[Table Fez] ScorchedOne's Insane 5-6 Run

Game Master Nathan Hartshorn

@Valeros, that would be a double move. And while it is possible to fly up and over the Wall of Fire, you will need to make a DC20 Fly check to ascend at a greater than 45-degree angle.

Fly, Dex, Good Maneuverability,ACP: 1d20 + 3 + 4 - 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 + 4 - 3 = 24

Botting Merisiel...
Merisiel drags Glaheri out of the heat of the Wall of Fire as Valeros suggests.

The Efreeti tries another Scorching Ray at Morka. Three rays form on her fingertips, and as she begins to fling them at the halfling she is met with a Magic Missile from Fethril.

Concentration DC 10+8+2: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14
Tygora Cinderfury screams in rage as her spell fizzles. She points at Fethril.
"You're next, elf!"

She sees that Valeros is flying, and flies away from him a bit.
While I will say that James can reach her with a jumping strike on his turn, he does not threaten her space.

Round 4 - Bless, Inspire Courage +2
Fethril
James -3 (Resist Fire 10)
Valeros -58
Merisiel -8
Morka -37 (Resist Fire 10)
Tygora -34
Deluge -18 (Resist Fire 10)
Prisoners (Glaheri at 22 damage (was at 16, now at -6), unconscious; Pathfinder #1 at 10 damage; Pathfinder #2 at 4 damage)

odd...i swear i posted...because i remember doing exactly what you did...even moved my token on the map...weird...

Deluge figures that Tygora is unlikely to try another spell next round with Fethril threatening to disrupt it, so instead he casts CLW on Glaheri. It would take too long to swap out wands so he uses the spell from his spell list.

CLW: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Then moves off to a safer location that is not so crowded.

Glaheri returns to consciousness. She is at 6 HP now.

Round 5 - Bless, Inspire Courage +2
Fethril
James -3 (Resist Fire 10)
Valeros -58
Merisiel -8
Morka -37 (Resist Fire 10)
Tygora -34
Deluge -18 (Resist Fire 10)
Prisoners (Glaheri at 22 damage (was at 16, now at -6), unconscious; Pathfinder #1 at 10 damage; Pathfinder #2 at 4 damage)

Fethril hands his wand of healing to Morka. "Sorry I cannot grant you the attention you need at the moment, but it seems as if disrupting the efreeti is a more paramount concern at the moment." He then steadies himself to cast another volley should she indeed cast another spell.

MM: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (2, 3) + 2 = 7

Move to draw the wand, free(?) to hand off or drop.

It would be a move action on Morka's part to take the wand from your hand, and then he could use it on himself as a standard.

Morka turns to Fethril and gives the elf a silent nod, and a thumbs up, "Thanks for the save." He turns back to the evil sorcorer and shoots him again.
Shortbow+Bless+Performance: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 9 + 2 + 1 = 28
Damage: 1d4 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 2 + 1 + (2) = 8 -- arrow damage

Valeros grabs Glaheri and flies steadily up at an angle to get over the wall with the wounded oread.

Double move back on the other side of Wall of Fire; see map for distance calculations.

Meri moves up and tries to get into the fight.

double move

James is up!

@Morka, would you rather take your shot as a simple attack, or as a readied action to interrupt SLAs?
The advantage of the latter is that you might stop her from doing another Scorching Ray (adding your damage to Fethril's for the Concentration check DC).
The downside is that your action is wasted if she decides to charge you with her falchion instead.

@Valeros - that works.

James tries a new tactic and pulls out a dagger and throws it at her but misses.

Dagger Raging Heroism: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 7 + 2 = 11 Damage: 1d4 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 2 = 12

We'll go with Morka just making a regular attack.

Morka's arrow hits Tygora Cinderfury. Now at -42.

She prepares to roast him once again, calling forth Scorching Rays.

Fethril's spell wounds her... Now at -49, and DC 19 Concentration needed...

Concentration: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16
The spell fails again!

She roars with rage, but looks around nervously.

