GM Hmm's page

Boris runs up and attacks Big Katsu, tenderizing the huge seagull with his morningstar.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Bloodmoon floats towards Vermithor, monologuing the entire while. "Do you not see my greatness? I was the naginata that Fumeiyoshi used to slay the moon! And now, I will cut you down!"

Bloodmoon's blade (deadly d8, unholy): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Slashing damage: 1d8 ⇒ 1

Bloodmoon's blade (deadly d8, unholy): 1d20 + 8 - 5 ⇒ (18) + 8 - 5 = 21
Slashing damage: 1d8 ⇒ 7

The first cut swishes over Vermithor's head, but the second hits its target!

Meanwhile, Big Katsu yells,

"Fee, Fi, Foe, Fum!
I smell a snack - Yum, yum, yum!"

He hooks Boris once, then stumbles a bit on the slippery footing of the dock.

Ogre hook (deadly d10, reach 10 feet, trip): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Piercing: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

Athletics to Trip: 1d20 + 10 - 5 ⇒ (4) + 10 - 5 = 9

Ogre hook (deadly d10, reach 10 feet, trip): 1d20 + 10 - 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 - 10 = 4
Piercing: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Boris (-9)
Bloodmoon
Big Katsu (-11)
Rations
HT
Vermithor (-7)

The backgrounds are more for me to help me build a personality, goals, and purpose for the character: Where did they come from? What was is like growing up for them? How do they handle conflict or meeting new people? Why did they take up the life of an adventurer? These are part of the concept for me and I usually will at some point write this out as I consider myself a storyteller, and will embellish on the story as the character grows and develops. However, I keep this off the table, something someone can feel free to read on their own time if they wish. Otherwise, I let my characters tell their own story as I play them :-)

I like your approach on the frontstory concept and I think I will be doing more of that myself going forward as I've always enjoyed the role-playing aspect of the game.

I do have another question for you though: You mentioned online gaming. I attended Strategicon here in LA for Labor Day weekend and I met someone who hooked me up with different groups on Discord to try getting into PFS online. There's just a few problems for me. I really don't know my way around Discord well enough to try to play a game through that, and I have absolutely no idea how to even get started playing online other than investing in Foundry or Demiplane or something, and have no idea what to do even if I did invest in those. Do you have any suggestions where i can find some sort of tutorials to get me started? It's all just so confusing to me

Did you know that there are Play-by-Post games on these very forums? Indeed, there is a discussion going on at our Cottonseed Lodge about starting a game for new players, and as a PBP newcomer, you count. I asked GM Lysle and GM Watery Soup to save a seat for you, but you should go post there now and say that GM Hmm (aka Hilary) sent you there.

The best way to learn how to do Play-by-Post is to dive in the deep end and try it out, and these are on the Paizo Forums rather than on Discord.

Still, here are the classic guides to playing PBP:

* Doomed Hero's PBP Basics

* Painlord's Advanced Guide to Playing in PBP

Lysle and/or Watery Soup, I may have another PBP newbie coming your way. I'm going to point drakkonflye to this discussion as they want to roleplay.

Hmm

On a personal note, I do feel like the lack of GM incentives is starting to feel noticeable, at least when I compare GMing PF2 to SF2. I do feel excited to work towards my 3rd glyph and to accumulate ACP toward an expensive character concept. With SF2... I see an accumulating pile of GM Babies and a pile of ACP I have nothing to spend it on. It's kind of disheartening, honestly. So I'd encourage the Starfinder OP team to move quickly.

I completely agree.

I think that the current Glyph system as-is is what we should be using for SF2. It's a good system, it is clear, and more importantly, it would give us consistency across Organized Play. We made this huge step to make Starfinder and Pathfinder compatible. Let's make their organized play rule systems compatible as well.

Hmm

Bloodmoon floats menacingly in the air, but Boris... Well, he sees the biggest darn SEAGULL he's ever seen, and it inspires him to race into battle!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Boris
Bloodmoon
Big Katsu
Rations
HT
Vermithor

The four of you take time to cleanse the temple and set the souls of Kenji and Daisuke to rest. As you leave the temple, you hear the sounds of two people talking as they enter the docks area from the back entrance.

