GM Pudding's Night of the Gray Death (Inactive)

Game Master Tom G

Turrey's face falls as he sees Félicité begin to run.

"Oh Félicité, no."

He shifts his song, attempting to sooth his ally's troubled heart. As he does, he looses two arrows at the monstrosity, with lightning speed.

◆◆ Soothing Ballad (for 1 focus): The spell attempts to counteract fear effects on the targets. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to roll here, but in case I am...

◆ Bow: 1d20 + 30 ⇒ (8) + 30 = 38
Damage (sonic): 3d6 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 5) + 3 + (4) = 19

Q Bow: 1d20 + 30 - 5 ⇒ (20) + 30 - 5 = 45
Damage (sonic): 3d6 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 2) + 3 + (4) = 15

Nope! I’m rerolling that!

Eternal Fear Reroll: 1d20 + 28 + 4 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (16) + 28 + 4 + 1 - 1 = 48 You forgot the penalty from me being frightened.

Bellaluna ◆ reloads her other crossbow, then fires! ◆◆ Paired Shots

Paired Shot 1 vs Regent; frightened 1: 1d20 + 35 - 1 ⇒ (18) + 35 - 1 = 52
Damage: 3d8 + 10 ⇒ (8, 4, 6) + 10 = 28 Force Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1 Fire Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 4 Good Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Paired Shot 2 vs Regent; frightened 1: 1d20 + 35 - 1 ⇒ (1) + 35 - 1 = 35
Damage: 3d8 + 10 ⇒ (8, 1, 2) + 10 = 21 Force Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2 Fire Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 4 Good Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 3

Resistances and weaknesses only apply once for both shots.

Bellaluna then moves to get some cover behind the pillar. ◆ Stride (from haste)

Félicité looks aghast at the display and runs for her life.

@Turrey This particular effect cannot be completely removed with anything short of a wish, but I would say a successful counteract would suppress this instance of fear (and fleeing). However Félicité has run past you so far (thanks to haste!) that you can't currently see her. You could run after her (requiring two strides to get within 30 feet) and cast your soothing ballad, or leave her to flee and move into the room so you can attack the kimenhul. If she runs she'll be out of this fight for a while (she'll run for another two rounds and then need 3 rounds to come back), but if you follow you'll also be out of it for a round. It's not clear what the best choice is, so I won't make it for you

Kaldren struggles against the impossible strength of the kimenhul, and is unable to escape its grasp. He brings his flail down on it with all his might, but it shrugs off his blows.

Gregoth shakes off his fear, and topples the mighty fiend with a feat of immense strength.

I don't think we've established in this game but the errata on combat manoeuvrers not being attack rolls and thus not benefiting from Inspire Courage is strange and we're not using it. Therefore that succeeds exactly

When he picks up his sword, it lashes out from the ground

↺ Attack of Opportunity
Claw, prone vs. AC 41: 1d20 + 38 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 38 - 2 = 54
Slashing: 4d8 + 18 ⇒ (8, 6, 3, 7) + 18 = 42

↺ Glimpse of Redemption
84 64 damage to Gregoth!

The claw slashes him and causes his strike to falter and miss.

Bellaluna heroically forces her fear down, and hits with another of her shots, again causing the monster to sizzle and scream in pain.

I forgot something else last round as well, it should have healed some from Bellaluna's fear. Retcon: that happened, however it doesn't happen this round because no-one around it is afraid, huzzah

The Three-Faced Regent ◆ quickly rights itself, easily avoiding Gregoth's opportune strike. It ignores him and continues to try tearing Kaldren apart.

◆◆ Frightening Flurry
Bite vs. FF AC 42, Enfeebled: 1d20 + 38 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 38 - 2 = 56
Piercing, Enfeebled: 4d12 + 18 + 3d6 - 2 ⇒ (6, 12, 7, 9) + 18 + (6, 1, 1) - 2 = 58

Claw vs. FF AC 42, Enfeebled: 1d20 + 38 - 2 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 38 - 2 - 4 = 40
Miss due to Enfeebled!
Claw vs. FF AC 42, Enfeebled: 1d20 + 38 - 2 - 8 ⇒ (4) + 38 - 2 - 8 = 32

116 damage to Kaldren! Also Frightened 1. No longer Grabbed though
The Amaranthine Pillar

Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Heroic Presence: Everyone has a +2 status bonus to Will saves vs. Mental effects
Inspire Courage: Everyone has +1 status bonus to attack and damage rolls, and to saves against fear effects (until Turrey's turn on round 4)
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only

Round 2

...
Félicité 12/12 Temp HP, Frightened 2, Stupefied 3, Fleeing
Turrey 12/12 Temp HP <clarify actions>
Kaldren -247 Frightened 1

Round 3

Gregoth -64
Bellaluna -51 Mobile Shot Stance
Three Faced Regent -150 1 Claw used for Grabbing, Enfeebled 2

Turrey is up! Just to decide which way to go. We can keep your existing rolls. I've put two tokens of you on the map representing your current position and where you'd need to go to get to Félicité

Turrey turns and realizes that his own magic has hastened Felicite's departure. He sighs, and runs after her. (Or flies on his carpet, if that's quicker?)

