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I would like to play EotT, but unfortunately I only have a 32xp paladin at the moment......and there isn't any 7-11 game in SVOP that I can level her up quick in the upcoming month :( I could run a live game via Roll20 next week if you want? I don't know if there's still a community of 1E players playing live games, but we could give it a try!
I would love to play Eyes of the Ten! I have a Shaman that's been on 33XP for years just in case. I'd be happy to run something if it would help get folks to 33XP.
In the days and weeks that follow, you travel around Galt and systematically dismantle the final blades. As the tale of your deeds preceedes you, you find your welcome growing in each town. By the end children can be seen dressed up, wielding pairs of wooden "hand-crossbows", dressed in Pharasman cassocks, or laughing faces painted incongruously with dark streaming tears. The festivities in each town are more lavish than the last, and there is an unspoken awareness that all present are witnessing history. The slightest of your comments or actions are weaved into legend, and at the next town you visit you can overhear embelleshed stories made from them, Turrey's songs already being sung by the time you arrive. By the time of Félicité's inaugural music festival a year later, most of you have moved on, but the effects of your deeds will echo throughout Galt's history. Camilia Drannoch has made quick strides to restore order after the collapse of the Gray Gardener leadership, helped in no small part by your association with her. Keznin's small shop in Litran has become overwhelmed with visitors when it becomes known that he aided you, and the quiet Tengu is delighted that his alchemical remedies have become fashionable throughout the country, even if he is a little uncomfortable with his new-found celebrity. In the turmoil though, crime flourishes. Just when people begin to wonder if Camillia's new regime will be able to survive, there are sightings of Gray Gardeners again. Purse snatchers and cut-throats turn up in front of guard-huts, bound but not hurt. Are these new Gardeners survivors of the old regime, or just citizens moved to put a stop to injustice? Either way, without the rotten core at the heart of the organisation, there is hope for Galt in its new age.
By all means, and if you'd like to sum it up and make a final post of the adventure (after Kaldren) then be my guest!
Yes I think so. After Kaldren has posted something I'll do some sort of small wrap up
I've now reported this session and put the chronicles online here I've only filled in the bare minimum, feel free to roll any downtime checks or what-not here, or on your own table at home or whatever you like. Let me know if there are any mistakes, but all I did was click go on RPGChronicles this time!
It's not completely clear from the ability text, but based on the more verbose text of the creature from 1E I am treating it like it gets just one chance, a successful save kills it. I'm very glad you enjoyed it, I did too, and I hope everyone else did as well. It took rather longer than I expected, and several times I felt like I didn't quite have the free time I wanted to be able to do it justice. I did appreciate the effort you put into Gregoth's posts, every one was dripping with gothic misery :) In fact everyone did a great job inhabiting their characters. I will never forget Félicité's actual piano accompaniment to Turrey's dance-off. Amazing! I'll give Kaldren and Turrey a bit longer to fill in the sign-in sheet if they want PFS credit, and maybe do a final wrap-up in gameplay after your epilogues, if necessary. Thanks again for playing everyone.
As Turrey calls out for Shelyn to protect him, the room flashes and he finds himself alone with the body of the worm, except that its injuries don't seem nearly as severe as a moment ago. He watches in horror as it rises, lifting its body until it fills the vast chamber. It seems even larger than before, undeniably magnificent. "TURREY BUTTERHILL!" it booms psychically into Turrey's mind, and he feels his whole body go rigid. "You brought peace to Qadira and held off the undead hordes in Lastwall, but your greatest feat is at hand. Your Apotheosis! You will invite me in to your mind and body, and you will gladly die to allow my magnificence to be reborn. I can feel your excitement at the prospect." Despite the horror of the situation, Turrey can feel a sense of excitement at the prospect. Surely there isn't anything as pure or perfect at the glistening God before him? In the distance, at the end of the passage up, Turrey can just hear the sound of a concertina playing. It gets louder, and it's joined by the sound of laughter and approval. A few bad notes stop the performance and replace it with youthful tears, but a loving voice consoles the artist. [b]"Oh Turrey. Shelyn doesn't love you because you're talented, and she'd never withhold that love for a few mistakes. Shelyn loves you because you try. Because you're earnest, and want to create rather than destroy" The voice gets louder and louder, just as the worm seems to shrink in stature. Turrey finds that he can move again, and a song fills his heart. The worm's voice enters his mind again, but this time it's shrill and reedy, hard to hear. It seems to have shrunk to no bigger than an earthworm now, having to look up at the halfling. "I am ruin! I am entropy! When all the world's cities crumbl-"
Turrey wipes the stain off his boot, and opens his eyes. To the others, Turrey stood rigid with his eyes closed and moving rapidly for a few seconds after the worm died. It wasn't until he opened them again that the psychic pressure vanished in an instant.
