Not that it matters here, but I was thinking that Blessing of Fervor was cast a half mile ago. Not entirely sure why they put encounters like this in, they mini boss had like 50 HP and the others where Level 3 warriors with 20ish HP.
The rest fall easily to your might, for they never really stood a chance. The other slaves, what few of them that remain without scattering cringe as you slay the last guards, giving you the impression that they might have also been slaves or hirelings there to protect them. They are to fearful, and flee if you approach, either running off into the strange temple building or hiding in the various tents throughout the area, leaving you free to make your way to this off temple/foundry.
---
Piles of excavated earth litter the ground. A vast chasm, a jagged wound into the plateau, reveals a long shaft that drops into the pillar’s core. In the middle of the open room, a rickety scaffold clings against the chasm’s edge winding its way down into darkness. A rail system runs atop the scaffold and mine carts wait to descend into unknown depths. Lanterns swing from high beams creating shadows that dance admist the loose dirt. Armed workers expeditiously load the carts while following orders bellowed by a beautiful woman with a simple bronze trinket coiled in a snake motif dangling from a silver chain on her lithe neck. She has an escort of six armed guards.
Hanging back for just a moment, you attempt to overhear just what they are talking about, or make out more details about the area, but then the woman turns, giving you a good look at her face. Suddenly anger bellows within you, because you know her. Her name is Talia, a Pathfinder! In fact, she had been the Society's expert on the Jistka culture and histories. Had she always been a traitor or did the Aspis Consortium make her an offer she simply could not refuse?
Can I have some stealth checks please, (Adsal and Heccan are good).
After dispatching the Apsips agents, Rilas does a quick search of the body, making sure to grab the leader's bronze badge. "Never know when we may need to fake being on their side. Damned Aspis..."
Although it is pretty loud inside, Kor'sarro accidentally bumps into a table, sending stacked shovels and picks clattering to the ground. Talia and her guards look up, and she tells two of them to remain here while instructing the others to prepare a mine cart for a quick exit.
Lifting one of the overturned carts and placing in on the tracks, Talia and four guards jump in and push off, travelling deeper into the complex.
Essentially you have two options, try to rush passed the guards and Temple of Doom it or attack the guards and attempt to find another way. Well, three options, if you count giving up and returning home a failure an option. . .
Varian will try to rush through the guards, if there's room for his wings, he'll take to the air and follow flying, if he must, he'll put another cart on the tracks and hop in.
Male LG Aasimar Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) 11 | HP 92/92 | AC 27 T 13 FF 26 | CMB +14, CMD 30 | F: +16, R: +11, W: +12 | Init: +2 | Perc: +0, SM: +2 | Speed 30/20ft (flying) | Active conditions: None.
Smirking at the sound he made and shrugging to his friends as he charged after the guards, not letting many stand in his way where possible and take flight as well if he could.
There are a few carts, and each one has enough room for 5 medium sized creatures. A large creature counts as four, so you could potentially get two carts, and have Winston ride with one person and everyone else in the other.
Flying is possible, at least at the start, but you are not sure really what is down the rails. However, because the scenario essentially changes depending on what option is chosen, it is sort of a party decision. In other words, following her in the cart leads to one thing, dealing with the guards is different, and trying to find another way to go after her is a different encounter path.
Male Human Sorcerer 10 | AC 24/T 14| FORT +6 REF +7 WILL +12 | Init +2 | Perception + 1 | Sense Motive +13
Heccan's disembodied voice hangs in the air.
"I know I am going to regret this but...to the carts my righteous fellows!"
Heccan will vote for the T of Doom option. Heccan can also likely subdue the guards with suggestion or charm if that is an option, but will vote for the carts.
Varian shrugs and wrestles a cart to the tracks and climbs in... waiting for others to join him. He creates a large heavy metal staff and uses it to push off and get the cart started... and keeps it in hand to give the cart a little extra oomph from time to time..
Rushing passed the guards, most of the group goes straight towards two carts, working together to lifted them right-side-up and then laying them on the rails. Wilson dutifully jumps into the one in the back, taking up nearly all of the space, but leaving just enough for one person to jump in and work the three levers that act as breaks.
