Kurnek Ruinmaker's page

Mine looks good - thanks!

Thanks for running a fun scenario!

Not Kurnek!

Agreed

Society: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

@GM - I assume Kurnek is sickened, but I don't see what the value of the condition is - sickened 1, sickened 2, etc. Unless he's sickened 7, though, it doesn't affect this skill check.

"Interesting. The Ilnudar family was well-known in Absalom, but they all moved away from the city nearly 100 years ago."

As the Pathfinders break down the wall of Marcol’s prison, Kurnek finds a moment to fill in the others on what he deduced from the ancient undead man’s comments.

Fortitude vs stench: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Kurnek has a ladder feather token. Maybe we could stick the feather inside the hole then say the command word?

Kurnek nods in agreement and holds up his thumb. "It's dangerous, of course, but forewarned is forearmed, as they say."

Glad it resolved quickly!

Happy New Year, everybody!

Crafting/Engineering Lore (same modifier for both): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Society: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

Kurnek nods in sympathy with Marcus's consternation. "I can make neither heads nor tails of this place. Icons for different religions, artifacts of different eras, all of it mixed together in these barely accessible chambers. As for these inscriptions, my memory agrees with Talia's, First Habormaster Goodman Hugen is of House Candren. But if I recall correctly, Candren's Wish was also the name of an infamous pirate vessel, which the Chelish navy sank around fifty years ago."

Society: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Kurnek peers at the statute and inscription, then shrugs. "Hmmm. Interesting. No idea what this means, but it's interesting."

He casts detect magic and inspects first the niches, then the rest of the room.

Up the stairs and east, right? Works for me.

Kurnek answers with a nod. "If the statue and the mural go together, I agree with you. But they could have been placed here decades or centuries apart for all I can tell."

Whoops - forgot to roll Society once the GM clarified!

Society: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Kurnek shifts the glowing end of his staff to get a better look at the mural and grunts in surprised recognition.

"Of course! I should have recognized him right away - it's Aroden. See, he's raising the Starstone from the floor of the Inner Sea, and the whole Isle of Kortos with it."

"Squidface? Really? Where?"

Occultism: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

"Oh, right. Dagon. I like Squidface, though, that's a pretty good name for him. Just don't use it to his squidy-face."

GM, when you say "Culture" are you thinking of Starfinder? Do you mean Society?

Feeling more secure for the moment, Kurnek ignores the healing elixir and focuses on helping his fellow Pathfinders to put an end to the undead threats. He spares a bit of concentration to broaden the effect of his protection further, then lets a fork of lightning fly from his hand at the red and green zombies.

◆: Sustain a spell, protective ward, increases protection to 20’ around Kurnek to include +1 to AC for Kurnek, Zoresk, Marcus, Talia, Valdris, and - finally! - Dreadfang!.

◆◆: Cast a spell, electric arc

Electrical damage + inspire courage (DC 18 basic Reflex save): 1d4 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 1 = 8

Antiplague don't fail me now!

Fortitude, Antiplague: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 5 + 2 = 13

Spending a hero point to reroll:

Fortitude, Antiplague: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 5 + 2 = 11

Sheesh.

Kurnek coughs up some blood and shakes his head, trying to clear it. "Thank You Valdris. That was a nasty bite, but aside from the pain and blood loss, I feel fine."

The half-orc hustles a few steps back down the stairs concentrates to extend his magical protection further, then draws one of his elixirs of life.

◆: Stride

◆: Sustain a spell, protective ward, increases protection to 15’ around Kurnek to include +1 to AC for Kurnek, Zoresk, Marcus, Talia, and Valdris.

◆: Interact (retrieve elixir).

Sorry - I got Kurnek positioned on the map and thought I posted this a couple of hours ago.

Let's see... working through the Escape rules.

Kurnek grunts in pain. “Thanks, Valdris. My gods, these things are awful. And owww.”

He twists and pulls, trying to escape the zombie’s grasp.

Escape (attack): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Assuming that’s a success:

Kurnek takes a guarded step down to get away from the zombies, then concentrates to extend his protective ward both in time and space.

