DM Carbide's PFS Emerald Spire

Game Master John Woodford

Sure. I guess we are dropping out of initiative?

Mmmmmaybe?

Senja waves to his companions and says, "Let's check out this door, then we'll chase the goblins." He steps out of the way of the more robust Pathfinders, allowing them to go first in exploring what lies beyond the door.

Moving on?

Yup!

Eva moves to the door to give it a once-over for traps or sounds from the other side.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

While Eva examines the door carefully, Kali takes the opportunity to check the dying goblin for anything unusual or valuable.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Kali, the goblin had leather armor, light wooden shield, short sword, and a short bow with 18 arrows. Only a couple of coppers, as well.

Take a look at the map and let me know if that order is OK before we continue.

Looks good. Just make sure the thing behind the door kills Eva and not Kragnor.

*rolls eyes* Dark Archivists. What are you going to do?

"Nothing valuable on him, but that's not surprising for guards." Kali reveals with glum expression as she readies her weapon in anticipation of entering the next room.

That order looks fine. Assuming Eva didn't see any traps or hear anything, let's open the door and continue.

Eva opens the door, revealing (to her eyes) lots of dark, with nothing making any sounds inside. The stench of stale urine and sweat is almost palpable. Kragnor, you see a round room, with piles of rags that look as though they serve as nest-like beds around the walls. Bones litter the floor in the middle of the room.

It is at this point, when Senja's attention is briefly focused on the doorway, that a pair of arrows strike her in the back. The first glances off of her mage armor, while the second penetrates flesh for 3 HP. Before she (or any of you) can react, a second salvo sails out; the first misses her completely, and the second inflicts a scratch. Take another 1 HP, Senja. Turning, the witch can see the two goblins scooting back into the entrance to the corner tower room.

Round 1 (ongoing):

Initiative order
Goblins-acted
Asvald
Senja-
Melody-
Kragnor-/Eva-/Kali-

Party is up!

Incidentally, Senja, they rolled pretty well on Stealth, or you would have noticed them back there.

"By Shelyn's graces, be careful everyone!"

Casting bless. +1 morale bonus to attack and on saves against fear for everyone.

"Bah!" Kragnor mutters as he moves back toward the goblins, drawing his bow along the way, and dropping his axe.

Attack: 1d20 + 3 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 3 + 1 + 1 = 19
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Kragnor, remember that this is all rough terrain--diagonal moves are 15' movement/square. I think Melody is going to have to step east 5' so you can move and still attack.

Hmm, I was thinking it was double, so 2 squares for the first diagnol was two, and the second was four. Checking, I see I was wrong.

All right, nvermind. Kragnor just double moves to his current position

Melody still has some movement:

The halfling cleric moves off to the side.

I wondered if I was putting myself in a bad spot by hanging in the back…

”Ouch!” Senja cries out as the arrows stick into him. ”Damned goblins are back, and shooting at me!” He quickly conjures up a small shadow-pellet and flicks it at the closer goblin before scrambling out of the line of fire.

Evil eye on eastern goblin for -2 to attacks, DC 14, then move action to move one square NE.

By the way, Carbide, Senja is a male, though a somewhat wispy one.

Status: 5/9 hp

Ah--I see. Sorry about that!

The magic takes hold on the goblin.

ETA: Senja, I think you moved NW.

Right - didn't take the goofy map orientation into account when I wrote that. Can we just change that, and agree that north is up? Or rotate the map 90 degrees counter-clockwise?

Assuming Kali has at least a vague idea of where the attacks are coming from based on Senja injuries:

Tired of being sniped at in the dark, Kali moves as fast as she can until she finds a wall, then moves beyond the wall until she finds a goblin.

Double move. If she doesn't have an idea of where the goblins may be, I guess she'll just delay until someone with darkvision directs her.

"O'er there! O'er there! The little vermin are that away!" Kragnor bellows.

No problem, Senja. I figured that was what you meant.

Round 1 (ongoing):

Initiative order
Goblins-acted
Asvald
Senja-acted
Melody-acted
Kragnor-acted/Eva-/Kali-acted

Kali is able to pick her way across the debris field, and if she has a light source she can get to within sight of a goblin. Kragnor's arrow hit one of the goblins.

Asvald and Eva, then on to the next round!

Asvald pushes through the rubble and enchants Eva's weapon with light.

The schoolteacher nods her gratitude and moves across the rubble-strewn room, sword held high. Double moved.

