A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 3–7.
For centuries the city of Bloodcove has controlled access to the invaluable Vanji River, and for nearly as long, the Aspis Consortium has controlled Bloodcove. If the Pathfinder Society is to move the equipment and personnel it needs into the Mwangi Expanse, it needs a reliable means of smuggling resources through this unforgiving settlement operated by its enemies. It’s up to the PCs to establish a backdoor through Bloodcove—all without being caught by Aspis agents.
Content in “By Way of Bloodcove” also contributes directly to the ongoing storyline of the Exchange faction.
Female Human (Chelaxian) gunslinger (musket master) 2/evoker 2 | hp 29 | AC 14 T 14 FF 10 | CMD 17 | F +5 R +7 W +6 | Spd 30' | Init +3 | Kn(Arc, Eng, Geo, Loc, Nat, Nob, Pla, Rel) +7, Perc +8, Scrft +7, SensM +2 | Arcane Bond 1/1 | Grit 2/2
GM Pendrak wrote:
The clerk stares at Thaia at first, taken aback.
"Do you have an appointment?" says she.
But Thaia's intimidating glare seems to change her mind, and she stammers, "Uh, yes, follow me please, I'll take you to Novaria."
Have any of you played PFS #2-01: Before the Dawn, Part I: The Bloodcove Disguise? Because if you have, you've already met Novaria.
The assistant leads you down a hall and opens a door to an office.
"Ma'am," she says, "These three don't have an appointment, but they want to talk to a 'decision maker.' Can you help them?"
A Chelaxian woman looks up from her desk, "Fine, send them in."
She looks the Pathfinders over as they enter her office.
"Well met. I am Novaria, and I run House Cartahegn's business here in Bloodcove. What can we do for you?"
Never met her before in Thaia's life. Thaia waits to see what Woodthorne comes up with and stare the clerk into fining some tea for them all to drink. Thaia can say a lot with a stare.
male Alchemist 3, Init +5(+7), Perc: +7(+6), |AC 18(21), T13(14), FF15(17)|hp 24/24, BAB2,CMB2, CMD15(17), Fort +5, Ref+7(+9), Will+3(+2)| Elf Alchemist 3 (8XP), dex mutagen (+4 dex, -2 will, +2 natural armor, adjusted stat in ())
Did Haska pick up the guards names or at least the name of the foreman? Did he get a feel for whether the foreman was friendly with the guards or not? "Sorry friend Kahwen, but my formulas seem to have negative effects on others that drink them." "I will try to approach the guards and speak with them while disguised. Maybe as what's his name, the foreman." Hopefully that will allow you to sneak past them." "Good luck and be careful." "Else I will be Herman the half elf looking for his runaway son after an argument."
“Gods be good, Woodthorne!" says Novaria. "The way things have been going, I didn’t think I’d ever see Pathfinders in Bloodcove again.”
She gives each of the three Pathfinders an appraising look before smiling in approval and saying, “Always a pleasure to work with your illustrious Society. The last time I dealt with your people, it led to a mutually beneficial arrangement that I have not forgotten. In fact, my current position at this trading house is a direct result of our last encounter. I sincerely hope that you come today with another such opportunity. What can House Cartahegn do for you?”
The ships are sailing ships, and do not have engine rooms of any kind.
The foreman’s name is Cato. He and the mercenaries that are guarding the expedition seemed to be cordial enough with each other, but the mercenaries were clearly not under his command. The mercenaries are led by a half-orc, whose name you didn't catch. The guards don't socialized with the workers.
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
"Oh, do you have a lady friend in town, Friend Nigel?" Kahwen asks. It's not something he would do, but he IS a sailor in his everyday life so he's well aware of the practice of having a lady friend in several different towns.
"If it will only take a minute for you to find her, she must be close."
He looks to the two of them with him. "I think we have a good plan. Friend Haska, you can make yourself look like the foreman and distract the guards. I will sneak aboard the ships and sabotage what I can. Friend Nigel and his lady friend will serve as lookouts and they can give us a signal if they see anything."
He waits for agreement or argument, though the way his toe is tapping and his fingers are flexing, it is clear that he is full of pent up energy and ready to get to work.
Being a sailor, he can think of a dozen ways to make a ship not work and he's eager to try them all.
Well, you have heard my eagle friend make it's squawk, so listen for that or watch for it to fly over. That will be the signal that danger is coming. I like this plan, and no, my friend is in a different plane but I can get her here in just a moment. And before you get any ideas, she is not that kind of lady friend. Nigel gets ready to summon Christina, hoping she can hide well enough to not attract attention. Anyone have any yellow clothe? Maybe I can make a quick little slave collar as a cover story. Nigel feels gross even considering that, I really need to invest in a want of a spell that disguise her...
male Alchemist 3, Init +5(+7), Perc: +7(+6), |AC 18(21), T13(14), FF15(17)|hp 24/24, BAB2,CMB2, CMD15(17), Fort +5, Ref+7(+9), Will+3(+2)| Elf Alchemist 3 (8XP), dex mutagen (+4 dex, -2 will, +2 natural armor, adjusted stat in ())
"Boats have no engine? How do they move then if the wind stops? Oh, well then probably knock out the steering. That would do it. Right?
