Any stories from GMs regarding the final battle with the ulgurstasta? I'm looking over it in prep for tonight and it's got me a bit worried. That one-shot breath weapon could theorhetically kill my entire party, and that plus the swallow whole... Anyone here gotten a TPK from this fight?
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Any stories from GMs regarding the final battle with the ulgurstasta? I'm looking over it in prep for tonight and it's got me a bit worried. That one-shot breath weapon could theorhetically kill my entire party, and that plus the swallow whole... Anyone here gotten a TPK from this fight?
If I remember correctly, I was 2 rounds away from the prophecy being fulfilled. Then my one NE party member (was true N to start and swayed to NE) critically hit the fighter in the dwarf team with a crossbow bolt to 'save him', bringing the screaming dwarf from 1hp to -11. This made the party cheer, not because they saved the world, but because the dwarf had been insulting them throughout the competition. I have a feeling that if many parties had gone into the fight as early as mine was. The first night they snooped around and initiated the final battle. But my group had 8 members, so it wasn't as hard.
I had the Ulgurstasta erupt from the arena floor one round into the final match between the PCs and Auric's warband (Auric, Kellek, and the "leather works" flesh golems). Once the battle began, Tira, the fight manager of Auric's team, joined the battle, as did Ekaym, the PCs fight manager. And then Raknian joined in, as did Bozal. Since my PC's were a little dense, I had Celeste jump in too, although pretty much all she did was yell, "Don't let that thing each Auric - that's what they want!" Auric, of course, fearlessly charged in to face the worm. I also had about two dozen guards (low level fighters) charge in, all of whom got hit with necrotic breath and turned into zombies. It was quiet a free-for-all, took about 4 hours to run, and created a very exciting climax to the adventure. I had to fidge a few dice rolls in order to keep Auric from being swallowed prematurely - but kept that part secret - so the PCs were all terrified till the very end.
Mine was kind of anticlimactic. The party tank (paladin) failed his will save vs. Khellek's confusion spell 2nd round of combat, and the party wizard got feebleminded. Khellek and his golems ended up being heroes of the day--the golems distracting the ulgurstasta while Khellek scorching rayed it repeatedly from the air, just out of range of the whipping tentacles. It was a most unanticipated ending. Worked out OK, I guess, but I was disappointed. What I get for figuring the paladin ought to make his save.
The match went well for my group. The necromantic acid breath weapon had them thoroughly worried. The bard figured out the significance of the ritual and that they must protect Auric, which was good since he lost a ton of Con from the breath wpn. All of my players contributed well, but Khellek helped a lot by successfully hitting the worm with a Ray of Enfeeblement. Helped the pally escape from the Swallow Whole.
All in all, an enjoyable battle and good to see the heroes recognized as actual Heroes. (especially considering all of the bad things coming soon afterwards)
My PCs didn't manage to save Auric, and after they slew the Ulgustrasa, they then had to battle their way through several wight mobs before Celeste arrived to teleport them out of danger. Meanwhile I improvised my way through the sight of the few surviving NPCs in the crowd trying to escape from the wight horde.
Clerics of Heironeous and St. Cuthbert formed pockets of resistance, the Lord Mayor's box came under attack, and help arrived in the form of one of the circle of eight members flying over the battle and dropping meteor swarms onto the infected areas of the crowd while the cities resident Greyhawk Dragon strafed the place. Sadly, this combat killed off Ekaym and Tarquin, and the majority of the PCs fans, who had been in the stands cheering them on.
All in all, a memorable night.