Another day, another training event. Nothing could ruin this normal day in Lake Town City. Aggie doesn't pick up her phone. Val has seen this movie before. Milo wears short sleeves.
Housekeeping
- VOTE! Head to vote.gov to learn about deadlines and voting options in your state
- All this month, get 15% OFF AND get a FREE O’HARE SIBLING STICKER when you purchase any physical item. Go to jointhepartypod.com/merch!
Listen to
Open World, a brand new fiction podcast anthology focused on alternate, more hopeful futures, hosted by Rose Eveleth and Keisha “TK” Dutes.
Sponsors
- BetterHelp, a secure online counseling service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/jointheparty
- Function of Beauty. Visit functionofBeauty.com/jointheparty for 20% off your first order.
- HelloFresh. Get a total of $80 off across 5 boxes including free shipping on your first box at hellofresh.com/jointheparty80 with the code jointheparty80.
Find Us Online
- website: jointhepartypod.com
- patreon: patreon.com/jointhepartypod
- twitter: twitter.com/jointhepartypod
- facebook: facebook.com/jointhepartypod
- instagram: instagram.com/jointhepartypod
- tumblr: jointhepartypod.tumblr.com
- merch & music: jointhepartypod.com/merch
Cast & Crew
- Dungeon Master, Co-Producer: Eric Silver
- Co-Host (Milo Lane), Co-Producer, Editor, Sound Designer, Composer: Brandon Grugle
- Co-Host (Val Vesuvio), Co-Producer, Editor: Julia Schifini
- Co-Host (Aggie O’Hare), Co-Producer: Amanda McLoughlin
- Multitude: multitude.productions
About Us
Join the Party is a collaborative storytelling and roleplaying podcast, powered by the rules of Dungeons and Dragons. That means a group of friends create a story together, chapter by chapter, that takes us beyond the tabletop to parts unknown. In the first campaign, we explored fantasy adventure, intrigue, magic, and drama. In the newest story, we tackle science, superpowers, a better future, and the responsibility to help others.
Every month, we sit down for the Afterparty, where we break down our game and answer your questions about how to play D&D and other roleplaying games at home. We also have segments at the beginning of each campaign to teach people how to play the game themselves. It’s a party, and you’re invited! Find out more at jointhepartypod.com.
Transcript
Amanda: Last time on Join the Party...
Eric (to the tune of “Jingle Bells”):
Italian mob
They are rising
Hey, Aunt Min!
She’s surprising
Milo’s spy dad
Seems really rad
Winter Lake Town City wonderland
Aggie join up
Emily’s saying
Fix LTC
and she’s paying
What could unfold
As it’s getting cold
Winter Lake Town City wonderland!
Let’s get the party started.
[Theme music]
Eric: As the three of you come to Dr. Morrow's house wearing all of your winter garb and your boots and fingerless gloves, I assume.
Brandon: Yeah, all of us.
Julia: Correct.
Eric: And all of you have fingerless gloves, and Val's wearing all of them. January greets you at the door, and you see January's fur has like patches of white in it.
Julia: Aww!
Eric (as January): Yeah, you know, it's just it's part of the molting process is just the winter that's, you know, winter is here.
Eric: And as you give January your coats, I would love for you to describe to me what your winter garb is.
Amanda:
Aggie is wearing long johns under her cargo style work pants, two pairs of socks under her winter boots and a sort of thermal layer under her flannel. And then a slightly heavier Carhartt jacket along with a beanie from the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.
Eric: Nice.
Julia: Beautiful.
Brandon: Milo's just wearing a nice pair of, like, waterproof boots, jeans and a hoodie and a beanie.
Julia: Very cute.
Eric (as January): Oh, you're one of those people. You're like—
Brandon: Well, you know, every time someone asks him, he's just like,
Brandon (as Milo): I don't know, just not that cold. It's just not that cold.
Eric (as January): Please be honest with me. When did you put your shorts away?
[Brandon laughs]
Brandon (as Milo): I don't know. I don't own shorts.
Eric (as January): Was it before or after Halloween? You just need to tell me. I need to know.
Julia: Is Milo one of those people that wears jeans throughout summer, no matter how hot it gets?
Brandon: I think Milo doesn't go outside much, so it doesn't really matter.
[Eric laughing]
Eric: Yeah, well, MMFFC is air conditioned, so it's fine.
Brandon: Yeah. He has to wear like nicer pants to work anyway.
Julia: And Val has on those fleece lined jeans that construction workers wear during the winter and then it's just like so many layers underneath the leather jacket, like it is like three flannels and like two long sleeved shirts. And they're just like ripping all of it off until it gets down to a beat up band tee with the sleeves cut off at the bottom, they just put the leather jacket back on over it. It's like,
Julia (as Val): Alright, I'm good. Very good.
Eric: Yeah. I think—
[Eric laughing]
Eric: I have this image of January folding every single layer you take off so January is like folding everything and put together the jacket closet.
Amanda: It's a pile like 15 inches high.
Eric: Oh, it's like almost to their face 100%
Amanda: Awww.
Julia: Adorable!
Eric (as January): Yeah, well I— listen, Dr. Morrow wants you in the back, so just just head on back there.
Brandon (as Milo): Thanks. Thanks, January!
Julia (as Val): You're looking adorable. I like the white.
Eric (as January): Thank you, I appreciate it. Just be very— this this stack is very precarious. Give me a wide berth.
Julia (as Val): I promise you it's just going to wrinkle anyway. So do not like feel obligated to continue folding it if it falls over.
Eric (as January): Appreciate it. Thank you.
Eric: Okay, so yeah. So January puts all of your winter clothes in the hall closet right by the front, and you all head into the back towards the big shed. Aggie, can you roll perception check for me?
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: Certainly, that's a 13.
Eric: Wonderful! Aggie do you usually keep your cell phone like on silent or I guess I, I need to remember what a Motorola Razr used to use.
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: So how I guess how often do you you check your phone?
Amanda: Aggie has a personal cell phone that she almost never checks and a work phone that she checks whenever it vibrates, but it's usually kept on silent.
Julia: Aggie does feel like a two cell phone kind of person. I say being married to a two cell phone person.
Amanda: I think she'll leave the personal phone at home sometimes and just carry the work done by accident.
Eric: Yeah, I think that is you're taking off your jacket. You check your work phone before you put it away and you have a text from Quinn that was sent like five minutes ago that says,
Eric (as Quinn): Hey, I reached personal, but I guess I just I also then found a piece of paper on which to work, phone down and just found it. But it's cool, I'll just see you later.
Amanda: We don't have plans for later, do we?
Eric: No.
Amanda: I think as Milo and Val start to walk toward the back, I'm going to call Quinn using the work phone and just check really quickly if everything's okay.
Eric: Sure. You give her a call and then you hear
Eric (as Quinn): Hello? [Hello echoes]
Eric: Through the phone and then you hear hello, like 50 feet down the hallway as Milo and Val opened the door. That goes to the super fun zone. And you see that Quinn is like looking around. And she's like,
Eric (as Quinn): Oh my god! Are you Aggie's friends? [Voice echoes]
Amanda: Aggie's shoulders slump and her head rolls back. And I think January probably gives her a reassuring pat on the leg.
Julia: This is very cool.
Eric (as January): She's really nice.
Amanda (as Aggie): That's what they all say. okay, let's go.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah. I mean, we're co-workers. I think we're friends. But yeah, I told them about your goo, Quinn.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah, that was weird.
Julia (as Val): Oh. Oh yeah. You did. You did mention something about goo.
Amanda (as Aggie): This is my youngest sister, Quinn Quinn, these are my colleagues, be nice.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): And I'm Dr. Cassandra Morrow, the mayor. Hello.
Brandon (as Milo): Hey, Dr. Morrow.
Julia (as Val): Dr. Morrow we know who you are.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I thought everyone was introducing themselves. I just wanted to get it on it.
Brandon (as Milo): You do it every time we see you.
Julia (as Val): It was our first time.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): It's a it's honestly a reflex. I'm sorry.
Julia: Val kind of just like goes up and is like
Julia (as Val): I really liked to you as a Porsche at the Shakespeare in the park a couple of years ago.
Eric (as Quinn): Oh well thank you! I thought it was really interesting to do a spin on The Merchant of Venice where everyone had like dropped shipping companies. I just thought that was such a like a really interesting.
Julia (as Val): Yeah, I didn't super-get it, but I thought you were really good.
Eric (as Quinn): Yeah.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh. Are you an actor?
Eric (as Quinn): Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh extremely.
Brandon (as Milo): Would you have been anything I've seen.
Eric (as Quinn): No, no, but I'm I'm very good.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Alright. okay, we don't have much time. I've been working on this a lot, and I just I'm very excited about it. I think everyone just hop the danger fun box.
Brandon (as Milo): You changed the name!
Julia (as Val): I still do not like the name, like any variation of that I'm not a fan of.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Would you like more fun or would you like more danger?
Brandon (as Milo): Or box!
Julia (as Val): More danger because like fun implies we're going to have fun there and not get burned by lava.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Are we not having fun? I thought this was fun.
