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Finding the Spark (Pathfinder 1E Quest)

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Arc 10: Post 36: By Moonlight Found New
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    • By Moonlight Found​

    30th of Kuthona 4707 A.R. (Absalom Reckoning)

    "Sirim and I can handle the vampire, or at least we can stay hidden and mark its resting place," you cut in quickly.

    Gorok's twitch of the head tells of more of a tale of his relief than his usual stoic nod. Stepping free of flesh you watch as Sirim inhabits your vacated form and then five of you depart, as if content with a job well done for the night. Sirim then slips on a glamor while you keep to the many-fingered shadows of the trees.

    A hiss marks the vampire's escape from the earth's grip and after a moment to orient himself he makes a course due north again away from the stone circle, along an old trail that you have not the skill to guess if it belongs to man or beast. The pace is leisurely while the air is cool and filled with the faint scuffles and hoots of the forest released from the spell of the stone circle, the presence of the maimed god, though that's not to say you are alone. Ahead a heavy wheeled cart waits, the horses restive despite the blinders.

    One man sits in the driver's seat, a lantern to one side, a crossbow at the other, rubbing his hands against the cold while the other puffs on a lit roll of flayleaf while looking nervous, both dressed too plainly for townsmen and too well for common tinkers. A third man sits on a stump nearby, a sword on his knees and a book in one hand. Even under the dark cloak with nothing but the shallow moon above the gleam of ornate metal betrays at least a cuirass and likely more, a knight though of what sort neither you nor Sirim can say, though he's clearly at his prayers. A strange thing to be doing while keeping watch over the unhallowed dead, or so you would judge if you had not the misfortune of encountering so many gods who would look with favor on their ilk.

    "Any guess who they belongs to?" you ask Sirim in your thoughts from the shadow of the last tree before the lantern light.

    "No, beyond having eyes sharp enough to read in the dark." Comes the answer after a moment. "Our foe will have taken shape on a bed of earth in the back of the cart, so it might be worth it for us to kill him there and leave his company none the wiser."

    "But they might know something of worth."

    "They might,"     he allows. "Alive or dead they might yet tell it, but only at the cost of being known ourselves. The captain will report our meeting yesterday, it wouldn't take diabolic brilliance to put that together with three more corpses or a missing cart."

    "How loud's a vampire dying?"     you question then, to which be pauses in thought.

    "How loud they rage, how loudly they howl in fear depends upon the heart of the one pierced," he answers after a moment. "It shan't be quiet."

    Akorian Stealth: 1d20+28 = 29
    Sirim Stealth: 1d20+14+20 (Invisibility) = 37
    vs
    Cicat Perception 1d20+5 = 28

    Sirim Knowledge (Religion) (DC 20): 1d20+14 = 18 (Failure)

    What do you do?

    [] Try to stake the vampire in his coffin by stealth

    [] Attack the guards
    -[] Write in

    [] Wait until the others have finished searching for the hatchlings, it doesn't seem like this lot is minded to leave soon

    [] Write in

    OOC: Enjoy.
     
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    • An escort, but one we hopefully don't have to deal with if we are smart.

    @Goldfish can either Kori or Sirim cast a Silence spell right now? Target it only around the back part of cart where vamp is likely sleeping?
     
    This is better than I was expecting. I wish Sirim had passed that Knowledge check to discern who that dude is praying to. It is probably Zon-Kuthon, but there are other unpleasant options, like Urgathoa.

    There is no need to try to stake Cicat. Once he reaches his coffin, he'll reform and be unconscious with 0 HP for the next hour before he can start healing. All Kori needs to do is slip into his coffin and cast Cure Light Wounds on him. At 0 HP, even if he successfully resists the spell, he will still take half damage and he destroyed.

    As for the guards, I think we should kill them and take their bodies so as to not leave any evidence behind. We can also use Speak with Dead to interrogate their corpses then use them as components for a Skeleton Crew spell.
     
