[PFS2] 2-14 Lost in Flames (GM Watery Soup) (Inactive)

Game Master Watery Soup

Before leaving the strange campsite, Dr. Lazarus studies the stone map and specifically focuses on what he believes to be the water-based ritual site to the east.
Lazarus Pursues a Lead with the ritual site as the subject. He'll augment that same lead, if necessary, when he's within sight of the monolith.

When the group arrives in view of the monolith, Dr. Lazarus is in awe. Watching the waves, he does his best to determine a pattern.

River Lore (Loremaster Lore) DC 16: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26
Does crit success mean anything more? Prob not, but doesn't hurt to ask.

The Doctor seems to have an idea of the waves as he has his driver stop the cart. Lazarus hops off and says, "Be a good lad, and wait back here, Chauncey." He strides up next to Zabu and responds, "It's true you're not a scholar, my boy ... yet." He smiles and adds, "After all, the day is young." He studies the runes on the monolith as best he can from this distance.

Any chance of making an Arcana or Decipher Writing check to learn more about the runes?

You will need to get closer in order to get a better look at the runes, and right up to it in order to manipulate anything. I'm going to shift us into Encounter Mode as soon as everyone is on the map.

Fumbus, having spent the better part of the last 5 days inventing new songs about Licemaster's daring exploits, is now quite excited at the idea of something new to distract him.

"Licemaster teeth shiny! Sharp!
Skin so thick and frame so stout!
Gentleman, scholar- plays the Harp!
So many talents for me to tout!"

------

"River is boring- but flaming stone, in middle of water, very interesting!"

The small goblin looks around, before realizing the difficulties ahead.
"Longshanks not bothered by water. But Fumbus. Fumbus limbs to close to ground- stupid water put out my flames!"

Not really sure how this is going to go. Greater difficult terrain with a movement speed of 25 at baseline is going to be pretty slow going...

riverlore(bardic lore): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
Teja watches the river surges with interest. "It is almost as if there is a pattern to them..." she notes.

Dismounting from Penelope she walks towards the river, squinting at the obelisk.

Hopper looks at the river and pats Wolfie on his neck.

Nature: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

He can't see the mentioned patterns. He was glad to put the poison on Teja's and Lazarus swords, maybe they would be of use. Especially that river overflowing means that there would be no great use of alchemist fires.

@Fumbus - yeah that sucks. But maybe you can piggyback on Lazarus, I am sure he would not mind :D Fortunately, Wolfie is a medium size wolf so it is only difficult terrain for us.

As the party approaches the monolith, they hear the sounds of someone or something struggling on the riverbank. The approximate location of the sounds is marked by a series of concentric red circles.

Round 1

Dr. Lazarus
Teja
GM
Jayma
Hopper
Fumbus
GM
Zabu

Just to be clear, the dirt area we're on now is normal terrain? Not until we climb down to the white banks of the river is where it's difficult terrain, yes?

Hearing struggling ahead, Lazarus rushes closer to get a better look. Once he finds the source of the commotion, he attempts to recall what he knows of such creatures and shares with the group. Finally, he draws either his blade or his hammer, depending on what he sees.

Actions: Stride, Recall Knowledge (Arcana +13, Nature +10, Occult +11, Religion +12), Interact (draw weapon)

NOTE: If the enemies are manifestations of the ritual site, Lazarus has a +1 circumstance bonus to mental-based checks (Int, Wis, Cha) such as Recall Knowledge, because they involve his lead.

Correct, the area you're on right now is normal terrain.

Dr. Lazarus strides up. He notes that there doesn't appear to be anything in the vicinity of the sound, but he does spot three giant leeches lurking in the monolith's shadow, trying to hide.

The leeches are currently hidden to Dr. Lazarus, but unobserved to everyone else. I'm going to pause here to let Dr. Lazarus decide whether he wants to revise his last two actions.

Round 1

Dr. Lazarus (2 actions)
Teja
GM
Jayma
Hopper
Fumbus
GM
Zabu

The leeches are not manifestations of the ritual site, correct? Just wanna know if any Pursue a Lead stuff applies.

Seeing the leeches near the monolith, Lazarus calls out to the group, "Leeches! 3 of them hiding near the monolith." He studies them to determine what he knows, and shares the information with the group.
Recall Knowledge: Nature +10

He then draws his Returning Grabthar's Hammer and readies to attack.

Pursue a Lead does not apply here - the leeches are not associated with the monolith. Also, Point Out is an action, so you'll need to choose between Recall and drawin g a weapon.

