Striding Into the Gates of Hell - a Wrath of the Righteous Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Mark Sweetman

I considered having one of the mooks carrying a 'macguffin' scroll or the like...

I'll have a big ol' info dump on Baphomet and Deskari in thread soon to match the 25 DC that Theodric hit.

Did anyone else get the image of Harrol nonchalantly slitting throats while holding cheerful conversation? lol.

Just one or two demons...

Lots and lots of big things with wings this set of PF minis - and lordy the Storm King's model is reaaaallly pushing it to be classified as a 'large' mini.

"Our instructor taught us that the battlefield is a stage like any other, and if one with a proper understanding of choreography can wrest control of the fight from one who is technically superior but cannot read the stage directions."

1 hour, 2 minutes after posting, I notice the stray "if" in that sentence. :P

I did some loot-split on the latest treasure that needs updating before we get into another fight. Theodric used his clw potion on Lann, so I replaced that one and gave him and Harrol 1 extra; left the last one of the 4 on Lann for now in case he gets into trouble on his own.

In keeping with our tradition of giving all the scrolls to Theodric, that's 2 more cause fear and 2 comprehend languages for him. Longstrider is a druid/ranger spell, so we don't have anyone who can use it without a UMD check, I don't believe. Possible sell, along with the weapons and armor next time we have the opportunity. I don't know if anyone can use a masterwork glaive or scythe, but if you want one, speak up.

Following along--will post tonight

...a large chamber that must have once been a cistern for the sewer system. Walls made of identical stone blocks hold up a lofty ceiling reinforced with elegant stone arches, while the center of the room contains a more recent-looking structure made of brick walls that reach from floor to ceiling.

There is a single entrance to the area blocked off by the walls of brick on the northern edge of the room.

By large - the room is 30ft wide, with 15ft from the door to where the brick walls start.

I don't quite get the description of the room. It's kind of like a square doughnut with the brick structure as the hole in the middle, i.e., we could walk all the way around it?

Rectangular room, but most of the rectangle is blocked by the wall in the middle at present.

Or to describe it differently - you walked into a 30ft wide and 15ft long room that looks to be longer. But blocking your ability to walk through the room are floor to ceiling brickwork walls. You can't walk around the bricks.

Okay, so they've put up a wall to divide the room into smaller partitions. Got it.

I'm just now realizing how crazy good our buffing routine is likely to get over the next few levels. Frontliners... get excited. At, lets say, six (when we all have sixth level spells), Eudocia and myself between us will be able to give the entire party Heroism (+2 to attack rolls, saves and skills for an hour/level). Harrol will have Shield Other, which is also an hour/level duration, and Theodoric will have his higher level abjurations (magic circle vs evil 10m/level, communal resist energy and communal protection from arrows 1hr/level). Among our short duration buffs we'll have the entire Animal Stat line and two people who can cast haste. All three of us can summon a lantern archon who can cast aid on the party at will.

We also have Telrendev's Scales (CR 19... wow), meaning resist cold/electricity for 190 minutes, levitate and align weapon for 19 minutes (which incidentally you guys should probably use for the next few encounters. If we run into a demon at this level we're not going to want to have to waste turns setting up, and you each have three uses a day).

All this before we go mythic (which from what I remember would ALSO grant me the ability to cast +2 luck bonus divine favors on not just myself, but our fighters as well. The only thing they wouldn't stack with is Eudocia's archaeologists luck.)

Not only that,as of level 4 Gregori's going Warrior of Holy Light

Aye - buffing can get to ludicrous levels especially with mythic... good thing you're not going to be up against 'easy' challenges then eh?

I had an update... then the forums went down.

Long story short - Nessa failed her save and retreated with the others towards the entrance. Gregori left to go.

Lann is open to orders :P - last he was told was to withdraw with the squishies.

Eh, problem being that it's a bit out of character for the paladin to start shrieking help me, help me, and none of the rest of us can see what's going on.

Tell you what, if Lann moves out of the cloud on his init this round (before Gregori's second swing), Eudocia will tell him to go back in and help Gregori. He won't be able to attack this round, but he ought to be able to get in position to flank next round.

My respect for dretches has definitely lifted after this wee encounter. The combination of stinking cloud, poison immune and confined spaces means that they really are a potential threat. And it's held back a bit by the lack of any really damaging attacks (+4 isn't great against 2nd-3rd level characters with a bit of gear).

DM VoV approves :)

They're definitely no joke. I'l say this though, the dice are giving me quite the Paladin moment.

I'm hoping you'll make the final Fort save and have that Paladin moment - should be a nice visual ;)

Meh, I don't like "penalty box" spells: the ones that basically say, 'Oh, you rolled low? Well, you don't get to participate in this encounter.' At least with spells like hold person and confusion, you stay engaged with the game because you get to roll dice every round. Color spray, fear effects, nauseated condition, you lose all agency: That's when the player wanders into the next room to watch TV until he's allowed to play again. :P

Verily man-flu hath descended upon me.

Updates when brain is not mush.

Meh, I don't like "penalty box" spells: the ones that basically say, 'Oh, you rolled low? Well, you don't get to participate in this encounter.'

I find they're either very frustrating or result in brilliantly tense fights like this one,

No reaction from the others to your resplendent paladin who has ventured forth from the labyrinth having slain the demons and saved the choking lot of you?...

