only1doug
2009-08-10, 05:08 PM
So our regular group (ECL13-14) is continuing its trek through the basement levels of a tower complex.
plot synopsis
Vampire druid is trying to restore a dead dragon god (Ashaerdalon) to life / power, he thinks he is being aided by another cult but they plan to subvert his ritual to summon their object of worship (a rogue star that is actually a wandering planet that is looking for other planets to devour).
Having explored the dungeon level of the tower somewhat we have a safe base room (complete with friendly, high level gnome wizard NPC) we had killed some cult minions and had discovered that the star cult had a champion, a creature known as a Atropal Scion, further questions warned us that the creature had a death gaze attack.
Preperation
We spent some time discussing what we were going to do and which spells we should prepare, it ate about an hour of the game session (6 hours total).
Knowing that Full party death ward (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/deathWard.htm)s was going to mess up our spell points we decided we would prepare to Nova the Scion, we layed on full day buffs and advanced cautiously into the cultist area.
When we started to hear chanting (OK, the druid started to hear chanting, +32 listen check...) we layed on the minute/level buffs and initiated zerg rush.
The Guards
me (Gish) and my 6 images were first to be targetted, a ray shoots out from nowhere and pop goes an image.
I charge the caster provoking a attack of opportunity, another image pops.
The druid engages one of the ambushers and starts trying to eat it, the warforged charger hits another ambusher with 2 weapon rend for a huge amount (about 100Hp), the dervisher joins the druid in beating on the ambusher and the cleric summons a spiritual weapon which helps me with the caster.
The ambushers beat on me and the dervisher, the caster tries to wither my arms and just after I fail the save I remember that he needs to pick a me to target (Pop goes another image, to my huge relief).
The cleric, his spiritual weapon and I wallop the caster a bit, the warforged kills his ambusher, the druid and dervisher whittle away at theirs.
The caster Pops another of my images, the remaining ambusher flails at the druid.
I wallop the caster, the warforged rends it to shreds, the cleric starts to explore the next room, the druid and dervisher continue whittling.
Ambusher hits druid.
I explore next room, recasting mirror image.
druid and dervisher whittle, warforge rends (to tiny pieces).
The main Encounter
Remembering we have minute / level buffs running we continue to zerg rush to get to the Atropal Scion before our death wards expire. (about 5 rounds gone, plenty of time left)
Charging on through another room we find the source of the chanting, a bunch of priest types gathered around 3 alters (and a medium sized floating undead baby)
Seeing us the scion orders its minions to destroy the intruders and when its attempted deathgaze fails it moves closer (flying 15' above the ground).
AoE's start, dervisher starts to shoot the priests (don't ask me why, I'd of melee'd in his position) I have dispel magic as a swift action so I ask if I can use my move action as a counterspell instead of a standard action (the GM, he say yes.... and I feel he may have regretted it).
5 rounds pass of group nuking Atropal Scion and me using dispell magic to stop its spell like abilities, whilst still using my duskblade spell points to throw in 5d6 fire damage each round... the creature we'd Nova'd literally took no part in the combat, it died without having successfully used one spell like ability.
The Cleanup
The cleric told us that any part of the creature could grow into a new one, so we cleared up the room, Fiery burst everywhere, using the druids spot check (+32 modifier) (GM: reserve feat? oh, yeah..)
End of session, bodies carried away as we returned to base to chat with the wizard. (we used all our daily resources on that fight, I had 5 wizard spellpoints left (from 64) and 13 (of 20) duskblade points, the cleric had 3 (of 72), the druid about 15 (of 88).
I dunno, Did I irritate the GM by stopping his big monster from doing anything, Did the warforged do so with his huge (for our group) damage rolls, soloing enemies in 2 rounds is fine when they are mooks, not so good when they are supposed to be challenging.
