(PFS) GM Alice's #3-00: First Steps Series [Group 2] (Inactive)

Game Master Alice Margatroid

Unfortunately I did not get a view, it's just that I have got this feeling that we are being watched. I trust my senses, they haven't let me down before.

Let's wait a bit and see if anything happens. If nothing happens we will have lost a couple of minutes. I think it is better to be safe than sorry in my opinion

"Let's all be ready, I'll search for tracks, maybe it left something."

Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

"I saw it. Right over there. Big, black." Balak says. "Ran off when I looked into its eyes."

The big man crosses the log with little effort. He is remarkably nimble for his size. He joins Clacent there and draws his sword.

Hold readied action to attack if anything comes in range while others cross.

Garret says something to his pony in Halfling

Then Garret easily crosses the log. On the other side Garret exchanges his sling for two kama's.

Shivaan nods at Clacent after pointing out the deep rake marks in the carcass. His neck jerks as Balak explains his sighting.

"I..I.. I... don't like cats."

Shivaan is startled at the possibility of being watched, his eyes scan from left to right quickly as he attempts to cross the log.

Using rope tossed by Clacent if possible

Acrobatics: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (17) - 3 = 14

Shivaan wobbles and managed to cross the log, stopping dead in his tracks before bumping into Balak's formidable stature.

"Is the cccat gone Balak? Is it the one Thunderhoof warned us of?"

Reaching into his cloak beyond a tattered shirt, Shivaan gently grasps for something around his neck but finds no object to meet his palm. He mutters in an obscure language as he readies his shield and morningstar.

Edit: Spelling

Clacent carefully moves into the trees where Balak saw the feline, hand on his weapons in case of danger. The beast seems to have left the area, although Clacent thinks he could probably follow where it went, noticing occasional signs of half-indented paw prints or a little bit of black fur here and there. Of course, following it is one thing, but catching up is quite another...

Garret, you'll need to make a Handle Animal check for both to get them to cross the river over the tree log, as well as appropriate Acrobatics checks. Your combat trained pony will do it with a DC 10, but it would be a "push" action (DC 25) for the mule, seeing as how it's not going to want to cross a river like this. I'll give you a +5 circumstance bonus for using the rope to tug it across, but it's still a difficult check. (Of course, you're under no time constraints, so you can take 20 until it follows you. Other people can aid another as well.)

I am going to guess this animal was not killed for food, Clacent." Thayn says walking from the carcass to the back of the mule with bow at the ready "I think he was left as bait."

He walks over to the rear of the the mule and, standing to the side, gives it a slap get it moving across the stream.

Assist Handle Animal: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

"We should not let our guard down, friends. This cat is playing with us.

He follows the party over the river, keeping an eye on the woods.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Garret is struggling with his pony to get him across the stream. The mule clearly hinders thr pony while he is trying to negotiate the treacherous logs.

Suddenly Thayn slaps the reluctant mule across its backside, which gets both the mule and pony moving.

Take 20 handle animal pony = 20 - 1 = 19 = success (>=10)
Take 20 handle animal mule + aid Thayn = 20 - 1 + 2 = 21 = success (>=25-5)
Take 10 Acrobatics = 10 + 10 = 20 = success (>=10)
Hope everything is correct, posting from iPhone

"I think it's the one the Centaurs talked about. It's smart. I think we'll be seeing it again. Probably in the night when it thinks we can't see it." Balak says, continuing to stay on guard.

Valnir carefully crosses the river, keeping an eye out for possible attack. As he plants his feet back on firm ground he draws his dagger in response to his companions conversation.

Take 10 acrobatics = 10 + 1 = 11

While I had hoped to avoid this nuisance all together, if this beast intends to get in our way might it be best to set our own trap? The setback of preparing our own ambush may be less costly than walking into its.

Valnir continues to eye the forest edge, dagger drawn.

