Rivers Run Red

Game Master fictionfan

I adjusted our pawn pieces to better represent our mounted size.

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

Riva will open up with haste on the party before moving Southwest of the monster.

If you want the buff, but go before me, I recommend delaying until you get it. If we're lucky, the shambler can't move through the difficult terrain any better than we can.

Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Allisar follows after Riva's lead, quickly positioning herself in front like a shield, firing a volley of arrows from her bow.

"Gorum guide my hand!"

Attack 1: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Damage 1: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Attack 2: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25
Damage 2: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Attack 3: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Damage 3: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

"An elf eater, eh? Looks more like kindling to me!"

Vallisa stands her ground, beating her war drum and opening up with her trademark fireball, taking care not to hit any allies moving into the fray.

Hopefully it will burn away some of that difficult terrain as well.

Fireball damage, Ref DC 20 half: 10d6 + 11 ⇒ (3, 6, 5, 6, 3, 4, 6, 3, 5, 3) + 11 = 55

If that is everyone the order is

Toran
Marten
Vallisa
Riva
mound
Allisar

Reflex save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13 It takes 35 damage it barely seems like a rash to it.

The mound moves forward slowly. Sparks fly off it it seems to grow a little bit bigger.

Round 2
Toran
Marten
Vallisa
Riva
mound
Allisar

Now closer, Toran takes a moment to prepare for battle, mentally focusing himself.
Divine Favor going up on me, so +2 to hit/damage.

The mound moves forward slowly. Sparks fly off it; it seems to grow a little bit bigger.

The hasted blur that was Riva and her steed comes to an abrupt halt; the sudden appearance of electrical phenomena in the area causing her to hesitate.

Sparks? What's its source? Where is it coming from?

Perception check: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19

Knowledge: Arcana check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24
Knowledge: Dungeoneering check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22
Knowledge: Engineering check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25
Knowledge: Geography check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (5) + 15 = 20
Knowledge: History check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17
Knowledge: Local check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (17) + 15 = 32
Knowledge: Nature check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (11) + 15 = 26
Knowledge: Nobility check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (13) + 15 = 28
Knowledge: Planes check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22
Knowledge: Religion check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (17) + 15 = 32

The sparks are coming from somewhere inside the mound.

The sparks are coming from somewhere inside the mound.

From within the shambling mound?

Powergaming DM wrote:

The sparks are coming from somewhere inside the mound.

From within the shambling mound?

Yes.

Now dismounted, Marten moves to engage the mound. "Best figure it out quickly!" he says as he draws his sword and moves cautiously to get inside of the mound's reach.

Fighting defensively, finish moving up on the mound and take a swing!

Longsword attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Longsword damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Just gonna suck up the AOO if it has reach. Currently AC 28.

"There's more where that came from!"

Vallisa hurls another blast of fire.

Fireball damage, Ref DC 20 half: 10d6 + 11 ⇒ (4, 5, 6, 2, 4, 2, 6, 4, 1, 3) + 11 = 48

Riva fires off a slow spell next, hoping to further reduce the monster's mobility and combat capabilities.

Spending a point of arcane reservoir to boost the DC: Will DC 23 negates

Allisar attempts to move around the monster--giving it a wide birth--ultimately hoping to flank with her allies. She fires volley after volley of arrows from her bow as she does so.

Attack 1: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
Damage 1: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Attack 2: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26
Damage 2: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Attack 3: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Damage 3: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

AOO touch attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20+3 if you are wearing metal armor
damage: 5d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 4, 2, 3) = 16

Your long sword hits.

reflex save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 it takes 3 damage.
will save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10 It is slowed

Allisar hit it with the second and third attacks

The mound attacks Marten
slam: 1d20 + 11 - 1 ⇒ (12) + 11 - 1 = 22

Round 3
Toran
Marten
Vallisa
Riva
mound
Allisar

"Not your typical specimen at all!"

+3 if you are wearing metal armor

Wait, did it just use shocking grasp? As an attack of opportunity? How did it do that?

Spellcraft check to identify: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (3) + 19 = 22

You may want to be clear what form the attack is being made in. Some of us might have electricity resistance, for example (or might want to get it after seeing something like that).

it takes 3 damage.

From the fireball? I thought they only had fire resistance 10.

If it made its save 48 becomes 24. 24 - 10 = 14, not 3.

Okay, I'm a little concerned now. It's likely that the shocking grasp is a result of its standard action the previous round, and that it held the charge until the AOO, but taking 3 damage off a fireball is a little scary.
Toran, now within reach, delivers three carefully executed strikes at the creature,
Attack: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27
Damage: 1d10 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19
Attack: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21
Damage: 1d10 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13
Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
Damage: 1d10 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

It is an electrical attack. This is not a standard Mound.The 3 Owlbears should have been a clue It can apply shocking grasp to 1 attack each round as a free action. Costing it 1 fort.

The mound has an AC of 19 (you done enough attacks to figure that out). All of Torans attacks miss.

Also my mistake it was 4 damage not 3.

