The Church Siege
CombatArea T3 - Encounter Structure: Wave Combat (Severe 3)
This encounter is fought in five escalating waves as the veil-tear repeatedly surges. Initiative is rolled at the start of Wave 1 and maintained throughout the entire encounter. Each wave continues until every echo in that wave is destroyed. Once a wave is defeated, the church falls quiet for 1 minute (10 rounds) before the next surge manifests.
During each 1-minute interlude, initiative pauses and characters act in exploration mode or structured time, allowing them to:
- Use Battle Medicine (requires 1 action per attempt).
- Use the Refocus exploration activity to regain 1 Focus Point (1 minute).
- Cast defensive or utility spells (spells with a duration of 1 minute will expire just as the next wave begins unless cast right before the lull ends; 10-minute spells will comfortably last through multiple waves).
- Administer potions, draw weapons, reload ranged weapons, or reposition throughout the church.
- Consecrate entry points with holy water or divine magic.
- Perform the Recall Knowledge activity regarding incorporeal undead.
Note: These 1-minute interludes are not long enough to perform Treat Wounds or other exploration activities that require 10 minutes or longer.
Sister Mirela's ritual requires five total completed stages—she completes one stage during each interlude, provided she was not disrupted during the preceding wave. If Mirela is disrupted (taking damage without maintaining focus), that stage fails and must be completed in a subsequent wave.
- Wave 1: Two Thornwick Echoes (Creature 3) phase through the heavy wooden front doors of the main entrance.
- 1-minute lull (Stage 1 Completed).
- Wave 2: Two Thornwick Echoes (Creature 3) rise directly through the stone floorboards leading up from the cellar steps.
- 1-minute lull (Stage 2 Completed).
- Wave 3: One Thornwick Echo (Creature 3) descends from the bell tower, while a Coalesced Echo (Creature 5, Elite Thornwick Echo) forms in the nave.
- 1-minute lull (Stage 3 Completed).
- Wave 4: Two Thornwick Echoes (Creature 3) emerge through whichever avenue of attack the party has left least defended.
- 1-minute lull (Stage 4 Completed).
- Wave 5 (Final): The Shard-Resonant Echo (Creature 4, Unique) manifests beside the altar and focuses its violent aura on Sister Mirela.
Total XP equivalent: 200 XP (Severe for a Level 3 party, distributed across waves to avoid overwhelming the XP budget in a single turn).
GM Note: Running Wave Transitions
GM Note: Running Wave Transitions
The 1-minute interlude starts the moment the last echo of a wave drops to 0 HP. Track and resolve the transition using these steps:
- Pause Initiative: The moment the last enemy in a wave is destroyed, pause encounter mode.
- Start a 10-Round Counter: One minute in Pathfinder 2e equals 10 rounds (60 seconds).
-
Resolve Player Actions:
- Refocus & 1-Minute Activities: Players declare major activities (e.g., "I Refocus to regain a Focus Point" or "I cast a 1-minute spell near the end of the lull").
- Quick Actions: With 10 rounds (30 actions) available, PCs can freely use Battle Medicine, drink potions, reload, and reposition across the sanctuary.
- Advance Ritual Progress: If Sister Mirela was not disrupted during the preceding wave, check off 1 stage of her sealing ritual.
- Resume Initiative: At the end of the 10th round, spawn the next wave at their designated entry points and resume encounter mode.
GM Tip for Table Pacing
Instead of tracking all 10 rounds turn-by-turn during the lull, simply prompt the table:
"You have 1 minute while the church is quiet. What does everyone do before the next surge hits?"
Once everyone resolves their Refocusing, healing, or spell casting, jump straight into the next wave!
Echo Arrival Key
R1 — Main Doors
The first Echoes arrive through the church’s front entrance. The double doors shudder open as two pale figures force their way inside, giving the party an immediate and obvious threat to contain.
R2 — Cellar Stairs
A cold draft rises from the eastern alcove as two more Echoes climb out of the crypt below. Characters guarding the front of the church may suddenly find themselves attacked from the side or rear.
R3 — Bell Loft and Nave
One Echo drops from the bell and choir loft while a stronger Coalesced Echo forms in the center of the nave. This wave divides the party’s attention and places enemies close to Sister Mirela.
R4 — Unprotected Breach
Two Echoes pass through whichever wall, doorway, or approach the party has left least defended. They are incorporeal and do not need to use a normal entrance. Choose a breach point that creates pressure without unfairly surrounding the characters.
GM Note: The round markers show where each wave is expected to appear, but they are not rigid spawn points. Adjust an arrival by a square or two when needed to keep the encounter tense, clear, and playable.
[NORTH] - Cemetery Grounds & Graveyard Path
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15
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01 | . | . | # | # | # |===|===|===| # | # | # | . | . | . | . |
02 | . | # | # | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | # | # | . | . | . |
03 | # | # | . | . | B | B | B | B | B | . | . | # | # | . | . |
04 | # | . | . | . | B | B | B | B | B | . | . | . | # | # | . |
05 | # | . | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | . | . | # | # | . |
06 | # | . | | [ ALTAR ] | | . | . | # | # | . |
07 | # | . | | (SISTER MIRELA) | | . | . | # | # | . |
08 | # | . | | [NAVE] | | . | [C] | # | . |
09 | # | . | +---+---/ /---+---/ /---+---+ | . | [C] | # | . |
10 | # | . | . | P | . | . | . | P | . | . | . | . | # | . |
11 | # | . | . | P | . | . | . | P | . | . | . | . | # | . |
12 | # | . | . | P | . | . | . | P | . | . | . | . | # | . |
13 | # | . | . | P | . | . | . | P | . | . | . | . | # | . |
14 | # | . | +---+---+---D---+---+---+---+ | . | . | # | . |
15 | # | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | # | . |
16 | # | # | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | # | # | . |
17 | . | # | # | # |===|===|===|===|===| # | # | # | . | . |
18 | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
19 | . | . | . | . | G | G |===|===| G | G | . | . | . | . |
20 | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
[SOUTH] - Main Village Entrance / CourtyardThe Village Church
The church is small, old, and clearly built by people who expected it to last longer than they would. Its thick stone walls have darkened with age, and narrow, high-set windows admit only thin bands of gray daylight. Outside, a worn path winds between the cemetery and the front doors, where generations of boots have polished the threshold smooth.
