GM Jhaeman's "To Scale the Dragon" (Inactive)

Game Master Jhaeman

Some general notes:

* Please make sure you have a good tagline with character stats. This saves me a lot of time while GMing and makes the game go by faster for everyone. If you're new to PbP and need help figuring out how to format things, just post here and we'll help you. Similarly, keep your tagline updated if you're casting buffs, have ongoing conditions, take damage, etc.

* If you have a really strange or complex build and want to explain anything in advance, please feel free to use this thread. f you want to earn extra GM love, posting a full character sheet in your profile is great. That way I can look stuff up and answer my own "how did they do that?" questions.

* I try to post at least once every day, and it would be good if you aim for the same thing. Real life comes up, of course, so if you need me to bot you, give me instructions or I'll play your character very conservatively (probably doing Total Defense).

* You'll need a picture of your character for the grid scenes.

* Feel free to post actions in the alternative to speed up gameplay. For example, "I search for traps--if there aren't any, I open the door, but if there are, I try to disable them."

Finally, role-playing is good! Please give your PC some personality and engage with the other PCs and NPCs. I'll gently move us along if we're dwelling too much in one part of the scenario.

Any questions, ask away!

Yaiho has the DR that comes into effect. (2/-) and (4/lethal).

Also due to his Extreme Cold Endurance Class Feature, he is treated like he has a permanent Cold Endure Elements.

I recently got the Improved Sunder feat as well, which will go well with his Vandal Trait which ignores 2 Hardness.

Constantin's familiar (Petros aka the bunny) can cast Guidance at-will, and will try to keep it up on everyone outside of combat.

Constantin's a Flagbearer, so even before he or the bunny begins his performance he provides a +1 morale bonus to attacks and damage within 30'

During the daylight hours Constantin gets a +1 bonus to initiative and many skills, the asterisked numbers in his header include that.

We now have a full table, so I'll give everyone another 24 hours or so for introductions and then we'll get started.

Rysam will provide three dog sleds, each of which will carry two of you. The most important skill for the musher (the driver of the dog sleds) is Handle Animal, though occasionally raw strength is necessary. Let's designate Sled Blue, Sled Red, and Sled Yellow. Please decide who is going on what sled (unless you'd prefer I just do some random rolls). I've placed the rules for dog-sleds on the Slides, but you don't really need to memorize anything at this point--I'll do my best to tell you what you need to know when the time comes.

So it sounds like each PC will contribute 20 gp towards buying the scrolls. Two of you will get a calm animal and four of you will get a charm animal. These are legit purchases for items that you get to keep if not expended, so please state which type you are taking and record on your inventory tracking sheets. First come first serve :)

Looks like we have half the party with pretty low strength scores. I'm thinking Kaa, Yaiho and Pethwen with the three highest STR stats and/or Handle Animal on different sleds and then the others pairing up with each of them?

Happy for other suggestions but maybe:

Kaa/Andor
Yaiho/Constantin
Pethwen/Pai

I don't have any problem with that lineup. Pai will grab a charm animal scroll, though she cannot cast it. I'll go ahead and subtract the GP from her character sheet.

Looks like we have half the party with pretty low strength scores. I'm thinking Kaa, Yaiho and Pethwen with the three highest STR stats and/or Handle Animal on different sleds and then the others pairing up with each of them?

Happy for other suggestions but maybe:

Kaa/Andor
Yaiho/Constantin
Pethwen/Pai

Sounds great.

Andor will take calm animals.

Pethwen will take a Calm Animals scroll.

In (my) morning--a.k.a. 12 hours--we'll start the sequence of dog-sledding up The Dragon and I'll have to start calling for checks to control the sleds. Unless someone speaks up to the contrary, I'll assume you go with the plan that Pethwen has suggested.

Something I'll mention narratively in the other thread is that, as you ascend, you'll find the air getting thinner and thinner. If you have a spell like air bubble, the Altitude Affinity feat, or something else relevant to Fort saves vs altitude sickness before I call for the checks, please let me know.

Grouping looks good to me.

Pai has the Air Shroud utility wild talent, which functions as Air Bubble. If she takes Burn, she can share it with up to 4 or 5 others for up to 5 minutes, but that's not going to negate the need for Fort saves over the course of a whole day. It should be considered a short-term last resort.

Pethwen can memorise Air Bubble as as 1st level spell. She'll do that in her current empty spell slot and if others would like her to use some of her other 1st level spell slots to cast more uses of it, that is fine also.

Looking it over, air bubble isn't going to last long enough--my mistake (I was thinking of life bubble, which is a much higher level spell. Sorry for getting anyone's hopes up!

Happy to snag whatever scroll for the party's use :-)

Pai can use Air Shroud on herself all day long, though, with no penalty. She's gonna feel really bad for not being able to share it much. If there's ever a time when party members look like they're in a really bad way, she might do it to give folks 5 minutes to catch their breath.

I'm going to be away for the next 24 hours or so--sorry to leave right at the beginning of an encounter! :)

Have fun!

