Waterdeep Siege#
Battleplan for irae, Kua-Toans + Demogorgon assaulting Waterdeep.
Pre-battle Prep#
Mages will slowly uncover lore about Shario (Diano knows basic, Ursula can research as she believes it). Slowly uncover bits and bobs every day. Learn about the final battle just before.
They can visit the tomb of Shario below Castle Waterdeep (middle of mountain, sealed). Winding tunnel. Several seals, and several magical keys. First have to spend two hours magically excavating the tunnel. At the bottom, a single room with 2x Deva's + Planetar (to make sure it's not lied to) returning as soon at they touch. If their intentions are good they can POSSIBLY see the body. But need super persuasive powers to take the amulet.
General Plan#
Demogorgon + 50 Kua-Toans coming up from the sewer grates.
Shooshar running up before everything? Rides a giant turtle from darklake.
One Kua-Toan will ask for the blade of shadows, or the Prince of Shadows will come to retrieve it himself.
Attack will happen at mid day, but dark mist covers the air (~mirage arcana), blocks out the sun.
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mArRG9aV9cY
Mages will defend the city against Demogorgon. Delayed blast fireball. Demo will pick it up if it's too soon. Ursula: "Don't look it in the eyes."
Demogorgon will smash the mages tower (massive bludgeoning to everyone inside) so the safe with the blade gets to ground level.
While the battle rages, Irae will swoop in to grab it. NB: Don't do this at all costs. If they escape with it, she'll definitely stalk them at night.
If they leave the mages by themselves, they are likely to die alone.
But they might be able to run away with the blade.
Level them if they defeat the Prince of Daemons.
Demogorgon leaves once Irae is satisfied.
Irae's been scrying on the party successfully. If they try to escape with the artifact, she will follow them.
Irae tactics#
Time Stop (PLOT - 40s)#
Just before: As the battle rages on and the darkness now covering the entire sky, it feels like you are in the midst of an eclipse, while all the spells light up the city from below. The mist, however, swirls like a tornado above you.
As the mists swirls intensify, you start noticing a shape in the midst of this now very circular eye of the storm. Big black arcane runes etched into the sky.
Everything goes gray. Not in the sense of you losing control, but in the sense that there is only darkness. You do not see nor hear anything. You do not exist. Except for you Mordai. You see the world. Grey, black mist swirling all around you at a different rate. Your body, restrained by an inherent slowness. You slowly look around, all your party members, Goatweaver, Faey, mages, all frozen in time. Yet to the side, Hanir, floats in the air, mid jump, glitchily flickering in and out of existence. As you slowly turn your head up towards the darkness, an elven figure floating into view, casting dim blue light from the luminescent smoke trailing her figure. As her strong jawline and flesh reaches a certain point of proximity, the illusion is broken; you see reveals hollow bone covering her face.
(When she sees Mordai not affected). How interesting. You understand the flow of time yourself.
Casts higher level locate object (divination 3) (does not proc timestop end)
Why/what?
Fulfilling a prophecy, of course. You of all people should know this. Creatures do not exist in this timeline unless they have been tampering with it.
Arklem? Hah, always quick to acquiesce when tempted.
"And what are you going to do? You are too late. By the time the baboon's face stares down the soul of your desparate champions, I will be long gone."
(didn't say this because i proc'd timestop as demogorgon died)
Once she takes the bag, it procs timestop. She will then use movement to fly 50ft away. Cast spells as legendary action/reaction.
Casting chronomancy within timestop will summon Dahaka.
Spells#
Time Stop (to steal blade when she sees it - won't affect Mordai)
Metor Swarm: 78 fire dmg, 63 bludgeoning dmg - in panic
Special#
Passive bless (+d4 attack rolls + saves for 1hr)
Passive disadv for people opportunity attacking (haste)
8d4+8 hp heal while invis (30 preroll)
Pearl of Power regain 8th level spell (action)
Crown of Stars 7x around her head - radiant dmg on bonus action
Hound of Ill Omen: Dire wolf as bonus action
Umbral Form: Bonus action: resistance all dmg for 1 minute, move through creatures - dismiss as bonus action
War Caster: cast as a reaction (legendary action)
Strength of the Grave (might not die die on death)
HP stack:
- blade ward cantrip legendary action (all physical dmg resist)
- reaction shield (+5 ac)
- potion invulnerability
- globe of invulnerability (contingency on spell save failed - <=5th immunity)
- shield guardian
- warding bond cast by a cultist
NB: base lich has 18d8+54HP (i.e up to 200hp), also cold/necrotic/lightning res, immunity poison (and non-magical physical)
Demogorgon Tactics#
Tentacle attacks against any that deals damage to it. Otherwise straight for tower. Stops to tentacle anything attacking it.
