Fourthcore Alphabet Now Available!

If you are enjoying Grind4E, it's a good chance that you also enjoy Fourthcore, the unusual style of 4E gameplay that Grind4E employs. 
  
If you aren't aware, Sersa Victory, the guy behind the Fourthcore movement at www.saveversusdeath.com, has just released a very cool for-purchase "Fourthcore Alphabet" pdf (and soon to be softcover) on Lulu.com.
  
I've already got it, and it's well worth the cost. It's already inspiring me for future Grind4E Weekly conversions!

(I'll try to keep these advertisements to a minimum, promise!)

The Link: http://slamdancr.com/wp/2011/10/fourthcore-alphabet-now-available/

Chamber 6-4: Sanguinary

[Ambrose]
Aramagan's favor with his deity wards off Ambrose magic, but the other cultist isn't so lucky. He stumbles backward blindly to stand next to Aramagan.

Tech: Aramagan was unaffected, but the other cultist was hit (and at critical HP levels!). Note: Pushing monsters around doesn't give your allies free Opportunity Attacks. Quoting from the compendium, "Moving Provokes: If an enemy leaves a square adjacent to you, you can make an opportunity attack against that enemy. However, you can’t make one if the enemy shifts or teleports or is forced to move away by a pull, a push, or a slide."

[Aramagan]
Aramagan shifts away from Joryn and once again exerts his abyssal will upon the cavalier. A crazy look covers over Joryn, who runs around the Shield Guardian and jumps first into the stairwell, and then into the poison gas of the lower area... and look who's right there? A squishy mage named Ambrose! 

Luckily for Ambrose, Joryn is seemingly a poor shot when mentally dominated, and his swing is easily dodged. Joryn regains his senses, and realizes he's back at the bottom of the fiery, greasy stairs.

Tech: Attack hit even with the Shield Guardian's boost to Joryn's defenses. Forced shift, C7-D6-D5. Joryn takes 5 points of fire damage from entering the flaming stairs, makes his acrobatics check to avoid the grease, and then takes another 5 for poison damage for entering the lower area. Poor attack roll against Ambrose, a miss. Joryn is down to 14 hp and is bloodied.

[Cultist]
The cultist regains his senses, stands up and attacks Smudge with his polearm (reach 2). It cuts Smudge across his chest, drawing a crimson stain to his cloak!
Tech: Smudge takes 13 points of damage. He is bloodied at 11 hp, and is prone.

[Hydralith]
The hydralith continues to assail Tharl. But Tharl focuses on defense, which very possibly is what keeps him alive this round!
Tech: Only one bite for 5 points damage. Would have been two bites had Tharl not gone Full Defense. Tharl down to 4 hp.

OOC: Start of new round! Ambrose, Joryn, Mika and Travok all take 5 points of damage for starting their turns in danger zone (poison for the first two, fire for the latter two). 

Vitals signs ARE dropping! Make sure you check out the Vitals tab before you post.
  
Good Luck!
MilwaukeeJoe

Chamber 6-3: Sanguinary

[Mika]
Mika tries to climb the stairs, but not even a step in and he's already on his ass. Such a slippery slope! His healing word does invoke despite of this, and Ambrose is in tip-top shape. His subsequent curse on his foes is strengthened by his anger, and all three foes feel the effects.
Tech: Moving to E6 incurs 5 fire damage (down to 17 hp). You fail the Acrobatics check and slip on the grease, 1 more point damage and are prone (16 hp remain). Healing Word brings Ambrose up to full hp, and 6 surges remaining. The Curse of Misfortune hits all three (nice use of a daily!). Their next attacks will require me to roll 2 d20s and use the lower result. They all take 10 psyshic damage as well. Not bad!

[Smudge]
Smudge experly scales the 20 feet of wall as if it were floor, then hiding in the shadows being thrown about by the torchlight. The cultist doesn't see him coming until it is too late! Smudge's blade slices across the cultist's (#2) abdomen. 
Tech: Congrats, you have bloodied cultist #2! You did 13 points of damage with your attack, and are the first to get to the top of the stairs.