◆: Escape (Attack)

◆: Step

◆: Sustain a spell, protective ward, increases protection to 10’ around Kurnek to include +1 to AC for Kurnek, Zoresk, Marcus, and Valdris.

“Perhaps I was a bit hasty in suggesting we start by heading towards the noises without knowing what to expect,” Kurnek says ruefully. “But at least we expected something. Let’s see if we can’t take these abominations down quickly!”

Kurnek’s voice booms and echoes in the ancient hall as he calls out phrases of arcane power, and an oleaginous sheen spreads across the floor under large, yellow-tinged zombie. Once the entire area occupied by the monster is covered, the wizard bows his head for a moment in concentration and the air around him shimmers with an aura of protective magic.

◆◆: Cast a spell, grease (Reflex save or Acrobatics vs DC 18 or fall prone; affected area outlined in red)

◆: Cast focus spell, protective ward (+1 to AC to Kurnek & allies within 5’; affected area outlined in blue)

If the number of gray shapes covering the map indicates how many rooms there are, I can see why we aren't close to done!

"If we know that there is some creature ahead of us up those stairs, I think we ought to explore that way first," Kurnek suggests. "Not that I am looking for a fight we might otherwise avoid, but I don't like the idea of whatever it is sneaking up on us from behind if we go down one of the side passages first."

Crafting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Survival: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Kurnek shrugs at the collapsed wall, but is surprised by the lack of any visible tracks on the dry ground.

"It appears we are the first creatures to come to this side of the pond in quite some time."

Kurnek falls back on his arcane sense and scans the area with detect magic.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t have any other immediate plans for Kurnek so I’m not in a big hurry.

Old habits die hard - I typed “Knowledge (engineering)” when I meant “Engineering Lore.”

Survival: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

"Hmmm, comrades, we may not have found something new, but it as least old enough to be interesting! This old dinghy has been here at least 20 years, maybe longer. It may have a rotten bottom, and I don't see any oars, but I think it may be our best chance to find out what's across this pond. I have an idea about how to use the boat, if the bottom will hold at least a little while."

Kurnek pulls a small feather from his pouch. The shaft appears to have been dipped in gold, and has a tiny rune resembling the letter H etched into it.

"This is a feather token. When I give the command, this little feather will transform into a 20-foot long ladder. It's a common enough bit of magical gear, and many Pathfinders carry one - as I do - in case we fall into a hole or need to climb through a second story window. I suggest that if the pond here is shallow enough, we can use the ladder to push the boat across; if not, perhaps we can break the ladder down and use the pieces to make oars."

"Sellswords," Kurnek shakes his head. "Hard to imagine being willing to trudge through sewers and put your life at risk just for a few coins. Curiosity and the chance to discover something new - or so old that it has been all but forgotten - that's another thing entirely! Let's get going!"

Fine with me.

Realizing that the man might be on the edge of backing down, Kurnek adds,

"I mean, I don't see how it would help her reputation as a shrewd businesswoman or as an important city official for her to be publicly associated with the sewers beneath a moldy old theater, filled with goblins, in the Puddles, of all districts!"

Deception?: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

Kurnek snaps his fingers. Oh, right - her!

He nods along with Dreadfang! and Marcus, then asks, "Besides, what could Madame Terimor want in the sewers under a collapsing theater in a part of Absalom that's slowly sinking? As the city's Town Planner, I'm sure she has more important matters to concern her."

What skill lets you do recall knowledge checks about zoning issues and gentrification disputes?

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

Before the encounter: As the Pathfinders trudge through the sewers, Kurnek scowls at his staff. I was sure I cast a light spell on this thing earlier! He knocks it against the slime-coated wall of the sewer and the tip flickers before magically re-illuminating.

I meant to point out earlier that Kurnek cast light on his staff when they first entered the sewer, but forgot. Sorry for any confusion.

Currently: Kurnek sighs and leans over to Thalia to whisper, "Who in the world is Olansa Terimor? Cult leader? Warlord? Money lender?"

