Chapter 12: Shadows in the Dark

[Joe]

Streko whispers something to Adamant. "Shadows from the Trickster's hand, bring darkness out into this land. Domain of death and undying fear are powerless to stop us leaving here."

He touches Adamant and a thin envelope of darkness surrounds both of them. "Move toward land as quickly as you can. This will help, I hope. I'm sorry, but this is the best I can do for us, my friend."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Streko grants Adamant The Blessing of The Trickster.

♦ Blessing of the Trickster: You can use your action to touch a willing creature other than yourself to give it advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. This blessing lasts for 1 hour or until you use this feature again.

[Dave W.]

Adamant makes a grunt, "Damn creature. Can't say that I'm surprised I suppose."

"Follow Kal, it is not important to fight; we must get to shore." Nevertheless, the warforged draws his sword.

Adamant struggles through the water trying for the shore.

---

Sorry for holding things up. Interesting times.

Anyway, two actions:
First move action is draw a sword.
Second move action is to Dash (doubles movement) for two squares in Kal's wake. 1N 1NE

Streko goes later in the round so I didn't reference Joe's post (sorry Joe).

Adamant will accept disadvantage on his attacks this round.

[Jeff]

Shorak wades, weaves, and even swims, moving with uncanny speed through the water. He feels his boots sliding a bit on the bones before he gains the shore, but it doesn't slow him down much. Reaching the pebbly shoreline, completely free of the bone-chilling water, he whirls around to look back at the rest of the group.

Adamant moves steadily but slowly in Kal's wake.

Histra utters another forceful word to the Whelmed looming behind, then wades over to where Belarin stands. "Get everyone to the shore," she orders. "And yourself. I will draw them off." With a gesture, the two skeletons wade fearlessly through the water around both of them and move to intercept two of the advancing and animate corpses.

Kal finds two of the foul, mud-and-slime zombies splashing out toward him, arms outstretched, mouths gaping open without a sound. So close to them now, he think he sees something wriggling within the mouth of the closest one.

Three more loud splashes closer to the shoreline, and to Shorak, announce the arrive of more zombies! They struggle to rise, polluting the water around them.

And then the dark shape of the yugoloth, now bereft of zombies to toss, swoops down and lands in the gravelly shoreline some sixty feet from where Shorak stands. The half-drow feels the vibrations of the fiend's bulk as it settles heavily on the embankment.

---

Streko's spell will take effect on his turn after Belarin, Kal, and Tangat.

Two of the zombies dash to reach Kal, but cannot attack this round.

The round continues with:

7 - Belarin & Kal & Tangat
5 - Condign & Streko

[Ken]

Belarin nods at Histra's command, and he begins to move as quickly as possible toward the shore -- and abruptly pauses as the nycaloth drops down on the shore. Feeling anger building up, he uses that energy to propel himself even faster. As he moves past the struggling Tangat, he says, "This is all your fault, you know."

__________________

Belarin does a double move (30 feet) due north.

[Darren]

Kal quickly surveys the battlefield. "If we live through this," he says to his friends, "remind me to give you all a lesson in battlefield tactics. Why must we always fight divided?" He sighs, drawing Skyfang and pointing it at the zombie in front of him. Fire spews forward at the undead creature, even as Kal looks over his shoulder at Tangat. "I'll hold them here. Get around me!"

______________________
Kal will use Burning Grasp on the zombie in front of him. Zombie has to make a Dex save vs. DC 14 (with disadvantage if he's only wearing cloth). If he fails, he takes 8 fire damage and cannot take any reactions this round.

Fire damage (2d8=8)

[Brian]

Seeing Adamant (carrying Streko) and Tangat blocking his path, and Kal facing two zombies, Condign sloshes through the water until he stands next to Kal. The foul brume given off by the zombies surrounds him, making his eyes water. Drawing his sword, he strikes at the zombie in front of him, brings the sword around for another blow, then lifts his shield. Putting his considerable weight behind it, he bashes at the zombie, hoping to knock it back and away, freeing some space for the others to escape.


