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Statblock Sunday (Banlan Backlash!): Goemul


The stench of death assaults your senses as a strange amalgamations of rotting remains, wood, and vegetations rises from the disgusting water. It’s eyes glow an unnatural blue and stare at you intently as one of its malformed limbs reaches down into the water briefly before the massive limb rips upward with a wave and sends an enormous rock hurtling right at you!

shambling mambler smallGOEMUL      CR 11
XP 12,800
NG Huge undead (leshy)
Init –1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +12

DEFENSE
AC 25, touch 11, flat-footed 25 (+4 deflection, –1 Dex, +14 natural, –2 size)
hp 136 (16d8+64)
Fort +13, Ref +4, Will +10
Immune plant traits, undead traits, electricity, sonic; DR 10/slashing

OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 slams +20 (2d6+9 plus 1d8 negative energy, Crit 19–20/x2)
Ranged rock +10 (2d6+13)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks rock throwing (180 ft.), trample (2d6+13, DC 25)
Spell-Like Abilities (Concentration +36; CL 32nd)
Constant—pass without trace

TACTICS
Before Combat The goemul keeps beneath the waterline (which is impossible to see through without the use of magic) and as soon as it perceives a creature above it, rises up to evaluate it.
During Combat After throwing a rock at range it charges forward, engaging as many targets in melee combat as possible.
Morale The goemul is compelled to fight to the death.

STATISTICS
Str 29, Dex 8, Con —, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 18
Base Atk +12; CMB +23; CMD 36
Feats Alertness, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills Diplomacy +12, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (nature) +9, Perception +12, Sense Motive +9, Stealth –9 (+7 in forests); Racial Modifiers +16 Stealth in forests
Languages Common, Druidic, Sylvan, Treant
SQ animate corpses, deadspeech, double damage against objects

ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure standard

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Animate Corpses (Sp) A goemul can animate any corpses within 180 feet at will, controlling up to two creatures at a time (of a combined HD equal to the goemul’s). It takes 1 full round for a corpse to rise, after which it moves at a speed of 10 feet and fights as a goemul (although it has only one slam attack and lacks the goemul’s animation and rock-throwing abilities). If the goemul that animated it terminates the animation, moves out of range, or is incapacitated, the corpse immediately falls prone wherever it is and returns to its normal state.
Change Shape (Su) Goemul can transform into rotting remains, with results similar to the tree shape spell. In this form, the goemul appears as a recently killed creature of Small size. A goemul can assume this form or revert to its true form as a swift action.
Deadspeech (Ex) A goemul has the ability to converse with the dead as if subject to a continual speak with dead spell, and most corpses greet them with an attitude of friendly or helpful.
Double Damage Against Objects (Ex) A goemul or animated corpse that makes a full attack against an object or structure deals double damage.
Violent Burst (Su) When slain, a goemul explodes in a burst of rotting matter filled with negative energy. All creatures within 30 feet of a slain goemul take 1d8 points of negative energy damage plus 1 point per HD of the slain goemul, and the surrounding area is strewn with gruesome remains of countless dead creatures, dense enough to make the region into difficult terrain for 24 hours, after which the remains change into a disgusting mold.
Ingan befriended many treants in his failed bid to resist the High Mages of Timeaus and though most died, his most steadfast woodland companion suffered a fate far worse than burning to death. Intent on making an example out of the creature, the sadistic wizards malformed both its body and its essence, trapping it in a torturous existence stretched taut between life and death. Cursed to prowl the catacombs of Nyamo, it has wandered for centuries, forced to walk beneath the disgusting, brackish waterways of the tunnels killing anyone it comes across; while initially a great deterrent from smuggling, the rogues now use it to their advantage.

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Sidequest Saturday (Banlan Backlash!): Abattoir Ambush!

The PCs have been inexplicably teleported to the catacombs beneath Nyamo, drawn there by a dimensional funnel orchestrated by infiltrators from the Banlan Brotherhood! Immediately after reaching their dark, dank destination, these agents bolt for the tunnels nearby, attempting to lure the party away from the alligotonium-laden caravan. As soon as the adventurers exit the wagons, however, they are ambushed by the restless spirit tethered to this section of the complex beneath the port city of Cape Fin!

rogue 6 mageOn the note a PC may have received from a befriended infiltrator (immediately before the dimensional funnel trap was sprung) is a carefully drawn symbol—the sign of the Banlan Brotherhood. Any PC possessing a note or other item with the insignia is completely ignored by the haunt (until they deal damage to it, at which point it targets them next).

