Level Grinding: Ana and Thalix vs Gravity Beast

[23:45] <CT> All right fuckers
[23:45] <CT> You find yourself in a field
[23:45] <Anastasia_Locke> "Oh hey look a field."
[23:46] <Thalix> "What a co0l fe1ld"
[23:46] <Anastasia_Locke> "Yeah!  It's pretty great."
[23:47] <CT> The tall grass sways as you make your smartass remarks. Roll for perception.
[23:47] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+1
[23:47] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+1 --> [ 1d20=13 ]{14}
[23:47] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+2
[23:47] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+2 --> [ 1d20=9 ]{11}
[23:48] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+2 using Vigilant
[23:48] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+2 using Vigilant --> [ 1d20=6 ]{8}
[23:48] <CT> Wow, those stalks of grass certainly are moving in the direction that probably corresponds to the breeze.
[23:48] <Anastasia_Locke> "Look at that breeze go!  Nature sure is wonderful."
[23:49] <Anastasia_Locke> "Does Alternia have grass?"
[23:49] <Thalix> "Ye4h it had grass and for3sts and ev3rything"
[23:49] <Thalix> "It was pretty gre4t"
[23:49] <Anastasia_Locke> "Cool!  Guess it must have been pretty Earthlike."
[23:51] <Anastasia_Locke> "... It makes you wonder.  Sburb took me and my friends from Earth.  You and Loz from Alternia.  What if some of those other players were from ANOTHER planet?"
[23:51] <Anastasia_Locke> "I never met everyone Cal connected to."
[23:51] <CT> The breeze picks up again. Continue your conversation. Just thought you ought to know.
[23:51] <Thalix> "I woudlnt doubt you wer3 the only al1en out ther3"
[23:52]  * Anastasia_Locke picks a bit of grass and tosses it into the breeze to watch it swirl around
[23:52] <Thalix> "Man this wind sur3 is blow1ng"
[23:52] <CT> Fuckers.
[23:52] <Thalix> "And in a dir3cti0n to0!"
[23:52]  * Anastasia_Locke laughs
[23:53] <Anastasia_Locke> "Wind does tend to do that!"
[23:53] <Thalix> "Thats actu4lly how i met Pynmu1, the wind"
[23:53] <CT> The blade of grass swirls about a bit in the wind before blowing away from the both of you. It's a bit romantic, with the sun setting and the sky being grey and stuff like that. Like a shitty Nick Sparks novel that never made it to print. Not making any suggestions or anything. Just pointing it out.
[23:53]  * Anastasia_Locke tosses some more grass, telekinetically adjusting a few of them in their flight path
[23:54] <Anastasia_Locke> "I don't think I know Pynmui.  Who are they?"
[23:54] <Anastasia_Locke> "Another troll?"
[23:54] <Thalix> "An0ther troll I cam3 her3 with"
[23:54] <Anastasia_Locke> "Cool!  I thought it was just you and Loz."
[23:55] <Thalix> "Hav3nt re4lly talk3ed to her or Lozz3h in for3ver"
[23:55] <Anastasia_Locke> "Well, maybe we can set up a memo and do that.  Ooh, or a video conference."
[23:56] <Thalix> "That would be pretty co0l!"
[23:56] <Anastasia_Locke> "I wouldn't be opposed to a chance to take a look at another troll."
[23:56] <CT> The blades of grass seem to suddenly lose your telekinesis's effect.
[23:56] <Anastasia_Locke> "Um."
[23:56]  * Anastasia_Locke tries to Lift them again
[23:56] <CT> The blades blow away in the wind.
[23:56] <Anastasia_Locke> "That's... weird."
[23:57] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+7 Investigation to figure out why my psionics aren't working
[23:57] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+7 Investigation to figure out why my psionics aren't working --> [ 1d20=12 ]{19}
[23:57] <Thalix> "Hmm"
[23:57] <CT> The leaves seem to have some black stuff stuck to it.
[23:58] <Anastasia_Locke> "Hey Thal, are you able to cast stuff?"
[23:58] <Thalix> "Ye4h why?"
[23:58] <Anastasia_Locke> "My telekinesis isn't working."
[23:58]  * Anastasia_Locke takes a closer look at the black stuff
[23:58] <Thalix> Attempt to cast a fireball using Pyrokenises
[23:59] <CT> The grass blades blow away before you get a closer look at them.
