These soft boots enable the wearer to move quietly in virtually any surroundings, granting a +5 competence bonus on Move Silently checks.
Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item, creator must be an elf; Price 2,500 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Scrolls
A scroll is a spell (or collection of spells) that has been stored in written form. A spell on a scroll can be used only once. The writing vanishes from a scroll when the spell is activated. Using a scroll is basically like casting a spell.
Physical Description: A scroll is a heavy sheet of fine vellum or high-quality paper. An area the size of a piece of modern-day notebook paper (about 8 1/2 inches wide and 11 inches long) is sufficient to hold one spell. The sheet is reinforced at the top and bottom with strips of leather slightly longer than the sheet is wide. A scroll holding more than one spell has the same width (about 8 1/2 inches) but is an extra foot or so long for each extra spell. Scrolls that hold three or more spells are usually fitted with reinforcing rods at each end rather than simple strips of leather. A scroll has AC 9, 1 hit point, hardness 0, and a break DC of 8.
To protect from wrinkling or tearing, a scroll is rolled up from both ends to form a double cylinder. (This also helps the user unroll the scroll quickly.) The scroll is placed in a tube of ivory, jade, leather, metal, or wood. Most scroll cases are inscribed with magic symbols, which often identify the owner or the spells stored on the scroll inside. The symbols often hide magic traps.
Activation: To activate a scroll, a spellcaster must read a spell written on it. Doing so involves several steps and conditions.
Decipher the Writing: The writing on a scroll must be deciphered before a character can use it or know exactly what spell it contains. This requires a read magic spell or a successful Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level).
Deciphering a scroll to determine its contents does not activate its magic unless it is a specially prepared cursed scroll. A character can decipher the writing on a scroll in advance so that he or she can proceed directly to the next step when the time comes to use the scroll.
Activate the Spell: Activating a scroll requires reading the spell from the scroll. The character must be able to see and read the writing form the scroll.
Activating the scroll spell requires no material components or focus. (The creator of the scroll provided these when scribing the scroll.) Note that some spells are effective only when cast on an item or items. In such a case, the scroll user must provide the item when activating the spell. Activating a scroll spell is subject to disruption just as casting a normally prepared spell would be. Using a scroll is like casting a spell for purposes of arcane spell failure chance (such as from armor).
To have any chance of activating a scroll spell, the scroll user must meet the following requirements.
Determine Effect: A spell successfully activated from a scroll works exactly like a spell prepared and cast the normal way. Assume the scroll spell's caster level is always the minimum level required to cast the spell for the character who scribed the scroll (usually twice the spell's level, minus 1), unless the caster specifically decides otherwise.
The writing for an activated spell disappears from the scroll.
Scroll Mishaps: When a mishap occurs, the spell on the scroll has a reversed or harmful effect.
Physical Description: A scroll is a heavy sheet of fine vellum or high-quality paper. An area the size of a piece of modern-day notebook paper (about 8 1/2 inches wide and 11 inches long) is sufficient to hold one spell. The sheet is reinforced at the top and bottom with strips of leather slightly longer than the sheet is wide. A scroll holding more than one spell has the same width (about 8 1/2 inches) but is an extra foot or so long for each extra spell. Scrolls that hold three or more spells are usually fitted with reinforcing rods at each end rather than simple strips of leather. A scroll has AC 9, 1 hit point, hardness 0, and a break DC of 8.
To protect from wrinkling or tearing, a scroll is rolled up from both ends to form a double cylinder. (This also helps the user unroll the scroll quickly.) The scroll is placed in a tube of ivory, jade, leather, metal, or wood. Most scroll cases are inscribed with magic symbols, which often identify the owner or the spells stored on the scroll inside. The symbols often hide magic traps.
Activation: To activate a scroll, a spellcaster must read a spell written on it. Doing so involves several steps and conditions.
Decipher the Writing: The writing on a scroll must be deciphered before a character can use it or know exactly what spell it contains. This requires a read magic spell or a successful Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level).
Deciphering a scroll to determine its contents does not activate its magic unless it is a specially prepared cursed scroll. A character can decipher the writing on a scroll in advance so that he or she can proceed directly to the next step when the time comes to use the scroll.
Activate the Spell: Activating a scroll requires reading the spell from the scroll. The character must be able to see and read the writing form the scroll.
Activating the scroll spell requires no material components or focus. (The creator of the scroll provided these when scribing the scroll.) Note that some spells are effective only when cast on an item or items. In such a case, the scroll user must provide the item when activating the spell. Activating a scroll spell is subject to disruption just as casting a normally prepared spell would be. Using a scroll is like casting a spell for purposes of arcane spell failure chance (such as from armor).
