[PFS] GM Socrates Presents Heroscapers Unite

Game Master Ietsuna

Sorry for the delay everyone, had family visiting through Sunday night, a full Tuesday night, and then had some other family come in on Wednesday night, so Monday night was my only night alone with my immediate family. Y'all have been doing an awesome job of posting in a timely manner; I'm sorry I haven't done the same.

I chose to join up to meet new comrades, explore new places, and find lots of stuff.

Janira gives Makolen a friendly smile. "You picked the right guild if that's what you're looking for!"

"What does Shaine think the significance of the full moon is? The tide? Religion? The ability to frolic outdoors at night?"

"We're pretty sure it's not lycanthrope, if that's what you're thinking. But we don't know what the significance is. That's why we're going!" She says, continuing her smile.

"If you haven't already guessed, I'm Varisian, but I'm nothing like the thieving con man stereotype. I'd rather not talk about where I grew up though."

Janira just nods, eyes searching Zemeri's expression for a moment before moving on.

Call me old fashioned, but I'd like to right some wrongs, if I can. And I want to see the world, too, or at least to see some of it.

I grew up in Remington, a little village near the road to Diobel. It's closer to Diobel than it is to Absalom, really, but it's not quite on the road. It's far away and lonely, so here we are!

"I'm glad you're with us, Easy. You remind me of my gram in all the best ways. At the same time you also remind me of some other archers I've seen around the lodge; I'm looking forward to getting to know you better."

I grew up in Varisia near Korvosa. My mother was Varisian Wanderer and her tribe took me in after she died. Although they are mostly known as travelling performers, some of the Varisians are adept fighters. I was in the charge of one of those fighters and she taught me what I know today. She taught me that size and brute force aren't the only ways to win a fight but that motion and agility can be powerful also. Do gillmen normally inhabit caves?

"Ooh, that sounds like an exciting life!

After a few minutes more of preparation Janira leads you out into the streets of Absalom, across town, and out into the Cairnlands!

On the way out of town, she pauses near a market, "If you don't have a journal or paper to take notes, you might want to get one! Don't forget the motto is explore, report, cooperate!"

--

As she leads you through the Cairnlands she points out ruined siege towers from the many failed assaults on Absalom. The first night you have the opportunity to swap stories and bond further.

--

The next morning she leads you out of the sun, into the thicker vegetation of the woods. She pulls out a silver compass with the Pathfinder symbol on it and says "I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confrmation. Should we be successful on our journey, you will get your own as well. We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead..."

I may not get the next post up as soon as I would like, so if you're reading this and I haven't posted yet, feel free to Role-Play some character interaction on the journey

As Janira points out the way and then hesitates to consult her wayfinder, you hear wolves growling nearby.

Please position yourselves in your preferred arrangement within the big red box. You can find a link to the map (editable with the Google Slides app if you are on mobile) right beneath my name on this post.

@Jagher/Isaac Hatton: I don't see your character sheet in your profile, so I don't know what to roll for your initiative, or anything else about your character for that matter. Could you put it in whatever profile you'll be posting from?

You look around and see them approaching you; a dark furred one coming from the southwest and a light furred one coming from the north. Their yellow eyes glow with hunger as they eye you eagerly.

Janira draws a whip and cheers you on "Let's work together. We'll show these wolves what the Pathfinder spirit is truly capable of!"

Initiative Order
Janira
Makolen <= Up
Zemeri <= Up
Dahlia <= Up
Grayson <= Up
Easy <= Up
Wolves

Notes: Inspire Courage is active! You all gain a +1 competence bonus to attack and weapon damage rolls, and +1 morale bonus on saves against fear.
You may post a full round worth of actions.
I will resolve all actions in the order of initiative or in the order the post was made, depending on whatever is simplest.
If you have not posted by the time I am ready to post again, I will bot your character and post for you.
Remember that drawing a weapon or an item is a move action. Characters with a base attack bonus of +1 or higher can draw a weapon while moving.

Makolen draws a kama in each hand and moves toward the southwest to attempt a flanking move on the wolf to the west. He will attack with flurry of blows.

Makolen thinks back to the fine food at the Pig's Paunch and says to himself, "That may have been my last good meal for a while but if we keep running into game like these wolves then we should be ok."

I'll be at summer camp with my boys this week and I should get cell service but just in case I can't I wanted you to know. If I can't post as much as needed feel free to bot me as you see fit.

Makolen, there is a map where you can move your token. In future, please move it yourself or explicitly ask another player to move it for you. :) In this case I moved you up to your move speed. Drawing your weapons was your other action for this round.

