firearms

Gadgets and tools (Elemental Crossbow). Or firearms.

range combat and simple traps. Granted the traps are more for hunting small game but get a man stuck in a bear trap and it will stop him just as well as any bear.

Celdat 2015/10/03(Sat)02:18 No. 674585 ID: 90f3c0
File 144386391665.png - (17.69KB , 493x362 , 2.png )

To compensate for your lack of physical power, you have focused on ranged combat. Which type of ranged weapon do you specialize in? And what weapon should you use?

Firearms: Originally based on ancient weapons found in some of the most dangerous dungeons on the planet. Modern firearms can only hold a single round, but can be reloaded fairly quickly.

Rifle: More powerful, has better range and accuracy. Requires two hands.

Pistol: Concealable. Can wield another one handed weapon or shield in the off hand, but it takes longer to reload.


Bows and Crossbows: Less powerful than firearms, crossbows also take much longer to reload. Bows and crossbows can fire enchanted arrows, which can have a number effects such as elemental damage, slow, poison etc. Enchanted arrows are fairly expensive.

Large crossbow: More powerful, has better range and accuracy. Requires two hands.

Small crossbow: Can wield another one handed weapon or shield in the off hand, but it takes longer to reload.

Bow: Less power and range than crossbows, but can fire much more rapidly. Requires two hands.

>Bow
We poor as fuck and it seems like the cheapest option.

we need something to compensate lack of power...
then obvious choice is small crossbow.

>>674591
Even small crossbows take a lot of effort to reload, and they don't tend to rip through armor like paper. Rifle.

Either a rifle or pistol

Pistol would probably be better just for the concealment.

>>674585
Firearms!

Weapon Proficiency: Large Crossbow (You can buy one later, when you have the money to purchase tactical arrows)

Weapon Equipped: If you have a bulletproof shield, go with the pistol. Otherwise just get the sniper rifle (mount a telescope with crosshairs painted for 50-meter and 200-meter falloff)

I don't think you're frame's gonna make much use of a shield; go rifle for faster reload, power, and range.

Celdant 2015/10/03(Sat)10:31 No. 674625 ID: 90f3c0
File 144389350917.png - (76.48KB , 800x650 , 3.png )

Current Wares(Prices listed at base guild rates, items sell for more in dangerous and remote areas) :

3 Unremarkable swords – 40G each
2 Unremarkable daggers –15G each
5 Small healing potions – 50G each
3 Small stamina potions – 30G each
10 Loaves of bread – 2G each
10 Chunks of dried meat – 3G each

Other Possessions :
Merchant's Guild Medallion
1 Standard rifle
15 rounds of ammunition
1 Bear trap
1 Fire trap
200 Gold
3000G Debt to the Merchant's Guild

Skills:
Merchant – Level 1: Legally licensed to buy and sell items. Can buy items at the Merchants Guild. Can sell items directly to the guild at half their current value.

Identify – Level 1: Can determine the guild value of any non-magical item.

Firearms – Level 1: You can use any firearm effectively in combat.




You arrive at the cave without any trouble, only to find another merchant has gotten there first. Damn. You had hoped other merchants wouldn't bother with a low level dungeon so close to the city. He even has a cart! You've been completely outclassed here.

The merchant is arguing with a rather pathetic looking kobold adventurer.

“I'll do anything, mister! Do you need you cart cleaned? I could sort your inventory!” The kobold whimpers.

“65 gold, cash only, no discounts.”

“Please mister, there's no way I can make it home with an injured leg.”

“You should have thought of that earlier. Preparation is essential to any adventure. Get out of here, vermin.”

>>674625
Wow, is this guy stupid or what?

Rule #1 of being a ruthless merchant; never go to war. EVER. Right now, this idiot just insulted a potential customer - his ONLY customer in line.

Offer to heal the kid for free and then delve into the caves alongside him in exchange for a fixed share of the profits. If they die, you can loot their corpse and still make it out alive. If they live, you'll earn a fortune in gold and make a permanent customer!

Extort the shit out of this kobold, tell him you'll give him the gold he needs if he acts as your indentured servant for a week. Be prepared to change "a week" to something more appropriate to the value of 65 gold, but make sure you abuse his helplessness as much as possible. This is the mercantile way!

Since I think he's asking for a healing potion, offer to sell for 30-35g(or whatever he has on him) and he's your guard for a few days and you get a certain amount of all items he finds (50%-25%) until he has paid off the full amount of the potion upon which point he will only have to give 25%-10%.

We could either go with him into the caves to find items (Kamidori Alchemy meister) or we could loan him and other adventurers gear and hope they make it out fine.(Recettear)

Celdant 2015/10/03(Sat)16:24 No. 674682 ID: 90f3c0
File 144391468118.png - (71.99KB , 800x650 , 4.png )

You walk up to the pathetic looking kobold and greet him.

“Hello there little kobold. You seem to be in a bit of trouble. Perhaps I could help.” You give him you're best smile and draw a small healing potion out of your pack. The asshole merchant gives you an angry stare, but says nothing.

“Thank you mister, but I only have 10 gold and the only thing I own is my knife.”

“I'm sure we can work something out. I'll give you the potion now, then you work for me until the debt is repaid. A few days at most.”

“Yes! You have yourself a deal, mister.”

You hand the potion over to the kobold, he immediately drinks it down. The kobold doesn't seem to be much of a bargainer, he's just agreed to do unspecified work, for a very vague period of time. Whatever you have the kobold do for you, it's not going to involve selling you wares.

“No problem, little guy. The names Celdant.”

“Izzy.”

You reach out and seal the deal with a handshake. Your first employee! You suddenly feel much more like an actual merchant. Now you just need to decide what to do with him.

You could send him into the dungeon on his own to search out treasure and alchemy ingredients, but judging by his appearance the chances of him coming out alive are slim. You could use him as a bodyguard allowing you to set up shop somewhere a little more dangerous, perhaps deeper in this dungeon. Or of course, you could just run the dungeon together. The most dangerous, and least merchant-like option, but you will certainly gain many valuable items in the process.

>>674682
Dangerous as it is, your wares are

@#$%ING

PATHETIC

and you need loot soon or you'll stand to lose everything.

You may as well ask your... fellow... merchant about whether or not this is a noob dungeon.

And be careful, he might decide to kill you if you come out of the dungeon injured but rich. Delve for a few hours and try to loot about 500 gold worth of items (at market price), then leave.

>>674682
Least merchant like but also the most profitable, which is in itself very merchant like. If you happen upon anyone down in the dungeon you can sell stuff to them then, but setting up shop down there puts you in direct competition with the guy out front, which is bad. So go adventuring with you tiny slave.

Go with him into the dungeon. Even if you sold all of your wares for 3X cost, you still wouldn't have near enough to cover your debt; and since you only have 20 days, you are short on time to get new ones. (and in case we get to that step and I miss it, loan him a sword to use. Keyword is loan)

Celdant 2015/10/03(Sat)18:17 No. 674696 ID: 90f3c0
File 144392143282.png - (29.91KB , 800x650 , 5.png )

>Dangerous as it is, your wares are @#$%ING PATHETIC

You only stock the finest goods, purchased directly from the guild. ...but you are a bit understocked. Taking the opportunity to get some rarer items isn't a bad idea.

>Least merchant like but also the most profitable, which is in itself very merchant like.
>So go adventuring with you tiny slave.

Indeed, this seems like your best option at the moment. If things get too hot, you can always fall back while your little buddy covers your escape. The sign says its a level 1 dungeon, it can't be that dangerous.

“Come on kid, we're exploring this dungeon. Keep an eye out for potential customers.”

“Um... Yes sir.” Izzy nervously walks toward the cave entrance. “This is my first time in a dungeon, boss.”

“Buy you do know how to fight, don't you? Do you need a weapon?”

“I have my dagger, boss.”

Izzy tells you his skills.

Equipment
Unremarkable dagger
Rags

Skills:

Daggers – Level 1: Proficient at using all daggers in combat.

Detect Traps – Level 1: Can spot most non-magical traps with ease.

Sneak – Level 1: Can avoid detection by most foes without specially enhanced senses.

You step into the dungeon, and see right away why they call it the slime cave. They don’t seem particularly menacing. How should you handle the encounter?

Lend Izzy one of your swords, and use one yourself. If things get out of hand, switch to firearms and retreat to the exit.

Also, try diplomacy with the slimes; you will leave if you get enough gold.

shoot one, bold stabs the other.

>>674710

Sounds good

>>674710
Shoot the top one, it appears to be a larger target.

Let your employee deal with the slimes, stand back to provide supporting fire with rifle if necessary. Loan out a second dagger so the 'bold can dual-wield.

1/3 Celdant 2015/10/04(Sun)12:44 No. 674799 ID: 90f3c0
File 144398785430.png - (51.09KB , 800x650 , 6.png )

“Give us your gold and we'll let you live.”

Izzy sneaks up behind the smaller slime while it's distracted and slices through it with his dagger. It's HP drops by half.

“They're just low level monsters, boss. They don't talk.”

2/3 Celdant 2015/10/04(Sun)12:45 No. 674802 ID: 90f3c0
File 144398793843.png - (46.41KB , 800x650 , 7.png )

Izzy delivers another slash to the slime before it can react, killing it. The larger slime lunges toward Izzy. You shoot it, killing it in one shot. The monsters evaporate into a fine mist.

Obtained 2X Slime Hearts – 10G each
Obtained 6 gold

3/3 Celdant 2015/10/04(Sun)12:46 No. 674804 ID: 90f3c0
File 144398799252.png - (60.27KB , 800x650 , 8.png )

As you step into the next room you see some text scrawled on the floor in what appears to be blood.

ether a monster or an asshole wrote that, not sure which would be worse. peer down the tunnel.

This is obviously a trap for unwitting novices which constitutes most of our customer base. We need to deface this sign so it doesn't trick gullible people away from safe places for us to sell to them.

>>674804
That looks like an obvious trap. Does the passage look trapped to Izzy?

Well the sign said "Level 1 Dungeon" so this is obviously a Level [1-??] trap. Could go any way, but the concept itself is presented as simple and cheap. Not fancy enough to drive most people into paranoia.

Izzy, use your Detect Traps skill.

Celdant, place a Bear Trap at the base of the "Fun Time" trap.

Proceed down the main hallway, but be on your guard for more advanced "Player-Versus-Player" traps, which an experienced adventurer might have placed here to hunt down noobs.

Celdant 2015/10/04(Sun)16:57 No. 674846 ID: 90f3c0
File 144400304268.png - (17.66KB , 800x650 , 9.png )

You look into the doorway. Down a short hallway, the passage opens up into a larger room.

"Do you see anything, Izzy?"

"There's something at the top of the doorway, boss. Looks like a gate, not a lethal trap. I don't see any tripwires or pressure plates. Maybe it's used manually."

No need to go down that way yet. Just go straight.

So the trap is just to seal the victim in the room with someone. We don't need the more gullible adventurers killed to easily. Have Izzy stealth up close without entering the room and see what's in there. Whatever it is could be beneficial to us by raising demand for our goods but if it's something that too easily slaughters too many of our potential customers we may need to find a way to warn costumers away from the trap.

