Durnast, if the Usurer noticed your furrowed brow and everyone else's startled expressions, it didn't show on his face. He simply smiles an unpleasant kind of smile, and returns to his forge.
Boss Clantock, a half-orc with some hard experience behind him, approaches the party, his company a respectful distance back, most of them with bolts knocked and drawn, but crossbows not raised. "I would like a word with you, neighbors."
--+--+--
There are some pressing issues: talking with the rangers, not to mention tracking down Gurg. The sooner you do that, the better the likelihood that you'll catch him --and the Bard's Gate expedition-- alive.
Assuming you survive your neighborly talk with the Furious Fourteen, how long do you want to spend preparing the Bender corpses? Would you prefer to have Hetman's help?
How thoroughly do you want to search the boarding house?
How thoroughly do you want to continue asking questions around Camp?
"Tinthariel COULD be willing to take over the Inn. I don't know if "filling the job" would necessarily change the rest of ours' status as 'outcasts', but it would offer a convenient segue for Tin, as well as potentially giving us a friend in Camp if we return, who might have SOME clue to the goings-on in town. He didn't really seem the proseletyzing sort, so he might even get along fine in this role...?"
Tinthariel has healed the orc back to a bleary, bloody consciousness, and watches him stagger back to his mercenary comrades. "Yes," he says. "I think my soul would take less damage if I stayed on here. The combat, it's too much for my mind to take at this point."
"Surely, if there were, Boss Clantock would not need to count five of his men twice. These days, our greatest cleric is Father Death," he says, gesturing towards the temple to Orcus. "Perhaps he might bring your friends back to ... something resembling life. Why don't you ask him? I'm sure his terms would be most reasonable."
Artimus:
Spoiler:
Something about the way he phrased that: "These days..." It strikes you as the kind of thing a man like the Usurer wouldn't normally waste words saying.
The Usurer looks at Montegue with a complicated expression. "Jashanah and Jebli Bender are two of the most feared outlaws of King's Chapel. To hear their stories, they killed their gaoler while being led, bound and gagged, to the gallows. Jashanah was no more "helpless" in your grasp than would have been a medusa.
"You will see to it that men of such renown have decent burials. That's advice, by the way, not a command. Make sure they don't come back for you, because if they do, they'll be really angry."
He turns to address the rest of you.
"Yes, you took down Gurg, stirring trouble between him and the Fourteen. You struck down the Cheat, that's true, but he was more an evening's entertainment than anything else. And now you've killed the Benders. My, my, my.
"You say the boarding house is 'undamaged, ready to be run by another.' No. It's ready to be run by you. A decent place for visitors to stay for the night is a necessary part of Camp, and you are now responsible for it. You may charge whatever you like."
As the Clantock gang, all nine of them, step up, the Usurer holds his hand up. "There will be no need for that. These people are deciding whether they want to be part of the Camp society --in which case they're your neighbors, and you want to be neighborly towards them-- or else they're outcasts, and will be out of Camp, permanently, within the hour."
Montegue's ninja-like reflexes send him into action before Artimus. Trained in grapling smaller opponents, he holds the gnome's neck and arm, putting his right shin against the gnome's midsection, and leans upon the opponent; at the same time, Monegue swings his left leg over the gnome's head, into the cross armlock position. This rouses the gnome from his reverie.
"Wha -- where?" he stammers, suddenly aware of the arrows piercing his chest and leg, and of the monk hyperextending his elbow.
The Usurer answers calmly, in a deep voice. "Jashanah, these men have raided your home, and have in all liklihood --given what you've told me-- dispatched both Jebli and Joshiah." He looks idly at Artimus, as the paladin closes the distance. "And I wouldn't be surprised if your time here in camp were coming to a close."
Artimus comes rushing up and speaks to the Usurer as he attacks the gnome. Even with his weakest blow, Artimus' technique and strength drive the blade deep into the gnome's shoulder, dropping him.
"Indeed, Artimus," the Usurer agrees laconicly. "Such a slight could not be forgiven. But what of the damage you and your party have done to the Camp? Shall we be any more forgiving?"
Do you folks have any feel for how long that adventure in the Tombs took? I would suggest at least two weeks, but that would be at "adventuring full-bore" speed the entire time.
A couple of questions for each of you:
What did your allies learn about:
a) your attitudes towards such maleficent evils?
b) your attitudes towards something else?
c) your signature fighting techniques or spells?
What piece of equipment do you now use, that others find notable?
Let me give the new folks a bit of background about the Tomb of Abysthor.