"And when I become a god? Surely everyone will offer me all the cutlets I want! Breaded! Fried! Covered in tangy barbecue sauce, the world at my feet!" This voice, low and booming, is coming from a tengu wearing a huge floppy hat.

"All this and more..." A sinister and more high-pitched voice, coming from a naginata covered in swirling blood.

At this moment, Sakura's sprig activates, glowing with holy energy that glitters and lights up the entire cavern.

"Intruders!" The naginata calls out to the tengu, "and they're here to foil our rise to greatness!"

The tengu grins with a leering beak, tossing off his hat and revealing oni horns as he grows larger.

"Fie, Fi, Foe, Fum!
I smell the blood of tasty SCUM!"

"...and remind me to hire a dialogue coach for you later," the bloody naginata mutters.

You can cleanse the shrine and return it to its former purpose. The cleansing requires you to make a successful skill check using Acrobatics or Athletics to physically clean the space; Diplomacy to speak gently to the souls of Kenji and Daisuke; or Religion, Nature, or Performance to spiritually bring the space back into greater harmony.

Boris rips the lid right off the chest! The locked wooden chest contains a purifying ladle—to prevent the Boss from being poisoned by underlings—and a smoke veil.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

You move on, and find yourself in an eerily large underground dock area.

BOAT DOCKS C6

Water laps softly against the docks in this muddy subterranean cavern. Seven boats cluster around the dock, all usable and in good repair, and three tunnels lead back out to the Bunkatsu river. There are curving pictographs over the archways that lead to other parts of the complex. Along one wall is a frieze with several carved hobgoblin figures, each raising a hand in greeting.

Vermithor looks at the frieze of hobgoblin carvings, and remembers hearing about an underground tien hobgoblin clan called the Rahk Lo, and realizes that this place might have once been a trading post. Perhaps the bandits did not create this underground complex beneath the Forest of Spirits. Perhaps they found it.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Exploring the whole area, you find a narrow hallway with a back exit that leads to a narrow stairwell leading back up to the forest outside the village.

BACK EXIT C7

Water-resistant waders and raincoats hang from garment hooks near this back exit.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Backing away from the exit, you go beyond the dock area to where a pile of crumpled bodies lay.

SHRINE

The bodies of two young tengu men lie sprawled and broken in the entrance to this room, their black feathers scattered and mixed with a pile of mud, dirt, and broken tiles. In the center of the floor, a tiled mural of the moon has been ripped out and painted black, then splashed with blood.

Rations realizes with horror that these two young men, likely the mayor's nephews Daisuke and Kenji, have been sacrificed to desecrate this shrine. It was once a shrine to Tsukiyo, the god of the moon and friend to the lonely and outcasts, and has been rededicated in this grisly manner to his brother, Fumeiyoshi.

Vermithor smacks his face with the crowbar, and the small chest remains where it is, silently taunting all of you.

Boris, do you want to give this a try with an Athletics check?

The tengu sneak goes down in a pile of attacks from all sides, and the cloud of dust dissipates. Eventually, you spend time healing up both Boris and Vermithor before moving on to the next door.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

BOSS'S OFFICE

This office contains one wooden desk, a coffee table with the remains of breakfast, and a comfortable chair. A small wooden chest lies under the bed.

As you search the room, HT discovers the boss's diary. The diary chronicles Big Katsu's rise to power within this cell of the Golden League, along with his favorite recipes for cutlets. He obsesses about his meals, the sauces he uses, and tips for braising and preparing the meat. Practically every entry talks about business deals followed by loving descriptions of his meals, or less loving descriptions of him punishing erring cooks.

The entries reveal a ruthless cunning and honest self-appraisal. The Golden League cell has been hiding within Silvertree village for decades, integrating with the villagers and blending in seamlessly, so they can use the settlement as a hiding spot for stolen or smuggled goods until it was safe to move them. Big Katsu boasts about his cleverness in smuggling rare creatures right out from under the noses of protective Kami.

But in the most recent diary entries, the handwriting becomes erratic as the boss extols Bloodmoon, a legendary naginata that has promised Big Katsu greatness. His entries become distrustful, worrying that his minions will poison or plot against him. The last entry states, “They don't want me to succeed, but I will crush them all like the insects they are.”

