Okay, this was the session note for the fourth of a series of related adventures with a group I called the Hexagram, which were trying to take over the cities in the Dragon Empire in my 13th Age campaign. It does not include the maps which were produced directly in Maptool with the help of some geomorphs in some cases. (Looking at it, it eliminated some of the bolding and italics that makes it a little more legible to me, so I'll insert a few extra line spaces.
This is the encounter with Bold (Merril, Rakshasa Mastermind).
Right before going to Nevelis’ establishment Leethe will turn up and try and ream Shakira out a bit. If she does things right, Leethe will take her belt and go upgrade it—but she’ll be without it for the first encounter.
Encounter One: Weaponsmith. First chain of the red herring. Draconic weaponsmith/warrior (Nevelis MEV 2), Abomination bodyguard (Velenta MEV 2), psion backup (Melorn MEV 4), 3 Heavy Thugs (MEV .7 ea). Note: while the main weapon sales go to the Blackscale, there will also be some to the gladiator school.
Nevelis, Draconic Master of Steel
Double Strength 7th Level Wrecker [Humanoid]
Initiative: +11
Dual Penetrating Strike +12 vs AC (2 attacks), damage - 28
Natural Even Hit: Target Vulnerable, save ends.
Natural Odd Hit: Target takes 8 ongoing damage.
R: Hurled Dirk +12 vs AC, damage - 30, 10 ongoing damage
C: Storm of Blades +12 vs AC, damage - 30, (all engaged targets)
Natural 16+: Targets take 10 ongoing damage
Blade Bind: Nevalis is both hard to keep engaged, and hard to disengage from. He can disengage on a 6+, and it requires a 16+ to disengage with him
AC 25
PD 23 HP 175
MD 19
Velenta Venomborne
Double Strength 7th Level Spoiler [Category]
Initiative: +14
Poison Claw +12 vs AC, damage - 30 damage and 10 ongoing poison damage
Natural 20: Do 14 poison damage to all engaged foes.
Natural Even Hit: Do an extra 16 poison damage to the target
Natural Odd Hit: Target Weakened until the end of your next turn.
C:Venom Breath +12 vs PD, damage - 25 poison damage
Natural 20: Do 14 poison damage to 1D3 other nearby opponents to your target in a group.
Natural Even Hit: Do 8 ongoing poison damage to your target.
Natural Odd Hit: Target dazed (save ends).
Toxic Blood: When staggered, an opponent that begins their turn engaged with her will take 8 poison damage.
Regenerative Blood: Roll a D12 at the start of valenta’s turn. If it is equal to or less than the Escalation Die, she can spend a free action to heal 30 hits.
AC 23
PD 21 HP 216
MD 17
Melorm, Advanced Psionic Mindmaster
Level 9 Caster [Humanoid]
Initiative: +12
Sharpened Blade +12 vs AC, damage - 50
Sharpened Edge: Crits on 18-20
R: Mind Thrust +14 vs MD, damage - 44 psychic damage
Natural Odd Hit: Target is dazed until the end of its next action.
C: Acid Burst +12 vs PD (All engaged targets) damage - 32 acid damage
Natural even hit: Target takes 16 points of ongoing acid damage.
Anticipation: Once per battle, the mindmaster may force an opponent to reroll an attack and take the lower of the two.
AC 24
PD 19 HP 200
MD 23
Heavy Thug
6th level troop [humanoid]
Initiative: +8
Heavy flail or mace +11 vs. AC — 20 damage
Natural 16+: The target takes 10 extra damage as the heavy thug puts some extra strength into the blow.
Miss: The hired muscle’s crit range expands by 1 (cumulative) until it crits an enemy.
Close-quarters fighting: Twice per battle as a move action, the heavy thug can get in close with an enemy (momentarily
grabbing, shoving then pulling, or whatever). When it does, each of the hired muscle’s allies engaged with that enemy can
pop free of it.
AC 22
PD 19 HP 90
MD 14
Nevelis (175):
Valenta (216):190
Melorm (200):186
Thug 1 (90): 42
Thug 2 (90): 60
Thug 3 (90): 56
After this encounter, Zef will be bumped by a random workman, who will catch her when she starts to stumble. He’ll quietly whisper in her ear “Finish this problem off. Its bad for business.” He’ll pass her Belt of Burning Betrayals (C) (1/day): While you’re staggered, when an ally either disengages from an enemy engaged with you or uses a power that allows a different ally to use a recovery, you heal using a free recovery. Quirk: Keeps a list of grievances.
