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

Game Master Harald Schlang

Initiative Order

21.4 Lissanya
21.4 Cleo
16.1 Gedulan
15.3 Cobra Hatchlings
12.6 Varis
10.6 King Cobra
8.3 Baron Bomande
8.1 Guy
7.3 Count Falroun

Lissanya and Cleo, you have the same initiative, I'll leave it up to you in which order you wish to go.

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. Remember that in a surprise round, you can only take a single action, and that you cannot act against the Cobra Hatchlings.

Surprise Round. Initiative count: 21.4, it's Cleo's and Lissanya's turn.

"Varis, the snake is yours! Just give me a clear shot!" Trusting her allies to save the porters, Lissanya turns to the elephant.

Using her surprise round to activate Freebooter's Bane, granting +1 attack/damage against the large snake to all allies. On regular actions she'll try calming the elephant.

Surprise Round

Cleo hastily knocks an arrow against the cobra while Lissanya attempts to calm the elephant.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Standard Action to attack the cobra I spotted.

Cleo, from your position you don't have a line of fire at the Cobra. You'd have to move to get at least a semi-clear shot (the jungle vegetation on the sides of the trail is difficult terrain and gives cover if you're trying to shoot through it).

Disregard my attack roll then, I'll just move myself a bit more for the surprise round

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

Negatory and might as well be negatory.

Looks like Guy will be frying snakes when he finally stops frantically looking for the book that elephant caused him to drop.

Okay.

Unaware of the presence of the smaller snakes, Gedulan moves towards the King Cobra and tosses a bomb at the large snake. He misses his throw, however, and the explosive mixture shatters harmlessly on the ground.

With a high-pitched hiss, several tiny serpents slither out of their nests in the underbrush to attack the panicking elephant.

Just having been narrowly missed by his firebomb, the King Cobra decides that Gedulan is the more immediate threat compared to the porters and slithers over to attack him.

Bomande and Falroun are too busy holding on the the wildly shaking howdah to contribute meaningfully to combat.

Round 1

Round 1. Initiative count: 21.4, it's Cleo's and Lissanya's turn again.

Edit: If you want to roll the Wild Empathy yourself, please go ahead.

Cursing under her breath at the errant explosion, Lissanya raises her hands in placating gestures before the beasts wild eyes.

Wild Empathy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

As she continues distracting the old girl from the surrounding threats, Lissanya steps further towards the fight for a clear shot at the massive snake.

Lissanya's calming gestures seem to get through to poor old Nala, who ceases her frantic movements for now, causing Count Falroun to breathe an audible sign of relief.

As I accidentally gave Gedulan two actions during the surprise round, I will count the bomb-throwing as his standard action for this turn. Sorry about that...

Round 1

Cleo reluctnantly wades into the underbrush in hope of getting a clearer shot at the snake. Her keen eyesight makes the job somewhat easier, but the shot was still challenging to say the least.

5' Step, Standard Action to attack the Cobra. Deadeye bowman allows me to ignore soft cover from Gedulan. Do you want to roll miss chance or us?

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

I'll roll for Cleo's attack, but feel free to roll for concealment yourselves if you're shooting through / into underbrush.

20% Concealment, 1-2: 1d10 ⇒ 2

Unfortunately, Cleo's shot grazes a cluster of entangled vines on the way to it's target, deflecting it slightly and causing it to bore into the ground somewhere between the serpent's coils.

The cobra hatchlings try to find a vulnerable spot on old Nala, and one of them manages to pierce her thick skin, but she seems able to shrug off the effect of their poison and remains calm for now.

Round 1. Initiative Count 12.6, it's Varis' Turn.

Varis storms towards the big snake as fast as he cans, rapier drawn, but moves warily of its fangs and long body.
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 Tumble through the reach

"Bite this you ugly big thing!" he shouts, waving his weapon at the animaland readies himself for an attack.

