Clebsch GM Wrath of the Righteous Adventure Path

Game Master Clebsch73

Sorry, been very busy today doing four levels of Emerald Spire. I'll post tomorrow! Er...later today.

Four levels of the spire?! Impressive!

There is something genuinely funny about a Greasy Cleric slipping from the grasp of her savior, falling twenty feet onto a paladin of the same faith, injuring the both of them. I think Avelina makes it more funny, as she watches her Tiefling/Aasimar pairing fail, and the cleric instead lands on Avelina's own "Champion."

Why do we even have a fool when things like this happen without me intervening?

Lol its all incredibly cinematic and I love that it works out in fine rules that aren't stretching it too much. Clebsch is doing a great job.

I considered dispelling the Grease spell, but with Gwerm's warning I thought it would be better to be ready for whatever 'ghost' he saw. I also wanted to leave the Grease on in case the cave fisher took another shot at her, giving her a good chance to evade it.

But to me, the introduction of the Grease spell takes what otherwise might be a romantic and heroic scene and added a rather raunchy aspect. Or maybe its just me and the way my mind works, stuck in the gutter as it is.

But to me, the introduction of the Grease spell takes what otherwise might be a romantic and heroic scene and added a rather raunchy aspect. Or maybe its just me and the way my mind works, stuck in the gutter as it is.

If this were a television show, it might be the kind of thing the writers would introduce to increase ratings.

At any rate, excellent teamwork dealing with the cave fisher. Now on to the next challenge!

I've never been much of one for raunch--Avelina gets her love of romantic and heroic scenes from me, after all--but I do always love it when expectations are subverted with a bit of humorous anti-climax :)

I am now picturing Franti and Avelina in an emotional and very serious "softest skin" contest, in which neither of them will accept defeat.

All I am saying is that I checked the gear, and only Karas and I have soap. Rub-a-dub-dub. Avelina has been hit by gross acidic bile, and Franti has yet to be touched by anything foul. I've even RP'd washing my face to remove the makeup. We are tied for age, so both at 18 our skin shouldn't be bad.

Unless otherwise noted, polymorph spells cannot be used to change into specific individuals. Although many of the fine details can be controlled, your appearance is always that of a generic member of that creature's type.

I can change gender with Alter Self, so long as I am a "generic," right? I see nothing that says I cannot. Would I be a moderately attractive generic person due to my 14 Charisma, or is the looks up to me? Can I choose a general human appearance (skin color, hair color, eye color, weight) if it is all within the norm?

@Party: If I can become a mongrelman, would it be a good or bad idea to Alter Self as a Mongrelwoman in order to gain her trust if we need it?

She has prestidigitation--err, Cleanliness of the Unblemished Soul, so Avelina doesnt need such frivolous things as soap.

You think I did not anticipate such contingencies? Cleanliness is next to Goddessliness, as any faithful follower of The Inheritor knows! There's a reason Knight-Inheritor's Rings are made to keep you clean.

Of course the little brat said something off. She mispronounced the Greatest Country of the World, Ustalav.

They give precious few details on how exactly you look when using alter self, but I've always personally felt that you look like a version of yourself that's whatever race or sex you transform into. So, Anarya using alter self to turn into a male orc might be recognizable to people who knew her features well, despite the masculine, orcish changes. Of course, all that is just personal imaginings of how the spell works. Paizo hasn't spelled much of that out in the mechanics.

They do say you don't have precise control. So you couldn't use alter self to transform into a copy Ellena, for example - just a female human. Maybe you could match her hair and eye color, but not duplicate fine details.

I'll settle for fair skinned, short/dark haired Frantina™ as my standard Alternate Sex self, should I need it. I'll have to draw her like I did the Bugbear Buffoon or the Foolish Frog.

@Ellena, Too bad Alter Self can't let me take the shape of Native Outsiders. Otherwise we could be Angel Sisters, and Karas and I could be Tiefling Bros.

If I do choose blonde female human-ish appearance, I'll match the other half of the party! With Charisma at 13/14/18/20, we'll be the talk of the town.

My scale is not just for me, right? I can use it on others if needed? We can all be lovely blonde people, right?

Since it's alter self, you'd need to hand one of us the scale before we could use it, but we can trade the scales around.

