GM Otha's Tomb of the Iron Medusa (Inactive)

Game Master Otha

With them being able to squeeze into 5' area, I'm not sure if it's a turn 0 deal, but Jack would like to drop his held wand and try to hit the last fire elemental on the way out with greater possession, dc25.

Rokgurn, yeah, that spell isn't very intuitive to me either...let me do a little research and I'll get back with you in the morning...

Jack, it was a turn 0 deal, but they could've only moved 60' during round 0 so so they would still be in view of you...I've added them back to the map...let me see where they'd end up in initiative...

Fire Elemental Initiative: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23

...as they're after Daathiel and Rokgurn in turn order, they're up now. Since no one has attacked them they'll double move towards the exit but they'll still be inside the crematorium, so you could attempt that during your turn. However, the other elementals could very well see that as an attempt to bar them from leaving and could turn them hostile...

I'll move 'em in the morning along with Bebulec once I work out Rokgurn's spell query...you can attempt the possession with your first round action if you wish...if you do not, they'll exit during the second round...

Drat. Well it would have been a cool thing to try for a game.

*crosses it off chronicle boon*

Yeah, that was bad luck, Jack...Will was its weakest save and you had like an 85% chance to succeed, it was definitely worth a shot...

But Daathiel had said they were free to go (he didn't see us as having any authority to keep them prisoner), so he is quite angry at Jack for making a liar out of him.

^ To be honest it seems like quite a jerk move to try to dominate a fleeing Neutral creature. It is definitely an Evil act in my book when you consider that the party will now be likely forced to kill the three Elementals for no good reason.

@Daathiel - I am unclear about how Bard song and Blinking would interact. Would it have only a 80% chance of working each round? Blinking is a cool effect with varied benefits but with steep drawbacks IMO. My battle bard tried it out for a while but I decided in the end that it was generally not worth the trade-offs. You are free to disagree and I am looking forward to see how your character uses it so I can steal your ideas of course. :)

That is a fair point and it was a jerk move. He has a clear bias against those native to the plane of fire and there was a massive lapse in judgement to seize an opportunity.

Possibly agroing part of an encounter that was already solved was an OOC jerk move as well. I had my own lapse in putting more weight into character faults and something mechanically cool instead of the group's expectations. That can sour the society gaming experience and I apologize for not taking into consideration the rest of the players.

@Daathiel - I am unclear about how Bard song and Blinking would interact. Would it have only a 80% chance of working each round? Blinking is a cool effect with varied benefits but with steep drawbacks IMO. My battle bard tried it out for a while but I decided in the end that it was generally not worth the trade-offs. You are free to disagree and I am looking forward to see how your character uses it so I can steal your ideas of course. :)

Good question. I created Daathiel quite a while ago, and he probably got the Ring of Blinking (Eldritch Heritage bonded item) during Season 6 of PFS.

I think I might have asked a local lodge GM at the time and was told it would work fine? While the text for Blink describes how your spells and attacks may be affected, Bardic Performance is neither of those.

Relying on that wording alone might be too much rules-lawyering for my taste, as I prefer to look at the spirit of the rules, but Blink does also say that you are partially visible (and therefore one might assume partially audible). Bardic Performance is an ongoing ability, not one discrete moment in time.

I could see it ruled either way.

@Vladek - I had a look at your weapon attacks. First off Holy damage is not multiplied on a critical attack as it is added dice from a weapon special ability.

It would also be better if you include all the modifiers in your attack line to make it clearer and easier on the GM. For example as you lack Precise Shot include a -4 to your attack roll, +1 for Haste and I am assuming a +4 to hit from the net effect of your Hex to get to the totals that you have? That way the GM can easily adjust your total to reflect what he considers to be the game reality at the moment.

Everyone forgets a modifier from time to time but I have noticed that many players do this and it is a good habit to get into. Just my 2 cents for whatever that is worth nowadays. :)

@Yuri - My character is too polite to do this but I am laughing at your in-game comments. They are really funny. :)

Thanks - yeah, I enjoy playing this character. My -1, built back when I had no understanding of how Pathfinder works at all. He started with a 14 Str and a 14 Int! It's been fun to develop his personality and I really like how PbP allows for some actual role play, which there mostly wasn't time for when I played him in person.

I am SO. BLEEDING. SORRY. AWOL for over 2 pages now.

