She fumbles through her pockets and curses her lack of smelling salts again.
Walter spent a fair chunk of his starting gold on weird alchemical reagents. So he has one (1) dose of Peptus Salix -- an alchemical reagent, cost 30 gp, that gives you a second saving throw against the Sickened condition. And yes, I choose to imagine it's bright pink in color...
Of course, this raises the question of just what you can do if you don't have a missile weapon. Can you go toe-to-toe with a zombie or two? They're basically big slow bags of HP with crap AC (but a nasty slam attack). Can you do enough damage to one-shot a zombie? Do you have abilities that would help?
...alternative option: split the party.
Hear me out. Pretty clearly our target is in one of those two back rooms. Do we have three (3) working invisibility spells?
Because if we do, then we could cast that on 3 PCs with decent stealth -> those PCs head to the back and get our target while the other 3 distract the zombies. I caste Haste on the hit squad. We kick open the door, say hello with 8d6+1 of fireball damage.
Slightly risky, but I just have a twitchy feeling that there's more to this scene than "8 zombies".
What do you think?
Maritine: if the lack of a ranged weapon feels like a genuine oversight, feel free to grab a crossbow or bow.
It's clear upon further study that the walkways over the vats are precarious; they gleam as if mildly greased, either with the ambient humidity and noxious foulness in the air, or by the zombie's very tread.
^^^ so we don't go rushing in there!
Option 1, peck them to death from range. Normal zombies are not bright enough to take cover. And they're slow, which means we get a couple of rounds of free shots. Kolthis stands in front with his reach weapon in case any of them get that close.
Option 2, commando raid as described above (assuming we have three Invisibility spells to burn).
Mihaela's got three 2nd level spell slots per day, so she can theoretically provide 3 casts of invisibility (or 2 + her Clandestine Inquisition SLA on herself). The commando plan, while surely feasible, would be heavily taxing on our resources, meaning we'd probably have to rest before progressing to the next Keeper (plus eight zombies we could probably destroy before they even get to act, taking the surprise round into account).
On the other hand, it sounds fun and cool, so I'm all for it ;)
Maritine: if the lack of a ranged weapon feels like a genuine oversight, feel free to grab a crossbow or bow.
This might be a bit lucid from fever but I really do feel like I forgot. I'll sort it out when I'm less sick
Fun fact of the day, (which I just now realized), Detect Thoughts spreads in a 60 foot cone and can penetrate barriers. Unless that leather curtain is also made of lead or covering a thick stone wall, Yelena can detect the presence of any minds behind it. Or anywhere else in the building for that matter; she can turn around in a circle and focus on different areas without recasting the spell.
Let's move our planning into the OOC channel for expediency's sake. It sounds like the current plan is to perhaps make Yelena invisible, send her in with Detect Thoughts, then perhaps send a hit team of invisible folks past the zombies to take him out while the others lure the zombies out?
That sounds like a really fun plan and I am all for it. I am ready to purge this unholy site. My stealth is pretty awful though so I can be on zombie duty, if necessary.
Good news: we already have two invisibility spells on, and they have minutes left to run (1 minute / level). So we can send Yelena up there with just one more.
Less good news: Detect Thoughts is a straight-up Will save. If the target makes it, we've wasted the attempt. Target is a caster so is likely to have a good Will save. That said, I'm willing to try this -- if it works, it'll be both cool and useful, and if it fails, we're just back to Plan A.
So, suggestion: let's burn two (2) more invisibilities, and Walter will go along; he has decent stealth. Then if the Detect Thoughts plan doesn't work, we revert to Plan A (Haste + Fireball). That leaves Lys to shoot a bunch of zombies -- I'm sure she won't enjoy that -- and Kolthis to guard her with his big reach-hammer, which I'm sure will also be terrible for him.
Sound like a plan?
I have at least one alchemist vial of invisibility I can share, possibly two. I can pass them around to whoever needs them. Just nudge me for extra ideas, still wiped out from fever. It better break soon.
Detect Thoughts has three rounds and doesn't allow a will save until round 3.
Round 1: Are there intelligent creatures within the 60 foot cone?
Round 2: How many intelligent creatures and how intelligent are they?
