GM Hawthwile - Ageless Ambitions (Inactive)

Game Master Hawthwile

You received a letter from Master of Swords, Marcos Farabellus. In it, he asked you urgently to meet him at a safe house on the outskirts of Merab. When you arrived, an agent disguised as a beggar led you through the urban sprawl of the city to a small estate near the city docks. An estate guard escorted you inside, saying, ”Please wait in the study. Get to know your friends,” before leaving.

Anyone who looks at Taman will see a half-naked strong man. His face is dyed in color. He carry his large Bastard sword. "Sorry! I did not introduce myself. My name is Taman! Taman Hornraven!"

A female dwarf in a golden dress walks with grace and bows to the rest of the group.

She smiles to greet you all but stays silent for the time being.

A young half-orc woman, skin the color of light ash and eyes of ice blue, armed with a glowing heavy flail and armored in a mithral chain shirt enters the small estate. Beneath the fine rings of mithral covering her torso, the surface of her delicate-looking black silk robe is adorned with tiny embossed runes across its entire surface, all brought together at the waist with a thick black belt decorated with huge metal buckles. Wrist sheathes can be seen beneath her sleeves on the inside of each forearm, and two crisscrossed bandoliers hang across her chest and shoulders, each loop filled with scrolls and wands. Flecks of silver shimmer within the fabric of her black cloak and her coal-black hair hangs down in loose curls over a delicately-engraved silver headband decorated with blue and white gemstones.

She carries herself with poise and gives anyone who’s eyes meet hers a friendly smile. Her gaze feels positively hypnotic. She introduces herself as Glasha Rogmesh to each of the assembled Pathfinders, offering a firm-but-gentle handshake to all of her fellow Society members assigned to this mission and making polite but genuine conversation.

”I hear we’re going after more Aspis,” she says with a mischievous grin as she jingles her belt pouch. She then reaches into her pouch and proudly displays a handful of bronze and silver badges, each emblazoned with a serpent.

A human in his mid-twenties reading a dusty tome navigates through the room without looking up. His black cloak seems to absorb the light around it. Silver runes gracefully around the trim. Glasha notices sheathes similar to her own strapped to the man's wrists. A sharp eye may notice fine mithral links under his dark tunic. In addition to his rather full quiver, a darkwood bow is slung over his shoulder. The guard and leather wrapping of the rapier on his hip show little, if any, actual use.

He sets the book down for a moment and makes certain to greet the other members of the team. "Well met. Taman was it? Fendel. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Greetings and salutations Glasha. Sounds like you are looking forward to hunting reptiles. Nice to meet you Miss...? Well, in good time I guess."

He goes back to his text and continues reading. Fendel carries on conversations as they happen without breaking eye-contact with what he is reading.

Shardra looks at you all and smiles.

”I am Shardra. May your ancestors be blessed and may you find the peace that the spirits present to you as a gift each day. The spirits teach us that bonding means to share and seek understanding. Taman, Fendel, Glasha, I am looking forward to bring balance to this world with you ... similar to you I travel the world, guarded but curious, uncovering lost treasure and listening to the tales it has to tell. Like many Pathfinder permanent bonds chafe me ... .“ Shardra says in a deep voice.

Next to enter is a stunningly beautiful female elf with shimmering violet eyes and long, flowing brown hair. Looking young for her race, perhaps in her mid hundreds, the confident looking girl wears a shiny, very well-fitted and fashionably low-cut sparkling silver armor and a fine purple cloak. An extremely sharp looking scimitar is sheathed at her hip. She also sports some impressive jewellery, including a dark black amulet that seems to cling to the skin above her breasts and a jewelled band that she wears on her head.

"Greetings all. Marquise Thoriel Liltamael reporting for duty. Sorry I'm late. Big night last night, you know how it is. Mornings really don't suit me"

After several minutes, the doors swing open again and Master of Swords Marcos Farabellus and Lady Gloriana Morilla enter. The Master of Swords stands before the fireplace, while Lady Morilla remains seated in a large, comfortable chair.

See Handouts.

The Master of Swords motions toward the remaining seats in the room. “Pathfinders, I thank you for coming on such short notice. Every year, one of Thuvia’s city-states gets to auction doses of the magnificent sun orchid elixir, and this year Pashow has the privilege. That city misplaced its elixirs the past two times, to its treasury’s detriment. In order to ensure nothing went wrong this year, Emir Guldis has retained the Society’s services to assist with security.

“He made the right choice. We stymied an attempt on Pashow’s caravans and found evidence that the Korholm Agenda—a nefarious faction of the Aspis Consortium—was collaborating with Prince Zinlo of Aspenthar to ensure Pashow’s shipment would never arrive. The ringleader is named Kitio Aspenthi, and he’s the ranking Aspis gold agent who coordinates Thuvia. It seemed the plan was to steal the elixirs and trigger a coup to overthrow Emir Guldis, at which point Prince Zinlo’s daughter, Princess Ziralia, could take control and thus annex the neighboring city-state. Thankfully, we’ve built some rapport with the princess, and it is she who pointed us to the Korholm Agenda’s latest plan.”

