December 1, 2025 • 28 mins
Activate Suffering: Tale of the Manticore is a hybrid solo-actualplay D&D game and full production audiodrama. I use Dungeons & Dragons B/X (OSR). This is a dark fantasy tale made for a mature audience.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, This is Trevor from Your Story Will be Different
and you are listening to Tale of the Manticore. The
following podcast is intended for a mature audience. Listener discretion
is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the Manticor Season three.
(00:33):
Like the creature from which it takes its name, Tale
of the Manticor is a mashup, a crossbreeding between two
different species of storytelling. Here you will find the unpredictability
of old school paper and dice games with the story
craft of a dark fantasy novel. No character is sacred
and none will be spared if the dice decide their
(00:53):
fate is at hand. According to Lare, the Tale of
a Manticore is barbed with cruel and spikes. There will
be much pain in the days ahead. Last time on
(01:14):
Tail of the Manticor, Chapter forty one begins with the
party stepping through the weird door in the floor of
Odok's apparently abandoned cottage. They enter a place that somehow exists,
oriented sideways to the normal world. This is Odoke's Seclusium,
and strangers are not welcome here, as the companions soon
learn shortly after entering the magic mouth tells them to
(01:36):
go back or be repelled, but the pieces ignore the
warning who proceed. They discover a vestibule, a dining area,
and a small pantry, and although they remain unmolested, they
do not find anything more significant than a few minor
clues about the people who live there. However, the next
room they enter is trapped. In it, the magic Mouth
(01:56):
reappears with the new warning. Instead of telling them to
turn back, this time, they are directed to drop their
weapons and surrender. A quartette of display suits of armor,
one in each of the room's corners, comes to life
in order to enforce the command, but the companions have
no intention of obeying. It appears that they will need
to fight their way to the reclusive Diygogue if they
(02:18):
wish to speak with him on equal terms. I thought
I'd be starting this chapter with combat right out of
the gates, but I can't do that because I realize
I forgot to do something in the last episode and
it can't wait. Episode forty one was supposed to be
a level up episode for Achillie. How did I forget that?
(02:39):
It's like my favorite thing? But I did forget, and
at least I caught the oversight before it mattered. Doing
it now instead of then actually makes no difference, which
is very lucky. Anyway, that's enough excuses, let's get into it.
For achieving level five, Achillie will get a D four
of new hit points. Rolling for that a one, which
gets Menda to two, making her new total fifteen. Disappointing,
(03:04):
but not the end of the world. Let's try for
stat increases for strength. I've got a three, intelligence a
five wisdom that two was not going to do it.
Dexterity a three. Uh oh, there's only two chances left.
A six for a constitution would be a big deal, though,
rolling for constitution a five, Charisma a two not a zip.
(03:31):
I can only hope that the Dice gods are holding
back their good luck for the truly important role which
is coming up next. Many folks will know that level
five is when magic users get their first third level spell.
I'm going to use the spell list from the Expert Rules,
but with some modifications since I've used them in older seasons.
I'm removing the following from the list lightning bolt, water breathing,
(03:53):
protection from normal missiles, infra vision, and haste. That leaves
only the following seven spells Clairvoids, dispel magic, Fireball, fly,
old Person, invisibility ten foot radius, Protection from evil ten
foot radius. Let's go ahead and add three more from
the second edition rulebook Blink, Flame, Arrow, and spectral Force.
(04:16):
That makes ten spells with a good mix of utility
and offense, and most of them make good sense with
the story, which is a bonus. Let's see what Achille
will get. I roll. The two are dispel magic. Okay,
it doesn't have the glamour of fireball, but I am
quite pleased with this result. Here's what the spell can do.
It removes spell effects within a twenty by twenty by
(04:38):
twenty foot space. It doesn't affect magic items, but will
remove any spell effect of equal or lower level than
the original caster. It also has a decent chance to
succeed even if the original caster is of higher level
than the one trying to dispel the magic.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I can see a million ways that could be very useful,
but it's worth mentioning that Achillie will need to rest
and study before she can use her new spell. Hey,
you know it's even cooler than a level up episode.
That double level up episode. Since I forgot about Achilles
last time. I've actually got two of them to do Today,
Durani will join his ally at level five. He gets
(05:13):
a D six for new hit points. Rolling for that
A two mid chapter three, so his new total is nineteen.
I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit
let down by that. You know what, I'm switching dice.
This D six must be busted or something. Yeah, hang on, okay,
I have a nice purple one that rarely lets me
down that I hope it doesn't this time. Because Durni
(05:34):
has only ever gotten a single stat increase, he's due
for some good luck. Let's get rolling for strength A
four intelligence a six. Okay, there it is. Intelligence is
not his main stat, but I'll take it. Ten goes
to eleven for wisdom, a five dexterity just a two
(05:56):
constitution another two charisma, that's a three. Well, I asked
for something, and I did guess something. I guess I
can't complain. To finish up this level up, Derennie's basic
attack bonus improves you a plus three, and that is
bound to make a difference. All Right, The bookkeeping is
done and it is finally time to join the adventure.
(06:23):
Chapter forty two Part one, Day thirty six, late afternoon.
Ten minutes remain in Achillea's detect evil spell mythic event
meaning activate suffering party status. Achillea fifteen of fifteen hit points,
(06:44):
Court twenty four of twenty four, de Renni nineteen of nineteen,
ten Tier nineteen of nineteen, Fairwind twenty seven of thirty three,
Flicker sixteen of sixteen supplies. The companions have no food,
(07:04):
remaining spells available. Achillia can cast enlarge message and glitter.
Dust Cord can cast and tangle, slow poison and hold animal.
Fair Wind can cast curelate wounds and protection from eval.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Drop your weapons and surrender.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Repeated the wooden mouth on the door a third time.
The companions standing back to back, prepared for battle as
the four animated suits of armor that surrounded them advance.
