GMTrex |
"Oh! Sure! Which buildings?!" she asks, bobbing up and down.
When you tell her the three you've discovered, she shakes her head. "Oh! No, no, this isn't right! I mustn't have been clear earlier--so much going on! Chaos! Confusion!" She takes a breath for the first time since you've arrived. "Anyhow, the statue and the other buildings have clues on them that lead to yet another set of buildings! Then we'd be able to triangulate to find the entrance! Look for hidden nooks and compartments, the clues must be there! Go, hurry! I'll be here!"
Suddenly she stops and looks at the painting you've brought in. "My, these are... unsettling. I wonder if there are clues hidden in here on how to unlock the other clues hidden in the clues you've found? Wow, my brain hurts. So many circles of mystery!"
Grenda |
Calm down! Where do we have too look? Grenda says angrily. She starts to look over the paintings looking for 'Clues'.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13
GMTrex |
"Hmmm, well, I don't know exactly. You should look over the stonework in each of these three locations... hmmm. Well, this figure appears in all three paintings." She points at the lone figure fighting off derros, etc., in each of the crazy man's pieces. "Maybe that has something to do with unlocking the second set of clues?"
Queck's face brightens. "But there's only one way to find out, eh?!"
Miaka Oinari |
"The statue it is then."
Miaka travels with the party to the statue looking for clues ...
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Grenda |
Perception: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 9 + 2 = 23
GMTrex |
Miaka and Grenda both note a small groove along the statue's left foot--near where the letter 'I' is inscribed--that is likely the secret compartment. However, tugging at it doesn't seem to work, as it must be warded by some arcane locking mechanism. How to open it...?
Grenda |
Grenda hold her holy symbol up to the secret compartment and says a prayer to Groetus.
GMTrex |
Groetus, an exceedingly neutral deity, looks down upon Grenda with balefully indifferent eyes. The god doesn't even shrug, so little does he care.
The compartment does not open.
Grenda |
WOW! HE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT ME!
GMTrex |
In the same way that he looks at the whole of existence... ;)
Grenda |
With patient loathing. Got it.
GMTrex |
Indeed! :)
The Pathfinders stand around the gilded statue, scratching their heads at how to open the secret compartment...
Drystan Marnsson |
"Hmmm, need holy power, eh." Drystan launches a bit of his holy fire at the spot on the statue indicated by the painting.
If that doesn't work, Drystan suggest finding a dwarven quarter of the city, so he can get a holy symbol for his deity, Bolka.
GMTrex |
It works! The compartment opens, revealing a single scrap of paper with a strange symbol drawn on it. See map/Cassomir/handouts.
Where to next, adventurers?
Isabella Aldori |
"Well done Drystan! What is closer, the Imperial Hall of Records or the Quickfall Abbey? I suggest we head to the nearest one first"
GMTrex |
The Imperial Hall of Records is actually somewhat on the way to Quickfall Abbey, so the group stops there first. Identifying a particular bas relief highlighted in the painting, you quickly spot another 'I' inscribed in the center of that relief. There must be a secret compartment here...
Miaka Oinari |
"Will the same trick work here?"
Drystan Marnsson |
"The painting seems to indicate that we need to play some notes on an instrument. Anyone skilled with musical instruments?" Drystan asks. He launches a bit of the fire at the spot anyway, just in case.
Isabella Aldori |
"I know some ancient Azlanti songs, let me try them"
Perform, untrained: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Isabella starts to sing a ballad in Azlanti
GMTrex |
Drystan's holy fire doesn't work on this one, but Isabella is on the right track. Although the Azlanti song isn't quite right, she notices that she can actually read the notes in the painting; she gives a go at humming them, and the compartment opens!
Once again, you find a scrap of paper with a strangle symbol on it. See map/Cassomir/handouts.
Heading to Quickfall Abbey, the group quickly connects the door highlighted in the relevant painting with the same structure along the northeastern wall of the actual building. A search of the area finds another 'I' inscribed in otherwise smooth stone.
Isabella Aldori |
"Who wants to try pushing against that mark here?"
Isabella asks after making a minor effort
Strength Check: 1d20 ⇒ 9
Grenda |
I'll give it a shot. Grenda mutters as she pusher her way forward and the presses hard against the I.
