Valandil Anwamanë's page

"Pathetic. True power is having others at your beck and call to do your fighting for you."

Conjuration for the win!

Many thanks. Chronicle looks good.

Definitely. Games don't all need to be a rush, sometimes, especially as we go up in levels a bit, it can be nice to savor the characters and the experience.

The pacing on this worked well for me.

Valandil will do a report instead of a day job
take ten DC 15: 10 + 6 = 16

"Our arrangement is to return these items so that the society can purchase the trove of lore about Qadira's Grand Campaign against Taldor. We may offer to look after them for him after returning - which given at least one major attack on his family and holdings resulted from them may be in his interests. But first and foremost we must return them."

The Archon steps up to the Jester and strikes out with his massive sword, before trying to bite the foul man.

"Justice will be served!"
attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12
2nd attack,prone : 1d20 + 11 - 5 ⇒ (11) + 11 - 5 = 17
bite, prone: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

2nd attack damage: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 4) + 6 = 13
bite: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

@GM, I seem to be still listed on this game. Any chance you could remove me?

"There are three items. The mace we already have. We need the urn and.."

Or did we get the third from the slug encounter?

Gliutterdust added. Given the warning, I suspect enemies and friends alike can choose to close their eyes to avoid having to make a save against blindness. But it is really the detection of invisible creatures that I am after here.

"Close your eyes everyone!" calls out Valandil.

He waits a moment to allow everyone (possibly including The Jester) to do that and then quickly incants a spell.

Glitterdust

As Valandil finishes his summons a hound faced humanoid appears next to the red archer.

It slashes at the man as it searches around for evil to fight, the creatures holy sword cutting with brutal efficiency into the cruel archer.

GS attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
GS 2nd attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
damage #1: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (2, 1) + 3 = 6
damage #2: 26 + 3 = 29
damage bite: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
And if he drops the red archer before his final attack he will 5' step in the middle of the routine and continue against the blue archer

Two more snakes of force fly from the wizard's staff and into the blue archer.
MM: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (2, 2) + 2 = 6

And move up through the tower steps, not sure where they appear on the map.

"If this is to be a battle, then let me see if I can even the odds a bit."
Valandil starts to summon help.

Summon monster IV

"Let us see to this Jester once and for all."

Valandil also examines the mace, without touching it.

Detect magic
take ten spellcraft: 10 + 17 = 27

Valandil just sends more snakes of light and dark hammering into the man.

although not if he is already unconscious
MM: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 3) + 2 = 9

Valandil, seeing this fight looks more or less under control, sends another pair of snakes or light and darkness hurtling from his staff and into the already badly wounded lion.

MM: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (3, 1) + 2 = 6

Suggestions for actions:
Grease on the mace. (DC 18)
Full round summons probably level 3, but only if things look dicey.
Possibly another ice spear.

I'll be out for the next couple of days, please bot me as required.

Valandil cast a quick incantation, and two large spears of ice errupt from the ground. One under the lion, and one under Gaunt.

damage: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 1, 2) = 12 Technically half is cold and half is piercing
Ref DC 21 for half and to avoid the trip
trip vs Lion: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31
trip vs Gaunt: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24

He looks around to see if the Centaurs are going to join in.

"A quiet chat with the jester then. And see if he is willing to return the items nicely. I do wonder at how long this took to arrange though. It must have been planned quite some time in advance."

He asks the Centuar "When did you find out about the auction?"

"Any help would be appreciated. I think perhaps our best tactic would be to either buy them, and then have the blackfist try to take them from us... giving us the chance to get the evil mace back... or to let them get them and then ambush them. That has the disadvantage of them possibly having the use of the cursed items for the battle though.."

He thinks

"The third option would be your people picking a fight with the Blackfist, and we use the chance to sneak in and have a quiet word with the jester."

Valandil puts a hand on the paladin's shoulder, then smiles at the centaur. It is perhaps not the most reassuring smile.

"Which items in particular were you interested in? I'm not sure about everything the jester is offering.." he admits.

Valandil wracks his brain, trying to remember the mace. "What did Bourtze tell us about it?" he finally concedes.

"Lets try to make friends with the centaurs. Stugbu, can you, subtly, try to see if any of them or the blackfists are evil?"

I'm thinking we should try talking with the other two factions first. If we need to fight or buy we can later on, but lets see if there is another options first.

Once the team is in a quiet room by themselves, Valandil turns to the group.

"I'm wondering if we can engender some mistrust between these other groups. In particular the Centaurs "lionbanes" might be able to be put against that other group who have a captive lion.

"[b]Maybe one of the stealthy folk could explore a little more and see if you can pick up any undercurrents?"

