GM SpiderBeard's Second Darkness (DrEvil Group) (Inactive)

Game Master Barvo Delancy

"As you deal with the prisoners, you also explore the rest of the bottom floor." Think we were pushed through the last two rooms.

Zoso is definately interested in a belt of +2 sex, I doubt there has ever been a more triumphant item created for a bard! But alas, the dex bump would help Zoso and is good use of his belt slot. Highlight of this loot is the special keen bow by far!

Damn auto correct. It does it all the time. Not sure how to turn it off. I catch 99% of the auto-errors but some slip through. Grr.

Still here. I'll letcha figure out next actions.

Lyr laid the healing wand against Brenna's shoulder and let it do it's job. Then he did the same with everyone else.

Go ahead and roll some healing for yourself if you need it. Just let me know how many charges to take off the Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds (2d6+3 hp per casting). GM, please roll for the NPCs if they need it.

Saphren tries on the gloves flexing his hands with a smile. Yea. These'll do. He takes off his belt and offers it to the group. Who needs this? Low mileage and only a little blood and gore.

I'm going to assume Zoso or Lyr take the belt. +2 dex is always helpful, but prolly best for the missile attackers. Beshtori's crossbow is an absolute last resort (which is why it appears to be unused...).
Besh'll take it if nobody can use it, however :)

Because of Brenna's recent emotional breakdown, Besh initially fusses over her wounds a bit, but quickly grows impatient. "Should we check out the next tower? I wanna see what's in the big room in the middle!"

Not sure she got wounded. I think both attacks missed due to the debilitating injury Saphren dished out.

Yeah, I rolled back the damage.

"It's all right, Besh," says Brenna. "The trog didn't manage to get through my armor. Rattled my breastplate a bit, but I've had worse. Thanks, though."

Not especially interested in any of the gear - have at.

As clarified, Brenna is not wounded.

Shalelu and Kaerishiel decide to sit this one out as they are both heavily wounded, exhausted, and somewhat incoherent as they come out of being repeatedly hit by drow sleep darts. You return their equipment to them and head to the central chamber.

Here, twin stairs circle upwards, leading to a large central tower in the observatory.

Let me know how you're advancing up the stairs. All on one side, or if you go half and half on either side.

Count me interested in the belt and bow, the bow I have is already formidable so Lyr should take the Keen Machine if he's interested.

Quietly Zoso whispers to the others, "Both paths? Brenna one, Saph the other? A bow supporting each?"

Protection from Evil and Mage Armour for any who need it. Haste when we get close to the top.
Would Brenna like to be enlarged again?

Oh, and if we are splitting into two groups as suggested, Besh will accompany Brenna

Go ahead and take the gloves. I'll take the bow.

Lyr picked up the bow and gave it a test pull. Then he put his own bow into it's case on his back.

As you head up the stairs, you hear the sounds of drow suddenly preparing for battle - they're quite aware of you as well and as you look over the edge the fight is on!

Well you guys rocked that initiative roll. Everyone is up!

"RRAAAAH!" Brenna shouts, as she comes around the corner and smashes headlong into one of the drow warriors in the middle of the hall in an attempt to knock him down and set up for Saphren to spring in on his friend.

Overrun, raging: 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 13 + 2 = 29

I'm coming over the guy on the left; the guy on the right shouldn't get an AoO unless he has combat reflexes, as he's flat-footed. Even if I don't knock down the guy on the left, Saph should have an unimpeded lane to sneak attack the guy on the right.

Zoso moves into shooting position and begins a performance,
"Leaves are falling all around
It's time I was on my way
Thanks to you I'm much obliged
For such a pleasant stay."

Inspire activated.

Our buffs should have gone through before combat, so we should all have Haste. Let me know who (if anyone) took Enlarge (up to two people), Prot/Evil, and Mage Armour so I can mark them off.