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    Massgamer said:
    An escort, but one we hopefully don't have to deal with if we are smart.

    @Goldfish can either Kori or Sirim cast a Silence spell right now? Target it only around the back part of cart where vamp is likely sleeping?
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    Does Kori have any mythic points? in all the excitement I rather lost track.

    Sirim-in-Kori needs to be the one to stake the Vamp due to having a physical body, so if the radius is large enough to encompass the guards if we cast it on the cart, how about having Shadow-Kori float behind the cart and be the target of a Silence spell? That way only the cart will be silenced but not the guards, so they hopefully won't notice anything.
     
    Just kill the vampire as quietly as you can (Silence is a good pick), then leave. I'd rather get back to what we were doing.

    If the guards were invested in serving Zon Kuthon, they would have taken part in the ambush. Doesn't look like they are, though. Probably just allies of convenience, then, and thus not our business.
     
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    BeepSmile said:
    Does Kori have any mythic points? in all the excitement I rather lost track.

    Sirim-in-Kori needs to be the one to stake the Vamp due to having a physical body, so if the radius is large enough to encompass the guards if we cast it on the cart, how about having Shadow-Kori float behind the cart and be the target of a Silence spell? That way only the cart will be silenced but not the guards, so they hopefully won't notice anything.
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    No, Kori doesn't have any Mythic power left. Sirim doesn't either, but Mina has one left.

    There is no need to stake a helpless Vampire that has just reconstituted itself in its coffin, though. Sure, that's the easiest non-magical way to do it, but a CLW spells is even better.
     
    Goldfish said:
    There is no need to stake a helpless Vampire that has just reconstituted itself in its coffin, though. Sure, that's the easiest non-magical way to do it, but a CLW spells is even better.
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    So Sirim sneaks over, Kori casts silence just around cart, and then CLW on vamp to kill it before heading out?
     
    Aren't CLW and stabbing similar in that both deal damage and trigger a loud response from the recepient? The vampire is helpless, but not unconscious. Er, unfeeling?
    DragonParadox said:
    "How loud they rage, how loudly they howl in fear depends upon the heart of the one pierced," he answers after a moment. "It shan't be quiet."
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    Still not our concern as long as we can evade the follow-up.
     
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    Nevill said:
    Aren't CLW and stabbing similar in that both deal damage and trigger a loud response from the recepient? The vampire is helpless, but not unconscious. Er, unfeeling?

    Still not our concern as long as we can evade the follow-up.
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    Pretty sure Sirim gave Kori bad info there, as part of his failed Knowledge check.
    A helpless character is paralyzed, held, bound, sleeping, unconscious, or otherwise completely at an opponent's mercy.
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    After he reforms, Cicat is basically a vegetable for one hour.
     
    I'd expect there to be wards/traps around the coffin that are keyed to let a vamp past, but no others.

    After we do this - well as soon as there's a good 120+ feet between the two and the cart (unless there's a big scream in which case further); Sirim should check Shadow-Kori with detect magic for any hidden marks from interacting with the vamp/passing into the coffin.

    It's not like it costs anything except 1 to 3 rounds of time.

    ----

    Also, I think we the party should let Anippe out of the bag now the fight's over - she can provide an additional source of Spellcraft rolls, and detect magic, and being present for this is a good education.

    But the main thing is that spending time in a bag of holding is bound to be stressful, and there's no immediate need to keep her in a small confined case with a steadily dwindling air supply.
    [Note to self: Get a magic item that makes infinite air.]

    As long as we warn her to be at least 40ft away from anything unknown and has someone/a familiar or two with her?
    Or maybe a party member and she's ready to dive right back into the bag at the first sign of trouble: Her primary job is to keep herself safe.
     
    Okay, seems like y'all prefer the stealth approach and minimum footprint. That's all right with me.

