The Library of Last Resort is your last chance to find the resting place of Dragotha's phylactery. But you aren't the only people looking for it.
Loot Sheet.
GM Notes.
Temp Acid Resist: 30|Action Points: 8/13|Bombs: 7/23|Female Undine (Formerly Yugoloth-Spawn Tiefling) Alchemist (Chirurgeon) 16|HP: 108/85|AC: 22(36)/14(23)/19(26)|Saves: +15 Fort (+20 vs. Poison), +18 Ref, +12 Will (+1 vs. Enchantments)|Initiative: +3|Perception: +21
Revising my actions!
Round 9: Actions
No Action: 5' step forward
Standard Action: Use breath of life on Astraden!
Carina's face pales in horror as the naga chows down on the helpless priestess. She races over to her fallen friend's side, a syringe of golden fluid readied, and she stabs her in the leg with it!
Astraden is helpless to act as the naga rips out her throat. She releases a staggered breath, then goes limp. The force of the naga's attack sends her corpse spinning slightly.
That increases the poison DC too, doesn't it? [-3/74] [25/74]
She finds herself in the expansive villa of Olidammara again for the briefest of moments, laughter and music resonating in her soul as she stands, watching a complicated card game that seems to make heavy use of illusionary tokens. She's about to join in for the next trick when she feels a sharp pain in her leg, and suddenly she's back in the Material Plane, eyes still closed, muscles still frozen, poison still ravaging her material mind and her body still scorched and necrotized. As the memory of Winesong fades like a good dream, she makes the connection between the jabbing pain and her return, and thinks voiceless thanks at Carina.
"I'm gonna teleport Astraden away from these worm things," Zalamandra says in a low voice. "Cuetzpalli, Tanith, you want a ride?"
Using Bluff to couch her intention to teleport them right next to the lich in a way that only Cuetzpalli and Tanith will understand. Secret message:1d20 + 18 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 18 + 2 - 2 = 30
I really do think dealing with the worm nagas first is worthwhile but if you guys think focusing down the harbinger is worthwhile I'll come along.
The Harbinger has been throwing out save or dies left and right since the start, eventually he's going to get lucky, or someone else is going to get UNlucky. The nagas are a problem but they lack the raw oomph of the Harbinger. Maybe leave Cuetz to fight them (since he's boned as soon as the Harbinger 5 ft. steps anyway), but I do think our best move is to stop this one on one fight between Farrukh and the Harbinger and show him what the action economy's all about. As-is this is a war of attrition and he has a hell of a lot more resources than just Carina and I do.
Carina restores Astraden to paralyzed life. The worm naga lets out a sound like a dog's chew toy being crushed in a set of bellows.
Astraden gains 1 negative level.
Round 9: Cuetzpalli
Seeing Astraden injured but again alive, Cuetzpalli nods and grabs Zalamandra's shoulder. Delaying.
Round 9: The Harbinger
Sense Motive:1d20 ⇒ 9
The Harbinger eyes Farrukh with clear wariness now, perhaps wondering if he can repeat the trick that nearly got it hit twice a moment ago. Its beak opens, and for the first time, the group hears the Harbinger's alien voice. And it speaks a word so powerful, nobody remembers it the moment it has ceased to echo.
If there's one thing the nagas lack right now, it's mobility. Feebleminded Carina and Eben should still be able to run away faster than they can chase. And I think 5' steps are less of a concern in these confined quarters - Farrukh still has shield slam, doesn't he?
Zalamandra grabs Cuetzpalli's hand and, still holding Astraden's bag, teleports the three of them in midair next to the Harbinger. While they're in the Astral Plane, she shuffles the priests and barbarian so that they don't end up in a wall, etc.
Mishap?:1d100 ⇒ 65[1/4]
The orbs of white light connect again to the nagas, melting flesh with electrical energy.
But, I activate Temporal Body Adjustment to retroactively negate the effect. Same effect, but I lose my Immediate action and a Counter I really kinda wanted to save.
Zalamandra did you have an extra slot in that teleport to bring the archon (who finally has a token)? If so these temps are for Astraden again. If not they'll go on Eben.
The door reappears beyond the veil of writhing hair. Astraden focuses on the stone objects as she releases the healing, pressing them to carry out the steps she just laid out. The Zyrxog statue pauses for a moment, as if stuck on a "thought," then jerkily picks up the door, spins around like an athlete with a discus, and hurls it through the thick of the waving hair.