Does Soothing Ballad linger? Because Félicité would have been out of range when it was cast and Turrey and Félicité have equivalent speeds, so Turrey can't catch up to Félicité and cast in the same round.

I wouldn't have cast it until I'd caught up and was in range...but it's a fair point. DM's call about if I think I could catch her or not. If not, I'll take an offensive action instead.

Kaldren swings twice more at the creature but his strikes are slower than normal. He careful disengages from the creature with a pair of slow steps.

◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 32 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (8) + 32 + 1 - 1 = 40
◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 27 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (8) + 27 + 1 - 1 = 35

I think these are both misses so I'll skip the damage rolls.

◆ Step
◆ Step

We're resolving in initiative order, so Félicité runs, then Turrey runs after her and casts the ballad when he's in range. He was 25 feet behind her when she ran. She runs 100 feet, putting her 75 feet beyond him, and he can stride 50 feet and be within range for his spell, huzzah. It's even better than that because I'd forgotten we'd established he's on the carpet, so he can get there with a single Command action (it only moves 40 feet but the angles mean that's enough)

Turrey rushes after the fleeing Félicité and reaches for her with a soothing melody. Just as she's about to get too far to hear, his music reaches her and snaps her out of her panic.

Stupefied extra rounds: 1d4 ⇒ 2

A hero point to Turrey for helping get Félicité back into the fight, and one for Kaldren for the exact right spell at the right time, even though it ended up not helping anyone's rolls this time

I think your counteract modifier might be +29 rather than +30, but you only needed a 42. Félicité still suffers from the other effects, namely the flat check or become Frightened and Fleeing when stressed, but this clears her current Frightened and Fleeing. I'll call for the flat check when any kind of initiative is rolled, so you can forget about it for this encounter. Turrey as a reminder the carpet works with Command an Animal/Carpet actions, one action commands it to fly 40 feet. That means you can't use your extra hasted action for it

Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Heroic Presence: Everyone has a +2 status bonus to Will saves vs. Mental effects
Inspire Courage: Everyone has +1 status bonus to attack and damage rolls, and to saves against fear effects (until Turrey's turn on round 4)
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only

Round 3

...
Félicité 12/12 Temp HP, Stupefied 3 (last round 4)
<--- Inspire Courage ends here --->
Turrey 12/12 Temp HP
Kaldren 31/278 Frightened 1

Round 4

Gregoth 250/314
Bellaluna 171/222 Mobile Shot Stance
Three Faced Regent -150 1 Claw used for Grabbing, Enfeebled 2

Félicité, Turrey, Gregoth and Bellaluna are up!

I’m uncertain now if Gregoth was in range for that Glimpse of Redemption, but if he was then the persistent Good damage will sure come in handy!

The blood trickling from Gregoth’s side grows darker and darker as it descends his torso and creeps towards the ground below. The act of raising the arm holding the shield breaks a hastily-erected barricade holding back the floodwaters, and a wash of darkness clambers from the tall man’s body, drops itself onto the cold stone floor, vaporizes into a black cloud that hangs like a mourner’s shroud around his shoulders and head before lashing out with a rasping scream that might have come from it or Gregoth. Or both.

Wisp Rush, IC: 1d20 + 31 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 31 + 1 = 36
Negative damage, IC: 4d8 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (4, 6, 2, 8) + 4 + 1 = 25

Black eyes look up, look around wildly, frantically, don’t seem to notice the three-headed monstrosity nor the fact that Kaldren is barely keeping himself upright. But his legs jerkily pull him around the fiend, put him squarely between the priest and the putrescence. One arm raises a sword cloaked in fire and shadow, then falls.

Longsword, IC: 1d20 + 32 - 5 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 32 - 5 + 1 = 46
Slashing damage, Negative damage, Fire damage, IC: 3d8 + 11 + 13 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2, 3, 3) + 11 + 13 + (4) + 1 = 37

Raise Shield [A], Rage [A], Wisp Rush [F], Stride [A], and Strike [Q]. AC 40, 22 temp hitpoints.

Bellaluna ◆◆ reloads both of her crossbows, ◆ moves out from behind the pillar, and attacks! Strike (from haste)

◆ Strike vs Regent: 1d20 + 35 ⇒ (16) + 35 = 51
Damage: 3d8 + 10 ⇒ (5, 1, 4) + 10 = 20 Force Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 5 Fire Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 3 Good Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1

I’m uncertain now if Gregoth was in range for that Glimpse of Redemption, but if he was then the persistent Good damage will sure come in handy!

Dammit that's right, you were 20 feet from Kaldren at the time, my apologies. That's going to be a painful retcon because it means the creature's first claw would have hit Kaldren...

Slashing: 4d8 + 18 + 3d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 1, 7) + 18 + (5, 6, 2) = 45

Sorry Kaldren, you actually went down last round :( Would that have changed your plan Gregoth? Either way Kaldren is dying in the square you moved into so I've put you back for now.

Kaldren Recovery DC 11 or so: 1d20 ⇒ 13

Kaldren crumples to the ground unconscious, but his wounds don't look immediately life-threatening.

