[PFS] PbP GameDay IV: Wind Serpent's 6-08 The Segang Expedition

Game Master Harald Schlang

Not long after, those who have managed to stay asleep so far are awakened by the clatter of pots and plates as breakfast is prepared and served on portable tables with folding seats in the middle of the camp. Count Falroun, now fully dressed, slips quietly into the pathfinders' tent after making sure that Baron Bomande ist busy checking up on the cook's work. He still looks a bit exasperated from the events that happened before.

"I... think I need your help. I’d really like to impress the old man today, but you see, I’m not much of a hunter," the count admits. "In fact, I’ve never really been hunting before! Is there any help or advice you can give me?"

"Oh yes," he adds, "you will be taking part in the hunt, won't you? I can arrange for your trophies to be properly stuffed and sent back to you in Absalom."

If you wish to help Falroun, you could give him advice on hunting with a Knowledge(nature) or Survival check. Alternatively, you can attempt an Intimidate check during the hunt to try to flush game into the count's path. Finally, if you participate in the hunt yourself, you could try to pass off one of your kills as Matsanda's - that would be a Bluff check, but obviously very embarassing for both of you if it fails. If you have other ideas on what would help the Count's luck on the hunt, I'm open to suggestions as well.

Participating in the hunt yourself means you'll get the opportunity to deliver the killing shot to a single animal each day. This is a simple attack roll vs. the animal's AC or touch AC depending on the weapon or spell you use (though the nobles frown on using magic for hunting). The animal can be anything from an antelope to a rhinoceros depending on the luck of the hunt.

Varis swiftly calmed down once it was clear there was no actual danger. He was about to say some highly intelligent comment on the matter, but was taken aback by Lissanya's comment. Glaring at his claws for a long moment, he simply said "No, I'm not skilled at healing at l sadly." and waits until all leave, to do the same.

Once the count enters the tent, Varis nods knowingly. "I know how you feel, trying to impress the man who may be something of a father to you. I'd love to help, though I do not know much. Maybe I can sneak around, trying to flush out some animals in your path?"
He then thinks through his options for a while, letting the others speak, but no other ideas come to his mind.

I thought about using stealth to help

Once the actual hunting begins, Varis to his horror realizes that he has not remembered to obtain a bow. While he killed his fair share of demon monkeys, that killing was done with his rapier. And "hunting" was only involved if you count striking at rabid monsters that try to rush you down in masses.

He approaches Guy at some point during the morning, obviously embarassed. "I completely forgot to buy a bow for this hunting thing, and would hate to embarass myself to the baron after boasting about my past experiences. The man even showed me how to fire a gun, and I can't even remember to bring a bow, can you believe this? You seem to get along quite well with the count - maybe you could ask him if there were any spares? Or do you have other ideas where I can get a weapon for ranged combat without making a bad impression? I only have this blasted dagger and it doesn't fly far." The bird talks almost too fast to understand him properly and is jittery mess.

I'll participate in the hunt directly.

"I will share what I know, Count. Hunting in unfamiliar lands will be difficult for both of us however, and I cannot promise much." As camp is struck, Lissanya shares what she can recall of the Grand Lodge's lessons.

Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

If the stealth approach works:
Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

Lissanya will also participate in the hunt now that she's done what she can for the Count.

He approaches Guy at some point during the morning, obviously embarassed. "I completely forgot to buy a bow for this hunting thing, and would hate to embarass myself to the baron after boasting about my past experiences. The man even showed me how to fire a gun, and I can't even remember to bring a bow, can you believe this? You seem to get along quite well with the count - maybe you could ask him if there were any spares? Or do you have other ideas where I can get a weapon for ranged combat without making a bad impression? I only have this blasted dagger and it doesn't fly far." The bird talks almost too fast to understand him properly and is jittery mess.

"I think I know just the man to ask. Follow me."

"If anyone can help us, it is this man! Sirrah, are there any extra hunting bows or spears or the like we could use? Whatever DOES one use to hunt around here? I suppose I should give it a try."

