| Bjørn Røyrvik |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The following adventures are not part of an actual AP, even severely truncated and altered ones such as my last efforts. It is however based on the concept of Shattered Star (find the McGuffin pieces) and brings in the rest of the Runelords (Return of the Runelords + Krune from that PFS scenario). Considering it's at least AP-adjacent, I hope the mods don't mind me putting this little adventure log here.
The Runelords have all been bumped to 20th level if they weren't already and spell lists drastically altered to contain most/all spells from their specialized school - I didn't like the idea of many Runelords using primarily spells from other schools to get things done so I gave them a bunch of things from older editions and 3rd party sources.
As noted in the first installment, the setting is Mystara, specifically the southern continent of Davania. Thassilon was reimagined to be the proper name of the Second Serpentine Empire as noted by Francesco Defferarri in his fan history of Davania (itself incorporating what few hints we have of canon events and a ton of other fan-made stuff), a bitter enemy of fabled Blackmoor. Serpentfolk Xin, far from being a mostly benign visionary he was in Golarion canon, was the cruelest and most powerful of the mighty wizards of the serpentfolk at the time and developed Thassilonian specialization both as a method of giving great power to its practitioners at the expense of some flexibility and as a method of preventing his subjects from getting too powerful due to access to all magic. He also created the runewells, based on the ancient Greater Carnifex artifact the Everdawn Pool, which he discovered on his journeys in his youth.
The runewells granted his chosen lieutenants, the Runelords, limited immortality (not to be confused with Immortality) and numerous other powerful abilities beyond the means of normal spellcasters. This accounts for the various mythic abilities some of the Runelords have (no mythic in my game otherwise), and a bunch of other nifty abilities that they may have, such as the Occluding Field in Xin-Shalast, superior abjuration abilities for the Runelord of Envy, etc. The runewells also tied their Runelord to their own domain, preventing them from going to other domains or to the capital city where Xin made his home, except at the express invitation from the emperor or the relevant Runelord. This was done to try to prevent any Runelord from being a threat to Xin. All runewells were tied to Xin's master well, binding the Runelords to his will. He also created the Sihedron to aid him and as a symbol of his power and right to rule. The mental and arcane stresses of his binding and controlling of the Runelords eventually took their toll and he grew old and weak despite the powers of his runewell. To counter this he devised a plan to sever the Runelords' bindings from him directly and rebind them to the Sihedron as a sort of buffer. Unfortunately for him, the Runelords noticed their momentary freedom and pounced on Xin, defeating him just as he'd bound the Runelords to the Sihedron shards but before he could reforge the Star and exercise control. The Runelords each took the shard of the Sihedron appropriate to them - no one wanted leave a potent sympathetic link like that left in the hands of others, and returned to their domains.
Though they were free of Xin the Runelords were still bound to their runewells and incapable of leaving their domain even if they could now freely visit the capital city. The master runewell was hidden away and left alone - they wanted freedom from it but did not want the other Runelords to possibly take over Xin's position as lord or somehow cause the other runewells to self-destruct or something. After this a long period of war followed as the Runelords fought against other great powers on Davania and the mighty empire of Blackmoor. After a resounding defeat by Blackmoor at the end of a long period of overt and covert war, Thassilon spent time recovering. The Runelords spent much time and effort trying to see if they could keep the benefits of a runewell without the limitations, to limited success. Karzoug tried altering the basic enchantments to enlarge the limits, Alaznist had her minions build lesser runewells outside of her domain to allow her to travel to them, Seliarius (serpentfolk don't have lips so no labial phonemes for them) worked on selectively destroying parts of her bindings, Zutha became undead (something not normally approved of by serpentfolk) and transferred his soul to the Gluttonous Tome and had minions sneak it out of his domain with the hopes of reforming outside. Krune was lazy and didn't mind being stuck at home - he had minions to go other places for him. Xanderghul had his whole Cult of the Peacock Couatl Spirit thing going and hoped to achieve Immortality through a modified Path of the Paragon, and Sorshen mostly gave up on trying to leave directly and tried to control everyone through a web of magical compulsions, blackmail, favors and total control over supply of goods and services - once that was accomplished she could get others to work on the problem of freeing her from her limiting enchantments.
Then the Great Rain of Fire ruined everyone's plans as ancient contingencies created by Xin kicked in and drew everyone into their runewells, keeping them trapped. Xin didn't want any Runelord to be out and about in the event of a catastrophe that might distract or even incapacitate him, so the runewells were made to draw their Runelords in and keep them captive until Xin released them. Xin was dead so the Runelords were stuck until about five years ago when Mokmurian discovered Xin-Shalast and managed to waken Karzoug, whose tampering with his runewell had allowed outsiders to at least partially free him. This also released the other Runelords, except Seliarius, whose runewell had been sabotaged by Karzoug, trapping her entire city in an imprisonment effect.
The newly freed Runelords were technically aware during their long imprisonment but had all gone into a long-term hibernation after centuries of trying to escape with the limited resources of their Eyes. Waking up they realize the world outside is far different than they remember and they have spent time trying find out who's who and what's what. Mostly, they soon find out about Thyatis and Alphatia and, memories of Blackmoor still strong in their mind, they talk to each other and decide to somewhat stealthily rebuild the might of old Thassilon and try not to provoke powerful empires until they have a good understanding of their power. Being Runelords they cannot help but scheme against each other as well as try to work together, so they are not as effective as they could have been.
Alaznist's old domain is mostly inhabited by small city-states and vast deserts with small tribes of inhabitants, so she immediately gets to work blasting people and taking over. A few rumors circulate in neighboring realms of a potent warlord going around, but hard facts about her are not to be had at this point, and the major players in Davania aren't aware of Alaznist's conquest. Karzoug did as he did in RotRL. The current Serpentine Empire (much reduced in size and power compared to Thassilon) is neatly divided between Xanderghul's and Krune's old domains and both immediately revealed themselves to the shocked serpentfolk and claim to be the old and rightful lord of the empire. Xanderghul killed the emperor and wastes no time training cultists and sending them out to all corners of the old Thassilonian empire to spread the word of the Couatl Peacock Spirit (rebranding because Marketing thinks mammals will react more positively to peacocks than couatl). Krune set about recreating old deals with powerful outsiders and binding lesser ones to him. Sorshen had the good fortune of having the Thyatian Hinterlands be in her old domain so she soon took over there, unbeknownst to the humans and the Empire of Thyatis at large. Zutha is in a sort of limbo, trapped halfway between his runewell and the Gluttonous Tome, split into three parts during the GRoF. He can manifest only in reduced power incorporeal form outside of his Eye and concerns himself mostly with trying to get the three pieces of the GT brought together so he can free himself fully. Seliarius is stuck underground.
Then suddenly the active Runelords notice Karzoug is killed. They initially have no idea who was capable of this and immediately suspect each other of having somehow managed to do the deed. Divinations soon indicate that a small group of mammals were to blame. The idea that one of their own could so easily be defeated did not sit well with the surviving Runelords - even the fabled technomancers of Blackmoor had not managed such a feat - and they set about trying to learn all they can about these beings. Scrying is of limited use, considering the use of Mind Blank and generally high Will saves. Talking to certain powerful extraplanar beings helps some since there are a few Entropic Immortals who don't like the PCs and will gladly share what they know to get rid of them.
After the events of Rise of the Runelords Arlynith spent a couple of weeks working on her Staff of Wishes, defeating another 20th level sorcerer as part of her quest for Immortality and examining the Shard of Greed she recovered from Karzoug. The curse is annoying. She can't wear much by the way non-magical clothes since everything she owns is magical in some way so she ends up just using her Wish-component diamonds as earrings. More interesting is the need to make Will saves to sell or give away stuff. The player thought it would be easier to remember and more fun if Arly needed to save any time she spent any money in any way. We now have a haughty, superior, snobbish queen with the greed of Scrooge McDuck. Despite several strong hints the player didn't pick up on the idea of putting an ioun stone in the shard, so we are looking forward to what will happen as more shards and more curses start piling up. Othariel's player, being attentive to detail and having played the first book of Shattered Star already, knows what to do but we think it's more fun to let Arly get saddled with more and more curses.
Arly realizes the shard has an arcane connection to the others and can be used to find them, specifically to its neighboring pieces. Going by the order in which the shards are found in Shattered Star the next one in line would be Lust and Pride. Going by a poster's (for the life of me I can't remember who or find the post they are in but it's someone on these boards) take on the Sins of rule which I quite like, the supporting shards were Lust and Envy. I tried to plan for two encounters so the Arly could decide which she was going for but ended up only making one. Fortunately my players are cool with a bit of railroading for sake of plot and convenience so they ended up going after Envy. They don't know who they are going after because they didn't bother to research this, even though they have the Therassic library and the Anathema Archive at their disposal.
After a trip back to the Therrassic Library and some light reading of old maps of Thassilon Arly discovers the location of Xin-Edasseril, gets her friends and heads off. Despite some very heavy hinting from my part about Do They Want To Cast Commune or Greater Commune Before Heading Out? (homebrew spell that works as Commune but you can ask any question and get a short answer, not just Yes/no) they settle for a Discern Location and head off, first to get a scroll of Freedom, then to the site of Xin-Edasseril. They end up in a small village deep in the a fjord in Davania. The village is populated by simbasta (lion rakasta) fishers and pastoralists. They are a bit surprised to see outsiders, particularly humans, of such power show up but are generally peaceable and helpful. Some concern is shown for the locals at the thought of just freeing a powerful Runelord who might start blasting away the moment they come up, so they create a hut of Walls of Force and ready an action to cast Dimensional Anchor on the Runelord as soon as they are freed. As the PCs start casting, all the locals stand shocked for a moment then start running for their lives, a sensible reaction to the sight of a bunch of obviously ridiculously powerful strangers coming to your town and casting magic without so much as a by your leave or a warning. The idea of encapsulating the freed Runelord was not a bad plan in and of itself, but the PCs were unaware of the fact that all of the city was Imprisoned, not just the Runelord, and the simbasta village is obliterated as Xin-Edasseril emerges from the ground.
The newly freed serpentfolk immediately start buzzing like a hive of disturbed bees. From their point of view the sky flashed and there was a brief moment of violent motion (as the GRoF spews thaumo-radioactive fallout all over the planet and shifts the axis of rotation) before the contingency imprisoned the city. Suddenly they are in another time of day, the temperature is all wrong, and the surrounding mountains look different than they used to. They rush about wondering if Blackmoor has attacked again. Since the PCs put up their Walls of Force where they did, Seliarius' palace emerges right under it, resulting in a magically strengthened stone building trying to push away the Walls. They ruin each other and the PCs take some crush and fall damage as the roof of the palace pushes up against the walls, then collapses, dumping them inside. The massive disorientation and damage is a boon in many ways because there is no coordinated defense to discover or hinder the PCs. First Arly casts Veil to disguise themselves as serpentfolk. This fails at the first encounter because they don't have the right uniforms, and there is a fight with a patrol of Emerald Guards, which the PCs easily defeat. Altering the illusion to now give them the right uniforms they rush through the ruined palace, encountering various groups of guards and bluffing their way past. When they find interesting -looking doors they fail to bluff their way in and have to kill more guards. They enter and see a giant emerald floating in mid air. Having already encountered Karzoug's entrance to Eye, they rush forward and touch the emerald, transporting to the Eye of Jealousy.
Inside they are immediately greeted by Symbols of Dispelling, Revelation and Vulnerability, before being hit by a Disjunction from the Runelord. My house rule of Disjunction is that it automatically shuts down all non-artifact magic items without save, but they aren't destroyed unless specifically targeted for that purpose. This saves a LOT of time rolling saves for items and recalculating everything. Now you just need magic/no magic stats, and you can spend a standard action reactivating a magic item with an appropriate UMD check. Othariel casts Time Stop and spends her three rounds getting her armor and stat boosters online. Ranya uses a Miracle to get all their gear up and running again, which only marginally annoys Othariel who just wasted around and a 9th level spell. Arly attempts a Time Stop but is countered (one of the Runelord's runewell abilities was once per round reactive counterspell outside of normal actions). When that fails she quickens a Dimension Door and takes everyone past the tzitzimitl straight to Seliarius' side. Tomokato, having correctly identified the tzitzimitl, does not want a Mass Heal suddenly turned into a Mass Harm, so smites and shoots the giant skeleton with a full attack, nearly destroying it. The tzitzimitl uses its eye beams on Arly, who takes only 61 damage - a lot of 1s and 2s were rolled. Xoxl and the gold golems on the lower level start flying towards PCs. Xoxl reaches them but the golems are slow and need another round.
Seliarius casts Spell Turning and a quickened Seven Eyes. Othariel attacks Xoxl who takes a lot of damage but doesn't quite go down due to some unlucky rolls on Othariel's part.
Now comes the point where I drop the ball and forget all the details of the fight, which only lasted two hours or so. I remember bits and pieces but can't remember a blow by blow account and have probably messed up the order in which things occurred. The long and short of it is while the PCs handled the muscle in the room quite easily, Seliarius was, as expected of an Abjuration specialist, hard to take out. Decent AC, good enough saves, strong resistance/immunity to energy types (which was assumed by the players and they avoided most elemental damage), tons of counterspelling and mitigation against weapon damage made taking her down a chore. Unlike Karzoug who had more hp but worse protections and spent the combat hiding and sniping before going down hard when he was forced to reveal himself, Seliarius stood toe to toe with all the PCs the entire combat, shutting down several attacks, stealing powers and spells, having contingencies to heal her, spells that made her immune to entire schools of spells, Aroden's Spellbane, and reaction spells like Repercussion to reflect damage back on dealers, and Weaponbane which renders her immune to a single weapon type, and more.
The PCs prevailed however, and it was not even close. Unlike Karzoug who at least managed to kill one of the PCs and came close a couple other times, Seliarius could not dish out as well as she could take, and action economy is a thing. As usual, I look back on what I had planned and realize I could have done something better with what I had, had forgotten other things I had planned to do etc.; the GM version of winning an argument in the shower, I guess.
Next session, claiming the Shard of Envy, destroying the runewell (probably), and finding out what the hell they are supposed to do with a big city of serpentfolk that they dumped in the middle of unsuspecting peaceful lands. Also, another Runelord if they get their act together, either Sorshen or Alaznist.
For the runelord's altered spell list I used a lot of the official abjuration spells, spells from Encyclopedia Arcane: Abjuration, and the following 1e, 2e and BECMI spells:
Dispel Enchantment
(Abjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 8, witch 8
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: touch
Duration: 10 minutes/level (item) or 1 round/level (field) (D)
Area: item touched or 120' radius
Saving throw: special
Spell resistance: no
Choose one:
Spell negation field: A more limited version of antimagic field, all spells in the area in effect at the time of casting are immediately dispelled. All spells cast in the area afterwards are subject to a dispel magic effect from you, and all potions must make a Fortitude save or be destroyed. Your spells, however, are not affected by this spell.
Item negation: target magical item is rendered inert for the duration, without save. Limited use items like scrolls, potions or feather tokens, charged items like wands, some staves etc. are destroyed instead.
Material Components: a token of meteoric iron worth 1000 gp
Dispel Illusion
(Abjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 4, wu jen 4
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: medium
Duration: Instantaneous
Target: 1 illusion
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: no
You automatically dispel a single illusion in range.
Counterspell Immunity
(Abjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Casting Time: 1 round
Components: as the spell protected against
Range: touch
Duration: special
Target: creature touched
The target becomes immune to a specific spell. You must know the spell or have it available on a scroll. The spell lies latent until the target is exposed to the spell, then is active for 1 round/level.
Immunity
(Abjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: touch
Duration: 1 minute/level
Target: willing creature touched
Target creature becomes immune to all spells of 3rd level or lower (as per a mobile globe of invulnerability) . Spells of 4th and 5th level have half normal effect for any numerical effects, including duration, or 1 quarter on a successful save. You gain DR 20/magic (+3) for the duration. You may concentrate as a standard action to drop the protection for 1 round, to allow spells to pass through.
A carefully worded wish or miracle can increase the benefits to protect fully against 4th level spells, half effect from 5th and 6th level spells, and increase DR to /epic.
Material Components: a small replica golden shield worth 2000 gp
Power Word: Banishment
(Abjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: close
Target: 1 creature
Duration: instantaneous
Saving Throw: special
Spell Resistance: yes
You banish one extraplanar being, sending it home with no save. It cannot leave its home plane under its own power for 366 days after this spell has been cast (natural abilities or spellcasting abilities). A wish or miracle can lift the confinement effect. You must correctly name the home plane of the creature. If you fail, you must make a Will saving throw against this or be banished to that plane yourself.
Seven Eyes
(Abjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: personal
Duration: 1 round/level
Area: 7 'eyes'
Saving throw: Will Reflex Fortitude negates half partial none
Spell resistance: yes no
You create seven magical eyes that float about you, each granting 360 degree vision (preventing flanking). Each can grant a one-time protection against a single effect and then wink out of existence. The eyes automatically protect against the first appropriate effect that targets you. They can also be expended as a standard action to create a specific effect.
