GM Kyshkumen's PFS The Godsmouth Heresy (Inactive)

Game Master Kyshkumen

So, all the light sources went out at once, implying the casting/activation of a Darkness spell/special ability, as opposed to us walking into a Darkness area one by one?

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

Remembering the last positions of each of his companions and guided by their sounds and vocal clues, Garedon desperately searches in the darkness for some indication of what caused the darkness field.

"Vyk Tyr, I think the circumstances have manifested after which I shall have a greatly heightened opinion of your abilities, if that is even possible..."

Garedon casts Shield upon himself with a spring-deposited wand and then draws his cold iron dagger with his other hand.

Hanging in the back. I believe I am one of the squishiest among us - second to last maybe? Maybe have someone more resilient bring up the rear?

Miko's hairs rise as the light goes out.

panic

She stands nailed to the floor, unable to do anything about the darkness.

trust your instinct, you've been here before

Using what senses she has left, she tries to hear if anything is coming for her, gripping her staff tight.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

There is nothing but silence as the creature makes it's move.

melee: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

It completely misses it's target landing on the stairs behind Garedon alerting both Garedon and Miko to it's presence.

Cold Iron Dagger, high is good: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (4) + 0 = 41d4 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 + 1 = 41d100 ⇒ 25

Garedon tries to swing at his attacker, blindly slashing through the darkness, hitting nothing but air.

What? Stealthy skeletons? That doesn't make any sense...

Miko doesn't immediately recall any skeletons that would be so stealthy.

Knowledge(Rel): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12 Not sure what penalty to apply for darkness

Miko takes a swipe with her quarterstaff, hoping not to hit Garedon

Attack, Q-staff, high is good: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (14) - 1 = 131d6 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 01d100 ⇒ 72

Keep in mind that you are on a narrow spiral staircase so unless you have a ranged or reach weapon you will not be able to hit the thing that tried to attack Garedon. Also what ever this thing is, it sounded fleshy when it landed so you can rule out skeleton.

Adelaide
Vincent
::::::: Round 2 ::::::
Vyk
Tuich
Garedon
Miko
?

Bold is up. Garedon did you want that to be a readied action or your round 2 action?

Sorry, lost track of the rounds and the description of the space. How about Round 2, though I should try to step back/forward and let Vyk up. It's hard to tell where the empty spaces are to move to, though.

I don't think a map would really help but I'll try a visual add.

?,Garedon,Miko,Tuich,Adelaide,_____,Vincent,Vyk Tyr.

That is your respective spot in line on the stairs going from top to bottom. It is dark so the stairs are difficult terrain. Vyk since you can see it is only difficult terrain when you move up the stairs.

That sounded much too alive to be dead. Is this a trick? Some priest trying to ambush us?

Unsure about using a ranged weapon blindly, Miko would rather resort to her box of tricks.

If it knows darkness, it can sleep

The cats nestle close to their kittens now.
The lambs have laid down with the sheep.
You’re cozy and warm in your bed, my dear
...

I'd like to cast sleep, depending on the interpretation of the rules. Can I hit the enemy in darkness, (and not hit garden), or do I have to roll?

I'm ok with you missing Garedon, I do not think it would be to hard to avoid someone directly in front of you. It will not go off until the start of your turn in round 3 however.

"Let us back up and let Vyk Tyr forward, or, rather, let us continue the direction we were going and let Vyk Tyr come back towards the enemy...", Garedon urgently voices an instruction in a manner even more awkward than usual as he swings against the enemy and then tries to move away in the darkness.

Not sure when Adelaide will be back so I'm going to have her move to make room for Garedon and put Vincent on delay as there probably isn't much for him to do at this point.

?,_____,Miko,Tuich,Garedon,Adelaide,Vincent,Vyk

::::::Round 2::::::::
Vincent
Vyk
Tuich
Garedon (Attacked and moved)
Miko (Casting sleep)
?
Adelaide

Bolded characters still have actions this round.

Assuming I understand this correctly I can double-move to the empty space. I'll go ahead and do that.

"Behind us?! Oh, come on!"

Vyk Tyr growls then moves past his friends to face the beast.

"Excuse me. Pardon me. Coming through."

Yes it would take a double move to get to the back of the line.

?,Vyk Tyr,Miko,Tuich,Garedon,Adelaide,Vincent

Vincent makes a puzzled face that no one can see and commands his Wayfinder to light up.

