Vanvathar's page

Glad to hear you're okay and had a good time. I'll fire up Sandstone Secret in a few hours and we'll see from there. :)

Yeah, same. I've really enjoyed playing and I'd like to continue.

I like the idea of Maruta as a Summoner. The back and forth between him and a pet sounds interesting. Also the idea of a bug eidolon speaks to me.

As you start packing up for the road, Vanvathar joins you.

"Hey, sorry I can't join you, Iggy is moulting right now, and it's a painful procedure. I'd rather not cause him any more stress by moving him about and possibly exposing him to enemies. That dunk in the slime the other day was already hell for him, I owe him this. Thanks for the ride so far, and I hope to see you again later."

No worries, we're still in the bounty rotation anyways.

By the way, would anyone mind reporting Bounty 8 for me after we're done? I don't have a proper play by post reporting event. >_>

"So, why are you hiding out here anyway? Is this seriously your best plan, or don't you want to return to Zarzan? I can imagine literally being summoned to do unpaid labour is quite... beneath your station."

Vanvathar is happy things ended (relatively) okay, and the mephit's sudden cooperation is a relief. One faceful of slime is enough for one day.

No worries, personal health comes first. Take care, and thanks for joining us!

No worries, and thank you for GMing!

I'll start prepping Bounty 8. Unless people want a break? Posting has slowed down a bit, but that might also be because the GM was a bit slower (no offense meant, GM).

Vanvathar pokes his head out from behind Zendel. "Er, I don't want to be a downer, but we already defeated several slimes. Hope we didn't ruin that glorious plan of yours."

*Gasp.* A bounty with TWO fights? :o

With the red slime hopefully taken care of, Vanvathar focuses on the blue slime currently harassing Zendel. He casts a Telekinetic Projectile and throws a bit of debris at it.

Telekinetic Projectile, Inspire courage: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 7 + 1 = 24
Damage: 1d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 1 = 11

With his last action, Vanvathar throws up his Shield spell, just in case.

I haven't filled out my gear indeed, but I have the Alchemist dedication, so it makes sense I'd have them.
My gear: spellbook, adventurer's pack, material component pouch, alchemist's tools, basic crafter's book

Yeah, we seem to have lost a bit of momentum. Maybe it's a natural lull, maybe it's PbP fatigue, I dunno.

If we want to speed things up and there isn't much interesting going on, maybe you could point us in the right direction? Otherwise it's a week full of "I open the door." "There's nothing inside." (Not saying you need to do this right now, just throwing something in the air.)

And yeah, the doors are visible.

Vanvathar finishes coiling up the rope and puts it back into his backpack. "Wow, thanks Maruta, that feels great. I'm glad everyone is fine now. What an awful timing for that slime to attack."

He walks towards the chair cautiously, just in case more oozes appear. Vanvathar fishes out the two vials and holds them out to the rest. "Huh, look. Anyone know what these are?"

What kind of check is it to identify potions/elixirs? I have Crafting and basically all the knowledge skills (+7 for the INT-based ones, +5 for the WIS-based ones).

Seeing everyone take a faceful of slime, Vanvathar is happy where he is right now. However, Matei is looking rather worse for wear.

"Matei, don't worry, we'll fix you right up after this. Here, let me help."

Vanvathar starts casting a spell, and Matei starts glowing with a purple light. The light enters his body and feels strangely warm and comforting.

Soothe on Matei.

Soothe HP: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

With his last action, Vanvathar starts rolling up his rope.

Vanvathar sees Zendel sailing over the pit like it's no effort at all.

"Zendel, you keep harassing that blob, I'll get Matei out of this hole. I'd rather stay out of this fight in my current condition."

He puts a little magical oomph behind his words and casts Guidance on Zendel, hoping it'll help him in the fight.

Meanwhile, Vanvathar's found the rope he was digging for in his backpack He holds one end, lets the other one drop into the pit, and braces to bear Matei's weight.

