With the secret room abandoned for now, you are left to return to the main room where you fought the tenebreous worms. A set of double doors leads north and a stairway gently slopes down to the west.
Male C/N half-orc unchained barbarian/3, sorcerer/2, dragon disc/4 | HP: 93/93 (18/18 temp rage HP) | AC/T/FF: 20/10/13 | CMD: 23 | F/R/W +8/4/6 (+2 will if raging) | Init: +6 | Speed 40 ft | Apprs +5, Climb +12, H Anim +7, Intim +9, Kn Arc +9, Kn Dung,Loc,Nat,Pln,Rlg +5, Perc +12, Scraft +5, Surv +4, Swim +9, UMD +7 | Active Conditions: fatigued, Resist Cold (15)
Hekk does not think about it all that much and just heads towards the big double doors, hoping it leads to a big fight. He gestures to the door and does do Tathane the courtesy of allowing him to check for traps or whatever it is he does when he stares at a door for what seems like forever.
Hekk opens the double doors to reveal a hallway. Stone double doors stand at the north and south ends of this hallway. The east and west walls each have two niches just large enough to contain a human-sized statue of an armored warrior. Each of the statues is made of stone but also wears a real suit of hide armor and wields an elegant trident made of wood. The floor of the hallway is marred in two locations by ominous-looking circular scorch marks.
"Yes, well, I guess my terradevils count is off today, or something." He smiles at Leopold. "Lots of evocation and divination auras on those things though."
How powerful of auras are we talking here GM?
-----------------
"The trident is the weapon of Gozreh, so maybe. Oh wait, that might be Besmara? Hanspur?" He shakes his head, "I really should have paid attention more in those classes."
CG Male half-elf rogue 8 | HP 67/67 | AC: 21 T:17 FF:15 | F +4 R +12 W +2 (+2 vs. enchantments) | Init +12 | Perc +13 | Low-light vision | Trapfinding +4
LeGuin wrote:
"Tathane, you seem a tricksy kind of fellow, in the best way of course. Are you adept at disarming such magical traps?"
Tathane nods. "I sure can try. But a bit of magical assistance wouldn't bother me at all. And these fancy googly eye things I picked up."
Tathane pulls the oversized goggles down over his eyes then cautiously approaches the statue on the right.
Normally I would wait for any helping spells but I don't want to wait in PbP. I'll post my check roll in a spoiler so that if anyone wants to retcon Guidance or something on me, you can do that BEFORE looking at the result.
Attempt to disable, don't look if you are thinking of giving me assistance before I attempt:
Tathane confidently disables the trap in the corridor. Branson, you detect that there is still magic on the statues--they are each wearing +1 hide armor and holding +1 tridents.
Now that you can examine them more closely, it seems that a humanoid outline at the center of each of the scorch marks.
Knowledge (local) DC 14:
Such scorch marks are all that remain of
dark slayers who perish.
There are double doors that seal the end of the corridor; LeGuin also notices a secret door behind one of the statues on the western side of the hallway,.
Stone double doors stand in the center of the south, east, and west walls of this room, although the door leading west is partially sealed with stone spread across the door like clay.
A short pedestal bearing pale blue shards of shattered crystal occupies the center of this room, surrounded by a circle of runes carved into the floor. An alcove at the north end of this room contains a stone statue of a human man. The statue wields a lance and wears hide armor, but, strangely, it has been turned away from the center of the room to instead face the blank alcove wall to the north.
Somehow, even in the dim light, the statue casts a strong shadow against the ceiling. As you enter, the shadow twists away from the ceiling with unnatural motion.
Knowledge (religion) DC 18:
The shadow is actually a greater shadow. It's an incorporeal undead with a touch attack that drains Strength.
~+~Round 1~+~ Aryas
Leopold
Leguin
Tathane
Red
Hekk
Branson
Map The enemy is on the ceiling, which is 10 ft. up. (Can be reached from the floor.) Feel free to position yourselves outside the room where you feel you would start.
Male NG Half-orc inquisitor (relic hunter/preacher) of Kurgess 9 | HP 93/93 | Hybrid: AC 24 T 14 FF 22 | CMB +9, CMD25| F: +13 (+1 vs. disease & poison), R: +8, W: +13 | Init: +5 | Perc: +21, SM: +13 | Speed 30ft | Determination 1/4 | Spells: 1st 5/6 ; 2nd 3/5; 3rd 3/4 | Active conditions: SeeInvis; HeightAw; Delay Poison;Keenedg
Kn(Religion) to ID:1d20 + 16 ⇒ (6) + 16 = 22
Leguin calls on the Kurgess to give his axe the ability to defeat such horrors, and then he move back a bit, to draw the shadow out of the corner so more allies can get a whack at it.
Legacy weapon, standard to use 1 focus give it ghost touch and increase it from +2 to +3
Resource Tracking:
Preacher: Determination 4 times a day: () () () ()
Human Male Mesmerist 10 | hp 58/58 | AC 17 T 12 FF 15 | CMB +4, CMD 17 | F: +7, R +12, W +20 | Init: +4 | Perc: +5, SM: +12, Concentration +18/+20 | Speed 30 ft | |Spells: 1st 6/12, 2nd 5/6, 3rd 0/3, 4th 0/3 | Tricks 3/10 | Touch Treatment 8/9 | Conditions: 3 Negative Levels
Back in the hallway, Leopold had pointed out that Dark Slayers leave scorch marks like the ones on the floor (after taking 10 on knowledge local)
Leo moves up behind Hekk, puts Bold Stare on the shadow and casts Ill Omen.