Julia (as Val): Burning lava is not super fun for me as a person who feels pain and emotion.
Brandon (as Milo): Your name is Vulcani.
Julia (as Val): Does that mean I am resistant to fire?
Eric (as Quinn): Did we give each other names? Do we give each other names I want a name!! Aggie give me a name!
Amanda (as Aggie): Quinn,your name is —
Eric (as Quinn): STICKY LASS!
Amanda (as Aggie): My sister, who doesn't know how to wash dishes. That's your name!
Brandon (as Milo): Got 'em!
Eric (as Quinn): Goo Girl! No, I don't want goo associated with me.
Julia (as Val): Yeah, goo ain't good.
Brandon (as Milo): With three O's.
Amanda (as Aggie): Can we just before we go into the danger phone box, by the way, at my request, is for the word box not to be in there whatsoever. Dr. Morrow, I know you wanted to meet Quinn because, you know, she's a lil different just like all of us. But what are we doing here? Like, Quinn you are have—you have a job. You can't be like a part time LTC protector.
Eric (as Quinn): I mean, I I mean, I could.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): She definitely could we could use more bodies. Absolutely.
Amanda (as Aggie): I thought we talked about in the group chat not bringing more attention to the fact that we are seven red headed, superpowered siblings.
Eric (as Quinn): Yeah, but I just you know, I just wanted to help. I don't have to go in the super fun time box if you don't want me to. I can just I can just wait and just see, like, you guys doing it. But, you know, Dr. Morrow invited me and I just wanted to hang out. I thought I wanted to, you know, learn stuff like you and be like my favorite older sister.
Amanda (as Aggie): I see what you're doing and I am falling for it. I want you to practice with us, that's for sure. All I'm saying is I— we talked about the fame thing, and I, I just don't know if going out on like missions or what have you is going to be the best choice. But you can hang out with us.
Julia (as Val): I would like to see goo powers in action, that would be very cool. But then also like her, just practicing with us doesn't mean that she's going to get a costume and become a superhero Aggie, it's okay!
Eric: Aggie, you turn back and Quinn is now hanging from the ceiling, like with three of her limbs.
Julia (as Val): That is so cool!
Eric: And then the other one, she's holding your domino mask from the Preserver. And is like
Eric (as Quinn): Also you forgot this at home, but I mean, if I put this on, no one will recognize me. Right?
Eric: And she puts it on.
Brandon (as Milo): Woaah!
Eric (as Quinn): Well, it could be anybody.
Brandon (as Milo): Where did it go?
Eric (as Quinn): I'm Climbing Girl!
Eric: I rolled a nat 20 to steal the domino mask from you by the way.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay, let's let's go in. I'm just saying I don't want you to get excited to get your hopes up, but I want you to hang out with us and I want you to have better control of your powers, Ms. Suspended above the lumber in House Warehouse.
Eric: I'm laughing at House Warehouse.
Eric (as Quinn): Well, I guess, Aggie, this is up to you. You just want me to wait, or do you want me to be a part of it?
Amanda (as Aggie): Come on, we have butts to kick and—
[Eric cheering]
Julia (as Val): Butts to kick!!
Eric: And instead of climbing down the rope ladder, she just goes like bump, bump, bump and climb down on her like she has sticky like plungers on her hands. It's like, [makes suction noises]
Brandon (as Milo): Oh, how about the Plunger?
Eric (as Quinn): That's terrible. Never again.
Julia (as Val): You know, I'm just saying, like, we don't have anyone who's super sneaky on the squad yet.
Brandon (as Milo): Like, I'm not I'm a literal I'm a literal ghost, come on.
Julia (as Val): I mean, yeah, but sometimes you just, like, light yourself on fire too. So that's kind of obvious, and make giant panthers.
Brandon (as Milo): That's fair, that's fair.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): We have no time to lose! Let's go!
Eric: Dr. Morrow throws the door closed. Dr. Morrow also gives you your costumes because she thought that it would be more fair if you guys had your costumes. You can choose to put them on now if you so choose. But you have that in your inventory.
Brandon: Oh, yeah, I'm going to put mine on now.
Julia: Already in it.
Amanda: Alright.
Brandon: I've disappeared. Where did it where did I go?
Eric: Quinn is still wearing your domino mask.
Amanda (as Aggie): Do you see my hat Quinn? It's awesome.
Eric (as Quinn): Oh, can I touch it?!
Eric: And she touches it
[Quinn screams]
Eric (as Quinn): Paper? Oh, papercut, right.
Amanda (as Aggie): It's like those parking spikes that you seem still not to fully understand. But when you go one way, you don't get cut. When you go one way, you do.
Eric (as Quinn): How if you go over it one way, why does it work? But when you go over, it just it should be the same both ways.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay, well we'll revisit this later.
Eric (as Quinn): Science is amazing. I love science.
Eric: Dr. Morrow comes over the P.A. system and says,
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Okay, so I thought maybe I gave you a little bit too many things to focus on at the same time and it was I did set a trap by giving Val a lock and key to deal with. So I thought that I would give you something a little bit more straightforward.
Julia (as Val): It's also a dog that kind of threw me for a loop.
Brandon (as Milo): We're going to fight a corgi,
[Brandon laughs]
Julia (as Val): [Gasps] NO!
Eric: And you hear like the super danger box spin
[Eric makes vibrating noises]
Eric: And like all of the bits and bytes put itself together. And you're in a lush jungle.
Brandon: Oh,
Eric: You look at the trees and it's just like a miasma of greens. And it's not nearly as hot before. But you can see it's definitely like the air is thick with water and musk of something. It doesn't smell like anything in the city.
Julia (as Val): This is nice. It's like we went to a sauna.
[Brandon laughing]
Amanda (as Aggie):
Oh, Quinn, do you remember the Rainforest Cafe? It was just like this!
Eric (as Quinn):
With dad, oh my god!
Brandon (as Milo):
Is there gonna be chicken nuggets?
Eric (as Quinn):
I hope so. I don't think they had those, though.
Eric:
And Quinn points into the brush as you see something go like and something takes like one step forward and you see a little yellow eye and then some teeth. And there's like a really small Jurassic Park style velociraptor walks out.
Brandon: Is it small enough to be a pet?
Eric: Like the size of a medium dog.
Brandon: Oh, yeah! So, yes!
Eric: It's like she literally watched Jurassic Park and was like,
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): NEAT! But what if smaller and then, like, made it 75% of the size was a little less intimidating.
Brandon: They are actually that size.
Julia: I was going to say fun fact. Velociraptors are only the size of modern day turkey.
Amanda: Oh my god, you nerds.
Eric: Dr. Morrow comes over and says,
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): You know, Jurassic Park is not actually accurate. So what you need to do is find the velociraptor that has the key around its neck and grab that one.
Julia (as Val): How many velociraptors are there?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Great question.
Eric: And you see twenty velociraptors surrounding you.
Julia: That's so many though.
Eric: And step out of the underbrush. So like one falls out of a tree, another one like three pop out of a bush and they all surround you snapping with their mouths and licking their weird dinosaur lips. Quinn says
Eric (as Quinn): This isn't—see, there's a lot more of them than there are us.
Eric: And that's when built from the ground up. You see Clippy wearing very short shorts and a crop top of a football team. You that definitely doesn't exist.
[Julia groans]
Amanda (as Aggie): Quinn, this is a medium helpful robot.
Eric (as Clippy): Hello. Hi, I'm Clippy. I’m here now to help!
Brandon (as Milo): Hey, Clippy.
Eric (as Clippy): Hello!
Brandon (as Milo): How are you doing?
Eric (as Clippy): It's nice to see you, [computer voice] Milo. [Regular voice] I'm just kidding. I know your name is Milo. That was a reference from earlier. I remember things!
Brandon (as Milo): Oh, God, that's horrible.
Eric: And then a meteor flies through the sky and in the trail it says, find the raptor with the key, and over the P.A., you hear
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Three, two, one, go!
Amanda: Can I see if anyone has a key that we can see?
Eric: Yeah. Why don't everyone make perception checks
[Dice rolling]
Amanda: 18!
Julia: 16.
Brandon: Well...
Julia: Brandon roll!
Brandon: 2 +7 so 9.
Julia: Oh, that's not bad!
Eric: Aggie, there is one velociraptor kind of in the eastern quadrant that has a big golden key with a red ribbon around its neck. You can see since there are twenty one raptors, you can see like each one are kind of in clumps in the cardinal directions around you. There's five to the north, five to the south, five to the east and five to the six to the west. And the sixth one in the western quadrant has the key around it's neck.
Brandon: Do we know based on our rules, like how far away or how long each quadrant is like how far away the last one is?
Eric: Yeah, I say like if you're going to do an AOE attack, if it's a 30 foot radius, like you can hit one quadrant with all of them at the same time.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: The Velociraptors are stocking forward and trying to get at you. So we're going to do this the same way you all get actions, and then the velociraptor.
Amanda (as Aggie): Guys, I see it to the West.
Julia (as Val): Okay, Milo you have any—
Eric (as Quinn): Which way is west?