If you wish to open the chest, you can do so with a successful Thievery or Athletics check.

Yeah, I think this would have made a great repeatable.

Chronicles went out, and the game is reported!

Now would be a great time to roll your day job checks and double-check that everything is correct on the RPG Chronicles!

Thus ends our lovely adventure, with the Pathfinders bringing in the Clawhold and all her crew, the Scurvy Scamp with a fixed rudder, a cleaned (but perhaps not entirely cleared of infestation) Lucky Duck and the brand new ship of the line, The Breachhill Battlecry.

While the credits roll and sun sets on the Augustana Shipyard, I'd like to invite each and every one of you to post your own outro scene to close out this adventure.

Well done!

Captain Conziva nods, wearily. "I never should have trusted Cheliax for one minute. Yes, I'll join the fight alongside the Pathfinder Society, if you will treat me and my crew right."

With Captain Conziva defeated, the streets and shipyard of Augustana are quiet once again and the citizens cheer as the Pathfinders return with the pirate captain. Venture-Captain Brackett is delighted that Captain Conziva agrees to join the fight against Cheliax alongside the Pathfinder Society. The Augustana City Council is less delighted when they hear that the Pathfinder Society has made a deal with the pirates, and Venture-Captain Brackett is drawn into negotiations with them as well.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

You all get a chance to rest up and cannonball all you want in Augustana's harbor for a day while the Venture-Captain continues to meet with council. Finally, Venture-Captain Brackett invites you to one last meal in Augustana at the Brine Shark Bistro to thank you. While eating hot crab cakes and drinking wine smuggled in by Kitsch, Brackett and the two heads of Supply and Procurement update you on the ships that you have helped bring into the fight.

Brackett leans back in his chair, exhausted. “The City Council talked my ear off about the damages Captain Conziva owes, and she and her crew have at least a week's worth of repair work ahead of them before Augustana will let them go.” Then he grins. “But they realize that they would rather get their revenge on the puppet master than the puppet, so Captain Conziva and her ship the Clawhold will be joining our fleet should fighting with Cheliax break out in earnest.”

“Me and Nairaba have been holed up with Olad, and we've had some very productive talks,” Kitsch says, passing around more of the delightful smuggled Galtan wine. “You saved Olad's bacon by making sure his Shipyard didn't go up in smoke. He's so grateful that he offered us free repairs on the Scurvy Scamp's rudder and gave us a sweet discount on the ship as well.”

Nairaba holds up a hand. “My turn! Our negotiations for the Lucky Duck were quite fruitful. Olad kept talking about the speed with which you maneuvered through the city! You impressed him so much that Olad's not only agreed to sell us the Duck but is offering for his crew to do a full cleaning of the vessel. I don't know if that'll rid of us of the infestation, or if we'll have to assign a crew of junior Pathfinders to do it, but I'm certain that vessel will stand us in good stead.”

“We have one more piece of news,” Nairaba says. “Olad invited us to meet him down by the docks near his office after our meal.” Nairaba and Kitsch sign for the meal and lead the whole party down the hill toward the offices of Olad the Alright Shipwright.

Olad grins when he sees the Pathfinder party and then points to a pristine battleship with sleek lines and many gun ports. “This beauty is my newly christened warship, the Breachill Battlecry, named for the Battle of Hellknight Hill. Cheliax tried to burn down my shipyard. I'm not having it! I'll sell the ship under favorable terms if you promise to use it to harass House Thrune and its goons. Stick some tar up their nostrils for me, will you?”

"Muskmelons?!" Conziva blinks, lowering her sword. "Is it true? Do my crew live, still?'

From the crows nest, a baby gorilla shimmies down the mast. It looks up at Hector, looking for its favorite treat. "Ook?"

Despite herself, the Captain smiles. "Flotsam's looking for the muskmelons you promised him," she says. "Will you lead me to my crew and tell me of this 'alternate victory condition'?"

OUT OF COMBAT!

I will allow you all to make your final comments and arguments to the surrendered Captain.

Bláinn and Ulvard both manage to hit the Captain once each!

(She is now persuadable!)

