Tyrannosaurus

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Vexas scouts along with Malakar.


Malakar approaches the steaming lake cautiously and quietly. He gauges it to be about human body temperature - comfortably warm, but not so hot as to cause injury. There is a faint sulfurous smell, and the water would likely taste bad, but it would likely still be safe to drink or swim in.

The closest approach to the island follows the collapsed stone bridge; this is on the northeast side of the lake. It is 290 feet from the shore to the island.

Walking around, Malakar can see a small cave on the southeastern side of the island, seemingly leading into the interior of the island.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Malakar finds a crude raft hidden in some brush near the water's edge. It should be able to accommodate up to six Medium creatures.

Map is up.


Fenna identifies the sigil on the armor as that of the Knights of the Ioun Star, an order of wardens who originally protected the rightful emperor of Azlant.

The modern incarnation of the group seeks more information about ancient Azlant and has sponsored expeditions to the ruined continent to search for lost lore.

She can't be certain whether this armor is from the original order or its more recent incarnation. It is definitely at least a few hundred years old, but it could be as old as 10,000 years if it was from before Earthfall.

The plot, again:
You are exploring various sites on the island of Ancorato.
The party has determined to head toward the tower of the sea hag Helekhterie, following the Sahuagin's crude map of a trail from the coast into the mountains.
Koloshkora noted that the hag had been kidnapping her people for centuries, and perhaps had taken the colonists. The Sahuagin were minions of hers.
Carver Hastings thinks that theory to be credible, and strongly suggested that the party pursue Helekhterie.
After defeating the Sahuagin, the party focused on tracking down the hag as quickly as possible, before she could notice any disruption (as in missing visits from the Sahuagin).
Unfortunately, the lack of speaking Giant limited the party's ability to get information from the troll - who seems to have been another minion of the sea hag.

It is mid-afternoon by the time you emerge from the woods.

Past where the forest tapers off into sparse, dead trees, the mountain slope becomes steep and rugged, leading to a circular ridge enclosing the sunken peak of the mountain.

Once crested, the high caldera rim gives way to a rugged, rocky slope bristling with scrubby vegetation, leading down into a large, steaming lake. At the center of the crater lake is a small, rocky island upon which an octagonal tower rises one hundred twenty feet, its peak lying just below the caldera wall. The top of the tower consists of a dome of plated copper, long ago turned green with verdigris. The crumbling stone columns of a long-collapsed bridge are all that remains of a land route to the tower.

The caldera lake is about 1000 feet across. The island in the center is about 400 feet wide. The octagonal tower in the middle of the island is about 70 feet across.

Do you explore around the caldera?
Make straight for the island?
Rest and re-prepare spells?


Mithral breastplate counts as light armor for most purposes except proficiency; if you are non-proficient you take its ACP of -1 on attack rolls and to initiative (all Str- and Dex-based ability checks, of which Initiative is the most common). The Armor Expert trait reduces the ACP to 0, so "Mithral breastplate + Armor Expert" is a good combo for characters lacking Medium Armor Proficiency.

Sho does have Medium Armor Proficiency, and could apply her ABP bonus to this armor instead, which would give her +2 AC over what she currently has (a chain shirt).

Fenna lacks Medium Armor Proficiency, but has the Armor Expert trait, so can wear the breastplate with no penalty. She would have no ASF with it as it would be considered light armor in that regard, and bards ignore ASF for light armor. But she just got a mithral breastplate, so would gain nothing from taking this one.

Vexas cannot wear the armor as it is the wrong size and would also impart Arcane Spell Failure.

Malakar cannot wear it since it is metal.

Brannart could, but his Dex isn't ever going to be high enough to make a mithral breastplate worthwhile for him. It would offer no advantage over the regular breastplate he wears now.

Sho seems the best person to take it.

As to the wand, Freedom of Movement is not a wizard spell; Sho, Fenna, or Malakar could use the wand easily, but Vexas would need UMD checks.


Does anybody want to make the Knowledge check?
Would Fenna use her Lore Master Take 20 on it?
Who carries the items?
Is there anything else you wish to do right now?


As I had said, I wasn't going to make you do this out in rounds.

Between Vexas's hits, Brannart's three remaining javelins, Malakar's Flaming Sphere, and Sho's arrows, you bring the tree down. It mindlessly lurches towards you, but is slow enough that you are able to stay clear of its grasping branches. Sho uses up another 2d4 ⇒ (2, 1) = 3 arrows, being able to recover most of her misses. Let's say Vexas uses up 3 bolts as well.