Sorry I misunderstood the comment about the red box. I thought we were confined to the red box and were setting the marching order. Am I to assume each box is 10 feet? Also I did move my figure but only within the red box however I may have not saved the move.

ah, I understand the confusion. The red box represents where you *start*. Once you are up to act you can move out of it. And each square is 5'

Thank you.

So I moved a little bit inside the red box before my turn. Was I not supposed to do that?

you did what I told you to when I said "Please position yourselves in your preferred arrangement within the big red box." Maybe it would have been less confusing if I had left your tokens on the side of the map.

Dahlia puts a hand on Easy's shoulder saying, "Be careful old lady." As she says this she casts Guidance on Easy (giving her a +1 competence bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. Easy must choose to use the bonus before making the roll to which it applies).

There is a tremor in her own voice as she speaks. She is not one used to combat.

With that she steps up behind Makolen so that his broad frame is squarely between her and the western wolf.

Grayson tilts his head to either side, a loud pop is audible as he cracks his neck in anticipation. Pulling readying his shield and axe, he moves to intercept the wolf coming from the southwest. Putting himself between the wolf and zemeri and Janira.
"Let's get this party started shall we?"

Zemeri quickly realizes the wolves are out of range of her magic. She retrieves her morningstar and steps back apace so that she is not in the direct path of the eastern wolf and the beefier members of the group are in the way. Her fingers fidget on the morningstar. Once a wolf is in range she's ready to cause it some fear. She locks eyes with the eastern wolf staring down a warning.

(I'm having issues editing the map on my phone. If someone could move Zemeri so she's between Grayson and Easy that'd be phantasmagorical)

Easy nods slightly as she receives the boon from her friend. Now it's time for business.

She shifts her feet where she stands and lets an arrow fly at the western wolf. Her base attack gets a +6; now she gets an additional +2:
Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

If it hits, it does Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4 piercing damage.

Oops! That's 5 damage, or 6 if the "Competence" bonus from Dahlia gives an additional point of damage on top of the bonus point of damage from Janira.

if the "Competence" bonus from Dahlia gives an additional point of damage on top of the bonus point of damage from Janira.

Nope.

[ooc] I can't get the map to load on my phone so I don't know where I'm at. Please let me know when I'm in range to make an attack. [ooc]

If you haven't yet, check out the Google Slides app. It makes interacting with the map much easier.

Makolen moves himself into position, weapons drawn. Zemeri draws her weapons in preparation. Dahlia shares a spell with Easy and moves behind Makolen. Grayson readies his own weapons, while Easy takes a shot at the western wolf.

The wolves close in on Makolen and Grayson. They each snap their jaws but catch only empty air.

Janira begins sharing an inspiring story about Selmius Foster racing against a marid and efreeti on the isle of Jalmeray.

Initiative Order
Janira
Makolen <= Up
Zemeri <= Up
Dahlia <= Up
Grayson <= Up
Easy <= Up
Wolves

@Grayson/Marty: You said Southwest but moved towards the North. I'm going off what you did on the map rather than what you described.

@Easy/ds3272: Your current position gives the wolf cover against your attack since I can find *a* line from *one* of the corners of your square to *one* of the corners of the wolf's square that goes right through a tree. Rather than assume, I'll let you decide if you'd rather move to another position. To see the position of the wolf as of your last post, go to the map and click
file -> version history -> see version history
then select "EASY LOOK HERE" from the menu on the right. It is just a snapshot in time so you can't edit it, but it will show you where you could have moved to avoid the cover.
I will wait to resolve the attack until your next post since it won't drop the wolf either way.

Also, regarding bonus types and stacking, bonuses of the same type do not stack. Dodge bonuses are the one and only exception that I know of. So the Guidance bonus does not stack with the Inspire Courage bonus.

Aha! Thank you. Yes, that little thing does appear to be a tree trunk. I'd like to slide forward 15', to the top left corner of the red box. That should give me a clear shot. Thank you for the opportunity.

Yep sorry I confused myself with the directions.
Grayson steps to place himself more directly in the wolf's way. Swiping with his axe at the same time.
Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Dahlia cringes as the wolf lunges forwards and then jumps when its teeth slam shut, spraying saliva on Makolen. Getting closer to this beast was clearly a mistake.

With that thought, Dahlia takes a five foot step away from the fracas, and steeling herself she glares at the gray wolf giving it the ol' evil eye. This breaks the wolf's will causing it -2 to attack rolls, and then she breaks into a cackle at the thought that she has gained this power to affect man and beast alike (wolf rolls a DC 15 will save, the condition lasts 2 rounds on a success, or 9 rounds *gasp* on a fail).

Back in time
Easy's arrow punches in to the wolf's side, and it gives out a yelp. It snarls before coming closer...

Present moment
Initiative Order, ROUND 2
Janira
Makolen <= Up, will be botted
Zemeri <= Up, will be botted
Dahlia
Grayson
Easy <= Up, will be botted
Wolves

Grayson slashes at the wolf with his axe, but he can't quite connect.

