11+7 = 18 (Success)
Magic Missile Damage = 14 pts.
Demon #4 drops like a sack of wheat.
Despite Sphynx's distaste for using the same spell over and over again, he is forced to admit to himself that the Magic Missiles do seem to be the best form of attack to bring these creatures down quickly.
Quixt shoots two, silver-tipped arrows at Demon #5. The first arrow misses the fiend by a whisker, but the second arrow strikes true, and is NOT foiled by the murky concealment that now permeates the area. The arrow-strike is a glancing blow, however, and is not sufficient to put the fiend down for the count.
Demon's Turn:
(Demons #1 - #4 continue to bleed out.)
Demon #1 is DYING [-4]
Demon #2 is DYING [-6]
Demon #3 is DYING [-3]
Demon #4 is DYING [-4]
Demon #5 is Mildly Injured [11 pts.]
Demon #6 is Mildly Injured [6 pts.]
Demon #5 will continue to attack Hawke.
Demon #6 will continue to attack Hawke.
Attacks: 18,21,11,11 = 4 Misses
Demons #5 and #6 continue to concentrate on Hawke, knowing that while spellcasters run out of spells, warriors can swing their weapons all day long. However, their skill in melee remains insufficient to challenge Hawke.
GM:
Hawke will attack #5 first, then go to #6.
Hawke is Hasted.
TOTAL: 11,11,6,11
Rolls: 18,16,16,23 = 2 Hits
Concealment: 26, 64 = Both are actually hits
Both hits are with main weapon (1d8+5): 6,7
After DR: 1,2 = Total 3 pts. damage.
Demon #5 is still only Mildly Injured [14 pts.]
On the other hand, Hawke has poor luck as well, only landing half of his intended blows. His foes are well-armored and agile, and to make matters worse, their skin is hardened as a result of their lower-planar heritage; which means that the two blows which DID land are only glancing ones.
GM:
Caster Level Check for Nimbar: (18) = Success!
Magic Missile Damage: 13 pts. (Low rolls.)
All 4 missiles are directed at #5.
Still not yet resorting to the wand, Nimbar casts one of his spells from memory instead (Magic Missile) to good effect! Demon #5 winces in agony as the four, blue bolts slam into him! He is still standing, but only just so.
GM:
NOTE: This combat is dragging on too long; the minor demons are outmatched, but they have so many resistances (DR 5/Silver, SR 14, FR 10, plus other immunities) that it's taking FOREVER to put them all down. So, I am just going to roll another round for everyone, to see if we can bring this combat to a close.
Sphynx casts another Magic Missile.
GM:
CL Check: (20) Success!
Two missiles dam: 6, two missiles dam: 8
First two missiles directed at #5, last two at #6.
Demon #5 is DYING [-1]
Demon #6 is Moderately Injured [14 pts.]
Level 2:
Magic Missile: 4
Level 3:
Scorching Ray: 1
Quixt shoots two more arrows. (Both at #6)
GM:
Attack Rolls: 18,19 (Both potential hits)
Concealment: 9, 85 = First one misses due to concealment.
Arrow damage: 9 pts. (Max)
Arrow is silver; no DR allowed.
Demon #6 is SERIOUSLY INJURED. [23 pts.]
Hawke wails on Demon #6 with his hammers.
GM:
Attacks: 20,29,8,22 = 3 Potential Hits
Concealment: 25,18,78 = 2 Hits. (1 Miss due to Concealment.)
Damage: (Both Main Wpn): 10,12 - DR (5) = 5,7
Total Damage: 12 pts.
Demon #6 is DYING. [-3]
COMBAT HAS ENDED! All 6 Demons are now bleeding out on the floor! The party has prevented a very serious event from occurring! Left unchecked, these fiends could have summoned an army, given enough time. The party receives (each party member) a +1,000 XP Bonus!
Nimbar kneels next to one of the demons, looking closely at its mottled, bumpy skin, which is covered by a foul-smelling, clear goo.
