GM TOP #0-14: The Many Fortunes of Grandmaster Torch (Inactive)

Game Master Pete H.

Knowledge: 1d20 ⇒ 1 (Arcana, Dungeoneering, Local, Planes, Religion +5, Engineering, Geography, History, Nature, Nobility +1)

Well, that result certainly isn't going to reveal any information... :-/

"Whoa, what are these huge things?" Corba thinks hard for a second, then shrugs and starts her bardic performance to fill her comrades with courage: "Come on, Pathfinders, let's be brave and make history!" (standard action to get Inspire Courage going)
She draws her wand of CLW (move action) and 5-foot-steps away from the adjacent centipede.

Inspire Courage: +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects, +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls (the latter stacks with bless).

Suddenly surrounded by massive bugs, Iladora whirls away from Viraj and rips her sword from its sheath in a move that almost mirrors Bobbie, but it's clear the two women have fought side-by-side before.

Three feet of razor-sharp adamantium gleams in the sunlight, and Iladora brings it down on the closest centipede.

Greatsword (Power Attack) + Inspire Courage vs green: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 7 + 1 = 16
Damage + Inspire Courage: 2d6 + 12 + 1 ⇒ (2, 1) + 12 + 1 = 16

Corba inspires everyone really good like! So good in fact it even applied to people who already acted.

Iladora’s glowing skymetal blade slashes hard across the last centipede, spraying further blood across the market square.

The big hitters are certainly carving their way through the vermin.

Viraj squirms and tries to break free, but fails. His tears apparently weren’t enough lubricant.

CMB: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

The centipedes turn to attack those that hurt them!

Blue v Bobbie: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 for BPS: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (5, 3) + 4 = 12
Green v Iladora: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Yellow v Tusk: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Bobbie and Jarlaxe, please make a Fort Save vs. Poison. I will provide the results as quickly as possible. You are welcome to use a re-roll at any point before those results are given, unless said re-roll specifically grants you the ability to do so after the result is given.

Round Three
Buffs: IC +1
Jarlaxe (-11 HP, Fort Save v Poison Due First, Poisoned, -1 Dex, pinning Viraj)
Corba
Shannon
Bobbie (-12 HP, Fort Save Due First)
Tusk (-8 HP)
Iladora
Viraj (-6 HP, pinned, sobbing)
Blue Centipede (-22 HP)
Green Centipede (-16 HP)
Yellow Centipede (-21 HP)

Bold may go!

Fort: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23.

Glaring sternly at Viraj; Jarlaxle attempts to tie the man up (albeit with some difficulty).

Grapple: 1d20 + 9 - 10 ⇒ (19) + 9 - 10 = 18.

Just to be clear for the GM: I don't actually intend to kill the man (cold-blooded murder, and all that), but he *has* unleashed a bunch of gigantic centipedes in the middle of the market... so I want him to fear for his life for a bit.

Iladora lashes out at the injured centipede again.

Greatsword + Inspire Courage vs green: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 1 = 17
Damage + Inspire Courage: 2d6 + 12 + 1 ⇒ (2, 4) + 12 + 1 = 19

This time Tusk uses the weapon the way it was intended, opting for a 1-2 swing with the double axe.

step, then double attack

to hit orc double axe, inspired: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 5 + 1 = 19
slicing damage, adamantine, inspired: 1d8 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 9 + 1 = 15
to hit orc double axe, inspired: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 5 + 1 = 20
slicing damage, cold Iron, inspired, whetstone: 1d8 + 9 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 9 + 1 + 1 = 14

Note: Attacking yellow. If it dies on the first shot, he will attack green.

Longsword vs Blue: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 7 + 1 = 21 Dmg: 1d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 3 + 1 = 12
Shannon tries to eliminate the blue bug

The three centipedes are chopped into pieces that fall wriggling to the ground. Other than maybe a moral quandary and a couple flesh wounds, they didn’t stand a chance.

I need Bobbie’s Fort Save still. Corba used two rounds of IC.

Out of Combat!

Viraj keeps crying, ”Just let me go, I won’t ever buy a statue again!!!”

He is definitely terrified of being killed, job well done?

The marketplace has emptied as everyone wisely ran the heck for cover. The statue lays lifeless on the ground where it was dropped.

Having successfully cocooned the man, Jarlaxle starts berating him.

"You should conduct due diligence before acquiring items - both in terms of whether they are 'hot property', and whether they are cursed, or have other risks associated with them! Poor planning could have gotten someone killed by those centipedes!"

Despite his harsh words, he still heals the man.

CLW: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7.
Spell Failure (High=Success): 1d100 ⇒ 43.

Meanwhile, Tusk takes off his boots and socks and laments over their soggy condition. He wrings and wipes to his best ability.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

"Shit," Bobbie staggers backwards. She feels strangely dizzy, and it shouldn't be the blood loss. She's been hit worse than that in the past.

