GM Neirikr's "Academy of Secrets" (Inactive)

Game Master Neirikr

Laree would rather fight but she’s open to a deal

We fightin' then. I'll lay the first action.

My opening move is either a haste for all or a wall of force to cut off two Erinys from pincushining us and to isolate them.

@DM: I drew a line representing the wall of force. Will it block the two Erinys or am I not taking into account elevation or structure?

@Everyone: Sorry for the delay, busy week. I should have just rolled the initiative right way... :S

My opening move is either a haste for all or a wall of force to cut off two Erinys from pincushining us and to isolate them.

You can absolutely do that on your own turn, but there's no surprise round or anything.

@DM: I drew a line representing the wall of force. Will it block the two Erinys or am I not taking into account elevation or structure?

The dome is 60 feet high at the middle, and the elevated balcony is at 20 feet. As far as I understand, you cannot go under the elevated balcony (save for the tunnel at the doorway, as indicated by the dotted white lines). I'll rule that the balcony doesn't automatically block the wall, as long as you can fill up the remaining space.

I hope everything is okay there. I'm not the best with combat and the mechanics of entangled. I think that's right, but feel free to correct me.

I love Smite crits *so* much.

Absolutely! And critting on the first attack where the smite damage is doubled is amazing! I love paladins.

Note that your extra damage from bane/holy/vicious etc will be 6d6 instead of 12d6.
"Exception: Precision damage (such as from a rogue’s sneak attack class feature) and additional damage dice from special weapon qualities (such as flaming) are not multiplied when you score a critical hit."

But that hardly matters when you've critted on a double damage smite!

Argh. Vital Strike says "These extra weapon damage dice are not multiplied on a critical hit, but are added to the total." I didn't see that language in the descriptions for the weapon enhancements, so I thought it did. Alas.

Sorry, but I need to clarify a few things before moving on.

5t step. I am not anchored, right?

The erinys can hold the other end of the rope, so I believe you are. Do you still want to take the same actions (sans the five-foot step) or revise?

@GM: Viridel will identify the central rune to determine if it is a teleportation effect.

Arcana/Spellcraft+ foretell: 4 + 25 = 29

The large central circle (along with its sigils) generally resembles a permanent teleportation circle, though it is way more complex. Specifically, there appear to be many additional symbols related to interplanar travel. Viridel can't see any obvious signs of a magical trap or other tampering.

Viridel motions a circle with his hand, targeting the magic circle to undo the trap formed against his allies.

Viridel casts Greater Dispel Magic with Foretelling.

Which circle, exactly? The small one trapping Anethra, or the big central one?

Argh. Vital Strike says "These extra weapon damage dice are not multiplied on a critical hit, but are added to the total." I didn't see that language in the descriptions for the weapon enhancements, so I thought it did. Alas.

So how much is the final damage? Please move yourself on the map, as well.

Done. Damage from the crit totals 212.

The large central circle (along with its sigils) generally resembles a permanent teleportation circle, though it is way more complex. Specifically, there appear to be many additional symbols related to interplanar travel. Viridel can't see any obvious signs of a magical trap or other tampering.

...

Which circle, exactly? The small one trapping Anethra, or the big central one?

Well, I couldn't identify the circles' function, so I targeted the large one with the understanding that they are one effect. So the main circle is also our ticket out of the realm?

If they're not one effect, I might revise my action, because I think Anethra's Freedom of Movement can overcome the Magic Circle against Mortals. That course of action retains her intention of neutralness and frees up Viridel for different spell-casting, and doesn't tamper with the circle's ability to get us out.

@Anethra, what do you think?

My question then would be if I'm anchored to him by the rope, do I have the slack to move 5ft? I'm sure I'm anchored by the length of the rope, but if there is some give to move, I should be able to post my action as is, right? I'd prefer to keep that as is since the rope will be destroyed anyway. I'd rather not write out a whole new post and actions.

Well, I couldn't identify the circles' function, so I targeted the large one with the understanding that they are one effect. So the main circle is also our ticket out of the realm?

If they're not one effect, I might revise my action, because I think Anethra's Freedom of Movement can overcome the Magic Circle against Mortals. That course of action retains her intention of neutralness and frees up Viridel for different spell-casting, and doesn't tamper with the circle's ability to get us out.

The smaller ones are magic circles, meant to entrap. They are separate effects from the large teleportation circle, meant to transport.

