silent tide 0-1, part of season 0 Marathon. (Inactive)

Game Master DoubleGold

Silent Tide

start reading, if you don't want to read ahead, stop just before you get to the part that says act 1
and start roleplaying, I'll give people time to roleplay what they want, then move onto first combat.

here is the 1st narrative for everyone's ease....

Your boots squash with fetid water as you plod through the
Puddles. A thick fog hangs in the air, seeming almost to caress
the flesh with an unnatural chill. As you stand outside the Soggy
Piper in a foot and a half of brackish brine, you try to recall what
was so damned important to demand your presence in the halfflooded
slum during Absalom’s rainy season. You remember
your meeting at the Lodge just a few hours earlier with your
Venture-Captain, Adril Hestram.
A bear of a man with only a few teeth remaining in his head,
he motioned you into the meeting hall with a casual wave of his
grizzled hand. The human captain outweighs most of Absalom’s
half-orcs, and though a layer of beefy blubber coats his frame,
those of you who have tangled with him in the Lodge sparring
ring know that beneath this thin veneer of fat lies nothing but
solid, steely sinew. Adril’s wild beard wags to the ponderous
shake of his massive head as he examines a scrap of ancient
parchment on the table before raising his eyes to greet your
gaze and speaking:
“Come in then, friends, and thank you for answering my
summons so swiftly. The society is in need. An old and quite
penniless historian, a bespectacled wag-beard by the name of
Yargos Gill has recently made a discovery in an old archive that
we have a great interest in obtaining: an ancient codebook, left
behind in the wake of one of Taldor’s many failed attempts at
invasion. This several-hundred-year-old text would prove an
excellent addition to our collection, and must be preserved.
“Yargos makes his home in ‘The Puddles,’ Absalom’s poorest
district, suffering from a well-known reputation as a haven for
lowlifes. Following an earthquake ten years ago, parts of the
Puddles now rest below sea level, resulting in frequent and untimely
flooding. Those who can afford not to live there—don’t.
“The district is the stomping ground of pimps, harlots,
addicts, knifers, and hoards of unseemly derelicts. It’s never
been a kind place, but recent reports reveal some new nameless
terror on her waterlogged streets. Several persons claim to
have seen cloaked, skeletal-like figures marching through an
unnatural fog. Ill tidings indeed. Tracking down Yargos is now
a priority—--lest some yellow-toothed thug cut him down, or
one of these strange wraiths carry him beyond the pale. Find
him, fellow Pathfinders, and find the codebook. Your exploits
will be recorded in the Chronicles if you succeed.”
The memory fades as a fresh deluge of cold seawater rounds
a bend in the lane and assaults your knees. After searching
for Yargos at his favorite eatery, the Soggy Piper, you learned
you just missed him. According to the Piper’s staff, a gang of
dangerous young tattooed toughs arrived ahead of you. They
grabbed Yargos and several of his friends from their dinner
table and dragged them to a nearby cliff at the edge of the
Puddle District. The watch was called, but they will arrive too
late, as they often do in the Puddles, when they bother to
venture there at all.
It is early evening, the first Wealday of the month of Desnus,
an old man is about to face some awful fate at the sea cliff
known as Torsen’s Maw, and you are no closer to finding the
codebook Adril sent you for.

"It would appear we are the gun! There is little time to dottle. We need to get to that cliff before they do. Let's make haste!"

I think 'dawdle' is the word you're looking for there.

Adeah stands with her hands on her hips, not liking what she's being told by the Piper staff. She wears streaks of red in her long dark hair, and her form is lithe and toned. She's lightly armored, and a musket is slung over one shoulder. Her pointed ears and almond-shaped eyes appear quite elven-- until she turns around. Beneath her musket are two large, crimson-feathered wings, a testament to her otherworldly heritage. Since they're of no real use to her, she keeps them strapped to her back to keep them out of the way. "Of course," she sighs. " Well, we'd better get going."

This giant of a man has silently followed you since your first meeting with Venture-Captain, Adril Hestram. A foreigner, by the look of him, he comes from the Far East. His weapons and armor seem to bear this out as well.
As Adeah speak, he nods and makes his way out of the tavern.

"Let us hurry' he says in a deep, thickly accented common.