_______________________________________

Condign moves two squares NE. I assumed we could not occupy the same square as another character, so this was my only effective choice. Let's hope this necklace has some mitigating effect on the poison (or whatever it is).

Two attacks on the zombie in front of Condign:
Attack Rolls: (1d20+8=13, 1d20+8=21)

At least one hit. I'll roll damage for both just in case.
Damage Rolls: (1d8+4=8, 1d8+4=11)

Now, I'm supposed to make an "opposed Strength check" for the bash. I think I'm doing this right. Jeff, let me know if I'm off base.
Strength Check: (1d20+6=14)

EDIT: I think I used the wrong modifier for the Strength check. I believe is should have been +3. The +6 is a save modifier. So that makes the roll an 11.

[Jeff]

Tangat panics and surged toward the shore, but can only move so fast.

Once Belarin moves into position behind Kal, Kal releases a spray of fire from the tip of Skyfang. The water-logged zombie recoils and ducks down into the water, seemingly aware of the danger of fire. The fire licks at the sodden clothing and flesh, but not enough of it is exposed to pose a threat.

With two strokes of his sword, Condign hews off the zombie's arm. He slams his shield into it afterwards with sudden force, but the creature's position in the water seems to help it maintain balance.

The polluted waters begin to spread around everyone. A visible miasma of filth rises from the water, stinging every orifice.

As Streko's spell takes effect, Adamant feels the shadows around him deepen somehow.

---

● Zombie's Dex save (1d20-2=14)(success, so it takes no damage) (One thing the water does afford protection with is fire damage; even when hit, a creature mostly submerged has resistance to fire.)
● Condign deals 19 damage to the zombie nearest him.
● Other zombie's Strength check (1d20+1=12) opposed by Condign's 11 (success, not shoved away)
● If/when Adamant attempts any Stealth checks in the next hour, he'll have advantage. Note that Streko doesn't have this effect on him, only Adamant.
● The zombies' stench: Everyone except Shorak (who is on shore), Adamant (who will be immune to it), and Condign must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw at the start of your turn or be poisoned (disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks) until the start of the next turn.

Round 2 begins:

27 - Shorak
17 - Adamant & Histra & skeletons
15 - stinky zombies
14 = yugoloth
7 - Belarin & Kal & Tangat
5 - Condign & Streko

[Dave B.]

Shorak turns back to see that he is the only one to make it to the shore. His friends need a clearer path. He pulls out his boomerang and lets it fly at the zombie that Condign has just attacked, hoping he can finish it off. This would give them a better chance to join him.

Attack roll (1d20+8=15) Slashing damage (1d6+5=6)

Sneak attack damage (4d6=11)

[Jeff]

Shorak's whirling Xendrik boomerang slices open the top half of a zombie's head. Already nearly hewed apart by Condign, the undead just splashes down in the water, half-sinking. The boomerang comes cleanly back to Shorak. But even as he does this, without looking, the half-drow feels the malice of the nearby yugoloth singling him out...

---

● Shorak deals 11 points of slashing damage to the zombie with his boomerang.
● Zombie's Con save (1d20+4=14) vs. DC 16 to avoid destruction (failure)
● Zombie is destroyed.

17 - Adamant & Histra & skeletons
15 - stinky zombies
14 = yugoloth
7 - Belarin & Kal & Tangat
5 - Condign & Streko

[Dave W.]

"I am not actually planning to fall behind, Kal." Adamant calls ahead. He continues to force his way through the water.

"Water is not my element... I think it may object to my existance."

---

Adamant is Dashing (at least I've always thought so) for two squares 2NE
Adamant will (conviently) continue to accept disadvantage on attacks this round.

[Jeff]

Histra extends one claw-like hand and speaks a word of magic. A ghostly replica of her hand shoots out and grasps at zombie in front of Kal. The Deneith heir sees the creature’s neck wither under its touch, but not by much. Regardless, the hand seems to hinder it, and when it lunges at Kal—suddenly moving much faster than before!—it does little more than slap its hands against his chain shirt twice.

