Part 5 of the Rune Stones saga.
This uses part of Open Design's Courts of the Shadow Fey.
Players went from level 11 to level 13 with remarkably little combat.
We lost Reason and gained Chary in this one.
Tutavak thinks he may have heard of these creatures. They are probably vine troll skeletons and they guard duskthorn dryad glades. Their vines regenerate quickly, even after they "die". Their powerful regeneration allows vine trolls to reattach severed skeletal limbs. Only fire or acid destroy these skeletons and render the living vines that support them harmless.
Tutavak, Suntide will take 1d10 damage from a hedge whenever he starts his turn adjacent to one. These are very thorny, extremely unfriendly plants.
Kia can add to the store of knowledge. This tree is likely to be the home of a duskthorn dryad. Fey spirits tied to thorn bearing creeper vines, they seek out dead trees and make a home for their vines on the tree's trunk. They are found in fey and shadow realms and are able to travel between them with ease.
The Duskthorn dryad and her ways hold no secrets for Arianwyn. His years of study and random accummulation of unconsidered trifles of knowledge stand him in good stead now. A lecture ensues, albeit one in a muttered whisper.
Spoiler:
Duskthorn dryads use the plants in their glades to attack intruders. The ground itself sprouts thorns around the dryad as do any plant allies nearby. Their deadliest attack encases the victim in a large briar cage, immobilising them.
They can travel in the shadows to escape their foes, but must stay near their vines. They often create defenders out of skeletons. These skeletons defend the tree and are controlled by hearts within the tree.
Vine troll skeletons are direct offshoots of the main vine wrapped around the duskthorn dryad's tree. Magically enchanted troll hearts inside the main tree provide their power. They are mindless apart from a desire to defend their parent tree and usually attack the nearest creature. Slaying the heart at the centre of the tree kills the skeleton bound to the heart.
Additionally:
Duskthorn Dryad
Medium fey humanoid (plant)
Curse of Thorns: Aura 6
Enemies within the aura and touching the ground take 3 damage each time they move, including by forced movement.
Thorn husks: Aura 6
Plant allies in the aura deal 5 damage to their attackers when hit by a melee attack.
Claws.
Maiden of Pain. Area wall 1 within 10. Target is encased by sharp briars, takes ongoing damage and is grabbed.
Tumbleweed Cage. Requires target grabbed by Maiden of Pain. Target slides 4 squares in the cage.
Shadowstride. Dryad teleports 8 squares if it begins and ends adjacent to an area of obscured terrain.
There are six hearts. Destroying a heart is a skill challenge as follows:
4 successes before 3 failures
Primary skills: Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Heal, Insight, Perception, Thievery.
No secondary skills.
No limits on the number of times a skill can be used.
Arcana, Heal, Insight and Perception checks are standard actions
Acrobatics and Athletics checks are move actions
Put me in D4. Init: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10. I'll also do a Nature check to see if I can add any more knowledge. 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29. I'd vote for trying to skill challenge our way past here, if we can. Not fighting is always better :)
We should probably have one healer standing by healing while the other is skilling. Then we can swap around after a bit. Kia's best is +16 Atlhetics, so she could actually skill and do other stuff.
Forgive me. My head is full of nativity play and I completely forgot to give you the area to which you need to be adjacent to do the heart destruction. Chary - you can't get there in one move. Would you like to reconsider and keep the roll you just made for when you arrive?
I actually wondered if I had to be adjacent to the main trunk, or just adjacent to the tree in general...and decided to give it a shot anyway. I will end my turn at I7 and try use that roll next time. Thanks!
@Kia: that seems like a reasonable and prudent thing to do...too bad Chary won't think of that until after her first turn! She really is rather impulsive! But she will get her head about her and then we can switch!
M Human / Kargzant Hybrid Fighter/Ranger 14 / Soul Igniter
Tutavak dances through the thorns toward the dryad, ignoring the trolls. Even at the same moment, the air around each member of the party erupts in licking flames.
Minor: Soul Furnace. Until the end of the encounter, any enemy that starts its turn or enters a square adjacent to a creature affected by your soulfire power (the thing I do on a crit) takes 3 fire damage.
Move: J10 via J9.
Move: Acrobatics for Skill Challenge.1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27
For those that may have missed it on the discussion thread, Reason has had to make an early departure. He'll reappear from time to time as an npc however.
