GM Tarondor's Emerald Spire Campaign

Game Master Tarondor

"Is the nest still full or did you dispose of the snakes? What exactly did you run into that required you to fall back?" Marcel asks as he prepares to go into the castle.

"We got most of 'em, but there were two leaders in the final chamber we had to retreat from: the snake-man and man-snake I mentioned. Snake-man looks like a man with a snake for a head, an' he's the leader of the demon cult that was roostin' down here. Nasty spellcastin' piece of work. Man-snake, on the other hand, was this gigantic snake with a man's face, complete with a bear-trap of a bite. They also summoned a bunch of normal-sized snakes to soften us up, an' I expect they'll have gotten some more in the time we've been gone," Wymond explains.

"They won't drive us off this time," Lilika remarks. She readies her shield and leaves her other hand open, ready to defend herself with spells.

"Ready?" she asks.

Then she leads the way into the Spire, eyes alert for new dangers, tricks, and traps.

Perception when appropriate
Perception (expert): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 26

Marcel nods and follows the others in.

If possible, I will cast Shield since it lasts 10 minutes and is convenient to have. If it is going to slow us down by doing spellcasting during exploration I will skip it.

The long trek down the various stairs and through the various levels takes you much of the afternoon. Somewhere in the outer world, the sun is going down. Down the lightless depths you only know that you've come at last to the Shrine of the Awakener.

You have no idea who built the shrine long ago, much less what it has to do with the still-mysterious Emerald Spire. What you do know is that in the recent past it was a shrine to the serpent-folk god Ydersius, but is now in the grip of heretical outcasts who worship the demon Kro’akoth the Awakener.

On the levels above you have seen signs of incursions from other planes happening near the Emerald Spire (the div of the Clockwork Maze, the mephits and mud-monsters of the Drowned level and the fiendish troglodytes of this level). These planar phenomena have made it easy for the cult of Kro’akoth to summon extraplanar aid.

You have cut through most of the lesser foes of the Shrine, but were bloodily repulsed by Sartoss the serpentfolk cleric of Kro’akoth and his ally Sanaz the dark naga

As you enter the first chamber (the Narthex), you see signs from your first battle here several days ago, but the bodies are missing

What do you do?

Wymond readies his bardiche as they advance through the shrine, watching for signs of their foes.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

"Any spells you plan on castin' before we get there?" he asks Lilika and Marcel quietly.

Lilika raises her shield and looks around, curious if there's any sign of where the bodies were moved or other recent activity, like the setting of nasty traps...

Perception (expert): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34
Survival (expert): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

So Marcel and Jharun both cast Mage Armor and Shield.

"Jharun and I have looked over each others repertoire and most of what we have will be used once the combat has started. Few spells have long durations and so it is important to ensure that we use them at the right time." Marcel says as Jharun nods in agreement.

Lilika, the bodies have not been moved, but you notice that their gear has been stripped from them. The forge is cold. No new traps...that you know of...appear.

You are now in the long corridor leading south and all is very, very quiet. See map.

How do you proceed?

Lilika keeps alert for traps as she travels down the hall, pausing to peer into the next room.

She'll keep using the Search exploration activity. Rolls in spoilers for the hall and the next room. While most of the rolls will be wasted (since technically it's a secret check when she might find something), per our original conversation about it ages ago, I'll keep posting rolls regularly so you don't need to roll for me. Let me know if you want that to change at any point.

Marcel and Jharun follow along behind the other two watching for anyting strange.

Wymond lets Lilika take the lead, bardiche at the ready, watchful for danger.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20

Welcome, Nycholas. Good-bye Jharun.

You arrive outside the temple area and still all is quiet. Almost...too quiet?

"Ready, y'all?" Wymond says quietly.

Lilika nods, then keeps a wary eye out as she enters the next room.

Marcel nods and tries to keep a serene look as they enter the temple area.

When you enter the Room of Statues, an alarm starts sounding in the temple.

Quick! What do you do?

Wymond raises his bardiche, expecting a mass of snakes to boil out of the darkness towards them at any second! Triath takes a position next to him.

Lilika raises her shield and steps out of the way of the door, in case anything comes barreling out.

Mikhail reorients his magical shield to protect him and calls upon divine blessings to aid his new allies.

