"Can anyone confirm that this thing is evil?" Mun cries as he begins withdrawing from the creature--calling Selune to join him--wanting to get out of its immediate area before he attempts anything else.
Selune follows Mun, mirroring his caution as she backs away from the fiery bird.
Full round: withdraw 55'
I'm assuming that Selune can also take the withdraw action, since she is heeling Mun and that's what he's doing. But, sometimes animal trick rules are weird with regards to what strategies they may employ, so if this is just basic movement, she'll provoke.
@Adumariel - protection from fire doesn't mean you can't catch on fire, but it does mean you're very unlikely to take damage from being on fire. But the boon makes that a non-issue - though how you found a goblin from that tribe to follow you here is another thing all together. ;-)
Adumariel barely manages to stay on the demiplane, striking back at the phoenix's heart with deadly precision. Sparks shower around the airborne elf like drops of blood as her land-bound companion steps back with his bear in two.
@Mun - my general ruling is that animals know how to do the things they do. Withdrawing is certainly something they know how to do instinctively. Opening a door, not so much.
Round 3! Bold may act!
Xukong (-4)
Mun (-3)
Selune (-3, -1 level)
Adumariel (+6, 15 ft high)
Ashwell (-14)
Kitoro (-3)
Jarl (-20, 4 burn)
Phoenix (-69, 15 ft high)
Environmental Effects:
- All PCs have a 10 ft enhancement to their speed
- Remember your boons!
Male Undine Psychic 9 | AC (20)16/16/13 | HP 65/65 + _10__ temp HP| F+9, R+9, W+11 | Darkvision 60' | Cold Resistance 5 | Init+3, Perc +14 | CMD 17 | Phrenic Pool 6/6 |
Ash’s magic had proved completely unsuccessful, so he simply casts Invisibility and moves 30’ away from the Phoenix (20’ east, 10’ north, if someone would be nice enough to move me) until the group showed they could even scratch it.
Ashwell feels the guardian's burning gaze upon him as he fades out of sight and moves away. Kitoro cracks her whip like a tamer of lions at a circus, trying to keep the phoenix's attention away from the airborne elf nearby.
The colossal ruby phoenix in the sky screeches again, and the smaller one engaging the Pathfinders answers as it strikes at Adumariel...
Phoenix Slam vs Adumariel AC 28:1d20 + 16 ⇒ (5) + 16 = 21 Bludgeoning damage, Fire damage:2d8 + 6 + 2d8 + 1d6 ⇒ (8, 3) + 6 + (4, 4) + (3) = 28
“Adumariel Odranti” | Female NG Medium Elf Occultist 9 | HP 70/76 | AC 23 / 17 T / 18FF | CMB +8 CMD 24 | F +13, R +13, W +11 | Init +6 | Perc +20 SM +11 |Speed 30ft | Spells 1st: 5/6, 2nd: 3/5 3rd: 2/4; Mental Focus Abjuration 6/6 , Evocation 3/4, Transmutation 5/6, Divination 0/3, reroll 0/1| Active Conditions: perceive cues, heightened awareness, see invisibility
I think Adumariel is at -10 not -14 unless I've miscalculated or missed some damage. She was at +6, then took (I think) 16 bludgeoning and 14 fire. There was 5 points remaining on the energy shield, and the 9 remaining fire is taken care of by the resistance. Then the 16 bludgeoning should take her to -10. Let me know if that's wrong
Adumariel floats before the fierce beast, surprised and happy to have remained with her allies despite her fear that she was about to be wrenched from this place.
A fiery wing smashes her back to focus however. Her mysteriously flying goblin follower returns to help with the burning again
I've got one more box on this boon, so I might as well use it
Reflex, reroll:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13
The goblin however can't take its eyes from the creature formed of flames however and if anything makes it worse.
With a job to do though she waits for the right second to thrust her blade into the phoenix, Kitoro's finger puppetry making her feel safe and confident (despite being on fire)
Selune will be attacking the phoenix if it enters her threatened range, but since that seems unlikely, I'll hold off on posting the dice expression until it actually happens.
@Adumariel - You're correct - I forgot about the Energy Shield. Thanks for catching that!
Adumariel swings desperately at the guardian, her blade striking the creature's chest once more. With a last piercing shriek, the phoenix bursts into a ball of ruby flames, gone in an instant save for a single tattered ruby-red feather. As it floats to the ground, the red thread wrapped around Xukong's sword glows in response.
Out of Combat! Damage report:
Xukong (-4)
Mun (-3)
Selune (-3)
Adumariel (-10)
Ashwell (-14)
Kitoro (-3)
Jarl (-20)
Adumariel, I'm assuming Jarl douses your flaming locks with a bucket of water to extinguish them without a roll.
You can use the feather to help repair the Tapestry with a Craft (cloth), Heal, Knowledge (arcana or planes), Spellcraft, or Use Magic Device check. Only one person can make the check, though others may assist. Also, the Soul Stitch you picked up from fighting the undead creature will allow the primary roller to roll twice and take the higher result.
