GM Bold Strider's Dust Comes to Doomspawn (Tier 8-9) (Inactive)

Game Master rpblue

Due to being on phone/plane - I have not updated status hp... So GM's tally for cures judgement and damage applies.

Note that I have the Curse-Breaker Boon from the Year of the Risen Rune - I have +2 to caster level when casting remove curse, and attempts to cast remove curse on me have their caster level increased by 2.

Come to think of it, the wording is vague, but that might be cumulative if I cast it on myself...DM ruling?

If anybody's got any kind of "Oh S##~ button" they can use, now's the battle for it. My spell selection is woefully ill-prepared for whatever it is we're dealing with.

Getting out of the ship or hallway may help. But I agree, this is looking messy if this is an incorporeal undead or something working with the captain.

It's identified with Knowledge (Planes), so it must be an outsider.

However, I will float by this Boon I have from a previous adventure:

Insight Into the Dark Tapestry: Your experiences at Carrion Hill have given you a greater Insight into the creatures that lie in the darkness between the stars. You may gain one bit of useful information about a single aberration as though you had succeeded at a Knowledge check to identify the creature.

This is a one-use Boon. Is there ANY chance I can use it now for the "space elf?"

Sadly, it is not an aberration, it is an outsider as you have determined, so the boon wouldn't help.

Ali is really low on spells and mostly has enchantments left. Really the best he can do is to keep using force damage through his magic missile wand. I'll catch up later today.

Shirt rerolls?
Useful Chronicle Boons?
ANYONE???

I've checked what I've got, and it's nothing (except a free body retrieval in case of a TPK).

I have a lot of really helpful research and diplomacy boons for cool places like Cheliax and Absalom or Thornkeep. Not much for haunted alien spaceships.

+2 to one d20 roll...might be helpful.

Any chance Grimdoc could Bluff his way into getting the Captain to help us fight this thing? Just a thought....

Also, I notice you can cast both protection from Evil and magic circle against Evil...maybe those are worth a shot? Particularly the "imprison an outsider" version of the latter....

Maybe, but I am not even sure where the captain went...I have a feeling if he shows up, we are really toast.

I thought some kind of dreadwraith but whatever it is, seems like throwing a shadow at a party of level-1 characters. Not much we can seem to do to it.

Either way, I cannot attack/spell it if I cannot see it, and the next hit kills Grim.

Well, you've figured out the hard way that it's not Undead, so maybe you're thinking by process of elimination that it's an Outsider, and those can be trapped in magic circles....

Alternatively, you can build the circle to protect yourself (and if at all possible, Joesef and I), which would buy time for healing....

Seems unlikely the trap circle would work...I suspect it just goes through the floor. And it may not be summoned...but altered somehow.

"the spell binds a non-good ***called*** creature....A creature capable of any form of dimensional travel (astral projection, blink, dimension door, ***etherealness***, gate, plane shift, shadow walk, teleport, and similar abilities) can simply leave the circle through such means."

I was going to have the Captain reappear to fight you, but that seemed unnecessary once I saw the difficulty you were having, so assume the Captain has fled.

Additionally, since the struggle is real, I will tell you that this creature would not be trapped by Circle of Protection from Evil.

Could he use it to protect us, though...?

You don't know the answer to that. No one has identified the creature.

Would we need to identify the creature (kn:?) or would there be a check to see if the creature is summoned/called, regardless of its type? If it is not, then the circle will not likely work. But I am not sure if that is a spellcraft (probably) or kn:arcana.

Since it is not undead or natural, then Grim is untrained on other kn: checks to ID it outright.

Joesef has Knowledge (Planes) +7, could we say (since it's supposed to be automatic on the character's level, any way) that he tried to identify it?

Joesef: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Joesef has no idea what the creature is.

Brother Grimdoc, think you can cast expeditious retreat and carry Joesef and I out? I don't weigh too much.

From there, Protection from Evil might help me with the curse, I'm not sure....