Celdant 2015/10/04(Sun)19:50 No. 674867 ID: 90f3c0
File 144401340224.png - (94.97KB , 800x650 , 10.png )

Izzy very careful sneaks up to the corner of the door and takes a peak inside. He remains unseen.

some guy thinking himself the bonus boss. poke around the corner and shoot him before he can get up.

>>674867
Izzy, sneak over to that weird shield. Celdat, line up a headshot and fire when you have the chance. If he's still alive (he'll probably survive), cut the nerves in his neck and the tendons in his limbs so that he can't get up. If he heals from THAT, then chop off his limbs.

>>674867
That thing screams out of depth challenge. Retreat, take the other path.

>>674876
that's way too hostile. just kill them until they die.

1/3 Celdant 2015/10/05(Mon)21:03 No. 675090 ID: 90f3c0
File 144410420961.png - (108.34KB , 800x650 , 11.png )

“We can't let him kill any more potential customers. Sneak up to him take out his legs, then I'll pop out and finish him off,” you whisper.

“You sure, Boss? He looks awfully tough.”

“Yes, go.”

Izzy silently creeps along the edge of the room, toward the orc.

2/3 Celdant 2015/10/05(Mon)21:04 No. 675091 ID: 90f3c0
File 144410426831.png - (104.50KB , 800x650 , 12.png )

You step into the room and take aim at the orc's head. As soon as you come into view the orc reaches for the lever. He spots Izzy sneaking around his chair.

“What the...”

Izzy drives his knife into the weak point between the plates of his armor near the knee. You fire. The bullet grazes his head, but you miss the kill shot.

-The orc is seriously injured
-The orc's leg is crippled, movement speed down

3/3 Celdant 2015/10/05(Mon)21:05 No. 675092 ID: 90f3c0
File 144410434442.png - (55.81KB , 800x650 , 13.png )

Despite the serious head wound, the orc seems barely dazed. He grabs Izzy by the throat and jumps to his feet.

“Drop the gun or the kobold dies.”

Shit.

If anyone has any other ideas, NOW'S THE TIME!!!

Shoot him in the face again. If you put down the gun then he'll probably kill Izzy anyway and activate the traps.

keep pointing, "drop the kobold, or you die"

or just be accurate and shoot them in the head again.

If the health bar is accurate, then our best chance is to shoot him again before he can grab something more useful to him than a kobold. Remember, don't negotiate with terrorists! Treat hostages as casualties and you'll never be exploited!

Celdant 2015/10/06(Tue)02:23 No. 675115 ID: 90f3c0
File 144412340384.png - (92.88KB , 800x650 , 14.png )

I had meant to depict Celdant in mid reload in the last update. Oops.

You know that if you drop your gun, he will kill you both like he did to the other adventurers. Thankfully, you had plenty of time to reload while he was grabbing his hostage. You carefully raise your gun, take aim at the center of his head and fire.

The orc topples backward and hits the ground with a loud thud. Izzy rolls off of him, gasping for air.

“Thanks, boss.”

take a break, steal his loot.

"You ok?"

That's enough treasure, you should leave now.

Celdat, go over to Izzy and give him another health potion, and then grab everything in this room.

Izzy, try to find a way to disable all traps in this room.

You could set up shop here but you don't know what other traps this guy set up. Best to leave with your hard-earned loot and get selling.

Celdant 2015/10/06(Tue)16:31 No. 675171 ID: 90f3c0
File 144417429370.png - (40.79KB , 800x450 , 15.png )

You give Izzy another small health potion. This kobold slave is costing you more than you expected.

You have Izzy check the room for traps. He only finds the gate over the door, which is controlled by the lever by the chair. The orc must have been confident that he could take on anyone who came through the door on his own.

You dig through the thief's stash and find:

2 orcish battleaxes – 100g each
2 unremarkable sword – 40g each
6 slime hearts – 10g each
4 small health potions – 50g each
2 small stamina potions – 30 g each
1 flask of cheap booze – 8g
1 three colored red wheel – No value
87 gold

After such substantial haul you feel it's time to take stock of your inventory.
# Item Value Weight Wares 5 Unremarkable swords 40G 3 2 Orcish Battleaxes 100G 4 2 Unremarkable daggers 15G .5 7 Small healing potions 50G .5 5 Small stamina potions 30g .5 10 Loaves of bread 2G .5 10 Chunks of dried meat 3G .5 1 Cheap Booze 8G .5 8 Slime Hearts 10G .5 Celdant's Possessions: Merchant's Guild Medallion 1 Standard rifle 200G 7 12 bullets 5G .01 1 Bear trap 10G 1 1 Fire trap 20G 1 1 three colored wheel N/A 5 293 Gold .01 Izzy's Possessions: 1 Unremarkable dagger 15G .5 10 Gold .01
Carry weight
Celdant 58/ 60
Izzy 1/ 25

Your pack is getting heavy, but Izzy seems to be able to carry quite a bit considering his size. You need to decide what to do next. You can think of a few options.

1) Continue on into the dungeon, maybe you will find some adventures to buy some of your loot.
2) Return to town and sell off some items at the guild(for half their value). You will not be able to return to the dungeon until the next day.
3) Attempt to set up shop here. You're still very close to the other merchant, but maybe adventures leaving the dungeon would stop to sell their loot.

>>675171
>You give Izzy another small health potion. This kobold slave is costing you more than you expected.
We'll just put it on his tab. Maybe at a discount because we put him in the danger in the first place. Maybe.

Why are orcish battleaxes worth more than swords? Are orcs particularly good smiths? Are the swords just really shit?

Maybe with the rope from the wall and the clothes off those dead guys we could make some sort of hauling contraption? I honestly can't think of anything that interesting as far as weight distribution goes, I don't think we want to leave anything behind though.

We should head further in, leaving now would be a waste, and this is a pretty shit spot to set up shop.

>1 three colored red wheel – No value
Priceless! The most valuable of all!

>This kobold slave is costing you more than you expected.
Hey, one (or two) hp potions spent for all the loot you just collected is still a profit. Capitalism, ho!

Give Izzy both swords and a health potion for the time being. It's time to head back.

What you have seen of this dungeon appears to be simple, and this orc was a Noob-Killer. You can expect that most customers will not accept the wares of a merchant who camps in the first room of the dungeon, especially when there is a more well-presented merchant just outside where you would expect a smart and prepared merchant to be. Therefore you should probably head back to town and sell this stuff on the open market where it's safe.

Keep the three-colored red wheel until you pay off your debt, then appraise it. Unless someone pays your debt in exchange.

>>675182
The three colored wheel is almost certainly a puzzle component and won't be worth any more than the glass that's in it.

Continue into the dungeon. If encumbrance becomes a limiting factor, let Izzy carry the swords and battleaxes.

Celdant 2015/10/07(Wed)00:05 No. 675237 ID: 90f3c0
File 144420152302.png - (91.47KB , 800x650 , 16.png )

You consider some of your loot. The Orcish axes aren't of particularly high quality, but they are considerably better than the low cost beginner's gear that is mass produced by the guild. The three colored disc is almost certainly what is known as a key item, it will be needed somewhere in the dungeon. The guild does not give them prices because they are magically linked to the dungeon, and will always return when the dungeon resets.


“Take this. The way things have been going, you're probably going to need it.”

You hand one of the healing potion to Izzy.

“...thanks.”

You decide to continue on into the dungeon. Izzy should still be able to carry a good deal more loot.

You head back to the main passage and continue down it. You soon come to a crossroads. In front of you there is a door between two pillar. There are also passages leading to the left and the right. From the passage on the right you hear sounds of splashing, and metallic clangs.

First step is for Izzy to detect traps.

Sure, detect traps then head right. Sounds like someone is fighting in water. You might be able to help, trade, or pick up the pieces if things go bad for them.

Yomiel 2015/10/07(Wed)21:42 No. 675359 ID: 90f3c0
File 144427937427.png - (74.96KB , 800x650 , 17.png )

Izzy checks the area, but finds no traps in any of the doors.

You head right, towards the sounds of combat. You enter a large cavern with a pool of greenish water at the far end. A party of adventures slaughter countless slimes as they endlessly craw out of the pool.

One of the adventurers walks up to you.

"Halt. We are harvesting this spawning pool. If you wish to hunt slimes, you will have to look elsewhere."

>>675359
Explain you are a traveling merchant. Would they be interested in selling harvested slime without trekking back to town, or purchasing supplies they might need?

Also, you have a key item that you're willing to sell. Only 1000 gold coins! (Haggle)

Ready your gun in case they decide to PVP you.

>>675361
Nah, hold onto that for now. It'll be more profitable to gouge someone desperate for the key rather than someone busy farming or to use it to loot the dungeon prize ourselves.

Yomiel 2015/10/07(Wed)23:33 No. 675370 ID: 90f3c0
File 144428598729.png - (43.07KB , 800x650 , 18.png )

“I have no interesting in disrupting your work. I'm a traveling merchant. Perhaps I could take some of those slime hearts of your hand, save you a trip back to town?”

“No. We have a contract with the alchemy guild. We'll need every one of these to meet our quota.”

“Then perhaps I could interest you in these fine axes? I also have these potion, I'm sure you must be getting tired.”

“We already have all the weapons we need. But we could use those stamina potions, and three of the health potions too. Plus some food for my men. How much?”

“70g for the health potions, 50G for the stamina. Bread and meat for 4G and 5G.”

“I could get it for less from the merchant just outside the cave. 65G and 40G. I'll give you 25G total for the food.”

Sell:
5x Stamina potions at 40G each
3x health potions at 65G each
4x bread and 4X meat 25G

Is it a deal?

>>675370
Fine, deal.

We can help you with your quota - I'll sell you slime hearts for 30 gold each. If that's too much, we're going to do some exploring and maybe we'll meet you at the entrance later.

Also, I'll throw in some free booze if you can give me some information about the rest of the dungeon.

(They might betray you, but you took down an orc trapper so I'd say you have a good chance of survival if you focus on fleeing. Also, you could use the lever trap if they hunt you down.)

Meat and bread are fine I guess (20 value 25 sold), the stamina potions are good(150 value for 200) since there wont be as much demand for them elsewhere, I'm not sure about the healing potion price; (150 value for 195 which is a 30% increase on price) healing potions are very useful and can help in a lot of situations. We cant reasonably charge much more for them, because the merchant outside was selling them at 65g. Thoughts?

it's fine, supply and demand. we have supply, they have demand.

Celdant 2015/10/08(Thu)13:04 No. 675431 ID: 90f3c0
File 144433467679.png - (54.89KB , 800x650 , 19.png )

“Deal. Maybe you would also like to buy some slime hearts too, save yourselves some work.”

“No. I'm sure it will be far cheaper for us to collect them ourselves than to buy them off some merchant.”

You dig through your pack and give him:
5x Stamina potions
3x health potions
4x bread
4x dried meat

You watch him for signs of treachery, but he seems to be on the level. He hands you a bag containing 420 gold. Slime farming must pay very well.

You don't think there is anything else to do here, you should continue on. In the previous room there was a fancy pillar door to the north, and a nondescript cave to the west. Which one should you check out first?

Fancy Pillar door sounds like a boss room to me, and as every adventurer knows you go explore every other possibility before advancing, so go check that nondescript cave.

yep, west.

>>675431
Pleasure doing business with you.

To the nondescript cave first.

West sounds good.

Tell the adventurer that you'll shout [[Code Phrase]] if you need help. Might be expensive if you do need help, but it's better than dying.

