Encounter 1: The Feast of All Souls

[PhaedrusXY]

"I doubt you'd just let me walk off, even if I did go with you to the underdark, and lead you right to the aboleth. And then, when you'd decided that I'd outlived my usefulness at last, it would be me alone facing all of you instead of me and my allies against yours. And who knows, maybe we'd all be captured and enslaved by mindflayers, or drow, or something, which could be a fate worse than death.

No, I will tell you which stone portal leads to the aboleth, and you can let us go. If you don't agree to that, then I guess the time for talking is over, and you'll have to figure out which portal leads to him on your own. Good luck. I hear some of those other portals lead to even worse places..."

As he speaks, the last of the visible goblins walks down into the pit, and a goblin riding a worg appears from the middle of the village, and walks over and picks the pit up as if it were a large black cloth.

"So, deal or no deal? My people are are ready to leave. If you agree to my offer, I will stay and draw the symbol of the portal that leads to the underdark for you. If not... I guess the time for talking is over..."

As he says the last, one of the drums changes from the chaotic, random beat they'd been keeping to something more steady, and ominous, like the sounds of an army marching to war. As the drum changes, you also hear the sound of a spell being cast. (Spellcraft DC 16 to identify the spell cast)

[spoiler]Intimidate makes him friendly, which would entail him offering advice and other minor things to aid you, but not risking his own hide. Going into the underdark, especially when you're an escaped slave from there, is definitely risking your hide.

I'll just tell you that he was lying when he said that he'd heard that other portals lead to worse places. He has no idea where the other portals lead to. If you want to bother rolling, the Sense Motive DC is 22 (I rolled poorly on his Bluff check).
[/spoiler]

[Kuroimaken]

<<This might hurt a bit, but it's going to get us out of this impasse better.>>

"Here's my counter-proposal. You do exactly as we're telling you to do, and we'll make sure you leave the place alive. You have a much better chance of being left alone and healthy that way."

As Raoul speaks, a very faint aura of power emanates from him. It flickers like the flame of a campfire, then suddenly flares as if picked up by the wind. Raoul's irises suddenly become as a snake's for a moment, as he approaches the barghest with a certain degree of caution. Meanwhile, someone suffers a quite excrutiating pain.

[spoiler]I'm suggesting the FUCK out of this barghest. Versatile Spellcaster burns the DC up to 20; Eldritch Corruption bumps that up to 22. Raoul will randomly select the closest ally to suffer the 2 points of Con damage, excluding RJ, as he promised. These aren't the droids you're looking for. (1d100=91) Whoohoo! Double effect![/spoiler]

[PhaedrusXY]

[spoiler]Ok, some problems are 1) You can't see the barghest to target him, as he is still invisible, and 2) The only allies you can see are some of Xuusovic's undead. Despite having Con scores from the Unliving template, I think they are still immune to damage to their physical ability scores.

You guys are all either invisible or hiding. I guess you could try to beat Marlowe's Hide check, though. [/spoiler]

[VennDygrem]

<<Gentlemen, we're going about this wrong. Like it or not, we need his information. If he leaves without it, we're just scrambling in the dark like a bunch of babies. Now are we going to stop playing around or are we going to get some work done?>>

[HeadofVecna]

[spoiler]On what init does the worg rider try to close the pit? I think that will trigger some held actions, assuming its after Khammeck, Oggug, or Siphsis in the 3rd round count. Pursuant to that, can Siphsis hear the rider (Listen check for Siphsis (1d20+14=24))?[/spoiler]

[PhaedrusXY]

[spoiler]On what init does the worg rider try to close the pit? I think that will trigger some held actions, assuming its after Khammeck, Oggug, or Siphsis in the 3rd round count. Pursuant to that, can Siphsis hear the rider (Listen check for Siphsis (1d20+14=24))?[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Sorry, didn't know you had any held actions. I must have missed that. It would have been near the bottom of the initiative order, as he delayed until they had all gotten into the pit. And yeah, he wasn't being especially quiet. So yeah, go ahead and take your readied actions. What were they? (And how did I miss that?   )

Edit: Ah, I see it back on page 3.

