Welcome Phatotzlikal!
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How about this one here? It has all the extra options from the Adventure Path volumes.-
So who is Moonpate hunting first? Just let me know whereabouts you want Phato to appear (within range).
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Absolutely!(I'll just resolve Moonpate first, in case it matters. You probably already know this Phrip but just in case, don't forget Moonpate also has a turn himself this round, if he wants it.)
Welcome Phatotzlikal!
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So who is Moonpate hunting first? Just let me know whereabouts you want Phato to appear (within range).
I would like him to add some spice and variety to Sceptre's final seconds.
Spice and Variety
“Pop!”
Once filled with a gout of fire and now filled with glowing motes of gold, the vast domed chamber is suddenly populated by a gigantic-sized vesper bat.
Appearing at the south end of the chamber, the creature delivers an imperceptible ultrasonic scream. A nano-second later, the creature’s echo-location data returns and the monster has acquired its target with precision.
It then descends.
(hits!)
(applies!)
Phato descends into the shimmering bubble of light and tears away at the glowing figure inside it with its gigantic fangs. A horrid scream of panic erupts, but the figure is still standing.
(“fails”)
Keeb off the whide blade undil he is dead. Karek reminds the party. Don'd link our vade do 'is doo.
Phato descends into the shimmering bubble of light and tears away at the glowing figure inside it with its gigantic fangs. A horrid scream of panic erupts, but the figure is still standing.
1d20+3 (“fails”)
I don't have time to dig up a source right now, and in any event it is totally within your right as GM to interpret the rules differently. I just wanted to present my understanding of how that particular spell works.
Keeb off the whide blade undil he is dead. Karek reminds the party. Don'd link our vade do 'is doo.
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An excellent thought. I was kinda surprised nobody was worried about this earlier.In fact, both Xerissa and Hurgah are standing on the (alleged) Pactstone together with Sceptre right now.
But I am going to, at the risk of killing the potential for suspense, put you at ease. I remembered that one of the features of the partial pact template is that everyone in one has an intuitive understanding of how they work - sorta like some magic items that impart their commands words together with an instant user manual.
Karek and the rest of the Dune Squad will know that one of the Pactstone's limitations is that nobody can participate in two Partial-Pact templates at the same time. Since most of the Dune Squad is already in one, they are quite safe from inadvertently joining themselves to Sceptre.
Hrokon, however, as far as we know, is not currently in one.
Neither is Bunky, as Jace recently reminds us.
Nor is Phato.
Donkor retrieves his wand with a flourish, nearly dropping it in the process. You. Come here. He roars, pointing his wand [at]the assassin's outline.
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(saves)
"You. Come here."
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". . . Little. . . busy. . . right. . .now!"
d20+13
Keeb off the whide blade undil he is dead. Karek reminds the party. Don'd link our vade do 'is doo.
"That's it! The incomprehensible and hygenically-challenged dwarf has the answer! That's how we get the devil. We gotta pact him with someone expendable!"
He pulls himself right up to Xaven and Hroken. "You two damn fools whisper louder than a dwarven wedding party. On my honor no harm will come to you from us if you attempt to bring us no harm".
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"You Beards?" answers Xaven. "You, I'm warming up to.""But something tells me you don't have much control over the incredible shrinking fire belch. And I know you don't speak for the death priest."
"You shouldn't trust the death priest by the way," the halfling adds. "That advice you can have for free."
. . . On review I see that on Moonpate's turn Sceptre will actually suffer a third (and final) round of acid damage:
(applies)
Though my awesome roll is academic. The glowing outline that is Sceptre slumps over and drops to the ground!
So as I see it, we can drop out of initiative - unless you guys want to immediately turn on Hrokon and Xaven or race up the shaft after Suekahn? You do have a decent summoned monster with 7 rounds left on it.
"Now that Sceptre has been dealt with we should continue to explore this complex. Suekhan is simply too mobile for us to deal with at this point, as we move forward perhaps we can find a better spot to face him. Besides, if we accomplish our goal and get out we leave him trapped here and his presence becomes a non-factor".
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I hear ya - I'd be suspicious. But I think I want to keep this in my back pocket just in case.Though if you get serious about hat hero point, let me know. . .
Perhaps Hurgah's sub-plot deserves a better ending. I'm not sure Hurgah even learned Sceptre was hired by an old nemesis.
