As Ganem and Alya escape from the flooded hallway, you find Shi waiting for you in the dry landing. You glance back, expecting the mud monster to emerge from the dark water, but it doesn't give chase. The sound of water fades behind you. As you pause to catch your breath, the adrenaline fades, replaced by a heavy, creeping exhaustion that washes over your mind like the dark water......
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You open your eyes, and you're staring at the ceiling above your bunk bed, drenched in sweat. Your heart still races as you sit up, the images of drowning corridors and terrifying monster already slipping away like mist. You give your arm a small pinch, and let out a weary sigh.
It wasn't real. Just a terrible dream.
......You really need to remember to turn off the humidifier next time.
Good point on the spellcasting service. Restoration to remove permanent negative level is 4x7x10+1000=1280gp for spellcasting service, not too crazy for that level. It would only means that the character need to wait till encounter is finished to be raised with feather and can't contribute to the battle immediately.
Upon completion of the spell, the creature is immediately restored to full hit points, vigor, and health, with no loss of prepared spells. The subject of the spell gains one permanent negative level when it is raised, just as if it had been hit by an energy-draining creature
Casting Resurrection on a lv5 with 4 negative level will kills her by giving her enough negative level that equal to her level.
Upon completion of the spell, the creature is immediately restored to full hit points, vigor, and health, with no loss of prepared spells. The subject of the spell gains one permanent negative level when it is raised, just as if it had been hit by an energy-draining creature
Energy Drain and Negative Levels wrote:
...If a creature’s negative levels equal or exceed its total Hit Dice, it dies....
The scenario has 2 army combat for you fighting your way through the Worldwound, and then assaulting the command bunker with your real character. Due to the complexity of the Mass Combat rule, we're unfortunately only at the first army engagement and haven't earn any rewards yet.
What I would suggest could be unorthodox or controversial, but I think we should end this game for now and don't even report it; and when I'm available to GM again, I can re-run this scenario and hopefully get the original crew back, then resume at where we are so we can continue and finish the story. Since how complicated army battle is, this scenario rarely got to run despite being one of the finale of season 5, and I would hate to deprive my player the chance to experience the whole story.
We're just done about the first 1/3 of the content, and we have skill check investigation without map coming up as the second 1/3. I don't think it would be too difficult for a GM to pick it up from here.
Before I handed the game over to my fellow VA, I do need Mantis and Rogarch to fill in the RPG chronicle with their character info so this game can be properly reported.
Gaston's elven army falls into chaos and unable to do any real offense, and suffer some casualty from the concentrated fire of 3, 10, and 8. Meanwhile, Eredur and the ballistae obliterated cultist army 3, skewering them with dwarf-sized bolt.
I was reminded that Taryn the Inquisitor actually have longbow and Bane available, so she would use that instead in round 2. Longbow, Bane:1d20 + 5 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 2 - 1 = 21Dmg:1d8 + 5 + 2 + 2d6 ⇒ (6) + 5 + 2 + (2, 5) = 20
Taryn remembers her longbow training, and put that into use against the guardian. Her arrow narrowly missed the guardian. Maybe the Tiger aspect will help...
Garsita's spiritual weapon works wonder, and heals up everyone. Mantis' spell fails to pierce through its resistance.
Don't worry about the spitballs, as it's more about flavor than mechanism here. If you made the check you get the award.
Teloish determines that, all three horns are from the same type of creature, that's a Doru Div. (NE Tiny Outsider(div, evil, extraplanar)). It's a disembodied and bestial head covered in lashing hair and curling horns. They have DR 10 /cold iron OR good should you need to fight one, and they also have At Will Invisibility.
At least I am nod dead. Do I have any role going forward?
Unfortunately if your army is wiped, you have to sit out this engagement. You can come back with a new army for the next engagement though, so this is only a temporary time out.
We had enough time to change locations, represented by the change of maps. That demonstrates there is time between the bodak fight and the Phoenix prep rounds.
That “change of maps” is the two-round recovery period described in the scenario.
Tapestry’s Last Defense wrote:
...Immediately end any ongoing encounter, allow the PCs 2 rounds to recover and prepare, then begin the Fury of the Ruby Phoenix encounter
That has already been factored into the two preparation rounds everyone received. It’s no different from drinking one more potion, casting an additional buff, or activating one more ability beyond the two rounds the scenario specifically allocates. This would effectively give one character more total actions than everyone else received.
Many characters invest in feats, class features, or items——in other words, opportunity costs during character building——to improve their action economy when handling weapons. The prep time is a limited, equal resource that must apply equally to all PCs at the table. Granting additional actions or “out-of-time” adjustments beyond what the scenario provides would undercut that design and give an unfair advantage to the player receiving the extra action.
So, for the sake of consistency and fairness across tables, we’ll stay within the two prep rounds as given.