As Haska says this he pulls out a vial of reddish liquid and drinks it.
His features and frame shift to look different. "One Cato coming up. You all want to help tweak the affects? How do I look?"Aids please. disguise check:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
After any helpful adjustments, Haska heads for the guards at the boat entrance.
I'll post the conversation once Haska gets a feel for his reception by the guards.
Human Oracle (Wood) 5| HP 39/39| AC 17 (19) T 12 FF 15 (17)| Fo +3 Re +4 Wi +5| Init +2| Percep +4| Lvl 2 5/5, Lvl 1 7/7, Orison at will
Woodthorne is pleased that Novaria remembers him. "Well we do have plans to increase our presence within and around Bloodcove. However, we understand that we are outsiders, though, and are reaching out to you, our friends of House Cartahegen, to help us do so in a discrete fashion so as not to upset the delicate balance of the city."
While Haska gets himself ready, Nigel begins a longer summoning ritual. After a full minute, Christina gets pulled into this plane. From where we are, do we have a good vantage point of the guards and boat?
Out of the summoning circle, a serpentine woman slides out. She is a dark blue scaled Naga like creature. What really sets her out from a Naga is that she has arms. Her face is that of an Elven woman (if an Elven woman had scales). She taller than Nigel and Kahwen but is around the same size as Haska. She is wearing a simple blouse, mostly just because clothing makes her look more like a friend and less like a monster. She also has a bow and quiver strapped to her back.
She looks around for a momment,Ohhh I like thisss place Nigel. The heat is really nice on my scalsesss, you ssshould take me to placesss like thisss more often! She smiles, both because this weather is ideal for her and because she wasn't pulled here right into combat.
SSSo, what did you need from me bosssss? Ohh, sssorry, where are my mannersss. I am Christina, it is my pleasure to meet you lot.
The site ate this post once... lets hope it doesn't happen again. I do not want to type this a third time haha.
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
Kahwen's look of expectant pleasure turns to dismay as he finally gets to meet Nigel's Eidolon. His feathers fluff up, an old instinct to make him look bigger. Snakes and birds and all...
But he has met, and worked with stranger...at least she's not a ghoul and she is Friend Nigel's friend so she must be good and nice.
He bows to her.
"A pleasure to meet you, Friend Christina. This place is nice but full of our enemies. Please do not eat me," he says in a rush and a bit awkwardly.
He eyes Haska's disguise then and does what he can to help.
She smiles at Kahwen, assuming he is joking, No, you are much to big to eat. I am watching my figure. She gives Kahwen a wink. Don't worry, I am harmless. I hate violence and combat. But I love looking for things and finding things. It fun! I hope Nigel kept that in mind this time when he summoned... She shoots him a dirty look, because far too often he summons and it results in her needing to fight.
Novaria turns to Velinov and answers, “I know how poorly your two organizations get along... nine hells, everyone in the Inner Sea Region knows that. And this is their city. The Consortium has been exploiting the people and the lands of the expanse for too long. We at House Cartahegn oppose their continued expansion and seek to rein in their excesses. I think that makes us allies, though cautious ones.”
She then turns to Woodthorne. "Increasing your presence? How do you mean? The snakes have a stranglehold on this city. Is it to be war? Or something more discreet? I'd be happy to provide supplies if you need them, like last time, but anything else with require some negotiation."
By the way, asking Novaria about her opinion on the Apsis Consortium counts towards one of your goals:
"Finally, gather some intelligence of your own. Talk to the people of Bloodcove and see how complete the Aspis’s control over the populace is."
In answer to Velinov's question about #2-01, I would say it was pretty fun to GM, though I haven't played it. The second part, #2-02, is the most memorable PFS scenario I've run probably.
Just posted in the discussion thread with a hopefully more clear explanation of the sabotage side of things.
In answer to Velinov's question about #2-01, I would say it was pretty fun to GM, though I haven't played it. The second part, #2-02, is the most memorable PFS scenario I've run probably.
I'll have to keep my eye out for a game then. I never had any luck actually trying to play a series... since getting into a pbp game seems to be all about timing. I'm guessing old scenarios may be even harder to find with the push for 2.0 testing.
male Alchemist 3, Init +5(+7), Perc: +7(+6), |AC 18(21), T13(14), FF15(17)|hp 24/24, BAB2,CMB2, CMD15(17), Fort +5, Ref+7(+9), Will+3(+2)| Elf Alchemist 3 (8XP), dex mutagen (+4 dex, -2 will, +2 natural armor, adjusted stat in ())
"Here goes nothing..."
Haska starts for the guards and as he gets close he says, "I need to discuss operations with you for a moment." "It seems we have a slight hiccup. I need to know who will be on guard duty tonight. I have to pass on some information about tonight. Or perhaps you could pass it on?"
"There's to be a special shipment. It will arrive late and has to be loaded immediately. I have lined up a few workers to do the labor, but I need to work out the details. You know, keep you all from mistaking them for trespassers."
He pauses for a moment to get a response.
bluff:1d20 ⇒ 9
He continues..."I am heading the vessel next to clear it with the captain."
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
I’m doing this as one big post and I’m afraid the board is going to eat it so I’m writing it in a word doc then copying it over. That means I won’t be able to preview the actual rolls so if any of them go obviously wrong or you see any that I miss, let me know, GM and I’ll retcon.