Grim could easily do it if he was not being groped by a ghost-demon-alien. :-)

If this thing hits him again, he is down. So he really only has one action+move and he cannot cast and get to you and Joesef.

If the spellcraft would tell if prot evil circle would work, he would try that....

So...make the Spellcraft roll?

There's also my potion of cure serious wounds I haven't managed to drink yet...and there may have been more than one of those....

I was waiting to see if spellcraft was even allowed/relevant.

The appropriate skill to analyze existing magical effects is Kn. (Arcana) at DC 20+Spell Level.

ok - no luck there then. :(

I'll give it to you anyway!

A) Note that my Constitution is actually treated as 4 higher for determining threshold of death.

B) Can we at least roll to see if I manage to run out of the ship before it kills me?

1) Noted.

2) We can, but I just figured it was a moot point as you are cornered with 8 rounds left for the space elf to eviscerate you.

"A panicked creature must drop anything it holds and flee at top speed from the source of its fear, as well as any other dangers it encounters, along a random path. It can't take any other actions. In addition, the creature takes a –2 penalty on all saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. If cornered, a panicked creature cowers and does not attack, typically using the total defense action in combat. A panicked creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape."

Hmm, could the ghoul army spell be interpreted as a means of escape, by way of it being a "smokescreen" of bodies to distract and harass my assailant?

OOH! OOH! What about my potion of invisbility? I would have brought it up earlier, but I didn't know I had options besides "cower or run."

Based on the text of "you drop anything you hold" and "can use special abilities, including spells", I don't think you can use the Potion of Invisibility as you cannot hold items, but you can use innate character abilities.

Using Ghoul Army is interesting. Let me think on that and look at the forums.

As for "I didn't know I had options besides "cower or run."", this goes back to the Ward retcon. Finding out what panicked does is fairly simple, simpler than even finding Grimdoc's Cloak of Resistance and Ring of Protection. I implore you to please look up stuff related to your actions.

I'm sorry; I have severe psychological problems that prevent me from doing as well as I could.

It's not a huge deal! I just really don't like having to retcon actions. I'm not trying to say you aren't doing well, in fact, I think you guys are doing quite well with only 4 and two of which are level 8, but this fight really leaves just Grimdoc as the main source of damage and fighting.

As for the Ghoul Army, I'm inclined to say that it isn't what is intended by the phrase "using special abilities ... to flee." I'm thinking that the idea behind it is that the character uses things like Expeditious Retreat, Dimension Door, Teleport, etc.

Additionally, I'm not sure that Ghoul Army would help flee in this particular scenario as you would summon them and they would leap at the Space Elf, but their non-magical attacks wouldn't harm it, so it could still easily follow and kill you, especially since you are fatigued and cannot run.

So...I'm SOL? Nothing on my spell list you could see helping me?

Your spell list is almost exclusively offensive spells at this point, so it doesn't look like they will help and your hexes are not very helpful for fleeing when cornered, either. I think the only result at this point is death. Sorry!

Grimdoc did not have any spells that seemed like they could help either. I tried to think of any way to save Vlad...but with 2hp on himself and that mega touch of death attack, he was not going to survive and both would have died.

He is more than willing to contribute for the rez etc....assuming we can recover the body (if it is there).

As far as that "what could we have done differently" department on that fight. Grimdoc was definitely lacking on the ghost-touch weapon or equivalent for his weapon or spells. I know Grimdoc was a bit low on spells and daily abilities, but still had lots of bane left and most spells, so I do not know if we should have rested before.

The fear effect really was devastating with only one PC to fight and 3 essentially helpless. So bolstering WILL saves should be considered too. All in all we were lucky not a TPK IMHO.

As far as continuing, we need to recover Vlad. I think he has very potent spells/hexes, but sadly did not get a chance to use them on this last guy.

What are the options as far as reaching town for rez? Do we recall any temples etc? I am trying to remember if we stayed there long enough to know.

It appears that the daylight is fading and you probably have enough time to return to the town if you wish to rest and recover before night time. There is a temple in town which can be used for divine spell-casting purchases.