Eye of the Mind: protects against mind affecting effects. Expend to cast charm person
Eye of the Sword: Protects against a single physical attack. Expend to cast magic missile (five missiles).
Eye of the Mage: Protects against one elemental or force attack. Expend to cast a 5d6 lightning bolt.
Eye of Venom: protects against 1 instance of poison. Expend to make a close range touch attack that deals 1d2 Constitution damage (1 save negates).
Eye of the Soul:Protects against a negative energy attack (negative levels, ability damage from undead, etc.). Expend to cast enervation.
Eye of Artifice: Protects against the first attack from a magical item. This can overlap with other Eyes and you may choose which Eye will block. You may expend it to cast dispel magic at CL 10.
Eye of Stone: Protects against petrification, stun, daze, paralysis, staggered, fatigued, exhausted. Expend to cast hold person.
Material Components: seven blessed gemstone worth 100 gp each.
Spell Invulnerability
(Abjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: touch
Duration: 1 round/level
Target: 1 creature
The target is immune to one spell or magical item specified at the time of casting. This applies even to instantaneous conjuration effects such as wall of stone or Melf's acid arrow. The target treats the effect as though it were not there, allowing him to, for instance, see and hear and walk through walls of iron as though they weren't there. Rendering the target immune to a +3 long sword protects against +1 and +2 long swords, but not +3 spears or a +1 keen long sword. This spell cannot protect against artifacts or similar levels of power.
Spelltrap
(Abjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: personal
Duration: 1 round/level
Target/Area:
Saving throw: Fortitude partial
Spell resistance: yes
You create a silvery oval that hangs in the air over your head that absorbs spells cast at you, and allows you to release as a standard action later. Any spell or spell-like ability that has you as its sole target is absorbed. The oval absorbs a total number of spell levels equal to twice your level. The oval keeps trying to absorb spells and if it exceeds its maximum the oval explodes dealing 6d6 points of untyped damage to all within 20' radius. Affected creatures are allowed a Fortitude save to avoid being stunned for one round. If you decide to release a spell, it is randomly chosen from the spells absorbed. You can target it as you will but the spell is wasted on illegal targets. If dispelled or otherwise canceled the trap explodes as if overloaded.
Material Components: 2000 gp of mixed diamond and moonstone.
Sunshield
(Abjuration) [fire]
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 day
Components: V, S, M
Range: personal
Duration: special, until triggered
Area: special, 30' radius burst
Saving throw: Reflex half
Spell resistance: yes
You enchant a special gem that grants you a +6 deflection bonus to AC that lasts so long as the gem is kept on your person. You can cause the gem to explode, dealing 1d6/level (max 20d6 level) to all creatures in the area, including you. This fire damage bypasses normal fire resistance and immunity.
Material Components: a specially prepared sunstone worth 1000 gp
Symbol of Entrapment
(Abjuration) [teleport, mind affecting, compulsion]
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: touch
Duration: until triggered
Targhet: creatures touched
Saving throw: Will negates
Spell resistance: yes
This symbol is inscribed on a surface, usually the floor, and any creature touching it must make a Will save or be transported to a prison demiplane and are subject to a confusion spell (though they wil never get the 'act normally' option). The symbol can trap any number of creatures, and they are trapped for 10 minutes/level. Any form of dispelling as well as freedom will free the trapped characters.
Material Components: Glue, a bag and gems worth 4000 gp.
Spellstrike
(Abjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V
Range: medium
Duration: Instantaneous
Area: a single spell
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: no
You retroactively remove the effects of a single spell cast no more than one round ago. The spell's effects are entirely removed as though they never occurred, but any slots or charges used, as well as any other spells or effects used to attempt to alter, mitigate or undo it are still used. This does not affect limited wish, wish or miracle.
Setting: Forgotten Realms
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The PCs quickly loot the bodies of the Runelord of Envy and her right-hand snake and toss the Sword of Envy and the Invidious Halberd in their Bag of Holding Evil Artifacts. Then they look at the loot and only the runewell amulet seems interesting - the rest is thrown in a bag for later divying. Then they notice that the runewell is still active. They are a bit puzzled at this because killing Karzoug caused his runewell to be destroyed, so they break out a Greater Commune and ask how to proceed. They get the answer and toss the Invidious Halberd in, to a litany of abuse and attempts to dominate Tomokato. The PCs are dumped back in the real world when the Eye of Envy collapses and they are faced with most of the rest of the Emerald Guard. Othariel reacts very quickly and flies over them and casts Holy Word, making life very unpleasant for them. Tomokato kills a few, and half of those not dead, paralyzed, and/or blind try to run and the rest do no notable damage. A Merciful Fireball from Arlynith, who uses the feat rather haphazardly, leaves the remaining ones nearly down and Ranya finishes them off with Stormbolts.
The PCs then proceed to spend the rest of the session trying to figure out what to do now. They have, after all, freed a city full of evil snakemen on the world, obliterated a large village and been the cause of several deaths of innocents and the enslavement of the rest as the inhabitants of the simbasta village are taken to be escaping slaves and treated to the tender mercies of the serpentfolk. Trying to find the right way to try to make things right isn't easy.
Arly: "So. Genocide is bad, right?"
Other PCs: "Um.......yes."
Arly: "So how do you explain that thing earlier?"
Other PCs: "What thing? I'm pretty sure no one here has advocated genocide for anything."
Arly (skeptically/disapprovingly): "But killing demons because they are demons is OK."
Other PCs: "YES! It is! They are inherently, intrisically evil. They are evil incarnate. They are literally the favored servants of Entropic Immortals given these forms to further the aims of their masters. Why do we have to argue this again? You have enough ranks in Knowledge (planes/religion) to know this!"
This is why Arly is not Lawful Good yet.
The PCs eventually decide to go out into town and try to put down whatever violence against slaves they can find. They may be powerful but it is still a big city, bigger than they can handle on their own. Suggestions about trying to get in other groups of people to help peter out because you would need fairly big and fairly powerful groups of people to make it work, and they don't think that any mercenary group they might bring in would necessarily have the best interests of the slaves at heart. A day and night of whack-a-mole follows with the players arguing about not only what to do right now but their actual goal. Kill all serpentfolk? Drive them off so they are someone else's problem? Free the slaves and take them somewhere else? Try to Miracle the city back underground to let the poor simbasta who live in the area now get their land back? Force the slaves to become refugees? This brought up the question of slavery in general and how simply freeing a bunch of slaves and leaving them to their own devices can lead to a lot of problems. It also leads to an interesting exchange:
Othariel: "You seem concerned with freeing the slaves here. Once we are done helping them maybe you can free the slaves in your own kingdom. You know, to try to make up for allowing undead citizenship."
Arly: "That would take lead to massive problems economically. It's just not feasible at this time. No good would come of doing that."
This is why Arlynith is not Lawful Good yet.
In short, the session consisted of a ton of discussion and arguments, some half-baked plans without any proper end in mind and a whole lot of variations on "Wow, we really messed up here and we don't know how to fix it."
The current idea is forcibly free all the slaves, install a necessarily harsh leadership and try to force everyone to live together in peace and harmony. After all, it's basically what Othariel is already trying to do in the Thunder Rift. Tomokato doesn't want to be in charge because he feels he would not be a good leader, so Arlynith accepts the burden. She has her own kingdom to run but does feel responsible for what happened.
Tomokato does agree to help out.
"After all," he says, "I do have that little fort I picked up in Red Hand of Doom that I turned into an orphanage where I train war orphans to become murderous religious fanatics loyal only to me and my Immortal."
"You mean paladins?"
"That's what I said."
Good thing he had a feat that he could use for Leadership instead of Critical Focus. Now he has a readymade little army of peacekeepers to fight against the serpentfolk.
I'm sure everything will work out as planned. It's not like there are five more Runelords out there who are now very concerned that this same group of mammals has in short order taken out two of their number, and are somewhat against the idea of being forced to be nice to others, and while they might not trust each other are still united in their goal of Making Thassilon Great Again...
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
The session started as the last one ended, retreading old arguments and decisions about how to handle the mess of releasing a bunch of ancient serpentfolk on unsuspecting continent. The best idea so far was to hire mercenaries, but when no one could instantly say where to get them or how fast they could be brought in, the idea was scrapped. Arly decided to bring in her husband/cohort to administer the place while the PCs go after the other Runelords but expected Othariel to provide most of the troops with her followers "because Drachenflamme needs all of my people there to keep order and protect it, due to those unpopular decisions I made recently, like me taking over instead of that hero the populace thinks I killed, and the decision to allow undead to be full citizens". Othariel is upset at this and points out she has her own problems and can't just yank all her followers out of the Thunder Rift - who else is going to keep the peace? She says she can provide a few followers and her cohort Grund (ogre barbarian/paladin) to do some temporary peacekeeping in Xin-Edasseril for a bit, but that's it: she has other responsibilities and can't do most of the heavy lifting here. Also lots of discussion about how to force the serpentfolk to become a good democratic nation - irony is not dead, folks. They assumed that this civilization was merely a case of unfortunate circumstances and younger generations could be made to live in peace and harmony with other races until I pointed out that these are Howardian serpentfolk (is there any other kind, really?). The only way to get the snakes to give up their slaves is to physically break into every building, drag out and kill the snakemen and free the slaves.
More arguments and discussions follow, and the PCs split up - Othariel and Arly head back to their respective domains to start gathering what they can of troops to bring back to Xin-Edasseril while Tomokato and Ranya remain in the city to keep an eye on things - by which they mean hide in a building and not actually going outside to see if anything is happening. An hour or so after O and A left, Ranya receives a Sending from Father Zantus in Sandpoint, saying that serpentfolk are attacking the town, would the PCs please help. Ranya hurredly casts her own Sending to Arlynith, then casts Word of Recall to get her and Tomokato to her temple in the Rift. Arly brings her husband along for the ride, leaving behind his armor and much of his adventuring gear. I repeatedly asked if she didn't feel that they could spare a minute or so in game for him to run and get his armor, but no.
In Ranya's temple in the Rift Arly, Ranya and Tomokato send a messenger to fetch Othariel instead of going to her in person. Why Arly felt this was OK to wait for Othariel but they couldn't wait for her husband's gear was something that was never made clear. Othariel throws her hands up in frustration that she can't even get a couple hours to try to fix one clusterf+&% before another one sneaks up on her. She storms off to Ranya's temple, muttering something about 'probably one of those damn Runelords who finally got their act together.'
The PCs teleport into the middle of Sandpoint and see it is all in ruins. The old lighthouse is still in the state it was in the last time they visited a couple weeks ago, but everything is flattened and burned to ashes. The newly refurbished church is now nothing but smoldering ruins. As the PCs look around in horror, Father Zantus comes out of the ruins and runs towards the PCs. I tell them that Ranya notices there is something very off about the way he moves, but Ranya rushes ahead to meet him anyway. The Maximized Delayed Blast Fireball goes off and deals damage to Othar (Arly's husband - yay for similar names) and Ranya. Tomokato and Othariel evade and Arly fails her save but is immune to fire damage. Once this happens, Alaznist, who was hiding in the lighthouse, stands up to cast a spell. Tomokato is the only one who sees her and so is the only one to act in the surprise round. He goes first and fires an arrow at the Runelord that does nothing.
Alaznist casts a maximized Meteor Swarm and deals 240 points of damage (I use the 5e version in my games). Ranya fails her save and dies, the paladins evade, and Arlynith takes half damage because of fire immunity but still feels the pain. Othar saves but is still heavily injured, so Tomokato casts Paladin's Sacrifice to take that damage.
The two sinspawn slayers Alaznist brought with her rush out from their hiding places in the church and make a beeline for Othariel but don't reach her in their surprise round.
The first normal round Othariel smites one of the sinspawn and casts holy Smite on both to minimal effect. Tomokato channels to give people some HP and lays on hands to top himself up. Alaznist casts Bigby's Crushing Hand on Othariel but it fails to do anything against her CMD. Then Alaznist casts Quickened Lightning Arc that hits Arly, Tomokato and Othar. Tomokato evades (as usual) but Arly and her husband take damage. Othar the bardadin channels and starts a bardic performance about how awesome they all are and how this situation reminds him of the time he fought Ferretina the Weasel Queen. Arly gets up a Sphere of Wonder (see below). I should have double checked because said player often gets things wrong, and he interpreted this spell to be far more beneficial to the party than it should have been. To be fair, I should have been clearer in the writing of the text, so this one is on me.
Either way, this prevented Alaznist from doing anything against the PCs. The Slayers move in and hit Othariel. Othariel starts hacking on the sinspawn she smote, and deals a significant amount of damage, but only takes out about 2/3 of its hit points. Tomokato sent some arrows at Alaznist but comes to the conclusion that she's just a Projected Image since the arrows just pass through her - he's out of range of his True Seeing so could not tell before now.
Alaznist throws a couple of spells at the PCs but cannot penetrate the Sphere. Othar draws his sword and goes to aid Othariel but misses the barely injured sinspawn. The sinspawn full attack Othariel but only hit three times. This hurts a bit but she can take a couple more rounds like that. Othariel full attacks and takes down the first one, misses on her Finishing cleave, smites and hurts the second. Tomokato smites and finishes the last sinspawn, and Alaznist's image moves to just outside the Sphere. The Sphere prevents Tomokato's True Seeing from working against Alaznist, so he exits the sphere to get a good look at the Runelord. Alaznist has readied an action to attack the first person that comes out of the Sphere, and Tomokato takes a maximized Polar Ray to the face and loses 4 Dexterity, then takes a maximized quickened Magic Missile for good measure. Tomokato moves back inside the sphere.
Arlynith starts casting Raise Dead on Ranya and Othariel moves outside the Sphere and uses her Holy Avenger to dispel Alaznist's Image.
Ranya wakes up and immediately starts panicking
Ranya: where are we?
Othariel: the same place we were when you died
R: what happened?
O: Evoker Runelord attacked and killed you
R: what's going on?
O (exasperated:)We just raised you after an ambush
R: How long has it been?
O: just a minute or so
R: what are we going to do now?
O: try to follow the Runelord. Now get healed up and...
R: we need to rest!
O: WTF? have a Heal and a Greater Restoration and you'll be fine. Now, we need to ....
R: I'm low on spells!
O: You have plenty of spells left. Now we really need to start scouting for the Runelord. Go out and...
R: I've got negative levels!
O: HAVE! A! GREATER! RESTORATION! *throws scroll in Ranya's face, then slaps her with a Heal)
O: Now shut up and listen to me.
R: But..
O: Shut it! First we try scouting around to see if the RL is invisible, and we also try Locate Person. If that fails, you can use Discern Location. If you have a Micracle left we can use that. Then we go after and kill the f!~~er. Godsdammit, why am I always the grown up in this party? You all have kids too, why am I the mother who has to think things through and wipe your arses?! You know what? Next time I'm at home taking care of things and one of you comes by to ask for my help, I'm saying no. You can see how you get along without me to handle you. Maybe you'll all grow up and manage to get your lives in order! F@$&!
This bit of motivational speaking out of the way Othariel's player suddenly remembers that there is a runewell under Sandpoint. Arly Dimension Doors everyone down there, and they see the runewell looks very dead. The last time it was quiescent, now it's dead, and recently so. The PCs use a Miracle to bring them to the Runelord, and the PCs end up outside Hollow Mountain. We call it a night.
Unbeknownst to the PCs, the surviving Runelords are quite disturbed. A group of monkeys taking out one of their number could be a combination of luck and happening to get involved with Karzoug's plots. Digging up and taking out Seliarius just a week or so later means the Runelords are being hunted. The Runelords hold an emergency meeting in the ruined capital of Thassilon which seems to have mostly recovered from the nuking it received at the hands of Blackmoor. They may not like or trust each other but they can trust each other to not sabotage their attempts at rebuilding Thassilon in order to kill the others. Plans are quickly laid and cooperation is paramount. The Runelords are still prevented from entering each other's domains except at invitation and they are not quire ready to do that just yet - find the monkeys first, then get everyone together. For the moment they are playing to their strengths by sending out minions. Xanderghul is making Ice Assassins but needs body parts, Zutha is making powerful undead, Krune is summoning some nasty demons, and Sorshen is sending some mainpulated adventuring parties. This will hopefully soften up the PCs even if it fails to kill them, and the Runelords can swoop in and finish the PCs off.
Alaznist may be smart but she is also a bit of a hothead and wants to kill the PCs fast and take the credit. More importantly, she thinks the current plan will take too long to coordinate and get into motion, and she does not relish the idea of being hunted down: she knows that she has a 50% chance of being the next victim of the monkeys since her Sihedron shard is adjacent to one of the shards the PCs have, and can lead them to her. So she needs to act quickly. Plus, someone needs to punish these upstart monkeys for their temerity, and it will increase her standing with the other Runelords if she pulls it off, and she can rub their noses in it afterwards.
