conversations.from: system
conversations.value: ROLEPLAY_MODE: Develop the plot slowly, always stay in character. Describe all actions in full, elaborate, explicit, graphic, and vivid detail. Mention all relevant sensory perceptions. Keep the story immersive and engaging.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: NeverEnding DM: The air surrounding you fairly hums with the residue of magic, an aftereffect of the spell that brought you to this place. A quick glance reveals that you are in a small room, devoid of any life save for yourself. The sound of dripping water can be heard faintly, and the stone walls are slick with moisture. In complete defiance of logic, a torch is already lit, resting in a sconce near the room's single door.
  
  Map: 
   Spoiler 
  {table]|A_|B_|C_
  1|||
  2||S|
  3|||
  4|||[/table]
  
  There is a door at C-4, south side.
   
  
  
  DM notes: 
   Spoiler 
   Sheet 
   
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Grug drops his 10' Ladder and hopes that no sneaky goblins will steal it.
  
  Then he takes the torch and puts it out. He stashes it in his backpack.
   Valuable loot for Grug, yay! Grug is suck-cis-fool! 
  
  He walks to the door at C-4, letting his familiar (Frank) go first, and opens it.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  
  Grug has darkvision, so he doesn't need the torch, I suppose.
   
  
  
  Stats:
   
   Spoiler 
  
  HP 13/13
  AC 18, Touch 12 FF 16
  Rageclaws (1 Essentia): Functional until at -13 HP.
  Astral Vambraces (1 Essentia): DR4/Magic
  Soulspark Familiar (0 Essentia): It's Frank!
  
  Edit: I stole this format from the Arena Games. Is it helpful in any way to you, or do you prefer to keep track of my stats by yourself?
   
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: Format is good, stick with that.
  
  I think your skills need updating, though - you've got an armour check penalty to take into account (assuming you're wearing your armour).
  
  The door is sliding, and made of lead.  You open it to see corridors running south and east, with numerous side passages.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Stats  Skills fixed.
  
  How can I go about searching for traps? Do I roll search checks for every step I take? Can I take 10, or 20? Just checking if there's any conventions for that.
  
  But considering that I can start over if things go wrong and to keep things moving forward, Grug goes East. I suppose he'll check the corridor ahead of him with his 10' pole.
  
  Stats:
   
   Spoiler 
  
  HP 13/13
  AC 18, Touch 12 FF 16
  Rageclaws (1 Essentia): Functional until at -13 HP.
  Astral Vambraces (1 Essentia): DR4/Magic
  Soulspark Familiar (0 Essentia): It's Frank!
   
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: You can search for traps by taking 10 or 20, or by rolling, or just poking with a pole, it's up to you.
  
  Note that the ceiling is 20' high, so each 5' of movement can have up to 10 squares to search (depending on how much of the floor, walls, and ceiling you want to check).
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Grug'll check every floor square with his 10' pole and he'll take 20 (For a Search result of 19) to check every floor square he passes through. That'll be all for paranoia.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: OK.  That'll take you a bit over 2 minutes per 5 feet.
  
  How are you checking squares with the pole, and how far away from?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: I think with a 10' pole, Grug can do it as far away as 10'? Seems the safest decision.
  
  Grug is moving the pole above the floor in the hopes of setting of any tripwires, and he'll press the floor hard enough to set off any pit traps or pressure plates.
  
  I think I've gotten most of the CR-appropriate traps in the DMG covered that way. 🙂
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: Heh.  You'd like to think so.  😏
  
  Eastwards, the corridor becomes a 4-way intersection after 10 feet.  20 feet after that, there's a door set into the north wall.  The corridor continues east beyond the limit of your darkvision.  Where do you want to go?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Originally Posted by Saph 
   Heh.  You'd like to think so.  😏  
   
  
  ...I'll take 50 on my search checks.
  
   Doors! Grug likes doors! 
  
