Chp. 5: WTF?!

[Grognardsw]

Groyn the dwarf peers down the pit, hoping for the best with Desertfox and Foracor in their efforts to save the damsel. He hears sudden shouts of alarm, then silence, then Desertfox's lower body is tossed out to the middle of the pit. The fighter's body has been torn in half.

At that moment, the bound she-orc rushes Groyn, collides and pushes him into the pit! The dwarf scrambles to grab the edge (Dex. check using 3d6.)



Meanwhile, the adventurers face off against Eledhon across the chamber. Fingal the thief nocks and fires an arrow from his bow. Eledhon moves to the left and the arrow flies over his shoulder.

Asherrion the elf swings his sling, letting loose a stone that whacks the druid in the right leg! (4 HP damage.)

Taking the advantage of the distraction, Niles the fighter charges and swings his magic sword. Eledhon attempts to sidestep, but the blade bites into his left hip! (6 HP.)

"Sktrak qoktch kek!" says Eledhon in a strange voice. He transforms into an exact duplicate of Niles and tries to strangle Niles. The two fighters tangle but neither gets a solid grasp. They are indistinguishable from each other!

Coming into the room now from the corridor are Wulfhart the fighter, Albertus and Easia the clerics.

Actions!

- She-orc charge bump Groyn 1-50 or Boddin 51+ [1d100] = 33 Groyn
- She-orc charge bump Groyn [1d20] = 15 Hits. Groyn Dex check required.
- Asherrion sling stone damage [1d4] = 4 4 HP damage
- Niles sword [1d20+2] = 12+2 = 14, damage [1d8+2] = 4+2 = 6 6 HP damage
- Niles vs. Niles [1d20] = 10, damage [1d10] = 5 Miss

[MrHemlocks]

AND YOU GUYS WANTED TO SAVE THE LOVELY SHE-BEAST ORC!!!! I TOLD YOU ALL SHE NEEDED TO DIE... But no, you would not kill the orc. You needed to give her a chance to become a better creature...BS...loololo Modern ideals, in a medieval style fantasy game....doom Your characters all suffered from humanoid guilt complex.

Albertus, with the barbarian, continue to follow after the escaping elf.

[jakegreenxxxx44]

throws mini-hammer at what she thinks is Eledhon before he changed into Niles
1st hammer = throwing hammer attack [1d20] = 17 damage [1d4] = 1

[Zhym]

Boddin tries to catch up with the group chasing the doppleganger.

Sorry about my absence over the past several days.

[OGRE MAGE]

AND YOU GUYS WANTED TO SAVE THE LOVELY SHE-BEAST ORC!!!! I TOLD YOU ALL SHE NEEDED TO DIE... But no, you would not kill the orc. You needed to give her a chance to become a better creature...BS...loololo Modern ideals, in a medieval style fantasy game....doom Your characters all suffered from humanoid guilt complex.

Albertus, with the barbarian, continue to follow after the escaping elf.

Too bad she pushed Groyn and not that orc lovin little Halfling into the pit.

[OGRE MAGE]

Can those of us who were attacking still tell which is which? Fingal was keeping a pretty sharp watch with his bow eye.

Fingal will draw his sword and charge at the pair of Nileses. He swings at whichever one dosent seem like he wants to attack him back.

Attack w/ +1 Short Sword [1d20+1] = 6+1 = 7 Damage [1d6+1] = 2+1 = 3

[AleBelly]

Huffing, Wulfhart runs into the room. In a rare moment of mental acuity, he sees the two Nileses fighting and draws the parallel to the doppelganger they encountered back at the keep. He draws his sword, advancing. "Niles, what remarkable sight did we see on top of a pair of chicken legs?"

Assuming one answers correctly, he will attack the other with his sword.

Attack w/Fang of Cuthbert (THAC0 18) [1d20+2] = 10+2 = 12, damage [1d8+2] = 2+2 = 4

[OGRE MAGE]

I would think they have all the victims memories too but......maybe not.

[AleBelly]

Ol' Wulfie's a barbarian woodsman. He don't know any better!

[Hotgoblin]

Groyn

Dex check (14) [3d6] = 8

[Grognardsw]

Groyn the dwarf feels the impact of the bound she-orc's body. He falls, twists, and grabs the edge of the pit near the grappled rope. He glares up at the orc, who spits at him and tries to stomp his hand. Her foot comes down but Groyn swats at it. She loses her balance, being tied up, and trips into the pit (fumble.)

Groyn struggles back up to the floor and looks down. The she-orc is dead at the bottom. He can't see Foracor the elf. Then Groyn hears a scream and Foracor's arm, with shield attached, is flung into the middle of the pit from the passageway. Groyn moves to the other side of the pit to gain a better view into the passageway down there. His eyes widen as he beholds...

Elsewhere, the adventurers confront the two Niles. Easia hurls one of her hammers at the one she hopes is the false Niles. It grazes one of the fighters (1 HP damage.) Fingal the thief takes a guess and slashes at one of the Niles but his blade is turned away by the fighter's plate mail.

