Succubusekai: The Demoness Just Wanted To Stay With Her Friends! [Original-Ish] [Quest]

Reader mode
Doctor Elsewhere said:
I think that our best bet right now is to have Eira go to one of the locations and Senaz go to the other via Ethereal Shift. The question is who goes where? The Orcs were said to be to the Southeast, so it's possible that the oddness we detected is related to them somehow, but this feels way to close to the Keep for them. Which probably means it's something the bandits set up to disguise a lookout, allowing them to covertly watch the road connecting the Keep to the rest of the Kingdom.

If my guess is correct, then it'd be better to use Ethereal Shift to infiltrate the oddness and observe the inhabitants unaware, while Eira uses the hill to scout the general area conventionally. That way, even if they spot Eira, Senaz can use their reaction to figure out where their main base is.

[X] Plan: Crouching Vulpinae, Hidden Succubus
-[X] (Scouting The Area) Have only Eira go up the hill, so she can sneak in case of, well, things.
-[X] (Scouting The Area) Check out the oddness to the Southeast via Ethereal Shift.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Polite warning, I hadn't started the vote yet - you may need to repost this to get it counted.
 
[X] Plan: Crouching Vulpinae, Hidden Succubus
-[X] (Scouting The Area) Have only Eira go up the hill, so she can sneak in case of, well, things.
-[X] (Scouting The Area) Check out the oddness to the Southeast via Ethereal Shift.
 
Vote closed
  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by NekoIncardine on Dec 7, 2022 at 9:19 PM, finished with 4 posts and 4 votes.
    Click to expand...
     
  • Voting
    • "No, Eira."
  • Apocrypha
    • [X] Plan: Crouching Vulpinae, Hidden Succubus
    -[X] (Scouting The Area) Have only Eira go up the hill, so she can sneak in case of, well, things.
    -[X] (Scouting The Area) Check out the oddness to the Southeast via Ethereal Shift.

    Eira glances up at the vote results. "... Okay, the plan seems sound, but the wording doesn't seem right. It doesn't match the cadence of the reference it's making, nor does it rhyme or anything to make up the difference."

    Helen sighs. "No, Eira, we're not calling the plan 'Crouching Floof, Hidden Boob."

    Eira quietly pouts. "How did you know that was my idea…"

    ... You can't help but respond, "I think she saw that's what I was thinking too."

    "One of us has to be the non-horny one."

    Slightly more seriously - I'd like two Stealth checks for Eira. Her side of the post may require more, but I'll roll those ones myself.

    Additionally, I'd like one Arcana check for Senaz.
     
    Last edited:
  • Apocrypha
    • I really feel for Helen that she needs to be the straight woman of the trio. In the comedy sense of course what other interpretation could there possibly be:tongue:
     
    Arc 1, Chapter 1.1.5: What does the Scout Say About Their Power Level?
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Plan: Crouching Vulpinae, Hidden Succubus
    -[X] (Scouting The Area) Have only Eira go up the hill, so she can sneak in case of, well, things.
    -[X] (Scouting The Area) Check out the oddness to the Southeast via Ethereal Shift.

    "So," you declare aloud. "Eira, if you were trying banditry along this road, what'd be the most obvious place to watch for potential victims from?"

    Eira's ears perk up, but she immediately looks to the hill. "Hilltop. Gives you the high ground to attack from and lets you see from further out."

    "Yeah. But that's not all I'm seeing." You glance to the southeast. "Not sure, but… I think there's an illusion there. So, probable hiding spot there, too."

    Eira pauses. "So which do we check first?"

    "Both of them," you respond. "Helen, stick back unless one of us cries out. Eira, go for the hill; I trust your stealth to do better with that than my own. I'll check the illusion."

    "... Wait, how?", Eira pauses, but Helen smiles, indicating she recognizes what you're going for.

    "Oh, just another of my wonderful powers," you declare with a smirk, before shifting partially out of reality.

    Eira pauses, closing her eyes. "Well, if you're going to bust out a clever trick, I'd better match." And then she seems to be… hovering, just a bit. An inch or so off the ground. And then she starts south as if skating.

    You glance toward Helen. "If you're in telepathy range, I'll signal you that way. Otherwise, listen for shouts from me or Eira; if it's Eira, I'll get going in her direction immediately too."

    And then you disappear from Helen's sight… and touch. And just…

    Okay, you've practiced with this power before. Ethereal shifting is one of the best tricks a Succubus can have for escaping in a pinch, given that it means you effectively stop existing in the material plane until you decide otherwise. Only other Ethereal creatures and some very specific magics can do much to you when you pull this.

