[PFS2, Outpost III] GM Ferret's 1-04, Bandits of Immenwood (Inactive)

Game Master FedoraFerret

Emdi will help Kazikli load the bodies onto the wagon after ransacking the bodies for sweet sweet gold respectfully looking for clues to their motivations.

"Won't the bodies just add questions later on? They are wild men, let us leave them to the wilderness." suggests Teja. But she doesn't actually try to stop them being loaded on.

"I'm sure they would just have left us."

"Perhaps. But they are questions that are easily answered. They attacked us, but we respect them in return. Even their dead bodies. We have nothing to hide."

Each of the halflings has a lesser bottled lightning, a club, a minor elixir of life, a halfling slingstaff, leather armor, mistletoe and holly, and 12 sp. None of them carries any indication of instructions or their origin.

Heyou! jumps for joy when he sees the bottled lightnings. 3 halflings, right?

"I have a couple of minor elixirs still, so other people who get hurt should take. Me can use bottled lightnings really good, so I take. Me almost out of good bombs, so this is very very helpful!"

He kisses one of the halfling corpses, "Thank you for the very useful spoils! You not so bad even though you attack us!"

Goblin logic. At least he isn't eating the corpses.

Emdi will help Kazikli load them onto the wagon. Allons-y!

"Let's get going!" says the grinning goblin.

As the bodies are loaded in about him, Bubba crawls to the front of the wagon and sits next to Teja.

"I'll be riding up here until my ankle firms up."

”I can walk then. You get better!”

Heyou does look at Bubba to make sure he is ok.
Medicine: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

”You probably be ok. If not, me will take off that leg. ”

The still somewhat concussed Bubba finds Heyou!’s pledge to be oddly reassuring.

The road exits the forest within sight of the sea. The howling wind and driving rain make travel difficult as you continue along.

A centaur emerges from the forest behind you, holding a staff aloft into the storm. A thunderous voice booms from above as the figure shouts and gestures at the sky. “Pathetic weaklings! You dare to carry the power of the storm, as if it were a mere bauble? How dare you! I can feel the power of what you bear, even if you cannot! Surrender your cargo to me, and it is possible you may live to draw breath for another day. Resist, and the Storm shall wash you from the earth. Choose swiftly!” Along the shoreline, you can see several crustaceans with massive claws gathered along the banks of the shore, watching eagerly.

"We cannot surrender. Why you want our cargo? This nothing special!" says Heyou!, hoping the centaur will believe him.

Teja gives the horses a 'giddyup'! to encourage them to hurry along the road.

"Let us see if we can at least stay ahead of those crabs. No way we can outrun the centaur though."

Kazikli does his best to roar back over the gale. "Was this all your doing? Then know we overpowered your henchmen and pets! Does our cargo belong to you, by any right but conquest? Then prove it! The Wind and Waves frown on your intrusion."

"Be cool, bro."

Is Bubba's ankle still messed up?

As the wagon picks up speed, Bubba holds on tightly and intently watches the road ahead for additional threats.

Bubba's ankle is fine at this point.

"The power of the storm belongs to Vengeant Thorn by divine providence!" the centaur roars. "You have no more claim to it than an ant to the wind!" As he shouts he pulls a scroll out and runs a finger along the words. In an instant, the plants along the road come alive and grow dramatically, reaching up and entangling the wagon's wheels and the horses legs.

Taking the budding weeds as its cue to attack, one of the crustaceans charges forward and snaps its claws at Heyou's feet to no avail.

The centaur, Vengeant Thorn, lifts his hands to the air and begins chanting. The wind around you suddenly picks up, and the tarp covering the wagon begins billowing heavily, as though gale force winds are hitting it from the inside. Every so often, you hear the thump of an object hitting the inside of the tarp.

Mechanics of this Encounter: All the ground is difficult terrain due to a combination of the lashing rain and the mud. In addition, the area marked by thick lines (pink for visibility) is affected by the entangle spell. At the start of your turn if you're within it, make a DC 16 Reflex save. Failure reduces your speed by 10 until you leave the area, critical failure immobilizes you until you Escape.

As a note in case you're confused as to why he got a free turn to cast entangle, the adventure has a bit of weirdness where he emerges, demands your surrender, and then is described as ambushing you. In retrospect he's probably supposed to entangle, demand your surrender, and then act assuming you won't, but I prefer this as it gives you a bit of a chance to react.

