Not trying to step on GM Blake's toes here, but I'd also like to run Q2: Unforgiving Fire for levels 1–4. However, this will be run through Role Gate.
In order to play, it looks like you'll need to make an account on Role Gate. The service also has an app you can use to play making it a bit more mobile-friendly.
For recruitment, organization, and discussion I am using this thread on the Paizo Boards.
Taking the first 6 interested players, but I do not suggest this for first time PbP players unless they have used role gate before. The style of play will be very different than typical Paizo board games.
Guess my mix of quest choice and new service was poor. Postponing the trial of this service for the time being
Not trying to step on GM Blake's toes here, but I'd also like to run Q2: Unforgiving Fire for levels 1–4. However, this will be run through Role Gate.
In order to play, it looks like you'll need to make an account on Role Gate. The service also has an app you can use to play making it a bit more mobile-friendly.
For recruitment, organization, and discussion I am using this thread on the Paizo Boards.
Taking the first 6 interested players, but I do not suggest this for first time PbP players unless they have used role gate before. The style of play will be very different than typical Paizo board games.
I should also add the
All for Immortality Series (3 parts) Tier: 12-15
I had already played that one when I made the list, but AfI is really good. Highly recommend playing the series, but be careful, adventures in this tier can be more challenging than standard PFS.
Giantslayer: #6 Shadow of the Storm Tyrant by Tito Leati Tier: 15-17
Hell's Rebels: #6 Breaking the Bones of Hell by Amber E. Scott Tier: 16-18
Iron Gods: #6 The Divinity Drive by Crystal Frasier Tier: 15-17 |
Jade Regent: #6 The Empty Throne by Neil Spicer Tier: 14-16 |
Kingmaker: #6 Sound of a Thousand Screams by Unknown Tier: 15-17
Mummy's Mask: #6 Pyramid of the Sky Pharaoh by Mike Shel Tier: 15-17
Reign of Winter: #6 The Witch Queen's Revenge by Greg A. Vaughan Tier: 15-17
Rise of the Runelords: #5 Sins of the Saviors by Stephen S. Greer Tier: 14-16
Rise of the Runelords: #6 The Spires of Xin-Shalast by Greg A. Vaughan Tier: 16-18
Shattered Star: #6 The Dead Heart of Xin by Brandon Hodge Tier: 16-18
The Moonscar by Richard Pett Tier: 15-17
The Witchwar Legacy by Greg A. Vaughan Tier: 16-18
Ironfang Invasion: #5 Prisoners of the Blight by UnknownT ier: 14-16
10-22 Passing the Torch, Part I: Who Wears the Mask by UnknownTier: 12-18
#10-23 Passing the Torch, Part II: Who Speaks for the Ten by UnknownTier: 12-18
Ironfang Invasion #6: Vault of the Onyx Citadel by UnknownTier: 16-18
Ruins of Azlant: #6 Beyond the Veiled Past by UnknownTier: 15-17
Serpent's Skull: #6 Sanctum of the Serpent God by Neil SpicerTier: 16-18
Strange Aeons: #6 Black Stars Beckon by UnknownTier: 16-18
Nah, that isn't on you. If I wasn't being lazy, I would check all your profiles for dayjob updates. Anyway, I've updated your sheet to reflect 100g instead of 40g. I don't think you used your reroll, so you're more than welcome to reroll that nat 1 on your dayjob
@GM Chaos Monk- Wow. Very Impressive and well done on your Emerald Spire run. I have seen several GM's start a full run on here but not many finish it out. Great dedication. :)
@Doublegold- I am always glad to see growth and improvement. It is what we all strive for. Those wonderful accolades you are looking for will come with time and experience. If you need any help at all or questions on a specific scenario the VO team is here to help.
There were many times when I was really burned out from PbP (I still currently am) and I had to drop my personal Giantslayer PbP campaign due to various reasons, but I really pushed to get the spire done; I did not want to let my players down in PFS with a partial spire run, that is never fun.
Well, thanks for the game guys. I've been through a lot of life changes while running this game. I graduated with my BS, moved from assistant teacher to full teacher, started graduate school, bought my first house, and will soon be proposing to my significant other. This is all not to mention the crazy changes that happened at my school due to COVID that we are still dealing with.
