Just count the actual rounds for part 2, including the one round between waves. In the transition to part 3, the scenario says to assume 15 minutes to travel between districts. If it's borderline, give them the benefit of the doubt.
Thank you c:
For those who have an empty seat (I think that's Z.D. and Hawthwile), you may fill that seat if you can find someone and get them settled in within the next 48 hours. After that, we're too far into the special.
I've had a few pople ask me privately, so I want to make sure everyone realizes that each encounter generates a success if it is successful. Thus A1, A2, B1, and B2 each can give a success, as can each common encounter. If your group earned a success and you did not realize it, please report that success now. We're a bit behind where the adventure expects us to be now.
For the purposes of destroying the haunt for good in B2, does it actually require a proper Consecrate spell or does simply cleaning it up and/or casting a Bless spell do the job - since for the purposes of a success it sounds like doing the latter is plenty?
Oh, whoops, my apologies. o_o We finished B1, but I didn't realize that we reported the sections.
Hey, GM Khaoz let me know he needs a backup for part of the day. Could one of you please stop into his thread and move them forward?
Thanks.
Erm, Gum B's table now has both of the aid tokens, and they've been sitting on one for a week. The second one probably should go somewhere else.
Just checking on the Auger’s Vapors, pg. 25-26 (specifically tier 5-6 for me).
The way I read it, once they make the save they no longer need to worry about the vapors even if they stay in the area.
Is that how others are running it?
Just checking on the Auger’s Vapors, pg. 25-26 (specifically tier 5-6 for me).
The way I read it, once they make the save they no longer need to worry about the vapors even if they stay in the area.
Is that how others are running it?
Not how I'm running it. Per the CRB section on poisons, and the discussion of inhaled poisons there, I'm running it as a) every round that they are in the cloud they must save vs the poison (just as you would have to save vs an injury poison every time you were hit by a poisoned attack); b) they can hold their breath to give themselves a 50% chance of not having to save vs the cloud in that round; c) if they become poisoned they suffer the poison's (stacking) effects each round until they save (a single save negates the poison) or the poison expires; d) each dose of poison that is already infecting them when they have to make a save against a new dose (from the cloud) increases the DC by +2 and, if they fail, increases the duration by 50% (but does not - as I understand it - cause another roll of damage). My group is having a pretty rough time with it.
My group is having a pretty rough time with it.
I can see why your group is having a hard time of it. I had considered that interpretation and didn’t like it because that would result in a death spiral situation. At low and moderate levels even if the people survived the encounter, they would potentially take so much damage that they wouldn’t be able to reasonably continue in the special.
It is a hard Knowledge check, so the people with the best chance of making it (Wizards, Witches, Arcanist) are least likely to be able to survive the poison because they start with a poor Fort Save.
Interpreting it as staying in the area is exposure to multiple doses results in a death spiral because of the Con damage. On top of that you then have the confusion effect potentially preventing others from helping them. Failing one save has a 50% chance of increasing the DC by 3 — one from multiple doses and another from Con Damage. Failing two guarantees there is Con damage reducing their base save.
Now it is still dangerous if you rule that exposure is a single dose. You have the potential (if you fail all the saves) for 6d2 Con and Dex damage plus confusion. When you take damage, that makes it much more likely you will continue to take damage. Most would have less damage than that, something that could be managed. I feel it is much closer to the supposed CR of the hazard.
Yes, agreed. It's a tough encounter, especially for a group that doesn't have some way of dealing with poison and/or ability damage. Two of my weak Fort save PCs failed and are poisoned. I've ruled that they can get out of the cloud by moving 35' away from the room, and fortunately one of them rolled "act normally" on her second round of confusion and was able to move out, and the other had her confusion temporarily negated by the mesmerist, so she can move out. So they are all able to avoid further exposure to the poison, but at this point both of them have suffered two doses, boosting the DC by +2 and increasing the duration to 9 rounds. I'm encouraging them to use their Aid Token to cast Neutralize Poison on one of them and will pass it to your table as soon as they do so.
Having said all that, it is a CR 9 encounter (this is the tier 7-8 group), so it should be tough for them. At this level they should be prepared for poisons and for ability damage (and they do have at least some charges of lesser restoration). But that can be a lot tougher for lower level groups. My PCs all buy an antitoxin and an antiplague at level 1, but at this point with the boosted DC and Con dmg, it's not certain that they will save even with an antitoxin.
