"Pathfinder Campaign - A Call to Arms - S36a" Topic

SESSION 36: RECCE

[DMs Note – I've actually done up a couple of graphics to support this post but unfortunately Photbucket is down at the moment and so I cannot post them. I'll repost when its back up but in the mean time I've put the text below so that the party might consider their next course of action. DEW]

They quickly regroup and gather the wounded into the south eastern room together with the captured orc.

Thomas begins to prepare a Haling Potion to give to Uthalin when Asmara places her hand upon his forearm and stops him. "Save it for later" she gently suggests, "Sarenare has given me much power to heal the wounded." She Channels positive energy twice healing Ansic, Uthalin, Penn, Dedrik and Ghislain with 1pt and 6pts and then casts Cure Light Wounds upon Uthalin, healing him an additional 6pts and then casts Cure Light Wounds upon Ghislain healing him an additional 8pts of damage. Almost everyone is fully healed with only Uthalin not fully healed on 12 out of 14hp and Penn on 10 out of 12 hit points.

Thomas is amazed at the generosity and power of Asmara and asks her how many more times can she do that. She responds that she can Channel Positive Energy another 2 times today and can convert her last spell, a Cause Fear spell, into a Cure Light Wounds if required.

Risandor quickly whips around the north eastern corridor and finds a little curtain which he pulls back to see a little alcove which fronts the grisly wall display. He walks in and sees a tiny small piece of cloth, approximately 4 inches by 4 inches, which he pulls back and from there he realises he can see straight out the entrance hall. It appears that the orcs use this as a hidden forward sentry position. He notices that there is an old goblin head in front of him and deduces that the orc had replaced its own head, which he was using to keep watch with, with the goblin head and ducked down and let the tiny curtain down which looks like the back of one of the alcoves with the severed heads in it. Tricky he thinks to himself. He doesn't dwell on it too long and runs back around to the safety of the group. He tells Ansic of his findings.

Meanwhile Halee and Thomas go to work on their prisoner. They use a mixture of Diplomacy and Intimidation (hehehe perfect good cop and bad cop really) to get information out of the hapless beast. The monster is suitably intimidates, especially as he watches Baby Cord feast upon his fallen brothers.

Thomas asks how many male orcs are left. The orc isn't that bright and holds up a number of fingers which he changes between 6 and 10 as he's trying to remember how many male orcs are alive mouthing out his names silently to himself as he attempts to count. He says that they are in the common room beyond the banquet hall. He says that Magor and his remaining mate are in their private room up the hall and to the left. He indicates the northern hall that Halee had previously seen but he is confused and Halee and Thomas cannot work out if he really means left or right when he says left. He says that there are no pets or monsters but there is a store room down the hall also.

Halee uses Sense Motive against the orc. His Bluff roll is a 3 -1 = 2 and Halee rolls a 17 + 6 = 23 and she's pretty sure that the orc isn't lying. [DMs Note – I use the above Bluff role to try to establish, even if the monster isn't bluffing, whether the party members should trust what he's saying or not. So in this instance he's not and Halee knows it. If the Bluff roll had have been higher than Halee's Sense Motive then I would have indicated that she doesn't know if he's telling the truth or not, regardless of whether he did or not].

DEW

Might want to find out if the 6 or 10 includes the 4 that were in the other room that has already been cleared. He wouldn't have seen them killed. Are you facing 6 to 10, or 2 to 6?

Thomas look more serious at the mention of Cord and is ready to intimidate the orc more, calling Baby Cord to him.

Risandor looks at Asmara and feels an unfamiliar emotion: jealousy. Life must be so easy for clerics, he muses. Breeze in, do good stuff, read from a heavy book and heal people with a mere shake of a symbol and name drop a god.

When you're a halfling raconteur who dabbles in the arcane, people want to enslave you, tell them a story, sneak about like a thief or cook dinner. Where's the thanks?

At least she saved Uthalin and the men….. all that excitement has made me hungry, might have some oat cakes while everyone interrogates the orc. I do speak orc, maybe I should check what he said about numbers, and how is Magor?

Uthalin, we are ALL of the mind that none of these orcs will be allowed to live. But I get the vengeance…

Sorry Risandor I forgot that you speak Orc. Oppps perhaps I need to improve the summary character sheet. To much to remember for my little brain.

Uthalin – mate they are orcs. They all look the same. Yep he was there. You just know he was there. Doesn't matter what he says. He was there. Not only that he's an orc. Doesn't matter if he was there. He is still an orc.

Tom – ohh it's between 6 and 10 more. Plus all the breeding females and new warriors in training.

Ris – yeah that Asmara has it easy doesn't she. Everyone's going to love Asmara now aren't they? And they'll probably forget about the little halfling that saved their butts about 100 times with sleep and grease spells not to mention how you also inspire courage in just about every fight. Grrr.

Naw, naw, naw… while Halee appreciates Asmara, she really does not want a do-gooder ruining her grand plans. Risandor is a bloke she can partner up with, and what he brings is more useful for the final goal.

Yay, Halee, thanks! So to me we are in good shape to settle the score with Magor and eradicate his clan. Maybe tanglefoot the corridor towards Magor and deal with the rest of the clan to the West first? Cover that flank with observer and ranged weapons, hit the orcs hard and fast?

what about tackling Magor first. Only 2 of them to take on, plus a corridor to be able to defend (especially if he's in the room between the secret doors where he was first encountered with the rest of the leaders.) Can hold the others at bay if they come, funnel them, and maybe use Magor's demise to intimidate/dishearten the rank and file. And if that doesn't work, they're still funneled in a 2 wide column. Might be dicier to go west first. If there are 10 of them to the west, it won't be easy to hit them hard and fast. Numbers would be pretty even, (with having to leave a rearguard, party might be outnumbered), but with orcs' ferocity they essentially have double hit points, and weapons that can kill with one strike. No easy fight, and the strongest leader left to contend with if you do manage to kill off the rank and file. Might want to send someone west to see if he/she can gain any intel about numbers without being detected – might help throw the decision one way or the other. If numbers are overwhelming, you're near the exit.

Tanglefoot bags solidify quickly right after bursting, and I don't have Craft:Trap, so setting strap would be an unskilled check. Normally it takes 10 minutes to set a trap… I think we'd be better off using it as it is designed by halting a target in place.

We definitely should go for Magor as priority target. Demoralize!

Absolutely agree. Kill Magor and intimidate the remainder with his death.

Keeping an eye out for traps down Magors hallway and door (when we get there)

We should move the tables and flip them over on their sides to create barricades in front of the other two passageways just as a precaution. Can't hurt.

Alright, I'm in …. set up to delay his followers, then go in for the kill on Magor…