Tiff:
You see the undead reel in pain from Theodore's channel.
Rattling scalpels indicate that the Poltergeist is still up, and getting ready to attack.
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The Poltergeist is hurt by Tiff's spell, but remains a threat. It decides to scare off the wizard's allies. Tiff sees the spectral figure streak towards the group and burst into view for a second, presenting a terrifying visage. It then vanishes from view. Tiff is immune, because she can see invisible creatures (I guess it's a jump scare that requires the sudden appearance to work).
The rest of you have the benefit of being close to Quinn... Will saves with Aura of Courage:
Nobody is Frightened. It is invisible, but you can attack the square where you last saw it. Party up! Round 1
Round 2
Initiative:
Round 1
Tiff throws open the door, spots the invisible Poltergeist, and gets the drop on it! Tiff may act! Nobody else sees it (yet).
Deciding that you have had enough fun with the Spirit Planchette for one day, you move to deal with the Poltergeist.
Remembering that the Poltergeist is both invisible and incorporeal, what is your plan?
Just wanted to make sure that everyone remembered this: we are using Automatic Bonus Progression at level +1. So you should have what 4th-level characters normally get under ABP:
As Ismene works the spirit planchette over the board, a faint din of screams echoes in her ears, then starts growing louder and louder. They're here! They've got Tiff! She looks over, and the wizard's formerly vacant expression has been replaced by one of ravenous hunger and rage! Ismene reaches for the axe, to strike the possessed Tiff, when she shakes her head and the screams disappear. Tiff is normal (well, normal for her, anyway).
The Spirit Planchette then jerks around quickly under Ismene's hand, spelling out A-X-E
Mold has destroyed much of the book's contents, but the following spells remain legible:
Theodore learns nothing about the handaxe. With the holy symbols, he can definitively say that there is no spiritual connection present. They most likely had a connection to Father Charlatan, but with the destruction of his spirit, they are simply holy symbols. The spellbook:
Theodore:
Your name is scrawled in blood in the margins of the book. THEODORE SAMUEL WALDEN CARTER. Theodore can feel that the Splatter Man was dealt a terrible blow to his morale and sanity by the loss of this spellbook. It is most definitely haunted or cursed, but could also be used as a weapon against the spirit. In fact, Theodore sees how it could be so used. By ripping out and destroying the remaining intact pages while in the spirit's presence, you could further erode his morale and damage him. Theodore also senses that whoever carries this book will take on some of the Splatter Man's fears, in particular fears of losing spellcasting ability. Finally, the book will over time cause the possessor to see their name partially spelled blood in various locations. This is unnerving and can increase paranoia. He can tell nothing about the smith's hammer, nor the flute.
Marill:
You don't see Tiff's name in the margins. You see your name, written in blood. Quinn: You don't see Tiff's name in the margins. You see your name, written in blood.
Does anyone else look in the book when Tiff holds it up? Please chime in here one way or the other.
They had major outages lasting a month or more back in 2018. Killed a lot of campaigns, I think. We will hope for better outcomes this time, but if needed we can talk on Discord to find another forum if Paizo really botches it.
Theophania: Your name is scrawled in blood in the margins of the spellbook. THEOPHANIA. THEOPHANIA. Here and there just TIFF. But mostly THEOPHANIA. On maybe half the pages.
Tiff's ray goes wide. Quinn's torch deals damage, and the chill abates for a moment. Ismene's holy water hits the center of the manifesting haunt, and the chill dissipates entirely! Theodore is denied a chance to interact with the haunt (this time at least) so cannot use his Spirit Sleuth ability to determine the correct course of action to permanently neutralize it. However, it is gone for now at least. --- Ismene is able to open the locked door. PROPERTY ROOM
Although much of the remaining property is junk, a few items remain that may be of interest, including a set of masterwork thieves’ tools , a bronze war medallion from the Shining Crusade (worth 40 gp), an unframed Taldan painting of Stavian I (worth 100 gp), a set of a noblewoman’s silver hair clips (worth 35 gp), a masterwork punching dagger, a pouch containing a dozen masterwork shurikens, a masterwork silver war razor, and a wand of lesser restoration (12 charges). The war razor looks unnervingly familiar to Theodore and Tiff, as if they had seen it in a dream. You don't immediately see any relics of the five notorious prisoners. Taking time to search, you uncover a secret vault within the property room.
A bloodstained handaxe bears the tag Vance Saetressle
---- What do you do with the five items? Does anybody touch or handle them? If examined from a distance with Detect Magic, the handaxe radiates magic as a standard magic item but with something else besides. The spellbook and the hammer have just that 'something else' - some unclear aura. The holy symbols and flute appear quite mundane. Theodore's Spirit Sleuth ability can apply here to figure out what is going on (one check per item), with a modifier based on how he interacts with the items. The Spirit Planchette you found would also be an option.
