Human Male - Evangelist of Pharasma 9 HP 69/72 | AC 21 T 16 FF 15 | F +6 R +11 W +6 | Init +16 | Perception +13 | Always acts in surprise Prescience (6/9) | ISA (1/1)
Theodric takes a step away from his allies and disappears as he casts improved invisibility on himself.
I made Theodric a bit transparent on the map, since he’s invisible. Adjust as you wish.
As Theodric vanishes, it immediately becomes clear what made the alarming rumbling sound below the ground! A massive armor-plated creature leaps out of the ground nearby, flying high like a breaching whale, its toothy maw gaping wide! A fin-like dorsal plate can be seen between its shoulders as it soars closer, and it comes smashing to the cave floor, all four of its terrifying claws slashing at a startled Gorf!
Surprise Round Initiative:
Theodric
Big Ol’ Burrowing Beastie
El Garrapata!
Gorf
Jean-Claude
A rather injured Gorf is up for a surprise round action! (Others didn’t make the Perception check to get to act in surprise round.)
Knowledge (arcana) to know things about this creature. From his previous roll, Theodric recognizes this as an especially powerful bulette. He can make another roll on his turn, now that he's actually looking at it.
"Ow! That thing hits harder than a swamp 'gator on a bad day!" Bleeding badly, Gorf tries to use the impact of the bulett's deflected final blow to escape its deadly range.
It seems like I might be able to use a Restricted Withdraw action in a surprise round, since it has the same wording as partial charge. If so, I do that. If not, I'll spoiler an acrobatics check below.
Gorf – yes, you can make a Restricted Withdraw. Also, the 4-player adjustment changes the monster stats some, and I hadn’t accounted for that, so you took 6 less points of damage than I rolled.
Everybody – I botched the initiative tracker for the surprise round, somehow read the numbers wrong (unless the Paizo site changed them…). I don’t believe it would have changed any results, but it’s why the order is now different.
Gorf darts nimbly away from the ferocious landshark, moving to a safer distance. As he pauses to catch his breath, however, he and Theodric hear another rumbling in the earth below! It sounds to Gorf like it is very close by, coming from almost directly beneath his froggy feet!
Everybody – I botched the initiative tracker for the surprise round, somehow read the numbers wrong (unless the Paizo site changed them…). I don’t believe it would have changed any results, but it’s why the order is now different.
...
Round 1 Initiative: Gorf
?
Theodric
Jean-Claude
Big Ol’ Burrowing Beastie
El Garrapata!
If I beat it in initiative, and I made the perception check to act in the surprise round, then it definitely would have made a difference for me to have acted first. Only one of those attacks would have hit my non-flat-footed AC, so I would have taken 30 fewer points of damage.
"Aw crap, we got 'nother sumthin' comin' up from below!"
Gorf scurries into another alcove, trying to get away from the approaching sound, and fires at the first monster before quickly reloading with a cartridge.
Gorf – you make a reasonable point. I still think there’s a chance that the dice roller gave different results when I looked again (normally I wouldn’t think that, but this web site these days…) and changed the results. But I don’t want to start this fight with you at death’s door because I’m not sure if I goofed or not, so let’s say you were only flat-footed for one attack. With that, and the corrected damage, you would have only taken a total of 18 damage from the bulette’s leaping attack.
Gorf continues to bravely run away, pausing long enough to shoot the bulette in a tender spot! The beast howls in pain and fury! At almost the same instant, as if in response to the first bulette’s howl, a second land-shark appears, hunting in tandem with its mate! Surfacing right where Gorf stood moments ago, it arcs through the air, landing and striking out with its massive claws at Jean-Claude!
Target: 1 is Garrapata, 2 is Jean-Claude:1d2 ⇒ 2Do these bulettes have something against gripplis?
Human Male - Evangelist of Pharasma 9 HP 69/72 | AC 21 T 16 FF 15 | F +6 R +11 W +6 | Init +16 | Perception +13 | Always acts in surprise Prescience (6/9) | ISA (1/1)
know arcana:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (11) + 18 = 29
Theodric shouts anything helpful he knows about the creature.
Then Theodric conjures forth 5 invisible fiery shuriken to hover in front of himself.
Two of them immediately fly out at the red bulette.
Two shuriken of fire appear out of nowhere, whizzing toward the red-eyed bulette! They both strike true, doing a surprising amount of harm to the creature for their small size!
Round 1 Initiative:
Gorf
Bride of Bulette!
