Phantom Phenomena (Inactive)

Game Master Shadow Dragon

Vreekka looks at the skulls.

[dice=Knowledge: Religion t]1d20+7

"Beheaded, huh? Let's see..."

She takes an acid flask out of her bandolier and throws it at the green skull, then 5-foot-steps back.

[dice=Acid flask, first range increment]1d20+5-2 (vs touch AC)
[dice=Acid damage]1d6+5
plus 6 splash acid damage (affects just any other creatures within 5 feet of that square)

Ha! Take THAT, Dice Roller Curse of DOOM! (tm) :-P

So here's a rules question: Would Vreekka take the -4 penalty for cover even though Purple is size Tiny? It doesn't say in the Cover rules in the Core book that smaller size negates the penalty. In this case it doesn't effect the situation since Vreekka's to hit roll, even with -4, would still hit.

The green skull's mouth opens in a silent shriek as it dissolves and the purple and yellow skulls, engulfed in the splash, follow suit!

Just ask grimdog73; the Dice Roller Curse (tm) will be here when you most don't want it...

The orange skull, taking advantage of Cannoli being right next to it, strikes:

Slam! plus Fire?: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 131d2 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
but misses leaving only the faintest hint of the smell of singed fur in the air!

The red skull advances towards:

Random 1-3; Guardian XI, Daegon, Victor: 1d3 ⇒ 1

Guardian XI!

It provokes from Cannoli and Guardian XI but I'll roll it's attack just in case:

Slam!: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 71d2 ⇒ 2

And also whiffs!

In case it survives the AoOs, Quinn is up followed by:

Initiative Order - Round 1/2

Quinn
Guardian XI
Victor
Cannoli
Vreekka
Daegon

Skullz!

Quinn

Since someone strong-armed me (Mike R!), Guardian XI, Victor, Cannoli, Vreekka, and Daegon may also go and overwhelm my poor little Beheadeds...

Daegon moves to smack the creature trying to munch on Cannoli.

hanbo: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 101d6 ⇒ 2

The confidant cat swipes at the fleeing foe, ”Aha! Runnin scared I see.”

Morningstar AoO vs Red: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14for P and B: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

And whether it crumples or not, steps up and pounces on the final skull, ”Dry bones make such a satisfying crunch!”

Morningstar vs Orange: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11for P and B: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Cannoli strikes the red skull with her morningstar and batters it to pieces!
However she doesn't have the same luck trying to hit the orange skull.

Guardian advances towards the final skull and again brings down his shadow blade forcefully.

[move] 15ft
[standard] attack ORANGE
shadow weapon attack, slashing damage: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 102d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 5) + 6 = 14

Maybe I should call it the dark sabre :P

If orange is still active...

Victor moves forward and takes a swing at the remaining skull...

Bardiche vs Orange: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Bardiche crit?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

I assume that's a crit, if not just take the first damage dice.
S Damage: 2d10 + 12 ⇒ (4, 6) + 12 = 22

Guardian advances towards the final skull and again brings down his shadow blade forcefully.

[move] 15ft
[standard] attack ORANGE
[dice=shadow weapon attack, slashing damage]1d20+5; 2d6+6

Maybe I should call it the dark sabre :P

Do it! :)

If orange is still active...

Victor moves forward and takes a swing at the remaining skull...

[dice=Bardiche vs Orange]1d20+4
[dice=Bardiche crit?]1d20+4

I assume that's a crit, if not just take the first damage dice.
[dice=S Damage]2d10+12

Victor brings his bardiche down on the orange skull and it disintegrates into a cloud of dust from the massive impact!

What do the victorious heroes do next?

"I wish I knew what that was all about," Quinn mutters. "Never did set much store in the Harrow. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground rather than up in the clouds with the faeries. Or, in this case, the floating skulls . . ." He sighs and keeps poking around the tavern.

"I wish I knew what that was all about," Quinn mutters. "Never did set much store in the Harrow. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground rather than up in the clouds with the faeries. Or, in this case, the floating skulls . . ." He sighs and keeps poking around the tavern.

Quinn notices that when the candles and robed figure fade away the Harrow deck is still on the table, surrounded by a slight glow.

Heal checks, Detect Magic, Perception checks, where else on the map are you all checking/searching? And for those who had info in Spoiler tags do you share your knowledge with the rest of the group?

