen, we won the encounter, so it all worked out great.

Johnny:Yeah.

Argyle:unfettered movement and i was like i don't know if it's worthy of fourth level spell

Argyle:and i probably should have taken it i i really should have taken it but uh it's fine

Argyle:yeah yeah

Anzu:I have questions for the Machine God but maybe we do it next week I want to ask it about like the sort of mind control that the Herald

Argyle:yeah

Argyle:what were you going to ask

Benny:Sure Sure

Gamemaster:You can do it next week

Johnny:treating hard Thank you

Benny:If we look.

Anzu:exerts and if it knows anything about how to deal with that.

Argyle:Save your sister.

Benny:I had a question for the machine.

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:Did we level up?

Gamemaster:You did! You did. You guys are officially level 8. I don't know what you get at level

Argyle:Oh!

Argyle:And I selected the rituals I want.

Anzu:I like this guy.

Johnny:It happened

Benny:Oh, nice.

Johnny:Oh

Gamemaster:8. Oh, god damn it, Jorge. Jorge just sent me his level 8 character sheet. God, by the

Anzu:I'm so glad we continued to push into this dungeon.

Anzu:Wait, what?

Anzu:Oh, jeez.

Johnny:That's insane

Anzu:Actually, mine's...

Anzu:Oh, no, I need to check spells.

Gamemaster:end of this campaign he's gonna send

Gamemaster:me his level 20 character

Gamemaster:like 10 minutes before I

Argyle:I was also going to say

Anzu:and I hope it helps you.

Gamemaster:tell you guys that you've leveled up

Argyle:this would take everyone to be on board

Argyle:would you guys be open to

Argyle:us sending

Argyle:Josh two levels in advance

Argyle:this time

Argyle:and then Josh can just

Argyle:randomly level us up on a long rest

Argyle:like mid-session

Argyle:there's an element of surprise

Gamemaster:I, um, I haven't seen, I, I, I, like, haven't really been watching the most recent Critical

Argyle:if Josh wants to

Argyle:yeah

Anzu:He's been just

Johnny:That'd be kind of fun.

Argyle:uh

Gamemaster:Role, but that's a thing that Brennan does, isn't it?

Argyle:oh is he

Anzu:So

Argyle:doing that that's hysterical

Anzu:For level

Argyle:oh

Anzu:3 to 4

Anzu:He let the players decide when they leveled up

Anzu:Like on an individual basis

Anzu:And then for level

Anzu:4 to 5 he picked moments

Anzu:For individual characters and was like

Gamemaster:Mm-hmm.

Anzu:You're level 5 now

Argyle:It's your start.

Anzu:But it was like character by character.

Argyle:you don't have to

Gamemaster:What would you get out of a secret level up?

Anzu:Just like joy, I think.

Johnny:Yeah.

Benny:Uh-huh.

Anzu:I think that's what he's going for.

Gamemaster:Okay.

Gamemaster:Just, like, I, you know, I...

Gamemaster:I can do it if you guys want.

Argyle:yeah no no no no

Gamemaster:I just don't personally see the appeal.

Argyle:no it's just so that you could level it

Argyle:So you could phase it in mid-session rather than having to wait for the end.

Gamemaster:I could.

Argyle:Like, if you were like, I feel like you guys should level up now.

Argyle:It's not.

Gamemaster:I don't know.

Gamemaster:It does make more work for me, because I can't preload...

Argyle:Well, you just have to put in.

Argyle:You'd have to put in now and then just.

Argyle:Can you not just change levels?

Argyle:Or no?

Gamemaster:I believe if I change it from, like, 9 back down to 8, it removes the feed,

Gamemaster:and then I have to bump it back up when I have to re-edit when it's 9.

Argyle:Never mind, then.

Gamemaster:I mean, I could clone it.

Argyle:That's too much work.

Gamemaster:It's not a lot more work, it's doable.

Argyle:No, no, no.

Gamemaster:I just, like...

Argyle:It wasn't really that big of a thing.

Argyle:I thought it was just going to be something really simple,

Argyle:like Pathfinder.

Argyle:But that's fine.

Argyle:The Path Builder.

Gamemaster:No, no, Path Builder makes that much easier.

Argyle:OK.

Argyle:But yeah, so.

Gamemaster:So those of you who aren't crazy,

Argyle:The.

Gamemaster:get me your level eight characters,

Gamemaster:ideally like by Sunday.

Argyle:All right.

Gamemaster:so that I have a little bit of time to load it in.

Anzu:I like him a lot

Johnny:There have been a couple times in the campaign usually interacting with hearts where if

Benny:Let's go.

Gamemaster:But other than that,

Gamemaster:you murdered a spider.

Gamemaster:Good job.

Gamemaster:You also met a guy.

