[PFS] GM Rinaldo's Night March of Kalkamedes (4-19 CORE) Table 2 (Inactive)

Game Master The Great Rinaldo!

You have been summoned to Heidmarch Manor, the home of the Magnimar Pathfinder Lodge. There you are presented with a map and a short letter that reads, "Once you are all gathered, follow this map to reach me in the Fenwall Mountains. A pathfinder is in need of assistance. I am already with him, please join me as quickly as possible."

Within the chapel of Torag Bemmer offers his prayers and asks for Torag's guidance on the upcoming venture. He then takes up his hammer, checks the straps on his armour and heads out toward the rally point.

He stands, waiting for the rest of the party. His beard stirs in the breeze as he stands in quiet contemplation. His eyes are focused inward as he contemplates some piece of holy scripture.

A wrinkle faced, salt and pepper bearded Dwarf squints as he reads an announcement in the Absalom Pathfinder Lodge. "Sleep walker? What in Torag's slag pit is this crew coming to. Wasting a good agent's time ta babysit some kid that can't stay in his crib at night!"

He taps his withered coin pouch though and sighs "But if the pay is good then I guess I'll help some younguns get some experience.. even if its just babysittin'." He flips his metal visor down with a clang and marches off towards the teleporting room. Pappy never would believe one of his grandkids 'uses them magic portals'. Heh.

"Greetings to all. I am Hannar the Wild and I am please to be of service as usual. I do hope there are lots of things to burn this trip."

A tien woman stalks into the room. while it is easy to see the curve-blade clinging to her back, the sharper-eyed notice several tattoo's. Given some of the reports you have read lead you to believe that these were commissioned to reflect missions she has completed.

She offers a nod to the gathered team. "Well met. I am called Gōsutoha, but those in The Society have dubbed me Wraith." Her voice hides most of her accent.

Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch glances out a window as the last wisps of twilight fade over the Fenwall Mountains. Turning from the sight, she runs her hand along the rustic cabin’s wall and stands beside an occupied wooden bed before addressing you.

“This,” the venture captain says, gesturing to the man thrashing around violently, straining against the bonds that lash him securely to the bed, “is our colleague, Kalkamedes. Every night for several weeks now, he has fallen into a deep slumber and tried to sleepwalk right out of his cottage. If not restrained, he marches straight north, eventually falling off a cliff or into a bog as if trying to get himself killed in an attempt to reach an unknown goal.” As though he were expressing disagreement, the man tied to the bed suddenly begins pumping his limbs even harder, the violent spasms threatening to smash the bed into splinters.

“There are those who have recently criticized the Pathfinders for our indifference to the plight of our fellow field agents. It’s time to show that’s not true. We want you to help Kalkamedes, whether he wants it or not. Several of our best spellcasters have attempted an extensive list of magical cures, but whatever sleepwalking curse or effect he’s under tenaciously resists our efforts. All we can do is keep him safe.” Heidmarch pats him with a degree of professional affection, and Kalkamedes rewards her by trying to swat her with his head.

“Kalkamedes’s friends are at their wits’ end, so we are going to attempt the only thing that we have not tried: we’re going to let him go tonight. That’s where you come in. I want you to follow him and keep him safe and in one piece. Let him get to wherever his addled brain thinks he needs to go so badly. Maybe, just maybe, if he gets there, you can find a way to help him. Maybe you can determine who or what did this to him and find a way to undo it.” Heidmarch pulls out a serrated knife. “Now before I cut him free, does anyone have any questions or last minute preparations?”

You may be familiar with Kalkamedes career. Make a Knowledge (local) check and open the appropriate spoilers.

If you have questions for Sheila, or wish to do anything while you are here in Kalkamedes' house, this is the time.

Ironshanks looks over his charges as they enter the cabin, nodding gruffly at each one's greeting, giving them a firm handshake and introduction in response. At Bemmer he pauses for a moment before cracking a light smile.

K Local, Grand Lodge Boon: 1d20 ⇒ 13
Ironshanks takes a few steps towards the bed, the wooden floor boards creak under the weight of his stout Dwarven frame (Or maybe its the full plate and weapons and shield, who knows.) "Nope, can't say I've heard of that fella." What kinda field agent would take time away from combat trainin' ta nose bag on other agents?

The old Dwarf looks around the cabin a bit as they stand there chewing the fat. Maybe this guy at least's got some clothes and armor we can lash on 'im.. and some damned boots! "We gotta at least get the man dressed and inta some boots n armor. He got any other travelin' gear in case he wakes up face ta face with a cave troll er somethin'?"

