If you do not have Improved Grapple, grab, or a similar ability, attempting to grapple a foe provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.
An odd emotion floods Marcus' mind. He collapses on the floor shrieking with manic laughter. He finds the doll and the senseless slaughter in the house utterly hysterical. He laughs so hard, blood begins to run from his nose.
Round 3
INIT:
Round 3
Seeing Father Galt, Ezekiel puts the girl down, "Run to Father Galt, stay with him. Go!" Sending the girl off, he then retrieves an explosive from his satchel and flings it into the room, aiming towards the far corner. "Please let it fear fire."
"It's just a doll!" Jak shouts as he wracks his brain for what the hells this thing is, "We can do this!"
Seeing a face she recognizes, Rynn sprints down the hall to the priest. Ez hurls a flask that detonates in the corner of the room, blasting the window out and smashing the bed. Flames catch and the doll's outfit chars. It appears the creature isn't entirely immune to fire. The smoking doll carves the air with its kitchen knife in the alchemist's direction.
Doll Golem
It is an unnatural construct that is sometimes mindless (as with other constructs) and sometimes animated by a dark spirit. It is impossible to tell which this is. At their most benevolent, Doll Golems are created as guardians for young children by the extremely wealthy. As you have seen - they can be put to darker uses.
AC:18
CMD: Good - It is relatively agile and far stronger than a normal man.
HP: Good - particularly given their defenses
Attack: 2 weapon strikes or 1 bite that causes a fatal form of Hideous Laughter
Defenses: DR 5/Magic, construct traits, immune to nearly all magic, spell-like, and supernatural abilities EXCEPT Fire does 1/2 damage, Warp Wood slows it, and Dispel Magic causes it to go catatonic for 5 rnds.
Other Abilities: It is very fast - Move 60' and can Spider Climb at will.
It is skilled at leaping and stealth.
INIT:
"S@@&! Doll Golem! Someone made it damn fast! Damn Tough! And all but immune to magic! Fire will kinda work!"
Aerik will use a withdraw action to retreat into the hallway, hopefully opening up a clear shot for Zeke.
Aerik scrambles into the hall that echoes with Marcus' howls of laughter.
Round 3
INIT:
Debris litters the little girl's bedroom as flames lick the bed and the scorched corner from Ez's bomb. Smoke puffs into the hallway. The blade-wielding doll owns the room, suddenly empty of opponents save the cackling lumberman. It casts its black eyes and blank smiling head about, as if weighing its options.
The ranger's laughter is summarily cut short, as the silk-clad horror springs onto his chest and buries its blade in his throat with a single powerful thrust. From the doorway, Ez and Jak see Marcus' body slump. The doll backflips off the body, scampers to the wall, then up it like a spider, across to the blown out window, and outside. It vanishes from sight as it heads down the wall outside - moving farther and faster than a man could.
Seeing the reactions of the witnesses and hearing the ominously ended laugh, Galt leaves the girl and pushes into the room, hoping to help. He channels the power of his god. It heals Aerik fully and brings Marcus to weak consciousness.
INIT:
24|24
18|18
19|19
4|25
The sounds of the flames come rushing back to Marcus' ears as the priest's magic revives.
Wha--what happened? Where did it go?
He stands up gingerly, retrieving his axe and backing away from the window and bed.
"Thank you, Father Galt. Your timing is excellent. Now, let's get the hells outta here. We can't keep up with it and we apparently can't make a dent in it."
"Protect the girl and keep your eyes peeled."
~ Round 4 ~
Our heroes cautiously move back down the hall, wary of the possibility that the hellbound doll is laying in wait. They scoop up little Rynn Pegason and guard every doorway as they move past. They pass the drowned housekeeper. Galt follows along attempting to heal Marcus' grievous wounds.
~ Round 5 ~
They descend the stairs and scan every corner of the room for any hint of the jingle-toed devil. Nothing moves or threatens the group as they head for the front door.
~ Round 6 ~
Galt exhausts his last spell as our heroes step off the porch. Many of the local farmers stand in small groups along the road or on their porches - some bearing weapons - looking fearfully at the house. Some gasp at the sight of the blood-soaked girl.
From around the far side of the house, a small, smoking, and brightly clad figure appears and cartwheels into the street, heading back towards town. It moves with impressive speed, easily twice as fast a man. It rolls and tumbles past or through a couple of different groups of farmers - ignoring them.
~ Round 7 ~
INIT:
19|25
"This foul creature will not escape to harm anyone else..."
