An anguished draconic roar echoes across the landscape. Within minutes, reports begin circulating that some of the Society’s newest agents single-handedly defeated a powerful drake, ensuring that will be no threat during the final assault. Competing rumors suggest these agents actually convinced the drake to fight by their side! Whatever the case, it is a great boon in the fights to come.
Table GMs, the Dangerous Drake condition on page 23 is in effect, providing an edge in the final battle.
The combined Pathfinder and Twinhorn forces have beaten back the worst of Eshimka’s vanguard, and their spellcasters are hard at work repairing the damage around the planar rift. It seems there is at last a lull when a pair of blade-like arms stab through the rift and tear it wider. The wound releases a wave of negative energy that crashes into the mystics’ wards, though the shock causes the trees for hundreds of feet around to wither, their limbs snapping off and turning to ash before hitting the ground. Through the widened rift steps a towering giant with sinister horns, shaking the ground with every step as her army follows her: vampires, towering suits of armor, hungry corpses, and even a powerful dragon! Medda’s shout carries over the din. “Eshimka is here! Strike now!”
The giant laughs thunderously as it regards the mortals around it and tears of pieces of her own flesh that turn into nightmarish beasts. “The living are no match for my might. Spread out, and reduce every one of these mortals to dust!”
Table GMs, please begin the encounter Eshimka’s Assault.
You have your choice of fighting Eshimka’s Undead Army or Nightshade. The second option is made up of shadowy portions of Eshimka herself that the powerful night walker has torn from herself to augment her forces. For most groups, the Nightshade is more difficult.
Remember each of you has a single use of Blessing of Vildeus — see slide 10.
We are back on Slide 7. Please position yourselves from 30’ to 60’ away from the stone circle and let me know which force you want to fight.
You regroup as Eshimka comes ripping though the rift. At least the ritual got rid of the mist that had been surrounding the portal!
You see two undead humanoids. They look like they were kellid warriors that have been turned into undead!
These are corporal undead. I just grabbed an avatar that was humanoid undead and available. The size and type are about all the avatars have in common with the actual monsters.
Green gives out a frightening wail.
DC 18 Will save or cower in fear. This is a Fear Effect.
Round 1:
Green
Selûne
Vanya
Kitajo 1 damage
Red
Skye
Darrioos
Mun
Carrick
CG Human Male Shaman-6 (Spirit: Heaven; Wandering Spirit: Lore) | HP 47+11 | AC 20 / 10 T / 20 FF | CMD 14 | Fort +6, Reflex +4, Will +11 | Init +6 | Perception +16; Familiar Bonus: +3 sight-based Perception checks in shadows/darkness | Hexes: Slumber (Will DC18), Heaven's Leap, Evil Eye (Will DC18); Wandering Hex: Arcane Enlightenment | Stardust 6/6 | Monstrous Insight 6/6 | Speed 30 ft. | Conditions: Barkskin, BlessFalse Life, Heightened Awareness
(Was there any time to buff/prepare between the last encounter and this one?) DC18 Will save:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14 VC Shirt Re-roll with 5 GM stars:1d20 + 11 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 11 + 5 = 34
Buffs that last an hour or more like Mage Armor you could already have up. The ritual took about half an hour total and it drops from there straight into combat. Anything that wouldn’t last that long needs to be done now.
Vanya disappears.
Kitajo cowers in fear.
Bolded may act.
Round 1:
Green
Selûne Need will save
Vanya
Kitajo 1 damage cowering
Red
Skye
Darrioos Need will save
Mun Need will save
Carrick
Adjusting Mun's starting position by 5' so that he and Selune start the encounter standing adjacent
Will DC 18, aura of courage:1d20 + 4 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 + 4 = 23
Mun boost his and Selune's defenses with Ashava's shield, a light shimmering protection settling over both, before sending Selune forward as he steps up in her wake.
Actions:
Standard: cast shield of faith on self and Selune with improved spell sharing (2.5 minutes each) Free: Handle Animal (attack any) DC 10, link:1 + 6 + 4 = 11 Move: 20'
CG Human Male Shaman-6 (Spirit: Heaven; Wandering Spirit: Lore) | HP 47+11 | AC 20 / 10 T / 20 FF | CMD 14 | Fort +6, Reflex +4, Will +11 | Init +6 | Perception +16; Familiar Bonus: +3 sight-based Perception checks in shadows/darkness | Hexes: Slumber (Will DC18), Heaven's Leap, Evil Eye (Will DC18); Wandering Hex: Arcane Enlightenment | Stardust 6/6 | Monstrous Insight 6/6 | Speed 30 ft. | Conditions: Barkskin, BlessFalse Life, Heightened Awareness
Knowledge (religion):1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 "Don't recognize these undead dudes."
