Barzillai clutches at his ears from Chance’s noise blast before pointing his mace at Vitalis. ”You first, Tanessen!” ◆ Smite: Barzillai gains a +4 status bonus to damage against the selected creature (+6 if they’re holy) until the end of his next turn. If the chosen creature takes a hostile action against Barzillai or one of his allies, the duration is extended by another round. He then ◆ Strides up to Vitalis…
◆ Barzillai vs Vitalis w/frightened 1:1d20 + 28 ⇒ (1) + 28 = 29 Harrowing Reroll:1d20 + 28 ⇒ (18) + 28 = 46 Unholy Bludgeoning Damage (doubled from crit); Smite:3d8 + 11 + 6 ⇒ (2, 7, 6) + 11 + 6 = 32Spirit Damage (doubled from crit); vs. holy creature:2d4 ⇒ (2, 1) = 3Fire Damage (doubled from crit):1d6 ⇒ 4 +5 from fire weakness, plus 2d10 persistent fire from the crit
I will say, for the record, that that was the only one of Barzillai’s rerolls that could really be used offensively. But…jeez…At least Vitalis resisted some of that.
Barzillai then snaps his fingers and Vitalis begins bleeding profusely! ↻ Unholy Bloodshed: Vitalis takes 3d8 persistent bleed damage.
The Grand Inquisition
Round 2
==============
Barzillai Thrune <Black> (-43 from “1” attacks [before resistances]) {Smiting Vitalis: Round 0 of 1}
Chance {Hunted by Blue; Hunted by Green; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Jisara {Fire resistance 10; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Thatch
Edrakk {fire resistance 10; concealed; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Asmodean Inquisitor <Blue> (-2) {Gravity Weapon: Round 0 of 10}
Asmodean Inquisitor <Green> (-49)
Vitalis (-80) {2d10 persistent fire; 3d8 persistent bleed; frightened 1; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Hell Hound <Red> (-17)
==============
Jisara turns her focus entirely to Vitalis, healing his wounds and hastening his steps simultaneously. Thatch retreats from the hell hound, fur bristling.
◆ Cast life boost on Vitalis, fast healing 12
◆◆ Caste haste on Vitalis
NG Male Tengu Alchemist (Toxicologist) 12 | HP 114/114 | AC 31, Resistance (Poison) 6, (Electricity) 5 | F : +20 (Chemical Hardiness) R: +21 W: +20 (+1 vs fear) | Perc: +18, Stealth: +22 | Speed: 25 ft (30 w/ harness), Swim: 15 ft | Hero Points: 2/3 | Infused Reagents: 0/11 | Club 2/2 Wort 2/2 Mist 2/2 Galvanic 1/1 Cloak 1/2 | Versatile Vials 7/7 | Active Conditions: Galvanic Chew, Bravo's Brew
Edrakk throws his hands up in frustration as the daggers he threw fly back to him. Scrambling back from the hellhound, he moves instead to attack one of the other inquisitors.
Chance continues his courageous anthem, then calls on the light of the Lucky Drunk’s sword to shine on the Grand Asmodean Inquisitor and his minions.
◆: Cast a spell, Courageous Anthem
◆◆: Activate Item, Sacred Glow ↻: (whichever reaction is triggered first, if either): ↻: Shadow Projectile (Trigger an ally within 20 feet of you makes a ranged attack roll) ↻: Fortuitous Shift (if triggered)
Green ◆ Strides to flank with Blue! So, I’m gonna say that the basic Reflex save against the field of razors happens at the end of the Stride, so Jisara couldn’t expand the area mid-Stride (thus making Green have to go through more difficult terrain). However, I WILL say that I’ll count that damage as having occurred in the field, so it would still trigger the reaction to expand the area.
Green basic Reflex vs 5 damage; frightened 1:1d20 + 17 - 1 ⇒ (20) + 17 - 1 = 36
Didn’t matter anyway.
Green then ◆ Casts a Spell as he places a hand directly on Chance’s chest! Gonna say Jisara does NOT use Recognize Spell, as she has a handful of other useful reactions.
LG Human Champion 12 |132/176 hp (Resist Mental 4, Slashing 4, Bludgeoning 3) | AC 33 | Fort +22 (Sacred Body), Ref +15 (+18 vs. Damage), Will +20 (Divine Will) | Perc +17 | Focus: 1/1 | Hero Pts 0/3 |
"There's too many of them. Let's focus our attacks."
Vitalis steps between the giant hellhound and Chance and focuses his attacks on one of the inquisitors (blue). Vitalis tries to draw some attacks off Chance and also be in a better position for his retributive strike.
From down below comes the shout of a man’s voice—that of Corinstian Grivenner:
”High Inquisitor!!!”
Barzillai grasps a small trinket affixed to his armor—a small silver raven figurine covered in blood—and crushes it as he yells.
”Prelate, if you do not proceed with that ritual then I assure you that you will be displayed as an example alongside these petulant Ravens! Do you understand me?!”
◆ Barzillai Activates his greater grim trophy to Demoralize up to three targets simultaneously—in this case, Chance, Edrakk, and Jisara.
Success against everyone, so those three are frightened 1. And Demoralize is nonmagical, so it doesn’t trigger Jisara’s Fight with Fear (RAW it would STILL trigger Fight with Fear, but I find that really weird considering the flavor of the spell. Plus it’s already in my house rule document that it only works against magical mental effects, so I’ll continue with that.
Barzillai then flicks his cape, transforming it into a wreath of flame as he rushes forward! ◆◆ Blazing Promenade: Barzillai Strides then Strikes. During the Stride, he ignores and destroys non-magical difficult terrain (doesn’t apply here) and creatures he’s adjacent to at any point during the movement take 4d6 fire damage with a basic Reflex save. Yes, that means Green will also take damage; Barzillai doesn’t care.
Okay, a bunch of stuff is about to happen in quick succession. The following happens before Barzillai does the Strike from Blazing Promenade.
Interruption #1:
And Vitalis moves to interpose himself to protect Chance! Retributive Strike’s resistance doesn’t stack with Chance’s fire resistance. And weakness gets added to damage before resistances subtract from it, so Chance only takes 7 damage.