Theodric
Jean-Claude
Big Ol’ Burrowing Beastie (-48 hp)
El Garrapata!
Jean-Claude leaps like a nimble…frog! Darting this way and that, he is, unfortunately, not quite nimble enough! The bullette chomps at him with its mighty jaws as he tries to get close! He manages to scramble up the massive beast’s leg and hop onto a giant shoulder, giving it a poke with his rapier once he’s in position. The land-shark roars, furious and confused at this little thing climbing all over it, and bites and claws at the vexing little frogman!
"Damn, them things is nasty critters! Y'all right up there, Jawn-Clawd?"
Gorf steps back a little farther into the corner, hoping his more martially-inclined allies can keep the beasts at bay. He fires three times in rapid succession, focusing his fire on the already-wounded beast (switching targets if it falls before he's done firing).
HP 93/93; AC 20, T13, FF16; CMD 26 (32 vs grapple); F+9, R+9, W+4; Init +2, Perc +4 Human(?) Brawler 10
"GREAT SWIMMING LAND SHARKS! Did... Did they follow me FROM THE OCEAN?" Garrapata ponders this. "SEA BEASTIE! YOU FACE THE WRATH OF EL GARRPATA! PREPARE FOR THE HUGGING OF YOUR LIFETIME!"
Garrapata steps five feet toward the beastie, swiftly adding GRabbing Style to his martial flexibility. He leaps on the bullete, grappling it! Grapple check!:1d20 + 21 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 21 + 2 = 35
El Garrapata takes a quick step toward the closest bulette and grabs hold of its pinky claw, twisting hard and bringing the monster to three of its armored knees! Meanwhile, Gorf lines up his musket and lets fly a veritable ballet of bullets at the bullette! The first shot causes a shriek of pain, rather unbecoming in such a large creature, and the second causes the beast to crash to the cavern floor and go still, Jean-Claude still perched on its massive shoulder! Continuing the dance, Gorf pirouettes toward the remaining bullete, continuing the bullet-based bloodletting and leaving the grippli gunman feeling quite bullish.
Round 2 Initiative:
Gorf
Bride of Bulette (-19 hp, grappled)
Theodric
Jean-Claude Big Ol’ Burrowing Beastie
El Garrapata!
Human Male - Evangelist of Pharasma 9 HP 69/72 | AC 21 T 16 FF 15 | F +6 R +11 W +6 | Init +16 | Perception +13 | Always acts in surprise Prescience (6/9) | ISA (1/1)
Theoden moves up, and tosses a fiery shuriken as a swift action.
Jean-Claude hops off the back of the fallen bulette and tumbles towards the remaining opponent, once again using his Daredevil Boots
Acrobatics:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (9) + 23 = 32
Now that the initial retaliatory attack has been performed, he also begins racing through his brain for what he knows about bulettes.
Knowledge Arcana:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Jean-Claude doesn't know much, be he knows his stabbing seemed to work! He clambers on to the back of the bulette and takes advantage of El Garrapata's position to strike at a spot between the plates.
Theodric burns the bulette with fire and acid! Jean-Claude is quick enough to get close without getting thwacked, but not sharp enough to know much about the beast before him. He still manages to scramble aboard and painfully pierce the creature between two armored plates!
Round 2/3 Initiative: Gorf
Bride of Bulette (-77 hp, grappled)
Theodric
Jean-Claude
El Garrapata!
Screwed myself up with my strikeout text, didn’t realize everyone was actually up - El Garrapata and Gorf can go!
Gorf takes his time, loading a ball and powder into the chamber, then fires once again! Move action to reload with a musket ball and powder, saving some cartridges.
Human Male - Evangelist of Pharasma 9 HP 69/72 | AC 21 T 16 FF 15 | F +6 R +11 W +6 | Init +16 | Perception +13 | Always acts in surprise Prescience (6/9) | ISA (1/1)
Theodric will gently take the wand from Gorf's hand, careful to keep it visible "I'm right here."
He will also take teh Grippli's wand and use it as well. At some point during the process Theodric will become visible again.
I have and can use my infernal healing wand, happy to use other's CLWs as well, until the UMD gods fail out.
After slaying the fiercely territorial bulettes, the Pathfinders patch up their wounds and continue on their way toward where the mongrelmen are supposed to be. After several miles, the twisting tunnels converge into a single, wider tunnel that leads upward toward the sound of running water. As the passage levels out, a crude barricade comes into view ahead: sharp spears, broken blades, and stakes of petrified wood jut at all angles across the twenty-foot width of the tunnel floor.
