[GDXIV] Zero's #6-99: Under the Eye of the Mantis

Game Master Super Zero

Zisiro moves back to his companions and smashes another mirror. "Indeed," he agrees with Peat.

◆ Stride
◆ Stride
◆ Strike: Handwraps of Might Blows +1, Fist (T): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
Magic, Bludgeoning: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

So, mirrors", also Zuza agrees and shoots at the mirrors.

Start from the mirror behind Rowan, counterclockwise if previous is destroyed.

◆ Strike Attack: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 7 + 1 = 26 Damage (P): 1d8 + 1d8 ⇒ (5) + (8) = 13
◆ Strike Attack: 1d20 + 7 - 5 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 7 - 5 + 1 = 5 Damage (P): 1d8 + 1d8 ⇒ (2) + (2) = 4
◆ Strike Attack: 1d20 + 7 - 10 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 7 - 10 + 1 = 4 Damage (P): 1d8 + 1d8 ⇒ (5) + (7) = 12

"How does he do that?!" Jared runs to Rowan and he brews another flammable mixture to throw at the enemy.
Lesser Versatile Vial Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 vs Rowan
Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4 fire damage and 1 fire splash damage (to target only)

◆ Stride
◆ Stride
◆ Strike

Agate cries out as Rowen's knife cuts deep. She drinks the healing potion the Pathfinders provided and then moves back toward the group.

Minor Healing Potion: 1d8 ⇒ 1

The contents help a little, stopping the bleeding at least.

◆ Interact
◆ Drink potion
◆ Stride

Peat and Zisiro attack mirrors, but find them a little sturdier than expected. They might have scratched the surface, but didn't do any damage to them.
Zuz punctures another one with an arrow, causing it to shatter.
Peat misses the mirror.
Clides misses Rowan.
Zisiro misses, though... why not flurry?
Ziza critically hits and destroys a mirror, then critically fails twice.
Jared misses Rowan, though she still takes the splash damage.

Rowan runs past Jared and dives into the mirror behind him. She steps out of the other one next to him, surrounding him with herself. She sticks him twice with her green-tinged dagger, and Jared falls.
◆ Mirror Step
◆ Strike Serpent Dagger: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20 hit for piercing damage: 2d4 + 3 ⇒ (1, 4) + 3 = 8 and precision damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3
◆ Strike Serpent Dagger: 1d20 + 13 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 13 - 4 = 25 While flanked that would be a crit, but you've got the +1 to AC against Dispatch members so just a hit for piercing damage: 2d4 + 3 ⇒ (3, 3) + 3 = 9 and precision damage: 1d6 ⇒ 2 - though that's still enough

★★★
The Final Confrontation Round 3

Party Conditions: PCs gain a +2 circumstance bonus on all attempts to use Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, and Stealth skill actions against members of the Red Mantis Dispatch; PCs gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Armor Class and Saving Throws against members of the Red Mantis Dispatch; PCs gain the ability to, once before the end of the adventure, reroll their damage on a successful (or critical) Strike or a success (or critical success) using a spell with the attack trait as a free action
Terrain: The black areas are not walls, but thick mud. You can move or attack through or over them, but they are greater difficult terrain. Disregard the "cages," those are for high-level parties.
Battlemap

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Zuza the Scout (4/15 HP)
Red Enraged Rowan (-11 HP)
➤ Clides (30/30 HP)
Purple Dispatch Disciple Trainee (-43 HP) │ Dead
➤ Blueberry Peat (26/26 HP)
➤ Zisiro (30/30 HP)
➤ Agate Stark (2/16 HP)
⠀⠀Cranky (- HP)
Orange Dispatch Disciple Trainee (-14 HP) │ Down
Green Dispatch Disciple Trainee (-17 HP) │ Dead
➤ Jared (-4/18 HP) │ Dying 1

Zuza looks at Jared getting downed. "To death, then", she decides and estimates the enemy. "Quick, aim ahead" she gives her opinion and shoots twice.

◆ Recall Knowledge (Rowan)
◆ Strike (Rowan) Attack: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 7 + 1 = 10 Damage (P): 1d8 + 1d6 + 1d8 ⇒ (3) + (2) + (6) = 11
◆ Strike (Rowan) Attack: 1d20 + 7 - 5 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 7 - 5 + 1 = 12 Damage (P): 1d8 + 1d6 + 1d8 ⇒ (4) + (5) + (3) = 12

Agate draws her sukgung, gripping it in both hands as she slips past Clides for a clear shot at Rowen. She fires the weapon, hoping for a kill. "If she wants to play for keeps, so will we."

