PFS 3-13 Quest for Perfection Part III: Defenders of Nesting Swallow (Inactive)

Game Master Warped

Woooooah. Didn't expect this. Do those potions she gave come pre-identified?

Dagat, as the daughter of a chieftain, is well-versed with the politics and deliberations of the thing. Her skills are rusty and oft-forgotten, but she still knows enough to be able to speak with authority.

"Concentrate everyone on Bringing in the Harvest," she says. "I will teach Archery Training when it is done. Then, Flood the Fields. An attack on us will become more difficult and the archers will be more effective this way. Also Post two Scout groups. Knowing when they come will be a great advantage. Once we know when they come, we can focus on constructing barricades or teaching Combat Training, depending on the time we have left. This is my advice."

Dagat would like to speak to Je Tsun regarding the Braid and activating it and whatnot. Also subtly hint that she might be able to use it to defend the town as a sweetener. That was our initial mission after all and Dagat would see it through.

Indeed! This should prove most interesting...

Elian listens intently to the discussion and offers what little knowledge he has to the preparations. "I'm likewise no warrior, but I will assist in whatever ways I can. Perhaps once we have the harvest in, I can help assist with the scouts."

VERY interesting twist.

"I'm inclined to concur with Dagat's proposals. In order to create an effective defense with our non-combatants, we must seek to even the odds. Flooding the fields in order to give our archers' missiles time to whittle down their numbers seems an effective strategy. Though I must confess the confounded crossbow is more difficult to wield than it appears. Perhaps in numbers the volleys will cause sufficient damage." Thael muses.

I'm guessing I have enough time to memorize new spells...Color Spray and Grease seem like solid choices...any other suggestions? What about spells during each day to help the villagers? Any thoughts?

You'll have plenty of time to prepare new spells. There is no point in which spells will have any effect with regards to the preparations of Nesting Swallow's defenses, as your spells just don't have the duration's long enough to have enough of an impact. The same with restorative spells. The only thing that will come into play are the occasional skill checks if applicable. So think of which spells you'll want for the upcoming siege!

I'm loving the planning so far, but eventually I will need the actual allocation of the 30 available villagers you have for Day 1. The possibilities right now are:

Bringing in the Harvest - 10 villager increments
Archery Training - 10 villager's only; requires a PC with a base attack bonus of +1 or higher who is proficient with light crossbows
Combat Training - 10 villager increments; requires a PC with a base attack bonus of +1 or higher; a single PC can train a unit of 10 villagers per day; multiple units can be trained in a day, but this requires multiple PCs instructing them
Constructing the Barricades - 10 villager increments
Posting Scouts - 5 villager increments

And later:
Flooding the Fields - 20 villagers only

Each PC may also supervise and/or help with each of the non-combat areas, as well, but cannot cover more than one area a day. Once a group of villagers are committed to a task, they are committed for the entire day, as well, so choose wisely!

As Dagat approaches Je Tsun and asks her about activating it so that she could use it in the upcoming battle, she just shakes her head, "No. I mean no offense. This is not a matter of not trusting you to do your part; it simply is not expedient. Every hand, mine included, is needed to finish the harvest and our defenses. Activating the braid will take time; time I do not have until after this crisis is past. If it were something that would aid in our defense, then yes, but all the stories passed down through my family that speak of the braid describe it as a relic of great wisdom and contemplation. Not something that would help us in battle."

Eventually, the potions are able to be identified as potions of cure light wounds if anyone has any care for such.

Ah'll be glad to help along this way as well. Ah'll help guard the harvesters, harvestin' what ah can as well while makin' sure we're good. Once the harvest is in, Ah'll take an' train on spear & shield, or just spear if'n we don't have enough makeshift shields. If'n we have enough for a proper phalanx, we could use longspear & shield. Give 'em a spiny wall to deal with. If'n the braid won't help, we let it be fer now.

I believe day 1 is entirely harvest, with 10 villagers acting as scouts.

Dagat does not push Je Tsun further on the matter.

I'd recommend all 30 to bring in the harvest. Dagat will help with it.

With the archery traiing, it is such that when done it is done, or do they get better with each day of training they have? If it is a one off thing, lets have everyone bring in harvest, if we lose a potential day of training with them, lets have them keep at the training for as long as possible.

Both Archery and Combat Training take time to reach the maximum potential, with Archery Training taking longer than Combat Training.

EDIT - PS - You might want to stick Thael with his Knowledge (nature) out in the fields...

Other useful skills:

Harvest: Profession (farming)
Archery: Craft (bows)
Combat: Intimidate
Barricades: Knowledge (engineering), Profession (woodcutter), Craft (traps), Disable Device
Flooding: Knowledge (engineering)
Scouts: Perception

Which are mostly moot points, since the only knowledge skill is nature with Thael, nobody has the proper profession skills, and nobody has the tools to do the untrained craft skills (though, technically, they can still be done). Leaves a couple that can be done, though...

"I think we should train the archers as long as we can, and have everyone else bring in the harvest. Though if you all think an all-hands to the harvest is better, I will not bring it up again."

