m LG human Paladin 9 | HP 76/76 | AC 20 T 13 FF 17 | CMD 23 | F+13 R+11 W+11 [+2 vs illusions] | Init +4 | Perc +0 | LoH 8/8 | Bond 1/1 | Smite 3/3 | Darkvision, Delay Poison, Ant Haul, Endure Elements, Hunter's Blessing (undead, underground)
Thanks! Indeed, I did not count the Prayer in attack (only in damage). If it's still possible, I'll take a bonus from Grunjar too. It will be 20 to hit and still 19 dmg. My AC is 26 now.
Oh, it would be fricking hilarious if you managed to control THAT one Spica grinned, looking over at Vanessa.
"Smart vons like zhis - vell, smart is relative - are much tougher to control. Zhey have zheir own vill, so I can't make zhem do tsings. But you're soooo right, dahling, it vould be very fun to parade it tsrough zhe streets before its true death."
Goran Baldaros wrote:
if i might, go with the -4 to attack rolls and saves...worse chance to hit and resist my spells/channeling
This makes sense. Let's use Goran's suggestion then, instead. -4 to Attack rolls and saves.
"Tsank you for zhat good idea," The Boss says with a pleased smile at how well Her Boys (and Her Girl, too, of course <3 ) are performing.
Nikita's strike connects thanks only to divine aid.
Derf's subsequent attack destroys the undead menace.
Grunjar confirms that, even had Derf been more precise (crit'd), the fortune-spurned Baillaset was not easy to destroy.
Aura of Misfortune (Su) Every creature within 10 feet of a fortune-spurned creature gains the diminished criticals and unlucky strike special qualities of the fortune-spurned template as long as it remains within range. Furthermore, each such creature takes a –4 penalty on all checks and saving throws. Diminished Criticals (Ex) A fortune-spurned creature must roll twice to confirm a critical hit.
COMBAT OVER
The room falls silent save for the last drips of blood dripping into the open trenches.
If you head down the tunnel in the center to the north (2):
You come across a room once served as the bath house for the cult. Two sputtering torches still burn here, casting most of the room in shadowy illumination. At some point recently, a cultist magically froze the lake, killing several cultists who were bathing here.
The room has since started to melt and most of the pool is slush—the corpses are frigid and wet. The tunnel and frozen bath house have 20-feet-tall ceilings. A simple snare trap has been tripped—it caught
the cultist who froze the lake. He still hangs from the snare 10 feet up, his head distorted and purple from the weight of all of the blood in his body. A small pool of blood mars the chamber’s floor beneath him.
If you head down the tunnel to the northwest (1):
You find the tunnel leading into this chamber makes a sharp ninety-degree turn to the north before opening into a twenty-foot-high, thirty-five-foot-long cavern filled with a shallow lake that glitters in the faint greenish light from algae on the ceiling.
If you succeed at a 25 Perception check, you may open the spoiler below:
Spoiler:
You finds a small metal rod on the ground there.
There is still a bit more to learn here, but I will pause here for now.
male Human Cleric 6, HP 50/52, AC 21, T 13, FF 18, F +7, R +6, W +9, Initiative +1, Perception +7
Take this if you do decide to check it out...if it's poisoned, it will help save you... Goran fishes out a vial marked "Antipoison" and gives it to Spica.
The rod was likely some sort of one-shot minor artifact—though its purpose is impossible to discern (but easy to guess) (according to the scenario writer, anyway).
The lake is entirely filled with acid to a depth of 2 feet. This acid is remarkable it does not give off noxious fumes like a normal pool of acid would.
Should any PCs have empty acid flasks, they can fill them here for free. PCs may not fill just any container—only empty acid flasks.
"I heard rumors of an altar where the cultists would worship. They knelt in the cold, 2-foot-deep water before a polished-granite altar at the east side of the room," notes Hustuvan.
Perception (DC 15):
You notice a handful of half-melted skeletons in the “water” that seem to be still be in the process of dissolving.
If you touch the acidic water:
Anyone touching the water takes 1d6 acid damage per round of exposure.
