DM AM's The Confirmation (Inactive)

Game Master overfiend_87

Amelia moves forward and casts Acid Splash.

it misses as it is a targeted range spell. They are immune to spells like that unless they're AoE. Since it's a target (despite named splash) it misses.

Nigari draws her alchemist's flask and moves closer to the swarm.

Janira takes a 5ft stew forward, takes out a flask of acid and then hurls it at the swarm

attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

After the acid the creatures have been reduced to such a small swarm that the remaining ones flee. Janira gives a big grin to everyone afterwards.
"THAT is why it is smart to be prepared for anything! Very well done, pathfinders!" she smiles and then gets ready to continue on the trail "Now we'll need to make our way.

You find that the path is difficult as there have been fallen trees since Janira was here and bushes down alternate paths, making the journey difficult.

Need a Survival DC 15 to help navigate to the cave in time.

Can we take 10? If so, I have a Survival check of 16.

Survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Yea, I knew that was going to happen!
Amelia struggles along as best as she can, tripping over virtually every log in the forest, getting her robes caught on every thorn, and even once sliding down a muddy slope to end up face first in a running stream.

Essua's followed Janira like a puppy dog along throughout the day's travel, half-infatuated with the historical tour, half-infatuated merely by the fact that she's a full-fledged pathfinder.

Walking across the countryside stills him, he finds his tongue less tied and the rhythm of the party's gait gives him a chance to rattle through his thoughts. This is what it's like to be an adventurer he muses. Wind at my ... whatever direction the wind is coming from, and the sun overhead. Passing through fields littered with history.. where countless adventurers have gone before.

After the first night's camp, he was up early and remained at Janina's heels as the party resumed the march.

And then the swarm appeared.

Knowledge(Nature), untrained: 1d20 ⇒ 17

Aha! he thinks. Kortos Mosquitos, common to this area! He prepares to announce to the party that they should be sure to spread out to make it hard for the insects to attack, but hears Deviņi shout the same thing, then transform into some kind of giant cat, and fling a flask at the swarm.

Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap. he thinks, realizing he is completely without any gear capable of harming these creatures. Play it cool, Essua. Play it cool.

He watches others in the party throw magic spells and prepare flasks at the swarm, delighting as Janira's flask drives the swarm away. He hears her announce that "It is smart to be prepared for anything! Very well done, pathfinders!" and decides to try to cover for his lack of preparedness by echoing her sentiment with a rousing, "Yeah." Maybe nobody noticed that I actually didn't do anything during that fight.

Bluff: 1d20 ⇒ 5

No. They probably noticed

Bluff roll just in case any of you all want to Sense motive against that... but I assume you all would probably just assume Essua's an idiot without needing to roll anything.

Shaking it off, Essua continues along the path.

Survival: 1d20 ⇒ 8.

He bravely takes his first step along the path, catches on the root of a tree, and promptly stumbles. He follows along behind Amelia Rose, bouncing off the bramble and generally crashing his way along the path.

Maybe Dad was right? he thinks. Leave the adventuring to adventure people, he used to say. We're a family that stays together, son.

Nigari works her way along trying to keep track of the trail, though this is not something she is really trained in, having spent most of her time in the temples doing any of her training.

survival: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5

Oops, sorry about that...last post should have been from Nigari...Yay, no skill points :P

Survival: 1d1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Janira: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14

It doesn't say you can't take 10, so I'll say Divdesmit got it.

Though Janira struggles, Divdesmit manages to find a hidden path that takes quite a direct route to the direction where you're heading.

The dense forest soon opens up to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead. Janira squeeks with excitement.
"Here! that cave entrance is behind those vines!" Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff's face and begins to pull back several layers of vegitation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff's surface. [b]"This is where I saw the Gillmen enter." As she motions towards the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth.

The Halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!” As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group.

Janira screams “A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.

Your option, but this thing is a massive and nasty creature.

Angry Minotaur! Awesome! Essua thinks as he startles at the beast's appearance. He begins to reach for the hilt of his sword, but stays his hand. Something isn't adding up.

Time slows down as he runs through his options, rapid fire in his head:

• Janira said to make for the cave.
  
• Janira is strong and brave.
  
• Janira said to finish the mission.
  
