Finding the Spark (Pathfinder 1E Quest)

Goldfish said:

Do the other two guards we brought with us have Boots of Speed? BTW, what are their levels?

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They do not, they are level 5 Barbarians/Level 1 Ulfen guards

Okay, here's what I've got so far.

There are too many targets spread out too evenly to bother trying to target individuals, and with that many threats surrounding us, we can't afford to try focusing on Elywa. Bjorn and Eutropia can handle her, I hope.

Instead, we need to shape the battlefield to our advantage.

Mina's Ash Storm spell will effectively Blind everyone in the room who isn't protected by Ashen Path unless they have Blindsense or Blindsight. Neither of those abilities are common among most Demons and it isn't something Drow Fleshwarping can grant either. The spell will make the whole chamber Difficult Terrain, too. That halves movement speed and prevents anyone from Charging through it. The chamber is small, but preventing enemy Charges should help prevent us from being dogpiled. That's fine for us, though, since everyone will have Mythic Haste and extra Move Actions from Sirim.

Kori's Archon Aura is large enough that it will affect every enemy in the room. Some will save against it and depending on what they used to be before getting warped, some might have enough SR to resist, but most will be affected. A flat -2 penalty to saves, AC, and attacks can make a huge difference as a whole.

It's better for Sirim to use Mythic Haste here instead of those who have them using their Boots of Speed. This way everyone gets the AC and Reflex save bonuses, plus the added speed and Move Actions more than makes up for Mina's spell creating difficult terrain. Changed Sirim to casting a Slow spell on those least likely to be able to resist it. Between being Blinded and in Difficult Terrain, and being Slowed, it should be rough on those creatures.

Cob shadow teleporting over to the spider allows him to hit it hard right away, plus apply the Hampered condition to it, which halves it's speed. Between Mina's Ash and that, it will barely be able to move.

I'm still not sure about Gorok's actions, though. For now I've got him attacking the spider as a placeholder, but I'm not even sure if he can reach it to attack considering how many enemies are between it and us. Maybe have him hit one of the Ogres? Updated his actions to hanging close to the others and playing offensive defense for this first round.

