GM Harker's PFS Season 4 Campaign

Game Master Justin L. Warren

Perception aid: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17 does the +2 human thing apply?

Halkale, I'm not sure if the favored class bonus applies here per se, but the 17 you rolled is good enough to aid already.

A thorough check of the room reveals this note on the back of Valsin's portrait.

Each of you will probably want to look at this note along with the previous one. To make that easier, I'll put links to them under the campaign header.

IRL, I suck at ciphers so who can pick up the slack :)

Oh god me too :(

Btw, Quiella you made Moadis blush :)

GM, are we supposed to solve the cipher? The briefing just said to get the information and get out.

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It certain looks that way. If you were told to retrieve information that turns out to be encoded, then you'll be expected to break the cipher.

"Look how those few letters are heavier written than the others? VLSKC. I don't have any idea how the other works. It makes no sense." Halkale says looking over the notes.

Intelligence: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (12) + 0 = 12

"Look, the punctuation in that garbled sentence matches the opening lines of the note. One of these must be the key..."

I've spent an hour or two on cipher programs and still can't figure this out... obviously I am not good at this.

Quiella, you are very close to the solution based on what you said in character.

"The a is an i, here and here." Halkale points to the i in the garbled place.

I think we replace the letters as they replace in the note, and flip them in the other note, it will tell us what each number sequence means. I gotta run to see a house, so I can't figure that all out, what do you think?

"Hmm..." Lyanif produces a scrap of paper and starts scribbling.

"Yes, I think you're right. It looks like a substitution cipher. I'm not sure of the details but those letters seem to form a key, although how it's used exactly I'm not sure. But they've already enciphered some for us which should give us allow us to partially decode the other note." Lyanif scribbles some more. "Here take a look..."

"The 'g' could be an 'h' or an 'm'. It looks like a list of names. Dunno what the numbers mean though."

It looks like Lyanif has cracked the code! I'm going to assume it took at least two minutes of in game time to decipher it. Also, Lyanif, you can make a Linguistics check to potentially figure out more letters that aren't in the cypher provided.

What's the next move? I should point out that the vent in the room appears large enough for a medium sized person to fit inside of it. If you wish to open it, I'll need either a Disable Device or Strength check. There's also a room to the north that hasn't been examined yet.

Linguistics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Well, that was a sad roll. Anyone else wanna try? Or Aid?

Not high enough for more letters, sorry.

"Oh, that's a 'q' not a 'g'." Lyanif scratches some more on the page, "There, that's better, but that's all I have. Maybe we should take these somewhere so that we can spend more time looking at them?"

How are we doing time-wise? Can I afford to take 20 on the linguistics check? Or can I even do that?

You have about 50 minutes left before you have to be back in the waiting room.

Taking 20 takes 20 times longer than the task ordinarily takes. It ordinarily takes 1 minute to perform a Linguistics check, so you probably don't want to spend 20 minutes doing that.

Ok, so what now?

Halkale examines the vent.

I think T'kk'ck is the only other party member that can attempt the Linguistics check.

"Do you folks have that figured out? We should check out that last room when you're done."

and the vent; definitely the vent

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Halkale sees that the vent is large enough for a medium sized creature to move through, but you'd have to remove the cover first. Strength check or Disable Device to remove.

if asked, Quiella will help remove the vent. Her strength modifier is +3. You can roll the aid.

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Lyanif pockets the paper and moves over to the vent.

Disable device: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Lyanif, without thieves' tools you take a -2 to the Disable Device check, but that roll is good enough without them.

The party's rogue successfully opens the vent without damaging it which reveals a 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall air duct. Also found immediately behind the vent is a valise containing 600 gp, four opals, a magical hat, a magical ring, a bag of magical dust, a magical cloak, and official-looking documents establishing what appears to be several different false identities for Zarta Dralneen.

Let me know your next move.

does the vent appear to lead anywhere?

"Would she have left without these items?"

should we investigate the next room?

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Yes, the vent appears to lead to a system of old ventilation tunnels.

I'm just waiting for you guys to assert a course of action.

what do you think, folks? Should we explore the next office-room before heading into the vents?

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"I think we've found all we're going to find in here. Let's follow the trail and see where it leads."

T'kk'tck points at the vents.

With no one offering an alternate suggestion, the party decides to go with T'kk'tck's suggestion and head into the vents.

The crammed vent leads to a series of old ventilation tunnels. The floor and some of the walls of the tunnels are plain stone or plaster, but in many places the walls and ceiling display pieces of crumbling mosaics, frescos, murals, and bas-relief sculptures.

The tunnel is narrow with a low ceiling, and is about 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall. Everyone will need to crawl on your hands and knees to move forward. As you progress occasional vents punctuate the walls and provide dim light.

Fifteen feet along the tunnel, whoever decides to be in the lead comes to a T-shaped junction. The wall to the left of the fork is adorned with the head of a lion, cut off from whatever mural sustained it in the room below, and the right side of the fork shows an ancient banner unfurling.

