[PFS PbP] 0-06 Black Waters (Inactive)

Game Master Deane Beman

Fluffy leaps into action once more, moving through the short hallway into the room beyond. He attempts to catch an arm or leg, but instead catches only ragged clothing.

Move action: Move S of western-most apparition.
Standard action: Attack creature
Attack (Bite): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Damage (Bite): 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Ibid watched Nadra move off down the south-east hallway, and hears the aasimar's call and warning to the undead shortly after. Moments later, Ibid follows Nadra through the south-east corridor, stopping behind the aasimar in order to leave a buffer between the undead creature and himself.

I'm on my phone and will move my token in a few hours when I get back to my house. Currently, Ibid is on the square north of Nadra.

Once stopped, Ibid knocks and arrow and fires at the creature standing on the opposite side of Nadra.

attack(longbow w/point blank): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
damage(+2 str comp. longbow w/ point blank: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

attack(crit. confirmation): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Cyrus crinkles his nose at the powerful stench of the undead.

This ought to be interesting... He thinks as he sees the party split through the room. His heart tinges with sadness as he runs by the phantasmal children playing in the center of the room. The irony of the innocence of children is not lost on him, as the figments laugh and play, oblivious to the horrors around them.

Attack on the third undead: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9 for Damage, w/Sneak attack: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 3) = 6

Assuming the creature is flatfooted since it hasn't acted yet, if not, ignore the second d6 of damage. *** Or never mind because it looks like I missed terribly anyways. :)

Magrim blesses Marug with spiritual guidance as the half orc closes is on the creature to the northeast, delivering a solid blow. Not to be outdone, Nadra nearly cuts down her foe with a single strike…but somehow the foul creature remains standing. Seeing divide and conquer as the best strategic option available, Grimbli sends both an acid flask and a ferocious fluffy to handle the creature in the western room. The foul stench of undead thwart's Fluffy's attack…leaving the cat chomping on nothing but air.

Ibid sends an arrow flying straight into the eye socket of Nada's quarry…the creature falls to the ground in a lifeless heap. Cyrus tries to land a flourishing attack of his own but his arm twists at the last moment…causing the flat of his blade to harmless bounce off of the creature.

The northeast creature focuses its attack on Marug while the western one divide's its attacks between Cyrus and Fluffy.

Bite vs. Marug: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Claw vs. Marug: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Claw vs. Marug: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Bite vs. Cyrus: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Claw vs. Fluffy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Claw vs. Fluffy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Round 2
1. Everybody!
2. Northeast Ghoul (-8), Western Ghoul(-4)

HURK-...

Fort 13 paralysis: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Fort 13 Disease: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Sick & paralyzed and on the ground!

With a satisfying thud, Ibid's arrow finds its target. As the creature slumps ungracefully to the floor, the old bard turns north and moves back down the corridor. At the central chamber, the nexus of the separating corridors, Ibid continues north down the tunnel Marug had fiercely charged through.

The old man stops abruptly, before reaching Marug, and notices the half-orc's precarious position. "Nadra!" Ibid calls out. "Marug is down but alive! I'll do my best to fend off this monstrosity."

attack(longbow w/ point blank and archaeologist's luck): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
damage(+2 str comp. longbow w/ point blank and archaeologist's luck): 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

attack(crit. confirmation): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Hrothgar, stay here.

The dwarf says, as the skunk stands in the center of the room (square 3).

What manner of spirit are these? he asks, nodding although no answer comes from the skunk.

Knowledge Religion: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

He squeezes past the aged human and sets his hand upon the rigid Half-Orc.

Your time has not come--the spirits take back your wounds and leave you only the memory of glorious battle.

I'll cast a maximized, +2 CL cure light wounds on Marug to heal 11 damage.

Magrim stands, holding his spear in front of him protectively.

Marug's wounds close, yet he does not open his eyes, nor does he rise from the ground. (1 round)

Feeling satisfied with the fallen undead, Nadra returned to the central chamber. When she saw most people moving to the northwest chamber, she moved to the west to help Cyrus and Fluffy.

double move

Healed by Magrim but still paralyzed for 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 rounds, Ibid takes the offending ghoul down...leaving only the one being accosted by Cyrus and Fluffy.

Cyrus dodges the attack from the sloppy beast but sees Fluffy take a few hits from the grotesque beast. Deciding to take better advantage of the situation, Cyrus drops into a roll to duck behind the creature and comes up swinging.

Acrobatics to avoid AoO: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

Attack w/Flanking: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 5 + 2 = 11 for Damage w/Sneak Attack: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 1) = 6

Fort Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

Fluffy reels from the ghoul's claws, but presses the attack.

