Robyyn, frustrated that he has little more he can do, follows the footsteps of the newly arrived elemental through their vibrations in the floor. He steps up to it and reaches out, trying to grant the creature guidance.
@Dewberry, I think you'd deal your regular attack damage (1d4+17) plus your constrict damage (1d4+8) when you make a grapple check to maintain the grapple.
@Robyyn - no need to roll a miss change for friendly touch spells - I'm assuming folks aren't trying to move out of the way.
As Dewberry squeezes, another lightless explosion rocks the cavern!
The Pathfinders are ready this time, and everyone manages to avoid the worst of the flames (Dewberry somehow managing to avoid them completely despite surrounding the heart of the explosion with her body). However, neither elemental nor Victor catch the last stalker. With few options left, the creature lashes out at Victor again...
Red Short sword, Invisible vs Elemental FF AC 17:1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 6 + 2 = 14 Slashing damage, Sneak Attack:1d6 + 2 + 3d6 ⇒ (1) + 2 + (4, 1, 4) = 12
Red Short sword, Invisible vs Victor FF AC 17:1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 6 + 2 = 19 Slashing damage, Sneak Attack:1d6 + 2 + 3d6 ⇒ (6) + 2 + (1, 1, 5) = 15
...drawing forth another pained yelp from the goat as a dark blade slices his neck.
Round 6! Bold may act!
Red (-25)
Blue
Yellow Robyyn (-9)
Dolph (-6)
Victor (-15)
Lis
Dewberry
Elemental (Guidance)
Orst (-8)
Kronug (-4)
Bird (-9)
Elemental (-9)
Xilt (-8)
Sammy (-8)
Environmental Effects:
- Ceiling is 20 ft high
- Cavern is supernaturally dark
- Remember that Scent only tells you which square if you are adjacent - otherwise it only gives the direction of the creature.
| HP 11/11 | AC 18 T 15 FF 15| CMB +4 CMD 11| F +1 R +5 W +6| PER +9/+17 Low Light Vision Scent SM+1| Speed 20' Climb 20' +15 Swim 20' +11 Stealth +19|Active Conditions Skilled-KS:Religion. Message
Sammy feels like he is almost cooked enough for eating. He remains out of reach near the ceiling of the cave and crawls past Dewberry trying to escape a future blast.
Half speed climb (due to blindness and no wish to roll acrobatics) Take 10 Climb 25. Double move. I have indicated Sammy with a +20 marker.
The last remaining monster (Red) has taken 21 non-lethal. He should fall unconscious before exploding (hopefully). The map was not updated when you made your last post.
Xilt's magical protections activate and help to buffer him from the
worst of the explosion. With the battle nearing completion Xilt moves past Dewberry and takes cover in the next room.
My understanding of the Ablative Barrier spell is that all damage that is not non-lethal damage is lethal damage. Therefore the spell will convert the first 5 points of fire damage to non-lethal damage. The remaining 3 points will be deducted from his temporary hit points.
Male|Paladin 8|hp 74/74|AC:26(28) T:12(14) FF:25(27)|CMB+13,CMD24|Fort+12, Ref+9,Will+12|Init:+1, Perc:+0| conditions:none |7 of 9 layhands used|deflection bonus of +3 Human Paladin 8
Orst will move along the wall north until he hits the other wall which leads him west. He is trying to escape the darkness. Holding his sword, which should glow like a torch he moves until he is out of the darkness.
"I am going to find somewhere my light still works. Then let them come at me!" "Cowardly murders in the dark, that's what they are."
double move, assuming blue just exploded. Please adjust Orst if he breaks out of the darkness sooner.
AC 22 T 13 FF 19| Current HP 33/33 (DR 5/evil, Resist Acid Cold Electricity 10) | F +6 R +8 (evasion) W +4 (+4 more vs enchant)| SR 11| Init +3 | Perc +6 (scent, darkvision, low light vision)
Victor pushes through his injuries, all the more enraged and ready to pound that dark stalker into the wall.
Miss Chance (high is always good for me):1d100 ⇒ 67 Gore (power attack):1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 9 - 2 = 8 Damage (power attack):1d4 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 6 = 16
Xilt and Orst almost knock each other over in the darkness as they try to move away from the sounds of combat.
@Dewberry - sorry, I forgot to remove the blue token from the map after it exploded. With your permission, I'll do a little botting.