Anyone who wishes to avoid stepping into the acid pool can make Climb checks to climb along the walls to venture deeper into the chamber. The north wall is smooth and slippery and quite difficult to climb (Climb check DC 25) but the south wall is jagged and unfinished and relatively easy to traverse (Climb DC 15).
Lady Vanessa follows everyone else through the other tunnels, reflecting on the fate of the cultists and the machinations of Bustrani, Bailiset, and this Harvestman Quint. It's not like her to mull over these things. Maybe Spica's innocence is rubbing off on her, though.
Speaking of whom....
"Hmm, oh yes, ov course, Grunjar."
Vanessa casts a quick cantrip for inspiration along with recasting her more powerful prayer to Zon-Kuthon.
Guidance AND Prayer. They stack for +2, and using misfortune to force a reroll.
Once the rod is identified, she calls forth her leathery wings and flies across the pool to the altar.
male Human Cleric 6, HP 50/52, AC 21, T 13, FF 18, F +7, R +6, W +9, Initiative +1, Perception +7
Should we destroy the altar? I have something that can help... Goran says as he fishes out a length of plain metal. It starts to change shape and becomes a shiny pickaxe.
traveller' anytool...should make short work of it...
#08-00 The Cosmic Captive Male CG Dwarf Cleric 8 | HP 39/59 | AC 25 T 11 FF 25 | CMB +7, CMD 18 | F: +10, R: +4, W: +16 (+2 vs. Poison/Spells/SLAs, +2 vs. charm/comp.) | Init +6 | Heal +12, Perc +18 darkv. 60' (Stonecunning: +2 extra), SM: +12 | Speed 30ft | Lucky Number: 9
"We definitely should destroy the altar! This tool will help, too, but I think acid should also do something. Let's try both, shall we?"
Grunjar then shouts in the direction where the ladies disappeared:
"Are you ok? Is there a safe space to land near this altar?"
Grunjar has two acid flasks which we could use and refill here for free (again and again) until the altar is melted. He can also cast fly once per day with a duration of 7 minutes. So he could fly there, too, and start to destroy the altar with the pickaxe while the ladies use his acid flasks on the altar. After 6.5 minutes he would fly back, carrying Spica.
Vanessa surveys the altar and swings back around to the beach, pausing mid-flight for a pas de deux with Spica.
So this is what it feels like to dance in three dimensions. Hmmm. We may have to figure something out when we get back to the estates....
"If you vish to destroy it, go right ahead. I don't really have anytsing to help vith zhat," she informs the Boys.
Just remember, attacking objects with Energy, you divide the Energy damage by 2, then subtract the Hardness from that. It's a granite altar, so per CRB, likely has Hardness 8. An acid flask will do (half of 1d6) minus 8 - so nothing.
m LG human Paladin 9 | HP 76/76 | AC 20 T 13 FF 17 | CMD 23 | F+13 R+11 W+11 [+2 vs illusions] | Init +4 | Perc +0 | LoH 8/8 | Bond 1/1 | Smite 3/3 | Darkvision, Delay Poison, Ant Haul, Endure Elements, Hunter's Blessing (undead, underground)
Give me the rrright tool and I'll do it. The hammerrr, forrr example. Nikita looks at Grunjar.
My two-handed damage bonus is +6. With a hammer (d8), I will deal an average of 2 damage per hit, that is, 4 per round. This is +/- two and a half minutes of concentrated work. It is quite easy and fast, and looks something like this.
#08-00 The Cosmic Captive Male CG Dwarf Cleric 8 | HP 39/59 | AC 25 T 11 FF 25 | CMB +7, CMD 18 | F: +10, R: +4, W: +16 (+2 vs. Poison/Spells/SLAs, +2 vs. charm/comp.) | Init +6 | Heal +12, Perc +18 darkv. 60' (Stonecunning: +2 extra), SM: +12 | Speed 30ft | Lucky Number: 9
Nikita, I think your two-handed damage bonus (with PA) is already at +9, not +6.
Power Attack scales with BAB:
When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus to damage increases by +2.
And I think Spica has bull's strength prepared, so that should be another +3 to your damage. So with my Warhammer you're at 1d8+12, which is 16.5 average damage per hit. With two hits and hardness 8 you're dealing 17 damage per round to the altar. One minute is all it takes. ;-)
I will cast fly on you and you can carry us there...
