Encounter-specific Details, Actions and Tactics
The stone tablet held by the statue reads the following: "The ever cruel and cunning Lord Xeric means to freeze me here eternally, harnessing my power to ward his Chambers from intrusion. In my final act of defiance, I shall leave a crack in these wards. If any are reading this, you must activate the crystals in this room. They each have a unique Resonance. My energy is unfocused, you must take my energy, focus it and strike the crystals! I have no love for that mad king, let your intrusion be my venge--" The inscription becomes strained, as if the hand writing it was pushing its way through molasses, before stopping half-way through the next letter.
The crystals through the room each resonate with unique types of power - one with physical power as it softly vibrates, one with pure energy as it sparks and crackles, and one with spiritual force as two forces appear to clash within. Every character notices these crystals hum with power, but a Recall Knowledge check with an appropriate skill (DC 23 for a reasonable skill, adjust for particularly suitable/unsuitable skills) is required to identify what they power they are resonating with.
At the end of every *turn*, if a magical orb is on the field it moves 10ft in a straight line. If it passes through the space of a Jewelled Crab, it bounces off in the direction the crab is facing and inherits the energy the crab is resonating with, if any (see the Jewelled Crab statblock). If it passes through any other creature's space, the orb detonates, dealing 6d6 Force damage with a DC22 basic Reflex save. If it collides with terrain or a crystal that it has not been made Compatible with (see next paragraph), it disappears. If a magical orb is not on the field, one spawns directly in front of the statue.
If a crystal is struck by an orb that it is Compatible with (i.e. the orb is resonating with the same kind of energy as the crystal), the orb is absorbed by the crystal, causing the crystal to go white. Once this happens for all 4 crystals, the crystal blocking the exit shatters and the party can progress.
The crabs are not wholly aggressive, tending to stride towards and strike creatures that have taken hostile actions against them. They quickly lose interest in their targets and spend a lot of time aimlessly roaming around the room
Room Description/Flavor Text
As you enter this room, a statue of a masked man clutching a stone tablet and quill lies to your left, periodically releasing slow-moving white orbs of energy. As you watch, an orb strikes an outcropping of black crystal with magical whorls 40 feet in front of the statue, and the crystal begins to glow with a soft white light. Three further crystals dot the area, each pulsing with subtly different auras. Three crabs with glittering grey, gem-like carapaces also wander aimlessly about the room. I'll get everyone to roll initiative *now*, just so we have some structure to everyone's actions. And just so everyone's aware, the direction the crabs are made to face is something that's important and we'll keep track of.
Recall Knowledge DCs
Crystals:
DC 23 Crafting, Arcana or Religion to identify the crystal resonating with physical, energy or spirit respectively
DC 28 Crafting, Arcana, Religion, Occultism or Nature to identify a crystal when not using the correct skill described above
Sated Crystal:
DC 25 Crafting or Arcana
DC 28 Religion, Occultism or Nature
Can recognize this crystal (before becoming sated) used to resonate with pure magical force - which is the energy that would be associated with the magical orbs being released (and therefore the orb that struck it)
Crystal blocking the exit:
DC 23 Crafting or Occultism
DC 28 Religion, Arcana or Nature
Can recognize this crystal is linked to the others in the room - if all 4 crystals were to absorb power, it would overload this crystal and shatter it
Crabs:
DC 23 Arcana or Occultism
DC 25 Crafting, Religion or Nature
Can discern the gems on the crabs' backs seem very reactive - if they were exposed to a certain kind of energy, it may remain held within the gems