A half-dozen mongrelmen—men and women with the features of numerous different humanoid races, no two of whom look the same—confront the party from the other side of the barricade, one of them calling out gruffly, ”What’s your business here? We don’t see many travelers.” The mongrelmen peering out from behind the jumbled barricade are armed with an equally motley selection of weapons - duergar hammers, troglodyte spears, and the occasional drow blade are just a few of the many implements of war that they wield.
If anyone else needs to heal, just say so in your next post.
After an inexplicable, uncomfortable pause, where Pathfinders and mongrelmen alike make every effort to not meet each others' eyes in the awkward silence, the gruff mongrelman clears his throat and calls out again, "Ahem, right. I said what's your business here?"
HP 93/93; AC 20, T13, FF16; CMD 26 (32 vs grapple); F+9, R+9, W+4; Init +2, Perc +4 Human(?) Brawler 10
"Greetings STRANGE UNDERGROUND DWELLERS! I am EL GARRAPATA and I have come to seek DWARVES! STOLEN DWARVES! The tiny subterranean hands of EVIL have reached upwards and stolen DWARVES! AND WE MUST STEAL THEM BACK!" Garrapata announces.
"Well, those hands are evil, on that we agree," the mongrelman replies. "Still, what does that have to do with us? Why does it bring you to our lands?"
It will come as little surprise that someone will need to get a better result on a social skill check to make progress here.
"Oui, mes ami! Ze duergar have stolen dwarves, filthy slavers that they are! We would greatly appreciate your assistance in tracking zem down and bringing them to justice!"
As El Garrapata offers further ‘explanation’, the mongrelman lifts a hand resembling that of a lizardman, to scratch his head, which looks like it might have come from a huge bat, except for the spider-like eyes arrayed around it. When Jean-Claude chimes in, however, the guard’s shoulders, one ape-like and one slender like an elf’s, relax and he says, ”Well, why didn’t you just say so? We’ve no love for them duergar. I’ll take you to meet Felgriss, you can make your case to her.” He directs the party to go a few hundred feet back the way they’ve come, to take a narrow side tunnel that leads around the heaps of debris that block the tunnel, then leads them to meet his leader.
Past the barricade, the tunnel follows the path of a subterranean stream. After several miles, it opens onto a wide cavern. The stream flows into a small lake at the center of a grove of petrified, deformed trees. Many dwellings constructed from varying materials rest at the base of these trees, and some even sit among the branches. The settlement appears peaceful enough, but closer inspection reveals many barricades scattered among the buildings and trees, and assorted weapons are visible within each dwelling. On the far side of the lake sits a single massive petrified tree, its uppermost branches reaching almost to the roof of the cavern. The tree is decorated with furs, vines, and patches of glowing fungus, and at its base strands of pebble, bones, and shells hang over the entrance of a tunnel leading between two huge roots.
The guard calls out, waits a few moments, then leads the party into the tunnel, which leads to a comfortable round chamber, decorated with with furs from a wide assortment of creatures. Seated on a stuffed cushion made of a hodge-podge of furs is a mongrelwoman, who gestures to the Pathfinders to seat themselves, then looks to the guard, considering him for some time before saying, ”Well, Dwalla. I see you’ve brought me an unusual surprise. Not overly fond of surprises, but I’ll hear them out. Head back to your post.” Dwalla ducks out without a word, and the mongrelwoman turns her head slowly, considering each of the party members before she speaks. When she does speak, she does so slowly, as if considering her words carefully, and often gazes off into the distance for several moments before voicing her thoughts. ”I am Felgriss, chieftain of this tribe. Please, explain why you have come to me.” She pauses for some time, her eyes on El Garrapata’s blueness, before slowly shifting to Gorf’s musket and his bulging, frog-like eyes. ”You are surface dwellers...” She takes a deep breath and runs her her hand softly along the fur of her seat, back and forth several times, before completing her thought, ”…what business do you have with my people, the Gunduara tribe?”
Human Male - Evangelist of Pharasma 9 HP 69/72 | AC 21 T 16 FF 15 | F +6 R +11 W +6 | Init +16 | Perception +13 | Always acts in surprise Prescience (6/9) | ISA (1/1)
Theodric nods in agreement with El Garrapata. "Those foul Dureagar have kidnapped and dragged allies of ours hundreds of miles what must be for some horrible demonic ritual that would harm us all."
