The Whispering Cairn (Inactive)

Game Master Death-Lok

Alie cast her spell and an invisible mansion came into view. She led the others into it.

Busy, busy week. Think I'll have time to post tomorrow.

With the battle over all seems quiet now in the tabernacle. Exhausted from the ordeal the group gathers up the dragon's riches and confiscates the valuables from their fallen adversaries. Finding an out of the way corner, Alie uses the last of her major spells to create a magnificient mansion with all the creature comforts one could ask for and the group retires through it.

Loot list in discussion thread. Where exactly are you placing the maginificient mansion doorway? I am assuming that you are only quickly gathering your riches and then retreating to the mansion right away, without futher exploration of any of the areas in the tabernacle (safe or not). I think the mansion uses up Alie's last 9th level spell slot. She is literally out of 5-9th level spells, which is impressive. Ferez, what does your remaining spell list look like (out of curiousity more than anything). Bub still has a few spells but was getting low himself. A lot of power you all threw around, quite epic!

Spells remaining:
9th— Mass heal, Prismatic Sphere D
8th— Sunburst (DC 27)
6th— Find the Path
4th— Remove Disease
3rd— Remove Disease
2nd— Grace, Silence
1st— Obscuring Mist, Remove Fear, Remove Fear
0 (at will)— Create Water, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Stabilize
D Domain spell; Domains Glory, Sun

Im going to do a better job of spell tracking from here on out. I had no idea Id use that many spells in a single combat. I'll cast it anywhere there's room and we have cleared out.

Well, go ahead and divvy up loot and rememorize/cast prep spells. Nothing interrupts your rest.

Spells memorized:
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 21st; concentration +30)
. . 9th—mass heal (2), miracle, prismatic sphere[D], greater communal spell immunity, summon monster IX
. . 8th—quickened blessing of fervor (DC 23), earthquake (2), fire storm (DC 27), empowered heal, sunburst[D] (DC 27)
. . 7th—quickened dispel magic (2), quickened prayer, quickened searing light (2), sunbeam[D] (DC 26)
. . 6th—greater dispel magic (2), find the path, fire seeds[D], heal, heroes' feast
. . 5th—communal air walk, flame strike[D] (DC 24), life bubble, spell resistance (4)
. . 4th—death ward (4), holy smite[D] (DC 23), greater shield of fortification (2)
. . 3rd—invisibility purge, magic vestment (3), protection from energy, sacred bond, searing light[D]
. . 2nd—bless weapon[D], grace (2), communal protection from evil, spiritual weapon, status, weapon of awe
. . 1st—liberating command, moment of greatness, remove fear, shield of faith[D], shield of faith (4)
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, guidance, light, stabilize
. . D Domain spell; Domains Glory, Sun

Alie will cast the same preparatory spells. She will take the bracers +6 to increase her AC by two, which I will adjust after this post. Buba, do you want to take the staff of enchantment? What about the robe of stars?

Alie casts Fiery Body on herself, along with Moment of Prescience and echolocation. She casts Stoneskin on Valgrim. Finally she casts Protection from Energy (Acid) on the whole squad.

6/7 9th level spells left. 7/8 8th level spells left. 7/8 5th level spells left. 8/9 4th level spells left. And 5/9 3rd level spells left.

Alie, Protection from Fire would be better. And don't forget True Seeing, at last for you and Valgrim. And Overland Flight. And probably cast all your spells after we enjoy the Heroes' Feast in the morning, which lasts an hour.

Ok, change the protection spell to fire from acid. Add True Seeing, which I forgot for the two of us. I don't need Overland Fight for the time being with Fiery Body giving me the same flight ability. 6/8 6th level spells left.