Bob misses the Blue Monkey Goblin!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Meanwhile, the Green Monkey Goblin swings in to hit Quqotengir, as the beast is scary and right next to his Captain.

"HANDS OFF MY CAPTAIN, YE OVERSIZED SLAB OF BACON!"

Green scimitar (forceful, sweep) + Boarding Action: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
Slashing damage: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (6, 1) + 3 = 10

Green scimitar (forceful, sweep): 1d20 + 8 - 5 ⇒ (12) + 8 - 5 = 15
Slashing damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

But he swings wide and misses twice.

Blue swings away from Bob and towards his skeletal master in the longboat, but also swings wide.

Green scimitar (forceful, sweep) + Boarding Action: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Slashing damage: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (1, 4) + 3 = 8

For his last action, he shimmies up the rope back into the boat.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Captain Conziva (-23, Persuadable)
Hisaki
Pink Athamaru
Ulvard (-33, Frightened)
Bláinn
Blue and Green Monkey Goblins
Artemios
Clarence (-2)
Hector

Boris joins the pile of bodies by the front door before making his way to the tengu sneak.

The sneak preens. He survived an entire round with two barbarians! He's invincible!

He lashes out at Vermithor.

Wakizashi (deadly d8, disarm, finesse, versatile P): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
Slashing Damage+Sneak Attack: 1d4 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 2 + (6) = 10

Then the Flash of Grandeur from Rations hits, protecting Vermithor and dazzling the rogue. "Gah, get that light out of my face!" The sneak waves his Feather Fan, causing dust to rise in the area.

Everything is now concealed and requires a DC 5 flat check to hit.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Tengu Sneak
Boris (-10)
Vermithor (-13)
HT (prone)
Rations

Ulvard was clearly not listening to Hisaki, and his strike go wide of the Captain.

"Am I supposed to be impressed by this?" Conziva asks.

Meanwhile the Athamaru shoots his crossbow twice at Clarence who is still in the longboat.

◈ Pink crossbow (range increment 120 feet, reload 1): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27 Piercing Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2

◈ Reload

◈ Pink crossbow (range increment 120 feet, reload 1): 1d20 + 10 - 5 ⇒ (5) + 10 - 5 = 10 Piercing Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Captain Conziva
Hisaki
Pink Athamaru
Ulvard (-33, Frightened)
Bláinn
Blue and Green Monkey Goblins
Artemios
Clarence (-2)
Hector

The tengu sneak who oiled the floor in anticipation of this mayhem snickers, clapping at the pile up of Pathfinder bodies in the entryway.

"'Blackbeard has a black beard...' Wait. What does THAT have to do with anything?!" Conziva asks.

One of the goblins calls down from the masts. "Ook! Captain, I think someone dropped that one too many times on the head." The goblin gives a thumbs up to Bláinn's comment, though. "Good one!"

Indeed. If anyone who feels the same hasn't already, please check out HMM's plea for more sanctioned Starfinder Society content!

Thanks for posting the link, Squark! I remain hopeful!

HT moves, falls prone, and sends needle darts flying into... a bed? He does not have the actions left to restore Vermithor's mind.

Vermithor manages to get across the greasy floor and strike the Tengu once with his axe, but the tengu ducks the flail.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Tengu Sneak
Boris (-10)
Vermithor (-6)
HT (prone)
Rations

"Yarr... That's so typical! You see a woman professional, and you have to comment on her looks. Did Blackbeard get hair critiques? Did he?" Captain Conziva snarls.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

To his surprise, the Tengu Sneak finds himself first in initiative, and keeps shooting!

He does one shot at Boris, who he sees behind Vermithor, but Boris is not on the oily floor yet.

Shortbow+cover: 1d20 + 10 - 1 ⇒ (20) + 10 - 1 = 29
Piercing Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Deadly: 1d10 ⇒ 2

Then he shoots Vermithor again, but misses!

Shortbow+cover: 1d20 + 10 - 5 ⇒ (12) + 10 - 5 = 17
Piercing Damage plus Sneak Attack: 1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + (1) = 5

Then he swaps for his sword.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Tengu Sneak
Boris (-10)
Vermithor (-6, Acrobatics needed)
HT
Rations

You decide that it is time to check out the next rooms - the day shift dormitory at C3.

