Written in Blood PFS#2-15 (Inactive)

Game Master lucklesshero

PARTY RESOURCES LINK

Go ahead and edit if you think things need to be changed. Just keep us all posted.

Torvald took both potions of CLW and a boatload of splash weapons from all of us.

I didn't track scrolls or vermin repellent (Jawhar) because I wanted the chart to fit.

Thanks for putting that together - looks accurate for Jamir.

Jamir adds his oil of magic weapon to his bandolier, because bandoliers are cool.

Does Torvald have a wrist sheath that Jawhar could borrow for the wand of CLW?

Craggark do u need permissions inside the "Written in Blood folder?" let me know if u do. I'll most likely give you all permissions the next scenario we do.... O.K. Let's have a question from all of you (in game play thread) to start the interrogation then I can respond to all the questions in one post (I'll be really busy tomorrow only time for 1 mid-lengthy post and possibly a short follow-up post or two)..once I've seen a few questions posted I'll post back. Assume your in the situation I described previously; outside in a nearby alley ( removal of the decoy's jacket is optional; I just included it cause I thought you guys would be plenty pissed at this guy)

PS sorry for the rail-road; usually don't like to do it that way but this scenario is notorious for running well over 5hrs in live play and, in our PbP; I'd really like to move this along, so we can finish up before Paizo con. There's actually instructions within the scenario on which sections to cut, if you're running long. So far we've avoided cutting anything but, I don't really mind in this instance hurrying you through a section in order to put us back on the rails. (no role-play is fruitless in my mind but, in this instance I'd like you all to focus on the PC that can actually provide pertinent answers.)

I don't think I need permissions - I think everyone can see the link, and I'll repost it periodically if we need it.

For some reason I didn't see Torvald's post with the healing when I made my healing request.

I personally think it is better to use the resources that won't carry with us to the next adventure first, but Torvald already used the charges so fine.

It is also better for me to go around zapping people with a wand in combat than for Craggark to take a round off searching in his pack for a potion while inviting AoOs.

Still, what's done is done, so we'll move on.

Anytime you can do that without drawing an AoO and without taking anything away from how you want to play Jawhar, flats great. But none of us want to push Jawhar into that role if you would prefer to play him slicing and dicing during combat.

Also, Jawhar can of course borrow the wrist sheathe if he likes--it's not actually mine though, Jamir lent it to me.

I'll have the wand of CLW in my current wrist sheath for the coming battle.

Wand of PvE will likely either be used or in hand at the beginning of combat.

I agree that stuff that won't transfer between scenarios should be used. I envision that we will need to use those 2 potions of CLW we found before the end of the scenario, though.

Question time is over. Let's go, people.

Craggark - can we just assume that you tell the rest of us whatever is in the "Story Flaw" spoiler? You rolled high enough.

Oh, yes. I tell you all the "Story Flaw". I don't know how I missed that "Story Flaw" spoiler before.

Map is up. Adjust your position as you wish.

Torvald, Please put your potion down.

If these guards attack us, I really think we should just turn our backs on the town and leave.

This place is worse than Irrisen.

Craggark is from here. No wonder he convinced us to drop our weapons. Are YOU in on it too?

I admit that right now I am beginning to have a little more sympathy for the witches.

It is a dream of mine to one day DM a Reign of Winter campaign, but if I were a player I'd ask Baba Yaga "Why didn't you finish the damn job?!"

Ahhh more poor PCs...muh ha ha ha ..are my NPCs a little on the antagonistic side? at least you got one simpering groveling milksop

Ahhh more poor PCs...muh ha ha ha ..are my NPCs a little on the antagonistic side? at least you got one simpering groveling milksop

I swear if Jamir's rolls don't turn around then next game I will swap him out for my surly half-orc arcanist (occultist archetype, level 1) and he will summon ponies (as a standard action, suckahs!) to stomp our opponents while greasing their weapons and knocking them out with color spray.

Sorry y'all. Dinner party and after-effects. I'll post very soon.

The latest map slide is posted.

Edit: lucklesshero, I stuck avatars for Hjort and Runa on the side to use when you're ready. Let me know if you need anyone else.

Having just encountered one in my RotRL campaign, I'm like 80% that's a Goblin Dog

A typo in a PFS scenario? I'm shocked!

Ok, safety tip: don't touch the G-Dog.

Craggark will be sure to not be so RASH in the future.

HAHAHAHAHAHA--

*dagger in the back*

GM is getting pumped for Paizo con!...making a spread sheet for all the PFS events and prioritizing the ones I want to play. Surprisingly no need to prioritize many of the lottery events as the special and one of the Starfinder events are the only ones I really want to go to.

What the heck happened to the letters marking the grid columns? I'll try getting it back together now.

EDIT: fixed. Letters and numbers are embedded in the map image, so they can't be moved.

When I looked at the map the first time, the letters were wrapped, with L and M on the next line.

Only the first few letters lined up properly with the columns. (Torvald mentioned the same issue).

