Jason Belleson's page

Sorry for my last of posts. I started a new job that doesn't give me a lot of computer time at work. Reading through the posts...

Jason studies the room as he walks in and while listening to Moonpate speak.

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 19
Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Craft (untrained): 1d20 ⇒ 14
Heal: 1d20 ⇒ 20
Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5 I do have a couple ranks in Knowledge (local). Jason has spent time in Osirion, so can I use this skill for checks like this?

Wow...nice rolls for the most part!

Jason takes in the grand tent that they are entering. He has been to Osirion several times, but continues to be amazed by the beauty that the Osirions can bring to the desert.

He doesn't say much, but keeps close to Hurgah. He feels a little more secure next to the half-orc.

Jason walks over to where Hurgah places his axe. He pulls out his dagger. "Well, you should be safe next to the giant axe.", he says jokingly to the dagger as he places it on the ground.

He puts his crossbow down as well.

All my wands and rod of metamagic are in my Handy Haversack. Can I just leave them in there?

Assuming you want us to roll this particular Perception check...

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

"Other guards outside. She requires a lot of protection...even in her own camp.", Jason whispers to whoever is near to him.

Jason watches the Chelaxians jog by. Must have taken a while to build that tan up out here in the desert.

Jason listens to Donkor's translation as he studies the golems.

The guards should be back soon., he thinks. He looks up at the sky for any signs of carrion birds. They will be sure to come if there is trouble.

Stroking his well groomed beard, Breach calmly reflects on the situation. Age and experience have taught the maturing dwarf instant action is not always the best policy, especially when your gear is in a sack! Thinking to himself,"I hate giants and one's made of stone are even worse. We are at a definite disadvantage here, but we will see what their intentions are before acting. It is far to open to go toe to toe with two golems and two platoons."

"Any of you kids have a spell to change stone to mud?", Breach almost whispers to the rest of the group.

Jason dismounts next to Breach. He starts rubbing down the camel and checking the harnesses.

"I don't have anything that does that. I have a couple that create pits in the ground for a short amount of time. What did you have in mind? Slowing down those golems?", Jason says.

He smiles and nods as he speaks, so as to not arouse suspicion.

Jason falls back with the dwarves and the others. He wrinkles his nose after a while. "Ugh", he says turning towards Hurgah, "I think their camels smell worse than ours. I didn't think that was possible."

Cut Scenes

Awesome! Nice writing.

Quieter than usual. Hopefully, the party can hear Karek, but the scout can't.

Nae, Jason. Budde sure is dense. I dinkys avraid ov us.

"Well said Karek.", Jason says rolling his eyes.

:)

Seeing the rider sends a jolt of adrenaline through Jason. He tries to make out the words, but they are in a Osirion. I really should learn that language...as many times as I've been to this country.

He sees that the figure is armed, but the foreignness of his words make it difficult to understand his intentions.

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 19
lol! Just one away!

"Anyone know what he is saying?", he asks his comrades.

I vote for option 3 as well. Summoning creatures as a ruse sounds like it might work, but we really don't know the intentions of the caravan at this point. It seems like an extreme measure now.

Ohio

I raise to 4 kids! Who can beat that? :)

Can anyone spare an Endure Elements? Otherwise Gandel will have to use his last scroll...

Any chance that we could catch them if we moved at speed 40?

Jason notices Gandel beginning to sweat profusely in the desert heat. He rides up beside him. "You look hot, Pathfinder.", he says with a grin as he taps him on the shoulder with the wand. "Better?"

Sorry for the delay. A couple points made by Donkor:

"Although I think that the idea of the mock attack might have merit, it almost seems more complex than it needs to be. Since we have to think up a good reason for being here anyway, could we not simply meet with them and offer to travel with them?"

"And possibly the best route; what if we were to," he hesitate, sizing up the group with him... "incapacitate these people, and just take their goods and continue onward. We will then have everything that we need to make a very convincing show of it at the dig site."