She surveys the ground to find the statue. Hopefully it wasn't destroyed in... Whatever this metamorphosis was.

Bobbie takes three points of Dexterity Damage. She will need another save next round, but now she and everyone else has a chance to act to help mitigate it. Or she can just roll it again and hope for the best!

Viraj continues sobbing, it actually sounds like it is getting worse. Snot is dripping from his nose as he tries to squirm away from Jarlaxle’s touch, ”Please don't kill me, just… take what you want. Let me go!”

The statue is still lying on the ground where it was dropped.

I don't know why I can reroll, but I'll take it!

Fortitude: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Bobbie can't help but roll her eyes a little bit. Heiress give me patience. This was all a mess, and she understands that the guy is going to need full-time therapy for at least a couple dozen years - but dear Gods, this groveling didn't help anyone.

"We were not going to kill you," she says, picking up the statue. "This statue was illegally smuggled out of Sothis, and we were here to retrieve it. Then things got out of hand!" The last sentence is spoken exasperatedly, though more aimed at the Pathfinders than Viraj.

"Come on, let's go and let the man have some rest."

You don’t get a free reroll, you have already taken the 3 dex damage. I was just stating that you could just take your chances on the next round to clear the poison without any sort of intervention. It could have been clearer, but in my defense, my brain understood what I was writing perfectly. :P

Bobbie manages to fight off the poison pretty quickly, only feeling a little sluggish.

Tusk scowls at the weakling caster.

"Quit da whinin'. Don' tell me you was clueless. We all know better."

Do we want to try squeezing out where he got the item from?

"Here," Iladora mutters to Bobbie, ignoring Viraj (so as not to make the poor man suffer any worse) and pulling out a wand. "Let me fix that." The large woman is unusually tender in her manner, as though making an effort to be so.

Cure light wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Cure light wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Cure light wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

40 charges remaining.

Diplo: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23 Shannon kindly ask the man where he get the statue from. Obviously, if he didn't attempts to use dangerous magic and put everyone in the marketplace in danger, he wouldn't get hurt.

Current Status
Jarlaxe (-11 HP, -1 Dex)
Bobbie (-3 Dex)
Tusk (-8 HP)

Viraj slows his sobbing, but he still looks terrified, ”But if I tell you, you will certainly kill me, and if you don’t… the person who sold it to me will. I know how these things go.” He flinches away from Tusk and Jarlaxle and can’t seem to take his eyes off Shannon’s bloody blade.

It has been about a couple minutes and a few people start peeking out of doorways to see what is going on now.

He looks up hopefully and whispers, ”Let me go and I’ll tell?”

Tusk rolls his eyes and offers mercy in his own way.

"Ah, geez. Let da wimp go."

"Again, definitely not going to kill you," Bobbie stops her eyeroll through sheer ocular control. "Don't listen to the men." Not for the first time, the thought that the world would run smoother if everyone heed that advice crossed her mind.

"Tell you what - considering how things went down today, if you wanted to just leave town and never talk to us again, I'd understand." She lowers her voice. "But no one around is listening in, and whoever sold you that statue may be able to wreak much, much more havoc if we don't stop them."

"You got a big fright today, but you're fine. Everything's fine. We know you're innocent, and you can get out of town quickly and unscathed. We can ensure that your back is covered if you tell us who sold that to you."

Whatever you choose, you're still free to go."

Aid Diplomacy: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17

He struggles against the ropes wrapped very tightly around him, ”I don’t really feel… free to leave.”

Jarlaxle frowns, then sighs.

"Just... try to be more careful in the future. What I said about doing due diligence on future acquisitions still holds true. Others really *might* kill you over something like this."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 12 + 2 = 30.

Once his point has sunk in, he unties the man, and shoos him away.

"Yeah, please consider what he said!" Auto Aid Diplomacy

Meanwhile, Tusk takes off his boots and socks and laments over their soggy condition. He wrings and wipes to his best ability.

"Tusk, I can dry those for you... but definitely not near that statue."

"Wit magic? Nah, no thanks. Mostly stayin' clear o'dat stuff. Healin magics s'OK, though. An' da stuff as makes weapons an armor better s'OK too... I s'pose it like that, huh? M'be s'OK ifin I take em off." The last is spoken with a soft question mark at the end. You get the impression that Tusk does not trust magic unless it is useful, which tends to land him in many philosophical contradictions and confusion. Whatever roundabout way he has convinced himself, he removes the soggy socks and turns his back as Corba dries them.

"Well, if you think clothing is a kind of armor, and you consider dry clothing to be better that soaked clothing, then I guess it's magic that makes equipment better."

