Soon enough, the team cuts off enough fire hoses to start making the knotted ropes version of laddlers. Not ideal as say actual ropes, but strong enough to support a person's weight. With the help of Chalei'nh's wind powers and Malcom's gliding it should work.

Theoretically anyways.

Because the bloat is dead center in the football field, the best the ropes can get to is just short of the stage. The stage is surrounded by the mushroom 'trees' filled with defenders. As a result one must slide down the fire hose rope and then 'swing' onto the stage containing the bloat in order to avoid possible triggering the mushrooms. Even then, there would be a risk as the precise distance from each tree is unknown for their senses. You think its about 10 feet...but these might be more sensitive due to what they are guarding.

OOC-Everyone using the 'ropes', expect for Malcom, must make an athletics roll to climb down. Because these are improvised rope and not real knotted rope, the DC is 13. Alternatively, you could try an acrobatics check if that is a better skill, but then you are not taking it slow. The DC will be 15.

How much you fail by matters. Malcom can help one person, and if Chalei'nh goes last she can help others via her wind manipulation abilities.

Even if you make this roll, you will need to make a DC 13 acrobatics check to swing onto the stage without risking activating the trees...maybe. This DC might actually be higher, given to unknown factors. Again, how much you fail by matters.

Other powers and abilities may or may not help, depending on what you try.

OCC: with Athletics at +5 and Acrobatics at +7 I need 8 or more either way so I might go with panache and be acrobatic 

After preparing the ropes Nathan makes a point to a small fire extinguisher in case it's use as a distraction might turn up.

Look down from his perch onto the stage he steeled himself for what he must do. Swing down on ropes was not part of his training in either the military or law enforcement but this seem to be the best option for success. "Do we want to do this in any particular order or do we just do it."

In whatever order is decided he will take a risk and swing his way near the stage. His successful landing surprises even himself. As he approaches the stage he readies the fire extinguisher and wait to see how the other fares in their landing attempt

12:56, Today: Nathan rolled 26 using 1d20+8 ((18)). Acrobatics 

In reply to Nathan (msg # 496):

OOC-Nathan gets 10 over what he needed! That is a critical success, and does not have to roll to swing to the stage!

OOC: Interestingly, Connor is trained in Acrobatics so I'll try that instead of athletics, which he is untrained in.

Connor didn't have any magic that would directly help, but he had Cabochon and human grit! Seeing as no one wanted the gem spell, he cast it on himself - if something happened he'd at least have it there as a buffer for a minute or so. He then began to grab a rope and jumped over the side of the balcony they were on! He rappled down deftly - far more expertly than he would have before becoming transformed by the changes the game wrought upon him.

15:36, Today: Connor rolled 23 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 15.  Acrobatics.

"Cabby! Fly down a bit and help me judge the distances a bit so I know where to start swinging this makeshift rope!" Connor said as he rappled downward...

OOC: Okay, so casting the gem spell on Connor since no one else wants it, and reppeling down with Acrobatics.

He roleld really well: a 23! My attempt to try and level the odds more in my favor is to use Cabochon to fly down there and help Connor with the distances through their familiar link. In this sense, I figure Cabochon is at least as good as Connor himself at spatial thinking and judging, as well as understanding Connor's capabilities, so I'm hoping doing this can lower the DC a tad and maybe it will be enough to let him crit or something?

In reply to Connor (msg # 498):

OOC-you can roll acrobatics again and get +2 from your familiar's help. Given the swing to the stage is only dc 13 and you now have a +10, I'm pretty sure you can make it.

Taking the others' example, Chalei'nh tried to mimic their jumps as best she could, aiding herself with her wind manipulation abilities as best she could. While she did not know how well she could affect her own trajectory, the end result was what mattered in this case.

02:30, Today: Chalei'nh rolled 17 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 9.  Acrobatics (vs. 15).

21:50, Today: Connor rolled 30 using 1d20+10 with rolls of 20.  Acrobatics.

Connor gracefully makes it to the ground.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:50, Thu 17 Aug 2023.