Sorry, I wasn't planning on Pointing Out, just talking as a free action. However, I'll take the hint ...
Let's retcon the last post.

Seeing the leeches near the monolith, Lazarus indicates the monolith and calls out to the group, "Leeches! 3 of them hiding near the monolith." He then draws his Returning Grabthar's Hammer and readies to attack.

Actions this turn: Stride, Point Out, Interact (draw weapon)
He'll do a Recall Knowledge as part of Devise Stratagem next turn.

Teja moves up and looks towards the near shore.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

"I don't see anything. Who's making all that noise?"

Teja can't Recall anything about the leeches. Stride, Seek, Recall

---

The answer to Teja's question becomes obvious soon enough.

Red Stealth: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (6) + 16 = 22
Red Stealth: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (15) + 16 = 31

Dr. Lazarus doesn't see anything until an otter-like clawed tail reaches up and tries to grab him.

Tail: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (18) + 17 = 35
Slashing: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (4, 1) + 4 = 9 plus Improved Grab

The tail wraps itself around his leg and drags him off the cliff.

Seeing its companion grab some quarry, the other creature abandons its hiding and swims over to bite him.

Bite: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18
Piercing: 2d8 + 4 ⇒ (8, 2) + 4 = 14

The blue-tinged leech begins swimming towards the juicy meal, steathily.
Hide, Stealth, Stealth

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Everyone but Dr. Lazarus loses the leech in the water.

---

Sorry, I forgot to put the monolith on the initiative tracker.

Round 1

Dr. Lazarus (-18 hp, grabbed)
Teja
Red Otter (grabber)
Blue Otter
Blue Leech (observed but hidden to Dr. Lazarus, unobserved to everyone else)
Jayma
Hopper
Fumbus
Red Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Orange Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Monolith
Zabu

"Doc! Lookout!" yells Hopper

He rides forwards and pulls out a blight bomb that he throws at the otter holding Lazarus...

Blight Bomb@red: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
Damage, poison: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 4) = 9 +2 splash only to target, +2d4 persistent poison if hit

Then Hopper searches for the leaches

Perception +5, it is a secret check, right?

Despite the blasting wind and driving rain that intensifies as they approach the river, Jayma feels reinvigorated after the last two weeks of boring routine. "Now this is some interesting weather for a change."

When they spot the monolith in the middle of the river, her heart skips a beat and she bounces in her saddle from nervous excitement. "Ooo. Doesn't that look wonderful? I agree, Mr Creed, I don't think there's much doubt as to what we're looking at here." Getting off Princess, she ties her to a tree. "There you go Princess. You stay here where it's nice and safe." Jayma pats her pony to calm it down and turns to Twyl sitting at his usual post on Princess's withers. "You stay too; take care of each other while I'm gone."

She then turns back to face the monolith and stares at it almost as if mesmerized. She notices the glowing runes covering its surface, but she's not much of a reader, and it didn't matter what they said anyway. "If I end up in the river, it'll be the end of me. Only an idiot would even think of trying to reach that burning rock under these conditions."

Just as she's considering her next move, a clawed tail reaches out of the river and grabs Lazarus, threatening to drag him into the river. Jayma sighs heavily. "Perhaps now is not the best time to be playing with your new friend, doctor. We have work to do." Seeing that Lazarus was in some distress and that time was of the essence, Jayma cuts out most of the theatrics and with a minimal whirling of her arms and a "torrent target tail," she sweeps her staff across her front as a ball of water leaps out of the river and slams into the creature holding Lazarus.

Actions 1 & 2: Cast a Spell: Hydraulic Push (heightened to 2nd Level) vs Red Otter

Hydraulic Push (L2) Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
Hydraulic Push (L2) Damage: 5d6 ⇒ (6, 1, 4, 4, 1) = 16 bludgeoning damage vs Red Otter

Pink arrow indicates path of water ball. If a crit, then target takes an extra 3d6 and is knocked back 10 feet instead of just 5 feet.

Hydraulic Push (L2) Crit Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 1) = 4 bludgeoning damage vs Red Otter

She then speaks the word, "protect," and the space around her shimmers for a moment.

Action 3 (◆): Cast a Spell: Shield - AC 19

The description of the Grab ability of monsters states that "...the Grab ends for a grabbed creatures [sic] if the monster moves away from it." So the knocked back part of Hydraulic Push should cause Lazarus to be released.

Now, where have I recently learned about Hydraulic Push and Grab? :D

---

Hopper's bomb explodes on the creature's fur, causing a green goo to seep in. Hopper then searches for the leeches. I'll need a search area - either a 10' emanation, 15' burst, or a 30' cone, and then, yes, it's a secret check.

