GM AbyssDancer's 'Ire of the Storm'

Game Master AbyssDancer

The frog image is exactly what the shooter looks like.

The small figures on the floor of the shrine resemble dark-skinned halflings. The crossbow bolts are of human size and design, and resemble those used by the militia. The smell alone tells you the bodies have been dead a week at least. I take it from your post you are not searching the bodies or examining their wounds, just looking at them from across the room.

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I take it from your post you are not searching the bodies or examining their wounds, just looking at them from across the room.

Iradiel moves to look closer at the bodies and then moves back realizing that some of the shattered icons were shaking... untrained heal check and perception/ knowledge check to see if the bodies are alive and what they are.

I didn't post a location on the map because I wasn't sure where the bodies were. Iradyiel got close enough to do a 'heal check' before he moved back. Not sure now close that is, but I assume it's close. He did not, per say, 'search the bodies' though he did examine them to determine what they were and if they were alive. His roll was pathetic though.

"This is very bad," Chest Thumper said as he examined the body and found marks similar to those on the acolyte outside. "Bad because this is a strange thing to do to a body and more bad because it looks like magic was done.

He pointed out the odd burn marks for anyone who might still be around to look.

He mounted the ladder then and when he got to the upper level and what he found there did little to reassure him. The ordinary weirdness was bad enough but it seemed like there was more magic going on as well.

He did not feel safe, and attempted to coax Francis up the ladder, always feeling more secure when the big ape was around.

Handle Animal + Link: 1d20 + 4 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 4 = 15

Reluctantly, Francis followed. As the ape climbed the ladder with relative ease, Chest Thumper was reminded how happy he was that he wasn't raised by wolves.

Jamba followed Chest Thumper up the ladder, intent on protecting him in his weekend state. "No worries, mon. Jamba be watchin' ya back."

OK: we have some congestion on the ladder with Jamba waiting for CT and Francis to ascend before him, and Aza still at the training room door with her mirror. It takes a full round to ascend, so I'm waiting for Pious to post (in the shrine) before we move on.

Further, it was never explicitly decided who held the potion of CLW you purchased with group funds back at Pridon's Hearth. CT said that either Pious or Jamba should hold it; Aza and Iradyiel agreed; Jamba and Pious were silent, and neither has it in their character sheets. I'm assuming that Pious has it, because Jamba has already shown concern about CT's weakened state (1hp left) but done nothing. So Pious, please add it to your sheet or use it on the apeman.

To post:
Aza, Pious

"Something's not right. For sure."

Pious knelt for a moment in the center of the room and mutters a prayer
Casting Detect magic Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

Does Pious notice anything unusual about the nature of the broken statues Know: Religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

"As soon as we open those doors we'll be shot, we need to regroup. But This place is... ungodly.

I'll give CT the potion as soon as we meet up, either up here or on the groound floor if we can't 'fix' this room

A new turn is up - be sure to read the ooc section, in red text...

Turn 010 - Seeking Cover

All to post !

Turn 010 says we need permission to read.

Turn 010 says we need permission to read.

Apologies - try now.

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yep all better
will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

'There's a crossbow bolt I should... What? Why would I? What am I thinking?' frightened stepping back, Iradyiel looks from the dead bodies to his friend 'Pious' "Master Shepard do you feel that?"

It's the weekend and no one is in a hurry, so Iradyiel will wait to see what 'Pious' does or says, before he moves on.

did anyone else notice that the shooter is a frog and these are haflings? Was it a three way battle? I don't know that Iradyiel has 'seen' the shooter yet, so I didn't know if he should bring it up.

Aza, pleased with her identification of the sniper, shut the door. She didn't really have anything she could fight back with, and the others seemed to be going ahead - they could deal with the thing better if they managed to get within punching distance of it, from what she had seen so far from the group. She moved over to the next room, hoping to see what the others were up to.

I am waiting for the others since I am on the ladder. Aza: Do you not have healing spells for the group?

Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Pious reached out to one of the crossbow bolts. But, before his wavering fingers made contact, his fist snapped shut.

"Temptation claims the unwary or the incomplete. A true man may flinch away its embrace, if he is stalwart, and he girds his soul with the armour of contempt"

"The souls of these poor creatures are unrestful. There are wrongs to be righted here."

GM, You mentioned in the turn update that we had the sensation of being cornered, killed and then stabbed, is this correct? Some sort of post mortem mutilation?

"But I'll be having words with that shooter first."

Pious then carefully opened the northern most door of the room, careful not to expose himself (or anyone else in the room) to the sniper's arrows.

If I ran to, say, G/H3 would I be out of sight to the shooter?

Pious carefully opened the northern most door of the room, careful not to expose himself (or anyone else in the room) to the sniper's arrows.

Pious opened the door just a shade, and clearly saw the sniper watching from the opposite side of the walls. Pious was confident of reaching the door at the next tower at speed, but thought it likely the sniper would get at least one shot at him as he ran. readied shot The roof of the building to the north of the yard did not provide cover from the shooter: the sloped roof is at its peak 10' above ground where it meets the wall, but the parapet is 15' above ground.

However, given the low wall around the inside of the parapet, Pious figured he could crawl to the door in total cover, albeit (given door opening, gaps in log wall) probably not stealthily.

***

did anyone else notice that the shooter is a frog and these are haflings? Was it a three way battle? I don't know that Iradyiel has 'seen' the shooter yet, so I didn't know if he should bring it up.

Iradyiel can clearly see the frog sniper through the arrow holes which perforate the tower walls on all four sides. She's crouching down in cover behind the door to her tower, with arrow nocked and ready to fire.

Anyone examining the halfling bodies from a safe distance #1:

Anyone examining the halfling bodies from a safe distance #2:

Both Iradyiel and Pious were acting a bit strange, but they quickly seemed to overcome whatever bad magic was affecting them.

Chest Thumper did not like being in this room and by the way he mewled and rocked back and forth without getting close to the bodies or idols, neither did Francis.

The Half-orc examined the bodies as well as he could from a comfortable distance.

heal check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

What he determines surprised him since there was no blood around the crossbow bolt wounds.

"Why would someone stab them after they were dead?"

He then decided to try a novel approach to their current predicament.

"Why are you shooting at us?" he shouted, cycling through the languages he knew, hoping the sniper understood on and would answer.

Common, Orc and Sylvan

ChestThumper, still moving awkwardly in pain at his wounds, moved to the doorway and, from cover, yelled across the yard. His voice echoed in the stillness for a moment, before the shooter answered with a series of short yips and croaks. Jamba and Iradyiel recognised the words as being a broken-down form of Polyglot, the jungle region's local lingua franca.

"You go! Mine now! Me found. Me keep! Go! Now!"

The sniper punctuates her argument with a foot-long arrow embedded in the doorframe a couple of inches from where Pious' fingers were gripping it.

The whole party are now gathered in the shrine.

Earlier
'Master Thumper is right, why desecrate the dead.' Iradyiel gives Chest Thumper a queasy look, "I have no idea, I wouldn't want to stab them when they are living. I understand defending ourselves, but desecrating the dead? How is that fun?"

Now
'That sounds a lot like polyglot.' Iradyiel's ears perk up, "That sounds a lot like Polyglot. The frog basically said that it found the fort so it gets to keep it."

Iradyiel shrugs, "I don't think from the sound of it that the frog killed these people, maybe it will talk to us. It might be willing to come to some form of agreement or trade even."

His Eyes then fall on Chest Thumpers wounds. 'If that's ok with you Master Thumper."

Iradyiel isn't the person we want making diplomacy rolls, but he could translate...

Chest Thumper shrugged, a gesture that made him wince in pain. "I don't want to get shot at again, but I don't think the sheriff will be happy if we leave it in someone else's hands. Maybe someone can come up with a good trade for him, though."

"I don't seek revenge but someone else should talk to him. I don't think he's enough of a beast for me to be good at talking to him."

