IC VIII Lost in the Flood

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia falls silent at all the eyes, shrinking back in horror now that she knows their origins. Nothing but eyes, thousands and thousands of eyes and there are so many. So many people behind those eyes, so many people who died horribly, perhaps even more than the horde...

And then Natalia thinks of the camp she exploded, all of those orcs exploding into ash anad chunks except for those perfect eyes and she falters and whimpers.

And hears a whistling noise from above. Natalia stops and jerks upwards towards the sound, devoutly grateful for anything to get her mind off of where it was headed.

She pauses and flies up to where Rhenner and Stephan pointed out the hollow, the same place where she heard the whine of flowing air. It's blocked off, and she gulps.

"You think...safe to cut?" Was it only when they touched the people that the spell responded so? They cut through the web before without a problem.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Stephan studies the webbing intensely "I don't know.... but I don't want to take any more risk" he pull out another bundle from his hip pouch and tosses it into the web.

Spoiler

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Using another charge of the survival pouch (I think we are 2/5, but I'm not sure) to produce another small bonfire.

[Admiral]

Stephan's flame burns a small hole in the web: through it they can see only darkness, and just barely the web-lined edges of what looks like a tunnel.

Spoiler

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Let me know if you want to expand the web with the flaming sword for three rounds like last time. Note that right now you have about 2 minutes left in Mithril's fly spell, plus or minus 18 seconds (you don't have timing devices).

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia peers through the gap in the web but can't see much beyond it. "Need faster burn," she mutters. Then pauses, looking at Rhenner. "What...about fireball?"

[CWater]

Rhenner hasn't said a word since they left the drow dead in the web, and doesn't speak now either. But he nods to Natalia and picks up a fireball orb from his bag and throws it to the path in the web.

Spoiler

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Using a 3d6 from the necklace that is in the bag.

Damage?: (3d6)[16]

[Admiral]

Rhenner's fireball burns brightly, and moments later almost nothing remains of the web. Luckily the party had flown a bit out of the way, because they can make out a rain of tiny falling cinders under where the web had been that likely represent hundreds of charred spider corpses.

The entire tunnel is now revealed: about thirty feet in diameter, heading straight up into the rock with no end in sight. The fireball had scorched the web several yards up into the tunnel, though it still appears to line the insides. The party ascends into the tunnel as quickly as they can.

Spoiler

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Another set of Spot/Listen please. Will be out on a run for a bit.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia shudders at the rain of charred spiders. But there's the exit. She swallows and flies upwards with her friends as fast as she can.

Spoiler: Perception checks:

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Spot: (d20+12)[14] Darn.
Listen: Take 10 for 22

[Dusk Eclipse]

Stephan flies up into the tunnel first, blazing sword ready to deal with anything that might threaten him or his companions.

Spoiler: Perception Rolls

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Spot (1d20+11)[27]
Listen (1d20+11)[15]

[CWater]

Spoiler: Sorry for being boring, can't think of any words

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Spot: (1d20+7)[11]
Listen: (1d20+5)[22]

[Admiral]

For some tense time the party ascends into the tunnel, wary of what may loom out of the darkness above or approach from below. Webs splay across the walls haphazardly.

Rhenner and Natalia are the first to hear the sounds of skittering coming from above. They have just barely enough time to shout out a warning before they can spot the source of the noise, and of the webs, bearing down upon them: two enormous spiders climbing along the edges of the web.

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Two monstrous spiders, both Huge Gargantuan, please forgive the error.

Party gets one pre-init round, at which time the spiders are 40 feet away from the party. Share what you do, if anything, then roll initiative please.

Could someone remind me whether anyone in the party has HP damage? Did Rhenner heal what was left?

About three rounds have passed, so roughly 1:40 of flight left.

[Admiral]

Spoiler

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Oh, almost forgot. Initiative Shiny: (1d20+2)[7].

Pre-init action:

Shiny twists his hand towards the oncoming spiders, and casts a spell centered between them. A burst of dust appears centered between them.

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In case you missed it from the last post, the spiders are Gargantuan, not Huge (such that they together take up basically the entire 40-foot tunnel).

