Episode #1: Not Quite Rats in the Basement...

[GralphidBlackstrip]

Velras recasts his magic, forging new tokens to replace the old, expended ones.

He shivers slightly as Zella casts her dark-sight magic on him. "Interesting magic. Tastes like licorice ice-pops." He comments.

"I don't think we decided on an entrance strategy. I say let us fly up and enter from the top."

 

Mechanics

Recasting the shorter duration spells, takes 4 spell points.

Also casting Nature's Sight: Earth for extended range tremorsense.

Statblock and Tracker

39/57 Spell points left

Martial Focus: 2/2

Active Effects: The World, Swords, The Fool, Strength, and The Emperor (Duration: 16 hours from opening scene)

Enhance Equipment (unarmed strike, warhammer, 7 other armors/weapons) Duration: 16 hours from opening scene)

Darkvision (Duration: 20 hours from opening scene, from Zella)

Staunch Resistance (Will, Reflex) (Duration: 160 minutes from night-time, applies to whole party)

Cast Nature's Carapace (metal) and Resist Elements (fire, enhanced) (duration: 260 minutes from night time)

Nature's Sense: Earth (Tremorsense 90 feet) (duration: 260 minutes from night time)

blessing of the watch, hunter's blessing (+2 sacred bonus on Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive,  Survival, attack rolls and damage rolls made against humans. +2 sacred bonus on initiative checks, Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks in urban areas),

Blacksmith Maintenances: Clarifying and Quickening Reinforcements Blacksmith maintenances (+4 reflex and will saves), and Armor Maintenance (+4 armor, reduce ACP by 4)

Defenses: AC: 48, FF: 36, Touch: 23, CMD: 39 (+2 per size category larger than me attacker is, +4 vs trip and +5 vs sunder)

Cold/Elec/Acid Resistance 10, Fire Resist 36 and recover 1 HP for each damage prevented

Fort: +17, Ref: +22, Will: +19, (all saves roll twice and take better) HP: 240

Immunities/other: Immune to disease, poison, age.
130' move, climb (including through air, or earth glide speed

Skills: Acrobatics +42*, Climb +31*, Diplomacy +24, K. Engineering, local, and nature (+21), Perception +16 (+7 on traps, +2 bonus and auto-check to find unusual stonework or metalwork), Prof Blacksmith* +34, sense motive +24, Knowledge local +23, Stealth* +24

*Can take-10 even when rushed or threatened

+5 insight bonus to skills when taking 10

Misc: Can make AoOs even when flat-footed.

When suffering penalties to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, or ability checks, reduce the total penalty by 2, to a minimum penalty of -1.
 

Edited December 12, 2023 by GralphidBlackstrip (see edit history)

[Boss Muro]

"Seconded." Khefu agreed, making a few last minute prayers to Erastil before the party made their move. "To the flying part, that is. The magic doesn't taste like anything to me."

"Actually, while we're on the subject of having a taste..." the priest-cop pulled a small flask from a pocket inside his robes. He took a swig of the strong wine within, before offering the flask to the rest of the party. "Here, pass it around. It'll keep you sharp." After a moment, he chuckled, "Magically, I mean. I'm not just drinking on the job."

Mechanics

Casting Communal air walk on Khefu and Zella, lasting 80 mins for Zella, 70 for Khefu

Communal Resist energy (fire) on Khefu, Zella, Vance, Roth. Gives Resist Fire 30, for 40 mins each (30 mins for Khefu)

Freedom of Movement on self, Velras, Zella, for 150 mins

Magic Circle against Evil on self (150 Mins)

Tears to wine, shared with everyone for a +10 enchancement bonus on all int and wis skills, 150 mins.