Buffs in order they are cast:
Life Bubble - party - 42 hours
Status - party - 24 hours
Magic Vestment (x3) - Valgrim armor, Friar's armor and shield - 21 hours
Heroes' Feast - party - 1d8 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15 temporary hit points, +4 morale vs. poison and fear, +1 morale bonus attack and Will saves
Find the Path - Dragotha's Inner Sanctum
Sacred Bond - Valgrim/Friar - 210 minutes
Greater communal spell immunity - Disintegrate, Maze, Power Word Stun, Destruction, Horrid Wilting - 52.5 minutes each
Communal Air Walk - party - 52.5 minutes each
Spell Resistance (x4) - party - 21 minutes
Death Ward (x4) - party - 21 minutes
Moment of Greatness - party - 31 minutes (with Lesser Extend Rod)
Greater Shield of Fortification - Friar and Valgrim - 21 minutes
Bless Weapon - Valgrim falchion - 31 minutes (with Lesser Extend Rod)
Weapon of Awe - Valgrim falchion - 31 minutes (with Lesser Extend Rod)
Shield of Faith - Valgrim, Friar, Alie - 21 minutes

Recap for spellcasters about Dragotha's abilities from what Balakarde told us:
"Dragotha himself is a monster like few others this world has ever known. He has all the powers and capabilities of a great wyrm red dragon powered by the undead energies of a lich making him immune to cold, electricity, fire, paralysis, polymorph, and sleep. You can bet he covers acid and sonic with magic. Besides that he is nigh invulnerable to magic and can use his terrible breath weapons at the same time he casts spells and tears things apart. Beware his most feared attack, his Deathwind breath. It's a storm of negative energy that will destroy you and heal him at the same time. Be glad that he can only muster it once a day."

Got Alie's header updated with the temp HP and the Shield of Faith buff.

Valgrim's spells:
1st level: Anticipate Peril - (self, 16 minutes), Resist Energy (Fire)(x3) - Everyone except Alie
2nd level: Barkskin (x3) (160 minutes) (Self, Friar, and Alie), Versatile Weapon (16 minutes)
3rd Level: Burst of Speed, Hunter's Eye (16 minutes), Enemy Insight (Undead) (16 minutes)
4th Level: Freedom of Movement (self, 160 minutes), Greater Darkvision (self, 120', 16 hours)

If we are botting Bubba, he casts:
Freedom of Movement (x4) on party

Does Barkskin stack with my +5 amulet of natural armor?

No, missed that in your inventory. Will cast it on Bubba then.

Alie, you should also cast Greater Heroism on yourself and Valgrim would not mind that buff either. And cast Stoneskin on Friar or yourself. Valgrim can cast stoneskin on himself through an item.

After preparing, Ferez casts his Find the Path spell and it indicates that somewhere up through the green rain is where you want to head....

After the buffs are done, Friar pulls out his wand of communal resist energy and buffs the party as follows:
Cold - all except himself (3)
Fire - all except Alie (3)
Acid - all except Valgrim (3)
Electricity - all (4)
12 charges remaining on wand

"Valgrim, we should be protected from most dangers now. Lead the way."

Hopefully buffed with greater heroism...(still waiting to hear from Alie) and the rest of the buffs, Valgrim confidently steps into the green rain and see what foul magic befalls him. If none, he activates his boots of flying and flies up, listening for Friar's directions.

He has 120' DV now and you can roll Perception checks for me, GM.
Perception right now +36 underground and +44 vs. undead.

Greater Heroism is okay with me. I'll mark it off the sheet.

Bublaka is covered for Resist Energy (fire), so that can be split between Friar and Valgrim for a longer duration.

Actually, Valgrim tries to avoid the green rain as he flies up. If not possible, then he sees what the effects are.

You can attempt a reflex save DC 25 to avoid most of the rain but it is impossible to avoid it entirely. You need to make this save ever round you are in it.

Bublaka: Blackrazor's effects disappate after 24 hours. You still have them for an hour or so I would say.

Even with evasion?
Reflex save: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (19) + 25 = 44

Valgrim feels the effect of the freezing cold rain as some tiny droplets strike him and weaken him along with a freezing burning sensation. His magical protections keep the chill from effecting him but he can only imagine the effects if he bathed in the stuff.