    [X] Incorporeal and Invisible, Kori will join Cicat in his coffin when the Vampire reforms. He will quietly target the helpless monster with a Cure Light Wounds spell, then slip from the bottom of the coffin and through the bottom of the wagon before returning to the rest of the group.
     
    A helpless character is paralyzed, held, bound, sleeping, unconscious, or otherwise completely at an opponent's mercy.
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    Two or maybe three of these conditions don't take away one's ability to scream.
    Goldfish said:
    After he reforms, Cicat is basically a vegetable for one hour.
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    Ever heard of a mandrake root? :p

    [x] Incorporeal and Invisible, Kori will join Cicat in his coffin when the Vampire reforms. He will quietly target the helpless monster with a Cure Light Wounds spell, then slip from the bottom of the coffin and through the bottom of the wagon before returning to the rest of the group.
     
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    [X] Incorporeal and Invisible, Kori will join Cicat in his coffin when the Vampire reforms. He will quietly target the helpless monster with a Cure Light Wounds spell, then slip from the bottom of the coffin and through the bottom of the wagon before returning to the rest of the group.
     
    No love for Sirim checking Kori with a Detect Magic after they slip away but before they return to the group?
     
    BeepSmile said:
    I'd expect there to be wards/traps around the coffin that are keyed to let a vamp past, but no others.

    After we do this - well as soon as there's a good 120+ feet between the two and the cart (unless there's a big scream in which case further); Sirim should check Shadow-Kori with detect magic for any hidden marks from interacting with the vamp/passing into the coffin.

    It's not like it costs anything except 1 to 3 rounds of time.
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    That's a lot easier said than done. There just aren't many spells that would be relevant to ward it in that manner.

    An Alarm or Invisibility Alarm spell could be used, but why would a Vampire have either of those inside their coffin? An Arcane Lock spell could make it extremely difficult to open the coffin physically, but being Incorporeal ignores that.

    It could possibly we warded to be air and watertight, but that would also keep the Vampire's Gaseous Form from entering it, which defeats the purpose of the coffin in the first place.

    There are various damaging spell effects that can be placed to trigger, but an Incorporeal creature isn't going to trip most of them, if any, and the last thing a Vampire wants to do is destroy their coffin.

    Cicat isn't some massively wealthy BBEG Vampire hiding in his Gothic Mansion of Doom. His traveling coffin is sitting in the back of a stolen cart being watched over by mook, minions, or thralls.
    BeepSmile said:
    No love for Sirim checking Kori with a Detect Magic after they slip away but before they return to the group?
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    I mean it doesn't hurt to do that, but it's also completely pointless. Kori's Shadow Projection isn't his soul or anything like that. It can be dismissed at any time and he'll reawaken in his body. He doesn't need to actually return to his body and merge with it or anything like that.

    Even if it's destroyed, he'll be fine, though he would need to be healed afterward.

    The coffin isn't going to be some auto-casting magical trap marker. There is no such spell to do that, and Kori would know if he failed a saving throw up on exposure to something like that. DP could, of course, create something like that to add to the game, but it would be massively expensive to create that sort of slotless wondrous item. Cicat would have been able to afford to come at us with another Golem or two instead of making that kind of investment.
     
    Cicat is the different vampire from the one who ambushed Cob in Augustana, yes? I think there was a mention of that somewhere.

    I wonder how he knew Sirim was back in Cheliax, considering we teleported right in the middle of the tribe and then packed up and went to the shore as quickly as we could. Did he set up watch waiting for us to return to the tribe? Seems pretty inefficient. How, then, did he know when to strike?
     
    Nevill said:
    Two or maybe three of these conditions don't take away one's ability to scream.

    Ever heard of a mandrake root? :p

    [x] Incorporeal and Invisible, Kori will join Cicat in his coffin when the Vampire reforms. He will quietly target the helpless monster with a Cure Light Wounds spell, then slip from the bottom of the coffin and through the bottom of the wagon before returning to the rest of the group.
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    The hour that a Vampire is helpless is also when they're "at rest" according to their Bestiary entry. AFAIK, in D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder 1e, this has always been treated as the Vampire being unconscious in what amounts to an irresistible coma.

