The Long Road - Game Thread

Hildigrim won't jump in alone, so he's waiting for some indication from the others that they agree.

OoC - i'm having trouble following...what happened with Muhgub?  This mind flayer double crossed her and killed her after she delivered the key?

Quote from Guiltysparc >>

OoC - i'm having trouble following...what happened with Muhgub?  This mind flayer double crossed her and killed her after she delivered the key?

1. Yraxilinith has been eating in Skullport, and making it look like random killings so people don't suspect a mind flayer. It was choosing "evil" people so fewer people will want to stop the killings.
2. Mugrub delivered the key to Yrax. (It obtained the key to repay a debt the Zhentarim said it owed.)
3. A careless grimlock revealed that Yrax is behind the killings. (You weren't told how. Maybe it was carrying a severed head with its brain gone, while Mugrub was delivering the key.)
4. Mugrub was (rightfully) frightened, and said she will reveal the truth to others.
5. Yrax considered this a problem, so took out Mugrub, despite her not being an "evil" person.
6. Yrax had already sent off the key with a drow courier, to a Zhentarim gathering spot in Middle Skullport (one level up).
7. Yrax has sent 1 of his 2 guard grimlocks to check where the missing 5 Intellect Devourers are. You expect it would take about a minute to discover them destroyed in the trap hallway and return.

Quillary ain't having none of this. She murmurs something in Druidic and a shimmering green light descends on everything around the mind flayer, including the mind flayer itself!

Cast Faerie Fire to catch Yrax. Dex Save DC 15 or we have advantage on attacks against it for 1 minute or concentration. It's 1 action, but Verbal only, so hopefully she can get it off as a surprise round?

(OOC: I would allow Quillary to cast it as her first round action, ahead of everyone else, but that is it. As mentioned, Yrax is wary of your group, and no one distracted him by talking about his hobbies or his pets or pretended to suck up to him.)

Everyone roll for initiative.

Also, tell me where you are in the room. For the map on post 3649, it should be one of the 8 squares in the eastern 10' of that room. (You can be in the same square as the kennels. The question is, do you trust the doors on the kennels...) Yrax will be in the NW corner, and the other grimlock guard next to the kennels. (Neither of them start within 5' of the party.)

Drusk init: 14

Quillary init: 8

She was "casually" looking around the room, so she will be as far West of the entry door as she can get, though it occurs to me she needs to be able to sort of see Yrax to cast the spell... is that bookshelf floor to ceiling?

Hildigrim was "in the room" a little ahead of those staying by the door.

Initiative: 17

Quote from Mingofaust >>

She was "casually" looking around the room, so she will be as far West of the entry door as she can get, though it occurs to me she needs to be able to sort of see Yrax to cast the spell... is that bookshelf floor to ceiling?

(The bookshelf will be 4' high without a back, open shelf style. Enough to be an obstacle for movement, or partial cover in combat (unless the books are knocked clear), but not enough to block eyesight.)

Jorin would have been looking at the brain dogs, 10' inside the doorway.  Initiative 11

Jorin also appreciates Quillary's zeal for combat, err justice.

Pascal init: 12,  Yrax init: 15, G1 init: 9, G2 init: 15

Initiative order:  Hildigrim, Yrax, Pascal, Drusk, Jorin, guard2, Quillary, guard1

(Guard1 is the grimlock that left the room. With the noise of combat, it will be coming back at some point.)

Yrax DEX save (adv. due to magic resistance): 21, G2 DEX save: 8

For this first round only, Quillary does her action first. She casts Faerie Fire on the western half of the room. Both the mind flayer and the guard2 are glowing with purple-green light. (Attacks will have advantage.)

Hildigrim is up. (Then the mind flayer, then Pascal/Drusk/Jorin, then the grimlock guard.)

As Quillary casts her spell, Hildigrim spins to watch their enemies light up with faerie light. "Take him alive if we can!" he calls stoically. Not needing his familiar's assistance, he mentally commands Volo to hide in the corner above the kennels to avoid being hurt. The halfling instantly has an arrow drawn and released as he backs into the (northeast) corner.

+1 shortbow attack: 11; damage: 11 piercing damage

Sneak attack (due to advantage): 10

Forgot to roll with advantage: 27

The mind flayer is wearing breastplate, but with the glow of Faerie Fire around it, Hildigrim's arrow hits it for 21 damage. (Lightly damaged.)

Yrax lets out a Mind Blast. The cone affects everyone in the party (except Volo). Everyone rolls an INT save vs. DC 15.

If you save, no effect. If you fail:

• Take 18 psychic damage.
• You are Stunned for 1 minute.
• At the end of your turn (each round), you can roll another INT save to end the Stunned condition.

