Episode 297 - Masked Monsters

Having defeated those weird…creatures and saved Ekhart, the gang now has to journey to the prison offices. Hopefully all of their loot is there. As it often happens, more and more guards are like, trying to stop them? Luckily, we have several…demon or dog based tricks up our sleeves.

## **Story**

### Long Story

The Tower of Grey has just found their friend Eckhart Dayhammer being attacked by a horde of hooded figures. But before that! They all meet up again at the bottom of the Pit! Skud is excited about the bones! Anyway, leading up to the fight against Dayhammer, are a slew of dead hooded figures. It seems that the paladin did not give them an easy victory. Toby initiates a fight by casting *Polymorph* on Dayhammer, turning him into a ~~wolf~~ ~~polar bear~~ crocodile! This has the benefit of giving him all the hit points he lost by being hurt. It also has the benefit of starting a fight! The creatures are scary, and they have an aura of necrotic-ness about them. When close by, victims lose 5 necrotic damage from each of them. Also, something bad happens if you meet their eyes, so you must look away, though that imposes disadvantage to attacks against them. So it's a mess. There is a lot of damage that happens. The crocodile-Eckhart Dayhammer bites a bunch of dudes. After the hooded figures are all dead, Toby ends the spell so that Dayhammer can be a real boy again. He's not in a good way, mostly due to the fact that he is missing his right arm up to the elbow! Skud stops his bleeding, and then Rowan casts *Cure Wounds* to heal him for 14 hp.

## **Trivia**

* Michael confirms that the Baus was immune to the poison, not that the dagger wasn't poisoned
* Everyone has fourth-level spells and below
* The hooded figures look like Edvard Munch's *The Scream*
* Eckahrt Dayhammer wears crocodile boots
* This episode was initially given the title of the next episode by accident, and switched later. So that's why it's effed like that
* We later learned that the hooded creatures were Bodaks

## **In This Episode...**

### **Cast and Player Characters**

* Michael DiMauro - *Dungeon Master*
* Tim Lanning - Toby Treacletart
* Jennifer Cheek - Rowan Grey
* Mike Bachmann - Skud Derringer
* Nika Howard - Lahnik "Lahni" Caplain

### **Locations**

* The Shadowfell
	+ Grull

### **Quest Log Updates**

* [Active] - Find Pelor
	+ [On Hold] - Find Adira Harper
	+ [Active] - Find and question Josail Longshadow
		- [Active] - Escape from prison!
			* [Active] - Retrieve the party's effects
			* [Active] - Find the Blood Room and destroy the party's blood
* ~~[Complete] - Save Eckhart Dayhammer (if possible)~~
* [On Hold] - Find Lannie Caplain
	+ [On Hold] - Investigate Galanthis
* [Optional][Lahni] - Make a friend out of Stymer Dunkan
* [Optional] - Find a way to pay back the Ferrim Pecunia bank of Pelor's Hope
* [Active][Jaeludra] - Investigate the Great Colosseum in Caer
* [Active][Jaeludra] - Investigate the Oracle's strange prophecies

### **Quotes**

**"Recording podcasts is the worst thing that's ever happened to any person on the planet! It goes: Jesus on the cross, and then podcasters! It's like, these fuckers are like, 'Oh, here's a planning episode. Let me talk shit about this for nine pages on the comments!' or, 'Oh, my God. Here they go, into the fuckin' Fennekin room they didn't plan.' AUGH! WE WERE THE FOURTH, FIFTH, SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH CROSS!"** ~ *Tim Lanning, having quite enough, thank you very much*

**"I built this character for speed, and ass eatin'."** ~ *Nika Howard*

## **Rolls**

* **Recap**
	+ **Tim - 15 - roll-off - 18**
	+ Bachmann - 2
	+ Jennifer - 13
	+ Nika - 15 - roll-off - 7

*Combat begins vs four hooded figures*

* **Initiative**
	+ Lahni - 23
	+ Rowan - 21
	+ Hooded Figure 1
	+ Hooded Figure 2
	+ Skud - 15
	+ Toby - ~~11~~ 10
	+ Hooded Figure 3
	+ Hooded Figure 4
	+ Eckhart Dayhammer

