Lost Lab of Kwalish

Apparently it takes an action to open a portable hole.  Doesn't anybody have a gem not I'm a portable hole?

Huarache was based on the assist to the save made By Tess, so after the priest made the attack.  If it is a passive ability or requires no action, then sorry about that.  If we want to be more consistent and put Huarache after the priest on subsequent rounds, we could do that.

I'm not going ro tell anybody they hit themselves with a fireball, that's on players to decide since my maps, in general, are just ro assist theater of the mind.

Big spoiler re: Save's.  

(So, nobody’s gonna catch the priest. He had about 60’ of movement in round 1 being already down the stairs. He was well out of range of Tet’s round 2 bonus action “radiant ball” (post #3711) and Etrigan’s round 2 fireball (post #3712). Sorry about those spell slots, guys.)

Quote from PlotArmored >>

(So, nobody’s gonna catch the priest. He had about 60’ of movement in round 1 being already down the stairs. He was well out of range of Tet’s round 2 bonus action “radiant ball” (post #3711) and Etrigan’s round 2 fireball (post #3712). Sorry about those spell slots, guys.)

 Well if he was down the stairs and out of sight, I wouldn’t cast my spell at all.  But if he was still in sight I’d cast it down the stairs at him- which would solve our problem as we would be clearly outside the AOE for that spell anyway.

 So Tetrevess’s manifested mind is in the hall on the other side of the secret door.  I guess we will go through and then check out room 29 first, or should we go after the priest?

(OOC: Ok, the high priest likely had 30´move after using his finger of death and at least some of that move should have been spent opening that secret door. How did he get down the stairs?? As you also did not give us a surprise which I would say should have been the case, and didn´t let Huarache attack the high priest before he escaped I´m starting to get the sense that we weren´t supposed to kill this guy either. This is also a bit disappointing since this has been Etrigans mission from the start.)

I said closest to Huarache because Arcane Jolt only works within 30 feet.

(OOC: Yes Shoni, but Huarache should have been allowed to act before the high priest and the imp, in which case the imp would still have been invisible, in which case the high priest would have been the target for Huaraches attacks.)

Sorry. I got confused on the FoG, being a reaction it could have come before the priest attacked.  It just sounded wrong and I didn't bother to check myself, but in fact a round 1 reaction can precede a PCs first action in combat.  So, if Huarache wanted to attack the priest, he could have.  That would leave the imp alive. 

(Ok just let us know what happens :). Am I able to do the manifest mind/fireball thing down the stairs at the two of them?)

(Ok then, good,  now what about what I wrote in post #3729? Please try to answer all questions so that we don´t have to repeat them :-)

I see no reason why manifest mind wouldn't work.  It can manifest 60ft, so it can manifest all the way up to and including the stairs,  but if it was already there it only moves 30ft.  I'm assuming it gets the full 60.   It can then also cast down the stairs as far as it sees, so all the way to the first landing, at which point the stairs turn.  Further, Tess can see all of this telepathically, so she can see the priest fleeing down those stairs.  When the flames dissipate, the priest is not there.  He might have been hit and killed or not

I'm not calling it a surprise round.  See below, but...

Actual spoiler:

Recapping mechanics of round 1 and 2 so far

Huarache's strikes were successful, so Tess regains 7hp

Sam hits the priest repeatedly (3x)

Etrigan's eldritch blasts singed the priest 

Barril's arrow narrowly missed the priest

The priest damaged Tess and rebuked Etrigsn, then fled through the fire

Barril kills the imp

Etrigan lobs a fireball through the fire, it hits the corner wall behind it, burning the ettin and killing the boggle (I guess that slime is flammable)

Tess manifests her magical mind beyond the fireplace completely guessing it should appear 35 feet left of the fireplace, 10 feet past it and 15 feet down into the oearth, casts an aoe down the stairs at the priest.

 Ard-Sagart Dex save 7

Sam Huarache and Barrill are up 

(OOC: Ok, admittedly I read the spoiler to try to make sense of things. So you are saying they knew all along, and what? Decided to toy with us? I realize you are the DM and can make up any rules and situations as you want, but I would like some sense of control of the situation, a sense of that my characters decisions matter. I don´t know why you wrote that you liked the idea of Etrigan turning into Barbatos if it was doomed to fail? If they know and could have ambushed us at any time my decisions feel pointless and that´s just not a game I want to play.)

Barril will pursue through the fireplace. Assuming he has to use half his movement to rise from prone (under the bed), that leaves him with only 20’. Hopefully someone has figured out how to get the flames controlled before he rises and runs to dive through the secret door. He will dive through regardless, just wanting to emphasize that the rising and running might allow for some other actions to occur before he hits the flames. Let me know if a saving throw is needed. After his movement, he will use his bonus action to attempt to hide on the other side. (Gotta try and set up sneak attack, obviously.) He will not ready an action so that his reaction is available to use should he get attacked on the other side.

Hide/stealth: 14

Thesellar's objectives as written in the module are to learn as much as possible about Moghaddam and the Tomb of Horrors.  He would not under any circumstance immediately try to kill you and might try to recruit you.  Although Etrigan and Tess do not work for Moghadam, the others were in his employ, so he's correct about that and it is very likely that he will get them to work for him.  He would not let you leave with the items taken, though you might abscond with them.  Earlier you passed another set of stairs.  He took those.  He's waiting down below.

I do like the subterfuge.  I think it's creative.  I actually expected an interaction with the caged animals earlier.  They really hate that guy, and while the bears might or might not recognize the disguise, the owls probably wouldn't. Alas this did not come to pass.

This also let's your decisions matter.  You didn't have to fight half the stuff you walked past because of the disguises you wore, not the least of which is the ettin that led you into the treasure vault you plundered, which it was being paid to guard.  Although you guys actually did already find the key to it earlier.

Barril can either spend any gem at all or take an action and some hp to open the fireplace secret.  There's nobody there, but the hallway opens to the left,  where Tess saw the priest go, or to the right.

Barril is not in possession of a gem (to my knowledge), and hopes that the others in the party would be aware of that and use their free action, if available, to lower the flames for him. Or possibly he is crossing the threshold at roughly the same time as Sam or Huarache because they’ve lowered it for themselves.

If nobody has done anything to lower the flames by the time he’s reached them, he’s willing to take some damage to pursue through the door. (Note: He might have to consider, using Uncanny Dodge as his reaction to halve the damage if the fire damage is excessive. But that assumes that the DM rules that the fire is an attack. This would leave Barril without a reaction on the far side of the secret door.)

The only damage is self inflicted or I guess regular fire damage.   I wouldn't even call it a trap, more like a locked door.  Maybe Sam or Huarache will open it.

(OOC: Well, Etrigan has some I think but they are in the portable hole and it will take a round to get them. Sorry, but I didn´t forsee us needing them quickly ;-) I don´t know if Sam or Huarache got some from their last raid though.)

It's 5 piercing or slashing with an action or 4d8 fire damage.  Or any gem

Also, that ettin is still pretty mad. He's not acting at the moment, but dialogue or actions could effect what he does next.