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Lovely working with all of you, and I was not expecting Korin to suddenly go that hard. Korin, don't forget to scribe whatever you want from Lichaam's library (also see spellbook #5 on this list, as it mostly didn't make it into the "master" list) Before leveling up, Lichaam will retrain one feat (Iron Will -> Skill Focus: Knowledge: Arcana). That will cost 5pp and 650gp, and enable him to take Loremaster on levelup.
Hadn't Thurl been a Pathfinder? Hadn't he read their reports? Never gloat about being invincible. Ugh. Perhaps the transformation's mental effects had caused more issues than expected. "It's been a pleasure working with you all. Korin, I'm glad you're not attacking me like that." After seeing to the dwarves and heading home, Lichaam begins his next research project - tentatively titled "On the Limitations and Effects of Earth Glide."
Lichaam looks somewhat alarmed at Thurl's actions. "I need to point out that quickened hold monster is of an equivalent complexity to spells like wish or time stop. Thurl's transformation, even without sacrificing Muhlia, gave him significant power." True, he'd already faced opponents with spells of that power, but they were nasty fights. At least Thurl only had the one minion, who was currently blinded.
I even read the Construct monster type when we found out what this was, specifically looking for resistance to paralysis, and didn't find it. Just about used Chains of Light before re-checking. Here's hoping the advertised "terrible" defenses really are that. As for Thurl, he could still roll a natural 1. Even if he doesn't, call it preemptive invisibility prevention. If Thurl uses a summoning ability or attempts to teleport one of us away, Lichaam will use an immediate action to cast Conjuration Foil. I don't want to use it if Thurl teleports for fear of him getting sent to some distant location and deciding "nah, I don't need to go back and finish fighting, I'll just stay here."
Lichaam moves forwards, peeking over Eadie's shoulder to get a good look at Thurl and the golem. A gallu? Worrying, but Korin seemed to be doing well. Thurl or the golem... well, this model was known for substandard defenses, but they still had that inherent immunity to paralysis. Perhaps blindness? And quickly, before Eadie got into a position where she would also be affected. With a wave, Lichaam conjures a burst of only-briefly-magical glitter, covering both Thurl and the golem.
The corridor is 5' high, this place was built for dwarves. Unfortunate but not unexpected. Definitely not moving up, then, until there's somewhere in the hall for Lichaam to move to. The aura is 30' radius and effects creatures summoned into the area. Looks like that'll be most of the room, then. Ick. @Yanndu, I believe you can only benefit from one resist energy spell at a time given the duplicate effects rule. Nah... had several resist energy spells up in multiple games. Works the same way in the Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous video games... it's just VERY slot intensive and usually only done for boss fights if you have enough slots left. I think that's the first time I've seen that interpretation. Interesting. For reference: The rules (which seem to be copied from 3.5e) I can see where you're getting that from, with the "same effect with differing results" section. Which I don't think I've seen before, and really don't like. On the other hand, there's an FAQ regarding the Evil Eye hex that flat-out says "well it's basically several different versions glued together, so it still works with itself." Plus the console games that allow it, but they aren't quite using the same ruleset anyway.
"Ah, over in Roll20 then. That's fine. I just wanted to officially roll the check I was already getting credit for. To do otherwise would violate causality, and the Society already has enough problems with that." "Also, try not to get hurt, anyone." Seems a little obvious, but he was there to help with the Knowledge checks, and not passing along the results is not helping. Usually. After checking his notes, Lichaam adds "Any response to my questions from the second half of this post? I just rolled over to a new page and don't want them to get lost."
The area here probably makes earth gliding a difficult prospect given the amount of bone involved, it is an Ossuary. Update incoming. Ah, but they're dwarven bones. Children of the earth and all that, and that was before they were returned to the earth. But whichever. That's GM's call. Maybe they've got steel in their bones. Creatures summoned into the area, or summoned creatures that happen to be inside the area? And do we know how wide that area is? Per Greater Arcane Sight, what spells or magical effects are on the enemies? How tall is this hallway, 5'? Because right now Lichaam's got range and line-of-sight issues. I'm not sure he can even see Thurl around the doorframe yet, and he's certainly not going to be the first one into the room.
I did a quick check of mid- to high-level demons before the scenario started, to get an idea of the trends (which could have affected spell preps.) Surprisingly few of them needed cold iron. That's not saying Thurl doesn't need it, but I think most of the CR-appropriate stuff is just DR/Good. There is one benefit to keeping the Bless Weapon on, though - crit threats against Evil enemies are automatically confirmed. That might not matter much on a bec de corbin, but Eadie's falchion might appreciate having both.
Lichaam now automatically knows what spells are active on anyone and anything he sees. Everyone with a pointy stick now bypasses DR/Good. May or may not help against the golem's multilayered DR, but it's the more-common DR for demons. The spell doesn't work on natural weapons, sadly. Included those that already have bless weapon; the golem might not actually be Evil (just have DR/Good), and either way it's some protection against dispelling. Everyone has haste (including Muhlia, and the earth elemental if it gets summoned.) As mentioned up here, Lichaam can save a round of Korin's prep time and get one extra person with bone fists if you want.
