Chyrone [PFS]: The confirmation, February -March 2017 (Inactive)

Game Master Chyrone

Okay. Welcome to the game.
We will start when everyone has reported in.

-.. --- -

Gregor checking in

.

While everyone is standing around, a barely noticeable shoot of green pushes through the dark earth. Within just a few seconds the plant is already a hand's span tall. With an alarming rate it grows until it is a gigantic, twenty foot tall, stalk of asparagus. By this time everyone notices it.

The plant stops growing and a vertical slit appears on the stalk. The slit widens and a tall, noble looking elf steps out from the stalk. Almost as fast as it appeared, the stalk disappears back into the ground.

Ajaline looks around. Everyone is starting at him now. "Carry on. This is how all sorcerers with the verdant bloodline arrive."

Of course, that didn't really happen... Just Ajaline checking in.

Draklor, a stocky kitsune wearing a ruddy combination of Eagle Knight regalia and what looks to be the garb of a Tien noble, arrives right on time, as is his custom. With the lack of rain (one of his greatest enemies) he is in his natural form. For his part, he does not scream and fall down upon Ajaline's entrance, as he did the last time a plant spoke to him. Instead, he merely utters a startled "Gah!" and stumbles backward a pace or two. Collecting himself and trying to will his puffed-up fur flat again, he offers a hand to shake. "Hello, there. I am Draklor, fellow Pathfinder. Forgive me, but my last mission involved exploring an angry arboretum with a noble child's ghost." The fox folk's Taldane is stilted, but he seems proficient enough. "I was surprised we did not actually get into any fights with the residents, but it was still an interesting experience leaving me wary of plants. Tell me, though, are you a true plant? I have Found Paths with many strange people, a shiny halfling, a transparent halfling, a rock-man, and a talking crow, really, a crow, not even something so usual as a tengu, but never a plant."

Gregor, a grim but conflicted looking man takes a few steps back at the appearance of the green shoot. Gregor's eyes dart between the plant, the kitsune, and the saber at his side. Gregor stands an average sized human male clad in blacks and grays; a gnarly blade hanging from his belt.

After Draklor's introduction, he thinks "I've never seen any of this. Plant-mage, fox-friend.. where are the people?"

"Greetings, I am Gregor. A pleasure to make your acquaintances. I apologize if I seem startled by your presence, I haven't ventured much out of my homeland."

Draklor, don't forget to get your gear. ;)
Here's opening post, just waiting for Elegantly, before you get to venture out.

The invitation delivered last night was remarkably simple, especially given the importance of the occasion:
"Start where it all began. Meet us at the Pig’s Paunch one hour before dawn."

The Pig’s Paunch is a run-down building with a faded sign of a large pig standing on its hind legs, arms folded above a corpulent belly. Inside, the air is thick with the scents of human sweat, stale tobacco, and leftover food. In the center of the room, surrounded by inebriates sleeping off their revelries, a familiar elven man stands high upon top of a large round table.
"Welcome! Welcome, my students! Please, have a seat!"

With that, Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls, nimbly drops down to sit cross-legged on the table before looking about the tavern with a sense of reverent wonder.
"Can you believe it? It all started here years ago—well, over four
hundred of them at least. Under this very roof the Pathfinder Society was born.
But today! Today you will begin your Confirmation! Master Farabellus, Master Zey, and I all agree you each have shown your worth and dedication to the Society, so there’s no better time to see if you can handle becoming full field operatives.
Allow me to introduce you to Janira Gavix," he says as he motions for an excitable halfling woman to approach. She wears a large backpack and carries all manner of tools, pouches, and scroll cases around her waist.

Shaine continues, saying, "Janira here will be going with you on your Confirmation. She was one of my brightest pupils and will no doubt be an invaluable resource on your journey, for she discovered the caves you are about to explore during her own Confirmation."

Janira speaks up in an enthusiastic and cheerful voice, "Greetings, aspiring Pathfinders! Six months ago, while I was mapping cave entrances in the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, I witnessed a lone gillman entering a concealed cave. I thought little of it at the time, but I saw another one enter the cave again a month later as my Confirmation stretched on.
A few days later, after I completed my assigned task, I entered the cave system, but was unable to find the gillmen."

Master Shaine hops to his feet. "Initiates, for your Confirmation, you will travel to these caves to explore and document its many passages. Additionally, and most importantly, you are to learn what the gillmen are up to in there. Oh, and you need to come back alive as well."

With these parting words, the Master of Scrolls jumps off the table and strolls out of the building while humming to himself.