“Adumariel Odranti” | Female NG Medium Elf Occultist 9 | HP 70/76 | AC 23 / 17 T / 18FF | CMB +8 CMD 24 | F +13, R +13, W +11 | Init +6 | Perc +20 SM +11 |Speed 30ft | Spells 1st: 5/6, 2nd: 3/5 3rd: 2/4; Mental Focus Abjuration 6/6 , Evocation 3/4, Transmutation 5/6, Divination 0/3, reroll 0/1| Active Conditions: perceive cues, heightened awareness, see invisibility
Adumariel floats down after the battle and gratefully receives quenching water from Jarl. She studies the feather along with Mun and anyone else trying to understand how its energies might be used to repair the plane.
Unfortunately Adumariel can't benefit from the inspire courage as she has a cracked magenta prism ioun stone already providing a +2 competence bonus. She can however use her boon Magical Tinkerer from her season 10 dark archive faction card to gain a +2 bonus
As Adumariel fiddles with the feather, it crumbles in her hands. As the ashes fall to the ground, they ignite into majestic ruby flames that swirl through the air towards the colossal ruby phoenix in the sky.
The Pathfinders have little time to rest on their laurels though as another piercing screech echoes through the sky. Another guardian is on the way!
Go ahead and post 4 rounds worth of actions to prepare. I can't find in the scenario how long it takes to work with the feather, so I'm going to say at least a few rounds. Adumariel's Legacy Weapon is still active, but not for too much longer.
Again, if every player agrees this encounter can be in hard mode. I don't know that I would recommend that at this point, but the choice is yours.
i.e. Admuriel needs to be kept away from the dice for a while :)
"Another one! I'm running out of steam."
Down to 6 performance rounds, though I still have a bunch of first level spells. I think I would prefer a normal encounter too under the circumstances.
Finally she casts shield on herself and renews her protection. She stands, tired, but thornblade drawn and ready to protect her allies from whatever else the tapestry can throw at her.
Male Dwarf Hydro-kineticist 5 | AC 18 (FF 15, Touch 13) | HP 68/68 | F+12,R+9,W+6 | Darkvision 60` | Fire Resistance 0 (2 x Burn)| Init +3, Perc +6 | CMD 14 | Burn 0/9|
How would everyone feel about using the healing aid token we received? By my count Jarl is pretty close to going unconscious.
Ensuring that no one is left burning, Jarl moves back and looks for a better vantage from which to fight.
EDIT: If we don't use the token, could someone use Jarl's want on him? He'll need as many uses as he can get in the time before the next guardian arrives.
Sorry for slow posting this week, I've been unwell and unable to use the computer.
Agreed, we could all use the healing; Adumariel and Kit could save some charges. Also agreed on the normal encounter; Mun and Selune are primarily melee fighters, and the flier is posing more of a problem than I expected. Especially when my only backup wand for offense is burning hands!
Mun will cast fallback strategy and refresh divine favor on he and Selune with improved spell sharing. I think bull's strength and shield of faith likely have enough duration to still be effective for this encounter; let me know if you disagree. He also refreshes protection from evil on Selune from his wand.
|AC 14, T 14, FF 11|HP: 42/42|F +5, R 0, W +4 (+4 vs disease, +2 vs MA/poison/curse, -1 vs sonic, +1 vs earth/acid)|Init -1 Perc +2|CMB +7 CMD 16|5/5 Arcane, 2/2 Shard, 3/3 erase, 1/1 六, 1/1 Scholar, 1/1 Archivist, 1/1 Time
Xukong uses its shield and infernal healing wands once again, then likewise casts fallback strategy.
@Mun - Divine favor has the same duration as Adumariel's Legacy Weapon, so it'll still be active for at least a few rounds. @Xukong - your first shield and infernal wounds were cast before the first combat and thus expired (but are now back, thanks to the power of science wands!
Healing, Boosted:5d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 6, 3, 2) = 13
Since the scenario doesn't specify how the healing happens (only that to boost it you must use (among other things) a spell with the (healing) descriptor, which covers infernal healing), so it works for Xukong as well.
A pair of priests from the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment pray for Korada's blessing on behalf of the Pathfinders, and the adventurers feel a soothing touch on their burns and bruises. The clerics flee as the phoenix approaches, a trail of smoke and ruby sparks flowing behind it like a cloak.
@Everyone - you only got two rounds to prepare. However, several folks used their rounds to heal damage that would be taken care of by the boon (which we got after that post), so retcon as needed. For my sake, please include in your first post of this combat what new spells/effects are active.
“Adumariel Odranti” | Female NG Medium Elf Occultist 9 | HP 70/76 | AC 23 / 17 T / 18FF | CMB +8 CMD 24 | F +13, R +13, W +11 | Init +6 | Perc +20 SM +11 |Speed 30ft | Spells 1st: 5/6, 2nd: 3/5 3rd: 2/4; Mental Focus Abjuration 6/6 , Evocation 3/4, Transmutation 5/6, Divination 0/3, reroll 0/1| Active Conditions: perceive cues, heightened awareness, see invisibility
In that case Adumariel used her rounds to cast shield and then resist fire (10) on someone. I see Jarl already has a decent amount of fire resistance, so perhaps Mun? Jarl if you're still down remember your free potions of cure serious and cure moderate
"It would be nice if we could convince this one land, I have no more flight magics to use on anyone els- Here it comes!"