“Yes, we should be quite thankful,” declares Lady Gloriana, rising from her chair. “According to the princess, the Korholm Agenda has been coordinating mischief with the guards of Aspenthar. Having failed to deprive the emir economically, it appears the Korholm Agenda aims to frame Pashow for an attack on Prince Zinlo’s city. These false-flag operations would be the catalyst for Zinlo to declare war and conquer Pashow by force.

“We are expecting the attacks several days hence during the Sun Orchid Festival that Prince Zinlo recently established in Aspenthar. Along with the standard fare of food and music, the church of Sarenrae will commemorate a local hero, and the prince is permitting the temporary release of Aspenthar-born prisoners to enjoy the festivities. We expect Zinlo to make a speech later that day.

“Princess Ziralia expects these three events to be the focus of the Korholm Agenda’s attacks, which in turn could endanger the people of Aspenthar. On top of preventing harm to innocents, averting these plots could allow us to stop the Korholm Agenda and the agent Kitio Aspenthi for good. Additionally, any evidence you can find linking Prince Zinlo to the Korholm Agenda would benefit us and discourage him from attempting such a stunt in the future. A ship waits at the docks to take you to Aspenthar when you’re ready.”

Arms crossed, Marcos remains standing by the fireplace as Lady Gloriana returns to her seat and folds her hands in her lap.

What do you do?

”This ‘rapport’ we’ve built with Princess Ziralia...how are we sure it’s enough to trust her? What if she’s just playing the game of politics and trying to use us? If you’re sure we can trust her...what are the details of the Korholm Agenda’s attacks? Do we have any more info besides, ‘they’re probably going to attack the festival’?”

"Can you summarize that what we have to do in one sentence. I am a little bit slow! You know what I mean?"

Shardra thinks.

”So which task should we tackle first? Any guidance on priorities?“ she asks.

Thoriel smiles and gives a respectful bow to Lady Gloriana. "You had me at 'food and music'!" She laughs with a wink at her fellow Taldan, then clears her throat. "...but seriously, so attend the commemoration of the local hero, the release of the prisoners and Prince Zinlo's speech and keep an eye out for trouble? So should we report to Emir Guldis upon arrival, or are there any other contacts we should touch base with to get further intel?"

Lady Gloriana answers Glasha, "While that is always a risk, Princess Ziralia and the Pathfinder Society have already worked together in other matters, and she has demonstrated her trustworthiness. In fact, it was she who approached us with this information. At this point, it seems she is completely discontent with her father's dealing and has all but denounced him publicly for it."

"As for the attacks," Marcos continues, "we don't know, unfortunately. Our best guess is that the Korholm Agenda intends to harm the citizens of Aspenthar, but they might aim to demolish city property. My suspicion for the prison is that the Agenda's agents will perform a jailbreak, goad the criminals to harm others, and blame it on Pashow."

To Taman, Marcos only replies, "No. Get the fur out of your ears and pay attention."

Lady Gloriana addresses Shardra's question next. "Your best bet is to head to either the prison or the ceremony site and wait. If you arrive in advance, you can minimize any civilian casualties or even outright prevent any damage from happening. In regard to the prison, you might even manage to slip in early and relocate the remaining prisoners before the attack. In that case, we have another safe house in Aspenthar that can hold the prisoners until the Korholm Agenda threat is over. We trust your judgement as to which of these locations should be visited first."

"And perhaps I didn't make myself clear," Marcos says with a scowl at Thoriel, "but you will be heading to Aspenthar, the city-state under the rule of Prince Zinlo, not the city-state of Pashow where Emir Guldis rules."

"We do not have a contact for you in Aspenthar unfortunately," Lady Gloriana continues. "The information we received leads us to believe the Korholm Agenda is already in Aspenthar and actively searching for us. We have to make sure we don't play our hand too early and give away the fact that we are aware of the upcoming attacks. Doing so could encourage the Korholm Agenda agents to change their plans and leave us completely in the dark, so we have kept our activities in Aspenthar to a minimum."

"Any other questions? Or are you ready to set sail?" Marcos asks.

What do you do?

Shadra raises her arms into the air.

”I want the inner sea to see a balanced leadership rule with the people’s goals in their hearts. May the spirits guide us to achieve our goals against these Aspis agents. The prince is a snake himself for collaborating with them but we are here to see the serpent’s dreams not come true!“ Shardra continues in her prayer to the spirits.

Introductions

A dark-skinned woman is the last to join the group. A familiar face around the Grand Lodge, many of you already know her name. "Hi all, my name is Seelah. I apologize for my lateness; I was at devotion. It is good to meet you." Her armor is resplendent, and she wears it with comfort and ease. The shining star of Iomedae stands out, brightly engraved onto the breastplate, shining with high polish.

Mission Briefing

"That all seems clear enough. Thank you, Master of Swords, and you, Lady Gloriana, for the opportunities you offer. I'm grateful to serve, and to be able to protect these people."

She seems to have no further questions for their commanders, and immediately begins planning. "Once we get there, the prison seems a strong first target. Let's secure the prisoners and make sure the Aspis won't have them as a pawn in their ploy. The rest we can figure out from there."