Encounter Two: The second chain of the red herring, the martial arts school. Yellow Flag. There will be a schedule of keeping people away from the chaos mage’s lair, but also watching practice at the gladiator’s school. Blackscale Shadow Sensei (2 MEV), 4 Sorcerous Lizardman Monks (1 MEV ea), 24 Expert Kobold Shadow Warriors (0.15 MEV ea.)
Blackscale Shadow Sensei
Double Strength 7th level leader [humanoid]
Initiative: +13
Scale blade +12 vs. AC (2 attacks) — 24 damage, and the shadow dancer can pop free from the target
Natural Even Hit: Another opponent engaged with the target may take a basic attack against it as a free action.
C: Shadow vapors +12 vs. PD (1d3 nearby enemies) — 24 acid damage
Shadows everywhere: Hit or miss, the nearby area around the shadow dancer is filled with shadowy vapors until the end of the battle that make it difficult to see. Other creatures besides shadow dancers in the vapors take a –2 penalty to attacks and defenses.
Limited use: 1/battle, as a quick action.
R: Hand crossbow +12 vs. AC — 50 damage
Word from the Shadows: Once per round, as a quick action, the Sensei can direct his students and servants against a given target; until the Sensei’s next turn, the target is Vulnerable.
Resist acid 14+: When an acid attack targets this creature, the attacker must roll a natural 14+ on the attack roll or it only deals half damage.
AC 22
PD 23 HP 190
MD 17
Sorcerous Lizardman Monk
Level 7 Spoiler [Humanoid]
Initiative: +13
Unknown Blow +12 vs AC, damage - 28
Odd Hit: Target is Dazed (save ends)
Even Hit: Target is Vulnerable (save ends)
R: Burning Scale +10 vs PD, damage - 20 acid damage, 10 continuing acid damage
C: Black Wind +11 vs AC (1d4 engaged targets), damage - 15
Odd Hit: Target is Weakened (save ends)
Even Hit: Target takes 15 ongoing acid damage.
Returning Blow: If an engaged attacker rolls an odd miss, the monk may take an Unknown Blow once a round as a reaction.
AC 26
PD 24 HP 75
MD 20
Expert Kobold Shadow-Warrior
6th level mook [humanoid]
Initiative: +11
C: Throwing star +11 vs. AC (one nearby enemy) — 12 damage
C: Stinging dust +8 vs. PD (up to 2 nearby enemies in a group) — 10 damage, and the target takes a –1 penalty to attacks until
the end of its next turn
Elusive: If a shadow-warrior hasn’t been attacked since the end of its last turn, it can spend all of its actions on its turn to disappear from sight (remove it from play as it gets into position). At the start of its next turn, it reappears (dropping down from the ceiling or springing out of cover and re-entering play) and can make an elusive strike attack as a standard action.
C: Elusive strike +15 vs. AC (one nearby creature) — 36 damage
Evasive: Kobolds take no damage from missed attacks.
Wall-crawler: A kobold shadow-warrior can climb on ceilings and walls as easily as it moves on the ground.
AC 22
PD 15 HP 23 (mook)
MD 19
Mook: Kill one kobold shadow-warrior mook for every 23 damage you deal to the mob. Apply damage to shadow-warriors using
the elusive ability last (or ignore that damage).
Sensei (190): 156
Monk 1 (75): 68
Monk 2 (75): 67
Monk 3 (75): 69
Monk 4 (75): 45
Shadow Warriors (552): 322 23 per mook
After this encounter, an agent for the Imperial Spymaster will quietly take Evan aside, and as if he’s on the track of Bold. Yes, they know about Bold, but no, they haven’t had any luck in finding him, but now that the PCs are pulling on the string they expect them to finish it; there have been a few too many “accidents” to various important officials for them to want to have to start over. He’ll give him the Sash of Subtle Arguments (C): Bonus: +2 Recoveries, Recharge: 6+. Minute inscriptions of obscure philosophical debates cover both sides of this silken belt. You may ignore any one condition affecting you until the start of your next turn. You don’t suffer the penalties or ongoing damage from that condition, but you may not make a save against that condition if it allows a save. Quirk: Delights in getting into arguments.