[Travok]
Travok fares just as well as Mika, and is forced to take a knee from the extremely slick stairway as he attempts to ascend.
Tech: Travok takes 5 points of fire damage for entering the flaming stairs. He slips on the second stair and falls prone after taking another 6 damage, bringing him down to 24 hp. Note, I'll give you another standard action to spend prior to start of the next round, since you were waiting on me.

[Joryn]
Joryn finds his inner reserve and charges up the slippery stairs. Finally, he makes it! His blade cuts Aramagan across the face, a wicked scar should the cultist survive. 
Tech: Hit for 10 damage total, and Aramagan is dazed. He is not subject to your marking aura, as he is marked by Travok.

[Ambrose]
The two cultists suffer from illusion control, both believing that a chasm has opened beneath them. They fall to their knees as they think they are falling!
Tech: Hit on all cultists except Aramagan. Damage = 11, and now both are bloodied. 

[Tharl]
As Tharl moves back, one of the heads gives him a nasty bite on his shoulder.
Tech: Natural 20 on the Opportunity Attack for 11 damage. After healing surge, Tharl down to 16 hp and 9 surges. Total Defense gives +2 to all defenses until the start of your next turn.

[Cultists & Aramagan]
Both cultists stand up from prone. Aramagan looks into Joryn's eyes and takes over, making the cavalier turn to attack Travok! Travok manages to block, but is shaken by the attack. Taking a cue from their leader, both cultists switch to halberds and also attack Travok! One swings and misses, but the other connects with a devastating effect! Travok is rendered unconscious.
Tech: 25 total points of damage, bringing  Travok down to -1 hp!

[Hydralith]
The hydralith assaults Tharl with all three heads, but Tharl has wisely chosen his defense, which is impenetrable!
Tech: Three attacks, no hits. Cold dice.

Round 2 Initiative

16 Tharl
12 Travok
11 Mika
09 Ambrose
07 Joryn
06 Smudge
05 Hydralith
04 Cultists

Good Luck!

MilwaukeeJoe

If you like Grind4E, you'll LOVE Fourthcore Team Deathmatch!

http://fourthcoreteamdeathmatch.blogspot.com/

This is an upcoming PvP game run by a fellow fourthcore fanatic, @cstevenross. He's looking for new players, and is modeling his site after our own Grind4E play-by-blog.

So, if you can't get though bloody fourthcore-by-blog action, take a look! It's in it's very early stages so far.

Chamber 6-2: Sanguinary

[Travok]
Travok issues his challenge against the cultist at the top of the stairs.
Tech: Cultist A is marked by Travok. Nothing to use Divine Mettle on.

[Joryn]
Joryn finds out just how slippery the stairs are! His leap is a bit short, landing about 2/3rds into the stairs. He tries to correct his balance, then overcorrects and ends up falling backwards. He manages to catch himself before sliding down further.
Tech: After a poor athletics roll, the stairs "attacked" you with a natural 20. You take 6 points of damage and are prone on the stairs. Alas, you are not adjacent to any foes to use Valiant Strike.

[Smudge]
Smudge looses a crossbow bolt, old-school style!
Tech: Natural 3, a miss.

[Aramagan]
The cultist at the top of the stairs (marked A) is dressed differently than the other two. He is wearing plate armor and carries a heavy flail. You recognize him as a textile merchant from town, a man named Aramagan. Aramagan reaches into his cloak and produces a glass globe that contains a swirling green gas inside. He throws the globe over Joryn and into the center of the lower area! The glass globe smashes into a billion pieces. In an instant, the entire lower area is filled with nauseating green gas.

Aramagon prays in Abyssal, calling forth a binding curse upon Smudge. Smudge's eyes fill with rage, and he attacks Travok with his short sword! Lukily, Travok dodges the blade.

Tech: Creatures entering or starting their turn in the lower area take 5 poison damage. The stairs is not considered in the lower area. Travok was forced to attack his buddy (another natural 3!), but is not currently dominated.

