Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil (IC): Thread 2

[Shhalahr Windrider]

(( Oops. Said Grigor was up when it shoulda been Halgrim. ))

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 3 (cont.)

The ogre’s chain shirt absorbs Halgrim’s blow.

(( Actually, I was wrong with having the ogre have an AoO to you before. Halgrim provides cover for Grigor, which blocks AoOs. ))

Grigor heals Halgrim without any trouble.

Moonshadow is manages to shoot a ray of flame past his allies and into the ogre’s left shoulder. The ogre winces with a grunt of pain. Meanwhile, the snake strikes the ogre again. Wyrmspike doesn’t seem to be phased much by the bite.

(( Moonshadow—with the gnolls appearing to be down, you can bring the dire bat you summoned into a more useful position. Any change you want to make? ))

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 3 (cont.)

A gigantic bat suddenly appears above the guards. It swoops down upon the nearest one and takes a bite out of its neck and shoulder. The guard falls to the ground in a bloody mess.

The remaining human guards shout in fear but attack the bat in retaliation. One guard nicks one of its wings (( 7 damage )). Another lands a good blow to the bat’s neck (( Critical hit, 21 damage )).

(( End Round 3 ))

(( Tom’s up. ))

(( Map #11 ))

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom raises his crossbow and fires at the ogre, aiming high to miss its shorter opponents crowded around the door...

Spoiler

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Attack (1d20+7)[8] (this assumes -4 penalty for shooting into melee)
Damage (1d8+1)[8]

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 4

Tom overcompensates as he tries to fire over his companions’ heads and completely misses the ogre.

The gnolls behind the ogre attack Moonshadow’s summoned creatures, but both the snake and bat avoid their clumsy attacks.

The scaly humanoid moves around the corner, drawing a morning star. He looks past the ogre, observing the situation, obviously waiting for the right moment to act.

(( Megiddo ))

(( Map #12 ))

[Toliudar]

Meggido

The dour elf peers into the gloom of the passage and sees the clustering of forces at the intersection. While he would very much like to help more with this nasty ogre, the opportunity is irresistable.

"A bat, eh? How utterly convenient."

Murmuring a harsh phrase, Meggido suddenly has a small gleaming spark in his hand. He lobs this over the heads of his colleagues toward the passage intersection, where it explodes in a shower of light that sticks to everything nearby.

Spoiler

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Standard action: cast Glitterdust. If you like centring on a square, it's centred on 21,19. If you like centring on corners, it's at the SW corner of that square. Will DC 18 or blinded. Sorry, Quakes, but the bat will need to save as well. Hopefully, even a blinded bat will still be effective...almost proverbially so.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 4 (cont.)

Evidently, the scaled one was looking for a spellcaster, because as soon as it notices Megiddo begin casting his spell, it spits out its own words of power and waves a hand. As Megiddo completes his spell he can feel a wave of cold behind his eyes, but he fights it off (( Supposed to be a Fort save, but I thought it was a Will save when I entered the roll. I kept the d20 result, and it still succeeded: 1d20+3=22; Spellcraft: 1d20+16=32: blindness/deafness ))

Megiddo’s spell goes off at the same time, and from the reactions the guards, reptilian spellcaster, and ogre, it appears to be far more successful. (( The viper and bat both save, it appears none of the bad guys do. Talk about luck. ))

With an incoherent roar of frustration, the ogre starts to flail his club. Halgrim easily ducks under it this time.

(( No one moved. So same map. ))

(( Halgrim is up. ))

Spoiler: 'New' Initiative

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Order doesn’t change, but the counts do.

1. Tom (23)
2. Gnoll Guards (19)
3. Scaled Humanoid (15⁺⁺)
4. Megiddo (15⁺)
5. Wormspike (15)
6. Halgrim (14⁺)
7. Grigor (14)
8. Mereclar (12)
9. Moonshadow (4)
10. Human Guards (3)

[herrhauptmann]

Halgrim,

"C'mon now, why don't y'all just die already?" Halgrim swings again at the now blinded ogre.

