PFS1 The Emerald Spire: Level 5 - The Drowned Level by GM Colin

Game Master Colin_Mercer

The Hellknights of Fort Inevitable have once again turned to the Professional Field Specialists——that is, the Pathfinder Society——to assist with their continued push into the Emerald Spire. The Pathfinder Society has already proven its worth, having cleared the first four levels through a mix of skill, strategy, and sacrifices.

Now, the work continues.

Initial reports suggest that Level 5 is flooded, but how or why remains unclear. The Hellknights require a secure path downward, and they’re counting on you to make that happen.

Objectives:
-Investigate the flooding and determine its source.
-Neutralize any threats that compromise the area.
-Ensure the level is secure for reinforcements and continued exploration.
Each of you shall be rewarded 4,800 gp plus 3xp and 4pp as usual for completion.

You’ve faced the unknown before. This time, it just happens to be underwater. So be prepared.

Ganem glances around Fort Inevitable and thinks, only time is inevitable...

Araezi chuckles and shakes her head. "You say that like time isn't already here. Besides, time is more like a river, and we're being swept downstream. And some of us swim faster, like a fish. A time fish and..."

She purses her lips. "Alright, so the metaphor is starting to break down. Like we do! So I'd say entropy and change are just as inevitable. Heck, I can't help but wonder what that fort would look like if I took it apart and..."

She claps her hands together. "Right! Fish! Time fish! That reminds me, do we all have means of breathing under water? That sounds like an important thing to deal with, so we should have potions or special equipment or at least some reeeaaaally long straws."

a burly Taldan man wanders into the meeting room. He listens to the short brief. His shoulders slump as he hears "water".

Really? This is the third mission in a row where I have to get wet...I just barely got dried out from the last one... he says as he takes notes.

seriously..third in a row delaing with water...he's not happy. and i just realized i didnt save my lvl up on the profile..will do that today...and will note any purchases.

This nagaji steps in with smiles on her face.
"That reminds me a joke about a fish bit by a dog and caught hydrophobia. Great to meet you peers. Just call me Matt."

Also need some time to update equipments

A rather small roc wearing fine mithral barding could be seen floating through the air, riding the thermals. On its back, a wayang was observed enjoying the ride. A bow could be seen on the horn of the saddle, while a glaive that was his size was within reach as he drew closer. Seeing Fort Inevitable, he made his way down and joined the others.

Climbing down from the saddle, he scratched the bird that towered over him under its chin. "Greetings, I am Shi no kage and this is Boris." he said in Common with a Tien accent. "So, what do we have going on here? he asked, getting up to speed.

Ha! A fish afraid of water...that would be a sight to see... Patros chuckles as he sees another newcomer approach.

I hope you can float... he says as he mentions the rough points.

good to go...gotta get some new gear...will decide o what tonight/tomorrow

The gray skinned ganzi smiles and unhooks a thieves' kit from her belt. "Oh right, names. I'm Araezi Pyrket. That's Ah, Ray, Zee, Pyre, Kit. Or however you want to say it. I'm a fix-it specialist."

She opens the bag and holds it in one hand, then gestures with the other. Individual tools for tinkering and disabling traps levitate from the bag, rotate and bob through the air, then return neatly into their place.

"I fix things, I unfix things. I also know how to mend people, and I also know how to unmend people."

Ganem Ambergrog at your service, Gamen says with a small bow.

This might come in useful...only time will tell, Ganem mutters as he fills on of his potion sponges with a potion of some sort...

Potion sponge is filled with Potion of Touch of the Sea

How is everyone's light source situation? The winding staircase going down and the various floors of the Emerald Spire are unfortunately unlit, and their inhabitants are accustomed to the dark environment.

I have an ioun torch,,,and purchases i'll get a spiked gauntlet and add +1 to me agile breastplate

I have the light spell.

The ramp winding down from the level above ends in a flight of stairs leading to a dank, low-ceilinged room. The curved surface of the Emerald Spire takes up the northwest (bottom right) corner, and to the east(left) is a broad stairway leading down to a dark passage from which the soft sound of lapping of water emanates. A small, closed door stands in the south(up) wall. Several toad-sized crabs skitter about.

You are surprised to find that luminescent corals and algae grow in here, lighting up the rooms and hallways like candles.

The hallway to the east(left) is partially flooded as rumored, and the water is about 2 feet deep. count as difficult terrain and/or shallow bog, cost 2 square movement per square for those who are on foot, and too shallow to swim for medium size creature

Waiting on Patros and Lady Alya De-Qill(who haven't dot in yet) for tokens and fill out the info slide.

Waiting for you as you arrive is an elf in a military uniform. By the looks of her she is of noble stock.

