Trey launches himself across the ravine, and it looks like he is going to make it... until he drops just shy of the edge and crashes into the far side of the ravine half-way down. He stops himself with more than a few scrapes on his hands, knees, and probably face and then begins to climb to the top.
You get across even on your failures, it just takes longer.
Ragnilde guides Helga down to the forest floor and looks at the logs skeptically. "No flying eh? To make it a proper race, fair enough I suppose. But I'm not sure Helga can cross those logs.."
Ragnilde's taking a long hard look at the ravine. How wide is it? Would jumping be an option? How rough is the wall? Climbing maybe?
Laara looks at the massive woman. You aren’t one of those animal-types who can turn into a monkey and climb across, are you?
The half-elf does a few stretches and then backs away from the gorge. If not, do you at least know nature and the wilds? May be a way to knock some trees down and wedge ‘em in to make the crossing easier.
With a final salute to Ragnilde for good luck, Laara follows Lissa’s route and makes a running leap.
Acrobatics:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (3) + 20 = 23
...only to end up looking more like the professor instead.
Valentino takes out a wand of expeditious retreat and uses it on himself, then looks to make sure he's got a good running start and tries to jump the ravine.
acrobatics:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
—
"Let's get magically faster!"
Once the Pathfinders are regrouped he takes out his lesser rod of Extend metamagic and casts haste on the party. 20 rounds
N Large stone giant goliathdruid 9/mammoth rider 1 | Init +2 | Perception +12; Sense Motive +9 HP 84/84 | Spells Active: Barkskin, Freedom of Movement, Mass Feather Step | Conditions: wildshape | Wand of CLW: 22/50 | AC 19 (23 barkskin); Touch 10; FF 19 (23) | CMD 30 | F +13; R +7; W +15; +4 vs. giant Su/SLA | Speed 30ft. |
Ragnilde looks at the rocky edge, pulls out a scroll of Spider Climb and casts it on Helga, then guides her down the ravine and up again.
Take 10 for having a climb speed (20+20 greater longstrider): 27
Laara slams into the rock wall a little higher than Trey did. Valentino looks like he is going to make it. His feet actually land on the far edge, but then the ground crumbles and he has to catch himself before he tumbles into the ravine. Keriassa follow Lissa across. Ragnilde uses some magic to simply ride Helga down the ravine and up the other side, she may or may not be nice enough to assist the two climbing on under their own power up the cliff.
Through the forest the Pathfinders race, Valentino's enchantment quickening their steps. The trail ends at a tall cliff that splits the forest, and the glittering trail leads up the rock face. Several thick vines descend from above, but each vine bears several long thorns.
Climbing is simply Climb. The vines are there for other, undefined creative solutions.
N Large stone giant goliathdruid 9/mammoth rider 1 | Init +2 | Perception +12; Sense Motive +9 HP 84/84 | Spells Active: Barkskin, Freedom of Movement, Mass Feather Step | Conditions: wildshape | Wand of CLW: 22/50 | AC 19 (23 barkskin); Touch 10; FF 19 (23) | CMD 30 | F +13; R +7; W +15; +4 vs. giant Su/SLA | Speed 30ft. |
Ragnilde and Helga will climb up (27) and see what's going on at the top. If it's safe up there, we'll lower rope for the others because those vines look nasty.
Laara looks up at the massive cliff in front of them and sighs. Glancing at the dangling vines, she thinks for a moment, and then rushes towards them. All right Laara. Just like climbing the rigging. Green, sharp rigging.
Laara will attempt to use her experience managing a ship and its rigging to use a Profession Sailor check to aid her in expertly maneuvering among the vines. After all, how different are they from rope netting anyway?
Profession Sailor:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32
In the very, very likely attempt that mid-way up she realizes that doesn't work because the two thing don't compare at all, the climb check would just have been the flat die roll :)
Ragnilde rides Helga up the cliff nearly as easily as if she was walking on even ground. Laara regains some of her ground as she swings up the tangle of vines that seem very much like rigging--sharp rigging, as she notes.