I know Freodwen lost someone close to him, but I hope that life treats you all well and that you stay healthy and safe. Thank you everyone!
1.Forum Name Helikon
2. Character Name Trutzburg
3. PFS # 50731-20
4. dayjob:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22
7. Faction Grand Lodge
1. Forum Name: Zinou
2. Character Name: Saint Gudule
3. PFS #: 93583-21
4. Roll for Day Job: none
7. Faction: the concordance
1. Forum Name TColMaster
2. Character Name Regnum Blastface
3. PFS # 329026-1
4. Craft Firearms:1d20 + 24 ⇒ (1) + 24 = 25
7. Faction Grand Lodge
1. Forum Name: neodam
2. Character Name: Barm
3. PFS #: 137484-10
4. Roll for Day Job: none
7. Faction: Grand Lodge
1. Player Name/Alias: Escharid
2. Character Name: Baied Eldourha
3. PFS Character Number: 133884-6
4. Faction: The Exchange
5. Profession Merchant:1d20 + 22 ⇒ (2) + 22 = 24
1. Forum Name caps
2. Character Name Frēodwēn
3. PFS # 137974-8
4. day job, perform, oratory, boons:1d20 + 22 ⇒ (1) + 22 = 23 plus the booming settlement for 100%
5. Initiative +6
6. Perception +11
7. Faction Grand Lodge
I am happy to report that my entire run of the Emerald Spire in PbP has come to a close. My first post as GM was Nov 4, 2018, 10:20 am and my last post for gameplay was now, June 4, 2020.
Some characters have been through the entire ride, some have only been with me for part of the tower, but no character has perished in the dark dungeons of the spire.
A moment for my heroes from floor 1:
Barm, the Two-Handed Fighter
Regnum Blastface, the musket master
Saint Gudule, the whimsy oracle
Honors for those that joined later:
Trutzbrurg, the polearm and shield fighter (joined at floor 2)
Baied, the sorcerer/cleric of Abadar (joined at floor 4)
Freodwen, the ranger/bard (joined at floor 13)
And finally, honorable mentions for those that could not be there for the whole spire, but helped out along the way:
Jahz the Wanderer, the Spell-warrior Skald
Jawhar, the cleric of Sarenrae
Talondreal, the Sorcerer/Paladin/Dragon Disciple
Congratulations to you and your players (especially the ones who went all the way through.)
That's some impressive dedication and not a small feat.
Almost 3000 posts in the gameplay thread! Amazing.
My only regret is that I couldn't adjust the scenario to their power level. It was very frequently too easy for the party, although a two-handed fighter and a musket master gunslinger can do that to any dungeon run.
That amazing anti-climatic ending. Wish I could have made it tougher for you guys!
Anyway, thanks for playing! I'll be working on chronicles after work today. I'm pretty sure everyone wants to finish at 14, but let me know if you want to be 13.5 instead
I am happy to report that my entire run of the Emerald Spire in PbP has come to a close. My first post as GM was Nov 4, 2018, 10:20 am and my last post for gameplay was now, June 4, 2020.
Some characters have been through the entire ride, some have only been with me for part of the tower, but no character has perished in the dark dungeons of the spire.
A moment for my heroes from floor 1:
Barm, the Two-Handed Fighter
Regnum Blastface, the musket master
Saint Gudule, the whimsy oracle
Honors for those that joined later:
Trutzbrurg, the polearm and shield fighter (joined at floor 2)
Baied, the sorcerer/cleric of Abadar (joined at floor 4)
Freodwen, the ranger/bard (joined at floor 13)
And finally, honorable mentions for those that could not be there for the whole spire, but helped out along the way:
Jahz the Wanderer, the Spell-warrior Skald
Jawhar, the cleric of Sarenrae
Talondreal, the Sorcerer/Paladin/Dragon Disciple
In the previous room, you find a secret tunnel that heads slightly south and west. It leads you to A lake of chill water that reaches to the walls of this cave. Glowing green branches of crystal extrude from the southern wall, and a gravelly beach rises near the westernmost crystal. To the north, the crystals grow to reach a pair of stone terraces that lead up from the water to a door, on which an eye-shaped rune shimmers.