[Two Cultists]
One cultist (#1) takes one of his crossbow bolts and lowers it into a small bowl of hot coals. The heat ignites the bolt, which he then drops into the grease. The stairs bursts into FLAME! The second cultist (#2) returns to the frontline and attacks Joryn, firing a crossbow bolt point blank. Joryn's armor stops the bolt before it penetrates his flesh.
Tech: Anyone entering or starting their turn on the stairs take 5 points of fire damage.

[Hydralith]
The Hydralith attacks Tharl with all three heads, biting and tearing, and completely ignoring the spirit companion as if it weren't even there. Tharl is a bloody mess when it's all done, but still standing.
Tech: Three hits, for 20 points of damage! Tharl is bloodied.

Round 2 Initiative
16 Tharl
12 Travok
11 Mika
09 Ambrose
07 Joryn
06 Smudge
05 Hydralith
04 Cultists

OOC: With exception of Tharl, everyone takes 5 points of damage from either being in the poison gas area or being in the fiery stairs. Be sure to check that Vitals tab for current hp.

Chamber 6-1: Sanguinary

Stepping into the glowing portal, there is a moment of weightlessness, followed by the nauseating sensation of spinning and twisting until, quite suddenly, you hear a loud POP! and find yourself standing next to the portal, but in an entirely different room. This new chamber reeks of hot grease, dried blood, and sweat.

Ambrose and Joryn are standing together, as well as three other seemingly disoriented male adventurers: a dwarf, half-elf and a human.  What the hell?!? What hijacked their teleport? This isn't the corner bazaar!

A treacherous stairs leading to a trio of cultists,
who clearly wish to end your lives. Click for larger version.

Quickly taking in the details, your adventurers' eyes take in three areas to the chamber; a lower area (where you are), a steep stairs leading to an upper area (20’ above the lower area), and a jailed cell in the back of the upper area. There are a number of reinforced wood doors as well. The view of the upper area and jail is obstructed by a half-height wall. 

Behind you in the lower area, mounted above the northern door is a fragment of a massive crystal ball. It's roughly the shape of a shield. There seems to be a blurry image within, but the details are very difficult to make out.  

Dark robed figures move around in the area above, pointing weapons at those of you in the lower area and whispering to each other in a foul, horrid tongue.

  

Meanwhile....

Tharl is trapped on the far side of that steel door. 
Click for larger version.

Tharl does not find himself standing with the others. For some reason, the human shaman is instead witnessing the events unfolding from within a jail cell at the southern rear of the chamber. A single locked steel door stands firmly in the middle, blocking his escape. The light of the nearby torches outside the cell illuminates his immediate surroundings. 

At the back of the cell is a fountain of water. You see set about the lip of the fountain three cup-like indentations, each a different color (sanguine red, dirty yellow, sea blue). Mounted above the fountain like a trophy is a three-headed hydra statue... and it's beginning to move!

COMBAT!
The cultists were expecting you...

(Surprise Round)
One of the cultists (A) kicks over a large cauldron of boiling liquid, which floods down the stairs towards you. The liquid looks oily/greasy, and smells the same. The stairs is now coated in its greasy shine.

The other two cultists (C) level crossbows at you and fire! One is deflected off of Smudge's leather armor, but the other sinks into Ambrose's shoulder. The pain forces the wizard to drop momentarily.
Tech: Miss on Smudge, but a hit on Ambrose for 17 damage. Ambrose down to 11 hp, is bloodied and falls prone.

In the cell, the hydralith animates all three heads, and begin to bear down on our intrepid shaman...
Tech: The hydralith cannot attack during the surprise round. But soon, my friend, soon!
  
OOC: Out of the frying pan (week 5) and into the fire (week 6)! Tharl, you get the impression that the hydralith is going to be able to attack you regardless of where you stand in the cell.
  
New dungeoneers, please introduce yourself in your post.

Clearly, there's a lot going on in this chamber. Feel free to hit me up with questions to grind-at-saveversusdeath.com, by @MilwaukeeJoe on Twitter, or by questions either here or in the OOC tab.

Good Luck!
MilwaukeeJoe
  
Round 1 Initiative
16 Tharl
12 Travok
11 Mika
09 Ambrose
07 Joryn
06 Smudge
05 Hydralith
04 Cultists

Chamber 5-Finale: Convector

Congratulations on finishing Chamber 5! 
This was a very tough encounter, and your score of -4 shows it (see below).

