Please post your highlights from combat encounters within Carrion Crown. I'm hoping to share fun and interesting turns used to make some of the fights really unique, challening and different.
I'll start with our last session in Trial of the Beast:
My group of four PCs made their way into V&G's chymic works after a few days trying to track them down. What followed was one of those spectacular sessions of gaming that I'm still giddy over. Hence the post, I guess.
I think this was the most interesting, challenging and well-layed out fights so far in the adventure path.
-The Barbarian and Ranger in the group were happy to have a serious brawl on their hands for the first time.
-The cleric, drained of all spells, with a few channels left still had an incredible time with the fight.
-the alchemist had a great bomb-slinging duel with Vorkstag.
To mazimize the fun here I tried to use the different levels in the main room to maximum frustration for the PCS.
One of the mongrelmen yanked the barbarian off the entranceway platform, then the remaining started wailing on him when he was down.
Vorkstag, with his Jump extract, was leaping along the platforms between the vats, hurling bombs. (sadly not to great effect, but it was frightening to the PCs). When he hit low HP, he went invisibile and hid deep in the factory.
Grine hurled axes for a while, but in his best moment, he spider-climbed onto the ceiling, out of reach of the barbarian and cleric who were closing in on him, then used Command to make the barbarian take a walk over the railing. He made good his escape, only to be cornered in the tower trying to pry the window open to get out. He was brained by the barbarian who sprinted after him, slaughtering the frankly kind of pathetic homonculi in the way.
I was going to have Vorkstag escape to further antagonize the PCs, but when one of the players started rooting around in his room immediately following the combat, he came roaring back into the fight, hoping to defend his cabinet of skins, only to be brought low by the PCs.
The players were ultimately thrilled with the fight, which was great, considering it took almost two hours to complete. I hope to continue this with Caromarc's castle next week.
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I, too, like this combat. It took place across two sessions for my group. In this, you MUST use the different levels of the vat room to your advantage. It was loads of fun. Neither bad guy escaped my group either, but the bad guys went toe to toe with them for several minutes (game time). Grine was sneaking around back-stabbing unsuspecting characters, while Vorkstag spent most of his time trying to pinpoint the party's alchemist with his bombs, as well as deal enough damage to the other PCs to keep them at bay. In the end, a nice little fight.
FYI - Castle Caromarc is much more complicated.
TotB - Hergstag
They entered the chapel and found Rachel on a bench and hymning...The Paladin moved up and said hallo. Remember Ghostbusters the Liberian Ghost in the beginning...THATS what happened. The fight commences and my Party has the upper hand. At that stage I actually realized a fault in Hergstag. How DO the characters end up at C5? So I had brother swarm come and attack the Wizzard who stood WAY out of the fight at the entrance. Now that really git my group lively as they realized that they where facing Spawns and that this now was a full one. The Paladin disengaged Rachel and smite’ed and charged Brother Swarm, and naturally CRITING. 14HP damage (and thats halfed). In less then 4 rounds Brother Swarm was reduced to 20HP and RUN...but also cause some mayor Con Damage. The rouge fired a GhostTouch after him, but missed (Rain, dark). But now the Characters knew about the direction he fled (hill). They didn’t followed him directly. They dried themself off (Spells) and go back out after a short food and Restoration break. They left for Karins House as they knew form the Sisters its location. The Paladin “repaired” the front door and everyone moved upstairs to find Karin hovering (“sleepin” on an imaginary bed under her window) . Again the Paladin came on and asked “are you Karin”. “Karin is dead” and it attacked.
NOW this is a REALLY awesome fight if you make it good. The House has a downstairs and upstairs area with a narrow staircase connecting them. Upstairs are 3 rooms with normal doors which are all closed and locked (DC12 simple lock). Downstairs are one big room and the kitchen, no doors. Windows are all closed with shutters. I will lay out this fight in detail as I think it can be very cool to run it like that.
After Karin was stirred up she attacked and then backed up into the wall to the other room. The characters where a bit puzzeled but ready’ed for attack. Now I know the rules that in theory there would be an Attack of OP, BUT as the wraith is incorporeal and just 5-foot into the wall. The only think the players could hit would be a wall... The Characters stayed in the connecting floor upstairs and Karin reapered thought the door to attack a player. Next round she 5-footed back into the room. The Players forced the door and found an empty room. Karin had gone DOWN and now attacked the last person up the stairs. Disappearing though the outer wall upstairs again. And so on. Took a bit to get her down, but then I left her on the original 37HP (I play with 6players, 20buy..see other posts). The players had fun, though they where hit hard and blasted a lot of spells.
Using the Gost of Karin to go thought the wall AND the floor (and outside the house had the player really challenged. Was the best fight (from my perspective in TotB)
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I had a great encounter early in HoH.
I didnt like the idea of the vermin in the tomb in graveyard so I decided to switch it up a bit. My group spent a lot of time doing their homework in town before deciding to head out one night and search for the stash the Prof mentioned in his journal. The following is what transpired.
The PCs found the tomb. The rogue went to pick the lock and failed a perception check to realize it was already busted and made to look like it was latched. The rogue then bluffed the rest of the party into thinking he picked the lock. :) Inside they found a dusty old tomb and some foot prints leading towards the back. They followed them and found a secret compartment leading into a cellar under one of the stone coffins.
As the PCs made their way down sconces on the way lit themselves. As the PCs went from one end to the next the sconce ahead of them would light up while the light behind them went dark. Eventually they reached the stash but at this point the lights at the base of the stairs leading back up were out. The PCs preceded to loot the stash.
After tucking away all the goods they found they headed back towards the stairs. When the sconce near the stair lit up however there was an old woman in ragged clothes standing at the base staring up and away from the PCs. She wouldn't respond to their calls. The Magus decided to slowly approach the woman from behind. The Magus reached out to place a hand on the woman's shoulder. The old woman's body fell limp tot he floor but her head remained hovering exactly where she stood in the air. /roll initiative :)
I took a surprise round on the PCs and had the floating head turn to face the Magus and let out an ear piercing scream shaking several of the PCs. After that 4 more heads rolled down the stairs and landed at the foot of the party. (one creepy floaty head for each PC) The Halfling bard was grappled and the cleric took a few face fulls of acid belch. The Magus and Rogue struggled with a flaming skull. In the end the PCs were victorious if still a bit shaken.
Worked out perfect the fight was fun and frightening for everyone. The floaty heads (my nickname) in the AP are one of my new favorite low level encounters now.