Stable at 0 HP, Wounded 1. I'll hold off resolving Gregoth and Bellaluna for now until we see what Félicité and Turrey do.

Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Heroic Presence: Everyone has a +2 status bonus to Will saves vs. Mental effects
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only

Round 3

...
➤Félicité 12/12 Temp HP, Stupefied 3 (last round 4)
Turrey 12/12 Temp HP
Kaldren 0/278 Unconscious, Wounded 1

Round 4

Gregoth 250/314
Bellaluna 171/222 Mobile Shot Stance
Three Faced Regent -150

Félicité and Turrey are up!

Round 3

After seeing that he's helped Félicité regain her center–at least for the moment–Turrey, flies back into the the brawl.

He shoots once with his bow, and sends a soul-piercing scream directly at the monster's face.

◆ Command to fly
[{Q} Bow: 1d20 + 30 ⇒ (17) + 30 = 47
Damage ( sonic): 3d6 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (5, 3, 5) + 3 + (2) = 18
◆◆Spirit Blast: 16d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 4, 3, 1, 2, 2, 4, 2, 2, 2, 4, 6, 1, 3, 4) = 50

Round 4

◆ Inspire Courage
{Q} Bow: 1d20 + 30 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 30 + 1 = 34
Damage ( sonic): 3d6 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (5, 3, 4) + 3 + (3) = 18
◆◆Spirit Blast: 16d6 ⇒ (5, 5, 3, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5, 1, 2, 6, 5, 3, 5, 4, 4) = 58

Félicité rushes back into the room, just in time to see Kaldren falling, and rushes to his aid.

◆ Stride
◆ Stride
◆ Stride
◆ Doctor's Visitation

Healing: 2d8 + 30 + 18 + 10 ⇒ (8, 8) + 30 + 18 + 10 = 74

Turrey flies back toward the beast, and as soon as he can see it unleashes a well-placed arrow and a spiritual assault on the fiend.

Fort: 1d20 + 33 ⇒ (14) + 33 = 47

Gregoth unleashes a blast of energy at the Three-Faced Regent which it ducks away from, and then rushes to protect Kaldren. The fiend lashes out at him with a root-like claw.

Claw vs. AC 40: 1d20 + 38 ⇒ (5) + 38 = 43
Slashing: 4d8 + 18 ⇒ (4, 2, 7, 2) + 18 = 33
33 damage to Gregoth!

He then turns and rakes the beast with his sword, just managing to connect and sever some of its claws.

Without the inspire that's just a hit

Félicité rushes in and brings Kaldren round with incredible speed

Bellaluna aims a careful shot and sinks another of her bolts that seem to be anathema to it, the small wound it makes burns and sizzles along with the usual light.

The Amaranthine Pillar

Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Heroic Presence: Everyone has a +2 status bonus to Will saves vs. Mental effects
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only

Round 3

...
Turrey 12/12 Temp HP

Round 4

Gregoth 239/314 Rage, 0/22 Temp HP
Félicité 12/12 Temp HP, Stupefied 3 (last round 5)
Bellaluna 171/222 Mobile Shot Stance
➤Kaldren 74/278 Prone, Wounded 1, weapon dropped
Three Faced Regent -279
...

Kaldren is up!

Kaldrin climbs to his feat and leaving his flail on the ground begins gesturing and chanting another prayer to Pharasma.

◆ Stand
◆◆ Cast Regeneration (Level 7) on himself

Kaldren will also use Bounce Back to prevent going to Wounded 1

Kaldren stands defiantly after Félicité's ministrations, and casts a spell that starts healing his wounds.

Enraged, the kimenhul lashes out at him, then starts to cast another spell.

Bite vs. AC 44: 1d20 + 38 ⇒ (12) + 38 = 50
Piercing, evil: 4d12 + 18 + 3d6 ⇒ (11, 9, 5, 10) + 18 + (4, 4, 2) = 63
63 damage to Kaldren!

Gregoth lashes out as it casts, but it easily evades it and attempts to muddle your minds!

The only corner of the kimenhul that Turrey can (just) see is more than 30 feet from him, but an unseen corner of it is 30 feet from him. I'm going to say they're in range of each other because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to do the Spirit Blast

Bellaluna manages to shake off the invasion into her mind, used as she is to handling overwhelming emotions, but everyone else becomes confused. They all feel as if they're surrounded by enemies and must do their best to stop them!

Yay everyone loves confusion. Kaldren, Turrey, Félicité and Gregoth are Confused for 1 minute. It says the GM determines your targets randomly, I delegate that task to you, as well as how you'd like to attack them. Note that the wording strongly suggests to me that you should be using your best strikes or offensive cantrips, but that you're not compelled to use your high level spell slots. If you had a hero point and wanted to reroll the DC is 42. You also get a new save at the end of your each of your turns (and a flat check if you take damage). Kaldren I'd suggest you'd start by picking your weapon up

The Amaranthine Pillar

Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Heroic Presence: Everyone has a +2 status bonus to Will saves vs. Mental effects
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only

Round 4

...
➤Turrey 12/12 Temp HP Confused

Round 5

Gregoth 239/314 Rage, 0/22 Temp HP Confused
Félicité 12/12 Temp HP, Stupefied 3 (last round 5) Confused
Bellaluna 171/222 Mobile Shot Stance
Kaldren 31/278 Regeneration 20, weapon dropped Confused
Three Faced Regent -279
...