Initiative Order, Bold May Go!
Blue
Vengeant Thorn
Zac
Emdi
Yellow
Teja
Bubba
Kazikli
Black
Heyou

Does the entangle affect Teja and I on the wagon, and could I clamber over Teja and jump down off the wagon next to Heyou!

If you're on the wagon then it doesn't affect you.

Emdi moves out of the entangled area (1 Stride). If he has his shortbow out (GM's discretion), he'll fire once at the centaur and try to Recall Knowledge. If he doesn't have his shortbow out, he'll draw and fire once.

Shortbow: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Piercing: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Nature +1 (untrained)

Emdi, you were in the entangle, so I need a Reflex save from you.

Whoops - sorry, I misread that as "if you END in the area ..." Depending on the results of the Reflex save, I may want to revise my actions.

Reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

Whew.

Zac doublemoves around the wagon and pulls out his bastard sword two handed.

Zac, I also needed a Reflex save from you please. Everyone who starts their turn in the entangle but isn't on the wagon.

Emdi attempts to get out of the entanglement, but in the pouring rain he misses one vine and stumbles over it.

Success is reduced to a failure, if you'd like to change your second and third actions you can feel free.

Do I have my bow out or do I need to draw it?

reflex: 9 + 1d20 ⇒ 9 + (15) = 24

Emdi, I'm assuming you've got weapons drawn while you're traveling.

Zac, that's a success reduced to a failure by whatever magic is screwing with y'all, so you take a -10 foot move speed penalty until you leave the entangle.

Emdi will Stride once (one square) and fire at the centaur.

Can I keep my previous roll?

Yeah, that's fine.

Emdi fires an arrow at Thorn and lands a grazing blow on his flank.

Yellow reaches out a claw to the fighter next to it and snaps down on his leg. It's a minor wound, but it also grips him tightly.

Zac takes 2 damage from the claw and needs to make a Fortitude save against poison. The reeflcaw then Grabs him, and then constricts for 2 more damage (DC 15 basic Fortitude save).

Initiative Order, Bold May Go!
Blue
Vengeant Thorn
Zac
Emdi
Yellow
Teja
Bubba
Kazikli
Black
Heyou

Still sore from their last encounter, Bubba clambers over Teja so he can jump out of the wagon (and into the entanglement) next to Heyou!. 1st action

Landing awkwardly (and painfully) next to the goblin, in his now familiar dulcet tones, the bard begin to serenade friend and foe alike. 2nd action start inspire courage.

"It's crab cakes for dinner boys! Crab cakes for dinner..."

Feeling inspired himself, he takes a swing at the blue crab. 3rd action

falchion to hit: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
falchion damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

Teja, belying her claims as a scholar, rises from her seat. Agiley skippings across the back of the horses she jumps over the entangling vegetation to stand next to Zac, attempting to plunge her dagger into the crab!

acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Of course, that is what happens in her mind. In reality, the agitated horse, upset, bucks her off landing her unceremoniously on the ground, in the grip of the grasping plants!

Reflex: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Starting my turn assuming failure is reduced to a crit-fail.

Kazikli swings his axe madly at the vines now holding him in place.

Escape: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

I'll wait on the other two actions to see if that is downgraded to failure, though.

Bubba's swing is interrupted as a sudden wave from the sea washes over him, and only him.

Teja falls to the ground, sad.

Teja, you've still got two actions you can take.

Kazikli manages to cut his way free of the vines that rise to surround his legs.

Teja stands and moves forward out of the entangling area.

Kazikli sloshes his way ever closer to the centaur, not yet ready to start talking to him again.

Black scuttles over to Teja and flails its claw in her general direction.

Initiative Order, Bold May Go!
Blue
Vengeant Thorn
Zac
Emdi
Yellow
Teja
Bubba
Kazikli
Black
Heyou

reflex DC16: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
I assume this means I am immobilized.

Heyou! looks over to Bubba and shrugs his shoulders, as his legs are bound up with vines. Not worried, he quickly puts some reagents together and creates an alchemists fire.

"Roasted crabs, anyone?" he asks, as he chucks a bomb at yellow.
alchemists fire! vs yellow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
HERO POINT alchemists fire! vs yellow: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24 fire!: 1d8 ⇒ 8 1 point splash to Zac and Yellow. 2 Persistent fire to yellow

He then pulls out his dagger!

Heyou!'s alchemist fire smashes into the crab.