A large water ball pushes the red otter back, freeing Dr. Lazarus. Dr. Lazarus is on the slope, and will need a DC 15 Athletics check to get back to the top.

Round 1

Dr. Lazarus (-18 hp)
Teja
Red Otter (-11 hp, 2d4 persistent poison)
Blue Otter
Blue Leech (observed but hidden to Dr. Lazarus, unobserved to everyone else)
Jayma
Hopper (Seek area)
Fumbus
Red Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Orange Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Monolith
Zabu

The goblin screams out as he rushes forward- lobbing a pale green vial at the closest of the otters. "Fumbus burn! Rescue Doc!"

Acid, Moderate: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
1 Acid damage, plus 2 splash damage. 2d6 persistent acid damage

Fire, Moderate: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Damage, fire: 2d8 ⇒ (4, 8) = 12 +2 Fire Persistent, +2 Splash
Move, attack, attack

that would be cone, south-east, I can't draw it will on my phone, sorry

Hopper doesn't spot anything.

Fumbus moves and throws two flasks. The first one misses, but the splash still damages the otter. The second one misses completely, and doesn't damage the otter at all.

The other two leeches also move up.

For everyone except Dr. Lazarus, Red seems to disappear into the waves, but Orange slithers along quite obviously.

The monolith surges with power! A giant wave of water emanates from the monolith. Fortunately, nobody is actually in the water, but it feels like if anyone were, they'd have to make a Fortitude save to avoid being pushed away from the monolith.

The creatures seem used to the surges and immune to its effects.

Round 1/2

Dr. Lazarus (-18 hp)
Teja
Red Otter (-11 hp, 2d4 persistent poison)
Blue Otter
Blue Leech (observed but hidden to Dr. Lazarus, unobserved to everyone else)
Jayma
Hopper (Seek area)
Fumbus
Red Leech (observed but hidden to Dr. Lazarus, unobserved to everyone else)
Orange Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Monolith
Zabu

When the otter surprised him and grabbed him, Dr. Lazarus expected the worst. He was most pleased when the wave of water crashed into the beast and he was released. He thinks, 'No doubt, Jayma's doing.' As much as the good Doctor wants to return fire, he's read plenty to know about discretion and valor. He attempts to climb back to relative safety on the ledge.

Athletics DC 15: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

When he reaches the top, he says, "Thank you friends. And Jayma, that was inspired." He nods his appreciation to the sorceress. From his new position, Lazarus assesses an attack strategy against the nearest otter for a hammer throw, and at the same time considers what he remembers reading about them. From a book.

Devise a Stratagem: 1d20 ⇒ 4 (Roll is used for subsequent attack roll.)
With Devise, Known Weakness provides a free Recall Knowledge check (Nature +10) for the Otter.

If he recalls anything about these otters, he shares with the group. Not seeing a good throwing lane, the Doctor instead decides to take time to treat his wounds with some in battle healing.

Battle Medicine: 2d8 + 5 ⇒ (2, 5) + 5 = 12
Assurance => 19, Forensics Investigator +5

Actions: Stride, Devise, Battle Med

"With all the books you've read, you 'otter' know better than to get into the water with those things!" Zabu says as Dr. Lazarus clambers back onto the bank.

That being said, he gives a roar, his face and hands transforming, again and rushes at the closest aquatic mammal.

Jaws: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Piercing plus Rage: 1d10 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 2 = 8

Actions - 1: Rage, 2: Stride, 3: Strike

Teja tries to spot the otters.
seek: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

And then looks harder.

Presuming she has a rapier in hand drawn using an earlier move
seek: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
"There! Just under the water"

Action: point out, if required. If not, she'll draw and dagger ready to throw it next turn

Zabu runs up and bites the otter. Zabu, from where you are, you will also need a DC 15 Athletics check to move up to the ridge again.

Dr. Lazarus scrambles away and slaps a bandage on himself.

Teja, the otters are not hidden, so I'll have you search for the leeches. Teja spots the leeches and points them out.

The red otter reaches over with a tail and tries to grab Zabu.

Tail: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (16) + 17 = 33
Slashing: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (2, 3) + 4 = 9 plus Improved Grab

It grabs Zabu, moves up, and claws at him.

Claw, MAP (agile): 1d20 + 17 - 4 ⇒ (9) + 17 - 4 = 22
Slashing: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (3, 1) + 4 = 8

Persistent Poison: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 4) = 6
Flat Check: 1d20 ⇒ 20

Blue unleashes several attacks.

