Curse of the Crimson Throne

Game Master Something Wicked

Quite jittery and with eyes darting everywhere, Pietro held his breath in anticipation of what was to come.

He walked carefully trying not to break any of the bones strewn about, a fire bomb close at hand.

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just waiting...

Sticking close to Garvid and the group for safety in numbers, Mouse stares open-mouthed at the grim chamber ahead, taking in the macabre view of the scattered bones. One hand grips her small skull shield tight, keeping it interposed between her and the flickering unknown; the other locks into a tight fist, ready for any surprises that might leap out of the stillness. Three vials of holy water clink slightly in the satchel at her hip, bought on suggestion from Pietro.

And a slim, slightly curved blade sits inside Mouse's boot, the undulating carvings and gems in the handle pressing into the skin of her ankle. Yazi had said she might need something able to cut at hand, and her fists certainly weren't going to do that.

Why's it there's so many bones still 'round 'ere? she muses softly aloud. I mean...'f there's necromancers down 'ere, why's it they gotta buy 'n trade stiffs? Enough bones t' make an army right 'n fron' of us - why ain't they just used those? Spells don' work on the longer dead or somethin'? I mean - not sayin' they should, jus' it seems easier 'n 'avin' t' track down fresh ones... Tag anyone who may want to wonder with her, or to scold her for a bit too much academic interest in necromancy. ;)

Letting out a long, nervous sigh, she steels herself into going forward. Well...Gaekhen en't gon' get foun' by us standin' 'ere.

Can we see anything else to the sides as we go in further?

Li definitely feels out of her element. "You be askin' tha same questions runnin' through me mind. All this be seemin' a might weird ta me. Mebbe tha bones have ta be togeth'r ta be used. It be lookin' right messed up down here."

Li follows the others further down the stairs, weapon at the ready, and holy water within reach.

Surprise Round

Effects:

Conditions: dim light

As Mouse and Garvid lead the way down into the chamber, they see that on either side are fifteen-foot square pits, each filled with a large heap of hundreds of bones.

As you enter the room a soft but sour wind begins to blow. At first it’s only a current, but then a breeze, and then a gale. Whistling through the chamber, it sends bones rattling across the floor.

And then, as suddenly as it began, it stops.

The bones clatter to unlife. Assembling themselves into human-sized skeletons, six figures rise from the shadows. To the south, two much larger, bear-like forms take shape, each sporting a dangerous beak. They all lurch forward with murderous intent!

During this surprise round, only Mouse and Pietro may act (a move or a standard). The skeletons have used their turn to move forward. Notice above that this time I’ve broken initiative into three groups: you, the smaller skeletons, and the larger skeletons. After Mouse and Pietro take their surprise round actions, the bigger skeletons will take theirs, and then we’ll move into the first standard round. Mouse and Pietro, you’re up!

Mouse and Pietro are up!
___________________________

PC Status
Calcedon: 27/27
Garvid: 33/33
Li: 29/29
Mouse: 28/28
Pietro: 27/27
Yazi: 23/23

Pietro reacted more out of fear than anything else.

In his nervousness, he questioned himself out loud, "Bones burn right? I mean my bombs' fire is hot enough to melt bones, right?"

With that, he threw a flask which swooshed into mild explosion and briefly lit up the place.

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fire bomb at orange skeleton, splash purple and yellow
ranged touch to hit: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (4, 2) + 4 = 10
splash damage of 5 hit points
reflex save Dc 15 for 1/2 damage

Do bones even melt? Guess we'll fin' out, won' we? Wasting no time, Mouse sets into the melee, lashing out with her fist at the skull of one of the animate skeletons. Face's still where y' wanna hit 'em, righ'?

Mouse unarmed attack, damage: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 201d6 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8 Can you get Strength-and-a-half with unarmed strikes if they're your only attack? If so, extra 2 damage.

Effects:

Conditions: dim light

Surprise Round

Pietro’s prediction proves correct. His flask strikes the (orange) skeleton directly on its skull, showering it in a cascade of fire that sends it burning to the ground (orange dead). The molten fire also splashes onto its neighboring skeletons (purple and yellow), burning and charring their bones but not quite overtaking them.

But Mouse is there in a flash, her bare first flying out and sending the nearest skeleton’s (purple) head flying back across the room (purple dead).

The hulking skeletons in the rear of the room begin to advance, moving unsettlingly fast for undead creatures. They are suddenly on you! Standard to move forward

Round 1

Two of the smaller skeletons (green and blue) lunge forward, mindlessly clawing at the warm flesh that has invaded their lair. They lash out with their claws at Li! Despite the girl’s surprise, she manages to duck and twist, avoiding even the slightest injury. The remaining skeletons groan and moan, struggling to find a place at the buffet.