Statblock

Active Effects: Delay poison, eaglesoul (passive, ), Greater magic weapon +3, ascetic armor +10, hunter's blessing (+2 sacred bonus on Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive,  Survival, attack rolls and damage rolls made against humans. +2 sacred bonus on initiative checks, Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks in urban areas), blessing of the watch, wind walk, enhance equipment (unarmed, +5), Staunch resistance (+5 will and fortitude), clearsight (immunity to Zella's shadows), Air walk (75 mins), communal resist energy (fire 30, 30 mins), Freedom of movement (150 mins), Magic circle against evil (150 mins), Tears to wine (150 mins)

Defences: AC: 39, FF: 36, Touch: 29, CMD: 54

Cold/Elec/Acid Resistance 5, DR 5/natural weapons

Fort: +23, Ref: +18, Will: +22 (28 vs mind-affecting), HP: 195

Immunities/other: Immune to disease, death, aging, starvation, takes minimum fall damage, and delays poison. +3 vs fear, +2 vs paralysis and sleep.
Attacks: Flurry of blows: +27/27/27/22/17 for 2d8+15 damage. Stunning fist DC 25. Each hit comes with free intimidate, enemies hit while shaken become flat-footed vs me, +2 attacks per round vs flat-footed enemies. Can flying kick 40' and full attack, or use Dimensional dervish to teleport/charge/full attack 200 ft (costing 2 ki). Two style strikes per round:

Grapple + 32
Skills: Intimidate +42, sense motive +34, Knowledge local +33, Diplo +27, Stealth +26, UMD +12, Spellcraft +31, Perception +29,
Misc: Attacks count as magic, lawful, silver, cold iron, adamantine. 100' move speed.

 

RESOURCES

SPELLS REMAINING: 6/6/3/4/6/6/5

Ki points: 17, Stunning fist: 14

Natural Divinations: +cha to saving throw (x2), +10 to skill check (x2)

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Boss Muro (see edit history)

[GralphidBlackstrip]

  

Velras grins. "All right, let's go!"

With that, he slings his hammer over one shoulder, then with the other hand and legs, simply starts walking upwards through the air. Every now and then he reaches out with a foot, as if looking for a stable spot, although all the foot ever comes down on is empty air. Nonetheless, he seems to find some purchase and continues his rapid ascent.

Assuming the others will follow behind him, Velras quickly hurries to the top of the building.

 

Mechanics

Using skyspider's Touch to climb on air, I can easily auto-hit the target with taking 10, which I can do even when rushed or hurried.

Statblock and Tracker

39/57 Spell points left

Martial Focus: 2/2

Active Effects: The World, Swords, The Fool, Strength, and The Emperor (Duration: 16 hours from opening scene)

Enhance Equipment (unarmed strike, warhammer, 7 other armors/weapons) Duration: 16 hours from opening scene)

Darkvision (Duration: 20 hours from opening scene, from Zella)

Staunch Resistance (Will, Reflex) (Duration: 160 minutes from night-time, applies to whole party)

Cast Nature's Carapace (metal) and Resist Elements (fire, enhanced) (duration: 260 minutes from night time)

Nature's Sense: Earth (Tremorsense 90 feet) (duration: 260 minutes from night time)

blessing of the watch, hunter's blessing (+2 sacred bonus on Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive,  Survival, attack rolls and damage rolls made against humans. +2 sacred bonus on initiative checks, Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks in urban areas),

Blacksmith Maintenances: Clarifying and Quickening Reinforcements Blacksmith maintenances (+4 reflex and will saves), and Armor Maintenance (+4 armor, reduce ACP by 4)

Defenses: AC: 48, FF: 36, Touch: 23, CMD: 39 (+2 per size category larger than me attacker is, +4 vs trip and +5 vs sunder)

Cold/Elec/Acid Resistance 10, Fire Resist 36 and recover 1 HP for each damage prevented

Fort: +17, Ref: +22, Will: +19, (all saves roll twice and take better) HP: 240

Immunities/other: Immune to disease, poison, age.
130' move, climb (including through air, or earth glide speed

Skills: Acrobatics +42*, Climb +31*, Diplomacy +24, K. Engineering, local, and nature (+21), Perception +16 (+7 on traps, +2 bonus and auto-check to find unusual stonework or metalwork), Prof Blacksmith* +34, sense motive +24, Knowledge local +23, Stealth* +24

*Can take-10 even when rushed or threatened

+5 insight bonus to skills when taking 10

Misc: Can make AoOs even when flat-footed.