Meanwhile, her two skeleton servitors begin chopping into the zombies before them, unbothered by the fumes. In turn, the zombies clutch and grab at the skeletons without weapons, tearing bones away with each lunge. The three zombies already on the shoreline, each risen now with water only up to their shins, begin churning their way through the bones underfoot toward Shorak!

Shorak begins to feel the sting in his eyes and throat as the undead creatures, which visibly leak green fluids from their innumerable slash wounds, draw in close. The liquid they ooze instantly appears to boils into a gaslike state when it hits the air, forming a cloud.

The yugoloth chuckles and begins to swing his axe around experimentally. He seems content to watch at first….

“Belarin!” Histra hisses with a nervous edge, and he has to strain to hear her amidst the splashing melee. “The nycaloth can freely teleport. Scare him off! Use whatever force you can muster swiftly, as a display if nothing else!”

---

● Histra’s spell attack (1d20+7=15) (hit) vs. the zombie in front of Kal / necrotic damage (2d8=3) and the zombie has disadvantage on attacks until the start of Histra’s next turn
● Skeletons’ attacks (1d20+4=20, 1d20+4=17) (hit, hit) / damage (1d6+5=10, 1d6+5=6)

● Zombie’s disadvantaged attack (1d20+5=17, 1d20+5=11) vs. Kal (miss)
● Zombie’s second disadvantaged attack (1d20+5=14, 1d20+5=7) vs. Kal (miss)

● Zombie’s attacks (1d20+5=12, 1d20+5=6) vs. skeleton (miss, miss)
● Zombie’s attacks (1d20+5=13, 1d20+5=22)
● The three shore zombies dash, moving 20 feet total toward Shorak. Shorak is not yet within the cloud, although it will overtake him on the zombies’ next turn if he is still in that spot.

I can’t update the map just yet. But Adamant’s moved up a little and the three shore zombies are closer to Shorak now. One of them is actually adjacent to him now.

[Darren]

Kal growls in frustration as his fire misses. His face wrinkles up at the stench of the monsters, but he shakes his head against the desire to wretch and raises Skyfang again, even as he shifts his position closer to the shore.


___________________
Constitution saving throw (1d20+4=14)
Success vs. DC 12

Kal will move to the square directly north of the zombie. This shouldn't provoke an attack since Kal is not leaving the zombie's range.
Kal will use Burning Grasp, again.

Fire damage (2d8=11) if the zombie misses a Dex save vs. DC 14

[Ken]

Belarin nods at Histra's words. "I'll scare him off..." he mutters. He moves toward the shoreline, placing something on his wrists as he does so. An aura of powerful, chilling shadow envelopes him. "Nycaloth! You threaten as poorly as you bargain. Playtime is over!"

_____________

Belarin moves 3 squares NE and dons the Bracelets of the Lich's Aspect.

[Brian]

Seeing Kal and Histra taking care of the remaining zombie, and with the other three racing toward Shorak, Condign somehow finds it within himself to push forcefully through the water. Pain lances through his wounded abdomen. His legs feel like lead weights. Nevertheless, he manages to make it most of the way out of the water.

__________________________________________

Condign uses Dash to move four squares NE. He should end up two squared south of Shorak.

[Joe]

Streko looks around tentatively. "Histra! What is that monster afraid of? I have an idea, but need your guidance!"

[Jeff]

Kal sprays his foe with fire, but its swollen wet flesh keeps it largely intact. Nevertheless, he can see the water boiling through its skin, rupturing its insides, and the whole creature begins to weaken.

Belarin feels his eyes and lungs burning but he ignores the miasma as he wades through the water and claps on the thin, gray-metal bracers around his wrists. He expecting some kind of dark illusion to take effect...

Aug 31, 2015 21:39:27 GMT -4 Joe said:

"Histra! What is that monster afraid of? I have an idea, but need your guidance!"