To have any chance of activating a scroll spell, the scroll user must meet the following requirements.
- The spell must be of the correct type (arcane or divine). Arcane spellcasters can only use scrolls containing arcane spells, and divine spellcasters can only use scrolls containing divine spells. (The type of scroll a character creates is also determined by his or her class.)
- The user must have the spell in his or her class list.
- The user must have the requisite ability score.
Determine Effect: A spell successfully activated from a scroll works exactly like a spell prepared and cast the normal way. Assume the scroll spell's caster level is always the minimum level required to cast the spell for the character who scribed the scroll (usually twice the spell's level, minus 1), unless the caster specifically decides otherwise.
The writing for an activated spell disappears from the scroll.
Scroll Mishaps: When a mishap occurs, the spell on the scroll has a reversed or harmful effect.
Morkoth
A morkoth's bite is its only offensive weapon. Normally it uses its hypnosis ability to lure a passing creature through its maze, then devours its prey alive. The morkoth is a cautious monster, so it chooses its victims carefully. Typically, it tries to lure the last in a group of passing creatures into its tunnel, hoping that the others won't notice that one's absence until it is too late. Any creature passing by the entrance to a morkoth's lair may be hypnotized. A hypnotized creature moves unneringly through the maze at its usual speed. Once in center of the lair, the affected creature floats quietly in a trance, waiting to be devoured at the morkoth's leisure. A hypnotized creature is helpless against the morkoth's attacks but it may break out of the hypnosis while the morkoth attacks it. A morkoth can hypnotize any number of creatures at one time. When it is outside its lair, this ability works just as well. Hypnosis is a mind-affecting compulsion effect.
Dire Barracuda
The dire barracuda is about 10 feet long and weighs 300 pounds. It has bony protrusions along the spine and a mouth full of oversized teeth.
The dire barracuda is much more aggressive than its smaller cousin and sometimes hurls itself out of the water to attack.
The dire barracuda is much more aggressive than its smaller cousin and sometimes hurls itself out of the water to attack.
THE VOYAGE SOUTH (month 3, day 19-month 4, day 5)
When caught, Rowyn cursed the Tropic Thunder vehemently, blaming them for her ruin and promising them all painful deaths.
Since her guild was dismantled, Rowyn has seethed with a need for revenge. When she learned the Tropic Thunder were preparing for a voyage, she knew she had to be on their ship. Fortunately for the bitter ex-guildmistress, her magic made stowing away a simple task.
Rowyn had been defeated by the Tropic Thunder once before - she had little desire to fight fair. So she came up with elaborate plans to assassinate them without making her presence known.
Her eventual fate is up to the Tropic Thunder. So far, they keep her as a prisoner, planning to deliver her to the authorities at Fort Greenrock.
For the next week or so, the ships became stranded near the coast due to opposing winds. The two ships met a couple of friendly ships making the trip to Sasserine during that time, and witnessed man-sized sharks circling their boats. During that time, Harmony had to join the ship's crew, since Lirith could no longer perform her duties. She and Graim are expecting a baby.
Once the wind was in their favor, the expedition set out again. For several miles, the ships passed several enormous spider webs which clung to the boughs of the great jungle trees. Huge black shapes lay within the webs. The expedition did not tarry exploring these webs.
As their journey continued, the expedition encountered more of the local aquatic fauna, such as a dire barracuda and a morkoth. Dire barracuda are very long, narrow-bodied fish flashing through the water, razor-sharp teeth snapping. Only the morkoth attacked the expedition, luring one of the passengers to its jaws. Thankfully, the Tropic Thunder chased it away before it fed on any more passengers.
Eventually, the expedition reached the area of ancient Tamoachan. Lavinia promised Urol Forol a chance to explore the ruins of the infamous Tamoachan ruins, and asked the Tropic Thunder to accompany him on his short side expedition.
Since her guild was dismantled, Rowyn has seethed with a need for revenge. When she learned the Tropic Thunder were preparing for a voyage, she knew she had to be on their ship. Fortunately for the bitter ex-guildmistress, her magic made stowing away a simple task.
Rowyn had been defeated by the Tropic Thunder once before - she had little desire to fight fair. So she came up with elaborate plans to assassinate them without making her presence known.
Her eventual fate is up to the Tropic Thunder. So far, they keep her as a prisoner, planning to deliver her to the authorities at Fort Greenrock.
For the next week or so, the ships became stranded near the coast due to opposing winds. The two ships met a couple of friendly ships making the trip to Sasserine during that time, and witnessed man-sized sharks circling their boats. During that time, Harmony had to join the ship's crew, since Lirith could no longer perform her duties. She and Graim are expecting a baby.