Jamba turned to Aza, "Ya tink ya can talk some sense in dat one? Maybe dey right. Maybe da trade ting gonna work?"

Aza nods at Jamba, considering what they had said - while she could not speak the language, if she could direct the conversation they might be able to pass through the area unmolested by the strange sniper.

"A-all right, who-whoever would like to..." she glanced at Jamba and Iradyiel, unsure which would be the better choice for delivering her message, "If y-you could trans-translate for me maybe-be I can talk it do-down..." She looked at Chest Thumper as she considered, albeit briefly, what she could see. Remembering that he had caught an arrow for them in the yard, she reaches out a hand to his shoulder. "If I m-may?" Her blackened hand glowed as she channeled her energy into a healing spell, and she placed it on his shoulder. "غ السماح للضوء ل أر-أركين ريستيتش غر-زة ..."

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Aza nods at her work, before coming up with what to say. "All right - tell th-them that we mean n-no harm and that we d-don't intend to take any-anything that is theirs with-thout trading for it - we can offer... Food? Or we-weapons? I am not s-sure what th-they would want..."

Not sure the best way to resolve this - obviously Aza would like to be the primary diplomat here if possible.

What you need is a Diplomacy check to change her attitude from Hostile to Unfriendly. Per core, that's a DC24 check. I'll allow Aza to benefit from any number of other PCs 'aid another' checks at +2 (DC10), and if you post an especially convincing idea to persuade her, I'll give you a further +2 circumstance bonus. Or, there's always Intimidate...

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On the intimidate front: Pious has a +8 so if the team wanted to go that way, that's what we are dealing with. My original plan was to yell at the thing to shake it, then run for it and restrain it. Then 'talk.' But yeah, Diplomacy works too... :P

Intimidate is for BRUTES, my good sir, and I'm insulted that you would even think of it.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Or, well, if diplomacy fails I guess intimidate is a good option.

Calling across the yard, at a distance and with the help of two translators (including Jamba, who was not always entirely coherent speaking Common), always felt like a stretch. Aza tried entreating the shooter to talk, to trade, to understand that the party meant no harm, but to little avail.

After a few minutes the frog shopped croaking back, and silently hunkered down watching the party's tower doorway from across the fort. At no point did she lower her bow. it seems that soft words on this occasion, had failed.

Fortunately, Chest Thumper was a brute. He could tell when negotiations fell through and let his frustration take over.

"Raargh! If you don't leave now we're going to boil and eat tou, you little toad!"he shouted, jumping up and down and banging on the walls.

Intimidate -Aid Another: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

'I wonder if the creature understands Master Thumper more or less than we do.' Looking confused from Aza to Chest Thumper he looks to 'Pious' who is still at the door. "Master Shepard, since diplomacy has failed, Shall we charge the building and soften he amphibians resolve."

Pious turned to Chest Thumper and tossed him a vial

"Drink. It will heal your wounds."

Then turned to Iradyiel

"Indeed, I think we should. 'And where the honeyed tongue doth fail, the bite of the insect may succeed' little frog! You should have listened to my friends, the wrath of the living gods hunts for your very soul!"

Though they didn't share a language, tone of voice and posture counts for something

Intimidate: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

With that he was out of the door, running, aiming a shoulder at the opposite doorway.

Jamba moves the others out of the way. "If Jamba be wantin' someting done, Jamba gots ta do it hisself den." In Polygot:

"Listen mistah frogey. No one here wanting ta hurt ya. Maybe I an I work out dah arrangement to settle dis wit out da bloodshed. Jamba from da Expanse to...we be brodahs, mon!" He pauses to let that sink in. "Wat ya wantin' ta keep? Maybe I and I work outta deal? No?" Continuing, "Jamba's mateys be angry. Jamba no wanting dem ta charge. Let Jamba know wat ya wanting."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

Promises, threats and calm reason. In between Aza, Chest Thumper, and Jamba the party had tried all three, trying to head off further bloodshed. None elicited a response. Silently the shooter lurked beneath the level of the parapet on the far side of the fort, occasionally bobbing up for a clearer view.