If it's a spiral staircase, I doubt I'd be able to even see whatever is attacking. I'm pretty much sitting this one out, I think.

"Try a mundane source of light! Like a torch!"

GM, please insert this action where appropriate in melee. Note that retrieving stored items is a Standard Action for her.

Tuich carefully backs against the wall to let Vyk pass. "Oh... right!" she says when he suggests a physical light, and digs a candle lantern out of her pocket. (Fluffed from a regular candle, no game benefit. I actually own one like this for camping and it's a clever little thing.)

"నిప్పురవ్వ", she says crisply as she snaps her fingers near the wick, and a spark catches it alight. She holds it high above her and looks around.

Vincent tries to activate the light spell on his wayfinder but no light seems to shine. Tuich pulls out her candle lantern which takes a while since it seems to have moved from one pocket to the other. Vyk Tyr is now face to face with the strange creature. It opens up like some sort of hellish umbrella and surges forward at him.

slam: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1

Once it strikes Vyk it tries to wrap him up in it's tentacles.

grab: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Vyk proves to quick for the beast and avoids getting grappled. All that training with Garedon seems to have payed off. (Que 80's montage music)

Beastie,Vyk,Miko,Tuich,Garedon,Adelaide,Vincent.

Adelaide
::::::::Round 3:::::::::::
Vincent
Vyk
Tuich (lighting lantern)
Garedon
Miko (sleep spell goes off)
?

Bold is up!

Oh, these things. Never actually fought/used one before. I can't say I really blame the module for requiring a really specific action to see them instead of the normal rules for seeing something. From what I remember, they really depend on "getting the drop on" their enemies.

If anyone is having trouble picturing the enemy based on "hellish umbrella with tentacles," I'm fairly sure it's a darkmantle. Google image search should be helpful in picturing it without giving stats away.

Vincent, annoyed, says the command word for his wayfinder's Light effect again. This time much louder and slower, in case it couldn't hear him the first time. "Stupid technology... Why does it work sometimes but not others?!" he shakes the device in frustration.

Darn, now I'm too far back, lol.

Experiencing some disconcertion regarding his excessively distal position relative to the center of the conflict, Garedon stashes his wand of shield and resheaths his dagger.
I need more hands.

Great way to justify the longer retrieval time, GM; I love it!

Vincent: One of those accursed things dropped on my cleric in another game and pinned her arms to her sides in the process, so she couldn't even cast. It was only the actions of the other party members that saved her. Though I have to admit I wasn't too keen on one of them going at the thing with a dagger.

And the irony was, she'd always been a "stay in the back" support character. She was trying to be bold and venture into an unexplored area first for a change... and that's what she got. Went right back to the rear of the pack after that, let me tell ya! :o)

Sorry, I'm a waitress, so I work a lot of hours Friday-Sunday. It just happened that the party actually started doing things on the weekend.

I don't think I can reach it from where I am, can I?

Adelaide unsheathes her falcata worriedly in the sudden darkness, and turns to the sound of trouble. "What's afoot? Is everyone alright?"

She shuffles backward to let Garedon move away from... Whatever it is. When Vyk moves up the stairs, she follows closely behind him. Double move to be on the other side of the bad thing from Vyk

When Tuich's lit lantern drives away the darkness, she frowns in disgust. "What an atrocious creature!"

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22 Don't know what kind of check to identify the monster.

No problem Adelaide I was not expecting you back until today. Now regarding your turn. You are on a narrow set of stairs so in order to get behind the creature you would need to use acrobatics in the dark. Not impossible but a high chance that things could go wrong. Also slight spoiler, Tuich's lantern is not going to work either.

Well, poo. (And even if it did work, I was going to point out it's only "one candlepower" versus a torch, so that'd have a bearing on things.)

No worries, GM. I mistook your description as an indication that Tuich's light worked, but I see now that you were describing it for Vyk. :)

Adelaide is certainly not Acrobatic at all. Since Vyk can see and she can't, she'll wait behind him.

BTW, I probably should have incurred an AoO when I tried to get away, since it wasn't a withdrawal action (and I couldn't see the attacker even if it was).

I'm assuming magic in general still works, just not light. If so...

Vyk growls as he takes a hit and then cackles in delight as he prepares a spell.

