Behind the Scenes: Hollow Garden Defense Dice Rolls

The Show-runner

So, XarHD provided me a monster stat block for the Howling Ones / Brides of Nergal / ghost baddies. I adapted it into my system and ran the fights from the previous chapter.

Now, the brides have several abilities with damage scaling. Even with that, they were easily outclassed by Harper (having several sources of "impose disadvantage on attacks against you" natively built is hard to overcome, no matter how much damage the ability would deal if it could hit) and ridiculously overpowered for Mona and the gang. CR is a squirrely thing and DnD math is not built for level 32 characters, but I guesstimated a CR of 12 for the Harper fights and a CR of 10 for the Mona fight (average party of the gang is level 4.4, excluding Mona, so about 2.25 times the recommendation for a boss fight). Both CRs are an underestimation, especially on the Mona fight, as regular easy source of temporary HP is hard to get to fit into the custom monster CR calculation (it is a defense buff, but not a strong of one as regeneration). Plus, fighting a ghost unprepared is a giant pain. Between the non-magical physical damage resistance and cold resistance, Kevin was the only one able to get a decent amount of damage in (as he was the only one with a magic weapon that wasn't cold encoded).

Also, when I did the fights, I assumed that my folks would be dealing with 9 of the 14 brides. When I woke up this morning, XarHD split them up evenly, so I adjusted my actual narrative. I'm not editing the dice roll notes, as that is a giant mess. So, enjoy the raw data, raw data enjoyers.

Harper Fight – Harper and her wives vs. “8” Corpse Brides

Pre-fight:

• Harper: Cast Foresight as soon as “Endgame” begins. SP left: 90
• Corpse Brides: Stealth Check. Roll 2d6, +3 modifier. Rolled a 13. Critical Success. Grant disadvantage to Perception checks.

Perception Checks:

• Harper: Foresight grants Harper advantage. Corpse Bride Stealth Crit grants Harper disadvantage. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier. Rolled a 9. Moved down the turn order to after Alex for Round 1.
• Scarlet: Corpse Bride Stealth Crit grants Scarlet disadvantage. Roll 3d6, +3 modifier. Rolled a 6. Skip Round 1.
• Skye: Corpse Bride Stealth Crit grants Skye disadvantage. Roll 3d6, +2 modifier. Rolled a 5. Skip Round 1.
• Daphne: Corpse Bride Stealth Crit grants Daphne disadvantage. Roll 3d6, +2 modifier. Rolled a 10. Spotted.
• Alex: Corpse Bride Stealth Crit grants Alex disadvantage. Roll 3d6, +3 modifier, +3 modifier (Observant feat). Rolled an 11. Spotted.

Round 1:

• Scarlet: SKIP
• Skye: SKIP
• Daphne: Chain Lightning, upcast to 9th level. SP left: 82. Arcana expertise grants Daphne advantage. Roll 3d6, +3 modifier. Rolled a 12. CB A-G HP left: 89.
• Alex: Eilistraee’s Grace. SP left: 83. Move towards baddies, then activate Radiant Consumption. Temp HP left: 45.
• Harper: Bladesong. Time Stop. SP left: 81. Rolled 3 turns.
• Harper Time Stop Turn 1: Activate ring to cast Fire Shield (mode don’t matter), Cast Eilistraee’s Grace. SP left: 75.
• Harper Time Stop Turn 2: Equip ear plugs (grant advantage to resisting whisper), move.
• Harper Time Stop Turn 3: Cast Steel Wind Strike. SP left: 70. Elven Accuracy grants Harper advantage. Longsword Expertise grants Harper advantage. Foresight grants Harper advantage. Roll 5d6 five times, +3 modifier. Rolled 13, 13, 14, 14, 13. Five Crits (230 damage each). CB A-E ded. 4 Whisper resists. Ear plugs grant Harper advantage. Boon of Magic Resistance grants Harper advantage. Foresight grants Harper advantage. Roll 5d6, +2 modifier, 4 times. Rolled 11, 14, 11, 9. 1 Crit, 2 Full Successes, 1 Mixed Success. Crit cancels Mixed Success negative side effect. Move to CB H and I, one sword swipe each. Elven Accuracy grants Harper advantage. Longsword Expertise grants Harper advantage. Foresight grants Harper advantage. Roll 5d6 twice, +3 modifier. Rolled 15 and 15 (reducing this one to a full success for narrative reasons). CB H HP left: 22. CG I is the one to escape, so I’m not worrying about damage there.
• Corpse Brides: CB F and G move to surround Harper. 4 Unquiet Bride movements. Boon of Magic Resistance grants CB disadvantage. Boon of Perfect Health grants CB disadvantage. Foresight grants CB disadvantage. Roll 5d6, +3 modifier, four times. Rolled 7, 6, 8, 7. 3 Mixed successes, reduced to fail (Evasion), 1 Fail. CB F-H grasp combos. Boon of Perfect Health grants CB disadvantage. Foresight grants CB disadvantage. Roll 4d6, +2 modifier, six times. Rolled 9, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 7. 1 Fail, 4 Mixed Successes, 1 Full Success. Reaction: Harper casts Shield. SP left: 69. Armor and shield reduce mixed success damage to 0. Harper Temp HP left: 43. 1 Concentration check. Bladesong grants advantage. Eldritch Mind grants Harper advantage. War Caster grants Harper advantage. Foresight grants Harper advantage. Roll 6d6, +3 modifier. Rolled a 12. Eilistraee’s Grace stays up. Fire Shield damage. Boon of Irresistible Offense allows Harper to ignore damage resistance. CB F and G HP left: 31.CB H ded. CB I Dashes and flies off.

