GM Jhaeman's PFS Module: "Masks of the Living God" (Inactive)

Game Master Jhaeman

Initiative (Round 3)

Drukpa
Anibal
Relgar
Mallycorn
Evlar
Alecto
Krant

Bold should go!

Drukpa steps 5' to the side to flank Krant and then swipes at him again with his claws.

Claw, flank, bless: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20
dmg: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Claw, flank, bless: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32
dmg: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

Anibal could swear he heard a few ribs cracking in his chest. Krant slams the air out of him, and he staggers back. Only to see another person in his peripheral vision. Or was that just his mind playing tricks on him?

"Som-", he tries to speak, but needs to breathe in first. "Someone... was here?", he quickly looks at the Pathfinders for confirmation, then takes another set of shots at Krant, hoping to take the priest out before he himself collapses to the floor

+1 Composite Longbow, Point Blank +1, Bless +1, Justice Judgement +1 : 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 7 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 171d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 1 = 10

+1 Composite Longbow, Point Blank +1, Bless +1, Justice Judgement +1 : 1d20 + 7 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 7 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 121d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 1 = 9

5 ft step, flurry. Someone please move my token 5ft away from Krant.

10 hp. Apparently, this guy can hit.

Drukpa lands two more deep gouges in Krant's back, while Anibal desperately fires his bow. Just at the bruiser is about to swing his deadly greatclub again, arrows take him in the throat and eye simultaneously, and he collapses to the ground with a heavy thud.

Drukpa and Anibal hit with all of their attacks; Krant is down and Dying.

Relgar and Mallycorn are up.

Relgar's celestial eagle appears across from Drupka. The summoned creature attacks the now prone and dying Krant.

Bite, Flanking, Prone: 1d20 + 3 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 3 + 2 + 4 = 26

Damage, Smite Evil: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Claw 1, Flanking, Prone: 1d20 + 3 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 2 + 4 = 15

Damage, Smite Evil: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Claw 2, Flanking, Prone: 1d20 + 3 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 3 + 2 + 4 = 25

Damage, Smite Evil: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

I am surprised that the chained barbarian did not die instantly when he fell unconscious but we can finish the job. :)

Relgar tries to decide how to deal with Evlar before he can squeal.

@GM Jhaeman - I just have a quick question about the map. Is there a very long carpet down the hallway in T7 or is it a wall? It is an important distinction in terms of spell casting and line of effect of spells. :)

Alecto walks forward and points his hand towards the young novice. A single blue petal falls from her finger and flies up to Alvar's cheek like a kiss (Daze, DC 15 Will).

Let's leave him alive.

Relgar's summoned eagle finishes off Krant. Nevermore will he abuse the temple's acolytes!

Out in the corridor, Alecto's leafy "kiss" leaves Evlar standing slack-jawed!

Krant is dead, and Evlar is dazed for one round.

@Relgar: That's a long carpet in the hallway. (officially, "a simple carpet, stained and worn"). You're up, and then we'll start Round 4.

Relgar lets loose with a jet of flame at Evlar. He touches a flask of Alchemist Fire to enhance the spell.

Burning Hands, Reflex DC 16 for half damage: 5d5 + 5 ⇒ (2, 4, 3, 1, 1) + 5 = 16

If Evlar fails his reflex save then he catches on fire as if struck by Alchemist Fire: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Relgar conjures a tremendous gout of flame that washes over the befuddled Evlar like a wildfire taking to a drought-stricken forest. In seconds, the teen is overcome by the flames and smoke, and is literally burning to death right in front of you!

Evlar failed his save, and is in negatives with the Burning condition.

We are still in initiative?

Sorry, I think we got out of order somehow and Mallycorn got skipped. Mallycorn, please take your turn and then we'll go from there.

Relgar eyes glisten with the sight of the burning flame. The sheer majesty of fire can never be overstated for this gnome. Relgar does manage to shake himself loose from his single minded obsession and realise that perhaps he over did it as the intention was to simply knock the teen out and not to burn him alive.

He turns to the party Cleric and asks in a contrite tone.

"Mallycorn, perhaps you could put out the flame and patch him up a bit?"

Honestly I thought he would be a bit tougher than this. I guess I was wrong. :)

Mallycorn is already rushing by the side of the young boy, casting both a spell to keep him out of Pharasma's realm and a reprochefull glance at Relgar

move (20 base) and cast Stabilize. Always thought it was a Touch spell, not a ranged one.

Mallycorn, heh, this is a very classic misconception, I also thought so for several years .) Perhaps because of the trait that gives it as an SLA but with touch range.

____

It's cruel. Fire devours forests. We don't like fire.

At this, Alecto's attention switches. Not being so smart, she is somehow happier than most of the others because she lives only in the here and now. She listens to see if it has woken anyone else.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

Mallycorn rushes over and manages to save the badly-burned Evlar from death.