What's the opposite of grace?  That's what Moya had when she scrambled down the raggedy ropes relying not on any acrobotic skill but on her full strength such as it was.

20:54, Today: Moya rolled 18 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 13.  Athletics roll to go down the ropes target 13.

As the other scrambled to the stage he clued in the primary target. "Aren't you a sight orange dude." Along with figuring the best locations to strike he was also looking for any other weakness not previous noticed from further out from the boss target.

OCC: 13:38, Today: Nathan rolled 28 using 1d20+10 with rolls of 18.  gain a clue vs orange King. Also making orange man a  lead to aid in his attacks.

Everyone made it to the stage without much issue. Before you is the Orange Bloat, up close. The huge, overstuffed mushroom is barley recognizable as a human...as its only feature is a small human face. Still orange as the rest of its body, capped off by a massive yellow and red mushroom top. The tiny eyes are closed, but its mouth is large and seems to constantly lick its small lips with a mushroom-laced version of a human tongue.

What you notice is that almost part of its body is the sound equipment the musical act left on stage before they where doubtlessly infected. Its massive size is grown over most of the stage you are on now. Then you notice, you are standing on various mushrooms that thread the stage-and also lead back to the Bloat itself.

The tiny eyes open, showing an almost rat like gaze as it scans all of you for a second.

"UNFAAAAAAIR!" It bellows, the sound from that tiny mouth boosted by the sound equipment. The entire stadium is overcome by its horrible voice, and you are at the point blank range! Worse, you notice all the tree like mushrooms peppered all over the football field are moving and dislodging the various Flordia men redcaps contained within!

OOC:
11:48, Today: Secret Roll: System AI rolled 26 using 1d20+10 with rolls of 16.  Orange bloat perception roll.

You have one round until the mushroom forest is roused and able to attack fully.

Everyone must make a fort save against deafness! The higher the better...

Everybody roll initiative! You may use stealth instead of perception if that is better.

[Private to Nathan: OOC-This was a set up from the AI itself. No doubt it wanted to 'wake' the creature in order to make it a more exciting battle. However, it is hooked up to live electrical equipment. Meaning if shorted out, it might cause the thing to suffer damage. ]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:11, Fri 18 Aug 2023.

20:16, Today: Chalei'nh rolled 23,19 using d20+8,d20+9 with rolls of 15,10.  Initiative, Stealth.
20:44, Today: Chalei'nh rolled 19 using 1d20+9 with rolls of 10.  Fortitude vs. Deafness.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:44, Fri 18 Aug 2023.

19:31, Today: Moya rolled 29 using 1d20+9 with rolls of 20.  Fortitude save vs Deafness.
19:32, Today: Moya rolled 11 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 3.  Initiative.

"Well isn't that convenient" Nathan said as he winched at unexpected sonic attack. He had serious suspicions that the 'impartial' AI had something to Orange thing's sudden awakening but there was nothing he house do about that now.

"He noted all the sound equipment wired directly into the Orange Bloat. He started pointing this out to the others. "It would be a real shame if something caused the high voltage equipment to overload."

11:34, Today: Nathan rolled 18 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 12. Fortitude.

11:34, Today: Nathan rolled 11 using 1d20+9 with rolls of 2.  Initiative .

15:27, Today: Connor rolled 10 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 2.  Stealth Roll.

15:26, Today: Connor rolled 15 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 9.  Fortitude Save.

12:32, Today: Malcom rolled 11 using 1d20+5 with rolls of 6.  Init (Perception).

12:31, Today: Malcom rolled 17 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 9.  Fort Save.

OOC-Anyone who fails to get fort save of 18 has the following effect.

quote:

Deafened
You can't hear. You automatically critically fail Perception checks that require you to be able to hear. You take a –2 status penalty to Perception checks for initiative and checks that involve sound but also rely on other senses. If you perform an action with the auditory trait, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action is lost; attempt the check after spending the action but before any effects are applied. You are immune to auditory effects.

You may make another save at the end of your next action for free.


