GM Endless Forms' Shattered Star (Inactive)

Game Master Mike Tuholski

I thought so, thanks. Also, add +1 to my rolls for Desperate Battler since Argust is up there alone.

Argust rushes forward and hits with his greatsword but does much less damage than normal, likely owing to the fact that his greatsword is not cold iron that I can see.

Brelar's crossbow bolt, however, sinks in deep and the demon screams out, "It burns!"

Bert follows this up with a cold iron projectile of his own and wounds the incubus.

The incubus slashes at Argust with a scimitar:

attack 1: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32
damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

attack 2: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Confirm:
attack 1: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33
damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Confirmed! Pain Redoubled!

extra nonlethal damage to Argust: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 5) = 9
DC 19 Fort save or wracked by intense pain and sickened for 1d6 ⇒ 2 rounds

Initiative:

1. Brelar, Argust, and Bert
2. Incubus
3. Karnhousk

Incy: 21 dmg

You guys are up!

Karnhousk casts a spell, blessing the party.

Bless

Argust looks at his greatsword as if there was something wrong with the weapon. As he gets sliced by the scimitar, the dwarf growls in pain. Fort: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24 Shaking off any signs of weakness, Argust alters his stance and attacks the fiend!

Full attack #1: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (1) + 17 = 18
Damage: 2d6 + 11 ⇒ (1, 6) + 11 = 18

Full attack #2: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (13) + 17 = 30
Damage: 2d6 + 11 ⇒ (1, 2) + 11 = 14

Back to AC 20, HP 47/62 (assuming Karm took 5) and 9 non-lethal damage.

Brelar casts communal protection from evil on everyone.

+2 AC and +2 to saves against this demon

Bert looses another arrow at the demon and beckons the clockwork servant forward into the fight. It is unable to land a blow on the agile demon, though.

Arrow to incubus, incl. lingering luck, PBS, and bless: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 9 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 19
Arrow damage, incl. lingering luck & PBS: 1d4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 1 = 5

Clockwork slam, incl. bless: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 1 = 11

Karn blesses the party!

Argust slices at the demon but his first attack goes wide and his second attack only scratches the demon slightly.

Brelar protects everyone against this creature of evil.

Bert puts another arrow into it, seeming to do more damage than the dwarf amazingly. The clockwork servant misses, however.

spellcraft: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23

Realizing what Brelar has done, the incubus decides not to attempt any mind control and instead continues to slash at Argust.

mwk scimitar, power attack, vital strike: 1d20 + 14 - 3 ⇒ (2) + 14 - 3 = 13
damage: 2d6 + 5 + 6 ⇒ (6, 5) + 5 + 6 = 22

Initiative:

1. Brelar, Argust, and Bert
2. Incubus
3. Karnhousk

Incy: 30 dmg

You guys are up!

[/b]Ah, so its a fight ya want? Fine![/b]

Full Attack 1 with Power Strike: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 14 + 1 = 25 Damage: 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (4, 5) + 16 = 25

Full Attack 2 with Power Strike: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 14 + 1 = 17 Damage: 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (5, 1) + 16 = 22

Karn walks up behind Argust and casts a spell. He touches the dwarf, granting him the strength of a bull!

Bull's Strength on Argust

Not sure if GM will allow that on the past roll, since Karn technically would have went before Argust.

Brelear reloads and fires another cold iron bolt at the demon!

Attack: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 8 + 1 = 12
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Yeah, I generally just deal with things in the order they were posted in but when someone puts up a buff mid-combat I try to remember to account for that in proper initiative order. I don't always remember but I try to since that's more fair.

Karnhousk casts a spell to make Argust stronger!

Brelar misses with his crossbow.

Argust slices at the incubus, connecting once, but again the demon seems to resist much of the damage!

Initiative:

1. Brelar, Argust, and Bert
2. Incubus
3. Karnhousk

Incy: 45 dmg

Bert is up!

Bert misses with an arrow.

Cold iron arrow, incl. lingering luck, PBS, and bless: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 9 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 14

ETA:

The clockwork servant takes a short step around the incubus, trying to set up a flank with Argust.

Clockwork servant slam, incl. bless and flank: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 6 + 1 + 2 = 25
Slam damage: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Bert's arrow misses. The clockwork servant hits but does not seem to have hurt the demon at all.

The incubus continues to slash at Argust.

mwk scimitar, power attack: 1d20 + 14 - 3 ⇒ (20) + 14 - 3 = 31
damage: 1d6 + 5 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 5 + 6 = 17

mwk scimitar, power attack: 1d20 + 9 - 3 ⇒ (15) + 9 - 3 = 21
damage: 1d6 + 5 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 5 + 6 = 15

Confirm:
mwk scimitar, power attack: 1d20 + 14 - 3 ⇒ (7) + 14 - 3 = 18
damage: 1d6 + 5 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 6 = 14

Initiative:

1. Brelar, Argust, and Bert
2. Incubus
3. Karnhousk

Incy: 45 dmg

You guys are up!