For her part, Alecto tries to gauge whether the nighttime battle with Krant has alerted the whole temple. A peek into the barracks across the hall shows several acolytes have awakened, confused by the sounds and aware of a disturbance nearby, but none seem brave or motivated enough to intervene. There are no sounds of shouting or running footsteps coming from elsewhere in the temple--perhaps luck is with the Pathfinders!

The alchemist's fire will technically do a second d6 damage, but Evlar's not close enough to death for it to make a difference.

Perhaps ironically, fighting Krant in the (basement) kitchen seems to have prevented anyone other than the acolytes across the hall from knowing what's going on, and you stopped Evlar so fast he didn't have time to run and sound the alarm.

We can go off Initiative for now, though I'll reserve the right to put us back on depending on what happens :)

Relgar places his wand back into his spring-loaded wrist sheath and then proceeds to search Krant and Evlar for any valuables.

He keeps his voice down.

"Well, that was unnecessary but it is done with now. We should search the rest of the temple now and then leave."

We can explore the rest of the basement and then the unexplored area off the stables if you people like.

Healing: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Not yet Pharasma. He doesn't deserve it, and if he has to die, I pray for him it will be a less painful death. But only You know his Fate.

Rebuke Death: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 Healing Domain power

Mallycorn looks at the severity of the burns, and calls in the power of Pharasma to ease some of the pain of the young man.

Drukpa catches his breath, hefts his bardiche, and asks, "Which way next?" He glances down at Krant's unmoving body and shrugs. "Shoulda let us serf!"

As Relgar searches the downed foes for valuables, Mallycorn calls on his goddess to ease the burned teenager's pain.

Relgar has suggested searching the rest of the basement first. Assuming that's the plan, would you all like to place your tokens next to the door you'd like to open? (there are a couple of different choices)

Relgar attempts to read the runes on the silver mask with Read Magic.

Relgar looks at the mask more closely.

Anibal runs over to Evlar, and pulls his body into the kitchen. He tears some of Krant's robes and uses it to gag the young half-elf.

He then performs an incantation and touches Evlar's wounds.

CLW cl 1: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Assuming he wakes up, Anibal puts his right hand over Evlar's mouth, and his other index finger to his lips to indicate silence.

”I know what it looks like, but we can talk about this. If you promise that you'll be quiet, I will remove that cloth. Our gnome friend was a little too fast on the trigger. On his behalf, I apologise. I know you are hurting. And I can take care of those wounds, but you need to promise you will be quiet, okay?”

He waits for Evlar's reaction.

Relgar attempts to interrupt Anibal attempt to heal Evlar. He knows that this person cannot be trusted. Keeping him alive and stable is one thing but expecting him not to talk is another. He cannot fathom why the bounty hunter would put the mission and their lives at risk for no good reason. Anibal's bizarre morality it appears is leading to a lot of unnecessary killing, first Krant and now potentially Evlar.

If he sees that Anibal attempts to heal Evlar then he will immolate Evlar with a Burning Hands spell to keep him down for good.

Burning Hands if necessary Reflex DC 16 for half damage: 5d4 + 5 ⇒ (1, 1, 1, 4, 4) + 5 = 16

The gnome looks at Anibal and speaks softly.

"He can be knocked out for a little while or dead. Your choice."

Anibal's actions span multiple combat turns so it is only fair that my character would be able to react to prevent a potential magical show down. :)

I consider this act (cold-blooded murder of a prisoner) as an evil act and as a player and a Venture Agent I ask the GM to act accordingly. I cannot roleplay counter-actions of my character as it should, since the attack of another player's character is even more prohibited, but everything that happens is not adequate to the standards of the Pathfinder Society.

We're going to take a quick break for a day or so. I need to do a bit of research and chat with a couple of folks to understand how to proceed. In a normal non-Organised Play game, I would just have everyone roll Initiative and see what happens, but there are some special considerations for PFS that I have to take into account before I describe what happens.

As Anibal starts to revive Evlar, Relgar rushes over, hands poised for the arcane gestures necessary to call down flames on the teen! The import is clear: if Evlar is revived, Evlar will die!

We're going to jump back in time a little and treat this as a readied action by Relgar to cast burning hands on Evlar if he is healed to the point of consciousness. Anibal, please let me know how you'd like to proceed (and others can role-play as desired). After consulting the Guide and our PBP V-C, Relgar has been warned that actually casting the spell for this purpose will be treated as an evil act (killing a helpless sapient) and marked as such on his Chronicle. We will assume that the spell is angled in such a way to exclude any other PCs (since PVP is strictly forbidden).

Anibal stops with his incantation when he sees Relgar priming up a blaze. He gives the gnome a curious look.

