Starting this one OOC with a quote of the plan:
The Spirit Gorge strike force will consist of Afina, Tryll, Calleigh, and the Master. Using interplanar telepathic bond to remain in contact with Tepen at Aurora, they will Gate to the Gloaming Wood (now renamed Soulsworn by stupid devils) and proceed on foot to Spirit Gorge and wait until either reinforcements have been dispatched to aid Lethe or the battle has swung decisively in our favour. From here they will infiltrate the complex with the goal of ending the magic that is effected on Lief by whatever means necessary. Dispelling should work but removing or destroying Lief's corpse are also acceptable options. Further, the capture of Willah is a secondary goal, though her death is acceptable as well if this proves untenable. If neither are present the strike force will relocate to the former court of Alfheimr where Willah maintains her fief in hopes of capturing Willah from there and then obtaining information on Lief's location.
Once these goals are effected the strike force will evacuate back to Aurora which will then either retreat from Lethe or solidify control over the area depending on how the feint attack has progressed.
Any other prep to do, you two?
[16:21] <@Ebiris> roll 1d8+10 heroes feast temp hp
[16:21] <Serith> Ebiris roll for Serith < 13 > [d8=3]
I'm good. Afina will gate us from Water to near Spirit Gorge and we'll go from there.
Tepen will everyone in the group via interplanar telepathic bond so we can stay in touch with home and talk silently amongst ourselves.
Afina: 287+13/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23)
AC 87, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/10/10/10/9/9/9/8/7/8/7/5
Please hold briefly, this post is setting up the Master's stat block.
[spoiler]
The Master
HP: 304/304
Spells Active: Mind Blank (CL15), Fortunate Fate (CL13), Planar Tolerance (CL7), Greater Mage Armor (CL5), Interplanar Telepathic Bond (CL23)
Bonuses: -
Negative Conditions: -
Resources Used: -
Let's begin.
The four slip away and a single Gate opens the way.
The four of you stand in a dead forest. As if a great fire came through and nothing regrew, the ground ashes. The scent of smoke lingers in the air and it's hot. All around you is devastation, death and ruin.
Of course, why would they bother to clean up after themselves?
This more than proves the futility of devilkind to Afina's satisfaction. It's one thing to devastate a land while conquering it so you can build something better on the ashes, but Willah and her ilk just laze about on the ruins. Looking around a bit both to mark South and to figure out where she is... well, the foliage is wrong, but the lay of the land feels familiar enough to her after three and a half centuries of murdering all across this forest. 'This was the Duchess of Spider's territory, if I'm not mistaken,' she remarks telepathically to her companions, flitting down low against the ashes and charred wood for cover as she starts to move. 'She liked to capture pixies and other small fey in the webs of her pets. They didn't fare so well against devils.'
taking 10 for 67 and 63 on hide/move silently respectively
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23)
AC 87, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/10/10/10/9/9/8/8/7/8/7/5
The Master moves nigh-silently, following. 'Strange. Was she an Unseelie?' The Master asks.
Taking 10 for 60 on Hide and Move Silently.
'Yes. From what I've learned since leaving I believe almost all of Lifasa's Unseelie lived here. The rest of the world was much more harmonious,' Afina explains.
Missed the bus on this one, sorry. Didn't see this go up. Statblocks will be up in a bit. Life is...interesting.
Tryll and Calleigh remain incorporeal, moving in perfect silence.
'It's so different now. It's sad. We were here a long time ago, and it was so pretty.' Calleigh sends.
'It was,' Afina agrees. 'Even the dangerous parts were beautiful. The Duchess had a good eye for aesthetics.' She does wonder what happened to her, and the other notables who called these woods home. Are they all dead and living their next lives? Held captive by devils in some dark forgotten hole? Either way they've neither seen nor heard any trace of other survivors since the fall.
'Today may be the day we find them,' The Master murmurs into your minds. 'Meditate on the past later, for today is the day.'
'Yeah! Maybe we can rescue them too!' Calleigh cheers.
'We can only hope,' The Master murmurs. 'Focus.'
There's nothing else that really needs to be said, so Afina continues her hidden and soundless path towards Willah's torturous retreat, aiming to find a good vantage and then wait for word from Tepen.
Tryll and Calleigh follow dutifully!
> roll 1d100+9 sneaking
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 30 > [d100=21]
> roll 1d100+9 sneaking
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 37 > [d100=28]
The four of you move like ghosts - silent and unseen. The blasted and ruined forest holds little but signs of battle, and soon you see the devastated woods beginning to thin. The sign of the gorge, alright. It shouldn't be too much more ahead.
Once the charred woods have thinned out enough to open up a decent field of view, Afina will signal the group to stop while she surveys the area from a decent vantage, seeing what cover and obstacles lie in wait the rest of the way.
Make a Spot check.
[20:55] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+42 spot
[20:55] <Serith> Ebiris roll for Serith < 44 > [d20=2]
You look around. Ahead the trees (what's left of them) thin out. Far ahead you can see a great gorge in the ground, as if someone took a knife to the earth. Smoke and mists somewhat obscure the view, rising up from the gorge. Far ahead, mostly hidden, you can see the outline of a fortress or castle over the gorge, bestriding it.
You can also spot a few erinyes, flying about and keeping a watch. Fixed, interlocking patterns, so that eyes are on all directions at virtually all times. They execute these patterns with mechanical, practiced efficiency.
Nothing they can't deal with - they rely on far more than mere illusion for their stealth after all. Hunkering back down again she asks, 'Tryll, can you or Calleigh check for magic on our approach?'
She'd do it herself but they can manifest their psionic powers without having to speak aloud which is more convenient in the current situation.
Detect Psionics and True Seeing now active!A moment, and Tryll and Calleigh now see the unseen.
Tryll
HP: 237
AC: 45
Touch AC: 28
Flatfooted AC: 39
Active Effects: Inertial Armor (Extended, CL 25), Mind Blank (CL 15), Fortunate Fate (CL 13), Planar Tolerance (CL 7), Magic Circle Against Evil (CL 24), True Seeing (CL 25), Detect Psionics (CL 25)
Passive Effects: Incorporeal, Hide Mind
PP: 591
Calleigh
HP: 118
AC: 47
Touch AC: 25
Flatfooted AC: 36
Active Effects: Inertial Armor (Extended, CL 25), Mind Blank (CL 15), Fortunate Fate (CL 13), Planar Tolerance (CL 7), True Seeing (CL 25), Detect Psionics (CL 25)
Passive Effects: Magic Circle Against Evil, Tongues, Incorporeal, Improved Evasion
Psicrystal
HP: 118
AC: 31
Touch AC: 14
Flatfooted AC: 29
Active Effects: Inertial Armor (Extended, CL 25), Mind Blank (CL 15), Fortunate Fate (CL 13), Planar Tolerance (CL 7), Magic Circle Against Evil (CL 24)
Passive Effects: Unanimated (currently being used by Calleigh as a staff, gains no bonuses to initiative. No strength or dexterity score)
Psi-like ability (Ectoplasmic Shambler): Ready
Spellcraft or Psicraft.
