Darkness, Invisibility.... Whatever this creature is, it's very existance is fraying Lissa's grip on being rational. So when Kramac's sight to give her a point to target, Lissa calls the crashing surf once again, and fires a stream of water at the point suggested, praying for something worthwhile happening.
Move action - Gather Power Standard action - Empowered Extended Range Water Blast vs. boogieman. Edit:Lissa's 5 feet up from the ground, so Eorstan shouldn't be cover, I would think
Lissa's blast seems to strike something solid as she aims underneath the heron. Flyn launches a volley of smaller missiles, but only one arrow seems to stick into something invisible over the river.
...and the archer feels cold teeth tearing at his flesh as the nightshade grabs him in its massive jaws. Worse, the creature drains away Flyn's ability to see in the dark. From his too-close-for-comfort vantage, the elf watches as the hole in the creature's side from his arrow shrinks before the nightshade drops the archer into the river of blood!
Alright, a lot going on there. Let's break it down. Red heals from the river of blood, then bites at Flyn while invisible. The bite hits, so it gets to grapple him - which it does successfully, pulling Flyn adjacent to it. The bite also drains a random spell affecting Flyn if he fails the Will save - which he does, losing darkvision and healing the creature 4 hp in the process. It then releases Flyn as a free action, dropping him into the river of blood. Flyn halves the damage taken with the successful Fortitude save, leaving him swimming in the slow-moving river (Swim DC 20).
The nightwing then reaches up and bites at Kramac!
Kramac Active Spells:
1. Daylight
2. Align weapon
3. Divine favor
4. Prayer
5. See invisibility
The half-orc is torn out of his saddle as the cold of merciless entropy cuts him to the core - along with some very sharp teeth. The nightwing's bite also drains Kramac of his enhanced sight before the creature opens its jaws, dropping him into the river.
The Black Caverns
Round 4! Bold may act!
Red (-17, 5 ft above ground) Zagan
Flora
Kramac (-77, Swimming)
Beaky
Flyn (-79, Swimming)
Eorsten
Lissa
Area Effects:
- River of blood provides dim light in the canyon
- River of blood hurts living creatures adjacent to or in it
- River is 5 ft deep and slow-moving (Swim DC 20)
- Canyon walls are 50 ft high, require Climb check (DC 25) to scale
- Nonmagical light sources do not function
- Magical light sources have their radii halved (i.e. light creates 10 ft radius normal light, 10 ft additional radius dim light) - Black shaded area is supernatural darkness that not even Darkvision can see through - Yellow area is normal light - Yellow/Black overlap is dim light - Prayer
EDIT: Hah! In the 45 minutes it took to type all this up, Eorsten ninja'd me! @Eorsten, since smite requires both sight and a swift action, you wouldn't have been able to have that on a readied action. I'm going to treat your actions as a delay and then full turn, since that would make the creature visible for smiting and let you take the swift action to do so. If you want to have moved up and readied an attack, let me know and we'll retcon the attack to remove the smite bonuses.
As Eorsten rushes forward with his axe in hand, the nightwing snaps its jaws at him!
The beast's jaws cut deep into the paladin, draining him of the magic of Zagan's prayer. But the holy warrior strikes back, his giant axe sinking deep into the nightwing's torso. The nightmare screams as oily black blood oozes from the wound, sizzling as it splashes in the river below. The river of blood pulls at Eorsten's life force...
...but he stands resolute in the face of overwhelming evil!
Extra 10 damage from the smite because this thing technically is an undead creature.
The Black Caverns
Round 4! Bold may act!