Okay, I'm back! Pai, you're up at the top of the surprise round, then the creatures launch their ambush.

Good work finding and disabling that trap--mummy rot is pretty nasty, especially at this tier!

Actually, I was adding in +2/+2 instead of +3/+3, so that will help. And silly Kaa, he has two potions of fire resistance in his pouch. Not sure if it would have helped her, but I suspect it would have!

"Hello, beastie!"

Dang, that was some high rolling there, GM! Unfortunately, I think Kaa is toast any which way it goes here. He's already on temp hit points that will go away when he drops. So he will continue with the attack and go down swinging. Good luck everyone!

NOOO Kaa! Stop the attack and hope to be able retreat! We can cover you!

With his dying breath, Kaa bites a chunk off the remorhaz's face before being nearly incinerated! His lifeless corpse hangs loosely in the massive beast's mouth.

** spoiler omitted **

Sorry Kaa! It was a dramatic way to go, and thanks for being a good sport.

I am very sorry Kaa! :-(

Is Kaa 'dead' dead or just 'dying' dead? If the latter, Pethwen can get close enough to channel and hopefully prolong his existence. If not, she'll fight to the death herself to avenge him if need be.

Actual dead, unfortunately.

This is my first PFS character to die, so I think I have beaten the odds so far - but if you gotta go, that was certainly a heroic way. And it has been a fun scenario! No worries.

Sorry if I left you all in danger though - Kaa was the sled driver too....

Isn't there a mechanism for resurrection or something? I'll have to look that up - maybe I have enough prestige.

It definitely was heroic!! :-D

So you spend 8 pp for the two restorations and 8 pp plus 2,450 gp for the raise dead and can of course use the gp from this chronicle sheet for that too.

That is how it works most efficiently I think with your 21 pp.

You could also do 16 PP for the Raise Dead, 4 PP for one restoration and 1350 for the second restoration - depends which currency you'd rather spend more of.

At least it wasn't a death effect!!

Pai is willing to chip in some GP to help, if you'd like, Kaa.

Thanks for the offer, but I am cool covering the costs. Kaa actually has a lot of coins still (like 12k), so between the options suggested, I should have no problem fighting another day.

Glad to hear it!

Yay!

Yes, good to hear Kaa will fight on. I've only ever lost one PFS character too, but she also was able to find the funds and prestige to fight on. Makes for a good backstory to share, at the very least.

Pethwen and Andor, could I get you to please update your taglines with the javelin damage? It may be important soon so know how hurt everyone is.

I’ll be away for the next 24 hours or so. Keep sledding!

Yikes! What happened is that it looked like the site ate my post, so I retyped it. When I submitted, I only saw the first one that failed. I don't know anything about rerolls, so I doubt I have any.

You surely have a Pathfinder core rule book! Then you also have a reroll per game. :-)

Unfortunately, the Pathfinder Core Rule Book entry is for branded T-shirts, not the book itself. I do not have any of that merchandise, so I don't have a reroll.

@GM Jhaeman: So in light of the fact that I do not have a reroll, would you like to save that roll for the next time I roll a D20?

Also, how will we know how far away our pursuers are (for ranged attack)?

Ah sorry! I have the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Player Character Folio and confused that with the core rulebook.

@Pai: Don't worry about the roll/reroll--Pethwen made her check to control the sled (vs. a high DC!) so everything is fine. For the purposes of ranged attack, assume the enemies are within the first range increment.

Were this a face-to-face game, I would have had a spare folio to discretely pass you under the table ;-)

No worries. Onward!

I read in an old post in the forums by the writer of this scenario who said it was meant to put a spotlight on the wilderness skills of rangers and druids. That's for sure! I'm never seen a scenario where Handle Animal was such a crucial skill.

Yeah, really! Pai has a habit of using a skill point on skills that no one in her group could do (well) whenever she levels up. (Disable Device, anyone?). Looks like she'll be doing that with Handle Animal next time.

Though if they were trying to highlight druids and rangers, I'm surprised they didn't include a bunch of survival checks, too.

Too bad Survival wasn't required more often. Yaiho has a good Survival skill.

I'm just glad that if they're asking for this many handle animal rolls that they're giving us domesticated animals to make it untrained!

We are near the end--but don't skimp on the excellent role-playing you've all been doing!

If you have any changes to the details in your check-in sheet, please note them. If you need to roll a Day Job check or have anything special I should write on your Chronicle (such as fulfilling a faction card goal), please let me know. I'll mark down the purchase of the scrolls.

I think there's only one condition to be cleared (but correct me if I'm wrong). Kaa, you're planning on covering the raise dead and restorations with good old fashioned cash?

I think it is 8010 for both raise dead and two restorations, is that correct? I have the money, so might as well use it!

No day job, though. I'll be in the recovery ward anyway....

Profession (artisan): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Kaa, just say the word and Pai will happily chip in up to 1000gp.

Day Job - Perform (oratory): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

craft alchemy, crafters fortune, lab, investigator levels : 1d20 + 9 + 5 + 2 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 9 + 5 + 2 + 5 = 37