He *can*. Michael's flaming mote skitters across the room, barely missing the downed lamp itself. It lands just beyond, in a thick pile of maps and charts...and almost *IMMEDIATELY* catches to a thin dribble of oil nearby.
Flames *spring* up as broken wood and dry papers start to catch. The snakes nearest to the newly lit fire whip around anxiously, and move to slither away, *hissing and agitated*...
Take note: left alone, the fire will spread *quickly*
A look of excitement crosses Arno's face, after the look of horror at the death of another by purple snake body explosion.
"Jack, Jack. I get to do the thing!"
Arno casts Snake charm
Geth roll 5d6+3 for HP of snakes
Geth roll 1d4+3 rounds for Na-na-na-na-na [I think this is what you meant to write, as going 1d4+2, 1d3, 1d4+4 seems a bit inelegant]
Upon Micheal's unbridled use of fire. "Oh man, Refi is going to be so mad. If we survive, not it on telling her what happened!"
HP of snakes:
5d6+322 [5d6=3, 1, 5, 6, 4]
Na-na-na-na-na [I think this is what you meant to write, as going 1d4+2, 1d3, 1d4+4 seems a bit inelegant]:
As the sounds of the room reach him while he is opening the door, Oak feels the familiar feeling bubbling up. But as that anger grows, it ignites in a very different way than it usually did. The anger was cold this time, an icy grip that wraps around him as he sees all the dead in this room. Conspirators or not, this crew didn't deserve to die this way. Oak had been angry at their actions, but he had secretly hoped to capture them and leave it up to the Captain to decide what to do with them.
But Conrad, or the being who taken over Conrad, had stopped all of that, and in a brutal way. So the cold anger that overtook Oak wasn't fueled by emotion as much as it was a singular goal. Conrad needed to die so the creature that he had become was removed from this world. There was no other option allowed here, and the Shifter felt his teeth clench in hatred.
His legs tightened as he lowered his body slightly in preparation and then he leapt towards Conrad, his axe gripped ready. Landing, he immediately struck, no words, no hesitation, just pure cold fury.
OOC: Starting by going into a Rage.
Athletics check to jump the snakes from standing.
Geth, roll 2d20k1+7 for Snake Jump!
Then attacking.
Geth, roll 1d20+8 for Attacking Conrad
Geth, roll 1d12+7 for Damage
Jack is taken aback by the sight. Well, this is... a thing. Snakes. Soooooooo many snakes. He nods to Arno on auto, trying to process it all.
Wait, wait, he has a thing for this! He pulls the fire breath potion he'd stole... err, not returned to Oak and aims it to hit the maximum number of snakes without including Oak.
((OOC: Unfortunately I need to pop for the night and I'm unable to search this thread fast enough to find what to actually roll for this is or how much damage it does, @mrpaku please roll them for me so I'm not delaying folks! ))
OOC: Why is everyone trying to burn all the maps and notes? Refi worked hard going over all these things. And it's going to be a lot harder for me to pin the map theft on Conrad if it is literally the only piece of paper left on the ship unburnt!
Arno *enraptures* a swarm of snakes! Some of the teeming mass in front of Arno begins to follow them with full-attention, the hissing group rising as one and *swaying* their heads and bodies along to Arno's rythmic chant...
Jack takes a large swig of the (*borrowed*!) fire potion, and *spits* it onto the nearby serpent crowd! Snakes (conveniently near Arno's group of charmed reptiles) *catch fire*, and begin to wither up and die!
Oak *leaps* over the pile of snakes before him, but as he does so, a few of the more agitated fellows *flinch* reflexively, and attempt to take a bite out of the flying Barbarian...
Geth roll 1d20+6 Snake Swarm (Oak)
Geth roll 2d6 piercing On a success:
The target must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Oak uses the momentum of his jump and takes a *mighty blow* at Conrad, but his Great Axe *catches* on that awful skin, those strange glassy quills that push from within (AC 15). The former First Mate *shrugs* off Oak's attack with a *smirk*.
Conrad the Consumed points his awful countenance up upon Oak. The face looks pallid and swollen from within...the eyes sunken and dragged down into the skull. His (still) familiar eyes shine with malevolence. "Oak the Shifter. The New Meat... I was *hoping* we'd get the chance to *talk*..." Again, that familiar voice, put through a filter, and drained of all life and character...
