Gallows of Madness - CORE

Game Master Thrawn007

I can't think of anything else to do but to throw acid or alchemist's fire at the swarm and that's going to hit some people with splash damage as well. Anybody have any other ideas? If not then Tanin's action is under the spoiler.

Splash is only 1 point. The swarm does a lot more. That said, people can move out of the way...

As everyone scatters, fleeing the mass of crawling spiders, Tanin throws another vial of acid into the middle of the bugs, splashing the burning chemicals right into the most densely packed mass. Enough of the spiders are burned that the rest begin to scatter, crawling off into holes, plants, or other hiding spots.

Nobody hit by splash as every scattered. Combat is over.

The ape takes 1d2 ⇒ 2 strength damage from the poison and needs to make another fort save as the venom continues to work through his body.

Galahad nods in satisfaction, and peers inside the front door.

“Good job Pathfinders! Now we can get into the house” Bani says after seeing the last spiders scatter and go away.

Then Bani moves to the door and enters the house.

Tanin moves next to the ape and touches him granting a Bit of Luck.

4/6 bit of luck remainding

Poison Save 1/2: 1d20 ⇒ 2
Poison Save 2/2: 1d20 ⇒ 16

The ape shakes off any further effects of the poison.

Basic warehouse supplies, such as ropes, hammers, crowbars, and cargo nets, hang from the northern wall of this room. Several crates stand against the western wall. Doors stand against the east and south walls. A pulsating mass of purplish-black sludge lies along the floor near the southern wall between the two doors, and long filaments anchor the substance to the walls and ceiling. A large, strange egg sac lies at the center of the slime, with tiny legs visibly scrabbling beneath its surface. Three other nearby egg sacs have already burst.

Three multi-legged giant bugs wallow in the purple goo before noticing you to attack.

Initiatve: (Bold may go)
Bjorn
Helios
centipede 1
Manus
Bani
centipede 2
Galahad
Tanin
centipede 3

"More vermin", Bjorn scoffs as he moves in and rears back with his enormous greatsword. "Die bugs!"

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Damage: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 2) + 6 = 11

Confirming: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Extra Damage: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (1, 2) + 6 = 9

Walking forward and whirling his glaive once, twice Helios slashes at the closest bug.
AttackPA: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 201d10 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Cleave: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 181d10 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

Bjorn cleaves one of the giant bugs in two, sending it splashing into the purple goo. Not to be outdone, Helios slices into another bug, striking the third on his following stroke.

I stepped Helios back one square since you are using a glaive. You have reach. Combat over. All bugs are dead. Fastest combat ever for that.

"Good job!"

Galahad moves on to try the door to the next chamber.

Torches in each corner of this large room shed dim flickering light between high columns of barrels and crates. Four large pillars support the ceiling. Purplish-black slime covers the eastern wall and much of the room’s southeast corner, stretching between the walls, pillars, and crates with long filaments. Countless shapes, varying greatly in size, crowd the sludge. Several of these shapes, pinned to the walls and crates or lying on the floor, appear human-sized.

A dog-sized flying insect buzzes around above the huge pool of purple sludge. It seems to take notice as you open the door.

Initiative (bold may go)
Galahad
?
Helios
Bani
Manus
Giant Hookfly
Tanin
Bjorn

Galahad moves forward, and readies to attack the first enemy to approach.

Glaive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25, for 1d10 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10 damage.
Crit Confirmation: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25, for 2d10 + 12 ⇒ (1, 6) + 12 = 19 *ADDITIONAL* damage.

From behind a crate, a humanoid figure covered in purple goo pops up and fires a crossbow at Galahad, while taunting, "You can't stop me! The worm demons will come home!"

crossbow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21 for 1d8 ⇒ 3 damage.

Initiative (bold may go)
Galahad (3 dmg)
Gellion
Helios
Bani
Manus
Giant Hookfly
Tanin
Bjorn

Manus moves up along with the ape.

Initiative (bold may go)
Galahad (3 dmg)
Gellion
Helios
Bani
Manus
Giant Hookfly
Tanin
Bjorn

Helios double moves into the room

“This will be your end!” Bani says staring at the creature.

She draws her shortbow and aims at the humanoid figure.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19 +2 if human

Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2 +2 if human

The team moves to better positions, and Bani looses an arrow into the sludge covered human taking cover behind the crates in the corner. The giant buzzing insect seems to be using it's probiscus to feed from a humanoid figure trapped in the purple goo, it's abdomen is swelling rapidly as if it's about to explode.

Initiative (bold may go)
Galahad (3 dmg)
Gellion (4 dmg)
Helios
Bani
Manus
Giant Hookfly
Tanin
Bjorn

Shame about the wasted crit...

Galahad charges forward, and takes a swing at the insect, hoping to distract it.

Glaive: 1d20 + 5 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (13) + 5 + 2 - 1 = 19, for 1d10 + 6 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 3 = 16 damage.

Bjorn hustles inside and sets his sights on the ooze-covered man. "I don't know what's been done to you but we can help. Stop this madness."

Double moving.

Initiative (bold may go)
Galahad (3 dmg)
Gellion (4 dmg)
Helios
Bani
Manus
Giant Hookfly
Tanin
Bjorn

Tanin moves to a better position.

Double move, planning to channel next round.

