[PFS1] GM Losonti's The Horn of Aroden 05-19 (Inactive)

Game Master Losonti

Your cone wouldn't be able to reach the bandit from your indicated square, so I moved you one square east.

Laafdahni's target shuts his eyes against the magical assault, and therefore saves himself from being immediately knocked unconscious.

The leader pulls free an enormous mace and swings at Magellia, but it, too goes wide. Frustrated, he yells out to his comrades, saying "Stop faffing about in the water and help me!"

None too eager to get themselves into melee with the party, both draw longbows and let fly one arrow each. One returns fire at Torvald, and the other valiantly tries to shoot Magellia in the back. Magellia easily dodges out of the way, while Torvald's shoulder is grazed by the other.

Yates
Bahram
Magellia
Torvald (1 damage)
Laafdahni
Wicent
Bandits (Red 8 damage)
The party is up!

Magellia unleashes her magic and her blade simultaneously at the leader

Rapier Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

5ft step back

Cast Ray of Frost

Ranged Touch Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

She then gets ready to parry his blow and hopefully riposte.

Parry: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Riposte: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Yates moves forwards as he tries to scoop up something that looks like it could be a good weapon from the area. As he gets close to the man in the river, he takes up an unusual stances that seems to be slightly off balance but primed to make whatever in his hands hit like careening cart.

Hold still for a second! (Improvised weapon): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
??? Damage, Shikigami Style and Mimicry: 3 = 3
If there's nothing nearby that works as a weapon, Yates will use the Founder's Flame Torch he has in hand instead. Additionally what ever weapon he picks up will increase damage die by two sizes from his Shikigami style. And just in case this FAQ shows how those size increases work.

Laafdahni huffs in frustration and tries again to spray the closest thug with her spell, taking care to aim it away from Yates. She calls out to the Pathfinders: "We need at least one of them alive so they can talk!"

DC 16 will negates

Advancing on the thug he'd bombed, Torvald draws another and shakes it at the ruffian in the middle. "Don't be a gods-damned fool! Throw down your weapons or I'll blow you to Hell, you slagging son of a troll!"

Intimidate vs Blue: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -1 Good lord

Lol. I can see an almost genuine 'I've always wanted to go to hell, thank you!' type of response to that!

That's a pretty neat ability, Yates! Never seen that before. I'm going to say you can easily find a nicely sized branch which we'll treat as a medium Club. That brings you up to 1d10.

Yates attack: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Wicent knocks Magellia's rapier thrust aside with his mace, but it leaves him open to her follow up and he catches a blast of cold to the chest.

Meanwhile, it turns out closing your eyes in combat, even to protect yourself from a magical assault, has consequences. Yates strides up to and easily delivers a blow to his target's stomach with a convenient branch, driving the air from the lungs and leaving him gasping for breath.

Bandit will save: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (5) + 0 = 5
Unconscious, Blind, Stunned: 2d4 ⇒ (3, 3) = 6 rounds
Blind, Stunned: 1d4 ⇒ 1 rounds

The combination of arcane magic and a well placed strike knocks him out cold and he falls, face first into the pond. Despite this, the bandit across the spring remains unfazed by Torvald's threats, and seems resolved to continue fighting for at least a little longer.

Bahram is up!

Bahram will double move up to Magellia, and look to the bandit. "I'd take this as your cue to drop that mace and yield." And he draws his greataxe back.

The bandit looks from Bahram to Magellia, licking his lips nervously, but decides to try his luck against the half-orc.

Wicent heavy mace against favored enemy: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 4 + 2 = 26
Confirmation: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 4 + 2 = 19
Heavy mace damage (nonlethal): 2d8 + 4 + 4 ⇒ (6, 1) + 4 + 4 = 15

The blow sends Bahram reeling, and Wicent backpedals away from the two Pathfinders, retreating deeper into the reeds. This will provoke from both Bahram and Magellia.

Blue constitution check, DC10: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

The bandit knocked unconscious by Laafdahni floats face down in the pond. The other bandit increases his distance from Torvald, firing another arrow at the dwarf as he goes.

Longbow attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 5

Yates
Bahram (15 nonlethal, staggered)
Magellia
Torvald (6 damage)
Laafdahni
Wicent
Bandits (Blue unconscious, Red 8 damage)

The party is up!

"Gah!" Swearing profusely in Dwarven, Torvald yanks the arrow out of his left shoulder and hurls the bomb after the fleeing bandit. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Bomb vs Blue: 1d20 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 6 - 2 = 16 Damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (4, 3) + 4 = 11

Before Bahram had time to realize how badly he was injured, he takes a retaliatory swing, connecting solidly with his blade. As he begins to fall, he thinks to himself, I don't think that he broke the skin or broke any bones...

greataxe AoO: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 3 + 2 = 251d12 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 3 + 2 = 16

confirm: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 3 + 2 = 191d12 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 3 + 2 = 15

As Wicent turns to flee, Bahram's counterstrike sends him to the ground in a bloody heap. The bandit is miraculously alive, though on the brink of death. Torvald's aim is true as well, and his target falls with a loud bang and a short cry of pain.

