GM Batpony's PFS [5-10] Rebel's Ransom (Inactive)

Game Master Batpony

Ride, Quick Mount: 1d20 + 13 - 3 ⇒ (1) + 13 - 3 = 11

Kramac will swing up into Jino's saddle, and guide the creature to attack the green bandit. I'm assuming that Alarka is down - if she is not, I will move to attack her instead provoking an AoO from green. Fail the quick mount, so move action to mount.

Trip Attempt 1/2 (Tandem Trip), outflank, improved trip, power attack: 1d20 + 12 + 4 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 12 + 4 + 4 - 2 = 24
Trip Attempt 2/2 (Tandem Trip), outflank, improved trip, power attack: 1d20 + 12 + 4 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 12 + 4 + 4 - 2 = 21

If the trip succeeded and he is not quite dead, the trip will also grant Martha an AoO.

Jino rears back and stomps on the bandit!

Attack, outflank: 1d20 + 12 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 12 + 4 - 2 = 21
Damage: 2d6 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (6, 3) + 10 + 4 = 23

Yup! No AoO cause of firewall. Combination of attacks were enough to take out the threat. We'll assume the last bandit continues running away.

Karsa imbues everyone with the ability to resist the elements in hopes it would give them the upper hand and advantage against the fire caster. And without hesitation, the melee fighters of the Pathfinder rescue group walk through the fire wall negating it's heat with their new found resistance.

Green, AoO: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (20) + 13 = 33P/S: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Green, Crit?: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15P/S: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Kiboko and Mvumbu move immediately to engage the caster! The bandit is ready to for the assault and retaliates with his blade, but Kiboko ignores him and demonstrates a show of force on the caster with his trusty partner Mvumbu! With a couple powerful blows, the pair immediately subdue Alarka as she falls unconscious.

Ingrge and Martha eye themselves on the last bandit in the chamber, and quickly move in to dispatch him. An arrow to the knee quickly puts him off guard, followed by a blade into his chest, he starts to gurgles blood and dies. He never stood a fighting chance.

Combat is over at Martha's turn.

Maximum possible output from wall of fire was 19damage! So communal resist fire was really put to good use.

Martha -2, Kiboko -11, Mvumbu-2 , Ingrge -1, Kramac -2, Jino-2, Juhnavi -2

You see that the so called Pathfinder hostage is unconscious, but stable. Mechanically at negative hp. And she does hold a wayfinder with her to identify her as a Pathfinder. If you heal her at least 10hp she will return to consciousness.

Ingrge will draw his wand as he rushes to the injured Pathfinder's side...

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

She regains conciousness but is far too weak to support herself, likely from going days without proper sustenance. ”What.. who...ughhh...” she’s clearly in disarray.

Ingrge pulls out his waterskin and lets her drink from it...he'll also give her some of his rations...

"Relax ma'am, we're Pathfinders...and we've dealt with the bandits you encountered..."

I overlooked Karsa's post about resist fire. Can I take back the spell slot I spent on it?

"Sorry", Martha says to Kiboko as she wipes some blood off her sword, "I couldn't occupy their leader."

While her expression remains dead serious as she speaks, you get the sense that this is her attempt at humour, or at least that she understands the absurdity of what she's saying. Martha then stares intently at the recovering Pathfinder, knowing it's better to let her more socially adept allies handle the situation.

Combat would have been over before Juhnavi's turn. So you may assume that the spell slot was never spent!

"Ah.. I... See... ughhh." She holds her hand as if she's still unable to concentrate clearly. "We were attacked as we just found the place, we did...didn't venture very far...My..men...the others...what of them?" She asks as she looks around for a familiar face.

Ingrge grimaces. "Sorry, ma'am...they didn't make it..."

He lets her process that before continuing. "Were you able to find out anything about this place in the limited time before you were ambushed?"

”Ugh..No...we..I..barely started exploring the place. I don’t know anything beyond that door.” she states in her weakly state.

Where to now?

Ingrge nods. "I understand...we'll get you some place safe, with plenty of food and water, so you can recover before we go on..."

I think with that fifth sceptre, we can try to solve the puzzle down the passage to the left...

"Kiboko will bear in mind your 'capabilities' in future battles, Martha." Kiboko deadpans back at the warrior.

He draws a wand, and sees to Mvumbu's and then his own wounds.

clw wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 Mvumbu
clw wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
clw wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

"What is your name?" Kiboko asks the rescued pathfinder. "We have not found the rest of your comrades yet."

Kiboko then casts Detect Magic and scans the bandits and their leader.