A young green-haired half-elf away from the wall he was leaning against.
His black and yellow eyes rolling slightly.

"Time to tell dem dead mean to give it a rest den."

Looking at a turqiose skinned woman next to him, he adds;
"Well girl, after de previous 5 adventures we now get to work in a less crowded corner of de city. 'opefully your claws 'aven't gone dull."

He's speaking with an english-cajun accent.

The clawed woman nods.

"So it seems, and no, my claws haven't gone dull. They're quite ready to rip things to shreds. Plus, we get to work with new people, always nice."

A young, small woman 4'7" who is currently wearing a robe and sandles with long black hair, wrapped in braids that hang around her neck like a necklace. She appears to have pale skin, like that of a ghost and a tiny frame hidden under her robe.

"If we can talk them into handing over the book this can all be over. If they do not surrender we will need to subdue them. I do not like this weather." she states simply as she remains with the group.

An unusual sight for this place, a tengu, looks like a huge wet crow under this weather. He might even look a bit funny, with that naginata halbeard that looks a tad too big for him.

"I could not agree with you more. But please don't waste too much time on talking. This is no weather for a wise man to be running around."

Pronunciation is eerie perfect, coming from this alien berdman.

He switches to Tien.
"The teacher said, he who walks in rain gets wet."

It being the first time Chyras had seen a tengu, he looks slightly surprised.

"You must 'ave journeyed far, non? I have not 'eard of any Tengu communities odder dan de far east."

An laughs at the Tengu's saying.

"Where are you from little bird-man? And you Miss? You look to be a Minkaian. I myself am from Xa Hoi, but travelled to these lands with my friend August. Now I work for the Pathfinders, like you."

Mia just blinks, confused as to the saying before shifting focus onto the giant of a man who addressed her.
"I was raised in a monastery in Quain. All my time was spent inside the walls, mastering the art of turning one-self into a weapon. I came here to became a pathfinder, acting as a bodyguard or scout for many groups." she smiles and gives a short bow "I was in Riddleport not long ago helping a group fight a ruthless group of pirates."

"Pirates? There's a sort i haven't sunken my claws into yet.
List stands at orcs, ruffians, minotaur and dretches. Really Chyras, we need some variety."

A look of 'are you serious?' shows on his face.
He adresses the others;

"Sorry, she's not a murder-'appy type, just likes to test 'er mettle in confrontations."

An smiles at the strange 'woman'

"Sounds like a girl after me own heart!

"See? Meeting new people is good.", she says with a teasing smile, resulting in a surrendering grin from the half-elf.

Wanting to get back to the task at hand, Mia decides to take the point.
"We best find this man and his book for the society." she states, cracking her knuckles in anticipation.

She nods at Mia as they make their way to the cliff they were told to find. "I've had to deal with pirates myself. Slavers, they were. Nasty folk. But me an' my friend here showed 'em what for." She pats the barrel of her musket, hanging down her side. "Took out the captain with one shot, I did. Shot 'er right in the face. We made short work of it after that." (I rolled a crit; it was glorious.)

okay, heroes chase down some war hounders, after a few minutes, they come to a place where the war hounders are holding people hostage.

hit: 0 + 1d20 ⇒ 0 + (10) = 10 War hounders
init: 6 + 1d20 ⇒ 6 + (20) = 26 Aheah silversong
init: 4 + 1d20 ⇒ 4 + (10) = 14 Mia kusanagi
init: 6 + 1d20 ⇒ 6 + (2) = 8 Nyguyen An
init: 1 + 1d20 ⇒ 1 + (19) = 20 Chyras
init: 5 + 1d20 ⇒ 5 + (12) = 17 Bukko
init: 4 + 1d20 ⇒ 4 + (20) = 24 Fronar

the war hounders are 20-25 feet from the front liners, 3 in front, 3 in back, and up to 3 of you can be in front, and 25-30 feet from the back liners, 3 of you can be in back, and those wanting to be in the backer line, the war hounders are 30-35 feet from you, as 3 of you can be in the backer line. The hostages are 30 feet from the front liners. Got it? Good, you have 9 possible spaces to start from. there is no map for the first fight, if you want me to draw one I can, but no official map, so I'd have to make it up.

everyone except nyguyen An is up

Alanya's front line.

