Thrawn's Gallows of Madness (PFSRPG) (Inactive)

Game Master Dennis Muldoon

Khafra moves behind the others and tries to get his pole arm through the narrow doorway.

+1 fauchard (cover, two-handed, power attack, RAGE!): 1d20 + 7 - 1 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (14) + 7 - 1 + 2 - 4 = 181d10 + 5 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 5 + 3 + 2 = 14 cover already included in roll

Quinn can't do anything but hope he can pierce through the mage's defenses as he lines up another shot.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (20) + 5 - 4 = 21
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Confirm crit: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (2) + 5 - 4 = 3
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Alas that would be a no.

Quinn's shot seems to bounce harmlessly off the man, but it does distract him for a crucial moment, allowing Khafra to land a crushing blow, felling the man and leaving a jagged wound in his flesh. As his now motionless body lands, that wound falls open, revealing a totally different sort of flesh below. Poking at it reveals a human-sized worm that has burrowed into the man's flesh and was wearing it as a suit!

Out of combat! I'll get the development up in a bit.

On the table in now-opened room you find drawings and diagrams of some sort of portal, showing a vermlek stepping through what looks very much like the sacrificial pit in the adjacent room.

You also find a rough map of Saringallow with arrows and drawings of mites scribbled on it. It indicates that the fiendish fey were soon to attack the town in order to obtain bodies for the vermleks to inhabit.

There are six cabinets in the room, each full of documents. The shelves are neatly labeled, and the PCs easily find the missing records in the cabinet in the northeast corner of the room.

As soon as you have finished looting the room, the walls begin to shudder and debris begins to fall from the ceiling! You suspect if you don't get out now, the whole house may fall down on your head.

We are going into an escape scene! The encounter consists of five obstacles you must overcome. To overcome an obstacle, each PC must first choose one of two strategies, each of which requires a successful saving throw, ability check, or skill check. Any PC who has chosen the same check type as another PC can voluntarily take a –2 penalty on her check to give a +2 bonus on the other PC’s check. Multiple PCs can help the same character.

Here's how I would like to run this: for each obstacle, tell me which check you want to make, give me your modifier, and tell me if you are voluntarily taking a penalty to give someone else a bonus. I will then roll for you.

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Obstacle #1:

Falling Cabinets: A powerful tremor shakes the basement, causing cabinets to topple. To dodge them, make a Reflex save. To prop them up, make a (slightly harder) Strength check.

Hasmed inspects the creature.

Knowledge (Planes): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

"By the many faces of Shubajan, that was a vermilek demon!" he exclaims as the others begin to grab the documents. And then the house begins to shake. Hasmed, listening to naught but his courage, attempts to jump past, the obstacles, knocking them out of the way for his companions!

+5 Reflex save, Will take a penalty.

Before looting, Ingrge will heal himself, Hasmed and Quinn with his wand...

CLW Hasmed: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

CLW Hasmed: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

CLW Quinn: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

CLW Ingrge: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

CLW Ingrge: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

...then he'll help the others gather all the evidence...

Once the house starts to shake, he'll try nimbly avoid the obstacles...

Reflex +8

Truddig is busy packing documents away when the grit starts falling onto the paper. First in trickles, then suddenly a chunk falls into the page he's reviewing; a corner tears off as he tries to keep hold. He quickly folds it and stuffs it into a pocket, then hollers loudly. "That's it, time to go!"

+5 Reflex. What can you tell us about what we need to achieve? Do we want to get a single success out of all of our rolls? Do we each need a success? Something else? Or maybe we're not supposed to know?

You're each making your own check, with your own consequences for failure. You can choose to hurt your own check to help someone else's, but you're still making your own check and they're still making theirs.

Quinn kicks at the wormy demon and then thanks Ingrge for the healing, as he walks around the room looking for anything of note, the place starts to shake and...

Reflex +5

Khafra dives out of the way as best he can.

Reflex +3

Obstacle 1:

Khafra Reflex (assist from Hasmed): 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 3 + 2 = 17
Quinn Reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Truddig Reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Ingrge Reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
Hasmed Reflex (assisting Khafra): 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 5 - 2 = 15

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Obstacle 2:

You safely dodge the falling cabinets and make it back out into the webbed staircase. The dying and panicking mites trapped in the demon’s bile web blindly grab at anything they can. To tumble past them, make an Acrobatics check. To wriggle away from them, make a (slightly harder) Escape Artist check.

Same again. Tell me which you're doing, what your modifier is, and if you're accepting a penalty to help someone else. For the penalty decision, you can give me a conditional statement if you'd like (e.g. "If someone has a modifier lower than 4 then I'll accept a penalty to help that person").

Hasmed attempts to tumble past his opponents!

Acrobatics at +4, not helping anyone.

Acrobatics +5, I'll take the penalty.

Acrobatics +11 (I'll take the penalty)...Quinn you only have 9 hp, you might not want to take the penalty...

Khafra's armor slows him down, and he's not quite as quick as his more nimble companions.

Acrobatics +2, obviously no helping. :/

Truddig dodges falling masonry as he easily picks his way through the webbing. He gives his companions subtle nudges as he moves along, helping them to better footing.