Red (-92, 5 ft above ground) Zagan
Flora
Kramac (-77, Swimming)
Beaky
Flyn (-79, Swimming)
Eorsten (-69 un-Prayered)
Lissa
Area Effects:
- River of blood provides dim light in the canyon
- River of blood hurts living creatures adjacent to or in it
- River is 5 ft deep and slow-moving (Swim DC 20)
- Canyon walls are 50 ft high, require Climb check (DC 25) to scale
- Nonmagical light sources do not function
- Magical light sources have their radii halved (i.e. light creates 10 ft radius normal light, 10 ft additional radius dim light)
- Black shaded area is supernatural darkness that not even Darkvision can see through
- Yellow area is normal light
- Yellow/Black overlap is dim light
- Prayer
Male Half-Orc M Half-Orc Normal AC: 36 Current AC: 36 T 14 FF 33 | HP 121/121| F +22 R +16 W +16 / +2 Heroism | CMD 28 | Init +5 | Perc +18(+4 On Beak)| Spells: Level 1 4/6 Level 2 5/5 Level 3 3/4 Level 4 0/1 | Bane 10/10 | Animal Focus 8/10 | Hunter Trick 4/7
Kramac calls out for Beak, who swoops high, before swinging back around towards the the undead creature, just above river. Kramac reaches up and with a mighty grunt, hauls him self into the saddle, unleashing a rapid series of strikes as he reseats himself.
Beak is going to use the withdraw action, then swing around and pick Kramac up from the river (and by pick him up, I mean KRamac is going to swift mount
After attacking, Kramac will utter a quick prayer to Kurgess.Cast Litany of defense defensively - doubles my armor's enhancement bonus for +4 AC, and also activate broken wing gambit (assuming at least one attack hits)
Kramac's AC is going to be 37 most likely for the first attack (33 base + 4 from Litany of Defense, -2 from Broken Wing, +2 from Bodyguard), then 37 for the rest of the attacks (I THINK beak will use 3 of his 4 aoos from the broken wing gambit aoos if Kramac is attacked)
He's forced out of hiding....Good. Lissa's eyes narrow as she floats a little farther forward and up before blurring once again to lash out at the boogieman.
5-foot, I beleive I'm 5 feet up from the river. Seeing that the river does negative energy, I have a negative energy resist 10 from a Nexus Crystal in case take damage, Full attack with Water Whip vs. Red. Using a Round of Haste(Round 4) I think I have flank with Beak. If I do, add my flanking bonus.
Male LG Ifrit Pei Zin Oracle 7/Divine Hunter Paladin 4 | HP 98/113 | AC 20 T 12 FF 18 (23/15/21) | CMB +11, CMD 23 | F: +17, R: +13, W: +17 | Init: +10 | Perc: -1, SM: -1 | Speed 20ft | 3rd (3/6), 2nd (6/8), 1st (6/8) | Channel 4/8, Healer's Way 4/8, Lay on Hands 5/9 | Active Spells: Prayer, Shield of Faith, Shield Other (Flyn) | Active Conditions: None
Zagan will take 15 from the three injured party members, then will raise his holy symbol of Shelyn and Channel Positive Energy:6d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 4, 4, 6, 2) = 24 to heal the party. Everyone is within 30 feet of him. Zagan heals an additional 12 from Fey Foundling.
Glowing with holy light, Ollysta pauses for a moment to rally the Pathfinders. “This will be the hour of our glory, Pathfinders! We strike against the Whispering Tyrant!” She turns her gaze to a spectral dragon circling overhead. The dragon unleashes a wall of negative energy, dissolving Pathfinders where they stand. With steely resolve, Ollysta charges toward the dragon, running on the air. “By Sarenrae’s light, begone!” she cries, as her longsword connects with its wispy form. A gaping hole appears in its chest as holy energy burns away its corrupted body. The dragon rounds on Ollysta, tearing into her with an onslaught of teeth, claws, and razor-edged wings. Ollysta’s wounds are mortal, but the paladin isn’t finished. Her sacred longsword is just as unrelenting as the dragon’s attack. With a triumphant blow, she decapitates the dragon. Its body collapses into a ball of purifying light. The same light envelops Ollysta’s shattered form. As her strength fades, expression of pure serenity crosses her face. With a sigh, she closes her eyes for the last time. She drifts to the ground, landing gently on her back.
After Flyn's beating last round, as an immediate action he'll activate his Tattoo of the Open Road boon: For 1 minute, he'll gain 10 temporary hit points as well as treating his CON 10 points higher when determining he's dead...
Feeling despair close in as now two Venture-Captains have fallen and their party taking a beating, close to the bank, Flyn tries to get out of the river...
