DM Rich's Carrion Crown

Game Master Briccone

The quick witted redhead doesn't miss a beat and answers

Sooner or later, everyone needs a bath. But don't plunge into the water for me.

Silas retaliates against the push with a sword strike that cuts into the flesh hound, then hits it again another time. He does, however, miss with the third strike.

Vivian follows up with her own sword attack that also misses.

While Silas and Vivian exchange some witty repartee, Tara waits to see if a safe combat approach will open to protect her from an opportunity attack.

Stefan and Sophie. I'll bot them soon if necessary.

"Of course not ... " Silas says, continuing the banter between blows. "But a gentleman ... always honors ... a lady's request."

Too bad I ain't a lady...

She giggles a little, but her green eyes remain focused on their foe, and her face becomes serious.

The fact that the creature is still standing after Silas attack, and that she didn't hit hers, sends shivers down her spine

Watching the fight, Stefan ponders aloud...

"Hmm... such golems are immune to most magical effects, but this wand conjures actual physical acid... perhaps..."

He points his wand at the dog-golem and says an arcane word. A bolt of acid flies from the wand at the creature.

Casts acid arrow from his wand.

Ranged touch attack, into melee: 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 - 4 = 6
Acid damage: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 1) = 3

With the way forward blocked, and no spell of hers likely to affect the creature, Sophie shoots another arrow at it.

longbow, attack, heroism: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 7 + 2 = 28 for piercing: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Dr. Von Herzog attempts to test a theory about the golem's lack of protection from conjuration spells, but his acid arrow bolt misses its target.

Sophie fires another arrow at the creature and hits it.

The flesh golem hound continues to keep its attention concentrated on Silas as it attempts once again to bull rush him off the bridge. This time, it manages to push him off the edge.

Okay, first Silas gets an AoO against the hound from the bull rush maneuver. Assuming that doesn't kill the creature and no one has Feather Fall, I'll allow Silas to makes a DC 20 Reflex save to avoid falling. If he succeeds, he'll be hanging off the edge of the bridge. Vivian and Tara can make DC 10 Strength checks to give him a +2 to his save for every success. I also just made the DC, so if Silas has anything that increases his CMD past 21, let me know.

Flesh Golem bull rush: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

Initiative (Round 3)
Tara <= Up
Stefan <= Up
Vivian <= Up
Sophie <= Up
Silas [1 Damage; potentially falling] <= Up
Flesh Golem Hound

Everyone is up!

As the beast again attempts to push him towards the edge, Silas flails away at it in desperation.

AoO

Sword Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20 Power Attack
Sword Damage: 1d8 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17

assuming that didn't kill it ...

Silas feels his shod boots slip over the edge of the bridge. He drops his sword and shield and scrabbles for the edge of the precipice. His fingers just manage to grasp the rough surface.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20 DC 20

:O

Stefan gapes in horror as the walking taxidermy shoves his new ally off the bridge... and breathes a sigh of relief as he sees his new frield hanging off the edge with one hand.

"Silas!!"

The doctor moves closer to Silas to help pull him up, and fires another magical arrow of acid at the monster.

Ranged touch attack, into melee: 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 - 4 = 20 ...Crit threat!
acid damage: 2d4 ⇒ (3, 4) = 7

Confirm (ranged touch)?: 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 - 4 = 11
Extra acid damage: 2d4 ⇒ (1, 4) = 5

DC 10 Str: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

Vivian nearly throws herself off the bridge to catch Silas.

Every muscle the lithe redhead may have is used to stpo him falling

Hang on... We might need you along the way again..Don't you DARE falling.

Gone is Silas's playful banter. In its place is palpable terror as his hands scrabble on the edge of the bridge.

The steel of Silas sword cuts into the flesh golem hound, but its not enough to stop it from pushing him over.

As the fighter begins to fall, Vivian reaches out to try to stop him, but she only succeeds in slowing his fall. After that self-preservation takes over and Silas manages to grab the edge of the bridge, preventing him from plummeting to his doom.

