WotBS [Book 2] 'Boss fight' questions

[thom_likes_gaming]

Ahoy.

So, last session my group kinda surprised me by going straight to Indomitability to kill it. Basically they heard Kazyk's offer and went 'yeah, that's the best we've been offered so far - off we go'.
By this they missed out on encounters with Gwenevere and Timbre, and they didn't explore upriver either. I managed to slip them some additional info via the Deva under the fountain in the ruined village. I'm not at all upset about their decision - part of the charm of this module IS that there's really not 'wrong' decisions.

But I'm not full sure what will happen now.
The session ended on a cliffhanger. The group went out onto the lake with Kazyk, took a dive, two of them pulled the sword out of the lake ground (but not out of the stag). Cut.

At this very point, they have kinda fulfilled Kazyk's offer or at least not broken it. AND they did what Indomitability asked ("Free me").
What's the mechanics here?

• The trillith is still caught in stag form, as the (remaining) seela are still singing, which means it's 'Corporeal' stat block is in effect.
• It has resistance against anything that's not a magic wooden weapon.
• Thanks to 'Indomitable Spirit' it kinda can't be killed? it will stabilize every time, plus regenerate 5 HP at the start of a turn.
• Kazyk really can't help with the either.

So, what I kinda envision is 'Rampage' (P34) happening one way or another, sooner or later (at the latest once the PCs get tired of whacking Indom down). It might shred the seela, or be negotiated with, but the seela are doomed and there's really no way to fulfill Kazyk's contract by killing it..?

What am I missing? Any input?

 

[emeraldbeacon]

So, with the fast-forward straight to the lake, Indomitability is free to enact revenge on the Seela for keeping him trapped for so long. He should go on his rampage, intent on witnessing the seela's demise with his own eyes (and by his own hooves, as much as possible). I'd play up the horrific nature of his vengeance, to maybe clue the party in that "um, maybe we effed this up." If they let the slaughter happen, once concluded, Indomitability would thank the party for their service, present his boon, then disapparate. If they try to stop the fight, Indomitability might eventually grow bored with them and leave anyway.

As for Kazyk, his deal was simple: his orders were specifically to make sure that the heroes never left the burning forest alive; if the forest isn't burning, Kazyk has no compulsion to prohibit their travels. They're free to leave, as long as they turn over the Ragesian documents. If the heroes fail to do so, Kazyk can just plan an ambush for them later, possibly while they rest. It's roughly a full day's travel to go up the river to the old city, then south out of Innenotdar, so they shouldn't be able to escape without resting somewhere. I'd recommend an ambush while camping by the devil and a handful of imps. You can quietly give him a vial of shatterspell, too, if the "good guys" decide to hide within a Tiny Hut bubble.

They simply miss out on any intel they could have gained at the old city and northern waterfall, along with the loot to match (Bhurisrava's Mace, the Feather Tokens, etc), along with the importance of the Song of Forms. In theory, you might find another way for the party to learn the Song; perhaps some Ragesian Druid refugees know the old songs, their ancient ancestors having learned them directly from the primordials (or so the legend goes). They use the songs like the seela, to give form to the formless; this also might clue the party in that the song sounds very familiar to the one being sung by the Seela, before the Living Blade was pulled.

As for the Living Blade itself, it was still linked to the soul of Anyariel; Timbre never broke that connection to allow the instant attunement for whomever drew it from the stag. You might therefore consider turning the blade into a semi-sentient weapon, and having the fallen Taranesti paladin "haunt the dreams" of whomever wants to attune to it.

 

[thom_likes_gaming]

Right, makes sense.
As for Kazyk. The forest stops burning when...the seela stop singing (slowly, over a day or so)?

 

[RangerWickett]

You could have the fire go out with dramatic, magical swiftness if they all choose to stop singing, or when they're all dead, but if they're just temporarily interrupted, the fires should keep burning for a bit.

 

[emeraldbeacon]

Right, makes sense.
As for Kazyk. The forest stops burning when...the seela stop singing (slowly, over a day or so)?

