Siege of Serpents (Inactive)

Game Master DrParty06

"Maybe I should have asked Ivan to take that one alive... oh well"

Gaevus looks enviously at Ivan's powerful attacks, before saying, "See! I'm not the only one who messes that one up!"

"Now they can't hurt Fetch, or anyone else." The satisfaction is clear in Ivan's voice.

Ksarress and Ivan make short work of the clawed caster, and by short work, I mean his ankles in his boots are the only recognizable body part left when Ivan is done. Still very sad I didn't get the 13d6+13 Chain Lightning that hit everyone on the top level to go off.

Now that Genta has pointed it out, you notice that the mists in the circle are becoming more active. You think you gain glimpses of strange arms grasping at the circle, and electricity is arcing back and forth within.

Initiative
Round 2
Max: Go

Round 3
Gaevus: Go

Max Readies or is it Delay? to cast a spell once Ksarress is within touch range of him and takes hold of his Extend Rod. "Ksarress, Ivan, if you come back over here I can try to take some of the sting off what might be coming"

Gaevus hops up and down impatiently. "Should I wait here for your buffy buff? Or should I get closer to that scary cloud with the grasping hands and the hrmmmm." Gaevus pauses.

I'll delay briefly to see what people are thinking about. Otherwise, I'll go and join Ivan and Ksarress and the lightning hands.

Initiative
Round 3
Yitza: Go
Genta: Go
Ksarress: Go
Fetch: Go
Max: Go

Yitza moves up near the party, but far enough back from the action to be relatively safe. She pulls out her crossbow.

"Genta - would breaking this summoning circle allow fewer creatures through or just let them in sooner? Or both?"

Ksarress holds his katana at the ready waiting for the specialist's word, while he attempts to come to his own conclusions about the circle, what it might contain, and whether trying to break it with a katana slash to the stone is at all advisable.

know: arcana: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20

Yitza moves up.

Ksarress moves back but can't quite figure out the best approach for dealing with the circle.

(If nobody has an idea about the circle, I'll just join hands for the resistance and wait for the nasties to bust out like everyone else)

Genta dismisses the blink spell, hoping the Sky Key will calm down. She puts herself behind her allies, and tries to think about anything useful to do with this weird mist thing...

Knowledge (arcana): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (16) + 22 = 38
Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (1) + 22 = 23

The blinking of the Sky Key seems to slow somewhat as Genta stops blinking.

She thinks that the circle is likely meant for summoning and binding a creature. Typically, to keep the creature contained the circle needs to remain intact. Quickly glancing at it, it seems to be so, but the disturbances that have occurred as a result of the damage to the Hao Jin Tapestry and the unstable Sky Key, may have weakened it, based on the arcing lightning.

"So... is something bad coming out? Would destroying the magic circle make it go away? .... Or would that make whatever hands are come out?"

"If it's already summoned, breaking it won't do any good but to let it out faster." Ksarress lowers his katana and joins the group by max to be protected from lightning.

Max casts extended Communal Resist Energy-Electricity (for Resist 20) on the people around him inc. himself (I think I can touch everyone but Ivan) for 30 min each.

"Uh, okay. Should we stand near the lightning then, ready to hit whatever the Aspis blokes planned to release?"

"Uh, okay. Should we stand near the lightning then, ready to hit whatever the Aspis blokes planned to release?"

Unclear if the Aspis blokes planned to release it or it's just happening because they did dumb things with the Sky Key and Tapestry.

"Well then, I guess I'll lead the way now that we're magically rubberized!" Gaevus will skirt along the ground without slipping downwards (automatically making the DC 10 Acrobatics check) toward the circle, and ready himself to attack anything that comes out of the circle. It's going to be someone the party doesn't know, and that probably means it's a bad guy!

Sorry about being out of range for _haste_, guys! If you guys have another spell slot to burn (and nothing to do), Gaevus would probably appreciate it, though he does have three rounds of Boots of Speed left.

Max provides resistance to much of the party.

Gaevus moves forward toward the circle.