Round 2:

Initiative order
Goblins-acted
Asvald
Senja-
Melody-
Kragnor-/Eva-/Kali-

Kali, the goblin you're adjacent to looks a little worried at your presence, then steps back into the darkness, nocking an arrow as it does so. A moment later a pair of arrows hit you for 5 HP total.

Over to you!

"Shelyn heal their wounds!"

channel: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Selectively excluding any goblins in range, assuming I can see them.

They can 5' step in difficult terrain?

It's not difficult terrain for them.

Don't look at me like that! Blame Lisa Stevens; that's how she wrote it.

-Posted with Wayfinder

I really hope it's just this level...

Eva moves forward and swings her sword at a goblin.

Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Waiting to see if that goblin is dead before acting.

Cursing, Kragnor picks up his axe and moves closer.

Round 2 (ongoing):

Initiative order
Goblins-acted
Asvald
Senja-
Melody-acted
Kragnor-acted/Eva-acted/Kali-

Eva's sword cleaves into the goblin and lays it out, dying, on the floor.

Asvald, Senja, and Kali left to go! Incidentally, Kali, remember that you can't see the second goblin.

Even with my sword-light and her lowlight vision?

Senja steps around the emerald wall in front of him and sees that Eva has slain another of the annoying goblins. "Nice work," he calls out, "let's finish off that last one before he takes off!" He summons up a tangled mass of shadow, then crumples it up and throws it at the goblin's legs, hoping to make it clumsier and easier to hit.

Evil eye for -2 to AC, DC 14 to resist.

I thought about low-light vision allowing characters to see further than 5', but the wording on the effect seems to disallow it. So, no.

The goblin is slowed by Senja's magic.

Asvald trudges forward.

Her arrow wounds still throbbing somewhat despite Melody's healing efforts, Kali takes this opportunity to extract a sunrod from her backpack and light it. "Ok, where is the last one at? I have a favor to return."

Round 3:

Eva and Kali clearly hear the goblin tittering, then movement and the sound of something rubbing on cloth. Senja, from where you are you can see the goblin step away from the attackers. Although Eva largely blocks your line of sight after that, it looks to you as though it pushes aside a curtain and steps into the wall.

It is about that time that a cascade of rocks comes down in the entryway (the squares now marked with red Rs). Kali and Eva, make a DC 12 Reflex save or take a point of damage and be buried under the rocks.

Off combat time for now.

Hmmm...more missing details in the scenario. As you'll find out, the rubble fills the entrance, and it's stated explicitly that clearing it will take 20 hours of work (though there's nothing about how many people are assumed to be working on it, etc.). OTOH, if Eva or Kali save, they're not buried under the rocks...does that mean they're still trapped, and it will take ten hours to dig out Eva because she's in the middle of the rockfall? This is my not impressed face. If this weren't for PFS I would feel a lot better about handwaving something, but since it is I'd like to have a certain amount of consistency with other people running the scenario.

Before seeing my save, I'd say that "not buried under the rocks" would mean that whoever isn't buried would... not be buried. I'm not sure what the difference would be between "buried" and "trapped" in that case. I think I'd just have anyone who saves get shunted to the inside or just say that they manage to wriggle out once the fall stops. Just 'cause it's PFS doesn't mean you can't make rulings where you feel the text is unclear. :)

Reflex: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

It's more like, if Eva (say) stays in the square she's in now, even if she saves she's in the middle of (OK, on the top of) a pile of rocks that supposedly prevents anyone from going through those squares until the pile has been cleared. So if she's not trapped there, how is it that she can get out--either way, since she's in the middle of it--but no one can get through? I'm thinking I'll interpret making the save as getting out of the way of the pile, so that now she's on the edge instead.

Yeah, I get what you're saying... I think that your last sentence is how I'd rule as well.

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

"Ohmygods!" The ninja exclaims as she backflips out of the falling rocks.

Which way do you want to jump, Eva?

Down or left is fine... toward the rest of the party.

What, you didn't want to chase the lone goblin left ;-)?

ETA:

With the collapse of the trap, the only ways left to you to proceed further into the tower are through the double doors to your east, or past the barricade in the room you came in through. Where to?

:) I sorta did, but I figure that if there's another exit to that part there's also another entrance, and if there isn't he's trapped in there. So yeah... I'm gonna just hang out with the party. ;)

Let's make sure we explore that tower we had just opened and then head mapdown from here after that.

The tower you opened when you were attacked again is empty of anything but trash. It looks as though a few goblin dogs were kenneled there.

"Let us continue, then."

Double doors.

Double doors indeed.