Tutavak moves swiftly towards the tree and easily severs a vine attached to one of the wizened, but beating troll hearts within it. As he approaches, he sees the dryad properly and is aware of her unspoken fury.
Soul Furnace. Until the end of the encounter, any enemy that starts its turn or enters a square adjacent to a creature affected by Tutavak's soulfire power (the thing he does on a crit) takes 3 fire damage.
Thought I would pop this in as Kia has as well. Arianwyn's active properties from gear: Runic Armour - +3 item bonus to Arcana
Runic Armour - When you use Second Wind, gain a +3 bonus to damage rolls with arcane attack powers until eomnt
Boots of Free Movement - Gain a +2 item bonus to saving throws against effects that apply the slowed, immobilized, or restrained condition.
Ring of Shadow Travel - Gain a +2 item bonus to Stealth checks.
Gloves of Eldritch Admixture - When you deal extra damage as a result of your Warlock’s Curse, you can choose that damage to be acid, cold, or fire (or leave it untyped).
Kia decides to stay back for the moment while Chary is using her skill to take out the hearts, so she can still heal in an emergency. She will barge in after a while when she sees how the battle is going.
Move to E6: Paint the buillseye vs T6 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (10) + 16 = 261d10 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Kia fires an experimental shot at one of the trolls.
If that hits:
* Kia and all allies gain +1 item bonus to attack rolls against that target to end of her next turn (onslaught arrow)
* All allies gain a +4 power bonus to damage rolls vs T6 to the start of her next turn (Power effect)
* T6 is at -4 for all ranged and area attacks to the end of her next turn (Duellists Bow + Rattling effect)
* T6 is at -2 for all melee attacks to the end of her next turn (Rattling effect)
Kia's experimental shot upsets the skeletal trolls considerably and they turn on the nearest target. Tutavak can do little to fend off their frenzied attacks and the warrior slumps into the tree, bleeding from multiple appalling wounds.
All trolls claw (reach 2, AC) v Tutavak.
1d20+15=27 - T1 v Tutavak. Hits. 2d8+9=20
1d20+15=18 - T2 v Tutavak. Miss.
1d20+15=30 - T3 v Tutavak. Hits. 2d8+9=19
1d20+15=33 - T4 v Tutavak. Hits. 2d8+9=16
1d20+15=25 - T4 free attack for bloodying Tutavak. Miss.
1d20+15=35 - T5 v Tutavak. Crit. 25
1d20+13=25 - T6 v Tutavak. Miss
80 damage to Tutavak, Bloodied
Luckily, T6 missed due to Kia's -2 to melee. I originally thought he had you on -7.
Soul Furnace. Until the end of the encounter, any enemy that starts its turn or enters a square adjacent to a creature affected by Tutavak's soulfire power (the thing he does on a crit) takes 3 fire damage.
Arianwyn
Dryad
Whiteclaw
Chary
Tutavak - BLOODIED
Kia
Troll 1
Troll 2
Troll 3
Troll 4
Troll 5
Troll 6 - everyone at +4 to damage to start Kia's next turn; -2 melee and -4 ranged and area to end Kia's next turn
"Well, that got their attention." Arianwyn mutters to Kia.
Move to G8 (concealment gained). Standard - Hexblast (close blast 5 vs... everybody not on our team. Oh alright, going across and down: T1, T3, T2, T6, D, T5, T4 (vs Will). 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 301d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 211d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 321d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 201d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 181d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 161d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30 Effect: They are all now cursed. Anyone hit takes (psychic damage): 1d8 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Minor - FIendish Resilience (gain 7 temp hp). Free action - Activate Gloves' Encounter Power - 5 charges. Next attack power I make causes an additional 3d6 fire damage. AP: Cursebite (close burst 20) :D. T1, T3, T2, T6, D, T5, T4 (vs Fort) - factoring in +2 from Kia's Tactical Presence for spending an AP.
:) For an At-Will attack is packs a lot of punch now - though very little actual damage direct... and costs 25gp a shot until she can gets some mundane arrows.
And the damage to T6 gets a +4 bonus in every case if it hits...
Uttering strange oaths, Arianwyn blasts the eldritch power at his command into the plant husks, bloodying T6 and harming all but T5 and the Dryad herself.
The fey creatures gazes sorrowfully at Tutavak and flicks a gentle finger at him calling thorns from the ground to encage him. The briars close around him, but he manages to avoid being dragged in the thorny cage.
Elven
Spoiler:
"Don't touch my tree".
