Generally, none. In this case, someone woke you up, which is why you were able to take an action in round 1. If we were doing initiative order strictly, it would need to be someone before you in the order who woke you up (or, potentially, your place in the order delays/drops until after the person who woke you). But since you’re all in the same initiative block, it’s easier to just leave the order as-is and let you take an action if anyone wakes you.
There may also be corner cases like a feat, magic item, spell, or special ability that awaken you, too, but I’m not aware of any.
Suussmaar finds that something seems to be interfering with his spellcasting, as the spell fails to take effect. At the same time, Roderick moves to Ki Chin's side and wakes him.
Let me know if I need to make any corrections anywhere. Thanks for playing, all!
Aoi Rosenthal wrote:
1) Player name: Colin
2) Character name: Aoi Rosenthal
3) PFS#-Character#: 2411798-22
4) Character Class & Level: Witch 8
5) Faction: The Exchange
6) Regular or slow speed for chronicle: Slow advancement
Would you mind correcting the chronicle sheet for me?
And are there any looted scrolls?
** spoiler omitted **
I’ll get to that later today. As for the scrolls, I’m assuming that you did search the ruins (given that you had to spend some time in them to restore the wards). That said, the Chronicle does not list the scrolls of Dimensional Anchor, Summon Monster IV, or Teleport among its loot list. So I would assume they’re not available to take, but would be happy to be wrong.
Wymarc enters first, followed closely behind by Shido, Roderick and the others.
As soon as Shido enters, a voice announces loudly in Elven, "Minne gothrim i barad."
Elven:
"Intruders have entered the tower."
It seems to have emanated from the two statues in the corners of the room. Simultaneously, a wave of sleepiness assaults all of your senses. Give me a Will save, for you lesser beings non-elves.
Ironically, the plea for mercy only actually benefits Silver Crusade PCs, and the Chronicles differ based upon whether on the outcome of the Diplomacy check on the deserters' behalf--but, again, only for SC characters.
Commander Gu Xiang seems swayed by Omar and Aoi's arguments. "You make a compelling case. It is true that many were taken in by this false prophet's words--perhaps it is worth offering these deserters the opportunity for redemption."
The Twenty-Four Masks ride back with you the following day toward Hisuikarasu, where they introduce you to their reclusive bladesmith friend and you all part ways.
That's the end of the scenario. I'll try to get Chronicles out in the next day or two.
Roderick opens the door while Shido prepares to charge. The preparation seems unnecessary this time, as the room seems devoid of occupants.
Stone walls stretch between three rounded turrets to form a vaguely triangular central room. Long forgotten elven heroes bearing swords and hunting hawks stand proudly immortalized as marble statues, silently guarding the shadowed alcoves between the towers. A damp, earthy smell rises from the carpet of moss and small fungi that covers the floor. In fact, this whole room seems almost choked with fungi--some of which you recognize as poisonous, but the variety of species is too broad to allow a PC to discern exactly what poisons they might be used to make.
You are currently outside of the tower still, but let me know in what order you enter.
Between them, the party restore the wards. With the threat ended, you turn to make the journey back to North Wind Watch.
The trip is uneventful, and when you arrive at the fort, you find the archon Zepha waiting for you on the road before the fort. Zepha eagerly listens to the PCs’ reports before thanking them: "You have done Tianjing, and perhaps all of Golarion, a great service this day; one that this world may not be able to repay. But do not forget that my reach extends a bit beyond this world."
Zepha does not follow the PCs back to North Winds Watch, but instead promises to maintain his own vigil over the region and keep in contact with the Way of the Kirin and the Pathfinder Society, via Venture Captain Amara Li.
When you arrive at North Wind Watch, you are greeted with a hero's welcome by Commander Gu Xiang and her soldiers. She allows you to keep any gear that you requisitioned from the armory as a small token of Tianjing's thanks. You also managed to earn the lasting respect of the Twenty-Four Masks. Captain Tai Dan makes a point of offering to introduce you to a reclusive master bladesmith they are familiar with once you are back in Hisuikarasu.
You overhear that the captured deserters are to stand trial at the North Winds Watch shortly after your return to the fort. The standard punishment for desertion to the forces of evil is execution, but you may argue for mercy and an opportunity at redemption if you wish. To sway the Commander's decision, you'll need to make a Diplomacy check.
Won't be necessary--it only had 4 hp at the start of round 2 anyway.
Khugron finishes off the remaining qlippoth, which Xasay is able to identify as a shoggti qlippoth. Even as soon as the first qlippoth--presumably the Shepherd of Apotheosis who had been masquerading as a priest of Hei Feng (the one who called himself "Obika")--falls, the Abyssal rift flares up briefly and seems to lose some of its intensity. It seems that the rift wasn't strong enough, or big enough, to remain open without the Shepherd's influence and direction.
Combat over!
Beyond the task of defeating the Shepherd, you recall that you were asked to restore a series of wards in the area. Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (planes) will reveal the information about how best to go about with the final task of your mission here.