Inside, rows of heavy wooden pews face a raised stone altar at the northern end of the sanctuary. The pews are scarred and uneven, but kept clean. Faded carvings of Pharasmin spirals, hourglasses, and open hands decorate their ends.
A narrow central aisle runs between the pews, making tactical positioning tight once the church becomes crowded. To the east, a recessed alcove contains a steep set of stone steps leading down into the cellar and crypt. The air near the opening is noticeably colder, carrying the faint smell of damp stone and old incense.
Above the northern end of the nave stands a modest choir loft and bell platform. Its timber supports creak whenever the wind shifts, and a frayed bell rope hangs beside the railing. The loft overlooks nearly the entire sanctuary, though its shadows grant standard cover and make it difficult to see what may be waiting above.
The altar rests on a low dais beneath a simple wooden carving of Pharasma’s spiral. There is little gold or ornament here—a pair of candles, a worn prayer book, and a shallow silver bowl are the church’s only ceremonial items. It is a humble place, but one that has carried the hopes, grief, and final farewells of the village for generations.
THORNWICK ECHO CREATURE 3
[UNCOMMON] [MEDIUM] [INCORPOREAL] [SPIRIT] [UNDEAD]
The fractured, lingering memory of a villager consumed by the veil-tear, bound to repeat its final moments of terror.
Perception +9; darkvision
Languages Common (understands but cannot speak cohesively)
Skills Acrobatics +9, Stealth +11, Intimidation +9
Str -5, Dex +4, Con +0, Int -2, Wis +2, Cha +2
AC 19; Fort +6, Ref +11, Will +9
HP 30 (negative healing); Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious; Resistances all damage 3 (except force, ghost touch, or vitality; double resistance vs. non-magical)
Speed fly 30 feet
Melee ◆ Spectral Grasp +11 (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 1d8+4 spirit damage.
Draining Wail ◆◆ (auditory, emotion, fear, mental)
The echo releases a fragmented scream of its final living memory. All living creatures within a 20-foot emanation must attempt a DC 19 Will save. On a failure, the target takes 2d6 mental damage and becomes frightened 1 (double damage and frightened 2 on a critical failure).
SHARD-RESONANT ECHO CREATURE 4
[UNIQUE] [MEDIUM] [INCORPOREAL] [SPIRIT] [UNDEAD]
A terrifying amalgamation of souls fused directly to the ambient energy of the shard, pulsing with gray, destructive light.
Perception +11; darkvision, spirit sense 30 feet
Languages Common (understands but only speaks in overlapping whispers)
Skills Acrobatics +12, Stealth +12, Intimidation +11
Str -5, Dex +5, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +3, Cha +3
AC 21; Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +11
HP 50 (negative healing); Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious; Resistances all damage 5 (except force, ghost touch, or vitality; double resistance vs. non-magical)
Resonant Feedback ▯ (reaction, void)
Trigger: A creature hits the echo with a melee attack.
Effect: The shard energy protecting the echo lashes out. The attacking creature takes 1d6 void damage.
Speed fly 40 feet
Melee ◆ Shard-Infused Touch +13 (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 2d6+4 spirit damage plus 1d4 void damage.
Shattered Mind ◆◆ (mental, void)
The echo forces the agonizing dissonance of the shard into the minds of the living. All living creatures within a 20-foot emanation must attempt a DC 21 Will save.
- Critical Success: The target is unaffected.
- Success: The target takes half damage.
- Failure: The target takes 3d6 mental damage and becomes stupefied 1 for 1 minute.
- Critical Failure: The target takes double damage and becomes stupefied 2 for 1 minute.
COALESCED ECHO CREATURE 5
[UNCOMMON] [MEDIUM] [INCORPOREAL] [SPIRIT] [UNDEAD]
A dense, towering mass of fused villager spirits surging with localized veil-dissonance. (Elite Thornwick Echo)
Perception +11; darkvision
Languages Common (understands but cannot speak cohesively)
Skills Acrobatics +11, Intimidation +11, Stealth +13
Str -5, Dex +6, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +4, Cha +4
AC 21; Fort +8, Ref +13, Will +11
HP 45 (negative healing); Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious; Resistances all damage 3 (except force, ghost touch, or vitality; double resistance vs. non-magical)
Speed fly 30 feet
Melee ◆ Spectral Grasp +13 (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 1d8+6 spirit damage.
Draining Wail ◆◆ (auditory, emotion, fear, mental)
The coalesced spirit releases a horrifying chorus of fragmented screams. All living creatures within a 20-foot emanation must attempt a DC 21 Will save. On a failure, the target takes 2d6+2 mental damage and becomes frightened 1 (double damage and frightened 2 on a critical failure).