Godsmouth Heresy - PFS - Presented by DM Eric S (Inactive)

Game Master Eric Swanson

Kn. Arcana (DC 20): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

"Ugh...you're too nice," Lucina shudders as Mae shoos the spider away. "Nothing should have that many legs."

She glances over at the rune, frowning. She'd not been able to determine its nature, which annoyed her. "I'm getting tired of these crypts and strange runes. I hope we can finish the last two and move on..."

"Annilda, Uriel, are you two okay? Do we need to stop and rest?" she then asks quickly, feeling a little guilty for not thinking of her companions. Uriel especially had suffered a lot more than she had since they'd entered the ossuary.

"Despite passing out face first into centuries old dirt, I am unharmed." Annilda dusts her face a bit with one of her loose cloths. "Reminds me of the stories I've heard about creatures so beautiful you go blind. I hope to do better when the opportunity comes."

Knowledge (arcana) DC20: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Uriel frowns, "I agree with you, Lucina. One of Pharasma's domains must be tedium, for sure."

"Two more dummies to check," the aasimar sighs. "We might as well embrace the suck and get on with it."

Eagerly moving on from the illusionary crypt you turn your attention to the next statue, an imperious, heavyset woman holding a mirror and a halberd. Knowing the statue is trapped like the others you leave it to the aasimar to bear the brunt of the trap.

Once you are ready Uriel pushes the statue aside and as expected the electrical arc travels into his body...

Uriel takes 2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7-5=2 electrical damage.

Moving the statue aside you see yet another crypt shaped like the previous ones. As you proceed to investigate further you notice the crypt grows noticeably colder than the surrounding rooms, and a rime of ice crystals coats the walls and the remains of the dead interred here.

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Status:

Annilda (14/14 hp, Mage Armor)
Damien (15/18 hp)
Lady Mae (15/15 hp)
Lucina (8/8 hp)
Uriel (16/19 hp)
Ruby (6/13 hp)
Sunny (16/16 hp)
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Current Effects: Uriel Light spell, Damien Light spell, Annilda *Virtue spell.
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Current MAP.
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As before, feel free to heal yourselves up before exploring this crypt. Also the map does not accurately indicate the dimensions of the crypt; it shares the exact same dimensions as the others you have seen (three alcoves in a 5' wide corridor). Finally this Perception check is NOT an auto-check, you may NOT either Take 10 or Take 20 on it.

Perception (DC 15): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Lucina shivers as they move on into one of the two remaining crypts, the odd drop in temperature not escaping her notice.

"Wh-what's wrong with this one to make it s-so cold?" she asks, struggling to keep her teeth from chattering. "It l-looks like all the others..."

Mae barely pokes her head inside, quite uncomfortable in such a cold environment. "And I thought it was already cold in the other rooms... this one is a death sentence for someone like me."

Perception, DC15: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

"I'm beginning to think the Pharasmins could have handled this little problem on their own. They're just too cheap to expend their own resources," Uriel grouses.

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 (45 charges remaining)
Perception DC15: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

"Let me know if there's anything even remotely interesting in there. Otherwise, let's just keep moving, and try to find what we actually came here for."

I wonder what you're supposed to do if you don't have an electric resistant PC with a wand of CLW here...

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

"My my. Look at all of this brown mold. Does anyone recognize it?" Annilda sees the molding but has no idea what it is.

Feel free to read the spoiler and make a K. Dungeoneering check if you have it. Annilda will apply guidance if you need it.

"Not sure, Annilda, but it doesn't look like sumthin' I could eat. Guess we should avoid it if possible!" Damien adds.

"I'm no expert on molds. I agree with Damien, best keep our distance."

"Mold? Yech," Lucina remarks, making a face. "Aren't some kinds of mold bad if you inhale the spores? Damien's right, we should probably just keep our distance as much as we can."

"Well then." Annilda shrugs. "Let us move on, then. I can't say I'm a fan of mold, either."

Mae shakes her head a bit "We have many molds in the jungles, but none that seem to enjoy the cold. I don't know." She is happy to avoid the situation.

Deciding not to risk exposure to the chilling mold, you decide to turn your attentions to the next to last statue, the archaic representation of Pharasma in her three aspects: the midwife, the reaper, and the prophet. As before Uriel braces himself for the electrical shock that he knows must be coming...yet as he touches the statue a far different effect ocurs as he feels the blessings of Pharasma suffuse his body!

