Sipping his honey mead, Billy sees The Fool struggling. The bard says, "Slick's absolutely right. You're doing fine, my friend." Billy offers a drink from his Jug and asks, "Maybe some libation to take the edge off?" Appreciating the garish outfit, Billy adds, "And you look fantastic!"
The Fool takes heart from the encouragement and performs an aria from Lord Alvinerro, an opera about a man who trades his soul with Asmodeus for one more day with his dead wife. The harrowkin’s performance is particularly moving and impressive, especially considering they never remove their costume head.
As they step back the massive form of the Joke lumbers onto the stage. He props up his rather crude puppet, who he has called Hovey, onto his knee and launches into a series or rather dry and dull stories.
Billy wipes a tear as The Fool finishes a heartfelt performance. "Bravo! Bravo!"
As The Joke takes center stage, Billy adjusts his Musical Accompaniment to provide a lighter atmosphere, leading to a sting, or rimshot, at each punchline. He calls out encouragement, "You're really really funny." He's not. "I've never heard anyone with better comic timing." He has.
Billys suggestions cheer up the joke immensely and he happily takes on any suggestions, chatting away with his weird puppet head.
As he steps off the Twins they take his place, arguing with one another as they do so. The explain that they plan to perform a series of magic tricks, culminating in a battle with a giant, the Joke in disguise. However, they cannot decide which of them should have the glory of the final victory!
Slick lets out a breath of relief when Billy manages to talk The Fool into performing, but tenses up again when it looks like Billy overplays his hand with a clearly over-the-top reaction to The Joke's pathetic attempts at humor. But, no. The brute bought the deception and all is well again.
When The arguing Twins finally come on stage, Slick decides to get involved. He listens to their bickering for a bit but eventually tires of it. "Now look here you two. The plan seems sound, but you can't both have the final glory, right? Seems befitting in this situation that we let fate decide, right?"
The question is rhetorical as Slick pulls a gold coin from his pocket and holds it up. Pointing to one twin, he says, "you're heads." Pointing to the other, he says, "you're tails." With a flick of his finger, Slick launches the coin into the air. It spins in a great arc before hitting the ground and coming to stop. "Tails, it is!"
He points to the twin he had originally designated as tails. "Looks like you're it." He then turns to the other one with a look that brooks no argument. "We're all in agreement here, Right? Good."
Billy tries to settle the twins down by playing good cop to Slick's bad cop.
Changing his background music to a soothing lullaby, he asks, "Maybe some delicious honey mead to calm the nerves?" He pours two mugs, offers them to the twins, and continues, "My friend here is right. Surely wise folks like yourselves realize a compromise involving fate is only fitting for members of the Harrow."
"Both of you should study both roles, so you're always ready. Then trade off every time you rehearse or perform!"
Pinebrush points at the same one as Slick. "Start with that one."
The Twins perk up at the, occasionally contradictory, advice from the group. That's great, thanks they both shout. I am sure we can work it out they say in unison before disappearing behind the curtains on the stage. A moment later the curtains open again and all five, or six if you include the weird puppet, come onto the stage to perform their combined act.
The performance is eclectic, amusing and moving in different parts as the troupe puts your advice into good effect. By the end you find yourselves clapping along and cheering. The performers take a deep bow at the end and vanish behind the curtains. They open once again, perhaps for an encore, but instead you see four cards lying on the table.
However, before you can react, something else happens...
As you collect the cards from the table you are sat at there is a disturbance on the stage. A yawning portal appears, beyond you see a massive, vaulted chamber. A dark haired woman stands behind a heavy wooden desk littered with occult paraphernalia. Her identical twin stands next to her.
The woman holds an intricate wooden box. As she opens the lid the whole room shudders and each of you feels a decidedly wrenching sense. Your Harrow cards are ripped from your possession and go flying through the gate. All around the theatre more cards spring into being and fly through the portal. As the last card enters the box the woman smiles, and closes the lid.
Simultaneously, a group of monstrous beings leaps through the portal to attack you. As the last of them lands on the stage the portal snaps shut, all of your cards are lost!