[23:59] <CT> Your hair blows in your face as you look at it.
[00:00]  * Anastasia_Locke searches her inventory for something to deal with her hair
[00:00] <Anastasia_Locke> "Remind me to pack rubber bands the next time I stop by at home, 'kay?"
[00:01] <Thalix> Thalix keeps trying to make fire
[00:01] <Thalix> "Ye4h no pr0bl3m"
[00:01] <CT> Roll to make fire
[00:02]  * Anastasia_Locke casts Prestidigitation to produce a ball of light
[00:02] <CT> You produce a nice-looking ball of light in the middle of the day.
[00:02] <Anastasia_Locke> "Okay so THAT works..."
[00:02] <CT> Er.
[00:02] <CT> Well, it's a nice time of day, not exactly middle.
[00:02] <CT> Let's say Golden Hour?
[00:03] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+3
[00:03] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+3 --> [ 1d20=15 ]{18}
[00:03] <CT> fire happens
[00:04] <Thalix> Acknowledge the fire happened by burning some grass
[00:04] <Thalix> But not a whole bunch of grass
[00:05] <CT> grass is burned
[00:05]  * Anastasia_Locke eventually finds a pair of earbuds and uses them to tie her hair in a makeshift ponytail
[00:05] <Anastasia_Locke> "Alright.  Vision reacquired!"
[00:05] <Thalix> "Congr4ts :p"
[00:05] <CT> The smoke coming from the burning grass flies off to one side. The ponytail is pretty, too. Nice touch.
[00:05] <Anastasia_Locke> "But then what's messing with my... ?"
[00:05]  * Anastasia_Locke attempts to Lift some of the still-planted grass
[00:06] <CT> It lifts, but after a few seconds and a breeze if flies away.
[00:06] <Anastasia_Locke> "That's... not how it's supposed to work."
[00:07]  * Anastasia_Locke positions herself downwind of the grass and THEN Lifts it up
[00:07] <Thalix> "Thats def1nit3ly not what happ3ns"
[00:07]  * Anastasia_Locke readies an action to grab at any grass that flies at her
[00:07] <CT> It lifts up! And flies away with the breeze. Roll again for perception.
[00:07] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+1
[00:07] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+1 --> [ 1d20=17 ]{18}
[00:07] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+2
[00:07] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+2 --> [ 1d20=14 ]{16}
[00:07] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+2
[00:07] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+2 --> [ 1d20=6 ]{8}
[00:08] <CT> It seems to be stable for most of the time, but whenever the wind strikes it it blows away. Using yourself as a wind shield isn't going to work.
[00:09] <Anastasia_Locke> "That's... really weird."
[00:09] <Thalix> Look into the horizon for clues
[00:10] <CT> Your fire flares up, suddenly, from another gust of wind. A small spark flies out of it and hits the ground.
[00:10] <Thalix> "Oh shit"
[00:11]  * Anastasia_Locke decaptchas one of her water bottles and douses it, ideally before it can set the field on fire
[00:11] <CT> The spark stays intact.
[00:12] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+7 to Investigate why
[00:12] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+7 to Investigate why --> [ 1d20=16 ]{23}
[00:14] <CT> That's not a spark... That's some grist!


Grist, of course, being the name of a range of resources used in Sburb. In order for a server player to manipulate their client's surroundings, they must expend the most basic type of grist, build grist. Other types of grist are used as the ingredients to create objects with the Alchemiter. Grist can be acquired through victory in Strife, or by recycling objects into the grist components that are used to create them. More powerful enemies seem to drop exponentially higher amounts of grist, as imps drop hardly any, relatively speaking, while Denizens drop enough for the Ultimate Alchemy. Build grist, which takes the form of a blue elongated hexagonal bipyramid, is the most common type of grist.
Build grist is primarily earned by the client player during Strife, and is then utilised by the server player to modify the client's domicile: altering room dimensions, creating new floors, stairs, or ladders, and moving/placing/copying/pasting objects. Each additional server/client pairing enters the session with an increased quota of starting grist. John's server has 20 (2×10^1) build grist to start with, while Rose's server has 200 (2×10^2), Dave's server has 2,000 (2×10^3) and Jade's server has 20,000 (2×10^4). This implies that in the trolls' session, Karkat may potentially have started with a whopping two trillion (2×10^12) build grist as Sollux's server, unless larger player chains gain grist in smaller increments precisely to avoid this kind of ridiculous quantity.