Kahwen pulls out the tools he expects he’ll need to open the lock as the disguised Haska makes his way toward the guards. Once he has started talking and gotten their attention, he utters a soft prayer to the little known god of fate Dai Shrolla and begins creeping toward his target.
He keeps close to the buildings, ducking into the alleys between as much as possible as he moves along and sticking to the waterfront when he can.
As he arrives at the door, he quietly releases a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Fortunately, he’d practiced on locks so much that his hands were steady and moved almost of their own accord to crack open the lock.
Once inside, he moves quickly through the warehouse, heading for the boats. He doesn’t know a lot about messing up supplies, but he knows all kinds of way a boat can break.
When he’s aboard, he goes below decks and digs some of the caulk out from between two boards of the hull in a spot hidden behind some of the cargo. He picks a spot just at the waterline so that every time it dips below the surface, a little water will flow in. And as more and more water comes in, it will pull that spot down lower until it is submerged and a steady stream of water will come in. Depending on how they’ve packed their supplies, the water in the hold will ruin some of them and as time goes on, the ship will flounder and it will take a while before they’ll even notice the damage.
Then, above decks, he goes to the windlass that secures the anchor. He loosens some of the screws and bolts of the mechanism so that, the next time it is lowered, they won’t be able to pull it back up and secure it.
Finally, he kinks up the ropes so that when they run through the pulleys as the sails are manipulated and unfurled, the ropes will knot up and jam in the pulleys. The stronger the wind, the more stuck they will become and the harder they’ll be to pull loose.
By the time he returns to Nigel and Christina’s side, he is giggling with joy at the mischief he has caused.
Whew…that was a lot of rolls. And a couple of 1's, though no 20's...curse you Dai Shrolla! Like I said, if any of them obviously fail or if any of them are unnecessary (the stealth rolls at the end or one or more of the disable device checks in the middle) or if more are necessary (like more disable device checks) let me know.
Since it seems like it might be more advantageous to have the eagle because it can fly around rather than Christina, I will dismiss her and summon an eagle to fly around keeping an eye out for danger. [/b]
Sorry Christina, it seems the plan doesn't call for your skill after all. I will invest in something that will make you better at hiding in the future but for now, I need a flier who can blend in. I will call you if I need anything. With that, Christina fades away. He then draws a quick circle in the air and mutters a few odd words and beautiful eagle comes flying out of the circle. [ooc]I can summon 1d3 of them now, but I feel like it would be a bit suspicious if a flock of eagles suddenly start patrolling the area. One might go unnoticed.
When his friends head out to do their tasks, Good luck friends. I will be here if needed and if we need to, we can rough up the guards. I just would prefer to avoid that.
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
Nigel Flit wrote:
I can summon 1d3 of them now, but I feel like it would be a bit suspicious if a flock of eagles suddenly start patrolling the area. One might go unnoticed.
You should summon a flock of seagulls for when we have to Run...Run so far away...
Guard Sense Motive against “Cato’s” Bluff:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18 Guard Sense Motive against “Cato’s” Bluff:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14 Guard Sense Motive against “Cato’s” Bluff:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 Guard Sense Motive against “Cato’s” Bluff:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21 Leader Sense Motive against “Cato’s” Bluff:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17
The half-orc looks at Haska, and laughs.
"No dice, Cato. You think I'm new to the Aspis Consortium? You don't have authorization. I don't see a bronze badge on your tunic, let alone a silver one. I don't know if this is some kinda test, or if you're just a damned thief trying to sneak into the boat, but I don't buy it. Come back later with your men."
The guards finger their weapons.
Kahwen is pretty much completely successful, and that definitely counts as one form of sabotage. He is busy sabotaging while this conversation is going south though.
"I believe what Woodthorne is suggesting is that we would appreciate logistical support moving our supplies and personnel throughout the city discreetly so that we can grow our operations here."
Female Human (Chelaxian) gunslinger (musket master) 2/evoker 2 | hp 29 | AC 14 T 14 FF 10 | CMD 17 | F +5 R +7 W +6 | Spd 30' | Init +3 | Kn(Arc, Eng, Geo, Loc, Nat, Nob, Pla, Rel) +7, Perc +8, Scrft +7, SensM +2 | Arcane Bond 1/1 | Grit 2/2
Thaia sighs. Once again she is called upon to seal the deal as it were.
"While we may be a lot of moving parts we can network ourselves together and by leveraging our individual core-competencies we should be able to reach out to our target consumer and come to an a mutual understanding that will allow us all to make use of key synergies. I don't expect everyone here to drink the healing potion without running it up the flag pole first, but by each of us employing our own best practices we should be able to give 110% and thereby move the needle on this project and thereby disrupt the Consortium's monopoly upon the city. The adventuring party model is after all a vertically scalable ecosystem with top down value to empower us toward a final beneficial price point with very little out of pocket buy-in on your part, M'Lady. Really, it all comes down to strong organizational values to reach our solution, and then it is just a matter of taking it to the next level."
