Last Hope for Hallias: A Level 6 Encounter for Pathfinder Second Edition

Another week, another crazy Druid bent on wiping a small village off the map.  Tuesdays, am I right?

A quick note on scheduling.  Right now things are starting to pick up in my life both personally and professionally, so I'm going to reduce my weekly Friday posts to every other Friday until we're clear of the Holidays.  After the New Year, I'll take a look at how things are looking and see if I can't comfortably bring posts here back up to a weekly basis.  Between a new job, RPG Superstar 2021, and my weekly gaming group actually trying to fire back up again live and in person in a COVID world, I can feel things stretching a little thin.  I'd rather not slap some mayo on white bread and call it a sandwich, so by reducing my posting schedule, I can still deliver content that still grabs and inspires my followers here the same way I'm inspired by the content of others.

But in the meantime, about that Druid that wants to kill everyone.

 You can find this map on the Patreon for Daniel's Maps. Check his work out over there and support him for Hi-Res versions of this map with lighting options, weather conditions, and a ton more!

The Druid called Alakred is well beyond his breaking point.  The nearby village of Hallias has been farming the land and cutting down trees that he has asked for years to take only in moderation.  The people of Hallias have done their best to respect the Alakred's wishes, but as families and prosperities grow, so does the space needed for Hallias to survive.  Over the years, Hallias expanded and the surrounding forests diminished.  After a group of Hallias residents felled Shiraka, a tremendous oak tree and close friend of Alakred, the Tengu snapped.  He let the rage of the storm engulf him and enacted a ritual to raise the waves up and wipe Hallias off the map.  The ritual is now nearly complete, and by fate a group of heroes has come forward to either end the ritual, or end Alakred.

Alakred knows the ritual is nearing it's completion, and will not allow any meddling of these crucial final steps.  He stays inside the stone circle and positions himself to force the PCs off the cliff edge and into the waves with his spells, using his beak in melee combat as a last resort.

The ritual has affected the weather.  Driving rain and wind has made all terrain within 15 feet of the circle difficult terrain, and has greatly reduced visibility, giving the concealed condition to any creature farther than 20 feet.

Alakred is well aware sacred circle ritual is positioned, and has trapped the only approach to the best of his abilities.  His pit digging skills are rudimentary, but he was able to cover them with some discarded logs of old friends and magically grow enough moss over the top to hide their obvious intent.

Hidden Pit (Core Rulebook pg.522)

 

If you wind up running this in your game, let me know how it goes.  This one feels like a lot of fun.  

Have fun being knocked into the waves, and we'll see you in two weeks!

 

"You know what would be a cool-ass move?"

So there's a video floating around social media of some behind the scenes footage from the making of the first Mortal Kombat game.  I'll link it here if people want to watch the whole thing, but the theme of today's post comes from that first line you hear Ed Boon say.  That line led to the creation of an iconic move in a legendary fighting game franchise.

I cannot tell you how many times conversations like that have happened at a game I'm playing in.

So today I'm exploring some ideas joked about around a table and taking them into some form of pseudo-legitimacy.

First on the list is the Rat Storm spell.

I'm playing a 5e game with some friends, and we got ourselves in some old haunted house where the ceiling caved in and rats from in the floorboards above fell down on top of us.  Some of us were caught in what I quickly referred to as a rat storm, and at that point I knew it should be a spell.  I upped the ante a little by making them extraplanar rats.

Next is a weapon that was brought into existence by the GM of a PFS game I played.  It is also an awful cartoon reference from the 80's.

At first I wanted to make a shortsword version of this, but Darksight Dagger just rolls off the tongue far too well.

The Old Lagrange Mining Company: A Pathfinder 2e Encounter for Level 5 Adventurers: Part Six

The Div gave itself a name so the mortals would have something to attach themselves to.  It would also give others a layer of trust to ultimately destroy.  Vureth is a good enough name.  It would do.

Vureth began intoxicating the Harpy shaman with visions of power and riches, unknowingly triggering the voices already rippling through her mind.  Vureth quickly found that he could entangle and pervert the voices in the Harpy’s head with his own twisted delusions.  He gave the harpy gifts of creatures to use as tools, and when the voices finally consumed the Harpy’s mind and drove her to the Curse of Engulfing Flames, Vureth’s machinations were intertwined as a part of the Harpy’s plans.  He learned her name; Marna, and slowly introduced himself to her formally.  Vureth posed as an acolyte of the flames, and guided Marna’s actions down a path that he felt would cause the most damage to the surrounding communities, and ultimately would destroy Marna’s own people as well.

Marna led her flight of nearly thirty harpies to a long since abandoned mine on the outskirts of one of the human settlements.  There they drove out the last living remnants, a warren of Kobolds, and began infusing the deepest parts of the mine with profane magic, drawing fiendish creatures from the plane of fire to spread destruction out into the world. 