Lichaam considers whether the described room would hinder an elemental using earth glide. Do earth elementals trip when moving in a graveyard? Wait, could it glide through the golem? If the golem was fossilized, that would make it more ground-like than bones, but the binding energies could hinder movement... but what if- No. Don't get distracted. Plenty of time for that after the mission.
"How far is the room?" Lichaam asks, "and in what direction?" If this was an imminent encounter with Thurl... Lichaam takes the chance and activates greater arcane sight. It would render arcane sight of little use, but it would be useful to have instant knowledge of any spells Thurl had running. He also pulls out a scroll of communal align weapon and enhances their weaponry to pierce abyssal flesh.
If his studies suggest an elemental would be able to move to and through through the coming chamber, he summons it and briefly explains the situation. Otherwise, he saves the spell until they get a better idea of what they're facing. Finally, he casts haste on everyone.
Eh. Lichaam's strategy mostly tends towards "slow the bad guys down so the melee types can shred them." I had to look up whether summons were dismissable - they're not normally something I mess with. With the smaller party, though, I figured a holy t-rex would be nice to have in our back pocket. Way too many of the high-level summon options are Evil. He could instead grab 1d3 Lillend Azatas (level 7 bards) for Inspire Courage +2 and healing spells, but they're Large sized. Since the entrance is apparently 5' wide, that could make it difficult to have a bard singing in the back. Unless it's just on the other side of the wall, I guess... I was assuming it's down a hall.
Meat shields are prone to confusion effect, so master Lichaam's Summon Monster 7 is best, in my opinion, for summoning multiple Shadow Demon, for their Shadow Evocation and Magic Jar spells. Except those are Evil, and Lichaam really doesn't want to go down that route. He's read far too many accounts of where that kind of thing leads. Plus, while the Society may claim that casting Evil spells isn't an Evil act... Lichaam tries to live up to that 'G' in his alignment. If Confusion happens... well, summons are dismissable.
Ooh, that was a nasty ritual. "Thank you, miss al-Jakrt. I'm sure your assistance will be helpful." Another undead, though. How unfortunate. He probably shouldn't risk a prismatic spray, either, on the off chance that Thurl gets sent to another plane and survives. That would be a rather embarrassing entry in the Chronicles. "How large is the door leading in?" Lichaam asks. "And of what composition is the room? I have a powerful summoning spell prepared, but most of the appropriate summon options are quite large. I could summon a greater earth elemental, which could stay partially in the wall or floor if it's stonework in there. I'd also like to cast haste on everyone just before we attack." "Oh, and the mat you're standing on is magical. Would you mind moving your foot back?"
When they're ready to move out, Lichaam taps himself once more with his wand of heightened awareness and uses his pearl of power to refresh magic missile.
"Thank you" Lichaam says, taking the scroll. After a few seconds, though, he frowns. That was significantly more verbose than he'd expected. Infernal, yes, but Abyssal? "This may take a few minutes." Moving to an unoccupied corner, he sits down and pulls out a journal and inkpot, to take notes. He then takes a wide, flat case from his pack and lays the scroll on it before turning to his dragon. "Would you mind propping this up for me?"
"If Yanndu telepathies us with what he found out about the scroll, that might open up another avenue. If Muhlia doesn't know exactly what's on the scroll, we might be able to shed some light on the mystery." "I don't mean to brag, but I'm quite good with Linguistics and scrolls in general, and can use comprehend languages. Plus, I have the skim spell running, which could potentially save us time on our buffs." "...I also have two scrolls of the skim spell others can use, if it turns out to be something requiring intuition. Plus one of comprehend languages, if it requires both."
"Indeed", Lichaam agrees, happy to let Korin take the lead on this one. "You seem to be having second thoughts about Thurl already. What's on the scroll?" With the way she was holding it, it was probably either evidence or a reminder of her sister, and the medium put him more in mind of dark dealings than happy memories.
Three questions on what Muhlia counts as: 1) Does she count as "a member of the Pathfinder Society"? Per the Guide, there's a +1 bonus on Diplomacy checks per 10 points of Fame. Lichaam also has a boon-granted Wayfinder that gives +2 vs. Pathfinders. 2) Is she a "scholar or expert"? This matters for Jeweled Sages. 3) Is she a "scholar, archaeologist, extraplanar authority, or similar figure"? This would be a faction card goal.
"Thank you." Lichaam backs up, letting one of the frontliners handle the door. As an afterthought, he also casts arcane sight on himself. For some reason he had both it and the greater variant prepared, so he had backups. "...wait. Is this a small square room with cubbyholes? You said that was just past the lava chamber, and that's where my scrying placed Muhlia."
Huh. That was surprisingly easy. Granted, the priests would probably not fare as well, so... Draconic:
"You really need to make your den somewhere else" he tells the trapped drake. "This complex has been claimed, as the previous visitors should have told you. If you stay, the dwarves will kill you."