Uriel gains the benefit of an Aid spell for a duration of 10 minutes. Temporary HP: 1d8 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16. A character may only benefit from this effect once every 24 hours.

As you move the statue aside, you see these catacombs are similar to those crypts marked with the various Runes of the Runelords, but these were used to inter the Thassilonian clergy of Pharasma, who were not sworn to one of the seven runelords. No undead guard these crypts—most of the bodies here have long since decayed into dust; those that remain crumble apart with a touch. A search of the area shows several ancient silver holy symbols of Pharasma were interred with the priests here—seven can be found in all, worth 25 gp each. You also turn up a bone wand that does indeed radiate as magical.

Finally you also find a secret door at the far end of the crypt.

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Status:

Annilda (14/14 hp, Mage Armor)
Damien (15/18 hp)
Lady Mae (15/15 hp)
Lucina (8/8 hp)
Uriel (18/19 hp, +16 Temp HP, Aid)
Ruby (6/13 hp)
Sunny (16/16 hp)
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Current Effects: Uriel Light spell, Damien Light spell, Annilda *Virtue spell, Uriel Aid spell (+1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects; duration 5 minutes).
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Current MAP.
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I have taken the liberty of assuming you all Take 20 on your checks here which explains the reduced duration of Uriel's Aid spell. Let me know if anyone else wishes to touch the statue.

"Well at least this statue didn't hurt, eh? Let's see what's behind the door."

Lucina eyes the three-fold aspect statue of Pharasma with a rather mutinous expression. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I'm not touching that thing."

After the group turns their attentions to this newest crypt, she attempts to discern the nature of the wand as the others examine the secret door.

Kn. Arcana (DC 15): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

"Hmm...it's got a necromantic aura..."

Spellcraft (DC 15): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

The little halfling snaps her fingers. "Ah hah! It's a wand of Disrupt Undead! Plenty of charges too, about thirty I'd say. This'll come in handy!"
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I *think* Lucina is the only one that can use it without an UMD check.

Uriel approaches the secret door, looks around at his companions to check that they're ready, then he opens the portal.

Mae notices Ruby limping a bit and cautiously approaches with her healing wand. "Do not fret Damien's Pet, I will heal your wounds. He'll need your help down here." Then does the same to some similar scratches on Damien.

Wand of CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Wand of CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

"These dead things are mean predators, we must stay healthy yes?" She follows the others to the last room, peeking in after Uriel opens the door, not touching the statue.

"Huh, she hides 'er pain well." Damiem runs his hand along the closed wound. "I didn't even notice! Thank ya, miss Mae."

Delving deeper into the crypts Uriel opens the hidden portal to discover a narrow passage that curves to the east, ascending upwards 30 feet, then north. A gate, apparently crafted of bleached bone, bars your way into a large crypt area. You can see the gate is trapped in some way but are unsure how to bypass it.

Also of interest is a square shaft filling an alcove off to the side, dropping into darkness far past your range of vision.

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Status:

Annilda (14/14 hp, Mage Armor)
Damien (18/18 hp)
Lady Mae (15/15 hp)
Lucina (8/8 hp)
Uriel (18/19 hp, +16 Temp HP, Aid)
Ruby (11/13 hp)
Sunny (16/16 hp)
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Current Effects: Uriel Light spell, Damien Light spell, Annilda *Virtue spell, Uriel Aid spell (+1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects; duration 5 minutes).
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Current MAP.
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There is a stairway that ascends 30 feet in the east passage not indicated on the map.

"A large crypt... I'm sure we'll find clues in there." Annilda scoffs when she hears of the trap. "I can advance and risk the trap, if you desire."

Mae peeks around the corner past Uriel and double eyeballs the gate "Made of bone? Makes sense. How do you plan to move through a bone gate? Can you be very very small perhaps? Or are you stronger than you look? Maybe there is a hidden lever?" She looks around for such a lever.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

Despite Lady Mae's best efforts, she fails to find any hidden levers or switches that could raise the gate.

"Well, if there is no way through it, I guess we'll have to enter the pitch black corridor?"

Uriel takes a closer look at the gate.
Perception, if Take 20 is not an option: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

"You mean go down the dark hole?" Lucina asks, looking skeptical. "We can't even see how deep it goes...but if Uriel can't see the bottom then it's got to be pretty damn deep, right?"