The large skeletons close up the surprise round by moving forward. The skeletons use their regular turns in Round 1 to move and/or attack. Now all PCs are up for their regular turns in Round 1.

All PCs are up!

PC Status
Calcedon: 27/27
Garvid: 33/33
Li: 29/29
Mouse: 28/28
Pietro: 27/27
Yazi: 23/23

Happy that his conclusion was true, the doctor stepped back and chocked another bomb at the advancing skeletons.

"Keep them away..."

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fire bomb at red skeleton, splash blue and green
ranged touch to hit: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (3, 4) + 4 = 11
splash damage of 5 hit points
reflex save Dc 15 for 1/2 damage

Cursing loudly, Yaziyah fumbles in her sash for the blessing stick. The wand flashes briefly as she activates it. "Smash these abominations! Stand back to back, don't let them surround you!" She lets loose a blood-curling war cry, an ululating shrill note that makes the dust motes tremble.

Wand-cast Bless on the party, +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saving throws against fear effects, lasts 3 minutes.

Garvid grunts, staring the skeleton right in the empty, cobwebbed eyesockets. He cracks his neck as it approaches, the horse leather of the hammer's hilt brushing itself in his grip.

Attack, Rage, Power Attack, Bless: 1d20 + 8 + 2 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 8 + 2 - 1 + 1 = 25
Damage, bludgeoning: 2d6 + 9 + 3 ⇒ (2, 5) + 9 + 3 = 19

As the skeleton in front of him reaches him, he takes a step forward, swinging the massive weapon in an underhanded blow. The blow lands straight into the ribcage, sending bone splinters everywhere in the room, breaking all but two sets of the ribs. He pulls the hammer back in a swift motion, sending the remaining ribs flying across the room to land with hollow thuds on the steps right in front of Pietro.

He grunts from the weight of the spiked head, then adopts a defensive stance, holding the head of the earthbreaker close to his torso, and his hand just under it. "Never broken bones outside of bodies before.", he grins, dusting off bone shards from his shoulder.

Rage: 9/10
Combat Expertise: +1 to AC, AC is now 22/13/19, reducing to-hit penalty to hit by 1 to effectively 0.
If Cal's inspire courage bonus would've killed the owlbear, I'll be sad.

Li does everything she can to keep out of reach of the walking bones. It is definitely a new experience for the rogue as everyone she had fought previously always had fleshy bits to deal with. Recalling the advice from the others, she lets her crossbow drop down behind her on its tether and pulls out the light mace.

Not knowing the vulnerable parts of a skeleton, she tries to move into flanking position to make the best use of her attack.

I think she can still attack but I'm at work and can't remember her numbers so I'll post the attack numbers today after work.

Nevermind, was able to find them...

light mace: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 1 = 14
damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

But I doubt it hits :( If it does hit and she managed to flank then please add her sneak attack damage if they don't get their dex bonus

Calcedon hums a lively tune, inspiring courage in the group as they face the undead horrors. Secretly he wonders if they assembled the monstrous bones together from separate creatures or there really were creatures like that. He pulls his light mace and readies his shield for whatever may come.

Standard- Perform: Sing, Inspire Courage. +1 to Attack and Damage, does not stack with +1 bonus vs fear from bless spell.

Sorry for the lack of link. I'm pressed for time today.

Whoa...whoa, big ones, big ones... Fighting down a note of panic in her voice, Mouse coils to strike as Cal's cheerful song washes over her, lifting her spirits. But it isn't just the cheery tune or the ululating notes she hears...it's one war cry that swells to a chorus of reverberating cries overlaying it, the echoes of long-gone warrior spirits that dance together in the former still of their ancient resting place. The thrill of thousands of years of war and peace, of living at one with each other and the spirits of the world.

Mouse had always been told she was descended from the Shoanti; the ruddy complexion beneath her part-elven fairness belied her origins. In her anonymity, though, she'd never known even whether it was father or mother that tied her to them; she had never been a part of the dances beneath the night sky or the great hunts on the Storval Plateau. But Cal's notes and Yazi's age-old blessing combine to touch a part of Mouse's soul she hadn't truly realized existed - an ancient tradition of courage leading back to before history itself. And she draws upon it, barreling forward to meet the new threat with a cry of fearlessness all her own.

Flurry against the blue big guy, two unarmed strikes.

Unarmed #1 attack, damage with bard song, bless: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 7 + 1 + 1 = 141d6 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 1 = 11
Unarmed #2 attack, damage with bard song, bless: 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 1 + 1 = 181d6 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 1 = 9

I’m assuming Yazi’s bless and Cal’s inspire courage occur first, and I’ve applied those bonuses to your posted rolls. Buffers are great!