Everyone is up!

Re-rolling with a Hero Point.

Will Save vs DC: 42: 1d20 + 30 ⇒ (2) + 30 = 32

Great, it got worse!

Target (1 = Gregoth, 2 = Félicité, 3 = Three Faced Regent): 1d3 ⇒ 3

Yay, finally a good roll, I took the names in Initiative order.[ooc]

◆ Interact to pick up Flail
◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 32 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 32 + 1 = 36 Damage (B, F): 3d10 + 11 ⇒ (6, 5, 2) + 11 = 24
◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 27 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 27 + 1 = 38 Damage (B, F): 3d10 + 11 ⇒ (4, 1, 5) + 11 = 21
◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 22 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 22 + 1 = 38 Damage (B, F): 3d10 + 11 ⇒ (8, 10, 8) + 11 = 37

[ooc]Ah, I spoke too soon.

◆ reload, ◆◆ Paired Shots, ◆ Stride (from haste)

Paired Shot 1 vs Regent: 1d20 + 35 ⇒ (2) + 35 = 37
Damage: 3d8 + 10 ⇒ (4, 4, 1) + 10 = 19 Force Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2 Fire Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2 Good Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Paired Shot 2 vs Regent: 1d20 + 35 ⇒ (15) + 35 = 50
Damage: 3d8 + 10 ⇒ (3, 7, 1) + 10 = 21 Force Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3 Fire Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2 Good Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1

Weaknesses and resistances apply only once for both shots.

Félicité fires four arrows at the Three-Faced Regent. Its appearance seems to keep shifting.

1 = Bellaluna, 2 = Gregoth, 3 = Kaldren, 4 = Three-Faced Regent

Target: 1d4 ⇒ 3
Shortbow: 1d20 + 31 ⇒ (5) + 31 = 36
Piercing: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 6, 4) + 6 = 19 plus Sonic: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Target: 1d4 ⇒ 4
Shortbow, MAP: 1d20 + 31 - 5 ⇒ (5) + 31 - 5 = 31
Piercing: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 1, 2) + 6 = 12 plus Sonic: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Target: 1d4 ⇒ 2
Shortbow, MAP: 1d20 + 31 - 10 ⇒ (3) + 31 - 10 = 24
Piercing: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (5, 5, 2) + 6 = 18 plus Sonic: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Target: 1d4 ⇒ 2
Shortbow, MAP: 1d20 + 31 - 10 ⇒ (9) + 31 - 10 = 30
Piercing: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (1, 2, 5) + 6 = 14 plus Sonic: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Fortunately for those around her, her dice rolls on Strikes appear to be as useful as her dice rolls for Will saves.

Will: 1d20 + 31 ⇒ (6) + 31 = 37 And there goes my Hero Point :(

In a flash, Turrey suddenly has a new song come to him: A magnificent song, unlike any other. It's a song composed entirely of arrows, and his heart leaps as he rushes to share it with the world.

1 = Bellaluna, 2 = Gregoth, 3 = Kaldren, 4 = Félicité, 5 = Three-Faced Regent

Target: 1d5 ⇒ 3
◆ Bow: 1d20 + 30 ⇒ (3) + 30 = 33
Damage ( sonic): 3d6 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (6, 5, 6) + 3 + (6) = 26

Target: 1d5 ⇒ 3
◆ Bow: 1d20 + 30 - 5 ⇒ (7) + 30 - 5 = 32
Damage ( sonic): 3d6 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 2) + 3 + (5) = 18

Target: 1d5 ⇒ 3
◆ Bow: 1d20 + 30 - 10 ⇒ (4) + 30 - 10 = 24
Damage ( sonic): 3d6 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 6) + 3 + (6) = 18

Target: 1d5 ⇒ 4
Q Bow: 1d20 + 30 - 15 ⇒ (20) + 30 - 15 = 35
Damage ( sonic): 3d6 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 1) + 3 + (5) = 18 I believe this is an auto-hit on Félicité but NOT a crit?

Do I get a new save at the end of this turn? If so: Will: 1d20 + 31 ⇒ (17) + 31 = 48

That was a spell, correct? If so, I believe the +2 circumstance bonus from the shield and +2 status bonus from heroic presence would be enough to make Gregoth’s original roll a success (43 vs DC 42).

The new voice in Gregoth’s mind is but one of many, joining all the others in howling incoherently against each other. The large man lends his voice to the storm only he can hear, arms flailing wildly.

