Nope, pretty sure this fight is about to be over. ;)
Passing the aid token with Coordinated Maneuvers boosted.
Assessing the Damage - Once during the adventure, when encountering undead opponents, the group gains +4 on initiative
Interrogating the Snakes - Once during the adventure when interacting with a creature in the tapestry, one PC can gain +2 to a Cha-based skill check and roll twice, taking the better result.
Knowledge of the Weave - Once during the adventure, one PC can reroll a failed d20 roll.
Something is Watching - Once during the adventure, one PC can roll twice and choose the better result. Used by Laara.Supply Check - Between encounters, PCs may purchase items from the CRB or Ultimate Equipment worth 1500GP or less.
Tales From the Tapestry - Once during the adventure, one PC may treat a Knowledge roll as if they had rolled a 20. Alternatively, they may gain the benefits of an Average roll for a Knowledge skill they are not trained in.
Travel Tips - Once during the adventure, every PC may reroll a failed skill check involving movement. (Acrobatics, Climb, Fly)
Muckmouth Secured - The PCs gain one free use of the Burst of Healing Aid Token option.
Round Mountain Secured - Gain +10ft land speed for the entirety of one encounter, decided when the encounter starts.Temple Secured - Once during the adventure, the PCs can activate this benefit to instantaneously cure every PC of the following conditions: fatigued, shaken, sickened, dazed, and staggered.
Slave Mountain Secured - Gain 30 temporary hit points at the start of an encounter, lasting until the end of that encounter. We could use this next encounter
Patchwork Allies Secured - The PCs gain one free use of the Allied Offensive Aid Token option.
Eternal Lake Secured - The PCs gain one free use of the Timely Inspiration Aid Token option.
Aid Token Special Boost Options - One use each.
- Allied Offensive
- Burst of Healing
- Coordinated Maneuvers- Provide Spellcasting
- Share Knowledge
Let me know what you want to empower the feather with and I will get it to another table for repair work.
You still have all of the boons you earned from securing tapestry sites, including the Burst of Healing, Allied Offensive, and Coordinated Maneuvers uses.
Not yet, next fight would be a good time to use it!
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Please pass it. Can dazed creatures take aoos?If you need to conserve your spells, Deno’thar, if you can make a 5’ step my way, I can 5’ step, grab the bow and get a shot off...
Scratch that; with Gravity Bow cast on my missing bow and without my full strength and magic damage from it, I doubt I could muster more than a couple of points damage against its DR with just a single shot...
Flyn, let me know if there is anything special you want to try on round 5, otherwise I will move on to round 6 where you will hopefully all finish it and have a breather.
I believe you needed to spend the first casting resist energy on Aericus so he could safely go through the wall of fire. So three rounds and a move action left.
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@GM - To clarify which boosts do we have multiple uses of. I am confused by the strike throughs.
@ TEAM - Perhaps we should use the Boosted Movement boon for this. I'd also recommend that we try and use the Allied Offense.
Reading the Allied Offense boon, it should probably be used right before Aericus and Laara are in position to attack so they can get flanking bonuses. So either Flynn or myself coudl trigger it provided that the bird does not move between us and the melee'ers.
@Laara You should expect the Phoenix will most likely Dispel your fly, so you may need them. Alternatively, Ara could be a flanker for Laara. Ara knows the Flank Trick and would have an AC of 39-40 If she flanks defensively. I forget, can you still provide a Flank bonus if you are in Total Defense?
Assessing the Damage - Once during the adventure, when encountering undead opponents, the group gains +4 on initiative
Interrogating the Snakes - Once during the adventure when interacting with a creature in the tapestry, one PC can gain +2 to a Cha-based skill check and roll twice, taking the better result.
Knowledge of the Weave - Once during the adventure, one PC can reroll a failed d20 roll.
Supply Check - Between encounters, PCs may purchase items from the CRB or Ultimate Equipment worth 1500GP or less.
Tales From the Tapestry - Once during the adventure, one PC may treat a Knowledge roll as if they had rolled a 20. Alternatively, they may gain the benefits of an Average roll for a Knowledge skill they are not trained in.
Travel Tips - Once during the adventure, every PC may reroll a failed skill check involving movement. (Acrobatics, Climb, Fly)
Muckmouth Secured - The PCs gain one free use of the Burst of Healing Aid Token option.
Temple Secured - Once during the adventure, the PCs can activate this benefit to instantaneously cure every PC of the following conditions: fatigued, shaken, sickened, dazed, and staggered.
Slave Mountain Secured - Gain 30 temporary hit points at the start of an encounter, lasting until the end of that encounter.
Patchwork Allies Secured - The PCs gain one free use of the Allied Offensive Aid Token option.
