I honestly don't think things through that carefully (and I try not to metagame)! I just thought it would be a sneaky devil thing to do. (I also wouldn't consider Xilt shouting a warning as a free action to be something that would interrupt his spellcasting). I'm out of time right now to give details, but you'll know this is a bone devil--it can turn invisible, teleport, create walls of ice, illusions, and more.
It's immune to fire and poison, resistant to cold and acid, and has DR to everything except good-aligned weapons.
Chaine's lance impales another zombie, destroying it instantly!
Chaine:
As you and Silvermane come to a halt, waves of fear wash over you! You should each attempt a DC 19 Will save vs a mind-affecting fear effect. If you succeed, you are shaken for 1 round. If you fail, you are panicked for 1d6 rounds. Please roll the dice in a spoiler labelled "GM".
Xilt thinks over the real possibility that what he is seeing may actually be a fake nevertheless he chances a warning. The wizard finds a breather between the droning stanzas of his summoning chant to warn the others.
"Watch out! He is outside the door of the smithy!"
The GM was generous enough to allow a warning without interrupting my ongoing spell. :)
Monkey Boy sighs, blaming the last miss on the invisibility.
Will use Bodyguard when applicable, if it is visible. If he does, and the attack still hits, if the target currently has less HP than Monkey Boy, will use In Harm's Way to take the hit instead.
Female LG follower of Sarenrae | human (actually mostly human Ifrit) | freckles, sweet, naive, fierce personality in battle | Outsider (Native), Humanoid (human) | Resistances: Elec. 3, Acid 3, Fire 2, Cold 3 | Smite 1/1 | Boots of Speed 10/10 | Swashbuckler 5, Paladin 2, Unchained Monk 3, Bloodrager 1 | HP 106/106 | Protector Familiar HP 53 | with mage armor/rage: AC 35, T 30, FF 24 | CMD 37 | F: +23, R: +25 (Evasion), W: +17 | Init: +13 | Perc: -2, SM: -2 | Ki Pool 7/7 | Stunning Fist 6/6 | Rage 6/6 | LoH 7/7 | Panache 6/6 + Plume 1/1 | Reroll 1/1 + Lesson of H. 1/1 | Eefriti Magic 1/1 | Darkvision 60ft | Speed 40ft | Active cond.: +4 Dex
Setare moves out of the building.
@GM: Reminder that Setare has blind fight for the next 7 rounds so advantage in hitting her for being invisible.
Smite is active: +6 deflection bonus vs the monster leads to AC 37. +6 to hit and +2 damage. All of her attacks ignore Damage Reduction of the creature.
“You are not going to flee!!“ she says and attacks the square that Xilt described.
Xilt grimaces as his companions attack nothing but air. Still it is difficult to describe an enemy's exact location without appropriate landmarks especially in the middle of spell. Fortunately, Chaine is now an excellent geographical reference point.
The wizard finishes his long incantation and a bralani appears stepping out of a silvery doorway which immediately vanishes. Xilt calls out in Draconic for the azata to wait a moment while he organises his small attack force.
Xilt then steps backward and casts a spell becoming visible again. The wizard's head briefly morphs into a visage of a dragon as he breathes a line of electricity which ends almost at Silvermane's feet.
As directed the bralani waits only the briefest of moments before acting. Once the mephit has illuminated the bone devil the azata steps gingerly into position and sends forth a wave of scouring wind to scrape clean the bones of their insectile opponent.
Whirlwind Blast, 20 foot line, Reflex DC 17 for half damage:3d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 6) = 13
The Whilwind Blast is supernatural and untyped so it should bypass both SR and DR. It is not a whole lot of damage however. :)
While logically one would think that the wind effect would negate the Glitterdust effect apparently Glitterdust particles cannot be removed. They are just so sticky and irritating. Perfect for a Salt Mephit. :)
Setare rushes outside, slashing air with her cestus, a half-second before Xilt breathes lightning! A painful growl indicates his attack struck something! What he struck is revealed as a cloud of golden particles outline the skeletal monster standing right next to Chaine!
When the bralani swoops in and blasts the foe with scouring wind, it's clear the devil has had enough! Muttering arcane words, it tries to teleport far away--but the spell fizzles into smoke, and the devil collapses from its wounds!
But the fighting in Bitter End isn't over yet, as the implacable zombies try their blades on Setare! The Sarenite expertly parries the blows, and strikes back for good measure!
The caster level check to overcome SR was successful, but the devil made the Reflex save for half damage. It makes the save to avoid being blinded by glitterdust, but is now visible. It makes the save for half damage against the whirlwind, but is Disabled on exactly zero hit points (sometimes rounding halves down in Pathfinder makes a big difference!).
