GM Aarvid PFS #6-04: The Beacon Below (Inactive)

Game Master GM Aarvid

Discuss...

Dis-CUSS.

Level 10 here, melee front-liner.

eta Given that this looks like it ties into Scarab Sages, I'd at like to at least keep my options open to my Scarab Sages character, who is also level 10 (witch). I'll see what everyone else is bringing, but if we're reasonably well-equipped on melee, I may switch over, if permitted.

Although some of you have played in my games before, a couple reminders once we are underway:

1) Please keep HP and AC status updated in your profile tag
2) I will roll group init and track actions in order. If you want to post ahead, feel free. I may move you back or allow you to change your action if someone else goes before you and alters the playing field (blocks a charge lane, is injured, creates a pit, drops your target etc)
3) Miss is always low (1-20 or 1-50) on [1d100] if miss chance applies
4) If you want to try something a little off base...ask me. Sometimes the odd actions are the most memorable. (This one should not be a problem with this group) :-)
5) I use google maps (which works great at home, but not so much from my I-pad on the road, so I may ask for help updating).

PFS # 69095-1
Level: 10
Day Job: No Day Job for Luisila
Faction: Grand Lodge
Normal Track

[dice=Perception Luisila] d20+21 [/dice ]
[dice=Initiative Luisila] d20+5 [/dice ]

Hola!

Ground rules look good, GM Aarvid.

Very much looking forward to this game. I have heard this scenario can be quite challenging (which I like!)

Luisila is a vanilla healing-buffing-archery cleric. Her straight ranged damage output is pathetic. Rather her SOP in combat is to keep the heavy hitters up and buffed, while aiding anyone in trouble with divine magic.

Her player loves roleplay and tactical, cooperative combat. Good gaming, everyone!

PFS: 20056-3
Level: 11
Dayjob: Profession(Tepanyaki Chef): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (3) + 21 = 24
Initiative:+2
Perception:+17
Faction: Dark Archive
Slow Track

Noble is a grappler which means he will probably go after an enemy caster. He has moderate AC and can get some more with a ki point. He has low hp for his level though so he may require some divine lovin' from Luisila.

I have some combat reroll boons from a chronicle that I will have to remember to use.

Name: Aaron
PC: Noisy
PFS# 84637-6
Faction: Sovereign Court
Day Job: Perform (percussion): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (11) + 21 = 32
Class/Level: Bard 9 / Gunslinger 1

Initiative: +6
Perception: +13 (+15 if dwarven Stonecunning applies!)

Am still pondering if I have any money to spend before we start =)
Will figure it out soonish

(Giving the rest of the party a chance yet to check in, so that I know if I can bring my witch or bringing Conan; I'll post full details once I know which character I'm bringing. But I'm ready to go with either.)

It looks like we've got a balanced party so far. We've got divine casting, arcane casting, ranged, melee, and traps. I think either more melee or more casting would be good, but I'm leaning toward melee.

Character: Brother San Xiao Ji Jia Ben
PFS #: 34572-8
Level: 11
Day Job: Craft (alchemy): 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (10) + 22 = 32
Initiative: +5
Perception: +24 (+29 vs. traps)

I admit all things being equal I'd prefer to play my witch, since she's from Thuvia and is interested in Osirion, even aside from being Scarab Sages. She's a debuffer/buffer, mostly, but can swap out spells for more damage if necessary.

Fredrik hasn't gotten a chance to post; I played once with him and I think I remember him as a melee cleric/fighter. So unless we feel like we really need another frontliner, I'll bring the witch. Going to bed now; will settle on one for sure once I wake up again.

Hmkay, I've looked stuff over and I guess I'll go with Conan, it feels like we need another frontliner to me (Fredrik is playing up after all, and this one's supposed to be a beefy one!). I can always GM this at some point for my witch.

So. CONAN O'BRIEN at your service.

PFS #: 30341-4
Level: 10
Day Job: Perform all the jokes: 1d20 + 18 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 18 + 2 = 32
Initiative: +9
Perception: +5

Will go check in in thread.

Dien, I’m sorry you don’t get to play your witch, but I am delighted to see Conan!

*laughs* Well that makes him feel very welcome and loved. :D

Savage, I just noticed you have the Snapping Turtle Style chain, so the bonus from the Shield extract is a bit redundant. Would you mind if I let Conan have that instead?