I won't comment on Hal's visions until he's officially discussed them with us.

"Agreed Donkor. There is always the chance that someone in that caravan could get hurt too. I know you big fellas could smash those things with ease, but the caravan people might do something unexpected."

Hal and the Sexy Spies:

** spoiler omitted **

Sounds good to me. :)

"One moment Gandel. I want to be able to see you before I cast this spell." He says with a grin.

"No altus.", Jason touches Gandel as he finishes his incantation.

"Don't take too long...we'll be waiting..."

Switch Thalia for Gandel if she is the one going :)

Jason approaches Gandel as they make preparations to leave.

"Atrum visum!" and the dark turns into day for both of them.

"Ready comrade?", he asks his fellow Pathfinder. "I am wary of this lone spire of smoke."

So Thalia, Gandel and myself are the ones who need Darkvision...is that correct?

OOC:

If I have it right: Moonpate, Donkor, Hurgah and Karek are going to hold the fort. Meanwhile Thalia, Gandel, Hal, Breach and Jason are going to strike out in the direction Thalia spotted a smoke trail and try to pinpoint the source. (MoFiddy, you can correct me if I misinterpreted your posts, and you meant for Jason to stay behind – at least you can if your next post is before the point that combat breaks.)

---------------

When you look back at Thalia, her clothes have somehow changed yet again – this time her latest outfit is a formfitting black skin which better cloaks her body against the darkness. Without looking back, she strides out into the desert. Impossibly, the lithe half-elf moves so lightly that she makes no impressions in the sand as she crosses.

Shattershield shoulders his shield and axe, Hal his giant axe, and the two of them head after Thalia protectively, each taking up position closely behind her. Once Hal steps away from the campfire and out into the night, he pulls his rugged grey cloak over his head and his form slowly blurs into a haze, making him almost disappear from sight.

“Johornah!” whispers Jason and for a second both his eyes and those of Gandel glow like they belong to animals of the night. Gandel silently nods in approval as he coils his whip for the journey and the two of them strike out after the dwarves. With Gandel’s small-size, the wave-like dunes seem to swallow him instantly.

Following Breach’s instructions Thalia plots a course avoiding the higher dunes, taking the five of them through low-laying valleys wherever she can. Every so often she pauses and uses the stars in the sky to guide their relative position.

OOC: No game effect for Thalia’s glamoured armor – it’s just a flavour effect. I often conceal Stealth rolls, but here you guys have a pretty good sense of how the five of you are progressing through the desert. The stealth rolls are:

** spoiler omitted **...

Just catching up on the posts. You are correct. Jason is going with the others to investigate.

"I am stealthier than I appear. I could sneak up with you all or stay back and provide long range magical support. I leave it up to the rest of you to decide where I may fit best, keep in mind that my dwarven eyes are fine in the dark".

"Very good Master Dwarf. I can help out those of us who can't see as well in the dark."

"Another column of smoke, huh? How far away do you think it is?", Jason asks as he looks to the north.

"Perhaps we should investigate..."

Jason checks the harnesses on Beazix after eating a quick breakfast. The sun's heat is already burning through him. Without looking down he slips his hand into the haversack hanging from his shoulder and a wand almost jumps into his hand.

"En fuego ra!", he says as he touches the wand to his chest. The heat from the sun dissipates from his body.

Listening to the prayers of his new found comrades brings a sense of comfort to Jason. Not a religious man himself, but he remembers the prayers of his former friends before they would retire for the night.

Thinking of this reminds him of the dangers that surround him. He mutters a magical phrase and casts a spell on himself. The desert comes alive in the dark.

Cast Darkvision on himself.

The spell ends after 8 rounds. I don't see a D beside the duration, so I don't think I can dismiss it. The pit just rises up when the spell ends. Anything in the pit comes up to the surface.

btw...that was awesome.

