Ruins of Pathfinder: The Quest for Arcadia (Inactive)

Game Master Robert Brookes

Oh dear. I am always concerned a little when our GM says something like that. And excited, too.

Yeah, I've learned that the word interesting is a very flexible word, mostly for ill. Hold your nose and shut your eyes!

That way you won't be able to warn the others what comes to eat you.

Post almost done... Finally. Lost the idea, created a new one, and now almost out of time to post today. I may need to do a to-be-continued and work in the ending in the start of my next post.

Edit: Yep, that's what happened. I apologize to everyone for flaking out this week. It's been absolutely crazy, and I've had less than a quarter of the time I usually get to just sit at my computer and do things like write PbP posts.

I'm pretty sure next week will be better, and I'll certainly be able to finish Rogath's rescue over the weekend, assuming the boat doesn't sink under him. If the new skill check is up by tomorrow night, I'll work it and its story into the continuation, if not, I'll just continue. But I'm out of time now.

It's okay Rogath, just glad to see your check and know you're still around. It's been a very busy week for me too, a project of mine is taking off the ground again and I've been working with artists and writers quite a bit in my free time.

With that said, on to the heroics!

ROUND IV: ADDITIONAL OBJECTIVES

Mind the Kraken and Abandon Ship are no longer an objectives and may not be performed. They have been replaced; see below.

THE BETTER PART OF VALOR (Survival, Perception, Profession [Sailor] or Knowledge (geography) DC 15) [3 Successes Needed]
Someone sighted land before the Kraken appeared, and the storm is localized to the dread titan of the sea. The only way out of this alive is through, but knowing which way that is may take time.
 Effect: Before the sea swallows you up, the surviving dwarves who have successfully been evacuated must navigate their way out of the storm and towards land. It will take three successful checks to find the safest route out of the storm and in the correct direction.
 Special: Only available to successfully evacuated dwarves. Every failed check made increases the DC of the check by 2 from conflicting opinions of which way is the correct way to go. The more people attempting to navigate with false positives, the worse the odds of success become.

A LEAP OF FAITH (Fortitude, Reflex or Will Save DC 15)
The kraken has emerged, the ship is destroyed, and now there is but one chance to make it off with the rest of the survivors. A leap of faith down into the turbulent ocean and salvation... or a one way ticket to the black depths.
 Effect: If successful, you evacuate the ship and are saved from the waters by the other refugees. You may not evacuate any followers or companions with this check, nor may followers or companions make this check, it is too late for them now.

<OPTIONAL> KINGSLAYER (Combat Maneuver Check, Knowledge (Arcana), or Spellcraft DC 25) [1 Success Needed]
The kraken is the most deadly creature in this portion of the Arcadian ocean and none have ever slain one in combat. Injured by a suicide attack from the Kols' Hammer this kraken is the closest to death one has ever come in these waters. Can you successfully aid Vigar in slaying the beast?
 Effect: You strike the killing blow on the kraken.
 Special: This check is only available to dwarves who have not yet evacuated.

You will likely need to come up with a strategy together to gather the three successes needed for "The Better Part of Valor," as every failed check increases the DC to succeed by 2 when I tally it up at the end of the round.

Ruh roh.

Hey I've a question - what can my Familiar do exactly, based on the new one's you've given us? Assist in one of them, by chance, since you stated that Companions and Followers can't take "A Leap of Faith"?

Oh sorry, my wording there is foul.

Your familiar (animal companion/eidolon) will evacuate with you if you perform leap of faith, but it can't aid you with the check. Any hired hands or other followers not gained by a class feature would be in dire straits (but thankfully that really isn't the case here.)

Your familiar can aid in any of the other checks, however, since it can automatically follow you on the Leap of Faith on your turn. So, it can try to aid Dwunder if he tries to go fishing with the Kraken, or it can wait until you successfully evacuate.

Pffft aid Dwunder and let him take all the glory? Why, Dr. Logem wouldn't dream of it!

Think of the chance to study a Kraken's innards up close and personal. Dr. Logem wouldn't miss this opportunity! NAY, I'M GOIN' FER IT!

....Damn familiar.. if only he could've succeeded on assisting me.. SO CLOSE!

