[dice=Fort save]d20+4
Liath finds herself unable to move as well.
"Ack-! Well that's not good!" Huckle drops his trowel and instead coats his hand in magic. "What I feel this situstion calls for, is some haste!"
The magic spreads outward, covering the whole party, even tjose afflicted. Only Malavine seems to notice the effects just yet, her movement now enhanced. Shmick seems to approve of the spell readily by pointing his gun straight at the necrotic beast. "Buzz off."
Most of those are misses (dexterous bastard); it is only hit by the final shot. However, it does appear to take full damage from that shot.
Top of Round 2
The creature fires three more arrows:
Shmick (he's too stupid to know Shmick won't be paralyzed):
Kephry:
Malavine:
Fort Save:
NOT paralyzed this round.
Kephry is largely useless at range. She fires Magic Missile at the creature for:
Party may act. No one is currently paralyzed.
Creature is about 50' away (20 up and 30' out).
"Fast lil' bugger ain't he?" Hicklespurn comments. Clasping his hands toguther, sparks seem to fly off his palms in tune with the magic surrounding Shmick's own weapon. He turns towards Malavine with his palms outstretched, dirreting a bolt of arcane lighting to envelop her stsrknife.
The construct grunts in acknowledgment, an arrow sticking out of his chest.
"Thanks!" Malavine called, and threw the starknife as she hurled the knife again as soon as the weapon returned again.
Shmick hits only once, the 22. Malavine's attack is a miss.
Zelda tries to shoot it with her rifle.
Flaming Musket Attack:
Musket Damage:
Flaming Damage:
Top of Round 3
The creature is flummoxed; it shoots Zelda, less effective. It shoots Shmick, less effective. It will now concentrate on Malavine, Hickle, Kephry and Liath.
Hickle
Malavine
Kephry
Kephry drops to -2
Need Fort Save (DC 19) from Hickle and Malavine
Party may act (unless you're paralyzed)
Haste Attack!
Flaming Damage:
Electric Damage:
The creature is starting to look really haggard after Shmick and Zelda pepper it with magic bullets. (Zelda's previous attack hit, not the Haste one).
Malavine is now paralyzed.
Liath may now act (last action this round).
Thr gnome freezes up as the arrow's poison takes hold. Senseing his master's distress, Shmick's eyes flash with a burning hot fire. "You truly desire your true death that much? Fine. I shall help bring it to you."
Since Liath is not likely to attack at range this round, I'm gonna call it. Shmick definitely turns wins the MVP this combat. The undead beastie drops from the sky, a husk. Its bow was animated by the same magic that kept it alive; it collapses to pieces.
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Even Liath is moved by the impressive destructive force of the automaton. "Even the Order's dreadnaughts can not bring such great salvation in short a span of time. You have done thy master honor this day." She puts fist to ample chest and gives Hick a slight bow.
Turning now to the fallen Kephry, Liath approaches her. Solemnly intoning, "Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment," she allows a healing yellow light to infuse the body.
= 24 healed.
Smoke wafts from the barrel not unlike a heavy stormcloud, sparks lancing through like a minatiruzed version of cloud lighting. Though he would not dare say it, the heavy use of so much magical energy in such a short span was trying on him.
He nods in acknowledgement of the woman's respect, yet in the end his attention is drawn to his downed master.
"Ugh... Oh? The creature is dealt with already, Hm? Good job all of you for that! Argh... Painful little thing isn't it?" Hickle groans, taking care with how he removes the arrow from his shoulder before doing the same for Shmick. Clapping his hands together, his hands glow with arcane light and they touch the construct's chest. In moments, the damage sparks with the same light before netting itself back together.
"Hmm... I don't suppose either of you girls knkw what that creature was?"
"Nope," Malavine replied cheerfully as she squinted at the monster.
[dice=Religion!]d20+3
Well, it was definitely undead. And higher than CR 2, because that's all you know about it.
Having finished the creature, you are now faced with a different problem. Ahead of you, the sands grow deeper. Following the Compass in a direct path becomes impractical; to do so would require you to ascend and descend progressively larger dunes. Travel would be slow and tiring. However, maneuvering around them will also take time. Do you prefer a more direct route, or the lower paths?
Malavine gestured to the lower routes. "No point in getting exhausted, sunburnt and backed against the sky for another boney...arrow...thing to attack. I'd say we should take the lower routes."