I've just hit a mysterious wall; not sure what to say. I'll try to finish the games I'm presently in.

Can somebody please give me a recap of what I've missed, and whether I should even stay in at this point (i.e. is it worth it to stay in despite what I've missed, how much more is left, etc.)?

I think you should stay.

I am having my own issues with this one - I am trying not to hog the spotlight but so much of this does seem to require what my character does. Perception, Traps, Spellcraft/Arcana checks. Sometimes I delay posting just to let somebody else get a post in so it isn't all me. Once there is combat it will be everyone else's turn to shine.

Anyway:
We took a teleporter into a large domed chamber. In here, there is a receptacle for four items to open a door or portal or something. We have two of them.

We answered some riddles from a ghost, and it left us alone.

We found two other creepy necklaces that don't seem to be what we need, but are likely connected to each other (belong to two warring brothers).

@Vladek: You're welcome to stay and I hope you do; this is a module and there is A LOT still left...

Gamepost incoming...

Daathiel, I always look at it as the trap finder should take the lead in a dungeon. Please don’t feel bad about that. It’s how it should go to maintain our safety as much as possible.

@Alie, thanks, I do get that. It is just that when I feel I am the pace-setter, I want to make sure I leave time for others to react to the interesting stuff without feeling like I am forcing things along too fast or too slow.

@Daathiel - Sure you will be making most of the Perception rolls and generally moving the party forward in terms of pacing at least most of the time. However that leaves a lot of opportunity for role-playing type posts that are really important in this medium and mostly lacking at table top play due to time constraints. At least that is how I look at it. :)

Yes, also since this part has involved a lot of puzzles and I've already played this I've tried to mainly limit my contributions to role playing flavor. I'm certainly not bothered at all by those who are taking the lead - much appreciated.

Sorry guys, forgot to tell you, I’m outta town and internet is spotty...I’ll try to get a post in later today...

@Daathiel - Generally you are not allowed to take 10 on disarming traps but are allowed to take 10 on picking a lock. You can even take 20 on picking a lock if you are so inclined. Out of combat of course. :)

There are exceptions of course (like Archaeologist Bard) or Skill Mastery which allows you to take 10 on specific skills.

You can generally retry disarming traps if you fail by 4 or less.

@Rokgurn - I have never heard that as a rule on traps.
Daathiel is not being actively threatened or distracted.

I will abide by whatever the GM says, as I regard this as a matter of GM judgment and table variation, but I do not think it is a rule. Many GMs dislike Take 10 and interpret "threatened" very loosely to disallow it as often as possible, and I'm not going to grumble if they do so. But it is the GM's call.

@Daathiel - Agreed. You are completely in the right. It is definitely not hard RAW and up to GM's judgement. For PFS I am inclined to side with your position in fact although as you say many GMs will disallow it. In my experience having it hard coded into your character's abilities is really useful (if possible) to avoid GM fiat. :)

Mind bringing me up to speed so I can give input?

I mean, I've read what I missed, but I...just am not managing to process it.

Update, please?

Vladek:

After the encounter with the Efreeti in the Crematory, through another of the buildings in the necropolis, the party was teleported to the actual Tomb of the Iron Medusa. In the structure you were teleported to, you came upon a chamber of the spirit Pasco Adellas (one of your visions) who asked you to answer 3 questions before allowing you to pass peacefully; you succeeded...you came upon two chambers that mirrored each other, a burial place for two opposing brothers where the two cursed but not-cursed necklaces were found and left. You then took some misty stairs with 3 medusa buttons on its threshold, the howling medusa being activated.

The stairs led to the chamber you're now in which Daathiel identified as the Sardisi clan of the Adella family's crypt. The four nagging but seemingly harmless spirits followed you there and thus far, you've found a secret room with what appears to be the Sardisi patriarch's treasures, a column which entombs one of his daughters (called Dear Sister by the nagging spirits), and the sarcophagus, likely of the same patriarch, which Daathiel just opened...and of which I'm just fixing to update said action in gameplay...

You're looking for keys that might fit into the medusa head carving that you teleported to in the Tomb of the Iron Medusa as well as the sword that Hanoris Dellum specifically sent you here for...

I think that's about got it covered...

I was confused why my touch AC was so low and then realized that I had figured that in as a flat-footed AC minus the uncanny dodge.