"Very well," Marcos says. "If there are no more questions, we place our trust in you."

As the meeting concludes, Lady Morilla takes Shardra and Thoriel aside.

On the ship to Aspenthar, the Pathfinders have a chance to recall and share what they know about the city and what they might find there.

I do hold players to what they’ve learned in scenarios - either from their own memories or from other Pathfinders. This means you have to share what you know unless you don’t want your companions to know what you know (ya know?).

-- About Aspenthar traditions --

-- If someone makes the Knowledge (history) DC 15 check above --

-- About Aspenthar locations --

If you wanted to make any last-minute purchases before leaving town, note them here.

This is also an excellent opportunity to discuss social and martial strategy, marching formation, and other fun things. Be sure to move your tokens into marching order in the slides.

What do you do?

Taman only listens others because his knowledge is equal to zero.

Glasha is satisfied with the briefing.
All purchases made for this adventure: lesser Extend and Persistent metamagic rods, lesser talisman of life's breath, lesser talisman of freedom, cloak of resistance upgraded to +2, scroll of align weapon, oil of daylight, handy haversack.

Glasha is much less knowledgeable than the average Pathfinder, but she's friendly and will listen to anything her party-mates share. She can lie and intimidate like few others, and is fairly diplomatic as well. In combat: she's a debuffer/striker. She has a variety of self-buff spells and enemy-debuff spells. Her Hypnotic Stare reduces a single enemy's WILL save by 3, as well as that enemy's SR (if any) and the DC of any spells/SLAs they might use. If she attacks that enemy, she gets an extra 4d6+11 damage via Painful Stare once/round. If she's unable to attack the target she can trigger the Painful Stare when an ally hits for a flat +11. She gets a free intimidate check to demoralize when she non-lethally damages an enemy (which is why her +1 adamantine heavy flail is merciful). Her defenses and HP are not amazing, so she usually needs a couple rounds of buffing herself before engaging in a dangerous combat. She also has Mesmerist Tricks: 3 different tricks active at any one time; 9/day total uses. @EVERYONE: look over these tricks and tell me which, if any, you'd like me to implant in your character.

"Just to clarify, are we operating with any knowledge or permission from the government or local authorities? Otherwise we are likely to attract the ire of the constabulary. Especially if we 'relocate' their inmates."

Cannot fail at the spoilers, even on a one. I will share all the info.

@Glasha: Fendel would like the Mesmeric Mirror if you please

"Which do you think the constabulary would mind more: you relocating the prisoners to a safe location, or the Korholm Agenda releasing them into the streets?" Marcos replies with a raised eyebrow. "Granted, at this point we're not sure if some or even all of the guards are on the Korholm Agenda's side. Without any kind of guarantee one way or the other, it would be wisest to keep a low profile."

Moving things along - please continue to make plans and discuss things either here or in the Discussion tab.

The Pathfinders arrive in Aspenthar on the morning of the Sun Orchid Festival. The city is filled with the sounds of joyful music, scents of food, and thousands of smiling faces. Vendors line the streets to sell exotic wares, and the streets are crowded with strange beasts on display from all over Garund. A few people stare wondrously at the Pathfinders and their weapons as they make their way through the crowds, but nobody appears hostile.

I like a consensus of three before moving the party or making a big decision. You have three locations of interest:
- Ruins
- Prison
- Palace

What do you do?

Prison.

Ruins

Thoriel would like the Mask Misery trick, thanks!

Prison

Seelah would welcome any or all of the Compel Alacrity, Mask Misery, or Mesmeric Mirror tricks.

"Fendel, you make a strong point. While relocating the prisoners may be the best option, I'm not sure that I see a way we could do it and remain within the law. I will have to think on this. Let's start at the ruins; I need time to let Iomedae enter my thoughts and provide some guidance."

Upon arrival in Aspenthar, Glasha implants tricks in her fellow Pathfinders: Mesmeric Mirror in Fendel, Mask Misery in Thoriel, and Compel Alacrity in Seelah. Glasha will also implant Compel Alacrity in Shardra and Mask Misery in Taman if they allow it. Finally, she implants Mask Misery in herself.

Glasha defers to her smarter, wiser allies regarding where to start the mission. (no vote for now)

"Perhaps the prevention of the incarcerated being loosed on the public at large is the greatest threat. Seelah, consider the fact that while under your jurisdiction, the prisoners could be considered to be maintaining the sentence justly bestowed upon them."

Prison

Then it is decided.

The Pathfinders make their way to the prison. The city is quiet in this secluded area near the outskirts of town. A quick survey of the building reveals the following:
- 20 ft high walls
- Front door (portcullis, closed)
- No patrols

In addition, Fendel's keen eyes find what looks to be a secret door below what looks to be a chimney, on the opposite side of the building from the front door. While there are windows in the several walls, they are too high up to casually inspect the interior without drawing attention.

See Maps - I placed tokens in no particular order on the edge of the map. Please arrange yourselves as you would like to be positioned.

Also, please update your preferred marching order in the slides as well.

What do you do?

"Well, we should probably use that door in the chimney," Seelah offers. "If we're going off book, we might as well do it all the way. It's not like we can knock at the front door, with what we plan to do."

