GM Otha’s The Moonscar (Inactive)

Game Master Otha

Feel free to heal yourselves up...we’ll take a couple days break and start back up Tuesday…

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Merry Christmas and to those that celebrate something else, Happy Holidays :) Hope all of you in the states find a nice comfy hole to curl up into.

In kentucky, I haven’t left the house since I got home Thursday afternoon! The ice and snow have finally began melting just a bit today!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

@Marta - I am a fan of defensive buffs but as long as a character can survive a single round of combat they should be fine. There is nothing in this module (I think) that can survive a full round or two of pounding from both Theodric and Flint and there is enough emergency healing to go around if someone actually gets into trouble.

So while putting up defensive spells is a good idea (especially ones that mitigate damage or pump up your hit points) but may not be strictly necessary for a character's survival. :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.

With New Years approaching, we can take it as slow as you wish. So don’t feel rushed, post as you can, and we’ll ease this game into 2023 before getting back to normal posting…

Hey gang, I’m having a cataract removed tomorrow morning, so I will probably be scarce until the end of the weekend. Please bot Alie as necessary. Thanks!

Yikes - hope it goes smoothly!

No worries, Alie, we’ll be taking it slow through this weekend. Hope all goes well with the cataract removal…

Good luck with the operation.

Lol, the surgeon says it’s no big deal. But it’s not his eye!

This a doctor for you. As long as your head is still attached to your body it is no big deal. :)

Still I understand your apprehension. I would feel exactly the same way.

Good luck Alie, but I doubt you'll need it: this is very much routine and almost everyone gets this done eventually! give your eyes a rest afterwards: no screens for a few days! :)

All the best!!!

PDK, from your mention of the Pnakotic Manuscripts, I assume you’re running through Carrion Hill? I recently GM’ed that as well…

Nope: Strange Aeons, also partially set in Ustalav! :)

@Alie - Echolocation is a personal spell so it can only be cast on yourself. :)

Unless someone has a ring of spell storing or some such device. That would be nice.

Well, poop. I’d have tried to help everyone out. Guess I’ll just cast it on myself, lol.

Sorry, we’re being inspected at work this week and partly next week, long hours and hectic, so I’m behind on posting…

The map isn’t suited for this combat so I’ve got to blow up a part of it in order for it to work…

A quick rule question to which I am not quite sure of the answer.

We now know that the gold dragon is possessed. We also know that Protection from Evil will prevent the dragon for being controlled for the duration of the spell. However I am not sure if the gold dragon would receive a saving throw against this harmless spell or not. Clearly the dragon would want it and the creature possessing it would not.

There is also the small complication that Protection from Evil is a touch spell and the dragon is flying.

Ideas anyone?

If it's the possession spell, our best bet is to have one of the casters dispel it, and since we're dealing with demons, that would mean we are dealing with a greater possession, which means they are ejected from the dragon (body and soul) upon dispelling the spell... which would mean we can now gang up on that offending possessing demon with the help of a gold dragon! ;)

Possession
School necromancy; Level medium 3, mesmerist 5, occultist 4, psychic 5, sorcerer/wizard 5, spiritualist 4, summoner 5, witch 5

CASTING

Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S

EFFECT

Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one creature
Duration 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

DESCRIPTION

You attempt to possess a creature by projecting your soul into its body. The target creature must be within spell range and you must know where it is, though you do not need line of sight or line of effect to it. When you transfer your soul upon casting, your body appears to be dead. Failure to take over a host ends the spell.

If you are successful, your life force occupies the host body. The host’s soul is imprisoned with you, but can still use its own senses (though it can’t assert any influence or use even purely mental abilities). You can communicate telepathically with the host as if you shared a common language, but only with your consent. You keep your Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, level, class, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, alignment, and mental abilities. The body retains its Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, hit points, natural abilities, and automatic abilities. A body with extra limbs doesn’t allow you to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal. You can’t activate the body’s extraordinary or supernatural abilities, nor can you cast any of its spells or spell-like abilities.

As a standard action, you can shift freely back to your own body regardless of range, so long as it remains on the same plane. If the host’s body is killed, you return to your own body and the life force of the host departs (it is dead). If your body is slain, when the spell expires or the host’s body is killed, you are slain. It is possible to cast this spell on a new target from within another creature’s body; this resets the duration. You still return to your original body (not any intermediate body) when you take a standard action to do so or the spell’s duration expires. Returning to your body ends the spell. Creatures whose souls are their bodies, such as incorporeal undead and non-native outsiders, use the effects of greater possession instead.

Possession, Greater

School necromancy; Level occultist 6, psychic 8, sorcerer/wizard 8, spiritualist 6, witch 8

CASTING

Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S

EFFECT

Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one creature
Duration 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes

DESCRIPTION

This spell functions as possession, but when you possess a host, You enter the host’s body and your physical body vanishes. You are ejected to the closest empty square upon expiration of the spell or upon the host’s death.

With possession, the possessing creature use its own will save against the protection from evil. You better hope for a 9th level heightened protection from evil to even have a chance of that working.

No. The best way to get rid of possession is with a targeted dispel magic (caster level check against DC of the actual possession spell, which is much easier than a blanket targeting vs. DC 11 + caster level...)