I'm also finding - perhaps because of the PbP format - that we are moving through this *very* slowly. If I can get them to use the Aid Token, I'll pass it to you so you can also Neutralize Poison and then (is this kosher?) maybe you can pass it back so we can depoison our other PC?
Having said all that, it is a CR 9 encounter (this is the tier 7-8 group), so it should be tough for them.
Mine is rated CR 7, tier 5-6.
My own ruling is if they leave the room they are out of the poison since that seemed more in keeping with the text description. They don’t have to move a long way out, just get out.
I also ruled that a confused person (unless they get Act Normally) can not hold their breath. It makes the poison more dangerous, but if they are confused then they should need someone else’s help.
It still feels like way more than a CR 7 (or 9 in your case) encounter if we go with the interpretation that each round in the room is exposure to another dose. It isn’t like there is more poison coming into the room.
By the way, I also have found this to be extremely clumsy to do in PbP. A lot of these encounters as sort of “What are we supposed to be doing?” for the players and I’m struggling with how to more clearly convey what they are accomplishing.
Yes, but the CRB discussion of inhaled poisons specifically says that the doses stack. An even more brutal interpretation of that stacking - which I felt like was too much - would be that each dose does its own damage. But that seems like it would kill the PCs really fast and also is questionable in light of the PFS poison blog that talks about what happens when a PC is infected by more than one dose of a poison.
Also, crucially, no matter how many doses they are suffering from, a single successful save removes all the poison from their system. If they are out of the cloud they won't have to make any more saves at that point.
All that said, I think your interpretation is perfectly reasonable. I'm curious if anyone else has had this encounter yet and if so, how have they handled it? (It's encounter D2).
And yes, agreed that this is clunky in PbP. I've given my PCs some metagame guidance just to help move things along, but we've still been in D2 since Tuesday. No successes, no supplies, so far just a lot of PC suffering.
Goodness, that sounds terrible! My table [3-4] went through that encounter with a bit of difficulty, but between holding their breaths and only a few failed saves, only one character had 2 points of damage in a stat. Thankfully, the lower tier traps don't include a confusion effect.
Yes, but the CRB discussion of inhaled poisons specifically says that the doses stack.
It says they can stack, not that they always do.
I can go forward with either interpretation right now, I have only asked for the second save without giving a DC. I came here for guidance on how to run it because I felt the trap could be run multiple ways, some of them much more deadly than felts appropriate for the given CR.
If we go with this stacking, are we also limiting it to 20 doses available? “Most inhaled poisons fill a volume equal to a 10-foot cube per dose.” and the size of the room would result In 20 doses. That could help limit how badly the poison injures the group.
I gave my players a quick review of preventative measures like holding breath and use of heal skill, magic or alchemical remedies for poison.
As for the Aid Token, yes my group could probably use one soon. Hopefully they stick in there long enough to pull the supplies!
I can see the argument either way on that particular encounter. If I were running a table, I don't think I'd say that staying in the same cloud of poison was multiple doses, because to me that's just exposure to the same dose, but I'm going to say that this is in a grey area where I'll encourage each GM to use their best judgement. If you do conclude that the harsher rule is what should apply, please be very cautious and generous with how you interpret timings and locations and things. Also, no complaints from me if people make sure the aid tokens go to the tables that really need them after that encounter.
Well, my group managed to finish the poison gas encounter with some lucky rolls. Used one of the Aid tokens for Neutralize Poison and just barely beat the caster level check, and then the other poisoned PC took one of her friend's antitoxins and hit the cure DC just on the nose.
I was going to pass the Aid Token to GM Bret's table now, but when I looked at the thread I realized that two other tables haven't seen one at all yet. I wasn't quite sure about the protocol about this so I sent it on to one of those two tables but if GM Bret's group is still struggling with the poison hopefully one of the Aid Tokens can be sent that way asap.
Whoops, just saw Redelia's note above. Not sure what to do - I already posted in Hawthwile's thread to let them know about the Aid Token. Ugh.
It's OK, GM Abraham, it's better to leave the token there if you've already posted. Someone should be able to et on to Bret's table quickly if it's needed there.
I agree, leave the token there if you have already posted. I am the one who pointed out which tables had not gotten the token yet.
Thanks for the input, both GM Abraham and Redelia. Since it is a grey area and my group has no clerics or druids, I'm going with the single dose interpretation for this hazard.