Swim:1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (18) + 10 + (3) = 31(Using a point of Inspiration)
If successful, murmuring, "Erastil, guide my arrow," Flyn will fire at the undead beast, knowing he, his longtime friend Kramac, and Eorsten may die quickly if they don't bring it down now...
In for a penny, in for a pound...I'll use my last Perfect Strike and throw what boons I can at it...with Kramac's attacks, I just hope this thing is close to dying...
If I've miscalculated and can't get a shot off, then my move will be in the spoiler below:
Alternate Action:
After leaving the river, if Flyn can't fire, he will attempt an acrobatic move to avoid an AoO, moving 20' back...
Acrobatics:1d20 + 25 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 25 + 4 = 39(Using his Grand Lodge Faction Sheet's Explorer Reward: Once per adventure before attempting an Acrobatics, Climb, Survival, or Swim check, you gain a circumstance bonus equal to 1 plus half of the number of goals you have completed (rounded down) when attempting the check (7 goals completed for a +4 bonus).
Can't take a chance as I might not survive an AoO…
...and the bird tumbles to the ground in a heap of feathers as the nightmare's sharp teeth twist and tear at its flesh.
I'm messing with turn order slightly to keep people alive. Hopefully with time and counseling you'll forgive me.
Zagan bolsters his companions with a burst of Shelyn's holy light, taking their wounds onto himself.
Since Flyn asked about aid tokens - and we've got lots of folks provoking AoO's below - I'm going to go ahead and use this now.
Another Pathfinder rushes in from the cavern entrance and holds up a silver figurine of a butterfly with starry wings. Another rush of light bursts forth, closing the Pathfinders' wounds as the priest disappears back into the tunnel.
I'm using Kramac's Ride check as his Swim check, which passes. I'm also going to say that with Beaky down, Kramac would use the litany of defense to get out of the river safely. Unfortunately, it's not a 5 ft step out of the river.
Kramac pulls himself from the river, and the nightwing bites yet again!
The half-orc dodges the massive jaws thanks to Kurgess's protection, but his blade only glances off the creature's tough hide. Flora and Lissa unleash a flurry of massive blows against the nightwing, but it deflects both water and wood with its massive wings before turning its attention to Flyn as the archer gets out of the river...
...and the archer feels the power of Zagan's prayer dissipate like an extinguished fire as the beast clamps its massive jaws around him once more! With his own prayer to the Hunter on his lips, Flyn grimly fires an arrow straight into the beast's open mouth. It shrieks in agony as the silver arrow lodges deep in its gullet, a torrent of smoke billowing from its mouth as it writhes in pain! It snaps back at the archer in rage and fear...
...and Flyn feels sharp teeth digging into him once more before he doesn't feel anything at all - only the gentle sensation of floating. The nightshade bites again, this time at the holy warrior who cut it so deeply...
...and bites deep into Eorsten's torso, the paladin's armor crunching from the impact as blood drips from new holes. The river of blood eagerly pulls at the lifeforces of Kramac and Eorsten while closing the wounds of the nightshade as it floats lower.
The warrior-priests are able to withstand the pull, but Beaky watches as its blood rushes to eagerly join the river.
@Flyn - I'm so sorry. It's too smart to let you get off another full attack, especially after how much that critical hit hurt it. Remember that the prestige/diamond dust cost of restorative magic is halved the first time used by each player during this scenario, and that we have enough Pathfinders "around" to provide spellcasting services.
The Black Caverns
Round 5! Bold may act!
Red (-126, 0 ft above ground) Zagan
Flora
Kramac (-29)
Beaky (-41, Prone, un-Prayered)
Flyn (-134 (-41), Dead)
Eorsten (-81, un-Prayered)
Lissa
Area Effects:
- River of blood provides dim light in the canyon
- River of blood hurts living creatures adjacent to or in it
- River is 5 ft deep and slow-moving (Swim DC 20)
- Canyon walls are 50 ft high, require Climb check (DC 25) to scale
- Nonmagical light sources do not function
- Magical light sources have their radii halved (i.e. light creates 10 ft radius normal light, 10 ft additional radius dim light)
- Yellow area is normal light
- Prayer
Kramac rains blows on the creature, slashing and stabbing with desperate fury and grief at seeing his friends fall. As he strikes, he utters a silent prayer that it will be enough...
