[PFS/DMK] 3-09 The Quest for Perfection Trilogy (Inactive)

Game Master Kludde

I believe I wasn't fully awake yet when I posted last time...A full attack after a move action isn't quite possible...

Boderus tries to scratch the leading tengu, who evades only to promptly take a his from Taicho's arrow. Maldrek charges the tengu down the road, planting his lance in between the feathers. Clair closes the gap as well, and stabs at the leading bandit, while Krux prepares a sleeping spell.

AoO, Maldrek: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

The remaining bandits close the distance as the lead to press their attack on Maldrek and Hikage

Wakisashi, Maldrek: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Wakisashi, Hikage: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 181d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

---
Clair
Hikage
Boderus
Krux
Maldrek
Taicho
---
Bandit - Red (15)
Bandit (entangled)
Mounted Bandit (entangled)
Mounted Bandit - Blue (5)
---
---

Boderus moves around the red Tengu to end up next to the black one, flanking red with Maldrek. Boderus darts his claw in between the Tengu's ribs, trying to rip one out.

Atk: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 9 + 2 = 23
Dmg: 1d4 + 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (3) + (3, 6) + 5 = 17

Taichung drops his bow, then draws his dueling sword and charges the red tengu.

Dueling Sword: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12 for Slashing: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Clair takes a big step up to the red tengu while channeling more energy into her weapon. Determined to hit the tengu this time, she swings her weapon again.

+1 Adamantine Scythe: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20 Damage: 2d4 + 7 ⇒ (4, 3) + 7 = 14
Negative energy damage (on hit): 3d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 2) = 11
Channel Smite: DC 16 Will for half negative energy damage.

If red's already down, I'll move up to black.

Image? 1 is real: 1d6 ⇒ 5

As one of the alternate Hikages vanishes from reality, the real samurai and his trusted mount go all-out on the blue-feathered tengu.
Hikage's Silversheen Katana: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 161d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Yôru's Bite: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 221d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7 if successful: Trip: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Krux finishes casting Sleep (DC 21) on the entangled foes then follows it up by casting magic missile at the nearest injured, yet breathing opponent.

Magic Missile: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (1, 4, 3) + 3 = 11

Boderus rips at the bandit in the second line, nearly dropping him with a single rip. Taicho flourishes against the frontmost bandit, but fails to hit. Clair then swing in, and connects with the bandit. A black cloud eats away most of the featherdeck, leaving a bare, and dead, bandit on the floor.

Hikage barely misses the mounted bandit, but Yoru does manage to sink his fangs into the legs of the tengu.

Crux causes major havoc: not only does he drop a bandit off his steed, but the also finishes off Boderus' quarry with a volley of missiles.

Will: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Fall from horse: 1d6 ⇒ 6
---
Clair
Hikage
Boderus
Krux
Maldrek
Taicho
---
Bandit (6, entangled, asleep)
Mounted Bandit - Blue (12)
---
---

Maldrek jumped away, putting a bit more distance between him and last mounted bandit, standing and lounged forward his lance, trying to hit as hard as possible in to the hole in bandit's defense.

Atk: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17 dmg: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
AC19, bodyguard Atk: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20 +3AC to first attacked ally

Maldrek nimble maneuver brings down the mounted Tengu. With three of the four bandits bleeding out on the floor, the last, sleeping one is easily overpowered.

Combat over!

The family consists of an old man, a couple and their two children. The old man steps forward, and speaks in common My name is Xien Wun Lao. Today, I bear shame, since it was me that counciled my family to flee. You have shown me the error of my ways, and I bow my head in humility.

Your presence here is a portent for better things to come. From direction of your path - do you plan to go to Nesting Swallow?

Hikage wipes his blade before sheathing it in a single movement. He nods at the family. "We are. Anything you could tell us about it? We would be grateful for any insight you might offer."

Nesting Swallow is but a small, humble hamlet here in Shokuro. Shokuro itself is a small nation, and the Shogun has amassed all his military strength at the borders, to keep foreign invaders out. He has been very successful, but that success comes at a price. Bandits roam the land, and you have seen how they harass whoever they fancy. They're an unruly bunch of Tengu's, but they've become powerful as of late.

- Have you tried to let the authorities know? It's their duty to protect common folk from any threats.

Maldrek wasn't surprised much. Where the war was, some banditry and crime always was spreading like disease. Probably, it will be unsafe to walk around.

I call my spiritual horse after this conversation (in safe environement), to be mounted during upcoming combats

Boderus bends down near one of the dead Tengu and makes a show of cleaning his claws. He loots the bodies with a grim smile on his face whilst whistling a tune.