Round 3
Fetch: Go

The Sky Key tears from Genta's hands and flies towards the circle pulsing ever more rapidly as it does. Electricity leaps out from within the circle making contact with the Sky Key and you have a fleeting vision of the events that just occurred occurring again. As that fades, larges amounts of electricity arc from the Sky Key out of the circle forming into 5 big masses of electricity that move chaotically around you.

One of them LE4 strikes out at Ksarress, seemingly smiling widely as he does. The first blow connects with Ksarress's metal armor and feels like a stronger blow than he would have expected from this creature, while the second misses wide.
Slam 1: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 13 = 29 +3 for metal armor should hit
Damage: 1d8 + 3 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 3 + 8 = 19 +Electricity: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Slam 2: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

Another LE1 attempts to slam into Gaevus Parry if you wish.

Initiative
Round 4
Gaevus: Go
Fetch: Go

Assuming the things on the map are not actually there yet:

Fetch finishes casting enlarge person on Ivan, then pulls out a wand of lesser evolution surge and casts it on Ivan for electricity immunity, as he moves back to receive it.

Nevermind, new version coming up

Fetch finishes casting enlarge person on Ivan, stands up and draws a wand of lesser evolution surge.

Ivan hopes balls of lightning can be hurt by claws, starts with LE3 (going down the line as appropriate):

Claw: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (9) + 29 = 38
Claw Damage: 1d8 + 25 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 25 + (3) = 32

Claw: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (17) + 29 = 46
Claw Damage: 1d8 + 25 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) + 25 + (6) = 36
If both claws hit and LE3 is still up:
Rend Damage: 3d6 + 34 + 1d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 2) + 34 + (2) = 43

Bite: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (18) + 29 = 47
Bite Damage: 1d8 + 34 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 34 + (6) = 46
trip attempt: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (16) + 29 = 45

Slam: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (4) + 29 = 33
Slam Damage: 3d6 + 25 + 1d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 5) + 25 + (3) = 42

Hasted Bite: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (2) + 29 = 31
Bite Damage: 1d8 + 34 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 34 + (6) = 44
trip attempt: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (7) + 29 = 36

Ivan tears through LE3 with his claws, before punching and biting away LE2 and taking another bite into LE4.

LE 4 remains flying and takes a swipe at Fetch as she stands, mildly shocking her (with physical damage).
AOO: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

@GM: What do you mean, "the events that just occurred occurring again?" As in more elementals bursting out of the summoning circle thing?

Gaevus tries to parry the large lightning ball's attack, and then he ripostes!
Parry: 1d20 + 24 - 4 ⇒ (18) + 24 - 4 = 38 to parry the LE1's attack
Riposte: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (12) + 24 = 36 vs. LE1's AC
Damage: 1d4 + 14 + 0 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 14 + 0 + (4) = 19 total damage (15 magic slashing, 4 sonic)
(Elementals are immune to precision damage, so I've set that to 0.)

The elemental's second attack hits him with a whoomp, though the electricity damage sizzles away thanks to Max's resist energy spell.

If Gaevus's readied attack goes off:

The elementals briefly seem to return back from whence they came before reappearing, as if it happened once then you witnessed the same event happening again.

Gaevus slices into the lightning twice.

The remaining elf that was forgotten has his plans change as the Sky Key flies away from him. Instead, he takes advantage of the distraction to pierce Genta's side nicking her again as he withdraws his rapier.

Attack vs. Flatfooted: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 11 + 2 = 31
Confirmation: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18
Damage: 1d6 + 1 + 1d6 + 1 + 5d6 ⇒ (5) + 1 + (6) + 1 + (3, 4, 1, 2, 6) = 29

Iterative: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Initiative
Round 4
Yitza: Go

Yitza continues singing, but on the chorus, she glares at the enemy elf and her voice takes on a disturbing harmonic as she casts Chord of Shards using her bardic performance:

"I've looked at jerks from both sides now,
both alive and dead, and still somehow
it's just their deaths I recall.
I really don't like you at all."

Any Joni Mitchell/Judy Collins fans in the audience tonight? No? Aww...

Yitza has to move up a bit to hit the stabbity elf with the cone as there was a wall in the way. No need to cast defensively as the elemental already took its AOO. I also wouldn't worry about being next to it, since I expect Ksarress to deal with it on his turn.