CURRENT MAP-
NOTES: The highlighted snake pile is comprised of the burnt dead or the charmed- none are of any harm to you all at this time. Arno's charmed snakes will not awaken for 7 turns. Only a meager handful survive, and manage to snake their way up Conrad's robe...
Jack's fire won't catch or spread as quickly as Michael's fire...*but*, if the two fires meet, they will both spread, and *quickly*!
Turn to Urixes ( @Denada ), then Jack and Oak get *one more* in before Conrad the Consumed...
Content to deal death away from the swarming snakes and their slithering master, Urixes falls into his usual routine. Like a well-rehearsed dance, he hurls eldritch energy and twists his fingers in an arcane gesture, calling forth another tentacle from the shadows.
Geth, roll 1d20+8 for Eldritch Blast 1
Geth, roll 1d10+4 for Force Damage 1
Geth, roll 1d10+8 for Eldritch Blast 2
Geth, roll 1d10+4 for Force Damage 2
Geth, roll 1d20+8 for Grasp of the Deep
Geth, roll 1d8 for Cold Damage
Conrad doesn't even react to the magical assault, as the first two shots go fully wide. But he *grunts* as the summoned tentacle takes him around the waist, attempting to *squeeze* him from between the quills (-6 damage) . Something inside of Conrad *giggles* as the spectral appendage crushes his midsection. "Gang's all here, then!" He taunts the group, as he struggles to break from the smoky grasp. "Oak, Urixes...Urixes's *friend*...the Snooper and the *Biter*...Good..."
Oak's swings both miss, and he feels that cold anger grow even stronger, urging him to just smash Conrad's face in. The shifter let's out a low growl and grabs at Conrad with both hands, attempting to wrestle the spiny man towards Jack's fire, and then push him right in.
Oak grabs Conrad, going right for the neck! Conrad *snaps* at his wrists with inhuman dexterity! The First Mate and the Shifter *lock hands*, clashing fiercely, neither giving an inch as they wrestle! Oak finally manages to *push* Conrad's spiked-hands back, *just barely* OOC:
Tie goes to the runner!
(but the effort *digs* into his wrists and palms (-6 piercing damage)
Conrad the Consumed is pulled, dragged, and eventually *hurled* into the fire Jack has started nearby. He lands with a heavy *thud* against the planks and dead snakes below. The slowly growing fire *crackles* healthy amongst the broken bits of wood, and the flame and catches Conrad...but something is wrong. That scaled, *cracked* skin beneath the surface struggles, unnaturally, to catch fire. From his back, Conrad examines his own hand, the only part of him fully aflame: he is half amazed, and half fervent ... (-3 damage (fire resistance))
Right, that's one pile sorted... three to go. With some distaste he pulls out his saber and slashes it across and through the pile in front of him, not really sure how to fight a swarm of snakes. Between this and his attempt to also not touch them it looks more like he's waggling the sword than fighting.
Oh! Arno's cry reminds him, the snake charm! He begins humming it under his breath, but frankly he's just not focused enough for it and is getting half the words wrong besides. Doesn't stop him from repeating it like a snakes-be-gone mantra, however.
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Snake Swarm
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Snake Swarm
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Jack attacks the snake swarm in front of him, *segmenting* (or just lopping off the heads of) a good handful of the reptiles (AC 14)! (Jack has reduced the snake population directly South of him by roughly 1/3)
…
Michael’s Fire catches and *grows*, running along the oil, and lighting splinters and planks as it spreads. While the blaze expands, snakes within range are caught within the flames, *hissing* painfully as the life sizzles out of them…
Geth roll 3d6 fire damage (moderate) (Snake Swarm)
…
Jack’s Fire, spluttering and already half-threatening to die, keeps *just* enough fuel to sustain itself. The few snakes who avoided being cooked in this area initially have already fled to hide among their brethren, and their agitation is becoming catching amongst the other snakes (Half of the snakes near either of the fires have started to become aggressive)
…
Conrad the Consumed pulls himself to his feet, back and legs still slightly a flame as he rises. Confidence clearly growing with the understanding of his new abilities, the former First Mate circles the Shifter barehanded inside the fire and between the charmed snakes, coming to stand *right* in the center of Oak and where Jack stands at the open doors of the Navigation Room
Geth roll 2d5 fire damage (Conrad, resist.)