"You all saw that illusion figment robed dude, right? He attacked first obviously. Anyone see where he went? My vision is terrible and those skulls were very distracting."

She pokes the skeleton again, "How'd ya die, budd? Couldn't have been those skulls, they were pathetic."

Heal: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14

"You all saw that illusion figment robed dude, right? He attacked first obviously. Anyone see where he went? My vision is terrible and those skulls were very distracting."

She pokes the skeleton again, "How'd ya die, budd? Couldn't have been those skulls, they were pathetic."

[dice=Heal]1d20-1

Cannoli's knowledge of healing can find no sign of obvious trauma but, since he's just a skeleton, that's all she knows.

Victor scans the room for magical auras (with detect magic) and then takes a look at the skeleton (with the help of guidance)...

Heal + guidance: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 1 = 15
Perception + guidance: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 9 + 1 = 25

"Did anyone else notice the clawed hands and hooved feet on the creature in the robe?" he enquires.

”Nope! Weird.”

Cannoli hops over the bar and looks for a sealed bottle or two of liquor that look good.

Daegon checks for magical auras. detect magic of courseHmm...perhaps some sort of outsider? Hard to say...

Hmm, that is odd. Where id that robed figure go?

Guardian XI is neither a healer (it's hard for him to know what hurts and soothes the humanoids) nor mage (he can't cast magic, much less detect it).

However, he can look for possible signs of a direction that it fled in the chaos...

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

and think on possible planar tethers it might have used to depart...

Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

(or even planar characteristics that may have been noticed while it was present).

Okay I might have to change how I distribute information; Spoiler bubbles might not be the best way. Assuming the party is sharing information:

Cannoli and Daegon can tell the rest of the party that the candles and robed figure were illusions.

@Daegon: Technically I should've asked for a Spellcraft check to reveal what type of illusion.

Guardian XI feels he might remember something if Vreekka were to share notes with him about her Knowledge of planar issues.

Vreekka can make an aid check on Knowledge (Planes) since it's out of combat and the group can pool details/observations.

Daegon's magic reveals the Harrow Deck is glowing because it is magical!

Victor concurs with Cannoli's opinion the skeleton did not die of trauma. His keen eyes catch details (outdated clothing, etc.) that indicate this person died many years ago - perhaps 40?

Cannoli decides to raid the liquor supply, finding a couple of very dusty unopened bottles.

Quinn decides to continue searching the tavern and notices another skeleton lying in a hallway!

"What do we have here?" Quinn mutters to himself. He stoops to investigate the second skeleton.

I don't have Heal, but I'll Take 10 on a Perception check for a 15 (16 if it's a trap).

Quinn notes there's far less dust on this skeleton than the one sitting at the table. His bones show a tremendous amount of blunt force damage - probably like the damage the Beheadeds tried to inflict on the group.

In one of the skeleton's hands is clutched a card from the Harrow deck - The Demon's Lantern. The skeleton is wearing leather armor, has a rapier nearby, and a small satchel containing two vials of liquid.

Appraise checks on the armor and rapier and Knowledge (Religion) or Craft (Alchemy) for the vials.

Cannoli finds some shot glasses and dusts them with her trusty towel she carries everywhere. The towel looks sorta clean and so do the shot glasses afterwards. Or at least no spiders remain in any.

She pours six shots, "Alright! Mission complete. Where too next?"

The cat slams hers back, "Wait, where is uh... that guy? That one pathfinder that uh... 'Q' something?"

Quinn returns to the group right on cue. "Think I found that solo adventurer. Floating skulls must've got him. He had this Harrow card on him." Quinn hands over The Demon's Lantern. "Poor bastard."

I'll try Craft (alchemy) on the vials.

Craft (alchemy): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Quinn returns to the group right on cue. "Think I found that solo adventurer. Floating skulls must've got him. He had this Harrow card on him." Quinn hands over The Demon's Lantern. "Poor bastard."

I'll try Craft (alchemy) on the vials.

[dice=Craft (alchemy)]1d20+7

Quinn identifies the vials as two vials of holy water.

Anyone want to try or pool together Appraise checks for the leather armor and rapier?

Guardian is still learning about the equipment of this society, but he tries to look it over.

Appraise leather armor (untrained, likely only aid): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Appraise rapier (untrained, likely only aid): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

It's been over 48 hours since Vreekka has posted so I'll bot her:

Vreekka checks her books for information and shares it with Guardian:

Knowledge (Planes)-Aid: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

I told him my Curse would get him! :) But still enough to aid Guardian.