Eventually, Pious was stirred into action. Unleashing a furious curse across the yard, he took a short run-up and barreled the length of the western wall, head down, hoping to avoid the sniper's arrows.

It appeared the amphibian shooter was unmoved by Pious' harsh words, and responded instead with deadly intent. When the arrow arrived it crashed through Pious' armour like it was paper 8 damage; Pious is now at 0/10 and disabled, but I am judging that he continues his heroic charge to the door. Stumbling, almost falling, Pious arrived at speed at the door to the northwestern tower, dropping his shoulder and detonating through the fragile, sun-weakened planks to the room inside. Pious, give me a DC15 Acrobatics or Strength roll to stay on your feet and avoid falling prone

Inside, Pious saw what at first glance appeared to be an office of sorts. A long wooden table covered in scattered paperwork filled much of the room. A decapitated human corpse lay slumped across the mess. A closed door in the east wall lead to the parapet wall to the east, and a ladder in the southwestern corner descended to a room on the ground floor of the fort.

The others behind Pious witnessed his desperate charge, shuddered as the arrow hit home, and winced as Pious burst through the tower door. Across the way, they saw the shooter shoulder his bow, and raise an axe from her belt, stepping back into the doorway behind her.

Damn that shooter is on fire. Three shots, three hits, three max damage rolls. You are now in combat, and normal round order. Remember that you can drop prone to the floor on the wall and gain total cover from the parapet.

Game on !

Round 1:
Iradyiel: delayed for Pious, ???
Aza: delayed for Pious, ???
Shooter: delayed for target, deadly aim
Pious: Heroic run and shoulder charge
Jamba: ??
ChestThumper/Francis: ???

sorry the post took so long, Iradyiel would have followed Pious out the door.

'Master Shepard has the right of it, he will need support. Seeing the priest head out the door, Iradyiel immediately follows him, wincing as his friend is hit with the well placed arrow, he flies down the parapet, into the waiting room. Seeing the door on the other side, he makes for it. "Wait here Master Shepard, you wound is grievous. I will take the fight to the deadly little shooter."

double move...'E4' appears to be 60 ft.

I think it got missed, but Aza cast cure light wounds on Chest Thumper so I think he should be at 5 HP rather than 1. Which is good, because I think Pious is going to need this CLW potion.

Chest Thumper gladly took the potion. Aza's assistance did much to seal the wound and ease his pain but another hit of curing magic would not be turned down by the half-orc.

A moment before he took a slug from the liquid, negotiations finally broke down and Pious made his brave, mad dash. Even from where he was, Chest Thumper could tell the man needed the potion more than he did. And he was well aware of just how painful one of those arrows could be.

"Some problems cannot be solved by a big, violent ape. Some problems cannot be solved without one," Chest Thumper muttered.

He gestured and grunted at Francis putting in a couple demanding squeals.

Handle Animal+Link: 1d20 + 4 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 + 4 = 26

For once, Francis seemed to understand him perfectly and agree. The ape hurries across the open rampart and into the room with Pious and Iradyiel.

Francis double moves to F3

Chest Thumper followed the ape, but could not move nearly as fast due to the armor that did him no apparent good. But then, it hadn't helped the triceratops either, had it? He dropped to the ground behind the wooden wall, hoping that he would be in cover should the little frog thing reload and prepare to fire again.

Chest Thumper double moves to J3 then drops prone.

He then

double move...'E4' appears to be 60 ft.

From 'Q2', 60' takes you to 'E3', just short of the door. Map now updated for CT and Iradyiel. Another time I'll randomise the arrow target, rather than aiming for the first guy, otherwise there's a disincentive to take the initiative.

Aza and Jamba to post for Round 1, plus Iradyiel and Aza to post round 2 before the shooter acts...