From where they stand, Jack and Oak can clearly see the fire has burned away some of Conrad’s flesh. What peeks from beneath (in the rare spot) is green, thick...*reptilian*. The eyes occasionally spin around inside Conrad’s head, as though fighting some force from within…
“Where did you come from?” Conrad's voice demands, as he swipes at Jack’s midsection with a hand of glass. Turning back to Oak, “Who sent you?!?”, in a deadened, but still somehow accusatory manner, as needles push out from the other hand and attempt to *dig* at the Shifter…
Geth roll 1d20+6 Needle-Claw (Jack)
Geth roll 1d6+3 slashing
Geth roll 1d20+6 Needle-Claw (Oak)
Geth roll 1d6+3 slashing
The snakes which wriggle away flow to Conrad’s Aid, and seem to provide him *strength*…
Geth roll 1d3 Snake Heal (We Are One)
CURRENT MAP-
... Turn to the Wild Bunch, in whatever order they arrive!
GM NOTE: The Snake Swarm directly to Jack's South has been reduced by roughly 2/3, between the Jack-Attack and fallout from Michael's Fire- traversing this area will be considerably easier, and potential attacks from snakes within this swarm will be much less dangerous
Seeing the maps catching and realizing the ineffectiveness of the fire Michael will call out, "Use the big guy to smother the oil fire!", while shooting the snake swarm on the the far left side of the room with even more fire.
Geth roll 1d20+7 to burn this snake swarm
Geth roll 2d10+3 to see how much we burn.
Oak barely feels Conrad's spines dig into him. He ignores the man's words, if you could even call him a man at this point. He steps down hard on the end of his axe, causing the handle to pop up and he wraps a hand around it to pull it back up to his grip. He immediately attacks, swinging wildly at Conrad, his tunnel vision focus in so that he is unaware of anything else in the room.
OOC: Recklessly attacking here, so advantage against me next turn.
Geth, roll 2d20k1+8 for Attacking Conrad
Geth, roll 1d12+7 for Damage
Geth, roll 2d20k1+8 for Attacking Conrad Again
Geth, roll 1d12+7 for Damage
"Thing that was Conrad, are you still talking to us? I let slide the fact you forgot my name, but you know we just came from kicking the butt of your undead ship. It's time for you to cool off."
Arno looks at Michael and Jack expectantly, as they are the only ones they expect to appreciate the pun as the ice knife leaves his hand and flys into Conrad.
"Sorry if you get hit guys, this is the first time I've used this..*Poomf*" Icy cold explodes from the pile of snakes, engulfing those nearby.
OOC: shooting a level 3 ice knife right at Conrad. If it hits, Conrad gets the 1d10 piercieng. Everything in 5ft of Conrad then Dex saves for half of 4d6 cold, which should be two piles of snakes, conrad himself, the Moderate blaze...and Jack and Oak. I promise I'll cast a heal next turn to make up for this, but this is my big AOE and I remember they hate cold.
Geth roll 1d20+7 for knife to the head
Geth roll 1d10 for piercing the heat with ice
Geth roll 4d6 for cold, so cold
Michael takes extra care with his shot this time, making sure to adjust where the fiery spark will land. His attention pays off, as the mote comes to *burn* precisely among a handful of the purple snakes along the port side of the room, but burns only among the serpentine bodies…
(The Western Snake Swarm has been reduced by roughly 1/3)
…
It’s first time jitters, most likely…Arno summons the ice knife, and attempts to *chuck* it at the Conrad-Thing…but the shot goes *way* wide. *Incredibly* wide: instead of throwing it through the opened Navigation Room doors, Arno mistimes the release rather badly, and the ice knife comes to stick just below the Mizzen Nest. It *quivers* there for a second, before *exploding* into a *scattershot* of ice crystals in the rain, that scatters down upon everyone beneath!
