PFS CORE PbP - #2 Hydra's Fang Incident (GM Deussu) (Inactive)

Game Master Deussu

Lantorth pats Tog on the shoulder, "Nice work Tog. I'm starting to like you already." He looks over at Pau with a grin, "Guess Pau can fill us in on the cuddly part later." Lantorth looks to see what's in the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Map has been updated. Please insert your tokens on the map provided, though not yet to the room with the ghostly character.

Tog smashes the door into shreds on his second try. Inside the dark room, a teenage girl hovers over the corpse of a middle-aged merchant. Her silent eyes filled with tears, she mouths the word “daddy.”

Even poor-sighted Tog can see a man trying to hide behind the corner, poorly. The man doesn't appear to realize his bad choice of a hiding spot, and remains there as if to ambush the group once they enter.

Tog waves to man "Tog wave, even though he think you a bad guy, just in case you not."

Tog looks back to the girl.

"Did he hurt your daddy?"

"Tog, I don't think those men are friendly. Perhaps you should teach them the error of their ways?"

"Yes Tog, go....snuggle them." Lantorth says sarcastically. "Also who ever is hiding in the other room can come out now, we know you there."

Realizing his cover is blown, the man foolishly shrieks like an idiot and appears around the corner, shooting Tog right in front of his face.

Shooting from cover, so no attacks of opportunity. The thug's action constitutes as the surprise round.
Thug's ranged attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Shortbow damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

But it appears aiming at Tog's head is a lost cause. The arrow is deflected by Tog's awesome helmet.

Right at that moment the teenage ghostly girl turns into anger. "Repel those who killed my father!" she shouts. To most her false façade is obvious; she's just working with the thugs, since her magic from her hands sends out a bright red ball of energy, striking Tog in a painful way.

ROUND 1

Girl
----
Tog
----
Red Thug
----
Pau
----
Blue Thug
----
Evindal, Jarlaxle, Lantorth, Althera

"Ow."

Tog's up, by the way.

Opps, misread initiative.

Tog steps forward and hacks and slashes at the man to his south.

Hack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Slice: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

It takes Tog only one hack and the thug with the bow collapses to the floor, bleeding.

Blue thug down! Represented in the map with a dashed outline and semi-transparency.

The other thug gulps as he sees his comrade fall so quickly, but valiantly he draws his longsword and attempts to behead Tog.

Red thug attacks Tog: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

But the thug's efforts are in vain, and his longsword misses the half-orc completely. A feat in itself.

ROUND 1

Girl
----
Tog
----
Red Thug
----
Pau
----
Blue Thug
----
Evindal, Jarlaxle, Lantorth, Althera

Others can post their actions in advance if they like. The guides linked under my name hold good tips and hints to speed up combat.

"Tog, be a dear and step forward."

Jarlaxle is delaying until he can move into the room without provoking an AoO ;-)

Pau moves through the flotsam and punches at the thug threatening Tog.

Attack 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

Damage 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

I'm assuming Pau moves across a threatened area. There's no token for Pau on the map.

As Pau dashes past Tog and the thug, the thug attempts to slice the monk.

Thug attacks Pau: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

The awesome blow does a gaping wound on Pau, who in retaliation punches the thug's teeth in. The man waddles in place, figuring he's had enough.

ROUND 1

Girl
----
Tog
----
Red Thug (-8)
----
Pau
----
Blue Thug (-11, prone, unconscious)
----
Evindal, Jarlaxle, Lantorth, Althera

Althera pulls her wand and sends an azure bolt at the "little girl"".

" Two can play that game missy."

Magic Missile: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

"Yeah!" Lantorth adds as he pulls his wand and fires off a magic missile as well.

Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

"...or Pau can do that, I suppose."

With a shrug, Jarlaxle wanders into the room, and takes a swing at the remaining Thug.

Longsword: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7, for 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 damage.

man, I am rolling rubbish in all of my threads today...

Evindal draws his long sword, but delays. The room seems to be full.

will add my token later, I'm on my mobile

The joint forces of Althera and Lantorth quickly neutralize the threat the girl poses, and the guised girl shrieks in pain before falling to the floor bleeding.

The last thug doesn't stand a chance against Tog's mighty weapons, and the slightest, gentliest touch of Tog's double axe is enough to put the thug down to the floor.

Combat over (sped it up, last foe was down to 1 hp)

A strange calm returns to the room as the ambushers quiet down after a brief yet brutal retaliation.

Pau pulls out his wand. "Would someone who can heal please use this to mend my wounds? They got a lucky strike in on me!"

Clw 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Tog gently touches Pau with the wand. "Tog happy to help cooperate and use wand. Have trouble holding if we get into danger though."

"Let's look for clues as to what has happened here.."

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19.

It appears the man laying dead in the middle of the room is Lubor. His threat has been slit, and by the looks of it he died instantaneously. Otherwise the room is stripped almost clean of all other valuables, leaving a fine dust outline to represent the items that once were here. It appears the thugs were tasked to clean up the mess, evident by the blood-soaked mops and rags.

Jarlaxle promptly starts to look around, seeing the bodies strewn across the floor. There's another door in the room that leads to a small storage room. There the half-elf spots a trapdoor leading down, presumably to Diobel's Underdocks. Thanks to Jarlaxle's perceptive eyes he notices the wooden ladder is coated with grease. Had he not spotted this, it would most surely be a surprise to the user and result in a short downfall.