Gamemaster:It crazy that you rolled that high There was a chance that you just fully didn meet this guy at all So good on you

Argyle:Yeah.

Johnny:we roll very high we get some crazy reward, and I've rolled nat 20s both times.

Gamemaster:Ridiculous.

Argyle:You really showed up on those.

Gamemaster:Yeah, I, like, fully didn't realize that you could get that number, but you could.

Gamemaster:Ridiculous.

Argyle:I like the idea of us potentially working with this guy

Argyle:to get rid of the devils eventually,

Argyle:and then we just take back the Strider.

Argyle:It would also be so effing funny

Argyle:if the Prime Meridian guy is just like,

Argyle:all right, well, two days ago,

Argyle:they killed those weird Ki-Rin things

Argyle:and then went into the void, got a weird heart.

Argyle:I guess that might have been a one-off.

Gamemaster:You could have done that.

Argyle:And then he just sees

Benny:Hey guys, say hello to

Johnny:Come back.

Argyle:Machine God has joined the chat.

Argyle:He's like, what the fuck are these guys doing?

Johnny:Who are these guys?

Johnny:I mean one of them has Anzu's sister

Benny:Aurelia the First's heart.

Benny:It's just like, what?

Gamemaster:You just found an old guy in the basement.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:It's not that big a deal.

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:Now we have to take care of two more

Argyle:Yeah.

Benny:rooms like this for him?

Argyle:Well, I got resurrect.

Anzu:Well I have some research to do first

Benny:Do we have to take care of one more room?

Johnny:so

Johnny:I don't know

Argyle:I got resurrect now.

Argyle:So if we gotta kill her, we can bring her back.

Benny:We immediately go, well, we got one room to get, I guess.

Argyle:Ha ha ha ha.

Gamemaster:Jorge, you need to...

Argyle:Ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha Ha ha ha ha yeah

Benny:I guess.

Benny:Jorge is like we going to kill her right guys Because she probably evil and I don want to fucking deal with that We just bring her back better

Benny:You definitely do.

Argyle:what

Gamemaster:Oh, I guess you don't actually need to pick it.

Gamemaster:Never mind, I'll take it back.

Gamemaster:You don't have your third rank 4 spell selected in Pathbuilder.

Argyle:Oh, yeah.

Gamemaster:For shame.

Argyle:I select those on the day of.

Gamemaster:But you have the full thing, so it doesn't actually matter.

Gamemaster:It's fine.

Argyle:Yeah.

Gamemaster:All right.

Argyle:Do we want...

Argyle:No.

Argyle:I might change a ritual spell,

Argyle:but I can do that. I can add the ritual spells

Gamemaster:You've decided.

Argyle:once we start. That's easy for me to do.

Argyle:Now that I'm thinking that we're going to be good guys.

Benny:I've always been the good guys.

Johnny:I could be your team name, the good guys.

Argyle:Yeah, we got to be good guys.

Argyle:I could take butterfly bender, though.

Johnny:That was a pretty fun one.

Argyle:Do you think we'd actually ever use this?

Gamemaster:Butterfly Bender, the one where you get super drunk and then things happen.

Benny:Wait, what will we actually use?

Argyle:Butterfly Bender, which...

Benny:Or ever use?

Argyle:The Hangover?

Benny:Oh, that sounds fun when we're not on, like, literally a hostile environment on the Strider.

Benny:It sounds fun if we go to like a town off on the side We like let just fucking drink and see this town Like that would make most sense if we on the strider and we hear about a town coming up that has some specific secret we do a

Benny:day's adventuring walking around trying to find it we don't find it and then we butterfly bender

Benny:in the evening figure it out and like end up in a fucking temple or or ruins in the morning

Benny:and then wrap up the adventure there

Benny:and then head back to the Strider.

Gamemaster:There would be a good time.

Benny:So, very

Benny:situational for now. I feel like

Benny:that would be great in a big city

Benny:because then it's like, Josh, where do you want to put us?

Benny:We're drunk in a city of 10 million

Benny:people. Which district do we end up

Benny:in and tell

Benny:us how we got there? You could make us

Benny:roll. You could have us do secret

Benny:checks, like have Benny roll a secret

Benny:diplomacy and then

Benny:the story tell

Benny:itself.

Gamemaster:All right.

Argyle:just also as a heads up

Anzu:Indeed.

Argyle:next session I want to use

Argyle:ring of truth to just make

Argyle:everyone in our heart just basically be like

Argyle:yes I'm not

Argyle:evil and

Argyle:I want to work with you guys which I think is probably a good idea

Argyle:just to double check everyone

Argyle:so think of questions

Argyle:next spot there

Benny:next Monday

Gamemaster:Next Monday.

Gamemaster:See ya.

Anzu:Indeed.

Benny:peace

Argyle:Yes.

Johnny:bye

Anzu:Bye.