Bite: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17 vs FF
Piercing: 2d8 + 4 ⇒ (4, 6) + 4 = 14

Claw, MAP (agile): 1d20 + 17 - 4 ⇒ (18) + 17 - 4 = 31 vs FF
Slashing: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (3, 6) + 4 = 13

Zabu nearly dodges the bite, but for the tail of the other creature. Blue lands a savage claw. Zabu goes down!

Blue starts climbing out of the riverbed.

Athletics, DC 15: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28

The blue leech keeps swimming silently.

All but Dr. Lazarus lose it in the shimmering water.

Round 2!

Dr. Lazarus (-6 hp)
Teja
Zabu (+6 temp hp, -56 hp, grabbed, unconscious, prone, Dying 1)
Red Otter (-17 hp, grabber)
Blue Otter
Blue Leech (observed but hidden to Dr. Lazarus, undetected to everyone else)
Jayma
Hopper
Fumbus
Red Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Orange Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Monolith

I'm still confused by the listed damage on the red otter. Jayma's Hydraulic Push did 16 bludgeoning and Hopper's blight bomb did 11 + 2d4 persistent poison. Shouldn't that be a total of 27 + 2d4 persistent poison? Did I miss something? Oh, and please don't tell me they're regenerating hp. This is going to be tough enough as it is.

Jayma is happy to see that Lazarus escaped the grasping tail of the giant otter; he was likely to last a lot longer up here on solid ground, and Jayma needed to keep her defenders close. "No need to thank me, doctor. All in a day's wor... Oh! What now, Mr Creed? Do you have a death wish?" But it's too late; there was no stopping the brutish little gnome.

She sighs as she watches the inevitable denouement of the confrontation between Zabu and the giant otters. "Foolhardy scalawag to the end that one. I do hope he survives; it just wouldn't be quite the same without him around." She looks at her remaining companions. "Can anyone get him back on his feet? Those otters are coming after us next otherwise."

Using her staff, Jayma taps her fist three times in quick succession. Thrusting it straight out toward the nearest (blue) otter, she snaps her fingers open and shouts, "missiles murder mustelid." Three darts of force leap from her hand and plunge into the creature's chest. "Leave him alone you big brutes."

Actions 1, 2, 3 (◆◆◆): Cast a Spell: Magic Missile (3-actions) All 3 missiles targeting Blue Otter

Magic Missile 1: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 force damage
Magic Missile 2: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 force damage
Magic Missile 3: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 force damage

"Acid no work. Bomb do better!" as he lobs another vial toward the red otter. His face melts in disbelief as another of his precious alchemists fires falls harmlessly in the water. Retrieving another, he again finds the vials accuracy to be disproportionate to his excitement in throwing it...

Moderate Alchemist Fire: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
Fire: 2d8 ⇒ (7, 1) = 8 plus 2P and 2S

Moderate Alchemist Fire: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Fire: 2d8 ⇒ (7, 8) = 15 plus 2P and 2S

"Hey! Where you get Murder Missiles? Those no miss, unlike stupid vials."

With the continued misses, Fumbus draws his dogslicer and waves it menacingly toward the otter. "You not dog, but I still slice you. Stay way or else... Otter Slicer!"

And a realization came to me, we have no healer. And I don't mean, no cleric. But no one with any heal spells. Ok, the next day I will change the type of potions that Hopper creates.

As the otter climbs up, Hopper reaches for his alchemist fire and throws it at the beast

Alchemist fire@blue: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
Damage, fire, burn it!: 2d8 + 1 ⇒ (6, 7) + 1 = 14 +2 splash damage restricted to target, +3 persistent fire damage

Critical so: 14x2 =28 fire damage. 2 splashes is not doubled. And I don't know what happens with persistent fire damage. So 30 damage and 3 persistent damage.

Then Hopper dismounts from Wolfie and reaches for his healing potion.

Attack the otter, dismount, take out a minor healing potion. No worries Zabu, 1d8 hp incoming :P

Jayma sends missiles of force, slamming into the one climbing up (Blue). Fumbus throws two more bombs, but they land on the hillside and only splash Red. Hopper opts to target the one climbing up, and hits it right in the snout, immolating it. It looks severely wounded but still alive.

The leeches continue to creep forward, trying to find a nice juicy target that preferably its allies have already dragged into the water.

Everyone sees them slithering forward.

The monolith surges with power again, sending a massive wave. As nobody is in the water, no actions are required.