Looking around the chamber, you find an Impressive Crown hidden in the base of the toppled statue, but the contents of the workspace to the south are much more interesting. Several tables are filled with notes and arcane scribblings, and under each table are guillotine blades.
Félicité and Turrey look at each other in wonder as they both understand what they're looking at. Detailed instructions for the creation and destruction of the final blades. Although the worm wanted to destroy the blades in a way that would unleash the Gray Deaths lurking within, it's clear from these notes that with the right ritual they could be destroyed safely, in a way that would allow the spirits within to move on to their afterlives correctly. . In the days that follow it becomes clear that neither Keznin nor Turrey have been infected by the worm's telepathic escape. The Gray Gardeners have been broken, rendered leaderless, their Sahkils routed and their stronghold taken. Without the malevolent worm at its heart, Galt has a chance at genuine change, the first in a long time. Camelia Drannoch leads the charge to bring stability back, and she holds you up as figureheads, the heroes who have ushered in a new age. She proposes that five new public holidays are created, one to honour each of the heroes who saved her country.
She kept Gregoth alive! I had rolled my attacks in preparation, a crit followed by two hits, enough to take him to dying 1 and then eat him, but I'd forgotten about your healing. A perfect time for a natural 20 Turrey. Tonight is game night for me so I won't have time to post, but have a think about your epilogues and I'll do a wrap up / invite you to make your final posts on Thursday.
Um...I think the initiative bolding was a mistake...
Did the worm get Kaldren’s persistent Good damage? I think I recall it being weak to that?
Gregoth strikes at the worm, but before the sword even lands he can see the angle is wrong. His spirits give everything they have to divert the point at the last second and he just manages to cut in deep. His next strike is just him and the worm. He can see it's nearly done, and he sinks the blade in deep. The worm shudders and convulses, and with his last strength Gregoth drags the blade along the huge worm, gutting it and allowing a burning Félicité to flop onto the floor.
As it dies, Turrey feels a staggering needle of pain in his mind.
Great thanks, I can proceed with eating you out of spite :)
GM Screen:
Félicité:
You don't recall anything more about the worm now you're looking at it Félicité rushes back into the room and fixes up Gregoth's wounds with astounding speed and efficacy, before succumbing to its power and grovelling before it. A sense of annoyance rolls off the worm in waves as Félicité undoes its work, so it bites at her.
◆ Strike
↺ Glimpse of Redemption
◇ Improved Grab
It gobbles her up easily, and then twists its head to belch burning acid over Kaldren and Turrey. ◆◆ Breath Weapon
Turrey gets sprayed especially badly, and Kaldren takes a nasty glob of the stuff too. GM Screen:
Despite the pain, Turrey continues to worship the worm while covered in searing acid, before finally breaking free and shooting it
Active Effects:
...
Félicité
I've written a long post out (they really do take quite a while at this level!), and realised right at the end that it may be invalid. Félicité you can't attack the worm until you've done the 6 tribute actions. Would you have used your quickened action to stride away instead? Or stayed up close and let it go to waste?
There are no spoilers on the chronicle sheet. Bellaluna is right though it unlocks the boon "Retired Gardener", which I think is access to the Gray Gardener archetype. There are spoilers on that page for this module, but only for things you already know (I think everything there has been touched on in the module already, but I'll be summarising everything in the wrap-up so maybe you'd want to wait until then before reading it. There's no rush on the chronicle information) The only thing on the sheet other than that is access to the rare item Nosoi Charm.
That makes sense, I missed the switch to piercing in your damage block so that'll be two more weaknesses triggered! We're getting pretty close to the end of this module now after that huge round. I've put a sign-in sheet here for those of you who would like PFS credit, please put your details in there and I'll be able to get chronicles out promptly.
Turrey sings a song of supplication to the worm.
Gregoth slashes at the worm in a flurry, and one of his strikes tears a large gash in the worm, spilling ichor everywhere. Likewise Kaldren manages a couple of more powerful blows, and the holy energy from his flail seems to burn the worm intensely. After the sudden flurry of blows from the two warriors, the worm is starting to look quite injured.
