Struggle and Strife- A scarred lands storyhour
- Thread starter Lars Frehse
- Start date
Nightfall
Sage of the Scarred Lands
*has the module.* They are unscripted in the module so I imagine Lars rolled for it for real.
I also have to agree, the traps in the tomb are some of the most deviously devised ones I've seen in some time. (Course they don't hold a candle to some Necromancer traps but hey few can.
)
I also have to agree, the traps in the tomb are some of the most deviously devised ones I've seen in some time. (Course they don't hold a candle to some Necromancer traps but hey few can.
)Lars Frehse
First Post
Talix, it is suggested in the module to let the players roll for the monsters if they use the dungeon to their advantage. So, they did that- one player read the description in the Monster Manual aloud, and then they decided together what the monsters should do. The players were fair enough not to give the monsters any unduly advantage, trying to play them in a way that they thought realistic.
And Nightfall, I agree. There are really some devious traps in there. Fortunately, they are not supposed to be utterly lethal- I hate traps that basically mean that if you fail one reflex roll you die. It is just not fair to have the life of a character depend on one single die roll...
And Nightfall, I agree. There are really some devious traps in there. Fortunately, they are not supposed to be utterly lethal- I hate traps that basically mean that if you fail one reflex roll you die. It is just not fair to have the life of a character depend on one single die roll...
Lars Frehse
First Post
Unwelcome visitors- part 2
The moment the door was fully opened, Trepat and Torn let their arrows fly and Jhevarra was hit in the chest by both arrows. There was a short flash of light, as the electricity discharged, and she crashed forward, dead. Trepat turned around to the spiral staircase and Torn shot one more arrow, killing the other ranger in the pit before he even knew what was happening around him.
As they reached the mirror room, they slammed the door shut behind them and then right through to the next room.There they closed the door again and swiftly crossed the room with the erotic murals in order to position themselves next to the fountain in the hall beyond it. There, next to the trapdoor they readied their bows again- whoever would open that door would get hit again.
Niklas and Ben watched as the now reassembled serpent construct glided into the pit, oblivious of the two corpses in there, and it moved into the corridor in which Torn and Trepat had laid there ambush. However, after moving in, it stopped. The druid and the remaining troopers climbed down ropes into the pits and after checking that their companions were beyond help they caught up with the dark golem.
Carefully, they climbed the stairs and went into the mirror-room. There, the same thing happened to one of the rangers that had happened to Niklas- he got sucked into the magical mirror which had magically rebuilt itself when Ben had spoken the command word after Trepat and Torn had passed through. For a short while, the Mormo worshippers were confused, but then the druid smashed the mirror, freeing the ranger again.
By now, some of the rangers had found tracks leading to the southern door. They entered the next room, and at the sight of members of the divine races embraced in passion, the druid had to remind them that they could destroy those images later. Saddayat ordered them to go to the next door and a ranger opened it- only to get shot by Trepat and Torn. He fell backwards, dead before he hit the ground- two arrows stuck in his chest and the tip of Torn’s arrow had even smashed through the lung and was sticking out of his back.
Immediately, as the remaining rangers, the serpent golem and the druid charged after their dead companion, both Trepat and Torn jumped into the trapdoor. Just as Torn’s head had disappeared, Ben and Niklas, who were watching reactivated the room, and the surprised titan-worshippers found themselves in a room with the trapdoor gone and a wraith going from one illusionary pile of coins to the next.
Saddayat was determined to follow those who had killed his henchmen, and so he ordered his remaining followers to step back. Then he summoned a flameblade, and simultanously with the serpent golem, he attacked the wraith. The ghost struck back once, but the druid dogded the blow, and then they had defeated it.
Not wasting any words, Saddayat commanded two of his followers, who had pickaxes strapped to their back to force the trapdoor in front of the door open. As Trepat and Torn heard the noise of the stone being smashed, Niklas came running to them:“ I think we should prepare our final ambush behind the field of darkness. I have just heard the druid say that he will send in the golem first this time.“
„Alright“, Torn said and turned around.
Niklas nodded: „Good then. I will go tell Jan and then send down Ben. I will come last- after all, I am the fastest“. And with that he ran down the corridor, his already extraordinary speed made superhuman by his boots of striding and springing.
They positioned themselves in the fork behind the field of darkness. Ben had turned into his spiderform again, and everybody else was ready and spells had been cast in preparation. After a while, the sound of steel hacking at stone were substituted by the sound of the trapdoor.
Then, there was nothing. Only the black, impenetrable darkness in front of them. Nothing could be heard, until, suddenly, they heard a human voice shouting: „I order you to wait!“. And then, out of the darkness, a more material darkness emerged: it was the serpent golem rushing towards them, as if it hadn’t been fooled by the magical darkness.
Torn, who had positioned himself in the middle in order to fully use the advantage the length of his spiked chain offered him. This, however, turned him into the target of the golem as well, and it shot two armlike spears at him, wounding him deeply.
