GM.BastardBard's [PFS]#3-09: The Quest for Perfection—Part I: The Edge of Heaven (Inactive)

Game Master Neal B

You nailed it with the pommel!

Daji kneels and says some words about the cycle of life and being grateful that this creature didn't have to needlessly die.

Once his spiritual moment is done, he walks over to Xue Ho and stammers out, "I... heal?" Daji points to the guide's throat and makes his hand glow with divine magic.

If he accepts, shows acceptance, or is on the verge of death, Cure light wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

If he rejects, Daji bows and leaves the guides be.

The leopard missed on its attack against the guide. He is scared, but not physically injured.

Fabulous! Ignore that poor roll then

"Thank you all for not killing the beast. Come, let's move him away from the camp but restrain it so it doesnt attack us before we can convince it we mean no harm. Caleyn, people of your race are able to talk to animals on occasion correct? I may need your help if that's the case."

Overall plan, tie a rope to the cat like a collar and attach that rope to the corral fence. Once it wakes up, use wild empathy or speak with animals to convince it to leave us alone. Possibly using rations to bribe it.

"You really think that this cat would be stupid enough to attack a group of armed people after already being beaten unconscious by them? That doesn't sound normal. Is it possessed by a demon? Or controlled somehow?"

"Caleyn doesn't kill beasties, only baddies! I will talk to the kitty" Caleyn says to no one in particular, then grabs her bedroll and slides the unconcious leopard onto it. Stopping to tie her rope into a collar and slips it over the kitties head and tightens it slightly around it's neck.

Caleyn the slowly and carefully moves the kitty laden bedroll over to the fence and ties the other end of the rope around the fence. Caleyn slides the bedroll out from under the leopard and lays it nearby. She settles into the bedroll wrapping her cloak around her after once more grabbing her axe. Just far enough away that the leopard cant reach her but close enough to whisper reassuringly, trying to sooth it even as it slumbers. "Caleyn friend, I wont hurt you. No one will hurt you." Caleyn whispers over and over like a mantra to the sleeping leopard

Valon straightens up from his combat stance. He almost seems disappointed, as if expecting the beast to put up a better fight than it did. He folds his arms. "It's probably just an animal," he says in response to the Balrog's question. "Hard to say what it will and won't do. Still, we'd be safer killing it than, well, sleeping beside it." He sighs and shrugs, holding his arms out, palms facing upward. "Hopefully it'll just run away. Looks like it'll require watching, though."

"Once you are all prepared, I can heal the critter. Let me know if that's what you want. But first, I want to see if it was protecting something in that shed."

Daji steps inside and starts scouring the inside of the Southern shack.

Daji will take 20 on perception to thoroughly examine the shack, and if there's nothing of interest, will be ready with that cure light wounds when Danny and Caleyn are prepared.

"I will say, don't underestimate the power of nature and life. With a descendant of the Fey and one learned in nature among us, strange things are bound to happen." Daji winks at the two small members of the team.

Xiao Hua just lifts a very shapely eyebrow and nods.
"It would be the first time on a mission without strange things."
With a delicate cough she adds.
"Never assume that an animal can not be sentient. Cough, Druids, Cough!"

"It's probably just an animal," he says in response to the Balrog's question. "Hard to say what it will and won't do."

"That's just the thing, Valon. It's usually fairly easy to say what a predator will and won't do. They're simple, but rational enough in their survival instincts. Unless it was magically controlled or defending its litter, I think we should kill it. Because if it would attack an armed group like us, it would attack other travelers."

Daji finds nothing particularly interesting in the southern shack. Some small fragments of bone, or other indicators that the leopard had eaten here or used this place as shelter.

Can this handle animal be made untrained?

know nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Thank the dice gods for not making it look like the druid doesnt know about wild animals.

"It looks like it hasn't eaten in a while. It was probably desperate for food. I don't think it would have attacked otherwise. I'll share some of my food with it and send it on its way."

The Balrog nods. "Fine by me."

"Good idea Danny. But also, why is it underfed?"
Looking around Xiao Hua adds. "Do you think that there is game lacking?"

"Maybe the locals were right about there being a big beastie. Shang Xu I think they called him. They say he is a demon made of ice and snow. I thought they were joking, or it was one of those local tales that got way out of hand." Daji looks mildly embarrassed.

After you handily deal with the cat, your two guides setup their sleeping gear inside one of the shacks to protect themselves from the elements. Their pantomiming leads you to believe that they are advising you to follow suit.

Barring any objections, continuing on until next morning...

In the morning the guides help you to prepare food, but they do not pack any of their things. After breakfast they tell you, "We no go more up. Wait here."