I do not believe freedom of movement is going to work here, since its a barrier and not something affecting the creature's ability to move directly.

My question then would be if I'm anchored to him by the rope, do I have the slack to move 5ft? I'm sure I'm anchored by the length of the rope, but if there is some give to move, I should be able to post my action as is, right? I'd prefer to keep that as is since the rope will be destroyed anyway. I'd rather not write out a whole new post and actions.

Going by the wording of the entangled condition, I believe that being "anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force" does "entirely prevent" movement. I don't think that necessitates a re-write, if you're fine with the erinys giving Chyvvom some cover and possibly taking an attack of opportunity.

Sure, we can go with that.

Ah, I see. He targets the magic circles, then.

I'm sorry for all these delays, but every time I sit down to write a post I notice some Pathfinder-y shenanigans. This one is sort of crucial...

@Bayard: Do you attacks rolls include the penalties from having 3 negative levels? I'm not sure if you noticed Chyvvom's enervation.

It does. I accounted for the minuses from the negative levels and power attack both.

Okay, good! Just wanted to make sure.

It does. I accounted for the minuses from the negative levels and power attack both.

I find it helpful to list modifiers to my normal attack patterns above the attack post

if he is affected by haste and a -3 enervation I normally post those modifiers above the standard attack post and then incorporate them individually into the attack post. At higher levels things can get quite complicated and I think it makes it easier for the GM if the modifiers are clearly posted rather than just consolidated into a simple +20 to hit

for example, this would be Gryms post while affected by haste and enervation

haste+1 enervation-3
Ranged Flurry-2
HASTEattack: 1d20 + 23 + 1 - 3 ⇒ (19) + 23 + 1 - 3 = 40
Bull Rush +4 vs CMD
damage: 1d6 + 25 ⇒ (4) + 25 = 29

attack#1: 1d20 + 23 + 1 - 3 ⇒ (6) + 23 + 1 - 3 = 27
Bull Rush +4 vs CMD
damage: 1d6 + 25 ⇒ (2) + 25 = 27

attack#2: 1d20 + 23 + 1 - 3 ⇒ (11) + 23 + 1 - 3 = 32
Bull Rush +4 vs CMD
damage: 1d6 + 25 ⇒ (3) + 25 = 28

attack#3: 1d20 + 18 + 1 - 3 ⇒ (3) + 18 + 1 - 3 = 19
Bull Rush +4 vs CMD
damage: 1d6 + 25 ⇒ (3) + 25 = 28

attack#4: 1d20 + 13 + 1 - 3 ⇒ (13) + 13 + 1 - 3 = 24
Bull Rush +4 vs CMD
damage: 1d6 + 25 ⇒ (6) + 25 = 31

It's completely up to you how you want to post. But I find that posting the way I do makes things clear for the GM and they never ask me if I accounted for something like enervation because it's always clear what modifiers are affecting my attack posts.

and ughhhh I hate being grappled while wielding a 2-handed weapon

I'm confused, GM. Is Laree entangled or not? What happened to her bomb that would have destroyed the rope?

I thought her rope was destroyed due to AOE too. I can spare a magic missile for you.

Edit: Or Asniroth can cut it. He can fray it to half hp on the worst rolls.

Damage: 1d4 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1
Damage: 1d4 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1

The bomb destroyed Blue Erinys' rope. On the following round, Yellow Erinys threw her rope to entangle Laree again.

Ahh, okay, that makes sense.

Not related to any current discussion, but I'd like to say I'm loving this combat encounter.

Not related to any current discussion, but I'd like to say I'm loving this combat encounter.

Odd sentiment for a wizard who was just grappled by a barbed devil ;)

It's probably because of that and the high stakes.

Also the game is still going on strong for a year and a month despite all odds.

It might be too early for this, but there are some specific 'scenes' that I feel would be great if drawn down.

1. Signing the compact of the hammer in the spooky wizard school
2. Viridel's vision of the 'void' in the Hall of Divination
3. Hall of Necromancy trap
4. Falling/plane-shifting into the Hall of Wards and 'we're not in Kansas anymore'

Anyone else got any highlights?

All of the schools of magic were a hit for me. The tapestry and this room we are in now would be cool to see.

Bayard just nonchalantly brushing off a Phantasmal Killer was great (might be hard to illustrate, though). Likewise nearly one-shotting Chyvvom to begin this combat.