Round 3: What exactly are they thinking? [Insert Will Save Here]
You're right that Myre probably has a good chance of passing the save, but even if I don't get his exact thoughts it still won't be a complete waste. Will save or no I'll be able to tell approximately where he is and if there's anyone else with him. (That last is my main concern; I don't want to go in there only to find it's Myre and his fifteen summoned friends.)
I like the idea of Walter coming in with me if it won't burn too many resources. It sounds like we're mostly in agreement about the plan; it's just a matter of determining who casts invisibility. My vote would be for Maritine's extract if she doesn't mind.
If Maritine has no objection, let's press the button and do this.
Lys and Kolthis are on zombie-killing duty. Enjoy!
Just like old times.
I have no objections, but i'm super heavily medicated so if GM needs to bot me to keep things flowing I'm okay with that.
Let's do it guys. As stated, if somebody needs invisibility, Mihaela's got three to share.
Mark off two (for the two casters) and let's do this!
So, are we using Mihaela's invisibility or Maritine's? I'd just like to get that settled before we move forward, to avoid any misunderstandings later.
I've been at a convention all weekend, so apologies for the radio silence! Once we figure out the invis question I'll move us forward!
I believe Mihaela's; look up four posts above this one.
I believe Mihaela's; look up four posts above this one.
Indeed.
BTW, sorry if haven't posted anything in the last few days — due to the amount of coordination our plan requires, I thought it wiser to simply have our good GM describe its results and execution in a single, coherent post rather than cluttering up the Gameplay thread with individual actions...
Agreed, Mihaela. Big post incoming.
Posted!
I've moved everyone where I think they should be. Lys, are you outside by the southern door in truth?
Now that I'm back I plan to return to my daily posting schedule. Can everyone please confirm here in the OOC that they'll be able to do the same? Let's pick the pace back up!
I'm around.
Lys was heading there to cut then off, but if we're all moving in invisibly, she'd probably change her plan to join the others.
I'll be able to return to daily posts, yes.
So, what's our next move? Gang up on the guy capitalizing on the element of surprise and that sweet, sweet sneak attack damage?
Still here! Sorry, got sick, then better, then sicker, and now I think it's mostly over. I'll try and catch up but feel free to bot if you need to move things along I get it.
Also I have invisibility regents I can share.
I'm all for the element of surprise. If we can catch him in a surprise round, Yelena will cast Mental Block as an opening save-or-suck.
I'm here also, good to go for normal pace.
It might be a good idea to hold on to the invisibility reagents from Maritine in case we need them for the next two destinations, conserving resources and all. In that case, I'm fine with hanging out and dealing with zombies this time around.
OK, so it sounds like the advance crew is going to peer behind the leather curtain and cast Mental Block? Doing so will end Yelena's invisibility, no doubt drawing the attention of the zombies. Upon which the reserve crew will open fire/attack?
We're invisible, so this should be a surprise round -- correct? One standard each, and then we roll initiative? Assuming that's correct, then:
1) Walter will peer over Yelena's shoulder.
2) Walter also will cast.
-- a) If he's alone, Grease. Casters tend to have crap Reflex saves (as I well know). We don't want him scampering out a back door.
-- b) Detect Thoughts does NOT pick up on undead (or constructs). And the dude's a necromancer. So if we poke our heads through the door and he's got sixteen zombies in there with him, I'll cast Fireball or Haste instead.
Ugh, upon consideration, Grease makes it harder for our two melee fighting companions to get close and flank. Surprise round means you can move in there to flank him. Which is great -- but Grease hits a 10' square. Meaning at least one of you would have to roll a Reflex save in order to get the flank. Other hand, you both have +8 Reflex. And if he's prone and flanked, this could be a pleasantly short combat.
Well, let's see what we see behind the curtain and then make a fast decision.
OK, so it sounds like the advance crew is going to peer behind the leather curtain and cast Mental Block? Doing so will end Yelena's invisibility, no doubt drawing the attention of the zombies. Upon which the reserve crew will open fire/attack?
Actually, on second thought Yelena will dismiss Heightened Awareness for +4 to initiative, cast Ill Omen in the surprise round, and then cast Mental Block on turn 1. Otherwise yes, I believe that's the plan.