The thugs themselves have a generous amount of loot.

Two Studded Leather armors, two bucklers, two longswords, two composite shortbows, two quivers with a total of 39 arrows, two backpacks, 100 ft. silk rope, two grappling hooks, two signal whistles, two silver earrings, and 2 gp.

The girl has a little less stuff.

A quarterstaff, a dagger, a scroll, and a spell component pouch with the appropriate materials.

When he finds a scroll, Jarlaxle casts a spell (Read Magic).

"Hmmm... This is a scroll of Arcane Lock. Looks like this was a clean-up crew. Should we wake one up and interrogate them, or just head downstairs into the Underdocks?"

He then moves to the trapdoor, and points to the ladder.

"This has been greased. Give me a moment, and I will fix that."

Casting another spell (Prestidigitation), he begins to carefully scrub the grease from the ladder.

Pau will grab the role and a grappling hook. "There's no such thing as too much rope."

Lantorth surveys the damage then looks back at Tog. "If this is how you cuddle then Pau is in for a hell of an evening." After Jarlaxle is done cleaning the ladder Lantorth will head down. "Well lets see where this takes us."

Tog shakes his head "Fighting is not cuddling. Tog good with axe, Tog also good with cuddles. Not related." Tog finishes with a shrug.

"A dirty mind is a demon's playground, Lantorth. You must perfect yourself and purge those impure thoughts."

Lantorth chuckles, "demon's playgrounds are rather entertaining, you should try one some time....by the way does anyone up there have a light source?" Lantorth calls up from halfway down the ladder.

Althera obliges the elf.

"I can make some, if you like. But really, shouldn't we at least try to stop these fools from bleeding out?"

Althera casts light on her staff and holds it over the trapdoor opening, then tries to stabilize the "girl".

Heal: 1d20 ⇒ 19

Tog will helpfully use his wayfinder to cast light on Lantorth's magic missile wand.

Evindal gently touches the bleeding people, they don't heal, but at least become stable.
sacred touch

Both Althera and Evindal tend to the wounded foes, both of which have stabilized on their own during the time of the looting. They are out cold, however, and it takes more than just a friendly slap on the cheek to wake them up.

Meanwhile Lantorth is already eager to move on to the Underdocks. He enters into a gloomy, greenish twilight where scattered beams of light filter down between weathered dock planks, bouncing off seaweed covered stones that jut from the dark harbor waters. A forest of pylons suspends the docks above where the scurrying feet of merchants, sailors, and longshoremen hammer like a muffled thunderstorm. Between the pylons, you spot small stone bunkers, ruins of older siege forts now crumbling and weathered from centuries of angry waves. A narrow set of docks traverses the rocks, connecting various locations. Eventually, all lead out to the shallow bay at the mouth of the maze. Nearby, he notices a fresh trail of muck-limned, wet footprints.

He also spots two empty rowboats at the nearby dock. Two men stand guard near the two boats, chatting with each other.

Lantorth will send his mage hand up top to silently wave his friends down as he finds a suitable place to stay out of sight.

stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Tog speaks as he goes down the latter. "Tog follow Lantorth down ladder."

Pau follows behind the others, looking carefully around to be sure nothing is going to jump out and harass them.

Perception 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Jarlaxle lithely climbs down the ladder, and swaggers along behind the others.

Althera keeps to the back, leaving the light on her staff.

The men by the boats see you—well not Lantorth—enter the Underdocks, but they don't seem to pay all that much attention other than a short glance. They seem non-hostile.

If they leave the group alone, Pau sees no reason to harass them, choosing to ignore them and move along.

While Pau ignores the men, Lantorth will move closer to see what they are up to.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Tog scratch head. "Maybe Men see other men."

Tog waves while shouting "Hi, Tog wave hello!"

The men both look at Tog suspiciously but only raise a brow. They don't spot Lantorth skulking.

"Well, hello there then, Tog. And what might you be doing here in the Underdocks, hmm? No place for a Sunday walk, that's for sure."

Tog steps forward

"Tog protector of Great Vault and looking for bad guys that may have come this way, did any body else come this way recently?"

"Bad guys? Don't know about that, but yes, a captain and his men returned back to their ship," the guard replies, checking Tog's equipment, "you seem to be armed to the teeth, a particular grudge between you and the crew?"

"We have reasons to believe they might be murderers and thieves. We are to bring them to justice."

Tog nods at Pau's suggestion.

"Tog wondering if you tell us where their ship is."

Take 10 Diplomacy => 16

"What my delightful colleague is trying to say, is that we would be most grateful if you would point us in the direction that those who came before us went... it would be extremely helpful if you did."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25.

Lantorth will continue to move in the shadows, trying to get around behind the men.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

"They took their boats and went off to their ship. But I can't allow you to get past, though, not without the Harbormaster's pass," one of the men explains, "actually, you shouldn't even be here if you don't have a harbormaster's pass, so show me. Otherwise we'll have to detain you."

Althera smiles at the men and tries to strike a more flattering pose.

"Now, is that really necessary? I don't think you two fine lads need to worry about us. Perhaps we weren't even here at all?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23