Sorry guys. I've been dealing with a crisis at work all week that's been taking up a lot of my time and energy. I'll try to get a post up and move things along this weekend.
Alongside their weapons and armor, the party finds several magical consumables.
Halfplate, greatswords, and longswords. They each have 3 scrolls of cure moderate wounds, a scroll of delay poison, a scroll of remove disease, 2 scrolls of stone shape, and scroll of cure serious wounds.
A relatively narrow passage extends to the north from which a dark aura pulses gently. The worked stone of the temple continues to the south.
The giants recoil from the pulse of positive energy.
The spellcasting giant is out of range.
By sheer willpower Ralph pierces the veil of the giant's illusion revealing it to be a skeletal monstrosity.
You can make a nature check to learn about this thing. I'll allow planes at a penalty if your planes is drastically better than your nature. Please include your questions with your roll.
Male Human Spell Sage 14 | HP:100/100| AC: 16/ FF 12/ T 14 |CMD: 17| Fort: +12 Ref: +12 Will: +13 | Perception: +18| Init: +3 [|] Uses Ring of Invisibility
knowledge Nature:1d20 + 24 ⇒ (20) + 24 = 44
Ralph's extensive knowledge makes him appear nigh-prescient.
"That one in the back is not like the others," he hisses at the rest of the Pathfinders.
Questions:
1. Resistances and immunities
2. Special Defences
3. Special Attacks
4. Special senses
5. Notable feats commonly possessed by this type of creature
Ralph recognizes the skeletal creature as a gigas, a type of extraplanar giant native to the Abyss.
DR10/chaotic; Immunefire; Resistacid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, sonic 10; standard giant rock throwing as well as the ability to charge hurled rocks with explosive energy; and darkvision/low-light vision.
Rhon pummels the damaged skeleton further but doesn't do enough damage to bring it down.
Heh, looks like the gigas rolled less on his 10d6 against me than on the 5d8 against the others.
will save:1d20 + 25 ⇒ (4) + 25 = 29
Exiel easily weathers the blight and responds with a spell of his own.
"This one seems to be a rather more powerful cleric than the other two, so what say we try to deal with these skeletons quickly and then take the fight to him?"
I believe Purs is still sickened for this. Everyone hit needs to make a will save vs unholy blight. You guys know the deal. If anyone fails you're sickened for 1d4 ⇒ 4 rounds.
Another blast of divine light is enough to finish off the 'giant' Rhon has battered several times. As its body hits the ground the illusion fades (for whoever hasn't disbelieved at this point) revealing the shattered remains of a giant skeleton.
Male Human Spell Sage 14 | HP:100/100| AC: 16/ FF 12/ T 14 |CMD: 17| Fort: +12 Ref: +12 Will: +13 | Perception: +18| Init: +3 [|] Uses Ring of Invisibility
Ralph completes his summoning spell and immediately waves his wand to create an illusion of the tunnel behind Exiel being swallowed up in inky opaque darkness.
"Do not concern yourselves, my friends. That is of my doing. Focus on the opponents before you."
Abyssal:
Ralph flies forward to join the succubus in the illusion.
"Hello Lianna. It's Cauthorn. I am invisible. That one at the back is in fact a gigas. Would you kindly dominate it?"
succubus save vs illusion DC11:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13Oh look it was not a 1.
The succubus sees through the weak illusion she is in easily, nods to Ralph with a sly wink, and begins focusing on the gigas.
Male Human Spell Sage 14 | HP:100/100| AC: 16/ FF 12/ T 14 |CMD: 17| Fort: +12 Ref: +12 Will: +13 | Perception: +18| Init: +3 [|] Uses Ring of Invisibility
Within the illusion, Ralph's summoned creature finishes her spell-like ability. If the gigas makes the save, she follows up with a suggestion projected directly into the gigas' mind via her telepathy.
telepathic suggestion in common:
"These foes are powerful to have made it this far and you can find easier prey elsewhere, so you should stop attacking them, avoid them and let them pass. "
Ralph stands by to see whether either spell catches.
Since the gigas did not make any d20 rolls in the last round, Exiel's ill omen is in full effect. The gigas needs to make a DC23 will save or be dominated. He must roll twice and take the lower. If he makes it he must then make a DC21 will save, rolling twice and taking the lower.
