[PFS]DM Elanmorin Phantom Phenomena (Inactive)

Game Master Rogar Valertis

Knowledge (Geography): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

Harsk informs his companions of what he knows of the Hungry Mountains...

"We will need to be on our guard on the mountain," Hakon cautions. "It is said that the mountain creates illusions to fool travelers and lead them into danger."

Knowledge (Geography): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

Chewing the last of a cinnamon loaf, "Danger schmanger! We're Pathfinders right? What could go wrong?"

"That's what we're paid for, right? Might as well call us troubleshooters as Pathfinders."

Dr Quolorum nods in approval:"So no questions then? Good. I've got some things to make the upcoming battle - because yes, you can bet your last pair of clean trousers that there's going to be one - easier. I present you with a bottle of Ectoplasmic Ointment, a brand new set of Etheric Compasses... well I will be using these... one vial of Experimental Herbicide, and of course the correct design for Eye of Gorum so you can ward evil off your persons... or so I hope at least"

Who wants what? Eye of Gorum and Etheric Compasses effects work for the whole party

Lem leans in toward Otha and whispers, "Were we supposed to bring clean pants? By my reckonin', laundry day is still a ways off."

Gusting winds howl, and storms darken the sky during your ascent. A few scrub trees cling to the crumbling granite face of the mountain, and snow is visible higher up the slope. The trail itself is not difficult, although there are some sections that run right against a cliff edge, giving a dramatic, if harrowing, sight of the forest below and Lantern Lake beyond.
Along the way, you start to experience hallucinations and visions. Ghostly images that vanish when looked at directly appear before Harsk, bobbing lights hovering off the side of the mountain confuse Kyra while Lem is tormented by the smell of rotting fish. Strange voices whispering cryptic phrases from nowhere cause Oloch to curse in rage, warm or cold spots in the air confuse Feiya and rocks that seem to melt and flow make Hakon want to throw up. Lightning strikes of abnormal color and thunder claps that sound distorted or muffled complete what you can only describe as a nightmare experience. Thankfully you all resist the barrage of sensory distortions and after a (long) while it ends abruptly.

Ahead the trail ends at a place where the mountain has split. A fifty foot-wide crevasse separates one side from the other, and the only crossing is over a massive boulder that has broken off the mountainside to the east and become stuck as it rolled down. The trail continues on the other side.

As he spots the boulder Dr. Quolorum seems certain that this is the right way and insists you cross to the other side:"This is it! We are getting closer!" he exclaims sounding excited. "Let's keep going on, quickly!"

Climbing on the boulder requires two DC 8 Climb checks to traverse, one for climbing onto the boulder and one for descending to the other side. No checks are necessary for the intervening 50 feet. Failure by 5 or more means the character falls 30 feet before landing on a stone ledge. Do you wish to approach and climb the boulder?

How many bolts could be dipped in the herbicide?

I'll definitely take the eye and compass. I'll take the ointment as well,but if anyone else would like it it's yours.

Oloch isn't the best climber, but even in his armor,he can handle a few rocks. Take 10

Feiya draws on her newfound strength to traverse the the rocky obstacle. Moving with caution as even with her blessing, the climb does not come naturally to her.
Taking 10 on the climb. Inscribing robes with the Eye of Gorum.

Hakon inscribes the Eye of Gorum upon his armor before setting out with the good (?) doctor for their final mission.

He climbs over the boulder and onto the other side.

Climb (Take 10), ACP: 10 + 3 - 2 = 11
Climb (Take 10), ACP: 10 + 3 - 2 = 11

The map still references the green house for me.

Will also do some inscribing of Eye of Gorum, ya know, just to fit in (cuz all the cool kids are doing it).

Taking 10 on the climb checks should net me an 8, so I'm good both up and down. I have rope if we need to give anyone a bonus +5 circumstance to their climb check.

"Anyone else craving a tuna sandwich?

@Harsk & Oloch: one arrow, or one weapon. Everyone can get the Eye of Gorum inscribed on his/her vest and Professor Quolorum is keeping the compasses but him doing so provides you all with a bonus

As soon as a Feiya, Oloch and Hakon step within five feet of the boulder, a ghostly image of an aristocratic-looking woman with sad eyes appears and waves characters toward her. You immediately recognize her as Lady Illirigarde, though her clothes don’t quite match what you’ve seen her wearing before, and her eyes seem somewhat larger.
After her appearance moving across the boulder suddenly becomes more difficult: the rock itself seems to melt and flow as if it were made of thick mud.

Roll a DC 13 Will save or become shaken until you are off the boulder. You must roll before climbing and if you fail you take a penalty to your 2 climb rolls. Also the effect makes it impossible to take 10, so Oloch needs to roll as do Hakon and Lem

Will: 1d19 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Harsk shakes off the effect and attempts to climb over the boulder...