When suffering penalties to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, or ability checks, reduce the total penalty by 2, to a minimum penalty of -1.
 

[Boss Muro]

With a nod, Khefu wordlessly followed after Velras. Like the blacksmith, he didn't exactly fly so much as simply run across the thin air. Keeping an eye open for any movement inside the cloister, he made his way to the top of the tower and looked for a way inside. A door on the roof would be ideal, but between Vance's skill with locks and Velras' skill with his hammer, the watchman doubted the party would find any trouble making a door.

 

Statblock

Active Effects: Delay poison, eaglesoul (passive, ), Greater magic weapon +3, ascetic armor +10, hunter's blessing (+2 sacred bonus on Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive,  Survival, attack rolls and damage rolls made against humans. +2 sacred bonus on initiative checks, Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks in urban areas), blessing of the watch, wind walk, enhance equipment (unarmed, +5), Staunch resistance (+5 will and fortitude), clearsight (immunity to Zella's shadows), Air walk (75 mins), communal resist energy (fire 30, 30 mins), Freedom of movement (150 mins), Magic circle against evil (150 mins), Tears to wine (150 mins)

Defences: AC: 39, FF: 36, Touch: 29, CMD: 54

Cold/Elec/Acid Resistance 5, DR 5/natural weapons

Fort: +23, Ref: +18, Will: +22 (28 vs mind-affecting), HP: 195

Immunities/other: Immune to disease, death, aging, starvation, takes minimum fall damage, and delays poison. +3 vs fear, +2 vs paralysis and sleep.
Attacks: Flurry of blows: +27/27/27/22/17 for 2d8+15 damage. Stunning fist DC 25. Each hit comes with free intimidate, enemies hit while shaken become flat-footed vs me, +2 attacks per round vs flat-footed enemies. Can flying kick 40' and full attack, or use Dimensional dervish to teleport/charge/full attack 200 ft (costing 2 ki). Two style strikes per round:

Grapple + 32
Skills: Intimidate +42, sense motive +34, Knowledge local +33, Diplo +27, Stealth +26, UMD +12, Spellcraft +31, Perception +29,
Misc: Attacks count as magic, lawful, silver, cold iron, adamantine. 100' move speed.

 

RESOURCES

SPELLS REMAINING: 6/6/3/4/6/6/5

Ki points: 17, Stunning fist: 14

Natural Divinations: +cha to saving throw (x2), +10 to skill check (x2)

Edited January 12 by Boss Muro (see edit history)

[VennDygrem]

Zella follows the others, the group having adequately passed time until the passing of twilight. This was the time of day when she could really shine... metaphorically speaking, of course.

The air walking magic proves to be a boon, saving her from having to necessarily expend her own energies and resources on air travel methods.

OOC

N/A

[Laird Ichofox]

Roth floats upwards behind the others, dark fumes leaking from the sides of his mouth in case someone's in the upper sections of the cloister.

[Llyarden]

The progress of the group up to the top of the cloister seems to go unmolested, and they land on the roof of the tower without incident. The area doesn't seem to get much use - about the only feature on it is what might once have been a flagpole (the White Doves did have a logo, and used the flag to show when they were open to petitions from the public), though, worn by age, it seems to have snapped in half at some point in the past.

There is a door down from the roof - a trapdoor, to be exact - although it is locked.

[BBK]

"Oh, what have we here..." Pulling out some tools from his bag, Vance pushes his spectacles up on his nose, seeming delighted at the task at hand. Running his eyes over the trapdoor and the frame it was set into, he hums and mumbles to himself under his breath as he seems to run through some sort of mental checklist as he prepares his tools.