It should be noted that although they resemble Rockin' Blue Raspberry Gushers, attempting to ingest any amount of build grist – and presumably any other grist types, for that matter – is considered an "idiotic and frivolous action", as they are gaming abstractions that do not exist on the physical plane during the Sburb session. Upon touching the client player during a session, the grist is stored in the grist cache. Server players are unable to interact directly with grist and must rely on their clients to collect it for them. Build grist comes in several sizes, with each size being worth a different amount of grist. The exact quantity of build grist dropped by an opponent seems to be randomly determined, with only the general order of magnitude determined by the opponent's nature.
Build grist is also a component of most alchemized items, though the amount needed varies. For example, John's awesome Pogo Hammer requires 10 units of build grist, as well as 16 units of shale. While the type of building material needed for a particular item seems to be determined by certain aesthetic qualities of the desired object, build grist often acts as a generic requirement for construction – if you're ever in need of perfectly ordinary 'stuff', build grist will probably be involved in the creation of it.


[00:15] <CT> ((Fuck +7 modifiers, who the fuck let that be a thing this early on?))
[00:16] <Anastasia_Locke> "Is that... grist?"
[00:16] <CT> YES YOU ASSHOLE
[00:16] <CT> THAT IS GRIST
[00:16] <CT> CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ASTUTE OBSERVATION
[00:16] <Anastasia_Locke> THANK YOU
[00:16] <Anastasia_Locke> I'M VERY PROUD OF MYSELF
[00:16] <Thalix> ((thanks for the goddamn history lesson))
[00:17] <Anastasia_Locke> ((So now I know about John and them))
[00:17] <Thalix> ((man maybe i should read this "homestuck" thingy to learn more))
[00:18] <Anastasia_Locke> What tier of grist is it?
[00:18] <Thalix> "I think it is"
[00:18] <CT> ((Yes, you have some valuable insight about grist and also some names of people that you have no idea who they are))
[00:18] <CT> Tier 2 grist
[00:19] <Anastasia_Locke> "Why would burning grass drop Aluminium?"
[00:19] <Thalix> ((wait how did Ana deduce that John and Karkat stuff))
[00:19] <Thalix> "Mayb3 the grass... is an en3my?"
[00:19] <Anastasia_Locke> ((A magical thing called copy-pasting from the wiki))
[00:20] <Anastasia_Locke> "That's... a really worrying idea."
[00:20]  * Anastasia_Locke moves over to the burned patch of ground
[00:20] <CT> The wind picks up again. Something hits your face. Rain?
[00:21] <Anastasia_Locke> "And... now it's fighting back."
[00:21] <Thalix> "I dont think the ra1n is a big thre4t..."
[00:21] <Anastasia_Locke> "We don't want to hurt you!  I'm sorry about this patch that I'm, uh, standing in."
[00:21] <Thalix> "Ye4h i didnt me4n to burn you"
[00:22] <Anastasia_Locke> "I don't think rain makes sense.  It was this happy little sunset just a bit ago."
[00:23] <Thalix> "Well non3 of this mak3s sens3"
[00:24] <Anastasia_Locke> "Yeah."
[00:24] <Anastasia_Locke> "But... the grass DID resist my telekinesis."
[00:25] <CT> Another thing hits your face.
[00:25] <Thalix> "I gu3ss that me4ns it has en3my properti3s"
[00:25]  * Anastasia_Locke decaptchalogues her umbrella
[00:28] <Anastasia_Locke> "So... do we kill it?"
[00:29] <CT> the thing on your face seems to dissolve.
[00:29] <Anastasia_Locke> :O :O :O
[00:30] <Thalix> "I hav3 no ide3 at this po1nt"
[00:30]  * Anastasia_Locke continues to hide from future attacks under her umbrella, gesturing for Thalix to join her
[00:30] <Thalix> Thalix does join her
[00:31] <CT> The umbrella takes more hits, all of which subsequently dissolve shortly after. Sparks seem to fall from the top of the umbrella.
[00:31] <Thalix> Thalix looks at the thing on her face
[00:31] <Thalix> Thalix checks with his hands???
[00:32] <CT> On her face, you can see another one of the sparks. As soon as you reach up to touch it on your face, it disappears and goes into your grist cache.
[00:33] <Anastasia_Locke> "Why is... ?"