Ragnilde lowers a length of rope as far down the cliff as she can, easing some of the climb. That adjusts the DC, but not as much as you would wish.
Valentino takes a closer look at the thorny vines, trying to best determine how he might distribute his weight and use the thorns as hand- and foot-holds without impaling himself.
knowledge nature:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (5) + 15 = 20
He then attempts to climb the spikey vines.
climb:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Lissa slows a little once she sees the cliff to climb, to pull her any-tool out of her bag. With a few swift motions, she reforms the bar into a reasonable copy of a climbing axe, before looking over the vines, and diving toward a thicker part of the them.
Moving on, since Keriassa's success or failure will not change the outcome for Obstacle 2.
Remember: If you have a multistep plan, roll only for the 1 check that is most critical to success.
The rest of the Pathfinders crawl slowly up the hill. Laara made it look far too easy.
The trail of the magical ale-bird zigzags through a large thicket that winds about like a primal hedge maze. Some of the plants seem to move on their own, reaching towards warmth.
This is a maze. You can try to find a short cut. You can try to cut your way through it (attack roll). You can try to avoid the touchy-feely vines. Etc.
Avoiding attacks while running past enemies.... Surprisingly, something that Lissa has actively trained for. As so, she pulls her clod of icy shards in to be closer to her and goes to weave through the hedge.
I’m guessing that Freedom of Movement (still active) just provides a bonus in this encounter.
Valentino runs, following the trail of the ale-bird winding through the thicket maze, avoiding the touchy-feely vines as best he can.
acrobatics:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10 ...or not.
Laara leaps into the maze and disappears through a rabbit hole faster than you can blink. Ragnilde's woodland enchantment helps you to avoid the more mundane trips and tangles, which makes up for the distracting ill feelings in Liassa's chest and stomach. It also saves Trey from a stumble more than a few times. Despite all the magical help, Valentino manages to find himself in dead end after dead end. Keriassa fares well but is frequently snagged.
N Large stone giant goliathdruid 9/mammoth rider 1 | Init +2 | Perception +12; Sense Motive +9 HP 84/84 | Spells Active: Barkskin, Freedom of Movement, Mass Feather Step | Conditions: wildshape | Wand of CLW: 22/50 | AC 19 (23 barkskin); Touch 10; FF 19 (23) | CMD 30 | F +13; R +7; W +15; +4 vs. giant Su/SLA | Speed 30ft. |
"Normally I'd enjoy testing my wits in a maze. I like the patient struggle of grinding analysis against the design of another. This is no time for patient struggle."
Let's try to charge Helga through the maze.
attack:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (6) + 18 = 24
Not included in this total: bonus to to-hit roll for charging (normally you can't charge through obstacles; although in this case I'm charging at the obstacle..). Note that Helga has Powerful Charge.
Also not included: bonus for Mass Feather Step, not sure if it applies to attack rolls as well.
Also, Ragnilde has Woodland Stride, but Helga doesn't (and this looks like magic vegetation). We share Escape Route so if the mobile vegetation resembles AoOs that might help.
Helga charges through the maze, creating a swath of destruction. One uprooted bush that gets ripped away reveals Grimpfkin squatting down, apparently peeking at your progress from behind what was cover. He raises a bushy eyebrow, stands, and then spins on his foot to wander away into the maze, whistling a jaunty tune. While it is extremely impressive, the section of the maze that you managed to find yourself in (tier 10-11) is very difficult to pass, and the grasping vines eventually slow down the woolly rhinoceros' charge.
So close. I added all the bonuses, but you were just shy.
A ruined two-story building rises out of the forest, hugged by dense, thorny thickets on both sides. The front wall, ceiling, and floors have long since collapsed. Several support columns rise from the cellar, and the remains of a staircase up to the second floor look far too weak to support weight. The back door leads to clearer terrain, where the trail continues.
Grimpfkin sits cross-legged on one of the columns, snacking on a bunch of grapes.
To give you a better sense of what you have to work with: You have two parallel walls heading to the back and a ridiculously wide and long pit dotted with the tops of columns leading to the other side.