They provide you with simple maps showing you most of the way, as well as marking several notable landmarks: a cave with a cliff in it to climb, a "Path of Many Shrines," a chain bridge, and "Two Brothers."

"Well this should be fun," scowls the ifrit sarcastically "Cliffs to climb? Chain bridge? I've got a bit of magic to catch anybody who falls. But I can only do it once. So don't fall."

In fact he can do it twice, but is saving one for himself.

"Who's going first? Our best climber, maybe, to help set ropes for the rest of us?"

Daji goes ahead and ties his rope to his grappling hook and says, "I don't mind going first as long as there's a place for this to latch on to."

"It's too bad we don't speak the same language as our guides. I'd love to ask about the shrines and the brothers."

GM, do we get spell slots back?

yes. you all have a night's rest. Regain/re-prepare spells and daily class features and whatnot. And, to be clear, your journey from the base camp starts out on a walking path up through the mountain. So no need to climb yet, but there will be obstacles. (Cuz when is anything every easy in the Society?)

Caleyn is kinda sad to see the beastie go, but glad it wasn't hurt.

"Let's get going then!! Lots to see and do"

Caleyn flounces along after Daji, whistling a bit and turning her axe around in her hands

Also, I added a new slide as Slide 2 for default marching orders. If someone would like to go through and pick a "default" for those three options, that will make it easier if I ever need to place you on a map (especially if that is a "place on map & roll initiative" kind of thing)

Happy that the snow leopard was ok, Danny follows after Caleyn. "Were going to make a great team, you an I. Us small folk need to watch each other's back."

"I can go up first if needed," Valon says. He stretches his arms out in front of him as if preparing for strenuous activity. "Like the Balrog said, set ropes, that sort of thing. I'm hardly a master, but I do have some climbing training and experience, with and without rope."

Nodding Xiao Hua smiles at Valon. "AS long as I do not have to lead. I am so very bad at it!"

After traveling for about 1 hour from the base camp, the mountain route takes you through a narrow valley.

The valley ends in a high rock wall. A large crack, forty feet up the wall, looks large enough to allow an adult human through. Several small cracks and holes dot the entire surface of the rock wall. A rock overhang, ten feet above the gash, acts as a natural roof, sheltering the immediate area from the elements.

The map on the right side will be used to show distance climbed up the wall. Right now I'm just using it to show distance from the wall.

"So, the bad news is that something dangerous lives in that crack, probably. See all the animal remains on the ground? The good news is that these are small animals so maybe it is not a particularly big dangerous thing in there.
But climbing up could be dangerous.
Let's take a look at the remains and try to see what had fed on them. Let us know what we're up against."

The Balrog approaches to take a look.

What kind of check would that be? Perception? Survival? Heal?

"The more I see and the further up we get, the more I wish I asked more questions about the snow monster. But if it is made of snow, I bet magic is involved."

Daji will step forward and cast detect magic, first at the bones that The Balrog is investigating, then up towards the crack, then finally up towards the overhang. If he detects magic, he will stop to fully examine the auras. He would not be able to identify schools of magic, he would just be looking for strength and location of each aura

"There's nothing magic around... yet." Daji smirks before busting into a full cackle to himself. "I have the funniest idea on how to flush out anything that might be up there. I can create sounds with magic that sound like.. whatever those bones were if someone can tell me, and I can make it start below the lip of the crack and rise! Whatever's there will come to the edge to investigate (maybe) and we'll get the jump on it! Who's in?" His mischievous nature shines through... Until a stray wind sends his fiery hair into his face.

Blasted curse

know nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Danny crouches down to inspect the bones. "These things are so jumbled it's hard to tell exactly what they belonged to. Judging by the size though, whatever ate these creatures is at least human sized if not bigger. I don't think we should try to antagonize whatever it is though. We'll probably have a hard enough time with the climb much less trying it wounded. "

"Do you think we can even make the climb without dealing with whatever this thing is, though?" Valon wonders aloud. He stands staring up the side of the wall, taking note of places one can place their hands and feet while climbing.

"Plus I'm pretty sure my grappling hook will make a pretty loud thunk, even if I get it up there on the first try. I'd rather us be ready and draw it out on our terms rather than be surprised while we are climbing."

Daji waits for a consensus one way or the other.

"Yeah, let's lure it out and kill it."
The Balrog says this with no malice, but also no hint of remorse.
"I don't want it ambushing us while we are trying to climb a rope."

Checking in to keep things moving. What's the plan folks?

Right now, we have two solid votes to try to draw the creature out. If a third out of our six votes to do it, Daji will cast Ghost Sounds in the sound of a medium animal scuffling targeted as close to the mouth of the cave as possible, having the sound rise for the duration. If nothing happens after a full minute, Daji will throw his grappling hook from where he's standing to the lip of the cave (45 ft I think).