Round 2!

1. Damages revised, see Discussion.
2. Zabu intentionally omitted from the bolding so that everyone gets a chance to act before he needs to make his save.

Dr. Lazarus (-6 hp)
Teja
Zabu (-56 hp, unconscious, prone, Dying 1)
Red Otter (-37 hp)
Blue Otter (-54 hp, 3 persistent fire)
Blue Leech (observed but hidden to Dr. Lazarus, undetected to everyone else)
Jayma
Hopper
Fumbus
Red Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Orange Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Monolith

Dr. Lazarus shakes his head as Zabu is taken down while seemingly in mid-sentence of scoffing at education. "My dear brash boy, what are we going to do with you?" Lazarus considers his options and says, "Well, it won't do to have you just lie there, will it?"

Once again, the Doctor passes up a chance to attack, for the sake of the big picture. He moves up next to Zabu, does some quick in-battle healing on our barbarian, and moves back to where he started.

Battle Medicine: 2d8 + 5 ⇒ (6, 1) + 5 = 12
Assurance => 19, Forensics Investigator +5

Actions: Stride, Battle-Med, Stride

Zabu blacks out for a few seconds but Dr. Lazarus makes a house call!

Round 2!

Dr. Lazarus (-6 hp)
Teja
Zabu (-44 hp, prone, Wounded 1)
Red Otter (-37 hp)
Blue Otter (-54 hp, 3 persistent fire)
Blue Leech (observed but hidden to Dr. Lazarus, undetected to everyone else)
Jayma
Hopper
Fumbus
Red Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Orange Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Monolith

Teja steps forward, weaving her weapons in confusing manner.
feint: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29
And then attacks
attack vs FF: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
damage: 1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + (5) = 11
sneak damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

"Watch those bombs!" she calls out.

Zabu awakens on his back next to a giant otter. He growls fiercely but doesn't have the energy in him to rage again.

He jumps to his feet, grabs the otter in a headlock and starts to pound it with his spiked gauntlet.

"I'll teach you to bite me!" he snarls.

Athletics (Grapple): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

Spiked Gauntlet (MAP): 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 8 - 4 = 7
Piercing: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Actions - 1: Stand, 2: Grapple, 3: Punch

Sorry, for whatever reason, I thought I was waiting for someone else to post ...

Teja weaves her weapons and causes the otter to be momentarily distracted, and then she tries to stab it, but misses.

Zabu stands up and tries to grapple, but still woozy from the last hit, completely misses and falls back prone. Crit fail! He swings and misses with his gauntlet.

The Red otter climbs up the embankment Athletics DC 15: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22 and tries to grab Hopper with its tail.

Tail: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (16) + 17 = 33
Slashing: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (2, 3) + 4 = 9 plus Improved Grab

It grabs Hopper. It then tries to pull Hopper into the water.

Tail Drag, MAP: 1d20 + 12 - 5 ⇒ (3) + 12 - 5 = 10 vs Hopper's Fort DC
Tail Drag, MAP: 1d20 + 12 - 10 ⇒ (20) + 12 - 10 = 22 vs Hopper's Fort DC

Hopper gets pulled off the cliff and into the water!

The Blue otter tries to grab Teja.

Tail: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (16) + 17 = 33
Slashing: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (2, 4) + 4 = 10 plus Improved Grab

Tail Drag, MAP: 1d20 + 12 - 5 ⇒ (2) + 12 - 5 = 9 vs Teja's Fort DC
Tail Drag, MAP: 1d20 + 12 - 10 ⇒ (16) + 12 - 10 = 18 vs Teja's Fort DC

With a heave, it pulls her into the water, piling all the bodies into a big pile to eat later.

Flat Check: 1d20 ⇒ 15

The Blue leech arrives just in time to snack on 1d2 ⇒ 1 Hopper.

Mouth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23 vs flat-footed
Piercing: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9 plus Grab

It then Grabs Hopper.

Round 2!

Dr. Lazarus (-6 hp)
Teja (-20 hp, grabbed)
Zabu (-44 hp, prone standing prone, Wounded 1)
Red Otter (-37 hp, grabbing Hopper)
Blue Otter (-57 hp, 3 persistent fire, grabbing Teja)
Blue Leech (grabbing Hopper)
Jayma
Hopper (-27 hp, grabbed)
Fumbus
Red Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Orange Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Monolith

Jayma watches as Lazarus bravely risks body and soul to bring Zabu back from Pharasma's door. "Oh, thank you doctor. That was very heroic of you. Zabu is a bit of a handful, but it just wouldn't be the same without him around. Consider your debt to me paid in full." Turning to the now conscious Zabu, she calls out to him. "Mr Creed? Please try to be more careful next time. Oh no... no no noooo; not like that Mr Creed!" Jayma looks on in dismay as Zabu trips over himself trying to grab onto one of the otters and then nearly knocks himself unconscious with his own gauntlet (nice rolling there, Zabu :).