Tracking after the members of the Banlan Brotherhood is exactly what they want; as soon as the party leaves the caravan unattended (or lightly guarded), a score of their agents (N Human rogue 6; see the “Tomb Raider” entry in the NPC Gallery chapter of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Gamemastery Guide) enter the chamber from a secret door in its ceiling. Any creatures or PCs watching over the caravans are ambushed and the Banlan Brotherhood absconds with as much of the alligotonium as they possibly can.

If all of the infiltrators were befriended by the party before the teleportation trap went off, the rogues—well versed in the layout of the tunnels—lead them in pointless circles for twenty minutes (long enough for their allies to complete their task) before drinking potions of pass without trace.

cave-7This is unlikely, however, and there should be at least one infiltrator still indifferent to the PCs; he does as he was ordered to, leading the adventurers deeper into the catacombs. Staying just far enough in front of the party to spur them into sprinting, the agent’s trail ends in a wide chamber with a running channel of disgusting, brackish water. Drinking a potion of invisibility, a potion of pass without trace, and a potion of spider climb, their quarry escapes down either side of the tunnel but before the PCs can investigate, movement from under the disgusting slurry beneath them catches the eye of anyone that succeeds a DC 18 Perception check.

Something rises from the water…[…on tomorrow’s Statblock Sunday! -MM]

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Story Locale (Banlan Backlash!): Ingan’s Abattoir

Beneath the most prolific port city of Timeaus are vast catacombs that weave all around Nyamo, some of them hundreds if not thousands of years old. While rogues and smugglers of all kinds make use of these underground tunnels, one particular region is favored by the Banlan Brotherhood, the leader of its inception having organized a powerful tool to insure the safety of his subordinates. The spirit of a potent druid has been anchored to the Material Plane since the first stones of the city were set, destroyed by the High Mages of Timeaus as a heretic.

Catacombs at Castle MorsainKnowing that he fought a losing battle, Ingan fled beneath the coves of Cape Fin, preparing and executing a series of rituals that triggered when a series of empowered and maximized lightning bolts finally claimed his life. His murderers, however, were too taxed to defend themselves against the tunnels themselves turning against them, spectral animals dragging many beneath tepid waters or ripping them apart as the mages struggled against cave-ins and collapsing walls. These dangers persist to this day, giving a section of the catacombs a name that rings through the taverns and drinking halls of the city above—Ingan’s abattoir.

Only creatures wearing an insignia of the Banlan Brotherhood (or those traveling with a member of the resistance) are immune to these hazards. For every 10 minutes of travel through Ingan’s Abattoir, there is a 50% chance a creature is targeted by one of these hazards; if a creature displays arcane spellcasting talents, the likeliness of their being targeted increases to 80%. Besting any of these hazards is equivalent to overcoming an obstacle with a CR equal to spell level + 1.

d100     Hazard (all CL 18th, with the exception of revenge of Ingan)
1-24      tentacles drag the target beneath the water (as black tentacles)
25-47    chamber collapses (reassembles after 100 rounds; CR 8)
48-67    wall collapses, target attacked by ghostly animals (as spectral weapon)
68-86    ambushed by 2d4+1 greater elementals (as summon nature’s ally VII)
87-100  revenge of Ingan

 

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Weird Wednesday (Banlan Backlash!): Revenge of Ingan

Revenge of Ingan     CR 11
XP 12,800
N Persistent haunt (tunnels inside a 40 ft.-radius of Ingan’s grave)
Caster Level 11th
Notice Perception DC 25 (to hear the lamentations of Ingan)
hp 49; Weakness tricked by hide from undead and Stealth; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 hour
SpiritEffect When the revenge of Ingan is triggered, the ethereal form of the druid’s spirit appears and touches the nearest living creature (Fly 50 ft. [perfect], melee touch +13), forcing them to make a DC 22 Fortitude save. On a failure, touched creatures take 150 points of damage (only 3d6+15 on a success). Any creature killed this way is immediately reincarnated (as the spell) and is never troubled by Ingan’s revenge again.

Destruction The druid’s spirit is so vengeful that it remains tethered to the catacombs of Nyamo until its thirst for justice is sated—only the living blood of a High Mage of Timeaus can quench its desire.