Spoiler

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Power attack for 2 (+4 damage)
(1d20+9)[10]
Damage. (2d6+9)[19] B+P plus (1d6)[2] acid

Crit confirm.
(1d20+9)[11]
Damage. (2d6+9)[16] B+P
(2d6+9)[16] B+P

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 4 (cont.)

Halgrim missteps as he swings his mace and the resulting stumble causes his swing to miss.

(( Grigor up ))

[Lycar]

Grigor, human cleric

Sensing that the ogre is now a sitting duck, Grigor squeezes past Halgrim to get into a good position for an attack.

"Get aside! A wagon load of pain and suffering for those fools coming through!" he boasts. Seems like he enjoys playing the evil cleric.

Still, wedged between the big doors and the furious ogre, he finds barely enough space to swing his bastard sword properly. So he changes his grip, half-swording it and attempts to ram it into the ogre's belly.

Spoiler

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Attack: (1d20+7)[23], including the -1 for buckler use. Damage (1d10+6)[15] two-handed. AC 19 for this turn.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 4 (cont.)

Grigor manages to cut into the ogre’s arm.

(( Moonshadow up ))

(( Map 13 ))

[Quakes]

Not worried about a blind ogre attacking, Moonshadow steps up to straddle Mereclar's dying body and jabs at Wormspike, working in tandem with his horde of animal friends.

Spoiler

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Moonshadow attack
(1d20+9)[25]
damage
(2d6+2)[6]

Owl attack
(1d20+8)[13]
damage
(1d4-2)[-1] (min 1)

Snake Attack
(1d20+8)[20]
damage
(1d4+1)[2]
poison DC13
(1d6)[5] con damage

Bat attacks nearest injured guard
attack
(1d20+7)[23]
damage
(1d8+6)[9]

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 4 (cont.)

Moonshadow and the viper both find weaknesses in the ogre’s armor and manage to continue scratching him up, but the giant is still up and going, though he is obviously weakened beyond his troubled vision.

The bat takes a bite out of another nearby guard, and that guard drops to the ground as well.

Unable to see, the human guards start shouting over each other (“What happened?”, “Where are you?”, I can’t see!”, etc.) And begin to stumble away. This leaves one more guard vulnerable to a potentially fatal bite. The bat takes its opening, and another guard is down.

(( End Round 4 ))

(( Tom’s Up. ))

(( Map 14 ))

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom reloads and fires at the Ogre again...

Spoiler

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Attack (1d20+11)[21]
Damage (1d8+1)[2]

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 5

Tom’s bolt graze’s the ogre’s shoulder.

Like the humans, the gnolls begin stumbling away. The viper strikes at one of the gnolls (( Gnoll Guard 4 )) as it tries to find its way, managing to bit it in the leg.

Unlike the warriors, the spellcaster remains calm and speaks a few words of power and waves a claw (( Halgrim and Moonshadow recognize it as dispel magic )). The glowing motes covering him fade away. He hisses something unintelligible to all except Megiddo, who recognizes it as Draconic: “You’re not getting rid of me that easily!”

(( Megiddo’s Up. ))

(( Map 15 ))

[Toliudar]

Meggido pauses, seeming to weigh the wand he holds in one hand and the sword he holds in the other. He locks eyes with the strange lizard who seemed to be taking this as a personal affront.

"Very well. If you'd like to make this personal, that can be arranged."

There is a swirl of light around the elf's head, and the light seems to concentrate into his face. Forming a gentle 'o', his lips extrude a slender smoke ring that drifts toward the lizard. Darting to the doors, he flattens his back against the still-closed portal, contemplating his next move.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Standard action: manifesting Entangling Ectoplasm. Ranged touch attack to try to hit the lizard: (1d20+5)[19]

Move action: move to 14,19.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 5

(( Past the door, past allies, past the ogre—an improved cover situation if ever there was one, and… ))

The crystal flies through the air and actually manages to make contact with the spellcaster. It explodes into a sticky psionic goo. The spellcaster yells in surprise as he is covered in the stuff.