As Vermitor steps in, he notices two things. One... the floor is super greasy. Two... there is a tengu standing on one of the beds, shooting at him!

Vermithor needs to give me an Acrobatics here.

The tengu gets off one surprise shot!

shortbow vs Vermithor: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Piercing Damage+Sneak Attack: 1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + (2) = 6

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

"Yarr, you murderers won't get me that easily!" Captain Conziva shouts! "I'll gut ye and avenge my crew!"

Intimidate: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30

She demoralizes Ulvard while dodging Ulvard's clumsy attack and then does a Pike and Strike!

Allowing her to get off two attacks without reducing MAP.

Captain Conziva's naval pike: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22
Piercing Damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Captain Conziva's Claw: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (16) + 15 = 31
Slashing Damage: 1d4 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Both attacks hit!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Captain Conziva
Hisaki
Pink Athamaru
Ulvard (-33, Frightened)
Bláinn
Blue and Green Monkey Goblins
Artemios
Clarence
Hector

The Eaglet looms above as the longboat approaches. Peering over the edge of the railing, a furious-looking nephilim woman with curling blue hair and horns glares down at anyone in the longboat, as does a goblin pirate atop one of the masts. From the top mast, a terrified baby gorilla wails like a human child.

“How dare you!” Captain Conziva calls. “Wasn't it enough to thwart my plans? How much of my crew did you slaughter?”

Yeah, I've been fighting off a bit of depression, I think. I've been riding the trauma train for a month now.

But... I think I just need to get started again. So, let's launch you all into combat. I got the map ready a week ago and then stalled. I'm sorry about that.

Hmm

The four of you - amazingly - manage to sneak past the two drunk and insensible snoring halflings. You move past the night shift dormitory back to a small room marked 'Accountant' on the wall in neat script.

ACCOUNTANT'S OFFICE

Two plain wooden desks are crammed into this office. Built into the southern wall is a sliding door.

The full incriminating records of the Golden League Cell's activities can be found in the storage area behind the sliding door. In tiny print, there are seventy years of every smuggled or stolen item or creature that has passed through these walls. One of the most recent entries notes the discovery of Bloodmoon, noting that the remarkable artifact would surely be worth thousands of gold pieces to the right collector in Goka, but that the boss seems unable to part with it.

Hidden within her desk, the accountant squirreled away a spellheart smuggled from the forest, a thorn triad.

When you come back out into the night dormitory, the two drunk halflings continue to snore, oblivious.

What do you do next?

Venture-Captain Brackett blinks at Clarence's report. "Cannonballs?"

Nairaba whispers, "That's not a ship assessment, Venture-Captain."

Meanwhile, Kitsch grins and gives Clarence a thumbs up for the report, and then pauses to take notes.

Then the Venture-Captain realizes what sort of cannonballs are being referred to, and groans. "Well, it's a good thing that you're not averse to being wet."

Turning to the rest of the party, the Venture-Captain continues. “It sounds like you have had quite the time of it!” Brackett says. He raises an eyebrow in consideration and then gives the Pathfinder delegation an approving nod. “Well done. After all you’ve been through today, I hate to ask you to go out again. However, Lieutenant Starboard here believes that Captain Conziva has been spotted, holed up with a few of her crew in an unfinished ship called the Eaglet. Given that you were first on hand for the pirate attack, they’re giving you the honor of capturing the Captain.”

Brackett pauses. “Handle this situation as you must, but I’d like to note that there is more than one way to build a fleet. Get Conziva to surrender if you can, because she and her crew could be a valuable asset for us. Even better would be if you could recruit her to join the Pathfinder Society in our coming fight against Cheliax.”

Having explored the training area, you decide to investigate the door just to the south of you, C2.

It's closed but not locked. You open the door, and hear snores. There are two sleeping halflings sprawled out on two of the six beds, and on the floor are some empty sake bottles.

Do you go in?

Today's going to be a bust as well. I'll catch you up tomorrow. There will be a response for Clarence tomorrow.

Today's going to be a bust as well. I'll catch you up tomorrow.