Julia (as Val): Do you have any like like magic stuff that can mark the one so we like know which one it is if they they mix each other up?
Brandon (as Milo): I do!
Brandon: Is it within sixty feet Eric?
Eric: Of you? Yes.
Brandon: Oh sweet. Yes. So great idea.
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah I do!
Brandon: And I was going to cast faerie fire so I'm going to outline the raptor with the key around his neck in like a sort of like a galaxy purple green but like glittering light.
Julia (as Val): That's beautiful.
Eric: Okay, so that you can have the cube that's just touching that one. That's fine because it's in the back. What is your, what's the DC of this?
Brandon: 15.
Eric: Wonderful. okay, so the swirling galaxy comes out of your chest and he tries to surround this velociraptor and it goes
[Eric makes little roaring sounds]
Eric: And like it hops out of the way.
Julia: Dammit.
Eric: So it is not tagged by the faerie fire.
Brandon: Wow. What a dexterous little raptor. Alright I'm gonna roll for my—
[Eric makes roaring sounds]
Julia: Alright. I'm just going to go after it, is that cool with everyone?
Amanda: Oh yeah, me too.
Julia: I'm going to use my charger feat and just try to dash and melee attack it.
Eric: Okay, are you going to try to run through the crowd? Are you going to try to like end around? How do you do it?
Julia: Yeah, I'm just going to plow through it. I'm also I go into a rage too, so.
Eric: Wonderful, okay, as you run through it, there are four, you get four opportunity attacks.
Julia: Bring it on, come on.
Brandon: Oh my gosh.
Eric: Does a 16 hit?
Julia: Yes.
Eric: Wonderful. Does an 11 hit?
Julia: No.
Eric: Alright, as you barrel through these five velociraptors you take 18 points of slashing damage.
Julia: Is that half?
Eric: That has halved as they just claw you on the way out, they're like "this is not how it works." It is like has their little hooked claws and gets you across the chest as you barrel through.
Julia: Great!
Julia (as Val): The fire did more damage to me last time of it.
Eric: Did you do the spirit surge roll?
Brandon: I did, I got an 18.
Eric: Okay, wonderful.
Julia: Am I successful in hitting or getting to this velociraptor with the key?
Eric: If you're running through the gauntlet, you definitely get there.
Julia: Great. Then I'm going to just attack it I guess.
Eric: Do it!
Julia: Cool. Does an 18 hit?
Eric: Yes it does.
Julia: Great.
Eric: Do you want to do damage to it?
Julia: Yeah, because when I use charger I can only do a melee attack or a shove, so I have to do damage to it. Also if we can figure out which one of the bloodiest that also works just as well as the faerie fires.
Eric: That's fine!
Julia: So it is 4 bludgeoning damage.
[Dice rolls]
Julia: It is 2 fire damage plus rage, plus my strength. So that is 6, 8, 11 damage.
Eric: Wonderful. So this is the first time you're using your new volcano gauntlets. How it do? What does it look like?
Julia: It's like Val rears back and the thing just kind of lights on fire like a super saiyan.
[Eric laughs]
Amanda: Cool!
Julia: And then Val punches and I'm going to take my second attack as well.
Eric: Do it!
Julia: Cool. Does a 17 hit?
Eric: Yes it does!
Julia: Cool. Great again, that is 2, 5 so 7 +2 is 9 +3 is 12.
Eric: You yeah. You scorch this thing up. Yeah. You can tell one of these velociraptors is burned, has a bloody nose and it has a key around its neck.
Amanda: No!
Julia (as Val): It's that one, that one right there.
Brandon: I lean over to Aggie and I'm like
Brandon (as Milo): Uhh I know it's digital, but should we be letting Val kill this velociraptor?
Julia (as Val): I think Velociraptors are very cute, but this one does have a key that I need to destroy.
Eric: Clippy puts a hand on Quinn's shoulder and says,
Eric (as Clippy): Hey, you're new! I think whatever you're going to try is going to be great.
Eric: And she says,
Eric (as Quinn): Oh my God, thank you!
Eric: And Quinn is then going to be like,
Eric (as Quinn): Oh, this is what we do?
Eric: And she just starts running through the Velociraptors.
Julia (as Val): Oh, no, buddy, no. I am good at not getting hit about things! Like I'm fine, you're going to get all messed up.
Amanda: I'm going to step up the wind around the velociraptors to the back and try to grapple the guy with the key.
Eric: Oh, I thought you were going to say, Quinn.
Amanda: No.
Brandon: Eric, can I cast hold the person on Quinn?
Eric: I will give you know, you do that. Why don't you just try to make a dexterity save?
Brandon: Okay,
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: Sometimes kids make their own mistakes, Milo.
Brandon: I don't want her to die. 17 +2 for 19.
Eric: Okay, wonderful. I'll come back to that and Aggie, make a grapple check for me.
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: I got a 10 but I'm going to use a luck point to reroll to it.
Julia: Do it!
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: 16.
Eric: Okay, wonderful.
Brandon: Nice.
Eric: So here is the scene. So Val you just lower your shoulder, doing your Vulcani thing as velociraptors slash at you. Kilonova conures this galaxy ghostly swirl that tries to catch the velociraptor and then you put like a hand out to grab Quinn by the back of her very, very super soft and comfortable hoodie.
Brandon: Okay good I thought you were going to say sticky.
Eric: No, that's not sticky. A very, very nice hoodie that she's wearing. And Aggie, you're doing this end around to try to barrel down on this velociraptor and you get your hand around the key. You can feel the silk that they've somehow programmed into this into this danger box. And then everything goes [vibrating noises] and everything disappears, and you are all just back in the warehouse in darkness.
Amanda: Do I like whiff it and fall on the ground?
Eric: 100%
Julia (as Val): Well, that was pretty quick. That was that was much easier than the last one. Good job, team.
Eric: For a moment, you're just standing there for like 10 seconds. And then Dr. Morrow throws the door open and says,
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): That wasn't me! I think everything ugh, god dammit, ugh. I thought, mmmm.
Eric: And then she goes over to the door and opens it, you can hear like the wind howling, and you even see snow just come in and blast her in the face and you feel the chill of like.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Accord—according to all my information, the snow was supposed to come later today, I don't know. Aw fuck, ugggh alright.
Amanda (as Aggie): Was there a power outage or something?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah, yeah, and I guess there's no power anywhere.
Eric: She gets out her phone like
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah, there's a reason why I keep these on silent, or you would have heard all of the notifications I would have gotten because every— there is a power outage all over the city.
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh, no. I have to check on some residents.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah, okay. I guess we'll have to we'll have to figure it out. That's fine. Alright, everybody, let's, just yeah, just give me a second.
Eric: And Dr. Morrow is getting on the phone and she's trying to make mayor phone calls for one, there's a major blizzard in the city.
Brandon: What do those sound like Eric?
Eric: It's like it's more like getting the plows to go and be like,
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I don't care if you're eating lunch. There's the blizzard is happening. You need to get in that plow NOW!!
Julia: I don't care how good that sandwiches.
Amanda: Time and a half, boss.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yes. Everyone gets time and a half if you work in the blizzard. Yes.
Amanda: I'm going to call a couple of the elderly residents in Lake Town City and make sure everyone is okay and has their blankets and stuff like that.
Eric: Yeah, absolutely. I think you make your calls. I think everyone, the people who've lived there for a long time, when it gets that cold out, they know that a blizzard's coming, they'll have like their own remedies, like,
Eric (as an Old Citizen): You know, the middle of the wrist? That's how I know the storm coming! It's like the middle. It's like it's like a tree with the core. That's what tells you.
Amanda (as Aggie): My my point is, Mr. Davis, do you have firewood? You're all set?
Eric (as Mr. Davis): Oh, absolutely. But here's the thing, if my left wrist that's that's for rain! But my right wrist that's for snow! I can tell the difference.
Amanda (as Aggie): Great. I will check in on you later today, okay?
Eric (as Mr. Davis): You wanna hear more about my wrists?!
Amanda (as Aggie): You can tell me then, how about that?
Eric (as Mr. Davis): Okay!
Eric: So right now, yeah, you're just kind of like in this where it's like a gym. But if there's nothing in the gym and it's all just like green screen. So you're just like standing there as Dr. Morrow is just taking calls.
Julia: Alright.
Julia (as Val): I think we should leave because I've seen enough like sci fi movies where the holodeck or whatever turns back on and it starts and we can't get out of here. So I think we should leave now.
Amanda: Aggie grabs, Quinn by the shoulder and like yanks her outside.
Eric (as Quinn): Wait what—
Julia (as Val): Let's get some hot cocoa, maybe inside the house, the cabin.
Eric (as Quinn): But what happened with the rap— I was ready to fight the Raptors.
Brandon: Milo sort of chases up to Aggie and Quinn and says,
Brandon (as Milo): Hey, where'd you get that hoodie? It's really, really nice.
Julia (as Val): It's very soft.
Eric (as Quinn): Milo, I don't want to say this sound like I'm being a jerk, but it's very expensive. It's not even mine is Sersha Ronan's. It's like I like she got it from a grab bag at— you know, pick someone on the top 40 radio right now, it's not mine, it's from her party, that party that Sersha Ronan got that I now have that she loaned me.