"I can help in the fields," Thael suggests. "I recently read a fascinating treatise on crop rotation and harvesting techniques in upper Varisia. Perhaps we can put some of this into practice."

Chaul looks out at the fields.

"I have no real skills that would be helpful for this, unless we want to negotiate with the bandits. I'll help in the fields through. One more pair of hands could make the difference, even if it is only in the carrying of the grain."

Thael continues on about the crops.

"For example, in addition to being aware of how to conserve and maximize utility of irrigation water, small plot producers are very likely working in their fields continuously and so need irrigation systems in place that allow access seven days a week without mucking through mud, and wreaking havoc on soil structure."

With Dagat helping train the archers, would it be helpful if Gorn was there? Gorn could also, dependent on what the spears are like, use some time to fire harden the bamboo if it works like wood, so that when they train/begin fighting they have a slightly better chance.

20 on the harvest, 10 with archers and Dagat training them is fine with me.

sounds good here too. Chaul will be just another pair of hands in the field.

Sounds like we have a plan and a place for everyone.

"...and the ground slope is a key limiting factor to water harvesting. Water harvesting is not recommended for areas where slopes are greater than five percent due to uneven distribution of run-off and large quantities of earthwork required which is not economical..." Thael continues.

Great! I just need to know what everyone else is doing, then. It's up to you, Gorn. The archer's will not get any further training if you're present with Dagat, if that's what you're asking. Mechanically, either one of you can train the archers just as well as the other. Thematically, though, Dagat would be the top dog here, hehe. So what I have right now is:

20 villagers in the fields - mandatory
20 villagers in the fields - assigned
10 villagers receiving archery training

Thael overseeing the Harvesting - will need a Knowledge (nature) check
Chaul working in the harvest - may aid the Knowledge (nature) check (DC 10 to aid, so may do it untrained)
Dagat - training the archers - no checks needed

I need to know what Gorn and Elian are doing and then we can finally move on to day 2!

knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

"...and should have the main attributes of soils which are suitable for irrigation: they should be deep, not be saline or sodic and ideally possess inherent fertility. A serious limitation for the application of water harvesting are soils with a sandy texture. If the infiltration rate is higher than the rainfall intensity, no runoff will occur..."

Right! Forget about those aid checks! At least for this day.

Gorn will assist in the fields.

Knowledge: Nature: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Elian will assist with bringing in the harvest unless he can aid the scouts with his high perception?

Thael continues his lecture, oblivious to whether any are listening. "and if they were to stagger their plantings, which, combined with the differential growing times of each plant variety and longer growing time for direct field seeding, allows them to extend harvest periods. The practice also allows for a more dependable and consistent harvest..."

There are no scouts, and PC's can't scout by themselves, but instead use their perception bonus instead of the villages. Which, trust me, using Elian's is better than the village's base perception. With him going through the reports and having scouts, if any, reporting back to him, at least there's a chance of success! I'll go ahead and drop Elian's perception check for now.

Elian's Perception check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

The first day gets under way with a subdued attitude. The villagers are still unsure of what to make of these strangers who are now giving orders on how to defend their village, but take to the orders given.

Dagat takes a group into the courtyard and trains them with the bows, setting up makeshift dummies, drilling with their crossbows well into the evening.

The majority of the villagers work to bring the harvest in before the attack. The work is made easier with the aid of Chaul and Gorn, and many villagers work twice as hard to finish before having to listen to more of Thael's lecture. Regardless, because of everyone's effort's, a full two-third's of the field is done by the end of the first day.

Elian spends the day going through reports from farmers coming in from the outlying countryside, looking for anything to tell them of the upcoming bandit invasion, but is unable to find any signs of their foe.

Everyone heads home at the end of the day, tired and dusty from their long work. Tomorrow promises to bring much of the same.

Okay! Day 2 is up! Now that we know what we're doing, I'm going to start putting up deadlines. Day 2's deadline will be Sunday. Whoever doesn't post by Sunday will spend the day loafing about in party HQ while everyone else busts their butts ;). I'll need another breakdown for the villagers and what everyone's doing again. I would guess the same as day one, but you could be wasting folks in the fields if you did that...

Going to help finish the harvest. In addition, I'm memorizing 2x Color Spray and 2x Grease for my spells.

knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

At the end of the day, he will liberally use channel energy to heal any small wounds that the villagers may have picked up.

Chaul will help train the villagers in combat.

aid another-intimidate: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

"If forty villagers brought in two thirds of the crops, only twenty should be required to finish the work today.." he says, looking for confirmation from the villagers or those more knowledgeable that twenty villagers probably are sufficient to finish bringing in the harvest.

Assuming that is correct...
"I suggest the archers continue to train today. Another group of ten starts to build barricades and a third starts martial training."

I'm not sure how the 5 person increments for scouting works. Given everything else is in ten person increments, there is no way to 'spend' five people

I think the breakdown is as follows: 40 in the fields and 10 Archers.

Gorn would recommend on day 3 starting combat training for 10 villagers, but he will assist in the fields yet another day.