C1A

Training Room

Nothing leaps out at HT and Vermithor in this empty little alcove. Weapons racks and two well-scarred practice dummies stand in this room. Vermithor spots a little bronze coin with a square hole and two carp engraved on it.

Rations has seen one of these coins before. These coins are tokens for the criminal organization known as the Golden League, a group reputed to be involved in open corruption, gambling dens, smuggling, protection rackets and organized crime activity.

Where to next?

Hey all, my crazy Wednesday is here.

Updates later either late tonight or early tomorrow.

Sproi-oi-oing! CRUNCH!

Rations takes out the bitey head, and once again ceramic pieces and gears clatter to the floor.

OUT OF COMBAT!

Where to next? I'm assuming that you want to heal Boris first.

Havoc is very old and has issues at times with his gut where he makes us and himself miserable. He's a sweetheart, but I don't think we'll have him much longer. The medical issues keep affecting him.

Sproi-oi-oing! Crunch?

Amazingly, Boris leaves the hopping head with a single hit point! The blue hopping head decides to bite Boris on the nose!

It sproings up to bite Boris.

◈ Hopping Head bite: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Bludgeoning damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

And... One good crit deserves another, right?

Then it does a hopping strike to leap at Vermithor!

◈◈ Two-Action Hopping Strike: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (6) + 8 - 4 = 10
Bludgeoning Damage: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (3, 2) + 1 = 6

Alas, its hopping strike goes wide of the kobold barbarian!

Note to Boris... The kirin healed up everyone before it left. You should be still up despite the power of this hit.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Vermithor
Boris (-18)
Red Head (DEAD)
Blue Head (-24)
HT
Rations

Map on Slide 6.

Olad looks up at Ulvard's comment. "Oh? You want some muskmelons?" Olad gestures to a servant. "Give these Pathfinders all the melons they want!" The servant comes back with a basket of muskmelons and presents it to Ulvard.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

While you all await Venture-Captain Brackett's arrival, an hour passes during which you can heal, rest and train new tactics for your Commander Portfolio.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Having received Kitsch's message, Venture-Captain Bracket arrives accompanied by a non-binary halfling lieutenant from the Andoren Navy, Lieutenant Starboard. The two look weary and soot-covered. The Venture-Captain nods to all of you as he returns clockwork bird to Kitsch.

"Pathfinders, report. Brief me. What have you learned so far?"

You rally the loitering naval officers to go protect the town from the rampaging pirates, and finally hustle the VIPs and all the remaining dockworkers to the safety of Olad's house in the Arsenal district!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Olad is very impressed at the speed with which you transported him and the across the city! He provides you and the shipyard workers with some sliced fruit and tea while Kitsch and Nairaba earnestly await Venture-Captain Brackett.

The ship building business is clearly a lucrative one. Olad's house is a small manor with an interior garden courtyard. The garden smells of warm fruit, and several vines -- that Hisaki recognises as muskmelon vines -- laden with fresh fruit, curve up small trellises in the opening archway.

Vermithor charges the Red Hopping Head and slashes viciously at it.

Sproi-oi-oing! CRUNCH!

He slices it in two, and pieces of the gears and ceramic casing clatter haplessly to the floor.

I suppose that this is not going to be a very long fight with both the barbarians having won initiative...

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Vermithor
Boris
Red Head (DEAD)
Blue Head
HT
Rations

Map on Slide 6.

Boris and HT discover a trap door under the rotting fish. It leads to a stone stairwell that leads under the village. As you step down the stairs, you come into an underground dining area lit by lamps. The floor is sticky with spilled sake, and crumbs from previous meals crunch underfoot. Dirty dishes from a prior meal spread across the two wooden tables.

Before you have much time to think of it, you see some weird-looking clockwork heads bouncing around on the furniture.

Sproi-oi-oing!

Then they turn towards you, revealing sharp mechanical teeth that are gnashing with relish!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Vermithor
Boris
Red Head
Blue Head
HT
Rations

Artemios and Clarence let fly with booze at the pirates, with the other teammates aiding however they can.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Rally the Troops!

