GM Mike's Tarnbreaker's Trail (Inactive)

Game Master Michael Hallet

GM ... Will Jei's rope idea give us a Circumstance Bonus for our jumps?

"Hmm. I tried this once, to get over a wall. Didn't think about how I was going to get back until later. That was fun. I think I got this. One of you can use Jei's rope." With a wry quirk to her lips, Nal hefts the pole, takes a running start, and jams it into the ground below the water just past the shoreline. Her feet lift into the air inches before they'd get wet.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

GM ... Will Jei's rope idea give us a Circumstance Bonus for our jumps?

It would be handled as an attempt to aid.

Regarding Aid, makes sense. Thanks.
I trust we haven't seen the one race official who lured us away from our campsite? Maybe he should be called Never Seen Again...

Apollo struggles through the snow, knowing he's slowing down the group. He grumbles apologies to the party. Jei's singing helps him get through the worst of it.

When they reach the next challenge, Apollo looks at the river, sees the poles, and perks up. "We practiced vaulting in Pathfinder training. Jumping over the terrible terrain is much better than slogging through the damn stuff." As he grabs a pole, he takes Jei up on his offer to help. Apollo ties the rope around him before making the jump.

And for good measure, he casts Guidance on himself. He also casts it on all party members who have yet to jump.
Aid provides a Circumstance bonus (or penalty), while Guidance provides a Status bonus, so they should stack.

Acrobatics+Guidance: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 5 + 1 = 25 (Possibly a +1 or -1 for Aid)

NOTE: Everyone who still needs to jump can add a +1 status bonus for Guidance.

Meadow's face brightens as she sees the poles.

"Oh! This looks like fun!"

She takes a running start then jumps up and vaults across the river.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19

"Whee!"

athletics(Nal): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
athletics(Apollo): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
athletics(Meadow): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
athletics(Erevan): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
athletics(Reeta): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Assuming that's still a DC 20, for whatever reason pulling someone would be that high? that's a +1 for Nal... and a -1 for meadow and reeta, woops. Again this is assuming pulling someone while they're jumping is a DC 20 check.

Reeta says something like 'would rather swim across' but she takes a pole and gives it a go anyway.

athletics: 1d20 + 5 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 1 - 1 = 7

She ends up swimming to the other side anyway after the pole doesn't quite make it to the top of it's arc and then goes sideways into the river

[dice=athletics(Nal)]1d20+6

[dice=athletics(Apollo)]1d20+6
[dice=athletics(Meadow)]1d20+6
[dice=athletics(Erevan)]1d20+6
[dice=athletics(Reeta)]1d20+6
Assuming that's still a DC 20, for whatever reason pulling someone would be that high? that's a +1 for Nal... and a -1 for meadow and reeta, woops. Again this is assuming pulling someone while they're jumping is a DC 20 check.

I'm setting the Aid DC at 15 in this case.

Erevan attempts to nimbly cross the river.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 7 + 1 = 10

Reroll Acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 7 + 1 = 12

In case it matters, Erevan should be at +1 Aid and +1 Guidance. Only see a single +1 in the roll.

Oops. Forgot about the aid. Thanks.

After the trial Meadow and Silence will go and visit with the Varki team. She bounces up to them and greets them with enthusiasm.

"Hello everyone. We haven't met yet. I'm Meadow and this is my friend Silence. How are you enjoying the race so far? I think it's pretty exciting don't you? I just wish we had a better team name. I wanted a more serious name but I was outvoted. Even Silence here had trouble coming up with a good name."

She pauses for a minute to think.

"Actually though his suggestion of 'The Superb Owls' is better than 'Never Seen Again' so there's that." Your team name is really great. What's a Remorhaz? Some sort of snake? Or does it have something to do with the linnorm that Nankou killed. You'll have to tell me about that. It sounds very exciting."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Everyone manages to make it across on their first attempt except for Erevan who stops short, aborting his attempt as he starts off on the wrong foot.

Reeta's attempt on the other hand literally goes sideways. The plate and the end of the pole slips and the length sinks a foot or two into the soft mud at the bottom of the river. Then Jei pulls, forcing her off the pole and into the icy water below. Reeta needs to make a DC 15 Fortitude save

With a rope already secured, Jei pulls Reeta to shore before she gets swept away.

"Good idea to secure your team to a rope in case they fall in. But the rules of the task state you must not swim across. Reeta will have to go back and try again."

Evrevan and Reeta still need to make a successful vault across the river. It is required that all PC succeed on this task before you can continue.

fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Cold: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0

The water is very cold, but Reeta's natural resistance keeps her from harm.

Oooh .... that was refreshing she says as she crawls out of the water.

She then goes back and does another pole vault - hopefully this time without incident.