Knees bent in a fighting stance, Besh clenches zir fists tightly and focuses. Fire crackles around zir hands, and as ze shouts, lances out toward the first arcanist, and from him to the second: "SHORYUKEN"

Arcanist (1)
Spell Resistance (1): 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 8 + 2 = 16
Burning Arc (1): 8d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 1, 3) = 22

Arcanist (2)
Spell Resistance (2): 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 8 + 2 = 11
Burning Arc (2): 4d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 5, 4) = 12

/sigh - I don't know why I even bother

Heck yea Saphren will take a Protection from Evil. Thanks Besh And Saphren will have activated his Slippers of Spider Climbing and is running along the wall to close with the drow. If we are hasted then he has 70' of movememt to spring attack with. :) Also someone smarter than me is gonna have to explain the map to me. Saphren, if he can get to an arcanist wil attack one of them. If not a soldier. I sorta need to understand distances to know who he attacks and where he ends up.

+1 Cold Iron Falchion: 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 11 + 1 = 232d4 + 16 + 4d6 ⇒ (3, 4) + 16 + (6, 6, 2, 5) = 42

Debilitating Injury: Disoriented -2/-4 (Ex) Foe who takes sneak attack damage takes attack penalty of -2 and -4 vs. Saphren for 1 rd.

Saphren's AC vs evil enemies with haste is currently 25

Yeah, I had to take a guess that Besh could get to where ze is without risking an aoo. Stairwells with arrows pointing in opposite directions make no sense to me :)

I'll gladly take the Enlarge, which should give me a +3 on my overrun, I believe (+1 size, +2 increased Strength). And another +1 for the haste!

Saph, I think on the map we came up from stairs that are on the north side. The stairs on the south side (where you've placed yourself) are another set going further up. So you'd run past the guards and charge to the spellcaster, I believe. We'll see if I can handle the two guards. I expect with Besh, Zoso, and Lyr hurling various spells and arrows it should be manageable. :)

But then the arrows seem wrong. Arrows should point either up or down. The north ones would have to be pointing down and the south set up.

The map sucks, go by the text rather than the arrows. Arcanists are on the south side, soldiers on the north. You came from the north. I'm going to just say you killed the arcanist you wound up by Saphren since you have the movement to do it.

The group explodes out of the stairs, stunning the four drow within the room. Brenna tries to find her courage again, and does so by completely trampling this poor drow, making sure to put her iron boot right in his face as he is knocked prone.

Zoso gets the party's blood flowing while Beshtori sends out an arc of fire that jumps from drow to drow, badly searing the first one. Saphren leaps into the air, scampering across the wall before springing off of the south wall before flying past the arcanist. The arcanist does not react, but then his head falls off.

Lyr is up!

Sorry, busy weekend. I'd like to ready an action to shoot the at canister with a Drow bane arrow if he starts casting a spell.

With Saphren up close and personal, the arcanist in the back begins chanting a spell, but Lyr looses an arrow which slams into him solidly! He manages to keep the cast going, but Saphren simply shoves him in the chest, destroying his concentration.

One drow soldier faces off with Brenna, and he manages to find a hole in her armour, skewering the big barbarian. The other one, sporting a bootprint on his face, crawls away and gets to his feet.

Brenna takes 11 damage. Everyone is up!

I'll knock off the 1 point for my DR 1/-.

The enlarged barbarian barely seems to feel the attack as she counters with hasted heavy-handed swings of her now-gigantic axe against the attacker.

Battleaxe attack #1, enlarged, hasted, power attack, raging: 1d20 + 13 + 1 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 13 + 1 - 2 + 2 = 15 Wow. Nat 1.
Battleaxe attack (haste bonus), enlarged, hasted, power attack, raging: 1d20 + 13 + 1 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 13 + 1 - 2 + 2 = 30
Battleaxe attack #2, enlarged, hasted, power attack, raging: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 1 - 2 + 2 = 26

Battleaxe enlarged power attack damage #1: 1d10 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21 (1 of this is cold damage)
Battleaxe enlarged power attack damage #2: 1d10 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17 (1 of this is cold damage)

Also, do I get an AoO against the crawling guy? Usually crawling provokes and since I'm enlarged I threaten a pretty big area.

Battleaxe possible AoO: 1d20 + 13 + 1 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 13 + 1 - 2 + 2 = 18 Miiight hit a prone dude.
Battleaxe enlarged power attack damage #1: 1d10 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17 (1 of this is cold damage)

"But now it's time for me to go
The autumn moon lights my way
For now I smell the rain
And with it pain
And it's headed my way."
Zoso fires away at the two drow soldiers, first targeting the unflanked silver drow.