[X] Choke on ash, Demon Bitch
-[X] Everyone immediately activates their Boots of Speed as a Free Action.
-[X] 1st: Mina, still Invisible, uses Wild Arcana to cast a Silent Ash Storm centered in the chamber.
--[X] Mina's Buffed Defenses:
---[X] 23 AC (Touch AC: 18) [10 + 2 (DEX) + 1 (Kilt) + 4 (Mage Armor) + 4 (Shield Spell) + 2 (Deflection)]
--[X] Ash Storm Spell: All sight is blocked and the ground becomes Difficult Terrain; -2 penalty to AC, lose Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance). Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone.
-[X] 2nd: Kori, still Invisible, uses Inspired Spell to cast a Piercing Archon's Aura spell.
--[X] Kori's Buffed Defenses:
---[X] 21 AC (Touch AC: 14) [10 + 2 (DEX) + 1 (Shield) + 6 (Cloak of Darkness) + 2 (Deflection)]
--[X] Archon's Aura Spell: DC 19 Wil save to negate, CL 13th to bypass Spell Resistance.
-[X] 3rd: Sirim, still Invisible, uses Wild Arcana to cast a Slow spell targeting the Ghonatines, Elywa's spider, and as many of the other Fleshwarped abominations near her as possible. If Mina's spell is Counterspelled or Dispelled, Sirim uses Wild Arcana to cast Ash Storm instead of slow.
--[X] Sirim's Buffed Defenses:
---[X] 26 AC (Touch AC: 22) [10 + 4 (DEX) + 2 (Size) + 4 (Mage Armor) + 4 (Shield Spell) + 2 (Deflection)]
---[X] Saves: +5 Fort, +8 Reflex, +8 Will
---[X] 1d4+2 Mirror Images
--[X] Slow Spell: DC 17 Will save to negate, CL 8th to bypass Spell Resistance.
-[X] 4th: Cob, still Invisible, expends one Mythic power as a Move Action to Shadow Teleport behind Elywa's spider to Sneak Attack it with Piranha Strike while activating Moment of Greatness, intending inflict the Hampered movement condition (reduce by 50% speed). He attacks it again, then expends another Mythic power to use Surprise Strike to make another Sneak Attack against it.
--[X] Cob's Buffed Defenses:
---[X] 24 AC (Touch AC: 20) [10 + 6 (DEX) + 1 (Size) + 4 (Mithril Chain Shirt) + 2 (Deflection) + 1 (Haste)]
---[X] Saves: +16 Reflex
--[X] Sneak Attack Piranha Strike: +25 (+4 Morale, +2 Luck, +1 Haste, +5 Sacred, +1 Trait, -2 Piranha Strike), 1d4+8+3d6 damage; 17-20/x2
---[X] Piranha Strike: +23 (+2 Morale, +2 Luck, +1 Haste, +5 Sacred, +1 Trait, -2 Piranha Strike), 1d4+8; 17-20/x2
----[X] Surprise Sneak Attack Piranha Strike: +24 (+1 Mythic, +2 Morale, +2 Luck, +1 Haste, +5 Sacred, +1 Trait, -2 Piranha Strike), 1d4+8+3d6 damage (bypasses DR); 17-20/x2
-[X] Gorok waits to see which enemy approaches Mina and Kori's position first. He Power Attacks them. If they are still alive, he expends one Mythic power to use Fleet Charge as a Swift Action, or Sudden Block if they would otherwise successfully attack him, to make another attack against them. If that target is slain by his initial Power Attacks, he instead chooses the next closest enemy approaching Mina and Kori, then uses Fleet Charge to attack them.
--[X] Gorok's Buffed Defenses:
---[X] 29 AC (Touch AC: 22) [10 + 5 (DEX) + 1 (Natural Armor) + 6 (Breastplate, DR 2/-) + 4 (Shield Spell) + 2 (Deflection) + 1 (Haste)]
---[X] Saves: +19 Fort, +20 Reflex, +13 Will
---[X] 1d4+2 Mirror Images
--[X] Power Attacks: +18/+18/+11(+5 Morale, +1 Haste), 2d6+14 damage; 15-20/x2
---[X] Fleet Charge/Sudden Block Power Attack: +19 (+5 Morale, +1 Haste, +1 Mythic), 2d6+14 damage; 15-20/x2
-[X] Pepper will try to wake up Sir Pisca and guide him out of the combat zone so he can gather his bearings.

@DragonParadox, am I reading this right?

Is the spider Huge-sized, with Elywa, her pet Ghonatines, and the rest of the Fleshwarped stuff all riding on its back?

Or is it just her on a Large-sized spider with the Ghonatines and other stuff standing in front of/beside her?

Goldfish said:

@DragonParadox, am I reading this right?

Is the spider Huge-sized, with Elywa, her pet Ghonatines, and the rest of the Fleshwarped stuff all riding on its back?

Or is it just her on a Large-sized spider with the Ghonatines and other stuff standing in front of/beside her?

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The latter, the derro are riding the lizard things, two of them to each.

I'm thinking about having Sirim cast Slow instead of Mythic Haste.


Four of our six melee combatants have Boots of Speed, so they could Haste themselves. It wouldn't be quite as good, they wouldn't get an extra Move Action, but it would still be pretty great. While the extra speed wouldn't hurt, considering we're making the chamber Difficult Terrain, it also isn't a huge help either.

Anyone affected by Slow is fairly well handicapped. Their attacks are limited and penalized, their AC suffers, and their speed is halved. Halved speed on top of Difficult Terrain is brutal for movement.

The problem is that it allows Will saves and Spell Resistance. Elywa and her Derro minions are guaranteed to have good SR and their Will saves should be pretty good, too. They're more likely than not to resist the Slow spell, but most other stuff, including the Large-sized Ghonatines, possibly the spider, and most of the Fleshwarped abominations should succumb.

EDIT: Swapped in Slow instead of Mythic Haste. Anything that fails to resist Kori's Archon Aura will also have a -2 penalty to resist Sirim's Slow spell, so that should help some.