Her attempt at circumventing the limits to movements from being bound to her runewell was to create lesser runewells in other Runelords' domains so she could use them as travel nodes. She kept this quiet, of course, and would prefer the others not find out about this, but she will risk it if it means taking out the PCs. Alaznist had visited Sandpoint when she woke up from her long nap, but saw little reason to start her conquest there - she didn't know if Sorshen (in whose realm Sandpoint lies) was active again and didn't want to tip her hand. After the incident with Karzoug dying, she returned to Sandpoint and found her minor runewell had been tampered with, so she dominated Father Zantus and got some information out of him. She larned the PCs had been to that village recently and used it to move on to other old Thassilonian sites. Alaznist did not want to give this info to the other Runelords because then she would have to tell how she got it, and that would reveal the existence her minor runewells. So she sat on the information, trying to figure out how to use this information without alerting the other Runelords. A bit desperate, she hits on the current plan to use Zantus to lure the PCs back here then ambush them. It worked quite well, but not well enough.
As previously mentioned, I don't play with mythic rules normally, though the Runelords are getting some of it as abilities granted by their runewells. Alaznist's lesser runewell only allows her to operate outside of her normal domain, and her mythic abilities are only available on her home turf. Had the PCs been quicker about following Alaznist after she ran away, they might have been able to use the minor runewell to follow her back straight to her Eye (after some serious bouts of identifying and UMDing), but as it was she had time to move through back to her main well and kill the minor runewell, renderign it useless.
So next session, PCs have to slog through Hollow Mountain and then face off against the Runelord who has done most damage so far and who now has mythic abilities.
Sphere of Wonder
(Abjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: medium
Duration: 1 round/level
Area: 40' radius
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: yes
You create a sphere of magical power that gives off light like a torch. No magical effects of less than god level can pass through the sphere without your permission. However, when determining which spells to allow through you must allow all of a certain type, e.g all healing spells, all fire spells, all negative energy spells, etc. Antimagic field cannot affect a sphere of wonder, but a rod of cancellation or disjunction can remove it.
The intent is that it suppresses all magic in the field like and MF with the exception of the permitted types of magic. Arly's player interpreted this as a barrier that only lets permitted spells through but does not hinder casting on the inside. As you see, it's written in such a way that that is a possible interpretation, so I need to rewrite it.
| Phillip Gastone |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I love this! The "I'm not your mom!" exchange is pure gold.
Somehow I expect Krune to be found in his underwear and sitting in front of a massive TV/Cable service. Lots of takeout boxes.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Othariel's player has been building up some frustration over the years at being the most sensible member of the party despite being nearly the youngest player by a decade and things kind of bubbled over that session. It didn't help that she was the only one who thought that the other Runelords might be active and plotting against the PCs, while the other players just kind of pooh-poohed that idea and assumed they'd all be stuck in a single spot waiting to be killed. I edited out the worst of her diatribe. She's going to have to make some apologies next session. I mean, everyone's generally cool and don't take umbrage at a little outpouring of emotion, but still.
Krune is the lord of sloth, after all. The others may be out and about but he sees little reason to leave his sanctum when he can just summon a beastie to do all the work for him. I'm not sure serpentoflk have underwear; maybe he has a pile of old discarded molts that he hasn't bothered to get rid of yet.
| Phillip Gastone |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
This can only end one way..Big Kaiju/Mecha fight where the Runelords control a giant robot like Earthshaker and the PCs have The Oliphant of Janderlay.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Almost. Othariel already dealt with the Earthshaker when it came visiting her realm, and she's on good terms with the gnomes that run it, so she could probably hire them to help out. Maybe Xanderghul could control the Oliphaunt again.
Personally, I'd give it to the earthshaker since the Oliphaunt only comes up to the earthshaker's knees.
Bonus fact: semi-canonically* the Snartan empire on south eastern Davania is basically gnome Sparta where everyone is a clone and they have multiple Earthshakers.
*(i.e. a few hints in AC11: Book of Wondrous Inventions and some private musings by Bruce Heard, former lead designer for Known World/Mystara. AC 11 also gave us transforming pilotable giant golemecha)
| Phillip Gastone |
I remember the Dragonfly helicopters and the meteor machine guns. The artwork by Rob Kuntz was funny as well(automatic barber chair,magic radio, XP generating machine where low level PCs could smash skeletons with the press of a button)
I hope the PCs remembered to keep Mhar from waking up. That would be one heck of an oopsie.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
I ended up leaving out Mhar when I ran RotRL. One of the things that has annoyed me when reading through these APs is the inclusion of beasties that are more powerful and a bigger threat to the status quo than the BBEG, but are left as not even a sidequest - just an extra "if the PCs really screw up, this happens, ending the campaign early for no good reason". I included the havero in CotCT, but that was because Ileosa herself wasn't much of a challenge and I could make it make sense with the Everdawn Pool in a way that Kazavon wouldn't in my game.
I considered keeping the kyton demagogue and that whole bit of the city frozen in time from ReturnotRL, because I knew my players would confront it and I just wanted to see them fight. Then I decided against it and just made the time freezing an Imprisonment effect; we're spending enough time on these adventures and we have a lot more left to do before the PCs become Immortal. I still need to run at least three, possibly 5 AP-ish things before we are done.
| Phillip Gastone |
The Immortal adventures can be pretty good. There is one where the new Immortals are doing a contest and the art accompanying it is funny with muscle bound Immortals slinging boulders and going into combat with bazookas and katanas.
| AnimatedPaper |
One thing I thought of as I was reading; Sorshen is the enchantment specialist, right? What if she'd quietly found a way to negate the enchantments binding her years ago, but hadn't yet needed to break them and tip her hand in that way?
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Part of the problem of the word 'enchantment' in a PF context is that it can mean different things. If I used it in describing the magic that binds a Runelord to their runewell, I used in the sense 'magic of lingering duration', not 'from the Enchantment school'. Sorry for the confusion.
Part of Xin's plan in my version of Thassilon was that he used all schools of magic in his bindings of the Runelords, but taught them a specialist philosophy that left them unable to fully comprehend and employ two schools. This meant they could not fully manipulate their bindings. This was a less than perfect attempt, as all the Runelords except Krune have found some way of easing some of the restrictions. They don't want to fully break free because the runewells are powerful and very useful, but the Runelords don't like all the limitations. Seliarius used her abjurations to protect her against some of the bindings - sort of like using Mind Blank to avoid the detection effects of her bindings. Xanderghul is trying to become Immortal and transcend the need for his runewell. Zutha became undead and tied his soul to a phylactery which he hopes will work as a mobile runewell. Alaznist made minor runewells to extend the range of her domain.
Sorshen has managed to ease some of the limits, allowing her to sort of insinuate herself past the edges of domains as long as she convinces other people in the area they are in her domain (not exactly hard). This works so long as she does not draw much attention to herself and cause the runewells of other domains to 'notice' her. Of course, now Karzoug's and Seliarius' runewells are gone so she can move in there if she wishes. Taking over a city full of serpentfolk that are recently returned and already primed to submit to a Runelord is tempting. Hmmm. more stuff I can throw at my players to keep them on their heels. And I probably wouldn't have thought of that if you hadn't got me started on this. Thank you.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
The last two of my players finally choose Leadership for their latest Epic20 feat so much of the week was spent trying to decide what to make for their cohorts. It ended up being a halfling divine guardian paladin for Ranya and a rakasta bard for Tomokato (background: his elder sister who is the black sheep of the family for being a nerd).
Some time was spent going over the characters to find out how they worked and buying better gear for them. Bungo Greentoes was left at home but Torako (she and Tomokato are sherkasta, i.e. tiger rakasta) was teleported to the party just in time to join them on adventure. What an amazing coincidence that she just happened to catch them before they left to face Alaznist.
The PCs Miracle their way to Hollow Mountain and end up in the room below Alaznist's demesne. The PCs are impressed by the mini arena in the middle of the room and, of course, decide that the big door out of the room is more interesting to explore than the big staircase leading up. Othariel goes first and is miniturized and transported into the arena to face two colossal scorpions (colossal relative to her size, at least). Tomokato rushes through the door to join her. Arlynith decides that she needs to Detect Magic to see if this is real or just an illusion and starts doing that. Ranya casts AMF and moves to the door, but nothing happens. She then moves to the arena but when told she couldn't affect Othariel and Tomokato with the area without going into the arena, Ranya stops instead of jumping down into the arena. Torako starts up bardic performance, which to the micronians sounds like a barely comprehensible super-heavy bass, and Othar joins the other paladins in the arena by way of the door.
Some fighting, some damage, some poison and I can tell this little diversion is going to take waaaaaay too long if I let it play out so I say Torako does the obvious thing and jumps, full sized, into the arena and squashes the scorpions. Othariel can then get rid of poison and ability damage and use her Holy Avenger to get the paladins to normal size. While the paladins are recovering Ranya decides to rush ahead through the offending door with her AMF still up and scout ahead. She doesn't even bother to wait for other PCs. I point out to her player that running ahead of everyone tends to be a bad thing since she is pretty squishy and things don't need magic to hurt her. Ranya goes back inside to the others. The phrase "are you sure you want to do that?" is one of the most potent tools in the GM's toolbox if used correctly.
The noise from the PCs tips off the giants in the room above that someone is coming up, probably those adventurers that Alaznist warned them about a few minutes ago, and when preparing to meet the PCs the giants make some noise which the PCs notice. They finally take a hint and go upstairs and Othariel comes face to face with the Hellstorm Flume and the cone of fire it projects, which she elegantly evades. The rest of the party comes up and an overlong battle ensues. The giants and the flume don't do much more than inconvenience the PCs even if they have enough hit points to last a couple of rounds. I do have to remind Ranya's player that there is a Runelord to kill later on and ask if he really wishes to waste Ranya's two Conflagration spells (9th level super version of Flame Strike) and a daily use of Greater Rod of Quicken on mooks like this? When put like that, no he didn't. Ranya's player is very eager to fire off all his best spells at the start of an encounter and then kind of putter along the remaining rounds. The exact opposite of me when I play casters; I'm perhaps too conservative with my spells.
And that was all we managed today. Things take way too long compared to how difficult they actually are. It doesn't help that one player has little kids who continually bother him for an hour or so after the session starts, and the other has a new puppy that needs frequent walks and much attention. I had intended to let my players slog through all of Alaznist's demesne and face all the monsters listed for it, but I will drop most of them. Partially because we'd probably spend two or three more sessions getting to Alaznist at this pace. Another reason is that all the qlippoths and demons around don't really make sense for Alaznist, at least my version of her. She doesn't have access to Conjuration, and the qlippoths (probably) don't exist in Mystara-verse and there isn't any real reason to bring them in at this point. I considered having the outsiders be on loan from Krune, but right now I think we all just want to get to the final battle here. The final reason is that in Rise of New Thassilon the players have the option of novaing each encounter and resting before moving on because everything is in stasis until they enter a room. There is no stasis here so that tactic would be suicidal here, since Alaznist would have time to recover and bring in reinforcements - possibly another Runelord or two. So far the PCs would have more to gain than Alaznist with rest - they have spend a fair amount of spells and bardic performance rounds and smites and channels and LoH, but they feel time is of the essence and hope to beat her before she can tailor her prepared spells against them.
Next time there will be a token encounter or two before the final showdown. I really shouldn't let there be any encounters because I know my players will manage to turn a simple fight or talky bit into a multi-hour overly complicated hassle. Maybe I'll just put a few more creatures in the Eye.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Note: I got some details about the fight wrong, like what spells were cast when, and when people went down, but this is more or less how things went. I decided that in addition to normal use, mythic power charges could be used to give existing spells metamagic enhancements, usually quicken and maximize.
Having defeated the rune and sun giants and the Hellstorm flume, the PCs loot the corpses and move on. Most of Alaznist's demesne is in a state of disrepair from ancient damage from Blackmoor bombing the area, the Great Rain of Fire and current NPC adventurers who have come trying to find the location of the serpent beast that is terrorizing the countryside. They got surprisingly far but fell to the giants. The PCs reach the door to the anima focus without incident (the rest of the encounters were left out for reasons noted above) and encounter Angrothane the balor. No ex-Runelord now and certainly not known to the PCs in this version, he is summoned by Krune and out on loan to Alaznist when she needed some extra muscle quickly. Angro is not at all pleased to be here and knows what his life expectancy is if he is forced to fight. Fortunately for him he wins the initiative roll and says "Hi. Want to talk instead of fight?"
Arlynith is torn: she wants to talk but has been told recently that killing demons on sight is the right thing to do. She delays until after the next person with a view to taking their lead on the situation. Othar, her heroic and larger than life husband, cries "Die, foul fiend!" and smites and charges and rolls a 1, as does the balor on his AoO. Tomokato smites and hits and Angrothane happily fails his will save against banishment - being stuck on his home plane for a time is better than being dead. So no hints about the Eye of Fury or hidden treasure rooms for the PCs.
Our heroes buff themselves to the gills, including energy resistance and spell resistance, Requiem for the Fallen Priest-King, Greater Invisibility and Tactical Acumen, and touch the anima focus. Everyone makes their save against the initial burst of flame, which means only the cohorts take any damage, and they have Fire resistance 30. Alaznist knows the PCs are coming, so she has prepared, with Haste, Arcane Sight, Displacement, Greater Invisibility, Protection/Resistance Energy (all),Tempestcone, Winds of Vengeance, Mirror Image (max images) and Greater Invisibility.
The first round Othariel rushes across the small bridge from the runewell towards the 'mainland', casting Spear of Purity on War Marshal Yahar (now serpentfolk instead of a vrock), who fails his save and is now blind. Alaznist fires off a mythic maximized Fireball. All PCs as well as Torako make their sve, but Othar fails, so Othariel casts Paladin's Sacrifice to save him from going down. Othar starts an Inspire Courage, telling of the time he saved a town from the Ever-widening Moat, and moves full tilt ahead, climbing up dais towards Yahar. Ranya casts Conflagration, doing 100 hp damage to everyone but the serpentfolk (who were above the 10' high wave). The sinspawn move towards the bridge since they know the PCs have to come that way even if they can't see them. The lead 'spawn bumps into Ranya and attacks, but misses, and the second fails its Acrobatics roll to try to move past her. The rune giants cast True Seeing and move towards the bridge and the dais in order to flank Othar as well as prevent more PCs from getting past them. Torako gets out a Shadowbard and starts inspiring Heroics on Ranya. Tomokato pelts the leading sinspawn with arrows but doesn't quite kill it. Yahar fires blindly at Othar, whom he hears coming, but misses due to blindness. The clockwork goliath suddenly had See Invisibility because I instantly forget about little things like invisibility fired at Othariel and did a little more damage, bringing her to 21 hp. Arly tries to Disjoin Alaznist and is sorely surprised when her spell is absorbed by the Tempestcone. I don't think this would normally work, but I tend to have some spells work a bit differently when cast by a Runelords in their Eye - a home turf advantage. In any case, she casts another Disjunction and the same thing happens. She does notice that this shadowy cone over Alaznist's head glows brighter when it absorbs magic, so Arly wonders if it is possible to overload the thing.
Othariel casts Time Stop, gets max rounds, and uses it to take off one of her rings, get out and put on a Major Ring of Spell Storing, cast Mass Heal on herself, switch rings again, and cast a Delayed Blast Fireball so it will hit the serpentfolk, and cast Wall of Ice to block off the clockwork goliath. Alaznist moves out of the way of the DBF and casts another mega Fireball but this one is countered by Arlynith. I couldn't remember if mythic spells could be counterspelled in the same way as normal, and didn't want to spend too much time looking it up so I said it worked. She then casts Glitterdust on Ranya so the sinspawn can see her. The Tempestcone dims as the stored spell power dissipates, and Arly notices this. Othar hacks away at one of the rune giants which conveniently put himself in range, scores two crits and kills it. Ranya casts Harm on the lead sinspawn, which makes its save but is still gravely injured after a round of arrows. She then backs up and casts Cold Ice Strike on the two spawn, making sure not to hit Othariel who would otherwise be in the line of fire. The first 'spawn fails its save and dies, the second evades. Yahar fires a double Vital Strike blast with burrowing bullets at Ranya, whose greater Fortification armor prevents a nearly deadly blow from the crit he rolled. The bullets still hurt like the dickens. The PCs think 'WTF? Do serpentfolk have guns? I call bullshit!' Little do they know that this is actually a weapon, like the clockwork creatures, looted from Blackmoor and not something they developed themselves. The remaining sinspawn attacks Ranya, and its crit and sneak attack are both thwarted by Ranya's Fortification - Ranya keeps her head. The remaining rune giant uses its 'breath weapon' against Othar, who fails his save. Torako casts Brilliant Inspiration on Tomokato and keeps performing and Tomokato kills Yahar with a swarm of smiting arrows. The clockwork goliath breaks down the Wall of Ice, and Arlynith casts Jaran's Prismatic Blade and attacks the remaining sinspawn, which takes a ton of damage, goes insane and is petrified. Had the Tempestcone still glowed Arly might have tried to overload it with more spells, but if it ate two 9th level spells in one go without blowing up and stops glowing after a round, she figures she needs to coordinate with the other PCs to attempt this and they have trash to clear out first.
