Round 05: Fire Elemental

The Fire Elemental shifts up towards the door (G18), seemingly trying to prevent Kairos from entering it. It once more slams a fiery fist at the tiefling. Radiant energy flares as the blow connects.

Round Four: End of Round

A wave of fire rips through the complex. You hear a distant rumble amid the sound of maniacal laughter. “Suffer the wrath of my master!” shouts Mordai Vell. Suddenly, flames tear through the room, blasting doors and walls, and igniting you on fire.

The entrance to the dungeon collapses, trapping the heroes inside the dungeon.
The oil in the Entry Chamber ignites. The Fire Elemental takes (10 pts) damage as it is caught in the north eastern pool of oil.

Kairos resists the brunt of the blast but is surprised to see the Hell Hound in front of him and barely manages to resist its fiery breath. Karios continues to burn. (Current HPs 33)

Eugene manages to cross to the ledge of the other side of the Chamber of Platforms before parts of the ledges and certain platforms fall into the boiling bud below. He takes the brunt of the blast from the wave of fire and continues to burn. (Current HPs 29)

Trisha was inspecting the door of the eastern room leading to the Altar room and finds out that it is a false door. She is there when the wave of Fire erupts and the floor connecting the room to the rest of the dungeon collapses, effectively trapping her in a ten foot by ten foot area. She resists some of the blast but continues to burn. (Current HPs 21 – bloodied)

Mordacai has just entered the Chamber of Platforms and finished off one of the Hellfire Warlocks when the wave of flame hits. He manages to resist all of the blast, thanks to the powers of the Flame Fish. He feels the protection of the Flame Fish vanish soon after that. The dwarf continues to burn. (Current HPs 34)

Round 02: Trisha

Actions:
OG: Takes 10 (less 3) On going fire damage
S: Brand of the moon vs Hell Hound (AC 19)

Round 02: Hell Hound

Actions:
R: Fiery Breath Recharged
S: Bite vs Eugene (AC 18)
1d20+12 → [2,12] = (14), miss
IR: Eugene
Overwhelming Strike
1d20+13 → [15,13] = (28), hit
1d6+5+2 → [4,5,2] = (11)
Eugene shifts to G21
M: moves to B24

Round 02: Eugene

Eugene attacks the Hell Hound; chanelling divine power into the strike. He then strikes another blow and slides the Hell Hound into the south western pool.

Actions:
S: Aspect of Might vs Hell Hound (AC 19)
1d20+12 → [12,12] = (24), hit
3d6+5 → [2,6,6,5] = (19)
M: shfts to E25
AP: Overwhelming Strike vs Hell Hound (AC 19)
1d20+13 → [8,13] = (21), hit
1d6+5+2 → [1,5,2] = (8)
E: Shifts to F25
E: Slides Hell Hound to E25
m: Assumes the Snarling Wolf Stance

Round 02: Kairos

Kairos toughens his body with a mere thought. He shifts up to the elemental and swings his psionically charged rapier at the creature; sending it flying to the south western end of the room.

Actions:
m: Oaken Resilience (gain resist 3 all)
M: Shifts to A23
S: Manifests a Corona of Floating Force vs the Fire Elemental (AC 24)
1d20+12 → [19,12] = (31), hit
2d8+5+2 → [6,4,5,2] = (17) hps damage
pushes Fire Elemental to A27

Round 02: FSS

The Statue continues to fire fiery bolts into the room, targeting Eugene this turn.

Actions:
S: Fiery Bolt vs Eugene (Ref 21)
1d20+8 → [1,8] = (9), miss

Round 02: Fire Elemental

The Fire Elemental heads for the pack and manages to Slam into Trisha.

