Defeat The Godmodder

[Moniker]

I smile, and wait for the first 2 people to ascend, and as somno chooses his platform, he uses lanternlight echo to see which way they went when they stepped on the platform. if the guy moved up, somno follows him and tells me where to go with telekinisis. if he moved down, somno goes on the other platform. also, somno is holding the 4-leaf clover close to his chest as he does this.
I also suggest another deal to fred: he chooses to lie or tell the truth as he wishes, and once he's done, I'll tell him why this was useful for me. I will pay for his information with my own.
if the platforms move in 5 minutes and they both move at the same time, somno transforms into a pebble, which I put in my pocket, and I disappear into the crowd. as the minutes end, a random gamblers eyes are glowing cyan, and they step on the red platform. meanwhile, I step on the blue platform. right as the platforms start to move, I check which way they're moving and, if the random gambler's platform starts to rise, I throw them the pebble and possess them.
also, all my, somno, and the random gambler's money is on a computer site and the access device isn't logged in, so whichever path is right, the person on it has 3,000,000 total $- the other person just loses the access device.

Click to shrink...

The platforms all move at the same time! You won't be able to wait for other people to move out.

Fred: What information could you have for me? I have info you need; on how to beat this place. I can help you identify challenges we meet. I can be of great use to you. But I like my payment up-front.

You have a POSSESSION PEBBLE ready to go. Mr. Mirror Man will need to fend for himself.

ACTION:?/3 ITEM(S): 1x2,000 Damage Lottery Token
AMOUNT:?/3
CHARGE:5/10
$5,000,000 on hand.

Well, we have two choices before us, red, or blue. 50/50 chances. A 50% chance of being right, a 50% chance of being wrong. 1/2 chance of up, a 1/2 chance of going down. The obvious solution is to flip a coin. Heads is red, tails is blue, and side is to just push someone else onto the platform and see what happens to them.

Click to shrink...

The coin lands... heads. You're on the red platform.

I charge into the Casino, holding a breifcase filledwith 5M in cash. I quickly suplex a gambler, andtake his spot. [QUEST JOINED]

Click to shrink...

Welcome to the quest! You quickly dispatch a gambler... somewhere else...

You have $5,000,000 in cash!

--------

The gamblers continue milling about, and eventually, one steps onto the red platform. Several others follow suit, and eventually, the trickle becomes a stream... you have 3 minutes until the platforms leave.

JOEbob is about set on progression, but Fred still needs to be negotiated with. Looks like he's angling for the Blue platform.

Mr. Mirror Man has chosen a platform, but could potentially get himself in a better position.

Eevee Shadow Bacon has yet to choose.


Large Room:

Crowd of People(96 other gamblers)
Fred
Red Platform(Board?)(23 gamblers on board)
Blue Platform(Board?)(26 gamblers on board)

JOEbob:
Has $2,000,000, one four-leaf clover(on blue platform, ready to possess random gambler on red platform)
[N - JOEbob]Somno: 35,000/35,000 HP (Lanternlight echo: 2 turn cooldown)(Seen through their eyes: 2 turn cooldown)(Cut through the lies: 1 turn cooldown)

Mr. Mirror Man:
Has $5,000,000(on red platform)

Eevee Shadow Bacon:
Has $5,000,000

 

[Moniker]

my information is why its useful for me if you answer my questions with random choices which can be true or false by your choice. if you truly do not wish to accept that deal, then you can point me to any rival of yours and I can prove they have done illegal things, if they have done any, allowing you to be free of that nuisance. if none of these deals sound good to you, trust me when I say I can pay you back many-fold once this gambling is done- I didn't bring as much money with me as I should have, and obviously can't retrieve it while I'm here, but once this is over I can give you ten million dollars instead of the 500k you asked for before.
other then dealmaking, I continue my plan, though I'll just set the one on the blue platform to autopilot instead of destroying it so I can still talk to frank i mean, fred.

Click to shrink...

Fred: Sounds to me like you have nothing to offer but a lot of smoke. I don't have any rivals, unless you count the other gamblers here I need to beat. And "I'll pay you back when we leave" is the most classic of ruses.

Fred: This is my third time here. I've been here three million days. I wasn't born yesterday, so don't try to pull one over my head!

Fred goes and stands on the red platform.

I set up a Rancho Relaxo on the blue platform. Time to wait and see what happens.

Click to shrink...

You're on the blue platform!

ACTION:?/3 ITEM(S): 1x2,000 Damage Lottery Token
AMOUNT:?/3
CHARGE:5/10
$4,000,000 on hand.
I decide to move myself towards the edge of the Red platform, still standing on it, so I can make a run for the other platform if needed. I also send JOE a million so he has 3 million just in case this is the wrong platform.

Click to shrink...

You give JOEbob $1M! You look down on the red platform and notice... bars about to protrude from the bottom, to trap you on it? And it looks like the blue platform has them, too... they've really thought of everything. Running won't get you out of this.

--------

The majority of the gamblers have gotten on a platform now, with only a few left undecided. 1 minute left until they leave.

In the current situation, at least one player will fail the sidequest if nothing changes.


Large Room:

Crowd of People(96 other gamblers)
Fred(Red platform)
Red Platform(Board?)(42 gamblers on board)
Blue Platform(Board?)(45 gamblers on board)

JOEbob:
Has $3,000,000, one four-leaf clover(on blue platform, ready to possess random gambler on red platform)
[N - JOEbob]Somno: 35,000/35,000 HP (Lanternlight echo: 2 turn cooldown)(Seen through their eyes: 2 turn cooldown)(Cut through the lies: 1 turn cooldown)

Mr. Mirror Man:
Has $4,000,000(on red platform)

Eevee Shadow Bacon:
Has $5,000,000(on blue platform)

 

[Moniker]

"its not smoke, and I can prove it."
"but, since this is the gamblers league, a bet."
"since you seem to think its very likely that I'm lieing, a 2:1 ratio of your stakes to mine seems fair, aye?"
"I'll bet up to two million dollars. choose your stakes, and let our bet... begin."
I freeze time for everyone but me and somno in order to complete this before the platforms move:
somno, use seen through their eyes on fred and I. target memorys with the criteria: "memorys that would convince him I'm telling the truth and that he should help me".
after that finishes, I unfreeze time for fred and nobody else, while pulling up an illusion to make it seem like time isn't frozen. I'd rather not tip him off to my player status.
I proceed to describe, in excessive detail, the content of the memory I just saw, from his perspective, including things any others present wouldn't know.
"now then, fred-bro. I can see you're shocked by my knowledge. I told you, its not smoke, not one bit."
"I would like to collect my spoils for winning the bet."
the next line is contingent on my winnings being over 1 million in profit:
"now, I'll wire you back 500k of that dosh ( a term for money. informal. often used like "this'll make us hella dosh") after the lifts rise and fall, if you send me an email containing all the stuff you know (presumably one which will only open once you receive the 500k dosh.)."
"don't worry, you'll have time to write the email. I have friends in high places and they'll see I'm busy and stall for me. too bad I can't contact them directly right now..."
OOC: correction, I stopped time earlier.
once he finishes and sends me the email, or if my winnings where small, moments after saying I'd like to collect my spoils, I restart time's flow and remove the illusion.
my plan beyond this remains the same, there's no way for me to fail this challenge, worst case I lose my main body for a while.

Click to shrink...

Fred, clearly not trusting you, decides to give you a chance and bets $100,000. You activate SEEN THROUGH THEIR EYES, and see a memory...