Climb: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Climb: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

Will: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Feiya steels herself against the ghostly apparitions and makes her was over the boulder trying not to focus too much on what it appears to be doing.
Climb: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Climb: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

Safely making it down to the other side she smiles to herself. Maybe her luck is turning around.

Kyra casts guidance on herself before each roll
will: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 5 + 1 = 13
climb: 1d20 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (8) - 2 + 1 = 7
climb: 1d20 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (13) - 2 + 1 = 12
climb: 1d20 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) - 2 + 1 = 1

She decides to wait for a rope.

Will: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (8) - 2 = 6
Climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (14) - 2 = 12
Climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (11) - 2 = 9

With a bit of huffing and puffing, the halfling joins the part on top of the rock.

Harsk and Feiya bypass the boulder without much difficulty. Lem manages the first part but cannot properly descend, for the moment at least. Kyra manges to climb up the huge stone but then loses her footing and falls down to the slope below...

Falling Damage: 1d6 + 1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + (6) + (2) = 10

With a successful DC15 Acrobatics check Kyra could avoid the first damage dice, and turn the second into non lethal.

Acrobatics: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (19) - 2 = 17

Thank you Dawnflower!

Miraculously she succeeds, basically sliding down the face of it until hitting the ground and crumpling. 6 non-lethal and 2 lethal damage. Kyra channels to recover, waiting to see if anyone else needs the positive energy.

channel: 1d6 ⇒ 5, leaving one non-lethal damage point.

"I'm definitely going to need a rope for this. I got lucky and could have passed out if things went poorly."

Will: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Hakon becomes disoriented as he attempts to climb the boulder. "This boulder--it is like tar."

Climb Up: 1d20 + 3 - 2 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 3 - 2 - 2 = 3

His last words are not particularly inspiring as he falls off of the cliff.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 - 2 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 - 2 - 2 = 5

He lands hard on the rock below.

Oloch chants a mantra softly to himself as he climbs, Blessed iron guard me well. Blessed iron guard me well...

Will: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 1 = 21
Climb: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (10) - 1 = 9
Climb: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (14) - 1 = 13

And it seems that Gorum listens!

Disoriented by the psychic illusions Hakon falls down the cliff...

Falling damage: 1d6 + 1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + (1) + (6) = 13

... and lands badly, losing consciousness just after the impact...

He gains 5 points back as I had Kyra wait until everyone made the attempt before channeling. That should put him upright again.

"Dez ennyone hev enny rope?"

might've missed it but not seeing rope in anyone's inventory...does Dr. Qulorum have any?

Hakon groans as he regains consciousness. "Thank you, Kira. I assume it was you, at least."

Oloch joins Harsk and Feiya on the other side of the boulder. Lem is still on top of it while Kyra and Hakon fell down the slope and injured themselves.

The Professor fends off the illusions and climbs over and out of the boulder as well. He does not have rope himslef:"I thought YOU were supposed to be the professionals at this kind of things..." he answers when asked about rope.

The DC to climb up from the slope is the same as before: one DC08 check plus another DC08 check to get off the boulder

Later, Hakon gets the courage to climb back to the others and scramble over the haunted boulder.

Climb Up: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17
Climb Down: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17

Oloch has the measure of these foolish boulders now!

Climb: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (16) - 1 = 15
Climb: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19

Kyra strips down, removing the armor that was holding her back. With no rope to pull it up behind her, she abandons it at the base of the boulder.

Climb: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Climb: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

I feel almost naked.

"Unless someone has a better idea, I'm going to leave the armor behind for now."

I thought I made the DC in my eariler rolls. If not, here we go.

climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 2

@Lem: You are right. My mistake

It takes you a lot of time and effort but in the end you manage to climb down from the boulder and then everyone has crossed to the the next part of the mountain path.
It takes you three hours to get to the place where Professor Quolorum thinks your unseen and powerful adversary is nesting and you are forced to endure a veritable barrage of illusions meant to scare and confuse you. Yet you persevere and in the end you locate what you hope will be the last part of your nightmare journey. A cave entrance standing no more than 100 feet from your position. As you approach a gibberish and quite mad, otherworldly voice starts speaking... inside your minds!
“How do rainbows swim?”, “What is the noise light makes?”,“Now I contain!”, “Ease the frame…”, “Darkness crushes the essence of malevolence”... are but a few samples of the nonsensical banter going on inside your brains.

Even so Doctor Quolorum looks excitedly at the cave entrance and exclaims:"Onward my friends! The end of our quest draws near!". So you approach the narrow cave entrance in the side of the mountain,and enter. Green luminescence shines from fungi on the walls of the cave, while the winds outside create an animal-like howl as they whip past the entrance. A narrow path runs along the northern edge, and a deep chasm slick with moisture splits it from another ledge to its south. To the east is a bridge, fuzzy with dark green mold.

