Let's get everyone healed up! I propose any costs for that come out of the group's treasure. Maybe we've got some favor at the temple and they can cut us a deal.
Looking forward to crashing at the Tooth and Hookah!
Seben takes a move action to travel 10 feet west (away from the swarm). Spreading out seems like a good tactic to minimize the number of people the swarm can attack in a round.
Speaking of questionable tactics, Seben takes a standard action to fire another arrow.
Now I feel like I'm responsible for potentially splitting the party - why don't we just all press forward with our standard searching marching order and forget I ever mentioned it.
I'm tempted to follow Jace's suggestion spike that door anyway so the doru can't follow us in, but I suppose that cuts off our exit if we need to beat a hasty retreat.
How about instead, Seben attempts a repeat of her bell snare? She layers a fishing line across the door so that if it opens the bell rings, hopefully giving us an advance warning.
Survival check, with a spam of guidance:1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 1 = 26
I feel like there could be a team strat of some kind that should work here... as long as we stay in the stairs at least.
What if we take advantage of our tight marching order? The guys in the front rank focus on defense, maybe a total defense action or something to make themselves challenging to hit, ideally exhausting the not-mummy's attacks. The guys in the back then pile on and hit it with ranged weapons.
If that's not viable, we almost want to do the opposite, push into the room so we have the necessary space to surround it and hit it from as many sides as possible, like your typical party. Otherwise we're bunched up for no benefit.
Sounds good. Seben won't be much of a contributor, but she's not exactly a world-beater at full strength either, so that's not really the consideration.
Going to keep the Sacred Ibis in "wolf mode" then, with its scent active to hunt for invisible foes.
Seben will also take a hint from Indus and attempt to prepare a dust grenade; a small sack or coin satchel loaded with dust from the floor. She's hoping it will create a dust cloud to help counteract invisibility.
Maybe we can get the ring de-haunted back at base...
Not sure if Seben's second save succeeded or failed, but once she comes out of her paralysis, Seben thanks Diorio for the daring rescue!
I'd support a return to base to rest and get that disease looked at. I don't know about the rest of the party, but Seben's resource tank has been running at zero for a while. If other Bask members are similar, one more tough encounter and we're vulnerable to TPK.
I'm really torn here. I was thinking Seben might be better off saving that hero point for the 'cheat death' option. Even back in action her contributions are not key here, she's pretty badly depleted. But her Fort save isn't bad and I'm feeling GM hints here. Maybe every bit counts.
Let's go for it!
Seben's Saving Throw vs Bad Opera Singing: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Man! My damage rolls have been outstanding, the actual hit rolls, not so much.
If I follow, Seben can then go again as part of the initiative order, but I will wait to see what happened as a result of the readied actions first before posting. I think she wants to try to focus down any injured targets, but let's see. I got a bad feeling about this...
Possible damage from cold iron arrow: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Man, I keep wasting all these great damage rolls... I am pretty sure that's not a hit but even if it was, I think a 50% concealment chance would further apply. If the Aid Another applies, that gets the number up to 14.
(Gulp! An immediate action to 'bolster companion' may be required here...)
Not her turn, but Seben wants to use her Knowledge (Nobility) see if she can recollect a dark or scandalous secret about an Osirian monarch. Past or present, but with her origin, it might make the most sense if it involved Hakotep, the Pharaoh she spent her life waiting to hunt. Maybe something unknown about his work with the Dark Tapestry or his war against the Shory or even some weird sex thing. If it's juicy enough maybe that will qualify for Lueck's idea and we can tempt the Doru with it. Or better yet - if I can talk Sobek into it, she will make an Aid Another check to his Knowledge (History) check, since he's the real historical brains around here.
Knowledge (Nobility) Check Aid Another vs DC 10:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Is the +1 scale mail heavy? I imagine we could leave it here for now and scoop it up on our way out of the mansion, er assuming we ever leave.
It sounds like the scale mail's best value for the Bask is as a sale item.
I may have overlooked the full frenzy of the combat, but I think Indus and the Sacred Ibis are both down 4 a piece at least. What's the most efficient way to heal them up? Seben will use a wand charge for both if there is no superior alternative.
For that matter, Seben's down to her last spell and low on abilities, so she remains happy to rest, if there's any interest.