Encounter Three: The end point of the red herring, the chaos master’s lair. Red Flag. Chaos Master (MEV 2), Chaos Hydra (MEV 3), 3 Big Flux Elementals (MEV 1 ea), 15 Chaos Touched (0.2 MEV ea)
Chaos Master
Level 9 Caster [Humanoid]
Initiative: +12
Staff +11 vs AC, damage - 25
Attack Spells:
R: Shriek of Chaos +13 vs MD (1D3+1 nearby targets in a group), damage - 40 psychic damage
Natural Even Hit: Target is stunned (save ends)
Natural Odd Hit: Target is dazed (save ends)
[Limited Use: Once a battle]
R: Chaos Ray +13 vs PD, damage - 50
Natural Even Hit: In addition, another nearby enemy takes 25 damage
Miss: Target takes 30 damage
Defense Spells:
C: Warped Healing: Effects the chaos master and one ally. One heals 50 hit points, the other gains 30 temporary hit points.
[Limited Use: Once a battle]
C: Chaos Blessing: Roll D20 to see the effect:
1-4: Gift: You or an ally gain 30 temporary hit points.
5-8: Resilience: Gain 30 temporary hit points.
9-12: Tentacles: The next enemy that moves to engage with you this battle takes 30 damage.
13-16: Defense bonus — the chaos master gains a +2 bonus to the defense of choice (AC, PD, or MD) until an attack against
that defense misses.
17-20: The chaos master heals 25 hit points
Raw Chaos Spells:
C: Chaos Storm +14 vs PD (1D3+1 random nearby opponents) damage - 12 force
Random Side Effect: (All are save ends)
1 - Confused
2 - Dazed
3 - Hampered
4 - Stunned
5 - Weakened
6 - Vulnerable
[Limited Use: Once a battle]
Displacing Strike +14 vs PD, damage - 25
Natural Even Hit: Target is teleported anywhere nearby the mage wishes.
Natural Odd Hit: Chaos Master teleports to anywhere nearby he wishes.
Chaos Cast: The Chaos Master doesn’t fully control his powers. Roll a D6; on a 1-2 he gets an Attack spell, on a 3-4 a Defense spell, and a 5-6 draws power from the raw chaos spells. He cannot draw from the came category until he’s gone through all three.
AC 25
PD 19 HP 180
MD 23
Chaos Hydra
Huge 8th level wrecker [beast]
Initiative: +14
1-2: Reptile head—no bonus
Cutting teeth +13 vs. AC — 46 damage
Natural odd miss: After the attack, this head may shift into a new head; roll 1d6 to determine the new (or maybe repeated!) head.
Miss: 15 damage.
3: Serpent head—hydra gains +2 PD
Serpent teeth +13 vs. AC — 30 damage, and 10 ongoing poison damage
Natural odd miss: After the attack, this head may shift into a new head; roll 1d6 to determine the new (or maybe repeated!) head.
Miss: 10 damage.
4: Great monstrous head—hydra gains fear aura, dazing engaged enemies with fewer than 48 hit points and preventing them from using the escalation die (for each additional great monstrous head, add +20 points to the threshold)
Monstrous teeth +11 vs. AC — 60 damage
Natural odd miss: After the attack, this head may shift into a new head; roll 1d6 to determine the new (or maybe repeated!) head.
Miss: 20 damage.
5: Draconic head—hydra gains +2 AC and adds the escalation die to its attack rolls for either its draconic teeth attack or its
minor breath weapon attack
Draconic teeth +13 vs. AC — 30 damage
Natural odd miss: After the attack, this head may shift into a new head; roll 1d6 to determine the new (or maybe repeated!) head.
OR
C: Minor breath weapon +13 vs. PD (1 nearby enemy) — 40 random energy damage (roll 1d4; 1: acid, 2: cold; 3: fire; 4:
lightning)
Natural even hit: Make a second minor breath weapon attack against a random different nearby enemy. This second
attack lacks this natural even hit trigger.
Natural odd miss: After the attack, this head may shift into a new head; roll 1d6 to determine the new (or maybe repeated!) head.
6: Chaos ray head—hydra can either bite with chaotic teeth or use chaos ray attack
Chaotic teeth +13 vs. AC — 35 damage
Natural even hit: Target is weakened (save ends).
