Chapter 7 [The Orc Horde]

[icnivad]

Actually, Sir Grolton can turn into a tiny or large animal at Level 6. He would go with a tiny animal to be less spottable. Also, his speed isn't tied to the animal he turns into, it's tied to his level. At his current level all flying things travel at 60ft regardless of the animal specifics. The specifics of animals matter a lot less in pathfinder. He would like to travel at full 60' speed attempting to follow the trail from the canopy, so around 160 ft up. I'm kind of making some assumptions that the trail a whole army leaves would be pretty visible from that height, even at full speed, but I'm not sure how the numbers actually play out. If he thought that it was too hard to follow that high, he would travel lower.

[reefwood]

Jun 7, 2010 13:52:39 GMT -5 icnivad said:

Actually, Sir Grolton can turn into a tiny or large animal at Level 6. He would go with a tiny animal to be less spottable. Also, his speed isn't tied to the animal he turns into, it's tied to his level. At his current level all flying things travel at 60ft regardless of the animal specifics. The specifics of animals matter a lot less in pathfinder. He would like to travel at full 60' speed attempting to follow the trail from the canopy, so around 160 ft up. I'm kind of making some assumptions that the trail a whole army leaves would be pretty visible from that height, even at full speed, but I'm not sure how the numbers actually play out. If he thought that it was too hard to follow that high, he would travel lower.

[OOC: Oh yeah...Tiny or Large. I totally missed that. Thanks for the correction. The only hawk listed in the Bestiary is Tiny, but I know there are hawks in the world bigger than a cat, so being a Small hawk would have been fine and not totally weird. But being Tiny will help better with Stealth checks if choose to be sneaky at some point.

You are right about wildshape being much less dependent on animal specs now, which is nice for stuff like turning into an animal of a species in the Bestiary but a different size - like my Small hawk example - but speed is one of the things that still depends on the animal. The polymorph description in the Magic chapter says that you take the lesser speed. A bird with a 60 fly speed would have 30 ft in beast shape I, 60 ft in beast shape II, and 60 ft in beast shape III. You can't move faster than the spell allows, but you also can't move faster than the animal can go.

Traveling at 160 ft up gives a +16 to the DC and normal/full speed gives -5 to the roll, so the total result is a difference of 21. Firm ground such as a forest has a base DC of 15, so if you were tracking 1 creature, this would be DC 31 with a -5 to the roll, but of course, you are tracking a very large group, so there is a modifier for that too which lowers the base DC.

Anyway, this is enough for me to work with, so I'll send you a PM with the results later this afternoon once I'm home from work.]

[reefwood]

[OOC: PM sent to Grolton.]

[reefwood]

[Day 18]

2:00pm - Sir Grolton soars into the air with relative ease. Well above the ground but still below the canopy. Within moments, he loses sight of his companions past the trees but does not have troubling finding the trail. It continues to lead west.

The flight is quiet and uneventful for nearly half an hour, when suddenly, Grolton morphs back into his human form. Wings turn into arms, and his body mass increases substantially. The ability to keep in the air is immediately lost, and he plummets to the ground...

* * * * * * *

2:00pm - Sahme collect vials off the orcs while Brion strips armor and bows for bindings to tie up and strap the surviving ones to horses. The horses ridden by the orcs resist at first but are pacified somewhat when their riders are placed upon them.

2:20pm - Brion leads the train of weighed down horses at a fast pace. Along the orc trail again, but this time back toward the Wyrmscale Mountains. The journey goes relatively smoothly, and the cave is reached in only a few hours. They are greeted by a familiar member of the Red Blade battalion, and soon, two more step out of the cave, including Warrant Officer Shaw. The rest of the soldiers are out on patrol.

5:10pm - Orcs who awoke during the ride are knocked unconscious again, and all dozen of them are placed into manacles embedded into the cave wall. After the prisoners are secure, Brion updates the captain back at camp with a sending and lays down to rest. Sahme sits need the mouth of the cave with the archer who greeted him. As the sun begins to set, a patrol of 3 more Red Blade soldiers returns. Though, concern mounts when the second patrol fails to report in by nightfall.

* * * * * * *

2:25pm - Sir Grolton lifts his aching body from the ground. Now in human form again. Crashing down into the forest floor was loud but seems to have not drawn any obvious attention. A few steps back, and he is once again a hawk. Badly wounded, however, he this time purposefully shifts back into human form with both feet planted firmly on the ground. After taking time to heal, he resumes his flight as a hawk but sticks close to the ground while carefully skirting the dead zone extending from the Rift.

