First Steps

Game Master CRobledo

Dunn removes his floppy hat and follows the old woman inside.if needed again Perception:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 Dunn manages to poke himself in the eyes wiping dust from them.

She invites you into the kitchen, and you sit down. She pours a cup for each of you, and brings the tray to the kitchen table. You notice her trying to move some half-empty bottles that were sitting on the countertops back in drawers, as casually as possible so it seems like she is just tiding up the place.

Nothing I said here is a lie :)Its black on white truth.

I was careful to not to directly lie either, I'm just not that good at spinning a more "honest" sounding misappropriation of the truth since I have baddy wisdom.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Sensing if she's hiding something.

Xavier keeps a close eye on the woman as she "tidies up".

Vermin tries to wipe his feet before entering. He is mindful, maybe for the fist time, of the dirt and mud on his clothing.

As the spell completes and does its work Vermin thanks the lady. My gratitude. You are indeed a fabulous healer.

Bluff:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Xavier, you can tell that she is not telling the whole truth. Maybe not a lie, but she might be leaving things out

If Sense motive is not needed to be 'actively' deployed can you please make a roll for me, otherwise I'll 'bat on' so to speak, later to day

You have sipped on your tea for a while. Auntie is definitely looking a little restless. She is standing by the stove tapping her foot impatiently.

A few seconds later, one of the kids comes into the kitchen "Auntie, I just finished my chores for the day. Can I go lay down upstairs?" Auntie looks up a little surprised "Sur Tommy. Make sur to not bother the oters who are still sick and trying to rest, yes? Now, jou Silver Crusaders, are we done here. As jou said jourselves, it has been a long day."

I'm going to roll some perceptions while you check in. You are individually looking for anything else that might be amiss.

Sohali: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Vermin: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Xavier: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (18) + 0 = 18
Luccinus: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Dunn: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Nothing else seems amiss to you.

I believe thats all from me but my companions may have further questions... I will take some air outside

I will join you. Good day mum. Dunn follows Luccinus out of the house.

She seems pretty relieved that some of you are leaving the house, but stays in the kitchen and doesn't see you out.

"Excuse me Madam but I have a question before we leave" Sohali says while standing in the kitchen "My companion Vermin was attacked by some small beasts and indeed seemed to have been suffering from an affliction which you seem to have reversed. My question is thusly, why when children are lying still sick in your home would you waste such a scroll on a complete stranger rather than one of your wards?"

"My, for a 'holy man' jou sure are a bit dense aren't jou. Would jou waste hundreds of gold every time someone has a cold? What about a simple headache? Or a sore throat? Joung man, I run most of my orfanage out of charity. Once in a wile people donate schrolls and I save those for when someone with a disease or illness heavy enough to warrant it. This orc-thing could have died in a few days if not treated. Speaking of, you should get that floppy-hat guy to take his taken care of. Shadly I do not have any more scrolls to help him. Now why don jou go back to jour little desert and let me do my job."

Xavier, finishing his tea, nods to the woman. "Your kindness is appreciated. Before I go, may I ask who supports your orphanage? Who is providing financial or physical support for these...poor...children? I should like to express my appreciation, should I run into them." Xavier is trying to feign interest and concern for the kids.

Bluff Check: 1d20 ⇒ 19

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

"Well we receive donations from lots of different charities around Absalom. We have the Silver Crusade of course, the temple of Iomedae, we have a bit of help from the church of Cayden Cailean and even a few of the last worshipers of Aroden. The apothecary's guild will sometimes send some potions our way as well. Basically anyone who is willing to help. Most of the charities support us with donations of medicine and supplies though, noone donates actual money."

As it looks like there were no more questions for the old lady, Vermin, Xavier and Sohali decide to leave the kitchen and meet their friends outside the orphanage. You recount to each other the last few questions that transpired, and decide to report back to the Silver Crusade your findings.

Once back at the location, Ollysta Zadrian once again comes out to greet you.

"Pathfinders, well met. I hope the parcel was delivered without too much trouble. Now, did you find anything out of the ordinary or that I should know about Gilga Baltwin and her orphanage?"

Vermin looks to his companions, not wanting to speak first. But when no one else steps forward the quiet gets to him and he offers She's not much to look at Ms. Zadrain. And she was not exactly nice or welcoming to us. Quite rude really. And quite shrewd, I think, not wanting us to enter her house at first and when we insisted she did the minimum and rushed us out. He pauses for a minute thinking about how to proceed. Except she showed tremendous generosity in the use of an expensive magic scroll to cure a disease I had contracted. Quite out of character for her behavior and maybe a way to get us to leave more quickly. And while I am glad to be rid of the fever, it might have been better to use that scroll on one of the kids, I'm thinking. Oh, and there was the drinking... He adds but waits to let another of his group add more details.