"Also, my fried here was thinking of trying out a one of those fireworks things, weren't you Varis? You wouldn't happen to have a spare?"

Guy will give the bow a try. Of course he is unskilled in it and if he hits anything it will obviously be by the hand of Sarenrae. He only attempts once. He probably injures himself trying. Giving up in frustration after the first try he hands the bow over to Varis and says

"Blasted contraption. See if you can find better use for this. I have better things to do with my time."

He then starts stalking through the grass or jungle or whatever the terrain is like and uses his fire bolts to peg anything that dares make an appearance. He has no idea that spells are frowned upon and would find the notion quite silly.

touch vs AC: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (13) - 1 = 12

Unfortunately, I doubt his kills will be suitable for mounting as a trophy, though they are already halfway there to being cooked when he is done with them. They are also quite unsuitable for the counts tally - their condition will be a dead giveaway, provided, of course, there is anything to give away.

Trophy Hunting

"We have spears, yes." The mahout replies to Guy with an emphatic nod. "Not spears for throwing, though. Count said to bring crossbows in case heavy rain make firesticks not go off." He nods towards two bundles that are about the right size for a light and a heavy crossbow, respectively. "I have no firesticks, though, sorry, you need to ask the noblefolk for that."

Meanwhile, Count Falroun listens intently as Lissanya explains the basic hunting techniques to him. He proves a quick learner, and between her advice and Varis' behind-the-scenes support, manages to bag quite a magnificent sloth bear in pristine condition that will make a fine trophy and elicits grudging respect even from Baron Bomande. The count is overjoyed at his success and thanks you profusely for your aid.

Over the course of the day, Lissanya manages to get a clean shot at at Dhole, a local canine, whom she takes down with a single, perfectly placed arrow, leaving the carcass in excellent condition for stuffing and mounting. Cleo encounters a Jaguar with fine fur markings on a jungle clearing, but the cat proves too crafty - with a few sudden leaps, not only does she get away from Cleo's bow, she even manages to evade the fire bolts that Guy shoots after her and disappear into the undergrowth.

Varis, as he is trying to scare up a little more game for the count, suddenly finds himself face to face with a huge, horned bovine - a Gaur. The animal seems just as surprised to see Varis as he is to see it, so he might be able to get a stab at it in melee...

BTW, you are also allowed to use melee weapons on these hunting rolls. I honestly have no idea how that is supposed to work most of the time, but the option is there in the scenario - so I guess that's where the term "bushwhacking" comes from...

"Ah, this should do!" Varis says with a heavy crossbow in hand, swirling it around as if he was born with one - that is until it drops and almost flies against the next tent. "Well, apparently not only the spears are not for throwing, ha!" he says with an emberassed croak, picks the thing up, grabs some bolts and vanishes from sight as swiftly as he can.

During his little expeditions in the name of the count's honor, Varis finally sees the chance he waited for, and gets some crossbow practice at that - hasn't shot one in years!

Crossbow attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Hunting with a rapier is just silly ^^. I can see it with a spear maybe, I suppose. As long as it is not of the longspear variety one can always throw it - and longspears in the jungle would be even sillier than hunting with a rapier. Not like there is much cavalry to unmount in there ;)

It may be years since Varis has last shot a crossbow - but apparently, his muscles remember the proper movements perfectly as he suddenly finds himself face-to-face with the Guar. Leveling the crossbow at the beast's head and pulling the trigger in one smooth motion, Varis plants a bolt right into the eye of the large horned animal - causing it to stand there for a moment, dumbstruck, before toppling lifeless to the side.

Aside from a great trophy for mounting over the fireplace, Varis' kill also provides plenty of fresh meat for the expedition, as the porters set to skinning, butchering and cooking the Guar soon after, mounting it on a rotary spit, which has apparently been brought along for just that purpose. The day ends in a pleasant evening with freshly cooked meat, tales, and even some music from one of the porters, allowing everyone a well-earned opportunity to wind down, kick back and relax.

