Jason: And that brings us to the end of this episode of daggers and drums. Thank you for spending your time with us, whether you're listening on your commute, painting minis or rolling dice at your very own table. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider liking the video and subscribing to the channel or following the podcast wherever you listen. We'd also like to give special thanks to everyone who helps to make this show possible. Your support means more than you know. you Previously on Deep Six. If you want to keep up with us between episodes, you can find daggers and drams on YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms. As always, thanks for being a part of this journey with us. Until next time, pour yourself a dram, roll your dice, keep on telling great stories. wonder where I go when I die Underneath the surface I hear voices Trying to get to heaven, but it's all hell And every day I wake up I still wonder if I'm dead or alive Six feet deep, deep six Sitting in the middle of heaven and hell 6 feet deep! Can't ever just be nice and all, so it's gotta be something gross and I know, so creepy. I'm trying to decide whether to just like throw you under the bus and sneak out or no, just stay. Will I make myself known? Do think I should? No hell no. Guess what do you have? 16. This is where he's like, and I had to roll for eight people. What's your hit point count? Right now 51. got, our oral health came back in the last couple, where we were at a rest. What is your? 13. Okay. And how many hit points do you have? Oh, it's 27. That's what that is. yeah. my god, don't for hit points. This is the best part. The fighting part. This is the good part. Yeah. I don't know, I don't know about fighting. He's doing a lot of math, I don't like doing his math. I like the baths. The baths is good. Well, for us. Do do ⁓ very much. I forgot roll for... Got the roll for the Chromatic Dragon. For the hiding in the bill. For the Chimera just behind the shelf. OK. All right. So Steny, you actually get the jump on these guys. Hell yeah. they, so two, to the and right, they are, they are focused on you and immediately begin going for weapons. You're not sure what they're about to pull, but you see them, you know, up arms. sees you and the ⁓ which you notice on his forehead looks angry as if it furrows. Okay. And wheels and goes back to his work. All right. Okay. Trying to finish whatever process it is that they're doing. And he says, He says, not yet control the flow. you, you watch as the automaton begins to reanimate, moving unstable, twitching, semi-aware, energy arcs between the cables, and the cauldron begins to overload ⁓ or awaken. You see these flashing on the side of the cauldron as if it's trying to now work through its reprogrammed nature. And it doesn't seem to be taking very well, as if interrupted or broken in some way. I'm wondering, I haven't had a chance to use vicious mockery yet. What if I do that on the cauldron with the little dude, well the big dude in it? Cause I don't think we want it to reanimate, do we? Oh, you'll have that opportunity if you want to try it. What would you want to do initiative wise? Yeah. Um, so I'm going to, I'm going to pull out the great axe anyway. because I have it in my hands because I got attacked. I am going to... I'm gonna run up to Gaia on the right side. So right from where I am. So this one here. Because that looks like it's well within my range. Um... And I'm going to... No, I'm just gonna have to attack. Okay. To the one on the right? Yeah, this one here. Oh, you're so brave! Did you rage or not? I haven't raged. You haven't raged? No. Okay. Let's see we get on with it. Alright. 1D12 for my great axe. Just roll it. Oh, 17. To hit? Yep. As it hits? Hell yeah. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. And then for my damage is eight. Eight, alright. I take my axe and I'm actually, like, I just, because I got the drop on him before he even pulled the weapon out. Yeah. Just running at him and just. Yeah. So he kind of does a little half step back as you swing your axe. Just to keep you from cleaving him in half. So does take a huge slash to the front of his chest and robes. And you see that he's also pulled a long kind rusted dagger. But ⁓ as he jumps back kind of takes that blow, but he is now bleeding profusely. right. I've got Cleave. If you hit a creature with a melee attack using great axe, you can make another attack against a second creature within five feet of the first within your reach. Okay. So I get to take, so I can probably take a swipe at the guy leading the thing. Yes, you can. Yeah. So, and would have advantage because he is not facing you. Yeah. saw the hit the second creature takes great access damage, but without my ability modifier which doesn't so you would also get I'll say on the guy looking away from you you eat sneak attack. All right, okay, because he doesn't see that you're What does sneak so what will that add to me sneak attack will add what? Oh, one extra D6. Yes. Cool. Excellent. let's go with this then. I'm going to first do the... I'm going to hit them anyway. I think we can have that meta attack with this. First one to reach the hits. Okay, we gotta check the hit first. So without a modifier, it's on the nine. Nine to hit. Yeah. Don't think that's gonna hit him. Okay. So I take a slash to the first guy, then I turn on this other guy and I just try to hit him, but I kind of off balance. Yeah. Clinks off the ground and from beside him. Yeah. Okay. yeah, you slash through and your axe kind of strikes the floor next to the guy, but he's, he's, he's thoroughly focused on, on what, on, on what he's doing there. Okay. But it is turn at the moment. I can use i'm not going to do that disengage or hide Okay there and I can't do sneaky tech don't think you that cuz I missed cool. Yeah Good. Okay. So you