Expedition to the Ruins of Castle Greyhawk [3.5 D&D]

Game Master Stiehle

"He would have to make it back past us to warn anyone. And I doubt his old employers would be all that kind to word of failure." Sobok says. "But I am not necessarily adverse to ensuring he does not prove problematic in the future."

LOL! I was only rolling to point out that Morrow doesn't have the needed skills to collapse this. Besides, I'm sure this module doesn't want us to collapse the castle to keep the army from invading. They'd just find a different way up!

Turning to the soldier Morrow motions to some of the bigger, heavy items that the group wasn't taking. "Here's an idea for you. Take what you can carry. Haul this stuff up to the city. Take it to the Green Dragon Inn and speak to Richard. Let him know that we sent you with it. He'll help you get a good price for it, and he'll get you a good meal and drink. Ask him about a mage named Glorb. He'll help you too. You'll never need to worry about your bosses down here again. You'll have plenty of gold for a long time, maybe even the rest of your life if you invest it well. And, if you tell them about the army down here, they'll see you as a hero, concerned for the people of the city. You'll be doing us a favor, and one for all of the good people of the city. A total win-win for you! What do you think?"

Keep it simple. He's just a soldier. Pay him well to do a job and it will probably get done! Now we go down and find that cleric and the minions that keep kicking our butts! Get ready with some obscuring mist or illusions to make the archers less effective, and some buffs for us. Haste anyone, once we get to the combat!

Since Charm Person would wear out long before he gets back to town, I'm presuming you're going with Morrow's plan to buy him out with some of the heavier expensive gear and appeal to his sense of greed? In any case, once you're agreed on a plan, let me know how you're heading downstairs. Buffs, light sources, and marching order. It'll take about ten full minutes to make the long descent, and the stairwell is only 5' wide, so I'll need a single file marching order.

"Also there is a rather...friendly barmaid who would be more than willing to...express her gratitude as well..." Reonnyn chimes in with a suitably charming inflection in his voice.

If Lindara hears of this then she will roast me over an open flame!

Reonnyn would take rear guard here on the way down. I say we travel in darkness here as he can see ok in the dark.

Have the sneaky ones that can see in the dark scout ahead. Morrow can see fine with Norebo's Hand, but his ability to move silently is poor at best.... Have the noisy ones that need light at the rear.

Agreed with just pay him. Someone else write the letter (or just let is happen offscreen - "I write a letter explaining what's going on"); Fash ain't the guy as he has no contact with Mordenkainen yet...)

"As usual, I've got point. Don't follow too close, but be ready to come a running."

Ok, we've presumably spent 20 minutes post-fight setting this up, and another 10 to descend the stair. So I'm at:
Fash 68/68 [Darkvision & Lowlight Vision; Cloak of Shadow (grants 20% miss chance (can Hide as though concealed), only True Seeing or sight in magical darkness can overcome this ability); Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 9060 minutes; Spider Climb [20' speed, cannot run] for 9060 minutes; See Invisibility for 9060 minutes; Invisible to Darkvision (using magical ring)]

I will add a Rary's Telepathic bond, Me, Reonnyn, Morrow, Vegeir
Once I get close to the bottom of the stairs (30s or so of sneaking), I will add expeditious retreat and invisibility. I will not be assuming that invisibility works on whatevers down there, so I will be sneaking when I get down there...

Sobok will take up the rear position and follow along after the others.

Gear follows the others, staying back with the non-sneaky bulk of the group.

Godsday, 18th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is sometime in the wee hours of the morning, party has been awake for about an hour.