Scattered amid the bones littering the ground are the possessions of the tree's many victims over the centuries. These objects include numerous ruined suits of leather and chainmail armor, rusted and decayed nearly beyond recognition.

A gleaming mithral breastplate stands out among the detritus. The wondrous metal has resisted the passage of time, and it is emblazoned with a red five-pointed star. DC 28 Knowledge (History) to know about this.

Alongside the armor is a handy haversack containing a dose of dust of dryness, an elixir of swimming, three potions of cure moderate wounds, a potion of water breathing, and a wand of freedom of movement (17 charges).

Continuing to pass through the forest, you see many more of the plant-zombies, collapsed and inanimate. Indeed, they seem to be rapidly decaying now that the willow has fallen.


Brannart holds his ground.

The Grease spell does not affect the tree. Its roots go too deep. I know some will differ on this, but I am going to say that "can't be tripped" means "can't be rendered prone" - if a +100 CMB Trip attempt couldn't do it, then a 1st-level spell shouldn't either.

Reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

The tree moves a tendril out of the way of the Flaming Sphere and continues to advance.

Sho's arrows do seem to injure it. Unlike a Treant, does not have DR/slashing or anything of the sort.

Having figured out that it is not immune to arrows, you can reasonably kite it to death.

Is that what you wish to do, or would you rather bypass it?

Or engage it in melee?


The monstrous tree creeps towards the party.

Round 2
Vexas
Malakar
Brannart
Crimson Musk Willow
Sho
Fenna

Round 3
Vexas
Malakar
Brannart


Fenna stabs a zombie Blue at -3
Vexas hits the same one, but fails to injure it. Crit does not confirm, so no damage.
Sho steps up and swings at it. Blue at -7.
Malakar then finishes it off.


The zombies move up.
One charges Brannart, but is hit by him twice (the readied attack and the AOO) and is destroyed.

Another charges, and is badly wounded by the ranseur only due to the AC penalty from charging but not dropped. It manages to land a blow on the warrior. Black at -13.
Charge: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 4 + 2 = 24
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Two more move up. Lacking a charge lane, they cannot attack. One is badly wounded by Brannart and finished off by Malakar. The last one, taking advantage of the distraction of the horde attack, evades Brannart's weapon entirely. As Brannart has no AOOs left for #4.

The tree, sensing the movement from the zombies, slowly lurches to follow them.

Round 1
Vexas
Malakar
Brannart
Crimson Musk Willow
Zombies
Sho
Fenna

Round 2
Vexas
Malakar
Brannart


Sho suspects there might have been two such creatures, each one having both deer hooves and eagle talons.

However, nothing troubles you if you choose to avoid the nest and press on into the forest.

At the center of the Bleeding Forest, a massive, bone-white tree rises up. The tree stands nearly sixty feet tall and measures ten feet around at its base. Desiccated animal carcasses hang in its sagging, willowy branches, and the skeletons of hundreds of animals and humanoid creatures litter the forest floor around it.

Below the tree, the ground is crisscrossed with a blood-red webbing of thorny vines.

Standing in front of the tree are four more of the plant-zombies. They turn towards you.. and the massive tree moves its tendrils in your direction. It starts to lurch.

Map is up. Starting 75' away which seems reasonable for dense forest. Let's say there is something of a clearing here, so the ground is not difficult terrain (aside from the fallen pillars and logs, which can provide Cover if you wish).

Initiative:
Brannart: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Fenna: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Malakar: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
Sho: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Vexas: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Zombies: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Tree: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Round 1
Vexas
Malakar
Brannart

Crimson Musk Willow
Zombies
Sho
Fenna


Vexas Flamespark wrote:
Just one of these for all of us...

The Locathah community now has the various ones that the party found, and would likely be willing to give them back to you for a time. But, you don't know the nature of the danger or how these Necklaces will help, so it might or might not be worth taking the journey back there.

If only some of you spoke Giant...

Continuing on, you enter a deeper part of the forest.
Ancient trees loom twenty feet overhead, their dense foliage allowing little illumination to spill down onto the forest floor. The ground is mostly bare of vegetation here, and the crumbling remains of ancient stone walls and toppled pillars indicate the presence of civilization at some point in the ancient past. Some of the trees here grow up and around partially intact stone structures, while others seem to erupt forth from the stones themselves. Two large heaps of vegetation, dead leaves, branches, and stones are assembled into an enormous nest lightly spackled with dried gore.

