One must pay the Piper (Inactive)

Game Master Fallen_Mage

"Hmm, I guess we have no choice then. That's our only way out."

Ghida pockets her new weapon and starts toward the iron doors.

Taken aback by the rat's sudden flight, Kamira doesn't react quickly enough to strike him down before he locks himself up in the armory. At least he won't be much of an obstacle anymore.

She follows the rest of the group out of the room quietly, feeling uneasy as the threat of the Piper becomes more precise by the minute.

"We'll lose the effect of surprise if the doors open as we get close," she thinks aloud on their way to the iron doors. "But perhaps we can plan an ambush. If the doors open with the door wings facing us, three of us can hide between the door wings and the wall. The bait can stand where the Piper can see them, and lure him outside of the room. The three of us who remained hidden can then sneak out and attack him by surprise. But it's rather risky," she admits. "If he can cast spells with his music, it's going to be harder to lure him where we want him to go. Unless we plug our ears?"

Ghida looks doubtful at the suggestion that the doors open toward them. At the mention of ear plugs, she bends down and rips a piece of clothing off one of the downed rats. She proceeds to tear it up into little strips with her dagger. When she's done, Ghida will hand two small pieces to each of her companions.

"Good idea, Kamira. We won't be able to communicate by voice so easily, but this may help us against the music."

Ghida holds the small pieces of cloth in her hands.

"We need to decide before we use these plugs - who's going to be the bait?

She smiles.

"I can be the bait. It's been a part I've played many times," Shadei said as she moved her daggers to behind her back.

"Alright, let's go!"

Ghida stuffs the pieces of cloth in her ears and marches off toward the iron doors.

The air in the hallway leading to the iron doors feels more and more oppressive. Getting closer, you notice that the hinges are indeed on your side indicating it would swing towards you. Shadei took up her position in the centre of the hallway.

Who's on which side, and please a Stealth Check to hide behind the doors as they open.

Ghida will hide behind the left-hand door.

Stealth-Hide: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Kamira hides behind the right door wing.

"Good luck," she says to Shadei. "Don't forget to plug your ears."

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Hsoa has a little trouble inserting the cloth into his audio-holes, despite the lack of ears.

Right, 1; Left, 2: 1d2 ⇒ 2

Hsoa opts for the side Ghida chooses, and huddles with longspear pointing up, behind the door. He keeps one hand on the iron door if possible, hoping against hope he might be able to electrify it, and anyone who happens to be touching it...

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

Shadei gave Kamira a wry little grin, "Oh I won't." She said before stuffing the cloth in her ears.

Giving herself a calming exhale, she approached the doors.

As the Elf approached the door they began to creak open with a hauntingly shrill metallic squeal.

While a particularly large room, it is not very impressive. Sparsely decorated it felt far more creepy as the very air itself feels heavy with dread. At the far end of the room stands a throne made of black iron on a raised dais. The figure seated upon it is shabbily dressed, looking more like a beggar than a ruler.

“Well well my pretty birdies have escaped their cages. I guess I’ll just have to put you back in them.”

As the figure stands up, two enormous rats appear from behind the throne, hissing and snarling. Suddenly, the lights dim to a point similar to a cloudless moonlit night.

Round 1:

Ghida, Rats, Shadei, Hsoa, Piper, Kamira

Map is up.

Please note the following:

This area has Dim Light. All creatures and players have the Concealed condition except against those with Low-Light Vision, Darkvision, or other Precise sense

Ghida has low-light vision.

Ghida tries to sneak into the room, just around the corner, to come up behind any enemies that take Shadei's bait. She will try to stay hidden until they do.

Sneak ◆, Sneak ◆, Hide ◆
With Sneak she moves at half speed and her Stealth modifier is +5

Stealth-Sneak: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Stealth-Sneak: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Stealth-Hide: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

As Ghida moved around the corner of the door, one of the rats spotted her and let out a hiss. However it then lost her.

◆ Seek: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Spotting her by the door, it charged.

◆ Move

◆ R1 Jaws: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

The sudden charge caught the Half-Orc off guard, allowing the little beastie to nip at her leg.

@Ghida - Please make a Fortitude save.

The other rat moved against the Elf.