Smiling, Corba dries and cleans the soggy socks using prestidigitation - but at least 40 feet away from the statue. She then returns the clothes to Tusk.

"Here you go, dry and clean!"

Tusk sniffs the socks suspiciously, but brightens when he realizes that the odor in it has finally been removed. Then he puts them back on with a smile.

"Tanks."

"Any curator or collector of some sort, or even uninformed Pathfinders, that get their hands on the statue will eventually try to Detect Magic or even Identify it...it could be disastrous."

Jarlaxle shrugs.

"Then it needs a warning label - 'DANGER - casting magic whilst in possession of this item will result in the summoning of wriggling horrors!'"

LOL I didn't realise the man was tied up

"If there's a warning label, you can trust most wizards to ignore it," Bobbie grumbles.

"How about we bring this to the Venture-Captain before moving on to the next? If we keep those statues with us, any encounter with a spellcaster could turn deadly. It'd be like carrying four bombs in a volcano pit."

Tusk is thinking it would serve them right, but then realizes that the creatures attacked him and not the caster.

"Good idea. Casters are a sucha pain, yaknow? Bad 'nough widout crawly critters popin' up poisonin' ev'ryone."

"If there's a warning label, you can trust most wizards to ignore it," Bobbie grumbles.

I have multiple characters who would be very curious to find out whether the same effect happens every time.

...But not this one.

"Agreed. At best, this item is unpredictable-- and we don't need unpredictable. If anyone is worried about being unable to use magic in the item's vicinity, I will carry it until we reach the venture-captain."

Iladora doesn't admit out loud that, since her return, she's only been able to manage one spell before needing a rest. But her struggle has the fortunate side-effect of making her no great risk in this specific situation.

Tusk puts his warm dry socks that smell faintly of cinnamon back on his stinky feet.

The group discusses the statue, but no one has the guts to touch it yet.

When Viraj is untied he warily stands and then very slowly reaches into his robe to withdraw a small piece of paper. He presses it into Shannon’s hand and whispers, ”you should be able to figure out what you want to know from this, but you didn’t hear it from me.”

And then he bolts into an alleyway and disappears.

The note is a shopping list, oddly enough. One important item reads ‘Osirian Statue - GT’.

Perc: 1d20 ⇒ 18
"Oh, how careless this random stranger is, they forgot their box by the fountain! We must make sure nobody else take it by mistake!"

Tusk grabs the statue and stashes it in his backpack.

"GT? Wonder if those are initials."

"Possibly," Bobbie concedes.

She grabs the abandoned box and puts it in her backpack.

"Do we go for the Garundi guy next, or the one who has a shop?"

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32.

"Fortunate indeed that there are eagle-eyed and thoughtfully individuals to pick up forgotten and/or abandoned items."

When Bobbie asks their question, Jarlaxle shrugs.

"Either is fine by me, but we *are* closest to Nasir, so we might as well go there first."

Tusk shrugs and looks around, not sure which way leads to Nasir or what might be closest.

"Whichaway?" he asks.

Nasir sounds good to me.

"Fine by me." Shannon sheath her sword and get ready to move on.

Gather Info check OR Knowledge Local to track down Nasir’s warehouse. Also do a Perception Check while you travel there.

The group scarpers away from the scene of the crime.

Having little skill with information-gathering, Iladora hopes the others will have better outcomes.

Perception (general) + Favored Terrain (urban): 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 2 = 27

gather info: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

Sooo... If nobody knows where the place is, he will stop at each stall and ask, interrupting whatever the vender is currently doing with an insistent question.

Diplo to ask around: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 6

Diplomacy: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1
Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

Bobbie is still salty over the shitshow that was Viraj's arrest. She keeps an eye out, but communicates only in monosyllables and grunts.

The glare she shoots at any pedestrian who meets her gaze is enough to make them walk away a bit faster than before.

Knowledge(Local): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28.

Jarlaxle knows precisely where the warehouse is located!

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16.

Corba starts asking around, but Jarlaxle's knowledge of the exact location of the warehouse makes it absolete.

"It's great that you are well informed about this neighborhood, Jarlaxle. That saves us quite some time!"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

After the statue was delivered to the VC and the group is far away from it, Corba asks Bobbie: "Wanna check out what's in the box that Viraj dropped? Could be useful stuff. And I can try to see if there is magic involved..."

If Bobbie agrees:
Corba uses detect magic to check on the box and whatever items it holds.

Last I checked you all went straight to the next buyer. Is that still the case?

The group definitely knows where the warehouse is located.

I'm for unloading the item on the VC first.

I don't think we were clear on what to do - I thought Iladora wanted to keep the statue. But yeah, much like Tusk, I'm for dropping it at the VC before going.

Bobbie only stops Corba from casting her spell if the ranger still has the statue. "Let's move away first..."