Nimbar says, "These were Rutterkin. Lucky for us, they are younglings. Their skin still bears the protective goo, which doesn't go away until they've reached maturity, which is usually around 500 years of age. My guess is that these demons were part of a 'new batch' which was probably less than a hundred years old. That also explains their poor fighting skills. Adult Rutterkin would have been a far more difficult situation. Sir Walter has spoken of Elder Rutterkin, one of which could take out a patrol of 20 soldiers single-handedly. Given enough time, these here could have managed to summon an Elder. And if that had happened, this whole region would have been in serious trouble. Elder Rutterkin are almost entirely immune to magical effects. And their skin is akin to solid iron."
Hawke frowns, curling his bottom lip in disgust, but says nothing.
Sphynx takes two different vials from his belongings and collects some of the blood and some of the goo from one of the demons. He then searches them for anything of value or interest.
There are three potions that you can roll your Identify skill for; roll 1d20+12 and beat a DC of 22. (You need a 10 or better on the die.) You can use the 14 you rolled as one of your results; 14 would be a total of 26, which is a success. Just tell me which potion. It will take 6 rounds total (2 rounds each potion) or 36 seconds to identify them all.
Combat: +1,900 Each
Story: Defeat of the Wendol: +2,500 Each
Story: Defeat of the Rutterkin: +2,500 Each
Story: Ignoring The Evil Pottery: +500 Each
Excellent Teamwork: +500 Each
Each character receives a total of 7,900 xp.
(Hold off on the updating of sheets; we still need to get clear of this place.)
The party has spent nearly all of its earnings so far, on upgrading equipment, recharging wands, scribing scrolls, scribing spells, etc. WITH THE EXCEPTION of the Rose Gold (above) and the treasure from the Rutterkins.
Use the Useful Maps link in the post above (post #518), and click on the Beyond The Door spoiler to see a map of areas 60-64. Note that the party has already explored area 54 on that map; that was a barracks, similar to the one at area 56, where you fought the Rutterkin.
GM:
With the Rutterkins defeated, the party is faced with a few choices:
[1] Go check out the NE door (Indicated on Battle Map.)
[2] Go check out the main chamber to the north. (Indicated on Battle Map.)
[3] Go back, and check out areas 60-64 which were behind the door you discovered near Area 54.
Hawke summarizes, "From what the Rutterkins mentioned, the Wendol must have been running low on reinforcements, and tried summoning and commanding these Rutterkins to serve as troops; but their summoning circle was flawed, and these Rutterkins came into our world free-willed, and uncontrolled. I'd be willing to bet that they killed the remaining Wendol, including the Witch Mother. The chamber to the north, that we can partially see from here, is probably where they came from. My guess is, they were about to go check out the closed door to the northeast. What do you guys want to do? Remember, there's also that other area behind the closed door, near the first barracks room, that we haven't explored yet. With most of the Wendol dead, we shouldn't encounter very much in the way of resistance. What say you?"
GM:
At this point, to speed things along, I am going to say that the party checks out the NE door that is indicated on the battle map. That is room #57. In that room, there are 20 Zombies, and 20 Skeletons, the last contingent of the Wendol's undead army. I do not believe that this force would be a sufficient challenge for an 8th level party (almost 9th!) so I will say that you peek in, and that they do not see you. They don't appear to have any treasure, apart from their rusted, rag-tag, poorly-maintained equipment. I will also assume that since these creatures are a threat to passerby, that the party takes the time to fight and destroy them. I will simply assume that the party is victorious; you will not receive any xp for the fight, unless you actually wish to roll initiative and slug it out.
PLEASE NOTE: There is also a post above that shows the map for these areas (57, 58, 59g, and 59.) You may have a look at that map, for the purposes of planning the order of your exploration. 57 is, as I said, the undead room. Room 58 is the Witch Mother's chamber, and rooms 59g and 59 are sub-chambers.
Nimbar adds, "It's also important to note that because the circle was flawed, they were actually gated here, which is why, unlike a simple summoning spell, they didn't disappear in a puff of smoke when we killed them. These Rutterkin are Truly dead, which might earn us emnity with whomever their master is."