◆ Move

◆ Move

◆ R2 Jaws: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

As with Ghida, the sudden movement of the rats caught Shadei off guard. But unlike the other rat, it lunged straight at her neck and bit down hard, causing her to fall to the floor.

Damn, that was unexpected.

Round 1:

Ghida, Shadei (Dying 1), Rats, Hsoa, Piper, Kamira

Attack die roll of 1 - still a Fort save needed here?

Fortitude Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Sorry no. My fault, didn't notice the dice roll changed during my re-write. Ignore the damage as well. Good catch.

Strange that the roll changed. Did you delete and re-write the whole post?

No, I originally moved to attack, but then discovered your hide was higher that the rats Perception DC. I went back and added the seek roll before it and that must have changed the algorithm.

If you add rolls before other rolls that can funk things up too I believe...

Hsoa stays put and poking his head around the door, zaps lightning at the rat near Ghida...with poor aim...

Ho hum, [i]electric arc

Zappp; Kzzzt!!!: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 81d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

@Hsoa - Electric Arc doesn't need an attack roll. The target or targets need to make a Reflex save.

Reflex: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Managing to dodge most of the damage from the spell, the rat snarled at Ghida.

An angry look crossed the man's face as the Elf fell to the floor. Moving forward, he pulled a dagger from his belt and flung it at the little beastie.

◆ Move

◆ Draw

◆ Throw: 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 5 - 2 = 7

Round 1:

Ghida, Shadei (Dying 1), Rats, Hsoa, Piper, Kamira

Kamira draws her mace and casts a spell, not engaging in combat with the rats for now.

Cast Shield, AC bumped to 13

Apologies, am confusing Hsoa with my only other PF2e character using ray of frost...

Round 2:

Ghida, Shadei (Dying 1), Rats, Hsoa, Piper, Kamira

Ghida does see Shadei dying around the corner, but she does see the very angry rat in front of her. She rears back and punches it.

Strike ◆

Fist Strike: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
bludgeoning damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

She hits with her other fist.

Strike ◆

Fist Strike: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
bludgeoning damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Frustrated, she kicks at the rat.

Strike ◆

Fist Strike: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (7) - 3 = 4
bludgeoning damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Completely forgot about these. Spending my one Hero Point to make a Heroic Recovery.

With the rat startled by the dagger throw from the Piper, Shadei reached down into that place which has kept her alive on the streets and forced herself awake.

Pulling a dagger she stabbed at the rat.

Forgotten Fortitude Save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

◆ Draw

◆ Attack 1: 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 5 - 2 = 22

Damage 1: 1d4 ⇒ 1

◆ Attack 2: 1d20 + 5 - 6 ⇒ (20) + 5 - 6 = 19

Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 3 x2 = 6

The Half-Orc grows frustrated as the rat manages to dodge her punches and kicks. While Shadei's first stab was barely more than a scratch, her second one finds more purchase.

The rats hissing stops suddenly as their eyes seem to glaze over and they pull back to flank their master, readying to spring to his defence.

◆ Move

◆◆ Ready Action

Round 2:

Ghida, Shadei, Rats, Hsoa, Piper, Kamira

Hsoa brings his longspear to bear and with his other hand thrusts his clawlike fingers outwards, zapping the rat Shadei stabbed...

Electric arc again...

@Hsoa - Please roll damage, and do you wish to aim at a second target? Electrical Arc can target 1 or 2 enemies.

Ah, right. Fork the two rats!

Szhpppptkakt!!!: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

R1 Reflex: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

R2 Reflex: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

The rat that Shadei stabbed let out a horrific squeak as the electricity burnt it to a crisp. While the other began looking pretty rough.

As the man pulled out his flute with one hand, the other began tracing some mystic symbols through the air. Once finished he made a throwing motion from the dead rat towards Hsoa, the furry corpse then flew through the air at incredible speed.

Spell Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Bludgeoning Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 x2 = 12

The sheer force to the blow knocked Hsoa to the floor, unconscious.

Hsoa, gain Dying 1. You can spend all of your Hero Points on your next turn to get back in the fight or roll to stabilize.