Galahad slashes the hookfly, cleaving a large gash into it, while the others move to better positions. The hookfly disengages from whatever is was connected to (which provokes)

Glaive: 1d20 + 5 - 1 ⇒ (7) + 5 - 1 = 11, for 1d10 + 6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 6 + 3 = 11 damage.

The injured flies abdomen bursts open, spewing forth a gush of blood along with thousands of smaller hook flies which immediately begin biting everything in their reach. Galahad feels hundreds of razor sharp proboscises penetrate his flesh, dealing 1d6 ⇒ 2 damage and leaving bleeding wounds on him.

The body of the original giant hook fly falls to the ground, dead from it's injuries and the strain of giving birth to the swarm.

Galahad will need a distraction fort save dc12 on his turn, in addition to taking 1 point of bleed damage.

Initiative (bold may go)
-------------------------
Galahad (5 dmg,bleed 1, distraction save pending)
Gellion (4 dmg)
Helios
Bani
Manus
Hookfly Swarm (Giant Hookfly is now dead)
Tanin
Bjorn

Fort: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6.

Galahad, distracted by the thousands of flies, maintains his position.

Is Bjorn up again? I just double moved.

Oops, forgot to fire my shot in between

Gellion steps from the crate, firing at Tanen.
crossbow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19 for 1d8 ⇒ 5 damage

Initiative (bold may go)
-------------------------
Galahad (5 dmg, bleed 1, distracted on next turn)
Gellion (4 dmg)
Helios
Bani
Manus
Hookfly Swarm (Giant Hookfly is now dead)
Tanin (5 damage)
Bjorn

Do not throw away your shot.

Determined to bring Gellion in alive, Bjorn closes on him and throws a fierce uppercut.

Punch: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 5 + 2 = 20
Nonlethal Damage: 1d3 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 2 = 8

Move up. Rage. Punch. The punch will provoke but if he's got a crossbow in hand so I don't know if he's got a way to take it.

Manus moves into the room and throws the acid flask at the swarm (aiming for the square next to Galahad).

Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2

He gets his ape to attack Gellion. Done moving.

Helios purposefully moves closer and whirls his polearm into the crossbow wielding baddy. It would be more intimidating if not for his highpitched voice. But what his voice lacks in intimidation his polearm makes up for it. In spades.
"Take this you evil giz"
AttackPA: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 241d10 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
Confirm: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 201d10 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Manus throws acid on the mass of hookflies, splashing Galahad in the process. Meanwhile Helios moves around the crates and takes Gellion by surprise, cutting him down with a single polearm stroke.

Initiative (bold may go)
-------------------------
Galahad (7 dmg, bleed 1, distracted)
Gellion (down)
Helios
Bani
Manus
Hookfly Swarm (finished becoming swarm on it's turn, will act again after everyone since I did it out of turn before.)
Tanin (5 damage)
Bjorn(punch doesn't go off, as Helios drops Gellion)

Bjorn shoots the boyish figher a dirty look for butchering Gellion as he moves into position to toss more acid on the swarm. "Watch out!" he warns.

Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3

I think we still have 3 acid flasks yet. Maybe get the better ranged people to give it a shot.

Bani takes the flask of acid and throws it at the hookfly swarm.

Ranged touch attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

Acid damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Two direct hits from Bani and Manus, plus a near miss that still managed to splash the swarm by Bjorn, destroys enough of the newly spawned hookflies, that the others fly off in different directions hiding in the nooks and crannies of the warehouse.

You can see in several sections of the purple goo, some of the flies have been trapped, and seem to pulsate as the goo bubbles around them.

"What in the Nine Hells is this s~*%?" Bjorn asks aloud as he studies the purple goo. "And how do we destroy it?"

"Tanin, can you get rid of the goo?" Manus asks.

Tanin channels healing energy hoping to heal and clear the goo.

Channel: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Hopefully this will stop Galahad's bleed damage, keep Gellion from dying and clear some goo.

2/7 channels remaining

The wash of positive energy destroys some of the purple goo. The amount in the room is massive however. It will take multiple channels to clear it all. (Galahad does stop bleeding however.) Some of the goo that recedes reveals human bodies are trapped within.

Do they look like they're alive?

Bjorn rushes forward to pull the bodies from the receding goo.

"Someone check on Gellion, disarm him and tie him up if he's still alive." says Tanin as he strides toward the trapped figures and then channels healing energy again.

2 Channels: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 1) = 5

0/7 channels left

The goo recedes more, uncovering the bodies. (There is cleanup that can be done with cold iron weapons, but the major destruction of the goo has been done.) The bodies look to be all teenaged humanoids.

Does it match the descriptions of the missing apprentices?

Heal: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

Manus moves over and begins examining/cleaning the bodies.

Heal: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Heal: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1.

With a sigh, Galahd moves to clean-up the remaining goo.

"We should tell the mayor what we found; but first, we should get these bodies to the temple. If they are beyond help, they at least deserve a proper burial."

After getting bodies to the temple (eventually getting lesser restorations to move above 0 stats to overcome comas), cleaning up the remnants of the goo in the warehouse, and ensuring no more giant insects are created out of the warehouse, there is some time to rest.

You are all given free room and board at the Witch's End Tavern, a reward for the return of the apprentice there. You also receive discounts at several other shops in town.

The mayor seems relieved that the apprentices are returned, with all but Gellion surviving the ordeal. (The last blow was a killing blow. He skipped unconsciousness, so the channels didn't help him.) However, she hints that the town's problems are not over, and she will be needing more assistance before approving a lodge.