see him begin to his hands in familiar way as if he's performing an incantation and then throws both hands. He throws both hands directly towards the automaton you see automaton then lock focus and eyes with him. No. And then begin to try and stand. Shit. Okay. So these cables are now snapping off the automaton and he's kind of standing up in this cauldron. ⁓ not fully standing yet because he's a boy and he's trying to free himself at this moment. It is the automaton's turn next as well. And like you see him as he's trying to rise that he just doesn't quite have the strength, whatever they're draining from this machine. He's now struggling within his own power to stand and move. And he's still cut completely wide open. You see the inner workings of this automaton. And just kind of leaking this kind of bright, brilliant white fluid from his chest cavity. And you can see like the light behind his eyes flickering as he's looking and searching, trying to figure out what's happening and he's pulling these cables off of him. And right now those cables, they were keeping him in the chair, but he's broken enough of them free he's starting to stand, but he's still fighting against some of the ones that are there. And he's still working ⁓ to himself. and he does break away one of the remaining restraints. So there are three left. I don't know if he's good or bad. I feel a bit bad for him. Are draining him? Okay. And that brings us to Ruby's turn. I want to know more about this automaton before I start attacking him. Do think I could use my brooch and the fact that nobody can see me to kind of go over and just say... ⁓ what do I say to him? I'll just say, I'm here to help you and see what he says. Okay. now the, the automaton is directly in front of the leader who is facing and working with them. So if you were to go over and speak to the automaton, you would be heard. You're invisible, but you would be heard if you spoke. I know I don't want to do that. It doesn't mean you can't do it. I'm just, I'm just letting you know. I have charm person. Could I charm the automaton and tell him to ⁓ up the leader? Okay. What does that spell entail? it? I've just written down 30 feet. Okay. I'll need to look that up quickly to see if it's somatic or if there's like, like Do you have to say anything to cast the spell? Do you have to make any kind of movements? Because movements make a difference because you're invisible. Right. But if you have to speak anything. Then I'll be heard. Yeah, then you'll be heard. So which spell is it again? Person. No. Okay. So it is verbal and somatic. Okay. Either or I have to do them both. I think it's both. Right. So one humanoid you can see within range, makes a wisdom saving throw. Also with advantage charm creature is friendly to you and the spellians the target knows that it was charmed. Yeah, so you could do it, but you're going to be heard by the leader. Almost, almost certainly. I mean, he's going to find out either way because I'm going to have to help Steny. I can't just pussy out and not help Steny as much as I want to. I will say that the, what's the range on that 30 feet? Yeah. So you could like hide back in one of the corners of this smallish room. Ooh, good idea. And try to cast it from there. And he might have a lesser chance of hearing you than if you were just right next to him. I'm still going to make you roll for it. Yeah. But it gives you a chance at not being heard. Okay. So I've got my brooch on. Does that add anything to this mix? Yeah, because you're not exhausted anymore for once. Yep. So it gives you an advantage on this. Okay. and I'm gonna do charm person. What do I have to roll for? don't roll. It's just a cast, ⁓ but am going to make you roll to see if you were heard. So roll stealth. Stealth. I've got plus three. 20 plus three. Of course you do. not only are able to pull this off, but, or at least. You're able to try and cast the spell without being heard by the cultist leader. Okay. I still need to roll to see ⁓ a wisdom saving throw. He succeeds. So the is not Okay. But doesn't seem to be focusing on you. It just seems to be in a bit of a rage of its own at the moment, trying to free itself confuse us to where it is, when it is, who are these ⁓ what is happening to it. Okay. should, I do anything else? Well, that was your action. So you've got bonus action. we'll say that you moved. Where did you move to this little corner here? Okay. So that's probably That's probably your movement done as well. unless got anything that's ⁓ kind labeled as a bonus action that you want to try. No, I'm going to think on this while I Stanny probably get beaten up now. Mate, what the fuck? Okay. All right. ⁓ So brings to the cultists on the left. it will be fine. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. ⁓ Then he's not worried. Not at all. Okay. And I'm invisible so I can always just run away. the cultist on the left... ⁓ is going to turn and try to come help his buddy fight you. So he's going to move around to the square. Okay. P Diddy party starting to happen over here. And so also going to pull out this large rusty blade and is going to ⁓ take a slash at you. So that is a 14 to hit. 14. AC14 baby! So that is... Oh, a dice that has a zero on it. That's great. 