Between the Ash, Archon's Aura, and Slow, anything affected by all three will have a -5 AC penalty (at a minimum), -3 attack penalty, -2 save penalty, and a 50% miss chance on top of the attack penalties. They'll also be moving at 1/4 speed.

Well shit, teleporting into the middle of the boss room, especially when you don't realize it, is certainly never a good thing.

Here is hoping blinding everyone helps.

[X] Goldfish

Massgamer said:

Well shit, teleporting into the middle of the boss room, especially when you don't realize it, is certainly never a good thing.

Here is hoping blinding everyone helps.

[X] Goldfish

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Yeah, seriously. I'm just glad we were prepared for an immediate fight at all, though. Having everyone buffed with Darkvision, Delay Poison, and Ashen Path is a huge help.

Massgamer said:

Well shit, teleporting into the middle of the boss room, especially when you don't realize it, is certainly never a good thing.

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Imagine what it feels like for the boss. You go about your business feeding your pet spider, and a horde of raging adventurers drops on your head. Are there any in the demonic pantheon who cover therapy?

At least we came in pre-buffed.

[x] Choke on ash, Demon Bitch

A few considersations. The actions of the supporting cast may be better spent trying to rouse Sir Pisca and getting him on his feet, maybe to a condition where he can stand his ground in the Ash Storm. Furthermore, I think Web wouldn't be out of place here (maybe next round), due to the number of enemies and everyone in our party having the means to resist it.

Can two rogues support each other by flanking attacks? Since Bjorn called for everyone to attack the spider, I imagine Princess Eutropia will be doing just that. I wonder how many sneak attacks can this thing take. Are spiders susceptible to those?

Nevill said:

A few considersations. The actions of the supporting cast may be better spent trying to rouse Sir Pisca and getting him on his feet, maybe to a condition where he can stand his ground in the Ash Storm. Furthermore, I think Web wouldn't be out of place here (maybe next round), due to the number of enemies and everyone in our party having the means to resist it.

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Yeah, Web is still on the table. It's probably Mina's next spell unless her efforts are needed elsewhere next round.

It ignores SR and targets Reflex saves, which are going to be significantly debuffed next round because Ash Storm is going to nuke enemy DEX bonuses, along with Kori and Sirim's spells also penalizing Reflex saves.

Trying to help Pisca isn't on the agenda right now, though. He is completely helpless, with no armor or weapons, and he won't be able to see in the Ash Storm. Best thing for him is to just stay unconscious. There are too many enemies to waste time dealing with him right now.

Nevill said:

Can two rogues support each other by flanking attacks? Since Bjorn called for everyone to attack the spider, I imagine Princess Eutropia will be doing just that. I wonder how many sneak attacks can this thing take. Are spiders succeptible to those?

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Yes, any two people can work together to Flank an enemy. A flanking Rogue can Sneak Attack with every attack they make. Next round, depending on where Eutropia is, she and Cob might be able to work together. Depends on whether she's fighting with Elywa.

Spiders, and Vermin in general, are vulnerable to Precision damage, Sneak Attacks included.

Oh, BTW, every member of our party is wearing a pair of Gloves of Arrow Snaring. They're a very affordable answer to ranged attacks. They only work twice per day, but that's still pretty good. Gorok and Cob also have Vambraces of Defense, so they can each deflect a third ranged attack.

Any of the Fleshwarped Drow archers that still manage a successful hit despite the blinding Ash and attack bonus debuffs are still likely to be frustrated if they are firing at our people.

[X] Goldfish

Goldfish said:

Trying to help Pisca isn't on the agenda right now, though. He is completely helpless, with no armor or weapons, and he won't be able to see in the Ash Storm. Best thing for him is to just stay unconscious. There are too many enemies to waste time dealing with him right now.

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I would normally agree, but.

* Sir Pisca is helpless, which means he is extremely vulnerable to a coup-de-grace.
* The two lvl 6 guards are unlikely to be of great help, not to the extent our core party members are.
* Ash Storm will be lasting for 6 rounds... I think? There are too many enemies for them to all go down in that timeframe.
* Instead of attacking enemies blindly, Pisca can spend the time equipping himself up to the task; we have armor and weapons to spare.
* While Sir Pisca will not be very effective in combat until the Storm drops, he is still a 99 HP combatant with Mirror Image, capable of tanking hits that would be ours otherwise.