As Streko feels his magic make Adamant seem some how less obvious. Histra looks up at the halfling, then at Belarin. "Magic that it thinks is stronger than its, or any angelic being, I suppose. There is always..."

Her words fade away as Belarin changes. Kal and Tangat instantly feel a cold shiver course through them, and even Condign nearby feels his blood run cold.

Belarin, or the figure that use to be Belarin, has become a figure of regal horror. Deep shadows whirl and eddy around him, obscuring his body and making it appear that he wears a vast black shroud that has unraveled and fumes black light of its own. Through the nightborne haze, the human is now beyond withered. His hair is longer and flows out from beneath a thin black crown. His face is utterly unrecognizable, for the flesh has shrunken, paper-thin, against his skull, revealing every contour of his skull, and his eyes have become hollow pits. Decay seethes from him, along with frightening wisps of power. He seems to stand taller now, and beneath the wreath of shadows which flow about him, his garments drape long like the robes of a storybook archmage.

Adamant and Streko both hear a quiet gasp from Histra as she looks upon what used to be Belarin, and both warforged and halfling feel an immediate revolt of their own senses. What they're looking at seems an affront to their respective goddesses and much of what they hold dear; both are inclined to fear what this magic will do to their friend's core being.

---

Ken, I think you forgot your earlier saving throw. I've included it below:

● Kal's zombie's Dex save (1d20-2=6) (failure) / 11 fire damage halved to 5.● Belarin's
● Belarin's Constitution saving throw (1d20+1=12) +3 (from Adamant's Aura of Protection) = 14 (success, the stench does not hinderhim)
● I keep forgetting Adamant's Aura of Protection (if you're within 10 feet of him, you get a +3 on all saving throws; Kal would have benefited from this, too.
● Both Kal and Belarin have saved successfully against the stench, so they don't need to keep saving.
● With Lich's Aspect in affect, Belarin can actually not benefit from the Aura of Protection right now. He also

Any reactions the monsters have to the apparition that is Belarin will take effect on their next turn. Meanwhile, Ken, watch your private thread.

[Jeff]

FYI, I'll be out for the rest of the day starting now. Round 3 can begin with:

27 - Shorak
17 - Adamant & Histra & skeletons
15 - stinky zombies
14 = yugoloth
7 - Belarin & Kal & Tangat
5 - Condign & Streko

One edit: Condign should now be 10 feet (2 squares) due south of Shorak (not reflected on the map yet).

[Dave B.]

Seeing Condign closing in on the zombies near him, Shorak draws his short sword with his free hand and takes a swing at the one that just arrived to pester him. He then disengages from the zombie and moves away, putting some distance between himself and the other zombies.

Attack roll (1d20+8=13) Assuming that hits - Piercing damage (1d6+5=6) Sneak attack damage (4d6=16)

Cunning action to disengage and move 5 squares N.

[Jeff]

Shorak's blade easily pierces the zombie's hide, but he can tell it's far from critically wounded.

So Condign has a speed of 20; if he used the Dash option (double move), and the difficult terrain halves that, that would place him still only 15 feet away from Shorak, not 10. So Condign isn't close enough (not adjacent to Shorak's foe) to allow Shorak his use of sneak attack.

---

● The zombie takes 6 piercing damage.

[Dave W.]

"By all the Holies" Adamant reacts to Belarin's metamorphisis; stopping for a moment in surprise and repulsion. More quietly to Streko, "This is an illusion of some sort? Has he done this before?"

Knowing he can't stay here like this, he tries to put his feelings back in order and move on. "I hope you don't mind; I may need to take a swing or two against this creature," the warforged moves up to the zombie Kal has engaged, "I don't see an easy way around it. I'm better at going through anyway."

Adamant makes a few swings which are complicated by also trying to keep Streko safe.

---

I think Adamant can move one square NE (a normal movement) and take a swing at the zombie. If not just ignore this bit and move him the one square and the rest is just for color.

I'll continue to take disadvantage on the swings. I assume I still get two per attack.