Sho finds curious tracks in the dirt. They seem to belong to a Medium creature that has both hooves and talons.

1d100 ⇒ 41

Do you wish to go investigate the nest?

Map is up.


The troll attempts to speak with you. "You not mean fish-people. And not the others they bring to hag."

Vexas can nod enough perhaps to keep the troll talking a little bit.

"You go hag tower? Why? Only death."

It is unlikely that the troll is going to be able to understand much in the way of sign language (not that smart and not that patient), so after some frustration he takes off a necklace and hands it to you.

"If you go hag tower, need this to pass danger. I never go back so I not need it."

It is another Necklace of Air Adaptation.

"I go. Leave this place forever."

Leaving a little bit of time for any of you to try to interact, though it will be challenging without speaking Giant. Otherwise, the scrag shambles off into the forest.


Fenna Pender wrote:
Fenna is horrified by the troll's situation. She always had a loathing for spiders, seeing insects struggle in a web as the spider wraps them to suck dry. This seems very much the same to her.

Fenna notices that the troll's wounds are healing, even as the vines make new ones. It is possible that it could suffer here for a long, long time.

With her Perception check, she also spots the thing under the ground in front of the troll. She taps the ground and brings the spear back before the vines can grab it, but she can tell something by the jerky movements of the vine - the thing under the ground is an undead plant known as a Leechroot. It too can grab foes, just as the Leechvines can.

Malakar_Paradise wrote:

With Barkskin up my CMD is 23 I am not sure what is considered 'very good'. Could we chop it away with bladed weapons or burn portions with torches? To try an isolate the troll.

Barkskin does not add to CMD, so Malakar's CMD is 20. For reference, Malakar could summon a CR 2 Crocodile with Summon Nature's Ally III and that has a +11 to Grapple.

Brannart has 27 CMD against Grapple (+5 of that from Human Fighter FCB).

Both Fenna and Vexas have Grease, which if cast on armor can give anybody a +10 CMD against Grapple, and getting into the 30s is indeed pretty solid at this level. Fenna also has Liberating Command if someone does happen to get Grappled.

You have several options here. However, getting close enough to chop away the vines will expose you to their Grab attempts. Burning them from a distance carries the risk of killing the troll.

Vexas Flamespark wrote:

Vexas accepts the scroll, clears his throat, and reads the draconic runes off of it so that they activate and disappear from the page.

He then listens to the cries of the troll.

"Help! Free me! Curse that hag. We were fools to trust her. Free me! Days, many days. The pain!"


The deceased plant-zombies have no treasure or items. It is hard to tell how long ago they were reanimated, although you can tell that they were originally human or something very close to it.

Leaving them behind, you proceed further. A well-trodden trail develops, clearly used by these zombies while searching for prey. Sho estimates that there are probably at least eight such zombies in total, possibly ten or twelve.

As you proceed, this stretch of the forest is littered with skeletal remains. Rib cages, skulls, and grasping limbs are entwined with deep red vines and bone-white roots, some covered in black moss and concealed by lush scarlet vegetation.

1d100 ⇒ 85

As you round a bend, you see a horrific sight in the underbrush.
A large wiry figure is restrained to the ground by a network of thorny vines. Blood seeps from its limbs and down the vines.

Fenna Local, Lore Master: 10 + 9 = 19
Fenna recognizes the creature as a Scrag, an aquatic troll.

Sho Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
Sho Survival: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32
Sho spots Leechvines among the thorny vines restraining the troll. These are a Hazard (in PF terms). They can grab creatures that touch them and drain them of their blood; while they cannot be easily slain, creatures can try to break free or be cut free. As a Hazard, they do not have Hit Points per se. You would need someone with a very good CMD against Grapple to go in, cut the troll free, and get him to safety before the vines grab him again.

Perception:
Brannart: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Fenna: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Malakar: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
Sho: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
Vexas: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

Malakar and Sho spot something else under the soil in front of the troll. It seems vine-like, not quite like the Leechvines but something similar... although in some odd way unlike any plants they know of. And it seems animate.

The troll moans and says something, but none of you understand. The tone implies that he is asking for help, but without speaking Giant you cannot be sure.


