Arcade Ambush is the fourteenth episode of season 1, Fantasy High.
It features the Bad Kids in their fight against Biz Glitterdew and the trapped arcade machines.
Recap[]
"We find ourselves at the arcade at the Elm Valley Mall. In the back room around this giant power structure, filled with glowing crystals, Biz Glitterdew and Riz Gukgak face off. Last session, Riz pulled a gun. We are going to begin with a box of doom roll!"
Synopsis[]
The episode begins with the Bad Kids inside the arcade at the Elm Valley Mall. Riz, after pulling a gun on Biz in the last episode, shoots at Biz and misses. After missing, Biz starts to glitter and glow and turn the arcade into a hallucinogenic chaotic wonderland.
Gorgug makes a perception check on the prize cases and realizes that there are in fact things in the case and that they look like cool prizes. Gorgug goes into a rage and dashes into the next room. He then makes a Nat 20 charisma saving throw, avoiding the arcade machines.
After Gorgug's turn, ghosts leap from the video games. Kristen's Guardian of Faith takes effect and a giant spectral corn partially shreds one of the ghosts with radiant damage. The ghosts then try to hurt Adaine, Gorgug, and Kristen but fail. One of the ghosts does hit Riz, but Riz uses Uncanny Dodge to lessen the effects. However, the ghosts instill Riz with the fear condition.
Fabian then investigates the prizes in the case and learns, similarly to Gorgug, that there are cool prizes in there. He does learn that the sword is the highest price prize at the Arcade. Fabian smashes the glass and snatches the sword. The sword is the "Ultimate Ninja Sword found in a for-real ninja monastery that my friend Trevin found out about".
Kristen casts Spirit Guardians and moves past some ghosts. However, on the attacks of opportunity, both ghosts miss.
Adaine sees that there are dozens of magical spells affecting the arcade right now, so her Dispel Magic spell will not work. She then casts Burning Hands on one of the ghosts. Adaine is then told to make a Charisma saving throw, which she succeeds.
Fig then does a perception check on the prizes and learns that the cases have prizes. Those prizes include a Teddy Bear, a frisbee, sneakers, headphones, and a skateboard. Fig then decides to grab Fabian and Dimension Door into the back room. She winks at Riz and gives him Bardic Inspiration.
Biz touches the pillar in the backroom and the party hears "Katya downloaded". Biz casts a spell on Fig and makes her hallucinate and see a million Biz Glitterdews doing the monkey and saying "Good Times."
As Riz tries to escape, he gets sucked in Penny Luckstone's game. Penny starts to collect coins and Riz attempts to investigate what is happening, but rolls a Nat 1 and only finds out that he is in a video game.
Gorgug uses Insight on the video games and discovers that the video games are all wired up to some central place in the arcade. Some games are glowing malevolently. Gorgug attacks the ghost in front of him.
The ghosts attempt to attack Gorgug, miss, then vanish. Both of those ghosts are affected by Kristen's Spirit Guardians, and one of them is destroyed. Adaine is hit by one of the ghosts and is filled with fear. One ghost attempts to leap into Fabian and take control of his body, but Fabian succeeds on his Charisma saving throw.
Fabian then attempts to move past the ghosts but is grabbed by one of the ghosts and is filled with unending terror. As he runs, Fabian is sucked into Antiope Jones' dance game.
Kristen blesses herself, Adaine, and Gorgug. She investigates to see if there is a way to get the girls out of the game. Adaine, full of fear, uses a divination roll to run towards her friends. Fig wildly swings at the ghost near her but misses. The party then hears that Danielle has been "downloaded".
Riz, stuck in the video game, attempts to collect coins but fails to get more than Penny. After losing, Riz becomes trapped within a palimpsest in the arcade power source. Gorgug tries to call his mom but is sucked into a video game. One of the ghosts leaps into Fig and takes control of her body. Adaine is badly hurt by the ghosts attacking her.