Monkey Business

On the morning of the hunt’s third day, the smell of wood smoke and food still hangs heavy in the air. Outside the camp, the jungle is alive with the sounds of monkeys, birds, and chirping insects. Suddenly, there is some rustling in the bushes, and one by one, a band of Macaques gather at the edges of the camp. They eye the camp and its inhabitants inquisitively, the most courageous already starting to turn over containers and steal interesting-looking trinkets to examine.

When describing your reaction to the monkeys, please also position yourself on the map of the camp in Roll20, just in case...

Knowledge: Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Lissanya looks to be in as good a position as any.

What little she knew of the species caused her to relax after the initial surprise. "So far as I know, they're harmless." A smirk appeared at the thought. "Unless you have something shiny. Hold on to your possessions, Pathfinders."

"Awww, they're cute! Hey, do we have any extra fruit or nuts? Maybe they're hungry."

I'm good where I am as well

Guy warily watches the antics, patting down his pockets a few time. He also cases detect magic and makes sure no hocus pocus is going on, though lacking in spellcraft he probably won't know much if there is.

Dang. Gotta fix that next level!

"Never trust a monkey. I learned that in Bloodcove." Varis states grimly and shushes them away without coming too near.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

He then looks towards the baron's tent, as he would most likely know what to do in this situation.

There is nothing obviously magical about the Macaques, as far as Guy can tell. The monkeys around Varis screech excitedly as he tries to shush them away - they do give him some room for the moment, but they seem quite disinclined to abandon the camp.

"No, no, you must not harm them! They are blessed. It will anger the gods!" The mahout exclaims and holds out a few pieces of pineapple and grapes to Cleo. "Here, give them these, they are fond of them." The porters, too, start offering food to the monkeys, some even going so far as bowing and dropping prone in front of them and chanting prayers in Vudrani.

"What in the name of the Beast is going on here!?" The Baron's booming voice suddenly echoes through the camp as he steps out of his tent, musket in hand. His face shows an expression you have never seen on him before as his gaze falls upon the monkeys - pure, seething hatred, and disgust as he sees the reverence afforded them by the locals. He then turns his gaze to you. "Get these infernal creatures out of my camp." He bellows. "Or, so help me Gorum, I will do it myself!" The monkeys begin to screech agitatedly at the harsh sound of his voice.

Suddenly, Varis is not quite so certain that the Baron has the situation in hand anymore...

"Ah, Baron! Don't spook them. They're friendly."

"Er, friendly enough at least. We'll get them out soon enough, but it'd be unwise to make a scene out of it. It'll just take a little coaxing."

"I hope you are better with animals than I, Cleo. I'll help as best I can."

Lissanya will try to use wild empathy, but it's only +4.

"Well I was just going to feed them." and Cleo sits down to offer the grapes and pineapple.

I'm untrained, so I'll just attempt to aid another. Someone should really see to the Baron as I'm 100% sure we just pissed him off.

Diplomacy Aid Another: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8

Lissanya crouches with Cleo, doing her best to imitate the nonthreatening mannerisms she can remember.

Wild Empathy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Edit: Well THAT was unfortunate. Since I can't get ANY worse than that, I'll burn my reroll.

Wild Empathy Reroll: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

Double Edit: -_-

Yikes... ah well, as one of my players back here likes to say, it's a dice game. That's a hard roll to make even when you've got characters with the proper skills for it.

Cleo's and Lissandra's efforts prove quite popular with the primates, but unfortunately, all they do is attract even more monkeys begging for food and stealing things. Also, they stretch the baron's already thin veneer of patience even thinner.

"This isn't working!" Bomande shouts angrily. "I'll show you how to do this!" He slams one of the Macaques with the butt of his musket giving the little monkey a bloody wound and causing it to give an outraged screech before scurrying away. "No, effendi, you must not..." The mahout tries to exclaim feebly, but it is already too late, as the other monkeys hiss and swarm angrily, attacking everything that seems even vaguely threatening with tiny teeth and claws.