I suspect the bandits killed them. Perhaps their bodies can be found in the room over there - though, maybe we will get lucky and they will still live. Take a few moments to rest and collect yourself. I would like to hear what you have discovered about this place so we might complete the inevstigation.

While the pathfinder collects herself, Kramac will go peer into the room the bandits came out of. If all seems safe, he will enter and begin searching for the rest of the Pathfinders.

perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22

"I..am Jilarni.." She mutters slowly, still recovering from her ordeal.

Kiboko finds very little on the enemy. The bandit group carried very little on them in terms of gear, likely any consumables were used up in keeping themselves alive trapped in the chamber. But still, perhaps someone would find something useful.

+1 chain shirt, 3x +1 breastplate, +1 scimitar, otherwise all rest is mundane shield and weapons.

In the meantime, Kramac advances into the chamber and explores. To his dismay, they are no live bodies, but the pit of burning coal below sees several bones. Indicating any other bodies were burnt away.

I assume most PCs can make the 5ft jump over the pit with relative ease. So...

On the far side of the room is an altar, on top of which rests a scepter made of pure silver.At its tip is a large emerald. Upon closer visual, the altar bears more inscriptions in the Ancient Osiriani language much like the others in the previous room.

Scepter added to handouts.

In terms of her helpfulness or what she knows, she does not share any information of usefulness, her group immediately attempted to open the chamber that you just opened, got jumped by bandits, and that was the end of their expedition, she had not even gone down the side aisle. She does speak Ancient Osiriani, but I believe your group has one that has that covered.

Karsa quietly sits in the background watching the others tend to the injured pathfinder. While they are busy he starts sorting through some wands and scrolls, best be prepared for whatever comes next he says as he activates a wand.

Activating a wand of heightened awareness

While they are distracted he slips into the southern corridor to check out what is there.

Don't want the yung'uns running into something they can't handle.

As he slips out of sight he casts a spell, vanishing from sight.

Casting vanish

And quietly pads along the corridor to see what might be there, alert for traps and monsters.

Stealth, heroism, vanish: 1d20 + 1 + 2 + 20 ⇒ (16) + 1 + 2 + 20 = 39
Perception, heroism: 1d20 + 19 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 19 + 2 = 32

One thing I'm not entirely sure of, did the enemy spellcaster run away or get killed?

Caster and one bandit is unconcious, one bandit dead and One of the bandits ran away early due to the Juhnavi's SLA.

I'm at difficulty updating map now due to travelling, but should get a map to you in less than 12 hours.

As Karsa does in, he follows a short corridor takes a sharp turn, revealing a wall of whirling blades that blocks your path. Built into the wall on both sides of the corridor are small stone tablets made from marble, each bearing an inscription. Looking through the quick moving blades, there is about three of wall of blades in the path. Moving closer to the blades, Karsa is able to read the inscriptions on each side.

At the end of the dangerous walkway, a door.

If you can imagine, it is like one of those pyramid traps where blades are swinging across in a 5 ft square. However, there is so many moving in quick successions that attempting to jump through it would mean with certainty death.

Karsa cracks out a scroll to read the inscription. Curious he mutters to himself. He looks through the corridor and contemplates the walls.

What are the walls and floor made of?

Is it worth doing some exploring in earth elemental from or maybe just dimension dooring past this stupid trap...

His hand strays towards the wand at his belt.

Oh dammit, cant leave the yung'uns on their own for too long, who knows what stupidity they will get up to without me there to tell them what to do.

With a slightly resigned shrug he strides back down the corridor, just remembering to turn on his custom limp as he turns the corridor. Hobbling back into the main chamber, tapping his cane as he goes he barks out a cough, heh, you'll not believe whats down that corridor, bunch of blade barriers, this old git was a paranoid old bugger no doubt. Bunch of weird writing on the walls too, some nonsense about last hopes.

"Weird writing and ancient spells. Sounds like my department," Juhnavi quips.

The vudrani woman comes down the hallway to the blades Karsa described. On the way, she casts a spell to enhance her senses.

Casting Heightened awareness as well.

Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25

She examines the writing and blades in detail, using detect magic.

I assume this is a spell? Or is it mechanical?

The walls, door, floor in the ruins are made of stone, clay, and sand. Of natural earth.

No magical aura is observed in the hallway, it would seem to be that this wall of blades is purely mechanical and each is somehow connected to the stone tablets on each side of the path.

Hah! The man built a puzzle around his wives. We have recovered the sceptres his second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth wives. The first four scepters opened this door when placed properly - perhaps these five will open the door where Ingre disabled the trap. Kramac will go try, unless anyone has a better idea.