Spoiler:
North of the city of Bard’s Gate, in the hills of the Stoneheart Mountains, lie the ruins of twin shrines dedicated to Thyr and Muir—the God of Justice and the Goddess of Virtue and Paladinhood. Near the ruined shrines lies a series of catacombs used as burial halls for the followers of Thyr and Muir. Long abandoned, these catacombs are now home to various evil creatures. The complex has come to be known as the Stoneheart Mountain Dungeon.
In ages past, two vast temples to Thyr and Muir were erected in Bard’s Gate at the founding of that great city that still stands today. The priests of these noble gods erected smaller temples in a secluded valley to the north, known as the Valley of the Shrines. In the nearby hills they carved burial halls to house their fallen heroes. For years the worship of Thyr and Muir thrived, producing heroes and paladins of legend, some of whom are entombed in the burial halls.
But new gods came. And the worship of Thyr and Muir—both demanding deities— waned in favor of the more liberal gods of song, craft and commerce. Unable to maintain both the twin temples in Bard’s Gate and the complex in the Valley of the Shrines, the priests of Thyr and Muir returned their worship to Bard's Gate. Abandoned, the burial halls remained sacred places, and small groups of pilgrims continued to the sealed temples to pay respect to their fallen predecessors. As the years passed and the worship of Thyr and Muir declined further, the shrines in the northern valley fell to disuse and ruin. Only a handful of devoted priests, led by the high priest Abysthor, were left to continue the services. In his final years, Abysthor spent his days —bent with age and infirmity— in the main temple in commune with his deity. Declaring he had received a great vision, he traveled alone to the Valley of the Shrines, claiming he would return soon and that the glory of Thyr and Muir would be restored. Abysthor was never seen again. Many groups of priests followed after him, though none could brave the staggering corruption that had infested the abandoned burial halls.
Abysthor’s failed quest was taken as a sign of final decline of the faiths in Bard's Gate. For the last twenty years, no more paladins were ordained to Muir, the once-shining lady of virtue; no more priests entered the worship of Thyr, the once-great god of justice. Only a handful of acolytes now remain in the temples in Bard’s Gate, the cavernous temples falling to ruin, empty of worshipers.
The physical ruin of the shrines and burial halls is by far the least of the corruption of the once-holy sanctuaries. In the great caves beneath the burial halls, the tsathar, inhuman priests of the foul god Tsathogga, had raised a temple to their hideous demon-frog god. More vile still, a contingent of priests of Orcus—the god of the undead—recently came from the legendary Rappan Athuk to corrupt the burial halls and exploit the location as a base of operations. The followers of the two evil gods reached an uneasy truce. Both, however, sought a power darker still—the power of a legendary Black Monolith hidden somewhere in the caverns, sealed away long ago.
You were able to kill a gray slaad who claimed the rank of "the Most Foul of Tsathogga" and rout most of the tsathar forces, and break the foothold of Koraashag, the high priest of Orcus. (A nasty piece of work, that one. He memorized slay living as a common tactic, and had a word of recall contingency that kept foiling your chhances to take him out.) (You also turned him against both his lieutenant, the advanced wight Draeligor, and their erstwhile ally, Xarrr’x the Beholder.)
You faced “Dark Natasha,” a renegade drow sorceress, who sought refuge from the sun and a place to practice her demonic conjurations. And you temporarily allied yourself with Balcoth, an undead rune mage from another plane, before banishing him as well. (Balcoth had 21 rare tomes in his library; feel free to use this as justification for high knowledge ranks, or Nadeq's interest in the shadowrealms.)
Eventually, you found the "Tomb of Abysthor" himself, which supplied you with a key that teleported you to an inner sanctum, where you found an ancient construct known as the Black Monolith, the source of all the evil energies in the place, which all the other inhabitants were tapping. A sacrifice of 22 life levels from characters dedicated to Law and Goodness was necessary to break the Monolith's power.
There are still traces of evil and corruption in the shrines, but you've broken the major power blocs and the source of evil magics. You probably lost a few friends in the process, and you might well be reduced in power yourselves.
As others have noted, we're rounding hit dice up, so you should have 9 (Rogue, 1st Level, plus Con bonus) + 6 (rogue) + 6 + 5(wizard, round up, plus Con bonus) + 5 + 5 + 5 + 6 (Shadowdancer) = 42. If, as you say, you want to add the bonuses for favored class, that would be 45.
For skill ranks, I count that you should have 50, and I count that you have 54. Am I missing something?
