|
So our retirement group finished the dreaded academy of secrets this past weekend, getting all our Seekers to level 14.2 and ready for some Iron Medusa soon.
Our question was, if you have ever played or GM'ed the module, there is a point towards the end where your character is allowed to make a certain deal. In our group, about half the party made the deal and half did not.
The question we had was, the chronicle sheet has no "boon" or repercussion related to this deal. Does this mean that for PFS, people who made the deal are ok to operate normally in the future without problems?
|
When I ran the scenario, no one made the deal, so it didn't come up. However, I thought that (according to the scenario) the devil in question would never allow a contract to be signed that allowed escape? I would imagine that anyone who signed a contract would thus be removed from play unless they paid the cost of a Miracle or Wish spell to free them...
That said, if they did sign a contract with no repercussions, an infernal contract with a contract devil does have some tangibly stated effects:
Breaking a contract with a contract devil is difficult and dangerous; as long as the infernal contract remains in effect, the victim cannot be restored to life after death save by a miracle or a wish.
Since this is a tangible effect similar to a curse, I would write this down under "conditions gained;" a resurrection for these PCs would require a very expensive spell to be cast first.
Developer
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I agree with Tristan.
This module was sanctioned before there was much precedent for negative boons, otherwise it might have ended up with something appropriate to cover that contingency. As it stands, if a PC agrees to the contract's terms, he or she agrees to the contract's terms; I would make note of it under "conditions gained" or by means of a special note on the Chronicle sheet.
|
|
I believe Tristan's interpretation is the one we used; we had, I believe, two party members who "made deals", and I think the understanding was that death was a more serious repercussion. I'm not sure what sort of notation Kyle made on the relevant chronicles (I rejected any deals myself).
Beyond that, my group has an ongoing roleplay thread for "in between adventure" things, and it's been addressed there sort of "trans-mechanically".
|
My question is
My character did not get what he wanted so that means the demon broke his side of the agreement so the contract was invalid
I had to make various linquistic roles to make sure the contract spelled things out correctly.
My character existed, but did not get what he demanded in return.
In my case it was the cure for the Ruby Prince's ailment.
So what then?
|
Developer
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I would venture that it depends on what the signed contract actually stated and not necessarily what was verbally promised. It was a good move to make Linguistics rolls to confirm the details of the contract, but not having been there myself or seen Chyvvom's opposed rolls, I cannot know whether or not your checks were high enough to out-devil that devil; in a similar way, a GM might request a Perception roll but not divulge everything that exists——that might have required an even higher DC. The module does contain a sidebar that lays out some of those mechanics.
From a GM's perspective, I can see how Chyvvom might have granted the Ruby Prince's cure but placed it somewhere inaccessible, not established when the cure would arrive, not place it in your hands but rather in someone else's, etc. Depending on how the final wording worked (and for simplicity's sake we must substitute die rolls for all but core details), it's entirely likely that Chyvvom has upheld his side of the bargain admirably.
Have you spoken with your GM about the outcome?
|
|
I guess followup question would be:
Should a player bargain for 2 wishes for permanent game effects (like stat bumps) and they were granted, looks like both the penalty for accepting the contract (needing a wish/miracle to come back) and the two stat bumps (from the wishes) are then written on the chronicle and valid.
|
I guess followup question would be:
Should a player bargain for 2 wishes for permanent game effects (like stat bumps) and they were granted, looks like both the penalty for accepting the contract (needing a wish/miracle to come back) and the two stat bumps (from the wishes) are then written on the chronicle and valid.
I'm not entirely sure on the wishes portion. The guide states that all spells and effects end at the end of a scenario with a few exceptions (wish not being one of them). Because of that, I can't imagine the wish effects enduring past the session.
|
by the time we got to that point our group had big red three's painted in blood on our helmets. Talking got us nowhere but hurt in various ways.
Diplomacy level 1 - we try to talk nice (std. diplomacy)
Diplomacy level 2 - we talk tough. (intimidation)
Diplomacy level 3 - we don't talk anymore.