Cast Defensively DC 15: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Vyk lunges with his rapier in an attempt to trace a magical glittering "V" on the flesh of the monster.

Spellstrike Arcane Mark: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

He then spins around and lunges again.

Rapier: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

"It's a shame you guys can't see me. I'm amazing!"

If magic itself has died, then please just use my first attack.

Vyk's first attack just narrowly misses but his spin move manages to throw the creature off and his second strike connects. Miko's sleep spell goes off and the creature gets woozy.

will save: 1d20 ⇒ 2

The creature can not resist and flops to the floor asleep.

Garedon I missed that and it would be way to complicated to fit that in now since it has grab. The creature is asleep so Vyk can finish it off.

"Vyk Tyr, I believe that we are obligated to dispatch the creature, as leaving it alive would severely jeopardize any productive use of the level." Garedon is - and even sounds - reluctant to do so, not even knowing what the creature is or why it was attacking, just that it constitutes an obvious hazard.

Vyk continues stabbing the downed creature repeatedly with his rapier for a few moments, before he finally turns around.

"I'm sorry, what was that Garedon? I couldn't hear you just now. This thing was stubborn. Nice spellwork, Miko!"

He then takes out his wand and heals himself.

"Don't worry. Tis but a scratch."

Wand of CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

More than I need to get back up to full.

As you continue down the stairs all your light sources start to work again. Tuich now has a candle lantern and Vincent's Wayfinder starts working. At the bottom of the stairs you see old carvings cover the walls of this square chamber, think with dust and cobwebs. Three sets of stone double doors stand in the three facing walls. Heavy bronze seals emblazoned with the symbol of Pharasma secure the doors against whatever lies beyond.

Map is up top.

Garedon examines the corpse and attempts to identify it, if it becomes visible, or relies on Vyk Tyr's descriptive memory, imperfect though it may be, if the party moves on too quickly.

He then inspects the room generally and then examines the old carvings and each double door, then listens carefully at the doors.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 9 + 2 = 14 Carvings and general.

Rolling, but will take 20 on each door.
Perception: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 9 + 2 = 25
Perception: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 9 + 2 = 22
Perception: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 9 + 2 = 24

Garedon then casts Detect Magic and searches the room and attempts to peer beyond each door.

Thanks for coming back up for us, Vyk Miko smiles gratefully. I couldn't see a thing up there.

Miko patiently assists Garedon when he searches the doors. This is your specialism, right?

Perception (aid): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Perception (aid): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Perception (aid): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Perception (aid): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Unless it was something that canceled magic, Tuich's aspergillum still has an active light spell on it. In which case she'd extinguish the candle and slip the lantern back into her pocket once it's cooled down.

"So, would we rather have what's behind door number one, door number two, or door number three?"

Carol Merrill must be on break...

Tuich holds her light high and studies the doors thoughtfully.

Perception (Aid Another): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 Yeesh!
Perception (Aid Another): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Perception (Aid Another): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

The carvings seem to be ancient perhaps someone with some back ground in history would know about them.

K(His): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Garedon, these carvings..

Miko knows perfectly well what they are, but tries to make Garedon feel like he came up with it,

..they look to be about those ancient Thassilonian wizards, right?

Should we be using the chime on one of these doors? We've got five charges, need to save one...

Miko prefers the middle door - she likes symmetry - and will use the chime on it if someone suggests she does.

"Well wait, let's see if there's some kind of latch or mechanism first. No point in wasting charges."

If the Detect Magic from before isn't still up, she'll recast that and check for auras first. If nothing interesting is revealed, then:

Tuich picks one of the doors at random...

Numbered clockwise: 1d3 ⇒ 3

... and beings studying it in detail, moving her light about and ducking her head this way and that to peer along the edges and seams of the seal.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

Yep, this is definitely a door.

"Well, if the doors aren't magical we can just try to pick it ourselves. We should save the chime until we really need it. Tuich, you have some skill with locks, right?"

The seals detect as magic.

"If no one minds, we could always try the literal "breaking and entering" method," Vincent helpfully suggests, pulling a crowbar out of his pack. "More information on the seals might be useful first, though. Do you think they'll curse me?"

"The heavens know I have, often enough." she murmurs under her breath, then smiles at Vincent. "I don't know, the seals have auras, hold on."

Maintaining the Detect Magic to determine strength and school. No ranks in Spellcraft unfortunately, but I'd think a caster could pick up that much information as a matter of course. Here's a generic d20 roll if it helps.