Celdant 2015/10/08(Thu)20:41 No. 675530 ID: 90f3c0
File 144436209743.png - (63.50KB , 800x650 , 20.png )

“Pleasure doing business with you. You look like a dependable party, maybe you could back us up if we get in trouble. We'll yell the password 'bronze cobra' so you know it's us.”

“Ha. It'll cost you. At least a 1000 gold, more if it's serious trouble. But I wouldn't rely on it too much. Even if we do hear you, it might be too late by the time we get there.“

“If that's the case, be sure to get revenge for us. You can take your fee off my corpse.”

You give him a grin and walk back the way you came. You take the west passage and enter another chamber. There is a gate blocking the far door, and another door of the left wall. There are three levers on the right wall, near the gate.

You try the door on the left. It's locked. There is a key hole on the door.

“What do you think of those levers, Izzy?”

“There's definitely a trap on the floor here, boss. But there's no way to tell which lever activates it.”

Come back later. Right now, you don't have anything cheap to trip the levers from a safe distance. You could shoot them, but that's only if you're desperate.

Check the north room.

use the standard collapsible 10 foot pole everyone should have.

Celdant 2015/10/09(Fri)21:27 No. 675733 ID: 90f3c0
File 144445122504.png - (105.21KB , 800x650 , 21.png )

You decide to check out the pillar door before messing with any levers. You head to the east, then north.

There is a sealed door, with gems set into the wall on both sides. There seems to be a puzzle that involves reflecting light through colored wheels. Some parts are missing.

It looks like the only bit we need is the mirror. I say go back to the farming adventurers and buy some rope from them.(while asking if they found a key or mirror. If they ask why, say you found the puzzle without letting on that you have a piece)

Before you leave, inspect the runes scattered around the wall, the pictures on the tables, everything. Make sure you have them all written down somewhere.

Celdant 2015/10/10(Sat)00:50 No. 675765 ID: 90f3c0
File 144446340036.png - (46.68KB , 800x650 , 22.png )

You inspect the top of the platform, there are three indentations where the mirror should be placed. You take note of the runes written on the left wall.

You return to the cavern with the slime pool. The adventurer greats you.

“Back again, merchant?”

“Hello. Do you have any rope I could purchase?”

“I have this 15 foot length we could spare. Good quality stuff. 20G.”

You inspect the rope, it would cost you 10G at the guild.

“Also, have you seen any keys of mirrors laying around the dungeon?”

“Trying to solve the puzzles, eh? We don't go any further in than the spawning grounds, and there aren't any key items here. I assume you have to go deeper into the dungeon.”


Should you buy the rope? And if so, how should you use it to trigger the levers?

Boost Izzy up above the levers, hammer a piton into the wall, tie rope around Izzy's waist and loop it over the piton. Stand well back and let the kobold kick levers from above.

Trap's in the floor, right? If it's a pit or something else that assumes the victim will be standing in front of the lever, being off the ground avoids it entirely. If it's something trickier, well, Izzy probably would've been dead by now anyway without your support.

I... think I have an easier plan.

Plan A:
Step 1: Tie the rope to all 3 levers.
Step 2: Nail the rope down somewhere below the three levers. Note that the rope should be held in place by a bent nail so that it can still move but will intersect a small section of space at all times.
Step 3: Stand back and pull.
Notice that there are holes right below the levers. Might be a feint, but placing a spike trap and a biodegradable rug nailed to the ground there would be effective.

OR, more simply (if Izzy can climb and nail the rope into the ceiling):

Plan B
Step 1: Izzy nails the rope into the ceiling. Would be better if we had a pulley...
Step 2: tie a heavy bundle of heavy objects to the end of the rope. The orc's head, for instance.
Step 3: From a long distance, pull the heavy object up (or create a pile next to the levers and place it on top of the pile first) and then drop it so that it hits all 3 levers at once.

even simpler plan.

walk to both sides of trap. loop rope around a lever. both of you pull down at the same time while next to the wall. rope forces down lever because tension.

>>675797
Wait, I got something even easier than that.

Chop off Orc's head.

Throw onto levers.

1/2 Yomiel 2015/10/11(Sun)17:41 No. 676024 ID: 90f3c0
File 144461046754.png - (68.43KB , 800x650 , 23.png )

“That will do, Thank you.” You purchase the rope and return to the room with the levers.

Lacking any specialized equipment such as pulleys or pitons,you simply tie the rope around all three levers.

“Shouldn't we try them one at a time, boss?”

“No, no. One of the levers surely opens the gate. This way will be much more efficient.”

You pull on the rope.

2/2 Celdant 2015/10/11(Sun)17:42 No. 676025 ID: 90f3c0
File 144461053256.png - (80.37KB , 800x650 , 24.png )

Several rows of rusted spike shoot our of the ground as the levers drop.

The gate at the end of the room raises.

“See? That worked perfectly.”

Strange, why does every single spike over a wide area have fresh-looking blood?

Scout both areas and scan for more traps. Be extra careful, a good place for a trap is right after a hard puzzle.

excellent. shimmy rope free from levers.

Celdant 2015/10/12(Mon)19:26 No. 676200 ID: 90f3c0
File 144470318399.png - (91.28KB , 800x650 , 25.png )

You pull the rope side to side until it slips off of the levers. You stow it in your pack.

Izzy checks the door ahead, but finds no traps.

You head west into the next room. There are four slimelings gathered around a pit in the center of the room.

bows aren't at the ready so you have a bit. demand they surrender. if they refuse or ignore it blow an archer away.

Well, these ones look sentient. Or at least equipped with AIs.

After demanding their surrender, attack the archers but take cover behind the gate frame afterwards. Have Izzy fight off any that make it to the gate.

If the archers go silent, use a bear trap and run back to the adventurers. They'll probably help for free if you let them take the slime hearts.

1/2 Celdant 2015/10/13(Tue)15:44 No. 676286 ID: 90f3c0
File 144477627680.png - (117.15KB , 800x650 , 26.png )

“Put down your weapons and we will not harm you.”

The slimes makes a soft gurgling sound. They seem more intelligent than the first slimes you encountered, but still incapable of normal speech. The archers reach for their arrows. You fire, hitting one of the archer slimes. It takes major damage, but survives.

“Fall back!”

You dash back toward the door you entered through. The uninjured slime gets a shot off before you can take cover. It grazes your arm, causing minor damage.

2/2 Celdant 2015/10/13(Tue)15:45 No. 676287 ID: 90f3c0
File 144477635912.png - (122.92KB , 800x650 , 27.png )

You take cover in the doorway and reload your rifle.

“You can't bargain with monsters, boss.”

“I'm a merchant, diplomacy is always the first option.”

The slimes with daggers chase after you, moving faster than you would have thought they could.

aim for the darker colored blob.

Finish off the archer on the right, then continue retreating. Take out the soldiers with flanking every time they get too close.

After you're done, harvest the slime hearts. Let Izzy carry them this time.

If you think your rifle could break one aim for their shields.

1/2 Celdant 2015/10/13(Tue)23:35 No. 676365 ID: 90f3c0
File 144480453624.png - (128.32KB , 800x650 , 28.png )

You lean out and shoot the orb at the core of the right archer. It shatter, killing the slime. You've found their weak point. The left archer fires, hitting you in the shoulder. Damn, their aim is good for something with goo for arms.

“Back again. Stay near the walls.”

2/2 Celdant 2015/10/13(Tue)23:37 No. 676367 ID: 90f3c0
File 144480462516.png - (86.84KB , 800x650 , 29.png )

You fallback into the room. The dagger slimes chase after you. The right slime stabs at Izzy, but he deflects the blade. You turn and shoot it in it's unguarded core, killing it instantly.

The remaining dagger slime is coming right for you, and your rifle is empty.

>>676367
Kick it in the shield, try to get some distance.

snap off one of the trap spikes and use it at a spear.

Hold the spear against the shield to keep the warrior away from you as you continue fleeing. Tell Izzy to flee as well.

Once you're back at the intersection, reload. Both of you flank the warrior with a bullet and a thrown knife. Then finish off the archer.

If the warrior retreats, aim for the archer instead.

1/4 Celdant 2015/10/14(Wed)22:32 No. 676612 ID: 90f3c0
File 144488717885.png - (88.56KB , 800x650 , 30.png )

You consider ripping one of the spikes out of the ground to wield as a spear, but decide trying to tear apart traps while being chased by an enemy is a too risky.

You kick the slime hard in the shield, causing it to stagger–or whatever the slime equivalent of staggering is–giving you enough time to fall back and reload.

2/4 Celdant 2015/10/14(Wed)22:34 No. 676613 ID: 90f3c0
File 144488724183.png - (95.31KB , 800x650 , 31.png )

“How are you at throwing knives, Izzy?”

“This isn't the throwing type of knife, boss.”

“Then get behind it.”

You aim at its core and fire. The slime blocks with its shield. The bullet easily penetrates the wood, but looses some power.

3/4 Celdant 2015/10/14(Wed)22:34 No. 676614 ID: 90f3c0
File 144488728328.png - (80.84KB , 800x650 , 32.png )

Izzy sneak up behind the slime and stabs it in the core, finishing it off.

“Only one left” You say as you reload.

4/4 Celdant 2015/10/14(Wed)22:36 No. 676616 ID: 90f3c0
File 144488737138.png - (75.58KB , 800x650 , 33.png )

You quietly approach the doorway, lean out and shoot the last slime in the core.

“Gather up all their loot, Izzy.”

You find:

20G
2 short bows – 30G
6 arrows – 2G
2 unremarkable daggers – 15G
2 small shields – 35G
4 slime heart – 10G

“You're going to need to start carrying some of this stuff.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

You hand Izzy a the bag of slime hearts, as well as your pack of food.

Don't peer down the hole just yet. Keep going west past the next doorway.

Celdat, now that the slimes are dead, any chance you can take the spears out one-by-one and sell them off later?

Izzy, look for traps.

If this gets too dangerous, head back to the adventurers and sell them the key item, and then leave. You've got enough loot for a while and using a health potion to heal yourself would be inefficient.

Try eating some food to regenerate a small amount of health? It looks like healing potions are always in high demand. Remember to buy a huge stock of health potions from the guild later.

we need to look down the hole so we don't leave any enemies at our back that will pop up when we retreat.

You're injured. Before pressing onward and maybe getting yourself killed, take inventory. How much profit have you made today? If the next nineteen days went as well as this one has so far, would you then be able to pay off the debt?

Celdant 2015/10/15(Thu)15:18 No. 676665 ID: 90f3c0
File 144494750466.png - (187.48KB , 800x650 , 34.png )

You give the spikes in the trap a tug, they seem to be firmly attached to the trap mechanism.

You consider saving your potions for later. Eating food would help your health recover faster, but it would still take quite a while to recover on its own.

You take stock of your inventory:
# Item Value Weight 5 Unremarkable swords 40 3 2 Orcish Battleaxes 100 4 4 Unremarkable daggers 15 0.5 3 Small healing potions 50 0.5 1 Cheap Booze 8 0.5 1 Small Shield 35 5 2 Short Bows 30 2 6 Arrows 2 0.01 1 Standard rifle 200 7 7 bullets 5 0.01 1 Bear trap 10 1 1 Fire trap 20 1 1 Rope(15 ft) 10 2 1 three colored wheel N/A 5 693 Gold 1 0.01 Izzy 12 Slime Hearts 10 0.5 6 Loaves of bread 2 0.5 6 Chunks of dried meat 3 0.5 1 Unremarkable dagger 15 0.5 1 Small healing potion 50 0.5 10 Gold 1 0.01
Carry weight
Celdant 59/60
Izzy 13/25

The total value of you wares is 853G, plus the 693G you have in cash. You also have 275G in your personal gear you could sell if you get really desperate.