A bad day at work, another day in hell's mine... your tool broke three times, a grand record, and your demonic supervisor... wasn't happy. And your exact amount of money that day... $253,521.

Fred: ...You and your friend really do have some sort of power... Very well. Assuming we survive this platform challenge, I'll answer your questions. After that, there's something important I have to know. I don't have any access to whatever "e-mail" is, and it's hard to tell you EVERYTHING. So please ask about specific things, so that I can best help you.

Fred: Glad we're working together.

I quickly teleport to the blue. Following Fred seems smart.

Click to shrink...

You said "the blue", but you're already on blue, and you wanted to follow Fred, who's on red, so you do.

ACTION:?/3 ITEM(S): 1x2,000 Damage Lottery Token
AMOUNT:?/3
CHARGE:5/10
$4,000,000 on hand.
"Greetings, Fred I hear? I heard you say that this is your third time here, so can you answer a simple question of mine? How many of these tournaments have been thrown?"

Click to shrink...

Fred: I'll take this one as a freebie. I don't know exactly, but at least several hundred thousand. Any time enough people have enough money, this tournament is held. Just like clockwork. You must be new here, to know so little.

--------

As the seconds tick down, the last few stragglers scatter onto the platforms. In the end, the red platform has 43 gamblers, Fred, Mr Mirror Man, and Eevee Shadow Bacon. The blue platform has 52 gamblers, JoeBOB, and Pebble Somno.

As expected, cages rise up from beneath, and close up around both platforms. The red platform shakes, and rises up a bit. The blue platform shakes, and moves down a bit. They both pause, and all the gamblers on the blue platform can do nothing but stare, and savor the horror of their realization. Except JOEbob. He tosses the pebble, and it lands on a random gambler, causing JOEbob to move over to his mind, and control him (though the effort from this and his ability puts him on cooldown for a good while). Immediately as this happens, both platforms activate properly. The blue platform is sent plunging down, down, down, down, and soon nothing remains to be seen... but the screams of those onboard can still be heard. Nobody on the red platform gets to witness it, however. They're sent up, up, up... and then...

The platform stops.

You and everyone around you hang in the elevator shaft. The platform is big enough that you can move around a little, but it's still cramped, and you can't see the whole of what's going on. Suddenly, a door in the cage surrounding the elevator swings open... but it doesn't lead to anything. Outside, there's just an endless dropoff into nothingness. Most of the gamblers shy away from it.

Suddenly, from an unseen but far-away loudspeaker, you can all hear the announcer's voice fill the small cage...

???: Congratulations on surviving your first gamble. Round 2 will now begin immediately.

???: Amongst your number are 3 demons in hiding, who were instructed to stand on the red platform beforehand.

???: These demons will now begin grabbing people and throwing them off the elevator, until they themselves are thrown off the elevator.

???: Good luck.

Initially, nobody moves. Then, hushed conversation starts. Everybody's surrounded, and everyone can be a target... tension mounts.

Despite the chaos, all four of you manage to meet back up (after a quick re-introduction from JOEbob) in one of the corners of the elevator. Before you can decide what to do, you hear a scream. The first person was thrown out of the elevator. All the discussion pauses for a moment... and then someone else screams and shoves another gambler out the door, and all hell breaks loose.

-------

It's complete chaos! What are you going to do?


Red Platform:

Crowd of People(40 other gamblers)
Fred(has $900,000)
Exit door(certain doom)

JOEbob:
Has $3,100,000, one four-leaf clover(possessing random gambler)
[N - JOEbob]Somno: 35,000/35,000 HP (Lanternlight echo: 2 turn cooldown)(Seen through their eyes: 2 turn cooldown)(Cut through the lies: 1 turn cooldown)(cooling down for 4!)

Mr. Mirror Man:
Has $4,000,000(on red platform)

Eevee Shadow Bacon:
Has $5,000,000(on blue platform)

 

[Moniker]

Really? No way out?
Well, if that's really true, I have no choice.

"Alright then. I will obtain all the world's virtues. I will eliminate all the world's vices. I will rid my soul of taint, and all sin. I will be lawful good."

I swear to god though, if this deal screws me over, i'm declaring war on both heaven and hell.

Click to shrink...

Angel: Thank you. His will is done, and now, you are cleansed and freed from your debt to Satan.

Angel: From this moment forward until either Satan's elimination, the end of eternity, or you break your vow to be Lawful Good (whichever comes first)...

Angel: You have Protection From Demons!

And with that, the clouds beneath you disintegrate, and you begin floating down. Tired from all that sitting around, you close your eyes... and before you know it, you're sitting back on the HEXAGONAFIELD. You don't think "L" will be fulfilling his contract anytime soon.

SIDEQUEST COMPLETE!

Rewards: Protection from Demons - as long as it's active, your debt to Lucifer will not be collectible.
SPICYness - use it as you wish

 

[Moniker]

[as time passes, my new host will slowly transform into a copy of myself, because reasons. ]
"is there any special trick to this stage that you know of?"
assuming his response is no or will not affect the bellow plan, I put on a straw hat , with my arms out, on the elevator. my actions occur before eevee and mirror act.
the space around us opens up. the platform widens somewhat, and instead of just the door, everywhere else is an abyss. because thats what I thought it was while writing this, and players have reality warping, so there. anyway...
thats not a scarecrow.
however, it is shaped rather like a plus sign, with the - part higher up. a cross, and as such religious symbol.
this possessed gambler hasn't used his 5 character levels from winning the first challenge yet, so I take a level in paladin... well, 5 levels. with the paladin levels, the cross symbol will protect me from demons for now, but if they turn their attention to me specifically, it'll still be a problem. I need a long term solution.
I take out a water pistol and a very large squirtbottle (

Spoiler

as in this kind of squirtbottle:

) with telekinisis, a random gem in some of the possessed gamblers bling glowing so it seems like its an item-based telekinesis (I'm still forming a cross so...). the pistol floats into my left hand, and I grab it. the squirtbottle, meanwhile, floats to my right hand. a quick stat reallocation later, the level 29 gambler now has 50 STR, which means 250 pounds of weight being lift-able with one hand. this means I can actually wield the bottle one-handed, and the water pistol'll have enough force to shoot water at bullet-like speeds.
Finally, I use my 5 paladin level to cast bless water on all my ammo... multiple times. you see, I got the feet "fast spell" for all my feet slots each of those 5 levels. now, any spell who's casting time is less then 8192 seconds (or 2.2755 hours) can be casted in a single round. spells with a casting time of 4096 or less can be casted as a normal action...
and spells that can normally be casted in a single round can be casted as fast as I can think them.
bless water affects only 1 pint of water per use, but it only costs a round normally. I cast it twenty times in under a second.
"I'm Ready."
in the moment within which I say that, all the devils notice the sudden holy water aura. they turn likely turn, as one, to oppose me. If they do, I start by firing a shot at each ones left hand, with my left hand, before I jump and fire again three times, each at a demons right eye.
the recoil from these shots pushes me back, away from the elevator. looks like I'm going to fall, right?
nope. I cast blink, and teleport to the platform again, behind the demons. before they can react, I reveal how unscrewed the squirtbottle thing-through-which-the-water-exits is: only the slightest bit.
when its that closed, water sprays out for a short range like a shotgun. this is holy water. with my fifty strength, I can fire as fast as the vacuum left by the movement of the water closes. thats multiple times per second.
the demons are right in front of me.
and missing their right hands. and half blind.
I fire shots at them, point blank. they scream in agony as the holy water burns their heads.
I warp forwards a bit with non-dnd magic, and jump, before firing the bottle up as many times as I can. a spray of water appears above me and I begin to rocket back down from the recoil.
the bottle stays where it was when I fired though. then, it shatters. the bottle itself vanishes- the water does not.
"It's always raining somewhere else."
the rain of holy water falls down, pulverizing each devil... and soaking everyone else, I guess, but who cares. all in all, about... 5 people fell, not including the demons, before I finished. the space closes back up, and everyone's stunned for a while. having seen 3 people melt down under the water, there are two conclusions.
A) those were the devils, and now we're safe. time to wait.
B)that guy is a devil, and he just vaporized 3 people to clear his name. he can also teleport and pretty much fly from recoil of the pistol. if I interfere with him, I might not die since they wouldn't allow that, but it will be very painful. better to wait.
either way, the stage is done.