Blue reaches out and snaps a few times at Teja, only landing the last one on a lucky blow. Rolled a nat 20 on attack 3, turning a miss into a hit. Teja takes 3 damage and needs to roll a Fortitude save against poison.

Thorn raises his staff in both hands, and a bolt of lightning comes down on the tarp covering the wagon. It burns a hole in the covering, large enough for a single object-the wax sealed box-to fly out. Once freed, the buffeting winds inside the wagon stop, and instead form an intense whirlwind around it.

Let me personally apologize for the BS that's coming your way. The blue box there is the whirlwind. While inside you cannot make ranged attacks, and you must attempt a DC 14 Athletics check to move. On a critical success you move full speed, on a success you move half speed, on a failure you can't move at all and on a critical failure you go 10 feet in a random direction (go ahead and roll a d8 to determine your own direction, with 1 being straight north and going around clockwise).

Zac, before your turn starts I need you to roll two Fortitude saves, first against poison and second against the Constrict. DC for the poison is 15, on a failure you'll take 2 poison damage and be enfeebled 1 (enfeebled 2 on a critical fail), and need to make another save at the end of your turn.

Initiative Order, Bold May Go!
Blue
Vengeant Thorn
Zac
Emdi
Yellow (9 damage, 2 persistent fire)
Teja
Bubba
Kazikli
Black
Heyou

fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Teja feels the poison entering her veins. No.. I can't end this way. I've still not found my father...

Burning my hero ponit!

Thoughts of the itinerant scholar burn bright within her. No way will she die before she has said her words to him.

fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

Athletics: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15 half speed
Reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 -10'

How does this work? Do I have -10 speed, halved = 5'; or do I have halved speed, -10' = 0'?

For future reference, halved speed minus 10 for 0, but in this case it's functionally the same because your speed can't be reduced below 5. However, you're also stuck with the problem that you're in difficult terrain, so every square costs 10 feet of movement. So you're effectively stuck. Once again I am deeply sorry for the mechanics of this fight.

Emdi will stow his bow and pull out his glaive.

He will climb onto the wagon if he can, but I seem to remember the wagon being difficult terrain too. If he can't, he will cast Message and whisper to Thorn.

"Sup bro. Why do haters have to hate?"

fort: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24 vs poison
fort: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22 vs constrict
I can take my turn
Power attack the enemy in front of me hit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
dmg: 2d12 + 4 ⇒ (4, 7) + 4 = 15
and last action hit: 1d20 + 10 - 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 - 10 = 6 dmg: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
fort save at end of turn: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Hero point to reroll that fort save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Hold your hero point there Zac, you made the initial save so you aren't currently poisoned.

Emdi, the wagon isn't difficult terrain but you can't get inside because you're unable to move to the door.

Yellow releases Zac and flails in his general direction, attempting to reinflict the poison, but doesn't find purchase. It then continues to burn.

Initiative Order, Bold May Go!
Blue
Vengeant Thorn
Zac
Emdi
Yellow (11 damage, 2 persistent fire)
Teja
Bubba
Kazikli
Black
Heyou

Emdi will just annoy Thorn with Message, then.

Kazikli keeps plodding forward, but still cannot close the distance. With one hand he fires a concentrated burst of air point-blank at the centaur. "You are an affront to nature, and unworthy of your stolen power. We will remedy your errors now."

Demoralize: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Elemental Toss vs. Thorn: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Teja moves, striking at the blue crab from behind!
Stride as we no longer have 5' step do we, hopefully not attracting an AOO
attack vs fF(flanking) : 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 7 + 2 = 12
P damage: 1d4 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + (5) = 7

Then she strikes out with her dagger as well.
attack vs FF(flanking) : 1d20 + 7 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 7 + 2 - 4 = 17
P damage: 1d4 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + (4) = 7

Is Bubba still -5 ft. speed from previous encounter? I'm not sure how much time has passed.

Reflex v entanglement: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

Bubba pulls free of the vegetation but is unable to move in the whirlwind.

He makes a slight change to his tune,... action 1 - continue inspire courage.

"Centaurs are a horse's ass, Doodah! doodah! Centaurs are a ...."

... concentrates for a moment, ... action 2 - cast guidance on self

...and attempts to take out his frustration on the adjacent crab (blue). action 3 - strike

falchion to hit: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
falchion damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Inspired by Bubba, Teja concentrates on the crab in from of her.
"Think about all the hungry halflings you will feed."

I forgot inspire above. Extra +1 to hit and damage!