Knowledge: Nature: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

Given the half-elf's limited martial expertise, he continues to encourage anyone from the surrounding lands to report any and all suspicious activities to him immediately, no matter how seemingly innocent it may appear. He continues to search through the reports...

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

I concur with minimizing the amount of workers in the field. If 40 brought in 2/3 then 20 should definitely be able to finish the job on the second day. Which leaves 20 villagers... we should definitely have some begin work on the barricades, I'd say 10. And then have the other 10 begin working on martial skills. Of course we continue to have the designated archers continue to improve throughout day 2. In which case, I believe Gorn would be best used to help teach the martials...

Which would give us the following break-down: 20 villagers + Chaul + Thael working the remainder of the fields. 10 villagers + Dagat working on crossbows. 10 villagers working on the barricades. 10 villagers + Gorn begin martial training. Elian will continue to 'Scout' until we can assign a group of scouts. What do you guys think?

Chaul would not be able to use Intimidate to help train the villagers since he does not have a BAB of +1 or higher, unfortunately, even aiding another :(

Should probably also put someone in charge who gives the final breakdown, too. Would make it easier for me after you guys mull over the number crunchings.

In that case, Chaul will be in the fields. Can I keep the aid-another roll? (17+1=18)

Yep! Though it's not needed. Thael nearly auto-succeeds

Do we have anyone supervising the building works? If not, Chaul could do that, it sounds like there is little advantage to having him in the fields.

I'm fine with the breakdown. Dagat will make a man out of these villagers! *cue Mulan montage*

Okay, so to speed things up, it looks like the general consensus is:

20 villagers in the fields (mandatory)
10 villagers receiving archery training
10 villagers receiving combat training (unit A)
10 villagers working on the barricades

Chaul supervising the barricades (no checks available yet)
Dagat training the crossbowmen (no checks available yet)
Elian gathering intelligence with a Perception 14
Gorn training the warriors (can try an Intimidate check if you want...)
Thael overseeing the Harvest with a Knowledge (nature) 18

That's what you guys want to commit to for Day 2?

That looks good to me

I like the plan...let's do it.

The second day starts with the same subdued attitudes as the day before. The majority of the villagers stream into the fields early in the morning. A handful stay in the courtyard, picking up spears and taking instructions from their sturdy dwarven instructor. On the other side of the courtyard can be heard the mechanical counterpulls of crossbows as the archery instructions continue into their second day.

Yet another handful of villagers start work on the ramshackle barricades already put up around the village, but the job seems to be much too much for the few thrown at it, and not much progress is made at all at day's end. There's an audible grumble from many villagers in the fields as the workforce needs to stop for the day when evening wears on and the harvest is still unfinished.

By day's end, there is still no telling from the little information coming in on when exactly the bandit raid will come.

Is the intimidate check required for the training?

Nope! None of the checks are required. Some speed things up, some add little bonuses, but none are required.

How much time is left on the harvest?

That would require a Profession (farming) roll to know, but as far as how much is left? There's not much left to be done out there.

Same again as the previous day then?

That's fine with me!

I'll take one more agreement as majority and move ahead with day 3, then!

Let's do this thing.

I'll go ahead and roll for Thael's Knowledge (nature) and Elian's Perception, then.

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
1d6 ⇒ 1

...hehe. Chaul's going to hate me.

The villagers once again head out to their tasks, assigned the same tasks as the previous day. The grueling archery lessons continue late into the day alongside the combat lessons. The archers can still take some more lessons, but this set of villagers have learned all they can from the dwarven instructor.

The barricades don't appear to see any improvement from the previous day or the day before, even though two days have been filled working on them. It truly is difficult work. As is the field work, evidently, as another groan goes up as the evening wears on and the villagers are still unable to bring in the entirety of the crop. Even Thael seems somewhat flustered with today's lack of progress.

There is a breakthrough, however, in reports from the countryside. A flurry of activity and raids from the north and east seems to suggest that the bandit's will be attacking the village much sooner than anticipated, perhaps only a couple of days from now...

It seems as if the bandits will be attacking on Day 5! Let's say the deadline for Day 4's distribution will be Wednesday evening(ish).

Assign the 10 villagers who did combat training to building the barricades. We've not got a lot of time here, and we should focus on making barricades, even if they're not the best, to at least make the raiders choose the easiest path... like water.

We will not get the fields flooded.

Suggestion:
20 finish harvesting,
20 work on walls, Gorn will assist there.
10 work on archery.

grr, argh. Oh wait a minute, thats a pirate.

"More haste, less speed. Perhaps we should have concentrated longer on the fields on the second day."

The priest looks unhappy with how things have progressed.

"It seems we have only one day more. If it takes a couple of days training to make the villagers be competant with their weapons, then there is little point in one days training. I agree with you Gorn."

I'm fine with this plan.

I still need PC assignments, as well.

Frustrated by the lack of results and the impending attack, Thael tries to rally the villagers to finish the harvest.

knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

Gorm's suggestion sounds good for the time we have left.