"I might have miscalculated that last step. Here we go. Time for another attempt."

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

The rest of the team makes it across the river and heads to the camp to warm up and

Current Standings

Did Not Finish
Bluetongue's Brawlers
Two Houses

In response to Meadow, the Varki team responds.

"Whatever name you choose is fine, as long as it suits you. A remorhaz is not a linnorm, no. But it is a fierce predator of our homeland. It can burrow through ice like a piece of hot steel and can swallow you before you even realized it was there. That is how we are. Silent hunters that can bury ourselves in the snow for hours while we wait for prey to come by. They never know what hits them."

The next day you prepare to set out again, but you are informed that your next checkpoint is half way between here and the finish line. Once there you will be given final instructions.

I will need another set of Athletics, Nature, or Survival checks from everyone.

Yay. Reeta exclaims. [b]Reeta plans ice diving after we finish. Anyone interested?

athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

"Okay guys! We can do this!" Nal isn't satisfied with her motivational speech, but can't think of anything better to say. Instead, she tries to lead by example. As they walk along, she points out sections of terrain that would likely slow someone down.

Nature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

"Reeta plans ice diving after we finish. Anyone interested?"

"Eewww! Ice diving? No way! That sounds awful."

Meadow shivers as she pulls out her wayfinder to plot a heading.

survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Silence flaps his wings and nudges Meadow with his head.

Meadow leans over towards the owl and whispers.

"I know, right? Ice diving? Who does that? Goblins are fun but they can be weird sometimes."

"Okay. We're almost there!"

Nature: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 6 + 2 = 25

Not awful ..... Pretty .. See sun shine through ice and reflect. Ever been in ice cave? Maybe Reeta show one day. Pretty blue

Apollo grumbles, "Oh good. More snow for more slipping and sliding on." However, this time, he decides to try something different. Instead of focusing on physically making it through the harsh conditions, he watches Nal carefully. He heeds her advice in letting nature guide him.

Nature: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

Feeling like he made much better progress, he says to Nal, "Many thanks, madam. Your guidance through the terrain helped a great deal."

athletics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Jei seemed to be dragging along a bit as the others kept charging ahead. The kobold wanted to call for them to slow down, but was fine trudging along at the back of the pack for this leg.

"Comfy furs getting frosty from river sprinkles. We do good still, but me think me need nap rest."

with all your amazing rolls I don't think I need to try using a hero point here. Also forgot that I hadn't posted my bad guys.

You reach the next checkpoint well before any of the other teams.

Among the tall drifts and dunes of snow and ice, a small hollow reveals signs of life. A large fire pit is encircled by tents and snow shelters as officials stand near the warmth of the blazing fire. Beyond the camp, a large sheet of exposed ice is marked by race banners. In the middle of the ice, a delicate ribbon lies partially frozen in the sheet.

The officials tell the teams that this trial recounts the tale of Balgird’s brave survival on the open ice. While camping in the tundra, Balgird lost some precious equipment to the wind in the night. The following morning, he followed a trail of gear to discover one of his scrolls frozen in the ice. With great care, he moved across the thin sheet to where his scroll lay trapped. Balgird created a lens from a piece of the ice itself, focusing the sunlight on the ice to slowly melt it away from his scroll until he was able to free it.

The goal of this trial is to make it across the ice to the center and free the ribbon from the ice without damaging it.

While on the ice, a PC must attempt an Acrobatics check to Balance to avoid falling and possibly breaking through.

Once a PC has made it to the center of the ice without breaking through the surface, they must free the ribbon from the ice without damaging it. A PC attempting to free the ribbon can attempt a Thievery or Nature check to free the ribbon from the ice.

Reeta taps on the ice to see how strong it is before venturing out.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

It looks as if she is trying to melt it out with body heat

When the group makes it to the next checkpoint, Apollo is very happy he didn't slow them down. Well, you can't really tell he's happy. But he's not grumbling as much about the cold, so there's that.

Knowing he doesn't have much of a chance of freeing the flag from the ice (untrained in Nature and Thievery), he'll let others have a crack at it. "As before, I'm happy to cast Guidance on anyone who wants it for the trip across the ice." He looks to the group for any takers.

If we just need 1 success, Apollo will sit this one out. If everyone needs to try, he'll reluctantly give it a go.

He cautiously steps across the ice...
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

If he reaches the center of the ice, he casts Guidance to give him as much of a chance as possible at freeing the flag.
Nature+Guidance: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 2 + 1 = 5

is this like the other challenges where more successes are better?

Meadow looks out at the ice with concern and shivers.

"If I'm not careful I'll end up ice diving. Brr."

She cautiously heads out onto the ice.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

"Uh oh."