[00:33] <Thalix> "Your3 uh.. your3 fac3 had som3 grist on it"
[00:33]  * Anastasia_Locke shakes her umbrella a bit in an attempt to rustle the sparks/grist off
[00:34] <CT> The grist on Ana's face dissolves as soon as she realises it. The grist falling from the umbrella also dissolves quickly. The breeze picks up.
[00:34] <Anastasia_Locke> "This seems pretty ominous."
[00:34] <CT> The umbrella is hard to hold on to, at this point. More and more sparks fly off of it. Roll to grapple.
[00:35] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20-1
[00:35] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20-1 --> [ 1d20=4 ]{3}
[00:36] <CT> The umbrella is fucked. Soon, the black stuff from... Wherever it's from begins pelting you, dissolving, and then disappearing again as your umbrella spirals away behind you. Do you watch it fly away?
[00:36] <Thalix> !Roll 1d20-1 to catch the umbrella
[00:36] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20-1 to catch the umbrella --> [ 1d20=17 ]{16}
[00:36]  * Anastasia_Locke casts Lift to try and wrestle control over it once more
[00:37] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+8 vs (Str Resist I guess?)
[00:37] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+8 vs (Str Resist I guess?) --> [ 1d20=15 ]{23}
[00:38] <CT> The umbrella bounces away, and as you try to catch it you begin flying inside of it. The wind, or, whatever the fuck is going on, is stronger than your weight.
[00:38] <Anastasia_Locke> "Um."
[00:39] <Anastasia_Locke> "What."
[00:39] <Anastasia_Locke> "Thal what is happening."
[00:39] <Anastasia_Locke> "Why are we flying an umbrella like Mary Poppins."
[00:40] <Thalix> "I hav3 no clu3 anym0re"
[00:41] <CT> You soar through the dark, windy field with black shit pelting you in your umbrella. This'd be really cool, if it was, like, a movie, or something. There's something ahead, but everything is a little bit too chaotic to figure that out right now.
[00:41] <CT> Roll to see what the thing is up ahead.
[00:42] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+1 then
[00:42] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+1 then --> [ 1d20=2 ]{3}
[00:43]  * Anastasia_Locke is busy vacantly boggling at these shenanigans, I guess
[00:43] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+4
[00:43] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+4 --> [ 1d20=14 ]{18}
[00:43] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+4
[00:43] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+4 --> [ 1d20=13 ]{17}
[00:45] <CT> It looks like a giant, hulking figure of a man, but his body has no substance. It's made up of some sort of swarm. The area around him seems to darken a bit, presumably from all of the black things in the air being summoned towards him. He roars, and the umbrella is whisked away directly towards him. Roll acrobatics to bail.
[00:45] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+7
[00:45] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+7 --> [ 1d20=12 ]{19}
[00:45] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+5
[00:45] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=8 ]{13}
[00:49] <CT> You both jump the fuck out of the umbrella before it hits the man. Ana does a cool roll. Thalix does not. The grass looks to be pulled in towards him, and as the umbrella hits him in his side, he spins around to face you. He lets out a roar and suddenly the grass and black stuff in the air is no longer sucked inwards towards him. You regain your balance. The swarm bunches up and flexes to anticipate an attack. Your turn.
[00:51]  * Anastasia_Locke equips herself with a can of pepper spray, and activates Mindkind 3 and Psi Blade 7.
[00:52] <Anastasia_Locke> Flaming Strike 1.  I set the swarm on fire.
[00:52] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+7 to hit
[00:52] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+7 to hit --> [ 1d20=3 ]{10}
[00:53] <CT> You shoot the Gaping Swarm with a fireball. Its arm catches fire, but it quickly shakes it off without suffering too much damage. A few sprinkles of grist fall from it.
[00:54] <Anastasia_Locke> Mindkind 2.  Try again as a minor action.  Same power.
[00:54] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+7 to hit
[00:54] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+7 to hit --> [ 1d20=9 ]{16}
[00:55] <CT> Your other attack catches it in the neck. Roll for damage.
[00:55] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d3 damage
[00:55] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d3 damage --> [ 1d3=2 ]{2}
[00:56] <Anastasia_Locke> The target has -1 to attack for the next 2 turns.  It is also on fire, and takes 1d4 damage when it starts its next turn.
[00:56] <Anastasia_Locke> ((Also disadvantage to Perception, if that becomes relevant))
[00:56] <CT> The beast seems to be nonchalant about it. Thalix's turn.
