GM Badblood's Down the Verdant Path #09-14 (Inactive)

Game Master Lance K

I'm one to keep an open mind, and don't think either of you should be deciding what the issue is before we get there. For that reason, I will bet 50 GP against each of you, and if the problem is different than either of you think, I'll win from both.

Holmes bets 100 GP

Jamila laughs and says, "I remember Pathfinders being bold! But its okay, you can keep your money."

Falbin joins in, saying "How can you risk your life against dangerous monsters if you're scared to make a friendly bet?"

Jamila then considers and says, "Holmes, understand, Falbin and I are trying to settle a bet, so there's no real point in us betting that we're both wrong."

Falbin laughs and says "Tell you what! If we're both wrong and the strange weather happens to be caused by something else entirely, then I will buy the first round of drinks when we get back!"

"I think Jamila is on the right track. Although the loggers clear cutting practices are naturally going to draw the ire of druids and fey. And they leave me nowhere to hunt..."

Alecto shrugs her shoulders. Everything is possible. It doesn't look like she's going to make a bet.

Relgar shakes his head.

"I only gamble when I know I am going to win. As for the monsters they just do not stand a chance against a properly prepared party so it is hardly the same thing at all."

While Relgar understands the concept of fair play in theory he considers it to be impractical, inconvenient and quite expensive when applied to a person's day to day affairs.

How much is Adowyn going to bet? And anyone else?

Falbin has a concerned expression on his face as he looks at Relgar. "A gnome who needs to know the outcome of something before he acts? That kind of thinking is going to lead to an early Bleaching," he says sadly, shaking his head.

Jamila claps her hands and says cheerfully, "Come on! Doesn't anyone else want to take Falbin's stuff? The foolish gnome is practically giving his money away!"

Falbin quips back, "You'll be eating your words, Jamila. Its the druids. You'll see."

We need to wrap up the betting before moving on.

The autumn air is crisp, and the sky is blue. The leaves on the trees are gold and red. It's a beautiful fall day.

How much is Adowyn going to bet? And anyone else?

50 GP

Relgar smiles disagreeing with Falbin about the best way to keep the Bleaching away.

"Come on Falbin it takes a lot more ingenuity and elbow grease to rig the game and guarantee success than simply rely on dumb luck. For the record I think that Jamila is going to clean your clock. This strange weather is certainly not the work of some local druid cult."

"But why don't we get out there and see for ourselves already? Gregor is eager for some action and so am I."

Bahram would reeeaally like to bet, because he knows he's right, but he also doesn't care to aquire Tanglefoot bags.

"I'll let you keep your sticky bags my little friend. I'm happy just knowing I'm right.". He concludes with a wink.

"What's going on? I wasn't paying attention! A bet? I bet each of you ten gold I'm the first one to get to the crazy weather patch!" With that, the gnome starts her little legs pumping, sprinting south.

Relgar laughs following after her. Once they clear the populated section of the city he jumps on board a much bigger Gregor who then flies to catch up with the pin wielding gnome.

Okay, bets are closed! It looks like Adowyn will be the only one placing a bet.

"Okay, it looks like Adowyn is the only one her with an appetite for gambling," Falbin says, disappointed.

Jamila shrugs and says, "That's okay I suppose. Alright, let's decide on the rules of how we will decide who the winner is!"

The two chat eagerly as they walk along the path and eventually agree that the first one to find three clear clues supporting their theory will be declared the winner.

After about a mile of walking the landscape is already changing. The crisp fall winds become balmy zephyrs, and bare trees yield to junglelike
growth. Jamila comments "This is happening closer to town. Whatever is going on I think it might be spreading."

Falbin points out several of the plants growing in the area. "None of those have any business growing in this area. Those are definitely out of season, but look there," he says, pointing at a fern with bright orange flowers. "That's a tropical plant. That's not something that can grow in this climate at all."

Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Looking at the sky Adowyn says to the group, "The clouds in the sky are spiraling southward in a way that is not natural. That kind of phenomenon is more consistent with a planar disturbance and not likely to the result of primal magic."

Knowledge Geography: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Later she reports to the group, "Knowing where this weather phenomena was a week ago, it's relatively easy to calculate how quickly this growth is spreading. It appears to be comparable to other known blooms that have occurred around rifts with the First World."

Relgar sails above the party on his familiar Gregor. He steers his mount with his knees alone and is not even using a saddle and yet the gnome is managing it all very easily. He swoops down to taunt Falbin.