Also assuming that Vitalis does piercing damage, since he saw Barzillai resist the slashing damage from the field of razors
Barzillai Fort vs thundering; frightened 1 | DC 24:1d20 + 27 - 1 ⇒ (9) + 27 - 1 = 35
Tangent about polearm crit spec in the spoiler below
Spoiler:
So, no matter where Vitalis repositions Barzillai to, Barzillai’ll still have a target to Strike from Blazing Promenade, so it comes down to whom Vitalis wants to use their reaction to make a Strike against Barzillai (from Exalted Reaction). I’m assuming Vitalis does NOT want to keep Barzillai adjacent to himself, since Barzillai has the bonus to damage against Vitalis from Smite. Chance has a higher attack bonus with Reprisal, but since all the mooks are already targeting Chance, I think it’s wiser to spread the damage around, so…
I’m gonna say that Vitalis repositions Barzillai to the east (next to Jisara).
Interruption #2 in the spoiler below
Spoiler:
BUT, before Jisara gets the chance to make the Strike from Retributive Strike’s exalted reaction: Barzillai cracks his neck as he is hit, and glares at Vitalis. ”You dare strike your rightfully-appointed Lord-Mayor?! Kneel for your insolence and I may forgive this transgression!”
↻ Iron Command: Each PC within Barzillai’s aura of despair (which is everyone) must choose to either kneel before Barzillai (immediately Dropping Prone as a free action) or refuse and face the consequences. For this first time, I’m gonna assume that no one chooses to kneel because, well, y’all ain’t gonna start showing deference to Barzillai NOW!
So, for refusing to kneel, Chance, Edrakk, Jisara, and Thatch each take 4 mental damage. Vitalis, however, takes 4 persistent spirit damage and 4d6 persistent mental damage! Barzillai then deals an additional 2 spirit damage on Strikes against Vitalis until the end of Barzillai’s next turn.
Resolving Jisara’s Strike that she gets from Retributive Strike.
Jisara darts past the inquisitor, reuniting with Thatch on the edge of the field of razors. She then pivots again, hurling a jolt of electricity that leaps from one enemy to the next before ending with Thrune.
Chain Lightning, DC 30 basic Reflex:8d12 ⇒ (8, 11, 1, 6, 10, 5, 11, 10) = 62Start with Blue, then Hell Hound, then Green, and then Thrune. If anyone crit succeeds then the chain ends there.
Blue falls to the electrocution done by Jisara, but Barzillai glares over at her and shouts ”KNEEL!” ↻ Iron Command (yes, he has a second reaction). And because Jisara’s player informed me that she’d refuse to bow to Barzillai, she’ll take 4d6 persistent mental damage while everyone else takes 4 mental damage (Vitalis resists all of that, though, because Hellknight).
Not gonna use Chance’s Unexpected Shift, because…it’s 4 damage, c’mon.
Mental Damage to Jisara:4d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 3, 1) = 7 DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 17
Modifying Edrakk’s turn, since Blue is dead: Edrakk Strides forward to flank Green with Vitalis and attacks! Retroactively removing the courageous anthem bonus, but that still crits.
Acid Damage to Armor:3d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 4) = 9Doesn’t get over Hardness.
Green Fort; frightened 1, Pinpoint Poisoner:1d20 + 18 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 18 - 1 - 2 = 17 Poison Damage:4d8 ⇒ (8, 2, 1, 7) = 18 plus off-guard, no reactions, and stunned 1
And Green falls into unconsciousness as he goes into anaphylactic shock from Edrakk’s poison!
Edrakk then uses Doctor’s Visitation to move away from Barzillai and attempt to heal Vitalis, but fails miserably. Because the reroll wasn’t any better, you keep the Hero Point.
Damage to Vitalis:1d8 ⇒ 4Interestingly, it’s untyped damage.
And, just like Vitalis, none of y'all reduce your frightened values because you each ended your turns within Barzillai's aura of despair.
At the start of Vitalis’s turn, he heals 12 HP.
The Grand Inquisition
Round 3
==============
Barzillai Thrune <Black> (-156 from “1” attacks [before resistances]) {8 persistent spirit; frightened 1; Smiting Vitalis: Round 0 of 1; +2 spirit damage vs Vitalis until end of Barzillai’s next turn}
Chance (-15) {frightened 1; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Jisara (-45) {frightened 1; Fire resistance 10; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Thatch (-8)
Edrakk (-8) {frightened 1; fire resistance 10; concealed; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Vitalis (-111) {Fast Healing 12: Round 1 of 4; 3d8 persistent bleed; 4 persistent spirit; 4d6 persistent mental; frightened 1; hasted: Round 1 of 10; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Hell Hound <Red> (-79) {frightened 1}
==============
LG Human Champion 12 |132/176 hp (Resist Mental 4, Slashing 4, Bludgeoning 3) | AC 33 | Fort +22 (Sacred Body), Ref +15 (+18 vs. Damage), Will +20 (Divine Will) | Perc +17 | Focus: 1/1 | Hero Pts 0/3 |
I want to end this smite ability on Vitalis. If retributive strike would extend the duration, he will hold off this round as well. Unfortunately the haste action has to be a strike or stride, otherwise I would have regripped by weapon instead of moving.
I want to end this smite ability on Vitalis. If retributive strike would extend the duration, he will hold off this round as well. Unfortunately the haste action has to be a strike or stride, otherwise I would have regripped by weapon instead of moving.
The good news is that a) Retributive Strike itself isn’t a hostile action, only the actual Strike portion of it, and b) the way Barzillai’s Smite ability is worded, it’s actually only extended to the end of Vitalis’s turn, not until Barzillai’s turn.
Also, I forgot to mention that Iron Command also gave Barzillai the +2 spirit damage to Jisara as well.
Vitalis moves away and heals himself.
