GM FurtiveZoog's PbP PFS First Steps - Part II: To Delve the Dungeon Deep (Inactive)

Game Master FurtiveZoog

This does not look good for us!

It is looking pretty bad... A little strategy with the defensive kobolds, a perfectly bunched up party, the right spell prepared, and some unlucky rolls. I am really hoping that Exitium and Ralklain come through...

this is a pretty bad spot and i have to be creative while using my last spell. I have a questions about how grapples work. Pizzmic wants to move to G8 and cast burning hands on squares F9,E9,F10,D9,E10,F11. my concern is if Pizzmic casts that while Sunic is grappled that Sunic would also be in the effect even though he isn't technically in the square. If my concern is unwarranted that's the action pizzmic will take. burning hands(pearl of power): 2d4 ⇒ (4, 2) = 6 hitting both the kobold and the mysterious creature. The idea Sunic is for me to kill the kobold with the spell and you then grapple the creature so it cant do that stuff again

If the ruling is that Sunic will also be hit by the effect Pizzmic will still move to G8 but will instead cast Daze(will save 14) on the new mysterious creature.

Oh crap. Time for those free rerolls people, where are your Pathfinder Shirts!

I treated grapplers as staying in the squares that they started in.

Pizzmic, since you don't want to cast defensively or incur an AoO from the gray creature, I moved you to G8. Firing from there has the same effect.

It is looking pretty bad... A little strategy with the defensive kobolds, a perfectly bunched up party, the right spell prepared, and some unlucky rolls. I am really hoping that Exitium and Ralklain come through...

The map is updated. Red circles people who failed saves versus the spray of color.

I did, actually, say in the Campaign page that I was honoring the free reroll system...

The grappled kobold is scorched by the cone of fire and slumps out of Sunic's grasp, while the gray man is burned, by is limber and quick, avoiding most of the flames. The suddenly emboldened remaining kobold thrusts its spear with its full force into Exitium's flank. 5 damage

Block 1: Alia*, Pizzmic, Narvik*.
Block 2: Ralklain?, Sunic, Exitium?, Wuliem*
Block 3: gray man, kobolds

* - Sleeping; ? - unsure (need saves)

Sunic, Ralklain, Exitium are up

ZZzzz....

Exitium has 2/7 hit points ^^ hold on tiger!
Exitium's save: 1d20 ⇒ 10
ZZZzzZzZZ... tiger is taking a nap...

Ralklain's save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
Exitium remains conscious, but with his Eidolon Sleeping he's not much of a use... He then recharges his crossbow and banishes the useless tiger...

Sunic's Grapple on the gray man, +something, but it won't be enough: 1d20 ⇒ 7
Sunic attempts to grapple the gray man, but he proves very elusive. The gray man then escapes around the corner. Withdraw action.

It's thin, whispering voice says something and the remaining kobold also follows it.
I wouldn't follow, if I was you...

If you wait and don't follow them, we can move to the point where, after a minute or two, everyone is recovered.

So i guess you aren't allowing the reroll option at this point like Ralklain suggested? This appears to be the big baddie for the adventure, the time is now if people are going to roll rerolls. I don't think many people have seen ralklain's discussion post to decide if they want to use it or not but i think if the option is allowed they should at least be given the chance to decide before the monster runs off into the night lol

Well, I won't follow him, but someone will. I'll summon a Eagle, that will appear in the beginning of my next round, close to the round thing, lasting 1 minute, and will chase the gray creature trying to kill it.

We cannot let it escape!

Well, I have a loaded crossbow and a summoned eagle that will probably get opportunity to attack once he gets to the door or whatever, it flies 80ft/round. Besides i have acid splash and can drow a dagger if the opportunity presents itself. Sunic also moves 40ft i believe, and he is a good grappler. Unless there is something i am forgetting here we could chase him, could we not?
But i would not like to keep the others waiting (mainly Aria again), cause this could take several days of posting. What do we do?

I completely agree that we shouldn't go on without the partt. So if they can't do rerolls we should wait. Poor alia is like why won't these things just bite me in the face already!

You could chase him, but a double move is enough to get him into and down the well from whence it came, and there is no provision for following him there. (That would be tough...) The second thing is that he could cast color spray a second time using his 'bonded object'. Even with the number of people you have left, it would be hard to keep both him and the kobold from starting to do a coup de grace each turn against unconscious opponents without even incurring AoO's.

If enough people really have a PFS legal chance to do a re-roll, then we might be able to go that way without making it a TPK.

Bah whatever, forget this nonsense, they already took to long to do that. It looks like he's important, but we're not gonna catch him this way. We will wait until everyone is recovered (searching the room in the meanwhile) and move along the dungeon.

Ralklain summons Exitium back and waits for him to recover, giving him a Potion: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

We came here for the Katana, by the way.

Yeah and often times important things are guarded by things or carried by big baddies. I doubt the sword will just be on the floor.

But we saw no katana with that thing, did we?

You didn't *see* it, that is true. My GM had to throw us a bone, so to speak, to get the katana.

So combat is over? I assume we can be awakened and such?

You didn't mean the katana was with him, did you?

I guess we wait for the others to wake up and then either set out after the beast or continue further into the ruins....my official vote is to chase after the beast. i imagine the cat has some kind of tracking ability?

Darkvision counts? Well, it can talk!

[OOC] I meant like a decent surival score because it was a animal idk but certaim animals are better at tracking.

Well it can ask around if anyone has seen a gray figure passing by! :)

I think that all will be made clear if we continue on.
We had some unfavorable rolls (it happens),
but I think our group can prevail!

