[PFS1e] GM Deussu's #2-03 The Rebel's Ransom CORE (Tier 5-9) (Inactive)

Game Master Deussu

Yeah, that's what I've tried to convey. The fourth scepter is not in the room. I seem to get altars and scepters mixed...

I have a pet peeve about having one PC look for traps then when they roll low someone else suddenly decides to check. But in this place I think both Irizati and Tere should both always be looking for traps.

Agreed. Tere doesn't have the Trap Finder rogue talent yet, so we'll have to actively search.

I hate to see it but I think we have to solve the puzzle to make progress. Probably the first of many.

Maybe we should try the other path before coming back to these guys?

Actually, if they have spell casters, going away for a bit might let any spells they have run down, then we can tool up and take them on our own terms, more by surprise.

I like this idea.

You're utterly devious.

;)

I've done that before. Had the party stand outside of the BBG's room and loudly discuss what buffs we are casting on each other. Then we walk away, Wait a few minutes, Actually cast buffs, Then confront the BBEG. Only had it work once. In 2E. But still fun.

We will have to tell the bandit lady something. And I think we have all the clues to the puzzle we are getting.

Lets try the other side passage first then.

Agreed. We don't know what else is down there.

I just checked the slides on my phone with Google Slides app. It appears to work admirably well when I add comments to the scepters.

@Doodle, since you are the first player to tell you're phone-only, how have you felt about the slides? Or have you bothered to look at them?

I suspect we are playing a puzzle heavy scenario and didn't luck out and get someone who loves solving puzzles.

So let's try and solve this because we don't want to trust the word of a bandit on where to place the scepter.

Elea - “For Elea, my delicate desert flower. May the fourth rest forever at my side.”

Osomi - “For my beloved Osomi, the last love of my long life.”

Kiranna - “For Kiranna, my right hand, my fifth, the one who brought order.”

Shasha - “For Shasha, my third wife, who taught me to always seek the best in life.”

On the surface this suggests a simple positioning puzzle.
Kiranna on the right.
Elea on the left.
Osomi behind.
Shasha In front by default.

Actually. Maybe we are overthinking this. 3 of the scepters are in alters with similar materials.
So we get 2 possibilities.

1. Just put the Elea in the Sandlewood alter since it is made of Sandelwood. Easiest puzzle ever.

2. It's a trick. The scepters are supposed to be placed based on the riddle and not matching materials. The bandits know this and have arranged them wrong to have us trigger the trap.

3. It is all a misdirect. The bandits have a 5th scepter. All 5 have to be placed on the trays and not in the central alter.

Of course we might have found 3 different puzzles at once counting the spinning blades area.

I just checked the slides on my phone with Google Slides app. It appears to work admirably well when I add comments to the scepters.

@Doodle, since you are the first player to tell you're phone-only, how have you felt about the slides? Or have you bothered to look at them?

The slides look really good, GM. Im scared to touch them because I end up stretching them out or doing something else weird. But they seem to be great.

I suspect we are playing a puzzle heavy scenario and didn't luck out and get someone who loves solving puzzles.

So let's try and solve this because we don't want to trust the word of a bandit on where to place the scepter.

Elea - “For Elea, my delicate desert flower. May the fourth rest forever at my side.”

Osomi - “For my beloved Osomi, the last love of my long life.”

Kiranna - “For Kiranna, my right hand, my fifth, the one who brought order.”

Shasha - “For Shasha, my third wife, who taught me to always seek the best in life.”

On the surface this suggests a simple positioning puzzle.
Kiranna on the right.
Elea on the left.
Osomi behind.
Shasha In front by default.

Actually. Maybe we are overthinking this. 3 of the scepters are in alters with similar materials.
So we get 2 possibilities.

1. Just put the Elea in the Sandlewood alter since it is made of Sandelwood. Easiest puzzle ever.

2. It's a trick. The scepters are supposed to be placed based on the riddle and not matching materials. The bandits know this and have arranged them wrong to have us trigger the trap.

3. It is all a misdirect. The bandits have a 5th scepter. All 5 have to be placed on the trays and not in the central alter.

Of course we might have found 3 different puzzles at once counting the spinning blades area.

