Rob's Epic Level Campaign

[Dr_Nimm]

(Thinking to himself) "Most impressive! Aided by my elixirs, I have no doubt that he could cleave a Titan clean in half!"

[DM7581]

Though Bear Ghost was able to maintain his balance on the slippery, collapsing surface of ice he was standing on, the vicious bite delivered by the large remorhaz was too much for his temper to control. With blood-shot eyes and a terrifying howl, he hefts his axe, eyeing the beast.

Seeing as there was no straight line for a charge, and not wanting to endanger his ally (not yet anyway), Bear Ghost figured that since he couldn't go through or around Xavier (his image that is), he might as well go over him.

The strength of the leap was incredible, nearly destroying the surface below with it's power, allowing Bear Ghost to leap directly over Xavier with a single bound, well over his 6-foot height as well as easily across the 10 foot gap between him and the monster.

However, as a penalty for exiting a threatened square, the remorhaz strikes quickly at this (attack of) opportunity. As the beast lunges at Bear Ghost, it's attack is dead on... dead on the displaced image that Bear Ghost projects (Bear Ghost, I still need a copy of your sheet). It's giant maw nearly grazes the true Bear Ghost, while passing harmlessly through the displaced image.

Bear Ghost lands hard with a massive blow, following up with the remainder of his attacks, all of them hitting dead on. The first 4 attacks drop the creature in an explosion of heat, guts, and bile that is now covering Bear Ghost (no damage and your weapon seemed unscathed from the heat despite Xavier's warning), him howling in fury. He then cleaves recklessly into one of Xavier's images and then finishes his 5th swing on yet another of Xavier's images.

Due to the charge, a 5-foot step is not allowed, so Bear Ghost was unable to direct his attacks elsewhere. That leaves 6 images remaining. 1 will re-spawn on Xavier's turn.

Christopher is up next, but remember that he is nearly helpless, in the mouth of the other big remorhaz.

[Dr_Nimm]

This otherwise honorable savage clearly has severe and dangerous psychological derangements. I will suggest the administration of an anti-psychotic or sedative compound.

[Christ. Michael]

With my top half stuck inside a remorhaz, I'm assuming I don't have access to my hands.

(Shout) "Release me, fiend!"

I attempt to defensively cast Mass Charm Monster (Concentration roll 50) it has only a verbal component, and affects monsters whose combined HD do not exceed twice my level, or at least one creature regardless of HD. Will save is 10+ 10 (1/2 HD) + 10 (CHA) 30 for my racial ability.

[DM7581]

Christopher's muffed screams are barely understood as he activates his spell-like ability. His concentration check was successful (DC 28 in this case). Although he is able to activate his Mass Charm Monster, it doesn't seem to have an effect on the creature (sorry, I rolled a natural 20 on the Will save). It shakes off the effect rather quickly, continuing to grasp the poor, dangling cleric.

As a side note, your DC would be 28, 10+the spell-like ability's level (8)+your Cha modifier. Also, none of your spell-like abilities have any components, which is a nice bonus perk.

This leaves Christopher in the same predicament, dangling, at the mercy of his attacker...

Now it is the monster's turn.

The larger one continues it's bit down on Christopher, attempting to swallow him whole! Christopher, give me a Grapple check.

[Christ. Michael]

11+21 for 32

[DM7581]

The great strength and size of the remorhaz was simply too much for Christopher to resist. He gets swallowed whole (Grapple check 55). Christopher takes 40 points of bludgeoning damage and an additional 29 points of fire damage due to the gizzard (adjust for damage reduction).

The creature let's out a horrendous belch and then eyes Xavier and moves 15 feet in on him.

Meanwhile, the 2 smaller remorhazes advance on Xavier and Leena respectively.

Xavier, your stun condition expires, though it took your new initiative count. You cannot perform any actions other than an immediate action (or actions...) until your next turn. A new image appears (I placed it where the last one that was destroyed was).

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The smaller remorhaz on Xavier strikes on him once again, again bypassing his Mirror Image spell. He hits for 28 bite damage as well as 29 fire damage (adjust for damage reduction). It again attempts to bite down and hold on, but is unable to, shaking off it's confusion (Freedom of Movement).