"Ha, it looks like you are going to get smoked here. Jamila is taking you to the cleaners. You better get ready to pay up!"

Before Falbin can reply Relgar winks at Jamila and then returns to his cruising altitude of 25 feet.

Gregor wants to get in on the action and simply sticks his tongue out at Falbin. It is not clear what he understands in terms of the bet but he does know that Relgar is sticking it to him.

[dice=Knowledge Nature]1d20+5

Looking at the sky Adowyn says to the group, "The clouds in the sky are spiraling southward in a way that is not natural. That kind of phenomenon is more consistent with a planar disturbance and not likely to the result of primal magic."

[dice=Knowledge Geography]1d20+4

Later she reports to the group, "Knowing where this weather phenomena was a week ago, it's relatively easy to calculate how quickly this growth is spreading. It appears to be comparable to other known blooms that have occurred around rifts with the First World."

"Yes, I was just about to say the same thing. Now, let's find this rift and figure out how to close it before it gets to hot out here for pants!

Relgar decides it is time to put up some magical protection for both himself and Gregor. With the expenditure of a couple of scrolls of Mage Armor they feel ready for anything.

"I think that we are getting closer. We should keep an eye out for trouble."

Relgar and Gregor are currently 25 feet above the ground.

@GM Badblood - How tall are the current plants on the map?

"Yes, I was just about to say the same thing. Now, let's find this rift and figure out how to close it before it gets to hot out here for pants!

"Indeed."

The mushrooms are up to 5 feet tall, but will just be considered difficult terrain for the purpose of this encounter. There are also pools of water on the map as well.

Near a pool there are two gigantic frogs with bright colored, corkscrew tongues and skin that is constantly shifting color. Both are roughly the size of a common dairy cow; although one looks just a little bigger and a little older.

sense motive: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3

"Whoa. I'm not expert in jungle fauna, but those frogs look a little large to me."

Relgar has a look at the rather large frogs.

"Those are some big frogs."

SM: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

@GM Badblood - What type of check is it to know more about them?

Relgar calls down to Jilla as it is common for many gnomes to be able to communicate with different types of animals.

"Do you know how to talk to them? Animals I mean?"

SM: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18 !!!!! darn! ))

Interesting creatures...

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

"If they or we are not aggressive, I might be able to influence at least one of them. No guarantees of course."

"I would suggest that we steer clear of them and the pond. I am pretty sure that we can take two frogs, no matter their size but it seems rather pointless to me unless someone has a hankering for giant frog legs!"

"I would suggest that we steer clear of them and the pond. I am pretty sure that we can take two frogs, no matter their size but it seems rather pointless to me."

"How do we know we won't find more information in the area of the frogs? For all we know the frogs themselves might provide a clue."

Knowledge Nature to Identify these creatures.

The two frogs are aware of the party and after a few seconds of croaking they suddenly start hopping towards the adventurers! The slightly bigger frog licks its lips hungrily.

Round 1
Bahram
Relgar
Adowyn
Jilla
Holmes
Giant Teal Frog
Giant Purple Bigger Frog
Alecto

Everyone BUT Alecto gets to act first!

Jamila lifts off the ground and slowly flies away while Falbin sits down on a mushroom. Then he pulls out a bag of candied nuts and pops one in his mouth. "I've heard Pathfinders know how to fight! This is going to be exciting!" the gnome says enthusiastically. Jamila shouts down at the group, "Don't worry, I'll be close by if you start having some trouble!"

nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Jack recognizes these as Goliath frogs. They are known for their long, sticky tongues which grab prey so they can be swallowed whole. Only these creatures are also from the First World (the realm of the fey), which gives them other supernatural abilities. They are going to be resistant to cold and electricity, but also have some innate resistance to any spells as well.

"What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, are genuine first world Goliath frogs! Yes, they swallow whole. They don't mind cold or electricity, so avoid that. Otherwise, they splatter pretty nice if you hit them hard enough."

Bahram casts mirror image on himself as he moves up.

"Come get us! Though I'm warn you, some of us are less filling."

images: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Adowyn casts Feather Step on herself and sets Leryn to guard her.

Feather Step

Jilla's cheeks puff out as she suddenly starts croaking like a frog!

Using Speak with Animals

Relgar guides Gregor with his knees higher up into the sky and his right hand bursts into flame.