You've done very well obtaining over half of your debt in a single day, but it will take longer than a day to sell it all. Unless you just want to unload it at the guild for much less than its value, that is.


“Izzy, sneak up to that pit and take a look down there.”

Izzy carefully approaches the pit and looks in.

“No traps, mostly bones, boss. Wait, there's some shiny looking thing in the middle.”

tie battleaxe to rope, use as hook to get shiny.

>>676670
Are you crazy? That battleaxe is worth 100 gold, and being thrown around on the end of a rope might dent it against those stone walls! Use the kobold as a hook, instead.

>>676670
this, but if it doesn't work, then lower Izzy in and have him grab it.

Instead of slime hearts, have Izzy carry the unremarkable swords, which, being harder to individually conceal and lower value per pound, present less risk of theft.

Okay, as stupid as this sounds, it's an easy solution:

Ignore the shiny for now, but consider purchasing some hooks from the merchant outside.

1/2 Celdant 2015/10/15(Thu)21:27 No. 676709 ID: 90f3c0
File 144496966812.png - (50.83KB , 800x650 , 35.png )

You walk up to the pit.

“That loop looks big pretty big, boss. If you tie a rope to an ax and throw it down I bet you could snag it.”

“Those axes are valuable merchandise, Izzy. I don't want to risk damaging the blade. I'll hold the rope, and you can rappel down the side of the pit and get it.”

“...I don't know, boss. I don't like the looks of this pit. Those bones are awfully suspicious.”

“Some hapless adventurers probably fell down their and died. You said yourself there's no traps, you have nothing to worry about.”

“I can't detect magical traps, or monsters.”

“Fine, fine. If you're too much of a coward, we can risk the ax.”

You tied the rope to one of the axes and toss it in the middle of the pit. With a bit of work, you manage to hook the object and pull it out.

2/2 Celdant 2015/10/15(Thu)21:28 No. 676710 ID: 90f3c0
File 144496971722.png - (54.95KB , 800x650 , 36.png )

“See? There's nothing dangerous d-”

Something suddenly pops out of the sand, snapping it's jaws wildly.

“Sand sharks... I'm beginning to have second thought about our arrangement, boss.”

Yeah, maybe you shouldn't just insist on throwing the poor guy into danger at EVERY turn. Still, he's a useful partner, he just needs more endurance.

Examine the key, make sure it isn't close to breaking. Then use it on the door and stand back.

Bit late for that now isn't it? Whatever, I'll try harder to keep you safe. INSPECT KEY!

Celdant 2015/10/16(Fri)14:32 No. 676892 ID: 90f3c0
File 144503112097.png - (53.13KB , 800x650 , 37.png )

“I apologize, Izzy. I assure you, you are my most valuable employee. Your life is very important to me.”

“I'm your only employee, boss.”

You inspect the key. It seems to be a perfectly normal, albeit rather large, brass key. It seems quite sturdy.

You remember there was a locked door in a previous room you could try it on, or you could continue on ahead past the pit room.

>>676892
Either way is dangerous. Leave one door closed for now, let Izzy keep the key.

If you need to leave, consider selling the key to the adventurers or the merchant.

Look in the next room.

By the way, are keys that are only usable once and work for multiple dungeon doors a thing?

>>676892
Look in the next room

Celdant 2015/10/17(Sat)10:42 No. 677171 ID: 90f3c0
File 144510374216.png - (53.92KB , 800x650 , 38.png )

You have heard of magic keys that open any door in a dungeon and disappear when used, but this key lacks necessary magical runes. The key likely fits a specific lock in the dungeon.

You continue on into the room west of the pit. A grid of tiles marked with familiar looking runes covers the floor. You see a mirror on a pedestal on the far side.

“I think I see a trap, boss.”

use a sword to press on a panel from as far back as you can.

"Ya don't say." I know we said we would take better care of Izzy, but this puzzle looks like a huge pain in ass, so I think we should just throw him across.

Those are the same runes as the ones on the wall a while back. That pattern might be the solution to this puzzle trap, compare the pattern sequence to the rune panels on the floor and see if you can find a safe path. But be sure to test them first like >>677185.

You have rope and you have weights. Test this trap before you try it out.

Get to a safe distance in case it's a gas type or explosion type. Tie a heavy weight to the end of the rope (preferably something cheap or garbage), throw it onto a random tile, and run out into the previous room. You can gauge how dangerous the trap is; if it's not an area-of-effect type, go ahead and try to solve the puzzle. Use the runes from the prism rune to attempt a solution.

>>677195
But how would he get back? Or, if we're feeling incredibly callous, how would we get the treasure back? No, best we try solving this.
I don't suppose those are meaningful runes that you recognize?

>>677331
He could throw the treasure and then jump on top of it while it was in midair.

JamesLeng 2015/10/17(Sat)21:01 No. 677374 ID: a107fd
File 144514087215.png - (54.48KB , 800x650 , 144510374216.png )

Possible solution, based on inscription in previous puzzle room. For additional safety crouch below the emitter holes.

1/3 Yomiel 2015/10/17(Sat)22:06 No. 677392 ID: 90f3c0
File 144514479571.png - (50.73KB , 800x650 , 39.png )

You take the rope out of your bag.

“You take this rope. I'll throw you across the room. Then you can tie the rope to the mirror and I'll pull it back across.”

Izzy just stares at you.

“That was a joke, Izzy. I wouldn't risk damaging the mirror like that. The runes on the floor look like the same ones written on the wall in the room with the light puzzle. They probably show a safe path across the room. Give me that bag of slime hearts.”

Izzy hands you the bag and you tie it to the rope.

“I'll use this to test the panels and make sure they are safe to walk on.”

You throw the bag on the first rune that was marked on the wall. Nothing happens. You drag the bag back and throw it on the second rune that was marked on the wall. Nothing happens. As you drag the bag back, it crosses one of the runes that was not shown on the wall. A barrage of metal spikes fires from the holes in the walls.

2/3 Celdant 2015/10/17(Sat)22:07 No. 677393 ID: 90f3c0
File 144514483675.png - (62.47KB , 800x650 , 40.png )

“See, that proves it. Those tiles are safe to walk on, the other tiles trigger the trap. Now you just have to cross the safe tiles and bring back the mirror.”

“How come you're not crossing the trap, boss?”

“Because you can check the pedestal for traps, and there's no reason for us both to go.”

Izzy sighs. “Okay. I'll do it”

Izzy crosses the room, only stepping on the tiles that were shown on the wall.

3/3 Celdant 2015/10/17(Sat)22:08 No. 677394 ID: 90f3c0
File 144514488017.png - (60.25KB , 800x650 , 41.png )

Izzy checks the pedestal, then hoists the mirror above his head.

“...what are you doing?”

“A victory pose, boss. I defeated the trap and got the key item.”

“...”

Cute. Alright let's go put the mirror where it belongs.

Okay, make sure that doing the same pattern in reverse will also be safe. Izzy, step on the previous tile and jump back, and then try it again (in case the sequence has to be done in reverse, and repeats are not accepted), and THEN cross.

Celdat, enough with the jokes, Izzy is taking them seriously because of the stress of the dungeon.

Also, you may want to pay Izzy for his services rendered, on the condition that you can borrow the money without his permission once, and only to pay off your 3000 gold debt. Otherwise, the merchant's guild might use legal bull^&*( to declare BOTH of you their debt slaves.

This is the kind of initiative that I like to see in my underlings, keep this up and you'll be getting a promotion in no time, Izzy.

>>677433
We've already payed him by giving him those potions, that's how being a debt slave works.

>>677488
I have to disagree, I think with the help he's been already he has more than paid off for two health potions. Just look at all the loot we've gathered since he's joined. Even if we attributed 1/3rd of that value to his efforts I believe he's made back our investment. I think it's time we negotiated his full time employment with us.

>>677489
Long term employment may be profitable, but unless he brings it up we should assume that he's our indentured servant for at least the rest of the day.

Celdant 2015/10/18(Sun)13:40 No. 677547 ID: 90f3c0
File 144520084367.png - (92.48KB , 800x650 , 42.png )

I went ahead and made a discussion thread: >>/questdis/95624

“Good job. Now come back the way you came.”

After tentatively prodding the tile to make sure the same path is safe in reverse, Izzy crosses the trap again.

Izzy has proven himself to be quiet useful. Maybe you should consider keeping him long term. You will have to decide whether to offer him a cut of the loot, or a daily salary. You decide to wait until the end of the day to discuss terms with him.


You return to the light puzzle room. You place the mirror on the platform, and slot the three-colored wheel onto the rod. Izzy examines the lever by the door.

“I can't tell what the lever activates, but I wouldn't risk pulling it until we know we have the wheels in the right position, boss.”

On the left side, [Green Red Blue), and on the right side, (Cyan Magenta missing Yellow). But that's 6-9 possible combinations for what may be the first of an entire sequence.

Well, you're out of ideas. Maybe that locked room might have a clue inside.

>>677555
yellow is there, it's just dark.

but yeah, to the locked room.

Even if we could figure out how to open the door we should look in the locked room first, because this door looks important and everyone knows you investigate the side paths first.

Celdant 2015/10/18(Sun)19:12 No. 677685 ID: 90f3c0
File 144522076297.png - (73.35KB , 800x650 , 43.png )

You go back to the room with the pit and try the key in the lock. It opens and you take a peek inside.

"Well, that's an obvious clue."

"It is the first dungeon, boss."

the circlet is so obviously trapped it's not funny. but how to bypass it.... check walls for secret panels.

>>677685
Don't be blinded by your greed, come back to take this tiara after you solve the puzzle. If you want it then, tie a bottle to the rope and guide the bottleneck into the end of the tiara, then pull.

Can we unmount both colored wheels to stop the other adventuring party from messing with this puzzle while we explore further?

Celdant 2015/10/18(Sun)20:11 No. 677712 ID: 90f3c0
File 144522427636.png - (32.54KB , 800x650 , 44.png )

You could remove the wheels, but there is nowhere else to explore. The only way forward is through the puzzle room.

Izzy checks the walls for hidden panels, but finds nothing. He takes a closer look at the ledge.

"That's a pressure plate alright. Remove the circlet and it will set off the trap. Looks like it's something in the ceiling."

lightly toss the heaviest cheapest object you have on to the plate. if it's only a low pressure sensor then adding weight will result in nothing happening. in which case you can tie the rope to a sword and use that to weight down the plate. then pull the sword off from the other room.

>>677715
That seems like our best shot. If the plate triggers with too much pressure as well as too little the trap will trigger, but hopefully if we throw the item from the other side of the room we can get out the door in time.

Once again, rope + cheap booze. You know that selling that bottle of unidentified swill might be dangerous for your reputation, so just use it here.

Safety in redundancy. First, since it probably disarms the trap, rotate (and swap?) the color wheels to shine blue and yellow like the eyes in that skull. Then set cheap booze on the pressure plate off to the side, and put small shield (your lowest value-per-pound item) on top of the tiara.

