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A goblin runs in screaming. He is brandishing a whip and cracks it furiously over his head. He runs around the room and then back out again. There's a crash outside. One last crack of the whip sounds.
The goblin calmly walks in, looks around and then finds a chair.
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A disheveled woman dressed in plain, dirty clothes meanders in, seemingly oblivious to those already there. Twigs and leaves stick out of her tousled hair at almost every possible angle, and at some impossible ones too. She is conversing amiably with a long-stemmed rose half tucked into her sleeve. “Yes, I’m sure this is the right place … no, that tree didn’t know what it was talking about … well, maybe not, but I’ve been around here a lot longer than you have.”
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"Oh yes, you're certainly in the right place," says another sprite perched on the arm of a chair. "Can't you tell?" she adds, indicating the others in the room. "I know because you couldn't possibly be anything other then a Pathfinder agent. I can tell these things. I used to follow a detective around."
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A pretty blonde sprite flutters in. Her face distorts in undisguised revulsion at Mia's melting features. "Eeeew! That's disgusting! What's wrong with your face?""I ... got cursed. A little."
"Well it looks awful. You should do something about it." Lily flips her long hair dismissively and turns to whisper to Shimmer.
"Ugh! Bidh na cliuimeachstomich seo gu bhith cha mhòr gun fheum. Tha am fear sin a' bruidhinn ri flùraichean, tha am fear sin a' leaghadh air falbh agus tha an goblin...gu math a bharrachd air a bhith gobliny. Is e seo an rud as miosa.?"
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A hooded dromaar whose thick skin is green and covered with some scars is sitting at the corner of the room where the other Pathfinders are gathered. He introduces himself.
"Gilgamesh the Fistful. A pleasure to be working with you for this mission." he says before remaining silent again, just listening to their conversation.
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“Oh,” the unkempt human woman turns to the friendly sprite with a look of surprise, as if noticing the tiny woman for the first time. “Yes … I know this is the right place. I … was just explaining to her …” she indicates the rose poking out of her sleeve, “… because she didn’t believe me.” Her voice is awkward and halting; clearly she feels more comfortable speaking to her flower than to actual people. Her eyes light up noticeably with impressed admiration at the mention of following a detective. “I … followed a tree for about twenty years.”
Her eyes flick towards the other whispering sprite, then back again. “Have … you and your sister … been Pathfinder agents for very long?”
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The goblin stands up on his chair to look at Mitzi. "You follow a tree? Was that fun?" He puts his arms up and sways back and forth for a moment before launching into a song. "Are you, are you, Comin' to the tree?" He punctuates the lines with cracks of his whip before he jumps down off the chair to introduce himself.
Me Scripio! I whip and know things!" He looks like he's going to say something else when he spots some water around Mia's foot. He hurries over and touches it with his finger, licks it, and nods. Then he pulls out a scrap of cloth to dab in it and stuffs it into his pocket.
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Shimmer responds politely in Fey.
"Sorry, it's Shimmer," she answers Mitzi, "I don't think I said. I'm a pretty experienced field agent now, yes. I've never met this girl before, though. She must be a novice."
Friendly smile.
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Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin waits in the starkly furnished lower floor of the Macridi townhouse, standing next to an androgynous figure fully covered in crisp white. "Meet Marivit Kopje, our patron in this expedition. I'll let them explain your mission. Take a seat."
Marivit perches at the edge of their chair, looking vaguely dismissive even as they assume control of the conversation. "In my research on optimizing our mining operations, I came across several mentions of a planar key connected to a rather specific demiplane. The logistics are unimportant to you but make a great deal of difference in efficiency with our mining concerns. I thought it was wishful thinking at best; this key seemed too good to be true. Especially since the extent of what I found mentioned Shimia Renveld." Marivit's characteristically sour look darkens. "Shimia. A disgrace to followers of the Prophesies even if she did meet the bare minimum of obligations. Nevertheless, I thought the rumors of her collection hidden away in a vault were merely that." They brighten, becoming nearly animated as they talk about the discovery. "Shimia's vault was a myth... until I heard what my miners found while they were excavating new exploratory tunnels, I would never have believed it existed, nor that the key was anything other than wishful thinking. Now I know—and naturally, my competition will know in short order, as well. Miners aren't the best at keeping secrets." Marivit's expression once more hardens. "That's why I've asked the Pathfinders to take care of this. You have a certain reputation."
