Need for Steed: 40 mph Edition

Session Notes #39 - 10/23

The assault on Great Shaboath continues at a greatly accelerated pace as the party attempts to disrupt the aboleth's ritual of domination. After discovering they can break though the teleportation blocks warding the city with some dedicated dispelling, liberal use of greater teleportation, flux points, plane shifting, and speedy summoned mounts have led to a pretty weird time-table for the attacks. I believe the Tower of Necromancy was actually sacked within a few minutes of the initial breech.  This is...troubling for the aboleths.

The Ramblings of Jobin

Tower of Necromancy - Savant, nightcrawler, and sea bonze (big 'ol spooky water ghost) - 65k
Destroying the tower - 25k
Freeing brainwashed slaves - 15k
Various glyph disarming and destroying the shrine of Shar - 20k
Tower of Treasure guardians - 18k

Shopping in Sigil with an Illithid Chaperone, Three to Go

Session Notes #38 - 10/9
Had a couple folks out for 10/16 session.

Day Tracker
Start Day 226 - Sigil
Stop Day 227 - departing Shaboath

The Ramblings of Jobin

Tower of Conjuration - 2nd Floor - 3x Eldest Water Elementals - 9k
Tower of Conjuration - 3rd Floor - Conjuration Savant - 31k
Dispersing the magical energies of the tower - 25k
Fight outside the tower - 2x Ixzan Priest, 2x Eldest Water Elementals, Mercenary Group (Priest/Wiz fled, Barbarian deaded) - 57k

Assault on the Aboleth, Unholy Alliances

Session Notes #36 - 9/18 and #37 - 9/25

No session last week as I was running some promotional Thornwatch games. 

Talon (George) has departed the game with the classic "don't say anything, just stop showing up" move. Not wishing to continue a campaign is one thing, but this is really not the way to handle it. Don't be this sort of person when you're gaming folks.

Day Tracker
Start Day 225 - Preparing for the assault
Stop Day 225 - Departing from third strike

The Ramblings of Jobin

 

Allying with the Swords of Light, the renegade Illithids, and the Derro (sorta) - 30k

First Strike on NW wall - 7x Illithids, 2x Medium Warped Servitors, 2x Large Servitors, 1x Small Servitor, 2x Dominated Human Archers, 1x Derro Manhunter, 1x Derro Mage Sniper - 70k

Second Strike on S gate in tandem with Derro/Illithid- Destroying the entry pools/gate - 10k + 11x Derro Guardsmen - 11k
Third Strike on NW breach- nada, repelled

DM Notes

With Talon's departure we're at 4 players, a little sub where I'd like to be. Unfortunately, with things so far progressed it isn't really feasible to add a new member to the group so we'll have to soldier on through the last few sessions of the campaign. In keeping with their theme of not using any NPCs that 1. don't come out of a bag, or 2. don't have a sense of hearing, the party has decided to leave Talon offstage and let him manage the dominated Derro.

Party's Forces - led by Talon, lieutenanted by Jelenneth and Geronmen: 4 Derro Experiments, Abjuration Savant, Arcanist, Mage Sniper, Pyromaniac

Illithid Forces - led by Ipshizeen, lieutananted by Sausita the Crimson Mantis rogue - 6 Illithid, 5 Fomorian Giants, 10 Beastmen

Swords of Light - led by Lilianth - status unknown

Being good aligned means you can (forcibly) make friends with anyone, at any time!

Session Notes #35 - 9/11
Vacations and stuff interrupted our first Sept session.

Day Tracker
Start Day 224 - On the way to Isle of Madness in south Sunless Sea.
Stop Day 225 - Resting after Derro enclave fight

The Ramblings of Jobin

10x Ghawwas Div (some sleep murdered, some regular murdered, one squished) - 18k
Grootslang the redux (weakened) - 13k
Lying to a demon, and then it died - 10k
7x Derro experiments (barbarians) and 4x various savants - 40k

DM Notes

100% gold star encounter/side quest completion for the party in the Sunless Sea outside of Great Shaboath and random combats. Everyone gets 1000 achievo points.

Random fun fact: this was the first time I've played at a level where the iconic Prismatic spells are getting thrown around. Rogtar got better.

Random thoughts: Party now permanently paranoid about teleport traps. Tomoe's stealth and perception checks literally unbeatable without outlandish npc optimization/wealth. Rest of party essentially a blind marching band. D-door full attack bombs continue to be effective. Party now brainwashing insane derro to do their bidding and considered unreliable by illithid allies. Godwin's Law looms.

Gathering Allies and Storms

Session Notes #34 - 8/28
Chris (Cowl) got lost in the IRL woods camping and was out for this session. Late postings for the last few weeks because lazy. Roundup in the 9/18 post.

Day Tracker
Start Day 224 - post BG shopping/rezzing
Stop Day 224 - post Blades of Light meeting

The Ramblings of Jobin

Drider Abomination (Queen Clicks) and 3x Leng Spiders - 27.5k
Blightrat Warren - 25k
Saving Jelenneth (finally) - 15k

DM Notes

Wrapping up Sunless Sea sidequests and loose ends. Some discussion about the various NPC's sworn to the party's cause. They decide to just leave them in the "horse zone" - that ambiguous area where stuff no one cares to worry about goes until needed. Sorry Jelenneth and Geronmen, maybe next adventure someone will care about you.

Amusingly, Jobin demanded the party investigate the glint of gold leading to the blightrat den, resulting in an incredibly difficult to cure pair of diseases infesting the party. Except Jobin, who is immune.

