Encounters & Expeez ...

Here'll be discussing what the party encountered and what was gotten outta them... so this one'll be a bit long so bare with me.

All which is listed is after the very first encounter as that was little XP but the most magical items found ... also during the GM SPECIAL EVENT.

From Starday, the 21st day of 4712 AR

• Fleeing succubus
• Runic Map of Tar Taargadth 
• runes are of Rune Lords 
• Symbols are of the Seven Deadly Sins
• slipped into Ezerial's pocket
• neutral towards party, friendly towards Ezerial
• Chasing erinyes (XP, no tres)
• animosity towards party
• seething utter hatred of Ezerial (whom the Erinyes consider the party leader)
• Warforged Warlord
• part of entrance trap going into Ramshack's Porta-Castle
• Warforged Hyper Monks
• part of entrance trap going into Ramshack's Porta-Castle

Preferred Hero Lab Pathfinder Settings

I've gone into my Pathfinder Hero Lab and have the "SET DEFAULT" to "Configure Your Hero" with the following guidelines/options:  (note: Named Sources/Options sources are underlined, and Instructions are emboldened.)

 NO MSRD nor "Modern d20, d20 Modern"

2.  NO Pathfinder Society rules

3.  Advanced Player's Guide, select:

• Advanced Player's Guide
• Guide Familiars
• Traits
• Under Sandpoint

4.  Ultimate Combat, ONLY select Ultimate Combat

• do NOT select armor/dr, called shots, piecemeal armor, nor wounds & vigor

5.  Select all of Ultimate Magic, Bestiary (1, 2, & 3), Player's Companion, Campaign Setting, with this exception...

• DESELECT DISTANT WORLDS

6.  Miscellaneous Content select ONLY...

• Core Rulebook Deities & GameMastery Guide

7. Select all of Pathfinder Adventure Paths, SRD Pathfinder Adventure Paths, & Prior SRD Content

8. Advancement Speed select Fast Advancement

9. Firearm Availability select:  Emerging Guns

• From HEROLAB Settings Summary (HELP): "Firearms become more common.  They are mass-produced by small guilds, lone gunsmiths, dwarven clans, or maybe evena  nation or two - the secret is slipping out, and the occasional rare adventurer uses guns.  The baseline gunslinger rules and the prices for ammuntion givein in this chapter are for this type of campaign.  Early firearms are available, but are relatively rare.  Adventurers who want to use guns must take the Craft Firearms feat just to make them feasible weapons.  Advanced firearms may exist but only as rare and wondrous items - the stuff of high level treasure troves."

10. House Rules, select the following:

• Allow Powers for Fixed Power Items
• Keen & Improved Critical Stack

11. Optional Rules, select the following:

• no coin weight
• no encumbrance
• use action points
• use alternate racial traits
• use archetypes
• use factions/backgrounds

12. Classes to Show, select the following:

• No NPC Classes
• No Prestige Classes
• NOTE  Templates ARE IN USE...  they must follow an example in a Paizo source, one of their books or their Pathfinder SRD  [ Visit the site  ]

13. Equipment, Weapons & Armor to Show, select only the following:

• No Artifacts (after APL is 20 then clear this)
• No Cursed Items (after APL is 20 then clear this)

14. HP Options:  select Max HPs at New Levels

• Harry's House Rule:  NEW Levels only pertain to when you first create your character no matter at what APL everyone else is.

15: Races to Show... 

• Companion Races are *not* restricted ( this is UNCHECKED )
• select No Extra Races
• select No Minion races
• select No NPC Races

16: Output Options, these are what I prefer on my record sheets:

• always print 2-weapon attacks
• hide ammo (in weapons)
• hide validation messages
• include tracked resources on statblock
• show hero portrait

New Player House Rules ...

After talking a little with Tony the other day it dawned on me that I do not have a permanent way of just saying new players need this, that, and the other before joining the game.

Hence the following is NEW PLAYER HOUSE RULES ...