Round 1:
Iradyiel: delayed for Pious, double move into NW tower
>> Aza: delayed for Pious, ???
Shooter: delayed for target, deadly aim
Pious: Heroic run and shoulder charge into NW tower
>> Jamba: ??
ChestThumper: double move and drop prone
Francis: double move into NW tower

Round 2:
>> Iradyiel: ??
>> Aza: ??
Shooter: ??
Pious: ??
Jamba: ??
ChestThumper: ??
Francis: ??

ROUND ONE

"Ya a stupid frogey mon...now ya gonna meet da lady of da graves!" Jamba double moves as far as he can to the next tower. I think I could get there, but there are people in the way. He falls prone to avoid being shot at.

Aza gritted her teeth as she watched Pious take a hard arrow, angry at this sniper frog. What right did it have to pull a stunt like this? As she clenched her fist, she could feel the winds that were protecting her become more active, and her hair started to move in the breeze. She wasn't close enough. Not yet. She darted out onto the battlements, dropping prone as to not draw the thing's fire. Aza double moves as far as she can towards the door

ok, I have a stupid question, Iradyiel is 5 ft from the door, he is going to move to the door and open it. opening the door is a move action. Is moving the 5 ft to the door it's own action and that's all he can do, or can he move 5 ft. open the door and then move 15 ft more up the palisade?

The latter. I''ll allow the open door move action to be performed amid a regular move.

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Map updated. Go ! go ! go !

Round 2:
>> Iradyiel: ??
>> Aza: ??
Shooter: ??
Pious: ??
Jamba: ??
ChestThumper: ??
Francis: ??

Need to get to that archer before someone else gets hurt.' Not waiting to see who is following him, Iradyiel moves past Chest Thumper, 'Poor guy, I hope he lives.' "Pardon me, Mister Thumper, you wait here for help." Moving toward the door, tearing it open he bolts down the palisade toward the tower the archer is in.

Double move action, open door, run like heck! ooohhh can he run? that would get him to the next door, not sure how "run" is used here. I have never tried running in combat rounds before...

I've assumed the door was unlocked, if not, change it to "he grabs the door to open it and runs into the wooden frame as it refuses to give." :-)

You could run as a full round action, but (per the rules) you would lose your DEX bonus to AC. Perhaps better to double move instead. I'm judging that the plank doors to the ramparts are a barrier to vision but not to movement. Map therefore updated for a double move.

Flinging open the door, Iradyiel cannoned down the ramparts toward the far tower. At the doorway stood the shooter; small, with studded leather armour over a slick skin of mottled bright colors, this agile, frog-like humanoid carried a flask in one hand and a battleaxe in the other, with her bow slung over her shoulder.

As Iradyiel approached, she hurled the flask at him: ranged touch: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

It hit the half-elf square in the chest and burst. The black resinous goo inside hardened rapidly, restricting and entangling him in seconds. The shooter then stepped back into the tower room, out of reach of the enraged and entangled barbarian.

The room itself was much like the other tower rooms, with two doors to the ramparts, arrow slits onto the outside of the fort and into the yard, and a single ladder going both up to the roof, and down to a room below. Straw was piled up in the corner of the chamber, and a lockbox rested beside the straw with a pillow propped against it.

Map updated. Go ! go ! go !

Round 2:
Iradyiel: to the tower!
>> Aza: delayed, then ??
Shooter: entangling attack
>> Pious: ??
>> Jamba: ??
>> ChestThumper: ??
>> Francis: ??

Again Chest Thumper communicated with his ape brother through hoots, grunts and gestures.

Handle Animal plus Link: 1d20 + 4 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 4 = 18

And again, the ape listened. He hurried out of the room, following Iradyiel. Roaring with fury, he gets adjacent to the barbarian, readying himself to attack.

Chest Thumper got to his feet and hurried into the room. Slipping past the others, he came adjacent to Pious.

He offered the vial of liquid that the other man so recently gave him.

"Miss Aza aided me Brother Pious. You need this more than me," he told the man.