Jack is well-designed to handle this monstrosity, I think.

His Incorporeal Touch AC is even better than his regular Touch AC since Mage Armor and Shield apply. And Occultist for Ghost Touch is a really good thing to have.

I hadn't realized that Earth Child Style gives a +6 Dodge AC vs everything. That mask looks quite good now.

This is something that hasn't come before because this is such a situational case, but I would technically benefit from the +2 shield AC with the Aldori sword now.

If anyone else has a way to corrode her Will save before my turn, that would not be a bad idea. I'm not familiar with these things offhand, but I imagine their Will saves are pretty good. I have a couple of things I could try....

@GM Otha - Do we have any idea on how to stop the creature's Profane Regeneration? My other question is how does being Incorporeal and Ethereal interact? This is important as the Bard is blinking now and spending part of his turn on that plane. It might also be relevant for my character if I can use Ethereal Jaunt as a way to do full damage to the incorporeal undead creature.

I will post in the morning. It is getting late now. :)

Also going to have to wait until tomorrow for me - been a long busy day.

Before Yuri moves forward on his own power, is anyone at the back thinking of dimension door-ing everyone to the nemhain? - nevermind - I forgot that Yuri now has pounce. Now all I need is a charge lane, which I would have if Daathiel had moved 5' either north or south. GM, is that an acceptable retcon or would you prefer to leave it as is? which I'll attempt to make use of next round - please try not to block my charge lane for next time around.

Also, GM, if Yuri uses his Come and Get Me rage power against the Nemhain I presume that the +4 to damage rolls would only apply to hit point damage rolls, not to Con drain rolls?

@Yuri - it looked like you were all too far back to reach the Nemhain, so I didn't think I was blocking a charge lane. But I will keep that in mind for the future. I was hoping to get some distance from it and get party buffs such as Haste applied.

@GM - to the best of my knowledge, Ethereal and Incorporeal are intended to be different conditions. A Ghost Touch weapon won't hit an Ethereal night hag, and a Sword of the Planes won't be +3 against a wraith. Most references to Ethereal describe the subject as "insubstantial" rather than "incorporeal", but Blink seems to be the sole exception. I am not sure if FAQ ever clarified this.

@Rokgurn: Aye, I should’ve included that in the spoiler since that is part of a special ability. The profane regeneration is negated by good or electrical damage...

@Yuri: Aye, just on hp damage rolls

@Daathiel: That’s how I read it as well...

@GM Otha - Excellent I was planning on using Ball Lightning at a distance anyways. This monster is hard to hurt!

How high are the ceilings in here?

The ceilings are 20' high...

Gameplay post incoming...

Alie, unless I’m seeing the map wrong (or someone already moved you), if you move away 20’ you’ll be heading back upstairs and off the map...is that what you wanted?

@Alie - The Haste spell will not be able to effect the entire party as we are too spread out. There can only be a maximum distance of 30' between anyone that is a recipient of the spell. So you could target Daathiel, Yuri, Griffon and Jack as one group or myself, yourself, Vladek and his familiar as another group.

Sorry, I’m posting on the run this evening. Get the largest group in the haste spell please. The DYG and J group would be my target.

I didn’t check the map, so I don’t want to move out of the room so I guess I’ll stay out.

GM, is the anti-life shell apparent to all of us? Or can we visibly see that *something* is there? Basically what I'm asking is whether or not Yuri can use spell sunder on it?

@Alie - The Haste spell will not be able to effect the entire party as we are too spread out. There can only be a maximum distance of 30' between anyone that is a recipient of the spell. So you could target Daathiel, Yuri, Griffon and Jack as one group or myself, yourself, Vladek and his familiar as another group.

Don't bother with Haste (or other buffs) directed towards Yuri. Once he's raging he has to save against all spells, including from friendly sources. He can also provide his own haste with boots of speed as needed.

@Yuri - it looked like you were all too far back to reach the Nemhain, so I didn't think I was blocking a charge lane. But I will keep that in mind for the future. I was hoping to get some distance from it and get party buffs such as Haste applied.

I could have used my boots for haste to give myself a 60' speed which would have allowed me to reach the Nemhain with a charge. Until I noticed that we were on stairs. Oops, never mind. That's why I went with plan B: enlarge self and plan to charge the following round, though the antilife shell has complicated that a bit.