<Rei-chan> DarthSquiddius rolled: 1d20+40 --> [ 1d20=20 ] {60}
TRYLL SEES ALL.
Within the range of your magic, you can see a strange aura. An aura that's making things darker, fouler. A curse on the land. You also note you're out of detect psionic's range for most of the gorge, the erinyes or the faraway half-seen castle or fortress, though.
'I see an aura over the land, corrupting it. It appears to be a curse? We're a bit too far away for finer details than that, though I do not appear to see any hidden enemies or traps nearby.'
'Devils make poor stewards. If it's not personally detrimental to us it doesn't matter, nothing's going to be rebuilt until all the devils are driven off,' Afina says, spending a little longer watching the airborne patrols. Their pattern is fairly good but can still be exploited by one swift enough, which is something this group can handle, but even if the method is good the implementation can be flawed by laziness or inattentiveness. That's what she looks for in the flying devils, that single weak link upon which the chain depends.
Make another Spot check, Afina.
[20:44] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+42
[20:44] <Rei-chan> Ebiris rolled : 1d20+42 --> [ 1d20=9 ]{51}
They are tireless and precise. No obvious weaknesses, only a few small gaps that speed might let you pass through, but it won't be easy.
Where they lack in land management the devils certainly excel in discipline. Afina even allows herself to be impressed, she doesn't think their own patrols around Aurora are so stringent, and this is a backwater by comparison... of course the current conditions might not reflect the norm, considering the high priority ritual probably being conducted here.
Still, she can tip the scales some. Calling on her connection with Air, Afina wrests control over the winds surrounding her. She doesn't use it near to its full potential, only manifesting the beginnings of a stiff breeze blowing Southeast. The devils can surely compensate but she's starting small so as to draw less of an immediate reaction.
Using Control Winds SLA to affect a 960 foot radius which is effecting as a wind blast at a level below strong winds.
The devils adjust almost immediately, the fliers skilled and able to roll with the wind. They don't even change directions slightly, keeping discipline in the face of your starting winds.
She's hardly surprised by that, such winds would barely bother a pixie, and devils have a lot more mass with which to resist. Still, she'll slowly increase the intensity while providing the odd flurry this way and that to keep things interesting.
Referring to: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/weather.htm#winds
We're starting at light winds, after a minute she'll increase it to moderate winds, then five minutes after that she'll increase it again to strong winds, and another three minutes before increasing to severe winds which are strong enough to check medium creatures on the ground and 'knock down' airborne medium creatures. Flying creatures are blown back 1d6x5 feet rather than knocked prone. A DC 30 fort save allows a creature to ignore the wind's effects.
Once it hits strong winds she'll start varying the direction every few rounds between East, Southeast, and South.
Moderate winds draw no more response than the previous. When you escalate to strong winds, a few gesture and chant arcane words.
A chance to react, be it Spellcraft or something else, Afina.
I'll spellcraft first of all, take 10 for 54
Belated note, if they're casting they need to make a concentration check. Per http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/concentration.htm the DC for weather caused by a spell is the same as the spell's DC, so 30 + spell level.
> roll 1d20+16 vs 30
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 33 > [d20=17]
So noted, they made Spellcraft.
They're casting detect magic.
That's annoying but can still be dealt with. Changing the wind direction to Eastwards so as to help prevent the sound of her voice from carrying towards the devils, and briefly flaring it to a severe gust before subsiding back down to strong, Afina employs a limited wish to obscure the magical aura of her weather working.
Using Limited Wish to emulate something like Misdirection (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/misdirection.htm) and replacing the aura of my magic with the aura of a random nearby rock. They get a will save DC 32 to see through it.
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23)
AC 87, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 25% spell failure
Spell charges: 6/10/10/10/9/9/8/7/7/8/7/5
> roll 1d20+13
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 24 > [d20=11]
The devils then continue the patrol, seemingly finding nothing wrong.
Going to continue with your plan after that?
Actually I'll wait a bit, since having my magic borked is annoying. I'll alternate the wind between moderate/strong/severe at random intervals while changing the direction now and then to kill time for a bit until we hear some word from Aurora about how things are developing at Lethe. Duration on control winds is 4 hours so I can keep it up a while
Okay, let me briefly pause you pending that. You're a tad ahead of them anyway.
As you wait, 'Afina, an update.' Tepen's voice, "Lethe is well defended. The first line fell quickly, but it was only a screening force. There are multiple combat groups, including teleportation or rapid movement capable ones that have flanked Aurora. They are not able to penetrate the outer barriers as of now. Additionally, Styx-water in the air is eroding magic by a process I believe to be making magic itself forget the Weave and fail. Reports of concentrated blasts of Styx-water on the front lines as well. General consensus is that this location is extremely important to Lixer and he is not sparing the defense.'
'Keep pushing for now,' Afina sends back. 'We're holding position at the edge of the gorge until devil reinforcements are committed to your area. You can ease back and take a more defensive posture once that happens.'
'Understood.' Tepen says.
Going to do anything else with that info?
Nope, we can't do anything to help from here. If it becomes a disastrous rout we'll abandon the mission to go save Aurora, but otherwise we stick with the plan. And that means waiting until I don't have spell failure anymore.
You settle into wait. The Master merely glances at you and nods, then at Tryll as well.
Y'all can chat mentally if you wish, otherwise waiting.
'I'm concerned that the assault on Lethe is running into so much difficulty,' Afina shares with Tryll and the Master (also Calleigh). 'As important as this mission is, we can't risk Aurora being overwhelmed and taken. If the battle turns against them and they can't retreat, we'll abandon our position here and go to relieve the situation on the Deep Ethereal.'
Really the unfortunate thing is that Afina is equally good slaughtering armies as infiltrating enemy strongholds; were she 'merely' an assassin she could be content that her presence at Lethe would only be a minor benefit. She just has to have faith in the capabilities of her friends and allies.
'It may be that Lethe is more important to things than the others, or has a secret Asmodeus is protecting for his son,' The Master considers, head bowed in thought. 'His other targets were well defended but not impossible, he even sacrificed the one on Vacuum in an attempt to destroy Aurora's heroes. What moves on the wind in such a way to be so stoutly defended?'
'He's probably had some help from Asmodeus in defending what he has left after losing three other strongholds, but I expected Lethe to be a softer target than Castle Crumbling, relying more on obscurity for defence. A dangerous assumption, I now recognise.'