"Dogs and thugs huh? Miss Mia, care to join me in dishing out?"
Alanya keeps a claw readied for whatever comes close first.

Alanya's front line.

"Dogs and thugs huh? Miss Mia, care to join me in dishing out?"

Alanya keeps a claw readied to strike what comes close first.
Do we roll for readied attacks prior to or after the enemy comes close?

lets wait till after to keep things simple, I have your readied attack written down

Thank you.
Chyras takes backline, for obvious reasons. :)

Chyras readies acid splash for 1st thing within range.

Back line, load a round, fire at one of the hounders.

Musket (vs flat-footed touch AC): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Damage: 1d12 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

Back line, load a round, fire at one of the hounders.

just a question, wouldn't your gunslinger have the musket preloaded? I know not all gunslingers do, but when I play a gunslinger, I always keep my gun loaded between combats, so that I can still have a move on my round 1

anyway the musket bullet hits one of the hounders in the head dropping it. even if penalties were applied, like cover, it would still be a hit

Front line, throw a bomb to hit as many hounders as possible.

Bukko lets out a war cry, and throws a little clay sphere at the hounders.

Bomb, fire, DC 12 (1 spent, 4 left): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 191d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

"Erm....like dat wit' de pirate captain? Or was dat messier?"

Mia redies herself into a martial arts stance.

activates Snapping turtle Style, giving her +1 shield bonus

"Surrender your hostages." she calls out to these thugs "We do not want any bloodshed."

Front line, throw a bomb to hit as many hounders as possible.

Bukko lets out a war cry, and throws a little clay sphere at the hounders.

so it does 1 splash fire damage to everything within a square, including the target hit, meaning everything took 3 dmg and the one hit took 4 dmg? Sorry never played an alchemist, so I gotta doublecheck the splash dmg

Wouldn't the splash hit the hostages?

Bukko wrote:

Front line, throw a bomb to hit as many hounders as possible.

Bukko lets out a war cry, and throws a little clay sphere at the hounders.

so it does 1 splash fire damage to everything within a square, including the target hit, meaning everything took 3 dmg and the one hit took 4 dmg? Sorry never played an alchemist, so I gotta doublecheck the splash dmg

On a direct hit, an alchemist's bomb inflicts 1d6 points of fire damage + additional damage equal to the alchemist's Intelligence modifier. The damage of an alchemist's bomb increases by 1d6 points at every odd-numbered alchemist level (this bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit or by using feats such as Vital Strike). Splash damage from an alchemist bomb is always equal to the bomb's minimum damage (so if the bomb would deal 2d6+4 points of fire damage on a direct hit, its splash damage would be 6 points of fire damage). Those caught in the splash damage can attempt a Reflex save for half damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the alchemist's level + the alchemist's Intelligence modifier.

as found here.

Adeah Silversong wrote:

Back line, load a round, fire at one of the hounders.

just a question, wouldn't your gunslinger have the musket preloaded? I know not all gunslingers do, but when I play a gunslinger, I always keep my gun loaded between combats, so that I can still have a move on my round 1

I do usually, but I didn't need the move this time. Probably will the rest of the time though.

Wouldn't the splash hit the hostages?

nope, because I'm assuming he is aiming at a front liner, and the hostages are 10 feet away from any front liner, it would hit one in front, preferrably the middle and 3 the back liners as well as the right or left front liner.

reflex: 5d20 ⇒ (20, 5, 15, 5, 4) = 49 modifier is 0, so rolling a reflex for each one

so one took 4 dmg, other front liner took 1 dmg, 2 back liners took 3 dmg and another back liner took 1 dmg.

The front liner will move towards the party to melee. they may or may not survive, go ahead and roll attack alana and Chryone

the 3 back liners however will attack with crossbows and kick the hostages over board, they almost land off the cliff, but one hostage crabs the edge and he is dangling yet tied up with the other hostages. Think of one of those movies where one person is holding on mountain climbing and several people are attached to that rope helpless.

hit: 1 + 1d20 ⇒ 1 + (6) = 7
hit: 1 + 1d20 ⇒ 1 + (18) = 19
hit: 1 + 1d20 ⇒ 1 + (15) = 16 they all fire at the most magical person and in this case it is Chyrone. your ac is 15 due to cover, so you were hit twice, though you can still get off your acid splash

dmg: 2d8 ⇒ (4, 5) = 9 there Chyrone.