Back to the same old shit orders, except get to the enemy leader and cut his ass down if he tries to leave, closes the pit Ris-Janna described, or orders his fuckers to attack.

The enemy leader didn't do any of that, though. If you want to have your guys start attacking when his guy starts to close the pit, that's fine though. Go ahead and roll attacks. I'm tired of this Mexican standoff crap, anyway. Let's have some Blood.  

The only combatants that are visible are the goblin that picked up the pit and his worg, though. Against any of the others, you'll have a 50% miss chance (unless you can negate it somehow...).[/spoiler]

[Kuroimaken]

[spoiler]Ok, some problems are 1) You can't see the barghest to target him, as he is still invisible, and 2) The only allies you can see are some of Xuusovic's undead. Despite having Con scores from the Unliving template, I think they are still immune to damage to their physical ability scores.

You guys are all either invisible or hiding. I guess you could try to beat Marlowe's Hide check, though. [/spoiler]

[spoiler]Hmmm. The feat doesn't say anything about my allies needing to be within a specific distance (thus I assume no targetting on the backlash is involved). Seeing the barghest, on the other hand, poses a greater problem... but doesn't the description for Suggestion mention him needing to listen instead? I'm a little unsure as to whether I need line of sight for Suggestion to work (I presume I DO have line of effect if he can hear me).[/spoiler]

[VennDygrem]

-held post-

[HeadofVecna]

Eager for an excuse to attack, Khammeck leaps at the worg rider with a savage fusion of feline grace and unliving hunger. But hunger wins out. The weretiger slams into to the building's door frame as he slashes and bite's at the goblin and its bestial mount.
[spoiler]Attack rolls should be 1 higher for haste
Khammeck's attack rolls 1d20+13=20, 1d20+13=16, 1d20+13=18 and damage 1d20+8=12, 1d8+9=15, 1d8+9=16, 1d8+9=12, 2d6+5=7 position O/P 8/9[/spoiler]

Siphsis tastes the air and extends his cobra hood to better catch the sounds of his distant adversaries over Hannavrah's incessant singing. The Yuan-ti archer empties his thoughts, including a flash of annoyance at the hulking weretiger blocking his shot, and re-focuses on the enemy leader. Without lust of result Siphsis unleashes a volley of arrows arcing over the west-most building. [spoiler]Siphsis hasted zen archery attack rolls 1d20+13=33, 1d20+13=14, 1d20+8=25, damage rolls 1d8+3=8, 1d8+3=5, 1d8+3=5[/spoiler]

Oggug continues its ascent over the roof western building (G/H 12/13) and emits a moan so low it resonates unpleasantly with the bowels of those in the vicinity of the target and new owner of Siphsis' arrows. Xuuvosic steels himself against the horrible sound, vibrating powerfully against the back of his neck. With an unwelcome mental effort, the fiend  shifts his attention to the complex warp and weft of temporal forces. He tugs at a knot near the physical location of arrow. With luck, it would cause the enemy leader to fall helplessly forward in time to a point when circumstances would presumably be under better control. [spoiler]Oggug - Nausea Cone DC 15, Xuuvosic - Time hop DC 18[/spoiler]

[VennDygrem]

Cade smirks, though no one is able to see it. Unlike the other times, however, his face is... different. Just the expression, perhaps, but whatever it is, the intent has changed.

<<Wait... there is weakness now in the creature, their leader... He is misleading us about the danger in the rest of the Stones.. He doesn't, can't know... Besides, we can always test the stones one...by...one...>>

"You know... it's been too long since I've seen goblin blood...... Heh... heh... Shall I remind myself of its hue?"

The tone in Cade's voice has shifted from the last time he spoke. Those who know him know that it is now the Demon who speaks, rather than the Monk; and whereas the Monk sees the world in shades of gray, the Demon sees only red.

