GM Elberion's The Feast of Ravenmoor [PFS] (Inactive)

Game Master GeraintElberion

”If you let me handle the talking, I believe the disguises shall suffice.”

+10 to Disguise!

It doesn't seem likely. The only giant walking tree these people have ever seen is just the start. Ekanta, Vina, and I are all quite distinct, as well. Sayuki might be a master of disguise, but we're a unique and recognizable grouping.

”Less so when we’re wearing masks and cloaks,” Sayuki reminds. ”But Lakadee does present a concern, yes.”

She shrugs. ”If nothing else, just wearing them might present enough of a shadow of a doubt to get us closer before a fight breaks out.”

Ekanta silently scrutinizes the masks to see how well they conceal one's eyes, and the robes to see if any are long enough - especially for a man of his height - to conceal hooves.

The disguises are a motley collection of sizes and are so rough-patched that alterations might well go un-noticed.
Lackadee is a tree.

There is a distance penalty to perception scores. These costumes are full-face and body covering. Only hands and feet would be visible. Let's be more decisive: next two posts either way will decide. Or, if you dither too long, I'll flip a virtual coin.

Let's give it a shot. Hopefully the dark and distance do us as much good as the cloaks and masks. We're about as motley a collection as they are.

Disguised in the draped robes of the cult, the heroes head into the cornfield and discover that it is some kind of maze.

Lackadee can see that there are gaps in the corn but little more than that.

As they plunge through the maze, a group of stirges buzzes around them but does not attack.

The corn is 12' high.

As Ekanta leads the group through the corn maze, a creature appears from the corn and strikes out at Salvius.

Its sickle swings at Salvius
attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13
damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Salvius, do you have mage armour up?

Another slashes sails toward Salvius.
attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
damage: 1d6 + 5 + 2d6 ⇒ (2) + 5 + (4, 4) = 15

Leonard

Ekanta
Vina
Sayuki
Linka
Tanya
Salvius (-15)

Bold are up!

Vina casts Magic Fang on Lakadee and directs him back down the path and then into the corn north of Salvius to attack the creature!

Casting Magic Fang on Lakadee

Lakadee tries to pummel the creature.

Slam, MF: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 10 + 1 = 27 for dmg: 2d6 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (1, 2) + 7 + 1 = 11

The corn is 'heavy undergrowth' and each square of movement costs 4 squares. Lackadee can move up with a double move through the corn but cannot attack.

I am happy to roll over his attack rolls.

He climbs on top of the corn with climb speed 30ft then, if possible. Add +1 to his atk roll from high ground. And if that's not possible, he spends his round mowing the corn to clear more space.

He climbs on top of the corn with climb speed 30ft then, if possible.

How much does Lackadee weigh? It's corn!

Although, it's creepy corn full of webs and weird fungus, of course...

Yeah, you should have led with that description first I think... lol -- let's just go with the double move, if that's the simpler option.

(Salvius would not have Mage Armor up!)

Salvius falls unconcious as he gets stabbed twice-"Agh! Ugh!"-his frail body not being very resilient. He spits out blood and falls on the floor.

Stabilization check DC 12: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (13) + 12 = 25

I'm not sure why it's called a faceless stalker when it clearly has a face, warped as it may be

Special attacks, special defenses

It still ought to burn

Bomb vs touch, Point-Blank Shot: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 + 1 = 28
Boom, Point-Blank Shot: 2d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5, 3) + 4 + 1 = 13

confirm, Bomb vs touch, Point-Blank Shot: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 7 + 1 = 23
Boom, Point-Blank Shot: 2d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (6, 5) + 4 + 1 = 16

Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
Linka has the important questions asked, so if it is introduced to enough heat and oil would it make a popcorn faceless stalker?

"Too many people are in the way, I can't get a shot." Tanya says disappointedly. She moves forward and readies to shoot.

