Not really much more about them, or this one in particular, its red scales mark it as a stronger variant than the normal Bida. You know that their large size makes it harder for them dodge things, reflex being their worst save
Samael, Lyra and Stom all get squeezed slowly. Lyra and Samael try to escape but struggle to find a way out. Samael tries to stab the creature but can't get a good angle to pierce its scales.
Oppa instructs doxie to hang back and then rips a massive lightning bolt striking the creature.
reflex save:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17
It takes the full brunt of the blast and levels its evil eyes on Oppa.
The dragon pillar launches another fire-y ray at Wilbur.
Fire Eye Beam:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (18) + 20 = 38because its a crit, wilbur's save will be one less degree. DC 24 Reflex fire damage:6d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 5, 1, 2, 5) = 20
Samael, Stom and Lyra are Grabbed giving you the off-guard and immobilized conditions. If you attempt a manipulate action while grabbed, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or it is lost; roll the check after spending the action, but before any effects are applied. You can attempt with the Escape action you can attempt an unarmed strike, an acrobatics or athletics check, though any of the three carry with them the attack trait
Setting up for a more extended rest isn't too hard, you set out to clear the ground in the overgrown clearing. While doing so you find the remains of broken cart and the skeletons of two oxen and a few humanoids and a number of broken crates.
Sifting through the old items, you do find a number of items that appear to still be in good condition.
there is a bag with 88 gold pieces, a magic wand, a small finely carved onyx statue of a dog, an elixir, as well as some common items. Can pick 1 level 0-1 common item to find in here too if you want
Stom tries to escape the Bida but it only coils tighter around him. Violant casts a spell making multiple duplicates of her spring into existence before hurling a dagger at the Bida. The Bida continues to try and wrap more of you into its coiling embrace.
It lashes out and grabs at Lyra, still mounted on Wilbur but firmly trapped in the Bida's lengthy tail.
He then constricts, crushing Samael and Stom.
Fortitude Save DC 28 from Stom, Samael and Lyra:1d6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Samael, Stom and Lyra are Grabbed giving you the off-guard and immobilized conditions. If you attempt a manipulate action while grabbed, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or it is lost; roll the check after spending the action, but before any effects are applied. You can attempt with the Escape action you can attempt an unarmed strike, an acrobatics or athletics check, though any of the three carry with them the attack trait
With Ayane's well placed Rock it slams into the remaining Snapping Flytrap, the creature weebles and it wobbles before slamming into the ground in a loud wet thunk, sending up droplets of acid, sap and dirt.
Shandari awakens, still trapped in the flytrap, she creates a dagger made of lightning and is able to cut the creature's mouth open and roll out.
Yuranosuke strides to join the fight, though the creature looks nearly done at this point, its wobbling on unsteady roots, and green lifeblood leaks from half dozen wounds.
you are correct, thank you for taking a good look at that for me, I definitely misread the line "Your dying condition increases by 1 if you take damage while dying, or by 2 if you take damage from an enemy's critical hit or a critical failure on your save."
Kwan saves Ayane from falling prone, and turning back time a bit As the plant goes to swallow her, his katana slashes through the plants neck, sending its head flying off to plop in the grass with a wet thunk.
He then steps back into the melee with the first Flytrap and reachs out and finds Shandari's leg, sending healing magic coursing through before slicing and damaging the plant holding her.
Shandari recovers slightly, though still unconscious and being digested.
Yuranosuke finds it impossible to wield his Shuan Ji inside the cramped, crushing confines of the Snapping Flytrap.
He tries to escape.
athletics to escape:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
And is able to get his fingers through the opening and pry open the creature's mouth and quickly rolls out, hit the ground with a wet splatch. He quickly moves a distance, getting his bearings.
Snapping Flytrap 2 attacks Ayane looking for an easier target.
Hungry Flurry:1d20 + 11 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 11 - 2 = 27the dice are not with y'all in this fight damage + acid:1d8 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 2 + (5) = 918 damage
Lyra orders Wilbur to charge into battle, it does so but its unable to land any sort of blow on the Bida.
Samael tries to wriggle free but is only able to get an arm free and tries to Stab the Bida but his dagger sinks only a few centimeters into the tough scaley hide, not doing any serious damage.
The Red Dragon Pillar has sight lines and launches a beam of fire-y energy toward Lyra.
