Aranor Cruz's page

I checked this thread to see how you all were doing and if there was anything I could do to make the transition easier. Thank you all for your kind words; I appreciate them.

For tracking loot, this inventory sheet was up-to-date as of us leaving the tomb. I think Akku's ioun stone was the only item gained in town. Please feel free to make a copy of it, or use it as a reference when creating your own inventory.

As for Ivan's healing; I believe Akku has Inflict Wounds on his spell list. If you can afford a wand, (maybe one with fewer charges at a discount?), he can use it to heal you.

Again, I wish you all the best.

I'm very sorry, but after careful consideration I've decided to bow out of this game.

Please don't take this as me having a problem with any of you; you've all been great to play with. My playstyle just doesn't seem to be meshing well.

Since everyone just leveled and you're starting a new section, I think this would be a good time to recruit a new player if you choose to do so. Aranor can stay behind with the folk's in Rossler's Coffer.

Again, I apologize for any inconvenience this causes. I wish you all the best.

Aranor lowers her crossbow, still furious at the phantom's meddling. But now that it's gone...

"Rali? Have you seen my father anywhere? He's not home, but I'm not sure if that means he's...if he's still alive, or if he's just somewhere else."

Aranor hugs Dion. "I'm sure...now that you've accepted your death, the psychopomps can help you move on. You'll be with your wife again. I promise."

Hearing a loud yelling from elsewhere in the town, she moves towards it and sees a phantom approaching Justus and Grod. What is he doing?! The town is having enough trouble without him lying to everyone! She tries to remember what she knows about phantoms. Why is he doing this?

K. Religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

As she thinks, she draws her crossbow and prepares for battle.

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Initiative, Temporal Celerity: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Both terrible, but I'll take the 8.

Survival: 1d20 ⇒ 6

Aranor looks for her father, but can't find him anywhere. Maybe he wasn't there. Maybe he's still okay. She bites her lip as she considers whether she should keep searching or...or start helping people move on.

She sees Dion, a neighbor she knows fairly well, outside his house tending to his garden. "Hello Dion. It's me, Aranor." She takes his hand, making the temperature difference between them fairly obvious. "I...I don't know how to say this, but we're in the Boneyard. Everyone in Rossler's Coffer...they all died. Including you."

There are tears in her eyes, but her voice remains fairly steady. "Your wife died ten years ago, didn't she? So...it's time for you to move on and be with her again."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Aranor would need a natural 20 to hit that survival DC, so unless I'm able to take 20 on it I don't think she'll be able to find her father. Certainly not with the time constraints it seems we're under.

Aranor trails after the rest of the group, trying to compose herself as they make their way to the valley. They can't all be dead. Not the entire town. The psychopomps weren't lying, but maybe they were mistaken. Maybe...maybe some people died, but others must have made it out alive."

Her hopes are dashed when they actually reach their destination. She recognizes most of the people she sees. Maybe she didn't know them, but she'd seen them before. It looks like the entire town of Rossler's Coffer is indeed here...which means that the entire town is dead. Except for her, and Rali, and a handful of others who'd survived yet somehow ended up in the Boneyard anyway.

Aranor has never actually spoken to the mayor before, but she still recognizes her instantly. "Lady Grive." Her voice is hoarse from crying. She clears her throat and tries again. "Lady Grive, do you know what happened? How...how did everyone die?"

Aranor has spent her entire life in Rossler's Coffer, so pretty much everyone she knows would be here. After talking with the mayor she'll go look for her father, Rogar. If whatever-it-was happened at night, he would have died with the rest of the town. If it happened during the day, he probably would have been out hunting in the woods. Whether that would be far enough away or not is up to GM discretion.

Aranor was already on the verge of panicking. She's been holding herself together through this whole affair by focusing on the immediate threats rather than worrying about the details of where they were and how they got there. Now these...creatures casually tell her that everyone she knows is dead. Like it's barely worth mentioning.

"No. You're lying. You have to be. An entire town doesn't just die! Even if, even if the orcs attacked again, or, or, or something like that, some people would survive. Like we did before."

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Crying now, she keeps repeating, "You have to be lying. You must be."

To be clear, I don't plan on playing Aranor in such a way that she goes against the party or refuses to help. I just can't imagine this news not causing a huge emotional impact.

Aranor gapes at the strange creatures. The Boneyard...but we're alive? And they're asking us how this happened?!

"I, um..." she shakes her head as if to clear it. "I don't know what happened. I don't know how we got here, or what could possibly...something's lodged in our hearts?!" There's a note of hysteria in her voice, and she visibly takes a moment to calm herself.