EDIT: wait, I should have 1 million more moneys. I just possessed a gambler, who must have had at least 1M since thats the minimum bet. I also kept my previous money via somno's pebbleform holding the money. so I should have 2M( my bet and somno's) +1M (mirror man gave to me) +100,000 (Fred) and the part I didn't get: 1M (possessed gambler.)

Click to shrink...

Fred: Well... No, this is completely new to me! I've been past this point before, and they've never had a murder mystery challenge... hmmm... I'll have to tell the others...

Well... you take care of business, don't you? 2 demons and 5 gamblers defeated! Everyone stares in awe. Who... ARE you? You rejoin your... allies.

I grab my allies, shove them behind me, and yell, " FUS RO DAH!" Launching a lot of people off the platform.

Click to shrink...

ACTION:?/3 ITEM(S): 1x2,000 Damage Lottery Token
AMOUNT:?/3
CHARGE:5/10
$4,000,000 on hand.
Well, this seems like it could be problematic. What to do, what to do. . . Got it! First, I increase the weight of my legs to around 150 pounds each. Without changing their looks, before sending tendrils out of them to dig into the ground. Next, rings form attached to my back wrap around the metal bars, attaching me to them. Third, I then attach 3 cuffs to my, each with a foot long chain, and give the other ends to Eevee, JOE and Fred, to attach to themselves, so no one can try to throw them off without ripping me from the bar wall first. Let them try.

Click to shrink...

These two actions don't do anything, since JOEbob already covered everything. Randomly attacking other gamblers and attaching weights to yourself would not be very helpful right now.

-------

Everything pauses for a moment. JOEbob weeded and defeated the two demons immediately. Everyone shrinks away from him as he walks to rejoin the others. Giving no comment on what transpired, the announcer booms, as though the challenge was completed normally.

???: Congratulations to all our surviving gamblers! The elevator will begin moving shortly.

???: Any who continue to attack other gamblers will be removed by security.

The Red platform begins moving upward once again. As it travels, someone approaches you from the crowd...

???: Hello! Saw that attack you launched back there! Really impressive stuff!

Star: I call myself Star. You can call me that, too.

Star: After that? You're clearly in a good spot to win this tournament. I could do much better with you than by myself!

Star: So what do you say? Can I join you in the coming game? This is my second time here, and I might be of some use. No hidden or unhidden fees!

Fred whispers to you:

Fred: I wouldn't do it. Sycophants aren't good for us.

What do you decide?

---------

Eventually, the Red Platform makes it to the top. And now it looks like... a proper casino. Red velvet carpets. Vending machines serving free sherbet. And of course, row upon row of casino card games. Poker. Rock-paper-scissors. And blackjack.

???: Welcome, remaining gamblers! Now, the TRUE test of your skill begins here. We have 38 gamblers remaining, but only 8 may move on to tonight's final round: The Tournament.

???: The price to move on is $5,000,000 per person. Minimum bet for all games is $500,000. If you lose all your money, you are instantly ejected back.

???: Our three games are: Poker (1 to 1 odds of winning), Blackjack (1 to 1 odds of winning), and Rock Paper Scissors (1 to 2 odds of winning).

???: Winning Poker or Blackjack will double your money; winning Rock Paper Scissors will triple it! Play wisely.

How this works: Choose a game to play. From there, you can either outline your strategy to see the outcome in the same turn (going as fast as possible), or let me show you your cards and the situation, then decide what to do.

???: Also, every minute you stay here, you lose $100,000. Use that money or lose that money!

Everyone immediately panics, and runs to a table, playing without thinking. Once again, it's plunged into chaos, but at least nobody's trying to kill you this time.

???: Please enjoy the complimentary sherbet! It's your reward for making it this far.

---------

Each player is in a bit of a difficult position. Mr. Mirror Man needs $1,000,000 to afford to exit, but Eevee Shadow Bacon can't exit even with their money - they'd have $0 left if they did that, and fail the sidequest. JOEbob, meanwhile, needs $10,000,000 if he wants to keep Somno.

Fred: Oh no... They always have a round like this, and I've never made it past before... why did it have to be cards!?

Star still needs to be talked to.

Casino 3rd Floor:

Crowd of People(32 other gamblers)
Fred(has $900,000)
Star(wants to team up)
Elevator(costs $5,000,000, 8 slots remaining)
Money Drain(-$100,000 per minute!)

JOEbob:
Has $4,100,000, one four-leaf clover(possessing random gambler)
[N - JOEbob]Somno: 35,000/35,000 HP (Lanternlight echo: 2 turn cooldown)(Seen through their eyes: 2 turn cooldown)(Cut through the lies: 1 turn cooldown)(cooling down for 4!)

Mr. Mirror Man:
Has $4,000,000

Eevee Shadow Bacon:
Has $5,000,000

 

[Moniker]

I play Blackjack for 500k. I'm actually really good at it and it's time for me to cash in on my good karma.

Click to shrink...

Good Karma? You just tried to shoot like, 20 people off the platform back there! And all the things you did back on the HEXAGONAFIELD! If you want to draw on the power of karma, you'll have to try harder than that! You totally lose, and your $500,000 is gone.

I smile.
gamblers all have at least 1,000,000 dollars each.
I apparently cleared out 2 demons and 5 gamblers.
even if the demons had no money, I can still steal 5,000,000 from the gamblers.
so my money, post-looting, is at least 9,100,000$, and could be anything bigger then that.
I tell Star that I don't have enough money on me to bring them and somno with me, but if I somehow end up with a ton of money, I might.
I tell fred that I'll take his advice into account and won't bring star along if it significantly disadvantages me.
Instead of gambling this round, I get somno off cooldown by using all the experience the gambler used on his paladin levels. I am no longer a paladin, but somno gets off cooldown, this will be helpful.

Click to shrink...

When you cleared out the gamblers, you didn't take their money! It's against the previously-unmentioned rules of the casino to take money from gamblers, even in challenges that involve physically defeating them. After all, if you could just beat up people and take their money, this would be a deathmatch battle tournament, not a gambling tournament!

Star: Oh, no. I just wanted the promise of your allegiance.

Star: Since you're interested, I can help you, if you do something for me...

Star points at another gambler, currently playing at the Poker table. The gambler is significantly taller and gruffer-looking than the rest around him, standing out from everyone else.

Star: That man is the biggest threat here. Walk up to him, and announce the cards in his hand. That will make him lose, and he'll be out of our hair.

Star: He might try to hide his cards from you. Try to trick him by approaching as though you're just going to talk, or better yet, need help.

Star: Do that, and I'll help you survive these games.

Your paladin energies decrease Somno's cooldown time by 2!