As the remorhaz closes on Leena, Reli jumps to her defense, intercepting it. He has to move through the threatened squares of both the big and smaller remorhazes in the process.

The larger remorhaz bites down on him hard (natural 20 to hit, but a 1 on the critical confirmation!). Reli takes 41 bite damage as well as 44 fire damage. The creature then takes Reli entirely in his mouth, completely overpowering him as he did Christopher.

The smaller remorhaz bites at Reli as well. This one hits very hard (a critical, but this time confirmed!), latching onto Reli's leg in the process, Reli squealing in vicious pain. He takes an additional 61 bite damage and 32 fire damage from the hit. That last hit left Reli with a final squeal as well as a few minor spasms until his body relaxes, completely limp.

Leena sees this and is overwhelmed by tears. Not only in Reli dangling helplessly, he is not moving at all. The beast now looks ready to swallow him as it did Christopher.

This ends the 1st round. We are moving on to the top of the 2nd round. Dr. Nimm, you're (finally) up!

Spoiler

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[Dr_Nimm]

While heroes unleash mighty forces against colossal creatures, a tiny mumbling figure emerges from the obscurity, white hair fluttering wildly in the arctic winds. A weatherbeaten old gnome lifts his head to take in the sheer size of the monsters. "Hm." he grunts, as if they were a mere inconvenience.

He sees Reli get torn to bits. Greatly moved, he thinks to himself:

"That noble beast gave no thought to itself, but charged heedlessly at the first sign of danger toward its mistress. What little life remained in it is likely extinguished in the acidic environment of the gizzard of the remorhaz. Nevertheless, cutting Reli out will give me an opportunity to examine the remorhaz digestive system, something I've wanted to do for a long time."

DM: Am I aware that CM is also swallowed? Whats the wind speed and visibility?

[DM7581]

Yes, Dr. Nimm saw everything that happened in the first round (though not the surprise round). Although visibility is a little limited due to the snow, these creatures are pretty hard to miss. Also, from what you know, creatures that can swallow whole often times do it while their prey is still alive, relying on their digestive juices to finish the job. Now, Reli is still dangling, not yet swallowed, but seems quite limp from your vantage point. There is a good chance that Christopher is still alive in there though...

On a side note... that small remorhaz only did it's attack of opportunity; it never got to actually strike at Leena as it intended to do for it's action. Luckily for her, it misses, snapping at her just over her head.

Wind speed is about 35 mph (severe wind). Speaking of wind, Dr. Nimm, I need you to make a Fort save to stay on your feet as you are trudging along. Visibility is limited to less than half normal range... I'd say about 100 feet in these conditions.

[Dr_Nimm]

Fort 30. And Im small. Less surface area bro. Aerodynamic.

[DM7581]

Okay, so Dr. Nimm is stable enough and tough enough NOT to get chucked by the heavy wind. What does he do? Time's a tickin...

[Dr_Nimm]

Sadly, it would be illogical to assist Reli at this time, based on numerous calculations. The action with greatest probability of success is to keep Leena from the reach of the monsters, then help the unfortunate Mr. Michael.

Dr. Nimm reaches into his Personal Defense Organizer and withdraws a small satchel of dense powder, which he sprinkles on the end of his pipe. He takes a deep drag, and holds it for a moment.

Veins pulsate and he screams in agony. Vapor exudes from his body and crystallizes in the snow as the water is literally expelled from his cells, his body disintegrates into dust, yet held in suspension as an exact replica of himself.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/dust-form

"Don't worry everyone! I am perfectly safe. It is reversible. I think. It doesn't hurt anymore, in any case.

Anyway, these fascinating beasts are "Remorhaz" and they have special organs that sense vibrations in the ground, much like a Pit Viper, an obviously unrelated species.

LEENA come towards me, I will give you an elixir which will temporarily de-phlogistonate you and suspend the effects of gravity. You may then do as you please in relative safety."

I move towards Leena with a Fly Elixir in my hand. If she can't move without taking hits, I can deliver the elixir via touch once I arrive on my following turn.