The Bloat screams, and it feels like your ears explode. Then some of you hear nothing other than a high pitch ringing. A quick shake of your head clears the ringing other than for Malcom and Conner. The Bloat peers at the party with its tiny pig-like eyes, and those than can hear quickly realize what happened. Every fungi tree and plant is dislodging its occupants. Sure enough, the stadium is starting to fill with all those fungal redcaps, moving slowly towards the party. Both medium sized and large versions seem hellbent to attack.

(OOC-Enemy needs 1 round to get free of the trees in order to attack. That will occur at the end of the round. Party goes next!)

Chalei'nh winced as the mushroom started screeching, and she felt the only reason she could still hear much of anything afterward was due to the sash she had wrapped around her face like a balaclava covering her ears as well. Though unintended for that purpose, it had in a way ended up protecting her again against the effects of a mushroom, just not the one she had imagined to have been the major threat.

- "Says the one who has us outnumbered an army to a handful."

She gave Nathan a quick glance and a nod to tell him she had understood what he had said through the momentary ringing in her ears. Rubbing her hands together to build up static electricity, she figured she may as well use the opportunity to test out a new application of her powers -- one that ironically dealt just the right kind of power electronic equipment would be weak against.

She shot her hands forward, and as she did so, electricity shot out from her fingertips, aimed at the sound equipment whose wiring seemed to be heading directly into the mushroom's innards.

Action 1 & 2: Kinetic Blast (electricity): 18 to hit, 4 damage
Action 3: Parry (+3 AC, 21 --> 24)

02:12, Today: Chalei'nh rolled 18 17 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 10.  Kinetic Blast (electricity) vs. Mushroom.
02:13, Today: Chalei'nh rolled 4 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 1,1.  Kinetic Blast damage (Electricity).

Not sure if my sash applies to kinetic blast since it boosts unarmed, so i didn't include bonuses.

Connor shook his head - the loud blast of sound was deafening, and his ears were still ringing! However, he didn't need to hear clearly to do what he was going to do next, for he already knew it was time to burn this mother fucker!

He gathered his hands to himself, and made the arcane mudras of flame and sphere with his hands, as he gathered his magic to himself. At the same time, Cabochon spun rapidly around Connor in his orbit, as one of his constituent stones glowed with a soft light. Suddenly, a blazing sphere of fire and heat formed in front of Connor, on the stage. The thing sparkled a bit with a glittery light the same as that of Cabochon's glowing stone, before bouncing and bounding right into the large mass that was the Floor Boss!

Action 1: Activate Cabochon's Orb of Focus, to grant Connor's next spell +2 DC.

Action 2 & 3: Cast Flaming Sphere and send it bounding into the Floor Boss! It has +1 Damage die due to orb of life and Death and +2 DC (possibly another +1 from orb of life and death but I'm unsure) from Cabochon.

I don't know the boss's saves yet, so DM...this deals, after mods, 4d6 Fire Damage and it must make a Reflex Save vs DC 19+2(or 3 as orb of life and death is unclear on DCs) = 21 or 22 as you rule it. So at least a DC 21 Reflex save lol. If it passes, no damage this turn but if it fails then it takes a fistful of fire damage.

23:27, Today: Connor rolled 10 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 4.  Fort Save.

Connor still is deafened.

The pain in his ears were awful but more painful were the memories of loud explosions that killed and wounded his comrades during his tours in the Middle East with the military. He managed to stay focus to the task.

He scanned the cluttered stage for possible locations to hide for his next attack. Raising his scope he looked for a location to hurt the Orange Blob in the worst way possible. Given his electrical vulnerability he was hoping for a convenient sprinkler about it or other water source that could douse the orange louse with electronica destroying joy. If unable to do that he will settle for inserting a bullet through his vocal chords.


Free action: Plan strategy (Orange Blob 'lead' in investigation.)
Action 1: shoot target.
Action 2. Find place to Hide. failing that reserve for dodge or parry
Action 3. Reload

02:32, Today: Nathan rolled 3 using 1d10 with rolls of 3.  bullet damage if regular.