"Master Karek. I knew that rolling one of Mr. Moonpate's orb's down the pit work well, but I never considered a dwarf diving down. Nicely done!", Jason says to Karek.

Jason hops down from his camel and walks over to examine one of the creatures. He crouches down as he studies it. "Nasty beasts."

How many got away? Do we know which way they went?"

No worries about the chaotic nature of the battle. Cool descriptions of the action.

Jason nudges Beazix forward to move closer to the snarling beasts and his allies. He angles to a place where he can get as clear a sight as he can.

"Ha!", he yells as he sees a clump of the creatures together. In a deep voice from the beyond he speaks an incantation and gestures towards a group of splicer beasts. For a moment nothing happens. Then the sand starts to shake and move. Suddenly a chasm opens up and several splicer beasts scramble not to fall to their doom.

Create Pit (DC 19 Reflex). Creatures falling in 30' pit take 3d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 3) = 9 damage. Duration is 8 rounds.

"Moonpate!", he calls out with a laugh, "That might be a good place to put your orb after you are done with it!"

Hmmm...what to do...what to do...

Do I think that Grease would work if I cast it on the sand? If I moved up is there a spot that I could cast it on that wouldn't trip my mates?

Are these beasts the ones that I cast Slow on already? I think they are, but I can't quite remember.

"Let's see if I can soften these puppies up for you Breach!", Jason calls out. He extends his hand towards the creatures. 4 balls of bright blue light appear in his palm for a moment before streaking towards the beasts. Two each strike the two beasts closest to Breach.

Magic Missile
Splicer beast 1:2d4 + 2 ⇒ (1, 1) + 2 = 4
Splicer beast 2:2d4 + 2 ⇒ (2, 3) + 2 = 7

Jason keeps hold of the reins and takes a quick glance around the desert for other signs of strangers in their midst.

So are there 4 splicer beasts left? Where are they in relation to me and the rest of the party?

Ok. I'm not sure if Jason knows that they are going after the dwarves or Thalia.

Jason pulls out a rod from his Haversack and sweeps it in an arc towards the splicer beasts that Thalia just left in her dust. He gestures towards them as he speaks a magic incantation.

Cast Glitterdust at the 2 splicer beasts. DC 19 Will or be blinded for 7 rounds (new save each round to end the effect).

OOC: Hmmmmm. What to do for Thalia. I considered using that necklace of fireballs as she knows these creatures are clearly not immune to fire. But my sense is that Ekeebe might like to save her favourite toy for later in the adventure as he hasn't pulled it out yet. She knows she can't go toe to toe with the splicer beast alone for too much longer though.

IC:

Thalia pulls on the reigns of Scimitar, deftly dancing her camel around while she slices through the air with the twirling butt of her spear. With a series of arcs and spins the druid gradually carves some space between her and the snapping tusk-jaws of the splicer beasts. As soon as she has a sufficiently large enough bubble of space she suddenly wheels Scimitar to the opposite direction and races away to the north, leaving the slower beasts behind.

A few moments later, Thalia rejoins the initial line safely behind Karek.

OOC: withdraw action (double move - no attack of opportunity for leaving the threatened square)

"Hey boys!!" she says, "I hope you don't mind, but I think I brought you all a couple of presents."

Behind her, the splicer beasts are eagerly racing towards the dwarves. . .

Next up Jason!

Jason here!

Regarding the splicer beasts eagerly racing towards the dwarves...are they the ones that were just threatening Thalia?

From atop Beatrix, Jason extends his arms to either side. A moment later strange eldritch ripples shimmer through the air in all directions.

splicer beast 1 (on Hal, north) attempts a DC 19 Will save 1d20+2 (Fails!)
splicer beast 2 (on Hal, south) attempts a DC 19 Will save 1d20+2 (Fails!)
splicer beast 3 (on Gandel, north) attempts a DC 19 Will save 1d20+2 (Fails!)
splicer beast 4 (on Gandel, south) attempts a DC 19 Will save 1d20+2 (Fails!)
splicer beast 5 (on Moonpate, south) attempts a DC 19 Will save 1d20+2 (made it.)
splicer beast 6 (trapped in aqueous orb), attempts a DC 19 Will save 1d20+2 (made it.)