Gregor: Move action to slowly gain 20 feet of elevation. No flight check is required.
Relgar: Automatic ride check to ride with knees alone (DC 5) and Produce Flame is cast.

Relgar and Gregor are now 45 feet off the ground.

Let see if Diplomacy has a chance here. :)

Holmes pulls out a shortbow, nocks an arrow, and lets fly at teal.

Shortbow attack: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
damage, cold iron arrow, piercing: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Jack casts mirror image on himself, and Adowyn casts feather step while ordering her wolf to stand by and guard her. Relgar flies up a little higher at a steady pace while casting produce flame on himself. Finally Holmes fires a shot at on one of the frogs but it flies by it.

Jilla casts speak with animals and then tries to talk to the frogs.

The younger frog jumps into the pool, which is deep enough for the creature to be half-submerged. The other giant frog crawls through the mushrooms. It appears to be readying itself to take some kind of action.

Round 1
Bahram
Relgar
Adowyn
Jilla
Holmes
Teal Goliath Junior
Purple Goliath Senior
Alecto

Round 2
Bahram 3 images
Relgar
-Gregor
Adowyn
-Leryn
Jilla
Holmes
Teal Goliath Junior -Improved Cover, Full Defense
Purple Goliath Senior -Readied action
Alecto

Holmes decides to keep his distance and take a shot at Purple this time

Shortbow attack: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
damage, cold iron arrow, piercing: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Jilla listens to the frogs and then bursts out laughing. "Alright folks," she says to her fellow Pathfinders. "It's on!" Pulling an impressive-looking wand out of her pocket, she shakes it threateningly in the direction of one of the frogs, but nothing happens. "Hm. Magic is harder than it looks . . ."

Drew a wand but failed to activate it.

Use Magic Device: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

@GM: Thanks, that frog-talk made my day!

Alecto invokes the powers of the plants around her. She raises her hands, and gradually the plants around the toads also begin to sprout, entangling them.

Entangle DC 16 Reflex, no SR.

I indicated with a green cloud the center of the spell and an approximate green line the effect zone. I'm sorry, my work do not allow me to draw each square separately )) I think the zone is clear. By the way, I've never paid attention to how huge its zone is. A 40 foot radius is 80 in diameter! This is almost the entire map.

Relgar hurls a ball of flame at Goliath Senior and then gently steers his flying mount around the battlefield.

To Hit Touch AC: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Damage,Fire,Pyro,Varisian Tatoo,Draconic BL: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

SR check if needed, CL 5: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Single move action by Gregor with gentle turns.

Entangle is nice, especially if there are thorny plants in the area which can do 1 point of damage per failed save/escape attempt.

Adowyn steps 5 feet and fires two arrows at the giant frog on land, and Leryn follows suit, still guarding her.

MW Composite Longbow, Rapid Shot: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 151d8 ⇒ 1

MW Composite Longbow, Rapid Shot: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 91d8 ⇒ 7

"Hmm," Bahram surveys the ever evolving battlefield and sees that the frog's stop short for some reason. And then the plants begin to go crazy all around them. "Alright, Diplomat, you'll need to wait a bit longer." He says as he pats the battle axe on his back and draws his shortbow instead. Shooting at the frog nearest him...

Using a bit of ole archaeologist's luck, Bahram's arrow seems to fly even better than he expected!

shortbow: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 5 + 2 = 191d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

The mushrooms and moss around the pond begin to writhe around as Alecto casts entangle over a wide area.

I put a circle in to show the area. Its not as precise as drawing it out; but the squares only half or less inside the circle should be outside the burst area.

Teal Save: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13
Purple Save: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

The teal frog gets tangled up as some lilly pads wrap around its limbs, but the bigger frog leaps out of the way and isn't caught up.

Oh, we're not done with Froggy talk

Jilla tries to fandangle her wand into working, but it sternly refuses to cooperate. Relgar sends down a blast of fire but fails to hit. Adowyn Holmes and Jack shoot arrows but they all fail to hit their mark.

Bahram, the teal frog has improved cover and was taking full defense. Which is admittedly odd behavior for a frog.

The teal frog attempts to pull itself free from the lilly pads. It manages to pull itself free, but isn't able to escape from the pond before more plants start grabbing at it.

Strength: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Strength: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Reflex: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

It won't get entangled at the end of Alecto's turn again because it stayed in the area, but it did have to use two move actions to get itself free. And since it didn't move its still submerged in the pool and still has improved cover.