'A wise man once said assumptions litter the road to ruin,' The Master says, 'Many great warriors have fallen under the weight of assumptions and hubris.'
'We may yet retain an opportunity here. That assumption can work in our favor. While the Aurora may be facing stiffer resistance than expected, we have not yet received a call for aid. We must trust in our allies, and our selves. Forces placed at Lethe are not placed here. Aurora is better equipped than our small group to deal with a large or entrenched foe. If they maintain communications similar to we, they likely will not expect us to be here, on Lifasa. Unless we are mistaken, we have them at a disadvantage here.' Tryll sends.
'I hope you are right.' The Master says, 'Lief deserves rest.'
'Update,' Afina hears in her mind, 'We're preparing a general fallback and retreat. Jaela has aborted her mission as well. Gisfal's opinion is that Lethe is far too protected to be a viable target right now.'
'Understood. Get out cleanly and let me know if you need support disengaging,' Afina says, somewhat disappointed. 'Otherwise we'll remain here and continue with our mission regardless. We have to hold position for a while so my magic can recover after I used a limited wish to evade detection earlier.'
'Understo-' Tepen stops, 'The sphere of force has been penetrated from behind, Lixer's gotten faster. We'll update you.'
'We can be there in an instant if you give the word,' Afina says, starting to shift back further into the burnt undergrowth while the winds start to die down to more of a gusty breeze. They'll stop if she gates out of here, so it may as well seem natural.
'Hold position in case we need that,' Tepen sends back, then silence.
All they can do is wait, then.
'Withdraw complete,' Tepen sounds in your mind. 'We're still dealing with losses, but assuming the amnesia can be reversed, they should be minimal. Our fairly defensive posture paid off,' Tepen sends to you.
'Pass on my compliments to everyone. We're going to hold here and continue with the mission in around half an hour. I'll keep you posted.'
'Understood.' Tepen says.
Going to do anything or fill the others in, or just wait?
I assumed Tepen was talking to all of us so they're in the loop. I'll wait, continuing to screw around with the wind so it's variable enough that any surges when we cross later won't draw special notice.
So noted. Give me a few to see how the other room's going to hash out real quick.
A half hour of waiting passes...
Go ahead.
Finally. Having the wind surge up against the patrolling erinyes so that the sound of her spellcasting couldn't carry towards them, Afina recasts greater heroism first of all. 'We're about to begin our approach past the outer patrols, will keep you updated,' she sends to Tepen before telling her other companions, 'I'll check the patrols with winds to leave them briefly out of position and distracted. That's our window, so go on my mark and stick close,' she advises, spending a moment preparing as the wind abates for a moment before it surges once more, severe gales battering the erinyes, poor fliers buffeted around while stronger fliers are merely checked, the end result is their carefully tailored formations are ruined for a moment as Afina darts down into the gorge, sticking to cover and passing beneath them hopefully unseen!
Taking 10 for 67 on hide and 63 on move silently.
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23)
AC 87, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/10/10/10/9/9/7/7/7/8/7/5
'Go!' The Master calls, following as silent and sneaky as he can be, blurring through shadows as he flies along fast.
> roll 1d20+50 Hide
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 57 > [d20=7]
> roll 1d20+50 Move Silently
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 70 > [d20=20]
Tryll and Calleigh, you're up.
Tryll and Calleigh phase through the ground, keeping up with Afina!
The party moves along in the few seconds they have, fast as the wind and silent as a breeze. They zip through the distance and to the castle over the gorge, reaching the far side. You don't have a lot of time - there's a big front gate, closed. There's windows one could fly into on towers that rise up over the castle. Alternately, there are nooks and crannies you could try and hide in, but you'd have to be good since there's not a lot of cover.
Nooks and crannies first, yes. 'Tryll, see if you can phase through the walls and find a good spot for us to breach,' she asks, settling down to hide and wait a moment while the wind continues to howl.
New set of hide checks for Master and Afina. No point rolling for Tryll and Calleigh, so long as they're staying phased within solid matter.
Taking 10 for 67
> roll 1d20+50 Master
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 51 > [d20=1]
Ball's in your court, Tryll.
Tryll and Calleigh inspect the area carefully, looking for a clear opening or an out of the way spot to breach physically.
There's lots of wall behind you. If you want something that requires less ghostly effort, there's windows in the towers above, as mentioned.
Tryll investigates the windows!
You peek in. It's a window and you can see the glint of an arrowhead. Just a bit back and out of immediate sight from below is an erinyes, arrow nocked and ready to fire. He gazes ahead unblinkingly, at the ready. Only your superior skills at hiding and incorporeal nature save you from being instantly spotted.
I thought erinyes are all female. Huh.
Clearly this is not a good location, and Tryll instead searches for another route.
There's been male erinyes before, it's sometimes more of a minor fallen angel set up. At least the way I run it, anyway.
Checking a few more windows reveals the same setup. Unless you care to phase through a wall blindly, there doesn't look to be any more openings nearby.
Tryll instead looks for walled up areas leading into store-rooms or any place where a good disintegration can make a relatively silent entrance that won't be immediately noticed.
The area you're around is made of the same stone at a glance. No disruptions or places that hint at what lies inside, just cold stone.
This assumes minimal to no ranks in Knowledge: A&E, if you do have some ranks, say so and I'll give you a different reply.
I do, actually. Modifier is 21.
It looks like one solid construction. There's no sign of renovations, at least from the outside. Inside's possible, but the castle's built for stability and defense. No weaknesses or places where the walls have been changed at all. You strongly suspect this will be true of the entire castle.
Tryll heads back to Afina, Calleigh joining the group shortly thereafter.
'The windows are heavily guarded. No blind spots. We can start looking for non-standard areas to breach if you like, though it may take more time and if we are discovered, things will likely rapidly devolve. Or I can try dominating one of the Devils guarding a window. I'm open to other ideas as well.'
'Can you prevent the sound of my spellcasting from carrying?' Afina asks. 'I'll do some magic and then try going through the walls faster than the eye can see, and if I find an empty or poorly defended room we can disintegrate the wall there and cover it with an illusion like when we attacked Hopelorn.'
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23)
AC 87, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/10/10/10/9/9/7/7/7/8/7/5
'Absolutely. Control of sound is within my abilities. Just say when.'
'Now, please,' Afina asks, waiting until Tryll confirms it's set. Casting her first spell, shadow form, turns her figure a monochrome greyscale instead of its usual colourful aspect. And then Afina appears in a slightly different pose and location with newfound knowledge!