You've had a dream, these last couple of weeks. It starts the same. You're sitting on a wooden stool, in some sort of warm, enclosed room. There's a fire in the hearth, but no windows. You're at peace, and Windrazor is there with you. But also in the room is a giant oak, huge and unthinkably ancient. And you can tell it's hungry. As the dream continues, you see people whom you've spoken to that day: shopkeepers, farmers, maybe enemies you've confronted. And each of them passes by you solemnly and walks into the oak tree with a sick, sucking sound. With each, the tree grows greater, and the room grows colder and grayer. At some point, you realize that you're no longer inside, but rather sitting on the stool in a desert of ashes. A wind howls up, blinding you for a second, and then you're in some kind of garden, beautiful, sweet-smelling, but wrong. You look around, and the giant oak is there, smeared with blood.
And that's when you wake up. The hearth might be a metaphor for Freya. If the oak is a metaphor, there are several possibilities: strength or stability, the god Obad-hai, or passage between worlds. Or it could just be a wicked big oak that eats people. Prophetic dreams are never clear about that kind of thing.
Questions:
1) Is Windrazor an eagle (that is, a raptor) or a hawk (that is, a buzzard)?
2) The way I count your attributes, before the raise at 4th level, the magical enhancement, and the +2 bonus for being human, your stats only need to cost 19. Of course, you could have chosen to be slightly inefficient, for character-building reasons, but you do have another point to put in Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma.
3) Without any contribution from favored class, it looks like you should have 45 hit points.
4) I'm having a hard time figuring out where you put your 35 skill ranks (plus however many you chose to use from favored class).
EDIT: Also I will have to look at taking the favored class HP bonus since lack of HP seems to be an issue.
Eric, I took a quick look over Rasina, and I like the fact that you caught a lot of the Pathfinder-specific character bits, and I like your layout, too.
Two questions:
1) For hit points: you have 37 listed. I count: 9 (rogue, first level, maximum on the d8 + 1 for Constitution) + 6 (4.5, rounded up, plus 1 for Con) + 6 + 6 + 6 + 5 (that's 3.5, rounded up, plus 1 for Con) + 5 = 43, without putting any favored class points into hit points.
2) Skill ranks: You have 57 ranks listed. So far as I can tell, you ought to have 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 2 + 2 = 44. Even if you put all 7 favored class points into skill ranks, you'd still only end up with 51. Am I missing something?
I haven't added up all the equipment yet, or figured Encumbrance. I'll do that tomorrow.
The third gnome stands, transfixed by Durnast's enchantments. The Usurer keeps both his ground and his counsel.
At the end of the round, Montegue is within striking distance of the gnome. Next round, Artimus will be able to close and strike (remember, those are only 2.5' squares, not 5'). Alia still has a few arrows left in her quiver, and nothing is currently challenging Durnast. (Tinthariel, an NPC for the forseeable future, is still inside the boarding house, tending to the injured. He'll return to the front door of the boarding house at the end of the next round.)
Next round. The Clantocks gather to the west, growing great in their wrath, getting ready to confront you in a round or two. You all act before the gnome or the Usurer.
And, after consulting your collective advice, I've invited Rasina (Half-elf Celestial Sorcerer / Rogue), Nadq (Halfling Transmuter / Rogue / Shadowdancer), Mikka (Druid of Freya), and Richard (Cleric of Thyr) to join the fun. A party of eight is not so large that Slumbering Tsar ceases to be a challenge, and it allows for some attrition when the party is in the Wasteland.
Montegue, I takebhe comment about being caught in the spell's area of effect. Durnast was clever enough to catch the gnome just at the edge of the rainbow pattern so you can close on him without being subject to the spell.
Artimus, you are not (yet?) feeling any further effects of the poison.
Also, Artimus, the position Quandary put you in on the map is already 30' from where you were at the beginnn of the round, next to the second Bender brother. So, you can move towards him for the rest of the round. The gnome, however, is mesmerized by the pretty waves of color circling around him, and he's no longer advancing to meet you.
..if I shifted them 30' away would that do the trick?
Yep.
Quandary wrote:
I'm just not quite sure why you said Artimus couldn't see them before they got closer, unless that was because we weren't outside yet...?
Yep.
Quandary wrote:
I assume the Usurer passed his Save, since you said they were within 20', which is isn't a problem with a 20' radius.
Nope. The area of effect for the rainbow pattern just spilled around the Usurer. You've seen people make their save against it, and they are still in the sphere of effect. But it's as if there were something occluding the magic.
Montegue, you can reach the gnome this round, but he's bewildered within Durnast's spell effect. If you attack him face to face (a) you'll need to make a Will save yourself, and (b) that doesn't really seem sporting, does it?
Quandary, if the squares were indicating 10' instead of 5', everything would be placed pretty close to correct. Mostly, you'll want to spread things out twice as far away as you currently have them. (The embassy is actually straight to the south of the boarding house, rather than south-east, and the gnome and Usurer are coming from the east, rather than the north east, but those are minor.)