Gregor watches Kreighton just saunter by. He passes a hand through his hair and lets out a slight sigh. 'I guess this is happening. We're just jumping right into it."

Gregor shrugs, "Well. I guess that's it then. I'm as ready as I'm going to be."

Ah, yes, will do so sometime today or tomorrow.

Draklor grins merrily. "Sounds like fun, I suppose. This'll be my third assignment as a Pathfinder, it's about time for Confirmation!" He then listens to what Janira has to say, nodding, deep in thought. Soon after, his smile fades slightly. "Does that mean our Confirmation could take more than a month?"

A reptilian figure steps forward to the table, looking back and forth with unblinking eyes from the scrap of paper with the invitation, to the elf leaving the table, and then focuses on the Halfling. He moves with swaying motions, his black scales glistening and outshining his chain shirt. A symbol of a lotus flower with a serpent coiled around it hangs on a chain from his neck, and a steel belt with surprisingly sharp looking edges wraps several times around his waste.

Only hearing the end of the halfling's speech, flicks his forked tongue several times before speaking. "What isssss a gillman?"

Ajaline joins the group after Master Shaine's speech. "Draklor, it's nice to see another veteran here. This will be my fifth Pathfinder mission." Turning to Ickeckess, "A gillman? Just another race. I've only heard about them but I've never met one."

"I believe I failed to mention, I'm Ajaline." He nods at Gregor. "So is this our team? I thought we were going to be five of us. At least that's what the summons suggested."

Janira: "What is a gillman?
They are like humans, except they have gills on both sides of their necks. They're reclusive towards outsiders, but not hostile. They tend to live nearby or inside bodies of water."

The halfling seems quite excited to be your guide on this trial.
"Do you have other questions, before we head out?"

Ickeckess may be trying to convey some amount of confusion, but it is hard to read his reptilian unblinking eyes. "I believe you musssst be misssssstaken. I am no exsssspert on the Kortossss Mountainssss, but I believe there isssss little water there. Are you ssssssure it was a fisssssh man you sssssssaw."

"The master of scrolls is not known to be mistaken. He is very driven and eccentric, true, but if he says he saw a gillman enter that cave, i have no reason not to believe him.
Besides, why wouldn't one go there? Caverns have bodies of water, more often than not."

"We ssssssshall ssssssee." The nagaji pauses, focusing his stare on the others in the party as if assessing them. "I am Ickeckesssss, and I believe we ssssshould get going. He grips his wooden shield as if showing that by having it, he is ready for the journey.

Gregor adjusts the way his armored coat is sitting, "Lead the way, Janira"

Draklor gulps slightly at not knowing if this Confirmation could take months, but takes it in stride. He grasps his banner with both hands, one side bearing the Glyph of the Open Road, and the other a strange insignia that appears to be a blue paw print with a red X in the middle, to use as a walking stick.

Sorry that it isn't done yet, but will update gear shortly.

"Just a quick note here. The details of the mission at hand,” Janira says with an eager grin.
"After reviewing my mission reports personally, Master Shaine believes it is no coincidence that each time they entered the caves it was during a full moon, so it is also no coincidence that you have been called here now, just a day before the moon is full again.
We both believe that tomorrow night is our best chance to find out why these caves are important and what exactly the gillmen are doing in there."

"The caves we’ll be travelling to lie under the base of the Kortos Mounts. We’ll need to spend every minute of daylight possible to reach the caves by foot, crossing over the Cairnlands, taking the paths to Diobel, and finally making our way through the wilderness.
With any luck we won’t run into any of the local inhabitants. Once in the caves, we’ll need to work together to explore and determine whether any gillman are present or have been recently. Keep an eye out for any other clues that might hint at the caves’ significance, too."

"Which brings us to the final question, for now, (cheerful smile) Have you everything you need? Ways to make light, provisions, ropes, healing
Oh, if you've any coin left to spare, antitoxins are no excessive luxury, you never know when going into the wilderness. Or something that melt stuff away, like acid or alchemical fire. So many things to fight off, coming prepared is quite a relief."

She picks something from her pack, and hands you all writing supplies and paper. (Anyone who doesn’t have it already, that is)
"Our reports stay most accurate as we write ur findings on the spot as we go."

Ickeckess looks curiously at the paper and writing supplies, cocking his head to one side. He throws it in his backpack where it is likely to be quickly forgotten. He pats the steel belt wrapped around his waste. "I have all I need."

Gregor rattles off the contents of this bags in his head. Feeling sufficiently prepared he just nods.