Will save S1: (1d20+5)[8]
Will save S2: (1d20+5)[14]

The spiders seem to reel for a moment as they are blinded by Shiny's spell.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia screams as she sees the spiders bearing down on them. Quickly, her fingers trembling, she flies just a few feet to the spiders, preparing to draw a weapon or cast a spell or both, depending on the distance.

Spoiler: Couple questions

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are the spiders 40 feet away now? Do you want us to roll initiative now?

I'll choose what Natalia does once I know.

Natalia's down 5 hp but that's because of the negative level.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Sighing in relief at the effectiveness of Shiny's spell, Natalia flies forward, drawing her bow and splaying her hand over her chest, quickly casting the words of the spell. They're huge, enormous, disgusting and terrifying and they're blocking the path. The sight of them sets her heart racing, but they need to get through, and fast. She can't let her friends down.

Spoiler: Initiative

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(d20+10)[25]

Natalia moved so the spiders will be within 30 feet of her next turn. Is there map?

As she casts the spell she suddenly pauses in panic. Her magic's run dry--but how? How can this be? Unless the fatigue has reached deep into her mind where she finally found the magic...

The thought terrifies her even more.

[CWater]

The sudden appearance of enemies pushes any lingering unpleasant thoughts away from Rhenner's mind. When something is trying to kill you or your comrades, you brush aside such distractions and focus entirely on that threat; a lesson he hopes he has learned by now. The cleric detaches another fire orb (this time from the necklace he's wearing) and throws it at the overgrown arachnoids, then flies after Natalia, so that she is within the range of his spider repelling spell.

Spoiler

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In case the spiders win initiative and get to attack first. She did roll quite well though.

Question: How much higher AC Natalia has than Stephan? Sorry, I assume it is, but I can't figure out exactly how much, her sheet confuses me. ^^'
(This is relevant info, so I know what to cast next round.)

Fireball damage: (7d6)[24]
Ref save DC 14 for half.

[Admiral]

Spoiler

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S1 Ref save: (1d20+8)[11]
S2 Ref save: (1d20+8)[24]

One of the spiders takes the full blast of Rhenner's spell, while the other just barely skitters out of the worst of it.

[Dusk Eclipse]

As soon as Rhenner's fireball subsides Stephan flies into the spiders never taking his eyes from the frantic movement of the spiders, using the momentum from is charge Stephan starts spinning becoming a flaming tornado of blades.

Spoiler: Actions

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Swift Action: Enter Punishing Stance (AC lowes to 18)
Move Action: Move Adjacent to both spiders or if possible get into a possition that I'm flanked by both of them
Tumble check to avoid AoO (1d20+13)[23]
Standard Action: Initiate Mithril Tornado
Attack vs Spider 1 (PA -5/+10) (1d20+10)[20]
Crit Cofirm (1d20+13)[33]
Damage (3d6+15)[26]+[roll]1d6] Fire Crit damage (2d6+10)[14]

Attack vs Spider 2 (PA -5/+10) (1d20+10)[21]
Crit Cofirm (1d20+13)[31]
Damage (3d6+15)[22]+[roll]1d6] Fire Crit damage (2d6+10)[19]
non-action: Designate the healthiest spider as Dodge Target.

[Athedia]

Mithril hung back, letting her circlet refresh one last time. She was keeping a watchful eye on the others as she cast her spell. They had to hurry or fall and who knew how far down. And those eyes...

Spoiler

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MM: at weakest spider
Damage: (5d4+5)[19] and last refresh from circlet

[Dusk Eclipse]

Stephan dismisses the flaming greatsword with a hand gesture before drawing the dragonsplits and starts stabbing the wounded spider

Spoiler: Actions

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Free Action: Store the greatsword in the Glove of Master Strategist
Free Action 2: Draw Dragonsplits use them with piercing damage for crit range 19-20
Full Attack on Spider 1, if Stephan kills the spider then continue attacking the other one
Main Hand Attack 1 (1d20+12)[15]
Crit Confirm (1d20+15)[25]
Damage (2d6+4)[11] Crit (2d6+4)[10]

Off-hand Attack 1 (1d20+12)[13]
Crit confitm (1d20+13)[16]
Damage (2d6+2)[8] Crit (2d6+2)[7]

Attack 2 (1d20+7)[25]
Crit Confirm(1d20+10)[21]
Damage (2d6+4)[14] Crit (2d6+4)[12]

[Admiral]

Stephan's first swing is barely controlled, but as his quarry is blind it finds its mark. His third swing deals another wound.

