Yes, you are right, Barkot. I am letting "rules" get in the way of "fun", and fun is definitely the more important thing. This is a game, after all. So, I'll back out my rulings. I do not want to be that type of GM who ruins the game for his players. I've played for that GM before, and I don't want to be one. So, Red was dead from boneshaker and Paeral's arrows before Deric's attacks ever happened. Nobody is affected by Crushing Despair. And, since I've been fighting with Squint about the reach of his lance since the beginning of book 1, reach weapons can be used in adjacent squares. I really would rather we tell the story of these books rather than enforce Paizo's poorly conceived and written mechanics.
I also like that Deric tried to talk him down. The warrior is becoming something of a problem solver.
I understand the situation you were describing, and understand that a GM could make a different ruling. For me, I think a proximity trigger would need to be dispelled (or possibly approached invisibly, if it is a sight based detection). The ruling doesn't change here. I had a long time to think about how I wanted to play this specific scenario.
Some magical traps can be disabled. But if the trigger is to go off when someone gets within 10ft, how could you disable the rune? 5E has the ability to do disable through a Mage Hand to handle that situation, but P1E doesn't have anything that I am aware of. Naturally a GM has to rule on these things on a case by case basis. In this case, I am ruling that the attempt to disarm satisfied the language of one of the triggers. Other GMs might rule differently.
"Yes, I've been meaning to talk to you about your use of soap. I spend most of my time in the inner slums of Magnimar. You first encountered me outside of a string of abbatoirs. Still, I find the odors coming from you to be hard to stand. Perhaps you've noticed how everyone stands upwind?"
When the party returns, holding the papers in front of them, they are able to walk to the shaft and the columns do not animate.
Looking into the shaft reveals utter darkness. Even darkvision is not able to penetrate it. After their experiences, the party feels invigorated and are confident that with some rest, they will be more able to deal with the challenges in front of them.
Durable Arrows! Drat! Foiled again.
A 5 foot tall bubble appears in the spot where Squint and Ulyi used to be. Nobody can quite tell what is inside of the bubble, but it definitely is NOT Squint and Ulyi.
Fire jets, lightning sand, and manticores of unusual size, of course.
Kuntaxl fixes the sheriff with a withering gaze and slaps the note down on the desk. "I believe this should exonerate the caravan. You should tell them to be in their way."
I think the module designers have it in for metagamers. ;) They are also finally starting to advance monsters and structure combats that are at the expected level of the party. I was doing a lot of that myself earlier, in an effort to keep the combats at least a little interesting. In hindsight, I should have simply bypassed many of the encounters in this dungeon, as they have nothing to do with the plot and are just slowing things down. That is one piece of advice I have garnered from conversations with other successful AP GMs that I intend to attempt to implement in the coming book.
I'm really sad to hear that CrusaderWolf. It has been a joy playing with you I certainly understand the decision and can't say I haven't considered dropping some of my pbf commitments as well. You will be missed, and welcomed back in the future should things improve for you.
They do seem to have some type of sense that allowed them to be aware of your presence.
The healer's eyes twinkle playfully, but she sets her face in a stern expression. "Get along, ye pointy-eared miscreant. I got plenty 'o other patients ta see." As Paeral turns to walk away, he feels a pinch on his right buttock and hears the healer's laughter as she walks over to the next curtain.
I am actually surprised, I thought Deric had joined the party before the last encounter with Nikulaie, but it appears that meeting was almost two of our years ago. I can't believe it has taken us that long to get through Book 1! If anyone wants a refresher of the last meeting: You can look here
Yes, I will allow it.
The party heads back up to Magnimar, with no issue, stopping in at the Manor to sell their look and check in with Lady Heidmarch. Word of the rescued prisoners has preceded them and they are greeted with cheers and claps on the back. Celia and Duncan give their thanks with hugs for the whole party and then head back home. Lady Heidmarch bids you all to rest and report further when you are ready.