Erevan attempts to graciously move through the ice and snatch the ribbon as quickly as possible.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Jei thinks smart about this challenge and takes his armor off laying on his stomach near the edge of the ice. Digging his feet in he tries to push and slide across the ice keeping his tiny frame spread wide across the sheet in order to not break it.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

The kobold manages to slip and slide to the center where he digs in his claws once again to stop near the paper. Cupping his hands to protect the fragile paper piece he snorts fire to melt the ice.

not sure if I still need to, or what to, roll for this one since he's using a racial ability that deals fire damage.

Reeta retrieves one of the ribbons.
Apollo decides to sit this one out.
Meadow slips and falls on the ice, causing it to crack around her. You can try again if you want, but failing again may cause the ice to fall apart completely.
Erevan reaches the ice but fails to retrieve the ribbon. You may try again.
Jei reaches the ribbon and considers melting the ice with a gout of flame, but protecting the fragile ribbon seems dubious at best. The challenge specifically disallows using any sort of damaging effect to melt the ice as it will damage the ribbon.

Aw that's pretty lame but modules be modules

thievery: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Meadow holds her breath as the ice cracks beneath her. When it becomes clear that she is not about to fall in she continues.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

"Oh buttons!"

Seeing Meadow fall into the ice twice in a row, Nal helps her out and checks to see that she's not getting hypothermia. "Still, you may want to save one set of dry clothes for when you're all finished, just in case. Worst case, you can borrow some of mine. Here, next time, try it this way." Nal chooses a section of ice far enough away from the broken holes and begins crawling on all fours across the ice to distribute her weight.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Once there, she begins teasing out the ribbon, trying to recall any past jobs with similar finesse requirements.

Thievery: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Thievery: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Clearly, she's better with lock picks than ice-locked ribbons. At least in these temperatures.

Reeta gets ready to dive in after Meadow if she does fall in.

Meadow falls in and the water is freezing cold. It takes some time to get her out and she's certainly had better days.

Cold damage: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 6) = 15 ouch

Nal manages to eventually pull the ribbon out after nearly tearing it.

The race officials note that you have a sizable lead and you might not want to risk your health or else they might have to hold you up.

You are told from this point each team is given a lead time based on their position. Each team is released from the checkpoint at the appropriate time and the first one to the finish line wins.

Current Standings

Did Not Finish
Bluetongue's Brawlers
Two Houses

I'll give you a chance to deal with Meadow's damage before moving on.

Since Meadow does go in, Reeta dives in after her and pushes her back up to the hole in the ice. She then wraps Meadow up in as many furs as possible while next to the fire

Seeing Meadow fall through the ice, Apollo is very concerned. Along with Reeta, he helps get her to solid footing, he conjures up a small ball of fire by casting Produce Flame to help warm her up.

He looks around to the group, "Can anyone treat her wounds?" He considers and adds, "I can cast Heal, but I think quick-action spells would be best served in any upcoming battle." He pulls a vial from his bandolier and offers it to Meadow, "Here's a Minor Healing potion which should help." He hands her the potion if we have no other healing options.

Covered in furs and shivering beside the campfire Meadow turns to Reeta.

"I d...d...definitly d...don't lik...k..ke ice d...d...diving."

She then reaches into her pack for her healing kit and begins to treat her wounds.

medicine-treat wounds: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
healing: 2d8 ⇒ (7, 2) = 9

Ah well Reeta replies. Reeta take you freediving in more warmer waters then?

Erevan helps settle Meadow by the fire and offers a minor elixir of life. "Once you're done mending your wounds, try this concoction. It also keeps you from catching a cold. Let me know if you need more."

Elixir of Life: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Bah, figures

"That helped a little bit. Maybe one more if you have one?"

If Erevan doesn't have another Elixir of Life, Apollo hands Meadow his Minor Healing potion.

After drying out and warming up Meadow stands and addresses her team.

"Okay I think I'll be okay now. Let's go win this!"

Reeta also offers a Minor Elixir as well as a Minor Healing and a Lesser Healing.

Nal returns from fetching the ribbon after everyone's gathered around Meadow by the fire. She feels...downright shameful, really. Everyone else is caring for her teammate, and she went shimmying around on the frozen water to tug on a ribbon for half an hour (well, it seems that long). Why the heck did she abandon her teammate?! And she could've done something to treat her wounds, too! Why, there was some bark on that shrub over there that would've made a great tea to warm her up quickly. Too late. Everyone else has taken care of her.

Abashed, she crouches down before Meadow and asks with more gentleness than normal: "How are you feeling? ... Sorry I left you back there. It won't happen again." The emotion in her eyes hints at the probability that she won't soon forget this failure.

Pity Treat Wounds can only be used on someone once an hour.