Using a 9th level slot for 4 rounds of time stopped, shadow form lets me pass through solid barriers up to 10 feet thick as well as barriers composed of magical force or similar obstacles. Using that to go through the walls, having a brief look at wherever I end up, then checking out the room on its left, the room above it, and the room on its right before going back through to rejoin the party.
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23)
AC 87, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/10/10/10/9/8/7/7/7/7/7/5
For my own reference, what ability are you using to hide sound, Tryll?
Control Sound
Thanks.
Afina, do you have darkvision? Any extra-sensory means of sensing like blindsight or mindsight?
I have darkvision 60 and blindsense 30 and low-light vision
You come out in a hallway. It's pitch black here, plus your blindsense can detect humanoid shaped figures every 10ft in either direction, invisible to your naked eye. Going up you end up in a hallway much the same and with the same invisible figures in the same pattern, and the right and left are more hallway.
'How shall we proceed, general?'
'The layout's more open than Hopelorn,' Afina reports telepathically after her indeterminate absence. 'Long hallways running the perimeter, probably on every floor. They're dark with invisible creatures guarding every ten feet.'
Isn't that perfect distance for a contagious fireburst? Hmmm...
'We may have to go more blatant with our attack, I can't think of a way to get all four of us past there. Let me check from an aerial vantage first, and can you examine what magical defences are in place Tryll?' She'll also cast See Invisibility while he's keeping their sounds from escaping the area.
It's probably dimensionally warded but stranger oversights have happened. While he does that she accelerates herself fast enough that her appearance in the open won't be spotted, flying straight up above the castle to look down at it and briefly study its layout before she drops back down to rejoin the others, cutting through a hallway so she can have a look at just what the invisible humanoids are precisely.
6th level slot sacrificed for 1 round of time stop
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23)
AC 87, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/10/9/10/9/8/6/7/7/7/7/5
As Afina plots of firebursts spreading like Simmer's daydreams, she flies up. The castle is a boxy diamond at heart, with lots of tall towers. Nothing too fancy there, with a center that's perfectly distant from all sides. In the halls, you can see eryines stand at the ready, longswords in hand.
While waiting on Yuth doing some spellcrafting, how big is the castle? Like how far from an outer wall to the centre?
A couple thousand feet. It's maybe a mile in total area taken up, more or less. It's big.
Requesting 1d20+40 roll for psicraft
[20:11] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+40 psicraft
[20:11] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+40 psicraft --> [ 1d20=7 ]{47}
The area's warded to prevent teleportation, of course. Also unhallowed with a see invisibility spell that benefits everyone within.
Tryll shares this information with the group.
'Willah relies more on bodies than magic to protect herself,' The Master observes.
'The way she's laid it out I could bring down the castle with two spells,' Afina says, sorely tempted to do just that. 'The warding against teleportation, is it total or is there a gap to allow devils or those with keystones or the like through?'
To answer since you psicrafted: There isn't.
'It appears to be total. I saw no sign of loopholes or permission in the ward.'
'Alright, in that case we're going to be blatant about things,' Afina says, smiling a bit savagely at the prospect. 'Willah's almost certainly at the centre of the castle - it's the most defensible spot, but devil psychology wouldn't allow for anything less regardless. Once I bring the walls down we'll charge across the rubble straight there. Move away from the walls a bit and keep at least ten feet away from me,' she asks, casting planar bubble on herself and starting to burn with a primal connection to the plane of fire.
With that in place she phases back through the walls, stopping square between two of the carefully equidistant erinyes manning the hallways. They barely have a chance to notice Afina before she explodes however, stopping time so she can flee back outside before the cascading chain reaction brings down the castle!
Using Searing Blistering Contagious Pyroburst
[21:02] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+28 SR
[21:02] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+28 SR --> [ 1d20=18 ]{46}
Does 220 fire damage, ignoring all resistance and immunity (probably hardness too?) DC 37 reflex half. 15 foot radius burst, anything killed by it promptly detonates for the same damage with the same SR and DC as the original, with the same chance of spreading to anything it kills.
Anything that survives but failed its reflex save takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls and checks for 1 round
As soon as Afina lets that loose she time stops for 1 round (6th level slot) and flies back outside, concentrating on changing her control winds to tornado conditions within a 960 foot radius with an 80 foot safe zone surrounding her. DC 30 fort to negate wind conditions which otherwise functions like so. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/weather.htm#tornadoWind)
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24)
AC 87, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear
Spell charges: 6/10/9/10/9/8/5/6/7/7/7/4
Just out of curiosity, how you applying all that metamagic to a 10th level spell?
Searing is +1 and I have 11th level spells. Blistering is a 3/day freebie from my hat
Okay, cool. Not going to roll saves, there's so many that averages are called for. Also won't matter in some cases.
Chaos and fire follows. Mostly fire as explosions begin to rock the caste, spreading out in both directions as you summon a tornado, which rips into the erinyes patrollers and scatters them alla bout. Explosion after explosion rocks the castle as winds howl, walls shaking and some crumbling.
"Lets go, from above!" Afina shouts over the howling of her generated winds, flying up above the walls now and gesturing at the centre of the castle as she summons an earthquake (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/earthquake.htm) to further ruin its inhabitants' day! She also hastes the party because that's what she does.
Earthquake SLA, 80 foot radius aimed at the midpoint of the castle. Structure takes 100 points of damage (ignores hardness). If it collapses then any creatures beneath take 8d6 from collapsing rubble (DC 15 ref half) and get pinned
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24)
AC 95, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/10/9/10/9/8/5/6/7/7/7/4
Tryll and Calleigh follow after Afina silently!
Everyone follows. The castle shakes under Afina's power as walls collapse along with a few towers. The earthquake only makes it worse - save for the center, which as the shaking stops and the explosions cease, seem to be the only intact segment. The rest of the chaos is on fire, collapsed, damaged or just totalled. A cloud of dust rises up from the fallen towers, caught by the tornado and tossed all about.
'That makes this easy.' Trylls says.
Meanwhile, Calleigh's face is a mask of glee and wonder, taking in the chaos and fire as she keeps pace with Tryll.
'Judgment from above,' The Master says, watching the chaos calmly.
Flying unmolested towards the centre with all the guards dead or in disarray, Afina reflects that she could get used to doing sneaking missions like this. Maybe she'll bring Dana along next time? Yes, she'd like that.
Reaching the centremost point she opts to introduce herself properly, stopping time long enough to prepare some beneficial spells and disintegrate a chunk of roof before dropping a magmaberg down on whoever's there!
8th level slot for 3 rounds time stopped.
Round 1: cast shield
Round 2: cast fires of purity
round 3: cast disintegrate on roof
[21:43] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+38 ranged touch on disintegrate
[21:43] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+38 ranged touch on disintegrate --> [ 1d20=11 ]{49}
When time stop ends casting an energy substituted iceberg through the hole.
