Protectors of Golarion (Wrath of the Righteous AP)

Game Master Sensen

My understanding is that you can still hold something within the hand of the arm the buckler is on, but actively using it to do something prevents the bonus. So a free action to swap something in and out of it did not seem like it would necessarily remove the shield bonus, but I will go with what you decide.

I mean, I figured the shield would stop Merixia from casting when I decided to take it. That's why she sheathed her sword before healing Azira in the previous combat. It's faster to sheathe and draw a weapon than it is to drop and pick up a shield, given that her BAB is high enough to draw a weapon as a free action with a move.

Gotcha. Glad you thought of it!

Well, here goes nothing. I'm going to feel pretty silly burning my last 2nd-level spell for the day if a) they all make their saves or b) these guys aren't that threatening and the melee folks just cut them apart in a round or two. Note that if they do get grappled, they can't take any actions that require two hands.

Azira, I moved you, and for future reference, a while back I figured out how to move myself on mobile: open the encounter map in the Google Slides app, choose "Edit Slide," zoom in with your fingers until the map is a reasonable size, touch an image to select it, drag it to where you want it, and then touch the checkmark to save. Technically you could also open the link in your phone browser and then select "Desktop site" or whatever in your browser settings, but at least on my phone, that results in a map that can't be zoomed in on and that's too small to safely move single images.

DM: That change probably wouldn't affect Verene much, as long as you can still take a hand off a weapon as a free action to cast and then put it back again as another free action, so I won't opine either way. That is what I've assumed we're supposed to do, actually, and I've tried to remember to describe it that way.

Sure thing, Verene. We'll see how the saves roll out. :P

Thanks, Verene, I’ll try that next time.

Holy smokes, I thought Reflex would be their weak save, but I didn't know they'd be rolling at -1. I also am clearly incurring some karmic debt to the dice roller here. But I'll take it!

Azira, I think you may have stepped into the web's radius, but it doesn't really matter, since you don't have to have moved there to attack the yellow-lined cultist. Being directly north of Merixia would accomplish the same thing without being in the web.

Elliot, I think the spaces directly west, northwest, north and northeast of the black-lined cultist are un-webbed, if that changes your planned next action.

Web is a 20' radius spread, which means it has to be centered on a grid intersection and as far as I know should look like the "20' radius" part of the first image here, so that was why I named the corner I did, GM. It was the only one that got all three enemies and left a space in front of each one for the melee fighters to step up.

Thanks for pointing that out! I wouldn’t knowingly step into a web unnecessarily.

Huh, I forgot you could put them on grid corners, honestly. Sounds fair to me, then.

If there was a way to safely reach the channeling cultist, Elliot would then have taken that instead yes, Verene. Though I dont mind having attacked yellow instead. If they fall, the others could move into that safe squsre and still attack the channeler.

Sorry, GM, I realize now my post was unclear. I'm not readying the crossbow for use as her standard action this round, but drawing it as part of her move after casting daze on the black-lined cultist.

Oh, oops.

Well, let me roll her Will, then.
Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

I think that passes, yes? If only just.

Yep, that just hits the DC. Also: right now this goes in my favor, but it's a significant difference that should be resolved one way or another soon, so I figured I should bring it up. In the status spoiler, GM, you have 5/7 remaining uses of Prescience for Verene for this day, but I think it's actually just 1 remaining, and I've used 6 out of 7. Most of them were terrible d20 rolls, so I didn't use the Prescience result, and one was for a readied action that didn't actually go off, but to my understanding, just declaring Prescience and rolling the die expends a use of the ability anyway. They were: attempting to get the mad crusaders to release Klarah with Diplomacy pre-battle, trying to improve their attitude after the battle, asking a final time for their cooperation with Diplomacy, attempting to shoot the quasit for the first time, readying an action to shoot the howler (this one didn't go off), and trying Sense Motive on the fallen crusader Chaleb.

Okay, I'm confused. How did Azira hit on an 11 when I missed on a 13?

Also, does the channeling cultist have a glaive too?

Verene, I won't count the readied attack's prescience, because that seems unfair - the readied action didn't go off.

For the former: I'm pretty sure I forgot to calculate the grappled condition's Dex penalty to AC for your attack and not for hers. Sorry about that.

... although now that I think on it, that should still mean she missed. Er, I am not sure why I ended up doing that, Merixia. Sorry for the confusion.

Yes, she does have a glaive, but can't use it for AoOs for multiple reasons, if that's what your concerned about. Well, one reason, but multiple rules.

Got it, GM. I've adjusted Verene's status line to reflect 2/7 uses of Prescience remaining for today. Thanks!

Does Merixia have stabilize prepared? If he is still alive, that should keep him from slipping away while she examines him.