Raise Shield, Cast Bless. +1 Status bonus to attack rolls within 5 ft of me.

Nycholas steps up next to the sturdy dwarf. Now is his chance to prove himself! The young eldritch knight spins his greatsword once vertically, casting a protective spell through the sword and bringing it to rest at middle guard. A ghostly, silver-white facsimile of his sword continues to spin in front of him, softly whooshing as it turns in the air of its own accord.

Cast Shield, Activate Arcane Cascade.
Perception for sneks in the room, I guess: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Wymond blinks a moment seeing Nycholas, the kid from Royst's house, then looking back and realizing they'd somehow left Jharun behind. Then he shrugs a bit. He'd seen a lot of friends come and go on this adventure already. If this kid's skill matched his confidence, they'd be fine (though Wymond himself had only recently come of age himself, so he wasn't really in a position to judge).

Cast Shield, Activate Arcane Cascade.

If you're using a spell or power, please link to that thing in Archives of Nethys, especially if it's not something we all know well.

Nothing happens. Apparently, they're waiting for you to make the first move.

Nycholas points to the western wall with the tip of his sword. "Looks like there's a wall over the but, ahh..." The large room ahead of them with its impressive glowing green whatever in the center makes him think they won't make it to the far wall unchallenged. Since this room looks important and probably houses and important (but evil) snake person, Nycholas casts another combat spell. Filled with magical energy, the young man and his equipment begin to grow, doubling in size, his greatsword gaining the size of a respectable tree.

Oooh, Enlarge lasts 5 Minutes in this edition. I think I'll throw it on now since there may be a boss fight with man-serpent and serpent-man up in here. Nycholas is ready to advance if the others are.

Just open the north door...

Ahh, I see. I thought the big room was the room of Statues, but I see now the statue in the room we're in. I shall open the door.

Just be clear about which door? The door to the north or the one I mentioned in the spoiler?

North door. Looks like a boss room. I'm ready for a boss fight.

Boss Fight. Take Two!

Nycholas throws open the doors. The chamber is much as before. The Emerald Spire rises up through the middle of the room, its glow giving the chamber an eerie emerald cast. Wound about the Spire is the dark naga Sanaz and standing beside it is the serpent-man Sartoss. Several images of him flit around in he same space. Before you is a mass of dangerous vipers, hissing and spitting!

There is a glowing circle emanating from the naga, extending to about ten feet.

Initiative
Lilika Perception : 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22
Marcel Perception : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
Nycholas Perception : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26
Wymond Perception : 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18
Sartoss Perception : 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31
Sanaz Perception : 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24
Viper Swarm Perception : 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19

As soon as the doors are flung wide, the serpent-man directs his hands forward and a glowing rapier made of spell energy streaks forward to impale itself in Nycholas's breast!

Spiritual Weapon v. Nycholas: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (18) + 16 = 341d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9 Critical hit.

With a hissed word, the serpent-man releases a second attack, sending Wymond's mind tumbling down a well of deep-seated fears!

Agonizing Despair v Wymond: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 3, 1) = 13 Mental Damage

STATUS
Sartoss - Mirror Image, Spiritual Weapon
Nycholas - 18 damage, Enlarged
Sanaz - Unknown Aura
Lilika
Viper Swarm -
Wymond -
Marcel -

Wymond, give me a DC 24 Will save.

Nycholas, go!

Nycholas isn't sure what to expect behind the door since he hasn't been here before, but a flying rapier wasn't on the list of possibilities, and the ghostly weapon slips past his guard. He grunts as the strike pierces his breastplate, but the damage is less than it might have been. Under his armor, iron scales cover his skin, defensive magic born of the residual energy from the shield spell he cast moments before. The mass of snakes immediately in front of him draw his attention. He hardly sees the snake-man or the man-snake due to the narrow visor of his helmet. His oversized blade glows emerald as he raises the weapon over his head, channeling a spell through the sword that will (hopefully) wash over the many snakes before him. He brings the sword down on the swarm of snakes with all his might. Only a few are hit directly by the blade, but the sword smashes a pit in the stone floor, sending broken stone and a wave of acid out over the vipers as the acidic spell is discharged through the sword.

"Snakes!"