Str: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
GMTrex |
The resilient stone doesn't give, despite a good push from Grenda. Perhaps the dwarf will hit it with her axe instead, out of frustration...
Grenda |
Gladly Grenday replies to the divine suggestion.
Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
GMTrex |
Grenda plants her feet firmly on the ground, lays two hands flat against the stone, and pushes with all her might. After a solid minute of heaving (during which the rest of the crew pile up behind her in a futile attempt to help, partially crushing Miaka), she lets forth a resounding cry of frustration that echoes into the night. Shoving her comrades away, she grabs her waraxe and brings it smashing down in a clean arc right atop the 'I.' A shower of sparks leaves behind a clean groove where the 'I' once was.
A small compartment pops open at the base of the wall!
Once again, inside is another patch of parchment with esoteric symbols drawn on it. Now comes the hard part: figuring out what they mean!
Take a careful look at the map of Cassomir.
Drystan Marnsson |
"Looks like the keep, these towers and sandbar in the southwest, and the square in the center of the city. Let's get this back to Queck." Drystan says after perusing the map of the city.
GMTrex |
Indeed! I've overlaid the clues on the map.
Returning to Queck yields an ever more excited gnome engineer. "Ooh! Ooh! You're right! These drawings line up the Pharasma's Pulpit, the Admiralty Citadel, and the Harbor Watch! If we triangulate them, we should get the location of the Crypt of Fools!" Queck looks at you expectantly with an enormous grin for several moments before remembering that she's the one who knows how to do that.
"Oh! Right! Ummmm, hang on!" She fetches a detailed map of Cassomir and a few tools, making some calculations before marking an 'X' on the map. "It should be somewhere here! Please, hurry and find my engineers!"
Location added to the map.
Drystan: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
Grenda: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Isabella: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Miaka: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Jamamros: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Drystan: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13
Grenda: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Isabella: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Miaka: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Jamamros: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Arriving at the noted location, the party finds itself in an upscale part of town. In a seemingly solid brick foundation of an opulent manor house, almost exactly on the spot marked by Queck, Jamamros spots another inscribed 'I.' The group searches the wall inently, and Miaka finds a loose brick that, when pushed, causes a 2-foot by 4-foot section of the wall to swing inward. Inside is steep staircase that descends into complete and utter darkness.
Isabella Aldori |
Isabella retrieves a small bag from her pouch and opens it. Flickering light pours from it. She reaches in and retrieves a gem that seems to burn with a flickering flame.
"Into the darkness once more my friends!"
Continual flame on gem, from chronicle. Do I still count as having that hand free for swashbuckling purposes? (otherwise I will have to drop it where I stand when combat starts and retreive it after combat ends)
Grenda |
Grenda, her ax and shield at the ready, takes point as they march into the darkness.
Miaka Oinari |
Miaka relies on her low light vision and the light from her wayfinder as she follows Grenda; bow at the ready.
GMTrex |
@ Isabella: I think it counts as occupying your hand. So yeah, just drop it during combat.
As the group descends, the temperature descends rapidly to just above freezing (no mechanical effect). The stairs wind around several times before finally come to an end some 200 feet below the surface.
An ancient fountain decorates this open tunnel intersection. Many chipped sculptures provide spouts which drizzles water splash into the basin below. The fountain’s cold concrete edges have carved symbols that adorn its sides in three distinct bands. A set of stairs leading down from above empties into the room from the south, while two 5-foot-wide tunnels exit the room to the east and west.
Drystan: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
Grenda: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Isabella: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Miaka: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Jamamros: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Jamamros busily thinks about the wonders of his prized Princess, but everyone else hears the clatter of footsteps (and what sounds like both the clinking of chains and the wails of humans) approaching from the west. You have 1 round of time, take whatever actions you wish.
Grenda |
Grenda will say a prayer to her dark god enchanting her ax so that it will cut deeper as she waits quietly in the dark at the head of the group.
Drystan Marnsson |
Swashbucklers, mechanically speaking, do not require their free hand to be empty. The only ability that cares about your other hand is precise strike (which you don't get till 3) and that only says you can't attack with a weapon in your other hand (not that you can't hold one) or use a shield other than a buckler. There may of course be archetypes that modify this, but I didn't look through those.