Ambrus nods in acceptance and adds, "The Society will also benefit. There may be cultural artifacts and a great deal to be learned from a long dead Kalistocrat's collection, and Marivit has accepted our offer to preserve this knowledge. You will be mapping the extents of the vault to aid in that work. You'll also be cataloging the contents, particularly anything unusual or noteworthy. The more, the better. I know the Grand Archive wants things as extensively cataloged as possible, and those in the Envoy's Alliance want to make sure any threats have been dealt with before our scholars enter."
Marivit quickly adds, "Time is of the essence. I need to stake my claim on this vault and find the key or someone else will." They eye Ambrus. "But prepare yourselves well. It's no good if you cannot complete your mission."
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Shimmer responds politely in Fey.
** spoiler omitted **"Sorry, it's Shimmer," she answers Mitzi, "I don't think I said. I'm a pretty experienced field agent now, yes. I've never met this girl before, though. She must be a novice."
Friendly smile.
Lily practically screeches in outrage, only settling down somewhat when Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin begins his briefing. She sits off to the side and seethes.
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Mitzi seems a bit flustered and overwhelmed by all the activity, so she is actually rather relieved when the venture-captain officially starts the meeting, forcing her to focus on Marivit’s briefing of their mission. After Kopje finishes, the scruffy woman sits still for a minute, thinking, then quietly ventures “So … what does this planar key look like? Someone … once said that I was a key … to the Plane of Wood.”
She abruptly gets up and walks over to the dromaar in the corner. “Mitzi,” she gracelessly introduces herself, then after an awkward pause, walks wordlessly over to Lily. She gives the sprite a kind, sympathetic look. “Oh … I’m a novice too,” she says reassuringly. Then she turns and looks over her shoulder at Gilgamesh. “Metsuri.” she adds, as if no time had passed at all, before finally anxiously asking her rose “Did I do that right?”
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You look over and Scripio is trying to be quiet, but he's playing with his whip, moving it back and forth on the ground like a snake. You think he's not paying much attention, until he says, "So Pathfinders explore Shimia's vault for you, making sure it safe, but also making sure you get to it before other miners?"
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The vault holds a diverse array of curiosities, but the key is most likely among similar gadgetry.
After preparations are completed, Marivit meets the party once more at their townhouse to start them on their journey. The guide, a gruff dwarf wearing a sour expression similar to Marivit's, says just enough words to get her point across and only answers the most essential questions with anything more than a grunt. Read or paraphrase the following as the Pathfinders make their way to the vault.
The dwarven guide doesn't introduce herself, nor does Marivit introduce her. She eyes the party skeptically. "Pathfinders? Let's go." Outside, a carriage waits, its dark curtains pulled shut. "Don't open these. Strict orders." The journey takes several days, possibly more time than is necessary due to the many twisting side roads. Breaks are monitored closely, and it seems like the guide wants to make sure the group isn't being followed. When the carriage finally makes its last stop, the guide hurries to a nondescript mine entrance, barely waiting to catch a breath. "Don't dawdle."
The vault is deep within the mine, a few hundred feet down and well off the main shaft. It appears relatively disused, and the tunnel ends rather abruptly at a hole breaking into a hallway of worked stone. Thick, ominous webbing crosses the opening, making passage through even more difficult. Two miners guard the entrance. "Careful. There are definitely spiders in there—big ones, too. Glad they've got someone to clear this place out, so we can get back to actual work."
The guide glares at the guard for chatting before handing off a lantern. "You'll need this. Go on. Good luck."
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Mitzi isn’t exactly bored by the long journey, but she is puzzled by the unseemly emphasis on haste by a slow dwarf who takes a circuitous route to their destination. She can’t help but open the curtains to peek outside, strict orders or not—how is one supposed to learn anything cooped up inside a dark carriage? The whole point of this mission is to learn all they possibly can—that’s how the Grand Archive convinced her to join the Pathfinders after all—and she delights in pointing out the window at the various things they see along the way. She’s particularly interested in learning all she can from her more knowledgeable companions—notably Shimmer and Scripio—though in an awkward sort of way, with frequent asides to her now wilted rose.
At the vault’s entrance, she wordlessly accepts the lantern and peers inquisitively at the webbing.
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The trip reminds you why you usually don't travel in confined spaces with a goblin. Scripio seems to have one volume level: LOUD. And the goblin is fond of singing random lyrics while punctuating the words with a flick of his whip. Multiple times a day, there's a near miss with "You'll knock a eye out!" the common refrain.