Samael and Stom are both Grabbed giving you the off-guard and immobilized conditions. If you attempt a manipulate action while grabbed, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or it is lost; roll the check after spending the action, but before any effects are applied. You can attempt with the Escape action you can attempt an unarmed strike, an acrobatics or athletics check, though any of the three carry with them the attack trait
The dragon visibly rolls its eyes, "If I was hiding a village, I would not have shown myself, but I can see you know little besides violence, you'll get along well with the dragonkin that installed this pillar,"
It also grabs Samael in its lightning quick attack, both Samael and Stom struggle as the huge snake-like dragon has them both wrapped up.
Samael and Stom are both Grabbed giving you the off-guard and immobilized conditions. If you attempt a manipulate action while grabbed, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or it is lost; roll the check after spending the action, but before any effects are applied. You can attempt with the Escape action you can attempt an unarmed strike, an acrobatics or athletics check, though any of the three carry with them the attack trait
Stom is pretty certain this is likely a ruined temple to Dahak, its impossible for him to guess at the age of it, but judging by what you know from the map, it is remarkable close to where Belmazog has set up her new Fortress of Sorrow.
Violant:
recognizes this as a Bida, Bidas are usually black-scaled dragons with long, serpentine bodies and bat-like wings. Their legs and claws are smaller than those of most dragons, but their powerful undulating coils, like those of a boa constrictor, are potent weapons capable of squeezing the life from several unfortunate victims at a time.
Often stories tell of bida that uses its impressive intellect and powerful magic to pose as a humanoid and infiltrate a settlement. Over the course of weeks or months, it establishes itself as a key member of the village, and only after it has become invaluable to the community does it reveal the terrible price of its assistance: regular offerings of flesh and gold. From this point on, the bida dwells almost exclusively within its smoggy lair, growing fat off the blood of its sacrificial offerings. To hide its presence from the outside world, a bida conceals its enslaved settlement in a large-scale illusion, leaving only a stand of jungle trees where once a thriving village may have been and ordering the townsfolk to destroy any roads in and out of town.
Bidas begrudgingly tolerate others of their kind, instead preferring the company of their small, tasty thralls. In rare cases, a pair of bidas may join forces to conquer a particularly large settlement, extracting that much more wealth (and blood) from the populace as a result of their partnership.
Bidas are typically resistant to acid and poison, though that is for the more common black scaled versions, with this being red, its likely immune to fire and possibly poison but could be something else.
"You tread in the realm of a god and don't know who's domain you've invaded? Surprisingly bold, or just foolishly ignorant,"
Hey sorry Yuranosuke, I had linked the rules, but you can only attack from within with either unarmed strikes or a weapon of light bulk or less, additionally being slowed 1 would reduce your available actions by 1
Kwan reacts swiftly but is only able to block enough damage to see the fear in Shandari's eye as she is swallowed by the plant. He responds by delivering 3 vicious cuts to the plant, wounding it greatly, sticky sweet sappy blood leaks out.
Ayane composes a ballad her voice continues to sing and echo hauntingly even after she herself has stopped singing, she tries to launch some debris but misses badly.
Jiang calls upon his deity and bestows magical power upon Kwan's weapon, empowering it.
Your group sets out, stronger, and continues to make your way through the jungle, crossing another large river, though with your combined efforts it isn't any harder than the first river crossing. As you guys get closer to the Fortress of Sorrow there starts to become more visible signs of decay in the forest and signs of patrols passing though your group is able to avoid any of the larger patrols of cinder claw forces.
After three days of traveling through the jungle, you come across another marked site of a dragon pillar. A crumbling stone temple juts out from where the forest has grown around it. Sinister towers, partially collapsed but once carved in the shapes of grimacing dragons provide support for the cracked walls. A flicker red light pulsates from within the hollow of the central ruined tower.
Stone groans as a vast, serpentine body uncoils from the ruin. Red scales slide into view first, glossy like wet obsidian, each one catching the red light and drinking it in. The creature does not rush. It emerges, slowly, deliberately, as if granting the you time to comprehend the mistake of standing here.
Its body pours down broken stairs and through collapsed walls like a living river of shadow. Bat-like wings unfurl with a leathery whisper, half-spread rather than lifted, more regal mantle than instrument of flight. Its head rises last, lifting high above them, jaws parting just enough to show the layered ruin of its teeth. Gold and crimson light burns in its eyes.