Take 10 on perception to find the man some clothes at least. 20

Local: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

"I have heard of this man. Kalkamedes is a veteran Pathfinder, though his fame does not extend beyond southern Varisia. Although he is now semi-retired and only forwards the occasional report to the Decemvirate these days, his colleagues continue to respect him for his many prior accomplishments. Late in his career, Kalkamedes developed an interest in lore of the ancient runelords and the rare heroes who dared to oppose the runelords’ tyranny. He relocated from Absalom to Varisia for the chance to further his study."

Hannar produces a scroll of Mage Armor and casts it on himself at this time. "If we can't get him in armor, I will use another on him before you set him free. That way he will have at least a little protection."

The scrolls are 6L.

Hannar, where did you get those scrolls? They are not generally available, so do you have a chronicle that provided them?

Ironshanks looks around the small house. The wardrobe in the bedchamber contains an explorer’s outfit and a pair of strong boots. A drawer in the end table by the bed contains a series of unfinished charts mapping the Fenwall mountains. The stove is warm and has apparently been recently used. Among the coals lie the remains of a crumpled and burned sketch. The sketch depicts a squat fortress under a full moon enshrouded by clouds.

A glint catches Ironshanks' eye, and he notices a hidden lever in the back of the stove. Using a glove against the heated metal, he pulls the lever and reveals a hidden compartment in the floor near a stack of water barrels. The compartment contains a locked metal chest.

The sketch is posted on the slideshow.

They are from #5-08: The Confirmation. Scroll of Mage Armor(CL 6th; 150GP). None of the 6+ Chronicles I have state any limit (like the two wands do). If that is an error, please advise.

Before Kalkamedes is released, Hannar will cast Light on him using his cantrip, (40 min.), and keep recasting as we go. He will then use his Wayfinder on himself as needed.

As soon as Ironshanks sets the chest down, Wraith slides picks out of her belt and gets to work on the lock.

Disable Device Take 10: 10 + 16 = 26

A quick scan of the GM Thread for The Confirmation does not turn up mention of that being errata'ed, so you're good. I had forgotten those were there. I suspect it was meant to be limited, but with no errata, all's fair! :-)

Ironshanks pulls out the chest and sets it on the floor. As Sheila watches, Wraith deftly bypasses the lock, and finds what is probably Kalkamedes' old adventuring gear:
* a pair of bracers (magical)
* a mud-stained cloak (magical)
* a small vial of elixir with a small picture of a fish on it (not magical, but probably alchemical)
* a dried gourd filled with liquid and marked with a heart (contents are magical)
* an irregularly-shaped mithral flask with jigsaw-like edges and no markings, filled with liquid (contents are magical)
* an oiled cloth carefully wrapping a mithral longsword with a crack from its tip to its hilt (magical)

Hannar has Detect Magic, so I went ahead and identified the items with magical auras; if you want to attempt to identify any of them, give me spellcraft checks.

He is a human, right? How fast will he be sleep walking? I mean 30 feet per round and he will soon out distance myself and Ironshanks.

I don't think I have any questions. Ironshanks and I can see in the dark, but what about you Wraith and you Hannar? Should we put a light cantrip on the fellow to make his easier to see and follow?

"Ah there we go, there we go. If he's an experienced agent then it makes sense he's got some gear right? Let's get him dressed. Maybe he's got some full plate in that wardrobe to slow him down eh?" He double checks, knocking on the wood and moving it around.

"Maybe we can rig him up a leash eh? Grand Pappy used to put leashes on us kids sometimes when we'd hit the markets. Not my fault mind ye, but my brother's couldn't listen fer s%~!e!" The old fella unslings his pack and starts dragging out a well used length of hemp rope.

If we had some roller skates we could take turns being towed along.

Glad to hear it. Sooo much more useful than a wand.

Spellcraft vs. Bracer: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
Spellcraft vs. Cloak: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Spellcraft vs. Gourd w/Heart: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Spellcraft vs. Mithril Flask: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Spellcraft vs. Longsword: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Hannar shares all he learns with the rest of the group.

I will need to re-cast Light every 40 min. So we will have to stop him from time to time anyways. Hopefully we have some good grapplers.

Bleh. A couple bad rolls there. Anyone else with Detect Magic/Spellcraft. Oh and Alchemy.

