Even as Fung feels his mind start to lose control, one of his talismans start to glow blue, infusing him with an aura of protective energy that repels the attack. It then crumbles into dust. (600gp...)
Fung calls upon the winds which keep him buoyed up to drift him back (5-foot step) even as he sends another tendril of concentrated cyclone of air to slam against the creature.
kn:planes to ID:1d20 + 13 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 13 + 5 = 323 higher if a demon
Faustus relays the information that he has learned about this creature of chaos. Knowing his weapon can overcome the damage resistance he declared chaotic outsider bane, and attacks.
The daemon hits only once even with the flank — the Naunet has a lot more natural armor than a serpentfolk. Roderick manages to connect against the persistent beast, melting more of its scaly flesh! Inkwell defends himself while Fung batters the thing with air, and Lya cuts at it. Finally, Final Arbitration has the last say.
The beast falls; two twitching tentacles lie on the ground, writhing for a moment before going still.
Out of combat; success reported. We will wait to move on. Please heal up in the meantime and consider where to next (slave pens or temple plaza); Lya took 2 damage, Faustus 15, and Fung 7.
Female Human Conjurer 9 | HP 74/74 | Init+2 | F:+11 R: +9 W: +12
Theo Rosevale wrote:
Got the animal pens nailed down... seems like the slave pens would be next =)
AFAIK Animal Pens and Slave Pens are primarily for the lower tiers, hence the overseer announcement 'Waves of junior agents'. I think we are doing really well as a party and that we might be more helpful for the progress if we join the other(?) senior groups on top.
Minutes between encounters:
1d2 ⇒ 2 1d2 ⇒ 2 1d2 ⇒ 2
15 minutes for the research. 0 minutes to move up top as spell used.
1 minute of combat / healing
22 M total
Those of you trained in arcana can tell that this might not have been summoning gone wrong — perhaps it waas a summoning gone right. Part of this serpentfolk holiday may be allowing summoned agents of chaos to rampage the lower halls, to culling the weak and unlucky from the lower castes.
As you’re healing the pathetic damage the proteans did to you, a Pathfinder runner comes along. They’ve almost cleared everything up top, but you could help research! With this new information in mind, you decide that your time will be best spent heading up top and then down to the slave pens.
They also tell you that the plaza connects to the slave pens, so it may be tactically advantageous to head down into the pens from the top and meet the lower-level Pathfinders in the middle.
Lilybeth uses her conjuration specialty to transport everyone up top.
★★★
You find yourselves atop some ziggurat. The crumbled remnants of constructs lay scattered about — elements of earlier battles. We’ll be skipping a combat encounter with constructs.
This is an excellent area for research: not only is there an ancient Ydersius temple here, but a whole city block surrounding it. Various libraries, restaurants, and warming parlors line the plaza where merchants sold clothing, salves, and magic. With their sudden, clearly magical teleportation through time, however, most of the district’s serpentfolk civilians have taken refuge inside. However, as you look at the library’s rooftop, you see some serpentfolk readying a ranged attack of some sort — clearly, the residents here are still willing to fight back, harassing your research efforts! However, the research must be done…
This will be a research phase, operating in 5- minute increments where you can choose what to do.
You can do one of two things during each 5-minute "turn" of this research phase:
1. Research: Make a Craft (calligraphy or painting), Knowledge (engineering, history, nature, or nobility), or Profession (architect, librarian, or scribe). An individual PC can’t attempt a check with the same skill twice, though multiple PCs can attempt checks with the same skill. Each check takes 5 minutes of effort.
2. Protect the Researchers: You can scare off the serpentfolk skirmishers. If at least one PC succeeds at an Intimidate check, harder Perception check, or ranged attack roll, they will help the researchers avoid the attacks that round. You can roll these as many times as you want.
Let’s have everyone roll 3 ‘turns” for the sake of time of checks representing what you do over 5-minute chunks. You can mix and match jobs between turns however you want.
If you want, it would be nice to know what you’re researching or what you find (it’s a whole city block full of interesting options!), or flavor about how to help scare off the skirmishers. I think you’re all well-equipped to knock this out of the park, but these can be character moments, too.
"Looks like my special abilities can be useful here!" the diminutive dragon uses his shapechanging ability and turns into a golden fountain pen decorated with designs reminiscent of sovereign dragons.