She pulls out a few scrolls with pie charts and the top 15% of a few bar graphs to illustrate her points in more detail.
male Alchemist 3, Init +5(+7), Perc: +7(+6), |AC 18(21), T13(14), FF15(17)|hp 24/24, BAB2,CMB2, CMD15(17), Fort +5, Ref+7(+9), Will+3(+2)| Elf Alchemist 3 (8XP), dex mutagen (+4 dex, -2 will, +2 natural armor, adjusted stat in ())
"Okay, I am leaving...and I will come back with my men AND THE BOSS."
Haska/Cato moves away out of immediate melee range.
"Thieving, Ha! We need to put something on the ship; not take something off." "Anyway I guess you can explain the delay and risk. The shipment is 'sensitive'."
Haska/Cato turns and moves away saying over his shoulder, "Just trying to do my job." bluff:1d20 ⇒ 9
Hope that is enough to cover Kahwen's excursion. Else, Haska will attempt to get Nigel and Christina to quickly aid him in another try to convince the guards together that they have something that needs loading with the least exposure to the public as possible. Even now might work.
The guards seem satisfied that Haska/Cato has given up, and continue their normal patrol. Kahwen makes his way back, but as he passes through the warehouse on the way back he notices a large locked chest that piques his interest.
Novaria smiles. Between Woodthorne’s friendly overtures and Thaia’s detailed presentation she seems satisfied.
“I think we can come to an arrangement. But first, to seal the deal, I have a favor to ask,” she says.
“Recently, a local pirate crew led by a thug named Ungala has been intercepting our trade barges and wagons and stealing our cargo. It is the gods’ fortune that you came to see me today of all days, as we are preparing to move an exceptionally valuable shipment to Warehouse Row to be loaded onto a ship bound for the Inner Sea today. After our usual guards’ failure to protect the last two shipments from Ungala’s raiders, I’ve lost confidence in their abilities. But where they have failed, you might have a real chance. Up to this point, Ungala and her ruffians have always attacked while our supply carts were passing near Free Trade Square, where they can strike in the narrow streets and disappear into crowds quickly. I have no doubt that they’ll be planning such an attack for today’s shipment, and I want you to be there and ready to intercept them.”
“Do you think you can help us? The shipment isn’t set to leave until later this evening.”
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
Kahwen walks right buy that very interesting chest. Yep...mission is accomplished. There's no reason to even look at it. Just go on about your business. There's a time crunch, after all...
But maybe it's got something important to the Consortium that he could take to interfere with their plans like an ancient magical elven curve blade that he could takes and put to better use in the name of the Society in it!
He's not foolish, though. This is just the kind of thing to be trapped so he checks for those first.
Perception:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Assuming he doesn't spot any, he goes to work on the lock.
Female Human (Chelaxian) gunslinger (musket master) 2/evoker 2 | hp 29 | AC 14 T 14 FF 10 | CMD 17 | F +5 R +7 W +6 | Spd 30' | Init +3 | Kn(Arc, Eng, Geo, Loc, Nat, Nob, Pla, Rel) +7, Perc +8, Scrft +7, SensM +2 | Arcane Bond 1/1 | Grit 2/2
GM Pendrak wrote:
“Recently, a local pirate crew led by a thug named Ungala has been intercepting our trade barges and wagons and stealing our cargo. It is the gods’ fortune that you came to see me today of all days, as we are preparing to move an exceptionally valuable shipment to Warehouse Row to be loaded onto a ship bound for the Inner Sea today. After our usual guards’ failure to protect the last two shipments from Ungala’s raiders, I’ve lost confidence in their abilities. But where they have failed, you might have a real chance. Up to this point, Ungala and her ruffians have always attacked while our supply carts were passing near Free Trade Square, where they can strike in the narrow streets and disappear into crowds quickly. I have no doubt that they’ll be planning such an attack for today’s shipment, and I want you to be there and ready to intercept them.”
“Do you think you can help us? The shipment isn’t set to leave until later this evening.”
"I have no doubt we can help your organization actualize your preferred outcome. We are experts at providing client-centric solutions." She cocks her walking stick.
Assuming he doesn't spot any, he goes to work on the lock.
Just a little short. You can try again though. I'll have more later, but I do have to say that Thaia's little bit about "the adventuring party model" and such was one of the funniest things I've read in a while. I'm enjoying this game thouroughly, and I hope you are too. I'll have a more detailed update later as I'm currently pressed on time, but just wanted to say that.
male Alchemist 3, Init +5(+7), Perc: +7(+6), |AC 18(21), T13(14), FF15(17)|hp 24/24, BAB2,CMB2, CMD15(17), Fort +5, Ref+7(+9), Will+3(+2)| Elf Alchemist 3 (8XP), dex mutagen (+4 dex, -2 will, +2 natural armor, adjusted stat in ())
Once Haska gets back to Nigel, "Where's Kahwen? Is he back yet? I fear they did not believe my ruse and sent me away. I didn't take them long either."
Haska checks his equipment and shrugs, "Should we see if we can help him?"
"He might have bit off more than he can chew."
Haska is maintain Cato disguise for the time being. Hoping Nigel might know how to help Kahwen, Haska listens to the gnome trusting his judgement.