Still planning to charge/pounce (with some spell sundering added to the mix) though I'll need to wait until after Jack has gone - hoping that he moves in such a way that I have a charge lane (at least to 20' away from the Nemhain, since that's my reach).

GM, since the Nemhain has bound spirits, is it considered a "known slaver" for the purpose of the liberty's edge faction card boon (+1 atks/dmg): "for the purposes of this reward, a slaver is a creature that owns at least five slaves, is maintaining a compulsion spell or effect to control a creature for at least one day, or is explicitly cited as trafficking slaves."

With 20' reach, the Antilife Shell should not prove any barrier to Yuri. I believe he can attack from outside it.

And it won't stop Jack because he is an Outsider.

I was going to try to Dispel it if I recognized it, but it seems like a moot point.

With 20' reach, the Antilife Shell should not prove any barrier to Yuri. I believe he can attack from outside it.

And it won't stop Jack because he is an Outsider.

I was going to try to Dispel it if I recognized it, but it seems like a moot point.

Hmm, interesting interpretation. I've always understood antilife shell to prohibit melee attacks from living beings, even if they originate more than 10' away. But if your interpretation is correct then as you say Yuri can basically ignore it. Let's see what the GM says.

In any case, it's still an interesting question whether it would be better for you to Dispel or me to attempt to Sunder. The advantage of Sunder is that it will only use one of my attacks of my pounce, so I can still do the rest of my attack sequence and it will leave you with your full action to cast something else (not to mention not expending the Dispel).

Another question is whether or not Yuri can charge? If Jack hasn't moved yet, or has moved but it's acceptable to retcon his movement 5' to the north, then Yuri clearly would have a direct charge lane. It's a little more ambiguous if Yuri can charge if Jack remains in his current position. I've put a possible charge path on the map - because it only uses a single diagonal move it's movement "cost" is exactly the same as if he went straight ahead (which he can't because of Jack's position) - as a GM I would consider that an allowable charge but I will completely understand if our GM disagrees.

In any case, I'll wait to post my turn until some of this is clarified.

Daathiel, don’t know if you saw my Gameplay post, but you are right about the spellcraft dc...I’m sorry about that, I had a brain fart and added its INT mod to the DC when I shouldn’t have...you may retcon if that changes anything you were planning on doing...

Yuri, I had wondered about you being able to attack thru the antilife shell from 10’ out even though you have the range; while weapons may pass thru, the hands holding those weapons cannot. But since you’re enlarged, your weapon is enlarged as well and it’s a large weapon to begin with...I see no issue with it...

ETA: Yeah, I have no problem with the charge as stated...

@GM Otha - Anti-Life Shell is typically a 1 round cast. This fact is often forgotten as this spell is not typically used. Of course this creature might have some way to cast it as a Standard action. But as I refuse to peek at her stats ...

I just read the game thread and the spell was dispelled anyways so it might be a moot point but it would be nice to know anyways going forward. :)

@Alie - If people do not want Haste then Magic Missile would be great as force damage is great against incorporeal (full damage). You can cast an empowered MM and a quickened MM for considerable damage. This is a fight worthy of blowing some slots. It is your character so it is your choice of course but that is how I would play it. :)

Yeah, Rokgurn, I might’ve screwed that up as I was looking at multiple spells...I’ll go back and check...

I was waiting on Vladek’s post; while I’ll give him a bit longer since it’s the weekend, I’ll post the results of your attacks this afternoon...

@GM Otha - By this afternoon he will have had almost 48 hours to post. This is more than enough time to put him on delay and move the game forward. This is of course my not so humble opinion and you get to decide being the GM. :)

I’ll move the combat forward tomorrow morning...I may try to bot since I’m not a big fan of delaying a character as that can hurt the rest of you...

GM, I don't know how familiar you are with witches so please disregard these suggestions if you are but since I've played a witch up to level 17 I'll just toss out that hexes are always a safe bet for botting since they are a renewable resource. Undead are a little tough (evil eye is mind-affecting) but both misfortune and retribution should work on undead, or fortune is always a safe choice on an ally. Vladek doesn't appear to have Cackle though so he doesn't have the ability to pile the hexes on and just add debuff upon debuff. I'll be very curious to know his thinking about this when he comes back as I can't really imagine how I would have played my witch without it (especially in the mid-levels, at higher levels her spells are often even better than the hexes).