Brandon (as Milo): Can I—can I have it?
Eric (as Quinn): No!
Amanda (as Aggie): She's good taste of what we said about her. I like that girl.
Eric: Quinn slips out of your grasp. Aggie, I roll to seventeen and she slips out of your grasp.
Eric (as Quinn): We hold. I was ready to show off my stuff!
Amanda: I got 21 dex check though.
Eric: Oh, okay. She slops over. She tries to slip away and she's running towards the wall to like grapple upon it like she's a tree frog and you again grab her by the hoodie.
Amanda (as Aggie): Listen, listen, I'm so impressed by your enthusiasm and that was a great move. Like Val cleared the path you were going to go get the dinosaur. I'm sad that it stopped, but Val's totally right. If the power comes back on, we don't know what would happen in that room.
Eric (as Quinn): Oh, that's true. Can I like. For for like five. Can I just, like, do like one flip?
Julia (as Val): Can we do flips in the house?
Amanda (as Aggie): You can flip all the way into the house? Oh yeah.
Julia (as Val): Do flips in the house.
Brandon (as Milo): You could do it for January.
Julia (as Val): Oh, I can show you how strong I am and can like lift you like a like a sack of like a sack of flour.
[Brandon laughs]
Eric: What's another way of saying that?
Julia: I could lift you like a military press.
Eric: What's another way of saying that?
Julia: I can lift you like you're you're a mattress that I'm moving up into someone's house.
Eric (as Quinn): Nice. okay, that's fine, okay, but I'm not taking the ladder up.
Eric: And Quinn like sticking her way up up the ladder as Dr. Morrow is still making phone calls.
Julia (as Val): Maybe we should take the doctor out of here. I don't want to have to come save her later. Just a suggestion.
Julia: Oh, no.
Amanda: Eric's rolling.
Eric: Hmm what?
Julia: Alright, Val is just going to double back and grab the doctor and be like,
Julia (as Val): I'm just going to put you over my shoulder. You can do your mayor stuff as we walk back to the house.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I don't go, Murray, hold on. What's happened? I'm making mayor calls.
Julia (as Val): I know and you can make mayor calls from over my shoulder. We are going back inside.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I have two jobs!I have to do my second job. You are doing that just while standing there.
Julia (as Val): You can do it while I'm carrying you.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I am Doctor mayor Morrow!
Julia (as Val): I know that.
Amanda (as Aggie): And I am blizzard safety captain of the Lake Town Historic District. Let's go.
Brandon (as Milo): And I am Milo!
Julia (as Val): I rolled a 21 to pick up Dr. Morrow and carry them out of there.
Eric: Okay, yeah. You try to grab Dr. Morrow, and she is so slippery she slides in between your your arm and is like
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I didn't I didn't do five years of mandatory jujitsu for you to throw me over your shoulder like I'm a sack of potatoes or a mattress. Then you might be moving in. your person with a van business.
Julia (as Val): Would you prefer like bridal style? Because I can do that. But I have seen enough movies where this is going to turn back on and we're going to have to save you. And I don't want to do that. I don't care.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): It's not go to the light. The energy is off. It's off everywhere. I don't know. Why would you try to save me?
Julia (as Val): I cannot talk to you when you clearly are not aware of the genre you are in .
[Everyone laughs]
Eric: As you're arguing about the genre with Dr. Morrow, then all of a sudden you hear against the side of the wall, like ten feet to the left of the door. You hear "FOOOM!"
Julia (as Val): What did I say?
Eric: Something is pounding against the wall.
Brandon (as Milo): Do we think that's just the storm hopefully?
Julia (as Val): It is definitely not the storm. Come on. Think of all of the comic books you have read in your entire life.
Brandon (as Milo): It's a good point.
Amanda: I think Quinn and I are right next to the door, like next to the vestibule about to leave. Is there a peephole or can we perceive anything else apart from that loud thump?
Eric: No, you can't see anything out the door. There's a door, too, like what should be a work shed. So there's no, like, peephole or anything. But you can try to open it.
Amanda: Not yet, no.
Julia: Val’s just like,
Julia (as Val): Do you want me to open it? I'm still vibrating.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah. I mean, hopefully it's nothing. But let's see.
Brandon (as Milo): Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Julia (as Val): Oh, okay, okay.
Brandon (as Milo): I have a ghost cat!
Julia (as Val): Oh yeah. The Ghost Cat. Send the ghost cat to do it!
Amanda (as Aggie): Quinn, Milo has a ghost cat.
Eric (as Quinn): Oh is that a normal thing that people have, or is like a special thing?
Brandon (as Milo): No, it's just, it's mostly just me. I'm really powerful and cool.
[Eric laughs]
Eric: That’s Eric laughing also.
Julia (as Val): You're very rich. I feel like if someone had a ghost cat you would know about it.
Brandon (as Milo): Tuna!
Eric: Tuna all of a sudden, like Tuna poofs into existence, lying on the control panel and is like Eric (as Tuna): What? I was taking a nap. But as dead people call it, it's just dead. What's up?
Brandon (as Milo): You were taking a death.
Eric (as Tuna): I was taking a death. Oh, a cat death. A quick cat death. There's a nine lives joke that I'm too tired to make.
Julia: Valid.
Brandon (as Milo): There's a big, like, big, huge thumping sound against the wall here. Could you check it out for us?
Eric (as Tuna): Which one?
Eric: And then you hear again THOOOOM, that's moving slowly towards the door..
Brandon (as Milo): That one. Yeah.
Eric (as Tuna): Oh, okay. Yeah, go check it out, that's fine.
Brandon (as Milo): Don't like do anything about it. Just see what you can see and come back please.
Eric (as Tuna): Okay, I want you to make an animal handling check Milo.
Julia: Please roll well, I beg of you.
[Dice rolls]
Brandon: Seventeen.
Eric: Wonderful, okay, a 17, Tuna is creating tension by like slowly moving over to the door and in between the thumps, the very loud booms happening against the wall Tuna phases through the door and there's a few seconds of silence. And you hear “mrrrow?” and Tuna then walks back in through the door covered in snow.
Brandon: Cute!
Eric (as Tuna): Mrrow, there's a bear outside. Did you invite the bear?
Brandon (as Milo): No?!
Julia (as Val): A bear?
Brandon (as Milo): How big of a bear?
Julia (as Val): Like a normal bear?
Eric (as Tuna): Well, what is— I'm just a cat. I don't know anything. How big is a regular bear?
Julia (as Val): Like standing up there almost like six feet—
Amanda (as Aggie): Six to eleven feet.
Julia (as Val): I was going to say six or seven feet..
Amanda: This is a question Aggie gets a lot from the middle schoolers.
Julia: Okay, fair enough.
Eric (as Tuna): Well, it's probably bigger than that if I were to make a guess. Is that bad?
Brandon (as Milo): Yes, it's bad.
Eric: Okay. Hey, everyone, make dexterity saving through, please.
Julia: Awww fuck.
[Dice rolling]
Julia: 14.
Amanda: 24!
Brandon: 14.
Eric: Okay.
Julia: Twins!
Brandon: Twinsies!
Eric: So all of you are standing around Tuna who kind of moved away from the door as they were telling you all of this information.
Brandon: I want you to know the Tuna has a +2 to dex rolls. So if they get out of the way, that would be great.
[Eric laughs]
Eric: Yeah. And they're like,
Eric (as Tuna): Oh, it's it's kind of a big bear.
Eric: And then the door flies off of its hinges as a massive black bear leans into the control room and just roars right at all of you.
[Transition note]
Eric: Hey, it's Eric, I would usually talk about all my favorite Halloween stuff, like watching hocus pocus and saying the word yobbos out of context, but right now I'm just going to say go out and vote, please. This is the most important election in a lot of our lifetimes. And, you know, Donald Trump just can't be in the office anymore. He can’t, this is all just going to get worse if you want anything in return to some kind of normal and then push beyond normal to make normal better than what we had originally in 2015. Just vote. Please go out and vote, make a plan, figure out you're going to do it early. Figure out if you're going to do the day of if you're in the mail something and go out and vote and don't vote for that fucking asshole.
This is the midroll.
Thank you so much to the newest members of our Patreon family: Kyle, Connor, levi, megan, rowan, dylan glancy, dan, dylan dunn, a_Ramos, and Ecaurs. All of our patreons must be loving Clear Eyes Full Hearts
You make it possible for this to be our jobs, and in thanks for your support, we have some very special bonus stuff planned for our Patrons over the next few weeks. If you’re able to chip in, we want you to be a part of our community too! Today is a great day to join us for as little as $5 a month at patreon.com/jointhepartypod. Enjoy access to our thriving JTP Discord chat forum, bonus content from Campaigns 1 and 2, and so much more, at patreon.com/jointhepartypod
And if you haven’t checked your patreon in a while, do so! We made new tiers a while ago and a lot of you are still on the old ones, so you’re not getting those sweet rewards!