Aaand... we have a monkey swarm. Initiative is as follows:

Lissanya: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
Cleo: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Varis: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Gedulan: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Guy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Baron Bomande: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Count Falroun: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Macaques: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Initiative Order

20.7 Macaque Swarm
20.4 Cleo
20.3 Baron Bomande
19.4 Lissanya
17.6 Varis
14.1 Gedulan
7.1 Guy
5.3 Count Falroun

Feel free to post ahead of your turn if you're already sure what you will be doing. I'll then resolve the actions in order of initiative.

The Macaques jump screeching and hissing at Baron Bomande, trying to catch him in some unarmored location with their teeth and claws.

Swarm Attack
Monkeys vs. Bomande: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 4) = 7

Fortitude Save vs. Distraction (DC 14)
Bomande: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Round 1. Current Initiative Count: 20.4, it's Cleo's turn.

Do we have a map? I assume this is around the time when breakfast is being eaten?

When it gets around to him, Guy will unleash a Burning Hands on the nasty little varmits. He will use his one use of Beacon of Faith to add 2 levels to the casting making it 3 dice of damage.

"What an obnoxious way to be woken up"

Burning Hands: 3d4 ⇒ (4, 3, 4) = 11

WOOOSH!!!

Yes, It's around breakfast time, and the map is in Roll20 here. The way everyone is standing right now, it will be pretty hard to catch the monkey swarm with a Burning Hands without hitting at least someone of your own group as well. But we'll see if / how that has changed when it's Guy's turn.

Lissanya stumbles back from the sudden attack, trying to get out of reach while protecting her face.

Knowing she has no way to deal with swarms, all she can do is go for her wand of cure light to try and make sure no one is critically injured.

Fort Save vs Distraction: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Round 1

Cleo is in the same boat as Lissanya and quickly scrambles away from the enraged monkeys.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

Cleo moves away from the scrambling and screeching monkeys. Baron Bomande also falls back further into his tent and fires his musket right into the middle of the rampaging primates, which drops two of them, but only angers the others further.

Bomande's attack
Attack(Mwk Musket): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17 (Hit)
Damage(Mwk Musket): 1d12 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 (this did apparently do some damage to the swarm)

Round 1. Current initiative count: 19.4, it's Lissanya's turn.

Using the Baron's tent for cover, Lissanya tugs her wand of healing free on the move, looking to see if Cleo needs aid.

Seeing the way open, Guy will announce "Keep the area clear, please. I'd like to singe them a bit with burning hands."

Lissanya makes her way towards Cleo, conveniently getting out of the blast range of Guy's burning hands.

Round 1. Current initiative count: 17.6, it's Varis' turn.

Not having encountered swarms before, Varis springs into action as usual - drawing his blade and stabbing wildly into the chaos.
"Well, hope they know when to flee!" he shouts between the slashes, taking on a defensive posture that is more suited to single opponents.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26 -> Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

No parry for poor Varis vs automatic damage ^^

Varis actually manages to pierce some of the Macaques with his rapier, but his acts of bravado do little to deter the rest of the rampaging swarm.

Meanwhile, Gedulan moves into position to toss a vial of his explosive mixtures into the fray, targeting the center of the swarm and landing a perfect hit. The monkeys screech wildly as their fur gets splashed with burning liquid.

Throw Bomb: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Throw Bomb (Critical Confirmation): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 (unconfirmed)
Bomb Damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 (x1.5 due to area effect)

Immediately afterwards, Guy unleashes his Burning Hands on the remaining simians, reducing most of them to cinders, and scattering the few survivors into the four winds as they flee, some still burning, into the relative safety of the jungle.

As the screeching of the monkeys abates, an eerie silence settles over the camp, the northwestern quadrant of which has been blackened, with several tongues of flame still licking over the canvas of the Baron's tent.

"The gods." The mahout whispers with a horrified expression. "They will curse us for this..."