We see movement. FIRE (initiative.)
|
|
another question so can they bargain for 2 wishes and then bump their stats? did we ever wind up with an answer on that? or what if they wish for an item, what then?
From John's answer above (and this is me INFERRING his meaning, could be wrong) its seems that if the deal is made, and your character gets to write that the deal was made in his chronicle sheets, the he would get the benefits.
Note, that the modules pretty much states that unless ALL PCs agree to the contract the devil will attack anyway. I think as a GM you should be pushing for the PCs to defeat the devil so they can win the Breaching. Also, make sure he twists the wishes to his benefit.
|
|
another question so can they bargain for 2 wishes and then bump their stats? did we ever wind up with an answer on that? or what if they wish for an item, what then?From John's answer above (and this is me INFERRING his meaning, could be wrong) its seems that if the deal is made, and your character gets to write that the deal was made in his chronicle sheets, the he would get the benefits.
Note, that the modules pretty much states that unless ALL PCs agree to the contract the devil will attack anyway. I think as a GM you should be pushing for the PCs to defeat the devil so they can win the Breaching. Also, make sure he twists the wishes to his benefit.
All the GM wrote on my chronicle sheet was the effects, nothing about the contract - and the Ruby Prince did not get cured - so does the character suffer those effects or not?
It could make a difference soon
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Read the mod, fell in love with it and just knew I had to GM it. TMI posts incoming.
Barbarian L14
Bard (Archeologist) L13
Wizard (Conjurer) L13
Ranger L13
Even though they didn't have a true healer, they had enough raw DPS and control spells I felt they would do well. I also knew the Bard and Wizard would do very well during the first half challenges with their skills and abilities and the Barbarian and Ranger would rock the second half combat-a-gogo.
1) The first half of the adventure would be pbp and the second half would be online, allowing copious roleplaying and moodsetting early on. I wanted the first half (and most of the experience) to be cinematic as possible.
2) The PCs are accomplished heros and I want them to look and feel awesome. Everyone gets a spotlight moment during the Academy of Secrets movie.
3) The Acadamae as a school of normally disciplined young wizards cutting loose during the most awesome time of year, the Breaching Festival. Just because Student Wizards Are Just College Students With Magic is too damn hilarious not to play around with.
The opening intro had Pathfinder messengers dispatched across Absalom to the PCs' day jobs, showing them in action during their 'downtime'. These characters (and most characters hopefully) have proven themselves before the Ten and are possibly Venture Captains in their own right. Let's give them the gathering of heroes montage they deserve:
Spring is in the air of Absalom, the City at the Center of the World, and the great metropolis rumbles with activity; overloaded caravans clatter into the Coins District, majestic ships sail into the harbor and boisterous crowds fill the streets to enjoy the first warm day of spring.
From the gates of the Grand Lodge, four young Pathfinder Society pages hurry forth to deliver letters.
In the Puddles District, a sodden page braves the muck and muggers, slogging his way to the sole bastion of law and order in this ward, the Puddles District Court. He delivers a water-logged letter to a muscular man sitting at an easel. The page briefly admires some of Venture Captain Rawknar's sketches before sloshing away.
In the Wise Quarter, a page consults a map of the Marshal Barnet Academy of Ancient Studies and Siege Engine Repair. Map in hand, he pushes through an exiting throng of students and into a lecture hall. At the lectern, Venture Captain Vendyl Ravenwood finishes her conversation with some students. The page blushes as he hands her a letter then tries to hide his embarrassment by burying his face into his map on the way out.
In the Absalom Public Library, a page searches the stacks until he finds a private reading room for books specifically noted as dangerous literature. Peeking through the thick, ensorcelled glass he sees Gaston Gray, Favored of the Ten, poring over several spellbooks. The page sighs, sits on the floor next to the door and waits until Gaston emerges hours later to deliver his letter.
On the outskirts of Abasalom's holdings, a page scurries towards a campfire. Courage sniffs the young Pathfinder before he arrives. The page circles around the wolf, hands the Shoanti ranger a letter then slowly retreats from Billy's camp, warily watching Courage the whole time.