Bert continues to use his luck, hitting again with a cold iron arrow. The clockwork servant puts a solid metal fist into the incubus' side.

Arrow again, incl. luck, PBS, and bless: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 9 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 20
Arrow damage, incl. luck and PBS: 1d4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 1 = 4

Clockwork slam, incl. bless and flanking: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 1 + 2 = 27
Slam damage: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

CS' max damage is 10 points w/o critting; if that won't penetrate DR, I won't bother rolling damage unless it crits.

OK, not sure how this works. Argust was hit for 46, 5 of which Karn takes, so that brings him to 6 HP. Now, he also took 9 non-lethal earlier. Is Argust still standing?

If so... Argust yells in pain as the devil slices into him with his scimitar. Feeling extra strength, the dwarf tries to return the favor!

Power Attack: 1d20 + 16 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 16 + 1 = 35 Damage: 2d6 + 19 ⇒ (6, 5) + 19 = 30
Power Attack: 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 11 + 1 = 13 Damage: 2d6 + 19 ⇒ (3, 6) + 19 = 28

Wow, he's had quite a few crit fails lately.

I don't think the crit confirmed; looks like the confirmation roll was 18, and you have AC20.

ETA: Strike that last; with Brelar's communal prot/evil your AC is 22 at the moment--that second shot should have missed.

EDIT : I was thinking Power Attack reduced AC, no, that's Cleave. Ugh. OK, so the 21 will miss Argust also since his effective AC is 22. Crap, I'll go back and see what the damage REALLY should be.

Recalculating.... OK, Argust is at 32/62 with 9 more non-lethal, AC effectively 22 with the protection spell. I think I got it.

Bert puts another arrow into the incubus. The clockwork strikes again but once again deals no damage.

Argust slices into the demon and is able to do a significant amount of damage this time, albeit less than if he had been using cold iron.

Initiative:

1. Brelar, Argust, and Bert
2. Incubus
3. Karnhousk

Incy: 69 dmg

Karnhousk and Brelar are up!

One other question for EF, though. In the description of Life Link, it sounds as though at Karnhousk's action everyone who's linked to him and wounded is healed 5 HP, and Karnhousk takes that damage. In the description of nonlethal damage, "When a spell or ability cures hit point damage, it also removes an equal amount of nonlethal damage." Is Karnhousk also healing 5 points of Argust's nonlethal damage and taking that nonlethal damage onto himself?

Brelar makes with the cold iron bolt again!

Attack: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 8 + 1 = 19
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Brelar puts another bolt into the incubus! He looks very weak!

Initiative:

1. Brelar, Argust, and Bert
2. Incubus
3. Karnhousk

Incy: 74 dmg

Karnhousk is up!

Hm, you know, I really don't know about nonlethal and Life Link now. I'm second guessing myself. A search of the messageboards may be in order.

Sorry!

Karnhousk closes his eyes and channels healing energy to his pals.

Channel: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 3) = 12

Now my turn for sorry; on the road all day!

Karnhousk channels!

The incubus continues to swing at Argust!

mwk scimitar, power attack: 1d20 + 14 - 3 ⇒ (5) + 14 - 3 = 16
damage: 1d6 + 5 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 6 = 12

mwk scimitar, power attack: 1d20 + 9 - 3 ⇒ (10) + 9 - 3 = 16
damage: 1d6 + 5 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 6 = 14

Initiative:

1. Brelar, Argust, and Bert
2. Incubus
3. Karnhousk

Incy: 74 dmg

You guys are up!

Argust seems to have better timed the creature's attacks, dodging both at the last moment. He then continues his own assault!

Power Attack: 1d20 + 16 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 16 + 1 = 35 for Damage: 2d6 + 19 ⇒ (5, 1) + 19 = 25
Power Attack: 1d20 + 16 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 16 + 1 = 29 for Damage: 2d6 + 19 ⇒ (5, 4) + 19 = 28

With two devastating hits Argust finishes off the demon!

Out of combat!

The incubus had a masterwork scimitar, a stone of alarm, and a bag of holding (type 1).

A pair of columns carved to resemble a beautiful woman flank a fifteen-foot-wide alcove in the west wall of this forty-foot-long hall. A mural of the same woman standing atop a towering pyramid is painted on the wall of the alcove, but it, like the walls and floor of the hall, is splashed with blood.

Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16

Is the blood part of the mural, or something else? Fresh/dried etc?

The blood is a bit dry but definitely not part of the mural.

Knowledge (Local) result 19 with Lore Master.

"Hey, that looks like the runelord on the base of Castle Korvosa. And the Gray Maidens are from Korvosa, too...wonder if there's a connection?"

The scholar pokes through the loot from the demon. "Mind if I take the bag? I kind of like being able to carry stuff around, but I'm not that strong."

Argust removes his weapon from the creature after landing the final blow, taking a deep breath as he does so. Tough buggar that one was, huh Brelar? Argust starts to laugh but cuts it off as he finches from the wounds he has taken. Seems he got to me a few times.