The next few hours of scouting uncover no signs of the orc horde, but he does finally encounter active wildlife. Larger than normal elk that feed on bushes but pay him no mind, and birds who squwak angrily from the canopy above. By early evening, Sir Grolton reaches the far end of the Thinth Forest and settles down to rest inside thick undergrowth while the sun is still up.

8:00pm - The howl of a wolf rouses Grolton. He opens his eyes but sees almost nothing. The faintest pinpricks of light are barely visible by looking up through the canopy, but they do nothing to illuminate the forest floor. Still, the seemingly natural sounds of the night do not cause him any concern, and he goes back to sleep.

* * * * * * *

8:30pm - The quiet at the mouth of the cave is disturbed by the thppt of an arrow. It sinks into a Red Blade soldier who falls to the ground. Several more arrows follow with the assailants shrouded by the night. Soon all the Nemedorans are gathered together but pinned down. It is Warrant Officer Shaw who quickly issues a plan of attack and leads the bold charge into the darkness. The fighting is fierce and bloody but over quickly. Three orcs are dead, but at least a couple others ran off, and a second soldier was cut down outside the cave.

Warrant Officer Shaw and the 3 remaining Red Blade soldiers will go searching for the missing patrol in the morning, but there is little else to be done in the meantime except get as much rest as possible.

---

Day 19

12:00am - Sir Grolton receives a report from Brion, and replies with orders to regroup in the morning.

2:00am - Sir Grolton is up well before dawn. He takes on the form of an owl and heads out in the direction of his men. When the first rays of sun emerge, he perches on a bush while meditating to prepare spells for the day. When the task is complete, he continues toward the mountains.

* * * * * * *

2:00am - Brion is rested before anyone else. As well as one can be when interupted during the night by an orc attack. He joins his brother who has taken the midnight watch. The two talk for a short while, but the elder Shaw concedes that even a commanding officer needs some sleep in order to properly lead his soldiers.

5:00am - Sahme wakes and takes the time to refresh his mind. The process necessary to tap into his draconic heritage. Brion prepares the horses to ride, and they depart a quarter past the hour. With the aide of light spell from Sahme, the sergeant is able to follow the orc trail through the darkness. At verge of dawn, they stop for Brion to pray, but even an hour later, the warmth of the sun cannot yet be felt between the mountains.

* * * * * * *

9:30am - The trio is reunited where the mountains meet the forest. Not wishing to follow the orc trail into the dead zone of the Rift, they decide to try riding ahead of the orcs. To lie in wait for them to emerge from the far end of the forest. The long ride is taxing on the horses, but Brion holds off their exhaustion with his gifts from Gorum.

4:30pm - The open plain stretches as far as the eye can see. Brion and Sahme take cover a little ways back into the forest while Sir Grolton resumes bird form to look for the orc horde closer to the Rift.

7:00pm - Sahme hears a faint but sizable rumble and see a few leaves waver ever so slightly. Yet no wind is blowing. Something large is approaching. The horde? He takes to the air to scout ahead but not before linking himself to Brion with a message spell. The sorcerer lies in wait at the edge of the spell. The rumbling growls slowly but steadily louder. Sahme still sees nothing of note when the rumble is suddenly interupted by galloping hooves. Moving away from him. He gives chase but cannot spot the rider. The galloping grows fainter until being consumed by the increasing rumble. Though, it does not take long for the sound to return, and it is now more than one rider. Four orcs on horseback emerge and are greeted by a fireball. It gets their attention and one is burned well by the flame but none are deterred. They pull out bows and nock arrows. Scanning the air and firing when Sahme conjures another spell, but invisibility keeps him safe.

The sorcerer continues on until he reaches the horde. Scores of orcs march in various formations. Donning armor and wielding weapons of different types. They are accompanied by dozens of wolves, several mountain lions and horses, and a handful of owls. Feeling that he has seen the entire horde, Sahme sends a fireball at the lead formation. Hoping to injure a presumed leader and take out those around her. Several take the brunt of it but none fall, and immediately, every orc and beast and orc-turned-beast focus their attention on finding him. Sahme retreats to fight another day.

Brion contacts Sir Grolton when Sahme returns, and the trio reunites briefly. Only long enough for Sahme to write down a report about the horde. Sir Grolton clasps the parchment in his talons and speeds to Verdas. Brion and Sahme do the same on horseback but at a slightly slower pace.

9:00pm - A distant glow serves as a beacon in the night. The walls of fire still apparently surrounding Verdas. Drawing nearer, however, reveals openings in the flames. More than a few. The widest breech is at the southwestern corner of the city. When details can be made, it becomes apparent that Nemedoran soldiers are in control of that portion of the wall and the adjacent tower. Another step toward victory...


