[PFS] GM Lithrac's Thornkeep, part III - The Enigma Vaults (Inactive)

Game Master Cyril Corbaz

The creature known as the Visitant has a sick mind indeed. Not content with killing its prey, it probes the victim's body with its claws, removing organs and studying them briefly before it tosses them out. Its behavior makes you think of it as a mad surgeon or vivisectionist, its gestures being so precise and assured. Fortunately for you, it lingers around Rellen's body a little bit more while his underlings swarm Chasik. No word is uttered, but the claws execute a series of slashes in the air, splashing blood all around. As a result of sorts, the Visitant's gnarly skin seems to harden.

The fiends gather around Chasik, but only the one he hurt before seems to be able to bite and claw at him efficiently, as both other creatures inevitably fail their attacks. The wounded demon bites past the unbreakable warrior's armor, tearing some flesh. 3 damage inflicted.

Initiative order - round 2/3
Knorrin <
Chasik (3 dmg) <
Rellen (dead, -22)
The Visitant
creatures
Floggentop <
Choamski <
Everyone can act!

Choamski lands a well placed shot into the wretched Dretch north of Chasik, despite the cover.

"It just cast barkskin on itself!"

Was Protection Evil cast/used? If so my AC is 25, which the little demon scum missed at :)

Chasik, undeterred by the demon scum in front of him, takes another mighty swing at the little s@*#. In hopes that he can confront the man, demon, thing that killed his friend.

cold iron hammer: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 6 + 1 = 211d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 1 = 4

Natural 20! And you're not supposed to peek over the GM's screen.

no mistrust was meant, I was just wondering how, a lil demon could rip through full plate is all. I peeked in an earlier encounter and found a mistake which saved me 6-7 HP, so I just wanted to make sure I didn't overlook anything again is all. Sorry if I upset you, that was not my intention :) Those points could mean a lot once the BBEG gets near me is all :)

Yes, PfE was cast on Rellen, Chasik, Choamski and myself, in case anyone was still wondering. (I went ahead and just changed my status AC's to reflect it.)

-Posted with Wayfinder

No worries at all! :)

Choamski's bolt pierces the fiend's eye, killing it outright. The dead body immediately disappears as if it had never been there.

Chasik, do you wish to redirect that blow onto another minion? If so, which one?

I will target the dretch diagonal, I put a little square in the one I targeted, make sense?

Chasik lands a soft blow on the dretch. It cackles, apparently taunting the warrior in an abyssal tongue. 4 damage inflicted.

Wizzy and Knorrin are up!

Spear: 1d20 + 3 + 2 - 4 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 3 + 2 - 4 - 4 = 131d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
-4 for cover and -4 for firing into melee.

Knorrin makes a desperate throw of his spear at the wounded dretch, as powerfully as he can...
Probably missed, *sigh*

He then draws his crossbow and moves forward to be in a better position to support Chasik.

Wizzy delays until perhaps healing is needed..

A storm of lashing claws and bites strike at Chasik! The Visitant and the wounded dretch both focus their assault on the unbreakable warrior. The dretch's attacks fail to bypass his defenses, but three of the Visitant's expert strikes penetrate deep within the warrior's flesh and start delving inside, removing organs from its live victim. This provokes an incredible pain for the warrior, who is still conscious due to his amazingly high pain threshold. 45 damage taken and grappled. Three DC 18 Fortitude saves please.

The remaining dretch, seeing its attack can't reach the burly warrior, moves out of reach from Chasik. You may take an AoO against him. Then it casts a spell at Wizzy.

Initiative order - round 3/4
Knorrin <
Chasik (48 dmg, -8, grappled) <
Rellen (dead, -22)
The Visitant
creatures
Floggentop (D) <
Choamski <
Everyone can act!

So it completed ignored the silent image greatsword wielding human that popped up beside it? It has to attack it before it gets a save to disbelieve.. And the dretch is casting a spell at an invisible opponent?

fort: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 221d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 221d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

Knorrin, seeing that the situation is hopeless (probably for himself, as well), makes a run for it.

"To the tunnel!" he yells.
Double move away!

The Visitant seems to have started his live surgical operation by servering some arm muscles from Chasik. 2 Strength damage.

1d20 + 6 + 3 + 2 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 3 + 2 + 5 = 29 - knowledge check on the creature before I run

Choamski double moves.

am I grappled or not?

You are grappled (three successful attempts, as the descriptive text says).

Wizzy moves 30' and Greases the 10' radius inside the dooway, covering Chasik's body, the Vistant and the Dretch standing there.. Hopefully slowing any chase.. This makes him visible.. DC 15 Reflex

Ahhhhhh, screams out Chasik in immense pain he the twisted abomination rips him apart from the inside. The excruciating pain, almost more than he can bear. He is determined to stay alive, the hopes his friends can escape the fate Rellen, and more than likely himself to experience soon.