The devil is going to try to cast defensively greater teleport to get somewhere far away. If it succeeds, it'll drop to -1, but that seems smarter than fighting you guys! It fails the casting defensive check, so the spell is wasted and it drops to -1 right next to you. Poor devil!
The two zombies charge Setare. Neither hits, and Setare's riposte damages Black, which is almost destroyed.
GM Dice:
devil Reflex save vs dragon's breath:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22 Will save vs glitterdust:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15 Reflex save vs whirlwind:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14 Casting Defensively (DC 29):1d20 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16 Black (charging) vs Setare:1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 9 + 2 = 14 Yellow (charging) vs Setare:1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 9 + 2 = 17
Per +17, low light, SM +17, Acro +19 (31 to jump, running start) Mv 60, Climb 20, Mage Armor (CL1) Ring Force Shield, Barkskin HP 104/104 AC 33 FF 31 T 23 – Init +4 - CMB +17/19 trip (+1 unarmed), CMD 38 – 41 Trip, UnStrike 16/16/11 for d10+6, Ki Strike (magic/cold iron/silver/lawful,) Shattering Punch, Flying Kick Ki 7/8 Combat Reflexes (4), Bodyguard +3, In Harm’s Way, Mobility, Deflect Arrows, Insightful Wisdom, Improved Evasion
Activate Daredevil Softpaw Boots 8/10
Monkey Boy grins as the foolish, shiny, devil collapses before him. Clicking his heels, from a standing start, he attempts to leap OVER the two zombies.
I'm counting this as moving through yellow's square. Acrobatics 19 + bonus to jump from speed 12 + Boots bonus +5
JUMP!!!:1d20 + 36 ⇒ (2) + 36 = 38
Assuming that succeeds, will launch flurry. If it fails, Monkey Boy's AC vs AoOs is 37.
Flurry:
Attacking yellow, if it drops continue on other, losing the +1 bonus from the boots.
Male CG Human (Shoanti/Varisian) Cavalier (Strategist) 11 - Init +2, Senses: Normal Vision, Perception +1, Lookout Perception +11, AC 30/ touch 12/ ff 28; hp 92/92, F+10, R+6 W+5, Speed 20 ft.; Challenge 3/4; Tactician (60') 4/4. Continuous Auras: 30 feet: +6 morale bonus on saves vs. fear; 60 feet: +3 morale bonus on saves vs. fear and +2 morale bonus on charge attacks. BUFFS:
Chaine issues a Lion's Call as a standard action, 60-foot radius (whole party is included except Xilt)
As the huge devil expires Chaine raises his Liberty's Edge banner high,
"FOR THE FREE WORLD!! HUZZAH!! We have them on the ropes, friends! MONKS, YOUR KICKS AND PUNCHES: THEY ARE MAGNIFICENT! HA HA HA HA HA!"
New: 60 feet +4 competence saving throws vs. fear and +1 competence bonus on attack rolls for 11 rounds and any ally with frightened or panicked condition immediately makes another save to resist [Lion's Call] Already existing: 30 feet +6 morale bonus on saves vs. fear [Rallying Shield] 60 feet +3 morale bonus on saves vs. fear and +2 morale bonus on attacks made as part of a charge [Banner]
Companion to Chaine "The Butcher" Alazario | Male N Horse Animal Companion | HD 9| Class Level 11th | HP76/76 | AC 33 T 14 FF 30| CMD 28 (34 vs. Overrun) | F +12 R +11 W +6 (incl. pro vs. evil)| Init +3| Low Light Vision, Scent, Perception +5 | Speed 80 ft | Buffs: Feather Step
The horse's momentary fear immediately subsides upon hearing the cavalier's reassuring Lion's Call. Like the ground beneath his hooves, steadying are the indefatigable words of the cavalier!
Monkey Boy lives up to his name with an amazing leap, followed by a series of powerful kicks against one of the zombies. Then, after an inspirational rallying cry, Silvermane kicks the same zombie with a powerful hoof!
Monkey Boy succeeds on the Acrobatics check to move through the zombie's space, and lands all of the attacks. There is some DR at work here. Monkey Boy, I should just check that you have a way to flurry as a standard action.
Silvermane hits and damages Yellow as well, but the zombie is still up. (Lion's Call is neat!)