Othariel charges the goliath, avoids its AoO and deals some damage. She can't smite it so damage output is less than ideal. Alaznist's ranseur casts Lightning Bolt at the bridge, and everyone saves. Alaznist casts Otiluke's Fire and Ice at the greatest concentration of enemies (Ranya, the rakasta, and Arly). Everyone saves, but Torako is still hurting. Alaznist then puts Ranya behind a Resilient Sphere in hopes of preventing her from healing people for a while. Othar charges the last rune giant and deals some damage, but it doesn't go down. Ranya spends her round of safety digging the bullet out of her shoulder and healing herself. Torako keeps buffing, Tomokato spends the round healing her. The last rune giant moves out of Othar's range and full attacks him, but does not do enough damage to kill him. The goliath pummels Othariel, dealing a bunch of damage. Arly charges Alaznist but is knocked aside by Winds of Vengeance.
Othariel does a lot more damage to the goliath but it doesn't quite go down. Alaznist Force Punches Othar, but he remains standing, if hurt. He goes down to the Cold Ice Strike, dead. Ranya teleports out of the Resilient Sphere and casts Breath of Life on Othar. Torako Dimension Doors her and Tomokato to the dais and starts Inspire Courage. Tomokato kills the last rune giant and the clockwork goliath, leaving only Alaznist. Arly decides move in range of Alaznist to be able to threaten, and readies an action to counterspell her.
Othariel smites, charges in, gets past Winds of Vengeance, and takes out a mirrored image. Alaznist recognizes a counterspell ready action when she sees one and full attacks Arlynith, dealing a little damage and criting, reducing Arly's Charisma by 4 and stealing a spell. Ranya and Othar channel a total of three times, getting everyone on more stable footing. Torako casts Brilliant Inspiration on Ranya and everyone promptly forgets about it. Tomokato changes his bow into a sword and moves into range of Alaznist. Arly moves away and keeps readying an action.
Othariel full attacks, makes her save, and hits nothing but images. Alaznist moves and attacks Arly but misses. Ranya heals some more Othar and Torako keep barding and healing so everyone is at full HP. Tomokato fails his save against Winds of Vengeance and is blown away. Arly keeps readying.
Othariel makes her save, full attacks, takes out the rest of the images before connecting. If the Mirror Images were 100% effective in absorbing attacks, Displacement was at best 10% effective. Alaznist gets off a maximized Stormbolts, dealing a lot of damage to Torako despite her making her save, some to Othar and Arlynith, nothing to the rest. Alaznist is suffering from the weakness of all evokers: a group with good Reflex saves and evasion. Othar heals Torako some and Ranya heals some more. Torako tries casting Glitterdust on the Runelord, but Alaznist saves. Tomokato connects with a blow and hurts the Runelord even more. Arly tries striking the Runelord with her Prismatic Blade, makes her save against Winds of Vengeance, rolls a nat 20 and sees her blade devoured by Tempestcone. Having lost two Disjunctions and seen a few other spells be devoured by the Tempestcone, I wondered why Arly's player thought the JPB would work.
Othariel connects again and reduces the Runelord to just under 100 hp, at which point a Contingency casts Heal. On her turn, Alaznist snaps her fingers to activate her Chain Contingency to get another Heal, Mirror Image and a Dimension Door. Then she hits the PCs, all nicely grouped up, with Prismatic Spray but rolls a double 1 on her spell penetration roll. She tries to Dominate Arly but fails. Her ranseur starts casting CSW, which I say is maximized just because. It keeps doing this until it runs out.
Tomokato charges Alaznist and removes one image. The cohorts remain behind and heal up some more, Ranya casts Blessing of Fervor, and Arly Dimension Doors Othariel and Ranya to Alaznist.
Othariel and her player are pissed at yet another Mirror Image and proceeds to remove most of the doubles. Arly decides it's time to overload the Tempestcone and fires off two Greater Spellcrashes while instructing the other PCs to cast spells as well. Ranya casts Destruction, and Torako casts Ear-piercing Scream. Tomokato finishes it off with Dispel Magic and the cone collapses, dealing damage to Alaznist.
Othariel takes out the last image, wastes an attack on Displacement but otherwise does solid damage. With two of her best defensive spells down Alaznist realizes she's in deep doo-doo. She casts a Spell Siphon on Arly, which Arly fails to save against and is stripped of her remaining 9th level spells, an 8th and is Feebleminded. Alaznist then eats some AoO as she flies away to avoid more full attacks. Tomokato charges and is knocked aside by the Winds, Ranya casts Searing Light and Cold Ice Strike, of which only the former does some little damage.
Othariel charges and reduces the Runelord to single digit hp. In desperation, and partially because I somehow forgot Alaznist has Wish despite having looked at it every round so far, rushes to her runewell and yells out "Fellow Runelords, I give you leave to enter my domain!" Ranya is the only one with an active Comprehend Languages, and conveys this information to the rest after she casts Destruction on Alaznist. The Runelord turns to dust, and Ranya and Tomokato hurry to gather Arlynith and the cohorts to Plane Shift out. Othariel rushes to the pile of dust that was Alaznist and starts scooping everything except the robes into a Bag of Holding. Just as she finishes they see gaudiest, most decked out being they have ever seen pop into existence. He's so flashy that participants at Mardi Gras or Brazilian Carnival would think he should tone it down. The PCs pop to Ranya's demiplane in the nick of time. Regardless I would have let them get away because I haven't stat'ed Xanderghul yet. Please, Mr. Jacobs?
And that was it. Another Runelord down and the one that did most damage so far, having the spells and abilities to dish it out as well as some nifty protection. Winds of Vengeance made her immune to Tomokato's arrows, which traditionally have been the most dangerous thing for many opponents. Her high AC didn't help against Othariel who had so many buffs going that even her weakest attacks had about a 50% chance to hit Alaznist. Mirror Image, OTOH, really went above and beyond this session.
Now we come to yet another little delay in the game. Arly's player got a new puppy a couple weeks ago and in addition to being only two months old now is one of those clever breeds that needs extra attention, and doesn't have a full-sized bladder yet. We will probably not manage to do much with Arly for a while. These damn players ruining game time with their jobs and families and pets!
I may have to do some more for Othariel in the mean time, which means shifting some major GMing gears in my head. In any case, I had hoped to be done with these damn Runelords in a couple of months at worst, but knowing us it will take another 6 months or so. Bleh.
Otiluke's Fire & Ice
(Evocation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: long
Area: 20 foot radius burst
Duration: instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex partial
Spell Resistance: yes
You create a ball of fire that deals 10d6 points of damage, then a ball of cold immediately after that deals another 10d6 points of damage. All items in the area must make a Reflex save or gain the broken condition. Items held or worn by a creature use the target's saving throw (make only a single roll for the target and all items).
Material components: a pinch of phosphorous and a small piece of quartz.
Spell Siphon
(Evocation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: medium
Duration: Instantaneous
Target: 1 creature
Saving throw: Will neg.
Spell resistance: yes
You drain 1d10+caster level spell levels from your target, starting at the highest spell slots available and working downward, and simultaneously power another effect randomly chosen from the following list and cast at your caster level.
1 you gain blur
2 you gain detect magic
3 opponent is subject to dispel magic
4 opponent is subject to feeblemind
5 opponent is subject to lightning bolt
6 opponent is subject to summon swarm
7 opponent is subject to slow
8 opponent is subject to vampiric touch
Material Components: a piece of a magic item broken for this purpose, worth at least 1000 gp
Tempest Cone
(Evocation) [force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: touch
Duration: 1 round/level
Target: creature touched
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: yes
You create a shadowy cone of force around the target, with the point a few feet above its head and mobile with the target. The cone absorbs all spells thrown at it and converts them into magic missiles, at the ratio of one missile per spell level. The missiles can be targeted and fired as a standard action, otherwise as the spell magic missile. If not used within one round, absorbed spell energy is lost. If the cone ever has more than your caster level in spell levels absorbed at any one time it explodes dealing 2/spell level points of damage to the target and stuns him for 1d4 rounds.
CorvusMask
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Eh, Mhar won't wake up unless players lose to Karzoug anyway, I like Mhar as sort of "to show that even runelord can be foiled by greater forces when they can't micromanage everything" x'D
| Phillip Gastone |
Maybe use that magic sucking device under Glantri that is slowly sucking the magic out of the world.
"Pardon us Rad/Ram, we'll just be needing this for a while." -Sorshen
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Either way, Mhar won't be joining us in this campaign. We have enough stuff to get through.
I don't see how the Runelords would know of the Nucleus of the Spheres or the Radience. It has been around since before the Second serpentine Empire and the time of Blackmoor's height, true, but it was virtually unknown until after the Great Rain of Fire. Today the existence of the NotS and the Radiance is still extremely limited, restricted to the Immortals, Rad and his followers. Even if they did know about it, I would think they wouldn't want magic to disappear, and even if they did they are still tied to their runewells and can't make it to Glantri. Even if they could, I doubt they could actually succeed in finding and stealing the Nucleus. The Runelords are powerful, more powerful than almost any individual Glantrian mage, but they would still have to contend with a LOT of casters with 9th level spells, not to mention Etienne d'Ambreville. If the NotS is threatened I'm pretty sure he'll start busting out manifestation forms and I don't see that ending well for the RLs. Xanderghul and possibly Sorshen might conceivably count as exalted which would give them a chance, but even so I wouldn't hold my breath.
All reasons why it wouldn't work aside, what would the RLs want with the NotS? The Radiance is obviously a fascinating thing to study. Maybe they could use it to drain the runewells of their magic and use it as a new power source under their control. Weaponizing the Nucleus so the magic drain can be accelerated and directed would be amazing. Point the NotS at an enemy stronghold and watch all magic just disappear, leaving them ripe for conquest. Alternatively if it could be directed to provide a screen which could protect against incoming magic, that would be useful too. Best part, no Blackmoor to nuke them. Of course altering the Nucleus would probably be beyond their powers. The Nucleus was created by the Old Ones to mess things up, and I don' think the Runelords have the intellectual chops to overcome the Old Ones' restrictions. Maybe if they take a page out of the Greater Carnifex playbook and start worshipping the cold dark things between the stars, they could get some help.
In any case, if the Runelords could:
a) find out about the Radiance
b) find out about the source of the Radiance
c) get trusted serpentfolk to infiltrate Glantri, get inducted to the Great School of Magic, get noticed by Etienne, inducted into the Brotherhood and not have their cover blown
d) have the infiltrators somehow steal the NotS and get away with it, or build some lesser runewells right nearby so the RLs can show up in person
then things might work. This is definitely not a short-term plan, at least now that the PCs have killed three Runelords and are gunning for the rest.
| Phillip Gastone |
Ah, ok. I found out about it very long ago and lots of info has been forgotten. I was figuring they could zap the PC magic users with it somehow.
| Phillip Gastone |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hmm. Or perhaps a horde is in order. Every proper evil overlord needs a horde. Magically transport one from Thar to menance Korsova and split the heroes.
Krune might use the plague from the second module to also cause trouble, thus bringing that material back into play. The Shoanti invasion threat could be linked to That with Thousand Bones being an orc Shaman that doesn't want his people used by the Runelords
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
There will be hordes.
Sorshen already has the Thyatian Hinterlands under her control now, directly or indirectly, plus some of Emerond and the coastal city-states. Xanderghul is working on the Third Serpentine Empire (contesting with Krune a bit) and lots of the local tribes in the Aryptian basin (various breeds of rakasta, lizardfolk, rhinotaurs, pachydermions, etc.). Krune will just summon a horde of demons, and Zutha is making a horde of undead and he has the Bogdashkan orcs in his territory and they don't like undead. The Runelords have just been patient and going about things quietly to build their strength properly. Now that the PCs have killed a few of them and are coming for the rest, they have to move fast.
The PCs are powerful enough to easily take out or ignore the hordes, but they will have a hard time ignoring the hordes rampaging around and hurting innocents. Plus Sorshen is going to send adventurers after them and frame them for crimes in the Hinterlands which will get Thyatis angry with them, and threaten the peace with Alphatia until things are sorted out. Couple this with the ancient serpentfolk of Xin-Edasseil they released a couple days ago, and they will have their hands full trying to fix things. They may have to just ignore the plight of innocents and go straight for the head of the snake, so to speak (actually I'm thinking of running Serpent's Skull for Arly's apprentices).
I had actually intended for this thing to be a quick little adventure path to get an artifact so Arly can get on with becoming Immortal and it just kinda got away from me. A tale that grows in the telling.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Super lame session today. All that happened was the players dividing loot and planning their next move. This was fine by me because I, like many times before, was lazy most of the week and then got busy stat'ing Xanderghul, Zutha and Krune, and spending way too long on spell lists, Eyes of [school], etc. and not enough on actual plot.
After fixing Arly's feeble mind and a few obligatory jokes about 'how is this different than normal?' the PCs realize they can't fix Xin-Edasseril and the serpentfolk roaming about there if the rest of the Runelords are active and coming after them. They decide to go to the Therassic library and research some more about the Runelords to see if they can find out where their old domains and capitals were, any personal knowledge of the Runelords (alliances, enmities, etc.) and possible weaknesses. They get there and find the place empty. The surviving golem says 'the masters' had come and removed the books. No sign of Brodert Quinck and his crew, sadly. They fear the poor people are dead.
The PCs have to turn to other methods to get their information, so Torako flexed her bardic muscles and used the Anathema Archive to research the Runelords and got a roll of 90. This told them pretty much anything they wished to know, like where domains and capitals were, which shards were next in line, the general personalities of the runelords, etc. etc.
They found out that Pride and Lust are the next two shards they can go after, and decided to go straight for Xanderghul on the basis that he was least likely to call for help, and considering how things went with Alaznist the PCs risked facing off against four Runelords next time.
This is a bit of a shame considering good narrative structure dictates the strongest should come last. Ah well, I'll probably end up making Zutha way more powerful than he should be because I'm a sucker for necromancy. I am basing my version of Z and X CoeusFreeze's write-ups, with a few modifications so that has saved me a bit of time.
Now to make a memorable illusionist on his home turf and cheat so a simple True Seeing doesn't ruin everything.
| Phillip Gastone |
Thinking back on the Earthshaker/Oliphaunt post I made, perhaps have each side in their own Earthshaker so it ends up as a cross of Pacific Rim and Rockem Sokem Robots. :)
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Neat idea but the Snartan empire that has the Earthshakers is not on good terms with the Alphatian colony next door, and Arly is Alphatian. Plus I'm not sure how they'll react to "we let loose a bunch of superannuated snakemen who are now trying to take over the continent; want to help us?"
The final showdown with Emperor Xin will have plenty of constructs/robots. He did steal the tech from Blackmoor and had started reverse engineering it. There may be a very big pilotable robot hidden away. Right now you've got me thinking that reliquieary-Xin was not only a way to prolong his life and give him a powerful body, but a pilot module that could plug in to a giant mech....
| Phillip Gastone |
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kind of like a Headmaster from Transformers! Hmm Perhaps like Voltron..Or Fortress Maximus where he plugs into his city that transforms into a mech that wears the squared cube law like a balloon hat.
Look up Warhammer 40K's Titans for utterly ridiculous giant walkers that have buildings on them.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Headmasters/Fortress Maximums was what I was thinking originally but 40K titans are a great suggestion, considering two of my players are fairly big 40K fans.
Then they just need a way to get an Earthshaker to the battlefield and learn how to pilot it quickly and I need to stat up two megamechs and find a rules set that allows for piloting stuff like that and....
There is a chance I will scrap this idea, however fun it is. We'll see. I really want to see this, though.
| Phillip Gastone |
No doubt it will involve a very large illusion/Wish created metal statue put in place of The Earthshaker considering plans the group often do. I suspect one's Immortal title/Epitaph to be 'It seemed to be a good idea at the time/What is the worst that can happen?"
"An 'IOU. One Earthshaker is not going to cut it!"
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
After having visited the Therrassic library and finding it empty, then using the Anathema Archive, the PCs head to Sundsvall, capital of the Alphatian empire and probably the most magical city in the world, rivaled only by Glantri city. Pretty much any magic item can be found there or you can set in an order for it. People who hate the concept of magic marts would have an apoplexy if they showed up here. A few scrolls and Pages of Spell Knowledge later, the PCs, including three cohorts (Grund, Othariel's ogre barbarian-paladin has joined the party because they wanted some extra muscle) find a nice little alleyway in Sundsvall, start casting their 10/level minute buffs, then Discern Location with a Shard to find Xanderghul.
I had a hard time deciding how I wanted to do this battle. Should I just create a Pinnacle and Eye similar to the other Runelords, or should I run the Temple of the Peacock? I decided to do both. Xanderghul has used his powerful illusions to sort of invert his Eye. The Valley of the Couatl (Peacock) is a real valley on Davania, but much less impressive in scale than it appears in the AP, and is where Xin-Cyrusian is located. It looks much as it does in the AP, with a few cosmetic changes but it is all hidden and improved with very powerful illusions which functions to spread the effects of his Eye throughout the valley. True Seeing just shows a jumble of flickering illusions packed so thickly they can't tell truth from illusion, so it's better to just not use TS.