◆ Casting Guidance.
◆◆ Grabbing and using rope.

Sure, then I'll drop my backpack this round. Thanks for the clarification.
And Zendel, I know, but this way Matei can climb out on this side.

Vanvathar groans as he's lying on the ground. Then he gets a faceful of acid, and Matei falls on top of him to add insult to injury. He's considering lying on the ground for a while to think over his life choices, but then he hears commotion coming from outside the pit. He groans one last time, checks if Iggy is okay, and gathers himself up.

◆ Get up from prone.
◆ Attempt to scale the wall.

Athletics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

Oh wow, that's a crit, that means I move 10 feet, right?

Against all expectations, Vanvathar finds easy purchase and climbs out of the pit to the west. With his last action, he unslings his backpack to find a rope so he can hoist Matei out as well.

◆ Grab a rope. If that's more than one action, I'll spend part of my next turn doing the other actions.

"Matei, over here! Hopefully Ron will intercept the slime, so we can haul you out without being gobbled up by that thing."

"I'll trust my Elven grace will help me here.."
With that said, Vanvathar lifts his robes so his legs have the freedom to jump. He takes a few steps and tries to jump across.

I think it's Acrobatics to jump, right? Or would I need Athletics? The former is at +6, the latter at +3.

Acrobatics/Athletics to jump: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
I'll use my Hero Point on this.

Acrobatics/Athletics to jump: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Ergh.

Despite his precautions, Vanvathar stumbles and can't quite get the distance he needs, and lands straight on the unstable floor.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

"Yeah, I agree. Maybe the oozes ate them all? Nevertheless, this is a curious thing. Perhaps we'll find the answers inside. After you, Ron."

Vanvathar seems happy to hang out in the back and not get eaten by ambulatory slimes.

"Well, since those were Dust Mephits and they caused miniature sandstorms, my guess is that an Ooze Mephit will probably chuck slime at us. Best wear protective clothing, indeed. And maybe a Prestidigitation might be useful if we're gonna get covered in goo..."

I'll switch out Read Aura for Presto, in case someone gets engulfed by a slime. :P

Vanvathar scowls at the replaceable attitude the man has for underlings.

"While oozes are just ambulatory waste-bins, a mephit is smart. Would you mind if we set it free, or do you want it back to the plane you called it from? Seems like a waste of a good companion."

Vanvathar's hand goes to pet Iggy instinctively. Iggy coughs up a glob of mucus in agreement.

No worries, this is a nice pace. We got some roleplay in in the meantime. :)

Also, Ron, no worries. As said, we were just roleplaying, you didn't miss much.

Vanvathar looks at Zendel after that offer. "If you don't take it, I might. A nice grey shirt is good to have for formal occasions."

He notices the man posting the sign and nods towards him. "Speaking of clothes, his look quite out of fashion. I do believe I've seen them in a museum somewhere."

"I'd love to come along, especially if it's a shortcut. Maybe they have something there that can cure Iggy." Vanvathar opens the pocket where Iggy is hiding and drops an acorn in there.

---

Vanvathar coughs as he inhales some especially spicy herbs, and looks as Zendel is pointing at the silk. "I'm not sure, you really want to turn into one big purple blob? I'm not much of a fashion expert," he says as he points to his black robes, "but don't you want something that complements your facial hair? It'd be a shame if it got lost in your outfit."

Vanvathar looks perplexed - again - at Maruta's actions and silently hands him the stuffed pepper. He then turns to Zendel.

"Welcome back. You missed a good feast and an even better meal. I think you would've liked today's activities." His voice drops to a whisper. "And to be honest, I'm not sure what Maruta's deal is, but he's been helpful so far. He said he was our bodyguard, and I do suppose he defended us from those rocks. Come to think of it, we might need more acorns..."

With that, Vanvathar gets on all fours and starts looking for more acorns to keep Maruta in employ.