OOC: Heh. What does Jason have against Moonpate?

Four of the nearest creatures suddenly slow down as though running in water or though trapped in a dream-like state.

OOC: If he wants it, Jason still has a move action.

Nice! Jason will just stay put on top of Beatrix for now.

Round 1

Jason pats Beatrix on her neck to keep her calm as the creatures draw closer to them. Surrounded..., he thinks. Perhaps this is the best place to stay for now.
Ride check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

He sees several of the beasts moving closer to Gandel and Moonplate. He speaks an incantation and gestures towards the monsters.

Cast Slow on the creatures to the west (DC 19 Will). I'm not sure how many I can affect with the spell (Target is up to 7 creatures, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart). The duration is 7 rounds. Here is a description of the spell:

Let’s talk camels for the moment.

The camels were essentially surprised so they are just waking up now, in round one. Now they are pretty spooked by the sudden presence of unnatural beasts rushing towards them. Your mount acts on your turn.
At the start of your round, if you are on your camel, or holding the reigns, you can make a DC 11 Ride or Handle Animal check to keep it calm (as a free action). If your check fails, the camel is going to flee. That might actually be a good thing, depending on your situation. For example, many of you are off your camels and just letting it run, might help keep it alive and out of the way. If your camel has been calmed and you are riding it, you can move around on it. It has a Speed of 50 and gives you +1 to attack for height advantage over the creatures. The camels are not trained to attack though, so they won’t be biting unless anyone is using the “push” action – something that would be tricky, but not impossible to pull off.

This doesn’t apply to Blinky and Donkor’s Clydesdale. They stay put unless handled otherwise.

Suppose our Ride check fails. Can we hop off the camel in the same round as a move action or a Ride/Acrobatics check and still be able to do something in the same round?

Jason chuckles to himself. He looks down and sees the shimmering field of protection still surrounding him.

"Well, that one fearsome creature certainly put us on edge...aye, lads?", he says to the group.

Jason follows along with the party. He shades his eyes with his hand as he peers forward. "How far away is this pyramid?", he asks.

I don't remember if this came up or not.

+2 Aid Another (5 and 10 year old sons) :)

Hearing Donkor describe the wounded beast, Jason immediately starts looking around. A wave of excitement runs though him as it always does when danger seems to be near.

"Just the one animal, Donkor? If they are fresh wounds, then I wonder where the one that did that is?", he says.

Jason speaks an incantation and a wave of shimmering blue light washes over him for a moment.

Cast Mage Armor

Sorry for the slowness of my posts. I'm on call this week and it has been rather busy.

As they head out to the desert the heat from the sands rushes over Jason in waves. He speaks an incantation and casts Endure Elements on himself.

I know that isn't much. I need to read through some of the posts.

Jason pats the side of the camel. "Easy girl.", he says. I never liked riding these beasts..., he thinks, but this one is definitely in good condition.

"I'll take her.", he says to the Overlander. "Her name is Beasix, right?", he continues as he slides off her back.

He checks his pack for the sand goggles that he picked up. He looks around at his comrades. "I hope the weather favors us. The sand storms can be fearsome in the dessert."

Jason freezes in place at the Captain's utterance of "Mithril Scarab". His thoughts drift for a few moments to the horrific events that have haunted his memories.

Faron's sister...I wonder if she knows. Perhaps not if she is in the field., Jason thinks as he strolls slowly towards his comrades. What should I do when I see her? She deserves to know, but I don't want to compromise the mission...or her life.

He shakes his head and heads into the dining area. Jason is not sure what to say when he sees Vaxessria.