Full-round action: Attack ghoul
Attack (Bite, Flanking): 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 + 2 = 19
Damage (Bite): 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Attack (Claw 1, Flanking): 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 2 = 6
Damage (Claw 1): 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Attack (Claw 2, Flanking): 1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 + 2 = 21
Damage (Claw 2): 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

The ghoul repeats its attack, landing another blow on Fluffy.

Bite vs. Cyrus: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Claw vs. Fluffy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Claw vs. Fluffy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20, Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Everybody is up again...this round should about do this thing in.

The old bard turns back down the hallway having watched the second monstrosity fall to the stone floor. Ibid tries not to think about the spectral children as he passes through their play circle, knowing he must remain focused on the situation at hand.

At the end of his movement, Ibid is standing beside the beast, and knocks an arrow as quickly as he can. Pulling back on the string, the Bard knows he has let his guard down enough for the monstrosity to opportunistically attack, but Ibid's thoughts are bent on helping bring down the undead terror.

The monster will get an attack of opportunity against Ibid for firing a ranged weapon within his threatened area.

attack(longbow w/ point blank & archaeologist's luck): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
damage(+2 str comp. longbow w/ point blank & archaeologist's luck): 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

if its still alive. Also, if someone could move me please as i can't do so on my phone.

Nadra closes the dustance between her and the monster and attacks.

power attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
damage: 2d4 + 6 ⇒ (3, 2) + 6 = 11

Cyrus barely dodges the Ghoul's lunging bite attack, and is emboldened by the arrival of his comrades, surrounding the foul creature.

Attack w/Flank: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 2 = 22 for Damage w/Sneak Attack: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 1) = 6

I'm going to resolve Cyrus' attack before Ibid's move…in which case combat is over!

With the passage of time Marug regains the ability to move…but he does feel a slight fever coming on. The schoolchildren continue to sit in their circle conversing with one another as if stuck in a continuous loop. The seem completely oblivious to the party and to the melee that just ended.

A soldier's corpse lies amongst the skeletal remains, differentiating itself from the others by the full bronze plate it wears.

Well I aint gonna do dat 'gain @ Ibid I owe you a great debt dere ol' man <grin> You have my tanks fer checkin' on me Marug reaches into the large pouch attached to his bandoleer and draws out a wide rounded flask. He unscrews the cap, takes a pull and hands the flask to Ibid I feels like pressed Khazak marg

The old man takes a copious pull of the flask, and immediately feels the sensation of liquid fire cascading down his throat. Ibid begins to cough uncontrollably, his arm braced strongly against his chest.

"Don't mention it, Marug. I'm just glad I could be of help," the old bard manages to say through his coughs. A teary eyed smile spreads across his face as Ibid continues. "Next time, let's break out the strong stuff to drink."

Just be mindful to not dull your senses--there are too many restless spirits here and we must remain sharp-eyed. We need to find the ring, but also the link that binds the souls of these poor children to this unfortunate state.

The dwarf cautiously approaches the skeleton and prods it with his spear before examining it more closely.

"Make way, make way..." Grimbli rushes to Fluffy's side and pokes his companion with his new wand. Slowly - agonizingly so - the tiger's wounds begin to close. After a minute, Grimbli casts a quick cantrip to clean the wound, then examines Fluffy again. Again, he touches the wand to the cat again; then, after another minute, Fluffy sits up on his haunches and begins licking the fur around the now almost imperceptible wounds.

Used 2 charges of Grimbli's infernal healing wand.

Fah...youse aint got da intestrial fortress-tood t' stomach dis anyway...or does ya? Marug offers the flask expectantly...and tosses a surreptitious wink at Ibid

Magrim prods the skeleton...but aside from the clatter of bones nothing exciting happens.

With the threat of the undead gone, Nadra sets out to exploring the chamber, looking for anything that might prove useful.

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

which is apparently nothing

Whew! That was... smelly. Cyrus says, hands on his hips, surveying the situation. He chuckles a bit when Ibid coughs on the strong drink.

He slowly begins to search the room, starting with the soldier wearing the nice armor.

Hey now... this guy looks a bit out of place...

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Cyrus sees a skeleton of a warrior wearing bronze armor.

Marug drops his pack and sits down on it, drawing a handful of almonds and some jerky from his sash and stuffs them into his mouth while wiping the sweat from his forehead absently.

Wufs y' founf dere Schyrush?