8 points of slashing, David. Fuck you! Duh. that is his turn and the right is going to make an attack as well with his of And that will hit. You take another eight points of down. swear to God. They both rolled max on the d6. Oh my god. Plus two. I this. So what that bring you down to? 35. I'll be fine. You'll fine. But it does take their turns and it's back to your turn. Excellent. So I'm going to take With the how many can you get in the cleave? ⁓ One. I can attack one and hit another one in five. Now the thing I have as well is topple. So if you hit a creature with your battle axe, you can force it to make a con save. On a fail state, the creature becomes prone. Right? But that's... So I'm going to first try and hit the guy I hit before. So the one on the right. The one on the right. Yeah. No, Yeah, well, this guy here. So I'm going to try and hit that guy first again. So the roll. 8. To hit. Yep. No. Box. Damn it. Yeah, but I have an unarmed, but I have an unarmed strike. So want to try and take a swing as a bonus action? Yeah, yeah. So I'm going to take the same guy again. So I miss, I've got to the axe down and miss him. I'm still kind of off balance. I'm going to take a swing with my left. So, and it is a 11. To hit? Yes. Misses as well. Fuck me sideways. That's why I need the other ones. And that's kind of everything that I can do. Alright, so a slash through the air from the axe misses just under the chin you try to follow up with the with the left as well and and again he just manages to back out of the way. God fucking dammit. I hate game. Okay. Alright, so anything you want to do? This coming action, my bonus actions. Okay. So I'm kind of done for that. Alright, so the cult leader again still focused on the automaton kind of takes a half step back and then just kind of you him bring his hands to his temples and begins to focus towards the the automaton You're listening to this sound as you're seeing almost in slow motion as these guys are kind of turning towards you to see who spoken. Um, and So that's as they turn towards you, see that several of them are tattooed also on their head and face, but that the one in the center, the one who seems to be leading this has that eye tattoo prominently in the center of his forehead. And you see it again, ⁓ as Ruby had seen, see this ⁓ eye tattoo 50 points of acid damage. No more acid damage. I'm done with acid damage. That's not a whiff. So that is... All right, you guys watch as he kind of steps back, puts his hand to his temples, and you can actually see this kind of arcane beam or wave emit from his forehead where you know that eye tattoo resides. And it hits the automaton in the face. widen as if the pupil dilates as if it is seeing you. Yeah. And you realize at that point that the person leading this as well has had both of his actual eyes gouged out. And they're just empty sockets. And you hear in your voice or in your mind you hear closer. the Otanotont stops trying to free itself and its arms to the side of its head and just begins to scream in what only be described ⁓ as it's human. not animal. It sounds ⁓ like a machine some sort of fault or of you to roll initiative please. ⁓ an overclocking of an engine or a motor of some kind as this machine is now being pushed beyond its mechanical limits. And as it opens its mouth, you can see more of that white light emitting from inside of itself as well as it's bleeding from its open chest cavity. I'm imagining like, like that. Yeah, a little bit of something like that. Okay. Very annoying. One more time. Nailed it. Perfect. Nailed it. Okay, Ruby, it is your turn. Can you tell me what vicious mockery does, Yeah. You get to insult them. Yeah, basically, basically you're, you're insulting the shit out of them and it hurts their feelings. Literally. It actually does critical damage so... I mean he does seem to be in emotional pain already. Maybe I could make him cry and kill himself. Okay. So it is instantaneous. It is verbal. unleash a string of insults laced with subtle enchantments at one creature you consider here within range. The target must succeed on a wisdom saving throw or take 1d6 psycho damage and disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its Hmm for us daddy, what you think? Apparently I can't hit anybody so you might as well try it. ⁓ you, you do. At the corpus leader or at the top. or one of the other two cult members. I'm thinking if I go for... Does this automaton still seem like it is an automaton or has it taken on the consciousness of the leader yet? It doesn't seem to have taken on any other consciousness other than its own, but it is fighting for its life and essentially raging. And again, this is a larger creature. So this thing is bigger than, it's bigger than Mac. It's bigger than- Okay. I'm gonna go for the- the cult leader then. All right. Pray for me. All right, so I need to roll wisdom against yours and he fails. Oh, okay. is there anything in particular that you want to say to this person or are you just effing him blind that I'm from the corner? I'm going to tell him to kill himself. That's a completely different spell, but yeah, mean as a kill yourself. You're worthless. Alright, okay so, so, so 1d6. What'd you get? A one. So the leader who is again still focused on this just kind of hears a voice from the corner telling him that he's shit and that he should kill himself and he's like slightly annoyed and like maybe he has the beginnings of a headache. And we'll drop in one psychic point of damage. You're shit, mate. Is Is this like Dundee? a little fucking night. State of your hair. Alright. So that brings us to the cultist on the left. is the one that I've already slashed. no, other one that ⁓ undamaged to this point. Dammit. his opposite hand, he's still holding the tool that was using with the automaton. And it not a tool which you're familiar with, but it does a vial connected to it. It doesn't appear to have a on it. It seems to be of arcane nature, but it does have a vial kind of screwed into the bottom of it. And... I need you to make a Constitution save. Constitution save. Constitution save. Higher than 10. Shit. Well, we plus six by the constitution. You stupid mother- Fucking eight. Eight total. Yeah, yeah, that's what we call six on the constitution. my God. So he, he kind of rams this thing up to you. It's almost like a, like a cattle brand. Yeah. You and, you feel this thing kind of burn against your side. but then, you, you feel the