Grappling hook, 5 range increments: 1d20 - 7 ⇒ (14) - 7 = 7

See if we can lure out the beasty and charm it into submission with weapons.

Danny frowns for a moment before answering. "I'd rather not kill it if we have to but if this is the thing causing that snow leopard to starve, perhaps it's for the best. I can see the wisdom in our Ifrit friends' reasoning too. I'd rather climb injured than be ambushed as we go."

Daji pulls some wool out of his spell component pouch, manipulates it, and starts speaking an incantation. As he talks, his voice seems to carry and transform into the sound of goat hooves scuffing on rock. The sound is fully formed about 15 feet from the lip of the crevice, begins rising, and lasts only a few seconds.

Once finished, he draws his morningstar and gazes at the ledge, waiting for whatever comes.

As Daji makes some convincing sounds of hooves on the rock, peeking out of the hole in the overhang above the group is a man-sized, crab-like monstrosity clinging tenaciously to the rough stone, its enormous pincers held out menacingly before it.

Initiatives - Bold may act:
Daji
Danny
GM-CF
Xiao Hua
Valon
Caleyn
Balrog

The creature is hanging to the left-ish wall on the side view. On that side view I also moved everyone to be down at the "ground level." I plan to use that mostly for height tracking, and the main map on the left to track position relative to everything else. We'll just all work together to try to make this fight make sense in 3D and all.

Daji will cast bless, then will try to listen to see if there's more than one.
perception: 1d20 ⇒ 14

3d battle maps are always complicated to do online. Im sure we'll manage.

Danny steps over to be able to surround the creature once it drops from its hole. Assuming there are pebbles on the ground, He then reaches down to collect some rocks and casts a spell over them. Sticking them in a belt pouch he takes out his shield.

5 ft step over. Move action to equip shield. Cast magic stone on the rocks. Know nature to ID the thing? Rolling just in case.

Know nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

Initiatives - Bold may act:
Daji
Danny
GM-CF
Xiao Hua
Valon
Caleyn
Balrog

"Watch out! That's a Cave Fisher! They shoot sticky ropes from their mouth apparently."

"Is this one okay to kill because it's not furry?"

The Balrog draws a javelin and hurls it.
Is it between 61 and 90' from me?
Attack, Bless, 3rd range increment: 1d20 + 5 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 1 - 4 = 3

His javelin clatters off the cliff face.

"Bah! Somebody Magic Missile that thing."

Daji casts guidance and delivers it with a touch to Caleyn's shoulder.

"Don't miss, eh?" He says, eyeing the bow she has.

Caleyn drops her axe and draws her bow, taking aim she fires at the Cave Fisher

Attack, Bless, Guidance: 1d20 + 4 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 1 + 1 = 22
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 4

Valon clenches his fists, frustrated that the creature is too far away to attack directly. Instead he draws his sling from his waist and loads a bullet into it.

Two move actions I believe.

Also I kind of understand that the monster is above us somewhere, but I'm very confused by the map. I'm not sure what the dimensions are here or what direction it's in or what we're even really looking at.

Trying her magic again Xiao Hua will try to Daze the monster

To try to clarify the map: The map on the left is the top-down/birds eye view (normal battle map). The shaded area on the left is where there is a ceiling/overhang above you. The dotted circles are the spaces directly below holes in this overhang. The middle little map is also top down view. It is of the area in the middle of the ceiling, accessible via those holes (the creature is directly above the southern hole, hence why you can't see it on the little map). And the one on the right shows a side view of the cliff you have to climb, and a side view of the area in the ceiling where the creature currently is. So creature is in a hole in the ceiling ~55ft up, directly above the dotted circle between Daji and Danny.

Danny shouts out a warning to the group, as Balrog draws a javelin and attempts the difficult throw upwards.
It's only ~55-60 feet away from you, but still, that natural 1 misses.

With some additional magical guidance from Daji, Caleyns looses an arrow that strikes true.

Valon readies his own ranged options.

Xiao Hua: Daze has a range of Close, which would be 30ft for you. This means the creature isn't a valid target, and you couldn't cast that spell. You may post an alternate turn, if you would like.

Danny: I assume you still have a turn to take in addition to notifying everyone of the creature's name and ability?

Initiatives - Bold may act:
Daji
Danny
GM-CF -4hp
Xiao Hua
Valon
Caleyn
Balrog

Seeing the creature probably isn't going to drop down, Danny drops his shield and takes and loads his sling.

I didn't want to take two turns in a row.