"I'll curse us first..." Hopefully no one hears the muttered complaint as Lissanya looks to her companions for any serious injuries.

"The gods." The mahout whispers with a horrified expression. "They will curse us for this..."

"I'm so terribly sorry we've put you in this predicament. I will make it my duty to help you survive and I will pray to my goddess that if there is any holy backlash, you will be spared, as you were innocent and cautionary the entire time. Perhaps you should pray to yours as well.

"Unfortunately, we were left little choice once the monkey's went wild."

Lowering his voice so as not to be heard by the Baron he adds,

"I really don't think that the Baron knows HOW to respond in any other way. He is far to used to getting his way and killing animals. He most certainly does not share your reverence for monkeys."

"It might be...ok." offers Cleo "Maybe? I don't know, are there any respects we could pay? Burial?"

"Oh my. Holy monkeys are new. I can understand the baron, in the garundi jungle there were only unholy ones." Varis croaks nervously, looking towards Bomande with uncertainity, then watching the charred remains all around him.
"But they were truly harmless, weren't they?"

"I hope that your goddess can protect us. Because I doubt that mine will hear me, after this." The mahout replies, severely distraught, before directing the porters who glumly collect the remains of the dead monkeys and put them into a ditch at the side of the camp.

Count Falroun surveys the camp site, clearly shocked by the devastation and the stench of charred flesh all around him - but even moreso by the apparent absence of the baron, who seems to have disappeared into his tent either during or shortly after the fight. "Bomande, are you alright?" He asks agitatedly, moving towards the entrance of the baron's tent to the northwest.

"I hope that your goddess can protect us. Because I doubt that mine will hear me, after this." The mahout replies, severely distraught, before directing the porters who glumly collect the remains of the dead monkeys and put them into a ditch at the side of the camp.

"Oh, really? Tell me about your god. I have been studying about some of the local deities and would be curious to find out more about the one you worship from an actual worshiper!"

And perhaps I can get him to switch over to Sarenrae. From the sounds of it, it would be really good move for him! I never understood why anyone would want to worship someone who is only one mistake away from blasting you into oblivion!?!

The mahout does not seem inclined to talk religion at the moment. "Forgive me, effendi, but... I need to get this mess cleaned up and prepare everything for our departure. Perhaps we can speak later about this."

There is still no reply from the baron, causing the count to enter his tent with a worried expression.

Guy will hang out near the tent, ostensibly to help clean, but actually to get a better position to eavesdrop on any conversation between the Count and Baron.

Varis helps clearing away the monkeys, looking with a guilty expression towards the mahout.
"You did nothing bad here, you even tried to stop us. I am sure your god has watched and knows." he says, trying to cheer the man up.

"Still, they are dead." The mahout replies glumly.

Count Falroun exits the baron's tent holding two vials containing a clear liquid. "Did anyone get injured in the fight? If so, then these potions should help."

"We should probably get going once we are done cleaning up here. Baron Bomande will be with us shortly." He adds after any immediate injuries are taken care of.

The count gives you two Potions of Cure Light Wounds that you can use to heal anyone who was injured or keep for later use.

Hmmm... I thought Bomande just had a temper, but there is something more here. There is some bad blood between him and... Monkeys, surely not just the monkeys!

There is no time now, but once they get going, Guy is going to look through that book for more information on monkeys and deities and anythinng else related to this whole twisted episode.

Varis gladly takes one of the potions for later use (unless somebody needs one right now), seeing that he will propably be head to head with a tiger soon.

He will take watch around the perimeter for the remainder of the camp, hoping to scare any monkeys away - so that the situation doesn't repeat.

What monkeys are left seem to have learned their lesson and give the camp a wide berth. Bomande emerges from the tent soon after, to all appearances his old, forceful self, and starts directing the packing of supplies for the departure. Not long after, the expedition is on its way to another day of hunting.