Entering combat, these suits of animated armour are a very
(07:47):
straightforward kind of opponent. Each has six hit points an
AC of sixteen, can do one to ten points of
damage with their halbert, and are immune to mind affecting
spells and fear. However, while the enemy is unaccept optional
in their stats, this combat will be significantly different from
many of the companions have fought before. Since they're surrounded,
(08:07):
the pieces cannot choose which of their number will be
front line fighters and which will stand in the rear.
Practically speaking, this means that Achillea is at much higher
risk than usual. She will also need to declare her
spell casting before each initiative roll because of the chance
that her attempts will be disrupted. Surprise will not be
checked for either side in this combat, and so we
(08:28):
move straight into round one declarations. Achilliable attempt to cast
enlarge on a flicker initiative. The party a four, the
animated armor a two. A lucky start, and it makes
sense as I've mentioned that the animated armor is slow moving.
Dur Any will strike first. He needs a thirteen to hit.
(08:51):
A sixteen is good. He does just two points of
damage to the armor nearest him. Fairwind will try to
hit that same suit. He needs a fourteen or better.
A two means the attack is parried. The armor may
be slow, but its movements are precise. Cord faces one
of the animated suits of armor alone. His target to
hit number is also fourteen. Rolling fifteen geez Cord is
(09:16):
so good in a fight. Damage from his battle axe
is wow a whopping seven voints. The axe slams into
the breastplate, burying its blade in the metal, coordinates to
wrench it out, making the armor move like a puppet
in the process. Achillia and Flicker pair up against the
third suit for her turn. The half elf casts enlarge
(09:38):
on Flicker, using her wand to focus the spell's energy,
and the blink Dog grows to the size of a
dire wolf. Flicker now pounces on their opponent. Oh no,
that's a one. Although Flicker accepts the spell without resisting,
she is unused to her new size and weight and
fumbles terribly. Her next attack will be lost. Step is
(10:00):
ten deer, who gets a plus three to his roll
all bonus is considered A twelve is just short of
what he needs to hit, and the enemy bats away
the sword of Learhane with its halberd. Now it's the
animated armour's turn. I'll randomize targets where applicable, but I'll
keep those rolls off Mike, so should not over complicate things.
The first suit of armor thrust his halberd at fair
(10:21):
Wind and hits with a fourteen. Damage with a polearm
can be quite severe, rolling a D ten out A
nine the points, stabs him in the abdomen and goes deep.
Just like that, the cleric is down to eighteen hit points.
Animated Armor number two tries to strike Chord back A
(10:42):
twelve just hits. Oh my, this combat is not going
so well. Damage from the halbard is funk ten points
a brutal hit to the torso. I can imagine a
situation where a Chord's axe is buried in the armor
and the armour's halberd is buried in Chordugh, this fight
is not going well. Luckily I've rolled up. The third
(11:03):
suit of armor targets Flicker, and the krit fumble does
not prevent the animal from blinking away before the polearm
sweeps down upon it. Over to ten tier. The last
animated suit of armor rolls A five. Ten tier returns
the perry, and both combatants square off, ready for round two.
Declarations none initiative the party A two the animated armor
(11:30):
A five. Things go from bad to worse when the
animated armor presses forward as though they shared a single mind.
The one that wounded Fairwind now turns its attention to
Durni and jabs it's alberted him nineteen holy smokes. This
battle is going so badly. Damages cripes nine points. Durani
(11:53):
is down to just over half his HP. With a
single blow, Cord's opponent goes next nine mercifully misses the
wooden construct. Having cast her spell. Achillie now draws her dagger,
and she can't help but notice that the move directs
the animated armour's attention away from Flicker and over to her. Suddenly,
(12:13):
the blade of a halberd is swinging her way. A
seventeen is more than enough to hit, and she takes
oh just one point of damage, a nick in the bicep.
Still still, the experience is terrifying, and she becomes suddenly
aware just how vulnerable she is. The fourth suit of
armor faints and thrusts a tent here, but at eleven
(12:34):
means he is able to parry the attack. Now it's
the PC's turn. At this point, they must be trying
to come up with a way to survive this encounter
that does not involve fighting. But I think for now
they just redouble their efforts and try to take control
of the situation. Tend to rye posts A two means
his blade skates harmlessly off the enemy's breastplate. Flicker cannot
(12:56):
attack us round due to her fumble. In round one,
Clia with her dagger, will need a small miracle to
connect boom natural twenty A small miracle asked for and delivered,
damages six points as she jams her blade into her
opponent's elbow joint and twists with all she's got. Wow,
(13:18):
of all the things I didn't expect to happen anyway.
Cord is next. Will he be as reliable as we
need him to be? Before means he cannot land a blow. Fairwind,
holding his wounded stomach with one hand while swinging his
cudgel with the other, goes next. The six means his
weapon clangs off the enemy's puldron with no discernible effect.
(13:39):
Duranni goes last, and he really needs to hit about fifteen.
Will do it? The oven blade slashes at the armour's knee,
doing four points. Round two ends with the Magic Mouth
commanding the companions once again to.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Drop your weapons and surrender.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
It's an unnecessary reminder that things are going poorly. Three declarations,
none initiative. The party A six. Oh, this could be
the break The PC's need the animated armor a six
strike that all actions will be simultaneous. If anyone goes down,
they will still get the chance to retaliate. I'll start
(14:17):
with the PCs going back around the circle. Durrennie tries
to follow his successful stroke with a powerful backhand an eighteen.
Well done to Rennie. That's a hit, Come on, big
money three points. This suit of armor has seven hit
points remaining. Can fair one follow suit a fifteen. Finally,
(14:38):
the cleric lands a blow. His cugel will only do
a defour of damage. However, rolling three points is not bad.
The animated suit of armor is now dented badly in
several places. Court is up next. His battle axe comes
down in a mighty two handed overhead chop. Oh A
thirteen just misses by a single point. The armor pivots
(15:00):
to avoid the crushing blow. Achille attacks with her dagger
again seventeen. Okay, her dagger does another two points of damage.
