Nevynxxx's PFS PbP

Game Master Nevynxxx

Just a remonder of a conversation you had way back in webs...

"A fair trade’s a fair trade. There was a half-orc blathering about some important blade or sword or something she found. Moonsilver, Sliverhex, or somesuch. Kept going on about its history to any who would listen. The merchant leans in conspiratorially.

Well I have it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, that she won’t be needin’ that sword where she’s headed. The merchant draws a hand across the neck, making an unpleasant sound. "The Vessels Between will have that one soon enough. You just need to go out there and grab that word once they’re through, and I happen to know where they found her little camp."

The owman continues to watch Crowe with a look of disdain, but she holds her hand, and continues to talk to the rest of you.

"So you found my journal, and followed the clues? What did you find?"

“Perhaps first we should warn you of the assassins,” suggests Alivar. “Apparently the Vessels Between know where you are, and their arrival is imminent. We should probably be alert for them.”

"I wonder, how soon is imminent?"

If that's not an invitation to our beloved DM, I don't know what is.

well, some perception checks may be useful.....

"Assassins? How did they find the cash for that... "

"The Vessels Between work cheap, or maybe you pissed them off too." Zasha replies lightly. She looks around. Alivar and Alahazra are making her nervous with their talk of assassins.

"As for what we found. Razmiran treachery. Greedy Petty nobles -- and a nice tapestry. Poisonous spiders. The lantern. And a metal pod with some strange coins in Numeria. There's a story with each of those if you want that too."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

At least me and Ulisha will die BFFs.

"Cole fears not these vessels. He will use these vessels as his piss-pot once he has defeated them in battle. Ha!" Crowe finds his own joke extremely amusing.

There you are - a bit of PC trash talk. Our DM is almost honour-bound to hit us with assassins now.

Perception 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

The woman can't help but grin at Crowe's boast. "I know there's a bounty on my head. I don't doubt the assassins are on their way. We should set ourselves up to ambush them. What do you say?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea," says Alivar, looking about for hiding places.

Looks at map... urgh... that's not gunna work in excel...Give me a little while....

"Or we could just leave before they get here. Odds are they won't send the whole family or gang, or whatever."

Ana hangs back, listening and looking around. Perhaps they got here first...

Ana Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Leryn Perception (low-light, scent): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

"Is there perhaps some defensible spot we could hold?"

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

Will be with you soon....

One very bad map.

You are in the roughly circular area at the top left. the parts with vertical lines are sheer drop cliffs. The black part is hillside that is impassable. The path winds up the hill and into a cave.....

Let's go A-AA across the top (I think) and 1-15 down the side. Starting at top left like excel would.

Please place yourselves.

"Crowe will stay here. He is not stealthy, and anyway will not hide from the piss-pots who come to fight him. He shall stay here with his new friend, the filthy half-orc woman."

He won't bother to hide. Say he's in D4, if I read the map aright.

Which direction did we come from? What are the areas of texture? Trees, maybe?

Its a fairly open hillside. The textured areas a rocks, mostly big enough to hid behind. Other than that it's open grass.

Thanks. Ana has hung back from the meeting and is focused on looking at possible approaches. I think the spot on the map was around C7 - she is on the south edge of the rough circle in column C, anyway. She will kneel down to get some cover from the rocks while she readies her bow. Perception for her and Leryn was rolled earlier.

Alhazra will be as close to the woman as she can. As we seem to be expecting an imminent attack, she will drink her potion of mage armor.

M14

"We're doing it this way? They've got to come up the road. I'll have a look. "

Bent double, Zasha moves to the cliff overlooking the path. She settles down and peers between the tall blades of grass at the trail below.

Stealth: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Alivar's position would be good. Some Perception and Stealth checks (if any) and we may as well roll Init while we are at it! Map updated on same link.

Inititiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Char Perception Stealth Init
Zasha: 8, 19, 7,
Alahazra: 19,
Anna: 11,
Lyern: 23,
Crowe: 18,
Alivar:
Ulisha: 4, 6, 18

Still waiting on some inits and skill checks.....

