Belegdel's page

So I worked up a 17th level version of Karzoug last night (Hero Labs is a godsend) and he is still a TPK waiting to happen.
I think my best bet at this point is to simply avoid his more deadly spell options. Wail of the Banshee in particular. I'll claim he's "not all there" because he's only just awoken. Or something like that.
And put my invisible fudgey-GM hat on.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

The party are far from combat machines, not so big on planning and preparation and let's face it - a little disengaged.
I might rebuild the final encounter from scratch. Aim for a similar layout just toned back 4 levels or so.

The story is: the players are over it (which might mean just RotR, might mean roleplaying altogether). But I want to wrap things up with an ending - so we're essentially skipping from the raid on Sandpoint right to the very end. Not even doing the Pinnacle.

See my previous thread. But since my last post there, we've agreed to wrap things up in two or three sessions (~4hrs each).

Apologies - just found your email response.
Will follow up via email.

Hi,

2 weeks since and no response either via email or here. Still working through the backlog?

Do 5 level 13 characters (Paladin, Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard, Druid) have a chance against Karzoug? I mean, as written but without the minions.
Or will he just annihilate them? (or, I guess, will they just annihilate him?)

I'm not experienced enough with Pathfinder high levels to really know if I need to tone him down first. I'm after challenging but not unwinnable.

I would describe the skinsaw man rather than state that he's so-and-so....

I back this advice 100%. You want the players to _realise_ who it is - don't tell them. The impact is much higher and increases emotional engagement.

Hi,

I sent an email to customer servers a few days ago but as yet have received no reply.

My order, sent as two shipments, was sent to an old address and was returned to sender - Paizo - before I realised.

I have two addresses in your system but neither were set to default, and it seems the older one was picked, I've set my current address to default now.

So what happens now? Will you let me know when it gets back to you (from Australia - I estimate about 1 week to go?) and we sort out getting it re-shipped to my current address?

...what other work do I need to do to set up the beginning of Skinsaw Murders while they're in this homebrew phase?** spoiler omitted **...

OK, here is my current plan. Love to hear feedback especially if I'm wandering into unforeseen problems.

what do you guys suggest?

Jaagrath would anticipate their return and have a plan. Spellcasters might choose their spells differently and would have used any long-lasting defense spells they could. If Lucretia is there, the plan would be at her level of intelligence, not Jaagrath's.

As Yakman says - the ogres would certainly fight as a group second time around.

I would also have had them investigate the keep with more care and block off any previously unanticipated access points. The gates should be fixed (though, to an ogre level of repair). A few improvised traps where there were none before is also likely. Maybe even barricade themselves in a big room and try to hold out until reinforcements arrive (that would hardly make for an exciting battle, but might pose an interesting "puzzle" for the party to solve).

I can see a potential path for her redemption.

...

Questions of how much energy you have to GM, how much availability the players have, how much tolerance they have for the plot moving slowly, and how interested they are in seeing all the bits, are all questions we can't answer.

Yes, true. But I wanted a sense of what would retain the essence of the AP. Seems like there really isn't that much required except the ending.

Thanks for the suggestions.

How are you assigning XP? If you're using the story milestone method you can cut sections but if not, your pc's might start trailing the needed expected character level. ...

I'm using XP on the fast track. They're massively overpowering things as it stands though (20 point buy, 5 players) so I think they could stand to fall behind a bit. Point taken though.

Thanks for the suggestions, looks like the hardest decision will be how short to cut things.

SPOILER WARNING

Our group is finding it increasingly difficult to get together to play. This is leading to months of time between sessions, which in turn leads to a disjointed recollection of events and the overall story. And the sense that it's all just dragging on.

I'm in no position to wish away the real life responsibilities of the players but I may be able to streamline the path to the end by cutting anything extraneous.

We're about half way through Hook Mountain Massacre. I've already ditched Black Magga and am thinking of removing the trek to the dam also. Once the witches are killed the rain will stop and Turtleback ferry will be safe.

What other parts of the RotR aren't really essential to the main story and could potentially be removed?
What other parts could be rolled together?
Any other advice for dealing with the problem? Obviously next time around I'll look at a module rather than a whole AP.

The discussion is on a tangent but not entirely unrelated. The level of magic and its accessibility may dictate the kind of ships.