Actions:
m: Shifts to B24
S: Slam vs Trisha (Ref 21)
1d20+13 → [9,13] = (22), hit
Trisha suffers Ongoing 5 Fire damage

Round 01: Mordacai

Mordacai prepares himself by drinking a potion of fire resistance. He then moves up for a clearer angle and casts Wrath of Winter vs the Fire Hound

Actions:
m: drinks potion of resistance (fire). gains resist fire 2.
M: moves to B23
S: casts Wrath of Winter vs Hell Hound (Fort 20)
1d20+9 → [7,10] = (17), miss

Round 01: Trisha

Trisha infuses herself with primal energy and summons the power of Selune and blesses the party. The shifter steps up and summons a Nimbus of Holy Shielding.

Actions:
m: Form of Mountain's Thunder
M: Shifts to C24
S: Bless
AP: Nimbus of Holy Shielding
misses the Fire Elemental

Round 01: HH

From the north door, a creature that looks like a flaming canine enters the room, it quickly rushes along the walkway ang breathes fire at Eugene and Trisha.

Actions:
M: moves to E24
S: Fiery Breath
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3218253/
1d20+10;1d20+10;2d6+5 → [5,10] = (15) vs Eugene's Ref 17, miss
1d20+10;1d20+10;2d6+5 → [6,10] = (16) vs Trisha's Ref 18, miss
f: North oil pool ignites
Kairos takes 10 (less 6) points of fire damage

Round 01: Eugene

Eugene moves up to the Fire Elemental and manages to push the creature into, and therefor igniting, the south western pool.

Actions:
f: identifies the oil pool as flamable
f: identifies that the fish could provide fire resistance
f: identifies the fire elemental
M: moves to D25
S: Overwhelming Strike (vs Fire Elemental, shifts to D24)

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3218232/
1d20+11 → [19,11] = (30)
1d6+7 → [2,7] = (9)

m: Sudden Recovery

Round 01: Kairos

Kairos stays put and focuses on himself. Summoning the power of his hellish heritage he transforms himself into a brutish fiend.

Actions:
m: Diabolic Transformation
m: Emerald Shield
m: Battlemind's Demand (target: Fire Elemental)

Round 01: FSS

One of the statues in the far north side of the room flares up and starts to shoot fiery bolts at the nearest creature (Kairos). The bolt hits the tiefling squarely at the chest and flings him into the north west pool.

Round 01: Fire Elemental

This wide room contains four shallow pools, which are home to a number of tiny fish. There is a set of double doors to your left, and two more sets of doors across the room.

The chanting resumes, and you feel a wave of magic wash over the area. The room seems to grow hotter as a being of fire appears in the middle of the room. It looks like a shard of elemental fire that threatens to break apart any moment.

It lets outs out a roar and rushes towards the party. It rushes the closest creature (Trisha) hoping to slam into the shifter but fails to connect.

PC: Kairos

Kairos, level 5
Tiefling, Battlemind|Warlock
Eldritch Strike: Eldritch Strike Constitution
Eldritch Pact (Hybrid): Infernal Pact (Hybrid)
Hybrid Warlock: Hybrid Warlock Reflex
Psionic Augmentation (Hybrid): Hybrid Power Point Option
Background: Curious Archeologist (Perception class skill)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 13, Con 18, Dex 16, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 16.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 13, Con 15, Dex 15, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 14.


AC: 18 Fort: 19 Reflex: 19 Will: 19
HP: 51 Surges: 11 Surge Value: 12

TRAINED SKILLS
Thievery +10, Perception +7, Athletics +8

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +5, Arcana +1, Bluff +7, Diplomacy +5, Dungeoneering +2, Endurance +6, Heal +2, History +1, Insight +2, Intimidate +5, Nature +2, Religion +1, Stealth +7, Streetwise +5

FEATS
Level 1: Improved Defenses
Level 2: Light Blade Expertise
Level 4: Diabolic Soul

POWERS
Hybrid at-will 1: Conductive Defense
Hybrid at-will 1: Eldritch Strike
Hybrid Power Point Option: Lure of Minauros
Psionic Defense (Hybrid): Mind Spike
Hybrid daily 1: Corona of Floating Force
Hybrid utility 2: Oaken Resilience
Hybrid daily 5: Emerald Shield