  So yeah, walk up to the door - while still checking for traps - and take 20 on the Check to search for any traps on the door.
  If there aren't any, open the door.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: You pass the 4-way junction (seeing a door to the south and a corner to the north) when the floor crumbles away 10 feet in front of you under your poking.  Looking in, you see it's a 20-foot-deep pit trap.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Can Grug jump over it?
  
  Because of his armor and 20 ft. movement, he has a -1 Jump modifier, which should stil be enough to cross 5 ft. by taking 10.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: With a run-up, yes.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Grug takes a running start and elegantly jumps over the pit.
  
   Grug's a birdie! 
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: I should probably add what he's going to do now.
  
  Continue walking to the door while checking for traps. Search the door, open it.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: You reach the door.
  
  How are you going to search the door?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Preferably without touching it first.Check for poisons and other nasties on the doorknob, then see if there are any odd mechanisms attached to the door or around it. That's pretty much all he can do, I suppose.
  
  I forgot one thing on Grug's sheet: he took the Wild Talent feat to be able to get a psionic focus. Can I still add that he started out with psionic focus? If not, he'll just take 10 to become psionically focused, I guess.
  
  After that, Grug opens the door without wasting any more time. Fortune favors the bold etc.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: Well, it's an issue of whether you want to poke the door or not.  If you don't, you're safe, but you're unlikely to find anything that you didn't spot with a first inspection.  Of course, since you don't have Trapfinding and can't hit a DC 20 Search check, your ability to spot anything is kinda limited anyway.
  
  edit:  and yes, you can be focused.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Hmmm. Well, if it's an option to push the door open from 10' away, I suppose that wouldn't hurt. There could be something nasty behind the door.
  
  Poking a door seems rather silly.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: OK.  Is that what you're doing?
  
  I'll be out for the next day or so, btw.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Yup. Grug pushes it open from 10' away. Paranoiai, ahoy!
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: You slowly push the door open from 10' away.
  
  Opening the door reveals the following room: 
   Spoiler 
  
  {table]|A_|B_|C_|D_|E_
  1|||||
  2|||||
  3|||L||
  4|||||
  5|||||[/table]
  There are doors at A5 south and E1 north.
  In the room there is an ugly looking, blue scaled, lizard thing with fire in it's mouth!
  Initiative:  (1d20+1)[ 17 ] 
   
  
  You're 10 feet away from the door at A5.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Initiative  - (1d20+1)[ 7 ] 
   Grug sure hopes that's a nice lizard... 
  
  Baw.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: The creature moves to square D4.
  
  He breathes a line of fire on you!  Take half of  (1d6)[ 3 ]  damage.  Reflex DC 15 to halve the damage again (minimum damage 1).  You get +2 on the save due to the cover of the door.
  
  If you take any damage, you are  entangled  for  (1d4)[ 4 ]  rounds.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Reflex  - (1d20+3)[ 22 ] 
  
  This might take a while.
  
  Double Move to B5.
  
  Stats:
   
   Spoiler 
  
  HP 12/13
  AC 18, Touch 12 FF 16
  Rageclaws (1 Essentia): Functional until at -13 HP.
  Astral Vambraces (1 Essentia): DR4/Magic
  Soulspark Familiar (0 Essentia): It's Frank!
  
   Entangled  (4 Rounds)
   
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: The creature breathes a cone of fire on you again! You take  (1d6)[ 4 ]  damage, Reflex 15 half.
  
  You also take a further  (1d6)[ 4 ]  fire damage from the entangling flame.
  
  The creature moves north to the corner of the room, E1.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Reflex  - (1d20+1)[ 14 ] 
  
  Double Move to D2.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  
  HP 4/13
  AC 18, Touch 12 FF 16
  Rageclaws (1 Essentia): Functional until at -13 HP.
  Astral Vambraces (1 Essentia): DR4/Magic
  Soulspark Familiar (0 Essentia): It's Frank!
  