With these words and the actions of Xuuvosic's minions, Cade stumbles forth slowly into the action, his path not entirely straight. Should he see any enemies readily available, he strikes at them with a force and precision that is simply uncanny.

[spoiler]
Sense Motive, for the hell-of-it: 1d20(16)+8=24
I'm not sure which enemies are still around and not already in the pit, or if there are any (especially after X's minions are through with them!). But Cade, while not mindless, is lusting for blood. 

I've tried to include references to a semi-split personality before (more obvious than references, I think). While it's not quite the same as multiple personalities in the traditional sense, it's really two fragments of the same psyche. Cade is not possessed, he is not two minds sharing one body. However, the Monk strives for order and discipline while the Demon screams for chaos. The Monk is level-headed, sometimes even compassionate, while the Demon is cruel. Still, neither would deface something naturally beautiful, regardless of whether the Monk or Demon is more pronounced. That's probably the only reason he's still welcome worshipping Sune. I think this serves a demonic monk well, rather than just saying he's a chaos monk. In another life (or another game) he might be Lawful Neutral, but these outbursts and his rampantly divergent points of view on matters lend to him being chaotic.[/spoiler]

[PhaedrusXY]

Just as the weretiger appears and begins to attack, the goblin and his mount grow to enormous size, and all of the other goblins and their mounts attack the weretiger savagely. (Map updated on page 1)
[spoiler]
The barghest had a readied action to use his Mass Enlarge SLA, and all of the goblin fighters and their mounts were readying actions to attack anyone who did anything hostile towards them or their allies. The bard mounts were also readying actions, but the bards had already used their turns on their music. So they all stab the crap out of the weretiger before his attacks are completed, and before the cloaker gets to moan. This happens because the weretiger had a higher initiative than the cloaker, and so attacks before the cloaker moans, and their actions go off during the weretiger's actions (readied actions interrupt the action they're readied against). (The rider who picked up the pit only had to use a swift and move action to do so. So he had one readied also.)

Also, all of the goblins have the Combat Alacrity feat from my house rules, so they can make two attacks as a standard action. The goblins and barghest all also have the Wolf Pack Tactics feat, so they get to make an AoO on any enemy that was hit at least once during a combat round. And finally, the goblin fighters have the Fast as Lightning feat from my house rules on the fighter, and so they can make an attack as an immediate action by expending one use of Combat Experience. If the weretiger is still alive at this point, they will all also do this.

They also count as flanking if any of them are flanking an adjacent enemy, and get +4 instead of +2 for flanking, from WPT and the barghest's Expert Tactician (Tome feat). So in total, that is 3 attacks from each goblin, one from each of the 5 worgs, and one from the barghest, all on the weretiger, plus 3 more from the goblins if he is still up.

The goblins are using reach weapons, but they can count as originating from any square that their mount takes up, and can attack any square that the weretiger takes up. So they can all hit him. The enlarged worgs also have reach.

Readied action attacks: 1d20+15=16, 1d20+15=34, 1d20+15=30, 1d20+15=16, 1d20+15=34, 1d20+15=30 (two natural 1s, but I think the others all hit)
Damage: 1d10+9=12, 1d10+9=18, 1d10+9=19, 1d10+9=12
Total damage after DR: 21

Warrior attacks of opportunity (from WPT): 1d20+15=30, 1d20+15=20, 1d20+15=23, damage: 1d10+9=16, 1d10+9=12, 1d10+9=15
Total after DR (including previous): 13 (+21 = 34)

Worg attacks:
1d20+11=16, 1d20+11=31, 1d20+11=25, 1d20+11=28, 1d20+11=29
I think all hit, due to the fact that he just charged.
Damage: 1d8+12=15, 1d8+12=16, 1d8+12=20, 1d8+12=13, 1d8+12=19
Total after DR: 33 (+34 = 67)

One was a critical threat... but it doesn't matter...
[/spoiler]

So the weretiger is ripped to shreds and stabbed repeatedly before he even lands a claw on the goblin or its mount. It falls to the ground in a bloody heap. The barghest has yet to attack, so he is still invisible.