XP
You've earned 585 XP for Joryn, Tharl, and Ambrose, bringing their combined total to 1028 earned XP! Add that to the 1000 XP you had when you started, brings you to a full total of 2028 XP. Not quite enough to level up (2250 XP needed), but soon! 
 
Treasure
Joryn, Tharl and Ambrose split the 2200 sp, each receiving 733 sp.

A special belated birthday gift to Tharl's player - a get out of death free card. Use once, any time I kill you. The death didn't happen. Happy Belated Birthday, Gencon4James!
Dungeoneers, send me your birthday info and I'll cook up something good for you too!

  
Extended Rests
While story-wise you can't go back to town for an extended rest, I will still allow you the benefits of the rest if you spent 5 of your hard-earned victory points. A short rest is still free, although as you will find out soon - you're not going to get a real rest yet.
 
Scoring Breakdown (Total points scored: -4 out of possible 15)
Primary Objective:
Escape (5 points)

Secondary Objective:
Solve the door puzzle (3 points)
 
Minor Objectives (1 point each):
Retrieve the pentagram of power
Retrieve the wand of fiery bolt
Retrieve the corset of the marilith

Performance:
A dungeoneer dies (-5 points each * 3 dungeoneers = -15 points)

Total points accumulated = 29 - 4 = 25. 


Chamber 6 Teaser:

Chamber 5-7: Run!

Joryn's demon, Ryth, grabs the unconscious cavalier and pulls him out of the threat area of the Dread Marilith Statues. He stands next to Tharl, and growls in warning before dropping Joryn on the floor, unceremoniously. It's clearly evident that this demon has an axe to grind with the Vryloka Cavalier.

To Tharl, Ryth smells like the worst combo of burning tar and horse entrails.

But that doesn't phase the wizard, Ambrose, who examines and identifies the following treasures:

• 2,200 silver pieces (he counted it fast like Rainman!)
• Non-magical bloodstone carving of a sixarmed woman nursing three tiefling infant
• Wand of Fiery Bolt
• +2 Corset of the Marilith
• And a small iron pentagram the size of a coin, mixed in with the silver pieces - the Pentagram of Power!

As the wizard relays his findings to his companions, an emerald ray lances out from the gem in the southern most alcove of the final vestibule! It hits Ambrose square in the chest, and the wizard vanishes with a POP! to suddenly appear standing in the very alcove that attacked him.

Before Ambrose can escape his new location, the alcove fills completely with a green crystal substance. The wizard is truly immobilized!

Joryn's demon... companion?... grabs the unconscious warrior and pulls him out of the threat area of the Dread Marilith Statues. He stands next to Tharl, and growls in warning before dropping Joryn on the floor unceremoniously. It's clearly evident that this demon has an axe to grind with the Vryloka Cavalier.

OOC: The treasures are still on the floor of the final vestibule, and all of your can consider the above info as character knowledge. There are still two alcoves not yet filled, and potentially two more attacks... but you are out of sight of them. What to do?

At this point, we are out of combat. You may act at will!

Good Luck,

MilwaukeeJoe

Chamber 5-6: Run!

The Dreath Marilith Statues slash and scrape against the petrified Joryn, and you are amazed at the amount of pain they are inflicting on him. 

He does not die!

However, he is very near death. When his petrification wears off, he falls to the floor, unconscious.

Tech: Two critical hits against Joryn. Had he not had the resist 20 against damage, he'd be mince meat. As it is, he took 35 points of damage (after resistance) and is at -2 hp.

Meanwhile, Ambrose and Tharl emerge into the fourth and final vestibule. It has three small alcoves, each containing a green crystal set into the floor. 

Scattered on the floor of the fourth vestibule are a large mass of silver pieces (perhaps 2000+),  a bloodstone carving of a six-armed woman nursing three tiefling infants, a wand, and a very interesting black corset.

OOC: Thanks for your patience on my posting delay. Just got over the flu. Feeling much better. What will you do now?

Good Luck!
MilwaukeeJoe