Bartholomew continues to press the attack on the priest, but fails to win through the angry priest's armor and defensive magics.
I assume that roll included bless, inspire courage, and flanking bonuses. Clearly, the guy has a *very* high AC for this tier.
Alexandre's attack misses, but his ploy works. Talk of another god causes the priest to turn in fury, and strike at Alexandre.
quarterstaff:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20 Well done!
The swashbuckling Alexandre turns the staff aside and ripostes with a deep strike between the priest's ribs. The priest is hurt, but still confidently fighting.
Confirms, so -25!
A third archer wearing a green cloack, hurries closer to the fray, bow drawn.
Double move. He's been out of view of most of you, behind the building, for the first few rounds, and is only now getting in to position.
—COMBAT—
Lukaas (-6)
Kyra (-28)
Lolly (-4; Sir Trysta -0)
* R1 (red, shaken 1/?)
* R2 (blue)
Bartholomew (-7)
Alexandre
* R3 (green)
* Priest (-25)
Those in bold may act.
Form: Ecto HP 37/37 | DR 5/Slashing & Magic | AC 23 19 FF 20 16 Touch 13 CMD 19 | Init +3| Saves (Fort +5, Reflex +4, Will +4)| Per +0, | Spd 30' Effects: Magic Fang, Mage Amor
The phantom now transformed from a ghostly entity to a sickly green ectoplasm, approaches the shaken bowman, with power of despair on his side, he attempts to slam his slimy green sword into the man.
This is a slam attack, it just looks like a sword.
If hit DC13 Will save or –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls for 1 round from Miserable strike.
Power from Despair:
The phantom gains a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls against creatures that are shaken, frightened, panicked, cowering, or subject to effects such as aura of despair or crushing despair.
Miserable Strike (Su):
If the phantom hits a creature with a slam attack, that creature must succeed at a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 the phantom's Hit Dice + the phantom's Charisma modifier) or take a –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting fear and emotion effect. Penalties from multiple hits don't stack with themselves.
@Lukaas: As you probably know, with combat already started, any target of charm person gets a +5 bonus (untyped) on its saving throw, per the spell description.
Will:1d20 + 1 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 1 + 5 = 12 Wow, lucky!
As Lukaas' spell takes hold, the man in green lowers his bow, and looks confused. "Oh, it's you! I didn't recognize you earlier. How are you doing?" he says.
You can attempt to give him orders.
Sir Trystas adopts a sickly green shade as he becomes more solid looking. His "sword" fails to penetrate armor in its physical form.
Male Human Bard (5) HP 38/38;AC 16 FF14 Tch 12;Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +4; Init+2;Per+7 , SM +5 Perform 12/12
Things are quite busy, as you can see... there seem to be a slight misunderstanding here, with your bow-wielding friends. Nothing a few ales could repair, of course. I would appreciate if you wait for me at the nearest tavern, and if you can drag your friends along, it would be even better!
Bluff?:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28 Add 1 if Diplomacy would be better suited. I just want him to go away (one less foe to bother about), and if he can get his fellow bowmen with him, I'll buy a few rounds at the next tavern!
@Lukaas]We'll wait until Green's turn to see what effect your suggestion had.
Kyra channels again, once more excluding two of your foes from the wave of positive energy. I figured you'd choose to let green get "healed" and exclude red/priest.
The mercenary in red continues to shake as the spirit of Sir Trystas approaches. He drops his bow and draws a handaxe.
red, ax:1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 4 - 2 = 6
The archer in blue tries to shoot Kyra again, but is too hasty and his arrow goes high.
blue, composite longbow, +PBS-DA:1d20 + 5 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 1 - 1 = 7
—COMBAT—
Bartholomew (-7+3=-4)
Alexandre
* R3 (green, charmed, leaving?)
* Priest (-25)
Lukaas (-6+3=-3)
Kyra (-28+3=-25)
Lolly (-4+3=-1; Sir Trysta -0)
* R1 (red, shaken 2/?)
* R2 (blue)
Those in bold may act.
Alexandre smiles and stops his monologue as the priest collapses. "Anyone that's hurt, duck in here for cover!" He cries out as he looks toward the archers for his next target.
If this happens on my turn, then I move to threaten blue from the bridge{I'll mark the square), and the next spoiler applies to him (only melee attack, not ranged) instead of the priest.