Vitalis Tanessen wrote:
◆Draw Moderate Healing Potion
◆Drink Moderate Healing Potion (+18 hp)
Inventory Updated (assuming this is one of the ones from Menador Keep just for simplicity)
Vitalis Persistent Damage:
Bleed:3d8 ⇒ (6, 7, 7) = 20 DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 14
4 spirit
DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 10
Mental:4d6 ⇒ (2, 6, 6, 4) = 18 -4 from mental resistance
DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 5
And once more, no reduction of frightened because you’re too close to Barzillai.
The hellhound inhales and then unleashes its ◆◆ Hellfire Breath on Edrakk and Vitalis! Red cone. Technically this is one action, as-written, but I know PF2 monster design well enough to look at this and go “this is NOT a one-action ability at this damage.”
Vitalis uses the power of Shelyn to protect Edrakk! ↻ Retributive Strike grants resistance 14 to the damage, which doesn’t stack with the resistance from resist energy.
The hound then ◆ Steps toward Chance.
Barzillai points his mace at Vitalis and says ”Not so fast, Tanessen!” ◆ Smite He then ◆ Strides up to Vitalis and swings his mace at him!
◆ Barzillai vs Vitalis w/frightened 1; frightened 1:1d20 + 28 - 1 ⇒ (18) + 28 - 1 = 45 Unholy Bludgeoning Damage (doubled from crit); Smite:3d8 + 11 + 6 ⇒ (1, 7, 2) + 11 + 6 = 27Fire Damage (doubled from crit):1d6 ⇒ 4Spirit Damage (doubled from crit); vs. holy, Iron Command:2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 1) + 2 = 7 +5 from fire weakness
Barzillai slams his mace into Vitalis’s stomach and sends the Hellknight flying into unconsciousness! Crit Spec: Barzillai pushes Vitalis up to 10 feet away. I’ll say that Vitalis’s halberd also gets pushed the same distance, because I’m not gonna be such a massive dick as to put Vitalis’s weapon out of his reach. The Inquisitor glares down at the Shelynite and says, with venom in his voice ”Still breathing…”
8 spirit damage to Barzillai.
DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 12
Barzillai grunts in both pain and anger as the spiritual energy of Vitalis’s attack still sears at him!
EDIT: I just noticed that, for some reason, the field of razors got deleted from the map (pretty sure that was my fault; oops), and putting it back in made me realize Vitalis just got shoved INTO it! And, uh...that's hazardous terrain...
Jisara screams wordlessly in rage as Vitalis is knocked to the ground, reaching a clawed hand out as if to crush Thrune's neck despite the distance. Almost simultaneously, Thatch leaps at the inquisitor, transforming into a flurry of runes that slash and tear at him.
Stitching Strike vs Thrune, DC 30 basic Reflex, Slashing:10d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 2, 5, 4, 4, 1, 6, 5, 5) = 42Immoblized for 1 round or until he Escapes against the same DC
Jisara
◆◆ Cast laughing fit, DC 30 Will
◆ Command familiar
Thatch
◆◆ Stitching Strike vs Thrune
NG Male Tengu Alchemist (Toxicologist) 12 | HP 114/114 | AC 31, Resistance (Poison) 6, (Electricity) 5 | F : +20 (Chemical Hardiness) R: +21 W: +20 (+1 vs fear) | Perc: +18, Stealth: +22 | Speed: 25 ft (30 w/ harness), Swim: 15 ft | Hero Points: 2/3 | Infused Reagents: 0/11 | Club 2/2 Wort 2/2 Mist 2/2 Galvanic 1/1 Cloak 1/2 | Versatile Vials 7/7 | Active Conditions: Galvanic Chew, Bravo's Brew
"Damnit--" Edrakk pivots and runs towards the fallen paladin, ignoring the few razors slicing into his flesh. Frantically, he starts trying to patch him up, and quickly throws together a few reagents into a strong anaesthetic, holding it out to him. "Drink."
And Barzillai glares over at Thatch, not even needing to outright saying it, but the pressure to kneel before him overwhelming the PCs’ minds! ↻ Iron Command; Thatch takes 4d6 persistent mental and 4 persistent spirit, while everyone else takes 4 mental (Vitalis resists all of that).
And I just now realized that I completely forgot about the persistent spirit damage Jisara also should’ve taken when she triggered Iron Command last round, so I’ll retroactively apply that now while I’m doing Thatch’s persistent damage.
Vitalis uses ↻ Retributive Strike to protect Chance! But no Strike part of it. Chance gains resistance 14 to all damage, which doesn’t stack with his fire resistance, so only 3 piercing damage got through
At the start of his turn, Vitalis heals 12 HP.
Reminder to Vitalis about Blessed Counterstrike, but I would definitely understand if he has other priorities. Also, Vitalis will need to use 2 actions to take the numbing tonic: one to take it from Edrakk, and a second to properly drink it.
On mobile, so apologies if the tokens didn’t update correctly; Chance is intended to be 10 feet due east of Barzillai, with the hell hound immediately southwest from Chance.
The Grand Inquisition
Round 5
==============
Vitalis (-36) {Fast Healing 12: Round 2 of 4; 2d10 persistent fire; 3d8 persistent bleed; 4 persistent spirit; 4d6 persistent mental; frightened 1; hasted: Round 2 of 10; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear; +2 status vs mental; prone}
Barzillai Thrune <Black> (-165 from “2” attacks [before resistances]) {8 persistent spirit; frightened 1; +2 spirit damage vs Thatch until end of Barzillai’s next turn; Smiting Vitalis: Round 0 of 1}
Chance (-19) {frightened 1; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Jisara (-57) {frightened 1; Fire resistance 10; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Thatch (-26) {4d6 persistent mental}
Edrakk (-16) {frightened 1; fire resistance 10; concealed; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Hell Hound <Red> (-79)
==============
LG Human Champion 12 |132/176 hp (Resist Mental 4, Slashing 4, Bludgeoning 3) | AC 33 | Fort +22 (Sacred Body), Ref +15 (+18 vs. Damage), Will +20 (Divine Will) | Perc +17 | Focus: 1/1 | Hero Pts 0/3 |
GM Xavier wrote:
Reminder to Vitalis about Blessed Counterstrike
(No way I'm getting a counterstrike in this round. Even if I didn't take the potion, I wouldn't have enough actions. [Stand, Pick Up Weapon, Grip Weapon, Stride])
Vitalis opens his eyes and looks up at the unfamiliar ceiling, his body surrounding by barbed wire, and wonders how he is still alive.