Oh yeah, I should have used that. Bit late now, unfortunately.

Been quiet today. Everyone doing alright?

Sure. Just not sure what else to say or do here. We grab the thing and move on to the next main location?

Sorry, I've been a bit busy. I agree with Verene, we can leave the chain shirts behind to save weight and take the glaives. Merixia is strong but even she has a maximum encumbrance. :P

We know where this park is too, so we can come back (or send others back) if there’s a big need for the armor when we find the other survivors.

Of course I rolled a 1. You want another one, Azira, or is that okay for now?

I'll move us onwards tomorrow, then!

@Merixia- I’m fine for now (as long as I don’t get hit with another massive crit); I’m only down 5, so there’s a 75% chance we’d be wasting some of your healing. Probably best not to waste anything we don’t need to at least until we’ve found a safe place to spend the night.

Sorry for the delay. Long week, but I'll have a post up by the end of the day.

Reminder that the four potions taken from the cultists have not been identified yet. Elliot or Thesius could do it with detect magic and Spellcraft, or anyone could try a Perception roll.

GM, I assume it is purposeful that we're still in initiative/combat time, so I won't declare actions freely. I also am not sure if the PCs should know just as a matter of common knowledge that summoned creatures do vanish like that when they're killed. If we should know, or can figure out something related to the dead bug vanishing from Knowledge (Arcana) or Spellcraft while it's not our turns, like Azira pointed out, feel free to roll for Verene.

Yes, it is common knowledge that summoned creatures (at least, those that are summoned directly, rather than through planar ally or gate) do disappear after being "slain." At least, among spell crafters, it is.

There's not much else you could figure from that, other than assumedly that there's a caster within eyeshot of the summoning.

Merixia, you have a potential crit there!

Whoops, thank you Verene! That's what I get for trying to multitask.

I’ll plan on getting a post up later. Was Thesius able to note whether the magic from the bedroom were the potions Anevia brought out or is there something else?

They were indeed the potions.

I'll give it a few hours before moving us onward. Hope everyone in the US is adjusting to DST!

DST is the worst and it needs to end.

Elliot, you would hear Verene asking Thamyris to scout from above first, as she is still using the message cantrip. Don't know if that changes your action.

Sorry I wasn't around to post yesterday. Complete neuropsychological evaluation, 9-4:30 with a 45 minute break for lunch. My brain still feels like mush. -_-

Oof, no worries Merixia. Hope you feel better soon.

Thesius: from what Worldwound GM wrote, I think we should take it as read that everyone understands "like the ones below" to mean "like the ones we fought underground," aka dretches. Anevia (and you) should have some cold iron arrows as well as regular, though we haven't been tracking exactly how many were irretrievably spent in today's previous battles against the quasit and abrikandilu. Unless the GM rules otherwise, I don't think she really needs the align weapon effect.

Makes sense. I misread it as before as opposed to below earlier.

Yeah, she's fine for at least this combat.

Half-orcs and dwarves are core race medium humanoids with darkvision, too.

Or, if you want the Dex bonus ever, goblins have darkvision and still have a 30' move even though they're small

I actually did look at alter self, and couldn't find any sign that native outsiders can't use it. While it's true that enlarge person and such specify humanoids, alter self doesn't. That I could tell, anyways. I miss things, though, so feel free to correct me.

I think you-the-user don't have to be a humanoid, but the creature you change to does have to be, as far as I can tell from the spell description. Although, the flavor of it is "a more minor transformation than true polymorph," in which case, if you start out as a native outsider it should be easier to change to a different kind of native outsider than a humanoid! :)

Hm, okay, this takes some consideration. I think that in terms of intuitive logic, Verene's idea makes the most sense. While I don't see many mechanical issues with having either native outsiders or humanoids able to change into each other with the spell, it does potentially allow them to get affected by/made immune to the x person spells. So yes, native outsiders can change to other native outsiders, and humanoids into other humanoids. This shouldn't affect the disguise capacity of the scale too much, because there're plenty of tieflings and humans both in the demons' armies.

I'll give you all until later in the day my time to make up your plans.

Works for me, there are plenty of native outsiders to pick from. Merixia might even change into an aasimar for kicks one of these days, hahaha!

GM, can Verene be on that rooftop next to the group, as I planned out here? About how high up is it? If she can't be at rooftop level (thus with a clear shot) then she'll spend her surprise round action moving forward.

Oh, sure. I put the map together beforehand and forgot to adjust. So sure. It's probably about 20' up at the highest point. It isn't exactly stable at that point, though, so probably closer to 15', if you don't want to take a -2 penalty to shooting for unsteady footing.

You might also struggle with casting on that unsteady footing, but I'm not ready to deal with that thought tonight. xD