ACTION:?/3 ITEM(S): 1x2,000 Damage Lottery Token
AMOUNT:?/3
CHARGE:5/10
$4,000,000 on hand.-$1,000,000 in bet.
I decide to go play Rock, Paper, Scissors, because I have a plan. When a person throws one of the three, if you can process the information fast enough, you can see what the person is throwing, and respond and change what your throwing. So I decide to reduce the time it takes for my eyes to send the information to my brain to process what I'm seeing to allow me to change what I'm throwing to change what I'm throwing to beat my opponent. This plan is foolproof!

Click to shrink...

You see him throwing rock, and at the last second... PAPER! You've won, and acquired $2,000,000! That puts you at $6,000,000, enough to proceed, though you'd have to leave the others behind and you couldn't earn money.

Suddenly, it seems like the house players at the Rock Paper Scissors table... straighten, a little. You think you've gone up a difficulty level. That trick won't work a second time. You'll need something better.

--------

Many bets go around. Looking at the other gamblers, you see a lot of people's faces clench up in fear or panic. Five gamblers who made bigger bets are immediately whisked away by a sudden dark vortex. Every one who disappears makes everyone else start to freak out just a little bit more.

Star goes up to a Blackjack table, bets $1,000,000, and wins easily. The cards go right in his favor.

Fred: Listen, be careful. These games are all rigged. Not in any way you can prove, but in the demonic magic that runs this place.

Fred: You seem to have some sort of special powers. You'd better leverage all of it to win here.

Fred: Myself, I just take the safest bet. Rock Paper Scissors is the safest, since the payout is 2:1 but you have a chance in tying, not just winning or losing.

Fred goes to the Rock Paper Scissors table, and bets $500,000. He throws Scissors, and his opponent counters with Rock. Fred just sits there, silent. Staring into the distance... The minimum bet is $500,000...

Everyone on the floor loses $100,000.


Casino 3rd Floor:

Crowd of People(26 other gamblers)
Fred(has $300,000)
Star(has $10,900,000)(wants Mysterious Gambler eliminated)
Elevator(costs $5,000,000, 8 slots remaining)
Money Drain(-$100,000 per minute!)
Mysterious gambler(Playing Poker)

JOEbob:
Has $4,000,000, one four-leaf clover(possessing random gambler)
[N - JOEbob]Somno: 35,000/35,000 HP (Lanternlight echo: 2 turn cooldown)(Seen through their eyes: 2 turn cooldown)(Cut through the lies: 1 turn cooldown)(cooling down for 1!)

Mr. Mirror Man:
Has $5,900,000

Eevee Shadow Bacon:
Has $4,400,000

 

[Moniker]

I gave sanctuary to a player, I remove 2 levels from a lying GM ally, I've not done anything that evil in game...

I place half of my money in JOEbobobob pocket, giving it to him and expecting a payout later.

Click to shrink...

50% of money($2,200,000) given to JOEbob!

ACTION:?/3 ITEM(S): 1x2,000 Damage Lottery Token
AMOUNT:?/3
CHARGE:5/10
$5,900,000 on hand. -$5,300,00 Handed over to JOE, keeping enough to survive Money drain on the next update and to Gamble if needed.
"Sure, my friend, with how well you've been doing at this so far, I can do that." I hand the money over to him.

Click to shrink...

$5,300,000 given to JOEbob!

"Don't worry fred, I'll get enough money for all o' us."
anyway, I've had some time to think.
First, scroll of time stop. the money drain is annoying. I allow everything but the drain to move through time normally.
interestingly, this gambler leveled up 3 more times from me killing the demons. also, they have the prestige class "Experienced Gambler", obviously... which has multiple class skills that improve luck, if the user is aware of them (I guess this guy wasn't.)
second, lucky gambler feat. thirdly, Lucky (which applies to weapons- I choose my hand as the weapon, and apply the enchantment several times. ).
fourthly, they have a wand focus for portable hole on their earings. I use that and retrieve multiple items. namely, my 4-leaf clover from earlier, a fortuna die (tells me my luck before I act), and a wand of quickened polymorph.

then, I realise the gambler never put their skill ranks into anything, so I put 10 skill ranks in knowledge (sleight of hand), knowledge (psychology), and knowledge (rock paper scissors), respectively.
"fred, MrMirrorMan , lend me your money for a sec, I've got a plan. Eevee shadow bacon , I'd like your money too if its ok but I'm not as sure you'd accept."
"star, I'll probably help you with your thing next round. don't worry, you won't lose more money waiting; I used a scroll of selective time stop."
(telepathy: "Fred, you seem distrustful of 'star', why is that? if it seems relevant, I'll pretend to fail and avoid helping him.")
alright, its go time. I polymorph somno into a monocle and put him on. -1 elevator slot that we need to fill up, so thats nice.
I walk over to the rock paper scissors table, and sacrifice my old 4-leaf clover to take somno to -1 cooldown.
roll the fortuna dice. if I get one or 2 out of 10-30, or less then 5% of the total otherwise, I go to a different part of the table.
next, once I've chosen a "mark" and gotten a halfway-decent or even good roll, I challenge them to a game of rock paper scissors. the stakes: I bet all of my money.
Then, the game starts.
Other Gambler: aright, lets start. ROCK, -
scroll of time stop, and I still have the quickened casting effect from the holy water fiasco.
Somno-nocole, cut through the lies: is "ROCK" a lie about what they'll play?
if its true instead of a lie:

Spoiler

Other Gambler: --PAPER, SCISSORS!
They throw rock. I throw paper. yes, cut through the lies works that way. I know this because of my multiple luck bonuses ensuring that I guess things right by sheer luck.
and I win, for sure. and I've hardly even used my luck bonuses, knowledge (sleight of hand), knowledge (psychology), and knowledge (rock paper scissors). those are backup. you see...
even if somno fails to cut through the lies at all, and I end up playing the wrong hand, the knowledge (rock paper scissors) tells me how to make my hand as ambiguous as possible, meaning that with my knowledge (psychology) I can identify the perfect moment to use knowledge (sleight of hand) to change my hand shape to either tie or win. if somno's cut through the lies gave no reading at all, I use my skill ranks in knowledge (psychology) and Knowledge (rock paper scissors) to predict their most likely play (its rock), tell if they look like they're going to play that, see every early sign, and formulate a very likely prediction, and use sleight-of-hand to distract them so they don't get a chance to think their strategy through (I have the time, scroll of time stop anyone?) and become more predictable as a result.
ok so assuming I win which all evidence suggests I will, we will have a total of 38,100,000$ counting all the money from other people (assuming fred doesn't lend me anything)

if its a lie:

Spoiler

Other Gambler: --PAPER --
Scroll of time stop, again. somno, cut through the lies, again.
if this too is a lie, they are playing scissors. if this is not a lie, they're playing paper. either way, I now know what they will play, and react accordingly.
Other Gambler: --SCISSORS!
and I win, for sure, either way. and I've hardly even used my luck bonuses, knowledge (sleight of hand), knowledge (psychology), and knowledge (rock paper scissors). those are backup. you see...
even if somno fails to cut through the lies at all, and I end up playing the wrong hand, the knowledge (rock paper scissors) tells me how to make my hand as ambiguous as possible, meaning that with my knowledge (psychology) I can identify the perfect moment to use knowledge (sleight of hand) to change my hand shape to either tie or win. if somno's cut through the lies gave no reading at all, I use my skill ranks in knowledge (psychology) and Knowledge (rock paper scissors) to predict their most likely play (its rock), tell if they look like they're going to play that, see every early sign, and formulate a very likely prediction, and use sleight-of-hand to distract them so they don't get a chance to think their strategy through (I have the time, scroll of time stop anyone?) and become more predictable as a result.
ok so assuming I win which all evidence suggests I will, we will have a total of 38,100,000$ counting all the money from other people (assuming fred doesn't lend me anything). thats enough to bring 7 people through- almost every slot. we only actually have 5 people to bring- mirror, me, eevee, somno, and fred. I can skip the somno via my previous polymorph-into-an-object procedure. so after paying for 4 people to come along, we'll have 18,100,000$ to divide among us. I think I'll give 4,000,000 to eevee and mirror each, (after accounting for having given them 5M by letting them come along), leaving myself with 18,100,000, and fred with however much he lent me x 3 +however much he kept for himself.