Natural odd miss: After the attack, this head may shift into a new head; roll 1d6 to determine the new (or maybe repeated!) head.
OR
R: Chaotic ray +13 vs. PD (1 nearby or far away enemy) — 50 random energy damage (roll 1d4; 1: acid, 2: cold; 3: fire; 4:
lightning)
Natural even hit: Roll 1d4; 1: Later this turn, hydra can teleport somewhere nearby as a quick action, 2: Hydra
gains flight until the end of its next turn, 3: The next attack which hits the hydra must be rerolled with a -2
attack penalty, 4: GM: roll on the High Weirdness Table on page 17 of 13 True Ways and apply the result in the most
amusing way possible.
Natural odd miss: After the attack, this head may shift into a new head; roll 1d6 to determine the new (or maybe repeated!) head.
Reaching necks: On its turn, the chaos hydra can use any of its teeth attacks against nearby creatures it can see and get to,
but has a -2 attack penalty when using teeth attacks against creatures it not engaged with.
Wild thrasher: The chaos hydra’s attacks deal full damage against creatures it has not already hit this turn. If the chaos
hydra attacks a creature it has hit earlier in the turn, the attack only deals half damage, hit or miss or crit.
Too tough to trick: Whenever the chaos hydra would suffer any of the following conditions, it ignores the condition and takes
10 damage instead: confused, dazed, hampered, stunned, or weakened.
Sprout fifth head: The first time the hydra is staggered, as a free action it gains 70 hit points and a random fifth head.
Roll 1d6 to determine which head. The chaos hydra is considered undamaged at its new hit point total. Using the
hydra’s current hit points as a new baseline, the hydra will be staggered again when it drops below 50% of that total.
Sprout sixth head: The second time the hydra is staggered, as a free action it gains 70 hit points and a random sixth head, etc. Use a new hit point baseline as before, but there is no seventh head waiting to sprout.
AC 23
PD 22 HP 300
MD 20
Big Flux Elemental
7th level troop [elemental]
Initiative: +12
Roll 1d4 when the flux elemental rolls initiative and when it shifts to determine its new form, a benefit, and its current
Attack
1 Shift to air: When the big flux elemental shifts to air, it gains
flight until it shifts to a different form, and it also gains a +1
attack bonus (cumulative) until the end of the battle!
Wind touch +12 vs. PD — 20 damage
Miss: 7 damage.
2 Shift to earth: When the big flux elemental shifts to earth, it
gains a +1 AC bonus (cumulative) until the end of the battle!
Rocky fist +12 vs. AC — 26 damage
3 Shift to fire: When the big flux elemental shifts to fire, it gains
a +1d8 damage bonus when it hits with an attack (cumulative)
until the end of the battle!
Scorching hands +12 vs. PD — 15 fire damage, and 10 ongoing fire damage
Miss: 8 fire damage.
4 Shift to water: When the big flux elemental shifts to water, it gains 2d10 additional hit points (cumulative) until the end of the battle!
Whoosh and a slam +12 vs. PD — 15 damage
Natural even hit: If the target is staggered, it is dazed until the end of its next turn.
Shift: Unless the escalation die is 6+, roll a d6 at the start of the flux elemental’s turn. On a 4+, the flux elemental shifts.
Power-up: The bonuses from shifts are cumulative, but each category of bonus maxes out at 4 bonuses.
AC 21
PD 21 HP 100
MD 18
Chaos Touched
Level 7 Mook [Humanoid]
Initiative: +10
Slashing Blade +12 vs AC, damage - 15
Natural 16+ Hit: Can make a Tentacle Touch as a free action.
[Special Trigger] Tentacle Touch +12 vs PD, damage - 8 poison damage
Natural Even Hit: 4 ongoing poison damage
Natural 18+ Hit: Target is Weakened (save ends)
Chaotic Flicker: When a chaos touched rolls a natural odd miss, it will teleport to a random enemy (it can teleport to a different position on the same enemy its already engaged with). If there’s no room next to the enemy it will appear as close as it can.