She cringes a little expecting the otters to finish off the burly gnome, but surprisingly, they decide to go after Hopper and Teja instead. It isn't pretty, but at least they remain standing, well.. maybe floating was a more appropriate description under the circumstances. Deciding that enough was enough, she goes back to what seems to be turning into her signature attack this mission. It's not as flashy and bangy as she likes, but it seemed to be getting the job done with surprising efficiency.

With now practiced motions, she moves her arms in familiar patterns, and as another ball of water rises from the river, she calls out, "outpouring obliterates otter" and the ball accelerates at full speed until it strikes the (red) otter with Hopper in its grasp.

Actions 1 & 2: Cast a Spell: Hydraulic Push (heightened to 2nd Level) vs Red Otter

Hydraulic Push (L2) Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
Hydraulic Push (L2) Damage: 5d6 ⇒ (5, 6, 5, 2, 1) = 19 bludgeoning damage vs Red Otter

Pink arrow indicates path of water ball. It's a crit, so target takes an extra 3d6 and is knocked back 10 feet. Hopper should thus be released.

Hydraulic Push (L2) Crit Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 1) = 11 bludgeoning damage vs Red Otter

She then speaks the word, "protect," and the space around her shimmers for a moment.

Action 3 (◆): Cast a Spell: Shield - AC 19

Wow, we seem to be lacking a bit on the front of focusing one enemy down ;) We dealt almost the same amount of dmg to both otters

Hopper yells being dragged into the water. He dives under the surface just to find a giant leach attacked to his arm. He stands up and yells

"Oh boy you are so ugly!"

He whistles loudly...

Wolfie spots Hopper sliding down into the water and then hears the whistle. It is a signal for him to get moving. Wolie runs towards Fumbos and bites the Otter holding Teja

Attack vs Blue, flanking: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 10 + 2 = 20
Damage, piercing: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (4, 8) + 3 = 15

Maybe.. Maybe

First Hopper attempts to escape the leech holding him

Acrobatics, escape, map: 1d20 + 9 - 5 ⇒ (4) + 9 - 5 = 8

Is the leech immobilizing Hopper? or can he climb with it being attached? If he can move...

Then the Goblin tries to climb back to safety, his hands grabbing the muddy slope as he tries to

Athletics DC 15, climb: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

"Take it off me, take it off! So ugly!"

Jayma's blast releases Hopper, but doesn't kill the red otter. There was a reason I was asking about the crit ... :)

Wolfie slides down into the river and bites at the blue otter, who drops Teja and collapses.

Hopper tries to escape once, but can't wriggle free. You shouldn't take the MAP on your first attempt. That being said, a 13 also fails. You can revise your third action to Escape, if you'd like.

Round 2!

Dr. Lazarus (-6 hp)
Teja (-20 hp, grabbed)
Zabu (-44 hp, prone, Wounded 1)
Red Otter (-67 hp)
Blue Otter (-72 hp)
Blue Leech (grabbing Hopper)
Jayma
Hopper (-27 hp, grabbed, 1 action)
Fumbus
Red Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Orange Leech (observed but hidden to all)
Monolith

Wolfie attack counts to Hopper Maps ;) So if the leech is holding Hopper where he stands he would use his third roll to escape: 23-10=13 :( Otherwise, he would climb up with leech attached to him.

Fumbus dashes down the edge of the embankment, moving towards the remaining red otter. Quickly, two vials leap from his hand and hopefully into the creature.

Gah! Get away otter. No like wet- dry off with fire!

Mod AF: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22
Fire: 2d8 ⇒ (3, 8) = 11 plus 2P and 2S

Mod AF: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Fire: 2d8 ⇒ (3, 4) = 7 plus 2P and 2S

Fumbus's first flask hits the remaining otter, immolating it. redirecting the second to the leech The second hits the leech holding Hopper.

The other leeches abandon their stealth and swim up to their dinners.

Red Mouth vs Hopper: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Piercing: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 plus Grab

Red Mouth vs Hopper, MAP: 1d20 + 10 - 5 ⇒ (14) + 10 - 5 = 19
Piercing: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 plus Grab

Orange Mouth vs Teja: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
Piercing: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9 plus Grab

The orange leech grabs onto Teja.

