The plan seemed to be working as intended. The creature has no idea they're here and they have weapons that could reach him for once. With his crossbow loaded, he let's a bolt loose...
Byron shoots the first of the Flaming arrows with the silence at the creature.
Winsome prepares to throw a magic coin at the creature. When they burst in, he tosses it after stuttering his way through a tiny prayer to Torag.
As the group charges in, unleashing a volley of ranged attacks, Lyraesel lets out a blood-curdling howl, the sound of a deadly predator on the hunt.
The courageous party moves silently into the cavern, surprising the hideous atrocity before them.
Byron fires the silenced arrow, but it falls short and to the right, still more than 20 feet from the party fortunately.
Zaraleva and Adrian fire their crossbows, but both bolts sail right past their target.
Winsome's coin strikes home and appears to do serious damage.
Once free of the silence, Lyraesel howls in challenge, causing Zaraleva to flinch, but having no effect on the creature.
Kelda gets a critical hit with a javelin, doing damage. (You might notice that not all of that damage gets through, alas.)
Aiko still needs to act in the surprise round. Then the villain will go.
Current initiatives:
Evil Thing 24
Lyraesel 22
Adrian 21
Byron 19.4
Zaraleva 19.2
Kelda 18
Winsome 12
Aiko 4
Aiko draws her bow.
We talked about this at length in character. I think your bow would have been out and an arrow nocked. Take a shot.
Briefly surprised from the attacks, the monster flies up to the ceiling, cursing the heroes of Sandpoint (and Kelda) the entire way. It then attempts to end or alter the battle in one sudden, despicable moment. The party is blasted with a cloying miasma of darkness. They aren't blind, but they might be sickened.
Everyone please make a Will save, DC 16, and tell me if you're good or neutral.
Zaraleva made it. Kelda did not. Good thing she's neutral.
If you are good and fail the save, you are sickened. The character takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
Everyone, sickened or not, may take their turn.
Also, someone should really claim the +1 longsword. I know most of us have distinctive weapons tied to our histories, but...
The nauseating power of the monster overwhelms Aiko, and she fires blind up at it.
Shaking off the cloying dark aura, Lyraesel, quickly utters another druidic chant, a sharp thron held between her fingers quickly growing into a wicked javelin.
Winsome tosses a second coin after weathering the evil magic.
Yup... it was just as bad as he first witnessed it. Stumbling around, he had just about the mind to reload his crossbow for another shot.
[dice=Will save, good (DC 16)]1d20+4
[dice=Spellcraft to identify spell]1d20+14
Winsome tosses a second coin after weathering the evil magic.
[dice=Ranged attack (coin shot), enhancement]1d20 + 4 + 1
[dice=Damage (coin shot)]1d8 + 2
Winsome, it's the same spell as yesterday - Unholy Blight.
I need to adjust the damage from the first coin shot, because I was thinking magical instead of masterwork, but now I see it's not touch attack either, because you are currently at the second range increment.
"The coins deal bludgeoning and piercing damage, and attacks with them are resolved as touch attacks within the first range increment."
Clearly the Gods (or at least Pazuzu) are conspiring against you.
The effects of the Blight are horrific, but not cataclysmic. Aiko and Adrian are sickened for two rounds, meaning one more. Byron is neutral so he loses only 9 or 4 hp. Current totals, pending Byron's roll:
Lyr 25/29
Adr 3/22
Byr ?/35
Zar 15/24
Kel 31/40 (raging)
Win 13/22
Aiko 5/24
Zaraleva is going to channel on her turn and, because she has no sleight of hand training, some of you might notice her pulling something out of her pocket. She curls her fist around it, but it glows nevertheless.
Kelda roars in rage and will throw another javelina. (Ha!)
Byron takes a moment to look over his new foe and then sends another magical arrow at the creature.
Round 1 is complete.
To begin Round 2, the monster uses the wand again, but something seems off. (If you can make a Sense Motive DC 22, you'll get a clue.) The ray misses Kelda despite her 11 Touch AC.
Lyr 25/29 Casts
Adr 3/22 [sickened] loads
Byr 31/35 fires and misses
Zar 15/24 channels for 11 and retrieves an object
Kel 31/40 (raging) misses with a javelin
Win 13/22 misses with a coin
Aiko 5/24 [sickened] hits with an arrow
After the channel, everyone is back to full except Adrian at 14/22 and Aiko at 16/24. (And they are still sickened.)
Please commence your Round 2 actions. (Second range increment for Winsome and Kelda. First for bolts and arrows.)
Lyraesel hurls a javelin at the creature, her throw falling way short of her target, as another javelin materializes in her hand.
Byron curses as the floating monster is missed by his last arrow and he then fires again.
Aiko misses.
Adrian leta another bolt fly at the monster...
Recognizing that his magic coins are ineffective, Winsome instead casts magic missile.
Round 2, after the ray:
Aiko, Lyraesel, Kelda, and Byron miss, perhaps due to the horrific evil of the monster rattling their aim.
Adrian doesn't crit, but manages to nick the creature.
Winsome's magic missiles fly straight and true as always...and blip harmlessly off the tentacles surrounding it.
Zaraleva, with a shield on one arm and something in her hand, can only hold for now, keeping one eye on A&A's wounds and another on the horror in the air. "Pazuzu? Is that the god of cockroaches? You're pathetic and your god is a joke! I bet your tentacles smell like manure." Kelda almost smiles at this. The tentacled terror doesn't speak common, but is somehow offended anyway. It casts a spell which neither Zaraleva nor Winsome can spellcraft and flies forward to touch Kelda. She retches a bit, but doesn't die.