Lissa is going last in the round.Screw it, It's more in character for Lissa to save Flyn, then attack the beast in this situtation. Hope to God, that Kramac did better then Gaston and 'killed the beast'.
Lissa drops to Flyn's body. "No, you don't! NOT YET!" She cries out as she drops her open palm onto Flyn's chest in hopes of jump-starting his heart again, the sapphires on the glove of that hand evaporating as she does so.
Move Using First Aid Gloves for Breath of Life on Flyn
Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury raises a banner, calling out to the expedition’s medics. “Pathfinders, the brave heroes leading the charge need your help. They cannot be allowed to fall before the Whispering Tyrant’s servants! Come with me, and let us tend to their wounds so they may fight on!”Players, you can send your Medic Aid Characters on this mission.
Kramac is a whirlwind of steel and holy fury as he cuts the shadowy creature again and again! Smoke pouring from its wounds, the nightshade's wings falter as Eorsten raises his axe. With a swing full of righteous fury, the paladin cuts the head off the nightwing. The creature twists and writhes for a few moments before exploding into oily black smoke that slowly dissipates.
Lissa rushes forward, gloved hand pushing through the water surrounding her to touch Flyn's still form. A flash of light cuts through the dim red glow of the cavern for a split second, followed by the anguished sounds of Flyn breathing. Zagan blankets the Pathfinders in healing light once more, bringing the archer back to consciousness.
Flyn will have a temporary negative level for the rest of the day, but that's certainly preferable to the cost of raise dead and removing two permanent negative levels. Just remember to include it in your rolls.
Out of combat! Damage report:
Beaky (-12)
Flyn (-80)
Eorsten (-52)
For those of you who might be curious about such things, it was an advanced nightwing (CR 15) that had hastened itself.
Let's take a moment to heal up and we'll press onward later today/tomorrow.
You can save your channel Eorsten, the wand I'm using is from the supply and I have to give it back afterwards, used or not...
Flyn sputters a bit as his breath comes back to him...his eyes flutter for a moment and then, after a long sigh, he slowly opens his eyes, looking up into those of the Varisian woman that brought him back...
"Erastil?" he stammers as his eyes come into focus. "No...Lissa! Are you a sight for sore eyes! Am I alive? Or are we all dead?"
He leans up on his elbows and looks around. "I am alive...and I have you thank for it, I'm sure...I'm forever in your debt, Lissa…and I'm in your debt as well Zagan...I would've fell long before without your healing prowess..."
Flyn slowly moves away from the river, seeing his friends and the dead beast. He shudders for a moment...
"So it's dead...you managed to kill it...that's good...thought for a moment it would kill us all. Last thing I remember was firing an arrow into it's giant maw before it came down on me...and then, floating...and darkness. Thank you, my friends, for dropping it...after it dropped me. Sorry I wasn't more help. How long was I out?"
Once he gets his bearings, Flyn will stash his bow back into his Efficient Quiver, and use the wand he got from the supply to heal up he and his wounded friends...
Using the average, that's 3 charges for Beaky, 10 for Eorsten, 15 for Flyn for 28 charges this go round...used 10 charges on it prior to this encounter so that's 38 (12 left on the supply wand)
Flyn will heartily return the warrior’s hug. ”I am sorry, old friend, I’ll try to remember my place. I had thought we could finish it off with another blow or two. Had I retreated, I feared you or Eorsten might be slain...and I’d be dead without Lissa’s quick reaction. I am blessed to be on such a team as this...”
The ranger looks up. ”What next? Should we climb or fly up and search for this relic that Shevar Besnik died for?”
"We're Pathfinders, we don't leave each other behind if we can do something about it," Lissa replies, looking far more vulnerable then before. "I lost a dear friend on an early run, and I won't let it happen again." She attempts to shake the fever out of her, with only partial success. "Still, 2 Venture-Captains dead already... This fight has already been far to costly."
The Pathfinders look at the steep cliffs surrounding them, then back at the canyon floor. Besides the occasional burble from the glowing river of blood, nothing else moves down here. Whatever the Whispering Tyrant was protecting here, it must be at the top of the cliffs.
