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Ah, how fickle the winds of fate can be, especially when they are guided by little multi-sided pieces of colorful plastic.
Things were going so well for the brave heroes of Westcrown, the Midnight Roses, as they boldly made their way through the Nessian Spiral. They had defeated every enemy so far (although some, like the succubus Joriavah, had been quite challenging).
This group was composed of:
- Level 8 ranger
- Level 8 rogue
- Level 8 druid
- Level 8 monk
- Level 8 sorceress (bearer of Morrowfall and the Talisman of the Twin)
They had shut down all of the cooling chambers... They had managed to diplomatically get past Signatory Vaccha... They began a peaceful discussion with Zovarue the librarian... They were so close to their goal, so close to preventing Liebdaga from escaping...
So close, yet so far.
They angered the mentally deranged medusa, and she refused to let them pass, preparing to attack.
The first person to act was the Rogue, who had earlier become CURSED to fight with a silly mining pick -2... Yet against all odds, she struck the medusa mightily, scoring 40 points of damage on her sneak attack.
The second person to act was Zovarue. She dropped her veil and revealed her dangerous gaze.
And then the s**t hit the fan.
Fortitude saves were attempted, and... failed.
The Druid rolled a 3.
The Monk rolled a natural 1.
The Sorceress also rolled a natural 1.
....
Ouch.
Only the cursed rogue, and her sister the deadly ranger remained able to fight while their comrades were turned to stone.
Averting her eyes, the ranger shot at the now Displaced medusa, but she missed with all of her arrows not even due to concealment, but simply to some really pathetic attack rolls.
Closing her eyes to avoid being petrified, the brave Rogue once again managed, against all odds, to hit the medusa with her cursed pick.
It was Zovarue's turn again, and the Ranger caught her gaze by accident (50% chance)... and failed her saving throw against petrification by rolling a 4.
Only one heroine remained: the cursed Rogue...
Zovarue smiled at her, and cast a Suggestion spell.
"Look me in the eyes." she purred.
The Rogue opened her eyes and looked straight into the medusa's eyes.
... and rolled a natural 20 for her Fortitude Save.
It was now her turn.
She ran the HELL out of the room, knowing there was no way she could beat the medusa on her own, especially not with her cursed weapon.
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Sounds almost like a TPK, huh?
But now I'm wondering what to do to try and salvage my campaign.
I think what will happen is that the Rogue will manage to convince Signatory Vaccha (with her +19 in diplomacy) to attack the medusa since she's hindering the agents of the Mayor. If I read his stats correctly, he's immune to the petrification gaze, so he should be able to defeat her.
Then, the rogue will try and restore her petrified companions. She still has 4 charges on her wand of Break Enchantment... Will she have time to bring them all back before Liebdaga bursts out of his restraints and destroys a large chunk of Westcrown?
We shall see...
If you have other suggestions on how to recover from this difficult situation, I would love to read them.
Anyway... I hope you all enjoyed this tale of woe.
Wow. Sometimes the dice gods grow angry.
Good thing the rogue has that wand. They might try to prep the battlefield somewhat to maximize chances of surviving for several rounds without getting petrified. For example, if they could lay down an obscuring mist somehow, it would hamper the gaze attacks. Perhaps you could allow an elixir of obscuring mist for 50 gp, or they could chuck in a couple of smokesticks. A tanglefoot bag would have a roughly 30% chance of gluing a standard medusa to the floor; might be worth the chance for a few extra rounds...
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Break Enchantment does not work on creatures turned to stone. You need Stone to Flesh to free your characters.
Interesting. Under break enchantment
This spell frees victims from enchantments, transmutations, and curses. Break enchantment can reverse even an instantaneous effect...Success means the creature is free of the spell, curse, or effect...If the spell is one that cannot be dispelled by dispel magic, break enchantment works only if that spell is 5th level or lower.
The spell flesh to stone is 6th level.
In a recent (unrelated) game, when the cleric was turned to stone, my sorcerer (destined bloodline) had break enchantment and the DM allowed it. I don't think anyone realized the spell that is related to the effect was too high level. If he hadn't, I'd have limited wish for stone to flesh.
