TOZ's Passing the Torch (Inactive)

Game Master TriOmegaZero

The confusion is real here. :)

Has the board been properly updated and more importantly is my character still alive? At least for now.

there's a blue one too? Ouch. Could you indicate where Rok got AoO'd then, so we have some idea where it might be on the map?

And google slides works like ass on an ipad. I don't even try anymore =)

Pretty much where he started. :) I will try to update it clearer when I get home and have solid access.

Rokgurn should be able to return to the material Plane as a free action on his turn, but it won’t stop the grapple as I understand this. Weird abilities are weird.

And would the eagles suck up some of these AoO's too? =)
One can hope

If anyone can get some healing to me next round it would be appreciated. I don't think that I will be able to cast while grappled by this monstrosity.

I can't think of any monster that can attack for free from the ethereal to the material. There are rules specifically to prevent this sort of thing. There's no way to combat that, it would pretty much be guaranteed death for most PC's

They usually have to at least go partially material (and thus that part becoming visible) to do so. Perhaps we should be seeing the claw that's grappling at least? Like they're reaching out of empty space.

Regardless, that part would have to go material in those cases, and thus would not ethereal at that moment. You can't be both. Not sure how that tracks with what their doing mind you.

Certain material things can affect stuff in the ethereal plane, but its not a two way street, as those same things, on the ethereal plane, can't affect the material one.

Rokgurn, would the Whirlwind form work? It can move through creatures, so seems like it shouldn't be grapplable at all.

Ah, something I missed on Rokgurn turning ethereal. Until that point, the claw remained materiel.

Sorry, I'm just catching up now after a busy afternoon. Would someone mind summarizing what's going on? I'm sort of confused. There was a mantis near me before class that I understood to have materialized and I was going to bash it but now I don't see any creatures on the map. Is it Yuri's turn or are we still further back with retcon?

You are good to post actions, but with the interruptive nature of this fight, it is proving tricky to pull off in PbP. There are no enemies on the materiel plane at the moment.

So, invisibility purge has no effect?

@Hamish - ethereal filchers and marauders worked this way in 3.5. The best solution (barring the right tool for the job) was a readied action.

I think the GM will have to look over the thread and adjudicate when he gets home and has time to do so. If the claw is visible when attacking the first AOO would have (barely) missed after the reroll.

Does Whirlwind form allow you to freely escape grapples?

I believe the rules are silent on that one. I’ll have to doublecheck. I recall ruling that it allowed escape however.

Kasimir, that is correct to my knowledge. I may rule that it allows them to be seen but not interacted with outside of the aforementioned spells that cross into the ethereal. Have to doublecheck the wording on etherealness since it got chopped up from 3.5.

@Rokgurn - No clue on how whirlwind would interact.
As a GM I think I'd go that way... but that'd be a GM thing I suspect, as I can't find any information, one way or the other to say how it actually works.

@Kasimir, ethereal marauders, in pathfinder, have to actually go material to grab people... then they can shift back with them. But the important part is they have to be material to affect the material world, and they could never be in two planes at once.
Pretty sure this was true in 3.5 too.

I won't be able to take my turn until sometime later tonight but if they are invisible (or see invisible will help to see them) Yuri will standard action use lenses of situational sight to activate see invis (unless we already understand that this will be ineffective). Otherwise, I guess Yuri will likely ready an attack action for when one of them materializes. Also, if any of this is a spell effect (it doesn't sound like any of it is), Yuri can use spell sunder in place of an attack or an AoO.

I really wish Paizo had learned from the last time they put beasts whose main trick is grapple into an encounter (in that freedom of movement trivializes the encounter then). Much like the ethereal marauders, if the shtick fails, they kind of get to twiddle their thumbs.

Added the AoO site as a yellow square.

I don't think the grappling is their main trick... its the fact they can attack from the ethereal plane!

At size colossal, I'm guessing their melee beat sticks otherwise... so they have that going for them.

If you notice how many attacks Rokgurn has taken versus everyone else, that should explain a little.

Where's Godzilla when you need him!

What I do not understand is how turning material while they are ethereal will not break the grapple. This is really confusing me. How can they be on two planes at the same time?