[DM7581]

Dr. Nimm does exactly what he describes. After taking Dust Form, he is able to move up to his speed (20 feet?) in the direction of the rest of the party. Be aware that as you are incorporeal, you must wait for the extract to wear off before any of your gear becomes solid and useable by anyone else (everything is also in Dust Form, though you have no problem accessing your own belongings).

Current initiative order:
Dr. Nimm
Leena
Bear Ghost
Christopher Michael
Big Remorhaz
Xavier
Remorhaz

Leena, you're up.

[DM7581]

The smaller remorhaz on Xavier strikes on him once again, again bypassing his Mirror Image spell. He hits for 28 bite damage as well as 29 fire damage (adjust for damage reduction). It again attempts to bite down and hold on, but is unable to, shaking off it's confusion (Freedom of Movement).

As the remorhaz closes on Leena, Reli jumps to her defense, intercepting it. He has to move through the threatened squares of both the big and smaller remorhazes in the process.

The larger remorhaz bites down on him hard (natural 20 to hit, but a 1 on the critical confirmation!). Reli takes 41 bite damage as well as 44 fire damage. The creature then takes Reli entirely in his mouth, completely overpowering him as he did Christopher.

The smaller remorhaz bites at Reli as well. This one hits very hard (a critical, but this time confirmed!), latching onto Reli's leg in the process, Reli squealing in vicious pain. He takes an additional 61 bite damage and 32 fire damage from the hit. That last hit left Reli with a final squeal as well as a few minor spasms until his body relaxes, completely limp.

Corrections:

The smaller remorhaz on Xavier strikes on him once again, again bypassing his Mirror Image spell. He hits for 28 bite damage as well as 29 fire damage (adjust for damage reduction). It again attempts to bite down and hold on, but is unable to, shaking off it's confusion (Freedom of Movement).

As the remorhaz closes on Leena, Reli jumps to her defense, intercepting it. He has to move through the threatened squares of both the big and smaller remorhazes in the process.

The larger remorhaz bites down on him hard (natural 20 to hit, but a 1 on the critical confirmation!). Reli takes 41 bite damage as well as 44 fire damage. The creature then takes Reli entirely in his mouth, completely overpowering him as he did Christopher.

The smaller remorhaz bites at Reli as well. This one hits very hard (a critical, but this time confirmed!), latching onto Reli's leg in the process, Reli squealing in vicious pain. He takes an additional 61 bite damage and 32 fire damage from the hit. That last hit left Reli with a final squeal as well as a few minor spasms until his body relaxes, completely limp.

I incorrectly added in fire damage for the initial attacks, but it does not occur unless the creature is hit, is grappled, or has something or someone swallowed whole. The first one against Reli stands as it led to a grapple.

Reli still, however seems quite limp (almost as if he's given up), being completely overpowered.

[Leena]

Oh no! Reli!!!! Nasty despicable worm!!!!

I swiftly move away from the insignificant sorry-ass remorhaz and cast my heal animal companion spell and yell out to Reli, "make this monster wish he never lived!"

17 tumble check for moving out of the threatened range.

[DM7581]

Leena's Tumble check was just enough to move away from the smaller remorhaz that was threatening her. With a few arcane words and gestures, she casts her spell, touching Reli, who is instantaneously rejuvenated.

Reli's life force comes back at full strength.

Everyone can both see and hear the struggle that he is putting up with the larger creature, as his back legs attempt to kick itself out of the creature's grasp. He bites at it desperately from the inside, (though is unable to follow through with a trip), inflicting 27 points of damage. The extreme heat, though, causes him 21 points of damage.

A wave of relief passes over Leena as she sees Reli fight back, though he is still in quite the undesirable predicament.

Bear Ghost, you're up.

I want to remind everyone that all squares are to be treated as difficult terrain. This means that each square counts as 2 for the purpose of moving (Dr. Nimm is incorporeal, so he bypasses this) and that charging is not allowed. I gave Bear Ghost that last one due to the ridiculous Jump check. Remember that since each square counts as 2, there are no 5-foot steps allowed.

[DM7581]

I have done some research in updating the current Skill system. Apparently 3.5 is way behind, so I want to implement a modified Pathfinder/Star Wars Saga Edition/4e skill system.

Spoiler

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Skills

Class Skills give a +3 bonus, but there are no extra costs for purchasing cross-class skills. You no longer gain additional skills at first level. This is compensated by the +3 bonus you would get for a class skill.