This enemy now has just ten remaining. Flicker, enlarged to
more than one and a half times her normal size,
is recovered from her fumble and springs teeth snapping the
(15:21):
three means she is knocked back by the shaft of
the defender's Albert ten two goes last, needing a twelve
to hit. A fourteen is good. His opponent, yet untouched,
will take three points of damage from the ELF's magical blade.
The animated armor will now take their turn. I'll go
back around the circle, starting with the one attacking ten tier.
(15:44):
He needs a thirteen to hit him a one. Huh.
Taking that first blow from ten tier knocks it off
balance and sends the armor down to the floor with
a crash, where it struggles to get back up. It
will lose its next turn. In doing so, The dice
tell me that Flicker will be the next target. Can
the animal blink away When the initiative is simultaneous, I'll
roll high low I will mean a can rolling a ten.
(16:08):
Flicker cannot get away in time. Of course, the armor
still needs to land a hit at twelve plus two
means oh it misses by a single point. Yikes, that
was close. Cord's enemy goes next, a fourteen hits. Oh boy,
here comes that d ten again. I have a bad
feeling about this. Oh my gosh, nine points. These hits
(16:32):
are absolutely savage. Cord digs a terrible wound and goes
down to just five hit points. One more successful hit
could well kill him. I think Achilleus, standing just to
his right, is aware of just how dire the situation
is for her friend. The last animated suit of armor
remains focused under any but a seven means the elf
can parey the polearm safely to the side. Half. Once again,
(16:55):
the strident voice of the magic mouth brings out.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Submit, drop your weapons to the ground, and submit.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
As we enter round four, I can tell you that
it is tempting to have the pieces do just that.
As it stands, the armor is more or less down
to half of their original strength, but the pieces are
considerably worse off, especially court. Going even one more round
is a tremendous risk, but I think I will take it.
Let's begin round four declarations fair wind will cast cure
(17:24):
led wounds on court initiative the party five the animated
armor two. Well, that was very lucky. But as I
start this round, I suddenly realize that if even one
of these animated suits of armor scores a critical hit,
they will do an insane amount of damage, as much
as twenty points. So unless the PCs really grab the
(17:47):
upper hand this ground, I'm not sure I have the
stomach to keep the fight going much longer, but I've
committed them to this round at least, so let's see
what happens. Durani goes first. He swings his blade and
with a fifth scores a hit and four points is
the exact amount he needs to take out the suit
of armor. He rings it like a bell, and the
(18:08):
sheer power of his strike breaks the spell that holds
it together. It falls to pieces at his feet. Fairwood
can now move to help Cord. He casts Cure Light
Wounds on the construct and heals him four just three points.
That's underwhelming, but still helpful. I suppose Cord, for his part,
(18:28):
will bash away at their foe a six missus. Unfortunately.
Next in line are Achillea and Flicker. Achillea's dagger flashes
out and with a thirteen it fails to penetrate the
steel plates of the animated armor. Flicker at her side
lungees a nineteen. Excellent damage will be one d six
(18:49):
times one point six for the enlarged spell. Rolling a
four on the die makes six point four rounded down
to six points. It's almost enough to finish off their enemy,
but not quite. Two hit points yet remain ten. Two
goes last, and he needs a thirteen to hit. A
four will not do it. As his enemy rises to
(19:10):
his feet, the sort of their han whistles through the
spot where his head would have been if it had one.
Now the animated armor can act, or rather two of
them can. The one that Qriit failed last round lost
his turn, picking itself off the floor. Another has been destroyed.
The animated armor that attacked Flicker last round unfortunately turns
its attention back to Achillie. As Flicker blinks away, it
(19:31):
only needs a nine to hit her. That twelve connects
damage could be bad. Four points another cut, this time
on her left shoulder. Achillie has ten left. This last
roll is the one I've been dreading. Cortz Ac is
fourteen and so the animated armor needs to roll a
twelve or better to hit on a D twenty A
(19:52):
four that was lucky. Round four ends with the PCs
having managed to take control of the fight. There's still
plenty of danger, but I think it makes sense to
keep going, so we move to round five. Declarations none
initiative the party a six. This could be the extra
momentum the pieces need to win, hoping for anything other
(20:15):
than a six. With this an ext roll for the
animated armor. A two nice taking down his enemy clears
away the creeping doubt over whether these things could be
killed at all, and the companions find an extra store
of courage. They're going to give it everything they've got.
Cord raises his battle axe and A nine. It's parried
away with seeming ease. However, fair Wind is there to
(20:37):
help with his cudgel. An eight is not going to
get the job done. Durani joins his brother and tries
to flank the enemy. A nineteen hits three points of damage,
is a solid blow and brings this foe down to
ten hit points. Ten two will try to strike the
opposite side. A sixteen on the die is plenty, but
(20:59):
it's a glancing blow, doing only two points of damage.
Last up are Achille and Flicker. Achillees he's a weak
spot in the armor and stabs down with her dagger.
Fourteen is a good role, but it's not enough to
score a hit. Her blade is deflected by the steel embrace.
Flicker is last up and needs it fourteen to hit.
(21:19):
A two means she cannot find an opening in the
enemy's defenses either. But once again it is the animated
armor's turn, and the bad feeling I have inside me
is back. Achillie is once again targeted, and at seventeen
is a hit. Now she is in the danger zone
and a bad enough role could kill her. Here goes
nothing three points. I think next round she's going to
(21:42):
have to try to withdraw. This is getting way too dangerous.
Speaking of danger, the dice tell me that Cord remains
the target. Oh no, A seventeen will hit once again.
We are in a bad spot. With eight points left,
Cord could lose his life right here six points. The
blow sends him to the floor. Achillia sees this and
(22:04):
cries out, God, there's the weapons clash. The voice from
the door repeats, more insistent than ever.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Drop your weapons to the ground and submit.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
There's one enemy left, and that day say it turns
on to Reny. Within nine the Elf is able to
knock the incoming halberd aside. Round five is at an end,
and I have decided there will be no round six.