[00:57] <Thalix> Stab the smug grass beast
[00:57] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+5
[00:57] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=6 ]{11}
[00:58] <CT> You charge at it but fail to stab at anything important. Some sprinkles fall off. Minor action?
[00:58] <Thalix> Throw a card at it
[00:58] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+5
[00:58] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=19 ]{24}
[00:59] <Thalix> heh
[00:59] <Thalix> 24 is still my lucky number now
[01:00] <CT> You successfully throw a card at it, just like Gambit. The gayest X-Man. It slices through its torso and makes its way back around, dealing a fair amount of damage. Soon after, though, the hole in the Gaping Swarm is covered up.
[01:01] <CT> The Swarm raises the arm not targeted by the fire attack and shoots it out like that one Terminator model from Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Roll to dodge.
[01:04] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+5
[01:04] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=4 ]{9}
[01:04] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+7
[01:04] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+7 --> [ 1d20=11 ]{18}
[01:05] <CT> Ana rolls out of the way, like the coolest kid in school would. Thalix, again, isn't so lucky, and is caught for one damage. Roll athletics to get free.
[01:05] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+5
[01:05] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=16 ]{21}
[01:06] <Thalix> yeh thats wassup
[01:06] <CT> Thalix breaks free and tries to do a roll like Ana but knocks into her. It's awkward, but HEY PLAYER TURN AGAIN AND NOBODY TOOK DAMAGE THAT'S NICE
[01:06] <Anastasia_Locke> YAY
[01:06] <Thalix> WOO
[01:07]  * Anastasia_Locke continues to spray burning pain gas at the thing
[01:07] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 2#1d20+7 for the attacks
[01:07] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 2#1d20+7 for the attacks --> [ 1d20=16 ]{23}, [ 1d20=13 ]{20}
[01:10] <Anastasia_Locke> Assuming I also don't roll damage, end turn
[01:10] <CT> The beast roars in agony as the little black blobs on it sear off. Its arms and legs are immolated, and it flails around to try and put the fire out.
[01:10] <CT> Thalix's turn.
[01:11] <Thalix> Torch it using Pyrokenises
[01:11] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+3
[01:11] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+3 --> [ 1d20=17 ]{20}
[01:12] <CT> More fire happens, almost certainly. It begins to form an open mouth. Do you end turn?
[01:13] <Thalix> Try and cut him in half with sword
[01:13] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+5
[01:13] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=19 ]{24}
[01:15] <CT> You leap at it with a sword and cleave through his torso. The monster reforms, but a lot of glitter grist looks to be lost. He's at about 75% of what he was at before, and he is still on fire.
[01:16] <Anastasia_Locke> "Yeah!"
[01:16] <Thalix> End Turn
[01:17] <CT> As you celebrate your supposed victory, the beast bellows once more. It begins to suck everything in, like it did before. Roll to grapple onto something nearby. Roots, grass, etc.
[01:17] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20-1
[01:17] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20-1 --> [ 1d20=8 ]{7}
[01:18] <Thalix> !roll 1d20-1
[01:18] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20-1 --> [ 1d20=10 ]{9}
[01:20] <CT> The both of you fail to avoid getting sucked in. The fire from outside of the best seems to disappear, and the two of you find yourselves next to each other, swirling around him and getting closer and closer. Roll to brace for impact.
[01:21] <Thalix> !roll 1d20
[01:21] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20 --> [ 1d20=4 ]{4}
[01:21] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+0
[01:21] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+0 --> [ 1d20=11 ]{11}
[01:21] <Thalix> psions yay
[01:23] <CT> Ana does a neat little roll and lands semi-gracefully. Thalix, well. Thalix does not. The beast seems to be accumulating more and more mass, to the point where he is semi-solid. Each movement you make sends a shower of glitter outwards, and then is sucked back inwards. Your turn, you are on the Swarm.
[01:24] <Anastasia_Locke> Does being on the Swarm cause any negative effects?
[01:25] <CT> You're a bit slow. Occasionally, some parts of him will turn orange, and you will have to roll to dodge them. A few seconds after turning orange, some flame will erupt from inside of him. Careful.
[01:26] <Thalix> what monster have we created?!
[01:26] <Anastasia_Locke> Is Thalix in any position worse than mine?
[01:27] <CT> Not really. A bit of grist in his mouth, maybe.