Then the cloaker moans.

[spoiler]The goblin bard's perform check sucks horribly this time (1d20+7=12) so they all have to roll saves vs. the nausea.... Ugh...

Messed up save bonuses. See post below for correction!

Order is warrior 1-3, bards 1&2: 1d20+2=8, 1d20+2=19, 1d20+2=13, 1d20+2=10, 1d20+2=5
So goblin warriors #2 & #3 make their saves... and neither bard does.

The worg's saves: 1d20+3=10, 1d20+3=21, 1d20+3=12, 1d20+3=8, 1d20+3=17
So the mounts of the warriors who also saved both make it, and one of the bard's mounts also does.

The barghest makes the save: 1d20+14=21

Duration roll: 1d4+1=3[/spoiler]
One warrior and both bards fall from their mounts, rolling around and retching on the ground, as do three worgs. That leaves two goblin fighters and their mounts, the barghest, and one worg that had a bard on it (which fell off) that are not nausated.

The archer can't see the barghest, as he's still invisible, but she tries anyway, and manages to sink one arrow into him. [spoiler]Her rolls all have a 50% miss chance. The second arrow is a natural 1, so we won't roll for it. We'll say 50 and below hit, and 51-100 misses: 1d100=9, 1d100=58

So the second arrow misses due to concealment. The first arrow however hits home.[/spoiler]

The barghest is still invisible, so Xuusovic can't target him. [spoiler](There are no rules for arrows sticking out of people.) Xuusovic can ready an action to hit him with Time Hop, if he wants. Rauol is also readying an action against him, so we'll use initative order to see who's goes off first when he appears. So when/if the barghest appears, Raoul's action will go off (trying to Suggest that the barghest go along with your plans), and then Xuusovic's (Time Hopping him).[/spoiler]

So Ris-Janna and Cade can go I think, as Raoul, Xuusovic, and Marlowe are all holding their actions for various reasons.

[VennDygrem]

[spoiler]Hoo boy. This is a good reason why I hoped to finish this without combat. I sure as hell don't want to go down like that were-tiger, though it looks a lot like I've dug my own grave with my last post.  

Bloodthirsty as Cade is right now, he's not mindless and not stupid. This will take a moment to plan...

Also, did you rule that Enlarge Person works on more than just Humanoids? Otherwise the words and barghest couldn't, you know, enlarge. I assume that's the case, which means I'll have to pick up a wand of enlarge person if I make it out of here alive. [/spoiler]

Cade, seeing the massacre of the weretiger, snaps out of his bloodlust and realizes that he's now in a bit of a bind. Gone is his size advantage and he still has no idea where the Barghest is (and possibly no idea that the creature is a Barghest at all). He whips a wand out and attempts to cast the spell from it. Once done, his limbs seem to pulse with energy to anyone who can actually see him. He also shifts his stance.

<<Um, guys? These aren't tiny little goblins anymore... Does anyone have a spell that can enlarge me to restore the, er, size advantage I one held?>>
[spoiler]So, auto-succeed on Use-a-wand use of UMD, and I meet the minimum cha of a sorcerer casting Mighty Wallop, so now my slam does one size larger. With the two effective size increases, my hands now deal 5d6 damage... each. Wow.

Also, Walk of a Thousand Steps to keep Lazy Turtle Stance on for 6 rounds as swift action. Next round we pull out either the Drunken Serpent Fist or Naked Monkey Touch. [/spoiler]

[PhaedrusXY]

[spoiler]Fuck, I messed up their saves. I thought it was a Will save, not Fort. The goblin fighters have +5 (not +2), and the Worgs have +6 (not +3). The bards would still have failed, though. Will edit...  [/spoiler]

[spoiler]Hoo boy. This is a good reason why I hoped to finish this without combat. I sure as hell don't want to go down like that were-tiger, though it looks a lot like I've dug my own grave with my last post.  