If the Razmiri attacks:
Using 1 Panache for Opportune Parry and Riposte
Starting to get a little overconfident, Alexandre's attempt to deflect the priest's staff is a little sloppier this time.
Male HumanCad(fighter) 3 / Empiricist(Investigator) 3 init +4 | Perception+9, Sense Motive +9| 46/46) HP| AC 19 FF16 Touch 13 |fort5. Ref 6. Will +4
Now now you really need to be more tolerent of others. If you won't play nice we're going to have to take away your toys disarm(FL, BL, IC,mwk):1d20 + 10 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 10 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 19 I go for the shield first, then if i beat by 10 or more he looses both
Alexandre stabs the priest deeply, but the big man stays standing.
Bartholomew attempts a disarm, stepping in and striking at the priest's hands, but the priest deftly protects his quarterstaff. The "shield" is the shield spell, and cannot be disarmed. Your 19 doesn't beat his CMD, and he hangs on to his staff.
The priest cackles with glee, and continues to press his attack on the annoying swashbuckler. Alexandre easily deflects the attack, but is unable to capitalize on his opening.
staff:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12
The archer in green hurries off, calling to his companions to cease their volleys and come join him in a drink. Left the battlefield.
—COMBAT—
Lukaas (-3)
Kyra (-25)
Lolly (-1; Sir Trysta -0)
* R1 (red, shaken 2/?)
* R2 (blue)
Bartholomew (-4)
Alexandre
* Priest (-25-15=-40)
Those in bold may act.
Male HumanCad(fighter) 3 / Empiricist(Investigator) 3 init +4 | Perception+9, Sense Motive +9| 46/46) HP| AC 19 FF16 Touch 13 |fort5. Ref 6. Will +4
GM Crucible wrote:
Alexandre stabs the priest deeply, but the big man stays standing.
Bartholomew attempts a disarm, stepping in and striking at the priest's hands, but the priest deftly protects his quarterstaff. The "shield" is the shield spell, and cannot be disarmed. Your 19 doesn't beat his CMD, and he hangs on to his staff.
The priest cackles with glee, and continues to press his attack on the annoying swashbuckler. Alexandre easily deflects the attack, but is unable to capitalize on his opening.
[dice=staff]1d20+11
The archer in green hurries off, calling to his companions to cease their volleys and come join him in a drink. Left the battlefield.
—COMBAT—
Lukaas (-3)
Kyra (-25)
Lolly (-1; Sir Trysta -0)
* R1 (red, shaken 2/?)
* R2 (blue)
Bartholomew (-4)
Alexandre
* Priest (-25-15=-40)
Those in bold may act.
oh wow, derp. For some reason i thought he was just winging it around one handed. Well that explains his high AC :P
Lukaas can't help but chuckle when the bowmen retreat
Thank you for your help on that one, Cayden Callean! I get rid of three of our enemies without shedding any blood! Who can say better?
Seems like a bit of a miscommunication. Looking back on what I wrote, I can see why you might think that.
Only one of the bowmen left (green). He invited the others (red, yellow) to go with him, but I said nothing about *their* actions (but I probably should have, for clarity). It's not yet their turn (but they're staying, btw).
Lolly hurries to heal the cleric, and Kyra continues the effort with a healing spell of her own.
Sir Trystan slams his foe with both "arms" of ectoplasm, and connects with the second hit.
My note says "shaken" for two rounds (total), so he remains shaken until the start of your next turn. You get the bonus this round, but not next time.
I'm going to move forward, but Lukaas' restatement may require a rewind.
The two remaining archers watch their friend leave on confusion, but continue to fight on. The one on the left (red) staggers in fear from the spirit's attack, but swings his handaxe in desperation, missing.
handaxe-shaken:1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (13) + 4 - 2 = 15
The archer is green doesn't fare much better, as his arrow targeting the now-healed cleric misses.
handaxe:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
—COMBAT—
Bartholomew (-4)
Alexandre
* Priest (-40)
Lukaas (-3) (restate?)
Kyra (-25+9+15=-1)
Lolly (-1; Sir Trysta -0)
* R1 (red, shaken (done), -9)
* R2 (blue)
Those in bold may act.