Round 2:

• Harper: Two Whisper resists. Ear plugs grant Harper advantage. Boon of Magic Resistance grants Harper advantage. Foresight grants Harper advantage. Roll 5d6, +2 modifier, twice. Rolled 13 and 12. one sword swipe each. Elven Accuracy grants Harper advantage. Longsword Expertise grants Harper advantage. Foresight grants Harper advantage. Roll 5d6 twice, +3 modifier. Rolled 12 twice. 2 crits. I’m not calculating the damage. Last two very dead.

Mona Fight – The kids (and Buttercup) vs. 1 Corpse Bride

Round 1:

• Corpse Bride: Burst out of ground in front of Kevin. 2 Grasps on him. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier, twice. Rolled 10 and 14. Kevin HP left: 7.
• Buttercup: Whispers resist Wisdom check. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier. Rolled a 9. Disadvantage on next rounds check. Roll Bite! Roll 2d6, +2 modifier. Rolled an 11. Armor absorbs all damage.
• Winter: Whispers resist Wisdom check. Roll 2d6, +0 modifier. Rolled a 5. Whispered. Stab. Rapier expertise grants Winter advantage. Whispered condition grants Winter disadvantage. Roll 2d6, +3 modifier. Rolled a 7. Corpse Bride HP left: 97.
• Kevin: Whispers resist Wisdom check. Roll 2d6, +0 modifier. Rolled a 5. Whispered. Double slash. Broadsword expertise grants Kevin advantage. Whispered condition grants Kevin disadvantage. Roll 2d6, +4 modifier, twice. Rolled a 12 and a 13. Smite! on crit. SP left: 6. Corpse Bride HP left: 43.
• Jenny: Whispers resist Wisdom check. Roll 2d6, +1 modifier. Rolled an 11. Eldritch blast. Roll 2d6, +3 modifier. Rolled a 14. Corpse Bride HP left: 28.
• Summer: Whispers resist Wisdom check. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier. Rolled an 11. Bonus Action: Hunter’s Mark. Double stab. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier, twice. Rolled a 7 and 9. Corpse Bride HP left: 26
• Mona: Whispers resist Wisdom check. Roll 2d6, +0 modifier. Rolled a 6. Whispered. Distract the Corpse Bride? Persuasion check. Roll 2d6, +0 modifier. Rolled a 7. Ignored.

Round 2:

• Corpse Bride: Move through Winter, then Kevin. Roll 2d6, +3 modifier, twice. 10 against Winter. Winter Compelled. CB Temp HP: 7. Winter HP left: 30. 12 against Kevin. Down. 2 Grasps, targeting Winter first. Summer Reaction: AoO. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier. Rolled a 7. CB Temp HP left: 6. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier, twice. Rolled 9 and 10. Winter HP left: 9. Winter Marked.
• Buttercup: Whispers resist Wisdom check. Mixed success grants Buttercup disadvantage. Roll 3d6, +2 modifier. Rolled a 7. Disadvantage on next rounds check. Roll Bite! Roll 2d6, +2 modifier. Rolled a 9. Again, no damage.
• Winter: Stab. Rapier expertise grants Winter advantage. Whispered condition grants Winter disadvantage. Roll 2d6, +3 modifier. Rolled an 11. Corpse Bride HP left: 18 Winter HP left: 6. Winter Max HP left: 33.
• Kevin: Death check. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier. Rolled an 8. Neutral.
• Jenny: Whispers resist Wisdom check. Roll 2d6, +1 modifier. Rolled a 4. Whispered. Eldritch blast. Whispered condition grants Jenny disadvantage. Roll 3d6, +3 modifier. Rolled a 7. Corpse Bride HP left: 16.
• Summer: Whispers resist Wisdom check. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier. Rolled a 10. Stab. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier. Rolled a 10. Corpse Bride HP: 12.
• Mona: Spare the Dying on Kevin.