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Thanks for the input, guys.
You're right, Break Enchantment doesn't remove petrification. I think it used to do in 3.5, if I'm not mistaken.
So my group is even more screwed than I thought. ;)
If I remember well, the wand of Break Enchantment was actually found in another adventure... Can't remember off the top of my head, but I believe the Rogue has had it for quite a long time.
She tried using it to get rid of the cursed mining pick, but after 3 failures, she gave up, since she didn't want to deplete her wand completely on such a silly effect.
If I read his stats correctly, he's immune to the petrification gaze, so he should be able to defeat her.
Speaking of "even more screwed than I thought"...
A construct - even a living construct - is not (as I read it) immune to petrification. :o) (If I may have overlooked an entry indicating the contrary please let me know.)
I think that "activating" the kolyarut is a fair and "uncomplicated" way of getting rid off the medusa. It shows your players that "you care of their characters". :o)
May the gods of dice bless you!
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Thanks for the input, guys.
You're right, Break Enchantment doesn't remove petrification. I think it used to do in 3.5, if I'm not mistaken.
Whether Break Enchantment works on petrification has been a source of confusion since 3.5 and possibly 3.0. I'm sure that is why it was specifically excluded in the Pathfinder rules.
That's my biggest complaint with the Pathfinder rules. Just like 3.5 made a bunch of small changes to 3.0, so you couldn't rely on memory, but had to look everything up, there are a lot of tiny changes in Pathfinder. (It's still way ahead of 4e). And I was a playtester for 3rd edition, so I have spent a lot of time with 3.0/3.5.
Ah, how fickle the winds of fate can be, especially when they are guided by little multi-sided pieces of colorful plastic.
Things were going so well for the brave heroes of Westcrown, the Midnight Roses, as they boldly made their way through the Nessian Spiral. They had defeated every enemy so far (although some, like the succubus Joriavah, had been quite challenging).
This group was composed of:
- Level 8 ranger
- Level 8 rogue
- Level 8 druid
- Level 8 monk
- Level 8 sorceress (bearer of Morrowfall and the Talisman of the Twin)They had shut down all of the cooling chambers... They had managed to diplomatically get past Signatory Vaccha... They began a peaceful discussion with Zovarue the librarian... They were so close to their goal, so close to preventing Liebdaga from escaping...
So close, yet so far.
They angered the mentally deranged medusa, and she refused to let them pass, preparing to attack.
The first person to act was the Rogue, who had earlier become CURSED to fight with a silly mining pick -2... Yet against all odds, she struck the medusa mightily, scoring 40 points of damage on her sneak attack.
The second person to act was Zovarue. She dropped her veil and revealed her dangerous gaze.
And then the s**t hit the fan.
Fortitude saves were attempted, and... failed.
The Druid rolled a 3.
The Monk rolled a natural 1.
The Sorceress also rolled a natural 1.....
Ouch.
Only the cursed rogue, and her sister the deadly ranger remained able to fight while their comrades were turned to stone.
Averting her eyes, the ranger shot at the now Displaced medusa, but she missed with all of her arrows not even due to concealment, but simply to some really pathetic attack rolls.
Closing her eyes to avoid being petrified, the brave Rogue once again managed, against all odds, to hit the medusa with her cursed pick.
It was Zovarue's turn again, and the Ranger caught her gaze by accident (50% chance)... and failed her saving throw against petrification by rolling a 4.
Only...
IIRC you make saves against gaze attacks on your turn unless the monster actively uses the gaze, as a standard action, against a particular PC.