After conferring Guardian and Vreekka realize the robed figure is a denizen of Leng. They also tell the group that these eerie creatures sail
black ships to Golarion from the otherworldly realm of Leng, which is tied to a Dimension of Dreams.

Appraise Armor: 1d20 ⇒ 5
Appraise Weapon: 1d20 ⇒ 5

Cannoli hops back over the bar when Quinn shows back up, ”Oho! Interesting things. Lemme take a look. My eyes aren’t keen but my other senses make up for it.”

She takes a long sniff of the leather, ”Gnomish craftsmanship, for sure. See the stitching here? And the chemical smell tells the tale.”

Then running her hands upon the blade gently she does a couple practice thrusts and then checks the balance.

”A fine weapon. Elvish I would say. Magically enhanced with flame and frost. Exquisitely crafted.”

She slams back a second shot, ”One for the road. Anyone else find anything… else?”

Spellcraft to ID Harrow Deck still? Cannoli doesn’t have it trained yet.

Spellcraft to ID Harrow Deck still? Cannoli doesn’t have it trained yet.

Someone can give it a shot if they have it trained. :)

Victor takes a look at the Harrow Deck (with the help of guidance)...

Spellcraft + guidance: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Victor takes a look at the Harrow Deck (with the help of guidance)...

[dice=Spellcraft + guidance]1d20+6

Victor (with Daegon's assistance from his Detect Magic spell) can only determine the Harrow Deck is empowered with occult magic.

If no one else wants to make any skill checks, etc. the place is devoid of other valuables. We can close this Quest up and begin the next one if you're ready or, if anyone wants to stop here, I can get you a Chronicle.

again with no notis...cathcing up now....

appraise rapier untrained: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
appraise armour untrained: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

no spellcraft...

again with no notis...cathcing up now....

[dice=appraise rapier untrained]1d20+1
[dice=appraise armour untrained]1d20+1

no spellcraft...

Daegon is unimpressed with the armor but he recognizes the quality of the rapier and estimates its value at approximately 252 gold pieces!

Congratulations on finding a masterwork rapier!

Incidentally Victor also has Detect Magic.

Incidentally Victor also has Detect Magic.

Min-maxing, powergaming cheeseweasels! ;)

mike's character wrote:

Incidentally Victor also has Detect Magic.

Min-maxing, powergaming cheeseweasels! ;)

Or… Cheese-maxing, mingaming powerweasels!

Cannoli looks mournfully at the remaining four shots, but leaves them be. The bottle and a half are tucked nicely into her pack at least.

She brightens up, ”Alright, that magical evil deck artifact probably did all the killing, so if one of you fancy dark archive pathfinders wants to secure it we can make this town and tavern safe. Lessgo, the professor probably needs us for another mission.”

Sorry, got caught up in work and travelling...

Vreekka grabs a full shot glass and drinks it in one swift motion.

"Aaaah, that's better. My throat was getting dry with all that dust here."

Like Cannoli she slams down the glass and goes to check out the armor and rapier, too.

Appraise (armor): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Appraise (rapier): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

252 gold for the rapier? Interesting. Isn't a masterwork weapon 300 gold plus weapon cost? Now I'm curious how much the armor is worth! ;-)

Spellcraft (Harrow Deck): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16 (+1 if she gets guidance, too)

(+1 if she gets guidance, too)

Victor is happy to help anyone who needs it the his guidance spell.

Sorry, got caught up in work and travelling...

Vreekka grabs a full shot glass and drinks it in one swift motion.

"Aaaah, that's better. My throat was getting dry with all that dust here."

Like Cannoli she slams down the glass and goes to check out the armor and rapier, too.

[dice=Appraise (armor)]1d20+9
[dice=Appraise (rapier)]1d20+9

252 gold for the rapier? Interesting. Isn't a masterwork weapon 300 gold plus weapon cost? Now I'm curious how much the armor is worth! ;-)

[dice=Spellcraft (Harrow Deck)]1d20+9 (+1 if she gets guidance, too)

Vreekka determines the leather armor is worth 10 GP.

It's DC 20 for an Appraise check to determine an item's value. However, if the PC misses the check by 5 or less, they are 20% off on its value. That's the difference in this case.