Willing to spend up to 2 APs to make this work. [3/11]
Tentacle reactive:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (14) + 15 = 29Damage:1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10 -8 hardness so [11/36]
Unfortunately, the rubbery hair is quite thick, and as soon as the door contacts it, the door is snared.
The Allustatue steps to the side and drops down a bit to get a better angle, lobbing the wormcaller's body towards the Harbinger at the optimal moment.
Movement to a point where it doesn't have to worry about cover (whether or not this is possible depends on how high the ceiling is in the short hallway between the entrance and the worm lake, I guess), throw 40 feet (haste, 3 range increments, shooting into melee):1d20 + 2 + 1 - 8 - 4 ⇒ (19) + 2 + 1 - 8 - 4 = 10Bludgeoning:1d8 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17 Then to remain flying:1d20 - 3 + 5 ⇒ (8) - 3 + 5 = 10
Unfortunately, the throw is smacked off course by one of the waving tendrils at the last second.
The Raknian statue tries to climb out of the pond. Finding itself unable to do so, it climbs sideways towards the Allustan statue.
Climb:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 211d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17Will:1d20 ⇒ 10Looks to me like that's the same distance away from the Harbinger horizontally, but in 3D space it'd be coming up into the radius.
Round 9: Channel positive energy (standard action) and Quick Channel the same (move action). Communal air walk lasts 76 rounds on Carina, Zalamandra, and Cuetzpalli and 176 on Farrukh, Tanith, Eben, and Astraden. Death ward lasts 97 rounds on Zalamandra and 98 on Cuetzpalli. Magic circle against law lasts 1179 rounds on Astraden. Magic circle against evil lasts 1180 rounds on Farrukh. Communal resist energy (fire) lasts 81 rounds on Farrukh, Eben, and Carina and 181 rounds on Astraden, Cuetzpalli, Tanith, and Zalamandra. Communal resist energy (electricity) lasts 82 rounds on Farrukh, Eben, and Carina and 182 rounds on Astraden, Cuetzpalli, Tanith, and Zalamandra. Bear's endurance lasts 103 rounds on Carina and 104 rounds on Cuetzpalli. Shield of faith lasts 105 rounds on Astraden, 107 on Eben, 109 on Zalamandra, and 110 on Cuetzpalli. Animate objects lasts 4 rounds. Copycat lasts 5 rounds.
It literally can't make the will save without a natural 20 so I assumed it was floating near Astraden. Since it got left behind Eben can have those temps.
In a flash, Zalamandra teleports the three members of Spiny's Six (well, two, not counting Cuetzpalli) into the hallway. Suddenly, the Harbinger of Worms is surrounded. Tanith cleaves into the Harbinger, messily smashing apart one of the Harbinger's six bony hands. Cuetzpalli hacks and slashes at the Harbinger, delivering two devastating blows...
...to where the Harbinger should have been. He is foiled, though, by the Harbinger's displacement.
The Harbinger remains standing, albeit badly hurt.
Round 10: The Worm Nagas
The two remaining nagas seem to pause, reckoning their odds against the sudden cluster of mages and warriors to the northeast.
Unseeing and unable to dodge, Carina feels something slick and blubbery contact her forward. Eben sees the worm naga's tail deliver a tap, sparks of eldritch hideousness streaking into her.
Up north, Farrukh feels something cold and foul strike him in the leg.
Assuming he was hit, Farrukh takes 3 negative levels. Assuming she was hit, Carina, give me a Fortitude save. This is a death effect.
After Rolling:
If Carina rolled less than a 21, she takes 12d6 + 10 ⇒ (2, 5, 6, 6, 4, 5, 1, 6, 3, 4, 5, 1) + 10 = 58 damage. If she rolled a 21 or higher, she instead takes 3d6 + 10 ⇒ (5, 5, 2) + 10 = 22 damage.