I also have one glyph to share.

Hero Point: 1d3 ⇒ 1

Maruta, congrats on your bonus Hero Point!

Oh noes, I wish you good health and a speedy recovery!

I guess I'll grab the bounty after that, sounds good? :)

"I think I've located the aggression rune! If we can erase that, the stones should remain docile! Let's see, what was the rune for 'serenity' again..."

Arcana check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Vanvathar redraws the rune and a puff of foul purple smoke erupts from the cauldron. He nearly chokes on the foul stench, but catches himself and tries again.

Crafting check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

"I should really brush up on my runework, evidently it's been a while.."

Vanvatar now has the time to study the runes more carefully. Since the Arcana didn't yield anything, he looks and tries to re-draw some runes on the cauldron.

Crafting check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

"The runes seem to make sense. Let's start again from the basics..."

Arcana check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

"Aha! I think I've got it! The multiplication rune has been sloppily drawn, infusing the contents of the cauldron with a basic sentience... Fascinating stuff, really. Too bad we probably have to erase this, this could be a breakthrough in golem crafting."

Vanvathar erases the rune and tries to draw it correctly.

Crafting check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Whelp, that's a whole load of nothing. There's one success, at least.

Vanvathar sneaks around the whole commotion, trying to stay as far away from the weird stones as possible while nearing the cauldron. Once nearby, he takes a good look at the runes and tries to figure out what's wrong.

Arcana check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

"Hmm, from this angle everything seems fine. The Bormius-formula was adhered to, and Crandular's theorem is also applied correctly. I can't figure out what's causing all this to happen..."

Move twice, Interact once.

No worries, there's no rush. :)
I'm jealous, my government's bungled the vaccine handout. I'll probably get my shot(s) in July. :(

Vanvathar stands quiet, trying to follow Maruta's logic in his head, and failing. Still, the carrot trick seems to have worked, so he stands by while the rest are reconstructing the castle. Too many hands will surely knock it over again, anyway.

Vanvathar catches Maruta gesticulating from the corner of his eye and holds out the carrot to him. "Here, have this, maybe you can draw their attention. I can't seem to get a a word in."

Vanvathar stands baffled at the commotion in front of him.

"Er, hello. We're here to - will you please listen - oh, forget it."

Vanvathar digs in his sack of carrots and casts a Light spell on a carrot he's holding up, hoping to draw their attention to the group.

Vanvathar steps in, glad to be of help.

"Ah, what my colleague probably forgot was to add McAllister's theorem in his equation, which states that a Dwarves' toughness also means you need to add more numbing agents. It's easily forgotten, as we usually practice on human subjects. Conversely, you want to ease up on the numbing agents for Elves, otherwise you could knock them out cold..."

He takes over from Matei at the healer's station and mixes up some herbs, also careful to add in some of Iggy's shed scales - they've been proven to aid magical healing.

Crafting check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Yeah, let's reroll that.
Crafting check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
I even have Herabalism Lore at the same modifier, if anything especially herbal is needed.

"Thank you for your contribution," Vanvathar bows. "We will name you in our thanks for the feast during the celebration."

He heaves a sack of carrots on his back, and you can hear some popping noises - are that the carrots breaking, or Vanvathar's joints creaking in protest?

"Now, where do we want to go next? Since Maruta doesn't seem to like the Brownies very much, let's leave that for last? Or should we do that right now, to just be done with it?"

Vanvathar chimes in, "Oh, it's not that Kupyn doesn't want to visit you, it's just... She's getting quite old of age, so she sent us, instead. See, we have Darb with us here, to indicate her blessing." Vanvathar kneels down and gives Darb another ruffle on his head.

"Well, I wouldn't call myself that, but I have some experience with the occult, I suppose," Vanvathar answers, subconsciously tucking Iggy further back into his clothes. "Are the people of this town prejudiced against magic and the supernatural? I have no reason to show it off, but it's good to know beforehand."