Remember, LeGuin, you can activate 2 mirror images whenever you would be hit.
Does Ill Omen work this round? (Yes on high)
1d100 ⇒ 25
Debuffs:
-3 to attack
-3 to Will saves
+4 damage from the next hit
No Ill Omen this round
Male C/N half-orc unchained barbarian/3, sorcerer/2, dragon disc/4 | HP: 93/93 (18/18 temp rage HP) | AC/T/FF: 20/10/13 | CMD: 23 | F/R/W +8/4/6 (+2 will if raging) | Init: +6 | Speed 40 ft | Apprs +5, Climb +12, H Anim +7, Intim +9, Kn Arc +9, Kn Dung,Loc,Nat,Pln,Rlg +5, Perc +12, Scraft +5, Surv +4, Swim +9, UMD +7 | Active Conditions: fatigued, Resist Cold (15)
Hekk scootches to the other side of the hall, takes a firm two handed grip on the borrowed trident, and makes ready for when and if the thing makes an appearance again.
CG Male half-elf rogue 8 | HP 67/67 | AC: 21 T:17 FF:15 | F +4 R +12 W +2 (+2 vs. enchantments) | Init +12 | Perc +13 | Low-light vision | Trapfinding +4
Catching up
Tathane waits a few moments to let the others go into the room but soon hears the sounds of battle. He races up to the room's entrance just in time to see a shadow sink into the wall.
Readied attacks, even including a movement to kick them off, are very powerful in this situation. You'll get your attacks in, and then because of the fly by attack, you'll get an AOO most likely as well.
While he hopes you all have this under control, Branson will, nonetheless, ready an attack himself to move (if necessary) and strike the creature should it emerge from the walls...
CG Male half-elf rogue 8 | HP 67/67 | AC: 21 T:17 FF:15 | F +4 R +12 W +2 (+2 vs. enchantments) | Init +12 | Perc +13 | Low-light vision | Trapfinding +4
Tathane draws his magical dagger and gets ready to slash at the creature if it returns. He moves towards the center of the room.
Male C/N half-orc unchained barbarian/3, sorcerer/2, dragon disc/4 | HP: 93/93 (18/18 temp rage HP) | AC/T/FF: 20/10/13 | CMD: 23 | F/R/W +8/4/6 (+2 will if raging) | Init: +6 | Speed 40 ft | Apprs +5, Climb +12, H Anim +7, Intim +9, Kn Arc +9, Kn Dung,Loc,Nat,Pln,Rlg +5, Perc +12, Scraft +5, Surv +4, Swim +9, UMD +7 | Active Conditions: fatigued, Resist Cold (15)
Branson Davelock wrote:
You can take a 5' step as a part of ready action. That is spelled out in the rules on readying.
Cool. If you do not move on your round, you can 5' step as part of the readied action. Never seen that done before. In that case Hekk will also 5' step towards the shadow if needed to get in an attack.
I think the most fair way to do this with the readied actions is to randomly choose a target from those the creature would prioritize.
1) Tathane
2) LeGuin
3) Aryas
4) Hekk Target:1d4 ⇒ 1
The creature swoops out of the floor, triggering an attack from Tathane and an attack of opportunity. It's shadowy lance reaches out for Tathane.
touch:1d20 + 11 - 3 ⇒ (2) + 11 - 3 = 10 for Strength Damage:1d8 ⇒ 2
[ooc]Tathane, if I'm reading your post right, I think you'll get a readied attack and an attack of opportunity.
The creature misses its attack and sinks back into the side of the tomb.
~+~Round 3~+~ Aryas
Leopold
Leguin
Tathane
Hekk
Branson
Red
Human Male Mesmerist 10 | hp 58/58 | AC 17 T 12 FF 15 | CMB +4, CMD 17 | F: +7, R +12, W +20 | Init: +4 | Perc: +5, SM: +12, Concentration +18/+20 | Speed 30 ft | |Spells: 1st 6/12, 2nd 5/6, 3rd 0/3, 4th 0/3 | Tricks 3/10 | Touch Treatment 8/9 | Conditions: 3 Negative Levels
Leo will move in and give Aryas the mirror image trick. Hekk has Gift of Will, LeGuin has a mirror image at the moment and I can't safely reach Tathane
Human Male Mesmerist 10 | hp 58/58 | AC 17 T 12 FF 15 | CMB +4, CMD 17 | F: +7, R +12, W +20 | Init: +4 | Perc: +5, SM: +12, Concentration +18/+20 | Speed 30 ft | |Spells: 1st 6/12, 2nd 5/6, 3rd 0/3, 4th 0/3 | Tricks 3/10 | Touch Treatment 8/9 | Conditions: 3 Negative Levels
Leo will move in and give Aryas the mirror image trick. Hekk has Gift of Will, LeGuin has a mirror image at the moment and I can't safely reach Tathane