While his head is still spinning, he finally notices Edrakk holding out a vial to him. He sees the cuts on the avian's skin and feels sympathy that Edrakk put himself in harm's way to help.
Vitalis sits up and takes the vial. "My thanks." He drinks the tonic and some of his pain fades away.
Vitalis pushes himself up off the ground. "It looks like I'm not out of this fight yet."
(No way I'm getting a counterstrike in this round. Even if I didn't take the potion, I wouldn't have enough actions. [Stand, Pick Up Weapon, Grip Weapon, Stride])
Not as important, but I’d say you could put both hands on your weapon as part of the same action to pick it up
Vitalis stands and drinks the elixir from Edrakk. No hostile action, so Barzillai’s Smite ends.
Vitalis Persistent Damage:
Fire; Fire weakness:2d10 + 5 ⇒ (10, 7) + 5 = 22 DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 18
Bleed:3d8 ⇒ (6, 3, 7) = 16 DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 16
4 spirit
DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 6
Mental:4d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 1, 5) = 14 -4 from resistance
DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 3
And once more, frightened value doesn’t decrease because you’re too close to Barzillai.
Barzillai feels the onslaught of magic despite the other Ravens’ efforts to revitalize Vitalis. His rage grows as he snaps his gaze to meet Jisara’s! Despite Chance being an easy target to flank, Barzillai ◆ Strides toward Jisara and towers over the witch! He roughly grabs Jisara’s chin and forces her to meet his gaze flavor; he just puts a hand on Jisara! He smiles grimly as he is surrounded by fiery, magical runes as he reverently intones ”What once was His shall be again!” ◆ Cast a Spell; gonna say Jisara uses Recognize Spell for this to try for the bonus to her defenses
Because Jisara failed her save, she also takes a -2 status penalty to AC for 1 round (doesn’t stack with the frightened, thankfully).
A bit of metagaming, but I’m gonna say Vitalis does NOT use Retributive Strike yet, because Barzillai’s Strikes do multiple damage types, so the resistance from Retributive Strike would have more of an impact on Barzillai’s Strike than on this (and there’s a high likelihood that Barzillai’s about to Strike).
Barzillai then, in one quick motion, releases his grip on Jisara and swings his mace at her!
Vitalis uses the power of Shelyn to protect Jisara! ↻ Retributive Strike for resistance 14 to all damage, but no Strike can be made because of reach/lack of a weapon. The resistance negates the spirit damage and some of the bludgeoning damage; it unfortunately can’t protect against the fire damage
8 persistent spirit damage
DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 17
The Grand Inquisition
Round 5
==============
Vitalis (-78) {Fast Healing 12: Round 3 of 4; 4 persistent spirit; 4d6 persistent mental; frightened 1; Moderate Numbing Tonic: Round 0 of 10; hasted: Round 3 of 10; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear; +2 status vs mental}
Barzillai Thrune <Black> (-173 from “2” attacks [before resistances])
Chance (-19) {frightened 1; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Jisara (-98) {frightened 1; -2 status to AC: Round 0 of 1; Fire resistance 10; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Thatch (-26) {4d6 persistent mental}
Edrakk (-16) {frightened 1; fire resistance 10; concealed; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Hell Hound <Red> (-79)
==============
Botting Chance: Chance casts courageous anthem then uses Sacred Glow once more.
Jisara Delays until after Edrakk.
Edrakk throws a dagger at the hell hound and jabs straight into it! Crit, but only because of Chance. Retroactively applying the bonuses from courageous anthem.
The sheer pain of Edrakk’s attack causes the creature to roar and its fiery body to erupt in flame that it directs at Edrakk! ↻ Hellish Revenge: when the hell hound is critically hit, it recharges its Hellfire Breath and can immediately use it.
Unholy Fire Damage:10d6 ⇒ (1, 4, 1, 1, 3, 1, 2, 2, 6, 6) = 27 +5 from fire weakness, -10 from fire resistance
Edrakk basic Reflex; frightened 1:1d20 + 21 - 1 ⇒ (7) + 21 - 1 = 27Exactly a success, thanks to the Sacred Glow.
Edrakk then moves through the field of razors and patches up Jisara.
At the start of Vitalis’s turn, he gains 10 temp HP and heals 12 HP, which is the last bit of healing he’ll receive from life boost, so I’m just gonna delete it from the initiative tracker to reduce clutter.
Reminder to Vitalis about Blessed Counterstrike (Barzillai DID trigger your Retributive Strike).
The Grand Inquisition
Round 6
==============
Vitalis (-66; +10) {4 persistent spirit; 4d6 persistent mental; frightened 1; Moderate Numbing Tonic: Round 1 of 10; hasted: Round 3 of 10; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear; +2 status vs mental}
Barzillai Thrune <Black> (-173 from “2” attacks [before resistances]) {frightened 1; slowed 1: Round 0 of 1}
Chance (-49) {frightened 1; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Edrakk (-26) {frightened 1; fire resistance 10; concealed; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear} Jisara (-54) {-2 status to AC: Round 0 of 1; Fire resistance 10; Bravo’s Brew: “+1” to Will, +1 more vs fear}
Thatch (-42) {4d6 persistent mental}
Hell Hound <Red> (-129) {frightened 1; 6 persistent “poison”}
==============
…then brings the holy retribution of Shelyn down on Barzillai! Gonna assume you choose to do piercing damage, since you’ve seen Barzillai resist slashing damage. And you then learn he does NOT resist piercing!
Barzillai staggers back as the halberd pierces his abdomen! He grunts in pain as he shouts ”KNEEL!” ↻ Iron Command. Since Vitalis is already taking the persistent mental damage, he’ll choose to instead deal 4d6 NON-persistent mental damage to Vitalis. He’ll also take 4 persistent spirit (which is redundant), and everyone else except Jisara will take 4 mental damage.
Mental Damage to Vitalis:4d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 1, 4) = 13 -4 from mental resistance
And Barzillai deals +2 spirit damage to Vitalis this turn.