My table (Tier 10-11) ended up bypassing the 'trap' part of that encounter entirely because the only person who approached the altar was a wizard with Overland Flight and Invisibility active. Since the scenario only said that the liquid starts flowing once someone reaches the highest platform and made no mentions of any sort of magical effects in place it made sense to me that the entire mechanism must be activated by a pressure plate so that's what I went with.
Was there ever any notice of the GM boon for Retrocon? If there was I missed it...
It takes 10 rounds (one minute) to perform the check. At all tiers I believe it is set up so they will be exposed to the poison, it is just how long the minimal exposure is.
Holding your breath only gives you a 50% chance of skipping the Fort save for that round.
It is in a completely different area of the rules. Easy to miss it!
If my group has a success in area E1 (thereby opening the door to F1), a) can I run the encounter in F1 at this point? and b) does it count as a Monument District success? (No rush to answer: I'm going to run a Common Encounter now on the same map as E1, but the scenario text is a little unclear to me).
Yes, you can run F1, because it's still part of act 3, and in the monument district. And you are correct that E1 gives a monument district success.
Just to make sure that everyone sees the big picture here, it's monument district successes we need to move on to Act 4. On Feb 9, we will move on to Act 4 if we have at least 8 monument successes by then. If we get 12 monument successes before then, we will move on early.
We also only need one more cache of supplies found before I distribute additional aid tokens.
I have to say that the pace seems to be going really well. We are getting the successes we need to move on on exactly the dates we are supposed to.
If anyone can use an Aid Token to finish their encounter, you can take my tables Token. Just post the transfer from my table to yours in recruitment so I know that it moved.
If no one claims it before the Overseer announces the transition to Act 4, my table will use it. We agreed that if it would help someone in Act 3 it was better to pass it to them.
I know this is sudden but would someone care to step in and handle my table for a day or two? I've been sick and while I can tell I'm on the mend I've still been spending a lot of my time sleeping and feeling general malaise when I *am* awake. They've been confronted by the demon & the clockwork in Encounter F1 and have taken steps to initiate combat but that's as far as we've gotten. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience :(
*edit* They've also just been granted an Aid Token, too.
Redelia, you didn't post the second announcement on page 29 - should that have happened as well?
Ah, I misread that as the table GMs should make the second announcement. Thanks for catching that!
I know this is sudden but would someone care to step in and handle my table for a day or two? I've been sick and while I can tell I'm on the mend I've still been spending a lot of my time sleeping and feeling general malaise when I *am* awake. They've been confronted by the demon & the clockwork in Encounter F1 and have taken steps to initiate combat but that's as far as we've gotten. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience :(
*edit* They've also just been granted an Aid Token, too.
At the hospital today with my grandmother so I dont have reliable access at the moment.
That said, I can jump in this evening for you if no one else has yet.
@GM RePete - If you're able to that would be great, if not I'll figure something out.
I had an interesting issue come up in relation to a PC's chronicle boon and some black puddings that the party ran into. I posted a thread about it on the general PFS board to get advice but Redelia asked me to also post about it here to get y'all's input. (And, I should note, the PC in question belongs to one of the GMs here). I'm pretty sure I've come up with a fair and reasonable approach after reading the responses over there, but I welcome any other suggestions/input people may have. You can see the thread here. Thanks!
Are tables giving any time between destruction of the creatures in F2 and a new batch arriving?
I assume that I keep churning out the creatures until an Overseer announcement. I just want to check if there is supposed to be any pause between encounters. I couldn’t find anything and the description suggests there wouldn’t be.
Also, my group hasn’t done it but how do you report the extra success if someone successfully jiggers the door?
When I played this back when it came out, my GM gave us 1 round between fights, though I don't see in the pdf where it says specifically.
A round or two to heal is certainly fine if the adventure says nothing either way.
You'll have to report more than once if there were additional successes.
I have a convention this weekend.
Is there a backup GM available to take my tier 5-6 table, preferably from Thursday morning to Sunday night?
I expect to have access to the net while there, but last minute prep (Thursday) followed by GMing most of Friday and Sunday will keep me busy. At least I get to play something Saturday!
I'll start preparing for it.
Thanks!
I will PM you a link to my GM scratch sheet.
Please don't forget to report a success twice if someone succeeded in the disable check!
The current part is running a bit slow, and is not one that the scenario gives me permission to adjust the success threshold on, so let's try to get some more successes in promptly.
Hey guys, I'm feeling much better but had to unexpectedly pull OT at work today. I will jump back in for my table when I get home this evening - thanks so much for the coverage!