All the letters say the same thing:
"A courier teleported in from Korvosa and specifically asked for you and several other esteemed Pathfinders by name. Aram and Kreighton took the usual precautions and found nothing suspicious or diabolical. She awaits your audience at the Grand Lodge. --Adril"
The PCs, after a few questions, accepted the messenger's offer of a teleport to speak to Headmaster Toff Ornelos. Knowing the PCs, I gave specific reasons from their past scenarios about WHY they were specifically invited. I wanted the PCs to decide to participate and instead of assuming they would. In fact, I prepped the "don't trust these darn wizards" path just in case!
After many PFS scenarios of being workaday Pathfinders, I want to remind them of the amazing things they've done.
"Your reputations far precede you as exactly the type of individuals we need.
Rawknar, defending the Diamond of the North against the Abyssal hordes. Your actions that day have already reached to Varisia and inspired our sons and daughters to fight in the Worldwound.
Vendyl, master of the whip and the quip--rumors of your heroic actions at Skyreach prove that you are more than a mere archeologist.
Billy, they tell me they STILL find the bodies of the Storm Queen's giants and ogres feathered with your arrows in Land of the Linnorm Kings.
And, Gaston..."
The headmaster pauses.
"...Gaston, even though you are no Acadamae graduate, your exploits have been brought up many times in the classrooms of the Hall of Summoning. And, confidentially, I'm not surprised you haven't been summoned here by the number of times we've bandied your name about as a possible teacher at the Acadamae."
Of course, being suspicious Pathfinders, they ask the "But, really, why US?"
"I've done plenty of research on you, on all of you, and I know you will succeed.
You've delved the Darklands and topped the Fog Peaks. You've tread the Hao Jin Tapestry and flown skyships on far Akiton...AKITON! You have faced, and killed, horrors that would that would drive most ordinary men to madness.
If any were suited to the Breaching Festival, it is you four."
Toff sighs heavily.
"It would also be more than nice to have someone win the damned contest while I’m still headmaster.”
After their meeting, Toff has his assistant give a tour of campus. I gave the original messenger a name, Orryn, so instead introducing a new character (the grad student tour guide) in a mod jam-packed with characters, I just re-used her in place of the grad student.
(Speaking of NPCs, just like any good movie, I wanted each of their fellow competitors to have individual and memorable on-screen intros. This way they could meet them and chat them up one by one instead of just meeting them en masse. I thought that was especially important in the case of Maganrad and Illia, who actually make it into the Hall of Wards and suffer because of it.)
As Orryn leads the party out of Ornelos Hall, I introduced the first competitor--Illia the Rogue, sneakily scoping out her competition. The PCs barely percepted her shadowing them.
I didn't want to mollywhomp the PCs with an infodump about campus, so I had the PCs just outside the hall and gave them a small chunk of description about everything near Ornelos Hall, throwing an aside from Orryn in here and there.
And, KABOOM, there is an explosion in the building they just left, shocking Orryn and surprising their rogue tail as well.
(continued next post)
|
|
The party buffed on the run and blew into the room, seeing the Advanced Retriever over the body of the dying Seska.
In round one, the Ranger feathered the Retriever's carapace for 125 points of damage. The Retriever tries to grapple the enlarged Barbarian with its bite but fails thanks to the Barb's Freedom of Movement ring. The retriever goes down, after making only one attack, to the joint efforts of the Barb and Ranger by the middle of round two (234 points of damage). The Wizard and Bard teleport behind the Retriever and save a bleeding out Seska from dying.
Toff burst in and berated Seska, but the PCs interceded on her behalf...but not enough to keep her from hefty fines.
In front of Ornelos Hall, curious students gather and gossip, straining to peek inside. Several tiefling campus guards, with practiced ease, pull polished stones out of their pouches. They cast Darkness on the stones and drop them around the entrance--blocking the interior from sight.
The PCs decide to track down whoever was shadowing them earlier. Led by the Ranger and his wolf, the party goes in the opposite direction their guide was guide. Orryn is flustered, but keeps a running commentary of what they are passing as the Ranger leads them around campus.
Again, I give more description of the campus and then introduce Maganrad. I remember the module saying Maganrad was popular with the students and staff, so as they turn a corner they run into a boisterous mob of drunken students carrying Maganrad and chanting his name.