Longsword: 1d20 + 32 ⇒ (13) + 32 = 45
Slashing damage, Negative damage, Fire damage: 3d8 + 11 + 13 + 1d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 7) + 11 + 13 + (4) = 40

Longsword: 1d20 + 32 - 5 ⇒ (17) + 32 - 5 = 44
Slashing damage, Negative damage, Fire damage: 3d8 + 11 + 13 + 1d6 ⇒ (4, 7, 6) + 11 + 13 + (3) = 44

Longsword: 1d20 + 32 - 10 ⇒ (16) + 32 - 10 = 38
Slashing damage, Negative damage, Fire damage: 3d8 + 11 + 13 + 1d6 ⇒ (1, 5, 2) + 11 + 13 + (6) = 38

Raise Shield [A], Strike x3 [AAQ]. AC 41.

Turrey unleashes a flurry of arrows across the battlefield, only one of which finds its target, Félicité.

You actually rolled a 40 (MAP does not increase beyond double), the corner is providing standard cover (+2 to AC), but Félicité is flat-footed while confused so that would be a hit, and the 20 takes it to a crit. You do get a save at the end of your turn so you're now no longer confused

Yes I forgot the shield as always. I had been thinking Heroic Presence didn't apply to you as it mentions allies, but on second reading that seems to be the flavour sentence and only refers to 10 willing targets, so yes you got a success and therefore a critical success

In a whirl of steel, Gregoth makes a cascade of quick flashing attacks, but the kimenhul is just as fast and only one manages to make it through. It's enough to draw its angry attention though.

Félicité also unleashes a torrent of arrows, but in her panic none are on target. On her last arrow, the kimenhul lashes out.

↺ Attack of Opportunity
Bite vs. FF AC 41: 1d20 + 38 ⇒ (18) + 38 = 56
Piercing: 4d12 + 18 ⇒ (7, 12, 5, 5) + 18 = 47 doubled due to crit
122 damage to Félicité!

Félicité DC 11 Flat: 1d20 ⇒ 9
Félicité will, status, stupefied: 1d20 + 32 + 2 - 3 ⇒ (6) + 32 + 2 - 3 = 37

Bellaluna makes another of her trademark paired-shots, and again one of the bolts finds its way through the creatures hide and burns it horribly.
weakness to good triggered as usual

The kimenhul makes angry faces at both Gregoth and Bellaluna, and unloads on Gregoth with unholy fury.

◆◆ Frightening Flurry
Bite vs. AC 40: 1d20 + 38 ⇒ (17) + 38 = 55
Piercing: 4d12 + 18 ⇒ (2, 11, 2, 6) + 18 = 39 Doubled due to the crit
78 damage to Gregoth!

Claw vs. AC 40: 1d20 + 38 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 38 - 4 = 37

Claw vs. FF AC 38: 1d20 + 38 - 8 ⇒ (11) + 38 - 8 = 41
Slashing: 4d8 + 18 ⇒ (7, 5, 5, 6) + 18 = 41
41 damage to Gregoth! Also Frightened 2

The stalwart warrior remains standing, though injured and shocked by the display. The huge three-headed sahkil also looks badly injured, and it decides to leave Gregoth to deal with his confused allies and to charge toward Bellaluna!

◆ Stride

Gregoth swipes at it as it moves, but shaky arms lack the force necessary.

The Amaranthine Pillar

Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Heroic Presence: Everyone has a +2 status bonus to Will saves vs. Mental effects
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only

Round 5

...
➤Turrey 12/12 Temp HP

Round 6

Gregoth 120/314 Rage, 0/22 Temp HP Frightened 2
Félicité 96/242 0/12 Temp HP Confused
Bellaluna 171/222 Mobile Shot Stance
Kaldren 51/278 Regeneration 20, Confused
Three Faced Regent -366
...

Everyone is up!

Target (1 = Turrey, 2 = Gregoth, 3 = Félicité, 4 = Bellaluna, 5 = Three Faced Regent): 1d5 ⇒ 5

◆ Smite vs Three Faced Regent
◆ Stride
◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 32 ⇒ (3) + 32 = 35
◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (12) + 27 = 39

The sword shakes in Gregoth's hand as he watches the fiend retreat. He closes his eyes for a moment, unable to keep himself from remembering the steeple falling, the sky burning, Saarah and Mikel dissolving before an impossibly bright wall of light.

His eyes open. Black and empty, they stare the Three-Faced Regent in the eyes as he advances.

Shake It Off x2 [AA], Raise Shield [A], and Stride [Q]. Hoping to provoke the AoO so Bellaluna can move to safety since she's got the Good damage, but didn't want to do so while Frightened.

Nope! Nope! Nope!

Bellaluna, taking no risks whatsoever, moves away from the Three-Faced Regent, reloads her crossbow, and fires!

Going center-to-center, there shouldn’t be any cover.

Strike vs Regent: 1d20 + 35 ⇒ (3) + 35 = 38
Damage: 3d8 + 10 ⇒ (6, 2, 7) + 10 = 25 Force Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3 Fire Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 3 Good Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1

"Never fear, I shall save you!" Félicité shouts.