Keeping the two guards busy, but not engaging in combat is difficult, but you manage, and each leap into the carts.
Handle Animal:1d20 + 19 ⇒ (9) + 19 = 28Not sure what trick it would be to get him in a cart, put that should push him.
Rilas runs towards one of the carts, and yells to Winston while pointing at it. "In the cart, jump!" The wolf sprints off ahead of him, and jumps in, leaving just enough room for one more.
Can the driver make ranged attacks as well? Does everyone make ride checks or just the cart driver?
Varian has no ride skill, so I'll defer to someone else in the other cart who either does have it, or has a better base stat... if no one does, I'll roll
Male Human Sorcerer 10 | AC 24/T 14| FORT +6 REF +7 WILL +12 | Init +2 | Perception + 1 | Sense Motive +13
"Despite my typical impeccable judgment, I have foreseen my own future. I immediately regret this decision. How in the blazes of the 9 does this contraption work!"
Heccan also has no ride skills. Hope someone can drive this thing.
I've included a map to help visualize things. IS everyone's current placement good? Feel free to move positions around, but once things get going, (following this next check), moving will likely be impossible.
Getting two carts onto the rails and kicking off is not difficult, and hoping is as they both begin to roll is jolting. As Rilas comments, it is similar, but also very different than riding an animal, but it doesn't take too long to get the basic concept of operation. There are three levers that control the breaks, one of the left causes the two wheels on the left to stop, the lever on the right does the same for the two right wheels, and the central one causes all four wheels to get locked down and slow your movement. <This is just flavor, there is no need to hit the correct lever at the right time>
As soon as you get going, both carts quickly speed to a fast-paced walking speed, <Travelling at 30ft per round>, but because of the rail's decline as far as you can see, it will very quickly pick up speed without precise control, and it will become more difficult to do so the faster the cart goes.
The cart that contains Talia has a head start, and is currently 30ft in front of you. Currently the two carts your party occupies are still together.
This is sort of like a chase scene, in a sense. It has a couple of unique rules:
1.) Ranged attacks all take an automatic -2 penalty and all targets always have cover. This includes spells, but keep in mind that area spells could affect you as you travel through them right afterwards.
2.) Melee Attacks are only possible when two carts are adjacent. This includes with Reach.
3.) Carts are considered adjacent once either one slows down or the other speeds up enough that they collide. <At this point, if cart 4 continues to travel at 30ft speed, Cart three would need to get up to 90ft speed to catch up>
4.) There are random events that will occur throughout the cart chase. Each time the driver of the cart is hit, a Ride check is required, and the faster you move, the more difficult it gets. Poor ride check will affect everyone inside that cart, with the worst being the cart falling off the tracks and throwing all inside to the ground.
5.) Each Round, the Driver can make a DC 15 Ride check to increase their cart's speed by 20ft. This will allow you to possibly catch up, but also makes it more difficult to control. If a cart manages to catch up to and ram another cart, both carts will automatically begin to travel at the speed of the cart in the front, (possibly meaning the cart suddenly becomes very difficult to control if the lead cart picks up speed).
6.) Each round the cart needs a dedicated driver. If that driver falls, someone else can take over freely, but if there is no driver in a given round, very bad things can happen. <much of this is random>
7.) One other person inside the cart can try to Aid the Driver, (Ride DC 10), as their action for the round.
As the two guards you had rushed by previously begin to grab their own cart to follow you, Talia's cart begins to push forward, getting faster, but the two Pathfinder carts both maintain the same pace, now each travelling at 50ft/Round. It does not seem too terribly fast at this point, a fast jog's speed, but that will probably change rather quickly.
BEFORE CONTINUING ON, I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS IN THE CART THEY WANT TO BE. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THE MAP AND CONFIRM YOUR LOCATION IS OK, AND ALSO CONFIRM WHO IS THE DRIVER AND IF ANY CHARACTER IS GOING TO BE THE ONE TO ATTEMPT TO AID, (ONLY ONE CHARACTER PER CART CAN AID. Anyone that is not the Driver or the "Aider" may act normally otherwise, including things like casting Guidance, ranged attacks/spells, or Inspire Courage if they want.