Knowledge (arcana/planes) 15+:
Without the qlippoth to sustain it from the Material Plane, the rift has begun to collapse in on itself. At the current rate of decay, it should close within a few days at most. The ruined building to the south of the clearing appears to have served as a shrine and the engraved glyphs on the remaining walls and floor further indicate that it once served as an anchor point for a celestial ward of sort. Repairing the shrine and restoring the glyphs may hasten the rift’s collapse and prevent future incursions.
Restoring the ward requires restoring both the glyphs and the physical structure of the shrine, as the architecture played an important part in stabilizing the ward. To restore the glyphs, a PC must succeed at a DC 24 Knowledge (arcana, planes, or religion) check. To restore the shrine’s structure, a PC must succeed at a DC 20 Craft (stonemasonry), Knowledge (engineering), or Profession (architect) check. Spells such as stone shape grant a +4 bonus on attempts to restore the shrine’s structure.
Knowledge (arcana/planes) 20+:
While restoring the shrine would limit further Abyssal invasions in its immediate area, it is not a long-term solution. The shrine, probably along with similar shrines throughout the Kaimuko Wood, would require ongoing and constant maintenance. The lack of attention given to this shrine may explain how the qlippoth initially managed to slip through to the Material Plane.
Knowledge (arcana/planes) 25+:
Some qlippoth cults believe that, upon death, their most devout can break free from the normal cycle awaiting their souls. The souls of such cultists do not transform into outsiders, but instead form into quintessence that merges directly with the Abyss, denying souls for the demon horde while still strengthening the Abyss overall. The qlippoth mastermind behind the events at Yiangma and the North Winds Watch had been using that quintessence to strengthen the rift between the Abyss and the Material Plane. Without a steady flow of quintessence, the rift cannot sustain itself.
Circumnavigating the tower doesn't reveal much. There is what seems to be a partially collapsed section in the southern turret, which may provide an alternative entrance as opposed to the front gate. From an exterior vantage point, it looks like the crumbling stone walls have fallen outward, leaving a field of stones blanketed in moisture trails and weeds.
The front gate itself is unlocked and does not appear to be trapped.
Hekk slices and dices the qlippoth that called itself "Obika," tearing a great gash in its torso. It dodges the second blow from his bardiche, but cannot avoid his powerful teeth in time. The taste is probably quite horrifying, but that qlippoth collapses in a pile of gore.
The remaining qlippoth snaps at Khugron with its maw unsuccessfully, then flails at the nagaji with its tentacles, fogging his mind even further and battering him around.
Init Order - Round 2
Hekk +18 temp hp -31 (4 CHA dmg, raging song)
Qlippoth -76 (dazzled for 2 rounds)
"Obika" -137 (dazzled for 2 rounds) Aoi (flying at 35' up)
Sputnik, arbiter familiar
Khugron -23 (6 WIS dmg, grappled, raging song)
Xasay
Goran (staggered for 4 rounds)
Omar (staggered for 4 rounds, raging song)
The party is up!
Hazard: The rifts channel the extreme cold of the Abyss. Any PC that enters a square containing the blight fire takes 3d6 points of cold damage 6d6 points of cold damage (Reflex DC 18 half). PCs that end their turn adjacent to the blight fire take half the indicated damage (Reflex half, at the same DC). PCs that fly over a square containing a tear at an elevation of 40 feet or lower have a 50% chance to be exposed to a gout of blight fire and the resulting cold damage. Thankfully, the rifts currently only function in one direction and, though it may be disconcerting to stand atop a tear, it otherwise functions as solid ground and the PCs do not risk falling into the Abyss.
Xasay's remaining Knowledge info:
By "magical powers," I'm going to assume you mean Special Attacks. In this case, for the utukku, its special attacks are its horrific appearance, its ability to consume part of its target's essence and personality with a tentacle attack, and its ability to use some clerical powers. Its horrific appearance specifically staggers its victims.
For the shoggti qlippoth, its special attacks are its horrific appearance (which fascinates its victims) and its ability to sap the will of its victims with a touch or slam from its tentacles.
You hear the following from one of the travelers in a passing caravan. "A hunter recently spotted a heavily armed group of the elven Shin’Rakorath, also known as "Lantern Bearers," crossing the uplands as if they were in hot pursuit of their quarry."
Suussmaar also picks up an additional rumor from a passing caravan.
Sorry, must have missed that Gather Info roll from Suussmaar. As for the slides, I've updated the permissions. Maybe one of these days I'll do that the first time. xD
I went ahead and set up a Slides link on the Campaign Info page. Go ahead and fill in your Perception and Initiative modifiers there on the second slide, and place your icons in a marching order, please.
Also, each faction has a separate mission in this one. I'll spoiler them here rather than stick them on a slide.
Dark Archive:
A note finds its way into your possession. It reads:
My strong right hand,
I regret that my need to lie low means that we cannot discuss your recent successes in person, but such is the price we must pay to advance our cause. I have recently become aware of some minor demon-calling activity in the vicinity of your ruin. Allowing demons to run amok in the colonies is simply bad for our reputation, so be sure to dispose of any demonology paraphernalia that may be used to conjure them, and I will personally ensure you’re rewarded.