The boisterous crowd stumbles to an unsteady stop and deposit a tall, lanky, and kindly looking wizard before you.
They cheer as he collects himself. A drunk student yells out, "HA HA! YEAH! MAGANRAD!" Another calls, "THIS IS THE YEAR! MAGANRAD!" Yet another calls out, "WINNER WINNER AXEBEAK DINNER!"
The Ulfen Maganrad wears a tunic and breeches rather than more traditional wizards’ robes, and has a pair of leather bracers over his forearms. He looks embarrassed by the whole situation. Maganrad waves his arm and the crowd settles down.
"SHUT UP! MAGANRAD IS GOING TO TALK NOW! SO SHUT UP! FOR MAGANRAD!"
To Vendyl, Gaston and Rawknar he nods and, in a heavy Linnorm accent, says "Making Greetings! I Maganrad--"
"MAGANRAD! YEEEEEEAHHHHH!"
"--are fellow competer in Festival of Violation."
(Maganrad spoke in atrocious Skald-accented common--think Swedish Exchange Student--but perfectly in skald, which the party Wizard actually spoke)
The PCs continued tracking their shadow's trail--which eventually would end up where they were staying for the night. I interspersed the final leg of the campus tour with both Orryn's commentary and the PCs chat 'em ups with Maganrad.
The main goal of exposition (introducing the campus, introducing some competitors, some backstory on various halls) and keeping it interesting (tailing their shadow, the scary moment when confronted by a drunk mob of students) was the main goal for the tour and I think I nailed that.
I had all the competitors sleep on the same floor of the dormitory so they could mingle in the common room. ("The top floor has been cleared for just competitors. The graduate students are prepping the challenges for the Festival, so it's not like they'd be using their rooms anyways.")
The PCs chatted up Knuf and Fatmire. They recognize Illia from earlier but play it cool and actually earn her trust...with a circumstance bonus provided by a sketch drawn by the Barbarian. The normally guarded Varisian burglar was caught offguard by his gift. ("No one has ever taken the time to draw me before," she mumbles softly.) She shares a little info about what she knows and then everyone makes their final preparations for the Breaching Festival.
(continued next post)
|
|
Just before the competition began, the party proffers cooperation to the other competitors (with a veiled threat to the obstinate Knur). Already having moved Maganrad and Illia to helpful, it will pay off later. Knur makes an empty threat as he dead meat as written ;)
Even though the Maganrad and Illia were pre-set to enter before the PCs, I made a big effort to track rounds and actions as if the competition would really come down to a mere matter of rounds in the end. I really wanted to sell and catch the PCs up in the fervor of the Breaching Festival. I kept reminding them of the elapsed time.
To add to the festive atmosphere and grandeur of it all, I had the Dean of each Hall standing outside their respective building to greet the PCs and then acknowledge their success when they exit. I also had students who learned of the PCs heroic actions wearing sashes that say "Seska's Saviors" and dressed like them following the party from hall to hall, cheering their victories.
And the competition begins.
You rush to the Hall of Induction. Spectators behind rope partitions cheer you on. You catch the flash of silver and gold being exchanged as side bets are made. At the door stands the Dean of Evocation. He is a severe-looking bald-headed man who nods curtly as you enter his Hall.
Trap: The Bard Archeologist easily discovers and disables the trap.
When you exit the Cube, Seska's Saviors let out a raucous cheer. A susurrus of whispers sweeps across the roped-off crowd as your success is Messaged campus-wide. Several disgruntled gamblers toss their now-worthless betting slips to the ground.
The Dean of Evocation smiles and raises his staff high. From it, a fireball arcs into the morning sky and booms thunderously, startling even the wizards among the crowd.
"The Halls of Induction yields its key light!" proclaims the Dean.
The Hall of Lies wears a new illusionary veil, appearing differently than it did yesterday. The Dean of Illusion, a small male gnome, conjures shadow images of (the PCs). The images flank the door and salute you as you enter.