The rainbow pattern snares the gnome in its kaleidoscope of confusion, but the spell's area of effect seems to wash around the Usurer, without coming close to him. Nevertheless he stops, more out of curiosity than anything else.
Artimus, the gnome won't necessarily come into view for a while, probably not until he's within melee distance to Alia. If you want to, you could exit the boarding house and head east. You might end up being able to hit the little feller.
--+--+--
And there are plenty of people who've posted requests to join the group, here. Please drop me an email with your opinions as to which players, or characters, you'd like to invite in.
Outside, the gnome is racing ahead of the Usurer's concerned but measured steps. Camomile sees the gaunt man slow down for a moment to cast a spell.
Durnast, through Cam's link, you can tell
Spoiler:
it's a general-purpose abjuration spell. It looks to be built like shield, but the gestures that support a physical defense, the basic building blocks of the shield spell, aren't present.
It's now the top of Round 5. The gnome looks to be arriving at the bottom of the round. Alia, if you popped out into the open, you could shoot him with no range modifiers.
The Usurer will arrive at the bottom of Round 6. The Clantock mercenaries, shortly thereafter.
Regular posting requested. Strong characterization is the norm.
Right now, we have four characters:
Artimus, 7th Level Paladin
Montegue, 7th Level Monk
Durnast, 7th Level Wizard with Camomile, his pseudo-dragon familiar
Alia, 7th Level Ranger, with Swiftpaws, her wolf companion
We'd be up for two or three more characters. ("Slumbering Tsar" is a dangerous adventure, and a party of six or seven PCs wouldn't overpower the scenario.)
And that's enough to take him down. One foot to the jaw, two arrows, and some fiery darts are enough to kill the gnome. He fades back into visibility as his body grows still, but the glitterdust effect maintains. A small pool of blood forms under his chest.
Camomile, you hear a real ruckus inside the boarding house, and it would appear that you're not the only one. The third gnome (how many of them are there, anyway?) and the tall gaunt man are now running towards the place, and it looks like the orcs to the west are getting a party together, as well.
As they close in on you, you do everything you can to push them away to make .. them ... gone. And like that, your mind snaps back to reality. After a second of disorientation, you realize you've been the recipient of a phantasmal killer effect.
Quandary wrote:
does Antitoxin give you a SECOND save at +5, or does it need to be used before-hand? Obviously, in real-world use, it is applied AFTER poisonous bites...???
The antitoxin affects every periodic saving throw that the character would attempt afterwards.
(There aren't "antidisease" and "anticurse" analogues to antitoxin, but that sounds like a fun mechanic to play with.)
Ugg, sorry about the delay, I tried to post last evening but for some reason the whole site became inaccessible.
For everybody. The company's ISP srver got dunked upriver.
Durnast" wrote:
So, what Durnast immediately did upon seeing the Invisible Gnome crouched in the room (BEFORE Monty's flying jump kick) was to cast Glitterdust at the Gnome (Will DC18 or Blinded). That would make the Gnome visible to all, so Montague didn't really need to roll the Miss Chance. Also, I believe that was Montague's first attack, so he would have been Invisible up to that moment (which grants a +2 attack bonus).
Yay for glitterdust. But the monk had moved out of the invisibility sphere's effects, so he was already visible. (Indeed, the second gnome had addressed him as he sped into the boarding house, not twelve seconds ago.) So, the kick still missed, but because the gnome is wily and swift, not because he's invisible.
1d20+9 = 21 He makes his saving throw, too, and avoids being blinded.
Montegue, you nail the little sucker. He skips over Durnast at the door, and casts a spell.
Concentration: 1d20+15 = 23 He gets the spell off.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19.Durnast, you do not recognize the spell as it's being cast. (You think that it might be because he's casting it silently, and under the effects of the glitterdust enchantment.)
Durnast, the floorboards below you give way and Jylan and Chyressa, long dead and maggot-infested, come reaching up to take you. "You wanted to share our company yesterday," hisses Jylan's corpse. "Come join us today."
Please make a Will saving throw, and then a Fortitude save as well.
Durnast wrote:
I'll decide my action for THIS turn once I get an update on how all that turned out :-)
You'll act before Artimus' killing blow.
Alia, the second and third blows hit home. Two arrows fade from view, surrounded now by the nimbus of energies surrounding the gnome. He's still up.
Durnast:[delaying; would you like to cast glitterdust?]
Montague: kicking, missing.
Montegue, you hear someone, most likely an invisible person, tumble over Durnast and make his way out the door. You can make an Attack of Opportunity. Then something else might happen.
Camomile, Swiftpaws: nothing new outside to report.