Bemmer takes a look at the Gourde and the Longsword assuming these are the only ones Hannar couldn't ID.

spellcraft Gourd: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Spellcraft Sword: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Welp, that's that

Hannar and Bemmer examine the gear, and determine that the bracers are magical defense (Bracers of Armor +1), the cloak is a standard cloak to improve the wearer's resinstances (Cloak of Resistance +1), and the potion in the mithral flask helps you hide from undead (Potion of Hide from Undead).

They aren't able to determine what magic the sword has, but Bemmer feels slightly odd while holding it. Hannar doesn't notice anything unusual.

================
To answer the question of speed, you won't know how fast he walks until you let him go, but Ironshanks' suggestion of a leash might work if someone strong enough held the rope.

Which of his gear are you equipping him with?

Aw drat! I was going to buy a Wayfinder. Guess that's a little late now, lol.

Surely the VC has some for sale in the lodge?

"The Mage Armor will be stronger than his Bracers, so just his cloths and the cloak should be all he needs. I don't think giving him the sword would be a good idea in case he decides to fight us while sleepwalking. What do you guys think?"

If the gourd counts as a potion Ironshanks will test it with perception, taking 10 for 20. Same with the alchemical vial.

Ironshanks nods at the Ulfen "We'll take it along just in case he snaps outta his funk. If he's this renown agent then he's probably pretty decent with a sword."

"So whatcha all think about these drawin's? Fenwall mountains.. they near here? How about this burnt up thing... looks like somethin' crazy where Elves would try livin'." Ironshanks looks at everyone on this, including the VC.

Ironshanks can run the leash, seems like a perfect job for a short, stout Dwarf with muscles. Would stability come into play at all there?

Surely the VC has some for sale in the lodge?

Yes, but that's a few hundred miles away at this point. :-)

If the gourd counts as a potion Ironshanks will test it with perception, taking 10 for 20. Same with the alchemical vial.

The gourd has a minty flavor you associate with healing potions, probably a mild variety. The vial with the fish tastes like salt-water, and probably helps you swim.

============

Ironshanks can run the leash, seems like a perfect job for a short, stout Dwarf with muscles. Would stability come into play at all there?

That seems reasonable, I'd probably take it into account depending on exactly what was happening at the time.

Who will carry the sword, and in what manner?

Anything else before you set out?

I can carry the sword. I wont use it, but the added weight wont encumber me and slow me further.

Ya I've got enough weapons at my disposal at this point. My questions about the papers is all I'm looking to resolve before I'm ready to go.

You are in the foothills of the Fenwall mountains, so yes, they are near. ;-) Sheila does not recognize anything about the drawing.

Hannar or Wraith, anything else?

Wraith takes one last look around. With a formal bow of her head, "Captain Heidmarch, thank you for this honor. We will see you upon our return."

I think that is it for me.

Nothing here. Mage Armor on both of us for 6 hours. Light on him for 40 min. intervals, 10 min. for me.

OK, so what I've heard is:
* Outdoor clothes for Kalkamedes, but no armor, instead using a Mage Armor scroll
* Ironshanks is holding the end of a leash made by tying a rope around Kalkamedes
* Bremmer is strapping the sword on but not wielding it
* Hannar has cast Light on Kalkamedes as a beacon in case you get separated

===================================

Immediately after he is freed of his restraints, Kalkamedes totters out the door and begins stumbling northward. It is obvious that in his current state, Kalkamedes has no sense of self-preservation, and even the most mundane acts of navigation could prove difficult.

The night sky is clear with a waning quarter crescent moon that provides dim light, though the sleepwalking Pathfinder staggers on blindly, eyes closed and snoring. The ground is damp from the previous nights rain, though not enough to make the terrain difficult.

For half an hour he staggers along, maintaining a generally straight path. Things seem to be going well, when he steps on a damp rock, twisting his ankle and falling to the ground. He gets himself up, but is limping rather significantly.

Kalkamedes has taken 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (1, 2) + 2 = 5 damage and is walking on a twisted ankle, which is certain to cause him to take further damage if left untreated.

The ninja offers a noncommittal shrug before offering, "Well, it might slow him down. That would allow us a little more control over the situation. On the other hand, it is cruel to make him limp all night. I leave the decision up to you."

Just as a disclaimer that was announced at the last table before we re-shuffled. I have played and run this before, so I will allow others to make any decisions.