When they finally arrive, Scripio nearly falls out of the carriage. The goblin hurries after the others, humming under his breath. He gives a mock salute to the guards, and then walks up to the webbing, not paying any attention to the guards' words. Scripio looks at the cave entrance and the webbing, trying to work out how big of a spider might have spun the web.
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"Is there something special about that lantern, or is it just a light? Because I think we have light covered."
A pair of dragonfly-like wings made of blue light unfurl from Shimmer's back. The others have seen her do this while they were traveling to fly short distances (which, for a being of her size, can be useful even inside of a carriage), but this time the wings stay out and give off light as bright as a torch.
Plus they're Pathfinders. Most of them have wayfinders anyway.
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Taking the lantern and with Mia's wayfinder lit, you proceed into the Vault.
Thick strands of spider silk cover the walls and cross the opening of the hallway, obscuring the view inward and slowing down exploration. Past this veil, the carapaces of various insects, small animal bones, and molted spider husks litter the floor. It's eerily quiet, with only an occasional skittering betraying the presence of large spiders within.
Spiders swarm out en masse to defend their territory...
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
Active Conditions:
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Those with ** may go
**Shimmer - AC 21 42/42
**Scripio - AC 19 28/28
Yellow
Red
White
Lily with the Blonde Hair - AC 17 20/20
Mitzi Metsuri - AC 16 (18 w/shield) 33/33
Gilgamesh - AC 22 (24 w/shield) 52/52
Green
Blue
Mia Moja - AC 21 60/60
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Oh. Shimmer was so distracted by larger questions that she didn't even think about the spiders. It was obvious they'd be a problem, and she really should have been.
Well, she wasn't able to talk to spiders anyway, so there really wasn't much for her to do but shoot them, so...
Reasoning that her weapon probably wasn't the best for dealing with swarms, she studies the movement of the closest giant spider. Mm. Not a great shot. She moves for a clearer shot at a different one and tries that instead.
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Scripio's mouth starts watering at the sight of all the tasty morsels crawling towards him. His whip lashes forward and knocks a majority of the spiders unconscious.
Shimmer tries to get an angle on White but doesn't find a decent shot. She shoots Blue instead hitting it in the body.
Yellow moves in but Scripio's lash catches it. The swarm disperses and leaves the unconscious spiders behind for Scripio to feast on.
Red suddenly shoots webbing at the party's frontliners.
White moves up and tries to bite Mia.
for
for
for
Mia feels a burning pain where the spider's fangs penetrate.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
Terrain:
* Pink - spider web (DC 15 Survival/Thievery to disconnect the strands)
Active Conditions:
Web Trap Escape DC: 17
Before Your Turn:
DC 14 Basic Reflex vs Piercing Damage:
DC 14 Fortitude vs Spider Swarm Venom (if you fail the above save):
DC 18 Fortitude vs Spider Venom: Mia (x2)
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Those with ** may go
Shimmer - AC 21 42/42
Scripio - AC 19 28/28
Yellow (-12)
Red
White
**Lily with the Blonde Hair - AC 17 20/20
**Mitzi Metsuri - AC 16 (18 w/shield) 33/33
**Gilgamesh - AC 22 (24 w/shield) 52/52
Green
Blue (-7)
Mia Moja - AC 21 30/60 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17)
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CONDITIONS AND EFFECTS REFERENCE
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Max Duration: 6 rds
S1: 1d4 poison damage; OG (1 rd)
S2: 1d6 poison damage; Clumsy 1; OG (1 rd)
S3: 1d6 poison damage; Clumsy 2; OG (1 rd)
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“That’s a lot of spiders …” Mitzi murmurs to her dying rose. She’s frozen by the size of the swarm, but snaps back to her senses when one of the big ones absolutely skewers Mia with its fangs. With two quick blinks the scruffy woman is suddenly surrounded by a maze of floating twigs and leaves, and from out of literally nowhere she pulls a thorn-tipped spear and wildly hurls it at the one that attacked Mia.
“Hang in there Mia!” she cries. Mitzi makes a swirling gesture with one hand, then points at the ground before them. A slim symmetrical tree suddenly materializes at that spot, its thin branches swaying protectively. Meanwhile, her nearly dead rose has suddenly bloomed back to life.
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White dodges the acid but the swarm gets caught in the blast. More of the tiny spiders sizzle () demonstrating an apparent weakness to area damage.
The web that the spiders are sitting on also avoid most of the acid.