With her last catch exploded, Dewberry hunts for something else to eat. Move action to use Scent, move action to move in that direction as far as possible.
Lis Elemental Miss chance, 1 = Miss:1d2 ⇒ 1
Botting Robyyn.
None of the Pathfinders (or their elemental friends) make contact with the last stalker in the unnatural darkness. Frustrated, Robyyn again coaxes a bit of supernatural guidance from his patron - this time granting it to the giant snake next to him. Casting guidance on Dewberry.
In the dark, a blade jabs...
Red Short sword, Invisible vs Elemental FF AC 17:1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 6 + 2 = 25 Slashing damage:1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
...and a howl like the sound of boulders falling cuts through the darkness, followed by soft footsteps on stone.
I know it's difficult, but please try not to metagame with knowledge of creature locations beyond the reach of your character's senses.
Round 7! Bold may act!
Red (-25)
Blue
Yellow Robyyn (-9)
Dolph (-6)
Victor (-15)
Lis
Dewberry (Guidance)
Elemental
Orst (-8)
Kronug (-4)
Bird (-9)
Elemental Xilt (-8)
Sammy (-8)
Environmental Effects:
- Ceiling is 20 ft high
- Cavern is supernaturally dark
- Remember that Scent only tells you which square if you are adjacent - otherwise it only gives the direction of the creature
At this time Xilt's magic expires and the giant ball of water winks out of existence. He knows that Orst is close by but where exactly he is not sure. He calls out to him as he does not wish to become target practice.
"Orst. I am here too. Be careful with that sharp sword of yours."
At the thought of the wet footfalls (and the water barrier now gone) he decides to turn invisible again. He moves away from the entrance where another Dark Stalker had entered before and towards the west wall.
Xilt will cast Vanish on himself. He will move at half speed towards the west wall and away from the entrance.
Male AC 17 T 11 FF 16 | Current HP 57/57 | F +11 R +9 W +6 (+2 more vs spells, SLA, poison)) | Init +1 | Perc +12(+14 unusual stonework)
Dolph will continue to try sniffing out the dark stalker, adjusting as necessary to follow his nose. Move action to scent, so he has a five foot he can use to adjust if need be and still be able to attack
I'm leaving it to you, GM to decide exactly where he moves (if needed) and what makes the most sense given what he senses, since going back and forth would make this take even longer
Miss Chance (roll twice take the better):2d100 ⇒ (70, 80) = 150 Attack with +1 Adamantine Dorn-dergar:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20 Damage (lead blades):2d8 + 6 ⇒ (3, 3) + 6 = 12
AC 22 T 13 FF 19| Current HP 33/33 (DR 5/evil, Resist Acid Cold Electricity 10) | F +6 R +8 (evasion) W +4 (+4 more vs enchant)| SR 11| Init +3 | Perc +6 (scent, darkvision, low light vision)
Victor does the same thing as Dolph, sniffing about as a move action and then adjusting as necessary to whichever square seems most likely
Miss Chance (high is always good for me):1d100 ⇒ 25 Gore (power attack):1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 9 - 2 = 25 Damage (pa):1d4 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 + 6 = 15
Whoops, forgot that those with tremorsense would know at least what square the stalker moved to. Token has been adjusted on the map, and Dolph/Victor moved appropriately. That does however mean no attacks from our favorite goat and his shepherd this round.
And yes, everywhere is still supernaturally dark.
The Pathfinders shift - some fleeing the battle, others aggressively chasing their illusive foe in the dark.
Round 7! Bold may act!
Red (-25)
Blue
Yellow Robyyn (-9)
Dolph (-6)
Victor (-15)
Lis
Dewberry (Guidance)
Elemental
Orst (-8)
Kronug (-4)
Bird (-9)
Elemental
Xilt (-8)
Sammy (-8)
Environmental Effects:
- Ceiling is 20 ft high
- Cavern is supernaturally dark
- Remember that Scent only tells you which square if you are adjacent - otherwise it only gives the direction of the creature
Xilt is humbled by the darkness and his inability to assist further in this encounter. At least he is invisible to these creatures or so he thinks. Xilt continues to slowly move away from the sounds of battle. He knows that as soon as the large snake connects the fight will be over.
"The creature is there, in front of Dewberry, by the wall!" Robyyn tries to do his best to keep the party informed of the creature's movements while he continues to boost the effectiveness of Dewberry's attacks.