Per +17, low light, SM +17, Acro +19 (31 to jump, running start) Mv 60, Climb 20, Mage Armor (CL1) Ring Force Shield, Barkskin HP 104/104 AC 33 FF 31 T 23 – Init +4 - CMB +17/19 trip (+1 unarmed), CMD 38 – 41 Trip, UnStrike 16/16/11 for d10+6, Ki Strike (magic/cold iron/silver/lawful,) Shattering Punch, Flying Kick Ki 7/8 Combat Reflexes (4), Bodyguard +3, In Harm’s Way, Mobility, Deflect Arrows, Insightful Wisdom, Improved Evasion
GM Jhaeman wrote:
Monkey Boy succeeds on the Acrobatics check to move through the zombie's space, and lands all of the attacks. There is some DR at work here. Monkey Boy, I should just check that you have a way to flurry as a standard action.
Flying Kick, unchained monk ability, allows a move up to your fast move bonus before flurrying. Since I moved 15', that's half speed, and I didn't take the acrobatics penalty.
Xilt steps forward and draws forth a pearl of power from his handy haversack. He speaks a word of power to regain a spell (vanish). He then turns his attention to directing the azata.
"Good work with the devil but the job is not quite finished yet. Dying is a good start but I want him fully dead."
Tzleztor resists the undeniable urge to strut his stuff on top of the prone and unconscious bone devil. Instead he sheathes his short staff in a handy leather loop and hovers in place. He looks around for anything out of place.
Perception:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26
"Alright, I will keep a lookout. You people have this. Right?"
Xilt did mention to the party that magical slashing weapons do work well against the zombies.
The bralani nods but is slightly miffed as well. He has been fighting evil for a very long time, much longer than this upstart wizard has been alive. Nevertheless another blast of harmful wind is released in the bone devil's direction.
Whirlwind blast, 20 foot line, reflex dc 17 for half damage:3d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 2) = 9
Unconscious creatures are treated as having a dexterity of 0 so the devil should have some fun trying to make his reflex save now. :)
As Tzleztor looks around and Xilt's summoned bralani continues attacking the fallen bone devil, Setare makes short work of the damaged zombies that remain! In seconds, the village of Geb's Hollow is as silent as when the Pathfinders first arrived.
Setare's attacks are enough to destroy the remaining zombies. The bone devil failed the save vs the whirlwind, but is technically still alive. I'm happy to assume you kill it permanently if desired. We will go off Initiative.
Tzleztor:
The only thing that looks unusual (beyond the town being completely deserted, and the zombies and bone devil) is that there is a desiccated corpse lying in the middle of the weed-choked, dry fountain.
Female LG follower of Sarenrae | human (actually mostly human Ifrit) | freckles, sweet, naive, fierce personality in battle | Outsider (Native), Humanoid (human) | Resistances: Elec. 3, Acid 3, Fire 2, Cold 3 | Smite 1/1 | Boots of Speed 10/10 | Swashbuckler 5, Paladin 2, Unchained Monk 3, Bloodrager 1 | HP 106/106 | Protector Familiar HP 53 | with mage armor/rage: AC 35, T 30, FF 24 | CMD 37 | F: +23, R: +25 (Evasion), W: +17 | Init: +13 | Perc: -2, SM: -2 | Ki Pool 7/7 | Stunning Fist 6/6 | Rage 6/6 | LoH 7/7 | Panache 6/6 + Plume 1/1 | Reroll 1/1 + Lesson of H. 1/1 | Eefriti Magic 1/1 | Darkvision 60ft | Speed 40ft | Active cond.: +4 Dex
Setare is clearly surprised about all of this!
"What ha... happened here? Why is a de ... devil here? Where are a... all the people?? Are they dead?" she says and frantically starts to search the town while listening to her companions.
Xilt rejoins the group and recovers a couple more spells with a brace of pearls of powers. The wizard casts another quick incantation in order to sharpen his mind and he draws forth a wand which should make him quicker in battle. Xilt then rearranges his equipment so that he is carrying only his staff. The mage issues a few more directions to the azata as he expects a full day (full minute in actuality) of work from his summoned creatures.
New Buffs:
Investigative Mind (100 minutes)
Heightened Awareness from wand (10 minutes)
The bralani grinds the devil's bones to dust. He then turns to heal the damaged party members to the best of his abilities. The azata casts Mirror Image on himself and then flies to the middle of the fountain and transforms into humanoid form. Only then does he retrieve the dead body for the party to examine.
Monkey Boy is healed 20 hit points (down only 6), Setare is fully healed.
@GM Jhaeman - We should be at the beginning of round 9 (for tracking the duration of the summon and other effects like Chaine's Lion Call) when the azata retrieves the body. This is enough time for Xilt to finish his preparations and rejoin the party. This is in case any effect or combat is triggered by this action.
