Celestial Saga

keep the nabassu at it’s base strength

Got it — you want to run the encounter against a full-strength Nabassu (the Monster Manual version: CR 15, ~19 AC, 190+ HP, 2 claw attacks for ~20 each, Soul-Stealing Gaze, can summon ghouls).

⚠️ At level 3, six paladins/clerics versus that thing is a suicide mission in straight mechanics — but if this is the story you want to tell, we can still run it as a “simulation to destruction” and see how long the party can last before the Nabassu eats their souls.


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Encounter Setup

Nabassu:

AC 19, HP 190,

Claw: +9, 2d8+4 slashing + 2d6 necrotic (~19 avg)

Soul-Stealing Gaze (DC 16 Wis, 4d6 necrotic + frightened)

Aura of Hunger: creatures healing within 30 ft heal half

Bonus: can summon 2d4 ghouls once per day.


Party (6 holy warriors, lvl 3):

AC ~18–19

HP ~28–32 each

Smites hit for 2d8 radiant on top of weapon strikes

Clerics have Guiding Bolt, Bless, Healing Word, etc.




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⚔️ Simulation: The Defiled Church (Base Nabassu)

Initiative Rolls

Nabassu: 19

Paladin (Vengeance): 17

Cleric (Light): 15

Paladin (Devotion): 14

Cleric (War): 12

Paladin (Ancients): 11

Cleric (Life): 9



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Round 1

Nabassu (19):

Uses Soul-Stealing Gaze on Devotion Paladin. Wis save DC 16 → roll 11 (fail).

Damage = 14 necrotic (from 30 → 16 HP). Frightened.


Then claws at Vengeance Paladin (2 attacks). Rolls 21, 18 → both hit.

Damage = 18 + 20 = 38 damage.

Vengeance Paladin (30 HP) is dropped to 0, instantly unconscious.




—

Paladin of Vengeance (17):

Fails death save (roll 6).


Cleric of Light (15):

Uses Guiding Bolt (lvl 2) → roll 19 + 6 = 25 (hit).

Damage = 16 radiant. (Nabassu 174 HP).


Paladin of Devotion (14):

Frightened, attacks at disadvantage. Rolls 15/7 → miss.


Cleric of War (12):

Casts Bless on three allies (Ancients Paladin, Life Cleric, Devotion Paladin).


Paladin of Ancients (11):

Attacks with longsword + smite. Roll 16 + 5 + Bless = 22 (hit).

Damage = 1d8+3 + 2d8 radiant = 14 damage. (Nabassu 160 HP).


Cleric of Life (9):

Casts Healing Word on Vengeance Paladin (1d4+4 halved by aura = 4 total).

Vengeance Paladin revived at 4 HP.



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Round 2

Nabassu (19):

Roars, summons 5 ghouls from shadows.

Two claw attacks on Ancients Paladin: rolls 23, 13 (one hit).

Damage = 21 total. Ancients Paladin drops to 9 HP.



Vengeance Paladin (17):

Stands, smites desperately. Attack roll = 18 + 5 = 23 (hit).

Damage = 1d8+3 + 2d8 radiant = 15 damage. (Nabassu 145 HP).


Cleric of Light (15):

Turn Undead → ghouls scatter, 3 destroyed outright. 2 remain.

Bonus: casts Healing Word on Ancients Paladin (3 HP healed, halved → +1). Now 10 HP.


Devotion Paladin (14):

Still frightened. Rolls 18/11 → 11 + 5 = 16 (miss).


Cleric of War (12):

Swings mace, rolls 17 + 5 + Bless = 23 (hit).

Damage = 6 bludgeoning. (Nabassu 139 HP).


Ancients Paladin (11):

Swings back with smite. Roll 19 + 5 = 24 (hit).

Damage = 13 slashing + 11 radiant = 24. (Nabassu 115 HP).


Life Cleric (9):

Casts Guiding Bolt. Roll 7 + 6 + Bless = 14 (miss).



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Round 3

Nabassu (19):

Focuses on the clerics. Attacks Life Cleric: rolls 26, 20 → both hit.

Damage = 39 total. Life Cleric (28 HP) drops to 0, dying.