Condition being she can get a clear shot.
Readied Attack: Pistol + PBS (No Precise Shot): 1d20 + 4 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 1 - 4 = 5
Pistol + PBS: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Feeling on some level that he must surely be at fault for not being able to prevent this, Ekanta hurries back, staff at the ready as he closes in....

readied attack, masterwork quarterstaff: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Soul Seer check-in!

"Only so much I can do about that, Tanya!" says Sayuki, pushing her way into the corn stalks.

"Here, hold this!" she says, grabbing a cob of corn from a stalk. She draws back her bow and "nocks" the cob, then releases, sending a spray of kernels at the creature!

After all, when you're not sure which hole or slit a creature is seeing out of, you might as well fill all of them with... uh, corn?

Dirty Trick: Blind: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

"Country girls make do!"

Linka roasts the corn around Leonard/Faceless Stalker but it is too damp and gross to ignite.

The foe looks badly burnt, but maybe that's how it always looks.

The Stalker tries to slink away into the foliage provoking AoO from Lackadee (I'll use the above roll) and Sayuki.

Let's resolve Sayuki's AoO, then everyone can act.

Sayuki's kunai comes out again--

Kunai: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

--and misses.

As a side note, did blinding it work, or do I not know that?

No, blinding it did not work. But, as your corn soared through Linka's flames, you did make a few charred kernels of popcorn. So, definitely not a wasted action.

All of this plant life is treated as heavy undergrowth — the corn and other plants grow to an impressive height of 12 feet on average. Heavy undergrowth costs 4 squares of movement to move into and provides concealment with a 30% miss chance. It also increases the DC of Acrobatics checks by 5 and grants a +5 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks.

Leonard (-40)

Ekanta
Vina
Sayuki
Linka
Tanya
Salvius (-25, unconscious, dying)

Bold are up!

Sayuki trails along!

"Hey, you can't just cut and run!"

Kunai Again: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Kunai Damage?: 1d4 ⇒ 1
So underwhelming!!

Linka pulls a stick from her pack and nudges Salvius with it.

Wand of cure light wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

at least he's not dying anymore?

Vina hops off Lakadee and tends to Salvius' wounds.

Wand of CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

She points at the creature and orders Lakadee to attack it.

Lakadee moves towards the creature and attacks.

Move + Attack, using previous roll for 11 dmg

30% miss, 01-30 is bad: 1d100 ⇒ 68

I used your previous roll for Lackadee’s AoO. You’ve beaten concealment: roll to hit.

Ekanta tries to move to cut the thing off...

I've moved 3 squares straight downward; does that eat 60 feet/12 squares of movement all by itself, or could I still do more/go further?

I used your previous roll for Lackadee’s AoO. You’ve beaten concealment: roll to hit.

Slam, MF: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 1 = 17 for dmg: 2d6 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (6, 1) + 7 + 1 = 15

Salvius wakes up in a daze, saying-"Thank you both! It seems our friend is trying to cut and run. Here's to Professor Sprout! Can't believe the Entangle spell has been useful so many times in a day."-pointing his wand at the cornfield.

"Enreda Astandam!"-he chants as he coaxes the corn to block his path of exit whilst standing up.

(Using my last cast of Entangle, as the first one vs the compost heap was not cast. Reflex save DC 17 or be entangled. The hard terrain would not stack with the cornfield's greater hard terrain. Area of the spell is a bit unusual, but did my best to keep it to only the faceless stalker.)

"Here's to Professor Sprout!"

"SALVIUS, NO! YOU'LL BRING HER LAWYERS DOWN UPON US ALL!!"

Ekanta has no idea what Salvius and Sayuki are squabbling about - yet somehow, for the first time in years, he is revisited by memories of nightmares about someone or something claiming to "own" him - no, not the tyrant Zhanagorr, but something even older and more terrible....

Lackadee takes down the stalker in a mighty swing.
Salvius can save his spell.

It in unconscious and dying. It would be dead if it were not for a very high con.

The faceless stalker's only gear is a +1 sickle. Any actions before you go deeper into the corn maze?

I'll happily nick that sickle, if no one else can more readily use it-- and, if no one complains, coup de grace the stalker.

no objections on either

So much for a quiet entrance.