GM NOTE: Urixes, Jack, Conrad, Arno’s Charmed Pile of Snakes, and Jack’s Damaged Pile of Snakes *ALL* get hit by the icy scattershot that explodes from the Ice Knife. Urixes and Jack outside in the rain, as well as Conrad and the two piles of Purple Snakes through the open Navigation Room doors, take (-8 cold damage) each! The Snakes to Jack’s south have been effectively destroyed, save a handful who may slither back towards Conrad…
…
Oak fairly *thrashes* Conrad, carving *meaty* chunks from the First Mate and (what little remains) of his robes. Between Oak’s assault and Arno’s *chilling* blast, the Conrad-Thing falls to the Deck, for the second time in less than six seconds…
Conrad clutches the deck, and shaking, involuntary *shivers* seem to come from beneath his robe. The Conrad-Thing makes horrible, wrenching noises of pain. From inside of him, writhing figures threaten to push out from beneath the skin…
OOC Yes, no matter what the cold goes off, better have Jack put on a sweater. And I'm not giving the GM any ideas of how to use that one. I was just amazed how bad that was, all three rolls. @Glal you can have your "lucky" dice back.
The Conrad... thing, shambles toward him and Jack stares at its glass claws, "...okay, undead pirates are fun and all, but this is getting weiRKH!" Ooh, right in the stomach. He pushes the lumbering creature away, just in time to have an ice knife explode into his face, small shards of ice now slowly melting in his skin.
"Maybe... maybe not quite so close next time, Arno?" As the figure loses cohesion and goes from looking like a person to looking like 300 snakes in a trenchcoat Jack lifts his weapon one more time, sounding exasperated, "Can we stop it with the snakes already??"
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Conrad?
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Conrad?
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Urixes has little else to do but keep attacking, which is fine by him.
Geth, roll 1d20+8 for Eldritch Blast 1
Geth, roll 1d10+4 for Force Damage 1
Geth, roll 1d10+8 for Eldritch Blast 2
Geth, roll 1d10+4 for Force Damage 2
Geth, roll 1d20+8 for Grasp of the Deep
Geth, roll 1d8 for Cold Damage
The Wild Bunch takes turns *kicking the living shit* out of Conrad, one after another! The glassy Conrad-thing weaves between beating and the next, *barely* able to do more than try to hold himself together in a near daze as the enraged Pirates *thrash* the Corrupted Mutineer!
Conrad, the Consumed is finally *hurled* across the room by Urixes’s Eldritch Blast, *bashing* against the far wall of the Cabin and crumpling into a ruined heap. Your former shipmate *twitches*, his body broken.
From each corner of the room, the purple snakes turn their heads at the sound (with the exception of those Arno has charmed), and in a frenzied unison, they begin to *rapidly* flow back towards the collapsed Conrad. What remains of the Swashbuckler is soon coated in a vertically growing pile of snakes, and as the tiny reptiles disappear into the mass, the area around Conrad begins to stiffen and transform…
The purple snakes and Conrad are gone. In their place, an egg-like shell lies against the far wall. The cocoon is slightly larger than a man, and the coating bears the same distinctive, scaly, glass-speckled texture which had peeked from beneath Conrad’s skin as Oak had *hacked* it off.
The living bag *twitches* from within. As it does so, two things occur. First, the cocoon *ruptures* from its sides, expelling spiny growths (not *entirely* unlike Arno’s Ice Knife) which stick to the walls and *pulsate*, something aggressive dwelling within. And second, the cocoon *thrusts * heavy stalks, giant arm-width shards of the glass, into the Deck beneath itself!
The Quarter Deck *shakes and splinters* beneath your feet. Boards rend and tear at an incredible pace, like a wave of ripping wood. From below, several of the glassy stalks *rise up*, *blasting* their way from underneath…
GM NOTE: Conrad, the Consumed got *absolutely wrecked* by the Wild Bunch. Nice work guys! Here’s what’s happening now:
- Conrad has become cocooned in by the remaining purple snakes, and is at the moment *changing* (Conrad, the Chrysalis)
- The Spiky Growths which Conrad, the Chrysalis have shot around the place each quiver and pulsate, as though something lives within them. That’s probably not good!
- The Glassy Stalks Conrad has shot into the wood beneath your feet act as a Spiked Pit
A creature Falling into the pit takes 11 (2d10) piercing damage from the spikes
. The Glassy Stalks will remain in place until attacked and destroyed, or until Conrad dismisses them. The Glassy Stalks have hit the following characters, who must make a (DC 13-Dex Saving Throw) or take piercing damage: Arno, Urixes, Jack, and Michael.
- Jack’s Fire has maintained its size. Michael’s Fire has spread, and comes right up to the base of Conrad, The Chrysalis.
OOC: yo is there any kind of knowledge check michael could make right now to know what the fuck he is looking at? He's trained on all of them except religion.