The ogre begins backing away, stumbling a little as he does so. He still takes a wild swing at what is in front of him. The massive club strikes Grigor in the chest (( 31 damage ))

(( Halgrim up ))

(( Map 16 ))

[herrhauptmann]

Halgrim,

"Listen bones of the earth." Halgrim lifts his hand and begans to chant, keeping an eye on the ogre. "Listen for so speaks Grumbars hand. Tremble and shake, crack and break." As he finishes the incantation, the stone floor before him explodes into lethal shower of rock and stone.

Spoiler

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Cast Erupting Earth defensively, centered on human guard 5's body. The affected area becomes dense rubble.
Concentration check: (1d20+12)[21]
Reflex save for half damage. DC 16.
(7d6)[36]
Wording of Spell.

Spoiler

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Casting time=1 standard action. Range: Long (400ft +40ft/level). Area: 20ft radius burst. Duration: Instantaneous. Saving Throw: Reflex half. Spell Resistance: No.
The spell causes loose rocks and dirt within the ground to explode. This flings dangerous shards and small stones through the area, turning the surface of the ground in the spell's area to dense rubble (DMG90). The shards and stones deal 1d6 points of damage per caster level (maximum 10d6).
When used in sand, the spell causes half damage (reflex for quarter), but creates a large cloud of sand which is similar to an Obscuring Mist spell. However, the spell takes twice as long to dissipate under windy conditions, and is not dissipated by the casting of fire spells such as fireball, flamestrike, and wall of fire.
The spell does function on solid stone, though all damage is now bludgeoning.

Edit: Map 17

Grigor is next, then Moonshadow.

[Lycar]

Grigor, human cleric

Grigor simply jabs his blade at the ogre again, hoping to take him out of the fight eventually.

"Why won't you die, abomination!"

Spoiler

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Attack: (1d20+7)[27], damage (1d10+6)[13]

[Quakes]

Spoiler

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Not sure how many animals are up. Snake will keep on the ogre, bat on the guards.

Watching the caster, Moonshadow prepares himself to disrupt the lizard's casting.

Spoiler

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ready action to cast Magic Missile when the caster acts.
(2d4+2)[9]

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 5 (cont.)

The ground bursts apart. Everyone caught in the blast does their best to duck out of the way, but in the end, the only two creatures left moving are the scaly spellcaster and Moonshadow’s giant bat.

(( Would Grigor like to revise his action? ))

(( Map 18 ))

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 5 (cont.)

Grigor runs up to the spellcaster and cuts into its side. (( Successful attack, but no crit. ))

As Grigor makes his charge, though, he notices a strange smell coming from around the spellcaster. As the blow strikes home, the odor takes on a sickening stench. This smell is soon obvious to Moonshadow and Halgrim as well. While Grigor and Halgrim are able to steel their stomachs, Moonshadow is left feeling rather nauseous (( Halgrim Fort 17, success; Grigor Fort 21, success; Moonshadow Fort 12 (accidentally said +7 instead of +6), fail, Sickened for 10 rounds. ))

(( Dire Bat, succeeds with a 15 ))

The summoned viper disappears, returning from whence it came.

As Moonshadow keeps an eye on the spellcaster, the summoned bat flies over to take a bite out of the reptile, but the spellcaster proves too well-armored.

(( End Round 5 ))

(( Tom’s Up. ))

(( Map #19 ))

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom reloads his crossbow and moves up to the entrance, looking for any remaining targets...

Spoiler

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Move to 15, 20
If that's inside the cloud (and Tom can see it), he'll stop short.

