There really isn't, Eva. It's one of the features of this level that makes very little sense; there's a way past the teleport trap, but it requires a skill that baseline serpentfolk aren't much good at.
F Human Monk 10 [ HP 101/103 (0 NL) | AC 26* Tch 21 FF 24 | Fort +10 Ref +9 Will +13 | CMD 30 | Init +2 | Perc +17, low-light vision | Ki: 16/16 | Effects: mage armor ]
Can't help but wonder what happens if we smash it. :P Probably not a good idea with comrades "trapped" (hehehehe, see what I did there?) on the other side...
Asvald also finds the gem fascinating, and so all three of you are within the area of effect of the teleport. You find yourselves in the end of a narrow corridor with a strange serpentine pattern of green glass embedded in the floor. You are standing on what looks like the tail. The pattern runs to the end of the corridor, about thirty feet, where it turns to the left. There is no sign of Kali.
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
Non-Kalicious Folk:
"Looks like there's only one way to go," Senja observes, "so let's go that way." He steps aside for Asvald and Eva to lead the way, urging them to hurry. "We haven't seen Kali in a while, no telling what kind of trouble she's gotten into."
Kali:
Hi there! Hope you're having fun, wherever you are.
Those of you who aren't Kali hurry through the maze, following the serpent to a room at the center. The snake design ends with a head, and across the small room you see another opening with a snake head design. You follow that way, spiraling out from the room at the center, and will catch up with Kali shortly.
Kali concentrates for a moment to cast a Burning Hands spell defensively. Succeeding in not losing the spell, she fans out her fingers and fills the hallway with fire.
Defensive Cast:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22
SR Blue:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18 SR Green:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
The blue serpentfolk manages to avoid the worst of Kali's spell, but still takes some burn damage to go with the frostbite from the snowball. The flames wash over the green one without visible effect, though. They again do not follow Kali into the hallway, and in fact the wounded one closes the door.
Kali attempts to cast Shocking Grasp defensively, but gets ahead of herself mentally and loses the spell. Cursing to herself, she then takes a 5 foot step back.
"Hey, if you just show me the way out, we don't have keep doing this. Maybe at least talk about all this? I mean, attacking you was my mistake, I'll cop to it." She says sweetly after the attack misses.
I'll put the rest of the party on the map, and go to a more formal melee timing.
Round 1 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Serpentfolk-acted
Senja
Kali
Eva
Asvald
The serpentfolk is unmoved by Kali's entreaty, and stabs and bites at the kitsune. Kali manages to avoid the dagger thrust, but gets bitten again for 2 HP, plus DC 15 Fort save or take another point of STR damage.
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
Senja rounds the corner and sees Kali fighting a serpentfolk! "Looks like Kali made some friends after she left us," he remarks dryly, as he conjures up a large, shadowy helping hand for the kitsune. He sends it gliding towards her, unsure how the fight is going for her.
"Wow, took you guys long enough." Kali says lightly with a grin, despite feeling more poison seep into her system. She then attempts to touch the serpentfolk with her electrified hand despite its various defenses, moving back 5 feet afterwards to give someone else a chance to attack the enemy.
Fort Save + antitoxin:1d20 + 4 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 5 = 12 Fort Save fortune reroll:1d20 + 4 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 5 = 11
I'll look over encumbrance in a bit, but I just realized I rolled 1 too many dice for Shocking Grasp, since the limit is 5d6. Subtracting the last die, the attack did 18 damage.
Without the rage song Kali is at medium encumbrance unless she drops 10.5 pounds. With the song, she'll need to drop half a pound to stay at light encumbrance.
Asvald begins his raging song, strengthening the party. Eva attempts to grab the serpent and thinks she has it, but is fooled by its blurred outline and doesn't quite manage to hold it.
Round 2 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Serpentfolk-acted
Senja
Kali
Eva
Asvald
The serpentfolk in front of Eva bites and stabs at her. Take 2 HP. The other one stares at the monk, who hears a small voice in her head: Close the door and make sure your friend is all right before you press on.DC 16 Will save or follow the suggestion. Kali, another DC 15 Fort save or take 2 points STR damage.