Marill and Ismene are up!
You move into the room and the temperature starts to drop!
Everyone except Theodore may act!
Harrowstone Prison is much as you left it. You would go through the auditorium to get to the locked iron door leading to the property room. (There isn't a solid wall in the southern part of that room between the pews and the podium - it's just a set of iron bars.) So you could be exposed to the Cold Spot haunt again if it is active. You know that it is harmed by fire as well as by positive energy and holy water. How do you wish to deal with it? (Should be pretty easy, just need to know what resources you are using.)
Father Grimburrow shakes his head.
We will guard his grave well tonight." --- Back at the house, Kendra is distraught to hear the identity of the night's visitor. "You are sure it was he?" At the suggestion of cremation, she shakes her head. "Let us hope that by putting the spirits in the prison to rest we will let my father rest in peace as well. If he rises again then I will consider that option." --- Now equipped with lockpicks and holy water, you return to Harrowstone Prison. On the way, you do see that another letter has been written in blood on the Memorial. "E". The Splatter Man continues taunting the warden's wife.
Those feats are great. Class skills are those listed under Ghost Mount.
... but I will ask - if the phantom statblock is rebuilt as an animal type, why even make it a phantom to begin with? Good question. And if it is a phantom, why change its type to Animal instead of keeping it as Outsider? I have no idea why they decided to do it that way. The archetype gives up a lot, and cavalier isn't OP to begin with, so I'm comfortable erring on the side of leniency here. Even so, saying "this one type of creature only applies positive modifiers to skill points, never negative ones" would be so strange and incongruous with the rest of the rules that I can't imagine that is what was intended. Such an exception would be more clearly spelled out, I think. So I will say it is Type Outsider (Phantom). 1) Skill points are base 6/HD, with the -4 Int modifier that makes it 2/HD.
If you want either an Animal Companion feat or a Phantom feat, run it by me. Will probably be fine.
Can I attune to my battleshaping natural weapons? Also might be important to know how it works for natural weapons when I polymorph. I'll start with Mark Seifter's rule and adjust for polymorphing. Attuning to 1 weapon means 1 natural weapon at a time but this can change with your form. Attuning to 2 weapons means all natural weapons unless you have "terribly many" as Mark says. Let's say up to 4? @Quinn - the Ghost Mount only gets 1 skill rank per level because of the Int penalty, correct? Int modifiers apply to skill points per level whether positive or negative, so "2+Int modifier" means the default Phantom should be at 1 per HD with its 7 Int. The best explanation I have seen is that Outsider phantoms actually have 6+Int skill ranks per level, and then -2 for a 7 Int and a further -2 for the 2 preassigned focus skills. That's why there was no provision for Int being lower than the base value, because for a normal phantom it can only go up (by assigning points every 4 HD). Now, Ghost Mount differs from the standard Phantom in a number of ways, such as Animal type and lower Int. A standard animal companion has 1 skill point per HD, a Phantom has 2 skill points per HD, the Ghost Mount is not quite either. The two changes of type and Int make me inclined to give it 1 skill point per HD. Besides the skill ranks, there are a ton of other puzzling gaps in the rules as relate to the Ghost Mount:
Welcome to hear thoughts on any of these. I think it's a fantastic archetype but there are some gaps.
@Quinn - the Ghost Mount only gets 1 skill rank per level because of the Int penalty, correct?
Theophania realizes that the magical aura present is like a stronger version of the ever-present tinge of necromancy that suffuses Ustalav. It's similar to a haunt, and might be an effect caused by one. It is not a spell in the normal sense. Father Grimburrow nods. "We didn't see any necromancers. Jaron here was on guard and saw a zombie rise from its grave all on its own. Must have to do with the spirits from Harrowstone." Looking at the tracks and the grave more clearly, you see dirt around the perimeter of the grave as if something came out, and tracks leading away from the grave, then tracks coming back and descending down into the dirt. Petros Lorrimor seems to have climbed out of his grave, lurched to his house, banged on the door, and then walked back down into the earth somehow. "We could exhume him," remarks Father Grimburrow, "But I think that will not be necessary. I think he is back in his grave. Glad he went back down on his own without us having to hack his limbs off."