"Will YOU carry this unconscious man over to the stables and over the temple wall? We already have this dead oaf to deal with.", he nudges his head towards Krant.

"I don't plan on carrying anyone anywhere. We would be best to crawl underneath the temple wall then over it. Dogs are pretty good at digging holes in the ground the last time I checked."

This is all assuming that the stable area is packed earth or grass but that is a reasonable assumption as paving the entire complex would be expensive and nonsensical.

"If you really want a chance of saving Evlar then you would need to get him out of here and unconscious is much better than conscious as he really does not like us."

"Personally I do not think he is worth it but it is up to you."

Alecto stands between the young man and the gnome so that there is no way to hit him with fire without hitting her. At the same time, she does not talk to Relgar, preferring to deal with the most experienced and reasonable member of the squad.

What's your plan, Anibal? Do you want to convince him to cooperate with us? We like using people more than killing people. Do you think this is real with him?

Anibal stands up from Evlar, and looks towards the door.

"We may be pressed for time, so I'll try to be brief. Probably not cooperation, but my impression of this young man is... well, he doesn't exactly like being here. He will probably jump at the opportunity to get out, if we offer one. My plan is to move both of these to the stables, and get them out of the temple through the wall-walk. I know it's there. I saw it. After what we did in the secret room, we need a scapegoat. Krant is the obvious choice, since he can not be questioned anymore. I feel like the elf will simply try to distance himself from the temple when he wakes up outside the walls."

He looks to Relgar. "As for walls... Well, these are not you standard wooden fences from between houses in middle class neighbourhoods. They will likely have deep foundations, and I never heard of a dog digging itself out of a fortress. Hence the plan to go OVER, instead of under."

He looks to the door again. "If you feel like you have a better plan, speak up, but be quick about it."

@Alecto - I feel that you are abusing the PvP limitations here to unduly limit my character's actions. My character has a readied action so if you decide to move to interpose your character then Relgar's attack will trigger. So be advised and let me know what you decide to do in game with that knowledge. This also begs the question of what exactly PvP is. If your character decides to willingly leap into another character's AOE I would not call that PvP.

Relgar turns to Anibal. He dismisses the idea that Shaggy is not up to the task of digging a big enough hole.

"Well, we should give it a try before knocking it as it is the safest and easiest way out. If it proves too difficult then of course we can go over the wall."

"As for hearing tales of dogs digging themselves out of fortresses. Well I don't suppose that is fodder for a bard's tale at the local inn but that does not mean it is not possible."

I tried to do some research about the foundations of ancient structures but generally the information that I found was about castles and cathedrals which were massive affairs with foundations ranging from 8 to 22 feet. The GM will have to decide but I doubt that the foundation of this structure would be more than 4 to 6 feet.

Also I found out that dogs are incredible diggers as wild dogs rest in underground dens and such. Out of character I think that the plan will work but we have to try to know for sure. :)

"I agree with you about Evlar. If we get him out of here he will probably not come back willingly. So he might be worth the effort. One less cultist is a good thing. One way or another."

Everyone having agreed in principle that you want to get Evlar out of the temple (either going under or over the walls), I'm going to assume that you all continue your discussion in whispers while carrying him toward the stairs to the main floor of the temple. If that assumption is correct, I'll describe in a post later today what you see when you get to the courtyard (or if you're interrupted on the way).

@Relgar, "players must obtain the consent of other players before deliberately including fellow PCs in damaging effects" - PFS guide, page 7. I'm not giving permission. And I do not enter the AoE zone because there is no AoE yet. You always have an option to cancel your readied action or change spell - we are not even in combat. So damaging another character is fully your choice and fully your consequences. Rules are rules.

_____

Alecto looks questioningly at Anibal and the others. If you think it will be easier with him if he is conscious, we will support you. Only we suggest tying him up and putting a gag in his mouth before bringing him to his senses. Relgar's previous demonstration of power may bring additional benefits in persuasion too. What do the others think? Mallycorn? Drukpa?

The normal solution to the issue in the PFS is a vote. This is the Cooperation from its motto. We choose between bringing him to his senses and convincing him to be useful in escaping (1) or dragging him knocked out (2).

1 - Alecto, Annibal?
2 - Relgar

It is up to the GM to adjudicate but a readied action should trigger before any attempt to aid/protect Evlar so Alecto would not be able to act before the spell effect triggered and would therefore not be in the cone effect and thus PvP cannot be invoked.

I also do not appreciate you trying to rob my character of his free will and putting his actions up to the decisions of a committee. I appreciate the value of cooperation but PCs have agency that cannot and should not be stripped away by other players.