Spellstrike (Somatic, Verbal) ◆◆ with Acid Splash (3rd Level) against the snek swarm. Recharge Spellstrike (Concentrate) ◆.

Spellstrike (Bless; Acid Splash): 1d20 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 15 + 1 = 32
S Damage: 2d12 + 6 ⇒ (12, 1) + 6 = 19 + Acid Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 + 1 Acid Splash Damage + 1 Force Damage + 2 Persistent Acid Damage.

I think that comes to 30 damage total, but I must admit I do not think I've encountered swarms (assuming it's a swarm) in 2e yet, so I won't claim to know how they work. I also haven't played a magus before, so feel free to correct me if I get something wrong. Nycholas gets half/level in Temp HP at the start of each turn when he is in Arcane Cascade for being an Inexorable Iron Magus.

Possible AoO (Bless; 10' Reach) (First target that provokes): 1d20 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 15 + 1 = 24
S Damage: 2d12 + 6 ⇒ (2, 9) + 6 = 17 + 1 Force Damage

Oof...a crit right on the first round. Off to a great start this time. Next verse same as the first.

Will Save: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

Nycholas, let’s talk about bookkeeping for your +3 temporary hit points. I see you noted yourself as being at 69 hp, but that’s not precisely true. You weren’t in the stance when you were hit by the Spiritual Weapon, so you only have 66 hp. When you’re in Arcane Cascade you gain 3 temporary hp. I’ll note that as 66+3 for clarity’s sake.

Nycholas, as I understand Arcane Cascade, the stance would do an additional +1 force damage only if the spell itself does not deal a damage type. Instead, the additional +1 damage is acid in this case. Also, your strike was a critical hit, so it was 60 points of damage (+2 persistent acid, which isn’t going to matter here...)

Nycholas’s giant sword drips with sizzling acid as he sweeps it through the hissing, writhing mass of venomous snakes before him, slicing heads from bodies in great sweeping arcs. In moments, several snakes lay dead and burning and the others have dispersed, running for holes in the walls!

The huge naga opens its fanged mouth and vomits forth streams of lightning!

Lightning Bolt (Reflex DC 26): 4d12 ⇒ (2, 5, 1, 1) = 9 Sheesh. That's disappointing!

STATUS
Sartoss - Mirror Image, Spiritual Weapon
Nycholas - 66+3/89 hp, Enlarged
Sanaz - Unknown Aura
Lilika - 74/74 hp
Wymond - 86/99 hp
Marcel - 62/62hp, Bless (5')

Nycholas and Marcel, give me Reflex saves vs. the lightning bolt.

Then it’s Lilika, Wymond and Marcel’s turn. Go do that voodoo that you do so well!

Nycholas's save from the Discussion Tab: 20. Fails.

Unable to see from her position, Lilika Strides into the room and casts out her hands, sending a quick blast of acid at the snake person.

Spell Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24
Acid Damage: 3d8 ⇒ (4, 3, 2) = 9 Plus 1d6 persistent acid damage.

1A Stride, 2A Acid Arrow.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

Marcel moves to put people back into the Bless and then casts a spell to make Wymond faster.

I move and cast a Haste on Wymond.

I'm gonna spend the Hero Point...sorry if I'm out of line.

Will Save: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25

Wymond is filled with fear for but a moment, but takes a deep breath and steels himself. He'd survived this before, he'd survive it again, and this time he was ready. Then he sees Nycholas single-handedly wipe floor with the little snakes that had nearly taken Triath down last time, and he his confidence is bolstered.

"WE'RE BAAAACK!" he calls to the enemy as Marcel's spell fills him with vim and vigor and strides into the room.

1A: Stride

"TRIATH, OL' PAL! TO ME!" he yells back to the group, pointing his bardiche at Sartoss, and Triath dashes after him, moving to catch up and overtake him.

2A: Command

Then he punctuates it by striking at Sartoss!

3A: Strike!

Bardiche (1): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (16) + 15 = 31
Bardiche (P/S)Damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (1, 10) + 4 = 15

And strikes again!

Bonus: Strike!

Bardiche (2): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18
Bardiche (P/S)Damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (9, 6) + 4 = 19

I'm gonna spend the Hero Point...sorry if I'm out of line.

That's fine.