    Vampire (CR +2) – d20PFSRD

    www.d20pfsrd.com www.d20pfsrd.com

    Basically, they're inanimate corpses for an hour.
    Nevill said:
    Cicat is the different vampire from the one who ambushed Cob in Augustana, yes? I think there was a mention of that somewhere.

    I wonder how he knew Sirim was back in Cheliax, considering we teleported right in the middle of the tribe and then packed up and went to the shore as quickly as we could. Did he set up watch waiting for us to return to the tribe? Seems pretty inefficient. How, then, did he know when to strike?
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    No, this is the same one. We learned several chapters back that Cicat was able to track us down using some of Cob's blood that he retrieved from when he attacked Cob at the inn in Augustana. The group speculated, I think it was also backed up by a successful Knowledge check, that Cicat was getting more desperate to force a confrontation because that blood was losing/had lost its potency for magical tracking.
     
    Goldfish said:
    The group speculated, I think it was also backed up by a successful Knowledge check, that Cicat was getting more desperate to force a confrontation because that blood was losing/had lost its potency for magical tracking.
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    Ah, yes, now I recall that. So he must have succeeded on the check against our Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location, then?
     
    Artemis1992 said:
    Have you watched any vampire movies?

    Even if they are unconscious and basically dead while sleeping, they still get a last scream when being killed.

    Also the failed Religion-roll might have been to recognize the prayer, not for vampire-reactions?
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    That'll be up to DP fiat, I guess.

    Even if Cicat gets in one last scream, he's still going to be destroyed and his guards aren't going to be able to do anything about it. Sneaking in for a silent kill is the only way to do it without making this a fight with the guards. I'm not opposed to that option, either.

    It's not like we can Silence Cicat anyway. Mina is the only caster with Mythic power remaining and that spell isn't available to Witches.
    Nevill said:
    Ah, yes, now I recall that. So he must have succeeded on the check against our Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location, then?
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    Yep. Unfortunately they're not foolproof. Also, having Cob's blood to use as an additional component for the Scrying spell inflicted a -10 penalty on the saving throw. Depending on how @DragonParadox decided to handle it, the penalty might have applied to the Amulet's Nondetection effect as well.
     
    DragonParadox said:
    The vampire will not get to take meaningful mechanical action, he cannot defend himself right now, but he can make noise for the other three to hear as you kill him
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    Well, if them hearing Cicat being destroyed is a concern, I guess we can just cover the noise up with something louder?

    Cob can use his Create Sound power for that.

    Create Sound – d20PFSRD

    www.d20pfsrd.com www.d20pfsrd.com

    He could imitate the roar of a Dire Lion or a Dragon, for example. That should be suitably distracting.
     
    [X] Incorporeal and Invisible, Kori will join Cicat in his coffin when the Vampire reforms. He will quietly target the helpless monster with a Cure Light Wounds spell, then slip from the bottom of the coffin and through the bottom of the wagon before returning to the rest of the group.
     
    Gonna update my plan a bit. If we can't keep Cicat from making any noise as he dies, we can at least try to cover it up with something less obvious.

    [X] Incorporeal and Invisible, Kori will join Cicat in his coffin when the Vampire reforms. He will quietly target the helpless monster with a Cure Light Wounds spell, then slip from the bottom of the coffin and through the bottom of the wagon before returning to the rest of the group.
    -[X] Kori and Sirim will examine the cart, coffin, and immediate surrounding using Detect Magic and Detect Fiendish Presence before approaching.
    -[X] With Sirim coordinating their efforts, Kori will time his spell to coincide with Cob using his Control Sound ability to mimic the sound of a nearby beast, something loud and native to the area, which might startle the guards but shouldn't make them overly suspicious.
     
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