CI arrow, Rapid Shot, Point Blank, Deadly Aim, Inspired, Haste: 1d20 + 8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 8 + 2 + 1 = 25
Damage, Inspired: 1d8 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 8 + 2 = 18
CI arrow, Rapid Shot, Point Blank, Deadly Aim, Inspired, Haste: 1d20 + 8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 2 + 1 = 28
Damage, Inspired: 1d8 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 8 + 2 = 18
CI arrow, Point Blank, Inspired, Haste: 1d20 + 12 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 12 + 2 + 1 = 33
Damage, Inspired: 1d8 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 2 = 13

Brenna, made you large.

Saphren, hasted, takes a rare full attack at the archaist he has pinned against the wall. His slippers unexpectedly stick when he tries to shift his weight and his first swing goes wide. His second swing hits hard and he risks at the caster. Time to give up, else the next one is gonna really hurt.

+1 Cold Iron Falchion: 1d20 + 11 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 11 + 1 + 2 = 15

+1 Cold Iron Falchion: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 11 + 2 = 262d4 + 10 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (3, 4) + 10 + 6 + 2 = 25

If any drow are still alive, Besh will zap it with
Magic Missile: 4d4 + 4 ⇒ (1, 3, 1, 4) + 4 = 13

Second verse, same as the first. Readied action to interrupt Drow spellcasting.

Mega-Brenna smashes her axe down repeatedly, and when she's done there's basically no drow left. The other drow soldier goes down under a barrage of missile fire from Zoso. Lyr keeps an eye on the caster, who nimbly avoids a clumsy attack from Saphren. Besh blasts the arcanist with a magic missile, who then tries a spell.

Lyr's REadied Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22 Damage: 1d8 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
COncentration: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Lyr's arrow flies true, and the spell is completely fouled! The arcanist starts swearing violently in drow before screaming at you to put an end to him, knowing full well his fate.

One drow left. Everyone is up!

Hmm. You seem to have only reacted to Saphren's first attack. He had and used a hasted attack as well: 26 to hit for 25 damage.

Saphren gives the man what he seems to want.

+1 Cold Iron Falchion: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 11 + 2 = 172d4 + 10 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (1, 3) + 10 + 6 + 2 = 22

Hasted Attack: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 11 + 2 = 302d4 + 10 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (4, 3) + 10 + 6 + 2 = 25

Moot points anyways.

With a few quick slashes, Saphren downs the last drow.

Lookat these puny hole punchers. Can't even get both hands on the handle. Saphren says as he considers the rapiers. I can use these bolts but will gladly share if anyone else uses a crossbow. And I'd like to wear one of these rings.

Lyr pulls out his wand again and walks over to giant Brenna.

Cure Moderate. Go ahead and roll as many as you need. I'll mark the charges off.

Cure Moderate wand: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (4, 6) + 3 = 13
Cure Moderate wand: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (1, 2) + 3 = 6
Cure Moderate wand: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (5, 4) + 3 = 12
Cure Moderate wand: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (6, 6) + 3 = 15
Cure Moderate wand: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (4, 5) + 3 = 12
Cure Moderate wand: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (3, 8) + 3 = 14

6 charges and I'm topped off.

Jeebus, meat shield. We need to get you some better armor...

I'm at the point where it starts getting really hard to improve your AC.

"Thanks, Lyr," says Brenna with a groan.

Brenna traumatizes a wand but is finally healed up. The stairs continue upwards and so you head to the next level in much the same manner as before. The next level is empty, but with a spectacular balcony.

The stairs pause for a short run at a small balcony overlooking the haunted city of Celwynvian and the vaguely shadowy expanse of the eerily colorless Mierani Forest beyond.

From here, stairs lead upwards to the stop of the tower in the centre of the observatory. Your information tells you at at the top awaits Nolveniss, the drow archmage and mastermind behind the Armageddon Echo.

Lyr retrieves his arrows and carefully sets them back into the poisoned sponges inside the bottom of his quiver.

Ready to go.

Saphren considers the challenge ahead and asks Besh, I'd start invisible if that is within your power.

