[PFS - PbP Gameday 5] GM Skipper's #4-04 King of the Storval Stairs (tier 7-11) (Inactive)

Game Master SkipperD

Magna first inspects one of the giants-- more specifically, their ears. "What have you got in here, eh..."

After that quick glance, she hurriedly moves to any non-giant bodies she sees in the wreckage of the caravan, going from victim to victim in the hopes that any might still be found alive and that she could heal them. Glad to use cures if any are alive but it sounds unlikely.

"Well, that was quickly dealt with, at least, but damn, an inauspicious beginning, eh?" Magna grunts. "The giants probably took anything of worth off these poor souls already. Let's heal up, check the giants quick for purloined goods, and I'll do a quick look-see before we move on? I don't know if any of you are the sort that would want to say a prayerful word over these poor souls."

I know you said the 'in-depth' caravan search would take a while, but if Magna can do a quick glance around for anything of particular note given her pretty shrewd eyes, she will, combined with a detect magic. Of course, if the rest of the party wants to take the time for a full search, she'll look then as well.

Perception: 1d20 + 31 ⇒ (6) + 31 = 37

(If anyone needs CLW wands activated I'm happy to do so, feel free to roll your own charges.)

Sabrina stands guard at the stairs as the others finish searching the giants.

Sabrina already searched one of the giants before combat ended. but she will move to stand guard right now

Searching the wreckage:

Looting the giants:
The rank and file giants have nothing of value on them, but the leader has a few items of interest, which Rognak and Bizzle work together to identify.
A large +1 greatclub, a cloak of resistance +1 and a ring of protection +1,

Marta will activate hew wand after getting no offers. She is going to use up an old CL3 wand that has been using up space for too long.

CLW: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
CLW: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
CLW: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
CLW: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Total healed: 33

One charge left. Almost there.

She then starts searching with the rest.

Survival: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 2 = 19, add 4 more if it involves tracking.

Not good enough even with bonus! My bet is on the druids though.

A large +1 greatclub, a cloak of resistance +1 and a ring of protection +1,

"Anyone mind if I use the ring of protection?"

"Go right ahead if no one else wants it, sharp weapons and I do not mix.." Rognak said as he floated by. "I do not plan on going toe to toe with any creature anytime soon, like I did in two of my three deaths." the half orc said.

Survival: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34

Scanning the ground, Magna plucks a few arrows from the wreckage, and indicates a taloned clawmark, as of a bird.

"Matches what we were told to expect about the harpies," she points out grimly. "As does the notion the giants plugged their ears. Be ready for flyers buzzin' us, shootin' us full of arrows, and trying to lure us off cliffs to our deaths with their song."

Magna inserts her own earplugs, figuring there is no time like the present. Speaking a little louder, she says, "So! We ready to start climbing? Daylight's wasting."

Magna will forego the hour's time of extra search, and gives the club/cloak/ring to anyone who wants.

Moving on then:

The ancient ruins at the base of the stairs lurk in the perpetual shadow of the monstrous cliffs known as the Storval Rise. The stairs form a fifty-foot-wide cleft cut deep into the cliff. The stairs bear the weight of the millennia lightly; though rounded with age and cracked in a few places, they remain level from end to end. Each ponderous two-foot-deep step stretches two feet upwards. Massive landings flanked by monstrous structures obscure the top of the stairs from the bottom. The angle of the sun means shadows blanket the entire length of the Stairs, and will probably do so all day except for a short period around midday.
Massive statues flank the stairs; they rise three hundred feet above the base of the stairs and proudly looking out over the surrounding countryside as if standing guard. Each statue holds an immense tome in one arm and a deadly looking glaive in the other.
On either side of the statues, buildings carved directly out of the cliff face rise from the valley floor. The gargantuan proportions of the structures make it difficult to judge their height. They rise nearly to the top of the plateau, four hundred feet above the valley floor.

Do you have any weird means of climbing the stairs that I should be aware of?

While the group made a search of the area, Rognak pulled out a tome from his backpack, spending two minutes to look it over. "Ready to go"

Memorize another scorching ray and fireball. One each of the 1st and 4th slots are still open.