ITEMS
Amulet of Protection +2, Augmenting Whetstone (level 6), Leather Armor of Sudden Recovery +1, Pact Blade Rapier +1

GAME CONDITIONS
Attack Rolls:
+1 power bonus (Bless)
+1 racial bonus vs bloodied (Bloodhunt)
+2 bonus vs bloodied (Diabolic Transformation)
Damage Rolls:
+2 bonus (Diabolic Transformation)
AC mod:
+2 shield bonus (Emerald Shield)
+2 power bonus (Nimbs of Holy Shielding)
Fort mod:
+2 power bonus (Nimbs of Holy Shielding)
Ref mod:
+2 shield bonus (Emerald Shield)
+2 power bonus (Nimbs of Holy Shielding)
Will mod:
+2 power bonus (Nimbs of Holy Shielding)
Resistance:
7 Fire (Tiefling Trait)
+5 Fire (Diabolic Transformation)
x.5 Fire (Dungeon Property)
3 All (Oaken Resilience)
Regeneration:
2 (Diabolic Transformation)
10 (Sudden Recovery)
Others:
Ignores to difficult terrain
Immune to hindering terrain
Immune to terrain hazards

Current HP:
44 hps

Round 00: Starting the Encounter

You race through the tunnels beneath Mount Hotenow, map in hand. The Asmodeus cultist, Mordai Vell, is only minutes away from completing the creation of an artifact that will give him the power to subject Neverwinter to his will.

You turn a corner and abruptly come to a series of tunnels unlike the rest. The walls are no longer rough hewn stone but instead finely carved and etched with images of fire. Sconces hold everburning torches. The wide room before you contains four shallow pools of clear liquid, which hold a number of finger-length yellow fish. To your left is a set of double doors. Two more sets of doors are across the room from you.

Chanting reverberates through the walls. The chanting stops, and a male voice speaks.

“So, the Lord Protector sent some fools to stop me. No matter—you’ll never reach me in time.” The voice pauses and then cries out, “My lord Asmodeus! Great Maegera! I beseech you to help me destroy these interlopers.” The chanting resumes, and you feel a wave of magic wash over the area. The room seems to grow hotter.

Place your characters in the starting area (Grids A23, B23, A24, B24, A25 or B25)

We'll roll intitiative next...

Glory

There are 20 awards worth up to 200 glory. A player can earn each award only once for this challenge, regardless of the number of times he plays.

General Awards	Description	Glory
Epic Win	Defeat challenge on Nightmare mode.	20
I’ll Be Back	You get 20 or higher on a death saving throw.	10
It’s Chrtmas	You score a critical hit.	5
Monster Slayer	Defeat every enemy creature in the dungeon.	20
Commando	You complete the challenge without using magic items or consumables.	20
One Shot	You drop a nonminion enemy from full hit points down to 0 hit points.	10
Racy Group	Your party defeats the challenge with a group in which all the characters are the same race.	10
Tough as Nails	You complete the challenge without spending a healing surge.	20
TPK	Every character in the party dies.	5
It’s a Trap!	You disable a trap or hazard.	5
Challenge Awards	Description	Glory
Dungeon Mapper	Your group opens every door in the dungeon.	10
Give My Regards	You knock an enemy off a ledge or into lava.	5
I Regret Nothing	You fall off a ledge or into lava.	5
Lava Nice Day	You die from lava.	10
Speed Demon	Complete the challenge in five rounds or fewer.	10
Treasure Hunter	SPOILER	5
Vell’s Foil	Your group defeats the challenge.	10
Secret Awards	Description	Glory
Secret 1	SPOILER	10
Secret 2	SPOILER	5
Secret 3	SPOILER	5

PC: Trisha

Trisha, level 5
Longtooth Shifter, Warden|Cleric
Hybrid Warden: Hybrid Warden Fortitude
Hybrid Cleric: Battle Cleric's Lore
Hybrid Talent: Warden's Armored Might
Guardian Might: Lifespirit

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 12, Dex 14, Int 8, Wis 18, Cha 11.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 15, Con 12, Dex 14, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 11.