1 = Bellaluna, 2 = Gregoth, 3 = Kaldren, 4 = Three-faced Regent, 5 = Turrey (cover)

Confusion: 1d5 ⇒ 4
Shortbow: 1d20 + 31 ⇒ (19) + 31 = 50
Piercing: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 1, 4) + 6 = 14 plus Sonic: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Confusion: 1d5 ⇒ 3
Shortbow, MAP: 1d20 + 31 - 5 ⇒ (19) + 31 - 5 = 45
Piercing: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 2, 3) + 6 = 14 plus Sonic: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Confusion: 1d5 ⇒ 2
Shortbow, MAP: 1d20 + 31 - 10 ⇒ (5) + 31 - 10 = 26
Piercing: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 6, 2) + 6 = 17 plus Sonic: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Confusion: 1d5 ⇒ 2
Shortbow, MAP: 1d20 + 31 - 10 ⇒ (14) + 31 - 10 = 35
Piercing: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (2, 5, 4) + 6 = 17 plus Sonic: 1d6 ⇒ 5

There's definitely ambiguity as to who she was talking to, as she plunks Kaldren with an arrow.

Recovery: 1d20 ⇒ 10

Félicité still appears very confused ... or perhaps there's more going on than meets the eye!

Botting Turrey

Turrey flies into the room, picks up his song of courage, and fires a couple of shots at the terrifying fiend

◆ Command Carpet
◆ Inspire Courage

◆ Strike
Bow: 1d20 + 30 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 30 + 1 = 45
Hits due to inspire
Piercing, sonic: 3d6 + 3 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1, 3, 3) + 3 + (1) + 1 = 12

◆ Strike
Bow: 1d20 + 30 - 5 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 30 - 5 + 1 = 35
Piercing, sonic: 3d6 + 3 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1, 4, 5) + 3 + (3) + 1 = 17

One of his arrows just hits, and the injury, though minor, seems to cause the kimenhul to look worried. It looks to Gregoth as if to siphon his fear to heal its wounds, but Gregoth shrugs the fear off and marches toward it.

Getting rid of the Frightened before its turn means it won't heal, which is huge. I think it will take the AoO here, obviously it wants to get Bellaluna but Gregoth is very injured too

Bite: 1d20 + 38 ⇒ (7) + 38 = 45
Piercing: 4d12 + 18 ⇒ (2, 5, 10, 5) + 18 = 40
40 damage to Gregoth!

One of its heads bites out at him as he moves in, but the wound isn't as severe as some and the old warrior stays on his feet.

Félicité fires a scatter-gun of arrows out into the battlefield, managing to hit both Kaldren (whose regenerating body immediately starts to push out the arrow), and the Three-Faced Regent. It staggers with the impact of the small arrow. Afterwards she seems to gather her senses and realise what's going on.

As mentioned in the discussion, that will do for a successful save so no longer confused

While carefully reloading and backing up, Bellaluna manages a single shot but her bolt bounces off the thick bark-like skin of the kimenhul. Kaldren looks confused but attacks the fiend as well, though without any better luck.

"This fight is beneath me" the central head of the Three-Faced Regent announces as if announcing that dinner is served. "I'll see you in your nightmares".

It then promptly vanishes, leaving you all alone in the room without any enemies. All except for Kaldren that is, who is left with four foul creatures trying to murder him!

I'm tempted to handwave this, but with Kaldren's high AC it may be a challenge to subdue him. I'm not sure, let's play a round out at least

The Amaranthine Pillar

Active Effects:
Psychic Pressure: Recall Knowledge DCs are increased by +2 and Stupefied DC is increased by stupefied value.
Heroic Presence: Everyone has a +2 status bonus to Will saves vs. Mental effects
Haste: Everyone is quickened until Turrey's turn on round 11, and the extra action can be used for a Strike or a Stride only

Round 6

...
➤Turrey 12/12 Temp HP

Round 7

Gregoth 80/314 Rage, 0/22 Temp HP Frightened 2
Félicité 96/242 0/12 Temp HP
Bellaluna 171/222 Mobile Shot Stance
Kaldren 56/278 Regeneration 20, Confused
Three Faced Regent -399 Undetected
...

Everyone is up! That said it probably makes sense Kaldren for you to wait until everyone else has gone

If Félicité dealt damage to Kaldren, wouldn't he make a Flat Check to possibly end the Confused condition?

The sword clatters the ground as the fiend vanishes and Gregoth turns his attention on the man beside him. The fingers, now empty, curl into a fist. The shadows contort unnaturally, rising as though fleeing from a light underneath the large man's face as he slowly turns to face Kaldren.

Intimidation, Prowess vs Kaldren Will DC 40: 1d20 + 31 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 31 + 2 = 44

The arm swings, hand opening to grab the other man rather than strike.

Athletics, IC to Grapple vs Kaldren Fort DC 40: 1d20 + 33 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 33 + 1 = 37

But the act of willing violence against someone he knows, someone who has saved his life over and over, seems to drain the light and darkness from Gregoth in equal measure. With his grey eyes clear, he deliberately embraces his friend.

Athletics, IC, Circumstance to Grapple vs Kaldren Fort DC 40: 1d20 + 33 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 33 + 1 + 2 = 44

"You are not in your right mind," he says at last.