It does not hide.
It does not ambush.
It presents itself.
The ground trembles as its coils settle, forming a broad, lazy circle around the ruined courtyard, a throne of living muscle. Its presence presses on the chest like a held breath.
When it speaks, the voice is deep, smooth, and indulgent, as if savoring every syllable.
“Bold, to walk toward a god’s wound instead of away from it,"
Ayane tries to perform, aiding her singing magic but the battering she took from the plant threw her style off.
Jiang magically heals Shandari while simultaneously applying some emergency first aid to Kwan, restoring both of them to fighting shape.
The Snapping Flytrap 1 has a number of tasty targets to choose from but will. Shandari, Jiang, Kwan:1d3 ⇒ 1 and kwan, jiang:1d2 ⇒ 2. Opting to lay into the squishier looking enemies Shandari and Jiang again.
Jiang is able to dodge the leaf blow but Shandari is completely laid out and drops like a log. I assume Kwan is going to use his retributive strike to save her from going unconscious, but because it hit her, its going to try and grab and swallow her, though if Kwan hits he could save her.
The creature attempts to grab Shandari freely thanks to its sticky leaves.
Athletics to Grab DC20:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24 Shandari is grabbed and with its last action it swallows her, its giant flytrap mouth snapping closed as acid drools out the sides.
swallow whole damage, bludge + acid:1d8 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 1 + (1) = 5 And Shandari is now Dying 1
The other fly trap, much more wounded, attacks its only two targets, Ayane and Yuranosuke again.
Hungry Flurry vs Ayane:1d20 + 11 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 11 - 2 = 17miss thanks to that well timed shield spell peircing + acid:1d8 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) + 2 + (6) = 13
Ayane barely able to interpose her shield to deflect the worst of the leafy blow, Yuranosuke was less prepared and takes a minor blow. The plant attempts to grab and eat Yuranosuke.
Improved grab athletics DC 18:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29 Yuranosuke is grabbed and the creature swallows him.
Does take 1 day of work to transfer a rune from a runestone to a runestone and then a crafting check. I messed up the DC's a bit on the identify checks. To successfully apply the Invisibility Rune requires a DC24 Crafting check, the Shock rune also is a DC24. Wounding rune is DC23.
Samael dances across rocks and swamp foliage to avoid the acid to deliver a stab, Stom leaps nearly 30 feet to join the final fight, just in time for Lyra to deliver a slicing combo, dicing the creature into 3 pieces.
Combat is over, the pillar's arcane runes have been erased by Samael, but for good measure your group pushes the pillar into the acid. Searching the area before departing, you group finds a number of half melted explorers that are in vary states of having been eaten. You are able to find some backpacks though that haven't suffered to much acid damage.
Y'all find a wand, the end of which is forked with a peridot setting, an elixir that looks like faint blue liquid roiling with mist, and an armor rune that appears almost translucent
known hazards: Pools of acid, they seem pretty melty, if your character moves through a square of acid, need a reflex save DC 22. I have tried to outline the borders of the land/highlight where the acid is. If the square you end on is more land than acid, it's safe.
Kwan steps and slices the Snapping Flytrap as it batters Shandari, green ichorous plant sap oozes from the creature.
His follow up cut misses its mark badly, bogged down by green sappy blood.
Yuranosuke more warmed up, is able to cut the plant twice, his quick slices wounding the creature greatly. His third attack goes wide but the creature looks nearly cut in twain.
Shandari tries to blast the plant but just barely has her lightning go wide of the creature, striking a nearby tree instead leaving a black scorch mark on the trunk
Yuranosuke steps closer, swinging his blade but struggles to land more than a glancing blow, trying to separate what is foliage and what is plant monster.
Xu Jiang fires off a massive divine lance, blast a hole in the same hurt Flytrap that Ayane damaged earlier.
xu's divine lance damage:2d4 + 1 ⇒ (4, 2) + 1 = 7 14 cause of the crit
Snappy Flytrap 2 attacks its two nearest targets, Kwan and Ayane
Stom runs and leaps across the acid, bringing his axe down on Biloko 3, killing it before the creature could even react to the flying barbarian.