• But, Janira may need my help.
  
• The minotaur may hurt her!
  
• But she is spry and fast; she kept the swarm of mosquitos you saw back there from killing you.
  
• Oh, yeah. That.
  
• The swarm.

Essua curses the time he spent reading Dungeoneering Quarterly, and daydreaming about underground battles and skills. Then he curses the time he spent not learning about different creatures and races and girls and practicing social grace.

Essua makes his mind up and ducks for cover, heading for the cave.

Godspeed, my friend!Essua imagines himself shouting, but as he leaps, his mouth betrays him; he finds himself grunting: "Mosquito!"

Amelia follows the group, knowing full well that an angry minotaur is way more than she is able to handle. Once inside of the cave, she picks up a rock laying on the floor and casts Light on it. Holding the now lit rock above her head so that everyone can see, she makes her way into the cave to make room for everyone else. "Well, lets make room for everyone, shall we? And light is so much better than dark.. for most things any way!" She tosses this last comment at the boys with a saucy grin and a swish of her hips.
Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

Gah...did it again....I will get used to this system sooner or later :P

As Janira tells them to take cover and drops the bag, Nirari moves over to where she dropped it and then turns to head in the other direction like the halfling instructed them. She presses into the now open cave, sliding into the shadow and starting to move slower, trying to cover her tracks so nothing else heard them coming, as well as watching for anything else coming on as them moved inward, her ability to see in the low light helping from what came in through the cave entrance.

stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

"Yeah." Maybe nobody noticed that I actually didn't do anything during that fight.

Bluff=5

No. They probably noticed

Bluff roll just in case any of you all want to Sense motive against that... but I assume you all would probably just assume Essua's an idiot without needing to roll anything.

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 11

Noted.

Need a Survival DC 15 to help navigate to the cave in time.

Survival: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

Well-traveled.

"Well, lets make room for everyone, shall we? And light is so much better than dark.. for most things any way!" She tosses this last comment at the boys with a saucy grin and a swish of her hips.

"True." Abaal says sagely. "Waylaying travelers in the wilds is much easier under cover of darkness."

He covers the party rear (minotaur side).

Who has Janira's pack? She has stuff labeled so I'll list what the magic items are

You all notice that Janira runs away with the minotaur ignoring you and going straight for her as she continues to use her whip on it. They soon disappear into the tree-line.

Amelia notices that there is a set of tracks leading deeper into the cave. The cave is fairly small as you squeeze through, but it's manageable. The walls are all wet from condensation and you notice the floor feels slippery too and you can hear underwater streams passing nearby.

You also notice the walls are covered in a fungi that is glowing blue, giving off a dim light as you make your way deeper. There are also many Petroglyphs, most depicting marine animals or spiral shapes periodically decorating the tunnels' walls. They become more frequence as you go deeper. Some appear to be fairly recent whilst others look almost ancient. The fungi appears to enjoy these carvings and grows thicker here, making the symbols more obvious.

The narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage. A large hole spans the cave's width and strethes ten feet down the path. At the bottom of the pit lies a small bundle of cloth.

The tunnel here is 10 feet wide and 10 feet tall with a ceiling mostly devoid of stalactites.

1d6 ⇒ 2

You all also notice that this cave was carved from a old pit trap. The trap is a basic hole in the ground, however it's easy to avoid when doing down the hole. the end of the hole has a 3ft plank to use to climb up and continue down the tunnel.

I believe that Nigari may have picked it up, but if she didn't Amelia would have. I did not know that there was light already in here.. If Amelia had seen the light once ducking into the cave, she would not have cast Light. May I have my spell back, or is it lost?

Seeing the hole in the floor, Amelia begins casting about in her pack.
"I have a rope in here somewhere.. We can climb down on this side and back up the other with it. Unless someone else has any ideas?" She looks up at the party with her questioning, open for any other input.

Swift Action: Change to BAT aspect to gain darkvision, 60'

Move Action: Move into the cave

Standard Action: Move into the cave further to scout ahead for the team

Taking 10 on Dungeoneering Check= (10)+5 => 15, but just for fun:
fake dungeoneering check to see if he should have rolled: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Ah, Fate. Of course.