The lake water is extremely cold and you can see the forms of about six creatures swimming in it under the water. There isn't anything of interest here, so you had back the safe way to where you were.
Opening the other doorway south from the previous room leads you to a small room that connects to an emerald root, but has nothing else of interest.
With the defeat Iluchtewhar, you (perhaps unknowingly) avert a great deal of future mischief. Not only are the mad Vault Keeper’s designs for a reordering of the surrounding surface realms to suit its vision foiled, the Emerald Spire’s potential for destruction is largely neutralized. Iluchtewhar’s long imprisonment made him a part of the Spire, and no other entity can harness its power. Over the course of weeks, the planar conjunctions common in the area diminish or cease, and constructs powered by the Spire shards exhaust their reserves of energy and deactivate. While the Spire loses much of its potential power, it is nearly indestructible, and its dungeon levels remain. In time, Darklands creatures or surface villains may slowly trickle in to claim depopulated levels.
Using either teleportation magic or the emerald spire keystones, you travel back to the surface and return to town. As usual, letters from the Pathfinder Society await you, wands of sending included for quick communication. The letters generally ask for status reports and updates on your progress of exploring the spire, of which, you can finally say you have fully explored the entire structure.
Freodwen destroys the reforming body with well placed arrows. When Iluchtewhar is destroyed, a tremor rumbles through the structure. The ground shakes, and pieces of debris fall from the cavern ceiling. A pulse of energy gathers in the branches and tendrils of the Emerald Spire root, then suddenly rushes inward and upward, ascending the Spire. From far above comes a receding series of echoes of explosion after explosion, gradually diminishing as they ascend toward the distant surface.
The pech cheers, "Finally! The old master is dead and we are free!"
The treasure of the complex has remained here for ages, untouched. Sitting at the statue’s feet are a +3 construct bane adamantine heavy pick, a staff of earth and stone, a stone of good luck, and a philosopher’s stone.
A small shrine sits in the northwest corner of this room. A set of tiered steps leads down to the room itself. A table stands in the middle of the room, and two green pedestals rise in alcoves to the west and east. To the south looms a towering statue of a skeletal dragon made of stone and crystal.
A character who succeeds at a DC 25 Knowledge (religion) check:
recognizes the statue to the south and the room as a whole as dedicated to the Fossilized King Ayrzul, the elemental lord of earth. The Vault Builders have long looked to Ayrzul as a patron more than a god, and the awakening of one of his favored children has attracted the demigod’s attention, after a fashion.
You see the bottom half of the Vault Keeper's body quickly regrowing in the eastern alcove.
That's fine, I guess I should have asked more along the lines of "do you want to cast it that many times".
Anymore healing, buffing, or readying before you move to the next room? Everyone other than Baied has about five rounds to do any preparing while she heals and gives fire resistance (Saint Gudule has 4 due to healing as well).
A shining child corrupts the positive energy within a living creature into an unnatural burning light. For the next 5 rounds after a successful touch attack by a shining child, the target takes 2d6 points of fire damage. The burning light can be “extinguished” by casting darkness or deeper darkness on the target, or by entering an area of natural darkness (not counting the light from the burning target).
Yes, all you learned about the Vault Keeper is that it can explode crystals. It is a DC 29 and your take 20 gives you 31 with good hope. (You already received the DC 24 information from Baied).
Trutzburg runs past the bright creature to cut open the door.
AoO touch attack:1d20 + 21 ⇒ (14) + 21 = 35fire damage:4d10 ⇒ (8, 8, 10, 10) = 36
The shining creature easily touches Trutzburg and ignites him for some fire damage. More interestingly, Trutzburg begins glowing so brightly, he begins burning more.
reflex save:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32
The creature easily moves out of the way of the flamestrike and ignores the fire aspect of the spell.
The creature then tries to touch Barm with its burning hands.
touch Barm:1d20 + 21 ⇒ (2) + 21 = 23fire damage:4d10 ⇒ (6, 8, 9, 1) = 24 touch Barm:1d20 + 21 ⇒ (17) + 21 = 38fire damage:4d10 ⇒ (8, 6, 10, 9) = 33
Like Trutzburg, Barm begins glowing so brightly that it burns.
Trutzburg and Barm take firedamage:2d6 ⇒ (6, 1) = 7 at the end of their turns. I have not added it in yet.