Sukgung: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Assuming that is a crit, the Fatal aim trait makes the damage 1d12 + an extra d12 that is not doubled.
Damage, P: 1d12 ⇒ 4 x2
Fatal Aim Extra Damage on Crit: 1d12 ⇒ 2

◆ Interact
◆ Stride
◆ Strike

Clides moves forward, sends a bullet flying from his staff sling, and reloads.

◆ Stride
◆ Strike Ranged, +1 Striking Halfling Sling Staff: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 1 = 26 Damage (B, Magic): 2d10 + 3 ⇒ (7, 8) + 3 = 18
◆ Reload

This time, Zuza's arrows do not strike home. The first one is... way off.
10 is a critical failure, but 12 is just a miss.

Agate and Clides have much more success. Rowan staggers as the bullet hits her, looking a little dazed.
Agate crits, of course. Clides also hits, and bloodies her.

★★★
The Final Confrontation Round 3

Party Conditions: PCs gain a +2 circumstance bonus on all attempts to use Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, and Stealth skill actions against members of the Red Mantis Dispatch; PCs gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Armor Class and Saving Throws against members of the Red Mantis Dispatch; PCs gain the ability to, once before the end of the adventure, reroll their damage on a successful (or critical) Strike or a success (or critical success) using a spell with the attack trait as a free action
Terrain: The black areas are not walls, but thick mud. You can move or attack through or over them, but they are greater difficult terrain. Disregard the "cages," those are for high-level parties.
Battlemap

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Zuza the Scout (4/15 HP)
Red Enraged Rowan (-39 HP) │ Bloodied
Clides (30/30 HP)
Purple Dispatch Disciple Trainee (-43 HP) │ Dead
➤ Blueberry Peat (26/26 HP)
➤ Zisiro (30/30 HP)
Agate Stark (2/16 HP)
⠀⠀Cranky (- HP)
Orange Dispatch Disciple Trainee (-14 HP) │ Down
Green Dispatch Disciple Trainee (-17 HP) │ Dead
➤ Jared (-4/18 HP) │ Dying 1

A poorly thought-out decision seals his fate. When the enemy strikes back, he never expects it to be this deadly. Only too late does he realize the danger when he is pierced twice by the serpent dagger, its twin fangs sinking into him like a venomous bite.

I’ll wait to see if anyone heals him before I act.

◇ Devise Stratagem vs target of investigation
Recall Knowledge (Society) w/ investigation bonus: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 8 + 1 = 27
That would be a crit at Level 2 but not at Level 3 or higher. If it is a crit, everyone gets +1 on next attack.
Stratagem roll: 1d20 ⇒ 15

Feeling they have an opening, they run across the room and swing their rapier toward Rowan.

◆ Stride
◆ Stride

As they strike, their potency crystal flares up empowering the weapon.

◇ Concentrate: Activate potency crystal

◆ Strike
Rapier strike vs Rowan w/ Stratagem & potency crystal: 15 + 8 + 1 = 24
Rapier damage (piercing) w/ strategic strike damage & potency: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 2) = 9

Zisiro moves away from the resilient mirror and closer to Rowan. He draws a javelin from the quiver at his side and throws it as hard as he can.

◆ Stride
◆ Interact
◆ Strike vs. Rowan: Javelin (T): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Hero Point: ◆ Strike vs. Rowan: Javelin (T), Vestments: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 8 + 1 = 20
Piercing: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Rowan doesn't seem to have much fight left in her, but she refuses to go down.
Then Peat stabs her, and both of those things change very quickly. One Dispatch leader down.
A hit, and she's down.
Since a PC is Dying I'll leave the Initiative order up for the moment, though he has a hero Point anyway. Zisiro can choose different actions, if he likes.