Vitalis then switches around and kills the hellhound!
4 persistent spirit
DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 15
Vitalis persistent mental:4d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 6, 3) = 14 -4 from resistance
DC 15 flat:1d20 ⇒ 11
Vitalis’s attack staggers Barzillai. The man begins to move forward, only to be stopped by the pain of his injuries as he crouches down to catch his breath. Barzillai looks forward, and his eyes go wide as he seems to stare off in the distance. A twinge of genuine fear spreads across his face!
”No…not now…”
The fear shifts to determination as he yells at some unseen entity beyond the PCs!
”NOT NOW!”
Barzillai, with every fiber of his being, ◆ shouts at the top of his lungs:
”TIRAQ!!!”
A magical circle of runes appears horizontally at Barzillai’s waist, then begins rotating around him rapidly, accelerating faster and faster until, in a bright flash of light, Barzillai vanishes without a trace.
GM Screen:
1d6 ⇒ 5
17 IPP
KLOOONG
…
…
KLOOONG
…
…
KLOOONG
…
…
KLOOONG
…
…
KLOOONG
…
…
The Devil’s Bells ring out again, accentuating Barzillai’s sudden disappearance. The PCs wait for a few moments more, expecting some further ambush, but none comes.
LG Human Champion 12 |132/176 hp (Resist Mental 4, Slashing 4, Bludgeoning 3) | AC 33 | Fort +22 (Sacred Body), Ref +15 (+18 vs. Damage), Will +20 (Divine Will) | Perc +17 | Focus: 1/1 | Hero Pts 0/3 |
Vitalis breathes heavily. "What just happened? That...didn't look like he died." Vitalis buries his face in his hands. "Shelyn. I don't want to face him again. Ugh!"
Vitalis walks over to the balcony and looks down. Did anything change with the ritual after Barzillai's disappearance?
"Thanks everyone. I am in your debt. I thought I was about to visit Nirvana this day. Permanently. But you risked yourselves to bring me back."
(Vitalis would consider the eternal eruption or silent bell as utility items. But is at no loss without them either.)
NG Male Tengu Alchemist (Toxicologist) 12 | HP 114/114 | AC 31, Resistance (Poison) 6, (Electricity) 5 | F : +20 (Chemical Hardiness) R: +21 W: +20 (+1 vs fear) | Perc: +18, Stealth: +22 | Speed: 25 ft (30 w/ harness), Swim: 15 ft | Hero Points: 2/3 | Infused Reagents: 0/11 | Club 2/2 Wort 2/2 Mist 2/2 Galvanic 1/1 Cloak 1/2 | Versatile Vials 7/7 | Active Conditions: Galvanic Chew, Bravo's Brew
Edrakk sighs. "F-figures."
Vitalis Tanessen wrote:
"Thanks everyone. I am in your debt. I thought I was about to visit Nirvana this day. Permanently. But you risked yourselves to bring me back."
"O-of course!! We're not just g-gonna let you die. A-although honestly, I-I'm glad he left when he did, I d-didn't have much left to give you to keep you upright."
"Although... d-did anyone else notice a-anything w-weird about how he a-acted at the end t-there? L-like he was talking t-to someone else?"
LG Human Champion 12 |132/176 hp (Resist Mental 4, Slashing 4, Bludgeoning 3) | AC 33 | Fort +22 (Sacred Body), Ref +15 (+18 vs. Damage), Will +20 (Divine Will) | Perc +17 | Focus: 1/1 | Hero Pts 0/3 |
"I heard him shout Tiraq. Perhaps that's the name of someone he was speaking with? He could have made a deal with a devil. That's on point for a Thrune. And it's not like we aren't in a temple to Asmodeus right now. But with Barzillai out of the way. At least temporarily at least. I think it is time to put an end to this ritual. I don't know if the priests can still pull it off without Barzillai's presence but I'm not about to wait to find out."
"Definitely, let's stop the ritual next!" Chance thinks for a moment, then adds, "I don't suppose we could do that just by throwing fireballs or bombs down from here on the balcony?"
Occultism*:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (19) + 23 = 42 *Chance's Bardic Lore modifier is +18 compared to +23 for Occultism, so the difference in the DC matches the difference between the skill modifiers
Vitalis Tanessen wrote:
"I heard him shout Tiraq. Perhaps that's the name of someone he was speaking with? He could have made a deal with a devil. That's on point for a Thrune. And it's not like we aren't in a temple to Asmodeus right now. But with Barzillai out of the way. At least temporarily at least. I think it is time to put an end to this ritual. I don't know if the priests can still pull it off without Barzillai's presence but I'm not about to wait to find out."
"I'm pretty sure 'TIRAQ' was the command word to dismiss a ritual - not the ritual we're worried about. It's usually called 'gathering call,' and by dismissing it Barzy was whisked back to whatever safe house or sanctuary he set up in advance. He had heightened it a bit (8th rank), so it could handle more people, and more powerful people, too. I guess we had him worried."
"I'm pretty sure 'TIRAQ' was the command word to dismiss a ritual - not the ritual we're worried about. It's usually called 'gathering call,' and by dismissing it Barzy was whisked back to whatever safe house or sanctuary he set up in advance. He had heightened it a bit (8th rank), so it could handle more people, and more powerful people, too. I guess we had him worried."
To be noted, the campaign only in-game started 7 months ago, with gathering call’s duration being 1 year. The only places Barzillai has been known to spend 7 consecutive days at a time are the Kintargo Opera House and the Temple of Asmodeus. Which means:
a) Barzillai cast gathering call during the events of the campaign, in which case he just teleported to either the Opera House or somewhere else in the temple.
OR
b) Barzillai cast gathering call prior to the campaign’s beginning, in which case he just teleported somewhere far, far away from Kintargo.
Y’all are able to do any reasonable pre-buffs that you want to.
When the PCs finally arrive in the central nave, they quickly get noticed by the numerous priests! However, each priest—even Prelate Grivenner—is shaken by the PCs’ presence: If they are here, then that must mean that High Inquisitor Thrune is…
The priesthood and Grivenner start combat frightened 2, including when rolling initiative.
