Tyrant's Grasp for PFS Credit (Inactive)

Game Master DoubleGold

Everyone misses as noone can seem to connect, not even the skeletons, not even with bless or guidance.
Ivan is up

The musician, still eerily silent, draws his shield and a long, heavy mace, and waits.

We will say the skeleton did move into melee with you and you just killed one. You find that this skeleton isn't a skeleton but a contruct as its head pops open, another ostovite pops out, but it is dead as you smashed its head in and killed the ostovite underneath.
One skeleton and one ostovite remain. You can't tell if this other one is a skeleton or an actual construct, as the construct looked so realistic.
The remaining ostovite will try to bite you for that. hit: 7 + 1d20 ⇒ 7 + (14) = 21 take dmg: 1d2 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + (4) = 5 piercing then acid.
All heroes are up

it looks like the orovite icon on the map would have had to provoke an AoO from Rali, so I am going to roll for that

unarmed strike, power attack: 1d20 + 5 - 1 ⇒ (8) + 5 - 1 = 12
bludgeoning: 1d6 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 2 = 7

do we know what Orovites are?

Rali glances at the decapitated orovite in shock for a moment. He doesn't hesitate to smash his elbow into the other one as it passes him. Then he focuses his energy on what he thinks is a skeleton in front of him, trying to punch it two more times.

unarmed strike, power attack, barrow warden: 1d20 + 5 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 5 - 1 + 1 = 10
bludgeoning: 1d6 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 2 = 12

unarmed strike, power attack, barrow warden: 1d20 + 5 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 5 - 1 + 1 = 14
bludgeoning: 1d6 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 2 = 11

I forgot about this last round, but Rali gets +1 attack and +1 AC against undead thanks to Barrow Warden

Whirling the axe again Justus attacks the skeleton again.
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 223d6 + 9 ⇒ (4, 1, 3) + 9 = 17

Aranor winces as the ostovite bites her silent companion. "I can't heal you, I'm sorry, this is the best I can do right now." She touches his shoulder and once again shares a hint of divine favor.

Casting Guidance on Ivan for +1 on one attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. She could heal him, but she doesn't know that yet.

Sorry if I'm missing something obvious, but Justus, how are you attacking the skeletons? You're nowhere near them on the map.

Shouldering past the others, Grod attacks the strange, parasitic creature that emerged from the skeleton.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Damage: 3d6 + 10 ⇒ (3, 2, 6) + 10 = 21

Heroes take out the last two creatures and this one was a skeleton.

is the combat over? Is there anything we can discern from the remains of the not-skeleton thing? I'll post and update my map position under the assumption that combat is over. If they are still up (their icons are still on the map right now) then disregard this post

Rali puts his fingers to his lips, moves quietly down the hallway, and looks into the big room.

stealth: 10 + 6 = 16
perception: 10 + 7 = 17

While Rali moves on ahead,Aranor tries to fix the damage done by the ostovite. Keeping her voice low, she asks "This man's hurt. Does anyone have something that can help him?" In the meantime, she performs what first aid she can.

Heal (untrained): 1d20 ⇒ 10

As he clutches his injury, the silent man looks about at the various holy symbols he sees assembled among the others, and for the first time, he looks distressed. He holds up a hand and backs away slightly, twisting the fingers of his other hand into a warding gesture common in Lastwall...

...except he's doing it upside-down.

Given her own condition, Aranor is a bit faster to pick up on the context than she otherwise might have been. "Are you...do normal healing spells not work on you?"

Assuming he nods or something

"I suffer from a similar...ailment. If you're willing, there is a spell that harms others but that heals me. I could try it?"

Again, assuming he nods

Inflict Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

The bard gives a stylized bow in gratitude. After a moment's pause, he goes through his pockets until he finds a card made of carved bone and professionally etched with pyrography, which he hands to Aronor:

IVAN Z. HOLST, MUSICIAN TO BEYOND THE STARS
AVAILBLE FOR HIRE TO:
CONSERVATORIES | THEATRES | PUBLIC HOUSES | PALACES | FESTHALLS | CELEBRATIONS | CEREMONIES | REVELS | COTILLIONS | RITES OF INITIATION | FUNERALS | UN-FUNERALS | MERCHANT HOUSE FUNCTIONS* | WARBANDS* | ORGIES* | SACRIFICES* | ADVENTURE***

* = SUBJECT TO CARDHOLDER'S DISCRETION; RESTRICTIONS OR RATE INCREASES MAY APPLY
*** = TRIPLY SO

Glancing over Aranor's shoulder at the card, Grod, smiles ruefully. To the uninitiated, the expression probably looks a bit menacing, baring his tusks as it does. "It seems we have found ourselves in adventure, discretion or not. What alternative is left to us but to soldier on?"