Gilgamesh unloads a 1-2 combo at Blue but only his first strike hits. Mitzi hurls a wooden spear at White which misses. She then drops a protector tree in front of Mia.
Blue attempts to bite Gilgamesh.
for
for
for
But the fangs come nowhere near him.
Green moves up and swarms over Mitzi and Mia.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1-2
Tactical Map
Terrain:
* Pink - spider web (DC 15 Survival/Thievery to disconnect the strands)
Active Conditions:
Web Trap Escape DC: 17
Before Your Turn:
DC 14 Basic Reflex vs 2 Piercing Damage: Mitzi, Mia
DC 14 Basic Reflex vs 2 Piercing Damage: Mitzi, Mia
DC 14 Fortitude vs Spider Swarm Venom (if you fail the above save): Mitzi, Mia
After Your Turn:
DC 18 Fortitude vs Spider Venom: Mia
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Those with ** may go
-2-
**Shimmer - AC 21 42/42
**Scripio - AC 19 28/28
Red
White (-2)
Lily with the Blonde Hair - AC 17 20/20
Mitzi Metsuri - AC 16 (18 w/shield) 33/33
Gilgamesh - AC 22 (24 w/shield) 52/52 (AC 24)
Green (-9)
Blue (-16)
-1-
**Mia Moja - AC 21 29/60 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17; Stage 1 Venom - 1/6)
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CONDITIONS AND EFFECTS REFERENCE
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Max Duration: 6 rds
S1: 1d4 poison damage; OG (1 rd)
S2: 1d6 poison damage; Clumsy 1; OG (1 rd)
S3: 1d6 poison damage; Clumsy 2; OG (1 rd)
Max Duration: 4 rds
S1: 1 poison damage; Enfeebled 1 (1 rd)
S2: 1d4 poison damage; Enfeebled 1 (1 rd)
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vs DC 14
vs DC 14
vs DC 14
Mia finally reaches her breaking point, taking all her melting flesh and swirling it ino a vortex of water around her.
She doesn't recover many hit points, but she's ready to fight back. She winds up a fist of water and strikes at White.
plus push 5'
If that hits, Mia will push the spider back 5'.
(from above)
vs DC 18
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Shimmer attempts to identify Blue but fails to do so (other than the obvious -- it's a spider). She tries to get an angle on Blue but the shot isn't there. She shoots Red and hits it in its bulbous abdomen.
Mia takes a few small nips from the spider swarm but nothing more. She heals herself before attempting to shoot water at White. Unfortunately the shot misses, but Mia manages to fight off the poison.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 2
Tactical Map
Terrain:
* Pink - spider web (DC 15 Survival/Thievery to disconnect the strands)
Active Conditions:
Web Trap Escape DC: 17
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Those with ** may go
Shimmer - AC 21 42/42
**Scripio - AC 19 28/28
Red (-11)
White (-2)
Lily with the Blonde Hair - AC 17 20/20
Mitzi Metsuri - AC 16 (18 w/shield) 32/33
Gilgamesh - AC 22 (24 w/shield) 52/52 (AC 24)
Green (-9)
Blue (-16)
Mia Moja - AC 21 29/60 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17)
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Scripio finally realizes what Green is vulnerable to and slashes at them with his whip. He knocks out enough of the spiders that the remaining critters scatter.
Red spits a stream of webbing to try to catch Scripio.
It steps closer and tries to bite him.
for
White tries to immobilize Mitzi.
With two immobilized targets, it tries to bite
for
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 2
Tactical Map
Terrain:
* Pink - spider web (DC 15 Survival/Thievery to disconnect the strands)
Active Conditions:
Web Trap Escape DC (Red Spider): 17
Web Trap Escape DC (White Spider): 19
Before Your Turn:
DC 16 Fortitude vs Spider Venom: Scripio
DC 18 Fortitude vs Spider Venom: Mitzi
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Those with ** may go
Shimmer - AC 21 42/42
Scripio - AC 19 22/28 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17)
Red (-11)
White (-2)
**Lily with the Blonde Hair - AC 17 20/20
**Mitzi Metsuri - AC 16 (18 w/shield) 22/33 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 19)
**Gilgamesh - AC 22 (24 w/shield) 52/52 (AC 24)
Green (-9)
Blue (-16)
Mia Moja - AC 21 30/60 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17)
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CONDITIONS AND EFFECTS REFERENCE
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Max Duration: 6 rds
S1: 1d4 poison damage; OG (1 rd)
S2: 1d6 poison damage; Clumsy 1; OG (1 rd)
S3: 1d6 poison damage; Clumsy 2; OG (1 rd)
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Just as the spider reaches in to bite Mitzi, her conjured tree protectively interposes its slender branches, taking the brunt of the bite instead. The tree disintegrates from the damage and disappears, but thanks to its sacrifice Mitzi is left with nothing more than a light scratch. Wrenching a hand free from the sticky webbing, the kineticist summons yet another tree to protect her companions, then yanks a thick wooden branch from the aether to club the spider.