Round 2:

Ghida, Shadei, Rats, Hsoa (Dying 1), Piper, Kamira

Oops sorry guys! Somehow I didn't notice that there was an update!

As she situation seems pretty desperate, Kamira takes a deep breath and rushes to the Piper, hoping to distract him from his spells.

Charge attack with her mace equipped. I'll spend a Hero Point to give Ghida a +4 bonus on her next action, if I can distract the Piper enough to give her an advantage. Let's take him down! :D

Charge: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 3

@Kamira - Hero Points do not work like that as far as I know. It's spending a point to re-roll a single d20 roll or spend all to lose the Dying Condition without getting the Wounded Condition and gain 1 HP. Could you cite your source?

Moving up to the man, the Acolyte's mace found an opening and struck his side.

Round 3:

Ghida, Shadei, Rats, Hsoa (Dying 1), Piper, Kamira

I looked it up here, but maybe I'm wrong...

That's the first edition entry on hero points. The second edition rules are here: Hero Points

Ghida runs up to the caster, screaming a battle cry, and strikes at him with her open hand.

Stride ◆
Strike ◆

Unarmed Strike: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Bludgeoning Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

She open-hand strikes him with the other hand.

Strike ◆

Unarmed Strike: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Bludgeoning Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

As Ghida gets close to it, the rat snaps at her.

Readied Action Bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 x2 = 6

Ghida, now a Fortitude Save please. So glad I rolled low on damage.

After receiving a particularly nasty nip on the leg, the Half-Orc proceeded to pummel the man.

Round 3:

Ghida, Shadei, Rats, Hsoa (Dying 1), Piper, Kamira

Fortitude Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Getting up from the floor, Shadei took aim and flung her dagger at the remaing rat.

◆ Stand

◆ Throw Dagger: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Cursing under her breath as her aim went wide, she drew another dagger.

◆ Draw

With a snarl the rat went to lunge at Ghida again, but something strange happened. Its jaw went slack and it began to convulse. Falling lifeless on the floor wisps of dark energy began to rise from the corpse and infused with the Piper.

1d4 ⇒ 3

Round 3:

Ghida, Shadei, Hsoa (Dying 1), Piper, Kamira

Remember Hsoa, you can either roll a Flat Check to Stabilize or Spend all of your Hero Points to get back in the fight.

Let’s Roll!!!

Stabilize!!!: 1d20 ⇒ 13

That’s good, right?

Yes, the DC is 10 + Dying Condition. You now have the Wounded 1, please notate that on your character.

Raising the flute to this lips, the man started playing a tune and began skipping-like motion back towards the throne.

Everyone conscious, please make a Will Save at a +1 bonus for having the cloth in your ears.

Round 3:

Ghida, Shadei, Hsoa (0 HP and Unconscious), Piper, Kamira

Will: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 3 + 1 = 13

The Elf's eyelids grew heavy and soon her head slumped as the magical sleep took her. Somehow she was still standing with the dagger in her hand.

Thanks Guida, apologies for the mix-up!

Will: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 7 + 1 = 13 Aw, come on!

Kamira closes her eyes, and suddenly goes very still, seemingly falling asleep while still standing.

Will Save: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 2 + 1 = 21

Ghida's eyes started to feel heavy but she managed to shake herself awake. She still felt a little unfocused.

@Ghida - You suffer a -1 to Perception for 1 round.

@Kamira - You can attempt to make Perception checks against a DC of 14 to wake up.

Round 3:

Ghida, Shadei (Unconscious), Hsoa (0 HP and Unconscious), Piper, Kamira (Unconscious)

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

Kamira sleeps on, peacefully...

It's 1 Action, you can roll two more times.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 7 + 1 = 26

Thankfully, it doesn't take long for her to startle awake. Looking to her left, she sees that Ghida hasn't fallen asleep, and, with a nod to the half-orc, she gets ready to follow the Piper with her mace in hand.

Apologies for asking, but can I move to attack this round or do I have to wait until the next one?

Stride is 1 Action and Strike is 1 Action. Since you only have one left, you could Stride up to The Piper then strike three times on your next turn. Also, you could also provide Ghida the opportunity to flank.

I moved my pawn on the map next to the Piper (I'm unable to delete my previous position somehow)