With all that in place, reach under the shield, lift the tiara's front edge up and loop the rope underneath it. Pull the valuable tiara out of the trap with the rope, then remove the shield with similar caution. Leave the booze. If you're feeling cruel, mislabel it as some exceptionally rare potion.

At that point, assuming the trap hasn't tripped yet, go back to the adventurers at the spawning pit and try to sell them the color wheels.

1/2 Celdant 2015/10/19(Mon)18:07 No. 678058 ID: 90f3c0
File 144530323290.png - (112.84KB , 800x650 , 45.png )

You go back to the puzzle room to solve it first on the off chance it is somehow connected to the other trap. You swap the wheels and turn them to match the colors shown in the skull diagram. You here a click from behind the wall.

“That's it, boss. It should be safe to open now.”

2/2 Celdant 2015/10/19(Mon)18:08 No. 678059 ID: 90f3c0
File 144530329632.png - (85.70KB , 800x650 , 46.png )

You return to the small room. You toss the flask of cheap booze onto the pressure plate from a safe distance. You wait, but the trap does not spring. You consider protecting the circlet with a shield, but don't want to mess with the trap when standing that close to it. You make a loop in the rope and toss it on the circlet. You manage to pull it off of the ledge without setting off the trap. You leave the cheap booze behind.

You obtained: ??? circlet value: ???G weight: 0.5

nice, if that is an actual gem and/or it's enchanted that value is probably LOTS. G:LOTS

now through the puzzle door.

Alright, get ready to fight. Go back to the adventurers one more time, tell them to get their gear ready in case you find a massive treasure room filled with horrible, horrible hordes of enemies; be sure to tell them which way to go. You're willing to sell the slime hearts if this prevents them from meeting their quota.

>>678071
no, that would make us annoying.

Does the fact that you can not Identify it mean it is magical?

Celdant 2015/10/19(Mon)21:39 No. 678117 ID: 90f3c0
File 144531596009.png - (100.90KB , 800x650 , 47.png )

You inspect the circlet more closely. You can tell that the circlet itself is not particularly valuable, and the stone set into it is very common. But on the inside you can see that it is inscribed with magical ruins. You lack the necessary skill to identify enchanted items, and cannot determine its value.


You return to the sealed door and pull the large lever. As the door slides open, you begin to feel uneasy.

“Something seems odd about this door.”

Izzy take a closer look.

“It's your standard boss door. If we go in, it won't open again until the fight is over.”

“Isn't it a little early for the dungeon boss?”

“It's probably just a sub boss, but they can still be dangerous. We should be careful, boss.”

...maybe we should close it, disable the puzzle and go back to town first to maybe get upgrades or other supplies.

>>678117
Go to the adventurers, give them the slime hearts for free, and beat the boss together?

Because these dungeons don't have auto-scaling; that orc was able to set up a PVP against noobs; if they put something here...

Celdant 2015/10/20(Tue)20:49 No. 678444 ID: 90f3c0
File 144539935539.png - (141.20KB , 800x650 , 48.png )

“It's too risky to go in blind. Let's go talk to those adventurers.”

You walk back to the slime lakes and greet the group of adventurers.

“Hello again. I was wondering what you knew about the boss past that puzzle room.”

“Looking to farm the bigger game, eh? We've fought it before. Big ol' slime, destroy all its cores to kill it. It's not to tough itself, but it does spawn smaller slimes. You might have a hard time with your current... team. Stealth and ranged attacks ain't going to hold back the waves of smaller slimes.”

“Then perhaps you would be willing to help us? We'd be willing to trade all of our slime hearts for your aid with the boss.”

“We can't all just leave this spot, some other adventurers might try'n steal our claim. But maybe two of us could help you. For all the slime hearts you're carrin', and any hearts the small slimes drop, plus say... 100 gold. You can keep whatever the boss drops.”

You look over your perspective teammates:

Curtis: Human Warrior
Skills: Sword, shield

Galvin: Dwarven Catfolk Warrior
Skills: Defense, axes

Krell: Goblin Fencer
Skills: Agility, rapiers

Nairee: Elven Archer
Skills: Stealth, bows

Should you hire two adventures to aid in the boss battle for 100 gold + 12 slime hearts(120G) + any slime hearts dropped in the fight?

galvin and krell, defense and attack for melee.

Depends: how many cores does the Queen Slime usually have?

If there are more than 4, bring Nairee and Curtis; you and Nairee flank the boss and attack as many cores while Izzy and Curtis run interference and kill slimes. Otherwise, bring Galvin and Krell so that you can line up your shots undisturbed.

>>678444
Galvin and Krell seem more friendlier.

Skip the boss. You've got a good haul already, close to the limit of what you can carry, and you're injured AND short on ammo. Sell them the slime hearts you already collected, in exchange for cash or spare potions, and leave to get that tiara identified/appraised.

Celdant 2015/10/22(Thu)22:42 No. 678853 ID: 90f3c0
File 144557891966.png - (115.87KB , 800x650 , 49.png )

“On second thought, maybe we should head back to town to prepare.”

Galvin runs up to you, grinning enthusiastically.
Galvin: “Hey man, this mid boss isn't such a big deal. It doesn't even have any ranged attacks, put me up front and it won't even be able to touch you. A few shots from that rifle and it's dead. Trust me, I got this!”

“Well... if you're that confident it will be any easy fight, I'll trust you're experience. Galvin, Krell, come with us.”

Galvin: “Yes, yes, yes! Harvesting this pit is sooo boring.”

Krell: “Heh. Sure thing, just tell me who to stab.”

Izzy: “Gee boss, trusting the word of a bored battle-hungry cat. What could go wrong.”

“Don't worry Izzy, these guys are probably way over leveled for this dungeon.”


You step into the boss room, and the door closes behind you.

aim for the shield blob on the left's core. should go through and hit the big one as well.

Your mercenaries are here to harvest slime hearts, so let them do that. Aim for a single core, have Izzy flank the slime warriors and finish off any that survive Curtis' attacks.

No don't shoot the little ones. Focus your rifle fire on the boss's cores while the melee guys handle the small slimes.

The boss is a minion maker; aim for its cores.

1/4 Celdant 2015/10/23(Fri)15:28 No. 678928 ID: 90f3c0
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“I've got the cores, you guys take out the minions.”

You take aim at the upper left core and fire. The core explodes.

2/4 Celdant 2015/10/23(Fri)15:29 No. 678929 ID: 90f3c0
File 144563939471.png - (114.75KB , 800x650 , 51.png )

Galvin: “No problem, these guys are pushovers!”

Galvin swings his ax and slices the front two slimes in half.

3/4 Celdant 2015/10/23(Fri)15:32 No. 678930 ID: 90f3c0
File 144563952580.png - (72.81KB , 800x650 , 52.png )

Krell uses Dash to approach the right shield slime in the blink of an eye. Krell uses Skewer, his piecing ability is increased. He drives his rapier straight though the slime's shield, killing it and shattering one of the bosses cores.

Galvin: “Hey! Don't waste you Stamina at the start of the fight!”

Krell: “It's not a waste. This battle will be over in moments.”

4/4 Celdant 2015/10/23(Fri)15:33 No. 678931 ID: 90f3c0
File 144563958301.png - (58.19KB , 800x650 , 53.png )

The boss starts to spawn three more slimes.

“More already?”

Galvin: “It spawns more when you destroy the cores. Just keep shooting, I got it covered!”

>>678931
The new slimes are unarmed. Time for our employee to get a bit more xp!

Other than that, stick with the plan.

Well, this is too easy and all that. The dungeon might have an extra trap.

Take one last look around for anything suspicious and then kill the boss. Remember to save some ammo in case of emergencies.

1/2 Celdant 2015/10/25(Sun)14:43 No. 679339 ID: 90f3c0
File 144580942044.png - (92.21KB , 800x650 , 54.png )

You shoot out the bosses upper right core. Krell dashes to the left and destroys yet another of the bosses cores, while Galvin continues to slaughter the smaller slimes with his ax.

2/2 Celdant 2015/10/25(Sun)14:45 No. 679340 ID: 90f3c0
File 144580951666.png - (98.94KB , 800x650 , 55.png )

Once the boss is down to its last core, it begins to shake and jiggle violently. It tears itself into three large slimes with long wiggling arms. The slime with the last boss core sits in the back, protected by the other two.

Grell: “Strange, it didn't do that last time we fought it.”

Galvin: “Ha, it will only make it easier to slice apart!”

>>679340
Uh-oh.

Celdant, place the fire trap! If those slimes split into a swarm and you don't have splash damage attacks set up, you're all dead!

>>679340
Help out Grell by sniping the one he's dealing with.

Maybe our sneaky kobold can go assassinate the last boss core?

Have the others move in from the left while you dive to the right in hopes of getting a clear shot at the one in the back.

Since the slimes are transparent, couldn't you just see its core through the one in front and shoot it? If not, shoot the one in front of the core holder while the warriors hold back the small ones.

Celdant 2015/10/26(Mon)12:09 No. 679473 ID: 90f3c0
File 144588654960.png - (127.29KB , 800x650 , 56.png )

Galvin continues to mow down the smaller slimes, and Grell stabs the last shield slime through the core, killing it. Izzy sneaks around behind the slimes while they are focused on the other party members.

You can barely see the shadow of the boss's core through the semitransparent slime. You carefully take aim and fire. The bullet hits, but its power is greatly reduced when penetrating the front slime.

>>679473
Save your ammo! Next time, line your shot so that it penetrates at least two slime cores!

Also, if you run out of ammo, the adventurers might turn on you, the merchant outside might kill you out of prejudice and greed, there might be enemies on the way to town, etc.

Buy a lot of ammo when you get back to town, you'll need it.

shoot a big one. the small fry are nothing to worry about.

That seems to be working. Another shot like that and Izzy should be able to finish it off.

1/3 Celdant 2015/10/27(Tue)21:49 No. 679784 ID: 90f3c0
File 144600777436.png - (150.51KB , 800x650 , 57.png )

You only have four bullets left. You consider letting the others finish the boss alone to conserve ammo, but decide to end the battle quickly. You shoot the boss in the core again.

Krell stabs the left slime in the core. Its tentacles quickly close around him and pull him against its body.

Krell: Damn. It's faster than it looks.

2/3 Celdant 2015/10/27(Tue)21:51 No. 679785 ID: 90f3c0
File 144600786878.png - (95.64KB , 800x650 , 58.png )

Izzy stabs the boss's core from behind, destroying it. As the last core shatters, the three large slimes each split into three smaller slimes.

Galvin: “They're all grouped together, looks like it's time for my special attack! Everyone get back!”

Izzy and krell back away from the group of slimes as Galvin runs towards them.

3/3 Celdant 2015/10/27(Tue)21:55 No. 679787 ID: 90f3c0
File 144600812275.png - (180.66KB , 800x650 , 59.png )

Galvin swings his blade in a low wide arc, cutting through an area larger than his blade should cover. Most of the remaining slimes are obliterated in the attack.

Galvin: “Crescent Slash!”

Krell: “You don't have to yell the names of your Skills.”

Galvin: “Yes I do!”

Krell and Izzy dispatch the last couple of slimes with ease.

Boss Defeated!

Izzy: “That seemed almost too easy, boss.”