hooray am win is very guds. I divvy up the money appropriately, but I stick around for another round before going.
Oh, and you know how its all rigged with demonic magic?
literally everyone here is soaked with holy water.
Everyone.
I guess some of these people dried themselves off, but I haven't. my clothing is drenched and I drank half a litter on the way up the elevator. I radiate holy energy. the demonic machinations bounce off me the first few times, and by the time they realise whats going on and pierce through it, I'm done all our gambling for this whole section. better luck next time, demonic magic. wait, no, worse luck, because you suck.

Click to shrink...

As soon as you activate your Scroll of Selective Time Stopping, a nearby machine automatically activates a Scroll of Selective Time Un-Stopping to counter it. They see this sort of thing pretty regularly.

Fred(Telepathy): Well, the reason why high-roller types like him worry me, is the rumors that have been circling around my mining camp...

Fred: It's hard to tell since down here, we're so separated, but the rumor is that nobody actually wins these tournaments.

Fred: Instead, a plant by the "owners" here, rolls through the competition and takes the money.

Fred: That guy he's pointing to might also be the one to worry about, though...

Fred, realizing he has no choice or better option, gives you $200,000 to help with your bet. You receive $2,200,000 from Eevee Shadow Bacon, and $5,300,000 from Mr. Mirror Man. Combining it with all your money, that's a bet of $11,800,000.

This place has sensors for people trying to smuggle other gamblers too. Mere monocle-turning has no chance of getting past them, especially since every security camera saw you do it. You'll still need to pay for Somno.

Once the game starts, using Somno's abilities and a whole lot of luck, your massive bet pays off spectacularly! The gambler throws Paper, forcing you to use Somno's ability twice. You, meanwhile, throw scissors. The payout comes back, it's $35,400,000 - a LOT of money. You divvy it up between everyone, tossing Fred his money first before the Money Drain takes effect. That gives $9,000,000 to Eevee Shadow Bacon and Mr Mirror Man, leaving you with $16,800,000. At the same time, you feel the atmosphere grow... heavier. If you want to win any more money, it's going to be an uphill climb.

(Also, heaters dried the holy water off everyone earlier. Come to think of it, this place is really well-heated. Must have good insulation.)

-----

As another turn passes, money drains, and many fortunes are lost, the atmosphere grows more frenzied. One person walks up and purchases passageway through the elevator, leaving 7 slots left. 6 more gamblers are eliminated through their own poor decisions. A few gamblers, down below $100,000 and with only a few minutes left, come up and beg you for some money, any money. This situation won't last much longer.

Star bets $500,000 on a game of Poker. He loses, just barely. He doesn't even blink.

The mysterious gambler also plays a game of Poker. You couldn't see how much he bet, but it looks like he won.

Fred waits expectantly. What's the plan now?

Money drain takes $100,000 from everyone.

-------

Looks like most of you can advance, though if you do you're leaving Fred a little helpless. You have a few choices to make before you move on; do you want to help Fred, and do you want to help Star?

Casino 3rd Floor:

Crowd of People(19 other gamblers)
Fred(has $600,000)
Star(has $10,300,000)(wants Mysterious Gambler eliminated)
Elevator(costs $5,000,000, 7 slots remaining)
Money Drain(-$100,000 per minute!)
Mysterious gambler(Playing Poker)

JOEbob:
Has $16,800,000(possessing random gambler)
[N - JOEbob]Somno: 35,000/35,000 HP (Lanternlight echo: 2 turn cooldown)(Seen through their eyes: 2 turn cooldown)(Cut through the lies: 1 turn cooldown)(cooling down for 1!)

Mr. Mirror Man:
Has $9,500,000

Eevee Shadow Bacon:
Has $11,000,000

 

[Moniker]

"Alright, I've decided what I'm doing."
"Mirror, Eevee, and fred, feel free to move on. Fred, here's 4 Million 900 thousand dosh, don't worry I still have enough dosh left over for me and somno."
I'm obviously not going to try to win more money. I have enough, the other players have a bunch left over, and its not worth the risk.
first, I sacrifice all my skill ranks in knowledge (rock paper scissors) to bring somno off cooldown, along with a full action.
talking is a free action though, soo....
"Star, do you think the tall guy you want is eliminated a plant by the owners here to keep people from winning?"
after they answer that...
"Alternatively, are you a plant by the "owners" here, especially one who'll roll through the competition and takes the money? the answer is yes if your a plant by the owners, regardless of the kind."
Somno. cut through the lies if they say yes or no. if they start to say "No Comment", cut through the lies on the no. if they remain fully silent, then if they said yes about the tall guy, use cut through the lies on that. if they said no about the tall guy and where silent, use "seen through their eyes" with the following target prioritys. highest priority: "reason for people like JOE to be rightfully suspicious.", with lower priority's being assorted ways to say "reason i'd be considered bad/ reason joe shouldn't team up with me" and if none of those work, do "thing that would convince me another person is trustworthy and I should help them as much as I can without requiring them to reciprocate in the near future if they told me it".
if the results of all this convince me that the mysterious gambler is the plant/ is bad and that star is good and innocent,

Spoiler

I inform fred about this development (full transparency yo.), then

Spoiler

cast portable hole, pulling out a bit of powder of truth (forces any who drinks it to tell the truth and they have to answer), put it in a pitcher of heavily food-colored lemonade , walk up to the mysterious gambler and offer him a drink of lemonade. I then trip by accidentally-on-purpose before he can answer, spilling the lemonade on the two of us. the pitcher is plastic, so it didn't break.
the lemonade had a lot of food coloring on it. we'll both be dry soon from the awesome heaters, but all his hidden cards will be clearly fake due to the purple color the normal cards don't have.
he will realise this and likely be very angry. if he trys to attack me, I use subtle telekinesis combined with decent skill at dodging to make him fail each time. I then ask why he's so angry, since it was an accident and hes already dried off. he has no way of answering without admitting to the hidden cards, and he swallowed some of the truth-powder-lemonade (I telekinisized some into his mouth and kept mine firmly shut), so he has to answer that question in a truthful way. I then turn and go, ascending the elevator.

otherwise, I turn and ascend the elevator, paying appropriately.
In case its unclear, if they don't seem innocent, I do the things between the spoiler and this text. the stuff bellow this overrules this text however.

Final note: when you make a bet in rock paper scissors, where does the extra money come from? does it just appear? if so, could I play rock paper scissors with somno, each of us betting 500,000 each match, then sharing the spoils of 1,500,000, rinse and repeat? if this is possible, then I replace all the spoilered actions with betting 8,000,000$ against somno in rock paper scissors and having him bet the same, and repeating that 3 times to increase our total dosh by 24,000,000. because if thats possible, why the [chocolate thing named after an old word for mistake] not?

