The Forgotten Laboratory CORE edition (Inactive)

Game Master Auke Teeninga

Just filling the time with chatter while waiting for everyone to move their tokens. Not sure how to proceed with the rats in the room.

You are currently on the higher part. It's 10 feet down to the lower part.

Let's not confuse evil goblins who are doing anything to survive with fair combatants who were taken prisoner. They're also a hated race of 1) dwarves and 2) Iomedae. So I'm pretty sure we're good, not bad. Unless there's a Goblin rehab center somewhere in Absalom the PFS didn't tell us about. Or a Goblin jail? =)

To be honest... Goblins are permitted in Thornkeep, where they are quite useful. For instance the town has been vitrually rat-free since Goblins were allowed to live there a few years ago.

They're also a hated race of Iomedae

Do you have a reference?

yeah 4 charges. kyra's down to 46 now on her wand i believe.

With the group assembled in a marching order, we proceed into the next room!

So, your point is made Auke, I don't know if Iomedae hates all goblins.. for that matter maybe Iomedae doesn't "hate" anything. So I will take back what I said. Even if she does hate the evil ones, perhaps there are some that have alignments other than Evil in which case, I'd be wrong to say she hated them. However, I made a presumption that these goblins were evil - based on the evidence at hand. I was thinking all evil races would be hated by Iomedae beause of a quote from Faith and Purity p.10:

"When you choose Iomedae as your deity, you declare that
you will tolerate neither chaos nor evil, and vow to stamp
them out wherever they arise. You become a crusader,
traveling the world to find uprisings of evil so that you
can tamp them back down."

That said, it wasn't even our paladin that pulled the trigger. Even if I'm wrong, which I might be, I don't think that the option was worse than allowing evil goblins to survive and multiply in the world.

Looking around the room "Well, let's decide wha' we want to do about these rats."

If the rats are 10 ft below us, we don't really need to do anything about them unless you all would like to. Just post if you want to attack them or not. Harsk votes 'yes' kill em from above but if anyone can learn information or feels we shouldn't, that is fine too! So 1. clear rats and climb down or 2. move on to the next room?

its... odd. It feels like an operating theater, like a chirurgeon in school would use...

still. dire rats. this place is infested and diseased.

"When you choose Iomedae as your deity, you declare that

you will tolerate neither chaos nor evil, and vow to stamp
them out wherever they arise. You become a crusader,
traveling the world to find uprisings of evil so that you
can tamp them back down."

That said, it wasn't even our paladin that pulled the trigger. Even if I'm wrong, which I might be, I don't think that the option was worse than allowing evil goblins to survive and multiply in the world.

There are non-evil goblins in the world. There are even some goblins that are Pathfinder Society members. There was no trial, just a plain execution. Goblins might be a race that is mostly evil, but they aren't demons or devils, so they actually can repent.

I could take the text you quoted and highlight the line: "Their mission is to right wrongs and eliminate evil at its root."

However there's another thing to consider. These goblins were securely in cells before and something let them out to kill us. So if we leave them in cells (even tied up) we don't know if that 'something' will come back, open the cells, untie them, and send them after us again. So Harsk took action to protect the party and if there is any concern about our Paladin letting it happen, she has to weigh the lives of Pathfinders against the lives of these Goblins. So can we square with that?

And of course, you're our GM - so if it is against alignment, just say we can't do it - that it would conflict with the paladin's code! =D Harsk won't fight with Seelah over it (she'd kick his butt).

That's great from a meta point of view but I'm not sure if you're expecting us as PLAYERS or CHARACTERS to act differently. As a GM, you could say "Hey that's a bit out of character" and give us the chance to consider things before just red exing the monsters. And you never addressed my point about safety of the party. I just don't know why you posted that it was bad without considering our characters point of view. I mean, we obviously gave it discussion and thought and you never said it was bad before. If our RP interactions weren't correct, tell us and we'll act however you want us to act...

I kind of only suggested it to create an opportunity for roleplay and discuss the merits of killing goblins for the sake of good but everything is going so fast I feel I didn't even get the chance to state what I was going to do! Can we just retcon, set the goblins free above ground and get on with it?

Yuck..rats. I hate rats.

Everything was completely in character, but in-character actions have in-character consequences. Safety for the party was never an issue. The paladin did voice concern about being judge, jury and executioner, but as party leaders Lini and Harsk voted differently. Seelah chose not to force her personal beliefs on the rest of the party and now has to atone. It's not that hard.

I kind of only suggested it to create an opportunity for roleplay and discuss the merits of killing goblins for the sake of good but everything is going so fast I feel I didn't even get the chance to state what I was going to do! Can we just retcon, set the goblins free above ground and get on with it?

Sorry, done is done, they're dead. Setting them free is a bit difficult as they don't move any more. Harsk and Lini made their in-character choices and have to face in-character consequences. It is not an alignment infraction, cause they both thought they did the right thing. The paladin code is a bit stricter though, so by their action they temporary demoted Seelah to a fighter. They didn't leave Seelah much choice: They were appointed leader, so she had to either go against them (which is against pathfinder code), or go against her paladin code.

Yuck..rats. I hate rats.