Just waiting for Ajaline and Hal, before triggering 1st encounter.

?: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Ajaline listens to the halfling's instructions. He takes the writing materials and puts them into his pack. "If at all possible I would like to purchase two alchemist fires." Ajaline speaks up when Janira asks about supplies.

Once I have the AFs then I'm ready to go.

Hal cracked his neck from side to side, then lit a pipe, smoking a sweet smelling tobacco. His bow is strung, his arrows are ready in their quiver, and he is ready to being his journey as a Pathfinder.

Looking around at all of his companions, Hal grins widely.

"First round's on me once we've got this thing done properly, people!"

Seems we're good to go. Hal, could you fill in a statbar like the others did, thanks. :)

Janira: "Sure, there's a shop around the corner, just a hundred feet to your right."

When Ajaline has purchased his items, the group heads out.
==================
As the team progresses deeper into the forest, the trees towering overhead begin to shield most of what remains of the day’s sun and the vegetation beneath grows denser.
Janira pauses a moment and pulls out an intricate silver compass emblazoned with the Pathfinder Society logo: the Glyph of the Open Road.
"I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confirmation. Should we be successful on our journey, you will get your own as well."

She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the initials J. L. are engraved into the inside of the device’s lid. After studying the compass inside for a moment, she remarks,
"We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead."
Most of the trees in this section of the forest have trunks that are too big for any creatures to share their space.
Sporadic patches of light undergrowth provide areas for creatures to hide while restricting movement for those passing through. A large rock outcropping to the east rises nearly 20 feet above the forest floor, and a small sinkhole to the northwest drops off sharply, descending to the ground 10 feet below.
====================
A low humming seems to come from the trees.
It slowly rizes in intensity, and then you see the origin, a large cloud of insects emerging from a tree's canopy....heading right for you.
=====================

Mosquitoes, round 1

Which duo?: 1d3 ⇒ 1
The cloud of mosquitoes descends directly upon Gregor and Ickeckess.
Thousands little stings: 1d6 ⇒ 2 & Bleed on turn: 1d3 ⇒ 3
Ok guys, i need two fort rolls.
1st vs distraction, DC 11. If you fail you are nauseated for 1 round, and can only take a move action.
2nd vs disease, also DC 11.
-----------
Hal (will resolve 1st)
Draklor & Gregor (8/10, bleed 3)
Ajaline & Ickeckess (8/10, bleed 3)
Moral support Janira

I've played swarms in the past like this:
Their direct touch AC = 150% dmg. This swarm's touch AC = 15.
The square itself = 100 % of the splash weapon's dmg.
So a flask would have potential of 6 on a square, and 9 on a direct, as that can also crit, for attacking the swarm itself.

fortitude: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

fortitude: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

Gj m8.
The bleeding can be stopped by either a DC 15 heal check, or magical healing.

"Everyone move away from these thingsssssss."

Based on bolding, I'm assuming Ajaline and I should wait for the others to act before posting our actions. I have a question on how you handle swarms and channel positive. Affected? 150%?

Draklor is about to ask, "Why does your Wayfinder have the initials J.L. on it when your family name is Gavix?" But at that moment thousands of angry mosquitoes choose to emerge, leaving him startled. He quickly kicks into combat position, however, and draws a flask of acid. The kitsune holds the vial in one slightly trembling hand and waits for the clear.

Taking a five-foot step, drawing a flask, and readying an action to throw it once Gregor and Ickeckess are out of the swarm.

Ickeckess, yes.
To the question of channel energy, i don't think it's 150%, but i'll take a look at the boards to be certain.

"It's my middle name, Lillianne."

Fort: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 221d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Gregor Frantically draws his saber and swipes at the swarm.

saber: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 81d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Going a bit out of order since Hal hasn't posted, but want to make sure I'm not holding anything since I may not be able to post this evening, and I think this is all going to resolve itself pretty quickly before morning.

Ickeckess brushes some mosquitos from his scales before grasping the serpent entwined with a lotus flower that hangs from his neck and holds it forth. A cool white light emanates from the symbol, flowing over both Ickeckess and Gregor.

Channel: 1d6 ⇒ 3

This will heal some of the damage done, and more importantly, stop the bleeding.

As the light retreats back into the symbol, Ickeckess makes haste to move away from the mass of mosquitos.

Full 30' move action away from them, avoiding being near others if possible.

Are the insects large enough to target the swarm? If not, Hal will simply move away and attempt to fight defensively.

Adjusted stat line as requested

If the swarm can be targeted by normal weapons, then Hal will shoot at them (half damage, I know).

Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Deadly Aim: 1d20 + 6 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (14) + 6 + 1 - 1 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

So, 3 damage if they can be targeted.

I've moved you north, Hal.

Hal concludes that shooting an Arrow at a bug smaller than a fingernail is a waste, let alone fight thousands of them with it. He spreads out, to avoid the chance of the mosquitoes ganging up on the group.

Janira: "This is one of those cases. If anyone has any acid or alchemist fire, they work best."

Draklor moves back, and had gotten the same idea before Janira told the group. He holds it in a supple wrist, waiting for the others to exit the swarm.
Unfortunately, Gregor decided to attack the mosquitoes with his sword, to no effect.
He bleeds 3 at the start of his turn.

Ickeckess grabs for his symbol, and a quick prayer is answered, as his deity channels healing energies into him and his allies, healing some of their wounds, and stopping their bleeding.
Takes 3 bleed at the start, though.

Ajaline
Janira

Damn swarms!

Aye, my friend.

As soon as the mosquitoes swarm down on Gregor, Ajaline drops his bag and dig out one of his newly purchased alchemist fires. "Looks like I'll be using this about as soon as I bought it." He tossed the fire pot into the middle of the swarm.

So am I rolling a ranged touch?

Throw AF: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

I reckon you'd like to 5ft step SW, as Draklor otherwise provides cover.
On your question, if you choose to either attack the square AC or the swarm itself, please say which.

Ajaline puts the alchemist fire to good use.
It deals 6 dmg to the swarm, and it will burn an extra 1d6 ⇒ 3 at the start of its turn.
Gregor takes 1 splash damage however.

Janira starts an inspiring tale.
"Have you heard about the time, an old timer scared off a monstrous insect? It goes like this...."

Inspire +1 up, +1 to attack & weapon dmg rolls.
She herself steps NE, and retrieves something from her pack.
================

Swarm, round 2

Many insects continue to die, as the alchemist fire does its after burn.
The swarm (-9) continues to sting Gregor.
Swarming: 1d6 ⇒ 1 Bleed: 1d3 ⇒ 2
The damage is kept to a minimum this time.
------------
Hal
Draklor & Gregor (bleeds 2)
Ajaline & Ickeckess
Janira

Gregor, a fort roll vs distraction please.

Draklor fishes another vial of acid from his pack and hucks it at the swarm. I should've bought more vials. Better off poor than dead. I would not make a good Kalistocrat...

Acid, Inspire: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Damage, Inspire: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Miss Roll: 1d8 ⇒ 7

HP: 8
-1 AF splash
-1 swarm
bleed 2
HP: 4

fort save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

Gregor shifts his balance and swings his shield like a huge swatter.

shield bash: 1d20 ⇒ 121d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Hal fights defensively, unable to do anything against these frustrating mosquitoes.
I should have been prepared for this! Like a fool, I was too excited by the prospect of my first adventure!

Hal keeps his distance, slightly frustrated for forgetting alchemical items.
Draklor aims for the swarm itself, but it misses only just.
The vial bends to the right, breaking upon hitting the ground, splashing the swarm and Gregor.

Gregor himself feels a bit of blood seep from his arms, as the thousands of tiny bites amass to some degree. He tries swatting some of them with his shield, but it proves ineffective.

Ajaline & Ickeckess
Janira

"Gregor, get out of there!" Draklor yelps.

Ajaline grabs a second alchemist fire and tosses at the swarm.

Throw AF@swarm: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Ajaline hits the mark, and the alchemist fire shatters where it deals the most hurt.

Gregor is splashed a bit, but what remains of the mosquitoes, quickly disperses and flies away.

Combat over!!

Janira taps Gregor with a healing wand, stopping the bleeding, and restoring him to mint condition. ;)
Clw x2: 2d8 + 2 ⇒ (1, 2) + 2 = 5

Oops, Gregor's 2 down still.
As is Ickeckiss.

"Ok. That does it." Ajaline picks up his bag and gathers his gear. "I think we should continue on." He notices some wounds on Gregor and Ickeckiss. "Ickeckiss, can you heal yourself and Gregor?"

Once the healing is done, he nods to Janira, "We're ready."

Gregor draws from his water skin after thanking Janira. He takes a beat to survey the scene and walks over to Draklor. "Thank you for your concern, friend. Rest assured thst on that battlefield I will risk my life to protect yours."

channel: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Ickeckess holds the snake and lotus symbol again, letting out a surge of healing energy and letting it wash over himself and Gregor.