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Mitzi's tree takes the hit for her and disintegrates. Mitzi shrugs off the venom; as does Scripio. Mitzi summons another tree and attacks White, which unfortunately misses.
Lily tries to scare the spiders away but they apparently don't understand common. Her needle attack, though, gets the point () across!
Gilgamesh unleashes a pair of strikes on Red.
for B damage
for B damage
His first strike crushes its head but the second misses completely. He punches Blue...
for B damage
... but the strike misses. He steps away.
Blue moves in on the helpless Scripio.
for
for
As the fangs close on Scripio, Mitzi's guardian tree interposes its branches and sacrifices itself.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 2-3
Tactical Map
Terrain:
* Pink - spider web (DC 15 Survival/Thievery to disconnect the strands)
Active Conditions:
Web Trap Escape DC (Red Spider): 17
Web Trap Escape DC (White Spider): 19
Before Your Turn:
DC 18 Fortitude vs Spider Venom:
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Those with ** may go
-3-
**Shimmer - AC 21 42/42
**Scripio - AC 19 22/28 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17)
White (-2)
Lily with the Blonde Hair - AC 17 20/20
Mitzi Metsuri - AC 16 (18 w/shield) 22/33 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 19)
Gilgamesh - AC 22 (24 w/shield) 52/52 (AC 24)
Blue (-25)
-2-
**Mia Moja - AC 21 30/60 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17)
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Shimmer has a clear shot on the injured spider now, and she sees it move, it looks away from her--she has an opening NOW!
She shouts to startle the creature as she takes the shot. Humanoids are often (rightfully) afraid of the fey, which she can exploit, but to an oversized bug she's just a smaller bug. But maybe if she times it with her gunshot...
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Scripio tries to escape but fails to do so. He lashes his whip over Blue's head but it doesn't appear impressed... not until Shimmer's needle darts explode its abdomen.
Shimmer then yells at White and it does appear rattled but its companion's demise.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 2-3
Tactical Map
Terrain:
* Pink - spider web (DC 15 Survival/Thievery to disconnect the strands)
Active Conditions:
Web Trap Escape DC (Red Spider): 17
Web Trap Escape DC (White Spider): 19
Before Your Turn:
DC 18 Fortitude vs Spider Venom:
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Those with ** may go
-3-
Shimmer - AC 21 42/42
Scripio - AC 19 22/28 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17)
White (-2)
Lily with the Blonde Hair - AC 17 20/20
Mitzi Metsuri - AC 16 (18 w/shield) 22/33 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 19)
Gilgamesh - AC 22 (24 w/shield) 52/52 (AC 24)
-2-
**Mia Moja - AC 21 30/60 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17)
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Mia's first water blast hits White but her second misses by a whisker.
White rears up and tries to bite Mitzi.
for
for
for
Two of the bites connect and Mitzi feels a burning pain at the bite site.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 3-4
Tactical Map
Terrain:
* Pink - spider web (DC 15 Survival/Thievery to disconnect the strands)
Active Conditions:
Web Trap Escape DC (Red Spider): 17
Web Trap Escape DC (White Spider): 19
Before Your Turn:
DC 18 Fortitude vs Spider Venom: Mitzi x2
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Those with ** may go
-4-
**Shimmer - AC 21 42/42
**Scripio - AC 19 22/28 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17)
-3-
White (-11)
**Lily with the Blonde Hair - AC 17 20/20
**Mitzi Metsuri - AC 16 (18 w/shield) 7/33 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 19)
**Gilgamesh - AC 22 (24 w/shield) 52/52 (AC 24)
**Mia Moja - AC 21 30/60 (Immobilized, OG; Escape DC 17)
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CONDITIONS AND EFFECTS REFERENCE
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Max Duration: 6 rds
S1: 1d4 poison damage; OG (1 rd)
S2: 1d6 poison damage; Clumsy 1; OG (1 rd)
S3: 1d6 poison damage; Clumsy 2; OG (1 rd)