We are a few bad rolls away from disaster, and
I am not prepared to lose two of my pieces
to this encounter, not after everything they've been through. Earlier,
(22:36):
Achillie had noticed that her spell of detect Evil did
not sense anything in these animated suits of armor. She'd
also noticed how the armor engaged with Flicker had turned
on her the moment she'd drawn her dagger. She looked
at the blade in her hand and made a snap decision,
throwing it to the ground. The half elf ordered Flicker
to lie down. Amazingly, the blink dog obeyed without missing it.
(22:59):
Achillia continued court fail and drop your weapons. We surrender,
We surrender, without waiting to see what they would do.
She followed up in Elvish de renny tenter ludnaren kin
how it am. Perhaps the others had been thinking the
same thing, for they did as they were asked, and
one by one, cudgel, axe and sword dropped to the floor.
(23:25):
Tinder was the last to release his, not wanting to
part with the sort of leir haane with which he
felt a special bond, But a few moments after the others,
he led his fall too. The reaction of the animated
armor was immediate. Once the weapons were dropped, they stopped
pressing the attack. There were only three suits still standing,
and two of them had been badly battered and scored.
(23:48):
The last was in such poor condition that the moment
it stopped fighting, its left arm fell off and clattered
against the flagstones. Its weapon remained raised. However, in fact,
all three had the spiked of their halberds pointed at
the companions. As fair Wind, Cord, Achilie, and the brothers
raised their empty hands in the air. One of the
headless suits pulled back. He gestured with its weapon at
(24:11):
the door on the far end of the room. The
magic mouth that had been addressing the companions throughout the
fight was gone. Suddenly, Cord stumbled, Achilie put his hand
on her shoulder to steady him, and their captors allowed it,
not seeming to care so long as their enemy's weapons
were out of reach. Once again, the armor repeated its
jabbing motion, and Achilie led Cord and the others across
(24:33):
the room to the door. It was only now that
she really began to notice how much her cuts stung
and how much she was bleeding, while the magnitude of
their failure and the degree of her responsibility for it
started to take shape in her mind. Still, she was
comforted in knowing that Cord would survive, and nothing mattered
more than that right now. When she reached the door,
(24:53):
Achillie pushed it open. Before her stretched a long corridor.
It bent to the east after sixty or seventy feet
and had a single small door on the left. It
was to this door that they were being taken. When
they arrived, a light jabbed from the halberd into her back,
made her cry out and hastened to open it. The
party was force marched past the threshold and found themselves
(25:15):
in a small cell, no more than ten by twenty
feet in size. Its only feature was a shelf heaped
with what at first looked like chains. It quickly became
obvious that they were not merely chains, but manacles. The battered,
animated suits of armor stood outside the door and pointed
with the tips of their weapons. Once again, their meaning
was clear. The companions were to manacle themselves, Having no
(25:38):
hope of resisting. The members of the party did as directed,
and one by one they clasped the bracelets on their
own wrists. As they did, the things magically locked, becoming
seamless rings of steel. Once everyone was in chains, the
head list suits of armors stepped back and swung the
door shut with a bang. The last thing Achille heard
(25:58):
before her captors claims away was the distinct sound of
a lock snapping into place on the cell door. Thank
you for listening to Tale of the Mandicor if you'd
like to join the great folks who support the show,
there are several different ways to do so. You could
recommend it online or to friends. You can like and
(26:20):
repost episode announcements on social media. You can purchase a
Tale of the Manticore t shirt at bar ARBs dawstore
or one of my offerings on drive through RPG. And finally,
you can rate and review the show on your favorite podcatcher.
All of these things really do help to spread the word,
and I truly appreciate the support. Instead of our review
read this time, I would like to do a little miakalpa,
(26:41):
actually two of them, and address a couple of errors
I made recently. The first is that back in episode
thirty nine, I forgot to credit the artists who drew
the sketch I featured. Apologies are due to Dave Rawlins,
who submitted that drawing. Thanks Dave, I'm sorry I forgot
to credit you. At the proper time. Dave Rawlins is,
by the way, the creator of the excellent Hardy Boys RBG.
(27:03):
I played this game at Klearcon in October of twenty
twenty five, and it was the highlight of the con
for me. Find David on Blue Sky at Dave Hyphenstuff
dot Blue Skuide our social if you're interested in knowing
more about the Hardy Boys RBG. I also really need
to apologize, sort of generally, because it came to my
attention recently that the Speaker Support Club was not what
(27:24):
I had thought. My understanding was that it was ad
free content for a nominal subscription fee. I'm not sure
if I ever advertised it or promoted it as such,
but I might have, and it isn't that at all,
or at least it wasn't. I've been in touch with
Speaker lately to talk about this, and hopefully by the
time this episode gets aired that feature will be available.
(27:45):
Please just check before you hit okay. Next up, let's
talk about this episode's voice talent. Aside from the grunts
of pain and effort from the core cast during the
combat sequence, there's just one actress to thank in this episode.
Amanda T. Perfectly performs the voice of the Magic Mouth.
Find Amanda and her amazing artwork at Wicked Underscore. Loving
(28:08):
Underscore lies on Instagram for those interested to hear some
Tale of the Manticore trivia. This episode is the first
ever in which the PCs have ended a combat by surrendering.
If you like learning things about the show of that
kind of nature, I do have a blog where I
post show notes, but I also post other things about
the show, like how it's put together and what I'm
doing in terms of things adjacent. If you can find
(28:30):
it at Tale Ofthemanticore dot com. To get in touch
with me, I met Solo Roleplayers Network dot com, Tale
of Themanticre dot blues Guide dot Social, Tale of the
Manticor podcast on Instagram, or Tale of Themanticor at gmail
dot com. The adventure will continue on the next episode
of Tale of the Mantacre. It's this story. We're chaos
rolls
Hi, This is Trevor from Your Story Will be Different
and you are listening to Tale of the Manticore. The
following podcast is intended for a mature audience. Listener discretion
is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the Manticor Season three.