Michael thinks he has a good idea of what’s happening here:
- The Purple Snakes were “ingested” by most of the Mutineers as precautionary measure, not a cult ritual (think taking Chemo to kill a cancer while hurting your other cells; or someone intentionally ingesting a tapeworm in order to stay skinny). The parasite was taken on purpose, as a sort of primitive vaccine.
-It’s likely Conrad lied to the rest of this group about the true nature of the snakes, and they thought they were simply harboring just a common parasite to “protect” them from a worse fate (what fate they thought they were avoiding, you can’t be sure)
- These Purple Snakes originate from the Far Realm. The species is mostly un-researched, but it has been suggested that the snakes aren’t as much *animals* as they are an animal-like mutagen. Mad Mages have been known tap into the snakes for foul purposes…
-The Purple Snakes lying dormant as a parasite can potentially cause no change, subtle changes, or *rapid and violent* changes, depending on the subject and the body saturation of the reptiles. Mainlining four dozen of them at once, which had just been inside other people, was *incredibly* foolish, and the man was likely not in his right mind when he did so (OOC:picture William Birkin shooting himself up with the T-Virus
-Someone (likely whoever gave them to him) lied or told a half-truth to Conrad about the full-nature of the parasite he was taking into himself
-The strange transformation which is occurring in front of you is Conrad being forcefully-evolved into something the snakes think is closer to his “real” form. In this case:
A Barbed Devil, A creature of unbridled greed and desire. But not a proper one, which is why his body is unnaturally powerful and also just *barely* holding it together. The man's body is as likely to tear itself apart, before it tears *you all* apart
Oak managed to let a small smile escape as he sees Conrad blasted back by Urixes. He raises his axe and looks to move forward to try and finish off the man when suddenly he transforms, surrounding himself with snakes and emerging in some sort of egg. The scene is strange enough to cause the Shifter to hold his attack for a moment and look around. His companions looked to be stuck in place for the moment, so he considers moving to help them, until he sees the nearby mass of spines that seems to house something. The hair on the back of Oak's furry neck stands on end as something instinctual tells him that these things are bad news. There was probably something smart that Arno, Urixes, or Michael could suggest they should do here, but the Barbarian only had one tool at his disposal.
Oak charges the nearest spiny growth and starts hacking at it.
OOC:Charging to the Spiny Growth to the west and attacking it. Hope that's the key to the "spiny growth" puzzle. This is one of those "when all you have is a hammer...." situations for Oak.
Recklessly attacking here, if there are attacks back, they'll have advantage.
Geth, roll 2d20k1+8 for Attacking Spiny Growth
Geth, roll 1d12+7 for Damage
Geth, roll 2d20k1+8 for Attacking Spiny Growth
Geth, roll 1d12+7 for Damage
((OOC: Hmm. I see I have a Healing Elixir in my inventory, but looking for the item comes up with some UA temporary healing items- was this something given away at a previous combat that's since expired? Also, do we take the 11 damage on hit, or is that for a different effect? ))
Oak *hacks* the nearest slimy growth from where it sticks out from the wall. The scaly pustule *pops*, and with a wet suction noise, a fistful of boiling glass from inside the growth comes loose, and *plops* with a loud *tinkle* to the floor, landing harmlessly at Oak's feet
Jack GRUNT!s and staggers, pierced by the glass spears. "I wouldn't mind if we wrapped this up soonish, guys..." He watches Oak smash one of the growths apart, then looks around and spots one right behind him. The Shifter must know something! He pulls himself off the impaling glass and moves up to the closest growth, slashing at it with his saber and looking a bit worse for wear.
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Spiny Growth
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Spiny Growth
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Posts
Flames *spring* up as broken wood and dry papers start to catch. The snakes nearest to the newly lit fire whip around anxiously, and move to slither away, *hissing and agitated*...
Take note: left alone, the fire will spread *quickly*
"Jack, Jack. I get to do the thing!"
Arno casts Snake charm
Geth roll 5d6+3 for HP of snakes
Geth roll 1d4+3 rounds for Na-na-na-na-na [I think this is what you meant to write, as going 1d4+2, 1d3, 1d4+4 seems a bit inelegant]
Upon Micheal's unbridled use of fire. "Oh man, Refi is going to be so mad. If we survive, not it on telling her what happened!"