(Unless he has a class ability which enables him to read the cut scenes. Oh well there's always the adventure's main plot line to resolve.)
"Now that Sceptre has been dealt with we should continue to explore this complex. Suekhan is simply too mobile for us to deal with at this point, as we move forward perhaps we can find a better spot to face him. Besides, if we accomplish our goal and get out we leave him trapped here and his presence becomes a non-factor".
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"Yeah? And just what is that goal exactly?""Looks like whatever it is I kinda need you guys to hurry up and get to it."
"Just watch out for teleporting fiends, okay?"
Moonpate will quickly move away from the shaft towards Sceptre's corpse and signal Phatotzlikal to scout towards the eastern corridor.
Before Xaven gets a chance:
"Hurgah, please secure that assassin's rifle and any other useful adjuncts you might find. I am sure we will need the extra firepower soon enough."
"I'd take care and make sure he's actually dead. He just kinda fell over there. Didn't look like anybody touched him right before."
Gandel turns to Xaven, "Our goals are on a need to know basis and you do not need to know Xaven. Do what we ask you to do and you and your partner will walk away to earn your keep another day".
Hal shakes his head, "No Gandel, we have to finish Suekhan. Otherwise the Khyrasma will just keep sending in soldiers for him to slaughter and he will be free to wreak havoc on Golarian. That is something I cannot abide".
Hurgah strides over, picks up the burnt and broken remains if the spell-sniping assassin and casually snaps his neck. Then he picks up the wand rifle, slings it alongside his axe and proceeds to search the dead Sceptre.
Moonpate will quickly move away from the shaft towards Sceptre's corpse and signal Phatotzlikal to scout towards the eastern corridor. . .
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I keep forgetting, Moonpate lacks the ability to communicate with his most recent summons. Maybe he can pantomime and send it down a corridor and see what happens, but it's definitely beyond his ability to get it to come back and report.Just to check:
Did you mean the corridor running east that attaches to the great circular chamber where Sceptre just collapsed in and Phato currently is?
Or did you mean the corridor running east that connects to the 'firefly room' where Moonpate currently is now?
Hurgah strides over, picks up the burnt and broken remains if the spell-sniping assassin and casually snaps his neck. Then he picks up the wand rifle, slings it alongside his axe and proceeds to search the dead Sceptre.
Hurgah most obvious find is that Sceptre wears a bandolier of wands - that's gotta be worth something. I'll need to consult his equipment list - may I take the sorcerer will cast detect magic?
Lydia shudders visibly as Hurgah takes care of the dirty work.
"Hurgah, please secure that assassin's rifle and any other useful adjuncts you might find. I am sure we will need the extra firepower soon enough."
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"Loot'n time, huh?"Xaven turns to the other hafling, "Yeah, you guys are so much better than me."
He then turns to Hrokon, "When this is over, me and that sanctimonious squirt are gonna have words."
Hurgah holds out the bandoleer of wands to Moonpate.
"Here - see what you make of these. I will examine the rest of his possessions, and see if anything else may be of use."
- may I take the sorcerer will cast detect magic?
List of items with positive auras found on Sceptre
The wand rifle is loaded with 2 wands. . .
The bandolier has 7 more.
There's also an amulet - shaped like the three heads of a chimera.
A pair of bracers - obsidian black, but lighter than air.
A cloak - a heavily used leather traveler's cloak with a cowl
And a weird looking headband - it looks like it's quivering.
Gandel ignores Xaven and heads towards the Reaver keeping his voice low,
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Seemingly becoming more comfortable that an attack on his person is no longer imminent, Xaven somehow rolls up the enchanted glyph he's been standing on, as though it were a blanket. He then puts the folded glyph it back in his pack.
For his part, Hrokon seems to be making a point of keeping his back to the south wall, still with his sword and shield in hand.
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I keep forgetting, Moonpate lacks the ability to communicate with his most recent summons. Maybe he can pantomime and send it down a corridor and see what happens, but it's definitely beyond his ability to get it to come back and report.
Just to check:
Did you mean the corridor running east that attaches to the great circular chamber where Sceptre just collapsed in and Phato currently is?
Stooping with earnest over the pile of magic goods, Moonpate examines each one, beginning with the wands, to see if he recognizes their function. If he and Lydia are not able to ascertain enough, he does have a scroll of identify handy.