The party brushes off the dust and moves on. The trail leads on, and by sunset, from atop one final hill, the object of the quest comes into view. From this height, the village of Nesting Swallow is laid out almost like a map. The small town consists of little more than a few dozen huts encircling an open common area. Rolling hills surround the village to the north and west, while the east is bordered by a light forest. South of the village, the brush has been cleared, and a long string of paddy fields stretches out into the distance, webbed with irrigation ditches branching o from a stream that separates the village from the farmlands.

Curious stares and whispers are thrown at the party, but the prsence of Xien helps prevent the more paranoid reactions. Xien escort the party to the family hut, offering what food he has - mostly rice and millet - then moving off to arrange a meeting.

A er a short while, the adventurers are escorted across the village common and into another building.

This hut differs from every other one in the village only in size, easily twice as large as most of the other dwellings. Otherwise, it is identical, being another slightly elevated circle of bamboo and wicker walls surrounding a packed earthen floor. The interior has some rooms partitioned off the main one, and the collection of furniture and possessions indicates that this is another family home when not in use for official purposes. Against one wall stands a simple shrine with a collection of clay tiles hung from it, each bearing a different name. The lowest hanging tiles look quite new, a few months old, maybe. The highest and oldest tile on the shrine, however, bears the name “Li Yao.”

The center of the room is cleared, and an assortment of cushions has been laid out in a semicircle. A dozen or so old men and women sit on the cushions, Xien Wun Lao among them. A woman standing in front of the shrine finishes a prayer and turns to join the seated elders; she is clearly the youngest among them, not even middle-aged, in spite of a face beset by worry and a hard life. Her youth is attested by the fact that she is greatly pregnant; six or more months along. After settling down into an empty place among the council, she motions to several empty seats opposite her.

Once the group has settled, the woman stands up and speaks In the name of the council of Nesting Swallow, I bid you welcome. What brings you to our hamlet?

Hikage steps into the hut only after making sure he's clean and refreshed, his blade polished and his wits about him.

"We are the humble recipients of the Braid of a Hundred Masters, which I'm sure you have at least heard of. We have come a long way, since the Clouded Path Monastery, to search for Master Li Yao's descendant, whom we know is called Je Tsuin. I believe she resides in Nesting Swallow, thus we have come to beseech her aid in reactivating the braid's dormant powers in our search for enlightenment. Is she still among you to this day?"

Did I say anything wrong?

We come in peace and seek this information for good of all.

diplomacy if applicable: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24

Boderus sits down in one of the chairs, throwing his legs over the side. He looks really bored with everything going on and lazily scans the room.

Clair looks mildly annoyed when Boderus sits down next to her. Silently, she moves a bit away from him.

Diplomacy, aid Krux: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

"If you help us, we can also do something for you," she says to the woman.

The woman quietly smiles at Hikage and says “With that in mind, permit me to introduce myself. I am Je Tsun, and the last of Li Yao’s descendants.” She rubs a hand across her swollen belly as she says this and smiles slightly. “At least for now. So, perhaps you look upon me and see the end of a quest. I look upon you, and I see hope. Hope for my village, my family, and our future. You have become familiar with the troubles facing us?”

“Whether you are here in answer to the prayers of our people or simply here at this time by happenstance is beside the point; you are here. And it is within your power to help us. I tell you now, we have little to offer as incentive. This is a poor village even when not beset by misfortunes, and this year has been less fortunate than most. If you can save us from these tengus, we can offer you food, shelter, and whatever other aid we may give you. But as for a reward, the only thing I can offer is that which you came here for in the first place. Defeat our enemies, and I will bring this relic of my ancestor’s to life for you. I am sorry we do not have more to offer than hospitality, but our need remains: will you help us?”

In past seasons, the bandits have always arrived soon after a harvest. After all, there is no point in milking a cow before she calves. The barley crop is ripe; we need to bring it in this week or lose it. Soon after, the crows will descend upon us.

"Help ... Yes."

Yea, that's quite racist of her, isn't it?

The eyes of Boderus focus on the woman and he grins.
"You want us to murder them? That might be within our power."
His mouth widens into a sickening smile.

The samurai nods. "Regardless of our needs, your need is greater now. Allow us to aid you. What can you tell us about these tengus? Where is their base, for example?"

Maldrek put his hand on the handle of the warhammer.
- We are ready to stay here and punish them for breaking the law. But we are not an army or other force to chase them. So, if you are asking us to protect the village for certain time - day, month or year - my answer is yes. If you would like us to get rid of these tengu forever, this is not our fight. Remember, we are just guests in your land and your village might suffer, when Shogun discovers that there are foreign invaders deep in his land, ruling the land by sword and spell.

Killing pack or two will definitely teach those tengus a lesson. Especially, if one or two will escape, spreading the rumor of ghost horse ridden by the horned beast

More bird-men corpses, neat!