Maiden of Pain (Ref). On hit target is encases in sharp briars, takes 5 ongoing damage (se) and is grabbed. A maiden of pain can be destroyed but has resist 10 to all damage.
1d20+18=30. Dryad v Tutavak. Hits. 1d8+6=10
10 damage to Tutavak, grabbed and taking 5 ongoing damage.
Tumbleweed Cage (Ref or Fort), target must be grabbed. On hit target and cage slide 4 squares as though forest walking.
1d20+18=23. Dryad v Tutavak. Miss.
Soul Furnace. Until the end of the encounter, any enemy that starts its turn or enters a square adjacent to a creature affected by Tutavak's soulfire power (the thing he does on a crit) takes 3 fire damage.
Whiteclaw
Chary
Tutavak - BLOODIED; taking 3 whenever he moves (dryad aura); grabbed; taking 5 ongoing damage (se); has cover from cage.
Kia
Troll 1 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 2 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 3 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 4 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 5 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 6 - BLOODIED; everyone at +4 to damage to start Kia's next turn; -2 melee and -4 ranged and area to end Kia's next turn; cursed by Arianwyn
Arianwyn - used AP; concealment
Dryad - cursed by Arianwyn
Soul Furnace. Until the end of the encounter, any enemy that starts its turn or enters a square adjacent to a creature affected by Tutavak's soulfire power (the thing he does on a crit) takes 3 fire damage.
Whiteclaw
Chary
Tutavak - BLOODIED; taking 3 whenever he moves (dryad aura); grabbed; taking 5 ongoing damage (se); has cover from cage.
Kia
Troll 1 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 2 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 3 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 4 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 5 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 6 - BLOODIED; everyone at +4 to damage to start Kia's next turn; -2 melee and -4 ranged and area to end Kia's next turn; cursed by Arianwyn
Arianwyn - used AP; concealment
Dryad - cursed by Arianwyn
Whiteclaw advances and then bathes a trio of the trolls in ice and cold.
Move to F11, then Winter's Grip. Close Burst 3, so it covers G H and I 10-12. Targets Fort. Attacks vs T1: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (6) + 15 = 21, T2: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (16) + 15 = 31 and T3: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22. On hit: 1d10 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13 cold damage and slow (se). On miss half damage and no slow. In addition, the 9 squares are covered in a zone of frost that lasts until the start of MNT. Any creature that starts in it, or enters it, takes 5 cold damage.
Even as the blast of frost covers the trolls, Whiteclaw calls on nature to protect Tutavik.
Minor: Barkskin on Tutavik. He has +4 AC until EOMNT
Whiteclaw adds an arctic tinge to the landscape as frost blooms around her, slowing one troll and chilling the three to the bone. Unfortunately Arianwyn also suffers slightly in the abrupt change of temperature.
Soul Furnace. Until the end of the encounter, any enemy that starts its turn or enters a square adjacent to a creature affected by Tutavak's soulfire power (the thing he does on a crit) takes 3 fire damage.
Chary
Tutavak - BLOODIED; taking 3 whenever he moves (dryad aura); grabbed; taking 5 ongoing damage (se); has cover from cage; +5AC to end Whiteclaw's next turn
Kia
Troll 1 - cursed by Arianwyn; 5 cold damage at start of turn (Whiteclaw's zone);
Troll 2 - cursed by Arianwyn; 5 cold damage at start of turn (Whiteclaw's zone); slowed (se)
Troll 3 - BLOODIED; cursed by Arianwyn; 5 cold damage at start of turn (Whiteclaw's zone);
Troll 4 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 5 - cursed by Arianwyn
Troll 6 - BLOODIED; everyone at +4 to damage to start Kia's next turn; -2 melee and -4 ranged and area to end Kia's next turn; cursed by Arianwyn
Arianwyn - used AP; concealment; 5 cold damage from Whiteclaw's zone at start of turn
Dryad - cursed by Arianwyn
Whiteclaw
Chary sends some much needed help to Tutavak in the form of healing. She then steps forward to punish one of the trolls nearest her. Still unable to get close enough to the tree without great risk, she bides her time.
ardent surge to Tutavak: surge + 3d6 ⇒ (6, 5, 4) = 15
move action to J9.
Standard action: Guarded prison on T6: vs AC: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (8) + 18 = 26
on hit: damage = 1d8 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23 and target cannot use move actions to walk or run.