strength and vitality drain, begin to drain from you. and, you take four necrotic as as vial begins to fill with kind of a black, ickery looking substance. Necrotic damage! my god. no, my neck crud. My neck That's not what I you Okay, so that brings us the one on the right and he's just going to make slash at with the Dagger the dagger Sabre whatever it is All right It is a hit. And that's five points of slashing damage. Okay, I didn't even need my health. It you down to 30. The leaders time again and he's going to... No, my health is 26. My health is Okay. I'll try it because you have the four points. Yeah. All right. The leader is going to stay on the automaton and is going to take The automaton is going to continue taking damage from his psychic attack. it's your turn again. Okay. I... not? Let's just insult him further. Add insult to injury. I'm going to go for the occult leader again. Go for it. Doing what? vicious mockery. Okay, so she's still throwing insults from the corner. Got it. Yeah. Yeah. I'm to shout this time, you're a big donkey's ass. Okay. That'll get him. All That'll get him. All hurt his feelings. He makes it safe. You know, he should have had disadvantage though as a time as I sorry. wasn't against you guys, so it's yeah, unsuccessful ⁓ time. Now you're damaged, don't you? You think you want to do? You've got movement, bonus actions. What's he still doing? he just trying to like do whatever he's doing to the automaton? He hasn't, you know, engaged with Steady He looks to be like he's trying to damage or shut the automaton down. I mean, he's definitely hurting it. Okay. With what he's doing. Okay. ⁓ maybe I'll sneak over and just like give him a little spank or something. Just. ⁓ The Atom- The Atom is not another guy. The guy? I was trying to distract him from hurting the Atomton. Okay, alright. So you couldn't- You can't make an attack. So as long you're not intending to do damage, I'll let you interact with him. As a bonus action. You see what mean? Can I pull his pants down? You can give it a go. Roll me a sleight of hand. No, she doesn't want to do that. So I want... No, it's a seven. Okay. Yeah. So you do go up and kind of tug at his robes, but... And then run away and go, hee hee hee. Well, you don't have enough room to run away, I don't think. You could probably get a couple of feet away from him, After the fight. But let's see if that has... I mean, don't pull his pants down, but let's see if that breaks his concentration. Yeah. He does not. Fuck you. Damn it. Alright, so left cultist again is still focused on Stenny. No, you missed, you whiffed. I whiffed, check. Almost, almost back around to you. So the guy on the left is going to go... That's a miss. The guy on the right. what's your? 14. Yeah. They miss with the daggers and now it's your turn. I'm going to shift focus from the guy to the leader, cult leader. Okay. Right. Because I'm all drawn the same kind of range. And I am going to try and am going to try and hit him because I'm trying to break his concentration. Go for it, Stanny. Yeah. So I am going to try and hit him with my Battle Axe, my axe. 30, 20. And 1d12 of slashing damage. the leader. the leader, yeah. So how much damage? 2. 2 damage, okay. But I want to use topple. Okay. If you hit a with a battle axe, you can force it to make a con saving throw, DC8. plus three plus the ability modifier used to make the attack. Or what happens? It becomes prone. What's the threshold? Well, it's DC. So eight plus three plus the ability modifier used to make the attack, which is plus three. So it's eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. He fails. He fails. He's prone. Yeah. Ah! Fuck you! So he takes a little bitty cut on his back shoulder he goes, it just kind of falls down to the ground like a bitch. And it's broken concentration. Nice. I can also use, yeah, and I can also still use the cleave. Okay. Because I've used topple on him but cleave is a different one so I've hit him I want to cleave the first guy I attack the one I... Oh they're not both bonus actions though? No... no they're both actions Do what? An action. Yeah. So that's cleave. No, I don't know actually. No, they're probably air. So cleave is kind of like a big sweeping cut. so like we can say that, that, that your attack on him was a cleave so that you could try and hit one of the others in the same mode. Yeah. That's actually, is, that would work. Yes. Yeah. That would work. So if you want to roll damage on one of the others. Yeah. I'm going to do the guy I hit the first time this chapter, like the D8. better damage to it. I can hit him but no modifier. So it's 11 to hit him. 11 to hit? Yeah. Hits Hits it? Yep. No shit. Eight damage. Okay, to left or right? The on the right. guy already hit before. Alright, yeah, he is... Now has kind of a cross of slashes across his chest. Because you hit him well twice now. And he's not doing well. not doing so hot. He's not doing so hot. So nicked the first guy, he slipped on his own blood and it fell down on his back. And then the other guy just put a gash in him. guy you almost hit accidentally. You know is suffering the most here. He's on the ground like a turtle. Okay, you're welcome. that brings us to the leader Who is going to use Half his to stand and is going turn and face you Okay, I got your fucking Yeah, you got his attention And he is going to He's going to look at you and with his tattoo eye because he doesn't have any actual eyes, but you do know that he's looking at you. And I need you to wait to make a wisdom save. A wisdom save heart and 12. Well, I start off at 12. Let's fucking see what happens here. Oh, 12. You 12. All right. So you save against whatever it was he was trying to do. You're not sure. You're not sure. Don't look at me like that. And now it is the automaton's turn. I just don't know whether to help her stop this. I