[21:44] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+27 magmaberg SR
[21:44] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+28 magmaberg SR --> [ 1d20=19 ]{47}
This does 120 crushing damage to anything directly below it (within 20 feet of the hole I made in the ceiling), no save and is buried under magma. Anything between 20 and 40 feet of impact gets to make a DC 36 reflex save or suffer the same fate. Half damage and not buried if save is made. Anything between 40 and 60 feet takes 60 damage, DC 36 reflex half, with no risk of being buried
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24)
AC 99, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/9/10/9/8/3/6/6/6/7/4
The roof disintegrates as desired, crumbling away into dust. Below are ornate rooms - a single pit fiend looking up in surprise as the magmaberg falls right on her. The ground shakes with the impact, magma flowing everywhere.
Act freely for now, she's not in position to do anything but try to escape.
"Willah? I hope that's you, it'd be a shame to go to all this trouble for a generic pit fiend," Afina says as she flies down through the opening in the ceiling like a figure out of nightmare... if you're a devil anyway. Winds continue to rage and howl, now centred solely on the midpoint of the fortress and raging unimpeded across its radius while Afina works some magic into the magma so as to leech the life out of anything within. "Don't touch the magma anyone else, it's not healthy," she suggests to her allies.
Casting a fire substituted Blood Snow on the magma.
[21:56] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+28 blood snow SR
[21:56] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+28 blood snow SR --> [ 1d20=9 ]{37}
DC 29 fort or suffer 1d2 con drain per round while also being nauseated (no effect if the save is made)
Also relevant rules for being buried by snow, which should apply to magma in this case since it's just an energy subbed ice spell
A buried creature can free itself with a DC 25 Strength check,
or can be dug out by other creatures. In 1 minute, using only its
hands, a creature can clear ice and debris equal to five times its
heavy load limit (see Table 9–1: Carrying Capacity, page 162 of
the Player's Handbook). The amount of tightly packed snow that
fills a 5-foot-by-5-foot area weighs 500 pounds. Armed with an
appropriate tool, such as a pick, crowbar, or shovel, a digger can
clear loose ice and debris twice as quickly as by hand.
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24)
AC 99, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/10/9/8/3/6/6/6/7/4
> roll 1d20+39
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+39 --> [ 1d20=15 ]{54}
The magma - stops. A powerful force throws it all side, revealing what is buried beneath. The pit fiend is burnt by your searing flames but intact, about 20ft below the party as the castle rocks and shakes. Her voice is seductive, even as she heaps scorn on you. "Aurora and Ilsenine's attack dog," she declares, wearing a rather battered silk dress, tightly clinging to her scaled body. She's beautiful in spite of it all, alluring in a way that awakens desires in all of you (besides Tryll). She stumbles and grimaces, holding one shoulder with her arm, "Surrender."
"...LAME." Calleigh says. "That wasn't even a proper evil monologue!"
Can I Detect Psionics to see if that's an active effect or if it's ambient?
Yes, but hold that for now, as there's good odds this is about to go all initiative.
"Her Majesty requests your presence, Willah," Afina says, unperturbed by the attack dog accusation. It's true after all! "Refusal I'm afraid is not an option."
And then because she's surely prepared plenty of defensive spells of her own in the time since Afina started blowing everything up, she points at the devil and forcibly disjoins her magic! Might even get whatever she's been doing to Lief with it.
Casting disjunction on my turn, how many checks to dispel?
[22:07] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+30 init
[22:07] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+30 init --> [ 1d20=14 ]{44}
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24)
AC 99, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/10/9/8/3/6/6/6/7/4
That would kick off. Roll init, Tryll and Calleigh.
> roll 1d20+9 Master
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+9 Master --> [ 1d20=17 ]{26}
> roll 1d20+29 Willah
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+29 Willah --> [ 1d20=8 ]{37}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+6 Tryll --> [ 1d20=4 ]{10}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+7 Calleigh --> [ 1d20=2 ]{9}
Init is Afina (44) > Willah (37) > Master (26) > Tryll (10) > Calleigh (9)
Open Afina. 9 things to dispel on her, go for it.
[22:13] <@Ebiris> roll 9#1d20+24
[22:13] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 9#1d20+24 --> [ 1d20=20 ]{44}, [ 1d20=11 ]{35}, [ 1d20=2 ]{26}, [ 1d20=18 ]{42}, [ 1d20=7 ]{31}, [ 1d20=4 ]{28}, [ 1d20=10 ]{34}, [ 1d20=2 ]{26}, [ 1d20=1 ]{25}
Also using Afame as swift for +4 dodge
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24)
AC 103, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/10/9/8/3/6/6/5/7/4
Magic collapses around Willah. She grimaces as she appears less beautiful now, far less captivating. "All my loyal slaves," she says, "Dead! My castle..." The ground beneath her sinks several inches, the entire castle groaning and starting to fall. "Ruined! Your souls will burn in the Lake of Fire for all eternity!"
But nothing happens, your magic protecting you from it.
Willah grimaces more, pointing up at Afina. From the poisoned skies a bolt of green lighting falls down at her.
> roll 1d20+24
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+24 --> [ 1d20=11 ]{35}
Does not beat your SR.
But nothing happens to that, either.
Master'll hold for Tryll and Calleigh, since he's planning on knocking her out non-lethally as the finisher. Go you two.
Manifesting Twinned Ataxia
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+25+3 --> [ 1d20=3 ]{31}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+25+3 --> [ 1d20=12 ]{40}
Fort DC 30 halves damage of:
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d4 dex damage --> [ 1d4=4 ]{4}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d4 dex damage --> [ 1d4=4 ]{4}
In addition, if saves are failed:
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d100 --> [ 1d100=48 ]{48} Deafness
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d100 --> [ 1d100=82 ]{82} StunnedTryll
HP: 237
AC: 45
Touch AC: 28
Flatfooted AC: 39
Active Effects: Inertial Armor (Extended, CL 25), Mind Blank (CL 15), Fortunate Fate (CL 13), Planar Tolerance (CL 7), Magic Circle Against Evil (CL 24), True Seeing (CL 25), Detect Psionics (CL 25)
Passive Effects: Incorporeal, Hide Mind
PP: 566
Calleigh
HP: 118
AC: 47
Touch AC: 25
Flatfooted AC: 36
Active Effects: Inertial Armor (Extended, CL 25), Mind Blank (CL 15), Fortunate Fate (CL 13), Planar Tolerance (CL 7), True Seeing (CL 25), Detect Psionics (CL 25)
Passive Effects: Magic Circle Against Evil, Tongues, Incorporeal, Improved Evasion
Psicrystal
HP: 118
AC: 31
Touch AC: 14
Flatfooted AC: 29
Active Effects: Inertial Armor (Extended, CL 25), Mind Blank (CL 15), Fortunate Fate (CL 13), Planar Tolerance (CL 7), Magic Circle Against Evil (CL 24)
Passive Effects: Unanimated (currently being used by Calleigh as a staff, gains no bonuses to initiative. No strength or dexterity score)
Psi-like ability (Ectoplasmic Shambler): Ready
First one fails SR check, second one goes through.