Slick watches the main show with amusement, then sits through the card-wrenching, portal-opening and monster-appearing epilogue with somewhat less excitement. "That was quite the show, though I think the ending needs work. Looks like we've gone to a lot of trouble collecting all the cards only for someone to come along and steal them from us. How about we take care of these uglies first, then worry about finding the twins and getting the cards back?"
Billy thoroughly enjoys the performance. He's the first to stand up and gives an enthusiastic ovation. "Bravo and brava, ladies and gentlemen!" His musical accompaniment, which has changed appropriately throughout the show, is now a triumphant overture, adding to the applause.
Unfortunately, the celebration is short-lived as their cards are magically whisked away, but not before Billy took a close look at The Dance.
Sigourney ignores the entire performance and the lead-up to it, preferring to engage in some light reading. When the cards are handed over to the party, she glances up and zeroes in on The Fool. 'The Fool as a Harrowkin was insufferably insecure, but as a card? The ability to reduce mental stupification would be most helpful.' Sigourney thinks to herself.
She's so busy thinking about The Fool that when the cards are sucked away and monstrous creatures come to play, Sigourney is caught completely off-guard. The loss of half of her cards - most painfully felt being The Owl and The Tangled Briar - felt like parts of her spirit being forcibly ripped from her body! Her body buckles unnaturally under the occult magical forces tearing away at her very being. Sigourney's frame, already slender becomes dangerously gaunt and thin. The dust generated by the unnatural winds of magic causes Sigourney to start coughing uncontrollably.
"Cough! Cough! You two..." Her body straining with barely contained fury and newly constrained frailty, she looks up into the portal and into the eyes of the dark haired women. "I will get you...both...for this..." She manages to get out before descending into a fit of violent coughing.
"Hey, what? Who--?"
Initiative
, +2 visual
, nothing in range
take highest +34, +3 item visual, +2 circ scout
, Perception +27, +1 circ if visual, +2 circ scout
, +2 circ scout, +2 item visual
The large, vulture headed creature cackles unpleasantly, an oddly rasping noise. It raises one clawed hand and sends lightning coursing through the entire group. With a look of horror Sigourney recognises it as a chain lightning and braces herself for the pain. Turnabout it seems is fair play.
He then rips out a spear embedded in his body and sends it hurtling at Billy. It impales him through the thigh and he finds himself nearly pinned through his chair and into the floor.
Reflex saves, Sigourney, Reginald, Billy, Slick, Pine
Reflex Saves, All +1 vs Magic
, +1 vs magic, agile mind, pass
, no evasion, pass
, fail
, Bulwark +1, Evasion, pass becomes crit. stops
, Improved Evasion
, crit
*2 + deadly +8d6 bleed
Turn Order
Yellow
--------------------------------------------
Pine
--------------------------------------------
Red
--------------------------------------------
Slick
Billy
--------------------------------------------
Blue
Green
Purple
--------------------------------------------
Sigourney
Bold to act. At the start of your turn I need each of you to give me 2 DC35 will saves against Frightful Presence. Please make these your first rolls.
Combat status
Slick [278]
Billy [222], 144 damage, 8d6 bleed, see invisibile,
Pinebrush [258]
Sigourney [206], 37 damage, see invisible
Reginald [126], 45 damage
When the lightning heads his way, Billy tries extra hard to dodge.
Pinebrush is unnerved by the appearance of the monsters, enough that his hand shakes as he draws his weapon.
He points Minty Toothpick at the closest one, and the weapon extends, lancing across the room to stab it.
When your enemy is hit by your ally, you capitalize upon the distraction. Make a Strike against the triggering creature.
for , , , and , plus an addition if the target is Unholy; total of 28, or 29 if unholy
The Demon's Lantern: Activate [reaction] envision; Frequency once per day; Trigger A creature hits you with a melee attack; Effect You release a flash of lights and attempt a Reflex saving throw. If your saving throw is higher than the attack roll for the triggering attack, it misses. If the attack misses, the attacker is dazzled until the end of your next turn.
The Juggler: Activate [reaction] Interact; Trigger an item of 1 Bulk or less falls within your reach, or an attacker fails an attack roll to hit you or a creature within your reach with a thrown weapon of 1 Bulk or less; Effect You grab the triggering item. If all of your hands are full (including any extra free hands from The Juggler), you must immediately release an item, which can include the triggering item.