OOC

ACTIONS

Check the Trapdoor for Traps (Perception)

If traps, attempt to disable traps. (Disable Device)

Also attempt to bypass the lock (Disable Device)

---

 

[Boss Muro]

While waiting for Vance to deal with the locked door, Khefu idly turned his attention to the flagpole poking out of the tower roof. He doubted he would find anything relevant, but found himself looking for signs of specific damage on the remains more or less by instinct. Had it simply been a victim of time and weather, or had someone cut it down?

[Llyarden]

The flagpole hasn't been cut down per se, but rather snapped, like a twig. It's difficult to know the exact cause, not least because there has been quite a lot of wear from age alone over the years...but it would have to be quite a strong wind to break a pole as thick as a person's leg.

Vance discovers no traps on the door, although the lock is remarkably good quality for how old it is - it would probably almost be easier to take the door apart! Nonetheless, he manages to get the door open, revealing a spiral staircase leading down.

Khefu

And you notice something...odd. When you'd examined the top room using your clairvoyance sensor, the staircase had been pretty decrepit. Not unnavigable entirely, but certainly you would've wanted to watch your step on the way down for fear of your foot going through a rotten board. But now you're looking at it, it doesn't look like that at all - it's showing signs of age, certainly, but it doesn't look even remotely as worn as it had when you'd first looked.

[Boss Muro]

"This staircase looks different." Khefu announced quietly, his tone surprised and wary. "When I scryed it, the whole thing looked rotten through. Now it's fine." He rubbed his chin in thought, "Illusion magic, is my bet. A fairly efficient use of it, too. With just a minor spell and a rotten staircase, anyone coming in from the roof is liable to go crashing through the stairs, and tumble to the bottom of the tower. Which wouldn't do wonders for our element of surprise."

[GralphidBlackstrip]

 Velras cocks his head, considering the strangeness. He mutters to himself, twisting himself around, looking at the stairs.

"The intense focus of light
but pointillism,
into this juncture bits of light
surround rough, inverted sky –
The heavy mirage of dots,

landscape locked"

After a minute, he nods his head, he takes out his hammer. "Got it. A hard blow, right about ... there, would do it. If it's an illusion, the vibrations would counter the arcano-harmonic resonance. If it isn't an illusion, I'd just look silly." Velras hefts his hammer, considering his options.

Mechanics

I spend 1 minute to cast Divine, looking for magic auras on the staircase.

That won't let me see through the illusion, but will let me see the illusionary aura if it exists.

Taking 10 on K. Arcana is a 31 on the check to identify the school (includes bonus from The Fool)

Statblock and Tracker

39/57 Spell points left

Martial Focus: 2/2

Active Effects: The World, Swords, The Fool, Strength, and The Emperor (Duration: 16 hours from opening scene)

Enhance Equipment (unarmed strike, warhammer, 7 other armors/weapons) Duration: 16 hours from opening scene)

Darkvision (Duration: 20 hours from opening scene, from Zella)

Staunch Resistance (Will, Reflex) (Duration: 160 minutes from night-time, applies to whole party)

Cast Nature's Carapace (metal) and Resist Elements (fire, enhanced) (duration: 260 minutes from night time)

Nature's Sense: Earth (Tremorsense 90 feet) (duration: 260 minutes from night time)

blessing of the watch, hunter's blessing (+2 sacred bonus on Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive,  Survival, attack rolls and damage rolls made against humans. +2 sacred bonus on initiative checks, Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks in urban areas),

Blacksmith Maintenances: Clarifying and Quickening Reinforcements Blacksmith maintenances (+4 reflex and will saves), and Armor Maintenance (+4 armor, reduce ACP by 4)

Defenses: AC: 48, FF: 36, Touch: 23, CMD: 39 (+2 per size category larger than me attacker is, +4 vs trip and +5 vs sunder)

Cold/Elec/Acid Resistance 10, Fire Resist 36 and recover 1 HP for each damage prevented