Bloodthirsty as Cade is right now, he's not mindless and not stupid. This will take a moment to plan...

Also, did you rule that Enlarge Person works on more than just Humanoids? Otherwise the words and barghest couldn't, you know, enlarge. I assume that's the case, which means I'll have to pick up a wand of enlarge person if I make it out of here alive. [/spoiler]

[spoiler]Yes, I did. It's in the house rules. And Kuroi has Mass Enlarge as a 2nd level spell on his Warmage list... So you might just talk nicely to him.

Yeah, these aren't your average goblins. I'll post their stats once it's over. They're only 3rd level fighters, though. Should be easy, right?   (with two bards, Tome/homebrew feats, and several buffs... You're lucky the second, dragonborn bard didn't get to use his Inspire Courage )[/spoiler]

The growing voice of the barghest rises out of the stillness above the last gasps of the ghoulish weretiger: "Fools! Did you think us mere peasants? We do have weak among our pack, but you now face the warriors that protect them! We 6 climbed our way from the depths of the underdark together! Now you'll see what a true warrior is!"

[Kuroimaken]

<<I need everyone's position. Including that barghest's. We need to capture the bastard before he can use the confusion to escape.>> Raoul stated simply.

<<Their size will not be a deterrent.>>

"You honestly believe you have a chance only because you killed one of our underlings? Perhaps the time is ripe for me to present you one of the many faces of fear."

"Yozora yori aoki mono, ten'ou yori tsuyoki mono. Sono jakusenshi no sakebu tenkai tsuranisasete! Nakama no senki wo tsuyoku nare! ZENRYOKU! KYOUJIN GOROSHI KEN!! "

With that utterance, everyone suddenly find themselves bigger. Apparently the size advantage is gone now...

[spoiler]Does it count if I'm given ally position by the sirloin? So what happens when you need bigger pants? (1d100=94) Double effect again. I love IC.[/spoiler]

[PhaedrusXY]

[spoiler]Wow, nice!   Yeah, I'll let you target your allies with a Mass spell, even if they're invisible. Strictly speaking I don't think it's legal, but... I expect that will be a major hindrance with this group.   So we'll allow it.

So everyone (who wants) grows by two size categories, gaining +4 Str and -4 Dex. They all have to be within 30 feet of each other, so it is basically like a 30 foot burst. So we'll have to decide who is in it and who isn't. I think pretty much everyone will be that wants to be.[/spoiler]

The psurlon telepathically relays you the position of the barghest and all of your allies. He says that all other creatures in the vicinity are plainly visible.

[Agita]

It's cute how you're all worried about your 'size' not keeping up with the gobbos, but I'd rather see the asshole than beat him in a pissing contest.
Despite her apparently bad mood, Ris-Janna has to resist the temptation to chortle slightly at the barghest's assertion. "True warriors" are a great thing... but only in a war. The only problem is that this isn't war. Raising the dark blade of one of her knives to her mouth, Ris-Janna licks at the worg and bat blood dripping from it. As she withdraws her tongue, her lips stretch into a slight smile, revealing a row of teeth even through the shadow covering her face. They'll learn that soon. Leaping out from her hiding place, she weaves between the enlarged combatants and moves straight towards the target she has picked.
"Warriors are made for war." She only calls attention to herself with this sentence when she's already within striking range of the worg, and it's already too late. The enlarged worg hears her at roughly the same time that her daggers tear open its hide with a splatter of blood. "But this is murder... and I'm a murderer," she adds with terrifying satisfaction in her voice.

[spoiler]Every knife-wielding character is obliged to lick the blood off their blades at some point to show off how batshit they are. It's in the constitution or something.

So my attention is currently dvided between four or five different things and it's kinda late. Feel free to smack me if I get something wrong. If the barghest and, by extension, the worgs don't know Ris-Janna is here, they'd be flat-footed against her, right? The attack rolsl are based on that assumption. If it's wrong, remove... just about everything but the d4 and power attack from the damage roll.