Yep, says you always take 1 con no matter what, even with a successful save. It is not an effect/attack that deals half damage on a save. So 1 Con damage to Valgrim.

EDIT: Correction, it is Con DRAIN not damage. Even worse...

"Aargh! This rain drains life. The rest of you wait here. I will be back." He asks Bubba or Alie for a Haste spell and then flies up at 90' per round. You tell me how many saves I need. I only fail on a 1.

Developers just forcing players to take damage and waste resources before big fight. :)
Reflex save: 1d20 ⇒ 19
Reflex save: 1d20 ⇒ 5
Reflex save: 1d20 ⇒ 4
Reflex save: 1d20 ⇒ 18
Reflex save: 1d20 ⇒ 6
That is 450' feet + 60' in first round = 510'.

Don't worry about the Con drain, V, I can cure it with my wand of restoration - 22 charges left.

Indeed. 3 more rounds get you to the top of the 300' foot shaft, I will mention that there was no floor either. The rain disappearred somewhere into the depths below Valgrim when he entered the shaft.

At the top of the shaft a circular tube winds through the rock, its walls glassy and smooth as if burned with great heat are acidic force. Swarms of writhing green worms cling to the walls and ceiling in horrific defiance of gravity, although now and then clumps of the grren menaces drop down like chunks of snow falling from the bough of a tree. A river of thick green fluid rushes down the tube and then plummets into the shaft below you , and the nearly freezing air smells thick with corruption.

Unless he runs into something all on his lonesome Ferez :)

Perception check: 1d20 + 33 ⇒ (20) + 33 = 53

Roll a stealth check Valgrim and then probably initiative. You auto-succeed on the perception and so are not surprised.

An immense worm covered with plates of dead-black, chitinous armor rests half submerged in the river. Its toothy maw yawns like a cave.

Black worm initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

I have 120' DV, remember. Any other surprises around?
Stealth: 1d20 + 32 ⇒ (11) + 32 = 43..have Hide in Plain sight underground...no cover needed
Initiative: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23
And no worries, Friar, I am pretty tough to take out and have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.
Do I know anything about this worm?
Knowledge: 1d20 ⇒ 15
Add +14 if undead
+7 if dungeoneering
+4 if natural
+2 if evil outsider

Nothing within sight Valgrim, but the tunnel winds out of sight at 50' feet or so.

Sensing you, it reacts and begins to lunge in your direction.

But you are quick and go first.

....I forgot to mention... The rain shaft is lined with a multitude of niches that each contain a dead avolakia mummified. They even line the top where you are currently at, but not the tunnel.

The worm is beyond your knowledge.

Ill be happy to drop that Haste on you and the group, V.

Update.

6/7 9th level spells left. 7/8 8th level spells left. 7/8 5th level spells left. 8/9 4th level spells left. And 4/9 3rd level spells left.

Hmmm, Alie and Bublaka: Do you think it would be possible to have the spellslots in your stat headers for your characters for reference? Use shorthand of 1st(9)/2nd(9)/etc..?

Hmm, do temp hp from dissimilar sources stack?

Bublaka also casts Brilliant Inspiration on Valgrim before he heads off on his own (noted above). The Freedom of Movement castings come from the bonus slots provided by the Ring of Wizardry IV and are accounted for (with the ring, I had 11 slots to start the day).

I don't know how far it is away but Valgrim attacks it, as it should be flat-footed since it has not acted yet.
I am going to assume it is undead...after all it is guarding the path to Dragotha. If I am wrong, let me know because that affects the following numbers a lot.
Power attack with Dazing Assault: 1d20 + 42 - 5 ⇒ (20) + 42 - 5 = 57
If it's evil, that is a critical and it auto-confirms!
It is also shaken because of Weapon of Awe but if it is undead, it is immune to that as a mind-affecting fear effect.
So factoring in all my buffs if it is undead, the damage is:
4d4 + 4d6 + 84 ⇒ (3, 4, 4, 4) + (2, 4, 5, 1) + 84 = 111
Question: Dazing assault does not say anything about undead being immune, how do you rule?
If not immune, DC 30 Fort save or be dazed.
Against undead it bypasses all the DRs: good, magic, adamantine, silver, cold iron, etc.