“Well, that's what happens when you hire experienced adventurers for an early boss. We would have been slaughtered if we came in alone. You gather up the loot:
# Item Value Weight 151 Gold 1 0.01 17 Slime Hearts 10 0.05 1 Huge Slime Heart 100 1 1 ??? Dagger ??? o.5 2 Small Shields 30 5 6 Unremarkable Daggers 15 0.5

You feel stronger:
Max HP up 14 > 16
Max Stamina Up 0 > 2

You acquire 2 skill points: Please select 2 skills:

Merchant Skills:

Efficient Packing: Carry an additional 15 pounds.

Identify Level 2: Can assess the value of most enchanted items. Can determine basic information about enchantments.

Assess Location: Determine the suitability of a given location for selling your goods. Determine the chance of being attacked while selling.

Fire Arms Skills:

Lightning Fingers: Expend 1 Stamina to instantly reload.

Dead Aim: Expend 1 Stamina to increase the chances of making a difficult shot.

One Handed Reload: Reduce reload time penalty when dual wielding pistols or wielding a shield in your off hand.

Izzy feels stronger.
Max HP 8 > 10
Max Stamina 2 > 4

Izzy selects the stealth skill Shadow: Expend 2 stamina to disappear from the enemies field of view.
Izzy selects the dagger skill Dual Slash: Expend 2 stamina to attack twice in quick succession. Costs 1 if dual wielding.

Lightning Fingers and Identify Level 2.

Identify the ??? dagger. Give it to Izzy.

Ask Gavin if he needs the big slime heart, or if that's not part of the deal. Let him have it, anyway.

>>679807
sounds good except for give huge heart for nothing. if they don't need it then we keep it.

...aren't we already reloading once per round? How would instant reloading even help?

>>679807
agreed

>>679823
More advanced guns may have longer reload times. Faster reload speed also allows us to reload two pistols in a single turn.

Celdant 2015/10/28(Wed)11:05 No. 679872 ID: 90f3c0
File 144605552953.png - (105.69KB , 800x650 , 60.png )

>...aren't we already reloading once per round? How would instant reloading even help?
You can reload fairly quickly, but at close range you may not have time to reload before the enemy can strike. Lightning Fingers could also be used to attack twice in some situations.

You learn Lightning Fingers.
You learn Identify Level 2.

You identify your unidentified items:

Acid Dagger 215G
Dagger with minor Acid enchantment. More effective against armor, causes additional damage.

Circlet of Physical Defense 210G
Reduce physical damage to the head. Chance of deflecting weak blows and arrows.


Galvin: “That completes our side of the deal. I believe those slime hearts belong to us.” Galvin grins ans holds out his hand.

The Huge Slime heart was dropped by the Boss, and is not part of your deal. You hand 100G and 29 slime hearts to Galvin. That cost you more than you would have liked.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

Galvin: “Same, this is way more fun than farming that lake! If you ever need help again, you can find my at the tavern in town. Oh, and if you want to go further into the dungeon, make sure to bring protection against poison!”

Galvin and Krell take their loot and return to the slime cave. Izzy walks up to you.

Izzy: “I've been thinking, boss.”

“What is it, Izzy?”

Izzy: “Those slime hearts must have been worth at least as much as those potions you gave me. ...I think this battle more than pays for my debt.”

You sigh, you should have known seeing how real adventurers get paid would give him ideas.

Izzy: “I known I'm not as useful as those guys, but I want at least 150G per day! Or...” He stares at the Acid Dagger. “I really like the look of this dagger. I'd work two more days in exchange for the dagger.”

This seems like a fair deal, hiring an adventurer in town would cost you far more. You also need to decide what to do next. It's probably time to return to town to sell off your wares and resupply.

>>679872
The dagger's a discount on his rate. Trade it to him for more work. If you adventure a little more and get another level we can get Assess Location and set up shop somewhere good.

For now we have to return to town, since we apparently need to get some poison protection for the rest of the dungeon.

The dagger for two days of works sounds reasonable.
After that we should head towards town to shop.

Yeah, deal. You were planning to give him the dagger anyway, it's a good fit. You save on 85 gold and Izzy gets a good weapon.

Alright, time to leave. There might be more treasure, but you can't carry much more than this. Also, if you run out of ammo then someone could kill you both.

Adventuring is fun, so go back and sell your loot. Spend the remaining day trying to sell your loot, and then go to a Level 2 dungeon nearby.

Man, that Orc probably would have killed Izzy if he had that circlet equipped. You should keep it for now but sell it when you find a real helmet.

1/2 Celdant 2015/10/28(Wed)22:45 No. 680006 ID: 90f3c0
File 144609749974.png - (39.47KB , 800x650 , 61.png )

“It's a deal. The dagger is yours for two days work. We should get back to town”

Izzy: “Sure thing, boss.”

The walk back to town is uneventful. By the time you arrive at the gates, the day is already ending. It is too late to do anything tonight.

Izzy: “What should I do with all this stuff I'm carrying?”

“I can store it at the Merchants' Guild. Come on.”

You lead Izzy back to the guild and head to the storage desk. You check all of your wares into storage, they will be safe here until you're ready to sell them.

Izzy: “I'll be at the tavern with the other adventurers. Stop by when you need my help.”

2/2 Celdant 2015/10/28(Wed)22:48 No. 680007 ID: 90f3c0
File 144609772496.png - (140.91KB , 800x650 , 62.png )

Day 2

You awaken on a hard cot in the Merchants' Guild dorms. It's nice to have a reliable place to sleep, but you don't want to be stuck here for the rest of your life. You have to pay off that debt. It's time to get out there and make some money.

Where should you go first?

Merchants' Guild:
You could quickly sell your goods here if you want to save time, but you wouldn't get much for them. You can also buy basic items, and store items and gold.

The market:
All sorts of merchants and adventurers buy and sell items here. You could rent a stall for the day to sell your wares.

The shops:
The shops carry more rare and high quality items. If you're looking for a particular item or piece of equipment your could find it here, but it would cost you.

The tavern:
Favorite hang out spot for adventurers looking for work. Also contains the job board. Izzy said he would be there.

>>680007
Market. Let's start selling shit. Anything we can't sell in a day we can liquidate at the guild... or try hanging onto for the next sell-off day.

>>680011
Agreed, test your ability to sell stuff. Go adventuring if you can't sell more than 25% of your inventory in 6 hours.

Market. Capitalism!

How much does it cost to rent a stall?

Celdant 2015/10/29(Thu)20:52 No. 680119 ID: 90f3c0
File 144617716089.png - (132.15KB , 800x650 , 63.png )

You decide to go to the market to sell your wares. You find several stalls available:

Tiny spot in a corner
Price: 5G
Item Slots: 5
Rating: 3

Spot on the ground
Price: 20G
Item Slots: 10
Rating: 4

Standard Stall
Price: 50G
Item Slots: 15
Rating: 6

High End Stall
Price 200G
Item Slots 25
Rating: 10

Items are more likely to sell st stalls with higher ratings.

You also review your available wares. # Item Value Desirability 5 Unremarkable swords 40 1 2 Orcish Battleaxes 100 4 10 Unremarkable daggers 15 1 3 Small healing potions 50 3 4 Small Shields 35 1 2 Short Bows 30 1 6 Arrows 2 1 1 circlet of physical defense 220 5 1 Huge Slime Heart 100 5 6 Loaves of bread 2 1 6 Chunks of dried meat 3 1

You must decide which stall to take, which items you wish to sell, and what percentage of the guild price you want to charge. You can price your wares below guild price to sell them more easily, or higher for greater profit. More desirable items are more likely to sell. Opening shop will take the rest of the day.


Sales rules:
Stall rating + item desirability rating + 1d20 +/- (discount or markup percentage / 5). Get over 20 to sell an item.

Use a standard stall, unload your wares.
5 Swords - 50G
2 Battleaxes - 120G
3 Healing Potions - 75G (Either you sell these for a good price or you use them in the dungeon)
2 Shields - 45G
2 Bows - 40G
1 Slime Heart - 115G

Standard stall, price everything high enough that it's only 10% likely to sell. Plenty of time for fire-sale prices when the deadline gets closer. Tomorrow, buy more bullets and healing potions, run the slime dungeon again, and contact whoever those adventurers were selling slime hearts to so you can cut out the middleman.

From a math standpoint the standard stall is not a gain over a 100% chance of just selling the items to the guild.(if we are able to do that) The total of the difference in prices*the odds of getting a total *above* 20 is less than the 50gold we would pay to use the stall.

Kome's prices are reasonable and still it gives us not only a low chance for item selling, but an expected return of 27gold from just normally selling the items.(about half what we would pay for the space)
>>680130
(swords are a 10% chance for 10g more each)
(battleaxes are 30% for 20g)
(healing potions are [3+6-10]=-1 so even a max roll of 20 would not get it high enough to sell)
(shields are a 5% [6+1-6ish so it'd need a max roll of 20 to get to 21] to get 10 gold)
(slime heart is a 40% for 15 extra)

I'd say hold off until we have enough rare stuff to completely fill a stall.

Celdant 2015/10/31(Sat)09:15 No. 680342 ID: 90f3c0
File 144630814129.png - (66.29KB , 800x650 , 64.png )

The guild prices are what the guild sells items for. If you were to sell your items to the guild, you would only get half their value.

You decide to try selling a bit above guild price, you still have plenty of time before the deadline and can always drop your prices later. You spend the rest of the day trying to sell your goods.

You sell:

2 Unremarkable Swords 50G
1 Orcish Battleaxe 120G
1 Huge Slime Heart 115G

You spend 50G to rent the stall, and take in 335G. You now have a total of 1029G to fund your next venture. That should be plenty of money to buy supplies if you want to continue on in the slime dungeon. What should you do next?

Buy ammo and health potions from the guild. See if you can buy dual-pistols as your sidearms. Hire Izzy and a cheap mercenary, and look for a new dungeon. Don't go back to the LV1 Slime Dungeon until you find anti-poison equipment.

Let's see if we can get maybe some protection against poison.

>>680343
>dual-pistols

Ammo yes, new weapon no. Rifle's been working just fine, and we're over a third of the way to our goal. Run the slime dungeon with Izzy again (assuming it's reset by now). If the next four days go as well as the last two did, we're golden, so let's not take unnecessary risks with a higher-level dungeon.

Celdant 2015/11/02(Mon)11:29 No. 680926 ID: 90f3c0
File 144649255103.png - (130.93KB , 800x650 , 65.png )

You check out some items at the guild. You can buy bullets for 5G each, small health potions for 50G, small stamina potions for 30G, and antidotes for 25G. How many should you buy of each?

You could buy basic pistols for 150G each, but you question their usefulness as a secondary weapon. You don't have the skill to quickly draw a pistol is combat faster than you could reload your rifle.

You also take a look around the market for some protection against poison. There's an alchemist selling poison resistance potions for 55G. They last all day, but don't grant full immunity to poison. You find some enchanted pendants that give better protection against poison for 230G each. There's also an enchanter that can add an anti poison runes to equipment for 200G, but you don't have any suitable gear at the moment.

The slime dungeon won't reset completely until the boss is defeated. It's likely that at least some of the enemies have respawned, but you won't find any more loot. You could try farming the slime lake if no other adventures have gotten there first, but that is rather tedious work.

