GM Fuzzfoot's CORE PFS #6-01 Trial by Machine (Inactive)

Game Master PJP

Xakon will swiftly charge the construct aiming his spear to its vital organs.

Moved 15' in straight line and attacked as special standard action. (see link)

melee charge, 10' reach: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 4 + 2 = 25
piercing damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
Sneak Attack: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Chief Horsefoot was right! Constructs do guard treasure!

Korvan moves into the room and lets loose an arrow at the creature in combat with the thief...
Comp Longbow: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (5) + 5 - 4 = 6...DMG: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

combat roll is done with +1 for PBS and -4 for firing into melee
and misssessssssss

Xakon catches the construct unaware, and charges in, spear leading the way.

Dart Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

As he closes in, something zooms at him from the top of the archway and narrowly misses him! There is a loud "crunch" as the spear hits the machine, definitely doing some damage, but it seems less than one would hope for such an excellent hit. Still, Xakon does seem to find a vulnerable spot to do some damage.

A wire attached to the dart appears to be reeling it back in.

Slight change to the line up, so Taidus will go before the creature.

Initiative Order: (Bold may post actions)
Korvan the Hunter
Taidus Raine
Metallic Creature
Droghedor
Xakon
Lod Flaxseed
Caerwynn

Taidus, moves up and tries to headbutt the metallic creature. His attention is slightly drawn to a spear being pulled on a wire and he misses wildly to the left.

unarmed strike: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 for damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Korvan went above, but he will go again if allowed.

@Korvan - sorry, I was editing my post so long, I totally missed your post. Unfortunately, you will now have to wait until next turn...

Dart attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Damage: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 electrical damage.
Make a Fort Save vs DC 13 or be staggered for 1 round.

As Taidus moves in, another dart shoots out from the archway. As it connects, electricity flows through his body, giving him a jolt.

The robot is still fastened to the floor, but as it struggles to escape, it also sees that a target has come close enough for combat, so it attacks Taidus with its sword.

Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

The rest of the party may go.

Round 1: (Bold may post actions)
Korvan the Hunter
Taidus Raine
Metallic Creature
Droghedor
Xakon
Lod Flaxseed
Caerwynn

Lod moves in and takes out his greatsword! double move

Xakon flinches at Taidus' injury knowing he could have suffered the same fate. He moves to flank the robot with Taidus while prancing away from its reach.

melee flank, 10' reach: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 4 + 2 = 15
piercing damage: 1d8 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 6 + 1 = 10
Sneak Attack: 1d6 ⇒ 5

"Be kind. (careful) Archway fires darts!"

Bonuses include +2 to attack for flanking and +1 damage from Dirty Fighter trait.

fort: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Oh no! A metal construct! Droghedor groans, watching the machine's blade strike Taidus with a fearsome blow. We're doomed! Despite his obvious misgivings, he drops his crossbow and moves into the room, drawing out his waraxe along the way.

Double move to spot on the map, skirting the south wall to avoid any AoOs.

"Yikes!" Caerwynn exclaims. "That thing looks wicked!"

Rushing into the room, she shoots an arc of lightning at the construct.

Lightning Arc vs. Touch AC: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (19) + 2 - 4 = 17
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

"Take that!"

Korvan takes another shot at the creature with his longbow...Comp Longbow: 1d20 + 4 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 1 - 4 = 11...DMG: 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 2 + 1 = 8... and then slings his bow so he can unsheath his scimitar...

Round 1 continues.

Droghedor and Lod move into their positions without incident, as does Xakon who manages to get into a flanking position opposite of Taidus. Unfortunately, even with the advantage, his spear seems to bounce harmlessly off of the mechanical man.

Caerwynn rushes in with arcs of lightning shooting out from her fingers, not only striking the monster, but sending it into convulsions for a brief moment, before smoke puffed out from a few areas. It did not appear to like electricity.

Round 2:

Korvan's arrow misses the robot, as it continues to try to dislodge itself from the goo it is stuck in. It appears to be almost free.

Round 2: (Bold may post actions)
Korvan the Hunter
Taidus Raine
Metallic Creature
Archway
Droghedor
Xakon
Lod Flaxseed
Caerwynn

Taidus' body feels numb, but he can still move. He again punches the construct, hoping to do some damage.

unarmed strike: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14 for damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

current HP 3/10

Taidus unfortunately, does not connect with the robot. The robot, looking around quickly, sees only one viable target when stuck in place. It attacks Taidus with the sword.

Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Luckily, Taidus' quick reflexes and training allow him to dodge the attack!

As two previously fired darts are pulled back into the arch by thin wires, two more darts shoot forth.

Attack at Lod: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 - missed.

Attack at Xakon: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20 - hit.
Damage: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 electrical damage.
Xakon must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or be staggered for 1 round.

The party is up!
Round 2: (Bold may post actions)
Korvan the Hunter
Taidus Raine
Metallic Creature
Archway
Droghedor
Xakon
Lod Flaxseed
Caerwynn

Ongoing effects: Staggered @Xakon (1 rd - unless makes Save); Flanking @Xakon @Taidus; Grappled, tanglefoot @Robot

Round 3:
Korvan the Hunter
Taidus Raine
Metallic Creature
Archway
Droghedor
Xakon
Lod Flaxseed
Caerwynn

"Ooh, don't like that much, do ya?!" Caerwynn sends another zap of electricity at the construct.

Lightning Arc vs. Touch AC: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (20) + 2 - 4 = 18 crit threat
Confirm: 1d20 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (6) + 2 - 4 = 4 nope
Damage (Electricity): 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

fort: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

The dart pierced his neck sending electric current down his spine. He thrusts again determined to wreck the machine.

melee flank, 10' reach: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 4 + 2 = 23
piercing damage: 1d8 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 1 = 11
Sneak Attack: 1d6 ⇒ 6

Bonuses include +2 to attack for flanking and +1 damage from Dirty Fighter trait.

Korvan moves in front of the druid in preparation of a charge next round.

I didn't factor flanking in with my 14 to hit which would have made it 16, does a 16 hit? Also, am I still staggered or do I have full movement now?

Lod heaves his greatsword above his head as he steps in and brings it down hard!

greatsword power attack: 1d20 + 4 - 1 ⇒ (8) + 4 - 1 = 11
damage: 1d10 + 3 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 3 = 9

Taidus - yes, 16 would have hit. However, with a hardness of 5, it would not have been enough to disable it. And yes, you are no longer staggered - it only lasted for 1 round. I am going to give Droghedor some time to post before resolving this round.

Whoops! Hadn't seen we had come back around, sorry!

Droghedor hefts his waraxe as he steps into flank with Lōd and swings!

attack: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 4 + 2 = 23
damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Caerwynn, give it another jolt before we all die!

OK, this way I can resolve in initiative order (and taking into account Taidus' previous hit) and see if Caerwynn needs to expend her spell or not...

Droghedor's waraxe hits with a resounding thud, and then Xakon follows with an angry hit, crippling the robot which sputters to stillness. Lod sees the damage and pulls aside at the last second, and Caerwynn, ready to finish it off, finds that she can reserve her lightning for later use.

The robot is done, but a few of you realize the danger has not all passed as you see the darts continuing to retract into the archway. Therefore, Lod and Caerwynn may still act this round, followed by Korvan and Taidus into Round 3,

Round 2: (Bold may post actions)
Korvan the Hunter
Taidus Raine
Metallic Creature
Archway
Droghedor
Xakon
Lod Flaxseed
Caerwynn

Ongoing effects: Staggered @Xakon (1 rd);

Round 3:
Korvan the Hunter
Taidus Raine
Archway
Droghedor
Xakon
Lod Flaxseed
Caerwynn

Caerwynn sends her bolt of lightning at the archway, hoping to destroy this secondary threat as well!

She also draws a sickle as a move action.

The arc of lightning chips away part of the archway, but seems to have no real damaging effect.

Run away!

Lod moves away from the archway to keep himself safe. "How many does it have, do you think?"

Lod moves away from the archway to keep himself safe. "How many does it have, do you think?"

Enough to doom us all, I'm sure, Droghedor opines dejectedly. Maybe Xakon can take care of it, if he survives...

"Anybody see a funny (fake) stone or door?"

After the archway fires another dart, Zakon looks for a control panel to disable it. He moves back toward the archway seeking shelter from its aim.

Trapfinding: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20
Disable Device: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25

Taidus, attacks one of the retractable lines if possible.

unarmed: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 for damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Korvan moves to a corner hopefully out of sight of the archway but still in a position to help the thief if he gets in trouble...

Taidus tries to take out a wire, but fails to get a hold of it. As the last two darts are pulled back into the archway by thin wires, two more shoot out.

Dart 1: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
A dart shoots toward Xakon, missing him.