As their journey continued, the expedition encountered more of the local aquatic fauna, such as a dire barracuda and a morkoth. Dire barracuda are very long, narrow-bodied fish flashing through the water, razor-sharp teeth snapping. Only the morkoth attacked the expedition, luring one of the passengers to its jaws. Thankfully, the Tropic Thunder chased it away before it fed on any more passengers.
Eventually, the expedition reached the area of ancient Tamoachan. Lavinia promised Urol Forol a chance to explore the ruins of the infamous Tamoachan ruins, and asked the Tropic Thunder to accompany him on his short side expedition.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Hungry Flotsam (month 4, days 13-16)
The ooze grabbed Alaric and pulled him overboard, when Harmony chased after them.
During the shipboard combat, one of the passengers used invisibility to take up a position where she could attack Cyq during the battle, using the chaos to escape back into hiding after a single strike.
Once slain the flotsam ooze floated, the driftwood and debris that once coated it slowly drifting away. Questioning the passengers after the combat revealed that all of them had actually witnessed the woman who attacked Cyq waiting patiently in the hold with them.
Eventually, the Tropic Thunder realized they have someone on board who's trying to do them in. After an argument with Lavinia, the passengers and crew of the Sea Wyvern were moved temporarily to the Blue Nixie, while Zan, from the Jade Ravens joined the heroes on the Sea Wyvern. There's only a certain number of places a stowaawy can hide on board, so once the tropic Thunder started searching with Zan's help, they found one soon enough.
It is none other than Rowyn Kellani, once the guildmistress of the largest thieves' guild in Sasserine - at least, until the Tropic Thunder defeated her Lotus Dragons and forced her to abandon her wealth and flee for her life.
During the shipboard combat, one of the passengers used invisibility to take up a position where she could attack Cyq during the battle, using the chaos to escape back into hiding after a single strike.
Once slain the flotsam ooze floated, the driftwood and debris that once coated it slowly drifting away. Questioning the passengers after the combat revealed that all of them had actually witnessed the woman who attacked Cyq waiting patiently in the hold with them.
Eventually, the Tropic Thunder realized they have someone on board who's trying to do them in. After an argument with Lavinia, the passengers and crew of the Sea Wyvern were moved temporarily to the Blue Nixie, while Zan, from the Jade Ravens joined the heroes on the Sea Wyvern. There's only a certain number of places a stowaawy can hide on board, so once the tropic Thunder started searching with Zan's help, they found one soon enough.
It is none other than Rowyn Kellani, once the guildmistress of the largest thieves' guild in Sasserine - at least, until the Tropic Thunder defeated her Lotus Dragons and forced her to abandon her wealth and flee for her life.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Father Feres' Illness (month 4, days 6-13)
When the Tropic Thunder visited Fort Blackwell, Father Feres spent his nights at the shrine of Heironeous.
The last day the expedition spent at the Fort, Father Feres fell desperately ill. His skin flushed, he couldn't keep down food or water, and he grew delirious, moaning and complaining that the world's grown too bright and soft around the edges. A trip to the local shrine of Pelor and its priest located a strange pulsing growth within Father Feres' belly. Harmony attempted to remove and destroy it, but Father Feres did not survive the procedure.
The expedition set out again the following day, and that night the Sea Wyvern was attacked by a gang of foul creatures that appeared more or less humanoid, but had mottled, decaying flesh drawn tight across clearly visible bones. They were mostly hairless and had a carnivore's sharp teeth. Their eyes burned like hot coals in their sunken sockets. The Tropic Thunder, along with the ship's crew, had no trouble disposing of these creatures.
The next few days of travel were quiet, with the passengers of the ships viewing large sharks following them for some time, and other friendly vessels skimming the coast. During this time Harmony tried to learn more of their fellow passengers, hoping to determine who is trying to sabotage the expedition. Her conversations with Amella revealed a woman who makes few attachments and has a poor opinion of gnomes. Harmony's attempts at speaking to Skald left her with the impression that the elf had alternative motives in joining the expedition. While they were conversing, Graim went through his things, but the only thing he found out was that Skald had been in the Styes recently, a foul waterfront far to the northeast.
As the Tropic Thunder neared the mouth of the Havekihu River, the expedition had its first real encounter with poor weather. The ships anchored near the river and took half a day to refill water stores on board from the river's waters (as they will do upon reaching the next three rivers along their route). Near the evening, less than a half hour after the expedition got under way again, a thick fog sprang up. Graim and Urol confirmed that fog banks like this often occur along the coast in this region, but the thickness was nevertheless oppressive. Passengers headed below deck, and the crew grew silent as all ears strained to the starboard side, marking the distant sound of breakers on the shore as the only trustworthy method of ensuring the expedition wouldn't draw draw too close to the shallows while still staying parallel to the coast. The fog grew thicker, and soon even the Blue Nixie, only a few hundred feet ahead, was lost to vision.