Double move towards snake, should it choose to attack me: parry and riposte for 1 panache, see roll below

Varis' shouting and waving of his weapon does not miss its effect on the Cobra, as it apparently feels sufficiently threatened to attack him instead of Gedulan - giving him a perfect opportunity to sink the tip of his blade into the soft flesh of its gums and draw an extremely angry hiss together with a spurt of blood as he hits the delicate nerve centers hidden there, causing the serpent to recoil - a near-perfect execution of a risky maneuver, as it involves Varis' arms getting uncomfortably close to the Cobra's poison-dripping fangs.

Varis doesn't crit on a 17, does he? Then I don't think he will do extra crit damage, as he would have needed to crit on the Riposte roll for that. I will allow him to regain Panache from the Parry crit, though.

Meanwhile, with the big snake distracted, the mahout and the porters decide that discretion is the better part of valor, and get out of the combat zone into the jungle underbrush while the getting is still good.

With the howdah no longer rocking violently, Baron Bomande turns around and levels his musket at the large serpent, firing off a shot that hits the top of its head just as it is reeling back from Varis' puncturing of its mouth, leaving a nasty bleeding would.

The King Cobra rises up and extends its hood, hissing sharply with a mixture of pain and rage. With its head covered in deep red by the blood oozing from its mouth and the ugly wound on the top of its head, it looks positively demonic now...

Round 1. Initiative count: 8.1, it's Guy's turn.

Well, the hatchlings are too uncomfortably near to the elephant for another burning hands, and he has absolutely no confidence he can hit anything with the fire bolt, so he casts bless instead figuring it will also help calm the elephant, a more immediate concern to him since he is firmly planted on its back.

Count Falroun also grabs his musket, trying to imitate Baron Bomande's successful shot at the large Cobra. Not having the Baron's military training and years of experience makes it hard for him to stay on target in the chaos of close combat - however, careful aiming and the grace of whatever god has chosen to guide his hand overcompensate for that, letting his bullet fly true. It catches the rising Cobra squarely in the throat, ripping it to shreds, and causing the serpentine body to crash to the ground in a cloud of dust.

"Not bad, son." Bomande remarks with a smirk. "Not bad at all."

Round 2. Initiative count: 21.4, Cleo and Lissanya's turn.

Seeing the Count has dealt with the main threat, Lissanya turns her arrows to the ones still harrying the old girl. "Time to sweep away the rest." she calls out to the party.

Taking a 5ft step to get a better shot and avoid any reach the snakes might have. It shouldn't make much difference, but activating her ability as a move action on her target for good measure. Targeting the far right one as I look at the map, closest to her position.

That kills the little snake stone dead...

I feel like I should be sorry, but I'm not.

At least they're not cute, like the monkeys... (I'm evil, I know. ;-))

Round 2

Cleo quickly turns away from the adult cobra and moves alongside Lissanya. She too sights up one of the hatchlings and fires.

Move Action a few squares south, Standard Action to attack the middle cobra hatchling

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Unforunately, Cleo's Shot misses the tiny serpent by a significant distance.

Gedulan moves into position for throwing a bomb that could catch all three remaining serpents in its explosive radius - but since that would also burn the Elephant and likely cause it to go wild again, he waits for the others with more precise weapons to finish them off.

The surviving cobra hatchlings still try to bring down the old Elephant by infusing her with their poison, without much success.

Round 2. Initiative count: 12.6, Varis' turn.

In the interest of keeping things moving, I'll asume that Varis delays until he gets around to posting. Since Bomande can't hit the little serpents from up above, as they are in the same square as the elephant, he delays as well, so it's again Guy's turn.

Round 2. Initiative count 8.1, Guy's turn. Varis is delaying.

Very well then.

firebolt to hit: 1d20 ⇒ 14
That's to hit touch with a +1 from bless and a -1 from his clumsiness so a straight d20.

damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2

After the count's turn, Lissanya will direct her bane to the middle snake (going to highlight with a colored box) to help her allies hit. Then take her chances on the closest target.

"Steady yourself. Find your breath." Lissanya advises Cleo, aiming to clear the nearest viper from their path.

Unfortunately, Guy's firebolt misses the hatchling, and Bomande and Falroun are busy reloading their muskets, but Lissanya's arrow strikes true, removing another one of the serpents threatening Nala.

Round 3. Initiative count: 21.4, it's Cleo's turn. Varis is delaying.