[Toliudar]

Meggido

Taking the slacking off of arrows and spells coming through the doorway as a good sign, Meggido peeks around the doorway. He spots the lizard, but sees his colleagues already zeroing in on it, and trusts to their ability. Taking a firm grip on his mother's blade, he picks his way forward through the bleeding and crumpled forms of those who had foolishly allied themselves with the enemies of their homeland.

Spoiler

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Double move forward, avoiding any move that brings him adjacent to the lizard guy. Ultimately, Meggido's intention is to get to 21,21.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Mt. Stalagos: Planting 26, Morning

Round 6

With the din of battle dying down, everyone begins to notice a strange baying sound coming from somewhere further within the mine.

The only obvious target Tom finds is the spellcaster entangled in psionic goo. Despite the assault on his stomach, Tom is able to keep the nausea from affecting him. (( Fort 18; Success ))

The reptilian spellcaster tries to get away from Grigor. Reacting to this movement, Moonshadow quickly casts a spell (( readied action triggered )) and bolts of magical energy fly from his hands, striking the creature in the head. The spellcaster drops to the floor.

Megiddo enters the chamber. The stench created by the spellcaster still hangs heavy in the air, violently assaulting the elf’s nostrils (( Fort 9, fail, sickened for 1 minute ))

With the battlefield suddenly quiet, it becomes easier to tell that the baying noise may be coming from behind the double doors up ahead.

Map 20

[Toliudar]

Meggido

With dozens of dead around them at their feet, the elf looks around on the floor for signs of movement, his sword held ready in his hand. He pokes cautiously at the forms around him.

"It would seem that subterfuge is not our forte. Well. So be it."

He glances at the big doors that seem to be holding back whatever was baying at them.

"I vote for NOT starting behind the door."

[herrhauptmann]

Halgrim,

He taps the buckle of his belt then drops to one knee and begins to check the belongings of Merclar and then the ogre. "One of them gnolls was trying to escape off to the right. Might be sometin we could use like healing potions. If we do that, I can slow our pursuit a mite. Unless they fly a'course."


((Healing belt. (2d8)[14]))

[Lycar]

Grigor, human cleric

"Indeed, so much for subtlety. Oh well, any battle you can still leave under your own power isn't the end of the world." Grigor says as he cleans his blade on some unfortunate dead foe's clothing.

"Good thinking Halgrim. Yes, let us look there first. But let us not forget that these guys are hardly going to be the only people here and that we caused enough of a racket to alert the entire hive so to speak. So, healing up people now."

Spoiler

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Grigor can heal up people to 1/2 full health at a rate of 3HP per standard action. After that he needs to use spells.

[Toliudar]

Meggido

Having poked through various important bits for the gnolls and men around him, Meggido pauses to sheathe both blade and wand, then reach back without looking, drawing a hooded lantern from his pack.

Meggido lifts the shutter of the lantern, reducing the gloom factor of the dark hallway, and bends to examine one of the human guards. Specifically, he's interested in any insignia that the guard might be wearing, either on his torso or as a talisman or the like. Oh, and money. Money might be useful.

[Swami Monsoon]

Tom looks around in awe at his new companions and at the corpses scattered all around...

These people are f%$king serious business. And from the looks of this place, that's not such a bad thing...

He starts to look over the bodies, searching for something of use or some clue about just what's going on here.

[Quakes]

Having completed it's work, the bat pops back to the plane from which it was summoned. Moonshadow sends it a silent thanks for its service, then moves around the bodies of the guards, ensuring that those that are not dead are made to be at peace. When he comes to the body of the mage, he searches him for scrolls or other magical implements that could be of use.

Perhaps we should examine the hallways to the north and south, as long as the thing that is banging back there seems to be unable to get through the doors. Perhaps we are lucky and it is a summoned creature and will go back to its home place shortly...

He doesn't count on this bit of luck though, and prepares himself mentally for a wildly charging creature.

Spoiler

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anything I can tell about the symbols on the floor from a distance?