Recall Knowledge?

Hope your wife recovers quickly, and the power company gets the lights back on soon!

How should we play this - diplomacy, intimidate, or bluff? Kurnek’s only social skill is intimidate, but I’m not committed to that if others would prefer to try diplomacy or bluffing.

As when they first entered the sewers, Kurnek murmurs to himself in a constant stream of unintelligible syllables of arcane power, casting detect magic over and over as the Pathfinders continue their explorations. He turns his head slowly from one side to the other as they walk, trying to see as much of their surroundings as he can without slowing the group.

North is fine with me.

Medical situation ongoing...

Hope it resolves for the best soon, Marcus!

I apologize - I've been slammed at work all week and it is all coming to a head tomorrow, so the slamming will continue until tomorrow evening (Central US time). Please assume Kurnek goes along with the group and tries to be helpful, and bot me as needed. His standard combat tactic if not immediately threatened himself is what he did during the crocodile fight - cast & sustain protective ward to give his allies a boost to AC, then spam cantrips (electric arc, ray of frost, or tanglefoot, as appropriate). If threatened, he'll try to cast/sustain protective ward, cast shield, and Stride or Step (depending on the threat).

If I can post something tonight, I will, but I probably won't be able to post until late tomorrow (or Saturday morning, depending on how wrecked I am after tomorrow). I did update Kurnek's position on the map.

Right, just 1. No worries - Kurnek has 3 elixirs of life as well. Go ahead and take it, Marcus.

Pathfinder 2E, where the wizards patch up your wounds and chase after you to make sure you’ve got the right safety equipment.

Kurnek rests and studies his spellbook for a few minutes until he feels some of his energy coming back.

10 minutes to regain 1 focus point.

When he sees Marcus still limping around, he offers the Taldan one of his healing potions.

"We can't have you going into the next fight already halfway to the Boneyard, can we? Besides, if you start bleeding again when we're wading through the water out there, you might attract sharks."

He offers Marcus one of the two minor healing potions he received from his contacts in the Spells before he went down to the Puddles.

Arcana: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

Kurnek shrugs and offers the hat to Valdris for inspection.

"If there is time for us to pause for a few minutes, I can refocus some of my arcane energies. But if not, I am ready to continue."

If we wait 10 minutes, Kurnek can regain his focus point and will be able to cast protective ward again in the next combat, but it might be wise to keep moving. I'd be fine either way.

Kurnek steps forward to keep all of the Pathfinders into his range and concentrates to sustain his protective ward, extending radius of the effect to 15', then casts a minor abjuration spell to provide himself with a bit of extra protection now that he is closer to the wounded beast.

◆: Sustain a spell, protective ward
(+1 to AC for all of the Pathfinders within green border until the start of Kurnek's next turn.)

◆: Stride

◆: Cast a spell: shield
(+1 shield bonus to AC for Kurnek until the start of his next turn.)

"Oh my goodness, now Talia!"

Kurnek concentrates to sustain his protective ward, extending radius of the effect another five feet so that it encompasses all of his allies, then once again calls forth a bolt of lightning that forks between the two crocodiles.

◆: Sustain a spell, protective ward
(+1 to AC for all of the Pathfinders until the start of Kurnek's next turn.)

◆◆: Cast a spell, electric arc

Electrical damage + inspire courage (DC 18 basic Reflex save): 1d4 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 1 = 8

Don't forget +1 to AC for Kurnek and anyone adjacent to him (currently everybody but Talia) from his protective ward.

Kurnek concentrates for a moment, and a shimmering field forms around him, stretching out to cover Marcus, Valdris, and Zoresk.

◆: Cast focus spell, protective ward (Talia and Dreadfang!, it will cover you next round.)

"Let's see if we can drive this monsters back!"

A bolt of lightning streaks from his outstretched hand to the nearest crocodile, then ricochets into the other.

◆◆: Cast a spell, electric arc

Electrical damage + inspire courage (DC 18 basic Reflex save): 1d4 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 1 = 7

“Excellent!” Kurnek happily hands Marcus the elixir. “I think you’ll enjoy it - I used elderberries for the flavor.”