(00:33):
Like the creature from which it takes its name, Tale
of the Manticor is a mashup, a crossbreeding between two
different species of storytelling. Here you will find the unpredictability
of old school paper and dice games with the story
craft of a dark fantasy novel. No character is sacred
and none will be spared if the dice decide their
(00:53):
fate is at hand. According to Lare, the Tale of
a Manticore is barbed with cruel and spikes. There will
be much pain in the days ahead. Last time on
(01:14):
Tail of the Manticor, Chapter forty one begins with the
party stepping through the weird door in the floor of
Odok's apparently abandoned cottage. They enter a place that somehow exists,
oriented sideways to the normal world. This is Odoke's Seclusium,
and strangers are not welcome here, as the companions soon
learn shortly after entering the magic mouth tells them to
(01:36):
go back or be repelled, but the pieces ignore the
warning who proceed. They discover a vestibule, a dining area,
and a small pantry, and although they remain unmolested, they
do not find anything more significant than a few minor
clues about the people who live there. However, the next
room they enter is trapped. In it, the magic Mouth
(01:56):
reappears with the new warning. Instead of telling them to
turn back, this time, they are directed to drop their
weapons and surrender. A quartette of display suits of armor,
one in each of the room's corners, comes to life
in order to enforce the command, but the companions have
no intention of obeying. It appears that they will need
to fight their way to the reclusive Diygogue if they
(02:18):
wish to speak with him on equal terms. I thought
I'd be starting this chapter with combat right out of
the gates, but I can't do that because I realize
I forgot to do something in the last episode and
it can't wait. Episode forty one was supposed to be
a level up episode for Achillie. How did I forget that?
(02:39):
It's like my favorite thing? But I did forget, and
at least I caught the oversight before it mattered. Doing
it now instead of then actually makes no difference, which
is very lucky. Anyway, that's enough excuses, let's get into it.
For achieving level five, Achillie will get a D four
of new hit points. Rolling for that a one, which
gets Menda to two, making her new total fifteen. Disappointing,
(03:04):
but not the end of the world. Let's try for
stat increases for strength. I've got a three, intelligence a
five wisdom that two was not going to do it.
Dexterity a three. Uh oh, there's only two chances left.
A six for a constitution would be a big deal, though,
rolling for constitution a five, Charisma a two not a zip.
(03:31):
I can only hope that the Dice gods are holding
back their good luck for the truly important role which
is coming up next. Many folks will know that level
five is when magic users get their first third level spell.
I'm going to use the spell list from the Expert Rules,
but with some modifications since I've used them in older seasons.
I'm removing the following from the list lightning bolt, water breathing,
(03:53):
protection from normal missiles, infra vision, and haste. That leaves
only the following seven spells Clairvoids, dispel magic, Fireball, fly,
old Person, invisibility ten foot radius, Protection from evil ten
foot radius. Let's go ahead and add three more from
the second edition rulebook Blink, Flame, Arrow, and spectral Force.
(04:16):
That makes ten spells with a good mix of utility
and offense, and most of them make good sense with
the story, which is a bonus. Let's see what Achille
will get. I roll. The two are dispel magic. Okay,
it doesn't have the glamour of fireball, but I am
quite pleased with this result. Here's what the spell can do.
It removes spell effects within a twenty by twenty by
(04:38):
twenty foot space. It doesn't affect magic items, but will
remove any spell effect of equal or lower level than
the original caster. It also has a decent chance to
succeed even if the original caster is of higher level
than the one trying to dispel the magic.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
I can see a million ways that could be very useful,
but it's worth mentioning that Achillie will need to rest
and study before she can use her new spell. Hey,
you know it's even cooler than a level up episode.
That double level up episode. Since I forgot about Achilles
last time. I've actually got two of them to do Today,
Durani will join his ally at level five. He gets
(05:13):
a D six for new hit points. Rolling for that
A two mid chapter three, so his new total is nineteen.
I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit
let down by that. You know what, I'm switching dice.
This D six must be busted or something. Yeah, hang on, okay,
I have a nice purple one that rarely lets me
down that I hope it doesn't this time. Because Durni
(05:34):
has only ever gotten a single stat increase, he's due
for some good luck. Let's get rolling for strength A
four intelligence a six. Okay, there it is. Intelligence is
not his main stat, but I'll take it. Ten goes
to eleven for wisdom, a five dexterity just a two
(05:56):
constitution another two charisma, that's a three. Well, I asked
for something, and I did guess something. I guess I
can't complain. To finish up this level up, Derennie's basic
attack bonus improves you a plus three, and that is
bound to make a difference. All Right, The bookkeeping is
done and it is finally time to join the adventure.
(06:23):
Chapter forty two Part one, Day thirty six, late afternoon.
Ten minutes remain in Achillea's detect evil spell mythic event
meaning activate suffering party status. Achillea fifteen of fifteen hit points,
(06:44):
Court twenty four of twenty four, de Renni nineteen of nineteen,
ten Tier nineteen of nineteen, Fairwind twenty seven of thirty three,
Flicker sixteen of sixteen supplies. The companions have no food,
(07:04):
remaining spells available. Achillia can cast enlarge message and glitter.
Dust Cord can cast and tangle, slow poison and hold animal.
Fair Wind can cast curelate wounds and protection from eval.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Drop your weapons and surrender.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Repeated the wooden mouth on the door a third time.
The companions standing back to back, prepared for battle as
the four animated suits of armor that surrounded them advance.