Looks like. Laara agrees. as she hops after the archer, trying to dodge the worst of the rubble. I'm glad we can provide so much entertainment to the local fey.
Acrobatics:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (13) + 20 = 33 No idea if that Mass Feather Step is still up or would apply, but if so add to the above.
N Large stone giant goliathdruid 9/mammoth rider 1 | Init +2 | Perception +12; Sense Motive +9 HP 84/84 | Spells Active: Barkskin, Freedom of Movement, Mass Feather Step | Conditions: wildshape | Wand of CLW: 22/50 | AC 19 (23 barkskin); Touch 10; FF 19 (23) | CMD 30 | F +13; R +7; W +15; +4 vs. giant Su/SLA | Speed 30ft. |
Ragnilde stares and glowers. "More jumping? If I wanted a jumping unicorn I wouldn't have sought a sky unicorn."
Going last cuz this might knock over some pillars, we do the climb down climb up routine again (27).
The Pathfinders seem to be flagging, either worn down by the previous obstacles or simply tired of the fey's games. Ragnilde rides Helga down into the rough ruins in the basement and up the other side, regaining much of the ground lost in the maze. She bursts through the doorway just after Laara hops across. Keriassa, Trey, and Lissa lose their footing several times and nearly topple from the pillars, forcing them to hop much more carefully and slowly. Valentino tries to build a bridge to get across, but it proves to be unsteady, and the bard needs to slow down lest he and his construction topple into the basement.
1: 3/3, 2: 4/1, 3: 3/3, 4: 2/4
You race after the fading, glittering trail until you come to a clearing. Grimpfkin reclines against a large stump, drinking from his mug. On top of the stump is a wet stain of ale.
"Oh, good try!" the fey says, pushing himself and his protuberant belly into a standing position. "The rest of your band seems a bit lost. Want to try against the Test of Might for double the rewards while you wait for them to catch up?"
We're ~4.5 days ahead of the next fixed encounter. You can: Do nothing, try the Test of Might, or do a different skill based encounter. The Test of Might is difficult and dangerous, but it grants the maximum reward you could have gotten from the Test of Speed, and by doing both tests you add to the overall House success. The other encounter is more of a knowledge gathering encounter for you guys alone.
This might? Laara asks, walking up and taking a sip of the ale. How's it taste?It wouldn't happen to be fighting this Mother Bloodleaf or whatever her name is? Because we're already down for that one.
Also fine with either, with a slight preference for might.
"I'm not sure about that," Grimpfkin says to Valentino, "But it makes for an entertaining what to pass the time."
Buffs -5 minutes
Grimpkin salutes you with his mug and then leads you deeper into the forest. He brings you to a clearing surrounded by giant mushrooms, taller than everyone except for Ragnilde. In the center of the clearing looms a black-furred shape that stands as tall as Helga. The fey leans toward you and whispers, "Go ahead. I'm sure great heroes like you will be fine."
Knowledge (arcane): DC 23:
This is a magical beast known as an Amarok. They are intelligent although they cannot speak and enjoy teaching foolish hunters who wander the wilds alone a lesson, although they do not eat sentient creatures. This one seems rapid, though.
1 Question + 1 question / 5 points over DC 23
Combat! Surprise Round. Bold may act.
This encounter has a retreat feature built into it: if you move off the map, you leave the encounter safely (so if you all decide this was a bad idea, you can just move off the edge of the map).
Least it’s not a spider. Laara says as she rolls her soldiers into a boxing stance and begins moving forward. Grimpkin - this a wolf working with the witch, or just one you’d rather be rid of?
N Large stone giant goliathdruid 9/mammoth rider 1 | Init +2 | Perception +12; Sense Motive +9 HP 84/84 | Spells Active: Barkskin, Freedom of Movement, Mass Feather Step | Conditions: wildshape | Wand of CLW: 22/50 | AC 19 (23 barkskin); Touch 10; FF 19 (23) | CMD 30 | F +13; R +7; W +15; +4 vs. giant Su/SLA | Speed 30ft. |
"I wonder if that's a fey creature that may or may not be reborn if it dies on this plane, and I wonder if it knows it itself.." Ragnilde murmurs. She guides Helga into the sky to fly with a 15ft gap above the beast, so she can still just reach it with a swipe of her horsechopper (20ft reach).