"Interesting. She was always pleasant when dealing with other agents of the Silver Crusade, but up until now we have not asked her to let us inspect her house. Seems she disliked that idea. Maybe we can investigate more on this. What about this drinking you were mentioning?"

Vermin will let others tell about the store owner we talked to as he did none of the taking and likely did not go into the store or talk to neighbors, but he noticed the health signs so he will mention that.

Somewhat hesitantly, Vermin confesses I believe that Ms. Baltwin is an alcoholic, and has been for some time. We saw many bottles inside as she tried to tidy up, hiding them. Also, I have some training in healing arts and notice tell tale signs of a long term problem. Broken veins in her nose, sweats, etc.

He looks guilty for having spoken the truth about this woman and quickly adds. But I also believe she is doing some good for these kids who might have no place else to go. They seemed happy and we saw no signs of physical abuse.

"Hm, this is somewhat troubling news. We will have to look more into it, as we do not endorse drinking as a solution to problems. Especially with children are involved. Even though she might have no problems with the kids now, you never know what would happen should her alcoholism increase to dangerous levels. It is my experience that most imbibers of the drink will usually increase their intake throughout their lives, not reduce it."

"Pathfinders, here is a letter of recommendation to take back to Albus with you. You provided me with the service I requested, so take it with my blessings. May the light of Sarenrae be with you on your journeys."

With that she takes her leave, leaving you back outside the church with a box, documents to a tomb in Osirion, and two letters from important figures.

"Well, I don't think that our efforts could have been any less successful. Shall we return?" Xavier asks, clearly quite proud of himself - and the group, to a lesser extent.

Assuming you all head out towards the Grand Lodge again! On the way, a throng of people blocks the street ahead. A performance art group commandeers the street, drawing graffiti to create a jolly hellscape complete with illusory devils comically dancing around in circles. A few citizens avoiding the crowd slip off-street through a nearby alley, the only egress past the gathering. Frustrated with the delays, you decide to follow the crowds...

As you proced down the alley, your group and the rest of the crowd hustle at quite a good pace. However, about 30 feet in front of you, you see a hooded figure turn around and draw their weapon. From the crowd, three more individuals join her, as far as you can tell one of them a halfling. You recognize her as the figure from the crowds before. The "someone" that had been tailing you. Vermin, who saw her before alerts you in time, and you stop now with weapons drawn as well.

You hear the hooded human shout out: "Pathfinders! Looks like we lost the element of surprise, but no matter. You have some things we need, so you better be handing them over now!" she looks over at your party, stopping at Luccinus for a second. "You know what. You look like the type that will not surrender without a fight. That is OK with me too. Boys?"

we will go into initiative soonish, after I get to my PC with the maps etc...

Bring it on!

Here we go. Early map uploaded. Here are initiatives, and what you see. I'm going to assume you are in standard marching orders. Lucc and Vermin in front, Sohali and Xavier second rank, and Dunn in the back.

Initiatives:

Dunn 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Sohali 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Vermin 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Lucc 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Xavier 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Baddies:

D 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
W 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16
L 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
H 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

D is the lady that was talking. Human, wearing a chain shirt and wielding a short sword.
H is another female human. Crossbow on her back and no armor.
W is a human male. Has a rapier and wearing some kind of chain shirt too.
L is a halfling male. Has a greataxe and looks mean. Also has a badass mustache.

No surprise round as you saw them earlier tailing you. Xavier is up, currently at D3.

Sohali Draws his bow and nocks an arrow before letting it fly at the Halfling with the evil moustache.

Bow 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 211d8 ⇒ 6

Perception 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Dealing what appears to be a decent ammount of damage to the irrate little man with the large axe.

Oh, and I know this is out of sync but I don't want to slow the game if I'm sleeping later so I'll put this up. If the halfling is downed before I fire I'll aim at the most threatening person not in melee or at the closest person in melee if I have to fire into melee.

Xavier draws his staff and advances forward - despite the narrow alleyway, he sees the opportunity to potentially grab the advantage. He gets close and a burst of color emits from his fingers, catching D,W and L in its area of effect.

Move to H2, cast Color Spray.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 5

Start me in E2 and move me to I1.

On my round I fight defensively AC goes to 23 (+2) and my attack is +1 (-4). Attack 'D'.

Not sure if you want to roll for me or wait for my turn for me to roll.

Xavier moves forward, and the lights from his spell hit the three bandits:

DC 13

D Save
Will Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

W Save
Will Save: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (19) + 0 = 19

L Save
Will Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Duration: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 1) = 3 rounds

Lol, I like that the one with +0 will was the one that made it

BAM, lights fly out and like that, the lady in chain mail and the little halfling are out like a light. The other two look a bit startled, not exactly knowing how to proceed.