I figure If I'm going to die, I'm going to die in the ballsiest way possible. Right? :D

Looks like it's either Aid Another on you or both of us dying haha.

Well, you could still escape technically, by taking a Leap of Faith. So you can still save yourself if you wanted to.. not that I really see Dwunder being the sort.

If we die, lets die in a blaze of glory befitting of true Dwarves, aye?! >:D

Oh no, I'm working on the post now and have the results staring at me. Had I elected to do Leap of Faith, it would've been Leap of Death, hah!

To quote you:

Huehuehue!

:P

This comes to mind.

Yeah my battle cry *Was* pretty pathetic. But that scalpel is anything but pathetic, even if it is comically small. Just have to know where to cut :P

Anyhoo Dwunder, lets hope this worked! Otherwise.. well, I guess we'll both have more time for my S&S campaign and Rob's Reign of Winter campaign.

bwahahaha, awesome, fellas. Wish Quint could have helped but he's too much of a coward :p (or too prudent depending on your point of view). Will look at getting my post up tomorrow.

So... looking at the PCs in the water (Angrin, Mineko, and Quint in one Boat, Maven and Dakun in another) we have best skills of:
Angrin, Perception +5
Dakun, Perception & Survival +7
Maven, Perception +3
Mineko, Perception +1
Quint, Perception +8

so it looks like we'll be trying to peer our way through the storm :p Angrin, Dakun and Me should make the main rolls with Maven and Mineko rolling to assist whoever needs it.

Does the penalty to the roll include if PCs/NPCs fail the aid another checks?

EDIT: Actually Komainu-kun has +13 Survival, so it should be Quint, Komainu, and Dakun by the looks of it, with Angrin and maybe Maven providing assists. Otherwise Mineko and Maven could try to save people and/or goods (if aiding can give a penalty anyway)

Angrin was planning on doing more rescuing, though... xD

Swim +4 for the win!

But yeah, he can help if you guys think it's wise.

oh great. there WOULD be an option to fight that uses my good check, now that I've jumped ship.

Does the penalty to the roll include if PCs/NPCs fail the aid another checks?

Yes, failed checks to aid another would increase the penalty by the same logic. "No no it's over here!" "That's a tentacle!!"

Just wait till we hit solid ground. I don't think any of us were particularly specialized for sea travel, but once we touch down...

Hey, it's your character Angrin, so you do what you want, I'm just looking at the best options to get those three check out of the way. If Angrin, Mineko and Maven want to do their own thing then Quint, Dakun, and Komainu will go it alone :) Especially since a failed aid another gives a penalty.

Just wait till we hit solid ground. I don't think any of us were particularly specialized for sea travel, but once we touch down...

*ahem*

I still need to make the checks for my hirelings.. almost forgot about them, what with Dr. Logem going insane and all.

For what it's worth, Rogath has a built-in compass and can always tell which way is north. In and of itself, that's not much help in navigating, because it doesn't help figure out where he is or where he needs to go, but it does let him know if he gets turned around.

Still need to narrate his rescuees off the boat, though.

Rob - Just to clarify, the options for those who have already left are just "FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH" and "THE BETTER PART OF VALOR", and those for us still aboard are either "A LEAP OF FAITH" or "KINGSLAYER"?

I believe that gives him a +2 to survival rolls for navigation. You kinda need to be in a boat for that though, yeah :)

KINGSLAYER has been completed successfully, and you forgot EVERYTHING THAT ISN'T NAILED DOWN which Rob said is an option in the boats after a creative post from Mineko/Celeador

Yeah. Should be interesting. I'm gonna go save another dwarf as insurance for anyone (though I think only Rogar is still aboard and hasn't declared his action) who tries the LEAP OF FAITH and happens to fail.

My hirelings'll just be grabbing more cargo.. they're greedy little sods.

@Maven: Really clever use Maven!

@Logem: Same here.

Hope somebody plans to transcribe all this into a novella or something when we're done. We'll sell a million copies in a week and R.A.Salvatore can EAT IT.

heh, that would be pretty awesome. If the rest of the campaign is anything like this then it shall be EPIC!