mean, I can't tell you what to do. Maybe help. stop shouting curses at her. No, didn't that sit the leader? Oh yeah. Also, I like the boobs in your bunny. Okay. just realized that. Yeah, the nipples were G. That doesn't make sense. Wait, what? What did I do? You put nipples on my bunny. I didn't do anything. didn't make that thing. They're not boobs. They're biwebs. B-E-W-B-S. They're biwebs. Except for Middle Earth. middle doublet. he is going to... a couple things are gonna happen here. Good. Alright. So in a 15-foot cone. Which I'd is one, two, From the front of the automaton. this is the front? Yeah. So that's going to hit... He's going to get all three cultists and you. Okay, finally. He likes me. behind him. I mean we could always just go, hey guys, we just want the cauldron and we'll be off. You think they would fight I did tell one to kill themselves. I think I've almost killed one So... I mean, you standing to make a DC 13 dexterity save. 13 dexterity save. Don't your bone, you your, your, ⁓ doesn't matter. It's 20 anyway. is. Yeah. Yeah. 30, 20, 20. So you save. So you'll take half of this. Okay. I'm looking forward to seeing Mac and Messi again. I'm what the fuck happened to you? like, ehh. you eight damage? fail, fail fail. ⁓ three of them take 16. you as the cultist on the right, just fried just of hits his knees and falls face first on the ground. and the on the left, heavy, heavy damage and it's just kind of doesn't take him off his feet, ⁓ he ⁓ is very, hurt from that blast. and the leader as well. you see light and kind of arcing around through him and even escaping out through his fingertips and kind of the, the lightning itself, you know, illuminating his own skeletal frame, as he's screaming in pain. And he's not done so as you're, as you're kind of focusing on on the cult leader who seems to have taken the brunt of that, shock damage, which you have a feeling was not so much of an attack from the automaton, but rather, an effect of whatever being done to it ⁓ or, its core, possibly in a stage of meltdown here from whatever that, you know, that they had done or, or, or damage, which it had taken. but it is. angry is going to reach out ⁓ the cult leader who is now standing in front of him after. the the cult leader had used half his movement to stand earlier. And so now he's going to reach out with both hands and attempt to pick him up. and he is able to do so. yeah. And he essentially picks up the cult leader and begins to slam him onto the ground multiple times. Ruby, thanks for playing this. He can't quite a hold of him as much as he wants. So he kind of ends up kind of grabbing him by one foot and just kind of slamming him to the ground that way. the guy still has his arms free, so he's able to kind of try and protect himself a little bit as he's slamming on the ground. But he does some bludgeoning damage there as you see kind of blood and ⁓ things begin to on face. Okay. But the automaton following that looks... Unsteady on his feet. looks as if whatever power he had remaining is now beginning to wane. Okay, Ruby it is your turn. Okay, I just had an idea and I can't believe it's taken me this long, but I'm gonna let daddy out to come help us. Okay, so you release daddy from the ball. Woof, woof. And I'm gonna mock him again. I'm gonna think of the worst. The that I could possibly say, and I learnt this when I was two years old, is like the C word, the F word, all the words put together. I once said it to my dad and it made him cry like a baby. And I'm going to call him a punky go-go. Okay. chose us. You hand chose these people ⁓ this game. This is all your fault. I people with a specific set of skills. And they busy. ⁓ You got So what do you say? Punky go go. Punky go go. At the cult leader? go go. Punky go go. He's going to make that save, which he fails. Yeah. go go. Punky go go. ⁓ yourself. right. So roll a d6. How about all tension you were trying to be able to do? All right. And so. guys watch ⁓ the leader tries ⁓ to to his feet again and just you just hear from the corner, punky, go go, whatever. so like, he's kind of holding chest and looking around and it just stops again, like, it just looks over the corner like, really? Really? He two points of psychic damage. Even Sidney's going, what the fuck was that? Okay. Alright, and now it is the left cultist's turn. And he is going to again just make a desperation slash against any That's cocked That's to hit 14. All right And so he is going to... This is going to make... We'll hit, I've already decided that it will hit, right? Yeah, Okay, sorry. will be... thank god. Three slashing damage. and brings us back to. off, Stinny. My stealth. am going to... First I want to do is try... No, I'm not going to try anything. I am going to fucking take an absolute massive dig at that last henchman character. Okay. So I'm going to take, again, I'm going to just swing the great axe around. ⁓ I'm smoking quite a bit, significant amount, from being lit by lightning. But I am going to take a slash at him with my great axe. I'm not gonna topple this time. Okay. Ooh, fuck. Four. Four is a whiff. You don't even like fucking D &D anymore. Shit, I don't know why you do that. silly shit. going to... He just dies. He's still reeling from being called a fucking... Oh, is it again? Yeah, so he's still in the process of standing, because that's going take some of movement. But he was able to tell where that came from. he's gonna make an attack on you or to where he thinks you are. Okay. Okay. bothered about daddy now. Big dog. No, not he did. Where did daddy come in? It was just before you a bad mother, I just threw Mo and Dawg under the bus. So daddy is going to have your same... Yeah, no, it's not going to affect him because daddy's going to have your same initiative. Okay. so he is going to... to make an attack on And he reaches out with one