Back in the mist-shrouded foyer, the second gnome swings his weapon at Artimus (rolling 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26 to attack, with damage 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3). He then takes a step back into the fog.
Artimus, you take a step forward to follow and hit the gnome again. He falls, to the weapon's blade and to the divine force guiding it. He tries to rise, fails, and slumps into a pile. He lets go of the hatchet, and the righteous smite dissipates from your sword arm.
Alia: you direct Tinthariel, and hear Durnast in the hallway to your left. "Alia! One of the gnomes is making a break for it!"
The gnome rolled a 20, and confirmed with a 19. The Smite did help to keep the second blow from landing, however.
"Yes, we killed them, but only in self-defense! They drew weapons on us. And this morning, you've come as another band of murderers, and we'll kill you as well. And it will self-defense, again." Artimus, you can tell that his earnestness is genuine. His words might be as well, but you're not sure.
Artimus, you reach behind you to feel the wound, and your hand comes back bloody -which you expected-- and also covered in a brown, sticky substance that smells faintly of honey. Your legs tingle slightly, and you realize that it's only a matter of time before the venom forces you out of the fight.
Your first blow is convincing. Your second swing is close enough to scratch him, but nothing worse than that.
Three arrows go whistling through the mists, from behind you and from the right, one striking the gnome.
But as he shifts his stance, you get a glimpse of him clearly, despite the roiling vapors. He's injured, that's for sure, but still on his feet. He's holding the cleaver in one hand, and his other hand is holding a fine chain, from which is swinging a large blue gem.
Round Four
Durnast, you see the gnome, and he realizes the jig is up. You've got a second to make a single action before he can do anything. What are you doing?
Montague, the wizard Durnast has run up to you. He looks into the room, and his eyes lock on something in the far corner, between the bed and the wall, where the noise came from.
Camomile, the gnome and the Usurer are approaching closer. There's some animated discussion off to the west. It's likely that something is spooking the Clantock gang.
Alia, Tinthariel carries the half-orc's body up to you. "He's in bad shape," the cleric reports. "What should we do with him?" Behind him stretches the east wing, containing a few small rooms and presumably the Bender brothers' personal chambers.
(continuing round 3)
Clantock's Half-orc: out of the fight
Swiftpaws the Wolf: checking the area around the boarding house. So far, nothing. There is some commotion going on about a full move distant, in the direction away from the Camp commons. A small pack of humanoids, arguing among themselves. (Which is, when you come down to it, what humanoids do best.)
Speaking of which:
Second gnome: from somewhere in the mist, calls out in a meek voice, "If.. if what you want is money, we don't got much. Maybe a hundred or so iron bits. But.. but you're welcome to them! Just leave my brother at me at peace! He's got room to tidy up, and I --" he says, his voice suddenly behind Artimus, and very close, and dripping with menace: "I have meat to kill and dress!" He strikes at Artimus with his cleaver, at such an angle that your armor works with the attack; one of the armored plates pivots in and up, magnifying the force of the blow against your right kidney. It could be worse, maybe, but you'll have to stop and think to imagine how. Take 20 points of damage from the blow. A second chop swings and misses.
Durnast: warns people about what Camomile sees, and moves down the hall towards the room Montegue entered. You see him leave the room, then pause and look back. Looking in the room, you see a gnome, hiding in the corner, semi-transparent due to the invisibility spell on him.
Artimus: You're up. And please make a Fortitude saving throw.
Alia: Your arrows go flying into the mist, where you hope the gnome is waiting. You hear two arrows bite into the wood floor, but maybe not three.
Tinthariel: Alarmed, drags the body of the half-orc into the shelter of the boarding house. He's leaving a clear smear of blood.
Round Two
The gnome in the foyer: moves through the trapdoor.
Montague: gets to the trapdoor and opens it.
Camomile the Pseudo-Dragon: aids Swiftpaws' attack.
Clantock's Half-orc: attacks Swiftpaws.
Swiftpaws the Wolf: attacks and steps back.
Second gnome: casts obscuring mist.
Durnast: delaying
Artimus: rushes forward. You see the vague form of a figure, about 4-foot high, standing there in the gloom. At first, you thought you'd lost him, but then you realize he's crouched down; he's assumed a position you recognize as an opportunity-fighter's stance, probably similar to Chyressa's fighting style.
You swing with your Smite and don't connect; whether that's because of the fog or his wily maneuvering, you can't tell.
Alia: fires one arrow into the half-orc, who now lies still and bleeding on the ground, and two into the supernatural mists filling the boarding house. Neither the gnome nor Artimus cry out.
Tinthariel: moves to the half-orc and casts a simple spell, stablizing him.
Round Three
The first gnome: unknown.