Malakar and Vexas wound one, although the rapier barely registers. DR 5/slashing. Yellow at -6.

Brannart dispatches his foe.

The remaining zombie strikes at Malakar, ineptly.
Slam: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Finish him! Everybody up.


Both Fenna and Sho fail to connect, the plant zombies being fast enough to dodge their strikes.

Round 2
Vexas
Malakar
Brannart

Zombies
Fenna
Sho


The zombies, seeing prey, rush to the attack, moving with a swiftness you did not expect.

One charges Brannart, but is swiftly cut down by two strikes from his weapon.

Another charges in, taking a blow from the ranseur due to AC penalty from Charge but it is still up. Vexas hits it, and it staggers. It manages to throw a feeble strike against Brannart's armor before collapsing.
Slam, Charge: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 2 = 12

A third one moves in, but it did not have a direct charge lane, so it cannot attack. It too is stabbed as it moves up.

Blue at -14.

Finally, the last one moves up to Malakar.

Round 1
Vexas
Malakar
Brannart
Zombies
Fenna
Sho


As you look around, four shambling humanoid shapes lurch into view!

Fenna, Sho, and Malakar recognize these as a variant of the Yellow Musk Zombie. They are plant creatures, not undead, but like zombies they are resistant to piercing and bludgeoning weapons.

Initiative:

Brannart: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
Fenna: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Malakar: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Sho: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
Vexas: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Enemy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Round 1
Vexas
Malakar
Brannart

Zombies
Fenna
Sho

On my phone for a week; I think I had changed the Slides link to point to the right one, but if not the it is Slide 8 with a forest trail.


Malakar_Paradise wrote:

Leaving Razor behind is the best option atm I think until I can get a 4th level slot to prep extended air breathing for him daily so he can function on land or water. I don't think you are a devious enough GM to have an Apex predator get hurt existing in its natural environment.

I have a little bit higher healing skill so I can take a wack at Treat Deadly Wounds on Branart in the future but I don't have a healing kit as I didn't know we were playing with treat deadly wounds until now.

As to bringing Razor along, I did mention the Carry Companion spell, which is only 2nd level for you. It's a very solid option. Hosteling armor is also an option down the road.

While the shark is an apex predator generally speaking, this AP has much more dangerous things in the water around the island of Ancorato. Elder Maw, for example. No, I am not going to spring encounters on Razor solo at this time, but your PC should consider the risk. That's not me being devious, that's the AP saying what lives in the water here.

Treat Deadly Wounds is a basic function of the Heal skill, in the Core Rulebook. I've never heard of any campaign not allowing it, and it's a great way to save on wand charges or spell slots if the party is not in a rush. I did bot you for the check as you saw.

Everybody happy with their position on the map?


Brannart thanks Fenna for the healing and he does indeed look much better.

Fenna looks at the giant willow-like tree in the center of the valley. It's about a mile away, but it's large enough that she can make out some details, and she starts to come to a troubling conclusion.

The pattern of the leaves, the... the animal carcasses hanging in its branches, it looks like...

Fenna:
This tree is something like a Yellow Musk Creeper, only much larger.
The standard yellow musk creeper is a hideous plant that grows in haunted graveyards, grisly battlefields, and other places where death hangs heavy in the air and thick in the soil. The yellow musk creeper’s method of procreation is singularly frightful. It slays the living, infests them with its seeds and pollen, then animates them as zombies.


Malakar leaves Razor in the cove as you make your way inland.
If he wants to change this to using Carry Companion he is welcome to.

After about two hours of hiking, you come to a remarkable sight.

A high, earthen ridge covered in scrubby vegetation soon gives way to a steep descent thick with tall, ancient oak trees of a strange, bone-white coloration. The vibrant, scarlet foliage of these trees gives the impression that the entire forest is aflame. At the center of the bowl-shaped valley stands a massive white tree with bowed branches like those of a weeping willow, but feathered with long, vibrant, red leaves.

The outer edges of the forest consist of a steep incline leading down from the ridge. A few hundred feet down, the canopy grows thick and dark. Sunlight shining through the red foliage casts a strange light across the floor of the forest, and birds flit through the branches.

Map is up. "Trail" is 10' wide and is really just an accident of topography, being the easiest way down with numerous switchbacks. Still difficult terrain.


The main question is spell prep for Malakar and what to do with Razor. Carry Companion is a possibility to have him with you, otherwise he will just remain in the water until Malakar comes back.