So that's a 'yes' for killing them from above?

Sorry, done is done.

In short, I'm leaving the table.

I hope you find another player without much trouble, and I wish the party luck.There are many good and eager people who actually have played PBP before who would be much better at this than I am.

I didn't strip the paladin of its powers, Harsk did (with Lini's blessing), by killing captured and helpless creatures, because he didn't like the color of their skin.

I'm considering whether or not you're trying to say my dwarf is racist or what your implications are... you're a mess man. Go outside for awhile and think before you type. Also, is it in the mod to say that 2 players get to be in charge of 3 other players? Wake up.

"Lini, Harsk, I know I'm only following orders, but that didn't feel right. I can't feel my connection to Iomedae anymore. I think she's angry at me for allowing this to happen. Let's hope I can make it up to her by clearing the rest of this dungeon in her name."

I feel like this went a little too fast for my tastes, but I understand and respect your decisions, Auke. I guess I can't regain my powers anymore this session, right? Not unless we go back outside and buy an Atonement for me.
In other news, I'm currently deity-less. What's that, Rovagug? You're looking for more followers? (Kidding, of course.)

I am making a HUGE post responding to Seelah and "motivating the group", so please do not plow forward for one hour, let me type this out please and have some time to revise and look over it. If you do post in the next hour assume "lini gives a motivational speech, and opens up, before assessing if the rats are a threat or a candidate for "speak with animals" and wild empathy.

Lini looks at Seelah and frowns. "Do not be so quick to judge yourself. Maybe your god has softly pulled his hand away to allow you to see what your mortal hands have done, to assess if it was always the right decision, or only under these circumstances. The way I see it oh gods..correct me if this is wrong, I can't keep up with canon anymore We walked in, were faced with an obvious and aggressive threat, and dealt with it. After the skirmish the cowards conceded, and being that they were obviously mutilated, unnatural, and in pain, and no obvious hints to how to help them, I acquiesced and allowed Harsk to euthanize them in a method that at least looked quick. If anything in the room had shown promise of how they were made this way, or how to unmake them, then that event would have ended differently, but we worked with what we had. We had an angry mob of suffering humanoids that we subdued, questioned, and did the only thing we saw how to end their pain. Your god sees that, and he likely just wants you to see what could have happened, and how that could have been handled differently given different circumstances."

Looking to the rest of the group "This is no reason to cease our journey. Understand that in the future, EVERYONE, not just myself and Harsk, will get a voice on how prisoners will be treated, BUT that is not the mission at hand. This is no Confirmation, we are not fresh off the boat of Absolam, we are Pathfinders, tried and vetted, so let's get back to what we do best, exploring, working together, and reporting."

Observing the rats below, Lini apologizes to Droogami, who them walks as far away from Lini as she can and sits completely still. "If our three friends down there run past, let them. The gods are fickle today, and if the Green decides I need some time of introspection, Droogi will eat us all before i let you raise a hand against her." Lini walks back to the previous room, placing 2 rations down in the center of the room and a bowl of water, unwrapped, then walks back past Droogi, looking sadly into her eyes and sighs before gasping for air. When she speaks again, it is high pitched squeaks directed at the rats

Wild Empathy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Lini's voice, squeaky at first, returns to normal "Well, either I just told them we would let them through, and bribed them with food to stay out of our way, or I just alerted them we are here. Either way, let's get going."

Seelah hangs her head down in shame.
"I know you mean well, Lini, but this is all my own fault. I was too caught up in the moment to realise what we're doing was wrong. Your words comfort me, but this is something I need to reflect on, to ensure this won't happen again. Iomedae guides me, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't think for myself every once in a while. This was a test, and I failed. I need to bear the consequences of that failure until I redeem myself in Iomedae's eyes."

Ghosting Harsk

"Ah, you're all a bunch of softies! Those monsters deserved to die! See this scratch? Well, that was what they did when the little buggers swarmed me like a pack of rats and assaulted me for rounds! It was clearly self defense when I shot a bolt through their little brains. Such a big head, so little brains. Well, one did get away. I'd better go out, track it and kill it. Weird tentacled freak. Well, I'm aching for some calamares! Biter, follow me!"

Harsk leaves the party.

I'm heading to bed for the night and have crack of dawn work, I'll try to check on posts throughout the morning but it'll be shorter posts and meta

The rats huddle together and seem to discus the offer.

The rats seems to accept the order and climb up and assuming you don't attack, march to the cells and start feasting!

Perception:
Lem: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
Seelah: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Kyra: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
Lini: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
Droogami: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

That was... Impressive. I mean, I know the power of persuasion but... What did you tell 'em Lini?

Lem eyes the rats in surprise as they move out of the room.

Well, Seelah, I'm sorry your god hates you now. Maybe this will make you feel a little bit better?

Cast Heroism on Seelah

kyra just stays back and looks distastefully at the rats, thinking of what filth and disease they harbor, and wishing she could bring Sarenrae's light down to cleanse this foul dungeon. ( but mostly just thinks that with smoldering eyes. )

"I told them we wouldn't harm them, and there was food back there. They then told me about someone named 'Snarltongue' who had been making them fight each other for food. Experimenting on subjects in unnatural ways, forcing animals to fight, sounds like the kind of guy Droogi would like for dinner."