Meanwhile Bellaluna's mind continues to be invaded as she is unable to stop prostrating herself before the worm.
Active Effects:
Félicité
Félicité
Tangent:
RE: the carpet. Obviously this is an item I made myself shortly after the game came out so it's a bit weird. It has the minion trait, meaning it gets two actions when you command it, but only once per turn. I had in mind the carpet from Aladdin that was intelligent and did what its riders wanted, and I thought it was a fun way to evoke that. It does mean it can only possibly stride twice per turn though, making it slower than I had intended. I'm going to on-the-fly update it to give it a special two action "Sustain an Activation" action that gives it 3 actions to use. This makes no practical difference to your turn Turrey because you only moved 100 feet which is within the 120 it can move for two of your actions Turrey flies back into the room and sings his song of defence, before planting one of his arrows directly into the eyes of the worm!
You all feel the telepathic wave of pain pulse out from the worm and a pinprick in your eye; that clearly hurt it. As it's writing a hand emerges from its jaw and holds it open as Gregoth heroically climbs out of its jaw , spinning in the air and landing on his feet. Covered in dark mucus he manages to get his shield up, but his sword swing is too slow and fails to pierce the huge worm.
Kaldren moves in to flank the worm and slams it with his flail, but without sufficient force the head just bounces off the tough hide.
Bellaluna fires a barrage of bolts at Gregoth, one of which he manages to block with the shield, but the two others sink into his flesh.
Awareness then returns to her eyes as Bellaluna shakes off the worm's spell
The worm bites down at Gregoth again, this time trying to make sure he's dead before it swallows. ↺ Foresight
It then undulates and you hear its song in your minds as it casts a spell. ↺ Attack of Opportunity
Gregoth slashes at it as it does but can't get through its skin once again. Will saves:
↺ Mental Invader
Kaldren feels the dark oily presence of its psychic influence trying to infect his mind, but his faith in Pharasma helps him overcome it. The rest of you feel as if you are in the presence of divinity, and must pay respect to its majesty.
Turrey also feels an sudden piercing pain in his head, like a needle being inserted into his eye socket and through his brain.
Active Effects:
Félicité
Félicité
I agree there's nothing (that I know of) in the rules to prevent it. I also know that PF2 is not a simulationist game, and generally we're better off following the rules to get a balanced game and doing our best to build the fiction around them rather than the other way around. I also hate to deny players their class features. That said, I just can't come up with an narrative explanation for getting an attack of opportunity whilst inside a creature; it's already as completely defenceless as it can get. It's not as if it's actively steeling its guts against attack except for when it's focusing on casting a spell or moving around. It feels especially absurd to be unable to move lest it opens itself up to further attacks from its digesting meal. I hope this decision isn't influenced by the absolute mockery my players made of the Agents of Edgewatch finale last night, but I'm sticking with no AoO. I also forgot to put Slowed 1 in your initiative card, and the damage taken. I think you're at 261/315 0/22 Temp HP, I'll put that in the next one.
Turrey launches an arrow that is squarely on target, but fails to pierce the worms tough skin, before flying off after Félicité.
He sings loud and clear, but while Félicité spares him a look over her shoulder as she climbs, she ignores him and keeps on running. Gregoth charges at the worm, and slices through its tough skin with a devastating strike from his sword. The wound burns and the worm looks stunned.
Kaldren moves and protects his allies from mental manipulation, and Bellaluna tries her trademark grim swagger. The worm though, is unmoved. It doesn't even deign to respond, but she feels its emotions like music through a paper thing wall. Derision.
The worm moves, slowly, but with inexorable and astounding force. Gregoth gets a glimpse of foresight, but it just shows him where to stand to avoid being completely crushed. ↺ Foresight
The huge maw of the worm descends on Gregoth, and then when it rises up again, he's nowhere to be seen, only the peristaltic wave of muscles giving any clue to his having been swallowed! Magic then gathers around the worm as it focuses on Bellaluna
Bellaluna hears the impossibly loud voice of the worm inside her head telling her to "Slay your allies". She is about to retort, but finds her body rushing to obey.
Félicité continues to frantically flee, but then comes back to herself.