Anticipating your return,
Paracountess Zarta Dralneen
Grand Lodge:
A note finds its way into your possession. It reads:
Loyal Pathfinder,
The chance to explore an ancient elven structure is not just an opportunity to study that site alone; such a fortress must also contain a map showing the location of other elven sites—perhaps even more that the elves have forgotten about since their exodus in the Age of Darkness. Either retrieve any such map that you come across or, if it cannot be removed, record the locations of any other ancient settlements that it depicts.
Remember to check for traps,
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin
Liberty's Edge:
A note finds its way into your possession. It reads:
Light of liberty,
Congratulations on your latest assignment. Although elves aren’t known for practicing slavery, I’ve heard they have some very clever devices for restraining prisoners. If you find anything suitable in working condition, bring it to me so we can construct a skeleton key, or at least train our operatives to pick them open quickly.
Equality and strength,
Major Colson Maldris
Sovereign Court:
A note finds its way into your possession. It reads:
Lion on the hunt,
A minor noble we favor in Magnimar has confided a desire to claim noble elven ancestry without being laughed at. Elven heritage carries enough cachet in Magnimar to expand her influence, so I want you to help. Please take the enclosed sketch and family tree and find something to bolster her claim, such as records or portraits of elves that resemble her.
Onward to glory,
Lady Gloriana Morilla
Sheila Heidmarch dismisses you and you begin your preparations. The following morning, you set forth toward the ruins. It is an uneventful trek, although Shido does manage to hear a rumor about the ruins from a passing caravan.
Shido's Gather Info:
You hear the following from one of the guards on a passing caravan. "Travelers often disappear in the area, and local farmers report that their tools and livestock sometimes
go missing on particularly dark nights."
You arrive before the ruins early in the morning several days' ride later. Time and cataclysm have laid low the once proud fortress that guarded against the power and guile of Thassilon’s greatest province. A lump of weathered stone, all that is visible of the Tower of the Ironwood Watch, stands alone on a lonely plain in the Velashu Uplands where it protrudes from a low hill. Three closely grouped stone turrets arranged in a triangle form the bulk of the tower, though all but the ground floor has collapsed since the tower’s abandonment. Built to impress dignitaries as well as provide defense, the tower’s rooms rise to a height of 15 feet unless otherwise noted, and the walls are all superior masonry decorated to appear like polished wood.
A set of double-doors, largely intact, remain closed before you. In addition, you noticed on your approach that there is a collapsed wall on the southern side of the complex.
Also, place yourselves on the first-floor slide to the west of room A2. You can either enter in via the main gates or investigate the exterior of the complex more.
Xasay's shadow-critter nips at the horror-from-Beyond before it, but "Obika" writhes its way out of reach of the shadow's jaws.
Init Order - Round 2
Hekk +18 temp hp -31 (4 CHA dmg, raging song)
Qlippoth -76 (dazzled for 2 rounds)
"Obika" -75 (dazzled for 2 rounds)
Aoi (flying at 35' up)
Sputnik, arbiter familiar
Khugron -5 (4 WIS dmg, grappled, raging song)
Xasay
Goran (staggered for 4 rounds)
Omar (staggered for 4 rounds, raging song)
Hekk is up!
Hazard: The rifts channel the extreme cold of the Abyss. Any PC that enters a square containing the blight fire takes 3d6 points of cold damage 6d6 points of cold damage (Reflex DC 18 half). PCs that end their turn adjacent to the blight fire take half the indicated damage (Reflex half, at the same DC). PCs that fly over a square containing a tear at an elevation of 40 feet or lower have a 50% chance to be exposed to a gout of blight fire and the resulting cold damage. Thankfully, the rifts currently only function in one direction and, though it may be disconcerting to stand atop a tear, it otherwise functions as solid ground and the PCs do not risk falling into the Abyss.
@Khugron: Technically, Omar is the only one that was affected by raging song during their turn on the first round.
Xasay's Knowledge (planes) rolls:
"Obika" (snake-urchin) is an utukku qlippoth. With that roll, you know 2 items about it. Senses, in this case, is pretty bare: 60' darkvision. What one other thing do you want to know?
As for the other one (four-arms), it is a shoggti qlippoth. Same deal, you know two items about it also. For Senses, also the same boring 60' darkvision. What one other item do you want to know?
Venture-Captain Heidmarch clears her throat, cutting off Shido's shield before it can get too carried away.
The Venture-Captain glances at Suussmaar. "The tower appears as a reference in the journal of an emissary to the elves sent from Xin-Cyrusian. In her journal, the wizard left detailed notes about the tower’s location and mentioned the building’s luxurious accommodations.
She then turns to Roderick and says, "Yes, it is unusual that the location has eluded the elves thus far. The Celwynvian elves maintain tight borders, and many believe the territory to be haunted by spirits that feast on foreigners. Some of the information may be superstition, but it has been enough to scare off curious eyes."