hand and grabs hold of one of the now kind of flailing cables, which was coming from the cauldron. and then reaches out with the other hand and tries to grab you as well. you're, let check. You are, yes, you were within 10 feet of the cauldron. And so he grabs this cable and begins muttering against some of the same incantations that he was stumbling over earlier when you arrived. So part of whatever it was that he was doing, he's now trying to weaponize that against you. He is going to... He's mad at being called a punky go-go. He is. So he'll have plus two to spell attack rolls. It was the most insulting thing you could think of. Yeah. And... Yeah, so that's a hit. I called him. 23 to hit, I'm assuming hits you, your armor class. And... So that will be... 2d8. It was literally so good when I called him a funky gooboo. Okay, so you take eight psychic damage. As you are now ⁓ the of whatever it was doing to that automaton earlier, he's now doing it to you. So you're just looking at his two empty eye sockets and this one eye tattooed his forehead staring at you you see the pupil dilates as this arcane energy shoots or emanates from him. And you just have this incredible pain behind your eyes and it's just forcing you to. I don't like this. no, no. Okay. So that was eight damage to Ruby. All right, it is the automatons turn again. And it's going to continue trying to free itself. And it fails. You will what your next turn? Oh, yeah. That was my turn there. Yeah, but it is also going to take some. It's my turn for. Yeah. Okay, so you watch again as this kind of flickering, know, every time it frees itself from one of these cables, it's also losing power, right? it seems to be struggling to stand at this point. And you see it kind of stand on one foot almost and wobble mid stride as it's trying to, trying to get up, trying to but it's to do so. Ruby, it is turn. Okay. I am going to go in with the greatest insult I can possibly think of. the other one was the greatest insult you could Yeah, that was your I'm going to double barrel it. So I'm going to go with you're a punky go go and a punky man. Burn. Okay. right. Go for it. You don't got anything other than vicious mockery? Not really. Okay. All I can do is charm people. What about your weapons? no whip or dagger or fam. yeah! ⁓ Every you forget that you have weapons. I do! Do you to do that or do want to carry on with the insults? Wait, what do I add to it? For vicious mockery. Yeah. I roll to see if it... So I have to make a wisdom save. Should I get my weapons instead? He saves this time. Oh, I was going to get my weapons instead. Oh, you? Okay, next time you can certainly do that. So ineffective at that time. However, is daddy's turn. Come on, daddy. Safe, mama. Okay, so what do you want daddy to do? want to... Quickly, I hate Who is your daddy and what does he do? My daddy is gonna come help me. Yeah, so he's gonna grab the guy that's trying to attack me by the throat and... Okay, so he's going to make a bite attack. Yeah. ⁓ At the leader missus. He's trying to bite at him but there's sparks and electricity happening and he's suddenly outside of a ball and he's not really sure what's going on. He's of starling and snapping at him but is not able to make purchase. He's still got bubbles from the bath on his fur. He's still got a few bubbles. Here's his nose. The left cultist still kicking is going to... He's still engaged with you. Whiffs. And steady, it's your turn again. Oh, I'm going to turn on him immediately and I'm going to take a great big fucking slash at him. With the great axe. Thank God. 18. Hits. And then for damage. Roll for damage. Ah, 10. 10 damage. Yeah. Fucking down on his head. Yeah, so right down his head and literally split the guy into. Yes. See? Straight from top to bottom. You just watch as Stinny split this man. Straight down the middle. From hilt to tip, just all the way. No. One side falling over to the other. Sometimes when I get my mic, and... Whenever you say anything, I'm always like, no, she's making it dirty. So you're just sitting there. I mean, that was kind of dirty anyway. But so you're sitting there and like... So he's now covered in gore and blood as he's just standing over this body, breathing. Damaged. But I can still use my, what you call it. my... The cleave. Cleave. Because I hit him. So I can now attack, my... can now try hit the other guy. Yeah, save me. Yeah. I don't know how it works visually if you went up and down for a cleave, but we'll say kind of a swipe motion at the end as a finishing flourish. Yeah. So, but without my ability modifier... Whoops. Whoops. You had a little ninja standing. I know. ⁓ it's 13. To hit is exactly what you need. Fuck yeah! Hell yeah. Oh no wait it's not seven. Taivin? Yep. Okay. Alright. So the leader takes another kind of glancing blow and he is not doing well at all. Yeah. He is barely on his feet. You can see the blood now seeping through his robes. Uh, you know, uh, kept kind of sticking to his body where, where it hasn't been slashed, but it was just, uh, pouring through his robes. Now he's, he's, bleeding that profusely. Um, and It is his turn. Blood is just steaming off me at this point. It is his turn. So he's going to make a desperate reaction to that. ⁓ nice. He's going to call me a punky go-go. He's still got a hold of cable. where are I'm like basically. Okay. It doesn't matter where you are. Yeah. As long as you're so, so he has to be. close enough to grab a cable basically to do this, but he still is. So that's fine. he is going to again, to try and focus that, that psychic blast on you the same way that he did, Ruby, but as does Ruby, get an attack of opportunity. Okay. So as he's, as turning to retaliate against this slash. Is there anything that you want to try and do? going to take my little dagger and I'm going to stick it in him. Go it. Okay. What do I have to do? It says one D four plus two. Well, we'll go see if you hit. Yeah. So, so to see if you hit, with the dagger there. So it'll be, so you roll a D 20. Plus your dexterity modifier. The dagger is a finesse weapon. close to you. Come Ruby. Seven eight nine. Does not hit. Okay. So you go for a quick swipe of the knife as he's turning away, it, but it does. Daily scratching iron. Not quite. Not quite. have a question. Does daddy get an attack of opportunity? Yeah, cause he was engaged. was engaged. Yeah. Let me look at the positioning here. Yeah, should be. That's kind of what I thought, cause... Yeah. The automaton would not. Nope. Because it had taken its focus away. daddy would. It misses. You're all dumb. Alright, so he's going towards you. in and I need you to make a wisdom saving throw. Saving throws wisdom saving throws. 