My sense is that you have some control over superficial details, but nothing that would give you any special advantage. I won't sweat it much but I think the effect would be much like picking a member of the race at random. I'd let you set the sex of the appearance, but if there are various hair coloring, eye colorings, etc., you'd get something random, not something particular.

One challenge of duplicating a mongrelman individual would have been that there is no average. They are all over the map as to which type of creature's parts go where. Some look mostly human with a few things different, as in this ghost, but some are really hideous patchworks.

@Ell, Moved you Ellena, all good.

@Ana,Forgot that it is Self, wow, what a lapse in my brain.

@ClebAlright, fair is all, just wondering how much wiggling room this lovely little scale will allow me. I am assuming I can only take the shape of a race I would be familiar with? Mostly core races at the moment?

If I was a less jovial person, more a "by all means" character, I would suggest finding what happened to Terendelev, and seeing if we could arm our troops with more scales. Perhaps even having a battalion of troops in dragon-scale armor. The Terendelev Battalion, a living will of the Silver Dragon herself, armed in her scales, carrying her fervor and her drive to vanquish evil. I imagine that Karas wouldnt be too fond of that, but imagine the imagery of hundreds of silvery, shining warriors, all leading an assault on the Storm King, a second round of Terendelev vs. The Big Bad.

Somehow, I suspect that the rest of the scales don't share these fantastic powers. :P

Transmutation spells in general do not specify that the caster must have knowledge of the type of creature into which a target is transmuted, but from a role-playing perspective, there is no reason why a character would say, "I'm changing into a Bixby," if he has never heard of or encountered a Bixby (made-up name). If it were to be an important point, I would make a knowledge skill roll of the type appropriate for the type of creature to see if there is enough knowledge of it to make it possible.

As for the silver scales, remember that they were the product of a unique event. So far as you know, dragon scales do not normally confer magic abilities on their possessors. The dragon was in the process of casting a protective spell on you lot at the moment she was killed. This confluence of events is likely what caused the scales that fell from her due to her wounds to have magical properties.

That said, I can confirm that you have not encountered Terendelev for the last time. Same goes for the Storm king. ... Assuming you survive to the end of the AP.

Yaaaa... That would be like wearing around a suit of his mother. Not good.

*gasp* Undertale music is so perfect for Franti! I got so excited when I clicked your link. :P

GM, I assume that the mist appears real, even if the shadowy figures are not? Anarya can't just see right through it? I wasn't certain from your post.

I struggled to find a song for this moment, it had to start kind of dark or forlorn, pick up, and then become goofy. I previewed the post like eight times, trying other songs and seeing if they matched the rhythm of the post when read aloud. I always liked supplying music for scenes, I think "Dummy" will be my Kobold theme, should I take this form again.

I did the math, and if it was done right then only a raging, longsword wielding Karas can kill me in one shot (rolling a seven or eight on a longsword crit would deal 24/26,putting me at negative Constitution). With one crit in a claw, and a successful hit with the other, I could also die from two of those. I'm willing to take a hit for this prank,though I am not going to try to instigate it by charging to Ellena's readied action.

If there are more kobold down here, I get a good disguise bonus, a good stealth bonus, a bonus on Bluff to evil creatures while altered. I can probably walk/sneak up, sneak attack them to either take them out in the surprise round.

After this spell was introduced in Ultimate Magic, there have been a few discussions about some of the ambiguous effects relative to the type of magic it is said to be.

I've made my own GM change to the spell to deal with those objections without making the spell either under- or over-powered. I'll explain those if anyone wants to know.

The upshot is that the mist cannot be defeated by the recognition that it is based in illusion magic (technically a figment). There are other magics mixed in that prevent the all the effects from being negated by a will save. The save prevented the wisdom damage and the shaken condition but it did nothing to allow the PC to ignore other effects of the spell.

Note: the wisdom damage will heal naturally at a rate of one point per day, so don't worry about this being a semi-permanent condition until you can get some kind of spell to remove it. The spell Lesser Restoration will remove the damage more quickly, if available.

*gasp* Undertale music is so perfect for Franti! I got so excited when I clicked your link. :P

Agreed, it was awesome listening to that as I read Franti's actions and scene description.

Y'all too kind, making this li'l scaled fool blush.

Lol I really hope I don't have to bit you. I'd feel bad. But Awesome thinking and 'pranking'

Lol, Ellena will be so mad if she ever figures out what happened!