Acrobatics +11, taking the penalty to assist

Obstacle 2:

Hasmed acrobatics, assisted by Ingrge: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Quinn acrobatics, assisting Khafra: 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 5 - 2 = 7
Ingrge acrobatics, assisting Hasmed: 1d20 + 11 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 11 - 2 = 28
Khafra acrobatics, assisted by Truddig and Quinn: 1d20 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 2 + 4 = 13
Truddig acrobatics, assisting Khafra: 1d20 + 11 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 11 - 2 = 14

Quinn is bludgeoned by grasping hands as he goes. The rest of the party is able to move through unimpeded. In this case, you would have failed whether or not you assisted.
Quinn damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

It is possible to quickly quaff a potion, cast a single spell, or use an ability that takes no more than a full-round action to function between each obstacle.

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Obstacle 3:

As you fly out the open secret door, rolling barrels make movement in the flooded cellar difficult. To dive under them, you must succeed at a Constitution check. To slip to the side, you must succeed at a Swim check (same DC).

After dodging the cabinets and tumbling past the mites, Ingrge dives in the water and attempts to swim under the barrels...

Swim + 6

Oh boy this is gonna be bad. Con or Swim both +0

Fort save +5. I'll assist Quinn on this one.

Hasmed, feeling trapped between a rock and a hard place, decides to go for broke and dives under.

Con mod is +2.

Obstacle 3:

Hasmed Con check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Khafra Swim check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20 Fort save was not an option. I switched you to a swim check, and figured you probably wouldn't be assisting in that case.
Quinn Con check: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (11) + 0 = 11
Ingrge Swim check: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Truddig suddenly enlarges, pushing barrels out of the way as he trudges through the water. Following in his path, Khafra, Quinn, and Ingrge are able to dodge the barrels and swim across. Hasmed, however, gets caught between two barrels and begins to flounder until the enlarged Truddig plucks him from the water and helps him across.

Hasmed damage: 1d3 ⇒ 1

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Obstacle 4:

A tremor has broken the ladder, meaning you must ascend the precarious stairs leading out of the basement, instead. Unfortunately, these, too, are falling apart. To scramble up them, you must succeed at a Climb check. To instead tread carefully up them, you must succeed at a very slightly harder Perception check.

Perception +9, will take a penalty.

Ingrge will tread carefully up the stairs...

Perception +12 (will take a penalty)

Perception +10, will assist

Hasmed hems and haws. On the one hand his companions seem to be very careful in their ascent. On the other, Hasmed is a better climber than he is a spotter.

If I get a + 6 from all their assists, I'll perceptify (+0). Otherwise, I'll climb (+4).

Obstacle 4:

I'm going to assume Khafra will use Perception (+6) rather than Climb (-1).

Khafra perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Quinn perception, assisting Hasmed: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 9 - 2 = 17
Ingrge perception, assisting Hasmed: 1d20 + 12 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 12 - 2 = 26
Truddig perception, assisting Hasmed: 1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 10 - 2 = 26
Hasmed perception, assisted by Quinn, Ingrge, and Truddig: 1d20 + 0 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 0 + 6 = 12

Even with three allies helping him, Hasmed has trouble picking out a safe path, as does Khafra. They scrape and bump their way forward before finally reaching the top of the stairs.

Khafra damage: 1d3 ⇒ 1
Hasmed damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

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Obstacle 5:

Now that you've reached the top of the stairs, you must only exit the pantry and cross the kitchen to reach safety. Unfortunately, a stream of frenzied rats blocks the way out. To herd them away, you must succeed at a Knowledge (nature) or Handle Animal check. To tough out the situation and wade through the rats, you must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw.

Hasmed rushes in, not knowing anything about nature.

Fort Save +5

Quin rushes up the stairs and see's the rats...

Knowledge Nature +5 and he's going to use his Speak with Animals ability to shout at the rats to move aside, if that will give any bonuses to the rest of the group.

Ingrge grimaces upon seeing the rats...and decides to run right through them...

Fortitude +4

If I'm reading that correctly, we have to succeed at two checks this time? One of Know (nat) or Handle Animal, and then also the Fort save?

Knowledge (nature) +5
Fortitude +7 (if only one check, use this)

Sorry that wasn't clear. No, only one. You can either try to herd the rats out of your way using Know (Nature) or Handle Animal, OR you can not bother and just wade through them, which would require a Fort save.

I'll also try Fort +5

Khafra grunts and runs toward the rat swarm.

"We have these in my land, as well! Just not so many!"

Khafra Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Truddig Fort: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Ingrge Fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Quinn Knowledge (Nature) and speak with animals: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 2 = 27
Hasmed Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Hasmed nonlethal damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

You race through the kitchen and make it outside just in time to get clear of the house as it comes crashing down behind you.

When you return to Saringallow, the mayor congratulates you for your bravery and resourcefulness, and pays you each the agreed-upon sum of 100gp for the records. After hearing of your success in combating the Demon's Bile with cold iron, she dispatches teams of town guards to go eliminate any remaining corruption. From your description she can also identify the corpse that the vermlek was wearing as that of Marcuccio Bravoni, a merchant who owned the abandoned warehouse that you visited in an earlier part of the adventure. When word spreads that the records have been recovered, people start lining up outside the town hall, curious to know what happened to their kin so long ago. Though it will take a long time for the damage to fully heal, a grim chapter in Saringallow’s history is nearer to coming to a close.

That's the end! I'll get your chronicle sheets up later tonight.

Cool! Thanks for a fun game!