> roll 1d20+23 vs the second, 1st didn't beat SR
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+23 vs the second, 1st didn't beat SR --> [ 1d20=5 ]{28}
Willah cries out helplessly as she's knocked to her knees, reeling and stunned.
Calleigh, anything? How long is she stunned?
It's not clearly defined in the spell text. Since you gave the power your stamp of approval and never specified, I suppose she's stunned forever.
In addition, if the Fortitude save is failed, they suffer a physical malady for 1d4+1 rounds. Roll 1d100 to determine effects.
From the text. Roll the 1d4+1.
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d4+1 --> [ 1d4=1 ]{2}
Whoops.
Calleigh aims a long, slim crystal at the insensate devil-nymph thing! A blob of unpleasant sticky mess flies out and slings itself at Willah-maybe!
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+24 ranged touch Calleigh --> [ 1d20=4 ]{28}
Hit.
She's entangled for 5 rounds.
Ectoplasm covers her further, leaving her even weaker.
The castle shakes as The Master falls after her, feet first at her exposed, vulnerable head.
> roll 1d20+26 (nonlethal, +2 charge, +5 mind over hand, -20 PA)
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+26 (nonlethal, +2 charge, +5 mind over hand, -20 PA) --> [ 1d20=17 ]{43}
> roll 4d8+34
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 4d8+34 --> [ 4d8=14 ]{48}
The blow snaps her head back as she's knocked flat on her back, groaning but still moving.
Afina, go.
[spoiler]
The Master
HP: 304/304
Spells Active: Mind Blank (CL15), Fortunate Fate (CL13), Planar Tolerance (CL7), Greater Mage Armor (CL5), Interplanar Telepathic Bond (CL23)
Bonuses: -
Negative Conditions: -
Resources Used: 1 use of mind over hand
[/quote]
Maybe she should tone down the winds a little? Nah.
Flying down after the Master, Afina smacks the flat of Afame against Willah's cheeks, knocking them back and forth. "Tryll, Calleigh, have a look around for Lief's body! It should be nearby!" she calls up to the incorporeal duo, the treacherous Lifasan well in hand right now.
[22:53] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+57
[22:53] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+57 --> [ 1d20=1 ]{58}
[22:53] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+52 5th level arcane strike
[22:53] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+52 5th level arcane strike --> [ 1d20=4 ]{56}
-4 on those for nonlethal
[22:54] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+28 fires of purity SR
[22:54] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+28 fires of purity SR --> [ 1d20=3 ]{31}
[22:55] <@Ebiris> roll 1d4+24+2d6+2d6+2d6+5d6+2d6+1d6+5d4
[22:55] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d4+24+2d6+2d6+2d6+5d6+2d6+1d6+5d4 --> [ 1d4=2 2d6=7 2d6=12 2d6=6 5d6=19 2d6=11 1d6=2 5d4=15 ]{98}
Hits as good/chaotic/epic/silver
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24)
AC 103, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/10/9/8/3/6/6/5/7/4
The blow is enough as the castle groans again. Willah goes limp as you look around the room. A rich room of luxury, now burnt and ruined. There's two doors leading from it, one collapsed inward and the other knocked ajar.
"Come." A voice Afina knows speaks that from the door. A voice full of power, dark and terrible. Gathgorian invites you deeper within.
Free act.
True Seeing is active!
'If you are concerned that she will recover, I can decerebrate her if you like.'
"Or actually can you do a mind probe? Rip it from her mind," Afina gestures dismissively at Willah, casting floating disk so her worthless bulk can be carried around. "And if decerebrate means what I think it does then by all means, please."
Of course she knows Gathgorian's guarding Lief, but she might be wrong! It could be a delaying tactic.
Tryll doesn't see anything special, but a door is between him and where the voice came from.
As you hesitate, suddenly Afina feels dreadfully ill, spreading through her like needles into her veins.
Fort.
[23:04] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+29+24 blowing moment of prescience (+4 vs poison)
[23:04] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+29+24 blowing moment of prescience (+4 vs poison) --> [ 1d20=11 ]{64}
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24)
AC 103, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/10/9/8/3/6/6/5/7/4
'I can, though it may take me some time.'
You resist. How could you not? You are no longer a fey.
You resist Lief's call. You hear his cries with every fiber of your being, endless poison flowing. This is not your fate. The pain recedes, leaving you whole and untouched. Your bones ache and resonate with the fading pain. Lief is ahead.
"Forget it, we're leaving," Afina says, sending telepathically to Tepen. 'Willah is in our custody but Gathgorian is guarding Lief, we're going to flee.'
This has gone so well, why would she want to ruin it by fighting Abigor's replacement on a battlefield of his choosing? Accelerating herself suddenly, she rushes through the closed door like a shadow, faster than even a Goddess's eyes can perceive!
10th level slot dropped for 5 rounds of time stop.
Round 1: Cast moment of prescience and move towards where I felt Lief.
Will resolve further rounds depending on what I see.
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24)
AC 103, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/10/9/8/3/6/5/5/6/4
'Decerebration is the isolation of the brain from the rest of the body. While it won't instantly kill her, the body will die in a normal mortal after a few days. I'm unsure what an outsider's body would do, as they require neither food or water.' Tryll says as Afina blurs away.
'Understood,' Tepen sends back. Afina rushes into the next room. It is small, comfortable - and utterly undamaged, stable. Lying on a simple bier of onyx is Lief, pale as death and surrounded by visible to your see invisibility enhanced eyes spheres of glowing force. Gathgorian stands besides it - he does not move, save for his eyes. His eyes follow you as you enter, face frozen in a dreadful grin. His blade is in hand and he wears his armor.
The rest of the room is taken by arcane diagrams and markings. They look dreadfully complex and you'd need to spend some time studying them.
That's actually somewhat disconcerting, not even Sehanine could track her like this! But it only emphasises that their best option is to neutralise the threat and then leave rather than give Gathgorian the pitched battle he craves.
I don't care about the arcane diagrams and markings but I'm spellcrafting the spheres of force surrounding Lief. Taking 10 for 54
They're simple spheres of force. As the wall, except a defense around him. Something in the room's working around the problem of it mucking with contact with him, but odds are there's a great degree of magical bullshit going on here that makes it work anyway.