So first swing:
First swing with Disadvantage (1d20+7=13, 1d20+7=13)
Well that's remarkably consistant... the lower is 13. if that hits: damage (1d8+4=11)

Second Swing (that should read Second but I forgot to change the text):
First swing with Disadvantage (1d20+7=13, 1d20+7=8)
The lower this time is 8 which really can't be a hit...

[Edit]... I just realized that 8 is actually a 1.

[Jeff]

Both Shorak and Adamant cut large pieces of the zombie between them; they splash into water, surprisingly lacking blood. Adamant second swing is a dramatic miss that nearly dislodges Streko!

Histra wades after Belarin, eyeing him nervously as she goes. As she moves, she stretches out her hand again and another ghostly replica of her clawed grasp. It has minimal effect on the zombie, and Histra curses quietly. Behind her, her skeletons drive their bone-blades into their softer opponents, but the zombies continue to grasp and tear at their skeletal foes and are doing considerable damage to them.

All of the zombies, just for a moment, look directly at Belarin, or what he has become. They do not stop moving, however.

The zombie assailing Kal lunges for him again. This time is managed to grasp his forearm with one of his hands. It squeezes, worrying the flesh, and then locks down on him like a vice, refusing to be pushed off again. The creature's hideous mouth creeks open and a wriggling, barbed thing that may or may not be a tongue begins to worm itself out.

With the half-drow retreating carefully away, two of his three immediate foes after him, moving as quickly as they can through the water and bone-lines shoreline. The third lunges at Condign. Though the tiefling throws up his shield, the zombie wrestles it way around it and manages to wrap both wet, cold, and surprisingly strong hands around his throat. Condign feels his air being cut off as the fingers press into his skin, and he can't quite shake it free!

---

● The zombie takes 19 damage from Shorak and Adamant combined.
● Histra's spell attack (1d20+7=21) (hit) / damage (2d8=2) necrotic damage to zombie
● Histra's zombies' attacks (1d20+4=24, 1d20+4=14) (critical hit, hit) / critical damage (2d6+5=11) piercing damage and damage (1d6+5=9)piercing damage to zombies
● Zombie's first disadvantaged attack (1d20+5=23, 1d20+5=23) vs. Kal (hit) / damage (1d6+1=2) 2 bludgeoning damage to Kal and Kal is now grappled
→ Reminder: A grappled creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed, but it can otherwise still take actions and even attack. A grappled creature can use its action to attempt to escape the grapple. To do so, it must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by your Strength (Athletics) check.
● Zombie's second disadvantaged attack (1d20+5=15, 1d20+5=10) vs. Kal (miss)
● Another zombie's attacks (1d20+5=20, 1d20+5=20) vs. Condign (hit, hit) / damage (2d6+2=11) 11 bludgeoning damage to Condign and Condign is also grappled

● Zombies' attacks (1d20+5=10, 1d20+5=14) vs. skeleton (miss, hit) / damage (1d6+1=7) 7 bludgeoning damage to skeleton
● Zombies' attacks (1d20+5=20, 1d20+5=17) vs. skeleton (hit, hit) / damage (1d6+1=7, 1d6+1=5) 12 bludgeoning damage to skeleton[/font]

---

Eyeing Belarin's dramatic change inscrutably, the yugoloth appears to take a step forward in the sand, and with a whirl of dark smoke, he vanishes...only to reappear only a few paces away from Shorak! The half-drow suddenly feels quite small as the towering fiend, ogre-sized but somehow bigger with its wings and massive axe. "It has been a long time since I chewed the skin of a dark elf," the yugoloth says with a laugh then with two hands brings his battle axe down in a vicious chop.

Shorak is fully aware of the threat. He leans back in a desperate attempt to dodge, avoiding an all-out decapitation, but the tip of the blade slices open armor and flesh along one arm, spilling blood freely. But it is far from a mortal wound.