Trap: The Superstitious, Eater of Magic Barbarian simply raged and walked into the trap--failing his first but eating the magic with his second save.
You burst out the Hall of Lies' front doors to a crowd laughing and japing at your illusionary selves--your mirrored party are dancing a jig to a jaunty tune being played on a fife by a faux (PC Animal Companion).
Seska's Saviors sight you, cry out your names and the crowd erupts into a hearty cheer!
The small gnome illusionist smiles at your arrival. With a wink to (PC), he waves his arms and your illusions begin to grow in height.
10 feet...
20 feet...
30 feet...
40 feet high!
The massive illusions then bellow as one!
"THE HALL OF LIES YIELDS ITS KEY-LIGHT!"
Ahead of you, a mob of hopping imps flood forth from the Hall of Summoning and across your path, a disgusted Illia at their center. In a cacophonous chorus of Infernal and common, the imps chant "The Hall of Summoning Yields Its Key-Light!" over and over until they begin to unsummon back to their fiendish homes.
Illia tosses a cursory look your way, gives the briefest of nods, then dashes towards the Hall of Wards, disappearing around the Hall's corner to a new swell of cheering.
You arrive at the Hall of Seeing just as the last grain of sand in a large hour glass falls from the top bulb to the bottom. As if on cue, a young woman in her 20s emerges from the building and holds the Harrow Card door open for the party as you crest the front steps of the Hall. When you enter, the young Dean of Divinations announces to crowd:
"It is forseen: The Hall of Seeing WILL yield its key-light!"
(Party Bard: "If it is foreseen, why can't they just give it to us to speed things up?")
TRAP: Thanks to the internet, both the Barbarian and Bard posted at the same exact moment with different actions. Since the Bard was first (disabling the trap) I would let his action resolve, but after the Barbarian felt the power of the Contact Other Plane trap.
"Rawknar reaches for the mirror. His reflection nods and beckons him in.
Rawknar's fingertips brush the surface of the mirror...
...and his consciousness is launched into an abyssal darkness. He is a tiny mote of nothingness in an infinite void of horrors. Rawknar floats helplessly on the currents of madness.
In the vast emptiness, a massive, alien Other stirs. Rawknar's arrival has been noticed. The dark presence turns its focus on him and Rawknar's fragile mind begins to collapse under the Other's scrutiny--
Vendyl snips a fine mithral thread connecting the mirrors, disabling the magical trap. Rawknar's mind snaps back to the material plane.
The keylight appears, floating in the middle of the room."
(So, the Hall of Seeing has a Harrow Card door that flashes the fortune of those who exit through it. What GM could resist foreshadowing the catastrophic events to come?)
As he exits, the Harrow Card door flickers randomly through a deck of cards as it predicts his future. The young Dean of Divinations leans forward with interest as a final card is chosen.
Billy's Fortune:
The door displays the Harrow Card of Avalanche; on the card a landslide is destroying all before it. It represents disaster: an unthinking, unreasoning destruction that overruns all who get in its way.The crowd's cheers diminish. The Dean simply nods to herself.
Rawknar exits next, the door flickers and shuffles through Harrow Cards again.
Rawknar's Fortune:
Again, the door displays the Avalanche cardThe crowd's cheers fade as their confusion grows. The Dean furrows her brows in thought about this omen.
Vendyl exits to a crowd intensely staring at the door.
Vendyl's Fortune:
Yet again, the door has drawn the AvalancheCries of disbelief fly from the crowd. "It's broken!" "The doors lie!" "Why?!"
The Dean strides to the entrance. When Gaston exits, she grabs the door and soaks in the images flickering before her.
Gaston's Fortune:
Gaston's fortune is no different: the unstoppable destruction of the Avalanche.The crowd falls silent, save for a few frightened whispers of "impossible" and "cursed."
The Dean runs her hand over the door, scouring its enchantments. After a few tortuous moments, she comes to a decision and moves away from the door. She pulls up the hood of her cloak then steps into Hall's entrance way.
In a determined voice, the Dean of Divinations states:
"The Hall of Seeing may yield its key-light ... but the Hall will never yield."
The crowd is stunned silent by her proclamation. She enters the Hall and wills the doors to close behind her.