If Demogorgon is delayed for many rounds, Irae might swoop in if she feels comfortable.
Special#
3x leg res
2x leg actions (alternate, gaze first)
adv on saves vs magic or vs raw effects: blind/deaf/stunned/knocked/unconscious
immune charm exhausted frightened poisoned
resistance: cold,fire,lightning
immunity: non-magical weap commoners
TENTACLE REDUCES MAX HP
NB: Insanity Gaze (just nullifies them) or Beguiling Gaze (stuns).
mages have like 3 rounds before demogorgon wades through all guards to target them directly
Ways to save it#
Don't be a dick: throw in a Feeblemind/Fear against party or a tentacle against champions if they are in serious trouble (near death or too charmed)
Felgolos will arrive near the end (deus ex machina). DC21 DEX SAVE VS FIRE.
Champions can tank some tentacles?
Mages Tactics#
Ask them to stay close before fireball hits, we can haste after.
Diana:
- Lightning Strike at range Dex DC 17 with Staff of Thunder
- Disintegrate: DEX save 18 (reasonable chance)
- Sunbeam: CON save 18 (hard, adv and +16)
- Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum for mages in desperation (unwise to escapewith shadow blade in there)
- Locate Creature (to find Irae)
- Synaptic Static
- Teleport (emergency - where TF to.. - AT MOST 8 PEOPLE - PARTY + GUILD ONLY)
- Feeblemind (desperate attempt.. but can be really powerful)
- Sunburst (con save vs radiant dmg)
- Counterspell (battle roll vs Irae) - PROBABLY DONT DO THIS...
Ursula:
- staff of healing: mass cure wounds
- delayed blast fireball (dramatic entrance)
- haste
- mass suggestion (morale vs guards)
- cone of cold
- banishment
Lotte:
- Sunbeam / Blight
- Disintegrate / Sunbeam / Dawn
- Freezing Sphere
- Mage Armor / Shield / Fly / Tenser's Transformation / Haste
- Dispel / Dimension Door
Sucy:
- Bless / Healing Word / Life Transference / Prayer of Healing / Revivify
- Mage Armor / Shield / Death Ward (touch)
- Greater Restoration / Raise Dead
- Harm / Heal
Royal Guard Tactics#
Note Aghairon's Dragonward. Will crash after one round.
City guards are champions CR5
Madeiron:
- 2 attacks with battleaxe (sacred weapon gives him +12)
- Beacon of Hope / Dispel / Lesser Restoration / Sanctuary / Protection from Evil and Good
- Protection Reaction: impose disadv on attack roll when you see a target attack other than you <=5ft
Recap Demogorgon battle#
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAGo5aYhPw4 (celeste awake)
Defended the city of Waterdeep from the prince of daemons.
An destructive battle that raged on for 7 rounds, even with an array of mages, millitia, archers helping from the sidelines, and even with a hasted, beaconed, holy weaponed paladin unloading all his radiant energy at his disposal, the battle was raged on as black mist started swirling above the battle field.
The mage guild were present, but unfortunately most of their protective magic and healing was useless against demogorgon's health max draining attacks, and protections.
Hans was charmed by this fiendish baboon, and cast cone of cold on Mordai.
Faey was charmed, punched GW to the ground and kept going after he fell.
The sky started crackling with arcane energy as the swirly above converged, and in the eye of a storm; large black arcane runes became visible.
Goatweaver came back up from a cure wounds delivered via Mordai's familiar and he dealt another 102 damage before misty stepping away leaving demogorgon mortally wounded.
Still, this was not enough to take him down, so next time around, the fiend followed and killed GW (reduced to 0 max hp), and almost took Faey with him afterwards (he was very low).
From the church above, Mordai did deliver the final inflict wounds via proxy familiar. However, just as this hit, time stopped. Irae swooped down to see everyone frozen, except Mordai, strangely, who seemed to be somewhat resistent to the effects of the time-altering magic.
On a path to "fulfilling a prophecy", she cut the band around the bag of holding, ending the time stop, and she started flying away with it.
This now caused a race between the wizard Lotte, starting a resurrection ritual below after having gotten Hans and Faey. But Mordai ushered Faey to focus on Irae instead.
