RQG 136 - Trouble at the Top

## Content Warnings

Interrogation, implied slavery, incorrect use of 'golem', acid burning, Mentions: violence against workers, timeskip, SFX: repeated beeping, player shouting topping out mics, squelching/glooping, roaring,

## Summary

Cel tries to bribe a kobold, then takes down the electricity while the rest head for the top of the lighthouse.

## Synopsis

The party is in the lighthouse on top of the Shoin Institute, after having just tied up the kobold scientists who were present in a room full of electrical equipment near the base of the lighthouse.

Cel tries to get information out of the kobold they're holding by casting focused scrutiny. Cel asks what type of science the kobolds were doing in the lighthouse, but the kobold is not very helpful. When Cel asks who is making them do the science, the kobold replies 'the big man', and says that he is 50 feet tall with eyes and hands made of electricity. He says that he got the best minds in the world and made it into a soup and then drank the soup, and then ate electricity, and that's why he is 'the big man'. When Azu asks why he works for the big man, the kobold replies that "Science is great". Cel asks where the big man is, and the kobold tells Cel that he 'definitely isn't at the top of the lighthouse'.

Cel and Hamid ask the kobold what type of science he was doing, and the kobold offers to show them if they untie him. The kobold goes around showing different buttons, but it becomes clear they don't actually know what everything does, but that he was simply following specific instructions for button pushing. Hamid suggests to break the equipment, but Cel is hesitant. The kobold offers to help the party if Cel gives him some bombs, and the party discuss this idea, as Cel's bombs do not work in other people's hands, but the others think it's a bad idea and that the kobold doesn't know anything. Cel decides to stay behind and the rest head upstairs.

The rest of the party finds another floor with more electrical equipment and living amenities and bunk beds. As they move further upstairs, Hamid hears something large moving around on the top floor. Hamid casts mage armor on himself. On the next floor and further along the spiral staircase there are many types of machinery as they continue climbing up. Eventually they reach a type of retrofitted grate across the staircase, above which is a metal trap door. The grate is locked with a large adamantine lock, and Hamid uses acid splash to burn away the hinges of the grate, although it takes about 10 minutes.

Downstairs Cel searches the room to see if there is any way to unplug the electrical equipment, finding two major plugs. One of them guides electricity down from the top of the lighthouse to the bottom, the other the other way around. Cel decides to disconnect the connections between the cables. Although this takes a while, eventually all the equipment falls silent as Cel disconnects the electricity supply. Cel goes upstairs and rejoins the party right when Hamid finishes burning through the hinges of the grate. Azu attempts to open the trapdoor upwards, but it is way heavier than it should be. She pushes on, partially bending the bar of the trapdoor, and then manages to open it.

**BREAK**

   The amount of force Azu needs to open the trapdoor makes it obvious that there is something massive on top of the trapdoor. Hamid casts mage hand to help a tiny bit. When the door is open, there is a shadow cast over it. The room above is brighter than the rest of the tower and every few seconds there is a flash of light which reveals a massive, looming humanoid figure standing directly over the trapdoor. Hamid casts fly and zips past the figure towards the ceiling of the room. The room is the very top of the lighthouse, which is a tall room made mostly of glass, and they can see that the storm surrounds them on all sides. The light of the lighthouse is off, but very hot, suggesting that it was probably only turned off when Cel disconnected the power. The transparent figure standing in the room is a humanoid-shaped goo, similar to the cube the party fought before.

Cel throws several bombs at it, but it doesn't do as much damage as they were expecting. When both Zolf and Hamid cast spells at it, they discover it is resistant to spells, and Hamid and Cel switch to their crossbows. Zolf attacks the '*Goo-lem*' with his glaive, and in revenge the goolem engulfs him, absorbing Zolf into its body. Azu crits on her axe attack, but also accidentally hits Zolf who is still inside the goolem, dealing a massive amount of damage to both of them.

**EPISODE END**

## Quotes

**Cel**: "What science are you doing?"
**Kobold**: "...Sc- science."
**Cel**: "What are you making?"
**Kobold**: "Just... loads of science!"
**Cel**: "Can you show me the science?"
**Kobold**: "*There's* some!"
―The kobold shows Cel the science.

**Hamid**: "So you were in the middle of experiment just now?"
**Kobold**: "I mean, sort of."
**Hamid**: "What were you about to do?"
**Kobold**: "Loads of science, just... just all over the walls!"
―Hamid tries to learn what the kobolds are doing.