---

● The yugoloth teleports 60 feet.
● Yugoloth's attack vs. Shorak attack (1d20+9=22) (hit) / damage (2d12+5=22)
→ Uncanny Dodge: Shorak uses his reaction to halve the damage, so he takes 11 points of slashing damage instead

Next up:

7 - Belarin & Kal & Tangat
5 - Condign & Streko

[Darren]

Kal spares a quick glance towards Shorak, worried for the elf's survival. His attention returns quickly to the zombie who has caught him in its grasp. Frustrated at the lack of damage his spells have caused, Kal growls as he tosses Skyfang to his grappled left hand and draws his Rekkenmark blade with his right. He chops down at the zombie, even as he pushes Skyfang into the creature's stomach.

___________________________
Kal will draw his longsword and attack the zombie. He will use his bonus action to attack again with Skyfang.

The attack roll modifier for the Rekkenmark blade appears to be wrong on Kal's sheet. I'm pretty sure it should be 6, so that's what I'm using.

Attack roll vs. Zombie (1d20+6=11)

Pretty sure that's a miss, so I'm not going to roll damage.

Attack with Skyfang (two-handed fighting):
....no, nevermind. I just looked in the PHB and realized that both weapons have to be light. Disregard. Post modified.

Kal has been shockingly ineffective during this fight, so far. :/

[EDIT]Or maybe not....
Longsword damage (1d8+3=5)

[Ken]

The dark, shadowy thing that once was Belarin continues to advance toward the nycaloth. He steps on the bone-littered shore as the water gets shallower and shallower, and his aura of darkness seems to amplify the sound of crunching bones.

“I mistakenly showed you a modicum of respect, believing that, like me, you possessed some nobility,” he says in a hollow, deep voice. “But your actions have revealed you as a bumbling fool! How long did you spend sitting on your mammoth ass? Decades? I sundered your prison in seconds! But far worse, your stupid refusal to accept freedom has forced me to abandon my mortal guise – and so I’ll gladly hasten your demise!”

The undead figure thrusts forth a skeletal hand, still holding Belarin’s pact dagger. A blast of eldritch fire erupts from it, but instead of Belarin’s tell-tale red energy entwined with silver sparkles, howling silver specters twist themselves around the blood-red blast.

________________________________________

Moving 2 squares NE, so I’m stopping short of any zombies, and then using a bonus action to place a Hex on the nycaloth. Along with taking extra necrotic damage from my attacks, he also now has disadvantage on Wisdom saves as long as Lich Lord Belarin continues concentrating.

And now attacking with Eldritch Blast: 1d20 (14) + 7 = 21. Damage:  1d10 (8) + 3 = 11 points of damage, plus (1d6) 1 point of necrotic damage for flavor.

If struck, Lich Lord Belarin will use Misty Escape to teleport behind the nycaloth.

[Brian]

As the zombie's decayed fingers dig into his neck, Condign draws a thin stream of air into his lungs. He won't last long if he doesn't get free. He stabs twice at the undead creature, his mouth twisting into a frightful grimace.

______________________________________________

Attack Rolls: (1d20+8=15, 1d20+8=25)

Condign spends one superiority die on Menacing Attack during the second swing. The die roll is added to damage, and the zombie must make a Wisdom saving throw. If failed, it will be frightened of him until the end of Condign's next turn.

Damage Rolls: (1d8+4=6, 1d8+4=7)

Superiority Die Roll: (1d8=1)

Total of 14 points of slashing damage.

Condign uses his bonus action for Second Wind.

Second Wind Roll: (1d10+7=12) hit points recovered.

[Jeff]

Kal's blade tears a nasty wound in the zombie, and it hardly notices. But he can see it's getting ribboned up pretty bad.

Behind it, Condign's vicious display balks the zombie grasping him. It releases him, seeming dumbfounded despite its obvious mindless self. Then its head swivels to mark Belarin as he moves past it.

The silvery spectres loosed by Belarin's magic surge into the yugoloth, who is rocked off balance, but he quickly corrects himself with a sweep of his wings. "A lie," the yugoloth spits back. "An illusion!" He sounds like he's testing a theory.

