GM FurtiveZoog's The Beggar's Pearl (PFS 01-37) (Inactive)

Game Master FurtiveZoog

Fort: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Jani looks very put off by the odors, but doesn't seem hampered.

Holding their nose, Jani looks over the pots, trying to identify anything of note.

What kind of knowledge rolls might be used?

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Fort Save DC 10: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Herman, who has a weak stomach anyway, gags on the smell emanating from this room. "Fungus, why is it always fungus down here. Dwarves may be tough, but their housekeeping leaves a lot to be desired." he mutters trying to hold in his breakfast.

Any idea how long nausea lasts? It's a pretty stringent condition, removing all standard actions.

Although Jani's senses seem to be overpowered and dulled by the fetid smells coming from the pots, looking at uncooked and partially-prepared ingredients it is obvious that it is mostly the various types of fungi seen growing in the halls, in particular the 'brain fungus', with some added rat, giant ant, and other kinds of vermin in various dishes.

Since you haven't ingested anything, you think that if you get away from the smell the nausea should abate quickly.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Man, Hagan's on a hell of a streak. So when the inevitable happens, what do you think I should roll up? Wizard? Rogue?

Hagan looks green for a moment and then scurries off to a corner, and dry heaves.

"Oh, boy. This is worse than that time Storn decided not to wash his lucky socks."

Is nausea the kind of thing that can be cleared up with a Heal check?

Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Wuliem begins to through his pack, pulling out alchemical tools and empty vials.

I will presume to collect samples. A thorough analysis of these fungi
will assist in the defeat and cure of it.

craft alchemy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23

"Ugh. Just keep downwind of us, Wuliem, if you are carrying such things."

Let's check the doors.

Trying not to throw up in his mouth, Herman just grimaces while the others putter around in this smelly room. While he waits he tries to think of words that rhyme with 'fungi'.

To the south lies a storeroom, filled with much more of the same. To the east is a short corridor that leads to one of the more fortified, gilt-iron doors with a bar across it.

Jani listens at this door and they hear some sort of movement around the door, with a tapping and a clicking, along with the dripping sound of water.

Augh! My secret identity is revealed. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

Fortitude: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Storn looks at everyone complaining about the odour and he manages to look confused. "What smell?"

Noticing that Jani is listening at a door, Storn quietly clanks over to them and gets a big sword ready.

Can I recognize the sounds as belonging to any particular type of creature?

Knowledge check: 1d20 ⇒ 15 arcana or nature +10, local +6, planes +9, religion +7

Jani thinks that the sounds may belong to two of the giant ants, trying to judge the number and spacing of the taps, and how their sounds from before would sound against the wall and through the door.

"Ants, through this door," they whisper, and stands back for the brawny types to move through.

Fortitude1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Turan ignores the stink and nods to Janni. The large man grips his three section staff and trudges the door.

Storn boots the door open.

"Hello! I'd like to talk to you about the wonders of Gorum!"

Storn boots the door after unbarring it, but doesn't move it. "Ah, it's one of those!" he no doubt thinks angrily.

Turan opens the door inward and nothing is immediately seen beyond a ledge that extends about five feet out and then some unknown distance to either side of the door. The ledge looks out over a vast cavern filled with a forest of fungi, the bottom of which is about sixty feet down.
It just shows black beyond the ledge because that also happens to be the edge of the map.

Round 1: Everyone is up! (Yes, nothing can yet be seen...)

I'm assuming Hagan is still nauseated.

Hagan tried desperately to avoid heaving his lunch on his boots.

"Does, uh, anyone have a sunrod or something we can throw down there? I'd light another torch, but I don't think I should try anything that complicated for a while."

He then slowly pulls out his great axe. He probably wouldn't be able to use the thing, but still it made him feel better.

Once you get into the adjacent hallway, past a door, you'll just be sickened if you were nauseated.

Wuliem looks up as he finishes gathering samples.

He stuffs them in his pack.

Turan fearless as always steps into the room looking if he can spot any foes.