Right up until someone who has done spectacularly in combat rolls a natural one on their initiative and gets critted three times in a single full attack and dies. >_> <_<

Not that I've experienced that, mind.

Rocks fall, party dies.

Kraken attacks, ship explodes.

Earthquake, new kingdom swallowed. START OVER WHILE INVENTING ONE THOUSAND NEW DWARVEN CURSES.

...What.

Just a general heads-up, for the month of August I won't have much weekend posting time. I'm in crunch-time on a Pathfinder project that needs to be done at month end and packing/preparing to move at the beginning of Sept (provided the apartment is ready and it doesn't get pushed back again x_x).

Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up on that! :)

Also I wholeheartedly accept "kraken attacks, ship explodes" as the nautical "rocks fall" :D

@Rogath: While Quint already pointed it out I just wanted to confirm that his direction sense would indeed give a +2 bonus to Survival checks for navigation.

Rob - Just to clarify, the options for those who have already left are just "FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH" and "THE BETTER PART OF VALOR", and those for us still aboard are either "A LEAP OF FAITH" or "KINGSLAYER"?

Those in the water can also still do EVERYTHING THAT ISN'T NAILED DOWN to fish supplies out of the ocean. Otherwise, that is correct.

Out of the fog comes a burning fury, the prow of Kols' Hammer completely wreathed in flames. The ship moves at full speed on a collision course for the kraken, and the prow rams into the beast's side with a haunting wail of the terrible creature. Wood splinters, flesh tears and a purplish blood sprays out across the burning deck of the ship. The kraken is forces to release portions of Torag's Anvil to try and pry the vessel that had impaled it out.

Nice call of cthulhu homage, if in fact it was intended.

I'll try to get up a round IV post sometime today. I got my fingers crossed that the two brave (and crazy) souls who decided to stick around make it to a lifeboat.

Robert wrote:

Out of the fog comes a burning fury, the prow of Kols' Hammer completely wreathed in flames. The ship moves at full speed on a collision course for the kraken, and the prow rams into the beast's side with a haunting wail of the terrible creature. Wood splinters, flesh tears and a purplish blood sprays out across the burning deck of the ship. The kraken is forces to release portions of Torag's Anvil to try and pry the vessel that had impaled it out.

Nice call of cthulhu homage, if in fact it was intended.

I'll try to get up a round IV post sometime today. I got my fingers crossed that the two brave (and crazy) souls who decided to stick around make it to a lifeboat.

Call of Cthulhu/Little Mermaid were blended together, unwillingly, for that post.

Ursula vs. Cthulu!!

Battle for rulership of all things dark and deep?

or...

most disturbing date EVER?

All of the above!

Members of the Chamber of Dwarves of Arcadia, I propose that the mule, Cherryblossom, sometimes known as "The Wonder Mule" be promoted to the position of expedition leader. Failing that, I propose that this beast be made into the expedition mascot. All in favor, say "Aye."

Better than a Stonelord Paladin. Was never fond of them goody-types.

Aye

;)

Aye to Mascot. Don't think Quint would follow a mule.

Finally, I'm caught up to "now".

I believe that gives him a +2 to survival rolls for navigation. You kinda need to be in a boat for that though, yeah :)

You know... I hadn't actually noticed that the trait came with an actual skill bonus. I just took it for the theme and the innate know direction effect.

This particular trait is +4 to avoid becoming lost, which seems less useful (most of the time) than a general +2 to navigate. The difference between "I know how I got here" and "I can get there from here". Or at least that's how I interpret it.

Also, best use of animate rope I've ever seen, Maven.

And I'll Aye the mule for mascot too.

Can't think of a much more appropriate mascot for a short, stubborn, hardy, hairy group of Dwarves.

Five now, including me? Pretty sure the ayes have it. We have a new mascot.

Motion Passed.

Also, Rogath, now Angrin can befriend you more easily! :D

Once we get secure on land, I'll hafta make some awesome barding for cherryblossom. Armored mule FTW.

CHARGE!

HEE-HAW!!!

You know, Logem will eventually be able to awaken animals and anthropomorphize them.

So.

I, for one, welcome our new Mule overlord.