It then takes a 5’ slither-scrape on the flagstones to the south.
Round #1/2:
Knowledge (arcana) DC 15 to identify the statue on your turn :
It’s a Graven Guardian of Ydersius.
One question on this table for every 5 points by which you beat the DC.
Fate Angry Magic Tree☤ 56 - 7 - 10 - 8 = 31/56 hp; 20% miss chance, 1 con damage Majetreduce person Cade☤ 29/31 hp
--
Idol (pink) hp tracked in another location
--
Jaakko Ilarien
EVERYONE may go!
The Battle Map is also at the top of the page & in my header.
Resistances and Weaknesses, please. Incidentally, what kind of creature is it? Making the base DC should give me that plus the traits inherent to that type of creature.
"It's a Graven Guardian of Ydersius!" With her usual gesture, Ilarien calls up a bane of ill luck for the graven guardian. If her hex bites on it, she cackles to maintain it and takes a short step forward.
Female NG Gnome Swashbuckler (Mouser) 4 | HP 27/35 | AC 20 (+4 vs Giant subtype) T 15 FF 16 | CMB +2, CMD 16 | F: +2*, R: +7*, W: +1* (+2 against illusions) | Init: +5 | Perc: +9, SM: +5 | Speed 20ft | Panache Pool 2/5; Charmed Life +3 3/3 |Low-Light Vision; Wayfinder | Active conditions: None |
Majet quickly advances right underfoot of the mean, nasty idol. The foe whose space Majet shares takes a -4 penalty on all attack rolls and combat manoeuvre checks not made against the mouser, and all of Majet's allies that are adjacent to both her and the foe are considered to be flanking the foe. Majet is considered to be flanking this foe if she is adjacent to an ally who is also adjacent to the foe.
If the foe attempts to move to a position where Majet is no longer in its space, the movement provokes an attack of opportunity from Majet.
She then proceeds to harry it with her rapier.
Attack-MW CI rapier w/Precise Strike + reduced +flanking:1d20 + 10 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 10 + 2 + 2 = 18+1 racial bonus vs humanoid creatures of the reptilian and goblinoid subtypes Piercing cold iron damage (reduced):1d3 + 4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 4 = 11
While she has trouble doing the damage she wants, she at least knows she is providing assistance (flanking) to her companions.
Male Human Gunslinger [Myst.Stranger] 5/Oracle 2 hp 32/51 | AC 20/t15/ff16 CMD 22, 23 vs. disarm | Fort 5, Ref 8, Will 6 +1 vs charm,compulsion| Init +6 | Spd 20 ft. (med. load) | Perception +9 | Grit pts 2/3
Majet seems to be in a good position to give advantage. Now it may be best bet to just charge it.
Jaakko sprints toward the idol and smashes it with flail, coordinating his strike with ally.
Ilarien knows the Graven Guardian of Ydersius is a construct. It has Spell Resistance and is resistant to weapons that are not made of adamantine.
In addition, the graven guardian cannot attack any creature that openly wears or displays an unholy symbol of Ydersius unless that creature first attacks the graven guardian.
As AMT is being the most successful, the sap-rager remains #1 on the Idol’s Hit Parade.
keen dagger-fang on AMT - Arya Majet underfoot:1d20 + 11 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 11 - 4 = 10 evil, magic, piercing damage + extra damage to good:1d4 + 4 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 4 + (6) = 13 miss chance, 0-20 misses:1d100 ⇒ 67
keen dagger-fang on AMT - Arya Majet underfoot:1d20 + 6 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 6 - 4 = 6 evil, magic, piercing damage + extra damage to good:1d4 + 4 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 4 + (3) = 8 miss chance, 0-20 misses:1d100 ⇒ 58
Round #2/3:
Fate Angry Magic Tree☤ 56 - 7 - 10 - 8 = 31/56 hp; 20% miss chance, 1 con damage Majetreduce person Cade☤ 29/31 hp
--
Idol (pink) hp tracked in another location , mousered 🐁 -4, misfortune + cackle
--
Jaakko Ilarien
Party up!