Active Effects:
Félicité
Félicité
Well...I guess I'm here to make it more awkward: foresight isn't a reroll ability, it's a "roll twice" ability. So the reaction has to be used before a roll is made. That's a good point thanks, we can just say it's used the first time it's applicable. The only wrinkle is that Turrey might prefer to save it for a save rather than an attack, in which case he can post that and I'll try to honour it (I have a terrible memory as I'm sure you've all noticed). In some cases it will be obvious too (i.e there's no point saving it for a spell if the worm is attacking with its last action etc) Turrey Foresight only works when Gregoth is defending, i.e if he is attacked or needs to make a save. So there's no need to delay and use it on his attacks. If you could just make a note on your turn if you'd like to use it on your first opportunity or save it for a specific circumstance (i.e only use it on the second attack if he's already hit, or ignore attacks and wait for a spell, or whatever). You can try to dispel again, however I had Félicité's speed wrong last time, I moved her 25 feet per action rather than 30. On the plus side though she has to walk up a steep incline which I'm going to treat as difficult terrain. It's not so steep though that flying will count as difficult terrain. She moved 60 feet away in the room, then got 30 feet along the passageway. You can move 80 feet by commanding the carpet with a single action, bringing you to 10 feet behind her where you can try the dispel magic. You'd then have a quickened action left which you'd probably want to skip
While the worm is distracted you all prepare for the final conflict, with the lives of Galt's citizens hanging in the balance. Turrey and Kaldren quietly cast a bevy of preparatory spells while the others watch the worm for any sign of life. It seems entirely focused on the ritual allowing you to charge yourselves with magic power.
It's not until the thought of action enters your minds that the worm stirs, some sort of latent psychic protection waking it from its trance. The tendrils of magical energy connecting it to the images on the walls retract and it stands alert. Initiative:
The gargantuan worm flicks its head about to take you in, and you hear its voice in your head, rolling in overpowering waves. "Ah, the "heroes". I've been looking forward to this. MY PROPHETS, TO ME!" Magical energies gather around it, and then sputter away to nothing. The worm looks confused, then impressed.
Active Effects:
Félicité
Félicité
That's right, it's at least a few days. Mechanically you get a very hard save every day and have to fail 4, but success or critical success doesn't arrest the change. Yes the token pack is great for making nice tokens, though I do wish all the backgrounds on the provided tokens weren't black. It works great for pale coloured creatures like the worm here, but dark things are really hard to see. It sounds like most are in agreement to attack immediately (which is very much the correct choice! I had to ask because the module says "If the heroes give the conqueror worm a chance to speak..."), so I'll roll initiative as soon as I get a chance. I'm still traveling and probably very busy until I get back on the 11th, but it's possible I'll get a night or two off before then.
The worm will wait a day, you decide, as you retreat only slightly to make sure your chances of stopping it are the best they can be. You camp at the stairs up, far enough to be out of the psychic pressure, but not so far that the worm could leave unnoticed. A quick scout by Turrey shows Keznin is helping Nelibet to the citizens of Litran hurt by the Gray Death. Despite being told to rest after his ordeal, he can't stand by with so many in need as is brewing elixirs and concocting poultices as fast as he can. Félicité's sleep is troubled, her dreams plagued by visions of the Three-Faced Regent. On waking from her nightmare with a start, she hears its voice as clearly as if it were in the room. "I'm coming for you"
Eternal Fear:
... Failure The target becomes frightened 3 and is fleeing as long as it's frightened. Even after recovering from the initial experience, the trauma is lodged in the target's mind for 1 year. Once per day, the kimenhul can communicate telepathically with the target for 1 minute as long as both creatures are on the same plane. Any time a creature under the effect of Eternal Fear is in a stressful situation (such as combat or intense social pressure), they must succeed at a DC 11 flat check or become frightened 2. While Eternal Fear lasts, the target always becomes fleeing as long as it's frightened, regardless of the source of the fear. The target can attempt a new saving throw each week to remove these effects, but they can otherwise be removed only by powerful magic such as wish. Critical Failure As failure, but the effects are permanent and the target doesn't get to attempt a weekly save to end the effect. Venturing back into the catacombs, you pass the Amarinthine pillar and head down the deep wide passage into the earth. The psychic pressure reasserts itself, making thinking difficult. After about 100 feet of descent, the passage extends into a deeply vaulted chamber, lit with unseen flicking light. Part of the ceiling has collapsed some time ago, making for a wall of rock just ahead. There is a small gap in the wall through which a well-lit chamber can just be seen beyond. To your left are a series of three connected shrines, which you recognise as Ng, Brigh and Nethys from earlier. Between flickering braziers and above the altars in each room are large painted depctions of the deity's symbols; the black and white mask of Nethys, the hooded shroud of Ng, and the clockwork mask of Brigh. Seen together in this context it makes you wonder if the Gardener's appearance might have been influenced by this ancient shrine. Turrey floats silently up to the gap on his carpet and looks beyond, and sees a lofty chmaber whose walls meeted in a vaulted ceiling thirty feet high. Three statues of robed scholars stand at three ends of the room; one is toppled and broken into pieces. Several unusual images swim on the walls: market squares and city plazas throughout Galt, each with a sinister guillotine at its center. Tendrils of shimmering energy connect the images to each other, and to the gargantuan worm at its centre. The worm seems to be deep in concentration, handling the whole grand ritual to detonate the final blades itself and doesn't notice Turrey.