Eh right, no crit. Somehow I thought he had a keen weapon - but that was a swashbuckler NPC I recently ran in my campaign apparently ^^
parry crit to regain panache is a very nice ruling btw ;)

Also sorry, was a bit busy. Feel free to delay me whenever that happens again.

Quite glad for the fact that his claws did not actually meet the snake's vicious fangs before it literally exploded, Varis rushes towards the elephant, where some fighting is still going on - striking at the closest serpent once he sees it. His aim proves to be rather usteady, after this very dramatic encounter in the undergrowth.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 6 + 1 = 9 -> damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

PS: little snakes are cuter than monkeys in my opinion!

Actually, I agree - so I will graciously spare Varis and the others having to slaughter them all... which of course has absolutely nothing to do with me just having realized that in Subtier 1-2, there should only have been two hatchlings to begin with. ;)

Varis misses the little snakes, but they seem to realize they are getting surrounded and decide to slither away into the dark safety of the jungle undergrowth.

"That was absolutely amazing, how you got her to hold still!" Count Falroun exclaims, giving Lissanya a beaming smile of relief. "I think I shall call you the Elephant-Whisperer from now on."

"I agree." adds Bomande. "We got rid of that vile beast without losing a single porter to it. That was excellent work, everyone."

The Mahout has some bruises, but mostly his pride is wounded at getting thrown off by his own Elephant. He dusts himself off, climbs back onto Nala, and the expedition continues on its course.

The Eye of the Tiger

Not long after your encounter with the snakes, your group reaches a place where a small stream crosses the trail.

"Halt!" Baron Bomande shouts from atop the Elephant. "This is it! This is the stream me and my men were following when the tiger ambushed us!" He lifts himself out of the Howdah and starts to climb down from Nala's back, Musket held firmly in hand.

Cleo warily watches their surroundings at the mention of "ambush".

"We've had quite the body count so far; I sincerely hope wee can pick up the trail from here."

Guy has made himself comfortable on the elephant and looks almost imperiously down on the scene.

"Anyone any good at tracking?"

Lissanya has been quiet since the fight earlier, unsure of how to take the praise shown to her by the count. 'Elephant-Whisperer' is not exactly a title she had looked for.

"If the baron needs help, I have some training in woodcraft." she offers in response to Guy.

"We will follow the stream. That is going to lead us straight into its territory." The baron explains once he has his feet planted firmly onto the ground. "Falroun, there is an outpost of the hunting lodge a few more hours down the trail. I want you to take the porters and the elephant there. I will go with the Pathfinders and", he takes a deep breath and looks at each of you in turn, "do what must be done."

"I still do not like this, Bomande. I should be with you on this, in case something goes wrong." The count objects.

"That is exactly why you should not be with us." The baron replies emphatically. "Look, son, you have surprised me by showing far more aptitude as a hunter than I, frankly, had expected. But this is not going to be fun and games anymore. Now it becomes a matter of life and death. I have already lost three companions - three friends - to this thing. I cannot worry about you if I am going to kill it this time. And there is no way I will risk losing you to it as well. Yoliri would never forgive me."

"No, Falroun." Bomande finishes with a tone that does not sound like he's willing to humor any objections. "This is my fight, not yours. And you have found me the best companions I could have asked for to fight it with me. That is enough. Now, let us unpack the Machans, and then be gone." He gestures to the porters, and they begin unpacking several large bundles of wooden planks that were attached to the elephant and setting them down on the ground.

Guy approaches the count and says, quietly, "I will not waste my breath on simple platitudes. We will do our best to assure a safe outcome, but this is truly his battle and he will assuredly not be dissuaded. I caution you, however, not to assume that you will be all safe and snug while he faces all the danger. I have a strange sense that there is something spiritual at work here. Be alert and careful while we are gone. I wish the Baron would leave one of us with you to make sure you, too, are safe, but a niggling feeling is not enough for me to be so bold as to make the request. It's probably just the monkey we ate."

Count Falroun is visibly conflicted by the Baron's request, but he finally nods his assent. "Very well, Bomande, if that is how you wish it to be, then I will respect your wish. But please, be careful out there, all of you."