Fort: +17, Ref: +22, Will: +19, (all saves roll twice and take better) HP: 240

Immunities/other: Immune to disease, poison, age.
130' move, climb (including through air, or earth glide speed

Skills: Acrobatics +42*, Climb +31*, Diplomacy +24, K. Engineering, local, and nature (+21), Perception +16 (+7 on traps, +2 bonus and auto-check to find unusual stonework or metalwork), Prof Blacksmith* +34, sense motive +24, Knowledge local +23, Stealth* +24

*Can take-10 even when rushed or threatened

+5 insight bonus to skills when taking 10

Misc: Can make AoOs even when flat-footed.

When suffering penalties to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, or ability checks, reduce the total penalty by 2, to a minimum penalty of -1.
 

Edited February 14 by GralphidBlackstrip (see edit history)

[GralphidBlackstrip]

  Velras finishes bending a small piece of iron into a loop, the metal glowing red from the heat of his bare hands. He takes the loop and stares through it at the stairs.  "Huh, I don't see any magic."

Mechanics

 

Statblock and Tracker

39/57 Spell points left

Martial Focus: 2/2

Active Effects: The World, Swords, The Fool, Strength, and The Emperor (Duration: 16 hours from opening scene)

Enhance Equipment (unarmed strike, warhammer, 7 other armors/weapons) Duration: 16 hours from opening scene)

Darkvision (Duration: 20 hours from opening scene, from Zella)

Staunch Resistance (Will, Reflex) (Duration: 160 minutes from night-time, applies to whole party)

Cast Nature's Carapace (metal) and Resist Elements (fire, enhanced) (duration: 260 minutes from night time)

Nature's Sense: Earth (Tremorsense 90 feet) (duration: 260 minutes from night time)

blessing of the watch, hunter's blessing (+2 sacred bonus on Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive,  Survival, attack rolls and damage rolls made against humans. +2 sacred bonus on initiative checks, Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks in urban areas),

Blacksmith Maintenances: Clarifying and Quickening Reinforcements Blacksmith maintenances (+4 reflex and will saves), and Armor Maintenance (+4 armor, reduce ACP by 4)

Defenses: AC: 48, FF: 36, Touch: 23, CMD: 39 (+2 per size category larger than me attacker is, +4 vs trip and +5 vs sunder)

Cold/Elec/Acid Resistance 10, Fire Resist 36 and recover 1 HP for each damage prevented

Fort: +17, Ref: +22, Will: +19, (all saves roll twice and take better) HP: 240

Immunities/other: Immune to disease, poison, age.
130' move, climb (including through air, or earth glide speed

Skills: Acrobatics +42*, Climb +31*, Diplomacy +24, K. Engineering, local, and nature (+21), Perception +16 (+7 on traps, +2 bonus and auto-check to find unusual stonework or metalwork), Prof Blacksmith* +34, sense motive +24, Knowledge local +23, Stealth* +24

*Can take-10 even when rushed or threatened

+5 insight bonus to skills when taking 10

Misc: Can make AoOs even when flat-footed.

When suffering penalties to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, or ability checks, reduce the total penalty by 2, to a minimum penalty of -1.
 

[VennDygrem]

"Hmm... Let me have a look."

Zella concentrates for a moment as shadows fill her eyes for a brief moment.

As the shadows recede, her eyes seem to be focused sharper, taking in more than surface details. She peers into the room to discern anything of note.

OOC

Spend a spell point as a swift action to activate Mystic Adaptation to gain three combat feats for 8 minutes:
1. Extra Combat Talent: Discern IllusionsDiscern Illusions

As long as you have martial focus, you gain a bonus to all Will saves against illusions (including glamers, figments, and any effects created by the illusion school or the Illusion sphere) equal to 1/2 your ranks in Perception (minimum 1). As a swift action, you can expend martial focus to share this bonus with all allies within 30 ft. for a number of rounds equal to your practitioner modifier.
2. Extra Combat Talent: True SightTrue Sight
Prerequisites: Scout sphere, Discern Illusions, Piercing Eye, Perception 15 ranks.