Rituals CAN be put on hold for a short time*, so if the PCs can distract the Asmodeans long enough, the ritual will disrupt. If we get to the end of Round 10, the ritual has been delayed for too long and must be recast from the beginning of its 3 6 day casting time.
*Tangent:
I completely made that up, because there’s nothing in the rules for attempting to disrupt a ritual, so I just had to come up with something and work with it.
Central Nave Description wrote:
Five red stone pillars rise up in the center of the room, which descends in a series of five pentagonal terraces to form an arena-like pit each “step” descends 5 feet. A second set of pentagonal slabs of stone rise in the center to form a five-sided stage. The stage rises up 5 feet from the previous ground. I’ve marked the altitude stuff in red on slide 3, and the direction of ascending/descending in black.
Reminder about the room’s terrainGoing down OR up the big steps is difficult terrain; the stairs for the central platform is only difficult terrain when climbing up them. The dashed circle in the center of the room WAS the pillar of hellfire that is now gone, so it’s irrelevant to the current combat.
Also, I will be including people’s altitude relative to the lowest point in the central nave, as well as if they are flying (if “flying” is omitted, that person is standing on the ground and walking)
Nothing happens on the initiative labeled “!!!”
Corinstian holds a scroll in one hand with a tight-knuckled grip and, in a panic, bows his head to the earth and beseeches ”Prince of Darkness, hallowed be Thy name, protect Thine obedient servants in Thine embrace!” Cast a Spell
Suddenly, the center part of the nave becomes surrounded by a sphere of barbs wreathed in hellfire!Red radius. I’m being explicit about what the spell is so y’all can properly plan your turn. The burst is centered on the very center of the nave (the middle of the dashed circle) and is a 50-foot radius. It’s only a problem when you cross THROUGH the outer circumference of the circle.
And, just for Vitalis: everything in this combat has the unholy trait.
Jisara makes a swirling gesture with the hand holding her knife, which swiftly translates into a sudden storm of ice and sleet that pounds the assembled ritualists. Pleased with her handiwork, she turns to the rest of the party and bows.
And there could be some healing focus spells cast during there to top people off. And, as always, everyone Refocuses to be back at their full Focus Points.
I’ll get to the next round of combat once Edrakk posts.
Y’all are able to do any reasonable pre-buffs that you want to.
Since we rested before the Barzillai fight, I think Vitalis probably would have another titanic fury cocktail from Edrakk. Given the large size of this room, this would be a good place for Vitalis to use it.
That is the only pre-buff Vitalis would do.
Factored in now.
Jisara summons forth a blizzard on top of the Asmodean priests! Oh, that poor troop.
Well, that was lucky. Still dealt extra damage to the troop, though.
Botting Edrakk: Edrakk activates his harness then advances forward to be right next to the blessed boundary.
The priests all simultaneously ◆ Cast a Spell, causing their grief and terror to subside a bit. Veil of confidence: this immediately lowers the troop’s frightened value by 1.
The priesthood then simultaneously ◆◆ Cast a Spell as they bombard the PCs with wave after wave of the same spiritual blast! Black radius. It’ll end up getting everyone EXCEPT Edrakk, because he’s barely too far away due to the altitude difference.
Flavor-wise, y’all are getting hit by the same spell, like, 40 times from creatures with hilariously-low spell DCs that y’all are statistically likely to fail at least some of, and the priests are minorly changing the exact points of origin to increase the area while not diluting the damage. Mechanically, this means that any spell the troop cast is automatically affected by Widen Spell without needing to use an extra action, and the spell they cast is treated as one higher-rank version of the spell as opposed to 40 lower-rank version, with your singular save against this “one” spell meant to be representative of the culmination of many saves against the lower-rank version of the spell.
LG Human Champion 12 |132/176 hp (Resist Mental 4, Slashing 4, Bludgeoning 3) | AC 33 | Fort +22 (Sacred Body), Ref +15 (+18 vs. Damage), Will +20 (Divine Will) | Perc +17 | Focus: 1/1 | Hero Pts 0/3 |
Jumping: This probably came up before but I don't remember. How far can Vitalis safely jump down without falling and hurting himself? For my post I'm going to assume 10 ft. But if he falls from that, I may need to modify. I'd also argue that if he can only jump down 5 ft., since falling deals bludgeoning damage equal to half the falling distance, his bludgeoning resistance 3, should absorb a fall for the remaining 5 ft.
Vitalis jumps down to the edge of the blessed boundary than throughs a ball of frozen lava into the enemies' midst that explodes into a fireball upon contact with the ground.
Throws Eternal Eruption of Mhar Massif 70 ft. Explodes in a 20-ft. radius. Reflex save DC 30 for half. (Orange circle on map)
Jumping: This probably came up before but I don't remember. How far can Vitalis safely jump down without falling and hurting himself? For my post I'm going to assume 10 ft. But if he falls from that, I may need to modify. I'd also argue that if he can only jump down 5 ft., since falling deals bludgeoning damage equal to half the falling distance, his bludgeoning resistance 3, should absorb a fall for the remaining 5 ft.
You take half the distance fallen as bludgeoning damage, so 5 (reduced to 2). Because you took at least 1 point of falling damage, you land prone.
Vitalis jumps over and chucks a bead of a volcanic eruption at the priests!
The explosion annihilates most of the remainder of the priesthood, while Corinstian ↻ Casts a Spell to stave off some of the fire’s effects. Corinstian gains resistance 20 to fire for that one effect.
On the initiative labeled “!!!”:
Chance Counteract with the Song of Silver; Rank 6:1d20 + 21 ⇒ (18) + 21 = 39
The Song of Silver prevents a devil from using a 5th-rank translocate to immediately appear in this battle from elsewhere in the temple.
The high priest unfurls the scroll in his hand and holds it aloft in front of his face. He reads from the scroll in a loud voice, but his timbre holds reverence and desperation.
„Bei meiner Vollmacht als Stellvertreter des Hochinquisitors und meiner Vollmacht als Kintarganer Hohepriester des Prinzen der Finsternis flehe ich Dich an, oh Asmodeus!”