The elf dodges out of the way of the shards of song thrown toward him.
Reflex Save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

The huge elemental trys to crushinate Gaevus, who I think can parry, but not riposte?

The electricity from the circle continues to spark wildly arcing outward from the Sky Key violently.

Initiative
Round 4
Genta: Go
Ksarress: Go
Max: Go

Round 5
Fetch: Go
Gaevus: Go

Fetch steps back and casts lesser evolution surge on Ivan for electricity immunity.

Ivan flies forward and attempts to grab the sky key. I have no idea if this is at all possible, and/or requires some sort of check.

He can roll a Strength check.

Ksarress prepares a short lesson on why attacking him is a poor choice.

attack: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (15) + 18 = 33

damage: 1d8 + 24 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 24 + (2) = 27

attack: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14

damn elementals can't crit can't sneak attack grumble argh

the airborne Max drifts back 5' and scowls at R1 "That's no way to treat a lady, sirrah. You need to learn some manners."

Hammer atk: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19
dmg: 1d12 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22 (Piercing magic/CI/Slvr)

and

iterative atk: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
dmg: 1d12 + 15 ⇒ (6) + 15 = 21 (Bludgeon magic/CI/Slvr)

Gaevus gets slammed by twice by the huge lightning elemental, squealing at being made shorter yet again by being hit by an enormous creature. Sadly, though Max's magic protects him from the electricity, it doesn't protect him from being bashed. Maybe next time he'll try to parry....
HP: 19/79
(I didn't check the attack and damage rolls until after I decided I wouldn't parry, as per the rules. Perhaps I should have, because those were some bad attack rolls and good damage rolls! Huge creatures really are hard to parry though....)

(Gaevus usually doesn't use extra panache versus elementals--they don't seem to be as impressed with his critical hits as others are! In other words, he can't get panache back because they're immune to crits. Also, bigger things are harder to parry. It's a -6 to parry a huge creature, like the elder lightning elemental.)

"Uh, I guess I'll take on this littler big one first for the team." He then squints at the huge elemental. "Then I'll take you on, you giant electrojerk!"

Gaevus hastily taps his Boots together (2 rounds remaining) and quickly tries to finish off the last large lightning elemental that remains, before facing the huge one....
All attacks will be made towards LE1. If it goes down, then the remainder will be redirected to ELE. I've dropped precision damage and included Risky Striker damage, which should apply to both, since they're both more than two size categories bigger.

Full Attack (main): 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (4) + 25 = 29 vs. LE1's AC
Damage: 1d4 + 14 + 6 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 14 + 6 + (4) = 27 total damage (23 magic slashing, 4 sonic)

Full Attack (haste): 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (5) + 25 = 30 vs. OP2's AC
Damage: 1d4 + 14 + 6 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 14 + 6 + (2) = 23 total damage (21 magic slashing, 2 sonic)

Full Attack (iterative): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (2) + 20 = 22 vs. OP2's AC
Damage: 1d4 + 14 + 6 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 14 + 6 + (1) = 22 total damage (21 magic slashing, 1 sonic)

Gaevus will then take a five foot step back to get closer to the party, and Max's reassuring magic circle against evil. Also to get closer to a possible breath of life, should bad things happen....

Current AC -1 unless I count within Max's 10 ft radius, but I think I'm only skirting the corner at 15 ft.

I'll just announce ahead of time, if that elder gets a nat 20 on an attack roll they should come down with a sudden case of the unlucky.

Ivan yanks at the sky key:

Strength Check: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31

oh right, Sonic from Yitza's Discordant Voice vs R1
Sonic on attack #1: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Sonic on attack #2: 1d6 ⇒ 5 Should either hit

Fetch makes Ivan immune to electricity, so that Ivan can use all his might to pull the Sky Key 10 ft. towards the edge of the circle. He was the only one that had a chance to move it at all, and that was barely enough.

Ksarress slices and dices away another of the large elementals.

Max attempts to 5ft. step backwards, realizes there is a wall there and walks out to where he can get a clear hit on the elf that hit Genta.