To Guy, he adds quiety: "Much as I hate to admit it, he is probably right. Most of my good showing on this hunt has been due to your support, and you will have your hands full out there keeping him alive, if that beast wants vengeance even half as badly as he does. I appreciate your warning - I will stay alert during our trip to the outpost, and once we get there, I will make sure the torches are lit and the palisades manned at all hours until your return."

Under the guidance of Baron Bomande, the group follows the stream he pointed out, taking the bundles containing the machans with them, while the elephant with Count Falroun, the mahout and the porters depart along the main jungle trail.

After about an hour's march, the jungle opens up into a wide grassy clearing bisected by the shallow, burbling stream. In the center of the clearing lies the partially eaten carcass of a guar. Its throat has been torn open, and the grass all around the dead animal is covered in dried, sticky blood.

"This is the perfect spot!" Baron Bomande declares. "That is a fresh kill, and I doubt there is anything else in these parts which could bring down a Guar. Which means the tiger will likely return to finish its meal later tonight. We will await it here."

Bomande points out three large trees in which to set up the machans — portable hunter’s blinds that are mounted 20 feet up in the lower branches of the trees and camouflaged by branches and leaves, and that can be reached by retractable rope ladders.

There's a map of the ambush site up in Roll 20 now. I've marked the places where the machans are set up with white circles. Climbing up onto a machan using its rope ladder is a DC 10 Climb check. One machan has room for up to three people, but being portable, they are too flimsy to provide cover in combat.

Guy struggles up the ladder (he has a -5 to climb in his current suit of torturous metal.

climb: 1d20 - 5 ⇒ (11) - 5 = 6

He huffs and he puffs but he never gets more than 4' from the ground.

"I don't suppose we could lift the armor up by rope and then climb? Or I could just leave it down here."

climb without armor: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0

At that he gleefully removes his armor and starts climbing. He makes it all the way up, tries to scooch up onto the platform, slips, and falls all the way down with a grunt and woooosh of escaping air. It takes a while as he has had the wind knocked out of him and probably took a little damage too, but finally says,

"Oh dear. That hurt."

He lays there for a while, staring up at the platform from the ground, an accusing look on his face.

"Isn't there some place I could hide down here?"

"I would advise against that." Says Bomande, looking up from studying the ground. "If the tiger notices you down here, he might decide you make a tastier meal than a half-eaten Guar."

Without the armor, and with someone's help, Guy could take 10 to climb up the ladder. ;)

Hearing that the men who once died by the tiger's claws were the baron's friends, Varis almost bites his tongue. He had assumed they were merely men he had hired for the trip and made a joke about it back on the ship. Sometimes one should really keep his beak shut.

After the count and the non-combatants left them, Varis helps Guy up the rope as best he can, even though he cannot say that he is an expert. But after one very failed attempt he retreats and lets someone else handle it, accepting some help himself if given.
Climb: 1d20 ⇒ 2 aid another

Climb: 1d20 ⇒ 18 climbing himself

Once atop one of the machans, he sits down with his crossbow besides him, eager to shoot at the animal or drop down atop it if needed.

"I would advise against that." Says Bomande, looking up from studying the ground. "If the tiger notices you down here, he might decide you make a tastier meal than a half-eaten Guar."

Without the armor, and with someone's help, Guy could take 10 to climb up the ladder. ;)

Actually, no. He fails if he takes 10. He has a -1 climb skill due to his strength. If someone does a SUCCESSFUL aid another, Guy could climb with a take 10 - hint, hint.

Lissanya moves to help Guy to his feat. "Varis, would you help steady the ladder?"

Climb Aid Another: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Working together, she and Varis get Guy up in his perch safely. While she waits for Cleo and the rest to get settled, she has a moment to examine the felled guar and the area of the clearing alongside the baron.

Not sure what check I need to make if any. Survival and Knowledge Nature, I think? Once the rest of the party has picked their positions, she'll see what location is best for her. Her bane ability only works on party members within 30ft, so the more allies she can be near, the better.