I don't think the mud monster will give chase to the first hallway, so assuming Alya, Ganem, and Shi is not not heading that direction, we can put initiative tracker aside for now and figure out how do you like to proceed from here.
Some possible options (feel free to come up with your plan, these are merely suggestions and you're by no mean limited to these options)
-You can attempt to to back and rescue Patrols and Araezi, as Life Bubble should keep them alive for a while;
-You can continue exploring this floor through the hallway to the right of the 2nd room (where the water elemental comes from in the first battle) (I put a yellow arrow to indicate the direction);
-You can choose to make camp and rest in the dry, landing area, if you think it's safe to do so.
I quoted Kiyoko's previous actions round by round since the start of the undead encounter above, and the only two rounds of 'not in melee combat' prep time before the guardian start combat, her move actions were occupied with drawing out the potions. It is not 'fair to say' that Kiyoko magically have one more move action to sheath her sword than other PCs, and I am unwilling, not to 'grant that her katana is sheathed', but to bend the rule for a specific PC for their lack of consideration for their own action economy. Wakizashi and ready action it is then.
The action economy was there. Whether you choose to allow the assumption that the extra action to sheathe the katana was taken is another matter.
Let's recap Kiyoko's action here:
-Undead Surprised Round: surprised, flat-footed and no action taken.
-Undead Round 1: "Kiyoko is unprepared for the pummeling the creature gives her, but quickly recovers and draws her katana in a sweeping upper slash that catches the monster in the chest." Free action to draw blade, full-round action to Iaijutsu Strike.
-Phoenix Prep Round 1: "After drinking her bull’s strength potion..." Nove action to take out potion, standard to drink.
-Phoenix Prep Round 2: "...she chugs a cure light serious wounds potion." Move action to take out potion, standard to drink.
-Phoenix Guardian Round 1: "Kiyoko scurries away to take cover near the cliff face, unshouldering her bow as she goes. She nocks an arrow to the bowstring and lets fly at the phoenix, quite wishing the thing weren't fluttering about out of her reach." Move action to move and draw shortbow, standard action to shoot.
Undead round 1 is followed immediately by the two rounds of preparation time for the phoenix guardian, then the combat rounds with the phoenix guardian.
Could you tell me know at which turn does Kiyoko has the standard action to sheath her katana? If there is a valid action available, I would gladly have Kiyoko sheaths her katana with that action, and retcon round 2 to have Kiyoko readying with her katana instead.
I know that a samurai's sword is important to her, and should you come to me with the sheathing issues earlier, I am happy to help you looks for rule/items/feats/abilities that help Kiyoko's sheathing or switch-hitting. However, in a time-sensitive environment where initiative order is used, actions are break down in combat rounds, and every decision matters, such arbitrary request of additional standard/move action will not be granted.
Gaston and his elves easily pew pew the fleeing army 2 to death.
But the Army of the Open Road is not without loss either. While Eredur and the siegemaster rains down death on army 6, army 3 strike from the flank and deal some damage to them.
The remaining Riftwardens also suffer great casualty from cultist army 2 during the clash and can't be maintain as a cohesive unit, with survivor count barely enough for a small team to escort their commander back to the base.
With the mammoths attention focused on army 6, army 7 and 8 gang up on the mammoths from the rear and crush the mammoth riders as well. Tarragon himself has no choice but to retreats back to the base camp riding the sole surviving mammoth.
The mammoths rage and trample, with the fire support from the dwarven siege master, they completely wiped cultist army 6 before they can do any harm. Cultist army 2 suffer heavy casualty from the elves and the riftwardens, and start to rout......
Day 3
Melee Phase 1
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Gaston Elves (Free attack vs routing army 2) Tarragon Mammoth -20 (Free attack vs routing army 2) Vesuvius Riftwarden -11 (Free attack vs routing army 2) Eredur Siegemaster (Free attack vs routing army 2) Versus Cultist 6 defeated
Cultist 3
Cultist 10
Cultist 2 routing
Cultist 7
Cultist 8
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Bold can attack!
Spitball/scrolls? Yes, but they are not magical (anymore)
A well-preserved wooden chest sits atop a platform against the south wall of the next room. A series of arcane glyphs burnt into the top of the chest forms a spiral. Iron bindings reinforce the chest, and it has no apparent lock or key. A series of heavy latches keep the lid tightly shut.
You don't detect any trap nor magical aura on the chest, and you can unlock the latches and open it with little effort. Inside the chest are three curved horns.
If you touch the first horn...:
You senses that you are a disembodied, floating being, always in the presence of a woman dressed in Ancient Osiriani garb. You recognize her voice, that's the same voice that addresses you when you first enter the ruin. You find yourself understanding Ancient Osiriani and can understand her.