The golden pen counts as a masterwork tool for the purpose of Craft (calligraphy) checks.
Female Human Conjurer 9 | HP 74/74 | Init+2 | F:+11 R: +9 W: +12
Lilybeth will cast Heightened Awareness.
To not upset Inkwell she will use the fountain pen for calligraphy. Although one of the knowledges is strictly better. Craft Calligraphy:1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 10 + 2 = 21
"Anyone else want to try out this amazing pen? It's the best there is!"
She will take notes on the architecture.
Knowledge Engineering:1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 14 + 2 = 18
She will visit the library to research the royal lines of the serpent folk.
Knowledge Nobility:1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 14 + 2 = 22
Faustus will also use heightened awareness.
Faustus starts by letting the serpentfolk know that under no conditions should they approach.
Intimidate:1d20 + 25 ⇒ (6) + 25 = 31
He will then attempt to learn what he can.
nature:1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 10 + 4 = 19
"Puzzling out stuff, that's for bigger brains than I." Theo growls. "But putting a few scaled bastards in their place... that's something I can do!"
He makes his way down to ground level, intent on helping keep the locals off the others.
Of course, the serpentfolk end up atop what appears to be a library, well out of range. With a curse, he reaches for his bow, calling a warning to the others, as he points out the new threat.
Perception:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31
He then starts firing back at the serpentfolk, hoping to keep them pinned down, or at least distracted, by incoming fire... so they would be less likely to shoot at those doing research.
Given that Theo at a table would have told us he has no skills, I might have tried to do another skill check.
However, the best I could do would be to use Prof: Auditor or Barrister in place of the given professions.
If allowed... replace the first roll.
prof: auditor:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Fung glances sheepishly at the books, knowing that he is not going to be of much help them. Instead, he rises into the air, and weaves about firing blasts after blast of lightning and cyclone-force winds to keep the skirmishers back.
Lilybeth manages to please Inkwell with her crafting efforts. Close to the DC, but I am willing to give a little if the PC isn’t doing the totally optimal thing for the sake of character.
Faustus finds the serpentfolk tax bureau and performs an audit of the wealthiest serpent folks’ income taxes. He finds very interesting things about how serpentfolk get ahead.
Lya creates some excellent reproductions of the (literally) serpentine script in the temple.
Roderick finds it too difficult to concentrate, what with the serpentfolk atop the buildings about to snipe at him any minute.
Meanwhile. Theo and Fung use a combination of sharp eyes and blunt force to discourage the serpentfolk from attacking! They still try, but they do a poor job of it and miss you each round of attacks. Instead, flaming debris strike against a nearby column or off the side of the raised city altogether.
10 minutes of effort and a Success on this research phase. That one was close. I will report the success to the house and move you on to the pens later today.
Below the temple district are the serpentfolk slave pens… mostly occupied by sickly, depressed human captives in claustrophobic cells that line the walls. Updated the cross-section on slide 2 to reveal the pens area
The halls converge on a hewn-stone chamber lit with braziers and choked with herb-scented smoke.
There are two humanoids in here. One has gray hide and a body shaped like a cave lizard’s — including the long tail and ridged skull. He rides another lizard and carries a lance.
The other is a serpentfolk wearing blue robes; she carries a spell pouch.
I think you learned a bit already but remember, they have SR. So roll it if you’re going to cast.
DC 17 Local on Lizard-Person:
These are troglodytes! They are Chaotic Evil humanoids with the reptilian subtype. They have a stench aura that sickens.
DC 23+
Spoiler:
They can have class levels. They have darkvision. There’s not much more interesting about these creatures. Any problems you have with them will derive from their class abilities more so than their type.
DC 12 Nature on lizard mount:
This is a CR2 rising lizard. It’s a riding lizard and it carries a person with a lance.
★★★
Serpent Slavers! Round 1
Faustus
Serpentfolk in Robes
Roderick
Fairbeaks
Fung
Lizard-Person with Lance
Riding Lizard
Theo
Lya
Lilybeth
Faustus relays what he knows, and moves up. Realizing he won’t be able to get an attack on the troglodyte due to his lance, he casts shield of faith and declares a judgement for +2 profane on save and +2 profane on AC.
