PFS PbP - Shadow's Last Stand, part 1 - At Shadow's door (lvl 1-7) played at tier 3-4 (Inactive)

Game Master Revvy Bitterleaf

Thanks again for the spatial info! One question - is the window monster large? Trying to gauge whether I can 5-foot step away and cast a spell or use a wand without getting whacked.

...and another round of evil eye hexes, AC first.

Never mind, I'll just attack, will act next round based on your answer.

Mohok once again swings his blade hard at the deadly glass creature.

+1 Falchion, PA, Guidance, Flank: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 10 - 2 + 1 + 2 = 23
+1 Falchion damage,
PA: 2d4 + 7 + 6 ⇒ (4, 4) + 7 + 6 = 21

Thanks again for the spatial info! One question - is the window monster large? Trying to gauge whether I can 5-foot step away and cast a spell or use a wand without getting whacked.

It's medium and at your current location there's one space you can get to with a 5ft step that will let you do that (You are pretty surrounded by display cases)

...and another round of evil eye hexes, AC first.

Evil eye is mind effecting, constructs are immune to mind effects (misfortune still works on them though)

Birgit looks at the window while squinting and comes to the conclusion that it's not impressed by her looking at it.

Mohok swings at the window with a powerful blow, spraying small shards of glass everywhere

init
Zarunkumar, Ragnar, Belka, Kiyoshi
Window

Damage window: 26 - misfortuned 5 rounds
Damage Ragnar: 30

Zarunkumar will move to the other side of Birgit putting a hand of Ragnars back. She casts Cure Moderate Wounds on him.
Cure Moderate Wounds: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (6, 3) + 3 = 12

The celestial goblin dog tries to take a bite out of the glass.
Bite attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Kiyoshi hums a prayer to Qi Zhong, adding his deities healing properties to the hedge magic used by Zarunkumar.

Dropping Hold Person for Cure Moderate Wounds

Cure Moderate Wounds: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (4, 2) + 3 = 9

More of Ragnars wounds knit up as positive energy suffuses his body.

Both Zarunkumar and Kiyoshi heal Ragnar while the celestial dog ineffectively tries to bite the glass

init
Belka, Ragnar
Window

Damage window: 26 - misfortuned 5 rounds
Damage Ragnar: 9

Belka continues attacking the construct with her greataxe but with fewer results.

Att. mwk greataxe: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 5 + 2 = 11
Damage: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Belka attacks the construct but fails to do anything to it

Ragnar follows Belka's idea and swings at the construct as well
To hit Ac window: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17 but his sword is deflected by the angles on the construct

The window in return goes full out against Ragnar again
2d20 ⇒ (4, 17) = 21- miss
2d20 ⇒ (17, 7) = 24- miss
2d20 ⇒ (7, 1) = 8- miss
But all it's slams miss due the the misfortune

init
You guys
Window

Damage window: 26 - misfortuned 5 rounds
Damage Ragnar: 9

(No change to the map)

Mohok takes a quick step away from the glass creature, hoping to do more damage to it in a moment. He pulls a wand from his belt pouch and taps his wrist with it.

5-foot step away, draw wand of lead blades as move action, use it as standard action.

Birgit eyes the window once more and points an icy finger at it.

casting ray of frost
ranged touch attack
1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 121d3 ⇒ 3

not sure if frozen caress applies to a ranged touch attack or not but if so
1d4 ⇒ 4

Belka tries to deal the finishing blow to their animated enemy. "Die, stupid window!" she yells.

Att. mwk greataxe: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 2 = 22
Damage: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Zarunkumar will cast her healing hex on Ragnar.
Healing hex: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
If the construct is still functioning Dr. Agon will run out of Zarunkumar's sleeve and jump on the goblin dog's back and they will both attack.
Dr. Agon attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Goblin dog attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Damage roll: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9+allergic reaction
Allergic reaction-DC12 fort, -2 dex and cha for 1 day.

Mohok steps back and enchants his weapon

Birgit fires a ray of cold at the construct but is unable to hit it due to her party members being in the way
And as far as I can tell cold caress works on that..it's a touch attack, melee or ranged is not specified as far as I can find

Belka manages to take a mighty swings at the construct and it shatters into a thousand pieces which rain down all over the floor

Out of combat

The swords in the display cases that Mohok was studying when he was so rudely interrupted can be looked at with a little more piece and quite now.
The 11 swords inside the shattered cases are all ornately decorated.

Let me know what you plan to do next

On the verge of dropping his wand and stepping back into battle, Mohok shrugs as the vitreous creature shatters across the floor. "Well, maybe next time," he mutters as he puts the wand away. "Nice work everyone. He sure seemed to have it in for you, Ragnar. Did you break a church window as a kid or something?"