Current effects: * Legacy Weapon (anarchic) - a few rounds remain * Fly - ~4 minutes remain * Shield - ~6 minutes remain * Resist Fire (10) - ~59 minutes remain * Heroism - ~49 minutes remain
Kit still has heroism active, and would have cast and consumed a heightened awareness to no effect. Oh well. Other than that there is not much she can do. I should get her a wand of shield of faith or bless or something so that she will have something buffy to do in moments like this!
@Mun - Divine favor has the same duration as Adumariel's Legacy Weapon, so it'll still be active for at least a few rounds.
Improved spell sharing splits that duration in half for each recipient though, so only 5 rounds for each. Divine favor is probably Mun's only spell that actually gets impacted by that reduction in a practical sense, since the duration doesn't scale by level.
Also, did we get 2 or 4 rounds to prepare? In this post you stated 4 rounds.
Adumariel Odranti wrote:
In that case Adumariel used her rounds to cast shield and then resist fire (10) on someone. I see Jarl already has a decent amount of fire resistance, so perhaps Mun?
I would prefer Selune; she deals much more damage than Mun, and Mun can still fire from range while Selune gets in close.
Male Dwarf Hydro-kineticist 5 | AC 18 (FF 15, Touch 13) | HP 68/68 | F+12,R+9,W+6 | Darkvision 60` | Fire Resistance 0 (2 x Burn)| Init +3, Perc +6 | CMD 14 | Burn 0/9|
During the short time between the fall of the first phoenix and the arrival of the second. Jarl moves to a more advantageous location and digs in his pack for one of the healing potions he was provided earlier. He uncorks it and drinks it.
Cure Serious Wounds:3d8 + 5 ⇒ (6, 6, 1) + 5 = 18
Two rounds of preparation were double move, draw potion and use it.
Drawing water around himself once more he prepares another blast sending it at the newly arrived creature as soon as it is in range.
@Mun - oh right! I'd forgotten about Improved Spell Sharing halving the duration. And the four rounds was to keep you guessing how many rounds you actually had. *cue evil laughter*
Again Ashwell's missiles of force splash harmlessly against the phoenix, followed by a tidal wave from Jarl.
Given that the phoenix is currently 40 ft in the air and Jarl is on the ground, Point-Blank Shot won't apply. Which unfortunately also knocks down the damage from Empower. But the crit still lands, and it is still quite impressive!
The flames on the guardian's chest glow much less brightly as it swoops down on the dwarf below...
The colossal ruby phoenix grows more resplendent and terrifying with each restored feather that soars into the sky to meet it. The magnificent bird lets out a final screech as its shroud of flames intensifies, utterly consuming it. The phoenix is gone. As ruby ashes drift towards the tapestry, the invaders, seeing the tapestry’s last defense has failed, pour through, their entire force pushing through the largest rift in a massive final attack. The entire world shudders as the rift widens.
Aram Zey steps forward to rest under the falling ashes. “Pathfinders, you fought bravely and well, and your sacrifices were not in vain.” Aram Zey pauses, and his expression turns pensive. “But, the tapestry’s tale has not yet ended. There is clearly a force at work here that is greater than we realized,” he gestures out toward the invaders, “Furthermore, we have not permanently repaired the demiplane—we have only patched the worst of the damage and prevented irreversible catastrophe. I fear that…” Aram Zey’s voice trails off for a moment, “Yes, just as I thought.”
The ruby ashes begin to glow, faint as smoldering coals at first, and then intensifying, coalescing, and swirling in beautiful patterns as they lift Aram Zey into the air. “It seems the key to defending the tapestry is allowing its guardian to be reborn. I will do whatever I can to provide the arcane energy necessary to keep the tapestry stable. In the meantime, I hope the Society will search for a more permanent solution. I refuse to believe that the knowledge of the legendary Ruby Phoenix herself has been lost to us forever.” The ashes and Zey converge on a single point, a great ruby ember in the sky. There is a spark, and then the ember explodes. A wave of fire engulfs the tapestry as the Ruby Phoenix emerges from the explosion with a triumphant, piercing cry. Aram Zey floats within its heart, his body engulfed in ruby fire. The explosion’s flames reach the invaders first, turning them to ash and cinders. The flames wash over the tapestry’s defenders without harming them. The tapestry burns—but the fires replenish it, scouring the wasteland and restoring the tapestry’s original environments. The phoenix beats its wings, sending wave after wave of fire into the Astral rift and searing the portal shut. The phoenix soars in a great arc across the sky and flies off toward the sun.
Thank you everyone for playing, this concludes the adventure! Thanks especially to the GMs, ACG box runners, and intrepid backup GMs that made this event possible.
GMs, the house earned the Radiant Ruby Feathers boon.