Ben stayed behind Torn and healed him, as the massive half-orc lashed back. Then, drawn by the sound of combat, the rest of the intruders emerged from the darkness, their looks turned into that of hideous monsters by the magic of the dark room.
While the golem kept on fighting Torn, who only kept on standing because Ben healed his wounds over and over again, the intruders tried to surround Jan as good as they could. Obviously his obvious allegiance to Corean focused their hatred on him. Niklas tried to help his brother, but they just defended against the monk, trying to bring down the heavily armored Paladin first.
Trepat supported from behind, but he had already used a lot of his magical powers of that day against the bonelord in the graveyard, and so he soon had to switch to his old, battle-proven bow, shooting whenever he found an opening.
Even though there were only four of the nine humans left, the battle was deadly. The Serpent Golem turned out to be a vicious opponent- not only did it attack with the strength of two men, tearing deep wounds, but with each attack, it shot poison into Torn. Jan and Niklas were superior to the three ranger they were fighting, but as the druid cast a flamestrike at the already injured Paladin, he felt that he was at the end of his strength- the tables seemed to turn.
Then, Trepat hit one of the rangers in the neck, defeating him and Niklas whirled around in a circle kick, hitting the head of another one and breaking his neck. Now, as Jan was free to battle the last ranger, Niklas tumbled past them and stood in front of the druid who pulled out his scimitar. Still, he was no opponent for the battle-hardened monk, who dodged every time he slashed at him and then punched and kicked the druid with deadly precision.
Meanwhile, Jan had defeated the last ranger and together with Torn, they defeated the Serpent golem, which fell apart into nothing but a pile of dead snakes. And as they turned around they saw that Niklas needed no help anymore. Saddayat stood with the back to the wall, and as he wanted to cast one last spell, the monk used his fist to crush his chest.
The friends stood panting heavily over their defeated foes. Except for Trepat, all of them were wounded, and Ben took care of those who had been hit by the golem or the poisoned blades of the Mormo-rangers. They were covered with blood- both their own and that of their enemies and their weapons, and in Niklas’s case hist fists, were crimson with the blood of their enemies as well.
Nobody said a word for a long while, as each of them just rejoiced of being alive, even though they were hurting. Ben was the first to speak: „Let’s get back to the last room. Trepat and I can continue to copy the ritual while you guys get some rest“.
The moment the door was fully opened, Trepat and Torn let their arrows fly and Jhevarra was hit in the chest by both arrows. There was a short flash of light, as the electricity discharged, and she crashed forward, dead. Trepat turned around to the spiral staircase and Torn shot one more arrow, killing the other ranger in the pit before he even knew what was happening around him.
As they reached the mirror room, they slammed the door shut behind them and then right through to the next room.There they closed the door again and swiftly crossed the room with the erotic murals in order to position themselves next to the fountain in the hall beyond it. There, next to the trapdoor they readied their bows again- whoever would open that door would get hit again.
Niklas and Ben watched as the now reassembled serpent construct glided into the pit, oblivious of the two corpses in there, and it moved into the corridor in which Torn and Trepat had laid there ambush. However, after moving in, it stopped. The druid and the remaining troopers climbed down ropes into the pits and after checking that their companions were beyond help they caught up with the dark golem.
Carefully, they climbed the stairs and went into the mirror-room. There, the same thing happened to one of the rangers that had happened to Niklas- he got sucked into the magical mirror which had magically rebuilt itself when Ben had spoken the command word after Trepat and Torn had passed through. For a short while, the Mormo worshippers were confused, but then the druid smashed the mirror, freeing the ranger again.
By now, some of the rangers had found tracks leading to the southern door. They entered the next room, and at the sight of members of the divine races embraced in passion, the druid had to remind them that they could destroy those images later. Saddayat ordered them to go to the next door and a ranger opened it- only to get shot by Trepat and Torn. He fell backwards, dead before he hit the ground- two arrows stuck in his chest and the tip of Torn’s arrow had even smashed through the lung and was sticking out of his back.
Immediately, as the remaining rangers, the serpent golem and the druid charged after their dead companion, both Trepat and Torn jumped into the trapdoor. Just as Torn’s head had disappeared, Ben and Niklas, who were watching reactivated the room, and the surprised titan-worshippers found themselves in a room with the trapdoor gone and a wraith going from one illusionary pile of coins to the next.
Saddayat was determined to follow those who had killed his henchmen, and so he ordered his remaining followers to step back. Then he summoned a flameblade, and simultanously with the serpent golem, he attacked the wraith. The ghost struck back once, but the druid dogded the blow, and then they had defeated it.
Not wasting any words, Saddayat commanded two of his followers, who had pickaxes strapped to their back to force the trapdoor in front of the door open. As Trepat and Torn heard the noise of the stone being smashed, Niklas came running to them:“ I think we should prepare our final ambush behind the field of darkness. I have just heard the druid say that he will send in the golem first this time.“
„Alright“, Torn said and turned around.