Rather than wasting a bunch of time and spells on disintegrating her way through the spheres, Afina just flies right through them with the benefit of her shadow form until she's close enough to touch Lief. No time for sentimentality here, a hand pressing against his chest and a flare of green light as she disintegrates his remains.
round 2
[23:25] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+38 ranged touch
[23:25] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+38 ranged touch --> [ 1d20=11 ]{49}
Roll damage, it might matter here.
DC 31 fort save if he's a creature rather than an object. But if he's a creature I can't actually target him during time stop.
[23:29] <@Ebiris> roll 40d6
[23:29] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 40d6 --> [ 40d6=136 ]{136}
[23:29] <@Ebiris> roll 5d6
[23:29] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 5d6 --> [ 5d6=19 ]{19}
5d6 is damage if the save is made
It's one of those weird half and half situations due to what he currently is.
Before you, Lief's body disintegrates. Around you is warmth, a happy laugh you haven't heard in some time. It brings to mind better days, of Lief racing about in his training. You hear him, "Thank you, Afina." As you process that, you feel new knowledge left behind. Fragments of Lief's practices and bow skill, coming to crystal clarity within your mind.
Afina gains weapon focus (longbow) as a bonus feat.
Do you have any more timestop time left?
I've got 3 rounds and I'm gonna use them!Phasing back out from the now redundant spheres of force, Afina meets Gathgorian's eyes as she works some magic to keep him out of the way.
Round 3
Prismatic wall cutting off Gathgorian's side of the room.
Round 4
Wall of stone directly behind the prismatic wall (on my side)
Round 5
Summon Monster X to summon 1d3 elder earth elementals with orders to delay Gathgorian once he gets past the walls
[23:42] <@Ebiris> roll 1d3 elder earth elementals
[23:42] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d3 elder earth elementals --> [ 1d3=2 ]{2}
And then she returns back to the room with Willah and the others."It's done, Lief is saved now we need to go before Gathgorian gets out of there. Can you get Willah up onto the roof?" she asks the Master. It'll be quicker to go that way than to push their way through the crumbling castle to get past the unhallowed dimension ward.
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24)
AC 103, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/10/9/8/2/6/4/5/5/4
'Let us leave now, then.'
Didn't you put her on a floating disc?
Yeah but they don't actually fly, they just hover over the ground at my speed. Once we're on the roof it's fine but I need someone to get her up there first.
Master's Strength score is 18, which isn't sufficient to move her by himself. Can anyone else contribute?
"In fact never mind, this is quicker," Afina promptly summons some air elementals!
[23:49] <@Ebiris> roll 2d4 large air elementals via Elemental Swarm
[23:49] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 2d4 large air elementals --> [ 2d4=7 ]{7}
Only 14 strength but being large lets you carry more and there's 7 of them!"Pick up that trash and follow us," she instructs the elementals, flying back up through the hole she made earlier and hasting the elementals to boot! Then it's a straight shoot over the tornado wracked roof to get clear of the unhallow so they can gate out!
'Lief's saved and we're leaving the dimensional blocking now. Where is Aurora?' she telepathically asks Tepen.
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24)
AC 103, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/8/9/8/2/6/4/5/5/4
'Elysium,' Tepen replies as all of you fly out. The castle groans beneath you and begins to fall - and about 40ft away and 50ft down, Gathgorian bursts through the ceiling, stone and wind flying from his sword slash. 'We can direct you once there with teleports for retrieval.'
A thick mist envelops Gathgorian!
Ectoplasmic Shambler from the psicrystal.
Of course, how foolish of her to think in two dimensional terms. "Go, hurry!" she urges, setting off in the opposite direction from the one Gathgorian burst free from!
Hopefully we can all take run actions, the elementals combined light load is 812lbs which lets them move at 130, otherwise they'll be slowed to 100. Afina is at 120. We'll move at the pace of whoever's slowest.
Init here, lemme see how you all line up for speed and I'll start resolving this.
[23:57] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+30 Afina init
[23:57] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+30 Afina init --> [ 1d20=11 ]{41}
[23:58] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+11 elemental group init
[23:58] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+11 elemental group init --> [ 1d20=6 ]{17}
Tryll & Calleigh are fleeing at 60 ft/round. Gathgorian needs to contend with the fact that he can't immediately see which direction we've fled in. It's not something he can use True Seeing to see through. It's not an illusory effect.
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+6 Tryll --> [ 1d20=19 ]{25}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+7 Calleigh --> [ 1d20=1 ]{8}
> roll 1d20+9 Master
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+9 Master --> [ 1d20=2 ]{11}
> roll 1d20+25 Gathgorian
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+25 Gathgorian --> [ 1d20=6 ]{31}
Init is Afina (41) > Gathgorian (31) > Tryll (25) > Elementals (17) > Master (11) > Calleigh (8)
Open Afina.
'I need something more definitive Tepen,' Afina replies, some strain showing in her telepathic voice as she slows her retreat somewhat both to stall Gathgorian and because she knows she's better able to handle his attacks and so can buy time for the others that way. 'We have a regenerating prisoner and Gathgorian right behind us.'
Flying ahead and gaining altitude so she doesn't veer too close to any friendlies while still channelling fire, she gestures back at the cornugon as another magmaberg coalesces into the befouled air above his head, plummeting straight down to drive him into the roof and bury him!
However since the safe zone of the tornado force winds only extends in an 80 foot radius around her she only moves 60 feet ahead so as to keep everyone within the eye of the storm. This does not include Gathgorian.
Using Afame as swift for +4 AC
[00:04] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+28 SR
[00:04] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+28 SR --> [ 1d20=11 ]{39}
120 damage and buried under magma, no save
Also if he's not buried he gets a DC 30 fort save or else is affected by tornado force winds
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), planar bubble (CL 24), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24)
AC 103, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/8/9/8/2/6/4/4/5/4
No good. The spell fails to harm him, yet you at least bury him briefly in magma, hopefully slowing him down.
Then, a moment later, the lava becomes volcanic glass, before it shatters around the Duke of Hell. He emerges from the falling mass of glass and the castle, both left to plunge in the gorge.
> roll 1d20+48 vs 30
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+48 vs 30 --> [ 1d20=14 ]{62}
Gathgorian slowly emerges back to where he was, before twin fireballs explode around Afina. The winds howl around him but he moves with a surety and ease that speaks of power or magic, the tornado hardly moving him at all. Moments later, twin fireballs explode around you.
Auto passes SR. Two Ref saves with a -3 penalty.
[00:18] <@Ebiris> roll 2#1d20+38 evasion
[00:18] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 2#1d20+38 evasion --> [ 1d20=17 ]{55}, [ 1d20=13 ]{51}
But Afina dodges. She avoids the searing hot flames, flames that leave little blisters over her that hurt in a way that normal fires don't. She feels unclean by the near contact, as...
