The Root of All Evil

Game Master Edward Sobel

Del, you find nothing except the small tunnel under water.

Let's see what's down the center before exploring that tunnel Felix advises.

Sora wasn't actually targeting the tongue; I believe the grappled condition gave her a -2 to hit, but I could be mistaken.

Sora snaps and hisses a bit more at the dead frog before moving out of the water and shaking herself dry.

Moving out of the way of rogue water droplets, Tatsuo nods in agreement with Felix's comment. "I'd rather not risk drowning if it can be avoided."

I know but the attack hit so I applied damage to the frog anyway. this encounter was not supposed to be challenging, just a nuisance.

Perception for middle tunnel: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

"Center it is." Delkaneth's curiosity keeps nudging him to go forward but clearing behind them first is the much better strategy. With an axe in each hand he cautiously moves forward to investigate.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

I have a PFS game tonight (entering level 6 of the Emerald Spire) so I may be delayed in my posting

The party proceeds down the center passage. after a few turns The passageway opens up into a large cavernous area.

Directly ahead to the north you can make out a fissure in the floor. On the other side of this eight-foot wide chasm is a ledge, approximately ten feet square. Suspended in air, near the middle of the
ledge, are what appear to be two glowing glass jars.

location map is updated. the chasm and ledge are shown to the right as the party enters.

Tatsuo concentrates on the two glass jars, hoping to first determine if they're some kind of trap.

Detect magic
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

If he determines that they're not likely to blow up/attack them if they explore the rest of the cavern this side of the fissure, he'll then check the rest of the cavern for enemies lurking in the shadows before coming back and sharing what he's found/considering them further.

Perception (Sora): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Tatsuo aid: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

"We need to get those? Pretty sure I can get those..."

Mickey takes a look at the wall and ceiling next to / over the pit.

Felix takes his time to see if there any traps or similar around the chasm.

Taking 20 if possible for 28

Nodding at Mickey Felix pats him on the back and casts Guidance.

Good luck with that jump

Conner also detects magic, seeing if he could spot something the other caster didn't spellcraft: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

one glass jar seems to contain yellow-orange vapors. The other jar contains a blue-green mist.

the jars (or at least the area of the jars) radiate illusion magic, transmutation, and conjuration magic.

all of these auras are swirling and intermingled. they are hard to discern accurately, like there is something blocking the detect magic.

let me know if you are staying by the entrance or approaching the edge of the chasm.

Mickey is near the edge, assessing the wall and what he has to lose if he falls. The jars are five feet out, right?

the chasm is 8 feet wide actually. and is about 20 feet deep.

perception Mickey: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

you can only make out the two jars suspended in mid-air on the ledge on the other side of the Chasm.

the jump check is DC 8 with a running start.

Felix has rope that we could tie around Mickey

Conner starts pokeing the ground around the chasm with his ten foot pole to see if it would go through.

Conner a bit confused about your poking, go through what?

he's just pokeing the ground to make sure the edge isn't an illusion.

ahh, ok, thanks

The edge and the chasm are real. as is the ground. the only illusion magic you sensed was around the jars. but the overlapping auras made identifying the exact magic difficult.

Conner, with detect magic, and a DC 15 concentration, and a DC 20 spellcraft you can identify the exact spell.

Felix casts Guidance on Connor for both.

Conner nods, looking slightly suprised at the spell cast upon him, but thanks Felix for the small aid
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
it seems the guidance made the difference there, without it I would have failed that second check

Presumably finding nothing, Tatsuo wanders back to the group, frowning slightly. "Hey, wasn't Lisette supposed to be here? And some kind of guardian? Do we think they're down the underwater tunnel? Although there is illusion magic on those jars, so that could be related..."

As folks try different things to get the jars, Delkaneth wonders at the force that is keeping them suspended. "I wonder how strong they are held in place ..."

With a few brief arcane words the treasure hunter finally points a finger at the blue-green container.

cast Mage Hand and try to bring the jar to our side.

"Wait! No! Mage Hand can't carry magical items!"

Del, you cast mage hand, but the magical hand cannot seem to reach the jars. there seems to be some sort of barrier that you cannot see.

Tat, Lissette was already destroyed. she was here before being trapped in the vault.

Conner, the illusion magic is a Silence spell, the other auras are too complex for you to decipher at this time

Mickey, are you sending your monkey across to see if he can reach the jars?

Magic? Felix asks and immediately beingns scanning the seemingly empty cavern. Cycling through Detect Evil and Detect Chaos before going to Detect Lawful and Good.

Delkaneth curses under his breath in Infernal as the spell fails to grab the jars. "always forget that part ..."

Mickey waits until the smart people have figures out everything they can before sending Reeves across the 10 foot pole he'd borrow from Connor.

actually del your hand never reached the jars. there was a barrier in the way.

Well, there was still someone supposedly guarding a journal, right? And journals generally don't go well with water.

"Why would they have illusory jars? I almost have to wonder if this is some kind of riddle again. One of those 'pick the right one' kind of things. And if we don't, maybe the big guardian guy comes out and tries to kill us."

"Don't remember that one."

Mickey throws a rock at the wall.

thrown rock: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 --- might be higher but this all the info I have

Target AC is 4

the rock flies across. the rock stops suddenly in mid air. (there is strangely, no sound at all from across the chasm)

Per: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Perception Tat: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Perception Sora: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 Is it an ooze?

Tatsuo squints. "What the...there's some translucent thing that seems to have stopped the rock? Maybe?"

It's an ooze! Think we should kill it?

"Poke it with the stick."

Mickey instructs to Conner, ready to retaliate if it attacks.

@tat: yes it is an ooze unfortunately the DC to identify it is DC 13

Felix has +8 in both Nature and Dungeoneering

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

"unless it can eat our weapons the answer to that is generally yes but he still pokes it first with the ten foot pole

Conner pokes the thing with the pole. the ooze tries to grab the pole and pull it in. but Conner is able to pull the pole back before it can grab it.

Felix you identify this as a gelatinous cube.

Yeah that's an ooze. Best to kill it from range if we're going to go that way.

How much would Felix know about oozes based on his roll?

Delkaneth states at the creature for a moment. He's read about them of course but this is the first one he's ever seen up close.

"or leave it be and move on? Like we said we were going to do with the frogs ....."

"But now I kinda want those things..."

Mickey crosses his arms and looks at the blob.

Let's come back to it after we get our main objective accomplished.

Felix takes 20 on the rest of the cavern to see if there's anything they missed. 28 per

"I'd rather not backtrack a dozen times I vote we kill the beast" he says as ha backs away from it.
if we attack it I'll start a performance as my first action so everyone should add +1 to hit and damage

there is nothing else in this cavern.

only 2 jars suspended inside a gelatinous cube. both radiate a strange magic.

If we want the jars... we'll have to kill that thing. Get it to come to us first though so they don't drop down the hole.

Felix will tell everyone what he knows about oozes.

gelatinous cube