Arbitrary Roll: 1d20 ⇒ 1

Yep, that baby's sealed up tight!

You can also use Knowledge (Arcana) to discern auras. "Identify auras while using detect magic - Arcana - 15 + spell level"

Knowledge (History): 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 8 + 2 = 12

"Um..., yes, about those Thassilonian wizards... Perhaps you would choose to further explicate that idea while I continue to study the doors."

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

The aura is strong and seems to be arcane lock on all three seals.

Nah, Vincent, you don't want to ruin these nice carvings do you? In a sense, Miko is happy to see carvings related to arcane casters in these halls.

At Gardeon The Runelords? Powerful wizards, weaving spells and gathering unheard of powers until the entire empire of Thassilon did their bidding.

Let's see if these doors do our bidding. Miko rings the chime of opening. Does is work for all doors in range, or just the one I target? If the latter, I'm going for the middle door.

See, we're not as powerful as the Runelords, but we're getting there.

Assuming that the chime dispels the magic on the copper seal, Vincent will pry the now defunct seal off of the door and attempt to open it by pushing/pulling. His sword is currently sheathed.

"Those have a nice sound. I wonder if I can get wind chimes that sound like that... But without the magic, of course. It would be a bother to have my front door unlocked all the time for no good reason."

The chime of opening unlocks the seal on the middle door. After removing the seal Vincent is able to push the doors open. Inside bodies in age-yellowed linens lie in alcoves lining both sides fo this wide corridor. Think cobwebs hang from the ceiling and drape the walls of the crypt; everything is coated in a deep layer of dust.

Edit: Ninja'ed while I was working on lunch. Still, it would be good to know for the other two doors, and it works just as well to have Garedon blather on while everyone moves on and opens the doors. :-P

Does it have a lock in addition to the one 'created' by the arcane lock spell? Potentially, it is 'only' a DC 20 Disable Device for the created lock, which Tuich should be able to get without much trouble given a Take 20, although the following statement in the description that "A door or object secured with this spell can be opened only by breaking in or with a successful dispel magic or knock spell." really confuses me. :-\ Do know which way it works?

"The Chime of Opening, if my understanding is correct, would dispel the arcane seals, permanently destroying them. Forceful efforts would prove much more difficult because of the magical reinforcement, and would also be necessarily destructive. It might suit our purposes (and the purposes of the Pharasmins), to leave the seals and the doors undamaged. Unfortunately, the ability to temporarily pass such a door by magic is beyond me (would that I had gathered the funds to purchase the wand found in the Salhar vault!)."

~~

After the door is opened, Garedon sends the unseen servant down the hallway, with the instruction to clear the cobwebs, so sparing Vincent's hair.

As it does so, Garedon casts Detect Magic to scan the new corridor.

The way the module is written it does not give a DC to disable so I figure it would fall under the "A door secured with this spell can be opened only by breaking in or with a successful dispel magic or knock spell.

The unseen servant moves down the hallway clearing the cobwebs making it look almost like a strong breeze is knocking the cobwebs down as unseen servant makes it's way down the corridor. Garedon is getting no magical auras except from his unseen servant.

"Has the dust been disturbed at all here?"

Perception : 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

That clause of the spell is to tell you that you as the caster can't just open the door. A lot of warding spells will allow you to designate creatures (or a phrase or something) who can ignore the ward. This is just saying that everyone is stuck having to break in through some method (disable device, str check, magic). I think.

"Thanks, Garedon. There's no point in being awesome if I can't look the part as well."

Vincent puts up his crowbar and retrieves his sword. "I distrust these bodies. I have no way to detect if they're undead, so I'm going to shoot first, examine later." He holds his sword in one hand and uses the other to fire off Disrupt Undead rays at each body in the alcoves that he can see, taking the time to make sure he lands a direct hit on each. "If they're just bodies, the positive energy shouldn't harm them. If they're undead, they will probably react and we can avoid an ambush."

If I hit an undead, 1d6 ⇒ 5 damage. If they are actually zombies/skeletons/ghouls/etc, I assume they'd start reacting immediately and I'd only get one hit.

Edit: Knowledge check for Vincent to know that many mindless undead look like corpses when they're not actively trying to kill you, and that I'm not just being super meta: Knowledge(Religion): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22