Xilt's summoned bralani earns his (temporary) keep, finishing off the bone devil, healing the injured, and retrieving the desiccated corpse in the fountain for examination. As the sun begins to set on the village of Geb's Rest, the bralani returns back from whence it came . . .
A close look at the corpse shows that this is, unfortunately, the body of Rijana--the Pathfinder scholar you were sent to find. On her body is a journal.
How did she die? (DC 15 Heal check):
She was killed by unnatural means.
What was she doing before she died? (DC 20 Knowledge: Arcana):
She was performing a mystical ritual of some kind.
What's in the journal?:
The journal is titled Magical Mysteries of the Mana Wastes Steles. The book is 200 pages long, half filled with tiny scribbles and a day to day account of her activities over the last six months. Oddly, her last entry indicates that she was two days north of Geb’s Rest, in the Mana Wastes, camped around a stele that she believed would cure the Mana Wastes of its magical afflications if only she could just translate and properly perform the ritual laid out on the stele in ancient Kelesh. The journal also makes mention of three other journals: Translations of the Mana Wastes Stele; Demi-Planes, Pocket Dimensions, and the Mysteries of Geb; and Flora, Fauna, and Hazards of the Mana Wastes. Those volumes are not here.
Xilt looks sadly at the body and instantly recognises the Tell-tale signs of a mystical ritual.
Xilt's take 10 on K-Arcana is now 34.
Tzleztor goes to fetch the journal for his master. Xilt quickly peruses the manual.
"Well it looks like we have more work to do here. Three more volumes to recover."
"Hopefully we will not have to venture into the mana wastes to examine the stele she mentioned. Translating the ancient language off of a stone slab would be a suitable linguistic challenge but what is a wizard without magic? It is a scary thought indeed."
@GM Jhaeman - Does Xilt know anything more about this region of the Mana wastes in terms if magic is possible or not?
"It does seem that she was killed by unnatural means. Perhaps part of the ritual she was trying to perform?"
He has a quick look for anything hidden on the body or in the fountain (29 Perception on a take 10) and he casts Detect Magic on her and the fountain to see if he can discover what exactly she was up to.
Male CG Human (Shoanti/Varisian) Cavalier (Strategist) 11 - Init +2, Senses: Normal Vision, Perception +1, Lookout Perception +11, AC 30/ touch 12/ ff 28; hp 92/92, F+10, R+6 W+5, Speed 20 ft.; Challenge 3/4; Tactician (60') 4/4. Continuous Auras: 30 feet: +6 morale bonus on saves vs. fear; 60 feet: +3 morale bonus on saves vs. fear and +2 morale bonus on charge attacks. BUFFS:
Chaine bows his head in silence for a few moments when the celestial recovers the body of the deceased Pathfinder. As the wizard begins perusing the recovered manual, Chaine decides it would be best to secure the rest of the town square's perimeter. He nods to the Pathfinders and wheels Silvermane around, saying "I'll make sure no one else is hiding in the area. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Female LG follower of Sarenrae | human (actually mostly human Ifrit) | freckles, sweet, naive, fierce personality in battle | Outsider (Native), Humanoid (human) | Resistances: Elec. 3, Acid 3, Fire 2, Cold 3 | Smite 1/1 | Boots of Speed 10/10 | Swashbuckler 5, Paladin 2, Unchained Monk 3, Bloodrager 1 | HP 106/106 | Protector Familiar HP 53 | with mage armor/rage: AC 35, T 30, FF 24 | CMD 37 | F: +23, R: +25 (Evasion), W: +17 | Init: +13 | Perc: -2, SM: -2 | Ki Pool 7/7 | Stunning Fist 6/6 | Rage 6/6 | LoH 7/7 | Panache 6/6 + Plume 1/1 | Reroll 1/1 + Lesson of H. 1/1 | Eefriti Magic 1/1 | Darkvision 60ft | Speed 40ft | Active cond.: +4 Dex
Setare is similarly devastated when he learns that they found their comrade but that they are dead.
“May you find peace in the afterlife with the Dawnflower giving you strength for the journey through the day to the realm of the lady of graves and beyond to your final resting place. We will miss you … “ she says and closes her eyes.
Chaine rides Silvermane to scout the streets of Geb's Rest.
Chaine:
The streets are, once again, silent and vacant, and you see no signs of life whatsoever. You're able to make the rounds and return safely to the town square.
