Her loathsome claws grapple onto Nylthe, sinking into the skin and also bringing the summoner down as well! 3 damage, prone (Wedderwark's melee attack of opportunity has trip)
Despite the move backfiring somewhat, Aconite still takes the opportunity to tear at the gremlin, sinking a bite into her. It screeches again, a detestable screech that leaves no doubt as to the gremlins feelings about the situation. She begins jiving on the ground, avoiding the rest of the shadow hound's attacks.
Standing up drawing attacks of opportunity, she repeats a prior incantation, very wary of her nearby foes...
GM screen:
Concentration:1d20 ⇒ 2
The Nuglub's face contorts in anticipation of further disruption from the Pathfinders. Her spell seems to halt, and stutter, ultimately fizzling out and wasted. The frustration is plain on her alien face.
The jinkins sidesteps Juis' mace and continues to taunt him, tongue stuck out full. If I can just clonk him on the head he'll bite that damn thing off... he thinks.
As the Nuglub stands up Marianna takes advantage of the situation, further harshing her chill. The group has never seen a set of three seething eyes before, but they do now that it's incensed.
Female Half-Elf Unchained Summoner 5 | HP 33/33 | AC 15, T 11, FF 14 CMD 16 | Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4 | Init +3 | Perc -1 | Sense Motive -1 | Summon Monsters 4/7 | Spells: Level 1 5/5, Level 2 1/3
Nylthe and her shadow hound scrabble at the gremlin as she rises. Nylthe hauls herself back to her feet, stepping out of reach and lashing out once more to topple her to the ground with her whip!
Apologies, I think my round notation might've caused confusion. I highlighted Nylthe and Aconite for AoO's (because they did need to act), not to get full turns again (so Nylthe won't be able to get up again or trip, but there are no rules against taking AoO from prone as she's still technically threatening). I'll assume aconite's first attack is the AoO.
Fortunately for the Nuglub, Nylthe and Aconite aren't able to lay a hand on her as she rises back to her feet.
Meanwhile the jinkins seems to be preparing for something shifty in front of Juis and Leb.
GM Screen:
Concentration:1d20 ⇒ 18
It seems nearly ready to get the spell off when it looks up at Juis and, although he's not specifically trying to intimidate it, it flinches as if he could strike at any moment. The spell fizzles out.
HP: 38/38 l AC: 14 (18 w/ Mage Armor), T 14, FF 12 l CMD 15 l F +6, R +6, W +8 l L1: 1/4, L2: 2/4, L3: 3/3 l Init +6 l Senses: Perception +1, Low-Light Vision
"This thing is like a cockroach, it just won't die!" Fran laments. Hoping to hurry the process along a bit Fran takes another step back from the melee and begins casting, reaching out for Wedderwark's very bones and rattling them furiously!
Boneshaker Damage:5d6 ⇒ (6, 5, 3, 5, 6) = 25
Then, she giggles.
"Hee! I normally don't use that one but it's sure fun to watch..."
______________
Fran casts Boneshaker on Wedderwark; DC 16 Fort for half damage. Then a Cackle to keep Fortune going on Aconite.
Wedderwark watches intently as Fran laments, but soon the Nuglub's face begin to contort, and then along with odd bony protrusions out of her arms and shoulder. She whimpers pitifully as her bones shift and scrape on each other before finally returning to their resting spot. Once it is over, you can tell she's desperately trying to gather herself.
GM:
Fortitude, Wedderwark:1d20 ⇒ 4
Full damage. She is now at -64.
The jinkins re-gains some of it's confidence as it senses Leb is going to strike from behind. It smirks at Juis just before dodging to the side, as if demonstrating it's prowess to the oracle.
Marianna, Nylthe, and Aconite (bull's strength, fortune) are still up!
"Cockroach feels right." Marianna agrees with Fran, as she drops her blade low before slashing upward at Wedderwark. "About as dangerous too, in spite of the magical skill."
Swift action - Grant Precise Strike to Aconite Standard action - Attack vs. Wedderwark
Marianna catches the Nuglub off guard and takes another chunk out of her. If there were any doubt that the joy had left this battle for the trickster, it's gone.
Nylthe winds up her whip and at an unexpected point in this motion it flicks out at Wedderwark's legs, but doesn't manage to wrap her up or bring her down. Due to this, the Nuglub continues to frustrate and avoid Aconite. The first claw comes close to its mark, but Wedderwark dodges with a desperate, worried face.
Right after this exasperated exchange, she throws up her clawed hands in a very clear signal of surrender. She screeches something frantic at the party.
Undercommon:
Please! You have me. Spare Wedderwark's pitiful life. I underestimated you! If you let Wedderwark live, I can give you a key to the elevator so that you can move on, live your lives, and leave me be! Gremlins should live to play harmless jokes in the future!