Unarmed Strike, IC vs Kaldren AC 41: 1d20 + 29 - 4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 29 - 4 + 1 = 29
Nonlethal Bludgeoning damage, IC: 1d4 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 11 + 1 = 16

Unarmed Strike, IC vs Kaldren AC 41: 1d20 + 29 - 8 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 29 - 8 + 1 = 35
Nonlethal Bludgeoning damage, IC: 1d4 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 11 + 1 = 14

Drop sword [F], Demoralize [A], Grab [A], Perfect Clarity [R], Strike [A], and Strike [Q].

Turrey sighs with relief as the kimenhul flees.

He switches his song to one of defense, in order to bolster Kaldren's chances of recovering, as well as to protect his companions from Kaldren's confused blows.

"Yes Kaldren, see if you can slow down and listen to your heart. The kimenhul confused you, but you can shake it off."

Inspire Defense
Cast Shield

Félicité will heal herself (Battle Medicine) and Gregoth (Doctor's Visitation), but not Kaldren (in case we need to, um, knock him out).

◆ Félicité: 2d8 + 30 + 18 + 10 ⇒ (2, 8) + 30 + 18 + 10 = 68
◆ Gregoth: 2d8 + 30 + 18 + 10 ⇒ (4, 4) + 30 + 18 + 10 = 66

She will cast guidance on Gregoth ◆, and then back away ◆.

I'm just gonna hold off and see if Gregoth knocked some sense into him.

No actions from me.

Kaldren struggles against Gregoth's grip trying to free himself. He looks wildly about, clearly not himself and unable to get away he lashes out at Gregoth.

◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 32 ⇒ (18) + 32 = 50 Damage (B, F): 3d10 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 8) + 11 + (6) = 34
◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (17) + 27 = 44 Damage (B, F): 3d10 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (5, 9, 3) + 11 + (1) = 29
◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (2) + 22 = 24 Damage (B, F): 3d10 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (8, 6, 10) + 11 + (4) = 39
◆ Melee Strike: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (15) + 22 = 37 Damage (B, F): 3d10 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (10, 5, 4) + 11 + (1) = 31

Of course, now I start rolling well.

If Félicité dealt damage to Kaldren, wouldn't he make a Flat Check to possibly end the Confused condition?

Good point!

DC 11 Flat: 1d20 ⇒ 1

Gregoth drops his sword and with a tremendous effort grabs onto the struggling Kaldren, though he can't manage to land a knockout blow.

Félicité heals the worst of Gregoth and her wounds while Kaldren slams his flail into Gregoth, clearly not himself. Turrey's inspiring song helps mitigate the damage somewhat.

fast forwarding this somewhat...

Gregoth unarmed attack AC 41: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (15) + 29 = 44
Bludgeoning: 1d4 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15
DC 11 Flat check: 1d20 ⇒ 13

After some more struggling, one of Gregoth's blows causes Kaldren to come to his senses, and things are finally quiet as you are left alone with the pillar, and a wide passage to the east leading steeply down. It's hard to know how you know, but the psychic pressure feels like its coming from down there.

The Amaranthine Pillar

Final Status

Turrey
Gregoth 91/314, Guidance
Félicité 164/242
Bellaluna 171/222

In the corner of the room is a chest filled with rare and valuable incense, the type which is required for powerful rituals.

Healing I think we can handwave, you have enough that you can easily do it in an hour, and reset the cooldown on Félicité's battle-medicines too. We're into afternoon now

The pillar in the room draws the eye. It feels powerful, and Kaldren can confirm it has an intense magical aura of divination.

What do you do?

Félicité will investigate the pillar first (without touching it) but will touch it if she feels there's no danger.

She will make it a target of investigation, dropping the brutish enforcers; and then, she'll Recall Knowledge at least.

That's a good idea, I'll roll relevant knowledges for everyone

As the group studies the pillar, all except Gregoth recognise small motifs worked into it and the pillar as iconography sometimes associated with several deities; Nethys, Brigh, and Ng. All except Gregoth also recall that the main area of veneration in common between these deities is knowledge. Kaldren has a sudden feeling of wrongness, that the place he's in was once holy and has been desecrated so thoroughly that its connection to the divine has almost been completely severed.

Félicité also learns some insights into the workings of the pillar. She thinks the pillar is very old, older than the Gray Gardeners. She finds that the spiral carved into the floor actually appears to have once been simple concentric circles, likely to aid in concentration. It has been changed more recently to an uneven spiral that upsets the flow and balance of the room. She believes the pillar is some sort of ancient conduit for or receptacle of knowledge, though the specifics of its workings would need more study to decipher.

We've seen spirals before which were Pharasmin symbols. To be clear, these spirals are the same, are different, or the characters don't know?

"Well, here's my two coppers: if that...thing wanted us to use this pillar, then that's enough justification for us to not use it. I dunno what happened here, but I don't trust what a corrupted pillar of knowledge will do."

“It wanted us to tell it what we learned from it,” Gregoth answers slowly. “That’s different.” Still, he makes no move to touch the pillar himself.