As the doors slowly swing shut, they display one last image, the fortune of the Dean of Divinations:
A woman in golden armor weilding a flaming sword. The Paladin. Strength in the face of adversity...no matter the cost.
(continued next post)
|
|
A homely woman at the Hall's entrance smiles as you approach. Her smile is so infectious that you catch yourself smiling back. The Dean of Enchantment steps aside and waves you inside.The Hall of Charms is surprisingly non-descript and utilitarian inside. Simple but helpful signs hang from the walls: "Always say 'please' and 'thank you'"; "Politeness is the strongest spell"; and "Good manners makes for good company."
TRAP: The Bard finds and disables the trap and the hasted barbarian chases it down handily. The party finds the dead body of Knur; trapped in the confusion spell, he beat himself to death. The PCs respectfully carried his body out and gave it to the Dean to properly care for.
The party now had 4 keylights, enough for entry into the Hall of Wards.
Final key-light in hand, Seska's Saviors step out of the Hall of Charms. Awaiting you are a double line of humanoid monsters forming an aisle on the steps.
The Dean of Enchantment says to the motley honor guard, "If you don't mind, dears, please salute our contestants. Thank you very much." The orcs, gnolls and ogre snap to attention and salute you as you pass. A smartly dressed ogre at the end of the line thumps his greatclub on the ground and proclaims "garblegurglerraggghhh."
The Dean firmly says, "In Common, please. Thank you."
The ogre nods, then bellows, "The Hall of Charms yields it key-light!"
Before anyone can react a massive, earthshaking cheer erupts to your west turning the heads of your crowd.
MAGANRAD!
MAGANRAD!
MAGANRAD!
A huge Blue Dragon stands above the mob of people and bellows over the noise, "The Hall of Shaping yields it key-light!" It then rears back and breathes lightning into the mid-morning sky.
[quote="Goodness thanking," says a pleased Maganrad. "Finding me on interior and togetherful we work in the Wardings Hall!"
You round a mass of spectators and see Maganrad at east door of the Hall of Wards--in his hand a key-light, at his feet expended scrolls. The massive Wards door is wide open, revealing a roiling darkness beyond. The cheers of the crowd alert him to your arrival. He looks over his shoulder at you and, in Skald, he utters one final line to Gaston:
"<If I fall, take me home to the Thanelands, to Kalsgard.>" He walks to the doorway. "<I miss the Rimeflow...>"
And with that, Maganrad Ulvak, Ulfen by birth and Wizard by talent, steps into the darkness and breaches the Hall of Wards.
(GM NOTE: The request was both to set up his death AND set up a possible reason to be in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings if we do Rasputin Must Die!)
After some strategic discussion, the players decide on their pre-breach buffs and enter the Hall of Wards.
From here on out, it'll be pretty brief as the last half of the mod is all combat and we switched from pbp to roll20/skype shortly after entering hell.
The PCs quickly realize they are in Hell and find the mutilated body of Maganrad and the infernal contract on his body. The Ranger uses his tracking skills and Residual Tracking to not only determine Maganrad was killed by a Devourer, but that Illia was here earlier and was carried away.
The Bard did a quick recon run on all the doors of the hallway with his Gloves of Reconnaissance, revealing almost the entire map of the demi-plane.
They quickly move to rescue the tortured and mentally broken Illia. After calming her down and freeing her, the invisible Bone Devil teleports in.
Both the Wizard and Bard had See Invisible up and saw it. It attacked Barbarian, barely injuring him thanks to stoneskin. The devil attempted to turn invisible but Bard cast Glitterdust, revealing it AND blinding it. The Ranger then launched a volley of arrows that left it barely alive.
Illia freaked out and attacks the party. Meanwhile, the Wizards's summoned lion arrived and finished the devil. The Barbarian, having pity on Illia, grappled and pinned her. The party re-chains Illia up for her own good and move on.
Then begins a dual dialogue--one is a secret telepathic conversation looking to strike a bargain and the second theatrical one that is the boilerplater BBEG dialogue an evil devil would have. Marijkal knows that Chyvvom is watching her, so while mentally forming a contract with the party, she plays her part as denizen of Belzaranga.