Move: Move to M11. The Barghest is now flanked by RJ and Cade due to Island of Blades. If the worg and barghest are flat-footed vs. her, they don't get AoOs. If they're not, they don't get them anyway because she auto-succeeds on Tumble (minimum result 19) to avoid AoOs.

Standard: Double-attack the worg at O11, with full Power Attack and stuff.
Attacks, damage (1d20+11=23, 1d4+2d6+17=22, 1d20+11=24, 1d4+2d6+17=28)

She'll also use her Swift action to use Combat Experience for a +2 on the 24 if it doesn't hit.[/spoiler]

[PhaedrusXY]

The goblin rider attempts to maneuver his worg to dodge the blow, but fails, and your attacks bring and end its miserable existence. [spoiler]Tumble can be opposed in this game, but they didn't know you were there, so no AoOs. Remember that there is no auto-success from now on, though, at least against other people adept at tumbling.

Ride check: 1d20+11=17

You're also flanked now, by the barghest and a worg riding fighter.[/spoiler]The goblin looks angry that you've killed its mount, and takes a stab at you.

1d20+15=20

I'm guessing that misses.

[Bozwevial]

Something in Marlowe seems to click, and the crossbow is suddenly in position, turning to face the melee and gently bobbing with terrifying precision. Though he has no quips to offer, the slightly worried expression on his face is replaced by a grin that seems slightly too wide, and anyone able to spot him might have seen a gently pulsing vein in his temple. With an inaudible pair of clicks, two crossbow bolts fly past Ris-Janna's head towards the goblin next to her, and the clerk-turned-assassin pulls the lever back with something akin to glee.

[spoiler]Okay...not entirely sure where I am on the map (presumably outside the grid, being 100 feet away), so let me see here. The barghest is invisible, I assume, so the closest opponents are probably some of the goblin fighters/bards or the worgs. I'm going to assume that they're further than 60 feet but closer than 120, which seems like a reasonable guess.

In any case, unflanking Ris-Janna seems like a worthy goal, no? Attacking the goblin who took a stab at her.[/spoiler]

Rapid Shot! (1d20+9=26, 1d8+7=13, 1d20+9=23, 1d8+7=9)

Total of 22 damage if both hit.

[PhaedrusXY]

Two bolts fly out of the darkness and strike the goblin that's swinging at Ris-Janna square in the chest. It drops beside it's fallen mount, not quite dead, but bleeding out.

[HeadofVecna]

[spoiler]

The archer can't see the barghest, as he's still invisible, but she tries anyway, and manages to sink one arrow into him. Her rolls all have a 50% miss chance. The second arrow is a natural 1, so we won't roll for it. We'll say 50 and below hit, and 51-100 misses: 1d100=9, 1d100=58

So the second arrow misses due to concealment. The first arrow however hits home.

I'm pretty sure it should be two hits. Tome Zen Archery is cool that way.

Zen Archery [Combat]
You are very calm about shooting people in the face. That's a good place to be.

Benefits: This is a combat feat that scales with your Base Attack Bonus.

    * +0: You may use your Wisdom Modifier in place of your Dexterity Modifier on ranged attack rolls.
    * +1: Any opponent you can hear is considered an opponent you can see for purposes of targeting them with ranged attacks.

The barghest is still invisible, so Xuusovic can't target him. (There are no rules for arrows sticking out of people.) Xuusovic can ready an action to hit him with Time Hop, if he wants. Rauol is also readying an action against him, so we'll use initative order to see who's goes off first when he appears. So when/if the barghest appears, Raoul's action will go off (trying to Suggest that the barghest go along with your plans), and then Xuusovic's (Time Hopping him).

Reading more closely, I agree that trying to target a pinpointed invisible creature wouldn't work. But I do think that having visible arrows sticking out of it would serve to pinpoint the Barghest and possibly make the concealment check easier in the same fashion that large size does using Spector's rules of thumb in his Rules of the Game article on invisibility.[/spoiler]