Abberdaggus

I stand corrected! I remembered that I wanted to make sure that at least one of you could use them (Boradur at that time), but I couldn't recall that I was in such a generous mood that I included the alchemical versions as well.

Oathday, 12 Rova 4719, late afternoon Wilder wanders off in search of anything of interest as Samrod and Cirmaran engages in haggling over the newfound treasure. Occasionally, he invokes a charm to sense the presence of magical auras and it doesn't take long for him to sense something coming from the hollow tree, where the Bilokos awere hiding. Within, Wilder finds the remains of a small campfire along with scraps of bones, some dried roots, nuts and jungle fruit. One sprig of berries look remarkably fresh as if just plucked off a tree. There are also a roll of thin twine and a small collection of bells and wind-chimes in various forms. Mechanics Wilder learns that the most powerful magical effect is 6th rank. Map

Yeah - you know, four critters with a full quiver of 20 arrows each, less the few they intended to drill into Cirmaran. And no, I didn't add those to save you the trip back to Akrivel. It was hardcoded into the AP - funny coincidence that you should run across a band of archers just as you run out of arrows yourselves. I believe the recepies were for healing potions, which are magical in nature - not alchemical. So magical crafting would be appropriate here. With those recepies you should be able to brew healing potions of any level if you like. The Biloko will be rolling, if or when it tries to get lose. That would be an escape attempt against Cirmarans thievery DC = 24.

Oathday, 12 Rova 4719, late afternoon The Biloko keeps babbling as Samrod begins to tie it up. It offers no resistance and a sense of apathy seems to have set in. There is little need for Cirmarans heightened vigilance. Boradur gets to work on the dragon pillar, chopping it into pieces with his hand axe. It takes some time as the totem is crafted from sturdy material, but at this point, you have plenty of experience and the work has becomes more or less routine. In the meantime Cirmaran disarms the single live Biloko and continues to loot the three corpses. They were all armed with primitive shortbows and they were fully stocked with arrows for their bows. A quick inventory reveals a grand total of 76 arrows to split between the archers as they see fit. Their longspears are rather crude, and while still deadly they would probably not be worth much to a merchant. Apart from that, the Bilokos do not have much in terms of personal possessions, though one of the dead ones has a necklace of stringed teeth from a wide selection of jungle beasts interspersed with shards of semi-precious stones. The teeth are most likely worthless, but the stones may fetch a bit. Mechanics There is actually official mechanics on tying up a prisoner. The tying up does not require a roll, but does. This is in line with PF2's general principle that only one roll is needed in a contest (with the opposing side providing an appropriate skill DC). In this case the Bilokos escape attempt would be against Samrods Thievery DC (I would allow sailing lore, snare crafting or something similar as well). Perhaps Samrod is not the perfect candidate for the job? Also, congratulations on defeating another dragon pillar. You receive 1 hero point! Map

Round 6 Cirmaran is not one to let go, once he has set his sight on defeating an enemy. His second to last arrow penetrates the throat of the wounded Biloko, killing it instantly. The other Biloko glances back, its facial features twisted in a state of sheer panic. It sees its last companion falling and the dreaded flying Cirmaran closing in fast and it knows there is no way out. Falling to its knees, it throws away its bow and raises its hands in submission. At first it emits a series of strange animal like sounds, but then it calls out in broken MwangiMerci!! Merci!! We yields to the slayer of the dragon..., understandable by Cirmaran. Meanwhile, slogging through mud and knee deep puddles, Samrod, Boradur and Wilder slowly advance on the pulled down dragon pillar. They find it toppled over with Cirmarans rope still tied to it. Its glowing eyes have extinguished and it appears harmless. Mechanics Don't you mean the spell? 😉 Map

Round 6 The heroes lower their arms as the Bilokos turn to flee into the jungle - except for Cirmaran. To the rogue, the risk of allowing a foe to return to fight another day clearly outweighs any sense of mercy. He blends into the shadows behind a tree and fires an arrow at the closest enemy. The aim is lazy, but the Biloko does not pause to dodge and takes the arrow in the back. He stumbles on, however, panic and adrenaline keeping him on his feet. Cirmaran takes up pursuit, and it is clear that there is no way the Bilokos are able to outrun the flying rogue wading through the muck of the swamp. But Cirmaran has another problem: he is down to just two arrows. One Biloko is very hurt and it should not pose much of a challenge for the master marksman to take down that one with a single shot - but the other one is still going strong, so Cirmaran may have to get close and personal to finish that one off. Mechanics I started keeping track of Cirmarans ammunition count in back at the mine and started with the 40 arrows he had on his sheet. He is running through his ammo pretty quickly.... Combat status: Cirmaran: Standard cover, hidden Order Cirmaran, Boradur Wilder and Samrod Dragon pillar Bilokos Your turn now - if you do not wish to continue the pursuit, combat ends. Map