Rali stealths into the room beyond.
Room 4
The marble walls of this large hall are carved with several images of battle, each featuring a knight astride a lean horse. The knight wears no helmet and has long hair and a wide mustache. In each of the images, the knight is charging at undead horrors with a rapier in hand. Two halls lead out of the western portion of this room, one to the north and one to the south. Three large archways lead out of the room to the east. The archway to the northeast is carved with the words “At My Right Hand, Peace for Years of Righteous Labors”; the archway to the east is carved with the words, “Roslar: Hero and Paladin at His Well-Earned Rest;” and the archway to the southeast reads, “Loyal Abdell, Support Thy Master Always.” Sprawled in the center of this room is a human-sized metal figure that resembles a skeleton wrapped in robes. The limbs of the figure are askew and melted, as though with acid.
Room 5
Several long stone slabs line the walls of this room like shelves. The shelves are pitted with acid and contain scraps of old cloth. A few chunks of bone litter the floor.
Room 6
The stone walls of this room are carved to resemble hanging draperies framing a large dais. Upon the dais stands a large sarcophagus, its lid carved to resemble a sleeping knight with long hair and a wide mustache. This room carries a faint nauseating odor, like putrefying meat.

Akku follows Rali closely and quietly, inspecting the rooms as he goes.

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

is there any way we can find out more about these Ostovites? Some kind of check we can make or something?

Rali quietly pads into the room and peeks into the hallway to the southwest and the arch to the southeast, just to make sure there are no approaching threats.

Then he has a close look a the sarcophagus to the east.

"D'ye suppose this is Raslar's tomb? Th' smell has me thinkin' we should take a peek... But I'm afraid o' wha' we might find."

do we recognize the depictions of the knight, or the skeleton wrapped in cloth, from any sort of lore or knowledge? Can we tell where all the acid came from?

Aranor follows after Akku and Rali into the large room, now that Ivan seems to be healthy again. "It looks like Rosler's tomb, but it doesn't feel right. How could we all have been dragged here, and why?"

What is going on here?

Looking around, Aranor forces herself to relax and See. Is there magic affecting us?

Casting Detect Magic to see if there are any magical auras within 60ft.

Perc: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (2) + 0 = 2
Justus follows the others, keeping his hands on his axe, ready to lay down the smack on his enemys.

Grod brings up the rear, watching the party's back just in case.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Heroes move forward, Aranor detects no magic. Akku finds an Iron Cobra in room 6, a trap in Room 5 that is guarding some treasure, a Bone chariot horse in room 7 with an Ostovite inside it controlling it. And an Ostovite in room 8. That is a lot of things to fight, keep in mind noise will attract these things even though walls absorb some sound, most spells at your level are okay, guns will attract, swords and bows and stuff will not, moving too far south or east will attract the nearby enemies. You should probably disable room 5 trap later in case they catch you offguard. What do you do?

Rali looks at Akku appraisingly. "Nice scouting, boy."

I vote we take care of the trap first and then go clockwise starting from the top.

Akku nods, putting on a weak smile.

Agree with Rali's plan; Akku can't disable traps though

Inside Akku's head...

Oh, look in that corner, and over there too! Huh... would you look at that? you finally listened to me and looked at all the spots I was telling you to look at... good... maybe I'll give you a rest for a while... ok, let's keep looking at what you're seeing... I'll let you into the driver seat for a while...

Shared Consciousness ability when the Phantom is within Akku's consciousness: it grants Aku the Skill Focus feats with Perception and Acrobatics

I must be going crazy... I shouldn't pay any attention to that crazy voice... she was right about those hidden things though...

Akku's eyes are shifting around, as if enduring someone's incessant talk, but he tries to appear sane to the others and focus on the task while paying no head to the annoying voice in his head...

NOW WHO ARE YOU CALLING CRAZY?! GGRRRRR!

