[OutPost III, PFS(2)] PFS(2) 1-06 Lost on the Spirit Road (Inactive)

Game Master Blake's Tiger

"It not us! Something else in the forest make things angry! Maybe somebody made stupid orange doggies not like Pathfinders?" Gurnk licks and gnaws at his open wound for a bit before remembering he shouldn't do that.

As you make your farewells, the old woman squints at you and smiles as she says, "May Qi Zhong watch over you."

Village Blessing: Each of you may reroll a saving throw once per encounter during the remainder of this scenario.
Village Curse: Each of you continue to suffer a -2 penalty to Perception.

You make your way down the eastward branch of the Spirit Road. The snow continues to fall, obscuring you view beyond a few paces. The snowfall begins to narrow the road. Drifts rise up and force you to manhandle the wagon over them, slowing your progress greatly. To either side of the road, monolithic conifers form a monotonous backdrop. You begin to wonder if you should have left your wagon in the village. Not long after that thought begins to creep into your mind, you notice a set of broken branches at the edge of the road. Soon you pass a broken and discarded wagon wheel.

While you ponder the implication of these findings, you notice a shape moving through the snow toward you. As it slowly draws closer, you see that it is a void in the snowfall, as though the snow is falling away from an invisible force. It seems vaguely man-shaped, but there are no foot prints in the snow.

The invisible spirit is moving extremely slowly. Even burdened as you are trying to move your wagon through the snow, you are certain that you could avoid and out run the spirit.

Relegion: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Victus remains on alert.

<before we left the village>

Zenobia goes round the village and her fellow Pathfinders to check for wounded, laying on hands on anyone who needs it.

"Here Gurnk, we take care of each other."

<on the road>
religion: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

"Careful.. that shape is a spirit looking for a body to inhabit, I don't know if it's for good or ill. What should we do? If it's a wicked spirit then letting it in would be bad, but if it's one of the righteous kami then it would give us someone to talk to about what's going on."

Kang quickly bundles up Huli into his arms as the apparition appears, initially startled but increasingly curious. Finally the curiousity gets the better of him and he steps forward into the path of the spirit, letting Huli back down again. "Ah well, I'm the weakest here, so if it is malignant, it's a raw deal for it!"

"Should I try to speak with it? Maybe a nice melody will help realize we're friendly."

Lan will whip out her violin. She'll start to play if others think it will help. And can start speaking to it in the various languages she knows (unless others don't want her to). "Hello, can you hear me? We're peaceful travelers."

The void in the falling snow vanishes as the spirit possesses Zhao Kang.

"Mister Zhao! Mister Zhao! CAN. YOU. HEAR. ME? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Gurnk lies in wait, jaw at the ready for if Zhao lashes out.

Victus stands idly by, unsure if this was a good or bad idea. He decides to be prepared though and sling his halberd over his back and draws his Bo Staff. Hm. Yeah. This will do. Knock 'em out if they give trouble! I sure hope I'm not expected to let a...kami?.. possess me. He snaps out of his thoughts and focuses on Zhao

Kang is stunned momentarily, then his eyes widen in excitement. "Ooh, ooh, I see dead people! Or rather, it's memories. Hmm, a caravan is beset by human bandits--at least one of the men defending the wagons bears a wayfinder on his belt--a humanoid with a fox's head harries the defenders from between the trees until the caravan's defenders are fully distracted by the bandits and then he sneaks into a wagon, emerging shortly with a sack full of clanging objects. Oh, oh, that's a kitsune! Native to Tian Xia and the Forest of Spirits. Met a couple back in my days."

Society DC10: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

Finally, his eyes clears up although he still looks somewhat dazed, and oddly trouble. Are you still in there?

Then aloud, "You think those defenders are the Pathfinders we're looking for? So we need to hunt down a kitsune?" Kang unconsciously strokes the fur of his fox familiar.

If anyone desires, you may make a Recall Knowledge check (Society or an appropriate Lore) for 'human bandits' at a -2 penalty based on Zhao Kang's description.

Society: 1d20 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 6 - 2 = 24

"Human bandits, you say?"

Informed by the spirit's memories, you have a better idea of which way to go to find the caravan. Zhao Kang seems mostly unharmed by his experience, if a little more terse in his responses to conversation than you remember him to be and a tendency to sit off by himself when resting.

Evening falls, and you make camp on the snowy road. The snow does not let up at all as the sun sets and the trail is covered in darkness. While you are finishing up dinner, you notice another invisible form parting the snowflakes approach your fire. This spirit, too, seems to seek a host to possess so that it can communicate.