@Hamish - You mean Druidzilla don't you. :)

They have the ability to attack and grapple from the ethereal to the material. The author did not detail out how that interacts with another creature that can go ethereal and back.

Right but that does not mean that they are on both planes at the same time. Only that they can phase from one to the other.

Edit - Right only a crazy person would think to go to their plane to kick their ass. ;)

Edit2- What is important is how you are going to rule it.

Rather than wait for them to ghost step into the material plane? Indeed. :P

There was a certain level of cockiness there that was kind of inviting a beat down =)

No doubt I have gained a great deal of respect from your character then. ;)

Hopefully it will only be a beat down and not a burial.

This probably isn't a good time to mention that yellow didn't actually take any actions on its turn, since I confused it and blue.

Are they all staying on the Ethereal plane or will they begin to phase onto the material plane?

I prefer to hope blue and yellow as the same creature, just doppler shifted, cause it's moving! =)

Every square on the board appears to be threatened. Limits lots of options, for sure!

In the interest of getting this over, yellow will.

No offense but I feel that between the GM and I that we totally goofed this round. I am so confused as to what has happened and who and what has moved.

At least the confusion will be over soon.

I -will- redo my round in light of the new information. Please delete my previous post.

To recap:

Surprise round: Bombshell sees the enormous mantis flying towards the party. Shouting a warning, she gets clawed when drinking her extract but does not get grabbed also due to extract. The other two mantis move to threaten.

Round 1: Rokgurn moves and provokes, being grabbed by the unseen enemy (flatfooted as originally mentioned). He proceeds to turn ethereal and find himself assaulted by the big mantis. (The throw has been retconned as the wrong mantis has him.) Blue and red have a tug of war right now, yellow shifts to the materiel and attacks Yuri.

It is now the rest of the party's turn until blue gets to go.

I -will- redo my round in light of the new information. Please delete my previous post.

I unfortunately cannot, only the original poster can and only within an hour of posting.

I noticed that my damage went down to 90. Is my character currently grabbed?

Yes. The removed damage was the erroneous throw. The big guy just full attacked you while the other still had you grabbed.

Sorry but if you look through the posts the total damage should be 62.
He has DR 5/- and the second AOO missed completely due to Divine Interference. Hence the reboot.

Counting the full attack? I rolled back the damage then added that. Perhaps I did not roll back far enough.

I recounted it to 59. Please check from the beginning as the 2nd AOO misses due to Divine Interference.

Confirmed on my count as well.

Ok it is fixed now. Thanks.

Whew, that was a lot to catch up on! Look what happens when you step away from the computer for a couple of hours! :-)

Wow. Ok, I am not sure if Yuri is still grappled, but figured he needs to get loose as these bugs do not appear to be demons or dragons, so unlikely smiteable (again). Paladin will be limited damage potential. If he isn't grappled, then Omrax will cast grace instead.

Some misc questions:

Hunter's Blessing is still in effect and I believe that it was stated that we are still in jungle here in the tar pits. Are the mantises considered animals for the purpose of the spell's bonus on attacks and damage? (I assume they are vermin and not animals, but just double checking).

What was the benefit that the eidolon provides?

I think no one has started inspiring yet, correct?

And lastly, GM, if I want to, can I attempt to sunder a claw? Probably not worth trying given what I expect is their unbeatable CMD, but it's an idea...

Hunters Blessing- Still active but they are vermin, not animals.

Eidolon was a +2 AC?

Not aware of any inspiration yet.

I don't believe you can sunder a creature. That's called an attack roll. :P

Lol, that's what I thought.

One other question: if the mantises were dazed would that prevent them from shifting back to the ethereal plane? No worries if that's a question you don't want to answer or one Yuri doesn't know the answer to.

@Omrax - I could use that Litany next round when I phase back in. Since you did not have to use it on Yuri.

Eidolon is +2 shield bonus to AC and +2 circumstance bonus to saves, if within its reach (currently 10') and its not unconscious. (+4 for Hamish).

Eidolon is +2 to AC and saves, if within its reach (currently 10') (+4 for Hamish).

Is the bonus untyped?

You got it! If I can: a) see you and b) not be grappled myself :)

edited the above post, Yuri, as to bonus types.

Yuri has no idea how the etherealness works.