Round 5 - Bless, Inspire Courage +2
Deluge -18 (Resist Fire 10)
Prisoners (Glaheri at 10 damage; Pathfinder #1 at 10 damage; Pathfinder #2 at 4 damage)

Round 6 - Bless, Inspire Courage +2
Fethril
James -3 (Resist Fire 10)
Valeros -58
Merisiel -8
Morka -37 (Resist Fire 10)
Tygora -49

Merisiel moves up and flings a dagger at Tygora.

dagger: 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 12 - 2 = 201d4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5added penalty for a range increment...not sure if I need to add 2 because of height...that's your call, boss

A 20 just misses. Her AC is 21.
BUT... there are both Bless and Inspire Courage +2 active, as I noted in the round tracker. Have you accounted for those?

Valeros returns to the fray. Double Move

James tries to jump and hit Tygora with his scythe.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 + 2 - 5 ⇒ (13) + 2 + 2 - 5 = 12

Scythe Raging PA IC: 1d20 + 9 + 2 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 9 + 2 - 2 + 2 = 27 Damage: 2d6 + 10 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (3, 4) + 10 + 6 + 2 = 25

Bless, Inspire Courage, and Heroism are all morale bonus so I don't think the all stack.

Deluge is quite happy with the fire happy sorcerer's tactics. it means that big honkin' sword is not pulverizing him.

Deluge decides he likes the whole deny the spell tactics and readies one of his bolts for when she tries a spell or SLA. In the mean time he gets about as far away from her as he can.

call lightning damage: 3d6 ⇒ (3, 1, 1) = 5, DC 18 reflex for half.

I think I/he may have made the wrong decision!

Morka shoots his bow again.
Shortbow+Bless+Performance: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 9 + 2 + 1 = 31
Damage: 1d4 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 2 + 1 + (5) = 13 -- arrow damage

Bless is morale, but Inspire is a Competence bonus. Heroism is +2, so it would supersede Bless. Still, you are a +4 in combat right now.

ugh...missed that...sorry...so a hit! yay! i'm not useless! lol

Merisiel's dagger wounds the Efreeti further, and the gigantic leaping barbarian lands a solid blow.

Morka follows up with an arrow to Tygora's shoulder. She is looking badly hurt now.

Deluge prepares to interrupt her casting.

At 94 damage taken.

Fethril is up!

Give up! You don't have to die... Meri tries to get Tygora to concede the issue.

"I will not be defeated by mere mortals!!"

Just in case Fethril was waiting for a response before his action.

I have one last Magic Missile, so I will ready to disrupt again

MM: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (1, 3) + 2 = 6

Tygora Cinderfury attempts a different SLA.
Flames swirl around her, and she begins to flicker.

Reflex: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
Deluge blasts her with lightning, and Fethril blasts her with arcane power. She crashes to the ground.

Falling Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 2) = 7

She does not move.

What now?

The Wall of Fire continues to burn, but should end in a minute or so.

James moves over to Tygora and makes sure she doesn't get up again. He then moves a little away from the body and begins to recover from his efforts.

Meri goes over to see if she's still alive, and if so ties her up and disarms her.

Not taking any chances. How is everyone...

heal: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Deluge moves up to the fallen enemy and attempts to stabilize her.

Valeros grabs a wounded Pathfinder, and brings him to safety. "Huzzah! you got her friends! let's make sure none of the Pathfinders die if you can!!!"

Double move, brings the Pathfinder next to Glaheri.

Maybe I should have been a little clearer, there is nothing to tie up or heal unless she is faking it somehow. James cdg her. Scythe crit isn't something to sneeze at with a raging barbarian. Unless she regenerates.

@James: I think Meri tied her up and disarmed her, then Deluge decided to stabilize her after you defeated her, which is my vote at this time, as Valeros can't wait to see her surrender and admit defeat! :)

After Valeros is done carrying all the stable Pathfinders out of the room, her returns, and begs Fethril for some healing, "Huh, friend... seeing that the battles are over, do you mind providing a bit of relief for these injuries? that'd be much appreciated..."

This pregen should have a heal stick... or at least several additional potions......

James performed his coup de grace first, Then Meri checked if she was alive and only tying her up IF she was (and the stabilizing).

A bunch of stuff happened, and since this is post combat, I think there should be some party discussion on this one.

She was dead when she hit the ground.

If not, I would have run with James's CdG as what happened. He posted first. So that would have happened.

Well, fish... :(

Valeros is speechless as he flies back for another rescued Pathfinder and sees James chop Tygora's head off. "James! what in the Nine Hells man? she was the head of state for this realm! they don't even do this to captured officers in Nirmathas!"