Click to shrink...

Fred: You're just... giving me money? But... why...

Star sees you walking up to him, with a lie-detector magic-memory-viewing partner, and an iron-clad plan to reveal his secrets. Before you can even get close enough to say anything and activate Somno's powers, he shakes his head and walks away. Rude. He immediately heads

It looks like you've eliminated any chance at an alliance. Not much point in sticking around now.

In answer to the final note: You're playing against mysterious masked House gamblers, not other "competing" gamblers, in all the games.

ACTION:?/3 ITEM(S): 1x2,000 Damage Lottery Token
AMOUNT:?/3
CHARGE:5/10
$9,500,000 on Hand.
"Well, I believe that you have things handled here, so I'm going to go with ESB over there and go up. Also, you might want to have something for if it turns out Star is the Planted player instead, or if the Unknown Gambler doesn't attack." And with that, I go to one of the elevators, paying the fine.
*Italicized and greyed out is with Telepathy.*

Click to shrink...

You're heading up... Eevee is too, though I didn't quote their post.

------

Hurrying so as not to lose more money or have their spot taken, Fred, Star, and the mysterious gambler all board the elevator. All of the players and Somno run up to pay the fine as well. That's all 8 slots filled...

You all board the elevator. As the doors close, you see the other gamblers one last time, scrabbling helplessly as the intercoms announce that, as always, no consolation prizes will be awarded.

------

One brief, uncomfortable elevator ride later...

You step onto the top floor of the mysterious casino. It's a large, windowless stadium-type room. There are four stages, each surrounded by ropes like you'd find in a wrestling ring. The intercom speaks again...

???: Contestants! This is it! Your last trial! Welcome...

???: To the TOURNAMENT ZONE!

???: Please look at the board at the top to see your respective matches...

Showing on the board:

? vs. ?
|
----------- ?+? vs. ?+? -----------
/ / \ \
| | | |
M vs. B E vs. S St vs. M J vs. F

M=Mr Mirror Man
B=Brady
E=Eevee Shadow Bacon
S=Somno
St=Star
M=Mysterious Gambler
J=JOEbob
F=Fred

???: The setup is a bit different from your regular tournament arc! The first 4 rounds are standard 1v1s, happening simultaneously. When all finish, we'll enter a 2v2 team matchup with the remaining four, then finally, the surviving teammates will have to turn against each other in the final round!

???: Last one standing will claim the Infinityleaf Clover for themselves!

???: Good luck, participants!

All of you move to your rings.

Mr Mirror Man vs. Brady:

Mr Mirror Man steps into the ring. Facing him is Brady, the first person who made it into elevator.

Brady: I... I won big with a risky bet back there... You won't beat me! I have luck on my side!

Mr. Mirror Man:
Has $4,500,000

Brady:
Has $2,000,000

Eevee Shadow Bacon vs. Somno:

Eevee and Somno step into the ring. Somno doesn't exactly have a high Free Will score, and he's carrying $1,000,000 from JOEbob's account. Somno is a mere puppet, and can likely be remotely controlled by JOEbob. If JOEbob even wants to do that. Maybe it would be better to just let Somno be eliminated? This tournament will inevitably have you all fighting each other; how is this going to work out?

Eevee Shadow Bacon:
Has $6,000,000

[N - JOEbob]Somno: 35,000/35,000 HP (Lanternlight echo: 2 turn cooldown)(Seen through their eyes: 2 turn cooldown)(Cut through the lies: 1 turn cooldown)
Has $1,000,000

Star vs. Mysterious Gambler

The two opponents face each other.

Mysterious gambler: You. You're the chosen one, aren't you?

Star: ...

Mysterious gambler: I have trained rigorously for this moment. I WILL defeat you. The legendary weapon won't fall into their hands.

Star:
Has $5,300,000

Mysterious gambler:
Has $15,000,000

JOEbob vs. Fred:

JOEbob and Fred step into the ring. Fred looks more than a little nervous.

Fred: ...Okay, I'll own up.

Fred: I initially went into the deal intending to betray you as soon as we were pit against each other. I assumed you had the same in mind.

Fred: Instead, I ended up as a tag-along! And... you GAVE me money? I just don't understand.

Fred: What I'm trying to say is, I know I stand no chance. I don't want to fight you.

Fred: Maybe... we could work something out...?

JOEbob:
Has $1,900,000(possessing random gambler)

Fred:
Has $500,000


???: How the battle works is pretty simple! Launch your best attacks at your opponent, but instead of HP, they'll lose money! When they're out of money, you win!

???: Next turn, we'll unlock the Power-Up shop - containing opportunities to spend your money to gain advantages! Or alternatively, gamble with it to get more of it!

???: Good luck, fighters!

 

[Moniker]

(I just noticed that the nice tournament ladder I made last update got totally messed up. It wasn't supposed to look like that, I swear! I'll make a new once we see some fights getting won.)

Hm.
if somno loses, he doesn't die, right?
"fred, you where right. someone chose Star to win. the mysterious gambler is trying to stop them. "
"as for fighting, I don't want to fight you either. I think I have an idea."
"HOLY!!"
holy word, a cleric spell. It should keep demons from sticking around within hearing range, and reduce general visibility outside it. I cast it from a scroll, in case you're wondering."
"it won't last long, though. only a few minutes."
"Well..."
"Baleful modifier(not)
Polymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:OtherPolymorph:Other"
(yes I do still have quickened casting. that took about 1 round (8 seconds).)
A barrage of polymorph bolts shoot out from in front of me, pretty much scattershot. one of them hits a bat and turns it into a flee, and most of them go wild.
One, however, hits fred, turning him into a minion golem for the duration. another strikes somno, doing the same to him.
Eevee shadow bacon , Cast charm monster on him for a "totally" "luck" "based" "victory" that keeps him involved. as soon as both our matches are over, pretend to cast some portable hole effect, I'll make a portal at your location. drop him in it so I can have somno back.
"Fred. this is telepathic communication (all lighter colored text is). Charm moanster. I'm going to claim that I'm using you as a minion since if I had cast the spell, you'd be under my control for quite a while. if things get tough, it wasn't actually a baleful modifier so you can change back at will. follow me, keep helping me out, and once we win I'll share the prize or, if its only one item, repay you for the help."
"Oh look, the HOL -ey word is running out... well, I finished what I was doing with it."