Take 5 ft step into the chamber. Then suck up the hurt ehh take the rest of my action once I can see something

I was expecting something more ... explosive from Wuliem. :-\

Turan steps into the room without fear and looks up and around to see two of the giant ants - these with pale, bulbous fungal growths sprouting from eyes and exoskeletons - perched behind and above him on the wall. (Fortunately, the roughness of the ledge keeps it from being too slippery, despite the fungus and rivulets of water coming down the walls and dripping from the unseen ceiling.)
They're about 8-10' up - essentially adjacent. You appear to have caught them flat-footed (all 12 feet!).
The light is dim, though, at least until Storn joins you.

Turan steps back into the hallway and shuts the door behind him.

Ants up high on a ledge! with that the man gets his bow out and strings an arrow while surely the Alchemist will have far better ideas how to deal with this!

Wuliem smiles as he approaches Turan's position.

Please allow me a to assist!

He throws a Frost bomb at them!

Touch Ac: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 71d6 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Fort DC 15 or staggered...splash 7 Ref DC 15 1/2

Figures!

random square: 1d8 ⇒ 2

Did Wuliem just throw the bomb into the door Turan just closed? :-P Since I placed you rather crowdedly, we can have everyone move back one and let Wuliem up and toss the bomb.

Wuliem, since you said 'them', I'll assume you were throwing at the space in between, hoping to hit both, though they have cover.

Wuliem lobs a bomb a little too far to the north, but it still splashes the one there. (You can't see how much damage was done.)

Turan: Readied bow shot, it sounds like.
R1: Hagan (torch), Herman, Jani, Storn (light) (and Torvic) are up!

Can't do anything without line of sight.

Jani readies a Misfortune hex as soon as they can see a target.

I need some help on the map here. As fas I can tell there's one 5' square that is a dead end, and two ledges at each side with the room leading further south from that ledge. I'm unsure what I could do in such a situation. As Jani said - no possible line of sight.

Yeah, the line of sight situation is a problem for the moment since everyone won initiative over the ants. Basically, you could rush out on to the ledge, catching them flatfooted, or you could ready an action and bombard them once they advance into the hallway. Delaying or readying an action before you can directly see the opponent are perfectly legitimate options. (Running out on the ledge would probably cause them to focus on the people there, though.)

On the map question, I mentioned that they were about 10' up on the wall, so there is space below each for a person, if you wanted to go there. Unfortunately, I don't have a way to show "+10'" on the map (that I know of). :-\

I also seem to have not updated the map since Turan moved back and Wuliem moved forward. Sorry about that.

Does that cover it? If not, ask again! :)

It does! I run into the same problem on my maps. Perfect.

"Bah! They will run down! And I will separate their head from... the middle bit!"

Storn pushes past Turan and Wuliem, and positions himself below an ant, taunting it with his giant sword.

"Heeere kitty kitty!"

Storn will stand beneath the north ant and ready an action to beat its face in once it reaches melee.

"Thorax."

"Bless you," Hagan says weakly to Jani.

greatsword +4 (2d6+3/19-20): 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 4 + 1 = 222d6 + 3 ⇒ (6, 3) + 3 = 12

Storn moves in and under the northern giant ant and cleaves the ijured ant's head from it thorax, and then dodges the creature as it falls of the wall, the jaws on its disembodied head still grasping. When it's body hits the ledge, numerous bulbous fungal growths burst open, releasing a gritty, smoke-like plume.

Storn, Wuliem: 1d2 ⇒ 1
The remaining giant ant scuttles across the wall and, from above the door, reaches down to bite and sting Storn!
bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 41d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
sting: 1d20 + 3 - 5 ⇒ (2) + 3 - 5 = 01d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
But, it seems it can't see wall through the fungal growths on its multifaceted eyes, and both miss badly.

Round 1, with "N" nauseated and "F" fine.
Hagan -N
Herman -N
Jani -F readies Misfortune
Storn -F kills north ant
Torvic -F
Turan -F readies bow
Wuliem -F splashes north ant with bomb

Moving to Round 2:
Everyone is up! The ant is currently on the other side of the wall, above Storn, and can't be seen from the hallway.

Since Herman is nauseated, he spends the round, trying not to vomit all over the floor.

"These ants look sick! DESTROY THEM!"

Storn roars and slashes out at the ant attacking him.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 1) + 3 = 8

Herman bravely doesn't vomit, so keeping the place from being defiled.

