[PFS Core] GM Harker Presents: The Emerald Spire (Inactive)

Game Master Upaynao

Some crap happened in my life. I expect to still post daily, but it may be that I am unable to do so. Regardless, I will not be as frequent as a poster until this crap is resolved. Do not hesitate to bot me when necessary.

Will post tomorrow for Sugar... need to get to work

What's the strategy vs this swarm guys? Only area spells are the only effective option. Alchemist fire or acid only does 2 damage. I suggest we flee and not fight.

What is this about only 2 damage?

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Using a splash weapon, you can't target a swarm. Just the ground for splash damage. 1.5x splash damage, so 1-2 damage depending on GM.

I've always ruled that swarms can be damaged normally by splash weapons, otherwise parties with no magic would be unable to defeat swarms smaller than tiny. So, if a splash weapon hits, it does between 1-9 damage, or just 1 damage if it misses.

Of course if there is a rule in a book or a developer post that explicitly says otherwise, please bring it to my attention.

Xak, I think you are thinking of ghosts and the like.

Yeah, I haven't had a single Society GM bring any kind of ruling like that to a table. Which book is it in Xakon?

What's the strategy vs this swarm guys?

Same question applies. Don't get hung up on my rule interpretations.

I have produce flame left. that is fire damage and I can hurl 4 fire blobs before it expires and each one does 1d6+4 fire damage if they hit.

i already used my pearl of power to get cure light wounds back, if anyone has another one I can get flaming sphere back (will have to be a level 2 pearl though, which I may pick up when I have the money.)

I have one acid to throw, but that is it. I don't have any spells I could prepare that does AOE damage.

Frēodwēn just has this flask of oil. 50% chance to explode like an alchemist's fire, 50% chance to do nothing.

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This group is sorely missing a full wizard or sorcerer. Fireball, flaming sphere, burning hands, etc. Sugar, you should take fire spells since Siv is back with her healing goodness. You get flame strike at 7th level, so it will be a while.

I have those spells, however, every slot I have available was used trying to save us from a construct that only a few people had magic weapons to hit.

I think we need to get some scrolls, wands, etc. to make up the difference. I'll probably put some ranks in UMD next round. Are there any useful combat wands on the ES Chronicle Sheets so far? Burning Hands CL3 would be great, for instance.

To make things a little easier for me, could everyone make to have the following information somewhere in the status line of your profile?

HP - AC/T/FF - Perception; Low-light or Darkvision - Fort Save, Ref Save, Will Save (Any situational bonuses) - CMB, CMD - Speed - Init.

We are not communicating enough on party tactics. How do you expect to defeat this swarm? I'm out of splash weapons.

I agree, Xakon. We are effectively out of ways to hurt the swarm. I vote for a withdrawal out of the Spire. We can regroup in town, and possibly more supplies to take it out, and the spellcasters can properly plan their spells to kill it.

With splash weapons. Several of us still have some splash weapons. I might spill my last oil on the floor and have Sugar light it for more reliable damage.

-Posted with Wayfinder

I just hit it for max damage again. Hopefully that's enough that Freo's oil can finish it off. After this I'm totally out of options for it though.

Maybe the swarm will catch fire next round from the alchemist fire. Xakon is going to retreat up the stairs as he is no longer useful unless you give him a splash weapon to throw.

I still have two acid flasks

I've been bed bound most of this week and unable/willing to check much, sorry for the silence.

Hopefully my minimalist responses weren't too degrading to game play.

No issues on my end, I hope you start feeling better soon.

So I finished eyes of the ten part 1 the other day.

there is a wand/rod of wonder on the chronicle sheet... Sugar could have so much fun with that.

note to self buy one when she has enough money and fame

If someone spends 2 PP then can have two castings of Water Breathing made into a scroll. Each casting could target 5 people for 2 hours each.

I'll spend 2pp to get a scroll of Water Breathing. Outside of a Wand of CLW and the land rush purchases, I haven't used any PP.

I'm now at 1 PP and 9 Fame.

Thank you Siv!

I'll put my purchases up later today. Been a busy week preparing for a 400 mile move and the special coming up.

Cool. In that case I will not also buy a scroll of Water Breathing, just the scroll of Alter Self.

-Posted with Wayfinder

So, upon review, I have 31 gp. Since I can't buy any splash weapons, I bought a scroll sheet with the following scrolls on it for 2pp.

Acid Arrow
Web
Hideous Laughter
Alter Self
Spider Climb

They are all 2nd level, meaning I can't learn or cast them from my spell book yet, but I can next level. For now, they are backups in case I run out of spells again. I had forgotten about being able to cast 2nd level spells from a scroll, or I would have used some of the 2nd level spells I bought last time in preparation of being able to learn them later.

Is a scroll box core? If so I will buy one for 5gp.

I don't see a scroll box, but there is a scroll case for 1 gp.