I can cast Haste if need be as well.
"Brenna, this is your time, I can feel it. I've heard a lot of these stories before and it just, well, seems right. There's something electric in the air." Zoso wipes some sinew off her armor as he gives her a warriors forearm grasp.
Casting Heroism on Brenna right before we go in.

"Anyone need more anti-toxin?"

The bard then readies an arrow if his own, clearing this throat a little for what he anticipates to be quite the confrontation.

Let's use Zoso's Haste, and Besh can save that 3rd level spell for a Dispel Magic, if needed.
Everyone should have: Haste, Mage Armour, Protection from Evil. Saphren has Invisibility, and Brenna has Enlarge and Heroism. Sound right?

Yup, in addition to Besh's Mage Armor and everyone's anti-toxins

Ok. Lets roll. Unsure if there is a door to open or if we just go upstairs? Either way let Saphren go first looking for traps. If a door he will de-trap it and then let Brenna open it so he can move in and react to what is there. He will be spider climbing as well.

And I just found some AMAZING maps someone made for the observatory which clean up a lot of the confusion. Man the maps that came with the AP are substandard.

The group forms up at the base of the stairs, and Saphren sneaks upstairs to the Grand Observatory, silent and invisible.

Looming at the center of this large, open-air roofop is a gigantic golden orrery, with each planet rotating on delicate golden arms around a bright, polished sun. Three balconies overlook the edge of the tower, each one outftted with a massive telescope. Above, almost as if the tower were aimed at its churning core, the spiraling vortex of the sky looms.

Saphren does not see a soul on the observatory.

Far superior map is updated.

Yes, nicer map for sure. Thanks for the effort there. :)

Unhappy he sees no targets and suspicious Saphren stealths up and over to one of the telescopes, listening as he moves.

Stealth while invisible: 1d20 + 17 + 20 ⇒ (18) + 17 + 20 = 55

Perception: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (12) + 16 = 28

Saphren moves around the telescopes, listening intently. As he does so, his patience is rewarded. His sensitive ears pick up the rustle of cloth, and the sound of breathing. Somebody is here - above him in the air. Maybe ten feet.

Stealth: 1d20 + 17 + 20 ⇒ (1) + 17 + 20 = 38

Seeming his best option, Saphren stealths back down and as quietly as possible explains that there is an ivisible and flying or levitating creature in the room, and approximately where it is. Give me a moment to get back into position and come in with all you got. he recommends, hoping for Glitterdust or the like. He then stealths back up and chooses a spot with a little cover and readies his drow crossbow.

Stealth: 1d20 + 17 + 20 ⇒ (18) + 17 + 20 = 55

Besh can use that last spell-slot for Glitterdust

As the group enters the room, Beshtori blows gently into zir slowly opening palm. An explosion of light and glittering dust explodes in the vicinity of where Saphren described the invisible creature.

10' radius
Will 16 vs. blindness
No Spell Resistance

The group creep up the stairs, and at Saphren's word, Besh turns and blasts a glitterdust into the air! The glittering outline of a male drow is exposed, floating in the air. He has a stern, regal cast to him and looks to be in a very, very bad mood. As he lowers his hands from his eyes, having resisted the blindness, he stares at the group malevolently.

"So, you are the ones who led those fragile, delicate elves to my city, who forced me to hide in my own creation. You think that by this you have won? How foolish the sun has made you! My mistress already has all that she needs. You will die here, by my hand, and all you hold dear shall follow soon enough!"

Despite the group being ready for a fight, so is he, and he reacts first by hurling a small bit of guano at the group, which rapidly expands into a blistering fireball!

Everyone but Saphren must make a DC 19 reflex save or take a whopping 51 damage - 25 on a successful save. All damage reductions and buffs apply normally. Everyone is up!

Reflex save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

I see my luck with important saves hasn't changed.

Mega-Brenna, despite being horribly burned, rushes the floating drow and chops at him with her enlarged axe.

I'm assuming that because I have reach due to my size, I can take a shot at him. If he's more than 10' off the ground, oh well.

Axe attack, enlarged, hasted, heroism, raging, power attack: 1d20 + 13 + 1 + 2 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (17) + 13 + 1 + 2 + 2 - 2 = 33
Axe damage, adamantine, enlarged, heroism, raging, power attack: 1d10 + 5 + 2 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 2 + 1 + 4 = 22 (1 point is cold)