Jallorn in the Jaws of the Jewelled Judge

[The_Snark]

The lost city of Utulha was only a few days from Stormreach, they said. Which showed how much they knew about Xen'drik, for nothing on the lost continent stayed in the same place for long. A thousand-foot spire might be found a day out from Stormreach, undisturbed since the Age of Giants despite the fact that it ought to have been visible from the city's walls—and a few days later, when the expedition returned, it could be weeks into the jungle. Only the newest visitors to Xen'drik bothered to buy maps, and they soon learned. Only the best navigators could find something on the Lost Continent—and only the bravest would dare its dangers.

Fortunately, Jallorn Drakath is one such. The journey has taken a week, but his guide is one of the best in Stormreach, and they have avoided many of its dangers. The rest have all fallen before the Dragon Mage's spells. Now they stand amid the ruins of the giant city, staring at the center spire. The tower is inaccessible to teleportation magic, just as the sages of the Twelve predicted... but within lies the fabled Stone of Utulha, a diamond said to show the one who holds it the path to his greatest desires.

The only entrance is a black, gaping hole at the front of the tower, leading to a steep set of golden stairs. Leaving his guide behind, our hero finds himself in a massive underground chamber, completely dark... save for a circle at the center, where a circular hole in the ceiling allows the sun to shine down into the chamber. It illuminates an enormous statue, a four-limbed creature upon a pedestal, covered in jewels of all types. The takings from this statue alone would sate the gem market of Stormreach for weeks.

But the reason no enterprising adventurer has pried the wealth from its many sockets quickly becomes clear. The huge statue stirs at the sound of footsteps, shaking itself awake. As it spots our hero, it bellows a challenge, and its footsteps boom as it advances...

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Start with any hour/level or other all-day buff spells you normally have cast; other than that, nothing. Roll for initiative; if you beat 23, take your first action!

[The_Snark]

Initiative order:
Jewelled Judge (23)
Jallorn (11)

Damage taken:
Jallorn: 73

Conditions and effects:
Jallorn: Contingency (Solid Fog when a blow would reduce him to 0 hit points or below)

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(1d20+5)[23]

[Jallorn]

Just posting my initiative for now, no time to do anything else. Will let you know what spells I have.
(1d20+4)[11]

Alright. I have a contingency spell to activate a prismatic sphere at my location if I fall unconsious. My ring has orders to heal me if I fall unconsious. That's it. I get Veist as well, right?

[The_Snark]

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Your familiar? Certainly. Contingency, however, can't store a spell with a level greater than 1/3 your caster level; I think that limits you to 7th level spells. Pick a different one in your next post, please.

It wins initiative, so...

The behemoth bounds forward, leaping off its pedestal with a thunderous crash closing the distance with terrifying speed. Before our hero can react, it is upon him! The mighty mage has a glimpse of its jeweled face, bereft of any eyes save for the diamonds and sapphires upon its brow, and then its jaws open wide. They snap shut with terrifying force... but the beast's teeth find nothing more than empty air!

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Charge (1d20+35)[36], damage (6d6+28)[44]. On a hit, it grapples, and as it has an absurdly high grapple modifier, I won't bother to roll. If you have Freedom of Movement, you're not grappled. Otherwise, yes.

Or it could roll a natural 1 and miss!

[Jallorn]

Then what about Solid Fog. And my AC is 31.

[The_Snark]

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Solid Fog is fine. Its attack technically beat your AC, but you got lucky and it rolled a 1.

You're currently next to it, unharmed and ungrappled. The room, for reference, is a rectangle, about three hundred feet wide in each direction; there's a few pillars to take cover behind. The ceiling is a hundred feet up; the pedestal in the middle is fifty feet high, and maybe fifty feet wide. The steps up it (it's a sort of ziggurat-looking thing) are too large to be of any use to a Medium-size creature.

Your move.

[Jallorn]

Jallorn casts fly and ascends to just below the ceiling, giving the statue a smirk.

[The_Snark]

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Moving out of/through its threatened area would provoke an attack of opportunity, remember. And Fly only gives a speed of 60 feet—you couldn't make it up to the ceiling all in one go, although if it didn't grab you you'd be out of its reach.

[Jallorn]

New plan. Jallorn takes a 5 foot step and casts Fly. Then he moves up 60 feet.

[The_Snark]

The bejeweled behemoth rears upward as the mage ascends—to no avail; the ancient blood of dragons propels our hero upward faster than the giant-magic that gives it life. Thwarted, it releases a thunderous bellow, loud enough that it is felt as much as heard—and it feels like being struck with a wall. The entire room shudders in sympathy; dust falls from the ceiling.

The ancient guardian of Xen'drik is not yet finished, either. The huge gems that stud its hide have absorbed the sun's rays for centures, and now they begin to glow with it, suffusing the room in a rainbow of color. The gems on its face flash brightly as it stares upwards, bathing our hero in sapphire light...

