Darklands Archivist's The Armageddon Echo (Inactive)

Game Master Guy Player Man

Lothan chuckles. "We're in an abandoned home. And no, we haven't saved any elves. On the plus side, none of us died. Zoltan and Vendric managed to whip up on some dark elves while we slept like babies and kept us all alive."

Zoltan stirs and groans his complaint at the sound, but otherwise doesn't move and returns to sleep.

How much longer is the party resting?

I guess Zoltan needs his full beauty sleep, so three more hours?

Sounds fine to me.

Is Iolar going to rest?

'Is Iolar going to rest?' All he does is sleep!?! ;P

Iolar's tone begins at angry and ascends into a fury.

"Well they may have saved us, but what about the other elves?! The drow have had them for -- how long, hours? They won a skirmish, but now the drow will have dug in or moved away! We'll be in a worse position to save the others.

"If you halfbreeds had half a heart, you wouldn't have run away!"

She starts to gather her things.

Sorry, been hung up at work.

And I know you guys did the completely right thing. We were running on fumes. Iolar's not thinking real clearly.

Time for some Lothan diplomacy!

"Is she taking to us?!" asks Zoltan to the others.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there, sweetcakes! If it wasn't for us 'half-breeds', lady, you'd be dead. Just think about that. Now, go ahead and pull your undergarments out of your behind and let's get back to the task at hand, m-kay, darlin'?" He glances over at the others, winking. "Let's go, people! Oh, and one other thing, let's try to avoid those stupid drow darts, please. I really hate those things."

"So she was talking to us! Next time you take a nap in the middle of battle, we'll just pull back so you can infiltrate them... In the meantime, any idea to keep thos bolts at bay?"

So is Zoltan the only one rested when you go back?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there, sweetcakes! If it wasn't for us 'half-breeds', lady, you'd be dead. Just think about that. Now, go ahead and pull your undergarments out of your behind and let's get back to the task at hand, m-kay, darlin'?"

"Dead!? Why you half-witted, buffoon, you couldn't ..."

He glances over at the others, winking. "Let's go, people! Oh, and one other thing, let's try to avoid those stupid drow darts, please. I really hate those things."

Iolar's rampage tails off, and she frowns in confusion since Lothan now seems to be doing what she wants.

"So she was talking to us! Next time you take a nap in the middle of battle, we'll just pull back so you can infiltrate them... In the meantime, any idea to keep those bolts at bay?"

"I have a spell to create a zone of fog and another a wall of wind. Both would protect us from the darts, but they would also render Lothan useless. With time I might pray for spells that would toughen our skin, but one of their bolts could still pierce your skin. And I still have a spell to eradicate their poison in one person."

'Infiltrate them' nice cut. Probably too subtle for Iolar to catch right now, but I liked it.

So is Zoltan the only one rested when you go back?

Does hours of Drow induced sleep count as resting? :-D

Iolar's calmed down a bit. Zoltan's got her thinking. What do we want to do as a party? I think you guys're right and the smart play is to restock before going on. Iolar's got half her spell-load, but as DW pointed out she's slept through half the encounters. Z and V are pretty well drained. She's smart enough to see the arguments even if she doesn't like them.

"That works only if they don't have the drop on us. I too can keep them from seeing us, but it works both ways as well. What we need is to have the drop on them."

Vendric rests also needing it after so much fighting.

Unconsciousness from drow poison won't count as rest.

"Well any drop we had is now gone since the survivors most likely warned them about us. As for the issue for the drow poison I think we can only hope to not get hit by the poisoned bolts and depend on our bodies to resist if we do. But I would like to aquire more doses of it."

Back to the observatory then?

Oh yes!

Sounds good to me.

"That's a good idea, V. We sure...," he stops, crinkle's his eyebrows and turns to Iolar. "Hey! Who you callin' a buffoon?!" He asks through narrowed eyes. "Why I oughta...," he says, threatening her with a fist but simply waves it off. "Another time; let's get back to the observatory and get our revenge, people. We can't stand around here all day trading barbs ... no matter how much fun that is." He heads out, leading the way back to the observatory.