Holy Healing [reaction] concentrate, healing, vitality; Frequency once per day; Trigger You critically succeed at a Strike against an unholy creature with the weapon; Effect You regain HP equal to double the unholy creature's level
Trickster's Ace; Trigger: Reduced to half HP or less. Effect: Cast 4th-rank mountain's resilience
The Midwife [reaction] command; Frequency once per day; Trigger A creature you can sense within 60 feet would die or be destroyed; Effect You prevent the target from dying or being destroyed and restore to the target 6d8+24 Hit Points. This effect can prevent a death effect or disintegrate from slaying a target. The amount of healing granted increases to 7d8+28 if you're at least 15th level, 8d8+32 if you're at least 17th level, and 9d8+36 if you're at least 19th level.
Billy manages to duck just in time and takes a little less damage.
Pine finds himself rather unnerved, but still manages to stab Blue.
Red flies into the air and casts a spell. Visions of horror and death flood the minds of all of you! Billy recognises it as Phantasmagoria!
, both pass
Will Saves, All +1 vs Magic
, Bravery, fail
, Greater Resolve, crit
, Slippery Mind, pass - crit
, +Resolve, crit
, pass
Those snake creatures were truly ugly...
, Bravery
, Bravery
...but Slick had seen a lot uglier in his time and ignores their looks.
When the chain lightning reaches Slick, he intercepts it with his armor and grounds the charge before it can do any more harm.
Now one of the ugly snakes was casting spells at them. Slick finds his mind filling with endless images, like countless dreams and lives colliding with each other. A disconcerting situation to say the least...
Slick manages to shrug off the worst of the horrors.
Turn Order
Yellow
--------------------------------------------
Pine
--------------------------------------------
Red
--------------------------------------------
Slick
Billy
--------------------------------------------
Blue
Green
Purple
--------------------------------------------
Sigourney
Bold to act.
Combat status
Slick [278], 28 damage, no reactions until Red Turn 2
Billy [222], 102 damage, 8d6 bleed
Pinebrush [258], frightened 1
Sigourney [206], 37 damage
Reginald [126], 30 damage
Blue, 60 damage, enfeebled 1, no reaction [Start Pine turn 2]
Red, 15 up
Slick finally gets his feet under him and can move again. He wishes he'd had his sword in his hands during the performance, but that might have been seen as unfriendly.
As usual, he waits for his friend Billy's magical boosts before whipping out his sword and launching himself at the Snake that Pine skewered earlier.
Target takes an additional 2d10 persistent fire damage - no resistance (Greater Flaming).
Target takes an additional 2d10 persistent fire damage - no resistance (Greater Flaming).
Target takes an additional 2d10 persistent fire damage - no resistance (Greater Flaming).
From his seated position at the table, Billy manages to shake off the fear. Quickly, gathering his wits, the bard sings,
♫"A Joker, a Dancer, the Fool.
Performed with some Twins. It was cool!
.....But though they were taken,
.....We're steadfast. Not shaken.
Let's kill all those evil and cruel."♫
Then, focusing his energy to cast quickly the bard hastily sings a song of haste.
♫"Our harrow cards are missing. More than just misplaced.
Before the snakes start hissing, let's kill them with some haste."♫
Finding a surprisingly amount of time on his hands he grins and sings,
♫"You monsters ruined our party. But now, you'll know my name.
I'm Billy Freaking Bardy. Your sanity, I'll claim!"♫
Billy casts Phantasmagoria and targets all enemies within 120'.
Success: The target takes half damage and can't use reactions until the start of your next turn.
Failure: The target takes full damage and is confused until the start of your next turn.
Critical Failure: The target takes double damage and is confused for 1 minute.
Billy does Billy things, inspiring his companions to greater feats of heroics. He then seeks to return the favour and bring madness and death to the enemy but they seem entirely unaffected. One of them says something, its unclear what but it sounds a bit sarcastic.
The little mortal thinks such magics can harm us! Hah, let us show him just how we bring death to his kind.
Slick draws his blade and crashes into Blue who is sent reeling, but somehow still standing.