Combat over! However, if you want to interrogate the bandits, you will need to move quickly. Yates, Laafdahni, and Magellia may post their actions before anything else happens.

As soon as her target drops into the water, Laafdahni rushes after him, dragging him onto the beach and pumping the water from his lungs. She calls out: "Help me tie him up before he rouses!"

Once she is certain the man is no longer in danger of drowning, she'll pull out her rope and begin tying him up if no one else has started that process yet.

While the man is certainly incapacitated by the spell, his body's defensive reflexes appear to be left unharmed; he has not inhaled any water and once removed from it resumes breathing normally.

"What in all the miserable frozen Hells was that about?! Who are these idiots and why did they attack us first thing?! This does not bode well for Lander..." Torvald grumbles and grouses in Dwarven as he imbibes one of his healing elixers, then slogs through the stream to check on the thug he had bombed.

CLW Elixir: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Kicking the heavy mace away Magellia draws a potion and feeds it to the bandit leader before he dies of his injuries.
Pot CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

"Don't move." she orders, keeping her rapier pointed towards the downed foe while she feeds a second potion to Bahram
Pot CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Yates pulls out a length of rope that smells like it's been left in storage for far too long and is probably half made of dust by now. He loosely loops it around the man the group is trying to capture before picking up his Founder's Flame torch and holding it to one end of the rope. It rapidly contracts and squeezes the man inside, though Yates was careful to not make the thing deadly. "There we go, he shouldn't be able to get out of that anytime soon, and we don't have to worry about tying the knots well!"

Yates is using a contracting rope here to bypass the need for knots. Efficient and easy!

That will stabilize Wicent, tie up the one Laafdahni disabled, and if Torvald provides the last bandit with first aid he will be able to easily stabilize that one as well. We're out of initiative.

The man tied up by Yates returns to consciousness most of a minute later, woozy and confused but otherwise healthy. He looks around, trying to get his bearings and making a token struggle against his bonds, before relaxing in defeat once he sees Wicent's body next to him. "You'll regret this, you damned fools. Aldona will make sure of that!"

Among the belongings of the bandits, you find 2 potions of cure light wounds, 6 tanglefoot bags, 13 masterwork arrows (along with 60 regular arrows), a +1 heavy mace, 6 thunderstones, 102 gp, and, on Wicent, a silver ring worth 25 gp.

Bahram nods his thanks to Magellia and her potion. He then makes good use of one of the bandits potion as well.
pot clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

appraise: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
While looking for the potion, he notices the eagle and tongs mark on their weapons

"Hungh. We'll get to Aldona in a minute. Why don't you tell us of Marek first? See, we're not really worried about you guys. I think we'd even be inclined to let you live...if you tell us of Marek and Aldona."

diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 8 + 2 = 21

with a little bit of luck added in

A look of confusion passes over the man's face before taking on a look of defiance. "Our leader is the great Aldona, mistress of the moon! Just you wait, on the next full moon our gang will be more powerful than ever and all of Silverhall will be our prey!" As he flexes against the rope binding him, a scar on his upper arm becomes apparent. A quick check of the other bandits reveals they have similar scars.

Heal: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8 "I don't think he's gonna make it. I did warn the bastard..."

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Stripping the weapons off the fallen, Torvald stops and stares as the forge-mark catches his eye. "No...surely not. No one could be that stupid..." the dwarf says softly.

Moving to stand next to Bahram, scowling at human's bravado. "We took you lot apart like a child's toy, what makes you think we won't do the same to Aldona?"

Bandit Stabilize check: 1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (5) + 1 - 4 = 2
Bandit Stabilize check: 1d20 + 1 - 5 ⇒ (19) + 1 - 5 = 15

The final bandit's blood begins to clot and it appears that he will survive, for now.

The bandit scoffs at the dwarf, saying "You had numbers and surprise against us, but that won't help you when she comes for you."

"Full moon... Is Aldona a weredonkey?". Bahram asks, hoping to poke some sort of werebeast's pride. He also thinks to himself that they did not answer his question about Marek.

Not important at the moment I suppose.

Perception DC 15: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Heal DC 18: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Laafdahni tucks her heels under her as she settles into a seated position near the most talkative bandit. She cocks her head in curiosity. "Mistress of the moon! That sounds compelling. Do tell us more! Is there any particular reason that Aldona has to wait for the full moon to claim Silverhall?" She leans slightly toward him with a warm smile.

Diplomacy Aid Bahram: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Feel free to do a sense motive check on the bandit.

The bandit glares at Bahram. "Make your jokes. You'll find out soon, I'm sure." He turns his attention to Laafdahni, saying "That is when we will become so powerful that no one will be able to stop us from taking what we want."

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

I mean, as a player, I have a pretty good idea of what he means about the full moon, but what roll would you have me make to see if Laafdahni knows?