Spellcraft:
Still circling over Hurgah and the corpse high up amongst the dome ceiling, the gigantic bat suddenly folds its wings and dives into the corridor running east.
It gives one final screech sending its high-pitched cry reverberating through the halls. If you listen closely, you'd swear you could hear the same sound comes echoing back from both the west and the south corridors.
"Let me see here," says the half-elf as she kneels over the corpse to confer with Moonpate. "Isn't that glyph on the underside of those bracers an arcanic astral signature?"
"And that headband, it looks like it's trying to shift into the shape of another item, a hat or a scarf, maybe? I can only think of a handfull of known magics that can do that - are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
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(success)
List of items with positive auras found on Sceptre
The wand rifle is loaded with 2 wands. . .
The bandolier has 7 more.
There's also an amulet - shaped like the three heads of a chimera.
A pair of bracers - obsidian black, but lighter than air.
A cloak - a heavily used leather traveler's cloak with a cowl
And a weird looking headband - it looks like it's quivering.
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Moonpate determines the amulet is an amulet of natural armor +1.The bracers have elluded him.
The cloak is a +1 cloak of resistance.
And the headband is a hat of disguise.
I'll need to double-check on the wands, but I anticipate Moonpate will identify some but not all of them.
Does he wish to employ that scroll of identify? (A re-try with a further +10 bonus)
Actually, on review, it looks like Moonpate can identify 8 of the 9 wands:
wand of acid splash (28 charges)
wand of cure light wounds (11 charges)
wand of dispel magic (4 charges)
wand of hold person (2 charges)
wand of magic missile (14 charges)
wand of ray of exhaustion (6 charges)
wand of scorching ray (12 charges)
wand of true strike (11 charges)
If it matters, the wand rifle is presently loaded with the wand of dispel magic and the wand of scorching ray.
As Lydia heads toward the firefly room, Breach follows her every step of the way; keeping an eye out for ANY sign of more danger. "Careful, Lydia lass, don't be goin' to far away. I canno' be lettin' ya turn into an easy target for that stupid demon," he says as he continues to keep an eye out everywhere. "He's gonna have ta eat my dwarven bones before he does that. And if he does, I hope he chokes on 'em."
Does he wish to employ that scroll of identify? (A re-try with a further +10 bonus)
"Hmmm, some of these items are just strange enough to confound certain identification. I will have to employ a scroll for just such an occurrence. As my master was fond of saying to his most arrogant students, "Bafflement is indeed unbecoming, but prideful refusal of aid unmasks true idiocy". He would then hit the student over their noggin with the required scroll tube. Fortunately, I have one such scroll here for our edification."
Will use his scroll of identify:
Spellcraft check:
Karek, for his part, is keeping close to Hrokon and Xaven. With a glance at Hrokon, Karek deliberately puts his weapon away.
"Hmmm, some of these items are just strange enough to confound certain identification. I will have to employ a scroll for just such an occurrence. As my master was fond of saying to his most arrogant students, "Bafflement is indeed unbecoming, but prideful refusal of aid unmasks true idiocy". He would then hit the student over their noggin with the required scroll tube. Fortunately, I have one such scroll here for our edification."
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Moonpate determines the bracers are:+1 bracers of armor
The previously unidentified wand is a:
wand of summon monster IV (2 remaining charges)
In the meantime, it has been a further minute and Phato does not return. There is no sound to suggest foul play, rather it seems likely the spell's duration simply ran out and the celestial creature returned to its plane of origin on its own accord. But who can say for certain?
(Well the GM can, but I wouldn't trust his account.)
What next people?
+1 bracers of armor
The previously unidentified wand is a:
wand of summon monster IV (2 remaining charges)
"Hmmmm, Sceptre had some valuable items indeed!
Moonpate will grab the Wand of Summoning, Dispel, Hold Person, and the Amulet of Armor, unless others have better ideas.
Which wands are in the rifle? He should probably use that, with the rest of the wands going to Lydia.
If it matters, the wand rifle is presently loaded with the wand of dispel magic and the wand of scorching ray.
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But Moonpate can load any two wands into the rifle he likes.The problem is, use of the wand rifle requires an exotic weapon proficiency, so he's probably better off not using it until he picks up some training.
The advantage it provides is you can cycle between the two wands as a free action, and it gives a +1 bonus to ranged touch attacks.
It also has a masterwork bayonet for close-quarter stabbing.