In the middle of the central plateau stands the source of our your recent troubles a strange hybrid between a mushroom and a piranha, with long purple tendrils extending from its bulbous "body"...

Round 01 - Bold may act

Lem

Nightmare creature

Hakon
Professor Quolorum
Oloch
Harsk
Feiya
Kyra

As you set your eyes on the creature you feel a renewed wave of confused images invade your thoughts, and this time the effect seems way stronger than before!

@Everyone: DC14 will save or take a -2 penalty on attack rolls. Thanks to the eye of Gorum you all get a +1 sacred AC bonus. The character who got the ectoplasmic ointment gets a +1 to saving throws vs mid affecting effects

Knowledge (Nature) to identify. I will allow healing before combat if you want to.

Will ST: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Kyra channels for 1d6 ⇒ 1 before entering.

Will Save: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 6
Feiya stares intently at the creature. Trying to figure out the nature of their foe, she pays a little too much attention to the thoughts invading her mind.
"Ummmm..."
Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Will: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 1 = 15

Rainbows don't swim!

Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Will: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

"Kyra. I may need Sarenrae's touch before engaging that... thing."

She has nothing to remove effects like that, though she could buff your AC. Without her armor I may be keeping her out of melee anyway.

Will: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 2 + 1 = 8

Lem starts singing a song of how the band of intrepid adventurers overcame an ancient evil.

Inspire Courage +1 to hit/damage & saves vs fear.

I meant healing. He has 4 HP right now and no potion of CLW on this pregen.

@Hakon: This is a Cerebric Fungus. You may ask 2 questions about it

Lem starts emboldening his friends. The nightmare's creature slides foward and lashes out with its tendrils trying to ensnare Harsk!

Attack roll (Fungus vs Harsk): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15 -> Damage Roll: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Attack roll (Fungus vs Harsk): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14 -> Damage Roll: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Fortunately the nimble dwarf avoids both attempts! Meanwhile Professor Quolorum reacts by casting a spell on the fanged fungus and lights start to dance near its "body"...

"Get him... before he gets us! And no... I don't know why I think he's a "he"!!!"

Round 01 - Bold may act

Lem

Nightmare creature

Hakon
Professor Quolorum
Oloch
Harsk
Feiya
Kyra

Resistances & Special Attacks, please.

Oloch taps into the Genius of Sharpness and chugs around the room. Warmind, currently taking the +10 movement speed

Before combat Kyra casts CLW on Hakon

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 That sucks. Two ones in a row! Did you remember to take the healing from the channel for one point of healing too?

In combat as her first action she casts Shield of Faith on him.

Yes. Well, half HP is better than where I was! Thanks.

Hakon begind to recite an inspiring tale from the Landof the Linnorm Kings and draws his axes.

Great, a fungus, assuming Hakon will soon be able to tell me that this is yet another foe immune to all of my hexes and spells?

Feiya focuses inwards and tries to steady her mind, managing to concentrate enough to cloak herself in a shield of force despite the monster's incessant rambling.

Casting Mage Armor.

Since no one behind me moved, I can't take a 5' step back and fire...and if I fire my crossbow, I get an AoO from its tentacles...so Harsk will go total defense this round...

Harsk stays put and prepares for the beast's next attack...

Kyra and Feiya cast defensive spells while Hakon calls on Gorum to make his advance fleet. Hakon incites his friends to renew their heroic deeds, and Harsk mantains his dangerous position, determined to act as bait for the otherworldy creature...

Round 02 - Bold may act

Lem

Nightmare creature

Hakon
Professor Quolorum
Oloch
Harsk
Feiya
Kyra

sling: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 81d3 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

Lem hurls a stone at the creature.

Lem takes aim at the fungus monster from beyond... and fails to hit it.

"It" on the other hand attacks the only avaiable target: Harsk.

Attack roll 01 (fungus vs Harsk): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19 -> Damage roll: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Attack roll 02 (fungus vs Harsk): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19 -> Damage roll: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

The dwarf decision of only defending himself proves right as he barely dodges the 2 appendices.

Meanwhile the professor advances and takes a shoot at the malevolent entity...

Attack roll (prof Q vs fungus): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19 -> Damage roll: 1d6 ⇒ 5

And somehow he proves pretty accurate, hitting the creature perfectly!

Round 02 - Bold may act

Lem

Nightmare creature -5hp

Hakon
Professor Quolorum
Oloch
Harsk
Feiya
Kyra

Oloch chants a battle prayer to Gorum as he continues to approach, My hands are heavy with destruction; be the shield I cannot hold! Shield of Faith