Magellia looks at her companions with a puzzled expression. "Why is this moon talk relevant?"
I'm halfway though the 8hr drive to the mountains so far :p

The module seems to assume that your characters would just generally know, but based on my understanding the appropriate knowledge skill is...Local.

Sense motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Know Local: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Yates stands towards the back of the group, letting everyone else talk to the man whilehe gathers some nearby wood and starts making a fire, moving to start boiling water for tea or other drinks. He does however keep his ear cocked towards the conversations.

With the hot water from the fire, Yates starts making tea, or other drinks if people prefer, and brings them by to everyone else, adding in hushed tones, "Sounds like a werewolf, and mayhaps some more people cursed with lycanthropy by a natrual werewolf. We should probably find where this Aldona is before there's a full moon."

"Do we know how long until the next full moon?" Bahram asks, not trying to keep the bandits from hearing. "And what were these gentlemen looking for, I wonder? Some sort of herb? We should see if we can retrace their footsteps. They might lead up back to their den." Bahram is obviously addressing his fellow Pathfinders, but he's hoping the loquacious bandit won't be able to keep quiet.

"This lot should be taken back to town, to answer for their crimes to the local lords. But that'll have to wait, I've heard enough."

It's not ideal, but we should tie them up and come back for them later.

As he works the knots on the the bandit, Torvald grills him about his presence here.

"So before we head off to thrash your precious Aldona, what were you doing here? You seemed to be looking for something--a young man named Lander, by any chance?"

"Aye, we captured some weak lordling a day back. Challenged Wicent to a duel, then yelled nonsense about honor when we all laid into him. Aldona sent us back here to tidy the place up and look for anyone following--" He cuts himself off mid sentence, scowling.

Laafdahni chuckles mildly. "Well, I suppose we'll have to go throw ourselves at Aldona's feet, then, won't we? Tell me, is that weak lordling still alive, to the best of your knowledge? Oh, and do tell us about Wincent." Which of all the reasons did Lander choose to justify that foolish choice?

"He was a bit roughed up, but alive, last time I saw him. Hard to ransom a dead person. As for Wicent," he says, pointing at the unconscious man felled by Bahram, "he's second in command. Probably not anymore, though."

Noticing the unfinished sentence Mageliia questions the bandit. "Following? You stopped yourself saying something. What are you hiding from us? That would not be a wise course of action."
I'm back!

The bandit glares at Magellia, then mutters "Supposed to look for anyone following the lordling. Bang up job, we did."

Welcome back!

Yates picks up a few more twigs to toss on the fire and comes over to the group. "Welp, you did find us, so in one aspect you can say you succeeded! Now where might we be able to find your first-in-command? We might split some of our dinner with you guys... Speaking of which, I need to go find some sticks. Also anyone know when the next full moon is?"

Dang he's not good at this, diplomacy: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (11) - 1 = 10

Knowledge (nature, untrained): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Does Laafdahni know when the next full moon is?

Torvald snorts derisively and shakes his head. "Aye, I can't say I see any promotions in your future."

"If these louts' leader has the boy, we should move quickly," Torvald suggests, checking the position of the sun in the sky.

It's not for some time yet. How would the party like to proceed from here?

Is it readily apparent where these three came from? If so, I would suggest we head out in that direction, with these remaining tied up for the time being?

It's not. You could try getting the location out of them, or try and track them the hard way.

Torvald walks away from the prisoners, combing the grasses and mud for signs of a small group dragging a captive.

Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Magellia looks around the camp for anything unusual that Torvald might be able to make some sense of.

Survival Aid Another: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Haha! Nope

She lets out a sigh of frustration and, drawing her rapier, advances on the captives.
"Which of you is going to prevent me loosing me temper?" her biological circuitry glowly slightly under her skin emphasising her unnatural physiology.
Looking at the confiscated gear she picks a a thunderstone and looks at it thoughtfully.
"I once saw a human force fed several thunderstones. He was then beaten in the abdomen until the stones detonated. The resulting sound was strange as it was filter though his open mouth and mingled with his screams."
She turns and focuses her metallic glare on each bandit in turn.
"Where can we find the human you kidnapped? He is all we are concerned about."
Intimidate: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14

Bahram moves up beside Magellia and gives the bandit a look that says, 'crazy girl will do it!'.

intimidate, aid: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

...Wow. That's... She's... Is she serious? After a moment of staring bug-eyed at Magellia, Laafdahni decides to play along. Her white teeth flash in her dark blue face as she smiles slyly, sliding up beside Magellia. In a voice as smooth as oil she suggests: "I would be most interested to hear how being underwater affects the sound." Her limpid turquoise eyes flick to to pond and back to the men, her sly smile turning wicked as her body relaxes into a languid-yet-predatory pose. "Of course, as soon as we know where we're going, we'll have to get moving. But if you won't help us, we may as well stay here and...entertain ourselves."

Intimidation Aid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

Numeria is a messed up place!

The bandit's bravado evaporates in the face of Magellia's tale, and he gives the party directions to their main camp, only a few miles away.

I'll have a post up for the bandit camp later today.