But Conrad, or the being who taken over Conrad, had stopped all of that, and in a brutal way. So the cold anger that overtook Oak wasn't fueled by emotion as much as it was a singular goal. Conrad needed to die so the creature that he had become was removed from this world. There was no other option allowed here, and the Shifter felt his teeth clench in hatred.
His legs tightened as he lowered his body slightly in preparation and then he leapt towards Conrad, his axe gripped ready. Landing, he immediately struck, no words, no hesitation, just pure cold fury.
OOC: Starting by going into a Rage.
Athletics check to jump the snakes from standing.
Geth, roll 2d20k1+7 for Snake Jump!
Then attacking.
Geth, roll 1d20+8 for Attacking Conrad
Geth, roll 1d12+7 for Damage
Wait, wait, he has a thing for this! He pulls the fire breath potion he'd stole... err, not returned to Oak and aims it to hit the maximum number of snakes without including Oak.
((OOC: Unfortunately I need to pop for the night and I'm unable to search this thread fast enough to find what to actually roll for this is or how much damage it does, @mrpaku please roll them for me so I'm not delaying folks!
4d6 damage, half for save
Geth roll 1d20+4 Dex Save (Purple Snake Swarm)
Jack takes a large swig of the (*borrowed*!) fire potion, and *spits* it onto the nearby serpent crowd! Snakes (conveniently near Arno's group of charmed reptiles) *catch fire*, and begin to wither up and die!
Oak *leaps* over the pile of snakes before him, but as he does so, a few of the more agitated fellows *flinch* reflexively, and attempt to take a bite out of the flying Barbarian...
Geth roll 2d6 piercing
On a success:
Oak uses the momentum of his jump and takes a *mighty blow* at Conrad, but his Great Axe *catches* on that awful skin, those strange glassy quills that push from within (AC 15). The former First Mate *shrugs* off Oak's attack with a *smirk*.
Conrad the Consumed points his awful countenance up upon Oak. The face looks pallid and swollen from within...the eyes sunken and dragged down into the skull. His (still) familiar eyes shine with malevolence. "Oak the Shifter. The New Meat... I was *hoping* we'd get the chance to *talk*..." Again, that familiar voice, put through a filter, and drained of all life and character...
CURRENT MAP-
NOTES: The highlighted snake pile is comprised of the burnt dead or the charmed- none are of any harm to you all at this time. Arno's charmed snakes will not awaken for 7 turns. Only a meager handful survive, and manage to snake their way up Conrad's robe...
Jack's fire won't catch or spread as quickly as Michael's fire...*but*, if the two fires meet, they will both spread, and *quickly*!
Turn to Urixes ( @Denada ), then Jack and Oak get *one more* in before Conrad the Consumed...
Geth, roll 1d20+8 for Eldritch Blast 1
Geth, roll 1d10+4 for Force Damage 1
Geth, roll 1d10+8 for Eldritch Blast 2
Geth, roll 1d10+4 for Force Damage 2
Geth, roll 1d20+8 for Grasp of the Deep
Geth, roll 1d8 for Cold Damage
OOC: Grapple into fire. Burn you crazy bastard!
Geth, roll 2d20k1+4 for Str Check
Geth roll 1d20+3 for Conrad (Strength Check)
Geth roll 1d10 piercing damage (Conrad- "Barbed Hide")
On an Oak Success:
Conrad the Consumed is pulled, dragged, and eventually *hurled* into the fire Jack has started nearby. He lands with a heavy *thud* against the planks and dead snakes below. The slowly growing fire *crackles* healthy amongst the broken bits of wood, and the flame and catches Conrad...but something is wrong. That scaled, *cracked* skin beneath the surface struggles, unnaturally, to catch fire. From his back, Conrad examines his own hand, the only part of him fully aflame: he is half amazed, and half fervent ... (-3 damage (fire resistance))
Oh! Arno's cry reminds him, the snake charm! He begins humming it under his breath, but frankly he's just not focused enough for it and is getting half the words wrong besides. Doesn't stop him from repeating it like a snakes-be-gone mantra, however.