@Relgar, you're threatening to attack another character anyway, even now. Passive aggression is still aggression. Whether this action is readied or not is no longer important. Again, we not even in combat. Alecto probably just came over to see how the guy is. It will just be your decision and your consequences. I pointed you to a specific quote from the Guide.

I also can't appreciate how you put your desires above the desires of other players. Let's leave it at that. If the rest of the party wants to bring him to his senses, you will not be able to stop it without violating a whole bunch of PFS rules - from the ban on killing the unconscious to attacking players (yes, because of AoE). Just like outside the PFS, you couldn't do it without provoking a fight with the rest of the party. Let's somehow come to an agreement.

Instead of arguing back and forth I will let the GM adjudicate and abide by his decision.

Good.

I think the man deserve to live, if only to see something else in life than the inside of that so-called temple, where men who should be of faith are nothing but bullies and petty criminals. Maybe I could bring him to the faithfull of Pharasma, if such is his Fate.

Relgar nods.

"I think that we are all in agreement about wanting Evlar to live. I simply value our lives over his and do not trust him at all. Once he is outside the temple walls he should be more manageable and will not be an active threat to us."

With a secure Evlar in tow, the Pathfinders move cautiously up the stairs from the basement and reach the plush meeting chamber where they waited before being formally inducted as acolytes of the Living God. But as they move toward the door to the central vestibule, they can hear voices on the other side--it sounds like bored guards idly chatting about Tamran's best eateries!

You are all in the room labeled "Meeting Room", and the voices you're hearing on the other side of the door are coming from the room labeled "Vestibule."

@Everyone: Having moved on in-game, let's move on out-of-game as well and leave all the other stuff behind in the proverbial basement.

Relgar points back towards the stairs to the basement near the meeting room. The little gnome would like to avoid the guards completely and avoid uncomfortable questions if at all possible.

There are rooms yet to explore in the basement and perhaps one of the other staircases leading up is unguarded.

Perhaps starting with the rooms off of T11 and then moving to T12?

Sorry for the slow posting - I'm traveling this week and had a few days of being busy with my five year old and my 80 year old mother. Catching up now.

Drukpa listens to the others' moral debate with an aching head and considerable confusion. There are a lot of long words and weighty concepts. The poor fellow looks about in consternation, hoping that perhaps he will find a surf board, but there is none visible. He sighs, hefts his bardiche, and advances forward with the others once the lofty discussions are completed.

Returning to the basement, the Pathfinders approach a door near the secret door they opened previously. The door here doesn't seem locked, but it has swelled with age and moisture--it might be stuck!

This door is the one to the left of Anibal's token. It will take a Strength check to force it open, and this will surely make some noise.

Relgar whispers to the others.

"I could magically grease up the door. That should make it easier to open and reduce the amount of noise it makes."

@GM Jhaeman - I am not exactly sure if you need to grease up the entire object or only parts of it if you choose. The spell description for the Grease spell is just not that descriptive.

@Relgar: I'd add a +3 circumstance bonus to a Strength check to open the door and to the Stealth check to do so quietly if you expend a grease on the door.

Relgar turns to Anibal as stealth is required as well as some strength. He whispers.

"What do you say. Do you want to give it a try?"

If the Bounty Hunter agrees to give the door the heave-ho then the little gnome will use his Grease spell to help the process.

Sorry, hard to get online here. Yes, my vote is to try to wake Evlar up and let him walk on his own. Bodies strike me as the hardest of evidence. Especially singed ones.

Before leaving the kitchen, I would at least like to clean up the mess.

"Relgar I will need that bag for a moment. Can anyone of you look into cleaning up the blood, by chance? I know some of you are able to... try?", he looks at Alecto

If the gnome shares the bag, Anibal will attempt to stuff Krant's body inside. Emptying the bag into whichever available cabinet in the kitchen if need be. Preferably one that seems rarely used. If the bag ia not available, he will drag the bodies by hands.

He picks up Evlar over his shoulder and starts moving. When they arrive to the door, Anibal considers the plan to open them.

"I mean... I am not the strongest here. But I suppose?

Strength: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

"Yeah, that'a not happening. I pulled these folks around. Bit short of breath, to be honest.", Anibal stops pushing against the door seeing it won't budge, and gestures towards the body/bodies.

With the aid of some magical grease from Relgar and some old-fashioned elbow-grease from Anibal, the door opens!

On the other side of the door a staircase leads down, curving away to the east. There is a musky odor in the air, like that of a caged animal.

With the circumstance bonus discussed above applied to Anibal's roll, it's enough to get the door open (the DC was only 10). I've also rolled for a Stealth check below.

Anibal Stealth (+grease): 1d20 + 10 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 3 = 20

Well done, Beekeeper. As always. But now.. what can be smelling so bad? We can't blame Krant this time.

If it seems too dark, Mallycorn will make some magical light appear

Light Orison