Initiative Order, Bold May Go! Map Slide Regnum
Freodwen
New Creature, -72hp
Barm, -57
Baied
Saint Gudule
Trutzburg
Freodwen doesn't know what this new creature is at all. He just barely recalls rumours of the Vault Keeper's ability to create bursts of crystals.
Crystal Burst ability:
Crystal Burst (Su) As a standard action once every 1d4 rounds, a Vault Keeper can create an explosion of razor-sharp crystals at a range of up to 120 feet. These crystals fill a 30-foot-radius burst and deal 12d6 points of piercing and slashing damage.
Barm moves in to strike the new creature. He easily slicces into the light-emanating body.
Baied makes copies of herself.
Saint Gudule and Trutzburg are up!
Regnum fires his gun, which works this time, and knocks the vault keeper out.
The creature crumbles to emerald-colored dust that slithers across the floor at shocking speed. It slides under the door behind it and disappears for now.
The Pech calls out, "Iluchtewhar retreats to reform!"
Initiative Order, Bold May Go! Map Slide
Regnum
Freodwen
New Creature, -62hp
Barm
Baied
Saint Gudule
Trutzburg
The Pech
Barm slices into the crystal creature, but even his mighty adamantine sword is turned slightly aside by the creature's body. DR 10/?
Baied tries to cast a spell, but her armor gets her arms locked up mid-cast, foiling the spell.
Saint Gudule apparently casts a fireball, much to his own surprise.
reflex:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (11) + 18 = 29
Trutzburg moved forward to help Barm in melee.
Nodachi:1d20 + 26 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 26 + 3 + 1 = 33damage:1d10 + 28 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 28 + 3 = 39
Similarly to Barm, Trutzburg slices into the creature, but is turned slightly away.
The Pech following you unfurls its scroll of disitengrate and lets loose!
touch:1d20 + 11 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 11 + 3 + 1 = 20 damage:20d6 + 3 ⇒ (2, 1, 5, 2, 1, 3, 4, 2, 2, 3, 2, 6, 4, 5, 5, 5, 2, 2, 4, 2) + 3 = 65 fort save:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18
Regnum fires his gun, which is apparently broken this floor due to the various pressure changes for being a mile or so beneath the surface. His first shot lands, but his gun clicks for not on the second shot.
Freodwen supplies more magical buffs to the party.
The creature, still barely standing, retreats to the next room (Withdrawl action) opening the door mentally.
A tall mound of glowing green crystal dominates the center of this chamber. To the south, two statues of six-armed, slender, insectile creatures stand watch.
A human-sized creature in this room moves to help the Vault Keeper. Surrounded by a nimbus of near-blinding light, this strange creature looks like an emaciated child with clawed hands.
This new creature flashes a brilliant light that is so bright, it seems to make your vision go white for a minute.
The vault keeper begins casting a spell, Freodwen fires an arrow at the creature, but it hardly pierces the creature's crystalline body.
concentration, DC 33:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (6) + 23 = 29
However the damage proves to be distracting enough to negate the delicate spellcasting.
Initiative Order, Bold May Go! Map Slide Regnum
Freodwen
Vault Keeper, -12hp
Barm
Baied
Saint Gudule
Trutzburg
The Pech
Your take 10 tells you nothing about this creature (19 planes vs DC 24). You can use your standard take 20 if you'd like instead of attacking to disrupt his spell. Which are you doing?
I love the depth of some these answers, especially when he is just gathering information on what race makes the best slaves.
The creature does what might pass for a nod, "Interesting..." he continues the conversation for a bit asking about the race best for moving materials, leading people, or designing structures. It becomes quite clear that the creature is gathering information for creating some form of workforce.
"I must study your kind further...Do not resist." the Vault Keeper says as he begins casting a spell.
The Pech speaks up, "Don't trust him! KILL ILUCHTEWHAR!" and she begins casting a spell from her scroll.
"Pathfinders...what are you? Builders knew of humans, half-elves...not the rest. What race is best?" the creature chitters at you in very odd sounding common.
As the Pech looks around, a four-armed crystalline man teleports into the room, "Ah, I see my lost servant has returned...and it looks like I have some friends to thank for her return." he says before looking over all of you, "You are not part of the design, who are you and where are you from?"