Blue, horribly damaged, flies up out of Slicks reach and casts a spell. It is another Phantasmagoria! Fortunately, this time, no-one so much as blinks.
The second vulture headed creature sends a spear stabbing out at Pine. It stabs him in the arm, causing more bleeding wounds. He then lashes out with another chain lightning, starkly illuminating the old theatre. What people outside think is going on is anyone's guess but no-one is coming to investigate.
Will Saves, All +1 vs Magic
, Bravery
, Greater Resolve
, Slippery Mind
, +Resolve
, hit
+4d6 bleed
Chain Lightning
Billy, Sigourney, Reg, Pine
Reflex Saves, All +1 vs Magic
, pass
, pass
, damage avoidance, pass
, Improved Evasion, crit pass
Billy is momentarily saddened that his new high-rank spell had no effect on the intruders. But he snaps out of it when more damage comes his way. He reacts by chanting,
♫"Time to slighten the damaging lightnin'."♫
Counteract Rules Summary:
Critical Success: Counteract the target if its counteract rank is no more than 3 higher than your effect's counteract rank. (up to 11th rank)
Success: Counteract the target if its counteract rank is no more than 1 higher than your effect's counteract rank. (up to 9th rank)
Failure: Counteract the target if its counteract rank is lower than your effect's counteract rank. (up to 7th rank)
Critical Failure: You fail to counteract the target.
Billy manages to draw much of the power from the electrical blast, causing the creature to snarl in frustration.
The odd, multicoloured, long limbed, creature at the back sinuously floats forward, rising into the air as it moves. Its long fingers twist and writhe as it conjures a mass of cloying black energy which washes over the group, except Slick who is too far away.
Fort Saves, All +1 vs Magic
, pass
, pass becomes crit, pass - crit
, fail
, pass
The group find their blood being extracted by the horrific mist conjured by the creature.
Applying 10 resist for Billy and 5 for Sigourney
Inspire 1/4
Haste 1/10
Turn Order
Yellow
--------------------------------------------
Pine
--------------------------------------------
Red
--------------------------------------------
Slick
Billy
--------------------------------------------
Blue
Purple
Green
--------------------------------------------
Sigourney
Bold to act.
Combat status
Slick [278], 28 damage, no reactions until Red Turn 2
Billy [222], 162 damage, 4d6 bleed
Pinebrush [258], frightened 1
Sigourney [206], 98 damage
Reginald [126], 58 damage
Blue, 311 damage, enfeebled 1, no reaction [Start Pine turn 2], off guard [Slick turn 2], 2d10 fire, 15' up
Red, 15 up
Green, 10' up, DC11 flat check to target it with anything, 25THP
Choking, spluttering and caught completely off-guard, Sigourney feels as helpless and scared as the time the Demons teleported into Harrowheart. Luckily for her, that horrible memory gave way to the victorious scene where she and Pine triumphed against overwhelming numbers. Gritting her teeth, she steadies herself and prepares for an explosive magical counterattack.
Sigourney's slow reaction time is made up for by her Patron's quick thinking. The dragon within immediately puppets Reginald and Commands him to attempt to finish off Blue.
Even bereft of the Hidden Truth, a phantasmal flicker of the Harrow Card remains. It activates with a blue bolt that flashes from her head, hopefully giving her insight into the snake-like fiends. She uses her Loremaster's Etude to grant her proper insight into those creatures.
Her recent purchase of the Greater Accolade Robes has given her the ability not just to think quickly, but also grab her Staff in a hurry. She Reviews her notes and quickly tries to recall what she knows about the bird-headed fiends, while at the same time she draws her Ceremonial Knife-Wand of Holy Light from her Robes.
"Billy, I...c-can't help you very much..." She begins, until a fit of violent coughing overwhelms her; "u-until I get my Staff in my hands - but take this minor healing for now!" She Quickened Casts a 5th rank Heal on the hapless Bard.