Am I right the skeletons don't have ranged weapons? We could try and take advantage of that by taking up positions to shoot them from afar, although their DR would limit how effective that would be. We'd probably need to engage them in melee ultimately. But we could get a round or two of free shots off, maybe. If they're really going to ignore us, it might be fun to set some trip wires first and really hamper their ability to come at us once we start firing.
Alternately, if the party is going to continue to explore, since Seben has the rear position, she'll try to keep an eye on the skeleton's as much as possible, in case they decide to come at us. Seben will switch the Sacred Ibis into 'Falcon mode' so that it's Perception increases to +11, so it can help Seben. The Ibis makes sure it flies along the ceiling and out of the range of melee attacks.
Still blinking the sleep from her eyes, Seben fights to get to her feet. her knees buckle once or twice as she tries to maneuver to the side so she can see what is happening.
Move action to rise, standard action to travel - repositioned on map, hoping to keep away from that sleep effect. Getting ready with a Bolster Companion immediate action, if needed here. The Sacred Ibis is pretty fragile.
Sebens gush of water soaks the sandman and briefly pushes it up against a column in the corner of the garden, but all this accomplishes is another shriek of fury from the enraged elemental-kin. Solid tactic! Unfortunately, it does not really pan out in this case. The creature is moved back 5 ft, but involuntary movement does not trigger AoO.
.
Ah, right! Well that's what I get for posting while I'm rushing out the door!
Seben is awake, but prone and has dropped her bow.
.
I can work with that!
Seben's mind flashes back to the battle with the sandling in the tomb of Ahkentepi. Ever since then, she prepared a little something...
Rise as a move action. Cast hydraulic push as a standard action, at the creature.
Attempted bullrush with hydraulic push at caster level 2, with +3 Wis Modifier: 1d20 + 2 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 2 + 3 = 19
Really all this does is push the target backwards, and only if their CMB is low enough. But I'm kinda hoping there's a vulnerability to water here to do some damage or effect. If not, well at least she'll look cool doing it. She's been holding that spell on her list on spec for a long time.
Seben opens a mystic gate to the dark death world from which she sprang - but opens it to the River Styx! A black watery froth gusts forth like a horizontal waterfall, blasting at the creature.
Another possible benefit here: if the creature gets moved from its square, it might trigger an Attack of Opportunity from Indus as I think he has the creature based.
"I'm not going anywhere, don't worry." (Seben is worried...)
"I am sorry to learn you went through all of that," she says empathetically. She does, after all, know something about the horror of being dead... trapped in place.
"But you are right. It sounds as though much time has passed since you were outside these walls. I am pleased to report that, without minimizing the tragedy, much of the news is good. The plague is over and the city has survived."
Seben takes a chance. She gulps some air and lowers her bow to the ground entirely, releasing it so that her hands are empty.
Seben, who was practically dragging her bow on the ground, suddenly tightens her grip. Her lips tighten into a sharp line.
"Uh, guys?" she calls, with fear in her voice.
"I, uh, might have just walked into a trap." Seben seems unable to take her eyes off of whatever is in front of her.
"I sorta got pulled here. Magic, or something. Be careful!"
Then Seben switches tongues, testing out her Ancient Osiriani.
"Kathora-HO, Ma-Kaski-Ta" ("Hello, my Lady,") says Seben to whatever is in front of her, doing her best to sound casual, yet failing abjectly. "Jatika, May Who-na-ti-Pa." (Is everything alright?)"
Her knuckles have a death drip on her bow, but she keeps it lowered, no arrow knocked.
Is Seben free willed at this point? Or is she under a compulsion? I.e. should I be playing along and just have her say something to the effect that she got bored and really loves the courtyard. Or can she be like, "holy crap!" (I'll have fun playing it out, either way)
Does she still see the female shape? And does anyone else see it? Or only Seben?
Seben takes up a perch in the center of the room (moved on map) so she has sightlines to the west and south. She'll cover the cleaning crew.
Not that she's above hard work, but she might be more useful as a sentry. We'll out the Ibis back on Animal Focus (Falcon) to get that +11 Perception. He'll call out with a warning cry if he sees anything.
Seben will take a readied action to (possibly) fire at any hostiles. She's not looking to shoot any ghosts or false ghosts though - she wouldn't expect the arrow to do anything, and the lady didn't seem threatening... when she caught a glimpse anyway.