"Of course we'll help you," Clair says with a very excited smile. Perhaps a bit too excited.

"Any advice on where to start?"

The Tengu scourge roams the land, and where they nestle is anyone's guess. We expect them to come here, and your best shot at defeating them will be here. We are not warriors, but we will fight. Every able-bodied farmer will stand beside you. We have few true weapons but our farm tools: sickles, pitchforks, and simple spears of sharpened bamboo. If you take charge of our defense, we will be your army. Additionally, we have been preparing defenses for the village; barricades, pits, anything to disable their riders. We will confer with you in detail on this later.

You have several days (you don't know how many) to prepare, with 50 able-bodied men to aid you.

You can decide how to assign the men: there's bringing in the harvest, archery training, combat training, constructing barricades, posting scouts and flooding the fields. All these help in preparing for the defense of the village

Forty thousand ways to die... - the line from one of his rookie's songs popped in his mind, when he looked over people to protect and those to fight along for. Than he took a look at 5 his friends. One to return back and fullfil the mission. That left Pathfinders in one-to-ten ratio with home guards. He took out some of his belongings from the backpack.

- Ok, I believe we have some days to prepare and I think we will need to use all the time and resources we can. I do not have the weapon stock with me, but at least I have this dagger that might come handy. You, - he pointed out young volunteer with curly white hair, - find out seven other swift boys to form a lookout groups. Spread by pairs and depart north, south, east and west. You are scouts, means our eyes. After you see a group of tengus, run here as fast as you can and use this horn to give three long signals. I will enter the battle mounted, but barricades doesn't bother me, so let's have some of them build. Better bringing in the harvest, before flooding the fields. I do not believe we can train good archers in limited time without being great archers ourselves, but if one can lead the squad, I will give you my bow. I will train those who are willing to take spears by myself.

Are we voting? Is there minimum amount of workers to be assigned? Should we lead the activity?
My idea is 8 people scouts, 22 harvest duty, 10 combat training, 10 barricades.
Please, no pits - my moount doesn't air walk till I get 11th lvl.
Weapon available to share: Dagger (extra weapon in pull), composite longbow (STR+3), arrows (20)

"I have a bow one of them may use. I also have some acid and alchemist flasks."
He says with an evil grin.
"Let us barricade the town except for a single space. Lead them through the space into an ambush. Melee goes in the front, archers and alchemist throwers on the rooftop."
He says to the group, thinking out his plan. Turning to the villagers he calls out, his horrible grating voice setting everyone's hackles up.
"What do you have that we can use? Tar? Strong spirits? I don't avoid a fight but if it can be prevented by making them burn alive before they touch us, that would be wonderful."
The last few words he emphasizes, almost sounding evil.

I will focus on the scouts. My skills are mostly sneaking and other dodgy stuff, I think those skills might be very helpful to give them a short briefing. Afterwards I can help with combat training.
22 harvest duty is a bit much I think. I'd rather have 10 of them as archers. A simple bow is easily made and defending from a roof with a bow is very useful.

"I have a bow to lend as well, and I will tend to the training of the archers. Allow me to make a quick selection among those willing to fight, so that we may know who's better suited for archery, for melee, or for stealth. After these trials we can start the proper training." suggests Hikage.

I second the idea to have 10 archers.

Clair thinks for a moment before she decides on how she'll help.

"Hmm... I will help to get the harvest in. The faster we get it in, the faster we free more people up for other tasks. And like Maldrek said, we need to bring in the harvest before we flood the fields."

Actually, there are currently 20 people working on the harvest, and they only become available once the harvest is complete.

A quick inspection learns that only ten of the working men would be any good as archers. Training these men would take about four days to complete by anyone with at least a passing knowledge of combat.

Training archers earns defense points (useful later). Each day gives 1/2 point, to a max of 2. Beyond the four days, further success can be achieved with a craft bows check

A single PC can also instruct 10 men in the art of combat. Each day spent that way earns 1/2 a point, or 1 point if the PC makes a DC 15 intimidate check (You know why (link))

Constructing the barricades requires at least 30 men (and six days). Every additional 10 villagers assigned to this task reduces the days to completion by 2. Likewise, fewer villagers assigned increases the time by 2 days for every 10 villagers fewer than 30 working on it.

A DC 15 Knowledge (engineering) or Profession (woodcutter) check allows 10 villagers to be assigned elsewhere for that day with the same amount of work still being done on the barricade. (Only 10 workers per day may be reassigned in this fashion.) Additionally, if a PC oversees construction each day of work, she may make a single DC 15 Craft (traps) or Disable Device check when the barricade is completed. Success at this check represents traps incorporated into the barricade, such as digging concealed pits or sharpened timbers designed to impale attackers.