Nigel gets a bit panicked when getting informed of the ruse not working. He hasn't come back yet. My eagle has not seen anything suspicious yet. I think we would be better to play it safe. Did you see him sneak? Right me either He makes a nervous chuckle at the joke...Chances are, we wouldn't be able to find him even if we went looking and we would just draw unwanted attention. Let us keep our eagle scout on the look out for Kahwen and the guards. Just be ready for a fight if it comes to it. Nigel takes a deep breath as he is trying to convince himself as much as Haska. I have grown close to these two... I just hope I am making the right call here...
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
"Ha!" Kahwen exclaims as he pops the lock open.
"Ha!" he says again as he sees the contents. He figures wolfsbane will be useful, even if he doesn't know why and better for Pathfinders to have it than Apsis.
He puts everything in his backpack, closes and locks the chest then hurries to rejoin his companions.
Let me know if I need one or more stealth rolls, now, or if the previous ones stand.
When Kahwen return Nigel lets out a sigh of relief. I am glad you are safe. Did you do the things? I am sorry I wasn't anymore help... but I am kind of glad I wasn't needed. You guys have some real skill. Lets get out of here before it all blows up on us.
Will we be missed if we skip the rest of the day? It might draw attention as to it being us who sabotage it if we don't come back for the second shift. I doubt there are many who don't finish the shift. I completely forgot there was more work to be done.
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
Kahwen bows to his friends, his right hand on his chest he left held parallel out to the side. He has an obvious air of pride about his person at his successful skullduggery.
"The things are done, friend Nigel. I couldn't have done it without both of you. I had a couple missteps and had Friend Haska not distracted those guards, they no doubt, would have spotted me. And I wouldn't have had the confidence to do so much if I hadn't been sure that Friend Nigel would warn me if someone was coming," Kahwen replies.
He looks back toward the warehouse thoughtfully but then opens up his backpack and shows them the contents. "I would say we should go back and pretend that nothing happened so that it will be less suspicious but I...appropriated some things. See! Wolfsbane! The Consortium must think they're going to be facing lycanthropes! We might, too so it's very useful. I also found these other things, but I don't know what they do. Can either of you tell?"
"Oh...right...back to the point...I would say we should go back to be less suspicious but they might notice this stuff gone and start searching people and I don't want to get caught with it. It would be hard to explain. I think we should head to Free Market Square," he finishes before sealing his backpack back up, though he'll hand the elixir and potion to either of them if they can identify them.
Craft (alchemy) DC 10 (you can make this check untrained):
In addition to its use in staving off lycanthropy, wolfsbane is also a potent poison.
Nigel Flit wrote:
Will we be missed if we skip the rest of the day? It might draw attention as to it being us who sabotage it if we don't come back for the second shift. I doubt there are many who don't finish the shift. I completely forgot there was more work to be done.
You might be missed, but working that morning you would have heard that it was not uncommon for workers to quit before the end of the day. This is part of the deviousness of the Apsis's work schedule. They only pay workers, as agreed, if they work the entire day. Then they work people extremely hard in the heat, hoping they don't come back after lunch. So you can go meet back up with the rest of the group at this point, or go to Free Trade Square, or whatever.
I have no clue what those are but nice snag. Let us get away quickly with the loot. That is probably worth more than they are paying anyway! As we start to move away, We should meet up with our other friends first. I am interested in what they did while we were gone... though we never really made a plan so who knows where they are now... maybe we should go to Free Trade Square and see if they picked up the dead drop yet or not. If not, then maybe wait for them there? or if they have, hopefully they left some clue of where to find them...
male Alchemist 3, Init +5(+7), Perc: +7(+6), |AC 18(21), T13(14), FF15(17)|hp 24/24, BAB2,CMB2, CMD15(17), Fort +5, Ref+7(+9), Will+3(+2)| Elf Alchemist 3 (8XP), dex mutagen (+4 dex, -2 will, +2 natural armor, adjusted stat in ())
"Wolfsbane can also be used as a poison. With this much of it, that may have been the intended use." "We can know for sure, but they won't have it now when they need it. Good job, Kahwen." Craft alchemy +11 not +9. I looked at the wrong row.
"Nigel, you are probably correct? I also say we ditch the work and get back to the others."
Haska dismisses the magic and sheds the disguise. "I just knew Cato was going to walk up behind me while I talked to the thug boss." "I certainly don't want to find out if he saw me at that little impersonation."
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
Kahwen scowls a bit as he realizes they planned poorly for the next phase by not setting up a meeting place and time with the other group. It is very unprofessional and not Pathfinder like.
"I think the place on Free Market is our best bet to link up with the others. And its where we're going to need to end up, anyway," he says with a nod.
He gapes as Haska explains the other use of Wolfsbane then grows obviously angry. "Those dirty Consortium finks! Who knows who they were going to poison!"
He takes a moment to tamp down his anger. "You could have always told him you were his long lost twin," he jests about Cato showing up while Haska was imitating them.
"Shall we meet on Free Market Square?" he asks, then, already looking for some dark and rarely trodden paths he can take to get there without being seen. Or bright ones. Roofs are as good as streets as far as he is concerned.
This will be the discussion thread for my table of PFS # 6-09: By Way of Bloodcove, which will be played in the 3-4 subtier of this tier 3-7 adventure.