Thayn moves to help Garret with his animals--although the reality is more of the reverse, with the skilled woodsman much more proficient with animals than the halfling cook. (Maybe if he was instead dealing with raw steaks instead?) Nester Rees takes his time crossing the fallen log as well, seemingly having a little bit of trouble leaping across the gap and regaining his balance with his cane-assisted movement. In the end, everyone makes it across without any unfortunate dips into the river.

It seems that the feline in the bushes has departed, and there is no sign of it lurking around any longer. It must have not appreciated being spotted.

Ready to move on?

Shivaan releases his tense grip on his morningstar and returns it to his side.

"I agree Valnir, setting a trap would be ideal, however, we should not go out of our way to do so. Perhaps when we sent camp this evening Thayn and Clacent's expertise can help us in this regard."

Shivaan steps forward and turns to the party, "I think we are safe for now friends, time is of the essence and the stars wait for no one."

The stars... how they weigh heavily on Shivaan's mind. He drops his head contemplatively and turns to face halfway forward on the path beyond.

Ready to move on, will travel middle of the group, and, if it's OK with garret, I would like to place my pathfinder's kit on his mule to increase my movement back to base.

"Always keep an eye out."

Clacent will take the lead.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Thanks for the assistance Thayn, I guess I am more accustomed to travelling well maintained roads than this path.

No problem Shivaan, I assume you will remember that it's there?

All ready to move

I believe you are right Shivaan, if everyone is in order we should best keep moving.

No need for appreciation, Garret...Just promise me a demonstration of your skills when we arrive at our next settlement. Thayn says to Garret with an arched eyebrow and slight turn of his mouth that might be seen as a smile.

He takes up station at the rear of the party, watching the woods and keeping a close eye the path behind them.

Balak slowly begins to move as well, but he does not lower his guard.

Perception 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Clacent pulls out the smuggler's map and sets to reorienting himself. As far as he can tell, you are approximately halfway through the forested area that borders the southern edge of the Kortos Mounts; he believes that it would take another day or so of travel to emerge out the other side. With that in mind, the group presses on, paranoid for a sighting of the roving, violet-eyed panther. Nester appears somewhat concerned by the sighting of the beast, and subsequently makes sure to travel in such a way that there are people on either side of him--body shields, perhaps?

You make reasonably good progress through the undergrowth, though are slowed down by yet another river crossing--this one is shallow enough to ford through, at least--and a harrowing half-hour or so spent navigating around a bear busy clearing out a giant honeybee nest. The terrain seems to be gradually becoming hillier as you approach the foothills of the mountain range, forcing you to detour through low gullies or otherwise hike up sometimes not so pleasant slopes. The forest gradually eases its tight formation as well as you pass through many open clearings and many more patches of light filtered down from the canopy. As the sun works its way below the horizon, staining the sky with amber and tangerine, you decide to make camp while there is still light to see by.

Choosing a campsite fortuitously near a large patch of blackberries, the group sets up a campfire and their bedding materials as dusk overcomes the sky.

Let me know of anything you're doing tonight, or if your watch schedule differs from what it was the day before.

Shivaan removes his pathfinder's kit from Garret's mule, thanking the animal with a pat on the neck.

"I'm about ready to settle in for the evening gentlemen. Perhaps continuing our watch rotation from last night would suffice?"

Shivaan sits in a meditative pose on his outstretched bedroll, rocking slightly. After half a minute, he raises his head.

"May the night be free of violet eyes."

Rummaging through his kit, Shivaan pulls some dried fruit rations and chews them with a pleased grin. Between bites he asks the party

"Are these berries edible? The taste of wild, fresh fruit would be truly satiating."

I am fine with continuing watch order as before and for the rest of our adventure if nobody else objects.

Garret takes care of his pony and mule and then starts cooking dinner.

I agree Shivaan, the watch schedule was fine last night. Let's keep it like this for the rest of this trip.

Profession (Cook): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

That turned out rather well...

After dinner Garret sits by the fire.

Does anyone have a clue what kind of cat that was? I have heard tales that there are many species of cats, what could this one be?

