Black Tom's Whispering Cairn
Game Master Black Tom

Bugs! Bugs! More bugs!"

Bubba moves to attack Vug.

Will Save (if necessary): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Damage : 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Black Tom wrote:

Desperately the drow (including the one Vug bombed, who has now recovered) turn their attention to Feres, who is hit by a crossbow bolt for 13 points of damage and stabbed for another 11.

Did they pass their saves vs. Sanctuary?

They did, actually. And I think Bub has another attack to roll.

Note: In order for Bubba to attack Feres last round, he would have needed to move 30 ft to square O-12, so no full attack (not that it really matters, since the second attack roll missed). In order to attack Vug this round, he would have to move 10 ft, so no full attack this round either.

Vug steps away from Bub and throws another stink bomb at the wounded drow.

1d20 + 12 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 12 + 1 = 194d6 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (5, 6, 3, 5) + 5 + 1 = 25 + splash + nausea

Yeah, sorry, I keep thinking of Bubba as wielding a whip.

Vug's bomb finishes the drow.

"I think we should heal and move on as quick as possible and come back and loot afterwards. We don't know how many more allies this mind flayer has and he could be mobilizing them." Besides, still have some duration left on fly, pro evil, and enlarge person.

HP wise:
Bubba is down 16
Vulcan 9
Vug 5
Friar 24
Valgrim 9

Presumably we'll wait for the confusion to die down before moving on...

Realising that Bubba is seriously injuring his friends, Vulcan thrusts his hand forward as a massive torrent of water surges forward to slam into Bubba.

His prior disorientation affecting his ability to summon forth sufficient force to move the bard.

Bullrush1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

Forgot about Confusion but definitely wait for it to wear off.

The confusion wears off soon enough, but so do your short-term (1 min/level) buffs. Honestly, they should have done so already.

You get 2880 xp for the battle.

There are two exits from this room, the iron door in the barred wall and the corridor going onwards. Just inside the iron door stand four rotting corpses with large gaping holes in their heads.

No problem, Valgrim is still protected by Resist Energy (Fire); that buff lasts 50 minutes. And he's about to ask Friar for FoM, which lasts 80 minutes.

Valgrim looks at the rotting corpses, trying to identify them: Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 4 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 + 4 = 20

Do the drow have any treasure of interest?

Vug will take a minute and brew an extract of Disguise Self and disguise herself as the drow cleric. Hey, it can't hurt!

She'll also drink her extract of See Invisibility.

'Where did the bugs go?"

Bubba tries to tell how the corpses died.

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

Or appropriate knowledge check, his bonus is the same

Once the group ensures that the drow are indeed completely deceased, Feres channels a burst of healing energy to mend the companions' wounds.

Channel Energy (Healing): 4d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 3, 3) = 14 hp healed by everyone.

The stout priest then expends a charge from his lesser curative wand to mend a portion of the remainder of his own wounds.

CLW Wand Charge on Feres: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7 hp healed.

Feres also casts Freedom of Movement on Valgrim as requested.

CLW Wand charges remaining: 5
Number of Channels used today: 1/7
Feres' HP: 63/66

"Whoa! Free-standing rotting corpses with gaping holes in their heads. Undead, no doubt?"

Knowledge (religion) to determine whether the free-standing corpses are indeed undead (and what type): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8 - nope, never seen anything like it before!

BT, we're going in the room with the undead next so you know. And thanks Friar for the buff!

The iron door is locked. The corpses look like they have had their brains forcibly extracted, and as far as you can tell they are normal zombies.

Zombies you say? Well then...

Once his companions unlock and open the iron door, Feres steps into the doorway with scimitar drawn and channels a burst of divine energy.

Channel Energy (Harm Undead): 4d6 + 8 ⇒ (5, 6, 2, 2) + 8 = 23 damage to undead; Will DC 20 for half damage; undead do not add channel resistance to saves due to Feres' Sun Domain.

Number of Channels used today: 2/7

Feres' AC: 18
Feres' HP: 63/66

"Vug, the door please?"

So the drow don't have anything of interest?

Vug (disguised as a drow) takes a look at the door lock.

Perception (for traps): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21
Disable Device: take 10 for a result of 26

The drow warrior have the same gear as the ones you fought before. The priest has a magic breastplate, a magic shield, a magic morningstar and... er... the key to the iron door. Sorry.

Feres obliterates the zombies and you enter the room, which is a natural cavern without exits. At the back of it a bunch of terrified people are crouching. They are two young women barkeeps, two merchants and an elven craftsman and look very relieved to see you, especially after Feres's display of holy might.

You get 296 xp each for the zombies and rescuing the prisoners.

"Maybe you guys better stay here f-for the moment; there's some dangerous mold between here and the exit," Vug warns the newly freed prisoners.

"Perhaps there's something we could use to sset the mold on fire." Vulcan muses as her.

"But what if something happens and we fall to the mind flayer? Who will get these poor souls to safety then? Perhaps we should see them to the surface and come back?"