How did all of my attacks miss if its ac was 19? Was there any visual indicator of how they missed that may give Toran a clue?

Sorry I miss read your attacks.

No worries, but I was very scared haha

Moved on the map and rescaled to show that I'm dismounted now.

So going to attack then?

If we're at the next round...

Marten keeps clobbering away at the strange mount of electrified vegetation.

Longsword attack: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28
Longsword damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Longsword attack #2: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
Longsword damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Seeing that her fire spells are having little effect, Vallisa resorts to magic missiles instead.

Magic Missile damage: 4d4 + 8 ⇒ (3, 2, 4, 3) + 8 = 20

Riva further attempts to stymie the monster's ability to fight. She casts blindness. Fort DC 22 with potent magic

"Seal the sight, steal the color, dawn of day, cloak of night, fade to grey."

fort save: 1d20 + 512 ⇒ (11) + 512 = 523 It saves against blindness.

More sparks fly from the mound. It attacks Toran.

touch attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18 +3 for armor
damage: 5d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 3, 4, 5) = 17

attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17
damage: 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (3, 3) + 5 = 11

if second attack hit grab: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (12) + 16 = 28
constrict: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (5, 5) + 7 = 17

If that's not a typo on it's fort save modifier, then I vote we give up on this thing's fort saves. I was gonna try a bestow curse, but I feel like that's a bad idea.
Toran evades each attack from the mound, striking three more times at the creature,
Attack: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30
Damage: 1d10 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
Attack: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27
Damage: 1d10 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
Attack: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22
Damage: 1d10 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22

God I hope that is a typo, but where electricity and shambling mounds are concerned, it might not be. ゞ◎Д◎ヾ

Allisar moves into flanking, tossing her bow aside and pulling out her shield and bardiche. Mount had to double move this round to do get there, and all of Allisar's actions went to getting her weapons ready.

Ride check to free up hands, DC 5: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

The fort save is not a typo now think about what that means for its hp

Round 4
Toran
Marten
Vallisa
Riva
mound
Allisar

"Get back everyone! I'm going to attempt to restrain it!"

Riva readies an action to cast black tentacles the moment everyone is out of the area

Toran sprints out of the way, doing his best to stay out of the creature's reach.

Marten withdraws as ordered, as quickly as he can.

Valissa pounds her war drum and readies to surround the monster in an inward-facing wall of fire once everyone is clear.

Allisa attacks the beast with her bardiche, then urges her steed to move away.

Power Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
Damage: 1d10 + 17 ⇒ (3) + 17 = 20

Seeing her sister pull away, Vallisa casts wall of fire.

Firewall Damage: 2d4 + 3 ⇒ (2, 2) + 3 = 7

"Death's arms reach and take;
agony, suffering, death now make!
Darkness, shadows, come awake!"

At her call the surrounding shadows suddenly begin to snake ominously towards the shambling mound--wholly undeterred by the bright flames--reaching, wrapping, grasping, and devouring.

Riva casts grasping shadows, her own version of black tentacles. She increases the caster level by 2 with a point from her arcane reservoir.

Grapple check: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25
Grapple damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

From this point forward, Allisa, Riva, and Valissa now all go after the shambling mound.

Your Grapple is successful. Being made of bunches of bits and pieces make for a lot of place to hold on to.

Oh. Wow. I honestly was not expecting that to work.

AOO: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20
damage: 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (3, 6) + 5 = 14

if hit attempt grab: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (11) + 16 = 27
constrict: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (2, 6) + 7 = 15

So what do we do now? That won't hold it forever, so do we just put on as much damage as we can and see if that kills it?

We need some way to stop it from getting the electrical damage every round.

I suppose I can prepare dispel magic and suppress it for a time.

Don't really see how a temporary suppression really helps.

Maybe someone can dive into the mound grab the spear and break out of the grapple?

Marten would likely have the best chance, since I don't have full BAB.

Got anything that'll increase my Strength or size more? Exactly how big is the mound - if it's Huge, it will be immune to lots of combat maneuvers because it would be too much larger than I am.

Seeing the monster momentailly detained, Riva prepares enlarge person and bull's strength in place of heightened awareness and see invisibility, respectively.

(This will take me two full rounds, before I will be able to cast them. So, at best, four rounds before we can even attempt a buffed grapple.)

Round 5 grapple check: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (4) + 20 = 24
Round 5 damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Round 6 grapple check: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (2) + 20 = 22
Round 6 damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Round 7 grapple check: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (13) + 20 = 33
Round 7 damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Round 8 grapple check: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (1) + 20 = 21
Round 8 damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Haste ends for everyone at the end of round 8

So the mound gets a chance to try and break grapple every round right? What sort of check?

So the mound gets a chance to try and break grapple every round right? What sort of check?

On Riva's turn, the tentacles make grapple checks to deal damage. This is opposed by the monster's CMD. If it were a normal grapple, failing the maintain check would release the grapple victim. I'm not certain if that applies here though.

On the monster's turn, it can attempt to escape with an escape artist checks or CMB check (DC 30) as a standard action.