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Snake Swarm
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Snake Swarm
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
…
Michael’s Fire catches and *grows*, running along the oil, and lighting splinters and planks as it spreads. While the blaze expands, snakes within range are caught within the flames, *hissing* painfully as the life sizzles out of them…
Jack’s Fire, spluttering and already half-threatening to die, keeps *just* enough fuel to sustain itself. The few snakes who avoided being cooked in this area initially have already fled to hide among their brethren, and their agitation is becoming catching amongst the other snakes (Half of the snakes near either of the fires have started to become aggressive)
…
Conrad the Consumed pulls himself to his feet, back and legs still slightly a flame as he rises. Confidence clearly growing with the understanding of his new abilities, the former First Mate circles the Shifter barehanded inside the fire and between the charmed snakes, coming to stand *right* in the center of Oak and where Jack stands at the open doors of the Navigation Room
From where they stand, Jack and Oak can clearly see the fire has burned away some of Conrad’s flesh. What peeks from beneath (in the rare spot) is green, thick...*reptilian*. The eyes occasionally spin around inside Conrad’s head, as though fighting some force from within…
“Where did you come from?” Conrad's voice demands, as he swipes at Jack’s midsection with a hand of glass. Turning back to Oak, “Who sent you?!?”, in a deadened, but still somehow accusatory manner, as needles push out from the other hand and attempt to *dig* at the Shifter…
Geth roll 1d6+3 slashing
Geth roll 1d20+6 Needle-Claw (Oak)
Geth roll 1d6+3 slashing
The snakes which wriggle away flow to Conrad’s Aid, and seem to provide him *strength*…
CURRENT MAP-
Turn to the Wild Bunch, in whatever order they arrive!
Geth roll 1d20+7 to burn this snake swarm
Geth roll 2d10+3 to see how much we burn.
OOC: Recklessly attacking here, so advantage against me next turn.
Geth, roll 2d20k1+8 for Attacking Conrad
Geth, roll 1d12+7 for Damage
Geth, roll 2d20k1+8 for Attacking Conrad Again
Geth, roll 1d12+7 for Damage
Arno looks at Michael and Jack expectantly, as they are the only ones they expect to appreciate the pun as the ice knife leaves his hand and flys into Conrad.
"Sorry if you get hit guys, this is the first time I've used this..*Poomf*" Icy cold explodes from the pile of snakes, engulfing those nearby.
OOC: shooting a level 3 ice knife right at Conrad. If it hits, Conrad gets the 1d10 piercieng. Everything in 5ft of Conrad then Dex saves for half of 4d6 cold, which should be two piles of snakes, conrad himself, the Moderate blaze...and Jack and Oak. I promise I'll cast a heal next turn to make up for this, but this is my big AOE and I remember they hate cold.
Geth roll 1d20+7 for knife to the head
Geth roll 1d10 for piercing the heat with ice
Geth roll 4d6 for cold, so cold
(The Western Snake Swarm has been reduced by roughly 1/3)
…
It’s first time jitters, most likely…Arno summons the ice knife, and attempts to *chuck* it at the Conrad-Thing…but the shot goes *way* wide. *Incredibly* wide: instead of throwing it through the opened Navigation Room doors, Arno mistimes the release rather badly, and the ice knife comes to stick just below the Mizzen Nest. It *quivers* there for a second, before *exploding* into a *scattershot* of ice crystals in the rain, that scatters down upon everyone beneath!
GM NOTE: Urixes, Jack, Conrad, Arno’s Charmed Pile of Snakes, and Jack’s Damaged Pile of Snakes *ALL* get hit by the icy scattershot that explodes from the Ice Knife. Urixes and Jack outside in the rain, as well as Conrad and the two piles of Purple Snakes through the open Navigation Room doors, take (-8 cold damage) each! The Snakes to Jack’s south have been effectively destroyed, save a handful who may slither back towards Conrad…
…
Oak fairly *thrashes* Conrad, carving *meaty* chunks from the First Mate and (what little remains) of his robes. Between Oak’s assault and Arno’s *chilling* blast, the Conrad-Thing falls to the Deck, for the second time in less than six seconds…
Conrad clutches the deck, and shaking, involuntary *shivers* seem to come from beneath his robe. The Conrad-Thing makes horrible, wrenching noises of pain. From inside of him, writhing figures threaten to push out from beneath the skin…
Turn to Jack (@Glal) and Urixes (@Denada)
"Maybe... maybe not quite so close next time, Arno?" As the figure loses cohesion and goes from looking like a person to looking like 300 snakes in a trenchcoat Jack lifts his weapon one more time, sounding exasperated, "Can we stop it with the snakes already??"
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Conrad?
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Conrad?