The PCs arrived in the entry hall and spent a depressing amount of time assuming everything was an illusion and trying to figure out how to proceed but doing nothing. Xanderghul can see the party just fine and his simulacra start casting buffs which the PCs cannot hear. Othariel finally just walked out of the room and into the hall, ignoring the trap. Ranya and Tomokato see a brief flicker of the trap as she passes through the archway and paranoia springs out. Grund joins Othariel, also ignoring the trap. Arlynith casts Antimagic Field and finds herself standing on bare smooth stone, unlike the floor of the room they were just in. Outside the limit of the AMF she sees a bewildering flicker of illusions, and the illusory scene of the room they were in warped but recognizable. Xanderghul himself can easily see through his own illusions and stands on the other side of the room/other side of the valley happily targeting the PCs from seemingly thin air. So far he sends a simulacrum of him to fight the PCs, along with two medusa archers. Xanderghul casts Mordenkainen's Disjunction from across the valley/other side of the Eye, removing all the PC's spells and suppressing their items. He is also successful in removing Arly's AMF. He then hisses something which booms around the valley. The PCs can't understand his words but can tell from the tone that it is something like "Ha! Foolish mortals coming to defy ME! Don't think I am as weak as my fellows you have met so far! Maniacal Laugh." He says similar things throughout the rest of the combat.
The simulacrum wins initiative and casts Scintillating pattern, which affects Grund. It shouldn't have because he has 20HD while Torako and Othar have 17, but we messed up. Othariel casts Greater Dispel Magic on the medusae, assuming they are illusions but rolls poorly. They are neither impressed or dispelled. Grund hits himself in the face with his iron-studded club in confusion, and Ranya casts AMF and moves to try to wink out the medusae, assuming they are illusions. They are not, and pepper Ranya with arrows, even criting once, but still not managing to do much more than 30 damage. Torako gets out a Shadowbard and starts a countersong and Tomokato kills the first medusa and gravely wounds the second. Othar inspires courage and moves into range of the remaining medusa. Arlynith disjoins the simulacrum, who loses all the cool buffs he had. The illusions around the simulacrum blur briefly but revert to normal. It seems that simply disjoining everything won't work.
Simulacraghul casts Prismatic Spray doing negligible damage in spite of their now radically worse saves. to people except Torako takes a lot of damage and is plane shifted out. Othariel uses another GDM to remove the confusion effect from Grund, and is successful. Grund charges the Simulacraghul and misses with first of Othariel's player's many nat 1s this session. Othar kills the remaining medusa with a beautiful crit and Ranya moves to put Simulacraghul in her AMF. Tomokato reduces the illusion to a pile of melting ice and snow. Arlynith readies an action to counterspell but fails to hear the spell cast, cannot see the caster, and doesn't recognize the effect when it comes. A new vision of Xanderghul appears and casts Charnel House to make things difficult. Othariel rolls another 1 on the save and Othar rolls a 2 but the rest make their saves. A Spectral Manticore (spell from FR) appears near Ranya. It's not an impressive spell in its own right but due to Ranya nearly losing to a manticore when she was level 10 it's become a running gag that nothing is as terrifying or dangerous as a manticore and when I saw the existence of this spell I knew I had to use it.
Othariel uses her LoH to remove sickness and casts a Searing Light at the Runelord, but rolls another 1 on her attack. Grund makes his Acrobatics check against Charnel House, uses his Boots of Speed to get enough movement and moves to the manticore, nearly killing it. Ranya, aware that this might be an illusion, moves towards the manticore and it winks out of existence. Tomokato repositions to get a clear shot at the Runelord and Arlynith dispels the projected image.
The remaining minions appear, including more medusae, some shadow serpentfolk rogues, sorcerers and clerics, (I left out a number of the original inhabitants because they would be insignificant and annoying rather than useful but decided that Xanderghul has a bunch of simulacra instead - how better to celebrate himself than surrounding himself with himself?) and Othariel casts Holy Word, killing most. Grund, Othar and Tomokato mop up the rest. Ranya moves towards the door the minions came through and sees another Xanderghul, who becomes visible when he enters her AMF. Arlynith attempts to Wish Torako back from wherever she is, but fails due to the Peacock Shrine abilities in effect.
The simulacrum has a projected image on top of it and moves out of the AMF becoming invisible again, and they cast another Prismatic Spray and Scintillating Pattern (targeting Othar). The Prismatic Spray does minimal damage to people, thanks to excellent saves, lucky rolls (almost only Reflex saves, which means Evasion all around) and Energy Resistance. Othariel uses her GDM on the area where the PS came from, but rolls another 1. Grund finishes off the spectral manticore and Ranya follows the Runelord and gets him inside her AMF, then hits him with her mace, doing nothing thanks to the shrines, which as lesser artifacts ignore AMF. It would have been an astounding 7 points of damage otherwise. Othar moves slowly towards the RL, but cannot make it all the way due to heavy armor and slowed movement. Tomokato takes out the simulacrum and Arly's player has to leave. He had not given his puppy a proper walk earlier and despite taking a quick bathroom break earlier, the dog is demanding attention, and finally chews apart the mouse and keyboard cables. Finally taking a hint, the doggie gets some play time. Arly does nothing this round.
Xanderghul casts Weird on Tomokato who is now outside Othariel's fearless aura. Thanks to a feat she makes people inside immune to fear and thanks to Tomokato being a Divine Hunter paladin he is not immune to fear. He barely succeeds the Fortitude save after failing the Will. He then uses Wish to make Ranya's AMF disappear. Othariel uses a Pearl of Power to regain Widen Auras because making people in a 40' radius immune to fear is very nice, especially against the sort of DCs Xanderghul has with his 9th level spells and moves towards Tomokato to get him and Arly in her aura. Grund tries smashing through the walls after having seen how they flickered out of existence when Ranya moved near them, but rolls a 1. By now the PCs realize that fighting in this room and just sucking attacks is playing to Xanderghul's game and they decide to just use an AMF bubble to move around freely. Ranya casts another AMF and calls for everyone to join her. Othar, Arly and Tomokato move to Ranya.
Xanderghul keeps his last simulacra in reserve and casts another Wish to remove Ranya's AMF. This leaves Tomokato trapped helplessly in the wall of the structure and Ranya and Othar entombed in rock, preventing them from moving and they begin to asphyxiate. Othariel casts Widen Auras and Grund moves to Arly. Ranya and Othar cannot do much of anything. Tomokato actives his Unfettered Shirt but he's still solidly trapped in the wall. Arly casts AMF and moves to free the stuck characters. Xanderghul casts Phantom Asphyxiation on Othariel but she ignores him and moves to Ranya.
By now everyone is inside AMF and start moving about freely. They walk in a straight line and by chance manage to encounter one of the Peacock Shrines, which exist both inside the Eye and out in the Valley. Having never made it past the second room of the entrance structure, the PCs (other than Ranya who had a brief glimpse) never saw the valley or the other buildings and were never close to the Peacock Shrines. X has been mostly playing until now. Despite knowing intellectually that the PCs are dangerous, his pride cannot let him truly believe that he could lose to these mammals. Now that they are in yet another AMF and he only has diamonds enough for another two castings of Wish, he is taking things seriously. If the PCs manage to disable his Shrines, he will lose much of his power making his illusions pierceable and reducing his mythic rank. Now he gets the rest of his simulacra ready and buffs himself.
We end the session here since it was late and people had to get to work in the morning, and the heat was kicking one player's arse. He gets uncomfortable once it gets hotter than 20C and it was 30C in his town. Next time we have to remind Arly's player early to take the dog out and play with her until she's exhausted so he can play in peace. She dislikes game night because it means daddy pays attention to the shining box instead of her, and has been getting more and more demanding these past few weeks. Arly's player could do this himself but once he's on vacation he forgets what day it is and even what time of day, which has lead to us having to call him when the session starts and he doesn't show up. We forgot to remind him about gaming before the session, but he managed to remember that on his own this time and even warned he'd be a bit late. Yay! He had also had a siesta and neglected to give his puppy a proper walk before we started. Not-so-Yay.
Next time we will be sure to remind Arly to play with the damn dog well before we start so she will hopefully sleep most of the evening.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Once again we got started late. Arly's player was ready and waiting but puppy REALLY doesn't like game nights because daddy is giving attention to something other than her, and he had to take frequent breaks to try to entertain her. Ranya's player didn't show up until nearly an hour after start and Tomokato's player was even later. The joys of having to play on weekdays with adults who have jobs and kids.
The PCs study the Couatl/Peacock shrine and start fiddling with it and Othariel realizes you can remove one of the feathers. Xanderghul gets upset and casts Major Image of rocks falling, using his mythic ability to turn it real. The damage is minimal but everyone is buried. Fortunately, this means that AMF is blocked so the PCs have an easier time of getting out, and Arly's Freedom of Movement effect is on her Ancestral Relic which counts as an artifact. Everyone except Grund, who is easily the strongest, manages to make the DC 25 Strength check and get out, and I ruled that Freedom of Movement also helps against being buried as long as it is conceivable that you could get out unaided. Since Arly was the last person to get free, everyone else sees a change of scenery when they enter the Illusion again, now the Jade Garden of Jealousy rather than the entry building they were at previously. Othar starts heading down the path leading away from everyone else, for no adequately explained reason.
Xanderghul summons an illusory akvan div, makes it real, and sends it to tear Arlynith apart, which it nearly does. Othariel, now in AMF again, misses on all her attacks against the monster. Grund fails another attempt to free himself, leading us to speculate that all the other characters dumped their rocks on him when getting loose. Othar charges and smites the div, being outside of the AMF, and deals some damage. Tomokato full attacks and misses every one, an occurrence so rare we wondered if we'd ever seen it before. Arly removes her AMF, and Ranya channels twice.
Xanderghul then casts Greater Distraction on everyone and sends his last four simulacra into combat. The div full attacks Arly and nearly kills her. Othariel and Othar, now free of the AMF, smite the div and nearly kill it while Grund escapes the rocks. Tomokato finishes the div off and starts removing images from one of the Simulacraghuls. Arly Disjoins the simulacra and quickens a Chains of Fire, dealing some damage. Ranya casts Heal on Arly and channels again.
Xanderghul, still invisible to the PCs, repositions himself in case he wants to use his hammer on someone, since it seems that just throwing spells at people doesn't work very well. The simulacra each cast a Prismatic Spray on the PCs but two roll so poorly they can't penetrate Othariel's SR, which extends to her adjacent allies, meaning three characters only need to save against two PSs. The result is some minor acid damage to one character, and everyone else makes their saves against everything else, which was nice because there was a LOT of petrification effects rolled. Othariel casts Holy Smite on the simulacra, and Grund and Othar charge and deal some damage. Tomokato kills two, and Arly casts Spell Resistance on Ranya, and Ranya heals some more.
Xanderghul casts Dispel Magic on Othariel to remove Widen Auras, then casts Weird on Tomokato and Ranya who are now not protected by Othariels fearless aura. They make their Will saves in spite of Greater Distraction. The two remaining simulacra move back to get everyone in Prismatic Sprays eat AoOs and one dies. The characters are unharmed by the one Spray thanks to good rolls. Othariel readies an action to cast Greater Dispel Magic on the first effect she notices being cast. This is hardly a useful thing since Xanderghul's spellcasting has been entirely hidden. Grund kills the last simulacrum, Othar moves the other PCs and Tomokato buffs himself. Arly casts Spell Resistance on herself and Ranya starts messing with the Couatl/Peacock feather.
Xanderghul creates another illusory-real cave-in, and no one takes any damage because Grund is outside the area and everyone else evades. Xanderghul then casts Scintillating Pattern on Grund. The PCs plus Othar are still buried but everyone gets out on their turn, except Othar. Grund starts hitting himself. Xanderghul casts a Phantasmal Killer on Ranya (who saves) and a maximized Chain Lightning on all but Grund, dealing some damage when a Tomokato and Arly fail their saves. Othariel moves to start digging Othar out, and Tomokato helps after a LoH. Arly flies over to Grund and casts Spell Resistance on him. Ranya removes the feather from the shrine and everyone is gratified to see the illusions shudder, and the green colors of the Garden become a little less vibrant.
Xanderghul screams with rage and fear and tries to Dominate Ranya but fails due to SR, even if he was allowed to roll twice to penetrate. Weird gets partially through and Ranya is stunned. Othariel helps Other, Grund hits himself, and Othar emerges from the rocks and starts a bardic performance. Tomokato casts LoH on Ranya, and Arly tries her True Seeing goggles to see if she can see through illusions now. She can't but the chaotic mess of swirling images is notably less intense. She suggests they try to find more shrines. Arly's player initially suspects there are three shrines in total, following the primary color theory, forgetting that they removed a green feather from a shrine with seven prominent colored feathers in rainbow colors. Othariel's player sets the record straight.
Xanderghul casts maximized Chain Lightning on everyone but Ranya, who is too far away, dealing damage to Arly and Othar and Grund. Xanderghul also casts Prediction of Failure on Ranya who saves. Othariel uses LoH on Ranya, removing sickened and healing 3 of the 4 points of Strength damage she had. The other three paladins all channel, undoing much of the lightning damage. Arly casts a Sphere of Wonder that allows healing and the party then moves down the wall to find the next Peacock/Couatl Shrine, and come across one with a blue feather prominently sticking up.
Xanderghul has summoned two more illusory akvan's and uses his last Mythic Power uses to make them real. The div attack Arlynith, dealing enough damage to kill her. Othariel full attacks one of the divs, dealing some damage. Grund and Othar miss and Tomokato is grabbed and about to be swallowed when he attempts to shoot the divs. This is the first time Tomokato has been seriously inconvenienced by AoOs provoked from shooting a bow. Ranya moves over to Arly and casts Breath of Life, getting her on her feet.
We end the session there because it was getting late. The entire session was plagued by the jealous energetic puppy, children needing daddies to say good night or help them with Minecraft, and more. I really look forward to playing in person again but that is not happening any time soon.
Xanderghul has been the hardest Runelord so far, as is appropriate. He has been using all his Mythic Power points to either make illusions real or not spend his 9th level spells. I hadn't expected him to have time to use them all before dying, but the PCs have been playing his game - if they use AMF they get pummeled by big nasties, if not they are stuck in the illusion. Either way, now that the first shrine is down he has lost one Mythic rank so he doesn't have the True Archmage ability, he has used all his Mythic Power slots for the nonce so he can't make illusions real any more, and he can't regain spells cast. Once more Shrines fall he should be pretty easy to kill. I've toyed with the idea of having him just move in and use his hammer but despite his excellent defenses and attack bonus he won't do enough damage to make it feasible. So far it's better to just throw spells at the PCs and hope they fail their saves at some point. Othariel's fearless aura also makes those inside it immune to fear and this has been a real pain for X since he can't target all characters with Weird, only two or so at a time. Still, he has the upper hand at the moment and he is unlikely to call on the other Runelords any time soon.
I really hope we finish this fight next session.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
I like the way you think.
All I know about that dog is that it's a tervuren/Belgian shepherd so it's rather clever and needs a lot of exercise, attention and stimulus. Arly's player says he was fully aware of the challenges and prepared to do what needs to be done. Plus, puppies are always an extra handful, and she'll probably calm down somewhat once she grows up.
I gripe about the dog but I'm not really serious about it - I just like to whinge. We're all happy he has a pet now.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Third session trying to take out Xanderghul and for like the third time in the 10+ years I've known him, Ranya's player showed up on time and not 30+ minutes late. Of course he then had to wait another 10 minutes or so for Arly's player to show up. Apart from a brief walk at 20.00 and a sandal stolen with what was described as a naughty look on her face to entice daddy to play, puppy behaved herself this time around.
When we left our PCs last time they were in a spot of trouble since an AC of 38 against the akvan divs is a bit challenging when you don't have much by the way of magic, thanks to Sphere of Wonder (AMF on steroids). Some damage from the paladins but nowhere near enough to take out the divs. Since I totally forgot to focus on Arly, one div finished swallowing Tomokato and the other focused on Grund, who even without magic enhancement had a Strength score of 30 and crit'ed with an x4 weapon. Once Tomokato was swallowed he was out of the line of effect of SoW so he could smite the div from the inside. Scratch one div. SoW allowed healing spells so Ranya cast Mass Heal to heal up Grund and Arly, who were both hurting. and Arly hastes the group, thanks to the Shard of Greed being an artifact so it is not suppressed by SoW.
With all his Mythic Power uses used up, Xanderghul can't do anything to the PCs in the SoW, so he debates whether to use the last of his Wish spells to get rid of it. He hates to admit it but at this rate he may have to call on his fellow Runelords for help. Over the next two rounds the last div kills Arly, is killed and Arly brought back to life and healed up.