Assuming it's still flat-footed, she'll also make it sickened (reduced SA damage already factored above) and Disorient it (-2 to all attacks, -4 vs her specifically)
"Neither," Grimpfkin answers Laara with uncharacteristic solemnity.
Keriassa shatters into six version of herself. Trey disappears. Laara and Ragnilde advance, the latter swinging her horsechopper down on the twenty-foot long, black furred wolf. It glances up with a start, its eyes glowing a sickening purple color like those of the flowers along the way. Lissa becomes elemental. Valentino inspires his comrades.
Keriassa then unleashes a volley of arrows. The first two strike the beast, releasing a sizzling stream of oily smoke. The third arrow decides to go somewhere else. Laara punches the beast in the side, sickening and disorienting the beast.
The giant black wolf turns toward the source of the greatest pain: the archer. Its purple eyes glimmer and a shadowy woman appears before its maw. The beast bites down on the shadow's neck, and blood sprays from a horrible rent that manifests across Keriassa's neck. Both the shadow and the paladin fall to the ground. The shadow fades away as Keriassa's blood seeps into the soil (-6).
N Large stone giant goliathdruid 9/mammoth rider 1 | Init +2 | Perception +12; Sense Motive +9 HP 84/84 | Spells Active: Barkskin, Freedom of Movement, Mass Feather Step | Conditions: wildshape | Wand of CLW: 22/50 | AC 19 (23 barkskin); Touch 10; FF 19 (23) | CMD 30 | F +13; R +7; W +15; +4 vs. giant Su/SLA | Speed 30ft. |
"...alright. Not a friendly fight then."
Ragnilde guides Helga down 5ft so they can both reach the beast.
Now that the beast is fully aware of your presence and the danger you pose, Ragnilde finds it quite agile and difficult to strike. Helga has much better luck, ramming her horn into the side of the giant wolf-beast.
Male Tiefling Alchemist (Crypt Breaker) 11 HP 70/70 AC28 TC15 FF23 F+13 R+17 W+9 (+1 vs traps) Init+5 Perc+24 (+5 vs traps) Bombs15/17 Buffs: Barkskin, Comprehend Languages, Displacement, Freedom of Movement, See Invisibility, Shield, Scent, Light Blindness, Fortification 25%
Trey freezes, turning to look at the fallen archer. "Vhat? Vhat vas..." Shaking his head, he leaps into the air, wings unfurling as he works for elevation. Securing another bomb, he puts as much force as he can behind it to ensure it reaches its target.
Tanglefoot Bomb on Wolf:1d20 + 12 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 12 + 1 = 15Possibly -2 due to height, not sure. Bad roll either way. Acid Damage if Hit:5d6 + 6 ⇒ (6, 6, 5, 6, 4) + 6 = 33BOOM goes the acid! Scatter if Miss:1d8 ⇒ 7I calculate that to be the square to the right of the wolf, so only it gets 10 splash damage. Entangle Duration if Hit or Failed Reflex DC20:2d4 ⇒ (4, 3) = 7
Even though Trey is throwing at the broad side of a barn, the bomb nearly misses the beast. However, it strikes hard enough to release the caustic contents upon the beast. The gooey bands stick to its body but fail to tie it to the ground. Your assault is beginning to take its toll.
Valentino’s chant continues, growing darker as he sees Keriassa fall. He runs forward, drawing his bow as he moves, and casts a spell on the Pathfinders nearest the beast, making them feel feel faster.
Move forward, draw bow, cast haste on all but Keriassa and Lissa, maintain inspire courage.
Lissa looks a little horrified at Keriassa's sudden collapse. With a quick dive for the archer, she calls on the water to heal the archer before diving forward into the fray.
Kinetic Healer on Keriassa. ...Do you mind taking the burn, Keriassa? It'll mean 10NL until your next full night's rest. If you do mind, then I'll take it instead.