I am going to handle this Init a little differently. Init will be "block Init", per cart, based off of the drivers Roll. Everyone inside that cart can effectively go once that cart's turn is up.
If there are any questions, please feel free to ask. I'm withholding a bit of info because your characters would not really know it at this point. Currently, you are heading down a somewhat dimly lit tunnel at a slight angle, which makes it difficult to see what is coming up in the distance passed perhaps 70ft, (no line of sight).
I guess I'm a little unclear what we can do. Do we need more ride checks at this point? Since I'm behind the other cart and adjacent to it, do I even have the option of speeding up?
So, essentially one person can drive and one person can aid, per cart. Based on the current set up, it looks like Rilas is driving with no one aiding, and Varian is driving the other, with Adsal aiding. I'm trying to offer everyone a chance to swap carts before we really get going, so if Kor'sarro wants to be able to aid, he can switch over to Cart 2 (before things get going, a retcon of sorts).
If everyone is already in the position they want, that's fine, but it will be very difficult to switch carts after this point. So, if everyone is okay with their positions, yes, it will be another Ride Check from the drivers. Additionally, yes, you can cast spells or abilities that might also help such as Guidance, (and you do not have to be the one that is Aiding), but it will need to be part of your turn as it comes up.
Just to be clear, when I had originally placed people in carts, I had done so based on what some people had said or what sounded like their intent. But, everyone else I just sort of placed in Cart 3 because it was the one in front. So, before actually beginning the scene, I wanted everyone to have an opportunity to swap around if they want. Just to be clear, does anyone want to switch carts or positions right now, as if they had been there from the start before the carts started going? If so, please do so not. If not, that's fine, and I'll start with the actual "chase" phase.
Currently, (as of Round 0 and Round 1), yes, Carts 2 and 3 are adjacent, but it is possible for Cart 2 to "ram" Cart 3 if one rolls well and the other not.
As they start to make their way down the tracks, Rilas turns and notes the guards getting in the car behind them. "Winston, give me some cover and make sure they don't attack us." He then turns his attention to the controls of the cart, releasing the brake to try to speed up the pair of carts.
If allowed, will take 10, else... Ride:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
Winston will go total defense, AC is 34, and hopefully at least provides cover for Rilas.
Far behind you, the two guard get their cart going, and while they are far from catching up, one launches an arrow towards Winston, but with so little of a lane foe the arrow to fly towards it's target, and the archer being so Not Rilas, it hits the cave wall and falls harmlessly down to be lost.
Longbow vs Winston (AC 36):1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Both of the carts the Pathfinders are in pick up speed very quickly, as does the one they chase, but it seems that they have hit a threshold, and suddenly all three carts begin to wobble on the tracks, risking derailing at any moment. All three keep relative pace with each other, leaving the last cart pretty far behind you.
I am assuming that Winston will maintain Full Defense the entire time, unless Cart 1 catches up, (where he could then melee attack). Is that ok?
Random Event:1d6 ⇒ 1
Suddenly, two of the guards in the cart in front of you begin digging in their cart, lifting a large, heavy board up, and then plop it down on the rails. With no choice, Cart 3 slams into it, forcing Varian to think quickly.
Cart 2 slams into cart 3. . .
THREE Ride Checks from Cart 3, and TWO from Cart 2. (One for the Round, one for Carts 2 and 3 colliding, and one for Cart three hitting the board.
Male Human Sorcerer 10 | AC 24/T 14| FORT +6 REF +7 WILL +12 | Init +2 | Perception + 1 | Sense Motive +13
Heccan is contemplating casting something at the lead cart of baddies. Any special rules or checks I need to know about before posting an action relating to us hurtling at full speed down the tracks?
Heccan is contemplating casting something at the lead cart of baddies. Any special rules or checks I need to know about before posting an action relating to us hurtling at full speed down the tracks?
You will need a Concentration check (Violent motion while casting 15 + spell level), and all Ranged Attacks automatically take a -2.
Rilas wrote:
Is taking 10 allowed at all?
Afraid not. It specifies you can not take 10 or 20.