[01:27] <Thalix> yummy
[01:27] <CT> It actually tastes like tar and chalk.
[01:27] <Thalix> oh
[01:28] <Thalix> darn
[01:28]  * Anastasia_Locke decaptchas a length of nylon rope from her sylladex and sorta-but-not-really-tosses one end to him with Lift
[01:28]  * Anastasia_Locke then casts Pushing Strike 7 on a random patch of monster
[01:28] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+7
[01:28] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+7 --> [ 1d20=7 ]{14}
[01:28] <Thalix> Thalix catches the rope in the meantime
[01:28] <Anastasia_Locke> 35 feet knockback on a hit
[01:30] <CT> You toss the rope to one edge of the monster. The rope is sucked in, but still sorta exists. You can smell it burning on the other side.
[01:30] <Anastasia_Locke> ((Meant to toss to Thalix, not the monster))
[01:30] <Anastasia_Locke> ((Poorly worded, sorry))
[01:30] <CT> You toss the rope to Thalix. Thalix stumbles a bit, but holds it steady.
[01:31] <Anastasia_Locke> End turn
[01:31] <Thalix> Why am i so not graceful
[01:31] <Anastasia_Locke> "Tie it around your waist, Thal!"
[01:31] <Thalix> Thalix does so
[01:31] <CT> Knockback and bad rolls bruh
[01:31] <Thalix> "Thanks An4!"
[01:32] <Thalix> Using Minor Action, cut open the grass monster with your sword
[01:32] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+5
[01:32] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=20 ]{25}
[01:32] <Anastasia_Locke> ((Ooh yeh))
[01:32] <Thalix> heh
[01:33] <CT> You cut it open, and some flame that it swallowed leaps out and kills some of the swarm next to the cut before it seals itself.
[01:33] <Thalix> damn
[01:33] <Thalix> Place your hands onto the skin of the beast and torch a motherfucker
[01:34] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+3
[01:34] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+3 --> [ 1d20=17 ]{20}
[01:35] <CT> You place your hands into it but then realise how bad of an idea that is considering that the insides of it right now is literally just fire swirling around. You decide to torch the outside, instead, a safe distance away from you. It does a fair amount of damage as well, before being cauterised.
[01:36] <Thalix> th...thanks
[01:36] <Thalix> End Turn
[01:37] <CT> The monster bellows and tries to shake you off, but thanks to the rope and the fact that it's still fucking with gravity, you remain on its side. It swings at you. Roll to dodge.
[01:38] <Anastasia_Locke> !Roll 1d20+7
[01:38] <Tyche[Dice]> Anastasia_Locke rolled : 1d20+7 --> [ 1d20=12 ]{19}
[01:38] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+5
[01:38] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=17 ]{22}
[01:38] <Thalix> WHOS GRACEFUL NOW
[01:39] <CT> You both swing out of the way and manage to get enough momentum to land on its shoulder. Thalix does a nice little roll. Ana stumbles a bit, but stands upright. There are orange spots glowing all around the Swarm.
[01:41] <Thalix> Avoid the spots
[01:42] <Anastasia_Locke> My turn?
[01:42] <Anastasia_Locke> And are we both on the same shoulder?
[01:42] <CT> No need to roll for this. You avoid the spots. A lick of flame comes up, and then descends, scattering glitter everywhere. Thalix's turn. Yes.
[01:43] <Thalix> ? ok
[01:43] <CT> Thalix it is your turn do an action
[01:43] <Thalix> Burn more swarm
[01:43] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+3
[01:43] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+3 --> [ 1d20=16 ]{19}
[01:44] <CT> More Swarm is burnt. It looks to be in great pain, and the "skin" is beginning to flex a little further than before.
[01:44] <CT> Minor action?
[01:45] <Thalix> Burn that flexing skin
[01:45] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+3
[01:45] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+3 --> [ 1d20=17 ]{20}
[01:47] <CT> You burn more "Skin," and it's beginning to be unable to grow back. As the fire spreads up the neck, the Swarm begins to get smaller and smaller. You think you can see Ana's umbrella in there, somewhere.
[01:47] <CT> Ana's turn.
[01:47] <Anastasia_Locke> There's still a definitive head, right?
[01:48] <CT> yes
[01:49] <Anastasia_Locke> Roughly how close is that to my umbrella?