"I don't really know what kind exactly, but one thing I know for sure is it's a really smart one. You guys need to rest, I'll take watch for now."

If my watch is uneventful,

"Don't hesitate to wake me up if you guys sense danger."

As the party sets camp, Thayn walks the perimeter of the clearing, keeping a look out for signs of the large cat or any other predators while attempting to gather an edible meal.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14
Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Returning to the group, he looks at Shivaan's out stretched hand and examines the berries.

Knowledge(Nature): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

"I am fairly certain those are blackberries, Shivaan. I will wake all before daybreak as before."

The party partakes of the blueberries and busies or amuses themselves through the evening before taking to their tents and bedrolls. Thayn is able to find a source of chestnuts buried by a squirrel to roast on the campfire, as well as the blueberries and a bit of leftover rabbit meat from the night before to fill his stomach. He scopes out the edge of the camp before heading to bed, but finds nothing otherwise dangerous. Clacent takes the first watch, followed by Valnir, but each have nothing to report. Third watch falls to the cleric Shivaan, and he spends much of his time in prayer to a mysterious deity from beyond the stars...

Shivaan's watch is mostly silent, the cleric taking up a point on a log on the far side of the fire that allows him to see over the rest of the camp. He twitches at even the faintest of rustles in the darkness, relying on his ears more than the dim light provided by the embers of the dying campfire. The moon makes its slow passage across the sky, and all seems well... until all of a sudden, there is a great yowl as a black, earless, panther-like beast leaps from the undergrowth and launches itself at the nearest sleeping body.

Thayn lets out a great shout of pain as he feels sharp teeth sink into his leg through his bedroll, abruptly waking him from his sleep. (You take 3 damage.) Thank goodness for the bedroll softening the blow!

Shivaan is quick to get to his feet and shout a warning, but the rest of the camp, rudely awakened, stumble around in their tents and sleeping bags, trying to make sense of what is going on. But there's no time for complaining when a beast of this sort is amongst your ranks!

Initiative: Shivaan | Clacent | Panther | Valnir | Garret | Thayn | Balak

Current Map

Light
Currently the only light source is the campfire, which is mostly embers at the moment. The campfire provides normal light in a 10-ft. radius around it (as shown by the yellow ring), or 20-ft. radius if you have low-light vision (as shown by the pinkish ring). The rest of the area is considered dim light. If you have darkvision, you can see fine, of course.

Dim Light:

In an area of dim light, a character can see somewhat. Creatures within this area have concealment (20% miss chance in combat) from those without darkvision or the ability to see in darkness. A creature within an area of dim light can make a Stealth check to conceal itself. Areas of dim light include outside at night with a moon in the sky, bright starlight, and the area between 20 and 40 feet from a torch.

Terrain
The areas with trees on the map have heavy undergrowth.

Trees & Heavy Undergrowth:

A creature standing in the same square as a tree gains partial cover, which grants a +2 bonus to Armor Class and a +1 bonus on Reflex saves.

Heavy undergrowth costs 4 squares of movement to move into and provides concealment with a 30% miss chance (instead of the usual 20%). It increases the DC of Acrobatics checks by 5. Heavy undergrowth is easy to hide in, granting a +5 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks. Running and charging are impossible.

Status
Balak: Prone
Clacent: Prone
Garret: Prone
Nester: Prone
Thayn: 7/10 hp; Prone
Valnir: Prone

Just to remind everyone about how I run initiative, I will work it in blocks. All characters that act before the enemy will take their actions in any order, followed by the enemy's turn. After that, every character can act in any order, alternating with the enemy.

Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

Valnir jumps at the alarm of both Shivaan yelling and Clacent screaming out in pain. He looks around taking in the situation then fixes his gaze on the jungle cat.

At his first opportunity Valnir moves his hands in a rythmic fashion while murmuring an ancient tongue.

Valnir's action will depend on the current position of the beast. If a cone attack will include his allies Valnir will case Ray of Frost. If a cone attack will only hit the beast, without harming an ally or their gear he will cast burning hands. Valnir will move into range if needbe, but will stay at max distance and near an ally if possible.
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After a moment Valnir points at the beast shooting a Ray of Frost from his fingertip.