Dahlia uses her witchly powers to curse the gray wolf. Its eyes roll back in its head as it seems to shrug off the worst of the effect.

[BOTTING]
Makolen slashes at the wolf with his pair of kamas. It yelps as the first blow connects, but it avoids the second.
kama, flurry of blows, inspired: 1d20 + 3 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 3 - 1 + 1 = 23 GM says HIT and critical threat!
kama, flurry of blows, inspired: 1d20 + 3 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 - 1 + 1 = 5 GM says MISS
kama, confirm critical threat on first attack: 1d20 + 3 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 3 - 1 + 1 = 11 GM says this is not a confirmation of the critical
slashing damage, inspired: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

I try to avoid using spell slots when botting unless explicitly spelled out in the Bot Me block of a profile, but Zemeri stated in her last post that she would be casting cause fear.
Zemeri murmurs a prayer to the gods and directs her focus on the white wolf. It begins whining and runs away with its tail between its legs.

Easy notches another arrow, directing it at the gray wolf she hit before. The arrow plunges into the wolf's other side and it howls in pain. It seems to be barely hanging on.
longbow, attack, point blank shot, inspired: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 6 + 1 + 1 = 23 for piercing: 1d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 1 = 5
[/BOTTING]

Despite its pain, the gray wolf doesn't give up on the fight, opting instead to bite at Makolen again. But yet again it catches only empty air.

Janira finishes her story about Selmius Foster's race on the isle of Jalmeray against a marid and efreeti "... so you see, nothing is truly impossible and every situation can end in victory!" Then she offers some specific encouragement. "Good job keeping that wolf off our backs, Grayson. Nice thinking Zemeri! A well-timed spell can be the difference between triumph and disaster. Nice shot, Easy! ..." Etc.

Initiative Order, ROUND 3
Janira
Makolen <= Up
Zemeri <= Up
Dahlia <= Up
Grayson <= Up
Easy <= Up
Wolves

Easy calmly draws another arrow and fires it at the approaching wolf. She sees it's almost finished and isn't concerned about her own safety.
Attack: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 6 + 1 + 1 = 25

If that hits, it does Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5.

edit: the wolf approaching from the left, of course.

Easy's arrow slays the last wolf.

Another post incoming.

Janira claps her hands. "Congratulations on your first battle together. Very well done, team! No time to dilly-dally; we need to keep moving if we're going to reach the caves by dusk. If we don't get there tonight, we might miss the gillmen."

As you continue to make your way through the wilderness, you seem to come across obstacle after obstacle; fallen trees, overgrown shortcuts, etc.

Everyone please attempt a Survival check to see if you can speed things up and find a more effective route.

For an old girl from the wilderness, Easy is surprisingly poor at survival.

Survival: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 2

Edit: Hah! See?

Makolen attempt a survival role. I'm not sure if I'm doing this right but here goes.

Survival: 1d20 ⇒ 1

You rolled a 1, so clearly you did it wrong. :) Your wisdom modifier applies to your Survival skill. If you look at my character sheet, you will see I have the skill checks with their bonuses (or penalties) all laid out. Makes it easier to check quickly.

Grayson huffs his chest out as the wolf runs away, clearly convinced that the wolf ran away because of him, not because of a magic spell that was cast behind him.
Survival: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

Dahlia tries to make a fast quip about the wolf fight, but finds that her nerves are so high from her first battle that her mind has gone blank. Instead she just titters sheepishly.

survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

Look! It's a path! Or is that the way we came from?

As everyone else stumbles through the brush unsure where to go...

BOTTING ZEMERI
Survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

... Zemeri perks up and finds a shortcut.

Soon you come out of the forest into a wide clearing. On the other end of the clearing is a steep cliff about 30 feet tall covered in vines. "Ah-ha!" Janira exclaims. "The cave is just behind those vines. We've made it!" She pulls back some of the vines to reveal a crack in the cliff. "This is where I saw the Gillmen go in."

As she points at the crack, you hear a loud crashing echoing through the forest, followed by the sounds of little creatures fleeing in terror through the brush. "Quick, take cover before whatever that is spots us!" Janira shouts, but it's too late. A Minotaur, eight feet tall, steps into the clearing, wielding a tremendous axe. It spots you and roars in outrage.

"You'll have to explore the caves without me. Take this bag," she says, tossing her bag into the cave "and finish your mission. I'll lead it away and lose it in the forest, then make my way back to you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!" She casts a spell and darts off towards the Minotaur, then veers away from it towards the woods.

What do you do?

Makolen is torn between following Janira or entering the cave as instructed, but he decides to go inside.