*Round One*

* **Lahni**
	+ Runs in to kick and punch (one hit per person) - Nat20, 17, 17, >17
		- Hit, Hit, Hit, Hit - 25, 14, 9, 13 damage
	+ Ends turn in their aura, dealing herself 5 necrotic damage each, so 20 total

* **Rowan**
	+ Ranged Attack (sausage bow) (with disadvantage) (x4) - 10+12, 9+12, 5+12, 1+12
		- Hit, Hit, Hit, Miss - 8 damage to all of them

* **Hood Figure 1**
	+ Uses *Withering Gaze*, looks at Lahni, requiring a CON saving throw - 19+9
		- Success - takes half damage - 11 necrotic damage

* **Hood Figure 2**
	+ *Withering Gazes* at Toby - 17
		- Success - 11 damage

* **Skud**
	+ Blesses everyone, plus Rowan's bow

* **Toby**
	+ Uses the *Polymorph* spell to turn Dayhammer into a crocodile
	+ Runs away

* **Hooded Figure 3**
	+ Punches Lahni - 19
		- Miss

* **Hooded Figure 4**
	+ *Withering Gazes* at Rowan - 19
		- Success - 11 damage

* **Eckhart 'Dile-hammer**
	+ Bites Hood Figure 3 - 27
		- Hit - 21, also grapples him
	+ Hits another one - 12
		- Miss
	+ Also takes 20 necrotic damage

*Round Two*

* **Lahni**
	+ Does not avoid eye contact, requiring a CON saving throw (rerolls with ki point) - 2+9+1, 3+9+4
		- Fail, Success
	+ Punches Hooded Figure 3 - 19
		- Hit - 6 damage - kills him

* **Rowan**
	+ Ranged Attack (sausage bow) (with disadvantage) (x3) - 1+12, 9+12, 6+12
		- Miss, Hit, Hit - 11 damage to the second 2

* **Hooded Figure 1**
	+ *Withering Gazes* at Rowan - 8
		- Fail - 22 damage

* **Skud**
	+ Casts *Chromatic Orb* (using thunder) against Hooded Figure 1 - 26
		- Hit - 33 thunder damage

* **Toby**
	+ Casts *Minor Illusion* to create an image of Eckhart Dayhammer, but behind the hooded figures
		- This does nothing

* **Hooded Figure 2**
	+ Out of pity for Tim Lanning, this one attacks the Dayhammer illusion
		- It passes through

* **Hooded Figure 4**
	+ *Withering Gazes* at Lahni - Nat20
		- Success - 11 damage

* **Crocodile**
	+ Bites Hooded Figure 1 - Nat1
		- Miss
	+ Tail Whips Hooded Figure 2 - 21
		- Hit - 14 damage
	+ Then takes 15 damage

*Round Three*

* **Lahni**
	+ Does NOT look them in the eye, but uses Ki points to avoid disadvantage
	+ Punches Hooded Figure ? (x2) - 19+11, Nat1+11
		- Hit, Miss - 10 damage - kills it
	+ Takes 10 damage

* **Rowan**
	+ Casts *Hail of Thorns* against Hooded Figure ? - 33
		- Hit - 9 damage, also requires a DC 17 DEX saving throw
		- Also, Lahni and the Croc need to do it
			* Lahni - 17 - Success
				+ Success - 1 damage
			* Croc
				+ Fail - 3 damage

* **Toby**
	+ Looks Hooded Figure 4 (?) in the eyes and casts *Fire Bolt*, but must first make a CON saving throw - Nat1+9+1
		- Fail - 16 psychic damage
	+ Now does the *Fire Bolt* thing - 18
		- Hit - 31 damage - kills it

* **Skud**
	+ Looks at the last Hooded Figure, need to make a CON saving throw - 16
		- Success - He is fine
	+ Casts *Fire Bolt* as well - 17+13
	+ Hit - 25 damage - kills it

*Combat Ends*