He collects the wolf-head bastard sword and gives it a couple of experimental swings, then says, "Maybe we figure out what we've got here, then try the tower we were about to go into before the window attacked?"

DM Rev - is there any sign of the tracks I spotted earlier?

Knowledge (history): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Kiyoshi studies the swords with great interest.

"Facinating. These appear to be replicas of the blades used by Arodens champions."

The priest then waves his hands across the bastard sword, casting Detect Magic to learn its properties.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

-Posted with Wayfinder

Not specified..so I'd assume that there are too many tracks to be able to single one out at the moment and they are going everywhere on this floor

Kiyoshi has no idea what the sword does, other then that it's magical.

After Kiyoshi notices that the sword Mohok is now holding is magical she will try her hand at figuring out what it does.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

Zarunkumar isn't able to figure out what the sword does either.

What do you want to do next? It looks like your options are; go down to check out the library, try one of the doors here that lead into either the west or the east tower..of go back to the dome and try the door on the east side

I say library

Library it is. Let's go.

A splendidly carved marble corridor cuts through the center of this chamber, connecting a pair of huge bronze doors to the south to a pair of colorful wooden doors to the north. Freshly painted images of the sun cover the latter, while a massive barricade of broken shelves and upturned tables blocks the southern doors—clearly the main entrance to the cathedral.
Oddly, the piled furniture actually cuts through not only the arches lining the corridor but also the columns that support them, as if they were insubstantial.
Beyond these arches, two dim stone rooms flank the central corridor, packed with pile upon pile of books, tomes, and scrolls. Although dozens of shelves stand throughout, most of the books are scattered haphazardly on the floor, many torn or otherwise damaged.

The exterior doors are locked and barricaded. Removing the barricade requires 1 hour of work.

Intrigued, Belka approaches the piled furniture to see why it cuts through the columns. She puts her hand on - or through - the columns to check for a possible illusion.

Mohok moves to the western set of shelves and gives them a quick look, thinking back to his time spent in a secret library in Taldor, and a curious encounter with a lion within it. But he's no better at libraries now than he was in the early days of his adventuring career, and he soon moves on to investigate the eastern side of the library.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Belka finds out it's indeed an illusion

It doesn't do anything right now, so I'd rather not spend to much time on it. The explanation is that ;
Originally the Cathedral of Aroden’s antechamber, this room was converted into a library by Wystorn Telfyr, who believed the massive trove of knowledge merited surroundings as lofty as these. In order to maintain the fiction of a grand entrance, he used several variant illusory wall spells to create the grandiose central corridor, decorated with famous scenes from the Pathfinder Chronicles. The library visible though the arches is meant to impress visitors.
Then when they barricaded the door some of the rubble in the pile started to spill over and fell through the illusion

"Right," grumbles Mohok, "this library's even more deceptive than most. Let's head back upstairs, check out the tower right at the top of the stairs."

He leads the way back up the spiral staircase and to the western doorway.

Just keeping us moving, if others want to roll Perception checks or do other things in the library, feel free.

I agree with Mohok, if anyone wants to roll perception go right ahead..I'll move forward with the next room for now to keep things rollin'

As you move back up the staircase and move towards the door to the west side tower you find out it's locked
(it's not trapped, it's a DC 20 disable device check..or you can try to bust through or even hack your way in..I'll assume that as some point in some way you manage to get to the other side)

At the center of this twenty-foot-square room stand eight stout glass receptacles filled with fluids ranging from clear liquid to green jelly. Warty, fleshy blobs, resembling tiny humanoids, float inside each one. In one tube, a large black eye blinks up and down repeatedly, while in others a creature’s arms wave frantically and a strangely pretty doll-faced creature floats calmly.
Heavy wooden benches ring the room, overflowing with alembics, beakers, ovens, tubes, and alchemical equipment of all sorts. Stout doors stand along the room’s western and northern walls, and a narrow staircase leads upward along the north wall.

There is a trio of small terrified looking small winged humanoid shaped beings trying to hide from you inside this room.
8d20 ⇒ (3, 18, 17, 13, 9, 19, 11, 9) = 99
But you are able to spot them.

Belka has a quick glance at the books and scrolls before also climbing back the stairs and entering the western tower. She frowns with surprise at the glass receptacles and the alchemical equipment. When she spots the winged creature, she takes an offensive position and asks "who are you and what are you doing here?"

Kiyoshis eyes widen at the scene around him, opening even more at Belkas aggressive posturing. Hoping to prevent further combat, the priest raise his hands and bows.

"We mean you no harm, please speak with us if you can."

Mohok enters the strange place, like some alchemical laboratory gone even more mad than usual, keeping a careful eye on the small winged creatures.

"He's right," Mohok rumbles, "we don't want to fight, we're just looking for some people."

Spotting the odd monstrosities in the glass chambers, he mutters, "What is this place?" and tries to recognize any of the creatures.

