[Gameday XI, PFS1 CORE]#4-25: Glories of the Past Pt 3 - The Secrets Stones Keep (5-9) (Inactive)

Game Master Aldizog

Doodle grunted at the old man, but decided to not agitate him further. ”Grog, grab this end with me, and let’s drag Stormy out of that hole.”. If no one objects, a doodle will do exactly that.

Grog helps Stormy up.

"Here you go." He pulls on the silk rope. "Thanks Khellek"

Stormy will tie a loop for her foot at the end of the rope and let herself be lifted out of the pit. My thanks. Perhaps someone with a keener eye for traps should go first?

Stormy did not detect detect any magic in the pit.

Doodle and Grog pull her out.

The pit trap is now clearly visible. It isn't really possible to bridge it - there isn't enough space on the far side to rest a support - but you can bring the trapdoor back into position and jam it shut if you wish which would require a Disable Device check. Or, you can do something else.

"The simplest solution would be for someone to fly and open the door. Then the rest of us could either jump across the pit or simply climb down into the pit and then climb back up to cross over."

Sylvester looks at the group.

"So, can anyone here fly?"

Doodle grins and raises her hand. ”Flying’s not been that hard for me lately. I’m slow, but I can get across that pit easily enough,” she volunteers.

If there is no objection, she volunteers to fly across with a rope in hand, open the door and if nothin attacks, help the others cross the pit.

Doodlevain flies across, but finds that she cannot open the door. It is locked.

Sylvester is not surprised by this development but is hopeful that someone is capable with locks.

"Perhaps someone is capable of opening locked doors magically or otherwise?"

"And then Doodle can open the door.

I see that Khellek has a scroll of Knock in his header line but clearly my character does not know this. :)

I am assuming that the doors are made of stone so breaking them down would take a while. :)

"Climb?" utters the scholar in exasperation.

"I am a distinguished scholar. I do not climb"

Yes, the knock scroll it is there as a reminder. Khellek and his player are a little absent minded. That is my default picks from my librarian boon

"As it happens I do have a way to open the door, although perhaps Mr Solstar you might do the honours. The light here is not as good for my reading of fine print as would be ideal for me.." he says, calming down from the affront of being asked to indulge in physical activity.

"Or Ms Montafescue?" he suggests.

"I do hope it is not some false door just designed to lead us into the pit and waste our resources."

Still, he hands over the scroll to either of the sorcerers willing to use it.

Doodle will take the scroll, move to the stairs close to the pit trap and use it to cast Knock on the locked doors.

Grog climbs over the pit and moves near Doodle. He grips his axe.

take 10 for 20 if I can

Let's hope there's nothing we can't handle here

@Khellek, I assume that Knock scroll is CL3?
Knock CL vs door's DC: 1d20 + 10 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 10 + 3 = 15

The scroll fails to unlock the door.

"Well, it was worth a try. I am going down into that pit with Grog. I want to make sure that there is nothing down there that might help us before we try to beat down the door."

He gets Shaggy to stay put while he climbs down the rope and into the pit. His light spell from his chestnut illuminating the area.

7 Climb (vs DC 5 to climb a rope with a wall to brace/repel against) on a take 10.

He then takes a cursory examination of the pit.

25 Perception on a take 10.

There is nothing to brace against on the descent - the walls slope outward as you descend - but it is easy enough for someone to lower Sylvester down into the pit.

He spots a secret door on the western wall of the pit.

"Hey guys I found a secret door down here."

"But this makes no sense at all with all these dead people stuck in here for so long."

Sylvester takes his time examining the door for traps.

35 Perception on a take 20 if allowed otherwise 25 Perception on a take 10.

"Would someone mind lowering down Shaggy for me?"

I suppose the dead orcs had a poor enough Perception that they couldn't make it on a Take 20. Book-standard Common Orc is a 1st-level Warrior with a -1 Perception.

Take 20 is allowed.
Sylvester checks over and over, becoming certain that there is no trap on the door or on the ground around it.

Does anyone else go down with him?

It's a bit tricky to get Shaggy down there, but it would probably be easiest if someone strong were to carry the dog.

Sylvester laughs to himself. Clearly these orcs were blockheads if they could not spot something so obvious after being down here so long.

"This door is clean. I checked it over and over for traps."

"Grog would you mind bringing Shaggy down? I think that we should all go down and check this out as it seems to be our only way in at the present."