I think I’d guess that the answer is probably your first though, ie the positioning puzzle. That’d be what I’d try.

GM Deussu wrote:

I just checked the slides on my phone with Google Slides app. It appears to work admirably well when I add comments to the scepters.

@Doodle, since you are the first player to tell you're phone-only, how have you felt about the slides? Or have you bothered to look at them?

The slides look really good, GM. Im scared to touch them because I end up stretching them out or doing something else weird. But they seem to be great.

The maps are put in the slides as background; you cannot move the background even if you tried. You can move the tokens (and the arrows), but that's it.

I'll try to redescribe the entry hall's puzzle.

There are four slots in the center altar. Each slot is shaped differently. One is circular, one is triangular, one is a square, and one is a rectangle.

The four scepters you now have at your disposal have their narrow end shaped in a certain way. I admit that Elea's Scepter lacks the description, but its narrow end is a rectangle.

So this is a very simple puzzle, but I figure all the tidbits got scattered around, so it made if confusing.

Whenever you feel like it, you may ask for hints. I know deep in my heart the scenario's challenges should be directed at the characters, not the players.

Oh. I looked at the art for the scepters and the ends didn't seem to match the shapes. Though they are being viewed from the side. I agree that if the ends are shaped to match the holes then that is the obvious and only solution. The trays must be a different puzzle.

I think the entry hall puzzle is a bit of a warm up, we have the last scepter, and Khellek is happy to put it into (the last place) once our preps are done. I'm guessing that will open the door. How it got locked to start with... interesting question.

The other puzzles I think are likely related to the order of the wives, first, second etc. One scepter per wife.

It's the trays that are the problem. The wives' descriptions suggest that he had at least six of them, and the first two either didn't have scepters or their scepters are below.

I've been tied up with work most of this week, but I should have a better chance to think about the puzzle tomorrow.

Since GenCon is a thing at the moment, I'll slow down my posting pace for the upcoming weekend.

I'm not attending myself, but some might.

Just to remind everyone, this is the subtier 8-9. The scenario is from an era there were no 4 player adjustments.

Tread carefully.

Presumably Alarka is a sorcerer. Old scenarios loved using Sorcerers and dumping endless damage spells or evil clerics and dumping endless negative energy channels. So probably we are about to eat fireballs.

But swarthy bandit leader is an odd profession for a sorcerer.

We'll see. I'm less worried about fireballs than negative energy channels; Tere has a great Reflex save modifier and evasion.

Khellek has neither. Oh well. Odd having a sorcerer with a shield though.

The scenario is by Jason Bulmahn, who also had the intention of selling more products...

By the way, you did mention casting spells on yourselves to prepare before you opened the doors. Apply two rounds worth of spells on yourselves retroactively, unless you did so already.

Irizati was hoping talking would work out. I'm not sure why, We are not a diplomatic group.

The only short term buff I cast was the mentioned Barkskin on Baloo.
I guess I could finish up by casting Barkskin on myself and Tere.

I lost the init roll which is critical since I doubt she would have gotten off a spell.

I mentioned casting shield and I suppose I’ll cast mirror image as well.

Extra Doodles on the field 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Everyone has a haste on them, it was the last thing Khellek did before opening the door.

Well it wasn't Fireball but my guess was close.

One almost feels sorry for those bandits. Going up against a totally tooled up bear.

GM, I’d like to try to take the wall of fire down with my silver dragon cold breath weapon. However the weapon is a 30’ cloud. Is it possible for me to use that without hitting our animal companion or the Druid, if I aim sort of to the south and hit the part of the spell down there?

That was a very nice wall of fire usage, by the way.

One almost feels sorry for those bandits. Going up against a totally tooled up bear.

Baloo is a tiger. (I found that confusing, too.)

Ahh, in which case, maybe Bessie will come into play next round. A tiger is totally different from a bear.

Busy days at work, exhausted at home. Will post as soon as possible.

GM, I’d like to try to take the wall of fire down with my silver dragon cold breath weapon. However the weapon is a 30’ cloud. Is it possible for me to use that without hitting our animal companion or the Druid, if I aim sort of to the south and hit the part of the spell down there?