Gaze (Su) A gaze special attack takes effect when foes look at the attacking creature's eyes. The attack can have any sort of effect: petrification, death, and charm are common. The typical range is 30 feet, but check the creature's entry for details. The type of saving throw for a gaze attack varies, but it is usually a Will or Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 gazing creature's racial HD + gazing creature's Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's text). A successful saving throw negates the effect. A monster's gaze attack is described in abbreviated form in its description. Each opponent within range of a gaze attack must attempt a saving throw each round at the beginning of [b]his or her turn in the initiative order...[b/]
Did the players not avert their eyes, or did they not get a chance too? You can say reset the battle to just the medusa removes the veil, saying it was a premonition from a deity, but if they did not try to avert I would not give them a do over. Basically if it was a mistake on your part it gives you a chance to do things over. It might ruin immersion, but it makes things easier.
perhaps the medusa has a wand of Stone to Flesh which she uses to provide herself with a little 'company'. Defeating her might provide it. She may even have already used it on some of the PCs before the rogue returns.
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If I read his stats correctly, he's immune to the petrification gaze, so he should be able to defeat her.A construct - even a living construct - is not (as I read it) immune to petrification. :o) (If I may have overlooked an entry indicating the contrary please let me know.)
I don't have the book in front of me (I am at work at the moment), but I believe he has a special quality that makes him immune to effects that require a Fortitude Save.
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That's my biggest complaint with the Pathfinder rules. Just like 3.5 made a bunch of small changes to 3.0, so you couldn't rely on memory, but had to look everything up, there are a lot of tiny changes in Pathfinder. (It's still way ahead of 4e). And I was a playtester for 3rd edition, so I have spent a lot of time with 3.0/3.5.
Same here, I have to make an effort to double-check everything, and assume nothing...
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IIRC you make saves against gaze attacks on your turn unless the monster actively uses the gaze, as a standard action, against a particular PC.
Gaze (Su) A gaze special attack takes effect when foes look at the attacking creature's eyes. The attack can have any sort of effect: petrification, death, and charm are common. The typical range is 30 feet, but check the creature's entry for details. The type of saving throw for a gaze attack varies, but it is usually a Will or Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 gazing creature's racial HD + gazing creature's Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature's text). A successful saving throw negates the effect. A monster's gaze attack is described in abbreviated form in its description. Each opponent within range of a gaze attack must attempt a saving throw each round at the beginning of [b]his or her turn in the initiative order...[b/]
Did the players not avert their eyes, or did they not get a chance too? You can say reset the battle to just the medusa removes the veil, saying it was a premonition from a deity, but if they did not try to avert I would not give them a do over. Basically if it was a mistake on your part it gives you a chance to do things over. It might ruin immersion, but it makes things easier.
You are right, technically, they should have made their saves at the beginning of their turn, not at the medusa's turn. However, IMO, at that point, since they didn't know ahead of time that they would be fighting a medusa, they wouldn't have started their round with eyes closed or averted. Therefore, they would need to make a save at that point, and the result would be the same.
Honestly, the simplest fix would probably be for me to just say: "You know what, rewind, the medusa didn't get upset, she let you pass unharmed." Since it was really a borderline case and it was my personal decision to have her attack the party. I could have just easily kept her "peaceful".
Thinking about it some more, having such a deadly monster with basically a "you are out of the game for a really long time" AOE attack every round in the second to last encounter of a time-critical adventure is a big risk, and such a monster should be handled with extreme care. Heads up to other DM's out there. :)
I don't have the book in front of me (I am at work at the moment), but I believe he has a special quality that makes him immune to effects that require a Fortitude Save.
You are right. But... if you concede that all items (objects) on a petrified creature's body turn automatically to stone, too, you could argue that petrification works "on objects", and a creature affected by Fortitude saves only if the effect is harmless or works on objects.
Or, on the other hand, you can ignore the details, just to prevent worsening the situation. :o)
Well, if none of them had knowledge: nature-- especially the DRUID!--, they kind of deserve to get caught unprepared by their enemies. If they have any ranks in knowledge: nature it's only a DC 17 to know they were fighting a medusa... so at level 8, they should have a +11, or the druid should have a +13. Really, it's their fault for neglecting their knowledge skills.
On the other hand, someone remind the rogue that she can drop the mining pick on the floor. Nothing about the -2 sword forces you to carry it. You're just forced to draw it whenever you draw or ready a weapon-- so she can just leave it on the ground if she needs to.