Franti: that's correct. But see latest post for a new development.

For the next round post your actions under a spoiler. If you say anything, write that where all can read it. This will simulate the literal fog of war that exists where most characters cannot see most other characters. Those in the clear can read the spoilers of those who are also in the clear, but otherwise, characters only know what they can hear. I've left some info out of the order of initiative summary because other characters won't be able to tell the conditions of others in the mist.

Ellena, you are really tempting me right now. My AC is pretty high right now, odds are you will miss if you swipe at me. Like, I really want to jump out of the mist and surprise you, but now that I am hurt, maybe I shouldn't jest willy-nilly. Then again, maybe it is the lowered WIS talking, but dying from a practical joke is how Franti should die.

Should he die, I am bringing out a super serious LG Zen Archer Monk, following orders to a fault, and never even cracking a joke. Or a Chronicler Bard. Or a Goblin Gunslinger(Gun Tank) named Spike. No matter who, I'd be a good sport and stick to the wonderful trickster mythic path.

I wish I could tell everyone what is happening in this murderous mist.

I just realized how awful this is for Anarya not being able to hear us.

Yep. She has no idea if anyone is hurt, if anyone needs channel energy, or anything.

The Overcome Curse mythic path ability can't come soon enough. :P

I'm considering taking the Spelleater archtype when we level. Opinions? Basically it'll replace uncanny dodge and Dr with fast healing during rage.

I'm considering taking the Spelleater archtype when we level. Opinions? Basically it'll replace uncanny dodge and Dr with fast healing during rage.

It's quite a good archetype, imo. The action economy of the heal is nice. Fast healing certainly has its benefits over damage reduction as well, especially as iirc, there are more ways to get around DR/- in a mythic game. Losing uncanny dodge hurts the most, but if you are not going to be pumping your AC much, it probably wouldn't matter anyways.

@Anarya: Haha, great ability, but keep waiting. You'll have that curse longer than I'll be a jester ;)

@Karas, Personally I think it is a good decision with little repercussions due to the fact it operates on free/swift actions. Improved Uncanny Dodge is nice, but unless we face a lot of rogues or things with Sneak Attack, it is a worthwhile decision in my eyes. So unless I fall (A falling fool?), I think the healing is worth it just for the times of needing health, you get Fast Healing pretty quick, and can stack it with other effects.

I've actually been considering dropping my same abilities for Scout at 4th level, allowing me to hit flat footed more often (Great for Sap Master feat)

The a.c. is actually gonna get it's own boost in natural armor via bloodline and Dragon disciple.

Spelleater is an excellent archetype. So is Scout.

I picked out my archetypes way in advance - Purifier is brutal at low levels (it's why I have so few spells, and I don't learn cure spells automatically), but later on I get some fantastic abilities. And Dual-Cursed is primarily to compensate for losing several of my revelations to the mandatory, weaker picks that Purifier forces me into.

Sidenote: Franti, you have a literal death wish, heh.

I am almost unconscious but the joke is still funny to me. I called Karas "Silver" and am still in fool attire and makeup, wielding my signature weapons. I'm keeping this prank going as long as I can, if I get knocked unconscious and then someone hits their hand to their head, sighs and says 'it was just Franti... " I'll be content.

I'll also be content not passing out, but if I do I can use it to guilt trip someone. No one seems too close or friendly to the archer, so this may be my" in" for the NPC.

GM, if the cave fisher and this spellcaster kobold are your idea of:

I'm reworking an NPC for the next encounter. Since some players have encountered early portions of the AP, I want to make things fresh. I think I've got an interesting adversary for you all, but it will take a bit more time to work out all the details.

Then I would LOVE to play in a homebrew game of yours! You sucked us right in, made for some really cinematic moments, are keeping us really challenged and giving lots of opportunity to explore our characters and continue to flush them out. Bravo!

Thanks. I've run a homebrew campaign in Golarian some years back and could start up another in PBP. But for now, this is going to take up a lot of time. I will continue to try to inject interesting encounters when appropriate.

Yep, this is a very well designed encounter. Which is why we are struggling, lol!

Nah, it is so easy I am, uh, sleeping through it. To even the odds. That's right.

Yeah, these are excellent encounters. Extremely exciting and much more interesting than what the AP had in store for us initially.

Completely agree with everything above.

I agree as well!