Eternal Lake Secured - The PCs gain one free use of the Timely Inspiration Aid Token option.
One use each when passing an Aid Token.
- Provide Spellcasting
- Share Knowledge
Deno'thar had it struck out when he brought the list forward.
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@Laara.
As far as suggestions, anything that mezzes the Phoenix is great, especially all the dazed, confused stuff. Alternatively, you could look more Spring Attack type of options and use those Walls of Fire in your favor. Hit and hide. Would you also get Sneak Attack if you're attacking from Total Concealment (assuming the Phoenixs doesn't have firesight or something like that).
Can you give yourself Fire sight?
Are there feats that let you take advantage of ranged attacks by Flynn or myself?
Lastly, maybe attacks that stop things from flying? I'm assuming there is no way to get cold/chaos attacks.
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I may have struck out the wrong thing. I used the 10’ movement speed in our first encounter (which prevented its wall of fire casting, I assume), but this wasn’t a special boost, just one of the boon things that we could activate.
@laara
Dodge and mobility seem solid to try to avoid aoo on way in to attack it. If you had dodge I’d recommend going for spring attack as well, but I don’t think you do. Combat reflexes standstill would be great if not for the fact you’re probably fishing for a nat 20. In fact if you had umd and a wand of true strike, I’d be heavily advocating that because the last bird pissed us off by using flyby attack, which cheats all forms of action economy movement.
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I could cast longarm and try to bodyguard you if the bird disarms for +8 cmd but I don’t know that that is enough, I’d need to use long arm with my long spear to threaten (so I threaten 10’ to 15’) and even then the bird could avoid my bodyguard by using flyby attack from its favorite square.
Intelligent flying foes with high speed, quickened spells, and huge reaches really are quite something:)
Intelligent flying foes with high speed, quickened spells, and huge reaches really are quite something:)
Initiative rolls are important too! Hopefully the challenge wasn't unfun. I know the Hard Mode challenge would have been no fun at all.
Full CR16 phoenix, no removed SLAs or reduced DCs and attack bonuses. (So Heal on hand to recover 150HP.)
And most importantly a mythic ability to bypass fire resistance and immunity against non-Lawful targets.
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Eh.
Our main issue is DR. If we had a bunch of align weapon scrolls, it's possible that Flynn and I could disrupt the spell casting and stop the GDM spells that are killing us. Let Aericus and Laara hit for full damage? That's going to be effective.
Now, that mythic bypss is a nasty affair. And if we would have to fight three of them...well....
But yeah, our party is not equipped for Hard Mode. So we made the right choice.
Just confirmation on the feather. I'll assume Ammen is fine with it and get the next fight going.
Please review the following boon and let me know which option you would like to select on your chronicle.
These NPCs help you in three different ways. First, you may spend 2 Prestige Points to learn the listed language from that NPC. Second, you may check a box that precedes a reward as a standard action to consult that NPC for assistance with one of the listed skill checks. You may use that NPC’s bonus in place of your own when rolling the skill check. Finally, you may check a bonus that precedes a reward to receive the NPC’s special benefit. Unless otherwise stated, this is a standard action.
The NPCs become stronger throughout their adventures with you. Their bonus on skill checks depends upon your character level (Level 1–2: +6, Level 3–4: +8, Level 5–6: +11, Level 7–8: +14, Level 9–10: +18, Level 11+: +22)
Aspiring Warrior (Muckmouth Lizardfolk): Inspired by your heroism, an eager young lizardfolk has decided to join the Pathfinder Society. She is determined to someday be able to best you in combat, but for now, she’s happy to share a few of her tricks. Language: Draconic; Skills: Acrobatics, Swim; Special: Add +1d6 on all of your damage rolls for 1 round (free action to activate).
Canny Survivalist (Round Mountain): One of the scouts who maintains the tunnels around the Pagoda of the Rat would much rather accompany you on your journeys than return to his duties. Language: Undercommon; Skills:Handle Animal, Survival; Special: Gain the benefits of flanking on all of your attacks for 1 round (free action to activate).
Curious Scholar (Patchwork Allies): This syrinx scholar is a fountain of knowledge to anyone who can tolerate her incessant barrage of questions. Language: Tien; Skills: Knowledge (history or planes); Special: Reroll a Knowledge check before learning the results of the roll (free action to activate).
Rescued Gemsmith (Slave Mountain): After Pathfinders saved him from soul-sacrificing duergar, this taciturn gemsmith decided to lend his sharp eyes to the Society. Language: Dwarven; Skills: Appraise, Perception; Special: The dwarf casts detect secret doors or locate object (CL equal to your character level).