The wizard pulls some fleece out of her spell pouch and says some arcane words; a wall of fire appears as the fleece burns to cinders — the sheets of opaque fire cut Faustus off from the rest of you (however, being wreathed in flames is a very fitting look for the black-armored Asmodean…) The opaque wall gives the room beyond a little concealment (20%).
DC 19 Spellcraft:
Major Image. Pointing this out will give others a +4 to disbelieve, which they can do when they use a move action to study it or interact with it. You might also present them with irrefutable proof it's an illusion by using more than words.
Spoiler:
Will, interaction:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19
Lya:
You start to feel heat on your face from the fire… or, you think you do. This is a trick! It's not a real wall of fire. It's an illusion of some sort. You can tell the others to give them +4 on their saves to disbelieve, which they can do when they use a move action to study it or interact with it in a way such as feeling the heat of the fire. You might also present them with irrefutable proof it's an illusion by using more than words.
★★★
Serpent Slavers! Round 1
Faustus Shield of faith
Lizard-Person in Robes
Roderick
Fairbeaks
Fung
Lizard-Person with Lance
Riding Lizard
Theo
Lya
Lilybeth
Fung draws back visibly when the wall of fire comes up, until Faustus' declaration. "It's an illusion?" Faustus voice gives him some pause but eventually he takes a deep breath and plunges through! He flies straight towards the spellcaster, keeping to the ceiling, and sends a thundering electric blast at her!
You should use a move action to try and disbelieve the illusion as you inspect it with a +4 bonus from your companions' words, or try to move through with a +4 when interacting with it while moving through (you may not even do something that in-character, depending on how much you trust your companions' judgement). Someone telling you it's an illusion doesn't count as irrefutable proof, it just gets you the bonus. And when making the save as you try to move through, as in this case, if you fail the save your character would probably not willingly desire to be burned if they believe it's real.
Thanks. I've been playing Fung as someone who would plunge straight into danger just because it is the right thing to do. (The classic not-so-intelligent but good-hearted hero. He was one of my first characters though so at that time, haven't embraced the joys of making negative stats. Otherwise, would have made his Int 8 or even 7.) So yeah, even if it was a real wall of fire, Fung would plunge right through to try to lock down the wizard. He's trying to get close enough to activate his kinetic whip to make AoOs whenever she casts spells.
20% miss chance, Roderick:1d5 ⇒ 1Following same pattern used before
1d8 ⇒ 7 Reflex:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Illusionist Fort:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Taps ride checks to guide mount and stay in saddle.
Spirited Charge, Power Attack -2/+6:1d20 + 13 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (17) + 13 + 2 - 2 = 30 Piercing:3d8 + 15 + 18 ⇒ (6, 7, 2) + 15 + 18 = 48 [ooc]spirited charge x3 on base 1d8+5 + 6 Power Attack
Roderick has a hard time aiming at the wavering images in the flames, and the bomb splashes at the lizard's feet! It dances out of the way of the splash but still takes some damage. The rider cannot do immediate action stuff because he hasn't acted yet. So it was a good idea on Roderick's behalf, but he had some bad luck!
Fung barely manages to touch the caster after braving the "fire." She hisses with frustration as she goes deaf!.
★★★
The rider turns and changes the dangerous Fung, wheeling his mount and driving his lance into the kineticist! 15' high ceilings; a 10' reach on a large mount can reach. Spirited Charge with Power attack.
He flies straight through the charge, ending near the wall.
★★★
Serpent Slavers! Round 1-2
FaustusShield of faith
Lizard-Person in Robes -26 HP, deaf
Roderick
Fairbeaks
Fung -48 HP
Lizard-Person with Lance Charge Penalty
Riding Lizard -3 HP, Charge Penalty Theo
Lya
Lilybeth
Ahh, your splash has 10' radius. I had rolled a 7 against the nearest square on the Large creature, which means the bomb landed more than 5' reach from the rider but 10' would still reach the rider. I've been GMing 2e a LOT lately and it's getting hard to keep both systems in my brain, thanks for your patience on splash rules!
Spoiler:
ref:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
★★★
Serpent Slavers! Round 1
FaustusShield of faith
Lizard-Person in Robes -26 HP, deaf
Roderick
Fairbeaks
Fung -48 HP
Lizard-Person with Lance -3 HP, Charge Penalty
Riding Lizard -3 HP, Charge Penalty Theo
Lya
Lilybeth
The rider looks rather shaken at this apparition whose black armor gleams in the fire… Rider at -26 HP & shaken. The appearance of an axebeak, daemon, ranger, and caster probably doesn't help his outlook on life, either.