The summoning required sacrifice, and Marna used those who trusted her most as pawns for it.  One by one she offered up her own subjects to the flames, knowing they could still be used in death to further her plans.  But it was never enough for the voracious powers on the other side of the summoning.  Much to Vureth’s delight, Marna never saw the diminishing returns she received with each new attempt.

What neither Vureth nor Marna knew about was the yearly Dragon Roar Festival that the Clawgrinder Kobolds held in the mine.  Their celebrations and antics were always loud, but harmless and were acknowledged by the surrounding villages as nothing more than strange haunting sounds.  It gave the mine a reputation of being haunted and kept people away, which was fine for the kobolds.  When the Clawgrinders were driven into hiding by the fiery monstrosities it was only a week away from the next Dragon Roar celebration.  So the noises from the mine this year weren’t out of the ordinary to the nearby villages, though the creatures spotted flying over the area did warrant some amount of concern. 

Enough concern perhaps that a group of brave adventurers would explore the mine and discover what’s come of the place since Caleton Lagrange closed it years ago.

 

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If the PCs followed the tunnel from Entry A on The Chasm map, they arrive at Entry A on the Fiery Showdown map.  If they took Entry B from the Chasm map, they arrive at elevated platform Entry B, a ledge that looks over this massive cave, thirty feet above the ground.

 

The melted rock walls and floor of this colossal chamber hint at recent expansion.  In one corner is a massive summoning circle, the super-heated winds coming from it having blown away most of the dirt that covers the floor.  Above the circle, a Harpy wreathed in flames of her own drops the body of one of her own kind into the circle, setting off a series of ripples in the fiery magic below.

Marna, the Burning Kestral has turned her attention to the summoning circle, hovering twenty feet over it.  Nearby, the Pairaka Div called Vureth watches intently.  If the Weak Harpy from Area A2 of the mines escaped, they are here as well, still heavily injured but watching for the PCs.

The summoning circle is active.  If both Marna and Vureth use a two-action activity to properly control the magic, they can select any creature from the table below.  Otherwise the circle produces one creature at the end of every other round.  It attacks the nearest creature that isn't Marna or Vureth.

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Summoning Circle Spawn: (roll a D8)

1 - Cinder Rat                                         5 - Steam Mephit

2 - Hell Hound                                        6 - Weak Hellcat

3 - Filth Fire                                           7 - Ember Fox

4 - Fire Mephit                                        8 - Weak Harpy Skeleton

If Marna or Vureth are defeated, the Summoning Circle no longer has enough energy to feed on and the Spawn vanish in a burst of smoke and flame.  The circle won't produce any other creatures.

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Vureth's hatred of living things and Marna's zealotry ensure that they both fight to the death.

Marna, The Burning Kestral 

Weak Pairaka Div (Bestiary 3, Pg.70) 

Weak Harpy (Bestiary Pg.204) 

If the PCs defeat or kill Vureth and Marna, the summoning circle dims but does not deactivate.  A PC who succeeds at a DC26 Arcana or Occultism check understands the rituals used to bring a circle of this type into existence and can reverse the process.  They may proceed with the dismantling of the circle if they wish.

Dismantlement Ritual: Requirements - One Primary caster and at least one Secondary caster.

Secondary casters may use any of the following skills.  All checks are DC22.  If any PC has an applicable Lore, their DC is 18.

• Arcana to better understand the workings of the summoning rituals.
• Athletics to remove or deface key runes etched into the stone floors
  
• Occultism to turn the dark power back in on itself.
• Religion to invoke the name of Gods who vehemently oppose the circle's evil intent.
• Thievery to dismantle the most volatile runes in the circle.

Each Success gives the Primary Caster a +1 to their Dismantlement Check.  A Critical Success gives +2, and a Critical Failure is -1 to the Dismantlement Check.

The Primary caster must succeed either an Arcana or Occultism check (with the appropriate bonuses or penalties from the Secondary Casters) of DC27.

With the Summoning Circle fading away, Graddle and Panx cautiously approach with a handful of scouts.  They are elated to return to their home, and invite the PCs to stay and celebrate the Dragon Roar Festival, even if it will be a bit late this year.

News of the brave adventurers ending the haunting at the Old Lagrange Mine spreads quickly, and their renown in the area grants them a +1 to any social encounters in the surrounding villages, a 10% discount on any purchases made in those villages, and the eternal gratitude of the Graddle, who lets the PCs know that they can always count on the support of the Clawgrinder Kobolds should they ever need it.

 

 

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Next week, we'll try something a little different.  With the launch of Pathfinder Infinite and RPG Superstar 2021 already underway, my ideas are being stretched thinner than I'm used to, but it won't stop me from kicking out some cool content for you next Friday.  See you then!

The Old Lagrange Mining Company: A Pathfinder 2e Encounter for Level 5 Adventurers: Part Five

 Alright, last week was a bit of a vacation getting to know some of the goofballs you've met along the way during this adventure, as well as a preview of what is to come.  I'm hoping to replicate an old school video game boss fight tease in this one.  Let me know if you think I hit the mark or not. 