Round 3:

• Corpse Bride: Move through Kevin, Mona, Jenny, then Winter. Marked condition grants CB advantage on Winter. Roll 2d6, +3 modifier, then roll 3d6, +3 modifier. Kevin takes 1 failed death save; Spare the Dying needs to be reapplied. Mona takes no damage (Level 0!). Rolled an 11 on Jenny. Jenny Compelled. CB Temp HP: 7. Jenny HP left: 18. Rolled a 13 on Winter. Winter downed. Reaction: Soul Steal. Eilistraee reaction: Soul Cage. Contest. Roll 2d6, +3 mod vs Roll 4d6, +5 mod. 10 vs. 15. Eilistraee wins! Corpse Bride charges at Eilistraee’s avatar. Roll 2d6, +2 modifier, twice. Rolled 11 and 8. No damage.
• Eilistraee: Moonsword, 4 strikes (probably only need one). Only needed one.

Harper Fight, Round 2 – Her and her wives versus 8 corpse brides.

Pre-fight

• Harper: Foresight is still up. Use Spellcasting +1 (Wizard) Feature to fast scribe Banishment. Use Potion of Long Rest to restore SP and add Banishment to list of prepared spells
• Alex: Use Potion of Long Rest to restore SP, Radiant Consumption use, and add Banishment to list of prepared spells (I presume)
• Skye: Cast Lesser Spellsong (Magic Circle).

Round 0

• Corpse Brides: 8 Unquiet Bride movements. Boon of Magic Resistance grants CB disadvantage. Boon of Perfect Health grants CB disadvantage. Foresight grants CB disadvantage. Dodge action grants CB disadvantage. Roll 6d6, +3 modifier, eight times. Rolled 6, 8, 9, 8, 5, 5, 8, and 5. 4 misses, 4 mixed successes reduced to fail (Evasion). Then 8 Whisper resists. Ear plugs grant Harper advantage. Boon of Magic Resistance grants Harper advantage. Foresight grants Harper advantage. Roll 5d6, +2 modifier, 8 times. Rolled 12, 11, 11, 14, 12, 13, 10, 11. All Full Successes or Crits. Then 8 grasp combos. Boon of Perfect Health grants CB disadvantage. Foresight grants CB disadvantage. Dodge action grants CB disadvantage. Roll 5d6, +2 modifier, sixteen times. Rolled 6, 5, 5, 7, 4, 6, 5, 7, 5, 5, 7, 4, 6, 5, 7, 7. 11 Misses, 5 Mixed Successes. Reaction: Harper casts Shield. SP left: 98. Harper HP left: 221.

Round 1:

• Harper: Hold Banishment at 9th level to cast after Alex. SP left: 89.
• Scarlet: Dodge action.
• Skye: Dodge action.
• Daphne: Cast Mass Polymorph at swarm of brides. SP left: 73. Arcana expertise grants Daphne advantage. Roll 3d6, +3 modifier, eight times. Rolled 12, 11, 14, 10, 15, 14, 10, and 9. 7 corpse brides are now barnacles for an hour!!!!!
• Alex: Cast Banishment, upcast to 9th level at remaining non-barnacle bride and 5 barnacles. SP left: 80. Roll 2d6, +3 modifier. Roll 2d6, -1 modifier 5 times. Bride rolled a 6 (fail). Barnacles rolled 9, 2, 5, 6, and 3. 1 Mixed Success (disadvantage next roll). 4 fails. Leaving 3 barnacles remaining. Reaction: Harper cast Banishment. Arcana expertise grants all three barnacles disadvantage. Roll 3d6, -1 modifier, twice. Roll 4d6, -1 modifier. Rolled 4, 4, and 3. No more barnacles.