Unless someone offers a better idea, he will make sure everyone is out of the room the bandits were in, before gathering the five scepters and taking them to the five plates. I'll try ordering them from first to last wife on the plates.

Ingrge frowns at Kramac. "Remember my friend, the clue Juhnavi translated mentioned the weight of his wives...I suspect the order needs to be based on the weight of the sceptres representing each wife, the first being the heaviest...just not sure what order of weight the clue portends..."

Karsa barks out a short, unpleasant laugh. Never talk about a woman's weight Ingrge, nothing good ever comes of that! Trust me, I know. Ive had three wives myself.

Arranging the sceptres by order of marriage yields no result, and luckily for Kramac the trap has been disabled earlier.

From a RP perspective, the scenario does suggest you come up with a creative / clever way of determining the weight of the Sceptres, else you are always free to rely on some form on rolls (Strength or Intelligence check on each sceptre).

"We need a scale, or perhaps a pulley mechanism to test the weights of the sceptres."

Anyone got a Traverler's AnyTool?

Juhnavi is studying the blades, trying to figure out a way to disable to mechanisms.

Knowledge(engineering) or Disable device: 1d20 ⇒ 13 (+8 for Disable device for 21, or +11 for engineering for a 24.)

Juhnavi realises that the stone tablets seem to be engineered specifically to work on the notion of magnetic resonance. It’s cleverly designed to switch when something of a specific resonance touches the tablet. It’s clearly designed to be disable device proof.

There’s a recurring theme in the hall of sceptres ! :)

Ah good! Old Man, come here. Hold these scepters. Tell me which is heaviest. Kramac and Kiboko are too strong. We probably could not tell which is the heaviest - our strength is too great to register such small changes. You look frail and weak though - perfectly suited to this task.

Kramac speaks in an upbeat, completely earnest voice, but is simultaneously giving Karsa a gigantic s#~$ eating grin.

Are the scepters magical? If not, Juhnavi will check each one with Mage Hand to see if they weigh more or less than 5 lbs.

The scepters are all not magical, however they are remarkably designed, the engineering precision and art is something to marvel. They variation in their weight is there, but difficult for one untrained to figured out, and they all weigh less than 5 lbs.

Kramac will empty out his pack, and pull out his coin purse. One by one, he will place a scepter in his pack along with some number of coins. He will request Juhnavi attempt to lift them with mage hand with different numbers of coins in the packs. He will note down the number of coins required to take the total package over 5 lbs to use as a gauge of their relative weight. Will that work well enough to determine the weight, at least relative to each other?

If so Kramac, will go ahead and line them up from lightest to heaviest on the trays.

I think it's reasonable to assume that it's known that 5 lbs is the limit for knack/cantrip level telekinesis.

Karsa glaes at Kramac, You trying to be funny lad.

He turns to Kiboko, That thing with the coins is almost clever, why didn't you think of it?

"Kiboko was wondering if Mvumbu has had enough to eat yet today."

"Kiboko thinks she looks hungry. She has a very large appetite."

Kiboko fetches his whetbone from his pack, and after giving it a good test chew he passes it to his companion.

"Haaarrggghhh! Haaaarrrggghhh!"

The big hippopotamus chews on her bone, slobbering.

Kramac laugs and jokes and shares tales of adventures with Kiboko, sharing stories about their mutual friend, Flynn, with Ingrgre, and responding jovially towards Karsa's cantankerous demeanor, all the while adjusting the amount of coins in the pack and allowing Juhnavi to attempt to lift each one with her magic.

Trying to be funny? No, Kramac thinks not. Kramac is succeeding at being funny.

Deciding, weight by coins seem to be a reasonable method to determine the weight of the scepters, the group is eventually able to discern the relative weight of each of the rods and place them in ascending order in the altar. Without surprise, the door leading to the next room swings slowly open when the puzzle is solved.

Turning the corner, the corridor begins to descend down a flight of stairs, right into a pool of still, black water.

The water area is totally underwater, i.e. you cannot stick your head up for air. Exploration in there will be using underwater rules, and we will be counting rounds, especially if you have to hold your breath. If you have darkvision or a light source you are able to see in the water but vision is limited to a distance of 10 feet. Anything between 10 feet and 20 feet has concealment, whereas anything beyond 20 feet has total concealment. The black dotted lines on the map are bars/ancient rusted portcullises making the exploration/maze one way and straightforward. Because the water is calm, it is a DC10 Swim, (A move action (swim) only moves you quarter speed.

Map on pg2 is updated. What would the group like to do? Please place yourself accordingly on map.