"Rali's right. Forget how we got here; how do we get back?"

Initiative reroll: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Aranor shakes her head. "These guys aren't going to listen to reason. We'll have to fight our way out."

She loads her crossbow even as she concentrates on blessing her allies, hoping to fill them with courage.

Move action: Load crossbow.
Standard action: Cast Bless. For two minutes each ally gains a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects.

Aranor walks over suspiciously, looking in the mirror to see if it reveals anything new about the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Aranor follows Rali up the stairs, keeping an eye out for potential trouble.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Aranor grimaces. Of course he can't. That would actually be helpful!

"There are some mites that also got trapped in here and wish to leave. If one of our number comes back for them once we've finished clearing out any dangers, would you allow them to pass through? Like us they wish only to leave, but are afraid they will be attacked if they try."

"We're not intruders, we're the opposite of intruders. We're people who got dragged in here against our will and are trying to get out as quickly as possible." Aranor pauses as something the creature said hits her. "Hang on. If you're number 3, where are numbers 1 and 2?"

Before entering the next room, Aranor tells the mites, ”Yes, we’ll come back for you if we can.”

Will Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Shaking off the effects of the song, she grips her crossbow tighter. What is that thing?

K. Arcana: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

With no idea what it is but still worried that this could be a difficult fight, she closes her eyes and reaches for divine favor. Please give us strength! A wave of energy seems to emanate from her, making her companions feel just a bit stronger.

Casting Bless. For two minutes all allies within 50 feet gain a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects.

Aranor blinks a little in surprise. The specter went down so fast she hadn't even had time to move after getting rid of the spell. "Well done everyone. She hands the crystal over to the mites, and smiles as they do actually keep their word and provide the party with some useful items. "Thank you. We will put these to good use."

Looking everything over, she says "I'll take the shield if no one else needs it. I can't use the arrows though."

Once everyone's ready, Aranor dispels the magic on the crystal.

Taking 10, K. Religion: 10 + 6 = 16

Going ahead and posting to keep things moving, but Aranor will wait for everyone to ready actions before doing anything.

Presumably by this point Aranor knows what's going on.

Aranor frowns slightly and whispers to the others. "Are we sure we can trust what the mites said about what would happen? Remember the other group of mites tried to talk us into wearing a 'wig' which was actually a monster."

Assuming the group is still set on working with the mites, she sighs but agrees. "Akku, are you sure you want to do this? I can try dismissing the spell myself."

OOC I'm all for fighting the specter and getting that sweet XP, but IC Aranor doesn't trust the mites. Hopefully she's not being too difficult.

Hopefully I'm not overstepping, but I've created a basic party inventory sheet in Google Docs. Link here.

There are two tabs. "Party Inventory" is where I put all the generic treasure as well as anything not specifically claimed by a player. (Or, as in the case of Ivan's short sword, something that was claimed but later offered back up.) I've included the GP value listed on Archives of Nethys for each item, as well as a column for Keep/Sell.

"Individual Loot" is where I put items currently claimed by a player. I included the GP value of those items, who claimed the item in question, and the date. While presumably players are keeping track of those items in their own inventory, it's nice to have a record.

Anyone with the link can edit, so feel free to make changes if you notice something I missed. However I don't mind being the official inventory tracker if others aren't interested.

For clarification, Aranor is not attempting to remove the spell. She's just trying to figure out what the crystal actually is. Since she's been in the southwestern room and the mites are in the northeastern, she doesn't know what the mites requested. (Or that the mites are there, for that matter.) I misunderstood what the K. Religion check was for, (I thought it was to recognize the crystal), but then didn't beat the DC anyway so it didn't matter.

Aranor examines the crystal carefully, being sure not to touch it herself.

Casting Detect Magic while examining the crystal. For good measure...

K. Religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

"Not at all. I have no real use for the armor."

While the others continue to haggle over the treasure, Aranor peeks into the room directly south to see if there's anything interesting in there.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Aranor frowns as she wanders around the room, staring at the mural, the altar, the tiles on the floor...

Intelligence, Guidance: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

No reason not to cast Guidance on myself here.

Aranor reloads her crossbow and fires it at the nearest bug. Unfortunately she's so worried about possibly hitting the allies in melee range of the bugs that her shot veers harmlessly into the wall.

Light Crossbow, Melee Penalty: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1
P. Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 6

...Aranor really isn't skilled with a crossbow.