"And of course, similar locations have been warded by magic and guarded by outsiders. I doubt that the elves would design anything that would harm their own kind, but we have not explored enough elven sites to offer more than speculation. I do doubt that there will be many undead, given the wards--but there are those rumors of spirits haunting the territory."
Looking to Wymarc, then the rest of the party, she adds, "Nonetheless, I am confident in your skills and training."
She clasps her hands behind her back and circles back around to her desk in the study. "I am sure you have questions, but we have precious few answers. I will answer what I can, but the sooner you set off, the sooner you can discover those missing details for us."
You may recall some details about the history of the region with a successful Knowledge (history) check.
Knowledge (history), DC 20:
Each of the seven runelords specialized in a different school of arcane magic and an associated sin (divination was considered universal). Xanderghul, the ruler of Cyrusian, was the Runelord of Pride, and his specialty was illusion magic. He claimed to be “first among equals” and while society records state this claim is “difficult to verify,” records indicate he had many resources at his disposal, including — if the legends are to be believed—armies of bound angels.
Knowledge (history), DC 25:
The runelords never went to war with the elves, likely due to a combination of the elves’ own strength and the runelords’ fear of treachery from their fellows. The elves were isolationists even then, however scholars speculate that there was at least some cultural exchange between the Mierani elves and the Thassilonians, especially in the area of arcane magic.
If there are no further questions, I'll move us on later. Also, give me a Diplomacy (gather information) check, everyone. I'll include whatever you discover on the course of your travels there in that next post too.
The second qlippoth's appearance phases the party less than the first, and though Khugron briefly finds himself fascinated by the creature's hypnotically wriggling tentacles and the shimmering colors in its eyes, the tentacle around his waist snaps him out of it. Hekk, too, manages to resist some of the effects of "Obika's" tentacles, but still finds himself feeling weakened.
Aoi invokes her patron and sends a fireball down toward the two qlippoth. It explodes past them, catching them in the blast but sparing her party members. Both fiends are slow to react to the spell and catch the full effects of it, but they also both seem less injured by the blast than would be expected.
Khugron proceeds to tear into the qlippoth grappling him, landing two of his three strikes solidly. The qlippoth staggers under the weight of the blows, but remains upright.
A moment after that, Goran invokes his own deity and a burst of divine radiance explodes in the midst of the pair of fiends, leaving them dazzled and singed.
Finally, Omar manages to force out the words to a battle song, inspiring his comrades to continue the fight.
Init Order - Round 1
Hekk +18 temp hp -31 (4 CHA dmg, raging song)
Qlippoth -76 (dazzled for 2 rounds)
"Obika" -75 (dazzled for 2 rounds)
Aoi (flying at 35' up, raging song)
Sputnik, arbiter familiar (raging song)
Khugron -5 (4 WIS dmg, grappled, raging song)
Xasay 2 WILL saves needed (raging song)
Goran (staggered for 4 rounds, raging song)
Omar (staggered for 4 rounds, raging song)
Xasay is up!
Hazard: The rifts channel the extreme cold of the Abyss. Any PC that enters a square containing the blight fire takes 3d6 points of cold damage 6d6 points of cold damage (Reflex DC 18 half). PCs that end their turn adjacent to the blight fire take half the indicated damage (Reflex half, at the same DC). PCs that fly over a square containing a tear at an elevation of 40 feet or lower have a 50% chance to be exposed to a gout of blight fire and the resulting cold damage. Thankfully, the rifts currently only function in one direction and, though it may be disconcerting to stand atop a tear, it otherwise functions as solid ground and the PCs do not risk falling into the Abyss.
Aoi's Knowledge (planes) roll:
Utukku qlippoth have some resistance to fire, electricity, acid, and sonic damage, and are immune to cold and mind-affecting effects. For special attacks, you are aware that the horrifying appearance of its true form can stagger those around it, and that it can warp and deform its enemies with its tentacles' touch, causing Charisma damage.
@Hekk: I'd say you're just at the edge of the rift, so no save necessary unless you move south.
Hekk takes a swipe at what Aoi identifies as an utukku qlippoth, and his cold iron bardiche cuts the creature with ease.
A moment later, the tear in the blight opens and a second abomination steps through. A pale creature, this second one has four suckered arms that end in pincers and a gnashing maw that gapes in its head between two staring eyes. You likewise feel your minds rebel at its appearance (this second Will save is only DC15), though it hardly stops as it assails Khugron with its tentacles before attempting to bite him with its gaping maw. (Knowledge (planes) to identify this one as well, though it's a safe bet it's a qlippoth.)
Two tentacles connect with the nagaji, and he feels his mind fog over a little with the first hit. The second hit simply bludgeons him, though the pincered tentacle then wraps around his waist in a grapple. "Obika" then slams its two arms into Hekk, who feels something of his soul torn away with each blow's impact.