Male HumanCad(fighter) 3 / Empiricist(Investigator) 3 init +4 | Perception+9, Sense Motive +9| 46/46) HP| AC 19 FF16 Touch 13 |fort5. Ref 6. Will +4
I told you to play nice
Blueington tries to lock one end of the staff with the hilt of blade and makes a large circle with his sword hand.
disarm(BL, FL, IC, MWK):1d20 + 15 ⇒ (17) + 15 = 32 Razmir givith, Razmir taketh away it seems
Seeing the man is still standing, Alexandre gives up on the monologue and just focuses on ending this crazed lunatic. As Bartholomew goes to remove the staff from the man's hand, Alexandre goes to drive his blade into the man's shoulder.
Alexandre quickly moves past the fallen foe and onto the bridge, near the only unthreatened threat(blue). Pointing his rapier at the mans chin, he faintly smiles and stares at the man with what can only be described as a predator's glare.
"Your ambush has failed. Your leader has fallen. Surrender and mercy shall be given. Don't, and you'll never see the dawn again."
Bartholomew strips the quarterstaff from the foul priest's hands, and Alexandre drives home a killing blow.
The priest falls in the mud, and Alexandre calls on the archers to surrender. "Our faith gives us strength!" they respond, as they renew their attack. It seems these are not mere mercenaries after all.
—COMBAT—
Lukaas (-3)
Kyra (-1)
Lolly (-1; Sir Trysta -0)
* R1 (red, shaken (done), -9)
* R2 (blue)
Bartholomew (-4)
Alexandre
Those in bold may act.
Lolly drops her wand of CLW, and draws her wand of cause fear. Pointing at the bowman (red) opposing Sir Trystas and lets fly it magic.
Move draw wand, standard cast Cause Fear on Red, DC 11 Will, fail- the affected creature becomes frightened for 1d4 round; save, shaken for 1 round. Creatures with 6 or more HD are immune to this effect.
Take that! Drop that zealot, Sir T! Lolly yells enthusiastically.
Lolly bounds into the building, Well let's see if they left any kind of clues behind. Sir T get in here! We wouldn't want to draw to much attention to you now.
Lolly begins searching around as the ectoplasm joins her inside.
Lolly and her guardian spirit look inside. The room isn't terribly revealing. It seems the Razmiri priest simply co-opted the space for his ambush.
Should someone wish to search the bodies:
Each soldier carries a copy of Behold the Living God!, a lengthy religious pamphlet extolling Razmir’s miracles and the rewards that await his loyal servants. It seems they were not just soldiers, but also zealots of some kind.
The priest carried: potion of invisibility, scroll of greater magic weapon; +1 breastplate, quarterstaff +1
Each of the two downed soldiers carried: potion of cure light wounds, smokestick (2); mwk chain shirt, composite longbow (+2 Str)
Alexandre steps forward and strips the ensorcelled man of his weapons and easily removable gear. meaning he leaves the chain shirt, but that's all of the notable gear.
"You should give thanks to Sarenrae, because she just saved your life..." He hisses at the man before returning to the others with the items. "Aside from Ramziri fiction, did any of these fools have any information on why they set this trap? I assume that, aside from Kyra's statue over there, they're all dead, right?"
Alexandre points to the one that he striped of equipment.
"He's unhurt. Don't know how long your spell will hold though. Unfortunately, I think the one that had answers was the one that I gutted. So, I don't think we'll get much info from this crew, aside from Razmiri slogans, but feel free to try. Honestly, I'm sorta annoyed with this whole situation. We should have been more suspicious of the note."
He starts to clean his blade on the robe of the fallen leader. "I guess we wait for Karela to appear in a couple days. Hopefully, he's got more information then we do."
Alexandre was right to be suspicious, and certainly right to be frustrated. Your search has led you ... precisely nowhere.
There are several scenarios like this: flounder around town for half the scenario, making no progress, then the answer is finally dumped on you. (Sigh.) Yet some great chances for role-play, and you've done well so far.
Kyra tends to the wounded, friend and enemy alike. The Razmiri priest is too far gone for her ministrations, but the archers can be questioned. It's quickly clear they believe submission to the living god (Razmir) is the only way to end the war with Molthune and bring peace to Nirmathas. They refuse to give up any information.
Intimidate, charm, etc.:
If physically or magically coerced, they explain being told that the Pathfinders were the last barrier to Razmir’s dominance of Tamran, though none can explain exactly how.
In short, there is little to guide your next step, so returning to Ashfall Lodge seems like the best option.