It's a great option, but I believe as far as Knowledge (Planes) goes it only considers ranks and not total bonus.

Getting Heal high is more essential (though you need both skills).


The Locathah village is on the other side of the island.
Map here.

You can certainly travel to the Locathah village if you like, but it is about 35-40 miles along the coastline, so perhaps three days' journey. It would be shorter to cut across the island in places, but that means leaving Razor behind (unless Malakar prepares Carry Companion).

Sho finds a campsite for the night, on a ridge overlooking a cove in which Razor can rest.

Brannart takes advantage of the opportunity to sleep heavily, not taking any watch for a change.

He was at -27 after Fenna's CLW, then down to -22 after a night's rest.

The party is undisturbed through the night.
30% chance of a random encounter every hour?? That seems like a lot. We're going to skip it for now - I don't think PbP needs a ton of random encounters, especially as we are not tracking XP.

It is fairly easy to align the Sahuagin's map with Carver Hasting's map (updated the Sahuagin path as a red line on the island map).

How do you prepare in the morning?


Fenna Pender wrote:
Fenna's spending comes in low, 4,200 gp, so maybe a wand of CLW could fall out of a tree or wash up on the beach? Bards aren't really built for healing, and I'm mostly using up my spells per day on CLW.

The party had a Wand of CLW from way back. It was down to 32 charges last time anybody posted about it. I think Malakar has it on his sheet at 38 charges.

Through some miracle of lingering Azlanti magic it is now full (50 charges), and let's track it accurately from here on out.

Don't forget that mundane healing to Treat Deadly Wounds is an option to conserve wand charges.


Where to now?

Back to Talmandor's Bounty to check in, or do you want to hit another site on the list?


@Fenna - sure, that all sounds fine.

@Malakar - yes, you can count a single natural weapon to be your attuned weapon. And, you could buy an Amulet of Mighty Fists, but it would have no enhancement bonus, only the special ability. If you bought a Shock Amulet of Mighty Fists then you would deduct the Shock cost (+1) from your available bonus (+1) and so have +0 until 9th level (at which point you would have a +2, reduced to +1 for the Shock cost).
No, there is no adjustment for the existing items - those are considered to be nonmagical more or less. They don't exist under ABP. It is convenient that the automatic bonuses are just about equal, so you don't have to change your stats much if at all.

@Sho - if there isn't anything here that you like, feel free to just take a pearl or trinket and create a way for something to turn up that you want. It is entirely possible that colonists could turn up a pair of Arrows of Slaying for you, or that you could discover you are actually wearing Elven Cloak & Boots (5,000 GP but they were a combo in the old days), or something else.


ABP at level 5:
+1 Resistance bonus to all saves
+1 Armor Attunement
+1 Weapon Attunement
+1 Deflection bonus

"Items that only grant bonuses to AC, saving throws, and ability scores don’t exist in this variant"

So, forget about old Amulets of Natural Armor and Rings of Protection and the like.

Magic weapon special abilities do exist, but you subtract the equivalent bonus from your attunement bonus. If Brannart still had the +1 Seaborne Ranseur, he would subtract 1 (for Seaborne) from his available attunement bonus, making it a +0 Seaborne Ranseur in his hands (with +1 to hit because it would still be Masterwork). I think that's the only special ability of any armor or weapons so nobody has to worry about that. Brannart will just use a regular Ranseur and make it +1 through Attunement (Seaborne isn't really useful for a piercing weapon anyway).

By WBL, you should have about 10,500 GP in gear at level 5; with ABP, it is half that (since you get a bunch of automatic bonuses), meaning 5,250 GP in items. If you are a bit below after getting your new item, I'll look to remedy that soon, and if you are a bit above don't worry too much - the WBL goes up quite a bit at level 6.


You are able to explore the rest of the reef but find nothing else of interest.

Returning to Vriskirsa, the water naga thanks you for your service.

"Well done, ssssurface dwellerssss. My home issss mine again. I give you each one gift from amongst my treasures."

The items include:

  • A Clear Spindle Ioun Stone
  • A Pearl Dolphin Figurine of Wondrous Power
  • A Medium-sized Mithral Breastplate
  • A Handy Haversack with a set of Eyes of the Eagle in the side pouch
  • A Druid's Vestment
  • A Mnemonic Vestment

    As well as a collection of jewelry and gems.