At this point, the voice of one of Lavinia's crew called out from the fog to the Sea Wyvern to announce that she ordered the ships to anchor for the night until the fog burns off in the morning. The voice was curiously muted by the fog, but nonetheless easily understood. The Tropic Thunder anchored the Sea Wyvern as well, and prepared themselves for a long night.
Of course, the fog is far from uninhabited. At some point in the night, the entire ship lurched as if striking a reef. In fact, the ship has been attacked by a dangerous aquatic predator called a flotsam ooze. This ooze is an enormous glob of transparent protoplasm that exudes a powerful adhesive that causes driftwood, animal carcasses, ship fragments, rocks, and other objects to cling to its surface.
The ooze itself is fifteen feet in diameter, and the lurching sensation was caused not by the Sea Wyvern hitting bottom, but by the ooze attaching itself to the hull as it prepared to slither up to search for prey.
The flotsam ooze's weight caused the ship to list slightly to the port. Attached to the hull just left of the stairs leading up to the bow, anyone who leans over the rail on the port side can see what appears to be a huge pile of flotsam clinging to the hull. The ooze attacks any target that comes within ten feet of the bottom of the stairs along the port side of the ship.
The last day the expedition spent at the Fort, Father Feres fell desperately ill. His skin flushed, he couldn't keep down food or water, and he grew delirious, moaning and complaining that the world's grown too bright and soft around the edges. A trip to the local shrine of Pelor and its priest located a strange pulsing growth within Father Feres' belly. Harmony attempted to remove and destroy it, but Father Feres did not survive the procedure.
The expedition set out again the following day, and that night the Sea Wyvern was attacked by a gang of foul creatures that appeared more or less humanoid, but had mottled, decaying flesh drawn tight across clearly visible bones. They were mostly hairless and had a carnivore's sharp teeth. Their eyes burned like hot coals in their sunken sockets. The Tropic Thunder, along with the ship's crew, had no trouble disposing of these creatures.
The next few days of travel were quiet, with the passengers of the ships viewing large sharks following them for some time, and other friendly vessels skimming the coast. During this time Harmony tried to learn more of their fellow passengers, hoping to determine who is trying to sabotage the expedition. Her conversations with Amella revealed a woman who makes few attachments and has a poor opinion of gnomes. Harmony's attempts at speaking to Skald left her with the impression that the elf had alternative motives in joining the expedition. While they were conversing, Graim went through his things, but the only thing he found out was that Skald had been in the Styes recently, a foul waterfront far to the northeast.
As the Tropic Thunder neared the mouth of the Havekihu River, the expedition had its first real encounter with poor weather. The ships anchored near the river and took half a day to refill water stores on board from the river's waters (as they will do upon reaching the next three rivers along their route). Near the evening, less than a half hour after the expedition got under way again, a thick fog sprang up. Graim and Urol confirmed that fog banks like this often occur along the coast in this region, but the thickness was nevertheless oppressive. Passengers headed below deck, and the crew grew silent as all ears strained to the starboard side, marking the distant sound of breakers on the shore as the only trustworthy method of ensuring the expedition wouldn't draw draw too close to the shallows while still staying parallel to the coast. The fog grew thicker, and soon even the Blue Nixie, only a few hundred feet ahead, was lost to vision.
At this point, the voice of one of Lavinia's crew called out from the fog to the Sea Wyvern to announce that she ordered the ships to anchor for the night until the fog burns off in the morning. The voice was curiously muted by the fog, but nonetheless easily understood. The Tropic Thunder anchored the Sea Wyvern as well, and prepared themselves for a long night.
Of course, the fog is far from uninhabited. At some point in the night, the entire ship lurched as if striking a reef. In fact, the ship has been attacked by a dangerous aquatic predator called a flotsam ooze. This ooze is an enormous glob of transparent protoplasm that exudes a powerful adhesive that causes driftwood, animal carcasses, ship fragments, rocks, and other objects to cling to its surface.
The ooze itself is fifteen feet in diameter, and the lurching sensation was caused not by the Sea Wyvern hitting bottom, but by the ooze attaching itself to the hull as it prepared to slither up to search for prey.
The flotsam ooze's weight caused the ship to list slightly to the port. Attached to the hull just left of the stairs leading up to the bow, anyone who leans over the rail on the port side can see what appears to be a huge pile of flotsam clinging to the hull. The ooze attacks any target that comes within ten feet of the bottom of the stairs along the port side of the ship.
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