Ray of Frost (Touch Attack): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Damage (Ray of Frost): 1d3 ⇒ 1
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After a moment Valnir pushes both hands in the direction of the cat, palms forward as a wave of fire bursts forth from them.

Damage (Burning Hands): 1d4 ⇒ 4
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Not sure exactly how to format this, since I don't know exactly how the board will be laid out when my block comes up. If I need to change my approach let me know.

Reposting a question from the other group here, in case it's useful:

Standing up from prone is a move action, and moving out of the tent would also be a move action of some sort, just treat it as moving a normal distance from the square that you're in.

I presume your weapons are near where you sleep, so you can pick up a weapon with a move action as well.

Also note that you may or may not have armor on, depending on what your character would do. Sleeping in medium or heavy armor incurs the usual fatigued penalty for doing so.

Valnir, your questions are exactly why I use block initiative. All characters BEFORE the enemy (Shivaan and Clacent) should post their actions, but everyone else should probably wait because your actions may be contingent on what the enemy does on its turn.

"Arise friends, a beast is in our midst! Let us get a better look at this vile creature!"

Shivaan, reeling from witnessing the pounce on Thayn during his watch, moves with his morningstar at his waist and armor donned. He strides behind Thayn (Area H12), touching his wooden shield with a light spell and postures defensively, illuminating the forest surrounding the creature.

"What manner of animal hunts our pack, on its own?! Great Ones, I beseech you, is this your will for us?"

So this is block initiative, hmm I think I like this one better.

Round 1

"Whoah?!! This beast caught us unprepared!"

Clacent doesn't have his armor on as it is not his watch.

Clacent will stand up and go to H-14 with his greatsword ready.

Initiative: Valnir | Garret | Thayn | Balak | Shivaan* | Clacent* | Krenshar*

* = Round 2

Current Map

Light
There's normal light in a 20-ft. radius around Shivaan, and dim light in a further 20-ft. radius.

Status
Balak: Prone
Clacent: Frightened (4 rounds)
Garret: Prone
Nester: Prone
Thayn: 7/10 hp; Prone
Valnir: Prone

Krenshar: Partial cover and concealment with a 30% miss chance.

OOC
Shivaan, you may have been sitting or standing, but let's say you were standing or maybe had enough time to stand up (everyone else had time to wake up, after all). :)

Shivaan alerts the camp and turns his shield into a very effective torch, illuminating the attacking beast as Clacent grabs his sword and moves closer, albeit cautiously. Everyone can see it clearly now: it certainly looks like a panther, with a sinuous and lithe body and fur the colour of charcoal, but with vibrant purple eyes that shine with surprising intelligence. As you watch it, the beast snarls, the skin on its face twitching quite unnaturally before all of a sudden peeling back over itself to reveal the flesh and bone beneath. It lets out a keen, high-pitched screeching, fixating its violet eyes on Clacent's own... the ranger feels his courage flee him, revolted and terrified by the bizarre and horrifying display.

Clacent Will Save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11 You are frightened for 1d4 ⇒ 4 rounds.

The krenshar then turns and dashes back into the undergrowth, although you can still catch sight of it behind the trees on the edge of Shivaan's light source. It does not seem to be running away, though, for its violet eyes are firmly fixated upon the group...

GM, I searched the meaning of frightened condition and it was saying that I shall do everything to flee, so do I use all my actions to just run away from the krenshar?

The way I interpret frightened is basically that you would keep away from the krenshar, although not running off into the woods level (that's more like panicked). More like, you'd definitely keep a good distance away from it, maybe fight defensively/total defense, and if it approached you, your action should be to get the heck away from it.