Val shakes his head and follows the others in.

"Which other factions are already here?" he asks.
"And what can you tell us about them?"

Valandil stashes the necklace where it can do no harm, quickly scanning the area for any further signs of magic that may have been lost in the ambush.

"Let us then see if they are willing to talk." he asks, obviously not expecting a positive answer.

It's going fine. A number of early scenario's didn't include all hte maps, which can be frustrating. I think the one you selected did a good job.

"That necklace is surely one of the items we must retrieve. We had best be careful of it, lest it's cursed nature affects us too."

He inspects it carefully with detect magic, trying to ascertain if there are any risks associated with it.

Happy to take ten for 27 on either spellcraft or arcana

"While I am hesitant to slay a dumb animal.." states Valandil.

"Is it safe to leave that giant slug? Will he not eat the local farmers, as he did those men?"

Valandil continues to provide covering fire, as yet more snakes fires off his staff and into the blob.

MM: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (3, 1) + 2 = 6

Sorry

Valandil continues to make his way as quickly as he safety may toward the safety of the shore.

Double moves at half speed

I moved up, thinking it was toward the shore, but if down is towards escape, val would have gone that way.

Val lifts his robes and scurries back as fast as he can.

"We need space if we are to see that monstrosity off."

If not a real bridge, Val would not have headed along it to begin with. He should be back on shore. Okay to move him there?

The tentacles again try to restrain the slug..
grasp: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22
But likely again fail

Valandil raises his staff and sends twin snakes of light and darkness hurting into it.

MM: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 4) + 2 = 10

nature: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19
"The giant slug will be hard to hurt with blugeoning weapons. It is highly vulnerable to salt though." mentions the wizard.

"If that slug is responsible for the deaths of all these men, then it is likely a fearsom combatant."

He twiddles his fingers and a mass of black tentacles appears trashing around the slug, trying to grasp hold of it and keep it in place.
Casting black tentacles

CMB to grapple: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13
But the slug manages to avoid their grasping tendrils. For now.

Val looks with horror at the dead bodies, checking the faces to see if any are familiar...

"I think asking the farmers may be our best bet. We are falling behind here. I can summon magical horses on the morrow for several hours, although it will deplete my magical powers significantly. Does anyone else have similar abilities?"

"I think we need to try and follow the jester ourselves. If Wager catches him..well, I don't give much for his chances. "

"At least we know one of the reasons Wager is looking for his brother" laughs Valandil.

"I think we need to look around to try and find where the jester went from here, and it all else fails, follow Wager."

"Do we search here for a clue, or follow those men?" asks Valandil.

"If he pulls more hags out of that cursed pot, they may be hard pressed to survive the experience."

Valandil steps forward to repeat his story.

"We were told by Makarius Bourtze, whom I understand is at odds with your lord, that the "Jester" - presumably this Sabas, has stolen three items of power that his family guarded. We conjecture that one of them was used to summon some foul hags that attacked Bourtze and later ourselves." he says, starting the story.

"While Disaren and Bourtze seem to have a history of being at odds with each other, for little rational reason other than tradition, there seems little need for ourselves to be so affected. You want to find your brother and this 'Jester' and so do we. To be honest, we only want to the return of the three items he has stolen. What you do with the Jester is of little concern to us."

"What the Society has a certain reputation, I am sure you will agree that even a good family may have a dark horse from time to time. And it may be we are being played as much as you seem to think you are. Perhaps we might all benefit by sharing information?' suggests the elf.

"We are searching for a "jester" that has stolen three heirlooms from Makarius Bourtze. One has already been used to summon a variety of horrible creatures that assaulted us last night. That is what we know at the moment. I am Valandil. You now know as much as we do. Would you share your name with us? I assume Sabas is your brother?"

Valandil shivers in the smokey air. "We have lost a lot of time, I doubt the Jester will still be here, although he may have left something to delay us. Let us take care."

Valandil is trained, and will lead if necessary, but in PBP I was trying to indicate that if there was a more skilled person to lead, then he'd help. If nobody is trained then that can be the lead roll.

Valandil will help search for tracks.

"I know a little about tracking, but have no real talent for it..
survival (aid if possible): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

"Your prized heirlooms are three cursed items?" asks Valandil, thoroughly bemused by the human.

"I'm sure there is a good story as to how that happened, and I look forward to hearing it. But maybe not just now. "

Turning to the others he suggest "I would seem time is of the essence if we are to retrieve these heirlooms."

"And why you think he took it." adds Valandil.

"What is the root cause of the rift between your families?"

"What is this possession that they stole?" asks Valandil.

"And why did he steal it?"