As the derro tries to pull out a potion, Bbarkot's desperate slash catches the derro in the leg. The loss of blood is too much for the derro and it slumps, the body hanging in the air.
Lashing his tail angrily Kuntaxl returns and watches the assistance the others are attempting to provide to Nuktik. He sits down to pray to Apsu for Nuktik's recovery.
Kuntaxl grits he teeth, his lips pulling back in a snarl that eerily resembles the smiles he usually provides. Flaring his nostrils and taking a deep breath, he steadies himself. "Sir. We need to know more about who Hallod has been selling things to, and what those sales might entail. Perhaps you could " " ask around town to locate who his business partners might be? We will continue tracking the miscreant down." Barely waiting for a response, Kuntaxl pivots on his foot and stalks back to the rest of the party.
I raise a cup to all of you with thanks for the past year of gaming. I hope that 2021 brings nothing but happiness and prosperity to you and your families.
Not useless anymore. That hits the blind derro. You get sneak attack as well.
The derro is hovering . It is immune to the effects of grease on a surface it is not standing on. If it tries to use the ceiling for some purpose, it will need to make a check.
Cross Posted :) I'll be interested to see how you allow me to bring in a new character after I get coup-de-graced by a tooth fairy. I hate fey, but that is a new all time low. :)
:) Feel free to jump into the Darklands. I am sure it will work out well. :D
Agree with that sentiment, Deric. This move is into the forever home. I had hoped to be performing this final move years ago. Bought the last townhouse as a five year stepping stone and then the housing bubble burst and I was upside down. Sixteen years later, four people including two teenagers in a two bedroom townhouse wasn't cutting it anymore. Fortunately my wife started working again a couple of years ago and lucked into a good job that actually rewarded her for her hard work and dedication. Made this move possible. Two more months until the OCD inducing kitchen in the new house gets redone and this will be a pretty awesome place to spend the rest of lives. Regardless, I have three days to get the old townhouse cleaned up to hand over to the new owner. At the moment, that still seems daunting.
Fenster falls violently to the ground and starts bleeding out.
Before mounting the stage, Marcianus makes sure to shield both himself and Zeke with Mage Armor. Looking out at the crowd before he steps forward, Marcianus muses. "I wonder if the Archbaron's intent is to foster rebellion? I've been trying my best to portray his policies politically and to enforce the law in a manner that gains the respect of the citizens. But, if rebellion, as a means of exposing the cabal of conspirators was the intent, I would have taken a different approach. Well, if he won't explain his motivations more clearly, I can only take the approach that makes the most sense for me." Climbing the podium, he and Zeke stand near Caggan and begins a prepared speech, painting Caggan as a dangerous monster whose existence endangers the community. "Citizens of Longacre! Before you kneels the convicted criminal Bolgart Caggan. Originally arrested for supporting sedition and violating curfew in order to line his pockets with illegal gold while endangering the welfare of citizens around him who he called 'friend'. During isolation in jail, the criminal refused to recant or reform, until the full moon rose and the true nature of his monstrosity was displayed. In his jail cell, Bolgart Caggan transformed into a half man/ half boar. A dangerous homicidal lycanthrope known as a wereboar. Nearly breaking out of jail, the wereboar attacked the officers of the law who were keeping watch and was summarily subdued and returned to bondage. We do not yet have a full recounting of the horrors this monster has wreaked on the community, but have begun going back through the list of unsolved murders and attacks, finding many suspicious incidents that we will continue to investigate. It does not escape our notice that the leaders of the seditious movement were likely aware of the criminal's lycanthropy and allowed the monster to live amongst the populace with no heed for their safety. We will continue to investigate these individuals who espouse violating the law in the name of foreign gods while bringing danger into our midst. As the duly invested agents of Archbaron Fex within Longacre and at his decree, we hereby pronounce the sentence of death upon the seditious wereboar, Bolgart Caggan. Celebrate, citizens, for Archbaron Fex is here to ensure your safety from monsters and foreign interlopers."