In broad terms one could use three categories of ships, dictated largely by the games approach to tech:

1. Hard - Highly technical, practical and trying to function according to believable science. e.g. "2001: A Space Odyssey", "2010", "Interstellar"

2. Soft - Look technical but any science is largely hand-waved or just techno-babble. e.g. "Star Trek", "Star Wars"(?),

3. Fantastic - Could look like anything. No attempt to function according to any recognisable science at all. "Spelljammer", "Dr Who", "Farscape", "Stargate"(except the Human ships), "Guardians of the Galaxy", "Forbidden Planet", "Gundam"

The line between 2 and 3 is pretty fuzzy but if there is a lot of magic involved it will result in ships at the extreme of 3. If anyone who studies hard is capable of magic, that makes it just an alternative to engineering, which will result in flying couches, houses, biomechamagical unicorns and who-knows-what.

Ships. Well if they aren't of the Spelljammer variety based (very loosely) on water-based vessels flying through space, I would hope for the Star Wars/Star Trek variety where science, reason, and careful design are thrown to the winds in preference for cool factor and aesthetic whim.

Or better yet, something new and surprising (but still cool).

If the game came with stats for the Liberator (from 1970/80s BBC sci-fi show Blake's 7, for younger readers) I'd be happy. Ecstatic. Classic "characters fly an alien ship they barely understand". Adventures abound right outside your cabin door. It was also a character in its own right.

HOPEFULLY, the space combat isn't TOO realistic.

By way of a supporting anecdote, after a gruelling few sessions of the Aliens RPG the tattered remnants of the Colonial Marine squad managed to get back to their cruiser alive. This despite fighting both xenomorphs AND corporate marine forces!

The players breathed a sigh of relief and charted a course away from the ongoing corporate space battle - only to have a beam crit go straight through the hypersleep area of the ship instantly vapourising everyone aboard. Otherwise the ship was fine and continued on its programmed course.

So, yeah. I guess what I'm saying is: the Pheonix Command system (or its derivatives) style combat isn't really befitting of a Space Fantasy game.

While I'm here.

I need to remove the Black Magga encounter - as others have said it will be like waving a red rag in front of an angry bull.
However, I also find the Myriana section too much like a side-track.

What I'm thinking of is replacing the flood and Black Magga with Myriana, and having her accompanied by a Nuckalevee and Wil-o-wisps.

My thinking is that she's looking for Lamatar and in her enraged state has simply latched on to turtleback Ferry as the nearest settlement to haunt until someone releases or returns Lamatar to her. As a corrupted marsh spirit she's attracted the attention and support (unintentionally) of the Nuckalevee, and the Wil-o-wisps have just tagged along for the chance to antagonize the villagers.
I'll use Yap to get the party back to town, and the other encounters from Myriana's chapter in the forest or on the road back into town.

Anyone foresee any potential gotchas with this plan?

Black Magga might work as a background encounter at the damn but even there could prove to be an irresistible distraction. So I haven't decided what to do there. Magga might just have to miss out altogether.

Have any of you done anything like this to pump up the challenge of retaking Fort Rannick? Would this be overdoing it?

See Joey Virtue's AWESOME thread on using The GM’s Guide to Creating Challenging Encounters

My players romped through the Grauls too, until I used that guide to beef up the Mammy encounter. They all survived but they certainly worried at a couple of points.

...Thoughts?

Bring in Brodert. That's essentially why he's in Sandpoint - as a tool (one of many) for the GM to impart information the party may have missed or otherwise need.

If you play him as a bit absent-minded, you have an "out" if the party tries to rely on him too much - he just starts getting vague and confused.

What should Aldern tell the PCs about his marital status...?

Hi James,

As always, thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions.

Do you think there is a difference in the way a GM or designer should approach designing a whole setting as compared to designing a town or a other piece of a setting?
What would you say those differences are?

What books would you recommend to a GM designing their own setting?

Hi!

...I wonder how you as GM deal with the dungeon maps.

Cheers

See my response to another thread asking a similar question

But it would be nice to find a hook, to bring the two partys together, just next to the foxglove house.

A relative of Iesha looking to find (or exact revenge for) their missing niece/aunt/whatever? Perfect for Varisian characters.

...So some advices would be great.

First decision is if you, as the GM, want to let things get off the rails.

Pacing is often how I make these decisions. If the game has been running too quickly and the PC's are behind in XP or treasure, the extra "content" of going off the rails can help. However, going off the rails a lot can really dilute or confuse the plot of the AP and in that situation, the PCs get the benefit of "luck" and their plans go as they wish.