He makes wide hand motions as he speaks, and references the tome in his other hand.
„Gewähre deinen treuen Dienern die Macht, diese aufrührerischen Kinder für ihren Ungehorsam gegenüber ihren Vorgesetzten zu bestrafen!”
As he speaks, the text flies off the scroll and surrounds Corinstian in flickering runes that dance around the old man like a flame ignited by his own fiery zeal!
„Segne uns mit der Hilfe Deines treuesten Dieners aus den Tiefen Deines Königreichs der Hölle!”
It is clear that he is ◆◆◆ Casting a Spell more powerful than any that the Silver Ravens have ever seen, and perhaps more powerful than even the high priest can manage on his own as he trembles under its divine power—the man relying on the power bestowed unto him by the High Inquisitor upon the writ from which he reads!
„Ich, Corinstan Grivenner—leitender Prälat und Hohepriester von Kintargo unseres Prinzen der Finsternis—flehe in unserer dunkelsten Zeit um die Hilfe von Asmodeus' Herold! Segne uns mit dem Licht deines Höllenfeuers, Basileus!“
Diabolic:
“By my authority in proxy of the High Inquisitor, and my authority as the Kintargan High Priest of the Prince of Darkness, I beseech Thine aid, O Asmodeus! Grant unto Thine loyal servants the power to punish these riotous children for their disobedience against their superiors! Bless us with the aid of Thine most loyal servant from the depths of Thine kingdom of Hell! I, Corinstan Grivenner—senior prelate and High Priest of Kintargo to our Prince of Darkness—implore the aid of Asmodeus’s herald in our darkest time! Bless us with the light of thine hellfire, Basileus!”
When his words finish, the fiery runes surrounding Corinstian fly back at the scroll, igniting it in unholy fire! The ashes of the scroll fly high into the air, floating some thirty feet above the ground and swirling rapidly overhead! The swirling ashes enlarge and reignite in a massive inferno! The inferno reforms into a vaguely humanoid shape, and a pair of massive bat wings spread out from within! The flames morph into flesh and bone, as it finally settles into the form of a handsome male humanoid, albeit with bat wings. To Jisara and Vitalis the man appears to be a human, to Chance he appears to be a gnome, and to Edrakk he appears as a tengu. Nevertheless, the massive winged man’s eyes burn with the fires of Hell!
The Asmodean priesthood look up in awe at the figure flying above them, some falling to their knees in reverence, only to be pulled back to their feet by their fellow acolytes who still have enough wits about them to remember that they’re in mortal peril. Even Grivenner is mesmerized, a small part of him honestly believing that his pleas wouldn’t be answered.
NG Male Tengu Alchemist (Toxicologist) 12 | HP 114/114 | AC 31, Resistance (Poison) 6, (Electricity) 5 | F : +20 (Chemical Hardiness) R: +21 W: +20 (+1 vs fear) | Perc: +18, Stealth: +22 | Speed: 25 ft (30 w/ harness), Swim: 15 ft | Hero Points: 2/3 | Infused Reagents: 0/11 | Club 2/2 Wort 2/2 Mist 2/2 Galvanic 1/1 Cloak 1/2 | Versatile Vials 7/7 | Active Conditions: Galvanic Chew, Bravo's Brew
GM Xavier Kahlvet wrote:
The high priest unfurls the scroll in his hand and holds it aloft in front of his face. He reads from the scroll in a loud voice, but his timbre holds reverence and desperation.
„Bei meiner Vollmacht als Stellvertreter des Hochinquisitors und meiner Vollmacht als Kintarganer Hohepriester des Prinzen der Finsternis flehe ich Dich an, oh Asmodeus!”
Where's the ark of the covenant when you need it?
"Okay, I'm assuming t-they didn't find the one d-devil who looks like a tengu, a-and this is some mind t-thing?"
I'm going to make the rest of my turn under the assumption that the Blessed Boundary only does damage while interacting with the boundary itself, not just within the radius, which is how I'm reading the spell description. If I'm wrong, I'll update it.
"Okay. Okay. J-just gonna h-hurt for a second a-and it's g-gonna be fine."
Clenching up, Edrakk runs forward through the boundary. He stops by one of the pillars before brewing and drinking a potion.
Thatch hacks and gags next to Jisara, while she weave two spells simultaneously: one to heal her familiar's injuries, and another to unravel the barrier protecting the Asmodeans from her allies. Her face is set in an expression of pure focus.
I'm going to make the rest of my turn under the assumption that the Blessed Boundary only does damage while interacting with the boundary itself, not just within the radius, which is how I'm reading the spell description. If I'm wrong, I'll update it.
This is correct; the only thing that’s important about the blessed boundary is the outer shell. This is, however, a moot point because…
Jisara begins healing Thatch then uses her magic to completely unravel the blessed boundary! That was A LOT closer than you think, FYI. Hero Point, because that’s gonna fundamentally change how this combat goes from here on.
Edrakk then advances forward and covers himself in mist. I adjusted your position a bit, since you didn’t take into account that even going down these massive steps is difficult terrain.
The priesthood simultaneously ◆◆ Cast a Spell as dozens of spiritual armaments manifest around Vitalis and move to strike the champion! Again, this mechanically counts as a single casting of spiritual armament at a higher rank.
Chance clicks his heels together three times and chants, “There’s no race ancestry like gnome! There’s no race ancestry like gnome! There’s no race ancestry like gnome!“
Wings sprout from his sandals. The gnome rises a few inches off of the step and flies towards Vitalis and Edrakk (maintaining his height at 20’).
Chance begins flying and making his way toward the Asmodeans.
Vitalis stands and advances as he regrips his halberd.
Nothing happens on “!!!”
Corinstian raises his arms high as he proclaims ”Prince of Darkness, give clarity to these lost children’s minds, that they would see the true nature of their so-called ‘comrades’!” ◆ Reach Spell, ◆◆ Cast a Spell
You three are affected by inexhaustible cynicism, which has…some really significant effects. And yes, Chance is still in range of it even with the Reach Spell (I did the trigonometry). Edrakk and Vitalis are affected by the spell for 1 minute, while Chance is affected for 1 hour. Y’all can choose to use a Hero Point to reroll if you wish.