The Harbinger releases a loud, shuddering rattle. ~ It is not fate that I survive. ~ The images are coming fast and brilliant, harsh, alien hues and jagged pictures of ruined cities. ~ But I WILL NOT ABIDE DEATH AFTER TWO THOUSAND YEARS' WAIT. ~
ROUND TEN
Worm Nagas
Carina/Farrukh/Eben
Mak'ar, the Harbinger of Worms
Tanith/Cuetzpalli/Astraden/Zalamandra
Temp Acid Resist: 30|Action Points: 8/13|Bombs: 7/23|Female Undine (Formerly Yugoloth-Spawn Tiefling) Alchemist (Chirurgeon) 16|HP: 108/85|AC: 22(36)/14(23)/19(26)|Saves: +15 Fort (+20 vs. Poison), +18 Ref, +12 Will (+1 vs. Enchantments)|Initiative: +3|Perception: +21
Fortitude Save *DEX/CON Mutagen, Good Hope, Bad Air*:1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 11 + 2 = 22
"OW!" Carina reflexively stumbles away from the naga's unholy tail whip. Her reservoir of surplus necromantic energy is battered away with ease.
Round 10: Actions
Free Action: Open eyes
No Action: 5' step away from naga
Full-Round Action: Fire Bombs for DAYS!
She forces her eyes open and glares at the naga.
Will Save:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
The mind-melting gaze of the beast hits her again, but she pushes through it with some effort. "Well, thanks for letting me know who to blow to pieces next."
She yanks several fire bombs from her belt and starts pelting the beast with them.
...actually, nevermind. Carina's eyes are closed, Farrukh's are closed, and Eben's already a vegetable. No saves required. At least not until Cuetzpalli's turn. ;)
*=temporarily buffed Human Bard 15/Ranger 1 — 151*/119 hp — AC 38*/26*/26* (6 mirror images)—CMB +15, CMD 32*— Fort +14, Ref +*20, Will +12 — Spells 3/3 5th 1/4 4th, 2/5 3rd, 2/6 2nd, 3/6 1st — Panache 3/3— Performance 39/40— Perception +19 — Init +4— Action Points 12/13—
Daily magic item use:
Bracers of falcon's aim 3/3, Lesser rod of quicken spell 3/3, rod of extend spell 3/3, Forzamele 3/3
From Eben's perspective, after he unleashes his arrows at the Harbinger, Tanith re-appears from wherever he went to. So clearly that went well.
The subsequent disappearance and movement of Tanith, Cuetzpalli, Astraden and Zalamandra is somewhat more confusing, but at least they all imemdiately re-appear, albeit closer to the Harbinger.
But then a worm comes in and does Something Bad to Carina, and sincle the last time a worm got close to a friend she got her throat ripped out, he responds to the more immediate problem.
"Nnn Cryin nnn!" he inarticulately shouts, and sends arrows at this 'new' threat. (Everything is a new experience, when you're Eben.)
5-foot step forward. I think this actually gives me an unobstructed firing arc at both nagas, and they're both in PBS range, so if the closer one dies from Carina's bombing or an early shot of mine, all subsequent shots can go at the other one.
OK, that's THREE natural 1's this round, after two last round. I think the dice client is unfairly making assumptions about what feebleminded individuals can and cannot do.
Greater invisibility lasts 2 rounds, mirror image lasts 102 rounds, weaponwand lasts 93 rounds, moment of greatness lasts 94 rounds, good hope lasts 95rounds, eagle's splendor lasts 96 rounds, cat's grace lasts 97 rounds, weapon of awe lasts 58 rounds, aspect of the falcon lasts 19 rounds.
AC is 32/24/19 while haste (+1 dodge), shield (+4 shield), and shield of faith (+3 deflection), are in effect. Mirror image has 6 images remaining.
The bomb goes off behind the naga, singing its tail. It squeaks in surprise, still recovering from the blasting blisters it has received from Carina's more precise throws. As it reels, Eben sends two arrows streaking straight into what passes for a throat. The worm naga falls and begins to spasm in its death throes.
Farrukh lands a slight crunch on the Harbinger's top left hand, cracking several finger bones clear off.
Round 10: The Harbinger
The Harbinger is surrounded, backed against a wall of black tentacles. It hesitates, but only a moment. It doesn't seem cold now. It doesn't seem alien or distant. It seems angry. The images that flash through the party's head are full of bitterness and indignity; of long sunless days and starless nights spent waiting; of a living Mak'ar collapsing in agony, a disk clutched in its six hands beginning to lose color and turn black; a six-armed silhouette fleeing countless more of its kind through a twilight jungle.
It raises its seven remaining arms and releases a blast of strange color.
1d8 ⇒ 31d8 ⇒ 81d8 ⇒ 11d8 ⇒ 11d8 ⇒ 71d8 ⇒ 1
Cuetzpalli is struck right in the face with a blast of crackling amber energy, while Tanith and Astraden both encounter waves of burning red power. Zalamandra, however, finds herself facing both red and violet beams.
