2 - Hands of the Devil (GM Reference)

[NightGod]

xcmt wrote:

My players are murderhobo-curious so I'll gladly take any opportunity to provide them with a moral quandary.

I have the same sort of players, so this thread spoke to me in multiple ways.

I've already backed off on Carman's behavior, using the AV:Expanded idea of giving him a daughter who doesn't steal the sword so much as get stolen by it. So now he's just a widowed dad trying to do right by his barely 18 year old daughter who's dreaming of following in her ancestor's footsteps.

Gonna be a ton of fun if they get beat down by Urevian (because they'll almost certainly try him) and then either have to talk Carman into coming to fight alongside them
"Listen, if he's decided to hire mercenaries from above ground, what makes you think he won't hire mercs from the Darklands? And then he'll just target Amicia because she's an easier target."
or try to kill him (and my cleric of Sarenrae better stop that from happening, at the very least). Of course, if he comes to fight, they're going to need to take special steps to keep him alive, because Urevian will just monkey stomp him into dust as fast as he can to end the contract if they don't.

This is gonna be fun.

[jjkramok]

In the first book of the AP it is explained that the walls to the dungeon cannot be breached and that any teleport or summon monster abilities do not work.
In this book, chapter 3, in D7 (Summoning Chamber) it says that the two Erinyes sister will stop combat if they see that the PCs summon creatures.

So how does this work exactly? As I understand it summon spells are near impossible (will be counteracted at +37, as explained in book 1).

[James Jacobs]

jjkramok wrote:

In the first book of the AP it is explained that the walls to the dungeon cannot be breached and that any teleport or summon monster abilities do not work.

In this book, chapter 3, in D7 (Summoning Chamber) it says that the two Erinyes sister will stop combat if they see that the PCs summon creatures.

So how does this work exactly? As I understand it summon spells are near impossible (will be counteracted at +37, as explained in book 1).

Spoiler:

These effects only attempt to counteract things that take place inside of the Gauntlight itself, which consists of the light itself and the circular chambers below it that extend through every level of the Abomination Vaults. Since the erinyes encounter takes place NOT inside of that level's central circular chamber but elsewhere in the greater Abomination Vaults, the Gauntlight's ability to counter summoning things doesn't apply.

[jjkramok]

James Jacobs wrote:

jjkramok wrote:

In the first book of the AP it is explained that the walls to the dungeon cannot be breached and that any teleport or summon monster abilities do not work.

In this book, chapter 3, in D7 (Summoning Chamber) it says that the two Erinyes sister will stop combat if they see that the PCs summon creatures.

So how does this work exactly? As I understand it summon spells are near impossible (will be counteracted at +37, as explained in book 1).

** spoiler omitted **

Ah so Gauntlight is like the cylinder extending from the lighthouse all the way down and all the rooms and corridors of the dungeon just connect to it without being a part of it. Now that I reread the initial description it makes sense.

Thanks for the answer Jacob!

[Quentin Coldwater]

Conscious Meat wrote:

Actually... heh, time to check the math.

Vandy's, hm, canonically a level 5 cleric. She's level 5 and is listed with a Will DC of 22... so, calculating backwards, her WIS should be +3 -- +3 from WIS, +9 from Expert. Regardless of her doctrine, she should be 'Trained' in Spell DC rather than Expert, so she should be getting a +10 on her Counteract check. The DC of Chafkhem's Mummy Rot is 24 and its counteract rank would be 4, since he's a Creature 8.

NPCs don't work like PCs. You can't derive stats from other stats. Their stats are made to challenge players, not to make mechanical sense. If you want a Counteract number, find a random fifth-level spellcaster NPC and use their statblock. Pretty sure a level 5's spell attack is +14; I'd use that number for their counteract check as well. Yes, that's higher than a player character's number, but you're throwing money at the problem. Money should solve problems.