Turning to face the daemons, she uses the table to prop herself into a standing position. Pointing the Knifewand at the enemy, she mirrors the creatures' sarcastic, mocking tone and says in Daemonic;
✂︎❄︎♒︎♏︎ ♌︎♓︎♑︎ ♎︎♋︎♏︎❍︎□︎■︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎■︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎♓︎❒︎ ❍︎♋︎♑︎♓︎♍︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ ♒︎◆︎❒︎⧫︎ ◆︎⬧︎✍︎ ☹︎♏︎⧫︎ ︎☜︎ ⬧︎♒︎□︎⬥︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ♒︎□︎⬥︎ ✋︎ ♌︎❒︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♎︎♏︎♋︎⧫︎♒︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎︎ ☞︎♓︎❒︎♏︎ ︎♓︎♑︎■︎ ︎ ☟︎□︎●︎⍓︎ ☹︎♓︎♑︎♒︎⧫︎✏︎✂︎
A beam of bright light erupts from the wand, turning semi-corporeal as it transitions into the Netherworld just long enough that it hits the fiend where it is hopefully at its weakest - its reflexes.
Spluttering and exhausted, she hastily moves towards Slick so that she can potentially Heal him on future rounds.
Reginald quails and squeaks a little but is cut off suddenly when the Patron controls his body. Disturbingly calm, he moves silently on his four paws towards Blue before distending his body into strings, aiming to garrote Blue in a Stitching Strike.
With the Patron's presence in his mind and Sigourney right behind him, Reginald digs deep into himself and stops being so frightened.
Reginald scampers forward and unravels himself at Blue. Despite its rather sinuous appearance it seems to be quite slow and takes the full force of the wrappings. Its body, sheared into thick lumps, crashes to the ground.
Sigourney recognises the snake like fiends as Phasmadaemons, dangerous opponents. She realises they are immune to both fear and death effects. Drawing her wand she also examines the vulture headed monsters. They are Purrodaemons, immune to both death effects and bleed.
With Blue dead she blasts Purple with holy flames. It roars in anger!
Yellow raises a taloned hand and drops a mass of flame on the group.
, fail
Reflex Saves, All +1 vs Magic
, fail
, Improved Evasion, pass to crit
, pass
, probably damage avoidance, pass, 0 damage
Billy calls out to Sigourney, "Thanks for the healing! Feeling much better ..." And then more flames engulf him.
The little halfling uses some Chaotic Destiny to draw a harrow card and tries to twist away from the flames.
Billy manages to get a table between him and the blast at the last minute.
Sigourney is lightly singed. The creature then hurls another weapon from its body at Billy.
fire, -5 resist
, hit
Inspire 2/4
Haste 2/10
Turn Order
Yellow
--------------------------------------------
Pine
--------------------------------------------
Red
--------------------------------------------
Slick
Billy
--------------------------------------------
Purple
Green
--------------------------------------------
Sigourney
Bold to act.
Combat status
Slick [278], 28 damage, no reactions until Red Turn 2
Billy [222], 138 damage, 4d6 bleed
Pinebrush [258], frightened 1
Sigourney [206], 117 damage
Reginald [126], 58 damage
Blue, dead
Red, 15 up
Green, 10' up, DC11 flat check to target it with anything, 25THP
Purple, 110 damage
Yellow, 10' up
Pine sees that Billy is badly injured (again) and that these fiends seem to be bullying him. But the best remedy for that is probably sweeping more of them off the board, and he sees that Sigourney has also hurt one of them.
Clicking his anklets together to activate their speed boost, he leaps up onto the table and into the air, diving towards the injured monster's midsection before diverting up towards its throat, hoping to catch it off-guard by the sudden change in direction. He does try to make sure to keep Billy in sight.
But he just can't shake the, um, shakiness.
Since they're kind of focus-firing, will save Reaction for Midwife, just in case.
Pine swoops in at Purple. Unfortunately the creature isnt fooled by his tricks and he lands only a superficial wound. However, as he stabs it the creatures body seems to twist and try to absorb his blade!
, critical fail
The building was old and damaged even before the attack. Why shouldn't a piece of ceiling debris fall right then, just when Pine needs it?
Pine finds his weapon wrenched from his grasp and it drops to the ground next to him.
Red swoops down on Billy and snaps and claws at him leaving him bloody but standing, just.
, hit
, hit
Inspire 2/4
Haste 2/10
Turn Order
Yellow
--------------------------------------------
Pine
--------------------------------------------
Red
--------------------------------------------
Slick
Billy
--------------------------------------------
Purple
Green
--------------------------------------------
Sigourney
Bold to act.