I'm doing my best to make sure that every part of this adventure is 100% free and available for everyone who finds it.  With that said, I could not help myself when I got my pdf of Paizo's new Guns & Gears book (there is just so much cool stuff in there!), I got it a teeny bit early as part of my Paizo subscription, so if by chance you are reading and running this adventure in the five or so days between this blog post and the Guns & Gears release date, I apologize for the barrier to entry.  Once the Archives of Nethys update goes through, I'll come back and edit this post to provide the link to the Blast Boots.

This weeks map was created by me using the free version of Inkarnate (with some free assets on Roll20)  This program is ridiculously cool and while what is used here (and part of next week's planned post) is just the free version, I'm definitely grabbing this program.  Go check them out at the link above and try it yourself, it's super fun and intuitive.  Plus, only $25 bucks a year?  Yes, please.

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Approaching the edge of the ravine, it’s clear that only one of these bridges was intended to act as such.  Closest to the north is a large carved chunk of stone that must have fallen centuries ago, while the southern bridge looks to be of sturdy construction even by dwarven standards.  Emerging from the northeastern tunnel is a rather cruel looking Hell Hound, teeth bared and ready for battle.  From the southeast stairway descends a Harpy wreathed in barely visible flames.  She hovers inches off the ground, the force of her wings kicking up small clouds of sand and dust.

“You meddle in my affairs and are not welcome.  Leave now or I’ll add your sinew to my charred collection.”

 

 

Marna the Burning Kestral is not open to any further discussion on the issue, but intentionally goes last in initiative, allowing the PCs a turn to lock in their decision.  On her turn Marna uses her Captivating Song ability and then flees up the stairs with her other two actions, effectively leaving this encounter.  The Nessian Warhound already has its orders to attack and kill all intruders, but is still susceptible to Marna’s Captivating Song.  It resumes attacking the PCs after one round if it fails the save against the Captivating Song.

The northern bridge is not as stable as it appears, and wobbles dangerously if anyone tries to cross it.  They must succeed at a DC 16 Acrobatics check when entering a square on the map noted as 'unstable bridge' with the following results.

Critical Success The PC uses the shifting terrain to their advantage and may continue unimpeded.

Success  The PC is off-balance.  They are flat-footed and must treat the rest of the bridge as difficult terrain.

Failure  As a success, but they also fall prone in their square.

Critical Failure  The PC is thrown wildly off balance and falls off the side, landing on a granite outcropping 40 feet below.

 

(Weak Nessian Warhound)

(Marna, the Burning Kestral)

 

With the enemies defeated or in retreat, there are two paths forward; the rubble-strewn tunnel that the Warhound came from, and the stairs up which Marna fled.  Following the northernmost path takes the PCs down a winding trail with a handful of side passages that lead to what appears to be the warrens of the Clawgrinder kobolds.  A PC that explores these areas (with a successful Perception check of DC20) can find a Moderate Rope of Climbing partially hidden under some crumpled musty canvas.  Continuing along the main tunnel beyond this will lead the PCs to Area A on the Fiery Showdown map.

The stairs to the south rise slowly.  Mismatched flagstones serve as makeshift flooring, propped up by narrow slabs of rock.  Some of the stones have fallen away, making the path treacherous.  In order to cross this area safely the PCs may attempt a DC20 Athletics (to leap from stone to stone), Acrobatics (to deftly balance along the narrow slabs), Crafting (to shift stones around creating wider surfaces to stand on), or Perception (to notice safer routes across).  If the PCs have other creative uses of skills, allow them to roll them instead.  Using an appropriate consumable or the expenditure of a non-cantrip spell counts as an automatic success.  On the other side of the gaps, someone left a pair of Moderate Blast Boots tucked away for safety a very long time ago.  They are still caked in dried mud.  Continuing beyond this will lead the PCs to Area B on the Fiery Showdown map.

 

Weak Nessian Warhound, Bestiary pg.205

Marna, the Burning Kestral

 Moderate Rope of Climbing, Advanced Player's Guide pg.262

Blast Boots, Guns & Gears pg.67  

Map created by me using the free trial of Inkarnate

Roll20 free assets used on the map:

North Bridge by benwax on dundjinni.com

South Bridge by Targeteron on dundjinni.com 

Rubble by greytale on dundjinni.com

Stone Stairs by Digger on dundjinni.com 

Cave Entrance by Bludragn on dundjinni.com (Fiery Showdown map next week)

Stone Ledge by Bludragn on dundjinni.com (Fiery Showdown map next week)

The Old Lagrange Mining Company: These are the people(?) in your neighborhood.

If you've been reading along so far, you've either met or battled (or both?) a couple of Kobolds, and maybe you've heard about some crazy Harpy in the deepest depths of the Old Lagrange Mine.  So this week I decided to flesh out some of the creatures that you may not want to immediately smash into paste, or maybe you do.  Go nuts, I'm not your GM.

...unless?