The Battle Map is also at the top of the page & in my header.
GM screen:
The foe whose space Majet shares takes a -4 penalty on all attack rolls and combat manoeuvre checks not made against the mouser, and all of Majet's allies that are adjacent to both her and the foe are considered to be flanking the foe.
Majet is considered to be flanking this foe if she is adjacent to an ally who is also adjacent to the foe. If the foe attempts to move to a position where Majet is no longer in its space, the movement provokes an attack of opportunity from Majet. homeboy*2+troy ounce
Fate wonders if the Ancestors have granted him any deeper secrets about such a construct.
Arcana:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
They have not.
Fate again tosses his bomb of glittery clay at the guardian idol.
CL vs SR?:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21{Just guessing this might be a thing.}
Stardust (Sp) Foe in 30 ft sheds light, can't be invisible/conceal & -1 to attack rolls & -2 perception checks for 1 round. Second use of Five. Three uses remain.
Fate’s glitter bomb 🎊 EXPLODES 🎊 this time. Sessegishoss’ street-sweepers will be scraping it up for weeks …
AMT’s adamantine axe hits just below the idol’s head with the force of a lumimyrsky.
As the stone head rolls along the promenade, the tail writhes impotently for a few moments before coming to rest, like justice served.
We are Out of Combat!
The injured: Angry Magic Tree ☤ down 25 hp, Cade ☤ down 2 hp
The momentary lull brings Kreighton Shaine’s instructions to the forefront of your minds.
This is an unparalleled opportunity to study Serpentfolk culture from a Lost Age :
You may study the religious iconography along the boulevard to make useful notes on serpentfolk artifice.
Everyone may roll either: Appraise, Craft (sculptures or stonemasonry), Disable Device, Knowledge (arcana or engineering), Perception, Profession (architect, engineer, or miner), Spellcraft, or Use Magic Device, and I’ll take the best result.
Male Human Gunslinger [Myst.Stranger] 5/Oracle 2 hp 32/51 | AC 20/t15/ff16 CMD 22, 23 vs. disarm | Fort 5, Ref 8, Will 6 +1 vs charm,compulsion| Init +6 | Spd 20 ft. (med. load) | Perception +9 | Grit pts 2/3
With a breath of relief Jaakko puts flail back on belt and looks around the temple area. "I think you saved us from that thing, Angry Magic Tree. Certainly we would have been driven back to tunnels without you." Jaakko says while catches his breath
NG Vine Leshy Bloodrager 4 | HP *56/56 | AC *13 T *10 FF *12 | CMB *+9, CMD 18 | F: *+11, R: +3, W: *+5 | Init: +3 | Perc: +5, SM: +0, Low-Light Vision, Darkvision 60 ft | Speed 30ft | Rage: 10/13 | Spells: 1st 2/2 | Active conditions: Bloodrage, Blur
”Hah!” Angry Magic Tree takes a few seconds to calm herself down, panting and bouncing back and forth as if the rock head were going to spring back to life. ”Hoo... thanks! That was... fun! Oh, here, I have a stick too!”
Angry Magic Tree has a wand of cure light wounds as well. If Ilarien is insistent, we can use her wand - otherwise I’ll mark the charges off my own.
Jaakko and Majet identify a pair of leather-tailed, bat-winged serpent-statues capable of mech-arcanic activiation.
Fortunately, both are dormant.
Ilarien speculates these idols are part of the cult of Ydersius’ efforts to convert Central Arcadian worshippers of the Feathered Serpent, Quetzalcoatl to their Lord of Coiling Poison.
Fate finds a quill pen and sheafs of paper in his pack, which he uses to sketch and document the idolatry.
Another Victory Point earned & reported! Onto the next encounter.
Buildings and stalls line either side, and heavily inscribed stone columns stand throughout the area, forming a spiral pattern. Banners and tarpaulins hang between the columns, creating distinct areas of light and darkness.
