Shackled City (Pathfinder) - GM_Chris

Game Master Chris Shannon 719

A 5-foot-tall muscular figure clad in black plate armor stands on the staircase, his face hidden behind a visor. In one gauntlet, he clutches a wicked dwarven urgrosh. In the other, he grasps a chain ending in an iron ring clamped around a human boy’s neck. Behind him, crouched at the top of the stairs, looms a slavering, bestial hound bristling with quills. Behind it are three more children chained to the post.

The black-clad knight is haggling with a creature that looks like an ash-skinned dwarf with sharply pointed ears and yellow eyes. He wears robes encrusted with mold, holds out a bone box filled with coins, and looks at you with utter disgust.

There are a couple hobgoblins standing by the north door.

Slave Bazaar picture

The picture doesn't match the description of a visor, but it's fun to see anyway. Breaking up the posts in case the post monster decides to eat something.

New Map

The armored figure turns to the party, "Please tell me you've killed whoever failed to prevent you from getting in here. It will save me the trouble."

"I will happily deal with you in a minute if you will allow me to finish my negotiations here. Alternatively, you can offer some bids. Surely whatever reward you receive will cover your expenses and allow you to live."

Oops. Missed Chris's handwave of other rooms above...

Dr. Toffitt drinks his infusion of shield as the slaver issues his threats. He whispers to Dyrant, "My friend, let us focus on separating them from the children. They will no doubt attempt to hold them hostage."

"We are the divine cudgel of St. Cuthbert and we will have our people back."

Dyrant seems amused that the figure seems to think that we would let go...we would never do that.

As long as you're not counting Dark Stalkers among your friends.

"You can save *yourself* more trouble by releasing our people and clubbing yourself silly."

"You can save *yourself* more trouble by releasing our people and clubbing yourself silly."

"I will release them for a price. This is not Cauldron. Your laws don't apply here. This is my kingdom and my laws are simple. A fair price for goods. While your lives are likely worthless, these slaves have already been bid on. You can overbid of course. As I said, I am sure you would still make a profit."

"Unacceptable." Atol says simply.

Atol casts Bless.

He violated our laws when he had these people stolen. It does not matter what his laws are.

Finneas will stand towards the back with his axe at the ready. He says nothing but rather waits to see which way the group goes.

Move to {AL,39}

"This is not Cauldron. Your laws don't apply here. This is my kingdom and my laws are simple."

"Maybe your hearing doesn't apply here either. I said, we are taking our people back. And your kingdom is small, weak, and dies easily."

The hobgoblins at the door draw their swords and open the doors. Two more hobgoblins stand in the northern hallway. The quill covered hound snarls and the children wimper, but Kazmojen's booming voice maintains order.

"There is no need for bloodshed yet. Perhaps you young, and not so young, adventures lack the gold to compete with this esteemed gentleman." Kazmojen gestures to the dwarf.

"I also accept items of value and services of value. Perhaps we have a common enemy. You could deal with them and earn the lives of your citizens."

New map

Dr. Toffitt steps forward, his rapier sheathed and bow in hand. "Perhaps we are speaking too simply. You have broken the laws of Cauldron and have conspired with those who kidnapped citizens from Cauldron, led by one named Yuathb. He has already confessed his crimes and collusion with you in exchange for mercy. You will release these children now and submit yourself to the laws of Cauldron, or you and your fellows will most assuredly die."

Intimidate + 1
1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

If possible he has a clear line of fire to the dog, but does not yet raise his bow.

My comrades were right. I was too quick to parlay with Yuathb, out of fear of losing myself to the beast. Now his crimes go unpunished. This one's fate shall not be so kind, if my life has any meaning.

Glimmil urges Cog forward, trotting into the room, knowing that combat is inevitable, for the evil slavers must be punished, and will likely not surrender in a place they consider their "home".

He'll Detect Evil while the conversation about transpires.

Line up an unobstructed charge. Glimmil will have his axe out, and hammer/shield stowed away for a change.

Everyone but the children detect as evil.

Kazmojen chuckles and pulls the child up off his feet by the chain around his neck. "If you are going to scare someone, doctor, it is best to use a prop. Yes, I recognize you and your equipment. Also, you need to know the motivations of the person. Mine is gold as is obvious. Yours is the safety of these fragile children."

Kazmojen shakes the child like a fish on the end of a line.

"I have what you want. I threaten what you want. You appear to do neither."

Seeing the child shaken like a rag doll, Finneas loses all sense of reason and cunning, reverting to his baser instincts, his savage orc past coming to the fore as he charges the nearest hobgoblin and attempts to crush it's skull with the axe in his hands.

Charge Hobgoblin at {AK,36} by moving to {AL,37}
Masterwork Greataxe while Charging, Blessed, and Favored of Kord
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 161d12 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

"You do not value your life? I would ask you whether you valued your petty fiefdom in this drab realm, but you demonstrated your desire to lose that the moment you broke Cauldron's laws. A few children's lives are far less important than ending the terror you represent. Do not attempt to exert leverage you do not have."