You've got another chance at trophy hunting that day... if you want to take it, please give me an attack roll (regular or touch, depending on what weapon you plan to use for hunting) against the following targets:

Cleo: Leopard (AC 15 / Touch 14)
Guy: Dhole (AC 14 / Touch 12)
Lissanya: Crocodile (AC 14 / Touch 10)
Varis: Golden Jackal (AC 13 / Touch 12)

Guy will, indeed, make another attempt at hunting.

hunt attempt: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (13) - 1 = 12 to hit touch.

Almost in spite of himself, he succeeds.

Hunting: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Cleo is far more fortunate the second time around in her hunting. The earlier incident at camp has sobered her and, in turn, focused her attention slightly.

Composite Longbow: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25

Lissanya has far more luck killing the wildlife than handling it. As the hunt progresses, her path brings her alongside Varis for a brief minute.

"The baron seems not himself." she murmurs in a low tone. "Perhaps you can help him find his balance?"

Varis keeps blending in. He feels the need to impress the baron further, but it seems his first hunting venure was a lucky shot.

He really needs to train more with crossbows, you never know when one is needed.

Crossbow: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

If there is any monkey curse, it certainly does not seem to be affecting the hunting success - apart from the trophies claimed by the pathfinders, the nobles manage to slay a huge Rhinoceros that should make an excellent centerpiece for the Baron's collection.

Panic in the Jungle

After the day's hunting is done, the expedition returns to the main trail leading deeper into the Jungle. It is already fairly late in the afternoon, when suddenly, a large serpent slithers out of the underbrush behind the group. The old elephant, who had proved remarkably calm so far, starts trumpeting loudly and rears up on her hind legs, surprising the mahout and tossing him off her back.

Please refer to Roll20 to check out the encounter location.

Surprise check - Perception:
Cleo: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Gedulan: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Guy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Lissanya: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Varis: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Bomande: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
Falroun: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Surprise check - Stealth:
King Cobra: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Cobra Hatchlings: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25

Initiative check:
Cleo: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Gedulan: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16
Guy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
Lissanya: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Varis: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Bomande: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Falroun: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
King Cobra: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
Cobra Hatchlings: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

"Help! Someone calm the elephant, before she throws us off!" Count Falroun exclaims fearfully. "No!" Shouts Baron Bomande, who has turned around to see what the commotion is all about. "That's a King Cobra - forget the elephant, take out the snake before it poisons our porters!"

Cleo, Gedulan, Lissanya, Bomande and Falroun have beaten the King Cobra's Stealth Check, so they get to act in the Surprise Round. No one has beaten the Cobra Hatchlings' Stealth check, so you haven't noticed them yet (though the Elephant most certainly has) and cant' take any actions against them in the Surprise Round.

The Elephant starts the Surprise Round Panicked. As long as she remains panicked, anyone in the Howdah takes -8 to all ranged attacks and needs a concentration check against DC 15 + Spell Level to cast any spells. Calming the Elephant is a DC 20 Handle Animal or Wild Empathy check, or a DC 20 Ride check for anyone willing to take the mahout's place on her neck (which would involve a DC 20 Acrobatics check, even for those already in the Howdah, unless they had something like Spider Climb).

First of all: Once again, welcome! I'm looking forward to playing with you all and hope we'll have fun together while our intrepid heroes are troping through the Segang Jungle and getting involved in some family drama on the way.

Next, some links. If you are as new to PbP gaming on this site as I am, you may find these quite interesting:

• Doomed Hero's Guide to Play-by-Post Gaming
  
• Building a Better Doomed Hero: Painlord's Advanced Play-by-Post Play
  

I'll mostly try to follow the conventions they set out in their guides in my posting.

To recapitulate some main points, and get the formalities out of the way, I'll use the following rules for post formatting and would like to ask you to use them as well:

• Bold text stands out, so use bold for what your character is saying.
  
• One of the nice things about PbP is that you can illustrate what your character is thinking as well as what they do. Italics is good for that. Remember, though, that others can react only what you do, not what you're thinking (unless they're reading your mind), so don't overdo it. No one would know about Hamlet's famous monologue today, if it had remained internal monologue...
  