"Vault builder made this." the Pech says gesturing at the lever machine, "It makes creatures to guard the vault. Not important! Let's go!" it says.
Immense stone double doors stand in the eastern and western walls of this room, and two single doors are set in the south wall. Three low, stone platforms sit along the north wall, each fitted with a rectangular, green crystal tile.
"Which way, which way!?" the pech says as it glances around at all the doors.
The pech teleports the group into another chamber.
This cavern is encrusted with crystals, except for the northeastern wall, which is a smooth stone surface etched with jagged runes. Two carnivorous crystals move to attack, but the Pech calms them down.
The chamber appears to be blocked off, but the Pech uses magic to clear away an artificial wall created by a wall of stone spell making the next chamber visible.
The eastern wall of this chamber bears a complex carving of a map of an immense cave system. Opposite this map stands a peculiar machine made of stone and metal and crystal, the top a large inverted funnel made of what appears to be green crystalline spider webbing. To the south, three spheres of stone are embedded in one wall, while opposite them two green levers lie in the down position.
Eriniell tells you that Iluchtewhar lies to the north, through the roots. "Trough the roots that way is the vault keeper. Not safe to take roots while Iluchtewhar is alive. I can teleport close to them."
Barm, Trutzburg, and Freodwen easily finish off the aliens in this room.
identify what they were, dungeoneering DC 20:
Known by various names on various worlds, but most often as “elder things” or “old ones,” these strange creatures have very little of the humanoid in their shape, yet their philosophies and goals shine with very human features—fundamental curiosities about the nature of life, deep interests and skills in creating lasting works of art and architecture, and a boundless capacity for war and egotism.
Loot: The equivalent of three masterwork alchemy labs sits upon the shelves here, along with a Spire transport token and 5,400 gp in raw materials useful in crafting magic items. The crystals on the pedestals—called master shards—allow anyone carrying one to use the Spire branches as tunnels. By pressing one shard against the Spire as a full-round action, a person melds with the crystal as if using earth glide, and can remain inside until he chooses to exit as a free action. The crystal is consumed upon use, but there are a dozen crystals on each pedestal (36 total shards). Each one is worth 500 gp.
Each alien had a +1 Keen Dart Gun. The dart gun functions as a hand crossbow that can hold 20 darts and automatically reloads between shots, allowing the wielder to make full attacks with it. It fires an additional shot each round as if its wielder possessed the Rapid Shot feat. A +1 keen dart gun is worth 9,300 gp, and is an exotic weapon that elder things are proficient with. The elder things have treated all of their ammunition with doses of shadow essence (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 560).
Regnum moves in to shoot the aliens, but his gun clicks and nothing happens.
Barm, not relying on finicky black powder, rushes in and puts his trust sword to work. His swing connects and tears into one of the creatures, but it remains mostly intact for now.
Baied gives Barm a little extra protection. (+1 AC since he already has a +1 ring)
Trutzburg moves in to support Barm, finishing off their main target.
Freodwen makes everyone faster and inspired to finish the fight.
Saint Gudule makes one of the aliens glow OOoooOoOoOO!
The yellow one steps in front of Trutzburg and attacks with all of its tentacles!
A long stone counter runs along the edges of this L-shaped room, its surface cluttered with strange tools, alchemical devices, urns of bubbling liquid, and shuddering clots of flesh. Three pedestals to the south support small mounds of glowing green crystals.
There are numerous large glass containers filled with green liquid along the walls. In each container resides a creature found previously in the tower, a goblin in one, a spider in another. Some of them have bandits, cultists, mummies, or other various creatures found throughout the spire.
Working tirelessly on dissecting these creatures on tables are star-shaped headed creatures with numerous writhing appendages arranged radially around their barrel-shaped bodies.
You're all treated as having the Disk Rider Ability: Disk Rider (Fly 3 ranks): You can ride atop any floating disk you create, so long as it has the capacity to support your weight. This grants you a fly speed of 30 feet (average), but the disk cannot move itself or you more than 5 feet above the ground at any time. If you are on a location within the Astral Plane—the disk can instead fly to any height, and your fly speed while standing on it increases to 40 feet (good). When you cast floating disk, you can step onto the disk in your space as part of the action required to cast the spell.