You go back to the observatory and bust through the entrance...unless you take another approach, then ignore the rest of this post. You find the entry hall filled with replacements of those you dispatches several hours ago.

Map

Initiative: Lothan/Zoltan, drow, Iolar/Vendric.

"Not again... Adlakarth Sianiath!!" shouts Zoltan as he spreads his arms up, summoning a shower of blinding golden sparkles on the Drows.

Cast Glitterdust, centered on the middle of the table (I think I catch all of them), no SR, Will DC 18 or blinded.

Is there enough vegetation near the guards to let an entangle spell work?

"Crap! I swear, these guys don't give up!" Lothan fires arrow after arrow at the drow.

Activate adaptation: Natural armor +2; Attack E7

Manyshot
+1 adaptive composite longbow w/DA/PB/RS: 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 10 + 4 = 26
Damage: 1d8 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
Damage: 1d8 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

+1 adaptive composite longbow w/DA/PB/RS: 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 10 + 4 = 32
Damage: 1d8 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 10 + 4 = 18

+1 adaptive composite longbow w/DA/PB/RS: 1d20 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 4 = 12
Damage: 1d8 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 10 + 4 = 22

AC 27; Hp's 62/68; 4 arrows

Darklands can I heal up and use some extracts before we go in. Don't want to go in unprepared and wounded. Current HP is 32 after rest.

Speaking of retcons: Iolar would rather not be in front this time. Her neutralize poison is only useful if she doesn't get hit by a poison bolt. And there's still 19 charges on her CLW wand. Happy to spend those to get us up to snuff before trying the encounter that dropped 2 PCs last time.

Is there enough vegetation near the guards to let an entangle spell work?

Nope.

Darklands can I heal up and use some extracts before we go in

Yep.

Round 1

Zoltan showers the room in glitterdust. All four of the drow warriors are blinded. Lothan hits one of them with three arrows, leaving the foe seriously injured.

The injured drow flees, while the three other soldiers fire back at Lothan. Six bolts fly his way, but none of them pierce flesh. The priestess casts a spell whose effects target herself and the other drow.

PCs are up. The drow remain blinded.

Taking a step in, "Stop running you big chickens!" he taunts, firing away at another one.

5' step to C 6; Attack F7

Manyshot vs FE(elves)
+1 adaptive composite longbow w/DA/PB/RS: 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 4 = 21
Damage: 1d8 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 10 + 4 = 19
Damage: 1d8 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 10 + 4 = 16

+1 adaptive composite longbow w/DA/PB/RS: 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 10 + 4 = 23
Damage: 1d8 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 10 + 4 = 18

+1 adaptive composite longbow w/DA/PB/RS: 1d20 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 4 = 14
Damage: 1d8 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 10 + 4 = 19

AC 27; Hp's 62/68; 8 arrows

Crap! I completely forgot to add +4 on damage in my previous attack. So stupid. Ah well.

Having seen how his power can find itself depleted so fast, Zoltan hesitates before using his gifts. For the moment, he prefers to stay ready to support his companions.

Delay until one of the Drows regains his sight.

I'll take those clw charges dont wa t to go into battle wounded.

Before enteting vendric prepares for battle drinking his mutagen and his barkskin, paragon surge, sheild and haste extract in that order.

Then during battle he closes the distance on the preistest and lobs a bomb right at her.

Touch attack: 1d20 + 10 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 10 + 1 + 1 = 21
Damage: 4d6 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (3, 5, 1, 4) + 7 + 1 = 21
11 splash damage in a 10ft radius
dc21 reflex for the splash damage.

Iolar summons her anger, and throws it to the leaden sky which reflects it and throws pillars of lightning back.

Lightning Lord, targeting the drow caster and 2 drow that Lothan is not shooting at. DC 17 refl save for 1/2 damage. 3 remaining.

Caster: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 6, 3) = 14
Minion: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 2) = 11
Minion 2: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 6, 3) = 14

Retcon pre-fight healing:

Iolar : 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Vendric: 5d8 + 5 ⇒ (4, 2, 2, 5, 5) + 5 = 23

13 charges left. Anyone else?