Hopefully Janira will evade the beast.

As Makolen enters the cave he readies his kamas for anything that might be lurking in the darkness.

Grayson stares at where Janira disappeared into the forest. Clearly conflicted over whether to follow.
"She seemed confident, let's go"
He grabs equips his shield and axe and using his axe he creates an opening in the vines, peering inside he steps in, shield in front. Feeling around with his feet in the darkness for the bag.

Easy does not hesitate to follow orders and stay on her mission. Bow in hand, she silently parts the vines - just a little bit, on account of her small size - and steps into the darkness beyond.

Oh lord...the nuts running the nut house...we're all going to die...

At this thought Dahlia bursts into a shrill cackle which she tries to cut off as quickly as it started.

Oops...hope we're not trying to be stealthy.

Dahlia follows her brawny companions into the cave. If it starts to get dark rather than just dim, she will sit down cross-legged on the cave floor and start the near impossible task of lighting her candle with flint and steel. "ah...just a sec"

Zemeri having dispatched of the wolf follows the others in. She is quiet for the moment, listening carefully. The Minotaur implied this place was important enough to be guarding. She wanted to make sure they were not caught unaware from an ambush.

I need to remember that I can make a post for one of my games even when I don't have time to make a post for all of them. It's almost criminal that I've kept you all hanging so long when the next post is relatively short.

As you move into the caves, you see the minotaur turn and follow Janira into the trees. The noise of the chase fades into the distance as you make your way into the caves.

The caves are damp*. You can hear water dripping from stalactites and the distant rushing of underground streams. The caves’ walls are patterned with blue-green luminescent fungi that provide dim light*.

Petroglyphs—most depicting marine animals or spiral shapes—periodically decorate the tunnels’ walls. The rough surface of the carvings provides a natural platform for the fungi, causing it to grow thicker and making the carvings glow slightly brighter than their surroundings

The tunnel you travel through is 7' to 10' tall and varies in width from 3' to 10' feet. After twisting and turning for several hundred feet, you come to a place where the tunnel opens out to 10' for a steady stretch. A 10' pit, 10' deep, spans the width of the tunnel, and you see a small bundle of cloth at the bottom of the pit.

*Damp: The DC of all Acrobatics checks increases by 2
*Dim Light: Creatures within this area have concealment (20% miss chance in combat) from those without darkvision or the ability to see in darkness.

Survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Zemeri glances around furtively. She whispers "If we want more light, I have a couple ways to make that happen. I can make a rock glow. Of course, it'll also mean we could lose some stealth. I can't see all that well in this mushroom light and I'd like to not trip and break my brains open, so I vote for light." She picks up a rock and waits to hear if there others agree

Survival: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

"I vote for light. I can't see a thing in here."

Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Well, I can't see anything in here, and I don't know how much good we'll be able to do stumbling around in the dark.

What is that down there? Rags?

survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

"Well...there's a pit in the way. Guess we gotta turn around and go home. At least no one can say we didn't try."

With that Dahlia roots around in her enormous bag once more. Pulls out a pewter flask and takes a sizeable pull from it.

Dahlia will happily cast guidance on anyone who wants to make a skill check to try and perceive what's going on in the pit, or to make a climb check, or any other skill check. This gives a +1 bonus to their roll.

Meanwhile Dahlia will give a light tug on her hood. Tulip's small feathered head pokes out from between its layers. Dahlia feeds Tulip a cricket and then sends her on a scouting mission down into the pit, and then 60' farther down the cave using empathic link to garner what information she can about what dangers lie ahead. Tulip will then return and perch on Dahlia's shoulder.

Tulip's Stealth: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25
Tulip's Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

Zemeri nods and the rock begins glowing, emanating light like a torch.

"I'll have to recast in 10 minutes. I hope we're not engaged in a fight when we need to. Of course, we may also be served better if I make something that doesn't need to be carried glowing. Of course, it'll make you a target. Until someone volunteers, I'll hold onto the rock and be ready to hide it if something comes."

She scans the others and the cave as the glowing rock bounces shadows across her face.

The cloth appears to be some kind of cloak. The bottom of the pit is smooth enough (no spikes) but it is 10' deep, so falling in is still an injury hazard.

The most immediately relevant thing Tulip finds further down the cave are some long wooden planks around the corner on the other side of the pit.

There's nothing else of interest in the next 60'.

"Makolen, think I can lower you down there? Then you can catch everyone as I lower them down to you? If we hang from the edge it's only a couple foot drop. Unless anyone can fly that I don't know about we gotta get everyone in then back up the other side."
Grayson says this as Tulip is flying around. Eyeing the edge of the pit as he does.

I was just going to ask if anyone would hold the rope while I climb down.

Sorry I have spotty cell phone service here.