Kn history?: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16 nope

So it sounds like we have a 400-ft vertical ascent to deal with? If I'm reading that correctly. Not sheer 400 ft of course but a total vertical clearance of 400. If so:

"Ahhh, that's not so long to get up, is it," Magna says with a slap of one hand against her stone-greaved thigh. "I can save our muscles some trouble. Gather close now."

Casting communal spider climb, duration 110 minutes, dividing it so that everyone gets twenty except Magna herself, she'll take ten.

"Let's stick close together and if the harpies ambush us don't go chargin' off if you can't fly," the dwarf rumbles. "I can get us all airborne in a pinch if I hafta."

@Magna: The cliff itself is 400 feet tall, but the stairs are built into it. I was asking since the steps are two feet tall, and you never know what sneaky tricks a group of 10-11's have up their sleeves.

Yeah, gotcha. :) My spider climb shall still be go.

I take it we did not spend an hour searching the wagons? How long was it - I need to decrement the time on her buff spells.

Marta stuffs her earplugs in before the ascent. First time she has ever gotten any use from the things!

knhist: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5, add +6 if the role involved monster identification.

No for me too. Marta will lead the way on the climb up unless Ozak wants to scout ahead.

Rognak looked around the area. "The figure looks familiar, might be one of the Runelords." he said, taking a closer look at the top of the stairs. "I can almost take the entire group to the top in one trip, unless someone else can fly or maybe...hold their breath for a while in one of the magical haversacks, that is not an option." he added before waving his hand over his eyes and looking at the structure.

K:history: 1d20 + 1d6 + 12 ⇒ (5) + (1) + 12 = 18
An aid will give us the info on the statues (must remember to take 10 next time). Start detecting magic on the stairs to see if there is magic that blocks teleportation. I can take 4 people using dimension door.

Bizzle would need help climbing the stairs. If that would slow the party down too much Bizzle could cast Fly on himself again, which lasts 10 minutes. I could also use Dimension Door for myself and three others if we really had to.

@Marta: You spent 10 minutes searching the giants and the caravan.

Rognak senses plenty of ancient and residual magic on the stairs, but nothing that would bar the use of teleportation spells.

the spider climb would suit me. Turning to Bizzle, I will keep pace with you, best to have some protection if anything tries to pick off those in the back.

Spider climb gives everyone climb 20 so we'd all be moving at the same pace unless I'm missing something.

Alright, Spider Climb helps a lot.

The stairs cut deep into the cliff at this point, and walls tower fifty feet or more overhead on either side. A massive landing, fifty feet to a side, offers a brief respite from the relentless climb. To the north and south, large hewn caverns with elaborate facades plunge deep into the solid bedrock of the cliff, three to the north and one to the south. Though the sun shines in the sky above, the landing is in the shadow of the walls towering on either side.
A macabre scene of torture and ruin defiles the landing. Flies swarm around four human-sized corpses held vertical by impaling stakes. Another lifeless body is suspended twenty feet above the landing, its limbs dislocated by the merciless pull of taut ropes affixed to hooks in the walls.
A pair of tortured hill giants completes the display. One is barely alive; she is hog-tied, and lurches and convulses as she tries to free her broken limbs from the sturdy ropes. Her companion is similarly bound, but is dead, with vultures picking the meat from his bones. The wreckage of several wagon beds lies near the northern caverns.
Oily black smoke pours from the large central opening on the north side of the landing, carrying the putrid smell of burnt hair and decomposing flesh. A loud whimpering sound and a man's terrified scream fills the air from the cave.

Map updated. Do note, that the squares are 10 feet across. North is up-ish.

Marta approaches the giant that is still alive and speaks to it in perfect, well, Tongues. Everyone can understand what she says, but the replies will probably be in giant. Before approaching the living giant she casts Shield of Faith and activates her Detect Alignment ability. I assumed the giant is tied up at the location marked C and have moved Marta accordingly.

"You look like you could use a little help there. Care to repent and follow Ragathiel, goddess of fire and vengance and good?"

Marta will fire up a discern lies as she questions the fellow.

If the Tonges spell helps her to hear with the ear plugs in whe will leave them in, if not whe will remove them for the duration of the questioning.