Montague: You're just outside the room when you hear faint breathing behind you. Something unseen in the far corner of the room is trying very hard to be quiet.
Camomile the Pseudo-Dragon: sees far to the east --at about the Camp commons-- that a third gnome, much like the other two, is walking alongside the Usurer. The gnome having an animated conversation, the Usurer is keeping quiet. Camomile can't tell whether they have noticed anything alarming.
Alia, after Artimus acts, the half-orc will fall to your first shot. You'll then whip around and fire the other to arrows into the fog. You won't be able to tell if they hit anything or not; there won't be any loud outcry.
Round One
The gnome in the foyer: run to the trapdoor, open it
Montague: run into the boarding house and down the hallway
Swiftpaws the Wolf: delay
Camomile the Pseudo-Dragon: scout
Clantock's Half-orc: try to get away
Swiftpaws (new initiative): attack half-orc
Second gnome: enter foyer, address Montegue
Durnast: cast scorching ray Alia: delay
Tinthariel: delay
Artimus: move to the foyer, encounter the gnome there
Alia (new initiative): shoots at half-orc
Round Two
The gnome in the foyer: moves through the trapdoor, does something else
Montague: gets to the trapdoor, and opens it, revealing a very narrow tunnel running under the floorboards. The crawlspace there is tight for a gnome. If you enter, you can scrunch up and push your way through slowly, but your high Dexterity will be useless..
Camomile the Pseudo-Dragon: Aids Swiftpaws' attack against the half-orc. [ooc]Camomile is mostly outside, keeping an eye on things, and helping with the half-orc. He's not inside the boarding house, which is where he'd have to be, to take an Attack of Opportunity against the caster.)
Clantock's Half-orc: Attacks Swiftpaws.
Swiftpaws the Wolf: The half-orc is still there. I presume Swiftpaws will attack, with the +2 from Camomile's assistance?
Second gnome: casts a spell that Durnast recognizes as obscuring mist. Durnast, you can also tell that the gnome casts the spell correctly, but with limited understanding. There are "spell theory" classes that Wizards take, and this little guy has never heard of them.
Durnast: up next
Artimus: on deck
Alia:
Tinthariel:
The Clantock fellow was indeed taken down. Swiftpaws does damage, but it looks like the guy can take quite a bit more.
Pathfinder RPG, page 568 wrote:
A prone defender gains a +4 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks, but takes a –4 penalty to AC against melee attacks.
Durnast's scorching rays both miss.
Montegue:
Spoiler:
You arrive in time to see the gnome slip through a trapdoor, about 3' square, in the floor, and pull the door shut behind him.
Camomile: It smells like chicken stew. Now, where would somebody get a chicken around here? Oh, and Swiftpaws has taken down the orc on the street. It's shouting something in a language you never bothered to learn, probably in order to raise a ruckas.
The half-orc draws his bastard sword and attacks Swiftpaws, even while prone. He strikes and does 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14 points of damage.
Inside, Artimus, the second gnome's expression changes as Montegue runs off down the west hall and you charge in. He appears to recognize you, and says, "enough of this." He raises his left hand (dropping the towel to reveal a meat cleaver in his right hand) and casts a spell. You recognize it as a conjuration spell designed to summon a misty, oily vapor. A pea-soup fog settles in the room. You can see the dank-brown couch between you and him, but nothing further away.
My apologies for the map issue: I'd tried to set the image so that "friends without facebook accounts" could view it, but my FB-fu is perhaps not up to the task. I'll check Picassa, or PhotoBucket.
Montegue sprints ahead, coalescing into view just behind the wrathful Artimus (which startles the half-orc) and passing into the boarding house.
Montegue,
Spoiler:
you turn to the left and catch sight of the gnome halfway down the hall, ducking into a room on the right. Another gnome, difficult to distinguish from the first, comes out of the kitchen at the same time, still holding some utensil or another within an oilcloth. This new Bender brother is initially concerned, but sees you and his demeanor changes, and then changes again. He starts to say something in rapid, angry Gnomish, and then stops himself. "I mean, might I help you?"
Reminder: you should each feel free to look under other people's spoilers, but not act on that information.
Swiftpaws moves close to the Clantock mercenary and holds her (his?) action. The wolf can't get into a flanking position, as such, without stepping out of the invisibility sphere, but is delaying a standard action within a 5'-step of the half-orc, if it comes to that.
Camomile notices nothing dangerous in the immediate area. But something from the house to the west sure smells good!
The half-orc is genuinely taken aback by Artimus' fury, and certainly surprised by Montegue's magical appearance. He also looks over to Swiftpaws, as if he can tell that something is there. (Perhaps he noticed the footprints in the dirt? Hard to say.) He takes a step back, and then runs back west to the Furious Fourteen's encampment.