02:29, Today: Nathan rolled 24 11 using 2d6+2d12+8 with rolls of 6,5,4,1.  addition damage from 'one shot one kill' .

02:18, Today: Nathan rolled 22 using 2d6+2d12+8 (4) with rolls of 6,3,2,3.  critical damage .

02:06, Today: Nathan rolled 27 using 1d20+14 with rolls of 13.  plot strategy.

Damage if Critical (AC 17 or less) is 33 regular damage would be 19

Shaking his head he takes a few steps toward the bloat before slashing down on it with his cloak over and over. Trying brute force before the troops arrive and he is forced to defend.

Action 1: Move
Action 2 and 3. Attack.
Still Deafened.

16:29, Today: Second AttackMalcom rolled 10,20 using d20+5,2d8+4 with rolls of 5,8,8.

16:27, Today: First Attack Malcom rolled 16,8 using d20+10,2d8+4 with rolls of 6,2,2.  Cloak Melee Strike.
16:34, Today: Malcom rolled 15 using 1d20+8 with rolls of 7.  Fort Save.

Moya was unaffected by the deafness and yet. She's troubled by the lack of green around here.  She hates it and she hates the bloat and so.  She aims the essence of all that she is right at the heart of it.  She cups her hand to the tattoo on her uppper arm and then moves it forward so that both hands form a cup.  She glares through it at the bloat and growls as she prepares.

Action Prepares Inner Radiance torrent through her tattoo it will strike at the end of next round if she's still alive.

Chalei'nh pours a blast of lighting into the Bloat and its sound equipment. She could see the electricity shorting out the gear like Nathan had predicted, and causing the energy to flow directly into the Bloat. It clearly did not enjoy that. However, she could tell its massive bulk acted like some sort of armor. Without the sound equipment, she might not have even gotten through its layers of flowing flesh and mushroom coating.

Connor's fire orb does a better job, as the creature cannot even move. As a result it keep burning-but has some level of resistance to that as well. Still, he can see it char and burn from the exposure.

Before hiding off stage, Nathan puts a bullet between the thing's beady little eyes. The scope reveals it did not go all the way through, as its layers of armored form keeps it from full penetration. It roars at the pain of the wound, but it does not bleed. [Private to Nathan: (OOC-Not a crit)]

Malcom's wing slices don't even make more than a surface wound. Its like trying to cut a version of rubberized jello. [Private to Malcom: (OOC-Both Miss)]

Moya prepares to release her power very soon...

Now that combat has started, The AI normally would show a health bar for such targets. However, the HUDs only show 'REDACTED' When trying to see the creatures stats. It does have a bit of a bio however.

THE ORANGE BLOAT

Apex of this level.

The Orange Bloat is what happens when you mix a tyrannical local leader with a alien spore bent on universal infection. He certainly won't be winning any beauty contest anytime soon, but that's ok! He finally has everything he ever wanted. Thousands of willing servants, and a near impenetrable hide! Good luck on getting out of this one...but hey. You could just wait another 20 hours or so and let the level collapse on you instead. It will be less painful for sure!

"UNFAAAAAAAIIIIR!" The thing bellows again at its pain, but the sound is no longer amplified due to the ruined sound equipment. However, its starting to release spore gas from whatever orifices' it still has. Thankfully none of those opening are visible, but it does seem like its farting on you with visible results.

Worse-the Redcaps are now fully emerged from their trees...

OOC-The Florida Man Redcaps will be able to attack next turn. The Bloat misses its action due to being stunned, however, the spore gas release is a reaction to being damaged. You don't have to save against it-yet.

You cannot see the Bloat's stats due to AI interference.

You are up!

- "Well, this guy definitely used to be a politician."

Chalei'nh chuckled after reading the description, already rubbing her hands to let her next attacks charge up. While the sound system was now ruined with the electrical discharge. While last time the damage had been very little, she decided to, for now, move on to two smaller attacks that should prove more efficient. Aware that the Redcaps would be reaching them soon, she also raised her shield in anticipation of the combat zone... getting a lot more busy.