With both Kronug and Robyyn shouting directions, Lis is able to swing at where she hopes the stalker is. She feels her fist connect with something that gives way, and Robyyn "sees" a form fall to the ground before his connection with the earth fades.
Out of combat! Damage Report:
Robyyn (-9)
Dolph (-6)
Victor (-15)
Orst (-8)
Kronug (-4)
Bird (-9)
Xilt (-8)
Sammy (-8)
The deeper darkness will end eventually, but Xilt and Robyyn know that it'll take some time (tens of minutes) before fading. How long are you willing to wait?
Xilt drifts back with the others when the sounds of combat subside.
He calls out to Sammy who rejoins his master by following his scent.
"Does anyone have an extra cloak,blanket or a bedroll? That should cover the creature for now. In a pinch we can quickly bury it in a layer of dirt or rocks."
Xilt carefully and slowly reaches into his bandolier and retrieves a pearl. He speaks a word of power and recovers a spell.
If the Deeper Darkness radiates as light then it should be able to be covered up. I have no intention of waiting around for hours here.
Male|Paladin 8|hp 74/74|AC:26(28) T:12(14) FF:25(27)|CMB+13,CMD24|Fort+12, Ref+9,Will+12|Init:+1, Perc:+0| conditions:none |7 of 9 layhands used|deflection bonus of +3 Human Paladin 8
"Use my bedroll if you need to." Orst unties it from the bottom of his pack. "I really am no help at locating the weapons that might be the source of the darkness."
Detect magic can be used to locate the darkened weapon? That really is very clever.
Xilt casts a simple spell (Detect Magic) to search for the locus of the Deeper Darkness. In conjunction with Sammy and his sense of smell Xilt attempts to carefully cover the source of darkness with the Paladin's bedroll.
Male AC 17 T 11 FF 16 | Current HP 57/57 | F +11 R +9 W +6 (+2 more vs spells, SLA, poison)) | Init +1 | Perc +12(+14 unusual stonework)
Dolph has his own theory, remembering the poison that the dark stalkers had put on their blades, and uses his detect poison orison to try to locate the blades with deeper darkeness on them.
Dolph is going to use Detect Poison to try to locate the swords. My thinking is that even if the poison was used up in a mechanical sense to stab someone, there would still be traces left on the blade that would show up to a detect spell. I figure looking for poison would have less "noise data" to filter through than looking for magic with a whole group of pathfinders decked out in magic
The blades (which is what the stalkers put their deeper darkness on) are not creatures, so Scent will not be of any help. But between detect magic and detect poison, it should be enough to find them after about 10 minutes.
Also, note to self for next time I run a game with dark stalkers - have them tag a PC with deeper darkness for extra lulz.
It is difficult to move in the pitch-black cave, and the Pathfinders bump into each other frequently as they search for the sources of darkness. As Xilt, Robyyn, and Dolph each bring a small sword to Orst, the paladin carefully covers them with his bedroll. As the last sword is hidden, the darkness radiating from it recedes and the Pathfinders' ioun torches and darkvision can see the crumbling walls of the cavern once more.
The large room is filled with a massive pile of fallen rocks in the center. On a relatively flat section of wall in the northeastern corner, an ancient set of metal shelves hangs attached to the wall, mostly turned to rust or broken by rockslides. Past them to the north, the passage slopes upward into darkness.
Robyyn, after the darkness is hidden away, first begins the process of healing with a charge of infernal healing from his wand. Then, continuing to employ detect magic in addition to his darkvision, he searches the decrepit shelves for anything of interest.
Perception:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
He repeats the effort on the bodies of the dark stalkers themselves.
Xilt cracks open two scrolls of infernal healing and proceeds to use one on Sammy and one on himself. He waits while their wounds begin to slowly knit themselves together.
Sammy and Xilt are now at full hit points.
"We can proceed North after checking the passage to see if it is stable. I will look and so should our resident Dwarf."
Xilt draws a wand and speaks a word of power that sharpens both his senses and his mind (Heightened Awareness). He then looks at the bookshelves and passage to ensure that they are stable.
"Before we leave this area completely perhaps it would be best if you put a couple of arrows into the unconscious Dark Stalker. From a fair distance mind you. They are truly evil and vicious creatures beyond the possibility of redemption."