Yes sorry for the confusion, Gregoth is correct. The "mentally invaded" stage where you are a potential host for the worm cannot be dispelled, you would know that from the ritual (though a wish or miracle may work). It's the "possessed" stage after the worms death that I'm saying could be dispelled. I've had less time than I thought for posts this week. I anticipate having a bit of time on Sunday, so I'll aim to assume you rest and attack and update things then. In the meantime have a look at the items you've collected so far in case any can be useful (that's not a hint, I have genuinely forgotten everything you've found but there might be something useful)
As the group ponders their next move, and contemplates the grizzly fate that might await them even if they succeed, a strange alcove at the corner of the room draws their eye. Smooth rock walls suggest a natural cave, and they have a strange property of bouncing sounds that make it sound like a susurrus of whispers when standing there. There are some scratches in the floor. GM Screen:
On inspection, Félicité, Turrey and Kaldren can all feel the weak border between the material and ethereal planes here, and recognise the scratches on the floor as the results of a Planar Binding ritual. The Gardeners likely use this room to summon and bind all Sahkils due to it's metaphysical properties.
I'm going to say for our purposes that you know Dispel magic can work, because even then it's going to be difficult to pull off because of the level and DC.
That's a great question. I'd say the ritual was enough to tell you, but I'm not sure myself! The module doesn't give me a great deal to go on here, perhaps someone else is more knowledgeable. Here's the relevant text from the ability:
The only thing I could find that explicitly attempts to expel a possession is the feat Cast Out, which I'm fairly certain no-one has. Would Dispel Magic work? It's not exactly a spell effect, but it does say it has the same effects as Possession which is a spell. Thoughts? Are there any other options I've missed (Other than miracle, wish, or similar magic which I'd say would work)? Also I've got another trip coming up. I will try to post if I can but I'm expecting to be fairly busy. I'll be leaving on the 28th January and returning on 11th February. It's a bit of a shame as we're right near the end of this now.
Kaldren instructs the others on the steps required for the ritual, all of whom know a good deal more than him about the steps involved. With the incense lit in a circle around the pillar, Turrey begins to recite the simple repetitive phrases given by Kaldren. He can't resist putting it to a tune with his violin, which does seem to lend more conviction to his words. Bellaluna has to feed the ritual with everything she knows about the subject. She has heard very little about conqueror worms, but she knows something of what this one wants, so she speaks instead of times something similar has happened before; when whole societies have fallen into ruin. She speaks an endless litany of Thassilon and Azlant and the Shory and many others. Félicité's job takes the most concentration. She has to channel the magics Bellaluna and Turrey are evoking by drawing out complex glyphs, and speak her own complex litany at the same time. The ritual stretches on for over an hour. Kaldren and Gregoth catch significant looks passing between the participants as they recite and sing, draw and recite. Looks that say Shouldn't this have worked by now?, and What did we do wrong? Eventually Félicité announces "ENOUGH!" Turrey and Bellaluna both stop performing their parts and Turrey lays his violin down and rubs his shoulder. He makes as if to call out a commiseration, but surprises himself by instead shouting "Death to!" Bellaluna starts to understand, and replies "sate the conqueror worm", and Félicité continues "would overflow the boneyard". The circle picks up pace as the three tell tales of the conqueror worm forgotten by society. You learn that conqueror worms are deeply malevolent creatures that treat societies as their playthings. They have the lifespans and patience to enact decades-long plots to destroy whole civilizations, and when they're done they usually leave so little behind that nothing can arise in its place. Other legends speak of their incredible psychic power and how they use it to turn the supposed leaders of a civilization into puppets. On the few occasions where their plots have been found out and worms have been confronted, sad songs tell of armies melted by powerful jets of acid breath, but of a handful of lance-wielding paladins who fought one to a stand-still. Other legends speak of their terrifying ability to escape death, for when a worm dies it can telepathically jump into the living body of any whose mind they have invaded, whereafter only a few days is required before the hapless individual bloats up like a worm, forms a cocoon around themself, and eventually bursts forth as the original worm reborn. Only magical eviction of the possessing worm before that happens can prevent the worm from coming back and the host from being permanently destroyed. It is said that any kind of mental communication with the worm can open you to being invaded in this way, but even those who refuse can be invaded by the worm's mental assault.