The enemies might leave the unconscious knight well enough alone to focus on other threats, or they might not. The mitigation of the risk that they might not seems worthwhile to me, and it's best done early into the combat if it is to be done at all.
Then again, I wouldn't designate more resourses to this than the other two guards we brought (did we? the update says nothing about them, but they were in the plan), who currently are deemed insignificant and are left to pick their own goals in combat.

Nevill said:

I would normally agree, but.

* Sir Pisca is helpless, which means he is extremely vulnerable to a coup-de-grace.
* The two lvl 6 guards are unlikely to be of great help, not to the extent our core party members are.
* Ash Storm will be lasting for 6 rounds... I think? There are too many enemies for them to all go down in that timeframe.
* Instead of attacking enemies blindly, Pisca can spend the time equipping himself up to the task; we have armor and weapons to spare.
* While Sir Pisca will not be very effective in combat until the Storm drops, he is still a 99 HP combatant with Mirror Image, capable of tanking hits that would be ours otherwise.

The enemies might leave the unconscious knight well enough alone to focus on other threats, or they might not. The mitigation of the risk that they might not seems worthwhile to me, and it's best done early into the combat if it is to be done at all.
Then again, I wouldn't designate more resourses to this than the other two guards we brought (did we? the update says nothing about them, but they were in the plan), who currently are deemed insignificant and are left to pick their own goals in combat.

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We don't even know how Pisca was rendered unconscious. It could be a spell, poison, ability damage, etc. Taking the time to try to wake him up just isn't worth it when we don't even know if we can do it in a timely manner. Even if we can wake him up, he's more of a liability awake than he is laying their unconscious.

If he does wake up, he's going to be completely disoriented, possibly penalized by whatever knocked him out to begin with, and blinded by the Ash Storm. He wouldn't be able to see well enough to properly get into his borrowed armor, wouldn't be able to identify friend from foe, or even know which direction the enemies are in. Even if he gets coup de graced, it would be better for him to die here temporarily rather than us lose the fight because we spent critical actions trying to rouse him. I doubt we have to worry about that too much, though, as he's an unmoving lump on the floor right now while all the enemies are going to be blinded and debuffed; finding him well enough to attack him, then succeeding on the attack are pretty unlikely, especially when there are spells and active combat all around.

Those two lower level guards are better used helping with all of the enemies in the chamber. Even if they are only 6th level (our party is 6th level, too), they're still able combatants who have been buffed somewhat. They also have their Rage ability and Rage powers that will help them fight harder.

We need as many bodies between us and the Hive as possible right now when we can make the most of the chaos and confusion of our surprise round and ability to see through the Ash while the enemy is blind. I can't say for sure about the Drow archers and other Fleshwarped creatures (all together, I think there are about a dozen of them), but the two Ghonatines are CR 10 each and the two Derro are probably CR 10 each as well. No telling about Elywa or her spider mount.

The more of the lesser enemies that get cut down now, the better we'll be in a few rounds.

EDIT: @Nevill, I'll update the plan to have Pepper try to wake him up and guide him out of the most active part of the combat zone. If he can manage that, it will be one less thing to worry about later.

Update will be in the morning since this is liable to be very complex with a lot of moving parts and I do not want to mess it up any rolls.

Yeah.

Dropped in a room with over a dozen enemies, together with two mid-level NPCs to on our side to consider and also some more mooks.
No doubt this will be as messy behind the screen as it will be for the poor monsters who are suddenly facing an oversized party of meddling adventurers.

Updated the plan to include the buffs our people have to AC and saving throws over their regular numbers. This should hopefully make rolling the fight a bit easier for DP in the morning. Everyone's AC is between respectable and very good, so between that and the loads of debuffs we're employing, hopefully that will be enough.

This is a scary fight with a lot of enemies. Eutropia and Bjorn are going to have to carry most of the weight, but we should be able to help a lot. Just controlling the battlefield is critical, even if we don't collectively inflict a lot of damage.