I agree. Besides visual art, I also really feel Hozier's In the Woods Somewhere fits the campaign, due to its lyrics, grim tone, and general vibe of discovering things that shouldn't be there (and being hunted).

Maybe it's just that it stuck after the Compact of the Hammer.

Not related to any current discussion, but I'd like to say I'm loving this combat encounter.

I'm glad to hear that! I didn't go as crazy as I originally planned while re-designing the encounter, so as not to stretch things out too much, but at least its not completely trivial.

It might be too early for this, but there are some specific 'scenes' that I feel would be great if drawn down.

1. Signing the compact of the hammer in the spooky wizard school
2. Viridel's vision of the 'void' in the Hall of Divination
3. Hall of Necromancy trap
4. Falling/plane-shifting into the Hall of Wards and 'we're not in Kansas anymore'

Anyone else got any highlights?

The negotiation with the headmaster was definitely my favourite scene, though possibly not the most exciting in terms of visuals. Then again, there are lots of paintings of important people signing pieces of paper, so I guess it works. :P

I'm glad to hear that! I didn't go as crazy as I originally planned while re-designing the encounter, so as not to stretch things out too much, but at least its not completely trivial.

Huh. I should read the module after finishing this so I see what you did.

The negotiation with the headmaster was definitely my favourite scene, though possibly not the most exciting in terms of visuals. Then again, there are lots of paintings of important people signing pieces of paper, so I guess it works. :P

It definitely sets the mood amazingly well, capturing the suspicion, fear, hostility, dread, and mystery excellently.

Anyway I'm getting carried away with this post-game analysis. Viridel might just use a Teleportation Anchor on Bayrad to prevent this thing from happening again XD

Everyone posted.

Anethra, you're up.

@DM: Sorry if I sent an unclear post, but Viridel dimension doors himself as well as Bayard when I posted "and both Viridel and Bayard get back into the fray quickly." because I can teleport both of us. He should be behind Bayard and near Chyvvom and thus Maginrad won't be able to speak to him.

@DM: Sorry. I have been playing 5e lately with some friends and haste (I believe) grants an extra action, so that's where that probably came from, or from playing in a mythic campaign where you do get an extra action. Yes, you are correct, she would not wish to attack in light of this new information and I'm glad he missed! :)

Wow, don't know how I missed that WHOLE paragraph of the Erinys' fear spell. I'm sorry...I would have gladly rolled. I believe I read the description of her actions in the space above, but not the summary of what it meant by her screaming. I thought she was just mad and charging across the battlefield lol. Silly devils.

@Anethra: You readied an action for a heal spell. Will she use it though? Just so I know whether I need to heal Bayard or not.

@Laree, Anethra will indeed use it if she can get in touch range of Bayard. His flying makes it tricky.

Without clarification, I'll just post my action tomorrow assuming Viridel managed to escape the circle. Hence he won't be there to talk to Maginrad.

@DM: Sorry if I sent an unclear post, but Viridel dimension doors himself as well as Bayard when I posted "and both Viridel and Bayard get back into the fray quickly." because I can teleport both of us. He should be behind Bayard and near Chyvvom and thus Maginrad won't be able to speak to him.

There is no dimensional anchor on the circle, so you can absolutely put yourself in Chyvvom's reach if you'd like—I just assumed you didn't want to.

No problem, I posted my action, with the following caviat:

I'm pretty certain Grymwold's hit would bull rush Chyvvom, which releases Bayard from the bind, and allows him to charge and land a solid hit, and in that case, Bayard won't need the dimensional anchor.

In that case, Viridel can instead cast Telekinetic Charge on Bayard to make him close the distance (getting out of range of the central circle) and make one attack, which allows him to make a full attack on his turn and possibly obliterate the devil.

Since both actions are valid, I would wait for confirmation from our two warrior types for which one they think is best, and support them.

I’m down for a telekinetic charge. Btw, reduce my AC by 3 temporarily; it’s been long enough that my animated shield has shut down and I’m not taking the action to reactivate it right now.