AC: 22 Fort: 20 Reflex: 18 Will: 20
HP: 50 Surges: 9 Surge Value: 12

TRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +12, Nature +11, Perception +11

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +3, Arcana +1, Bluff +2, Diplomacy +2, Dungeoneering +6, Endurance +4, Heal +6, History +1, Insight +6, Intimidate +2, Religion +1, Stealth +3, Streetwise +2, Thievery +3

FEATS
Level 1: Hybrid Talent
Level 2: Devout Protector Expertise
Level 4: Improved Defenses

POWERS
Hybrid at-will 1: Resilience of Life
Hybrid at-will 1: Brand of the Moon
Hybrid encounter 1: Warden's Sacrifice
Hybrid daily 1: Form of Mountain's Thunder
Hybrid utility 2: Bless
Hybrid encounter 3: Sundering Might
Hybrid daily 5: Nimbus of Holy Shielding

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Guardian's Call Mace +1, Amulet of Protection +2, Bloodcut Hide Armor +1, Light Shield, Feyleaf Sandals (heroic tier), Potion of Healing (heroic tier), Holy Symbol, Crossbow, Crossbow Bolts (20), Sun balm, Talent Shard (level 3)

GAME CONDITIONS
Attack Rolls:
+1 power bonus (Bless)
Damage Rolls:
none
AC mod:
+1 bonus (Form of Mountain's Thunder)
Fort mod:
none
Ref mod:
+2 bonus (Guardian's Call)
+1 shield bonus (Devout Protector Feat)
Will mod:
none
Resistance:
3 All (Form of Mountain's Thunder)

Current HP:
30

Creativity and Tactics

There is a lot going on in this adventure. Don’t think for a second that you can walk in, kill all the monsters, accomplish the objective and walk out. It’s not going to happen, I guarantee it. Remember that you’re on the clock so every round needs to bring you closer to the objective. You won’t have enough time to kill all 10-16 monsters, disarm all the traps and find the hidden things.

The key to success is going to be knowing when to run and when not to run. There’s nothing that says you have to fight any of the monsters. Fight those that you need to but always ask yourself if defeating the monsters is necessary to advance. If the answer is no, then get moving. Bad things happen at specific time intervals so speed is as important as smart tactics.

Make sure you look around. There are a lot of Easter eggs in this adventure. Don’t be afraid to try creative and unusual things. Take nothing at face value. The designers are indeed out to kill your characters, but they aren’t completely heartless. There are some beneficial things places strategically within the dungeon that will help you. You just have to find them and realize that they are indeed helpful. None of the Easter eggs have signs indicating what they are or how to use them. Trial and error will be your friend.

Character Creation Tips

I’m going to try and reinforce some general ideas here and not give away anything too blatant. Most of what I’m going to suggest is a lot of common sense stuff anyway.

The most important and often used skills are likely to be Athletics, Perception and Thievery. If your class doesn’t give you the option to train these skills then think about spending a few extra points in Strength, Wisdom and Dexterity to make up for it. Feats that add to these skills, including multi-classing feats and Jack of All Trades are good options.

Never underestimate the value of Stealth. If you can get the entire party on board, a group of PCs that can all move undetected through the dungeon might actually have a chance of accomplishing the objective before any of the monsters even know that the heroes are there.

When it comes to feats you’ll have to throw away some conventional wisdom. Normally I encourage everyone to take Durability, especially if they have a low starting Constitution, but since you’re not going to get short rests I don’t think running out of healing surges will be your biggest problem. I see Toughness as mandatory for everyone. Skill Training and Skill Focus should also be very high on everyone’s feat list.

Knowing that the adventure is called Forge of the Dawn Titan and the fact that there is a Tiefling and Burning Skeletons on the cover, everyone and his mother should immediately try to get items, feats and powers that will provide some kind of fire resistance. Be forewarned that there are mechanics at play that will gimp some abilities, including resistances. Keep this in mind when choosing race. If fire resistance was your only reason for playing a Tiefling, think again before committing.