The graveyard is cold and misty. Three guards approach you, looking ragged and exhausted. Their gear bears the marks of recent battle. "Stop! We'll have no necromancers here," the lead one announces, brandishing an axe. Father Grimburrow steps forth from behind them. "Peace, Jaron. They are not necromancers. Follow me, outsiders." The tracks lead back to Professor Lorriomor's grave. They seem to walk down into the earth, leaving deeper and deeper imprints until the last ones are swallowed by collapsing dirt. "We didn't see this one rise," rasps the priest. "Three others arose throughout the night and we must have been dealing with them. It was good that you warned us to post guards. But we saw no necromancers."
Ismene is able to follow the tracks back to the Restlands. They come from and return to the cemetery. It is still night, with not even a hint of pre-dawn twilight. Do you follow the tracks into the Restlands? Kendra remains at the house.
Luna cannot follow the tracks.
Kendra arrives, in nightgown and robe. Her eyes go wide. "I surmise by Quinn's demeanor that the horse is not the intruder?"
Theodore sees very little. There appear to be tracks leading up to the door, and then walking away from it in the direction that they came from. No creatures can be seen within the radius of the Light.
The party rouses themselves and assembles near the door. Preparations are made, weapons are possibly bared... and nothing. After the three knocks that Theodore heard (and perhaps those of you who were light sleepers), there are no further sounds. You open the door cautiously. There are a set of tracks leading away from the door... Do you follow or go back to sleep?
Watches set, you turn in and go to sleep.
Theodore: You hear a dull, heavy, THUD on the front door, as of someone knocking with the side of a fist. And again, a second later, a louder THUD. A third time, louder still, .
After a pleasant lunch, you go about your various errands. Quinn and Marill try to ask around vaguely about strangers in town other than the party and come up empty. Ismene and Tiff scribe spells/formulae from the Professor's spellbook. Theodore makes his way to the Temple of Pharasma, where Vauran Grimburrow provides him with four more flasks of holy water.
Kendra returns with a set of MW Thieves Tools. "Luramin Taigh has another set that he confiscated from a client who was unable to pay, so he does not need these returned. He respected my father and was willing to provide these at no charge to those who carry on my father's work. Luramin Taigh and his partner, Quess Yearburn, are among the less superstitious of the townsfolk. They have been successful as moneylenders because they have the intelligence to employ reason and consider evidence. Imagine that."
You have a smaller supper in the evening. Then do you post watches, cast Alarm, or simply turn in to bed?
Reposting this from before:
Theodore knows about Whispering Way:
DC 10: The Whispering Way is a sinister organization of necromancers that has been active in the Inner Sea region for thousands of years.
DC 15: Agents of the Whispering Way often seek alliances with undead creatures, or are themselves undead. The Whispering Way’s most notorious member was Tar-Baphon, the Whispering Tyrant, although the society itself has existed much longer than even that mighty necromancer. DC 20: The Whispering Way itself is a series of philosophies that can only be transferred via whispers—the philosophies are never written or spoken of loudly, making the exact goals and nature of the secretive philosophy difficult for outsiders to learn much about. DC 25: Exact details on the society are difficult to discern, but chief among the Whispering Way’s goals are discovering formulae for creating liches and engineering the release of the Whispering Tyrant. Agents often travel to remote sites or areas plagued by notorious haunts or undead menaces to perform field research or even to capture unique monsters. Their symbol is a gagged skull, and those who learn too many of the Way’s secrets are often murdered, and their mouths mutilated to prevent their bodies from divulging secrets via speak with dead. Theodore hit a DC 25, which is pretty high. And, you've got clues both from the Professor's journal (added to Campaign Info and also here) and from your observations at Harrowstone and Vesorianna's testimony.
The Professor's Journal:
Several entries are circled in red ink. The most recent is circled 17 days ago, the day the Professor died.
17 Gozran, 4701 AR The Whispering Way is more than just a cabal of necromancers. I see that now. Undeath is their fountain of youth. Uncovering their motivation does not place me at ease as I thought it might. Their desire to be eternal simply makes them more dangerous. 19 Kuthona, 4710 AR
18 Abadus, 4711 AR
29 Abadus, 4711 AR
31 Abadus, 4711 AR
1 Calistril, 4711 AR
Is the plan to spend a few hours asking around town this afternoon while Tiff and Ismene are scribing spells? What specifically would you ask? Or would you rather just go back to Harrowstone in the morning?