-------------------------------------------------

With little choice but to trust the mercenary - who seems sincere in carrying the message back to Greyhawk - the party gives him some of the loot they can't carry and send him off with the letter. Then they are headed down the stairs, with Fash leading the way through the darkness. The party has no light source lit to give away their position and are moving slowly down the steps with a bit of distance between them to stay as quiet as possible and not bump into each other, making the trip last a bit longer than it otherwise might. The gnome figures he's getting close to the bottom based solely on his memory and casts a couple of spells to boost his speed and to make him invisible to normal sight - in addition to his invisibility to Darkvision granted by his magical ring - and continues onward. About a minute later he rounds a bend in the stairwell with the others a good distance behind him (though they sound like an army of soldiers to his sensitive ears) and stops suddenly. One of those freakish four-armed demon archers lurks at the bottom of the steps only fifteen feet away from him - where Fash can see it stands upon the bottom landing that opens up into the massive cavern beyond...

Fash, give me a Stealth check, please. I'll also want a Stealth check from everyone else, just to see how much noise you're all making back up the stairwell. I'm guessing that Fash is maybe 40' or so in front of the group? But yeah, it's quiet down here and that stairwell sure does echo! Still, myabe the demon has heard the group and maybe it hasn't - depending on your rolls. Sobok, I'm guessing you've got your Senses draconic aura going, yes? Marching order as I interpret it is below:

Fash <------ 40'------> Morrow <- 10'-> Gear <- 10'-> Sobok <- 10'-> Reonnyn

Combat Map

Dungeon Map

----------------------------------------------

Stealth: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 20 ⇒ (13) + 9 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 20 = 62
9 rank +2 dex+4 racial +4 small+5 Cloak of Elvenkind +5 boots of elvenkind+20 invisibility

"Arrow demon, just 15' from the bottom of the spiral stair..."
Fash uses telepathic bond to report.

Reonnyn has his ring of invisibility activated, for what it's worth.

Stealth: 1d20 + 10 + 1 + 20 ⇒ (2) + 10 + 1 + 20 = 33

If possible, I will just take 10 on all stealth checks. That gives me a 9 after my Armor Check Penalties. If I cannot take 10 for some reason, I have rolled in a spoiler.

Ditto 11, or

Stealth? Gear doesn't do that.: 1d20 - 7 ⇒ (9) - 7 = 2

Fash winces at a particularly loud clank from the battalion behind him...

Godsday, 18th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is sometime in the wee hours of the morning, party has been awake for about an hour.

-------------------------------------------------

Fash mentally calls back a warning to those he is in telepathic contact with, as the party continues to make their way down the stone steps. The gnome watches the demon carefully, but it doesn't seem to tense or otherwise react as he watches it.

Demon's Listen Check: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (1) + 16 = 17

OK, so we're going to continue this in a sort of round by round progression with each of you posting your 'actions' for this 'round' outside of combat. The current pace is about 20' per round descending the stairwell, and thus far nobody seems to have alerted the demon - at least so far as Fash can tell. Recall that everyone is in pitch darkness and I'm presuming you are continuing downward at this same pace. If you are simply continuing to descend for your action, I'll need another Hide/Move Silently checks from anyone doing so (recall these have been combined per my house rule into a single roll). If anyone is doing something else (for instance, Fash - who has stopped moving downward now that he's about 15' away from the demon standing guard), let me know exactly what you are doing for this 'round. If so, remember that if others are moving and you're stopping short, you might have to whisper something to the fellow behind you or they might wind up bumping into you if they do not possess darkvision.

Fash <------ 20'------> Morrow <- 10'-> Gear <- 10'-> Sobok <- 10'-> Reonnyn

Combat Map

Dungeon Map

----------------------------------------------

Morrow slows but keeps moving down the stairs until he reaches Fash.

Stealth: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

"I'm sneaking past to scout. Wait for me. I don't think it's heard you yet, but no closer..."

Fash telepathically proposes a plan, and slips out of the stairwell, past the demon...

Stealth: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 20 ⇒ (2) + 9 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 20 = 51
9 rank +2 dex+4 racial +4 small+5 Cloak of Elvenkind +5 boots of elvenkind+20 invisibility

@GM West, I have put a Fash figure on slide 5, showing where I am going. Could you put the demon on the map? I am currently assuming it's roughly in the yellow box.