In a dance battle with Antiope Jones, Fabian wins and escapes the video game. He immediately starts to flee. "Antiope is downloaded'.
Kristen casts Beacon of Hope on Fabian and Adaine and gives them an advantage on Wisdom saving throws. Adaine flees towards Fabian and frees herself from the fear condition. Fig, possessed by a ghost, threatens Fabian. Sam Nightingale is then downloaded.
Riz, trapped in a crystal, investigates. He hears Ostentatia, Penny, and Zelda yelling for help. Riz then sees Penny's hand up against the glass and asks if Penny has any idea how to get out. Penny tells him that, clearly, she doesn't.
Gorgug wins a game of "Whack-a-Gnome" and escapes the video game. The ghosts are then terribly injured by Kristen's Spirit Guardians. Gorgug is then withered by the ghosts, but due to his Mindless Rage, he is not affected by fear. One ghost tries to leap into Kristen but fails. Fabian rushes past the ghosts and is hit by them along the way. Fabian calls to the Hangman to meet him at the Arcade.
Kristen casts Turn Undead and causes the ghosts to flee. This also causes the ghost to leave Fig.
Adaine casts Fly on herself and moves as close to Biz as she can. She uses a divination roll to succeed on a Charisma save. Fig countercharms herself, Adaine, and Kristen by playing Longview by Green Day. Fig succeeds on a Charisma save. "Ostentatia is downloaded".
Fig and Adaine are hit by Biz's rays of color and electricity. Adaine goes down. Fig uses her Hellish Rebuke reaction and engulfs Biz in flames.
Penny tells Riz she thinks something bad is going to happen, and that she is sorry. Riz rolls a Nat 20 investigate. Riz takes 7 points of damage as he furiously digs through the cracks in the palimpsest. Riz sees a channel going back to the AV room at the Adventuring Academy. Riz attempts to overload the servers, which seems to succeed.
Gorgug puts his headphones and cranks the music. Gorgug avoids Biz's traps and lands right in front of him. The ghosts flee as fast as they can. One ghost tries to attack Gorgug but fails.
Fabian runs back out to the front of the arcade and calms down. No longer under the fear condition, Fabian does a perception check on the prizes. He sees that there appear to be prizes, but it may be an illusion.
Kristen casts a Mass Healing Word on herself, Fig, Adaine, and Gorgug. Kristen succeeds on a Charisma saving throw. Adaine casts Dispel Magic on Biz.
Fig moves towards the back room and is caught in Biz's trap. Biz tries to cast a spell on Fig, Gorgug, Adaine, and Kristen by dancing, but they all succeed in their saving throws (except Gorgug, who is immune due to Mindless Rage). Adaine insults him as Fig records. Riz, from inside the palimpsest, tries to prevent Biz from downloading Penny, but Biz succeeds.
Gorgug returns to his phone call with his parents and asks what the quickest way to shut down the power source. They tell him the fusebox is probably the best way to do that. Otherwise, aim for the wires. Gorgug goes to slash the wires and badly damages them.
The ghosts rush Gorgug and miss, but upon being honest (a mistake), the ghosts hit on their advantage rolls. The ghosts reach inside Gorgug and part of Gorgug's hair turns white as he seems to age. Zelda holds her hand out inside of her palimpsest.
The Hangman arrives at the Arcade and theoretically would have carried Fabian all the way to the backroom. Brennan counts out the squares, giving everyone some false hope, then ruins it once Fabian fails a Charisma save. Fabian (on the Hangman) is then sucked into a racing arcade game.
Kristen evades Biz's trap, then jumps on Gorgug's back so the Spirit Guardians surround them both. Kristen then uses Healing Word on Gorgug. Kristen would have also theoretically been healed from this, but was already at full health because "God exists".
Adaine leaps through Biz's trap and enters the back room. Adaine uses Mage Hand to pull Riz out of the machine and into her hand.
Fig, still trapped in Biz's trap, kisses one of her illusory doppelgangers. Zelda is downloaded.