'First layer,' Tepen says, 'By a lake and a valley, on the rolling open plains.'
Tryll.
Time slows to a grinding halt around Tryll & Calleigh. They don't stop moving but for brief spurts as powers are manifested.
Temporal Acceleration, shared. PP Cost: 23Eight giant vaguely-humanoid ectoplasmic constructs burst into being around Gathgarion.
Astral Construct manifested 4 times by Tryll, 4 times by Calleigh. Cost is 68 PP to Tryll & 68 PP to Calleigh's Psicrown. Calleigh & Tryll have advanced 240 ft in the intervening time.Time resumes normal flow, and the constructs all lunge at once.
Astral Blocker
HP: 144
Attacks: 2 slams +28 2d6+16
AC: 33
Abilities: Improved Fly, Pounce, Rend
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC1 --> [ 1d20=8 ]{38}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC1 --> [ 1d20=16 ]{46}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC2 --> [ 1d20=10 ]{40}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC2 --> [ 1d20=15 ]{45}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC3 --> [ 1d20=10 ]{40}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC3 --> [ 1d20=20 ]{50}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC3 crit check --> [ 1d20=20 ]{50}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC4 --> [ 1d20=4 ]{34}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC4 --> [ 1d20=17 ]{47}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC5 --> [ 1d20=12 ]{42}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC5 --> [ 1d20=10 ]{40}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC6 --> [ 1d20=5 ]{35}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC6 --> [ 1d20=18 ]{48}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC7 --> [ 1d20=18 ]{48}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC7 --> [ 1d20=12 ]{42}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC8 --> [ 1d20=13 ]{43}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC8 --> [ 1d20=20 ]{50}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 1d20+28+2 AC8 crit check --> [ 1d20=11 ]{41}
PLEASE NOTE: If any set of two attacks succeeds, that AC also Rends. Please let me know if any of them will be Rending today, as it is an additional amount of damage.
His AC's higher than they can hit, so only the natural 20s mean anything. That means 1 crit and one hit. Roll damage.
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 4d6+32 --> [ 4d6=16 ]{48}
<Kobot> DarthSquiddius rolled 2d6+16 --> [ 2d6=8 ]{24}
The constructs pummel him all over - yet all but a few are pushed back with a single sword swings. The few blows that land don't even seem to register, the slight nicks they cause healing in a second. At least he's surrounded now, as...
Elementals.
The elementals follow Afina's bidding and fly onwards with their captured pit fiend, moving eighty feet past Afina and towards the edge of the safe zone!
Double moving.
Init is Afina (41) > Gathgorian (31) > Tryll (25) > Elementals (17) > Master (11) > Calleigh (8)
The Master does the same, following a good clip, "Let us collect our victory and survive," he advises.
Calleigh.
Double move for Calleigh. 120 ft.
Afina, go.
There's not much room for any of her summons to get in amidst the throng currently assailing Gathgorian so Afina settles for just blocking his view so he can't hellball them anymore. Accelerating herself she does a few things!
8th level slot for 3 rounds of time stop
round 1: stop winds
round 2: dismiss planar bubble
round 3: cast prismatic wall between us and GathgorianWhen she comes out of that she's over by the elementals, the howling winds having abruptly died down. Battering Willah's head with her sword to keep the pit fiend under she flies another 120 feet onwards. "The way's clear, now run!"
[01:18] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+48 vs defenceless target nonlethal --> [ 1d20=16 ]{64}
[01:18] <@Ebiris> roll 1d4+24+2d6+2d6+2d6+5d6+2d6+1d6
[01:18] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d4+24+2d6+2d6+2d6+5d6+2d6+1d6 --> [ 1d4=1 2d6=7 2d6=3 2d6=11 5d6=15 2d6=9 1d6=1 ]{71}Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24)
AC 103, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/8/9/8/2/6/2/4/5/4
Gathgorian's up. What happens you don't know, as the party can't see him. Everyone's up, are you going to be running?
Yes, full steam ahead!
Full run-actions now yes.
Fleeing. The storm leaves the castle ruined. You're racing ahead, to the edge of it. No sign of Gathgorian as you're almost there - but in the air ahead you can see portals starting to open, dozens of them.
One round to act, y'all. Choose wisely. You're 50ft from the edge of the anti teleportation zone.
'Tepen, we're coming in hot with lots of opposition inbound on us!' Afina warns Tepen. There isn't much time to react no, but Afina can stretch a lot more into that time than most can!
11th level slot sacrificed for 6 rounds of time stop.
round 1: Open gate to Aurora on Elysium directly ahead of us at edge of dimensional warding
round 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6: Cast Prismatic wall 5 times forming a funnel with its narrowest point at my gate and spreading out in our direction. Intent is that anyone coming out of the other portals will have a wall between us/our portal and them. Each wall is 96x48 feet so they'll spread out past our current position and give us a good field of safety. Also one wall goes directly behind the gate so that no one who's not in our cone of safety can just dispel or dimensional anchor it."Our portal's the one between the rainbows, go straight for it!" she shouts, rushing onwards!
Afina: 287+20/287, heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 24), greater heroism (CL 24), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 23), haste (CL 24), shield (CL 24), fires of purity (CL 24), moment of prescience (CL 24)
AC 103, spell resistance 39, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease, poison, fear, 50% miss chance, freedom of movement
Spell charges: 6/9/8/8/9/8/2/6/0/1/5/3
Huh, it's written so you could use 10th+ spell slots with innervated speed. Interesting but food for another time.
The party rushes through as Afina aches. She's spent magic like mad, throwing about all her talents. But the moment you pass into Elysium, you feel better. The warmth of the realm welcomes you, sunshine washing away the pain of Lifasa. Aurora is before you, gates opening and soldiers coming out. Adrian leads them, "You alright?" he calls, "Get in here!""
Tryll & Calleigh hustle toward the gates!
Yeah, I did it back when I spammed all those disjunctions on Sehanine as well
Once everyone's through Afina shuts the Gate though she doubts any devils will want to come through and test themselves against Aurora's full might anyway. "Make way!" she calls, hurrying into Aurora proper. "Got a high value prisoner here, we need to get her locked down in the dungeons!"
Probably missed it in how hectic that battle was. I'm not about to nerf bat it, though I may add some cap so we don't see craziness like 10+ round time stops. Won't be immediately regardless.
Like this all of you race in, taking Willah with you.
We'll pause this thread here, do some OOC posting and then start new threads. Congratulations, y'all. You saved Lief's soul and captured Willah. The operation was ultimately a success, despite many stumbles.