Could you use a dose of hope right now? I think maybe we all could. And not the cheesy kind of naive hope, but hope grounded in reality, in science, in justice and in hard work. Well if you’re craving that kind of thing, the new podcast Open World has you covered. Open World is a brand new fiction podcast anthology focused on alternate, more hopeful futures, hosted by Rose Eveleth and Keisha “TK” Dutes. Featuring eight hopeful audio fiction stories paired with conversations with the creators that explore their takes on the real world implications of manifesting the hope from their fictional futures. We talk about things like other worldliness, climate change, queer and trans identity, race, and class dynamics. In the future! The show is full of surprising stories and deep conversations about how to make the future better. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts!
We are sponsored by BetterHelp, a secure online counseling service. They connect you with licensed counselors through their secure app, letting you message with your therapist and schedule live phone or video sessions. You can also message your counselor in between sessions if you’re worrying about something or think of a topic you want to cover in your next call. Because BetterHelp wants to help you find the best therapeutic match possible, it’s easy and free to switch counselors if need be. And BetterHelp is also more affordable than traditional counseling, with financial aid also available. You can get 10% off your first month of counseling by signing up at betterhelp.com/jointheparty. That’s better h-e-l-p . com / jointheparty for 10% off your first month. Better h-e-l-p . com / jointheparty.
We are sponsored this week by Function of Beauty. They make hair care that is formulated especially for you! One size doesn’t fit all in almost any case, including shampoo, which is why Function of Beauty has over 54 trillion ingredient combinations to make a formula that is just for you. All you have to do is take a short quiz, see what custom formula their team comes up with, and then they deliver your formula right to your door. They also print your name on the bottle, which is adorable. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, and have over 40,000 real five-star reviews and counting. So what are you waiting for? Go to Function of Beauty dot com slash jointheparty to take your four part hair profile quiz and save 20% on your first order. Go to FunctionofBeauty.com/jointheparty for 20% off and to let them know you heard about it from our show. That’s Function of Beauty.com/jointheparty.
We are sponsored this week by HelloFresh. They help you save time and money by delivering easy-to-make recipes right to your door. They also have a huge variety of options each week, which helps me to break out of my cooking rut of the same two or three dinners. They also have kid-friendly and vegetarian options. And best of all, in my mind: it’s flexible, so if you need to add something extra, change dates, or skip a week, it’s super easy to do. I made the chicken sausage and spaghetti dish, and it was great having all the ingredients I needed in front of me. Not me, halfway through going, OH NO I NEEDED TOMATOES AND ZUCCHINI. So Go to HelloFresh.com/jointheparty80 and use code jointheparty80 to get a total of $80 offacross 5 boxes, including free shipping on your first box! That’s HelloFresh.com/jointheparty80 and use code jointheparty80 to get a total of $80 off across 5 boxes, including free shipping on your first box!
And now, back to the show!
Eric: As a massive black bear leans into the control room and just roars right at all of you,
Julia: Val just roars back at it, intimidation check.
[Amanda laughs]
Julia: Let me do it.
Eric: Okay, fine!
Julia: It's a 19 +5. 24.
Amanda: My God!
Eric: You're so wonderful. Yeah, give me a seconds, wait I give myself advantage of that. Wonderful. Well, I rolled a natural 1 on that second one. Yeah, you roar back at it. It's like in nature documentaries where the animal looks at the camera and be like, what is that? And then he regains composure and leans fully into the control room. And a lead swipes a mighty paw at Dr. Morrow, and grabs her by the back of the lab coat. And it's King Kong style is holding a pulling Dr. Morrow back out into the snow.
Brandon: Eric, is that an attack?
Eric: That the bears doing? Yes, it is an attack.
Brandon: Is Dr. Morrow within five feet of me?
Eric: Yeah, I’d say so.
Brandon: Great then that means I get to use my halo of spirits and launch some damage to this bear automatically.
Julia: Aw hell yeah!
Eric: Yeah, do it.
Brandon: It's doubled because I summon Tuna. So that is 6 damage to it automatically.
Eric: Hell yeah, alright. That's wonderful. That takes, it takes 6 damage. What does this look like.
Brandon: It looks like totally involuntary. Like I don't think Milo knows that he's doing it or that it really happens, but you sort of just see, like almost like ghostly water droplets, sort of like exuded from my chest and just like fling at the bear.
Eric: I love that. It's like an automatic defense system. Yeah. It takes 6 necrotic damage as the bear drags Dr. Morrow out into the snow. And Dr. Morrow says,
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Yeah, one of those things. Am I right? Can you see why we have a generator in the back— or we have a generator in the house. So you could just, like, turn it on. It's in the basement.
Julia (as Val): You're very okay, hold on.
Julia: I'm going to cast a cast bonfire with my gauntlets on the arm that is dragging her away. Eric: What does this volcano look like?
Julia: I like the idea of Val kind of like slamming their hand onto the floor and then like, right where they want it to, like, explodes like a volcano.
Eric: Hell yeah!
Amanda: Cooool!
Brandon: That’s dope!
Eric: Oh, yeah. The volcano erupts inside of a control room just centered on this massive bear. But it’s like the bear is has been wary of fire before.
Brandon: Classic bear!
Eric: And moves out of the way out of his own self-preservation and like moves Dr. Morrow in its hand as the claw is flinging around. And she's like,
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Oh, you know, it happens! December, am I right?
Amanda: I'm going to use my hat to do a melee attack on the bear twice.
Eric: Yeah, absolutely.
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: Does an11 hit?
Eric: 11 does not hit.
Amanda: I'm going to use a luck point to reroll. Does a 13 hit?
Eric: A 13 does not hit.
Amanda: Alright, let's try my second attack.
[Dice rolling]
Amanda: A 12 I'm going to try one more time.
Brandon: Man, these bears are tough.
Amanda: Critical 1,
Julia: Hoo boy bud.
Eric: Oh no.
Amanda: It’s the first time I'm using it, so I think I'm just not used to it yet, but I am going to try a stunning strike. So I'm going to use a ki point to ask them to succeed on a constitution saving throw. If not, they're stunned until the end of their next term.
Brandon: I like the idea of you asking this bear to do succeed on the Constitution saving throw.
Julia: Excuse me, Bear.
Eric: Yeah, I think you try to cut into the bear and it's like it's fur is you can't slice through the fur. There's just so much fur. It is a giant black bear, and the bear is now has pulled Dr. Morrow into the blizzard. So here's the way this is going to go. This is going to be a lot looser, these things are just like movement, and you can run around in more things. But right now, the bear is try to take Dr. Morrow and just like run away. So Dr. Morrow is like
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I forgot to say, it's fine. I have a long johns under this. Just try to turn on the generator.
Julia (as Val): Why?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Oh, no, it's fine, don't worry about it. It's cool!
Julia (as Val): No, I mean, like, how is that going to stop a bear from taking you away?
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Oh, no, I you know,—
Julia (as Val): No, I don’t know, that is why I am asking!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Just turn on the generator, January’s probably confused. Just turn on the generator.
Julia (as Val): Alright. Just someone want to go turn on the generator while the rest of us try to keep this bear from running away with the doctor in the meantime?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah I can.
Amanda (as Aggie): I can just text January.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh that's a great idea.
Julia (as Val): Yeah. We could just text.
Eric: Yeah, yeah. You could text January.
Amanda: I like text January real quick Dr. Morrow, kidnapped by bear says turn on generator in basement.
Eric: Wonderful. okay, we'll deal with that.
Amanda: By accident. I send it with the fireworks text effect.
[Everyone laughs]
Julia: Jesus.
Eric: Yeah, the bear is takes its whole time and it just trying to run away from the house. It's trying to run away into the forest behind Dr. Morrow’s house.
Amanda (as Aggie): Quinn, get in on this.
Eric (as Quinn): Oh is it okay if can I get in on this?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yes!
Julia (as Val): Can you, can you goo the bear.
Brandon (as Milo): Goo the bear! Goo the bear!
Amanda (as Aggie): Goo the bear!
Eric (as Quinn): I can't shoot goo, can I shoot goo??.
Amanda (as Aggie): I think you can, why not?
Eric (as Quinn): I don't think so!
Julia (as Val): Okay!
Eric (as Quinn): I got, I got this.
Amanda (as Aggie): Remember those slimy hands that you used to put on the cat. Try that.
Eric: I just rolled a Nat 20!
Brandon: Oh my god!
[Everyone cheering]
Eric: I love that happens cause like “okay, it's fine!” And Quinn just like takes a running start and then throws herself at the bear and just like lands fully like a frog on a on a rock just lands on the bear's back, and is like holding on and she's like
Eric (as Quinn): Okay now what?
Amanda (as Aggie): Quinn this is not what I meant.
Eric (as Quinn): This is I what I can do with my powers!
Brandon: Milo turns to Val like
Brandon (as Milo): Hey Val?
Julia (as Val): Yeah?
Brandon (as Milo): Is Quinn cute?
Julia (as Val): Yes, is this—was this really a question?
Amanda (as Aggie): Not now Milo!
[Eric and Brandon laughing]
Julia: Okay, I'd like to charge your feet and just go attack this bear.