So, the casters need to do some casting here. Analyze Dweomer or similar spells to quickly id the ongoing spell effect, or blindly try to id currently active spell effect via Spellcraft, then singling out that ongoing spell effect with a dispel magic.

@Theodric - If you can add some non-lethal in that would be good. Your character's attack bonuses are insanely good. The spell casters might be able to dispel the effect but knocking it out rather than killing it is the sure way to go. :)

Yeah that's a good idea. We can shut it down with nonlethal, then if we're dealing with possession, the demon should pop out. :)

PS: we may also be dealing with a shadow demon... they have magic jar as a SLA. If this is the case, finding the gem holding the dragon's soul and destroying it would release the dragon back to its body, but we'd have to do this within range of the spell, otherwise the dragon dies.

Alie is pretty good at Greater Dispel Magic so she could certainly make an effort.

I think my only options are Greater Dispel Magic (but only 1 prep so it's probably worth letting Alie try first) and Break Enchantment (not quite sure if that will work or not - this is an area of the rules that I've never fully absorbed).

I have a question on how bane works. Should Marta target the type of the creature being possessed or the type of the creature doing the possessing?

In the module description, it lists the “possessed” dragon as evil (there are separate listings for the demon, the dragon, and the possessed dragon) so I’d think you’d target it…but if anyone else knows, please pipe in…

The fact that the dragon is possessed or not possessed does not change its creature type. The same goes for its personality or alignment. A dragon is a dragon is a dragon. :)

Dragons are actually their own creature type which both Marta and Flint would know being Inquisitors with bane and trained in Knowledge Arcana. I mistakenly posted that they are part of the Magical Beasts category in my last post but that is not the case. I should have checked the rule book first. :)

I agree with Flint about the alignment issue. If it's possessed its alignment should not change so I would read the "evil" in the module description as just flavor.

Actually, it has full stats for the possessed dragon (including an evil alignment), the demon (also evil), and a gold dragon (obviously not evil). So the way I read that, it doesn’t appear to be for flavor at least as long as it’s possessed…

The GM is correct. The dragon is currently a dragon and is currently evil. The demon has currently appropriated the dragon's body and it is his body now.

Suggestion: state what you intend to do to the dragon and we can then chime in for the specifics.

Interesting.

@Theodric
I plan to use Burst of Speed spell to zip around to the opposite side of the dragon and provide the rest of you a flank. If you want that flank you should hold your attack until after Marta moves, provided the dragon is still possessed.

It is up to the GM but generally you cannot roll for Diplomacy in the middle of combat unless you have a special feature that allows you to so (it requires at least 1 minute of continuous interaction).

That being said it is always possible to try to deescalate the situation by not attacking. This does not even require a roll (and thus less chance of failure). :)

I think we're past diplomacy. Let's fight it and switch to nonlethal when close to 0 hp. Anyone has death watch or status?

I'm thinking the dragon will no longer want to fight us now that is it no longer possessed and will, in fact, return to it's normal 'good' alignment. GM Otha is checking into whether the possessor appears and the fight continues with a different enemy.

If it's Possession, then yes. The outsider is expelled body and soul, as per the spell. If Magic Jar, mainly due to this module being pretty old, then we need to find the gem that has the dragon's soul.

Agreed. We will have to see what GM Otha finds out.

It was a magic jar spell; so from both the description in the scenario and on the SRD site, the dragon’s soul returned to its body and the demon to its upon the end of the spell. Full disclosure, the Demon was losing its grip on possessing the dragon (the dragon had failed its initial saving throw but made the next one apparently) and was in its last hours of control. That’s why it couldn’t use the breath weapon and was making awkward gestures…

Got family visiting and won’t be able to post in Gameplay till this afternoon…

Just a FYI, woke up under the weather this morning…not feeling any better this evening. May be a day or two until I post, depending on how I feel in the morning…

Feel better, Otha! Don’t stress about us.

Please feel better soon!!

Yes, sending you good thoughts for swift recovery and that it's nothing too serious.

Thanks, y’all. Feeling much better today; I’ll get a post up this afternoon…

If Theodric hasn’t posted by tomorrow morning, I’ll bot him…

@Marta- It probably will not matter for this battle as the demon just took a boat load of damage and is probably dead anyways but your character's Touch AC in your character's tagline looks way off to me. Force effects spells (like Mage Armor, Shield, Ablative Barrier etc.) add to your character's AC and their Incorporeal Touch AC and not their Touch AC. It might not be this but that seems to be the most likely explanation. :)

It is. Most touch attacks are not incorporeal so I don't usually add them in. But you are right. For this combat Marta's touch AC should be the same as her normal AC. I will revisit my AC and recalc based on the current combat.

While it makes no sense at all Shadow Demons actually attack Touch AC and not Incorporeal Touch AC. I was pretty surprised to find this out myself.

Again not immediately relevant as this creature is a goner but it is fun to know. :)

Most seeker character are getting hit on a "2" for touch attacks anyways and that is only because a "1" is an automatic miss in the system. Characters with monk levels are one of the few exceptions to this rule.