I'm going to be fairly scarce again this week. My wife's father's health has taken a turn for the worse. He has been battling cancer for 2 years. Last week we were informed that it has metastasized into his stomach. He has been moved to hospice care. The whole family is congregating in Florida (we live in Kansas City) where her dad lives. I'll try to post when I can.

I will be home next Sunday and should be back to a regular posting schedule.

I'm very sorry to hear about your father-in-law. My thoughts are with you.

We need better tactics folks. This battle isn't going well. The caster is summoning another monster, so it's going to go from bad to worse especially with Mudk taking hits like a bong in Colorado.

@Sugar: Can you summon a shark or alligator to distract the caster. Position it to flank with Xakon would be best for sneak attack damage. Fire spells aren't working well this level.

@Freo: Will you keep the construct busy? Once we take out the caster, we can concentrate on the construct. Most of use can't harm it except for you and Mudk.

@Siv: Your channels are saving our butts. Can you position to flank the construct with Freo?

Dealing with the construct is my plan. Now that he's backed up I should be able to rapid shot him with no soft cover or AoO threat; should be more effective than melee for me for the time being. But if he gets close again I'll switch to the polearm.

-Posted with Wayfinder

With Freodwen using range and the current positioning of the monsters, I can't really help him flank. I'll channel then get in position to heal Mudk next round and make AOO's if either the crab or Automaton move.

That crab is tough. We need to take out the Undine quickly if we want to win this fight.

If you have offensive scrolls or wands to hit the undine, then now is the time. We needed a damaging ranged attack while undine was summoning. Now we have another monster to fight.

This battle is a perfect case in point how multi-class spellcasters' lack of resources weaken a group's effectiveness. Glitterdust, sound burst, grease, etc. don't miss multiple targets, while BAB is reduced in melee or ranged attacks.

I realize this terrain is making it even more difficult than usual, but we had a chance to get more resources at rest.

I, unfortunately, don't have a lot of offensive options. I think we've been bum-rushing a lot of rooms without much coordinated tactics. As these levels are getting more difficult and deadly, we should be discussing tactics more often before encounters.

If we can take the Undine out of commission, at least, the crab will go poof. Sugar is up... her flaming sphere of vengeance can take out the undine! For Truffles!

Making (or trying to make) multiclass characters effective is part of what makes this game fun for me.

I don't see how Glitterdust, Sound Burst, or Grease (the latter of which I could cast next turn) get us any closer to an unconscious Undine.

Glitterdust on the crab and construct would have allowed Mudk to swim to the undine if they failed will saves. Sound Burst can stun its subjects negating their actions for 1 round and causes 1d8 hp which can also disrupt long summoning spells. Grease wouldn't apply in this specific situation.

I love building multi-class characters too, but I save them for single-player video games after learning the hard lessons of TPK. I have a 15th level PFS sorcerer (soon to be 16th) and 13th level PFS druid that has a level dip in ranger for trapfinding and favored enemy. Even that 1 level dip hurts the party sometimes when the highest level of spell progression is missing.

I'm not telling you how to build a character. Just pointing out that there is an opportunity cost to the rest of us.

I am sorry, I am trying the best I can. Sugar is trying to keep the robot occupied.

Now that I'm actually in the room, I have a few options. I have some scrolls available, and can put some damage on the Undine. I could also hit Mud with Enlarge Person, if we can heal him up. It all depends really on whether or not you guys can drop that Undine.

See Xakon, while I may be running a "partial caster", I've been at this for a while. This isn't my first rodeo, and it damn sure isn't my first foray into tabletop gaming. I planned ahead, and brought some 2nd level scrolls. I grabbed the ones I thought were the most useful. I didn't grab sound burst because I figured we could disrupt casters a little easier than we currently are, though if I have to, next round that Undine is eating a Scorching Ray. I have the following scrolls on me:

Scroll Sheet Containing:
-Flaming Sphere
-Scorching Ray
-Blur
-Invisibility
-False Life

Scroll Sheet Containing:
Acid Arrow
Alter Self
Hideous Laughter
Spider Climb
Web

Still following. Just uncon. For the record if it comes down to it I'd rather people bail then try and save Mudk and TPK.

Mudk is conscious as of Siv's channel.

I was looking things over and it is just as easy to replace truffles.

I get a new companion and get the bonus tricks for being a druid for free. I get 1 handle animal check per druid level to teach new tricks.

so that would be 5 checks for level 5 (after this chronicle) so that is 5 tries for 5 tricks and get another 2 (bonus druid tricks) total of 7 and Truffles entered the level knowing 8 tricks. so, assuming I make each of the checks I should be able to get truffles back (mechanically) relatively easy.

Hi all, will be out of it for a couple of days.... terrible cold and need rest

Go ahead and make your Day Job checks and let me know which Land Rush Hex you would like to buy, if any.

Link to Land Rush Chronicle Sheet.