Cyrus puts his hand to his chin, while holding that arm up at the elbow with his other hand, lips pursed in thought.

Doesn't look like much here, other than some decent armor. He responds to Marug's question, after taking a moment to process what he actually said.

Looks a little heavy for me to wear though. I can't find anything else in this room either. Can anyone here use the arcane or divine to check for magical auras? The two fingered ring I imagine will ping the radar, which hopefully will make searching for it a bit easier.

Grimbli nods and quickly performs a quick incantation, searching for anything of interest.

Cast detect magic

what kind of armor is it anyway?

The armor gives of an aura of magic. +1 full plate should anyone wish to don it for the remainder of the scenario.

----

The party moves on to another hexagonal room, similar to the last, this one has a cracked floor and is absent of spectral children. From out of the west recess, a humanoid steps out, it's gray colored skin hanging in tatters. It appears similar to the creatures in the previous room but somehow seems more deadly. It is dressed in rotting finery, wisps of fetid, expensive cloth still dangling from its limbs. Perched atop its head is a golden crown, resplendent with a dozen glittering gems, while its putrid fingers each bear extravagant rings made from a dozen different precious gems and metals. It hisses at the party and starts to advance. A sickening stench seems to be emanating from the creature.

Round 1
1. Cyrus, Ibid, Marug, Nadra, Grimbili, Magrim
2. Creature

Grimbli reacts quickly, casting a familiar spell at the creature, but with a slightly changed conclusion. Suddenly, a greasy coating springs forth and covers the floor under and in front of the creature.

Standard action: Cast grease on the area marked. DC 16 Reflex save or fall.

"Hold on, Fluffy, let's see what we can do without your help, first."

Feeling its legs sliding out from underneath it, the creature barely manages to maintain its footing.

Creature Reflex: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

If no one objects I'll take the armor... though i think i'm the only one who can wear it anyway. If so, can we say i put it on before combat.

Nadra moves forward but stops just shy of the grease coated floor, not trusting her feet under such circumstances. Instead she blocks the hallway and waits for the creature to come to her instead.

Ready action. When the creature walks within striking distance I'm going to hit it with my sword. I'll roll the attack now since I'm currently on break at work.

power attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
damage: 2d4 + 6 ⇒ (3, 2) + 6 = 11

Cyrus shyly attempts to look away, but can't help notice Nadra as she removes her current armor and dons the magical set.

Don't stare, don't stare, she already thinks you're weird...

As the group begins to move to the next area, Cyrus comments, Wow, that armor looks great on you. It goes with your boots. He says with a smile.

Stop talking about her boots... you're going to creep everyone else out...

As the party enters the next room, the stench of rot fills their nostrils once again.

You know, dealing with the crippling sadness of spectral children is one thing, but why do all these rooms have to smell so bad? Cyrus remarks, crinkling his nose.

His remarks are greeted with the shambling, bedazzled ghoul. One of you again? I didn't realize walking piles of rotten flesh liked shiny stuff so much...

Might as well get myself cornered again, here we go!

Cyrus steps into a quick sprint, dashing beside Nadra and dropping into a feet first slide on the now slick floor, aiming for the space between the ghoul's legs as he tries to pass to the other side.

Acrobatics to avoid AoO: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

And just in case, since I went through the greased area... Reflex Save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

As he darts around Nadra, his balance is tipped ever so slightly to the side. Normally not anything that would bother the nimble rogue, however as he dropped into his planned slide, his off balance weight caused him to spin out of control and completely miss his target. Somehow he still ended up on the other side of the monster, but on his rump instead of his feet. He quickly scrambles back to his feet, though now on his heels behind the jeweled monstrosity.

Assuming I end up "falling" on the grease, and probably not avoiding the AoO, so I just took my standard action to stand back up. Hopefully he doesn't have the ability to take two AoO's in one round...

Marug, Cyrus needs your help. Go forth with the blessing of benevolent spirits, who think these twisted souls must be brought to peace.

Cast guidance on Marug, then move. Nadra, if the ghoul doesn't move out of the grease, can you either move in or disengage and use a ranged weapon? I have a reach weapon that I can hit him with from your square and flank with Cyrus.

Feel free to post your actions in any order, but because it matters in this case I'll resolve PC actions in initiative order…which means the Grease spell won't resolve until after I resolve Cyrus, Ibid, Marug, & Nadra's actions. So Cyrus is free to take a standard action.

Marug looks at Magrim with a slightly bleery "please don't make me do this again" glance, then shrugs his shoulders listlessly and advances. He side-steps past Nadra and studiously avoids the greased area, stepping diagonally into the room and within melee range. Putting everything he's got into it, Marug swings a beefy fist at the creature!