Male Human Spell Sage 14 | HP:100/100| AC: 16/ FF 12/ T 14 |CMD: 17| Fort: +12 Ref: +12 Will: +13 | Perception: +18| Init: +3 [|] Uses Ring of Invisibility
Interesting...
???'s CHA check:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25Lucky for me my 'lady friend' has more charisma than any giant, or even dragon.
If my friend wins the opposed check:
Since there is no need for the suggestion alternative, the succubus will instead use her shape change ability to take the form of a beautiful winged elf before Ralph drops his illusion.
"My dear, it appears that someone else has the gigas under her control as well," a feminine voice purrs.
"Is that right?" Ralph smirks as he stops concentrating on his illusion, and casts dispel magic on the gigas, targeting the dominate person spell upon the gigas (even at this level I doubt we are encountering dominate monster).
Whatever other force has hold over the gigas proves stronger for now than Ralph’s conjured companion. His attempts to unravel that hold are similarly stymied.
The disguised gigas moves forward to join the melee with its own enormous blade. I can’t mess with the map right now but it’s north of green.
Dispel check against the dominate person spell that is currently dominant on the gigas (i.e. not the one cast by Ralph's 'lady friend'):1d20 + 13 ⇒ (18) + 13 = 31
Male Human Spell Sage 14 | HP:100/100| AC: 16/ FF 12/ T 14 |CMD: 17| Fort: +12 Ref: +12 Will: +13 | Perception: +18| Init: +3 [|] Uses Ring of Invisibility
Ralph is mildly annoyed that he was not able to execute his plan solely by his own power, but satisfies himself with the thought that it was ultimately his plan that Exiel executed. Mindful that he still has two paladins to contend with and that his plan henceforth would require satisfying them, Ralph devises a strategem that would satisfy all parties.
"Lianna, your control of the gigas should last for several days, assuming he does not balk at your control. Let us capitalize on that. I must assume that the giants or one of their allies was responsible for the gigas' prior enslavement, so please direct the gigas to make his way towards the forge and remain there for three days. He is to attack any giants he sees, and to leave us unmolested. That should keep all parties more than satisfied."
He then speaks to the gigas in abyssal.
"Hear me, gigas. You are a creature of the abyss so I know you speak this tongue. You have been given a chance to avenge yourselves on the giants who enslaved your will, and apart from that you are given some relative freedom. Moreover, if you cooperate, I will return here in no more than three days to return you to the abyss."
Ralph then explains his plan to the paladins and cleric.
"Thus you will not be allying yourself with an evil creature and the gigas will ultimately be sent back to the abyss without causing further harm to us or any innocents. This will also allow us to focus on dealing with the greater threats here, and at the end all of the forces of evil will be removed from this place. I trust this strategy of diluting the enemy's forces and ultimately removing them from the Prime Material is acceptable within the tenets of your code?"
The succubus will only be around to issue new commands to the dominated gigas for about another minute, but the domination itself lasts for days, so I will use this to remove the gigas from the picture as well as potentially prevent any giant reinforcements from attacking us form behind.
Aura of Good (Overwhelming) l Aura of Courage (10 ft) l Aura of Resolve (10 ft) | Aura of Faith (10 ft)
LG Male Dwarf Paladin (Stonelord) 16 | HP 182/182 | AC 43 | T 14 | FF 42 | CMB +16 | CMD 34 | Fort: +20 (+2 poison/drugs, +4 alcohol), Ref: +11, Will: +19 (+1 all saves FF/surprise rd) | 8/adamantine | SR 21 | Fortification 75% | Immune to Blood Drain, Charm, Fear, & Petrification | Perception: +25 (+2 unusual stonework)(darkvision 60 ft) | Init: +1 | Move 20' | LoH 11/11 | DS 38/38 |
Rhon ponders Ralph's explanation as he piles the junk that the skeletons and gigas had off to the side. "While I do not support willful enslavement of another in this case I will allow it as it does prevent another evil from continuing to set itself against us and our overreaching goal. I will however make sure that your promise to send them back to the Abyss is fulfilled."
Rhon gets himself together, heals himself and anyone else as best as possible, and prepares to continue on with the mission at hand.