Niklas nodded: „Good then. I will go tell Jan and then send down Ben. I will come last- after all, I am the fastest“. And with that he ran down the corridor, his already extraordinary speed made superhuman by his boots of striding and springing.
They positioned themselves in the fork behind the field of darkness. Ben had turned into his spiderform again, and everybody else was ready and spells had been cast in preparation. After a while, the sound of steel hacking at stone were substituted by the sound of the trapdoor.
Then, there was nothing. Only the black, impenetrable darkness in front of them. Nothing could be heard, until, suddenly, they heard a human voice shouting: „I order you to wait!“. And then, out of the darkness, a more material darkness emerged: it was the serpent golem rushing towards them, as if it hadn’t been fooled by the magical darkness.
Torn, who had positioned himself in the middle in order to fully use the advantage the length of his spiked chain offered him. This, however, turned him into the target of the golem as well, and it shot two armlike spears at him, wounding him deeply.
Ben stayed behind Torn and healed him, as the massive half-orc lashed back. Then, drawn by the sound of combat, the rest of the intruders emerged from the darkness, their looks turned into that of hideous monsters by the magic of the dark room.
While the golem kept on fighting Torn, who only kept on standing because Ben healed his wounds over and over again, the intruders tried to surround Jan as good as they could. Obviously his obvious allegiance to Corean focused their hatred on him. Niklas tried to help his brother, but they just defended against the monk, trying to bring down the heavily armored Paladin first.
Trepat supported from behind, but he had already used a lot of his magical powers of that day against the bonelord in the graveyard, and so he soon had to switch to his old, battle-proven bow, shooting whenever he found an opening.
Even though there were only four of the nine humans left, the battle was deadly. The Serpent Golem turned out to be a vicious opponent- not only did it attack with the strength of two men, tearing deep wounds, but with each attack, it shot poison into Torn. Jan and Niklas were superior to the three ranger they were fighting, but as the druid cast a flamestrike at the already injured Paladin, he felt that he was at the end of his strength- the tables seemed to turn.
Then, Trepat hit one of the rangers in the neck, defeating him and Niklas whirled around in a circle kick, hitting the head of another one and breaking his neck. Now, as Jan was free to battle the last ranger, Niklas tumbled past them and stood in front of the druid who pulled out his scimitar. Still, he was no opponent for the battle-hardened monk, who dodged every time he slashed at him and then punched and kicked the druid with deadly precision.
Meanwhile, Jan had defeated the last ranger and together with Torn, they defeated the Serpent golem, which fell apart into nothing but a pile of dead snakes. And as they turned around they saw that Niklas needed no help anymore. Saddayat stood with the back to the wall, and as he wanted to cast one last spell, the monk used his fist to crush his chest.
The friends stood panting heavily over their defeated foes. Except for Trepat, all of them were wounded, and Ben took care of those who had been hit by the golem or the poisoned blades of the Mormo-rangers. They were covered with blood- both their own and that of their enemies and their weapons, and in Niklas’s case hist fists, were crimson with the blood of their enemies as well.
Nobody said a word for a long while, as each of them just rejoiced of being alive, even though they were hurting. Ben was the first to speak: „Let’s get back to the last room. Trepat and I can continue to copy the ritual while you guys get some rest“.
Last edited:
Lars Frehse
First Post
Scott, I am glad and flattered to hear you like it! 
I had to up Saddayat's level. At the time of the encounter, some of the player character had reached sixth level. Since I think that major villains should be at least a little bit more powerful than the players, I raised Saddayat's level to 7. Unfortunately, when the time had come for him to fly away, he would have had to fly over the heads of all melee-combatants, in that case Niklas, Ben and Torn. The ceiling was merely 8 feet high, so he would have gotten attacks of opportunities from all of them. So, there was no real chance of escape for him anymore.
Nightfall and Talix, the fight was really pretty exciting. Ben's player had been cursing that he had no chance to go toe to toe himself, since he had to heal Torn and Jan every round. Without that, both would have been defeated for sure.
Thanks for your comments, all. I will post another update tonight.
I had to up Saddayat's level. At the time of the encounter, some of the player character had reached sixth level. Since I think that major villains should be at least a little bit more powerful than the players, I raised Saddayat's level to 7. Unfortunately, when the time had come for him to fly away, he would have had to fly over the heads of all melee-combatants, in that case Niklas, Ben and Torn. The ceiling was merely 8 feet high, so he would have gotten attacks of opportunities from all of them. So, there was no real chance of escape for him anymore.Nightfall and Talix, the fight was really pretty exciting. Ben's player had been cursing that he had no chance to go toe to toe himself, since he had to heal Torn and Jan every round. Without that, both would have been defeated for sure.
Thanks for your comments, all. I will post another update tonight.
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