Félicité gets a mental flash as she's speaking this part of the legend and instinctively knows it's a sequence of images of all the people whose minds the worm has invaded. She sees brief flashes of the now-dead worm prophets, and then one of poor Keznin Nevarmo.
Gregoth is correct, 2 secondary casters are required but there are no requirements on their skill. If Bellaluna is not convinced by Gregoth's argument and would prefer not to participate, then you could still do the ritual with either Gregoth or Kaldren in the second secondary caster role. They would almost certainly critically fail, but it would allow you to potentially succeed regardless. I'll also let you know that the Conqueror Worm is considered present for this ritual due to its psychic pressure, so you are at +1 degree from the pillar, +1 for the worm being present, and -1 (probably) for Gregoth or Kaldren having no idea what they're doing :). That is still a very strong position, though the -4 circumstance penalty will hurt; the DC of this ritual is different to the standard Legend Lore.
As Kaldren is examining the pillar, he moves to trace the carvings with a finger, but as soon as he makes contact his eyes roll back in his head and he drops his flail. He stands rigidly with his mouth hanging open, but only for a second before he comes back to his senses.
GM Screen:
As the group studies the pillar, all except Gregoth recognise small motifs worked into it and the pillar as iconography sometimes associated with several deities; Nethys, Brigh, and Ng. All except Gregoth also recall that the main area of veneration in common between these deities is knowledge. Kaldren has a sudden feeling of wrongness, that the place he's in was once holy and has been desecrated so thoroughly that its connection to the divine has almost been completely severed. Félicité also learns some insights into the workings of the pillar. She thinks the pillar is very old, older than the Gray Gardeners. She finds that the spiral carved into the floor actually appears to have once been simple concentric circles, likely to aid in concentration. It has been changed more recently to an uneven spiral that upsets the flow and balance of the room. She believes the pillar is some sort of ancient conduit for or receptacle of knowledge, though the specifics of its workings would need more study to decipher.
If Félicité dealt damage to Kaldren, wouldn't he make a Flat Check to possibly end the Confused condition?
Gregoth drops his sword and with a tremendous effort grabs onto the struggling Kaldren, though he can't manage to land a knockout blow. Félicité heals the worst of Gregoth and her wounds while Kaldren slams his flail into Gregoth, clearly not himself. Turrey's inspiring song helps mitigate the damage somewhat.
After some more struggling, one of Gregoth's blows causes Kaldren to come to his senses, and things are finally quiet as you are left alone with the pillar, and a wide passage to the east leading steeply down. It's hard to know how you know, but the psychic pressure feels like its coming from down there.
Turrey
In the corner of the room is a chest filled with rare and valuable incense, the type which is required for powerful rituals.
The pillar in the room draws the eye. It feels powerful, and Kaldren can confirm it has an intense magical aura of divination. If anyone touches the pillar:
The world freezes as you are assaulted by a barrage of images and information. You feel connected through the deep roots of this pillar, to all the knowledge and understanding that the planet has witnessed. You learn a special form of the Legend Lore ritual, with the following alterations: - It takes one hour instead of one day, but can only be performed once per day
In addition, you see rapid visions of the last user of the pillar, the Kimenhul Three-Faced Regent. You see that it was researching the Conqueror Worm which it claimed to serve, in particular trying to understand its ability to escape death by projecting its consciousness elsewhere. You see in the vision its increasing frustration with its inability to successfully learn this information
Turrey flies into the room, picks up his song of courage, and fires a couple of shots at the terrifying fiend ◆ Command Carpet
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
One of his arrows just hits, and the injury, though minor, seems to cause the kimenhul to look worried. It looks to Gregoth as if to siphon his fear to heal its wounds, but Gregoth shrugs the fear off and marches toward it.