Xanderghul Wishes away the SoW and casts a Prismatic Spray against the PCs. Othar fails his second save against poison but everyone else is fine. The PCs, now back in the illusion, decide not to rush around trying to find the Runelord but focus on the Couatl Shrines, so Othar starts trying to dismantle it. The PCs are inside Othariel improved aura of courage so the best of Xanderghul's illusion spells, Weird, Phantasmal Killer and more, are useless and he's running out of other spells that can help. He tries a Prismatic Eye but everyone saves, and a Scintillating Pattern, which fascinates Othar. Tomokato shoots the shrine and since he has an artifact level weapon I rule that the shrine's normal immunity to damage while active doesn't help. The rest of the PCs just stand around trying to see if anything else is coming. In desperation Xanderghul casts Shades to get a Glabrezu out but it barely scratches Arlynith but Othariel kills it. Arly gets out another SoW, despite recommendations that AMF is better suited to their purpose, and the party makes their way along the wall of the Eye of Pride and in just a few rounds manage to find and take out the yellow, indigo and violet shrines, causing the illusion to weaken to the point where True Seeing works properly, and removing more of Xanderghul's mythic powers. Xandeghul spent the time paralyzed with indecision and burning with humiliation at having to beg for help. However, humiliation is better than death so just before the PCs reach the violet shrine, he goes to his runewell and invites his fellow Runelords to come. Ranya understands this and warns the other PC of this. Most PCs move out of the SoW and can now see Xanderghul. He is invisible, has mirror image and displacement, but is visible to anyone with True Seeing, which several PCs have. Tomokato shoots at Xanderghul and deals a little damage despite the Displacement effect still being powerful enough to ignore True Seeing. Grund rushes towards the last two shrines but fails to break them with his non-artifact tetsubo. Arly moves to put Xanderghul in SoW and uses the Shard of Wrath to Fireball Xandeghul, which singes him a little.
Now fully exposed, Xanderghul has his hammer cast Overwhelming Presence, which does nothing to anyone, and Zutha arrives in the corpse of an orc, using Corpse Host to show up with minimal threat to himself.
Arly moves closer Xanderghul, which puts Zutha in the area of SoW and he collapses. Tomokato takes out the last two shrines and deals some more damage to Xanderghul. Xanderghul uses one contingency for Heal and casts Prismatic Sphere around himself and Arly. Othar and Othariel buff themselves and others, while the rest move towards the Prismatic Sphere. With SoW cut off, Zutha gets back up and casts a double dose of empowered Energy Drain on Grund, giving him 12 negative levels. Arlynith might seem trapped inside a Prismatic Sphere with an AMF effect insides that only permits healing, but this just aids her plan to get up close and personal with the Runelord. unlike AMF, SoW cannot be dismissed, so if you want to cast spells, you're SOL. But Arly has planned for this! She uses the Shard of Envy to cast Dispel Magic on SoW. She did not stop to think that SoW was immune to dispels. Realizing the extent of her mistake, Arly tries walking through the Prismatic effect and finally someone fails some saves. Arly takes 100 points of damage, is petrified and sent to another plane. This is the third time out of four Arly has been neutralized when facing a Runelord.
Tomokato smites and hurts Zutha's host, and Ranya uses Miracle to get everyone inside the Prismatic Sphere, then casts Conflagration on Xanderghul. He tries to use an illusion to make it look as though he and Grund were the other person, but Ranya sees right through it. He then tries to Dominate Ranya but fails. The paladins start full attacking, but Xandeghul's mirror images and displacement stop everything. Zutha walks hsi host through the prismatic Sphere, ignoring the damage. Ranya casts Death Ward on Grund and Stormbolts, destroying Zutha's host body. Tomokato manages to kill Xandeghul just as the colors start disappearing from the Prismatic Sphere. The PCs quickly grab Xanderghul's body and they Plane Shift to Ranya's demiplane.
Finally, the most powerful of the Runelords is dead. After rescuing and reviving Arlynith and Tomokato's cohort, the PCs decide to go after Lust. They would have liked to take out Gluttony, but they don't have a direct connection to him. Now I just have to make sure I haven't over-tuned Zutha and Krune to make them worse than Xanderghul. But first, Sorshen and her masses of minions. Lots of thinking needed.
Everyone is glad this chapter is over and everyone is feeling the need for a break from Pathfinder. We'll kill the rest of the Runelords and then play something else for a few months.
| Tristan d'Ambrosius |
*Interlude*
I think we should stop usage of OP. Does it mean Original Post? Why yes, yes it does. Perhaps does it mean Original Poster? Yes, yes it does. Or does it mean Over Powered? Affirmative on that as well. In fact, for me, that is the least used meaning.
I've been on message boards a long time, outside of gaming boards, so it's usually the first two meanings that pop into my head. I read this thread title as Original Post pls nerf 3 (or: I'm sick of these #¤&! snakemen on this &%"#¤" continent!)
*End Interlude*
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
The OP feels that the use of 'OP', both here and in the OP is fairly self-explanatory; OP, OP, and OP, even OP and OP, should be all be easily discernible from each other.
Thank you.
No session last week because of players busy with other things, including one preparing to run Rise of the Runelords for another group. It will be interesting for all of us to see how things work when people play it as intended, not with OP heroes.
Having rescued Arlynith and Torako, the gang rests and resolves to go after Sorshen immediately. They don't want to let the Runelords have any time to prepare. In he middle of casting Discern Location, Ranya, Othariel and Arlynith are all interrupted by Sendings reporting of demon attacks at home. The PCs abandon the casting of DL and return to their respective homes to find another akvan div each rampaging and killing lots of people. Akvan's are tough cookies but not tougher than the PCs so they are defeated. As the PCs take stock of the damage and deaths, reports start trickling in from outlying areas of undead attacks. Wightpocalypses all around! Even better, while dealing with this, Arlynith gets a summons from the court of Empress Eriadne, leader of the most powerful nation on the planet, wanting Arly to 'answer some questions immediately'.
The PCs realize that however much it hurts to leave this stuff for later, they cannot afford to run around mopping up problems while the Runelords remain safe. Arlynith defies a direct order from the empress, basically saying "AFK, gotta kill some folks first". As rulers of domains, Othariel and Arlynith do have obligations to their subjects, and it seems odd that paladins would abandon their people to go off and do other stuff. "What about the wights?", their subjects ask. "GTG, BB". There will be some fallout from this. The PCs regroup, cast another Discern Location, cast Spell Resistance on everyone and head out to meet Sorshen.
Sorshen and the other Runelords had discussed where it would be best to lure the PCs to. If they did it out in the streets of Magnimar Sorshen would have a lot of innocents to try to hamper the PCs with. The downside is that even should the Runelords be successful in stopping the PCs there, they would have a ton of witnesses to powerful serpentfolk in the middle of a major city and that would probably lead to a conflict with Thyatis far earlier than the Runelords would have liked. So they decided to stage the fight in Sorshen's Eye. More akvans, a couple of rune giants, four winterwights and a bunch of dominated human adventurers, as well as Sorshen await the PCs.
Sorshen uses her surprise round to activate a few protections. The PCs see the great number of enemies upon arrival and Arlynith, whose choice of the feat Dimensional Agility has been a good one, plants a Chains of Fire in the middle of the greatest number of them, killing a couple dominated rogues and hurting the winterwights and even singeing Sorshen. The surviving rogues move so they can run in and flank vulnerable PCs on their next turn. The first proper round sees Sorshen open with an Overwhelming Presence, mythically enhanced so she can bypass paladin immunities. The players are getting tired of Runelords casually ignoring all sorts of protections they normally have but I'm enjoying it. Still, only Ranya and Torako fail their saves and spend the round worshipping Sorshen. One akvan tries to Forcecage Othariel but she evades, and the second charges Arlynith and deals some damage. The Akvan's aura only affects Torako. The winterwights target Grund with Polar Rays, but two fail due to SR. The rune giants move in and miss Grund despite the ogre's barn door of an AC. Othariel dispels Overwhelming Presence. Tomokato fills the orc corpse standing unmoving in the corner with arrows, remembering the orc corpse from yesterday. It does not seem to notice the arrows. Arlynith's second and third Chains of Fire kills one winterwight, a human cleric and wizard and again singes Sorshen. The human fighters move in and attack Grund but deal minimal damage.
Sorshen tries to Dominate Othariel twice but fails both times thanks to SR (this will be a running theme this combat). Ranya attempts to cast Conflagration defensively but fails the roll. Her quickened Conflagration gets off and she kills the rest of the winterwights, all but two of the humans and hurts every other enemy except Sorshen whose SR actually helped this time. Torako starts up dirge doom and inspire confidence and Tomokato fills Sorshen with arrows. Stoneskin and some mythic power uses to avoid damage help, but she still takes a lot of damage. Grund and Othariel finish one akvan, the rune giants deal minimal damage to Grund, who despite LoH is hurting. Now Krune opens a Gateway from his lair and casts Abyssal Fury on Arlynith, killing her. The rune giants miss and Zutha finally gets his spirit back in the orc corpse after having astrally projected around to direct some minions and inflicts 10 negative levels on Ranya.
Sorshen Dominates Tomokato but fails to dominate Ranya. Ranya casts her last Conflagration which kills the remaining humans and injures the giants and div. Torako tries to move to cast Heal on Grund but is grabbed by the remaininbg akvan, so she casts Haste instead. Tomokato is ordered to kill Ranya but makes his second save against the spell. I thought about disallowing the second save for acting against your nature but decided against it. Tomokato's player's former PC killed all his teammates on at least one occasion each, more than once for a couple, for various reasons and the player is never going to live that down. Grund splats the last akvan and Krune traps Ranya in a Maze of Madness and Suffering, where she spends two rounds fascinated by the beautiful oasis before attempting to get out. She spends the rest of the session there. Krune also smacks Tomokato with a maximized Clashing Rocks, but the rakasta paladin avoids being buried. The rune giants use their spark shower ability and deal significant damage to Grund, who only survives thanks to his Determination armor.
The PCs' Spell Resistance really shines this round, stopping Canopic Conversion, Energy Drain, Dismind, Otto's Irresistible Dance, another Abyssal Fury and Maze. I'm almost regretting not giving Mordenkainen's Disjunction to any of the serpents, by this point.
Grund and Othariel kill the rune giants. Torako finally manages to cast Heal on Grund and Tomokato peppers Sorshen with enough arrows to trigger her Heal Contingency. Krune finally manages to Maze Othariel and Tomokato fails his save to another Otto's Irrisistible Dance. Krune fires off a Rain of Arrows and Caustic Eruption against Tomokato but even with the save penalty he evades. Zutha Wails like a Banshee but the three remaining heroes make their saves, and tries to Massacre the PCs, but once again spell resistance stops it. Grund charges Zutha's corpse host, smites, crits and turns the already heavily injured corpse to paste while ignoring the Death Shroud (thanks, SR). Othariel escapes her Maze and is promptly Mazed again. At this point we end the session.
W got a lot more done than I had expected. Despite the normal near-hour delay from when we officially start to when we actually get started, despite the distraction of the attacks on their homes, despite our near inability to get on with things, we managed to discorporate Zutha and sorely wound Sorshen. Granted, three four PCs are out of commission to one degree or another, and the two cohorts, the onl active characters, do not have the chops to stop one Runelord, let alone two, barring some ridiculous dice luck. We'll see what happens next time.
Abyssal Fury
(Conjuration) [teleport, evil, chaos]
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: long
Duration: instantaneous
Target: 1 creature
Saving throw: Reflex partial
Spell resistance: yes
You create a portal to the Abyss under the target, who disappears into it and returns almost immediately. There the target is shredded by horrible beasts there. On a failed save the target dies, torn apart by the Abyssal creatures, an on a successful save the target takes only 20d10 points of damage.
Material components: a claw from an Abyssal creature
Gateway
(Conjuration)
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: 30'
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Area: 10' diameter gate
You create a gate between you and another place on the same plane you have been before. The gateway allows passage from both directions but prevents environmental effects from passing through. You can see through clearly, though only one side of the gate functions, with the other side a blank gray.
The gateway has a certain failure rate
Target location is within: chance of success
500 miles 100%
same planet beyond 500 miles 50%
same solar system 10%
different solar system 5%
Material Components: a handful of earth, or the equivalent, from the caster's location
Corpse Host
(Necromancy)
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Components: V, S, M
Range: touch
Duration: 1 day/level (D)
Target: 1 corpse
You temporarily put your mind in a corpse you animate, which can be dead no longer than 1 day per level. Your own body is in gentle stasis and does not starve or thirst, but is otherwise vulnerable. The corpse host has the physical abilities it had while alive but you may use any supernatural or spell-like abilities you possess as well as spellcasting. In addition to dispel magic, dispel evil, exorcism and spirit reversal can end the spell. You can still sense through your true body while this spell is in effect, but cannot act through it. The corpse host has as many hit points as you normally do and is not undead, despite the animating power.
Material Components: a piece of skin and blood (causing 1d4 hit points damage) from you
Death Shroud
(Necromancy) [death]
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: touch
Duration: 1 attack per level, up to 2 rounds/level
Target: up to 1 creature/level
Saving throw: Fortitude negates
Spell resistance: yes
You shroud yourself with baleful negative energy. You are immune to the effects of this spell, but any creature touching you with melee weapons, natural weapons, or by you making touch attacks. is enveloped by the shroud and take 6d6 hit points negative energy damage each round until the shroud is removed or they die. The shroud can be dispelled, and casting any healing spell of 4th level or greater also ends it.
Material Components: crushed black opal and diamond worth 5000 gp, a hunk of smoky quartz and dust from an undead with the energy drain ability.
Dismind
(Enchantment) [mind affecting]
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V
Range: touch
Duration: permanent
Target: creature touched
Saving throw: Will negates
Spell resistance: yes
You separate the target's mind from his body, cloaking the body in an impenetrable stasis field. The target's mind is cast loose on the plane where its body was and wanders almost entirely undetectable and without true consciousness, memory or volition. If the mind is reunited with the body the target may remember 1d6 scenes that are seeds of future adventures. The mind is almost entirely immune to manipulation or damage in this state. A reverse mind, limited wish, wish or miracle is required to reunite mind and body
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
When we last saw our intrepid heroes they were on the ropes. All four PCs dead or incapacitated and only the two cohorts able to act normally. I've noticed that round by round accounts of these fights get long-winded at a little (or more than a little) boring, so I will try to summarize. Krune spends his rounds pumping out empowered Cloudkills and maximized Acid Fogs and various pits on the paladin PCs, then casting Juggernaut to deal some damage. Sorshen eats through her uses of mythic power to bypass immunities to charms and compulsions, and also to dodge attacks sent her way by Tomokato once he stops dancing. Between autododging attacks with mythic power and her Gloves of Arrow Snatching, much of Tomokato's damage potential is ignored. Even so, Sorshen's hit points are ticking down, and she finally uses a carefully hoarded Wish to remove Spell Resistance from the PCs (considering how much it helped the PCs I can't believe it took me this long to do that). Othariels spent most of the rest of the fight trying to dispel the murderous Suggestion that managed to affect Grund and Torako. The two cohorts are not terribly effective since Torako has basically nothing in the way of offensive ability and Grund attempts to kill Othariel but misses most of his attacks. In a calculated gamble Ranya flies up to Sorshen and casts AMF, hoping to put her out of commission long enough for the paladins to jump her and pin her. Since her fly effect is from an artifact, this fails. She uses her last Wish to get back to full HP, and Tomokato starts whittling her down again. The Juggernauts, after nearly killing Grund, are Mazed and Othariel uses her Time Stop to buff herself, move into range of Sorshen and ready to kill the Runelord. Sorshen is out of mythic power by this point, and her last desperate spells fail to stop the elf. Had Krune been a little more on the ball he could have invited Sorshen to his realm to save her but he (or the GM) didn't think of this. Othariel's full attack kills Sorshen, to Tomokato's great annoyance - he's spent most of the combat either dancing or attacking her and Othariel comes along and does the job in one round. Krune, seeing how things are going, closes the Gateway and starts preparing his domain with the few powerful spells he has left.
The PCs don't rest for a single moment. After resurrecting Arlynith and grabbing Sorshen's Shard, the PCs immediately buff themselves and Wish themselves to the Eye of Sloth. Krune has managed to prepare the battlefield, using his spells to blanket the Eye in Web, Ash Storm, Solid Fog and Stinking Cloud which do not affect him or his allies. He used his last gate to get in a balor lord - not many powerful outsiders are willing to work with him now considering how many have fallen to the PCs in the last couple of days. Arlynith Disjoins the hindering spells, and the balor lord deals minimal damage to Grund before being felled by Grund's full attack with double crits. He had run out of smites at the time, but a raging ogre with a x4 weapon still hurts. Krune's last offensive spells have basically zero effect and in desperation he starts attacking Arlynith with his spear.
