GM Bret’s What Lurks in the Woods (Inactive)

Game Master BretI

Never seen that symbol so far. Does that ring a bell for you?

k, religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

There is nothing magical inside this coffin.

Gaius and Cara both recognize the disk as a holy symbol of Aroden, the dead god of humanity. It is possible that this burial occurred before Aroden died.

You quickly check the other coffins, it seems there was only one coffin with a corpse in it.

"Should we take the time to decipher the journal or move elsewhere?"

Any PC have Linguistics?

nope..i'm a healbot..not a linguist...

not here

"We worry about the journal later. Are we ready to move into the house now?"

There's one more outbuilding if we want to finish the perimeter.

"We worry about the journal later. Are we ready to move into the house now?"

"I have little use for ancient scratches and markings." John replies. "But, before we head into the house, we should make sure that nothing follows us from behind."

"Cracking" John grips his mace. "Let's finish our sweep of the outside, before we dig into the residence."

"Come. This way," he says, striding toward the entrance.

Location updated on Map

Bow at the ready, Gaius follows John.

John leads the way through a wild garden flush with colors and full of scents both sharp and sweet. A gazebo topped with a weather vane sits in the northeast corner of the garden.

Just as John is noticing an itching on his skin, everyone except Cara and Evelyn notice something big hiding in the bushes ahead. John calls out a warning and points the creature out.

Round 1:

Kn: Nature to identify
Bushes are difficult terrain

Gaius
John sickened
Evelyn
Cara
Azalmak
Critter

Cara slides over a step and snaps off a quickly aimed bolt, hoping to either scare off the creature or maybe even hit it.This might distract it long enough to get you closer...

xbow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 61d8 ⇒ 8

Struggling to ignore the itch and choke back a cough from the sickening scent, John moves forward with mace in hand, pushing away the branches and shrubs before him.

He readies his mace, preparing to strike when he spies something taking a hostile action toward him.

Cara’s bolt gets tangled in the branches of the bushes.

John moves up and getting a good view of the creature. In spite of the itch, he slams his mace into the creature.

Round 1:

Kn: Nature to identify
Bushes are difficult terrain
Although it had tried to hide, you all know where the creature is.

Gaius
John Sickened
Evelyn
Cara
Azalmak
Critter 6 damage

Know Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Spotting at last the creature, Evelyn tries to recognise it, among the bushes and the turmoil of battle

Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 2 = 12

Gaius moves forward a bit, and puzzled by the creature, decides a cold iron arrow is the wise choice.

@GM: Gaius will use his Agile Feet Travel domain power to ignore difficult terrain for one round.

MW Composite Longbow (+1 Str) with Point Blank Shot: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 1 = 171d8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 1 = 6

Evelyn and Gaius both realize this is a giant frog, although it looks like this one has adapted to be immune to poison. You expect it to be able to stick out a tongue a fair distance, grab someone, and pull them in.

As Gaius moves through the bushes and starts itching, he gets an idea why the frog might have adapted in that way. Fortunately he has avoided the worst of it so far.
Gaius Fort save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Gaius’s shot with the arrow is accurate. You suspect one more good hit and the frog will be dead.

Round 1:

Kn: Nature to identify
Bushes are poisonous difficult terrain

Gaius
John Sickened
Evelyn
Cara
Azalmak
Critter 12 damage

Evelyn moves between the bushes and readies her crossbow, just in case...

Moves and switches weapons

Hearing the commotion, Azalmak runs forward to cut the frog down.

Scimitar: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23 for slashing: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

I'm not sure if the square Azalmak is in counts as the bush, but he's there regardless

Although Azalmak gets sickened by the bushes, he is still able to approach and kill the giant frog.
Fort: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Combat over.

You gather on the gazebo and look out over the garden. Thankfully the effects of the bushes passes quickly.

It looks like this garden has many different kinds of poisonous plants in his garden, including hemlock, poison oak, belladonna, and even stranger growths.
Kn: Nature for more information

Some of them look like they could be valuable.
Craft (alchemy), Heal, Knowledge (nature), or Survival check to attempt this. The higher the value the better you do.
Since you could just rest a few minutes if you get exposed by mistake, you think this is reasonably safe.
Who wants to do what, and are any of you searching the area?

Taking 10 for 16 Know Nature

Evelyn looks around the plant more closely, and picks a few ones.

Anything that can weaken a foe without outright killing him can be useful

@GM: PM sent, will make a skill check based on your reply. Gaius will carefully search the area (avoiding more bushes/plants), taking 10 on Perception for an 18. He'll also take 10 on Stealth also for an 18.

Gaius studies the plants (from a safe distance) to see what they are which are the most valuable.

@GM: Gaius will take 10 on his Survival check for a 17.

Evelyn recognizes that some of the plants have been imported from other countries, some of which are as distant as Sargava. The plants in the garden have since long lost their original potency, but it is strange for a garden to have so many poisonous plants.

Working together, Gaius and Evelyn manage to find about 125 gp worth of plants worth harvesting from this garden. They think that they found all the ones currently worth harvesting. There expect there would be a smaller amount available again in a couple of weeks.

I assume you will be entering the mansion next? There are two sets of doors, one in the front and another leading into the garden you are currently in.

Let's check the side doors, they are closer...Unless someone has a better idea? Maybe someone wants to peep through the windows?

Let's check the side doors, they are closer...Unless someone has a better idea? Maybe someone wants to peep through the windows?