One of its heads bites out at him as he moves in, but the wound isn't as severe as some and the old warrior stays on his feet. Félicité fires a scatter-gun of arrows out into the battlefield, managing to hit both Kaldren (whose regenerating body immediately starts to push out the arrow), and the Three-Faced Regent. It staggers with the impact of the small arrow. Afterwards she seems to gather her senses and realise what's going on.
While carefully reloading and backing up, Bellaluna manages a single shot but her bolt bounces off the thick bark-like skin of the kimenhul. Kaldren looks confused but attacks the fiend as well, though without any better luck. "This fight is beneath me" the central head of the Three-Faced Regent announces as if announcing that dinner is served. "I'll see you in your nightmares". It then promptly vanishes, leaving you all alone in the room without any enemies. All except for Kaldren that is, who is left with four foul creatures trying to murder him!
Active Effects:
...
Gregoth
Ahhh. Would Dispel Magic potentially free Kaldren? Yes. Your counteract modifier for it would be your spell attack, and the DC is the same as the spell (42). You'd need to choose your spell slot, recalling that the higher it is the better the chance it has of counteracting the effect. Critical Success: It counteracts things up to level + 3
So if you cast at level 9 and fail, it would still work against level 8 effects etc. You could recall knowledge with arcana or occultism to try to assess what level you think the spell effect is, or just pick a spell level. It's also worth noting that taking any damage gives a 50/50 chance of snapping out of it each time, so for example if you had Magic Missile you could pepper him with 1 actions missiles until he was OK. Oh and Félicité it's not a flat check at the end of your turn it's another save, so that 10 gives you 42 and you're recovered!
Turrey unleashes a flurry of arrows across the battlefield, only one of which finds its target, Félicité.
In a whirl of steel, Gregoth makes a cascade of quick flashing attacks, but the kimenhul is just as fast and only one manages to make it through. It's enough to draw its angry attention though. Félicité also unleashes a torrent of arrows, but in her panic none are on target. On her last arrow, the kimenhul lashes out. ↺ Attack of Opportunity
Bellaluna makes another of her trademark paired-shots, and again one of the bolts finds its way through the creatures hide and burns it horribly.
The kimenhul makes angry faces at both Gregoth and Bellaluna, and unloads on Gregoth with unholy fury. ◆◆ Frightening Flurry
The stalwart warrior remains standing, though injured and shocked by the display. The huge three-headed sahkil also looks badly injured, and it decides to leave Gregoth to deal with his confused allies and to charge toward Bellaluna! ◆ Stride Gregoth swipes at it as it moves, but shaky arms lack the force necessary.
Active Effects:
...
Gregoth
Kaldren stands defiantly after Félicité's ministrations, and casts a spell that starts healing his wounds. Enraged, the kimenhul lashes out at him, then starts to cast another spell.
Gregoth lashes out as it casts, but it easily evades it and attempts to muddle your minds!
Saves:
Bellaluna manages to shake off the invasion into her mind, used as she is to handling overwhelming emotions, but everyone else becomes confused. They all feel as if they're surrounded by enemies and must do their best to stop them!
Active Effects:
...
Gregoth
Turrey flies back toward the beast, and as soon as he can see it unleashes a well-placed arrow and a spiritual assault on the fiend.
Gregoth unleashes a blast of energy at the Three-Faced Regent which it ducks away from, and then rushes to protect Kaldren. The fiend lashes out at him with a root-like claw.
He then turns and rakes the beast with his sword, just managing to connect and sever some of its claws.
Félicité rushes in and brings Kaldren round with incredible speed Bellaluna aims a careful shot and sinks another of her bolts that seem to be anathema to it, the small wound it makes burns and sizzles along with the usual light.
Active Effects:
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Gregoth
That's right, the Frightened and Fleeing has gone (for now), so it would just be one AoO. I'm fine with the delay to get Gregoth to trigger first
I'm sorry I forgot to update Kaldren and Gregoth's position after my post yesterday to reflect the retcon. I have now done so. The (now correct) positions present a problem, Félicité will trigger an attack of opportunity moving in to Kaldren's aid. Do you still want to do that? Similarly I've moved Gregoth back to his starting position (which I said I did in the post but didn't actually do), do you still want to move Gregoth? Sorry for all the confusion.