As a side note, sorry I have been a bit sparse the last few days. It's the end of the quarter and I've had a lot of work for school.

I am a teacher and this is the end of my term, so I'll be grading a bit this morning and preparing for a new term over the weekend, but I should have time to post as often as needed. Don't worry about posting frequency. We are averaging 8 to 9 posts per day, which is excellent, IMHO. School comes first as do jobs and family. It's just nice to have such an interesting group of adventures waiting for us when we get the time.

So think about whether the group will pursue the tricksy koboldses or regroup and recover. For now we are in melee, but carry on what conversation seems needed and don't worry too much about turn order. But the more conversation, the more rounds will go by for the enemy to make his/her/their getaway, set up traps, etc.

Once we get Franti healed properly, I'd say we're ready to pursue. We just need to do so cautiously, and not barrel onward into more traps!

I'd like to channel, but I want Karas in my radius first. :P

I am ready to again jump blindly ahead.

Seriously though, If it comes to stealth, someone should remind me to take off my colorful robes/wig, or prestidigitation my robes dark brown or navy blue so I don't look too obviously-not-Kobold.

I already took my bells off, so I with a +13 Stealth and +16 Disguise as Kobold, and a +10 to lie to evil creatures, I am ready to infiltrate. The only thing I cannot do is speak Draconic.

@GM, I have 19 minutes disguised: a ten, five and one minute warning would be greatly appreciated.

I'm all for pursuing as well!

The path of pursuit will have the following to contend with. I don't have a map of the tunnel, so we'll do it in the abstract, laying out a new map if needed.

Once the group gets under way, they go about 30 feet before the passage begins to slope up so steeply that progress can only be made with climbing. The climb DC each round is 5, since it has got lots of hand- and foot-holds and even some iron spikes at helpful places. It is obvious that others have used this tunnel to move about the caves in the past. Some of the spikes are quite rusty, so this is not a new development.

You can take ten on the climb checks and make steady progress without risk of falling, however, your speed will be 1/4 of your normal movement. If you go at the pace of your slowest person, that will be 7.5' per turn, since Anevia's speed is 15. This lasts for 60', so that means it will take 8 full rounds of movement. Aravashnial will also have to be helped with the climbing.

Knowledge of kobolds suggests they can move at 30' so a healthy kobold can probably move at 15' per round or twice as fast as the group. So if the kobold is just fleeing from the group, he will have about a 240' lead by the time the passage levels out.

If the group wants to split up and some try to make better time, there are options for moving faster. The Kobold has about a 3 round head start. You can attempt accelerated climbing; by accepting a –5 penalty, you can move half your speed (instead of one-quarter your speed). This means the DC of the climb is 10 and you cannot take 10. Each round you make the roll, you move 30', meaning you could do the passage in 2 rounds. If you get a result of 5-9, you make no progress that round. 1-4 and you lose 1d3 x 5 feet of progress, but take no damage.

If Anarya uses the levitation scale on someone, they move 20' per round and so can advance the distance in 3 rounds.

Indicate who is moving at what pace and then I'll describe the outcomes. Good luck.

@Group,
Maybe don't split the party. In my quick check, only Tauni and I don't have negative climb modifiers (Yay for +0 climb), so quickly climbing should be out of the question. I say take it slow, let the enemy prepare and attack surgically when we arrive.

Some thoughts or options:
Someone with high perception should be up front ideally, maybe we can spot these traps now that we know they are coming. I am pretty confident in my Disable Device ability (+10 at the moment) should it come to that. After the tunnel, I could scout ahead, figure out the best way to attack, and report back. If things go south, I have a whistle I can blow to alert everyone.

If we want to take it a step further, we can use a scale to cast Sanctuary, I doubt most foes could beat the Will save to hit me if I was caught.

Actually, one person using Levitate, Sanctuary and Shield could basically rush in and only worry about setting off traps that can hit an airborne target. If the Kobolds break through the Sanctuary, the Shield will all likely glance off that blow.

Rules Question:

If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can draw two light or one-handed weapons in the time it would normally take you to draw one.

This item works like a standard wrist sheath, but releasing an item from it is an swift action. Preparing the sheath for this use requires cranking the sheath’s tiny gears and springs into place (a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity).

If I have two Spring Loaded Wrist Sheathes, can I draw my two saps or two daggers as a swift action?