[X] Choke on ash, Demon Bitch
-[X] Everyone immediately activates their Boots of Speed as a Free Action.
-[X] 1st: Mina, still Invisible, uses Wild Arcana to cast a Silent Ash Storm centered in the chamber.
--[X] Mina's Buffed Defenses:
---[X] 23 AC (Touch AC: 18) [10 + 2 (DEX) + 1 (Kilt) + 4 (Mage Armor) + 4 (Shield Spell) + 2 (Deflection)]
--[X] Ash Storm Spell: All sight is blocked and the ground becomes Difficult Terrain; -2 penalty to AC, lose Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance). Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone.
-[X] 2nd: Kori, still Invisible, uses Inspired Spell to cast a Piercing Archon's Aura spell.
--[X] Kori's Buffed Defenses:
---[X] 21 AC (Touch AC: 14) [10 + 2 (DEX) + 1 (Shield) + 6 (Cloak of Darkness) + 2 (Deflection)]
--[X] Archon's Aura Spell: DC 19 Wil save to negate, CL 13th to bypass Spell Resistance.
-[X] 3rd: Sirim, still Invisible, uses Wild Arcana to cast a Slow spell targeting the Ghonatines, Elywa's spider, and as many of the other Fleshwarped abominations near her as possible. If Mina's spell is Counterspelled or Dispelled, Sirim uses Wild Arcana to cast Ash Storm instead of slow.
--[X] Sirim's Buffed Defenses:
---[X] 26 AC (Touch AC: 22) [10 + 4 (DEX) + 2 (Size) + 4 (Mage Armor) + 4 (Shield Spell) + 2 (Deflection)]
---[X] Saves: +5 Fort, +8 Reflex, +8 Will
---[X] 1d4+2 Mirror Images
--[X] Slow Spell: DC 17 Will save to negate, CL 8th to bypass Spell Resistance.
-[X] 4th: Cob, still Invisible, expends one Mythic power as a Move Action to Shadow Teleport behind Elywa's spider to Sneak Attack it with Piranha Strike while activating Moment of Greatness, intending inflict the Hampered movement condition (reduce by 50% speed). He attacks it again, then expends another Mythic power to use Surprise Strike to make another Sneak Attack against it.
--[X] Cob's Buffed Defenses:
---[X] 24 AC (Touch AC: 20) [10 + 6 (DEX) + 1 (Size) + 4 (Mithril Chain Shirt) + 2 (Deflection) + 1 (Haste)]
---[X] Saves: +16 Reflex
--[X] Sneak Attack Piranha Strike: +25 (+4 Morale, +2 Luck, +1 Haste, +5 Sacred, +1 Trait, -2 Piranha Strike), 1d4+8+3d6 damage; 17-20/x2
---[X] Piranha Strike: +23 (+2 Morale, +2 Luck, +1 Haste, +5 Sacred, +1 Trait, -2 Piranha Strike), 1d4+8; 17-20/x2
----[X] Surprise Sneak Attack Piranha Strike: +24 (+1 Mythic, +2 Morale, +2 Luck, +1 Haste, +5 Sacred, +1 Trait, -2 Piranha Strike), 1d4+8+3d6 damage (bypasses DR); 17-20/x2
-[X] Gorok waits to see which enemy approaches Mina and Kori's position first. He Power Attacks them. If they are still alive, he expends one Mythic power to use Fleet Charge as a Swift Action, or Sudden Block if they would otherwise successfully attack him, to make another attack against them. If that target is slain by his initial Power Attacks, he instead chooses the next closest enemy approaching Mina and Kori, then uses Fleet Charge to attack them.
--[X] Gorok's Buffed Defenses:
---[X] 29 AC (Touch AC: 22) [10 + 5 (DEX) + 1 (Natural Armor) + 6 (Breastplate, DR 2/-) + 4 (Shield Spell) + 2 (Deflection) + 1 (Haste)]
---[X] Saves: +19 Fort, +20 Reflex, +13 Will
---[X] 1d4+2 Mirror Images
--[X] Power Attacks: +18/+18/+11(+5 Morale, +1 Haste), 2d6+14 damage; 15-20/x2
---[X] Fleet Charge/Sudden Block Power Attack: +19 (+5 Morale, +1 Haste, +1 Mythic), 2d6+14 damage; 15-20/x2
-[X] Pepper will try to wake up Sir Pisca and guide him out of the combat zone so he can gather his bearings.