Reflex!: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

Attack!!: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 1 = 10 Power Attack, Guidance
Damage!!: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Heavy drops of sweat drop from Marug as he engages the undead thing.

Looks like I effectively avoided the Grease, but this sickness is throwing my accuracy!

Whew... that could have been ugly.. :) I will still do the same action, however without the unfortunate falling down from the grease spell. Standard action to attack now, instead of standing back up.

Attack w/ MW sickle: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 for Damage W/Sneak Attack (if he is flatfooted): 2d6 ⇒ (3, 3) = 6

Ibid knocks an arrow and fires at the undead monstrosity, but holds his ground in order to maintain his distance from the beast.

attack(longbow): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
damage(+2 str comp. longbow within 30'): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Alright...let's sort this out.

Cyrus stumbles as he attempts to tumble by the creature, provoking a swipe! The creature connects but Cyrus is able to fight off the ill effects! Ibid fires an arrow into the fray but shoots wide of the mark. Marug moves in and takes a devastating swipe, gouging a hole in the creature's midsection. Since I'm resolving the Grease spell after your attack, the save vs. Reflex isn't needed. So I'll use that roll for your attack. You're welcome!

Nadra moves forward and, flanking with Cyrus, takes the creature down. Again, since the Grease hadn't gone off yet I made the assumption that you'd complete the move to attack.

...and we are out of combat.

"Are we good?" the old bard asks no-one in particular as a wolfish grin spreads across his face. "Or, are we good?"

A moment later, Ibid notices his arrow sticking into the wall, and realizes that his shot has missed the mark entirely. He cringes slightly while realizing that he has not contributed much to this victory.

Grimbli sees the creature fall just as he is about to cast a spell, and lets the power behind his incantation fade. "Well, that didn't go at all how I thought it might. Not that that's a problem - you all were very efficient. Took the fun out of it for Fluffy and I, though..." Still, the grin on his face says that he is perfectly happy with the way things turned out.

...and I'd like to point out that Cyrus got what he wanted - Nadra flanked with him. Just sayin'.

Of course it did her more good than it did him...but that somehow seems appropriate!

Nadra brushes a few fallen strands of hair away from her face and returns her falchion to its scabbard on her back. "These undead seem little to fear. I wonder why the cult was so fearful of them." she says before glancing about the room.

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Cyrus takes a deep breath and winces in pain from the blow he took. Glancing up at Nadra with beads of sweat on his forehead, Wow, that was quicker than I expected. Was it as good for you as it was for me?

Something about that question seems awkward, but I just can't put my finger on it... Better say something else.

The flanking I mean...

He lingers on the question for a couple of uncomfortable seconds, then lowers his head, sifts through his pack, and removes the wand of cure light wounds he purchased earlier that day. Approaching Magrim, Would you please use this on me? he asks, a hopeful look in his eye.

After getting some mending, he also begins to look around the room for anything out of place. Could you please try to detect for magic again Grimbi? It worked out pretty well last time, and this guy has lots of shiny jewelry...

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

Uh Oh, just realized that I am at 0 HP... Thank goodness for the wand I got!

Grimbli nods, mutters a quick incantation and makes some arcane gestures, then scans the room for any magical auras.

Magrim takes the wand from Cyrus.

You are brave--the poets will sing songs of your courage if you live long enough.

1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

He channels divine power through the wand, entirely healing Cyrus' wounds.

Should I hold onto this for now in case you need it again?

Searching the room you find an open sarcophagus; the well-preserved body of a young girl lies inside, stringy black hair obscuring the face. Her atrophied limbs are drawn up like folded sticks against her torn school uniform. On her hand is a ruby salamander ring.

The party gathers up the body and thread their way back through the necropolis and out the drain hole. Back topside, you see the suns is just starting to set. Making haste, the party manages to arrive at the lodge where the body is quickly identified as that of Junia Dacilane; the daughter of a wealthy noble.

Lady Dacilane is called in and upon seeing Junia's lifeless form, she falls to her knees, sobbing. Priests of Pharasma are summoned to deliver her to the Boneyard, but it is quickly discovered that Junia is not dead! The ruby salamander ring is removed from her hand and Lady Dacilane presents it to the Society in gratitude for bringing her daughter home. Later you learn that the ring had magically sustained Junia all these years in the Necropolis.

…and that's about it. I'll report this ASAP and get chronicle sheets out as well. Thanks for the run!

Wow...to say that was fast would be an understatement.