Essua studies the walls of the pit, looking at the obvious cut marks and scrapes made by tool-bearing people. Or creatures. Or Gillmen. Or whatever. And the little bundle at the center piques his attention, too. He decides its probably a trap. He has no reason to decide this, but he decides it anyway.

"Um. Why do you think they dug this trap?" asks Essua. "I mean. I assume its a trap. Somebody made this pit for something. One of you brave fellows should check for traps, just to be sure."

He grins at the party after he speaks as if he had just said the single most clever thing, ever. He holds his eyebrows arched in anticipation of the accolades he is sure are about to come.

Knowledge (Dungeoneering): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

"Ruins often tell many stories. First those who built them and then after, the tales of those who came later."

"It may have been a trap at first, but now perhaps it is some sort of makeshift wading pool keyed to the tides, making use of an underground waterway, or oasis. Do you hear the water around us? Perhaps it has always been so and we just imagine it to be a trap. The moon is full tonight correct? The tides will be at their highest."

Abaal heads down the plank into the hole to check out the bundle. (10' x 10' x 10' correct? Was there a map I'm missing? Sorry, I've worked 48 hours in the last three days and am beat) In his mind he imagines that the bundle might be clothing cast off to before a swim, however he warily inspects the walls and floor making sure they are solid (by hand, boot and the tip of his prodigious blade) and looking for anything out of place like a water vent, hidden door or hinge.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 1

Edit: I guess not!

"Or perhaps..." Dramatic pause allowing the GM to drop in an equally dramatic encounter. Otherwise Abaal finishes in the next post as he inspects the bundle. ;)

Swift Action: Change aspect to frog (+4 to jump)

Standard Action: Running jump over pit: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Am now on the far side of the pit. Ready to receive rope or plank or whatever will help other party members cross over.

@AbaalThe plank is on the OTHER side of the hole. Where you are, you currently can't get down unless you climb down, but it is slippery.

@Amilia It doesn't really state that there was light until a bit further in, but you can have the spell back if you want as the fungi was possibly close enough to the entrance that it would light up the area before it got too dark.

Divdesmit makes a fantastic leap and manages to land on the other end of the hole without any issue. Even with the slippery surface he seems to have landed fine.

@Divdesmit The plank should be by you. Don't think anyone has gone down for the bundle yet.

Nigari picked up Janira's pack...she is holding onto it, going with the belief that Janira will find her way back to them.

Nigari slung the halflings bag around her back, carrying it on her right shoulder and her own on her left shoulder. The combined weight of the two packs seemed to do little to slow the Nagaji down as she continued to move with the rest of the party, doing her best to continue to move quietly, trying to avoid drawing anythings attention should be happen to run into something.

Stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

she stops at the edge of the hole, looking down to see what is visible below them, making sure that they aren't in danger right away should they find a way to scale down.

survival: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5

You can climb down. You may fall, but as it's only 10ft deep you aren't going to break anything or even suffer much fall damage.

Amelia looks around at the party. "Would one of you big strong men mind assisting me, and secure the rope for me?" Once the rope is secured, Amelia climbs down to get the bundle of cloth
Climb: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
She picks up the bundle and fluffs it out to look at it
Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
"Looks like a ______" Fill in with GM response to perception check
She stuffs the bundle into her pack and climbs back up the rope.
Climb: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Essua is awed by the wisdom emanating from the stoic fighter. He quietly vows to himself to try to be more like that.

"Woah..." he says in slackjawed astonishment as the bird man transforms and leaps across the cavern.

He stands transfixed in awe as Nigari creeps around him and peers over the edge of the pit.

Flatfooted again. *sad trombone*

Wait! He thinks, remembering something he read once about Gillmen.

Knowledge Local(untrained): 1d20 ⇒ 16

"Gillmen have this weird dependence on water. This is probably connected to that. I bet this fills up under certain conditions.

You take a good look at the bundled cloth and it appears to be a very finely made cloak. It shows up magical under detect magic.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Amelia will share this information in the fill in the blank from her last post.

Is the plank in the pit big enough to span the gap?

i wouldn't blame Abaal if he thought I'm delaying because I was afraid to climb, the way I've been acting so far on this adventure. he thinks to himself.

I'm already on the other side. I bring the plank over to let people cross the pit safely.