Marcel, remember that by concentrating, you can expand the radius of the Bless spell.

Sartoss's Mirror Image (4 is real) (Lilika): 1d4 ⇒ 1
Sartoss's Mirror Image (3 is real) (Wymond): 1d3 ⇒ 1

Lilika blasts the serpent-man with acid while Wymond batters him with a huge polearm, but all that happens is that two of Saross's images wink out. The serpent-man himself utters a gloating hiss.

"Monkey-spawn! You have no power here! This is the Temple of the Awakener and your fate will be agony, servitude and death!"

STATUS
Sartoss - Mirror Image (1 left), Spiritual Weapon
Nycholas - 57+3/89 hp, Enlarged
Sanaz - Unknown Aura
Lilika - 74/74 hp
Wymond - 86/99 hp, haste
Marcel - 53/62hp, Bless (5')

Wymond, Marcel cast Haste on you, so you have one more strike or stride before the bad guys go.

Wymond did four actions. Stride, Command, Strike, Strike. I am not sure what Command is.

Wymond gets a confused look on his face.

"The hell's a monkey?" he asks.

Wymond's just a simple River Kingdoms farm-boy! :P

Nycholas, I've been thinking and I realize I've done your temporary hit points wrong. You gain new temporary hit points at the start of each of your turn so you're actually not at 57+3, you're at 60+0.

As Triath and Wymond approach the powerful priest of Kro'akoth, Sartoss's rapiers move with blinding speed and pierce poor Triath's tough boar hide to the bone. Triath squeals in pain and terror . Almost as an afterthought, the serpent-man gestures at Wymond and his eldritch rapier of force jabs the holy warrior in the shoulder.

"That one will make fine eating. I am always so hungry after a fight!"

Rapier v. Triath: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 342d6 + 5 ⇒ (3, 6) + 5 = 14 Critical Hit.
Rapier v. Triath: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 292d6 + 5 ⇒ (5, 1) + 5 = 11 Hit.
Spiritual Weapon v. Wymond: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 251d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 Hit.

Wow, those attack rolls!

STATUS
Sartoss - Mirror Image (1 left), Spiritual Weapon
Nycholas - 60+3/89 hp, Enlarged
Sanaz - Unknown Aura
Lilika - 74/74 hp
Wymond - 79/99 hp, haste
...Triath - 9/48 hp
Marcel - 53/62hp, Bless (5')

Wymond, I recommend barding for your animal companions if they're going to be in combat. Animal Companions have trained proficiency in barding. Also, your character sheet lists Triath's AC as 12, but an animal companion uses your level for its proficiency bonus. With the +2 for Trained and the +6 for your level and +2 for his Dex, Triath's unarmored AC is 20.

Nycholas, go!

Nycholas swings his greatsword horizontally. Over the fraction of a second that the swing takes place, Nycholas sword changes, the hilt losing its' crossguard and elongating nearly ten feet, the blade growing shorter, wider, and curving into a deadly glaive. He stomps up behind Wymond, towering over the dwarf, the extended reach of his weapon allowing him to tthreaten both snake persons while staying outside the area of the larger snakes mysterious aura. "I'll get the bigger one!" He enthusiastically declares, swinging his glave in an upward diagonal from left to right and scoring a solid hit on the the larger opponent. He quickly readies his polearm to strike again, watching for openings in the enemies defenses.

Activate Shifting Weapon Rune (Interact) ◆ to turn Nycholas' Greatsword into a Glaive. Stride ◆ 15' Forward (Can't edit the map on mobile, will end movement behind dwarfy). Strike ◆ Sanaz.

Strike Sanaz (Bless; 15' Reach): 1d20 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 15 + 1 = 34
Slashing Damage: 2d8 + 6 ⇒ (2, 8) + 6 = 16 + 1 Acid Damage.
Potential Crit Damage (Slashing): 1d8 ⇒ 4

Reaction: Potential AoO vs first to Provoke (Bless; 15' Reach): 1d20 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 15 + 1 = 36
Slashing Damage: 2d8 + 6 ⇒ (7, 4) + 6 = 17 +1 Acid Damage.
Crit Damage (Slashing): 1d8 ⇒ 7

Guess the rolls go both ways :P

"OY! PAY BLOODY ATTENTION!" Wymond barks at Sartoss as his bardiche darts forward to intercept his strike at Triath!