Our fighter is up and Chyrones and Alanas readied attacks. if Chyrone and Alana kill these two coming at them, the enemy attacks will not go off, but if they fail to kill them, their attacks, ie the saps will go off

Fronar will move to the front liner that took 4 damage and TWF attack it. If 1st attack drops enemy, use 2nd on any other enemy in range.

1st kukri: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

1st damage: 1d4 + 4 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 4 + (5) = 11 1d6=SA since enemy has not acted yet

2nd kukri: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

2nd damage: 1d4 + 4 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 4 + (3) = 8 1d6=SA since enemy has not acted yet

An moves into the largest bunch of gangers and swings his no-dachi, striking first one, then another of the villains.

Attack-melee: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15
Damage: 1d10 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

Attack-melee: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30
Confirm Crit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
Damage: 1d10 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Crit damage: 1d10 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

Using cleave (-2 to AC next round)

Chyras frowns in pain and something in elven, probably not a nice word follows.

Ranged touch: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12 Dmg: 1d3 ⇒ 2

"Don't you touch him!"

Claw, PA: 1d20 + 5 - 1 ⇒ (9) + 5 - 1 = 13 Dmg: 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 3 + 2 = 9

before the fighter goes, chyras and alanya go and kill off the front liners.

the figher then moves to the back liners and slices 2 of them in half if you would not have moved up, let me know, combat over

then fronar finishes off the last backliner with a well placed throw to the neck.

okay now it is time to pull up the hostages, all you have not gone yet in round 2, make a str check, the dc is really high, but as long as you score a 10 or higher you can aid, the only one that went in round 2 is fronar

She drops her musket and dives toward the last of the prisoners, who's barely hanging onto the cliffside. "Hold on!"

Strength (aid): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0

...but trips along the way and doesn't reach him at all.
Ack.

Chyras makes an attempt.

Str.: 1d20 ⇒ 4

But his hands don't keep too much grip.

Aid Str.: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"I'm here, but could the muscle pull in front please, these claws are somewhat obstructing my pulling."

"Here, let me help

Aid STR: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

wow. The highest roll out of the 4 of us was a 7!! Can we take 10?

Fronar would definately have continued on to the next target/enemy if the ones in front of him dropped.

str check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

here is the strength check for the next round. Anyone able and willing, please aid me.

Fronar Gossamar does it with no problem.

If the PCs succeed in rescuing Yargos, he thanks them
profusely. Even if the PCs neglect to ask, he soon tells
them all he knows about why he was taken prisoner and
the coming Silent Tide. By this point, Yargos has pieced
together everything set out in the adventure’s background
section. In addition, Yargos recollects that the codebook
has a master abort code—a signal that will end the entire
operation. Unfortunately, without the book, he can’t
recall precisely what color and pattern will reproduce
the master abort code. He urges the PCs to help him find
Nessian and retrieve the codebook.

map up soon, please wait

actually can anyone draw the Granary map for me please, otherwise you will be looking at a google drawing map, with a bunch of colored in squares and triangles.

I'll have to find the pdf to it, but i can do that.

"Excuse me but, does somebody 'ave a wand of healin' at 'and?"
I forgot to purchase that thing between scenarios, i've been riding on Alanya's claws.

Bukko hands Chyras a small bottle, covered with strange symbols.

"Here, short nose, drink this. Your anatomy is a bit different, but most life fluids are very similary alligned."

It's a potion of cure light wounds. I still have an extract for my own use.

"Much obliged, ser Bukko."

Glug: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
He feels much better.

Huh. I've got a CLW wand, but... can anyone use it?

As far as i've heard they can. Only scrolls required the correct schools. [arcana/divine]

The summoner can and so can I. We both have CLW on our spell-list. Which reminds me.

"Ser. Serrr. I like this word. Ser Chyras, I have witnessed you using a magic of some kind. Might i ask you if have an arcane formula for that? I would love to copy and analyse it later."

something wrong with my computer right now, any chance Chyras can add the people to the map, it is not letting me do certain things, not a virus, but I can't right click on the mouse to do things and post certain things

we are using dixie people, that mean hit enter after every time you move yourself and post the new link