A bargain to destroy her contracts in return for information is struck and PCs and Marijkal then fight, both to prove the PCs' strength and to fool Chyvvom.
She casts Black Tentacles. The Ranger gets trapped, the Wizard's contingency kicks in and teleports him out of a grapple, the bard is safe and the Barbarian's freedom of movement ring keeps him grapple free.
The Barbarian closes with Marijkal and crits her for 130 damage. The Bard then demoralizes her via Blistering Invective. The Wizard attempts a telekinetic grapple but fails his SR check. The Ranger escapes and moves out of the tentacles.
Marijkal fights defensively and uses combat expertise after being smacked by the Barbarian. The Come And Get Me AOOs from the Barbarian miss her boosted 38 AC and Marijkal does minimal damage thanks to stoneskin on the Barbarian. The Ranger spindles up his machine gun bow...and misses 4 of his 5 attacks. The Wizard's summoned dire lion misses all its attacks. But enough damage from the Barb's full attack and the arrow bring her down to critical levels.
Marijkal teleports into the room with Illia. The party hears her screams and 'port or run over to find Marijkal poised to strike a cowering Illia. She mentally tells the archer to shoot her...once. He lets fly and his arrow strikes true. Marijkal flops to the ground, barely alive but with a good enough showing that a scrying Chyvvom would not suspect. She telepathically bids them farewell and teleports away.
The entire party notices an arcane eye floating by the ceiling, watching them.
(one more post, then I'm done)
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
1) He used his Major Image to create a "wall of fire" across the back half of the room and hid behind it.
2) He presummoned Bearded Devils. He rolled poorly and only got two. They were positioned flanking the summoning circle.
The PCs entered the room, split amongst the 3 doors, and spoke briefly with Chyvvom telepathically as he tried to forge a contract with them. After a brief parlay, the Wizard said something not appropriate for ABC Family channel and combat begun.
The bearded devils moved forward and were immediately smoked by the Barbarian and Ranger. Chyvvom dropped delayed blast fireball on top of the PCs, but they had Resist Fire 30 on and didn't sweat it. The Wizards Erinyes, with her True Seeing, recognized the illusionary wall of fire and informed her master. This began a rolling disbelief check on the PCs turns.
The next round, the archer moved out away from Chyvvom's position and fired a single, critical shot at Chyvvom. The Devil dim doored right next to Ranger (so he could full attack/grapple next round). The Barbarian moved in and dropped a hit on the contract devil. The Bard used Bard's Escape to reposition the Ranger across the room and the Barbarian in a charge lane.
After getting shot up by the archer, Chyvvom teleport out of line of sight of the archer but right next to the Wizard...who then finished summoning a T-Rex that chomped and killed Chyvvom.
The Dean of Divinations, cloaked in golden hued protective spells, and several students burst forth from the crowd and launch a volley of magic missiles, seemingly at the PCs. The missiles streak towards the PCs, around them and into the avalanche of Devils poring forth from Hall of Wards!
The 6 Warmonger Devils boxed the PCs in on three sides but were almost immediately decimated by Barbarian rage, Archer's arrows, Greater Trip AOOs and another TRex.
Headmaster Toff yelled that the devils were in the dorms and the PCs, after some discussion about Toff's part in this, rushed to the dorm where 3 Erinyes and 2 Nessian Warhounds were about to kill students.
The Erinyes and Warhounds had good initiative. The Erinyes all used Unholy Blight on the clustered PCs and the Warhounds breathed fire. Then the Barbarian put the Warhounds on Dazing Attack lockdown, the Bard glitter dusted the Erinyes (blinding one), the Ranger started gunning them down and the Wizard conjured 4 Air Elementals.
It was one crowded room.
As the party was wrapping the fight up I triggered the "Ice Devil teleports in" ambush. After a spirited round and a half, maybe two rounds if I'm being generous, the Ice Devil also was dispatched.