This is my favourite part of RPGs that is often missing. The thrill of exploration and of course the opportunity to find hidden treasure.

Stormy will rig a harness to lower first Fluffy and then Shade down the 20 drop/ If at all too heavy she will seek help from Grog. You know. that upper door may have been false after all. She notes.

Doodle will help try to get the animals down into the pit. Her fly spell should help her pull that off without much trouble. ”Watch out below! We’re coming down,” she laughs.

Khellek will ensure that his rope is well secured above before risking a descent into the pit.

"You do have a way out if this all turns out to be an elaborate dwarven trap?" he checks.

"You wouldn't prefer to have me up above with Bessie to provide covering fire while you try to escape?"

An eyebrow rises questioningly towards the librarian. "I am certain we will not die of starvation in that pit." It is probably the cheeriest statement Fethril has made during the entire mission thus far.

"Starving is not my concern." sighs the elderly scholar.

"I have only a limited amount of reading material with me." he explains.

"Starving is not my concern." sighs the elderly scholar.

"I have only a limited amount of reading material with me." he explains.

Grog helps the old man and the animals out of the pit.

He fingers his axe.

"You can sit and read Khellek. But my axe is getting restless. I want some more of those full bloods to get back at. I slacked off before. They ain't taking me DOWN again!" He smiles.

Sylvester gets back on board Shaggy again as Grog brings him down.

"Grog, Doodle or Stormy could you please open the secret door?"

Grog helps the old man and the animals out of the pit.

Sylvester wanted to get his animal into the pit, not out of it.

So it sounds like everyone descends into the pit?

Who opens the door, and who takes the lead down the corridor (if there is one)?

Doodle will open the door and take the lead.

Sylvester steers Shaggy to the back of the pit as he jokes with Doodle.

"Maybe falling into pits is not all bad then?"

"It got us here."

The passage goes 15' west and then turns north, ending in another door.

Opening the door after all the requisite checks reveals another room.

A soot-stained mosaic depicting a stone arch filled with flames dominates this chamber’s tiled floor. Three alcoves in the western wall hold badly rusted tools.

A nearly pristine stone hammer lies in the center of the mosaic (an actual hammer, not merely a mosaic depiction of one).

There is a Knowledge (religion) check for the mosaic if you are in a position to see it. Please place yourselves on the map if you want to take a look.

Khellek will have loaded Bessie and have her ready when the door is open. However as soon as he hears about the mosaic he tries to peer into the room. "Fascinating." he mutters. "Fascinating." he repeats trying to see over Doodle.

Sylvester and Shaggy slide up behind Doodle. The little gnome glances around the room (from his current position) and casts Detect Magic to see if the stone hammer, mosaic or tools are magical.

25 Perception on a take 10.

Detect Magic is cast.

"Khellek, I think that you are going to want to take a look here."

He looks over and the bard is already there.

"Right...anything interesting you can tell us?"

I assume that your take 1 on History will be enough. :)

”I don’t know anything about religious stuff. So, I bet we need to get Khellek up front to check it out. That means, well, I guess, I’ll walk around the room, looking for traps,” Doodle groans, shaking her head.

”Bet I fall into a pit again,” she calls out to her fellow gnome.

I can’t see the new slide, GM, but Doodle hopes to walk over every square in the room before letting the others in, so hopefully the bard can safely step around and look at the hammer and room.

Your turn Doodle. Stormy calls from outside the room.

The Nethyn looks into the chamber. He studies the mosaic.

Religion: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Fethril and Khellek easily identify the flame-within-the-arch symbol of Droskar, the outcast member of the Dwarven pantheon and patron of toil, cheating, and slavery. Do whatever it takes to accomplish your goal is more or less the mantra of his faith.

Sylvester Arcana: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Sylvester identifies a moderate aura of Evocation on the mosaic. Likely some sort of trap.

The interaction between Detect Magic and magic traps is discussed many places online, but is not clearly and explicitly spelled out in the CRB or FAQ. So I'm going to rule that Sylvester cannot "thoroughly examine" the trap and all of its workings, and therefore cannot identify the specific effect using Spellcraft. But he knows it is Evocation of CL 6-11.

"Stay away from the mosaic. It is trapped!"

"In fact, stay out of the room entirely for now."

@GM Aldizog - Does the hammer itself (not the mosaic) detect as magical? If so then Sylvester should probably have been able to attempt to identify it (with Spellcraft for magical properties) when he swept through the room with Detect Magic.