Stealing the idea of boosting runes from The Waking Rune but upgrading them significantly, Krune has some serious stats at this point (see below). The PCs attack the Runelord and are surprised to find that rolls in the high 50s are not enough to hit him. They quickly understand that the big glowing runes decorating the Eye might have something to do with this and to everyone's immense surprise, Arlynith pulls out her Page of Spell Knowledge Disintegrate and destroys one rune. Arlynith's player has steadfastly refused to either choose Disintegrate as one of her spells and refused to so much as buy it on a PoSK or even as a scroll, despite being continually encouraged to do so and the numerous occasions Disintegrate would have been very useful. Finally one player bought the PoSK and even then Arly refused to use it for some poorly explained reason. But now it was out, it took out a rune, and Tomokato's arrows were about to destroy another. Then everyone ignores the runes and just starts pummeling Krune with whatever they have of spells and abilities. It doesn't really matter because Krune did not have enough left to make a real difference and he would die no matter what. Since it was late and the end was a forgone conclusion, I skipped the rest of the fight and just went straight to the cut-scene. The PCs get the Shard of Conjuration, loot the place, head home and rest.
The next day they come to a dead Eye of Gluttony, a cold, empty room with the Shard of Gluttony lying on the floor and Zutha nowhere in sight. I would have loved to have another showdown with my favorite school of magic, but personality-wise it wouldn't work. Of all the Runelords Zutha was the only one to truly free himself of his bondage to his runewell. Like the others he wished to keep the power but remove the restrictions. In this he failed, but becoming a lich, something not at all approved of by serpentfolk culture and something that would have gotten him killed and replaced had he tried it while Xin was still active, loosened the runewell's ties to his soul enough that he could break free. He tried for years to have the best of both worlds but seeing what happened to his fellow Runelords, he cut his losses and ran. He's weaker now than he has been for quite some time but he is also free. Now he will go to another secret hideout and wait, hoping the PCs will not pursue him and eventually die so he can emerge and take over the serpentine empire. He is patient and he has time. Soon the Bogdashkan orcs, who suffered his recent emergence the hardest, will have nothing but black legends of a blood-drinking serpent, before the legend comes back to haunt them.
We ended the session there. I honestly hadn't expected to be done with Sorshen as quickly as we were and I certainly did not expect the PCs to immediately go after Krune, so I messed up a bit there. I should have added some more minions to make it more interesting, but as it was we got everything done and the players are happy to be finished with the Runelords. They felt the adventure was wearing out its welcome, and we are all looking forward to another break from D&D for a couple of months. Next session, two weeks from now, the PCs will have to face Xin in all his undead-construct glory. The players have no clue about what they are about to face and I will probably be sleeping on the couch since they were all quite happy this whole adventure was 'finally over'.
here are more spells from earlier editions used by the Runelords, or at least available to them
Teleport Any Object
(Conjuration) [teleport]
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V
Range: touch
Duration: Instantaneous 1
Target: one creature or object
Saving throw: Will negates
Spell resistance: yes
You teleport a single creature or object weighing up to 100 lbs/level or a mass of inanimate matter up to 20' cube to anywhere you desire, as limited by the teleport spell.
Airmantle
(Conjuration) [air]
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: personal
Duration: 1 minutes /level
You surround yourself with a mantle of air that provides breathable atmosphere and pressure, protecting you against the vacuum of space and any harmful gases, smokes, air-borne spores or similar non-magical hazards. The airmantle allows you to move normally in any cloud effect and reduces any hit point damage by half (or 1 quarter on a successful saving throw, if allowed). You instead gain a +4 circumstance bonus on saving throws against cloud effects that do not deal hit point damage, such as stinking cloud or cloudkill.
Material Components: a lump of charcoal, an air bladder and a six inch metal tube
Juggernaut
(Conjuration) [creation]
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: medium
Duration: 1 round/level
Area: 1 juggernaut
You call into being a large humanoid figure that stands 100 feet high and has 80 feet reach. It has no recognizable features other than a mouth which can roar up to 6 words you choose every round. A juggernaut within 60 feet of you can absorb any magical effect that would affect you, even absorbing area effects. The effect affects the juggernaut
Material Components: a ball of clay filed with string and a 1000 gp gem
AC30 t 4 ff 30 hp 200 2 slams +30 4d8+20, grab, constrict, throw (throw grappled creature two sizes smaller than Colossal + which takes 20d6 damage), F +20, R +4 W +10, Str 30
Spelldoor
(Conjuration) [teleport]
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 full-round action
Range: special
Area: special
Duration: instantaneous
The next spell you cast, which must be cast before the end of the next round, is teleported to the location of your choice. You must have personally been to the location previously, and the spell must have a range beyond touch. The chance of success is the same as the teleport spell.
Material components: a bronze ring 1 inch in diameter.
Dimensional Blade
(Evocation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: touch
Duration: 1 round/level
Target: 1 slashing weapon
Target weapon becomes almost absurdly sharp, easily slashing through matter without resistance. Target weapon ignores all hardness and armor and natural armor bonuses to AC and ignores 5 points of damage reduction. It also harms incorporeal creatures normally.
Material Components: a razor-thin shard of glass
Gunther's Kaleidoscopic Strike
(Evocation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: medium
Duration: Instantaneous
Target: one spellcaster
Saving throw: Reflex negates
Spell resistance: yes
You shoot a beam of multicolored light towards the target spellcaster that drains it of your caster level in spell levels of spell slots. Lowest level slots are drained first.
Melf's Minute Meteors
(Evocation) [Fire]
Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M, F
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Effect: 1 ball/level
Duration: special
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: yes
You create one small fireball per level and fire them at opponents. The fireballs deal 1d6 points of damage each, and require a ranged touch attack to hit (no penalties for range, 20/x2 critical damage). You can cast the spell in one of two ways:
1) you can fire 5 meteors a round as a standard action, firing them at up to five different targets within range.
2) you can fire 1 meteor a round as a move action.
In either case, on the round of casting you may throw up to five balls as part of the casting.
Any spells requiring concentration automatically ends the meteors.
Material components: a small bead of sulfur and niter mixed with pine tar
Focus: a small gold tube worth at least 1000 gp
Internal Fire
(Evocation) [fire]
Level: Sor/Wiz 9, wu jen 9
Casting Time: 1 full-round action
Components: V, S, M
Range: long
Duration: Instantaneous
Area: up to 1 HD/ level in 10' radius
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: yes
Targets in the area automatically die from fire damage. Creatures with fewer HD are affected first and if there are not enough HD left in the spell it fails. Any amount of fire resistance is enough to render a target immune to this spell.
Material Components: a brazier with red hot charcoal
Mempter's Barrier
(Evocation) [Force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: medium
Area: 10 x 10 square per level
Duration: 1 r/level
This spell is identical to wall of force except that it only prevents passage from one side.
Material components: diamond worth 1000gp
Circle of Blindness
(Necromancy)
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: long
Area of Area: 30' radius ementation
Duration: 10 minutes/level
Saving Throw: none
Spell Resistance: yes
All targets in the area of effect are rendered blind and deaf, and no magical, supernatural or extraordinary means of perceiving things based on sight or sound function. Divinations like detect spells, locate spells, scrying, true seeing, echolocation, darkvision etc. are all negated. Find the path still functions, as do the other senses. The sphere is immobile and leaving it restores sight and sound to creatures.
Corpse Link
(Necromancy)
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: medium
Duration: 10 minutes/level
Target: 1 corpse
You can link one sense to a corpse, with an additional one per 3 levels above 1st. You need not employ all senses, and the appropriate sensory organ need not even be attached to the corpse. You could pluck out the eyes of the corpse and place them elsewhere. The link provide information simultaneously as you sense normally and does not provide any method of handling the excess input. However, only one organ of a pair is affected - thus you see through the corpse in one eye and normally out of the other, smell through the corpse in one nostril and normally out of the other. The link also allows you to control a mindless undead, if cast on one. The target of this spell cannot have been dead more than 1 day/level
Material Components: the appropriate sensory organs of a creature noted for them, e.g. an eagle's eye or a hound's nose
Death Link
(Necromancy) []
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Casting Time: 1 full-round action
Components: V, S
Range: long
Duration: 10 minutes/level
Target: you and one creature
Saving throw: Fortitude negates
Spell resistance: yes
You create a link between yourself and a target creature in range, sharing damage and healing received by either party equally. The link has only a planar boundary range limit after casting. If you die while this spell is in effect the other party automatically dies too, without save, but the reverse is not true. If one party is undead and the other is living, positive and negative energy have their normal effects on the parties (so healing an undead with negative energy will cause harm to
Death Shroud
(Necromancy) [death]
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: touch
Duration: 1 attack per level, up to 2 rounds/level
Target: up to 1 creature/level
Saving throw: Fortitude negates
Spell resistance: yes
You shroud yoursefl with baleful negative energy. You are immune to the effects of this spell, but any creature touching you with melee weapons, natural weapons, or by you making touch attacks. is enveloped by the shroud and take 6d6 hit points negative energy damage each round until the shroud is removed or they die. The shroud can be dipelled, and casting any healing spell of 4th level or greater also ends it.
Material Components: crushed black opal and diamond worth 5000 gp, a hunk of smoky quartz and dust from an undead with the energy drain ability.
Diffuse Damage
Necromancy
Sor/Wiz 4
Range: Close (20 ft. +5 ft./level)
Area of Area: 20 foot radius
Components: V, S
Casting time: 1 standard action
You designate 1 primary target and any number of secondary targets within the area. All targets must be willing, or else they are simply excluded from the spell. The effect centers on and moves with the primary target. While the spell is in effect, all damage dealt to the primary target is spread equally among all targets. Secondary targets that move outside the area are not affected by the spell until they return to the area. Any damage that does not divide evenly among the secondary targets is applied to the primary target. e.g. if you are the primary target and have five secondary targets, a blow dealing 12 points of damage to you would deal 2 points of damage to you and your five secondary targets. but a blow dealing 14 points would deal only 2 to your secondary targets and 4 to you.
Once the primary target or any secondary target is reduced to 0 hit points, the spell ends.
Deathbolt
(Necromancy) [death]
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Casting time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: mediuam
Duration: instantaneous
Target: 1 living creature
Saving throw: Fortitude partial
Spell resistance: yes
On a failed save the target dies. On a successful save the target tales 10d6 points of negative energy damage.
Material Components: vampire dust
Swan Song
(Necromancy)
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V
Range: 0
Duration: 1 rround/level
Area: 25' radius
Saving throw: Fortitude half
Spell resistance: yes
This spell can only be cast when the caster is at 10% HP or less, rounded up. Creatures in the area of effect lose as many hit points as you have left, and all drained hit points are transferred to you. Creatures who make a successful saving throw lose only half the amount. This is not healing and unlike normal temporary hit points, any further damage is applied to your regular hit points first. When the spell expires, any remaining temporary hit points disappear, possibly leaving the caster dead.
Suffocate
(Necromancy)
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, F
Range: close
Duration: 1 round/level
Area: 10' radius
Saving throw: Fortitude negates
Spell resistance: yes
You cause the targets' lungs to collapse causing them to suffocate. On a failed save the targets must make a Constitution check DC 20 each round or take 2d6 points of damage and be staggered and sickened from lack of air. Each round for one round/level targets must make another Constitution check
Focus: a small silk bag studded with black opals worth 5000 gp
Paralyzing Field
(Necromancy)
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: medium
Area: 10 foot radius
Duration: 1 r/level
Saving Throw: Fortitude partial
Spell Resistance: yes
Creatures touching the surface on which this spell is cast are paralyzed for one round. Each round affected characters are allowed a new saving throw to shake off the effects but must make a new saving throw to avoid paralyzation each round they remain within the area.
Material components: powdered clay soaked in giant wasp venom.
Paralyzing Pit
(Necromancy)
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: medium
Area: Pit 20 deep, 20 in diameter
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Fortitude partial
Spell Resistance: yes
The pit forms in any substance softer than stone and all in the area fall into it (no save), taking 2d6 fall damage. Those inside must also make a Fortitude save or be paralyzed. Each round affected targets may make a save to shake off the effects that round, but even on a successful save must make a new save each round to avoid becoming paralyzed. The walls of the pit are DC 20 to climb.
Material components: mole claw bone dipped in giant wasp poison.
Enfeeble
(Necromancy) [evil]
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Target: creature touched
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: yes
You inflict 1d4 points each of Strength and Dexterity drain on the target
Material Components: essence of shadow
Undead Curtain
(Necromancy)
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Target: 1 living creature
Saving throw: Fortitude negates
Spell resistance: yes
You instantly turn one living creature into an undead creature of your choosing, so long as the final undead has no more than 5 HD more than the target's current HD.
Material Components: a scroll with special inks worth 1000 gp keyed to the type of undead you wish to
Exchange Wounds
(Necromancy)
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Casting Time: 1 full-round action
Components: V, S
Range: touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Target: two creatures
Saving throw: Fortitude negates
Spell resistance: yes
You transfer all injuries from one target to the other (both receive a Fortitude save to negate the effect). Injuries include hit point damage, ability damage/drain, negative levels, poisons, diseases and other non-curse afflictions. A target may die from transferred damage but cannot transfer more than it has available.
Material Components: blood (or similar fluid) from both targets, two newts and a 5000 gp ruby
Dismind
(Enchantment) [mind affecting]
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V
Range: touch
Duration: permanent
Target: creature touched
Saving throw: Will negates
Spell resistance: yes
You separate the target's mind from his body, cloaking the body in an impenetrable stasis field. The target's mind is cast loose on the plane where its body was and wanders almost entirely undetectable and without true consciousness, memory or volition. If the mind is reunited with the body the target may remember 1d6 scenes that are seeds of future adventures. The mind is almost entirely immune to manipulation or damage in this state. A reverse mind, limited wish, wish or miracle is required to reunite mind and body
Dweomerdeny
(Enchantment) [Mind-affecting, Curse]
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Target: spellcaster touched
Saving throw: Will partial
Spell resistance: yes
You remove knowledge of a specific spell from the target. On a successful save the target loses all prepared instances of the spell (or cannot cast it until the next time it rests, in case of spontaneous casters). On a failed save the target loses all prepared instances of the spell and cannot prepare it again or use it in any other form (e.g. scroll, staff, etc.) and spontaneous casters lose it from their list of spells known, cannot regain it or relearn it. limited wish, greater restoration, wish and miracle are the only known ways of removing the effects of this spell.
Endless Slumber
(Enchantment) [Mind-affecting, curse]
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: touch
Duration: permanent
Target: one creature or special
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: yes
The target is put into a deep sleep that is close to stasis. The target need no food, drink or air but still dreams. You must make a successful touch attack, and a failed roll results in the charge being lost. Alternatively the curse may be implanted on an item or piece of food, e.g. an apple, and takes effect when the first bite is taken, when a piece of clothing is worn or a wound given by a weapon. Nothing short of a disjunction can remove the effect, though all endless slumbers also come with a waking condition, which can be anything desirable, though it must be possible, e.g. a solar eclipse, the death of a specific creature, etc. This spell bypasses normal immunities to sleep or mind-affecting effects, though it has no effect on those creatures that do not sleep at all.
Material Components: an entire, perfect, blue lotus flower (ca. 500 gp) and a pure chunk of amber worth 10 000 gp
Mental Block
(Enchantment) [mind affecting]
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: touch
Target: 1 willing creature
Duration: special
Target piece of information, often a message, is magically hidden from the subject. Even the existence of the message may be hidden. The message remains hidden until a specific situation occurs, e.g. “3 days hence at dawn” or “when you are in the presence of the king”. Attempts to get the message through dispel magic, mind reading etc. causes the message to be completely forgotten.
Material components: a chip of granite
Malison, Greater
(Enchantment) [compulsion]
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V
Range: medium
Duration: 1 round/level
Area: 30' radius emanation
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: yes
All creatures in the area either suffer a -2 penalty on all saving throws versus spells or a -3 penalty to all saves against a single school of magic.
Seizure
(Enchantment)
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, F
Range: touch
Duration: until triggered
Target: object touched
Saving throw: Will negates + special
Spell resistance: yes
You cast this spell on an inanimate object. The first creature to touch it triggers the effect which causes the target to be knocked prone and stunned for 1d4+1 rounds with choking convulsions which also deal 1d6 non-lethal damage per round and a total of 1d4 Strength and Constitution damage. Following the convulsions, the target falls unconscious for 1 round of rigor, at which point the target must make a Fortitude save or die from asphyxiation 1d3 rounds later. After the rigor follows 1d4+1 rounds of unconsciousness. After this the target is dazed 3d6 rounds, then sickened for 5d4 rounds after that. A heal or greater restoration or similar magic will remove the effects of this spell
Focus: the object to be trapped.
Restore Mind
(Enchantment)
Level: Sor/Wiz 9
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V
Range: touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Target: creature touched
You cure any mental illness in the target and can restore displaced minds to their original body. This cures things like feeblemind, dismind, magic jar, geas/quest, charms, compulsions, insanity both natural and artificially induced, and other mind-affecting effects.