Finally done with my homework...yeah, odd that things can be immune to stun but not daze. According to RAW I don't think they are immune to it. It is undead.

Fortitude save: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (2) + 18 = 20 Fail, dazed!

Valgrim's mighty slash causes the gargantuan black worm to convulse involutarily as nerves and tendons are cut. Now emegred from it's hiding place, Valgrim gets a better look and notices that it's 60' foot long 5 ton body has alot in common with a centipedes. Its numerous glowing eyes exude the same emotionless malevolence a spider does when regarding its prey.

Your up again Valgrim.

Homework...ugh! I am glad you're done. Hmmm...just did over 100 damage in one blow and it's looking at me like I"m the prey...oh boy! That's one confident monster! What does it know that I don't?

Let me break down my bonuses to hit:
+20 Base
+7 Str
+4 weapon
+1 Haste
+4 Greater Heroism
+8 favored enemy
=+44

Damage:
+10 Str 2-handed
+4 weapon
+18 power attack
+2 weapon of awe
+8 favored enemy
=+42+2d6 holy+2d6 bane

Valgrim hesitates a little but seeing its undead nature, he goes on the full attack trying to destroy it, hoping that its defenses are weak given its gargantuan size!
1st attack: 1d20 + 44 ⇒ (5) + 44 = 49
Damage: 2d4 + 4d6 + 42 ⇒ (3, 3) + (4, 4, 6, 5) + 42 = 67
2nd attack:1d20 + 38 ⇒ (3) + 38 = 41
Damage: 2d4 + 4d6 + 42 ⇒ (3, 2) + (4, 6, 2, 3) + 42 = 62
3rd attack:1d20 + 32 ⇒ (20) + 32 = 52...auto-critical
Damage: 4d4 + 4d6 + 84 ⇒ (2, 2, 4, 3) + (4, 5, 1, 6) + 84 = 111
4th attack: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (10) + 26 = 36
Damage: 2d4 + 4d6 + 42 ⇒ (4, 2) + (6, 6, 2, 3) + 42 = 65
5th attack: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (16) + 20 = 36...auto-critical if hits
Damage: 4d4 + 4d6 + 84 ⇒ (1, 4, 4, 1) + (4, 4, 5, 6) + 84 = 113

If 36 hits its AC, that is 529 damage, including the first round!

Valgrim literally hacks the monstrosity in two, ending its evil existence! Just as it falls another one comes around the bend in the tunnel attracted by the commotion. Under its evil gaze the darkness around Valgrim suddenly comes to life and attacks him! The half-dozen whirling shades claw at the ranger but his protective wards against death keep him effectively from harm.

Valgrim up again. You have moved 20' feet into tunnel and it is now 30' feet further in. You have 6 greater shadows around you but they don't seem to be able to harm you at the moment.

Since I don't want to play a solo game and I don't know if there is an assembly line of gigantic worms around the bend and since it seems they are spellcasters, like everything else in the game, I have a few questions:
1. These monstrous worms....do they cover the whole tunnel or is the tunnel higher and wider than them? What I am trying to determine is if I could be targeted by spells by creatures from behind the worm..would they have line of sight to me? Remember I am a 4' dwarf in front of 6-story house creature.
2. How many swings last round did it take to kill the creature? Did it die on the 2nd swing, 3rd swing, 4th swing or 5th swing, assuming they all hit?

The tunnel is about 30' diameter. The worms 60' foot long but are about 10' foot in diameter, so fill up less than half. A colossal critter would completely block the tunnel however, just sayin. So yes, there is visibility past the creature. Your 3rd hit took the last one down so they have 300+ hps each.