Huh. I hadn't gotten alerts for the new posts. Or perhaps I did while travelling and never got a chance to read them... But I was just telling my gaming group about this combat this very afternoon, and what an impossibly cool story it was going to make if the dice held. They didn't disappoint. I'll be telling the story of this combat to my gaming groups for years to come. Bravo!

No reaction from the others to your resplendent paladin who has ventured forth from the labyrinth having slain the demons and saved the choking lot of you?...

I started trying to make a post a few times, but I couldn't figure out anything to say that didn't put her into a Frank Frazetta cover in the role of worshipful leg-clinger. :P

Lol, definitely lucky dice rolls allowing a character concept to be perfectly realized. And yeah it kept me tense too, holding my breath every time I posted a dice roll.

My inclination is to send Lann back to fetch the NPCs while we go down to deal with the lower level. In-game, it speeds up our return to the surface if we don't have to go back for them, and meta-wise, it relieves the DM of an extraneous character to play when he's already handling Nessa.

Thoughts?

I agree. Sorry for my absence--nice slaying, Gregori!

I agree.

Man-flu gone.... toddler no-sleep rampage hath taken its place.

Insufferable cultists, devoid of all logic and good sense. They will no doubt oppose us until their last breaths, when they should flee. They are outnumbered and overmatched. Come on Gregori, get this butchery over with. he says from behind the door.

I think you lose some intimidation points for hiding behind the door while you talk trash. ;)

Re map and NPC portrait: The boots are definitely a recurring theme. I am ready to sign up for Baphomet cultistry if the boots are standard issue. Love me some kicky boots.

Hey, I'm just keeping a charge lane open for Gregori! ;-)

Interesting rules question: Can an force weapon attack through a solid object? It can't actually move through the closed door, since a spiritual weapon can't leave the caster's line of sight.

Of course, she could always just redirect it to a new target that's not a corner case and avoid making a ruling. :)

It shouldn't since that would require the Brilliamt Energy enhancement which is way out of proportion caster level wise.

Update tonight, but I can sneak this in during naptime.

If the door was closed and the weapon was in the other room... I'd probably have ruled that the connection was severed.

In this case though, the weapon cannot continue to attack through the door - so Hosilla will need to spend actions to redirect it or it will sit idle.

News I have and it is both excellent and foul.

On the positive side, after working pretty much nine months without taking any leave... I get to take some! I'll be off to Australia (Perth -> Adelaide -> Sydney) with the family for visitations of elders and newly borns and what not. Much fun will be had and I'll be away from home from roughly 24th March through to 10th-ish April.

The bad of it is that during that time I shall be thoroughly unable to run any PbPs, so the games will need to go on temporary hiatus; and be kicked back into gear upon my return to Malaysia.

I know that I've been lagging over the last while(in the vernacular of the talented Tim Minchin 'like a blind man clapping in a pharmacy trying to echo-locate the contact lens fluid'), and a fair amount of that has to do with work related burnout. My trip downunder will refill the Farmer's Union reservoir, satiate my desire for bacon and egg muffins and the clean air should banish the last of the haze coating my lungs.

Game will continue through till the weekend, then pause until I get back before flaring back into incandescent life once more. So bear with me, and we'll keep on trucking in the long haul.

Have fun! I'll be here when you get back (probably still cowering behind a door). ;-)

Harrol - of course they get AoOs, if they are offered to them.

I think he's talking about the spiritual weapon: They don't get flanking or grant it to anyone else, so I'm not sure if they threaten?

Oh yeah that was really unclear of me. Yes Joana has the right of it, I meant the spell.

Oh... in that case, no - spiritual weapons don't get AoOs and don't threaten.

Everything ok?

*points to DM post five up from yours*

I'll be away from home from roughly 24th March through to 10th-ish April.

The bad of it is that during that time I shall be thoroughly unable to run any PbPs, so the games will need to go on temporary hiatus; and be kicked back into gear upon my return to Malaysia.

Ah right, lost track of that.

The DM returns... though jet lag clouds his mind and lack of sleep makes turgid his actions.

Updates will hopefully flow from his diseased mind this evening...

Welcome back

So turns out that jet-lag lasted a little while longer than expected :P On my way threadwards now.

It's also with a heavy heart that I'm officially calling time on Nessa and she'll be phased out once you get to the surface.

Club: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17 for 1d6 + 3d6d1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + (16, 10, 10, 6, 13, 9, 11) + 3 = 82 for 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

You need to fix your dice tags, Mark. Although I suppose I should be happy to take only 7 damage when you rolled 82 to hit. ;)

Yep - missed an e on a tag... but edited it in now :)

Nice clw roll, Harrol. I was hoping she wasn't going to wake up just in time to take a color spray to the face. :)

Had a slight Elder Scrolls Online related delay last night... Will be back in with a post either within the next four hours, or in about 10 hours.

Looks like you managed to get to all your threads but this one. :)

So I did... apologies, and I'll rectify that now.

And with a decent DMPC roll for Nessa - that's the end of the complex of mongrels. Please add another level to your characters.

Wow, this book really does power through the levels, doesn't it? I can see why the other APs don't try to take the PCs all the way to 20.

1d8 ⇒ 2

With hp rolls like that, Eudocia's never going to survive. 15 hp at level 3. :P