I removed some spaces on the line until they lined up for me so that I could do my post.

I suspect that we have different screen resolutions or different fonts that is causing the white space to display differently.

The embedded text looks fine.

That must be it. I'll add them to the image the way I did this morning and at the Horned Helm, instead of just adding the text as a layer in Google Slides.

If any of you are interested, the software I use to add text to the map images and numbers to the tokens, and to make the tokens by cropping screenshots of NPCs and monsters from the Bestiaries (and to remove the text from those screenshots), is Pixelmator. It works on the Mac and iPad (I've done most of the work on these maps and tokens on my iPad), and is relatively inexpensive - I think the Mac app is about $20-30, can't remember what the iPad app costs - but is a very full-featured image editing tool.

Here is a link to the iPad app in the App Store.

All I do after that is import the images into the new slide. It is pretty simple, even on my iPad - the hardest thing about doing this on the tablet is that the Slides app only lets me import the images one at a time, and I have to resize them by hand to fit the grid, which can be a little fiddly.

1st Combat: 2 hits and down
2nd Combat: Never touched
3rd Combat: 2 hits and down

So... I should be nigh invulnerable against Runa, right?

Sounds legit to me.

Hey guys, just want to let you know I am continuing to have fun and enjoy playing with all of you. I know I can be a bit cantankerous at times. I thank you all for your patience and with putting up with my grumpy old self. Hope I presented a meaningful and challenging version of this scenario to you guys this far. I do look forward to continuing this journey, once we are through with this one.

On the last note; I am not happy with the way this adventure is balanced toward the end. If it was not PFS I'd change things so you'd have a rest after two fights...but as you know, I can't do that. I think one of the reasons I've come to actually enjoy PFS this way (with a core group of players) is, that you guys are building your own story: ie. "just like a campaign". I actually want to know: what's next for the proud Frostkin (will he bring honor and glory to his people or, die an obscure death as another PFS agent?); what's Jamir's next adventure? Who will he seek to save from scoundrels next? Will Torvald's power grow? Will Jawhar find some kind of grudging respect for the Ulfen (like Antonio Banderas's character in the 13th warrior)?

Point is I think you guys already have the beginning of a good story, and I'd hate to see it end. And for it not to end, one or more of you has to survive the next battle. Fighting to the death it seems to be, pretty much the norm in PFS, from what I gather. But, there's no rule saying you have too! Please consider this as the next battle approaches. You guys have spent almost all your resources and though fully healed; the group you face is miraculously (even after taking out a group of guards!) at full strength. On your best day (at full resources) you might be their equal (might?); but as it is I can tell you honestly they are stronger than you.

So please in character, meta, or anyway you want to take it proceed with caution. If things don't go your way, consider having one of you bolt, to tell the pathfinders and take your revenge at a different time. If things do go your way, it will be all the more sweeter!

(PS. I hope this brief interlude of breaking the fourth wall, is received in the manor intended. Funny thing is, if you were all 2nd lv. characters this scenario might have been a "cake walk". But, as it is: it might be the most challenging scenario you ever do in Pathfinder)

Oh dear. Well perhaps series of hit-and-run attacks would be in order? We have munitions and a wand of Cure Light, maybe a series of harassing attacks wouldn't be a bad idea.

I would be interested in pursuing this trilogy because I officially have an axe to grind with these jerks, but I suppose first we must live.

I agree with Torvald - whether or not we complete the mission, I would be interested in going through the next two parts.

If we end up failing here in the armory, I'm sure we don't get the 2nd prestige point, but would we still get a point of XP? Any gold at all?

My recommendation for the retreat plan - if anyone is taken down to negative HP, stabilized or not - Craggark grabs the body and we all run like hell, unless it is absolutely clear we're going to win it in the next round. If it's Craggark who drops, then it should be whoever is able to drag him out. Craggark, unless there is a truly compelling reason to do something else, you should use your orcish ferocity to get the heck out of Dodge, and that should be the signal for the rest of us to bolt.

I agree with Torvald - whether or not we complete the mission, I would be interested in going through the next two parts.

If we end up failing here in the armory, I'm sure we don't get the 2nd prestige point, but would we still get a point of XP? Any gold at all?

My recommendation for the retreat plan - if anyone is taken down to negative HP, stabilized or not - Craggark grabs the body and we all run like hell, unless it is absolutely clear we're going to win it in the next round. If it's Craggark who drops, then it should be whoever is able to drag him out. Craggark, unless there is a truly compelling reason to do something else, you should use your orcish ferocity to get the heck out of Dodge, and that should be the signal for the rest of us to bolt.

I'll be honest you missed the opportunity at the 1st. prestige point..so if you retreat you'd get no prestige points. But, you'd get the xp and some gold..

I'm not shocked about that. The XP and some gold are what we need most to progress - the XP so that it will only be one more scenario until 2nd level, and the gold to replace the resources consumed in this one.