With her companions seeing to Guy, Cleo quickly wades across the river and scrambles up the rope ladder.

"Hopefully the water will dissuade it." she comments as she sets up her longbow and arrows for easy access.

Taking 10 on the Climb check for 11. While I'm up there I'm going to roll Stealth to try and conceal my own blind as best I can.

Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Guy uses his armor as a seat with some satisfaction. You can't sit up in a blind wearing something like that all day, can you? Well, can you!?!?

"Well, that is odd. No paw prints. I suppose the fleeing antelopes must have trampled them in their hurry to escape." Bomande muses, studying the tracks.

Gedulan and the Baron take 10 on their climb checks for 10 and 12, respectively.

Once the machans are in place, everyone climbs up and settles into them, and waits for the tiger to return. The baron warns you that you should avoid descending once night falls, lest you wish to come face to face with the angry tiger in the dark, and that you should not be employing any light sources until you spot the beast, so you do not give your presence away.

About an hour after night falls, there is suddenly a pleading, almost panicked voice coming from somewhere on the edge of the clearing. "Bomande, Bomande! Please, help me! The tiger has got me, and it has dragged me here! It will eat me any moment now." To your horror, the voice seems to be Count Falroun's...

Surprise check - Perception:
Cleo: 1d20 + 8 - 6 ⇒ (12) + 8 - 6 = 14
Gedulan: 1d20 + 4 - 6 ⇒ (15) + 4 - 6 = 13
Guy: 1d20 + 3 - 9 ⇒ (6) + 3 - 9 = 0
Lissanya: 1d20 + 7 - 9 ⇒ (2) + 7 - 9 = 0
Varis: 1d20 + 5 - 9 ⇒ (17) + 5 - 9 = 13

Surprise check - Stealth:
Tiger(?): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Initiative check:
Cleo: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Gedulan: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Guy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Lissanya: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Varis: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Bomande: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Tiger(?): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

Cleo has made her Perception checks, so she gets to act during the surprise round. She can tell that Falroun's voice seems to be coming from somewhere in the bushes to the southeast. The clearing is dimly lit due to the light of the moon, the stream is shallow and flows slowly and is thus just difficult terrain.

Initiative Order

22.4 Cleo
20.1 Guy
17.4 Lissanya
12.2 Tiger(?)
9.3 Bomande
8.6 Varis
4.1 Gedulan

Suprise Round, Current Initiative Count 22.4, it's Cleo's turn.

Guy does what he always does and casts Bless. He sure as heck is not going down there.

Surprise Round

Cleo is wary of the situation. The Count hardly sounded like a man about to be devoured, and it seemed odd that that he would know that they were in the area. She rubs the signet ring on her hand and concentrates deeply, conjuring up an image of Bomande moving across the clearing towards the sound. From there she merely observes quietly, expecting at least something to come of it.

Expending a point of mental focus from my ring to create a Minor Image of Bomande moving towards the voice down there. I'm going to keep an eye out, I have Low-Light Vision if it helps.

Good call...

The illusory baron Cleo has conjured up starts to flicker briefly as it is pounced by something from the bushes - a creature that, with its crouched stance, bears some strange resemblance to an oversized hyena, but with the characteristic striped haunches and tail of a tiger.

For some odd reason, however, the real baron acts as if he hadn't even noticed the illusion or the strange creature appearing below. "Falroun! I'm coming to save you!" He calls out and climbs five feet down the ladder, half-jumping / half-falling down the rest of the distance to the forest floor and grunting as he lands on his injured leg.

Round 1, Current Initiative Count 22.4, it's Cleo's turn once more.

Round 1

"Bomande, you damn fool, it's a trap!" shouts Cleo as she stands, longbow in hand. She quickly shifts her focus away from the illusion and knocks an arrow intended for the bizarre creature.

Standard Action to attack Tiger (?).

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Cleo tries to warn Bomande, but there is no indication that he has even understood her warning. Unfortunately, her shot is fired too hastily and goes wide, missing the creature by a good deal.

Shortly after that, Guy casts his Bless spell at the group, reaching everyone with it.

Round 1, Current Initiative Count 17.4, it's Lissanya's turn.