    This is your first time using it since the whole reincarnation mess started, though, and it still feels weird. Everything takes on a kind of misty sheen, slightly blurred and distorted… Except for yourself. (And anything else that's on the Ethereal which would now be visible to you. Nothing in sight.)

    There's also the fact that you can basically ignore the existence of everything that'd be in your way - as you start walking to the southeast, you don't have to worry about tripping on things, because they're visible but not there to trip on, essentially. This helps you speed up and move through towards the river rather quickly…

    ---

    Okay, Eira, you think, as you slide along the ground - thankfully, your skate trick also meant you didn't have to go too deep into the rather aggressive river. Slide up, spot anything, get down.

    Skating like this was one of the first psionic abilities you properly learned, and still one of the best. It meant you could move faster than people were expecting so long as it wasn't uphill, and could move full-speed with a quieter step. A perfect combination for sneaking.

    Eira's first Stealth Check: 4+7+2 (Situation Bonus) = 13

    … As you get towards the top of the hill, though, you have to stop near a rock. A rock with ravens on it.

    Ravens that look directly at you. They don't seem to be abnormally clever ravens, but unfortunately, you are VERY aware what normal levels of cleverness are for ravens.

    Like knowing that they might get food from, say, local bandits if they call out something.

    "CAW!", one screeches loudly enough for you to wince.

    "Oy, shaddup!", you hear from a teensy bit further uphill. That'd be one of the bandits, for sure… And you can clearly hear his footsteps.

    [X] (Okay, bandit approaching, now what) The bandit will need to come around the rock, go the opposite way to see a bit more before you slide down.

    … After several seconds, his footsteps move towards your left - so you move around the rock towards your right. The Raven's attention is now turned toward the bandit.

    "Loud birds," the voice gruffly responds. "Probably thinking I'll spot something, huh?", he says.

    Well, that something isn't you. You slide around the rock enough to look past it.

    One tent, some bedrolls, looks like a firepit… A rough camp for ten would-be trail robbers.

    Jackpot. Now you just gotta get down before-

    "OY, LADS, LONER DOWN THERE!"

    Shit.

    [X] (Helen's Been Spotted!) Get down the hill quickly but quietly; there's not enough tree cover to hide close to her, so just ensuring your ally isn't alone when they show up is best.

    Eira's Stealth Check: 5+7+2 Circumstance = 14

    As you start to move, you hear a second shout. "Who's there?!"

    Shitshitshitshitshit-

    Time to go full force on your run, as he continues, "Vulpine Girl, running down towards the river!"

    And another voice, female, behind you: "You heard him, lads! GET HER!"

    … The good news is, you are much faster than them right now thanks to your skating. The bad news is, they might have bows - scratch that, based on the arrow that just whizzed past you - very wide to one side thankfully - they have at least one for sure. A quick glance reveals... Only one has their arms raised, so it may be just the one bow. Not a big one, either. They'll have to follow you to reliably engage.

    The faster you move, the sooner you're out of the bow's range - or at least not the only target and can maybe get a hint of cover. They're definitely chasing, though.

    ---

    As you approach the water while shifted into the Ethereal Plane, you realize what's going on fairly quickly.

    The river is very shallow here - suitable for a particularly easy crossing. But it didn't look like it from a distance… And you don't see why it wasn't now that you're here, which tells you…

    Senaz's Arcana Check: 13+4 = 17

    … That the shallow spot, if you were to shift back to the real world, would look far deeper and faster due to some illusion magic on it. Meaning that far fewer people would know about it.

    The question then, is who placed it? Anyone who approached could figure it out, of course, but…

    Hmm. No one's here. You shift back to the real world, though you position yourself slightly in the water to be less visible.

    The illusion's clearly present - the water looks like it's as deep as the surrounding river. But it feels slower, and also shallower, only a bit above your knees. So, yeah. Concealed crossing.
    If there were bandits here, and they knew about this, they'd probably want to take advantage, including eyeing the area regularly. Which would mean they'd not be too far away.

    … For the moment, though, knowing Helen can use this might be enough.

    As you start back, this time moving in the open, however, you hear a voice in the distance… Shouting. You can't make out what's being said, though.

    It doesn't sound like Eira, which sounds like she's been spotted. Not much time to think, you definitely need to move.