  • So, a Cloak of the Manta Ray (the big find here) is precisely the kind of item that never gets used in PF unless you have a Protection domain cleric, an Abjuration occultist, or Automatic Bonus Progression.

    I really like ABP and if there were a unanimous vote for it, I'd switch to it. The whole "collecting loot, selling it, and buying optimal gear" story is just not consistent with any of the fantasy fiction that forms so much of the inspiration for PF or other RPGs. And, the magic item economy of PF has some really glaring logical flaws.

    If ABP is not unanimously preferred, then I would like to do this instead: discard the whole "collecting/selling/buying loot" aspect, but keep you near WBL with gear that happens to be at least close to what you want. So, if you just give away the Necklaces of Air Adaptation to the Locathah tribe, then you will just happen to find items that you need. The four necklaces you found would have a sale value of 20,000, split five ways for 4,000 GP each. Pick a 4,000 GP item, and it could be in Vriskirsa's hoard, or the Locathah could have them to gift in exchange. Or maybe existing items that you have become magical in some way (for example, Brannart may decide to don his old sash from the Medevian Crusades and it will have the power of a Sash of the War Champion while he wears it).

    There'd still be a reason to find magic items (especially notable items you might use as-is, or consumables), but scraping for every copper becomes less pressing, as does the logic of finding buyers.

    Destroy the skeletal champion's Unholy sword and the party will happen to find items of roughly equal value to having sold it.

    Give mundane weapons and armor to the colonists, and they will in turn gift items they have found in their own explorations.

    Happy to hear thoughts on ABP. For now, let's just say you can each get a 4,000 GP item somehow or other, and that can happen over the next few days.


    Malakar manages to stop the bleeding.

    With Elder Maw and its keeper dead, and the Sahaugin chief fled, the party can explore the reef at their leisure.

    The Sahuagin had another Necklace of Air Adaptation in addition to the following:
    Potion of cure light wounds
    Mwk longspear
    Mwk underwater heavy crossbow with 20 bolts
    Hand of the mage
    Agate earring worth 25 gp
    7 pearls worth 100 gp each
    18 gp

    Elder Maw's usual den is found where Koloshkora had said she saw it.

    An opening in the seabed below the coral reef leads to a massive underwater cave. The cave is undecorated save for a single patch of interwoven kelp strands attached to the wall. Small bones are scattered around the bed along with a few rusted curiosities from the sunken ship.

    Most of the trinkets from the sunken ship are worthless in their rusted condition, but there is one locked steel box that has somehow resisted the elements.

    Vexas is eventually able to get the box open, finding a folded magical cloak that, given time, the party is able to identify as a Cloak of the Manta Ray.


    Sho's arrow badly wounds the Sahuagin it is at 7 HP after that and Razor finishes it off.

    Razor continues to bleed from the wounds inflicted by Elder Maw, taking another 1d4 ⇒ 2 damage. The blood shows no signs of stopping.

    How will you attempt to stem the bleeding?


    We can go with either one, Vexas. Although you might normally need a Heal check to verify that Elder Maw is dead, I see you have already moved on the map so we'll roll with that.

    Vexas stabs the Sahuagin. I added +2 more damage from Inspire Courage - don't forget that, it will come up a lot!
    She rages, drops her crossbow, draws her spear, and stabs at him.

    Attack, Blood Frenzy, PA: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 10
    Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 6 = 13

    Fortunately for Vexas, she is wildly inaccurate.

    Round 4
    Vexas
    Sahuagin -24
    Brannart -33
    Sho
    Fenna
    Malakar (Razor -16, Bleeding)


    Sho puts one arrow into the Sahaugin, but the other misses.
    Fenna advances on the enemy.
    Razor finishes off the dying Feeder in the Depths, though he takes another 1d4 ⇒ 1 bleed damage.
    Malakar heals Brannart.
    Brannart uses Total Defense.

    Round 4
    Vexas
    Sahuagin -15
    Brannart -33
    Sho
    Fenna
    Malakar (Razor -16, Bleeding)


    @Fenna - swimming (without a Swim speed) is half your base speed as a full-round action, or one-quarter your speed as a move action. So 15' is already a double move for Fenna. Any changes to your positioning?