Quietly, she prays briefly before following Fendel to the secret door. "Forgive me Iomedae, for deceiving the leaders of this land. I pledge to keep these prisoners in secure custody as if they remained in this jail until such time as it is safe to return them to their proper masters. I believe that this is the greater good; even Acemi would make this choice here today."

Glasha casts heightened awareness on herself (stat bar updated) and goes (presumably with the group) over by the secret door below the chimney.

Glasha: Taman will take the Mesmeric Mirror

@Taman: you got it.

"After you, big boy? Or is this one of those ladies first situations? Don't want to step on your toes here. I know how much some men like to take charge." Thoriel smiles at Taman, a cheeky glint in her eye.

Thoriel is more than happy to be in the front line. Will either go in through the door straight after Taman or right behind him, whatever he might prefer.

Taman slowly opens the secret door and looks in the room.

perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

The concealed door opens quietly enough, but appears to connect to the chimney. As Taman looks inside he gets a face full of smoke from the fire burning below.

Secret door is 5 ft above ground, fire looks to be at ground level inside.

What do you do?

The detective peers in to see if there is a mechanism for diverting the smoke or extinguishing the flames.

Engineering: 1d20 + 24 + 1d6 ⇒ (15) + 24 + (2) = 41

"If there is no mundane way to deal with this, perhaps one of the magically inclined can summon water to douse the fire?"

I would rather be toward the middle of the group. Close enough for Trap Finder and to disarm anything.

The fireplace does not seem to be complicated enough to include mechanisms for extinguishing the fire.

What do you do?

Thoriel retrieves her waterskin from her pack and leans in and empties its contents out onto the fire.

As Thoriel empties her waterskin, the fire sputters angrily before falling silent. Plumes of steam and ash billow up the chiminy, disappating after a minute or two.

Fire is out. Looking through the secret door only reveals the chimney and fireplace, but the fireplace looks large enough for a person to fit through without much difficulty.

What do you do?

Taman enters and opens the door on the other site.

perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

As he climbs down into the remains of the fire, Taman sees what is probably the prison's kitchen. Cutting boards, knives, and pots of a variety of sizes decorate the walls and counters in this room, and the air still smells of freshly chopped onions.

What Taman finds more interesting though is the muffled sound of a chair scraping and a voice chanting something incomprehensible to the north of him.

I trust you to not metagame.

Even though some of the party might not realize it, we're in initiative!

The space with the secret door counts as difficult terrain.

If you have any daily buffs already in place, please include them as a spoiler/note/whatever in your next post. Right now the only ones I've seen are from Glasha (tricks and heightened awareness.

Surprise Round! Bold may act!
Orange
Purple
Glasha
White
Thoriel
Fendel
Taman
Seelah
Shardra

What do you do?

Not certain if a 50+ Perception allows me to hear the chanting as well, but I will post as if it does as you bolded me for initiative.

The detective's keen ears pick up chanting beyond the door. "Be on your guard, it would seem something is happening just beyond the door." Fendel moves into the room, readying his bow along the way.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 16 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 16 + (1) = 19
Know Arcana: 1d20 + 22 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 22 + (2) = 25

Thanks dice bot, that was amazing

Taman enters the kitchen and goes to see what is on the eastern side. He listens on the door on the east.

perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22

Fendel did indeed hear the chanting.

Botting Glasha - her player's out hiking this weekend.

Notified by Fendel, Glasha moves through the secret door as well and takes up a position next to the doorway to the north, drawing her flail as she does so. Double move.

Round 1! Bold may act!
Orange
Purple
Glasha
White
Thoriel
Fendel
Taman
Seelah
Shardra

What do you do?

Shardra moves inside.

Since we haven't advanced far enough for my move to matter much if I change it: Glasha will take out a wand of Divine Favor and use it on herself. Heightened Awareness was spent when initiative rolled so I turned it off in my stat bar.

"Be warned! A spell caster lies in the next chamber. I am uncertain as to what spell they have cast. However, I am certain it is not a ritual. They may be aware of our presence. I will cover the door."

Readied Action (bad guy in sight) Merciful Bow {PBS/DA}: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 311d8 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (8) + 10 + (1) = 19 Non-Lethal

Taman opens that door on the east.

perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22

Thoriel quickly bursts into action as well. The elf practically glides through the secret door and across the room, her steps so graceful it is almost as if she dances rather than runs. As she takes up a position beside the north door, she looks back at Fendel and nods.

Swift: enter Spell Dance. Movement now 50'. Move

Botting Seelah

Seelah joins her companions in the room, drawing her weapon (player's choice) as she does so.

Taman opens the door and finds what looks to be a storeroom - more onions hang from the rafters and various cheeses and cured meats line the shelves. This door appears to be the only way in or out of the storeroom - Taman sees no hidden passageways or secret switches.

Round 2! Bold may act!
Orange
Purple
Glasha
White
Thoriel
Fendel
Taman
Seelah
Shardra

What do you do?

Thanks for the bot; Seelah will have drawn her longsword.

