There is a -4 penalty for anyone who did not turn around or who cannot otherwise see. In this case that automatically includes Karek and Gandel. Mr. Monotony hasn’t had a chance to check in so I am not sure if that includes Donkor or not. Presumably he would want to, but he’s also a bit of a celebrated contrarian so let’s say there’s an 80% he will.
(he turns)
(surprised!)
(surprised!)
(surprised!)
(surprised!)
I love how the two guys who can't see anything are not surprised.
Next, I need to roll a few missing initiatives. . .
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Wow! I never get good initiative rolls for monsters in this adventure! (Sure enough it arises when I have a slow monster. . .)
Also, ever notice how the dice love it when I roll for Gandel. It's as though they know he's a lucky halfling.
And finally our resulting initiative tracker:
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Plus those not participating in the surprise round save for in their capacity as helpless mewling victims:
So Gandel is up, once again acting faster than anyone - only this time he can't actually see what the heck's going on, though may have some idea. I'll hold off with the text map until after his turn.
Sooron leisurely turns around, wondering aloud what all the fuss is about and yawning widely. "Nothing going on here guys. Oh, wait, there's a little dragon thingy. Huh."
Initiative:
Ghoukan says some stuff.
"We are being savaged from all sides! Form up! Form up!"
Surprise Round:
Gandel whirls around at his companions' exclamations. The halfling scholar tries to peer past his companions' legs to see what the fuss is about as he draws his trusty scorpion whip.
That sounds like a delay to me? Or if its an attempt to get a proper look.
If its a delay: I'm not sure you can take free actions and then delay, if you delay you delay your whole turn. Really though, this matters not for one as fast as Gandel, he could just draw that whip the instant he comes off delay.
If he's trying to angle himself within his square to get a look: go ahead and read the spoiler tag, but let me know if he does.
It ain't no drake. . .
The halfling shuffles around until he can finally see through the sea of legs.
That creature is a basilisk -- and you're looking at it. That's not good as the basilisk has a deadly gaze attack. They also have a nasty bite, but not one a group with the Dune Squad's credentials would fear. Basilisks are not known to be able to teleport behind adventuring parties, but they are pretty excellent at hiding.
Go ahead and access the bestiary entry if you'd like to learn more. A classic beast, I'd bet you are already well familiar.
Just in case, so you don't miss the more arcane points, buried in the text of the gaze attack is an important change from 3.5 to Pathfinder. There's a built-in cure for the petrified. It's a good thing to know as when I look at the probabilities versus the sheer number of Fortitude saves coming up, it may come in handy.
Gandel will also know, of course, that Basilisks do not have glowing hieroglyphs on their bodies - neither do girallons. As Halstadt is already trying to put his finger on, there's something more going on here.
If Gandel puts the above two paragraphs together, he may anticipate a problem. A basilik's blood could be very valuable, but if this creature is like the girallon, its remains will vanish very quickly after it is killed.
(not good!)
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There’s a terrible cracking sound as Lydia’s body suddenly solidifies. First her feet are transfixed to the floor as her flesh spontaneously transforms into dark orange-tinted rock. Then the effect ripples up her body, encasing her limbs and then finally her head. A moment later, the young half-elf is a statue.
Just before the transformation is complete, the Scarab spins her upper body around in desperation. She looks to Hal, her sworn protector, for help, but it’s already too late.*
She then ends her life as a twisted statue transfixed in a silent scream.
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*Don’t let the GM get you down – he’s always waiting to pounce with a fictitious guilt trip. Just because she only came inside this death trap because Hal insisted and promised to look after her is no reason to feel any responsibility. If it helps, I note Breach made her a similar oath to protect her. Those crazy dwarves and their oaths. . .
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That you did!-
Yes - text map to follow.
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** <--Bridge (?)
40
35
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5
US*
35
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KK GT
DS* GU
HM HR
XA MP
BS MS
-- CS <--semi-catatonic slave
-- BK <--the creature
Before he can even blurt out a single word, Professor Trapspringer transforms into a statue made of lovely yellowish-tan sandstone.