Flooding the fields can only be done once the harvest is complete.

Scouting helps gain information on the surroundings. Every five villagers posted in a day increases the awareness of the surroundings. If your scouts are successul (or if a PC scouting is successful), you get an idea of the ETA of the bandits.

Sorry about the lack of focus in information. It's all over the place, and I have to edit somewhat to account for what you are not supposed to know :-/

Krux will oversee the construction of a barricade and requests enough men to complete the task.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20

I forgot the requirements for harvesting:

Each day requires the participation of 20 able-bodied villagers. Every additional 10 villagers doing a day’s work reduces the total number of days before the harvest is completed by 1.

PC Requirements: Harvesting can take place without the PCs’ involvement, but they can speed it up significantly. One harvesting PC counts as 5 farmers. A PC who makes a DC 15 Profession (farming) or Knowledge (nature) check does the work of 10 farmers in a day.

So just to recap:
----
50 villagers
----
20 Harvest (fixed until finished)
30 to be assigned (options: 30 barracks, 10 archer, n x 10 combat, n x 5 scouting, n x 10 harvest, flooding not possible until harvest finished)
---

Possible PC activities:
- Aid harvest
- Train archers (max 1)
- Train in combat (1 per 10 villagers)
- Aid barracks construction (lowers barracks requirements to 20, max 1)
- Scout the area

Does Krux get the villagers he requests?

Lets drop all the resources to harvesting; except 5 scouts and those, who are able to Scout for scouting. As soon as villagers are free to act, we can go on with barricades and other stuff.
Profession and Knowledge checks for DC higher than 10, are not allowed for untrained skills. So most of us are only 5 villagers during the harvesting.
Maldrek has Intimidate & Profession (soldier) to contribute, so he will train melee troops after. Intimidate: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26 (Sergeant Maldrek Methacan, your senior girl instructor)

"Good, build defenses today. Tomorrow I will train men to fight."
Boderus says in response to Krux.
"I will aid the harvest."

That will be 30 men on barracks right? Tomorrow that could be 20?

"I agree, the harvest should be out top priority. I wil help as well" reluctantly agrees the samurai.

"Harvest first," Taicho agrees

I'm going to parse that as 45 villagers on harvest, five on scouting

The adventurers round up the available forces, and spend a full day tending the crops and getting the produce off the land. When the sun sets down, reflecting on a day of hard, the conclusion is that the harvest is finished!

The five villagers sent out to scout return with little to report.
Scouts, Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

A new day breaks, and still no sign of the bandits.

How do you want to spend day 2?

I think the goal is for the focus to remain the same (go all-out on scouting to have as many people available as early as we can. I could be wrong though.

"Now the harvest's all in, shall we go ahead and immediately flood the fields? I imagine such a task won't take more than a day, but I may be mistaken."

My bad, I misread DMK's post. Apologies!

"That would be efficient, but we also need to start training as many recruits as we can, since we can't train as many as we want at the same time."

"Flood Field ... train archers"
Taicho selects 10 villagers for bow training ...

Boderus looks every villages up and down, choosing ten in the end.
"You will join me for combat training, bring what weapons you have."
He says as he flexes his claws.

If everyone agrees of course!

I guess Krux gets his 10 villagers starting day 2. With 20 on the barricade, 10 archers and 10 combat, we have 10 scouting? Unless we want to crash the barricade with another 10 to get it done in just 4 days and have the PCs" scout?

Building the barricades requires 30 villagers minimum
Flooding the fields takes 20 villagers and 2 days, an K(engineering) check may reduce this to 1

---
Day 2
---
Harvest Complete
0 Defense points
---
50 Villagers:
10 Archery
10 Combat training
---
Taicho -> 10 Archers, +0.5 pts (please roll Craft(bows) for additional points)
Boderus -> 10 Combat training, +0.5 pts (Roll intimidate for additional points)
Hikage
Krux
Clair
Maldrek

---
After day 2:
Harvest Complete
1 Defense point
---

After one day without riding, hikage offers to scout on wolf back. He rides out at dawn, enjoying a day in nature with his trusted Yoru as sole companion.
Stealth (Hikage): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Perception (Hikage): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
Stealth (Yoru): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Perception (Yoru): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Boderus tries to intimidate the people he is training, failing miserably and only resulting in creeping them out.

Intimidate: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (8) - 3 = 5

Building the barricades requires 30 villagers minimum

Flooding the fields takes 20 villagers and 2 days, an K(engineering) check may reduce this to 1

I guess that means we have 10 archery, 10 combat, 20 flooding (Anybody else have KE?, and 10 left over to scout?

Craft (Bow) - Untrained: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (1) + 0 = 1