Reaction: Retributive Strike! Triath gets 8 resistance to all damage from that blow, and I get to Strike Sartoss!

Retributive Strike!: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (15) + 15 = 30
Bardiche (P/S)Damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (5, 5) + 4 = 14

Retributive Strike triggers only once per round, right?

"Get outta there, Triath!" Wymond yells.

1A: Command.

Triath about-faces and dashes back towards the rest of the group.

Meanwhile, Wymond grabs a potion from his pack.

2A: Interact, Retrieve Lesser Healing Potion.

Then he downs it.

3A: Interact, Drink Lesser Healing Potion.

Healing Potion (Lesser): 2d8 + 5 ⇒ (5, 8) + 5 = 18

Still invigorated by the spell, he punctuates the moment by striking at Sartoss again.

"YER SPELL'S SURELY DOWN NOW!"

BA: Strike!

Bardiche (1): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (13) + 15 = 28
Bardiche (P/S)Damage: 2d10 + 4 ⇒ (9, 10) + 4 = 23

Nycholas! Cool visual! Also, even though only one of those was a crit, it was still 96 points of damage! Dang!

Wymond, it' ain't your turn yet. I'll take the Retributive Strike because it's a reaction and occurs on Sartoss's turn, but I'll move your actions to after Sanaz's turn.

Sartoss's Mirror Image (2 is real): 1d2 ⇒ 1

Wymond manages to interpose himself as Sartoss attacks Triath and deflects some of the power of the serpent-man's attack. With a swift backhand, Wymond destroys the last of the serpent-man priest's mirror images.

Meanwhile, Nycholas demonstrates the power of the Iron Magus school as he transforms his blade into a giant glaive and brings it crashing down on the menacing naga in a pair of devastating slashing blows!

Dripping greenish blood, the dark naga hisses, bites Nycholas once on the shoulder and descends into the pit around the Emerald Spire where you can't see him anymore.

Sanaz bite v. Nycholas: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (16) + 19 = 352d8 + 5 ⇒ (1, 3) + 5 = 9 plus venom. Critical Hit.

STATUS
Sartoss - 23 damage, Spiritual Weapon
Nycholas - 45+0/89 hp, Enlarged
Sanaz - 96 damage, Unknown Aura, total cover
Lilika - 74/74 hp
Wymond - 97/99 hp, haste
...Triath - 17/48 hp
Marcel - 53/62hp, Bless (5')

Nycholas, give me a DC 25 saving throw versus naga venom!

______________________________________________________________________

-NOW- It's Wymond's turn and he drinks his potion and attacks Sartoss.

Ordering Triath to the rear, Wymond downs a potion that heals him almost completely as its magical warmth suffuses his injured flesh. Then the paladin steps into the slender and nimble snake-priest and slicing cross-wise across his body with his greatsword, cuts deep into the scales and flesh of his enemy.

Lilika and Marcel, go!

Lilika pats Triath once on the head, healing the pig with an oddly tender gesture.

Healing Triath: 2d6 + 7 ⇒ (3, 4) + 7 = 14

Then she chants a few words at the snake and claps her hands together. A pit opens in the ground beneath the serpent folk then slams shut on his lower limbs.

Casting crushing ground.
Bludgeoning Damage: 6d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 6, 4, 3, 5) = 25
DC 22 Reflex save with the following results.
...Critical Success The target is unaffected.
...Success The target takes half damage.
...Failure The target takes full damage, is flat-footed, and takes a –10-foot circumstance penalty to Speed.
...Critical Failure The target takes double damage and is flat-footed and immobilized. It can attempt to Escape against your spell DC. If it doesn't Escape, the target takes an additional 2d6 bludgeoning damage when the spell ends.

1A: healer's gloves, 2A: crushing ground.

Marcel moves to place Wymond once more into the Bless and then casts a sudden blast of sound over the pool that blasts into the remaining foe.

Move, Cast x2. Sound Burst. There is a basic Fortitude save associated.

[dice=Sound Burst. Fortitude DC 22]2d10[/dice]

Rd 3/10 for Bless. Rd 2/10 for Haste.