The first door that Vorsh opens merely leads to a small 20'x20' entre that is thick with the stench of stale air and sewage, but then the Holy Liberator leads them straight ahead through another set of double doors into a large high ceilinged room. This room has a long table at the far end with a dozen chairs around it, and stairs leading down in the centre. There is an architecturally impressive semi-circular hole in the room which allows a view down to the basement below - although it is now more scary than impressive since the hand rails have rotten away meaning this it would be all to easy to fall 10' into the cellar.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:33, Tue 01 Mar 2016.

"I added the table and chairs myself," says Vorsh. "The previous occupants took everything that wasn't nailed down when they were evicted." The room smells like piss and old sweat. Clearly many people had been living here for some time.

The party spread out and take in the sights. The basement is large but almost empty except a for a few pews stashed at the southern end. The central room on the ground floor actually has another room curved around it - and at the northern end of this is a gigantic bronze gong. Apparently this was just too big to steal.



Vorsh explains the plan. "I have used a powerful magical item (Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments) to turn this place into a cunning trap. When I flick a switch behind the central chair, where I will be sitting, all three of the doors out of the central room AND the door leading out from the entre will be locked. Then a split second later an iron portcullis will drop down behind them - obviously on the other side of the doors so Kogoloxen can't get at them. Then we release the rust monster and join in with the general carnage."

Barred Wooden Doors: 2" thich, Hardness 5, hp 20, break DC25
Iron Portcullis: 2" thick, Hardness 10, hp 60, Break DC 28, Lift DC 25
Gong: Anyone within 20' of the gong when it is struck must make a DC15 fort save of be deafened for 2d6 rounds.
Climbing up to the outer ring: The stone walls of this building are very smooth. Attempting the 10' climb up from the centre room up to the outer ring is a DC20 climb check.

OOC. So what is your plan for the coming four way battle? It will be the party plus Vorsh (and Kelthach) vs the Cabanites vs the Revolutionary Guard vs Kogoloxen.

I need to know you initial positions and also where the rust monster is going to start.

OOC: I am not sure, all the parties will be entering from the south door right ?, it is the only entrance into the building ?. Angati would check on that basement drop and search there before, to make sure there are no other entrances.

Kartach, I don't know where he may be, to witness ? or maybe he can make a scrying spell on Vorsh and that might be easier... ?

If all the parties are to enter, I would block the two lateral doors on the square room to the south, before the fight, so that people entering just have to come into the middle room.

We would all stay below, and hidden, when hells break loose, with a few ladders to climb up in a hurry several at a time, and not one by one.

Release the rust monster... maybe the one controlling needs to be up the room in order to command it.. maybe not ? I don't know.

After a while, climb up finish up.

A variation of this might be staying behind one of those doors to the central room. But... if people go down to avoid the carnage up.. we wouldn't be able to see them or finish them.

OOC: There's going to be a lot of activity in that little room.  I mean, if this is all the Cabanites and the Revolutionary Guard, that's 12 medium creatures, plus the large rust monster.  There's 100 spots to stand in that room, and just our enemies are going to be taking up roughly a fifth of them.

Speaking of that...if a mutual foe is flanking an enemy with Logan, does he get sneak attack damage?  Like if it's Logan - Cabanite - Revolutionary Guard, does Logan get a sneak attack versus the Cabanite?

I think my general plan is to outfit Logan with weapons I don't mind losing to Kogoloxon, which means leaving the enchanted rapier someplace safe.  Get another rapier (probably can't afford a MW one.)  Then we need to be on the main floor to stop the other weapons from battering down the doors and escaping Kogoloxon, or at least allowing the monster to be able to get past the iron bars itself.

Logan's fine with starting out by Vorsh at the back of the room.  Where are we hiding Kogoloxon?  In the basement?

OOC: The thing with them seeing you Logan, is that they will be able to charm you or control you. I think its better to remain hidden. Another option is invisible, if we invest in some invisibility scrolls. But I think, down while controlling krogloxon and then make him go up. while remaining hidden, later going up seems safest.

As for them being inconvenienced because of the little space, it really worries me not. None of us have wide area affecting spells like fireballs that we should be too mindful of that, and I'd rather they were, which is what will happen in a small room... I don't know, I think it favours us.

I think Celene would be best hidden somewhere near the gong ready to cast without incident from above. Is this all happening the same day as the bath house?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:49, Wed 02 Mar 2016.

OOC: First of all, I labelled the doors and the portcullis that will drop down on this new map.





Yes



OK, several of the party members do this. They find no hidden doors or similar.



He is way too low level to scry, you'll have to invite him a long. Don't worry, he is only a C list NPC so no biggie if your good intentions get him killed off.



OK, doors E & F blocked.



Ladders? There is a big staircase leading down to the cellar from the main room. It is just that there is ALSO a hole to the north of the staircase with an open drop.

Anyway, you can just run up the stairs...



Yes, Celene needs 'Speak with Animals' to be cast and also within earshot to give commands. Kogoloxen may listen to his new friend.



Yes



Maybe, although if he stays within 20' for 'Vorsh' he gets a bonus on his save and Czarine Valora has also used up her hypnotism powers for today.

Yes, same day. That first encounter was designed to suck up some of the spells that you and Angati have so this battle will be a little different from the typical 'sleep' and 'cause fear' combats we have been seeing :P

I used grease quite well. Only one sleep spell.

quote:

Yes, Celene needs 'Speak with Animals' to be cast and also within earshot to give commands. Kogoloxen may listen to his new friend.

I'm not sure that would work. There's two problems:
1. Speak with animals is a ranger/druid/bard spell only, and it's personal range. So Kassius could cast it on himself, but Celene would need a UMD check to activate it.
2. Rust Monster's are aberrations, not animals.

Just charming it should help somewhat. At the very least, it won't attack Celene...?



In terms of general strategy, I assume we're trying to avoid killing the innocent wielders of the weapons, yes? Logan, maybe you should pick up a Sap instead of a rapier, so you can deal non-lethal damage?

I'll probably be best positioned in the balcony. My bow should be safe enough from Kogoloxen, and I can fire more blunt arrows to do non-lethal damage.

Tongues then? We are using a Charm Monster spell to avoid the animal subtype.

In reply to Celene (msg # 12):

Tongues would work.

Should the charm work it should act as our ally. We just need to avoid attacking it at all so it won't get a bonus to its save.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:43, Thu 03 Mar 2016.

OOC: Ahhh.. ok, I thought those were stairs going up, as if there was a throne there or something.

Yeah, a sap probably works well for a primary weapon.  Plus, it's made of something non-ferrous, so wouldn't attract the rust monster.  And it's cheap!

I think i'll remove my chainmail if one of you can cast mage amor on m
e

I have a wand of it. 10 charges left I can cast it on us all if needed.

Yeah, I've got a +1 Chain Shirt.  Definitely wouldn't want to lose that.  Mage Armor would give me almost equivalent AC.

Also have a wand of magic missile to use after giving commands (suggestions) with a move action. I assume we'll want to take out/incapacitate the leaders first. If they only have enough humans to wield the weapons there is potential they will end up wasting actions by switching to the most powerful weapon if it is unused on the ground.

I also still have one use of grease left maybe we can get one of them dropped right off and have the monster take it out quickly say Czarine?

OOC: Can you guys please give me your starting co-ordinates now.



When Logan says that he wants to start at Vorsh's side the old warrior just grunts and mumbles something about how Logan should stay 'on his left so his sword arm is free'.

OÓC: Logan has been placed on the map next to Vorsh.