Entering combat, these suits of animated armour are a very
(07:47):
straightforward kind of opponent. Each has six hit points an
AC of sixteen, can do one to ten points of
damage with their halbert, and are immune to mind affecting
spells and fear. However, while the enemy is unaccept optional
in their stats, this combat will be significantly different from
many of the companions have fought before. Since they're surrounded,
(08:07):
the pieces cannot choose which of their number will be
front line fighters and which will stand in the rear.
Practically speaking, this means that Achillea is at much higher
risk than usual. She will also need to declare her
spell casting before each initiative roll because of the chance
that her attempts will be disrupted. Surprise will not be
checked for either side in this combat, and so we
(08:28):
move straight into round one declarations. Achilliable attempt to cast
enlarge on a flicker initiative. The party a four, the
animated armor a two. A lucky start, and it makes
sense as I've mentioned that the animated armor is slow moving.
Dur Any will strike first. He needs a thirteen to hit.
(08:51):
A sixteen is good. He does just two points of
damage to the armor nearest him. Fairwind will try to
hit that same suit. He needs a fourteen or better.
A two means the attack is parried. The armor may
be slow, but its movements are precise. Cord faces one
of the animated suits of armor alone. His target to
hit number is also fourteen. Rolling fifteen geez Cord is
(09:16):
so good in a fight. Damage from his battle axe
is wow a whopping seven voints. The axe slams into
the breastplate, burying its blade in the metal, coordinates to
wrench it out, making the armor move like a puppet
in the process. Achillia and Flicker pair up against the
third suit for her turn. The half elf casts enlarge
(09:38):
on Flicker, using her wand to focus the spell's energy,
and the blink Dog grows to the size of a
dire wolf. Flicker now pounces on their opponent. Oh no,
that's a one. Although Flicker accepts the spell without resisting,
she is unused to her new size and weight and
fumbles terribly. Her next attack will be lost. Step is
(10:00):
ten deer, who gets a plus three to his roll
all bonus is considered A twelve is just short of
what he needs to hit, and the enemy bats away
the sword of Learhane with its halberd. Now it's the
animated armour's turn. I'll randomize targets where applicable, but I'll
keep those rolls off Mike, so should not over complicate things.
The first suit of armor thrust his halberd at fair
(10:21):
Wind and hits with a fourteen. Damage with a polearm
can be quite severe, rolling a D ten out A
nine the points, stabs him in the abdomen and goes deep.
Just like that, the cleric is down to eighteen hit points.
Animated Armor number two tries to strike Chord back A
(10:42):
twelve just hits. Oh my, this combat is not going
so well. Damage from the halbard is funk ten points
a brutal hit to the torso. I can imagine a
situation where a Chord's axe is buried in the armor
and the armour's halberd is buried in Chordugh, this fight
is not going well. Luckily I've rolled up. The third
(11:03):
suit of armor targets Flicker, and the krit fumble does
not prevent the animal from blinking away before the polearm
sweeps down upon it. Over to ten tier. The last
animated suit of armor rolls A five. Ten tier returns
the perry, and both combatants square off, ready for round two.
Declarations none initiative the party A two the animated armor
(11:30):
A five. Things go from bad to worse when the
animated armor presses forward as though they shared a single mind.
The one that wounded Fairwind now turns its attention to
Durni and jabs it's alberted him nineteen holy smokes. This
battle is going so badly. Damages cripes nine points. Durani
(11:53):
is down to just over half his HP. With a
single blow, Cord's opponent goes next nine mercifully misses the
wooden construct. Having cast her spell. Achillie now draws her dagger,
and she can't help but notice that the move directs
the animated armour's attention away from Flicker and over to her. Suddenly,
(12:13):
the blade of a halberd is swinging her way. A
seventeen is more than enough to hit, and she takes
oh just one point of damage, a nick in the bicep.
Still still, the experience is terrifying, and she becomes suddenly
aware just how vulnerable she is. The fourth suit of
armor faints and thrusts a tent here, but at eleven
(12:34):
means he is able to parry the attack. Now it's
the PC's turn. At this point, they must be trying
to come up with a way to survive this encounter
that does not involve fighting. But I think for now
they just redouble their efforts and try to take control
of the situation. Tend to rye posts A two means
his blade skates harmlessly off the enemy's breastplate. Flicker cannot
(12:56):
attack us round due to her fumble. In round one,
Clia with her dagger, will need a small miracle to
connect boom natural twenty A small miracle asked for and delivered,
damages six points as she jams her blade into her
opponent's elbow joint and twists with all she's got. Wow,
(13:18):
of all the things I didn't expect to happen anyway.
Cord is next. Will he be as reliable as we
need him to be? Before means he cannot land a blow. Fairwind,
holding his wounded stomach with one hand while swinging his
cudgel with the other, goes next. The six means his
weapon clangs off the enemy's puldron with no discernible effect.
(13:39):
Duranni goes last, and he really needs to hit about fifteen.
Will do it? The oven blade slashes at the armour's knee,
doing four points. Round two ends with the Magic Mouth
commanding the companions once again to.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Drop your weapons and surrender.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
It's an unnecessary reminder that things are going poorly. Three declarations,
none initiative. The party A six. Oh, this could be
the break The PC's need the animated armor a six
strike that all actions will be simultaneous. If anyone goes down,
they will still get the chance to retaliate. I'll start
(14:17):
with the PCs going back around the circle. Durrennie tries
to follow his successful stroke with a powerful backhand an eighteen.
Well done to Rennie. That's a hit, Come on, big
money three points. This suit of armor has seven hit
points remaining. Can fair one follow suit a fifteen. Finally,
(14:38):
the cleric lands a blow. His cugel will only do
a defour of damage. However, rolling three points is not bad.
The animated suit of armor is now dented badly in
several places. Court is up next. His battle axe comes
down in a mighty two handed overhead chop. Oh A
thirteen just misses by a single point. The armor pivots
(15:00):
to avoid the crushing blow. Achille attacks with her dagger
again seventeen. Okay, her dagger does another two points of damage.