Felgriss is thoughtful for a long moment, then another, before replying, “I know of the group of duergar that you seek. Most of the gray dwarves stay close to their roads and fortresses, but about three years ago a group traveled past Fellstrok. They came from the north, and looked as if they had traveled for many days. Recently, they passed by our territory again, returning north. They appeared even more bedraggled than the first time. We fought with the duergar, but only long enough to drive them away from our tunnels. We managed to capture one of their scouts in the battle. He said that he followed a disgraced leader, but he believed in her. He said that she would lead him and his fellows to glory and help them regain the respect of their fellow duergar. Now it seems that this great leader and her followers are returning south once more.”
She turns her head to the side, facing the wall for a long pause, her eyes seeming to trace the veins of stone on a rock face not covered with furs, before she turns back to the Pathfinders and says, ”But what is this to me? Do you seek information about the duergar? Or do you wish my help in some way? ”
"Eet eez our understanding zat we might be able to catch up or overtake zem if you were to grant us passage through your tunnels. Of course, any other assistance you can offer would be greatly appreciated - as would the opportunity to question this scout you have captured."
HP 93/93; AC 20, T13, FF16; CMD 26 (32 vs grapple); F+9, R+9, W+4; Init +2, Perc +4 Human(?) Brawler 10
"Help would be WONDERFUL! It sounds like these DUERGAR are nobody's friends, so if you could help us GET TO THEM WITHOUT GETTING LOST OR KILLED, maybe we could help you by KNOCKING SOME NICE into them!"
Felgriss nods – though she does it so slowly it is scarcely perceptible as a nod – and replies to the Pathfinders’ request for help, ”We can help you to defeat the duergar—we have long awaited an opportunity to prove our strength to them. But I have some fear our strength may not be enough to defeat this particular band. However, before we go to battle, there is one other who may join our cause. The great beast Old Ironfin, a mighty bulette who appears to have suffered the cruelty of the duergar, ranges not far from here. Long have I tried to befriend him, to no avail. Perhaps you can help me to impress the creature. He has great reason to hate the duergar, and would be a powerful ally.”
Assuming you agree to try this:
Felgriss and some of her people lead the way to the lair of Old Ironfin. The ground in these tunnels is particularly uneven, and deep claw marks mar the rough stone walls. Deep furrows in the stone floor lead to a dark cave that smells of rust and blood. The mongrelwoman stops well back from the cave and asks the party, ”Are any of you skilled in the language of beasts? If not, I have some skill in that area and can take the lead in trying to convince Old Ironfin to help us.”
She then moves closer to the cave mouth, approaching cautiously with the party at her side. A moment later, there is a sound, somewhere between a roar and a hiss, that comes from the cave, and a massive bulette emerges! Scars cover the fierce creature’s hide and face. Thick plates of adamantine are bolted to his face, jaw, and back, and ancient bloodstains stain his hide where they were attached. His claws have been replaced with claw-shaped adamantine blades. Old Ironfin bellows, claws at the ground, and lowers his head as if he is about to charge—but he hesitates, giving the intruders a moment to attempt to stop him!
I don’t think any of you have Wild Empathy, but let me know if somehow you do. Assuming that’s correct, Felgriss will use her Wild Empathy to take the lead, but you all will need to provide some aid. You can do this by making a Wild Empathy check to aid, or by attempting a single skill or combat maneuver check to impress Old Ironfin. There are lots of different checks you can make to help sway the bulette. For example, make a display of strength (a combat maneuver or Intimidate check), or attempt to ease the constant pain caused by Old Ironfin’s adamantine plating (Handle Animal or Heal), or come up with someone creative you think might apply. Using an appropriate spell or ability in conjunction with a check will provide a bonus to your check.
Human Male - Evangelist of Pharasma 9 HP 69/72 | AC 21 T 16 FF 15 | F +6 R +11 W +6 | Init +16 | Perception +13 | Always acts in surprise Prescience (6/9) | ISA (1/1)
Theodric tries his best to impress the bulette with a series of flips and spins between the land sharks legs and even over its back.
HP 93/93; AC 20, T13, FF16; CMD 26 (32 vs grapple); F+9, R+9, W+4; Init +2, Perc +4 Human(?) Brawler 10
El Garrapata mimes at the great beast, then executes a grapple against an invisible opponent. His mime, which is both terrible and terribly hard to understand, is a work of performance art that will live for the ages, provided all viewing it survive the next few days.