Yikes! The Dune Squad is dropping fast! In less than a split-second or two, they've lost their good-heart member and now their critical knowledge base (and the guy who was going to enhance their saves!).
Breach is up next. As the creature has not gone yet, it’s flat-footed and capable of being sneak attacked. It turns out, Breach is so fast he’s fast enough to hit an ambusher before the ambusher sees it coming. That’s pretty fast.
However, before Breach can even think of taking his turn, he also first needs to make a DC 15 Fortitude save. . .
Seeing Lydia turn into stone before his very eyes, "NOOOOOO! I KILL YA FOR THAT, BEAST!" He yells as he moves to attack.
Completely infuriated by what the beast did to Lydia, Breach misses the beast completely as his anger causes him into being too aggressive.
Completely infuriated by what the beast did to Lydia, Breach misses the beast completely as his anger causes him into being too aggressive.
-
While that roll of 1 is an unfortunately timed auto-miss, if I am right Breach took a 5-foot step south, which means he can take a full attack. He still has an attack with his shield and his iterative attack with his waraxe (at -5). Part of the difficulty there might be in the particular style your predecessor set up the stat block for Breach.
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You've used the correct stats. Breach is currently level 7. The Dune Squad has not leveled. Although they have the XP needed there are three conditions to leveling, none of which have occurred just yet - though it sounds like Breach is ready on one of them. (There must be a rest session, the PC's sheet must be updated and there must be a 'leveling post')
Quick as a cat, Breach spins around sails into the giant lizard, ready with his waraxe -- but the beast snaps at him with its whip-like tail. The six-foot tail lands square in the dwarf’s face. While Breach is uninjured, it throws him off balance and his axe goes wide.
Undeterred Breach rams into the beast, fighting his way ever closer. The spikes on his shield though are unable to penetrate the lizard’s hardened scales. Hoping the monster is like the other subterranean lizards he has encountered in the Darklands, Breach crouches low hoping he will find its underbelly to be softer. Narrowly avoiding being stomped eight times by the creature’s eight claw-toed legs, Breach pumps his legs and rises back up, waraxe first, held above his head.
Success! For a second Breach lifts the lizard right off the ground, tearing a hole into what he hopes is the innards of the beast’s stomach. Blood gushes out onto the floor of the shaft. The victory only lasts for a moment though, the lizard rears up and pedals back on its many legs, ready to snap at him with its many-toothed jaw.
It is then that Breach gets another look at the creature’s horrible vibrating eyes. The lidless orbs move back and forth in their sockets in a way that the dwarf can sense is completely unnatural. Somehow, those lidless yellow eyes seem to be able to choke the very life out of his soul.
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A Knowledge (arcana) check could be a great asset. But even without it, Breach is now pretty positive the creature is using a petrifying gaze attack.
-
OK, I'll do my best. How about this:There's a good chance Breach will have to make that Fort save more than once a round.
At least Fortitude is a decent save for Breach. It was a point of vulnerability for the Scarab. Gandel was just plain unlucky.
- pass
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Hurting from the dwarf's attack, the creature prepares to retaliate with its toothy maw. But then suddenly, rather than attack the speedy armored dwarf, the creature just slowly backs off.
It seems to give the dwarf a cold sly smile.
And stares at him with it terrible eyes. . .
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It is said that such confessions bring good karma. You are correct. I had just noticed that. Javell was right, I was wrong.(I've been making even more mistakes than usual lately - my apologies.)
I won't retcon it, but nobody else gets a full action in the surprise round. And if I've got it right, Hurgah isn't even participating in the surprise round - except to make that saving throw.
Ghoukan spins around at the sudden attack from the rear.
(fails!)
Once he does, he catches sight of the lizard's terrible vibrating eyes. Another thunder-crack resounds as the soldier's body is transformed into solid rock. In desperation he lunges and tries to throw his spear overhead, but it doesn't leave his fingers before it becomes transfixed in his grip - forever.