[OOC: I think this session I forgot to apply penalties to the Survival check for going faster than half-speed. Normal speed is -5, and when the Brion-Sahme group was moving at a Hustle, it should have been -20. Oh well, just have to remember that for next time.

Also, if Grolton sleeps in wildshape form but changes back before waking, he will be fatigued from sleeping in armor that is heavier than light armor. If he doesn't change back, he will be fine, but he is still at least a level away from being able to wildshape for 8 hrs.

And I was wrong about owls. They don't have darkvision. Hawks and owls only have low-light vision. Not sure if there are any birds, or even animals, that have darkvision. Though, a bat has blindsense 20 ft.

Wow. That was way longer than I expected. Guess a lot did happen in this relatively shorter session. Rewards are coming next. Also, I can post the details you gathered about the orcs. Just let me know if you want that.]

[reefwood]

[OOC: Rewards

You did a good job of gathering intel and taking out a not insignificant chunk of the horde. This earns you a new level and the equivalent wealth increase. Level 7 Wealth is 23,500 gp, and level 8 Wealth is 33,000 gp, so that's an increase of 9,500 gp, but I like round numbers, so these reward packages total 10,000 gp.

You now have 2 rewards packages to cash in, and this unusual circumstance deserves mention of old & new guidelines:

• The gp limits from different equipment lines cannot be combined. Not even if they are part of the same pacakge.
  
• Different equipment lines from the same package can be used in conjunction to obtain a new item as long as each line is able to fully pay for its particular component. Such as, using one line to obtain a sword and another line to obtain an enhancement bonus to a weapon, and voila, you have a magic sword right away. However, equipment lines from different packages cannot be used in this way to obtain a new item. They can be used to obtain a new item with a line from one package and upgraded with a line from another package, but upgrading time is required.
  
• Equipment lines can be spent in any order. You can spend your Ch 7 rewards now and save the Ch 6 ones for later. Or spend half of each package now and save the rest for later. Or use a Ch 7 equipment line to obtain a new item, and use a Ch 6 equipment line to upgrade it (though, this would require upgrading time). Or any other combination.
  
• Unless a quantity is listed, an equipment line can be used to obtain any number of items within the gp limit.
  
• An equipment line must be spent all at once. You cannot spend part of it now and save the remaining gp amount for later. Any leftover gp is wasted.
  
• Any unspent unused equipment lines that are saved for later can be used to obtain new items on their own but can no longer be used in conjunction with other lines for new items. But they can still be used to upgrade items, and this requires upgrade time.
  
• Income pool can be saved to use later. It does not need to be spent all at once.
  
• Income pool cannot be combined with the gp limit of equipment lines.
  
• Income pool can be used in conjunction with equipment lines of new reward packages to obtain a new item. In this instance, Ch 6 and Ch 7 rewards are both considered new. But once Ch 8 begins, they will be considered old, and any unspent equipment lines can be saved, but they cannot used in conjunction with income pool to obtain a new item.
  

I know this can be confusing, so just ask if you have questions because I'm happy to help you figure it out.

---

Promotions
- Private First Class Sahme Sweetwater is promoted to Corporal
- Sergeant Brion Shaw is promoted to Staff Sergeant
- Sergeant First Class Grolton is promoted to Master Sergeant


Everyone
- 2 days of income pool at 7th-level {[level 7 x5] +Prof(military) = X gp}
- 8th-level


Reward Packages

Standard Combat (CL 8)
* Magic enhancements to weapons, armors, shields (5,000 gp)
* Nonmagical weapons, armors, shields, ammunition, goods (2,000 gp)
* Additional magic items (2,000 gp)
* +500 gp increase to any two limits
Total = 10,000 gp

Magic Combat (CL 10)
* Two wands of any spells of a level you can cast (3,000 gp)
* Magic items to increase AC (2,000 gp)
* Nonmagical weapons, armors, shields, ammunition, goods (1,000 gp)
* Additional magic items (3,000 gp)
* +500 gp increase to any two limits
Total = 10,000 gp

Hybrid Combat (CL 9)
* Magic enhancement to one weapon OR one wand of any spell of a level you can cast (2,500 gp)
* Magic enhancements to armors & shields OR magic items to increase AC (2,500 gp)
* Nonmagical weapons, armors, shields, ammunition, goods (1,000 gp)
* Additional magic items (2,500 gp)
* +500 gp increase to any three limits
Total = 10,000 gp


If the group decides to take 2 days off, each PC will receive 2 more days of income pool at 8th-level. The equation for 8th-level is "[level 8 x5] +Prof(military)" gp per day, but keep in mind that you get these amounts on Day 20 and Day 21. Not right away or all at once but before the start of Ch 8. This fine detail might possibly matter only if you want to upgrade at item obtained through income pool or you want to use the income pool to purchase an upgrade. But mostly likely, it probably won't affect you unless you are spending every last coin during this time off.