As the Pathfinders head down the stairs, Kurnek takes a place near the middle of the group , behind Dreadfang! and next to Marcus (to avoid leaving an open space and not get behind Zoresk). Like Marcus, he casts light on the end of his staff, then pulls a flask from a hip pocket and swallows the contents with a satisfied gulp.

"Eagle-eye elixir, just the thing for hunting monsters in the dark. I brewed an extra batch, if anyone is interested."

Eagle-eye elixir, lesser: +1 bonus to perception for 1 hour, +2 vs secret doors and traps

"My usual practice in these circumstances is to search for magical energy, when on a mission with others who are more talented at ferreting out mundane threats." He casts another minor spell, and his eyes shine with a faint purple glow before fading back to their usual brown.

Exploration activity: Detect Magic.

Hoping to redeem himself for his singing, Kurnek lifts one leg and takes a ponderous hop forward.

"Is true!" he shouts, then looks around with exaggerated anxiety. His voice drops into a stage whisper. "Undead everywhere!"

Perform: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19

Kurnek grins as he sees where the other Pathfinders are taking the conversation. Why not?

He begins to sing. His voice is a rich, pleasant baritone, but he has no idea how to carry a tune.

To the tune of "Centerfield," by John Fogerty:

"Let us in, king!
We're ready to play!
The part!
Let us in, king!
We're ready to slay!
The beast!
In your basement!"

Perform: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

The wizard trails off, embarrassed. “Uh, right. Also, um, we brought snacks." He opens up his backpack and pulls out a hunk of cheese from his stash of rations, offering it to the goblins.

Not that I have any to slot other than Vigilant Seal Champion, but I thought we didn't slot boons anymore?

Kurnek grins. "Sounds like a fun childhood. I spent most of mine hearing things like, 'Put that down!', 'Don't push that button!', 'Ahhhh! Stop, you don't know what that does!' Took me a while to get the message, but eventually I learned a bit of caution."

When Kurnek remembers what he's heard about the Crookedtoes goblins and the Puddles, he quickly tells the other Pathfinders before they go inside.

"This King Zusgut seems like a real character. He's obsessed with performing and acting, so his clan took over this old playhouse. Not like anyone else wanted it, given that the whole area is sinking. I haven't spent much time here in the Puddles since I got to Absalom, but from what I've heard, it has a pretty unsavory reputation. Criminals frequent the district, or at least they did, and murderers would dump the bodies of their victims here - or even bring them here first and then kill them."

After a moment, he adds, "That seems like a lot of extra effort to me, hauling a a living person through the city without being noticed, just to kill them here. I mean, it would be easier to kill the person where you find them, then just stick the body in a box or something and load it onto a cart to move it around. But maybe I just don't think like a murderer - too much time in the library or the laboratory!" He laughs at his own naïveté.

Kurnek is ready to go into the playhouse when the rest of the group is.

Talia, I didn't have my glasses on when I first saw your post. I thought your character's mother used to call goblins "cheese magnets." If I were in charge, I'd make that canon forever.

Kurnek nods. "Chaos magnets, yes, that sounds like the goblins I met on my last mission... I'm sorry, did you say your mother was in some kind of goblin-protecting army?"

When he arrives, he sees an orcish-looking fellow. ”Are you here for the mission?”, he asks.

Kurnek stares down at the almost naked kobold in surprise. "Am I here for the mission? I suppose it depends on which mission you mean. If you mean..." He pauses as a hooded figure approaches them.

"Ready to clear out some "ancient evil"?"

Kurnek turns back to Dreadfang! and continues, "... that mission, then yes, I am. Kurnek Ruinmaker, at your service. I assume you are as well?"

The half-orc turns to introduce himself to Zoresk but is distracted again by Valdris's arrival. "Greetings indeed, and I hope so! I'm Kurnek, by the way. A pleasure to meet you both."

"So, you don't think it's anything serious, then?" he asks Zoresk. "Whatever King Zusgut's people have found down there?"