1. New players are encouraged to buy HERO LAB and the Pathfinder module.

- http://wolflair.com/index.php?context=hero_lab&page=pathfinder_roleplaying_game


2. Starting level and money is equivalent to half the party's average trained experience.


3. They may use any official book from Paizo's Pathfinder RPG line.

- Core Rulebook, Advanced Rulebook, Ultimate Combat & Magic.


4. All characters must be approved by the GM prior to play. This way he may have a glimpse of what to kill you with if anything possible. =8^D


5. Must start with two character records: one for player and one for GM. This way a copy will always be with the GM if the player forgets.

- Digital submissions must be sent the day prior to gameday so they may be printed out and readied for players. Submissions during gameday are not guaranteed to be ready.

- Digital submissions will now be required to include the date submitted in the filename.

- Follow the example: Character Name (month day year)
Example: Gimly Fahrendopolis (072612).por

Happenings...

■ Party members are contacted by Pathfinder Society to assist them with the increasing goblinoid threat
- Party Members:
Szor'afein Ehilese Elhromane, Drowic Noble (Expelled)
Zoric Blackbone, Dhampir (The Daywalker)
Xorath Strangeskin, Half-Elf Summoner
Tiberius, Elven Cavalier (The High Plains Lawman) and
Ezerial, Half-Elf Summoner (Dabbler of Other Professions).

■ Contract to hunt down some goblins & kobolds

■ PUG some hirelings

■ Survive trip to Almas, Andoran

■ Szor'afein "prays" to his deity (Shax) and for his sacrifical prayer (leaving him near death) his avatar appears (a Kenku) and grants Szor'afein babysitting privileges... a former avatar in penance. Enter the dragonborne Starfaller (aspect of the rainbow dragon & demon).

■ Travel to Alvis, free city, to trade & train

- party encounters NPC party (neutral) with goblins & kobolds (gunslingers with trade metal in backpacks). Party kills them and finds magic haul and Numerian coins

- surprise party encounter: fleeing succubus chased by two erinyes. Succubus escapes with party's help and erinyes are slain (they respawn in one of the hells).

- succubus slips map into Ezerial's pouch

- Runic Map of Tar Taargadth (runes are of seven deadly sins, and location of a runemaster in Droskar's Crag & Droskar's Crucible)

Something to sink your teeth into...

[ 4712 - 21st of Erastus ]

Encounter at Alvis proved fortunate for the party as Starfall (a female dragonborne) joins with Elhromane (the drow nobleman) and Gimly (dwarven gunslinging inquisitioner) takes sides along with Daywalker (Zoric Blackbone).

Elhromane was making idle conversation and showed his loyalty to his deity, Shax, by sanguination (bleeding himself to euphoria near death). An avatar appeared to him (and somehow the Daywalker also saw the Kenku assassain avatar) to let him know that Starfall was to be a co-worker... but to know that she was an avatar but has fallen from grace and is now performing repentance in hopes to prove she is worthy of Shax's true love (his bloodlust).

Ramshak the Travellor hires the party to help him find his last resting place... in a place of utmost terror and gore. There will be peace in pieces and that's what Ramshak is hoping the party will accomplish for he fears that any part of him may be used in True Resurrection to bring him back to that which has left.

Ramshak's Portable Fortress was sprung so that it may have contents of use for the adventurers in which they may be able to help grant his demise. Upon commanding the cube to come forth with many mechanical voices were heard within. Ramshak then knew his "Warforged Trophies" had gotten loose and were on protect mode. But not for long as Starfall let loose her Cacophinic Breath Weapon (sonic) and found the trophy's Achilles' Heel... sonic attacks.

The party found their way to the main floor (below the battleground which now lay above them via the trap door in the ceiling) to where they were greeted by a Ramshak's wife, a female half mist troll half ogre (Miss Mighty Ma'am, or Mmm). Mmm lain out a hero's feast to which the party is welcome to dine as the magic wears are brought table side... like showing you what's on the desert cart, but only magic items of near epic proportion.

"I've collected these for at least 50 long years. Some have more dust and other things on them older than the lot of you combined. I have no use for them and I only hope you'll find use with them after my contract has ended with you."