Wulfhart the barbarian throws a question at the double-Niles. One Niles answers a split second before the other: "Baba Yaga's hut!"

Wulfhart hacks at the slower answering Niles, but is parried in turn. Vorkath the paladin follows Wulfhart's lead, thrusting with Excommunicator. Niles leaps back to avoid the blow.

Then the head of Niles the false splits apart...

as the body transforms into a lizardoid creature that runs up the wall and ceiling. It's running upside down on the ceiling out of the room!

Actions!

43951 Keep DM The Keep in the Borderlands Easia hit the right Niles? 1-50 yes [1d100] = 75 11/25/2014 9:20:34 PM
Easia hammer hits true Niles for 1. Since there was no specific guidance on target besides a guess, I rolled random. You hit the real Niles. Your Dex. modifier of +1 means an 18, which is enough to hit Niles' AC 1.
43950 Keep DM The Keep in the Borderlands Vorkath attack [1d20+2] = 7+2 = 9, damage [2d4+2] = 5+2 = 7 11/25/2014 9:14:40 PM
43948 Keep DM The Keep in the Borderlands Initiative: Monsters [1d6] = 5, Party [1d6] = 5 11/25/2014 9:00:52 PM
43947 Keep DM The Keep in the Borderlands She-orc foot stomp on Groyn [1d20] = 1 11/25/2014 8:56:01 PM
43946 Keep DM The Keep in the Borderlands Initiative: Monsters [1d6] = 5, Party [1d6] = 4

[OGRE MAGE]

Fingal looks at the real Niles. I guess that makes you the real Niles then eh? I think we've bit off more than we can chew in here guys! What in tarnashion was THAT?

[jakegreenxxxx44]

throws here mini-hammer at retreating creature:
throwing hammer attack [1d20] = 7 damage [1d4] = 2

[AleBelly]

"There's a reason that damned creature is running along the ceiling" warns Wulfhart. He almost gives chase, but his cooler head prevails. He drops his sword, grabs his bow and fires his less favored weapon at the retreating shapeshifter.

Long bow attack under 70' (THAC0 18) [1d20] = 20 and damage [1d6] = 4

[OGRE MAGE]

Fingal takes a shot as well.

Attack w/ Short bow [1d20+1] = 14+1 = 15 Damage [1d6] = 4

[Hotgoblin]

Groyn

He sees the hideous creature that just ripped apart his friends. He'll deal with this fiend at another time he must find the rest of the group.Theys were always too nice, now they're deads!! Me thinks these caves are Truly Evil!!! Groyn will head north up the passage way toward the party members, with his Battle Axe readied for some fresh blood!

[doughx99]

Niles feeling a little unsettled after coming face to face with himself

lets find the others we must stay together or get tricked again

[Grognardsw]

"Get the demon!" yells Vorkath the paladin as the weird creature sprints across the ceiling upside down. A gobsmacked Niles watches it run; the creature was him but seconds ago.

Fingal and Wulfhart take aim with their bows and fire as one. The barbarian's arrow thuds deep into its back; the thief's arrow pierces its shoulder! Easia hurls a hammer but it falls short. The reptilian body-shifter hisses in pain, looses grip on the ceiling, falls, scrambles up and runs out through the east corridor, turning south.

Boddin the hobbit, quiet this day as he wonders if these caves are too much for him, walks quickly north up the corridor to catch up to his comrades. Why, there's one of them now coming toward him! Running! Oh no it's -



The injured creature charges the hobbit, claws slashing, maw biting!

Actions!

Boddin suprised by monster? [1d6] = 6 No

Meanwhile in the orc council chamber, a disturbed Groyn the dwarf moves back from the gory death in the pit and the murmuring malevolence at its bottom. "Help me," the damsel's voice cries. "Help me," she pleads. Then laughs: "I hunger for heart, the marrow in your bones, the juices from your brain."

Groyn makes his way east then up the north passage. There is some commotion ahead.

[Zhym]

Coming face-to-face with the doppelthing snaps Boddin out of his haze. He has a fraction of a second to make a decision: slip the ring on his finger and escape? Or draw Beninu and fight?

The name of his axe reminds Boddin why he has it, and of the damage the creature before him has already done. The hobbit attacks.

Beninu (Axe +2) (THAC0 18): [1d20+3] = 1+3 = 4, Dmg: [1d6+3] = 3+3 = 6

*facepalm*

[Grognardsw]

Boddin the hobbit swings low with Beninu, but the repellent reptilian leaps high over it while slashing its claws at the hobbit's head and snapping at him. Boddin evades the claws but is gashed by the terrible teeth (4 HP damage.)

Actions!

- Initiative: Monsters [1d6] = 1, Party [1d6] = 6 Boddin wins
- Monster c/c/b [1d20] = 4, [1d20] = 5, [1d20] = 16 Bite hit
- Monster bite Boddin damage [1d8] = 4 4 HP damage
- Groyn, approaching from the south, can engage in this next round of the Boddin encounter.