Vengeance Paladin (17):

At 4 HP, presses in. Attack roll = 14 + 5 = 19 (hit).

Damage = 1d8+3 + 2d8 radiant = 18. (Nabassu 97 HP).

Nabassu retaliates with Soul-Stealing on him → he fails, dies instantly, soul trapped.


💀 First party kill.


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At this point, the clerics are scrambling, paladins are badly wounded, and the Nabassu still has ~97 HP left + ghouls. Unless there’s divine intervention, the party will be systematically annihilated in the next 2–3 rounds.


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🔥 Conclusion: A base Nabassu annihilates a lvl 3 strike team. Even six holy warriors can’t burn it down fast enough before it deletes them with ~40 damage per round + soul-steal.


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Do you want me to play out the full wipe to the bitter end, or should I set up a narrative twist (e.g., the altar ritual weakens it mid-fight, giving them a sliver of a chance)?

continue running the simulation

Alright — we’ll keep running the fight to its bloody conclusion.
The base Nabassu still has ~97 HP, and the party has already lost their Vengeance Paladin (soul trapped) while the Life Cleric is down at 0 HP.


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⚔️ Simulation: Round 4

Nabassu (19):

Swoops across the church pews, targeting the Cleric of Light.

Claw 1: Roll 18 + 9 = 27 (hit) → 21 dmg. Light Cleric (28 HP → 7 HP).

Claw 2: Roll 12 + 9 = 21 (hit) → 17 dmg. Light Cleric (7 HP → -10). Downed!


Paladin of Devotion (14):

Still frightened from its gaze (2nd fail). Disadvantage attack: rolls 13/4 + 5 = 9 (miss).


Cleric of War (12):

Rushes to stabilize Life Cleric → Medicine check roll 17 (success). Life Cleric stabilized, still unconscious.

Bonus action: War Priest attack on Nabassu. Roll 19 + 5 = 24 (hit). Damage = 8 bludgeoning. Nabassu 89 HP.


Paladin of Ancients (11):

Bleeding (10 HP left). Swings longsword with smite. Roll 15 + 5 = 20 (hit).

Damage = 7 slashing + 13 radiant = 20 dmg. Nabassu 69 HP.



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⚔️ Round 5

Nabassu (19):

Locks gaze on Ancients Paladin. Wis save DC 16 → roll 8 (fail). Takes 13 necrotic, drops from 10 → 0 HP. Nabassu hisses as another soul slips toward it.

Bonus: strikes down Devotion Paladin with claws. Roll 20, 24 (two hits). Damage = 38. Devotion Paladin (16 HP) slain outright.


💀 At this point:

Dead/consumed: Vengeance Paladin, Devotion Paladin

Unconscious: Life Cleric, Light Cleric, Ancients Paladin

Standing: War Cleric only (full but panicked, ~28 HP)



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⚔️ Round 6

War Cleric (alone):

Casts Guiding Bolt desperately. Roll 14 + 6 = 20 (hit).

Damage = 14 radiant. Nabassu 55 HP.

Bonus: Healing Word on Light Cleric. Roll = 6, halved = +3 HP → Light Cleric rises!


Nabassu:

Snaps head, rushes the War Cleric. Two claw strikes: rolls 19, 25 → both hit.

Damage = 42. War Cleric (28 HP) drops to -14 HP, instantly down.


Light Cleric (revived at 3 HP):

Staggers, unleashes Sacred Flame. Nabassu DEX save DC 14 → roll 10 (fail). Damage = 6 radiant. Nabassu 49 HP.



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⚔️ Round 7 (Last)

Nabassu:

Pounces on the Light Cleric. First claw roll 22 → 20 damage. She had 3 HP → reduced to -17, killed outright.



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☠️ Outcome

Party Wiped.

Souls of the Vengeance and Devotion Paladins consumed forever.

The Light and Ancients Clerics slain in the pews.

The War Cleric and Life Cleric left bleeding out on the corrupted floor.

The Nabassu, bloodied (~49 HP remaining), still rules the desecrated altar.



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⚰️ Total Result: Six level 3 holy warriors annihilated in 7 rounds. The Nabassu remains triumphant.


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Players 1

Monsters 2