Eric: Yeah, do it!
Julia: First attack, 15 +6, 21!
Eric: 21 hits.
Julia: Sweet, alright, 2 bludgeoning 4 fire or 11 and then an additional 5 for charger. So 16 total.
Eric: Wonderful.
Julia: And then I'll take my second attack.
Eric:Yay!
[Dice rolls]
Julia: Great. It's an 8 +6, so 12 is not going to hit, right?
Eric: No, this is not happening.
Brandon: At the same time, can I cast and entangle and make the area in front of the bear difficult terrain?
Eric: Yeah, sure.
Brandon: You have to succeed on a strength saving throw.
Eric: Oh, good. I don't think a giant bear will have good stuff.
Julia: No, probably not. It's probably all min-maxed to charisma and intelligence.
Eric: That's true, it's it actually it's holding a wand. It has a star on the end.
Julia: And it's got a hat that we just noticed
Eric: Yeah, it's one of the floppy wizard hats with stars and rainbows on. Yeah, what am I trying to beat?
Brandon: You have to hit 15.
Eric: Okay, I got a 16 unfortunately.
Brandon: Dammit.
Julia: Fuck.
Eric: So yeah, I like the idea of the what is your combo? Like heavy? I think you guys have worked together a little bit. What is the combo working of Milo and Val together? What does this look like?
Julia: I think it's like Val charges forward and Milo shoots the spell ahead of them so that by the time Val gets there, hopefully the spell is done what it needs to do so that Val can put the killing blow in, so to speak.
Brandon: Yeah, when it's all successful, the bear would have been held down so Val could have punched the crap out of it.
Julia: Punch punch punch.
Eric: But I do like Val running up and then we've established that entanglement are like hands coming up from the snow. So like there's a snow on the ground already and there's snow whipping everywhere, and then these hands come out, come out of the ground that the bear just like slashes at and fades away into the wind. And then Val, like, comes out of like the lack of the visibility and just like slams this bear with your fire fist.
Julia: Yeah.
Eric: And with Quinn and Dr. Morrow got stuck on the bear in different places. January texted you back with the photo. He’s like you down a storm basement, and there's like what used to be like a really fancy, like beeps and boops on a generator. And there's a giant slash through it.
January was like,
Eric (as January): Uhhhhhhhhh can do.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay, you and Dez come out here ASAP, Dr. Morrow in danger.
Eric (as January): Oh, Des isn’t here. Dez is like at his house.
Brandon (as Milo): Dez doesn’t live there
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay, you stay safe then January and try to see if there's another power source.
Eric (as January): Desz is like is like cross country skiing in this, he loves this.
Julia: This is very cool.
Amanda (as Aggie): Dez would have—
Eric (as January): Dez is really cool.
Amanda (as Aggie): I bet he has really great sweaters for that. okay, let's go.
Eric: It's a sweater weather like Sprocket's like into it. I love that. It's like a Christmas sweater, but it's like—
Amanda: Alpine but with like nuts and bolts.
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: That's so good!
Julia: Gismo gears I like that.
Eric: Yeah, so Dr. Morrow's like,
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Hey!
Eric: She's like flapping around in the wind and the snow and like the bears fighting off Val at the same time, and Dr. Morrow’s like
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): So hey, did you get the generator? Is it— is it fine?
Amanda (as Aggie): The bear destroyed it. I'm sorry.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Oh nuts. I coulda shoulda seen that one coming, huh?
Amanda (as Aggie): Quinn, try to grab Dr. Morrow and get off the bear.
Eric (as Quinn): Okay!
Eric: Aggie, I think you only see, like, the shadows of this because of the lack of visibility. And you see, like one shadow is coming over the shoulder of the bear as the bear like looks at that and then roars, the shadow is like all over the bear's face. And the other form that is in the bear's hand just falls to the ground. And Quinn is like
Eric (as Quinn): Was covering the bear's face when you meant?
Amanda (as Aggie): Yes. Now jump off!
Amanda: Okay, I'm going to step of the wind forward to grab Dr. Morrow and hopefully my sister.
Eric: Wonderful, you sprint forward just cutting through the snow and the wind. You're almost like a snowmobile cutting through the snow on the ground. You see everything happen, and Quinn is just like still covering the bear's face. And she, like, jumps off like she's released from a spring. And lands on the ground gracefully, and Dr. Morrow, who had been on the ground previously, is now standing and is hop to her feet like,
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Hey, you'll never catch me alive, bear!
Amanda (as Aggie): Would you come inside right now?
Eric: She touches a button on her shoes like skis pop out and little rocket boosters on the back, she’s like
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Don’t worry! I got it, turn on the energy for the whole city, can you do that?
Amanda and Julia (as Aggie and Val): No!!
Amanda (as Aggie): WHAT?!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Well, I don't take the bear away.
Julia (as Val): Well, how do we turn on the energy for the whole city? That's a wild thing to assume we could do!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): It's downtown. You got it. I got to leave the bear away!
Julia (as Val): What?!
Amanda (as Aggie): What?!
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): What?
Eric: The rockets are like warming up.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): What you want me to be more specific?
Julia (as Val): Yes. Where is it? Oh, it's in my office in MMFFC!
Eric: And then Dr. Morrow just blasts into the forest on skis, and she you even see her like pumping her arms as she fades away and it's like
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): Byeeeeee!
Eric: And the bear roars and like clumps over her running and galloping.
Brandon (as Milo): Dr. Morrow is my hero.
Eric (as Dr. Morrow): I knew thaaaaaaaat!!
Julia (as Val): I just wish she was more specific about stuff, you know?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah.
Eric: Quinn is like
Eric (as Quinn): It's cooooold!
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah. So I guess we have to turn on power for the whole city now?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah.
Julia (as Val): I feel like there are people who can— Milo can you text your boss at MMFFC and see if he is around and could do this for us so we don't have to go all the way across town?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah, I mean, that's a good idea, yeah!
Brandon: Milo pulls out his phone and he does a group chat with all of his friends, and a single chat with his boss.
[Everyone laughs]
Julia: Yeah don’t include your boss in your group chat.
Amanda: I was about to say Brandon, don't cross the streams, don't cross the streams.
Eric: Sorry, before this happens, as you pull your phone to text in the wind and the snow is whipping around you and only getting worse, I want all of you to make constitution saving throws. This is going to be for the snow and for the wind. Right now, you're only outside in your costumes, so I need you to beat a 12.
[Dice rolling]
Julia: I got a 23.
[Dice rolling]
Amanda: 17.
Brandon: Well, I got a 5.
Eric: Milo you are chilled to the bone by standing outside because you sweat a little bit and it just like really got inside you. I got to 6’s my man. I'm sorry. You take 12 damage.
Brandon: That's okay. I get temporary hit points because Tuna's around. So I still have 35.
Eric: Wonderful!
Julia: Val is just going to be like
Julia (as Val): I am only doing this because I'm very concerned about you.
Julia: And just like pulls him into a hug like from behind and just like
Julia (as Val): Please take some warmth.
Amanda (as Aggie): Let's get inside guys, come on.
Brandon (as Milo): This is simultaneously awkward and very affirming of our friendship.
Julia (as Val): I know it's like we're going to prom, but also like you told me, because you're almost froze to death.
Amanda (as Aggie): And they shuffle like that up the back steps into the house.
Eric: 100%
Amanda: Yeah.
Eric: Okay, so you're now inside of the house, so you're not in the snow in the wind anymore. But all the lights and the all the energy and stuff is still off. So it's getting kind of chilly in the house. January hops up to you wearing one of Val’s layers. I think it's like one of the flannels being like
Eric (as January): I was cold, but I already refolded, it's fine.
Julia (as Val): That's alright, you can use it. Does the doctor have like a fireplace or something like that in here?
Eric (as January): Oh, yeah, definitely. Oh, you just go into the—in the room that looks like a safari trophy room.
Julia (as Val): Cool.
Eric: It's the one with the animals on the wall that also has Scooby Doo masks.
Brandon: So Val shuffles with Milo wrapped up inside of their coat and I was in a cast create bonfire in the fireplace.
Eric: Wonderful. Hey, was entangle a spell?
Brandon: Yes, I did not roll
[Dice rolls]
Brandon: 14.
Eric: Yeah what do you at now?
Brandon: 4.
Amanda (as Aggie): So Milo, can you ask one of your colleagues to check in Dr. Morrow's office?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah, that's a great idea!
Brandon: And Milo is going to take his phone and do a group chat with his friends and a separate chat with Mr. Brewpot.
Julia: Brewskiiii!
Brandon: Texts his friends be like,
Brandon (as Milo): Hey, any of y’all at the museum right now?
Brandon: And then Mr. Brewpot’s is like,
Brandon (as Milo): Greetings, sir.
Amanda (as Aggie): Please call him Milo. It is your boss. Please just call him. Doesn’t anybody our age call anyone anymore?
Julia (as Val): No, I understand phone calls are scary.
Brandon (as Milo): I don't want him to hear anybody's voice on accident like in the background, you know?