Combat status
Slick [278], 28 damage, no reactions until Red Turn 2
Billy [222], 217 damage, 4d6 bleed
Pinebrush [258], frightened 1, disarmed
Sigourney [206], 117 damage
Reginald [126], 58 damage
Blue, dead
Red
Green, 10' up, DC11 flat check to target it with anything, 25THP
Purple, 138 damage
Yellow, 10' up
With Reginald's dispatching of the phasmadaemon he was attacking, Slick turns his attentions to the remaining fiends in the room. He watches as first Sigourney and then Pine focus their attentions on one of the purrodaemons. As the creature happens to be within easy reach , Slick decides to join in on the fun. He launches himself at his new target and gets to work sending it back to Abaddon.
Target takes an additional 2d10 persistent fire damage - no resistance (Greater Flaming).
Reactive Strike (↺) (extra reaction from Tactical Reflexes)
Trigger A creature within your reach uses a manipulate action or a move action, makes a ranged attack, or leaves a square during a move action it’s using.
Make a melee Strike against the triggering creature. If your attack is a critical hit and the trigger was a manipulate action, you disrupt that action. This Strike doesn’t count toward your multiple attack penalty, and your multiple attack penalty doesn’t apply to this Strike.
Holy Healing (↺) (1/day)
Trigger You critically succeed at a Strike against an unholy creature with a Holy weapon
You regain HP equal to double the unholy creature's level.
Protector's Sacrifice (↺)
Trigger An ally within 30 feet takes damage
Reduce the damage the ally would take by 24. You redirect this damage to yourself, but your immunities, weaknesses, resistances and so on do not apply.
Warding Tattoo (Fiend) (↺) (1/day)
Trigger An enemy, hazard, or the environment makes an attack against your AC, requires you to attempt a saving throw, or causes you to take damage automatically
Until the end of the current turn, against the triggering effect, you gain a +1 status bonus to AC and saving throws and gain resistance 2 to damage.
The Paladin (↺) (1/day)
Trigger You fail or critically fail a saving throw
Adjust the result of your saving throw up by one degree of success.
Skeptic's Defense (↺) (1/day)
Trigger You are targeted by or are in the area of a mental spell or effect.
You don't believe in any mental twaddle, and you're certainly not afraid of it. You scoff and verbally refute the triggering effect, attempting a counteract check using your Intimidation modifier with a counteract level of half your level rounded up. If you succeed, you ignore the triggering effect, though any other creatures that were also targeted or in the area are still affected. If the source of the effect you successfully counteracted understands your language and has an Intelligence modifier of –3 or higher, that creature becomes stupefied for 1 round.
Blessed Denial (↺)
Trigger An ally within 30 feet would become Frightened, Drained, Enfeebled, Sickened, or Stupefied.
You exude peace and protection, lessening a harmful condition as it falls upon an ally. Reduce the value of the condition your ally would take by 1 (to a minimum of 0). If the ally takes more than one condition at the same time, choose one to reduce.
Billy is used to getting plenty of attention. But this is getting ridiculous. He'll bleed out if there smothering affection continues. Realizing he's not much help if he's unconscious, he decides to make a quick exit.
He chants, ♫"Thanks for the ovation. But time for a vacation."♫ He casts Time Jump to stand up and move near Sigourney.
Touching his heart, he concentrates to heal himself.
Finally, he mutters "wield shield" to bring up a magical Shield.
Slick crashes into purple hacking away. He lands four solid hits and, with a groan, it slumps to the ground, quite dead.
Billy brings himself some much needed healing before bravely running away. Green tracks Billy's flight with its soulless black eyes. It flies forward, hovering over Billy ad Sigourney. With an evil grin it raises one clawed hand and then clenches its fist. Billy is suddenly outlined in nauseating grey energy which saps at his vitality.
With his current harrow omen being Shields, Billy activates his Harrower ability, Avoid Dire Fate, to ensure a successful resolution.
Billy sees his life flash before his eyes but it seems Destiny still has work for him to do.