Skye moves closer to the raging battle and conjures a spiritual weapon, and a starknife made entirely of force appears next to the green dead man and attacks.
Attack; Force Damage:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 171d8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Sorry, I missed something. The trees on the map are destroyed and those squares are normal terrain for this battle.
Darrioos cowers in fear.
1d4 ⇒ 2
Skye conjures a starknife which attacks but does not hit.
Eshimka looms over the battlefield, bellows commands, and uses her fell power to turn the tide in smaller battles. They are gathering a cloud of negative energy which they will release at the start of the next round!
One or more of the group may attempt to disrupt this attack. Doing so involves either hitting her with a ranged attack and dealing enough damage or succeeding at a difficult Bluff check as a Standard Action. You can tell that Eshimka has DR good and silver.
Green moves past Selûne to attack Mun!
I believe this provokes from both since Mun uses a longspear. Claw:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33 Damage:1d8 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Bolded may act.
Round 2:
Green
Vanya
Kitajo 1 damage cowering
Mun 11 damage, AoO available on Green if have reach weapon
Selûne AoO available on Green
Red
Skye
Darrioos cowering until round 3
Carrick
Vanya pops back into sight as her kukri slices into the creature.
Mun has a reach weapon, so right now you aren’t flanking. However it wasn’t aware of you so you still get the sneak attack. Pointing this out now so you know.
Bolded may act.
Round 2:
Green 20 damage
Vanya
Kitajo 1 damage cowering until round 5
Mun 11 damage, AoO available on Green if have reach weapon
Selûne AoO available on Green
Red
Skye
Darrioos cowering until round 3
Carrick
Mun whips his longspear around at the creature, stepping back to have more space to retaliate. He drives the point forward as he catches Selune's eye, the bear having instinctively turned to follow the threat on her master. The message is clear.
Actions:
5' step Standard: attack green Free: Handle Animal (defend) DC 10, link:1 + 6 + 4 = 11
Her dark armor riddled with arrows and sliced by a dozen blades, Eshimka staggers back from the nearby Pathfinders attacking her. With one blade-arm she beckons for more of her shadowy minions to reunite with her body and heal her wounds, but other Pathfinders have slain too many for any to answer her call. For the first time, Eshimka seems worried, fighting for her survival rather than leading her army.
Table GMs, the Eshimka Defeated condition is now in effect, ending the ongoing hazard.
Selune snaps at the creature moving past her, and her gaze follows its movement, seeing it advancing on Mun. She'd have been ready to turn on it anyway, but the message in Mun's eyes left no doubt. She turns her back on the other creature and tears into this one with her full fury.
Mun misses as the creature comes in on him, but Selûne connects with a bite as it ignores her.
After Mun steps back, he is able to strike the creature. Selûne has a flurry of misses.
Red tells Carrick “None shall prevent me from getting my revenge!” as it attacks him. Evidently Carrick isn’t the one it wants revenge on.
Claw:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19 Damage:1d8 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Bolded may act.
Round 2:
Green 38 damage
Vanya
Kitajo 1 damage cowering until round 5
Mun 11 damage
Selûne
Red
Skye
Darrioos cowering until round 3
Carrick
Mun steps away from the creature, laying his hand down on Selune's shoulder as she moves to defend Mun. He strengthens both of them, then lets the bear make her attack.
Actions:
5' step Standard: readied action (after Selune steps towards green) to cast bull's strength using improved spell sharing
He then sheaths his sword and heals himself.
[ooc] I expect you would rather use the move action to sheath the sword rather than move. We can RetCon it to whatever you would have liked to do if you wish. [/b]
Bolded may act.
Aid Token Available.
Round 3:
Bless +1 morale to attack, +1 morale to save vs fear
Does not stack with +4 Aura of Courage from Carrick
Green 58 damage
Vanya 14 damage
Kitajo 1 damage cowering until round 5
Mun 11 damage
Selûne
Red 73 damage Skye
Darrioos
Carrick 15 damage
Then the shaman creates a tiny tear in the fabric of space and time, then temporarily stitches it back together, creating a limited, one-way wormhole. With a flick of his finger, he launches Carrick on a heaven's leap through the wormhole. Disgorged at the other end, the half-elf paladin finds himself next to the remaining undead creature.
Heaven’s Leap (Su):
The shaman is adept at creating tiny tears in the fabric of space, and temporarily stitching them together to reach other locations through a limited, one-way wormhole. As a standard action, the shaman can designate herself or a single ally that she can see who is within 30 feet of her. She can move that creature as if it were subject to jester’s jaunt. Once targeted by this hex, the ally cannot be the target of this hex again for 24 hours.