Finally, the PCs manage to make it to the bridges that lead over the river and into the clean lines of the Arsenal District. The Arsenal District is well-fortified with a wall that separates the neighborhood from the rest of the city. For the moment, the gates are open, but there are patrols of Andoren naval officers standing over key positions in the wall and near the gates. Just inside the gates is a naval barracks outside which some cadets and off-duty officers are loitering.

"What the hell? The city is burning, and you lot are here?" Olad pleads with the guards at the local barracks, “You gotta help! Pirates are tearing up the whole town! Even worse, they're in my shipyard!”

As you reach the Arsenal district, you can direct a squad of loitering guard cadets at the oncoming pirate mobs.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

What can you do here?

Diplomacy, Intimidate, Performance or an appropriate Lore such as Augustana, Legal or Warfare Lore.

Running completely cold? I don't do that. But I will step in if another GM gets sick and we need a last minute replacement. It is FAR easier to step in if we have the statblocks there.

Hmm

SkalCon was great, I am still slowly uncovering and unpacking. I came home to discover a sick cat that has puked and pooped everywhere and.... a busted washing machine!

My morning has been more Ewwww Cop that I would have wanted...

The Pathfinder Party manages to climb after Nairaba, dragging Ulvard and Artemios behind them.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

So Much Sauerton Red!

While running over the roofs of Fleet, the Pathfinders find themselves on top of a sturdy brick bottling plant, redolent with the tangy smell of grape mash and alcohol. The building bears a huge sign with the Sauerton Red logo of a halfling proudly carrying a wineglass bigger than himself. Written underneath the logo is the phrase, “Sauerton Red: Strong Drink for a Strong People!”

“Oh man,” Kitsch says. “We're on top of a warehouse filled with that Sauerton Red swill! If only there was some way to use this stuff against the pirates!”

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What can you do?

Crafting or Thievery to create traps or alchemical items with the crates of booze. Athletics to push crates of booze on pirates, or a ranged attack roll. Alternatively, you may use an Alcohol or Sailing Lore or a Deception or Performance to trick the pirates into loading themselves down with heavy crates of bad booze.

The Pathfinders manage to find a shortcut (even if Hisaki is not quite as invisible as he thinks he is!)

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Take to the Roofs!

In the heart of Augustana, the crowded Fleet neighborhood has dozens of covered markets filled with wheeled carts and makeshift stalls. Shoppers throng here, looking for the best deals or the occasional find of exotic merchandise. As the pirates arrive, shoppers scream and start panicking, knocking over carts as they try to find cover.

Nairaba concentrates and shifts to his spider form. “To the roofs, Pathfinders! The pirates are searching for us, and we don't want them shooting through these crowds!”

The Fleet district of Augustana is a mass of crowded markets filled with now-panicking shoppers.

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What can you do here?

Acrobatics to balance on the roof tiles or an Athletics to climb.

The pirates thank you for your help, and some of them start running in the wrong direction!

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I Know a Shortcut!

Close to the sprawling central market of the Fleet neighborhood is a maze of twisting narrow alleys filled with lodging houses, pubs and other businesses that serve dockworkers and sailors alike.

“There's gotta be a better way to put some distance between us and these bozos,” Kitsch notes. “Anyone here know a shortcut?”

You need to start putting serious distance between yourselves and your pirate pursuers.

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What can you do here?

Acrobatics to squeeze into tight entrances, or Stealth to sneak past any pirate patrols. Otherwise, you can navigate with an appropriate Lore or a Survival or Society check.

The door to the Fish Fry flies off its hinges! Aside from the cloud of small, black flies that pour out the open door and the smell from a pile of rotting fish parts that assaults the senses, the Fish Fry's interior is neat and almost impersonal: hammocks and fish nets dangle from the ceiling and a few boxes of fishing tackle lay stacked along the walls.

There is no access to the roof for Boris, but plenty of things like rope and netting that he could use to climb to the roof from the outside.

It occurs to both Boris and Rations that this hut is... odd. No experienced fisher would leave a pile of fish parts to compost in their own dwelling. Anyone who did so must have intended a certain unpleasantness to discourage frequent visitors. Furthermore, the lack of personal effects indicates that no one is sleeping in this space.

And this is where I'm going to ask you all what Exploration Activities are you using? Are you Searching, Scouting, Defending? Please let me know.