The woman stands surrounded by the aftermath of a great battle in the desert. She examines the wounded and dying with interest, ignoring their cries for help. She kneels by a dying man, places her hand on his forehead, and says, “Were you one of ours? One of theirs? It matters not. The Plague loves all of you the same. Do you feel it? As your body dies, does your mind cling to life? Yes—I sense it. Wonderful! I must try again. Soon even the Lady of Graves will have no hold over my fate.”
If you touch the second horn...:
(again) You senses that you are a disembodied, floating being, always in the presence of a woman dressed in Ancient Osiriani garb. You recognize her voice, that's the same voice that addresses you when you first enter the ruin. You find yourself understanding Ancient Osiriani and can understand her.
Screams echo around the dark halls as the woman snarls. “They die too quickly! There is no time. I need healthier subjects.” She looks up, but her features remain obscured. “Go to the training grounds. Tell the captain I require another full squad of his most able-bodied guards for the Dungeons of the Ever-Dying. Perhaps they can survive long enough to further my studies. No—not one squad. A dozen fresh recruits each week.”
If you touch the third horn...:
(It's the same perspective again)You senses that you are a disembodied, floating being, always in the presence of a woman dressed in Ancient Osiriani garb. You recognize her voice, that's the same voice that addresses you when you first enter the ruin. You find yourself understanding Ancient Osiriani and can understand her.
Feelings of intense pain and desperation accompany this memory. The woman mockingly waves one of the horns into view. “What better material to preserve a memory than the horn of a creature fundamentally obsessed with knowledge? Perhaps I shall find others like you, take their essence, and perfect my magic. Pain? Yes. There will always be pain for you. I will leave you those memories. A suiting gift for a traitor.”
I would allow you to say that Kiyoko dropped her katana by her feet before switching to the bow (one-hand carrying to two-handed wielding). So she can use a move action to pick up the katana and still have a standard action left
I think it'd be fair to say that she's sheathing her katana whenever she's not in melee combat, given the emphasis the sword saint archetype places on iaijutsu/quick-drawing. As she is now staggered, she could only make a move action OR a standard action, and picking up an item (or weapon) provokes attacks of opportunity. So if you're unwilling to grant that her katana is sheathed, then she'll draw her wakizashi instead.
I quoted Kiyoko's previous actions round by round since the start of the undead encounter above, and the only two rounds of 'not in melee combat' prep time before the guardian start combat, her move actions were occupied with drawing out the potions. It is not 'fair to say' that Kiyoko magically have one more move action to sheath her sword than other PCs, and I am unwilling, not to 'grant that her katana is sheathed', but to bend the rule for a specific PC for their lack of consideration for their own action economy. Wakizashi and ready action it is then.
Kiyoko is unprepared for the pummeling the creature gives her, but quickly recovers and draws her katana in a sweeping upper slash that catches the monster in the chest.
Kiyoko Tamahi wrote:
After drinking her bull’s strength potion, she chugs a cure light wounds potion.
Kiyoko Tamahi wrote:
Kiyoko scurries away to take cover near the cliff face, unshouldering her bow as she goes.
She nocks an arrow to the bowstring and lets fly at the phoenix, quite wishing the thing weren't fluttering about out of her reach.
Kiyoko had the katana out since the undead encounter, without sheathing. She also moved and shooted with a bow, a two-handed weapon, which means she does not have a free hand to hold on to the katana. Unless there are some special ability that allow Kiyoko to sheath as a free action that I'm not aware off, it's assumed that the katana was dropped as a free action in order for her to use the bow.
I would allow you to say that Kiyoko dropped her katana by her feet before switching to the bow (one-hand carrying to two-handed wielding). So she can use a move action to pick up the katana and still have a standard action left
There’s nothing interesting or valuable in the room where the Caryatid Column stood. It’d defeat the purpose of having a guardian statue if all the good stuff were kept here, wouldn’t it?
The room behind the statue is much nicer. The walls, ceiling, and floor of this room are covered in elaborate patterns of countless tiny tiles. The tiles also form three images on the west wall: one depicts a woman in a cloak hovering above a pile of skulls; another depicts the same woman kneeling before a massive fiend; the third shows her in the company of a godlike figure standing before a massive pyramid.
Kn(Religio) DC15:
You recognize the fiend as Ahriman, Lord of All Divs.
Here, you find many heavily damaged objects:
-gold-plated idols of the pharaoh (heavily dented);
-a lacquered box of stale incense (covered in tooth marks but unopened);
-a ceremonial platinum dagger (snapped in half );
-dozens of pieces of pottery (smashed to bits);
-six scrolls (chewed up into spitballs and stuck to the ceiling—now illegible);
-and numerous objects of gold and silver, all dented, battered, and broken a dozen times over.