Swift Action: Back to bat aspect.

Move Action: Move 10' away from the pit.

Standard Action: Scout ahead of the party.

Any PC's paying attention to the Feral Hunter notice that this aspect of his personality seems quiet, though attentive. He keenly listens to everything around him.

Amelia picks up her rope and walks across the plank to Divdesmit. "Thank you! Much safer that way!"

If I don't sense anything ahead, I'll switch to wolf aspect and see if I can smell anything in the air.

I draw my Wand of Cure Light Wounds in case anyone falls into the pit.

Hunter is a cross between Druid and Ranger. I can cast Cure Light Wounds; I don't need to make a check to use a wand of CLW.

Okay, I had seriously thought I had dotted the gameplay thread, I am very sorry to everyone and the GM was gracious enough to still allow me to play.

Reis stands in back and is silent, still unsure what to do or say. As the swarm pops up she cowers as she has no means to hurt them. When the overgrown cow gets all fussy she runs into the cave as directed. If Janira says they are outmatched, who is someone who has never really been in a fight to argue.

Hm, looks like someone lost something important. I wonder how a magical cloak got down there?

Okay, I had seriously thought I had dotted the gameplay thread, I am very sorry to everyone and the GM was gracious enough to still allow me to play.

Reis stands in back and is silent, still unsure what to do or say. As the swarm pops up she cowers as she has no means to hurt them. When the overgrown cow gets all fussy she runs into the cave as directed. If Janira says they are outmatched, who is someone who has never really been in a fight to argue.

Hm, looks like someone lost something important. I wonder how a magical cloak got down there?

Well I'm a bit of a softy and to be fair under the rules. If you've taken part in atleast 3 encounters, then you're ok to gain full credit.

The water isn't too deep, but you could submerge yourself if you were to sleep and most of you all agree that the Gillman probably slept her and left the cloak there before continuing down the hole.

As mentioned earlier, you could climb down, carry the board to the other end, let everyone else use it to climb down and then climb up the other end.

The tunnels continue on, leader deeper beneath the Kortos Mounts until they eventually open into a large cavern. What must have been beautifully carved reliefs and inscriptions have since weathered heavily, their features dulled and softened to the point that it is hard to distinguish what each once depicted. A wide tunnel exits the cavern on it's far side and blue-burning torches line the passageway's walls.

These carvings are different in style to the petroglyphs found elsewhere in the caves and look very ancient.

Knowledge History or Religion DC 15 needed to decipher some of these images. You gain a +2 bonus on your check if you have Aquan or Azlanti as a language. You can also use Appraise or Perception at a -2 penalty.

Essua Day remembers all the good times he and Reis had so far on this adventure, especially the times he and she talked quietly together about feeing inexperienced.

Welcome!

Updated the map. URL is at the top but I'll re-post it here

MAP

Knowledge History: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Amelia looks around at all of the carvings. "These are so old.." she says as she runs her hand over them. She identifies the different carvings to the group, and then takes a look around the cavern.
Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Essua Day makes a quick sketch of the inscriptions in his journal. The drawings are embarrassingly childish, but no less embarrassing than the doodles and misspellings that dot the rest of his notes and observations.

As he works the images in his notebook, he churns through recollections in his mind, hoping to make a connection between these images and something he's seen before.

Since Essua is basically untrained in all knowledge skills other than dungeoneering, and its not really his style to appraise, I'll go for a perception check.

Perception: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (6) - 2 = 4

As if he were suddenly inspired by the muses, it all clicks for him: "This one looks like a ducky!" he announces proudly.

religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
per: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

poor wording, I meant you can use perception or Appraise if you don't have Know History or Religion. I'll update when back from work.

I'll take time to make notes about the caves. I will also make chalk and parchment rubbings of the petroglyphs.

Then I'll switch back to falcon aspect: Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

These carvings are different in style to the petroglyphs found elsewhere in the caves and look very ancient.

Knowledge History or Religion DC 15 needed to decipher some of these images. You gain a +2 bonus on your check if you have Aquan or Azlanti as a language. You can also use Appraise or Perception at a -2 penalty.