If you are interested in playing in this game, please post in this thread using the alias for the character you will be playing, and provide the following information:
Forum Name Pendrak
PFS # 75956
Day Job Roll1d20 + 36 ⇒ (18) + 36 = 54
Faction Aspis Consortium
XP 0
I prefer players to have their character sheet neatly formatted in the profile of their alias (no external links), and I require at minimum Perception, AC, and Initiative to be posted in the Classes/Levels area of your profile such that it can be seen with each of your posts on that alias. I will be selecting six players on a primarily first come, first served basis, but may hand-pick depending on a number of factors.
Day Job Roll Profession Merchant:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
Faction The Exchange
XP 6 (this will be his 7th)
My character sheet is formatted to have everything on it, but I have a link to a google drive of all of my boons, in case someone needed to audit me. I will be adding to my boons over the next few days because since last I played Nigel, I believe I have read 2 of the Pathfinder Tales.
Not a problem, I was planning on grabbing at least one more game. And anyway, I wanted to run more mid to low-level games, as most of my PFS GMing experience is very low level games. I'm volunteering at GenCon this year, and while I have lots of in-person GMing experience outside of PFS (and about a dozen sessions of PFS in person), I don't have a ton of PFS experience in general, so I figured jumping into PbP PFS GMing might be a good way to immerse myself in the process more fully.
Yeah, I just started society play about a year ago myself but have been playing pathfinder in person in homebrew games for as long as I can remember. I recently moved away from my normal group so I turned to PbP and society play seems to be the only games that survive on here. So I started playing. I haven't GMed for it yet but have thought about giving it a try.
Glad to get Nigel out there again to be in a new adventure. He is fun to play!
Here's the boon Kahwen has that makes Drandle Drenge aware of his existence, just in case.
Model Pathfinder Agent:
☐ ☐ ☐ One of the Society's in-world venture-captains sees great potential in you. Write the name of that venture-captain after this boon. This venture-captain greets you by name whenever you meet. When you participate in an adventure in which that venture-captain provides the mission briefing, you may check off a box before this boon to gain additional supplies of your choice with a value of at most 50 gp per character level. You must return any unspent supplies at the end of the of the adventure. If you have at least 20 Fame, the venture-captain invites you to take a direct hand in teaching the next generation of Pathfinders. You may spend 1 Prestige Point to become a part-time instructor at the Grand Lodge. You can use your educational skills to respectfully help your fellow agents thrive when they find themselves in challenging situations. If you are playing an adventure in the higher subtier, you may confer one of the following benefits upon each of the PCs who are 3 or more levels lower than you for the duration of the scenario: a +1 bonus to AC, a +1 bonus on all saving throws, or +1 hit point per level.
male Alchemist 3, Init +5(+7), Perc: +7(+6), |AC 18(21), T13(14), FF15(17)|hp 24/24, BAB2,CMB2, CMD15(17), Fort +5, Ref+7(+9), Will+3(+2)| Elf Alchemist 3 (8XP), dex mutagen (+4 dex, -2 will, +2 natural armor, adjusted stat in ())
I have played with both Nigel and Kahwen on their last adventure. I would happily continue the fun with anything in the tier 3-4. I rarely make the hour drive through traffic to play face to face and I started pbp about 2 years ago. Haska was my first non pregen pbp character and he will probably be considered humdrum for an alchemist, but I enjoy his cheerfulness.
Forum Name: Wydroe
PFS#: 165069-11
Day Job Roll:craft alchemy:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 XP: 6 but still need to level him
Purchases at start: wand of cure light wounds for 2PP
As long as we have a week, I think I can get Haska set to go. My plan is to get him comepletely updated by Monday night.
This is shaping up quite nicely. I wanted to wait to start this until my Sun Orchid Scheme game comes to an end, but they're in the final stretch and it really just depends on how quickly they post, but I would expect it to be done in 2-5 days. I'd say at the latest we'll start next Friday, but possibly before if everyone is ready.
So, we have:
Haska O'Wydroe, CG male elf alchemist 3, of the Grand Lodge faction
Kahwen, LN male tengu rogue (swordmaster) 3, of the Grand Lodge faction
Thaia Rossenvelt, LN female Chelaxian gunslinger (musket master) 2/evoker 1, of the Sovereign Court faction
Nigel Flit, CG male gnome summoner 3, of the Exchange faction
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
If between mission purchases are allowed, here are the ones Kahwen will make.
+1 Bonus to Mithral Chain Shirt - 1000 GP.
Silvered Light Mace (because he didn't have a light weapon last mission and was entangled by tentacles for half a minute or more) 25 GP
Learn Draconic thanks to "Triumph Over Scales" Boon from Solistice Scar B - 2PP
Inherited Vanity for Wayfinder with 1PP discount from "Confirmed Field Agent" Boon from Confirmation - 2PP.
Musical Vanity for Wayfinder with 1PP discount from "Confirmed Field Agent" Boon from Confirmation - 3PP
Total GP expense - 1,025
Total PP expense - 7
A lot, I know, but I just saved up enough/did the math for what I wanted done.
I believe I'm ready to get this going, if you guys are.
I'll go ahead and send out PMs to remind everyone, and get a post up in the gameplay thread, so feel free to jump in when I have that up, for some introductions and roleplay.
Edit: Also...why is everything in this thread in bold by default now?