Smoldering coals surround the bases of large, heated ceramic cylinders, which glow softly. They’re warm enough to be felt from a distance, but not hot enough to ignite the blankets draped over them or the banners dangling around and above.
♨
On display in this part of the temple plaza is a dazzling array of serpentfolk art and civic engineering, all of which is sitting in the open for study.
Unfortunately, a number of Serpentfolk civilians stand atop the Great Pyramid hurling debris and fire weapons to harass the invading Pathfinders.
Research Challenge Rules:
The goal is to document the Serpentfolk art and civic engineering using: Craft (calligraphy, sculpture or painting), Knowledge (engineering, history, nature, or nobility), or Profession (architect, librarian, or scribe).
However, less scholarly Pathfinders have another way to help.
Any Pathfinder who is not documenting the plaza’s contents can instead stand watch, take shots at serpentfolk, and scare off the harassers. This may be achieved by attempting: Intimidate, Perception, or a ranged attack roll (don't worry about damage).
ALSO, Anyone can also attempt a Disguise or Stealth check to avoid being harried for the 5 minute interval it takes to document the Serpentfolk culture on display.
Please choose a role (Documenter or Guard) and roll in order:
• Documenter/Guard skill
• Disguise/Stealth check
• Reflex save
• Will save
Party up!
The Map is just for reference. ‘Combat’ with the Snake Civilians is an abstraction.
Ilarien’s research indicates Serpentfolk explorers have visited the landmass located at what contemporary Inner Sea scholars call the southern continent of Sarusan.
NG Vine Leshy Bloodrager 4 | HP *56/56 | AC *13 T *10 FF *12 | CMB *+9, CMD 18 | F: *+11, R: +3, W: *+5 | Init: +3 | Perc: +5, SM: +0, Low-Light Vision, Darkvision 60 ft | Speed 30ft | Rage: 10/13 | Spells: 1st 2/2 | Active conditions: Bloodrage, Blur
Angry Magic Tree gleefully takes up a guard position, hiding in the bushes and shrubbery and jumping out to startle the mean snake people with a shout!
Male Human Gunslinger [Myst.Stranger] 5/Oracle 2 hp 32/51 | AC 20/t15/ff16 CMD 22, 23 vs. disarm | Fort 5, Ref 8, Will 6 +1 vs charm,compulsion| Init +6 | Spd 20 ft. (med. load) | Perception +9 | Grit pts 2/3
Fate is well on his way to sculpting a perfect replica of an Okaiyon North-West Native Arcadian male of heroic proportions!
Unfortunately, a minor color-change in the stone revealed by the shaman’s chisel, causes the artist to mumble a curse about nature priests. His tool then slips, neatly slicing off his masterpiece’s head.
Still just the one documentation success. Also, AMT scored one guard success.
Please choose a role (Documenter or Guard) and roll in order:
• Documenter/Guard skill
• Disguise/Stealth check
• Reflex save
• Will save
Have at it, Cade & Majet!
The Map is just for reference. ‘Combat’ with the Snake Civilians is an abstraction.
Female NG Gnome Swashbuckler (Mouser) 4 | HP 27/35 | AC 20 (+4 vs Giant subtype) T 15 FF 16 | CMB +2, CMD 16 | F: +2*, R: +7*, W: +1* (+2 against illusions) | Init: +5 | Perc: +9, SM: +5 | Speed 20ft | Panache Pool 2/5; Charmed Life +3 3/3 |Low-Light Vision; Wayfinder | Active conditions: None |
Majet, having returned to her normal size, decides to leave the research to others this time and positions herself carefully to take regular shots at any menacing serpent folk while trying to remain undetected by them.
Apart from Jaakko’s hair-raising homemade h-arrow hail, AMT, Majet and Cade do a great job of ensuring none of the Serpentfolk Sss…itizenry interfere with the research operation.
Unfortunately, you have only scored one documentation success. Two more are required to score the Victory Point.