At this same time, Juis and Leb notice that the jinkin also throws up his hands, including the loaded crossbow, following its master's lead.
Instead of proceeding to the next round, I'm giving others a chance to weigh in (free actions) before Juis' turn really ends. You can end combat with consensus, and whatever conditions you want to setup or negotiate with them (or you can keep clobbering :P ).
HP: 38/38 l AC: 14 (18 w/ Mage Armor), T 14, FF 12 l CMD 15 l F +6, R +6, W +8 l L1: 1/4, L2: 2/4, L3: 3/3 l Init +6 l Senses: Perception +1, Low-Light Vision
Juis translates back to the Nuglub and she makes a very conciliatory gesture towards the party while reaching into her cloak producing... a hexagonal key! She places it in Marianna's hand.
The gremlins cower sheepishly as the party retreats towards the elevator. Once again they pass by the odd, ritualistic unseen servants in the outer corridor, eternally doing their things, fidgeting with a pile of coins and various other trinkets.
Just as the group reaches the elevator chamber, a ghostly hand pops up through the floor of the elevator. It floats around, seemingly inspecting each party member in turn. It halts when it gets to Lebraerio, hovering towards his displayed wayfinder. The ghostly hand pops upward as if suddenly excited.
It beckons for Leb to follow it to the elevator, and then alternates between the beckoning and pointing downward, as if he (and presumably the party) should take it downward (perhaps with the newfound key).
Marianna nods and steps onto the elevator, holding off on activating the elevator until the rest of the party is aboard. "Deeper and deeper. If this is a temple to the dwarven god of toil, though, do you think there's going to be multiple tedious little stops on the way down?"
HP: 38/38 l AC: 14 (18 w/ Mage Armor), T 14, FF 12 l CMD 15 l F +6, R +6, W +8 l L1: 1/4, L2: 2/4, L3: 3/3 l Init +6 l Senses: Perception +1, Low-Light Vision
"Probably, but that's okay. We're partly here to see the sights, aren't we?" Fran responds cheerfully as she carefully follows the others into the elevator.
The party follows the ghostly hand onto the elevator and it seems to speed ahead of them, descending though the floor of it. Marianna places the hex key in its slot (the fourth), and then proceeds to turn the control wheel as they'd learned to do on the top-most floor.
The elevator lurches into action, rotating as it descends for two full minutes, passing one stone door entirely and then stopping at the next. The ghostly hand appears to be waiting at this level, and excitedly beckoning you further down. However, the elevator does not have the key for any deeper level at the moment.
The stone door tightly seals the entryway of this floor. Rivulets of water trickle from the edges of the doorway, suggesting considerably more water lies beyond.
The door is definitely holding back a large quantity of water. There's no real way to open it without that water rushing out and flooding the elevator carriage. However, Lebraerio considers, the elevator shaft does offer something of a drain if the carriage is moved up enough to create the opening...
HP: 38/38 l AC: 14 (18 w/ Mage Armor), T 14, FF 12 l CMD 15 l F +6, R +6, W +8 l L1: 1/4, L2: 2/4, L3: 3/3 l Init +6 l Senses: Perception +1, Low-Light Vision
"That's a lot of water...are we sure that ghost hand is friendly or did it hope we'd drown ourselves down here?" Fran asks, looking rather pensive. "Because I don't think I want to drown today and I don't think anyone else does, either!"
Well, assuming that Lebraerio shares the engineering knowledge...
"Well, We can raise the platform a little with any issue, but opening the door will likely push the person that does so into the shaft. We could tie a rope to that person and I can anchor it, but hopefully someone else has an idea to open the door from a distance...," Marianna says, before pausing a moment. "Or we can just tie the rope on the door and tug it open from the platform. Does that work for everyone?"
HP: 38/38 l AC: 14 (18 w/ Mage Armor), T 14, FF 12 l CMD 15 l F +6, R +6, W +8 l L1: 1/4, L2: 2/4, L3: 3/3 l Init +6 l Senses: Perception +1, Low-Light Vision
It sounds like the plan is solidifying. Any other ideas to consider? If not, who is opening the door and who is standing back safely on the partially elevated elevator?
I think it would. The DCs listed are to walk (STR) or swim against the torrent, and I think a DC to just stand in-place would almost equal to the DC of the tanglefoot created by adhesive spittle. I won't require a roll for that.
HP: 38/38 l AC: 14 (18 w/ Mage Armor), T 14, FF 12 l CMD 15 l F +6, R +6, W +8 l L1: 1/4, L2: 2/4, L3: 3/3 l Init +6 l Senses: Perception +1, Low-Light Vision
Most of the party takes its place on the elevator and rotates the wheel until it is elevated between one and two feet above this level, leaving that much of a gap for water to flow into the shaft below.