A call from the cavalry ?

[ 4712 AR - 7th Erastus ]

The party encounters an NPC group with a Chelish banner and a few goblinoids carrying various backpacks while others are just curious about the new surroundings (when do "ambassadors of good faith" from Cheliax get a chance of selling their wares and loot?). The party then switches gears and attacks this NPC party before they have a chance of putting up any sort of fight (how could they, they just got their asses kicked out of Cheliax for being thieves, cutthroats, undead haters, and just plain nasty). They were soon slaughtered and the loot was abundant... too much so... but, sit emptor cave. (let the buyer beware).

The party makes their way around the Arthfell Forest of Andoran and are encountered by a ranger brigade (boasts are made about 50 rangers, but brigades are known to number in the 100's).

Quick tempers and words are exchanged but as soon as "Did you encounter a party from Cheliax with some goblins" was asked the party knew these guys would be available to put some arrows to goblin butts!

The party is then escorted to Alvis where they are presently staying the night.

From the top ...

[ 4712 AR - 23rd of Sarenith ]
The story begins with everyone being meet by an courier from The Pathfinder Society, a well known organization around the world which has many causes and many more members. The courier delivers a signed-and-sealed scroll with instructions to give it only to specific people whom The Pathfinder Society wishes to meet and discuss urgent matters. Failure to do so will possibly include bad things for your future, your family's future, your town's future, your country's future... this meeting, you might just want to attend.


Besides, there is compensation for your travel and time to the meeting place. Destination: The Isle of Absalom, the Heart of Golarion. Everyone met up in Absalom and were given a once-over by the contractor, Tsuto Kaijitsu (half-elven Pathfinder Guildsman). A contract was writ and given to the party to [1] do a head-count, and if at all possible [2] get rid of the goblin infestation.


The party meets with another Pathfinder (a pirate Pathfinder) to take his ship to Almas, the capital city of Andoran. So the party headed out on the ship to which they were asked to be junior shipmates in order to reduce their fare and to assist in the everyday workings on in the ship... and how to defend it. The party prowled the ship and got into things only an adventuring party should. The two summoners were challenging each other up top. The ranger (Jared) went up to because it was day and his duty. The ranger spots something coming up from underneath…. It’s a Naval Submersible! And it just fired upon The Ghost Shark (the party's ship). The Ghost Shark started taking on water after the underwater “bullets” broke through from one side through to the other, a “running through and throughout”. Just seconds later (next melee and a sneak attack like an underwater rogue) a giant octopus’ tentacles begun wrenching the ship and taking everyone it could “suckle” underwater to meet Davy Jones and his locker in a watery death. The other party members were taken to an underwater grave. And there were no equipment to be recovered. As quickly as the Bloody Plank came is as fast as they left as they most likely thought everyone else was food for the octopus. There were some lumber from the wreckage which everyone found able to float upon. A few hours later the Andoran Eagle Knight Naval Scout “Scuttlebutt” came to investigate the incident… albeit a bit late. Scuttlebutt rescued the remaining party, Captain Arkin Raptor (sadly without his son) nor the chef nor her minotaur husband, but the Warforged Master Mechanic (without his wooden peg leg) did make it. The Scuttlebutt takes the survivors to Cyremium, Andoran, where all are taken care of and given a shelter until you can continue on your contracted work from the Pathfinder Society… they got a message from them about your conducting business in the area… but they didn’t expect you in the fair town of Cyremium.


The remaining members of the party are under contract by Pathfinder Society for two purposes: “Scouting of possible Goblin & Kobold enclave” and “Said removal of possible Goblin & Kobold enclave, or their leader(s)”... 1,000-GP reward for each goal of the contract. The contract is honored in Absalom, but you may try and collect from any other agent of the Pathfinder Society.


There was some of the octopus which the party were able to sever from the body and such a deep water specimen is rare… and when the surrounding foodies heard about the demise of The Cook and her Chef Husband they purchased all of the octopus from you… which is how all the remaining party members now have 3,000-gp apiece.