Xilt:
You know generally that the Mana Wastes can be a wizard's nightmare: areas of "wild magic" (where spells have unpredictable effect), "intermittent magic" (where a spell may work just fine one minute but fail completely the next), and "dead magic" (where spells just don't work at all).
A detect magic on the body and the fountain don't turn up anything.
Per +17, low light, SM +17, Acro +19 (31 to jump, running start) Mv 60, Climb 20, Mage Armor (CL1) Ring Force Shield, Barkskin HP 104/104 AC 33 FF 31 T 23 – Init +4 - CMB +17/19 trip (+1 unarmed), CMD 38 – 41 Trip, UnStrike 16/16/11 for d10+6, Ki Strike (magic/cold iron/silver/lawful,) Shattering Punch, Flying Kick Ki 7/8 Combat Reflexes (4), Bodyguard +3, In Harm’s Way, Mobility, Deflect Arrows, Insightful Wisdom, Improved Evasion
Monkey Boy steels himself.
"While I will not claim no one knows justice better than I, no matter how much I may know it. What I will say, is now is the time we seek justice, and perhaps, revenge."
Monkey Boy scales the Smithy wall to get a look around from height. He watches as Chaine circles, but also keeps an eye for anything approaching from outside the town.
"When everyone is ready we should properly examine the buildings of interest that we discovered. We need to find the three other volumes to complete our mission."
"I suggest that we begin by looking more closely at the smithy and the temple."
When everyone is ready to proceed Xilt casts another protective spell on himself and eight additional copies of him appear. He puts his rod and staff away and even the newly found journal is sucked into his Handy Haversack.
Buff:
Mirror Image cast @ Caster level 12 with Potent Magic and extended with rod, 24 minute duration.
MI,Images:1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Xilt raises an eyebrow at Setare's question. He is trying to be polite and genuinely likes Setare but a hint of intellectual snobbery still manages to leak out.
"I quickly skimmed the book but rest assured when we rest for the night I will give it my full attention."
"It is after all a very light read all considering. It was written by a cleric, a cleric of Nethys but still."
"Right now we should examine the town."
I am assuming that my character only spent a few minutes to look for anything obvious that jumped out at him. Our characters are exposed and on the clock so spending more time than that would not be appropriate.
Considering the background information about the cleric it is very likely that there is an indexing of the appropriate volumes in the front or back of the book and then a quick perusal of the last journal entry should not take long for a person with 24 Int. :)
Xilt sees the party scattering to the four winds again so he casts a quick incantation to allow them to communicate more discretely at a good distance.
Message is up on all sentient party members.
He then heads over with Tzleztor to peek inside the smithy. They are looking for any item of interest but journals in particular.
29 Perception on a Take 10 to look for hidden items/doors.
Chaine returns from his survey of the town to report there are no signs of any life.
Minor Bot of Chaine just to move us forward a bit.
Xilt:
You search the blacksmith's carefully but don't find anything of interest--it looks as if the devil just chose it as a convenient hiding spot for his ambush.
Monky Boy:
You take a look at the bone devil, but it doesn't seem to be carrying anything.
Xilt directs the party forward to examine the temple.
@GM Jhaeman - I am going to assume that the entire smithy was checked out (both rooms) otherwise Xilt and Tzleztor will check the other room of the smithy first before proceeding to check out the temple.
Female LG follower of Sarenrae | human (actually mostly human Ifrit) | freckles, sweet, naive, fierce personality in battle | Outsider (Native), Humanoid (human) | Resistances: Elec. 3, Acid 3, Fire 2, Cold 3 | Smite 1/1 | Boots of Speed 10/10 | Swashbuckler 5, Paladin 2, Unchained Monk 3, Bloodrager 1 | HP 106/106 | Protector Familiar HP 53 | with mage armor/rage: AC 35, T 30, FF 24 | CMD 37 | F: +23, R: +25 (Evasion), W: +17 | Init: +13 | Perc: -2, SM: -2 | Ki Pool 7/7 | Stunning Fist 6/6 | Rage 6/6 | LoH 7/7 | Panache 6/6 + Plume 1/1 | Reroll 1/1 + Lesson of H. 1/1 | Eefriti Magic 1/1 | Darkvision 60ft | Speed 40ft | Active cond.: +4 Dex
Hi GM, as you fast-forwarded a bit: Does that mean that there is nobody here in town? How many people usually should be in this town? I mean these are a lot of people?!? :-O
Setare is completely perplex that nobody is in the city.
She is almost panicking.
"Whe ... where are all the people!?? Are they alive?? What is go .. going on here!?" she shouts.