Francis double moves to the doorway next to Iradyiel. Chest Thumper moves to the spot Francis vacated.

Round Two

Jamba stands and then moves 30' toward the enemy. Move to E7.

STR: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Pious fell through the door and nearly landed on the decapitated corpse, missing it he battered aside a chair and slumped to the floor. The feathered back end of an arrow projected from his right armpit, headed into his chest. Pulling himself up to a sitting position against a wall he gripped the arrow and snapped off the back end.

"Arghhhhhgha"

He bit down on the pain.

When Chest Thumper offered him the potion he took it with a nod of thanks

Give freely and you shall be rewarded, I will return the love you show me ten fold

Potion is CLW yeah?
Healing...: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Aza moved swiftly through her allies, trying to close the gap so that she could get eyes on the frog creature. She would catch it, one way or another.

Aza moves to D11!

Apologies, I was not clear in my summary of the turn order and have slowed us down. All the folk in bold in my last post have posted and round 2 is complete, but at the start of round 3 Iradyiel and Aza go before the shooter. Given that we at a critical moment, I'll wait until they do post, then the shooter, then everyone will be up.

Map is updated. The party is bearing down on the frog-like creature who has already pin-cushioned CT, Francis and Pious and entangled Iradyiel...

Round 2:
>> Iradyiel: ???
>> Aza: ??
Shooter: ??
Pious: ??
Jamba: ??
ChestThumper: ??
Francis: ??

Aza mumbles under her breath as she moves backward to hit all of her friends with the spell she had been practicing for a month, holding energy in her blackened hands, feeling the light gently touch her old wounds. "اسمحوا هذه الحرائق f ث التي لديها ب حرق لي ب- يبارك لك." As she lets out the energy, softly bestowing her allies with might.

Aza moves to E8 and casts bless, which I believe should just hit everybody from that position.

reflex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

'A tanglefoot bag, this frog is smart!' Iradyiel, very frustrated with the sticky substance, starts to rage, ripping and tearing at the gooey bindings. "Why are you fighting us? It's not your fort it's the Towns." focused on talking he is not able to free himself.

Str. Check, rage.
str: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
I couldn't find specific information, but the PFSRD says you can do a str. check instead of an attack so I assume the str check is a standard action. IF it is actually a move action please have him try again.

PFSRD says you can do a str. check instead of an attack so I assume the str check is a standard action.

I'm afraid I agree with you that it's a standard (not a move) action. Also, that this is a smart frog...

OK so it's Aza's action but given that she's only once in 20 turns posted after 0700 UK time, I'm calling that she delays until after the shooter.Aza, please post twice next time, once for round 3 and once for round 4.

Iradyiel struggled with his entangled bonds, but to no avail. He was held fast to the spot and seriously restricted in his movements. Watching him struggling, the frog-creature's face cracked into what seemed a cruel smile, as she slowly raised her axe...

...only to violently recoil, as Francis bound up to Iradyiel's side snarling his three-inch long canines at her. A very different expression came over her face, undoubtedly one of fear. She switched her attention from the barbarian, stepped into the doorway and swung her axe at the ape.

The shooter fumbles her axe swing in fear, piling it instead into the doorframe. She pulls it back to a guard stance, suddenly less confident now about her advantage.

All PC's can post (Aza twice!) [/ooc]
Round 3:
Iradyiel: Struggled in vain
>> Aza: , delayed, ??
Shooter: Lashed out at Francis
>> Pious: ??
>> Jamba: ??
>> ChestThumper: ??
>> Francis: ??

Round 4:
>> Iradyiel: ??
>> Aza: ??
Shooter: Lashed out at Francis
Pious: ??
Jamba: ??
ChestThumper: ??
Francis: ??

ROUND THREE

Jamba moves up to D10 and calls out to the attacker, "Ya be stupid. I and I gave ya da chance ta go quietly. Now ya die painfully."

Jamba curses the shooter with his evil eye. DC 14 Will save. If passed, -2 AC for 1 round. If failed, -2 AC for seven rounds.