Atop Adamant's shoulders, Streko starts to feel the fumes overtaking him. He coughs a few times but finds that while the zombie stench is putrid, he can bear it for a short while.

---

Interesting! You can frighten a zombie, but frightened doesn't mean it runs away. You're just messing with its MO of killing you, Brian.

• Zombie's Wisdom saving throw (1d20-2=6) vs. Menacing Attack (failure, zombie is frightened!) (The zombie has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls while Condign is within line of sight. It cannot The creature can’t willingly move closer to the source of its fear.)
• The zombie releases Condign (he is no longer grappled) but it doesn't shy away from him, either.

• Condign regains 12 hit points. Also, he has advantage on his next attack or on a check made to escape the grapple.

• Streko's Constitution saving throw (1d20=15) +3 (because of Adamant) = 18 (success)

Streko is up!

[Ken]

Sept 3, 2015 13:43:59 GMT -4 Jeff said:

The silvery spectres loosed by Belarin's magic surge into the yugoloth, who is rocked off balance, but he quickly corrects himself with a sweep of his wings. "A lie," the yugoloth spits back. "An illusion!" He sounds like he's testing a theory.

Pinpricks of light within Belarin's skeletal eye sockets become smouldering green embers. He laughs -- an echoing, terrifying sound -- and then sneers, "The only illusion is you: a lumbering ape too stupid to escape, pretending to be mighty." He again unleashes a blast of spectral fire -- and he strikes the nycaloth solidly!

_____________________________

Like I said in the OOC thread, I'm a dope for not realizing sooner that Belarin could've been tossing out TWO attacks per round with eldritch blast. I was originally going to edit my post, but the nycaloth's comment is too good of an opening. So here goes with Blast #2:
1d20 (20) + 7 = 27. NATURAL TWENTY! Rolling critical damage, which also includes the Hex damage:
2d10 (8, 6) + 3 = 17 points of force damage, plus 2d6 (5, 4) = 9 points of necrotic damage. Nice!

Take it away, Joe!

[Joe]

"For Olladra's sake, Adamant, be careful, you almost sent me for a swim! <cough><cough>

He reaches around and into his haversack, tentaviely, while Adamant is recovering from his swings, and takes out a tiny die, He holds onto it for dear life.

It, and Adamant.

"Get us toward the shore, my friend, if you can. I believe that is where we can do the most good. Once we are close enough, I shall dislodge myself."

[Dave B.]

Shorak smiles through the pain in his arm. "Illusion? I think not. Though your kind has always been a bit dim. You're like the dog that bites the hand that feeds it." The half-Drow taunts the beast, refusing to to be intimidated by its size or fear of Belarin's new form.

Shorak slips around to his left, leaving the zombie behind and positioning himself so he is facing the nycaloth's back. He stabs up towards the creature's wings, attempting to shred them with his sword.

Cunning action to disengage from zombie SE of Shorak. Move around to the N & NE to get behind the beastie without leaving melee with it. Shorak is trying to cripple its flying ability.

Attack roll (1d20+8=16) If that hits - Piercing damage (1d6+5=6)

[Dave W.]

"I am trying, my friend" Adamant responds to the halfling's request for both speed and caution. "But this..." the warforged angles a cut towards the zombie, "creature..." followed by a back hand... "is not ..." and another "cooperating!"

---

I'll continue to take disadvantage on the swings.

So first swing: First swing (1d20+7=24, 1d20+7=19)
The lower is 19. I believe that hits.

Second Swing: Second swing (1d20+7=22, 1d20+7=25)
The lower this time is 22 which should also hit.

Rolling damage: Damage (1d8+4=7, 1d8+4=11) So that's 18 total assuming both hit.

If the zombie falls, Adamant will continue moving towards the shore... 1 sq NE

[Jeff]

The yugoloth is struck again by a blast from Belarin. He throws up his arms to block it from hitting him in the face, but its speed is too great and the silvery specters of Belarin's magic hit with concussive force about the head and shoulders. The fiend's breathing intensifies as rage builds within him.