Please discuss amongst yourselves here which characters you would like to bring. Once you decide on which character you will be playing, post the following information here:

Player’s Name:
Character’s Name:
PFS #:
Faction:
Slow Tracking? (Y/N):
Day Job (Please roll now):
Special Notes/Abilities: Please describe anything unusual about your character here, such as “I always deal non-lethal damage and use the Enforcer feat to demoralize as a free action” or “I ride a Huge serpent mount, but it’s got both the Narrow Frame feat and a Belt of the Weasel so it can fit through a 5-ft hallway easily” or “My archetype lets me use mind-affecting effects against undead.” This will help both you as a player not have to type the same thing over and over again and me as the GM prepare so the game runs more smoothly.

Please have your entire character sheet available in your character’s profile page and basic statistics next to your name in your posts. Feel free to ask me for more details or assistance.

To keep things moving, I will occasionally roll saving throws, Perception checks, and other “reactionary” dice - especially if the results would affect an opponent’s actions. I also like to roll Knowledge checks for players so I can tailor what a character might remember about a creature. (For example, a fighter will probably care more about a golem’s DR while a wizard would remember that it’s immune to spells and an alchemist is super excited that it blows up when it dies.) If this will be a problem for you, let me know (either here or via PM) and we’ll work something out.

We’ll be using block initiative during encounters. Since this is a high-level game, please discuss amongst yourselves how you can support each other and work together as a team - both in and out of combat. I highly encourage tactics such as:

McSwordFace waits until her friend Blessings Galore has a chance to cast a buff before she attacks the horrible people kicking puppies.

Sword of Justice: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19 + buff if applicable
Justice damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 + buff if applicable

This helps us work effectively as a team even if posting schedules don’t line up in a beneficial way.

If your post is entirely OOC, let’s put it here instead of in the Gameplay thread.

About Me: I’ve done some PFS GMing, but this is my first second third! time doing so in a PbP setting. If you have ideas for how I could do something better, a disagreement with a decision, or confusion over what I’m saying, please let me know via the Discussion thread or PM.

Oh yeah, forgot this:

Expectations
- I will post every day. I hope everyone can post every weekday and at least once over the weekend, but stuff happens - which leads me to:
- I will bot you if we haven't heard from you in 24 hours. Please include botting instructions in your character profile, or I will have to get creative in the most entertaining (for me) way possible. Please also let me know if you are expecting an extended period of absence so I can PM you and preemptively hash out major decision points to keep the story moving. On a related note:
- I know I already said this but I will make "reactive" rolls to keep the story moving along. If you want to make a roll as part of an action/decision/etc, please do so. I might modify the skill used or add circumstantial bonuses/penalties based on circumstances. Which brings me to my final point:
- I will happily add circumstantial bonuses (or penalties) for roleplaying. I hope, for example, that you will accompany your diplomacy check with what your character is actually saying. It makes it so much easier for me to respond if you give me material, and we make such a more fulfilling and exciting story together.

Again, if any of these are a cause of concern for you, let me know here or via PM so we can find a solution that works for both parties.

I will play with pregen barbarian but it will be male called Taman (So that I do not have to create a new character). I will put credit for this scenario on Character called Jeras.

Player’s Name: neodam
Character’s Name: Jeras van Hidden (Taman)
PFS #: 137484-13
Faction: GL
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (Please roll now): no day job
Special Notes/Abilities: pregen 7 level barbarian

Hey Neodam! Glad I could get you for a game! I don't see a problem with using a pregen by a different name - I know several folks have created aliases for pregens they use often, but that could be a lot of effort for a one-time use. Please do elaborate on what the pregen barbarian does at this level - I'm not terribly familiar with her abilities other than getting mad and wrecking face.

On a related note, since a barbarian's stats change so much from raging I'll be depending on you to keep your stat bar up to date with the latest and greatest conditions. If you forget, no worries - goodness knows I've forgotten on many games myself - but it will help keep things moving if we're not constantly retconning things.

In other news, with the characters currently signed up on the spreadsheet we'll be going low-tier. TriShadow, will you be alright going out-of-tier?

Also, if you have played Serpent's Rise please let me know which boon you received (either here or via PM). Thanks!

It looks like we have no divine casting in this party, so I'll play one of those pregens. Does any other player have a preference for which divine caster comes along?

I have played Serpent's Rise before; I played 322 (and boy, was that a BLAST, I have to say!) so I have her boon. In order for that synergy to work, do I need to assign credit to the same character that received that chronicle sheet, or can I apply it to a different one?

GM Hawthwile we are together in GM Zer0darkfire's Emerald Spire. :)

Taman has: Rage, Cleave, Damage Reduction (1/-),Improved Uncanny Dodge, Killer, Power Attack, Trap Sense +2, Rage powers:

Guarded Stance +2: As a move action that doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity, Taman can gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against melee attacks for a number of rounds equal to her current Constitution modifier (typically 4 rounds).
Powerful Blow +2: Once per rage as a swift action before rolling an attack roll, Taman can gain a +2 bonus on the damage roll if she hits with that attack.
Surprise Accuracy +2: Once per rage as a swift action before rolling an attack roll, Taman can gain a +2 morale bonus on the attack roll.