Run, RUNNNN you fools. No sense in us all dying. Escape while you still can. Don't let Rellen and I die in vein. RUN DAMN IT he yells, almost pleading with his friends.

How does the grapple go, is the DC to escape = to last grapple check, or the CMD of the creature grappling me?

Options: You can attack with a -2, roll a CMB vs. it's CMD to escape, or roll a CMB vs. CMD to reverse the grapple.

Honestly, trying to reverse the grapple might be the best option. It forces it to focus on you. Getting released just means it gets free grab attempts on you (multiple grapple checks around.) You have a +1 from song and bless to that check, on top of your normal CMB check

You were just covered in grease too btw.. So saves have to be made or go prone.. could get lucky..

Thanks for the options, I rarely encounter grapple much when I play...I think reverse the grapple is my best option as well. Wish me luck

Chasik, weighing what few options he has, tries to reverse the grapple. Make the creature focus on him, giving his friends time to run.

You're right Wizzy, the dretch can't see you so it would probably have cast it on the next person, which was Knorrin at the time if I'm not mistaken. I completely forgot you were invisible. As for your illusion, it made a call and went for Chasik since two of its summons were being slaughtered on that front. Moreover, having blindsight means that he knows it wasn't an invisible attacker up until now, thus giving it grounds to disbelieve the illusion. If he didn't disbelieve, it would have given you one more round at best, but since you didn't choose to run in round 2, my guess is that it wouldn't have changed anything in the fight.

Makes sense... Why the -1 Chasik?

Wizzy's spell goes off, and the dretch immediately falls on the slippery ground. The Visitant remains on its feet without much trouble. Its insectoid wings start to whirr...

Amazing! At the gates of death, the valiant and definitely unbreakable warrior manages to get hold of the Visitant, and thus inverse the grapple! The creature's expression is blank, but one need not be a confirmed diviner to feel that the star-traveller is now puzzled by this human who just refuses to die!

Wizzy: The -1 is probably due to the strength damage he just took.

The creature from outer space lashes out against Chasik, definitely upset of being hugged in such a way. Unfortunately, two of its claws burrow into the warrior's flesh to dissect some internal organs with deadly precision, and Chasik has to surrender his last breath... 31 damage taken.

The Visitant releases the body, and its wings stir to life, as it starts flying. The two dretches start running after the party, but the greasy area combined with their slow pace will prevent them from hurting anyone else before they return to the Abyss. Removing them from the board for that reason.

Initiative order - round 4/5
Knorrin <
Chasik (dead, -39, 2 strength damage)
Rellen (dead, -22)
The Visitant
Floggentop <
Choamski <
Wizzy, Choamski and Knorrin can act!

Choamski moves behind the door and readies to close it after the last of his allies is through.

Knorrin hustles out of the room and just making it to the other side of the door, drawing a hammer and a spike from his belt.

Can I share a space with Choamski out of combat? Also, I was thinking I could possibly draw the hammer and spike as if they were "weapon-like objects", one during each phase of movement. But if not, OK.

Wizzy moves out of the door and past his companions.. "Close it!" He pulls 2 scrolls from his pocket and hands 1 one to Choamski.. "That will make you much faster.."

Edit: Stupid personal spells.. He'll hand one to Choamski since he can cast it, but it doesn't matter much since he wont run off nad leave Knorrin.. If they spike the door it shouldnt matter..

Right before Chasik takes his last breath he manages to look back to his friends and tell them RUN, I CAN'T HOLD THIS THING OFF.... At that time his body is shredded to bits, and he goes limp.

Good luck guys. How does pregen credit work. If I had credits applied to him do they die too?

Choamski slams the door shut!

I'm not sure at all Chasik, I'll have to check the PFS guide.

As you close the door, you hear the whirring insectoid wings getting closer, and claws lashing at precisely where you were a mere handful of seconds ago. The creature is on the other side of the door.

Luckily, the Visitant needed a double move to reach the door, so he doesn't have the move action required to open it... yet.

You can act!

Lacking addition means to secure the door... or the strength to hold it closed... Choamski moves out of the way and reads the scroll proffered earlier.

"Uh, I hope somebody has a clever plan...

"My plan is to run like hell if we can't secure this door.."

Knorrin and Wizzy, you're up.

Wizzy will delay to see what Knorrin is gonna do..

Knorrin hammers a piton into the hinge of the door, jamming it.

"Please, friends, cast your spells and run! Someone has to make it out of here alive to warn the town!" Knorrin yells as he does so, then he moves towards the next set of doors.