F Human Monk 10 [ HP 101/103 (0 NL) | AC 26* Tch 21 FF 24 | Fort +10 Ref +9 Will +13 | CMD 30 | Init +2 | Perc +17, low-light vision | Ki: 16/16 | Effects: mage armor ]
Will:1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 9 + 2 = 29
Eva ignores the snake's poor attempt at magicking her. Pausing for only a moment to set her feet, she lashes out at the snake and grabs it by its flickering tongue!
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
Senja begins his familiar dark laughter as he sees Eva grab her opponent. Swirling his long-fingered hands in the air, Senja conjures up a dense swarm of shadowy gnats, which wing their way over to the closest serpentfolk, darting and biting to distract him!
Cackle to maintain Fortune hex on Kali, Misfortune hex on green. DC 18 Will save.
Initiative order
Serpentfolk-acted
Senja-acted
Kali
Eva-acted
Asvald
The serpentfolk easily resists Senja's hex. Eva is not fooled a second time and grabs the creature, though.
Question for everyone: since Eva has the serpentfolk grappled, does it move with her? Frex, hypothetically speaking, if a trap door were to open under Eva and she failed her Reflex save to avoid falling, would the serpentfolk be pulled down with her? I couldn't find anything about it in the condition description or the combat section.
F Human Monk 10 [ HP 101/103 (0 NL) | AC 26* Tch 21 FF 24 | Fort +10 Ref +9 Will +13 | CMD 30 | Init +2 | Perc +17, low-light vision | Ki: 16/16 | Effects: mage armor ]
That would open up a whole can of snakes... for example, how would Eva's "Bastion Stance" ability interact with a trapdoor (or pit, for example) which opened when it wasn't Eva's turn? "If the monk starts and ends his turn in the same space, he cannot be knocked prone or forcibly moved until the start of his next turn, except by mind-affecting or teleportation effects."
F Human Monk 10 [ HP 101/103 (0 NL) | AC 26* Tch 21 FF 24 | Fort +10 Ref +9 Will +13 | CMD 30 | Init +2 | Perc +17, low-light vision | Ki: 16/16 | Effects: mage armor ]
To address your original question, I did a bit of searching, and there seem to be about as many takes as there are players/DMs. Most people seem to agree that it depends a lot on the specific situation.
Fort Save:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17 Fort Save Fortune reroll:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
Feeling herself weakened by poison, Kali accepts Asvald's raging song and drops her bandolier full of shuriken. She then uses Ki to turn invisible, clicks the heels of her daredevil boots and attempts to move into a flank with Eva.
Assuming dropping the bandolier is a move action, then spending 1 ki as an swift action for vanishing trick, 1 free action to activate daredevil boots, then a move action with acrobatics for flank on other side of grappled serpentfolk.
I moved Kali to the proper square assuming 38 was enough to move through the enemy square. She is currently invisible, but I know it's not that helpful.
It is at this point that something excessively interesting happens. The serpent design on the floor flares a brilliant green, and a huge ghostly snake begins to emerge from the wall next to Eva. It moves ten feet down the hall, pushing Asvald ahead of it despite its ephemeral appearance. It is unable to move Eva from her bastion stance, but both she and Asvald take 8 HP of damage from its passage.
Round 3 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Serpentfolk-acted
Senja
Kali
Eva
Asvald
The blue serpentfolk takes advantage of Eva's distraction to slip free of her grasp, then closes the door. The green serpentfolk stabs and bites at Kali, but although it hits the kitsune with both attacks its muscles are too feeble to do much damage. Take 2 points nonlethal damage, and since its bite didn't do actual damage you don't have to worry about a second dose of poison. However, the current dose is still active; DC 15 Fort save or take another point of STR damage.
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
Carbide - any knowledge checks I can make to figure out what this ghostly serpent is? Is it an incorporeal creature or a magic attack or what? For now I'll figure it's Arcana, but can add other skill bonuses to this roll as appropriate.
This trap manifests from both ends of the corridor, creating gigantic spectral snakes that slither down the corridor. The snakes fill the entire corridor and cannot be bypassed. At the start of every turn, each snake moves, pushing any PCs who are within its 10 feet of movement and dealing 2d6 points of damage to any PC it pushes.
Round 3 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Serpentfolk-acted
Senja-acted
Kali
Eva
Asvald-acted
The snake vanishes under Senja's hammer! Asvald advances and opens the door again.