"My turn? Or does Zhao want to be the ghosty hosty again?" Gurnk jumps up and down for a bit like an overly excited child.

"Well I suppose it's good for team spirit if we all do our part..." Zenobia tries to convince herself that letting the goblin be a host is a good idea...

"Better you than someone else...because that someone else sure isn't going to be me!"

Victus again keeps his bo-staff handy in case things go awry, though he's less suspicious after Zhao's encounter. More than anything he's been somewhat intrigued but not enough to offer himself to be possessed by some foreign being.

Lan will cautiously pull out her violin and try to play a soothing tone to show we aren't enemies.

Perhaps lured in by his eagerness, the spirit vanishes as it possesses the goblin.

Kang, his mind still divided somewhat, manages to pull himself together to study the goblin, curious to see his reaction.

Victus approaches Gurnk cautiously and pokes him gently with his bo-staff. "Gurnk, you there?"

Gurnk relays the story of a kitsune stalking into the forest like a feral animal clutching the clattering sack enters your mind as the spirit merges with you. You watch the kitsune continue through the forest until a white, cat-like creature with a mischievous sneer emerged from inside a nearby tree trunk—seemingly having melded into the wood— only to snatch the sack and disappear in a flash.

The rest of the night passes uneventfully. In the morning--the snow still falling--you find the trees have parted to create an unnaturally strait path. As you follow this path, you occasionally note bushes jump out of the way to reveal a broken wagon wheel or a piece of ripped cloth flutters into the path, leading you onward.

Eventually, you emerge into another part of the road and find three wagons and their drivers stuck at an intersection. Several of them are working to fix a cracked axle. A broad shouldered Tian woman watches over the work with a stern expression. A jovial, clean-shaven, rotund Tian man wanders around the caravan making jokes to lighten the mood. At his belt is a wayfinder with the mark of the Path of the Open Road on its lid. "Ho! What's this?" he says, initially nervous as you appear.

"Hail!" Katerina calls out in response, noting the wayfinder. "We seek Li Pao and Ti Pan. Would you be them? Venture-Captain Li sent us out of concern for your wellbeing."

Make an Impression: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

"Wait. You're alive? Somebody pinch him!" Gurnk says, eyes wide and slightly suspicious.

Still, Gurnk is glad to see the familiar wayfinder of another (probably) Pathfinder.

"We're Pathfinders as well. We've been recruited to try to find you two. Venture-Captain Amara Li said you should've been in Sakakabe two weeks ago. Is everything alright? Anything we can assist you with?"

"Excellent!" the heavy set Pathfinder says. "I am Lin Po and the gloomy one is Ti Lan. You have no idea how glad we are to see friendly faces! We've been chased around and around these woods by bandits..."

Katerina chats the Pathfinders up for a minute and then they wave a couple of caravan workers forward. "Get them some of our equipment that we haven't been using," Lin Po says.

The caravaners bring forth a great club, a composite shortbow and a quivery of ten arrows, and a great axe. "Please, take these if you'll find them useful. Now, once we get this axle fixed..."

"Oh I'm so relieved we found you, Amara told us you may have gotten lost in this strange wood! I don't think the spirits are malicious, but it's still dangerous. There seems to be some strange foxy business afoot. Have you seen anything strange that could be due to troubles with the spirits?"

Taking a moment to digest that actually they had entirely different problems she switches tracks.

"Bandits? We need to look into that! There's a lovely village near here, but I don't think those people could really defend themselves. They're in danger!"

"Do you need help fixing that axle? I know a thing or two about fixing things. Let me help!"

Crafting: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Victus continues searching the nearby area and at this point switched back to his usual weaponry of his halberd in hand. "Can never be too safe, yeah?" he chuckles at the mention of bandits. "Let's keep a close eye on things as Landitho repairs the Wagon"

Kang looks on as Landitho gets to work on the wagon, his fingers itching. He recalls the repeated admonishments by his mother that people of his status do not get their hands dirty with menial labor like this. But soon, it gets the better of him and he jumps in as well.

crafting: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Before I continue: +1 Hero Point to Zhao Kang for being the first volunteer to allow the spirit to possess him.

The constant snow flurries of the day before continue, obstructing your visibility. While you talk with the teamsters and Pathfinders and work on fixing the wagons, you are interrupted by the crunching of snow and snapping of pine branches as several Tian humans dressed in leathers and hides and wielding rough wooden clubs rush through the falling snow towards you.