Round 5 Samrod proves himself to be Cirmarans equal with a bow as he plants an arrow deep in the front Biloko's chest. The crocodile-faced creature stumbles in its tracks from the impact of the arrow, but it keeps coming even if it can barely stand. Samrod follows up with an electric shock. Wilder adds his fireball to the inferno, engulfing all four Bilokos in a searing sea of flames. Their screams echo across the waters. The closest Biloko crumbles like a charred piece of paper, dead before it even hits the waters. The one all the way in the back seems to run straight into the center of the ball of fire and completely incinerates in a matter of seconds. The remaining two Bilokos jump for cover and escapes the worst of the explosion, though one of them seems pretty badly hurt. Both survivors are clearly shocked by the ferocity of the retaliation. Seeing half their band obliterated by the gesture of a hand they quickly come to the conclusion that these foes are more than they bargained for. Beside - the dragon pillar has been brought down, so what is there left to protect? In a state of howling panic, both jungle predators turn tail and flees as fast as their little legs can carry them.... Mechanics Combat status: Samrod: Shield up Cirmaran: Standard cover Order Cirmaran, Boradur Wilder and Samrod Dragon pillar Bilokos Your turn now - if you do not wish to take up pursuit, combat ends. Map

Round 5 Boradur takes a good grip on the rope with both hands, plants one foot firmly in the soft mud and braces the other against a rock and when Cirmaran calls out, he begins to pull with all his considerable might. The rope strains against the force and Cirmaran watches his knot anxiously - it seems to hold! At first nothing happens - then, as Boradur grows red under his beard, the rope begins to move, slowly at first and then suddenly very quickly. There is a loud crashing sound coming from up ahead in the direction of the dragon pillar - the unmistakable sound of a large stone and wood object toppling over. Cirmaran can confirm that this is indeed what happened. The Bilokos look back in horror and then begins to howl even louder in frantic rage. Mechanics Combat status: Samrod: Shield up Cirmaran: Standard cover Order Cirmaran, Boradur Wilder and Samrod Dragon pillar Bilokos Wilder and Samrod are up. Map

Round 4-5 Wilder lights up the swamp, creating a contour that Samrod can fire at. He releases his arrow, which barely hits its mark, causing damage. The dragon pillar is currently out of sight, so it remains silent until acquiring a target. Meanwhile, the Bilokos keep advancing, however, slowly through the mud. The two in the front, waving longspears now clearly advance into sight, whereas the other two in the back are just emerging into sight. They hiss and howl their warcrys as belligerent as ever inspite of suffering from the scorching blast of Wilders fireball. Cursing his luck, Cirmaran surges forward once more to pick up the two ends of rope and once more attempt to bind them together. This time he is confident that it will hold (hopefully) and he calls back for his friends to give it a good tug. Mechanics Picking up something from the ground is also an action, so Cirmarans 1) flies, 2) picks up the rope, and 3) bind them together. Yelling is a free action. He is still behind the tree, which provides standard cover - just not greater cover. Boradur hasn't taken any other action yet, so I assume that he is already holding the other end of the rope. The Bilokos just moved last turn, so no attacks from them. You can see all Bilokos, but only Cirmaran has a visual on the dragon pillar (and vice versa). Combat status: Samrod: Shield up Cirmaran: Standard cover Order Cirmaran Wilder, Boradur and Samrod Dragon pillar Bilokos Wilder, Boradur and Samro are up. Map

Round 4 Wilder spots the moving shadows of the approaching Bilokos and immediately sends a fireball to explode behind them, engulfing the two he can see and hopefully other enemies in the vicinity. Wilder can see the two of them dive for cover, but not much else. Samrod scouts into the boggy wilderness for any sight of a foe and he makes out the two Bilokos as well as Wilder does. Mechanics Sorry - I expressed myself poorly: The Bilokos do not come in different color. The colors I refer to were purely for game mechanical purposes to distinguish between otherwise similarly looking foes. So, feel free to pose a different question :) Samrod and Boradur does have line of sight on the two front Bilokos, so they can take a shot if they like (no need to ready, unless you wish them to get closer). Distance between the nearest Biloko and Samrod is 60 ft. Combat status: Samrod: Shield up Order Cirmaran, Wilder Boradur and Samrod Dragon pillar Bilokos Boradur and Samrod can take their shots if you like. Map

Hey, you supplied the roll by yourself, I didn't ask for it.....but I'm glad you did 😉 Besides, one could argue that nothing you do in the heat of battle is simple. I could easily imagine that I would f... up anything I could do in my sleep if I was under pressure.

Round 3 If there is something the nimble sailor is born to do, it is tying two ropes together. He's done it a thousand times, he could do it in his sleep. Sure, he is also being waylaid by fierce jungle predators and an unholy implement to the god of destruction, so there is a bit of pressure, but how hard could it be? He fastens the ropes in record time, not bothering to test the strength of the familiar knot, before he flies back by his friends. The strip of mud currently occupied by the group has little vegetation to hide behind, but he can at least take a small measure of cover behind the sturdy Samrod. Cirmaran plants his feet solidly in the sticky mud and yelling to his friends to help pulling, he gives the rope a good yank....and almost falls on his butt as the hastily bound knot comes undone from the sudden tork. Still standing sheepishly with the slack piece of rope his hands, Cirmaran can at least take comfort from the fact that the vegetation and the drifting mist has broken the line of sight to the dragon pillar. Though you can all see the shadowy shapes of the front two Bilokos advancing. Mechanics I had already decided that anything, but a nat 1 would get the job done (typical DC for a task that requires simple training is 15). And what does Cirmaran get? 😄 Sorry - but it is a little funny... The line of sight is slightly abstracted relative to the map. It is mostly to establish a perimeter, beyond which you could gather without triggering the encounter. Just imagine that if you step much closer than where Samrod is now, you will regain line of sight on the dragon pillar - and vice versa (though possibly behind cover from the tree in the middle). Of course, if the Bilokos get closer, they will gain line of sight on your current position at some point. Combat status: Order Cirmaran Boradur, Samrod and Wilder Dragon pillar Bilokos Boradur, Samrod and Wilder are up. Map