Knowledge (planes?): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Knowledge (dungeoneering): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

They look afraid of you (it's going to take a successful diplomacy check to convince them that you are not going to kill them) but they seem to be paying attention to what you are saying even though they make no sound back at you.

They are tiny constructs..so I think you need knowledge arcane for that

Mohok has no idea what they are.

Knowledge (arcane): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18
Looking at the creatures Zarunkumar says "He is right we are not going to hurt you."
Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 19
Surprisingly that may have just worked.

Mohok raises his hands to show he's not holding a weapon, then says "See?

Diplomacy, Aid Zarunkumar: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1 Such a friendly-looking giant, tattoed half-orc!

Kiyoshi will aid Zarunkumar, he automatically aids (adding +9), so she receives +2 getting her 21 total.

Zarunkumar identifies the creatures as homonoculi, tiny constructs made by someone to help them with their (laboratory) work.

As they hear your soothing words they calm down and fly up towards the ceiling and begin clicking incoherently and beating their chests.

They don't speak common..or any language actually ..so if you want to talk to them it's going to take a sense motive or linguistics check DC 20 to understand them each time they speak...or use translation magic or some other creative way to communicate with them.

Mohok points at the glass cases with their odd forms within, then makes a fierce, raking gesture with his rough-nailed hands, then shrugs questioningly, hoping to convey something like, Will these things attack us?

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

Just to be clear..they do understand common..they just can't speak it

(I guess simple yes and no answers don't need sense motive..cause that would be silly)

After looking puzzled at what Mohok is doing one of them shakes it's little head

”Oh, you can understand me better than I thought,” Mohok says. ”There are a bunch of people we’re trying to rescue. Some bad people took them hostage. Do you know where the bad people are? Can you show us, or point the way?”

"If you could help us we would gladly see to your safe return to your master, or if you would prefer we could set you free never to be controlled again. Do we have a deal?"

After hearing Mohok ask his questions they respond but Mohok is unable to make any sense of their clicking language and moving around) (your one rolled sense motive wasn't enough to understand it) but they end by shaking their heads.

After Zarunkumar's speech they get very excited (Sense motive check to see if you get what they mean) It might be best if everyone who asks a question rolls sense motive along with it..if anyone else wants to roll sense motive to understand the answer to someone else his question, roll one as well and mention you want to use it - and for what question..or just ask simple yes or no questions, one at a time ;)

Linguistics check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Yeah, not so much.

Mohok studies the little creatures as their excitement builds in response to Zarunkumar's words, and he tries to understand what they're getting at.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

Both Mohok and Zarunkumar have no idea what the creatures are trying to explain.

Belka lowers a bit her weapon and takes a less offensive posture but stays vigilant and suspicious in front of these unknown creatures.

She nonetheless tries to understand what they are saying.

Sense motive to understand the answer to Mohok's question: 1d20 ⇒ 12
Sense motive to understand the answer to Zarunkumar's question: 1d20 ⇒ 12

"Did you see a bunch of people? Yes or no." Mohok asks the homonculi in growing frustration. "Point in the direction they went."

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

"I'm about ready to move on, not sure we're going to understand much about what these little guys have to say."

Belka also has no idea what the little guys mean.

The Homonculi nod and point towards the door you came in through at Mohok's questions.

(Just for completion sake, I'll assume you go through the next 2 floors here as well before heading back out)
The middle floor (area 7b) contains the library’s most valuable tomes. It is especially rich in books about devil-binding and the history of magical constructs, including homunculi.
The uppermost floor (area 7c) contains an office (a small marble table and a bookcase filled with tomes detailing the creation of homunculi and other constructs) and, hidden behind several tapestries depicting Aroden and Iomedae, his richly appointed bedchamber. The neatly made bed lies beside a nightstand stacked with several well-thumbed volumes of the Pathfinder Chronicles, with bookmarks flagging some of the more titillating passages.

Where do you want to go to now?

Rev - would you mind taking the blue panels off the parts of the map you've described above? I don't want to edit your map and spoil any surprises.

Done now. Sorry about that, I'm kind of bad at keeping track of maps. This also goes for taking off monsters that have gone down already. I've also exposed to top of the tower, which is behind a closed trapdoor but I guess you will make it through it at some point in some way.

The tower’s roof (area 6d) is edged by a low crenellated wall and contains several pieces of meteorological equipment: a brass wind vane shaped like a bird in flight, a water-filled glass chamber containing a number of
colorful glass bulbs (three of which float on top, one on the bottom), a rainwater gauge, and a spyglass mounted on a tripod.

(Just let me know where you want to go next)

Your options include; to leave through the door to the north in this tower, go to the other tower, or move back to the main dome and take the door on the east side there (or variations like take the trap door in this tower and climb towards the other towers roof for example), your choice on where you want to go next.