Two of them make it to Victus. One of the bandits clubs him upside the head before he can react. He sides steps the other's clumsy swing.

A bandit advances upon Zenobia, and his companion moves around, attempting to flank her. Both of them strike against her armor, ineffectual despite their advantage of surprise.

A sling stone zips out of nowhere (red circle) and bloodies Zhao Kang's forehead and cracks his skull.

Encounter Mode. Round 1. Bold may act.

Map Updated

Red Square
Blue Circle
Red Circle
Yellow Square
Blue Square
Zenobia
Katerina
Zhao Kang (1/15 hp)
Gurnk (DC 5 flat check or be frightened 1 when you act)
Green Circle
Landitho
Yellow Circle
Victus (15/21 hp)

Ouch. The GM giveths (hero point) and the GM takeths (hit points)

"Ouch!" Kang looks to turn and run, finding better cover among the trees and wagon. He then pulls out a vial and downs the content.

stride, draw potion, drink

minor healing potion: 1d8 ⇒ 1 Ah! That was a waste of time.

"Right, Bandits..." Katerina mutters as she calls a mote of flame, "We really should have seen this coming." She hurls it at the closer of the two on Zenobia, before barking a word to call forth a brief disc of force.

Action 1-2 - Produce flame vs. Yellow Square
Action 3 - Shield

Produce Flame: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19For: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

I'm waiting for a moment to allow Gurnk to use the flank, then I'll act.

Katerina burns one of the bandits within an inch of his life. Meanwhile, Zhao Kang discovers he was dispensed a dud.

Encounter Mode. Round 1. Bold may act.

Map Updated

Red Square
Blue Circle
Red Circle
Yellow Square (-5)
Blue Square
Zenobia
Katerina
Zhao Kang (2/15 hp)
Gurnk (DC 5 flat check or be frightened 1 when you act)
Green Circle
Landitho
Yellow Circle
Victus (15/21 hp)

Landitho hears a crashing among the branches of the pines as one of the bandits (green) moves over and attempts--and fails--to send a sling stone through the cover.

Encounter Mode. Round 1. Bold may act.

Red Square
Blue Circle
Red Circle
Yellow Square (-5)
Blue Square
Katerina
Zhao Kang (2/15 hp)
Green Circle
Zenobia
Gurnk (DC 5 flat check or be frightened 1 when you act)
Landitho
Yellow Circle
Victus (15/21 hp)

"Ah, my friend Zhao! How're you holding up? Here's a little melody to soothe your spirits."

Will cast Soothe for two actions on Zhao Kang.

HP regained: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Zhao regains 9 HP and gains +2 status bonus to saves against mental effects for the duration (1 minute).

"Everyone! Here's a little tune for you."

Will attempt to do Lingering Composition as a free action then Inspire Courage as one action.

Lingering Composition: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Failure - don't spend focus point. Inspire Courage lasts only 1 round.

Lan plays her violin, but the stress of so many enemies gets to her. The tune of her violin is slightly off, but still effective.

All allies in the area (60 ft) gain a +1 status bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear effects for 1 round.

Did Gurnk drop out?

Apologies. I was finishing up a home campaign this weekend. Had a lot of last minute prep. Players threw me a curveball.

Gurnk quickly runs over and tries to bite yellow square across the thigh.

Attack against FF 'cuz flank!: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Sneak attack: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Gurnk laughs maniacally as he lets go and punches at the other leg.

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Sneak attack: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Gurnk manages to overcome the fears of the spirit possessing him but fails to land his strike (because he did not follow instructions).

You can roll your second attack.

D'oh. Gotta put that note on the character sheet.

Actual punch: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (14) + 7 - 4 = 17

Gurnk's follow-up punch to the back of the burned (yellow square) bandit's leg drops the man to the snow.

Encounter Mode. Round 1. Bold may act.

Inspire Courage: +1 to hit, damage, and save vs. fear

Red Square
Blue Circle
Red Circle
Blue Square
Katerina
Zhao Kang (11/15 hp; +2 vs. mental effects)
Green Circle
Zenobia
Gurnk
Landitho
Yellow Circle
Victus (15/21 hp)

Zenobia takes out her flickmace and whacks blue-round.

flickmace: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
bludgeoning: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Then seeing Victus facing off against two bandits on his own, she rushes over in that direction.

Victus, come over here, join ranks and we'll teach them a lesson!

If you and anyone hitting you are within 15ft of me then I can use Ranged Reprisal to punish them if they attack you.