At the door, Lichaam checks for traps or locks.
"Borsaget, what is beyond here?"
"Expect more fire, and attacks in passing" Lichaam calls out. Too far apart for chain lightning, prismatic spray, or slow, immune to chains of light... wall of ice wouldn't last long in here, especially unanchored. That didn't leave many options. Perhaps that scroll of flurry of snowballs he bought years ago could help, if suitably boosted. For the immediate term, though, try to delay one until the other was dealt with. If Eadie had to run across the cave multiple times trying to chase one down, they would likely take damage they don't need to. Turning to the east, Lichaam gestures at the undamaged drake. A shimmering globe quickly attempts to close around it.
Yes. They are currently swimming in the lava. You could attack them from above if flying/air walking.
So are they currently level with the platforms, or did they flyby attack with their breathlike weapon?
"Eadie, I can throw you at one of them if they come closer. And I'm sure that they will come closer." "We, uh... we haven't actually disabled the trap over here yet, and the only solid ground is right next to what I think is the trigger." Lichaam considers the situation a moment. "Didn't Borsaget say it would drop the bridges and the island into the magma?" ...yes, he was sure she did. Well, she had said lava, but as this was clearly underground, it should still be magma. "Maybe hold off on the fighter-tossing for now?"
Lichaam's init should be 4 higher (total of 21), but it doesn't look like it matters here. However, I think some of the other PCs should also be higher. Dex +2, school +2, HA +4, Blood-Boiling Pill +2, Hunter's Blessing +2. Those last two buffs are (I think) on everyone, and I'm assuming that where we are counts as "underground".
Did we ever get Resist Energy cast? We'd talked about it earlier this month, but RL things have happened since then and it might have been forgotten about. If that's getting cast, Lichaam would of course wait for it before moving forwards. Korin's Perception is 10ish higher than Lichaam's, so he's probably going to spot the trap first.
Unless you can help with this trap, I don't think having another dwarf would help. Cloaked in the dwarf-shaped glamer, Lichaam advances, taking Korin's advice and flying beside the bridge towards the center island. "Korin, let me know if you spot the trigger first" he whispers to his assistant. Once there, he checks for the trigger. First a quick once-over, then a more thorough search if that doesn't turn anything up. Once they actually find the trigger or something else to disable, he can use one of those scrolls he picked up a while back and get to work.
Why did Borsaget not... wait, he never actually asked her to warn them before they got to the magma chamber, did he? Sloppy. Lichaam packs away the journal he was filling with his observations. "Does anyone see the trigger?" he asks. "Or guards?"
What would be the place to put those triggers... Could you please check the underside of the bridge? he telepathically asks his dragon.
"It could be hers. I'm more interested in why Thurl would need this runeplate away from his ritual site, rather than hiding it nearby." Lichaam tries to think of any classes of ritual whose energies would be disrupted by the presence of this runeplate. Not an exhaustive list, of course. They didn't have weeks to research, and he had few materials with him.
Maybe some form of necromantic infusion? Protracted humanoid sacrifice? They hadn't heard anything about hostages from inside the ossuary, but the minotaurs could have handed over some of the missing dwarven soldiers.
Lichaam already has +5 vs. death effects (and shares +3 of that with nearby PCs), and is immune to paralysis (freedom of movement). So someone else might get more use out of the runeplate than me. While he does have the Hero of the Five Kings boon, I'm not sure an extra 10 rounds of unconsciousness is a huge draw. I suggest we give it to Korin. He gets the breath of life bonus, and is probably a little more likely to draw attacks than the rest of us. Can probably UMD to emulate a dwarf for that bonus, too (unless artifacts are too "special" for that.)
...waterskin, some trail rations, a small silver locket... Before I forget... at some point after examining the runic plate and getting it out of the way, Lichaam will also scan the rest of this for magic. Well, the locket, really, but the rest would be in the cone of detection and get checked as a side effect. And see if there's anything in the locket, too. Normally this would be a generic GP reward, but it's in the same bag as (presumably) one of the Runeplates that Thurl stole. Either someone stole it back, or it belongs to Thurl's group. Who knows, maybe he wrote his secret plans really on a tiny slip of paper and stuffed it in there for safekeeping. Lichaam's seen that kind of thing show up in more than one book. Sure they were spy novels, but that hardly matters.
"No, I don't" Lichaam replies. "The extended casting time, plus the not-insignificant chance of uselessness, means I never really considered purchasing either of those scrolls." One minute of chanting in the field near the choice in question was usually fairly dangerous, and the spell could only predict half an hour out. Add that to a better than one-in-four chance of failure, and one had to protect and maintain a set of divination rods? Seems a waste of time and money. They'd probably get better results if the spell wasn't built around rhabdomancy, too. Bibliomancy was much more precise.
Lichaam straightens, blinking the spots out of his inner eye. "Be careful" he says. "Whatever is in there has Artifact-level magic. Either that, or an active spell cast by Magrim himself. There could be mortal magics present as well; auras of that power have been known to mask lesser ones." He steps back to allow someone else access to the pack.
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