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(20d6)[73] sonic damage; Reflex DC 35 for half damage. In addition... (1d8)[5]

... make a DC 21 Fortitude save, or turn to stone.

[Jallorn]

Reflex save: (1d20+15)[30]

[Jallorn]

Fort save: [roll0]

[Jallorn]

er.. I mean: (1d20+14)[18]

[The_Snark]

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Action point! You add the highest of these three to your roll, so as long as you're not unlucky you pass: (3d6)[6][1][6](13)

Your turn.

[Jallorn]

Would the Jeweled Judge fit into a windowless ten foot forcecage?

[The_Snark]

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Nope. He's Colossal-sized, meaning he takes up a good 30 feet in combat.

[Jallorn]

Jallorn casts time stop (1d4+1)[5]

Then he places his staff in his left glove of storing (a free action)

So that's five turns.
Turn 1: Greater Invisibility, move up 40 feet then right 20.
Turn 2: Major Image to create duplicate Jallorn where he was.
Turn 3: Solid Fog where the Judge is.
Turn 4: Forcecage in the bar form around the judge.
Turn 5: Have the image descend to the ground.

[The_Snark]

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The Judge won't fit inside the barred cage version of Forcecage, either. You can replace that action with something else—it'd be pretty obvious that it's too big.

Also, and this is purely OOC advice, you really ought to think about ditching Forcecage for something else. I know it's generally considered one of the best spells, because it can end encounters without a save (unless they're too big or can teleport out), but that's exactly why it's bad for the game. If you like the idea, Resilient Sphere or Telekinetic Sphere are similar spells, but allow Reflex saves (and don't have expensive material components).

[Jallorn]

I'll figure that out a little later if you don't mind... like maybe tomorrow...heh..heh... but yeah, I'll look into that... Force Cage requires expensive material components?

[The_Snark]

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Yep. Consumes 1,500 gp worth of ruby dust every time you use it. Even at this level, it's not the sort of spell you want to throw around every day.

[Jallorn]

Have the image descent happen on turn 4, and ready an action to cast meteor swarm as soon as time restors itself.

[The_Snark]

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Mmmkay. By the way, when you make an attack or damaging spell, you usually roll the attack and damage—saves the DM the trouble of having to look up your statistics as well as the monster's.

I assume that you're aiming the spheres directly at the creature, since you have no reason not to.

Sphere 1: ranged touch (1d20+15)[24], bludgeoning (2d6)[6], miss chance (1-20 misses) (1d100)[78], SR check (1d20+21)[28]

Sphere 2: ranged touch (1d20+15)[21], bludgeoning (2d6)[3], miss chance (1-20 misses) (1d100)[23], SR check (1d20+21)[37]

Sphere 3: ranged touch (1d20+15)[17], bludgeoning (2d6)[6], miss chance (1-20 misses) (1d100)[24], SR check (1d20+21)[25]

Sphere 4: ranged touch (1d20+15)[21], bludgeoning (2d6)[3], miss chance (1-20 misses) (1d100)[51], SR check (1d20+21)[30]

Critical confirmation, if needed: (1d20+15)[17]

With an easy smile and a few words of the old Draconic tongue, the master mage casts a spell, and the beast beneath him slows until it has stopped altogether. Dust hangs in midair, and the shifting radiance the thing emits halts, leaving Jallorn immersed in a ray of deepest sapphire. The world is utterly silent: time itself has halted for the mage.

And then he fills the silence, speaking words of power. His flight spell carries him aloft to the ceiling as he weaves a glamer about himself, a spell that would be considered mighty to anyone else; to Archmage Jallorn, it is as a cantrip. Another spell spins a second Jallorn into existence, a phantom made from light and magic, which descends to stand before the monstrous Jeweled Judge.

A third spell produces a thick blue fog-bank about the Judge, ensnaring its legs and body, though the massive creature's back and head rise above it. The fourth, last, and most mighty spell... is incomplete, the last word and the last gesture held until time begins once more. The world itself seems to hold its breath.

Time returns abruptly, the return of the Judge's bellow breaking the silence cruelly. Our hero waits no longer: he speaks the Old Draconic word for fire, and points.

Molten rock coalesces before him, streaking downward and striking the guardian of Utulha's treasures. There is an explosion of fire and smoke, but before it can clear, a second blast strikes the monster. A third, though this one flies erratically and hits the wall next to it, and then a fourth.

And yet, when the smoke has cleared... the huge beast stands undaunted, albeit confused. It roars its fury, seeking a target to unleash its fury upon, and the illusory archmage standing before it catches its eye. The deadly light shining from its eye-gems floods forth again, and the monster stoops, confident that this time the intruder will not escape.

The figment shatters into nothingness as the Judge's jaws touch it, and it roars again, a quieter roar of bewilderment rather than a loud bellow of anger. It peers at the floor where the illusion of the mage stood, pawing at it to be sure the mage isn't somehow eluding its sight.

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Summary: It is undamaged. The illusion is dead, but it's still within the fog, and it doesn't seem to know where you are.