When I ran that module, I had the woods immediately flare up, as the fuel it's comprised of finally begins to be consumed. Branches begin to collapse and trees fall... like a well-loaded bonfire, it burnt hot and fast, but started to peter out after a few hours. It ultimately took a full day or two, to cool down fully.

For my playthrough, since the heroes found the "best ending" where Indomitability was intentionally freed, and the Seela were spared, I had a light rain poetically begin to fall, helping to speed the end of the fires around them.

 

[thom_likes_gaming]

That flaring up sounds good, very intense.

I find that I'm a but hazy on how the whole "indomitability" thing (boon, or in 'Indomitable Spirit') works.
"...stabilized whenever he is dying at the start of a turn..." means, Indomitablity will NOT die, right? Goes down, next time his turn comes up, he stabilizes (and thanks to 'Regeneration' comes back to consciousness). And that happens EVERY time, right?

Seeing that he has the same ability whether corporeal or not, that would make him kinda unkillable, right?

Then again, how's this for mechanics: trillith goes down from attack by char A, 0 HP. Next up, char B attacks the unconscious stag, hits => auto crit, 2 failed death saves. Char C attacks, same deal, 2 more failed saves. Indomitability dies, without 'Indomitable Spirit' ever triggering... is that a thing?

Sorry for asking all those 'beginner's questions' :/

 

[Tormyr]

That flaring up sounds good, very intense.

I find that I'm a but hazy on how the whole "indomitability" thing (boon, or in 'Indomitable Spirit') works.
"...stabilized whenever he is dying at the start of a turn..." means, Indomitablity will NOT die, right? Goes down, next time his turn comes up, he stabilizes (and thanks to 'Regeneration' comes back to consciousness). And that happens EVERY time, right?

Seeing that he has the same ability whether corporeal or not, that would make him kinda unkillable, right?

Then again, how's this for mechanics: trillith goes down from attack by char A, 0 HP. Next up, char B attacks the unconscious stag, hits => auto crit, 2 failed death saves. Char C attacks, same deal, 2 more failed saves. Indomitability dies, without 'Indomitable Spirit' ever triggering... is that a thing?

Sorry for asking all those 'beginner's questions' :/

He stabilizes at the start of his turn. If he takes 3 death saving throw failures from damage before the start of his next turn, he dies. Even if he dies, he comes back in adventure 9.

 

[emeraldbeacon]

He stabilizes at the start of his turn. If he takes 3 death saving throw failures from damage before the start of his next turn, he dies. Even if he dies, he comes back in adventure 9.

This. The same mechanic exists for Indomitability's Boon, as well; a PC stabilizes at the start of their turn, as long as they're still in death saves / dying; if they actually DIE, thanks to a flurry of enemy attacks or a single "overkill" attack (highly unlikely, but still possible at low levels due to a single lucky high-damage effect like a long fall or a maximized fireball).

 

[thom_likes_gaming]

Ok, yeah, makes sense. Thanks. Which means it IS possible for Team PCs-Kazyk to kill Big I, theoretically even while Anyariel's blade is still stuck in it. New options.

 

[emeraldbeacon]

Side note... if Anyariel's Blade remains lodged in the beast, then in theory, he's still bound to the forest (through the blade), and the forest still burns. If a fight happens, AND the blade remains in him, AND the heroes start gaining the upper hand... Indomitability might instead flee into the burning woods, out of reach from the heroes. It then becomes a game of cat and mouse... who will finally get the jump on whom? It also gives you the chance to pass along more information from the beleaguered Seela. Now that they see the results of their decades-long Song of Forms, their division may become all the more contentious... is it better to keep that thing physical, so they at least have a chance against it if it returns?

The chapter might turn into a desperate game to save the lives of the Seela... but where can you hide from a beast made of fire, in a forest that won't stop burning? Is the northern cave the only defensible location? Do the Seela tell the heroes that maybe the water nymph-turned-hag, Guenvere, might have some clue about what it is, being her lake and all?

And furthermore, how does Vuhl/Deception react to this all? His brother, Indomitability, is still bound to the woods, and the song persists... how far will he go to lead the Seela astray, to ensure that they become easy prey to Indomitability's wrath?