@Zin - no, only you as the player need to have the boon on one of your characters. Good thing to check though!

@Neodam - yes, but I'm not GMing that one and I'm still feeling bad I missed you for Forged in Flame.

Player’s Name: Greenclaw
Character’s Name: Thoriel Liltamael
PFS #: 74677-1
Faction: Sovereign Court
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (Please roll now): Will be foregoing Day Job (and spending 2PP) to apply downtime to a boon after this game.
Special Notes/Abilities: Apart from normal magus spell combat stuff, Thoriel is a Spelldancer which means she can use arcane points for extra speed, mobility powers and buffs.

I received the Marnarius boon from Serpent's Rise.

Oh, and Thoriel has leveled up since her last game. I still need to update her stat line and profile. I'll do that shortly.

Hi GM, I played Rataji in the #6–98: "Serpents Rise. So I have the below boon on the CS:

Spoils of the Siege (Rataji): If you bring this Chronicle Sheet to an adventure in which the Pathfinder Society deals with Rataji or his schemes, you can qualify to receive a special boon at the end of the adventure to reflect Rataji’s increased resources.

* * *

I would also play a pregen Shardra / Shaman level 7.

Player’s Name: noral
Character’s Name: Shardra Iconic Pregen
PFS #: 314670-10
Faction: Sovereign Court
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): Normal
Day Job (Please roll now): None
Special Notes/Abilities: Shardra has the lore spirit so she has a number of arcane spells like HASTE but except of that she is a normal Shaman.

I have Spoils of the Siege (Shohiraj) boon.

Shohiraj, Marnarius, Rataji, and 322! Wouldn't it be cool if all the pregens were represented here?

I have played Serpent's Rise before; I played 322 (and boy, was that a BLAST, I have to say!) so I have her boon. I

GM Tyranius did a fantastic job. ;-)

Player’s Name: into the aether
Character’s Name: Glasha Rogmesh
PFS #: 103843-17
Faction: Grand Lodge
Slow Tracking? N
Day Job: Caravan (Intimidate): 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (9) + 26 = 35 (I'll reroll with my +5 GM stars if I don't use my folio reroll during the adventure)
Special Notes/Abilities: Oh boy. Let’s see…

• +1 merciful adamantine heavy flail always does nonlethal damage, including an extra d6 (unless I deactivate ‘merciful’)

• Enforcer feat lets me intimidate as a free action when I deal nonlethal damage. If successful, the target is shaken for a number of rounds equal to the damage dealt. If it is a confirmed crit, they’re frightened for one round, then shaken as a normal hit.

• Furious Focus means I will always Power Attack unless I say otherwise.

• Hypnotic Stare is a Mesmerist class feature that I use as a swift action to reduce a target within 30 feet’s WILL save by -3, and has other effects noted below.

• Painful Stare makes the target of my Hypnotic Stare take additional damage. My half-orc favored class bonus increases this damage by ½ per mesmerist level to a total of +10 if the damage comes from anyone but myself. If I am using Painful Stare to increase my own damage, the Intense Pain feat makes the total 4d6+10. This is precision damage. I can use it once per round.

• Psychic Inception lets me affect creatures otherwise immune to mind-affecting stuff, at a penalty.

• Sapped Magic hypnotic stare penalty (-3) also applies to the DCs of spells and spell-like abilities used by the target, and to the target’s spell resistance.

• Touch Treatment lets me remove harmful conditions from my allies (standard action/touch) or self (swift action/touch): Minor Conditions: Fascinated, shaken. Moderate Conditions: Confused, dazed, frightened, sickened.

• I resist Negative Energy 10 from a chronicle boon (#11)

• I have spell-storing armor that will either contain Vampiric Touch or Bestow Curse, which I’ll decide and note in my profile stat line.

• Ring of the Sublime makes me constantly under the effects of Remove Fear (so I’m never in danger of not being able to cast Psychic spells from a fear effect)

• Mnemonic Vestment lets me use a spell slot to cast a spell from a scroll on my person without using the scroll, as if I knew the spell.

• I have Mesmerist Tricks: 9 per day to use and can have up to 3 different tricks in use at a time.

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chronicles
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@ ALL: I have a boon (#12) that wants me to successfully intimidate two or more foes in the same combat. So when fighting multiple foes, please try to leave at least two standing for me to intimidate and/or attack (I intimidate for free on a succesful attack). Thanks!!

Also: everyone please look through my Mesmerist Tricks descriptions above and tell me which, if any, you'd like me to implant in your character.

I just noticed I'm sitting on a lot of gold, so I'll decide a few purchases before we start.

I GMed Serpent's Rise and chose Rataji for my boon.

Before the adventure, I'm purchasing lesser Talismans of Freedom and Life's Breath, Lesser metamagic rods of Extend and Persistent Spell, and upgrading my Cloak of Resistance to +2. All noted on my ITS.

Hi all, Just a quick post to wave at everyone. I am your skills guy. I will have a longer post this evening or tomorrow morning with more specifics. I also have a level 11 oradin if you would rather me play a healer instead. However, I think we might be covered.

I played Marnarius as well, so it does not look like we will have the entire Aspis team represented.