Biz brags about having downloaded all of the maidens but shortly following, one of Kristen's Spirit Guardians punches him and knocks him out. Fig is therefore released from the trap.
Fabian is still trapped within an arcade game with the Hangman and must beat the game to get free. In the Box of Doom roll, the game rolls a Nat 20. Fabian almost gives up, before trying to roll a Nat 20. He begins by rolling a Nat 10. On his second roll (he had advantage due to being on a motorbike), he rolls a Nat 20.
Everyone loses their minds.
Fabian explodes out of the arcade and returns to the rest of the party. The ghosts disappear and the arcade returns to normal. Upon asking where he was, Fabian lies and says he was fighting ghosts and that the stuff with his dad has been getting to him. Adaine replies saying "we all have dad stuff" until Fig corrects her saying that she has 2 dads and they're both awesome.
Riz is stuck in the palimpsest and can not interact with the people outside. Some of the party suggests reviving Biz to get Riz out. Fig wants to Burning Hands Biz's brain and kill him. Gorgug physically prevents Fig from doing so. Adaine tells the party to stabilize Biz and intimidate him.
While the party was discussing what to do with Biz, Brennan rolled Death Saving Throws for Biz, who failed to save, and therefore is dead (not just unconscious).
Fig ties Biz's wings together and Kristen kicks him very hard in the nuts. Fabian handcuffs Biz and Fig pants him. Kristen then casts Revivify on Biz to bring him back to life.
Fig casts Suggestion on him and tells Biz to get Riz out of the palimpsest. Biz falls for the suggestion and Riz pops out. Fig, once again, tries to Burning Hands Biz's brain, but Gorgug restrains her again. Riz puts his gun to Biz's head and asks what happens to the downloaded maidens. Riz counts down from five and Biz fails to reply. Riz shoots one of Biz's fingers off.
Riz asks what happens again and shoots another finger off. Riz tells Biz he has one more chance to tell him what happens, or he will blow Biz's head off. Fig Burning Hands Biz's crotch. Fabian protests against the bullying happening. Biz says that what is happening is a war crime. Gorgug threatens to cut his head off.
Biz explains that the girls are downloaded back into their own bodies. He says the palimpsests are for storing them. Biz implies that he'd like to store Adaine in a palimpsest and multiple Bad Kids slap him. Biz becomes fully unconscious. Riz uses his healer kit to bring him back. Kristen heals him as well. Kristen fully walks away because of how furious she is.
Riz continues to interrogate Biz, but Biz does not give any information. Adaine casts Detect Thoughts and sees that the memory Biz has of deciding to download the girls and make it his big evil plan is a false memory. Fig suggests that perhaps Aelwyn Abernant was the one who planted the false memory.
Adaine tells Biz he sucks. Biz denies it. Kristen tells Biz that Aelwyn detected that he's a virgin. Gorgug tells Biz to blow his nose. Fig Healing Words Biz. Since he wasn't the mastermind after all, Riz attempts to sew Biz's fingers back on.
Adaine delves deeper into Biz's mind. She asks about her sister, Aelwyn and hits a place in his memory that has been blocked off. She then asks about Penelope Everpetal and sees he has a lot of memories speaking to Penelope. Lots of Biz's memories have been cut out. She discovers the modifications to Biz's memory were made before the Hudol party out of fear of someone discovering what was going on.
Johnny Spells's burner phone gets 6 messages. The messages are all pictures of the Bad Kid's homes. Fig replies "lol what." The next message is "think very carefully about your next decisions."
Locations[]
Featured Characters[]
The Bad Kids[]
Returning[]
Mentioned[]
Trivia[]
- The Arcade Ambush Battle Map was sold as part of the Dimension 20 Fantasy High Freshman Year Auction for $3,102
- Two Ghost Nerd minis were sold as part of the Dimension 20 Fantasy High Freshman Year Auction for $1,102 and $875
- Two Video Game traps were sold as part of the Dimension 20 Fantasy High Freshman Year Auction for $1,008 and $1,701