I've played it also but I'll do what I can to play Ironshanks as I would normally.

Ironshanks keeps a hand on the leash as they walk along, ocassionally testing just how strong of an ox or maybe merely a terrier he's walking here... CMB?: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

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After the guy falls and starts limping though he gets concerned "Hey Bemmer! This fella rolled his ankle, see if ya can't fix it eh? We don't want him crippled or anything." The dwarf pulls out a gently used healing wand if needed.

So far Bemmer has good control of the rope, and more than once manages to reel the sleepwalker in, but unfortunately the leash doesn't prevent the stumble over the rock.

Waiting for Bemmer to respond to Ironshanks.

Does anyone else want to do anything for Kalkamedes?

I posted and it got eaten apparently.

Bemmer rushes forward, his wand of cure light wounds in hand and heals Kalkamedes.

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Ironshanks grunts in approval as Bemmer is Johnny-on-the-spot with the healing stick "Maybe one of ye can stay just a bit ahead of this fella so ye can warn us of anythin' comin' down the pipe? Just holler directions n I'll try steerin' or stoppin' this snorejob."

Just double checking that he is indeed wearing his boots to go along with his regular clothing, cloak, and bracers. May as well have him wear the bracers since none of us benefit from them, and they ARE his. Who is carrying his consumables? I guess Ironshanks is carrying the sketches.

Edit: What does his walking speed seem to be? Full speed of 30' or half speed of 15'? Just curious how that is rolling with us Dwarves and our 20' speed.

Bemmer quickly moves up and uses his wand to heal Kalkamedes' ankle, and the pathfinder continues his march.

Ironshanks: Left on his own, Kalkamedes is moving at 20', so you can keep up with him easily. Using your leash, you could hold him back to a slower pace; while moving over smooth terrain, I'll say you can slow him to an average of 15' without having to make checks, but in other terrain or in combat I'll require CMB checks since he's actively resisting being held back.

===================

After the ankle incident, you travel for another hour without incident. That's when you realize Kalkamedes is making straight for a thick, thorn-filled copse.

The patch is roughly 100' wide and 60' across; you are about in the middle of the 100' side. The following two checks are different - if you are using Survival for the first, make a new roll for the second.

You see the patch from about 50' away, so you have one round to react before he starts walking through it.

For spell durations, it has been about 90 minutes since you left his house.

Survival, DC18: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Survival, DC25: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

The short and stocky dog walker squints his eyes and starts to make out one of the biggest black berry patches he's ever seen up ahead. Hmm, blackberries, nice.... ah crap!

"Full stop ahead kids, thorns on all sides!" He yanks on the rope and tries to stop or at least slow down his charge. CMB: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

"Woah now Kalkamedes, looks like we need to change your route or something!" He looks around and starts chuckling. "I think this nummah went through here earlier, look at those bare foot prints! You guys see a better path or should I just start steering him left or right till we're clear?"

Ironshanks has successfully pulled Kalkamedes to a halt ... for now ... ;-)

"Maybe we can wrestle him around if we all pull on the leash?"

CMB (aid): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

"Maybe we can wrestle him around if we all pull on the leash?"

[dice=CMB (aid)]1d20+4

Since you have him on a full length of rope, I'd allow everyone to grab hold and treat it as "tug-of-war". If you want to try this, pick an "anchor" person to be the lead roll, and everyone else can assist on a series of three opposed STR checks with Kalkamedes.

STR checks? Me? I may be Ulfen, but I cast spells for a reason.

STR check(Aid Another): 1d20 ⇒ 7

Hannar will keep updating the Light spells as needed.

Ironshanks looks at Hannar and snorts "Yer pullin' the wrong way kid. Don't they got ropes up North? You'd think they used 'em fer boats n stuff right?"

Ironshanks will always be the lead. Do you want another check from me as STR or CMB?

Bemmer lends his strenth to that of Ironshanks.

Strength to Aid: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

That's one set of checks, give me two more each.

STR check(Aid Another): 1d20 ⇒ 19
STR check(Aid Another): 1d20 ⇒ 2

Strength to Aid: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

Strength to Aid: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Bemmer, these are straight STR checks not CMBs, you should be at +1 according to your 12 STR?

Ironshanks drops his butt and locks his arms as he anchors the tug of war with 'snore job'. "Put yer backs inta it kids! We gotta drive this bus outta the way bafore it gets a flat tire in that puckerbrush!"

STR: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
STR: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13