You could also check out the other dungeons in the area if you don't won't to deal with the poison further in the slime dungeon. There should be a map of the local dungeons in the tavern.

>>680926
Oh, let's at least check the map before we decide.

1/2 Celdant 2015/11/25(Wed)00:22 No. 685632 ID: 90f3c0
File 144843972879.png - (96.41KB , 800x650 , 66.png )

You decide to check out the local dungeon map before deciding what equipment to buy. You head over to the tavern where the adventurers like to gather.

There aren't many people in the bar at this time of day. You see the cat warrior Galvin sitting at the bar. The unfamiliar elf that sits beside him is wearing the symbol of the alchemists guild. Izzy is chatting with a girl bold at one of the tables. A large gnoll is drinking alone at the far end of the room. Damn, you think that's one of your half-brothers. Hopefully he won't notice you.

2/2 Celdant 2015/11/25(Wed)00:23 No. 685633 ID: 90f3c0
File 144843979631.png - (34.79KB , 800x650 , 67.png )

You check out the map on the wall. There are brief descriptions of each dungeon in the area.

1 – You are here.

2 – Slime caves. Low danger. Beware of poison.

3 – Old cemetery. Low to moderate danger. Large numbers of undead.

4 – The Ancient Wood. Moderate danger. Many alchemy ingredient are round here. Beware of hostile wildlife.

5 – Abandoned mine. Moderate to high danger. Many valuable ores and gems can still be found here. Beware of rust monsters.

6 – The Underground Labyrinth. High danger. Illusion charms make the endless tunnels impossible to map. Many adventurers never return.

7 – The Keep of the Cursed King. High danger. Many deadly traps and enchantment. Few have made it to the throne room at the top.

8 – Crater Excavation Site. Very high danger. Strange caverns recently unearthed. Initial expedition sustained heavy casualties. Many unusual artifact found within.

9 – Sunken Tomb of the Elder God. Suicide.

>>685633
>impossible to map
Hmm. I wonder what that means exactly. Are the illusions so powerful as to be solid? If not, you can just map out the real walls.

It looks like we want to stick with the slime dungeon for now. Buy bullets to restock your supply back to the original amount you had, and buy a couple of poison resistance potions so we can go past the slime boss.

>>685633
I'd say the Ancient wood or the old cemetery. It seems like the difficulty ramps up on the slime caves after where we were at, so I think it'd be about the same. If we do go to the woods, try to get the alchemist to go with us.

The Ancient Wood seems like a good place to get materials.

You'll want to level up Izzy, so bring him along. He works for cheap because of your previous assistance, so getting him to a higher level is in both of your interests.

Bring the alchemist along for the ride. If Galvin things that this is too dangerous for his friend, offer to let him come along at a discount hiring.

Oho, bad blood between you and your half brother? Spill!

Ancient wood is way out of our depth unless we hire on Galvin, but so is venturing further into the slime cave. However, if we could farm the slime lake we could make some decent profit off of the hearts, plus some good xp. Ask Galvin if his former party is still farming hearts, if he says no then stock up on bullets and head there.

Maybe politely interject into Izzy's conversation that you're planning to head out soon to get him to wrap things up. Don't be a dick about it, though.

1/3 Celdant 2015/11/27(Fri)02:21 No. 685938 ID: 90f3c0
File 144861968506.png - (57.64KB , 800x650 , 68.png )

You decide you should definitely bring Izzy along, he's been paid in advance and has been reliable so far. You walk up the table were he is sitting.

Izzy: “ …was squeezing them to death with its deadly tentacles! So I snuck up behind the boss, completely unseen, and drove dagger into it's heart. The boss was instantly defeated, and the rest of the party was freed.”

Izzy notice you approaching the table.

Izzy: “Oh, hey boss. Are we heading back to the dungeon?”

“I haven't quite decided the destination, but I will be leaving soon and I want you to come with me. I still have to finish some preparations first. I'll let you finish up here, and will meet you by the city gate in say, half an hour.”

Izzy: “Sure thing boss, I'll be ready.”

You leave Izzy alone with the girl.

2/3 Celdant 2015/11/27(Fri)02:22 No. 685939 ID: 90f3c0
File 144861974769.png - (57.88KB , 800x650 , 69.png )

The Ancient Wood seems like a good place to collect ingredients to sell, but you will want to bring along a stronger party for the tougher dungeon. You will ask around before making the final decision. You don't know a whole lot about alchemy ingredients, so you decide to ask the alchemist at the bar about the area.

“Hello. My name is Celdant, a local merchant. I'm putting together a party to gather ingredients in the Ancient Wood. I was wondering if you knew anything about the area, any particular ingredients I should watch out for?”

Alek: “Nice to meetcha. The name's Alek, freelance alchemist. Well, your basic ingredients are dropped by the monsters when they die. But if you know what you're looking for, it's possible to harvest additional rare ingredients from the bodies. There are also a lot of herbs and plants in the area, if you know how to identify them. If you can offer adequate protection in the dungeon, I'd be willing to come along for a third of the ingredients we find.

Galvin turns toward you from his seat at the bar.

Galvin: “There's no way the two of you will make it through the Wood alone. But if you want protection, I've got it. I can escort you for say... 500 gold.

“That seems a little high.” You reply.

Galvin: “You won't find an experienced adventurer that will charge less. Dungeon crawling is a dangerous job! But I do like you guys, it would be a shame if you got slaughter because you had to hire a second rate fighter. I'll give you a discount, 400 gold, but I'm not going any lower.”

Suddenly you feel a large hand on your shoulder. Shit you were hoping he'd be too drunk to notice you.

3/3 Celdant 2015/11/27(Fri)02:23 No. 685940 ID: 90f3c0
File 144861978507.png - (64.12KB , 800x650 , 70.png )

Grekk: “Shit, I can't believe what I'm hearing! You ran off to be a merchant because you were too much of wuss for mercenary work, and now you're raiding dungeons? What happened bro, finally grow a pair?”

You sigh “I need to acquire merchandise before I can sell it, Grekk. There's only one way to do that when you're dirt poor. What are you even doing here? I heard the band was marching north.”

Grekk: “Fuck that. I'm sick of fighting for those dumbass humans, in their dumbass wars. From now on I'm going to kill who I want to kill. I'm going independent, I'm a bounty hunter now. It sounds like you need some muscle for this merchant gig, how about a trade? I help you with this dungeon, and you help me with a job later. Family should stick together, and you can't be as useless as you look.”

Grekk's offer sounds good, provided "later" is at least a month from now.

For Galvin, the price itself seems fair, but see if you can get him to accept equipment or 'store credit' rather than actual cash.

If Grekk is playing the 'family' card, then you want to know why. What's the job, and what's the take?

Hire all of the above, ask Alek and Galvin about how you should prepare. Ask your team if they want to 'rent' some of your inventory; better they use it now than to die while your good-quality gear rots in the guild storage. Buy the necessary gear and make preparations, and then use the remaining gold on ammunition (and possibly a pistol for Izzy, or Alek if he wants one).

1/2 Yomiel 2015/11/28(Sat)23:03 No. 686187 ID: 90f3c0
File 144878063325.png - (115.15KB , 800x650 , 71.png )

“If you cared about sticking with family, you wouldn't have left the band. What's the job, and why are you trying to rope me into it?”

Grekk: “I'm not roping you into anything Cel, this is an honest deal. Some bandits have been hitting adventurer near the Abandoned Mine and the Guild wants them gone. The leader likes to use guns, would be pretty dumb for me to take him on alone. He'd fill me fully of holes before I could take out his men.

Grekk: “I know you're good with a rifle. Practicing with that thing was the only thing you ever did back in camp–besides all that sissy reading shit, that ain't a proper way for a gnoll to spend his time. You keep him busy while I beat his gang into the ground. We have a deal?”

“Fine. But only once I'm confident I can pay off this debt.”

Grekk: “Sure, the bandits aren't going anywhere.”

You turn to Galvin.

“The price seems fair. Maybe you could take part of it in credit toward future purchases?”

Galvin: “Sorry man, I can't be sure you'll still be in the merchant game in the future. Maybe if we find some items I like in the Wood, but I need to be paid by the end of the day.”

“Fair enough.”

You turn to Alek.

“I think we have a deal, if you consider this to be adequate protection.”

Alek: “Oh yes. I'll be perfectly safe with these two strong guys around.”

On the way out of town you purchase 17 bullets for 85G, bringing you up to a total of 20. You stop by the bank and deposit all but 200G of your money. You also grab the Circlet of Physical Defense from storage, because it seems like a waste to leave useful equipment behind. Should you wear it yourself or let one of your allies borrow it?

2/2 Celdant 2015/11/28(Sat)23:05 No. 686189 ID: 90f3c0
File 144878070269.png - (59.83KB , 800x650 , 72.png )

You rendezvous with Izzy at the gate and head off to the Ancient Wood with your party.

“So guys, tell me about your abilities so I can strategize in battle.”

Your new allies share their stats:

Grekk Level 5 Brawler.
20 Hp, 20 Stamina

Equipment
Spiked knuckles with fire enchantment
Spiked knuckles with electric enchantment

Skills

Berserk Level 2: 5 Stamina. Temporarily boost speed and attack power.

Flurry of blow: 3 Stamina. Attack several times in quick succession.

Elemental Strike: 2 Stamina. An attack that increases the effectiveness of elemental enchantments on a weapon.

Alek Level 3 Alchemist.
10 HP, 4 Stamina

Equipment
Quarterstaff
4x small healing potion
4x small stamina potion
2x antidote
4x exploding fire potion
2x poison cloud potion

Skills
Alchemy Level 2: Create moderately complex potions. Identify most alchemy ingredients.

Skinning Level 1: Harvest more items from fallen monsters.

Galvin Level 4 Warrior.
25 Hp, 10 Stamina

Equipment
Fine double headed battle axe
Medium leather armor

Skiils
Crescent Slash: 6 Stamina. A strong swing with as wide area of effect.

Iron Skin: 2 Stamina. Temporarily increases defense.

Taunt: 2 Stamina. Draws more attention from the enemy.


You arrive at a crossroad.

Alek: “The dungeon proper is straight ahead. To the left there is a small camp with a few merchants that sell to adventurers. The right lead around the outskirts of the Woods, it's safer than the actual dungeon but only the more common alchemy ingredients are found there. We wouldn't find any valuable treasures of super fun puzzles either.”

Onward!

Sounds like we are going forwards then.

I'd say loan izzy the circlet. He's the only underpowered one that would get in on the melee fighting. (I think)
Onwards!

Celdant 2015/11/30(Mon)23:07 No. 686436 ID: 90f3c0
File 144895362395.png - (92.38KB , 800x650 , 73.png )

“Here, put this on. You could use the protection the most.” You hand the Circlet to Izzy.

Izzy: “Thanks, boss. I'm glad you're sticking to the trying not to get me killed part of the deal.”

“I always look out for my employees, Izzy.”

Izzy puts the circlet on his head.

Grekk: “It looks good on you, princess.”

You continue walking forward toward the dungeon. Alek spots something by the side of the path.

Alek: “Healing herbs. Just give me a second to collect these.”

As Alek kneels down by the side of the path, you hear a chittering sound coming from the trees.

Celdat and Izzy, grab Alek and retreat!

Gavin, prepare a crescent slash!

Grekk, prepare to tank!