That was a very nice wall of fire usage, by the way.

30' radius, I presume. It's the width of the entire room, I so don't find any way of putting it there to take care of the wall without hurting your allies in the process. It might be far more beneficial to put it in the mouth of the corridor (it'd reach Tere), and it would hit all the enemies but not the last pathfinder (who has been omitted from the combat, but resides right behind the corner in the chamber, I placed an X to mark her spot).

Honestly I just remembered Baloo as some cartoon animal so picked the name. I hadn't remembered it was a bear. But yes Baloo the animal companion is a tiger. And Irizati is a Leopard for now. Not my preferred form but I dont think 2 large forms will work in these halls.

Companions drop off in usefulness as you get to higher tiers because there is more SoS spells and their saves don't scale well. Some ACs can wear a cloak with the right feat and a cloak +5 helps but that isn't Core.

It's debatable if having the AC around to absorb a hit or two before it dies is better then retraining to domain once you become a seeker.

Busy days at work, exhausted at home. Will post as soon as possible.

Doodlevain "Doodle" Montafescue wrote:

GM, I’d like to try to take the wall of fire down with my silver dragon cold breath weapon. However the weapon is a 30’ cloud. Is it possible for me to use that without hitting our animal companion or the Druid, if I aim sort of to the south and hit the part of the spell down there?

That was a very nice wall of fire usage, by the way.

30' radius, I presume. It's the width of the entire room, I so don't find any way of putting it there to take care of the wall without hurting your allies in the process. It might be far more beneficial to put it in the mouth of the corridor (it'd reach Tere), and it would hit all the enemies but not the last pathfinder (who has been omitted from the combat, but resides right behind the corner in the chamber, I placed an X to mark her spot).

Ah, if it would hit Tere, I can’t use it then. I’d like to bring the wall down to try to help, but I really can’t think of a way to do so without attacking a teammate , it seems.

Damaging Tere is by no means certain, and he'd get hurt going through the wall of fire anyway.

If I have your permission, I’ll try the Dragon Breath spell using cold to try to bring the wall down.

GM, would you place it at the mouth of the corridor as you described, and let’s see how it plays out.

Cold damage 9d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 2, 6, 2, 6, 4, 4, 1) = 30

DC 19 Reflex for half.

I omitted mentioning it would also hit Irizati and Baloo. But it's impossible to leave them out of it if you want to get rid of the wall.

I'll put the plan into fruition, but if Irizati objects to it, I'll retcon it without protest.

Let’s wait and if they don’t give permission, I’ll cancel it and delay.

Let’s wait and if they don’t give permission, I’ll cancel it and delay.

As you wish.

Do what you gotta do. Damage either way.

Looks like everyone agrees. So I’ll drop the cold breath weapon spell on try to take down the wall and hopefully not take down the team.

My remaining spells

0. Guidance, Create Water, Read Magic, Purify Food and Drink
1. Faerie Fire
2. Reduce Animal, Spider Climb
3. Remove Disease x2
4. Spike Stones, Freedom of Movement
5. Wall of Thorns

Probably not worth summoning with all of this aoe being tossed around.

Irizati's base CMD is 24. He gets a +1 dodge bonus vs grapple from a boon which I think adds. And in his current form he's getting +2 strength.
So 24 +1 +1 and Haste for another +1.

So DC 27 CMB or Escape Artist.

Whatever Jason Bulmahn had in mind for this scenario I don't think fun was part of it.

Bog the players down in minutia, Force multiple riddles on them that can't be handwaved with skills, then combat that is just Save vs massive AOE until everybody on one side dies.

I think this scenario is a showcase. I guess you've already figured out Alarka is not a core rulebook class character.

Alarka was actually meant to cast slay living on anyone who comes in close combat, but being in grapple forbids her from casting spells with somatic components.

Yep, Alarka is a certified bad ass!

I rolled the reflex save on her turn. Do I roll it again on mine? I'll assume not. Irizati dies in the fire either way. Even if Baloo is smart enough to drag him out there is a clear and present threat that he was ordered to attack.

No, it's on Alarka's turn.

I could make an exception if one's master falls. There's no trick for "save me", after all.