**Kobold**: "If I help you, could I have some bombs, please?"
**Azu**: "*Do not* give the kobold bombs. [...]"
**Cel**: "If you help me, you can *absolutely* have a bomb!"
―[add context].

"Fun fact, you currently hold the world's record for longest mage armor, because you started it, and a year and half later it was still going."
―**Alex, on how Hamid cast mage armor in Rome.**

**Alex**: "In terms of width of the room, it has a 20 foot radius around the trapdoor, no further. [...]"
**Bryn**: "Sounds like a fireball would be a terrible idea then. Cause it would be the whole room."
**Alex**: "Oooh, do it, Bryn. Do it, Bryn! Do it, Bryn! Fireball it! Nothing has ever gone wrong with a fireball! [...]"
**Ben**: "Also, you are right, it didn't go wrong, he passed his saves."
**Alex**: "Or so it would seem... All of this is Hamid's dying fantasy."
**Helen**: "NOO!"
**Alex**: "He died in the desert. He never came back."
**Helen**: "Oh my god!"
**Alex**: "It's fine, we'll finish the series, right, and then we'll jump back to 'So Hamid died and there was just this weird look in his eyes, let's play the campaign on, shall we?'"
―[add context]

"Go boots, go!"
―**Zolf, activating his boots of levitation.**

**Helen**: "Ok.. oh God.. I can't--"
**Alex**: "*I'm sorry*, are the numbers *too high* for the damage you're dealing to my creature?! My little *big boy?!*"
―Azu attacks the creature.

"It's fine, I've got loads of hitpoints."
―**Ben, as Zolf is hit by Azu's attack on the goo.**
## Dice rolls and Mechanics

* Cel Intimidate check on the kobold: 18
* Cel, Azu, Zolf and Hamid Sense Motive check on the kobold: 12 (Cel), 10 (Zolf), 15 (Azu), 7 (Hamid)
* Cel Knowledge (engineering) on the electrical equipment: 21
* Cel Perception check on the electrical equipment: 19
* Azu, Zolf and Hamid Perception check: 28 (Hamid), 15 (Zolf), 10 (Azu)
* Zolf Perception check on the trap door: 18
* Cel Disable Device (twice) on the two connectors between the cables: 23 and 20
* Azu Strength check to open the trapdoor: 16
* Hamid Fly check: 29
* Zolf Fortitude save inside the Goolem: 16

## Combat Breakdown

Active modifiers:

* Hamid: +4 AC from mage armor.

**Initiative:** Hamid (nat 20), Cel (11), Zolf (nat 1: 6), Goolem, Azu (4)

**Round 1**

* Hamid: Casts fly on himself and shoots into the room past the looming figure (Fly check: 29)
* Cel: Throws four bombs through the trapdoor at the figure, the first two of which are frost bombs dealing cold damage and which stagger an enemy on a hit: 22 (hits, but only deals 11 splash), 26 (hit; 28 damage), 18 (miss), 16 (miss). The figure is staggered. Cel then moves through the trapdoor into the room and keeps their distance from the figure.
* Zolf: Activates his boots of levitation and floats up to the head of the figure, pokes its forehead with his glaive and casts inflict critical wounds: 18 (hit; no damage - spell ineffective)
* Goolem: Takes two swings at Zolf, missing both times.
* Azu: Climbs the ladder, entering the room, and then attacks the figure: Natural 1. Azu misses the enemy, but her fist hits it and it burns her skin.

**Round 2**

* Hamid: Casts magic missile on the figure: (no damage - spell ineffective, the figure appears to have spell immunity). Using his move, Hamid takes out his crossbow.
* Cel: Pulls a lever in their coat and their heavy, repeating crossbow assembles in their hand. They attack the enemy two times: 27 (critical hit; 10 damage), natural 1.
* Zolf: Attacks twice with his glaive using a Power Attack: 26 (hit; 20 damage), 22 (hit; 15 damage), slicing the figure in the head, although it manages to reform again.
* Goolem: turns itself into a flat plane of jelly and engulfs Zolf by folding around him.
* Azu: Attacks the goolem: Natural 20 (critical hit: 64 damage). The axe swings through the creature, also hitting Zolf (32 damage).

## Trivia

* The goolem is most likely a gelatinous golem, meaning it was only taking half damage while Zolf was engulfed.