To prove his point, Dr. Toffitt shoots the child with a silvered blunt arrow, but making every effort to make it a glancing blow.

Longbow +4 +1 Bless -4 for subdual
1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 5 - 4 = 17
1d8 ⇒ 3

There's a method to my madness, trust me! Or don't trust me, since I'm probably being really rash...

Silfr will cast shield and move to attack.. wait what?

To prove his point, Dr. Toffitt shoots the child with a silvered blunt arrow, but making every effort to make it a glancing blow.

Silfr is amazed that the Doctor would try the shoot the hostage gambit, something recommended in the bad play Expedience but so absurd no sane person would try in combat.

"Doctor, have you gone mad? Enough!"

Silfr will move adjacent to the Doctor and sunder his bow...

VS CMD 15: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 192d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 6) + 6 = 15

...splintering it to kindling.

No hard feelings, right? What is one destroyed bow between friends :)

Fine. We can do initiative. Everything prior to now has been out of initiative. Finneas will be the instigating factor/surprise round.

Finneas charges the hobgoblin, but is unable to penetrate the banded mail of the hobgoblin.

Atol - 1d20 ⇒ 12
Dyrant - 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Finneas - 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Glimmil - 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Silfir - 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Toffitt - 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13 - Assuming Dex elixir
Dwarf - 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Hobgoblins - 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Kazmojen - 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Average of GM controlled - 15
EDIT: Forgot the "dog" 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12 - Still 14+

Round 1
Glimmil = 20
NPC's = 15
Silfir = 14
Toffitt = 13 - Assuming Dex elixir
Atol = 12
Finneas = 11
Dyrant = 9

Going to have to wait until the morning for a map. The program still works on my work computer.

@ Glimmil.

Feel free to pick a square and charge from it using the last map.

Did my sunder attempt happen before or on Round 1?

Did my sunder attempt happen before or on Round 1?

Before.

"For the love of whatever God you pray to, do *NOT* provoke the ash skinned knight (dwarf/black knight...kill Kazmojen only) unless it attacks us. We have no quarrel with it."

I hope we have no quarrel with it. And it with us.

Ooops. The dog with quills is large. I'll correct on the map in the morning.

I'm really confused as to which of these characters is which. Was it the armored figure who was talking to us and jerking the kid around by his chain, or the creapy dwarf? Who's threatening us? I was making my threats to whomever was actually selling the slaves, not having known precisely which was Kazmojen.

Kazmojen in the guy in armor choking the kid. The dwarf was buying the kids. Clarified above in knowledge rolls post.

Almost forgot.

The doctor's arrow strikes the child in the head. The child stops struggling and hangs limply from the chains as Kazmojen holds him.

Final post of the night. Please update your buffs on the character tracking sheet.

Phew!

Round 1, Init 13 {AN39}

Waiting until folks go, but wanted to put my status down for NPC attacks...

I moved people based on who was talking, etc. If it doesn't work for you, let me know. Still waiting on Glimmil before I take my turn as I'm not sure who he is charging.

New map

Knowledge Planes: 7 vs dog & ash fellow...

1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 181d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Kazmojen, of course!

Kazmojen, of course!

That was my guess, but it's a complicated battlefield so I didn't want to presume. Got some rolls?

Round 1, Init 20

Knowing this is the moment he's been waiting for since he climbed down the stairs hidden in Ghelve's, Glimmil urges Cog to charge forward at the slaver.

Fight with combat trained mount (Ride DC10): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Time to turn on Smite Evil! +3AC now up to AC26 vs Kazmo. AC23 vs all others.

Charge to (AP,35)

Glimmil attack (axe, charge, smite, power): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
Glimmil damage (axe, smite, power): 1d10 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Cog attack (bite, charge): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Cog damage (bite): 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Cog trip: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

As Glimmil and Cog surge forward, Glimmil resurrects his gnomish battle cry - yelling, "Eeeeee!"

Glimmil's attack breaks against the armor of the slaver, but Cog manages to bite him and trip him.

The howler leaps from the stairs into a flank behind Glimmil and Cog and bites at Cog. Will you two take an AoO?

1d20 + 22 ⇒ (6) + 22 = 28 - jump
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17 - howler at Cog
1d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Ooh. That was cool. This is getting exciting.

Round 1, Init 9

Doctor! *facepalm*
Silfr! *facepalm*

After facepalming twice with the Embiggen scroll, Dyrant sighs and looks to the heavens for patience and understanding...and then for more patience.

Angel, give me the strength to avoid cudgeling them when we've finished with the slavers. If we live.

Dyrant will 5' step into AN,40 and begin a full round cast.

Round 1, init 14

Silfr casts The Able Attentuation of Activity, increasing his magical protection significantly.

He will move but I would like to see if any NPCs besides the beast change position before him, on init 15

While waiting on Glimmil before Kazojen acts.