Hekk additional WILL save needed plus 2 FORT saves needed -31
Qlippoth
"Obika" -34
Aoi additional WILL save needed
Sputnik, arbiter familiar 2 WILL saves needed
Khugron additional WILL save needed -5 (4 WIS dmg, grappled)
Xasay 2 WILL saves needed
Goran additional WILL save needed (staggered for 4 rounds)
Omar additional WILL save needed (staggered for 4 rounds)
The rest of the party is up!
Hazard: The rifts channel the extreme cold of the Abyss. Any PC that enters a square containing the blight fire takes 3d6 points of cold damage 6d6 points of cold damage (Reflex DC 18 half). PCs that end their turn adjacent to the blight fire take half the indicated damage (Reflex half, at the same DC). PCs that fly over a square containing a tear at an elevation of 40 feet or lower have a 50% chance to be exposed to a gout of blight fire and the resulting cold damage. Thankfully, the rifts currently only function in one direction and, though it may be disconcerting to stand atop a tear, it otherwise functions as solid ground and the PCs do not risk falling into the Abyss.
Aoi's Knowledge (planes) roll:
This is an utukku qlippoth. With that roll, you can choose 3 additional things to know about it.
Also, I forgot about Aoi's familiar, so I added it in just after her in the initiative order.
I don't know about you guys, but a week of enforced downtime from the webstore upgrade completely broke my posting momentum.
And the heroism spells from your escorts were at CL5.
The party's suspicions prove well-founded. As soon as it seems no more of you will be coming any closer to the tear, the air around the tengu seems to be engulfed in a menacing aura. "Destroying portals is still destroying," Obika croaks, his voice taking on a slithering quality as he finishes the sentence. "But killing you will hasten my plans more, methinks!"
With that, the tengu's form sloughs away from it, revealing an aberrant creature that seems part tentacle, part snake, part sea urchin. Knowledge (planes) to identify it.
The sight of the monstrosity seems to threaten your perceptions of reality, as you all feel horrified fascination threaten to overwhelm you! Everyone must make a DC 20 Will save at the start of their turn.
Yeah, expect we'll be playing high-tier. Still waiting on one more to check in, though. With the Paizo webstore possibly disrupting posting, it may be a few more days before we officially start.
This is a closed game of PFS1e's #4-17 Tower of the Ironwood Watch. Those of you who were invited, go ahead and dot-and-delete in the Gameplay thread. Please also add your PFS# and other relevant information (day job rolls, faction, etc.) in this thread.
Sheila Heidmarch stands before a window in her study, sunlight glittering on her signature emerald garments. She speaks in a deep and sonorous voice, and wastes no time getting to her point.
"First, thank you for gathering here on such short notice. Please have a seat. Once you’ve heard what I have to tell you, I believe you will forgive my enthusiasm. Documents we recovered from our Thassilonian excavations describe an elven fortress on the border between the Mierani Forest and the former Thassilonian province of Cyrusian. Because the borders of the forest have receded in the years since, any remaining ruins must be well outside of the forest as it now stands. As I’m sure you’re aware, the elves of Kyonin typically guard elven historical sites closely, but in this case
it seems the elves have lost all record of the site; they don’t even know it exists. Needless to say, this discovery represents an invaluable opportunity for the society to explore without supervision. Take this map and make your preparations. I want you to reach the tower before news of its discovery reaches any of our rivals.
"First, verify that the ruin even exists. Assuming there’s still something there, I want a detailed report on the architecture of the site. We don’t gain access to ancient elven ruins often, and this investigation must be thorough. Finally, bring back any surviving artifacts left by the elves who built and occupied the tower."
New slide is up. Go ahead and place yourselves where you want. I've placed Khugron where Obika indicated, since Khugron posted that he was going to move into position to help close the portal.
"I am a priest of Hei Feng. My god showed me this place in a vision," the tengu says in answer to Hekk. "My name is Obika. Hei Feng sent me and told me that help would arrive. I have not closed a portal like this before, but he gave me the instructions on how to do it--and that I cannot complete it alone."
The tengu points to places strategically located around the rift and adds, "If you all will stand there, we can close this portal for good."
The party sends the Twenty-Four Masks and the Tianji aasimar contingent back with the deserters. Before they go, some of the Tianji spellcasters incant heroism spells on the party, and Tai Dan personally wishes the group good luck before leading the troops out of the forest and toward North Winds Watch.
You then proceed deeper into the blight. Within an hour, you see a break in the tree line. A scorched, barren clearing marks what must be the center of the blight. Pale orange flames occasionally burst from tears across the ground, bathing the area in an unnatural light. A ruined building sits atop a nearby rise, its half-crumbled walls featuring imagery of angelic beings attempting to hold back a horde of alien horrors pouring forth from gaping wounds in the land.
A lone tengu stands near one such tear in the ground. What he is doing is anyone's guess--it looks like he might be inspecting it, or might be attempting some sort of spellcasting. He notices you and pauses his inspecti-casting, and calls out, "Have you come to shut down the rift as well? Come, help me!"