Lucina looks around for a pebble or other small rock. Once she finds one, she carefully drops it down the shaft and tries to listen to see if she can hear it strike bottom.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

"I brought two lengths of rope with me." Annilda raises the bottom of her shirt enough to expose her belly button and the length of rope tied around it. "If you are good at climbing, I can certainly help you light the way down there."

"Well...I mean, I think we should probably see all there is to see here on this level before we go up or down but I figured it couldn't hurt to know how far down this shaft goes," Lucina replies. "Um...and is that how you always carry your rope? Please don't tell me you hide stuff like a prisoner would..."

"Dress simple." Annilda grins mischievously. "Back to this gate. If it's just bone, I'll gladly smash it to pieces."

If there was nothing to see at the gate, Uriel joins Lucina and peers down the shaft, relying on his darkvision to see what's down there.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

The sound of Lucina's pebble striking the bottom of the shaft is faint, but her sharp hearing allows her to pick it up. However deep the hole is, and also where it leads, is a mystery as the terminus of the hole is well beyong your light sources.

"Oof....sounds really deep," Lucina confirms, straightening up and dusting off her clothing. "Let's see if we can do anything else with the gate or look around up here more before we risk trying to go down," she suggests.

Mae peers down the hole when given the chance "Deep, dark, damp holes are my people's specialty. I'm not as good a climber as many but still better than most of you.. if the walls are not too smooth." She reaches out to test the difficulty of climbing down without rope.

Taking 10 would give her a DC17 climb check, if its higher than that she'd decline the risk of falling. I do need to get her a rank at least in climb.

"If not then perhaps we can try somewhere's else. There are rooms and hallways around we haven't poked through yet."

"Well, if we gotta go down there... I do got a rope," Damien adds, but hesitates in pulling it out. "I think we should check out the rest of this floor first though, like Lady Mae sez. Whattaya think?"

Lucina stares at Damien and Lady Mae. "Um...that's what I said too. Since it sounds like we're all on the same page then let's leave the scary hole for later and look somewhere else."

She glances back towards the gate and frowns. "If there's no good way through the gate without setting off the trap then we could always backtrack a bit and check out the rest of that corridor near the entrance."

"Understood. Let us see what we can access on this floor, then." Annilda doubles back to the room with the eight statues. She checks the eastern door.

Take 20 for a 23 Perception, or:

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

"What about this entrance?"

"Whoops, forgot about these other doors," Lucina remarks sheepishly as she follows Annilda back into the room of statues. "Checking these next is probably an even better idea than backtracking all the way back to the beginning," she continues as she tries to help inspect the eastern doors as well.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Uriel follows Lucina and Annilda, adding another pair of eyes to the inspection of the double doors.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Mae finally corrals Sunny and heads back towards the center room and its extra doors. Push Sunny to Ride, DC25: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26 She stealthily hops on her back while they move. "That's not so bad is it? Good. Good." As she guides her over familiar ground.

"These doors are large. Lets hope they aren't sealed like the one we came down from." She detects for magic and looks around like the others. Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Deciding to bypass the gate for now, you backtrack your way past the crypts and soon re-enter the Grand Cathedral. Turning your attention to the east double doors you discover they open easily and silently. Beyond lies a staircase, 10' wide, that ascends up to a 10' landing and after a short walk splits into a corridor heading north and south. However you notice the ceiling opens up between the two staircases, creating a shaft above the hallway. Ten feet up, the shaft appears to connect to another passage above running north-south. A grisly heap of decaying body parts lies at the bottom of the shaft. The air is rank with the smell of rot, corruption, and pungent chemicals.

As you approach closer you suddenly catch movement from the grisly pile...as several severed hands emerge from the pile, its fingers propelling it forth at great speed like a deformed spider!

Round 1:

Damien (18/18 hp)
Lady Mae (15/15 hp)
Uriel (18/19 hp, +16 Temp HP, Aid)
Lucina (8/8 hp)
Annilda (14/14 hp, Mage Armor)
Ruby (11/13 hp)
=====
??
=====
Sunny (16/16 hp)
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Current Effects: Uriel Light spell, Damien Light spell, Annilda *Virtue spell, Uriel Aid spell (+1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects; duration 2 minutes).
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Current MAP.
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Everyone (except Sunny) is UP! Keep in mind since these are Diminutive creatures I have not placed them on the map. They are all in the orange square on the map.

"Regretable." Annilda turns up her nose. "What is that? If I throw holy water, what will happen?"