He finishes by waving Sicaria forward while stepping back out of the spotlight.
Celia appears shaken by the odd proposition.
Yes, I realized as I was writing that it wasn't possible. I was simply making an attempt to handwave away the CR 1 monster that should have been little more than a momentary inconvenience. Properly, I should force Paeral to stand and then pick up his bow (or vice versa) and let him roll the 20 imto the next round. I started to make that ruling, but then decided I'd rather speed the combat up, so allowed a rule of cool waiver. I also decided I was going to allow you to charge the derro. If bypassing the rule this one time makes the game less fun, though, that is not something I wanted to do, and I am willing to roll back the ruling. For now though just assume the darkmantle is dead.
Yes Barkot thinks It is strange. Not like we've seen stalactites anywhere else in this structure. Seems awfully odd to have one conveniently placed in the middle of this intersection with darkness surrounding it. Looking for pressure plates, or wires, or anything that might trigger the stalactite to drop, Barkot is still looking at it when it detaches from the ceiling, opens up a gaping orifice filled with teeth and lashes out with tentacles at Paeral. Initiative:
Touching Hope's arm lightly and gives her an empathetic look. "I cannot know your experiences, but I can appreciate that they were traumatic for you, and I care about your pain." Smiling, he continues speaking softly. "I also appreciate that these powers are frightening. I was trained in the use of my powers and they were explained to me before hand. I can only imagine how frightening it would have been if they had come upon me suddenly." Removing his hand, he gestures to the others. "We may not understand your fear, but you are our ally and we care about you and about your fears. Let us share them, and they will lessen. Remember, also, that these powers and experiences do not define you. You choose how to use them, and so far as I have seen, you are using them only to help others." Smiling still, he reaches out to grip Hope's hand and squeeze it reassuringly.
Yes, I am sure it will be quite empowering to be the "big" Shoanti man who stands back from battle and allows the women to fight the bad monsters. :D
Can you see the source of something emitting darkness? That is an interesting question. I guess it would be darker than everything else?? I mean, even in bright sunlight, you can tell that a light bulb is on. Ulyi certainly would have seen that he dropped his scalpel on the ground right after casting the spell. I was debating whether he would know what that meant or not, but you raise a good point. The source of the darkness is the scalpel the derro had been holding. He dropped it into the square between Barkot and Ulyi after casting the spell. I'll place a marker.
Hmmm... An everburning torch is continual flame, which is 2nd level. So... the two spells negate each other, meaning the normal light conditions take over. In this room, that means darkness.
That's fair. Perhaps Piotr should stop meta gaming... Lacedon are a common threat to sailors though, so it is a reasonable jump. Okay, I'll probably require a Bluff check to make her believe that.
Barkot: As the spell takes effect, your vision goes white for a moment, then suddenly coalesces into a view of Outcast Cove, well above the Irespan. You can just make out the dots of fishing vessels throughout the Cove and get a sense of time, the vision occurring months or perhaps years in the past, bit not decades.