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Still bloodied, alive. Luckily blindness leaves the spider both flat-footed and -2 to AC.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia follows with a quick flurry of arrows to the wounded spider, edging forward and preparing to draw her blades.

Spoiler: Attack!

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and afterwards Natalia 5 foot steps closer to them.

Attack: (d20+12)[16]
Crit: (d20+12)[26]
Damage: (d8)[3] plus sneak attack (6d6)[20]

Attack: (d20+7)[17]
crit: (d20+7)[8]
Damage: (d8)[6] plus sneak attack: (6d6)[13]

[Admiral]

With Natalia's second arrow, the spider screeches and tumbles down the tunnel, the rest of the party having to swerve sharply to the side to avoid it.

Spoiler

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Something (unmodified): (1d20)[8]

[Admiral]

As the spider collapses past Stephan, he spots something above the spiders that had been hidden from view by the spiders: a pair of spider like creatures clambering along the walls. Looking closer he sees they somehow have the upper bodies of female drow.

One of them waves out her hand towards the party, and they feel a wave of corruption overtake them.

Spoiler

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Unholy Blight. Everyone (5d8)[26] damage, DC 18 Will save for half and to avoid being sickened for (1d4)[1] rounds.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia doubles over, agonized by the wave of malevolence that falls over her--and everyone else, it seems. It's as if the evil in here was concentrated into a nearly tangible form and hurled straight at her.

Spoiler: Will save:

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(d20+4)[7] This is gonna hurt.

Yeah, knew it.

Natalia curls over in pain, sickened to her stomach, overwhelmed by the evil in the spell.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Stephans feels how the tendrils of magic try to dig deep into his being, but years of training allowed him to endure through the pain and sickness, though even then he feels how the dark magic saps his health.

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Immediate Action : Use Moment of the Perfect mind
Roll see this post

[Athedia]

Mithril gasped a deep breath as she felt the tendrils of magic work their way into her mind. They hurt but she could see Natalia was in much more agony than she was.

[Admiral]

The blind spider lashes out at where he'd felt Stephan to be.

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On Stephan:

Attack: (1d20+15)[31] Crit: (1d20+15)[30]
Damage: (2d8+10)[18] Crit: (2d8+10)[12]
Miss on 1: (1d2)[1]
If hits, Fort save DC 20 or 2d6 poison.

Meta FYI: Looks like you're very lucky the other drow's Dispel Magic on Glitterdust didn't work.

Party's initiative.

[Admiral]

Shiny casts a spell of speed across all of the party.

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Haste. Will also hopefully help us speed us through this tunnel before we fall to our dooms.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia doubles over crying out in agony, and even when the initial sickening miasma leaves she still feels weak and shaken and faintly ill. She glances around at her friends, all of whom seemed to endure the attack better than her, except for Shiny, who also spasms in pain. It's hard to force her right hand under control, but they need to get through this spider and kill the driders. Fast.

Spoiler: Question before I go

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How far away is Natalia from the spider and the two driders?

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia grabs Shiny's hand, letting him know that she's still here, reaches out to briefly hold Mithril and Rhenner and Stephan even though they weren't as badly hurt. She then grits her teeth, grabs her bow again, and fires three arrows at the spider. She doesn't trust herself to get close enough to that thing, doesn't think she can dodge in her state where she's holding her gut after every nocked arrow.

Spoiler: Attack

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Yeah Natalia isn't getting close for the moment. 5 foot step though.

Attack: (d20+11)[15]
Crit: (d20+11)[23]
Damage: (d8)[8] plus sneak attack: (6d6)[22]

Attack: (d20+11)[24]
Crit: (d20+11)[22]
Damage: (d8)[6] plus sneak attack: (6d6)[25]

Attack: (d20+6)[21]
Crit: (d20+6)[10]
Damage: (d8)[4] plus sneak attack: (6d6)[10]

[Admiral]

All three of Natalia's arrows hit weak points on the spider, but it remains alive even after the barrage.

Spoiler

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Bloodied.