★★★
The Final Confrontation Round 3

Party Conditions: PCs gain a +2 circumstance bonus on all attempts to use Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, and Stealth skill actions against members of the Red Mantis Dispatch; PCs gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Armor Class and Saving Throws against members of the Red Mantis Dispatch; PCs gain the ability to, once before the end of the adventure, reroll their damage on a successful (or critical) Strike or a success (or critical success) using a spell with the attack trait as a free action
Terrain: The black areas are not walls, but thick mud. You can move or attack through or over them, but they are greater difficult terrain. Disregard the "cages," those are for high-level parties.
Battlemap

──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Zuza the Scout (4/15 HP)
Red Enraged Rowan (-48 HP) │ Dying
Clides (30/30 HP)
Purple Dispatch Disciple Trainee (-43 HP) │ Dead
Blueberry Peat (26/26 HP)
➤ Zisiro (30/30 HP)
Agate Stark (2/16 HP)
⠀⠀Cranky (- HP)
Orange Dispatch Disciple Trainee (-14 HP) │ Down
Green Dispatch Disciple Trainee (-17 HP) │ Dead
➤ Jared (-4/18 HP) │ Dying 1

Retcon, but he's going to want to use that Hero Point anyway.

Zisiro pulls the healing potion from his belt and makes his way to Jared.

I have faith in your potion’s power.

DC 12 Recovery Check: 1d20 ⇒ 20 vs Dying 2

Fortunately, Jared recovers, drawing back from the blinding light he’d been drifting toward. He remains unconscious, but his breathing steadies.

Jared is unconscious but seems stable. Rowan the Whispering is down and unconscious and not at all stable, if the Pathfinders still want to attempt Viore's request to capture her alive.
Her henchpeople are beyond saving.

Once all of that is resolved, one way or another, Rowan is defeated and the more experienced agents are handling Sotroz.
But there is still work to do to dismantle the Dispatch leaders' dangerous magical experiments.

The Pathfinders might want to focus on securing the faux-aiudara from melting down due to unstable magical energies, or they can attempt to prevent more undead from arising by quieting their spirits.

Peat stabs her, then awkwardly glances around. "So ... I'm not trained in medicine, but that looks like a lot of blood. Can somebody stabilize her?"

They turn their attention toward securing the aiudara.

Arcana check I assume? Do we all have to do the same thing, or can we split between them?

You should choose one focus on as a team, with different skills. Succeeding will help the higher-level parties, potential consequences for failure depend on which you attempt (though you might want to heal up, first.

Bolstering the containment field around the Dispatch’s aiudara, itself made from pieces of other gates stolen from Kyonin by Rowan and tied together by blood magic and Nexian rituals, requires 10 minutes of work.
Arcana, Crafting, Nature, Occultism, Religion, or Thievery checks. You're looking for a number of successes, though somebody can Aid instead of attempting their own check, if they wish.

Dealing with potential new undead requires the Pathfinderss to cleanse components kept by Sotroz in this area, including canopic jars with organs and severed heads of long-dead warriors. These must be ritually cleansed and quickly buried, requiring 10 minutes of work.
Athletics, Diplomacy, Medicine, Performance, Religion, Society, or Survival checks.
You're looking for a number of successes, though somebody can Aid instead of attempting their own check, if they wish.

Agate is trained in medicine but does not have a healer's toolkit, which is required to stabilize or treat wounds. If the society has provided a toolkit, she can try to help those who are dying, but I don't think she can do anything without a kit.

Agate has a lesser ghost charge she can use against undead and probably haunts. So I would choose to attempt to prevent the undead rising.

Jared draws out half stock of his vials and brews them into elixirs of life one-by-one, giving them to Zusa and Agate after drinking one for himself.
Healing: 1d6 ⇒ 5 HP for Jared
Healing: 1d6 ⇒ 6 HP for Zusa
Healing: 1d6 ⇒ 5 HP for Agate

He draws the remaining and does the same for more healing before he goes replenishing some of them after 10 minutes.
Healing: 1d6 ⇒ 2 HP for Jared
Healing: 1d6 ⇒ 4 HP for Zusa
Healing: 1d6 ⇒ 2 HP for Agate

"I can help with cleansing the components." Jared tells them after gathering some materials he needs.

I have Society +7 for #2 option.

Oh, you do still all have the experimental item that fully heals you that you can each use once. And the Society medical team.

The medics come into the room now that the fighting is done, helping to patch up the party.
Healing: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (8, 2) + 10 = 20

Clides rushes to dig graves for the cleansed body parts.

Athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Peat gives a sidelong glance at Jared, then says to the medics, "Hey, can you stabilize Rowan so she doesn't die?"

I'm fine with option #2 as well.

Peat begins using the knowledge they have of the cultures associated with canopic jars to perform ritual cleansing.
Society: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Agate starts following recommendations on spirit pacification she's picked up studying the arcane and occult arts/sciences.

Arcana, trained: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16