In the end, Irae got away, but not without suffering significant damage (her defenses did not look super impressive). Goatweaver, otoh, laid there as the resurrection ritual began to fade..
Goatweaver intro#
Goatweaver, you are here today, because Hans reminded you of something deep within your soul; a purpose, you still have left unfilfilled.
Less than an hour ago; you were unloading radiant energy on a divine scale into the prince of demons. Its corpse still twitching from leftover nerve impulses less than 20m away from you. That only a few archers and members of the militia lie dead on the ground is a miracle. You should feel like a hero.
But something is amiss. You look at your friend Hans, having just helped to pull you up, you are greeted with a smile as he moves in to give you a hug; his aura warms your spirit.
But looking beyond Hans, there's a more ambivalent feel over battlefield. The destruction is enormous. The mages, the rest of your party somewhat distant.
Checking:
You look over to your lawful elf, and see the master manipulator you've come to appreciate on the battlefield. Capable of locking down almost any enemy, and deflecting damage away from the party. WIS: 10. But how well do you really understand him? WIS: 20 You get the sense that something else happened when you were out.
Then there's the thiefling. A mastermind, always on the hunt for knowledge and as far as you can tell, in it for some definition of the greater good. WIS 20: You get the sense that he experienced something else while you were out.
Felgolos Return#
"I have returned. You have done well, champions. This beast, must have been a formidable foe."
-> Diana will interact:
"Felgolos. The champions told of your arrival, but I must say, I am still surprised to see you here."
"The pleasure is all mine, mylady." - then transform.
Learning of Irae's assembly:
"(choking) No."
"So she controls these fiends, and now, she has the artifacts of Kiaransalee. Heavens."
"(stumbles) I have lived too long. Even time feels cyclical."
Speculating on Irae:
"That I do not know. The scythe, fully formed, is an almost unstoppable force by itself. Does she intend to wield it? Or can she bring her back?"
..what can he do? Bring them east. Teleport with them north, travel further up.
He can help fight Frygt at Halos. But he'll be trapped if he goes to V'elddrinnsshar - knows the drow has done terrible things to dragons in the past to sustain the most powerful pets imaginable.
Knows the fight happened east of the netherese empire. Can tell you the location of Sunwuko's tomb.
Demogorgon Battle Math#
Simulation of Expected DMG in 2 rounds#
Madeiron#
sacred weapon pre-battle 1minute
just above 50% hit rate, 14dmg per hit => 28 dmg
takes quarter of hp per demo hit => half hp if two hits
=> E(DMG) = 28
Goatweaver#
Hasted => 22AC, 3 attacks
⅔rd hit rate, 17 per hit => 68 dmg
smite, 6d8 => 30 dmg
takes less than quarter of hp per demo hit => half hp in two hits
unlikely to save vs gaze..
holy weapon for one round (likely max last on conc) => 4d8 extra dmg
=> E(DMG) = 120
Faey#
Hasted => 2 bow attacks, 22AC
50% hit rate => 14 dmg per hit
stinger => 60% hit => 13 dmg (no poison) (sneak => +4dmg)
Frost Bomb - 2d8 cold dmg on con save 18 (half otherwise) => 2 dmg
+Pommel + d6 cold
=> E(DMG) = 28
..better off hunting the stun
Mordai#
Hex on a save!
Lightling 14d6 from staff at max
Chance to hold
EB: ⅓ beams hit for 6 dmg
=> E(DMG) = 30
Hanir#
Chance to Hold Monster
Sunbeam on successful concentration => 2x3d8 radiant dmg (demo saves, team dmg)
=> E(DMG) = 30
Chance to plane shift (when legendary resists down)
TODO: redo when he's levelled!
Militia#
16 AC elites with 30 HP.
10% hit rate => 2x1d6+1dmg
=> E(DMG) = 10
Archers#
14 AC elites with 30 HP
20% hit rate with 2x1d6+1 dmg
=> E(DMG) = 10
Mages#
Delayed Blast Fireball x2 (Ursula + Diana)
(12 to 22)d6 x2 dmg. say 40d6 => save / res => 40dmg
Diana: Sunbeam
Ursula: Haste GW
Lotte: Haste Faey + Sunbeam
Sucy: Bless 3 creatures + Heal Once
=> E(DMG) = 70
Demogorgon#
6 tentacle attacks => 168 dmg
1 hypno on highest dealer
gw is lynch pin, hypnotize him early and fuck with madeiron
take out 90% of militia in first round, hypno gw in r2