Aerik's voice trails off as he murmurs an incantation. The grass elongates and lashes out at the doll, attempting to hold him fast.
Roots, weeds, and grass binds around the little fiend, slowing it.
INIT:
Jak is only a second behind Aerik in action. He steps clear of the group, drops his whip, draws his bow, nocks an arrow, focuses, and looses.
Round 3
Ezekiel moves forward 30' and tosses an explosive at the doll.
Marcus advances towards the entangled doll, sliding an axe from its holster and hurling it end-over-end.
Jak's arrow deflects off a binding root and flies past the doll thrashing against the entwining plants. Ezekiel's lobbed bomb drops onto the creature. The explosion blasts paint off its inhuman face.
The doll drags itself forward with effort, through the heart of the entanglement. Even slowed, it's progress through the hazard is impressive. In another round, it will be on the far edge of the spell. Its knives slash tirelessly at the plants.
Young Rynn, seeing neighbors she knows, runs to them and safely away from the danger. A few townsfolk are caught helpless in the entanglement. But others grab their weapons tightly, stand together in tight clusters, and wait nervously on the far edge of the spell... ready to defend their town against the strange, small figure.
Galt blasts Marcus with more healing energy but it is of small help.
Marcus rushes forward and hurls his axe. The grasping vegetation skews his shot. The axe buries itself in the ground.
~ Round 8 ~
INIT:
21|25
Jak moves forward and to his right, clearing archery lane as he draws, focuses, and looses a second arrow.
"Anyone know a way to cut this thing off?" Jak looks beyond the manic doll, "YOU FOLKS NEED TO COME OVER HERE!"
Jak begins skirting south around the entwining plants. He fires an arrow at the doll and watches it spang off the thick blade the creature wields.
INIT:
Round 4
Ezekiel begins to circle around the undergrowth, "Run, get away from it!"
"I'll slow it down as best I can!"
Aerik casts his summons and advances slowly concentrating on summoning aid. Ezekiel races around the south side of the entangling field, trailed by Father Galt.
The Doll trudges forward relentlessly. Binding vines are pulled out by the roots as the vicious little construct continues on its course, slowed but not stopped. It reaches the far end of the difficult terrain.
~ Round 8 ~
INIT:
Marcus draws another throwing axe as he crashes into the overgrown vines, trying to close the distance with the doll.
The Ranger lunges into the writhing plants, hoping to catch up to the menacing doll. But the Druid's spell is pernicious. Weeds trip Marcus up and plants hold him fast, just within the edge of the field. He thrashes at them with his axe but for every root he cuts, two spring up to take its place.
One group of farmers heeds your warnings and hustles into the fields near Ezekiel and Father Galt. The others look over their shoulders and see the unprotected town behind them... filled with the aged, the young, and the infirm. Trembling, they decide to defend their homes and their people.
They close in and strike at the foul doll before it gets clear of the entangling vines - slashing at it desperately with their scythes. Their blades all but bounce off the creature when it doesn't dance around their blows.
~ Round 9 ~
INIT:
DR
"Sh!t!" Jak barks as the townsfolk engage the terrible doll. He bolts around the south side of the writhing weeds.
Jak races around the winding plants and gains an unobstructed view of the doll locked in mortal combat with the farmers.
"NO, that thing is a killer!!" Ezekiel charges around the grass, trying to get as close as he can to it.
Zeke rushes to within 10' of the devilish doll.
Aerik completes the spell, and a dog appears in AM-29, savagely biting at the doll...
He then concentrates to dismiss the entangling roots, freeing everyone in the area .
"Get away from the doll! NOW!!"
The normally quiet druid roars at the townsfolk as he closes the distance between himself and the foe.
The roots and plants cease their restless movements, releasing Marcus and the tiny golem. A large hound suddenly winks into existence and lunges at the doll from behind. It savages the bit of china and fabric with its fangs but doesn't manage to break the surface.
There is a moment of silence as the Doll's smiling head slowly rotates 360 degrees - absorbing the tactical situation. Then the malice of its manufacture becomes clear. Tiny china hands spin the two kitchen knives and it spring amid the hapless farmers, slashing bloody paths of agony.
But perhaps the Gods watch over men of the land. Against all odds, one farmer manages to raise his weapon in time to block the doll's blade with his scythe's shaft. The other farmer is neither blessed nor lucky. Before he can shriek, a horrific slash is laid across his belly and he quickly drops from shock, pain, and blood loss - the doll lands on his barely moving chest.
~ Round 9 ~
INIT:
Father Galt rushes forward on Zeke's heels.