• Use blue text for out-of-character stuff like mechanical summaries (what skills you wish to use or what kinds of actions in combat). Intersperse liberally with dice information (Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22).
  

If you're now wondering how you're supposed to do all that, here's a link to the BBCode tags you can use on these boards. You can also have these displayed through a spoiler tag when you're writing your post.

Finally, here's the link to the Roll20 campaign I have created for our maps and handouts. If you need any help with Roll20, don't hesitate to ask.

Well, that's it from me for now. I'll be back with a summary about how I plan to run combat once we get to that, but until then, I'll leave the soapbox here for questions or comments you may have.

Any documentation you'd like in advance? Chronicles or character sheets? I'll double check to make sure I have an accurate stat block on Lissanya's profile later tonight.

Current and accurate stat blocks on the profiles would be very helpful. Alternatively, if you have a filled-in and current Roll20 character sheet for your character, you can upload that to the campaign over there.

As for chronicles, I'll take your word for what your chronicles say. If you have any special boons that you think would be relevant for the scenario, just put them in your profile with a brief note regarding which scenario they're from.

You start the scenario in the Grand Lodge in Absalom, so you can do any shopping you wish before the mission briefing, as long as the things you want to buy are always available, on one of your chronicles or within your fame limit.

If that's alright with everyone, I will make initiative and knowledge rolls for you in order to keep things moving along. The same goes for saving throws, generally, though I may make exceptions for especially critical saves.

Dotting in

The hype is real!

And... we are good to go. The gameplay thread is online!

For pictures of Ambrus Valsin and Count Falroun Matsanda, please refer to the handouts in Roll 20 if you haven't seen them already.

Quick link to the gameplay thread.

I'm not seeing any handouts on the Roll20 page.

That's odd - they should be in the Journal that you can access through the tabs in the right part of the window.

Lesson learned, read the mission brief a little closer. XD

Ah, no problem. Ambrus Valsin likes repeating himself. Really, he does. ;-P

I'll be a little quiet next weekend due to RinCon Friday through Sunday. I can probably get in a post or two, just not many.

I'll be gone most of the day so no prompt responses until tonight.

Bumpity. Are we waiting for anything?

Probably me posting. <sheepish grin> I had a busy weekend, so I didn't get around to it as I had planned. The next post is online now.

Since this is my first time running a PbP, I wouldn't mind some feedback - how do you like the game so far, are my posts too verbose or too brief, do you feel your characters are getting an appropriate share of the spotlight?

The first part of the adventure is quite RP-heavy, so those who are not so much into that may feel a little bit left out, but if that's the case for anyone, don't worry, the action will pick up soon.

I'm finding it to be a very interesting experience. You're doing a good job of balancing time for player responses with moving the scenes along to prevent stagnation. It's a tough balance to achieve in F2F, even harder in PbP.

I'm enjoying the roleplay, as its getting me into Lissanya's head easier than in person, and I haven't had a lot of play experience to do that with her, considering all the GM credit. I'm also being cautious about which way I go, having GMed this a couple times already. It's a fine line to walk, nudging in the direction the scenario needs the party to go without gaining an advantage from it.

My only complaint is that on the weekends things move at a glacial pace. It's not just you, it seems like the players take a vacation too.

I usually hang back and refrain from posting when I don't have anything useful to contribute.

I will hopefully be more available now that RinCon is done. Five hours of sleep a night with 2 games a day is murder.

Sweet RP Guy!

Sweet RP Guy!

Thx

Thanks for your feedback so far! I'll try to get better about posting on the weekends, but I can't really make any promises in that regard since they tend to be quite busy for me and I won't always be able to squeeze in enough time to post.

A note regarding "free" items like Guy's book and Cleo's bear trap: Since PFS rules don't allow me to just add loot to a scenario, any such items will only be usable during this expedition, unless you buy them for your character with actual money (which can, of course, be money gained as loot during the scenario, or even from the day job check, to make it less jarring).