Knowledge (arcana) or (religion), DC 24:
There seem to be several key components missing from the sort of ritual to close a rift a knowledgeable spellcaster might expect.
Also, forgot to answer the question about travel time. The scenario doesn’t spell it out, but assume that you’re close enough that a minimum-CL heroism won’t wear off—so, within an hour‘s travel time.
Captain Tai Dan nods. "We will escort them back to North Winds Watch to face trial. The source of the blight, then, we will leave in your capable hands."
At Aoi's question, Tai Dan beckons a few of the two contingents' spellcasters over. "I believe they may be able to provide some aid."
You have two tengu and four aasimar aid tokens still available. It will take one aid token to have the Twenty-Four Masks escort the deserters back, leaving one tengu and four aasimar tokens. You can spend the rest of the tengu and aasimar aid tokens as follows: You can spend a token to convince your allies to cast heroism on two PCs. You can also spend a token for healing. If you choose this benefit, each PC heals 9d6 points of damage. You may purchase each benefit more than once if you have remaining aid tokens.
Once you’ve worked out loot distribution, you still have the question to answer: What will you do with the deserters? You recall that they will likely face trial for desertion if returned to North Winds Watch. Enough of the Twenty-Four Masks remain healthy enough to watch over the captured deserters and eventually march them back to North Winds Watch to stand trial, should you so choose.
Alternatively, you may either judge and execute them yourselves, or set them free. The Twenty-Four Masks and uncorrupted aasimar soldiers are unlikely to condone either of the latter options. Also, though a small group can easily pick their way through the blight fire, the limited number of firebreaks and safe paths make it nearly impossible to move a larger force safely through the flames. To reach the heart of the blight, the PCs must travel on their own from here on.
Between Goran and Aoi, you identify them items as:
Longspear +1
Tatami-do +1
Belt of giant strength +2
Cloak of resistance +1
Potion of lesser restoration
Potion of invisibility (CL5)
12 potions of Cure Light Wounds
6 screaming bolts
Also, the brooch was an aegis of recovery , but it was spent during the combat and crumbles to dust when you handle it.
You both determine that the corrupted aasimar seem to be suffering from some sort of mental malady in addition to the physical corruption they've undergone. The deserters claim that they acted in the way they believed was best for Tianjing, and readily admit to the influence Riko held over them and the Shepherd’s convincing arguments. Omar also recognizes that the captured deserters wholeheartedly believe that they were acting in Tianjing’s best interests.
While Omar and Goran look the POWs over and Khugron keeps watch over them, the rest of the group police the fallen deserters' equipment.
Detect magic shows that six of the honor guards' crossbow bolts (one per honor guard) are magical. Lt Riko's longspear, tatami-do armor, belt, brooch, and cloak are also magical. In addition, fourteen potions between them are magical.
Give me Spellcraft checks if you want to identify them.
Goran, I'm going to assume you readied an attack here. I'm also assuming that Hekk's readied action was to drive off bombardiers this round.
GM Only:
1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Between Omar and Hekk, the next wave of bombardiers are driven off. The sole surviving honor guard flies low and, spotting Hekk, dives toward him as he crests the rock outcropping. Goran is quick to send arrow at the guard, and it buries itself in his wing. A moment later, Aoi incants another spell and lobs a second fireball. This one flies past the honor guard before detonating, catching the mutant aasimar in its blast (but not Hekk). The aasimar crashes to the ground, smoke rising from his body.
Combat over
Seeing Lt Riko and her honor guards fall, the remaining deserters surrender to the Twenty-Four Masks and the Tianji aasimar soldiers. The tengu and uncorrupted aasimar accept their surrender, disarming them and rounding them up. Captain Tai Dan approaches the party shortly thereafter.
"What do you want us to do with these prisoners?" he asks, gesturing to the deserters.
If you choose to examine the prisoners, give me a Sense Motive and/or Heal check.
My cat passed away this morning after a couple of months of declining health (he is the one who gave me a health scare at the beginning of this scenario). I won’t get to an update today, but I’ll try to get to it in the next couple of days.
After a lull in the fighting, the two surviving honor guards come flying in from the same directions they flew out. Spotting one of them, Aoi flings a fireball in his general direction--the mutated aasimar is incinerated instantly.
As before, the honor guards are hovering/flying 10' off the ground. Also, as of round 14, only HG4 (blue) is visible--the other is hidden behind a rock outcropping.
The party is up (minus Aoi, who threw a fireball)!
Xasay, Aoi incinerated the only visible target you've got right now. What do you want to do instead?
Riko ducks Goran's blow as she passes as well. She retrieves her longspear, still struggling to move and staggering about drunkenly. Hekk and Khugron fall upon her then with polearm, tooth, and claw. She snarls and hisses at them as their blows land, but Aoi's spells make it impossible for her to fight back. After a handful of blows from the pair, she collapses in a pool of blood.
The battle still rages around the Pathfinders, although occasionally, additional bombardiers attempt to drop burning branches on the largest cluster of the party.