Got it, well my future actions would be to just stay in my spot and total defense. That sucks lol

You hear stumbling in Garrets tent

Move action 1: stand up from prone (probably more like crouching in a tent)
Move action 2: pick up a kama

"GRAAAA! Thayn roars in pain and frustration for being caught off-guard. He springs to his feat from his bedroll with his bow at the ready and fires an arrow at the beast.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Damage (if a hit): 1d8 ⇒ 3

After hastily releasing his arrow, he drops the bow in preparation for his next move.

GM A, where are the pony and mule on the map?

Valnir is awoken by the screams of Shivaan and Clacent. Hurriedly, he attempts to prepare himself for the fight.

Move action 1: stand from prone
Move action 2: equip dagger

" Hold your ground Clacent, remain vigilant!"

Shivaan dashes by Clacent with quick words of encouragement, foolishly separating himself from the group (Area K17).

Shivaan raises his hands to the sky and looks upward in a whimsical channel, with intent on harming the foul beast. His arms wave in twisted contorted movements while he yells in a strange language in a voice nearly not of his own.

Removing Clacent, Thayn, and Valnir from area of effect, selective channel.
Whimsical Dice Determination: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Dice total unaffected.
Damage Dice: 1d6 ⇒ 2
Creature takes half of dice roll in damage (1 negative, no save), and must make a DC 16 Will Save or become confused (Madness Variant Channel). Channel resistance applies.

EDIT: Updated according to gameplay post for GM Alice :)

Thayn, I totally forgot about them! Let's say they're down to the south-west of the campfire (around E-15, say).

EDIT: Hey, Shivaan, would you mind giving me a quick run-down of how your channeling works in the OOC discussion thread? No complaints per se, just never seen the stuff you're using before.

Balak is up and out of his bedroll in a flash. He moves towards the creature cautiously, looking at it intently.

Get up and move to J14

Initiative: Valnir | Garret | Thayn | Balak | Shivaan* | Clacent* | Krenshar*

* = Round 3

Current Map

Status
Clacent: Frightened (3 rounds)
Thayn: 7/10 hp

Krenshar: 1 damage. Confused (1 round).
Partial cover and concealment with a 30% miss chance.

The party pulls themselves out of their bedrolls and reaches for their weapons, eyeing up the krenshar for their next move. Thayn attempts to sink an arrow into its side, but his shot simply injures a tree instead. Balak eyes the krenshar warily and moves in front of Clacent, who seems to be weak in the knees.

After the terrifying screeching, the pony and mule started to whinny in fear, bucking and tugging at their tether. Nester moves out of his tent and hobbles over to them, trying to calm them down. "I'll take care of these two... you deal with... with whatever that is!!"

Shivaan steps to the south and shouts in a bizarre, alien language; despite how strange his actions are, they seem to be working, as the krenshar yowls in pain and begins rocking back and forth, its purple eyes seeming defocused. It slashes at the empty air and yowls pitifully.

I rolled 'Deal damage to self with item in hand', but since the krenshar has no items, it defaulted to babbling incoherently. Heroes are up!

Garret picks up his other kama and gets out of his tent. He moves to stand in between Balak and Thayn.

Thanks Nester!

Move action 1: pick up second kama (dual wielding 2 kamas now)
Move action 2: move to I13

Thayn reconsiders his move to drop his bow and recovers it from his feet. He fires at the beast again, while backing up to the near the mule.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Damage (if a hit): 1d8 ⇒ 2

Move to F15.

Balak takes advantage of the creature's confusion and launches himself at it, trying to grab it about the neck.

Grapple 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

The confusion of the situation finally gone Valnir readies himself to do battle with the beast.

Move to H12

With a wave of his hands and a few ominous words an icy blue beam bursts from Valnir's hands heading for the Krenshar.

Ray of Frost (Touch Attack): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21
Damage (Ray of Frost): 1d3 ⇒ 2
Confirm Crit: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
Extra dmg if Crit: 1d3 ⇒ 2

I assume I am starting round 3? Just making sure I'm following the flow correctly with this initiative style.