Gaevus slices down the remaining large elemental with his first two strikes, but doesn't connect with the largest on his final blow.

Initiative
Round 4
Genta: Go

Genta lets out a cry of pain, clutching her side as she bleeds. She flies away from her foe provoking an attack of opportunity to move. With noises of pain and confusion, she flies closer to her defender, Max. But once she gets there, she spots a unique opportunity. Moving just a bit closer to the foe again, she keeps her eyes on his blade as she casts a spell!

Concentration: 1d20 + 10 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 10 + 9 = 29 vs. DC 23

She manages to focus on the threat and the spell at the same time, casting safely. Her spell releases an invisible cone of terror. Cunningly, Genta aims it so as to get her elven foe and clip the elemental in the very corner of the cone, and yet avoiding her allies.

The spell is fear, the Will DC is 25 for the elf and 24 for the lightning elemental.

Genta looks momentarily at Max for his reaction.

It can hit both if you fly up a little, but I do need Spell Penetration for the elemental.

Then Genta flies up a little.
Spell Penetration: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 2 = 18

"This one is mine," Genta growls, her voice weak with pain, as she points at the terrified elf.

"Did the magic work on the lightning jerk?" (Gaevus's Sense Motive probably isn't high enough to know.) "If so, he's mine!"

Gaevus will take an attack of opportunity against the lightning monster if it tries to flee. (If it withdraws, he won't be able to.)

Ivan stares at the sky key in confusion, surprised by the amount of effort it took to move the tiny object. As point of comparison, Ivan can currently lift just over 19 tons, or a stack of three large elephants. Then he looks up questioningly...

I think Ivan may be right, we should try to pull the sky key out of there! Anyone have a good way to help him pull?

The elf flees down the stairs provoking from Genta and Max as he does so.

The elemental tries to flee out the window, but gets himself stuck, provoking from Gaevus along the way.
Escape Artist: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (1) + 29 = 30

Initiative
Round 5
Yitza: Go
Genta: Go
Ksarress: Go
Max: Go

Max takes the opportunity to strike at the fleeing Elf

Hammer: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (6) + 15 = 21
dmg: 1d12 + 15 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 15 + (4) = 23 (19 hammer, 4 Sonic)

He sees his friends taking a beating, raises his tankard in a toast and shouts "In Cayden's name, party on!"
Channel: 5d6 + 1 ⇒ (4, 3, 3, 4, 3) + 1 = 18 Healing (excluding the Elf & the Elemental)

Gaevus swings at the elemental as it flees, a bit surprised that something so large could be frightened.
Attack of Opportunity: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (16) + 25 = 41 vs. ELE's AC
Damage: 1d4 + 14 + 6 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 14 + 6 + (3) = 24 total damage (21 magic slashing, 3 sonic)

The slice seems to do even less damage than he would hope. Nonetheless, he shouts back to Max, "Party on!" XD

(Gaevus will likely full attack the remaining elemental next round, unless another threat reappears, or someone thinks up a better plan, like helping with Ivan's Strength check. I will be absent for part of tonight.)

Max connects as the elf flees.

Gaevus connects with the elemental, but does only about half the damage he would have hoped.

"I could assist moving it - but I would guess we'd have better luck securing the area and finding a magical solution, or waiting for the effect to end. Since the elemental is likely ... occupied for a while let's try getting it out of the circle and see if the effect ends. It it does, I propose Ivan fly it away from all these anomalies before something else happens. Or I can jump off the tower."

Since Ksarress is close to being able to move the key himself, assisting seems ok to me. If I/we wanted to invest some effort, he could make separate checks.

Ksarress comes alongside Ivan and throws is shoulder into it.

strength to assist: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Genta, feeling vindictive, sticks her leg out as the panicked elf runs by.

Trip AoO: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15 vs. CMD

If this trips Genta due to failing by 10 or more, so be it. She's flying anyway. It does not provoke an AoO in turn because he's panicked.

Ivan attempts to pull the key with Ksarress' help:

Strength: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (14) + 16 = 30

I believe the joint effort just barely succeeds?