Xerissa's Fort save:
Upon seeing the eyes of the scaled-thing, Xerissa screams in horror as though she were looking into the depths of the abyss itself. Her gorgeous body turns to solid stone.
She makes one fine-looking statue.
Able to resist the beasts gaze once again, Breach shuts his eyes. "DON'T LOOK AT IT! AVERT YUR GAZE! NOT SURE IF THAT'LL HELP OR NOT, BUT GIVE IT A SHOT!" He warns, completely unaware of how many have been petrified. "This is gonna be bad."
She makes one fine-looking statue.
Fort save:
Knowledge Arcana:
Excellent rolls Moonpate! (Though like Hurgah he is unable to make any knowledge checks while surprised).
Rather Karek is up next, then Halstadt, then a few more petrification saves and we're back to the top of the round - which has been strangely shortened.
Since Karek is up, I should mention that Bunky has started going crazy. He's climbing out of the dwarf's pack
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Ha! Or a model figurine - wait that didn't work.
Karek is aware of Bunky's panic before he's aware of the group's danger. He stops short as the weasel crawls up his shoulder, and Karek grumbles:
After many painful cuts on his hands, Karek did eventually learn to not try to grab an agitated weasel.
That's all Karek is able to say before several other things happen that require his attention. The halfling next to him suddenly turns to stone, and there are screams behind him. Just as he spins to see the danger, he hears Breach's warning, and takes off his glasses, swiftly stowing them in a pocket on his shirt expressly for this purpose. He doesn't look directly at the beast as he picks his way past the statues of his allies. But still, you need some idea of the location of the thing you're fighting, right?
Ha ha! I knew if I broke down and drafted a Karek NPC post, you'd turn up!
Fortunately I got lucky and have Karek taking the same move action. Only in my version, Bunky is not listening to Karek. It's kinda fun so I think I'll finish up and post it anyways. But Hal, in the meantime, you're up!
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Young Karek follows the advice of the veteran dwarf and clasps his eyes closed as tightly as he can manage, squinting his entire bulbous face until it looks as though it were collapsing in on itself like some kind of giant facial crevasse.
"Kwadever it is, ah ken sill whage it wid me amer!" he exclaims and rushes forward towards Breach. He holds his massive weapon high over his head with one hand while he feels for the hieroglyph-covered wall on his left-hand side.
The first thing he does though is slam straight into Ghoukan. The unbalanced stone statue wavers and then quickly topples over. Just before it hits the ground and smashes into a dozen jagged pieces, Karek catches it with his free hand.
"Swowwy!" he cries, as he lifts it back on its feet and rests it against the wall. (Naturally petrified statues really ought to come with proper bases.) While Karek does so, the excitable Bunky finishes pushing his way out of the dwarf's pack and begins balancing himself on Karek's shoulder.
"Komin Trew! Koming True!" he shouts as he blindly pushes his way past first Hurgah and then Moonpate-
-and slams right into the stone statue of the Mithral Scarab! Miraculously catching her before she falls, he rests it up against the statue of Xerissa, trying awkwardly to balance them against each other.
"Tace zit, tace zit!" he yells to Moonpate as he passes him the unbalanced and exceedingly heavy statues. Still unsure what is going on, the wizard finds himself struggling but manages to gently bring the statues down to the floor without either them breaking, well at least not more than a chip or two, or three..
At this point Karek begins whirling his hammer in front of him, slaying numerous particles of air.
"Kwer is it?! Kwer is it?!" he yells to Breach as he nearly cracks his ally's head in with his over-sized earthbreaker. Fortunately (the also blind) Shattershield ducks at the last moment and Karek's hammer sails into the wall shattering numerous hieroglyphs of extreme historic value.
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Bunky launches from Karek's shoulder and flies at the terrible lizard creature, seeking to attack with his vicious bite. When he does so, Karek’s Star Tribe broach, Dolmarthis, activates. When Bunky strikes, a gigantic weasel-head superimposes over the tiny creature. For a moment the entire corridor is filled with a terrible disembodied phantom head of fur and fang.