Can I check how long we have been going? I have buffs running with durations of 18, 20 and 180 minutes

Give and take, between the talking, resting, and figuring stuff out, I would say ~30 mins have past from when you first entered the place. If it's since end of combat, I would say 10-15 mins. That sound reasonable to everyone?

Seems reasonable, that means the fire resistance, mirror image and shield have ended.

Karsa stares into the dank, dark water. Well, dont that look inviting. Any of you lot fancy going for a swim? I could go exploring in water elemental form but me hip does terrible in the cold and wet...

"Scouting in elemental form seems most wise Grandfather. Normally Kiboko and Mvumbu would relish going for a swim, but in such cramped quarters Mvumbu would not be happy. Kiboko still wishes to avoid needing to shrink her if possible."

Kiboko asks one of the casters to recharge his ioun stone from his wand again.

"A form of a water elemental would be very useful but we wouldn't want to to hurt yourself. I am not a bad swimmer, but I would need to take off the armor and all."

Martha exhales sharply through her nose when the door swings open to reveal a submerged part. She has had her share of underwater adventure in her life, and it never went as well as it should have.

"Not my first time", she says to her teammates as the reaches for her backpack and grabs a tiny silk sack which contains a glowing emerald fragment. "This can help me swim."

Martha has a boon from the Emerald Spire Level 5 to give her Touch of the Sea (CL6), so swimming won't be much of a problem for her.

Anyone else following Martha down the waters?

Ingrge frowns. "Swimming is not my forte...but Martha should not go alone. This be a tomb of a powerful merchant Prince. There are bound to be either traps or undead foes awaiting below...several of us should go..."

Karsa sighs theatrically, Sure, sure, make the old man go delving into some horrid underwater swamp. Yes, yes, make the fire mage wander through cramped, flooded caverns where his spells wont work. Fine, fine, give me a few minutes to sort myself out. If i get killed down there I swear I am coming back to haunt the lot of you!

Karsa shrugs off his handy haversack as well as a few items which he drops onto the floor. A component pouch, a shining necklace in the shape of a hare and a short blue metal rod.

He casts a few spells in preparation before picking up the items and re-equipping them.

Karsa casts elemental body 1 for water elemental form, shield and mirror image (1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 images}. He activates a wand of heightened awareness and a scroll of see invisibility and re-equips his lesser talisman, handy haversack and component pouch. He is carrying a lesser rod of elemental spell (electricity). His potions, scrolls, wands and other useable items are in the haversack, anything that works continuously is merged into his new watery form.

I am surely gojng to regret this

Martha, stay close to me, if we need to get out quickly I can dimension door us away. I dont relish the idea of fighting something horrid underwater in the dark. Can you see in the dark? If not I can provide some light for us but it will let whatever is down there know we are coming.

Karsa's entire demenaor seems to have changed, his limp has gone and he seems almost concerned about peoples safety.

Here, this should help as well he says casting Grease, Heroism and Bulls Strength on her. If you have one you might want to take a piercing weapon with you, swinging stuff underwater doesnt work so well.

Before they head down he turns to Juhvani. The offer is appreciated but if you don't have a way to swim like a fish you put yourself at too much risk. We dont know how extensive these tunnels are and if we encounter something dangerous you could end up drowning.

Turning to the rest he says, Be on your guard and be ready to deal with whatever comes out of this place after us. We may well need protecting or healing, dont get distracted. Remember Pathfinders, co-operate. If we dont come back make sure our names are inscribed on the Wall.

With that he will dive into the water, taking the lead in front of Martha. As they enter the water he turns to her, Remember, focus on the mission, we are looking for one of these rods. If you find one take it and get out. Don't worry about me or think you need to protect me, I can look after myself and I have multiple different ways of getting out of sticky situations. No lurking monster has ever caught me yet and I dont intend to let today be any different.

Water elemental form gives him a 60' swim speed and the ability to breathe underwater

Good Luck Karsa. Please, take the end of this rope. Give it one tug if you need help, two tugs if you are headed back. Kramac isn't about to let a friend die alone in a watery grave while he can do something about it

I'd like to keep this next part in spoilers, just to keep the suspense!

Assuming a swim speed of 30ft..

Rounds passed: 2 rounds and 1 move action

On the outside, the water ripples slightly, and the rope lies still, for now...

If anyone else wants to follow Karsa/Martha, feel free, but don't open the spoiler yet, the spoiler assumes you have a swim speed of at least 30ft. If you don't have a swim speed, we'll have to assume you are either left slightly behind with Karsa and Martha taking lead, or as a group travel but that means more rounds would have passed depending on your swim check results.