"For the love of God, really?!" Uriel mutters. He looks up to the heavens, blocked, of course, by the intervening vaulted ceiling above. He drops to one knee. "Ragathiel, quick question from your servant. Would it be wrong for your paladin to simply urinate in the pit? I tire of this monotonous service to Pharasma, that self-important deity who despises the undead, yet somehow happens to tolerate their undocumented immigration, en masse, into her temple. Am I your oracle and mortal sword arm, or merely another god's priesthood's sub-contractor?"

Accepting this sojourn in Purgatory, Uriel shakes his head and readies his bastard sword to attack the foul creature, as soon as it's within reach.
Readied Attack; Damage: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 101d10 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Kn. Religion (DC 11): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

"Oh gross...they're crawling hands," Lucina groans. "Undead killing tools so go right ahead with that holy water, Annilda!"

Lucina draws the Disrupt Undead wand they'd found early and targets one of the hands, firing off a charge...

Disrupt Undead (Ranged Touch; Into Melee): 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 - 4 = 5
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3

...but when Uriel drops to his knees and offers supplication to Ragathiel above, it throws her aim off pretty badly.

"Wait, what??? No, that's not anything I want to see (no offense) unless you're able to pee holy water!"

A pause.

"Um...can you pee holy water? Stranger things have happened, you know..."
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(29) wand charges remaining.

Mae cracks a smile at Uriel's prayer, then adds in her own. "May the jungle spirits guide you in your quest to urinate holy water on your enemies."

Guidance on Uriel.

Lucina tells her Holy Water is useful, so she throws it.

It hits critically, but did it confirm?

Ranged Touch Crit: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (1, 2) = 3

Annilda laughs as Uriel mocks Pharasma. "I do not believe you are that blessed. But if you are you could earn quite a living!"

Damien blurts out laughing. "Pee holy water! HAH!" And continues laughing for nearly his entire turn. "Nice one, Lucina. Hey Uriel, are ya gonna answer her, or just show us how a holy man marks his territory?"

Still smiling, Damien draws a vial of alchemist's fire.

Damien readies for the attack with a flask of alchemist fire, whilst Lady Mae boosts Uriel's chances of striking true. Annilda connects with her vial of holy water, gratified it indeed did damage the hand. Lucina aims her wand yet fails to connect with the ray.

The hands move to attack now, moving far more quickly than you imagine as they skitter like spiders along the wall!

Crawling Hand #1 vs. Uriel: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 Miss.
Crawling Hand #2 vs. Annilda: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 Miss.
Crawling Hand #3 vs. Lady Mae: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13 Miss.

Each of these attacks will provoke an AoO.

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Round 1/2:

Damien (18/18 hp)
Lady Mae (15/15 hp)
Uriel (18/19 hp, +16 Temp HP, Aid)
Lucina (8/8 hp)
Annilda (14/14 hp, Mage Armor)
Ruby (11/13 hp)
=====
Crawling Hand #1
Crawling Hand #2 (-5 hp)
Crawling Hand #3
=====
Sunny (16/16 hp)
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Current Effects: Uriel Light spell, Damien Light spell, Annilda *Virtue spell, Uriel Aid spell (+1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves against fear effects; duration 2 minutes).
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Current MAP.
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Everyone is UP! Don't forget your AoOs!

Mae instinctively swats at the hand with her shield as it invades her personal space "Even those of the jungle know to keep your distance."

AOO Large Darkwood Shield Bash: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 141d3 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

After she regains her composure she tries to summon up fire in her hand, careful to not let the hand grab her.

Cast Defensively, Produce Flame: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12 But fails, the magic sputtering out. "I dislike this place even more." She draws out a fine mithril dagger and steps forward to give Sunny a chance.

Sunny slimes her way forward and tries to give the hand a tongue lashing with Mae's help.

Tongue + Acid, Flanking: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 3 + 2 = 221d4 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 1 = 6 BLLOOOPP!

Annilda applies her foot to the crawling hands as it approaches.

Unarmed Strike: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

She fails, but she isn't the type to miss an opportunity to flurry.

Flurry 1: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (12) + 0 = 12
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Flurry 2: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (13) + 0 = 13
Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Her attacks complete, she takes a 5 foot step back.

"Keep your clammy fingers to yourselves!"

Lucina takes aim with the wand once more attempts to zap one of the grabby hands...

Disrupt Undead (Ranged Touch; Into Melee): 1d20 + 4 - 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 - 4 = 1
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 6

...and continues to have terrible, terrible aim with it!
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Charges remaining (28).