Assuming it is only a standard action to do so... Unfortunately, though the idea goes back to the "iron spikes" of 1e - and now in the APG and UE as such - the mechanics of doing so aren't described, to my knowledge, beyond the DC to hear it being done.

Hmm... the closest skills to do that would be Disable Device, Craft (Engineering) or maybe Sleight of Hand. I'll ask you a roll in one of those three skills (or a suitable Profession/Craft skill related to hammering or tinkering), DC 10 so you can make this roll untrained. That being said, a door usually opens into a room, with the hinge on the room side. Lastly, the scenario doesn't specify if the doors are made of wood or stone, but I'll assume wood. Roll away!

Wizzy moves 30' to the next set of doors and uses his standard/move to open the next door..

Disable Device or Craft (Engineering), both untrained: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

Under iron spike, it says "This foot-long iron spike is used to keep doors open or closed and to secure ropes for climbing.", so I think it works from either side of the door, essentially. I'd test it out but the wife would probably get mad. :-P

Alright, since it worked I'll "storytell" the end, there's no point in delaying any longer. I like this creative idea by the way, nicely done!

Gazing at the corner of his eyes looking out for shapes that might spring from impossible angles, Knorrin fumbles through his backpack to retrieve a hammer and a couple of nails. He hastily puts them in the wooden door, and it seems his tactics is successful when the door handle moves but the door itself remains in place. Despite increasingly violent thrusts at the door, it holds tight... for now.

Wooden splinters are torn apart from the door, but the Sarenraenite priest and his two last living companions use this short respite to flee from this cursed place, using the tunnel leading all the way up to the surface. Every step is a living nightmare, as the creature known as the Visitant always seem to be at their heels, slashing madly and trying to catch up with the three companions.

Suddenly, a glimmer of hope shines forth for Knorrin, as if Sarenrae herself were sending her cleansing rays to dispel the darkness and the evil of that wretched place. The light ahead is that of the sun, barely stopped by the canopy of the Echo wood at the end of the tunnel. Gasping for breath, their lungs burning with the strain of the effort, the three survivors only stop when they are sure the Visitant has not followed them this far.

In the days to come, they will painfully recall every single moment of this dreadful encounter, waking up from their horrid nightmares only to mourn their lost companions who have taken a macabre place in the Enigma Vaults. As for themselves, they are only too aware of how lucky they are to have escaped such a dire fate...

Unless you plan on heading back inside, this would be the end of the scenario. I'll try to figure out what exp/fame you should be awarded for the parts you cleared. Unfortunately, as far as treasure is concerned, you haven't recovered anything of value in this part. You discovered the vault's treasures and the noqual lode, but didn't take time to take those with you. Most of this level's treasure was located in the Visitant's room, since it had been looted by the cultists, then recovered by the Visitant as he turned them into docile pets... Please let me know if I've forgotten any treasure you've found on this level.

Once they have a chance to stop running, Choamski sits down and rocks himself a bit.

"I thought I had seen it all in Kaer Maga - but that thing - that Mi-go. Creatures from the Dark Tapestry shouldn't be here. Poor Chasik... poor Rellen. The mad designs of a wizard from five thousand years past has left them dead. I must tell the lodge about that thing - the Black Goat, the slaves to that creature."

He looks up at Knorrin and Floggentop. His hair has been shot through with streaks of white.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore. Irez has called upon me to spread knowledge... but I don't know if I can do it anymore when things like that exist. I just want to hide away in a library, hide behind the books. Maybe they would have a place for me in the Scrolls..."

Knorrin, too, stumbles around like a man in a fog, always looking around and over his shoulder. For some time, an insect buzzing by his ear will cause him to draw his scimitar and slash around like a madman, trying to ward off the terrible rending death that is sure to follow.

His first order of business is to make it to the Goldenfire Order, hoping that perhaps together they will have the necessary strength - if joined, too, by the town's leaders, guards, and militias. He had expected to find demons in his struggles, but this was somehow so much worse for it not to have been a demon.

As soon as he can can make it to the nearest lodge, he sends word to any who will listen about Rellen and Chasik's brave fight and terrible fall, seeking to organize a magical retrieval party of some sort. Perhaps teleporting in and then out with the bodies, with the distraction of another force... He knows that but for a few crude iron spikes that he would be back there, too, perhaps with only a semblance of life and now serving the Black Goat instead of Sarenrae.

He also thus seeks to sell all of his belongings but what he started with (and the wand he was given by his faction, which painful rules prevent him from selling) so as to raise the funds for them to be restored to life.

Sorry we can't help with the PP for raise dead or restoration.

After subtracting items used in the scenario, I have 1900 of value in equipment (resold value), leaving some mundane items to restart with.