(Quillary already went this round. If she fails the save, she loses concentration due to the Stun. She doesn't have a turn until round 2 at her normal initiative.)

Drusk INT save: 17  (succeeds)

Drusk will move to the square south of Yrax. He uses a bonus action to cast Spiritual Weapon on the Mind Flayer, and takes a whack with Joybringer II.

• Mace - Attack: 11 Damage: 5  (misses)
• Spiritual Weapon - Attack: 11 Damage: 10  (misses)

Pascal and Jorin are up. Quillary should roll the INT save to see if Faerie Fire is still going. (I did not roll with advantage. If Quillary makes her save, I will take care of that later.)

Lizard Brain Go: 1

Pascal’s big black eyes go really tiny.

End of Turn Save: 15

*White Noise*

Pascal blinks again and snaps out of it! “Hold on, I zoned out there for a second!”

Quillary's Int Save: 7

Ooof. She screams a little and holds her head, and her spores swirl about her.

OOC > Does everyone still get advantage after her, or is it just dear Hildi who got it... at least he used it well.

Int saves...

12

Jorin is about to below in rage but it stopped cold and just stares at G2 with mouth gaping in a silent scream.

(OOC: Just Hildigrim. The spell goes away. Too bad, as those Drusk to-hit rolls were terrible... Jorin lost his turn, but gets to roll another INT save for the end of his turn.)

Grimlock guard2 moves north to attack Drusk with its long sword and short sword.

• Attack: 13 Damage: 9  (miss)
• Attack: 20 Damage: 8  (miss)

Start of round 2. (If you need an updated map, I'll make one. Otherwise, H is in the NE corner. D is south of Y, and G2 is south of them both.)

Yrax has taken 21 damage, and is in good shape. Guard2 is unhurt, and guard1 hasn't been seen yet.

Party status: Drusk (39/45 hp), Hildigrim (34/38 hp), Jorin (40/63), Pascal (28/50), Quillary (17/39).

Quillary is stunned, Jorin is stunned (but has the end-of-round-1 save to roll), and Hildigrims state is to-be-determined.

Hildigrim is up. (Roll the INT save for round 1. If it is a fail, roll again for the end of your turn.) 

INT save: 23

Hildigrim feels something tickle his brain, but the feeling goes away. He notices out of the corner of his eye that Quillary winces, the faerie fire disappears, and Pascal and Jorin both freeze in place. He telepathically reaches out to Volo and is relieved to feel him respond back. He calls the familiar to help him continue fighting, and the owl flies across the room and buzzes the mind flayer to distract him while Hildi fires another arrow. The halfling then points out something to Drusk to help him aim a little better in future.

+1 shortbow attack: 17; damage: 9 piercing damage

Sneak attack (due to advantage): 8

Bonus: help Drusk

(OOC: I'm going to roll the end-of-turn save for Jorin from the first round. The mind flayer is going to go after anyone still stunned, with a preference for the non-yet-raging fighter. Jorin INT save: 4 )

Yrax moves around the bookcase, to attack Jorin, with advantage due to the stun condition. (It is west of Quillary, NW of Jorin.) Attack: 17 Damage: 13  (hit)

Jorin is grappled by the mind flayer's tentacles (DC 15 escape). The tentacles are starting to move towards the top of Jorin's skull...

Drusk will move counter-clockwise around the guard to get west of Jorin. (The flayer does not get an attack of opportunity, since its tentacles are grappling Jorin.) As an action, Drusk will grapple the flayer. Drusk (w/adv.): 7 , Yrax (acrobatics): 11  (what the heck)

As a bonus action, move the Spiritual Weapon and attack Yrax. Attack: 16 Damage: 10  (hits)

Guard2 will attack Drusk again. (Its attack happens later in the round, but lets take care of it now.)

• Attack: 7 Damage: 6  (miss)
• Attack: 22 Damage: 8  (hit)

Pascal, Jorin, and Quillary are up. (Someone get Jorin away from the mind flayer. "Extract brain" is a nasty attack.)

Quillary is stunned, and needing to make an end of her turn save this second round, correct? But DC is down to 13, per private message? Int save! 6

Addled Quillary remains addled. ;)

Pascal sighs, “Well. This is goin’ well.” He rustles around in his pack for his hibachi, “Flambé!”

At that, the fire within it explodes forth into a Fire Elemental, Initiative: 15

The fire elemental moves slowly it would seem. Pascal frowns, “C’mon! Get some gusto in you! Get a move on!”

Wait. It has a time of one minute!? Nevermind!

Pascal instead Twins a 3rd Level Chromatic Orb! One for Yax, one for Grimlock!

Y Attack: 19 Damage: 32 fire damage 

G Attack: 20 Damage: 21 fire damage