We could just push on but I imagine Salvius probably wants to do something about all of the blood loss.

Sayuki's robes are sprayed by a gout of fresh blood.

The striges circle for a moment then buzz off.

Salvius' header says: HP 23/23. I would appreciate a more... precise status... so that we can collectively decide on a way forward! ;)

He's at 3 based on our wands and the last combat update.

Linka continues poking Salvius.

Wand of cure light wounds: 3d8 + 3 ⇒ (8, 7, 6) + 3 = 24

After a few taps he's restored to full health.

Salvius stands up and smiles as Linka, thanking her-"I appreciate the kindness, friend. Allow me to provide my own."-taking out a wand and letting Linka use it to heal him.

He then says-"Best we move on. Can't give the leaders more time to escape"-hurrying onwards.

Tanya, having done just about nothing that entire fight with the clustering, watches Sayuki and Salvius squawk about lawyers and professors and wonders to herself...

What in the hell is wrong with these people?

.. Her face betrays her confusion momentarily.

Okay, let's push on. This is a flavour-maze, not an actuall puzzle. I'll take you to the middle later today: last chance to take any actions before then.

Everybody ok? Best bet is probably stick to the path and assume they know we're coming.

So, I messed up again. The Faceless Stalker also had two potions of CMW.

Ekanta leads the group of heroic pathfinders through the maze until they reach the centre.

A thirty-foot diameter glade sits at the centre of the field of looming vegetation. The ground is stripped down to bare earth and soil is heaped in a ring around the glade’s perimeter. Two large piles of wood stand at the eastern and western sides of the glade, while an enormous, twisted mass of roots topped by thick slabs of timber sits at the glade’s centre.

At the centre of the circle stands Mayor Kriegler, resplendent in white robes and bearing an exotic spear. Draped on the table is the unconscious body of Fendren (the young man who was taken with Tanya and went into the woods to get high).
Around the perimeter of the clearing, pressed into the corn, are twenty villagers covered in gauzy, diaphanous robes and chanting in some strange tongue.

The two nearest villagers blink slowly and speak, their voices distorted.
"C̫̣̼̝̕ọ̻̗m̙̜e̻,͓̣̰ ̵̫d҉̘̺͙̜̩i̵̲̯ṣ͇́r̼̟̼͓͓o̳̹͎b͈̖e͚̰,̰ ̹̻̝́j̶̟̼̜͍̬͖oi͏̪̝̬̪̳n͖̦̹̟ ̖͖̞͕͍͈ͅu̡͉̪̠͉͕s҉.͚"