Guardian, letting his shadow blade dissipate for now, holds his arms out wide and survey's his own form.

Does the armor fit me?

But maybe it's no better than what he has on anyway.

Happy to move onto the next quest if we're ready.

Quinn nods to the others. "I think we're done here. It looks like if we head down to Lantern Lake, we can meet this mysterious Dr Quolorum. I'd like to see just who we're dealing with."

All based off the next letter on the slides--but if folks want to go in a different order, that's okay with me too.

In-order of letters is fine with me :) I presume we'll get to all of them anyway.

Cannoli leads the way out of the tavern and turns to the townsfolk assembled outside, probably.

”Fear not! The brave Cannoli Jones and her band of pathfinders have saved the day. There was a cursed harrow deck causing all your issues. It killed two people but we easily defeated the threat and have secured the dangerous artifact. You may now safely bury the two unfortunate souls and resume operation of the fine establishment. I would recommend avoiding fortune telling activities in there for a while though.”

While no one jumped to the opportunity to secure the harrow deck in gameplay, Cannoli will push it into her pack before they leave. Did anyone want the rapier? It is a nice free weapon to use on the rest of the five quests at this stage in the game.

Cannoli leads the way out of the tavern and turns to the townsfolk assembled outside, probably.

”Fear not! The brave Cannoli Jones and her band of pathfinders have saved the day. There was a cursed harrow deck causing all your issues. It killed two people but we easily defeated the threat and have secured the dangerous artifact. You may now safely bury the two unfortunate souls and resume operation of the fine establishment. I would recommend avoiding fortune telling activities in there for a while though.”

While no one jumped to the opportunity to secure the harrow deck in gameplay, Cannoli will push it into her pack before they leave. Did anyone want the rapier? It is a nice free weapon to use on the rest of the five quests at this stage in the game.

There is indeed an assembled group of villagers but at a significant distance from The Lucky Lantern - probably for safety's sake. Money changes hands as wagers on the party's survival are paid out and collected.

Elder Weath tells the adventurers, "We'll give old Veny a proper burial. And that Wulfer fellow; we don't need his unsettled spirit adding to our woes!"

Vreekka shrugs. "Lantern Lake is as good as any to-dos on our list. Let's get moving then."

The next letter on the slides is just fine.

Everyone please check the Discussion thread for an announcement!

As they head to the lake Cannoli mutters to herself, ”Lucky Lantern? Lantern Lake? Hmmm. Wonder if there is a connection. I also wonder if that deck is really evil too?”

She reaches into her pack and pulls a card.

1d6 ⇒ 3

Free boon use without using it up, heck yeah! 1 is Strength, 2 is Dexterity, 3 is Constitution, 4 is Intelligence, 5 is Wisdom, and 6 is Charisma.

”Tough guy card. Wonder what that means. Probably nothing.

Vreekka watches Cannoli pulling a card from the Harrow Deck.

”What are you doing? Let me see that.”

She reaches into the pack and pulls a card, too.

1d6 ⇒ 4

YES! +2 to Intelligence! :-D

”Hm, a smart-ass girl card..."

Oh... did you leave me a strong-android card?

Guardian approaches and pulls his own pick.

Harrow deck: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Oooh! It is the strong card!

Lol how long can our luck keep up?

"Let's see what the fortune holds for me." says Victor as he passes his hand over the deck and then carefully draws a card...

Harrow deck: 1d6 ⇒ 5

+2 Wisdom (Let me know if you want me to update the slides to reflect the increase to will save, perception and sense motive).

Quinn looks at the deck and raises an eyebrow. "Draw from a haunted Harrow deck connected to a "dream dimension" that's already led to at least one death? Thanks, but I'll pass."

I know it's perfectly safe, but someone has to be cautious around here :)

"Let's see what the fortune holds for me." says Victor as he passes his hand over the deck and then carefully draws a card...

+2 Wisdom (Let me know if you want me to update the slides to reflect the increase to will save, perception and sense motive).

I'll have each of you remind me if I forget it. I'll probably make a 'score sheet' in Discussion once everyone who is going to draw a card has their bonus for easier bookkeeping. Or maybe a Slide since I can edit that without a time limit? I have them on a Slide but I'd like you to format any rolls using that bonus thusly:

Perception, +1 Harrow: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 5 + 1 = 23

Where the "+5" is your typical bonus and then add the +1 afterwards.