How about we do it like this: Whenever you take an action, consider yourself if you feel a die roll would be appropriate, and make the roll you think fits best. I love the idea of mobilising lore skills for something like this (they are not often used). I will set the DC accordingly - very low for most mundane tasks that would be automatically succesful under normal circumstances. Occasionally, I might ask for a roll as well - especially if it is an action involving other characters/enemies (like the pulling a sack over its head) or if it is a non-routine task. PF2e seems to be built on the principle of only one roll per action - so it might be one or the other, but no need for both. Well, you don't have to hero point every bad roll. Sometime you just have to face the consequences and save your hero points for when they are really bad. 😉 That is pretty much my rule of thumb. I may skip them for low-threat encounters - and sometimes I forget. But then I have you to remind me!

Round 3 Seeing he is in a bit of a pickle, Cirmaran shouts for his companions to toss him another rope and dives for cover behind a tree, still holding on to the other end of the rope. Samrod is quick to oblige - he fetches his own rope from his inventory, steps closer and tosses the rope to the waiting rogue. Meanwhile, the dragon pillar has recharged its glowing eyes and it fires a pair of yellowish liquid globules towards Cirmaran huddled behind the tree. The globs splash against the tree trunk and a faint smoke rises from the impact as the foul liquid begins to eat into the bark. The bilokos are equally fired up - they wade forward on their small legs, but they are as ill-suited for traversing the swamp as you are so the going is very slow. The two in the back weilding short bows each loose an arrow as they move forward. This time, however, they are not even close. Mechanics Round 3 actions Dragon pillar: Strike at Cirmaran Blue biloko Action 1-3: Stride towards Cirmaran Green biloko Action 1-3: Stride towards Cirmaran Red biloko Action 1-2: Stride towards Cirmaran Action 3: Strike at Cirmaran with shortbow Yellow biloko Action 1-2: Stride towards Cirmaran Action 3: Strike at Cirmaran with shortbow Combat status: Cirmaran: Greater cover (+4 AC) Round 4 next - your turn. Map

For better or for worse, mechanically the game is designed such that all characters (PCs as well as enemies) take turns sequentially, even if actions are assumed to happen more or less simultaneously. Since the rest of the group responds to Cirmarans call, this means that Samrods toss of the rope happens after Cirmarans turn, so whatever Cirmaran decides to do with the rope, it will not happen until next turn. I don't think that is too unfair - after all, a round is just supposed to be 6 seconds and there are limits to how much we can expect actions to be coordinated in the span of just six seconds. So, as I see it, round 3 goes like this: Cirmaran is top of the round - he flies away from the dragon pillar (action 1), rope in hand but stops 50 ft away as the rope doesn't extend any further. He calls back to his friends for more rope (free action) moves behind the nearest tree (action 2) and takes cover behind it (action 3 - for greater cover). Samrod fetches rope from his inventory (action 1), strides forward (action 2) and tosses the rope to Cirmaran (action 3) (generally a die roll could be warrented, but I think in this case Cirmaran is very close and expecting the toss, so it should be something even I could manage IRL) Any other actions from friends Enemies turn Then round 4 starting with Cirmaran again. Generally, every little thing you do is an action - when in doubt, assume its a separate action (2 seconds in not a long time!). Tying a rope would be an interact action by itself - then another action to move or throw back or whatever. Tying a rope generally does not require a dice roll - and as Lycar notes you could argue that ropeworking should be second nature for a sailor like Cirmaran, so I'd say no roll is needed. While we are on this topic, how do you guys feel about attaching a die roll to some of these more routine actions? E.g. the "tossing the rope" and the "tying the ropes together" actions? Personally I love rolling dice and see how the results influence the turn of events. I listen a lot to the "critical roll" podcast - they are absolutely hillarious. And I've noticed that the GM almost always calls for a die roll whenever the crew takes actions - not to indicate that something is difficult (you get the impression that he usually attaches a low DC to the roll), but to build the story around the chaos that the dice bring to the table. It often evolves into amusing situations and occasionally turns the game in unexected directions. I'd be inclined to ask for rolls even to mundane tasks (especially during encounters where things are often more chaotic), but set a low DC, just to let that occasional natural 1 (and natural 20) add a bit of spice. But I'll tone it down if you find it tedious and annoying to see your well-laid plans screwed up by a few unlucky roll of the dice.