(hit!)
("holy smokes!")
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Although few are left to see it, the gigantic head bites down on the lizard and punctures four deep holes in the creature, each slicing all the way from back to belly. The perforated lizard responds with a rasping snarl and a froth of blood gushes out of its mouth.
In the chaos, rivulets of blood spray down on the Xerissa statue. Just as the Potentate rises from setting the Xerissa and Lydia statues on the ground, he witnesses something truly amazing: where the drops land, a thin wisp of white smoke rises from the Xerissa statue. At first the wizard assumes the blood is acidic and the devastated statue is being burned away, but when he looks closer he sees tiny flecks of color when the creature's blood has splattered. What is this?!
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What?! He doesn't understand Terran? And all this time. . .-
Yes he does, unless we're going with the GM PC post post in which I had Karek closing his eyes completely, taking the 'blind fold option' (which admittedly was a tad less realistic).
This is probably a useful juncture to explain this to those who may not be familiar with the options for defending against gaze attacks.
Three options:
1. Looking around as normal - Fortitude save required at the start of each turn.
2. Avert your eyes - Looking at shadows or reflections in mirrors. There's a 50% chance you need to make the save, but your for gains concealment (a 20% miss chance).
3. Close your eyes (blind fold) - no risk of petrification, but opponent gains total concealment, a 50% miss chance.
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Good point. I'm not sure if an illusion would survive the petrification or not. But since the Dune Squad knows it is fake, I'd say they would see through it even if it was still in effect. If the illusion ends, this might have repercussions for Ghoukan, but he's a statue himself. As for the lizard creature, it just won't care.
In the chaos, rivulets of blood spray down on the Xerissa statue. Just as the Potentate rises from setting the Xerissa and Lydia statues on the ground, he witnesses something truly amazing: where the drops land, a thin wisp of white smoke rises from the Xerissa statue. At first the wizard assumes the blood is acidic and the devastated statue is being burned away, but when he looks closer he sees tiny flecks of color when the creature's blood has splattered. What is this?!
When Moonpate catches sight of the glyphs surrounding their foe and then catches the beautiful statue of Xerissa, its form changing where the beasts blood has landed, his mind makes a leap to a potentially crazy conclusion. Kneeling by the statue and keeping his eyes on it he shouts to his frenzied comrades.
"Don't kill the beast or it will turn to ash! We must subdue it! Blind it, cover its head...I don't care, but we need its blood or our friends will remain statues!
That's a move action for Karek's turn. I am overlooking the issue of whether you can end in a square occupied by a petrified ally. You can't end in an allied square when you’re Medium size in this particular game, but you can enter a square occupied by a Medium-sized inert statue. It's kinda a gray one.
Fortitude Saving Throw
Halstadt watches in horror as his charge is petrified by the gaze of this beast! As his other friends begin to make the transformation Hal beseeches Angradd for aid.
"Lord of Light, extinguish the flames that light the way so that we and our foe may stand toe to toe!"
Hal casts Deeper Darkness.
"Whaddaya mean we can't kill it?!?! Next thing ya know, yur gonna want it as a pet! Lydia lass is stone; we have ta keep our eyes closed; and now you want us ta konk it on the head real nice like so as not ta kill it! Bah! Thanks for makin' it easier on us, Pate!" He grumbles sarcastically.
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Sold! Perfect - thank you.
Halstadt watches in horror as his charge is petrified by the gaze of this beast! As his other friends begin to make the transformation Hal beseeches Angradd for aid.
"Lord of Light, extinguish the flames that light the way so that we and our foe may stand toe to toe!"
-
(fails)
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One more statue joins the sudden eruption of a stone garden in the middle of the shaft. The catatonic slave is now moving even less. Perhaps it is best this way - no longer capable of being terrified, he has found the closest thing to peace he can find.