If you want to stick to the AP, have the stalkers hunker down, Ironbriar doesn't check on them in time and the PCs have a straightforward second go at the townhouse. The stalkers will be expecting them though, perhaps with a few more traps set up.

If you're happy to go a little off the rails: Ironbriar is actively keeping an eye on the townhouse, perhaps via legitimate reports from the city guard. A bunch of skinsaw cultists take up hidden positions nearby, ready to storm in when the stalkers raise the alarm that the party has returned.

If you really want to shake things up: The Stalkers re-assume their disguises and immediately raise the alarm with the city guard, maybe before the party has. Aided by Ironbriar behind the scenes, the PCs could be wanted criminals in Magnimar (burglary and attempted murder of a noble!) within a matter of hours. Suddenly the hunters become the hunted...

(by "off the rails" I mean deviating from the events described in the AP)

What is your experience with or opinion of games where combat is vastly reduced or completely removed in favour of other forms of challenge?
Is combat an inherent and necessary part of Fantasy as a genre?

Combat is always a hefty and highly detailed part of any rules system. I've always wondered if a game could be just as fun if the same level of detail was put into, say, social situations.

I have to be very careful about how I portray the mayor. If I make him too offensive and corrupt, the party will focus on him and we'll be off the tracks for a long, long time.
Plus, I'll ultimately end up in a choice between a TPK and needing a new mayor of Magnimar.

So, I plan on portraying him as a man with a greed for power rather than coin. His grasping for coin is simply a necessary step in supporting his power base and keeping the noble houses in check. I'm sure it's all much the same to Karzoug.

That way I can show how the mayor's lust for power keeps the balance with Korvosa and the many threats throughout Varisia. If I play that right, he can be offensive yet necessary. The Paladin will hate it but if taking out the mayor will result in the death of innocents, I think he'll have to tolerate it.
I can even have the head of the Paladin's church step in to support the mayor:-)

A quick warning on rumours:
I have to avoid any about monsters, or ghosts, or dungeons, or anything that sounds remotely like an adventure hook, or my group will go straight after it.
That tends to leave the "flavour" stuff like who's doing what with whom, who hates whom etc.

If you haven't already, check out the thread where I asked almost exactly the same question: Bringing Sandpoint to life

In the end I realised gimmicks are just gimmicks - in the end you just have to weave encounters with the locals in between the rest of the AP. Every chance you get.
And to make those really sing, write them ahead of time so you can rewrite a few times to work in the flavour. Or, use all the pre-prepared stuff available on these message boards. The stuff on here is gold.
G O L D !

Seems to me you have things well in hand - I like the way you're intending to deal with the situation. The sheriff would absolutely do as you say - and it gives you an excuse for those characters to not necessarily be level 1.
Using the one remaining character as both a source of information and a focus for Aldern provides an excellent form of continuity.

The thing about Nualia's current situation is that her research to release Mal will take an unspecified amount of time. So, replace the goblins with troops brought in from other tribes, leave any of her companions dead, and let the new characters catch-up relatively easily.
Make the deaths of the first group mean something - getting to her now should be easy.
Assuming, of course, that the new party doesn't waste much time before getting the job done.

Well, it's done now, but you could have had ghouls or ghasts come up out of the water.

Doh! Wish I'd thought of that.

And it is a type; the Skinsaw Man is definitely CE.

Good to know, thanks.

Did they end up torching Xanesha's letter when they torched his room?

They did indeed. They have the link to Pug's Contraptions, at least. But Xanesha remains unknown to them. I'll have to sort that out pronto. Maybe relocate the letter to the townhouse?

Did they leave Aldern's body and head behind? The house could put him back together.

A neat idea, but I intend to let the group resurrect the monk for free - I don't think the suicide haunt is fair.

Love it!

Thank you.

I probably would have ambushed the group with Aldern+some ghouls.

I considered that, but the "ramp" I'd drawn on them map would have meant it was just a queue, pretty much. Plus, the session had already been one loooong combat against ghouls.

Did ghost monk have to go sleep too?

He's only been a spirit for a few hours, so I ruled that he felt the need to sleep more out of habit than fatigue.

I thought I might relay the fairly surprising end to my groups foray into the Manor.

This group have an uncanny ability to turn my cunning plans back on me, even when they don't know what those plans are!