The following day, Guaril Karela returns to Ashfall Lodge to meet and compare notes.
“I hope you uncovered some information, my friends,” says Guaril as he applies a dab of wax to his moustache, “For my investigation was only partially successful. My sources tell me that the filthy weasels stealing my cargo are hiding in an abandoned fort. Which fort, they could not say. I would have learned more, but some men...they cannot tolerate pain, eh? Sadly for us, the Nirmathi abandoned many forts after the last Molthuni invasion. These four are our best bets.”
He has marked the four most likely forts marked on it. The forts are Fort Faelon, Fort Machema, Fort Ursoss, and Fort Drejas.
See slides for map. Perhaps the clues you've tracked down will help choose a place to start looking?
Alexandre looks at the map for a moment, before speaking up. "Ursoss. They're at Ursoss,"he declares before continuing.
"They have a boat that can travel the river, a fact that both Imad and Giligam agreed on. They're in marshy territory, something that Jonathem and the ladies at The Gar alluded to with the mention of vermin repellent. And Imad's squad tracked them West to the river. All of those points add up to Fort Ursoss."
Lolly pumps her fist in the air in celebration, almost as if her betting shop gambit on little known hedge knight to upset a well respected Ser in a jousting tournament had come to pass.
That's it! That's it!
She begins gathering up her things to head there at once.
Male HumanCad(fighter) 3 / Empiricist(Investigator) 3 init +4 | Perception+9, Sense Motive +9| 46/46) HP| AC 19 FF16 Touch 13 |fort5. Ref 6. Will +4
That seems to be the logical conclusion. Guaril, you havn't been buying cooperation in these parts with pathfinder supplies during out little investigation have you? Because if not, there is another varisian in town trying to offload pathfinder gear on the locals.
though I posted earlier after reviewing the info we got, but meh
You may roll Knowledge(history) OR Knowledge(local). +4 circumstance if you have ranks in both.
Knowledge(see above) DC 18:
Fort Ursoss was originally built almost a thousand years ago during the Shining Crusade, although only the basement level of the original fort remains. The Molthuni army rebuilt and restored the surface structures of the fort shortly after declaring independence from Cheliax. When Nirmathas in turn rebelled against Molthune, Nirmathi guerilla fighters set fire to the fort rather than allow it to fall into Molthuni hands. The fire devastated the aboveground portions of the fort, but left the ancient basement level relatively intact.
Guaril Karela goes with you. Along the way, he explains that many of the old forts in the area possess hidden escape routes, and suggests you scout the area surrounding the fort before proceeding inside.
Dice:
1d20 ⇒ 11 1d20 ⇒ 18 1d20 ⇒ 13 1d20 ⇒ 16
Bartholomew puts his investigator skills to work, and deduces a good location for such a tunnel, about 300 feet west of the fort ruins.
Front door or side door? Move in immediately (midday), or wait until dark?
Male HumanCad(fighter) 3 / Empiricist(Investigator) 3 init +4 | Perception+9, Sense Motive +9| 46/46) HP| AC 19 FF16 Touch 13 |fort5. Ref 6. Will +4
kn(local):1d20 + 1d6 + 11 ⇒ (9) + (1) + 11 = 21 Hmm this fort dates back to the shining crusade. That might explain what those two elves were about back in Tamran. They likely won't expect a rear assault, but they might be able to pull reinforcements from the front if we don't act quickly enough.
Alexandre looks thoughtful as Bartholomew and Kyra speak. "Our foes have been sneaking around and trying to ambush us since we've reached Tamran. I say we hit them from behind. "
Male HumanCad(fighter) 3 / Empiricist(Investigator) 3 init +4 | Perception+9, Sense Motive +9| 46/46) HP| AC 19 FF16 Touch 13 |fort5. Ref 6. Will +4
I've been known to tinker, but if the front is guarded we would ruin the element of surprise. An ambush from a direction they don't expect would have a certain sense of karmic justice.
Male HumanCad(fighter) 3 / Empiricist(Investigator) 3 init +4 | Perception+9, Sense Motive +9| 46/46) HP| AC 19 FF16 Touch 13 |fort5. Ref 6. Will +4
Well then lets go take a peek at this back entrance. I suggest we go now rather than risking any patrols they might have set up.
If no one protests Bartholomew takes a look at the 2nd entrance to see if he spots any guards. If not he creeps closer and examines the door before trying to unlock it.