Player’s Name: TriShadow
Character’s Name: Fendel, CSI: Absalom
PFS #: 151777-2
Faction: Dark Archive
Slow Tracking? (Y/N): N
Day Job (Please roll now): Craft Alchemy {w/ Crafter's Fortune}: 1d20 + 22 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 22 + 5 = 30
Special Notes/Abilities:

Trap Spotter GM rolls Perception check whenever I con within 10' of a trap. Passive perception [dice=Perception vs Traps]1d20+35+1d6[/dice [ooc]+2 if Clear Ear in in effect. The breakdown: Perception +33 +1d6 {includes Eyes of the Eagle} (+2 vs. magic traps) +2 with Clear Ear {10 ranks, +3 class skill, +8 INT, +5 competence bonus, +4 Alertness, +2 masterwork tool, +1 Archer archetype}

Ceaseless Observation/ Student of Philosophy +10 bonus to Diplomacy (total bonus = +24)

Merciful Longbow ~ Non-lethal damage unless otherwise stated.

Elven Rune Cloak ~ Item from a chronicle sheet that acts as BOTH a Cloak of Elvenkind and Resistance + 2

Sunder with Longbow up to 30' (-4 CMB)

Use Magic Device cannot fail to activate a wand, even with a roll of 1 (as I cannot miss the DC by more than 5)

Ranged Study Can use Studied Target/Combat at range of up to 30'

Discerning Vanity Wayfinder casts Detect Magic instead of Light.

Essentially, I should: get you there, see it, identify it, and tell you how to kill it.

Looking good everyone! Just waiting for Zin Z'arin to decide which pregen to use, and we'll be off!

Seriously, I'm going to just make a Google Form next time - this is a ridiculous number of questions I need to know about characters for this scenario.

So, I need to know if this character possess the Sun Orchid Sleuth boon from #7–21: The Sun Orchid Scheme.

I'll get the exposition started in the Gameplay thread. Here we go!

NO on Sun Orchid Sleuth boon

Yes, the character that the credit is applied to has a Sun Orchid Scheme Chronicle ans is sovereign court.

Did not play Sun Orchid Scheme with this PC. Also, I want to change to slow track so I can try to fill out my intimidate and Aspis boons before I hit Seeker...

No to the Sun Orchid

No, did not play Sun Orchid with this PC.

This is Zin; I'll be playing Seelah, the Paladin. I'll try to get her profile up tonight.

We're approaching Thanksgiving here in America, so this is an early heads-up that I won't be available starting Wed afternoon through Sunday evening. I won't have access to either my home or work computers, so I don't expect to be able to post at all during my absence. Please bot me as needed! (Seelah is a pregen; use basic tactics please)

Since the lavender foe is no longer Misfortuned at the start of Shardra's turn, I'll retcon Shardra to have Misfortuned the orange opponent, then Cackled to extend that duration.

BTW, since Misfortune only lasts one round, it ends at the start of Shardra's next turn - meaning that she has to Cackle on the same round if she wants to extend it. Since you would know whether Misfortune failed or succeeded, perhaps include an if/then spoiler with alternative things to use her move action if Misfortune fails.

Thanks a lot GM! This is the first time I am properly using misfortune so still learning! ;-)

Cross-posting in all of my games; apologies if you see this more than once.

Tomorrow, I head out for a weeklong vacation to where there are beaches, sunshine, and tropical beverages. I intend to be taking utmost advantage of all of the above (especially the latter). As such, I may have difficulty posting while I'm away; please bot me if necessary.

That said, the resort does have free WiFi, and I just got a new keyboard for my iPad that should allow me to post better on vacation than I ever have been able to before. I will be trying to keep up with all of my games as much as possible.

I expect, though, that my posts will necessarily be brief, even to the point of simply making my rolls without much roleplay. If I am silent in social situations, or not posting my combats, please err on the side of botting me early, rather than waiting; it will likely be better for us all that way.

Thanks!

Sorry for being away the past few days. Had a last-minute mini skiing trip with family and was not able to post. I'll get caught back up shortly.

I just wanted to make this quick post to let you all know that I'm back! As you may have noticed, my goal to post during vacation was a complete failure, so I have a lot to get to; it could easily take me all day to catch up on all of my games.

I'm cross-posting this note to all of my games early. Please feel free to continue to bot me until I post in Gameplay, if there's an urgent need; otherwise, I'll post before the end of the day if my character is up. Thanks!

@GM I pulled out the wand of divine favor from my bandolier (not wrist sheath) while moving as a free action, which you can do with a BAB of +1, same as a weapon. So only one swift action was used.

I was armed with my flail from my previous turn. So basically, I took one hand off the flail (free), retrieved the wand (free) while flying (move), used the wand (standard), stared (swift), dropped the wand (free), re-gripped the flail (free).

Excellent - thanks for clarifying that for me Glasha! On a related note, it would be very helpful if everyone's profiles could indicate what items are stored where (so GMs can avoid confusion like this).

Fendel - what you're attempting looks like a Steal maneuver to me. However, from my calculations it looks like your CMB should be +10 (+8 BAB, +2 Str) instead of +12. Could you clarify for me?