Climbing the 50-ft tall cliffs requires DC 25 Climb checks. Or perhaps you have another means of ascent - just don't overburden poor Beaky.
"I don't have much more time on my potion, but it'll get me up there, and I have rope and a makeshift grappling hook if there's nothing to anchor up there. Kramac, mind coming along with me?"
Edit:By 'makeshift grapping hook', Lissa means a traveler's Any-tool
I can cast Monkey Fish but it's limited to just myself (gives him a 10' climb and swim speed...while I can cast it multiple times, it's not one I can cast on others...
Flyn nods to Lissa. "I've got a minor spell I can cast that should make climbing a bit easier on me; sadly, I can't cast it on others. You and Kramac will surely beat me up there, but I'll see you up top..."
Flyn will cast Monkey Fish, transforming his hands and feet into a form more compatible to both climbing and swimming...he will then attempt to scale the heights...
From what I've read, with a climb speed, I can take 10 on my checks and get an additional +8 mod...if that's not right, I'll roll. Flyn has a ring of feather fall, if something were to cause him to lose his grip and fall...
Climb:10 + 8 + 8 = 26(Rinse & repeat)
If I've misunderstood the climb rules and I have to roll, does the rope that Shevar Besnik was climbing give a mod or lessen the DC?
Male LG Ifrit Pei Zin Oracle 7/Divine Hunter Paladin 4 | HP 98/113 | AC 20 T 12 FF 18 (23/15/21) | CMB +11, CMD 23 | F: +17, R: +13, W: +17 | Init: +10 | Perc: -1, SM: -1 | Speed 20ft | 3rd (3/6), 2nd (6/8), 1st (6/8) | Channel 4/8, Healer's Way 4/8, Lay on Hands 5/9 | Active Spells: Prayer, Shield of Faith, Shield Other (Flyn) | Active Conditions: None
I'll take that ride on Beak as well if possible. Climbing is not my strong suit. I have this potion of Fly, but i worry if I use it now, I won't have it when I need it.
+1 on climb with armor check penalty, so I will also take the ride.
I'll also recast heroism if it wasn't up before - please let me know if the duration is counted from after the bug fight or from after now.
Given that it took three hours to travel from the Silent Shrine to the Black Cavern, I believe heroism's 10 minute/level duration would have expired a while back.
By spell, wing, and sticky fingers, the Pathfinders ascend the canyon's dark walls. The silence of the cavern after so much violence is unnerving, but no undead monstrosities greet them at the top. As Zagan dismounts Beaky, the senior agents turn their attention to the north. A stone door decorated with a stylized skull wearing a horned headdress marked with arcane symbols stands open before them, revealing a bare room within. Oppressive dread radiates from the walls like waves of heat from an oven.
Perception DC 27:
There's a loose flagstone in the far corner of the room - possibly a secret stash!
If your result was 32+:
Spoiler:
One of the runes carved on the door pulses subtly with magical energy - most likely a trap or ward of some sort.
Daylight is still in effect with a 60 ft radius of normal light - I just didn't want to deal with the spread on the map anymore.
Flyn lets out a low whistle. "Good eye, Flora. The magic rune on the door could be a magical trap or a ward...if it's a trap, I might be able to disarm it...but if it's a ward, not sure I can do anything with it..."
Before trying to disarm it, Flyn will attempt to figure out just what it might be. He will try to keep a safe distance from the rune; he'll cast detect magic and then see if he can identify the rune...
Male LG Ifrit Pei Zin Oracle 7/Divine Hunter Paladin 4 | HP 98/113 | AC 20 T 12 FF 18 (23/15/21) | CMB +11, CMD 23 | F: +17, R: +13, W: +17 | Init: +10 | Perc: -1, SM: -1 | Speed 20ft | 3rd (3/6), 2nd (6/8), 1st (6/8) | Channel 4/8, Healer's Way 4/8, Lay on Hands 5/9 | Active Spells: Prayer, Shield of Faith, Shield Other (Flyn) | Active Conditions: None
Do we want to check out the stash? Might be something useful there. Zagan walks over to the loose stone and takes a look. Perception:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (12) - 1 = 11Looks safe. He pries up the stone and looks into the nook.