Inspire 2/4
Haste 2/10
Turn Order
Yellow
--------------------------------------------
Pine
--------------------------------------------
Red
--------------------------------------------
Slick
Billy
--------------------------------------------
Green
--------------------------------------------
Sigourney
Bold to act.
Combat status
Slick [278], 28 damage
Billy [222], 208 damage, 4d6 bleed
Pinebrush [258], frightened 1, disarmed
Sigourney [206], 117 damage
Reginald [126], 58 damage
Blue, dead
Red
Green, DC11 flat check to target it with anything, 25THP
Purple, dead
Yellow, 10' up
Sigourney watches helplessly as Billy takes the Execute, fully expecting Billy to drop from the death-bringing energy. When he somehow hangs on by a thread she breathes a sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging as the tension leaves her body.
Sigourney's Patron acts again, this time Commanding Reginald to protect Billy.
Sigourney pulls out her Staff of Healing from her belt - both to finally get in hand but also to pre-emptively trigger any reactions from the Green fiend.
"Billy! I...am going to heal you - hold still!" Sigourney quickly reaches out a trembling hand and places it on the Halfling's shoulder. Glowing brightly with vitality, she hastens the flow of time for Billy, herself and Reginald They feel themselves recovering hit points as if they took a spot of Long-Term Rest, as if they've received a Moment of Renewal.
With magical Haste, Sigourney Strides away, trying to keep everyone within Heal range.
Reginald receives a new order and reluctantly runs back into the fray, onto Sigourney's shoulder. He puts his paws on Sigourney's newly acquired Spellguard Shield and starts to squeak.
Reginald starts to separate into stringy bits of himself, his arms extending, warping and splitting until an even smaller, even more spaghetti-like version of himself forms. This version of himself attaches himself to the Spellguard Shield and starts to levitate towards Billy. Its movement stops when the shield is in front of Billy in a protective position as Reginald casts Dancing Shield.
Sigourney brings some much needed healing to the group before tactically withdrawing.
Yellow, enraged that their focus fire target is still standing swoops down at Billy and lashes out twice at him. As he does so the area plunges into dim light from the power of Sigourney's Eclipse card.
, crit, turned into a regular hit
, hit
Inspire 3/4
Haste 3/10
Turn Order
Yellow
--------------------------------------------
Pine
--------------------------------------------
Red
--------------------------------------------
Slick
Billy
--------------------------------------------
Green
--------------------------------------------
Sigourney
Bold to act.
Combat status
Slick [278], 28 damage
Billy [222], 162 damage, 4d6 bleed
Pinebrush [258], frightened 1, disarmed
Sigourney [206], 0 damage
Reginald [126], 0 damage
Blue, dead
Red
Green, DC11 flat check to target it with anything, 25THP
Purple, dead
Yellow
Pine stoops to collect his fallen, needle-like weapon, before swooping back towards the middle of the fight.
He considers trying out his new eternal eruption, but since they were caught by surprise it's still stowed in his pouch. No time to fumble with it now.
Besides, the ugly one (one of the ugly ones) is distracted by Billy. And... it's probably best if everyone is closer together right now, anyway. While its attention is elsewhere, he stings it twice.
It's not his best work. He still can't shake the, um, shakiness.
Pine stoops to collect his fallen, needle-like weapon, before swooping back towards the middle of the fight.
He considers trying out his new eternal eruption, but since they were caught by surprise it's still stowed in his pouch. No time to fumble with it now.
Dashing towards Billy, he quickly tends to the worst of his wounds. And then heals him with his gloves too, for good measure.
Pine rushes over and provides some much needed healing for Billy.
Red slithers forward to flank Billy and Pine. It snaps out at Billy with its jaws, tearing out chunks of flesh and undoing Pines good work.
, hit
, hit
Inspire 3/4
Haste 3/10
Turn Order
Yellow
--------------------------------------------
Pine
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Red
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Slick
Billy
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Green
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Sigourney
Bold to act.
Combat status
Slick [278], 28 damage
Billy [222], 172 damage, 4d6 bleed
Pinebrush [258]
Sigourney [206],
Reginald [126],
Blue, dead
Red
Green, DC11 flat check to target it with anything, 25THP, 10' up
Purple, dead
Yellow
With no small measure of satisfaction, Slick dispatches his latest opponent with a flurry of sword strikes. He glances over to see how his friends are holding up against the remaining daemons.