Riko is slain in Round 9. Bombardiers attempt to drop burning branches on Hekk & Khugron in Round 8, but I'm assuming Omar will spend an action to drive them off again. More bombardiers show up in Rounds 10, 12, and 14. The two surviving honor guards return to the fight in Round 14. I will assume no actions posted mean you are not doing anything in Rounds 9-13, so I'll pick back up with another update later with us in Round 14.
Goran: It's your choice whether to channel or use a wand, but wand charges are not a renewable resource. The party has plenty of time to gather together to be affected by a channel or two before the honor guards return.
Xasay slashes at Riko as the mutated aasimar makes a stumbling dash for her long spear, drawing a line of blood. Aoi’s spell completes, and Riko’s movements became even more sluggish- it almost seems that she’s fighting against her own shadow.
In the interest of not drawing this fight out too much, if y’all could post seven rounds of actions at once, it would be helpful. Especially if those actions involve attacking Riko.
Did Hekk not attack with his readied action because I said he would target guards instead of bombardiers? Which is the icon for Riko? Could you make all baddies circular or outlined in a certain color to make it more obvious? And just to be clear, Riko is no longer protected behind a force field, correct?
Riko is the one with a face at the top (the guards just look like a torso and an arm about to draw a sword). I'll see what I can do about the icons. Yes, Riko is no longer inside a force sphere. As for the readied action, that was just an oversight on my part. You do target and hit the bombardiers, so that will negate the damage they might have done in Round 6.
Riko and the remaining honor guards will fight to the death, but you have 7 rounds until Riko's mydriatic spontaneity wears off and she's able to fight again, and 4 rounds until fear wears off of the surviving honor guards, plus another several rounds before they get back into the fight.
As such, we'll say everyone has 7 rounds of actions they can take before combat resumes. Unless prevented somehow, Riko spends a move action to pick up her longspear on round 8.
Also, I will say that, personally, I hate when GMs handwave fights that are foregone conclusions. So I won't handwave it...but it's a foregone conclusion. You've got 7 rounds to deal with Riko before the two honor guards are back (one of whom has 1 hp), and I don't expect that it will last much longer than a round or two from there.
The battle continues to rage around the Pathfinders, with aasimar and tengu on one side and corrupted aasimar on the other. Between the two remaining honor guards' panic and Riko's debilitating eye issues, the party find themselves in a lull in the fighting. Riko does manage to locate her longspear, though (move action to move to where the weapon fell, though she doesn't pick it up--also, Goran and Xasay get an attack of opportunity each on her as she moves).
Meanwhile, a handful of aerial bombardiers attempt to drop more branches burning with blight fire on Goran and Xasay. (23 cold damage, DC 18 Reflex for half--or someone makes a ranged attack to hit AC 17 to negate the damage for the round.)
Riko and the remaining honor guards will fight to the death, but you have 7 rounds until Riko's mydriatic spontaneity wears off and she's able to fight again, and 4 rounds until fear wears off of the surviving honor guards, plus another several rounds before they get back into the fight.
As such, we'll say everyone has 7 rounds of actions they can take before combat resumes. Unless prevented somehow, Riko spends a move action to pick up her longspear on round 8.
[dice=AoO]d20+4-4+4 more if the katana is masterwork or better
18 on the die with a katana is a critical threat, if you want to roll that.
Aoi wrote:
Could the familiar ready action to teleport Aoi and itself out of the sphere/out of harm if Aoi detonates the Fireball inside the sphere, in a way that Aoi and the familiar is not hurt?
Although the idea sounds cool, I really have no idea how to implement that. By RAW, the familiar’s readied action would end up preempting the fireball, which means that by the time Aoi cast the spell, she’d no longer have line of effect to the inside of the force sphere.
Hekk wrote:
Are any of the guards targetable with a composite longbow at the moment? If so, he targets them with a full action. If not he readies an action to fire when one comes within 110 feet (range increment) and sight with the first attack below.
The trees and smoke from the blight fire probably made it impossible to see the two honor guards at this point, so I’ll assume the readied action here.
Goran wrote:
You're the last one left...surrender...there is no point for it to go on any further... Goran pleads with the last remaining warrior.
“Ph'nglui mglw'nafh qlippoth wgah-nagl fhtagn!” is Riko’s only reply. (Confused Abyss-corrupted gibberish for “no thank you,” you guess.)
[dice=UMD]d20+18 Sputnik will use the wand of Dimension Door they got earlier after Aoi grabs the longspear, teleport it and its master out of the sphere. Then Aoi will drop (besides the spears as free action) a Fireball with Reckoning(switching as swift action) at the two guards.
[dice=Fireball, DC22 Reflex]8d8+8
Riko's longspear was shunted out of the force sphere, so Aoi won't be able to grab it on her way out (but presumably, she doesn't need to, since she seems to intend to deny the weapon to Riko). Also, the two remaining honor guards are pretty much off-map by this point, and I don't think Aoi has line-of-sight to them through the elevation change and the intervening trees. Do you want to try something different instead of the fireball?