ALSO, an individual Documenter PC can’t attempt a check with the same skill twice, though multiple PCs can attempt checks with the same skill.
In other words, Ilarien can’t use Kn (nature) {but she could choose Kn (history)}, Jaakko can’t use Kn (engineering) and Fate can’t Craft (sculpture) again. But other party members may attempt these skill checks, or another one from the Rules below, though rolling the skill untrained won’t hit the DC.
Research Challenge Rules:
The goal is to document the Serpentfolk art and civic engineering using: Craft (calligraphy, sculpture or painting), Knowledge (engineering, history, nature, or nobility), or Profession (architect, librarian, or scribe).
However, less scholarly Pathfinders have another way to help.
Any Pathfinder who is not documenting the plaza’s contents can instead stand watch, take shots at serpentfolk, and scare off the harassers. This may be achieved by attempting: Intimidate, Perception, or a ranged attack roll (don't worry about damage).
ALSO, Anyone can also attempt a Disguise or Stealth check to avoid being harried for the 5 minute interval it takes to document the Serpentfolk culture on display.
For Round #2, Please choose a role (Documenter or Guard) and roll in order:
• Documenter/Guard skill
• Disguise/Stealth check
• Reflex save
No Will save required this round
Party up!
The Map is just for reference. ‘Combat’ with the Snake Civilians is an abstraction.
Male Human Gunslinger [Myst.Stranger] 5/Oracle 2 hp 32/51 | AC 20/t15/ff16 CMD 22, 23 vs. disarm | Fort 5, Ref 8, Will 6 +1 vs charm,compulsion| Init +6 | Spd 20 ft. (med. load) | Perception +9 | Grit pts 2/3
After realizing his architechtural knowledge didn't impress anyone, Jaakko decides he's done with documentation and vents his frustation at serpentfolk.
"Keep your distance, we already destroyed that one statue! Don't make us resort to violence!" he yells
Fate discovers boulders of greenstone bedrock that inscriptions indicate were exposed on the eastern shore of an enormous bay in the icy north of Arcadia.
Called ‘Nuvvuagittuq’ by the local human tribe, the rocks are believed to be the oldest on Golarion, estimated to be between 3.8 and 4.3 billion years old.
Given Golarion is roughly 4.5 billion years old, and remnants of its early crust are extremely rare -- most of it having been mashed and recycled into Golarion's interior several times over by plate tectonics since the planet was created by the gods to cage Rovagug – this is an incredible find.
Fate explains these rocks would have been ancient when the first dinosaurs walked on them, a mere 250 million years ago.
⏳
Ilarien begins documenting a number of model (and full-sized!) double-hulled sailing canoes, that she posits were used by human and serpentfolk seafarers to colonize the various island chains distributed throughout the South Okaiyon ocean.
Navigators appear to have travelled to small inhabited islands using wayfinding techniques involving the stars and ocean swells, as well as knowledge passed by oral tradition, often in the form of song.
It is unclear whether the serpentfolk learned/stole the methodology from the human sailors, or vice versa.
☣
Meanwhile, Majet's ranged attacks keep most of the snake civilians from getting involved, though as she sneaks into cover a few rain down flaming chamber pots of serpent scat!
untyped lethal damage:1d6 ⇒ 2
Reflex save for half was DC 14. Majet’s ranged attacks give a +4 bonus.
So, AMT takes full, everyone else takes half, except Majet who evades damage by succeeding at a DC 20 stealth/disguise check.
Well done! Another Victory Point earned & reported! Bear with me until I get the next encounter posted.
The Rain of Fiery Faeces proves short-lived, as a portal opens atop the Great Pyramid and a stream of mixed-ancestry murder hobos stream out to slaughter the snake civilians with the kind of ruthless efficiency only the Pathfinder Society can employ.
At the same time, another portal *pops* open at ground level. A middle-aged human caster stands at the threshold and beckons you forward.