Also, we seem to have lost Marros Shipsail - aside from not having posted in quite a while, he also hasn't responded to my PM asking about his status. So, I guess we'll just move on without him and assume that he got delayed in Absalom and didn't make it to the ship before departure.

A little organizational request: In order to prepare the chronicles for this game, I'll need the following information from each of you:

- PFS-Number and Faction of your character
- Chronicle Number of your last chronicle
- Whether you are playing this scenario with normal or slow progression
- Amount of XP as per your last chronicle
- Amount of Prestige and Fame as per your last chronicle
- Amount of Gold as per your last chronicle

Could you please PM these to me? Many thanks!

I'm really sorry, I hoped I wouldn't miss much. Last week I was rushed to the ER because of extreme pain and am essentially bedridden for a while. I won't go into details but if you feel that I have and will miss too much then I am fine with being kicked. Again, I'm very sorry :(

I'm very sorry to hear that - my best wishes for your recovery!

I certainly won't kick you from the game for having health problems. Even if you miss an encounter or two, I think we can work with that. The posts are always there to catch up with afterward, after all.

The only thing I'd ask is your permission to make moves for Gedulan if we enter a combat scene and you're kept from posting for a significant amount of time (as in, several days), so I can keep the action going at a non-glacial pace.

That's fine, thanks :) I think I have all his stats listed. He stays back and throws bombs. He has 11/11 health, I forgot to change it back. I won't be able to post much but I'll post here again or pm you when I come back. Thank you again :)

No problem, that's the least I can do. :)

After some deliberation I have decided not to use the rules for environmental heat - the scenario does not explicitly say to use them, and they're extremely harsh on 1st level characters, meaning you would likely enter most combats with a significant amount of nonlethal damage, relative to your HP, and I doubt that the scenario is balanced for that.

Still, it is really hot in the Segang jungle, and I'd encourage you to reflect that in your roleplaying, especially if you're wearing medium or heavier armor.

Lissanya is really well suited to this one, as a ranger. :D

Absolutely - which is probably why Ambrus Valsin picked her for the mission. He wanted an experienced outdoorswoman around to look after the kids.

Ambrus does actually care about his pathfinders, he just hides it well... ;)

Could you put the roll20 link under the campaign info tab? That would be very helpful.

Done.

Thanks.

Should we move our own icons? I ask because Lissy is in the same place as before but she said she moved back.

I was waiting for my turn to roll around in case something changes. :) She will be getting clear of the blast area post haste.

I just moved myself.

No splash weapons and I just had to wait for mind fear for a later level.

Yes, please do move your own tokens, if possible. I wasn't sure if the monkey swarm would interfere (since I always have to move it away first if I want to select one of your tokens), but if it works, I'm fine with it.

Not having control of the swarm should mean it can't be selected, and it doesn't interfere with our tokens in any way.

I took Lissanya's actions moving around the tent, as I don't expect the baron to do anything to change her plans. So my turn will be complete, wand in hand. I'm on duty this Thursday through Sunday, but should be able to log in at least once a day.

Lissanya is turning into the best ranger ever. :D

Indeed, that was a really sweet roll at the perfect time. :D

Good going, BTW. You have managed to attain three influence points each for both Bomande and Falroun even before the tiger hunt, which is a pretty impressive feat.

How many hits have I actually landed at this point? It's got to be less than 50% by now.

Slightly less than 50% seems about right. That's not much below par, though, considering the ACs of the creatures involved. Of course, Lissanya has made some amazingly good rolls during the scenario, which may skew perceptions a bit.

I can empathize, I've had some sessions lately myself where the dice seemed to hate me and I felt I could barely ever roll above a 5...

Thanks for the game everybody!

Thanks from me as well, hope everybody had fun!

If you haven't already done so, remember to make your day job roll over in the Gameplay thread... it's not that much gold the roll gives you, but hey, it's free. ;)

Since it looks like we're all done I'll be marking this game as "inactive"