DC 13 Will save to be seized with a fit of performance and immediately begin playing an impressive but dolorous dirge on the flute. Every round she plays the flute, she must make a DC 13 Fortitude save to avoid taking 2d4 points of damage as blood begins running from her eyes and ears and fingertips. If she makes the save, she takes only 2 points of damage. She cannot voluntarily cease playing the flute, but if reduced to negative hit points, she drops the flute as she slumps into unconsciousness. Another character can attempt to snatch the flute away by making a successful combat maneuver to effectively disarm the character of the flute—alternatively, any physical restraint (such as a successful grapple or a hold person spell) causes the flutist to cease playing and emerge from her fugue.
The angry spirits of the prisoners here waken as well, animating their skeletons into undead. Each cell here contains a single skeleton, but fortunately for you, most of the cells remain closed and locked—skeletons
within cells cannot exit, although they can try to claw at anyone adjacent to their door (doing so grants the victim a +4 bonus to his AC from cover, though). Several of the cells, however, are open, and from these cells seven skeletons emerge to attack.
You all notice the faint sound of mournful flute music and the eerie flapping of tiny leathery wings. You know something is about to happen. You get to act in surprise round before the undead rise.
The Piper of Illmarsh manifests as a disembodied, mournful dirge played upon a flute. The dirge can be heard throughout this floor of Harrowstone.
Each round, all living creatures (except for stirges) within this area must make a DC 14 Will save at the start of their turn to avoid being shaken by the effect. Once per round on the Piper’s turn, one randomly chosen humanoid in the area is also targeted by a hold person effect (DC 14 Will negates)—those who fail this save not only stand motionless, entranced by the music, but also experience a vision of the ghostly Piper himself as he approaches, attended by a flock of stirges. Once a victim escapes this hold person effect, the cumulative effect of the fear caused by the Piper’s slow, inexorable approach forces the victim to immediately make a DC 14 Will save to avoid taking 1d6 points of damage as blood momentarily flows from a dozen tiny punctures that
spontaneously open along his arms and neck.hp 48;
randomizer:1d4 ⇒ 3 1 = Drake, 2 = Calin, 3 = Visayn, 4 = Imrik
T2. Mess Hall
Wooden benches once lined this large hall, but several are now stacked in a jumble and others are overturned in disarray. Weakened by fire, the entire east wall has collapsed away, creating an unintended entryway to a wooden deck beyond. The view of the lake beyond would be beautiful if the silence were not so eerie.
Six stirges lie about unaware of the threat coming.
4 ectoplasmic bodies reside here too after the fight begins or as they search the coffins.
Shaken: A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Shaken is a less severe state of fear than frightened or panicked.
DC 14 Will save at the start of their turn to avoid being shaken:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
He takes his AoO on the yellow one killing it and cutting it in half.
The stirges take flight and swarm Drake. They seem to easily hover.
+7 touch:6d20 ⇒ (1, 14, 7, 13, 4, 14) = 53 who hit? 1 or 2 is red and yellow.:2d6 ⇒ (4, 3) = 7
Three of them latch on as the others miss. 3 con damage.
Attach (Ex) When a stirge hits with a touch attack, its barbed legs latch onto the target, anchoring it in place. An attached stirge is effectively grappling its prey. The stirge loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and has an AC of 12, but holds on with great tenacity and inserts its proboscis into the grappled target’s flesh. A stirge has a +8 racial bonus to maintain its grapple on a foe once it is attached. An attached stirge can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself—if its prey manages to win a grapple check or Escape Artist check against it, the stirge is removed.
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Blood Drain (Ex) A stirge drains blood at the end of its turn if it is attached to a foe, inflicting 1 point of Constitution damage. Once a stirge has dealt 4 points of Constitution damage, it detaches and flies off to digest the meal. If its victim dies before the stirge’s appetite has been sated, the stirge detaches and seeks a new target.
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Diseased (Ex) Due to the stagnant swamps in which they live and their contact with the blood of numerous creatures, stirges are harbingers of disease. Any creature subjected to a stirge’s blood drain attack has a 10% chance of being exposed to filth fever, blinding sickness, or a similar disease (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 557). Once this check is made, the victim can no longer be infected by this particular stirge, though attacks by different stirges are resolved normally and may result in multiple illnesses.
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Description
Stirges are vicious, blood-drinking swamp pests that prey on wild animals, livestock, and unwary travelers. While weak individually, swarms of the creatures are capable of draining a man dry in minutes, leaving only a desiccated husk in their wake.
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Closer to mammals than insects, stirges carry their bodies through the air on four fleshy wings, searching out warm-blooded prey. They are fond of hiding near watering holes and waiting for travelers to drop their guard, then swooping out to attach and drink their fill by thrusting their long feeding tubes into unprotected veins. After feeding they flap heavily off into the mud and reeds to lay their eggs and rest until hunger drives them to hunt again.
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Stirges are usually 1 foot long, with a wingspan of twice that, and weigh just under a pound. Their coloration is rust-red or reddish-brown with a dirty yellow underbelly, though stirges that have not fed in some time are often pale pink, their color deepening as they gorge.
Male N sylph Rogue 4 (Scout) hp 28/28 | AC 19/t14/ff15 CMD 20 +2 vs. undead | Fort +2, Ref +8, Will +1, +1 Ref to avoid traps | Init +4 | spd 30 ft |Darkvision 60 ft; Perception +7 (+11 to overhear conversation/+13 to find traps)
Will save DC13:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7 Will save DC14 vs. shaken:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7 Will save DC14 vs. Hold person:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
Round 1
While being unable to resist the urge to play the flute, Visayn starts moving toward where he hears sound of stirges.
Imrik is shaken by the strange muci, but flies in and stops a short distance away from Drake as he whirls his chain to knock one off the creatures off of Drake.