The purple frog hops through the entangled plants to get closer to Bahram. Suddenly its long corkscrew tongue flies out of its mouth towards the half orc! The tongue hits Jack, but luckily for the half-orc it was one of those fake Jacks floating around.

Mirror Image; (1 is bad): 1d4 ⇒ 3
Tongue Attack!: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
Reflex: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

At the END of Alecto's turn purple is going to be entangled.

Round 2
Bahram 2 images
Relgar
-Gregor
Adowyn
-Leryn
Jilla
Holmes
Teal Goliath Junior -Improved Cover
Purple Goliath Senior -Readied action
Alecto

Round 3
Bahram 2 images
Relgar
-Gregor
Adowyn
-Leryn
Jilla
Holmes
Teal Goliath Junior -Improved Cover
Purple Goliath Senior -Entangled
Alecto

@GM Badblood - Are you certain that my last attack missed? Produce Flame is treated like a ranged touch attack and the creature is large sized. Although these are not your run of the mill giant frogs. They might actually be fast. :)

Relgar comes around for another pass at the big bad frog and tosses another ball of fire at senior. Gregor flies in a straight line this time not taxing his abilities in the slightest.

Ranged Touch attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

Damage,Fire: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Caster level check to bypass SR remains 18.

reflex?: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 9 + 2 = 13

not sure if I am in the entangled area or not. If I am, apply a -2 to my attack.

Dropping his bow and pulling his great axe, Bahram takes a step forward and takes a mighty swing, as if going to work.

+1 great axe: 1d20 + 7 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 7 + 2 + 1 = 271d12 + 4 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 2 + 1 = 17

+2 continuing archaeologist luck, +1 courage, +1 damage from arcane strike (free action)

"Down boy!"

Jilla stows the recalcitrant wand and takes up a dramatic pose. Suddenly, a glowing, vaguely humanoid shape appears right in front of one of the frogs.

Casting the third aspect of dancing lights.

@GM Badblood - Are you certain that my last attack missed? Produce Flame is treated like a ranged touch attack and the creature is large sized.

C'mon man...what's more likely...that your GM doesn't know a very basic rule like how touch attacks work or that you're fighting a creature that *somehow* has a touch AC that is higher than 9?

Relgar throws out a second ball of fire at the larger frog and this time he hits. The fire burns the frog and seems to be as effective as expected. Jack moves into the mass of entangling plants and is immediately grabbed. Despite that he is able to free his arms long enough to deliver a powerful chop to the big frog in front of him.

Jilla casts dancing lights in an effort to trick the frogs.
SMotive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
SMotive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

Round 2
Bahram 2 images
Relgar
-Gregor
Adowyn
-Leryn
Jilla
Holmes
Teal Goliath Junior -Improved Cover
Purple Goliath Senior -Readied action
Alecto

Round 3
Bahram 2 images - entangled
Relgar
-Gregor
Adowyn
-Leryn
Jilla
Holmes
Teal Goliath Junior -Improved Cover
Purple Goliath Senior -Entangled, -24
Alecto

With the Purple People Eater now within 30', Adowyn repositions 5'and fires two more arrows at the monstrosity. Leryn follows, still defending Adowyn.

Thanks to the player of Holmes for reminding me, Adowyn is also using Cold Iron arrows. Her 'Deadeye Bowman' trait will negate any cover Jack might provide the frawg.

MW Composite Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 + 1 = 281d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

MW Composite Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 7 + 1 = 231d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Possible crit on shot #1:

MW Composite Longbow, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 1 = 171d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

@GM: If the crit is confirmed, please increase the damage from the bow by 3 points from Adowyn's 'Killer' trait.

Bows do X3 crit damage.

Crit damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Adowyn's first arrow gets the frog in the eye. It collapses to the ground. She pivots and fires a second arrow at the other frog, but the arrow just hits the water.

Round 2
Bahram 2 images
Relgar
-Gregor
Adowyn
-Leryn
Jilla
Holmes
Teal Goliath Junior -Improved Cover
Alecto

Round 3
Bahram 2 images - entangled
Relgar
-Gregor
Adowyn
-Leryn
Jilla
Holmes
Teal Goliath Junior -Improved Cover
Alecto

One down, One to go.

Holmes decides there is no reason to advance, and takes a shot at Teal in the water

Shortbow attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
damage, cold iron arrow, piercing: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

I am not sure why I am trying at this point.