Vote closed.

Yeah, kinda what I was concerned about.

...and there is also likely-dead-Saenar to worry about. I thought we'd reserve the Raise Dead scroll for him (with due recompense, of course).

We can ignore the threat and keep going, we have the means to restore Pisca, but it might be cheaper to just rescue him. Better still if we get him to wake up and hold a sword.

I am interested in Cob's and Eutropia's to-hit and damage rolls; I want to see which rogue build does more damage. I hope to see the two of them to cooperate on the same target... eventually. Eutropia's Assault Leader sounds particularly delightful with this combination.

Bjorn's damage output is also of interest. That 97 couldn't have come from a single source, could it?

DragonParadox said:

Order of initiative is Cob, surviving Ghonhatine, archers, Princess, Elywa, Bjorn, Eutropia

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That's some serious ability, getting your title to fight for you. And it goes first, too!

Sorry, Pisca, but you might need a Raise Dead spell when this is all said and done. Winning this fight is too important to half-ass it now. If the Derro uses it's turn trying to perform a full round action like a coup de grace, that will keep it occupied for at least one round.

@DragonParadox, from what I understand here, Cob has taken his regular Move Action and made a full attack against Elywa, but still has his Swift Action he can use to attempt another Sneak Attack using Surprise Strike? Or is this a whole new round, and the Derro has already acted by snagging Pisca?

How many people did Sirim's Slow spell manage to affect? Which ones?

Is Elywa some sort of Half-Fiend Drider?

Nevill said:

I am interested in Cob's and Eutropia's to-hit and damage rolls, I want to see which rogue build does more damage. I hope to see the two of them to cooperate on the same target... eventually. Eutropia's Assault Leader sounds particularly delightful with this combination.

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Eutropia does more damage on a per hit basis right now. She has a higher Sneak Attack bonus, does some extra Precision damage, and has a much better weapon. Makes sense considering that she has 7 levels on Cob at the moment.

Nevill said:

We can ignore the threat and keep going, we have the means to restore Pisca, but it might be cheaper to just rescue him.

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Definitely not cheaper if more people die because we get distracted, especially if we lose. Also, pretty sure the princess would be footing the bill for raising Pisca.

Nevill said:

That's some serious ability, getting your title to fight for you. And it goes first, too!

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Fixed

Goldfish said:

@DragonParadox, from what I understand here, Cob has taken his regular Move Action and made a full attack against Elywa, but still has his Swift Action he can use to attempt another Sneak Attack using Surprise Strike? Or is this a whole new round, and the Derro has already acted by snagging Pisca?

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It's a new round, now the enemies get to move.

I don't see the spider on the list of creatures to move. Are we to assume Elywa and her spider act as one?

Goldfish said:

Definitely not cheaper if more people die because we get distracted, especially if we lose.

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I don't think that's the dichotomy here.

Cob's action next round isn't going to decide all of combat, and Elywa will get her turn regardless. Hopefully it'll be her last, but we'll see.

On a personal note, I'd like to extend the party member treatment to Sir Pisca, at least for this story arc.

Nevill said:

I don't see the spider on the list of creatures to move. Are we to assume Elywa and her spider act as one?

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Yes, the spider moves when she motions for it so since it's not smart enough to take it's own moves, but it is trained enough to attack on command

Nevill said:

Cob's action next round isn't going to decide all of combat, and Elywa will get her turn regardless. Hopefully it'll be her last, but we'll see.

On a personal note, I'd like to extend the party member treatment to Sir Pisca, at least for this story arc.

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The sooner she does, the sooner combat ends. The longer it goes on, the more chances there are for shit to go wrong, someone fighting on our side to get unlucky, for an enemy to get lucky, etc.

Pisca is a non-issue right now. He can't help win the fight any faster, but trying to help him cba make the fight take longer. Actually, he's keeping the Derro occupied, so he's being helpful in his own way. It has already taken its action this turn, so there are multiple ways it's actions next round could be interrupted, if it does decide to kill him instead of fighting us.