Diplomacy roll if needed:
diplomacy: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23

With hill giants not being known for their intelligence at the best of times, the survivor of the carnage just stares at Marta with, dumb, pain-clouded eyes, before going back to struggling against its bounds; a hopeless endevor, seeing as its arms and legs are all broken.

So, no interest in the scream?

Do you hear that? Someone could need our help! Bizzle will cast Dancing Lights and send them into the cave so that they can all see what is creating the noise.

Yes, lots of interest in the scream, but Marta just came off of a couple missions in the Worldwound and it seemed like everything was pretending to be what it was not. Damn demons and demon-friends.

"This one will be no use. I was hoping to convert it to our side or at least get some advanced info about what we can expect inside, but that will not pan out. Shall we loose the poor thing before entering?"

"Loose her to do what?" Magna says gruffly. "Those wounds won't heal on their own-- and I'll not be healing up a giantess to go terrorize other people, or squat out more baby giants. It's cruel what was done to her but that doesn't make her a poor little animal stuck in a trap. Mercy here is to end it for her, quick and painless-- but we've got someone else who might be in trouble ahead, the giantess can wait."

Magna strides towards the cave, shield up and in position, casting Barkskin on herself as she goes.

*sigh*

She's right, of course. Ragathiel would demand nothing less. But I do so prefer to convert than to eliminate. And Ragathiel knows that anyone can be converted.

With Bizzle's floating lights and Magna's dwarven eyes, you manage to see four hill giants gathered around a large cauldron. Among them, is a bound human, whom they poke and prod for laughs. Unfortunately, they spot the glowing lights, and subsequently you, and violence erupts.

Combat Round 1
Bold may act
___________________________________________
Rognak, Ozak, Marta
Barbarians
Sabrina
Giants
Bizzle, Magna

Marta activates shield from her ioun stone and moves part way to the giants, using stealth to lurk around the corner with her spear ready for a rushing giant. -5 for moving 25'.

Stealth: 1d20 + 8 - 5 ⇒ (15) + 8 - 5 = 18

Magna notices Marta's positioning herself and walks up a few feet standing directly in plain view of the giants-- a dwarf's dwarf, head lowered like a challenge.

"HO THERE! COME AND GET SOMETHING THAT CAN FIGHT BACK, YOU OVERGROWN ROCKHEADS!" she shouts, shield braced towards the giants and her free hand low by her side.

Single move, readied action: if a giant steps into the red square Magna will cast Create Pit, Reflex DC 20 on the red square. Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 2) = 9 damage if a giant falls in. (30 foot depth)

Note Magna's AC against giants is currently 34.

Note Magna's AC against giants is currently 34.

Oh yea!! You gotta love fighting giants when you are a dwarf!

@skipper
In general, do you want me to post AoOs in case Marta gets an opportunity or three in advance if I think one might come her way, or should I wait until asked?

@Marta: Wait with the AoO's, since they might just spot you with that less than impressive Stealth roll.

With his superior darkvision, Rognak spotted the four giants and started to smile before he saw the smaller figure, then it quickly turned into a scowl. Grabbing some powder from his pouch, he threw it in their direction, causing a burst of sparkling golden dust to coat the area.

Glitterdust centered on the small figure in order to get all the giants. DC 20 Will save.

@skipper.
Yea, I'm not holding out much hope on that.

Marta is also entering Dragon Style. Just assume in the future that the swift action in the first round of combat will be entering Dragon Style unless I say otherwise.

Will, red: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Will, green: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Will, yellow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Will, blue: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
Will, prisoner: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

One of the giants somehow manages to resist Rognak's spell, while the others bellow with rage.

Combat Round 1
Bold may act
___________________________________________
Rognak, Ozak, Marta
Barbarians (red: blind; green: blind)
Sabrina
Giants (yellow: blind)
Bizzle, Magna

Acrobatics, red: 1d20 - 4 ⇒ (18) - 4 = 14
Acrobatics, green: 1d20 - 4 ⇒ (19) - 4 = 15

The two blinded brutes shriek with blind rage as they some how manage to pile out of the chamber without tripping. The closest one seems aware of Marta and Magna by virtue of it sniffing the air.