    @Malakar - Elder Maw is unconscious, so technically that would be a hit for Razor (AC would be 10 +10 natural -2 Size -5 Dex -4 helpless = 9) if you still want to do that. Meanwhile Malakar could heal Brannart, but Brannart is in a lot less danger now that Elder Maw is down. Just wanted to make sure you were aware of the situation.


    Do you plan on taking your turn, Malakar?


    Malakar delays.
    Razor bleeds for 1d4 ⇒ 1 damage, and Elder Maw heals a bit, but is still unconscious.

    The Sahuagin fires at Brannart, to no avail.

    Crossbow, 2nd range increment: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 8 - 2 = 10

    Round 3
    Vexas
    Sahuagin
    Elder Maw (-118, unconscious, stable)
    Brannart -45
    Sho
    Fenna
    Malakar (Razor -15, Bleeding)


    @Sho, I believe Ranger's Focus improves to +4 at level 5 so that is even more damage!

    Sho launches two arrows into the great shark, wounding it seriously.
    Elder Maw at -97.

    Malakar is up!

    I will post Brannart's either after Malakar goes or else tonight.


    My mistake, Vexas. I thought I had bolded you for the start of Round 3. In any event I don't think it is necessary at this point. Sho did a ton of damage!

    There are still some very tough fights ahead I will say, and you aren't going to be able to natively cast Haste for a while, so hanging on to that scroll could be a good move. Right now all the party needs is one hit from Razor, Malakar, or Brannart.


    @Vexas, if I had to guess I would say that Sho and Malakar are probably waiting on you, to see if you use that Haste scroll or not. It would affect their turns.

    I really do want to maintain a pattern of people posting their action within 24 hours of their turn coming up.


    Hero Points rules

    Maximum Hero Points: Characters can have no more than 3 hero points at any one time. Excess hero points are lost.

    Hero points can be spent at any time and do not require an action to use (although the actions they modify consume part of your character's turn as normal). You cannot spend more than 1 hero point during a single round of combat. To answer Sho's question. Whenever a hero point is spent, it can have any one of the following effects.

  • Act Out of Turn: You can spend a hero point to take your turn immediately. Treat this as a readied action, moving your initiative to just before the currently acting creature. You may only take a move or a standard action on this turn.

  • Bonus: If used before a roll is made, a hero point grants you a +8 luck bonus to any one d20 roll. If used after a roll is made, this bonus is reduced to +4. You can use a hero point to grant this bonus to another character, as long as you are in the same location and your character can reasonably affect the outcome of the roll (such as distracting a monster, shouting words of encouragement, or otherwise aiding another with the check). Hero points spent to aid another character grant only half the listed bonus (+4 before the roll, +2 after the roll).

  • Extra Action: You can spend a hero point on your turn to gain an additional standard or move action this turn.

  • Inspiration: If you feel stuck at one point in the adventure, you can spend a hero point and petition the GM for a hint about what to do next. If the GM feels that there is no information to be gained, the hero point is not spent.

  • Recall: You can spend a hero point to recall a spell you have already cast or to gain another use of a special ability that is otherwise limited. This should only be used on spells and abilities possessed by your character that recharge on a daily basis.

  • Reroll: You may spend a hero point to reroll any one d20 roll you just made. You must take the results of the second roll, even if it is worse.

  • Special: You can petition the GM to allow a hero point to be used to attempt nearly anything that would normally be almost impossible. Such uses are not guaranteed and should be considered carefully by the GM. Possibilities include casting a single spell that is one level higher than you could normally cast (or a 1st-level spell if you are not a spellcaster), making an attack that blinds a foe or bypasses its damage reduction entirely, or attempting to use Diplomacy to convince a raging dragon to give up its attack. Regardless of the desired action, the attempt should be accompanied by a difficult check or penalty on the attack roll. No additional hero points may be spent on such an attempt, either by the character or her allies.

  • Cheat Death: A character can spend 2 hero points to cheat death. How this plays out is up to the GM, but generally the character is left alive, with negative hit points but stable. For example, a character is about to be slain by a critical hit from an arrow. If the character spends 2 hero points, the GM decides that the arrow pierced the character's holy symbol, reducing the damage enough to prevent him from being killed, and that he made his stabilization roll at the end of his turn. Cheating death is the only way for a character to spend more than 1 hero point in a turn. The character can spend hero points in this way to prevent the death of a familiar, animal companion, eidolon, or special mount, but not another character or NPC.


  • My guess is that Elder Maw goes down this round, especially with Hero Points in play, but that depends on people taking their turns.