Just a note, Tsuto also has the option of residing in the basically abandoned Kaijitsu(sp?) family manor in Magnimar. That's a far better "base" for a large group than a small townhouse.

Rather than going back into the mansion, they decided to head towards Magnimar as they found out that Aldern Foxglove had a townhouse there, and he must be lairing in the townhouse rather then in the manor

The horse may have bolted here but: you could always simply remind them that this doesn't fit the evidence - the extra travel time would extend the time between murders, for instance.

How many ghouls will the Skinsaw man create and people in Sandpoint killed during and after the events in Magnimar?

Entirely up to where you want to take the story. He'd kill at most once a nights. Of course, the situation in Sandpoint would quickly deteriorate under the weight of fear. The Sheriff would have to take his own action - perhaps rounding up the town's known adventures or maybe sending to Magnimar for help.

And what do you recommend for upgrading Tsuto, the mage and Nualia to help out Xanesha?

Well, Xanesha isn't likely to surround herself with a cadre of people more powerful than herself. I'd only add a level or two and make up some challenging group tactics. Bear in mind though - Xanesha already has a proven record of killing characters.

Remember also, Nualia has her own agenda - she'd want to re-form her group and return to destroy Sandpoint. Although Xanesha helped her, she has no real allegiance to Xanesha's cause, nor that of the Skinsaw men.

Also, Aldern wouldn't stand for it. He'll be keeping tabs on the object of his obsession and would act to steer the group back to himself.

A lot of great advice everyone, thanks.

To answer some general questions:
- The group is 6 people, including me, with an even gender split
- There is a Paladin, who burns his Lay on Hands every chance he gets, usually on himself
- The group have only really had one near death experience (Tangletooth nearly disemboweled the paladin in one round)
- None of the characters are combat-tuned. We're more of a roleplay focused group
- Honestly, the Paladin and Monk have the worst luck with dice rolls. It's a bit beyond a joke
- The Druid player was interested in the links to the natural world etc, and planned to be "a bit of healing as required". That's just turned out to be more of a burden than we expected.

So, obviously I need to do what I can to get the other players to assist the Druid financially. I'll try subtle, then get out the mallet.

On consideration, I think there may be an "over healing" issue. Excessive caution. So a bit of guidance to the Druid player there might help. If I had to guess, I would attribute it to too much MMO playing. The whole "tank" and "healer" roles having been subconsciously assigned and/or accepted.

I might also encourage her to get out the fangs and claws if she's interested, see if increase combat power reduces the need for healing.

I'll throw in a Wand of CLW too, more for in-between fight healing than during. Are there any good re-useable, non-combat healing items I could use?

And finally, I might assure her that as GM I don't really believe in allowing player deaths unless the player is being really bone-headed. That way she doesn't have to feel like the survival of the group is her sole responsibility.

I do have a question for yall does anyone know if the map folio is worth the money or would it be simpler to just stick to the chessex battlemat I have?

~aod43254

As mentioned, they're not miniature-scale maps, and I've read numerous reports of difficulty making them big enough.

Check the forum thread for community created stuff - some generous and talented people have created battle maps for just about everything.

I use an iPad to reveal the maps during exploration, then draw out the battlefield on a battlemap when the action starts. It's clunky but does the job.

Any time spent just roleplaying around Sandpoint is GOLD. The little "events" in the AP are seeds for just that but on their own they are a bit lack-lustre.

I really wish I'd prepped for the festival more. I used it as an opportunity to introduce the ability and skill-check rules via little contests and games etc. It also gets the group to introduce their characters a bit - "I'm strong", "I can balance on beams", "I play the lute" etc. Don't forget some academic style contests - local trivia, obscure knowledge, poetry etc.
However, it's ALSO the perfect opportunity to introduce key Sandpoint characters, as opponents for instance, and this is the opportunity I missed.

But most importantly - trust the AP. It has been carefully (more carefully than many acknowledge) designed for 4 new players. your group will have a slight edge with an experienced player - but "experienced" players can also get themselves in trouble more often than not.
RotR rewards natural, common sense instincts more than traditional RPG hack&slash.

As already mentioned, this forum is fantastic. You get great advice here.

But, above all, remember it's about fun. And that includes you.

The Erylium fight is an object lesson in research as preparation (Tsuto's journal explicitly names her for what she is, IIRC) and thinking outside the "just kill it" box.

My group were really starting to show signs of frustration when the Monk realised he had a net with him. I figured that kind of general prep was worth rewarding, so I gave him a generous to hit bonus even though she was invisible (big net, little target). Once she was on the ground, the Paladin Smote her and it was over quickly.