Omar is able to drive away the bombarding mutant aasimar before they can drop sufficient numbers of branches to be a threat to Goran or Xasay (no Reflex saves required now).
Aoi incants another spell at the prone mutant. As she does so, she notices the wound she inflicted a moment ago on Riko close up before her eyes. With the completion of Aoi's spell, Lt Riko clutches her stomach with a pained cry and manages to stagger to her feet, pupils dilated strangely and swaying drunkenly (Aoi gets an attack of opportunity as Riko stands, as she's still holding a katana). The blurry outline on her seems to fade away as well.
The two remaining honor guards continue to fly away in a panic, but additional mutated aasimar fly in and bombard the area around Aoi, Goran, and Xasay with tree branches burning with blight fire. Protected beneath her force sphere, Aoi doesn't notice, but Goran and Xasay both have numerous branches fall on their heads (DC 18 Reflex save or take 21 cold damage).
Init Order - Round 6
Lt Riko (dazzled, nauseated, confused, emergency force sphere)
Aoi -10, emergency force sphere AOO possible
Sputnik, arbiter familiar, emergency force sphere
Hekk
Goran -10 REFLEX save needed
Khugron -10
Omar
Xasay -20 REFLEX save needed
Honor Guards
-HG1 -68
-HG2 dazzled, panicked -10
-HG3 dazzled, shaken -51
-HG4 dazzled, blinded, panicked -42
-HG5 dazzled, panicked -70 -HG6 -66
Note: All remaining honor guards are hovering 10' above the ground.
Despite shooting into melee, Goran’s crossbow bolt sinks into the nearby honor guard with a thunk, and the mutated aasimar goes limp in the jaws of the shadow-crocodile. Meanwhile, Khugron takes up an overwatch position on a boulder.
I understand that as the GM you have the final say at the table, but the rulings made in that fight felt inconsistent and punitive — especially after round 3, where my entire planned turn was nullified by an after-the-fact reinterpretation of the rules.
If it has come across as inconsistent or punitive, I do apologize. This is as high-level a game as I've GMed in quite some time, so I feel like I'm having to track down all sorts of rules on limited time, and then finding that I missed a key point. (For example, I just now noticed that your Misfortune lasts 2 rounds as a level 8 witch rather than one--although this wouldn't have changed anything.)
Quote:
Then, you ruled that the longspear couldn’t be used inside the Emergency Force Sphere because it was “too long for the space.” The official description of the longspear states that “a longspear is about 8 feet in length,” which clearly means it fits within the 10-foot diameter of the sphere.
For the record, I allowed your familiar a saving throw against your Emergency Force Sphere's DC to retain its grip on the longspear, though perhaps I should have allowed you to roll the save rather than roll it myself in the interests of keeping the game moving. The height of the force sphere is also a relevant consideration, and I was interpreting it to be only slightly taller than your character, and definitely less than 8 feet. Given the actual space inside the sphere, it seemed highly likely to me that it would interact with the force sphere itself negatively, especially when it sprang into existence instantaneously in order to block the attacks of opportunity the coup de grace attempt triggered.
Quote:
That ruling effectively made my declared actions impossible to execute, not because of any rule, but because of an arbitrary restriction introduced mid-resolution. When a GM changes or reinterprets a rule after a player has already declared their actions, the fair procedure is to allow that player to retcon or adjust their actions based on the new interpretation. That’s a basic courtesy in both Pathfinder and Organized Play; otherwise, it punishes the player for following the rules as written.
I'm not sure how you would have wanted to adjust your actions in that particular instance, given that without the force sphere, your familiar would have been knocked out and you'd have been seriously injured.
Quote:
Instead, my turn was completely wasted. Then, in round 4 when I switched weapons to comply, the same pattern repeated: my familiar was ruled unable to perform the coup de grâce, and the Misfortune timing was selectively delayed so that it expired before I could act again, once again denying me any chance to re-specify my actions. I could have instead split the coup de grâce into two standard actions, used a move action to Cackle, and a swift action to boost Strength, but I wasn’t allowed that opportunity.
It seemed fair to me what you suggested--that the familiar handed the katana to Aoi, who executed the coup de grace attempt. Although, it actually had not even occurred to me that someone might want to try to start/complete a coup de grace over two rounds. Nor, for that matter, using a move action to perform what is ordinarily a swift action.
Quote:
If you’re a player at my table, your character will be treated with the same level of courtesy and consideration that you’ve chosen to extend here.
As I am a player at one of your tables currently, I don't think this was a particularly productive or necessary comment to make.
To some degree, I feel a bit rushed with this being a GameDay table as well. But again, if I've come across as inconsistent or punitive, chalk it up to me being a relatively-new PFS GM.
For now, I don't want to retcon a bunch of things, so let's just move forward from here. I don't expect this encounter to last much longer and you have one more left (although the two fleeing deserters still have 5 rounds of panic left, and they're all "fight to the death" morale, so they'll be back).