News of Tygora’s defeat spreads quickly through Crystalcrag, and the oreads respond with a mix of disbelief, relief, and confusion about what the future holds. Eurdan Stonemantle does his best to organize and encourage the newly liberated geniekin, though he is better able to lead them with the help of Glaheri. The oreads and ifrits take the first steps in reconciling their differences, reintegrating the two populations, and keeping Crystalcrag united.

The Oreads are quite grateful for James's decisive action. "She was immortal... had she survived, she would have taken revenge. And many Ifrit would have rallied to her cause."

If you let her live, she has a special plot thing where she escapes. And I have to report what her fate is. But again, she was dead already.

You return home with the two surviving Pathfinders, and the charred remains of the third. You meet with... tepid congratulations. You will get 1 of the 2 Prestige Points.

Okay, let me say first of all that this would not have been my first choice of a scenario to run. I offered to fill in after Fez departed the boards. Happy to do it, but this scenario has a few flaws. Not in my view the flaws that Valeros/PDK perceived, but flaws nonetheless.

It can be quite tough, though you made it considerably easier by doing the side quests.

Efreeti, as it turns out, are pretty weak on the defensive side. No DR, no SR, and mediocre AC. Much weaker defensively than fiends of their CR. So, acting as a sorcerer seems quite right.

You pulled out a win in a tough fight. I hope it did not come across as me softballing it or handing it to you. You worked for it and it was close but you won. I feel I was just tough enough. Those readied actions by Fethril were key (and you did luck out with some poor rolls on Concentration checks).

This is my third scenario as a PFS GM and thank you for bearing with me.

I will work on Chronicles tomorrow. Please make sure your info is posted in Discussion - you may have already done this.

Thank you so much GM! It was a wild ride! GG!

S04-17 Tower of the Ironwood Watch
Brought to you by GM Tealk. :)

After a long journey back home, you find yourselves back in Varisia, where everything is much more familiar. Sheila Heidmarch stands before a window in her study, sunlight glittering on her signature emerald garments. She speaks in a deep and sonorous voice, and wastes no time getting to her point.

"First, thank you for gathering here on such short notice. I understand you were on another mission prior to this, so your expertise as a group will come in handy here." After a brief moment, she continues, "Please have a seat. Once you've heard what I have to tell you, I believe you will forgive my enthusiasm. Documents we recovered from our Thassilonian excavations describe an elven fortress on the border between the Mierani Forest and the former Thassilonian province of Cyrusian. Because the borders of the forest have receded in the years since, any remaining ruins must be well outside of the forest as it now stands. As I'm sure you're aware, the elves of Kyonin typically guard elven historical sites closely, but in this case it seems the elves have lost all record of the site; they don't even know it exists. Needless to say, this discovery represents an invaluable opportunity for the society to explore without supervision. Take this map and make your preparations. I want you to reach the tower before news of its discovery reaches any of our rivals.”

She takes a pause to allow you to digest this information before continuing, a light of fervour apparent in here eyes.

"First, verify that the ruin even exists. Assuming there's still something there, I want a detailed report on the architecture of the site. We don't gain access to ancient elven ruins often, and this investigation must be thorough. Finally, bring back any surviving artifacts left by the elves who built and occupied the tower."

A warm and gracious smile plays across the mage's lips. "A possible trove of knowledge! Nethys truly honors us should this discovery turn out to be legitimate."

Fethril's initial wide-eyed response offered the barest hint that may have betrayed his feelings about the potential discovery. Elven ruins! Kyonin must be told. It is good I happened to be here for this. This is not a case of being merely fortunate. A greater power must have ensured my presence here. I will catalog everything in detail and ensure The Nation has a full accounting of the site...and what was removed from it.

Sweet! A chance to go somewhere no one has been for ages. Well, I'm in... Merisiel says excitedly.

James sits silently and smiles. He then says "It sounds a lot like a trip home for me. These things are never empty so I am sure we will find some sort of monsters there. Maybe undead elves. I can take out any frustrations with Fethril on them. Just keep seeing his face as I swing." He then laughs and slaps Fethril on the back.