Let me know which direction you want to go in.

would Quiella and T'ck need to do anything other than stoop? Quiella is 3'3"

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Lion, no reason other than left in caves or right..whichever, but always that way so we don't get lost

It might become uncomfortable if you have to stoop for a long period of time, but I'm fine with Small characters doing so for the moment.

Turning at the lion, the party soon reaches another junction. The right side of the fork is adorned with the scales of justice, while the left fork is plain wood.

Suddenly I wonder if that note would have told us which way to go if we'd manage to interpret it more completely...

It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to look over both those notes you found an additional time.

"It's the bolded letters! Follow the scales, then the king, then the centaur!"

Halkale crawls to the right.

Moadis squezes after the group in the narrow passage.

With Quiella's discovery that the proper route through the vents was left in one of the notes, the group has no trouble making its way through the vents.

Turning right at the scales, the next junction has a crown on the wall of the right branch of the fork and a depiction of a spear thrust up through the floor of the wall of the left fork. Following the crown, you then come to a dead end with a vent in it. The middle third of a centaur wielding a bow adorns a wall of the tunnel, its arrow pointing to the vent.

If you want to remove the vent quietly, then someone will need to make a Disable Device check and a Dexterity check. If you don't care about quiet, then just a Disable Device check is fine. If you don't care about quiet or potentially tipping someone off to your presence due to a broken vent, a Strength check also works.

I am no help here

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Lyanif squeezes her way to the front.

Here's hoping...

Disable device: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 9 - 2 = 23

Dexterity: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

Lyanif easily disengages the vent from the shaft and places it quietly aside. Poking her head out, the first thing she notices is that vent terminates near the ceiling in the room. Fortunately, there's a cabinet underneath that allows easy access to the floor.

This room is large and square. The walls glow with a gentle blue light, and the air feels unnaturally cool and dry. Shelves line the walls and stand in ranks through the middle of the room, punctuated by a wooden table and ornate chairs. An imposing, unoccupied desk faces the main entrance to the room. On an easel in one of the aisles is a map of the room.

Just as the last party member makes down to the ground and the others start to look around, two of the chairs around the table begin to move out of their own volition towards the party!

Here is a link to the new map. You can probably figure out some information about the chairs with a Knowledge (arcana) roll.

PC Initiative
Halkale's Initiative: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Lyanif's Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Moadis' Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Quiella's Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
T'kk'tck's Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Valik's Intiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Initiative (Round 1)
Halkale <= Up
T'kk'tck <= Up
Valik <= Up
Lyanif <= Up
2 Chairs
Quiella
Moadis

Halkale, T'kk'tck, Valik, and Lyanif are all up!

#%$&!!!

Totally didn't recalculate my skill points when I changed my stats :(

Hoping to catch the chairs flat-footed (no pun intended), Lyanif draws her crossbow and fires at the closest one.

Attacks black chair
Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1

AC 25: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 81d10 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Valik moves in front of Lyanif and tried to smack a chair with his sanssetsukon, but misses badly and almost smacks himself instead.

With a worried look at the chairs, T'kk'tck steps up and motions an eagle into existence between them.

Summon monster 1 class like ability. eagle

The eagle immediately attacks.

talon, flanking: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 201d4 ⇒ 2
talon, flanking: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 211d4 ⇒ 4
bite, flanking: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 101d4 ⇒ 1

Halkale grins because he's not the one caught in melee while he fires an arrow at the chair.

Attack, PBS: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 9 + 1 = 20 Damage, if hits, PBS: 1d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 1 = 9

Lyanif's bolt solidly hits one of the chairs in the leg, but the projectile doesn't appear to damage the hard wood whatsoever.

Valik advances and swings his sansetsukon at the closest chair. With deft movement, the object sidesteps his blow.

T'kk'tck summons an eagle that immediate begins scratching and pecking at the chair. Despite being hit with both talons, the chair remains undamaged.

Halkale fires an arrow at the same chair Valik attacked and the arrow pierces one of the legs, causing some damage to it.

Both chairs then go on the offensive, with the one with the black covering missing Valik, but the red one decisively slams the summoned eagle hard enough to pop it out of existence. With the creature out of the way, the chair walks itself towards the rest of the party. The eagle took 9 damage, enough to defeat it.

Initiative (Rounds 1-2)
Halkale [2 Dmg; forgot to include this last time] <= Up
T'kk'tck <= Up
Valik <= Up
Lyanif <= Up
2 Chairs
Quiella [6 Dmg; forgot to include this last time] <= Up
Moadis <= Up

Everyone is up this time!

Halkale switches his target to the nearer chair red and fires over the gnomes' heads.

Attack, PBS: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 9 + 1 = 16 Damage, if hits, PBS: 1d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 3 + 1 = 12