@GM Aldizog - Is there anyway to know what will trigger the trap without actually triggering it?

Sylvester and Shaggy move post-haste away from the room and back to the pit in case his words are not heeded.

The stone hammer appears finely crafted, but not magical.

Detect Magic cannot tell you the nature of the trap's trigger. I am sure you can make some guesses.

I would guess that picking up the hammer would cause a nice explosion. :)

"Well that explains the location of the secret door in a pit of all places. It is just a hidden prayer spot for these cultists. We need to get back up there and find a way to open the main door."

@GM Aldizog - Did Sylvester see anything else of interest in the room (from the hallway) with his Perception check of 25?

@GM Aldizog - Are the main doors made out of stone? Also do we think that if we can get to the other side of the main door somehow we would be able to open it? In general would there be a latch on the inside to open the door (like on a modern door) or would you usually need a key?

Are there any exits in this room?

"Of course, picking up the hammer may reveal other secrets of the room as well as triggering a trap." notes the scholar.

He looks back up toward the pit, hoping it won't close on the team. Of course to do that, he does back up a bit as well.

"Let me think for a moment." he mutters, taking out a book and starting to read.

There are no other exits to this room, nor anything else in the hallway or pit.

The main doors are made out of stone; Sylvester is not sure how they open.

If the hammer is not enchanted perhaps Mage Hand can lift it, of move it enough to trigger the trap?

Sylvester considers Stormy's idea.

"It is a good idea but quite dangerous considering the range of the Mage Hand spell and the potential effect of the trap which I know is powerful but the exact details are still a mystery. Still, you are on the right track."

"You could summon a mite and ask it to lift up the hammer or touch the mosaic? That way we could all be well outside the pit when the trap explodes."

"Yes, that would be a much safer plan."

The stone hammer is likely too heavy for Mage Hand.

Summoning a creature to retrieve it is certainly possible, although a trap of CL6-11 would likely destroy a mite (and possibly the hammer, depending on the effect of the trap). The best chance for the hammer to not be affected would probably be for it to be in the possession of someone with a good saving throw.

Or, it could be in no danger at all from the trap.

You want me to summon an ally and then have them do something we would not? Stormy looks at the little gnome with incomprehension. My summoning brings friends. Perhaps that is a concept you are unfamiliar with. No, I would lift the hammer myself before such a betrayal.

Sylvester shrugs not really appreciating Stormy's attitude.

"Summoned creatures are never permanently killed. They merely reform after a day. I cannot say the same about us. I wish to protect our party over a summoned minion, especially an evil fey like a mite. You choose to do as you will."

"What ever you choose to do the rest of the party should be out of this pit before the trap is triggered."

Sylvester and Shaggy are looking for a ride up and out of the pit.

It is easy enough for Grog to get up out of the pit and bring up anyone else who wishes to leave.

Will anybody attempt to get the stone hammer from the mosaic and risk triggering the trap? If so, do you cast any protective spells first?
Or will the party just leave it there?

Anyone who goes back up can feel free to post what they are doing up there.

The gnome leaves some words of wisdom before departing.

"It is only a guess but I would suspect that it might be a fire spell that would be triggered. That would fit in with the fire motif going on here and could fit the portfolio of a dwarvern god of toil. If you can protect yourself against that element then so much the better."

Sylvester and Shaggy accept the lift up. They now wait for the rest of the party and a possible explosion if and when the hammer is removed.

My character and pet are back on the edge of the main map. Hopefully far away from any possible explosion. I doubt that the damage could be life-threatening to anyone but Shaggy (only CL 6-11) but the unknown can still be scary to a little gnome. :)

”Can anyone cast protection versus fire,” Doodle asks, suspecting she was to be the unlucky one to take the hammer.

I can cast Resist Energy. Anyone got the better version?

Resist Fire 20 is the best you are going to get around here. No one is close to caster level 11 or has Protection from Energy prepared. Considering that your character has 80 hit points, a good reflex save and a solid Con score your character will be just fine. If I had to guess I would say that you are unlikely to be more than singed with a successful save. :)

Hearing no one speak up. Doodle waits for the party to get out of the area before casting resist energy fire on herself. She then casts Heroism to improve her chances of dodging the upcoming blast. ”Stay back, everyone,” she calls out as she closes her eyes and grabs the hammer.

Reflex sage with heroism 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 7 + 2 = 14

Folio reroll on that one, please 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15