Effects: Bless, Inspire Courage

Conditions: dim light

Round 1

Yaziyah’s war cry ignites the magic within her blessing stick, spurring you all into a battle frenzy. Cal’s lively tune further invigorates your minds and bodies. Pietro’s next fire-flask crashes into the furthest (red) skeleton, dousing it in flames (dead). Its molten contents splash onto the two nearest skeletons (blue and green) causing them to sizzle and smoke! (6 damage to each). Li wheels her strong arm around, slamming her mace into the nearest (green) skeleton’s skull. Its charred frame collapses before her (dead).

Garvid’s new toy proves exceptionally effective against the hulking skeleton, sending much of its frame flying in an explosion of bones. Its remains crash to the floor. Dead. Mouse, electrified by the primordial energy of her ancestry, strikes with uncanny strength, smashing the hulking skeleton beside her into pieces with her fist and boot (also dead).

Round 2

The two remaining skeletons, seemingly unphased by their brethren’s fate, advance on either side, but their claws merely scrape uselessly against Garvid’s sturdy armor and Mouse’s bone shield.

Going to assume we wipe up here to finish out this fight.

Garvid grunts in mild amusement and, hefting the earthbreaker over his shoulder, slams it with finality over the skeleton’s skull. Mouse jumps up and lands a drop kick to the other, separating its spine.

Combat over! Not a scratch!

PC Status
Calcedon: 27/27
Garvid: 33/33
Li: 29/29
Mouse: 28/28
Pietro: 27/27
Yazi: 23/23

Sifting through the bones you find...well, just bones. But in the eastern bone pit, you notice a cleverly-hidden door disguised as rock that opens into a narrow tunnel leading down a flight of stairs.

Back inside the main chamber, the hole to the south leads to a branching tunnel, one leading west, the other east.

Actions? You have a choice of three tunnels.

Who knew a character built around (bludgeoning) unarmed strikes would be so effective against skeletons? ;)

Mouse stands in the center of the chamber, eyeing both passageways critically. If I was doin' necromancy...I'd wanna be someplace wasn't easy t' fin'. These tunnels t' th' south don' look easy t' get through, but they're way easier t' see than tha' door was. Indeed, even Mouse's keen eyes had nearly missed the door, cleverly disguised to blend in with the rock face. Tha's where I'd hide, were I doin' somethin' needed hidin'. Let's start there.

"Well said. Let's see where the hidden path leads." Walking cautiously, Yaziyah advances to the top of the stairs, listening intently and sniffing the air. She roots around in a pocket, extracting a handful of dusty earth which she had scooped up earlier when they were traversing the cemetery. As she begins murmuring the words of a spell, her other hand is tracing a complicated symbol over her left eye; the tracery of the spell glows briefly as it transfers from her hand to the skin around here eye, where it flares briefly before sinking below the surface.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Casting Detect Undead as soon as she gets a fair idea on what the stairs/tunnel lead towards - a room, hallway etc. Cone with a range of 60 ft. which she can redirect each round to cover a larger area.

The doctor came out quickly in Pietro, "Anyone hurt?"

tag?

He then readied more chemical mixtures and prepared to follow the brave explorers to the hidden path.

The tunnel before Yazi is cramped--there's only enough room to move single-file. Calling upon her spirits, the magick opens her eye, her third eye, to the energies surrounding her.

Behind her, the bones sing softly, telling the stories of a hundred living beings that once walked this world, and the worlds before this one. But the song is one of loss, of days now gone, and the melody is merely a lamentation for the world, and lives, that might have been. Those bones are at rest.

Fearless, the Shoanti enters the tunnel.

The stairs are lopsided and uneven, but lead down only a short way before ending in an intersection. To the west, more stairs lead further down into darkness before climbing back up beyond her line of sight. To the south, a short tunnel ends in a dead end, but Yazi notices another, smiliar door leading past the rock. To the east, more stairs lead to what appears to be another dead end, although Yazi also finds another door here.

But whether it be an actual absence of any more undeath, or merely the thickness of the stone walls interrupting her magic, she does not sense any other undead creatures.

She returns to the large chamber to report her findings to the rest of you. Here, Pietro is evaluating everyone for injuries, though there is currently little to heal.

Roll20 updated. Actions? Which way?

Disclaimer: I think we need to make a decision. If I'm on the computer, which often times I am, I will make those decisions to keep the game moving but feel free to make me shut up. I usually wait some time before jumping the gun as well but it's safe to say that if a decision has not been made in a couple of hours, I'll make it. :)

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Pietro shook his head when the Shoanti returned, "Why did you go by yourself? What would have happened had you been attacked and we were all here?'