3. already fucking fried. no, sorry. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter this three because it wasn't a ⁓ throw that you made. So it's a 16 to hit. Now you motherfucker. Eight psychic damage taken. It's a rough day for you then. I am the most damaged. I've got seven points of hit points left. So where are you now? Seven? Seven. Okay. fuck! I mean, fuck! so ⁓ is... leader's turn and the Autobotons turn still kicking still trying to fight Come on, Otoman. the first time an automaton's become an awful man. Come So you watch as he pulls the remaining two ⁓ cables from itself. Hell yeah, Otoman. So physically, the automaton is freed. Yay! But doing so, he takes... seven points of...automan. We're automan! We're awful man. Lightning damage. Jeez. Which is one more that he has. We still don't know if automan is actually on earth, so we're just assuming that he is. So you watch as he pulls these cables from his body and then you watch the light leave his eyes and he crumbles to his knees inside the cauldron. Jesus. Okay. ⁓ Ruby, it's your turn. Okay, I'm gonna go in with my dagger again. It's the best solution I have. Go for it. Okay. Yeah, d20. Yeah, d20 plus two. 14. Hits. So now you roll the damage. What is it again? What's your damage for a dagger? written plus five is that so that's a plus five to hit the hit yeah okay all right so so what does it say after that 1d4 plus two yeah so you roll the d4 and add two what's your fun little dice ⁓ this is my fun one Four. Six. So six points of damage. So this guy's still locked with you in this kind of psychic gaze. Cause all this is kind of happening simultaneously, right? So you're still taking damage at this point. And then just stops. It just stops as you see the guy, as the lights go from, and you actually focus in that moment, you watch as the ⁓ as the open, as the tattoo of the open eye, not only loses focus, but then slowly closes as he then kind of just topples to one side. And all you see is just Ruby just standing there with a knife. Perfect, blur. Immaculately dressed. Yes. Okay. And. So you guys are sitting there in this moment it is, it is, it completely quiet and you are just kind of standing there breathing. are, we are of combat rounds. However, okay. On that damage that the automaton took when it freed itself, it dropped it below. it's hit point threshold. so ⁓ is now going to, you hear those kind of whirring sounds again, begin to build around the cauldron. And. remaining energy inside the cauldron itself is now acting as, a conduit for ⁓ electrical energy for whatever it was that they were trying to achieve, whatever they were trying to take from this automaton. You see it now leaking and spilling out over the sides of these vials, which are now broken, and kind of rolling and breaking off to the side. you can see also ⁓ like, like over one side of this room, there are stacks and stacks of these glass vials which have been carefully placed. Like they were draining this thing all it was worth. But now whatever was left is building within side of this and Stenny, you know that that sound is what going to come before some sort of release or explosion. And so I will give you ⁓ a dexterity save here. Right? see if you can try and get... cover. Okay. Can I put daddy in his bowl before I do that? So I would say that you could use your reaction to put daddy in his ball. Okay. But you would only have your regular movement to seek cover. So I still rule or not? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. 19 plus 2, 21. Okay, all right. So daddy goes back in the ball, uh, having not bitten anyone or been useful in any way. Um, he tried. What'd you get? The dexterity saving. Yeah. 18. All right. So you can go your normal movement. Okay. So you can make it 30 feet. you could probably make it wherever you want, including into the previous corridor. Yeah. Well, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go straight back out the door. We came in. Yeah, me too. Okay. Wait. So, so how far can you get from where you are Ruby? Um, five, 10, 15, 20. Yeah. Okay. So both of you would probably be able to make it back to the other side of those big doors. Okay. 15, 20. So you run back through the door. Uh, and just to, to the other side before this explosion hits. and let me... Maths. math. Maths. All right. So again, as you guys clear the doorway, you're almost chased out the room by these kind of strands ⁓ of wild lightning as just pouring out of this room now. And just the sound of this. the stone and metallic creature breaking you wait as a few moments pass and the last strands of lightning arc from the walls and, and, and as you look in, what you see is the cauldron, you came for is splayed out like a bloom shape, almost, almost flattened to the floor. and it is broken into a number of, of, of pieces, kind of plate size pieces to this thing. The, the is, is, is almost completely destroyed. there's, you know, bits of limbs and you can make out what might have been a piece of an arm or face