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Message: <blockquote data-quote="malcolm_n" data-source="post: 5216885" data-attributes="member: 63154">This is the third encounter of a new dungeon I'll be building over this next week based on the Nexus in World of Warcraft. When the dungeon is complete, each encounter, save the last, can be completed in any order.Encounter Level 12/14 (3500/5000 XP)SetupThis encounter includes the following creatures at the low tier:Luminous Node (L); Only lightning.  One every 3 rounds, 2 hits or 1 critical hit to destroy, All defenses 25Anomalus (A, Anaxim Mauler, increased to level 12); Immune to lightning.  Immune to all damage as no action when bloodied and when reduced to 1 hp.  Destroying any current luminous nodes will remove this.This encounter includes the following creatures at the high tier: Luminous Node (L); Only lightning, One every 2 rounds, 2 hits or 1 critical hit to destroy, All defenses 25Anomalus (A, Anaxim Mauler, increased to level 14); Immune to lightning.  Immune to all damage as no action when bloodied and when reduced to 1 hp.  Destroying any current luminous nodes will remove this.Anomalus guards a rift in the magical ley line at this point within the cavern.  The rift is seeping energy which the blue dragons are trying to gather for their own purpose.  As the party climbs the ramp toward Anomalus, read the following:You feel compelled to watch for a moment as a group of the dragons you've been fighting battle a large elemental creature.  At first, it looks as if they may be winning, but a few seconds into the fight, a rift opens up and begins to pour lightning over the platform.  The dragons turn to the rift and attack it, but by this time, another is opening up and the creature continues to attack their flank, paying no heed to the sparks cascading around the area.  Moments later, the dragons are over taken and the creature moves back to its position in front of the ley line.  When it sees you, the creature doesn't register whether you may be friend or foe and charges, calling out, "Chaos beckons."Features of the Area  Illumination:  Reflected Light (bright illumination)  No walls: The platform stands over a 100 ft. drop to an area where fast return would be almost impossible without the ability to fly.TacticsAnomalus fights exactly as any anaxim mauler would.  The difficulty in the fight comes from the luminous nodes that continue to spawn every 3 rounds (every 2 rounds in the high tier).  Party members may want to make an arcana check (DC 21) to figure this out if they didn't figure it out when the dragons tried to fight Anomalus.  When bloodied and when reduced to 1 hit point, Anomalus becomes immune to all damage as no action and a node appears.  Other nodes stop appearing until all current nodes are destroyed.Scaling the EncounterMake the following adjustments to the combat based on the number of PCs present.  Four PCs: Anomalus doesn't summon a node when bloodied.  Six PCs: The fight begins with 1 node already summoned.Ending the EncounterThe encounter ends when Anomalus is defeated.  Any remaining nodes disappear at that time. If the PCs check, they discover that one of the dragons is stable, but unconscious.  If they revive it and ask any questions, the dragon relates the following:* The rift is a tear in the ley line at this point.  It is bleeding unstable energy into the cavern, which is causing the luminous nodes to appear down below.* A seal portal, or stronger ritual, can close the rift.  By not closing the rift, or syphoning its energy as the dragons were trying to, there becomes a risk that the entire cavern structure will collapse on itself and make the surrounding mountain area unstable and increasingly dangerous.* The dragon commander on the other side of the platform has a scroll of Linked Portal which the dragons were going to use to syphon the rift's energy into the occulus they're constructing above the caverns.  The party can probably use it to travel somewhere for a scroll of seal portal if they don't have one already.* Because of the ambient arcane energy permeating this area, using the seal portal ritual will close the rift and the linked portal created by the scroll.* The dragon is only helping the party because it feels that letting the rift collapse the cavern would be a worse fate for its allies and the area around the mountains.Experience PointsEach PC should receive 700 / 1000 experience points for defeating Anomalus.  If the party seals the portal (a minor quest), they should each receive another 350 / 500 experience points.TreasureScroll of Linked Portal[sblock=Encounter Map] [ ] = square, || = Wall, [x] are where PCs can start.  [ ] [ ] [L] [ ]  [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [A] [A] [ ][L] [ ] [A] [A] [L][ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ][ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]  [ ]  [ ] [ ] [ ]  [x] [x]   [x] [x] [x] [x] [ ] [ ][/sblock]</blockquote>

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