Initiative Order, Bold May Go! Map Slide Regnum
Barm
Baied
Trutzburg
Freodwen
Saint Gudule
Aliens!
You're the only one that specified you're getting off of the floating disks. Based on that, I'm guessing everyone else is still riding their disks to the next location.
In case it isn't clear, the Pech is now following you to help kill Iluchtewhar.
Updated floor 14, Throne of Azlnat to also be full speed for you. Sorry for the confusion, it was easier to play full speed all the way until the last 6 floors and slow speed those instead of playing some at full and some at slow in between.
Level 2: The Cellars 1–3
Level 3: Splinterden 2–4
Level 4: Godhome 3–5
Level 5: The Drowned Level 3–5
Level 6: The Clockwork Maze 4–6
Let's see, you should all be level 7 at the end of this one, right?
Level 7: Shrine of the Awakener 5–7 (finish at level 8)
Level 8: The Circle of Vissk-Thar 6–8 (finish at level 9)
Level 9: The Spire Axis 7–9 (finish at level 10)
Level 10: The Magma Vault 8–10 (slow track to stay at 10)
Level 11: The Tomb of Yarrix 8–10 (slow track to finish at 11)
Level 12: The Automaton Forge 9–11 (slow track to stay at 11)
Level 13: The Pleasure Gardens 9–11 (slow track to finish at 12)
Level 14: The Throne of Azlant 10–12 (slow track to stay at 12)
Level 15: Order and Chaos 10–12 (slow track to finish at 13)
Level 16: The Emerald Root 11–13 (slow track to finish at 14)
If anyone would like to finish at 12 for Eyes of the Ten or something similar, let me know now because I think if I slow track you on this chronicle, and the rest of the spire, you'll finish at 12 exactly.
"Not my master anymore, but he is trapped here anyway." the pech replies. "The curse it not a curse at all! The vault keeper is tied to the vault. I tried freeing it after we knew there were no more vault builders." the pech then pulls out a scroll (of disintegrate), "Now its time to kill Iluchtewhar with new allies."
No, No, Eriniell is a Pech! Not many of my kind left...to much earth touching! Eriniell is an air Pech now!" the creature says.
knowledge nature, DC 13:
Untold ages ago, the pechs served forgotten masters in the deepest caverns of the world. In time, their masters moved on, leaving the pechs bereft of guidance. Some sought refuge in seemingly safer tunnels nearer the surface. The unspeakable horrors they encountered there transformed them into derros over the course of several generations. Those pechs that stayed close to their ancestral caverns survive to this day, though in such Small numbers and in such isolation that few of the surface world know of their existence.
Pechs are skilled miners and stonemasons, and are at times employed or enslaved as such by other subterranean races. They have learned to hide the entrances to their lairs most carefully, blending their narrow entranceways into the living rock such that they can only be seen from exactly the right angle. When interlopers do find a pech’s lair, they are met with open arms, friendly advice, and a firm insistence that the pech is to be left alone. The typical pech stands only 3-1/2 feet tall, but its dense flesh gives it a weight of 100 pounds
"Eriniell tries many times to free Iluchtewhar, but cursed earth kept him air. I gave up and my master hates me know. He can use the earth itself to possess my mind!" the creature says.
"My name? The earth gave me one and I cast it aside! I have an air name now, yes, not an earth name, an air name. My air name is Eriniell. Iluchtewhar is the vault keeper of earth. Not vault maker, vault keeper." the strange creature says while anxiously checking the ground. "Iluchtewhar is ancient!"
knowledge planes to identify a Vault Keeper, DC 24:
Xiomorns comprise two castes: the four-legged mythic Vault Builders and the two-legged non-mythic Vault Keepers. Both are among the most ancient forms of life—primeval elemental beings who travel to raw, new worlds upon the Material Plane, pursuing strange ecological investigations into the nature of life. The worlds these enigmatic beings have visited feature strange ruins in remote regions and immense, vault-like caverns deep underground where ecologies that shouldn’t exist flourish. Xiomorns have little interest in protecting a world’s indigenous life, except as necessary for their experiments’ goals, and wage war against such races when native empires encroach upon the xiomorns’ experimental realms