The mayor is chanting quietly as well but he looks up and smiles at you, "A͟h̆͠,̏ͨ̒ͯ̏ͭ͏ ͫ͆̎ͪͣ̇t͞hȩͦͭ̂͆ ̔m̵ͫ̂ͮ̎̿̑î̈̿ͯ̾̽g̸̏̄̄̈̑ͫ̊h̿͝t̀̑͜y̿͂̔̾̊̍ͨ͢ ̛ͬ͌n͏ě̃̈w͒ͦ̽͐cͮͧ̓ͯ̊o͛̾̋͑ͦm̓̍ͩ͐͐̇ë͂ͪ̒́̒͌̕r̸̐ͧ̔ͫ͂s͊ͧͣͤ̓͏.̴ ̀͆̓ͪŸǒ̵̌̍úͨ̋̿ͩ ͊̄ͨ̈̎̅͂h̑̉ͩͣͩͨ̚a͌́v͋̎͆̄̅ę̉ ̵̍ͬ̏̓ͮͧs̴̆̏h͐̃̉̾͗oͣ̋ͫ̔̓̋̌w̌ͨͣ̃͗̿n ̋ͥ̑gr̵̀̒ͦ͊͒ȅ̒͛̿aͮ̈́̽̏͝t ͯ̓̈̌ͪ̄͡d̸̓ẽ̂͐̈́ͭ͗̕s̢i͝r̡̽ͭe̾̑ ̢̀ͫt̑ͩo͜ ͧ̐p̆͆̀ͪ̓͝r͋̾̿̍̄̍̚͡o͑teͦ͐̉ͫ͒̅ͤc̢͗͗͛̌̉̐tͫͧ͐̐ͮ̇͊ ́Rͨ͑͌ͣ̽͐ͧa̴ͧ͗̅͒̉̚vè̽͛n̴͌̄̎̾ͯm̈́̃oͪoͨ̀͐͒ͪ̉͜rͨ͌.̧̄̋ͮ͒̽ ͋ͥ͆͗͜Śͧ̐tͦͦ̄ͯ͢e̓̑͗͂͒́p̅ͯ͌̄̕ ̶̄̋ͨ͆̈̇ͬf̑̄ͩ̏̂ͬ͒̀uͮ̋ͨ͊ͥ̽͑lͤ̆ͬ͊̃l͌͝yͬ̿͆ͨ̚ ͣ̂͗̈́̽́î̛́nͪ͑tỏ͠ ̋̉t͌̆ͦ̈́ͤh̛ë́̒͊ ̐̇̒͒͆̉̚c̢ͭ̐ͮȋ̆̈ͩͤ͐̅rćl̒̓ͬe̽͑͊͒ ̷͐ͧ̓͛ͯ͋of̎ͮ ͑ͬ͂͡hͤe̸ͦ̌ͫ͌r͒͜ ̉͒̿ͨ̌͒p̒̋rͥ̎͝o͆̐̾́͐͊t̽̔̔͒̅ę̈̎̿c͆t͗o̽͆̐̏̀҉r̈́̐s̈́ͧͥ̔̄̽҉.ͣ͆ͮͩ ̌̃̀́J̔ͭ͂̂o̎̓̃̿ͫͮ̾͡i̅ͨͨ̒̍̇n͗̉҉ ̵̃̏u̎̈͢s̡̈ ͛ͭ̓̌̚n͡o̊ͧ̈́̐ͥw̌̀̆̍͐̄.̢ͩ̐͆̈́ͬ̃͂ ̈͐̓ͬ“̇̚͟O̓ͣ̍ͮ̏̑n̋͋ͥ͛ͪ̆ĺyͮ̽͆̊̏̉̓ ̂ͭb̸l͐̈́ͩoͣ̽̅͆́͘o̾͏d͗̍̿ͣ͡ ́ͥ͘cͨͪ̂a͘nͣ̃̃͊̒̑ ̊͛͑ͬ͐c͌̎̓͛o̿̔̒̔͋ͪ̕n̶tͪ̀̆ͦ̾̆̔aiͧ̊̀̎n̍ͭ͛̄ͯ ̕t͌̾̒̿̽h͑̆̃̍̽e̿ ͜lͬͩa̅ͬn͋̈͒̎̓ͨd̛̓ͧ̒ͤ’̀s͐ͤ ̡̿̋ͪͭ̉n̂̍ͦiͤͯ̉g͊̽h̢̄t̡͑̅̅̆͐͆̍m̛̓̿͒̊͒͌̈a͂̔̑͋r̵͂ͩi̅s͞h̓͑̓̚ ͦͩͮ̽͡c̓̌̉̑̍ô͘r̸̄̂̚rͦ̈̅̈͌̚uͭ̊̈̓̚̚̕p̿ͨ̎̀͗t̵͐͆iͪͫ̆o͒ͭnͦ̎̃̒̐̃͞.̊̐̄̔ͯ͠"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Nice! Natural Tw--oh, ew, ew, ew??

Linguistics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
WHY DOES THIS NEVER HAPPEN IN COMBAT

Sayuki flexes her bowstring, arrow already attached.

"If the land is corrupted, you simply leave," says Sayuki. "There's no plot or meadow worth ending a life to maintain when another home would do just as well!"

Note: If anyone makes a sudden move, Sayuki will shoot them. ...Any of the cultists, that is.