Assault on the Kingdom of the Impossible **SPOILERS**

[Lab_Rat]

Hey all! I am running 1-33 tomorrow and I am looking for advice on how to keep track of the first encounter.
Specifically
1) How do you handle tracking NPC vs NPC combat? I.e how many hits, how many agents vs bandits, etc.
2) How did you determine when the bandits found the scepter? I did not see anything regarding this (perception checks, how many rounds, etc)

Thanks!

[Iammars]

1) I just do the rolls out. For such low-level combat, it's pretty easy to do really quickly as long as you have more than one set of dice available.

2) I usually have one bandit hop in each wagon, and have them find it after a round or two, whenever the players start to get bored of the fight.

[nosig]

I've tried it two different ways (run this more than once). The way I liked the best?

#1 I kind of scripted it out before hand, deciding how the fight would progress... then modified it for player actions. This way it all became a few lines of "boxed text".

#2 I left this sort of up to the players. They ended up with a stack of several boxes of "stuff", with a big red case for the McGuffen on top. I guess a Perception check with a DC of 0 might have been needed... but one team even used a Continual Flame torch over the pile so everyone could see it.

Note on carrying the stuff...
I actually had the team use 2 pack mules, and it seemed to go easier. As I had figures for those it looked nicer too.

[BigNorseWolf]

The secondary success condition on this one...

What the hell? Hire the guy? He's an evil SOB and worse than that he's an incompetent one that can't tell he's holding a fake scepter. What motive would the pc's have to recruit this guy? Its completely random and arbitrary.

Should i be throwing the players some, ANY hint at all that the society might have a use for this guy ?

[Iammars]

The opening box text provides a hint.

1-33 wrote:

You will either convince him that the Society is the answer—as he could be a very powerful ally in the region—or you’ll end his operations for good. How you handle it, I leave to you.

[Pirate Rob]

The hint it is the initial boxed text and QA section:

"Right now he believes the Aspis Consortium is the answer. You will either convince him that the Society is the answer—as he could be a very powerful ally in the region—or you’ll end his operations for good. How you handle it, I leave to you."

While this leaves the choice up to the players how to proceed I do not find it at all surprising that the society would prefer a new ally over merely a dead enemy.

The QA section with the VC can also help a bit as well.

What do you know of Zamir? “He’s a rebel and a bandit and the people of Padiskar know him from his youth as a fool who desires fame above all else. This is why I think his loyalty to the Aspis Consortium is thin at best and there’s a chance he can be brought to our side rather than simply slain.”

[BigNorseWolf]

ahhh thanks. I'll make sure to underline those.

[Draven Torakhan]

After all, as we've seen; the Decimverate is kinda.. shady. Who cares if he's somewhat inept? A disposable tool to be used until he gets himself killed.

...Man, I miss Grandmaster Torch and the Shadow Lodge.

[DM Livgin]

I'm pre-ing this scenario for my first PFS GMing experience, and I have a few questions about the first scenario:

The text says it is a DC 18 perception check to spot the bandits, This matches the DC for the tier 1-2 bandits taking a 10 on stealth. But there is not a increased DC for tier 4-5 (DC 20 if taking ten). This is a small difference in a non-lethal fight, so if I wasn't here with other questions id just gloss over it. As I understand it, we are to play it as presented (mentally I'll just give the 4-5 tier mooks a -2 circumstance penalty because they are full of confidence being in the high-tier).

Next, the bandits sneaking up. Do you assume they are using trees (partial cover), undergrowth (concealment), or only dim-light (concealment baring darkvision) to sneak up? I intend to play the trees as partial cover because it is the most stream lined way. How did you run it?

Do you add distance modifiers to the perception check? So if they get a 30 they spot them 100 feet out?

[nosig]

DM Livgin wrote:

I'm pre-ing this scenario for my first PFS GMing experience, and I have a few questions about the first scenario:

The text says it is a DC 18 perception check to spot the bandits, This matches the DC for the tier 1-2 bandits taking a 10 on stealth. But there is not a increased DC for tier 4-5 (DC 20 if taking ten). This is a small difference in a non-lethal fight, so if I wasn't here with other questions id just gloss over it. As I understand it, we are to play it as presented (mentally I'll just give the 4-5 tier mooks a -2 circumstance penalty because they are full of confidence being in the high-tier).

Next, the bandits sneaking up. Do you assume they are using trees (partial cover), undergrowth (concealment), or only dim-light (concealment baring darkvision) to sneak up? I intend to play the trees as partial cover because it is the most stream lined way. How did you run it?

Do you add distance modifiers to the perception check? So if they get a 30 they spot them 100 feet out?

Remember that the dim light is NOT negated by darkvision at more then 60'... But is negated by low-light vision (it's the one advantage of elf eyes over darkvision).

I use one of the flip mats, and use the marked veggies as cover - kind of like a non-sticky web spell.... With darkness giving concealment to non low light vision persons.... The paths to the clearing work great!