"Yes, I have one question," Vanvatar says with a smile. He then turns to the dog. "Who's a good boy?" And starts ruffling his fur.

Vanvathar bobs along with the tune and smiles when Kupyn is finished. "That's a nice song, and a nice tradition to have. I'd be honoured to participate in it."

To Ignatius, he says, "I guess she wants us to collect the ingredients. Is that right? If we can get a nice meal by going around town, I see no reason why we should refuse."

Vanvathar shrugs and starts looking for acorns as well.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

"If you don't mind me asking, what do you need those acorns for? Do you hibernate, like squirrels? Or do you-" He cuts himself off, after having heard the answer to Ron's question. Right. No or-or questions. That'll just confuse things even further.

Do note that on the Paizo forums you can't change the name of the character if you've made more than 10 posts with it. If it's okay, maybe you can make a new character and ask Rainzax to change the previous credit over to it (or just have 1 XP banked on it and start with a fresh character)

And yeah, most Gnomes I've met are... quirky. I'm not a fan of roleplaying them myself. No offense to my Gnomial friends, I'm just too collected to properly shift myself into that mindset. :)

Hoo boy, Vanvathar thinks. If I had to pay toll for every weird creature that came my way, joining the Society was the wrong move.
Still, he considers it. A fey on our side means it isn't out for blood. Yet.

"Er, how much is that toll, and how long will your protection last? Our glorious leader seems to be missing, and I must admit, we're a little aimless at the moment."

Maybe your PDF viewer screwed things up? It should be in the grey box. Looks fine to me.

No, that's correct. What are you confused by? In PFS2, you need 12 XP to level up. Quests and Bounties give 1 XP, normal scenarios give 4 XP (and roughly triple that amount of gold).

Yes, until you've played your character at level 2, your character is entirely mutable, just like PFS1.

Thanks for the Bounty, everyone! And especially to the GM! I've said so before, but I like your style of GMing, it's really clear and nice. :)

I think I've done nothing useful this scenario. I failed all knowledge checks, didn't hit the dusties, nothing. Oh well, that happens. :)

Vanvathar sighs deeply as Matei gives the right answer. "Phew, that was close. Good job, Matei! And thank you too, Zandyk, for honoring your promise. I hope good fortune follows you wherever you go, and I hope you understand now that not all humanoids want to outright kill everything on sight. May our paths cross again in the future!"

As the puzzle box gets passed around, Vanvathar looks uncertain. "I'm not sure, I think I've had enough mental stimulation for today. And besides, maybe what's inside is personal, I don't want to pry in other people's affairs."

Will save or try to open the box anyway: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

After a second of hesitation, he reaches out for the box anyway. "Gimme that thing, let's see what's in here..."

Crafting: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

After half 10 minutes of fiddling with the device, Vanvathar throws it into the sand in frustration, and refuses to look at it further. "Bah, simple tricks for simple minds. I prefer more academical puzzles."

I'm not strong, but I can still carry several bulk if necessary. And otherwise we're slightly slower. As long as we're back before bedtime. :)

Back in the bar, Vanvathar glances over Tidbit's shoulder as she unlocks the device, but otherwise keeps his distance.

Yeah, riddles in-game are divisive, there's no real way to please both sides of the argument. There's a narrow line between giving hints that point in the right direction without spoiling the riddle entirely. I honestly don't know how I would've done it any better.

Vanvathar gulps. "Hmm, I can see both Styx, or water in general, and a scythe being good answers. With the Styx, I don't really see the 'dead throne' making sense.... Unless, the souls in the river count, right? And yeah, a scythe is more in line with my original line of thinking, but the dead throne feels a little off... I'm honestly split between the two."

"Oh, well, darn," Vanvathar mumbles as the sphinx towers over him. "Pleasedonteatmepleasedonteatmepleasedonteatme..."