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Urixes has little else to do but keep attacking, which is fine by him.
Geth, roll 1d20+8 for Eldritch Blast 1
Geth, roll 1d10+4 for Force Damage 1
Geth, roll 1d10+8 for Eldritch Blast 2
Geth, roll 1d10+4 for Force Damage 2
Geth, roll 1d20+8 for Grasp of the Deep
Geth, roll 1d8 for Cold Damage
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Conrad, the Consumed is finally *hurled* across the room by Urixes’s Eldritch Blast, *bashing* against the far wall of the Cabin and crumpling into a ruined heap. Your former shipmate *twitches*, his body broken.
From each corner of the room, the purple snakes turn their heads at the sound (with the exception of those Arno has charmed), and in a frenzied unison, they begin to *rapidly* flow back towards the collapsed Conrad. What remains of the Swashbuckler is soon coated in a vertically growing pile of snakes, and as the tiny reptiles disappear into the mass, the area around Conrad begins to stiffen and transform…
The purple snakes and Conrad are gone. In their place, an egg-like shell lies against the far wall. The cocoon is slightly larger than a man, and the coating bears the same distinctive, scaly, glass-speckled texture which had peeked from beneath Conrad’s skin as Oak had *hacked* it off.
The living bag *twitches* from within. As it does so, two things occur. First, the cocoon *ruptures* from its sides, expelling spiny growths (not *entirely* unlike Arno’s Ice Knife) which stick to the walls and *pulsate*, something aggressive dwelling within. And second, the cocoon *thrusts * heavy stalks, giant arm-width shards of the glass, into the Deck beneath itself!
The Quarter Deck *shakes and splinters* beneath your feet. Boards rend and tear at an incredible pace, like a wave of ripping wood. From below, several of the glassy stalks *rise up*, *blasting* their way from underneath…
GM NOTE: Conrad, the Consumed got *absolutely wrecked* by the Wild Bunch. Nice work guys! Here’s what’s happening now:
- Conrad has become cocooned in by the remaining purple snakes, and is at the moment *changing* (Conrad, the Chrysalis)
- The Spiky Growths which Conrad, the Chrysalis have shot around the place each quiver and pulsate, as though something lives within them. That’s probably not good!
- The Glassy Stalks Conrad has shot into the wood beneath your feet act as a Spiked Pit
- Jack’s Fire has maintained its size. Michael’s Fire has spread, and comes right up to the base of Conrad, The Chrysalis.
CURRENT MAP-
-It’s likely Conrad lied to the rest of this group about the true nature of the snakes, and they thought they were simply harboring just a common parasite to “protect” them from a worse fate (what fate they thought they were avoiding, you can’t be sure)
- These Purple Snakes originate from the Far Realm. The species is mostly un-researched, but it has been suggested that the snakes aren’t as much *animals* as they are an animal-like mutagen. Mad Mages have been known tap into the snakes for foul purposes…
-The Purple Snakes lying dormant as a parasite can potentially cause no change, subtle changes, or *rapid and violent* changes, depending on the subject and the body saturation of the reptiles. Mainlining four dozen of them at once, which had just been inside other people, was *incredibly* foolish, and the man was likely not in his right mind when he did so (OOC:picture William Birkin shooting himself up with the T-Virus
-Someone (likely whoever gave them to him) lied or told a half-truth to Conrad about the full-nature of the parasite he was taking into himself
-The strange transformation which is occurring in front of you is Conrad being forcefully-evolved into something the snakes think is closer to his “real” form. In this case:
A Barbed Devil, A creature of unbridled greed and desire. But not a proper one, which is why his body is unnaturally powerful and also just *barely* holding it together. The man's body is as likely to tear itself apart, before it tears *you all* apart
Oak charges the nearest spiny growth and starts hacking at it.
OOC:Charging to the Spiny Growth to the west and attacking it. Hope that's the key to the "spiny growth" puzzle. This is one of those "when all you have is a hammer...." situations for Oak.
Recklessly attacking here, if there are attacks back, they'll have advantage.
Geth, roll 2d20k1+8 for Attacking Spiny Growth
Geth, roll 1d12+7 for Damage
Geth, roll 2d20k1+8 for Attacking Spiny Growth
Geth, roll 1d12+7 for Damage
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Spiny Growth
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage
Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Saber Strike at Spiny Growth
Geth, roll 1d8+5 for Saber Damage