Flyn nods to Flora, "It's a symbol of weakness...it's a spell set as a ward, and I don't think I can disable it as I could a trap. And I don't see its trigger. Can it be dispelled?"
As he's saying this, he sees Zagan walking towards the loose stone and he yells out, "ZAGAN, NOOOO!!!" Flyn cringes as he fears his warning might be too late...
Just to clarify, the secret stash is inside the room and you have to walk through the doorway with the rune to get there, correct?
Zagan starts to head through the door, thoughts of buried treasure dancing in his eyes - but Flyn grabs the paladin's arm before he can push past and trigger the ward on the door.
Thanks, GM, wasn't sure if that was considered a trap...
"Whew...glad I caught you, Zagan...that was close. Not sure about this type of magic but let me see if there's anything I can do to neutralize it...I advise the rest of you to stand well back of me..."
After his friends have moved further away, Flyn will try to get closer to the door with the rune, without entering the room, if possible...he will then attempt to disarm it...
A flurry of Pathfinders descends on the battlefield, darting between the undead. With medicine and magic, they repair your injuries. The Medic Mission was successful!
GMs, the Medic Mission Success condition on page 26 is in effect.
The rune glows brighter as Flyn approaches the door, but the canny investigator pulls out a small knife and a brush from his pack and gets to work. He brushes aside centuries of dust from the marking, watching how the magic flows through the rune in a reinforcing pattern to keep itself active so long after its creation. Carefully, he adds a new line to the carving with the knife. The rune's power spills into the new line, slowly but surely creating a larger and larger imbalance that eventually flares brightly before burning itself out.
Inside the room, the Pathfinders quickly pry up the flagstone and unearth a small locked steel coffer. The lock is no match for Flyn, who deftly opens the container to reveal a 6-inch statue of a halfling woman holding a shortsword with three notches cut into the blade.
Knowledge (religion) DC 20:
This figurine likely represents Chaldira Zuzaristan, a halfling goddess of battle, luck, and mischief.
The Pathfinders feel a wash of... something pass over them, reinforcing their resolve. (Each PC gains a +1 luck bonus to attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for the remainder of the scenario.)
Also, given the benefits of the Medic Mission success (8d6 healing to all PCs), let's wait to use it until folks are actually injured. We will have to use it all at once - no picking individually unfortunately.
The Pathfinders press onward into a series of smaller rooms connected by narrow passageways. Numerous small cells line the hallways, accessible only through narrow windows cut into the otherwise bare walls.
Knowledge (arcana) DC 24:
These walls look similar to those created with a stone shape spell.
As the invaders press further in, the faint sounds of sobbing hang in the air, getting louder and louder.
Remember that you can use a reroll (such as from a folio) after the results are known and we will retcon as needed. All I ask is that the reroll is the first thing in your post.
GM Screen:
6d6 ⇒ (5, 6, 6, 5, 2, 1) = 25
Beaky squawks once as the force of the wail tears their spirit from their body before flopping onto the ground. The other Pathfinders grit their teeth and push through the pain, though the ongoing sound twists their stomachs uncomfortably.
You would know that sound anywhere - that's the wail of a banshee! These incorporeal undead spirits seek to exact vengeance for their betrayal in life upon all living creatures with their fearsome touch and deadly wails. (Touch attack that deals negative energy damage and can terrorize target)
You're not sure what kind of foul creature this may be!
A Cry in the Dark Red (Wailing) Kramac (Sickened 1/??)
Beaky (-140 (-66), Dead)
Lissa (Sickened 1/??)
Zagan (Sickened 1/??)
Flora (Sickened 1/??)
Flyn (Sickened 1/??)
Eorsten (Sickened 1/??)
Environmental Effects:
- Dim light (unless within 60 ft of Kramac)
- Nonmagical light sources do not function
- Magical light sources have their radii halved (i.e. light creates 10 ft radius normal light, 10 ft additional radius dim light)
- Cell doors (not hallway doors) cannot be opened and provide improved cover
- Doors to hallways operate normally