"Greetings, I'm Lady Alya De-Qill The army sent me to aid in the investigation.

You see she dose not seem to have any armour on, but dose have a Elf blade. She speaks like a noble and dresses like one. Her outfit is black and silver, from the nee high black boots to the silver trimed peaked cap. Her overcoat is buttoned up tight.

It takes Shi to roll anything higer than 1 to cast Life Bubble from scroll so I'm going to handwaive that part
The team acquired premium protection for underwater exploration in the form of Life Bubble, and the team gather in the entrance chamber, ready for some Pathfindering...

You heard a spell being casts, and a hideous, four-legged orange crab monster charges out from the water under the stairs to the east(left)...

COMBAT!
Initiative, round 1
==========
Ganem
Patros
Matt -28, prone, unconcious, CON check needed to stablize
Alya
-----
monster
-----
Araezi
Shi
==========
Bold can act

Con check: 1d20 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 - 1 = 2

Knowledge(Plane) DC19: 1d20 + 1d6 + 8 ⇒ (8) + (4) + 8 = 20

She pulls out her blade moving to find a weak spot past its exo-plates and into the soft. free acion Studied Strike

"This thing in an Eidolon, quadruped type, its an outsider, extraplanar as they say"

Knowledge(Plane) DC19: 1d20+1d6+8

She pulls out her blade moving to find a weak spot past its exo-plates and into the soft. free acion Studied Strike

"This thing in an Eidolon, quadruped type, its an outsider, extraplanar as they say"

You need to spend a move action to Studied Combat the monster first in order to do Studied Strike.

Alya's rapier just barely managed to hit the monster and wounds it.

Initiative, round 1
==========
Ganem
Patros
Matt -29, prone, unconcious, dying
Alya
-----
monster -7
-----
Araezi
Shi
==========
Bold can act

Patros looks over the creature quickly and spots a small weak spot in its armour. He tries to jam his sword through the small defect.

attack, studied target, cold iron: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 10 + 1 = 281d8 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 1 = 9

Patros' longsword hits hard on the crab monster, alien blue blood stains the blade.

Initiative, round 1
==========
Ganem
Patros
Matt -29, prone, unconcious, dying
Alya
-----
monster -16
-----
Araezi
Shi
==========
Bold can act

Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Ganem is momentarily started by the creature erupting from the water. He gathers his balance and casts a spell...

Cast Bless
Each ally gains a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects.
Duration: 4 minutes

The monster unleashes another flurry of natural attacks, wounding Lady Alya some. Then it retreats to the stairs to avoid being flanked.

Initiative, round 1
==========
Ganem
Patros
Matt -29, prone, unconcious, dying
Alya -12
-----
monster -16
-----
Araezi
Shi
==========
Bold can act

Round 1

Araezi's eyes widen as the blood of her ally splashes across her cheek. "Oh. Ooooh no."

She reaches down, placing her hand on Methyl's shoulder. The ganzi takes a telekinetic hold of her ally's body and wills it to stop being broken, easing the bloodrager's pain but harming herself in the backlash.
Kinetic Healer: 2d6 + 8 ⇒ (2, 5) + 8 = 15
Araezi's taking 1 Burn for that.

Then, hoping to keep the beast occupied for a moment, she runs at it with her arms flailing, doing half a lap around it and returning to her previous position.

Intentionally provoking an attack of opportunity so Methyl can safely stand. Assuming it doesn't have Combat Reflexes, which would be really funny...

Initiative, round 1
==========
Ganem
Patros
Matt -14, prone
Alya -12
-----
monster -16
-----
Araezi prone
Shi
==========
Bold can act

Shi shook his head and started to mutter a spell at the crab like creature. A burst of bright light erupted behind the foe as the spell found its mark.

Burst of radiance: 5d4 ⇒ (1, 4, 3, 1, 1) = 10
Not sure what we are up against as Shi does not have K:Planes. DC 13 Reflex save to avoid being blinded. If it is evil, take the damage with no save.

Initiative, round 1
==========
Ganem
Patros
Matt -14, prone
Alya -12
-----
monster -16, blinded
-----
Araezi prone
Shi
==========
Bold can act

Patros moves up and tries to crack the creature's shell and draw its attention.

attack, power attack, studied target, bless: 1d20 + 10 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 10 + 1 + 1 = 301d8 + 4 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 4 + 1 = 14
no PA penalty due to Furious focus

Don't forget your Sneak Attack: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Patros steps up and almost cuts down the monster in one swing! But, something is preventing the monster from being killed.....

Initiative, round 1
==========
Ganem
Patros
-----
??? -6
-----
Matt -14, prone
Alya -12
-----
monster -29, blinded
-----
Araezi prone
Shi
==========
Bold can act

Strike true, Ganem says as he taps Alya lightly on the shoulder.