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
Hey guys, sorry to do this so early but I'm going on a gaming retreat tomorrow. I'll have internet access but it will likely be by phone, and I'll be gaming about 15 hours per day so expect my posting to be sparse and brief.
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
Thaia Rossenvelt wrote:
Kahwenbot suddenly gives all of his things to Thaia.
He might, actually. If she could convince him it was better for the Society.
And it is an awesome weekend. The only downside is riding 8 hours into the Missouri mountains to get where we're going. The upside of that is I'm riding with 2 guys I only see once a year so there's a lot of talk along the way.
Female Human (Chelaxian) gunslinger (musket master) 2/evoker 2 | hp 29 | AC 14 T 14 FF 10 | CMD 17 | F +5 R +7 W +6 | Spd 30' | Init +3 | Kn(Arc, Eng, Geo, Loc, Nat, Nob, Pla, Rel) +7, Perc +8, Scrft +7, SensM +2 | Arcane Bond 1/1 | Grit 2/2
By the rules Thaia is not really built for the "merchant" Hiding Out in Bloodcove mini-game. Yeah so if you want to be a merchant you can't wear weapons, or clothing, or magic items, and you have to hop everywhere on one leg, and shout "All hail King Torg!" anytime some says the word "Too" and only "Too". If they say "To" or "Two" and a person pretending to be a merchant shouts "All hail King Torg!" there are additional penalties....
This seems more like a hazing than a game. ;)
I'm not sure why you would have to leave weapons behind if say the merchants were gun-runners, or knife salesmen. The same goes for magical items if the merchants were selling such. Nor would everyone have to be a "merchant" some like the rather uncouth Woodthorne could be the merchant's native bearer, guide, guard, or worker. I could see some of the limits put on it if we were being invited to a fancy, rich-merchants-only clam bake down at Mar-a-Lago but otherwise it seems a bit odd. (I'm guessing the author of the scenario was a big fan of Pathfinder and Dog the Bounty Hunter and not much else.)
I'm still for merchant (if only because a third of the party has that as their actual profession) if we can figure some way around the (weird) limits imposed on the choice.
For the record, Thaia is terrible at diplomacy, good at appraise and doesn't wear armor, but would be hard-pressed to hide her musket. As it is her arcane focus (a cheap cheesy way of getting a masterwork musket at a low level, I know), she really can't cast spells without it.
If we go all Dog the Bounty Hunter, she's awesome at intimidate, but absolutely lousy at disguise. She would think this to be a terrible idea for herself (not seeing herself as 'motley' in the least), but that it could have possibilities for rest of the party. Yes, they certainly seem 'motley' enough.
male Alchemist 3, Init +5(+7), Perc: +7(+6), |AC 18(21), T13(14), FF15(17)|hp 24/24, BAB2,CMB2, CMD15(17), Fort +5, Ref+7(+9), Will+3(+2)| Elf Alchemist 3 (8XP), dex mutagen (+4 dex, -2 will, +2 natural armor, adjusted stat in ())
Haska could go merchant without a whole lot of trouble, he has appraise skills and craft alchemy. if we go bounty hunter he would need alot of extracts to help with disguise because he is lousy at intimate and disguise. probably long term merchant is better
Velinov doesn't have any skills to support one or the other, but I believe his craft-painting/drawing skill would make more sense for merchant merchandise. I guess GM Pendrek will have to decide if that can be used.
Note that I could always purchase a scroll of disguise self to learn it and use that to fill a role... with a rod of lesser extend, it should provide enough time per day.
Female Human (Chelaxian) gunslinger (musket master) 2/evoker 2 | hp 29 | AC 14 T 14 FF 10 | CMD 17 | F +5 R +7 W +6 | Spd 30' | Init +3 | Kn(Arc, Eng, Geo, Loc, Nat, Nob, Pla, Rel) +7, Perc +8, Scrft +7, SensM +2 | Arcane Bond 1/1 | Grit 2/2
Likewise Thaia has enough in the way of funds to purchase a wand of disguise self (obviously only of use to the arcane casters in the party, and those with UMD), a wand of disguise weapon, or even a hat of disguise if necessary, and the city we are currently in, Nantambu, is probably large enough to allow her to buy one or two of them.
I understand why the minigame is the way it is, but it can be frustrating sometimes when you're character doesn't have the skills the game says you need to be them. .
I can go without my armor and weapons, but Nigel sucks at the all the mentioned skills. Would profession merchant be a suitable replacement for the merchant option? Lastly, could we be a group of merchants with a few hired bounty hunters? So some of us can go and pretend to be merchants and the rest back the disguise or intimidate checks and can carry our weapons?
male Alchemist 3, Init +5(+7), Perc: +7(+6), |AC 18(21), T13(14), FF15(17)|hp 24/24, BAB2,CMB2, CMD15(17), Fort +5, Ref+7(+9), Will+3(+2)| Elf Alchemist 3 (8XP), dex mutagen (+4 dex, -2 will, +2 natural armor, adjusted stat in ())
I think we aught to vote for the one approach.
Haska votes for posing as merchants using his appraise skill. I am sure merchants carry daggers. His rapier is not that important. A backpack of bombs won't be anything unusual for an alchemical wears salesmen.
If he is out voted and forced to pose as a bounty hunter, he will purchase a disguise kit and use an extract or two of disguise self to move between areas. That would still be crappy in the long term situations and okay when I guess right and use my extract prior to when I role bad.