Exploring Ruins is an Adventurer's Prerogative so it isn't Really Trespassing, Further Disruption of the Delicate Sunless Sea Ecosystem

Session Notes #33 - 8/21
George (Talon) was out this session. No session next week due to PAX. Nothing else new for now!

Day Tracker
Start Day 222 - talking with Szandur
Stop Day 223 -  Shopping in BG

The Ramblings of Jobin

Szandur is the gnome we captured last session. She has been studying the Aboleth's methods of domination for some length of time in the Sunless Sea.
She seems confused why we invaded her home, we are confused why she is here
There are five towers that are weaving together different schools of magic to perform a ritual spell for mass domination
She was rather grumpy about us invading her home. She explained some of the ways she has been able to scry into the Aboleth's city.
She also explains how she was able to protect her home from scrying
We recover Talon and he points out he found the elven ruins we were initially looking for in this area
Talon stays with the horses (George isn't here), while the rest of the party goes to explore the underwater city
It looks like some great cataclysm hit the city causing it to sink under the sea
While scouting the party is attacked by 3 giant moray eels. While their bites are ferocious the party quickly routes them
The party continues exploring the ruins and notices that they are the same architecture as the smooth caverns (Kasatha)
Fin pings Tomoe that there is a large evil aquatic creature ahead
Out from behind us a huge snake / elephant underwater creature attacks us (grootslang)
It teleports into the middle of us and body slams 3 of the party with its massive chest
Ortree's Sacred Shield blocks a fair portion of the damage
Jobin smites the beast and unleashes a flurry of blows
His sword becomes a 2d blade and he uses it to slice up the beast. Tomoe then unleashes a round of attacks causing the beast to implode pushing the party away 30 feet
The beast still stands (floats) and is now showing a second copper layer of screen with a metallic sheen.
It is angry
It rushes forward and bites Jobin before retreating
Rogtar teleports Or'Tree and Jobin to the front of the battle where the creature unleashes a massive blast of electricity
Thanks to Or'Tree's earlier prayer causes Rogtar's glitterdust to blind the beast
Jobin continues to hit the creature with his now 3D sword
Tomoe rolls (swims) in and delivers a double dagger stab
The creature retaliates with a lightning blast stunning Jobin and teleports away
After healing a bit the adventurers explore the creature's lair. We find a "Crown of Conquest" which Jobin puts on
We continue exploring the city. We are soon faced with a ethereal kasatha with a song on its lips. It seems hostile so Rogtar counters the song
The Banshee(?) joins the fight and a group of drowning devils (Sarglagon) join the fight as the sides close
She claws Jobin who is immune to fear and negative energy so she looks sad
Cowl's wand of batter blast sets up Jobin for the kill, he unleashes a flurry of blows on the Banshee
More combatants join the battle, these appear to be Hezrou demons (toad demons) which exude a noxious cloud around them and have some spellcasting abilities
Battle ensues, the hezrous throw chaos hammers and blasphemy around showing that they are basically the antithesis of Jobin
Cowl unleashes another chain of acid blowing up one of the drowning devils
Seeing the battle going bad, Rogtar dimension doors the party away
The group retreats to Szandur's island and offers to bring her things from town. She requests some fries. (She requests you stay the hell away and never return!)
While flying out Tomoe spots a pile of bone with glints of metal in it near a large hole. Jobin pulls a thing out of his bag a (yeth hound) who is commanded to fetch the metal from the pile. (twas coins!)
We then tell the Yeth to explore the hole, but it never returns

3x REALLY BIG MORAYS - 7.6k
Drove off the Grootslang - 15.3k
Kasatha Banshee - 5.1k (nerf bards)
Fled the underwater demon/devil joint attack after poofing one- 2k

 DM Notes

Not mentioned above: The drowning dead (Sarglagon) feature a "fun" effect that functionally increases PC's weight load. Who likes slow underwater combat? Bonus points for killing an incorporeal creature with a slashing weapon (1/4 damage).

I think the next encounter will feature demons capable of re-writing history such that all party members are, and always have been, geriatric halflings.

Mogtar Goes to Pieces, Return to Strength Drain Island, The Party Calculates the Flow Rate of a Giant Magical Pipe

Session Notes #31 - 7/17 and #32 - 7/24

Lots of stuff happened. Some good, some bad. Scheduling/vacation timing hopefully resolved (except for PAX in two weeks) and gonna get back to this campaign. Party is now level 14 and we'll be starting out just after investigating the underground sanctum of the gnome wizard.

Almost forgot! Mickinzee (Tomoe) commissioned an awesome rendition of the party, a random horse, and some blood crows.

Day Tracker
Start Day 220 - approaching Isle of Shadows for the wrap-up
Stop Day 222 - just cleared out the gnome wizard's hideaway

The Ramblings of Jobin

Isle of Shadows Redux

Nemhain - 8.5k
Dread Wraith - 4.2k
3x Zealot Wraiths - 4.5k
Assorted Traps - 3k

The Pyramid Assault - some of these escaped
6x Ixzan Caster - 15k
3x Ixzan Priest - 6k
2x Ixzan Supermutant - 9k
38x Ixzan Cannonfodder - 5.5

Szandur's Isle
5x Advanced Invisible Stalker - 12k
Szandur the gnome - 17k

DM Notes

Mogtar was annihilated by the Lusca after attempting an aquatic assault and set the record for most damage taken in a round so far this campaign I'd guess. There was a lot of debate as to just how magical the Ixzan pyramid's waterspout had to be to not kill anything it touched due to pressure and speed. (Answer: Extremely magical)

Visualizing the Ixzan fight was tricky due to it being in the air, on the ground, outside underwater, and inside underwater at the same time.