Gear pauses at Fash's mental whisper.

He'll wait where he is, no actions.

Reonnyn also pauses here and keeps his eyes peeled behind the staircase, knowing full well the teleportation capabilities of the demons.

No actions.

Are there any more enemies in sight? Or can we hear any movements? I have trouble imagining demons standing guard quietly and patiently....

Sobok will stop when he hears Fash's telepathic message.

Godsday, 18th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is sometime in the wee hours of the morning, party has been awake for about an hour.

-------------------------------------------------

Most of the party comes to a stop with the exception of Morrow, who continues down the steps as quietly as he can to join the whisper gnome as Fash tries to figure out a way to get past the demon. Even invisible, it will be difficult to do so without alerting the creature, as he will quite literally have to go right through it - either between its legs or over its head. And the demon is quite tall, so there's only a few feet of room between its head and the ceiling that's about ten feet or so where the archway leads out into the cavern beyond... And then, he hears Morrow moving behind him, and though the human is doing a fair job of keeping quiet, it sounds like he's clomping down the steps...

Demon's Listen Check: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29

... and this time, the demon cocks its head and begins climbing the steps to investigate - and Fash knows for certain it heard the barest scuff of the duskblade's boot against the stone steps...

I've adjusted the Slide #5 to show actual positions - the demon is blocking the steps so getting past it would be very, very tricky. Even if weren't alerted, which it is now. Fash can mentally shout a warning before Morrow and the demon can see each other as it starts to move toward Fash. I'll go ahead and let you all roll your own initiative since we're pausing it here and combat is imminent. If you have telepathy with Fash, you KNOW the demon is moving up the steps and you can take a standard action immediately. If you don't have telepathic contact, you won't until there's the sounds of combat. Fash can also use Message to warn everyone (so everyone would get a standard action), but that might alert the demon to the presence of an invisible foe since he has line of sight on Fash's 'square'. Note that when the demon is 15' away on the stairwell (including the square it is in), you and it have line of sight on each other (with cover). So currently, only Fash can see it. Once it moves up the steps 5', it will see Morrow, and vice versa.

Demon <- 10'-> Fash <> Morrow <- 30'-> Gear <- 10'-> Sobok <- 10'-> Reonnyn
*Each 5' above is an empty square on a combat map

Combat Map

Dungeon Map

----------------------------------------------

Fash sends an urgent telepathic warning: "It heard you and is coming to investigate. Jump it!"

He slips forward and squeezes himself against the outer wall of the staircase, hoping to slip past the demon as it climbs the steps. As he does, he draws Kelviernan's gift (his runestaff) and readies his magic...

Stealth: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 20 ⇒ (16) + 9 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 20 = 65
9 rank +2 dex+4 racial +4 small+5 Cloak of Elvenkind +5 boots of elvenkind+20 invisibility

Init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
+2 dex

And I have a rules question for GM West in discussion

Reonnyn freezes here in position, fully expecting the demon to teleport to cut off the party's escape here, readying to blast it once it does!

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Ready action to blast the demon once Reonnyn sees it: Eldritch Blast RT: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 14 + 1 = 25; damage: 4d6 + 2 ⇒ (5, 3, 1, 5) + 2 = 16
CL Check: 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 11 + 1 = 19

On slide 5 are we above the green thing near G1? Is it possible for Gear to Charge the target down the stairs?

Init: 1d20 ⇒ 16

Gear braces to rush down the steps, Paragon lighting the stairs with golden light.

Waiting to see if he can charge and if any other melee PCs act before him.

Init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

Crap! Even my natural 20 was too low....

Morrow moves forward as fast as he can to attack the demon. Assuming Fash lets me by?

Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Attack once I get there....: 1d20 + 11 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 11 + 3 + 2 = 23
damage?: 1d8 + 1d6 + 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (5) + (5) + (1) + 3 + 2 = 16

Weapon is treated as Good Aligned for overcoming DR.