** spoiler omitted **...

Linguistics (+7 mod.) maybe? Otherwise Perception: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (11) - 2 = 9

Abaal has a calligraphy "artisan kit" which I'm guessing it includes paper, pens, brushes and ink. He attempts to render quickly some of the more Cthuloidish looking inscriptions.

Craft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Nigari continued to stay silent, the snake woman holding up the back of the party, making listening to make sure that no one comes into the cave behind them, wanting to make sure that they aren't surprised by one of the gillmen returning to the cave or something worse on the way in.

Stealth: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

darn sticks that snap when she steps on them :P ;)

As they get up to the carvings, Nigari sets her bag down, pulling out some paper and chalk, to take a gentle rubbing of the carvings, then goes back to seeing if she recognize them now that she can look at the rubbing...

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Reis will take notes about the glyphs in front of her.

Hm, these are pretty, whatever they are

Amelia looks around at all of the carvings. "These are so old.." she says as she runs her hand over them. She identifies the different carvings to the group, and then takes a look around the cavern.

1d4 ⇒ 2

Amelia finds that this carving And the rest as you'll soon see are inscriptions from History and Future of Humanity which was part of Aroden's teachings, however these ones appear to be slightly different, possibly a earlier interpretation of these teachings. Only 4 of the 12 remain.

The carving Amelia discovers is called The Craftsman. It depicts a man creating shoes, pots, jewellery and other moveable goods, referencing Aroden's delight at seeing his people express their ingenuity in creating new products from raw materials. To complete the ritual you must fashion a very simple object (DC 5 craft check) and place it in a miniature city. Completing this ritual grants all of the PCs a +1 competence bonus on Perception checks to find hidden doors and concealed objects.

Religion 17

1d4 ⇒ 1

Reis discovers The Artist. It depicts a man painting murals on the walls of impressive buildings, associated with Aroden having painted the city of Absalom with beautiful colours so that it might awe all who visited. You don't to understand the inscription on how to to this, but looking around it's easy enough to create a crude paint with a few of the stones in this cave.

I'll take time to make notes about the caves. I will also make chalk and parchment rubbings of the petroglyphs.

Then I'll switch back to falcon aspect: Perception 29

1d2 ⇒ 1

Divdesmit had discovered the Merchant. It depicts weighing and trading coins in different sizes, a reference to the holy text's proverb that peace brings trade and prosperity to all people. To complete the Merchant's ritual, someone must place one of their own coins in a miniature city and take one of the same value in return. This grants a +1 competence bonus on Appraise checks to determine the value of objects and on Spellcraft checks made to identify magic items.

As they get up to the carvings, Nigari sets her bag down, pulling out some paper and chalk, to take a gentle rubbing of the carvings, then goes back to seeing if she recognize them now that she can look at the rubbing...

Perception 22

Nigari discovers The Shepherd. It depicts herding animals out of a crowded city to the pastures beyond, just as Aroden blessed leaders with the foresight to direct people to the tasks and places that best suit them. You're uncertain how to solve this, but to the south you do hear the croaking of frogs, beyond the magically flaming torches.

I've spread you all out a bit on the map. You can move yourselves a bit, but let me know if any of you wish to go south where the lanterns are.

Well I'll be damned.. I must have played this scenario half a dozen times (hence why Amelia has been quiet except when needed), but never has anyone explained what the damn carvings were!
Excitedly, Amelia relays her new knowledge to everyone. "Look! If we make a carving and put it in some miniature city, it will help us see better, and find things better! What does everyone else's say? Amelia listens to what they tell her, while sitting down to carefully make a crude representation of the party. "I wonder where this city is though.. I hope that we find it somewhere here!"
Craft: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Is it ok to assume that were all sharing these observations between each other? Assuming it is:

"I'll be honest, guys. I didn't think there would be so much riddling on this kind of adventure."

Essua shrugs and grins sheepishly.

"I'm not sure what you all mean by small city, really. But I have some coins you all can put into the little city. Whatever that means. Or I'll chase frogs, or grind up rocks or whatever. It's cool."

Essua does that thing where a person leans their head from side to side and makes a horrible cracking sound in the vertebrae in his neck, and then looks at his colleagues in the cavern expectantly

Then he looks around for some materials he could grind up to use as a dye or paint.

looking around (perception): 1d20 ⇒ 17