Storn hits and gravely damages the second ant, displaying Gorum's first answer to the sick.

If Turan can get a shot in I'll fire. 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21 Damage 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Turan prpares for a possible ant onslaaught keeping his bow up and ready to fire.

Hmm. The ant may be visible on the diagonal (though still with cover), now that it is attacking Storn. I'll give it a 50/50.
1, yes; 2, no: 1d2 ⇒ 1

Turan, Do you have a +4 Strength bow? Or something else?
Turan hits, but it is unclear yet if the creature has been wounded mortally...

Herman sits with head between his knees while the others fight bravely for their lives.

Wuliem looks at the remaining ant, determining if it has chittered its last chitter.

Wuliem then, as if driven by forces beyond his understanding or control, steps forward for a clear blow and strikes out with his quarterstaff!
Quarterstaff: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 201d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Crack! The blow is strong enough to cave in it's damaged thorax, releasing copious quantities of ichor and moldy gore.

Combat is over!

Looking down and about now, you see expansive fungi cover the floor of this massive vaulted chamber (60' below), with rivulets of fresh water dribbling in from tiny cracks. Wide paths have been torn out between the fungal growths, winding haphazardly between the giant stalks.

(The uneven walls of the cave could be descended, although wet and possibly slick and slimy in areas. You can guess the level of difficulty at about Climb DC 15.

Looking south, you see another ledge about 60' away, at the same level as the ledge you are on. The southern ledge also seems to have a door leading out onto it, and there is a ladder - seemingly in good repair - that extends up 20' to an apparently bare section of cavern wall.

At the point, Ozka, seeing how vulnerable members of the group were who were nauseated by the smells, grows increasingly worried about nearly incapacitated rescued victims, and decides to return with you there, staying behind as a guard.

Map and Overview map are updated.

No just a normal bow... got that mixed up with Farg whom I recently purchased a +4 STR bow sorry...

Wuliem looks down at his quarterstaff.

He smiles.

Well, we shall continue on then while she protects those others.

Wuliem looks both up and down.

I suspect that the ladder route would be the more astute path.

Hagan moves over to the ledge and finally lets go of his lunch. After a couple of minutes of heaving, he finally settles down.

"I feel heroic," he said finally, trying to keep his sense of humor. "Fine work this Pathfinding, if you can get it."

He chuckled.

"I agree with Wuliem. We should check that ladder to see if it will support our weight."

Anyone got a rank in Knowledge Engineering?

Wuliem wanders over toward the ladder, checking for its stability or traps.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
disable devise: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

As he is searching/inspecting the ladder, Wuliem says,
I have an extract that allows me to detect hidden doors, if we think that is needed?

Storn bids farewell to his sister and then looks over to Wuliem incredulously.

"Suspect? Route? Astute? LADDER?! Stop making up words!" With that, Storn clanks over to look at the ladder. "There are no secrets here. Ants are boring. Does that foot-tall look safe?"

Turan watches Storn scale the ladder then he will follow him.

I guess I didn't describe the layout very well (again). The ladder is on a ledge 60' to the south of the ledge you are on. There is no obvious way from here to there along the cavern wall since your ledge only goes as far as AD60 or so, although the door to the ledge with the ladder suggests that there is a way to get there from the inside.

No problem, Farg/Turan. It is easy to get confused. That would seem a great purchase for Turan, though.

So if I'm reading that right we're done here and need to double back?

Yup, unless you wanted to attempt the climb across or the climb down the hill for some reason. (The cavern below isn't part of the scenario, though.) Close by, there are the stairs going up, and then there are some doors off the large kiln chamber, and there is the west side of Hall complex yet to explore.

Jani recommends against exploring the fungus-ridden caverns unless we have nowhere else to go in search of our goal.

"This place was a mistake! Gorum hates mistakes, let's get out of here before he notices." With that, Storn doubles back, urging the rest of the group on.

This time he heads for the far west of the complex to what looks like the last unexplored area on this level.

Around Q13 there's a bunch of unexplored stuff, Storn'll head over there.

Wuliem looks at Storn and back again at the ladder.

In my humble opinion, friend Storn,
we shall need to find an alternative route to said ladder.

Wuliem smiles and shrugs his shoulders!