Sadly, Magna jumped the gun slightly with her readied action (since she's last in the initiative order), but did Marta ready an attack? With her postion at the corner, and the giant's movement, it didn't provoke an AoO.

Will, red: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Will, green: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
These are some nice rolls. At least the aren't attacks...

The two giants manage to shake Rognak's influence, and can stare with malice at Magna.

Combat Round 1
Bold may act
___________________________________________
Rognak, (Ozak), Marta
Barbarians
Sabrina
Giants (yellow: blind)
Bizzle, Magna

No readied attack. She cast a spell and moved. Marta does have reach though, so if it moves by withing 2 she can AoO and she does have combat reflexes. I thinks she gets a AoO on green?

My bad, I actually read 'Marta' in the bolded initiative as Magna, earlier, totally my error. Happy to retcon that and stick Magna back with the party. Don't know how I misread that. Sorry for the gun-jumping and adjudicate it how you see best, GM.

@Marta: With reach you'll get an AoO on green while it was still blind.
@Magna: No worries. I liked the "come and get me" part, so I'll leave where you're stranding now and let you have a full turn when we get there.

@Marta: With reach, you'll get an AoO against green while it was still blind.
@Magna: Now worries. I liked the whole "come and get me" thing, so I'll leave you where you are now, and let you have a full turn when we get there.

sorry been busy at work. they extended my night shift another week.

Sabrina advances toward the closest Giant. she seems intent on getting to the prisoner as quickly as possible.

attack: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16

of course a nat 1

Marta takes her AoO with her handy long spear.

To Hit with Power Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30
Damage: 1d8 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17, piercing
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2, acid

Marta hits with an opportune attack on the first giant, but Sabrina is not as lucky.

The non-blinded giant at the back of the room tosses the bound man into the pot, which causes the man to scream as he is boiled alive.

2d6 ⇒ (3, 5) = 8

The giant then moves closer to its bigger brethren. The other giant just rubs its eyes, trying to get the glitter out.

Will, yellow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23, something that it succeeds at.

Combat Round 1/2
Bold may act
___________________________________________
Rognak, Ozak, Marta
Barbarians (green: 19 damage)
Sabrina
Giants
Bizzle, Magna

Bizzle will cast Haste once more!

"We need to hurry folks or they will boil that poor guy alive."

Swift action to activate the Bane ability again. Full flurry attack with fists.

Do you have Haste in there? I might have ninja'd you with my spell.

You did ninja me. Each attack above gets an additional +1 to hit. Extra Attack below has the haste already added in.

That has got to hurt. Marta sure bruised its ankles.

Marta, you had a natural 20 on the first attack, so I'll go ahead and resolve the crit.
1d20 + 16 ⇒ (10) + 16 = 26
1d6 + 16 ⇒ (2) + 16 = 18
And the crit is confirmed. The only attack that misses is the last one of the first three.

Bizzle quickens the party's movements, which Marta utilizes to pummel the nearest giant.

Combat Round 1/2
Bold may act
Party-wide buffs: Haste
___________________________________________
Rognak, Ozak, Marta
Barbarians (green: 25 damage, 99 non-lethal, shaken, sickened)
Sabrina
Giants
Bizzle, Magna

@Skipper
Dang. I NEVER get crits. Glad you spotted that, but why 1d6 + 16 for damage? I get 1d6 + 1d6 for merciful + 2d6 for bane + 1d6 for corrosive + 16, or 5d6 + 16

Do i see a way to get the man out of the pot? If so i will vanish and haste move up 60 ft to get to him.

@Marta: Extra dice from weapon enchantments are never multiplied on a crit.

Additional Damage Dice: Some magic weapons deal additional dice of damage. Unlike other modifiers to damage, additional dice of damage are not multiplied when the attacker scores a critical hit.

Ozak goes invisible and moves with enhanced speed through the legs of the giants. The pot is scorching hot, and he burns himself slightly.
Fire damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4
None-the-less, he manages to save the still conscious man.

Combat Round 1/2
Bold may act
Party-wide buffs: Haste
___________________________________________
Rognak, Ozak (4 damage), Marta
Barbarians (green: 25 damage, 99 non-lethal, shaken, sickened)
Sabrina
Giants
Bizzle, Magna