”I have the perfect job for the MOST POWERFUL WIZARD IN THE WOR … Oh wait, no that’s me.”
“Ho, ho. I mean, could I interest you in a scouting trip into the subterranean chambers of the pyramid? The above-ground portion has already been thoroughly Pathfindered.”
“But I think the lower levels are in need of a jolly good thrashing, AND I, Reginald Gerb … I mean, you chaps and chapettes look like you’re well up for it. Am-I-right? Well am I?”
Feeling like Ilarien’s made a real connection with Reginald, you head back underground.
You move steadily through tunnels, following the sounds of serpentine chanting, and the heady scent of incense. Finally the tunnel opens into a vast ornately carved room, lit with a blood-red eldritch *glow*
Some heavy presence within this massive, domed chamber presses clammy tendrils inside your chest and weighs the air itself down. To one side, an elevated, spiraling staircase entwines a column of stone, atop which sits an altar, some 30 feet off the ground.
You can make out a human male tied to it, while an unarmed cleric-type stands patiently at the base of the stairs. It turns its hissssing face towards you as it speaks into your minds.
How dare you unanointed mammals bring a gnome into our sacred space! Are you eager to be sacrificed as well? I shall certainly oblige!
Ilarien advances out of the tunnel, grimacing in pain from the spell. Double move."Careful, that serpentfolk is a half-fiend. I don't know what it hit us with."
NG Vine Leshy Bloodrager 4 | HP *56/56 | AC *13 T *10 FF *12 | CMB *+9, CMD 18 | F: *+11, R: +3, W: *+5 | Init: +3 | Perc: +5, SM: +0, Low-Light Vision, Darkvision 60 ft | Speed 30ft | Rage: 10/13 | Spells: 1st 2/2 | Active conditions: Bloodrage, Blur
GM:
Are you certain on the damage? It's 1d8 per two caster levels.
Spellcraft vs DC 19:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 Will vs DC 18:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Angry Magic Tree shakes his head, batting away the mean snake man's magic. "Hey! That's not very nice!" he yells, advancing and drawing his axe. Frustrated at how far away the snake man is, the leshy simply grows his arms out longer - but they still can't reach!
Moving (drawing weapon), raging (activating blur), and casting long arm.
This is what I get for checking updates whilst still sleep-groggy. Fate in Neutral, not NG (as I thought when I posted). So, only the 10 damage and no conditions added.
Male Human Gunslinger [Myst.Stranger] 5/Oracle 2 hp 32/51 | AC 20/t15/ff16 CMD 22, 23 vs. disarm | Fort 5, Ref 8, Will 6 +1 vs charm,compulsion| Init +6 | Spd 20 ft. (med. load) | Perception +9 | Grit pts 2/3
Will save:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
"Sorry to let you down folks, but pain is too much. Whatever evil magic *RETCH*" Jaakko groans as he falters to the room.
Fate feels the sickening pain. Though doubled-over, he still manages to *ahem* spew out a bless spell.
Fate, you don’t have to go prone if you don’t want to. But of course you can if you like as a free action. Can you please let me know?
Faring much better, Ilarien advances on the double. The witch knows the blue half-fiend is most affected by magic weapons, is immune to mind-affecting effects, paralysis + poison, and resists acid, cold, electricity and fire.
It also has Spell Resistance.
Offended by Bluey’s discourtesy, a Raging Magic Tree draws, ✨casts and BREAKS THE RED LIGHT BARRIER at the boundary of the internal chamber.
Angry Magic Tree:
Breaking the light beam has no effect.
Majet wrote:
“What is it you people have against gnomes?”
Don't pretend you don't know!
Right before a date with Lamashtu, your gnome deity Nivi Rhombodazzle stole the Mighty Ydersius’ fang-paste!
Majet is hit hard by the sssinister ssserpentfolk ssspell – though perhaps the gnome underestimates her own resilience and determination?
Jaakko and Cade are affected differently by the unholy attack, but both are still able to make their mark on this fight!