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Seeing no further threats or need to stay, Liath evaluates the tactical situation. "We have never had a problem triangulating the position of Evil. Something about heresy makes it draw attention to itself like flies to dung.
I have no qualms about taking an easier path so that we are not taken unawares, and arrive at the battle rested and ready."
"Unlike you humans, I am not daunted by pitiful limits of flesh and blood. I and my master will be fine in either respect." Shmick declares, ready to have Hickle ride on his shoulders as they did in previous instances. The gno,e himself howrver, continues to investigate the body, monster, and the dropped items of either.
Not anymore. There was some lingering necromancy and evocation, but it's fast dissipating.
You do find 37 gp worth of coins on the remains of the body.
Moving on, you have chosen the lower route. Someone make a survival check to keep a path toward your destination, using any spells or abilities to assist with such. Hickle, please make a UMB check to match what the Compass is telling you with your circuitous route.
Malavine mostly indulged in the water and used minor magic to heal the sunburn before they grew too unpleasant.
Hicklespurn for his part, spends most of the journey asleep while behind dutifully carried on Shmick's shoulders. Whenever jostled awake either purposefully or otherwise, he takes a glance at the compass and makes sure to inform his companions that they're right on track, or to adjust their course again.
With the addition of the water, you do quite well. You mislead yourselves a couple of times and are forced to go over dunes to get back on track, but mostly you manage to stay low. You cover about 10 miles the rest of the day, but are fortunately well-hydrated thanks to Liath and mostly unburned.
Nothing disturbs your watch in the evening, and for a 2nd day, the Compass leads you further into the desert.
UMD, day 2:
Survival, day 2: (+2 Aid Another from Kephry)
Early in the morning, before the sun is even up and just after you've started traveling, you spot something large in the sand moving quickly toward you. This slithering, multilegged blue reptile has a fearsome head crowned with two large, curling horns.
It's at least two rounds out, so you can take what actions you would like in that time.
Initiative:
"Everyone else is seeing that, right? I don't have sunstroke yet do I?" Malavine used her magic to start sensing around, seeing if that was the only one or if more were hidden under the sand.
"No!" Hickle squeaks, further proof that he's a gnome and not just a diminutive old man. "I dare say that you are certainly not!" His hands spark with magic as he casts a hasty Ablative Barrier over himself and Shmick.
The construct meanwhile, after making sure his master is secured on his shoulders, transforms his arm into it's weapon form and takes careful aim of the sands. His memory banks come to life a half-second later, trying to find any match of the creature with anything currently within.
"Everyone else is seeing that, right? I don't have sunstroke yet do I?" Malavine used her magic to start sensing around, seeing if that was the only one or if more were hidden under the sand.
Malavine does not sense any others nearby, only scorpions or smaller creatures hiding in the sands.
Hickle; Arcana - 27
Hickle's knowledge wins out over his construct's database, in this case. The creature is a magical beast named a Behir. It has a lightning breath-weapon and, not surprisingly, is immune to electric damage. And it's probably bigger than it looks in the distance: size Huge.
"Ack! No good my boy, that's a Behir for sure! Everyone, split up, don't get caught in it's lighting breath!" The gnome calls out, before slapping his hands together in another instance of magic. At once, him and all his companions find themselves once more under the benefits of Haste.
Heeding his master's advice, Shmick dashes off to the side a full seventy feet, and makes to aim his gun for just underneath the crown of horns.
Heeding his master's advice, Shmick dashes off to the side a full seventy feet, and makes to aim his gun for just underneath the crown of horns.
A definite hit to the creature's Touch AC.
"At least it's the only one," Malavine said cheerfully, holding on to her Starknife and moving towards the monster so she could attack once it was in range.
Zelda shifts into her hybrid form and prepares to do battle.
Top of Round 1. Party goes first. Assume the creature is either in melee range or reachable in one action (ie if you're making melee, you can make a full action. if you're worried about being hit, you might want to move away, because if can get you).
Spreading out and away from the others, Malavine waited for the starknife to return before hurling the weapons once again.
While Hickle works on causing a combustive reaction of sand to pelt the beast with shards of glass, Shmick's barrel glows hot as he fires shot after shot in rapid succession.
All are definite hits, and actually, the creature's touch AC is 9, so that 20 WAS a critical (I just applied double the 8 HP from the attack).