I was being purposefully vague about the katana.

Another feature of the gray man's species: "... can pass through forest and subterranean settings almost without a trace. Add +10 to the DC to track a [gray man] in these environments." It's a toughie.

After a minute or two, at most, everyone is awake and back to normal.

The creature seems to have vanished with hardly a trace. Looking in this well - cautiously - you can see (with darkvision) that it is about 30 ft deep and at the bottom, judging by faint noises and smell of water, there is likely a small underground stream.

The large stone statue in the northeast alcove is of a dragon-like man and has a single Kelish word on its forehead.

Ralklain spares a moment watching the status, but realizes he once more won't be able to read what's written there.
He then searches the room and the kobolds for anything valuable, and prepares to move on.

Pizzmic will cast detect magic while waiting for the party to wake up

Nothing of value is found, but the statue detects as magical.

Is everyone alright? Anyone need assistance? Narvik tries to shake his mental cobwebs loose. Is anyone hurt?

Fine. I'm fine, Alia says, shakily, pushing herself up off of the floor.

Not that it matters. Grandmother will not be pleased.

Let's get going.

the beast has a couple minute head start but if we make haste maybe we could still find it before the trail grows cold. I'd rather brinv the fight to him without returning for another attack when we are most vunerable like the possessed maurit did.

Wuliem shakes the cobwebs off!

Hmm...I am thinking that I may be able to duplicate
that affect with my bombs. Let me see...yes...if only...

He looks around--startled--at the group.

Oh! I apologize. Yes, we may yet find the jade katana!

He looks--slightly--embarrassed!

If you want to pursue the person that did this, lets move.

Any way goes for me, so decide and let's keep moving.

there's no time to waste lets get that slimy abomination.

With that I would think that we are on our way after the creature/person, as discussed.

Ok ok, let's keep this practical then and keep moving since no one will lead.

All right. Let's go after the creature then. Who of us has any ability in tracking him? I mean survival ranks! Hmm, no one? This does not look good, but let's see if we find anything down there.

Ralklain goes down the well equipped with a illuminated dagger. What do I see?

I would have imagined we'd have gone in the same marching order as previously, but if you want to lead the charge that's OK by me.

Not good indeed. We'll just have to try and be more careful.

Well, in fact I don't believe we can catch the thing, so I got down there to find myself in a huge cave which divides into multiple paths, and we have no idea where that thing went to. We could then continue in the temple ^^ . But maybe we can catch the kobold's track, and then the marching order resumes.

Sounds like a plan to me. In any case we are moving again.

Ralklain comes back, shaking his head sideways:

I'm sorry people, but I've found no clue to where that creature went. Floor is solid rock down there, and the place seems to have many cracks, for he could have escaped through any of those. Shall we proceed to that door, then?

Here's what I was thinking, though I got called away many times and eventually was ninja'd by Ralklain.

Using a knotted rope and grappling hook, you are able to descend about 30 feet to the bottom of the well. There you find a foot deep pool with a silty, mucky bottom, though the stream itself is just a few inches deep and seems to be pure, drinkable water. You also find a rope and small bucket of recent manufacture - apparently the kobolds had used the well for water recently.

A small, low cavern leads upstream to the north and downstream to the south. It can't be followed far upstream, seeming to end in a spring at a wall, perhaps closed off by the earthquake.

Following the stream downstream, you can see side passages now and then to each side, sometimes mere cracks and sometimes more substantial. Occasionally, there is a crack downward of unknowable depth that has been filled by the stream. Eventually, after perhaps a quarter mile, you follow the stream out at the base of a small cliff and into a small rut of a stream in one of the many torn up fields of the Cairnlands. You are unable to pick up the trail of the gray creature or its kobold follower, however, if they came this far.

Facing the inevitable after having pursued it as far as one could, you make the return journey to the well room and continue to explore the keep.

Wuliem shakes his head in the negative at the suggestion
to follow the attacker.

I haven't any mutagen left as it was wasted while
in that creatures Color Spray!
I will remain here to allow me an hour to mix another one.

Spellcraft for the knowing it was Color Spray...

spellcraft: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Pizzmic having waited for ralklains return is disgusted by the series of events that have just occured beginning to stew with anger, but attempting to hide his disapproval of the situation. ole boy you did the best you could. The cowardous beast ran off and you couldn't pursue all alone with only the brute and the diplomat, ugh this day needs to be over. I believe our attempts of finding this confounded sword are futile at best but we have to at least make a show for the others. well if that coward returns we will strike him down, but I for one want to finish our business here and return to absalom hopefully before nightfall.

Do i have to everything around here people?

The group gathers in the marching order, as Sunic (still with the Mage Armor, i believe) in the front row opens the door and they stealthily get in.

Pizzmic follows the ever proactive ralklain ever so stealthy into tbe next room

Alia follows Pizzmic, doing her best to maintain a modicum of silence, her crossbow at the ready.

Narvik, seemingly satisfied that the party has a goal again, moves with the group behind the lead of Ralklain, light still cast on his morningstar.

This room has a wide corridor exiting it toward the north, and a door to the south. Barrels and boxes of supplies fill the cramped chamber. You can see that the wide tunnel leading north from the room goes 40 feet before ending in a solid stone wall.

This room obviously serves as the kobolds’ storeroom, where they keep food rations and trap-making supplies. A cursory inspection suggests that most of the stores here are worthless, rotten, or too bulky to be worth carrying them back to Absalom.

Wuliem peers with interest at the boxes.

I wonder if anything of interest could be found within?
One never knows what one may find.