He lets out a sigh. As usual, Billy’s magnetic personality was drawing the creatures’ attention; the fiends seemingly going out of their way to take a bite out of him. Slick once again wonders what it is about his friend that provokes such fury in these monsters. Good thing that Sigourney and Pine were doing their best to keep Billy in the fight, because Slick has his hands full cutting down their enemies one by one.
Seeing that only one of the creatures was within reach of his leap, Slick launches himself at the remaining purrodaemon. He lands in front of Sigourney and gets to work with his sword.
"Thanks for the healing, Pine. I feel much bet..." Oof! The poor halfling absorbs another blow.
Billy decides he's had enough of being the bad guys' punching bag. First, he mutters "wield shield" to continue his magical force field. Then he sings out,
♫"This constant endless beating -- I'm growing rather tired.
They say that fame is fleeting. Till then, I'll be admired!"♫
Billy casts Overwhelming Presence on all 3 remaining enemies. Surrounded in supernatural splendor, Billy's golden hue expands into a godlike celestial aura.
Spell: Overwhelming Presence
Rank: 9th
Area: 40' burst
Target: Any number of creatures
Duration: Until tribute is paid
Description: You surround yourself with supernatural splendor, appearing to be a god or similarly majestic being, with an appearance, regalia, and iconography of your choice. Targets must attempt a Will save. Regardless of the outcome, the target is then temporarily immune for 1 minute.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target must pay tribute to you two times. Paying tribute requires that the target spend a single action, which has either the move trait (as they bow) or manipulate trait (as they offer up a token in their hands). They must pay tribute at least once on each of their turns, if possible. While affected, the target is fascinated by you and can't use hostile actions against you.
Failure As success, but the target must pay tribute a total of six times.
Critical Failure As failure, but the target must spend all its actions paying tribute, and they cannot take other actions until the tribute is fully paid.
With the enemies hopefully demonstrating a more non-violent method of adoration, the little halfling runs off to find a more ... strategic position.
Slick leaps at Yellow. He lands two solid hits and the creature seems somewhat perturbed.
Billy begins to radiate godlike energy! Green begins to whine and grovel on the floor while Red cries out in horror. Seriously impeded, the group is able to quickly dispatch the remaining foes.
COMBAT OVER
The room falls quiet but all of your cards have gone...
What do you do?
Will saves, red, green, yellow
Fail, Crit Fail, Pass
I think Green actually needs a flat check to target. While overwhelming presence is a burst it targets "any number of creatures". I read that as meaning you have to target who you want to affect in the area, making concealment an issue.
Seizing the opportunity, Sigourney blasts Yellow and Red with as many Holy Lights as she can force out of her wand and herself.
Sigourney's Knifewand, covered in patchwork stitches and reforged countless times over years of use, shatters in her hand from magical strain. This shock knocks Sigourney prone.
Exhausted, Sigourney slowly gets back up from her prone position, using her Staff as a walking stick, the sound of Daemons dying around her. A thin smile forms around her lips.
"Reginald...you are alive? Thank Nethys." She pauses to think, a thoughtful expression on her face which soon gives way to alarm.
"Hang on a second...we do not have our cards anymore...does that mean...what happens to Harrowheart?" Sigourney hobbles over to the rest of the party.
"Quickly, we must return! That woman could be storming Harrowheart as we speak!"
With his two friends falling to their knees to worship Billy, the remaining purrodaemon finds itself in the unenviable position of fighting on alone. Slick's flashing sword soon cuts it down, sending the creature back to Abaddon where it is soon followed by its groveling companions.
"Nice job there, Billy. Pretty sure we could have finished them off eventually, but your spell sure sped things up subtantially."
Slick then starts searching the area in case the daemons left anything of value behind.
When Sigourney suggests returning to Harrowheart immediately, Slick can't help but agree, though he's not so sure if they still can. "Don't we need to have at least one card in our possession to shift back to the Harrow Court? I guess we'll find out soon enough."
He then focuses on whatever remnants of the cards' power he still possesses and attempts to shift back to the Harrow Court.