Lini begins looking around the top portion of the room I assume that was the perception check up there and seeing no immediate threat signals Droogami down to the room with her. After a cursory glance for motion from the stairs directly in front of her, she proceeds to start checking the "lower" portion of the room.

"This appears to be quite the hub, 3 doors, 2 less formal entrances, how do we want to proceed? I know no one loves an enemy at their back, but we have more paths than people, and I have no desire to split us up."

kyra casts a detect magic, checks for any obvious magic threats or curiosities, and then moves towards the stairs.

These probably lead down to the section below. I'll walk rather than climb.

kyra casts a detect magic, checks for any obvious magic threats or curiosities, and then moves towards the stairs.

These probably lead down to the section below. I'll walk rather than climb.

There is a magical aura... Somewhere...

kyra pauses at the stairs, and looks back in the room, waiting to see what's magical down there...

Lem, can you get eyes on anything magical down there? I don't know enough about auras to tell much. but there's something down there.

Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

While the party is standing on the ledge Lem detects magic.

After 3 rounds, he knows there are actually 4 faint auras under the NE table.

Knowledge(Arcana): 14 = 14 1st No idea
Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23 2nd Transmutation
Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13 3rd No idea
Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19 4th Illusion

and one more faint aura from behind the stone table on the dais.

Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14 No idea

and one more faint aura from behind the stone table on the dais.

Oops, correction, it's a strong aura from behind the stone table!

I must be imagining this incorrectly, if anyone is waiting for my feedback go ahead and post, I'll play off you guys.

I've got you still on the upper part of the room. If you want to go down, you've got to jump (Acrobatics (DC15) or get D6 subdual damage and fall prone)

I sense a lot of magic auras here, there is an especially strong one behind that stone slab. I have no idea what they could mean, however.. Seelah?

"I'd like to check it out for you guys, but this climb seems difficult. Does anyone have any rope with him/her? This armour weighs me down quite a bit, and I'm not sure I can make the climb without falling without it."

Armour Check Penalty of -6. Less if I unequip my shield, but I'll fall for sure without a rope. Certainly can't take 10.

Lem has got rope

Here Seelah, use this. Don't you feel Heroic or sumtin', after that spell I enchanted you with!? It usually works on me...

kyra will rush down the stairs, boldly rushing in to find another way down since she knows she can't climb well herself.

move, and open. adjusted on map.

( LEEROOOOOY!!! )

kyra will rush down the stairs, boldly rushing in to find another way down since she knows she can't climb well herself.

move, and open. adjusted on map.

There's no door, continue moving?

yeah, if we're not in strict rounds, i'll look around the bend, sword out, and see if i can hear anything coming, or any dangers in this area, looking for a way into that operating chamber somehow. probably looking to "kyra's" left / down the hallway

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

yeah, if we're not in strict rounds, i'll look around the bend, sword out, and see if i can hear anything coming, or any dangers in this area, looking for a way into that operating chamber somehow. probably looking to "kyra's" left / down the hallway

This long chamber has four alcoves along the western wall. The outer two contain visible statues, and the center two are recessed. Corridors stand opposite the northern and southern statues.

You see an exit to your left that aligns with the door in the operating room.

realizing she's not exactly in a rush, but still being careful, walking ahead once she's checked, but being on the look out for traps and dangers, or trying to be.

w/ the 24, nothing she can see hiding in here, and nothing trapped within 10 ft. that she can detect?

if she doesn't spot anything, she'll continue on, move up 20 ft. and look around.
perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Kyra looks around to make sure there is not trap and walks past a bronze statue of a human figure, leaning forward and looking as if it is blowing the winds from its lips.

As she stands in front of it, a blast of flame almost pushes Kyra to the wall, but she manages to evade.

vs CMD: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
The DC to detect the trap is insanely high. Kyra, you can choose to move forward or backward!

Guys! found a trap! be careful walking in front of the bronze statue!

she'll carefully look at the next statue. and wait if anyone else is coming this way, so she can point out what happened for those not there to see it . with lots of hand gestures and waving hands.

Lini chuckles, "Your eyebrows are a tad singed. So, which side did we want to explore first?" Giving a wide berth of the statues, Lini explores one of the the seemingly empty "alcoves".

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

"Before we go, do you think this a puzzle, or just a good defense system? Far be it from me to pass up a good mental challenge, but no reason to poke a bear in the winter, if you catch my meaning."

I ehh... propose we move the other way. What Lini said about the polar bear and stuff.

Kyra jumps forward to evade the blast and calls the others over.
(moved minis to represent this).

Kyra looks at the next statue. It is a silver-colored statue of
a human, leaning back as if deeply inhaling.

Kyra examines the statue very carefully (taking 20 for 24) from a distance, but she can't see anything weird.

The fireblast deactivated when Kyra jumped away, just think the fire is pretty, so I left it on the map! (or did I leave it as a warning?)

can i turn the statue at all? make it face the other one?

can i turn the statue at all? make it face the other one?

It's more magical than mechanical, but you can try with a disable device