Serene Kappa (Eternal Lake): This kappa wishes to find a new lake on Golarion, but not before sharing his wisdom with the Society. Language: Aquan; Skills: Heal, Sense Motive; Special: The kappa casts water breathing (CL equal to your character level).
Traveling Priest (Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment): A priest from the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment believes that the next step on her path to enlightenment is to venture far from the temple, learning from sages across Golarion. Language: Celestial; Skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (religion); Special: Damage a touched haunt, as if a paladin of your character level used lay on hands.
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Two successes reported, conclusion to come tonight.
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Intelligent flying foes with high speed, quickened spells, and huge reaches really are quite something:)Initiative rolls are important too! Hopefully the challenge wasn't unfun. I know the Hard Mode challenge would have been no fun at all.
I did, but while the phoenix is a great creature to fight once, waves of them don't offer up much new :).
I'm glad we had a shaman to daze the silly birds so they stopped chain greater dispelling us.
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Flyn will choose his friends, the Muckmouths, and go with Aspiring Warrior; I'll use 2 PP to learn the language as well...
Yeah, this was a blast to play. Had a great mix with our characters and we were a well-balanced machine of frontliners, casters, and archers; also good to have a group where we could just about auto-pass every skill check. I'll miss having +5 to hit/damage to all my shots and it was neat having another Ranger/Archer around to learn some other ranged tricks of the trade. Also learned, in a most humbling way, that I need a back-up bow. Enjoyed playing with everyone! TOZ you did an awesome job GM'ing this!
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@TOZ - I have to say that I thought the GMing was exemplary. I really appreciated the flexibility and your approach and ability to keep the game from getting tedious. For example It was a a real relief to not have to constantly justify and advocate for being able to use my GB wand.
Another thing I truly appreciated was your willingness to just let things happen and not go out of your way to try and counter the party. The only possible exception was that second phoenix and I was glad that you ramped up the tactics. Very well done.
@Team - I really enjoy playing at these higher levels. I've noticed that the players who get their characters this high are, on average, far more skilled, knowledgable, and committed to the game.
also good to have a group where we could just about auto-pass every skill check.
Every time I've been in a group where this happened, it was always casters.
One thing that I do walk away with is a better understanding of why Paizo did what they did with PF2. If I had to be objective, I kind of felt like the party was way overpowered. Except for the 2nd phoenix, did any combat last more than 3 rounds? lol. I feel like Flynn, Deno, and Ammensura could have completed this scenario on their own. Aericus and Laara were lucky if they got a hit in.
It's obvious how impossible it is for the scenario writers to create a legitimate challenges for skilled players without fear of TPKing an average party.
In any event, this was a lot of fun on account of the players and the GM, thank you all for letting me tag along.
There's just not a lot of reason to hard counter PCs. Well built ones have so many more paper options to counter NPC rocks while NPCs just don't have enough scissors to matter. So many of the encounters in this one just didn't have the mobility, skills, or abilities to do anything special. If the dice had favored the unraveling undead more, it might have been closer, but saves at this level tend to be academic. (Laara's Fort and Will being the exception. ;)
Being able to play with a creature that had the stats and abilities to effect the battlefield was the only reason the second phoenix was at all interesting. Misdirection and control of battlefield information is honestly the biggest factor in difficulty level, after initiative rolls. There's no real guidance on how to handle PCs targeting squares based on other PCs spotting, so I could have been much harder about Flyn and Ajax shooting blindly based on Ammen and Aericus' instructions. The call lightning spell was probably the best tool you had for accurate targeting through the walls.
Runs like this are why I don't do public games as often as I used to. It's easier to swallow a crushing victory for players and characters you are familiar with and have investment in. Not being familiar with peoples tones and attitudes can cross some signals, assuming bad attitudes that might not exist. I hope to be able to try out 2E and see if the band of effective characters is less wide ranging as 1E. It may bring back a lot more joy in running for strangers if so.
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Runs like this are why I don't do public games as often as I used to. It's easier to swallow a crushing victory for players and characters you are familiar with and have investment in. Not being familiar with peoples tones and attitudes can cross some signals, assuming bad attitudes that might not exist. I hope to be able to try out 2E and see if the band of effective characters is less wide ranging as 1E. It may bring back a lot more joy in running for strangers if so.
I hope you enjoyed running it TOZ. I had a lot of fun playing this in this format and with how you ran it. I remember greedily using saving finale on myself, so saves were not academic :).
It is true that as you level, the gap between ineffective, moderately effective, and overkill certainly grows. It gets even worse because the game becomes very swingy, in that a single failed save can kill you, or an unlucky crit.
Edit: to add, Deno's gas tank is running sort of empty (and was last time too) [ Spells L1-1/7, L2-0/5, L3-0/4 | Bardic Performance 7/23 ].