He scolded her, "Don't do that again," then quickly added, "please."

When it came to decisions, Pietro chimed in, "Once you select a direction, keep going that way until you can go no more. That is one way to make sure you explore everywhere. Since you started going left, let's continue going left or through the passage that leads east from the intersection you explored."

Garvid shoulders the massive hammer, grumping approvingly. "Yeah, I'll do my best to avoid those in the future.", he chuckles. "Well, if all we face is skeletons, that'd be fine. Though I've heard that necromancy does all sorts of other unpleasant stuff." He sits down for a brief while, taking a deep breath. "Damnit, I hate those tunnels. Just had my armour shined three weeks ago...", he complains, but shoulders the hammer and continues regardlessly.

If there's any tunnel combat, are there any two-handed penalties? It'd be reasonable, but I can probably do some creative combat tricks to get around that?

"Let's keep going down the tunnel. The doctor's right, last thing we want is waking up something that'll literally bite us in the ass in the worst moment. Sweep and clear, as we call it.", he says, beginning his descent down the stairs, the heavy armour clanking with every step. "Huh. If they're as dumb as they look, noise might draw them out to me. Just as I like it." Say we open the door, and see what's behind it. If it's locked/barred, Garvid has a nice little door-knocker now.

"If this is a limited space, heading to the left until we have explored it all is a good idea. We're bound to find other things besides undead down here anyhow, so lets stay together." Cal agreed with the doctor's prognosis.

Thanks for finishing out that combat right away. It's nice to keep moving through here. If we decide to continue to the left, it might actually help increase our speed through these kinds of dungeons.

Given the narrowness of the tunnel, the only way to move is single file. Retracing Yazi's steps, the group finds itself facing the eastern-most door hidden at the dead end of the tunnel. Li, ever suspicious of booby traps, sees nothing amiss, and Garvid gently tests the door.

It opens easily, with only the slightest scrape of stone, revealing an unsettling corridor. There appear to be a number of alcoves built into the stone walls. One even contains a door leading east. The furthest reaches of the corridor are pitch black, and even Garvid's keen eyes cannot penetrate the cloaking darkness to its terminus. The unnerving feature of the corridor stems from its walls and ceilings, which are encrusted with dozens of yawning skulls, their mouths open into dark holes in the walls.

In wonder, Garvid steps across the threshold, but Li springs forward, grabbing his shoulder and hissing a warning. "It's rigged!" she whispers.

Garvid's foot rests centimeters from a near-invisible wire. Li digs through her pack a moment, withdrawing her tools, and sets to work. Within minutes, she locates the wire's mechanism and disables it. Tag all

You all shuffle into the hallway, grateful for a bit of breathing room. After only a moment, however, you realize you aren’t alone in the hall. A gentle rattle is followed by a series of hisses as three of the skulls detach themselves from the wall. They slither down the wall on serpentine, bone bodies, raising their fanged heads in preparation to strike!

-----Combat!-----

The enemy has won both total surprise and initiative, meaning they’ll act in their own surprise round, followed immediately by their full turns in Round 1. PCs will then be up to take your full Round 1 turns.

Effects:

Conditions: dim light

Surprise Round

The skeletal snakes strike like lightning. One merely latches onto Yazi’s robe, while another bounces right off Garvid’s shinguard. One is lucky, however, and manages to sink its teeth into Garvid’s ankle. A slight wave of dizziness passes over him, but he shrugs it off. 7 damage to Garvid!

Round 1

The snakes reel back and hiss, then begin to bob and weave, to and fro, their dim red eyes creating scintillating patterns in the light of the ioun torches. Calcedon and Mouse blink their eyes, realizing it’s a trick but, to their utter dismay, Pietro, Garvid, Li, and Yaziyah all stare helplessly at the snakes, their minds captured by some sinister magic.

Pietro, Garvid, Li, and Yazi are all dazed. You can take no actions, but neither do you suffer any penalty to your AC (beyond being flat-footed, as you haven’t yet been able to act).

Calcedon and Mouse are up! No pressure...I’ll allow you to spend a full round action (that provokes) to shake another player out of their daze. And of course, everyone is free to post their thoughts and actions leading up to this moment, even if you're currently paralyzed by a snake.

PC Status
Calcedon: 27/27
Garvid: 26/33
Li: 29/29
Mouse: 28/28
Pietro: 27/27
Yazi: 23/23

Tha skulls be slitherin' like a snake. How c'n bones be movin' like that without makin' a racket? It be ugly an' beautiful at tha same time. I know I should be runnin' or tryin' ta hit it with me mace but it seems a shame ta harm somethin' so graceful.

Li stands transfixed by the movement of the creatures as thoughts swirl inside her head.