Looking at the mural Argust asks about the blood. Ya think them Grey Maidens fought somethin' here also or is is older than that? Argust will look inside the alcove wondering why blood would be there.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 +2 for stone, etc.

Obviously he is too busy looking at the woman in the mural than at the stone itself.

I'll let you guys heal up and do whatever else you want before we move on to the next chamber.

"You know, I'm feeling like I'm pushing my luck, and I only have a few of my weakest spells left. How's everyone else doing? Want to pull back and rest for a while?"

"Finding a safe place to rest might be wise." Brelar agrees. "Creatures like this demon can pose much more of a challenge than you might expect, especially with many of them being immune to fire or having outright resistance to magic. You did an excellent job though Argust!"

Sure, you guys can rest if you'd like. Really any place you've cleared so far would be fine.

Bert will break out his bedroll and rations once the party reaches a reasonable place to rest. "Three watches, Argust takes the middle?"

Karnhousk follows Bert's lead, eating a bit and quickly falls asleep, emitting loud snores. Wakened by Bert's query, he says. "Wake me up when it's my turn....zzzzz"

The party has a quiet night of rest under the Lady's Light before approaching the next door in the morning.

---

The air in this large octagonal chamber is dreadfully hot-the very air shimmers with heat and almost drips with humidity, leaving every surface within shiny with condensation. The walls, floor, and thirty-foot-high domed ceiling are of polished white marble. Ten feet into the room, the floor rises up in a three-foot-high step, then again at twenty feet in. At the center of the room, a strange gray flame dances in a central firepit. Two smaller octagonal chambers lie to the south and west, while to the east a ten-foot-square section of wall is a dull gray, contrasting with the white of the walls surrounding it. A single torch in a sconce protrudes from the middle of this gray square on the wall.

Acrobatics DCs increased by 5 due to the slippery floor.

As the party enters the room and steps on the raised area of the chamber, four shrieking spherical creatures made mostly of mouth burst forth from the gray flame and attack!

Initiative:

1. Brelar, Argust, and Bert
2. Creatures!
3. Karnhousk

Brelar, Argust, and Bert are up!

Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28

"Use silver if you've got it. These daemons also heal on their own more quickly than we do. They are immune to acid, and their bite carries disease. They resist cold, electricity and fire also, but here goes..."

Brelar lets off a fireball centered behind them as to not catch us in it.

DC 19 Ref for half of 6d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 1, 2, 5, 3) = 20.

Argust rushes forward in an attempt to strike at three of the strange creatures with one large sweeping swing of his greatsword! Going from left to right on the map.

Power Attack with Great Cleave: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32 for Damage: 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (2, 2) + 16 = 20

Power Attack with Great Cleave: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30 for Damage: 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (3, 6) + 16 = 25

Power Attack with Great Cleave: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23 for Damage: 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (4, 2) + 16 = 22

Crti threat on the first attack :
Power Attack with Great Cleave: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20 for Damage: 2d6 + 16 ⇒ (5, 6) + 16 = 27

Argust has an AC 18 right now. Oh boy.

Ref: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Ref: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Ref: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Ref: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Brelar unleashes a fireball on them! The two in the middle seem unaffected, although the two on the ends seems slightly singed.

Argust then moves up and cleaves through three of them like butter!

The party quickly finishes off the last one, as these were only weak lesser daemons.

Out of combat!

Karnhousk dusts himself off. "Well done everyone!"

Bert lowers the arrow he hadn't had a chance to fire. "Wow, nice job! Let's see what else is in here." The halfling casts detect magic and looks around.

Perception check, incl. lens bonus: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (4) + 18 = 22

Bert finds no items, magic or otherwise, in this room. Doors lie to the east and west.

Bert consults the map sketch he's been maintaining. "I think we should go east. Maybe we can get around downstream of the falls."

Karnhousk heads toward the eastern door. "This one first?"

Brelar nods in agreement with the others.

The party heads east and finds a long stairway of polished stone steps descending nearly forty feet before ending at a ten-foot-square landing with no apparent way onward. The wall opposite the final step depicts a lascivious painting of a beautiful woman, arms outstretched as if to welcome one into an embrace, lips twisted in a faintly cruel smile. A phrase in a foreign tongue is inscribed in gold across the top of the mural.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Appraise: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27

Brelar translate the Thassilonian, "It says: Prostrate thyself and demonstrate proper devotion, my sweet slave, if you wish to enter my domain. From what we've seen of Sorshen so far, I can't imagine that's going to be as pleasant as it sounds."

The halfling squints at the statue. "Huh--it looks like the feet are a little more worn than the rest of the statue. Bet that means we have to kneel and kiss there--that seems like her style."

Perception check, incl. lens: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (20) + 18 = 38

Kiss? Argust asks as if he didn't hear the halfling correctly. Ya mean kiss the wall where 'er feet are? With a huff the dwarf steps back and takes another look at the drawing of the woman with the cruel smile. What kinda woman was this?

So are you kissing the feet or going back the other way first?