Does Swiftpaws attack, or let the half-orc raise whatever commotion he can?
Durnast, do you still want to cast the minor image, for anyone else who might be watching, or do you want to save that spell for when the Clantock boys come back?
Alia delays until after Artimus.
Tinthariel (Tin-THAR-iel?) delays until after Artimus, keeping step behind the paladin.
Artimus, you can take a single move and arrive at the doorstep of the boarding house. Is that what you're doing?
Round One:
The gnome in the foyer: 24
Montague: 19+4 = 23
Swiftpaws the Wolf: 11+3 = 14
Camomile the Pseudo-Dragon[/i}: 11+2 = 13
[i]Clantock's Man: 12+1 = 13
Somebody else: 12
Durnast: 3+7 = 10
Alia: 1+4 = 5
Tinthariel: 1+3 = 4
Artimus: 3+1 = 4
I think that you folks will be able to see this map of the boarding house. Each square is 2.5 feet.
The distance from the front door of the embassy to the front door of the boarding house is 50 feet, mostly due north. Artimus has crossed 30 feet of it, and is about 5 feet past the startled half-orc.
The gnome in the foyer takes a step back and then turns to move into the deeper shadows of the boarding house. It looks like he's running off down the western wing, where Chyressa's room was.
Are you casting the spells in any particular order?
Artimus leaves the embassy and strides angrily towards the boarding house across the street, sword drawn, rattling his mail.
What are you shouting?
How far behind Artimus are the rest of you? Are you following him directly (as in, would you be caught in the same lightning bolt) or are you trying to invisibly circle around back?
Outside, you see one of Clantock's boys, dressed for war, coming down the road. He looks at Artimus and stops, so that the warlike paladin might pass in front of him. (Or, you know, he might suddenly attack once Artimus is past him, but he looks more startled by your approach than cunning.)
Artimus, as you aproach the boarding house, you see one of the Benders in the shadows of the entrance hall. There's no way that he could miss your approach.
Waiting a day or two, then attacking the gnomes and afterwards going out into the desert will be to neither Gurg's nor Sammar's advantage. Further, you realize, it would give the Bender brothers time to marshal any forces or allies they have, in town or ... elsehwere. (It would give you time to muster allies as well, but you're leaving Gurg to wander the Desolation by himself, so your allies are more limited.)
If Durnast's spells are trustworthy, one of the Benders is likely to be off right now, warning the Usurer. If you wanted to catch them all together again, you'd want to wait another fifteen minutes or so.
Do we want to scrounge up another player to take Jylan's place? The adventure is certainly lethal enough.
A passive perception roll --the Pathfinder equivalent to a Spot check or Sense Motive roll-- I'll roll for people, and just mention what you see; my text won't even make mention of the skill check. An active roll --what 3.5 would have covered with a Search roll-- you'll have to initiate yourself.
Durnast
Your detect thoughts is actually on the last dregs of its duration by the time Sammar is standing and getting ready to leave the room. Sammar rolls 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11 for his save. You can tell he's
Spoiler:
... echoing Artimus's thoughts. As Artimus attempts to judge Sammar's and Montegue's intentions, Sammar is following right along.
Artimus, Sammar would appear to be genuinely worried, both for the safety of the people who've gone north into the Desolation, and for the future of his political career; he doesn't make a clear-cut distinction between the two. Under that, he's nervous about living in Camp. And you realize he's probably got cause for concern: he really doesn't have a role to play in the Camp's economy, and that means he's expendable if somebody decides he's worth more dead.
As soon as he reads Artimus's thoughts articulating that analysis, Sammar's mind suddenly agrees and grows even more concerned.
When Sammar explains to Montegue that he's free to use his time as he sees fit, Sammar is expecting you folks to ask Montegue to assist you with your revenge, which will speed up your business in Camp, and probably keep you in better health. Sammar has great confidence in Montegue's combat abilities.
When Sammar walks out of the room, Durnast's spell finally comes to an end. That was seven minutes of concentration, and your mind reached the limits of its endurance.
Sammar nods. "Then I would like to ask you, as soon as your matter with the Bender brothers is resolved, to seek after the mission, most likely in the company of this Gurg, and find out what happened. Obviously, if there are any survivors, we need them back. But even the bodies, if that's all that's left, ought to be returned and given proper burials.
"Montegue, when these people depart to recover the mission, I'll want you to go with them. As an active member of their team, if they'll have you. Until then, you're on your own time. If you do something against the laws of the Camp, even if it were noble, even if it would help these people tie up loose ends, that would fall on your shoulders alone."