Marianna and Nylthe secure themselves near the door and, when they believe they're ready, open it.
Predictably, a torrent of water pushes the door the rest of the way open and floods the room. They brace themselves and maintain their footing and wait while the water passes. At first it hits their bodies so hard it hurts, but the force lessens over time. The water flows straight back to the elevator shaft and drains.
After five full minutes, the last bit trickles through leaving nothing but a faint echo throughout the chamber.
Then, the party hears something stirring in the chamber beyond. Refocusing and peering through the open, now-safe doorway, they notice figures.
Two jackal-headed, brightly painted clay statues animate and lurch forward, each hefting a hammer. While still further back, audible hissing can be heard in the nearer chamber where ghoul-like faces peak out from behind the door frame. They give the impression of formerly dwarven faces.
Knowledge (Religion) for Red/Blue/Green, DC11:
These are Lacedon of perished dwarves. The aquatic cousins of the ghoul lurk near hidden reefs or other places where ships are likely to meet their ends. In this case it would be a mine flooded by underground springs.
Knowledge (Arcana) for Yellow/Purple, DC15:
The jackal-headed clay statues are Graven Guardians, and these seem slightly flawed somehow.
Graven guardians are human-sized constructs of clay, stone, wood, or similar materials, crafted and painted to resemble a deity or a deity’s favored servants. When not in motion, a graven guardian appears identical to a temple or crypt’s statue, but while active, graven guardians look extremely lifelike.
Graven guardians are inexorably tied to a specific deity’s faith. While unintelligent and thus lacking any real personality, a graven guardian has the ability to recognize fellow worshipers or minions of its deity and does not treat them as enemies unless they first attack. This recognition does not extend so far as to allow these worshipers (or those cunningly disguised as worshipers) to give a graven guardian new orders. As with all constructs, a graven guardian follows only the orders of its creator.
For every 5 that you beat a DC by, choose a question from here.
Male Shadow Eidolon | HP 26/26 | AC 19(23)(27), T 12, FF 14(16) CMD 19 | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +1 | Init +3 | Perc +7 | Sense Motive +7
Then, once the dust has cleared, Aconite launches himself into the chamber, tearing first at the sickly creature to his left, before rounding on the clay statue as it falls?
Lebraerio is too focused on giving you the inofrmations about their fighting capacities to realise he forgot to give more than a glance to the other foes
HP: 38/38 l AC: 14 (18 w/ Mage Armor), T 14, FF 12 l CMD 15 l F +6, R +6, W +8 l L1: 1/4, L2: 2/4, L3: 3/3 l Init +6 l Senses: Perception +1, Low-Light Vision
Fran knows better than to put herself up front in the face of foes like these, so she hangs back and focuses her power on giving Marianna a bit of good fortune for the battle to come.
"Oh dear...maybe we were better off with the pranksters upstairs?" she muses, giving an uneasy giggle as she does.
Hex Uses:
Fortune - Aconite, Marianna
______________
Fortune hex on Marianna, Cackle to extend the duration.
Marianna nods and drops into her usual fighting stance as Nylthe blasts half the room with glitter. As the cloud clears, she steps forward and brings her blade down toward the shoulder of the construct before her, guided by a bit of good luck.
Swift action - Enter Sisterhood Style 5 foot Standard action - Attack vs. Yellow w/ Fortune
Nylthe sprays a cloud of glitter into the chamber, and two of the lacedons begin blinking rapidly, as if struggling for focus.
Aconite savages the nearby clay warrior, which he doesn't find as satisfying as a usual flesh creature, and "feels" less effective than he would have hoped DR. Still it stands with both arms and a hammer threatening those around it.
Just then, several party members' expressions light up with sudden remembrance of useful information about the lacedons.
Lacedon knowledge...:
Special attacks paralysis (elves are immune to this effect)
special defenses/Resistance channel resistance
Weakness none
Immunities none
Saves fortitude and reflex are weaker, will is stronger
Fran further knows something about the craven guardians.
Graven Guardian knowledge...:
Resistances DR 5/adamantine
Weaknesses faith bound
She then blesses Marianna and Aconite with her witchy ways! Marianna confidently slashes at the clay creature, taking another chunk out of its torso.
The dwarven ghoul near Aconite seems to get excited, believing it has a prime chance while the shadow hound is focused on the clay jackal. Its tongue lashes around widely as it lunges into him with a similar assault of its own.
The hound is light on his toes and avoids a lunging bite and two claws. Assuming I have Aconite's AC right. Which of those numbers is active right now? "AC 19(23)(27)"
The other two ghouls feel their way through the blindness, carefully heel-toeing towards Aconite, partially directed by the Graven Guardian as it points their way.