We had run 6 combats in 4 hours and it was late at night, so the wrap up was a little rushed. The PCs and the deans of the schools confronted Toff. Several of the party tried to parlay and talk Toff down, but party Wizard, sickened by his possible complicity in all of this, Power Word blinded Toff. The rest of the party quickly subdued/grappled/etc Toff.
Master Cagni, Dean of the Hall of Wards, gave the PCs their share of the rewards for winning the Breaching Festival and promised an investigation into the matter.
Hooray Pathfinder!
If you are like me, and wanted to make the Breaching Festival a celebratory time on a Hogwarts-like campus, I tossed in details like:
"Young wizards hoot and holler as they cluster around a pair spellcasters engaged in a spellduel."
"a hallway festooned with a banner proclaiming "Breacher Teachers!" and graffitti'd poster that says "Evokes are Jokes!"
"Over the Acadamae's wall, you hear the lively tunes of competing troubadours and carousing revelers celebrating Breach's Eve."
"The group squeezes through the narrow, crooked space between the dorms and the wall, at one point surprising a young couple in a dark nook. (He quickly rearranges his robes and adjusts a sash that reads "Greater Rod of Breach" with an arrow pointing down. Both students burn with embarrassment as the party squeezes past.)"
"(In front of the Hall of Lies) A menagerie of species, humanoid and otherwise, lounge on its front steps socializing. You easily discern the real appearance of the more mundane casters underneath their illusions."
"(In front of the Hall of Whispers) A pair of skeletal doormen open and close the main doors for visitors the Hall's visitors."
etc.
|
This module was sanctioned before there was much precedent for negative boons, otherwise it might have ended up with something appropriate to cover that contingency. As it stands, if a PC agrees to the contract's terms, he or she agrees to the contract's terms; I would make note of it under "conditions gained" or by means of a special note on the Chronicle sheet.
I got two PCs with this when I ran AoS last week (and am running it again in a few days for a different group, so maybe I'll have more hehe). I'd like to solicit advice on the following:
The PCs, thinking that negotiation was their only way out, ended up signing a contract promising to "loyally obey and perform a favor" for Lorthact (either communicated to them directly by Lorthact or via Chyvvom as his exchequer). The favor cannot violate their personal ethos, codes, morals, nor that of the Pathfinder Society, any gods they worship, or any other organizations. Nor can the favor, through action or inaction, cause harm to any of the aforementioned organizations, Gods, or family members of the PCs who signed.
Chyvvom agreed to such a piddly thing because he had them screwed over - all they wanted was to leave, in a specific order, without "hinderance". Of course, "hinderance" and "immediately / delay" are two different things according to the contract (I asked them for Profession Barrister and/or Linguistics and/or Wisdom and everyone rolled horribly, even the 4-star GM playing an Asmodean-worshipper using a shirt reroll). So they ended up trying to use lots of creative UMD checks to activate the portal after Chyvvom got the contracts signed, smiled, and greater teleported elsewhere with a "I'll let you know when it's time for the first of you to depart." note left on the wind.
A hidden subclause said that once they tried to force the portal open on their own, they violated the "safe passage" clause, so Chyvvom summoned Barbed devils and then teleported back in, attacking them. Even though they killed Chyvvom, the contract reverts to Lorthact, so...
I guess, I'm thinking of providing a "note" for them to present to any GM they have in the future with the details of the contract, so the GM can have Lorthact call in the favor at any time to force the PC to do something they might not want to do.
Plus, in a subclause - during them accomplishing this "favor", if they vocalize the phrase "I wish..." it acts as if they were engaging in using one of the three wishes granted as part of a standard infernal contract, but activating a wish in this manner changes what the PCs give Lorthact in the contract (i.e. their souls after they die, not just a favor for him), and I'll set a DC for the PCs to notice this bit at the time the favor is called in (probably using Chyvvom's bluff or profession (scribe) + 1d20 the GM can roll when this comes into play as the DC) for them to figure it out.
The standard "cannot be raised" bit goes in there too, like Tristan pointed out above, and a note about how when they actually do die for real, how the fact that they entered into an infernal contract will weigh against them when they reach Pharasma's Boneyard for judgement / assignment of where their soul goes.
How does that sound?