Drystan quickly creates an illusion of a solid wall resembling those already in the passage just in front of the group, then sticks his fist into it, showing that it's just an illusion to his allies. He then whispers, "See, just a trick, be ready."
I don't know if you want to give them auto disbelieves or will saves at a + 4, there's no true consensus or developer input on it. The illusory wall is marked as a green line on the map. The idea is merely to confuse whomever is coming long enough for us to get a read/the drop on them.
GMTrex |
Sounds good -- auto-disbelieve is fine for me, I've always played it that way.
Miaka Oinari |
Miaka will shield the light from her wayfinder and hold her bow ready ...
Isabella Aldori |
Isabella draws her sword.
"Drystan, does your wall block light?"
I do not think it does
Isabella closes her hand over the gem and puts that hand behind her back to avoid light spilling from it.
Thanks Drystan, I really thought that swashbucklers needed one 'free' hand and that was why I asked. No such requirement so I can hold anything I want in my non-weapon hand.
Drystan Marnsson |
For you guys, since you got auto disbelieves, the 'wall' is a translucent image and blocks nothing. For them, my guess is it should block everything and appear as a normal wall, till they interact with it at least, or we run through it. However, silent image is a very gm ruling reliant spell, because it is so open ended, so I will defer to Trex, of course.
GMTrex |
The way I play it is sorta in the middle. Given the limitations of the spell compared to higher order ones of the same kind (esp. the four 10ft cubes + 1/lvl) I'll rule that you would have to also 'visualize' the lack of light in those other areas too. However, the targets will still only get a Will save if they interact with the wall (or whatever cubes of images you want to generate).
I'll give Jamamros a little more time to see if he shows up. I'll post again tonight.
GMTrex |
The marching continues from the west until the door to the left opens. A strange humanoid with bulging white eyes--who by now you recognize as a derro--leads five human slaves in chains, accompanied by a pair of small blue creatures (Kn Nature to ID). The derro immediately notices Drystan's wall, having passed through here many times, and moves to investigate. Will: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14 I assume that fails? However, the creature seems to think that it's real and sits back to ponder how his master might have gotten a wall here so quickly, and why...
The blue creatures and slaves look on curiously, but do not approach.
Whole party can take a surprise round. We'll see if I even need to roll initiative. :)
Isabella Aldori |
Isabella steps up and attacks the derro.
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
She can't really adjust to the weird idea of attacking through a wall, even if it isn't really there.
Grenda |
Grenda charges through the fake wall her ax held high!
Attack: 1d20 + 5 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 5 - 1 + 2 = 19
Damage: 1d10 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 2 = 10
Miaka Oinari |
Round 0 Precise Shot, Point Blank, Cold-iron arrow
Mika lets her arrow fly ... at the Derro
Masterwork Lg bow: 1d20 + 5 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 1 + 1 = 27 for Piercing: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
Critical Threat: 1d20 + 5 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 5 + 1 + 1 = 16 for Confirmed: 2d8 + 2 ⇒ (8, 3) + 2 = 13
GMTrex |
Grenda's axe surprises the derro, and Miaka's spears it through the head! Only the mites remain.
Drystan (and possibly Jamamros) left to go, after that I'll roll initiative.
Drystan Marnsson |
DC would be 15 for a 1st level spell, so 14 is failed save.
Drystan moves up between Grenda and Isabella, ready to cast another spell if it proves necessary.
GMTrex |
Grenda: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Isabella: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Miaka: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
Jamamros: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (5) + 0 = 5
Baddies: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
Seeing Grenda pop out of the wall and their leader fall, the fey prepare to attack!
Round I -- bold may act!
1. Drystan, Grenda
2. Fey
3. Miaka, Isabella, (Jamamros)
Grenda |
Grenda laughs merrily as she hacks at the mites.
Attack: 1d20 + 5 - 1 ⇒ (17) + 5 - 1 = 21
Damage: 1d10 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 2 = 6
GMTrex |
Grenda's axe isn't the most effective, but it gets the job done. One left!
Round I -- bold may act!
1. Drystan, Grenda
2. Fey
3. Miaka, Isabella, (Jamamros)
Drystan Marnsson |
Drystan draws his wand and throws a magic missile at the remaining mite.
Magic Missile: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3