Hopefully Yelena, Walter, Maritine, and Mihaela will all be eligible for a surprise round, (and thus sneak attack goodness), while Lys and Kolthis keep the zombies from swarming us.
Actually, on second thought Yelena will dismiss Heightened Awareness for +4 to initiative, cast Ill Omen in the surprise round, and then cast Mental Block on turn 1. Otherwise yes, I believe that's the plan.
Niiiiice.
In preparation, Kolthis will cast Divine Favor, and then move in as necessary to stop the zombies from getting to the invisible group. (My total bonus will be +2 to attack and +2 to damage, thanks to fate's favored trait, and I have 2 AoO's a round.)
It might be a little late to ask now, but does Lys know if the door in front of her is locked? I mentioned trying to sneakily unlock it, but I'm not sure I got the answer for that.
@Lys: It is indeed locked.
Ok, quick post to move us into the surprise round.
Hm: he's carrying a staff. Might be just a bound object, but... Mental Block won't prevent him from using magic items. I suggest we separate him from it.
Okay so, on the surprise round, I Grease the staff, Yelena throws Ill Omen, and the melee team moves to flank. (Note: I will Grease the staff BEFORE she casts Ill Omen. Ill Omen gives disadvantage on two consecutive rolls, and ideally we want those to be his saves against Mental Block for the first two rounds.)
Edit: I think all our actions are programmed in at this point: Yelena dismisses Heightened Awareness, I Grease the staff, Myre rolls his save against the Grease. Then Yelena casts Ill Omen (no save), and the two melee combatants move to flank. That's the surprise round. (The melee combatants don't get an attack on the surprise round -- BUT they're still invisible until they attack on Round 1.) And then it's round 1 and we all roll initiative, with Yelena getting an additional +4.
So DMLC, maybe you just describe what happens in the surprise round and set us up for Round 1?
Sounds good!
My poor villains.
So, first of all, apologies for being all over the place - got sick again! Food poisoning! *$^@&%!! So it's back to being gross for me.
Second, is the map for the foundry right? Am I next to Walter? I know what I want to do, I just don't remember moving. Each square 5ft?
I am tempted to go up and distract some of these zombies and then just mass channel energy, as its a 30ft sphere centered on me. It's only a DC 11 Will save for half damage, but its 2d6 damage on multiple targets, and I still have AoO's. Not as great as fireball, to be sure. Thoughts? Also, not super sure how that works timeline wise - are we waiting for the zombies to notice the sneak squad before moving in?
We've begun! I'm not 100% sure what Kolthis, Mihaela, Maritine, and Lys are up to during the surprise round, so go ahead and post and we'll run with it from there.
DMLC, can I get an idea of where the number of zombies are located on the map?
Also, just as a heads up, I may not be able to post until quite a bit later in the day, after work. We have an audit going on that's about to start which will take up my whole work day.
No worries, I should have dropped the zombie tokens in before!
Thank you for the update! Like I said, will get a proper post up when I can.
Also, I hope you feel better quickly, Maritine!
Hm: he's carrying a staff. Might be just a bound object, but... Mental Block won't prevent him from using magic items. I suggest we separate him from it.
Okay so, on the surprise round, I Grease the staff, Yelena throws Ill Omen, and the melee team moves to flank. (Note: I will Grease the staff BEFORE she casts Ill Omen. Ill Omen gives disadvantage on two consecutive rolls, and ideally we want those to be his saves against Mental Block for the first two rounds.)
Just noting that he only got one Reflex save. He failed regardless, yes? So Ill Omen should still be in effect for his next two (2) rolls.
@Kolthis - workin' on it. Less awful today.
I moved up close to Yelena before the surprise round, am I able to act from there? I know what I want to do, but I want to make sure the movement is all good first.
Yep, you're good, Maritine.
Sounds good as well, Walter.
Pretty sure you must have a clear shot. Roll it, and then we're done with the surprise round, and can roll initiative for Round 1.
The Initiative Roll-O-Matic is under the Campaign tab. If there's no objection, maybe someone can pull that out and roll for everyone?