in a couple of places, but nothing, certainly nothing usable. and see out of the, out of the vials, which are stacked along the wall, you see one case seems to have been shielded or protected possibly by one of the bodies, which still in the room. So for some reason, you know, are scorch marks all along the wall and you can see where most everything in the room has been obliterated. But you do see ⁓ one set of these vials, looks to be about half full. So maybe three out of the six are still And they have that white pulsating energy liquid, which they were from this creature. We should take that with us. Yeah. We don't want it to get in the wrong hands. Alice could probably use for something. Yeah, the cauldron's defunct. Yeah. We'll a little piece of the cauldron just to prove we did try and get it. Yeah, is there piece small enough to like, just carry? I mean, all of them are small enough to carry. I if you wanted to, I mean, ⁓ you take the whole thing. Now, matter of fact, it's probably easier to transport now that broken into a million pieces. Yeah, let's do it. so why don't I pack up the bits of the cauldron and you can take the box of energy stuff. Yeah. Okay. Okay. All right. So you're taking the vials and packing away as much of the cauldron as you can. Yep. And you are headed back out the way you came. Yep. All right. Anything ⁓ with cultists? else you want to do in the room before? Maybe play a little, clear energy. Get some sage out. Okay. Can we loot? Yeah, sure. Can we loot them? Yeah. Let's have a look. Absolutely. All right. Loot, loot, loot. What you got? A loot. Good thinking. I thought I was going to be the kleptotasty. You are feeling It's not kleptomania if they're dead. It's grave robbing. Well, they're not a grave either. So they're dead. So does feel robbing? Still stealing. Could be. All right, so. On the first cultist, find a coin pouch. Hell yeah. Yeah. You guys want to write this down? Yeah, I need a pencil. Have you got a pencil? There's a pencil. on the back of the sheet. Okay. All right. So found a coin pouch with nine silver pieces. Yep. And six copper pieces. I'll take silver. You can take the copper. There is a lens ⁓ amulet that he wearing. that same I symbol. There is a grease stain note that says frequency stable constructs retain echo. It sees us now. has a vial of black oil. Some goodies. The second cultists also has a coin pouch, five gold pieces, 12 silver. I'll take the gold ones this time. You can take the silver. Wait, what was it? Five gold. Don't say I'm not good to you. No, what was it? gold, 12 silver. Six silver, did you say? Five gold, 12 silver. Oh, 12 silver. He also has what appears to be some sort of gnomish device. looks older, barely functional, but Stinny, recognize this to be an etheric resonance tickler. Resonance tickler? You dirty boy. You my resonance out of this. That's for the etheric tickler. So again, because you are familiar with this tool, you know that it can give advantage on one arcana check. Well then, yes, okay. Good. Typically per day. Yep. find a bundle of copper wiring worth roughly 25 gold pieces or perhaps more or if someone needs copper. copper wiring. Ruby, know copper wiring is in addition to its mechanical ⁓ uses but it's also a widely used spell. you also find a half-burned diagram which shows automatons being wired into a central vessel. You assume aka this cauldron. And says not final shape. A bit like the human centipede, isn't it? I want to ask in what way, but I really don't want to know. Maybe we're not thinking of the same I hope we're not. hope we're The final cultists, the leader has a coin pouch with two gold pieces. eight silver pieces. portable tattoo And in kit, you can see that, I mean, there is a small tattooing machine, basically, which seems to on a crystal. But the ink inside this bottle seems to be vibrating or moving on its own. You got tattoos then? I really know, those are tattoos. Yeah, I'll give you one when we get back. That sounds like it's against my will. You also find a strange token. Strange It is a smooth black disc with a carved closed eye. It is warm to the touch. and pulses faintly. Everything pulses. this stuff pulses. Or it's acidic. Everything's got to do something. 20 points of acid damage. It turns into a blob. A chromatic dragon. It has ⁓ a of cloth. who picks up the strap of cloth. feel like Ruby would probably pick up the claw. Okay, roller perception check. 17. Yeah, we'll do it. Plus four. You a whisper in a voice that you have never heard before. And it says. look over and just see Ruby listening to this ribbon next to her ear and be like, she's now talking to the ribbon. funny. All Anything else you guys want to do? I assume that the restroom is fucked up. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. No. I think we'll loot all that. We'll sort it out later in terms of what goes where. Obviously, you get all the gold and silver. Yes. That's fine. And obviously, you can have... What can you have? You can have... So it's all mine. You can have that Ron resonance tickler. That seems like something you'd like. You've been reading my newsletters. ⁓ have. I your site cabinet. And the automaton is smashed. yeah, gone. I think that's good. I think we can probably take all this stuff with us. Alright, you guys head back out the same way you came make your way back to the gilded mask. I'm covered in blood and oil. Yep. And so drop everything off and decided at point to get cleaned up a little bit before heading back out to meet the others at back at the restaurant where had originally agreed to meet again for dinner. We're going to accept. still don't know his name. You're going to accept the owner of the cafe cookies invitation for a dinner in the evening. mean, I'm going to call him daddy. Maybe eventually. There's too daddies floating All right. ⁓ Okay. We will end Hey.