This enemy now has just ten remaining. Flicker, enlarged to
more than one and a half times her normal size,
is recovered from her fumble and springs teeth snapping the
(15:21):
three means she is knocked back by the shaft of
the defender's Albert ten two goes last, needing a twelve
to hit. A fourteen is good. His opponent, yet untouched,
will take three points of damage from the ELF's magical blade.
The animated armor will now take their turn. I'll go
back around the circle, starting with the one attacking ten tier.
(15:44):
He needs a thirteen to hit him a one. Huh.
Taking that first blow from ten tier knocks it off
balance and sends the armor down to the floor with
a crash, where it struggles to get back up. It
will lose its next turn. In doing so, The dice
tell me that Flicker will be the next target. Can
the animal blink away When the initiative is simultaneous, I'll
roll high low I will mean a can rolling a ten.
(16:08):
Flicker cannot get away in time. Of course, the armor
still needs to land a hit at twelve plus two
means oh it misses by a single point. Yikes, that
was close. Cord's enemy goes next, a fourteen hits. Oh boy,
here comes that d ten again. I have a bad
feeling about this. Oh my gosh, nine points. These hits
(16:32):
are absolutely savage. Cord digs a terrible wound and goes
down to just five hit points. One more successful hit
could well kill him. I think Achilleus, standing just to
his right, is aware of just how dire the situation
is for her friend. The last animated suit of armor
remains focused under any but a seven means the elf
can parey the polearm safely to the side. Half. Once again,
(16:55):
the strident voice of the magic mouth brings out.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
Submit, drop your weapons to the ground, and submit.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
As we enter round four, I can tell you that
it is tempting to have the pieces do just that.
As it stands, the armor is more or less down
to half of their original strength, but the pieces are
considerably worse off, especially court. Going even one more round
is a tremendous risk, but I think I will take it.
Let's begin round four declarations fair wind will cast cure
(17:24):
led wounds on court initiative the party five the animated
armor two. Well, that was very lucky. But as I
start this round, I suddenly realize that if even one
of these animated suits of armor scores a critical hit,
they will do an insane amount of damage, as much
as twenty points. So unless the PCs really grab the
(17:47):
upper hand this ground, I'm not sure I have the
stomach to keep the fight going much longer, but I've
committed them to this round at least, so let's see
what happens. Durani goes first. He swings his blade and
with a fifth scores a hit and four points is
the exact amount he needs to take out the suit
of armor. He rings it like a bell, and the
(18:08):
sheer power of his strike breaks the spell that holds
it together. It falls to pieces at his feet. Fairwood
can now move to help Cord. He casts Cure Light
Wounds on the construct and heals him four just three points.
That's underwhelming, but still helpful. I suppose Cord, for his part,
(18:28):
will bash away at their foe a six missus. Unfortunately.
Next in line are Achillea and Flicker. Achillea's dagger flashes
out and with a thirteen it fails to penetrate the
steel plates of the animated armor. Flicker at her side
lungees a nineteen. Excellent damage will be one d six
(18:49):
times one point six for the enlarged spell. Rolling a
four on the die makes six point four rounded down
to six points. It's almost enough to finish off their enemy,
but not quite. Two hit points yet remain ten. Two
goes last, and he needs a thirteen to hit. A
four will not do it. As his enemy rises to
(19:10):
his feet, the sort of their han whistles through the
spot where his head would have been if it had one.
Now the animated armor can act, or rather two of
them can. The one that Qriit failed last round lost
his turn, picking itself off the floor. Another has been destroyed.
The animated armor that attacked Flicker last round unfortunately turns
its attention back to Achillie. As Flicker blinks away, it
(19:31):
only needs a nine to hit her. That twelve connects
damage could be bad. Four points another cut, this time
on her left shoulder. Achillie has ten left. This last
roll is the one I've been dreading. Cortz Ac is
fourteen and so the animated armor needs to roll a
twelve or better to hit on a D twenty A
(19:52):
four that was lucky. Round four ends with the PCs
having managed to take control of the fight. There's still
plenty of danger, but I think it makes sense to
keep going, so we move to round five. Declarations none
initiative the party a six. This could be the extra
momentum the pieces need to win, hoping for anything other
(20:15):
than a six. With this an ext roll for the
animated armor. A two nice taking down his enemy clears
away the creeping doubt over whether these things could be
killed at all, and the companions find an extra store
of courage. They're going to give it everything they've got.
Cord raises his battle axe and A nine. It's parried
away with seeming ease. However, fair Wind is there to
(20:37):
help with his cudgel. An eight is not going to
get the job done. Durani joins his brother and tries
to flank the enemy. A nineteen hits three points of damage,
is a solid blow and brings this foe down to
ten hit points. Ten two will try to strike the
opposite side. A sixteen on the die is plenty, but
(20:59):
it's a glancing blow, doing only two points of damage.
Last up are Achille and Flicker. Achillees he's a weak
spot in the armor and stabs down with her dagger.
Fourteen is a good role, but it's not enough to
score a hit. Her blade is deflected by the steel embrace.
Flicker is last up and needs it fourteen to hit.
(21:19):
A two means she cannot find an opening in the
enemy's defenses either. But once again it is the animated
armor's turn, and the bad feeling I have inside me
is back. Achillie is once again targeted, and at seventeen
is a hit. Now she is in the danger zone
and a bad enough role could kill her. Here goes
nothing three points. I think next round she's going to
(21:42):
have to try to withdraw. This is getting way too dangerous.
Speaking of danger, the dice tell me that Cord remains
the target. Oh no, A seventeen will hit once again.
We are in a bad spot. With eight points left,
Cord could lose his life right here six points. The
blow sends him to the floor. Achillia sees this and
(22:04):
cries out, God, there's the weapons clash. The voice from
the door repeats, more insistent than ever.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Drop your weapons to the ground and submit.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
There's one enemy left, and that day say it turns
on to Reny. Within nine the Elf is able to
knock the incoming halberd aside. Round five is at an end,
and I have decided there will be no round six.