Dr. Von Herzog makes his way quickly to the center of the bridge and fires another acid bolt at the construct that hits, although not critically.

The seams of the flesh golem's body are starting to pull apart, the creature probably can't take much more injury.

Tara and Sophie. Silas and Vivian can take actions as well, although if Silas wants to pull himself up, he'll probably want to toss his sword up on the bridge then pull himself up. Pulling himself up on the bridge will provoke an AoO.

Sophie, Tara, do you have some rope for Silas? I'll shield him from that beast!

Tara tucks down to grasp at Silas' arm, trying to pull him up from the drop. "No, I'm sorry!" Tara shouts as she digs her heels in to try and keep herself sturdy.

Strength: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (13) + 0 = 13

Silas dropped his sword and shield onto the bridge as he went over. Hopefully they're still laying there somewhere. :)

With Tara's assistance, Silas attempts to pull himself up from certain doom.

Strength: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 4 + 2 = 23

Sophie pulls out her rope. She hands one end over to Silas and then tries to help him up.

I'm fine with saying Silas dropped his sword and shield on the bridge before almost falling over.

Tara assists Silas with pulling him back up on the bridge, while Sophie pulls out her rope and moves up to the group.

The flesh golem hound takes advantage of Silas's distraction as it takes a bite out of the fighter. Afterwards, it goes in for another bite, but misses the second time. Silas takes 18 damage from the hound's AoO bite.

Initiative (Round 4)
Tara <= Up
Stefan <= Up
Vivian <= Up
Sophie <= Up
Silas [19 Damage] <= Up
Flesh Golem Hound

Everyone is up!

Attempting to dodge the hound's jaws, Silas grabs for his weapon and shield. move action - provoking another AoO. :(

He then lays into the beast.

Sword Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (13) + 12 = 25 Power Attack
Sword Damage: 1d8 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19

Sophie pulls out her longspear and tries to stab the beast.

Longspear, attack, power attack, heroism: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 10 - 2 + 2 = 18 for piercing, cold iron: 1d8 + 8 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 8 + 6 = 17

As the golem fights on, the acid continues to sizzle.

acid damage, round 2: 2d4 ⇒ (4, 4) = 8

The doctor waits to see if his friends take it down before he expends another charge.

Delay until after eveyone else has gone.

Slash!?: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Dmg: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Vivian tries to slash at the ugly dog thing legs, but to no avail

"I will keep you standing Mr. Wormarsh!" Tara calls out, touching Silas' shoulder to help mend his more serious injuries

Cure Moderate Wounds: 2d8 + 6 ⇒ (2, 6) + 6 = 14

The flesh golem hound attempts to bite Silas as he grabs his weapons, but its jaws miss the fighter. Silas then retaliates with a solid sword blow, destroying the construct.

I'll assume Tara still heals Silas.

Combat Over

Injury report with Tara's healing: Silas 4 Damage.

After Tara heals Silas with a cleric spell, Dr. Von Herzog examines the hound for a few moments. He notes that that the construct seems to be built slightly different from the flesh hound golem found at the chemical factory, but its stitching is quite similar to that of the Beast of Lepidstadt.

Once the group is ready to proceed, the arched bridge ends at a small cobbled terrace with a curious-looking iron door depicting a scowling sun being devoured by ravenous clouds. To the left, two hundred feet below, a huge waterfall plummets into the depths. A cursory examination reveals the door is locked.

I've moved the group to the door on the map.

The redhead takes the time to check the door for any trap taking 20 for 32 perception

If she finds anything unusual, she takes her tools and tries to disarm the mechanism.

If she spots nothing, she works on the look to open the door, slowly catching her breath after that scary fight

Take 20 if possible, total 33, if not, I'll have to roll

DD, msw tools: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 11 + 2 = 17

I wonder what horror we will face inside that castle... I must keep my eyes open.

I'm afraid you can't take 20 to disarm a trap since there is a penalty for failure.