Ismene nods, "Yes, though I can't help but wonder about the mechanics of it all. If his spirit is still trapped, how is he spelling upon the monument outside? With what blood? Person... animal? And how can one ghost murder another? Surely they cannot die twice..." Ismene shakes her head at the unfathomable predicament as she gratefully accepts a cup of tea. "We've seen the effects of the spirits reaching out beyond the prison. Zombies in the streets. The little girls singing that disturbing song. Perhaps we will learn more." "And what about this mysterious necromantic cabal? If the Professor observed them at the prison, is it possible other locals did as well? Did they travel from some distance and simply had their passage unremarked or are they hiding in plain sight among the populace?" "I hadn't heard anything. It came as a surprise to me when we read Father's journal. But as you saw, he had entries referencing the Whispering Way from ten years ago. Perhaps he saw some signs of their presence that others would miss. Others might not have seen them at the prison because the locals tend to avoid that place. I do wish Father had confided in others... Vauran Grimburrow maybe... but as he wrote, he didn't want to arouse further suspicion of himself by making his interest in the Harrowstone ruins known.You could take some time to ask around but you would need to be very subtle in what you ask. You certainly couldn't ask openly about this cult." "Too many questions and not enough answers. All I know for certain is we'd better load up on holy water. There seems to be no end of spectral activity."
"How much more do you need? I can try... you need powdered silver? I could have a silversmith grind down some candlesticks... Wait, you need five pounds of powdered silver for a single flask? I don't think I have that much. Perhaps Father Grimburrow will donate to this worthy cause." Theodore is pretty certain that he could simply ask and the Church of Pharasma would provide a reasonable amount .
"Of course. As I said, you must join me for lunch." Kendra pours Theodore another brandy. "After that, I will go speak with Luramin Taigh about lockpicks, and Ismene and Theophania may take the time to peruse my father's spellbook." It being a bit early for brandy by her own estimation, Kendra sips a cup of tea. "You say the spirit of Vesorianna Hawkran is holding the spirits in check for now?"
"Yes. The Splatter Man is spelling out Vesorianna's name, it seems. He seeks to target her."
Abjuring Step, Alarm, Air Bubble, Comprehend Languages, Crafter’s Fortune, Cultural Adaptation, Detect Undead, Endure Elements, Erase, Fastidiousness, Feather Fall, Floating Disk, Hold Portal, Identify, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Mindlink, Pierce Facade, Protection from Evil, Sleep, True Skill, True Strike, Vanish Aram Zey's Focus, Arcane Lock, Book Ward, Carrion Compass, Command Undead, Invisibility, Levitate, Obscure Object, Resist Energy, Spider Climb, Suppress Charms and Compulsions Arcane Sight, Clairvoyance/Clairaudience, Dispel Magic, Force Anchor, Gaseous Form, Glimpse the Hidden, Halt Undead, Lightning Bolt, Magic Circle Against Evil, Nondetection, Pierce Disguise, Secret Page, Suggestion, Tiny Hut, Tongues, Wind Wall Arcane Eye, Detect Scrying, Eyes of the Void, Hypercognition, Remove Curse, Purge Spirit, Resilient Sphere, Scrying, True Form
"Well I'm not giving it to you to keep, but you may borrow it to study and transcribe spells."
Kendra nods quietly as you relate your tale. "I had that fear in the back of my mind. Ever since I saw that journal. The Whispering Way. So from then I had the thought that either he was killed not by some accident, but either by agents of the Whispering Way, or by the spirits of Harrowstone.
"Lockpicks? I happen to know that Luramin Taigh at the Silk Purse has a very good set. He is a moneylender, you see, and it happens from time to time that those who cannot pay claim that the funds are in a lockbox or safe that they 'misplaced' the key to. So he has developed the skill of opening such locks out of professional necessity.
"As well, this may be of use."
"My father's spellbook. It will take you time to decipher his writing, of course, but you can copy spells that may be useful. I even have some ink you can use."
The spellbook contains the following:
If you want to check if a spell is in there, post it and roll.
The party is able to make their way back to the Lorrimor house without any trouble. It is around noon. Kendra welcomes you. "Back so soon? Will you join me for lunch?
The spirit of Vesorianna Hawkran continues. "The room south of here is the Branding Room, where new inmates were branded with irons marking them as prisoners of Harrowstone. There are restless spirits there as well that cannot rest until the last three powerful criminal spirits are destroyed."
"I fear the prison is too solidly built for that, sir. The floors are of stone." "My husband would have had the keys. His remains are in the basement somewhere."
The ghost nods at Theodore's bow. "Those who came and did things? Yes. The ones in robes. Men and woman in dark robes who spoke only in whispers. They worked some strange magic around the foundations of the building. Inscribing runes. Their leader was a thin, gray-skinned human. He wore a bone breastplate and carried a black staff. The staff was capped with a skull gagged by a black cloth. There was another man that they slew. He was investigating, I think, and perhaps not intending to confront them directly, but they spotted him. An aging human, with receding grey hair and a goatee."