When some of the party makes it to the altar, you see that t has the symbol of Zyphus carved on the front and is covered in rotting organs and other offerings to the Grim Harvestman.
It looks like you have a suitable plan for handling the altar and, without any further threats, you have the time necessary to destroy it. No sense in making rolls.
Sense Motive (DC 12) re what transpired before your arrival:
You surmise that this used to be the main room for worship for the cultists—they knelt in the cold, 2-foot-deep water before a polished-granite altar at the east. Soon after the wight appeared, one of the cultists ran to his coffin bed in the area above and retrieved a minor artifact he’d held on to for a while. He came here and activated it, turning the entire lake to acid and killing every cultist who stopped there to pray to Zyphus before starting the trap race.
Defeating Baillaset and the remainder of Oppara’s Zyphus cultists does what the Society hoped it would—it rids Oppara of a cult that tricked and murdered an esteemed Pathfinder, and it sends a message to other cults not to trifle with the Society. Undoubtedly, it also infuriated any other allies of Fel Bustrani who may be alive as well as whoever sent Baillaset to this lair.
FIN
Thank you all for playing. Lots of fun. I am sorry for the delays. Please go ahead any make any Day Job rolls and note which purchases you would like reflected on the chronicle sheet and I will get the sheets done and posted soon.
#08-00 The Cosmic Captive Male CG Dwarf Cleric 8 | HP 39/59 | AC 25 T 11 FF 25 | CMB +7, CMD 18 | F: +10, R: +4, W: +16 (+2 vs. Poison/Spells/SLAs, +2 vs. charm/comp.) | Init +6 | Heal +12, Perc +18 darkv. 60' (Stonecunning: +2 extra), SM: +12 | Speed 30ft | Lucky Number: 9
I hope Spica saved her scroll of fly. Grunjar's fly spell lasts seven minutes which is enough time for Nikita to carry everone there, destroy the altar and fly the party back.
It's a good thing Grunjar cannot fail this check even with a natural one... you may open the spoiler.
"It's disgusting, but I believe what happened here is..."
The cleric shares his thoughts on what happened here before.
"Anyway, let's get out of here. I need a few mugs of bugman's best to get these scenes out of my head... first round is on me!"
‐-------------
@GM Valen: Thank you for a very nice gaming experience - it's fun to sit at your table! :-D And please, do not worry about the delays. After all, this is just a game... ;-)
@all: Good game, and fun role-playing! ;-D Thanks a lot! :-)
If she's not careful she might end up being gagged for the trip out.
Oh, she's going to get gagged, all right. But not here, and not now. Back at the estates. In the privacy of the Lady's dungeons....
Lady Vanessa enjoys one last night out with this excellent team. In the morning, she receives a message written in a strange flowing script that seems to writhe when held out of direct light. At breakfast, she says her goodbyes, kisses Spica one last time, and heads back to Nidal to report to the Umbral Court on her activities. Following that, she looks forward to a pleasant return to her estates to await her young undine lover. Plus she's got some renovations to do to the basement - something about installing a pool....
Thanks all! Thanks especially to GM Valen for running these, and to Spica for the fun RP! Ciao, dahlings!
#08-00 The Cosmic Captive Male CG Dwarf Cleric 8 | HP 39/59 | AC 25 T 11 FF 25 | CMB +7, CMD 18 | F: +10, R: +4, W: +16 (+2 vs. Poison/Spells/SLAs, +2 vs. charm/comp.) | Init +6 | Heal +12, Perc +18 darkv. 60' (Stonecunning: +2 extra), SM: +12 | Speed 30ft | Lucky Number: 9
Goran Baldaros wrote:
sorry a bit late posting today...fighting off a cold...and feel like a bag of crap. And Bugman's best? found the WH player....lol
Sorry to disappoint, but I do not even know what WH stands for. To me "Bugman's best" is the name of a dwarven ale that GM supervillan offered in his run of the "Jarlsblood Witch Saga". :-) Maybe he plays WH - whatever it is... ;-)
"Well, I would not say no to a barrel, of course..."
After Lady Vanessa departed Grunjar seems to be deep in thought.
Did I miss a chance to learn more about a hidden side of myself?