Sickened condition has ended. Everyone may go. The atrocity is still ten feet up, but is in tentacle-melee reach of everyone but Adrian.
Byron grits his teeth and tries to lead the floating monstrosity as he releases another magical arrow.
As Byron fires another arrow, Lyraesel hurls one final javelin at the flying monstrosity, drawing Ironfang as she prepares to continue attacking despite the distance.
Things felt better than last time, but there wasn't much he could do but reload his crossbow and hope the others could bring it down.
Since the atrocity is hovering just above, Aiko ditches her bow for her naginata.
Sadly, she is unable to hurt the overtuned outsider.
Slight retcon, having re-evaluated what the author wrote:
Apparently, the monster is condemned to make bad tactical decisions, perhaps due to occasional bouts of overconfidence. (?)
It did use a spell-like, which Z&W both failed to spellcraft, and it did fly across the cave, to 10' above the party, but that's it. No reach, no AoO.
The map is being VERY uncooperative. Zaraleva took a 5' step North and the LEE is the brown square. I can't move any of the tokens except the monster and I can't add new tokens.
Zaraleva steps away five feet, not in a good tactical position, but necessary for her master plan. She then slams the small rock/gem into the ground, breaking it. A Large Earth Elemental rises from the ground, sees Zaraleva pointing at the atrocity floating within easy reach, and takes two mighty swings. (At -4 because Z doesn't know that EEs have a penalty against flyers.) The first is a confirmed crit and the second slam misses completely. (Dice rolls are in Roll20)
Zaraleva giggles at the crit, but quickly realizes the fight isn't over.
Kelda misses.
Byron hits for some damage.
Aiko and Lyraesel hit for no damage.
Adrian reloads. Winsome rethinks.
Next round:
The horror withdraws upwards and away, not provoking, but getting no other actions. "No! Dammit!" curses Zaraleva.
You can make Sense Motive rolls again if you want and you most definitely can all take your turns. (Sorry you switched weapons, Aiko. I didn't know it was going to approach and then fly away again. Maybe the Sense Motive will explain it.)
Aiko drops her naginata and picks up the bow again.
Byron tries another magical arrow at the creature! "This thing is hard to hit!" He gripes to the others.
"No kidding!" Adrian barked back as he took aim with his weapon. "But we need to keep up with the damage!"
As the monster tries to fly to safety, Lyraesel chants a spell in druidic, unleashing a dazzling explosion of light directly in front of the creature's face.
Byron and Adrian both deal some damage, but Lyraesel falls victim to the dreaded SR check. Kelda launches her last javelin, but misses, and looks around wildly for any sort of useful weapon.
Zaraleva points at the creature again and the Earth Elemental seemingly walks straight into the wall, leaving no trace and no tunnel behind. She then picks up her crossbow and loads it. "I think this might be going well. It seems scared or something."
Winsome sends another magic missile streaking toward the creature.
[dice=caster level check vs SR]1d20+3
Alas, I already rolled for Lyraesel's SR check, hence the "falls victim to..." Hopefully you get through next time.
Winsome also does not surpass the SR.
The creature attempts another scorching ray at Kelda's 11 Touch AC and hits.
Everyone may go!
Aiko misses, and spends the entire fight failing at everything she tries to do.
That blasted magic canceling would be the death of them. For now, all he could do was reload and hope he can get another hit in next time.
Byron takes aim and sends another arrow trying to finish the creature.
Cursing the creature's mix of supernatural defenses and luck, Lyraesel uses the last of her magic that could affect it from a distance, drawing from the elemental energies intertwined with nature to conjure a ball of flame in her palm.
Winsome figures the dreadful beast might require a magic weapon to do serious damage, so he pulls out the magic sword that no one wanted and hands it to the raging Kelda.
Two long earthen arms appear out of the stone wall. One connects with the atrocity for minor damage, but the other misses. The frustrated creature flies away from the wall and shoots at Kelda again. She has now taken 36 points of fire damage over the last two rounds.
Zaraleva fires the crossbow and misses, but wonders if she should have channeled instead.
Everyone may go. This next round will be dramatic!
Byron pulls out another flaming arrow and sends it at the creature!
Adrian hopes they can bring this monstrosity down and soon before anyone gets too hurt.
Aiko keeps firing and missing.
Lyraesel lobs a ball of flame toward the flying enemy.
Kelda, with third-degree burns across most of her body, stands resolute against the fiery onslaught, but can do nothing but ready the magical sword and curse in her native tongue.
Aiko, Byron, Adrian, and Lyraesel all miss in a round that shall never be spoken of again. Winsome hits with an arcane bolt that causes minor damage. Zaraleva channels to try to keep Kelda in the fight.
healing
Current hp:
Lyr, Adr, Byr, Zar, Aiko, Win => Full
Kelda 15/40
She also loads her crossbow as a move action, but that appears fruitless as the monstrosity's expression changes and it charges her! "I think I made it angry! Help!" is all she has time to say before a tentacle slams into the ground next to her. "Whew! That was close."
Kelda takes her readied swing and misses badly.
The creature came in from above and did not provoke Attacks of Opportunity. Everyone is in melee reach of it except Adrian, who would have to move underneath it. (And would need acrobatics to get there without provoking from the tentacle.)
Everyone may go, but remember which weapon is in your hand, please.
Correction: Aiko is at 23/24 and Adrian is at 21/22.