The monolith surges with power again! A wave surges forth. Teja and Hopper, please make a DC 18 Fortitude save. There will be some trickiness, see Discussion.

Round 2!

Dr. Lazarus (-6 hp)
Teja (-29 hp, grabbed)
Zabu (-44 hp, prone, Wounded 1)
Red Otter (-80 hp)
Blue Otter (-72 hp)
Blue Leech (-9 hp, 2 persistent fire, grabbing Hopper)
Jayma
Hopper (-27 hp, grabbed)
Fumbus
Red Leech
Orange Leech
Monolith

With the orange leech holding onto her, Teja whirls her blades in a distracting manner.
feint: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

Before trying to plunge them into the creature.
attack vs FF: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
P damage: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 3) = 7
sneak damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1
second attack vs FF: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 9 - 4 = 21
P damage: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 4) = 10
sneak damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1

"Ughhhh get it off me.

fort: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 as she tries to resist being washed downstream.

"I got you covered!" Zabu declares standing up and wading close enough the leech to give it a smack.

Spiked Gauntlet: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Piercing: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Actions: 1. Stand, 2. Stride, 3. Strike (Spiked Gauntlet)

Oh mighty Dai Shrolla, why has thou forsaken me?!

Seems Zabu's and my posts got crossed. If the GM will allow, Lazarus did his attack when he had a clear shot at Orange from his previous position. So if we can say Laz's ranged attack went first, I'd very much appreciate it.

Seeing the leeches grab half the party into the water, Dr. Lazarus thinks it prudent to continue to attack from range. With the nearest leech grabbing Teja and hearing her screams, he assesses a battle strategy to attack it.

Devise a Stratagem: 1d20 ⇒ 14 (Roll is used for subsequent attack roll.)

He calls out to Teja, "Hang in there, my dear lady. Help is on the way." With a clear line of sight to the orange leech, and calculating for wind direction and airspeed velocity (of an african swallow), Lazarus hurls his throwing hammer.

+1 Striking Returning Grabthar's Hammer (w/ Stratagem) vs. Orange Leech: (14) + 14 = 28
Damage + Strategic Strike: 2d6 + 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (3, 2) + (2, 6) + 3 = 16

He then cautiously steps a bit closer to get within throwing range of the other enemies.

Actions: Devise, Strike, Step

Teja holds her ground and fools the easily-fooled leech.

Dr. Lazarus hurls his throwing hammer, missing Zabu by mere inches (and causing Zabu to miss), but smashes Orange.

Zabu tries punching it, but misses.

The blue leech, attached to Hopper, begins draining his blood.

Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (3, 1) = 4 plus Drained 1
Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 4) = 6 plus Drained 1
Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 3) = 5 plus Drained 1

Drained doesn't stack, but Drained 1 will reduce your Max HP to 42, which is just enough to bring you unconscious.

Hopper goes limp! He looks alive, but unconscious.

Round 2!

Dr. Lazarus (-6 hp)
Teja (-29 hp, grabbed)
Zabu (-44 hp, prone, Wounded 1)
Red Otter (-80 hp)
Blue Otter (-72 hp)
Hopper (-42 hp, grabbed, Fort save vs wave, Drained 1, unconscious)
Blue Leech (-9 hp, 2 persistent fire, grabbing Hopper)
Jayma
Fumbus
Red Leech
Orange Leech (-35 hp)
Monolith

Seeing the other Goblin in dire trouble, Fumbus yells out.

"Not fire brother!"

Lobbing the last of his alcemist fires, Fumbus transitions to a sickly green vial, lobbing it at the red leech.

Moderate, Fire: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Fire: 2d8 ⇒ (4, 2) = 6 Plus 2P, No splash

Moderate, Acid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21 2d6 persistent damage, no splash

Fumbus, a bomber will still deal splash damage on a hit - just not to adjacent squares.

Round 2!

Dr. Lazarus (-6 hp)
Teja (-29 hp)
Zabu (-44 hp, prone, Wounded 1)
Red Otter (-80 hp)
Blue Otter (-72 hp)
Hopper (-42 hp, Fort save vs wave, Drained 1, unconscious)
Blue Leech (-9 hp, 2 persistent fire, grabbing Hopper)
Jayma
Fumbus
Red Leech (-10 hp, 2 persistent fire, 2d6 persistent acid)
Orange Leech (-35 hp)
Monolith

Hopper observes his allies

"Oh, good my comrades moved to aid the lady, no one is willing to help the old Hopper..." he falls into the water, not seeing the faithful Fumbus unleashing the hell onto the leech

Fortitude save, drained 1: 1d20 + 10 - 1 ⇒ (11) + 10 - 1 = 20

When my time will come I can still move Wolfie (1 action if Hopper is unconscious).