His eyebrows raising Gaius says, "Sounds like peeping is something you do often?" and finishes with a chuckle.

heal: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23if i cant take 10

Well, let's take a quick look...

Cara double checks Gaius’s and Evelyn’s work. She concurs that there are no more plants ready for harvest now.

Although the windows are dirty, they are not so bad that you can’t see through them.

A few pieces of silver tableware lie strewn about on a 30-foot-long oak table, and more valuables are displayed in a large antique vitrine. The heads of three beasts—a dragon, lion, and goat—have been mounted above a fireplace on the north wall.

You don’t see any indications of people or creatures in the room, but with how dirty the windows are there could easily be something hiding in there.

"This room looks to be a dining room with a large table, silverware strewn about, and the heads of three beasts - a dragon, a lion, and a goat, mounted on a wall. I'd have to see them up close but they could be from a chimera."

Are you going in or doing something else?

What says the group?

Do we go in through the front door or the window? Door might be hard to get through or trapped...windows might not be as well guarded...

Let's check the side door from the garden. I'll check for traps, and will try to jam the lock open if I don't find one.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

DD, Masterwork tools: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 7 + 2 = 25

Let's check the side door from the garden. I'll check for traps, and will try to jam the lock open if I don't find one.

John steps closer to Evelyn, mace at the ready and keeping an eye out in the event her efforts at the door arouse any trouble.

Evelyn finds no trap on the door and it is not locked.

GM realizes he gave the description for the wrong room.

Nothing attacks, so you enter the room. There is nothing of interest in this room. Looks like it used to be a breakfast nook, but all that there is left is the table and two chairs.

Finding nothing in this room, you try the room to the south. Which happens to be the one I described.

A few pieces of silver tableware lie strewn about on a 30-foot-long oak table, and more valuables are displayed in a large antique vitrine. The heads of three beasts—a dragon, lion, and goat—have been mounted above a fireplace on the north wall.

There do not appear to be any threats in this room either.

Now able to closely examine the heads, Gaius is able to determine that the dragon head's scale pattern matches that of a dragon rather than a chimera, and that the goat and lion heads belonged to ordinary animals.

Those more interested in treasure find silver tableware on the table and more in the vitrine.

Where to now?

"Let's go this way, we'll be in the entry way and can see about those doors. Evelyn, if you'll help search for traps and locks?"

Casting a spell on himself first, Gaius studies the door.

With Guidance and taking 10 for a 19; I've moved Gaius to the door to the left of the party's current position.

The door does not appear to be trapped and is not locked. Gaius opens it.

Paintings of people and landscapes adorn the walls of this once-grand entrance hall. A few small vases, most of them cracked or broken altogether, sit on semi-circular tables set against the west wall. The portraits depict two proud-looking noblemen with prominent chins and a beautiful noble lady. A faint smell of mildew hangs in the air.

Cara, Gaius and John all notice that the prominent chins in the male portraits are the same as they saw on the skeleton in the mausoleum.

Knowledge (geography or nature) to identify the locations depicted.
Knowledge (history, local, or nobility) to identify the people in the portraits.

"Portraits of the dead, it would seem." mutters John as he notes the chins. "Given the greetings we met outside these walls, I would have thought this place more dangerous upon entering."

Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

"Be careful what you wish for John."

Gaius recognizes the landscapes depicting a sunset over the Aspodell Mountains in Isger and a garden in Remesiana, Cheliax. There is a third landscape of shipyards, but he doesn’t recognize the location.

Azalmak examines the portraits for any familiar figures.

Knowledge (Local): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

know Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Evelyn, being familiar with all things of the Sea, watches intensely the last painting of the shipyard, trying to recongnise the place.

Meanwhile, her scorpion walks from one of her shoulder to the other, which can be quite unsettling to the others

Azalmak identifies the nobles as Baron Marcius Sarini; Marcius's father, Baron Lucius Sarini; and Baroness Sadira Sarini.

Evelyn recognizes the shipyards in Eleder, Sargava. She thinks that painting is in good enough shape to sell.

The other paintings have varying water stains, tears, or suspicious-looking smudges and are valueless. In the cloakroom, there is a quiver with 5 cold iron arrows, a quiver with 5 cold iron bolts, and a moldy purse that contains 26 gp. There are various other garments in the cloakroom, but all are moldy and have a dank smell wafting about them, eliminating any value they once had.

Where to now?

Evelyn picks the cold iron bolts

Does someone else need these?

"I think we should examine the main doors here for traps and locks in case we need to leave in a hurry. All of us trying to climb out the same window at the same time, while comical to observers, could be problematic. If I could have someone's assistance again?"

@GM: Same as last time with Gaius casting Guidance on himself and taking 10 on Perception for a 19 plus whomever wants to aid his Perception checks for locks and traps. I think I moved the icons to the correct room?

Evelyn picks the cold iron bolts

Does someone else need these?

"I use arrows. If no one else wants the cold iron arrows, I'll use them."

perc aid: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Comical is not a good look...

Jack narrows his eyes and gazes at the door, pointing to particular areas that thinks may be suspect. "I don't like those hinges."
Perception to Aid: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Jack narrows his eyes and gazes at the door, pointing to particular areas that thinks may be suspect. "I don't like those hinges."

[dice=Perception to Aid]1d20+2

Mindful of John's enormous physical prowess, Gaius remarks "Indeed perhaps we should oil them once we make sure the rest of the door is safe?"

"If we're leaving in a hurry does it matter if they squeak?"

Perception to Aid: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26