Being jumped once in the darkness shame on you. Being jumped twice in the darkness shame on me. :)
Male|Paladin 8|hp 74/74|AC:26(28) T:12(14) FF:25(27)|CMB+13,CMD24|Fort+12, Ref+9,Will+12|Init:+1, Perc:+0| conditions:none |7 of 9 layhands used|deflection bonus of +3 Human Paladin 8
Orst says a quick prayer and touches his chest.
lay of hands 1:2d6 ⇒ (3, 5) = 8
He then considers Xilt's statement. He consentrates on the still form on the floor. He detects if the stalker registers as evil.
"Beyond any possibility of redemption, you say?" "I am not familiar with their kind." "But, I am familiar with brigades and murderers, such crimes are punishable by death by the laws of my homeland." "I will dispense justice. Though it is not be very heroic, it is necessary."
Orst will put two arrows or more if needed into the stalker. Assuming the stalker registers as evil.
I am under the assumption that everyone (not only the people that have posted an activity in the other room) have cleared out before Orst creates another explosion. The map will need to be updated when people have a chance. :)
You do not detect an evil aura from the last stalker.
Robyyn does not find anything magical amidst the stalkers' equipment, nor does he spot anything on the shelves. From her vantage point in the air, Lis sees that the shelves are not anchored to the wall, but rather adhered. Xilt gives the passage ahead to the north a cursory inspection and notes that while the walls in the cavern beyond look damaged, they seem stable enough to allow for safe passage (assuming nobody tries digging or creates sudden bursts of sound inside).
Exits to the northeast and northwest (the way you came). Two votes moves the party.
Male|Paladin 8|hp 74/74|AC:26(28) T:12(14) FF:25(27)|CMB+13,CMD24|Fort+12, Ref+9,Will+12|Init:+1, Perc:+0| conditions:none |7 of 9 layhands used|deflection bonus of +3 Human Paladin 8
Orst upon sending no evil in the stalker, "I sense no evil in this being. If I had more evidence that it was not acting under coercion or defending its home, I could judge it not redeemable." "I say we bind its hands and feet and leave it to survive or not."
Orst does not fire arrows is stated above. Instead he pulls out a small length of rope and binds the thing's hands behind its back and binders its feet together with 6" of rope between them.
With the unconscious stalker tied up, the Pathfinders continue to the north. As the passage levels out from its upward slope, it splits to the left and right. In the small cavern to the east, a small collection of weapons and armor in various states of disrepair sit in careless piles. Two of them, however, radiate magical auras - a morningstar, and a set of split mail. To the west, the chamber stretches to a point where a mass of crystalline growth has weakened the structural integrity of the walls. The entire area might be particularly unstable because of it. Another passage to the southwest leads back to where the qlippoth's corpse oozes oily, multicolored blood that slowly burns into the stones of the cave floor.
Detect Magic and Spellcraft DC 18 or Kronug:
The morningstar and armor both have basic (+1) enhancements.
Botting slightly.
Crossing the stone bridge carefully again, the Pathfinders make their way to the cavern where the qlippoth came from. Something glimmers amidst the crystals growing on the south side of the cave, revealed to be a lustrous stone of some kind radiating magic. A tattered cloak lies nearby, also magical.
Detect Magic and Spellcraft DC 32 or Kronug:
The stone is a pearl of power for third-level spells.
Detect Magic and Spellcraft DC 20 or Kronug:
The cloak has a moderate protective enchantment on it (+2 resistance).
Ahead, the passage twists downward before splitting. To the south is the entrance to the vault, which leaves only the passage north unexplored.
Spellcraft DC 20:
There's a tingle in the air to the north, one similar to what you've felt when magic is dispelled. You've heard or read of dweomersinks, areas hostile to magic (though not a terrible as anti-magic fields or the unpredictability of the Mana Wastes) - perhaps this is one of them?
It'll try to dispel any magic effect brought into or created in the area.
Not to metagame. I will just say my character will always take 10 on all the spellcraft checks for 27 with Heroism. When I saw the 32 DC for the item I knew as a player what it must be. :)
Xilt motions to the others to don the Cloak of Protection and to use the magical weapon and armor if they are so inclined. As for the stone he suspects what it must be but is not experienced enough magically to confirm that suspicion. He asks Kronug to clarify.
Xilt shows real concern as they approach the North passage.
"A dweomersink. Fantastic. This area can dispel existing magic or magic that may be cast into it. Fun."