Jayma watches as Teja stabs one of the leeches a couple of times followed by Lazarus finishing it off with his hammer. She claps appreciatively. "Nice work there, Teja, doctor. Only two more to go." Turning to Zabu, she watches resignedly as he swings and misses again. "Oh, do try a little harder Mr Creed. Now is not the time to play around. We have important work to do." When Fumbus's bombs hit home with a nice flash and bang, Jayma yelps. "Yes! Yes! Now that, dear Fumbus, is the way it should be done.

But it is watching the life being drained out of Hopper that really brings home the reality of the situation. "Oh oh. Someone better get to him before he's sucked dry. Let's see what I can do to help". Jayma needs to find a way to knock the leech off Hopper, and by sheer coincidence, she knows just how to do it. Once again she moves her arms in familiar patterns; another ball of water rises from the river; she calls out, "buh-bye blue bloodsucker"; and it blasts the (blue) leech with Hopper in its grasp.

Actions 1 & 2: Cast a Spell: Hydraulic Push (heightened to 2nd Level) vs Blue Leech

Hydraulic Push (L2) Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29
Hydraulic Push (L2) Damage: 5d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 4, 6, 5) = 21 bludgeoning damage vs Blue Leech

Pink arrow indicates path of water ball. If it's a crit, target takes an extra 3d6 and is knocked back 10 feet instead of 5. Either way, Hopper should be free of the leech.

Hydraulic Push (L2) Crit Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 6, 4) = 12 bludgeoning damage vs Blue Leech

She then speaks the word, "protect," and the space around her shimmers for a moment.

Action 3 (◆): Cast a Spell: Shield - AC 19

I think I know now where Zabu's good rolls went :)

Jayma's hydraulic push obliterates the Blue leech. The Red leech flees.

Persistent: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 1) = 7 acid
Flat Check: 1d20 ⇒ 6
2 fire
Flat Check: 1d20 ⇒ 2

Persistent: 2d6 ⇒ (2, 6) = 8 acid
Flat Check: 1d20 ⇒ 2
2 fire
Flat Check: 1d20 ⇒ 4

Persistent: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 2) = 3 acid
2 fire

It doesn't get far.

I'm going to stay in initiative. First, Hopper does need to be stabilized, but also, second, the monolith needs to be disabled, which is not trivial. You have multiple options: (a) physically destroy the monolith (it has a hardness and HP), (b) you can physically alter the runes with a Thievery check, or (c) magically alter the runes with Arcana, Occultism, or Religion. (b) and (c) require being on the monolith's platform, and a 2-action action.

Bonus Round 1! I lost track of the Round number ... :(

Dr. Lazarus (-6 hp)
Teja (-29 hp)
Zabu (-44 hp, prone, Wounded 1)
Red Otter (-80 hp)
Blue Otter (-72 hp)
Hopper (-42 hp, Fort save vs wave, Drained 1, Dying 1, unconscious)
Blue Leech (-42 hp)
Jayma
Fumbus
Red Leech (-34 hp)
Orange Leech (-35 hp)
Monolith

Just a reminder, that Hopper had in his hand 1d8 healing potion that was intended for Zabu. He was drawn into the water and fallen there, so the potion is floating next to his body somewhere ;)

As soon as Jayma releases Hopper with another well-timed tidal wave, Dr. Lazarus slides down the slope to address his injured colleague. He calls back to the sorceress, "Once again, well done, my dear lady! Those waves of yours are most impressive." Reaching Hopper's side, the Doctor performs some in-battle healing.

Battle Medicine: 2d8 + 5 ⇒ (2, 4) + 5 = 11
Assurance => 19, Forensics Investigator +5

When Hopper regains consciousness, the Doctor nods, "That's a good lad. Yes, yes. That should do until I can properly tend to you." Then, indicating the monolith, he says, "But now, I must hurry to investigate those runes to disable that thing." He immediately starts trudging his way toward the monolith.

Actions: 1. Stride (down the hill to Hopper), 2. Battle Med, 3. Stride (difficult terrain, so half-speed of Elf's 30' movement)
(Since he crit-succeeded on the earlier River Lore check, he gets +2 Fort Saves for monolith surges, yes?)