What if we knocked over one of the tables and used is as mobile cover? We could also search around or some decent things I could throw besides the flasks.

fyi it was really difficult to get the second prestige point unless you guys had separated while gathering info. Jamir was right the chest was a kind of an Albatross/ Red Herring ..However, I don't think they took that into account when the wrote the conditions for the secondary success entry .. basically as written you had 24 hrs to make 5 successful gather info checks (DC20) with each check taking an astonishing 1d6 hrs (normally it's only 1d4)! For your party I rulled the 24 hrs didn't start till the next day (probably stretched the rules too much there), and I ruled that Craggark's inquiry the night before with the Pharasma priest was a successful check.

Long story short even with the additional time I believe I rolled 6's and 5's on how long it took for each check (there being one or two unsuccessful checks as well) it still took you guys till the next day as you decided to call it quits some point late that night. (As I recall Jawhar was still sleeping off the previous days fight for half the day while Craggark guarded him).

So you guys won't be getting both prestige points on this adventure regardless of what happens. ( I mentioned before there were some complaints about this on a thread I looked up). Anyway, xp and gold are there no matter what. I advise not to fight till the bitter end in a quest for a prestige point.

What if we knocked over one of the tables and used is as mobile cover? We could also search around or some decent things I could throw besides the flasks.

Both good ideas.

fyi it was really difficult to get the second prestige point unless you guys had separated while gathering info. Jamir was right the chest was a kind of an Albatross/ Red Herring ..However, I don't think they took that into account when the wrote the conditions for the secondary success entry .. basically as written you had 24 hrs to make 5 successful gather info checks (DC20) with each check taking an astonishing 1d6 hrs (normally it's only 1d4)! For your party I rulled the 24 hrs didn't start till the next day (probably stretched the rules too much there), and I ruled that Craggark's inquiry the night before with the Pharasma priest was a successful check.

Long story short even with the additional time I believe I rolled 6's and 5's on how long it took for each check (there being one or two unsuccessful checks as well) it still took you guys till the next day as you decided to call it quits some point late that night. (As I recall Jawhar was still sleeping off the previous days fight for half the day while Craggark guarded him).

So you guys won't be getting both prestige points on this adventure regardless of what happens. ( I mentioned before there were some complaints about this on a thread I looked up). Anyway, xp and gold are there no matter what. I advise not to fight till the bitter end in a quest for a prestige point.

So then let's just get out with our heads attached.

Shall we go upstairs or figure out a way to get to the practice yard from the ground floor?

I have a suggestion for Torvald - one blind alchemist's fire throw up the stairs. They likely have someone guarding the stairs. With your throwing prowess and your massive splash damage, you'll likely get someone.

A smoke stick would be good too if anyone had one. Or a thunderstone. Wait, didn't we get one of those from the gnome? Do I have it?

*checking his character sheet* I DO.

Guys, Craggark will be moving to the stairwell and throwing his thunderstone upstairs. Jamir should throw a smokestick if we have one, and Torvald should blindly throw an alchemist's fire. And Jawhar should buff people in the meantime with PvE.

What do you think?

If they are escaping outside, we should abandon the warehouse completely, run outside, and alert our friendly guards.

But, do we try to cut off the people fleeing into the practice yard?

If we stun or blind them while they're upstairs, they won't be escaping the armoury.

Oh, you think they haven't escaped yet?

Wouldn't it be easier to try to pick them off as they jump out of the window? Especially if we have the guard's help?

Plus, I really don't want to be inside of a warehouse full of dead guards when that sergeant gets back. I especially don't want to be inside of a burning warehouse that was set on fire by us indiscriminately throwing alchemist fire around.

Pick them off? None of us are snipers. Who even owns a bow?

We could run outside, but I think a blind throw before we do that could be to our advantage. The likelihood of the alchemist's fire lighting the armoury on fire is pretty low. It's an armoury, not a library. I definitely think the thunderstone is useful now, especially against the priestess, if she's there.

Also: what if Skagni is up there?

Jamir has a smokestick.

Also, two bags each of caltrops and marbles.

This scenario, at this tier, is a trap for a four-player party. Everything in me wants to have Jamir charge up the stairs. And I think that's wrong for our situation.

I think Jawhar is right - the smart play, the one that lets us all survive to fight another day, is to head out the front door and charge into the practice yard, calling the guards over if we can. But in case it's a ruse - they get us all into the side yard then simply come downstairs and leave through the front door, perhaps Jamir and one other person should take a round to spread caltrops at the foot of each staircase? EDIT - or on the bottom couple of steps of each staircase, so we haven't booby-trapped the entrance if we need to charge back inside?

Thunderstone is a good idea, but I don't have enough flasks to waste one on a blind throw.

In addition to caltrops - what if we light the smokestick and Torvald tosses that up the stairs, shouting "FIRE!"?

Try to give me 2 rounds of actions each before Torvald has to " call it a day"
PS. It just occurred to me, Craggark do you have enough GM stars to get play the whole trilogy or just this one?