Aranor returns to the group. "Something's going on in the next room, but I'm not sure what. There's some bugs we should probably kill before looking into it too closely. Anyone with a ranged weapon, let's try to hit the bugs before they come out of their hidey-hole."

Following her own advice, she pulls out her light crossbow and loads it. Once everyone is in position, she fires it at the bugs under the altar.

Light Crossbow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
P. Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8
Miss Chance: 1d100 ⇒ 89

Aranor apparently isn't very skilled with the crossbow.

I'm assuming Rali would have shared this information.

Carefully stepping into the room, Aranor focuses first on the mural. Hmmm, what's this all about?

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Given that we woke up in a tomb and everything we've seen so far has tried to kill us, Aranor isn't in a diplomatic frame of mind. She's in a paranoid, anything-could-be-a-trap frame of mind.

Aranor Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15
Aranor Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

Aranor touches Grod to provide some divine favor, then steps backward so she's out of the way of the melee fighters.

Casting Guidance on Grod for +1 on one attack roll, saving throw, or skill check.

”They want one of us us to wear a wig? Why? This seems suspicious to me. What even are these creatures?

Aranor casts Detect Magic while studying the wig.

I did not think I’d be using Detect Magic this much, but if Aranor was suspicious of the random treasure below she’d be even more suspicious of this offer.

Seeing Ivan's look, Aranor hands him the mace. "It's a bit heavy for me, if you want it."

I think Aranor's been changed enough, and I'm happy with her build now. I did add background skills in Craft (traps) and K. History.

As for the mace, Ivan uses a heavy mace and Aranor uses a light mace, so we can decide who gets it based on that. If it's heavy it goes to Ivan, light to Aranor. (Assuming no one else wants to stake a claim.)

Aranor nods as Rali talks to the girl. "He's right. You're obviously a strong fighter, but without any knowledge of the monsters that inhabit this place it would be very easy to get overwhelmed."

Looking over the treasure they found, she's shocked at its quality. "What is all this stuff doing here? I'm thankful, but it seems very strange." Frowning, she focuses on the items to see if she notices anything unusual about them.

Casting Detect Magic just in case one of these things is cursed or something.

She muses aloud while she examines the items, "I never had much skill with healing, and the potions would be harmful to me given my...condition. I already know spells for creating water and blessing others. Perhaps those items should go to one of our paladins? I confess I'd like the mace, but it might be better off in more capable hands than mine. Can anyone use the shortsword?"

Is the mace light or heavy?

Aranor swings her own mace at the horse, hoping to kill it quickly before the noise attracts anything else. Unfortunately she's also trying to keep an eye on the nearby iron cobra, which distracts her from the current enemy.

Light Mace, Flank: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
B. Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Aranor rerolls her initiative

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Aranor listens carefully to Akku's scouting report. "Thanks, that's very helpful. I can probably do something about the trap; I always had a knack for disarming them." She starts to stealthily move towards the northern room.

Stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

She gets about halfway to the door when a strange woman suddenly appears in their midst. What the hell? Where did she come from?! Akku's words didn't clear up any of her confusion. She still thought Akku's sudden appearance might be related to this strange situation, even though she believed he spoke the truth about remembering nothing. But now there was this...girl? Who was potentially 'commanding' him? Was she responsible for this?

These musings were interrupted when the girl started to yell. That much noise will have attracted every enemy in this place! No longer concerned about stealth (what would be the point?) she runs over and places herself as best as she can between Akku and the enemies in the eastern and southern rooms. "Akku! Get back to the others, maybe we can turn the hallway into a choke point!"

She draws her mace and prepares for battle.

Aranor follows after Akku and Rali into the large room, now that Ivan seems to be healthy again. "It looks like Rosler's tomb, but it doesn't feel right. How could we all have been dragged here, and why?"

What is going on here?

Looking around, Aranor forces herself to relax and See. Is there magic affecting us?

Casting Detect Magic to see if there are any magical auras within 60ft.

Given her own condition, Aranor is a bit faster to pick up on the context than she otherwise might have been. "Are you...do normal healing spells not work on you?"

Assuming he nods or something

"I suffer from a similar...ailment. If you're willing, there is a spell that harms others but that heals me. I could try it?"

Again, assuming he nods

Inflict Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Just an FYI, with our GM's permission I've changed character concepts slightly. I'm still an oracle, but I'll be focused more on casting than any sort of melee combat. Plus I've taken the Trap Finder trait and put some points in stealth so I can be a rogue-lite if necessary.