His melted friend, Biloko 2, tries to push Stom into the Acid.
Athletics vs DC 27:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
But the creature might as well pushed a brick wall, all it is rewarded for its effort is being rebuffed and knocked prone by Stom. It stands then bites Stom, assuming it survives standing.
known hazards: Pools of acid, they seem pretty melty, if your character moves through a square of acid, need a reflex save DC 22. I have tried to outline the borders of the land/highlight where the acid is. If the square you end on is more land than acid, it's safe.
known hazards: Pools of acid, they seem pretty melty, if your character moves through a square of acid, need a reflex save DC 22. I have tried to outline the borders of the land/highlight where the acid is. If the square you end on is more land than acid, it's safe.
Samael perfectly avoids Violant's Fireball, not even his clothes get singed.
Lyra hops across the acid, though stands dangerously close to the edge. She then slices down on the Biloko, hurting the creature, almost delivering a critical blow.
Oppa charges an electrical arcing current that leaps from the two Biloko's fighting Stom and Doxie.
known hazards: Pools of acid, they seem pretty melty, if your character moves through a square of acid, need a reflex save DC 22. I have tried to outline the borders of the land/highlight where the acid is. If the square you end on is more land than acid, it's safe.
Samael, I need a reflex save vs Violant's fireball as well, 25 damage, DC 25 reflex
Samael avoids the acid, tip toeing along the edge of the bank before he gets away from the Biloko's and is able to interact with the Pillar, successfully disabling the magic runes that adorn the structure. It immediately stops smoking and its eyes go dark, inert.
known hazards: Pools of acid, they seem pretty melty, if your character moves through a square of acid, need a reflex save DC 22. I have tried to outline the borders of the land/highlight where the acid is. If the square you end on is more land than acid, it's safe.
There are a number of given ways to disable the Dragon Pillars, physically destroying it, athletics to push it over and break it, thievery to disable it by erasing the magic runs, dispel magic(4th level+) or other creative ways as well
known hazards: Pools of acid, they seem pretty melty, if your character moves through a square of acid, need a reflex save DC 22. I have tried to outline the borders of the land/highlight where the acid is. If the square you end on is more land than acid, it's safe.
Tentatively your group heads down the shortcut, the path used to be well worn trail but is no severely overgrown. Plant life is rampant and the trail is almost non-existent. It seems to go on for a while, the foliage growing denser as you get near the half way point.
Wary for these snapping Flytraps that could be lurking, jumping at every rustling of bush or falling leaf. As you come upon a broken down wagon, 10 foot tall flytraps burst out of the dense foliage.
known hazards: Pools of acid, they seem pretty melty, if your character moves through a square of acid, need a reflex save DC 22. I have tried to outline the borders of the land/highlight where the acid is. If the square you end on is more land than acid, it's safe.
Ayane shares judging by the pictures and the stories you've heard, there may be at least one or two snapping flytraps hidden along this shortcut. One you estimate would be a pretty easy fight, two a little harder. 3 or more though it could be pretty deadly pretty quickly. Like most plants, they are weak to fire. Snapping Flytraps are capable of swallowing creature's whole and melting them with acid.
Bilokos are crocodile-snouted fey who stalk the Mwangi Jungle and feast upon the flesh of humanoids. As cunning as they are vicious, bilokos employ deadly traps and guerrilla hunting tactics to capture prey—typically hapless explorers or, occasionally, wayward villagers, many of whom believe bilokos to be cruel ancestral spirits. The most powerful of these creatures, known as elokos, wield potent transformative magic.
Bilokos have a fondness for bells, and the sound of ringing bells often indicates their presence. In addition to carrying and ringing them while out hunting, bilokos sometimes enchant bells with potent magic, or hang them on strings to serve as alarms for their encampments.
Bilokos look like slender but wiry humanoids with crocodile-like heads, rust-colored skin, and blood-red eyes. They eat only the meat of humanoids, though they can survive for extended periods of time on a single meal thanks to their snakelike ability to consume a Medium humanoid creature whole. They do this by unhinging their jaws and slowly swallowing the victim from head to foot. Thanks to their acidic saliva and sharp teeth, a biloko can masticate their food into an easy-to-digest pulp, grinding flesh and bone into a compact mush, even while swallowing; thus, they do not flinch while devouring meals two or three times their own size.