If you want to upgrade an item, let me know, and I can help you figure out how long it will take.

And please list any new items obtained underneath the equipment lines used to obtain them.]

[Rabbit]

Jun 10, 2010 18:06:53 GMT -5 reefwood said:

If you want to upgrade an item, let me know, and I can help you figure out how long it will take.

I got an extra mithril chain shirt I would like to upgrade to +1 since that is the first step in other enchantments.

And I can only use my personal income from Profession Military, right? Or does this;

Any unspent equipment lines that are saved for later can be used to obtain new items on their own but can no longer be used in conjunction with other lines for new items. But they can still be used to upgrade items, and this requires upgrade time.

mean I can use left over money from my previous purchasing package to upgrade?

[Character level x5] + Profession (military) modifier = daily income pool

Currently;
Income Pool [1050gp]
Spent = 50 gp, Remaing = 1000 gp [as of DAY 21]
[(8*5) + 10 = 50] x 21

or;
Spent = 50 gp, Remaing = 900 gp [as of DAY 19]
[(8*5) + 10 = 50] x 19

Looks like I might have to enchant this while we are on our next mission.... is that right.

[reefwood]

Jun 11, 2010 12:21:48 GMT -5 Rabbit said:

Jun 10, 2010 18:06:53 GMT -5 reefwood said:

If you want to upgrade an item, let me know, and I can help you figure out how long it will take.

I got an extra mithril chain shirt I would like to upgrade to +1 since that is the first step in other enchantments.

And I can only use my personal income from Profession Military, right? Or does this;

Any unspent equipment lines that are saved for later can be used to obtain new items on their own but can no longer be used in conjunction with other lines for new items. But they can still be used to upgrade items, and this requires upgrade time.

mean I can use left over money from my previous purchasing package to upgrade?

[Character level x5] + Profession (military) modifier = daily income pool

Currently;
Income Pool [1050gp]
Spent = 50 gp, Remaing = 1000 gp [as of DAY 21]
[(8*5) + 10 = 50] x 21

or;
Spent = 50 gp, Remaing = 900 gp [as of DAY 19]
[(8*5) + 10 = 50] x 19

Looks like I might have to enchant this while we are on our next mission.... is that right.

The short answer is NO and MAYBE and NO. Q#1 - You can use any source of wealth available to purchase an upgrade. Q#2 - I'm a bit fuzzy following your second question, but it might just be the wording. You will never have any leftover money from a previous package, but you can have unused Equipment Lines that are leftover, and these can be used for upgrades. The main difference about leftover lines is that they can't be used for an instant upgrade, so you have to wait for the item to be ready. Q#3 - It looks like you have enough resources to upgrade the mithral chainshirt to +1 before the next mission. Unless you do want to use Income Pool. Then, you do have to wait until you have earned 1,000 gp to get the +1 upgrade.

Some more info if you're curious...

Income Pool is tremendously low when compared to Equipment Lines for Starting or Rewards Packages, so you probably won't be able to afford most upgrades with Income Pool anyway. Your best bet it to use a "Magic enhancements" line that applies to armor from the Standard or Hybrid Package to upgrade an armor you already own. This will use up 1,000 gp and take 1 day, and you can use the leftover gp amount on other enhancements, but any leftover gp from this Equipment Line will be lost. Alternatively, you could use the same "Magic enhancements" line in conjunction with a "Nonmagical weapons, armors..." line - as long as both are from new packages - to obtain a brand new +1 mithral chainshirt and get it right away. But since you have the time to upgrade, it would probably just be a waste of gp to obtain a brand new mithral chainshirt.

Also, Equipment Lines and Income Pool are different things. The info you quoted is about Equipment Lines, but your question seems to be asking about Income Pool.

The section you quoted about Equipment Lines is worded a bit poorly and should say "unused "instead of "unspent" but doesn't really have anything to do with Income Pool.

Income Pool doesn't have many restrictions. You can spend it on anything and save whatever is leftover. You can use it in conjunction with new Equipment Lines to obtain a new item (with upgrades) right away, and in such a case, Income Pool can be used to obtain either the item part or the upgrade part of the new item. The main restrictions are that 1) you can't use IP to increase the gp limit of any equipment line, and 2) you have to wait until the day is over to get your next daily IP amount. So, if you want to purchase the upgrade with Income Pool, you have to wait until you have earned the amount necessary, and then, upgrading begins the next day.

And if you have 4,000 gp, you can turn a mithral chainshirt into a +2 armor, but this will take 4 days.