As the board slams into Varian's cart, I gets wedged between the front wheels and the track, forcing it to slow down some and nearly causing it to jump the rails, which would have sent all within plummeting down to the darkness below. Fortunately, Rilas's cart slamming into Varian's at such high speeds stabilizes it somewhat, but everyone within gets thrown around the cart a bit and banged up a little, and both cart slow somewhat.
Everyone takes Nonlethal Damage:2d4 ⇒ (1, 3) = 4
Unfortunately, Varian seems to have trouble picking up speed with the board still lodged under the wheels, which also forces Rilas's cart to maintain the same reduced speed, allowing the cart behind you to advance a bit closer and the one carrying Talia to safety to get a bit further away.
Two Archers from Talia's cart draw bows and attempt to fire back, each focusing on Varian.
what does that 'touch of good' do exactly? will it help my ride roll? or give me two rolls take the better? I need to knwo before I roll.
also, GM, what does our timeline look like? are we almost done? Varian was supposed to start another scenario today... gm is willing to wait a day or two for me, but I need to know if we're on track to finish that quickly.. if not, I'll drop from the other game so he can recruit someone else in time to get started. Just need to know
Male Human Sorcerer 10 | AC 24/T 14| FORT +6 REF +7 WILL +12 | Init +2 | Perception + 1 | Sense Motive +13
Round 3
Heccan grunts as he is tossed about the speeding cart. His annoyance quickly turns to an angry sneer.
"I have had about enough of this. Was this how I envisioned my life while I was toiling away as an apprentice under Egorian's most unforgiving master barrister? Certainly not! Time to teach these cretins a lesson my old master taught me. When in doubt, use fire!"
Heccan's eyes blaze red, his mouth turns into a scowl of pain as he mutters terrible things in a deep guttural tounge, calling forth is dark power. His hands smolder, then smoke, then burst into flame as he hurls a ball of burning fire at Talia's cart.
Heccan will take standard action to cast fireball at Talia's cart. DC 19 for half damage.
Heccan looks upon the carnage with a grin, though it is difficult to tell if it of pain or mirth. He once again calls upon his power. He sends a volley of arcane missiles at the driver of Talia's cart.
Heccan will cast magic missile at driver of Talia's cart.
what does that 'touch of good' do exactly? will it help my ride roll? or give me two rolls take the better? I need to knwo before I roll.
It grants you a +5 Sacred Bonus to Skill Checks for 1 Round.
Varian Ride Check:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
With a combination of a well placed assault and terrible luck, Talia's cart jumps the rails, covered in slimy, very flamible grease and everyone within tumbles to their flaming death at the bottom of the rail system. The cart behind you, with only two guards is easily outnumbered, allowing you to travel the remainder of the way without trouble. After about 2,000 ft more, you come to the end, somewhere far below ground, finding the remains of cart 4 not far off.
Searching the corpses, you find: +1 chain shirt, +1 ring of protection, masterwork rapier, +1 shortbow, +2 arrow (50), bronze Aspis Consortium badge (1 gp), and the turncoat Pathfinder diary containing notes on the Jistka Imperium. Finally, stuck in the mud as if discarded and stepped upon repeatedly, you find Talia's Wayfinder, but also, oddly a magical scroll of Transmute Rock to Mud, causing you to wonder if perhaps she had some twisted intention of planting the Wayfinder here permanently.
The only thing of particular note on the guards is that each of them had a set of manacles (with a key).
Towering buildings and forgotten architecture fill the skyline hidden deep within the rocky pillar. Cramped and decaying columns line avenues and market squares, representing only a fragment of their former glory. Dark shadows play amidst the flickers of light that rain from the chasm opening above.
Can I have 2 Perception Checks please. Terrain is Underground.
New map is up.
Rilas looks over the carnage littering the end of the tracks "Nice work, I'm quite impressed with all that flame and oil! I wish I could learn that trick." Unless others have use for them, Rilas will take all 50 of the +2 arrows with him.
He looks around in awe at the lost underground city. "This place is absolutely massive! How does an entire city like this get lost? Best keep our eyes out, no idea what may lurk here."