(Just to be clear, those spoilers are for the perception checks you've already made, if you've made them on the list above! Phew....)

Stealth - not bothering
Initiative 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

Stealth - not bothering

So what's a person's "default stealth"? If the incoming enemy are making perception checks, does the DM just assume they succeed if you aren't trying to hide...hmmm.... not that it matters much with Ulisha's sodding attempt....

Not bothering with any attempt at stealth, Alahara loudly calls upon the Holy Flame to bless us in this battle.
Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10 for casting Bless.

Leryn growls, looking down the path to the south.

Perception to see what she sees?: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Regardless, recognizing that it's going to be time for action, Ana crouches down a bit more behind the rocks.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Leryn holds her position and growls her warning. Not hiding

Edit: And I still forgot initiative!

Ana goes on: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Leryn goes on: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

Crowe Stormheart wrote:

Stealth - not bothering

So what's a person's "default stealth"? If the incoming enemy are making perception checks, does the DM just assume they succeed if you aren't trying to hide...hmmm.... not that it matters much with Ulisha's sodding attempt....

[Ooc]standing in the open? 0 + range ?

Could someone roll for Alivar please? And need Crowe's init....

Crowe's init is 17, as above.

Stealth isn't really Alivar's thing either - he has a -1 Stealth check, so he won't bother. His Perception is 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 and his Initiative is 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

I think if someone isn't hiding you can automatically see them unless there are some other factors, like darkness, intervening cover and so on. The old DMG used to have a table for encounter distances in the wilderness, depending on the terrain, but I don't know if the Core Rules still has that. I think it's just up to the DM, based on what seems reasonable.

Sorry for the delay, thanks for rolling Aubrey. Yeah, Alivar probably won't really hide as such.

There are two enemies, Refeered to as Striker (Z9) and Sniper (AD9). Lyern, Alahazra can see both, Crowe can just see the sniper.

Char Init
Anna: 24
Alivar: 18
Ulisha: 18
Striker: 18
Crowe: 17
Lyern: 12
Alahazra: 10
Zasha: 7
Sniper: 7

Go!

Ana has not spotted the approaching foes yet. She readies an action to fire when a hostile individual becomes apparent.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Adjustment if that Perception is successful against the halfling. She will ready an action to fire one arrow if he takes action to fire at the party.

"I don't see anything," whispers Alivar, while he casts lead blade on his sword. "Where are they?"

Ulisha is also oblivious at this point.

If you'd seen the higher spoiler above, you can see the above spoiler too regardless of the DC

Crowe!

"Ha! Crowe spies a piss-pot!" He begins running towards the Vessel he has spotted.

Double move towards AD9 by the shortest reasonable route. I think that gets him to N14.

Alahazra still cannot see any foes due to the curse of her clouded vision. With Crowe's sudden departure she does cry out in dismay, looking round at Ulisha and back towards the departing Crowe.

Lyern, Zasha?

Sorry, guys. Long weekend.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 Stellar!

Zasha peers south, but can't see a thing. Hearing Alahazra's cry, Zasha whirls around, and only sees her friends. Crowe is moving fast.

Zasha readies her bow and continues looking for targets.

I assume you mean Ana's wolf, Leryn. Having no ranged attack and for sake of simplification, she delays to sync her initiative with Ana.

Looks like that brings us to the sniper.

Yeah, sorry from las, was totally off grid for the weekend, then a bit blasted after the marathon on Sunday.... will be back up to speed tomorrow!

Marathon? Were you participating?

Map updated. I'm assuming by now that the enemies have been pointed out, mostly because my ability to track where they are whilst keeping it in spoilers is useless.

I moved Crow as best I could, the lined out sections are impassable.... they are sheer drops, so you need to skirt around them.

Crowes, wolfy, Alahazra and Zasha are up....

Crowe continues to close on his foes.

Double-move again. I think I can get to G8.

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Pretty sure Zasha's still blind. Let me know otherwise.

Zasha watches Crowell dash around. She glances back at Ana, Alahazra, and Ulisha. She waits with an arrow on her bowstring.