The giant devil in the air—Basileus, the herald of Asmodeus—looks down and raises a single hand toward the PCs. It lunges forward, flying until it is right in front of Chance. The devil snaps his fingers and becomes surrounded in black fog that suddenly explodes outward, engulfing the entire central nave in hellfire! Basileus deals damage in a 100-foot emanation. Needless to say, this gets everyone.
I’m bending the rules a bit, but I’m going to say that Jisara’s Devil’s Advocate applies to her save against this effect since it’s TECHNICALLY originating from a devil.
Edrakk, Jisara, and Vitalis are all sickened 2 and slowed 1 for as long as they are sickened. Thatch and Chance are both sickened 1 (not slowed). Y’all can use Hero Points to reroll that if you wish.
And as the Hellfire clears, Basileus has vanished, and the Asmodeans are miraculously unharmed (which is a surprise even to them).
NG Male Tengu Alchemist (Toxicologist) 12 | HP 114/114 | AC 31, Resistance (Poison) 6, (Electricity) 5 | F : +20 (Chemical Hardiness) R: +21 W: +20 (+1 vs fear) | Perc: +18, Stealth: +22 | Speed: 25 ft (30 w/ harness), Swim: 15 ft | Hero Points: 2/3 | Infused Reagents: 0/11 | Club 2/2 Wort 2/2 Mist 2/2 Galvanic 1/1 Cloak 1/2 | Versatile Vials 7/7 | Active Conditions: Galvanic Chew, Bravo's Brew
That cynicism spell sucks, but... frankly, I'm not confident a reroll would get me anything better. I am gonna use a hero point on the sickened, though.
Fort Save, Hero Point:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (19) + 20 = 39
Edrakk frantically looks around, trying to determine what's real and what isn't, before moving forward a bit.
◆ Seek to avoid 6d6 damage
◆ Stride
If Fort successful (or at least more successful) bomb Black
[spoier=So after the rerolls…]Chance’s situation stays the same, but I give the Hero Point right back since it didn’t make the situation any better.
Edrakk Succeeds at his save, which turns to a crit success from Chemical Hardiness, so he is neither sickened nor slowed (and is undamaged).
Jisara turns her crit fail into a regular failure, so she is only sickened 1 (and not slowed).
Vitalis rolls a success against the cynicism, which turns to a crit success due to Divine Will. And that’s noteworthy because it means that Retributive Strike doesn’t just immediately go offline, since while Chance and Edrakk do not treat Vitalis as an ally, Vitalis still treats them as one.[/spoiler]
Jisara turns herself invisible and retches. Adjusted Thatch’s movement; going down these “stairs” is still difficult terrain.
Jisara wrote:
Does Devil's Advocate apply on this, too?
Due to the flavor of stuff, I’d say yes. Still a failure, though.
Edrakk moves forward and throws a bomb! You didn’t move your token, nor specify how far you wanted to move, so I’m just gonna assume you stay 20 feet away from Grivenner to avoid the range increment penalty. Also, just gonna assume you throw a blight bomb.
Edrakk vs Grivenner:1d20 + 22 ⇒ (19) + 22 = 41 Poison Damage (doubled from crit):3d4 ⇒ (2, 2, 1) = 5 plus 3 poison splash and 3d4 6d4 persistent poison
Seeing the damage he has done to the high priest, the priesthood ◆◆ Stride toward Edrakk and ◆ Sustain to send the numerous spiritual armaments at the tengu!
LG Human Champion 12 |132/176 hp (Resist Mental 4, Slashing 4, Bludgeoning 3) | AC 33 | Fort +22 (Sacred Body), Ref +15 (+18 vs. Damage), Will +20 (Divine Will) | Perc +17 | Focus: 1/1 | Hero Pts 0/3 |
Vitalis blinks a few times, shocked at the devil's disappearance. But there is no time to puzzle out the mystery. There is still killing to be done. Cursing all the steps in the nave, he makes his way forward. The priest is just out of reach so he expands his protective aura.
Botting Chance: Chance Flies over toward Grivenner and casts suspended retribution on the high priest! Declaring “Cast a Spell.” The cynicism also deals mental damage to Chance since he doesn’t have the actions to Seek.
Grivenner notices the six-sided-die-with-all-1s floating above him from Chance’s spell, makes some quick calculations in his head, and decides to ◆◆◆ make several warding gestures to end the suspended retribution. This is a cleric; he can NOT tank that Reflex save XD
Thatch continues to bound down the steps, where Jisara uses him as the origin point of another healing hex for Vitalis before trying to gingerly make her way down the steps.
Thatch
◆ Stride
Jisara
◆ Familiar Conduit
◆ Cast life boost on Vitalis
◆ Sneak (Stealth +21)
Edrakk throws two daggers at Grivenner, hitting the high priest with the first one!
Grivenner Fort:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (16) + 18 = 34
Grivenner then glares at Edrakk! ”You DARE?!” ↻ 4th-rank blood vendetta, which Jisara immediately recognizes.
DC 5 flat to target Edrakk:1d20 ⇒ 7
Edrakk Fort:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (11) + 20 = 31 Failure Edrakk takes 4d6 persistent bleed (and that weird weakness to slashing/piercing, which I’m just not gonna bother noting anymore because it’s too much effort to do so.
It also isn’t really Grivenner “dealing” “damage,” it’s technically applying a condition, so Retributive Strike doesn’t apply.
The priesthood all utter incantations as the ◆◆ whispers of the Void begin engulfing Edrakk and Vitalis! Red radius, with a reminder that the troop just always gets the effects of Widen Spell; Chance’s altitude means he’s not in it. This WOULD trigger counter performance, except the inexhaustible cynicism means that Chance doesn’t treat either Edrakk nor Vitalis as allies.
Edrakk takes 6d8 persistent void damage and is drained 1. Reminder that the initiative card below does NOT take the HP reduction from drained into account for PCs.
The troop then ◆ Sustain their spiritual armaments and send them at Edrakk for having the gall to attack the high priest!