Dart 2: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
A dart shoots toward Droghedor, barely connecting, but enough to send a jolt of electricity through him.
Damage: 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Fort save (DC 13) to avoid staggered condition.

Party up!

DC 13 Fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

Droghedor grunts as the dart hits him. He freezes for a moment from the shock, but shakes off the effects and moves toward the archway, grabbing Taidus's shoulder and Caerwynn's arm as he moves through. We're sitting ducks if we stay here! Through the doorway, now!

Once through the archway, he looks wistfully behind him at the crossbow he left behind. Now I think of it...

Korvan will run through the archway and pick up the crossbow if it is along the way.

"Hang on! I might have an idea! Let go of me, ya big oaf!" Wisdom: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13 Does Caerwynn think that the wires connected to the darts could be easily severed?

Thanks for the advice! Yes, the wires look like they are not too hard to cut, but you would need to roll to hit and do enough damage to get past a low hardness and a low HP. Taidus gave it a shot, but just rolled low.

Alternatively, it is a trap - so a normal approach to disabling traps would also work.

Droghedor and Korvan (with crossbow) are in the next room.

In that case, if Xacon's attempt to disable it failed, then Caerwynn will attempt to sever a wire!

Sickle: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

However, she is poorly suited to the task. Recognizing this, she follows Droghedor inside.

Sorry folks - I was just scrolling back up to find something, and see that I completely missed Xakon's post about disabling the trap. He succeeded.

Xakon performs some quick work, and deactivates the archway. The way is now clear.

An open chest sits against the eastern wall, with broken links of chain scattered on the floor around it.

Investigating the chest reveals glowing blue script on the chest’s lid, which says: "The prize lies within! Test your mettle against ours!" The chest is empty except for a parchment note that reads: "Congratulations, you have passed the trial! This amulet is your prize; present it to Venture-Captain Valsin as proof of your success!"

Beyond the arch, there is a large, oval chamber, twice as wide as it is long. It is illuminated with a murky radiance by dimly glowing overhead crystals. The room is bare of furnishings, just an open space with a dozen semicircular alcoves around the perimeter. Mechanical horrors identical to those outside occupy a number of these alcoves, but none of the automatons seem active, and some have even fallen over. A door stands in the center of the northern wall.

Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

"Hmm, anyone see an amulet around here? We need it to prove we succeeded. That was much tougher than I thought it would be!"

Caerwynn looks around for the amulet. Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

Also, who is hurt? I have one cure light spell prepared.

Caerwynn checks the room, and is certain that the amulet mentioned is not here.

Here is what I have for current HP:
Caerwynn 14/14
Droghedor 9/12
Korvan 13/13
Lod 12/12
Taidus 3/10
Xakon 8/11

"I can walk. Good enough for now."

Xakon pulls the dart from his neck and tosses it to the floor. He uses a strip of cloth to cover the wound to prevent infection. Afterwards, he closely examines the northern door for traps and attempts to open it when his companions are ready to proceed.

Trapfinding on door, T20: 20 + 11 = 31

There's no amulet! Droghedor groans. It's a fool's errand! Should've know all along...

Droghedor's lament isn't so vocal as to prevent him from gratefully accepting the crossbow back from Korvan, however.

"Taidus, you don't look so good. Here, let me see what I can do."

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 @*%$!

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do.

"Someone clearly came in before us and got it first! It looks as though they paid dearly for what should have been a simple test." That poor half-orc. Poor stupid half-orc.

"I mean, maybe..."

"But, what if..."

Caerwynn shudders.

"What if this is part of the test? Maybe the amulet is hidden in one of the bodies? Do... do they expect us to dig it out?" The sheen of cold sweat glistens across her pale face, ruddied by the red glint of the walls.

NEVER FORGET THE TAUNTAUN TREASURE CHEST.

Xakon finds no traps on the door, and easily opens it.

A flight of metal stairs descends through a corridor sheathed in the same brick-red metal. The corridor seems in better repair than most, with no missing panels and functional overhead lighting. The stairs end at a door to the north, while two narrow arches open on either side of the hall.

Lod slowly stalks forward with his sword in hand and pokes his head around each archway in turn.

As you peak around the corner to the left, you hear a woman's voice. "You there! Stop where you are or you will get a crossbow bolt between the eyes!"

Map 2 is up.

Xakon holds still near the corner using it for cover and attempts to spot the woman looking in the direction of her voice.

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20
stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

I am not sure what position I should place myself.

"We mean no harm!" Lod calls out, lowering his sword. "Just show yourselves and we'll talk it over!"