The yowl of the creature shakes Shivaan out of half delirium. Out of the corner of his eye he witnesses Balak's statuesque figure embracing the horrid creature. Arrows fly from Thayn's bow and the air chills Shivaan as he moves by as blue energy pours forth from Valnir. Noticing Garret poised with his kamas, Shivaan raises his hand, blessing the party. He then strides headstrong into the jungle and yells:

Cast bless on the party and move through the bush to Square M13. Everyone has +1 Attack and Dmg rolls, as well as +1 to saves from fear.

"You will not escape this onslaught, fiend! Garret, now is the time, strike true!"

Round 2

Clacent is still scared like a little girl.

"Get that thing off me??!!"

Round 3

Clacent gaining a little confidence, shouts to everybody,
"I have a potion if someone needs it as long as you get that beast off me!"

Initiative: Valnir | Garret | Thayn | Balak | Shivaan* | Clacent* | Krenshar*

* = Round 4

Current Map

Status
Bless ~ Everyone receives a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls and against fear effects. (10 rounds)

Balak: 10/11 hp
Clacent: Frightened (2 rounds)
Thayn: 7/10 hp

Krenshar: 3 damage.
Partial cover and concealment with a 30% miss chance.

OOC
Yep, Shivaan, it's round 3 for you, although I don't think there will be a point that it's important that you're at the top of round 3 whereas Balak is at the bottom of round 2. Just trying to emphasise that we're still going in normal rounds order, just pausing for player input at different moments.

By the way, remember that the undergrowth takes 4 squares (20 ft.) of movement for every square (5 ft.) moved. So the furthest you could get with a move action is M-15 (5 ft. diagonal + 25 ft. second diagonal). If you don't want to be there, you can change your position in your next post.

Valnir, fyi, you did not crit because of the soft cover from standing behind Thayn. I'm not sure if soft cover is in the Beginner Box rules, so if you're not familiar with it, poke me on the OOC chat and I'll explain. :)

Valnir - Concealment (miss on 1-30): 1d100 ⇒ 69

Taking advantage of the krenshar's confused state, Valnir fires off a shimmering ray of chilling magic that strikes the krenshar the side and leaves behind a small patch of matted, frozen fur. Garret snags his second kama and joins the others on the edge of the trees, while Thayn attempts to fire another arrow that goes completely wide (in fact, he's pretty sure it shot off in the opposite direction--at least nobody saw in the dark!).

Balak launches himself through the shrubbery and tries to get a hold of the krenshar, but even in its confused state it is wily and slippery and wriggles out of his grasp. Shivaan whispers a prayer to his God beyond the stars before joining Balak in the undergrowth. Clacent, meanwhile, remains back with his tail between his legs (figuratively speaking).

The krenshar snarls at Balak as he attempts to grapple it, lashing out at him in retaliation. He manages to avoid the worst of it, but catches the edge of the beast's claws on his forearm, scraping a thin line down it. (You take 1 damage.)

Very nice, heavy undergrowth and speed 20 :-(

Garret struggles to get through the undergrowth. His progress to the beast is clearly hindered by the combination of his short legs and the large bushes.

Move action 1&2: Move to K12

Thayn fires one more arrow before dropping his bow and retrieving the Centaur's long spear from the mule.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
Damage (if hit): 1d8 ⇒ 1

All good on the soft-cover, I've been reading up on the resource site to fill in gaps. Thank you though.

As Valnir stares at the barely visible form of the beast his dagger flies from his hand, seemingly of its own volition. The dagger sets a straight course for where the beast lay...

Hand of the Apprentice: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Dmg if hit: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Was that an Attack of Opportunity? Balak has Improved Grapple and doesn't take AoOs from grappling.

Balak continues to try to get a grip on the beast. "Someone get behind it. I'll try to drag it to the fire."

Grapple 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

Shivaan draws his morningstar and continues to wade through the thick bush, his shield lighting the undergrowth and casting ominous shadows as Balak wrestles with certain danger.

Move action draw morningstar, move action to get to M13.

"Quickly now! Bring this beast to it's knees!"