"hm- [turns into a golem] click clack click clack."
[somno isn't a puppet (though he does help me whenever he can.). I'd have him express this in text, but he doesn't talk much in the source so.... also he transformed into a golem so.]
Eevee, sort of. I have an idea.
Now for my next action: interacting with a match I have no right to affect.
I turn towards the platform star and the mysterious gambler are duelling on and yell over to it (I'm assuming its pretty far away)
"HEY STAR!"
"I DON'T TAKE KINDLY TO PEOPLE TRYING TO MANIPULATE ME!"
"AND YOU SHOULD ALREADY REALISE THAT KNOWING YOU DON'T WANT ME TO KNOW WHY YOUR SUSPICIOUS MEANS I KNOW YOU'RE EVEN MORE SUSPICIOUS THEN YOU EXPECT ME TO CONCLUDE YOU ARE... ASSUMING YOUR NOT AN IDIOT..."
"WE COULD HAVE WORKED TOGETHER YOU KNOW... IN A NON-MANIPULATIVE, MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL WAY..."
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TRY THAT? OH WAIT, ONE SEC..."
"RIGHT, THAT PROBABLY MEANS YOUR CAUSE IS MORALLY WRONG IN SOME WAY, OR THAT YOU FOR SOME REASON CAN'T ABIDE BY GETTING SLIGHTLY LESS THEN MAXIMUM."
"EVEN IF THE CAUSE IS MORALLY WRONG THOUGH, I MIGHT HAVE STILL GONE ALONG WITH IT IF YOU GAVE ME A GOOD REASON. IF YOU GO AND TELL ME "i'm evil" UP FRONT, I'D RESPECT THAT. BUT NOOOOOO, YOU HAD TO BE A MANIPULATIVE BUTTFACE. "
"SO IN SUMMERY, WE ARE NOW ENEMIES, WE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE, AND I HOLD MY GRUDGES UNTIL THEY ARE FULFILLED... "
"OH, WHY WAS I YELLING THIS AT YOU? WHATS THE POINT?"
"NOT TELLING!"
Simultaneously via telepathy:
"mysterious gambler man."
"I am planning to help you stop star. do you have a weapon on you?"
"Alright, next few times time I pause in my speech, I'm silently casting various temporary auguments on it.
[if he has no weapon]
["alright, here. this is a level 8 +9/ +8 augumented release blade, fully charged up with perception energy. I have deposited it, invisible, to the ground next to you."
"the energy radiating off it should temporarily grant you some of my powers, and if you're in a pinch, you can release the contained energy into a short range explosion of immense power."
"time to buff it some more...."]
"aright, lastly, I'm going to teleport you three scrolls of Stolen time. if you're in a pinch and don't think explosions will help, or if you want to finish off star but aren't fast enough, use these. they're powered by all the time I've been standing still on elevators- I temporally froze myself and stole the time I'd experience to power them. use them well."
"and hand star his ass on a silver platter, please. he's a douch."

Click to shrink...

-Hey JOEbobobob can your puppet just forfeit?-
Nvm. I cast charm monster.

Click to shrink...

???: Well, this is certainly an interesting twist!

???: Using previously unforeseen abilities, both Somno and Fred have been turned into golem participants!

???: These poor gamblers are now subservient to their respective controllers...

???: Eevee Shadow Bacon and JOEbob!

???: In the spirit of gambling, while Somno and Fred, as well as their savings, are considered eliminated, they will be allowed to stay with their masters, on a collective money account.

???: Winners of two of our four first rounds: Eevee Shadow Bacon and JOEbob!

(Yeah, even if Eevee had defeated Somno he would've just been unavailable to use until the sidequest ended. Even like this, as a golem Somno's powers are still unavailable.)

Mysterious Gambler(Telepathy): ...

Mysterious Gambler: Thank you, but I don't trust you.

Mysterious Gambler: I need to win the Legendary Weapon. If I win, I know how to get it somewhere safe.

Mysterious Gambler: You're players, right? You're liable to bring it straight to the godmodder. And I can't have that.

The Mysterious gambler doesn't touch the invisible blade you've given him, though he pockets the Scrolls of Stolen Time because he doesn't know what else to do with them.

ACTION:?/3 ITEM(S): 1x2,000 Damage Lottery Token
AMOUNT:?/3
CHARGE:5/10
$4,500,000 on Hand.
Current Battle Music: :MR INSISTER'S THEME-Through Solid Matter

The mirror that owns his own casino looks at the man named Brady. "Really, you think that simple 'Luck' can make you win in a straight up combat scenario? Please, even you know that luck won't be enough. Observe." And without warning, the mirror has shoved their knee into the man's stomach, making him choke on air. Before striking them away with the arm of a lottery machine. They throw various number cards of hearts, clovers, spades and diamonds, after them, with them exploding, throwing the man into the ground. The man tries to get up, but is struck down by various poker chips being launched with the force of bullets.

The man by the name of Brady is starting to notice a theme, one that doesn't bode well for their chances of victory. This man that is a mirror is a literal casino devil. Is this man the supposed plant set in by the organizer? But. . . It's so obvious, this mirror thing is nothing but casino imagery, how has no one called them out on this! . . . Is it because it's so obvious, that it seems ridiculous to do so? Then again, it's less obvious than what that strangely ordinary guy did, that was cra... GAH!

While the man going by Brady was having these thoughts, the casino owning mirror started a Pachinko game, they played expertly, getting multi-ball various times, but now, they let the balls drop, all of them landing on the man. "Now do you see what you're up against, the reason this gambling tournament is such a challenging endeavor is because it isn't only gambling. One doesn't expect to be trying to punch one another to unconsciousness in a tournament of wit and skill, so no one brings any proper weapon's, and that's why so many fail. Maybe next time bring a better weapon."

Click to shrink...

Brady is so generic, you punch out all $2,000,000 of his money!

???: And the winner of our third match: Mr Mirror Man!

------

Star vs. Mysterious Gambler

The Mysterious Gambler pulls out two knives from his pocket, and throws them at Star! Star leaps out of the way just in time, and rushes up close, using the deadly neck-pinch technique on the Mysterious Gambler! He loses $3M, but before Star can pull away, the Mysterious Gambler grabs Star and suplexes them! Star loses $4M!

Star: Good... looks like I'll have to use my secret trick.

Star grins. His secret's been revealed; not much point in hiding it now! He transforms into full DEVIL MODE, and becomes a legit demon! His damage resistance and attack increase by a factor of 5!

Star: Now, DIE!

He launches himself at the Mysterious Gambler...

...Only to find himself with one last dagger embedded in his eye. A Golden +10 Divine Dagger of Demon Slaying.

Star: HOW!? I should have immunity to all divine weaponry!

Mysterious Gambler: Not this one.

Looking closer at the Dagger, it appears to be glowing with... godmodding energy. Enough to bypass simple resistances such as Star's.

Mysterious Gambler: Perish.

With the effectiveness bonus, Star quickly loses his remaining $1.3M! Star is eliminated!

???: ...

???: And congratulations to this round's fourth and final matchwinner, Altair!

???: With that, the first set of tournament fights is included.

???: Look at the board above; we now proceed to Round 2: The 2v2 matchup!

TOURNAMENT LADDER:

----------------? vs. ?----------------
-------------------|-------------------
----------- M+E vs. J+A -----------

???: Our 2v2 matchup tonight is Mr Mirror Man and Eevee Shadow Bacon, facing JOEbob and Altair! The winning team will promptly need to face each other to determine the true winner!

The four platforms, now with one person each, are suddenly lifted up and out of the ground by long, mechanical arms! They quickly swivel around, with all four connecting and latching together in the center, forming one large platform higher above the ground! Now, you're all on the same field!

???: Now, the fight begins... IMMEDIATELY! Please look to the right for power-up options.

To the right of each team, a digital terminal moves out of the ground! You can press buttons to navigate to various useful power-up options.

Altair: JOEbob. Here's $1M, to not die instantly.

Altair: But we aren't allies. I'm going to win. You had best stay out of my way.

-------

2v2 Round:

JOEbob/Fred as golem minion:
Has $2,900,000(possessing random gambler)

Altair:
Has $11,000,000, 3 scrolls of Time Stop

VS.

Mr. Mirror Man:
Has $4,500,000

Eevee Shadow Bacon/Somno as golem minion:
Has $6,000,000

POWER-UP TERMINAL:
Digital Slot Machine: Bet your money for a chance to win more money!
Invulnerability: Pay half your current cash for invulnerability for all of the turn following the one you purchase it on. Can only be used once per person.
Boost Roulette: Pay $1M for a completely random boost to yourself, or a random debuff on the enemy gamblers!
Death Card: For 90% of your current cash, draw tonight's DEATH CARD, instantly slaying a random gambler! Including yourself or your teammate! Can only be drawn once a night!