I was posting in a hurry. I realize that in my my haste I neglected to mention my use of Studied Target on the archer, providing a +2 insight bonus against him only. The long description was also supposed to entail that fact that due to my Studied Target is a move action that this is is a two round process (as I figured the Disable Device or other shenanigan would be ruled as a full round action.

Steal is one of those seldom used maneuvers. I completely forgot about it's existence. Thanks for that.

Well, I took too much time typing up my analysis so you're going to get it here. We'll say that Fendel studied the archer, then jumped. I will need you to roll your CMB on your next turn though. It would take you too long in the middle of combat to effectively use Disable Device, and a quiver is larger than the coin-sized object allowed by Sleight of Hand.

Everyone - given that this is high-level combat, please take time to think through your posts so we can keep the retconning to a minimum. And please keep posts to a single round's worth of actions so your poor GM doesn't become confused. Including what you want to do next round can be done either ooc or in the Discussion thread, but don't roll for anything that's not in the current round.

Just a reminder that I am invisible. I noticed that he did not suffer a miss chance. Can I assume that he sees me?

The rooftop archer squints as Fendel disappears, then grins. Staring the investigator squarely in the eyes before glancing at Glasha...

That would appear to be a safe assumption.

Yeah, that was my fear. Just wanted to confirm my suspicions.

Before my next turn, I would like to please clarify a couple of things. Glasha lost sight of the hooded woman, correct? Did her AOO connect? Can I get a quick recap of which tokens are which enemies?

I'm leaving tomorrow (Saturday) morning to go back home from my ski trip and I'll be able to get all caught back up. I'm with my family tonight and kind of distracted as far as figuring out what's going on in the encounter currently (looks like there's a LOT going on). It's hard to get some privacy/time to focus on our encounter; I apologize.

AoO connected, Glasha lost sight of the hooded lady, there’s wasp swarms, a div, a hooded lady, and an archer that all seem to not like the Pathfinders, and four large crowds of panicking people.

I would also like to know what we are actually doing with the crowd? Are there several successes we need to gather?!

I feel like I am wasting my actions with the full round diplomacy but want to keep the crowd safe.

That's a fair question.

The point of moving the crowds is to try to keep the people safe. It's a bit easier to see what/who all is interested in killing civilians now (wasps, hooded lady), so perhaps you'll want to move the crowds away from those. Alternatively, you might try distracting the attackers (notice how the archer hasn't targeted anyone besides the prince and Fendel).

But no, there's not a "collect X number of successes and the crowd is no longer a thing" mechanic here. Just trying to keep them from dying.

Whenever you deal nonlethal damage with a melee weapon, you can make an Intimidate check to demoralize your target as a free action.

It doesn't say anything about it needing to be on your turn; only that you need to deal damage. Emphasis mine. Enforcer feat here.

Indeed - but further down it says as a free action. My understanding is that most free actions can only be taken on your turn, since speaking is specifically called out in the CRB as being possible even when it’s not your turn.

This FAQ suggests you could, but doesn’t explicitly mention Enforcer so I am hesitant to infer too much.

The FAQ has an edit that says it removed any specific examples. Besides mentioning that the GM can limit the number taken, it says, "You can perform one or more free actions while taking another action normally" -- Nothing about it needing to be your turn. My action was an AOO melee attack. One could even flavor the intimidate check to demoralize as speaking/growling/yelling, which is specifically allowed when not your turn. I really don't think Enforcer should be limited to attacks made on your own turn. Unless an AOO is somehow "not an action" I don't think it's even ambiguous, because the feat says you get to do it whenever you deal nonlethal damage.

That's fair - and I appreciate you sharing the breadth of your experience.

It was also definitely a fair question! Thanks, GM. Maybe I should start RP-flavoring the enforcer intimidate checks as macho posturing. "Who's your daddy?" doesn't really feel right though, hm. I'll need to think of more subtle demoralizing sayings/free actions. Glasha would probably just flash a wicked grin. Maybe roar. Or maybe ask mock-sweetly, "Aw, did I hurt your wittle pinkie finger with my big mean spiked ball?"

No time to look for the specific errata, but I found this link. I can see where the PBS would not apply to splash damage.

Ah, and that discussion ends with a link to a FAQ stating Point-Blank Shot does not apply to splash damage. Oh well.

I'm open to counterarguments, but my thoughts right now are that the Nat 1 should still have popped Glasha's image. Reasoning:

Mirror Image

...If the attack is a hit, roll randomly to see whether the selected target is real or a figment. If it is a figment, the figment is destroyed. If the attack misses by 5 or less, one of your figments is destroyed by the near miss...

Longbow, Studied target vs FF AC 15: 1d20 + 17 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 17 + 3 - 2 = 19

So, 19 does not miss AC 15 by more than 5. If PFS used the critical fumble rules, I would certainly say that the archer missed by a mile. But since we don't use that ruleset, I would think that attack meets the conditions of "misses by 5 or less". It's automatically a miss from the Nat 1, but a "close enough" miss to pop an image.

If anyone can find some literature on this, I would love to have a more nuanced opinion from a developer or someone who understands game balance better than I do.