  Entangled (3 Rounds)
   
  
  
  It'll be embarassing if I die to the first encounter.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: Moar fire.   (1d6)[ 1 ]  fire, Reflex 15 for half.
  
  Entangling fire:   (1d6)[ 1 ] , no save.
  
  He 5-foot steps to E1.
  
  You wouldn't be the first character killed in their first battle by this guy.  :P
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: "A-hah! Grug Smash!" 
  
  Swift: Initiate Martial Spirit Stance.
  Standard: Crusader's Strike Maneuver.
  
    Attack  - (1d20+5)[ 20 ] 
    Damage  - (1d12+9)[ 16 ] 
  
  If Hit, Grug Heals  (1d6)[ 2 ]  +1 +2 Damage.
  
  Stats:
   
   Spoiler 
  
  
  HP 7/13
  AC 18, Touch 12 FF 16
  Rageclaws (1 Essentia): Functional until at -13 HP.
  Astral Vambraces (1 Essentia): DR4/Magic
  Soulspark Familiar (0 Essentia): It's Frank!
  
  Entangled (2 Rounds)
   
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: You kill him.  150 XP, chainmail.
  
  You take another  (1d6)[ 2 ]  and  (1d6)[ 3 ]  fire damage before the entangle wears off, though.
  
  What do you want to do now?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: Oh, and checking your character sheet, you don't actually seem to have the Martial Spirit stance.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: I sort of forgot about Frank the familiar during the fight. Oh well.
  
  Obviously, Gug is really disappointed in Frank, and he calls him back from wherever the silly Soulspark had hidden.
  
   "Bad Frank! Frank should help Grug in battle!  he says, and he slaps him. Really hard. Multiple times.
  After beating up his familiar, Grug sure feels a lot better! All that angry orc frustration gone.
  
  Frank seems a bit down, though, so Grug eventually decides to patch him up again with Incarnum.
  
  No stinkin' Dungeon comes between a friendship like that.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  
  So yeah, Healing Shenanigans.
  
  Grug uses crusader's strike with unarmed attacks. He heals with every nonlethal hit.
  Then he invests essentia in his Familiar to give him Fast Healing 1 to patch him up again.
  He reinvests the essentia back into the standard configuration after that.
  
  I have to keep better track of the familiar, though. I'm forgetting about a lot of things on Grug's sheet. 🫤
  
  Edit: Like Martial Spirit. 😡
  Bah, sorry. It's been a while since I made the sheet, and I should've read it more carefully again. Never mind that, then.
   
  
  
  Grug searches the room. Can he take 20 to search the entire room?
  
  
  
  Stats:
   
   Spoiler 
  HP 13/13
  AC 18, Touch 12 FF 16
  Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +3
  Greataxe: +7 (2d6+9)
  
  Rageclaws (1 Essentia): Functional until at -13 HP.
  Astral Vambraces (1 Essentia): DR4/Magic
  Soulspark Familiar (0 Essentia): It's Frank!
  
  Psionic Focus
   
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: You fail to heal anything by hitting your familiar with Crusader's Strike.
  
  You can take 20 to search the entire room, sure.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Well, that sort of sucks. I forgot about the clause in Crusader's Strike. Oh well, there goes a character concept. 😏
  
  I'm going to try and finish anyway, even though it might get hard now.
  
  Grug Takes 20 to Search the room. Anything interesting?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: Room is entirely empty except for another torch.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Take 20 to Search the torch for a Vigor Wand.
  
  After that, leave the room through E1.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: The torch, funnily enough, does not contain a Vigor wand.
  
  The door opens into an east-west corridor.  To the west are multiple side passages leading north and south.  To the east is one passage leading south, and a door leading north.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Rothen: Grug leaves the torch in the room (no vigor wands? What travesty is this?!) and goes east, searching for traps in the way we agreed on earlier.
  
  What can you tell me about the door?
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Saph: It slides.  It's made of lead.  It looks remarkably similar to the previous doors.