Malraz' Dramatic Death
(Illusion) [figment]
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Casting Time: 1 immediate action
Components: V, S
Range: personal
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving throw: special
Spell resistance: no
When subject to an attack you cast this spell (which requires a Spellcraft DC 25 check to recognize as a spell at all), which causes you to appear to perish in the appropriate fashion and leave an appropriately mangled corpse. In reality, you become invisible, as per the invisibility spell. Interaction with the 'corpse' allows a Will save to detect its illusory nature.
Improved Mirror Image
(Illusion) [figment]
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: S
Range: personal
Duration: 1 round/level
Area: 30'
As mirror image but all images start in your square and move to random positions within range. Attacks and spell effects from you can appear to come from all all images if you wish. Each image can also appear to do different things, e.g. one runs away, one drinks a potion, one casts a spell, one readies a weapon, etc.If damaged, an image appears to fall to the ground injured before disappearing next round.
Prismatic Eye
(Illusion) [pattern]
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: close
Area: eye-like sensor
Duration: 1 r/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: yes
You create a magical sensor that is similar to arcane eye. It grants darkvision 30 and low-light vision in addition to the normal effects of arcane eye. You can move it up to 100 feet as a move action. Each round you may cause it to emit a burst of prismatic light similar to color spray. Creatures in the area of effect must make a saving throw or suffer one of the following effects, which lasts until the end of the spell unless otherwise noted.
Creature HD Effect
1-6 sleep
7-9 blind
10+ dazed 1 round
Solipsism
(Illusion) [figment]
Level: Clr/Or 4
Casting Time: 1 full-round action
Components: V, S, DF
Range: long
Duration: concentration
Area: 100 cubic feet/level
Saving throw: Will special
Spell resistance: yes
You create a special illusion which gives off visual and tactile stimuli. The illusion can be any object or creature you wish. Each round creatures viewing it are allowed a saving throw to believe in it (unlike normal illusions), while you automatically believe your own illusion. The illusion functions exactly as real to creatures that believe in it, allowing walk on illusory bridges, take damage from illusory giants, use illusory walls to protect against projectiles, etc.
Spectral Manticore
(Illusion) [shadow]
Level: Clr/Or 4
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, DF
Range: close
Duration: 1 round/2 levels
Area: 1 manticore
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: yes
You conjure a ghostly manticore that attacks your enemies or lets you ride it. it has the normal stats of a manticore but can only attack one creature per round. It cannot be disbelieved but spell resistance may prevent contact. The illusion cannot be wrested from you by any known means.
Trick
(Illusion) [figment]
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S, M
Range: medium
Duration: 10 minutes /level
Target: caster + one target creature
Saving throw: none
Spell resistance: yes
You and one willing target switch places and appearances, voice, smell, etc. While the spell does nothing for behavior, the illusion is perfect in other respects and the switch is unnoticeable by onlookers. If either party is killed the spell ends.
Material Components: a ball of wax
Krune
serpentfolk Wizard (conjuror) 20
Strength 18
Dexterity 18
Constitution 20
Intelligence 38
Wisdom 20
Charisma 24
AC 64 touch 34 flat-footed 64 (+16 natural, +10 dodge, +10 deflection, +4 Dexterity modifier, +4 shield, +10 armor)
hit points 600, fast healing 30,
Spell Resistance 40
Fortitude +29 Reflex +27 Will +35
CMB +24 CMD 49
Feats: Craft Rune, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Greater Spell Focus (Conjuration), Still Spell, Silent Spell, Augment Summoning, Superior Summoning, Great Fortitude, Iron Will
Contingency: Dispel Magic on the first hostile spell that penetrates his spell resistance
Runewell bonuses: Like all runewells, Krune's grants him a free Quicken Spell on any spell he wishes. His also automatically maximizes damage from any Conjuration spell and grants a +1 caster level on all magic. This is in addition to producing 25 000 gp worth of gold per day which can only be spent in the sanctum, and immortality.
9 - Foresight, Wish, Abyssal Fury, Juggernaut, Gate, Maze of Madness and Suffering, Clashing Rocks
8 - Gateway x2, Spelldoor x2, Maze x2, Rain of Arrows, Rift of Ruin
7 - Caustic Eruption x2, Walk Through Space, Empowered Cloudkill x2, Teleport Object x2
6 - Acid Fog, Chains of Light x2, Dimensional Bounce, Planar binding x2, True Seeing,
5 - Roaming Pit, Straightjacket, Acid Spray, Corrosive Consumption x2, Hostile Juxtaposition x2,
4 - Evard's Black Tentacles, Acid Pit x2, Solid Fog x2, Dimension Door,
3 - Mirror Image x2, Ice Spears x2, Stinking Cloud x2, Fireball
2 - Melf's Acid Arrow, Create Pit, Ablative Barrier x2, Glitterdust x2, Web x2
1 - True Strike x2, Mage Armor, Shield, Grease x2,
based on the ones found in The Waking Rune, Krune had these protective runes active
Rune of Dimensional Protection - prevents hostile teleports or planar travel from affecting Krune and allies
Rune of Dimensional Freedom - Krune may use Dimension Door as a free action once per round and has the benefit of Dimensional Agility
Rune of Mystic Protection - Krune gains spell resistance 40
Rune of the Mind - Krune gains a +6 enhancement bonus to all mental ability scores
Rune of the Body - Krune gains a +6 enhancement bonus to all physical ability scores
Rune of Life x3 - Krune gains +100 hit points and fast healing 10
Rune of Defense - Krune gains +10 deflection bonus to AC and +10 resistance bonus to saving throws
Rune of Combat - Krune and his allies gain +10 to attacks
Rune of Armor - Krune gains +10 armor bonus and +16 natural armor bonus
Rune of Alacrity - Krune gains +10 dodge bonus to AC and +10 to initiative
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Puppy has been pretty good the last couple of sessions. Mostly because daddy finally hit on the idea of delaying meal times until after playtime and just before a game session. Partially because she's getting older (three or four months, IIRC). The real challenge will come when school starts up again next week and daddy will be gone or busy in front of a screen for much of the day.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
It has been a few years since we last saw the wannabe Immortals. One would think that having managed to kill seven ridiculously powerful spellcasters and ruin their plans in the space of a month would have been the worst of the whole Runelord thing, but the fallout has been really grating. Chasing down powerful fiends hell bent on wreaking havoc is one thing. Stopping wightpocalypses is another. It's not that the individual wights are much of a threat to 20+ level characters but they are threats to most of the populace, and even powerful people can only be in one place at a time*. Many people die, and chaos is rampant. For Othariel this means that confidence in her rule has been undermined and there are strong racial tensions as some groups accuse Othariel and her paladins of favoring some races over others, and the fact that she ran away for a couple of days as the worst of this was going on doesn't help her image.
Arlynith ignored a direct summons from her liege lord and the Empress Eriadne was not amused. The accusations by Thyatis leveled against the PCs of warmongering, massacres of civilians, and in Arlynith's case treason against Alphatia were rather swiftly cleared up: magic can cause a lot of problems but it can also solve a lot of problems. This still does not excuse the fact that she deliberately ignored the Empress' summons and decided she knew better. Having previously been on Eriadne's good side, she is now in disfavor (giving rights to undead was a step in the wrong direction and now this). In addition to this Arlynith still had to handle the attempted wightpocalypse and things were not made easier when most of the new wights learned that undead have legal standing equivalent to the living, and most wights found roaming the countryside claimed to be new citizens rather than an invading force. While magic could in many instances tell whether they were truthful, it was still a tedious mess to track them all down and properly interrogate them, as well has handle that a noticeable portion of the population are now legally new persons and have no claim to any wealth or title they previously had (which they protest against since their transformation to undead was unwilling), and the families want to destroy them, and everyone simultaneously wants Arly to fix things and just f~~+ off and die for being the cause of this problem in the first place. Fortunately for the PCs they managed to loot vast wealth from the Runelords, though most of this has gone to paying reparations to Thyatis, giving gifts to important individuals to apologize for the inconvenience, rebuilding the PC domains, resurrecting the dominated minions that Queen "I want to become LG" Arlynith ruthlessly and almost off-handedly killed and instantly forgot about, and hiring mercenaries adventurers to try to handle the Xin-Edasseril problem.
Eventually things calm down enough for Arlynith to actually look at the Sihedron shards she has and try to put the thing back together. She fiddles with it but gets nowhere. After consulting the Anathema Archives she comes to the conclusion that only Emperor Xin knew the full details of this artifact so hopefully his old labs would contain some information she could use. The good news is the Archive can tell her exactly where Xin's old palace was. The bad news is that the Archive is 4000+ years and a Great Rain of Fire out of date, and the last known description of the city was "laid waste by an unimaginably huge explosion that flattened the city to the bedrock, blinded everyone for miles around, and poisoned the soil and water for centuries." Even so, Arlynith is undaunted. She rounds up Tomokato and Ranya and heads out. Othariel was busy with her own things (i.e. the player was absent) and only Tomokato's cohort Torahiko is brought along. They teleport to the old Therassic library, now empty. Sorshen had retrieved the books there and kept them in her private library in her Eye but careless use of Conflagration by Ranya in the fight destroyed everything. From the library they Wind Walk to the current realm of the serpentfolk, sometimes called the Third Serpentine Empire by certain historians. A Veil to hide the heroes and Knowledge rolls in the 50s by Torahiko get the PCs ready for what to expect and how not to instantly blow their cover if they interact with locals. They quickly find the capital city, built on the ruins of Xin's old city and hear some discrete talk in the streets about "those damn left-over snakes in the east thinking they can move in and take over here". A Wish from Arlynith cuts the search time down significantly, and the gang head to the underground ruins of Xin's palace. Most of it is collapsed but they snake (ha) their way through the ruins, bypassing ancient wards that mostly malfunction, some broken clockwork guardians and finally make it to Xin's personal lab. They notice a big sihedron symbol on the floor and a raised alter/workbench with slots for the shards. The room is full of rubble, half-buried constructs and a giant metal serpent-head on its side sticking out of a collapsed wall, its mouth open. Arly gets to work reading scattered texts and studying the set up, and several hours later, much quicker than anticipated, she has reassembled the Sihedron. She is less than pleased to realize that the individual curses of the shards are not suppressed anymore but is slightly mollified only the active point imparts its curse at any one time.
As they turn to go they hear the half-buried constructs come to life and the seemingly dead rune giant in the corner wake up. Three clockwork goliaths and a rune giant graveknight and, most importantly, Xin in his clockwork reliquary, face the PCs. I roll terribly for most initiatives and Xin is last. For the first few rounds everything goes swimmingly for the PCs. The goliaths deal minimal damage, the rune giant and the akvan Xin summoned do even less before dying. When Xin enters combat things suddenly take a turn for the worse for the monkeys. His initial attempt at Disjoining the PCs is foiled by Arly. He recalls the Sihedron and his Time Stop and two spells per round buffs for 5 rounds help make sure no one can find him. Overwhelming Presence puts Arlynith and Torahiko out of action for a couple rounds, Otto's Irresistible Dance incapacitates Tomokato for a round. Ranya doesn't know where he is and can't fix the spells affecting the others (no Dispel Magic). The real killer is Xin's abysium pulses, which come every round and really hurt. Arly is immune to poison but continually losing at least 1 Con per round and being staggered or nauseated really messes things up for the other PCs. A Maximized Stormbolts kills Torahiko, hurts everyone else, and stuns most people. Arly's Contingency: Heal kicks in and allows her to cast a Time Stop for some buffs and a Glitterdust on the otherwise Invisible and Mind Blanked Xin (blindsense is very nice against that combo). Xin however just dispels the Glitterdust on his next turn and tries to Death Clutch Arly but it is reflected by Spell Turning. Xin doesn't have a heart so it doesn't matter. Ranya is busy trying to keep everyone alive and feeling rather inadequate.
We got started late, spent way too much time discussing what they wanted to pick for their latest Epic 20 feat, and spent too much time faffing about. Everything as it always is, in other words. The greatest motivation the players had for leaving Othariel behind was that no one wanted to run two (or in one case three) characters. Othariel's player felt they were all rather lazy about the whole thing, especially since Othariel is the only character (and the player the only player) who properly plans to have mitigation or countermeasures for basically everything at hand just in case they meet it. For years we've commented that Ranya might want to have at least one Dispel Magic prepared, but it never happens. Or how having extra scrolls of Neutralize Poison or wands of Delay Poison can be very useful. So far the PCs have just trusted to their ridiculously good Fortitude saves and Ranya's Heals, but right now Delay Poison would be the best thing ever. Guess who has that readily available and isn't here to help?
We will see what happens next time. If I'm very nice, Othariel was actually with them all along and was just mopping up some 'bots somewhere else before rejoining the others. If not the players may have to consider running away.
Notes: I upgraded Xin significantly from his write-up in Shattered Star. The original statblock would have died a horrible, messy death, and didn't give him spells worthy of a 20+ level wizard. So he has all the physical abilities of the reliquary, upgraded with things like +10 to saves, better AC and attacks, abysium pulse every round with higher DC (at 30 only two rolls were failed), lots of spells, a hidden runewell giving him free Quicken and Maximize on his spells, as well as a few other goodies. The way things are going now I may have overdone it, which is the exact opposite of what has happened so far. I make what I think will be a challenging encounter and the PCs even with suboptimal tactics just power through things. This time they may very much have to retreat and regroup. We will see next week.
* they probably could manage two or even three if they really tried.
| Bjørn Røyrvik |
Puppy is showing both her intelligence and her displeasure with daddy's non-puppy hobbies, and chewed up the power cord to his PC several hours before game time. This was unfortunate since this is really Arly's story and her player was absent for the final session. However it made things a bit easier for me since Othariel's player could just take over Arlynith and have something to do without dragging in Othariel in some ham-fisted way.
The battle was not looking good for the PCs last session, with the cohort very dead, two suffering significant Constitution drain, and Xin invisible with Mind Blank. Tomokato, unable to see Xin, just readies an action to Dispel Magic the moment he gets a target. Arlynith's blindsense is very useful so she again can cast Glitterdust on the general area Xin is, then quickens a Greater Dispel Magic, which manages to get rid of invisibility, Mind Blank, Mirror Image, Foresight and Moment of Prescience. Othariel's player in Arly's voice suggests that Ranya use one of her Miracles to counteract the abysium poison. "Oh, I didn't think of that," Ranya's player says, taking the advice. Ranya's player has traditionally been very eager to use Miracle for all sorts of things, but recently has seemed to forget he has that option even when it would be very useful. Now the PCs are not only protected against the incoming poison but the Constitution drain is held in abeyance for the nonce. Xin notices this but the GM instantly forgets that this is a thing and doesn't consider dispelling the protection until after the fight is over. The biggest weakness of these enemies is the fool playing them. He does use another Time Stop to rebuff a bit and get another akvan which does a good job of ripping Arlynith to near death, but it's Mazed and doesn't roll over 10 on its Intelligence checks the rest of the fight. The PCs are in a pretty solid position now, with Tomokato finally able to pepper Xin with arrows. Xin's DR stops a few spells, and prolific use of Mythic Power lets Xin avoid using spell slots, by pass immunities etc, but once Tomokato starts hammering him he regularly needs to use MP to avoid damage and cast Wish to heal himself up again. Xin manages to put the PCs on the defensive with a cunning use of Time Stop, Prismatic Wall a few inches off the ceiling and Reverse Gravity, petrifying Ranya, but Arly's previously cast Getaway saves them from bobbing up and down in the Wall for multiple rounds. Ranya is petrified most of the rest of the fight until Arly pulls out a scroll of Stone to Flesh and saves her. "You were petrified? Why didn't you say something, I could have fixed you with Lay on Hands," Tomokato's player exclaims at this point. He gets some well deserved ribbing for inattention.
Some failed spells against Xin, some serious damage from Xin and Ranya barely surviving a Stormbolts due to her new feat Denier of Destruction, which the player chose last session and had already a) forgotten how it worked and b) forgotten that he had it at all and had to be reminded. The MVP this fight in terms of damage was Tomokato, who ate through Xin's MP uses while the others mostly took care of Xin's buffs or failed to penetrate spell resistance, but finally Arlynith managed to get in the killing blow with Pierce Any Shield and Chains of Fire. The damage that one round was severe enough that Xin went from full HP to dead before he had a chance to enter the buried golemech that would look suspiciously like a Chaos Titan to 40K enthusiasts. It's just as well, since the players wanted this to be over and the new enemy would be at least another session of fighting. The PCs loot the place, and head home.
Next session we will spend some time divvying loot and possibly some minor Arly related stuff before putting aside Pathfinder for a bit of a break. We need a change of pace and system so we will be playing some Paranoia. It won't be a long break because Paranoia isn't the best for extended games, and we really do have a lot more stuff to do before the PCs become Immortals. Two of the players have not played Paranoia before while the rest have. I'll need to acquire some rule books and find out which adventure I'm going to run, but that should be doable.
So thanks for reading, and you may see these players, if not necessarily these PCs, in other Adventure Paths in the not too distant future.