    [ ] (Eira's Been Spotted Maybe!) Go straight to where the shouting came from to face the bandits. (Remember, Senaz doesn't know which way Eira's moving.)
    [ ] (Eira's Been Spotted Maybe!) Dash towards Helen's location, then go towards Eira's position.
    [ ] (Eira's Been Spotted Maybe!) Go towards the middle to see if you can spot and adjust.

    [ ] (Pace of Reaction) Go at a full run, so you can see what's in between you and your destination.
    [ ] (Pace of Reaction) As a Succubus, you can teleport yourself with high reliability. Use this to get there before whatever else is running there does.

    ***



    This is the party's position as of when Eira started to run - assume that as of the start of the next post, she's about halfway to Helen's location.

    Also, the icon for Eira is a temporary selection. I've got an idea board together, and while as an aside to the vote I'm going to solicit thoughts on Eira's overall look (the only hardlocked things are 'blonde', 'tail's fluffy enough to brush', and 'fox ears'), I intend to commission someone for a custom appearance for her soon.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Are there any limit to the amount of teleports we can do? I don't see any in the character sheet.

    [X] (Eira's Been Spotted Maybe!) Go towards the middle to see if you can spot and adjust.

    Helen is expecting Senaz to go to Eira in this situation, as that's what Senaz told Helen she'd do. So we don't want to go directly into the bandit camp alone, and we don't what to go where Helen was (and probably no longer is).
     
    [X] (Eira's Been Spotted Maybe!) Go towards the middle to see if you can spot and adjust.
    [X] (Pace of Reaction) As a Succubus, you can teleport yourself with high reliability. Use this to get there before whatever else is running there does.
     
    [X] (Eira's Been Spotted Maybe!) Go towards the middle to see if you can spot and adjust.
    [X] (Pace of Reaction) As a Succubus, you can teleport yourself with high reliability. Use this to get there before whatever else is running there does.
    JustForThis said:
    we don't what to go where Helen was (and probably no longer is).
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    This phrasing just reminds me of "The Missile Knows Where It Is."

    "The paladin knows where she is at all times. She knows this, because she knows where she's not."
     
    Mostly because people pay attention to teleporting folks, often of the pointy kind. And it doesn't let Senaz swagger properly.

    Also, accuracy can be slightly unreliable if we can't see the target location.

    It is still super handy though.
     
    Razzocnor said:
    Mostly because people pay attention to teleporting folks, often of the pointy kind. And it doesn't let Senaz swagger properly.

    Also, accuracy can be slightly unreliable if we can't see the target location.

    It is still super handy though.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Way more than slightly, to the point that I'm going to ask the DM if it was a mistake:

    NekoIncardine said:
    (It's possible the QM forgot something 3.5 Succubi get; if so, let me know and I'll define it. Not having the hit dice is intentional. As for what happens if you die... Well, that might be different too? Senaz has no basis to know that, though.)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Greater Teleport got changed to 5e's Teleport, which I'm not sure is intentional. Even with the +10, that means teleporting to a location that isn't "very familiar"/"permanent circle"/"associated object" has a >20% chance of reducing Senaz to 0 HP, which is much more dangerous than the voters and voting options seem to be treating her teleportation. It's basically playing russian roulette every time she teleports to an unfamiliar location. Half the time she'll take so much damage that she won't get a death save.

    I also don't see any representation of (or mentions of in the thread) the 3.5e Succubus's spell resistance, which was a pretty potent ability that didn't make it to 5e. Could be deliberate, I just don't see any explicit mentions of it. If so, I hope Senaz knows about the changes to Greater Teleport in-character.
     
    Last edited:
    Winged One said:
    It has a what?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Teleportation mishaps deal 3d10 force damage, and Senaz has 9 HP. 42.5% of such mishaps would deal enough damage to kill her instantly, without a death saving throw. It's a combination of much-needed nerfs to wizards in 5e, and the designers absolutely not expecting level 1 characters to have access to Teleport.

    If it was intentional, this still doesn't make the spell useless by any means. Having an object taken from the location or a memorized teleportation circle eliminates the mishap chance entirely, "very familiar" also allows for visible or carefully studied locations...and hopefully someday Sanez will have enough hit points that 3d10 damage is survivable.
     
    [X] (Eira's Been Spotted Maybe!) Dash towards Helen's location, then go towards Eira's position.
    [X] (Pace of Reaction) Go at a full run, so you can see what's in between you and your destination.

    If we're going to run then best to run with backup.
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top