>>686437
Yep. Out/even numbered means get the squishies to the back til we know what we're dealing with.

Pull the alchemist back; it looks like it is time for a Random Encounter.

1/2 Celdant 2015/12/01(Tue)16:24 No. 686508 ID: 90f3c0
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“Get away from the trees! Grekk, Galvin, get in front of them!”

Alek: “Huh? What...?”

Izzy: "Come on!"

Izzy grabs Alek's hand a drags him away from the treeline. Grekk and Galvin begin to dash toward them.

A group of giant rats rush out of the undergrowth and chase after Izzy and Alek.

2/2 Celdant 2015/12/01(Tue)16:25 No. 686509 ID: 90f3c0
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The lead rat lunges toward Alek, but Grekk jumps in a punches the rat right in the face. The electric effect stuns the lead rat.

Grekk: “Eat it, asshole!”

Nice! But perform a Crescent Slash while they're still bunched together!

Grekk, grab some rats and use them as a shield against Galvin's berserker attacks and other rats!

Celdat, open fire! Try to line your shots for multi-kills, but just make sure they don't bite you! Alek, analyze the enemies and determine if they're diseased (with something hard to cure)! Izzy, stand on Alek's shoulders and get ready to jump onto any charging enemies!

Crescent Slash while they're bunched up, Grekk kills any near death/lays on the punches. Izzy and Celdat kill any that try to flank or surround. Alek, watch the team's back and make sure nothing else will get the jump on you.

Better to hold off from using bullets til we get in a worse off fight or need it.

1/4 Celdant 2015/12/02(Wed)15:37 No. 686619 ID: 90f3c0
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Galvin: “Get back, Grekk!”

Galvin jumps forward and unleashes a Crescent Slash, finishing off the lead rat and severely damaging the others.

Galvin” “Ha! Take that!”

2/4 Celdant 2015/12/02(Wed)15:38 No. 686622 ID: 90f3c0
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The remaining rats scurry forward and bite into Grekk and Galvin's legs, causing minor damage.

Grekk: “Annoying pests!”

3/4 Celdant 2015/12/02(Wed)15:39 No. 686623 ID: 90f3c0
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Grekk kneels down and strikes both of the rats at his feet, finishing them off. Izzy and Galvin dispatch the other two with little trouble.

Enemies defeated!

“OK, gather up the loot.”

You obtain: # Item Value Weight 4 Healing herbs 7G .1 5 rat teeth 5G .1 15 gold
Alek uses Skinning and obtains: 5 Rat tails 8G .5

“They didn't seem too tough.”

Alek: “We're not in the actual dungeon yet, there are much more dangerous animals ahead.”

“Do you think we have to worry about those bites, they could be diseased?”

Alek: “I don't think so, just treat the bites like any other wound.”

4/4 Celdant 2015/12/02(Wed)15:42 No. 686628 ID: 90f3c0
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Further down the path, you come to the arch that marks the entrance to the dungeon.

Izzy: “There's a trail of blood leading off to the left, Boss. Should we check it out?”

Follow the blood, but try to be covert. Wounds usually leave living entities less than full-minded.

If there's someone injured you can help, they will be in your debt. Check out the blood.

Celdant 2015/12/03(Thu)11:21 No. 686787 ID: 90f3c0
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“Follow the trail. Be careful.”

You sneak through the forest as quietly as you can. You see pools of blood and other signs of battle. After a while you come into a small clearing. You see two mangled bodies, they look like they've been torn apart by wild animals. Beyond the bodies you see a man leaning against the tree. He has a few scratches, but appears to be mostly uninjured.

“Shit, what happened here?”

Man: “W-werewolf. It just torn them apart, I couldn't do anything...”

“Are you okay?”

Man: “I-I drank healing potion... T-the cuts aren't too bad.”

Alek: “If those are werewolf scratches, a healing potion isn't going to help. He's already infected.”

Man: “Shit! C-can you help me, is there anything you can do? I don't want to be a monster.”

Izzy: “Why not? You could have won this fight if you were a werewolf. Sound pretty useful to me, instant badass adventurer. If only kobolds weren't immune...”

Grekk: “I like that idea, Cel. Finally, a solution to your runtyness problem.”

“Knock it off guys, this is a serious business opportunity. Alek, can you make a cure?”

Alek: “Yes, but we have to be fast. It's only effective for a few hours after infection. There might be a suitable alchemy lab at that merchant camp, but we will need a few ingredients. A small amount of silver, a couple of healing herbs, a bit of holy water, and... a sample of flesh from the werewolf that infected him.”

Man: “Please, I can pay you. I have 300 gold on me, and you can have whatever my companions were carrying too.”

Grekk: “Or we could just take it, he's hardly in a position to stop us. A lot less hassle.”

>>686787
Merchants aren't bandits. We have a reputation to uphold!

You don't want to kill him but you also don't want a rampaging werewolf on the loose. Bury him head-upright, and take the money to purchase supplies for the cure.

Celdat and Izzy, go buy the necessary ingredients (Celdat has a gun, he's more effective against mortals than beasts). Alek, Galvin, and Grekk, head into the woods and kick some werewolf ass. Be sure to grab the WHOLE werewolf in case you get infected and need up to four cures.

I'd say it'd be worth it to go after the werewolf to stop any more of this/to get a cure for anyone else attacked today even if we can't save the guy. Split up and see if you can get a take in the merchant camp kill the werewolf while the other group hunts after it. Also, get the equipment now, leave the gold with him. Anything enchanted gets scanned and passed to attack team if it's useful.

Digging a hole to bury someone takes forever, but I'm not sure how else to stop him. We have all day though.

Making a lot of cure and not solving the problem seems like a sure-fire way of generating profit. Any survivors of the werewolf attacks can go to the convenient merchant to keep from going lycanthrope.

Celdant 2015/12/03(Thu)19:58 No. 686857 ID: 90f3c0
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You briefly consider letting the werewolf roam free, so you can profit off massed produced cure potions. You look at the two bodies on the ground and discard the idea, if you wanted to kill for profit you'd have become a bandit rather than a merchant.

“We're merchants Grekk, not bandits. We have a reputation to uphold.”

Grekk: “Heh, I'm no merchant.”

“No one would want to deal with a bounty hunter who kills potential customers either. Reputation is important in any job.”

Grekk: “Whatever. Are we doing this or not?”

“Yes.” you turn to the infected man. “Give me the money first, and we'll get you the potion. Everyone, strip the gear from those bodies.”

The man hands you the 300 gold. You acquire:

# Item Value Weight 2 small healing potion 50 0.25 2 small stamina potion 30 0.25 1 unremarkable ax30 3 2 unremarkable daggers 15 0.5 1 leather kobold jerkin 40 3 1 leather helmet 25 1 5 healing herbs 7 0.1 1 wolf pelt 50 1

Digging a hole to contain the man would take too long, but you do still have the short rope on you. Hopefully it will be strong enough to hold the man if he transforms.

“We don't know how long it will be before you become dangerous. We will have to bind your hands until we can make the cure.”

Man: “F-fine. Just do what you need to make that potion.”

“We should split up. One team will buy the ingredients at the camp, the other will pursue the werewolf.”

Alek: “I need to go to the camp. I'll need the equipment there to make the cure. Luckily, the werewolf flesh is the last ingredients, I should be able to add it to the prepared potion without traveling back to the camp.”

You should go to purchase ingredients, you may be able to get a better deal from the merchants, you also have doubt about the effectiveness of normal bullets on a werewolf.

You and Alek will go to the camp to prepare the potion, while Grekk, Galvin, and Izzy track down the werewolf.

Is there anything else you should do before setting off? And who should lead the team tracking the werewolf?

Galvin, you have the most adventuring experience, so you lead. The werewolf will be able to track down your varying scents easily, so be extremely conspicuous and let him come to you; dig holes and mark trees with extremely large arrows and signs that say where you are going and whatever you find out. Alek and Celdat will want to regroup with you as fast as possible.

Oh, and try to take the werewolf alive. Having a werewolf to breed should get you a nice puppy one day.

Making the werewolf find the party rather than the other way around increases the risk that someone else will get infected. That should be avoided, so we don't need a second or third cure.

Grekk leads, Izzy sneaks a bit away from the group.(since he has a skill for it) He notices anything or gets attacked, he gets their help. Nothing else here I can think to do. (unless Izzy wants to take the kobold armor, but it might impede his skills)

1/3 Celdant 2015/12/06(Sun)14:17 No. 687371 ID: 90f3c0
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“Izzy, some light armor wouldn't impede your ability to sneak would it?”

Izzy: “No, it looks easy enough to move in, but... We just stripped that off a dead guy, Boss.”

“The armor looks practically new, and he wasn't dead for long. It's better than going up against a werewolf unarmored, isn't it?”

Izzy: “Fine, I'll take it.”

You hand the kolbold armor to Izzy.”

“Galvin, you're the most experience with adventuring, so I'm putting you in charge of the hunting party.”

Grekk: “Hey, I'm the most experienced with killing things!”

You ignore Grekk and continue “Leave markings on trees as you go so I can catch up to you later. Here, I thinks you will have more use for these than I will.”

You hand 2x small healing potions, 2x small stamina potions, 1 bear trap, and 1 fire trap to Galvin.

“We'll get the cure and meet up with you as soon as we can. Good luck.”

Galvin: “Don't worry, that werewolf is as good as dead!”

You take Alek and the infected man with you and head back toward the camp.

2/3 Galvin 2015/12/06(Sun)14:19 No. 687372 ID: 90f3c0
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You haven't felt this excited in ages. Leading a party through a dangerous forest, to take down a fearsome beast who has been preying on hapless adventurers! This is what you got into adventuring for! You're done with grinding low level dungeons with those cowardly losers. Running into that cute merchant is the best thing that's happened to you in years.

You look around the small clearing and see a clear trail of blood leading deeper into the forest. The werewolf has left a very obvious trail of blood and broken branches in its path. It must not care about being found.

“Izzy, you scout ahead, look out for possible ambush points. Grekk and I will follow at a distance.”

Izzy: “On it, boss.”

You move along as quietly as you can, while keeping as much distance as you can without losing track of Izzy. You periodically mark you progress on the bark of trees you pass. After a while Izzy stops behind a bush. He gestures for you to come forward to him.

3/3 Galvin 2015/12/06(Sun)14:21 No. 687373 ID: 90f3c0
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You sneak up to the bush and crouch beside Izzy. Past the bushes you can see a small cave. There are piles of bones scattered around the entrance. This has to be the werewolf's lair.

Have Izzy sneak around next to the cave entrance for an ambush, then you try to lure it out by making noise.

Check up on Grekk, make sure he isn't doing anything stupid. If that werewolf is in a pack then you'll want to hit fast, hit smart, and kill / incapacitate every one of these @#$%ers in case any of you get bitten.

Slowly approach the den. Shed some fur and oil around the site, make the area smell like a teabag convention to confuse the werewolves. Ready your axe to parry the first attack and perform a crescent slash the moment you see more than one werewolf.

Izzy, position yourself on top of the den and prepare to stab from the eyes and straight down the muzzle, but be on alert in case one of them decides to stalk you from behind the den.

Grekk, make sure you punch them in the dick. If those fists go into their mouths you could get infected by multiple strains in a span of ten seconds, which might make the cure process near-impossible. And your brother will probably shoot you if you do this intentionally.