FF/ASW: Escape From The Cambion Cube

Cast

• Asheal (level 4 ishim wizard)
• Hordac (level 4 tachon battlemind)
• Rust (level 4 scion nomad)

Summary

The party woke in a cramped chamber. It was uncomfortably warm, and only dimly illuminated by pulsing crimson runes carved into every surface. Unsure where they were or how they got there, they felt the walls for a means of escape. When nothing was found, Asheal resorted to her arcane sight.

Magic radiated from every surface, but a pattern along one of the walls hinted at a something like a door.

They searched the area, but when they were still unable to locate a button or handle Rust used his psychic powers to collapse space near it: while it didn't destroy the wall, it did briefly pull some of the panels away. He tried again; this time Hordac grabbed onto one of the panels, preventing it from returning to the wall and giving them a small opening to escape through.

The room beyond wasn't much different from the one they were in, just bigger: it was still dark, warm, and there were glowing runes everywhere. There were also several skeletons wrapped up in bladed chains, but they didn't get a chance to do much before Rust destroyed them by warping the fabric of space all about them.

An opening appeared in one of the walls across the room, and a horned cambion peeked in to see what all the tumultuous rippling of space was about. When he spotted the characters he ordered a bunch of burned, naked warriors wielding nothing but jagged blades to kill them.

There were also three more skeletons in another part of the room, but even though they all ganged up on Hordac he was able to weather the damage thanks to his psychic skin-hardening. While trying to support him Rust lost control of his powers and went partially out of phase

Since Rust could now move through walls he managed to sneak up on the cambion overseer, and nabbing his sword before returning to the fray. The overseer also had a flaming whip, but he didn't get a chance to use it much before Asheal pelted him with some magic missiles and Hordac ran him through.

With everything sliced and scattered apart, Asheal observed that there were more magic-wall-doors regularly spaced along the walls, suggested more cells like the one they woke in. But, when Rust and Hordac attempted to open one, Rust ended up accidentally freezing himself in space, which was about the time a pair of lesser hellcubes rolled into view.

They both began clicking and changing shape: Hordac grabbed one to halt its transformation, but Asheal just stared at the other one because she wanted to see what would happen: numerous lengths of bladed chains burst forth, forcing Hordac to drop the one he was holding in order to mostly evade them. This allowed it to complete its own transformation and summon a fallen cherubim.

Rather than fight the demon, Hordac rushed over to the hellcube and hacked it apart. As he theorized this caused the demon to vanish. They then set about destroying the last hellcube before it could reset and do something else, and since it was late we stopped the session there.

Design Notes

Really this is it for this adventure. I might try running it again in, but due to work, Shane (the player of Hordac) probably won't be able to play for quite some time. Definitely going to publish this adventure for A Sundered World, though: I certainly planned more than enough material (which I'll gradually reveal as I start doing the art for it).

Got to playtest the new nomad power suite. Adam thinks that the Tear Difficulties are a tad high: he wants to try lowering them, while also reduced what each of them does because it was very easy for him to take out groups of enemies. Might be awhile before we get around to it though, since we're going to try a more "normal" campaign setting to better playtest the paladin, barbarian, druid, ranger, and sorcerer.

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