Note: The GM has stated that events will progress at speed of plot, there is no pressure on us to conserve energy and hit more encounters / day (this is the first time in awhile we have hit less than 4 encounters between resting, but that by our choice not GM pressure).
plot synopsis
Vampire druid is trying to restore a dead dragon god (Ashaerdalon) to life / power, he thinks he is being aided by another cult but they plan to subvert his ritual to summon their object of worship (a rogue star that is actually a wandering planet that is looking for other planets to devour).
Having explored the dungeon level of the tower somewhat we have a safe base room (complete with friendly, high level gnome wizard NPC) we had killed some cult minions and had discovered that the star cult had a champion, a creature known as a Atropal Scion, further questions warned us that the creature had a death gaze attack.
Preperation
We spent some time discussing what we were going to do and which spells we should prepare, it ate about an hour of the game session (6 hours total).
Knowing that Full party death ward (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/deathWard.htm)s was going to mess up our spell points we decided we would prepare to Nova the Scion, we layed on full day buffs and advanced cautiously into the cultist area.
When we started to hear chanting (OK, the druid started to hear chanting, +32 listen check...) we layed on the minute/level buffs and initiated zerg rush.
The Guards
me (Gish) and my 6 images were first to be targetted, a ray shoots out from nowhere and pop goes an image.
I charge the caster provoking a attack of opportunity, another image pops.
The druid engages one of the ambushers and starts trying to eat it, the warforged charger hits another ambusher with 2 weapon rend for a huge amount (about 100Hp), the dervisher joins the druid in beating on the ambusher and the cleric summons a spiritual weapon which helps me with the caster.
The ambushers beat on me and the dervisher, the caster tries to wither my arms and just after I fail the save I remember that he needs to pick a me to target (Pop goes another image, to my huge relief).
The cleric, his spiritual weapon and I wallop the caster a bit, the warforged kills his ambusher, the druid and dervisher whittle away at theirs.
The caster Pops another of my images, the remaining ambusher flails at the druid.
I wallop the caster, the warforged rends it to shreds, the cleric starts to explore the next room, the druid and dervisher continue whittling.
Ambusher hits druid.
I explore next room, recasting mirror image.
druid and dervisher whittle, warforge rends (to tiny pieces).
The main Encounter
Remembering we have minute / level buffs running we continue to zerg rush to get to the Atropal Scion before our death wards expire. (about 5 rounds gone, plenty of time left)
Charging on through another room we find the source of the chanting, a bunch of priest types gathered around 3 alters (and a medium sized floating undead baby)
Seeing us the scion orders its minions to destroy the intruders and when its attempted deathgaze fails it moves closer (flying 15' above the ground).
AoE's start, dervisher starts to shoot the priests (don't ask me why, I'd of melee'd in his position) I have dispel magic as a swift action so I ask if I can use my move action as a counterspell instead of a standard action (the GM, he say yes.... and I feel he may have regretted it).
5 rounds pass of group nuking Atropal Scion and me using dispell magic to stop its spell like abilities, whilst still using my duskblade spell points to throw in 5d6 fire damage each round... the creature we'd Nova'd literally took no part in the combat, it died without having successfully used one spell like ability.
The Cleanup
The cleric told us that any part of the creature could grow into a new one, so we cleared up the room, Fiery burst everywhere, using the druids spot check (+32 modifier) (GM: reserve feat? oh, yeah..)
End of session, bodies carried away as we returned to base to chat with the wizard. (we used all our daily resources on that fight, I had 5 wizard spellpoints left (from 64) and 13 (of 20) duskblade points, the cleric had 3 (of 72), the druid about 15 (of 88).
I dunno, Did I irritate the GM by stopping his big monster from doing anything, Did the warforged do so with his huge (for our group) damage rolls, soloing enemies in 2 rounds is fine when they are mooks, not so good when they are supposed to be challenging.
Note: The GM has stated that events will progress at speed of plot, there is no pressure on us to conserve energy and hit more encounters / day (this is the first time in awhile we have hit less than 4 encounters between resting, but that by our choice not GM pressure).