"Well then -- the exit's out that way somewhere, and stay away from any yellowish mold! Here's some torches and a tinderbox so that you can burn it out when you see it." Vug hands over 10 torches and a tinderbox.

Valgrim motions the party over and whispers, "I believe you are forgetting the naga. He/she may mind control them or us or want to eat these people as a tribute. It's best the prisoners wait for us here. We shall not fall before this mind flayer! Bubba, convince these good people to not move and wait for our return." If the party agrees, we continue going forward down the other corridor, Valgrim in the lead. Perception check: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (1) + 17 = 18...add +2 for stone

Friar would have to waste more Pro Evil on spells on us and the prisoners to protect us from the naga's gaze and we may waste resources on a full head on fight with the naga, as well as the time wasted to get rid of the yellow mold with torches for our buffs to deplete.

"The way back is not safe my friends.As my companions said there is dangerous mold and a snake man back that way. Wait for us here, it won't be long."

I also think we should have the prisoners wait while we press on.

Bubba examines the magic items.

Spellcraft (breastplate): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19
Spellcraft (shield): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23
Spellcraft (morningstar): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12

is it a light shield?

It is a heavy steel shield and it's not magic per se, but the subject of a Magic Vestment spell. It's +2 for a number of hours still if you should like to use it. Bubba isn't sure about the other two items.

Assuming you'll want to scout ahead: the cavern corridor widens into a small chamber before continuing onward. The floor has been smoothed here, and in the center is a large faintly glowing purple symbol.

Valgrim stops the party's progress and looks around. Perception check to look around the room at the floors, walls, and ceiling: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (17) + 17 = 34..+2 for stone

As they Bubba passes over the other items, Vulcan takes a moment to study them for dweomers.

Breastplate1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Morningstar1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Vug tries to recall anything useful about the purple symbol.

Spellcraft: take 10 for 26
Know (arcana): take 10 for 26

The purple symbol is a likeness of the one the doppleganger carried on its forehead. This one is a Permanent Image. Valgrim discovers a more ominous glyph in the ceiling above.

Meanwhile Vulcan identifies the breastplate as +1 light fortification.

Going out of town again for a couple of days. Not sure if I will be able to post before Tuesday.

"Looks like a magical glyph in the ceiling. We can't waste time here. I don't think we can disarm. Wait here, I'll try to set it off." Valgrim, watching the glyph, will walk around the edges of the room, staying away from where the glyph is located. If I need a save: Base: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

"A magical glyph on the ceiling? A trap? Here, let me see if I can dispel it," Feres suggests.

Cast Dispel Magic on the glyph on the ceiling. Dispel check: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 (vs. the glyph's DC of 11 + glyph's caster level).

That could work too...lol!

"If you need something to trigger a trap in the f-future, I can summon up a weak minion to do it, by the way."

Vug has Summon Nature's Ally I available for trap-springing.

Good to know.

Feres's magic erases the glyph (earning you 320 xp each)

Proceeding you soon find yourselves in a room with a pair of double doors on your right as the only visible exit.

Set into the cavern wall of this foreboding chamber are a pair of tall white marble double doors, streaked with veins of a faintly glowing purple mineral. Flanking the doors are a pair of tall ivory columns, each bearing a tentacular symbol burned into their surface (the same symbol you have seen several times now).

Perception for Traps on Doors: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (11) + 17 = 28..add +2 for stone; If no traps, Valgrim tries to open the door; if trapped, he asks Vug to disable it.

The doors are neither trapped (you think) nor locked, but barred on the inside, so you'll have to bash them down.

But before that, roll for initiative.

Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

Initiative: 1d20 ⇒ 19

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Initiative 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

As you study the door, three tentacled monstrosities slither out behind diverse stalactites and rocks in various parts of the room and attack. They are medium (but have 10 feet reach with their claws) and look like this:

Six purple tentacles support a bulbous alien eye dripping with a viscous slime. Rarely blinking, the star-shaped pupil moves rapidly
about, scanning the area. Two longer tentacles end in razor-sharp claws and undulate hypnotically in the air around it.

You've never seen anything quite like them.

Sorry, today has been all kinds of crazy. I promise to get a map up tomorrow morning.

Valgrim, Bubba, Feres and Vug beat their initiatives. If you need a map to act just have patience.

They have a gaze attack, so if you want to attack them you'll need to make a Will save (except Valgrim).

Knowledge (dungeoneering): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

Waiting for Feres and Val to go then I will post Bubba's turn.

Map updated.

The monsters are unique, but the texture of their skin tells Bub that they are resistant to electricity.

Valgrim moves to N12 and attacks the creature with Vital Strike and Power Attack: Attack: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23
Damage: 2d12 + 16 + 1d6 ⇒ (10, 5) + 16 + (3) = 34
AC: 22
HP: 83
No AoO unless they have Combat Reflexes, as they are technically flat-footed at this time.

Vug closes her eyes and tosses a stink bomb in the general direction of the monsters (aiming it at a grid intersection, not at a particular creature).

Attack vs. AC 5: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16, 9 splash damage, nausea, DC 19