Yea sure. Could I maybe have a barkskin? :)

FYI - I went back and re-read a spell description compared to the wording in the mod (which was unclear). The fog is "real" and obscures vision beyond 5'. So at this point only Savage could make out the creatures within...but still red flashes of light and heat are emanating from the fog.

BTW - I really like this scenario for some of the social aspects. However, it is known to run very long (and maybe more so with this group).

I hope nobody planned to use any of these characters in the June special. :-)

I thought your unfettered shirt was already activated earlier. Or do you have 2 of them? The first should still be active for a few more minutes...like 3-ish?

TODAY, the Book of Exalted Cheese beings you the tale of Luisila and her de-fettered shirt!

I basically wanted to activate and deactivate the shirt at say 2 minute intervals when I thought there was a chance of Bad Stuff® happening.

Now I had assumed that the 10 minutes didn’t have to be consecutive. But looking back at the item's description, there is no wording to that effect. The text implies once it’s on, IT’S ON … for 10 minutes.

That is my blue (Strail'yun slang for mistake, fight or red-head), and I think you're being generous saying I've still got 3 minutes use left ;)

Yeah, I've always seen unfettered shirt as "once a day use, ten minutes solid." It's saved my bacon on my 14th level PFS fighter a few times but just as many times I've wrestled with the 'when to activate' it problem, activated it prematurely, and gotten no good out of it... since to the best of knowledge, it has to be proactive, and you can't activate it once you're already paralyzed/etc ;___;

(Can activate it while grappled! But being grappled is not usually a concern for that character, heh.)

I do not know about the rest of you, but I really enjoy the NPC interactions in this scenario, and potential dilemmas it raises for the party. Getting to read it was half the reason for wanting to run it. :P

Sorry guys, I've been being slammed by a work deadline and wound up falling asleep in the window I would normally have posted last night. I'm trying to get in a tag now but I'm a little confused on exactly what our approach is here. I haven't seen anybody making a bluff check so are we legitimately planning on ditching our initial promise to Saruna and siding with Badru? Or are we attempting to get the drop on Badru? I'm happy to have Conan attack but I'm trying not to screw things up if I'm misreading due to my general tiredness. The buffing, to me, seems to suggest we're planning an attack even though nobody's made a bluff check to that end. I'll go post in thread.

I believe the intention was to figure out who is telling the truth still.

Also, Saruna said that Badru was planning to turn everyone (in the world?) into creatures like himself, which is BAD NEWS BEARS. Should we ask him directly about that?

But the Bad News Bears were awesome... =)

Noisy has no intention of turning on Saruna at this time. She seems kind of a tragic figure.

Badru on the other hand, seems kind of delusional... not sure why he keeps assuming we're agreeing with him! Its disconcerting.

Had noticed that bit San Xiao mentions... just had no idea how to even approach that sort of topic.

As for Luisila's play... hell if I know... Noisy's Sense motives never seem to be very good =)

Noble doesn't really care who we work with as long as he gets the job done. So he'll go with whatever the group decides.

Lol, I am clearly being too subtle. (Something I'm not often accused of ;)

Luisila feels Badru is evading her questions, lying about the machine creatures and diverting the group away from exploring Level 2 to go murder Saruna.

I vote to TAKE BADRU OUT! ... or at least make him surrender.

(For the record, I don't trust Saruna either, but she doesn't appear as obstructive as Badru)

Oh well Noble can do that too.

Yeah, well, if you're signaling to your fellow PCs to attack and signaling to Badru that we're cooperating with him, there probably should be a bluff check in there soooomewhere. ;)

I dunno.

If we were bearing down on me after taking out my mooks, and then the half-elf chick (the hot one ;) turns the toothy bardbarian with the big pointy stick invisible and calls for a silence spell on Half-orc Hulk Hogan - there ain’t gonna be no bluff calling! We are Gittin’ It On! :)

Now having said that, GM Aarvid implied Old Mate (Why yes, I am from Oz) might have some kind of social disorder and he (the GM not Old Mate) knows what a tricky cow Luisila can be … so if there’s a bluff call required, I’m good with the GM making it (+2 to the modifier).

Do you want me/us to back off the hawkish moves, Conan? I’m thinking the scene is dragging a little at a stalemate. But I’m only 1 opinion out of 6.