You get a sense of vertigo as the vision rapidly dives toward one of the fishing boats. Two fishermen are in the boat, tending nets and line, when one looks off into the water and says "What's all that glinting over there?" The older fisherman looks over, shading his eyes. "That's where the Liza Jane was headed, isn't it? Lockerbie must be playing with that fancy sword of his. Won't be bringing in much of a haul that way" As the men bend back to their work, the vision speeds across the water toward a prosperous looking fishing boat being attacked by several pale humanoids that look more like corpses than people. Two men on deck are battling the creatures, one with a sword that shines in the sunlight. One of the creatures gets a claw past his shield, opening a gash on his leg. The man stiffens unnaturally for a moment, but is able to shake it off and stab the creature through the eye. The other man fares less well, his body locking up into a rictus. One of the creature grabs the immobile man and pulls him off the boat and underwater as the others dive with it to fight over the feast. Your vision goes white again, then resolving to a view of the docks. The sense of time seems more like days in the past now. Men talk and work, cleaning and repairing their gear, performing tasks common at the end of the day after the fishmongers have left with the day's haul. A woman pulling a cart appears, walking toward your point of view. Conversations halt as men become aware of her, most looking away uncomfortably. She stops to briefly speak to some of the men, always receiving a shake of the head as the men drop their eyes, not meeting her eyes. The cart nears your point of view and you notice another experienced looking fisherman who doffs his hat and stands as the woman comes closer. He smiles, looking at the woman with fondness, but his eyes are tight with sadness. The woman speaks first, in a voice holding little emotion. "Here are your sails, Piotr, washed and mended" Turning, he catches one of his assistants, sending the younger man hurrying to take bundles of cloth from the cart. Piotr speaks, "Thank you greatly, Liza Jane. You didn't need to carry them all this way. I would have been happy to send a boy to fetch the parcels." Her lips quirk into a brief smile that doesn't reach her eyes, responding to the courtesy. "Any word of the Liza Jane?" Piotr holds the smile, but you can tell it is a struggle. "You know I would come running to you if there was any word to be found, and I hear everything there is to hear on these docks." he says quietly before attempting to change the subject. "For instance, I head the Blue Bird just received a shipment of tea straight from Vudrani. It's supposed to be the best tea you've ever tasted. Come with me, we'll both have a cup and a bit to eat." The woman's smile makes a reappearance, and almost you can see a lightening of her expression, before slipping into despair again. "That sounds mice, Piotr. Perhaps..." but she is already turning to continue walking down the dock. Your vision goes black then and open again returning your awareness to the present.
With a cringing voice, Lockerbie responds to Barkot's question. "Liza Jane lies on the bottom. Since the crash.... That is where Lockerbie woke." He trails off into agonized muttering, "Woke with a hunger we did, yes? Smelled food in the water. Drawn to it, found it, and ate." The muttering becomes darker and sinister, "Strips of skin, flesh the fish didn't get, suck the marrow from the bones. So sweet, the memory... Not enough, was still hungry, always hungry. Hungry now. Smell them, elves, human, juicy, plump little halfling. We could feast for days." The cringing returns, "No, they say they want to help with Precious. Too strong besides. Wait till they leave, sneak past the devils. Always bodies to find in the harbor." He raises his voice again. "Don't know where to go? East, then north, up the stairs. Don't go south. Bad air in there. No problem for Lockerbie, but you need to breathe, yes?"
The new Humble Bundle is pretty good. 2e rulebooks and a bunch of adventures, pathfinder tales novels, and a bunch of flip mats. You'll be seeing some of these mats in the future.
Paeral sees many things he wishes he could unsee as he stands knee deep in raw sewage, but nothing immediately dangerous.
Sir Canayven looks at the sketch and asks questions. "This mountain with the face, that could only be the Hollow Mountain. Only half of the face remains now. I always suspected that must be an image of Alaznist and your find confirms that. This mural certainly indicates that the island was an important site for Alaznist. This bears thought. As for this demonic looking creature, it does not seem familiar, but I'll have some research initiated." When the party reveals more information about the statue of Alaznist and points out that the statue was actually holding the ranseur, Sir Canayven becomes more interested. "The statue was in normal human proportions and not overly large, and was holding an actual magical weapon? That is highly unusual. I wonder if Alaznist had some means of animating the statue? It definitely deserves more study."
He considers Reillana's off-hand comment about The Suzerain. "I'll let Sheila deal with reports of the inhabitants of the Crow. She has more in depth knowledge of your previous activities and would be the best one to decide if further actions are warranted. It certainly is no surprise that Thassilonians were harnessing extraplanar beings. The How of harnessing them would be interesting information."
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