Shorak weaves easily away from the zombie attacking him and angles around the fiend. When he rises up with a stab of his blade, it fails to pierce the fiend's pebbly hide. The yugoloth hisses in anger, marking the half-drow's new position.

Adamant's heavy attacks shear away one of the zombie's arms and nearly cuts its spine in half. Impossibly, it appears to be holding together...

---

Round 4 began with:

27 - Shorak
17 - Adamant

And now continues with:

17: Histra & skeletons
15 - stinky zombies
14 = yugoloth

---

With Kal's zombie still clutching him with its remaining arm, Histra moves past it without being molested by it. But once clear, she turns and sends her ghostly claws at it again. It squeezes harder, withering the creature until it is a dessicated frame half its original width and almost bereft of the moisture that had so saturated it. Though it is frail, and looks as though a single blow could cut it down, the wormlike appendage within its mouth at least shoots out like a harpoon. Barbed at the tip, the red-yellow tongue-worm strikes Kal at the neck. It convulses and empties foul fluid it contains, then itself drops down and splashes into the water.

Kal's body is instantly wracked with pain. A haze of yellow falls across his vision.

Even Histra winces at the creature's attack. She looks like she was about to give Kal and order, but doesn't bother now.

The zombie battling Condign seems especially wary of him now, and he easily avoids its half-hearted flailing limbs.

The zombie in front of Belarin cowers away from him and joins one of its fellows close back in around Shorak. The first one, the who he just escaped, is upon him quicker than expected. One grasping hand Shorak avoids, but the other one clamps down on one arm, squeezing hard. Though grappled, Shorak uses the zombie as a shield against the other, avoiding its reach as well.

With a defiant, hateful smile, the yugoloth meets Belarin's eyes, then spins around with his axe and cuts across Shorak. Though he avoids a head-on strike, the tip of the blade catches him across the shoulders, sending a spray of blood. The fiend then lets go with one hand and draws at back again, ripping open Shorak's armor and stripping away both leather and skin across his back as if he we wielding a handful of daggers. Shorak feels dizzy as the warm blood flows and drips in rivulets from his body, visibly pooling in the soil beneath him.

The yugoloth licks his lips as if tasting the fear and pain coming from Shorak...who knows he's in real peril now.

The zombies and skeletons fight on.

---

● Histra's spell attack (1d20+7=12) vs. zombie (hit) / damage (2d8=12) 12 necrotic damage to zombie and it has disadvantage on attack rolls (however, it has advantage against Kal on its next attack so the two cancel one another)
● Zombie's attack (1d20+5=22) vs. Kal (hit) / damage (1d8+1=3) 3 piercing damage to Kal, and Kal is poisoned. (A poisoned creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.)

● Zombie's disadvantaged attack (1d20+5=17, 1d20+5=20) vs. Condign (miss)
● Zombie's disadvantaged second attack (1d20+5=10, 1d20+5=7) vs. Condign (miss)
● Zombie's attack (1d20+5=13) vs. Shorak
● Zombie's second attack (1d20+5=18) vs. Shorak (hit) / attack (1d6+1=7) 7 bludgeoning damage to Shorak and Shorak is now grappled!
● Other zombie's attack (1d20+5=14) vs. Shorak (miss)
● Other zombie'ssecond attack (1d20+5=6) vs. Shorak (miss)

● Yugoloth's attack (axe) (1d20+9=18) vs. Shorak (hit) / axe damage (2d12+5=18)
→ Uncanny Dodge: Shorak uses his reaction to halve the damage, so he takes 9 points of slashing damage instead
● Yugoloth's second attack (claws) (1d20+9=25) vs. Shorak (hit) / claw damage (2d6+5=12) 12 slashing damage to Shorak and Shorak must now make a Constitution saving throw

Dave, I figured you'd want to save Uncanny Dodge for the yugoloth's attack, not the zombie's, though it attacked first. Also, can you roll a Con saving throw for him? If he fails it, nothing happens until his next turn anyway.

7 - Belarin & Kal & Tangat
5 - Condign & Streko