AC 22
PD 16 HP 32 (mook)
MD 20
Chaos Master (180): 118
Chaos Hydra (110): 105 H1: Chaos H2: Dragon H3: Draconic H4: Reptile H5: Chaotic H6: Draconic
Elemental 1 (100): 74 Fire Earth
Elemental 2 (100): 79 Air
Elemental 3 (100): 81 Water Earth
Chaos Touched (480): 438 Mook: 32 ea.
Encounter Four: Bold’s Gladiator School. Red Flag. Merril (MEV 4), 18 gladiator trainees (0.16 ea.), 4 Personal Guards (0.7 MEV ea.). If successful in his master plan, Merril will bring in a Bonded Hexknight and a Bonded Arcane Archer (he won’t try and do this until at least staggered) (4 MEV ea.)
Rakshasa Mastermind (Bold/Merril)
Double strength 9th level caster [humanoid]
Initiative: +13
Decisive bite +14 v. AC — 75 damage
Miss: 45 damage.
R: Striped lightning bolts +14 vs. PD (1d3 nearby enemies) — 40 lightning damage, or 80 lightning damage against a staggered target
Natural even hit: The rakshasa can make a rend mind attack as a free action.
C: Rend mind +14 vs. MD (one nearby enemy) — 30 psychic damage, and the target is confused (make a basic or at-will attack vs. ally) (save ends)
Hidden plans: As a standard action, the rakshasa mastermind rolls a d4 or a d6, your choice. If the roll is equal to or
less than the escalation die, a number of the rakshasa mastermind’s allies equal to the die roll will enter the battle i
the next round. Each new ally should be about as tough as a single PC according to the building battles table. Explain this
ability as the culmination of the rakshasas’ cunning plans.
Shapechange: As a standard action, the rakshasa can change its form to that of any humanoid, or back to its own shape.
Seeing through the shapechange requires a DC 20 skill check.
AC 25
PD 20 HP 330
MD 23(25)*
* Merril also has a Champion Helm of Psychic Retaliation: (+2 MD) (recharge 16+): When an enemy misses you with an attack that targets Mental Defense, deal 25 psychic damage to that enemy). Quirk: Stares into space often.
Gladiator Trainee
Level 6 mook [humanoid]
Initiative: +9
Sword +11 vs AC, damage - 14
Natural 18+: Target is Vulnerable (save ends)
C: Active Disengagement +11 vs AC (all engaged opponents), damage - 7
Natural Even Hit or Miss: pop free from that opponent if possible.
Seize the Opening: On an opponent rolling a natural 1, make a Sword attack as a reaction.
AC 23
PD 21 HP 21 ea.
MD 17
Personal Guard
Level 6 Blocker [Humanoid]
Initiative: +7
Broadsword +11 vs AC, damage - 21
Intense Criticals: On critical hits in addition to double damage the target is Weakened until the end of its next turn.
Skilled Engager: Disengaging from the Personal Guard takes a -5 penalty.
AC 22
PD 20 HP 90
MD 17
Bonded Hexknight
Triple-strength 7th level troop [construct]
Initiative: +12
Fists of steel +13 vs. AC (1d3 attacks) — 60 damage
Natural even miss: The bonded’s crit range expands by a cumulative 1 (to a maximum of 16+) until the end of the
battle.
Natural odd miss: Make a whirling steel attack as a move action, unless you have already used the bonded’s move
action this turn.
C: Whirling steel +13 vs. AC (one nearby enemy) — 30 damage and the bonded pulls the target into engagement
with it
AC 25
PD 21 HP 280
MD 19
Bonded Arcane Archer
Triple-strength 7th level archer [construct]
Initiative: +15
Fast strike +13 vs. AC — 40 damage and the bonded makes an arrows of fate attack as a quick action
R: Arrows of fate +13 vs. AC — 40 force damage, and the arcane archer can make another arrows of fate attack as a quick
action. Each enemy can only be targeted once by an arrows of fate attack on each of the bonded’s turns.
AC 21
PD 19 HP 310
MD 19
Merril (330): 307
Guard 1 (90): 84
Guard 2 (90): 83
Guard 3 (90): 87
Guard 4 (90): 84
Hexknight (280): 169
Archer (310): 274
Trainees (378): 341 21 per mook
Though the Empire will claim all of Bold’s resources, the Empire will give the PCs 2000 gold (and will expedite purchase of any potions). They’ll also suggest you can keep any magic items they find in his school; this will turn out to only be Helm.