Without that net, they might still be plinking away at her...

So, the healer (Druid) in our group is bored.
As the only real healer in the group, she feels she *has* to take only healing spells where she can. In down time she created healing potions to take some of the load off, but that really doesn't seem to have worked.
They're gone (as is all her money) and she's still having to heal to avoid deaths.

How do other GMs avoid this? I'm tempted to just hand her character a Wand of Cure Light Wounds so she can explore her other spells a bit.

Druid spells are *so* situational she really needs to be able to fill her spell slots with a few spells. As a gnome, her combat skills are sub-par (although, her bear tears things to shreds!). That being said, she now has Wild Shape - dual wield bears! Maybe that should be her route but I suspect furry combat machine wasn't what she intended with her character.

Any advice?

Mr Jacobs,

It's common in fantasy that betraying one's faith, or reneging on a deal made with a divinity, always comes at a great cost (essentially punishment). Golarion seems no different on that point.

Would the diety involved be consciously aware of such a situation and the events leading up to it?

Is punishment actively meted out by the diety?

Thanks so much for spending your time in this thread. It's a privilege to get such an intimate insight into both the setting, and the process of creating and evolving that setting.

So my party succeeded in capturing Nualia - despite my best efforts to let her escape. How do I roleplay her?

Angry, unbalanced, fanatical. She's part way through a transformation bestowed on her by an evil god - she's committed to evil in a very real sense. I dare say Lamashtu would make sure redemption came at a very high price.

They might try to take her to Sandpoint and throw her in prison and interrogate her.

I doubt she'd be safe there if it becomes widely known the fire, and the death of her father, was her doing. Could be an interesting sub-plot - protecting her from the angry townspeople.

Will she talk, at all?

I think she would - she wants her story known, how she was mistreated and misunderstood. She might be more vague about just WHO helped her out in Magnimar, which might make for good foreshadowing.

How insane has she gone?

Doesn't the AP mention somewhere that she's given up her womb to Lamashtu? That's a genuine and special kind of crazy. In fact, a human treating with Lamashtu at all is a kind of crazy.

Will she try to strike a bargain, or just try to stay silent and seek a way to escape?

My guess is she'd bargain in bad faith and escape at the first opportunity. She'd be happy to use whatever wiles she could. She's clever and patient enough to play along for a while though, to lull the party into a sense of security.

Name of PC: Woe
Class/Level: Male Human Monk 4
Adventure: The Skinsaw Murders
Catalyst: Suicide Compulsion Haunt
Story: Pretty average rolls on my part and decent rolls for the PCs had meant the haunts up to this point had been merely curiosities. Even so, the party approached this room with care. Though I'd previously read a lot about this insta-kill haunt, in the midst of all the excitement I didn't realise that this was the room until after I'd started reading out the description aloud. Applying the "go hard or go home" theory with reckless abandon, I continued as per the AP.

Woe failed every save decisively and even the nearby paladin failed thoroughly in an attempt to intervene. The Monk opened up his throat in spectacular fashion and promptly slumped to the floor. Being dead, there was little the party could do but apply Gentle Repose and begin dragging the corpse about, hoping to pay for a Raise Dead, or for a miracle.

It seems to me, however, that in a house full of haunts and restless spirits, even the recently dead would not rest easy. So Woe soon found himself stranded in the house as a disembodied spirit - trapped by the house. He can see a twisted version of the real world and has a much more "direct" experience of the remaining haunts in the house. He can interact with the party through a limited poltergeist-like telekinesis.
I've also allowed him to attack and be attacked by undead as long as he uses his body (so, as a monk, no problem at all!). I figure the insides of the house are a kind of pocket of the Negative material/Plane of Shadow/whatever.

He still needs to find some way to get himself back to the land of the living, and to avoid becoming a more permanent resident of Foxglove Manor. I also think he may have some strong competition in terms of potential residents of his corpse...

There is a subtle kind of genius to Burnt Offerings that is easy to miss if you just take it at face value.

It is an exceptionally well-crafted starting point. Opportunities for roleplay and combat, pacing that provides just enough of both but is flexible enough for the GM to avoid overdoing one or the other to match their group.
A supporting cast to give a party options should they be lacking certain skills or capabilities.