Cast Guidance on Alya

+1 competence bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check

A giant frog suddnely appears next to the monster, and it grappled Araezi with its tongue. The monster is healed from a invisible source.

Initiative, round 2
==========
Ganem
Patros
-----
??? -6
Giant Frog
-----
Matt -14, prone
Alya -12
-----
monster -18, blinded
-----
Araezi prone, grappled
Shi
==========
Bold can act

Frontier is full and I am expecting Alya taking down the monster.

”why in the hells is thing thing not dropping
she thought to herself..
kn dungeoning 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

She had to drop it somehow, her elf blade flashed out once more but this time she put all her effort into it.

spending 2 inspiration to add 1d6 to the to hit roll
1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (8) + 8 + (5) = 21 if hit DMG 1d10 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 1 = 6

Alya's attack narrowly missed the monster.

Initiative, round 2
==========
Ganem
Patros
-----
??? -6
Giant Frog
-----
Matt -14, prone
Alya -12
-----
monster -18, blinded
-----
Araezi prone, grappled
Shi
==========
Bold can act

I am thinking about Reposition Araezi but I don't know how this combat maneuver interact grapple

I am thinking about Reposition Araezi but I don't know how this combat maneuver interact grapple

You need to break the grapple first

Matt stands up and activates her spring shealth, a wand of Shield pops up.
She uses one charge on herself and takes a 5' step.
Sorry Arazi, I can't help you here

The frog tries to trip Methyl with its long tongue when she takes the wand out, with no vail. The crab monster attacks the last known location of the target that it knocked prone, with great success, leaving Araezi badly wounded.

Initiative, round 2
==========
Ganem
Patros
-----
??? -6
Giant Frog
-----
Matt -14
Alya -12
-----
monster -18, blinded
-----
Araezi -28 prone, grappled
Shi
==========
Bold can act

Round 2

Concentration (DC 12 + monster CMB): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

Doing her best to focus her magic, Araezi seeks to functionally weld her wounds shut, bluntly willing the flesh to reknit.

Kinetic Healer: 2d6 + 8 ⇒ (5, 5) + 8 = 18
Assuming the same concentration check casts defensively. Can't edit the profile on mobile but Araezi shouls have 33 HP, another 4 nonlethal from burn, and a restored 4 temp HP from her aether defense.

Grabbing an arrow, Shi let loose an arrow at the blinded foe.

Blind monster (Deadly Aim/Precise shot/Point blank): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 161d6 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 1 + 2 = 7

Round 2

Assuming the same concentration check casts defensively. Can't edit the profile on mobile but Araezi shouls have 33 HP, another 4 nonlethal from burn, and a restored 4 temp HP from her aether defense.

You need to make a seperate concentration check for casting defenseively. Each type/instance of possible interruption (Injury/Spell/Grappled or Pinned/Vigorous or Violent Motion/Violent Weathe/Casting Defensively/Entangled) needs its own concentration check.

Shi's arrow misses its target.

not to post out of turn, but since i'm up in the first part of the turn, i'll roll my attack now...to speed things up...not that we're bogged down...

Patros swings his sword at the creature again.

Someone look after Araezi...I'll get thing thing focused on me... he says as he gets in close.

attack, pA, FF, studied target,bless, sneak attack: 1d20 + 10 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 10 + 1 + 1 = 271d8 + 4 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 4 + 1 = 131d6 ⇒ 3

Patros hits hard, but the crab monster refuse to die!

Initiative, round 2~3
==========
Ganem
Patros
-----
??? -12
Giant Frog
-----
Matt -14
Alya -12
-----
monster -28, blinded
-----
Araezi -28? prone, grappled, Concentration check pending
Shi
==========
Bold can act

umm...i did 16 damage...so i'm assuming it has DR or fast healing?

That's an Eidolon. There is a summoner taking damage for it

Concentration DC 19: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

No sweat!

Metagaming: As seasoned Pathfinder players, you'll inevitably recognize monsters and tactics. While this "System Mastery" is part of the game, I encourage you to keep the metagaming knowledge to yourself and stay true to your character's perspective and knowledge.

That's an Eidolon. There is a summoner taking damage for it

Please keep this kind of metagaming knowledge to yourself. This will be the last warning :)

Initiative, round 3
==========
Ganem
Patros
-----
??? -12
Giant Frog
-----
Matt -14
Alya -12
-----
monster -28, blinded
-----
Araezi -10 prone, grappled
Shi
==========
Bold can act

I am sorry. I thought we recognized that monster so would know about the summoner

Ganem moves up and taps Patros on the shoulder.

Strike true...too

Casts guidance on Patros
+1 competence bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check