Anyone else get the song that Kaa sings in the Jungle Book inside their head? I doubt it but now it's stuck in my head and I have visions of Li with swirly eyes staring at the bone snakes...

Pietro looked at the swaying snakes literally mesmerized. With his mouth open he started to move along with the swaying snakes.

That's awesome! I don't know what makes me happier...you finding it and posting it or someone else understanding that reference

It's... endless..., Garvid thinks as the snake's bones go longer and longer, as he sits dumbfounded and still, despite his bleeding leg. He puts the hammer's head on the ground, convinced in letting the snake finish... unfurling.

After being surprised that Yazi's magic didn't spot the obviously looking skeleton snake demon things, Calcedon shakes off the enchantment from their spirally eyes. "Get back beast! I'll not have you puncturing our good lady here. Avert your attention!" He took his mace for the pounding of bones, and took a tentative poke at the fanged skull.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

I love Kaa! :D (Also, I love necrophidiuses. Soo wonderfully creepy, and the construct-instead-of-undead angle always freaks people out.)

Garvid? Mouse ventures forth nervously, blinking a strange wavering away from her eyes. Garvid, what is these things? It's only after her comment is met with a few moments of silence that she realizes something's wrong, and she manages to slip her gaze away from the bone snakes long enough to see the far-off look in his eye. Miss Yazi? Mister Cal? Somethin' - somethin's wrong with Mister Garvid -

But when Yazi leaves off answering, too, Mouse realizes the situation is dire. Channeling a sudden rush of fear into action, she lashes out, trying to distract the...whatever-it-is from enthralling her friends further. Ain't nothin' I c'n do 'gainst weird magic...'cept keepin' these things from buggin' everyone more.

My new standard's going to be to use a swift action at the beginning of each combat to activate Pummeling Style, and to have Power Attack active. Assume I have these unless I say otherwise. Swift action to activate Pummeling Style, full-round for flurry of blows. One hit on blue, one hit on red to draw them both to me because I'm stupid and heroic. My Harrow card was the Keep, what can I say? ;)

Unarmed attack #1 on blue - attack, damage with Power Attack, TWF: 1d20 + 7 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 7 - 1 - 2 = 191d6 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 2 = 9
Unarmed attack #2 on red - attack, damage with Power Attack, TWF: 1d20 + 7 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 7 - 1 - 2 = 151d6 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 2 = 12

Effects: [dazed, flat-footed (Yazi, Li, Pietro, Garvid)]

Conditions: dim light

Round 1

Cal and Mouse both strike back with a measure of success. Cal’s mace strikes with a satisfying crunch (hit green), though the snake appears no less determined to consume him. Mouse drops low and swings her boot around in a strong sweeping kick, connecting solidly with one of the creatures (hit blue) but falling short of another (miss red).

Round 2

The two in front of Mouse hiss in outrage, striking back in turn. Mouse leaps up quickly, drawing her feet in close, and avoids their calcified fangs.

Calcedon is not so fortunate. The snake he has just struck flies in, latching its fangs deeply just above his shin guards (7 damage to Cal). The sting of the bite is accompanied by a warm, numbing sensation, as the creature delivers a dose of some poison into his bloodstream. Instantly, his leg becomes stiff and immovable. The sensation spreads up his body as the poison travels toward his heart, then shoots out to all of his extremities. He is able to take a final, labored breath before his entire body becomes paralyzed.

The rest of you blink your eyes as your faculties return to you (no longer dazed).

Call is now paralyzed from the poison and is unable to move or act (though mental actions are okay). All other PCs are up!

PC Status
Calcedon: 20/27
Garvid: 25/33
Li: 29/29
Mouse: 28/28
Pietro: 27/27
Yazi: 23/23

Blinking rapidly to remove the last effects of the daze, the doctor already has an incendiary bomb in his hand.

Seeing the tight quarters and remembering his last near misses, the doctor quaffs down his mutagen to enhance his precision.

-------
drink mutagen, +4 DEX, -2 WIS

So, jus'...don' look 'em in th' eyes, an' don' get bit... Disheartened by Cal's sudden immobility, but encouraged somewhat by the others' swift return to sensibility, Mouse lashes out again. But this time, with Garvid returned to his full fighting capacity (I 'ope...), she gathers her blows on the closest creature to try and take it out as quickly as possible. An' keep from gettin' bit. Jus'...keep from gettin' bit.

Flurry on blue.