So saying, he leaves the house and walks off to the east.
Back to your expedition, how many of them were they? How good were they at surviving or fighting?
There are five of them, led by the plover, a man from House Caudren named Hugin. He's a capable fighter in a pinch, but that's not why he's on the expedition. He has a rare gift, an ability to look someone over and tell what sort of man he's talking to, and the best way to approach him so that both of them might accomplish their goals.
The mission really wasn't trying to get itself into tussles. The strongest of the characters in a fight would probably be Skarja, a witch we'd rescued some months ago, who's paying back her debt to House Ramsey.
Alia wrote:
You have maps of the desolation? Can we have a look at them?
Sammar smiles. "If you can recover them, of course."
He turns and listens to Artimus. "Then I stand corrected. I can't help you in identifying this presence, I'm afraid.
"What is your mind, gentles? Do you mean to support the giant in his quest, or seek revenge of your own?" It's not hard to tell that the envoy is posing a heavy question.
Sammar replies, "No, I said I suspect there is only one gnome there. I've never seen more than one, despite the 'brothers' name. It sounds as if you've lost one of your team-mates last night? My condolences.
"But back to the question of the mission. You're quite right: we hired the Pounders as guards. The other guards, ah, the 'Furious Fourteen' I think they call themselves? They made something of a point of insisting that we hire them, but they have, well, a poor record. The elf who runs the livery stable, ah, Finnelaus is his name? He gave us not just a good price on the horses, but also some good advice regarding the orcs. The Pounders were more expensive, but they'd never run from a fight. So my plover negotiated with, oh, the giant, Gurg or somesuch?
"They left yesterday, at about this hour. The intent was to head northeast for a couple hours and then try to find a road out in the wasteland that should have taken them straight north, at least according to the best maps we have. We don't know what kind of lands lay to the north of the Desolation, and Bard's Gate is interested in establishing whatever traffic we can. Trade, certainly. Perhaps diplomatic ties.
"But all of that is so much dust, if we can't get past the desert. And the Key Council will never send another expedition, till they know what happened to the first.
"You say the giant went back out this morning? What does he hope to accomplish out there on his own?"
Montegue:
Spoiler:
A couple of days ago, you had to step in when Clanton's gang started to get insistent. The individual orcs or half-orcs are formidable, but you think you'd have had a fair fight against three or four of them. Clantock himself, though, roused himself to intervene directly, and threatened you with his magical scimitar. You get the feeling that he could take you, easily, in a fair one-on-one fight. But he's lazy, and relies on his Fourteen to act as his agents.
To Artimus, Sammar replies, "I have heard of the boarding house being run by a set of brothers, two or three, depending on whom you ask. But I've never seen any but the one gnome, bushy-moustached and grim, and I'm not sure there's more than the one."
The front room has only one small window on the east end of the north wall. There's enough light to see by, once your eyes adjust. The room has fresh rushes on the floor, and there's a scent of cedar and mahogany that blends well with that of the earthen walls. Montegue has moved a couple of benches in from another room, so there are plenty of seats available. There's even room for Swiftpaws to settle in behind Alia. Other than the seats, the room holds several large burlap sacks in the corners.
"Please forgive the primitive accommodations," your host offers. "I've only been here for little more than a week, and there are still a great many things to put away before the embassy opens.
"And yes, I spoke with the woman. Chyressa, did you say her name was? It wasn't much, just that I'd seen she'd had interest in the boarding house, and I warned her of my suspicions."
"I am the ... representative of the City of Bard's Gate, for whatever that's worth right now. In the coming year, it might be worth a great deal more, or I'll be dead and eaten, one or the other. I sent a mission north, yesterday morning. Perhaps you've heard of it?"
for those of you staying outside
Spoiler:
To half-orcs from the compound to the west make their way north to the ramshackle building that stands up the hill behind the boarding house. It looks like they're on a mission.
One of the Bender brothers steps out of the boarding house and flags them down. They have a conversation, but you're too far away to hear what they're saying. If you like, make a Perception check. Then the half-orcs turn back to their original goal and move off to the north. The gnome casts a glance at the embassy and goes back inside.
The elder just looks at you for a moment, and then, gathering his wits, steps to the side of the doorway. "My name is Sammar, representative of the city of Bard's Gate. Might I have a moment of your time? Montegue, seating for five in the front room."
"The hanged man! He's not at rest. He's active, under the sun! Flee to safety, while there's still time!" He rushes into his home, and then returns to the stoop, motioning the rest of you to follow him inside with sharp gestures.
Alia sees nothing out of the ordinary to the east. Past the temple of Orcus is the Commons, and past that, the smiithy and the tavern, and behind them, the stables.
Posts