A closer examination of the door reveals that there is a hidden bell pull hanging by the eastern side of the door.

Vivian also discovers a magical trap on the door. It appears like it might summon something if the door is opened.

With this new information, you can reroll your Disable Device checks if you wish, Vivian.

there's Something, a magical trap, and a more mundane hidden bell. Give me some time

One roll for both? or one roll for each? Starts with the more powerful magical trap

DD, Msw Tools, magical trap: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 11 + 2 = 28
DD, Msw Tools, mundane bell: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 11 + 2 = 15

Vivian easily cuts the string to the bell, but she does not disable the magical trap. Fortunately, she doesn't set it off either.

On top of another roll to disable the trap, you'll also need to make a roll to unlock the door.

Casting a minor spell to judge the power of the magical trap, Vivian gets back to work

Can I detect what kind of Summoning it does, and how potent it is??

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Disarm trap: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28
Unlock door: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27

Sorry it takes so long...This magical trap is really hard to put off. I Don't know if you have some spells that might help? To disenchant the trap, maybe?

"Sorry, I seem to have left those in my other pants," Silas says with a strained smile.

He seems to be taking great care to avoid looking at the drop below the bridge.

Tara takes a seat as Vivian unpacks her thieves tools and starts to work on the door. "I'm sorry Vivian, traps are not my specialty." Tara states as she pulls a small lunch out of her pack. "However, if we come across a body, I can help!" she chirps happily, taking a bite out of her cabbage wrap.

Silas frowns.

"I probably don't want to know the answer to this, but what would you do with ... ?" He shakes his head. "Forget I asked. I've changed my mind. I really don't want to know."

Using Detect Magic, Vivian discovers the door has an aura of the Conjuration school of magic, leading her to believe it'll summon some extraplanar creature as per a Summoning spell.

She then attempts to disarm the trap and unlock the door, but isn't quite able to accomplish either goal. The trap still isn't triggered, however.

It looks like Stefan has Dispel Magic, but I'll leave it up to him if he wants to cast it or not.

With a wink, the Redhead asks Tara

Tara, could you ask Pharasma to guide my hands? It would be helpful if my fate was to disarm this trap…As for the door, we might require your might, Silas.

She winks

Asking for a Guidance spell for a +1 bonus

Disarm trap: 1d20 + 13 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 13 + 1 = 30
Open lock: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19

Assuming Tara agrees..

Vivian makes another attempt to disarm the magical trap, coming close but not quite removing it.

Her next attempt to unlock the door is also unsuccessful.

You know, I'm not sure I can even disarm that trap. We might need to use magic. The lock, I hope, will be easier

Even with a 20 and Guidance, I'm at 20+13+1=34 to disarm the trap. Could the DC be 35? That's pretty high...

If you miss the DC by more than 5, you set the trap off. Your attempts haven't set it off yet. The lowest roll you made to disarm the trap is 28, so the DC can't be higher than 33.

Disarm trap: 1d20 + 13 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 13 + 1 = 19

Ooppps...Good news is there isn't a trap anymore. Bad news is I might just set it on

Vivian believes she set off the trap, but there does not appear to be any immediate effect.

You can take 20 to unlock the door, you just can't take 20 to disarm a trap (due to the chance of failure).

Trying to keep her calm, Vivian works on the lock, hoping to open the door before anything happens

Taking 20 for unlocking the door. Should I roll again for the trap? If so here's my roll DD Trap: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (18) + 13 = 31

Watching Vivian work diligently on unlocking the door, Tara peels an orange and starts eating the wedges. Approaching Vivian, Tara touches the inquisitor on the shoulder, imbibing her with some of Pharasma's guidance.

Tara will cast Guidance on Vivian to help with the trap

Sorry for disappearing again! Life has been busy.

"A magical trap you say? Let me take a look..."

Stefan casts a spell, and his eyes glow faintly with a pale blue radiance. He then examines the door, looking for the ripples in magical auras.

Casts detect magic.

Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (12) + 15 = 27

After examining the magical aura of the trap, the doctor ponders whether or not to attempt to undo its magic.

Waiting for more info, if any.

Vivian unlocks the door easily and it slides open seemingly by itself before she can make another attempt to disable the trap or before Dr. Von Herzog can investigate further.

Looking inside the room, you see a huge portrait hanging above an enormous, lit fireplace in this large entry chamber. A set of steep stairs rises to the right. The door opening also finally completes the trap and a huge sized cloud-like creature appears out of thin air in the room and begins to move aggressively against the group.

It's Knowledge (planes) to identify the creature.

Indeed, it makes the first move in the combat, directing one of its windy fists at Vivian while the other is focused on Silas. Both slam attacks easily hit the two adventurers, injuring them somewhat. Vivian takes 11 damage, while Silas takes 13 damage.

PC Initiative
Silas Initiative: 1d20 ⇒ 15
Sophie's Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Stefan's Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Tara's Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Vivian's Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Initiative (Round 1)
Wind Creature
Vivian [11 Damage] <= Up
Silas [17 Damage] <= Up
Stefan <= Up
Tara <= Up
Sophie <= Up

PC's are up!

"And you're a big one, aren't you?" Silas asks with a grin as he swings back at the creature.

Longsword Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29 power attack
Longsword Damage: 1d8 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

Longsword Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15 power attack
Longsword Damage: 1d8 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

know planes: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 7 + 2 = 22
+1 keen longsword: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
dmg: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Surprised by the powerful strike, Vivian winces, and her sword misses

Hey, my hair is in a mess now! Do you know how long it took me this morning to do that bun? Do you even care?

Despite the banter and the pain, the redhead's eyes are steel, and she studies her foe

Vivian recognizes this creature as a huge air elemental. As an elemental, she knows it is immune to critical strikes and precision damage. She also recalls that it has a moderate resistance to all weapon attacks.

Silas strikes the elemental with his first attack, but misses with his cleaving follow up. Vivian also misses with her sword attack.

Stefan, Tara, Sophie.

"This is not ideal." Tara shouts as she steps behind Sophie. Holding her holy symbol aloft, Tara channels her goddess's healing powers to help Vivian and Silas face the new foe.

Channel: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 3) = 12

"Egad!!"

The doctor then casts a spell. Three bolts of magical energy fly from his hand into the wind-creature.

Magic missile.

Force damage: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (3, 1, 3) + 3 = 10

Sophie attempts to summon a spiritual weapon behind the wind creature.

GM, if the other PCs block AoOs, please disregard this next roll--I'm not real clear on the rules for AoOs and spellcasting when there are other creatures in between the caster and a creature with reach

Defensive Casting vs. DC19: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 6 + 2 = 28
sigh, see, that would have been perfect for the attack roll.

The weapon materializes behind the elemental and swings at it.

nodachi, attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 for force: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

And GM, you said this spell uses Wisdom, as per the RAI, rather than Charisma, as per the likely intention for a Cha-based caster?

I'm pretty sure that a creature with reach still threatens even when there's other creatures in the way, so that's what we'll go with here.

Spiritual Weapon uses the power stat of the caster, so it should be based on Sophie's Charisma, not Wisdom. If I stated otherwise, then I was mistaken at the time.

Tara channels positive energy to heal Silas and Vivian of their most recent wounds.

Dr. Von Herzog steps five feet back to escape the elemental's reach, then casts a Magic Missile spell at the enemy, hitting it with three projectiles.

Sophie defensively casts a Spiritual Weapon spell, but the weapon misses with its first attack. Adding in Sophie's Charisma still wasn't enough to hit.

Undaunted by the party's attack, the elemental lashes out at Vivian and Silas, hitting them both with it slam attacks. Vivian takes 8 more damage, while Silas takes 10 damage.

Initiative (Round 2)
Huge Air Elemental
Vivian [8 Damage] <= Up
Silas [16 Damage] <= Up
Stefan <= Up
Tara <= Up
Sophie <= Up

PC's are up!