Action 1: Kinetic Blast (electricity): 11 to hit, 5 damage
Action 1: Kinetic Blast (electricity): 11 6 to hit, 4 damage
Action 3: Parry (+3 AC, 21 --> 24)

22:54, Today: Chalei'nh rolled 11,11 using d20+8,d20+8 with rolls of 3,3.  Kinetic Blast (electricity) vs. Mushroom.
22:55, Today: Chalei'nh rolled 5,4 using 2d6,2d6 with rolls of 4,1,1,3.  Kinetic Blast damage (Electricity).
This message was last edited by the player at 20:56, Tue 26 Sept 2023.

Connor knew he had to act fast, to get his magic "array" set up properly. Because not only were the minions going to be upon them soon, but ultimately it was a race against time to see if they could burn the boss down - literally in Connor's case - before they ran out of stamina and resources.

"Time to really show the audience what I can do when my figurative balls are to the wall! you know, with my literal balls of fire! You'd think I was an evoker, but really I'm an Abjurer with an Edge." he said as suddenly he made hand mudras again and this time...a SECOND Flaming Sphere Appeared into existence in a fiery *POOf* of heat and flame. Connor then held made a single additional hand mudra before both Flaming Spheres Bounced across the stafe and Slammed into the Boss in a small bit literal explosion of flame!

"Let's see if THAT wears away its outer defenses!" he said as the Flames began trying to burn their way into the boss!

Action 1: Sustain Flaming Sphere 1 (9 Rounds Left, Assuming 10 rounds = 1 minute)

Action 2 & 3: Cast Flaming Sphere Again! Summoning a Second Sphere! Both Spheres go into the Boss' space, while avoiding the party members.

It has +1 Damage die due to orb of life and Death (possibly another +1 DC from orb of life and death but I'm unsure) from Cabochon. Unlike the first Sphere, though, it is at 2 less DC than Sphere since I haven't been able to activate the Orb of Focus for it yet.

I don't know the boss's saves yet, so DM...this will be 2 spheres. After mods, they deal 4d6 (DC 21-22) + 4d6 (DC 19-20) Fire Damage and those are Reflex Saves. I'm unsure how the orb of life and death interacts with DCs which is why I'm listing them weird lol.

Now for that Deaf save...

23:30, Today: Connor rolled 26 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 20.  Fortitude Save.

Oh woot a NAT 20! So definitely not deaf anymore!

Nathan was disappointed and surprised that his shot failed to more fully penetrate. Based on his tantrums he was hoping the Orange Blob would have thinner skin. With his followers closing in he needed to made a better shot.

from behind the pile of discarded signs he sighted then fired. He thought this shot was far better then his previous, if that wasn't a serious hit he was going to have a serious word with the sponsor.

He will spring from cover using the smoke from his shot to help cover his move to his next concealed position. He will make a witty line to help with their rating. While the game show elements of their fight for survival was annoying, he realized that getting the audience's support would aid in that survival. He will point to the spell casters and say "Cue the special effects."

As he dived behind a upturned popcorn wagon he thought he heard crickets despite all the other noises. He had to admit to himself that his 'witty' performance probably fell flat. "Sorry guys still working on my timing and delivery." he will whisper to the audience watching from the safety of the forth wall. As he settled into his latest hiding spot he reloaded for another shot.

Free Action:plot strategy
Action 1: shot the Orange Blob <I assume either rolling a 20 or a 34 is a Critical >
Action 2: make a sad attempt at an impressive performance
Action 3: Hide and reload.

01:15, Today" Nathan rolled 32 using 1d20+14 with rolls of 18.  plot strategy.

01:15, Today: Nathan rolled 7 using 1d20+6 with rolls of 1.  impressive performance.
 01:14, Today: Nathan rolled 17 using 1d20+7 with rolls of 10.  stealth.
01:05, Today: Nathan rolled 34 using 2d6+2d12+8 with rolls of 5,6,7,8.  critical damage.
00:57, Today: Nathan rolled 34 using 1d20+14 with rolls of 20.  plot strategy.