Round 1

Vendric tosses a bomb at the group on the west side, encompassing that group in flames.(E4 saves for half dmg). Iolar rains down lightning on the same group and fries them some more (F4 and G4 save for half dmg).

Round 2

Lothan fires at his second target and kills the drow.

The two soldiers pelt Vendric with their crossbows, and he's hit (3 dmg). The magic user utters a curse and Lothan's vision begins to dim (make a Fort save DC 16 or become blinded).

PCs are up. The two drow remain blinded.

Map

Fort: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15 I totally called that one.

Sighing in frustration, "Crap. Everybody! Just want you all to know I can't freaking see!"

Don't the blind ones loose their dex bonus on saves?

"Vendric, fell the caster!" Iolar steps forward to engage the nearest drow.

Move to D4
Quarterstaff: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29 ... damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Quarterstaff: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14 ... damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Temporary ability damage I could help with. Not blindness.

This encounter is going to be our Sisyphean boulder.

Edit: Crit confirm!! Quarterstaff: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21 ... damage, + killer trait : 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 2 = 7

"I got this Lothan..." utters Zoltan as he reaches in his haversack and pulls a scroll which he proceeds to read, dispelling the curse on Lothan.

Remove Blindness.

Round 2

Iolar moves into the room and whacks one of the drow with her staff. Vendric hits the drow caster with another of his bombs.

Round 3

Zoltan pulls out a scroll and removes Lothan's blindness.

Lothan is up.

As his vision returns, "Heck yeah! That's what I'm talking about! Thanks, Z!" Lothan then takes a step over and fires away at the drow that are left.

5' step to C 5; Attack E 4

Manyshot vs FE(elves)
+1 adaptive composite longbow w/DA/PB/RS: 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 4 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 10 + 4 = 22
Damage: 1d8 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 10 + 4 = 19

+1 adaptive composite longbow w/DA/PB/RS: 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 10 + 4 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 10 + 4 = 17

+1 adaptive composite longbow w/DA/PB/RS: 1d20 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 4 = 11
Damage: 1d8 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 10 + 4 = 16

AC 27; Hp's 62/68; 12 arrows

Round 3

Lothan shoots down another drow, then severely injures the next.

The last drow soldier flees through the southwest exit. The priestess follows him.

End of combat.

"Let's pursue them?" asks Zoltan as he crosses through the room, looking for potions or scrolls on the dead bodies.

"Yes!!" Says Iolar, and not in a celebratory way.

She latches onto Vendric and Lothan and propels them ahead of her in pursuit.

Or not depending on how eager you are.

"We should go now then. Though they may already know we're here we don't want them to have any more time to prepare for us." Vendric rushes off in pursuit of the drow this time.

"Vendric, would you be able to carry a table?" asks Zoltan quickly with a grin.

"No!" Iolar shouts. "He's chasing drow."

And the elf takes a moment to focus her senses before pursuing herself.

Move action to totem tranform getting +4 to perception and the at will ability to speak with animals.

Hope fully that let's Lothan get out in front too.

"Alright, alright, I'm going, I'm going!" he exclaims as Iolar shoves them forward. Taking off after them under his own power, "You know we're gonna catch 'em, so, don't worry... I got this."

"We can use the table for cover..!" points out Zoltan.

Into the next room, you find a long study, with tables covered in charts. Two demons with tight, leathery, slimy skin are here to greet you.

Map

Initiative: PCs, demons

Iolar quickly summons an eagle to fly against the demons. The bird darts forward to strike at the southern demon.

talon: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18 .... damage: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
talon: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17 .... damage: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13 .... damage: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Know Planes: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

"Where did they go?! There is no door..!" wonders Zoltan for a breath, then focuses his will to accelerate time for his companions.

Haste! +1 to hit, +1 AC and reflex

That's the million dollar question.

There's supposed to be a door on the southern wall. I forgot to draw it.