D is unconcious, so goes to W.

W moves to I1 and attempts to shank Xavier with his rapier.

Attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

And he swings but misses. Xavier can block him with his quarterstaff without a problem.

L is down, so Lucc you are up. Updated map.

Feinting with his shield and moving his morning star in a defensive pattern he strikes out against his foe.

1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Move to I2 against W

W will take his AOO when moving from H2-I2:

AoO: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Which is a miss.

Vermin is up, Sohali on deck

Vermin casts Shillelagh on his quarterstaff and 5 foot steps to F3, speaking to Sohali as he does. The caster in the back is the threat. Ready to shoot her if she tries to cast.

Vermin casts Shillelagh on his quarterstaff and 5 foot steps to F3, speaking to Sohali as he does. The caster in the back is the threat. Ready to shoot her if she tries to cast.

F3 is a small shack, you can climb on the rooftop if you want instead of 5ft step.

Sohali, you can still make your move while Vermin decides on his location. You can fire at H but through cover (-4)

Ah. Ok. So the alley narrows to 5 feet there. Vermin will move to F2 then.

I believe I am up after Sohali. Dunn moves to and climbs up onto the shack. Hopefully to line up a decent shot. G3

Sohali steps up to the left side of the alley, shooting an arrow straight at the human attacking Luccinus and Xavier. Sohali manages to strike him with an arrow, dealing what seems like a heavy wound at this close a range. 7 damage with Point-blank, yes?

Dunn is up, with H on deck. Top of the round after that with Xavier.

Dunn, you can take a shot at H from there with no cover or firing into combat. see below for your attack roll

So upon further inspection, mister W DOES have combat expertise, so going to go ahead and take a swipe at Sohali for firing a ranged weapon in melee. Thank Vermin in the discussion thread for reminding me.

AoO on Sohali: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20 crit threat

Crit threat: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15 No confirm

Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 on Sohali

Dunn takes his shot from the rooftop.

ATK: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21 That is a HIT

DMG: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 damage on H

H steps up over the unconscious halfling and casts her own color spray (west from her spot, hitting Lucc, Sohali and Xavier.

Sohali save: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (2) + 0 = 2 unconscious for 2d4 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4 rounds!
Xavier save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22 saves!
Luccinus save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10 unconscious for 2d4 ⇒ (1, 2) = 3 rounds!

Xavier, you are up, with W on deck. Map up

Xavier, feeling as if he's done this before (Because I posted before Paizo's server melted), infuses his staff with arcane energy and strikes at the man bleeding before him with a two-handed strike.

Using arcane pool to add a +1 Bonus Enchantment to the staff and attacking two-handed.

1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 for 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Awesome. A "3."

W is not happy with Xavier, but looks more confident now that his other foes have fallen. He takes a lunge with his rapier at Xavier again:

ATK: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11 but misses his attack!

He takes a 5 foot step back from Xavier along the wall.

Vermin, looks like you are up again... too many people unconcious! W is now at J1

Ignoring W, Vermin advances to J2 likely provoking an aoo. As he passes the man he growls at him If you attack me I will kill you, little man.

He swings his enchanted quarterstaff in a mighty arc at the caster's head H.

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 222d6 + 7 ⇒ (1, 5) + 7 = 13

Not heeding Vermin's warning, either by stupidity or bravery, he still takes his stab at Vermin.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 and Vermin doesn't even stop walking when he stabs the air behind him.

Vermin's swing hits the sorceress square on the side of the head. The magical energies of Shillelagh intensifying the blow knocks her unconscious.

Back to Sohali then Dunn

Vermin tisks at the man with the rapier, and smiles evilly at him.

I believe Sohali is napping.

I believe Sohali is napping.

I know. he will get to it :) No hurries

No,no,no. IC he is napping - from the spell.

Oh right, right. Dunn it is then! :)

At least I wake the same round as the baddies... assuming we life that long. So two of full Bab guys are out - leaving a druid, a magus and a gunslinger against what looks like some light weapons dude (rapier and combat reflexes?) and a mage type. Go to work fella's.... ooops - looks like vermin has taken out the spell slinger.

3 against 1 - I think our chances are good :) - Nice hit Vermin

Thanks. Vermin is supremely confident, but anyone can roll a "3". :)

While the hit was good, the damage was below average. I believe if Vermin hits any one of these guys while buffed with the spell on his staff they are down for the count. 2d6+7 is a lot of damage, and you haven't even seen his best tricks yet...

I could always be mean and have rapier guy coup-de-grace the unconscious guys. But that would be mean :D (I know a dm that did that lol)