We are a few bad rolls away from disaster, and
I am not prepared to lose two of my pieces
to this encounter, not after everything they've been through. Earlier,
(22:36):
Achillie had noticed that her spell of detect Evil did
not sense anything in these animated suits of armor. She'd
also noticed how the armor engaged with Flicker had turned
on her the moment she'd drawn her dagger. She looked
at the blade in her hand and made a snap decision,
throwing it to the ground. The half elf ordered Flicker
to lie down. Amazingly, the blink dog obeyed without missing it.
(22:59):
Achillia continued court fail and drop your weapons. We surrender,
We surrender, without waiting to see what they would do.
She followed up in Elvish de renny tenter ludnaren kin
how it am. Perhaps the others had been thinking the
same thing, for they did as they were asked, and
one by one, cudgel, axe and sword dropped to the floor.
(23:25):
Tinder was the last to release his, not wanting to
part with the sort of leir haane with which he
felt a special bond, But a few moments after the others,
he led his fall too. The reaction of the animated
armor was immediate. Once the weapons were dropped, they stopped
pressing the attack. There were only three suits still standing,
and two of them had been badly battered and scored.
(23:48):
The last was in such poor condition that the moment
it stopped fighting, its left arm fell off and clattered
against the flagstones. Its weapon remained raised. However, in fact,
all three had the spiked of their halberds pointed at
the companions. As fair Wind, Cord, Achilie, and the brothers
raised their empty hands in the air. One of the
headless suits pulled back. He gestured with its weapon at
(24:11):
the door on the far end of the room. The
magic mouth that had been addressing the companions throughout the
fight was gone. Suddenly, Cord stumbled, Achilie put his hand
on her shoulder to steady him, and their captors allowed it,
not seeming to care so long as their enemy's weapons
were out of reach. Once again, the armor repeated its
jabbing motion, and Achilie led Cord and the others across
(24:33):
the room to the door. It was only now that
she really began to notice how much her cuts stung
and how much she was bleeding, while the magnitude of
their failure and the degree of her responsibility for it
started to take shape in her mind. Still, she was
comforted in knowing that Cord would survive, and nothing mattered
more than that right now. When she reached the door,
(24:53):
Achillie pushed it open. Before her stretched a long corridor.
It bent to the east after sixty or seventy feet
and had a single small door on the left. It
was to this door that they were being taken. When
they arrived, a light jabbed from the halberd into her back,
made her cry out and hastened to open it. The
party was force marched past the threshold and found themselves
(25:15):
in a small cell, no more than ten by twenty
feet in size. Its only feature was a shelf heaped
with what at first looked like chains. It quickly became
obvious that they were not merely chains, but manacles. The battered,
animated suits of armor stood outside the door and pointed
with the tips of their weapons. Once again, their meaning
was clear. The companions were to manacle themselves, Having no
(25:38):
hope of resisting. The members of the party did as directed,
and one by one they clasped the bracelets on their
own wrists. As they did, the things magically locked, becoming
seamless rings of steel. Once everyone was in chains, the
head list suits of armors stepped back and swung the
door shut with a bang. The last thing Achille heard
(25:58):
before her captors claims away was the distinct sound of
a lock snapping into place on the cell door. Thank
you for listening to Tale of the Mandicor if you'd
like to join the great folks who support the show,
there are several different ways to do so. You could
recommend it online or to friends. You can like and
(26:20):
repost episode announcements on social media. You can purchase a
Tale of the Manticore t shirt at bar ARBs dawstore
or one of my offerings on drive through RPG. And finally,
you can rate and review the show on your favorite podcatcher.
All of these things really do help to spread the word,
and I truly appreciate the support. Instead of our review
read this time, I would like to do a little miakalpa,
(26:41):
actually two of them, and address a couple of errors
I made recently. The first is that back in episode
thirty nine, I forgot to credit the artists who drew
the sketch I featured. Apologies are due to Dave Rawlins,
who submitted that drawing. Thanks Dave, I'm sorry I forgot
to credit you. At the proper time. Dave Rawlins is,
by the way, the creator of the excellent Hardy Boys RBG.
(27:03):
I played this game at Klearcon in October of twenty
twenty five, and it was the highlight of the con
for me. Find David on Blue Sky at Dave Hyphenstuff
dot Blue Skuide our social if you're interested in knowing
more about the Hardy Boys RBG. I also really need
to apologize, sort of generally, because it came to my
attention recently that the Speaker Support Club was not what
(27:24):
I had thought. My understanding was that it was ad
free content for a nominal subscription fee. I'm not sure
if I ever advertised it or promoted it as such,
but I might have, and it isn't that at all,
or at least it wasn't. I've been in touch with
Speaker lately to talk about this, and hopefully by the
time this episode gets aired that feature will be available.
(27:45):
Please just check before you hit okay. Next up, let's
talk about this episode's voice talent. Aside from the grunts
of pain and effort from the core cast during the
combat sequence, there's just one actress to thank in this episode.
Amanda T. Perfectly performs the voice of the Magic Mouth.
Find Amanda and her amazing artwork at Wicked Underscore. Loving
(28:08):
Underscore lies on Instagram for those interested to hear some
Tale of the Manticore trivia. This episode is the first
ever in which the PCs have ended a combat by surrendering.
If you like learning things about the show of that
kind of nature, I do have a blog where I
post show notes, but I also post other things about
the show, like how it's put together and what I'm
doing in terms of things adjacent. If you can find
(28:30):
it at Tale Ofthemanticore dot com. To get in touch
with me, I met Solo Roleplayers Network dot com, Tale
of Themanticre dot blues Guide dot Social, Tale of the
Manticor podcast on Instagram, or Tale of Themanticor at gmail
dot com. The adventure will continue on the next episode
of Tale of the Mantacre. It's this story. We're chaos
rolls
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