Venture Captain Krenshar pulls Jason aside,

“Jason, listen. I don’t know if you care for my advice here, but this is all happening rather fast. My sense is it’s too soon for you to be back out there, if you know what I mean. I heard what happened in Absalom. I know we were all saddened to hear the news.”

I think you should sit this one out. No one would blame you. I’m not telling you what to do here – it’s your decision. I’m not going to cut you out of this, I’m just saying you don’t have to do this. I’ll tell the others you were needed elsewhere. “

“Just promise me you’ll give it some thought – Okay?”

"I appreciate the advice, Captain.", Jason replies. "That was my intention when I came to Osirion. I thought that I needed to get away. I've always had an affection for this country and its deserts. I thought that some time to relax and reflect might be for the best."

It seems as though the opposite is true for me, however. I'm haunted in my dreams and my everyday thoughts by what happened. Just sitting around enjoying the view really isn't working for me. If it is all the same to you...I'd like to take part in this mission. It will give me something else to focus on.", he continues.

"I think getting back into the routine of a mission is best for me now. Hopefully, I can create some better memories..."

Jason lingers as his comrades make their way to the feast. He watches them chatting amongst each other and then turns his attention toward the Venture Captain.

He strides forward and extends his hand. "Thank you again for including me in this expedition, Captain Krenshar.", he says as he graps the Captain's hand. "You mentioned that you wanted to speak to me in private. How can I be of service to you?"

Sense Motive 1d20 ⇒ 11

"Venture Captain Kranshar, I am at your service in regards to this mission.", Jason replies with a nod to Kranshar's last statement.

"You may trust that whatever is spoken in this room will be treated in the strictest confidence.", he continues with a glance around the room.

Drat! That will teach me to hurry a post while I'm at work. I should probably have waited until lunch. :)

Knowledge (history) 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Jason will probably spend some time gathering information about Khymrasa in the city (using Diplomacy). I suppose I'll just make that roll after we are done talking to Venture Captain Krenshar.

Alright, my wonderful companions. Because I’m obsessive when starting a new game, and I have way, way too much time on my hands, I’ve completed my analysis of your character sheets. In each of your cases, I may or may not have uncovered something of interest. My rules law is by no means perfect, of course, so feel free to correct me if my math is wrong or I forgot a feat you took or something. I drew the line at itemizing your equipment, though. Most of these are cosmetic changes for clarity. I will also include a little bit of commentary on your characters as I see fit, or very minor tweak suggestions where it seems appropriate. This will be a long post, but, I hope, constructive. Thank god for spoiler tags.

** spoiler omitted **

** spoiler omitted **...

Thanks flamethrower49! That's what you get for copy/paste. :)

I think my CMD should be 15 with the Ring of Prot. +1 though.

What would I know about this pyramid, Ahn’Selota? Also, what would I know about the item inside the pyramid?
1d1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
1d1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
1d1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
1d1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
1d1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
1d1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

"Well, that's quite an expedition Venture-Captain. Is Khymrasa looking for this same item? If not, then what is the purpose of her dig?", Jason asks.

"And what about these spies of yours? Can they be trusted? I don't want to watch my back with these two. I want assurances that they are trustworthy", Jason says...thinking of the setup his last team endured.

"We Pathfinders excel at observation, don't we Master Belleson?" Gandel replies to Jason with a bow and a welcoming grin. "It's good to see you at the Kothi again."

"It's good to be back. The desert has been calling to me. I find its barren wastes....comforting.", he replies. "I thought I might find a bit of relaxation here in the city, but an expedition to the desert with an old friend my do just as well."

Jason could not help but smile at the halfling's introduction. His good humor seemed infectious. How bowed slightly at the halfling and said, "Well met, Master Gandel. My name is Jason."

Very astute of you to make such an observation about our appointment with the Venture Captain.", he continued with a grin.