While Rali moves on ahead,Aranor tries to fix the damage done by the ostovite. Keeping her voice low, she asks "This man's hurt. Does anyone have something that can help him?" In the meantime, she performs what first aid she can.

Heal (untrained): 1d20 ⇒ 10

Aranor winces as the ostovite bites her silent companion. "I can't heal you, I'm sorry, this is the best I can do right now." She touches his shoulder and once again shares a hint of divine favor.

Casting Guidance on Ivan for +1 on one attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. She could heal him, but she doesn't know that yet.

Sorry if I'm missing something obvious, but Justus, how are you attacking the skeletons? You're nowhere near them on the map.

Yes, you can take the trait from Mummy's Mask, as this campaign is oddly similar, only without the Egyptian theme.

Thanks, that'll help a lot if we run into any traps. Do you want that to replace our campaign trait or a different trait?

Never mind, I don't know if you changed something but I can see the writing now. Thanks!

Aranor's vision wavers for a second as she looks down the hallway. Unknown situation, narrow hallway...ambush! She Sees the skeletons just a fraction of a second earlier than she ordinarily would have, and is able to act before they get the chance.

Drawing her morningstar, she calls back to Justus. "Skeletons ahead!" Unable to move fast enough to get to the skeletons herself, she touches one of her companions on the shoulder to share a fraction of divine favor.

Casting Guidance on Rali, assuming he is within range. This grants +1 on one attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. If Rali is not within range, she'll cast Guidance on Grod instead.

On an unrelated note: GM, I'm sorry but I'm having trouble understanding the map. Do the yellow squares represent the skeletons?

Since the DM said there's still time for us to shift stuff around:

Are we sure we want 2 Paladins? Would either of you object to shifting toward something else?

We could use someone more thief-like, or another arcane mage - maybe an Inquisitor, Magus, or Bloodrager could be a 'compromise' in one of those directions.

I also think it would be good to have a more diverse array of Campaign traits - as I mentioned before, we've presently got 3 'Pessimists'.

Personally I think we're fine; we may not have the "optimal" comp of fighter/cleric/wizard/rogue, but everyone has a cool concept. Obviously if someone wants to swap they can, but I don't think it's necessary.

In regard to arcane casters, is there something in particular you're worried we won't be able to do? With a little planning we could probably work it out between you, me, and our spiritualist.

For a thief-like character, as a bard you've got stealth as a class skill and high dexterity, so you should be able to sneak around. If we're worried about traps someone can put points into Disable Device. (My dex isn't fantastic, but I don't mind if that person is me.) If our GM is particularly kind someone (again, I don't mind if it's me), could even take the Trap Finder trait. It's a campaign trait from Mummy's Mask that gives Disable Device as a class skill and allows you to disable magical traps.

In terms of diversity of campaign traits, I will go ahead and swap "Pessimist" for "Reclaimer." It works just as well with my backstory.

Aranor rolls twice for initiative due to the War Sight revelation. Could have sworn I added that to her stat line, but apparently not. Sorry, it's there now.

Initiative: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Aranor whispers to Justus, "Maybe stay back for now. If there's anything out there that light will attract attention."

She moves slightly to where she can see Rali and Akku as they progress. Stealth not being her strong suit, she waits for Rali's signal before moving any further.

You start with 150gp, per this post. To the best of my knowledge no one’s miffed with anyone. I think we just all missed your original question.

Just common and celestial

"Huh, it looks like there's some other words here. Mind if I take a look?" Assuming Akku doesn't object, she'll read whatever's embroidered on his sleeve and collar.

Aranor does speak Celestial, if this is also written in that language.

Aranor hesitates. The whole situation is wrong, and she remains suspicious of this boy's sudden appearance. However, it's not in her nature to bully a child.

If he had anything to do with this, I don't think it was of his own will. He says he doesn't remember anything. Maybe he really is just another victim.

Mind made up, Aranor crouches down to the boy's level and smiles at him. "Akku, that's a nice name. Sorry if I scared you, I'm just...a little confused right now."

Turning to Rali, she asks "Do you see anything out there?"

Six people. Six coffins. Nothing else in the room. What is going on?

Aranor's eyes narrow as she catches sight of the child. He came in and said something about 'clawing his way out of the earth.' Then we all wake up in coffins. That can't be a coincidence. Is he responsible for this? But if he's not...then he's just a child.

Moving over to him, she asks as gently as she can given her suspicions, "You. Boy. What's your name? Do you know where we are? What's happened to us?"