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Well, if none of them had knowledge: nature-- especially the DRUID!--, they kind of deserve to get caught unprepared by their enemies. If they have any ranks in knowledge: nature it's only a DC 17 to know they were fighting a medusa... so at level 8, they should have a +11, or the druid should have a +13. Really, it's their fault for neglecting their knowledge skills.
Both the ranger and the druid have a pretty good Knowledge: Nature score (like +10 and +13 or something). But would that allow them to notice that the woman wearing a veil is a medusa before she takes off her veil? I mean sure, once they see it's a medusa they would know what she's capable of, but before, doesn't she simply appear like a regular woman?
But yeah, I guess I could have given a Perception roll to notice something wiggling beneath the cowl - and then a Knowledge: Nature roll to know what kind of humanoid female creatures have wiggling snake-like things for hair. ;)
On the other hand, someone remind the rogue that she can drop the mining pick on the floor. Nothing about the -2 sword forces you to carry it. You're just forced to draw it whenever you draw or ready a weapon-- so she can just leave it on the ground if she needs to.
Is it really that easy? She can just drop it on the ground and resume using her regular weapon? That seems a bit too easy? I thought cursed weapons were a major pains in the ass (at least, it seems like they were in previous editions of D&D).
Well, if none of them had knowledge: nature-- especially the DRUID!--, they kind of deserve to get caught unprepared by their enemies. If they have any ranks in knowledge: nature it's only a DC 17 to know they were fighting a medusa... so at level 8, they should have a +11, or the druid should have a +13. Really, it's their fault for neglecting their knowledge skills.Both the ranger and the druid have a pretty good Knowledge: Nature score (like +10 and +13 or something). But would that allow them to notice that the woman wearing a veil is a medusa before she takes off her veil? I mean sure, once they see it's a medusa they would know what she's capable of, but before, doesn't she simply appear like a regular woman?
But yeah, I guess I could have given a Perception roll to notice something wiggling beneath the cowl - and then a Knowledge: Nature roll to know what kind of humanoid female creatures have wiggling snake-like things for hair. ;)
Well, the veil just covers her face according to the text, but that's mutable.... I assumed it wouldn't be like a big head shawl, or it wouldn't be a free action to lift it. I dunno, I just assumed that her picture doesn't have a shawl or a big headdress on it, so the veil wouldn't be anything really spectacular. Plus, there's nothing that insinuates she looks like a normal woman or that she's masquerading as a human in the text-- that'd actually require a disguise check from her at a minus, defeatable via perception the moment the PCs walk into the room, since I'd call Being at the heart of an infernal nuclear reactor "calling attention to yourself."
On the other hand, someone remind the rogue that she can drop the mining pick on the floor. Nothing about the -2 sword forces you to carry it. You're just forced to draw it whenever you draw or ready a weapon-- so she can just leave it on the ground if she needs to.Is it really that easy? She can just drop it on the ground and resume using her regular weapon? That seems a bit too easy? I thought cursed weapons were a major pains in the ass (at least, it seems like they were in previous editions of D&D).
Yep. Any time you want to draw or ready a weapon, you pull the cursed pick out. You can leave the cursed pick on the floor and back away and you no longer have to deal with it. There's nothing in the description of the item that says you have to continue carrying it against your will-- you just use it against your will if you're carrying it. It's in the dungeon to annoy you during that encounter, since otherwise a behir would be a lame solo monster. Huck it away, waste an action, etc. etc., monster lives longer kind of thing.
Those are some good points. I will re-run the encounter.
I'm not arguing for you to re-run. I think the Kolyarut coming in with the cursed rogue is a lot more heroic and compelling that what our party did-- which was put her on notice repeatedly with our shields in front of our faces until she was intimidated enough to not fight us.
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Those are some good points. I will re-run the encounter.I'm not arguing for you to re-run. I think the Kolyarut coming in with the cursed rogue is a lot more heroic and compelling that what our party did-- which was put her on notice repeatedly with our shields in front of our faces until she was intimidated enough to not fight us.
;)
There have been a lot of valid points raised in this thread, so I think it is really worth it for me to re-run the encounter by taking all of this into consideration. Thanks everyone!