"The leader slew him with a magic spell; it appeared that the older man died of fright. Then the other robed ones struck his head with fragments of a gargoyle statue. To make it seem an accident, I suppose. After that was accomplished, they continued their ritual where I could not see.
I have felt nothing of him, nor seen the black-robed cultists, since that day. As to the remaining three spirits, I believe them to be in the dungeon. If you can defeat their manifestations, I can keep them from returning. There are objects of value that once belonged to these spirits, and the objects may have power against them. These might be in the prison’s property room to the southeast. However, while these objects will aid you, they are likely also cursed by their unholy link to those powerful evil spirits. They would be dangerous tools to use."
"Do you have other questions?"
Vesorianna Hawkran ponders a moment. Wisps of blue smoke emanate from her nostrils. "Cursed? Not exactly. I think... I think it was my devotion to my husband. That was what brought me to this place, and so it is what keeps me here. He didn't come home for dinner, you see. Venison stew, one of his favorites. Our house, the warden's house, is on the grounds of the prison, near the main building. Not a long walk at all.
I tried to organize the guards above to rally and stage a rescue, but they would not hear of it. I tried to lower the service lift to bring Lyvar and other guards to safety, but in my haste I fear I caused it to crush him. If they had only worked with me to lower it..."
"The guards up top locked me in this workshop while they tried to contain the situation. Somehow they set the dungeon on fire with barrels of oil, and... and they never released me from this room. Forgot about me in their panic, I suppose, if I am being charitable. You can see that this room did not burn, but the smoke still came in. So much smoke. Why should my devotion to my husband keep me here? Because he stayed. He gave his life to prevent the criminals from escaping, and then he stayed on in death to keep their spirits confined here. I could not see nor speak to his spirit, but I sensed it was nearby and I sensed it was keeping the spirits of the evil dead imprisoned. And then the others came, the ones in robes, and they did things, and then my husband's spirit left this place. The ghosts of the Five grew in strength and reached out to the world beyond these walls. I stepped in. I was able to send on Father Charlatan and the Piper of Ilmarsh after you defeated them. They will not return. You did well to defeat those two. I can sense the remaining spirits, especially the Splatter Man, seeking to push out into the surrounding countryside and into Ravengro. I hold them back, but they grow stronger every day."
Tangled mounds of moth-eaten fabric sit on several wooden tables, each surrounded by workbenches. Various sewing tools such as shears, needles, rolls of thread, boxes of chalk, and other objects lie scattered over the floor, while the arm of what appears to be a skeleton protrudes from a stained heap of fabric to the west. Rising from the mound of moldering fabric is a spectral figure. A beautiful young woman dressed in a tattered but lovely blue dress. In fact, much about her is blue, including her hair, the tears that run from her pale blue eyes, and the clouds of smoke that drift from her lips when she speaks. Knowledge (Religion):
Everybody recognizes this particular spirit as a ghost. The ghost speaks. She seems slightly distracted, her thoughts a bit scattered, but still fairly lucid. "You, you are the new guards? Sent from town, yes? The ones before were no good. The cowards locked me in here for my own 'safety'. And you see how well that worked.
The animated straitjacket destroyed, you search the room. There is, again, nothing of value. Do you open the secret door?
The jacket is burnt and gored. Now only tatters, it still moves and attacks!
It hits Quinn, and starts to wrap its sleeves around his neck. The warrior is just barely able to break free before it can secure a hold on him.
Both Marill and Quinn hit, tearing the jacket! But it is still up and flailing.
Tiff and Ismene are up!
The laundry attacks you! Bursting out of the pile is a flailing jacket. Straps adorned with heavy metal buckles extend out of the sleeves. Initiative:
Knowledge (Arcana) DC 14:
This is another animated object, a straitjacket. It can grab and constrict those that it hits. Fortunately, it is only made of cloth and so should not be as hard to damage as the manacles were. Round 1
Tiff looks in the door. Several rusty iron tubs sit in this room, along with washboards, metal buckets, and heaps of moldy clothing.
Perception:
Ismene and Marill notice a cleverly concealed door in one wall of the room. They also notice a shape struggling within a mound of moldy clothing in the northeast corner of the room, as if something were buried within. Investigate the secret door or the pile of clothing?
Quinn destroys the haunted manacles. There are a few other sets of old manacles in this room, but none of the others rise to attack. There is nothing of value in this room. A small privy is to the north of the hallway. Aside from that, three doors remain in this wing.
Ismene's bomb hits, but fails to damage the manacles. Marill's starknife proves likewise ineffective. Tiff, however, manages to grab the manacles! Quinn and Theodore are up!
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