Zenobia cracks the (blue circle) bandit's face with a flick of her gnomish weapon. He joins his companion in the snow. The snow around his face begins to turn pink.

A (yellow circle) bandit squeezes his way between trees and one of the wagons to emerge next to Katerina. She feels the air ruffle her hair in the wake of the bandit's awkward swing.

Encounter Mode. Round 1. Bold may act.

Inspire Courage: +1 to hit, damage, and save vs. fear

Red Square
Red Circle
Blue Square
Katerina
Zhao Kang (11/15 hp; +2 vs. mental effects)
Green Circle
Zenobia
Gurnk
Landitho
Yellow Circle
Victus (15/21 hp)

Victus strikes thrice at the bandits nearest him

"Just a minute! he shouts to Zenobia as his arrogance convinces him to stand his ground.

+1 to strike and damage from inspire courage
Strike Halberd vs Blue square: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 9 + 1 = 26 Damage piercing: 1d10 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 1 = 15

Strike Halberd vs red square: 1d20 + 9 - 5 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 9 - 5 + 1 = 24 Damage piercing: 1d10 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 1 = 6

Strike Halberd vs red square: 1d20 + 9 - 10 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 9 - 10 + 1 = 16 Damage piercing: 1d10 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 4 + 1 = 13

Actions 1-3 strike strike strike

Victus relieves one bandit of his head with a single swipe. The second bandit proves more adept and takes two strikes to dispense. Victus' fierce display of martial prowess removes him from immediate peril.

The (red circle) bandit that gave Zhao Kang a concussion picks up his club and rushes into the cover of the trees on his way toward the Pathfinders.

Encounter Mode. Round 2. Bold may act.

Inspire Courage: +1 to hit, damage, and save vs. fear

Red Circle
Katerina
Zhao Kang (11/15 hp; +2 vs. mental effects)
Green Circle
Zenobia
Gurnk
Landitho
Yellow Circle
Victus (15/21 hp)

"Oh, your song is a short one, indeed," Katerina says, as her hands become wreathed in flame, and glowing red scales briefly form along her cheeks and neck. In a second, the flame coalesce into a pair of red hot claws, which Katerina uses to make two quick slashes at the bandit that made the mistake to come close to her.

Action 1- Activate Dragon Claws
Action 2- Strike
Action 3- Strike

Dragon Claws: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 5 + 1 = 12 For: 1d4 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + (5) + 1 = 9
Dragon Claws: 1d20 + 5 - 4 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 5 - 4 + 1 = 19 For: 1d4 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + (3) + 1 = 6
Dragon Claws also triggers my blood magic, which gives me a +1 status bonus to my AC

The bandit dodges the first swipe, but the second swipe tears a deep wound in his arm which is quickly cauterized by the heat.

Encounter Mode. Round 2. Bold may act.

Inspire Courage: +1 to hit, damage, and save vs. fear

Red Circle
Katerina (+1 AC)
Zhao Kang (11/15 hp; +2 vs. mental effects)
Green Circle
Zenobia
Gurnk
Landitho
Yellow Circle (-6)
Victus (15/21 hp)

As Landitho’s healing magic flows into him, Kang feels greatly relieved. ”Thanks, little one!”

He then spots the bandit that is trying to close in on him. ”Oh no you don’t!” He gestures and sends arcs of electricity flying towards the two nearest bandits. He then flees to the safety of his party.

vs red & yellow: electric arc: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 ref DC17 for half

2 actions: electric arc, stride

Zhao Kang electrocutes the injured bandit harassing Katerina. The bolt arcs and strikes the bandit on the other side of the wagon. He (red circle) is unable to jump out of the way. The bolt leaves a large burn on the front of his armor.

The other remaining bandit (green circle) forces his way through the trees and swings his club at Landitho. He scores a glancing blow on the gnome's head. (That was very nearly an extremely unimpressive critical hit)

Encounter Mode. Round 2. Bold may act.

Up to Landitho Inspire Courage: +1 to hit, damage, and save vs. fear

Red Circle (-6)
Katerina (+1 AC)
Zhao Kang (11/15 hp; +2 vs. mental effects)
Green Circle
Zenobia
Gurnk
Landitho (16/17 hp)
Victus (15/21 hp)

Gurnk runs through the trees with his new found speed to flank green circle and does his signature bite-kick-one-two!

Bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Sneak attack: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Kick: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 7 - 4 = 10
Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Sneak attack: 1d6 ⇒ 5