Appraise / Kn(History) DC15:
You determine that these items date to the reign of the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues. All the damaged objects worth about 420gp to the Society.
I wouldn't say that 5-6 table are struggling, but their range option is rather limited. The guardian still has 75% HP. It would just takes time for the alchemist to bomb it down.
Only the elves manages to leave some scratches to the cultist. But that's just the light rain before the STORM. Let the melee grinds begin!
Day 3
Melee Phase 1
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Gaston Elves
Tarragon Mammoth -20 (keeping what you rolled above) Vesuvius Riftwarden -11
Eredur Siegemaster Versus
Cultist 6 -1
Cultist 3
Cultist 10
Cultist 2
Cultist 7
Cultist 8
==========
Bold can attack!
First, you must choose an strategy from the strategy track which will further modify your army's stat:
Defensive: DV +4, OM -4
Cautious: DV +2, OM -2
Standard: DV +0, OM +0
Aggressive: DV -2, OM +2
Reckless: DV -4, OM +4
Then, each commander please select ONE enemy army as target to commerce your attack by rolling d20+your army's OM. All attack on both sides are happening simultaneously. Please let me know if there's any special ability of your army that you're activating.
Despite being weakened, Garsita still dodges away most of the fire and pierces through the magical resistance of the guardian elemental!
BOTTING Rogarch & familiar: Not effective in range combat, the duo full defense and run away.
BOTTING Mantis as requested: Mantis moves to the cleric and the alchemist, activates her bonded item to cast Communal Resist Energy(fire, 10) on the three of them.
GM, can I ask for how you would interpret negative levels to apply to a casting of spiritual weapon? I believe that's what Garsita will probably do to deal with a flying enemy, but wanted to make sure I understand what you think will happen first.
It should only affect your caster level check if there's SR (there is), but the negative level shouldn't affect the Spiritual Weapon's attack roll, just like how many attack buff doesn't affect the Spiritual Weapon too.
With friends at their backs Tarragon orders his riders to attack. The outnumbered and bloodied barbarians RAGE as they attack Cultist Army 6.
[dice=Fight]1d20+9+2+1+2
Hold your horsemammoths, we're still in Tactics Phase where you select your tactics(Tactics: cavalry experts(OM+2 vs unmounted army), relentless brutality(OM+4, DV-4), standard, withdraw)
Then it's Range Phase when we let the elves and the dwarves shoot their things.
The phoenix send out a HUGE fire ball toward you guys, that seems to be......sentient and vaguely humanoid shape! That could only mean.....
COMBAT!
And the fire-thing flies 15ft above ground and send a Fireball your way.
Initiative, round 1
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Fire fly 15ft
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Mantis +20, 2 neg lvls Reflex save needed Harken +20Reflex save needed RawkNRolel +20, 4 neg lvls Reflex save needed Taryn +20, 2 neg lvls Reflex save needed Rogarch +20, 4 neg lvls Reflex save needed Linka +20Reflex save needed Garsita +20, 2 neg lvls Reflex save needed Kiyoko -13+20, 4 neg lvls Reflex save needed
==========
Bold can act!
Kn Plane DC23 to identify:
"Greater Ruby Phoenix Guardian" aka variant greater fire elemental, is a LN Huge outsider(elemental, fire, native). It's slam attack has the potential to banish you (as Banishment) out of the Hao Jin Tapestry.
For every 5 you beat the DC you get one of the following, be honest
1) DR 5/chaotic
2) SR 19
3) vulnerable to cold
The statue starts moving, its arm swinging at Renardagnan but fails to hit the fox. Theolish's bolt bounces off harmlessly from the statue (again, DR 5/-)
I have read and re-read the rules and still am lost. :( ... I am sorry to be dense but not understanding these rules is taking away any fun of this encounter for me.
Tremendous ups to our GM for bearing with us in this one. I feel like I would have had to drop due to frustration if this was a synchronous game.
Exactly the reason why I try to run this in PbP......I know the rule is subpar, but as something that people spend 10+ scenario preping for, I think it's worth a try running it and experience the story.
I guess I posted my reroll on the 10 result I got since I didnt know the 16 was going to fail and I naturally went with the lowest result. When given the second chance to reroll, and not able to reroll a reroll, I suspect my GM reroll had to go to the first failed fort attempt (the 16 result).
In that case you saved against the 4 negative level and should only have 2. Next time please specify which saving throw to reroll like Linka and Mantis
So which neg level attack does she succeed against? the first or the second? And thank you for the reroll.
Since you didn't specify it like Linka did, we are going to roll it out
Which one did you saved :1d2 ⇒ 2
Taryn got 4 negative levels instead of 6. Which mean that if you survive the final battle, the infinite downtime allow you to keep saving and try to remove the negative level for free......this one's negative level is different than the usual energy drain (that become permanent after 24h)