If it helps you decide on a course of actions, the body is still in the ship.

If Vladek wants to use his free body retrieval, then he can do that now. I will "deploy" a Pathfinder to recover his body.

I'd prefer to save that Boon in the event of an actual TPK.

One alternative possibility is for Grimdoc to go in invisible (a scroll or potion of that should be procurable in town or from that guy with the wacky wagon, and I'll pay for it) and with expeditious retreat to grab my body and carry it out.

Also, recall that Qadathra's still among the living....

We could try the invis snatch and grab...if we have or can buy invisibility. One thing I do not like about Grim is his inability to swap out spells. :(

Also, good point on Qadathra. So what happens to a familiar once his master is slain? Never had that come up before. Will it listen to us? Does it just flee, in search of another master?

Bear in mind he's not a normal familiar, either - he's smarter than you are. :3

I figure that Qadathra would stick around since he's fairly intelligent and you are going to make an active effort to rescue Vladek.

As for the Invisible Snatch-n-Grab, that seems possible, but remember that Vladek wouldn't become invisible when you pick him up, so the space elf would be aware of your plan the moment that Vladek's body starts to move from an unseen force. This is if the creature doesn't have some sort of blindsight or lifesight! ;-)

That's where expeditious retreat comes in.

Also, Qadathra can try and help by creating an illusion of multiple floating Vladek corpses (while being invisible/stealthy himself).

As for blindsight/lifesight, we may just need to take that risk - but maybe there's another spell that can help with that...?

Another possibility: Could you cram me in a bag of holding? Granted, that raises of the question of my handy haversack...what about that Pathfinder's Pouch the guy was selling?

210gp for Remove Curse
280gp for Restoration

I believe that's all I've done.

So are we going to go straight back or rest first, fellas?

Grim is ok going back tonight without resting, but I thought Ali was tapped on spells. Joesef, you may want to purchase a wand of magic missiles if you do not have one.

Grim's purchases:
375 GP for a Scroll of Locate Object;
750 GP for a Scroll of Death Ward;
60 GP for two Holy Weapon Balm; and
50 GP for two Scrolls of Remove Fear.
-----

Grim did not need any healing as he patched himself on the way back and is down only 3hp.

As far as the other loot, if we can sell any to offset costs (especially for the rez/restores when we come back with the body)

Here is my tally, and suggested disposition of the loot:

potions of cure moderate wounds (4) (consume(d))

+2 breastplate (2), (sell)
+1 longsword (2), (sell)
mwk daggers (4) (sell)
A mwk dagger, (sell)
cloak of resistance +2, (Ali?)
headband of vast intelligence +2, (Ali?)
ring of minor fire resistance, (Joesef?)
ring of protection +2, (Grimdoc?)
spell component pouch, (?)
a pair of canine statues worth 50 gp, (sell)
diamond dust worth 500 gp. (keep for rez)

Grim is ok going back tonight without resting, but I thought Ali was tapped on spells. Joesef, you may want to purchase a wand of magic missiles if you do not have one.

I'd say ix-nay on the agic issiles-may - they don't seem to work against it.

I suppose if you can get adequately healed in every other respect, and find a potion/scroll of invisibility, then NOT resting, and waiting to bring me back before you face space-elf, may indeed be the better idea.

*cough, cough*

...Oh. That's annoying, the Gameplay thread hasn't been registering new posts for me since my last one. I was getting a tad concerned.

I'm unavailable due to my brother's wedding this weekend. I should be able to post again on Sunday.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Congrats to your brother and your family!

There is the "Risen Guard" Prestige Award I can call in, if you'll allow it way out here in the middle of...Isger, is it?

And Prestige can be spent for some of the spells (if desired).

I'd think we can contribute from the loot earned or our own treasury, either way there will be "other costs" on the final sheet. I just did not know if we had enough free cash without having to sell loot now to get the raise+rez.

Grimdoc will contribute up to 1000gp towards the spells.

@Vladek: You can definitely use it!