[ooc]If you can chop them down, feel free to, Valgrim. I'm Fine watching you ginzu![/ooc[

Since Valgrim can be targeted by other enemies and he does not know how many of the 300 hp+ worms there are, he decides to play scout and acquire information for the party.

He casts Burst of Speed as a swift action and then leaves the greater shadows behind and flies past the giant worm guarding the cavern and proceeds down the other corridor. If he sees another worm, he continues flying, taking in how many worms there are in total. None of his movement provokes AoOs and he can fly through enemy squares as long as he does not end his movement in their squares. With 110' of flight movement and 120' DV, how many more worms are there, GM? Also describe what he sees. This is just Valgrim's move action. He still has a standard action, which he will take based upon the information learned.

Leaving the greater shadows behind, Valgrim flies forward as fast as he can through the tunnel. He passes over not one but two of the black worms before the tube-like tunnel opens into a vast cavern lit by the undulant green glow of a huge ziggurat built of worm-infested stone. It appears a small structure once stood atop the ziggurat, but now nothing remains but a great and jagged hole. The green liquid that ran down the passageway to the west gushes from this wound, cascading downthe front stairs of the ziggurat in a chain of miniature waterfalls.
Perched atop the ziggurat is the awe-inspiring form of Dragotha himself. His glowing fiery red eyes lock onto Valgrim the second he appears. At this very moment the fragments of Balakarde's spirit detach from the Everfull Purse, the statuette, and Valgrim's falchion and merge directly with their respective owners. You each feel Balakarde's full power course through you...

The owner of the statuette (Bublaka) gains immunity to fire. All living creatures within 30 feet gain evasion and a +10 luck bonus on reflex saves.
The owner of the Everfull Purse (Ferez)Gains a +10 insight bonus on caster level checks to overcome spell resistance, and the save DCs for your spells and spell-like abilities increase by 2. All other creatures within 30 feet gain immunity to fear and a +10 luck bonus on will saves.
Valgrim gains a +20 insight bonus on attack rolls. All other living creatures within 30 feet gain immunity to paralysis and a +10 luck bonus on fortitude saves.
A portion of Balakardes soul may be traded to someone else as an immediate action to any other PC within 10' feet.

Valgrim: Make a will save against fear please.

New map is available.

To be honest, I probably would have stopped before going into that vast cavern since I know who we are here to face and I was not going to face that beast alone. Once he saw only 2 worms and no more worms within his 120' DV, he would have stopped looked around and teleported back to the party as his standard action. After all, as I said, he only wanted to scout. Besides the dragon's frightful presence only applies when you view the dragon. No way, I would have entered his lair or gotten within his LoS.

Teleport roll: 1d100 ⇒ 79

Look at the map. No real way to avoid it. You have not entered the lair, just flown down the tunnel. You fly over the last worm coming around the last corner and bam, both lair and Dragotha are visible. So line of sight with him is unavoidable with the flying scouting move.

Fine.
Will save: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (9) + 20 = 29
Even if I fail, I am shaken. It still does not change my action.

Didn't think it did. You appear back unharmed and a little bit shaken. Scouting mission successful. Take it from there.

Valgrim appears back in the cavern, a look of fright on his face. He struggles to get the words out, "Green rain drains your life essence. I feel drained. Up above, gigantic worms about 6 stories high - look like centipedes, black armor-like and numerous eyes like a spider, can summon undead seemingly with their gaze. Had no idea what they were...Bubba, you have any clue from that description? I killed one of them but there are 2 more! Tough SOBs! Then that path leads to Dragotha, resting atop a ziggurat. Scary mother! Never felt such fear. Got the hell out of there. I can teleport us back to avoid the life-draining rain."

Valgrim asks Friar for a charge of the wand of restoration and Bubba for a Lore check, which he can take 20 on. I say we take out the guardians first. Thoughts?