No, I'm pretty much in agreement that we should probably take Badru out, partly because it just doesn't sit well with Conan to make an agreement with another NPC then turn around and agree to kill her, etc.

But a) I feel there's more we could learn from him first, and I doubt he will be communicative from a defeated position-- doesn't seem like he's the sort who will care about threats, or whatever-- and b) if we are going to attack, then we need to be in position for it-- I don't want to be the only PC adjacent to him, launch an attack, and then realize I jumped the gun and everyone else is like 'wait, what?'. Right now I'm the only PC whose moved into a position where I could feasibly attack him (judging by the map).

So if we're attacking, we should be getting into position for that, and if we're not attacking, then, well, Conan is a simple soul who doesn't like stabbing people in the back and I am trying not to blow it for the rest of the party if we're still attempting the talky route.

I thought I was doing a good job at telling him to his face we were not going to kill Saruna...
If only so he starts hostilities himself and we're off the hook! =)

He just keeps misinterpreting what I'm saying! (its a fiendishly annoying negotiating technique!)

The GM did say Badru came back out of the room, though, perhaps he's not in the right place?

Updated Map, Savage will join you up there. Someone just tell me to grab him and I will.

Stuck on phone but conan has a rubber chicken at his belt that is emanating a level 3 continual flame -- just ask luisila....

I believe you - but at this point Conan is not in the dark area and you may suspect the chicken is not as bright as you think. :-)

I believe you - but at this point Conan is not in the dark area and you may suspect the rubber chicken is not as bright as you think. :-)

Heh. Probably a stupid shadow demon who can do it at will! (I only say this cause of my game on Wednesday, that had 3 of them all doing this! It sucked... all the dispelling in the world didn't help for long)

But you survived, right Noisy? Right? ;)

Ah well. This fight may not be going to plan, but we shall prevail!

I’m more than happy to share my scroll of lesser restoration. It’s got 5 spells on it.

And now for something completely different … RE: Changes to some of Ultimate Equipment’s items. (Now in Rant-free!)

Am I correct in thinking we are locked into the (old) rules/descriptions that were in place at the time our game started for things like jingasa of the fortunate soldier and snapleaf?

Noisy's got a wand with 4 charges of lesser resto as well, we should be ok there. =)

As to the changes, ya, you're not supposed to change mid scenario.

I have several characters who will need to go to the pawn shop after this announcement.

Yea my feather step slippers that I literally just bought for Noble need to be returned.

San xiao - before you do that - Luisila should you be +7 or +10 on the dispel? .

Ugh. The dispel I rolled was for Fredrik (hence the +7) which I see you’ve rolled later, GM Aarvid.

Hmm … maybe the loss of my Portfolio re-reroll and my last turn makes up for this (my) gaffe??

Just clarifying the cloud con damage … Luisila took 1 con damage (not drain?) after a successful save, but because you need 2 dmg to lose 1 ability point of con, her Con remains at 16 until she takes another 1+ Con dmg, right?

That is my understanding, correct. I believe people were either at -1con (no effect) or -3con (lose 1hp/level -1 fort etc). Except Conan.

I am sorry this combat is a bit wonky with all the delays/darkness/cloud/grapple rules. It seems like it was made to expose all the weakest/complex rules of the PF system.

No, it’s all good! Good level 10-11 play should make us earn a victory.

I haven’t felt this much on the defensive in combat for quite a while (I needed this ;)

Here's to us being back on the front foot soon!

ya, its all good.

Just didn't like missing a turn is all! wanted to shoot someone! =)

I missed the NW tunnels. I guess they lead to Level 3 and the Beacon??

I vote to clear out this level (2) first. (Can we do an ‘end around’ and access the rest of Level 2 from the southern-most cave in area B5?)

Having said that, I don’t mind if peoples prefer to descend straight to level 3 instead. I vote against re-visiting Saruna until we’ve at least cleared out Level 2 and/or checked out Level 3.

Too sleepy for a proper post but +1 to Luisila's suggestion

I will assume the end-around heading back to B5.

FYI - we will be traveling tomorrow, so posting may be non-existent. Will likely post from phone or Tuesday, once we get to our destination. I am going to link another map now, since I am not sure if I will be able to do that later.

All good!

Travel safe.

Driving to new place today. Will post tonight.

Train ride home today so may have limited chance to post until tonight or Monday.