Unarmed #1 - attack, damage with Power Attack, TWF: 1d20 + 7 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 7 - 1 - 2 = 161d6 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 5 + 2 = 13
Unarmed #2 - attack, damage with Power Attack, TWF: 1d20 + 7 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 7 - 1 - 2 = 81d6 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 2 = 9

Li snaps out of her reverie in time to see Cal bit and unmoving. He had been so good to her since they had met that she knows she needs to try and protect him. Using her natural agility, she easily moves around the noble and strikes out at the horrifying exquisite creature. Hitting green

acrobatics: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
light mace: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

I didn't think there were any active conditions anymore from Yazi or Cal so I didn't add anything. If that acrobatics roll also gets her past the bone serpent so that she can flank it for extra sneak attack damage, I wouldn't complain :)

Garvid snaps from his daze, quickly analyzing the situation. We're in deep, deep s!%+..., he concludes his analysis, swinging hard at the serpent in front of him.

Combat Expertise Active, Rage
Attack, PA, Rage: 1d20 + 3 + 6 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (13) + 3 + 6 + 1 - 1 = 22
Damage: 2d6 + 12 ⇒ (2, 4) + 12 = 18

The massive overhead swing smashes heavily into the serpent's tail, hard enough to crush the end entirely, sending sparks and stone slivers flying everywhere. About a foot of the bony skeleton separates from the massive blow, twitching one final time before remaining still. He turns around to see the snake writhing into the back ranks, and he lets out a semi-bestial growl at the one in front of him. "Come and bite ME, you piece of s$!$..."

Botting Yazi.

Effects: [paralyzed (Calcedon)]

Conditions: dim light

Round 2

Shaking her head to clear it of its gathering clouds, Yazi curses at being caught unawares. Raising her spirit stick, she calls forth the blessings of her ancestors. Casting bless (I’ll include it in your rolls).. Mouse stomps down hard with her boot, catching the nearest snake firmly beneath her weight (hit once). It slithers feebly, still inthralled by some unseen magic. Li nimbly leaps past Yazi, ricocheting herself off of the stone wall to avoid being bitten. She lands firmly beside Cal’s aggressor, clobbering it with her mace (hit). It hisses and turns to face its new aggressor. Garvid’s hammer splinters the snake before him, but somehow it yet survives.

Calcedon’s hands twitch as he begins to regain feeling (paralysis over).

Round 3

The bone serpents lash out at their respective aggressors. Mouse reacts quickly and is able to block the bite with the bottom of her boot. Li is bitten on the hand right after she strikes the snake (5 damage to Li), though her gloves prevent the worst of it and she seems to have avoided the poison.

Garvid, satisfied by a mistaken belief that his foe is defeated, turns to look behind him. In that moment, the snake thrashes out, again finding an opening in his armor and biting him near his ankle (2 damage to Garvid).

All PCs are up!

PC Status
Calcedon: 20/27
Garvid: 23/33
Li: 24/29
Mouse: 28/28
Pietro: 27/27
Yazi: 23/23

Now with enhanced reflexes and accuracy, the doctor tried to light the place up once more.

He yelled, "Garvid, Mouse. Look away!"

Another swoosh enveloped the small tunnel

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fire bomb at red, splash blue, NO splash on Mouse and Garvid's squares
ranged touch to hit: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 4 + 2 = 17
damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (3, 2) + 4 = 9
splash damage of 6 hit points, reflex save DC 15 for 1/2 damage

Li tries to ignore the pain in her hand. She is angered that she let her guard down but grateful that she drew its attention away from Cal. She channels her annoyance and responds to the bite with a bash from her mace which she aims at its head.

light mace,bless: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 6 + 1 = 19
damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Li will always try to maneuver herself to get to add her sneak attack damage. Would you prefer that I add it and you disregard if it doesn't apply or not roll it and you add it if it does apply?

Looks like the snake is in the corner, unlike baby. It's hard to get sneak attack from positioning there, you kind of have to rely on feints and other such tricks to get it there. But don't worry, I'll help ya beat it down.

Shaking with the effort to get his muscles working again, Cal wops the skeletal beastie again with his mace. "I've got more where those came from! You won't get us that easy!"

Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 4 + 1 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Garvid groans in pain. "I should've cashed in for better sabatons...", he spits out, as he swings the earthbreaker once more at the snake.

Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
Hero Point re-roll: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25 Maybe a bit callous, but we're getting 1 per level, and you don't mess around with paralysis.
Damage: 2d6 + 12 ⇒ (5, 5) + 12 = 22

He swings the hammer in a slow round-about swing, and it just about misses, before the snake slithers in it, forgetting the missing piece of its tail. The spikes connect just under the head, and the massive bludgeon carries it into the wall, dust falling from the ceiling, and a thunderous crack of broken bone and stone echoing into the corridor. He raises the hammer onto his shoulder, grunting heavily. Abadar, that's heavy. He takes a step back, his heavy boot stepping on a loose rib and shattering it. "And stay down..."