Reduce class skill points allotted: 2 remains at 2, 4 reduces to 3, 6 reduces to 4, and 8 reduces to 5

Acrobatics (Dex): includes Balance, Escape Artist, Jump, Tumble
Alchemy (Int)
Appraise (Int)
Arcana (Int): includes Knowledge (arcana), Spellcraft, Use Magic Device
Athletics (Str): includes Climb, Jump, Swim
Bluff (Cha): includes Disguise
Concentration (Wis): includes Autohypnosis
Diplomacy (Cha)
Dungeoneering (Wis)
Heal (Wis)
History (Int)
Intimidate (Cha)
Linguistics (Int): includes Decipher Script, Forgery, Speak Language (works differently)
Nature: includes Handle Animal, Knowledge (nature), Survival
Perception (Wis): includes Listen, Search, Spot
Profession (Wis): includes Perform, Craft (armor smith, bow making, weapon smith)
Psionics (Int): includes Knowledge (psionics), Psicraft
Religion (Wis): includes Knowledge (religion), Spellcraft
Ride (Dex)
Sense Motive (Wis)
Stealth (Dex): includes Hide, Move Silently
Streetwise (Cha): includes Gather Information, Knowledge (local)
Thievery (Dex): includes Disable Device, Open Lock, Sleight of Hand

So, for example if you are a Cleric (Christopher Michael), there is no change to the number of skill points you receive, but since some skills have been folded into others, you may find yourself with extra points to spend. I tried to balance it so that classes that receive the least (2/level) skill points are not negatively affected, but in fact benefit while those who receive the most (the Rogue which is down to 5 from 8) do not have an excess (even when accounting for a Human bonus point or high Intelligence). I hope it's an improvement.

[Dr_Nimm]

Interesting. I'll try it out and give you feedback.

Autohypnosis! Cool. Very Dr. Nimm-ish

[DM7581]

Interesting. I'll try it out and give you feedback.

Autohypnosis! Cool. Very Dr. Nimm-ish

That is actually a Psionic skill, used to meditate and trance. I folded it into Concentration. I also changed Concentration from (Con) to (Wis). It was only a Constitution skill because they didn't have any. Constitution is important enough, though.

[Dr_Nimm]

Makes sense

[Bear_Ghost]

Bear Ghost leaps with a 57 on his jump check and attacks the one just north of Xavier. Roll to hit with power attack 5 .. 47/45/41/38/Nat 20(41)
Damage 66/58/59/61/219

[DM7581]

Bear Ghost explodes out from the ice once again, easily clearing the image of Xavier, as well as the rough terrain that was blocking his charge to the closest remorhaz.

As he approaches the creature through the air, it strikes at him, this time true with it's attack of opportunity, dealing 20 points of damage. It attempts to catch him out of the air...

Bear Ghost, give me an opposed grapple check.

[Dr_Nimm]

Lol how far do you jump w that? Oh wait in character;

"Egads! What a marvelous leap! How many leagues of distance did it measure?"

[Dr_Nimm]

"Ha! A mere 20 points of damage is mediocre to Bear Ghost! He is surely not even aware!"

[DM7581]

Lol how far do you jump w that? Oh wait in character;

"Egads! What a marvelous leap! How many leagues of distance did it measure?"

He only needed to clear 15 feet and his roll was good enough to clear over 25. That is a standing long jump. Pretty impressive by anyone's measure I say.

[DM7581]

"Ha! A mere 20 points of damage is mediocre to Bear Ghost! He is surely not even aware!"

Is Dr. Nimm saying this? Negative roleplaying points. This isn't Final Fantasy where the damage numbers pop out of whoever is hit.

[Dr_Nimm]

Lmao. With my supreme intellect I can calculate just how much injury someone sustains!

[DM7581]

Lmao. With my supreme intellect I can calculate just how much injury someone sustains!

Hmmm... I wouldn't know of your supreme intellect given that I do not have a copy of your sheet yet.

[Bear_Ghost]

Grapple Check: 57

[Dr_Nimm]

Kord himself would have failed that grapple attempt! Remorhaz: all flame but no heat!