Realizing that the the cra.. ahem, regular and perfectly normal voice in his head is replying to his every thought, Akku mentally shuts up at once... which is harder than anticipated...

After several moments of mental silence, the voice comes back, but it is now calm. Akku senses that there is a certain... straining... required for the voice to be in this composed state.

"If you would follow me...", the young girl says, now smiling and dressed in white. She opens a door in Akku's mind-darkness, and continues, "...I can show you how to get me out of your stubborn skull..."

She smiles. Inside the door is the interior of a cozy farmhouse. An adult young woman is sitting in a wooden rocking chair, singing a soft lullaby...

Akku follows. How, he does not know, but with his eyes now closed, he can see himself inside that house now, beside the young girl in white. The woman singing the lullaby does not see them, but from his vantage point Akku can now see two children finally going to sleep in a humble straw-filled bed. He does not recognize the older boy sleeping there, but the girl... appears very similar to the girl in white beside him, and if not for the ragged peasant's clothes and messy hair, could in fact look almost... identical...

Akku begins to hum along this lullaby, and finds a certain familiarity in it, although it's in a language he doesn't know.

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

When he opens his eyes, a good minute later, the girl, now all in black again, smiles at him from the other side of the room. The others gasp as she is now apparently visible to everyone!

Shared Consciousness Removed: Akku no longer has Skill Focus Perception and Skill Focus Acrobatics

Akku does not understand, but it will have to wait- remembering where he is and what happened here, by some kind of instinct he rushes back to Rali's side and arms himself with the adult-sized kukri that is within his backpack... he looks at the others and says:

"I... think this used to be mine... handle too big for me though... and her... well... I think she's looking after me... or here to command me..."

"Hello everyone... looks like you're all clueless beginners... YOU! AKKU! cast that force armor spell on me... I'll take point... what are you waiting for? LET'S GO!!! yells the newly arrived angry young woman at Akku. She appears to be in her teenage years at most, and not afraid to boss the much younger Akku around...

Akku reaches into the depths of his mind again, this time reaching for a glowing hard light armor that seethes with cool blue radiance. The blue radiance moves from his mindscape to his... hand!

He touches Siiska with it.

Casts Mage Armor on Siiska

Rali frowns. He pats Akku on the head as he looks Siiska in the eyes. "Calm yerself, lass. There's no hurry."

Siiska nods to Akku, and draws a black umbrella from a pocket dimension. She wraps her hands tightly around the folded canopy, in effect using it as the an improvised weapon handle and trying a few practice swings with it, swinging the oaken blunt crook handle around menacingly like the head of a mace.

"This'll do..." she says, smiling. Noticing Rali, she adds, "...and NO ONE, ever, tells me, to CALM DOWN!! got it?!

Aranor listens carefully to Akku's scouting report. "Thanks, that's very helpful. I can probably do something about the trap; I always had a knack for disarming them." She starts to stealthily move towards the northern room.

Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

She gets about halfway to the door when a strange woman suddenly appears in their midst. What the hell? Where did she come from?! Akku's words didn't clear up any of her confusion. She still thought Akku's sudden appearance might be related to this strange situation, even though she believed he spoke the truth about remembering nothing. But now there was this...girl? Who was potentially 'commanding' him? Was she responsible for this?

These musings were interrupted when the girl started to yell. That much noise will have attracted every enemy in this place! No longer concerned about stealth (what would be the point?) she runs over and places herself as best as she can between Akku and the enemies in the eastern and southern rooms. "Akku! Get back to the others, maybe we can turn the hallway into a choke point!"

She draws her mace and prepares for battle.

"N-No... I... I want to help... I... hate these things... it's... time to beat that... dead horse?" says Akku, weakly, holding his adult-sized kukri with both hands and getting ready for the incoming bone steed.

Assuming we get surprise on the horse squeezing out of the 5-foot opening, here's Akku's readied attack:
Kukri medium sized, -2 for size difference, -2 for young template: 1d20 + 3 - 2 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 3 - 2 - 2 = 4 for 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 slashing dmg.

AC 21

Siiska nods to him, smiling, and takes position to the right of the room's entrance, readying a flank with the oracle woman.

Assuming we get surprise on the horse squeezing out of the 5-foot opening, here's Siiska's readied attack:
Umbrella slam, Hatred Focus, Flank: 1d20 + 5 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 5 + 2 + 2 = 27 for 1d4 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 1 = 5 bludgeoning dmg.