That's right Turrey, those were your round 2 actions, and you can use round 3 to could fly back in (40 feet) with one action, then have 2 actions plus the quickened action remaining. I had also missed the Inspire Courage ending, thanks for pointing that out.
Kaldren crumples to the ground unconscious, but his wounds don't look immediately life-threatening.
Active Effects:
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Gregoth
In case I confused things by pausing for Turrey, Félicité fled on round 2, and then Turrey immediately followed and soothed her. In round 3 Kaldren failed to escape, Gregoth tripped the beast, and Bellaluna got a shot in. Then it stood up, shredded Kaldren (but stopped grabbing him), and it's back to y'all on Round 3/4!
Turrey rushes after the fleeing Félicité and reaches for her with a soothing melody. Just as she's about to get too far to hear, his music reaches her and snaps her out of her panic.
Active Effects:
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Gregoth
Félicité looks aghast at the display and runs for her life.
Kaldren struggles against the impossible strength of the kimenhul, and is unable to escape its grasp. He brings his flail down on it with all his might, but it shrugs off his blows. Gregoth shakes off his fear, and topples the mighty fiend with a feat of immense strength.
When he picks up his sword, it lashes out from the ground ↺ Attack of Opportunity
↺ Glimpse of Redemption
The claw slashes him and causes his strike to falter and miss. Bellaluna heroically forces her fear down, and hits with another of her shots, again causing the monster to sizzle and scream in pain.
The Three-Faced Regent ◆ quickly rights itself, easily avoiding Gregoth's opportune strike. It ignores him and continues to try tearing Kaldren apart. ◆◆ Frightening Flurry
Active Effects:
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Gregoth
GM Screen:
Félicité:
At first you recalled that this is a Kimenhul, one of the most powerful Sahkils. It has mastery of fear, and can perform a display that can give long-lasting fear. You then recalled that it can take attacks of opportunity, and it's especially dangerous against frightened opponents. Félicité bandages Bellaluna around the corner and moves in to get a closer look at the creature. Turrey immediately starts to weave magic around the group, boosting speed and attacks in his inimitable way Kaldren immediately moves to protect his allies from the devastating fear he recalls the Kimenhul can produce. [ooc]As Kaldren is now hasted, I'm going to assume he'd want to move in to permit Gregoth to flank He then moves to attack, and the Kimenhul strikes out with a claw ↺ Attack of Opportunity
Gregoth then advances, taking advantage of its distraction to slip into a flanking position, however one of its heads continues to watch Kaldren while the other follows Gregoth.
Despite being watched Gregoth's first mighty swing stabs deep into the creature's side, though it blocks his second swing with a claw.
Bellaluna cautiously moves away from the now engaged creature. The Kimenhul starts to move strangely. It's oily-bark skin seems to flow and undulate and its faces scream in impossible expressions of terror while you all feel an unprecendented psychic assault. ◆◆ Eternal Fear
Failed Save effect:
Finally it lashes out at Kaldren who had the temerity to look unperturbed at its display.
It's claw grabs him round the waist, shredding his armour like paper.
Active Effects:
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Gregoth
I saw everything you quoted Turrey, but what sold me was the fact that Improved Grab refers to Grab which has Requirements "The monster's last action was a success with a Strike", and the following line:
The requirements on Grab are that the last action you used is a Strike, which is pretty similar to that example. Now there is a perfectly consistent reading which would cause you to rule that Improved Grab could still be used, that the actions used are as follows: 1) Stride
But the other equally plausible reading is that the Subordinate Strikes don't count for clauses like "next action" and "last action" because those subordinate actions are not first-class in some sense, the actions used on that turn are: 1) Stride
If Improved Grab hadn't mentioned Grab, and just said it was a Free action with a trigger of "The monster hits the target" I think it would be fairly clear cut, it's just this "next action / last action" business which makes it a bit ambiguous. I would certainly have no problem if someone ruled the other way, and may do so myself in future, but I tend to err on the side of leniency. I would much rather learn that I'd made a mistake and made it too easy than kill a character just before the end of the module and later learn it was because I was unduly harsh. Haste instead of the bow makes sense.
You make a good argument and I'm convinced. Bellaluna isn't grabbed
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