There are situations that train the players in some ways. Combats that teach a lesson. If the party is stubborn about learning that lesson, they can be quite punishing. The thistle tunnels are an example - the lesson being to avoid fighting in an environment where you are at a disadvantage.
The true craft of these "lessons" however is that they are done in such a way that they also fit the story. They don't come across as necessarily obvious or out-of-place.

Which brings me to another great part of Burnt Offerings, the great story. Yes, it's classic. That's what makes it so accessible, so easy to engage with. But it has more depth than usual, provided by layers of back story and internally consistent characters.

I think of Burnt Offerings as like a simple table made by a master carpenter. Yes, it's just a table. But the true measure of a master crafted item is in the subtleties, in durability and in fine details. It still essentially just holds things up off the floor, but it does so without jabbing you in the leg, or giving you splinters, or wobbling, or looking ugly, or falling apart in a few years. All things that detract from enjoyment of its function, even if they don't impair that function directly.

Since this will be littered with spoilers for The Skinsaw Murders and wrapping the whole thing in a spoiler tag seems silly:

*** Spoiler Alert ***

One of the characters died to Traver's suicide compulsion. It was a tragic, tragic incident involving rolls of 1, 2 and 1. Seriously. I was so flummoxed I simply followed the AP and pronounced the proud monk dead.
I rather regret that decision.

However, in trying to make something better of the situation, I wondered what being dead inside Foxglove Manor might be like. Clearly, the dead here do not rest quietly - so why would a PC?

Having a PC in the house as a spirit could be really interesting. I imagine things look completely different on "the other side", and the PC could very well then interact directly with the other spirits like Traver, Cyralie, Iesha and Vorel.

The first thing I'll need is to understand what a spirit PC is capable of, especially how they can interact with the rest of the party back in the real world.

Any suggestions/advice? Has anyone done, or seen similar done, before?

Oh, and for reference the Paladin Code you found on the web is also in Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Gods Hardcover along with a bunch of other info on Iomedae and the other gods:

(edit: linkified the link)

Iomedae is a particularly unfortunate choice, given this scenario.

"I will guard the honor of my fellows, both in thought and deed, and I will have faith in them."

The way I read that, the Paladin is also responsible for reigning in his fellow party members IN THOUGHT AS WELL AS DEED. So it's not just the Paladin who is signed up to this code - the group must abide by it in his presence or there will be trouble. The Paladin would be honour-bound to stop them.

"I will suffer death before dishonor"

Iomedae is not of the "that's ok, just do better next time" school. Second chances should be pretty much off the table without some exceptional deeds to balance them. I'd highlight that too.

"also has the demonic bloodline"

I suspect that would mean this Paladin has to be DOUBLY careful to be an absolute exemplar of the faith.

All that being said, if you and the player have an accord then roll with it.

There's no reason to play out the whole conversation word for word. In fact, it's probably extraneous detail (useful for mood and flourishes etc but not essential to progressing the plot).

Just describe the conversation. Something like:

"A foreign looking noble bursts into the inn and walks straight up to Ameiko. Though you don't understand the language and they are not shouting, he is clearly angry and it doesn't take long before she is too. As the conversation progresses, their volume rises and the other inn patrons also begin to notice. As the altercation escalates to shouting, the man grabs Ameiko's tunic and attempts to drag her toward the entrance but she pulls free and shoves him away. Though her next words are quite and controlled the inn has fallen quiet and they can be heard plain as day..."

This also avoids having to act, or do voices, or things like that. I'm not good at them and I find trying just becomes a distraction. I generally only do voices for comedic effect :-)
Describing a conversation also gives you an "out" if you've missed information, because you can just tell the players it was in there somewhere, or was betrayed by a gesture or an impression. Details like "other patrons appear to recognise the man" and "AMeiko rolled her eyes a lot, giving you the impression they were going over old ground"

If you acted out a whole speech and missed an important detail, you're well up the creek :-)

Heh, and here I was hoping for an answer that would let the Cleric help himself out of the situation...

Allow the cleric to instruct an elemental summoned using Summon Monster II to attack the Thistletop end of the bridge until it falls. This would bring the rope the party used to tie off the bridge into reach of the cleric, who would then have a much easier time climbing up.

Or, the cleric could order the elemental to attack the mainland side of the bridge and rejoin his comrades. And start charging in in advance for healing spells.

I'd also like to support the comments by others highlighting the very serious and detrimental underlying party dynamic (not to mention relationship dynamic) this situation reveals.