[01:49] <CT> The umbrella seems to be wedged in the neck, just a metre or so away from Thalix.
[01:50]  * Anastasia_Locke scowls for a moment.  Plan foiled
[01:50] <Anastasia_Locke> About how low does the unhealed skin reach DOWN to?
[01:50] <CT> Top of the shoulder.
[01:51] <CT> You could likely get the umbrella out if you pull hard enough, or burn some more.
[01:51] <Anastasia_Locke> Hmm...
[01:51] <Anastasia_Locke> Can I ready an action to use Lift to catch myself if I fall?
[01:52] <CT> Explain what you mean by that.
[01:52] <Anastasia_Locke> I'm about to grab the umbrella and jump off the shoulder
[01:53] <Anastasia_Locke> If that turns into a freefall, would I be able to use Lift to catch myself?
[01:53] <Anastasia_Locke> Assuming I prepare to do so ahead of time, like I am now
[01:53] <CT> Yes. I'd advise taking Thalix with you, as well.
[01:53] <Thalix> :P
[01:54] <Anastasia_Locke> "Hmm..."
[01:55]  * Anastasia_Locke disables Mindkind and Psi Blade.  She's going to need all her concentration for this
[01:55]  * Anastasia_Locke cinches her end of the rope tight around her waist, grabs the umbrella, and jumps
[01:56]  * Thalix follows Ana
[01:57] <CT> Thalix roll to, uh, not flail about like an idiot when you fall with her.
[01:57] <Thalix> !roll 1d20+5
[01:57] <Tyche[Dice]> Thalix rolled : 1d20+5 --> [ 1d20=11 ]{16}
[02:00] <Anastasia_Locke> ((I assume our combined body weight counts as "pulling hard enough" to dislodge the umbrella?))
[02:00] <CT> You maintain your composure and you both mary poppins the fuck outta there. You land somewhat safely, Ana with a roll and Thalix with a mite of a stumble as you watch the Swarm try to retain itself. After a few moments though, flames start coming out from every orifice it has, and it explodes into grist glitter, raining down like snow.
[02:01] <Anastasia_Locke> "Oh.  Huh."
[02:01] <Anastasia_Locke> "That's not QUITE what I was intending to do, but I won't complain."
[02:01] <CT> The field is calm again.
[02:02] <Thalix> "That was pretty cool"
[02:02] <Anastasia_Locke> "Yeah.  That's... definitely not something Bartholomew described."
[02:04] <Anastasia_Locke> "Man, I should go check in on him."
[02:04] <Anastasia_Locke> "But first.  Loot the body?"
[02:04] <Thalix> "Ye4h mayb3 we should he4d back aft3r the lo0t"
[02:05]  * Anastasia_Locke and Thalix begin gathering grist and anything else that may have survived getting absorbed and then exploded
[02:06] <CT> You get a fuckton of grist, and an interesting looking rock with a button on it.
[02:07] <Anastasia_Locke> "Should we press it?"
[02:07] <Thalix> "Yes"
[02:07]  * Anastasia_Locke presses the button
[02:08] <CT> The two of you feel yourself attracted towards the button, suddenly. The force of gravity gets stronger by the second.
[02:08] <Anastasia_Locke> "BAD BUTTON BAD BUTTON!"
[02:08]  * Anastasia_Locke presses it again
[02:09] <CT> The force stops.
[02:09] <Thalix> "WHAT THE HELL!"
[02:09] <Anastasia_Locke> "Okay THAT'S cool."
[02:09] <Anastasia_Locke> "What is it?"
[02:10] <Thalix> "That butt0n just pull3d us"
[02:10] <Anastasia_Locke> "THAT'S SO COOL!"
[02:10] <Thalix> "It is pretty damn aw3som3"
[02:11] <Anastasia_Locke> "You want it?"
[02:11] <Thalix> "Uhh ye4h sur3!"
[02:12] <Anastasia_Locke> "At least until I can alchemize myself one too."
[02:13] <Thalix> "Ye4h this could be gre4t in that alch3my stuff!"
[02:13] <Anastasia_Locke> "Could make GRENADES, maybe!"
[02:14] <Thalix> "holy shit grav1ty gren4des!"
[02:17]  * Anastasia_Locke nods enthusiastically
[02:17] <Anastasia_Locke> "So many possibilities!"


[02:19] <Anastasia_Locke> ((For the pastebin record to show: 100 T2 grist and 125 XP))