Eric: So Mr. Brewpot gets back to you first. He says,
Eric (as Mr. Brewpot): Hey, buddy, what are you, no, no, not at work during a blizzard. Are you at work during a blizzard?
Brandon (as Milo): No, I forgot. My favorite comic book at the museum, when I was going to see if I could come get it, because we're going to be snowed in, I want to read it, but never mind. Thanks. Have a good blizzard. Stay safe!
Eric (as Mr. Brewpot): Okay, thanks. Wear plenty of layers and make sure do you are you a firewood right?
Brandon (as Milo): Yeah, of course.
Eric (as Mr. Brewpot): Okay, even if you're in Company town, you need firewood.
Brandon (as Milo): Of course. Of course. Thank you. Thank you for your guidance and your—
Julia (as Val): Wisdom.
Brandon (as Milo): And that. Thank you. Thank you.
Eric: He sends back
Eric (as Mr. Brewpot): Our deepest fears now that we are inadequate. Our deepest fears that we are powerful beyond measure. Nelson Mandela
Brandon: And Milo just thumbs up it, thumbs up the text.
Eric: So your group kicks back and there's a photo of Apple taking a selfie from an incredibly high angle of him and Zach Rose in his apartment playing N64 and like Zach is holding a very, very large cup of hot cocoa. Apple’s like
Eric (as Apple): HAHAAA!
Eric: It's in all caps.
Eric (as Apple) We skipped! Smarter than you!!
Eric: And Lucas follows up by a photo of him at his desk in like.
Eric (as Lucas): Yeah I didn’t , check my weather app before the blizzard.
Julia: Thank God for Lucas.
Brandon (as Milo): Classic Lucas.
Eric: And then like three snowmen in a row.
Brandon: So I'm going to call Lucas right away.
Eric (as Lucas): Hello, this is Lucas’ on phone, Lucas speaking.
Brandon (as Milo): Why do you why do you answer your phone that way?
Eric (as Lucas): What if Mark Cuban was calling me and I needed him to think I was super official? That's why.
Brandon (as Milo): Why would Mark Cuban be calling you?
Eric (as Lucas): Why wouldn't Mark Cuban be calling me? And then why would I have Mark Cuban? Just what you think? I have Mark Cuban contact and I know what it is like what I think it's you calling me and then—
Julia (as Val): Milo, focus!
[Eric and Julia laughing]
Brandon (as Milo): I have a very important thing. We need to turn on the generator inside of the museum to turn the power on to the rest of the city. Can you do that?
Eric (as Lucas): What, there's a generator inside, Dr. Morrow’s where is there a generator?
Brandon (as Milo): Dr. Morrow’s, just listen and I'll tell you.
Eric (as Lucas): How would I get in Dr. Morrow's office? It's incredibly locked.
Amanda (as Aggie): Or a button, I don't think it's the generator itself. I think it's like, sorry, hi, this is Aggie O'Hare, nice to meet you.
[Eric laughing]
Amanda (as Aggie): I think it's like a button or a switch or something. I don't know why, I hope it's a fail safe, but do what you got to do. She told us to open it. I ran into her plowing.
Brandon (as Milo): Dr. Brewpot’s keys are in his office. Is his office unlocked?
Eric (as Lucas): I mean, I can try.
Eric: and he gets up and you hear like
Eric (as Lucas): UUUUGGGGHHH.
Eric: and then like exaggeratedly hits things on the way over there and then he's like,
Eric (as Lucas): Yeah, it's locked.
Brandon (as Milo): Oh, shoot.
Amanda (as Aggie): Your boss seems like somebody who might have a key, like taped to his door or on the doorframe or under a mat.
Brandon (as Milo): That's a great idea. Check underneath the coffee pot like the coffee maker in the break room.
Eric: And Lucas goes, “uuuugggghhhh” and then there's more clomping.
Brandon (as Milo):I buy you some Timbly Tomblieslis. If you just do this.
Eric (as Lucas): Fine.
Brandon (as Milo): God, I will buy you some jimbly jomblies. If you just do this!
Eric: Oh those are the helly filled ones! Jimbly jomblies, He goes over to the coffee pot and the reaches over and iss like,
Eric (as Lucas): Oh, there's something here.
Eric: And he grabs it like, oh, it's a an index card that says “Make a new key remember to do that.” Damn. Okay, well, well, I'm going to go back to what I was doing, playing switch which under three blankets. So I'll talk to you later.
Brandon (as Milo): Thanks. You were no help at all. Maybe it's like, you know what those kind of things—
Eric (as Lucas): Who is that? Who is that?
Brandon (as Milo):That's— no, no, no.
Eric (as Lucas): What are you doing?
Julia (as Val): None of ya fucking business. Because one of those folding things outside his door. The keys in there?
Amanda (as Aggie): Oh, like. Like the mail slot.
Julia (as Val): Yeah, yeah.
Amanda (as Aggie): Just search. It's really important, Lucas.
Eric: Lucas just then goes
Eric (as Lucas): Uuugh okay, I can try.
Eric: Make a perception check.
Brandon: Okay, can I also include in this if I know what game he's playing on his Switch.
Eric: He's playing a Star Fox remaster.
Brandon: Mmhmm.
Julia: Good, good choice.
Brandon: I got a 5 +7 for 12.
Eric: Don't worry I also know that there is no such thing as that and I wish that it existed. Yeah.
So, Milo, as you're listening to Lucas clomp through now, he's like in the hallway, and he's like.
Eric (as Lucas) Hey, did you hear that?
Amanda (as Aggie): No.
Brandon (as Milo): Did I? No I'm on the phone, Lucas, how would I hear.
Eric (as Lucas): You didn't hear that, like, big crunching sound?
Brandon (as Milo): Oh, Lucas, go lock yourself in the basement.
Amanda (as Aggie): Lucas, run and hide right now.
Eric (as Lucas): Run and hide? Why would I do that?
Eric: And then the call gets dropped.
Amanda (as Aggie): Into my car, let's go.
Julia (as Val): Yeah. alright.
Eric: Wonderful.
Julia (as Val): We're going to drive in a blizzard. This will be safe.
Eric: Okay, for the rest of this, you do have one flashback. However, since you weren't prepared, you can't do any zero HP flashbacks. You have to give up some amount, if you want to do something like that is very improbable. That would be the 20%. And then you still need a roll on it if that was even possible for you to have done it. And then the 10% one is it needs to be at least possible that you might have prepared this beforehand.
Amanda: Okay, can I go first?
Eric: This one I'll give you for free. This one doesn't count against your vehicle. If you give up 10 percent of your HP, you took your car here. If not, you can try to find a vehicle somewhere else or see if Dr. Morrow has stuff.
Amanda: I definitely drove myself there in my own truck, but in wintertime, Aggie just has a plow on his truck at all times and she drives with it raised if it doesn't need it. And if a road needs paving, she'll just put it down. So this is true of the person Aggie’s is based on. But if you want that to be a flashback, I'm happy to pay for it.
Eric: I'll let you do it because your explanation was good, but you got to give me 20% of your HP.
Amanda: Alright.
Eric: Alright, so for your flashback. Yeah, I can see, unlike November 1st, you putting the plow on your truck and Mickey is looking at you from the mountain coffee like.
Eric (as Mickie): Aggie, we're not going to— Aggie, we're not going to get snow for weeks. It's global warming.
Amanda (as Aggie): Remember the Halloween storm of ‘91? I do.
Eric (as Mickie): I was four!
Amanda (as Aggie): I was three! You get your four memories that early.
Eric (as Mickie): Yeah, my first memories was like of Barney and my brother sticking me in the knee with a fishing hook. I don't remember snow.
Amanda (as Aggie): Awww classic.
Brandon: Aggie’s three year old memory’s putting a plow on a truck.
[Eric and Brandon laughing]
Eric: It’s watching your dad. Being like “Aggie, you need to remember, it's your responsibility to clear the roads. You can't always just wait for the government to take care of you.”
Amanda: When you move the clocks back, put the plow on, that’s what we always say.
Eric: Okay, so I'm going to give that one to you for free. So everyone still has one flashback. Amanda: 20% my hit points is 8. So I have 30 hit points remaining, but I still have a flashback available.
Eric: Yes, you do.
Amanda: So we can all pile into my truck and head out.
Eric: Let me give you some stats on your vehicles. So your vehicle, because you have the plow on, you have advantage on any sort of danger you might have in the snow. You can also use the plow. However, since you're your truck is pretty old, there is a possibility of a mishap. So something that happens with if your car takes a certain amount of damage, your car might have some problems. So if it takes over 10 points of damage, I'm going to roll on this mishap table that I have here. And your truck might have a problem.
Amanda: Delicious.
Eric: You do have a heater. So if you're in the car, you will not take the cold damage. But, you know, the heater might die if some bad stuff happens.
Amanda: I definitely have, like, a disaster blanket and a first aid kit.
Julia: Thank God one of us is prepared.
Brandon: I have a hoodie!
Eric: I just don't I naturally don't feel cold.
Julia: Remember how you took 12 points of cold damage? Shush.
Before we leave, I just want to say to January,
Amanda (as Aggie): You're going to be okay, right? I don't mean to offend, but I think you're kind of built for this weather.