AC 19

Justus will swing his axe too. If he can pushing Akku away. "Boy this is butchers work. Stay back before you get hurt! Help by guarding our back!"
Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 63d6 + 9 ⇒ (3, 3, 1) + 9 = 16

Guys please check the map... there's an ostovite to the southwest that'll need to be dealt with too...

Ivan looks around for a moment, as if confused as to how he got here. He had been interested in approaching one of the coffins, but must have gotten turned around in here...but how does one even do that in a plaza-like room like this?...and the little boy has, apropos of nothing, sprouted a raging b~+%+ of an older sister...???

He looks down. Ah. There appear to be more immediate concerns.

This has been asked before, but I don't recall seeing a reply: What kind of Knowledge roll would one make regarding these gruesome "ostovites"?

longsword vs the small ostovite hemming me in: 1d20 ⇒ 3

He swings a plain but well-made longsword at the monster at his feet, but finds there is a problematic lack of room to move his arm.

Hey Ivan with the amount of weapons being swung at these enemies it would really help if you could use Inspire Courage on the party! ;)

I don't think that ostovite is actually there, Ivan

Rali's frown deepens at the girl's response. He opens his mouth to speak and realizes that the party is preparing to fight. With one last glance at the girl, he runs to the hallway to the South, draws his temple sword, and swings it overhead at the ostovite.

temple sword, power attack, charge: 1d20 + 5 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 5 - 1 + 2 = 22
slashing: 1d8 + 6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 6 + 3 = 15

Akku's eyes widen upon seeing the strength and precision behind the dwarf's blow.

See... girl? you'd do well not to anger this dwarf warrior! he is as I expected a good friend to have on your side!

Hey Ivan with the amount of weapons being swung at these enemies it would really help if you could use Inspire Courage on the party! ;)

I actually haven't got that.

I don't think that ostovite is actually there, Ivan

Why is the token there, then?

Oh my bad Ivan- I get greedy for buffs when I see a bard at the table! ;)

Rali swings at the ostovite hard and kills it, at the same time a few of you miss the horse while Siiska hits it hard.
init Chariot horse and that ostovite: 7 + 1d20 ⇒ 7 + (8) = 15
init: 3 + 1d20 ⇒ 3 + (15) = 18 Akku
init: 3 + 1d20 ⇒ 3 + (1) = 4 Ivan
init: 2 + 1d20 ⇒ 2 + (11) = 13 Rali
init: 1 + 1d20 ⇒ 1 + (3) = 4 Justus
init: 2 + 1d20 ⇒ 2 + (10) = 12 siiska
init: 3 + 1d20 ⇒ 3 + (1) = 4 Aranor
init: 3d20 ⇒ (16, 8, 16) = 40 + other modifiers unknown since you can't see the creatures yet, other things that will act if too much noise is made.
There was shouting, but not loud, but they have to roll pretty high to hear that. I am counting ! marks as little louder than normal, sometimes our voices carry higher or lower than we think. Other times noises echo of the walls, especially voices and if it ain't clear where it came from they walk into traps or wrong direction, so it can be a good think to shout. perceptions: 3d20 ⇒ (16, 19, 8) = 43 modifier not given until you can see the creature.
percentage dice: 3d100 ⇒ (52, 69, 71) = 192 if they hear you, did they walk in the right direction, about a 30% they didn't, or another chance they went another way on purpose, ie tactics.
Other things have acted, or did not act as you can't see them. Akku is up. Followed by bone horse.
Forgot to roll for Iron cobra since you saw that. perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (14) + 0 = 14 dc is lower since it is closer
percentage dice: 1d100 ⇒ 68 Those that can see it knows it did not move.

Aranor rerolls her initiative

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

I'm going to need an init roll as well, GM. :)

Noting how successful Siiska was with that... cosmic umbrella? ...Akku decides to reach out to her and boost her attacks with a dash of psychic energy!

Casts Guidance on Siiska

Rali sheathes his sword and pulls the chained belt from around his waist. At each end is a kama. He holds it ready for anything that may be coming down the hallway. "Ah'll cov'r th' hall!"

Rali now has reach with the double chained kama

init Grod the Cunning: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
And the Chariot hoves Siiska hit: 3 + 1d20 - 4 ⇒ 3 + (12) - 4 = 11 miss
Rest of the heroes are up