OOC: The slot machine works on the same rules as the one on the HEXAGONAFIELD, with two of the same number giving you back half that number times your money (2 5s = x2.5 cash) and three of that number giving you back that number times the money (3 4s = x4 cash). You get 3 spins with each bet, to make it not an almost-certain-loss.

Also, since it's highly, highly unlikely that you will be able to proceed without player eliminations, I'll say it now: The final "choice" as to how this sidequest ends will be made by the player who wins this tournament arc.

 

[Moniker]

"We aren't allys? but our text colors are nigh-identical!"
"Jokes aside, when deciding what to do with the prize and in general, I try to be as rational as possible. I'm afraid I'm still unclear on what happens if the godmodder gets all the legendary weapons, but to prove my trustworthiness, know that I willingly (temporarily) sacrificed some of my own life force to destroy one of them, keeping the godmodder from accessing it Forever. "
"I'm also neutral in the conflict. give me some reward worth having, and I'll do whatever I can to help. it is very likely you can help me, since your secret weapon in fighting star was enhanced with godmodding power."
"But. I am still suspicious of you. last time there was a sidequest to retrieve a legendary weapon( someone else did it, it was the weapon I destroyed), the nice-seeming person who tried to help was literally Lucifer and used soul-based magics to force the person who obtained the weapon to instantly give it to the godmodder."
"as well, instead of fighting one another if we win, I suggest a magical contract to ensure neither of us betrays the other, that we hear one another out, and, IF we cannot come to any agreement after arbitrarily large amounts of time, re-engage in combat as if none of that had ever happened."
"Do you believe this to be a fair decision, Altair?
still telepathy, but with dif' target:
"Mirror, my suggestion we find a way to have the person who Would lose seem to be transformed into like, a rock or something... then, if the remaining people are betrayed or need help, you spring out. if you want to contribute to a discussion, you spring out. if, however, you oppose whoever beat you, don't spring out. I will follow the same agreement if you would win."
the same message goes out to Eevee shadow bacon .
as for battle-actions...
"Wizard, School of Divination Portent Feature.
After each long rest, roll two 2d20. Record the results. Then throughout the day, you can expend each result to make that be the outcome of any one attack roll, saving throw, or ability check for you or any creature you can see."
I give fred-golem a wand of Steal and Hold Person, telling him to focus on using hold person to try to stun eevee and mirror.
meanwhile, using my still-present ranks in quickened casting (and 2 ranks in motionless classing and silent casting each), I cast a scroll of time stop, then plane shift. I then get some feats:
Extend spell. Extra Turning, Persistent spell, Divine Metamagic (Persistent Spell), Duplication feet (Persistent spell XII).
I cast a scroll of extended empowered maxed time stop, and rest for about 8 hours, replenishing my spell slots, before the time stop spell gives out.
I return to the main battle area, and quickened cast the "steal" spell 4 times, which means it will succeed an average of once, stealing as much of their money as they concentrate into a single one of their possessions. if fred manages a hold person, he'll use steal on them while they're trapped.


Magic number seven, ask Eevee to pick a card, any card!... wait, no, not that one.... No, not that one either. Also not that one... look, just take this card ok? good? good.
this card happens to be the death card for Eevee! unless seven mixed up the death card for magic seven and eevee, but he made sure it wasn't me, Mirror, or altair. its weird that eevee tried to take everything but their card until forced otherwise, though. they must have really good luck [orbecheating.]

Click to shrink...

Altair: I appreciate the offer. But I hate contracts. If you want to talk, just talk.

Altair: However, JOEbob, you mentioned you destroyed a legendary weapon. To the limits of my knowledge, that should be impossible. My connections would know immediately, even if you somehow managed it.

Altair: Mind telling me how you did it?

Fredgolem given Wand! He's going to try and use Hold Person...

You activate STEAL! You take $500,000 from both Eevee Shadow Bacon and Mr Mirror Man, and give it to yourself!

Lucky Number Seven is trying to counter Eevee Shadow Bacon's action...

I'll buy a DEATH CARD-O!

Click to shrink...

Lucky Number Seven intervenes! He holds up a bunch of cards and asks you to pick one! You ignore him and go for the terminal.

You sacrifice $4,950,000, and press the bottom-most button on the terminal! The giant tournament-ladder display temporarily switches to a card, about to flip over and reveal a face... the loudspeaker crackles...

???: Oh, I forgot to mention something earlier. Well, no.

???: Actually, we just lied about how the Death Card works.

???: Since it's such an obvious cop-out move, any gambler forced to draw it isn't worth their salt. So it just eliminates the gambler who drew it!

???: Think about it this way. You were taking a gamble that we weren't lying to you about how it worked. And you lost.

???: May the remaining gamblers have a great tournament!

Eevee Shadow Bacon DIES! By which I mean, they lose all but $1, which they've bet on Mr Mirror Man winning for them, and are made to sit in the audience until the match is over. They can still shout encouragement! Or alternatively, drop out and go back to the HEXAGONAFIELD. Which would leave Mr Mirror Man's team without a final opponent if they win. Well, the management will surely find some way to deal with that if it comes down to it!

ACTION:?/3 ITEM(S): 1x2,000 Damage Lottery Token
AMOUNT:?/3
CHARGE:5/10
$4,500,000 on Hand.
Seeing Eevee shadow bacon go for a Death Card, I pray to whatever may listen that it does not choose me to die. I like JOE's plan, but what ever is running this tournament would clearly be able to tell if one of us was still in the game or not, though we might be given some leeway due to the actions of Altair, I might be able to stay in the game if I let a piece of myself be broken off of myself when I'm hit, allowing me to jump out later. Other then that. I collect '???' not-positive feelings about how Altair made their way to this round into a scroll burning spell, destroying their scrolls of Time Stop.

Click to shrink...

You've agreed to JOEbob's proposal of trying to remain in the game if you lose! Success is not guaranteed, however. You destroy Altair's scrolls of Time Stop!

--------

Fredlem tries to use Hold Person on Mr Mirror Man! Mr Mirror Man quickly gets out of the way, and the attack hits Somnolem instead! Somnolem counters by not doing anything, since they didn't have orders, and also they don't have any special items. The effect wears off as soon as Somnolem's turn is over.

Altair pulls out six knives, held between his fingers, and strides menacingly towards Mr Mirror Man, clearly uninterested in the terminal. He throws all six of them at once, hitting Mr Mirror Man in the gut! All he feels is his wallet getting lighter. He loses $2,900,000, leaving him with $1,100,000!

???: I helped you out there, Mr Mirror Man! I'd hate to see the match be completely lopsided...

???: The power-up terminal is yours to use.




2v2 Round:

JOEbob/Fred as golem minion+wand/Lucky Number Seven:
Has $3,900,000(possessing random gambler)

Altair:
Has $11,000,000, 3 scrolls of Time Stop

VS.

Mr. Mirror Man/Somno as golem minion:
Has $1,100,000

Eevee Shadow Bacon:
Has $1
Spectating!

POWER-UP TERMINAL:
Digital Slot Machine: Bet your money for a chance to win more money!
Invulnerability: Pay half your current cash for invulnerability for all of the turn following the one you purchase it on. Can only be used once per person.
Boost Roulette: Pay $1M for a completely random boost to yourself, or a random debuff on the enemy gamblers!