Adventure Hook Ingan’s Abattoir is haunted by the restless spirit of a long dead druid, one of first naturalist spellcasters felled by the High Mages of Timeaus. Though many might not know it, the beginning of the Banlan Brotherhood is related to the druid’s spirit, and it recognizes their symbol. Any creature bearing a symbol of the Banlan Brotherhood is immune to the effects of the revenge of Ingan; something a keen PC might realize with a DC 15 Knowledge (History) and DC 13 Intelligence check.

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Trap Tuesday (Banlan Backlash!): Dimensional Funnel

RELLUMMDimensional Funnel      CR 11
Type magical; Search/Perception DC 38; Disable Device destroy dimensional tethers (see text)
Trigger teleportation spell; Reset none
Effect spell effect (plane shift; all creatures and items within 30 ft. of the dimensional tethers are not teleported to their intended destination, instead drawn to a second matching set of dimensional tethers which may be located on any plane; increase the DC to resist the triggering teleporting effect by +5)

The high mages of Timeaus are true masters of arcane energies and one of them—a subversive agent for the Banlan Brotherhood—was involved with researching alligotonium, discovering a means to teleport the enchanted material despite its unique properties. Using a practiced ritual of the high mages (the dimensional funnel trap) he has treated some of the magical ore already in their possession, crafting a total of 12 dimensional tethers. 6 of these have been pegged down far beneath Nyamo in the city’s catacombs, and the rest are in the hands of agents traveling with the party.

When the dimensional wheels activate, the whole caravan the PCs are traveling in is hurtled across the planes to eventually land in the Ingan Abattoir, a place the infiltrators know only too well—but will the party fare well once they arrive, or fall prey to its dangers?

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Magic Item Monday (Banlan Backlash!): Dimensional Wheel

DIMENSIONAL WHEEL
Aura strong conjuration; CL 13th
Slot —; Price 4,200 gp; Weight 50 lbs.
DESCRIPTION
This wagon wheel has a 5% chance of activating whenever it hits a pothole, divot, or any similar irregularity on a road. When activated. the wagon, its passengers, and its cargo are transported to a random plane (as plane shift). Each creature transported can resist with a successful DC 24 Will save; the wheel is a single charge item and cannot be used for further planar travel once expended.
CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, plane shift; Cost 2,100 gp
[Originally appearing as the planar wheel on TrapADay.com. -MM]

578px-1905_Fire_Wagon_wheelBorys has a final task for the PCs—after the pass was blasted and the alligotonium cloud descended upon Steamtown, PNE has more enchanted ore than they know what to do with, and it may be possessed by revenants (or worse). Too valuable to leave here in its raw state and too dangerous to try to fashion useful items out of, since it’s rightly the property of PNE, they’ve decided to send it to a smelter in the city of Nyamo in far off Timeaus, a facility in good standing with the Samsara Mining Conglomerate. They have both the facilities and magical knowledge to deal with this ore safely.

Borys points at four full wagons of the ore. “These need to get to Nyamo, and I need you to guard them along the way. Some agents from SMC have just arrived and they’ll travel with you as well. Once these safely reach Nyamo, you are to be given 100 pounds of the ore as a reward; once it is determined to be safe, of course.

Six agents (male LN human fighter 4/wizard 2) travel with the PCs, each carrying a hidden magic item that acts as a dimensional anchor. During the journey, they talk to the PCs to feel them out—the conversation eventually focuses on the authoritarian nature of Timerian rule and the different groups opposing it.

The party makes a series of Diplomacy checks during the course of the trip to try to befriend the agents, who start out with an Indifferent attitude toward the adventurers (the difficulty of each check is the base DC of the attitude +7.) On a failure of 5 or more, an agent’s attitude drops by one step, and on a success, it increases by one step. These checks can be done once per day. After one week the agents spring a trap, but if the attitude of the agents towards the PCs is Helpful, they hand one member of the party a hand written note before springing the trap. [The note’s contents to be revealed in an upcoming post! – RT ]

Each wagon has a single dimensional wheel and the hidden items carried by the subversive agents traveling with the PCs are enchanted to not only allow the alligotonium to teleport (which it normally cannot do), but to send it within 50 ft. to a specific location in Nyamo—the wheels simply have to hit a big enough pothole to activate. About a week in to the journey, the caravan reaches a road littered with potholes and instead of avoiding them, the drivers purposely head towards the pits and divots. Each of the 4 wagon wheels activates, triggering a DC 29 Will save to avoid being teleported, the specialized trinkets of the bandits facilitating the transition.