@Grymwold: How far is the devil pushed?
I notice that I still have my Wall of Force up, so will that limit the distance, or can you still bull-rush him vertically/northwards to get him out of drop-knight-into-teleporter range?

that attack had a CMB of 38

"If your attack is successful, your target is pushed back 5 feet. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD you can push the target back an additional 5 feet. You can move with the target if you wish but you must have the available movement to do so. If your attack fails, your movement ends in front of the target."--Bull Rush

"Opponents who cannot move back due to a wall or other surface are knocked prone after moving the maximum possible distance."---Shield Slam

and since Grym has Grtr Bull Rush that provides AoOs if Bayarad is in melee range at the time

Contract devils usually have CMD of 34, so it's 10 feet I think. Judging by the angle of the hit (and drawing a line from Grymwold to Chyvvom), I think the devil might be pushed up and north 10 feet (10 feet above Viridel). Since the distance doesn't specify third-dimensional spaces, I'm roughballing here.

Bayard also gets an AoO and automatically escapes the grapple (free attack 1).

That would throw him above Viridel. Bayard can be telekinetically charged (which is not limited to 2D space) right up to the devil, and make the immediate action attack (free attack 2, which does not count as an AOO and can be used as well), and Viridel would move south to get out of range.

I think this might work. It's certainly a fun thought exercise. :D

Hey folks. I’ve recently gone back to school, flight school. I’m hoping to be an airline pilot in a few years. I knew it would take a lot of commitment, but now that it’s underway I realize the commitment is going to be significantly more than I even realized. As much as I enjoy it, I’m not going to have time for gaming for a while. Maybe I can come back in a year or so when I’m done training and just trying to build up my hours. (I’m not asking you to hold a spot for me, to be clear), but for now I have to step away. It’s been fun, and I’ll miss it, but real life has to come first. I want this career, and in the short term that’s going to require some sacrifices. Hope I see y’all around some time. Best of luck, and happy gaming.

I know we’re probably close to the end of this one, and I’d like to see it through, but if I try to pick and choose between games I’ll end up staying in too many and fall farther behind in the studying I need to do for school. Sorry.

Well here's to hoping he dies and all you have to do is read a single post before the end.

Congrats on taking concrete steps to realize your dreams, Bayard. I hope all goes well!

Good luck. Sounds like a good career choice

Good luck, Bayard.
In this case, since Bayard made it clear he left, we should bot him as a party. What do you guys think of this?

Proposed Turn actions
Grymwold's Turn
Bayard makes an attack of opportunity at Chyvvom since he was released when Chyvvom was bull-rushed by Grymwold's shield.
Free Attack 1: 1d20 + 24 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 24 + 4 = 35
Damage w/smite: 1d12 + 39 + 6d6 ⇒ (9) + 39 + (4, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6) = 73

Devil is bull-rushed ahead until he crashes into Viridel's Wall of Force.

Viridel's Turn
Viridel changes his spell from Dimensional Anchor to Telekinetic Charge, sending Bayard flying upwards with an uppercut greataxe slash for another free attack (which does not count as an attack of opportunity).

Free Attack 2: 1d20 + 24 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 24 + 4 = 46
Damage w/smite: 1d12 + 39 + 6d6 ⇒ (11) + 39 + (2, 2, 3, 6, 3, 5) = 71

Bayard's Turn
Bayard, on his turn, makes a full attack action.
Full Attack 1: 1d20 + 24 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 24 + 4 = 46
Damage w/smite: 1d12 + 39 + 6d6 ⇒ (5) + 39 + (1, 5, 1, 2, 3, 1) = 57
That's the last use of Grand Destiny if I'm not mistaken, not sure how many times he used it, but it's 3 times.

Full Attack 2: 1d20 + 24 - 5 ⇒ (11) + 24 - 5 = 30
Damage w/smite: 1d12 + 39 + 6d6 ⇒ (10) + 39 + (5, 5, 3, 6, 6, 4) = 78

Full Attack 3: 1d20 + 24 - 5 ⇒ (13) + 24 - 5 = 32
Damage w/smite: 1d12 + 39 + 6d6 ⇒ (8) + 39 + (5, 5, 6, 1, 1, 3) = 68

Bayard also takes 1d6 damage from vicious for each successful attack.

@Bayard: Of course, real life always comes first. Good luck in all your endeavours! :)

@Everyone: Sorry, but I won't be able to post until Sunday. I'm travelling, and I have much less time and access to the internet than I anticipated. We're really, really close, so it shouldn't take too many posts after that to finish this. Thank you for your patience.

Sorry about the bull rush plan! It would have made for a cool finisher, but the dice weren't in a favourable mood.

@DM: I want to ID the staff before I can commit (or commit Bayard XD) to a plan.