Conditions:
Bless
Rage: 7/10
HP: 23/33
AC: 22/13/19
DR: 1/-

Angry at herself for not having spotted these... these creatures, for clearly they are not undead - What are they, and who put them together like this? - Yaziyah takes out her pain stick to try and make an end to the bony snake that her friends had boxed in the corner.

Let's see if this works... She drags her left foot on the stone, away from her, a move she had seen a Shiikirri-Quah warrior do once. The move is meant to distract and confuse as she bends her right knee and brings her spear around from behind her back, it's butt aimed at the serpent.

Melee attack: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 2 + 1 = 16
Damage: 1d8 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3

Git...down...'n...stay...down... Mouse half-growls, facing off against her foe and striking out with her heel in a kick almost too fast to see, followed by a blur that turns out to be her fist whipping around for another hit.

Unarmed #1...you know the drill.: 1d20 + 7 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 7 - 1 - 2 = 121d6 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 2 = 12
Unarmed #2: 1d20 + 7 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 7 - 1 - 2 = 71d6 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 2 = 10

Effects: Bless (adding it into your rolls)

Conditions: dim light

Round 3

Pietro’s enhanced reflexes kick in, but the multitude of bodies in such a tight space gives him trouble, and his bomb flies awry (Miss; precise bombs doesn’t apply on a miss) The bomb lands due south of the snake, splashing both of them and narrowly missing Garvid and Mouse. One of them succumbs to the flames (blue dead). Garvid’s hammer makes quick work of the remaining snake opposing them (red dead).

At the north end of the hall, Li, Cal, and Yazi converge on the remaining serpent, bludgeoning it to bits (green dead).

You take deep breaths to steady yourselves, leery of more animated bones. But a mere heartbeat passes before the wooden door just to the east of Yaziyah creaks open of its own accord. A wave of darkness emanates from its interior. When the darkness meets the light of the ioun torches, it swallows it up, rendering you in utter blackness...Tag?

Yazi suddenly cries out in pain as a sharp blade imbeds itself in her thigh (8 damage to Yazi). An insane, soprano giggle fills the darkness, and a scurrying can be heard in the direction of the doorframe.

Round 4

I believe Garvid the only one with darkvision. I might hide the enemy tokens on the map, but I’ll assume that as long as Garvid has line of sight to an enemy, he will call out its location to the rest of you (pinpoint it). It will still have total concealment (50% miss chance) and benefit from sneak attack, but you won’t have to “pinpoint” it to attack. These rules and more are summarized in the spoiler below. Garvid, b/c I’m requiring you to have line of sight, recognize that if there are more enemies in hiding beyond what you can see, they may not yet be represented on the map. Questions?

All PCs are up!

PC Status
Calcedon: 20/27
Garvid: 23/33
Li: 24/29
Mouse: 28/28
Pietro: 27/27
Yazi: 15/23

Cal casts dancing lights again. All I can do now

"Why, you nasty critter!" exclaims Yaziyah through teeth gritted against pain. A small, detached part of her mind remarks that she had been speaking her native language less and less lately. Must be all this time you spend with the tshameks, it adds helpfully. "Ubumnyama uqalekisiwe" is heard in a low mutter afterwards. "Can anyone see anything or have I gone blind?" Without waiting for a response, Yaziyah gropes her way a step backwards and to her right, where she remembers there was an empty space. She's not of much use if she can't see; almost all her spells require her to have eyes on the target. Except... except. She closes her eyes (stupidly, it's pitch black around her anyway, but for some strange reason it helps her concentrate). She reaches out with all her senses, questing for the stubborn life that appears in every crack and crevice. The lace of pale moss sucking the moisture from the stones, the deep-burrowing roots of trees above, the luminescent fungus they had seen earlier. She tries to remember the configuration of the space, how the rooms and passageways all fit together. Beads of sweat trickle down her face as she focuses, urging the plants to grow. Grow, and hinder their foes so they couldn't come forward and hurt her and her friends. Her beautiful, brave, lovely tshamek friends. She warns them: "Don't step in the doorway!"

Concentration, if needed: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Cast Entangle with a radius as shown by the green circle in Roll20. DC 15 Reflex save.

No lights. No magical lights. No nothing.

Pietro panicked, "No, I can't see anything. And it sounds like we're being attacked."

He thought and though but came up with nothing, "Let's get back out. We need to rethink our approach."

The doctor starts head back out...

"It's by the door! Get it!", shouts Garvid, his honed night-vision kicking in in the darkness. "Yazi, you alright?", he has the time to ask, as he rushes towards the beast, hammer forward.

Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27
Damage: 2d6 + 12 ⇒ (3, 3) + 12 = 18

He charges forward, thrusting the hammer forwards. The head impacts the figure's ribs with a resounding thud. He then brings down the end of the handle into the figure's retracting foot with an audible crunch, and a mad cry of agony is heard, identifying the creature's location. "Go for the thing that screams!"

Go f'r th' screams - that I c'n do. Though even her keen eyesight can make out nothing in the sudden darkness, she feels her way carefully forward until she feels the wall's corner - and then kicks out around it, trying to catch some part of whatever the thing in the door is.

Unarmed attack, miss chance (low misses), damage with Power Attack: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (5) + 7 - 1 = 111d100 ⇒ 931d6 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 2 = 8

Li's stomach momentarily drops as she thinks something happened to her sight. When she realizes that the others can't see either she relaxes a little. She feels generally ok in the dark. She likes the shadows and her instincts are pretty sharp.

She hears Garvid call out where the creature is and she can sense him move up beside her. Going low, she reaches around the corner with her mace and swings where she thinks its knees may be.

mace,bless: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 1 = 15
damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

I don't think that it would hit regardless but I'll let Wicked roll the percentages for hitting.

Effects: Bless

Conditions: darkness!

Round 4

Calcedon, perplexed by the dimming of his magical lights, tries in vain to summon them once again. The tiny spark is immediately doused in shadow. Pietro, sensing the end is nigh, creeps back into the tight tunnel and toward the exit. Mouse and Li strike out blindly into the dark, but the little creature is too quick, and has the shadows on its side. Yazi casts her spirit out blindly into the dark, beseeching her old friend, the earth, for aid. Something out there listens, for the sounds of gnarled roots bursting through stonework echo from the chamber beyond.

Garvid sees the little creature, a squat little humanoid with greenish skin and white eyes, cry out in surprise and jump up sharply, narrowly avoiding being tangled by a root successful reflex save. Now more determined than ever, he flies forward and strikes it hard with his earthbreaker. The blow is powerful (hit), knocking several teeth out of the creature’s mouth. It jumps back a step, brandishing its short sword and opening its mouth.

”Go for the thing that screams!”

The creature distends its jaws at an impossibly wide angle, revealing rows of razor teeth. It shrieks a shrill, ear-piercing scream that causes dust to rattle off the skeletons lining the wall around you (Sound burst). Your ears pulse in pain! 1 damage to all.

Round 5

Li and Garvid are up. Everyone else is stunned!

I believe Garvid the only one with darkvision. I might hide the enemy tokens on the map, but I’ll assume that as long as Garvid has line of sight to an enemy, he will call out its location to the rest of you (pinpoint it). It will still have total concealment (50% miss chance) and benefit from sneak attack, but you won’t have to “pinpoint” it to attack. These rules and more are summarized in the spoiler below. Garvid, b/c I’m requiring you to have line of sight, recognize that if there are more enemies in hiding beyond what you can see, they may not yet be represented on the map. Questions?

All PCs are up!

PC Status
Calcedon: 19/27
Garvid: 22/33
Li: 23/29
Mouse: 27/28
Pietro: 26/27
Yazi: 14/23

Li can't hear very well after that thing screeches in the dark. "Garvid, did it be movin'? Where should I be goin' ta hit it?"

Do we need to go through the Entangle spell to get to this derro? Not sure if Li can hit anything this round...

Li, looks like a non-issue. Botting Garvid to finish this fight.

Garvid steps forward onto the exposed tangle of vines. He brings the hammer around in a strong sweep, striking the creature hard enough to send it flailing against the northern wall. It crumples to the floor. As it does, the cloud of darkness surrounding you all collapses inward, coalescing to a single point on the its jagged little shortsword. The gentle light of the ioun torches and dancing lights reappears. The creature still breathes.

Garvid: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 252d6 + 12 ⇒ (3, 5) + 12 = 20

PC Status
Calcedon: 19/27
Garvid: 22/33
Li: 23/29
Mouse: 27/28
Pietro: 26/27
Yazi: 14/23

Combat Over!

------

As the darkness recedes, you take a moment to collect yourselves. Garvid sees that in this latest room, wooden tables here are stacked with vials, beakers, and other alchemical gear, although the southern one is heaped with broken vials and leans awkwardly on a hastily repaired leg. Three large cauldrons sit against the east wall, one of them upended. Its foul, rancid contents of rendered fats have spilled over the floor. To the south, there is a door that has been boarded over. To the east a tunnel leads east. To the north, Garvid spots another door concealed in the stonework.

There's a heavy thud as...something behind the boarded door slams heavily against it.

Actions? Yazi, do you want to maintain the entangle? You have almost 3 minutes remaining, but if there's a combat it will require reflex saves to avoid being entangled. Unless/until, we'll assume you all move carefully enough to avoid it.