Wincing at the force of the impact, Fethril nods slightly. "Ah yes, vent your frustrations. I forget how difficult a burden you bear on a daily basis. Quite a boon then this mission shall be for you." Fethril refuses to try and rub the pain away, though he is certain there is a pink, hand-sized mark despoiling his otherwise unmarred skin.

James sits silently and smiles. He then says "It sounds a lot like a trip home for me. These things are never empty so I am sure we will find some sort of monsters there. Maybe undead elves. I can take out any frustrations with Fethril on them. Just keep seeing his face as I swing." He then laughs and slaps Fethril on the back.

Venture-Captain Heidmarch thinks over her reply carefully, taking a look at some of the notes on her desk which looks a little chaotic of late. "Indeed. You should be careful, similar locations have been warded by magic and guarded by outsiders. I doubt that the elves would design anything that would harm their own kind, but we have not explored enough Elven sites to offer more than speculation. I am confident in your skills and training."

Tidying up her papers she gives you a smile. "If there is no more you need of me then good luck Pathfinders."

...

You can take a moment to see what you know of the Areas of the Mierani Forest or the Thassilonian province of Cyrusian, with the ability to read through the Captain's books on such subjects.

When you are ready to proceed, please let me know.

History: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

"Just a little history that may be of consequence," Somehow his dry and droning voice becomes even more academic and duller, "Each of the seven Runelords specialized in a different school of arcane magic and an associated sin. For the record, divination magic was considered 'universal' without a sin attached to it. Now then, Xanderghul, the ruler of Cyrusian, was the Runelord of Pride, and his specialty was illusion magic. He claimed to be "first among equals" and while society records state this claim is "difficult to verify," records indicate he had many resources at his disposal, including, if the legends are to be believed, armies of bound angels."

A familiar dwarf walks in. As before, he has his rune-carved Dwarven Waraxe, and is in his plate armor.

"Hello again, my arcane peer! My warrior brother! Where is that halfling who alone could rival my Dwarven charm?
And who are these newcomers?

I am Kavor Doan. Warrior, wizard, merchant, and diplomat."

"Uh... Venture-Captain... does Kyonin know we are on this mission? How should we explain ourselves if Kyonin elves approach us?"

Knowledge (History): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

"Fethril, I am sure it is no surprise to you, but I should explain to the others: The Runelords never went to war with the elves. Most likely they were afraid of Elven arcane power - and to a lesser degree of treachery from their fellows while they were distracted.
Now, the elves were isolationists even then, but scholars do speculate that there was at least some cultural exchange between the Mierani elves and the Thassilonians, especially in the area of arcane magic."

Diplomacy to Gather Information: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18
His inquiries prove fruitless as he spends too much time "properly worshipping Cayden Cailean".

May buy some gear tomorrow.

Deluge looks pretty interested in the mission, figuring a low chance of danger if they were just scouting out some old ruins, but when Sheila mentions artifacts his expression sours.

Dang artifacts. Nothing but trouble if you ask me!

Indeed, for Deluge they have been nothing but trouble. Left to his own devices he would be off in a nice comfy cave recording weather patterns and eating popcorn shrimp. But his superiors threatened to turn him in to a toad unless he joined the Pathfinders to keep an eye on them and safely deal with any artifacts that might cause trouble to the environment. Seems like the meddlers had a penchant for digging up dangerous artifacts. So it was his disturbing and uncomfortable career with the pathfinders began. Quite often he has wondered whether that was an idle threat meant to get him off his comfy (and admittedly lazy) arse. Someday, when he has reached what these society folks call seeker level, Deluge fully intends to become anything but. Let them try to boss him around then!

Deluge expresses a noncommittal grunt, hardly noticing the the exchange between James and Fethril in his own self-absorption.

Deluge has no hope of making those rolls and little interest.

"Uh... Venture-Captain... does Kyonin know we are on this mission? How should we explain ourselves if Kyonin elves approach us?"

The Venture captain nods, "Good question, but all of my sources confirm that this ancient site had been lost in all elven records. I doubt that any Kyonin forces would cause you any trouble, but if your paths do cross I am sure they would exercise their right and claim to anything you find inside. Use your own digression with how you deal with them, but try not to give the Society a bad reputation." She turns to Fethril, "Besides, having an elf in your group might prove useful."

I think we are waiting on one more to post up, and then we will get the ball rolling.