★★★
Serpent Slavers! Round 2
Faustus Shield of faith
Lizard-Person in Robes -26 HP, deaf
Roderick
Fairbeaks
Fung -48 HP
Lizard-Person with Lance -26 HP, Shaken, Charge Penalty
Riding Lizard -3 HP, Charge Penalty Theo
Lya
Lilybeth
I can't manipulate the map at the moment... So if someone can move Fairbeaks to the right one square, and Theo one square to the right and one square down, that'd be awsome!
Theo is in the middle of trying to convince a very reluctant Fairbeaks to walk intentionally through an obvious wall of fire... An argument the dwarf is clearly losing... Only to have Inkwell fly in close, touch them both, and suddenly pop them out on the far side of the flames, right in the middle of the fray.
Theo curses in tien, at the sudden change, and Fairbeaks squawks loudly in surprise and irritation.
"A little warning!" The dwarf yells, before sending a quick command to the axebeak.
Fairbeaks shifts to the right, Theo close on his heals, and takes out his annoyance on the serpentfolk there, snapping his powerful beak at its head.
I can't manipulate the map at the moment... So if someone can move Fairbeaks to the right one square, and Theo one square to the right and one square down, that'd be awsome!
Done!
Theo Rosevale wrote:
"A little warning!" The dwarf yells, before sending a quick command to the axebeak.
"Well actually, you should know by now Lilybeth is a teleportation specialist! And we don't want to warn the enemy do we? A surprise is good if the enemy is even more surprised!"
"But to accommodate you, next time I'll shout 'HERE WE GO' ok?"
Theo and Fairbeaks recover from their surprise enough to hit the dangerous lance-bearer twice! A 15 won’t do it even with the penalties. 2 hits, 35 damage.
★★★
Serpent Slavers! Round 2-3
Faustus Shield of faith
Lizard-Person in Robes -26 HP, deaf
Roderick
Fairbeaks
Fung -48 HP
Lizard-Person with Lance -61 HP, Shaken, Charge Penalty
Riding Lizard -3 HP, Charge Penalty
Theo
Lya
Lilybeth
Lya steps through the illusion without flinch. She surveys the combat, before stepping behind Fung. "you should be more careful. Shelyn may have plans for you yet. Come here."
Readied action lay on hands Fung when moves within reach:
LoH, mercy:5d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 2, 2, 3) + (3) = 16mercies are to cure fatigue and disease
The lizard-person, deafened and faced with an angry bird, withdraws! Full Withdraw; Fairbeaks gets an AOO after the first square, outlined on the new map with a dotted box. Arrows show the path taken in case anyone reaches there or has some other ability.
The lance-bearer shouts something at the serpentfolk caster:
Draconic:
COWARD!
★★★
Serpent Slavers! Round 3
Faustus Shield of faith
——
Lizard-Person in Robes -26 HP, deaf
——
Roderick
FairbeaksAOO Available as well! Fung-48 HP
——
Lizard-Person with Lance -61 HP, Shaken, Charge Penalty
Riding Lizard -3 HP, Charge Penalty
——
Theo
Lya
Lilybeth
If ceiling is 15' high, Fung would be 10' above ground (counting from his feet), so he can 5-foot step diagonally down to 5' above ground, i.e. 1 square up, for Lya to reach.
Fung moans in pain, clutching the wounds he received. He recovers somewhat to hear Lya calling for him so he allows the wind to bring him closer to her who then pour some healing energy in him.
"Thank you, Lya. So sorry to trouble you."
He then turns back, and decides to manifest his electric whip this time, unsure how strong the lizard-person's armor is. He then sends it crackling at the rider.
Just a note that the electric blast targets touch AC
Air Wysp Aura, Elemental Overflow (Dex & Con)
Burn: Kinetic Whip (+2), Empower (+1), Infusion Specialization (-2), Gather Power (-1)
electric blast, flanking, vs TAC:1d20 + 10 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 = 22 electric dmg:4d6 + 3 + 1 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (4, 3, 3, 6) + 3 + 1 + 4 + 1 = 25 Empowered damage = 25 x 1.5 = 37