The dwarf with the chest of gold takes a 5' step and teleports.

Past the two iron doors to the north there is a 20' wide hallway with wooden levers set into the walls. One hobgoblin remains at a lever while the other one runs north down the hall shouting,"Intruders!" A few seconds later, four more hobgoblins are seen in the hallway running your way.

The two hobgoblins that were already in the room flank Finneas and one stabs him in the gut.

1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 4 + 2 = 25 - At Finneas
1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 2 = 22 - confirm Crit
2d8 + 4 ⇒ (3, 1) + 4 = 8 - damage
1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 2 = 10

Round 1 so far
Glimmil = 20 - charge & miss
Cog - charge, hit and trip
Dwarf - teleported away
Howler - lept into flank, bit Cog
Hobgoblins - Lots of movement and one crit to Finneas
Kazmojen - Still to act
Silfir = 14 - going to cast The Able Attentuation of Activity and move
Toffitt = 13 -
Atol = 12
Finneas = 11
Dyrant = 9 - Will 5' and start reading scroll

How'd they flank without me getting an AoO?

He will move but I would like to see if any NPCs besides the beast change position before him, on init 15

Positioning wise, the map shouldn't change. I just need to resolve Kazmojen after Glimmil's possible AoO's.

New Map

How'd they flank without me getting an AoO?

Hob1 = AK33, AL34, AM35, AN36, AM37 (30')

Is Kazmojen delaying or have you just not done his turn yet? The Doctor will move in on him if he's still not up on 13, but will likely do otherwise if he's already risen up.

Now that I see where the Howler landed, Silfr would need to 5-foot step away from it to safely cast shield. Lets put him in AL, 39

Is Kazmojen delaying or have you just not done his turn yet? The Doctor will move in on him if he's still not up on 13, but will likely do otherwise if he's already risen up.

He's waiting for Glimmil/Cog to decide on AoO's of the howler. If they take them and turn their back on him he'll stand up. If not, he'll attack from prone and then possibly stand up.

Finneas Glenn wrote:

How'd they flank without me getting an AoO?

Hob1 = AK33, AL34, AM35, AN36, AM37 (30')

Hob2 = 5' step from AK36 to AK37

Actually, I'm cheating again. I do it all the time--just ask Dyrant. I forgot the book gave them banded mail which reduces their speed. Chainmail would have made more sense considering their dexterity, but the end result is the same. The crit still would have hit and confirmed though unless I'm missing something.

New map with Silfir's likely movement and the reduced movement of the hobgoblins.

New Map

Seeing the dog right in front of the door on his turn, Dyrant will choose not to move to AN,41 rather than 5' step up.

His turn hasn't come up yet.

Round 1, Init 13 {AN39 - AM39}

"Silfr, you can apologize for your lack of faith later. For now, let us dispatch this creature quickly.

Dr. Toffitt draws his rapier, steps back to get the flank of the quilled monstrosity, and strikes out at it.

Rapier + 7 + 2 flank
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
1d6 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 1 + (2) = 4

For Howler pain save:
Reflex + 7 + 2 Ward
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

Can you describe the door & the levers in the hallway? Is Hob3 pressing the lever in an up or down position?

Can you describe the door & the levers in the hallway? Is Hob3 pressing the lever in an up or down position?

The doors are iron doors. The lever is currently in the up position and looks similar to the trap levers you encountered in Jzadirune. He is not pressing it.

Round 2, init 14

Silfr will focus his smite ability on the beast. At the Doctor's request, he will move to AP38, provoking from the monster. AC 28 vs Howler

Then he will strike it with the masterwork greatsword.

Smite: +7 +5 charisma mod +2 flank; Damage +6 +2 first hit on evil outsider
1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 292d6 + 8 ⇒ (4, 3) + 8 = 15

Smashing through quills, he will take damage from then and face sickness.
1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 41d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Round 2, init 14

Ummm??? Kazmojen hasn't gone in round 1 and all the bad guys haven't gone in round 2. I'm anxious too, but it does matter greatly.

Round 1 so far
Glimmil = 20 - charge & miss
Cog - charge, hit and trip
Dwarf - teleported away
Howler - lept into flank, bit Cog
Hobgoblins - Lots of movement and one crit to Finneas
Waiting for Glimmil/Cog possible AoO's
Kazmojen (prone, 7 dmg) - Still to act
Silfir = 14 - going to cast The Able Attentuation of Activity and move
Toffitt = 13 - going to stab howler for 4 dmg
Atol = 12 - going to step to AM 40 and channel for 5
Finneas = 11 - going to 5' to {AM,38}, swing and miss
Dyrant = 9 - Starting to read scroll

Silfr wrote:

Round 2, init 14

Ummm??? Kazmojen hasn't gone in round 1 and all the bad guys haven't gone in round 2. I'm anxious too, but it does matter greatly.

I'm going to be afk for a bit, thought I would put round 2 out early.I suppose I can revise if Silfr would take extra provokes, should the hobgobs move around.