Female Human (Chelaxian) gunslinger (musket master) 2/evoker 2 | hp 29 | AC 14 T 14 FF 10 | CMD 17 | F +5 R +7 W +6 | Spd 30' | Init +3 | Kn(Arc, Eng, Geo, Loc, Nat, Nob, Pla, Rel) +7, Perc +8, Scrft +7, SensM +2 | Arcane Bond 1/1 | Grit 2/2
Thaia leans merchant, but what are we selling exactly? If we go with alchemical items as Haska is suggesting Thaia could sell gun powder. "Here's a free sample!" BOOM! ;)
DM, does the scenario expect us to all choose the same?
Even though I like bounty hunter better for Woodthorne, the mini-game makes merchant the best choice. I'll go with merchant.
male Alchemist 3, Init +5(+7), Perc: +7(+6), |AC 18(21), T13(14), FF15(17)|hp 24/24, BAB2,CMB2, CMD15(17), Fort +5, Ref+7(+9), Will+3(+2)| Elf Alchemist 3 (8XP), dex mutagen (+4 dex, -2 will, +2 natural armor, adjusted stat in ())
I don't know exactly the bounds but the paragraph above lying low indicates each individual type of cover story will increase the dc by 1.
I am not sure way the overall cover can't. Be merchants, but merchants with body guards, buyers or slaves ect. I think the other positions would just require a disguise check. When I played 2-10?? Blood cove something before our merchant group had guards and slaves. Not sure if that was penalized or not. It is more realistic.
Anyway lets make the best of trying to work within the parameters and let the dice fall where they may.
Velinov doesn't have any skills to support one or the other, but I believe his craft-painting/drawing skill would make more sense for merchant merchandise. I guess GM Pendrek will have to decide if that can be used.
I won't allow you to use Craft for the merchant role, but you could go in as an artist. It would count as an additional role, however.
Nigel Flit wrote:
Would profession merchant be a suitable replacement for the merchant option? Lastly, could we be a group of merchants with a few hired bounty hunters?
Yes, I'd allow Profession (merchant) for the merchant role.
Haska O'Wydroe wrote:
I don't know exactly the bounds but the paragraph above lying low indicates each individual type of cover story will increase the dc by 1.
I am not sure way the overall cover can't. Be merchants, but merchants with body guards, buyers or slaves ect. I think the other positions would just require a disguise check. When I played 2-10?? Blood cove something before our merchant group had guards and slaves. Not sure if that was penalized or not. It is more realistic.
I ran PFS #2-01: Before the Dawn—Part I: The Bloodcove Disguise, but it was a while ago, so I went back and looked it up to see if this was right. Looks like the Awareness system is almost exactly the same as in this one, with one exception: in that adventure, the entire group was required to pick the same role. Your GM must have missed that part when you played it. So this one is actually slightly more flexible.
I agree that these mini-games sometimes don't make the most sense, but, at least in PFS, we have to go with it as written.
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
I actually think 2 or even 3 covers would be better. We're probably enough better in our individual skills to overcome the penalties rather than, say Kahwen try to pretend to be a Merchant (with exactly no applicable skills) or Thaia to try to lay low.
Female Human (Chelaxian) gunslinger (musket master) 2/evoker 2 | hp 29 | AC 14 T 14 FF 10 | CMD 17 | F +5 R +7 W +6 | Spd 30' | Init +3 | Kn(Arc, Eng, Geo, Loc, Nat, Nob, Pla, Rel) +7, Perc +8, Scrft +7, SensM +2 | Arcane Bond 1/1 | Grit 2/2
"It's not like people wouldn't recognize me in public after all." Thaia says self-importantly.
Technically, Thaia could just go in as a merchant (it's not really a disguise in her case), and if anyone tags her for a Society member she can just claim she's gone rogue. But, I'm guessing that is a bit beyond the scope of the scenario's parameters.
I agree that it would be safer to take the minuses to having multiple roles. For each extra role, we would take a 5% increase chance of failure and I think there would be a higher chance of failure making people make checks that they do not have any skill in.
[Init +9, Per +20, Spd 40'] M Tengu Unchained Rogue (Swordmaster/Scout) 13th [HP 68/68, AC 30(34) |ff 19 |t 21, Fort +9, Ref +21, Will +9,] CMD 28
How about we have one group laying low and one group acting as merchants? Then we've just got a +1 to both DC's.
Does everyone have decent Stealth, Knowledge Local, Appraise, Diplomacy or Profession (Merchant)?
The laying low group could keep the weapons for the merchant group, since it seems like, at a meta-game level, we'll be getting back together for each encounter.
I know it might be out of character for Thaia to hand over her musket to someone, but she can think of it as having a servant carrying it around for her until she needs it.
A gun caddy as it were.
"I need my 9mm iron." *snaps fingers insistently.*
And in case it isn't apparent, I'm officially back.
Either way, Velinov will vote for merchant... I guess serving as the commodity?
There isn't any benefit other than letting you use other skills. It gives the GM leeway to allow other roles that make sense, and I'd say artist would fall into that, allowing you to make Craft or Perform skill checks. But like I said, it'd be one more additional role, adding +1 to the DC.