Cuetzpalli, Tanith and Zalamandra, give me Reflex saves. Astraden automatically fails. Zalamandra, give me a Will save in addition.
After Rolling /Astraden:
If Cuetzpalli rolled at least a 27, he takes 40 electricity damage. Otherwise, he takes 80.
Astraden takes 20 fire damage.
If Tanith rolled at least a 27, he takes 10 fire damage. Otherwise, he takes 20.
If Zalamandra rolled at least a 27 on her Reflex save, she takes 10 fire damage. Otherwise, she takes 20. If she rolled less than a 27 on her Will save, she immediately vanishes from this dimension.
Round 10: Tanith, Cuetzpalli, Astraden and Zalamandra are up.
Astraden floats, motionless and unsinged by the flame thanks to Olidammara's protection. She releases two small bursts of harming positive energy, thinking a message back at the lich, which is providing most of the sensory information she's currently receiving. "It was your choice to become like this."
Channel damage (soul warden ability):3d6 ⇒ (6, 1, 6) = 13DC 17 Will to halve. [6/7]
Channel damage (soul warden ability):3d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 2) = 10 DC 17 Will to halve. [4/7]
The animated objects keep trying to attack the lich, though through circuitous means. The Zyrxog statue lands on the ground and tries to pull the door free of the writhing hair in order to throw it, but finds the tentacles of magic more unyielding than those of stone. Meanwhile, the Allustan statue also descends, picking up the Raknian statue and throwing it with appalling inaccuracy.
Round 10: Channel damage (standard action) and Quick Channel damage (move action). Communal air walk lasts 75 rounds on Carina, Zalamandra, and Cuetzpalli and 175 on Farrukh, Tanith, Eben, and Astraden. Death ward lasts 96 rounds on Zalamandra and 97 on Cuetzpalli. Magic circle against law lasts 1178 rounds on Astraden. Magic circle against evil lasts 1179 rounds on Farrukh. Communal resist energy (fire) lasts 80 rounds on Farrukh, Eben, and Carina and 180 rounds on Astraden, Cuetzpalli, Tanith, and Zalamandra. Communal resist energy (electricity) lasts 81 rounds on Farrukh, Eben, and Carina and 181 rounds on Astraden, Cuetzpalli, Tanith, and Zalamandra. Bear's endurance lasts 102 rounds on Carina and 103 rounds on Cuetzpalli. Shield of faith lasts 104 rounds on Astraden, 106 on Eben, 108 on Zalamandra, and 109 on Cuetzpalli. Animate objects lasts 3 rounds. Copycat lasts 4 rounds.
Cuetzpalli swings twice, each time slashing into an illusionary Harbinger, then lines up the third swing just right and hacks into the Harbinger's side. As the lich struggles to recover, Tanith brings his bardiche down in a blind swing and hacks the Harbinger clean in two. The skeletal remnants twitch and writhe only a few seconds before Tanith brings down the axe once more.
The stream of images continues to the last, and ends very abruptly as a burst of deadly positive energy courses through the room and evaporates the bones to plain dust.
The worm naga's eyes widen. It stares at the remnants of the Harbinger in stunned silence, then turns and begins to climb up into the air again, fleeing back towards the shaft.
End of Combat (sort of—you can pursue the one naga if you want).
*=temporarily buffed Human Bard 15/Ranger 1 — 151*/119 hp — AC 38*/26*/26* (6 mirror images)—CMB +15, CMD 32*— Fort +14, Ref +*20, Will +12 — Spells 3/3 5th 1/4 4th, 2/5 3rd, 2/6 2nd, 3/6 1st — Panache 3/3— Performance 39/40— Perception +19 — Init +4— Action Points 12/13—
Daily magic item use:
Bracers of falcon's aim 3/3, Lesser rod of quicken spell 3/3, rod of extend spell 3/3, Forzamele 3/3
Eben points upward after the fleeing naga. "Nufuty nuh! Tate Aty un Cryin!" Then he looks around, confused (well, more confused than usual, even accounting for his current state...) "Buh! Wah Buh?" He points back up at the retreating worm. "Tate Buh uso?"
"I think it's best if we take a rest for now. In the morning Astraden can prepare a spell to fix Eben, and we can search for Zalamandra and the Phylactery at the same time."
