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V3 Session Thirty-Seven -- 07 January 2011 -- "Fist of Mourning (Part 3)"
Story
July, 1120
With their resources drained, the party leaves the Caverns and rests for the night. The next morning, they return and discover that nobody new has moved into the cavern area they explored the previous day.
Beyond the cavern where they fought the undead, the party has to climb another 30-foot cliff to continue. However, this room is occupied and sealed by some kind of ooze-like magical barrier. When they try to enter, they provoke an attack from a Red Slaad.
After a brief fight, the party manages to force the Slaad to flee. Giving chase, they climb the cliff – only to find a second Red Slaad, three more deformed human cultists, and their leader, a human abomination named “Obsen”.
The fight drags on, with the party making slow progress as their powers, one by one, get used up. In the end, though they kill all of Obsen's servants, only luck keeps Obsen from killing them all.
Leaving him behind a bolted door, the party is forced to flee. Following a kind of sixth sense, the party opts to go deeper into the ancient tomb rather than head for the main entrance…
to be continued…
Game
This adventure was included in Dungeon Magazine issue #162 (pages 4-26) and is part of the “Scales of War” adventure path.
Encounter 1: Beyond the Pale
Hoo Boy! This fight was epic. Because of a missing player, Imbo was not available – leaving this 14th level encounter up to the remaining four ninth-level PCs.
The fight lasted twenty-four rounds and pretty much consumed all the party's daily powers, healing surges, and luck. Near the end, a very timely Natural 20 on Ibiza's death saving throw was a turning point. It was, sadly, squandered when the party opted to make one last ditch effort to take Obsen out.
As the fight progressed, I opted to ignore a couple of powers to soften the blow. Obsen's “Entropic Imperative” aura and the Horrid Spawn's “Mutilating Rend” attacks were left on the cutting room floor. The aura (+2 on allies' attack and damage rolls) probably wouldn't have made a big difference. However, the “Mutilating Rend” (+12 vs. AC, 4d6+5) could easily have killed the party, even though it would likely have been useable only once from each of them.
Picture of the combat board coming soon…
| # | Challenge | Type | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Red Slaad | Soldier/15 | 1200 |
| 1 | Obsen | Elite Controller(Leader)/13 | 1600 |
| 3 | Horrid Spawn | Brute/9 | 400 |
| Total XP | 5,200 | ||
| (5 PCs) | 1,300 | ||