Samael runs, flips and leaps through the air, bouncing from safe ground to safe ground, avoiding the pits of acid. The creatures are stunned watching him fly through the air.
He ends up right next to the Orange Dragon Pillar, which vibrates and smokes ominously before a large spray of acid shoots out, dousing Samael.
known hazards: Pools of acid, they seem pretty melty, if your character moves through a square of acid, need a reflex save DC 22. I have tried to outline the borders of the land/highlight where the acid is. If the square you end on is more land than acid, it's safe.
You haven't heard of anything like this happening in the past, whatever this curse is appears to be new
Your group, foiled by the fog, begins the journey back to town. Riding by the lake, you do remember the stories of the Kappa's who live on the Southern Shore, though this would require crossing the lake to get there and the nearest bridge is back in Willowshore. As you guys ride back, there is a well known shortcut through the Southern river bend though there is a number of large signs posted at the entrance now that read Warning: Dangerous Plants as well as signs with badly painted mean looking plants eating humanoids, skull and crossbones and more.
Samael's lie, translated by Violant, actually seems to confuse the Crocodile men, they lower their spears. Looking to each other, hissing in Mwangi "Belmazog send help? We no need help," Though another chunk of flesh sloughs off and into the acid, sizzling and burning. The creature pays no mind.
The Pillar's eye's flare burnt orange and smoke begins to emit from the mouth. While the creatures may be fooled, the pillar was not
known hazards: Pools of acid, they seem pretty melty, if your character moves through a square of acid, need a reflex save DC 22. I have tried to outline the borders of the land/highlight where the acid is. If the square you end on is more land than acid, it's safe.
Alright, like one crit success and two double crits Samael, Lyra and Stom are easily able to help Violant, Oppa, Doxie and Wilbur swim across the river.
It takes some time, and due to the current you end up about 100 feet down from where you started but safely on the other side.
You guys quickly move about 20 feet of the riverbank and start setting up camp, resting again before facing the next dragon pillar. The night passes quickly, though not quietly, as the jungle comes alive at night. Still nothing dangerous seems to pass by your camp or disturb your rest.
Following your notes and huntsmanship, you guys spend a few hours investigating the area until you finally come across something strange.
The terrain in this area gives way to thick, orange cloying mud and swampy ground. Shallow puddles lie scattered across the oversaturated earth, the water rising up to fill footsteps and other indentations left in the soil. Droplets slide from leaf to leaf before falling into the puddles, causing the pools to froth, boil and hiss. Soft bells sound intermittently between the patter of rain.
This mud and water appears to be an acid of some sort, quickly eating away at the land, which is unusual as jungles aren't normally known for acid pits, this is no doubt some foul influence of the magics of the Dragon Pillar
As you guys stand there taking it, it isn't long before five large crocodile type humanoids crawl out from under a dead tree, parts of them look melted by acid, their scales and skin dropping revealing exposed muscle and even bone though they seem completely unaffected by this.
A larger one, points at you speaking in Mwangi something unintelligible "Zia mo kiri pëpe!"
Kwan steps off the path and heads north, skirting the edge of the area right before the fog, as soon as takes a few steps to the East again the fog quickly returns, thickening and eventually turning him back around.
Apologies Stom, A13 is the Fortress of Sorrow the lair of the Cinderclaw Boss Belmazog is located and where the clan leader of the Kobolds is being held too
Deciding to cross the river and take out the next nearest Dragon Pillar, your group sets off from the gold mine. Following the map and heading generally East it doesn't take you long before you encounter the large river.
It looks like its about 200 feet across and not terrible deep though swimming will be required as its too deep to wade through. The river is not rushing particularly fast or filled with riptides or rapids.
Would be DC13 athletics check to swim across, though an expert in Athletics could use Follow the Expert to give folks a bonus on their roll.
Not quite, you guys are still by the Gourd Lake. I have updated the map to show the fog border and added a Yellow Star to indicate where y'all are at currently. Should have thought of the Yellow Star earlier. Updated Map
Try as Kwan might, even on foot the fog grows impenetrably thick and even as he focuses on not circling and maintaining a straight path, it isn't long before he finds himself walking back out of the fog to the waiting group. Though he would swear he never turned around or accidentally circled.
going off the map, you guys are about 19 miles out of town