"Well, ah ain't much for talkin' to 'em, but I know a thing'r two 'bout dealin' with wounded critters."
If you'll accept it, Gorf will use his experience safely handling wounded animals as a professional trapper. If not, he'll use what medical experience he has to try to ease its pain.
Jean-Claude attempts to trick Old Ironfin into charging him and running into the cave wall. He shouts and waves and calls Old Ironfin the son of a hamster and dodges out of the way at the last minute.
Though the massive beast clearly appreciates Gorf’s gentle touch, Old Ironfin seems more than a bit puzzled by the antics of the other Pathfinders. Felgriss can be seen giving a few sidelong glances at them as well, as they do their somewhat wacky pantomimes of combat. Nevertheless, the grizzled bulette allows everyone to approach. He gives Felgriss a cold, proud look, his eyes those of a deadly predator considering whether a fine meal stands before him, before bowing his bloodied head low before her. The mongrelwoman gives the Pathfinders a grateful nod, saying, ”Thank you for helping me gain his trust, he will be a useful ally to us, as we will to him. I trust he will stay nearby in the coming days, to aid us as we face the duergar.”
Leading the party back to the mongrelman village, Felgriss encourages the Pathfinders to take an evening to rest while the mongrelmen prepare, saying, ”We should set out in the morning. I know a secret way to a nearby outpost where the duergar are likely to make camp. My plan is to try to evade the duergar outriders, surprise the main force, and free the dwarven captives. We’ll likely have to battle the outriders when they return, but we can hope not to fight all of the duergar at once. And if we take on the outriders first, they may get word back to the main force, and the duergar would probably execute their dwarven prisoners. As you rest and make any preparations, you should be prepared for two large battles in relatively quick succession. By way of preparations, these may come in handy as well.” As she says this, she holds out two wands.
They are a wand of daylight with 8 charges and a wand of greater invisibility, also with 8 charges remaining. Let me know if you want to make any particular preparations.
Human Male - Evangelist of Pharasma 9 HP 69/72 | AC 21 T 16 FF 15 | F +6 R +11 W +6 | Init +16 | Perception +13 | Always acts in surprise Prescience (6/9) | ISA (1/1)
Theodric will gladly take the greater invisibility wand.
I can also take the daylight wand if nobody else wants it. I have several ~90 minute buffs to put up once we're a little more sure of the timing. I am memorizing different spells for tomorrow.
Relating to that last note: Who needs darkvision? Trying to figure out how many I should memorize.
Early the following morning – before dawn, in fact, if there were such a thing in these dark lands – Felgriss leads the Pathfinders and her own warriors toward the outpost. Her secret route takes narrow, winding corridors and traverses a pair of caverns so large it’s like being under the night sky in the surface world. Along the way, she explains, ”The outpost lies several miles south of Fellstrok along the Long Walk. Formerly a well- maintained duergar checkpoint, the fort has been the site of many battles between the mongrelmen and the gray dwarves over the years. Neither side has been able to maintain a strong presence there for long, and so the outpost has fallen into disrepair.”
As the party and the mongrelmen approach the outpost, the Pathfinders can see that it spans the tunnel, and once had four corner towers and a central tower, though one of the towers has collapsed. Drawing a little nearer, Felgriss listens to a whispered report from one of her scouts, then says, ”We’ll take the duergar in the tunnels on either side of the fort, you take the leaders in the center! This is our chance!”
Advancing stealthily, the party reaches the section of tunnel just before an archway entering the outpost proper. At this distance in the darkness, no movement can be seen, but the sharp-eared among the Pathfinders can hear the clank of chains and the moan of captives somewhere ahead.
On the map, you can see that the southwest tower has collapsed, and there are two large holes in the ground, though you can’t see into them at the moment. The outpost’s upper level and raised platforms (light grey) are 20 feet higher than the main level of the tunnel (dark grey), and the stairs leading up are quite steep. Medium or Small creatures move at half speed while ascending or descending the stairs; smaller creatures must use the Climb skill (DC 10). Large creatures can use the stairs without reducing their speed, but if they end their movement on the stairs, they must squeeze. The dotted lines connecting to the central tower are bridges. The ceiling is 40 feet above the lower floor (20 feet above the upper platforms). The chamber has no lighting of its own.
Unless someone tells me otherwise, I’ll assume you all start with greater invisibilty and darkvision active. I’ll say that two rounds have elapsed on those spells as you approached.