If nobody else wants to touch the pillar, Gregoth will just because I (as a player) hate to have that “what if” haunting me forever. XD

The floor spiral is different to a pharasmin one, it's the wrong chirality for one, but also it appears to have been made to mislead the eye and ruin the serene nature of the previous concentric circles. I'll wait a bit to see if Turrey or Kaldren want to investigate with their fingers, and if not we'll see what Gregoth has won :)

"Félicité, thank you for your aid with my wounds." Kaldren turns to Gregoth. "Gregoth, my friend, I apologise for striking at you. That think did something to my mind, I thought you were all gone and I was surrounded by shadowy strangers. Let me see if I can heal some of those wounds." Kaldren insists on helping to heal Gregoth with his Lay on Hands.

After everyone is patched up and had some time to calm their minds Kaldren walks around the pillar examining it closely. "Clearly this pillar has something to do with knowledge but I have no idea if it is safe. Everyone stand back, I will test it out, we can't risk missing something important."

Unless anyone is absolutely against touching the pillar, Kaldren will.

As Kaldren is examining the pillar, he moves to trace the carvings with a finger, but as soon as he makes contact his eyes roll back in his head and he drops his flail. He stands rigidly with his mouth hanging open, but only for a second before he comes back to his senses.

I've checked with Kaldren's player that he'd share what he learned with you, so I'll reproduce the content of the spoiler above here

The world freezes as you are assaulted by a barrage of images and information. You feel connected through the deep roots of this pillar, to all the knowledge and understanding that the planet has witnessed. You learn a special form of the Legend Lore ritual that you can conduct around the pillar, with the following alterations:

- It takes one hour instead of one day, but can only be performed once per day
- If one of the casters is an aberration, fiend, celestial or monitor, the degree of success is reduced by one step
- If not, and the target is an aberration, fiend, celestial or monitor, the degree of success is increased by one step

In addition, you see rapid visions of the last user of the pillar, the Kimenhul Three-Faced Regent. You see that it was researching the Conqueror Worm which it claimed to serve, in particular trying to understand its ability to escape death by projecting its consciousness elsewhere. You see in the vision its increasing frustration with its inability to successfully learn this information

What do you do?

Do y'all want to try the ritual? I would like to, out of sheer curiosity. It says the ritual costs 300 gp of rare incense, if the GM waves the "rare" part, we can spare 300 gp, right? Félicité and Turrey have Occultism; Félicité and Turrey have Performance; Félicité and Bellaluna have Society. Assuming the Conquerer Worm is an aberration, I believe that gives us one degree of success better, which means it's impossible for us to go catatonic for a week.

Gregoth sees the idea spinning in Félicité‘s head. Slowly he nods.

Didn’t we find some incense earlier?

Yes there is a chest in this room with exactly the right type of incense. I said it was "filled", however it's actually not quite full as it plainly contained a lot more of this incense. There is enough for 4 or 5 uses of this ritual.

Turrey, Kaldren and Bellaluna, would you like to try the ritual? If so you can choose your roles and make the checks. It needs two secondary casters doing Society or Performance (it looks like Félicité at +32 Society, Turrey +31 Performance or Bellaluna +25 Society are your options there), and the primary caster to needs to be a master in Occultism, for which your options are Félicité +30 or Turrey +28. Alternatively if you'd prefer to venture down into the worm's lair make your preference known

Bellaluna's not gonna stop anyone from doing the ritual if they want, but she's not going to participate.

Do we require two secondary casters? Or can we get by with one?

Kaldren is for giving the ritual a try, but is not proficient in the necessary skills. If there aren't enough people to perform the ritual then let's go and see about this worm.

It looks like secondary casters don't have level or skill requirements, but the minimum number of them is a hard limit. Of course, it'd be near impossible to get anything other than a Failure (that would require a Nat 20) without being at least trained. XD

Gregoth puts the bags of pungent incense down next to Félicité and Turrey. Slowly he walks over to where Bellaluna is watching, leans against the wall, sighs. "Kaldren says that three-faced thing wanted to know how to kill the worm for good," he says plainly. "Félicité says that worm thing is responsible for the blades and the Gardeners. We kill it, it comes back, and does the whole thing again. It might take it a while. The rest of us might not live to see it. But not you. Are you ready to tell every widowed spouse, every orphaned child, every falsely-accused innocent on their knees staring up at their death, that you could have prevented this from happening, and you did nothing? Are you prepared for this worm to hunt you down? I reckon it'll remember the folks that ruined whatever it had planned at the gala."

He shrugs. "'Sides, if using the pillar was going to kill someone, Kaldren would be dead already."

Bellaluna stares at Gregoth in astonishment. She opens her mouth to say something, but no words come out. She stands there in silence for some time before sighing. "Fine. Just tell me what to do."

And to be clear, for the secondary checks it's actually that one secondary caster attempts a Performance check and the other does a Society check; it's not a list of options, it's a checklist. So our best options are Félicité doing the Occultism at +30, Turrey doing the Performance at +31, and me doing the Society check at +25. The Occultism is DC 37 and the other two are DC 32, so we do have good odds.

Society; DC 32: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (18) + 25 = 43

And that gives Félicité a +2 circumstance bonus on her Occultism check. Now Turrey makes the DC 32 Performance (which he literally cannot critically fail on), and Félicité does the Occultism check last.