    The scroll of Haste would give Sho an extra shot, and she potentially does a lot of damage (Guide ranger focus + Inspire Courage + Deadly Aim + maybe Rapid Shot). It would also give Razor another bite attack. It affects 5 targets, remember.

    Vexas would suffer an AOO if he closed to melee range. Elder Maw is Huge (15' space, 10' reach).


    That is something I may consider, Malakar.

    Are you waiting for anyone else to go before you take your turn?


    Obviously it's a little tricky with a GMPC as I don't want to hog the spotlight. Brannart had the AC, HP, and some tricks to survive two rounds, but that is why he moved up to take on Elder Maw. He's that guy. That's his job.

    Brannart has a free-action one-time Haste boon (courtesy of Mioki) that he will probably use up on his next turn (and which I had entirely forgotten about). And he's a primary damage dealer so there is a fair chance that he will get the kill here with the Haste. Because of that, I will have him hold off so you can get your turns in.

    This is a rather new realm for me so please do advise if I am spotlighting Brannart too much or if you have other concerns (either publicly here or via PM). I hope to be fair in my rulings and NPC actions regarding him, and I hope that his presence continues to be an asset to the party.

    Certainly, a replacement GM would be preferable, but I've had mixed luck with that in the past. I may ask around again in the future but for now I think we are doing okay.


    @Malakar - Greater Magic Fang lasts much longer, at hour/level, so it remains a good option.

    Vexas shoots a bolt into Elder Maw, mildly annoying it.

    The Sahuagin swims up above the great shark and fires again at Brannart.
    Heavy Crossbow, 2nd range increment: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 8 - 2 = 20
    The water slows the bolt just enough that Brannart is able to dodge.

    However, Elder Maw continues to focus on him.

    Attack: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34
    Confirm?: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (15) + 15 = 30
    Crit Damage: 4d6 + 20 ⇒ (1, 6, 3, 2) + 20 = 32

    The beast is about to take his head off, when he manages to jam his buckler into its teeth. The shield is torn to shreds, but Brannart remains alive.

    Brannart uses Armored Sacrifice (1/day). "When damage would cause the fighter or an adjacent ally to be knocked unconscious or killed, the fighter can instead direct the damage to a suit of armor that he is wearing or a shield he is using as an immediate action. The original target takes no damage, but the armor or shield is treated as if it had only half its normal hardness." So 10 HP destroys the shield, but unlike Sunder there is no provision for spillover damage affecting the original target, as it specifically says they take no damage.

    Elder Maw is not done, and attacks again, with Brannart now bereft of his shield.

    Swift Bite: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
    Brannart is able to dodge, but is quickly running out of options.

    Round 2
    Vexas
    Sahuagin
    Elder Maw -60
    Brannart -45 (at 11/56)
    Sho
    Fenna
    Malakar (Razor -14, Bleeding)


    Elder Maw snaps at Razor at the shark approaches.

    AOO: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (15) + 15 = 30
    Damage: 2d6 + 10 ⇒ (2, 1) + 10 = 13
    Bleed: 1d4 ⇒ 1

    Razor is able to hit Elder Maw, though the Feeder in the Depths heals a bit from Razor's bleeding wound.

    @Malakar, I think you have Razor's damage too high. Are you applying Greater Magic Fang? It is only a +1 at your level, which would make Razor's PA +9 to hit (+3 BAB, +4 Str, +1 WF, +1 GMF) for 1d6+10 damage (+6 Str, +3 PA, +1 GMF).

    Round 2
    Vexas
    Sahuagin
    Elder Maw -56
    Brannart -45 (at 11/56)
    Sho
    Fenna
    Malakar (Razor -14, Bleeding)


    Hero Point Reroll: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
    Fenna manages to stanch the bleeding.

    Round 1
    Vexas
    Sahuagin
    Elder Maw -37
    Brannart -45 (at 11/56)
    Sho
    Fenna
    Malakar

    Round 2
    Vexas


    In answer to Vexas's question, the Sahuagin moves up and fires its crossbow at Brannart.

    Attack, 2nd range increment: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 8 - 2 = 26
    Damage: 1d10 ⇒ 10
    Confirm: 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 8 - 2 = 21
    Crit Damage: 1d10 ⇒ 8
    The bolt hits Brannart in a gap in his armor, dealing a significant wound.

    The shark moves up protectively.

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