Eric (as January): Yeah! Once all my white for comes in. I can evade predators super easy, but um, yeah, no, I’ll watch over the house. I think that the bear was that that wasn't a real a regular bear was it.
Amanda (as Aggie): Very large.
Eric (as January): Super, super big.
Amanda (as Aggie): Black bears are often very cute and small. Still dangerous.
Eric (as January): That's true. I believe black bears do grow to be within six to seven feet, and Stephen Colbert calls them terrible killing machines. I really miss The Colbert Report. Anyway! Anyway, no, it's going to be fine. I think that the house is fine. This is going after Dr. Morrow. The doctor will definitely be okay on her own.
Amanda (as Aggie): Yeah, she keeps saying that. We're going to talk about that soon. Anyway, I'll text you.
Eric (as January): She's the doctor man. Look, what are you supposed to do?
Amanda (as Aggie): I will text you if we need you.
Eric (as January): Yeah, absolutely.
Brandon (as Milo): Thanks January!
Eric (as January): Take all of your winter, you should keep your everything we talked about. There might be opportunity for you to, like, do stuff with your costume. So, you just keep— you know what, just keep those on and then you can like put a jacket over, over your stuff or you like just layer.
Julia (as Val): You can keep that flannel! You look adorable in it!
Eric (as January): Thaaanks!
Amanda (as Aggie): Because you look great in neon buffalo.
Eric: Wonderful. Yeah. See if you layer or add your winter clothes to your costume, then your cold checks will be better.
Julia: Okay.
Amanda: I think I'll definitely throw my jacket on for sure.
Eric: I like it. You just look like a park ranger.
Amanda: Yeah. And I'm going to give Quinn the flannel that I had as well because I don't think that she is warm enough.
Eric (as Quinn): We can trade
Eric: And she gives back your domino mask.
Amanda (as Aggie): Okay, very generous of you. Thank you, Quinn. Into the back seat please.
Eric (as Quinn): Okay, okay.
Amanda (as Aggie): Val, I would like you in front to navigate.
Julia (as Val): Alright. Sounds good.
Eric (as Quinn): Hey, Milo, just you can sit right here. I saved a spot for you!
Brandon (as Milo): I—I
Amanda (as Aggie): I changed my mind.
Brandon (as Milo): Okay?? No no it’s fine! Back seat’s fine!
Eric (as Quinn): Okay front seat. Yeah. I get to sit next to Aggie!! I’m controlling your music, I’m controlling the music!!
Julia and Brandon: No, no, no.
Julia: Gonna be a lot of top 40s.
Eric (as Quinn): I met Taylor Swift once!! She's very tall!
Julia (as Val): Yeah. That checks out.
Brandon (as Milo): Eric would you say that snow was water?
[Julia and Amanda laughing]
Eric: Can you be more specific?
Brandon: I know the answer is yes, so I'm just making sure that you're on board with me.
Eric: Okay, well, what about it?
Brandon: Well, I have this cantrip that's called shape water.
Eric: Yeah.
Brandon: I can only do it like up to five feet in front of me, but I want to use it to clear the snow away from the visibility in front of the truck so we have better visibility as we go down the road. Amanda: Nice, good thinking Milo!
Julia: Milo’s a goddamn water bender.
Eric: I'd say do that totally works.
Brandon: Cool.
Eric: I like the idea that the ghost hand in your chest like comes out and works like a window wiper.
Brandon: I love that. But like five feet in front of the truck.
Eric: So what I would say since is in the cantrip let's turn it into a concentration spell.
Brandon: Cool.
Eric: In order for you to maintain it like so you need to be concentrating on it. You might lose that concentration if whatever happens. The other thing I would say is since this only affects water and a five foot cube, you either can help Aggie's tires on the truck, which although it does have a plow and this is a truck driving in a blizzard, is dangerous. Or you can help Aggie's visibility, which would help Aggie drive.
Brandon: Aggie, what would you prefer?
Amanda: Yeah, I feel okay by navigating and driving in snow. I'm used to it, but the truck could always use help.
Brandon:Cool. Yeah. So I'm going to use shape water to move the ice and snow and water and sleet off of the road five feet in front of the truck.
Eric: I think that would definitely help with the ice because like you don't even know if the black ice is there. So it's like your ghost hand is extended down to the road, like clearing all of the ice out of the way, which is something that that a plow can't take care of, which I love. Yeah, that's right.
Amanda: Yeah, it's like a ghost plow in front of the plow.
Brandon: And the ghost doesn't even feel the cold because we're in a hurry.
Julia: Awww.
Eric: The ghost hand gives you a shaka. Yeah. So like yeah. You have like this arm that's like extending down to the road and you got to like press yourself up against the—
Amanda: So Milo’s in front then.
Brandon: Oh well no I think Quinn’s in shotgun. Do I have to like lean over the front seat to get—
Eric: No you don't have to do. No you don't. You're just pressed up against the door.
Brandon: Okay.
Eric: You're like I need to get as close as possible. I'm joke because the range area is thirty feet, but I just thought it was funny. Wonderful! Yeah, you see, you guys can start driving from up north, try to get into downtown. Is there anything else you want to do before you leave the house?
Julia: I'm going to sit here and if there's something that's blocking our way that ain't snow or ice or whatever, I can go out and move it. So that's my contribution to the team.
Amanda: And I think I'll I'll tune in to a station five fifty, which is the local emergency channel.
Eric (as Radio Announcer): [In a mellow tone] Yes. You're listening to five fifty affiliate of Channel seven and a half. Hey, it's pretty cold out there. Like Jack Frost is nipping at all of our faces and my face. I mean city by Jack Frost. I mean the blizzard. I'm safe here at the radio station.
Brandon (as Milo): And this is a terrible radio station!
Amanda (as Aggie): This is emergency only. It's supposed to be nothing!
Eric (as Radio Announcer): But the emergency level is regular for the winter. Yeah, I know how it goes. alright.
Julia: What is this guy's name?
Eric: It's a great, great question. That's a great question, ghoulia!
Eric (as Radio announcer): This is Smooth Jenkins. I also run the Jazz Hour at 2:00 in the morning and again at 4:00 in the morning.
Brandon: Those not back to back?
Eric (as Jenkins): There is not, there's a fifteen minutes of silence and let it marinate.
Eric: Alright. Yeah. Does anyone else want to do anything before you drive over?
Julia: I think I think we're good for now.
Amanda: Make everybody buckle up. That's about it.
Eric: Of course, Quinn buckles up and she puts a hand on your shoulder and says,
Eric (as Quinn): Aggie, I'm so glad that I came today.
Amanda (as Aggie): I'm really glad I came today too!
Eric (as Quinn): I'm going to be so cool and it's going to make all of you look really bad by comparison.
Amanda (as Aggie): You get the power on Quinn, I don't give a shit what you do.
Eric (as Quinn): You’ve been telling that to me ever since I was a child, I really finally it hits home.
Amanda (as Aggie): I love you, dude. I'm so proud of you. The Crusible was so good. I just I'm so glad I went down to see it anyway..
Eric (as Quinn): You guys remember when I was on that bear?
Julia (as Val): That was pretty cool
Eric (as Quinn): I was not— that was so wild.
Julia (as Val): It was like its jaws and it was I was like, oh, no. And then you jumped off.
Eric (as Quinn): I was on it’s back first and then I was on its face. Yeah.
Brandon (as Milo): That was really impressive.
Eric (as Quinn): In a dangerous place. Aggie is this bad? And she has a cut going down her right arm.
Amanda (as Aggie): OH GOD.
Julia (as Val): OKAY!
Amanda: I lay my hands and cast healing hands on her.
Eric: Wonderful
[Dice rolls]
Amanda: 4 +2 is 6, and then 7 + she was 9 for total of 15 hit points.
Julia: Ooooo.
Eric: Oh yeah. With 15 hit points. What is it look like when you use your healing hands again? Amanda: There is like an orange sparkly like glitter pen style glow that spreads all over the wounded area. And it's like the sparks kind of knit back together the skin.
Eric: I love that.
Julia (as Val): Can I get one of those too at some point? Because those velociraptors did mess with me.
Amanda (as Aggie): I can't do this on the roads, we better do it now before we leave and want to use the bathroom. And then I put my hand on Val's knee and I'll do that for you as well.
[Dice rolling]
Eric: Quinn runs and she's like,
Eric (as Quinn): Oh, hold on, I have to go to the bathroom.
Amanda: Oh, I rolled two 10’s in a row Julia, so you get 24 hit points!
Julia: Oh hell yeah. Back up to full health!
Eric: Wonderful. This is all going to be continuous, so please keep track of all your stuff so that Val your rage is done by now.
Julia: Diminished yes.
Eric: So Aggie, you shift into reverse. [Truck engine starts up] I feel like this is like one last splash panel at the end of the comic book. The truck's back lights pulling away into the storm and it slowly loses visibility as you drive forward. And then we just we're here with the snow and the wind and one remaining growl and the swishing of Dr. Morrow’s skis in the snow.
[Transition note]
[Theme music starts]