So long as you have martial focus, your razor sharp senses can no longer be fooled by illusions and misdirections, granting you the ability to see all things as they actually are. This functions as the true seeing spell but is a personal, extraordinary effect that allows you to see through normal and magical darkness, notice secret doors hidden by magic, see the exact locations of creatures or objects under blur or displacement effects, see invisible creatures or objects normally, see through illusions, and see the true form of polymorphed, changed, or transmuted things. Further, you can focus your vision to see into the Ethereal Plane (but not into extradimensional spaces). The range of this effect is 120 feet.

This ability does not penetrate solid objects. It in no way confers x-ray vision or its equivalent. It does not negate concealment, including that caused by fog and the like. True Sight does not help you see through mundane disguises, spot creatures who are simply hiding, or notice secret doors hidden by mundane means. In addition, this effect cannot be further enhanced with known magic, so one cannot use this ability through a crystal ball or in conjunction with clairaudience/clairvoyance.
3. Extra Combat Talent: Identify Structural HazardsIdentify Structural Hazards

You may use Perception in place of Knowledge (dungeoneering) to identify underground hazards, in place of Knowledge (engineering) to identify dangerous construction or determine a structure’s weakness, and in place of Knowledge (nature) to identify a natural hazard.

This gives me the effects of True Seeing as an extraordinary ability for the duration, with the normal range of 120 ft.

Further, Identify Structural Hazards allows me to use Perception in place of Engineering (or other skills) to identify hazards related to construction or structural weaknesses. If the stairs/floor are still damaged, I should be able to tell with my perception check, below.

[Boss Muro]

"No magic, huh?" Khefu rubbed his beard in thought while he hung back to let the others ply their expertise towards the issue. "Well then. If what we're looking at now is real, then maybe it's my scrying that was off? But...why would I see stairs being older than they really are? What's the percentage in pulling a trick like that?"

Statblock

Active Effects: Delay poison, eaglesoul (passive, ), Greater magic weapon +3, ascetic armor +10, hunter's blessing (+2 sacred bonus on Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive,  Survival, attack rolls and damage rolls made against humans. +2 sacred bonus on initiative checks, Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks in urban areas), blessing of the watch, wind walk, enhance equipment (unarmed, +5), Staunch resistance (+5 will and fortitude), clearsight (immunity to Zella's shadows), Air walk (75 mins), communal resist energy (fire 30, 30 mins), Freedom of movement (150 mins), Magic circle against evil (150 mins), Tears to wine (150 mins)

Defences: AC: 39, FF: 36, Touch: 29, CMD: 54

Cold/Elec/Acid Resistance 5, DR 5/natural weapons

Fort: +23, Ref: +18, Will: +22 (28 vs mind-affecting), HP: 195

Immunities/other: Immune to disease, death, aging, starvation, takes minimum fall damage, and delays poison. +3 vs fear, +2 vs paralysis and sleep.
Attacks: Flurry of blows: +27/27/27/22/17 for 2d8+15 damage. Stunning fist DC 25. Each hit comes with free intimidate, enemies hit while shaken become flat-footed vs me, +2 attacks per round vs flat-footed enemies. Can flying kick 40' and full attack, or use Dimensional dervish to teleport/charge/full attack 200 ft (costing 2 ki). Two style strikes per round:

Grapple + 32
Skills: Intimidate +42, sense motive +34, Knowledge local +33, Diplo +27, Stealth +26, UMD +12, Spellcraft +31, Perception +29,
Misc: Attacks count as magic, lawful, silver, cold iron, adamantine. 100' move speed.

 

RESOURCES

SPELLS REMAINING: 6/6/3/4/6/6/5

Ki points: 17, Stunning fist: 14

Natural Divinations: +cha to saving throw (x2), +10 to skill check (x2)